Posts for category ‘Testing’

When I drove into Blacksburg on October 31st, it was not to play in the holiday festivities. I was coming into town to seek new opportunities and investigate what I had to do in order to go back to school. Due to financial circumstances, I did not bring the Boys as expected. Doing so was a smart idea since I was going into an unseen apartment on blind faith. Richie and I both figured the move would be temporary, so why chance it with the Boys?

Meanwhile, as I am settling in the new digs, I figured that I should test out another theory inspired by my friend Erin (aka LittleWit on Ravelry) of the “Half Acre Goods” blog. In the movie “Runaway Bride” starring Julia Roberts as the leading lady, is Maggie, a woman who is known to get cold feet on her wedding day. Richard Gere, as the reporter Ike re-covering her story after writing one based on false impressions, is the antagonistic leading man. At some point of the movie, Maggie is asked the question how she likes her eggs. It turns out that she has no idea because she always chose whatever way her fiances ate them. In other words, she has never found herself and known what she truly wants. That is the situation I recently discovered. I have always hated eggs (Richie will vouch for this fact). It took me years to tolerate eating them (one egg scrambled wet with 8 ounces of cheese) and I had no idea how I truly liked my eggs, myself, and my life.

So when I drove in the other night and stopped at the grocery store, I picked up a dozen eggs for experimentation. I already knew that I liked both Greek/Mediterranean omelets (feta, spinach, tomatoes, and olives with sliced up bacon) and my twisted version of Spanish eggs (scrambled wet with cheese, tomatoes, garlic, bacon, and sauteed onions). Both omelets however are ingredient-heavy and would be more fun to make with another person, not when I am living alone. Now I am willing to try new recipes. Currently I have added to the list:

• Swedish egg pastries: Put phyllo or pastry dough at each cup bottom of a sprayed mini-muffin tin, crack a whole egg into the cups, sprinkle with Swiss cheese and pepper, then bake.
• Old Bay Hard-boiled: Place 2-4 eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes, turn off the burner and leave the eggs for another 3 minutes, crack open and serve with Old Bay seasoning. (Completely accidental because I only had celery salt and white pepper at the time, and spied the Old Bay.)

With my search on discovering eggs, I am slowly discovering myself. I will be shaping my place to what I envision and not to another person’s expectations. For those reading, be advised that I may be posting entries on my latest egg experiments. It should go without asking, what are YOUR favorite egg recipes? =:8

Like everyone in the world, I have many faces and hats. I began blogging years ago on LiveJournal to keep a personal diary, and still use it to catch up on various groups of interest. I have such a gamut of loves: Classic Ford Mustangs, surfing, rugby, MLB baseball, American football, automobile racing, house rabbits, knitting/crocheting, information technology, 3-phase electricity, working out, food, and wine. The last three are intricately linked because of my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. I have been fortunate to learn a great deal about my loves after being “tossed into the deep end” of discovery. My passion allowed the knowledge to sink into my head, and I have been able to use that knowledge accordingly when needed. There is always one exception. In my case I have two: the worlds of IT and 3-phase.

The lack of paper credentials to support all that tucked away knowledge has been a thorn in my side. In today’s job market, those credentials matter to a company’s human resources department. The problem is larger for me: I have never tested well on exams after high school. I managed with difficulty to acquire the college credits that I have now, but still am a year’s shy of graduating after leaving school 15 years ago. Some years ago, I discovered my niece had a similar problem with her studies, and I realized with relief that our struggles were from a learning disability of digesting what we studied aurally. Unless we wrote down a lecture word-for-word or took incredible notes, the spoken information never sank into our minds unless we were extremely focused on the subject matter. It also explained why my brain readily discarded information I was no longer using on a daily basis — my interest for the topic in question was gone.

Recently the challenge of becoming a Certified IS Auditor (CISA) was presented to me, and after a bit of thought I accepted it. In order to ensure I do not have to repeat this pricey test in June 2010, I have been kicking around different approaches on how to be comfortably embedded with the material for December’s exam. My “aha moment” hit: blog about it. By doing so, I will be confirming that I had grasped the concepts. I would also be reviewing what I learned in a form of a presentation, and would be able to discuss the details with others.

So why all of this information? One item I learned at Podcamp was that whiplashes of topic changes can freak out a reader. Until I revamp this little website into the envisioned sections that I want to incorporate, I want to warn everybunny of my plan to post the CISA entries. Meanwhile, I do plan on re-starting my diary of fibery visits, and am looking forward to the Fiber Revival in Newbury, MA (which is run by the talented and amazing Julia from “Moth Heaven” and Twist Collective fame) tomorrow. I also will be topping the day with a visit to Joppa Fine Foods to get some Jeni’s Ice Cream. As for Sunday, I am going to sneak a peek of the “Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice,” exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Feel free to come join me! =:8

Hi Everybunny,

Kerry from my Facebook friends had tagged me on this meme, and I thought I would hoppily participate.

To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 3’s of Me, tag yer friends – in the right hand corner of the app – then click publish.)

Three names I go by:
1. Kimberly
2. SomeBunnysLove
3. SBL

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. Account Executive
2. Configuration (Electrical) Engineer
3. Software Breaker QA Tester

Three Places I Have lived:
1. Blacksburg, VA
2. Attleboro, MA
3. Warwick, RI

Three Favorite Drinks:
1. Earl Grey (hot)
2. heavy red wine
3. Mojito

Three TV shows that I watch:
1. Anything MLB
2. Anything NFL
3. Anything VA Tech football related

Three places I have been:
1. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
2. Billund, Denmark (home of LEGO)
3. Toronto, ON Canada

People that text me regularly:
1. Rich
2. J
3. ummmm… I try to avoid texting unless it is an emergency.

Three of my favorite dishes:
1. Most Filipino cooking — especially pancit!
2. Jeni’s Ice Creams
3. Mike’s Beef BBQ Ribs

Three things I am looking forward to:
1. The chance to start work soon.
2. A visit to Jeanne’s shop “Unwind” in East Greenwich, RI.
3. Going back to VA to celebrate Anita’s 40th and my niece’s 10th birthdays.

Three friends I think will respond:
1. N/A
2. N/A
3. N/A
(I refuse to tag folks because I know how busy everybunny can be!)

Hope you enjoy these fun answers! =:8

1. What color is your toothbrush?
I have 3: 1 green, 1 purple and 1 orange

2. Name one person who made you smile today:
J

3. What were you doing at 8 am yesterday morning?
Sleeping in late.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Crawling on the web.

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
Toss up between Skor and Heath Bar

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Yes

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
Who’s hungry? (to the bunnies)

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Something with chocolate and toffee

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

10. Do you like your wallet?
Yes

11. What was the last thing you ate?
Ate?

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No, unless yarn counts?

13. The last sporting event you watched?
Red Sox baseball game last night in Fenway (They lost to the Oakland Atheletics)

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
kettlecorn

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message too?
J

16. Ever go camping?
Have yet to do so.

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
No

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
Not anymore

19. Do you have a tan?
Yes — albeit a natural one.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
Hmmm… It depends on my mood.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
No

22. What did your last text message say?
“Later”

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Applying for jobs and looking for work.

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
Skipper (my giant Paddington Bear)

26. What color is your watch?
I do not wear a watch.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?
My friend Donna with her bunny Twinkie, surfing, and fine merino wool.

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Depends on my mood too!

30. What is your favorite number?
9

31. Who’s the last person you talked to on the phone?
J

32. Any plans today?
hehe. Nada.

33. How many states have you lived in?
Four: California, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
The difficulty of finding work.

35. Last song listened to?
Do movie soundtracks count?

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Dear no!

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
I wanted to when I was making a nice salary, but DH said NO.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Lately, it is a toss up between my sneakers and MJ clogs.

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
Yes, whenever I have doubts about myself.

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
Now that is a laugh!

41. Do you love anyone?
Yes. Truly, madly, and deeply.

42. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Lots of forum moderating job hunting.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
Hate is such a strong word.

45. Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily?
Yes

46. What color is your car?
Civic: White
Mustang: Red

47. Do you like cats?
Yes, but I am allergic to them

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
Yes

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes, 3 of them: California; Springfield, MA; St. Louis, MO.

50. How did you get your worst scar?
From being run over by a motorcycle when I was 9 years old while riding my bike.

You’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC’s of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you – but not in a creepy stalker kind of way. Actually, it is in a stalker kind of way and you might want to consider looking into a restraining order.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your ABC’s of Me, tag 26 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

A – Age: 39

B – Bed size: Queen

C – Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom

D – Dogs or cats: BIG dogs

E – Essential start your day item: testing Blood sugar, then a run

F – Favorite color: orange

G – Gold or Silver: White Gold

H – Height: 5′ 3-3/4″

I – Instruments you play: Used to play the piano, but now will only play for whom I am in love.

J – Job title: Jill of all trades

K – Kids: None — I have only met one person I could imagine of us raising children.

L – Loud or quiet: Quiet thought white noise is somewhat soothing.

M – Mom’s name: Norma

N – Nicknames: Kc, Kimi, Kimber, SomeBunnysLove, SomeBunny, SBL

O – Outlook on life: Sunny

P – Purpose in life: Enjoy life by making the most of what talents I have been gifted.

Q – Quote from a movie: (Too many to list!) Here are four:
“As you wish.”
“A girl becomes a woman when she brings out the best in a man.”
“I just surf cause its good to go out and ride with your friends.”
“Clear the mechanism.”

R – Right or left handed: Left

S – Siblings: 1 sister

T – Time you wake up: As of late, it depends when I can fall asleep.

U- Underwear: Comfortable

V – Vegetable you dislike: Bitter melon

W – Ways you run late: When I am caught up in the Web.

X – X-rays you’ve had: Face, teeth, chest, knees, and left ankle

Y – Yummy food you make: Too many to list! Latest would be my Shrimp and Bell Pepper Salad.

Z – Zoo favorite: Da BEARS!

Okay, I do hope everybunny enjoys these answers! =:8

This past week was full of lovely goodness. I managed to file for unemployment, sort out some financial items, and get packages in the mail. The snow has melted substantially; enough that I could open the windows to release the stale house smells and to draw in fresh air. Adding the couple of WIPs (works in progress) turned into FOs (finished objects), and there appeared a hoppy bunny dancing away. My little warren however did not share the same enthusiasm and protested my loud steppings with obviously disapproving looks.

Introducing the packages, I begin with the much anticipated one from Jessica, aka BunnySquirrel on Ravelry. Hers was actually a replacement to the lost one she had sent in the mail early January. After three weeks, we realized the package became a no-show and she promptly pulled another set of goodies for me. This time, she added sugarless treats that would appeal to me and appease my doctor. Does Jess rock or what?

Two more packages in the mail arrived to cheer me up. A while ago, I destashed some yarn to a delighted somebunny in Sweden. Recently Ulrika was out shopping and spied some bunny stickers and matching fabric. She promptly purchased and mailed them to me. I love how the blue stickers are identical to the red fabric. If looking closely, two different rabbits are hidden. (See them yet?) The other package contained another square of soft fabric — white rabbits playing with beach balls in the green grass. The Japanese print has a beautiful shine and I am going to need help on translating the label. Yumi or Hiroshi, help?

If there is one thing I have learned in life, it is refusing to settle and be content with whatever is handed to me if I want something better. I love applying one of my favorite quotes towards everything I desire: “A thought came to you for a reason. PURSUE it!” The energy required for that gusto can be taxing. For the past few months I relied on caffeine and unhealthy food as my fuel. Now I am paying for it after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and outrageously high amounts of cholesterol. After being told to cut eggs, butter, and starch in my diet, I decided to create dishes without denying myself flavor. So here is the first of my spontaneous recipes that are more health-conscious and are guaranteed to delight one’s taste buds. Please note that the measurements are estimates. I like to toss items together until they “look right” to me. Bon appetit!

Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
1/2 cup flake coconut (optional)
2-4 tablespoons olive or canola oil (or 1-3 tablespoons sesame oil)
1/2 – 3/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon red/cayenne pepper
1/2 -3/4 cup coconut rum
1 pound of 31-40 peeled and deveined shrimp
pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions
Toast the coconut by spreading it on a non-stick cookie sheet and baking in the oven according to package instructions. Set aside. Heat a 12-inch or larger skillet, tossing the oil, onion, garlic, and parsley. Adding cayenne, rum and shrimp, begin simmering on medium heat. When the liquid has reduced to half, add red pepper flakes and toasted coconut. Start watching the skillet contents because the shrimp will begin to caramelize due to the rum. When that happens, serve immediately with a favorite salad or side dish. =:8

Reminder: My Contest ends on the 17th of March — Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States. So far, only a couple of folks have attempted to name the yarny goodness from my stash in the photo. Admittedly, there are some items that have not been added yet, so please consider them a challenge.

Recently in Ravelry, I requested that pants be drawn on my Ravatar (avatar in Ravelry). I had to ask the mighty all-knowing Bubbo for them. Listed below is my request, her answer, my response, and Bubbo’s reaction…

My Request
Oh Great Bubbo,
I am down at your feet on all fours, and humbly beseech thee for a pair of clown pants.

Bubbo’s Answer
I love bunnies. I want to own bunnies. I think you should post many pictures of bunnies and a picture of a bunny doing something bubbo pants related.

My Response
Okay, I did some digging for more of Jessi in her pants, and found these “clickable to make bigger” baby photos:
“Hello! I’m just a cute baby girl. My name is Jessica; I love you both!”
(My butt she loves me!!)

Leaning against her train set:

In her play basket:

Cleaning herself:

My hubby’s favorite:

And my favorite:

Bubbo’s Reaction
oh my god go get pants!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I did good. Next post? Hmmm… How about my trip to meet up with “The Boring Knitter” at Lucy Lee’s LYS, Mind’s Eye Yarns? And do not let the name fool you, The Boring Knitter is FAR from boring! =:8

I wish I could give a hug to everyone that commented on the last post! The wonderful memories of last week are what keep me going at work. Why? There never was a reason to admit that I have been depressed at my current job for quite some time. The problem is that my yearly review demonstrated how my unhappiness was apparent in my lack of initiative and poor performance. To be frank, I was expecting security to escort me out of the building after the review. However being told that your entire office has no faith in your work and refuses to work with you is quite an eye-opener. Granted I am extremely anxious because I find the department’s approach taken on Quality Assurance very condescending to the customer. But that is my humble opinion… If folks are wondering why I am not worried on co-workers reading my little blog, it is because I am seen as a knitting idiot who has nothing worth reading. Comforting thought, eh? Now on to better and MUCH more enjoyable thoughts…

Looking at the names who signed my little book on February 6th, I continuously smile in recognition. Here are the delightful ladies I met who have an online presence:

• Britta, on frk.storm, is gaffah on Ravelry and is the founder of the Ravelry Danish Knitters group
• Carina, blogless for now, is carinamaria on Ravelry
• Bettina, on Hjertet pa Vrangen, is pepsimags on Ravelry
• Tina, on A Knitting Chick!, is tpoulsen on Ravelry
• Tineke, on I Knit-a-Little, is striktyni on Ravelry
• Julia, on Aalerusen, is JuliaZahle on Ravelry
• Inge, on Madsen’s Strik, is im201959 on Ravelry
• Elisa Marie, blogless for now, is not on Ravelry yet
• Pia, blogless for now, is piaknits on Ravelry
• Irene, blogless for now, is not on Ravelry yet
• Hanne, on Har Du Nu Købt Garn Igen, is 2knitornot2knit on Ravelry
• Anne, on Hverken Fugl Eller Fisk, is anlist on Ravelry
• Maiken, blogless for now, is mairol on Ravelry
• Susanne, on Dyrholms Hjørne, whose Ravelry id escapes me for now
• Susanne, owner of Tante Grøn garn shop, is susannepia on Ravelry
• Ingerlise, blogless for now, is ingerlise on Ravelry
• Jette Marie, blogless for now, is Strikkemarie on Ravelry
• Maja, owner of BC Garn, is LittleBobo on Ravelry
• Jette, owner of Danmarks Mindste Forlag, is danmark on Ravelry

For the beginning of some fun stuff, I discovered this contest for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Inspired by that along with:

1. my 3rd year blog anniversary is next month
2. I missed celebrating my 1500th comment
3. my stash needs a fun little uplift

I decided to have a contest!
However it is not going to be easy. Here is the information:
The first person to email me (please feel free to use my Contact Me page) all the yarns with their colorway in the following photo below is going to get a fun package. It can already be assumed that coffee syrup will be in the goodies — my signature! To give folks a good chance to complete this challenge, I will take the last entry on March 17th — Saint Patrick’s Day — at 11:59PM-ET. The winner on will be announced on my anniversary — March 20th. Good luck!! =:8

Sometimes, Life pulls me toward directions that are unexpected and nowhere in my scope. My schedule is disrupted, and timelines are delayed. In the back of my mind, there was an urgency to remedy hurts in the past. These old wounds had allowed the righteous vengeful side of me to rise up and lash out without hearing explanations. I do have a bad habit of talking without thinking, and that goes for writing too. Those urgencies may be the reason why my brain has been so scattered as of late. The priorities between home, knitting, work, and the bunnies are scrambled.

A great example is the green Caron yarn that mysteriously screamed to be knitted. All other projects had to be pushed aside until I heeded its call. I even have other green yarns in my stash that would make a better fabric, but the Caron demanded to be made. Acquiesing to its wishes, I grabbed the giant one pound skein and size US8 needles. I did a quick search on Ravelry and discovered an old favorite “I want to make that someday” pattern, the Pinwheel Baby Blanket by Genia Planck. After I did the i-cord bind off and washed it, I folded it and it sat on my lap for a while. The color reminded me of my SP8 Pal, Molly. Recently on Ravelry a thread opened up about bad swaps, and the old hurts came back. After I wrote my words, I realized that I was blinded in anger from the “life got in the way and that’s that” words. A great friend read my posts and assured me that I was not ranting. Yet I know why the blanket wanted to be made. It wants to go to Molly as a peace offering. OCD has set in to find her and see if she is on Ravelry yet. If she is, I will apologize if my words hurt her, but I really was hurt too. Maybe I should write out the e-mail message I drafted and snail mail it with the blanket. Or maybe I should just let bygones be bygones and give it to charity. I think that would be a better solution.

There is another blanket in the making, Jen and Chris’ blanket. It is a log cabin style inspired by the 08-Autumn colorway and includes others yarns in ivory, brown, grey, and tan. I had knitted about a 2-foot square of this blanket and decided that I am going to frog it and then re-knit it. Why? Because instead of binding off each finished side then pickup new stitches, I kept the stitches live by putting them on a 47-inch circular. Until someone pointed out that the blanket will not be increased by much, I made the executive decision, but still have not ripped it up yet. I want to photograph it before I do so.

For more of my current project load, there are umpteen pairs of socks, 3 more baby blankets, one which happens to be a test knit. I am still trying to finish my other test knits – a pair of socks, a hat, and a child’s vest. The socks have been started, but I am not crazy about the yarn I chose. I may have to frog that one too and re-knit. The test hat has an error in it, and I am awaiting the chart corrections by the designer. As for the vest, I have to switch yarns and re-knit, but it is a fun project.

Because my FO juices needed flowing, I knitted up a couple of orange and maroon hats which will go to the “Knitting for VA Tech” KAL. These Hokie hats are based on 72-stitches in the round and were a quick fix to satisfaction. My apologies for no photos, but I will have them up soon. Daylight has not be kind to taking photos this past weekend, and if I take them during lunch on the weekdays, I find myself wanting to stay out of work! Until then, I give you a Saturday Sky from two weekends ago when Rich and I were running errands after seeing the VA Tech football team win their first game. =:8

I have a Saturday Sky today! But I am was having issues getting it off the camera… For those wondering, the above tilting image happened when I stuck my camera-laden hand through my sunroof to take photos. Work has been hectic. While trying to see about getting ahead in the company, I was told that I needed to find out what the going rates for what a software QA engineer that did my work would be. Not sure how to go about this process as of yet. I am guessing that besides checking online, I need to contact a number of companies and get their salary lists. What puzzles me is that I have basic data center facility knowledge, IT networking, and now Cold Fusion with basic HTML. I test an application that is internet-based with ties into Javascript, Lotus Notes, and Oracle via IBM’s Websphere. When I began my current position, it was made quite obvious that I was not the desired candidate that management wanted. The only reason I was accepted was that the first person chosen for the job realized what enormous tasks would be needed and the salary was not worth the stress.

So over two years ago I began a job that physically secluded me with a team six time zones away. I was left without any solid direction, and as from my old job, I did whatever I had to do to get my projects done. Unfortunately for me, I never found out that what I was doing was wrong until afterwards. Being independent and left alone did not allow me to think and progress. My way of dress and work drive is a bit more businesslike than everyone else’s in Software. Discussing “key decisions” in the heat of an emergency is for those higher in rank to act upon the next day instead of immediately helping the customer. The fact that the friends of mine who are managers in other departments are those that my upper management excludes me to talk to does not help my situation.

Nowadays I dress down with jeans and am slowing down to everyone else’s pace. Slowing my pace has become a definite must, especially when my speedy thoroughness was never considered an effort worthy of rewarding. I have diverted all that effort into the knitting world (remember the Banner for the Today Show and my work in BKOAC?) and Ravelry, and hope we all benefit from it. If it were not for knitting, I would probably quit everything and sink into a corner of sadness. And for those wondering if anyone from work reads my little blog, the answer is no because they could care less about what me and what I do.

When not working, I am mostly on Ravelry. There is so much to talk about, I almost cannot begin out of giddiness. For those not checking Ravelry’s blog as of late, Casey and Jessica have dedicated themselves full-time. This wonderful application should be in every web-savvy knitter’s box of tools. Ravelry contains a way to track projects, stash, patterns, events, and friends. Forums exist to cover all sorts of topics. The databases use tags to help everyone seek out the perfect pattern to go with stashed yarn and vice versa. I do have one particular reason for hanging out in Ravelry. Besides uploading my own stash, I have been helping out Casey and Jessica as one of their yarn/pattern editors. I work exclusively on tidying up what yarn has been entered by all of us (myself included). I admit that becoming an editor began because seeing “Jade Saphire” and multiple “Sea Silk” entries bugged the dickens out of me (QA remember?) and I volunteered to help. Also there has been more participation in some of the forums, because I enjoy seeing what everyone else is doing and thinking in our fiber-filled world.

How about checking out some photos of cute rabbits? I thought everyone would get a kick how Jessica and Zydeco greet me when I come downstairs every morning. I get about the same enthusiasm with the Boyz, but it does not seem as cute. As of late, I discovered that picky Julius goes crazy over dried mango. Other treats he takes gingerly, but the mango? Whoa! He would not stop jumping at my feet.

Last Saturday during WWKIP Day, I celebrated at Sakonnet Purls with Erica and Eileen from the RI Stitches Meetup group. It was Eileen’s first time there, and we stressed that she needed to check out the Sale Shed with all the Debbie Bliss goodies in there. I did some stash enhancement as expected with another ball of Bristol Yarns’ King George, a ball of nubby silk, and a hank of soft buttery Manos. Afterwards Eileen and I headed out to search for a tearoom which Erica had to decline for more hardy food. We did not find one and ended up snacking at a local grill. I cannot recall the restaurant’s name, but it was good.

Tuesday night had some special bunnies at PetSmart. Lindsey, Cassidy, and the duo of Paddy and Nudges let me grace their presence. Lindsey was her funny self as last week. I am just glad she did not fight when I trimmed her nails. From what I understand in the volunteer book’s notes, her nickname is “Spaz” due to her tendency to freak out when handled. Luckily, I must have the “Lead Bunny” aura for most of these kiddos. As for Paddy and Nudges, they dislike interaction with everyone but themselves. I tried playing ball with both but all I was given were sound thumps of disapproval. I left them alone during their “out time” and they were quite happy.

Sweet silent Cassidy tore at my heartstrings quite strongly. He was one of the Flemmish Giant/Mixes that were rescued from a home’s backyard business of raising rabbits for local meat markets. He never stirred when he was in my arms, and would shove his head under my chin and nudge my neck while I held him. I had brought the papaya treats for all of the rabbits, but Cassidy looked so confused and refused to have anything to do with the bits of sweetness. Seeing his reaction to the food almost had me in tears. Putting any treats within reach of my bunch would create happy craziness. I almost brought him home that night. He is by himself without another rabbit for comfort. I really wish he was with us!

Thursday night was shared with the Ocean State Knitters and Crocheters Guild. We all brought in finger foods (from me, chicken wings and fried mashed potato bites) and items to share in a silent raffle. I was unlucky and did not win anything, but I see it as destashing my DB Cotton DK in apricot. Who is the lucky person that won this yummy goodness? Kristen is! We need to cheer because that is less yarn in my stash! I also could not stop ogling Sue’s lace shawl WIP. For this project, she handpainted lavender and lime on grey silk. I am looking forward to seeing her shawl when it is finished.

There are more items to share, and all are knitterly ones. The shawl I cast on June 7th has been slowly progressing, and I received the beautiful stitchmarkers I bought as gifts for future swaps from Kristen’s Etsy Shop. Recently, my name was drawn among a few others as one of the best pals for Knitters’ Treat Exchange. I received a nice package from Ireland by the gracious hostesses. I also received a fabulous surprise in the mail today, but that will be shown in the next post! =:8