Friday, August 24

Badges

I was never a Brownie or Girl Scout when I was younger, and the only part that I was ever yearning to join in on was the earning of badges. I always thought they were great - small embroidered representations of your achievements. I even found some of my aunt's badges from her Girl Scout years, and added one or two to my backpack in high school.

Now, I am adding the badges which I believe I have earned, from the Illustrious Order of Cast On Knitting Scouts

Proselytize Knitting Badge

I do enjoy sharing tips about knitting, as well as spouting about how much I love the sport. I rarely shut up about it. For anyone who wants to learn, I have extra needles and practice yarn in my desk drawer.

I've Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application For Them Badge

First of all, I love knitting stuffed animals. Unless they go to someone right away, though, I keep them around to love them, and they end up in my "China Cabinet of Things That We Cannot Throw Away, But Really Have No Other Function." Second of all, I end up un-raveling so many things and looking at them with the WTF-stare, and no concept of what they were supposed to be.


Knitting Whilst Under the Influence Badge

Who doesn't knit with a gin and tonic next to them? Most often, I put down the needles when I know there will be significant distraction, so as to avoid a morning of woeful ripping back.

MacGyver Badge, Level I

This level is attained when a Knitter uses non-knitting-related objects to serve a knitting purpose. I have often used plastic-coated paper clips as stitch markers and cable needles, a dollar bill as a measuring tape (6"), as well as a number of other office supplies since I am often knitting in my office.

MacGyver Badge, Level II

This badge is attained when knitting-related items are used for non-knitting purposes. I know there is at least a rogue US4 needle holding our important receipts together. I'll edit this when I can think of other instances around my house.


I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess Badge

This is probably the only area of my life where I actually try and succeed at using math. Most other areas, I try and fall flat on my face.

Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention Badge, Level I

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, baby. I was at the doctor anyway for something else, and I inquired about my computer usage combined with my knitting time. She informed me that as long as those movements didn't start to mimic each other, and I was moving my hands in different ways, then I should be fine.

I have earned quite a few already, but I still have more to do! That's another great thing about badges - you have goals!

Tuesday, August 21

PRGE Questionnaire

Now I have a reason to blog again. Not that I haven't been knitting, but I haven't been working on anything interesting with enough progress to write about.

Why are you punk?
Hmmmm. I have the standard favorite colors - purple and black. I prefer the non-traditional in most situations: dress, actions, hair color, etc. I have a number of tattoos and piercings. I prefer punk and hard rock music. I'm sure there are other reasons.

What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related)
OOOoooh...
1. Reading - mostly fiction, but I also enjoy historical non-fiction about glamorous famous people (Jackie O, Judy Garland, Jayne Mansfield, etc.)
2. Music - seriously, I work in music, and I love to surround myself with it.
3. Coffee - sweet elixir of life.
4. Pajamas - 'nuff said.
5. Days when I can watch movies all day, in my pajamas, and knit with a cup of coffee next to me.

What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?
1. Christmas stockings
2. Adam's Octopus sweater (even though it's falling apart)
3. Anything practical - I love my dishcloths, a teacozy that I know my SIL uses often, etc.

What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?
Heehee
1. Hot-pink light-up needles.
2. Something small knit just for me. I knit for other people and give things away, so it would be nice to receive something already made with me in mind.
3. In the last prge, my spoiler sent me a box of her favorite things - it opened my eyes to some really yummy yarns.
4. The Baby Surprise Jacket pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
5. Knitting-related shirt or necklace. So nerdy and so funny.

What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?
Faves
1. Anything Merino - I'm partial to Morehouse
2. Hand-dyed Fearless Fibers, from the etsy shop of the same name.
3. Bamboo - I now love this material, omg.

Not-so-fave
1. Red Heart - too scratchy
2. Anything that pills easily
3. Mohair

What are your five favorite delicacies?
1. Chocolate cordial cherries
2. Pepperidge Farm Pirouette sticks
3. Cheesecake
4. Cappuccino
5. My mom's Chocolate chip cookies - they're the basic Toll House recipe, but she makes them just right.
(Can you tell I'm a sugar junkie?)

What are your three favorite guilty pleasures?
1. Bubble baths
2. National holidays - like, when it's two o'clock in the afternoon, and I feel like I should be at work, and I'm playing hooky, but I'm not really.
3. A nicely chilled gin and tonic.

What are the five things you look forward to every week?
1. Grocery shopping - I love a fully stocked kitchen, and going shopping alone means I can go at my own pace and wear my iPod ;)
2. Fresh flowers bought at the grocery store.
3. Kinda sleeping in for an extra hour on the weekends, and then not having the alarm wake me up, just Monty(my dog).
4. I really like my job, so I never dread going to work.
5. Weekends are just nice.

What do you collect?
I have been a collector of pigs since I was much younger. They're really adorable, and have a rather sweet disposition, and they're very smart, even if not all of them are the most attractive beings. My favorite (and now only) stuffed animal is a pig named Morgan. I used to have a lot of pigs around, but now that I'm technically an adult, they're only in quirky places, like on my socks or on my ice cream scoop.

When is your birthday?
It just passed. July 22nd.

Do you have any wishlists?
Yes, I have one on amazon.com.

What would you like your pal to know that is not covered here?
I'm ridiculously easy to please.