Save Veronica, Save a Lot of Ranting

Check out this very cool fan vid.

Thanks to TWoPer Verocita for the link.

Completing the Treat Circle

My treatee, Marion, got her goodies and has posted pictures including excellent pictures of her cats playing with the toy mice!

Treated!

Knitters Treat Package
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

I got my package from my Knitters Treat pal!
It had:
A massagey ball
Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea which I can't wait to try.
Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Cream - yum.
2 skeins of Jaeger Matchmaker - a merino 4 ply in a gorgeous periwinkle color.
A beaded bracelet with matching stitch markers. (Sparkly!)
Two magazines: Knit.1 and Interweave Knits - spring 2007 editions. (I can't wait to go through them.)
A copy of the Knitty Queen of Cups pattern - which happens to use two skeins of 4 ply...
And a scrumptious looking thing called a Choxie. (Yum!)

Knitters Treat Package
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

So - Michele - thank you so much!

What Kind of Author

There is discussion about whether authors need a web presence and at what level. And I think, as with everything, if as an author you hate the deadline pressure and blogging or if keeping more than a shell website or any of that would send you over a cliff, then don't do it. As a fan of analogies, I would compare it to acting. There are some actors who prefer only one medium, be it television, movies, or theater. Some don't do as well in one as they do in the other, and some really enjoy working in each of them.
And while I think everyone published should have a website, and while I prefer websites with content, be it a blog, or updated links, in the end, I don't hold it against authors who have static websites or dinky websites.
But. If an author is willing to put in the time, and enjoys it (at least a little), I think a web presence can be helpful in growing loyal readers. Look, I know that those of us who haunt author websites and hang out on boards talking book talk are a small portion of the reading population. But we are the superfans. (Not all of them, but we are there.) And I have found authors on the web, and then gone and bought their books. Blogging isn't the same as novel writing, but it gives readers a sense of your voice and your storytelling. And it makes me a little more willing to take a chance and shell out some money. So, it seems worthwhile if its something you can/will/want to do.

I Know You Can't Change People

But that doesn't stop me (us) from wanting to try. I have a co-worker who is scatter-brained about meetings. Which would be fine, except he schedules them. He sends meeting notices and changes them with little warning (or heads up time). He sends notices at the crack of dawn for 8:30am calls. He sends agendas with the wrong people on them or with conflicting times. And I can't decide. If I keep pointing out these discrepancies, am I a nut? At what point to I stop expecting change from a fully grown person, who apologizes nicely and yet continues to do the same thing? Is it my approach? If I polite sat this person down and explained that it was really difficult to keep my own schedule when I can't keep track of which meetings they hope I will be on, would that work? Or do I just accept that this is par for the course any time I am stuck on a project with this person?

Knitting Guru

Well, while I am still attached to the rogue knitter terminology, I like this result too.

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Thanks to Sharon for the link.

Yarn!

I was at the LYS, ostensibly to purchase yarn for my Knitters Treat recipient, but on my search my eye caught a tag. I thought it said Lili'uokalani. Now Lili'uokalani has a special place in my heart for being:
The last monarch of Hawai'i.
Someone who's name my history teacher felt in unnecessary to know how to pronounce.
Author of many songs, including the abundantly used "Aloha 'Oe".
So, I am easily swayed by things with her name on it. (Hey, I bought tea with her name on it too. It's really good.)
I doubled back to make sure my eyes hadn't made some sort of alphabet soup out of some other name, but no - it really said that.

Laurel Yarn Tag Again
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

So, I had to get it.

Queen Lili'uokalani Colorway
Originally uploaded by Random Ranter.

It is gorgeous hand dyed mercerized cotton - called Laurel and made by Shaefer Yarns. It's pricey, but it is 400 yards. I cast on for a wrap, but it's coming out a little looser than I like, so I may frog it, and try it on a smaller size. (Yes, I should have made a geeky thing.)

Queen Lili'uo Colorway
Originally uploaded by mememe20016.

Hokie Hope

Today is Hokie Hope Day, where we are all Hokies. Today we honor all Hokies. Today we recognize the wonderful people who reached out and helped their fellow students. I heard that at this year's commencement Virginia Tech will award degrees to all the students who lost their lives. We recognize the sadness that those at Virgina Tech, those in the surrounding areas, those in South Korea, everyone who is a parent, and a sibling, feels.
An editorial on NPR today talked about how a world where we count the bad and take the good for granted is a hopeful one, since it indicates that we think the bad is easier to count.

Ha!

Look, I have nothing against comfortable shoes. I am all for them. But there is no reason that comfortable shoes have to be ugly. Certainly if you want to wear ugly shoes, that's your choice. But, you also need to recognize that your ugly shoes won't be appropriate for, say, parties. Or most of the things that involve other people. Well, it turns out Crocs, may be responsible for zapping some medical equipment in a hospital in Sweden, so the hospital has banned them. The plastic shoes cause large amounts of static electricity to build up, leading to malfunctions with the hospital equipment. So, there you go. Ugly and dangerous.

More Thoughts on Being a Rogue Knitter

Yes, I am a little in love with this term. In part because rogue knitter sounds better than lazy knitter or crazy knitter or arrogant knitter, although those are all a little bit true too. If you a person who likes to know stuff, enjoys learning stuff, all sorts of stuff, then sometimes it can be hard to admit that some stuff you just don't want to do.
See knitting is a hobby. But it is a hobby I have and will spend a lot of time and money on. But it is a hobby. At this point I have no plans to become a famous knitter or even a paid knitter. I went through this when I was heavy into beading. People would say, "You should sell that!" And I thanked them for the compliment, but I wasn't doing it to make money. Sure I have and will again made stuff for other people as gifts. But it was fun for me. And I wanted it to stay fun. I didn't want to have to sit at tables at fairs, or set up and ebay account or any of those things. I just wanted it to be fun.
The same with knitting. I buy yarn and books. I blog. I participate in swaps and knitalongs. But in the end it is fun. I don't wear socks, so I am not going to spend time learning how to knit socks, even if I could sell them. (Okay, I am a little tempted by one of the Cat Bordhi ones, but that's different.)
When I see something pretty, I want to knit it. It never occurred to me I had to use the colors or the yarn in the pattern - I viewed the patterns as templates. Sometimes this didn't work out so well, and while sure the finished project is the goal here, the knitting is supposed to be fun too. So I start new projects when old ones bore me. Sure, I try to go back and finish them. But I have many that didn't stand the test of time. I pulled them out of the bag they had been stuffed in, and saw yarn that craved a better project as often as I saw a project I wanted to re-start.
People sometimes ask me what made me think to combine those yarns or they this technique, and generally my answer is, it didn't occur to me to not do it. Really. I often buy yarn without any idea of what it will become, so I will pile together skeins until it seems they have a plan.
Because it is fun. I am doing this because knitting is fun. Creating things is fun. Even if I don't finish them or they turn out wonky, its fun. Because if it isn't, I need a better hobby.

People Are Strange

I live in Mount Pleasant. It is nice, convenient, affordable and so on. But oh my, the litter. There is litter everywhere. There is all kinds of litter. I have seen whole Styrofoam containers with food bits. Six packs of alcohol with the alcohol gone but all the bottles or cans there - sometimes even back in the container. And this boggles my mind. I was taught to pick things up and dispose of them properly. I'm not saying I've never accidentally shed a receipt or a tissue or something, I am sure I have. But an entire food container? No. And if you are able (or anal) enough to put the beer bottles back in the container, why does that not extend to full disposal. Sure, some of the streets are residential enough that there are not trash cans everywhere. Although the main drag has a main bus line so there are cans every block. Every block, and still - litter, litter, litter.
And I don't know what it is? I've lived in renter-plentiful areas before. I've lived in ethnically diverse neighborhoods before. Heck, I think even in the neighborhood that my mother described as one where there were cars on the lawn (in fact, I believe the car was my roommate's, but I digress) and there was less litter.
Some people either don't believe in the golden rule, or don't apply it to property, be it public or just someone else's. So it doesn't seem a problem to leave food bits or trash or poo somewhere that the rest of us have to deal with it. They don't see that it affects the whole community.

Bookmate

I think I promised a while back to talk about this, and now I've been asked twice about mine, so here we go. I have this thing called a Bookmate. It has pockets, so you slide the back cover into one of the pockets and then strap your book in. The Bookmate is designed so that it folds up around your book for travel, and then when you are ready to read it sproings open and lays flat. The clear strap lays across the pages, holding the book open so that you can read. When you need to turn the page you fold the book up partially, flip the page, and then pop it back flat.
I use it so that I can read while holding on to the bar on the bus. Or read and knit. Or read and eat. Sure, I can read with the book balanced in one hand, too. But this is a little easier. And I can put the book down without losing my place (or trying to find something to balance it on. It also has a bookmark attached, which is so far the only bookmark I have never lost.
It doesn't break the spine in most cases - I had one book that it did, but likely that book had a wimpy spine.
I got the regular one first. Loved it. Now I have the larger one that fits trade size paperbacks. I gave one to a friend so she could read while nursing. I just love mine. I don't use it every single time I read, but I use it more often than I don't. Great investment. It's also acts as a book cover, so if you want to be discrete about what you are reading - whether because it is a racy cover or a political one, it helps with that too. Without making you look ten years old.

Dear Folks #9

Dear Driver,
It can be dangerous out there for the pedestrian, so I appreciate your stopping to suggest to me that wearing brighter colors might be a wise idea. However, since I was on a lit street, crossing in a crosswalk, I thought I had protected myself fairly sufficiently. I am sorry if my walking in the crosswalk surprised you. I am glad you weren't in a hurry and were able to not only safely stop but advise me as to my future walking decisions. Allow me to suggest, in return, that while there are not always pedestrians in crosswalks, that it is a very good place to be on the lookout for them. Happy driving.
Just walking here.

With a Sad Heart

My heart goes out to the students, staff, faculty and families at Virginia Tech.

From "The Worst Spiritual Idea in the World" by Rev. Scott Alexander

None of us knows (when we languidly stir from our sleep some ordinary morning) whether the day ahead will be marked by ordinary, comforting rhythms or some unimaginable, painful unfairness...we are free (radically free) to be embraced and blessed by what life has so graciously placed before us...loved-ones (dear God, ever and always our loved ones) to reassure us that we have a place in this creation as precious and valued human beings.

Do you want more? Does your heart seek a more spectacular promise from life itself? I’ll tell you what I believe. The abundant grace of this world (that comes to each of us, whether we deserve it or not) is enough ---blessedly enough. Grace is not parceled out fairly, but it is holy, and it saves us, little by little, each day we open our eyes to life.

Happy Emancipation Thoughts

I'm thinking happy thoughts for all the dedicated folks who are* braving the gale force winds out there to rally in support of Emancipation Day, in other words to get congressional voting rights for the residents of Washington, DC.
As far as I am concerned the bottom line remains the United States is the only country that affords the citizens of its capital city less rights than the others. And that's ridiculous.

*Or will be - depending on what time you read this.

Book Rant #9 - Sex Again

So there's been talk of late in the blogosphere as to whether a true romance hero can have sex with anyone other than the heroine within the story. And it's been covered here and here and I don't want to rehash it all right now.
But. If you are going to have a modern, contemporary heroine and a modern contemporary hero and there is apparently no glittery hoo-ha to clarify things for them so they have sex with other people on their way to figuring out that it's true love - fine. But you really need to rethink the safe sex would interfere with the storyline thing.
I know - I read plenty of books where the hero and heroine apparently live in a land without sexually transmitted infections. And I know, I said it was almost better for them to not talk about it at all than to have a half-baked conversation about it. But - if monogamy is not in the cards for you, even for the confines of the book, you need to talk. Or if talking is too difficult - you need to use condoms. Or think about using condoms. Or go get freaking tested. (And I get it. It's a difficult topic and I suck at starting the conversation too. But.)
For example - in a book I recently read we had the following match ups.
Person A in relationship with Person B
Person C is engaging in serial one night stands.
Person D is in relationship with Person E
Person F in in relationship with Person G
Person A has whoopsie-sex with Person C
Person C has one night stand with Person D
Person F has affair with Person H
So we have a bunch of people who are all having sex with each other - whether they know it or not. Fine. But, it seems that if your characters are modern enough to bed hop and have that lead them to true love they may want to at least consider the fact that they are putting themselves and each other at risk for infection. I don't need hours of discussion. In fact a few condom packets would have gone a long way to appeasing me. (I know, condoms don't protect you from everything, but they offer the highest level of protection currently available.)
I recognize that by definition books carry some artifice, they are not true representations of life. Characters rarely go to the bathroom either, and I am not concerned about that. But here's the thing, unless there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book (these people live in a fictional world with no STI's) then I wonder. I wonder if their carelessness about their own and each other's health is a sign. I wonder if it means they are silly, in denial, misguided, or what. And I don't think that's what the author wants.

Book Rant #8 - Adjective Police

After a string of really good books, I read quite a few in a bunch that were bad. They didn't speak to me, didn't grab me. And let me tell you, the only thing worse than waiting over twenty minutes for a bus, is waiting over twenty minutes while trying to pass the time reading a really bad book.
And while it seems more noticeable in romances, it happens everywhere - adjective abuse. My personal pet peeve is the word masculine. It is a great word, but it gets over used - heroes often have masculine features, masculine scents, masculine clothes, and masculine furniture. All of which would be fine if that one little adjective wasn't left all by itself to do all the work. Unless this is a mad lib of some sort, I need the author to tell me what the furniture looks like - masculine is not enough. Tell me what he's wearing, or just skip it. Masculine just tells me he's not cross-dressing.
It happens with the heroines too, although a larger bucket of adjectives are misused. Without even talking about all the honeyed this and the creamy that, there are heroines walking around with evocative butts (evocative of what, I ask, no one ever answers me) and diamond tipped breasts (ouch) and they are often sleek. Sleek of hair, sleek of build, sleek, sleek, sleek.
And eyes. Don't even get me started on the eyes. Perhaps I am unobservant or something, but I have never been able to see many of the myriad things that people in books supposedly find in other people's eyes. I get it that people look at each other's eyes to try to gauge things, I do that too, but it's an inexact science and if these folks keep finding stuff buried in other people's irises I start to wonder if they are deluded or if we are in a paranormal and someone forgot to tell me. And I am resigned to the looking deeply (although have you really thought about that, doesn't it sound like it should hurt?) and people's eyes sparkling with intelligence or happiness or tears, but that's it. Again, unless we are in a paranormal, people's eyes should not be glittering, especially in the dark.

Ninety Five

This week my family will gather to celebrate my maternal grandmother turning 95. (My paternal grandmother will follow suit later this year.) My grandmother has lived in several states, on both coasts and has travelled across the world. My maternal grandmother will never read this entry since she suffers from macular degeneration, that has stripped most of her vision. She has a hearing aid to help her hear. And her sense of smell deserted her quite a while ago. She has four children and eight grandchildren. (We have been slacking on the great-grandchildren front, and while I expect that will eventually change, we are currently debating as to who should step up to the plate on this.) She has two Siamese cats. Happy birthday!

Updated: One of my cousins has taken the baton on the great grandchildren front, and I understand is cooking something up for this summer.

More Silly

Since I sharing the silly this week. I am going to confess I am inordinately pleased that the sock, you know, The Sock that Yarn Harlot is carrying about, is made of Koigu yarn that I have. I know probably lots of people own this sock yarn. But still, it makes me happy.

Sleeve-itis

Poor sleeves. Except for shrugs, which are almost entirely sleeves, sleeves are, for me, unfun. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's that little voice in my head that says, hey, just make it sleeveless. But really, the sleeves are just a continuation of the body of whatever I already knit. I knit both at the same time, in part because I know I would never finish if I did them one at a time. Also so that any yarn issues occur evenly. And so that my gauge will remain similar across both sleeves. But while I generally (although there are some UFOs that beg to differ) get through the body, mid-sleeve seems to be where my will really weakens. Now the siren cries of other projects grow louder. Everything else seems cooler, more fun, more interesting. Everything but what I am doing. Poor sleeves.

Knitting Updates

I'm still working on the sleeves of the Perfect Sweater. I didn't take any new pictures, because, they're sleeves. To alleviate my boredom, and to give my self the joy of finishing (in one case) I cast on a few more projects. (I am a fickle, fickle, knitter.)
From No Sheep for You - the Tuscany Shawl. I am using Elann's Sonata in Grey Slate.

Tuscany Shawl - In progress
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

Same book, different chapter: The Cables and O's sweater - using TLC Cotton Plus in Medium Blue. The first few rows went really fast, and now it's slowing down a bit. But it's a really easy to follow pattern.

Cables and O's - In progress
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

A closer view.

Cables and O's - In progress, closer
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

I watched the "Knitty Gritty" scarf episode and realized it was a sign. I had purchased a bunch of skeins of Classic Elite Premiere last fall during a change of seasons sale in Burnt Orange, Keylime, and Almost Green. And it was sitting around until I figured out what to do with it. Well, it turns out that just what you use for the Skinny Scarf. I used a slightly different version of the woven stitch. It goes really fast. It makes no sense, each row is 400 stitches, and yet, it really whips by.

Woven Skinny Scarf
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

It looks cute from the back too.

Woven Skinny Scarf - back view
Originally uploaded by RandomRanter.

Inclusive and Non-Offensive

I work for one division of a huge company. My location has less than thirty people. So it creates an interesting culture where we have many of the benefits, structure, and bureaucracy of a large company and yet much of the closeness of a small group. Our office space is shared with other divisions, but for the most part we do our own thing in our own corner (so to speak).
It creates interesting scenarios since most of the folks here are Christian, with varying levels of outward practice. (I recognize that many people that consider themselves Christian do not feel that church attendance and such is a requirement. I am not disagreeing, I am simply stating that there are differences.) We have two Jewish people. And we have me (although I don't spend a lot of time at work explaining that I am UU, neither do I hide it, most people seem to assume I am Christian.)
Our location used to be larger. We used to have anti-pagan Christians, and Jehovah's Witnesses and Buddhists and even a Muslim or two. And yet, whether it is our decreased size, or the fact that we have a number of people who have been here quite a while (myself included), there is a lack of inclusivity that I am seeing. Nothing terrible. Nothing offensive. But problematic. And I think, much like racism, that is kind of the bump we are stuck at today - that people think as long as they are not accusing someone of terrorism or stupidity - ie not being offensive - that their work is done. But failing to offend is not the same as being inclusive of religious diversity.
Some of it I think is lack of knowledge. I have had people ask me why anyone would actually object to "The Passion of the Christ" since it is historically accurate and I pointed out to them that historically accurate and Biblically accurate are not interchangeable for everyone. I explained to one co-worker who Mohammed was, and his significance within the Muslim faith. And some of it, I think is just - I hesitate to say narrow mindedness because I don't thinks it's resistance to inclusivity so much as lack of recognition that inclusivity is a meaningful goal. (Which I guess is narrow mindedness after all.)
Example:
A co-worker brought in a colorful basket with various candies and left it out for folks. Some of the candies were encased in plastic eggs. She referred to them as Spring eggs. Another co-worker responded that since a Jewish co-worker was telecommuting, we could call them Easter eggs. I pointed out that it wasn't just that co-worker who didn't celebrate Easter and was asked who else didn't. (I do recognize now that I didn't help matters by leaving it framed as who do we need to allow for, rather than just why can't we just call them Spring eggs).
And I do recognize the the Christian adaptation of a number of pagan rituals has muddied the waters - colored eggs, decorative trees, and exchanges of presents and food do not scream, "I love Jesus," so it is hard to see why participating in such rituals is problematic.
And certainly, I don't think food or twinkly lights are - of themselves - problematic. And it's hard when you feel you have taken into account all thirty people to understand that it makes sense to make this an environment where different beliefs are acceptable when everyone here mostly believes X so why not. And of course one person decorating their cube or bringing stuff in is totally different from a work sanctioned celebration.
Do I think if our next hire was Hindu (to pick one) we would be welcoming and accepting? I do. But I'm not sure the Hindu person would be able to see that right away. And that's why trying to start from a place of inclusivity works better than trying to retro-fit each person's beliefs into an existing - if unofficial - structure.

Guide to Walking (or Not) on Metro

It has come to my attention, that there are people, be they tourists or others, who are a little confused about how to travel on and about the metro.
Within the US, we drive on the right side of the road. In multi-lane roads, the expectation is that the right most lane is where the slower (or more law-abiding) drivers are, and the left lane is for passing.
Following this logic, on escalators or moving walkways, the expectation is that you (and your stuff) will stand to the right or walk on the left.
If you are motion-challenged - due to number of bags, weight of bags, height of heels, general tiredness or any other reason, please either stand on the right, allowing the motion unimpeded to continue on.
If you are motion-challenged but wish to move forward partially on your own power, see if you can find an open space on the right so that you are out of the way of people moving at standard speed.
The same applies in the hallways and platforms, but there is also the addition of two way traffic and the need to be courteous of folks attempting to walk at normal speed in both directions. No one is saying you have to move at the highest pace, just be aware that others wish to do so, and try to allow space for them to do so.
I understand it is much easier to talk to people when you stand side by side on the escalator, but particularly on some of the very long metro escalators, there are people who need to move. Sure they may seem rushed, but since you don't know where they are going, just leave them space to do their thing and you can enjoy the ride safely on the right.

Dear Folks #8

Dear Bus Driver,
I understand that the bus is packed making things difficult for you as well as the passengers. I think suggesting that there is still space back there may be silly. It may look like there are inches between some of us, but let me assure you most of these inches are filled, with bags, newspapers and arms and legs.
I appreciate your sharing with us that another bus is just five minutes behind. However, the buses are theoretically fifteen minutes apart, and yet we waited forty five minutes for this one, so you can appreciate that some of us are going to go with the bus in hand if you will. It would also help if you would factor in the numbers of us standing when you made you braking and turning decisions. Thanks so much.
Your Passenger.

My Phone Lost Weight

This is so silly. When I bought my phone, it came with a little phone case - just a vinyl jobbie that offered some protective covering for the keys and screen and had a clip attached. I feel silly clipping my phone to my person, but sometimes, it didn't fit in my pocket or my outfit didn't have pockets, so I would clip it on. Generally my phone lives in my purse, so the clip got used maybe four times. And - particularly in warmer weather, I want to move to a smaller purse. And yet, my phone took up so much space. I started looking covetously at other people's phones. The skinny ones. One friend has a wristlet purse she can fit her ID, keys and phone into. My phone wouldn't fit. (My keys wouldn't either, but I am working on that.)
My last phone had a case where the clip came off. This one - no. And so, I started looking at phone deals. And then I decided to take the case off. (I know - radical.) And - I love my phone again. It has honestly lost about two thirds of its depth. I feel a little silly for not having tried this sooner. Yeah, now I risky mint dust or whatever in the phone. But it fits in my little purse. With keys and wallet. Oh - it's so cool.

Perceptions

One of the easiest ways to discover that not everyone views the world the way that you do is to talk about distance. Growing up in a large country and in an area with more than it's share of traffic, fifteen miles can easily take an hour. Going to meet someone who lives on the other side of town can take a bit, and yet, it's not considered a big thing. (There is of course the Virginia/Maryland divide wherein folks who live on one side often act as if huge effort is require to cross the river, but that's a whole other entry.)
I met a woman from Australia who lived in London for a bit. A guy she dated broke up with her because the forty minute (with traffic) distance for them to meet up was too much for him. (We scoffed.)
I talked with a woman in New Jersey who worked early hours (6:30am -3:30pm) because her commute was thirty miles. In reviewing someone's request to change networks (insurance stuff) she was shocked that the person indicated this change would put them thirty minutes from the nearest doctor - to her thirty minutes was thirty miles and that seemed way too long for a doctor.
More recently a new restaurant has opened up near work (finally) and several people who knew I had been to check it out asked if I drove and if so where did I park. This restaurant is two blocks away. They are long blocks, but there are only two. It is a ten minute walk.
Now, since inclusivity is a primary theme in my life these days, I recognize I have to allow for all sorts of walking preferences in life. I am not telling anyone they have to walk, although I have suggested it seems that getting the car out of our parking lot would take at least five minutes, and then finding parking another five, such that all gained time would be lost. (It would make sense on an icky day, but all the days these conversations have occurred were beautiful.) But to each their own.
Of course in my current car use reduced life, it is easier for me to opt for walking since my car is typically not at work with me. And since all told, I get close to a mile of walking in just getting myself to work, two blocks seems even less.
Of course, I was confronted with a contrasting example myself when in Bethesda recently. Being the downtown area that it is, there are multiple Starbucks to choose from. My friend and I had met in the vicinity of one, but opted to go to the other since it had outdoor seating. I had assumed one of us would drive until my friend started walking. And then I realized that really we are talking about six, maybe seven, blocks each way. Nothing really. And so walk we did. (Although upon our return my friend did comment she thought she had done her walking for the day.)

KTE Questionnaire

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
I like soft yarns. I'm a big fan of cotton but also love non-scratchy wools, blends, silks and lots of other fibers.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
I don't like scratchy yarn (although I still like Noro, so I am fickle).

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
Walk around and touch yarn balls.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I have made jewelry wire and beads, but I haven't done that much lately.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
Entertainment Weekly. (No crafty ones, I pick them up when the mood strikes.)

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:
Knitting
Fashion
Celebrity Gossip
Other Craft
Food
Crochet
Home
Garden

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet?
Pretty stuff. I started with scarves and bags and dishcloths. But now I have broken away from the square and have made some clothing items.

8. Are you allergic to anything?
Feathers.

9. What do you like to* smell of?
(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)
Me. Or light vanilla or fruity scents - nothing overpowering or flowery.

10. What's your favourite way to relax?
Curl up with tea, a book, some knitting, and my cat. Or go to the beach (with knitting and a book.)

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
Tea room.

12. What do you come out with?
A full stomach! I love going to afternoon or high tea and eating scones, and cookies, and sandwiches.

13. Where do you go next?
For a walk. And then to the sweetshop because I can get some stuff to eat when my stomach recovers.

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
I'm very excited!

Edited because I realized I totally misunderstood #13.