Yarnivorous

G'day all! Two weeks ago, I posted the final Wotisit. Final for the nonce anyway. Then I said I'd do the draw last Monday. Ahem. Ah well, I've finally been guilted into fixing it up! (Possibly because it means I can avoid the tangerine top for a little longer.) Ever felt guilty for not doing something when you said you would? I do it all the time. Must be more organised! Must fulfill contracts with other. Thinking of musts, I must also harrass the credit union again cos our cheques still haven't arrived and I have bills to pay - at home I can pay everything online or by phone but here many places still only take cheques. I am happy to pay small businesses by cheque cos credit card merchant fees cost a bunch but I do not see why big businesses make me pay by cheque. Only PG&E (gas/power) does online payments but the apartment complex is moving over, thank heavens! Last year one of the factors in choosing this place was online payments but that never happ...

G'day all! This is the last wotisit, certainly for now, mebbe forever. I started wotisit some time ago, thinking it would be a bit of fun for me and the people guessing wotisit. It would also get me a few more email addresses for people who read my blog = I could reply to their comments by email. Blogger does not capture email addresses for the people who comment, which makes it hard to email a reply to your comment. Wellllll, I think I've had seven different people enter over the three months or so that I've been running wotisit. I'm not very good at encouraging participation in events. If I had been arranging Sock Summit, two men and their dog would've shown up. (But I must say that the world record attempt? I started that! Me! Others picked up the ball and ran with it - yay dudes! - whilst I was trying to see if it was ok with Steph and Tina, them being my close personal friends and all, NOT!) So I bet you wanna know what last week's wotisit was? Two...

G'day all! Running late again - story of my life at the moment. Anyway, a while ago, I posted this pic: and asked you to guess what it is. Quite a few of you guessed correctly or close enough that it makes no odds. It is a post in a car park up at Crater Lake. It gets snowed upon, frozen, thawed, frozen, thawed and it makes the grain go all funny. If you said a stump, well it is really, just a stump especially formed for man's requirements. Here's a pic of Crater Lake, just so you can go "oo, err!" I promised a winner this week, didn't I? Leonie ! Come on down! You have won a set of five stitchmarkers in your fave colours (made to order) or the Cleopatra's Stockings pattern by Yarnissima. Now this week's wotisit may be a mystery to some but I reckon you can guess what it is! Send your guess to me by email (natielthreeoneone atgmaildotcom) with wotisit as the subject (makes it easier for me to find when I am checking I've put all the answers i...

G'day all! After a bit of a break (ie I forgot to post anything and also I was away and frantically treadling for the Tour de Fleece*), Wotisit Monday returns! Last time I showed a picture of some fleece all taped up inside its plastic cocoon. A few people guessed correctly but I didn't email anyone, cos it all happened when we were away. Anyways, it is good to have a few people with points on the board! This week's wotisit was spotted at Crater Lake in Oregon. You don't have to go to Crater Lake to see things like it - they are quite common. Honest. Wotisit? Next week I think I should have another little prize draw. Remember to send your guesses to me via email to natielthreeoneone at gmaildotcom. You must email me the guess to get into the draw and surely you want to win something, even only a little thing like some stitchmarkers? *In the 21 days I knew about the Tour de Fleece, I spun nearly 3km of yarn, or well over 7km if you include the original singles. I...

G'day all! Last time's wotisit was pretty tricksy! It looks like flames but is actually a cultivar of an Australian native, a strawflower ( Xerochrysum bracteatum ). They are readily available in Australia and at least Colorado, Oregon and California in the States. They are daisies and have flowers that are stiff and dry readily, hence the name common name strawflower. This week's wotisit is: What? There's a hint here , if you need a little guessing help! Pop me an email with your guess by next Monday - natiel311 at gmaildotcom. I am editing pics like mad at the moment. Expect a thousand fairly pointless blog posts. I am bored witless - I can't go out much cos of this stupid ankle, I can't ride my bike either, the chiro is a bit concerned about not being able to unlock my heel.... ice, rest and boredom! Even if a local said they would visit, I wouldn't let them in the place cos between my projects and Nathan's, there is nowhere tidy, getting to th...

G'day all! Gosh we had a couple of correct guesses in last week's wotisit! Hooray! Well done chaps :-) Last week was algae, growing in Callistoga's Old Faithful geyser's pond. In this shot you can see a whole lotta little fish if you click through to Flicker and choose a bigger version: The water in the pond was nicely tepid, at least at the edges. I figured it could not be too hot (despite the boiling hot geyser erupting in the centre) cos the fish and the algae would be cooked, not doing their thang. Here's the geyser: We hope to see the "real" Old Faithful soon - DH has a week off and we are driving to Montana, and Montana is home to Yellowstone! For this week's wotisit, we have: Email your guess to natiel three one one at gmaildotcom. If you can tell me exactly what it is, not what it is generically, then you get five points not just one! I have lots of things to yap about. I seem to be working on a gazillion things at present and I've ju...

G'day all! Last time I posted a wotisit, I only got one guess! The critter shown is: a ladybug larva! Yep, it is what ladybirds look like before they metamorphose and become ladybugs. They are voracious aphid eaters, and given some of my plants had LOTS of aphids, I was very happy to encourage them even if the larva is not a native species (it's Chinese). Oh gosh, I hope the next wotisit is easier! We saw this on our trip into California's wine country. It has nothing whatsoever to do with wine, indeed if this was in your wine you would be significantly unhappy. But it does like water. Wotisit? Send your guesses to me at natiel3oneone at gmaildotcom. I'm still doing the prize draws every two or three weeks (even if Minnie's prize is still being made cos it is special! And I am silly and easily distracted by pretty shiny things). I thought I would show off my Personal Sock Club drawing today but when I pulled the yarn and the pattern, the yarn said "I want...

G'day all! Gosh, I am making these too hard, aren't I? Last week, I showed you this: followed by this: They are the early and late stage seedpods of Liquidambar (known as sweetgum in the States - that second link has some pics from a random blog). The green one still has the flowers on it, the brown one has opened up and all bar one of the seeds has escaped. When the seed pods opened on the tree outside our apartment and dropped the seeds, it sounded like a very soft, gentle rain was falling. Quite bizarre. Anyway, noone got it completely right but some people guessed it was some sort of flower - that was right! So anyone who guessed flower or seed gets a point. This week I hope I have one that is a little easier. What is sitting on the leaf? If you can name it down to the species level, you get five points ;-) Common name gets a point, specific common name gets 5 points. Send your answers to natiel three one one at gmaildotcom. Tomorrow I will announce who has won the...

G'day all! Last week's pic proved a bit of a conundrum! Noone guessed exactly what it is but a couple got the family (daisies/asteraceae) right! Pycnosorus globosus is one of my favourite plants. Probably because it is odd, just like me! This is a closeup of the flowering head just as the flowers are starting to open. Each one of those little pointy things is a flower. Daisies have compound heads, just like this one - all the tiny little flowers are clustered together in the centre. Pycnosorus does not have obvious petals until you look really closely at the flowering head, when you'll see they really do look like teensy little petals. No daisy has really obvious petals - sunflowers and shasta daisies and lawn daisies all have "rays" which are modified petals that (usually) develop at the outer of the flowering head. Dandelions are daisies. Lots of plants are daisies! Let's see what you think of this week's lucky lucky entrant! What is the green t...

G'day all! It's Monday and that means it is time to play Wotisit Monday! Last week we had a most mysterious picture of an ONION! Yep, it was an onion cut crossways, just like you would for onion rings. Thanks for your entries :-) I hope I've emailed everyone who entered so far. Oh and entries for week one are now closed!!! This week's mystery picture is: Remember, email your guesses to me at natiel three one one at gmail dot com I'll tot up all the correct guesses and provide a grand prize along with spot prizes along the way for guesses that amuse me or just cos it is fun to get a random prize! Guess I had better get knitting stuff so I have something to show you, bettern't I? anon!