Every Tuesday and Thursday night I am stuck in an over air conditioned classroom listening to a raving lunatic re-write history. I knit, try to keep quiet, and take notes. Occassionally I pipe up so that he can tell I am following along with the class, but otherwise, I keep my mouth shut. My brain is killing me. (*footnote number 1*) The first night (this is two 3 hour classes for a total of six so 12 hours a week) I knit on my market squares bag and totally slayed an entire skein of Kureyon. I just went ZIP! right through it. I joined a new skein and did the same thing the next night. Sheesh, I was thinking... I will be done with this in no time!! Then I brought kitty pi to school and worked on that for awhile. Then came Sea World and my trip to NobleKnits where I picked up the felted mice kit from Bully Wollies (5 cat toys, complete with yarn, jingle bells and a helluva alot of catnip) and I bombed thru all five mice, and kitty pi in one class. BUT that's where it gets interesting...

My knit sock kit swap pal is doing a charity thing and I have decided to knit some things for her charity. Driveby destroyed a ball of Kuryeon so I talked my sister into rewinding it into little balls just right for me knitting into little mice. So last night as I listened to my teacher ranting and raving his little heart away, I knit mice. I've knit about 11 mice so far. They are really fun. The pattern doesn't call for ears, but without ears, the just look like felted eggs, imo. So, before felting, after sewing them up, I find where the ears would go and pick up 4 stitches k 1 row, p 1 row, k1 k2tog k1, purl 1 row, and cast off. then I do the same thing on the other side. It gives them cute little ears. To start with I used smaller needles, but later I used the same sized needles as the bodies were knit with and post felted--- those mice came out looking better. LOL.
Back to my story.

• Abraham Lincoln didn't do the emancapation proclamation until his hand was forced by politics, this makes him and evil capitalist instead of the kind hearted abolitionist we have been taught he was. However, we should revere him because he was half-cast. Like about 1/3 of all of our presidents.
• Stonehenge was built by the Twa tribe of Africans. The proof of this is in the aerial photographs of it--- from above it appears to be an ANKH!
• Only white people can be racist
• The Hebrew people were really monotheist Africans fleeing a polytheist Egypt. Christianity a bum religion founded on a lie that rapes and pillages the true religion of the Afrikan people and that of Ancient Egypt
  
• Everything in this world was stolen from the black man by the white man
• In 1320 Mansa Musa brought 60,00 people plus 200 camels and over 40,000lbs of gold with him through the middle east. He gave so much of the gold away that along his path of travels gold was so devalued he caused a 20 year economic depression. (when I asked if this could have been a sound political tactic my teacher said it was probably an accident, he just wanted to share the love. imo no one spreads wealth like that around without reason)
• White people made up the word white and started calling themselves white during the reniassance. (ok fine, I believe this. BUT. KMT means BLACK and the ancient africans were calling themselves and aligning themselves with the word black for a very LONG freaking time so that can't exactly say that white people labelled them and then take the KMT arguement out and say look at this, can they?)
• oh and then he stops cold in the middle of a black history class to rail on the CLINTON administration for a solid 20 minutes. yes, ladies and gentlemen, the CLINTON administration. He believes that Clinton should have been impeached. When I finally had enough I flat out said, "I think it's a f--ked up world when a man can get hauled thrown into jail for getting a blowjob." (which would have happened if he'd been impeached.) That shut him up. I usually don't use such strong language in class but my patience had been .... anhilated. What does Clinton have to do with the CIVIL WAR?!

And what does my teacher have to do with knitting? The more I knit the more I see myself as Princess Leia and he as Jabba the Hutt. I picture myself leaping from my desk, throwing my circular needle around his massive neck (he is huge, not fat, just solid) and pulling. Of course, I wouldn't look nearly as good as Carrie Fischer... but seriously. I have taken to imagining things as well as writing derisive things in the margins of my notes. Which is really really bad.

Half of the time I don't understand what the hell he is saying because he DOESN'T EXPLAIN A GODDAMNED THING. He throws names and book titles out and theories, but he doesn't explain them and he doesn't back them up. Maybe, and this will come off sounding bad on my part maybe, but maybe if I wasn't at the tail end of my college career and hadn't taken all of my other critical thinking classes I wouldn't notice it, but really about seventy five percent of what he is saying is smoke screens bullshit and artifice. Plus, I think it's highly irregular that in his syllabus he flat out forbids anyone from bringing recording devices to class. (this looks like a profound cya tactic to me, but hahaha my little ipod doohicky is undectetable. I wish I could spell with a migraine)

Why don't I drop? It's an 8 week class. We're in week 3. That's like half way. So I might as well just suck it up and get it over with. I just wish he wasn't so blatantly racist and that I wasn't the only white person. And. THAT THIS WOULDN'T KEEP HAPPENING TO ME! When I was on Yearbook in the 8th grade I was one of 9 white people in a staff of 45. There were, I think, 20 white kids at my school out of 400. Once I got beaten on by this Mexican kid Andreas because a girl who didn't like me told him I called him a Beaner (not true.) He shoved me down and punched me in the face. In the 9th grade there were 1,000 freshmen less than 1/4 were white. And yet all my life I am told that I am the majority and I am the racist. grr. nevermind


Anyhow.

No more thinking.

I am making an appointment. Either one of my meds is giving me migraines, migraines are a side effect of the weight loss, or the stress from the class is giving me headaches. Either way, I am having doozies.

Take care.

As you can see, by the link to the right, I have added a button. I am working (not so hard, but I am trying) to complete my new layout and things will look nicer then I am sure. But anyways, I have made a separate blog for my knitting library. :) Check it out. Lovely books. What are some of your very favorite knitting books? What was the knitting book that got you through your first rough patches? Mine was Debbie Bliss How To Knit and the Better Homes and Gardens Guide to Needlework.

ttfn I am off for a weekend of fibery fun, visiting Wildfiber and NobleKnits in Santa Monica and San Diego respectively, some sunshine, a little fun on the beach, Sea World, and my seventh wedding anniversary. Once again we haven't made it back to Vegas, but one day baby, we will, I promise!

Angela

***edited***
I've been wearing my tiara all evening as I have been sitting at the computer; you know, I think I was born to wear a tiara.

Right. First, I am tardy in posting my pics of goodness from my Secret Pal8! So, without further ado, here you go:

Drive-By just had to get in on the photo op.
Click for an up close view, but it's sock yarn, a tiara, a note,
and some delicious smelling room scent! Thank you Secret Pal 8!!

And now, cuz I had to show you...

My growing tiara collection. Starting with my now favorite in the upper right hand corner is my SP 8's tiara--- it's heavy and silver, subdued and not so garish as the other two, and even better, actually fits my head! In clockwise order, my original tiara from the MOPs tea party where my table was decorated like for princess and I did the goblets and wands, and finally the one my friend J. sent me for 'being a true friend.' It's beautiful. And of course, they all go well with yarn. Quite flattering really.

The Questionnaire:

What are your favorite colors? Purples from lavenders and lilacs to deep, lush royals and magentas, I love purples. There's not many ugly purples, but you know them when you see them. LOL. Anything that is considered a "jewel tone" is going to be a hit with me because I love jewel tones, and lately I have been thinking pink, yummy yummy pink.

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? My first sock was about a year or so ago. I made the Crusoe socks for a teacher who had us read Robinson Crusoe for an English Lit class. I've knit a few pairs of socks since then.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Either/Or when it comes to socks.

What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? Think soft. I like soft things on my feet.

Where do you usually knit socks? Anywhere. They are usually my take anywhere projects.

How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a couple of small bags, and my favorite Lantern Moon silk bag that I love using. I am always on the lookout for new project bags.

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? I don't have any yet.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I don't have any yet. Wow, am I repeating myself?!

What new techniques would you like to try? Toe-up socks? 2 socks on the needles and the same time.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? dpns I love dpns. I almost always use size 1s. I tried using size 3s once and ended up with a garter belt... and I'm a hefty woman (and was heftier then... omg...)

What are some of your favorite yarns? I love Touch Me, but sock yarns? Socks That Rock and Lorna's Laces. I've never used Koigu, but it looks soft.

What yarn do you totally covet? Totally covet?? This sounds wierd cuz it's so darned cheap ($2.98 a skein) but Baby Cashmere from elann, and mountains of Socks that Rock.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Very Tall from Knitty, but lots of other things that I can't quite think of at the moment. A shawl or three from A Gathering of Lace, the Double Knit Woven rug from Simple Knits With a Twist...

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? My Denises and my size one bamboo dpns

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? oh gosh. I'd be royal purple touch me. ;) or lilac rowan cashsoft.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? :( now that I've had a gastric bypass :( not much.

What’s your favorite animal? sheep! penguins! alpacas! and now... angora bunnies...

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? I have a medium grey terrier something named Ozzy, a Lab/Dobie Mix named Roadkill, and a Manx cat named DriveBy. All of my pets are male. Their names are the result of haggling with your husband over getting them to stay by letting HIM name them.

If you were a color what color would you be? The same shade of purple that the summer sky turns and reminds you of a bruise, but a pretty one.

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).. My favorite shirt? It has Oscar the Grouch on it and it looks AWFUL on me.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Irises. I love irises.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. Hebrews 13: 2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" I am not a very scripture quoting person, but this is the most inspirational quote I've ever read. I remember it every day, in every person I meet and talk to.

Do you have a wishlist? Yes I do it's here:

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? Nothing I can think of!

Oh my. Now I'm in on the shameless furbaby posts too. But Drive-by looked soo... comfortable on the empty bookshelf perched one shelf below my homemade swift with his former favorite perch (the spinningwheel) in the foreground. This cat is craziness personified. :)

I have joined another swap, the knit sock kit swap, (click on the button in my margin) and here's my questionairre (which is also linked in my margin.)

A knitting we shall go a knitting we shall go...

I am trying (really) to get cracking on my podcast. I think I need a different program other than Audacity. Maybe not. We'll see. Megan and the phone interrupted me and then I did something utterly bizzarre and had to scrap the whole thing. next time, I need to remember LISTEN BEFORE UPLOADING!! very important.

My friend from work, Jacob, is tooling around on his guitar and working on a jingle for the beginning of my podcast. He also bought me a tiara, which is cool. BUT.

NOT AS COOL AS MY SECRET PAL BUYING ME ONE FIRST MWAHAHAHAHA

My SecretPal8 rocks HARD! She sent me a tiara!!! a scarf in what looks like noro (is it?) some room scent from bath and body works called fizzy lemonade, some pretty sock yarn, a note card that's a crown, and Knitting Rules! the tiara is freaking awesome people. Ok. I need to breathe again. It works perfectly because when I move the blog over to www.theknittingdiva.com I am chainging the header and wanted to use a new tiara. Yay! woot! Thank you SP8 for being dead on! *gush*

LOL

Now. Onto my little giggle fest. I bought almost 10lbs of alpaca fiber for the obscene ammount of $75. It's gorgeous. It's beautiful. It's so soft and pretty I don't even want to dye it. I haven't got carding equipment. Oh no! What to do?

Also, I'm horrendously sick with a cold. So without further ado I am going to leave you all with a link to my alpaca gallery (soo many pictures, you'll love it) and the funniest picture ever, it was on the front page of the Albuquerque Journal on Friday or Saturday last week and Brigitte and I laughed so hard we could hardly breathe:
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Angela, why is someone holding
a FAKE ARM UNDER THAT DOG'S MOUTH?" and "Why is the dog rolling its eyes?"

Millie is a very well trained puppy. And she looks adorable and happy, doesn't she? Thank you to the albuquerquejournal for the picture.

***************

After all of that, no alpacas?!

CLICK HERE FOR ALPACAS

Hi all. I am currently ensconced in a Holiday in somewhere in New Mexico, recovering from my massively fun, yet extremely harrowing adventure to the alpaca ranch. Needless to say I had a grand time visiting the alpacas and when I get home there will be very many pictures. I am not bringing home alpaca fiber in ounces but in pounds. I tried to get some camel fiber because they have a dromedary camel but they didn't have any :( however, Bruce promised to keep some aside the next time, just for me!! So yay!!

Yesterday was great fun, I got to touch alpacas, got kissed by a camel, saw a merino goat, a cashmere goat, and bought waaaaaaaaaay too much stuff. I spent $100 on acrylic yarn (everybody gasp and faint now. Half of that was on lionbrand HOMESPUN *shudder* for my grandma to crochet some afghans for us. She is terrified of good yarn, lol. So we went to dinner and indulged in SEX at JoAnns which was a first for her, she had alot of fun.) Today I am visiting a yarn store that shares it's footage with a cigarrette shop because it burned down (the yarn store not the cigarette shop) (lol) and last night we were joking around because my grandma told us the shop gets broken into ALL the time. "Yes," Brigitte said. "I can imagine. 'It's three am and I'm all out of my Koigu and I need to finish my socks godamnit....' " LMAO. That one went right over grandma's head.
"Girls," she patiently explained, "it's for the cigarettes." We just laughed harder. This trip had Brigitte buying 10 balls of yarn at discount and a new crochet hook and last night she started an afghan. LOL so now my evil plan is complete and we will spend our days in fibery bliss knitting and crocheting and drinking starbucks until the end of time. Oh wait--- there's not a starbucks within a fifty mile radius of here (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN????)

SOS