Guess who is blogging?? MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Okay, I have finally located a place for blogging -- I had it the whole time but it took me this long to locate it and get ta' bloggin!

Check it out!

Decluttering And Cleaning

Here's my problem -- Too much freakin Fabric -- I'm stuck.   I have whittled my fabric down to two of the cabinets that I described in my podcast
(JustLindaOnline knitting).  I really need some more clothes for work but I don't freaking feel like sewing!!??
Uggh!  Well, should I be sewing rather than podcasting.... maybe -- but why can't I do both (bceg)

   Knitting Tools-- What do you use? What is taking up space in your stash?
I am having a heck of a time figuring where and how to store some of my knitting needles.  The ones that are in kits or cases are great and easy to keep up with. But the ones that are stored in vases or jars are a problem -- inevitably I knock them over!  I have about 4 different pots or vases that I use to store some tall aluminum, plastic and extra large plastic needles.  Of course I have some zip around cases -- I LUV those but even they are now full.  Perhaps the answer is to get rid of some of my needles... NOT!
Well, I'm sure I don't need to buy any more cases, and the vases and ... wait... I just got the answer to my question... I will keep only one of the vases - it's more like a bucket -- short and squat. What I'll do is fill it with beads or rocks or sand or something... right? and then I can just KEEP it on the floor!!?? That way, the fill will keep even the tall needles in place (fill) and it is a good size for keeping it on the floor...somewhere...
I just thought of one more problem... the floor may not work. My little doggy my decide to hike his little leg up on it. Yuck! Well, we'll see.  I may have to try this one anyway and just keep my eye on the doggy. 


   Cleaning- Can you get it done without using paper towels?

I am not by any stretch an environmentalist.  I recycle when it is convenient but I am not religious about it.
I try not to buy things that are over packaged and I always tell them at the drive-thru that I don't need a separate drink tray -- that should count for something -- right??
Now that I think of it, there is no reason that I couldn't recycle my newspapers -- hmmm. 
Anyway, I digress. I wanted to talk about paper towels.  I am obviously not the most consciencous person out there. But it bugs me to think of pitching all that paper towel out every single day.  I don't keep it in the house i prefer to use rags.  I could rewash them and reuse them and not add to our landfills.
Okay -- what is the half-life for a papertowel vice a cotton rag? heck if I know -- but the rags won't cost me as much and I won't have to keep going to the store to get them over and over -- right?
Well, being the way that I am, I have to have a way to keep the rags in a usable fashion -- separated by function adn "cootie quotient" --  kitchen ones, bathroom ones, dusting ones, quick clean-up ones, foody clean-up ones, pet ones. See,  I would completely freak out if I thought for a second that the pet ones or the bathroom ones had gotten mixed up with the kitchen clean-up ones. YUCK!
Washing machine or now -- I would be completely freaked out.
Perhaps I could dye them into separate colors?? Hmm??? And obviously wash them separately and keep them in separate boxes or baskets around the house where they will be used?
Anyone got any other ideas? If you do - especially if you do the rag-thing vice using paper towels, please send them to me and I will mention them in the next podcast and or add them to the blog.
JLO




Rant 
Cell Phones   
(this gets ugly fast)
If you' re sophisticated enough to have and use a cell phone, you should be smart enough to know that you don't need to freakin' YELL into the damnable  thing to be heard!  Three points and then I'm off my soapbox on this one...

1. Even if you have the tinest  phone --  unless you have a cheap piece of &hyt phone, I guarantee you that your phone has a very powerful mic!!  You don't need to yell into it to be heard. 

2. No one is impressed that you have one and have someone to talk to. 
Even some of the freakin homeless have cell phones!!!  Cool-points are no longer awarded for walking around talking into a cell phone. Knock it off!


3. One last thing, be a real friend and hip your friends (and family) when they are speaking too loudly in public and ask them to do the same thing for you.  Please do this when you are with them and if you can hear from the other end of the line that they are yelling.
Why did I take off on this one?

Last week I was in a movie theater lobby.
This "female" (note my intentional avoidance of the terms "lady" or "woman") walked into the lobby in
fuck-me heels,  lots of bling, a ton of makeup, perfume and an expensive handbag. Ok -- she looked great. But that first impression lasted for about 3 seconds. She was literally YELLING into her cell phone about the exciting evening that she was going to have that night.  Everyone in the building knew what this cow was going to wear during some upcoming and how HOT she wanted to look.  GRRR!
What a stupid hag!  She continued to laugh and speak very loudly into her phone despite the fact that nearly everyone in the lobby was shooting her dirty looks and shaking their heads.
I imagine that if she actually processed any of the stares, glances and dirty looks, she probably figured that her observes were filled with envy at her exciting life. 
In  actuality we just wanted her to shut-up!
Businesses!!!???? Where the heck are you in these situation. If you don't want to create cell-free areas, at least hang up some signs which remind patrons to keep their voices down when conversing.  And when they get loud -- walk your butts out there, get their attention and ask them to lower their voices!


Knitting

Wow -- it took a while to get here - huh?
I just finished my latest tank top. Ya know for months I thought that this thing was purple -- NOT!
I took a sample of it to a local yarn shop to see fi they had any more and as i removed the project from the bag -- it was Cornflower Blue!  I still love the color -- obviously I liked it when I bought it there. But I guess my recollection was screwing with me in sync with the lighting in my house.  Anyway, I went to get more yarn because I decided that I want a matching jacket or bolero.
I found out that the yarn is being discontinued (sob! sob!)  It's that always the way? -- First it was the Ford Bronco, then the Toyota Tercel -- now it's butterfly yarn #3. I'm starting to take this personally.
Anyway, I had about 1/3 a skein left from the tank top project and they had two full skeins in the store.
I MIGHT be able to squeeze a 3/4 sleeved bolero out of what I have left.
I really want to wear them to work and I don't think that I can wear the tank top alone and still look professional.
Anyway, in order to console myself, I purchased about 14 skeins of the Butterfly #3 in black. (sniffle) I'm almost feeling beter (bceg)  I'm envisioning a skirt and matching jacket -- which I should be able to mix and match with the cornflower blue tank and bolero -- huh huh huh? feelin' me?  yeah!




Featured book
Knitting Over The Edge -Nicky Epstein
KNitters, and wanna be knitters,  trust me, you want this -- go and get it.
Very cool -- Nicky -- you've done it again.  You have given us a huge number of motifs, and edges for sweaters, skirts, tank tops scarves, handbags and afghans.  Just as in Knitting On The Edge, this book will live on my coffee table. Ahhh...


Featured Magazine
I noticed something, the last twinset tank that I finished (white cotton)  was actually published in a Tahki booklet dated 2003.
But the pattern was publised in Knit-N-Style in 2006. WTF?
Well as I see it, that gives me lots of permission to go back through my old patterns and talk to them as if they were current.  Are you  fortunate enough to have a local yarn store that has a cache of individual published patterns?  Are they all that way? Like sewing patterns?  In any case, I love it!



Blog of the Week

http://www.danceswithyarn.com/
Jeanie, thanks for the feedback and for sharing your blog.
Girrrrrl you are good with that digital camera!  I really like the pics of fireworks and your project progress.
I have really got to get on the stick and break out my camera.
Yeah! ya' know I love that cheap yarn too!  As for the that pic of the spider -- good photo'g work but yuck. (smile)
I love the school spirit sweater and I'm gonna have to hit you about about that Sexy Knitters Club -- very hot!
Knitters and readers, make sure that you click on her "about me" link. 
Direct to you from me Jeanie, I don't have the piercings but --you and and I sync up  alot! 
(re: 15 16 20 25 30 37 51 52  73 77  90 99)
J' you seem very cool -- keep in touch!


Website of the Week
I was searching for a bolero or shrug pattern and look what I found??
Knittingonthenet.com
Lots of patterns here and the site just feels welcoming and genuine. 
Plus right off the bat I found a shrug pattern Freeeeeeeeeeeee! 
I love free stuff and there is lots of it here.

Audio Book of the Week - Listen and knit
This is a new feature.  Check Every week I will feature a new book available at audible.com -- if you aren't sure that you are into recorded books, wait until audible.com is featuring a "free" book and give them a try.
I'm big on listening to recorded books while crafting driving or cleaning.
I've found that Audible.com provides consistent customer support and a great selection of audio books.
I've been a satisfied audible.com customer for over 5 years and I've had up to 4 accounts at one time.  
I've been  happy with their services and I think that you will be too. One of the many perks at audible.com is that you can listen to the books on your pc, burn them to disk or download them.  You can download your purchased books as you need to (computer crash, HD problems etc.) --  long after your initial purchase.  They keep a list of your purchases!  They do of course limit is the number of times you can burn the books to disk. 
Here is my latest listen, and review;

Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West by Gregory Maguire
 "Wicked" got some pretty bad reviews but I'm about an hour into the story and I like it so far.  The author could stand to have little more inflection in his reading but, I'm so interested in the subject matter that I can listen past that .   I want to know the story of that weirdo witch as Gregory Maguire sees it.  Fair warning, even though most of us read, heard or watched "The Wizard Of Oz" as children, "Wicked..." is not  I repeat NOT appropriate for children. I've already heard some sections of it and they are farily sexual nature.  Let me put it like this, according to Mr Maguire,  the Wicked Witch Of the West had a mom who was more than just a little promiscuous.  This is an interesting adult listening -- but not for kids.

Laughing and Loving Life
This is my friend Joycee -- she is such a sweetheart and OMG can that woman laugh.
We recorded this outside so please pardon the wind noice. You can just hear my friend Dale and I in the background.
I know this woman personally -- and even after playing this same joke over and over I still laugh out loud when she laughs.  I won't always be able to get her to share a joke but I'm gonna snag parts of her laugh -- she's hilarious.
Joycee's laughter is funnier than the joke!
On this one she even shared a "snort". 
Joycee and The Monk Joke

Enjoy

JustLinda