It's Here, It's Here, finally It's Here

"It" is this and I'm so sorry for the quality of the picture but if you surf over to Three Dog Designs and click on Architectural Interest you will see a true representation of this wonderful knitting bag that finally arrived.

MFB ordered this for me and the delivery was parcel post. When it had been seven business days with no arrival he sent Holly at Three Dog Designs an email asking for some info. She was very concerned as she handcrafts her bags and as she said it was comparable to putting her child on the bus and the child not showing up at the intended destination. She contacted the post office who told told her that they were not required to trace the package until after nine business days. We now see the definition of "Snail Mail". Holly showed great concern, care and provided excellent customer service including stating that if we didn't receive it by Friday she would refund us and if it showed up we could keep it free of charge. Had that happened we would have arranged to pay her when it got here. I knew she was reliable as one of my friends received two of her bags already.

On top of the excellent customer service, ladies I have to tell you if you want a gorgeous affordable knitting bag with lots of extras check them out. I'm using this as a combo knitting bag and purse and I still have room. Not to mention that I have my knitting needles sticking straight up so that if someone trys to swipe my wallet they will have a pointed reminder why stealing is wrong.

On to sports for a moment. My Denver Broncos lost to the Colts today but a good thing happened; the Broncos offense showed up for the game. The Broncos defense was ranked #1 going into the game and of course the Colts who are undefeated have the #1 ranked offense. I sat down to watch the game thinking I would not be able to hold my head high at work on Monday. I was wrong, the offense showed a marked improvement and if they can continue to improve we may have a good season.

Moving to hockey our Penn State Icers won both their games against Ohio Bobcats. This is a true rivalry between the teams with the Icers ranked #3 and Ohio #4 going into the weekend. We saw two great games both from the teams and officiating.

Under the category of "Stupidest thing I saw over the weekend" A woman brought her small dog into the hockey arena and would not accept that dogs were not allowed in the building because it wasn't posted. What kind of dog owner brings a dog into a cold, LOUD hockey arena and not have the grace to accept the building management request to remove the dog. Come on lady, give a care for your dogs nerves why don't you.

Life is a commercial

Miss Really Annoying Loud Cell Phone User was in the booth behind me tonight when we were out for dinner. Miss Phone and her two co-ed friends were already at their table when we were shown to ours. Right after we ordered our meals a cell phone rang and it was Miss Phone's. During the 15 minutes we were privy to all sides of the conversation, oh yes we heard the callers side of the conversation as Miss Phone decided that she needed to use the speaker, we assumed so that her companions would be able to participate in the conversation. As we were "just" off campus at a popular hangout for university staff, student, and visitor/tourist hangout we were trying to be very flexible and thought this would end shortly and we could get back to our conversation.

What we heard was, "Like, OMG he didn't, like you did, and then like what did they do. OMG, like this is what I did, and like why don't you call me more. Want to get together over break, like I so miss you, OMG you wouldn't like believe who I just saw."

Like if I start using like and OMG, all the time, like you so totally need to call me on it, because OMG after 15mins, like I thought I would go like insane. Please. Help. Me.

Several minutes later we realized that Miss Phone's friends were carrying on a separate conversation. How? Well Miss Phone told her friends to be a little quieter because she couldn't make out what her caller was saying, yes still on very loud speaker, and I piped up, "I can hear it, we all can hear it". At this point MFB gave me what we refer to as "The Look". Which means, "don't do it". We had been making comments almost loud enough for them to know we had heard most of the conversation and were finding it at times funny, but really just annoying. When we realized how long this had been going on MFB very nicely asked Miss Phone to take her cell off speaker as it had been annoying for quite awhile. He didn't even need to put his "cop face" on. I on the other hand would have said in a snotty tone of voice, "Can I say hi to Mary, I've heard so much of her voice I feel I must know her." This is why I get "The Look".

I am by no way trying to infer that only co-eds are Really Annoying Loud Cell Phone User's. I've heard and seen both sexes and all ages. But LIKE OMG this is the first time it was almost 15mins on the SPEAKER.

Miss Really Annoying Loud Cell Phone User LIKE This Bud's For You.

Trying to catch up

Seems like it's been all hockey all the time here at Chez Accident and that includes blogging. I just realized how long it's been since I've posted here. The Center Ice package on my satellite has kept my attention most evenings.

I had an email from Joanne over a week ago that dropped into my spam folder and she tagged me to post pictures of personal items at work. The camera and I seem to have had a falling out so I apologize for the quality of these pics. Here is but a couple of corners around my desk. (I have more personal things at work than my coworkers but I spend so many hours there that I like to be surrounded by my things.) Yes that's a martini glass my in laws saw me staring at one day and they surprised me with it. Martinis and a solitary island can look pretty good some days. Next to it you see a corner of a treasured Valentines gift from MFB. A collage of pictures of he and I with my parents when we did a tourist day in NYC. Here is a collection of stuffed animals including a Colorado Avalanche and in the background a Montana Grizzly. I have lots of others personal things there, including a post card from my Mom with momma and baby Javelina Pigs (they're so ugly they're cute). Special treasures from some of the special people in my life.

Here's a dishcloth I finished about two weeks ago, I'm working on those scarves that I'm actually doing incorrectly. I decided not to rip them out, and here is one of them.

The Denver Broncos are in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns, and man oh man my Broncos are not playing very well. I mean it's the Browns for goodness sake. The score is 17-0 for the Broncos but just to tell you how off the Broncos are Jason Elam just missed a 43 yard field goal attempt. Jason Elam is like a machine with field goals so back to the game to root them on. Hockey update later. Note: While uploading pictures the Browns brought the score 17-7. OK Bronco offense lets turn it up, shall we?

Reinforcement of my folly

This will teach me to scoff at Friday the 13th. No physical injuries were suffered during the realization that yes my knitting is riddled with accidents, just an injury to my psyche.

A shout out to my friend Twig who has helped me to see the folly of my ways. Here's the scenario:

So I'm reading Twig's post today about having an issue with her My So Called Scarf pattern and I offered maybe I could give her a hand since I was enjoying it and received some compliments from my friends at the knitting group. Twig took me up on the offer and sent me an email asking does such and such on the pattern mean such and such.

"Hmmm", I think, "no that's not how I do it". This is what my interpretation of the directions were and I typed them out really nicely, ask her she'll tell you how step by step they were - right Twig?

Well then after that I read her question again and start thinking, "wait a minute". I pull the pattern out and actually read it. Yes Twig was right and I was again, wrong.

Heavy sigh. Take into account that I am making two separate scarves with this pattern and one is at least 10 or 11 inches long. The good thing is even though I've done it wrong it looks like the pattern is turning out right but I think it's why the scarf looks like it is going on the bias.

To frog or not to frog, that is the question. Whether or not I'm a putz is pretty obvious, eh?

I made it through

I showed that Friday the 13th. Hah! I'm still here, no medical co pays were paid and I didn't fall down any steps are dent the front end of any car.

No one said Rhode Island until about 12:15am on Saturday. It's more Rhode Island that is the key to this thing. When I got hit by the car, MFB was on his way with the hockey team to Rhode Island. Fall down the stairs and break the foot and MFB had to cover some kind of storm in - Rhode Island. I'm sure it's a very nice state and that I would enjoy the scenery and the people I have met from there are charming but just keep Rhode Island out of the husband's schedule and I should be fine.

Off to a hockey game, everyone enjoy their Sunday.

Can I go home now?

Paraskavedekatriaphobia (bonus points if you can pronounce it), or better known as The Fear of Friday the 13th.

I really don't have any phobias, but when one of my friends experienced car troubles this morning and then told me it was Friday the 13th - bacause duh, I hadn't realized it yet, I asked "Why in the world did I get out of bed this morning?" (I paraphrased - a little)

If anybody orders DUCK off the menu at dinner tonight, you know I'm diving under the table. I'm going to a game where there are warnings of "loose pucks may enter the stands."

Heavy sigh.

Don't leave home without it

On Wednesday, I was truly glad that when I went to work I had my knitting in the car as MFB received a phone call from his doctor and was told to go directly to the ER without passing go or collecting the proverbial $200 dollars.

During the four hours of excellent medical care what's a concerned wife addicted to knitting to do? Why knit, of course, as well as occasionally crack wise to help keep the mood light and drink hospital coffee. We were blessed by MFB receiving a clean bill of health, or as he puts it "much ado about nothing".

Friends said, "Isn't he the one who usually takes you to the ER?" Har Har. Then today I was sent for an MRI on my never ending foot saga as now they are checking it for stress fractures. I'll have my results on Tuesday. I used to recite the Miranda Warning; at this point I think I can recite the HIPPA Act. Did I mention my middle name is Bill, as in Medical Bill?

So lots of knitting going on, the scarves mostly and a seaman's cap for the Hockey Knitters KAL. Thought I had a picture of it, but not yet. We had our knitting group tonight at the local library and as always it was a great time.

The weekend brings us to hockey, football, hockey and who know what else. Oh and the weather is COLD.

Happy Thanksgiving

To family and friends in Canada. MFB's hockey broadcast schedule kept us from travelling up to see ya'll. See you in a couple of months!!

Another scarf started

I tried I really did. I went back to the LYS and tried to fall in like with the feel of the Manos yarn, but I couldn't. I fully intended to come home with it, but instead came home with this. It's Mondial Venere color #562. I'm making the Herringbone Rib Scarf from Li at Life's a Stitch. I found Li from Beth at Stuck on Socks. If you like my hedgehog, go check out Beth's. Here's my progress so far.

The yarn I'm using is a little bulkier than the Manos and so I left out one pattern repeat. I'm not sure if this will end up being mine or if I am donating it to an auction fundraiser for the Penn State Hockey team. I've only got a couple of weeks to finish it and see if it will block out properly. It's 55% merino and 45% acrylic, so I'm concerned about the blocking.

Speaking of hockey, Penn State won their first game of the regular season against Washington & Jefferson tonight and tomorrow they play Robert Morris. The Leafs lost to Montreal in a shootout and the Avalanche were off.

Physical therapy is going well and the pain is certainly less. The worst part of PT is after the exercises the therapist puts a compression boot around my foot which is then filled with ice water. It's on my foot for about 15 minutes. The best part of PT is that I get to knit when that is going on and it keeps my mind off the cold.

Weather was gorgeous here today, and looking across the street there were about seven wild turkeys in the field. The turkeys reminded me Monday is Thanksgiving. In Canada.

Do you love ice hockey?

I do and my team is the Colorado Avalanche. You may hear them referred to as the Av's or the Lanche. MFB's team is the Toronto Maple Leafs. As long as our teams don't play against one another we've been known to root for the other's team. Olympics are a different story and it can get a little ugly chippy here at Chez Accident with my chants of USA, USA and his of Go Canada Go, but that's what keeps life interesting. Along with the two NHL teams, you'll also hear me talk about the Penn State University Icers. MFB does play by play for that team.

Where am I going with all this? Look at what I did. I just joined my first knitalong. That's right it's the Hockey Knitter's Knitalong. Thanks to Lesley for putting the knitalong together and there's already a few of us there. We're knitting for charity and since hockey has about 84 games for each team during the season we'll be doing this through March. If you're interested, check it out.

Last night was the first night of the regular season, the Leafs lost to Ottawa and then it was time for the Av's to take on Dallas. At the end of the first period the Av's were up 2-0, I went to bed as it was around 11:00pm here, I'm in PA. I thought it would be safe, but no I woke up this morning and Dallas won 3-2 in overtime. Heavy sigh. As MFB said about Toronto's loss, it's only the first game. Both our teams are playing right now, he's in the den watching his game and I'm watching mine in the other room. It's 5-0 for the Leafs and my Av's are down 1 nothing.

I cast on my first KAL project last night and it's a Seaman's Cap from the 2005 Pattern a Day Calendar. I'm using Red Heart Super Saver in the Aspen Print colorway. I've never made a hat before and I'm thinking this pattern isn't too challenging - I've probably just jinxed myself. The pattern is perfect for a little guy and the colors are right. My plan is to knit for some local charities.

Good luck to everyone's team.

On a more positive note....

I went to my LYS yesterday for more shopping for the yarn for My So Called Scarf and the owner spent a good deal of time with me. We talked about how the Manos del Uruguay was a little itchy for me and asked her about the Mountain Colors. I decided on something I never would have thought of, Trekking XXL sock yarn in color 109 in variegated purples here is what I have so far. I'm carrying two threads together one from the inside and the other from the outside of the ball on size 5mm US 8 needles.

I was almost ready to leave when I saw a swatch of a very drapey delicate variegated yarn. Molly took me upstairs to her weaving yarn stash. OMG it's a candy store of everything fiber. Wools, rayons and I don't know what all on huge cones. Wish I'd had more time. This ended up being a weaver's industrial "put up" (I think that was the term she used) of rayon and it will shrink. Molly wound 1/4 pound into two balls for me and if I need more I know there's no problem. Here is what I have so far of this. Again I'm carrying two threads together, one from each ball but I'm using size 4 1/2 mm US 7 needles.

I'm thinking the Trekking scarf for cold weather and the rayon for the warmer weather or party wear. The rayon has such a beautiful sheen but I don't think it will be very warm.

This is a highly addictive stitch pattern. And it soothes my bruised knitter's pride after the dishcloth debacle.

Wishing you all a fantastic week of fine knitting weather.