So some of you may have heard about our refrigerator dying. Had to buy all new perishables, despite a valiant effort by the only roommate home to get things on ice in the two styrofoam containers we had. Great fun. At least we got a brand new fridge. So pretty!

Next my bike started acting up...again. I've had it long enough, ride it enough, and just generally abuse it enough that some of the cables for braking and gear changing purposes loosened up. Actually, the back brakes loosen up a few months ago and I took care of them. This time it was the front derailler. This time I would have also tried to do it myself, but the screw holding the cable on was so tightly rusted on that the guys at the bike shop had to use the grinder to get it off. Also had soft tires and a wonky chain, but those were easily fixed with my tire pump and chain lube.

Then I killed the apartment's blender. Luckily I brought my own, which is nicer anyway. Damn pesto. This is why I want a food processor! I think it may have still been working when I finished with the pesto, although the smoke caused great concern, and was the reason I rapidly unplugged it. A couple days later I mad a blueberry shake, and while it valiantly tried to come back on, the poor blender finally gave up the ghost. Good thing I had my blender on hand.

Finally came the phone. Yes, my trusty cell phone broke. The hinge just went kaput. So I had to go get a new phone. And then, well, all the pictures transfered....but not the contact list. So I spent an hour and a half last night transferring all my contacts over. Great fun, let me tell you.

Hopefully four will be all. Hopefully.

Hopefully this weekend will also be one of the last searching for home improvement items. (Yeah right). Still looking for a knife block, sewing macine and fabric for curtains, tall table for the kitchen, and I also need to pick up more mulch for a path. Tired of tripping on stuff in the dark when going to get laundry. Also hopefully going to hook up with the cycling club here. Here's hoping I can keep up.

<a href="http://teamfloridacycling.org/cycling/aff/62/1" >Team Florida Cycling</a>

Hey, it could happen. Maybe today I'll go on a short run or ide when I get back from work. Maybe it will help me get in shape. Hey, it could happen! Maybe Saturday I'll find everything I need, my bike will never break again so badly I can't fix it, and I'll finally get those seeds started this weekend. Hey, it could happen!

I'm gonna need alot more chain lube though...

I always forget how much I hate Excel...until the next time I use it again. At least its all in the right format...I hope. At least my job is better than last year. I know what I'm doing for one. For another, I actually get to spend some time in the field (dying from heat and bitten by mosquitoes) and the lab (actually more likely to get bitten by mosquitoes there). So even if its still a little boring (we count mosquitoes...also very exciting), at least it gets me off the computer, which makes me happy. I also have more human contact, so I'm not slowly getting more crazy and antisocial. Instead I'm maintaining my normal level of insanity.

Completely enjoying my new car. Blue Honda Fit Sport. It drives so well, and is so much fun, as well as having pretty good seating and lots of cargo room. It's AC works great (lifesaving in Florida), and it has cruise control and is a manual. What more could a girl want?

In knitting news, pretty slow. Tried to start decreasing for the neck of Mom's vest, only to realize I planned wrong. Have to rip about 4 inches out. Grrr. Oh well. Its not like there's a rush. Its a hot summer.

Still don't have Internet access at the house I'm at. Which is why I still haven't uploaded pictures from my last trip onto Facebook. And awesome pictures they are. Maybe I'll physically hookup, since it's the wireless password we can't figure out.

In the meantime, back to work.

Lizzy the Lizard Pattern

By Katie Buckley

Materials:

1 ball (or less…probably only need 100 yds or less) of green yarn, dk/sport weight

Size 3 double pointed needles

Stuffing

Large needle

At the tip of the tail…

Make a slip knot and purl one (p1) through it. Turn (T) and knit one (k1). T and p1, T and k1, T and make another stitch by looping the yarn over the needle, k1. *slide stitches to other side of needle (slide) and k2* repeat 6 times, make another stitch K2, *slide and k3* repeat 2 times. Now, here it gets interesting. Animals have bendy limbs, with scary things like elbows and toes. A lizard’s tail may…oh no!...curve! Well, have no fear, here is where short rows come in. Depending on how many short rows you add to one area makes a straight cable rope become curvy, or even sharply angled. Seeing as this tail is just a gradually increasing cable that you want to curve, we add short rows. Now remember, WHERE YOU PUT SHORT ROWS MATTERS!!! If you want Lizzy’s tail to form that nice question mark shape, then be careful where you put them. If you want a zig-zag (funky for a lizard’s tail, but okay), then just alternate which side you put the short row on. Now your first short row can be wherever you want it, only, you’ll have to remember where you put it (hopefully it will nicely curve for you to remind you). Anyway, here you make a 1 stitch short row. I recommend using the middle stitch as your target one, it makes it easier. Anyway…you have 3 stitches nicely sitting on your knitting needle. Slide and k2, T, put yarn through the 2 needles so its behind, loop it over your right hand needle so it’s in the front, p1. You should now have 4 stitches, 3 of them on your right hand needle. Okay, now turn again. Now, do the same thing with the yarn (put it in back, make a loop over the right hand needle) except now, k1. Now, be careful here because if you’re like me, and knit pretty tightly your stitches aren’t going to be happy doing this, knit the last 2 stitches on your left hand needle together (k2tog). Now, slide…k2tog and k2. You’ve just completed a short row! Yay! See, not so hard…which is a good thing because you’ll be doing a lot more of them. So continuing…*slide and k3* repeat 4 times. Okay, and now for…

A note on stuffing…

You will want to start stuffing your lizard as soon as you can shove your needle into the center of the nicely increasing, curving cable you have going. I basically just started shoving in wisps of stuffing as soon as possible, and as the lizard got bigger, shove more and more in (duh…). You are going to have to stuff as you knit it up, because once your done knitting there wouldn’t be any way to get it in. Stuff as much in as possible, because that gives the lizard the sturdiness to actually stand on four feet. That, and the stitching you have to do as well (don’t worry, its actually kind of the fun part…this is where Lizzy gets her personality). Anyway…stuff as you go, probably starting now, and stuff as much as possible, especially where Lizzy curves. And be careful, curves are hard to stuff around.

The tail continued…

K1 M1(however you want from now on…you can continue to simply loop over, or pick up from below, although I prefer picking up from the stitch below your next stitch, or from the stitch 2 below the one you are currently holding. These are subtler, at least as far as making holes in your lizard that stuffing will later push out of.) k2 *slide and k4* repeat 3 times. Do a short row with the 2 center stitches, one of which should be the center stitch from the short row before. Once you’re finished, k 10 rows.

The body starts…

K1, M1, move these 2 stitches to their own needle and k3. These 2 stitches shalt be the top of the lizard. K 3 more rows of the 5 stitches. Now, on this row M2, one on each side of the center 3 (the top). Divide the 4 stitches that are not the center 3 onto 2 needles (you’re now working on 3 needles.) K 2 rounds. This round, again M2, each on opposite sides of the center 3. K 7 more rows. Dec2 (on sides of center 3), k 2 rows. Dec2, same way, k 3 rows. Do a short row using the center 3, k 1 row, inc2 one each side of center 3, k 1 row, do a short row with the top 2 (those stitches that are still opposite the center/bottom 3). K1 row, next row dec2 on sides of the 3, k 1 row, next row dec2 (so there is a bottom one and 2 side stitches) and cast off, leaving nice long tail.

    Gasp! You’ve just finished the tail, body and head of Lizzy! Hope you packed her tight.

    Now, go back over the body with the tail of yarn, because unless you have green stuffing, there are probably bits of white showing. This is also where you reinforce any curves you want. Just anchor the yarn in one area, go beneath the surface along where you want the inside of a curve and pull tightly before anchoring the yarn on the other side of where you wanted the curve to be. You can of course finish this after the legs…

The front legs

Pick up 4 stitches on the lower sides of the front of the body. Short row the top 2 stitches, k 1 row, next row dec1 (using the 2 stitches on the underside), k 3 rows, short row the bottom stitch (making the ‘elbow’), k 4 rows, cast off all but 1, knit that stitch 4 times, cast off that stitch, leaving a very long tail. Using the needle sew up this toe and through to one side. Using the tail as your yarn, pick up one st and k3, CO. Do the same for the other side so you have 3 toes – and the middle one is the longest. Repeat for other front leg. I hope you didn’t forget to stuff the leg as you went. With remainders of CO tails, reinforce the front legs.

The back legs

Where the body starts to noticeably increase, pick up 5 stitches on the side, k 1 row. Next row: dec1 st on underside. K 3 rows, now do a double short row on the top 2 stitches (meaning keep turning without going all the way around so you have 8 stitches, then you can decrease them all back to your 4. This makes a much sharper turn so your lizard actually has knees.) K 1 row, next row dec1 on underside, k 4 more rows with 3 stitches, and then finish with toes like those on front feet. Repeat for other back leg.

    And you’re done! Feel free to personalize your Lizzy. Add a frill, or a tongue. Use or lose short rows to make different poses (a lazy Lizzy?). Have fun, and contact me if you run into problems or want to complain. On second thought, go complain to someone else…

---Help! is at katie_buckley@hotmail.com or Katsiebee on Ravelry.com...or here