Happy and Sad

Today was a really fun (and super sugary–yum!) Spinster’s Club. I took a bunch of pictures without realizing I had no memory card in my camera. Exactly how many times do I need to do that before I learn my lesson? About a dozen and counting, apparently.

Charlene told me about a beekeeping seminar at Flint Hills Technical school & I’m thinking about singing up. Getting stung by a wasp last summer (my first sting ever) with no unusual effects cured–well, not cured, exactly, but softened–my fear irrational of bees and wasps.

The sad news is that Buffy the chicken keeled over today. She was fine this morning–that is to say, she bustled right out with everyone else (they tend to linger behind when they’re under the weather), so I really don’t know what could have happened. I did feel something in her throat, but I don’t know whether it’s normal chicken anatomy or a foreign object. I’ll check out the other girls tomorrow. But probably, her number was just up. She looked perfectly fine, felt perfectly fine. I’m thinking about popping her in the freezer for a few days to be on the safe side, just in case anyone else keels over and I need to get a necropsy.

Here she is a couple weeks ago and as a one-day-old chick. She was a very good chicken, brave and independent and curious. I never saw her pick on anyone, even though she was the second biggest. She didn’t get out all the time and run around like pain in the ass, and when she did get out, she was easy to scoop up. She layed lots of eggs, sometimes those freaky crumpled ones (maybe she had an internal defect that caused the weirdy eggs & that’s what did her in? who knows? I’m no chicken coroner). I’ll miss her no-nonsense attitude and skeptical gaze. Rest in peace, Buffy!

I spent last week in Austin & had a marvelous time. Gauge patrons made some great progress on the building sweater, then the Arts & Drafts knitters made it even longer, and now it’s at The Knitting Nest until the Ravelry Valentine’s Day Meet-up, so if you’re an Austin knitter, please head down there and add some inches!

I totally did a sin and bought a ton of yarn and fiber on my trip. I was very naughty indeed. When the sun’s back up, I’ll get out my camera and confess. Ooooh, the pretties! Besides Gauge & The Knitting Nest, I also went a little crazy at Yarnorama in Paige. That’s another occasion where I took a ton of pictures–including her adorable bunnies–with  no memory card. I’m a genius.

I also got to see Sue & Jay and Rebecca & Curt & Rachel and my folks nd hammer Suzanne at Scrabble, and eat lots of really delectable food (dim sum at the place over Musishino; Mexican at Guerro’s; Korea House; Late night French bistro at… Josephine? am I getting that right? and banh bao and pork sandwiches on some place on North Lamar and bun at Kim Phung!) and see Youth in Revolt at the Drafthouse and watch a True Blood Season 2 marathon with Rebecca and score some gorgeous if battered midcentury chairs at Top Drawer. I had to stay an extra day because of the snow storms in Oklahoma and Wichita preventing my drive home, but I still wound up in a ditch for a couple of hours, thanks to some ice under an overpass. Here I am getting winched out:

Oh! And I also finally finished Suzanne’s camisole, which has been waiting on just its straps for almost 3 years, and I finished the body and about half a sleeve of my Silk Garden Lite raglan.

Oh! And I can’t believe I forgot to post these before I left! Make any size long johns from old wool sweaters. Adult, toddler & baby ones are shown (the toddler & baby are really more little kid and toddler–they have a couple years of growing room built in; the adult ones are modeled by a women who’s a good dealer taller than me). Thanks to Sherri, Kyplee & Kailynn for modeling! My how-to on Craftzine.