Yarnivorous

G'day all! We are back, for a few days. Ack. In less than a week we will be cleared out of here. We left and the temps were still getting into the 60s F, what high teens C? OK, some days were only in the noughties C. Today it is -6C or about 18F. There is SNOW on the ground out the back of our place. I guess the kids from the local not-Steiner pre-school won't be rolling down it much any more. At least the dog doo-doo will be obvious now. Anyway, we had a lovely time visiting Chicago overnight then Minnesota for a few days, then Chicago for two nights, then Washington DC, then Chicago.... I think you get the picture. Basically Chicago is a major hub for Amtrak. Frigging cold it was too. Waaaay too cold for me, but I get home and it is waaaay too cold for me here too! Plus I caught a cold and it has headed straight to my sinuses and my throat. I sound like a frog, have the worst smoker's cough you've heard in a non-smoker and often can make very interestin...

G'day all! We are in Minnesota. So far we have seen lots of grey and drab brown, and some really funky old houses. It is SNOWING! It is only 24F outside. Brrrr! It is night time though... but it is SNOWING! And we have all of our luggage now which is sorta nice - some of it decided to stay an extra night in Chicagy. Did I mention it is SNOWING? Am I excited? Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! And a happy Thursday to the rest of the world.... anon!

G'day again all! Here is our itinerary: Saturday 17 November: Denver to Chicago, arrive Sunday arvo. Sunday 18 November: Chicago Monday 19 November: Chicago to Milwaukee Tuesday 20 November: Milwaukee to Minneapolis Wednesday 21 November: Friday 23 November: New Ulm Saturday 24 November: Minneapolis - Chicago - Washington Sunday 25 November: Washington, arvo Monday 26 November: Washington - Philadelphia Wednesday 28 November: Philadelphia - Chicago Thursday 29 November: Chicago - Denver 30 November - home! But only for 5 days as we leave for Calgary on 5th December. If you live around those areas or know of something good to do *and* we have not already arranged to meet up with you, let us know! anon!

G'day all! Yesterday I went to the Bad Place. I was told the Bad Place has cheap laptops. Yep! Found a laptop for less than the secondhand place we went to (like why on earth would anyone pay $380 for a secondhand laptop? A three year old secondhand laptop? $150 or so, maybe). OK, so it isn't the best built laptop in the world but if we look after it it should be fine, and did anyone say CHEAP? Whilst I was at the Bad Place, I thought I would try on some pants. And some bras. Can anyone tell me how it is possible for me to drop two dress sizes by coming to the USA and go up a bra size even though I've lost an inch or so off all my measurements? The dress size thing? Easy. You guys have resized your dress sizes. Half the manufacturers in Oz have done the same thing - if you want to be a 12 instead of a 14 you pick out certain labels. Of course everyone wants to be smaller! (This is a warning for American women out there - prepare to increase your dress size if yo...

G'day for the umpteenth time! I bring news, my lord (s and ladies!). We have a place to stay in Calgary (the youth hostel which is 400m from the consulate), tickets are booked for the trip up there and our Amtrak stuff on its way. I hope. Thank you all again for your good wishes. I think you need a little something other than my stress flaring at you. How about a little sock action? An actual finished sock! Yes I still do knit. (Lenore pattern in the Raven series from Blue Moon Fiber Arts - you don't know how hard it is to type fiber, center, etc, instead of fibre, centre, etc. Plus the second one is on the needles! Me making a pair of socks! Unthinkable! Inconceivable!) Interesting how the plying on the yarn makes those columns - I've seen that on Zarina and a few other yarns with a high twist angle. Some more yarn pr0n? Oh yes indeed you better believe that the yarn I've been showing you was not all of what I bought for me for my birthday. *blush* (But I di...

G'day all! Well the saga goes on. Today I realised the content of an email yesterday says "organise your own visa trip to Canada and we will repay you." Poo, bottom and crap as I like to say in the vernacular. Umm, with what money? OK, we are blowing money on a trip on the train. Maybe we shouldn't do that but it is our only known chance to go see Nathan's friends. The Calgary trip is going to cost at least $1200 in airfares (I think I have to book flights in and out to please the Canadian officials), plus another thousand at a hotel unless I can find us somewhere cheap but decent like a hostel or something... Are Canadian hostels as disgusting as those in the USA? Australian hostels are usually quite nice, especially the newer ones and ones not attached to caravan (RV) parks. Anyone know anyone in Calgary? I have to go book a plane ticket or two. anon!

Is it wrong to be up at 3:15am cataloguing and photographing your sock yarns? Y'see the sleeplessness continues so I decided maybe playing with pretties would help me some, or at least distract me. It is not normal for me to have insomnia, but I ate something yesterday, oops two days ago, that is having ongoing repercussions and one of those is racing brain that will not sleep. Now I have to choose what yarns to keep out of the removalists' mitts so I can make me and others socks and stuff whilst we travel around Canada. And the USA. I have an *awful* lot of sock yarn. And I mean that in the sense of awe, not aw shucks. And I left a lot of sock yarn at home too. Hmm. I guess you'll want to see the pictures, but not quite yet - I think my brain is finally slowing down. Hooray! Maybe I will get some sleep by 4am! Or mebbe not. My name is Lynne and I am addicted to sock yarn. anon!