April P.

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Spring?

April P. posted an article on - Jan 26, 2012, 4:27 pm
It's a beautiful day here in Northern California, currently 63 degrees and sunny. Do I really want to leave this kind of weather for grey and damp? Probably. I decided to pull out the camera and have a little photo shoot at lunch. It was a bit disappointing, pictures I thought for sure were goin...
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Winter Equals Baking

April P. posted an article on - Jan 24, 2012, 3:30 pm
One of the downfalls of living in California is that in the summer it's generally too hot to bake. Actually make that mid-April to mid-October. My teeny tiny apartment does have an air conditioner but it only cools the living room. If it's July and you turn on the oven in my apartment it's game o...
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It All Must Go!

April P. posted an article on - Jan 23, 2012, 3:48 pm
The best of plans ... Well I'm already bored with the granny square idea. So I spent the weekend working on my Ribbon Afghan. This is a very simple and easy pattern, great for watching TV. I'm doing mine in two shades of pink, two shades of grey, and black and white. It took me three attempts wi...
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It's Another One!

April P. posted an article on - Jan 20, 2012, 12:50 pm
We are rolling along with our granny squares. I'd forgotten how much fun they are to do and how, sometimes, you actually have to use your brain to figure out what's going on. This is the Never Fading Flower Square (Ravelry linkage). I think I like it even better than the one the day before. I ha...
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Red Wine, A Full Moon ...

April P. posted an article on - Aug 17, 2011, 2:19 pm
... and I join the ranks of the tattooed. Actually I'd been mulling this idea over for more than a year and this just seemed to be the time to do it. Rattie feets. Is anyone surprised? And it's front and center on my outer right wrist. I think this proclaims to the world, "I am a Crazy Rat Lady...
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No Room At The Inn

April P. posted an article on - Aug 15, 2011, 4:35 pm
I guess it was inevitable. With all this amigurumi making it was only a matter of time before I'd run out of space. There are monsters in the kitchen cupboards, monsters in the bedroom, monsters in the living room. What to do, what to do? The monsters were actually starting to outnumber the rats...
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And On We Go

April P. posted an article on - Jul 25, 2011, 4:50 pm
Amigurumi, and in particular this pattern, Baby Monsters, have pretty much taken over my life. All I want to do is make monsters. Lots of monsters. Many monsters. This is the Meep family. From left to right we have Hank, Moira and Bunny. I stayed up until midnight Friday doing Bunny's hair. I...
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Happy Then Sad

April P. posted an article on - Jul 13, 2011, 5:02 pm
Presenting Commander Ribbit from the Alien Frog Army. Fun, easy, fun, easy, fun, easy. I love Commander Ribbit. He was crocheted using the Purple Best Bud (Ravelry link) pattern. And guess what? There's only ONE thing I don't like about my little creation. His head is a bit wobbly. But I can l...
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What Where Huh

April P. posted an article on - Jul 11, 2011, 5:06 pm
I have no idea where I've been but I think there have been children involved. The boyfriend has a new job that requires him to work three nights a week until 8:00. His 10 y.o. son has also moved in with him. Son goes off to day care during the afternoon and then I pick him up when I get off work ...
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Mr. Owlandish

April P. posted an article on - Jun 17, 2011, 12:30 pm
Here's my new assistant at work, Mr. Owlandish. He's more clever than about 95% of the people I work with. He was very easy to make although I did a horrible job attaching his feet. Which is to be expected since I finished him last night at 11:30. The pattern also had you make a crocheted beak w...
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Wednesday WIP (No Chains)

April P. posted an article on - Jun 15, 2011, 1:46 pm
I realize that building a robot is a complicated thing but I swear, this one is never going to end. This is supposed to be Dalek (a dalek? Mr. Dalek?) from Dr. Who. I've never seen Dr. Who. I've always wanted to though. But after spending my teenage years at far too many LOUD rock concerts the ...
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This Is It

April P. posted an article on - Jun 9, 2011, 4:58 pm
So this is the new ride. A 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320. No, I didn't win the lottery or get a raise at work. In the almighty Silicon Valley, a Mercedes is no big deal. So they're quite reasonably priced. This little putt putt was $7,900.00, one owner, 75,000 miles. And frankly it makes my head hur...
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M.I.A.

April P. posted an article on - Jun 8, 2011, 12:55 pm
Fork, I fell off the blogging bus again. This whole car accident business / buying a new car has left me all discombobulated. I am fine with the concept of change at work but not so good with it when it comes to the personal life. Anyway, a new (used) car has been purchased, my case has been sett...
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And Then It Hit Me

April P. posted an article on - May 26, 2011, 3:14 pm
I don't know why it's taken me so long to post this little story since I'm usually all about the stories but whatever. Here's a story for a Thursday afternoon. Two weeks ago tomorrow I was driving along 101 in typical rush hour traffic. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. You know the deal, same old, same old. T...
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Rapture

April P. posted an article on - May 24, 2011, 4:29 pm
Are we all still here? Everyone accounted for? Apparently the only rapture that happened this weekend was the appearance of Rapture The Pig. Here's Rapture. I figured since the world was going to come to an end this weekend I'd best do a fast and easy amigurumi. Enter this little piggy. I got ...
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Happy National Teddy Bear Day!

April P. posted an article on - May 19, 2011, 5:06 pm
According to Facebook (the knower of all things) today is National Teddy Bear Day. I have yet to make a bear so of course I had to start one this morning. I am making Lion Brand's Amigurumi Bear. It's basically two pieces of crocheted fabric sewn together with appendages added. I'm hoping I can f...
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The Obsession Continues

April P. posted an article on - May 18, 2011, 4:49 pm
I could probably blame Blogger's downtime last week for my fall off the blog wagon but I think i was just lazy. Or maybe my hands were sore from crocheting non-stop. FO number one is the Hungry, Hungry Hippo. Through no fault of the pattern, I did not enjoy making Hilda Hippo. I made her nose to...
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Thanks FB

April P. posted an article on - May 10, 2011, 4:17 pm
I know a lot of people don't like Facebook. I admit I get a little tired myself of all this "Like Us On Facebook!" marketing business blah blah blah. And I can understand when people are cautious about revealing their TRUE IDENTITIES ON THE INNERNETS. Me? I don't give a crap. Steal my social sec...
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Call Me "Elf April"

April P. posted an article on - May 8, 2011, 10:20 pm
There is some crazed toy making going on at Chez Insanity. It's kind of like Santa's Workshop around here. This is Glub The Goldfish. He was made for my boyfriend's eldest daughter who loves fishies. I used Red Heart *cringe* Soft yarn for this. And I hate to say it, but so far that's my favori...
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FO Friday: The Evil Edition

April P. posted an article on - May 6, 2011, 12:36 pm
I'm not sure why I've never read any H.P. Lovecraft. Stephen King is my idol, followed closely by Robert McCammon. I *love* horror. But no Lovecraft. So when my boyfriend asked me to make him a Cthulhu, I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. But thanks to the magic of Ravelry, I was...
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Changing Course

April P. posted an article on - May 3, 2011, 4:48 pm
OK, enough with the doom and gloom and the daily dead rat count. It's all getting to be a bit much, isn't it? Let's have a little whimsy. A little cuteness. Maybe a giggle or two. Let's Pig Out! It's Piggy, in all his pinky glory. And I made him. How amazing is that? This is amigurumi #2 and...
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There Are Days ...

April P. posted an article on - May 3, 2011, 12:48 am
... when I am sure I must be the Grim Reaper of the Rodent World. Tinky left us this evening. It wasn't unexpected; she has been slowing down for the last month or so. But it was only a week ago that she dragged a huge steak bone into her hammock and settled in for a feast. If nothing else, rats...
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Imagine

April P. posted an article on - May 1, 2011, 4:42 pm
The Friday FO event that was started by Tami is frequented by a number of crocheters who make amigurumi. Tami herself is an amigurumi genius. I *love* amigurumi. I mean LOVE. Which isn't surprising given that I adore stuffed animals to begin with. So of course when I check out everyone's Friday ...
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And Again

April P. posted an article on - Apr 29, 2011, 12:58 am
This month will not end soon enough We said farewell to Scruffy Neil tonight. Although he was only with me for three months, I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful little man. I really hope I make it through the rest of this hideous month without any more losses. Three pets in one month is e...
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WIP Me Wednesday

April P. posted an article on - Apr 27, 2011, 12:31 pm
Tami, the Oh So Clever person behind FO Fridays also hosts WIP Wednesday. Isn't that kind of her? To provide one forum for a blog post is wonderful but two? Nobel Peace Prize I'm looking at you. So here is my W.I.P for this week. It will come as no surprise to anyone, I'm sure, that's it's a HA...
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Well Stocked

April P. posted an article on - Apr 26, 2011, 1:59 pm
Yesterday was 50% Off All Easter Candy day! Or Easter Monday if you're Canadian. It's one of my most favorite days of the year, followed closely by 50% Off All Valentine's Day Candy and 50% Off All Halloween Candy. So in the spirit of the occasion I managed to hit Walgreen's Drugstore, Safeway an...
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Crappy Picture, Nice Hat

April P. posted an article on - Apr 25, 2011, 12:22 pm
Yesterday all I basically did was knit. It was sunny. There was plenty of time to take this hat outside to get a decent picture of it. Did I? Obviously not. No, I waited until 10pm and took it inside. I did this knowing full well that my camera does not like to take inside pictures. So I ended...
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Fraught With Peril

April P. posted an article on - Apr 22, 2011, 1:04 pm
You would think that knitting a hat would be a simple affair. Six or seven inches of knitted fabric with a design perhaps. But when you're a world class worrier like I am, the entire process is anxiety inducing. I decided I wanted to knit chemo caps for a change. So I found a pattern, The Sister...
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A Hat. Just That.

April P. posted an article on - Apr 21, 2011, 2:17 pm
This may go down in history as one of the most boring hat pictures ever taken. But the pattern wasn't boring at all, it was rather fun! This is The Swirl Hat (Rav link). I used Classic Elite's Liberty Wool again. The original pattern calls for fingering weight yarn but I didn't have any that was...
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They Always Go In Pairs

April P. posted an article on - Apr 20, 2011, 12:49 pm
Yesterday Bella followed her life long buddy, Celeste (who left us last week), across the Rainbow Bridge. Bella and her other buddy, Sophie, came to live with me on 10/01/09. At first glance, she seemed to be just your regular old brown rat. But she was much more than that. Bella was a kind and ...
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Snail Porn

April P. posted an article on - Apr 19, 2011, 4:26 pm
You never really know what's gonna show up on this ol' blog. Sometimes it's knitting, often times it's rats, now and again it's food. Today, it is Snail Porn. I am endlessly fascinated by snail shells. I know a lot of people don't like snails because they like to munch on plants but me, I love '...
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Seeing Triple

April P. posted an article on - Apr 18, 2011, 1:58 pm
I wonder if you scrolled really fast, whether you'd think these three pictures were the exact same hat? I wouldn't be surprised if you did. After all, they're all the same pattern, they're all in Wool-Ease and they're all modeled by Maybe Bruce on top of a rat cage. I'm sure it's good to be consi...
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Eight And Nine

April P. posted an article on - Apr 17, 2011, 4:37 pm
I am oh so slowly making my way to completing 52 hats this year. Accent on the word slowly. Theoretically, I should have 14 hats made by now. Try nine. And considering that most of those nine are baby hats, well I'm really laggin' here. This is Drew (Rav linkage). I knit this in Kooooooiiiiigu...
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Keep It, Throw It, Box It

April P. posted an article on - Apr 17, 2011, 12:00 am
I was looking for a particular skein of yarn today (clickity biggity for a larger picture of the disaster). Can you tell I was having a hard time finding it? It wouldn't have been such a big deal except I'd sold that particular skein on Ravelry. People aren't really impressed when you take their ...
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Selective Listening

April P. posted an article on - Apr 15, 2011, 12:29 pm
Here's little Luna Grace, one of the newer additions to the crew. She's another one of the "Hoarder Rats". Luna is a good example of how I only hear what I want to hear when it comes to ratties. Brill is one of the few intact males I have. He lives with his long time companion, Tink (who is spay...
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Consistent In My Inconsistency

April P. posted an article on - Apr 14, 2011, 1:32 pm
Celeste left us yesterday at the age of 20 months. This picture pretty much sums up Celeste's personality. Celeste had "estrogen issues." She was constantly fighting with the other rats and wanted absolutely nothing to do with me unless I had some food. She ended up with two large mammary tumors...
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Drive By Post

April P. posted an article on - Apr 1, 2011, 12:43 pm
No, this isn't an April Fool's Joke, I really am posting something. In case you have a spare pair of socks lying around, or you have a hankering to knit a pair, please check out this linkage - Socks For Japan. I think this is a great cause and I'll be casting on for a pair this weekend, I figure i...
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Knitting And Stuffs

April P. posted an article on - Feb 22, 2011, 3:48 pm
Oh my goodness, actual knitting content. Here's Pinky modeling the Back To Basics Winter Hat. This was a very quick and easy knit. I made it for the Bundles Of Joy group over on Ravelry. They make baby stuff for one of the OB wards on the Reservation. Apparently they're having a baby boom on th...
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More Farewells

April P. posted an article on - Feb 18, 2011, 12:47 pm
Sadie Sept. 2008 - Feb. 17, 2011 R.I.P. old girl, you were much loved by your Dad. Jordi Dec. 2010 - Feb. 17, 2011 R.I.P. Little Man, you were gone too soon.
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Up, Up And WALL

April P. posted an article on - Feb 17, 2011, 2:03 pm
As we all know, I work at the most hideous job imaginable. I don't mind doing accounting, it's something you can pretty much do on autopilot which leaves lot of time to daydream. I like to daydream. But what I don't like is the two hours a day I spend commuting and the insane people I am forced to ...
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Audtion - A Review (Japanese with English subtitles)

April P. posted an article on - Feb 15, 2011, 2:35 pm
Filmed in 1999, “Audition” puts to shame every American horror movie ever made. Shigeharu Aoyama has been alone for the last seven years, following the death of his wife. At his son’s urging, “Dad, you’re looking old”, Aoyama teams up with his friend Yoshikawa to find himself a new mate...
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Umm Yeah Here What

April P. posted an article on - Feb 14, 2011, 5:43 pm
This has been an epic Monday which has left me a bit discombobulated. People not showing up at work, people showing up late, people not doing what I've asked them to do and then pretending they never heard me in the first place. It's all a bit much for the first day of the week. Not to mention th...
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Brain Hurts

April P. posted an article on - Feb 10, 2011, 2:37 pm
Seriously. This film critique stuff makes my brain hurt. Which either means this isn't my true calling or that I need more practice. However, Associated Content did publish my review of "The Town" but then Associated Content isn't exactly known for its high standards. Basically if you can string...
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Goings And Comings

April P. posted an article on - Feb 8, 2011, 12:13 am
R.I.P. Elliott September 2009 - February 7th, 2011 Best snuggle rat ever. Welcome Scruffy Neil Just because you were on A&E's Hoarders doesn't mean you can keep pooping on me.
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Disappointing

April P. posted an article on - Feb 4, 2011, 1:19 pm
After eight years spent in prison for insider trading, Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko. I kinda wish he'd stayed there. I loved Wall Street #1, released back in 1987. In fact, I might go so far as to say it's one of my favorite movies. The character development was outstanding and you go...
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Not Again

April P. posted an article on - Feb 2, 2011, 12:17 pm
I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to hear that I am once again making ... ... squares. And taking phenomenally crappy pictures of them as well! My word, can you believe the hideousness that is this picture? Out of focus, washed out, over exposed, I hit the trifecta of bad photography with this bab...
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Lights, Camera, Action

April P. posted an article on - Feb 1, 2011, 2:08 pm
I like movies. A lot. When I was a teenager and school would break for summer, I would sleep all day so that I could stay up all night watching old movies on TV. Because, way back then, the VCR hadn't been invented, let alone DVD players, Blu-Ray, High Def, blah, blah, blah. It would be 4 in the...
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This 'N That And A Contest Winnah

April P. posted an article on - Jan 31, 2011, 12:35 am
Thanks to eight episodes of "Pillars Of The Earth", "The Social Network" and "The Kids Are All Right" (there's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back), Wheelchair Wrap #4 is finally done. Although it only took me two weeks to do this one it seemed more like two years. Maybe because I've done four ...
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5 Years, 504 Posts

April P. posted an article on - Jan 28, 2011, 12:48 am
It's hard to believe. Five years of blogging. When I first got word of this "new" trend called blogging I thought it was the height of arrogance. You post stuff on the Internet about YOURSELF? Why in God's name would anyone, outside of your immediate family perhaps, want to read about you? And s...
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Successful Stew

April P. posted an article on - Jan 26, 2011, 1:28 pm
This food photography - not so easy. Going by the picture below you might be led to believe I've started eating dog food. Fear not. It's actually Slow Cooker Beef Stew. And it was good. Very good. Beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and peas, num, num, num. I incorporated a number of sugg...
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