Ivory Ab. Fab. Kit

I'm 9 rows from finishing.
This is the Absolutely Fabulous Throw Kit from Colinette in Ivory. The textures are beautiful.
It's knit on a size 11 US.
I will be fringing until my fingers bleed.
It cracks me up when we shorten the name of this project to "Ab Fab" because of the reference to the Brit Com of the same name. This elegant blanket is so subtle and understated, and hand made, and 'real'. Such a contrast to the botox, hair spray, world of "instant coffee" and "make believe with Eddy, Saphie, Patsy... and the rest of the gang.

Television Review

Ahh, the boxed set of Pride and Prejudice. How wonderful.
I have NO love for daytime television. I have never understood the appeal of the soap opera. The concept of taking one story and dragging it out over 30 days just sends a shiver down my spine.

I do want to share my "top picks" for what to watch when you are recovering, and forced to stay low.

First, obscene amounts of Jane Austin. I suggest a comparison of all Jane Austin works. First, watch the BBC version, then watch the Hollywood version of the same tale. Then, call you mother, and discuss all the characters. Decide which Charlotte was better, which Jane was better, and who wins for costume and set designs?

Next:
Burn Notice. The new "intelligence/spy" show, set in Miami. Now, don't be confused, I did not say "intelligent".

My favorite from the BBC is "How Clean is Your House?" Now, this show is not for 'meal time' viewing. The two English women (and their armies) go in and shovel junk out of houses. They analyze the bugs they find in the carpet, and the bacteria they find on the counter, and they tell the owners of these hovels just how dangerous their living conditions have become.
They make such a flurry out of cleaning though, that it almost looks like fun! I am going to decorate a pair of gloves with feathers, and ribbons! And it makes you look around your own home and instinctively pick up a duster!

And finally have you seen "Flipping Out". Whew. The latest addition to the family of home make over reality shows. The spin on this one is that it is high stakes. Jeff, the OCD host is flipping property in the 1-4 million dollar range. His antics and tirades and compulsions are almost as large as the homes themselves. It is amazing.

Some Surprising things

There are some surprising things that I learned about the hospital this weekend. (Lessons that no one wants to learn)
A funny leftover: I have lots of snaps on my body. Adhesive snaps. We are joking about what we should snap on and off of them. They really hurt to pull off, and so I've had enough pulling and prodding, since I am not making a fashion statement right now, I'm just leaving them. Me and my snaps are hunched on the couch.


There is one amenity that is offered in an ER that should be adopted by the Ritz. In sharp contrast to the austire surroundings, they offer one "spa-like" treatment. If you say "I'm cold" in the ER , they open up a special warming oven that was kept at 156 degrees, and pull out a warmed flannel blanket, bring it over, and cover you up. It was so comforting and wonderful. (This is something that should NOT be tried at home. )

When I woke up in a bed, I turned my head to the side, and I tried to read all of the things that were written on the side of this bed. It was a hospital bed, of course, and therefore, adjustable. The funny thing is, at this point, the last thing I wanted to do was to move, anything. In addition to the instructions for the bed itself, there was a little extra sticker. I focused my eyes, not knowing if it was too dark, or I was not quite off the anestesia. The little sticker came into focus and it said "Call Homer" and gave a scrawled phone number. I loved that sticker. Who ever Homer is, he could in fact help anyone who was willing to call him. Should I be filled with hope? Or should I be scared by the fact that no one removed the note between patients? And who is named "Homer". What an unlikely name. Would "call Dave" be better?

That's okay. I 'called Rob'. I hope Homer and his people are doing well.

A new nephew

We have a new nephew in England. Yeah! They have 3 boys now! (It seems that if any one of our siblings and their spouses LOOK at each other, they have a child. We are STARING at each other. We'll let you know)

I made little embroidered onesies for the "new" one. It is quite something to attempt embroidery with a sewing machine, but I had fun. I like the texture, and the kind of "rough" approximation that it gave.



Then I did hoodie towels for all three boys. Those work up in a snap.

Off they go, with love, in a box.

Nutrition

In the grocery store today, I stood in line to buy my frozen box diet lunch. The older woman in front of me was buying a big bottle of Jim Beam, and a tray of day-old sale fudge brownies for her lunch. I read people magazine while I waited for her to pay.