Friday, April 29, 2005

Box Turtle Care

I know, it's very much not knitting, but I just spent time on an email to a woman interested in keeping turtles as pets, and I get this question quite often it just would be kinda nice to have a place it's already written somewhere. So if you are not interested in the care of Box Turtles, please just skip this here post.


I would suggest an internet search. Unfortunately the books the library probably has will be quite out of date, with very little information on keeping turtles outside, which is where they do best.

The basics for keeping them outside are pretty...well, basic. If you don't
want them to go anywhere you need to build a wall. It doesn't have to be
tall, ours are about 1' tall, but it does need to go about 1' into the
ground, as turtles can be diggers if they get the gumption. They also need
to have a water dish that they can get in and out of easily. They will go
in and soak in the water to drink, and it can be deeper then them but not
too deep. Plants are nice, but be careful to get plants that aren't
poisonous (you can do a internet search for poisnous plants for animals).
Hibiscus is one of our favorites, lambs ear and hosta's are good too.
Strawberries would be fun for the turtles. A nice mulch/dirt/leaf pile is
good, so they have a soft place to dig and bury. This is also good for
winter hibernation.

A food dish is good to have. You want to feed a good variety of fruits and
veggies. You can "stock" the area with earth worms. Plus any other bugs
that wonder in on their own. But be careful...if you live in an area that
uses chemicals on lawns or gardens, bugs could carry that poison to the
turtle! There's not much you can do to stop it, just be aware of that. We
don't use any chemical anywhere on our property, to keep our turtles safe.
You can also supplement with diet dog food on occasion, for protein. But
you don't want to use that too often.

For baby turtles you will want some sort of cover. We used chain link fence
pieces on hindges secured with bungie cords. They let plenty of sun and
rain in, but no bird or mammal can get in and eat the babies, which does
happen if the babies are not protected. Once they are about 3-4 inches,
this isn't as much of a worry.

We usually do not hibernate our babies the first winter. We bring them
inside and keep them in a tank of mulch with a water dish. After the first
year they are left outside all year long. They hibernate through the
winter. We do check on them before they go down though, to be sure they are
well (no runny noses, ear abcesses, or gloppy eyes). And if the winter gets
all funny, like it did this year, keep an eye out for babies who are fooled
by the warm weather. They should be brought inside for the remainder of the
winter.

Adults are usually a bit easier to keep for a beginner. Babies can be
finicky. We lost 2 this winter. Unfortunately it just happens. Adults are
a bit more hardy, less heartbreak.

Also, be prepared to be the sole care taker of the turtle. We usually tell
people who are thinking about getting a turtle for their child that if they
themselves don't want a turtle then don't get one. If the adult doesn't
enjoy taking care of the turtle, it usually doesn't get taken care of.

Most of all, do research and learn and get everything set up before you get
the turtle. You'll know what you're doing, and the turtle will thrive
because of that!


*pictures added specifically for blog*






Continue Reading...

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Did you knit that? Did you knit that?

Picture the Verizon wireless guy.
Yah, that's me and my knitting obsession. I am not content to keep it to myself, I must discover if the lovely cabled cardigan was handmade, or if the stripey socks were a gift from a friend or a department store. I'm relentless.

I knit prominently in public so as to draw the attention of everyone in the hopes another fellow knitter might approach me! The aluminum needles work well as they click nicely.

And I will cross the street if I spot an obviously felted knit bag. And I will start up a knitting conversation with the helpless young girl carrying said bag. And I will ignore the frightened look in her eye as I ask in quick-fire succession "Did you knit that bag?" "How long have you knit?" "Do you go to SnB" "Have you heard of Knitty.com?" And I will ignore the sigh of relief said young girl emits when I turn down the path away from her. Yah folks. I'm determined and I have no fear or social graces!

Beware closet knitters...I will find you and out you...I will strike up my annoying "do you knit" conversation based soley on a scrap of yarn I may or may not have seen hanging out of your backpack!

Oh, and the Xback is coming along slowly. I have a friend with a birthday coming up, so I need to work on a gift for her for a bit. Ah, new yarn!
Continue Reading...

Friday, April 22, 2005

I impressed my mother

My parents are in for the weekend visiting from PA. They just got here yesterday. So of course as soon as I got home I went through the progress of showing my mom all my knitting projects. The unfinished CheesyLove, the one Cut Your Teeth sock, my finished Honeymoon Cami, and the Xback tank. I almost cried when my mom told me how nice all my knitting was, and how much I have improved. She said "You must have inherited this talent from my mother". Shit, I'm getting a little teary thinking about it now. Even my dad was impressed. I felt 10 feet tall! I never really met my grandmother, she died when I was 1 or 2 years old. It's a wonderful connection to her, the knitting.

I'm still plugging along on the Xback. I'm almost to the end of my first ball of ribbon, and I've got about 6 inches I think. I'm hoping to finish it before my class ends so I can show it off to the girls in my class, who've been watching me knit it before class starts.
Continue Reading...

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Xback progress

A picture taken on my camera phone at work.

I got a good bit done this morning while having blood drained from me for research!



It's not a super good picture, the color is a bit less pink in real life. But you get the idea!
Continue Reading...

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

New yarn, new knit-along!

I stopped into my LYS yesterday. I have to say my original intention was to buy a 24" US4 circ needle to start the pretty spring cover up on Knitty.com. They didn't have a 24 incher though, so I bought some yarn instead.

I'm starting the Xback from Knitty, and have joined the knit-along too!

I should get some pictures up tonight (the camera batteries died before I could get the pictures off the camera *grrrrrr*), but the yarn is super yummy! Very girly, and I can't wait to finish this one.

My gauge is off, of course. Too many stitches. I mean really, I can't see how I can make my stitches any tighter, I just don't understand how my gauge is so off. This pattern calls for US11 neeedles, I'm on 9, and still have a half stitch too many. So I'll knit the size down from what I was planning on knitting, and hope for the best.
Continue Reading...

Monday, April 18, 2005

100 things 'bout me! *work in progress*

1. I was born and raised in the same small town in PA, and never left PA until I moved to NC 5 years ago. We plan to move back to PA as soon as we can.

2. I have a BS in psychology but never went back to get a PhD, and now I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I grow up.

3. My sister is due with her first baby in August, which is odd because I always thought I'd be first. My SIL is due with her second in September.

4. I was raised a catholic, but am now an atheist, but I'm usually to afraid to say it because I live in the biblebelt.

5. Other than our house mortgage we have absolutely no debt, and have no credit cards at all.

6. I have 2 German Shepherds, and I think every dog I see that is black and tan is a German Shepherd. When we visited Germany I just called them Shepherds.

7. I graduated from Penn State, so did my husband, my sister, her husband, my BIL, and my SIL. My mom and dad worked there, as well as 3 of my dad's 4 brothers, and my grandfather. Roar Lions Roar!

8. I wish I was more girly, that I dressed up more often and wore jewerly, but I never do.

9. I'm a clinical research coordinator, which means I get to work with patients in medicial research.

10. I have 4 tattoos; a butterfly on my shoulder, a turtle on my thigh, the chinese symbol for turtle on my back, and my wedding band.

11. I listen to pretty much any music except rap and the real twangy country.

12. But I did download Snoop Dog's "Drop it like it's Hot" (or something like that) because it made me smile.

13. I'm doing a medical exeperiment now where I can only eat the food I'm given. It's going to pay $400 and I'm going to buy a lot of yarn with that.

14. I eat fast food way more often than I should. I tell myself that I should cut back, but I have very weak willpower.

15. I smoke, and have smoked since I was 16. It's a nasty habit, I know this, but I've not been successful in quitting. See, weak willpower.

16. I was a cheerleader in highschool and part of college. I wish I still could be.

17. I also twirled baton in marching band in high school.

18. I've been married for almost 6 years (Aug 14).

19. My husband and I keep turtles in our back yard. They mate and breed and we sell or give away the babies.

20. I should be working now.

21. I'm awful with finances, but somehow I'm the one in charge of our checking account.

22. I love pens and pencils, and paper and folders. If I could run an office, I'd spend all my money buying office supplies.

23. I have my motorcycle license. We used to own a Harley Davidson, but we sold it so we could save money to send me back to school.

24. I am terribly absent-minded.

25. I love football. Penn State football, and NFL. The Buccaneers are my #1 team, I also like the Texans and the Steelers.

26. I love to garden. I have a huge vegetable garden, herbs, and even some flowers. My gardening philosophy is very darwinistic, "If it can't live with minimal attention, it's just not a very strong plant."

27. I have an evil cat that plots my death, and the death of all living creatures in her house.

28. I started knitting in winter 2000, but didn't do much for the first few years. It took me until 2002 to finish my first sweater.

29. I am a pack rat.

30. I always smile around others, even when I'm in a bad mood.

31. My husband and I have just learned to can, so the a lot of our big veggie garden is put up so we can eat it over the winter.

32. Our dream is to move to the country and build a big hobby farm with goats, chickens, sheep, rabbits, horses and of course alpacas.

33. I've only ridden a horse once (not counting the pony rides at fairs) but I love horses and want my own some day.

34. I love goat cheese.

35. I love to bake. Breads especially. I'm awful at regular cooking though.

36. A lot of my food preferences are based on texture as much as on taste. Applesauce makes me gag and I hate green peas.

37. I talk to my mom at least twice a week. My family is very important to me, and it's hard to be so far away from them.

38. My husband and I once were so obsessed with playing Diablo II online that we ate potato chips and mayo for dinner.

39. I love good beer. I'd rather have a well brewed beer than a well aged wine.

40. I love to dance. And I usually dance in my den if the mood strikes me. I love music that you can dance to.

41. I suck at house cleaning.

42. I need to buy new black sandles...and maybe some colorful ones too (See #8).

43. I love summer. I love sandles and sundresses.

44. I am always hungry.

45. I color my hair on a pretty regular basis. I've done that since I was in high school.

46. I love cold bedrooms and warm comforters.
Continue Reading...

Friday, April 15, 2005

Secret Pals for everyone!

Well, the assignments have been made. I've been given my Secret Pal (who you ask? Pssshaw! It's a secret of course!), and I've gotten a little hello from mine. What a wonderful time of the year!

Amy, thank you for the offer to come knit-nanny with you. You've given me the idea to hire myself out as the cool knitting friend! For just $25 an hour, I will come and hang out with you and knit. You don't have to be a knitter, I'll be the knitter, and you can say, "yah, she's my friend. And she knits!" Call now! Operators are standing by.

Dani, my ultimate goal it to move back to Central PA, where my family, especially my pregnant sister, all still live. It's a difficult place to get a job though. Unless you're a nurse that is. Tons of nursing jobs!
Continue Reading...

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Random plea for rescueing

To anyone in central PA:
If you have a job that will pay me roughly close to what I'm making now, please email me.
I need a new job, and will do almost anything. I'm good with people, and I am adaptable.
Working with people is nice, but so is working with backhoe's so I'm open for change.

Boy do I need out of here. I've been pretty down since my rejection, my immune system decided to let some horrid bugs have a party in my belly for a few days.

And as much as I want to be a nurse, I want out of this job more. Please help me!

And if all else fails:
does Calgon actually take you away? Or is it just pretend?
Continue Reading...

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Finished Cami

I finished it off Wednesday night.
It felt good to completely finish a project (unlike poor cheesylove, sitting neglected in my basket).

It's a bit uneven, at the straps, but nothing I ever make is perfect, so I'm happy with it. It feels a bit heavy, so we'll see how it wears in the real hot weather. I made the straps a bit wider then the pattern, so it hides my unmentionables well. Overall, I'm really pleased with how it came out.



Now, what to make next. I have a whole list of baby items to make for the two new arrivals to my family, and even a few for Juliet. I want to make another tank top too, a free tank I found on White Lies Design, the Shapely Tank top that looks nice. Of course I have that lovely Noro, and the cut your teeth socks. And then there's all the loverly patterns in the spring Knitty! I could go with a project I have yarn for, or I could buy more yarn for something too. The decisions are endless! Too bad the depth of my wallet isn't. *pout*
Continue Reading...

Monday, April 04, 2005

That's a negative big buddy

Yup.
They said no.
UNC emailed a resounding "hell no".
So sorry, Charlie.
Negativo.
Nada.
Nyet.

And they say there's a nursing shortage.
Bah.

Bastards.

Dammit.

Fear not, I've already sent in two applications for local community colleges. An Associates RN is just as good in my book as a BSN.

But Dammit anyway.
Continue Reading...

Sunday, April 03, 2005

A trip down memory lane....

So the Camo yarn got some rave reviews, which made me think, "Somewhere I have a photo of the sweater I made with it." Off I went to search all my photos for the camo sweater.

I found it plus a bonus!

First the bonus.

The first sweater I ever made. Note the arm cuffs...one has a lovely ribbing, one does not. I finished the second sleave and realized I had forgotten the ribbing. I decided I was to lazy to undo the entire thing so I left it that way. Charactor!


And now the camo sweater!




I made this for my first neice, Juliet.

Well, that's the trip down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed it! I did. It was cool to find my first sweater. I'm so impressed I actually took a picture of it!

And now for something a bit more current.
My progress on the Honeymoon Cami:
Continue Reading...

Friday, April 01, 2005



Welcome! It's Flash Your Stash day! And to kick it off, my Masters (of ceremony), drum roll please.......


Evil cat and Obi!

And now for the FLASH:

Knit Picks Yarn


Andean Silk, an Alpaca and silk blend. I bought it for the Honeymoon Cami, but it was too heavy, and too warm for a summer top. I'll probably need to buy more to make anything with this yarn. 7 just isn't enough really.


Wool of the Andes, a 100% wool that felts great. I bought 4 skeins to make a pair of fuzzy feet, but only used 2. So I have enough for another pair if I get around to it.


More Wool of the Andes. The cream color I got to make the hearts for Cheesylove.

Sock yarns




I've actually started a pair of socks with this color.

fun stuff

Cha-Cha in purple! Sent to me from Rothane. I plan to make a scarf, but probably not until the fall.


100% wool from frogged college sweater. This is what I have left after making a skull bag, and most of a sweater!

acrylic

The girl, she is calling to you..."knit with me...please." The call of the Acrylic siren.


I love camo! I actually made two adorable baby sweaters with this stuff. I bought out the supply then, cause I thought it was so fun!



Cotton

Left over from a hat and scarf I made for my Pappap.


Special Yarns
Yarns that I'm not sure what I'll make with, but whatever it is will have to be good because these are my special yarns.


Natural 100% Alpaca that I have left over from making Clapotis.


Mmmmmmm...Noro. My first skein. A gift from AmyLovie

Well, I hope you enjoyed the yarn pOrn! For the full list of Flashers, just follow the button at the top to the Knitty board message.

*disclaimer: I meant to include a picture of all my roving, as that is potential stash yarn, but apparently it didn't get uploaded, so I'll have to show that off another time.
Continue Reading...
 

The Dragon Knits Copyright © 2009 Girlymagz is Designed by Bie Girl Vector by Ipietoon, Karjat Resorts