The Hobbits are Real

In 2004 archeologists stumbled upon some interesting human remains on a small island in Indonesia named Flores. They found 1 nearly complete skeleton and 8 more partials. What was so exciting about these? They appeared to be a brand new human species! These humanoids, named Hobbits, stood 3 feet tall and would have weighed around 65 pounds. But the fascinating part was that their brains seemed to be perfectly normal, even fairly evolved, except they were very tiny. Evidence of tools and a camp fire were found with the Hobbits.

Debates ran wild as some scientists tried to prove that Hobbits were a new Human species while others tried to prove they were simply diseased modern humans. Now formally named Homo floresiensis, scientists have striking evidence in their favor of being a new species. Not only are their brains well formed and not simply genetically diseased, but their feet also point to being a separate species. They are closer to a chimpanzee foot without the opposable toe, but show all the signs for upright walking.

Here are a couple articles: a summary and some more detail.

The species was wiped out 8,000 years ago when a volcano erupted on the island and decimated much of it's land.

On a related note: It is being debated that Chimpanzees should be reclassified as "homo" as they are more closely related to us then they are to other Great Apes.

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All Quiet on the Eastern Front

I've yet to finish my sweater! It's become so much fabric that I couldn't bring it to work any longer. So it sits at home and I do an hour here and there. It's actually really close to being done though, one sleeve, the trim, and the ties to go. With the way the weather's been I may just get away with wearing it with a skirt when I'm done!

What I have would be working on at work is my Christmas blanket. But, I've actually been pretty busy here the last few weeks! (It's kinda nice) That combined with the fact that I'm making it twice as big as what the swap called for means that I will probably finish it in time for Christmas, and not too soon. I'm 8 blocks away plus sewing them together. The original blanket was 12 blocks, I'm making it 20.

In non-yarn news: I joined a gym yesterday! Dearest has a discount from school and talked them into giving it to me as well. So I have him to drag me out of bed every morning (Even when the alarms go off in the rooms and call me every few hours from midnight-6AM) and get my butt there.

Let me tell you, this gym is phenomenal. It's very small and pretty quiet even at 7 in the morning. There's a steam room in the locker room, a rooftop pool, classes. I'm excited. On Saturdays there is a Pilates class I want to take; all the other times are 9 or 10 AM. For the housewives and other non working folk -.- Same with Yoga! Come on now.

Went to Hampton Beach weekend before last, pictures will be up once I nab them from Dearest's computer.

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Guess Whaaaat

Who's the coolest of them all? Who is the Game Night master?
I WON RED SOX TICKETS! Woo-toot!

1 game of Pentago, 5 games of Jishaku, and one speedy 'double your money' game of Blockus and I had enough monopoly money to win tickets! Also: Quirkle, and Exago are very fun games.

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I've always been a monogamous crafter. I start a project, and I don't start anything else until that project is completely finished. This has generally been the case because I only buy enough yarn for one project at a time.

I'm slowly slipping. Unfinished I have my Christmas blanket (still waiting on two more squares), my sock (got bored after I learned how to turn the heel) and my sweater.

I am by no means getting bored with my sweater. Boy if that were the case there would be no hope for me! If lace and 3 cables all going through different row repeats at different times plus shaping couldn't keep my attention nothing would. But, that doesn't mean that I'm not planning ahead. (Yeah that's it.. planning ahead..) My present to myself after I pay off all my medical crap and tax crap is going to be yarn. ^_^ And somewhere to keep it that's not the box or bag that it came in.

Mr. has requested a blanket instead of a sweater. The last blanket I made for him is now acting as a slip cover. So I'm going to need lots of yarn for that, a zip-up sweater to replace the one that Buddy turned into a chew toy, and then two secret projects I can't tell you about.

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Brain Flexing

This sweater is a challenge. First sweater, first cables, first intricate lace work. Whew, not a mindless knitting. The biggest challenge is the way the pattern is written. It's sort of all written out, but not. It writes out each segment for the different cables and lace panels but then they only write out a 10 row segment which you repeat; changing increases and decreases that it lists out underneath that (in a very confusing, have to sit there for a moment and plan it out way). Examples:

Row 8: P4, work Row 8 of Lace patt over next 17 sts, p10 (12, 14, 16), work Row 8 of Small Cable patt over next 4 sts, p4, work Row 8 of Alternating Cable patt over next 8 sts, p4, work Row 8 of Small Cable patt over next 4 sts, p10 (12, 14, 16), work Row 8 of Lace patt over next 17 sts, p4.

Continue in patts as established, and AT THE SAME TIME decreasing 2 sts (as done onRows 3, 7, and 10 just next to the outer edges of the small cables) on every alternating 4th and 3rd row 3 times, then every 4th row 1 time = 70 (74, 78, 82) sts.

And after the first 10 rows none of the cables or lace panels line up. So I've been having to write down on a scrap of paper which row I'm going to be on in each segment for the next row of the entire piece. Luckily the smaller cable is only 10 rows long, and corresponds with the 10 row segment, except you'll be on row 8 and it's also row 8 of the small cable, but row 4 of the large cable and row 12 of the lace panel. wipes away sweat It also looks like I was only supposed to repeat rows 5-10 of the small cable and not all 10 rows, which really, why didn't you just write out 5 rows then? But I like the affect I'm getting with doing all 10 rows better then if I had followed directions ;)

I think I've gotten the hang of it though.

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