Randomly, From the Internet

A few of the amazing, cute, and puzzling things I discovered while I was away:

Steepster
It's social media. About tea.

For those too lazy to click the link, you can "Write a tea journal, see what others are drinking and get recommendations from people you trust."

I may or may not be toying with the idea of signing up.

The most adorable pirate kitten ever
I love color-pointed cats. Doubly so when they are kittens. And this poor little guy just as too much character to resist. And the fact that his name is "Sir Stuffington?" Yeah, I'm just gonna go turn into a little puddle of goo over here.

Faking Sanity
It's a used bookshop. And a yarn store. And a cafe. And quite possibly the holy grail, but I'm reserving judgement since I haven't actually been there.

Yet.

Sleepy Hollow
This is my new favorite show. Period. If you want to know why, here is a post I put up on Tumblr just after the 2nd episode:

How often do we get a female lead that is a minority, who is completely badass without being completely masculinized as well?  Abby is strong, smart, and practical. She’s pretty but clearly her appearance plays second fiddle to her work. She’s willing to entertain the idea of the supernatural, but is still actively looking for ways to debunk it.

And on top of that, we’ve got a fantastic male character that while he is capable to kicking butt, his first reaction is always to outsmart the bad guy using as little brute force/direct contact as possible.

For the time being, they each have their own love interests (we’ll see how long that lasts, since this is Hollywood we’re talking about), but there is still a good tension/chemistry between them, even if they are completely platonic (for the moment).

I've also decided that I'm going to review each episode as it airs (because I totally need MORE things to do with my time, right?). The first one is here. Episode two should be up shortly.

And on Friday, you'll get to see a few of the things I've been working on.

How Modern Knitters Fix Old Tech

So I finally sat down with the steampunk-typewriter-to-be over the weekend. Can you believe, I'd actually forgotten about it? I couldn't even remember what kind it was, other than a brown portable with green keys. Yeah, that's really helpful when looking up information. It doesn't help that nowhere on the machine or the case is the model name.

It's a Skywriter, just for the record. From 1951, going by the serial number.

It's mostly metal, with a plastic cover plate. This was sent to me by a very kind typospherian whose name I tragically cannot remember at the moment because when I deleted my Yahoo account, I also deleted all of his emails.

Yes. All of them.

Yes, I did sift through my inbox to see if there was anything important. I went back a couple of months, but this exchange took place in April and May, and it didn't occur to me that I should go through EVERYTHING, and that older emails might still be relevant.

Why am I going on about this? Well, you see, the typewriter had a little snaffu in shipping. A couple things got bent, and a few snapped--namely the draw band. At first, it looked like the carriage was completely out, wouldn't move at all and one piece was loose and crooked.

Eventually, the carriage started moving again. I was able to wriggle the loose piece back into place.

...And then the typewriter sat in it's case in a corner of the living room for about three months.

When I finally got the urge to work on it, I sat down, opened the case, and had an "Oh, s$^&@" moment.

So I went to Twitter.

:headdesk: Just realized when I deleted my yahoo account, I also deleted the repair instructions for the skywriter. #blondemoment

 Damn, I love social media. Within minutes, @mpclemens and @anabstar had swooped in to the rescue.

Which is how I found myself replacing a draw band at midnight via tweet.

I had to improvise a little. And L.C. Smith and better be glad he's dead because if he'd been around that evening I would have choked him to death with my broken draw band. Do you know how hard those things are to replace?

Somewhere in there, there is a tiny hole. It is not visible, however, even when I tightened the spring wheel as tight as I possibly could. Eventually, though, the old draw band could be removed.

This was followed quickly by an "Oh, shit," moment when I realized that I'd removed the old draw band without having a replacement handy. Add to that the fact that pulling on the draw band was 75% of what was keeping the spring wheel in place, and my fingers were going numb from fighting the spring, and I quickly managed to stuff it back it by some stroke of luck.

Since I'd sat down to work on this on a whim, the extent of my preparation was to gather up some screwdrivers and a pair of tweezers. Since I'd forgotten about the broken draw band, I hadn't bought any hemp or other replacement material in advance. But, I'd been wondering for a while about the merits of...alternative draw band materials. Would they work? Would they hold up? I'm also considering this for my spinning wheel, since the elastic band it came with keeps overstretching, and the hemp bands keep wearing out.

This is a ball of crochet cotton:

This is a tea light (yes, I know. Beeswax is better, but we didn't have any and it was midnight. I'm going to pick some up this week, but I'm impatient).

This is about 14" of slip knot chain coated in wax. It has a little bit of stretch and flexibility, and is roughly the same diameter as the original hemp band.\:

I won't tell you what I said while I was rewinding the spring wheel and trying to get the end of the chain in there. It involved German, French, and Japanese, and none of it is printable here.

Eventually, I laid the knotted end over the diamond shaped opening pictured above, and jammed it in there with the tip of a flat head screwdriver. I'm pretty sure that isn't the recommended method, but it worked.

At the other end, I had a little bit of the string before it started the chain. I was able to use that to thread through the hook at the other end and attach the draw band.

In the end, I was able to get it working again....sort of. I think I threaded the draw band through (under? around?) the carriage wrong because it stops about halfway across the page and I suspect that the drawband isn't supposed to be visible out the back end of the machine. I suspect that it's getting caught on the bell, and that is preventing further movement, but I haven't finageled a tool yet that will fit in the tight space where I think it's supposed to go. All of my wire is either too thick to fit there, or too thin to hold it's shape, and it's so close in there that I can't thread whatever tool I try to use and see where it's going at the same time.

I will fight with try fixing it again later this week.

Litterary Takeaway

I came across this article recently and had to share: A Brief History of Book Vending Machines.

Sidenote: I want to visit Japan for many reasons, but a huge part of that is the vending machines. The Japanese put crazy stuff in their vending machines. (And those aren't even some of the weirder ones I've heard of, which include steak, porn, and used panties. Yes, you read that right. I have no idea if it's true or just a gross rumor.)

Where would you go to await the end of the world? CONTEST!

Someone on another blog I follow posed this question, after being asked by a reporter for our local paper. They took a fairly serious view of it, but my first thoughts were humorous--probably because I spend so much time with gamers.

For me, it depends on the type of apocalypse we're talking about here. If it's the flame-out, one fell swoop and it's over kind of thing, then you'll most likely find me at the yarn shop or a library or book store, since book and yarn are what keeps me sane, and who wouldn't want to go out buried in cashmere?

But, if we're talking more zombie-style, fight-for-your-life apocalypse, then I'd have to pick my basement. In part, this is because I'm a Mid-Westerner, and when disaster strikes, we hide in the basement (provided it hasn't flooded). But, since this is MY basement (and we're assuming that by the 21st that I have it cleaned, organized, and properly stocked, since we have warning of this impending doom) I not only have a room full of yarn and pointy objects (all the better to defend myself with, my dear), but there's also probably food and companionship down there. And medical supplies (you should see our first aide kit), and any number of improvised defenses. If you're going to ride out the end of the world, do it on your own turf, and in in style, that's my philosophy.

Where would you go? Leave a comment below.

Make me giggle and I'll send you a prize. I've got two little prize packs--one for typists, and one for knitters. Specify which one you want and give me a way to contact you, and it's yours. Deadline to enter is midnight EST, December 20. Winners will be selected by who makes me laugh the most, or random number generator if I can't decide. I'll share some of my favorites here on the blog.

Storyist Review

I don't normally get very technical on this blog. Mainly because when it comes to technology and electronics, I'm proably the last person you want to ask for advice (we've all seen my repeated mechanical failures). That being said, however, I did want to share a fun piece of kit that I picked up for NaNoWriMo.

Storyist is a Mac-only word processing program. They're running a free trial for NaNo participants, and are offering a discount towards the purchase of the software, too.

Storyist is different from other word processors I've tried in that it doesn't just create a document, it creates a notebook. All of your notes--outlines, character profiles, world building information, even pictures and reference material--are all in the same file, and conveniently organized on the sidebar. There's even a split-screen option, so you can have your manuscript open at the top, bottom, or side of the page, and your notes on the other. No more flipping back and forth between different windows or programs, because it's all right there. There's even a drop down menu so you can skip to different chapters or scenes within a document. It makes it really easy to go back and check your timeline, without losing your place, particularly since there is a "bookmark" option.

If you hit the inspector button, you'll find a target-tracking tool, which will let you track your total word count, your word count or time per session, and set goals for yourself (like 1,667 words per day, with a chime of your choice to sound when you reach your goal. There are also a few preferences that you can change under that tab, but the real bonus about this program is that it's simple. It's just for writing. No fancy fonts, no colors or margins or other things to deal with. Just writing, plain and simple.

Manuscripts are automatically formatted to "industry standard"--looking at it, I think that their version of industry standard MIGHT be a little outdated, but don't quote me on it. Either way, I like the 12 pt double spaced courier font. Page numbers, titles, and author's name are automatically put in the header, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to put your name on things. Storyist also exports into .doc, .txt, and .pdf formats, so you have plenty of options for sharing and additional formating/extras if you so desire, and you can chose to export everything, or just part--just your notes, just the character profiles, or just the manuscript. Your choice. According to the site, it also "works seamlessly with the Cloud" but I have not tried this yet.

There are just a couple of things that I don't like about it: While it's designed for Mac, .pages is not an option for exporting, even though that is the Mac word processor. If you decided that you don't like 12 pt courier double spaced, you don't get a lot of options for alternatives, if any. The formatting is pretty concrete, and you'd have to export it into Word to change it. This can make things difficult, if, say, you have an excerpt from a letter, or you want to add images into your manuscript.

It was not designed for writers of nonfiction. If you're going to include images, citations, quotes, or other fancy stuff, stick to Word or Pages and save yourself the headache. A little tweaking to some of the chapter outline templates, and it might be a good place to store research, however. But if you write fiction, screenplays, or scripts, then this is software designed with you in mind.

The general layout of the program is very similar to Pages, so it's an easy transition for anyone used to that program (and Pages, in turn, is relatively easy to use if you know Word). Overall, I found this to be a very streamlined program, free of distractions and hassles. It does what it says on the tin, and it does it well.

As I said, they are running a promo right now. The free demo expires on Dec. 12, so if you want to try it out now is the time. In addition, they are offering 25% off with the NaNo promo code through Dec. 14.

I have every intention of downloading the full version at the end of November (provided moving doesn't destroy my pocketbook). So, if you're looking for a new way to organize your thoughts, this might be a good option.

Nano Progress

Such an uncreative title, I know. But most of my energy has been sucked into NaNoWriMo. The counts are in, and in the past two weeks I've cranked out just over 24,000 words. People, I never write this much consistently in one go. I might write 5k one day, then 3 the next, and then I might not write anything other than blog posts and journal entries for a month.

Obviously, I'm not 100% satisfied with all of the words I've written, but the point is, they are down on the page now, where they belong, instead of floating around in my head where it's so easy for them to get lost. I've written an average of 2k every day for the past two weeks, and have only taken one day off (NaNo thinks it was two, but it wasn't. I just forgot to update my word count until after midnight).

There are a couple of problems with this: 1) it's taking away time normally spent knitting and designing, which is delaying the next pattern release and my Giftmas knitting. For those who have anxiously been awaiting the next pattern/the book I promised, fear not, it is still in the works. Realistically, though, I knew it would be a major challenge to get it out before Christmas, and now I see that it's pretty much impossible. The [Censored] pattern book shall have to wait until after New Years (this probably would have been the case even without NaNo, but this is just making it clear that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY for me to write the book, transcribe the patterns, create the charts, and do all of the necessary formatting--which is extremely fiddly, by the way--for 8-12 patterns in six weeks. Not on my own, at least.)

2) I am just shy of 25k, which marks the halfway point in the 50k that is NaNo. The problem is that I am 2/3 of the way through the book. I sense some serious word padding in my future.

Much as I would love to do NaNo on a typewriter, it is not practical for me to do so this year. I did, however, manage to resurrect my very first laptop (the one I got ages ago when I started college). It's slower than mollassas, but it gets me on NaNo, Google, and all of those other writerly time-sinks, and is just barely within the requirements for Storyist, which is the software I downloaded to write on (more on that next week).

It feels good to be this productive. I've struggled in a few paces, but I've discovered that I work best right after I wake up and right before bed. I usually do about 900-1200 words either before work or as soon as I get home. Then I hit a wall, start pulling my hair out, and go play Threads of Mystery on Facebook for a while. Then I'll come back, and tell myself, "You're only 400 words away from your daily goal," or "Another hundred words, and you'll break 24k" or whatever the next benchmark is, and I'll force myself to hit that target, even if the words are crap. And then I usually keep going and wind up with something close to 2,000 or 2,500 words when all is said and done.

The rampaging Rhino might still decide to scrap everything I've written, or to run down a completely different path. Or he might abandon me completely (he seems to be spending an awful lot of time with Theanab from the Typewriter brigade thread). But in the mean time, I'm going to ride this wave while I've got it, however small it is.

Baby steps. It's all in the baby steps. 

Thanks.

Okay, so I didn't quite make it to the September 1 mark, but I just had to say: People are awesome. The FU scarf kind of went viral at the Ravelry level within the first 24 hours, and spent more than a day as the #1 viewed pattern on the site (out of 309,000+) before dropping down to #2. And since I love my stats, here are a few:

Comments: 100
Queues: 265
Projects: 16
Favorites: 657
Downloads: 1013
Knit-a-longs: 3

I also wanted to give a big, huge, massive thank you to Zephyrama on Ravelry, who has been instrumental in helping me fix some of my counting errors, and to everyone else who alerted me to my mistakes. I'm really sorry about that, and I hope to have it all smoothed out here in the next couple of days at the latest. Keep checking the pattern page for updates.

I really was not expecting this many people to like the pattern. I figured ten people might download it on the first day, and that it would slack off from there, but it's still going strong, holding on to the #2 position.

Unsurprisingly, some people have been upset about this pattern. I've been told that I am uncreative, produce trash, and that I should be ashamed of myself. I even had one person say that they are considering quitting ravelry because of the pattern.

Seriously? You would eschew one of the greatest knitting and crochet resources on the web based on a single pattern?

There are 309, 046 other patterns on the site the last time I looked. If it bothers you so much, go knit something else.

Also, this is what the pattern page looks like:

My pattern is a link and an itty bitty thumbnail in the corner. Both the title and the thumbnail are censored. The pattern is flagged as adult content. If you find the censored title of F**k You! offensive, then I suggest you don't click on it. It's that simple. That Mariposa looks lovely, why don't you try it instead?

But I digress. I'm not getting into a flame war. I've got over 1,000 knitters who love it. I'm not going to get upset by three or four people with delicate sensibilities and no common sense, and this is the only time I'm even going to waste my breath mentioning it. Because really, all I have to say is this:

Thank you.

If you would like to download the pattern while it is still free, you can do so here: download now

Annual Blogroll Rundown

It's been a few months since the last time I shared the new additions to my blog subscriptions with you all (Don't mind that list in the sidebar. It hasn't been updated in a while, and the actual list is far longer). So, if you're looking for something extra to read, here are my suggestions:

Knitting/Design:
Five Cats from Crazy Knitting and cats. Need I say more?
Pink Lemon Twist More knitting and the occasional kitty. Also, water balloons.
Knitting to Stay Sane 'Nuff said.
Stefanie Japel Knits Because I'm not just an author stalker. I'm a design stalker, too.
Ridiculous Knits The newest addition to my blog reader, this one has some great knits and a whole lot of sarcasm.

Art Nails:
Paint All The Nails! Mostly just inspiration shots.
Nails by Kayla Shevonne Inspiration as well as tutorials--and some downright amazing manicures.

Conservation/Art:
Ohio Archaeology The blog for the Archaeology department of the Ohio Historical Society.
Inside the Conservator's Art Because I'm a freak who thinks piecing together a shattered, crumbling, 3500 year old copper ewer sounds like fun.
Restorient While the project is now finished, this blog chronicles the conservation of two Japanese scrolls by the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, Ireland (well worth a visit if you're in the area!).

Writing/Authors/Publishing:
Angie's Desk Written by one of the Torquere editors, this blog was pointed out to me by Missouri Dalton (whose writer and personal blogs can be found here and here), this blog features a monthly post of open anthology markets, and great information for writers the rest of the time.


Other:
Texts from Dog Imagine that someone taught Marmaduke to use an iPhone. Yeah, it's kind of like that.
Single Dad Laughing I don't like children. I have no intention of ever having them. But the daily posts on this blog are usually humorous and almost always touching. Share the love, man.
Reasoning with Vampires Tired of Twilight? Dana breaks down both the grammatical mistakes made in this book and why Edward Cullen is creepy and why no teenage girl should ever use Bella Swan as a role model.

I have my to-do list for the week

More random from the internet. But when I read this list, I laughed so hard I cried. I must do everything on it now:

Fashionably Late

My roommate, who really doesn't get the whole typewriter thing, but supports it anyway, got me this shirt as a random surprise. It showed up on February 1, which is just kissmet. If you want to snag your own, you can find it here along with dozens of other lovely typewriter themed artwork in all forms.

This isn't knitting.

Currently Reading: The Son of Neptune
In the DVD player: Blood Ties

Thanks in part to blogs like Stitchpunk, I've caught the embroidery bug of late. At first I was just going to work on my practice sampler until my tendonitis got a bit better and I could knit again (did I mention I haven't been able to knit for over a week now?), but then I decided that I could do better and started something completely new.

This will be the first of two wallhangings I'm working on for my room. What you see here is about the 1/2 mark; in the background I'll be adding gears and some flourishes.While I was happy with it, I wasn't sure exactly how it was turning out since it's been so long since I've really been around a lot of embroidery and most of what I see is done by machine. This is all done by hand, one stitch at a time. I guess it must be turning out rather well, since my roommate handed me a piece of patterned fabric and $5 worth of embroidery floss requesting a similar piece for her room. Maybe I should go into business.

Competition

For about the last month, I've been contemplating taking part in the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I've done if for the past three years, but I haven't successfully completed it since 2009 (though I did come close last year. I was only 2 books shy of the goal). I keep going back and forth, thinking about taking time off to just read with "no pressure" and then changing my mind. I actually kind of like having that list of everything I've read, and it's kind of cool to go back and see what I was reading this time last year. You can kind of track my obsessions that way--such as when I discovered C.E. Murphy and read just about everything she'd written over the course of three weeks (still need to track down the Inheritor's Cycle). I did read several short stories this year, but since I'm only counting actual standalone books for the list, I didn't add them.

Now I find myself three weeks into the new year, and still debating the matter. I'll probably still keep the list, but I probably won't number it and I probably won't track it on the Ravelry group as I have in the past, just keeping the one here on the blog (the link is in the sidebar, if you're curious). The tipping point? I overdid it on the knitting, causing a tendonitis flare up. No knitting. No writing (this is the most significant amount of typing or writing of any sort I've done in about three days, if not longer). What's a girl to do?

Knock a few books off her reading list, of course.

My progress isn't as impressive as I would like, or even what I would have been in college, but I finished two novels in the last two days and I'm most of the way done with a third. I'm trying to get through everything on the bookshelf that I haven't read yet. Next up: Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan.

I probably won't "compete" as such. But I do want to read more this year, and if I can, take more time to write book reviews. I think I might also put together a "to be read" list of books that I want to get through this year. Right now I'm itching for a really good piece of nonfiction. Something that will spark my imagination. I love history, culture, and textiles, especially books that combine all three, and lately I've been wanting to read up on the 1920s and the Victorian era. Maybe I'll look for historical novel the next time I'm at the library.

But first I have to get through my list.

Tweet

I do not understand The Twitter.

I finally caved under pressure and signed up yesterday, hoping to use it as a marketing tool for my patterns and writing. So far I've posted five times and have four followers. I would have had more...except I seem to be a porn magnet. I keep getting followers with profiles that are empty except for a link, which inevitably leads to a porn site.

I think that from now on, I will simply ignore my followers.

If you are a real person and would like to see what I'm tweeting about (mostly knitting and snow at this point) my username is @KnotMagick.

Typecast #9

Clockwork Couture

The only thing I dislike about the site? The authentic typewriter key bracelets.

Typecast #4

Sent from his Royal highness, Prince Henry, my Royal KMM. Click to enlarge.

Personal History

It is hard to believe that less than five months ago, I didn't even know that the Typoshere existed. Sure, I had a vague idea that somewhere out there, a few people might collect one or two old machines, but that they actually still used them and that there was a community around that usage was completely unknown.

My family has always been late getting into the technology game. Up until 2000, we didn't own a computer. For most of my childhood, we had an electric typewriter that technically belonged to my grandparents, who where early adopters and had a computer. When I was ten or twelve I spent hours creating "magazines" on it and typing stories. Most of my 4-H projects were typed on it (I don't remember what it was, other than blue. GE or IBM, maybe?).

I remember when I was about five, I saw a copy of an old ad for an Underwood standard (probably a No. 5, or something earlier) and asking my mom what it was. It didn't look like plastic model. As soon as the word "typewriter" was out of her mouth, I decided that I wanted one.

That idea went on a shelf for a really long time, party to practicality, funds, and the fact that I live in a matchbox. It wasn't until I got Henry for Christmas that I thought about revisiting that idea of typewriter collecting I'd had as a child.

I don't have much of a budget for typewriters or the space to store them. My bedroom is 9x10 and has to contain everything I had in an apartment, with the exception of some furniture and kitchen supplies. Since Christmas I keep looking around for things I can get rid of, but most of my belongings fall into three categories: Clothing, books, and craft supplies. I'm already down to the bare minimum on all three (though I want a Nook for my birthday, which should help with the shelf space).

Neither of these facts has stopped me from trolling Ebay and watching items like this Royal, or this one. I have determined from now on, however, I'm only getting portables. At the moment, I seem to be attracted to Royals (wonder if I'm biased? Nah...). So far I haven't won anything (probably a good thing). I'm wondering though...what is your limit when bidding in typewriters? Mine is extremely low ($40 including shipping) since I'm broke, cheap, and have to space, but how do you determine the "value" of a typewriter? It makes me wonder when I see listings like this that keep expiring and being relisted at ridiculously high prices, and rejecting offers (originally it was $500; now it's down to $395. Myself and at least two or three others have made offers, but it's still there). Maybe I just have expensive taste?

I'm not the only one who seems to be enjoying it, though. Even though the humans in the house are annoyed by the noise, Hermes will lay down near wherever I'm typing and take a nap every time I pull out the KMM. But then, we all know my cat is an odd duck.

Type Spotting Sunday

There hasn't been a typecast in a while, and probably won't be for at least a few more weeks for a couple of reasons. First, with both of my parents home all day, every day now, I don't have a lot of alone time to write one. For some reason, I'm the only one in the house who doesn't find the sound of a typewriter annoying. (Prince Henry is most offended by this)

Second, there just hasn't been a lot of typewriter action happening. Between by budget and my storage space, I don't have room for new typewriters. And until the '53 gets moved out of the garage for car show season, I don't have any place to work on Oliver. I'm thinking that at some point I'll post their conservation profiles as pages, but there are a LOT of photos involved, so that will likely wait a little while, as well. I'll see about putting them into a slide show and uploading it to youtube so make it more concise.

I did, however, spot another Royal KMM (Henry's twin) in an episode of Charmed I was watching last night. It's Season 1, Episode 17, That 70's Episode.

I squeed and had to go back at snap a pictures. It's amazing that I missed it after the number of times I've watched Charmed, but then again, prior to this past Christmas I wasn't exactly looking for typewriters.

Oh, and if you are a type-writer loving techie, I did spot a laptop cover with a vintage-looking screenprint of an Underwood on it. I loved it, but I couldn't manage to pry the $38 out of my hot little hands, and they don't seem to have any more. Of course, it's not as expensive at slightly less-cute example I found by Thomas Paul. But my search of their website did turn up this typewriter and this sewing machine.

Have you made any cool finds this week?

Housekeeping

A little renovating has been going on here at Casa del KM.

•The link to the Japan Relief Giveaway is now in the header. From now on, that is where all open contests will go.
•I added my blogroll to the sidebar.
•That means there's no room for the 52/52 Book Challenge, so that can now be found in the site pages, linked below my profile.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be adding:
•A page for all former 52/52 Challenges, with links to all of my book reviews.
•A more in-depth bio page.
•A page with summaries of my ebooks, as well as photos of my knitting patterns as well as information on how you can purchase them.
•Updated photos (as in, with proper lighting and staging, rather than *click* "I'm done! Lookie here!") of all of my knitting and handspun (those pictures will actually go on my Devart/Ravelry pages, but some might end up here, as well).

I think that's it for the remodel, though I would like some opinions. I've had some complaints about the background on the blog (the turquoise and blue flowers) making it hard to read. Thoughts? Opinions? (Please include your OS and browser, since I know the parchment backdrop doesn't appear to load on older computers).

P.S. Are you following Jason Kelly, the sock guy's blog? You should read Wednesday's post. It made me cry.

Honored

Lately I've become obsessed with my stats on blogger. I check at least once a day not to see how many hits I've gotten, but to see where they're from. It boggles my mind that the current standing for this week is as follows:
United States--20
Netherlands--15
United Kingdom--8
Russia--7
Germany--4
Ukraine--4
Latvia--3
Canada--2
Denmark--1
France--1
I might not get a lot of hits on this blog, but it amazes me that there are regular readers of this blog in the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, and the Ukraine (who regularly rank in the top five, flopping back and forth with the UK). I kind of figured that the UK and Canada would be on the list, since they are also English speaking nations, but I thought they'd rank higher. Go Netherlands! You guys are my all time #2 readers.

This came partially because I discovered the stats feature when I was consumed with the travel bug, so since I can't go anywhere I'd stare at the little green bits on the blogger map and try to figure out what I was doing that would attract attention from other parts of the world (obviously, not much, but hey! I'm international now!).

The downside is that it got me kind of nervous. I know nothing about most of the countries on that list. So what do you guys find interesting? What keeps you coming back? I'm kind of blogging in a vacuum here, so if I'm not doing something you'll have to tell me.

No matter what, though, I just wanted to take a minute and say thanks for reading. It amazes me that my life (or my knitting) could be interesting enough for anyone to want to hear about it regularly, but I'm glad that you guys do. Thanks for being out there and for sticking with me.

The Time-Space Continuum

So on top of work and Etsy and stuff at home, this fall I'm going back to school (again) and now I've volunteered to help Alice with the CFM again. I'm still remembering last time with trepidation. We'll see how it goes.

I still need to take pictures. Once again I have a to-do list as long as my arm, and even though I haven't been still for about three weeks or a month now except to sleep (sometimes not even then) it doesn't seem to get any shorter. Can someone please explain that to me? How is it that I keep working and working, but never seem to accomplish anything?

Anyway, I've also picked up another Devart account. Going to do it a little differently this time. I think I might put up some of the writing that I have on FP.com, maybe put up more yarnie related things. I'm just going to do the stuff I enjoy for it, since DevArt was never really my thing to begin with.

I'm babbling again, aren't I? It's just one of those days. I'm feeling off, so excuse me if I don't make much sense.