It's Quiet...

Too quiet. The ants have gone into hiding. There have been no sightings of the hair-attacking wasps. While I envision a plague of locusts hovering over their laptops downloading MapQuest directions to my home, none have made an appearance to date. I don't know if the battle is won or if the insects are simply regrouping for their next attack.

Either way, this Sheep is sleeping with one eye open. They think they are so smart. I am smarter... That or deluded from lack of sleep due to my ongoing vigilance. Either way, things here at the front are settled for the moment.

I took advantage of this cease-fire to knock off a couple more rows on the Jaywalkers. Once again, needle #3 is causing problems and has somehow lost a stitch. Dropped? Inadvertently decreased? Eaten by ants? The world may never know. And I'm not going to waste a bunch of time on this issue. If it doesn't turn up in a cursory exam then I'm just going to toss in an increase and move on as if nothing happened. It's been working for me thus far in my Jaywalker journey and I'm of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" camp.

So, to recap: The Sheep is waging an imaginary war against the insects of the world, is deluded enough to believe she is winning and she has made an error in her knitting. In other words, things are as normal as ever here at Chez Sheep.

It's only a matter of time before I don a tinfoil hat, I just know it.

SA

The Battle Continues.

Not much in the way of knitting at this point. I must continue to fight against the insectile menace that is threatening our way of life for all time. I do this for all people of Earth.

Last night The Sheep found herself happily hunched over a carton of ice cream putting spoon to mouth at a rate barely visible to the human eye. Let's face it: the whole "gosh Sheepie you lost so much weight while you were sick and should eat a bit more" thing has gone straight to my head. And my hips. It's out of control. I'm working on it, okay???

Where was I?

Ah, yes...on the couch snarfing ice cream. I seem to recall having heard something hit the back of the couch, but, living in a home with two cats, I often hear things hit the couch. I stayed focused on my delightful dairy treat. After a while, though, it seemed prudent to return the ice cream to the freezer and try to resume normal living. I successfully got the carton to the kitchen and back to it's frozen home then ran a hand through my hair to keep from reaching for it once more. And that's when it happened...

My hand came across something big...and crunchy...and leggy...that bit me!!!

I then did the dance with which we are all so familiar whether we admit it or not. You know the one: it involves slapping one's head repeatedly, spinning in circles and twitching violently all the while making high pitched, girly, squealing noises. It was all so very horrifying.

A few minutes later, I observed the culprit winging it's way across the kitchen. Desdemona and I both sprung into action and began stalking the mighty beast. I got bored after five minutes or so and gave up but my feline defender spent the better part of the evening attempting to track down Mr. Wasp. I actually had better things to do given that I had been stung and needed to tend to my injured thumb. Gotta love hydrocortisone.

No sign of my aerial attacker this evening nor of the ants that have formed the ground troops in this battle to end all battles. I suspect they have fallen back and are awaiting the flea attack that is sure to come soon and weaken me to the point of surrender. It's all just a matter of time. I may need reinforcements here.

I'm calling in the National Guard.

SA

Humidity And Houseguests...

The Sheep is pleased to report that summer has arrived in the Northeast. It's 82 degrees, the fans are up and running and the first of my seasonal houseguests have arrived. They are, as always, uninvited and unwelcome. They don't care that I don't want them here. No amount of sidelong looks, sighs or outright demands to vacate will affect their stay. Only outright carnage will do.

The ants have landed.

Not the cute little ones. (we used to call them "sweet ants." I've no idea why...) These are the big ones. The kind whose faces you can actually discern. And they are smiling at me in a way that I find deeply disturbing. I think they know that I am planning their demise via the purchase of bait traps and the like. If there is ever an ant revolution I suspect that it will start in my kitchen.

I am not a bad housekeeper. It would actually take years of training and practice for me to achieve that status. Thus, it is not really all that shocking that they have chosen my home to erect their bunkers for their attack upon all humanity. When we are all huddled in caves trying to avoid the anty menace, you'll know who to blame. I'll own it. All I ask is that my punishment be cutting remarks and cold coffee. Please don't throw me in a volcano or anything. It was really an honest mistake...

When not squashing the little creatures wandering amongst the cat bowls, I have made a little progress on the Jaywalkers:

We're into the foot!

It's been sort of an "on again off again" undertaking today as my energy level is low and it seems a bit warm to be handling wool. Still, I feel like I've made some headway. There was some confusion when picking up stitches along the heel flap as I may have gotten a bit "enthusiastic" when knitting and added a few more rows than necessary to that little area. It all worked out (after a bit of adjusting) and we are forging ahead as if it was what we meant to do all along. It's just my way...

Since it's back to the grind tomorrow it looks like these will go back to their slow, but steady rate of completion. No pressure, though. The school year is winding down and I won't be working more than one day per week over the summer this year (I hope) so there will be plenty of time to put these in the FO column. Of course, there is much to do between now and then so I'd best not get ahead of myself!

I will, however, enjoy what's left of today's little summer "preview" and get in a few more hobby related activities. I'm posting this then heading over to the wheel to spin up a bit more of the corriedale. (No more pictures, I promise. You've all be quite patient with my overblogging on this subject) Then I suppose that I should look into making a lunch for tomorrow and finding appropriate garments.

A Peaceful And Safe Memorial Day To All. (except the ants...you and your kind will fail in your attempt to take over this land!!!!!!!)

SA

The Sheep Doesn't Do "Change" Very Well!

I like it when things stay the same. Unless they are sucky. Then I want them to change quickly. And in the way that I choose. But when something is working then I like it to remain a constant. If everyone would just get on board with this then my life would be so much more smooth.

This is the weekend that my Mom's side of the family gathers at my parent's home for their annual Memorial Day reunion. It is one of those things that I dreaded in my younger days, but have come to appreciate more with the advancing of the years. But this year I was faced with a trauma of epic proportions. One which will take me years to overcome. If ever. To understand this drama, you must know two things: first, my Mom's side of the family is the side that can cook. And I'm talking really well!!! Any one of these folks can clip a recipe from Family Circle Magazine, tweak it slightly and serve it at the finest of restaurants to rave reviews. Some of the foods are old favorites served for generations, others are new discoveries. Either way, it is nothing short of a gastronomic delight whenever these gatherings occur. Second: the family member in question here is my great aunt. In her seventies, she still works full time, cares for her grandchildren and volunteers regularly. In short, a slow day for her is a day that might kill me. I should be cutting her some slack. I realize this.

Imagine my delight upon seeing that she brought her most amazing cheesecake to the family reunion yesterday. It is by far my favorite of all that she has ever baked and I was quick to get to the dessert table in order that I might get my slice. I huddled in the corner savoring my sweet looking for all the world like a crack addict in a flophouse and didn't care. I was happy. Later, I overheard my Dad telling auntie how much he'd enjoyed her cheesecake. I then heard the words that have rocked my world forevermore. Nothing will ever be the same.

"Oh, that was a cheat...I used a mix."

There isn't enough therapy in the world, people.

But, I must accept that things have changed. The world has moved on and auntie has joined the ranks of the box-buyers. There's nothing I can do. I was, however, momentarily distracted by something my Mom slipped into my bag of "take-home goodies." I've never used this before:

It's several balls of gimp.

And by the looks it has been kicking around for a bit. I'll tuck this into the stash and see if I can come up with a plan for it. Any thoughts???

Since I was traumatized and all I decided to set aside Amy's project for the weekend and work on my Jaywalkers. I felt that I needed to nurture my saddened soul. Actually, I just got bored with the other project and felt like doing something else. I finished up the heel flap:

And am now turning the heel. I'm not sure how long I'll be focused on this for today given that it is a bit warm to be knitting wool socks and all. But it is entertaining me for the moment so we'll see how far I get.

It doesn't quite make up for the shattering of my childhood illusions but it's all I have. Well, that and the lemon squares tucked in the fridge that were brought to the reunion by another aunt. Since I was also provided with the recipe for those suckers I know that they are the real deal!!!

This I can cling to...

SA

The Cure.

Well, this morning's commute proved to be yet another foray into the wild, wild world of construction-related hell. In an earlier post I referred to a highly strategic right-hand turn that takes me from the world of work to the world of home and rest. Going to work, said right becomes a strategic left. Logical, wouldn't you say? I need that left if I want to earn money and fill my soul with the satisfaction that comes from a job well done and all.

As I and the other commuters approached this magical left, we were faced with a plethora of orange cones placed in what appeared to be a haphazard manner around the roadway. In some cases, they were at least three abreast. Now, The Sheep often has difficulty discerning patterns in this world. Hence, the array of post-its, stitch counters and scrawled notes to self when knitting anything other than a garter stitch scarf. But that is neither here nor there, I suppose. When faced with the Great Cone Scattering of '06, I was simply flummoxed. And judging by the square dance of vehicles prancing about ahead of me I was not the only one. The whole mess was further complicated by our needing to dodge a pickup truck containing some little fellow tossing more cones upon the path just to keep us on our toes. There were a number of helpful sign-holders along the route, each warning us to proceed slowly but offering little in the way of help in finding the appropriate path. We all managed to get through it somehow with our vehicles intact, but our dignity was another story.

I, like so many of my fellow drivers, leave my home around 7:00 in the morning. I am driving along snarfing down my morning coffee and a hastily heated Hot Pocket while trying to find some meaning in my life. Am I really the best person to be challenging with an obstacle course at that point? I say, "nay."

On the more positive side, I have found what I feel may be the cure for the knitting "blahs" that have slithered their way into my fibery world. Nope, it's not a new pattern, technique nor yarn.

It is this.

If I can't find happiness in my creativity then I shall find it elsewhere. And the bottom of a cardboard container is as good as any other spot in my humble opinion.

It's alllllll good!!!

SA

Nuthin' New Goin' On Here!

Finishing that first skein of the corriedale was such a rush!!! Whoo, baby! Now that the high has passed, The Sheep seeks another hit of the old endorphines. And there's none to be had here at Chez Sheepie. Nothing approaching the finish line, nothing new to which I might look forward...just a pair of languishing socks and a "must create for Amy the Scary Stylist or risk bad hair" project. That's it. I'm jonesin' for something to make my heart strings go, "zing!"

As I meander through blogland, however, it appears that I am not alone in this dilemma. Are we all just having difficulty with the transition from season to season? Or is there some sort of knitting virus out there akin to the Bird Flu that has swept through the fiber community and left us all languishing? Or am I simply projecting my own malaise upon you all and ignoring the fact that you are fine and producing mass quantities of hand knitted lace. I say lace because I can't knit that. Well, I suppose I could if I could somehow master the art of counting, but that hasn't seemed to go well for me.

Oh well. I guess I'll just forge ahead with my current WIPs and hope for the best. Perhaps one of them will suddenly reveal itself to be the project that catapults me into greatness. Or something just past average. I'm not picky.

In other news, I called Dr. J's office today to see if my x-ray results might, perchance, be available for my perusal. They were and the report was something of a "good news/bad news" thing. There has been a "significant" clearing of the googlie-mooglies which moved into the old lungs a few weeks ago, but not enough to call me cured. I have to call back once the doc has reviewed the report but there seemed to be more interest in how I'm feeling these days than I really wanted to hear. I shared that it had been a bit of a long road but that this week was one in which I was feeling more like the old "moi" and that the pain had almost completely subsided. I'm still going to have to go back for more of the rays in two to four weeks. Between the Monkey Pox and Dr. DeSade DMD doing all his torture/dental work over the past seven months I have had more x-rays than any human being should ever have. 'Tis truly a good thing this Sheep is not interested in procreating as I'm pretty sure that I'd give birth to something quite "unique" at this point. Sheesh!!!

But lung googlies and knitting malaise aside, this weekend is a long one! And that makes for a happy Sheep no matter what the circumstances!!! There will be a frantic rush of bread baking within the next few days as the Sheep family reunion will occur on Saturday. There will be a great clamor for Cheesy Bread from the relatives and I don't like to disappoint, dontcha know. Time permitting, I'll try to knock out a couple loaves of the whole wheat as well. Time may get the better of me on that one, though.

Then again, it's not like I've got the knitting fever or anything...just left-over Monkey Pox googlies.

SA

Orange Cones, Orange Vests, And A Sheep Sees Red!

I fully understand that roads are not immortal beings. They have a limited life span and periodically require maintenance and upkeep. I also am aware of the fact that this may require a bit of inconvenience for the drivers who must travel these roads in order that they might get from point A to point B. I get it. I really do. And I'm generally pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. It is what it is.

But today just about caused me to have some sort of rage induced cerebral event that could have ended in my disassembling a piece of bright yellow construction-type equipment. Or to start flinging orange cones about the roadway with wild abandon while screaming, "I want to go home!!!" over and over.

My commute is a simple one and generally takes about 40 minutes or so. I had a few quick errands to run so I'd factored that in and knew that I could make it back to hearth and home within the usual time frame. This route requires one key right-hand turn that appeared blocked by cones and large pieces of metal. And some power-crazed little man with a flag. Now, it is entirely possible that there was some way around this maze of "stuff," but I certainly couldn't see it. And the mad wavings and gestures of the flag wielder upon seeing my blinker were of no help either. I gave up and went straight, thus, adding another 20 minutes or so to my ride home. I was not happy. Not happy at all. And I shared said unhappiness to an audience of none throughout this detour in a strident tone that echoed tremendously within the confines of my vehicle. I was even a wee bit scared of myself.

Errands were run successfully, though and I did make it home in time to torture myself with the Tuesday workout. That took a bit of the edge off the whole thing. But then there was this:

Skeined and lovely! I am now centered and calm.

I still haven't gotten the true weight of this finished yarn, but I'm pleased with my ability to spin a tad finer. Here's a bit with a penny thrown in for scale:

Even Mr. Lincoln can't seem to look away from the beauty of this yarn!

There is still more left to spin up so I'm afraid that you haven't heard the last of the corriedale. I will try to keep it to a minimum and try to move on to other topics. There are other things in life. I'm sure I can find something else with which to occupy my time and blog space.

I promise. Soon. Honest...

SA

Where Have You Been All My Life?

I promise...I'll stop the corriedale posts soon. Honest. It's just a new affair is all. Once the novelty of it all wears off, I shall return to useless meanderings about the dentist, work and the latest tragedy to befall my work in progress. But to have something go so very right is just something a Sheep must share with the world. It's not completely dry so skeining has yet to occur, but I simply couldn't resist a shot of my super-duper hand-spun:

Are you weak in the knees? Do you require oxygen? It's understandable.

I've been simply giddy since I pried this off the skein-winder last night. It has set and blocked beautifully and appears to have turned out to be close to a fingering weight. We'll get out the sett gauge later and see what we end up with but, for now, I simply want to gaze upon it in wide-eyed wonder and dream of projects to come.

I survived another Monday (probably due to the endorphines released into my system by the joy of my handspun) and made it home to the workout gear. It was something of a struggle, but I pushed through and actually managed to get in the full hour. I even got through the weights without having to stop due to pain in my side and back. It's still there, but much diminished. No results yet on last week's x-rays, but it's nice to know that I can finally get back to doing some of the things that I used to. For anyone keeping score that's Monkey Pox/pneumonia-1, Sheep-2. I win. Take that, Monkey Pox!!!!!

Desdemona has now parked herself at my side and is giving me the not-so-gentle head butts and paw swipes which indicate that the feeding hour is upon us. Mother must go attend to the needs of her children before there is some sort of feline uprising and I am relegated to the station of court jester or something.

Then I shall return to staring at, stroking and cooing to my pretty new yarn. Admit it...you've all done it.

SA

Which Came First: The Chicken Or The Sheep?

Despite not being quite finished with the actual spinning, I have begun plying some of the Corriedale that has been on the wheel and capturing my heart for the last few weeks.

Wouldn't be a Sunday without the obligatory picture of my Corrie, now would it?

Yes, the plan was to attempt a 3 ply yarn with this. And right up to the 11th hour I was committed to this endeavor. But sometimes Sheep turn into chickens...

Yup. It's a 2 ply.

Two factors came into play here. The first is The Sheep's innate lack of patience and desire for instant gratification. I just couldn't wait!!! Secondly, I was nervous about plying three singles with this fiber as I've not done that before and I just didn't want to risk it given how taken I've been with it. Frankly, I'm just as happy with this decision. It's looking great and I can think of about a million things I can do with the finer yarn.

Of course it wouldn't be a Sheepish Annie project without some sort of spanner in the works and this was no exception. I'm still getting used to the tensioned Lazy Kate and had her torqued up pretty tightly. A loosely spun section of a single couldn't take the pressure and snapped causing a spate of language that is best left to the imagination. Although I must admit that even I was stunned by my creativity with the spoken word at that point. At any rate, I managed to achieve something of a half-assed felted join that held the single together long enough to ply it with it's intended and get it on the bobbin. We've loosened things up a bit and all seems to be well at this point. Whether I get this finished up tonight is something of a coin toss, but it's not like the fate of the world depends on it or anything. I mean, what's gonna happen? Plague? Been there. (see Monkey Pox posts) Flood? Old news. (see "I don't have school again today and have had to pee constantly for seven days" posts) Famine? Well, sort of. I kind of ran out of food during the Monkey Pox debacle. Anyway...I think it's safe to tempt the fates, here. There's not much else that can go wrong these days.

Work continues on Amy's project and, while I've stalled out a bit today due to a spinning frenzy, I think that this may actually work. By "work" I mean that I will have a finished object that meets my loosey-goosey standards and will in no way meet Amy's. But it will be a starting point and she can tell me where she'd like to see alterations. And she will. Trust me on this!!! Only for Amy would I go through this...

That's it for today. I simply must return to my much loved Corrie and see how much more can be plied today. I almost dread finishing this...whatever will I blather about on Sundays when I don't have my Corriedale?

SA

I Live To Serve.

First, let me say that my Jaywalkers have come around to my way of thinking and are moving along. The issues that seemed to keep occurring on needle #3 have been beaten into submission and I had hoped to move forward with great speed and success!

Yay me!!!!

Oh, no...wait. Change of plans. I have been given new marching orders and must set my socks aside in order that I might meet the needs of Amy, my scary but oddly lovable, stylist. Some of you may recall that, in my last appointment, I was asked to produce a pair of handwarmers similar to those I made earlier for her only in black. With gold sparklies. And smaller. And really soft. I am disturbingly meek when it comes to my stylist. She is a tiny little woman who I could probably tuck under my arm and toss into the nearest dumpster should the urge to do so overtake me, but I never will. She has this odd power over me.

Unable to find yarn that would meet her highly specific needs, I made the decision to order the fiber and custom spin it to her desires. I was most gratified to see that it had arrived this morning and headed out for my coincidentally scheduled root touch up session with Amy prepared to share my success and receive her awe and gratitude. It was not to be.

Amy has a new project in mind for me. One to which she is so committed that she has two knitters scrambling to make it happen. It involved the examination of a purchased garment, the taking of photos (thank heavens I purchased a phone with camera-capacity) and the creation of a pattern. While pleased to see the fiber had arrived, she is so gung-ho about project #2 that she would prefer I put the handwarmers aside and get straight to work. Okey-dokey. After she burned my head, attempted to forcefully remove one of my earring with aggressive combing and left a mark on my neck with the plastic bonnet-thingie, I rushed home to begin knitting up a "prototype" of sorts. She and I will head out next weekend to purchase yarn. I will leave the garment and pattern up to the imagination for now. I've learned through bitter experience that I should limit blogging about something until I have some confidence in my ability to pull it off so I'll hold off on the details for now. It's a simple project and one that is well within my skill set, but I've gotten overconfident before. Hopefully I'll have an interesting FO to present within the next couple of weeks!

Sorry, Jaywalkers. We're talking about my stylist here. She makes me look waaaay better than you will. I'll get back to you when I can.

The best part of all this is that, while adept at getting what she wants, Amy is also charming and a dead riot. This whole process is sort of more fun than one might think. Like rollercoasters or bungee jumping. Or catching bullets with your teeth. That's right, The Sheep is addicted to high risk activities. And if you don't think that potentially screwing up a project for the individual who is responsible for the eradication of gray hair isn't high risk, then you are either significantly younger than I or far more confident in your ability to charm through personality.

And just when I thought the whole birthday thing was over and done with, it came back to haunt me on Friday. My staff, upon learning that they had missed the big day due to the fact that they were trapped in their homes by raging floodwaters, decided that they simply must have a celebration. Thus, The Sheep found herself serenaded by a group of first through fourth graders intent upon using the tune of "Happy Birthday" to impress upon their teacher that she not only resembles a primate but "smells like one, too." There was cake, though, and that sort of put a good spin on it. In addition, this card helped to make it a pretty humorous event:

Anyone out there who works with children will see the humor in this tenfold.

So now I must be off to continue working on Project "Save My Highlights." If I fail, please forward my mail to the witness protection program. Seriously...this woman wields power!!!

Wish me luck.

SA

And So It Begins...

It was all going so well. Jaywalkers. A simple pattern...awesome results...no surprises...two row repeat. And yet, somehow, I have managed to lose a stitch. There was no warning, no "gee something isn't right here." Suddenly there was one less stitch than I needed and a hole where the fabric should be smooth and unsullied.

What is it with The Sheep and socks? I am entranced by them. I have this urge to create them. They call to me. I think about them all the time. I might even dream about them, but I am not one who really remembers my dreams. I knit them despite clicking wrists, sore thumbs and eyestrain.

And something always seems to go horribly awry. These are rookie mistakes. A dropped stitch? C'mon!!!!! If I could pick it up and move on this would be a non-event. But it is eluding me. It may even be taunting me in some yarn language that I do not understand. It's frog-time. I will beat this. Yet it is irritating on so very many levels.

But that will wait. Right now I need to find some chocolate and pretend that all is right in my knitting universe.

Tomorrow I head over to the local institution of healing to have some chest x-rays and get some idea how the pneumonia is coming along. There is still some pain on the right side so I'm guessing that it's maintaining something of a stronghold in there. However, my breathing is improved overall so I'm not overly concerned.

Thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday. I'm honestly not a Grumpy Gus who hates any and all celebratory activities. I like a good whoop-de-doo as much as the next sheep. And I did have a good day...the Lean Pocket followed by cake gave me a fit of irony-inspired giggles! However , this was not a milestone b-day so I felt that a more low-key approach was appropriate. Plus I was tuckered out...

Now it's off to the kitchen to fortify myself with sugar, cocoa and antioxidents in order that I might attack the frogging of Jaywalker with all the gusto and confidence that a one-year-older, pneumatic sheep can muster. Wish me luck!

SA

The Sheep Is Not A "Celebrant."

Things to factor into this equation:

1. I went back to work after two days of lolling about like a beached whale noshing on doughnut holes.

2. The children all made it back to school safe and sound and with little bus-related difficulty.

3. Half my staff did not make it back to school safe and sound. They are trapped in their homes.
4. I was awake much of the night thinking about how much stuff had piled up in the way of work over the last two days and panicking given that it is impossible to actually finish said stuff.

5. The Sheep is somewhat lazy and often shlumps on the couch with her mouth hanging open and making humming noises. The Sheep enjoys this.

So here's how it's gonna go:

We have the obligatory rose be-decked cake. (chocolate, of course)

We have a fancy-schmancy dinner for one.

The parents have called and sung to me in their endearing off-key style and reminisced about the day that they were gifted with this wonderful child. (My Dad likes to tell about how my nose was shmooshed over to one side and that they had to "coax" it back into something vaguely resembling a human schnozz)

That's it. We're calling it good. Another year on the planet has been acknowledged. Whew!! I'm thinking that I will have to rest up after this one.

I like regular days. The kind that don't involve expectations or people leaping out of nowhere to yell celebratory greetings and ask how old you are. Or elementary school children guessing your age to be somewhere around the century mark. Birthdays are just stressful in so very many ways!

Gonna go eat me some cake. That part I like!

SA

Drowning...Send Floaties!

Let me be clear, here: It. Has. To. Stop. Raining. Has to!!! I'm still at home since there is no way to get the little kiddies to school down on the ME/NH border. Many people are still evacuated and roads are closed everywhere. This is not good. Not good at all.

As I'm a bit further north, things here are still pretty safe. I opted to head out to the good old Dept. of Motor Vehicles this morning as my license is due to expire in less than 24 hours and I'm thinking that I might need that. This is not the drama up here in the wilds of Maine as it may be in the more "populated" areas of the country. I was there by 8:25 and out well before 9:00. The biggest issue came when I had to choose between the two possible photos for my license. I simply couldn't understand how two pictures of my mother ended up on the screen rather than The Sheep's youthful visage. Most perplexing. I chose the lesser of two evils and headed back out into the deluge. It didn't seem worth arguing with them about the incorrect pictures. I'll just explain it to the nice State Trooper should I ever get pulled over.

And now I'm back home and working on my Jaywalkers:

The ziggies and zaggies don't show up too well here, but they are there! Such a cool pattern!

Yesterday's dyeing frenzy is almost dry. You can see the streaky effect here pretty clearly:

Remember: we have all agreed that this was done on purpose. Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it...

And, as promised, the recipe for The Sheep's Cheesy Bread. Now, I will take no responsibility for any issues around cholesterol and high blood pressure or the like. This is not a lo-cal, healthy, live forever sort of bread. But, if I couldn't eat this stuff, I wouldn't want to live forever anyway:

Ingredients:

7-8 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons (or packets) yeast, 2 cups water, 2/3 cups milk, 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp to taste) and a block of cheddar (8 oz ??? not sure, I just get the small package at the grocery store) cubed.

Combine water and milk in saucepan. Heat on low to 120-130 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. Gradually combine this with the milk/water mixture. (you will need an electric mixer, here) Add cheese and 1/2 cup flour. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead, adding flour as needed until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Let rise in a greased bowl until doubled in bulk. Punch down, knead briefly then cut into 2 equal portions. To form the loaf, roll a section into a rectangle and then roll up jelly-roll style. (be careful to work out the air bubbles. ) Let rise for 30 minutes or so then bake on the bottom rack for 30-40 mins at 375. Makes two loaves.

I'm pretty sure I've gotten this right. I've fiddled and fussed with this recipe so much over the years and now can do it in my sleep. Oddly, it's tough to remember all the steps when writing it down!

Lastly, I leave you with a picture of my little gift to me. Remember, if my license expires tomorrow then it would seem it is a day upon which I can justify a little something special:

A new pink Razor Phone!!! Makes the aging process less painful.

SA

Rainy Days And Mondays...And States Of Emergency!

Well, it just keeps raining. And raining. Then it rains. This is not good. The Governor is wandering about the southern region of the state muttering dire predictions and promising Federal aid and the residents are wondering if they will ever be able to retrieve their lawn ornaments from the raging waters. Actually, where The Sheep lives, things are pretty good. Go a few miles south and it's kind of a different story. It's a coin flip as to whether the roads will be open tomorrow. I'm leaning towards believing that I will be returning to school, but it wouldn't shock me if we were out one more day. New Hampshire is getting hit even worse than we are and I teach right on the border. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I opted for the "snuggly day inside" over the "responsible errand running." Last night it was something of a debate in my mind, but the soothing sound of the rushing waters lulled me into a complacent state. (and I had to pee alot) I made it to the grocery store for coffee and dry gas and that was it for me in the outside world.

I had visions of getting some spinning done, but that didn't happen. I ended up casting on for a pair of Jaywalkers. I know, I know...I'm a bit late to the party here. Am I the last person on earth to attempt a pair of these socks? What can I say? I'm always a bit behind the times.

I'm actually much further along at this point. I took this photo pretty early in the day.

I then had a yen for some dyeing. I dug out the last of the tussah silk and hit it with the pretty plum colored dye that I ordered over the April break. Now, The Sheep and kettle dyeing have what you might call a love/hate relationship. It is always something of a "streaky" affair. Rarely do I have the patience to prep. the fiber enough for it to consistently take the color and I always end up with a mottled effect and more white than I really wanted. This used to bother me, but I finally decided to just go with it and call it my "signature style." I generally go back and re-card to blend things a bit better and often end up with something that I rather like.

Lovely silk, simmering away. And the color is pretty much dead-on. It's full of plummy goodness!

And, after a two week hiatus, I finally attempted a gentle work-out. I managed 30 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes with the weights. The weights proved the most challenging and I suspect that I will be a long time training in order to get back to where I was pre-Monkey Pox. Still, it was nice to get back into the routine even if it was something of a pathetic showing. I'm sure I'll be the better for it. Waiting that extra week was a good move. Thanks to the blogging community at-large for pushing that agenda. There is no way this Sheep could have gotten through even the slowest of work-outs last week.

So now, it's just a waiting game. As I said, the rain should be slowing soon and, if the rivers, streams and mighty ocean can settle down and go back where they belong, I can trundle off to work tomorrow. Much as I have enjoyed the extra day, I do believe that we need to get back into the routine, here.

Otherwise, school will be getting out sometime around August 28th this year.

SA (p.s. Per Teri's request, the recipe for the Cheesy Bread will be forthcoming...stay tuned!)

Um, I Was Just Kidding...

In my last post, I made a little jest regarding the feasibility of knitting an ark. When will I learn? Jokes of late have actually been precursors to disaster.

It has been raining...alot. I live in the Southern part of Maine and, as I have just learned, we are currently under a state of emergency due to flooding. Where I am is fine; soggy, but fine. Just a wee bit south of here, however, it is something of a mess. Roads are trashed, schools are closed, animals are pairing off into groups of two and it's the end of the world as we know it. And that is where I work in my grown-up, non-blogging life.

The upshot of this is: The Sheep gets a day off tomorrow. I just got the call and confirmed it via the all-knowing internet. My school district has cancelled for the day due to the high water levels and lack of roads upon which to drive.

So...what to do? I could get some local errands done. My license is expiring this week and I need a prescription refilled. Or, I could snuggle in at home and play with the spinning wheel. Of the two possible choices, the first would really be the most responsible. The second seems the most likely, though. I'll admit to being a tad on the lazy side at times, but I really do feel like I have an excuse. For Mother's Day today, I assisted with the planting of Mom's new ornamental grass garden. (this was all she wanted in the way of gifting) It felt good to work the old muscles again, but I am a bit tuckered out from the experience. I'm really feeling so much better and am thinking that my x-rays on Friday will reveal lung healing of epic proportions. But I sure do tire easily...

I guess I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow. Either way, it's a day off. Not loving the circumstances and I hope everybody down in my "work" neck of the woods is doing OK. Let's all cross our fingers and hope for some dry weather soon!

I mean, honestly! This is getting ridiculous!

SA

Do Sheep Shrink When It Rains?

OK, probably not. But this Sheep decided not to risk it. I stayed in rather than brave the ongoing onslaught of H2O that has been pouring down for the last few days. Mom always said don't play in the rain...wouldn't want to get sick, now, would I? (this said sarcastically as I already have pneumonia...)

Tomorrow being Mother's Day, I had something of an assignment anyway. My brother and I will be heading out to the 'rent's house tomorrow to celebrate the big day as well as all our birthdays in one big "let's just get this over with" blow out. (note: by "blowout" I mean that we will eat cake and watch TV for a few hours. We are not exactly a festive sort of clan) Any family gathering at this point comes with a request from dear old Dad. He's a great Dad who has always loved me as his first born and all, but it is only recently that he has come to see me as a useful gal to have around. You see...I can cook. He didn't know that for a long time. Once he figured it out, I became something of a special guest star at any and all family gatherings. He has two favorites, one of which is The Sheep's most decadent cheesy bread. So, in honor of Mother's Day, I have fulfilled my Father's request:

The one on the right is on the lumpy side, but tasty all the same!

Not to worry! Mom loves this stuff, too. I will wrap it up and bring it to the family dinner and be quite the hero! Dad is contributing his world famous ribs and my brother is supposed to bring something that he will invariably forget and it will be a Sheep family event to remember!

In other news, the cotton sock is no more. I just couldn't stand fighting with the wooden dpns for another minute. I'll wait until I have some metal ones. Today's knitting included a few rows on The Great Shawl Experiment and that was that. The rest of the day was all about the spinning. If you are getting sick and tired of seeing pix of my much-beloved corriedale...well, look away!

Bobbin #2 is almost done! And my love remains constant and true.

I'm still planning on a three ply yarn, but am a-quiver with nerves. I normally do two ply yarns. However, now that I have a tensioned lazy kate, I've been really wanting to try a three or four ply. If anything goes horribly awry with my pretty corrie in this process, I will simply have to fling myself out the window. I only live on the second floor so that probably wouldn't actually be fatal or anything, but I'm sure that it would smart a bit. And it would be a punishment I fully deserved for sullying this fiber. I shall keep my fingers crossed and trust the fiber gods on this one. What could possibly go wrong? (I am not asking for an answer, here...)

Here's hoping that, wherever you may be, that the weather is more accommodating than what we are having here. The flood watches are up. Is it possible to knit an ark?

SA

We Can Print!

A cable was purchased, software installed, test page tested...we are printing. Life is good again. And Trek will be pleased to know that the first thing I printed after the test page was her Arizona Lace Sock pattern! It looks like a fun one! Not sure when I'll get to it, but it's in the Knitting Knotebook at this point.

The truck is still working just like it never had it's little weather related temper tantrum the other day. My brother is thinking that it's the fuel filter...I have no idea. I just need a vehicle to go from one place to another with as little drama as possible. I don't think this is too much to ask.

I did, in fact, tempt the fates last night and work on the sock for a bit. The world did not come to a crashing, fiery end so I guess it was a safe move. I'm using Brittany wood dpns for these bad boys and am hating the way the cotton clings to them. I'm on the hunt for some metal ones that will allow for some slippin' and slidin'. I run the risk of rogue stitches escaping the confines of the needles, but I'm thinking this will be a fair trade-off. I'm weak from the Monkey Pox for crying out loud. I can't be fighting with yarn that doesn't want to come off a needle. Life is too short.

Otherwise, it was a good day. I slept the whole night through and, while sore upon awaking, was far better able to deal with it having 8 hours of sack time under my belt. My big problem now is yawning. Yawning forces a deep breath. Deep breaths hurt like a mother! I sort of do this weird little gasping, side clutching move whenever a yawn comes upon me. I'm gonna work on this one...

Seriously...have you ever tried to fight a yawn? It's nigh impossible!!!!

SA

Bucking Trucks And Pricey Paperweights...

Last night was a rough one for The Sheep. Well, I've had worse of late, but I was up at three o'clock with some back pain and that sort of put the ki-bosh on any further sleep. I was pretty wrecked today. Plus, I was convinced that the truck was just no way gonna start up after the little hissy fit it put on for me yesterday.

But, like so many inanimate objects of late, it acted like nothing had ever happened and made me look like a crazy lady. I swear to you, it was like driving a bucking bronco yesterday...honest!!! Today? Nothing. The engine light never even came on. My truck is mocking me.

Fortunately, today was an early release day for students so the staff could have placement meetings for next year's classes. I didn't have to be in those and most of what I needed to do could be done off-site so I got permission to take my now-healthy vehicle home. Frankly, I was pretty wiped out.

As I was driving home, I realized that this may be par for the course for a while. The more people I talk to who have had pneumonia, the more I realize how long the recovery time could be on this. If I'm going to be working at home, I'd better get me a working printer. So, I stopped off at the printer store on the way home and got myself a phone/fax/copier/printer/scanner thingamabobbie that should cover all my needs. It's stunning. And I can't use it. When I went to connect the USB cable to the computer, it was nowhere to be found. Isn't that something that should have been included??? It's sort of a vital component to the whole printing process...I mean, the whole kit 'n kaboodle needs to be connected, right? Why wouldn't they give me a cable? Do they hate me? Is this yet another inanimate object that is chuckling at my expense?

Or did I lose the cable? I lose stuff...alot. Nope. I refuse to believe that. It's not my fault. "They" didn't give me the cable.

So, I'm now the proud owner of the world's most expensive paperweight. OK, there are probably solid gold paperweights out there with diamond encrusted whosits on them and they are probably more expensive. But this is certainly the most this Sheep has ever paid for something that just sits on a table and does me no good.

Gaze upon it...it does nothing. But it's got alot of cool buttons!

OK, so I'll get a cable tomorrow and all will be well. It's just par for the course right now, I guess. Eventually, stupid things will stop happening to me.

The question now is: should I attempt the sock? We all know what incredibly ridiculous things happen when I knit socks: transformers explode, stitches wander off for parts unknown, math needs to be applied to fix errors of epic proportions, the earth tilts just a fraction on it's axis and weather is altered for all time...you know, stuff like that. I hesitate to tempt the fates here.

But we all know I'm gonna.

SA

OK, OK!!!!

The Sheep is touched! Thanks to all for your comments and "message received!" I did not attempt to work out today and will take the rest of the week off. We'll review the matter next week. It's just that, once you've managed to take off a significant amount of weight, you tend to be hyper-aware of the "slippery slope" that awaits. Putting it all back takes far less time than taking it off. But, you all are correct: I'm just not ready to start back on the workout routine yet.

I also gave in to the "call of the sock" last night after deciding that knitting should not feel like math homework. It's a hobby, for crying out loud and a Sheep should be knitting whatever she feels like knitting. Hah!!! I did compromise, though. I chose a simple pattern using DK weight yarn that should go quickly. Taking a suggestion from missemilysmom, I am using a shorter dpn's to see if this helps with the wrist clickies. So far, so good...

Desdemona approves!

Persephone is unimpressed and would rather watch the rain...

Speaking of rain, the truck is having yet another hissy fit with regard to the wet. I had successfully managed to quell the shaking and shimmying with a can of dry gas and a few days of sunny weather. Even got the damn engine light to go out. Things were fine today until I decided to gas up. I was down to half a tank and decided that it might be a good idea to keep the tank full given the possibility of water in the works. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am not in the auto repair field. I lack good judgment with regard to mechanical thingies. The engine light is back on, the truck is bucking and coughing and I am fully centered in my denial place. I cannot deal with this right now. As long as the chariot can get me from point A to point B at this juncture I am calling it, "good." The vibrations are spa-like and probably good for my aching back. Yup...it's all good. Don't even try to tell me otherwise...I won't listen. La-la-la, I can't hear you, life is good, car is good, all is right with my world.

Yeah...I'll get it looked at. Just let me have this little break from reality. It's so peaceful...

SA

One Week Ago...

There aren't a whole bunch of Mondays that The Sheep can remember as clearly as the one that wandered my way 7 short days ago. Regular readers (and I may even be into double digits now) will recall that I was twitching about on my sofa with a fever of 105 waving to Grammy in the light. It was a bad day.

And yet, how often does good come from the truly ugly? Well...probably not all that often, but I can say that I salvaged something from that horrible morning. Due to my inability to function behind the wheel thanks to the fried brain cells I was able to do my "blog trolling" early in the day. Juno was looking to sell off some her stash and The Sheep was one of the lucky few to stop by early enough to snag some sock yarn. You may have seen the photo on Juno's site, but here it is in it's new home:

3 skeins of Koigu...all for little old me!

The color is a tad off...it's really more on the green side. I'm sure that the good folks at Koigu Wool Designs have their own name for the color, but, to me, it will always be known as "Spike" after the fever surge that led to my procuring it!

So now, I'm fighting the urge to start another pair of socks. I know I said I'd take a break for the sake of the wrists, but I'm not sure I can resist the siren song of the sock. Does anyone else hear it? It's such a sweet, seductive melody...so...hard...to...fight...

And I'm weak right now. I made it back into work for another fun-filled day of public education. I'm feeling pretty good; the pain level is low and I almost took one whole deep breath today (that was something of an error in judgment, but still...), but I'm absolutely wiped out. It was pointed out to me that I came back to work a bit sooner than I should have and I know that there was a price to pay for that. I was kind of hoping that I could resume my workouts this week, but I am really tuckered out. It's so nice to know that I shall soon be celebrating my 41st year on this planet in the body of a 90 year old woman. Super...just what I was hoping for. I'm going to take this week off from the exercise routine and try again next week when I have a bit more recovery time under my belt. Of course, this means that I shall have to forgo the healing power of the doughnuts that so sustained me over the weekend...

Maybe I'll try the stationary bike tomorrow...you know...just to see how it goes. Them doughnuts was awful good.....

SA