Moving On

He went with the other people. Whatever. I'm over it. It's not as if I liked the kitchen so much that I saved the picture from the listing. I certainly didn't dream that the owner went w the other people but called to tell us who did his kitchen. I definitely didn't plan on where I would put my Muppet canisters and the pic I would take to show it to all of you. Nope, wasn't me. We got the news while we were at the Yankees game thanks to a pair of last minute freebies from my SIL so I couldn't cry-kick-scream-curse. Not while the Yankees had the lead anyway. Instead I fumed and performed the expanded version of Carlin's most famous routine in my head for the rest of the game. Since then I've been constantly hitting refresh on the MLS listings and last night we drove up and took a second look at some neighborhoods. There are a few new listings that look promising and hopefully we will get to see them this weekend. I'll post the winners of the contest this weekend too. In the meantime here is some more Hawaiian eye candy.

Doris Duke's Shangri La

BONUS pic!

Hawaiian Penguins

These poor little guys were at the crazy Hilton (correct me if I'm wrong, babe) that was across the street from our hotel in Oahu. I wonder if they are all huddled in the back because that's where the AC is or if they just want to be as far away from the tourists as possible. Sorry for the crappy pic. We were in a rush to get to the beach in time for sunset (that was a tough day).

She Loved Bamboo

There is something so sweet and simple about that epitaph. I can't help thinking of Edward Gorey when I read it, though I doubt the pages preceding it would be so innocent.

Send the Peanuts to bed

I've got a little something for the peahens.


As further proof of how the internet is the worst thing to ever happen to procrastinators and the easily distracted I present this. I found it while researching something* for this post. It's clearly the love child of an infomercial and a Letterman skit.

*I was trying to verify that baby peacocks are officially called peanuts (turns out they aren't but I used it anyway because I know some people use it and it sounds better than peachick)

I go lie down now, k?

Yeah Mondays are supposed to suck and everything but damn it would have been nice if I managed to get 2 whole hours of sleep before being forced to investigate the loud banging noises coming from the back of the house. Also, it would have been nice if I had some advance notice about the replacement of the screen door because really, I didn't need to wake up to two guys in my kitchen. Well, not those two guys anyway. Moving on, here's what was going to be my eye candy last week until something either distracted me mid-post or I decided I didn't like the pics that much. I can't remember which and I had already uploaded them so...
I think this is a useful tip. Of course, I'm the sort of person who reverses direction in the middle of winding yarn onto a niddy noddy so it's probably completely unnecessary for those that don't take the short bus to the yarn festivals. I always use a bit of scrap string to mark the end of the skein that will be in the center when winding yarn into a center-pull cake. Left unmarked it invariably disappears into the dark center and I tug on the some bit from the middle and turn it into a mess.

Muscari

Mo-Mullet!

And on with the Random!

1. Imogen pattern from Perl Grey
Have you ever seen a cozier sweater? I'm ordering the pattern as soon as I decide if I want anything else from their selection of neat pewter buttons & jewelry. Angry monkey stick pin anyone? discovered via Knit Spot

2. Useful tip for users of Firefox - If you accidentally close a tab you can retrieve it by going to History and then "Recently Closed Tabs". You get back your tab with its history intact. Very neat. I only just discovered this so if everyone else knew it forever please just nod and smile.


3. My damn earrings. I bought these for $7 while stocking up on tees at Old Navy. I can not believe the range (or number) of people that have come up to me while I was wearing them. Everyone from trendy blondes to middle-aged women to an old rocker (who was sporting the oddest mohawk/mullet combo) loved them. I can't take all the attention (or maybe it's because they look handmade and I didn't make them) so I'm sending them to live w my sister.

Cat for scale










4. Cat Bordhi's Coriolis Sock Finally an episode of Knitty Gritty worth watching! I was beginning to think HGTV only showed the old episodes (I don't get DIY). The Coriolis sock looks easy and comfortable. It sort of wraps around the foot and I think this new construction will make for an extra comfortable sock. Now if only the publication date of her new book wasn't pushed back! I could have sworn New Pathways for Sock Knitters was coming out in May but the site now reads July/August.

5. The crack that is Socks that Rock (BTW they have some new colors up on their site). At Rhinebeck last year I left Dave on line at the Fold with a few skeins of STR. Ten minutes later he calls me away from the Brooks Farm booth so he can pick out some sock yarn. When I left he didn't want any. Did those evil women waiting with him on line convince him that he needed some? Did he just get caught up in the buying frenzy? All I know is now I have to knit a pair of size 12 socks for a man that refuses to wear short socks. I've been putting it off saying the one skein isn't enough and I need to get a coordinating one to do the toes, heels and cuffs. Maryland is two weeks away. My time is up.

6. Eye Candy. Sick of Hawaii yet?

A drizzly morning on the Trail of Devastation
in Volcanoes National Park

Gecko!

click to check out its beautiful bumpy skin

Palm Trees

I learned a few things in Hawai'i. 1 - Not even the Hawaiian sun will color my pasty calves (sadly not true for the rest of me). 2- The day you go to Ka Lae is not a good day to skip braiding your hair (windiest place I have ever been). 3- I really like palm trees, especially their bark (is bark the right word?). I took more than a few pictures featuring them and even more closeups of their many trunks than I care to admit. I wish I could have captured the sound of the wind rustling the palms at Pu'uhonau o Honaunau. I hate summer and I'm not too fond of the warm halves of spring and autumn but listening to those palms as the sun went down...yeah, I could move there.

Three Palms at Foster Botanical Garden

Twilight Tree

Phragmipedium Tara

Ebony Jewelwing

Ebony Jewelwing damselfly in Ponemah Bog last July

Buttons and Wooly Monmouth

I’ve wanted to go to go to Wooly Monmouth in Red Bank, NJ ever since I saw their name. I’m a sucker for a punny name (it is on Monmouth St in Monmouth County) but what really burned them into my mental list of “things worth going off course for” is their logo. I love it and had to have a tote bag with a knitting woolly mammoth on it. At the end of December I was finally close enough to say it was on-the-way with a straight face. WM is a small shop packed full of favorite yarns (Noro Kureyon, Lobster Pot cashmere, some Koigu) and some I hadn’t seen before (which I can’t remember because I didn’t take notes), pattern books and notions. They also have an excellent button selection. All the buttons pictured in this post are from WM. If it wasn't right after christmas I probably would have bought twice as many. Really, it is just a great little LYS even if they don’t have tote bags (yet!). I spoke to the owner (who seems cool) and she’s thinking about having some printed up. So if you happen to be in the neighborhood make sure you mention how great the logo would look on a tote bag, ok?

Obsolete Eye Candy

The old Busch Stadium about a week before the final regular season game.

Knitting Philistine's eye candy left me speechless. If you haven't already go take a look.

Anarchy in the Parking Lot - Eye Candy Friday

I may be the only one that thinks this is eye candy. Up until yesterday there was more evidence of snow in Malibu than in southern NY. That just isn't right.

If I give you roses...

will you forgive me? I've been awfully lax at posting pics for Eye Candy Friday. It's amazing how Friday comes as a surprise every single week.

BBQ'd Eye Candy

Eye Candy Power Squid Message Super-Meme!

My Eye Candy -

Deno's @ Coney Island

The weather is so bad here that there are two trucks from the power company parked next door waiting for something to fix. Any normal person would find comfort in that. Not me though, I'm sure they will drive away about 5 minutes before we go dark.

Ages ago a certain squid asked about the first waterfall pic I posted. I intended to email a reply but couldn't find her address. I edited the post in question to include the name of the waterfall. I did this awhile ago but forgot to mention it here. Wouldn't want any of my loyal readers to think I ignore them.

Finally (and only because someone demanded so nicely ;) You've all heard about the guy measuring the speed of the meme, right? The post about it is here. Go read about it, link to it on your blog and ping technorati.

That's enough randomness for one day I think.

Macodes Petola

My first contribution to Eye Candy Friday. This is Macodes Petola, a terrestrial orchid with beautiful sparkly green-gold veins.