Berroco, "Zariski", Peaches and Me.....

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(You can click on pics to enlarge)

The hook brings you back,
I ain't telling you no lie,
The hook....
On that you can rely...

("Hook", Blues Traveler)

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I have good news to report.  I'm going to start "Zariski" anew!

Remember I had found what I thought were confusing instructions for the "Zariski" garment in the Berroco Booklet 319?  And that I had ruined some Egyptian cotton in an effort to fix something I knitted incorrectly on my version of "Zariski" due to said instructions?  (Link here.)

Well, as you know from that blog post, I took my complaints to Berroco....  

I both phoned and emailed.  And I was rather insistent---I was probably a complete pest---yes, I was a complete pest---but Berroco heard my pain!  And their Customer Service Department did something I would never ever have suspected....

After clarifying the part of the garment instructions I considered confusing, they then sent me the featured yarn in the booklet--- "Linsey"--- in order for me to complete a "Zariski" with the correct yarn!

YES THEY DID!!!  Isn't it great?!?!?

OMG!  Berroco's "Linsey" is a yarn in which plies of cotton and linen are twisted together.  It is wonderfully soft and drapes beautifully.  There are many gorgeous colorways but it also comes in coordinating solids.

So, as you can see in the picture above, I have everything ready.  It is the way in which I always begin a new knitting project:  a watchful cat, a large Baggie to hold needles and stitch markers, a notepad & pen, and the yarn.  I wound every hank into a cake---and I totally love the beautiful colors of the colorway they sent me.  The colors remind me of a forest ablaze with vividly colored flowers.

(Good Lord, have you noticed how big and fat Peaches is getting?  She's bigger than Lu-Lu even though she's weeks younger.)

And here again are the two pics of the garment "Zariski", designed by Norah Gaughan, from the Berocco Booklet 319 (link here):

(Also note on the webpage of the boooklet that Berocco also provides their booklets in downloadable ebooks form.)

Anyway, I'm rather excited to begin.  When Berocco surprised me with the yarn, I solemnly declared to them that I would knit "Zariski" as best as I could---so I could do them proud---and that I would chronicle my progress on the blog.

Berocco has totally convinced me that they are an extremely classy and professional company---and thus, in the future, I am going to use their products as much as I can in order to thank them for their kindness and great Customer Service.  Not to mention the fact that their products are totally wonderful---you should see the Linsey yarn! 

Heh.....notice how close Peaches sits to my yarn container?  It's driving her crazy because she can see the yarn through the clear plastic of that bag, but she can't get at it. 

(It would be like if I saw a clear container holding IHOP pancakes and couldn't get to them....)

Anyhoo, I will keep you posted on my progress knitting "Zariski"!

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The Answer to the Question

I was going to say this all complicated but I erased it.  Because it's really not complicated. 

A lot of people have been asking me if the Yarn Harlot ever accepted my apology and "forgave" me.  The simple answer is this:

No.  She did not accept my apology.  She felt my sin was too great.  And also that she did not forgive me.

A friend of hers told me her exact words.  They were not pretty.

But I have a clean conscience because I did my part.  AA says that apologizing means that I have "cleaned my half of the street".  Whether or not she accepts my apology is immaterial.  I apologized and asked forgiveness.  That is all God ever wanted me to do and so I am at peace. 

And so, all I'm going to say forevermore is this:

I tried.

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Bo's Cat Cam 10/22/12. Impression: DEFCON 2

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She comes out of the sun in a silk dress

running like a watercolor in the rain,

Don't bother asking for explanations,

She'll just tell you that she came

in the year of the cat....

("Year of the Cat", Al Stewart)

(Click on pics to enlarge)

 

"Make yourselves at home.  Can I get you guys a Coke, a footstool or something?"

"Is this supposed to confuse me?"

"Are you dreaming of your yoga class?"





"It must be a tiring life as the smallest kitten in a 3-cat household...."

"While I certainly appreciate the present, I don't know who to thank for it---because each of you needs forgiveness for something or other...."

"What, Peaches?  Asleep again?  Are you dreaming of how you're going to aggravate me the next time?  (Or, is it as I suspect--- you're just flat out lazy.....)"

"Peaches!  Do you do anything but sleep?"



"Glad to see y'all bonded finally...."

Epilogue:

Below is an updated pic of Peaches in her still developing coloring.  If you saw the pic of her tiny little self a few weeks ago you would have seen that she, like all Ragdolls, was born white---with those famous blue eyes.  The literature said that a Ragdoll's coloring only develops to its full extent by age 2 or 3 years.  We are seeing changes by the month.  (The dark spot in the right eye is part of her coloring there.  The dark spot in the more whitish left eye is "sleepy stuff".  Poor little thing had to endure some scrubbing in the right eye by Blaine until he figured out that it was simply her coloring there....)  

After getting her examined and getting her papers done, her official breed coloring is a "Seal Tortie Point Bi-color" Ragdoll.  Everybody who sees her is completely enchanted by her beauty and I practically have to drag her out of their arms because they don't want to put her down.  I was scolding her for something the other day and Blaine said: "How can you get angry with a face like that?"  He was right---it's very difficult!!  Unfortunately, this has made her so spoiled that she practically runs the house!

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'Tis a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever frogged before....

...it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

 

(Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities)

 

"Damn, I just screwed up my knitting royally"....

 

(Bo, "A Tale of a Two Interpretations of a Knitting Pattern")

I feel that the following sad knitting tale is what I get for breaking from my tradition of designing my own patterns to following a pattern in a pattern booklet.  It may not be others' experience with this pattern but it's my experience.

(And it's also possible that I'm an idiot and didn't read the pattern correctly.)

But I'm not criticizing the author's pattern.  Nooooo.  That's not it.  It's the editors of the pattern booklet that I am not happy with.

Because I am totally embarassed to admit that I did something VERY WRONG on my current project, "Zariski".  But I don't think that it's all my fault.  Maybe it is partly my fault for not reading the directions correctly, but I also think (maybe wrongly) that it is partly Berocco Booklet 319's fault.

There I sat, knitting merrily along, following the pattern's directions and then, to my utter mortification, I realized it----I realized that according to the cryptic directions given for the pattern, I had actually knitted a square attached to another square---and I had knitted said knitted square smack dab onto an incorrect area which caused the new square to jut out from the garment into thin air!  That durn square was hanging out, flapping in the wind like the soldier's white flag of defeat!

DAMMIT!!!!

WHAT IN THE SAM PUNCHINELLY HAPPENED?

This mistake was a time and financial costly mistake in that I had to meticulously and fearfully frog my way out of disaster for my precious "Zariski".  I ruined some yarn in the process---very costly Egyptian cotton--but which is a discontinued yarn.  I licked my bruises and continued on, pouting all the while, mentally telling the Berroco company to never do that to me again. 

(Yes, I admit it---I talk to my knitting.  But that's no big deal---I also talk to my damn cats, my mop & broom, did I say the damn cats?, my Swiffer replacement cloths, a large Tupperware container, my cooking, a cleanser bottle I grabbed which wasn't the one I wanted, errant throw pillows, Blaine's clothing which he inconsiderately drops onto the floor, and a pot of mum buds which refuse to blossom into flowers.)

Where was I?

Ohe yes, bitching about a knitting pattern.

Why, I ask you?  Why did I commit such an egregious knitting mistake?  It's humiliating I tell you.  Humiliating.  And costly.  That yarn was expensive---really expensive.  And it's not sold anymore. 

Personally, I think it's partly Berroco's fault.  But what do you think?

Strike One:  In the Berroco pattern booklet, booklet number 319, the diagram of the placement of the squares is not the correct way in which the squares are supposed to line up in the actual garment--which is totally confusing.  They should have put the diagram in a way which showed you where the squares would eventually fit, both in the front and in the back---but the pattern squares are presented horizontally, all in one piece.

Strike Two:  In my opinion, the photographs of the garment do NOT show placement of key areas of the construction of the garment.  The "yoke" isn't really a yoke.  It is completely in the back of the garment.  It is simply the part of the garment in the BACK which holds the two sleeves together.  When I think of "yoke" I think that some part of it is in the front.  That's not the case with this garment so technically it's not a yoke.  And, in my interpretations, the photos were taken at angles which make things very confusing, causing important details to be obscurred.  In fact, the picture of the side view makes you think there is square there making a "pleat"---so I ended up thinking that maybe the errant square was supposed to be part of that.  And when I found out my mistake, I felt that one couldn't refer the pictures to the help a knitter out.

Strike Three:  On the squares diagram they put the letters that corresponded to the markers on the yoke of the garment in a very confusing fashion---and with a dotted line between a couple of squares.  Nowhere in the directions is there an explanation of the dotted line.  You are supposed to already know what that dotted line means.  In short, in my opinion, the squares diagram is cryptic and vague.  Even the ones which tell you to knit between markers are confusing.  Is it me or is that confusing?

And not only that, but the pattern stated that it was for an "Intermediate" knitter.  And I called the LYS owner where I purchased the booklet and she couldn't figure it out either---and she is an expert knitter. 

Okay, I'm off my rant now.  And like I said, I'm angry with Berroco. (Ok, maybe I'm not off my rant...)  I think they edited that pattern in error and then placed the squares diagram and garment pictures in a very minimal, incomplete fashion.  I think the directions should have been more clear.  I don't for a minute think it's the fault of the pattern's author, Norah Gaughan.  And that is because, in my opinion, I think that some patterns are pared down by pattern editors to the bare bones---even Elizabeth Zimmerman complained about this facet of editors' behaviors when a knitter attempts to write patterns for books or booklets!!!  (Yes, she actually did---but I can't remember which book I read that in.)

And speaking of Elizabeth Zimmerman, if she were a pattern booklet editor, I bet you'd have NEVER caught HER editing a booklet by putting a vertical squares diagram horizontally if the actual square placement should be read vertically.  And I know she would have written the directions exactly correct, explaining things more explicitly.

(Dang it---I'm supposed to be a proficient knitter so I hope nobody is laughing at me over my error.)

(I should do what Elizabeth Zimmerman advised: “Knit On, with confidence and hope, through all crises” ---but for some stupid reason I always mess that quote up by saying it in Star Trek's Vulcan language: "Knit on and prosper" .....)

(With or without the corresponding finger placement...)

(I don't think she would mind---she is always very understanding about knitters' foibles...)

(Maybe I'm just an idiot---or was off my game that day I made the mistake.....)

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Update (after writing this post)

I just called Berrocco to complain.  After my explanation of the above, the person I talked to said she was going to go talk to the designing department and get back to me within the hour.  After I explained the problem I also told her that I had had to frog very carefully and had ruined some very expensive yarn---a yarn that is discontinued.  

 

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Update (after complaining to Berocco)

I just received a call back from Berroco.  A editor (who sounded a little condescending to me) thought the directions to the pattern were just fine, which is weird since she did admit that several areas of the directions actually WERE cryptic and difficult to understand.  In fact, she said that they were going to put changes on the website that explained things better.  She also said she'd notify the pattern author which I really regret because she is such a sweet person and I certainly don't want to insult her as a pattern writer.  So...... that doesn't help me much.  I feel like an idiot.  But after arguing about it so much, and proving her wrong in certain places of the pattern to the degree that they're going to explain it better on the website, I now know that Berroco is not somebody I will deal with again.  My experience with them was negative.  But there are other brands of beautiful yarns and books/booklets to use for subsequent projects.

 

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Knitting by the Seat of My Pants....

Here's my progress on my current knitting project "Zariski" by Norah Gaughan.

I am following the directions exactly, but I haven't yet arrived at a point where I understand how the pattern will develop into the pics below (the 2 pics below are Norah Gaughan's design---my progress picture is below these two):

And:

It is a seamless garment and so I still don't quite understand.  (It's not the pattern's fault--it's because I'm a goofball).  There are 2 rows of 4 squares---but the diagram in the pattern doesn't show you how it's all put together at the end...yikes!!!  Since you pick up stitches for each square, in a certain way, maybe the end will call for the squares to be knitted onto each other.  The particular square I'm on now called for picking up stitches on the left side of a finished square, square 2, on the left side of squares 1 and 2---and then to cast on the stitches for the other 3 sides of the square.  So this square is kind of hanging out there but if you look at the designer's picture, it looks like there will be a flared out pleat.....

And the final square, square 8, is going to go on the right side of all the squares up there.

Don't worry--I'm going to put more red in it, probably on the border.

And I sure hope I'm doing this correctly.  If not, I'm going to be doing a lot of frogging to save all the yarn.

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Almost Finished

Okay, as you know I'm re-decorating the house.  And I think I'm nearing the finish of the 1st floor.  I've still got the living room curtains and the dining room drapes to hang but I did finish what I wanted to do with the floors.  I love lots of rugs, preferably Persian.

We have a bunch of authentic Persian rugs (from Iran) that my mother was able to get into the country via Diplomatic Pouch (which is not searched) and so she gave both me and Blaine some.  (She herself has a boatload of them.)  It's illegal to have them as there's an embargo between the US and Iran but we wanted some real Persian rugs and by God we have them.  So I layered them, Persian style, all over each other, overlapping them like they do in the Middle East. 

I am pretty thrilled to be able to finally lay them down.  And I'm trying to decorate things with a touch of a Middle Eastern look, which is the home decor that I grew up in.  It's nostalgic and comforting to me.

Also, I have tried to put plants I've brought in for the winter in areas where they will get light.

(You can click on the pics to make them larger.)

Here's one area  (and the Persian rug is the huge red one underneath the leopard rugs)  (and the cats' scratcher thing doesn't really "add" to the decor but it's better to have them scratch their claws on that rather than the Persian rugs....):

Here's a close-up of the an area I already showed you ---but I have changed some things.

Here's my favorite Persian one:





Here's another Persian one in the middle of the two rugs  (the rugs to the right and left are not Persian rugs):

And still yet another Persion rug in front of the dining room table (and this one's my favorite because my mother picked this one out for me personally because it has horse heads in it--you have to look closely):

Aside from Persian rugs, I have some authentic Indian blankets.  They are the blankets I had on my bed when I went to an American boarding school in India when my parents were stationed on the island of Sri Lanka.  

(Um....I had my first mental breakdown while at that particular boarding school and my mother had to come and get me....but let's not speak of that.  So I ended up finishing high school by mail, on the island of Sri Lanka where the Embassy and other missions had installed a study room with a proctor for all children who were doing their school lessons  by mail.  My sister and I completed our work through the University of Nebraska High School Extension Division, link here.  The website doesn't mention diplomatic children, probably because there so few of us---most of the American students there were military brats.  Also, there were kids from other countries in that room, many from England and also Germany.)  

Here's the love seat.  I really love the green blanket the best due to the metallic gold thread.  But I do like the blue one, too.  Since the love seat doesn't match the decor I tried to cover it up with the blankets.  Sometime in the future we'll get a matching couch and loveseat but I'm doing the best I can with what I have right now.  All throw pillows you see in all these pictures are from Syria.



And here's one of the china cabinets into which I put collectibles-- safe from the cats.  I have my prized Paint Ponies Collection up in there. (link here to the Home website of the Paint Ponies-- and I like the Native American ones the best:) (And someone started a cow collection for me.  The two I have are on the bottom shelf, and one of them is this one (link here): 

Here's an area I completed and have given you a picture of already, but I added some more things to it---(and there's no rug here--- I added some plants and a statue:) 

Here's a little desk area so that Blaine won't strew his things all over the place.  Notice the green basket---that's for all his keys, cell phone, work badge, and other small things.  It keeps things neat.  I still haven't hung the pics and drawings of my father over that area but I'll get there.  The lit up thing is a lighted snail lamp.  And the china cabinets are lighted.

Here's one of the kitchen rugs.  It's plain---not a Persian rug:

Here's another rug by Blaine's sack lunch prep station:

And below is an area I don't know what to do with.  The couch doesn't match and so I threw a bunch of throw pillows there just to see if I could make the situation better.  But it doesn't look good.  Waaaaahhhh.

I still have some more work to do on the hearth top, the living room curtains, and the drapes for the dining room glass sliding doors, but that will be fairly soon....I hope.  Only when the downstairs is completely finished will Blaine paint the upstairs and I can do the master bedroom and bath.

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Midnight Musings.....

The brightest ring around the moon

will darken when I die,

Now, sure as the sun will cross the sky,

the lying's over,

Gone...like the tears that used to tide me over....

("Only Time Will Tell", Asia)

Night is a lonely place for bipolars.  I mean, I have other diagnoses, too---like PTSD (that's a big one), OCD Personality Disorder, Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, recovering from Substance Abuse Disorder---and one or two others that I hate to even mention.  (And, of course, the agoraphobia---because getting me out of the house to lurk around the community usually takes an act of God....)

But night is really bad for bipolars----because it's difficult for us to sleep.  And with all the boatload of medications I'm on, you'd think I could sleep.  But sometimes I can and sometimes I can't. 

So tonight is one of those nights I can't sleep and so I came downstairs and am hanging out down here.  And, like many nights I can't sleep, I ponder the remains of the day.  Usually I do this while knitting---and also while I have the TV on the Food Channel watching "Chopped" or something mundane that won't interfere with my attempts at trying to get sleepy.  I sometimes put down my knitting and try to sleep on the couch for a few snatched hours.

And I think.

About a lot of things.

About stupid things.

About absurd things.

About melancholy song lyrics which make me sad,

And about serious things.

Some of the things that are going through my mind tonight are about current events.  And so I took pictures of some of them to pass the long night hours away.  (I think you can click on the pics to enlarge them.)

For one thing, I am still chuckling to myself because I actually decorated much of the living room in African decor, leopard rugs/ pillows and all...... and Blaine allowed it!  Whodathunkit.  He didn't even comment except to say: "That damn leopard pillow is the most uncomfortable frigging couch pillow I have ever had."  I left it there, thinking that he'd get used to it.  I have 4 types and shapes of leopard pillows on the couch and loveseat and so I'm certain he can get used to at least one of them.

I know, I know.  The 55" flatscreen TV and computer tower don't really belong but that can't be helped---they're Blaine's staples.

Next, I'm working on my current knitting project, "Zariski", and it's actually going rather well.  Norah Gaughan can certainly write wonderful patterns in a way that I can understand them.  I'm having a lot of fun with this pattern.

Next, as I surveyed the walls and how they are not quite finished yet, I began thinking about the two lithographs I took to the frame shop to be framed today.  We bought them at an art auction and were damn glad to get them at the price we paid.  One was done by my favorite French artist, Urbain Huchet (French link here), and one is by an American artist, Arthur Byrne (link here).  They are very nice lithographs and so of course we wanted decent framing. 

So, taking a deep breath and (trying to conquer the agoraphobia), I took the plunge and took the two lithographs down to the frame shop to pick out the way I wanted them done and to get a quote.  There was a lady in front of me at the shop and she wanted two things assessed.  She had a small 5 x 7 oil painting by one of her young children that was already on a stretched canvas.  And she also had a pretty, somewhat large 8 x 14 sized jigsaw puzzle her family had put together that she wanted framed as well.

The shop owner gave her a quote, which I thought was quite modest, but the lady quietly took the two things back and bid the shop owner a polite goodbye.  Evidently, she must not have known that custom framing is hideously expensive. 

Anyway, when it was my turn, by the time I picked out gold gilded frames and the particular mats I wanted, the damn bill came to a handsome $735 for the two.  I cell-phoned Blaine real quick to tell him the quote and he said go ahead.  So I placed the order.  So two weeks from now I'll get them back and put them in the living room where I've been saving a place for them.  I told Blaine we'll need a spotlight to gently illuminate them. 

Those thoughts were rather satisfying.  Whenever I look at those two lithographs I still feel the thrill of the auction and how I bid for them. 

Speaking of lithographs.  I am going to bore you to death and show you the childish lithograph I made when I was 14--- one I drew myself from models I knew and for which I won a prize.  OK, the frame job is crappy, but considering that I was 14 I think I did okay.  Here it is:

I should get that one framed decently one of these days.  Anyway, I put it over an area I had made into a desk-type area on a long table on a far wall since there was no room for a real desk.  I am also going to hang all the paintings and photographs of my late father there, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  I'm definitely slow in putting together this first floor.  (And if you knew how utterly disastrous the upstairs is, you'd know why I'm taking my time with the first floor.....)

One thing I'm thinking about is that I'm internally jumping for joy that I actually had foresight regarding my garden this year.  I had a hunch we'd get some early night freezes and so I brought in literally every coleus I had, plus the two giant sweet potato vines on the top of each china cabinet, and various and sundry other plants that I know will live indoors.  Good thing I did, too.  Because we indeed had two freezes right after that and they killed dead the remaining plants outside.  But I know the flower season is coming to a close and so it must be---until next spring.  Blaine bitched about how many plants I brought in but I told him that he'd paid for all those plants so why throw money away?  And we needed the pretty plants for the re-decorating anyway.  (I know the inside of that china cabinet is messy but I've stuck a bunch of collectibles in there to protect them from the cats and I haven't gotten a chance to neaten them up yet.)



(And psssssst......don't tell Blaine I hid the biggest gigantic-est, gorgeous coleus upstairs in the studio, a room which has not been re-decorated yet.  Heh!  What he doesn't know won't hurt him.  I will LOVE that plant when I finally put the studio together and have it in there.)

(Thinking about how Blaine doesn't know it's in there cracks me up because he'd have a total hissy fit if he knew.)

Next, I'm wondering whether I have the nerve to wear a new watch my hair stylist gave me.  I mean, I love it.  It's a real leather band, leopard print, and it has lovely chocolate crystals all around the large face.  But.... well....it's a little over the top.  Not for me---I'll wear anything crazy and never give it a 2nd thought.  But I think for other people.  I showed it to Blaine and he said:  "It's so YOU" which from him is most definitely NOT a compliment.  So maybe I will wear it at that.  Maybe everybody will just dismiss it with the same thought: "It's so her....."

And last but not least, I'm thinking of the little lantern Blaine bought me because I told him I wanted something of the same "era" as my little Confederate Soldier statue on the fireplace hearth.  He bought me the little lantern---it was delivered today.  So I put it on the other side of the fireplace from the soldier.  But what's bothering me are those yellow gas pipes in the fireplace's fake logs.  They look awful.  I'm going to ask Blaine if he can hide them.

Well, I guess that's all I'm thinking about tonight.  I'm actually feeling a little drowsy.  So I might go knit a little more and then try to lay on the couch and watch TV for awhile.  Maybe I'll be lucky enough to fall asleep for a few hours.

See ya in the morning.......

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Knitting Zariski....

Sometimes there's a part of me
Has to turn from here and go,
Running like a child from these warm stars,
Down the Seven Bridges Road
 

There are stars in the Southern sky,

And if ever you decide you should go,

There is a taste of thyme sweetened honey,

Down the Seven Bridges Road

("Seven Bridges Road", Eagles)

(Yes, there is a small highway that has the seven bridges---in northern Louisiana's swamp marshlands of course.  You don't want to drive it unless you have a 4-wheel drive.....)

Here's my progress on knitting the shrug-like sweater called "Zariski", designed by Norah Gaughan.  I wrote her and told her what a totally awesome pattern this is and she wrote back to thank me.  I only hope she doesn't mind that I am using different yarn than specified and....well....I made mine with full length sleeves instead of the 3/4 length the pattern calls for....and....well....I changed the yarn for my version....

The pattern is written for "Linsey", self-coloring, yarn---but I am using some "Clip" yarn from the Klaus Koch Kolection, which is an absolutely gorgeous 100% Egyptian cotton yarn, and I say 'gorgeous' because Clip has a beautiful sheen to it.  (I think this yarn is discontinued.)  I am using cream, gold, and red in this pattern.  (Gotta stick a little fair isle in there--you know me.)  It's not that I don't like "Linsey" yarn---Linsey is also gorgeous.  But I chanced upon this Clip in my stash and my budget this month is a little tight.  So finding some yarn for this pattern in my stash is like "free" yarn.  Here is the Ravelry site for that pattern--here.

I finished the top part (the sleeves and yoke) and it fit beautifully when I tried it on.  You knit the top part sleeve to sleeve.  I also changed the pattern to have full length sleeves instead of 3/4 sleeves.  (Again, I just can't resist doing my own thing, can I?) 

So now I'm going to start the bottom section which, as you can see from the booklet picture, is made up of mitered squares that are knit right onto things so that you don't have to do any sewing.  Hopefully I can get that part right---I told Blaine to leave me alone today while I begin that area.  I don't want any distractions.  (Which is only fair since he told me that HE doesn't like distractions when he's on the computer.)

I found this pattern in Berroco Booket 319.

I don't know yet exactly how I'm going to color the squares.  I think I'll do the outermost borders in gold.  But wish me luck because I'm so used to designing my own patterns that I'm not used to following somebody else's patterns.  And I really love this one and don't want to screw it up.

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I Can Finally See The Light At The End Of The Tunnel....

Don't think sorry's easily said,
Don't try turning tables instead,
You've taken lots of chances before,
But I ain't gonna give anymore...
 

("Eye in The Sky", Alan Parsons Project)

I really hope I'm not boring you to death by putting up more pics of the ongoing re-decorating I'm doing of the house-- but I've continued working and have done a couple more things to fine-tune.  I'm getting closer and closer to completing the entire decor of the 1st floor.  I still have to put window treatments on the living room windows.  And I've got to hang the pictures of my father over Blaine's desk area.  And I need to get said desk area fixed up also.

Blaine's not happy with all the plants around the house but I had to bring in all plants which can grow indoors in order to save them from a coming freeze this weekend.  I like plants in the house anyway.  But I need to remember today to go outside and take more coleus cuttings from the giant potted coleus by the BBQ and also some from the one in the windowbox on the railing above it .  Coleus cuttings to me are "free plants".

I wish I could bring that damn behemoth coleus in but I know Blaine won't let me.  And I can't bring the windowbox thing inside either.  So I will most likely be a bad girl and sneak the big potted one into the house and put it in the studio upstairs---that room is not re-decorated yet and Blaine never goes in there anyway.  That room has tons of light and I will enjoy the plant's beauty in the room where I will ultimately make jewelry and stuff.

Anyway, Blaine had bought three new appliances that are stainless steel recently--- a frig, a stove, and a dishwasher.  Below is the new stainless steel stove and frig.   I got it all set up and organized.   I put a little magnetized message center on the side of the fridge.  It's got notepads and pens so that we can write things down for the grocery list as we go.  Blaine hates the stainless steel burner protectors that I keep on the oven's cooktop but that cooktop is flat and made of glass-- and I want it protected as much as possible.  Like in case some idiot cat gets up there---I don't want it scratched. 

We're going to do something about that light fixture above the stove but we don't know yet.  We'll probably get a stainless steel over-hang thing to put there.

Next is a pic of the carpet and area rug I laid down in the dining room and kitchen for those rooms to segue into each other.  I think I achieved that---I hope.  (Those umpteen objects on the floor by the kitchen rug are all cat food dishes---and they certainly don't do much for the decor....)

And last but not least is the pic of my little Confederate soldier standing guard on the fireplace hearth.  (I keep him around to remind me that The South Will Rise Again....)

Heh....

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