Brain Fog!

I still haven't recovered from the hypothyroid fog I've been in lately, and really can't think of much to say.

I just wanted to check in and let people know that I'm still here, I'm OK, or will be real soon now, and give you more information about the bill that Senator McCain has introduced.

There was apparently a lot of protest heard about the bill, and McCain made a statement defending himself and the bill. Here's a rebuttal, repeating McCain's statements, and translating them into reality. If you haven't written a letter to your legislators, there's a link to a prewritten letter which you can amend near the end of the article. If you've already done so, there's a link right after that to a letter protesting McCain's statement, and again urging your legislator to not support the bill. You have to fill in your address information, and when you do, the form will automatically be sent to the correct legislators for you. It's quick and easy to let your viewpoint be known!

I'm giving you that link because a friend insisted that my writing on the subject is inflammatory, and deliberately manipulative. He's right, so read the more unbiased and factual report there.

The FDA has been trying for a while to get effective supplements off the market so that people have to buy drugs instead and have lots of side effects rather than take supplements that are far safer. And, incidentally, put lots more money in the pockets of drug manufacturers! The FDA is, of course, looking out for our safety when it wants to ban natural supplements that are inexpensive, effective and have few if any side effects so that we can take expensive drugs that are only somewhat effective and have lots of bad, sometimes life-threatening side effects.

There are several supplements that I take that are keeping me healthy. If this bill is passed, my health will suffer a huge blow, and the only workable alternatives for me will make me run a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and several other serious or life threatening problems. You can see why I'm biased, here. But here's another view on this.

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On the subject of nutritional supplements, When I saw the doctor last month, she suggested that I might have a vitamin D deficiency. She gave me a battery of tests, and I waited for my appointment this month to find out. Due to snow and emergencies that she was helping out with, she wasn't able to keep the appointment, and I won't be able to see her until early March.

So, I looked up vitamin D on the internet, and started realizing a lot of things. I read the list of symptoms of D deficiency, and it sounded really familiar. Plus, I've noticed that around November or so, I get worse, and don't really recover from it until well into the Spring. I looked up some information on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and discovered that taking extra vitamin D is even more effective at combating SAD than extra light is.

So, I went out yesterday and bought a bottle of vitamin D perles, and I'm trying it out. The initial dose made me feel really bad, but the bone remodeling process tends to feel bad when it goes into overdrive. It's probably why a broken bone hurts while it heals (over and above the initial trauma). Taking a dose of D means that the calcium and other minerals from the supplements I'm taking will go out of my blood and into my bones, helping make them strong and pain-free. Getting over it seems to hurt, although I have to say that I'm feeling much better 12 hours later. Better than I did before taking the D! We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I have high hopes for all this.

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In knitting news, I still haven't even started my Knitting Olympics project. The combination of the late arrival of the yarn for it, my hypothyroid brain fog that hasn't lifted yet and is preventing me from designing it, and the extra sleep and rest I've been getting since my fall last week has left me hopelessly behind on all this.

But yesterday, I discovered I have a few extra dollars, and when I went out to get the vitamin D and some food supplies, I bought a copy of the Winter issue of Vogue Knitting. I've been looking through it, and maybe I'll get some ideas. Right now, I'm thinking that maybe I'm not in shape to design this, and an actual pattern written by someone else might be a good idea. Maybe I'll check Ravelry.

By the way, the Spring and Summer issue of Vogue Knitting looks like it's going to be really good. I can't wait! I think it's out the second week in March.

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There's a new episode of Burn Notice on USA tonight! Everything else is reruns.

I hope you've been having a great week!

Vicki Howell Left a Comment on My Blog!

Yes, you read that right. Vicki Howell left a comment on my blog! You can see the post here. You have to scroll down for the comment.

If you read the comment, you know that she has another contest today for several copies of her new book, Pop Goes Crochet, so get on over there and enter! Read the directions and send out cards to friends today!

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One of the books I got from the library is driving me crazy, and threatening to change my whole life! It's called Freeform Knitting and Crochet, and you can see from the cover what has grabbed my interest.

I read through one project in this, and mentally think up seven other projects to do with the same techniques. All I can say is Wow!

For instance: to make freeform knitting to the correct size and shape (for projects that need that, such as a yoke for a sweater) she recommends cutting a pattern from fabric that you can place the knitting on top of as a quick reference to what shape has to be made where so that it comes out the right size and shape. Sometimes she knits or crochets separate motifs, and pieces them together to fit. There's a sweater that's mostly plain shown in the book that has a freeform yoke, and it's beautiful! 

But I read it and think about going to the craft/yarn store and buying a plain bag to use for a knitting bag and using it as a template for some freeform knitting that I can then sew directly to the bag, thereby strengthening the knitting, and automatically creating a sturdy lining!

There's a sequel to this book called Freeformations: Design and Projects in Knitting and Crochet. I haven't seen this book in person yet, but the reviewers at Amazon liked it better than the first book, and Ravelry shows some impressive designs from this book, so I think I'll get both of them eventually. I feel like my brain is about to explode into the third dimension after reading part of the first book!

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I'm about to do a Crazy Aunt Purl, only for science fiction fans rather than knitters. Sadly, I did not take the photo, and have been unable to take photos like this since I lost my car (unless I'm walking past a parked car). This came from io9, so if you like it, go over there and read some stuff. They're great!



Be sure not to miss the sticker above the license plate that says "Laura Roslin is my president." I love that plate, but I also enjoy the frame on the plate.

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Not much science fiction on TV tonight, just Supernatural in the fantasy/supernatural category. But it's a new one, about Sam and Dean in a life that doesn't include demons, angels or other supernatural beings. I read some spoilers saying that Ghostfacers will be back soon, and I think this is the episode. If so, it promises to be one of their best ever.

Ghostfacers refers to the episode by that name where a group of nerds get together and try to sell a show about recording encounters with ghosts to a network. They are inept kids who have a lot of technical equipment, and not much sense or brain-power going for them. Of course, they run into Sam and Dean before the ghosts, and totally snarl thing up for them. 

I'm dying to say more, but I don't want to spoil it, and I'm not 100% certain that this is the episode. But nearly certain.

I can't wait for it, though!

Have a great evening, and go enter Vicki's contest!

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Addition:

I was so excited about this yesterday, and I nearly forgot to include it today. For people who love The Middleman, you can sign up in advance for the DVD that will be out this July.

I Made It on My Schacht Contest!

Schacht is having a contest for spinners and weavers. Read all about it here.

I'm wondering (since I no longer have a Schacht wheel) if I could submit something spun on a Schacht Navajo spindle. The prize is a Schacht matchless wheel or a loom, which is silly when you stop to think about it because you have to have one of those in order to enter.

Check out the entry form.

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I spent a few hours on the bus today and went over and paid my Comcast bill. I got information on my account. The bill is due on the last day of the month and must be paid by the 5th of the following month. Which means that unless I pay a month in advance, I'll have to pay a late fee every month. Since my entire income for the month arrives on the third, this is a bad arrangement. I can't mail in a payment without incurring a late fee.

If you have Comcast "service" (and I use the word service very loosely), check your bill. If you see something on there listed as a "one time charge," it's really a late fee. Check your billing date, due date, and the date of the last day you can pay without incurring a late fee.

I'm really disgusted with them.

My DVR started to record two programs tonight, and then just stopped. Then it turned itself off. I restarted it, and eventually started (on my command) to record one of the two programs it was supposed to record, but wouldn't start recording the other one because it said it was already recording that program, but it wasn't.

If I complain about this, they'll claim that the DVR is defective (which it is), and tell me to bring it back. The problem with that (other than the fact that I just spent the day going over there and back, and don't want to spend tomorrow dragging a big DVR over there and back) is that all their DVRs are unreliable and only work some of the time. I've had at least one other DVR, and have talked to others who have them, and all their DVRs are just badly engineered, and exchanging it for a different one is not really going to fix anything.

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While I was out riding around on the bus, I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics and found some really nice yarn for a project for the Harry Potter House Cup contest on Ravelry. Photos of the yarn and the beginning of my insane project soon. I'll have further news about the project, too.

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Tonight, USA is showing the season finale of Burn Notice! If you missed it, it's usually repeated sometime early Saturday, so check your local listings. It's about to start here in a few minutes, so I'm going to quit now.

Have a great Friday!

Old Friends

Today, I got a comment on my other blog from my ex-husband, Steve!

I was really glad to hear from him since it's been a while, and he's fun. I didn't really want to lose touch.

He's starting a blog at http://www.xanga.com/etienne56. There's not much there yet except the standard "Hi, this is my first blog post, what do I do now?" kind of thing. But check it in a few days.

He's involved in SCA and lives in Chicago. It could develop into a fun blog.

Here is the URL for the trailer for Faintheart that I told you about yesterday. Some people had trouble seeing it on the other blog.

I really want to see this movie, but even if I never do, the trailer is priceless!

Back to the Ravelympics and knitting!

I got nearly 10 inches of the top back done last night. Almost to the bottom of the armholes. Here's what it looks like:



I'm currently thinking about ripping out the top of the back. The cross is just too small. I put a sort of "frame" around it because I thought it would be small, but it's smaller than I thought it would be.

Although I love Viking Patterns for Knitting, I really don't like the way the cables and motifs are charted. The system used doesn't correspond to any charting system I've ever seen, and there is no legend to say what the symbols mean. I can almost figure out how to do them just by looking at the photos of the finished work, but I want to redo the charts so they're easier to read.

In this case, though, I'm going to have to redo the chart just because I want to make it bigger.

You would think that being a graphic artist, I would have no trouble with charting, but I'm beginning to realize that I hate it!

If I ever manage to get together all the charts for this, I think I'm going to sell the pattern. For a lot of money!

Back to the subject!

Last night, I switched back to knitting the wimple for the Ravelympics while I think about the sweater and what I really want to do with it.

If I redo the back, that will mean that I have to work out the whole chart before I can start reknitting. That's a lot of work and will make it much harder to finish in time. It will definitely mean that I will almost certainly not be able to finish the poncho in time for the deadline.

Who am I kidding? It will make it impossible to finish the poncho in time. Period. And it will mean that there's a good chance that I won't even get the sweater finished by the deadline.

But then, if I don't redo it, I'll always wish I had, and every time someone complements me on it (and it will be complement-worthy, even with the smaller cross), I'll think about how wonderful it could have been.

At this point, I think I'm going to leave the back and continue knitting the wimple while I spend some time charting. If I can get the chart done in the new size, I'll rip it and redo. If I can't possibly manage to get the chart working at all, I'll continue with what I have.

I'm really hoping I can get the chart to work.

I've seen some other really nice Celtic knots that I'd like to have charts for. I was going to say that I'd like to chart, but that really isn't true. I just want to knit them, not chart them.

As they say: back to the drawing board.

Joan of Arcadia will be on tonight on SciFi, along with a new Stargate Atlantis.

There will also be new episodes of Psych and Monk on USA.

There will also be some old Doctor Whos and a new Primeval on BBC in America tomorrow. If you missed the pilot of Primeval last week, they'll be rerunning it before the new episode tomorrow.

Primeval is interesting, and could develop into a good show. We'll see. 

Anyway, it's based on the premise that an anomaly/wormhole/something odd has opened up in the Forest of Dean in England and is linking that point with a time when there were dinosaurs, and some of them are getting through. The main character's wife disappeared a while before this, and he thinks she might have gone through the anomaly, and he's hunting for her.

Well, I have lots to do today, and not much time to do it in, so have a great weekend.

Oh, and birthday presents will be gratefully accepted. See the donate button in the sidebar.

Have a great weekend!

New on Ravelry!

My daughter is new on Ravelry. If you drop by to see her, there won't be much to see since she only got on yesterday.

But feel free to drop  on by, introduce yourself and make her your friend.

A blockbuster Medieval movie will be on FX tonight and tomorrow. It's called Kingdom of Heaven, and it's one of the best I've ever seen of the period.

Actually, that's damming with faint praise. I love this movie! It's got everything. Action, adventure, historical figures, crusades, and a love story. This has so much in it that I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love it. It just has everything, including Orlando Bloom! I can't praise it enough.

As a fiberartist, I have to say that the costumes are drop-dead gorgeous, and they seem to be very authentic, unlike most of what you see on the screen and TV about that era these days.

As far as costumes are concerned, the show not to watch is Robin Hood. The costume designer seems to think Robin Hood lived about 1890, and I saw Marian wear a top that I could go in WalMart and buy today. The stories aren't period, either. I watched an episode last week that's firmly based in modern knowledge and experience, and had motivations that would have bewildered anyone from the real middle ages.

Well, I'm going to go now and try to figure out why ComCast is malfunctioning (again) and not showing the movie I tuned in to.

Don't forget. Sunday is Towel Day. My towel is ready.

Do you know where your towel is?

Have a great Friday and check your local schedules for Kingdom of Heaven.

WIP

John called me up last night with a question. He wanted to know what the "WIP" under the photo of the hood with the cable on it meant.

I not only explained that it stood for Work in Progress, but I also explained more knitting acronyms than he ever wanted to hear:

FO stands for Finished Object, so of course,

UFO stands for UnFinished Object

Frog is the rippit, rippit stitch

And Tink (knit spelled backward) is, of course, un-knitting!

He suddenly had to rescue a baby bird from his driveway and feed the dogs, so he had to hang up.

I'm sure he was enthralled with all this information.

Not a lot is happening around here, so I'm going to quit blogging for the day.

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Addition:

After I wrote that, I went to Ravelry, and was reading their weekly news, and found this:

On one of the discussion threads, someone (people shall remain anonymous during this post) said that she was going on a plane trip and wanted to bring along something to knit, but was worried about what she could take onboard with her, and asked for suggestions for a project.

The answer she got was: snakes! Someone said she should knit snakes on a plane!

The post referred her to a design for a snake themed scarf.

I should read Ravelry before I post.

Here is an article on Ravelry about the BBC clashing with some knitters over Doctor Who. I haven't read the whole thing yet. I have  a busy day planned, but I will read it very soon.

There will probably be more discussion about this tomorrow. Pay attention. There may be a test!

Have a great Wednesday!

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Addition:

I'm sorry about the info on Ravelry. I just found out that you can't go to the link or read it unless you already belong to Ravelry.

Here's a photo of the bird John went off to chase.

Dollhouse

Here is my towel from earlier today, when it was 14 inches long. I will add 4 more inches, and then I will do about 3 inches of border and bind off.

I originally thought I wanted a towel that was 30 x 40, but after seeing how big 30 inches is, I changed my mind to 20 x 30.

Actually, my gauge is a little off so it will be 20 x 32. But that's the nice thing about towels. Precise size isn't essential.

The big news today is something I found on Ravelry.

Joss Whedon is working on a new series. For fans of Firefly and Buffy, that's a cause for celebration.

The new series will be called Dollhouse (more info here), and stars Eliza Dushku as the heroine, Echo. Her IMdB page shows what we all know, that she was Tru in Tru Calling, and Faith in Buffy. She was also the daughter in True Lies (one of my favorite movies).

The SciFi channel is having all three Indiana Jones movies both Saturday and Sunday. Right before the series on Saturday, they're showing Timeline, which is an excellent movie, but an even better book.

Timeline, the movie bears little resemblance to Timeline, the book. You have to adjust your mind-set if you want to watch both of them.

After the three Jones movies on Sunday, they'll be showing Mystery of the Crystal Skulls, which seems to be (judging by the trailers), a bit about the actual archeology that the new movie is based on.

And Holly has notified me that the Cartoon Network will be showing the Family Guy episode about Star Wars on Sunday evening, followed by Robot Chicken, which is also a Star Wars episode. She says both are hilarious.

And, of course, Sarah Jane, and Doctor Who will both be on SciFi tonight, at the same time as the season finales of Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight.

And Prince Caspian opens in theaters today!

What an exciting weekend!

This was intended to be mostly a knitting blog, but the science fiction people have overwhelmed me this weekend.

Have a fun one!

Hi! This is the First Post!

I have been blogging on Xanga for a few years (www.xanga.com/lostarts), and like it, but a friend recommended Blogger (now that I finally have a computer to blog from). I would like to get a fiberarts business going, and wonder if Blogger would let me get business-related (but still entertaining) stuff up on the search engines a little better than Xanga.

So, this is a test. For a while, I'll be posting the same stuff to both Xanga and Blogger, and we'll see how it goes.

You can expect a lot about me and my life, discussions about fiberarts, science fiction, TV and movies, and lots more. You can also find out more at www.ravelry.com/lostarts and my website (which I will start updating real soon, now at www.lostarts.biz.

I'm just back from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, so I'll show you this photo that I took last year:

This is just a note to let you know that this is the first post, and you won't find anything earlier than this.

This is just general orientation. I'll be putting up real posts soon.

Have a great week!