kepler lurches forward

And could I have a worse picture?

All the pieces are now knitted and may be blocked at any time.  This sweater is truly an example of perseverance.  Taking. Forever.  But the day I can walk into Knit Purl in this sweater is the day I'm allowing myself some Blue Moon Fiber Arts worsted for a Baby Surprsie Jacket. So I'm keeping at it.

And I owe answers to a meme, for which Citymama and Hau have tagged me.  Gah.  This was a long one.  If I tag you and you don't feel like doing all this, I totally understand. But maybe do the crafty parts?

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

The Diaper Pail
the state of indiana
watching me grow
citymama

making (nee stitch marker)

Then select five people to tag

Heidi/Step Into My Thimble

Siri/Knitting Iris

Sarah/Cafe Mama

Gerald/Knitting Brow

Kim/Dioramarama

Now change the meme! I know that’s not what’s supposed to happen, but I just have to. I’m that kind of gal. The new people I tag will get a slightly different set of questions.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just moved to Portland from Corvallis, Oregon.  Corvallis is a small town I’d come to from Jersey City, and I had gotten really healthy there but also suffered from the shock of birks & socks and burley trailer culture. We were escaping for the relatively big city. We walked around in an ice storm with just one day to find an apartment, and found a beautiful one just a block from good coffee and a gourmet market, where we were very happy for a couple years before we bought our house.

What were you doing 1 year ago ?
One year ago I was 4 months pregnant, and on December 23^rd learned that Binx was a boy. I knitted some matching daddy socks and baby booties, and savored the last Christmas with time and energy to decorate the house and the ability to stay up late on Christmas & New Years Eves. It was a magical time, knowing that next year a little boy would be here, but still having that time together alone.

What were you doing 1 hour ago?
Sorting a gigantic 5’ pile of clean laundry. We’re currently at 4 Goodwill bags and going strong. 

Five creative things you want to achieve this year.
Working seriously on my psychedelic squares afghan
My first quilt/a quilt of Binx’s baby clothes
Sewing/applique
A Baby Surprise Jacket
A new series of collages based on Martha Stewart Living 

Five snacks you enjoy
Coffee (such is my “enjoyment” of this “snack” that it should be listed as all 5, and in fact the other 4 are all better with coffee)
Good cheese & good apples
Bread & butter
Salty french fries (especially from Burgerville)
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches 

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
Hmm, only a million? Doesn’t get you much anymore.
Buy a slightly bigger house in my neighborhood
Publish books that are good ideas and are written by people I love.
Ooh, I’m stealing this one from citymama: hire a full-time nanny but only use her when I needed her
Help a few small nonprofits that really need the money
This might take more than a million, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’d commission the muppets to perform Meredith Monk’s Atlas.  

Five bad habits
I have phone refusal. I avoid my phone, to the point of losing it repeatedly.
Rewatching Voyager so many times it becomes like the tide.
Not bathing Binx enough.
Leaving the dishes for Martin.
Doing the laundry halfway, so wet clean clothes sit in the washer. 

Five things you like doing
Knitting
Sunday NYT crosswords in bed
Reading sci-fi books or classic literature, especially in a hammock in the sun
Looking at knitting on the internet (weird, huh?)
Picking up Binx when he’s sleepy and feeling him sink into me and hearing him sigh with contentment.

Five favorite toys
My Toshiba laptop
The Chariot Cougar 1 that Bean's mom recommended. (OK, so I'll probably never use the ski kit, but I soooo love the fact that I could).
My Kitchen Aid mixer with grinder & slicer attachments.
My new ball winder.
The camera part of my phone. 

The next 5 movies in your netflix queue (if no netflix, 5 movies you want to rent)
Girl, Interrupted
Ken Burns Brooklyn Bridge
Millions
Six Feet Under, Season 4 Disc 2
Body Heat

Comments

[Cara]

You were in JC? HUH! I'm like five minutes from JC and my husband grew up there. Did you come to JC or were you from there. Very interesting! I can understand the culture shock.

Kepler looks beautiful. The yarn is gorgeous.

[Heidi]

OK I'll bite. It seems like a good turn-of-the-year thing to do.

Good luck with your Kepler--when it's all done you'll actually be able to wear yours! Mine's on the shelf until the baby belly is all gone...

[puppymomma]

I knew I like you for a reason! Everything IS better with coffee!

[christina]

I love the yummy chocolate colored background! Gorgeous. Love your list too. The Cougar really is the best thing ever, isn't it?

[Siri]

I really, truly am trying to get to this meme/chain letter thing. I answered some of these in a meme awhile back, so I'll link to that and then answer the rest. Lately, though, I've been in a bit of a slump about blogging and other things, trying to go through the piles of bags of fabric and the likes, attempting to get realistic about what I'll really use and what I can let go. You know, THAT kind of stuff. So, I'm not blowing this off, just taking my own sweet time...
Kepler's looking great. I've got some Tahki Donegal Tweed just itching to be made into a vest for C sometime soon-ish.