Saved by Vicki!  I had nothing to post about today — I am working on the Retro Ribs done in the Trekking.  I have rounded the heel – it’s all terribly exciting.

Luckily for me and you, Vicki sent me this:

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy 

Pronunciation Key:  n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies – A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

Write down five of your own personal idiosyncracies

the challenge here will be whittling down the list to only five!

1. Like Vicki, my plates need to be stacked in a certain order.  Are you listening Kathleen ye mocker of plate stacking???  If you followed that link, you will see that Kathleen posted a picture of my cupboard.  You will also have noticed that I have Fiestaware in four colors.  Now, one does not buy Fiestaware with the intention of setting the table in the same friggin’ color, does one?? No — that would not be a Fiesta!  I have devised a precise mathematical formula to guarantee that there is a Fiesta! on my table everytime I set it.
2. My second idiotsyncracy can also be found in the depths of Kathleen’s post.  I do like to have my dishwasher loaded in a certain way – I feel that my system best facilitates the rapid unloading of the machine.  I am a model of efficiency.
3. How about a fiber related one?  I like to wind all of my yarn on my wonder-winder.  Regardless of whether the skein is already set in a center-pull fashion.  This is more of an addiciton than an idiotsyncracy.  I love my wonder-winder – true love always.  Nothing you can say will get me to stop.
4. Daughter #2 is telling me that I also like to have the laundry folded and stacked in a certain way.  I don’t know what she’s talking about!  It only makes sense to fold your clothes the same way everytime in order to maximize drawer space.  It is also expeditious to stack your clothes while folding, with the pants being the bottom most layer, followed by sweatshirts, shirts, underwear and socks.  If you make the base of the stack the biggest garment, then you greatly reduce the risk of your stacks tipping over and forcing you to fold everything all over again.  That is not an idiotsyncracy.  That is just GOOD COMMON SENSE.  Now that I mention it — all of my idiotsyncracies are just good common sense.      You may want to print this list out for yourselves to follow.
5. And lastly — as everyone knows, the toilet paper needs to go under.  And if I use the facilities at your house – I will notice.

all over my heart!

I am in love with this yarn.  This is the Trekking XXL that I bought at Seaport Yarns  during Vicki’s Big Apple Tour.  The color changes are gorgeous!  Along with the Retro Rib pattern (to which I was already devoted), it is a lethal combination!

I  must. have. more. of this yarn.

This project was started with Christmas in mind, but they may have to end up in my stocking.  How do you other knitters part with these projects??  I suppose, now that I have posted pictures, I will have to keep them – otherwise the surprise is ruined.  That settles it. 

I was trying out different cast on methods.  I want/need to expand my repertoire.  Here is the Alternate Cable Cast On as explained in the Knitter’s Handbook. 

Another hot and humid day here – although some front is coming through tonight and bringing relief.  With the air conditioner on, my den is the perfect place for knitting.

on our knees!  We got sunburned on our knees!  and shoulders …..

you are all perverts!  Chelsea and I hardly know each other well enough to go to a nude beach together!  and that’s not to say we would go at all ….. I am not sure there’s enough lotion in the tube for that particular adventure!

So, where was I?

It’s Saturday and we started off the day with manicures and pedicures.  Very very nice — until the lady asked me if Chelsea were my daughter!  This was more annoying than the penguins —- I know I’m older than Chelsea, but her mother???!!   it’s okay, it’ll be alright – I’ve practically blotted it out of my memory bank anyway ……

Luckily I didn’t feel matriarchal and cranky for long, with newly polished fingers and piggies, we stopped by Granny’s.  Chelsea wanted to get some sock yarn for beach knitting and has fallen in love with Trekking XXL.  As a matter of fact, I am having Trekking XXL envy.  I will leave it to Chelsea to explain her method for dealing with her sock yarn, suffice to say it involved a trip across the street to the deli. And pointing and laughing.  Here is a picture of the three crazy ladies!

From there we headed to the beach.  I think Chelsea got some great shots of the bay from the car window.  And yes, Onslow ferried us around all weekend and Chelsea is in love with him.  Remember my good parking karma on Friday?  Well, it happened again and I got a spot right by the boardwalk that leads to the beach!

Long Island does indeed have a nude beach and it is not far from where we were – right FA in PA? (that woman needs a blog I tell you!).  I am sorry to disappoint you all, but Chelsea and I left our swimming togs on and went to the regular beach.  I thought I might be pressed into service to pee on her leg when Chelsea thought she got stung by a jellyfish – can you imagine the blog picture for that one?? – but it was a false alarm.  Which was a really good thing since I had just peed in the ocean …… (kidding … sort of…. c’mon people, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how there is never a line for the bathroom at the beach??!! )

We stayed at the beach for the rest of the day. That is my Go With The Flow second sock in the picture — but don’t let it lull you into thinking I was a titan of industriousness.  I only knit about 12 rows and I was on the heel flap for crying out loud!

That evening, Kathleen came over to knit and oversee the baking of her birthday cake.  Chelsea gave Proud Mary a try – she is thinking of taking the spinning wheel plunge and wants to try out the different models.  Invite her over and let her play with your wheels ladies!

We stayed up way too late, gabbing, gossiping and watching the movie Camp.

The festivities on Sunday started the minute Nancy arrived — which was the exact minute Kathleen arrived.  I was busy being a good hostess and didn’t get too many pictures.  Nancy cemented her love of Poe.  Now that she is about to be a home owner (yay!!) she is thinking about getting a dog.  I was threatening to give her one of mine as a housewarming gift.

We had another great day, hanging out by the pool, knitting, gabbing and eating cake! it’s hard not to have a good time around these women … and cake! 

or at least the suburbs of the Big City.

On Friday, this is what Nancy had to say:

Then on Sunday I will be trekking out to Long Island to hang with those insane women out there and to show Chelsea a good time. I have it on good authority that there will be knitting, a pool, drinks, carrot cake and possible glasswear being shattered. Sounds like my kind of party…

And here is some photographic evidence that our Nancy is psychic ….

These pictures were taken on Sunday.  I will save Kathleen the trouble of pointing out that I was the one who broke the glass!  She kindly pitched in to clean it up and I seized the moment to take an incriminating picture. 

But before I get to Sunday – let’s go back to Friday ….

I took the train to meet Chelsea at Penn Station.  The weekend was off to a good start, when I found a prime parking spot at our local train station.  The good locomotive karma continued when our trains arrived within minutes of each other and we were able to hop on the very next train out to Long Island. 

It was a weekend of extremes — we went from hot yoga to Emperor Penguins and then to the beach and sunburns.  From healthy salads to carrot cake.  I had a great time — Chelsea is one cool, smart and interesting woman and everyone should have a chance to hang out with her!

Friday was spent with so much on the go fun that very little knitting got done.  Once we got back to my house and Chelsea was introduced to the menagerie, we had a bit of time for lunch and gabbing.  After that we were off to work up a good sweat – Chelsea is a great sport and volunteered to take a yoga class with me -which was especially great since my yoga challenge didn’t go off track. 

No sooner were we back home and eating dinner than we were off to the movies.  The Boar and Chelsea’s Sweet Baboo were glad to be off that particular hook.  We went to see The Emperor Penguins.  The movie was good, but the freaking penguins were getting on my last nerve – they make things so difficult for themselves!  I can’t understand why they haven’t evolved longer wings — an inch or two would make such a difference (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).  Opposable thumbs might be asking for too much, but longer wings for christsakes. 

Chelsea arrived bearing gifts

two adorable, quilted watermelon potholders

a fantastically large, coffee hogging Dumbo mug

and a darling black and white pig Beanie Baby (he is actually much cuter than this picture that I lifted from some site since I was too lazy and sunburned to get up and take one, and besides, he’s already happily living on my pillow)

~because there has been a drought of blog fodder around here lately, I will save the further adventures for tomorrow’s entry ….. hope you all can sleep tonight wondering where Chelsea and I got sunburned …..