[no pictures yet]
The weather this weekend has been exceptionally weird. Most of this past week has just been overcast and somewhat cool.
Friday it was raining most of the day, and in the evening, it hailed in Bremerton while Daniel and I were at Fred Meyer. Apparently it snowed here in Seattle Friday night, because when I was driving around this morning, I kept noticing small build-ups of snow on the backs of people's cars.
My pilates teacher told me she saw a picture of a tulip with snow on it..presumably taken around Seattle.
I am hoping the Tulip Festival isn't quashed tomorrow. I am really hoping that Daniel can get on the 9 AM ferry, so we can get up to Mt. Vernon relatively early, but I will have to speak to Kris if we can't. I also am debating whether to go to pilates tomorrow or not. I am indifferent either way, but it would be nice to spend most of the day with Daniel...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Viking Hat FO
As I said in my last (non-knitting) post, my camera's batteries are currently engaged in recharging themselves, so I have no pictures to post.
However, I finally sat down and made the two horns to go on my Viking hat. Hopefully I will see the recipient soon. :)
I need to start it's mate, though.
****
Other WIPs:
- red vest
- chenille blanket
- 2 socks at a time, Magic Loop method
- Luv Gun
****
I need to start the second Bart's sock. :)
However, I finally sat down and made the two horns to go on my Viking hat. Hopefully I will see the recipient soon. :)
I need to start it's mate, though.
****
Other WIPs:
- red vest
- chenille blanket
- 2 socks at a time, Magic Loop method
- Luv Gun
****
I need to start the second Bart's sock. :)
Bargain Hunting
Unfortunately, my camera batteries are recharging right now, so I don't have the chance to take pictures of stuff...
I got a new bike helmet yesterday! It's a Bell Sweep XC. Here's the best part: I got it for $60, tax included! (It retails for at least twice that). I found it when Daniel and I went to this store called Stupid Prices, where their gimmick is that they include tax on the price tag. I also found some vegetable supplements called Greens To Go that are very difficult for me to find in most stores - it's pre-portioned vegetable and fruit powder that goes into water and tastes like apples. (By the way, you can get a free (!!) sample of all their flavors if you click here.) The best part was that my mom said that the Greens To Go packages that I bought were about $5 less than she has seen them at Costco ($23 vs about $28, not including tax).
I also discussed some financial questions with Daniel. I have about $1600 in an ING savings account, and he was suggesting that I have a separate IRA to complement my Boeing 401(k) account. I think I am going to open a Vanguard Roth IRA. Daniel did some quick research, and the expense ratio (I think that's what it's called - I am still pretty new at this investing thing) is around 0.15%, which is very low. The catch is that you need at least $3000 to open a Vanguard IRA account. So what I am going to do is tack on the difference from another savings account, and then I'll be able to open up the account, no problem. Were I not fortunate to have Daniel's advice, my first inclination would have been to close my ING account and transfer that money to another savings account, or my Sharebuilder account. My HSBC savings account is earning a higher interest rate than my ING account, so I really don't like letting my money sit around and not do it's best for me...
Seriously, if anyone has any questions about finances or investing, please visit Daniel's blog: www.step3prophet.com. I am sure he wouldn't mind answering any questions that come his way, either - they can be made anonymous and provide good fodder for his blog, anyway! :) (He also has a list of financial blogs that he likes, and the best part is that I can read them and not fall asleep!)
I got a new bike helmet yesterday! It's a Bell Sweep XC. Here's the best part: I got it for $60, tax included! (It retails for at least twice that). I found it when Daniel and I went to this store called Stupid Prices, where their gimmick is that they include tax on the price tag. I also found some vegetable supplements called Greens To Go that are very difficult for me to find in most stores - it's pre-portioned vegetable and fruit powder that goes into water and tastes like apples. (By the way, you can get a free (!!) sample of all their flavors if you click here.) The best part was that my mom said that the Greens To Go packages that I bought were about $5 less than she has seen them at Costco ($23 vs about $28, not including tax).
I also discussed some financial questions with Daniel. I have about $1600 in an ING savings account, and he was suggesting that I have a separate IRA to complement my Boeing 401(k) account. I think I am going to open a Vanguard Roth IRA. Daniel did some quick research, and the expense ratio (I think that's what it's called - I am still pretty new at this investing thing) is around 0.15%, which is very low. The catch is that you need at least $3000 to open a Vanguard IRA account. So what I am going to do is tack on the difference from another savings account, and then I'll be able to open up the account, no problem. Were I not fortunate to have Daniel's advice, my first inclination would have been to close my ING account and transfer that money to another savings account, or my Sharebuilder account. My HSBC savings account is earning a higher interest rate than my ING account, so I really don't like letting my money sit around and not do it's best for me...
Seriously, if anyone has any questions about finances or investing, please visit Daniel's blog: www.step3prophet.com. I am sure he wouldn't mind answering any questions that come his way, either - they can be made anonymous and provide good fodder for his blog, anyway! :) (He also has a list of financial blogs that he likes, and the best part is that I can read them and not fall asleep!)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Happy Things
I thought I would share some photos today!
First... a breath of springtime, fresh from Trader Joe's. :) Gerbera daisies and daffodils, on the cheap - nothing says "happy" to me like these flowers:
Daniel and I got to meet up with some music friends at Masala Indian restaurant on Friday night. L-R: Lonnie, Sura, Paul, Darlene, Ron, Daniel, me, Deb:
First... a breath of springtime, fresh from Trader Joe's. :) Gerbera daisies and daffodils, on the cheap - nothing says "happy" to me like these flowers:
Daniel and I got to meet up with some music friends at Masala Indian restaurant on Friday night. L-R: Lonnie, Sura, Paul, Darlene, Ron, Daniel, me, Deb:
I think this is a fabulous picture of Daniel :)
The books I picked up for myself in Portland, at Powell's: two vegetarian cookbooks (Kripalu is a yoga / natural healing resort up in the mountains on the east coast - my mom went there for a shaman class, and she said that their food was amazing. So I bought the cookbook!):
And, finally - my new stashbusting project. This is the second incarnation of the chenille tape yarn, but knit this time. I'm using size 15 aluminum needles, and making a blanket in strips. I'm just doing a very simple pattern of knitting one row, and the next row is yo, k2tog. This chunk of knitting didn't take very long at all, and is about a foot long x 24" wide (maybe?). Impressive, simple, quick. Just what I need. :)
Finally... I am trying to establish a new "equilibrium" for me. I am back into the exercising, and I am going to try taking a kickboxing class Tuesday night. I wish kickboxing was available Thursday evening, since that is my less-favorite spinning instructor (even though he is a really sweet guy), and then I could stay with the great Tuesday night spinning instructor and take kickboxing, but, of course, you can't have everything. I am excited to try this, though. I am also trying to stop eating grains. It is HARD, but I figure I have the willpower to not buy yarn, lose 25 lb, exercise multiple times a week, and invest/ save $600/mo (which isn't that much, honestly), so why can't I do this?! :) I only have 15 more lb to go before I reach my goal weight. My sister in law stopped eating grains, and she is having to eat more (healthy) fats (e.g. nuts and avocados...MMm...) to keep her weight on! :)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Neat Book Sites
I was rooting around a site called Vintage Knitting this morning, and the woman's blog was talking about looking through the Library of Congress' older books in search of vintage knitting patterns, but she came across some neat sites herself:
- Illuminated Books. There are scans of a bunch of illuminated manuscripts and books. Sooo gorgeous!
- Project Gutenberg. There are loads of free older books available for download here.
Project Gutenberg even has knitting books, like this one, "Beeton's Book of Needlework".
- Illuminated Books. There are scans of a bunch of illuminated manuscripts and books. Sooo gorgeous!
- Project Gutenberg. There are loads of free older books available for download here.
Project Gutenberg even has knitting books, like this one, "Beeton's Book of Needlework".
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Stuff I Want
I've decided to compile a list of fiber- and non-fiber- related toys that I want. Maybe the Fiber Fairy will come with my Gub-mint Surplus check earlier than I thought! ;)
- A Woolee Winder ($185 for the winder + 1 bobbin, each add'l bobbin $31, shipping $16. Total for Winder + 2 add'l bobbins + shipping = $263.00)
- I have a Majacraft Susie wheel
- A drum carder. Because of space requirements, I don't want a huge one. However, I do want something useful. I think either of the two below would fill the bill.
- Louet Roving carder ($385...$330 on sale at www.bountifulspinweave.com )
- Strauch Petite carder ($341, unassembled, also at www.bountifulspinweave.com (free s/h))
- I want a pretty drop spindle. Like this. Or this. Or this.
- A cast-iron skillet. 10" is probably my limit because bigger ones get exponentially heavier (ok, maybe not exponentially, but it definitely doesn't feel linear!! *har har*). They are not expensive but I need to learn how to season the thing. I think Lodge, Emeril, and at least a few other folks make 'em. I wonder how you cook off that wax coating that they come with?
- Camping equipment. Although this is sort of a moot point as long as we're friends with Tori and Igor. They really have more camping equipment than we'd ever need. If we ever want to go camping without them, I expect they would lend us whatever we want, and all I'd have to do is give them new fuel or something. But if I were going to start stocking up, I'd first get:
- a good tent with a rain thingie for on top
- a JetBoil
- some good sleeping mats (we already have sleeping bags)
- maybe some of those Origami bowls and stuff
I can't really think of anything else. It's always nice to get new sheets with a high thread count, and eventually I want a new couch, but at this point I'll wait till Daniel and I live together and we can pick something out together - his beige couches hurt my back if I slouch in them too long and mine is just getting old. Clothing and jewelry rank highly, but the season is changing soon (I hope), and I'll probably head to Ross and see what's up before hitting the big boys and boutiques...heck, if I can save some cash, that's great! :-) I always think I want to look like I came out of REI, but I end up with some New York & Co. in there, too...
Of course, if someone wants to suck those last 15 pounds out of my gut, they are welcome to it! :) *hehe*
- A Woolee Winder ($185 for the winder + 1 bobbin, each add'l bobbin $31, shipping $16. Total for Winder + 2 add'l bobbins + shipping = $263.00)
- I have a Majacraft Susie wheel
- A drum carder. Because of space requirements, I don't want a huge one. However, I do want something useful. I think either of the two below would fill the bill.
- Louet Roving carder ($385...$330 on sale at www.bountifulspinweave.com )
- Strauch Petite carder ($341, unassembled, also at www.bountifulspinweave.com (free s/h))
- I want a pretty drop spindle. Like this. Or this. Or this.
- A cast-iron skillet. 10" is probably my limit because bigger ones get exponentially heavier (ok, maybe not exponentially, but it definitely doesn't feel linear!! *har har*). They are not expensive but I need to learn how to season the thing. I think Lodge, Emeril, and at least a few other folks make 'em. I wonder how you cook off that wax coating that they come with?
- Camping equipment. Although this is sort of a moot point as long as we're friends with Tori and Igor. They really have more camping equipment than we'd ever need. If we ever want to go camping without them, I expect they would lend us whatever we want, and all I'd have to do is give them new fuel or something. But if I were going to start stocking up, I'd first get:
- a good tent with a rain thingie for on top
- a JetBoil
- some good sleeping mats (we already have sleeping bags)
- maybe some of those Origami bowls and stuff
I can't really think of anything else. It's always nice to get new sheets with a high thread count, and eventually I want a new couch, but at this point I'll wait till Daniel and I live together and we can pick something out together - his beige couches hurt my back if I slouch in them too long and mine is just getting old. Clothing and jewelry rank highly, but the season is changing soon (I hope), and I'll probably head to Ross and see what's up before hitting the big boys and boutiques...heck, if I can save some cash, that's great! :-) I always think I want to look like I came out of REI, but I end up with some New York & Co. in there, too...
Of course, if someone wants to suck those last 15 pounds out of my gut, they are welcome to it! :) *hehe*
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