Burger King

I just told Burger King to stuff it.  I wrote them complaining about the drinks available with the combo meal.  I don't drink soda, I can't drink lemonade and I don't want to drink the artificial, flavored drinks.  This time around the fruit punch tasted like medicine, and was strong and bitter.  I received a very arrogant and condescending reply, saying in essence it doesn't care what I said or what the public wants: 

"In view of this, it is not surprising that many of the suggestions made to us from outside our company are already known or available to us through the efforts of our staff.

 While we appreciate your interest in presenting an idea or suggestion to us, it is BURGER KING® restaurants policy not to accept or review any unsolicited idea or suggestion. 

Unfortunately there wasn't enough room in the message field to tell the company that maybe I didn't feel like going to a company that gives so darned little about the people they take money from.  So I told them to "stuff it" instead.  I am definitely going to look for an alternative to Burger King.  If it's locally owned, all the better.  

Back-Up Plan

While scrolling through Ravelry and talking to my mother on the phone (she knits, too, so it's ok), I've reminded myself I have a back-up plan in case the Bold and Blended Striped Wrap doesn't work out. 

I like Gina House's Camilla Shawl very much.  I could knit it using four colors of yarn as jvancott on Ravelry did:

I like her colors very much as well.  If I use this four-color variation of the pattern I should have enough yarn, I think.

Somehow I find plain striped shawls leave a little to be desired, but this pattern uses colors and stripes very well to make something beautiful and graceful.

A Knitter Too

My company occupies the ground floor of the building.  The offices opens onto a glassed lobby with a cathedral ceiling.  Because my allergies have flared up, I don't want to go out for a walk during the day but I want some light, so at lunch time I sit on the wide sill in the lobby and knit.  

Recently I was sitting and knitting (in public) at lunch time in the lobby.  Three people entered the lobby and start toward the elevator.  A man left the group and came toward me.  "You're knitting!  I'm a knitter too!" he exclaimed.  "Someone told me there's a woman who sits here and knits."  

He asked me what I was knitting and said he was knitting a shawl too.  It was all garter stitch and it was getting to him.  He liked the shawl I was wearing.  I think he would have said more but his coworkers were waiting for him in the elevator to go back up to work.  I'll have to try coming out earlier with my knitting and maybe one day we'll have more time to talk together.  I wonder if he goes to a knitting group locally.  From my first impressions, I think any group he belonged to would be fun and interesting.  

My Bold and Blended Striped Wrap is coming along slowly.  About halfway through the second  wedge I discovered that I didn't have enough yarn.  It also seemed quite big and it would probably block out quite large.  I unraveled it and began knitting it again with a size 6 needle.  The original pattern called for a size 8 needle.  I originally used a size 7.  I wonder how big the shawl with the size 8 needles would be.  The one I'm knitting now is almost to my waist.  Times like this make me feel better about being a short person.  

Last night I had a very interesting dream in which I was someplace where many cats and kittens were for adoption.  One cat was a long-haired purple tabby cat with the swirled striped coat.  She was beautiful!  She made me wish there truly were purple cats.

Here's a photo of my cat Tattoo as if he were purple.  Although he was a mackerel tabby, it gives you an idea.    He did eventually become long-hair with a beautiful tail he always fussed over.

Have you ever wondered why there are birds every color of the rainbow, but the only non-monotone color coat cats have is some shade of gold?  I imagine it's because cats are hunters and need to blend into their surroundings to be successful.  

Midnight sometimes used her black coat to her advantage.  Twice when I was getting dressed to go to work she hid in the closet so that I would shut her inside.  This was when Emily was the hyperactive dynamo of a kitten and wore her older sister out.  I'm sure Midnight knew she couldn't be seen and she'd be left to take the nice, long nap she craved.

Cats and Knitting

I had to wait for Emily to grow up before I could knit again.  She was at least three months old before I tried to knit with her in the house.  She swooped in, grabbed the yarn in her mouth and tried to run away with it.  That was what she did each time I tried to knit.  She would usually give up after three tries, but then the yarn would be too wet to knit.  

I think I could knit again when Emily was about four years old.  I quickly learned she was obsessed with my circular knitting needles and I always have to keep them stashed away.  When one wore out on me I gave it to her but she didn't play with it.  I think the fun for her is trying to steal them from me.  

She's fairly good about my knitting, although she likes to lie on whatever pattern I'm trying to follow.  Here I gave her an opportunity to be naughty, but she wouldn't be.

Occasionally she likes to get more involved.

I've learned that she loves to knead yarn, the nicer the better.  I have to stow it away as soon as possible.  That's some Sliver Moon merino in Spring Mist she found there.