Meezer's Big Decisions...

The HEAT brought on a migraine today, so the best I could handle was to cast on another toe-up Trekking Sock (yup that's purple...Trekking XXL 78) and as you can see I didn't get very far for my day's work! The Meezer is trying to decide what's more interesting...the dpns, the Michelle Meow Oressa DPN case I made for myself (there are LOTS of dpns in there, and The Meezer thinks that's fascinating) or the tearstrip - yes it's the same one...!

Guess which one is the winner?
I love my tearstrip, I hug it, and kiss it, and carry it everywhere I go... ... The Meezer

Why I'm Barely Knitting...

These are all bags in preparation for the National Capital Cat Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA on September 9-10.


And here are a couple of bags that I had orders from the Star City Cat Show from July 1-2, right here in my home town of Roanoke VA. You'll notice that once in awhile cat shows end up with NON-Cat bag orders!

If you'd like your very own Nana Sadie Rose bag, just let me know!
(((hugs)))

WOW! The Power of the Internet!

I won't post the entire email - but I heard (as did most everyone who responded to Grumperina's plea, I expect) from the Vice President of Skacel about the emails sent asking for pointier Addis. Let me tell you, companies do indeed listen if you can get folks behind you - THREE CHEERS for Grumperina!!!

Pointier Addis?

You'll want to visit Grumperina's blog to read the background on this...but here's my letter (which is copied and edited from Grump's excellent letter) specifically asking that while they consider pointier tips for Addi Turbos, they not forget the Addi Natura tips, too! Those of us who prefer the warmth of bamboo would surely appreciate the ability to enjoy such an improvement in needle tip technology!

Dear Ms. Skacel Haack,

My name is ____, and I'm a passionate knitter in ___, VA, USA. I have used the Addi Natura (bamboo) needles distributed by Skacel for several years, often with fantastic results! I find the Addi Natura circulars to be the most comfortable choice for my knitting (lace or otherwise) because of their warmth, their light weight, and the unrivaled connection between needle and cord. For me, it is the needle of choice for many applications, and I thank you for this product.

Many of my knitting friends are excited to hear that the Skacel Collection is entertaining the notion of manufacturing circular needles like the Addi Turbos, but with pointier tips, specifically with lace knitting in mind. I love this great idea, and believe that the knitting community would welcome such a needle.

I also hope, that you would consider the same application to the Addi Naturas for those of us who, due to health issues - arthritis, Lupus, fibromyalgia, for example - prefer the natural warmth of bamboo.

The tips on the Addi Naturas as they're made today are simply too blunt for many applications. Lace knitting often requires precise maneuvering of very thin yarn, and the Addis have a hard time finding the space between stitch and needle. Sharper Addi tips would tremendously improve knitting lace for me.

If Skacel were to offer Addis with pointier tips, primarily I would love to see circulars in sizes US 000-4, circular length 20"-60".

I know that Skacel needs to have a sense of the market before launching a whole new needle line. Not to worry - I will urge all my knitting friends who've dreamed of Addis with pointier tips to write to you. I hope you will see that the demand is high, and invest time into researching this option further.

Thank you again for manufacturing a superior needle, for listening to the needs and desires of knitters, and for your willingness to evolve as needle demands change. I appreciate your consideration. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions, or to request any additional information.

Sincerely,
(name)
(email addy)
(home phone)

Healthy Veggie Meal!

This Healthy Black Bean Burrito recipe came thru on my bloglines and sounds so scrumptious! It's certainly one I intend to try myself...thought I'd share!
(btw...if you haven't tried Bloglines, yet, you should! And if you have, add me to yours? Button on the sidebar!)

We Have Three Winners! :)

Congratulations to Birdsong! for being the first to guess that the jumble of knitting pictured below will eventually end up looking (with any luck) like the Knitpicks Entrelac Tote pictured above! I'll be sending out a Nana Sadie Rose checkbook cover right away to my pal across the country...

And congratulations as well to: Robin and Shelley for being right as well!

Since I moderate my comments - the other two gals couldn't have known that Birdsong had already gotten it right...so since I'm a nice blogger, I will add them to the winners list! Congrats to all three ladies!
(((hugs)))

Guess Again? More "What's It!"

If at first you don't succeed...try, Try, TRY again!
Nope...no right answer yet to the question of "What IS this thing, anyway?" so give it another shot! I'm a little further along, tho' I don't have a lot of time to spend knitting right now...What with the National Capital Cat Show coming up...
It's HOT here, tho' not as bad as some places, and the Blonde Bombshell loves to be out on the balcony baking her old joints. The Meezer, however, can only stand small doses in "the wilds..."
M-inside Meow! ...The Meezer

Oh...hmmm...did I mention that if you are first to guess "What's this" correctly...well, there'll be a small item from Nana Sadie Rose's inventory as a prize?

"What's It?" Continues...

Well, it's Saturday night, and another busy workday in Nana Sadie Rose's shop comes to a close. DD, it seems, will make a good helper! That was really good news, as most of my helpers seem to be having crises in their lives...and the National Capital Cat show is only about 7 weeks away! EEEK!!!

After my aunt died, earlier in the week, I decided that the way to honor her was to buy a hank of Cherry Tree Hill yarn in the colorway Green Mountain Madness - CTH is hand-dyed in Vermont, home of my aunt, and all the sisters were enamoured of the Green Mountains of Vermont. My aunt also knit socks, which I was surprised to learn this past spring! So I shall make a pair of socks from the scrumptious green and blue colorway you see below. And while I was at it, I have been eyeing the sultry shadings of Java for months and months. So I went ahead and got a hank of that as well. I got this on ebay, but the seller has a website as well...

Then in our continuing puzzle of "What's it?" Here is another visual clue...Now can you guess what I'm making??
Leave me a comment! Take a guess!

'Momma Tol' Me Not to Come!'

But in this case, 'Momma' was the enabler!

The girls were ready to kick back and hang loose after a rough week...I don't usually allow it, but I had some good "kitty drugs."

Remember the Trekking Sock photo from June? MFMPPF took it in front of the catnip plant...welll...

I've started to harvest it, and dry it...This is really good, homegrown kitty hootch!

So we had a party! The Blonde Bombshell always was a cheap drunk...the only thing missing is the lampshade on her head: "who turned out the lights...?"
The Meezer just wants to play and have fun, kick up her heels! See the wicked gleem in her eyes?
But the Calico Curmudgeon is a mean drunk...the two were at fisticuffs before I could take a decent photo!

3 Things!

I want to thank absolutely every single one of you for your kind words of condolence and caring during this week's sadness. I am surfacing and feeling better. I'll have the sadness for a long while, but I'm going to be fine.

I wanted to show you the Trekking Socks FO! One of the few things I could manage this week, was gartering round and round on my dpns! So off the needles they are! YEAH!!

Then...I cast on for another project. Just what do you suppose this is? Hmmm...???
Leave your comments...and I'll show you in a few days...

Meme from Deb

Not quite back yet...but trying to read some blogs. I found this. It was easier than writing my own just yet...forgive me?
Life Experiences Meme
Bold = experiences I've had
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said 'I love you' and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

A Time to Grieve...

Mommie says 'to everything there is a season' and I don't know what that means, but I know she's sad. She asked me to tell you that details can be found on Nana Sadie's Place and that we'll be back soon...when we can smile again....The Meezer

If I Could Be Anywhere in the World Tonight...

I'd be here with MFMPPF. What a truly romantic spot, in my mind. The Steps at Montmartre, Paris. I just love this poster!

New Mavis! Cats Aren't ALL I Do!

I know it often seems as if Nana Sadie Rose is all about cats, but I do use other fabrics! Case in point? The Hip Cowgirls Mavis Knitting Tote below! (This is such a great Alexander Henry fabric!) There's narry a cat in sight...
Mavis is a large tote that allows you plenty of room for a larger project, or several small ones...This was a special order, as most of my Mavis bags are. Why not let me make one for you?

Birthday Contest Winners!

Holly and blog-less Anita are the winners of my 50th Birthday Contest. I'll be mailing out 2 kitty Oressa cases - yes, I had enough entries that I just decided I couldn't name only ONE winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered, making my birthday just the nicest day! I'm sending ((((hugs)))) to you all!!

Today's My Birthday...

Oh LOOK! What I just bought myself for my birthday! Chris over at Drop Stitch Knitter has an Etsy Shop HERE so head on over and see her neat stuff...I just couldn't resist this wonderful heart shawl pin! Perfecto for my 50th, no??? Thanks, Chris!
(((hugs)))

Last Call for B'day Contest Entries!

Ok...if you're just dying to win your very own Oressa case, these are the final hours of the contest - tomorrow at 5p.m. I'll stop taking entries!

Just send me a Happy Birthday email to siameezercatATyahooDOTcom. And remember if cats are not your thing - you'd best tell me! B/c the winning Oressa case is my choice otherwise, and I have quite a few cat fabrics! *wink*

I just want to say that those of you (over 60 entries so far!) who've sent your best wishes - I've loved reading EVERY SINGLE ONE! Most of you have excellent advice - along the lines of "we're just starting to live at 50" - and I can't thank you enough!!! I'm feeling better already! 50 IS just a number...RIGHT?
(((hugs)))

Lacy Prairie Shawl Finis!

Well, she's done - a much smaller version than the one the pattern calls for, but a good size for it's intended purpose: a healing shawl for a "young lady" (90 years young!) in a nursing home...you can see the pattern photo in the bottom right corner, and what's that? Country Blue Simply Soft reserved for the next one...Another lady in hospice will be receiving this one. The pattern is very easy, I only did about 19 repetitions of the pattern (instead of the 38 the pattern calls for, but listen - Cheryl Oberle is a TALL lady so, if you're short, you might want to consider this when you knit her patterns!). But even with acrylic yarn (no blocking!) the pattern shows up nicely...I think I like this version of a prayer shawl as much as I do the K3P3 rectangles from the Prayer Shawl Ministry...

Yarn: Caron's Simply Soft in Victorian Rose less than 2 skeins
Needles: 10.5 Susan Bates Quicksilvers 29 inch
This works up fast, the pattern is easily memorized.

The one change I'd make beyond the fewer repetitions? Slip the first stitch with the yarn in front as if to purl then move the yarn to the back for the remaining 10 stitches of garter edging...I think the finished edge will be a bit nicer...that's what I'll do on the blue one! **edited** nope - don't think it'll work with the beginning of the shawl requiring a KFB on beginning and ending of the row! OOps! Oh well...

Amazing Lace Challenge #4

I avoided the AL Challenge #3, because poetry is no longer something I'm good at (in high school, yes, as a romantic, love-sick teen, I could write passing-fair love sonnets, but today? Nope). But when Challenge #4 came along...
Your challenge: One photo of your lace in a reasonable approximation of its potential use at this very moment
I felt as if I had a fair chance...

You see, whether because I've been trying to furiously knit, furiously sew (for the Star City Cat Show last weekend), and furiously type - DON'T forget to enter my Happy Birthday contest, ok? deadline is 5p.m. July 11 - I, NOT the lace, but I have been sidelined with an injury! Bursitis in my left shoulder! (and yes, I've been to the doc and gotten the shot - OUCH!)

So at present, Catharina Faroese-Style Shawl would be suitable for one of the two following jobs in my household, if I had no choice but to bind-off today:

A Health Rider Seat cozy! As even this form of exercise is too much for my aching shoulder...
But perhaps, she really would be happier as a heating pad cozy - as she truly feels she was meant to adorn my shoulders eventually!

(no lace was harmed in the photo-ing of this Challenge...my shoulder on the other hand is throbbing from the typing! lolol!)
(((one-armed hugs)))

Weekend For ME!

I love doing the Star City Cat Fanciers Show on the July 4 weekend every year, but immediately after, my Bernina goes into the shop for some much needed annual maintenance...which allows me some much needed downtime! (No, I won't be taking it too easy...I do have orders to fill from the show, and the scissors, washing machine and iron still work!). I also have to update my list of everyone who's emailed me to be in the drawing for my birthday contest! Don't forget to participate!
Here's an sample of what some of my time will be spent doing this weekend other than my Nana Sadie Rose stuff...The Meezer is checking out two of the books I'll be working on for the Summer Reading Challenge (along with 3 knitting books not shown), and there's the Trekking XXL Sock #1 (finished!) and Sock #2 OTN...along with a dishcloth in the neatest colorway - I swear this makes me think of Neopolitan ice cream! PLUS you can see 2 b'day cards that have already arrived (one is from Big Sis and the other is handmade from one of my best on-line buds Birdsong who also sent along this neat sock yarn (Meilenweit Cotton Fun, Lana Grossa color #338)! Wow it's so CHEERY! This will beat the turning-50 blues easily, and I've never made cotton socks...Thank you so much, Birdsong! You shouldn't have! Really! (But I'm glad you did!)(((((hugs))))) *wink*
I don't think I really need Mommie to play with this pheasant feather...
Nope, I can pick it up myself...
It does have the most delicious flavor...and fits my paws just right...
But just so there's no misunderstanding...this might smell really good, but it's NOT my tearstrip and if Mommie's on the other end of IT, that's still my favorite toy...but this will do nicely in it's place... The Meezer.

Birthday Contest!

Ok...I promised you this. July 11. That's my *ahem* 50th (omg, did I say that? FIFTIETH? YUP!) birthday! I absolutely CANNOT believe that I am half a century old. Not sure I want to admit it but here we are...

A CONTEST! You will be added to a random drawing held on my birthday (well, maybe on July 12...depends on how sober I am on the night of the 11th - LOLOL!). Just send an email to siameezercatATyahooDOTcom - you all know how to convert that, I'm sure - and wish me happy birthday. And send it before 5 p.m DST (New York City time) on July 11. (yeah, I'm just a "ho" for birthday strokes, especially THIS year! I need all the encouragement I can get! lolol)

What's the prize? Well...how about a Nana Sadie Rose Oressa case? DPN (or crochet hooks) case. If you'd like a glimpse of one, check out Knitnana's April entry here. And there are a few shown on the NSR website, too. Which one? My choice, but if you absolutely HATE cats, you'd better tell me that in your email, okay?

Oh, and this is my first contest! Wow...the beginning of a new trend? Well, maybe...
(((hugs)))

Star City Cat Show! WoW!

Thought you might like to see the booth we set up at the Star City Cat Fanciers Show this past weekend. Lots of fun, gorgeous cats, reacquainting with old friends (other vendors, and cat breeders, too!) I picked up something special for The Meezer, as a cat show is the best place to find extra special toys...
Hmmm...smells good
bird...BIG bird...YUM!
I stalk the Big Bird - it's MINE!!!...The Meezer

What do you think she bought us for?