Monkeys, Mongooses and Marmosets, Oh My!

I was in a small London zoo a couple of weeks ago, and saw animals. The cutest animals also happened to start with M, so I squeed and took pictures and behaved like I was 20 years younger, while Alex put up with me :)

There were Monkeys!

     


I wanna be a mongoose!


Or the fighting mongooses. That's a cool team name.

And marmosets. 'Tis another monkey!


Not an M!

Knit Goggles

Google has a feature, Mail Goggles, which allows you to set times of the week when you need to test your sobriety/wakefulness before sending an email, by answering some maths problems.

I wish my knitting came with something similar. After knitting the all the waist deceases of Demeter, I decided I wasn't using the right needles, so ripped it all off and started with new needles. What would you know, two attempts later, I went back to the initial needles. The first cast on ended up twisted, the second progress only to discover all my decreases were wrong.
So I'm about to cast on again (it's not too late), starting a new ball of yarn, I think the current one needs a rest.

FO: Code Monkey

Code Monkey get up get coffee
Code Monkey go to job

I am a code monkey. My co-workers are code monkeys (though the term became a lot more popular after I joined the company). We love Jonathan Coulton's Code Monkey song.

Crocheted Code Monkey came to work :)


He sit down pretend to work


Code Monkey has GIR background


Code monkey not alone (2!)


Code monkey is an amalgamation of the Monkey and the Corporate Zombie from Creepy Cute Crochet (amazon|ravelry), done with my trusty 3.5mm hook and some peaches and creme.

Code Monkey turns and leaves. Has tail.


Seriously, Code Monkey recommends Code Monkey song. Go watch.

FO: Book cover

Occasionally my books get a bit damaged in my bag, as they have to share space with plenty of things, like knitting, pen knives, the occasional screwdriver set, tape, planner, phone, iPod... you name it, it's there. I am hopping that this will protect them a little bit, because I'm not about to start reading not carry enough stuff for an expedition to the Himalayas.

Technical details
Ravelry project page
Pattern: Improvised, based on the stitch Aran Rib 2 from The Knitter's Bible (amazon|ravelry)
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton, in Tornado (leftover from Wisteria)
Needles: 4.5mm, dpns



Notes: It felt quite good to improvise a pattern based on a stitch. I mean, it's not very complicated, but I had attempted about a year ago to do something similar and I just couldn't get it to work. A bit of thinking and measuring books got me the right size, and then I alternated the cables with a bit of a rib, so that it could tailor all sorts of paperback sizes (there seem to be about 3 common front dimensions, but obviously an enormous array of widths).



I have just finished Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson. If you like hard science fiction, I strongly recommend this book. Not only is very well written, but how many books you find with suddenly a couple of pages on general and special relativity, and what happens as you get faster and faster?


Now I'm reading Valis. It is quite an "old" copy, from the first paperback edition in the UK. I really like K Dick, his books always make me think, and that is never a bad thing. Plus, I get to play the "guess how many drugs he was on when he wrote this chapter" game. Seriously :)

L is for Light

Sun light reflected on the curtains, on the skirt that is waiting to be fixed.

     

Full spectrum daylight bulb, for winter, when it is dark and there isn't enough light. To light the fine lace clearly when counting stitches.


Last sunlight of the day, outlining the St Mary Redcliff, Wells Tower.


And and the end of the day, there is always candle light.