Coming Attraction

From the people who brought you the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men," comes a tale of a young cat whose summer has seen the death of two of his siblings within a week.  Not yet recovered from that trauma, he thinks that at least things can't get worse - but oh, is he wrong!  Enter a large, black, fuzzy dog (with a bad haircut) who comes to spend a three-day weekend, forcing the young cat to feel that the only way he can survive those days is to Live In The Basement!!

For release in Fall 2012: 

No Household for Young Cats

Based on the true story, written by Jetsam

about that very weekend when Doughboy was a houseguest

Cast:

Jetsam .................... Zac Efron

Doughboy .............. James Earl Jones

The Ma ................... Jane Lynch

The Da ...... Christopher Walken

*************

Some early buzz from the critics:

"Terrifying" -- Cat Fancy

"A cautionary tale for all cats everywhere, and the families who love them"

-- VCA Cat Hospital Newsletter

"Well done, but not for small children" -- Highlights for Children

"Lightweight tragicomedy about the excessive overreaction of a cat to a harmless dog's visit"

-- Dog Fancy

"Fun for the entire family!" -- AKC Monthly

** Rated R (Sensitive Situations)

We Still Haven't Made Up, But ...

At least for now, I've found a way to make Flickr and Blogger let me post some pictures.  Because contrary to what it says in the Flickr FAQs and what others have suggested, I can't get Blogger to show a picture when I use the Flickr "Grab the link" method.  All I get is an error message. 

Anyway.

We had a great weekend in Baltimore with most of my family, as my nieces threw a surprise 40th anniversary party for my sister and brother-in-law.  They really went all out, and it was a great party with wonderful food, drink, and company.  The only down side of it was that we spent most of the time we were there getting ready for, or being at, said party, and as a result didn't get a lot of chance to just visit with everyone.  However, we have another big family event coming up in November, so we'll have a lot of chances to visit then, if not before.

Then, yesterday and today, I had to take sick days from work.  Some kind of sudden flu-like thing, which has settled down considerably, but really threw me for a loop.  And I hate to take sick days, as I don't have that many in the first place!  But unless something unexpected happens, I feel good enough to head back to work tomorrow. 

So, I had wanted to post pictures of something I've been working on and forgot to mention.   I started this at the beginning of August, and though it's been giving me fits sometimes, I'm enjoying it when it works!

Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark

(Pattern link; Rav link)

I'm using Swan's Island Certified Organic Merino Fingering yarn, and not only is it pretty yarn, but it's really soft and pleasant to use for knitting.  This shade is, I believe, called Indigo.  Since taking this photo, I've made it a little bit farther along.  But due to my poor counting/chart reading skills, it has been a challenge. 

Also, like a lot of other people - knitters and otherwise - I love different types of bags.  Tote bags, box bags, handbags, notions bags - you name it, I probably have too many of it.  But this is the bag I chose to tote the project in, because I'm sure that Stephen Colbert would be pleased ...

It's actually quite nice to use as a knitting bag, since it is large enough for a the yarn, needles, notions, pattern, chart holder, and even a bottle of water and/or a piece of fruit.  In any event, it amuses me to carry my knitting in this bag.  ("Nation - have you seen the bags people are using for knitting these days??")

I am nearly finished deciding what I will do to celebrate my blog's 4th birthday, so I should be sharing that with you in the next few days. 

In the meantime, don't catch whatever it is that I have, take care, and happy knitting, reading, or whatever! 

Happy Birthday!!!

I had originally not planned to write a post today, but then I realized that yesterday, my blog turned 4 years old!  Then today is a three-fer birthday, and tomorrow is a two-fer anniversary - it seemed like neglect to wait another day ...

Today would have been sweet Tess' 19th birthday.  I wish so much that she was still here so that we could mark the day together, but I know she is busy, because it is also the birthday of my father and The Tim's father.  I'm sure they are all celebrating in heaven.  The Tim thinks his dad is offering Tess a Cheez-It, since he used to do that with our Molly (who would happily take it and eat it - we're pretty sure no one ever told her that she was a cat).  My dad is doing God knows what, but I'm sure it's over the top, since a) he was that kind of person, and b) he was even nuttier about animals than we are.  (See, I get it honestly.)  So Happy Birthday to Tess, Dad, and Dad!  If you can't be here to celebrate, at least you are together, and we can (and definitely will) toast you appropriately later today. 

Then tomorrow is my sister and brother-in-law's 40th wedding anniversary, and my niece Julie and her husband Keith's second anniversary.  We are heading to Baltimore later today, so that we can join my sister and most of her family for a celebratory dinner.  Which, needless to say will I'm sure involve quite a bit of eating, and even more, er, "toasting" ... unfortunately, Jules and Keith won't be able to join us, but they'll be there in spirit.

So back to my blog's birthday - to be honest, I'm amazed!  Not because I still have the blog, because when I started it, it was as much for my own amusement and to keep track of knitting projects, than it was to meet new people.  I do have to say though, that meeting new people has been one of the best things ever!  I am by nature someone who prefers to be left alone 99% of the time, but having this blog has allowed me the chance to have so many friends and visit with them when I feel like it, without hurting anyone's feelings that I didn't call them back, go out with them, etc. 

This is the biggest surprise to me, and the happiest one as well.  Though last month was just plain old awful, the fact that so many of you sent me notes, comments, and actual snail mail was truly comforting to me.  You hope and know that people feel happiness or sadness for you, but seeing actual proof helps in ways that other things cannot.  I know I have not responded to all of you yet individually, and I'm still working on that.  For those of you whose e-mail addresses I don't have, please know that your kindness was appreciated by all of us here at chez Ravelld Sleave.  But no matter what, I want to take this time to say a big thank you to everyone for your kindness.

It would seem that it's time for something special to celebrate four years of my blathering, and your reading of said blathering.  I have a couple of ideas that I want to mull over, so I'll let you in on the details in the next one or two posts.

In the meantime, thanks again for being here, and please join us in toasting the many celebrations happening this weekend. 

Honestly!

Dear Flickr - Thanks for making it more difficult to post pictures, as well as more difficult to understand anything related to photos that I have uploaded onto your site.  I sure hope you spent a lot of money and staff time on this effort, 'cause it used to be pretty easy to use Flickr, and now it's just plain old confusing.  Surely some great techno-minds got paid big bucks for the redesign,  and it will be worth it if they are accidentally on purpose felled by some mysterious malady.  Have a nice day.

Dear Blogger - Thanks also to you for the new editor, which is equally confusing.  I have longed for something like this so I can spend inordinate amounts of time just trying to figure out how to get started.  You and the people at Flickr should go out on a date sometime, as I think you have lots in common.  A match made in heaven.  Oh, and have a nice day.

Dear Woman in Front of Me at Starbucks Yesterday - Oh for God's sake, either use your stupid Bluetooth or place your order!  Don't make all of us - including the person taking orders - wait while you tell the person you are talking to, "Oh just a minute - apparently this person needs to know what I want NOW or she will die."  Next time you have to perform brain surgery via phone, wait until afterwards to get a coffee.  And have a nice day.

Dear Goodreads - Why in the name of a small black dog named Pete do you have me listed as living in Folcroft, PA? I edited my profile, but being that I had no idea there was a place known as Folcroft, PA, I am certain that I didn't enter that info originally. I am puzzled, but am hoping that the next time I check, you'll have let me stay here. Thanks, and have a nice day.

Dear Woman in the Hummer and Taxi Driver Behind Her - Well, if either of you had been paying attention rather than chatting on your cell phones this morning, perhaps the accident wouldn't have happened.  But since it did, thank you for making me smile on my way to work this a.m.  I had a nice day.

Dear Knitters - Be sure to check in at Kim's website during the week, to vote for this year's Knitter's Hunk.  Nominations are closed, and voting started this past Monday, but we're only at the end of the first round of voting.  It's really fun, and interesting to see who has been nominated.  (I didn't get my act together to nominate anyone this year, but there are still plenty of people who I am more than happy to vote for!)

That's it for now. 

And please - have a nice day.  ;-)

8-9-10

OK, I don't really have anything to blog about, but how could I miss posting on a numerically interesting date???  I love numerically interesting dates, and often even look forward to them.  Though today's sort of snuck up on me, as I am still not quite back in sync with the universe. 

Today was the new president's first day at work.  He called a meeting first thing, and there were snacks which was a nice touch.  I hope he turns out to be a good guy for the Academy; the guy who has been the acting president is a tough act to follow, though. 

I am intrigued by the new book coming out called Modern Top Down Knitting, as I have decided that I need to try to knit a few pieces done that way.  A few weeks ago, Andrea finished a cardigan she had designed herself that was knit top-down, and it was fabulous. Given my finishing skills (and I use that term loosely in relation to myself), I think it's worth a try to do something with minimum amount of finishing involved ...  I have been poking around to see what I already have, but I'll definitely want to take a look at this new book when it shows up at Rosie's.

However, if I could get only one new book, it would be New England Knits.  I have looked through it several times already, and asked The Tim to get it for me for Christmas.  (It's times like this I wish I had a fall birthday ...)

Anyway, I am knitting along on things.  I've nearly finished putting the Pickle sweater together (yeah don't die of shock there), and have started a blanket for a shelter animal, as well as made it to the second of the pair of socks I'm knitting.  I would show you a picture but at the moment, I can't get the image thing to work, so that can/will have to be another post.

OK, enough blathering simply because it's 8-9-10.  I hope yours is/was a good one.  I am not posting a Ten on Tuesday tomorrow, since this week's topic is 10 Reasons Why I Love Bacon.  Not much to say about that because a) I'm a vegetarian, and b), even before I was, I'm not sure I would have had 10 things to say about bacon ...

Jetsam says hello, by the way.  :-)

A Little Housekeeping Note and a Ten on Tuesday

Argh.  I spent so much time on Saturday, putting things from my stash in Ravelry, and trying to make sure there were no mistakes.  Found out yesterday that apparently something wacko was going on with our computer connection or something.  I found this out because the bank called to ask me what was going on with the bills I "paid" online and the information I entered over the weekend.  After a bit of time on the phone with a very helpful IT customer service rep and then a visit to the bank itself over my lunch hour, we determined that it was not someone hacking in or anything, but some glitch that caused payment amounts to either a) show up as way too little or way too much, or b) as gobbledygook.  I'm glad that someone noticed that I usually don't pay $.20 on the electric bill or "ssm46tt.99" for the mortgage.  Anyway, all seems to be well now - at least with the bank stuff.  (So much for online banking being a better way to do things ... though at least I didn't end up not being able to pass GO and going directly to jail, a la Monopoly ...)


So I checked my Ravelry sale page last night and there were some, er, interesting prices listed for stuff.  (My favorite was the Lamb's Pride for $8%%.65 ...) I have gone through this evening and edited, and am hoping that it worked.  In any event, if you decide to look - or look again - let me know if something seems weirdly priced, or even waaaay overpriced.  I sure wish I'd checked things yesterday, both there and on the online banking page.  But such is life, all should be well now.
 
OK, housekeeping done.  Next:

For a number of reasons, I haven't done this one for a while.  This week's topic is 10 Things to Bring on Vacation.  I wish I was on some kind of vacation from the universe at the moment, but decided that just thinking about what to take on a regular vacation would need to suffice.  :-)

I have never been on a vacation longer than a week, so my list is based on that amount of time.  Also, I am working on the assumption that The Tim and my clothes would be automatically included ...

1.  Three to four books.

2.  A knitting project.

3.  My MP3 player.

4.  Cash.

5.  Stamps for post cards (I love to send post cards!)

6.  A map.

7.  A book of those word puzzles where you need to find the hidden words.

8.  Two or three non-socially redeeming magazines to read for the fun of it.

9.  Guidebook.

10.  A taste for adventure!

What about you???

Stash-a-ganza!

Hello there, just in case you were wondering, I'm still here.  As are The Tim and Jetsam.  We are doing the best we can, sometimes a few steps forward, sometimes one back.  Like yesterday afternoon when they called to tell us we could pick up Garden Kitty's ashes whenever it was convenient.  I told them we would wait until we could also pick up Tess', since two of those trips could put either of us over the edge.  But then I had a wild game of Kitty Tease with Jetsam last night, and I think it cheered both of us up a little bit.  (We have never had a cat who didn't go crazy about the KT, and looking at the website, it's clear I'll have to stock up on string packs.  Too bad he is not making more of the original toys.)   Life does go on, even if we think the world should stop and wait for us.

And as part of the whole "life goes on" thing, and since it's August 1st (clean slate and all that), it's time for the promised

STASH-A-GANZA!!!

Yesterday I spent a good deal of the morning uploading the photos and information to the appropriate page on Ravelry.  I decided it made the most sense to post everything there, as it would mean I could have the photo, info, and everything else all in one place.  If you are not a member of Ravelry (and really, you should be - it's free, and they don't bug you with spam or anything), you can certainly contact me directly (thekittyknitterATverizonDOTcom), and I'll send you info, but please use Ravelry when at all possible.  All you need to do is send me a message there, and it makes much more sense than leaving your requests in the comments or something.  Which is another way of saying - DON'T leave me messages in the comments if you want to purchase something!

As far as payment goes, I will be accepting money orders or funds sent to my PayPal account.  I thought about setting up a PayPal button, but since I don't plan to continue selling things on any regular basis, it seemed kind of stupid to set it up and have them take part of the amount.  I didn't want to deal with personal checks, so money orders in US funds will be fine. 

I tried to price things according to what I thought was fair.  Postage is included in all of the prices, so they are what they are - I am happy to ship internationally, if anyone outside of the U.S. is interested. 

All yarns are from a non-smoking home.  I do have cats, though the yarn has been kept in plastic bins with cedar cubes, so it shouldn't be a problem to those with allergies.  I have made every effort to be sure that there is no possibility of moth problems as well.  (I'm saying that because I recently read about a person who swapped some yarn from her stash, feeling confident that it was moth-free, and the person receiving it informed her later that it was not.  Yikes.)

If you have questions, feel free to let me know. 

Happy Stash-a-ganza to all of you!  Now go forth and buy!