Kuusk

Kuusk (aka Wander)
I cast on and worked the beginning edge and a few rounds of the lace pattern.  This is my first legit lace project so I am taking my time and counting and recounting my repeats.  So far, so good.  And there it is...the kiss of death. This is not a large project with a beginning edge and ending edge both consisting of 5 rows.  The lace body is 36 rows.  The size and how much yarn I have after the first 36 rows will determine whether or not I venture on to another repeat.  I am taking advantage of October's wall-to-wall blue skies to take photos in natural light.  I have done a disservice to both Mother Nature and spinner.  As the project progress, hopefully you will be graced with a more complementary pic.
One thing I wish to share about this project is the 'nupp'.  This feature of lace is worked over two rows.  At least in this pattern.  Having never done lace before, this was a first for me.  The chart symbols were quite interesting; a 'V' on the first row of the stitch, with an inverted 'V' on the second. Took me a while to realize there was a small 5 inside the 'V', indicating how many knits/yo combinations that comprised the nupp.  Very cool indeed.  A while back, I received an update to the "myrawoodoriginals" channel on YouTube, demonstrating a simplified way to create a nupp.  I tried it in this pattern and loved it. I will include the link for your viewing pleasure. I highly recommend subscribing to this and other channels. The technique did not apply to me at the time of its release, but I was fortunate to have it handy when I attempted my first lace. I will learn the two-row technique just for kicks.  This pattern, however, will be knit entirely with the simple method.
So, as promised, here is the link to the 'Easy-Peasy Nupp' video Easy-Peasy Nupp Knit Stitch

I would also like to think Knitty.com for another wonder pattern. I have tried a number of offerings from this site and I have never been disappointed.  With all of the knitting sites offering free patterns, it can be overwhelming, not to mention a crap shoot. Amy Singer manages to maintain content that is well-designed and modern.  Thank you, Knitty!! http://www.knitty.com/
You can also follow my progress on Ravelry.com.  My account name is 'Gamermom'  What?!? Does that surprise you? Shouldn't! All my recent projects are named after video games. 
Geeks rule!

Is Facebook Evil, Mom?

My son has Asperger's Syndrome.BFD! What he has and who he is are not to be confused.  Ever. He has overcome things in his little 18 year old life that would bring most adults to their knees. And to be honest, I would love to have the sick pleasure of seeing that.  I digress.
Today was a setback. With so many things under his belt, high school being the biggest, I was happy for his station.  In fact, I just told a friend of mine that I was worried.  Should I be pushing him more? Then I reflected on how long-suffering some of his most recent years have been.  OK, mom, relax...just coast and let him get his bearings.  He loves his job.  He garners such confidence and pride from it.  He is a success.  The people he works for and the people he cares for at the pharmacy have a lot of regard for him.  I know this to be true.  They tell me.  I believe what people tell me.  


So today, when he called me at work with 'that tone' in his voice, the tone that says "mom, I need help; I need you to come home", I was thrust back into his senior year.  A mom with a boy without a clue.  Just love.


Honey, it's ok...what is the matter?  What happened?  What do you need me to do?  Ha! How far we have come to be able to ask such pointed and succinct questions!  "Come home.  Now."  And I drive.  My head spinning almost, almost, as fast as my heart is breaking.


There it is.  Face-fucking Book!  Innocently staring back at me with a post by his supervising colleague.  A nasty post.  A "venting" post.  A post with a photo.  A rage about a job poorly done.  No call.  No "what the fuck happened Ben? why didn't you finish the task I asked you to do, Ben?"  No "I'm going to have to put a note in your record".  No nothing.  Just a cowardly post on a Facebook page.  Welcome to management 2011.  Except nothing has been accomplished.  
Well...
That is not necessarily true...
After all...

I am sitting on the sofa with a 6' tall 18 year old young man's head on my lap.  His sobbing makes my emotions catch in my throat.  There is that stinging feeling in my nose that comes before the tears.  SONOFABUCKBASTARD!!


How do I explain why his colleague did this?  I don't.  At least not now, I am letting his boss do that.  I have bigger fish to fry.  I don't have the bandwidth to get into the psyche of someone who uses FB as a management tool.  I have a boy to console, a morale to rebuild and life must go on.  
And it will.
And it does. 
He is downstairs playing Halo with a friend.  His laughter is my sunlight.


Is Twitter evil, mom?  No. Neither are video games, cars, movies, guns or motorcycles. They have a solid place in our culture.  They are vehicles of expression that sometimes carry sadness.

Coming soon...A Re-assessment Of My Next 'Firsts'!

Please pardon the appearance of this post.  It is under construction to make this a happier, more user-friendly blog.

I hate this font

A question was raised about whether or not I would pay for a Microsoft "Diamond" membership. I am a Gold subscriber, though I don't know why, so this got me thinking.  I don't play Xbox as much as I used to or would like to simply because of time and logistics. I am sorry to say that console gaming has taken a backseat to mobile.  I just don't have hours at a time to spend in front of the monitor playing games like I used to.  None the less, I am not willing to give up my Xbox360 habit all together. Here is my fantasy console: I want it to play video games (duh). I would like it to play blu ray/dvds, connect to my home network to stream my online subscriptions like Hulu and YouTube. While at it, let's integrate FB and Twitter. Essentially, that would make it a computer that plays video games, yes? So, is that the reason so many gamers are taking up the 'I am going back to PC gaming' battle cry? Ultimately, the ideal set up is all things on one account, accessible by various means at a competitive price.  Whether on my lovely LCD flat screen, or my super sexed smartphone, I want TV, gaming, videos and music in one spot with one set of credentials at one price. Does that come from my phone service provider, internet provider, cable or gaming provider?  I don't know.  What I do know is that we have the technology to do this.  What I don't know is if everyone is willing to play nice in the sandbox.

How did simplifying life become so complicated?  Gimme a minute, I'll Google it!

ETA: I have been barking about ala carte television forevah!  WTF, is it really that much of a stretch?
ETAA: I  really do hate the fact that I cannot customize the title font.  Sux ass.