"I'm 90% Kelsey Grammer"

Or "It was a slow day at work, so I surfed the net."

You scored as Beast. Beast is an intelligent, politcal spokesman for the X-Men. He has a Ph.D in Genetics and is well versed in literature. He may look like a blue fuzzy monster, but deep down he's very benevolent and logical. Powers: Enhanced strength and agility Beast 90% Colossus 75% Cyclops 65% Wolverine 65% Storm 50% Nightcrawler 50% Jean Grey 45% Iceman 45% Gambit 40% Emma Frost 20% Rogue 20% Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

I saw the movie and was disappointed. I really liked the first two installments, but this last stand (if it is the last - predictably, the ending was a tease...) didn't have the same careful character development that made the other movies so interesting to watch.

FYI, Nestle Kit Kats do indeed taste different from Hershey Kit Kats. The Nestle chocolate is milkier and less sweet. The bars are a little longer - some weird metric conspiracy to confuse and disorient me - and they have "Have more breaks with Kitkat" stamped on the top and "Kit Kat" stamped all over the bottom. Tres chic!

On the knitting front, I am about to embark on chart 2 of Icarus. I'm a little ways into ball 2 of the Knit Picks Shadow. Wish me luck! I'll need it. The Bea sweater is not entirely a lost cause. After about 6 tries, I managed to fumble my way through one repeat, and yes, Virginia, there is a lattice pattern! I'll post a picture when I've fully recovered from the shock.

Thank You Secret Pal!!!

My Secret Pal is so awesome! She sent me my very own copy of One Skein plus the Karajan recording of Beethoven's 9th. Ode to Joy indeed! I was humming that tune all the way to and from the Prairie Home Companion Show at Wolf Trap on Saturday (College Park to Vienna is about 30 miles each way, so that's a lot of Beethoven!). One Skein is a great book, with some creative and inspired uses for the odd balls in our lives. I went for a dive in the stash to try to find some projects (because you know I have absolutely nothing on the needles right now - NOT). So far I'm thinking maybe a little purse with Paton's merino and perhaps some knitted cupcakes for dessert. Thanks so much, Secret Pal!!!

The Frankenbag is all knit up:
I need to sew the handles on and then felt this puppy. I did a bit of vicarious shaping (no rules, remember?) so it came out pleasantly oval shaped. I like it, though I'm trying not to get too attached to the curviness - not sure if the shaping will survive felting.

I finally got around to seaming the second Last Minute Pullover. I finished knitting the pieces ages ago and then set them aside, thinking "Oh I've got plenty of time." My cousin's scheduled to give birth tomorrow, so good thing I finally got around to it. This morning was for knitting the collar and weaving in ends. Ta da!! Pardon the crappy phone picture. I'll post a better one later, hopefully a nice action shot with the new owner...

Choco-LOT!

These were waiting for me at work Wednesday morning:

What a splendid present from Nivene! She's my new coworker who so generously shared some of her secret stash of British candy.

Oh. my. goodness. Chocolate! And it's not just any chocolate either. I haven't had a Bounty bar in about 20 years! How sad is that?? We had them all the time in Saudi Arabia, but then you couldn't get American staples like M&Ms and Mr. Goodbar (and pork - I missed that too). I guess the grass is always greener (or the chocolate's always better) on the other side. Bounties are like almondless Almond Joys, or Mounds with milk chocolate instead of dark. I had one of the Aero bars last night and the verdict is they're fabulous! I really like the texture from the air bubbles throughout the center. It's kind of the same play on texture as the Cadbury Crunchies, encept with chocolate instead of toffee. The Kit Kat is intriguing. I always thought it was a Hershey candy, but apparently the UK version is the original. Nivene swears the Nestle one is better. I'm off to investigate....

Steeee-rike Two

I decided to take another stab at Bea's cable while watching the 24 season finale. Probably not the greatest idea. It was hard to concentrate in the face of all that gripping television. This chart would be well suited to a Masterpiece Theatre period piece ("knit four, stroll through the English countryside, cable 2 forward, suspect Mr. Knightly loves you, repeat"). It's not so good for a real-time show with as many cliffhangers as characters. It took multiple trial runs, using thicker yarn, larger needles and a enlarged chart, but I eventually got some pretty diamonds. Yay! I did a little victory dance, frogged my "training swatch" and turned my attention to Bea itself. So, am I back on track?
Not exactly. At least this time they look like well-tended tangly vines. That's an improvement, but not quite what I wanted. I think I'll have to take this to the knitting group at work. Must seek counsel from some wise knitters.

For now, I have Icarus to console me. There's no point in a new photo: pattern-wise, it's the long dark teatime of the soul. I hope to finish chart 1 by the end of the week.