Amazon.com Does It Again!

Amazon.com just introduced a brand new feature to it's Associates. It's called aStore and it ROCKS!

I got up this morning and created the "Stitch and Scratch" store. Took me about 15 minutes. It looks great! Check it out here

Denise Needles Rock!

My latest purchase is a set of Denise Interchangable Needles. I've been using the Boye Needlemaster set but found them difficult to use. The differences between the two:

• The Boye needles are metal and VERY sharp while the Denise needles are plastic. I'm finding that it is much more difficult to split the yarn with the plastic needles. Also, I have a feeling that the plastic needles will pass through airport security much easier.
• With the Boye needles you screw the tips onto the ends of the cords. You twist the Denise needles and they lock in place.

I started working on the Irish Hiking Scarf a couple of days ago. I transferred the project from the Boye to the Denise set and started knitting. Big difference. I'm knitting much faster. Very cool!

Beep Beep Beep Beep WAAAAAAAH!

Our new alarm system was installed on Wednesday. After our little break-in about a month ago I decided that a system was necessary.

We went with Brinks on the recommendation of a couple of neighbors. So far so good. Of course, while I'm away from home I'm now worried about the cats setting off the alarm. That's much better than worrying about someone breaking into the house again and running off with our stuff!

Scientists say Pluto is a Dog

All good things must come to an end. "Planet" Pluto's inclusion as the ninth planet ended today.

Matt Lauer Carries a Six-Pack

The net is a-buzz about this picture. It's Matt Lauer on the beach with his daughter. The man has certainly done a great job taking care of himself.

I took a big step yesterday. I got my first of two introductory workouts at the X-Gym in West Seattle. It kicked my butt! I go back on Thursday for the second session.

I've never really been able to get into weight training. I'm very intimidated by the weight room. I'm never sure how much weight to use. I know that my form and technique suck. At the X-Gym you actually have a personal trainer working with you the entire time. They make sure your form is correct and they really encourage you.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll join (it's pretty expensive) but it may be just the ticket. Who knows? Matt Lauer is only a year and a half younger than I (5/31/56 versus 12/30/57.) Maybe I can look like this!? (I have a feeling that Matt took a lot better care of himself when he was younger than I did...but a guy can dream, can't he?)

New York City in Lego

I remember playing with Lego as a kid. I also remember the pain of getting up in the middle of the night and stepping on a Lego block.

I'm sure my parents had to take a second mortgage on the house to support my brother and my Lego habit. This was when all Lego was imported from Denmark and cost an absolute arm and leg. The only place to buy it in Bellevue was at a little Scandinavian shop in Sunset Village.

Anyway, this site is amazing. There are a bunch of pictures of New York City landmarks made out of Lego. The detail is incredible!

Now We're Cooking!

Well, Rob and I went shopping for a new range today. Our range is 15 years old and is having problems (right now, if you open it while it is on, the flame goes out and fills the house with gas...just a slight problem!) Typical for me, rather than spend $200 to get the old one fixed I went out and bought a brand new Viking (VGIC305-4BSS) range for $3100.

And, of course, we needed a new Viking (VWH3010SS) range hood ($720)

And then, naturally, we needed a new (Sharp R426HS) microwave oven ($179)

And finally, a new (Bosch Evolution 500 Series 4) dishwasher ($919) since we'll be doing so much more entertaining using the new range.

As we're leaving Albert Lee Appliance, Rob tells me a story about the new toilet seat that caused him to complete re-do his entire bathroom (basically, the toilet was really old, they couldn't find a replacement, they bought a new toilet, noticed that the floor was really shabby and replaced that, then decided the painted didn't match the floor, etc.)

Sure enough, when we got home we figured out that installing the range and hood will require the removal of a cabinet (in addition to the new venting which I already knew about.) Oh well. Let's hope that this isn't another new toilet seat!

The appliances will be delivered and installed in a couple of weeks. Film at 11.

Payback is Mine (hopefully)

Very interesting story - it appears that Dell is getting ready to recall laptop batteries because they overheat and catch on fire.

In a previous post you'll see that my home was burglarized about a month ago. One of the things they took...my Dell laptop with one of the Pinto-like exploding batteries (I know this because:

a) it was purchased during the time when the recalled laptops were shipped, and;
b) the battery used to get hotter than Palm Springs in July.)

I hope the thief gets to see the Dell Inspiron battery in all it's glory!

Blog Entry about a Clog

Well, I finished my clogs!

All in all, I'm pretty darn happy with them. I'll actually felt the second clog tomorrow after I show the "before and after" to a few people. (The clog on the left is unfelted, the clog on the right has been felted and formed to my right foot.)

The pattern is from Fiber Trends and can be purchased from most yarn stores (I got mine at Acorn Street here in Seattle.) I made this as part of a "clog-a-long" project on the MenWhoKnit website.

The great thing about this project is that it gave me the opportunity to try a few new things:

• Felting
• Knitting with two strands of yarn
• Short rows and turning
• Finding individual stitches (something with which I've struggled)

I'm very happy with the outcome and can't wait the run around the house in them. I think I'll try them out for awhile before I invest in "goop" to put on the soles to keep them (or, more precisely, me) from slipping.