One year ago, I was experiencing a seriously rough time. Like, life-changing rough. I didn’t know WHERE I wanted to live, or HOW I was going to live. All I knew was that I was suddenly single, and that everything was changing. So much has happened in the past year. It’s so different, and so very good.

Now…

I love what I do every day. When I leave the house, I kiss the dogs and say “Bye, I’m going to knit!”. I never use the word “work”.

I am surrounded with friends. Not just any ol’ friends. Friends who look at me with a soft focus. They are slow to judge, and quick to help. They support me when I need it (or they send their husbands if it involves electricity or a lawnmower), and they call me out when I deserve it. They challenge me, they knit with me, they hold me, they make me laugh. They are introducing me to this new city, drinking wine with me at my house, and skipping dinner to talk with me on the phone. I’ve found friends who don’t expect me to censor myself or to try to impress them. They’ve seen me swear like a sailor with chipped nail polish, and they are still my friends.

I have a dinky, outdated, wonderful house. I have a big yard that has me complaining every week, but I love it. Every morning I wake up, make coffee, and open doors and windows to let the fresh air in and the bad dogs out. I’ve been here six months, and I haven’t even finished unpacking. It’s new and awesome to me every day.

I’m dating. I don’t talk much about it on verypink, but it’s really fun. (Enough said on that for now.)

I’m busy. I knit, I take photos, I teach knitting, I design, I hang with the dogs, I date, I see my friends, I watch old movies, I read, and I try to feed myself well. I manage all this, plus a 15 minute nap in the afternoon.

I’m learning. About who I am as a single person, and what I enjoy when there is no one else to consider. I’m learning about Austin, and air conditioning, and allergies, and photography. About food, and dogs, and other people.

I am so grateful. Every single day. I can barely remember the woman who was so sad and confused one year ago. Lookit me! Hey! I did it!

Thank you, thank you. For the support, the Christmas cards, and the emails. I don’t know how to express how much they helped. People actually email ME now to ask me how I made it through the turmoil. ME!

I am so happy, and excited to see what the next year will bring.

Happy Independence day, fellow Americans!

And welcome to the 2008 edition of the Fast-Topic-Changing Fourth of July.

I’ve been ignoring verypink for the last couple of weeks, but with a decently good reason. I also haven’t been taking as many photos as I normally do, so I’m recycling (recycling, good!) some of my self-portraits for this post. Let me explain…

	I’m not one to complain, but I’m also not one who normally gets headaches. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting crazy, sudden-onset headaches. I’m working with my doctor to figure out what’s going on in my head. In the meantime, I’m just trying to take it a bit easier. Please send good thoughts. Next…!
	In MUCH better news, I reached a milestone on my self-portrait project! Next…!
	Update on the little foster dog: Mia now lives with her new family in Calgary, and they ADORE her. It is such a happy story. Mia has a human mom and dad, two Basenji brothers, and one Basenji sister. Next…!
	Oh! Here’s the yoga mat bag that I didn’t manage to photograph before my last post. Perfect for a yoga mat, or arrows (if you’re Robin Hood). Ravelry details. Next…!
	Aaaaand some Christmas stockings I made as a store sample for The Knitting Nest. I should have put something in the photo for size reference…these are normal, big stockings. Perfect for gift cards, or lumps of coal. Ravelry details. Next…!
	Today could be interesting. It’s my first 4th of July in the new house, and I’m not yet sure how many of my neighbors will set off illegal fireworks. (Pretty stupid, considering the fact that Austin’s drought status is currently “Exceptional”.) Abe is terrified of fireworks. Last night he wouldn’t step outside when he heard some firecrackers.
	Ike? He’s alright. I’ve only seen him afraid of ONE THING the whole ten years that we’ve been friends…and that was a llama. Not much danger of seeing a llama today. Have a safe, happy Independence Day!

ME, the PERSON of VERYPINK, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Fast-Topic-Changing Friday.

	I’m so glad this turned out well, since it’s a gift and all. This is the Felted Yoga Mat Bag from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. It looks like a quiver (for arrows). The recipient gave me a fine Robin Hood monologue once he slung it on his shoulder. Next…!
	At The Knitting Nest we’ve started a “Countdown to Christmas” campaign, encouraging knitters to get started on knitted Christmas Gifts. One of my contributions is this stocking. It’s a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern, with a few mods. I’m really happy with the way it came out. The fabric is dense enough to hold a lot of gift cards.
	Aaaaaand, I’ve started a second one in green. Next…!
	I’ve had this little foster girl, Mia, for about three weeks now. We’ve found her a great new home in Calgary, so she’s going to be Canadian! Here she is, checking out the cabin of her flight capsule. You can imagine, I’m really going to miss her. Next…!
	Ever wonder what every color of Baby Ull looks like in a pyramid? Well, here ya go! Need some Cascade 220? Please buy it from The Knitting Nest’s new eBay store! We have every color! (This is kind of my baby, and I’d love for it to do well.) (Baby Ull will be in the store soon.) Next…!
	Several people have told me that my dogs are photogenic. I agree. I’ve also heard that they’re talented in the way that they hold still for photos. I never really thought about it until I started TRYING to photograph Mia. She. Won’t. Hold. Still.
	Ike’s all, lemme show you how it’s done.
	Abe’s all, yeah – I can hold still. Have a great weekend!

I was tagged for this photo meme by Kate, my long-time blog friend. I don’t normally do memes, but I loved the idea of using photos as answers…

Notice that I was able to squeeze in a photo of Ike and me…

The rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I’m not going to tag anyone for this meme, so if you’d like to play, consider yourself tagged. I’d love to see more mosaics, please drop me a note if you make one!

Have a great weekend!

I have another chapter to My Sensitive Security System…this time with photos!

It all starts calmly enough. Last night I was home from teaching a knitting class, watching Deadliest Catch and knitting. Abe is suddenly really interested in going outside. I put my knitting down and open the back door.

I plant myself back in my knitting chair. Then, over the din of crab pots crashing on the tv, I hear some strange doggie noises. Abe is making a frustrated yelpie-growl sound. I jump up to investigate.

	His focus is this fence. I move in closer.
	And I see these beady eyes. “All creatures great and small”…whatev. Possums give me the CREEPS. I find myself making this strange gargling noise of disgust in the back of my throat. Like a caveman sound.
	Naturally, Ike wastes no time getting in on the action. He can’t see the possum at first, but he can smell it. He knows something is there, and he wants it.
	The boys spend several minutes running around, trying to figure out how they can build a ladder with no thumbs. Then the frozen possum moves. It wobbles across the fence, sending the dogs into a frenzy. Then it FALLS, and Ike quickly snaps it up. Even though my skin is crawling, it is actually pretty cool to watch my dogs hunt. They are so instinctively good at it.
	I didn’t get many photos of this part, because I was really really trying to convince Ike to leave the possum alone. He doesn’t. He carries it around for a while, shakes it, drops it, carries it around some more…all while I keep making that grossed-out gargling noise in my throat.
	Luckily, my domestic dogs don’t associate “hunting” with “eating”. Food is something that I lovingly present to them in a bowl, not something that they have to catch themselves. Once the possum stops moving, Ike loses interest and comes in the house.
	And Mia? Does not care about the stinky possum.
	Once the dogs were in the house, I watched the motionless creepy rodent through the window and said to myself, “please be playing possum, please be playing possum.” Sure enough, the possum stood up and crept away. Drat! Maybe next time…right, Ike? Ewww.

Sort of a Fast-Topic-Changing Friday, except I’m going in chronological order…

	My mom sent me this photo of my niece, Molly Renee, in the Vestee I made for her. I love to see my handknits in action. Yes, this child is adorable. Next…!
	Last weekend, The Knitting Nest hosted Franklin Habit on his 1000 Knitters pre-book book tour. He is as charming and delightful as I imagined. Photo courtesy of Stephanie.
	And he left us a big present – a larger-than-life Dolores on a wall of store. I think everyone agrees that Franklin is invited back to Austin any time he’d like to come. Photo courtesy of Stephanie. Next…!
	Then. Then I got food poisoning. Oy. I was too sick to knit, or even watch tv. I wouldn’t wish salmonella on my worst enemy. Or a crocheter, even. (honk!) Next…!
	Once I started to feel better, I finished up this French Market Bag and felted it. Felted bags are GREAT for grocery shopping, especially in warmer climates. The felted fabric really works to insulate your cold food on the trip home. Next…!
	I also knit up this pair of Fetching. Both the French Market Bag and these mitts are samples for a “Countdown to Christmas” campaign we’re running at The Knitting Nest. Next…!
	Everyone is a little mad at me this morning. We were about half-way through our walk when it started absolutely pouring rain. According to three Basenjis, the rain is my fault, and they are punishing me by ignoring me. (They’ll get over it once they get hungry.) Have a great weekend!

Don’t touch that dial! It’s time for Fast-Topic-Changing Friday…with your host, Strawberry Shortcake.

One expects verypink to be a bit pink and girlie, right? Well, this week it’s double the long eyelashes, hair bows, and mani/pedis. Because…

	Suddenly there are equal numbers of boys and girls in this house. This is Mia, a girl I’m fostering for Basenji Rescue. Before I even brought her home, we stopped at the pet store so that I could deck her out in a pink collar and leash. She’s so petite and delicate looking next to my manly-men dogs.
	Isn’t she fit and spry for a 9-year-old? She already has my boy dogs wrapped around her little…umm…finger. She’s a sweet thing, and we’ll find a good home for her. (This is not going to turn out like my last fostering situation.) Next…!
	This is me, as Strawberry Shortcake. Not really. This is the beginnings of a French Market Bag. I’m making a sample for a class I have coming up in June.
	Abe had some fun with the yarn when I very foolishly left it within his reach for about ONE SECOND.
	I really can’t blame Abe for liking yarn. I like yarn, too. I just wish he would show his affection for it differently. Maybe he could just smell it, like I do. Photo taken by Alexander. Next…!
	Ike is a Master Chillaxer. Have a great weekend!

The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is Fast-Topic-Changing Friday!

If you didn’t get that, it only means that you don’t watch Judge Judy.

	Off the needles – another One Skein Wonder, but with some modifications. Like, two skeins. I added sleeves to this one, and used 2×2 ribbing instead of seed stitch. The sweater is cute, but I had a tough time with the photo session.
	Here it is, minus one grumpy model. Next…!
	For your yarn porn viewing pleasure… Say it ain’t so. It’s mostly Stacy’s fault, but I have STASH. And it’s growing. I had better get knitting. Next…!
	A quick plug for a talented friend…Melissa has a new Etsy shop called Sew Bendy where she sells her awesome hand-sewn bags. Perfect for knitting or whatever. Not only do I love these bags, but I love seeing Melissa so passionate about what she’s doing. Her passion totally shows in her work. Go look! Next…!
	I’ve had a goal this year to catch up on old movies I haven’t seen. I was doing okay on my own, then I happened to make friends with a guy who is a serious smartypants about movies. Now I have help. I saw this one yesterday on his advice. Loved it. btw…Ted Turner and your Movies Classics Channel? Yeah, you do me right. Next…!
	Speaking of old movies, here’s Ike, doing his best to look like Bambi. Have a great weekend!

Fast-topic-changing? Not today. There has been one constant topic all week. It starts with a “d”, ends with a “g”, and has a bunch of badness in the middle.

I’ve had custody of all four dogs this week.

	Little Lou…
	Manly Gus… This is a yoga pose called “peeing dog”.
	Handsome Abe….
	And Ike. Besides knitting and teaching classes, this is what I did this week. You can imagine, I was BUSY. And terribly happy.
	I still managed my self-portraits. Now that I’ve found this cinder block wall, I want to marry it and take a photo in front of it every day. Unfortunately, it’s already seeing someone and has only agreed to keep me as a fondle puppet.
	Kill! Kill! Have a great weekend!

Did someone say fast-topic-changing Friday? Okay.

It’s been a while since I’ve done this…almost a year, in fact. The text below was run through free translation software into Portuguese, then translated again back into English.

Here we go…

	The Abe acted strangely a day. It acted ridiculous, then I supposed to be fair in an arrangement. Later, I found my eyeglasses of sun in the quintal, gnawed and broken-down. They are ruined, but look happy, does not do they? Near subject…!
	It look what did I do! This is the Cord Gazes Shawl, a free standard of knitty. I high recomendo this standard. Very funny it knit. It is actually called the “Lace Ribbon Scarf”. Near subject…!
	This week in my project of self-portrait I did an “Impudent Knitting Stunts” series. This it is called “Blindfolded Clear Island”. Geez…you’re going to have to go to flickr if you want to know what I really said. Near subject…!
	Canine macros of face! The Ike all, camera? Yes, please!
	Abe? Not really so lively about the idea. Have a big weekend and a Mother happy Day!