Molly Bee's Attic

Knitting Content : I began a Rowan Kid Silk Haze shawl night before last while we were watching “The Number 23” and “Premonition (both were not worth the price of the rental). I am totally enthralled with this yarn though! It’s like knitting with cobwebs and the shawl is as light as air. I keep making Mr. Bee fondle it. He’s beginning to get a wee bit annoyed and downright concerned about my sanity, but I don’t care. This stuff rocks! It’s like Fairy Princess knitting! The shawl pattern is from the “ One Skein Wonders ” book. I got a copy from the library and then thought I’d photocopy a couple of the patterns I liked. Once I marked all of the patterns I wanted to copy with little Post-It note thingies, it fairly bristled with the little red markers. A book with that many good patterns is a keeper so I went to B&N and got my own copy. After all I am the queen of seeing a skein of yarn that I like an having to cart it home with no idea what I’m going to do with it! This is the perfe...

What is crafting really? It's turning one thing into another.... I turned this Cascade Quatro yarn... Into this Wavy Scarf (modeled by Bentley-The-Dog) Whereas Bentley-The-Dog, in a sudden burst of inspiration which occurred when we left him alone in the house this morning, took a coaster, much like this one....in fact it was exactly like this one... And turned it into this.... Sometimes there is a fine line between crafting and canine vandalism.... Is this artistic genius? Or... !!!Bad Dog, Bentley!!! Yeah, that's what I thought too.....

Boy is it Hump Day today! I’m having a really hard time getting over it despite all of the happy crappy ‘Choose Your Own Attitude’ platitudes I keep spouting at myself. Today, for no apparent reason, I awoke on the Dark Side and chose a ‘fat, grumpy, tired and old’ attitude, thank you very much. Now, I’m on such a roll that I can’t seem to turn it back around. Might as well ride the wave and be the best fat, tired, old grump that ever there was I guess! Most of yesterday wasn ’t a bad day. I got really great news from the home front. Friends brought us back See’s Chocolate from San Francisco-YUM. A friend told me that I looked very ‘streamlined’ which although don’t know what that means, she ws smiling when she said it so I took it as a compliment. And best of all, I wore my ‘fairy princess’ shoes. I have a pair of gold, lame, beaded flats that I sometimes wear with my khakis or brown jeans. They look totally ridiculous but make me feel (sparkly glitter) magical (sparkly glitter) . ...

I have never read a Harry Potter book and I only saw the first movie which made me horribly seasick during the Quiddich scene but even I know these latest socks are Hogwart colors! The basket weave socks are done! One side has the gold 'lightning bolt' and the other has a white one. Pretty psychadelic but I like the basketweave pattern. It's made from Socks that Rock yarn that came in my Rocking Sock Club packet. I decided to go in a different direction with it! "Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." -Francesca Reigler

( Click on pictures to make larger.) Heron at Lake Belle View Falls at Lake Belle View Still waters Bi-Plane Crop Dusting Corn Fields Finished socks for tiny toes

Seventeen years ago today, I married my soul mate. Seventeen years ago last week, we met for the very first time. [I’ll let that sink in a minute. Go ahead. Take your time.] Gather round, Children and I'll tell you the tale....Mr. Bee flew to Maine to meet me in person after we had been pen pals for a year and a half. This was back in the days before email even! We actually used paper, pens, stamps and the Postal System! He arrived on Friday the 13 th , 1990 (see it’s not always an unlucky day!), proposed on Sunday the 15 th and we were married the following Friday, the 20 th . We don’t believe in sittin ’ around and mullin ' things over, me and Mr. Bee don’t! My parents and friends were convinced he was an ax murderer and that they would never hear tell of me again when I moved to Wisconsin on Labor Day weekend 1990. But it’s all worked out alright. We review the situation every July and decide whether or not to renew our contract for another year. Some years negotiations ar...

I’ ve got a wicked bad case of Monkey-See-Monkey-Do lately. Or at least Monkey-See-Monkey Wanna do! I am working on my second pair of baby socks for my coworker. I still have to quilt my mini, knit another basket weave sock, and finish my wavy scarf. One would think that this would be enough to keep one busy, no? No. I have GOT to stop blog-surfing so much because now Adrian over at Brooklyn Tweed has made me itchy to get my drop spindle out again and Mel has me wanting to start yet another scarf not to mention all of the Mystery Shawl talk has got me thinking…. hmmmm …maybe lace… Sheesh ! On top of all of this, Harriet has been on my back lately too. Those of you in the South Central Wisconsin region may know Harriet as the automated voice of our library system. I have it sooo good here. Any book that catches my eye at a book store, gets jotted down in a little notebook I keep in my purse. Then I go home and log into the online library database and reserve it. Harriet calls me whe...

I finished one of the baby socks for my coworker. I made it out of the dreaded Cascade because the elastic keeps it on baby's foot better. Talk about instant gratification-just a couple of hours for this cutie! The other one will be finished tonight. Movie Recommendation: Pan's Labyrinth. It's in Spanish so it's subtitled. It's an adult fairy tale. A couple of graphic violence/death scenes but it was amazing! Great story! Two thumbs WAY up!

Started off the day with a yummy brunch at The Bavaria restaurant in Middleton. Artichoke heart, asparagus and portabella omelet with raisin toast. Doesn't get much better to that! We had early eye doctor appointments and went out afterward. It was good news. Despite my inability to see a moutain of laundry that needs doing, a half inch layer of animal fur on my carpets, and a heavy patina of dust on all of my furniture, the doctor says my eyesight is just fine. With my love of reading, crafts, and all things shiny, losing my eyesight is one of my greatest fears, especially now, with the diabetes. But a stamp of approval for another year was all we need to head out for a big breakfast to celebrate. Apparently some psychic part of me started celebrating last night before I even had the appt . Went to Knit Night at The Sow's Ear and treated myself to some loot. They had gotten a new shipment of brilliantly colored, highly fondle-able and sparkly- shiny new yarns in and I ...

After apparently working off some very bad karma for a few days prior, I woke up yesterday and decided that praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, I was going to have me a good day no matter what The Universe threw at me. I would remain positive and upbeat and not let others attitudes decide my own. The day went swimmingly. Problems arose and were handled. Negativity and pettiness didn ’t even begin to penetrate my cleverly crafted positivity force field. I even arrived home to find a package from The Sow’s Ear on my doorstep. I hadn ’t ordered anything so I was surprised. I opened it to find a kit that I had won from a door prize drawing that I signed up for last Knit Night! It’s a groovy little purse kit made from lace yarn! Those guys are the greatest! Lady Luck was finally smiling on me! Things just got better today when I put my 40 cents in the coffee machine [yes I’ ve ventured into the dangerous waters of hot beverages again!] and cha ching ! Money started pouring out the c...

( Blogger won't let me title this so I'll do it here...) HEATWAVE PRODUCTIVITY Since southern Wisconsin was roughly the same temperature as the surface of the sun this weekend, I spent a lot of time in the coolness of the basement working on my mini quilt. The top is pieced and the borders are on! YAY !!!!! (I'll get a better picture when there is more light out. I took this one a little late in the evening. The Ricky Tim's fabric makes the background almost glow! I also finished one of my basket weave socks from the new Socks That Rock yarn from Blue Moon Fibers. The pooling was a little weird , but I really like the pattern. Gives the socks an extra little " somethin ' somethin '". Remember the old Hollywood legend that back in the day, when the filmed bedroom scenes, even between husband and wives, each person had to keep one foot on the floor at all times? I think it was the old Dick Van Dyke show that I heard that about. Anyway, so the question ...

Ben and I took a 3 mile hike this morning; early before it got too hot. We walked through a meadow that was like walking through a huge bouquet, there were so many different varieties of flowers blooming-Brown Eyed Susans , Daisies, Chicory , Purple Thistles, Butterfly Weed. Deep breath....and....sigh! What a way to start the day! We also saw an interesting wasp nest. From a healthy distance of course: We chatted a while with Mr. Groundhog: And then we came home and mourned the death of my hydrangea bushes. The thunderstorms last night knocked them all down: And now it's time to take a shower and get ready for the day! Fourth of July plans include a geocache , quilting and the movie "License To Wed". Doesn't get much better than that does it?! Have a great Fourth everyone!

Gosh the wheels fell of this day wicked early!It's been a trying day work-wise. For a bunch of folks that get a free day off tomorrow, everyone is in an unusually grumpy mood. Are you? If so, here is a photo my Mum took while she was here that proves that pets and their owners do tend to resemble each other after a while... Guaranteed to make you smile! This is Ben and the unflappable Mr. Bee:

I promised photos and here they are! Wow, seeing them all together makes me feel productive! This is a closeup of my wavy scarf!: Here is a long shot. It's laid out a little wonkey but you get the idea. (The color in the close up is true. It's Cascade Quatro.) Here is a basket weave sock I'm working on with the hand-dyed yarn that came with my latest Rocking Socks package. I started it at Knit Night and didn't make a mistake so you can tell it's an easy pattern! And last but not least, mini quilt blocks I have completed this week. They are paper pieced and about 4" square. The background blue-green swirl is from Ricky Tims. Went to friend D&T's last night for supper and had a great time. T made a stir fry to die for! Then we played a few games of Tsuro. Mr. Bee won every one of them so we all stomped off in a huff grumbling that he'd somehow cheated (or maybe just I did), but it was fun anyway. D & T have been working hard on the gardens that s...

I just got a cup of coffee from our vending machine. It overfilled the cup and some spilled on my right hand when I tried to get it out. It was very hot. I got it to my desk and went to set it down and more spilled; this time on my left hand, causing me to jerk, thus spilling a whole lot more. After I mopped up, I settled in with the remaining third of a cup of coffee, to catch up on Franklin's blog. I had just taken a gulp when I got to the 'Quaker dirty bomb' part and most of it came out my nose. I'm thinking I should hang up th hot liquid consumption for the day before I permanently injure myself. Still no picture of the Wavy Scarf, I know. I will post one this weekend. I promise. I actually had to rip back a ways and am hopelessly lost as to what row I'm on....Hopefully I can figure that out this weekend too. I'm not taking it to Knit Night that's for sure. I had to rip the whole thing out after I worked on it there last time. "Worked' being a...

Well, Mum's headed back to Maine. She was here for two weeks and we thoroughly enjoyed her. We did a few things like going to the casino, a dinner theater, a Lake Monona beer and pizza cruise, and Madison's Parade of Homes. We went hiking a bit, went to the movies (Evan Almighty was GREAT!), watched movies at home and played Phase 10. I got a little over half of a wavy scarf knit and she did the leg and heel of a sock. She even got to go to Knit Night with me and meet the gang. She also helped me with Mr. Bee's graduation party a couple of weekends ago. I will sorely miss her. I don't get to see her often enough or spend enough time with her. Ben will miss her too. As all good grandmothers, she was an unending source of kisses and snuggles as well a new patsy to throw the ball over and over again. Will try and get a good picture of the wavy scarf tomorrow when I get myself back together. I'm busy right now feeling sorry for myself that I live so far away from '...

Only 2 hours and 15 minutes left before Mr. Bee and I go on vacation for two weeks! We will be in and around town but won't have to go back to work until the 28th. Life is soooooo good; good food, rest, laughter and relaxation! Posting will probably be spotty. Have a wonderful start to the summer!!!!

Please?!?!? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much time for writing, what with wrangling the two yahoos. Took them out back for some tennis ball therapy the other morning and they collided. Grendel emitted a yelp and started limping terribly. We decided that if he was still limping at lunch then we would take him to the vet. Lunchtime came. The limp was even more pronounced. Greeeaaat . Grendel is my Boss' dog. I killed his bonsai tree last time he went on vacation. Things were not looking up for this dog caring thing to be my redemption. Took him to the vet and he wouldn't limp for her. He'd walk perfectly normally (all the while looking over his shoulder, smirking at me and whispering in a sing-s ong doggie voice "$60 bucks for nothing....$60 bucks for nothing..."). She said that they won't show weakness in a strange place, even if it really hurts, if they can help it. She checked him over and pronounced him fine-just a pull. She put him on doggie Tylenol and told us to make sure he rests for t...

Where is the time going????? All of a sudden tomorrow is June!?!?! How did that happen? I can totally see how the oil companies could be ‘unprepared for seasonal changes’. [That was the last reason I heard for the exorbitant gas prices….”Sorry American Public, we had absolutely no idea summer was coming this year! So in response to this huge surprise we will be offering second mortgages on your homes so you can afford enough fuel to get to work every day”] I’m not prepared for the heat. I’m not prepared for all of the events; weddings, graduations, festivals. Sigh! Time, she flies, no? I waxed all poetical-like about our Geocaching experience last weekend. But you know the old saying that ‘it’s always fun until someone gets hurt’. Well, Geocaching is always fun until you discover you’re infested with TICKS ! Ewwwwwww! We went to get a cache that was in high weeds and when we came out they were everywhere! We picked off as many as we could and still found more when we got home. I hate ...