Q & A

Comments on comments, and like that.

There are lots of questions about the flowers for the Goobie's hat. (And thank you all for being so excited about it.) So here are, I think, all the answers to that.

Any and all fibers are welcome. The underlying green yarn of the hat is non-superwash wool (Cascade 220, in fact), so it'll be hand washed. Anything should work.

Her favorite color is purple (of course), but any colors are welcome. She's like her mum - she loves all colors.

Bugs and leaves are also welcome and will be sewn on too.

Anyone producing any really wild stuff like Venus Flytraps and the like, be warned: I may keep it and turn it into a refrigerator magnet.

Those of you who think you already have my address, remember I moved here last July. I am not in Monroeville any longer, and am definitely in Pennsylvania and not Ohio or South Carolina. (Boy, the last two years have been really crazy, haven't they?)

People were wondering if I'm knitting the Greenleaf Cap. (Rav link.) Yes and no. I think I've independently arrived at something very like it all on my own. (Showing, once again, that a truly new knitting design is really rare.) I think the crown of the cap I'm knitting for the Goob is going to be more like a long stocking cap, but it looks like the edging is close to identical. So anyone wanting to knit something like this, hie on over to Rav and download it for free. Actually, if I weren't devoted to the idea of a Jayne Hat for myself (the husbeast wants one too), Freyalyn's Sheep Cap is absolutely awesome.

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Today we were supposed to go to Ohio for our home town's annual festival. Obviously, I am not at a fancy barbecue on the parade route right now.

While still in the same COUNTY as where we live, we blew an oil line off the Suburban, which then pumped said oil onto the highway instead of back into the engine. We may or may not have caused the whole motor to melt together. Probably not. But it still ain't good. If the engine isn't fused, we may still have to replace significant parts to make it go again. Although that's the difference between paying out a thousand-odd bucks and a couple hundred, so hope for a few warped bearings or a melty lifter or two. (Rather than, say, having to rebuild the engine, or replace it altogether.)

So we didn't go. The Goob cried. Usually when she cries it's over stupid stuff when she's tired, so we just tell her to suck it up. Today? Yeah, that was legit disappointment. So we tried to sympathize and cheer her up.

I mentioned all this to the in-laws, that the Goobie cried 'cause she wanted to see them. Because they're awesome, they're coming here tomorrow and we're doing a cookout here.

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Went to the eye doctor yesterday. Yeah. You know how when you get older, your close-up vision goes, and you have to hold things further and further away from you to see them? Hi. I'm old now. (My optometrist had never heard the joke about 'I either need to get glasses, or have my arms lengthened.' Where has HE been?)

I'm getting bifocals. After 42 years of being insanely near-sighted, I can't see stuff close to me any more.

HOWEVER! The doc and I agreed I could get dedicated close-up glasses, once I explained the knitting and spinning and all that. So I need the most outrageous half-glasses known to man, to hang at the end of my nose. I've looked on the web site at Zinni Optical and found a pair I like, but I thought I'd throw it out to the rest of you: Anyone got frame suggestions? Something suitable for me?

Oh, and while I was at the optometrist yesterday, I was looking at their frame for half-glasses. The nurse comes over and says "Oh, you'll want something colorful" and starts pulling things out for me. I'm thinking 'how did she know that?' until I put on the first par and looked in the mirror: Oh yeah, my hair's pink. It was probably pretty obvious.

Fast on the uptake, that's me.