Fiber Fool

Some new to me yarn arrived on my doorstep this week. I’m starting calculations, though it still has another 0.3 g to dry yet. I figure that it is not likely the gauge will change any from that little bit of moisture loss.

I’ve been more than a little stressed out lately. And one thing that both occupies my mind so I’m not obsessing on the stressful things but gives me a break and in some cases a bit of accomplishment - it is a logic puzzle game for iOS called Marple.

I’ve been a fan of logic puzzles for a long time. I think I started getting the occasional magazine at the drugstore when I was in junior high or early high school. I was lamenting the lack of a good logic puzzle game for iOS to Drew one day. It seemed there was one that got the interface right, but they sold add-on packs of puzzles that overlapped with no documentation to buy the add-ons without buying some puzzles multiple times. Then Drew told me about Marple and I poo-poo’d it because it wasn’t a story-based logic puzzle. I grabbed the free version that includes ten puzzles and played through those ten a few times each and decided I liked it. One of the advantages of Marple over a story-based logic puzzle is that it can generate puzzles on the fly so there is nearly an unlimited number of puzzles.

The clues are in the bottom boxed area. There is a bit of code to learn what those clues mean, but you use those clues to eliminate icons in the different possible spots they can be in from the area at the top of the screen. As you eliminate possible locations the answer starts to appear and the clues become more helpful. They have a good tutorial that I played through a few times until I got accustom to the logic and you can get hints too - something I did pretty liberally at first, now almost never.

Without having to read clues (I’m a bit of a slow reader) these puzzles are relatively quick to solve too. My average speed is about 6 minutes. I have a few under 3 minutes and have had some that took me as much as 15 minutes (in those cases I usually take a break after 6-7 minutes figuring fresh eyes later will be more effective) so it is really just a quick little break. What has surprised me is that it seems I have good Marple days and bad Marple days. Who would have thought?

My only complaint which is really only due to my learning style. I “speak” words and symbols in my head as I “read” them. So having both Arabic numerals and die numbers can cause me to accidentally make a wrong move that isn’t because my logic is faulty.

Do you have a favorite escapist app for iOS? Or have you tried the new this week Yarnaby app that is a wool-centric maze-type game? I’m seriously tempted, though I often prefer to try free versions first so I haven’t caved just yet.

On the KAL front - a few people have introduced themselves and a bit of talk about yarn has begun. If you’re taking part pop on over to the thread on Ravelry and say hi!

My only favorite this week is my fav man - Drew. Today we are celebrating 5 years of marriage. Our wishes go out to Desiree and Ryan who are tying the knot today back in Minnesota!

I thought I would mix it up a bit this week and share with you some things that have caught my fancy this week…

When DH and I got married 5 years ago we were combining two adult households. We each had our own full set of dishes and no good place to store china so we didn’t register for a china pattern. Now, however, my everyday dishes are starting to look a bit worn after 12 years of fairly heavy use. It has felt like every time we get rid of something around here it is something of mine. I’m usually fine with replacing whatever it is, but I have started feeling as though I am living in DH’s house since everything from sheets to bath towels requires a compromise. So, a few weeks back I told DH that I would be picking out a new set of dishes to replace my current ones and that the decision would be mine, and mine alone. I guess he needn’t have worried as he likes the dishes I have fallen in love with this week.

The problem? It seems the pattern is brand new as of sometime in September here so I cannot find a store that has them in stock so I can see it in person. I did finally find good photos of most of the pieces in Mikasa’s Cocoa Blossom line on Amazon (yes, better than going directily to Mikasa.com). Oddly, the store in Fort Collins with the largest selection of dishes is Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and they do carry it online, but right now no stores in the region have them in store yet. Go figure! But, I’m pretty sure I’m in love!

While I’m lusting after “objects” I thought I’d include this one. I’ve been drooling over it (and the others like it) for months now. It is the Orange Nautilus Spiral Pendant from Etsy seller, Juln. It is natural that I’d be drawn to the orange, though I’m not sure if it’ll go with the shades of orange I’ve been wearing most often. It is so gorgeous I would want to be able to wear it often. The others beads and pendants in his shop are great. I have even seen one of his beads in person and they are well done and seem quite faithful to the photos.

This week I have been listening to a fair amount of music and what I have been queuing up most has been Magda Hiller’s Icing on the Cake. She is mostly easily classified as a folk artist. That said, she weaves together blues and country and jazz into a fun unique sound.

I would expect those who like female singer/songwriter folk artists who occasionally have a hint of country twang would enjoy Magda Hiller. If you like Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Rickie Lee Jones, or Mary Chapin Carpenter definitely give Magda a listen. If you tend to be turned off by twang, don’t let that scare you, still give her a listen as she isn’t consistently twangy and I don’t think it is that strong. She can be found on eMusic, iTunes, and CDBaby if you want to give her tracks a bit of a listen and a few clips can be found on her web site.

Lastly, even with the new television season kicking off this past week I am most excited about Dancing with the Stars - season 5! I hadn’t realized this show had been around so long and I have never succumbed to it before this. However, I kept running into people mentioning it - the ladies at water aerobics, my cousin’s wife, etc. etc. So, on Tuesday I watched it online and was hooked.

DH and I are fans of ballroom dancing movies so I kind of new if I gave in and watched it I would be sucked in. But dang, weren’t Sabrina and Mark hot? I loved those hip hop moves sprinkled into the cha-cha. *swoon* And Sabrina’s dance experience certainly helped her out, even though it had not been in ballroom dance. Her moves were so precise and clean. It makes me want to find ballroom dancing lessons around here :-) Perhaps after I’m back on the water aerobics track for a bit longer we can do that. DH had been a regular swing dancer before I came along. While I don’t think my back is at a place for swing, it might do okay with the more basic dances like waltz and foxtrot.