Friender

Why, Yes...

2009-04-24T09:10:00.004-06:00

Why, yes, yes it has been more than two months since my last blog post. I never get very personal on this blog, but let's just say outside professional forces have not been cooperating and WOW, have the children been sick. I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be because they weren't subjected to all manner of germs in daycare, and now that the boy is in his first year of school we are paying doubly in illness. As a matter of fact, his report card says he was absent 7 days last grading period. He has missed another two this week with a stomach flu. Which wouldn't be at all remarkable except that it's his third stomach flu in two months, this week the girl had scarlet fever, and last week the husband was in bed, sick, almost the whole week.

People, we have had enough.

It turns out that family illness is not so bad for knitting, though.

Twirly Skirt by Christine Schwender, Paula Heist

This (free) pattern was lovely and I made only a few modifications, including knitting it in the round, casting on provisionally and then knitting the waist closed as I went, and a picot hem at the bottom. Oh, and the various yarn is a substitute for stash yarn--all different brands of denim. I'm sorry I don't have a modeled shot yet. It's still fairly cool here (I ordered some navy blue leggings for underneath) and the aforementioned girl is still under the weather.

I also started a scarf for Mother's Day. I was smitten with this pattern as soon as I discovered it, only a few weeks ago. Apparently I didn't see it when it was first published on Knitty, for some reason or another.

Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery

I'm using Yarn Chef Minestrone in the "Frosty Window Pane" colorway. I just love the name of it and the color. I hope my mom does, too. I have a feeling she won't get a ton of use out of a lace scarf, but I know she'll appreciate it and I am really having a fun time knitting it. I can't recommend the pattern highly enough...it's very easy to memorize. I see quite a few more of these in my future, actually. A great use for semi-solid sock yarn!

And last, but certainly not least. Our son. During the NCAA March Madness tournament, he became completely obsessed and engrossed with basketball. He wanted to watch every game that he could. That's when we noticed that he couldn't see the score of the game from our couch...which is not really so very far from the TV. An appointment was made with the optometrist (even though he went before the school year started) and voila:

First glasses

Now he can see. And he looks even more like his mom now, too.

For Future Reference

2009-02-08T13:32:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again. The time of year when the kids start outgrowing their winter clothing, that is. I swear, I buy/make it big in the fall but by February we always need something new. No matter, I had been wanting to try Thorpe for quite awhile. This one turned out just as I had planned, although I haven't gotten to the crocheted bits yet.

As per my usual M.O., I didn't swatch for this but just grabbed some Cascade 220 Paints, doubled it and knit the medium on size 9 needles. Smaller needle, larger pattern, eh, it worked out. I didn't knit as many garter-stitch rows on the front because I was worried it was getting too long for her almost-four-year-old head.

One way to get a preschooler to laugh is to have her look outside at feet of crusty snow on the ground and ask if she sees the Easter Bunny. Just for future reference.

Speedy Recovery Blanket

2009-01-20T14:02:00.004-06:00

About a week ago we got some not-great news that a favorite cousin who underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor will also have to undergo further treatment for cancer. She is 42.

Not yet willing to pump out a few hats for her, I decided to cook up a blanket. I looked around Ravelry for awhile for something I wanted to knit. I really did. I wanted something easy for TV knitting, something chunky but a little interesting.

So I ended up doing it myself.

Hip To Be Square Blanket
Yarn: Four skeins of Wool Pak 10ply (aka 1600 yards of any worsted, held double)

I hope it finds my cousin safely and helps to keep her warm. It's certainly not a ground-breaking pattern, but it was quick and easy. If you're not interested in applied i-cord for the edging, you can choose your own.

She's not sick in this photo (this morning), but last week she came down with a doozy of a virus with a fever and a sore throat. Just in time for -20 degree weather, too. So she was out of school Wednesday (sick), and then school was cancelled Thursday and Friday. That makes four school cancellations so far this winter season.

Friday I put them in handknits and let them make Playdoh ice cream. It seemed to occupy them, at least. But it was odd, I must say. It contributed to the alternate-reality feeling I had all day. It's strange to be afraid of the out-of-doors.

In other news, I have actually become a working mommy again. Well, for the time-being anyway. I picked up some freelance work with my old employer. They've been very good about tossing me work now and then since I quit there 6.5 years ago before our son was born.

And so far, we are still in limbo regarding our long-term residence! Fairly soon we should know if we need to put the house up for sale (again) and actually sell it this time, or if we can make plans to stay. (Stay---what a delicious word.) I'm voting for the latter, but I've never been Ms. Moneybags, so we'll see how it all shakes out.

Moving On...

2009-01-10T15:48:00.005-06:00

I can't stop thinking about last year, in total. Not about knitting, but about our experiences as a family. Both of my kids had their adenoids and tonsils out after some serious sleep apnea issues. We took our first family vacation to another country. We had our house on the market for much of the year. We took it off the market. Ups and downs, my friends. Ups and downs.

The very last day of the year could have been worse, but it wasn't that great. I had bought some ice-melt/rock-salt (whatever-you-call-it) and had somehow made the ridiculous decision to open the bag with a garden weeder. One that looks like this. And anyway, let's just say I really did almost prove Ralphie's mom right. Thankfully I had my glasses on.

It's a little difficult to see the scratch in this photo because of the focus, but it's there.
And it's deep.

So I found myself at one of the local eyeglass chain stores with the rest of the people who waited until the very end of the year to spend the money they've put away in their Flexible Healthcare Accounts (aka, everyone in the city). But after three hours, I ended up with these:

And so far, so good. I can't say how happy I am that January seems to be moving along at a nice clip. Our reward for having such stunning summers here is that basically January and February get to the brink of unbearably cold. Next week? Temps of -15, without windchill.

I'm trying to focus on the right things, like how much progress our son has made in the short time he has been in elementary school. Here is a poem he wrote on Friday:

And no, his name isn't "Mike".

This year I want to get back something I seem to have lost. I have lost my go-with-the-flow, happy-go-lucky qualities. I used to have that, I really did. Ask my friend Trista. I want to get that back. Desperately. Anyone know where that went?

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T12:03:00.003-06:00

I'm not nearly as organized as some. I can reflect, abstractly, on what I knit in 2008, and it included two adult sweaters, one of which I eventually ripped out over the summer. The other I just finished last week, and it, too, will eventually be ripped out, probably over the summer. It doesn't fit well and I am going to blame it on the design and my lustful need to knit without seams.

Imogen (Ravelry link) with Araucania Nature Wool Chunky

If you can imagine, for a minute, how this sweater is put on the body, and think about what happens to the rolled edges when one is crossed in front of the other and held together with a shawl pin? The edge bunches up under the other one and adds some lumps around the wearer's waist. Yes, I probably made this too big, but it also bags in the back a lot right underneath the arms, as it does in quite a few on Ravelry. Lesson learned. This year I would, however, like to complete at least one or two adult sweaters that I wear. For now, this one is still my favorite, imminently wearable (even while not pregnant), washable, dryable.

For now, though, I caught the crochet bug. Actually, I've been meaning to try this for quite awhile. It's a revisit of sorts as my introduction to fiber arts was at a very young age - my mom's mother taught me how to crochet. I think I only learned how to chain and do a single crochet stitch, though. This project got me excited to try again, however.

This particular grandmother died when I was in middle school. There was a time in my life when people just kept dying all over the place. First my paternal grandfather, when I was in the fourth grade, and then it just went downhill from there. His widow, my last living grandparent, died when I was in college.

What I have left of Grandma: Her crochet hooks

I have a bunch of loose Rowan Handknit Cotton that I plan to turn into a Ripple Blanket for our daughter. I knit her a blanket when I was pregnant with her, before I knew if she was a boy or a girl. And that blanket, a neutral tan, has never appealed to her. She carries around a yellow polyester fleece blanket. I'd like to bump it out of its prime spot - we'll see. That's a large spot to fill.

Rowan Handknit DK and Denim for M's ripple blanket

And again, with feeling...

2008-12-19T10:38:00.003-06:00

Here we are again; another foot of snow fell overnight and into this morning. Snow day. I wonder how many snow days we'll get this season. It sure it shaping up to be another snowy winter. Last season we surpassed the city's previous snowfall record by about 30 inches, and that was just ridiculous. I'm not sure how anyone deals with more than 100 inches of snow in a season on a routine basis. Our city certainly isn't equipped to handle this much snow in a timely manner. I expect they won't even plow our cul-de-sac until late into tonight. This morning already, I have seen three of my neighbors get stuck. Hey neighbors, stay home. The snow is too deep for your average fuel-efficient tiny car (this is Madison, after all.) It gets stuck under the body of your car.

Meanwhile, I have been working on some knitting. This is another Christmas present, and it's almost finished. I didn't quite follow the recommended color pattern, but I love denim yarn so much, and this seemed like a perfect application.

Slithery Snake by Zoe Mellor
with Rowan Handknit Dk Cotton, Tahki Cotton Classic and Rowan Denim

The meteorologists say that we're to get another 4-6 inches over the weekend. At some point I've got to stop being frustrated and just let it happen. I'm sure that'll happen any day now...

Anatomy of a Snow Day

2008-12-09T11:50:00.002-06:00

In my opinion, it's a little early in the season for the weather to be this nasty. But what do I know? I've only lived in this state for 17 years (non-consecutive, but still). Maybe I'm just getting less tolerant as I age.

Thankfully, I bought decorations for gingerbread (graham cracker) houses yesterday, so that's what we did this morning.

I have directions from our preschool about how to make gingerbread houses with graham crackers and Royal icing. Each year parents make some basic houses and bring them in for the kids to decorate. We used a tub of regular vanilla icing to attach the candy.

Generally, it's one of those activities that is fun, but takes a lot of preparation and a lot of clean-up for about 20 minutes of activity. Rather a negative cost-benefit ratio, but you know. One of those things you have to try once, at least.

The other day we made gingerbread cookies and that was considerably more fun and productive, if you ask me, because I gave some of the extras to the neighbors. Our recipe is from our preschool:

Gingerbread Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening (or butter)
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream together sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and molasses, beating well. In a separate bowl, sift the remaining ingredients together. Then add to the mixture, mixing well. Cover tightly and chill for about three hours or until the dough is stiff enough to handle.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Using your gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake in a 350 oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets for two minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks. (I use simple powdered-sugar frosting for them.)

Let's hope I can find something a little less time-intensive and less messy to fill the afternoon!

The Winding Road

2008-12-04T13:10:00.004-06:00

I'm not afraid to admit that some of my days are meandering. Like this morning. We were supposed to have a playdate with some friends, but I think M might be coming down with something, so we stayed home.

She wanted to paint, so I pulled out the craft supplies and ended up deciding to completely clean out the craft area.

That culminated with finding my bead box. I immediately decided to make some stitch markers for the playdate friend's mom, a good friend who knits. (Immediately, meaning of course I hadn't finished cleaning out the craft area yet.)

I have always been like this. When I was a in high school, for creative writing class I wrote a short, slice-of-life story about how my mom would tell me I needed to clean up my room before I went to the pool with my sisters. So I'd go into my room, find something under my bed and instead of cleaning everything up, end up getting completely distracted by a long-lost book or scrapbook or something else. I honestly have good intentions, but I am not the world's most organized person. I get the sense this was overwhelmingly frustrating for my parents.

After I made the stitch markers (three sets, actually), I decided, hey, there are some earring hooks in here. Why not try my hand at making earrings, too?

So I did. Two pair, actually. I might give them to my sisters, who are infinitely more organized than I am. Their rooms were always organized, clean and straight. Mine was not a disaster, but it was cluttered.

But that's Ok. Because sometimes I think my distracted mind has allowed some room for happy things to happen in between.

Crafts New & Old

2008-11-30T18:22:00.006-06:00

If this time of year isn't a good time to take stock in one's life, I don't know when is. Not to be sappy, thankfully our family is rich in things that matter a lot to us, like health, love and happiness. Ok, I will admit to being a grump, especially in the last month. BUT, it was nice to convene with my sisters and their families and Thanksgiving and be truly thankful. I feel like what money can't buy, we got. Unfortunately, you also need money, too. But that's another matter, and not one for this post.

I'm also immensely grateful for listening to my inner knitter eight years ago. She was screaming at me to learn how. Although my grandmother had taught me to crochet as a young child, it didn't really 'stick'. I loved to peruse her skeins and skeins of bright acrylic yarn in her attic, though; I definitely remember that.

For the past few years, we've been cutting down our own Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We like to get a jump on the season, as we both really enjoy Christmastime. And each year, I climb up on a chair and put her at the top of our tree:

This is my Christmas angel. I made her in Kindergarten when I was five years old. She is, admittedly, a little worse for the wear. Each year I marvel that her Kleenex wings haven't ripped, however. (And each year I also marvel that I made her at public school.)

Here we are, still crafting 31 years later. The great thing about my blog is that my family doesn't know about it. They can't read what they don't know about, so I can talk about gift knitting to my heart's desire. This is for my mother for Christmas:

It's not quite finished, but should be done tonight. It's a Basic Cardigan Vest for Women by Diane Soucy of Knitting Pure & Simple fame. Wow, was this simple. And pure. And knitting. ;) This is Peace Fleece worsted in Baghdad Blue. It's a little more purple than shows here.

I plan to place one button on this vest. I'm actually binding off the front edges with i-cord and I hope to be able to manage an i-cord loop to put around the button. But I've never done that before, so we'll see how it goes. It's amazing what a little undivided attention can accomplish, though.

I picked this button up at Jennie The Potter's stand at the Madison Knitters Guild annual Knit-In earlier this year. Jennie has scads of cute knitting pottery and gorgeous buttons. This came in a 3-pack, but I think one button is fine for this vest.

Yeah, I think I'll keep them. They're the ones I want in this foxhole we've dug out for ourselves. I hope you enjoy your holiday season and keep people around you who lift your spirits.

FO: Helena!

2008-11-17T12:32:00.005-06:00

It's suspicious that I only blog when I have something finished. At least, I think it's suspicious. I'm afraid of boring anyone with WIPs and complaints, which seem to fill most of my days and nights nowadays. Heard of a little thing called the crashing financial economy? It's lately affecting us directly. There has been talk of moving to Singapore. (and not as a joke, either.)

But Knit On, dear friends, isn't Elizabeth Zimmerman's advice pertinent as ever?

For Halloween, we traveled to visit family on the East Coast and I had a lot of precious knitting time. I was able to crank out most of the skirt of Helena and all of one sleeve, too. My plan was to use a worsted weight wool to knit a holiday sweater for the three-year-old in our house. I had this O-Wool Classic in Sumac that I got (drastically reduced, mind you) awhile ago, and thought it would be perfect. Helena (Ravelry project link) calls for DK-weight wool, however, so I decided to knit a size 2, but knit the length to a size 4. I ended up just knitting and knitting and I think, all told, this is really closer to a size 5/6. And thankfully so. The little lady has long arms (like me) and she'll be able to wear this next year and maybe even the year after that.

She likes it. I love it. I think it's the prettiest thing I've ever knit and I'm very happy with it. I already have black leggings to match it for Thanksgiving (and a black shirt for underneath) and green/red leggings for Christmas. We'll get as much mileage out of this sweater as possible. After all, it's 86 degrees every single day in Singapore. (sob)

Ladybug buttons (what else?)

Two-Day Beret

2008-10-28T18:02:00.000-06:00

Yes, it really only took two days. Although I knit a lot during those two days. Heh.

Pattern: Moss Stitch Beret by Kent Turman
Yarn: 100Purewool 3-ply in Azul Profundo
Needle: 3US

I'm truthfully not sure why Kent has one cast on provisionally on dpns. It takes a special kind of talent to cast on 90 stitches in the round provisionally on dpns. Quickly, but not quickly enough, I realized this would be an easier task on a small circular needle. Otherwise, I knit the hat a little taller than called for because I knew I wanted to pull it down over my ears. It was snowing here just yesterday. Yeah, this hat has to be functional and cute. But really, when you are staring down another "numbing" winter, cute really takes a back seat to functional.

While the little one and I were sick, we ended up getting a new camera. Hooray for entering the land of DSLR. Hooray for pick-me-up purchases whilst ill.

Snack in black and white

Warm Heads, Warm Hearts

2008-10-11T08:21:00.003-06:00

These hats were so much fun to make, I almost wish I had more children.

Almost, but you know, not really. I love my kids, but we've been passing around an intestinal bug and I am glad we only have four people in the house.

Very Warm Hat by Meg Swansen, a handout from Knitting Camp '07
Chart by Tiennie Knits "Norwegian Star Earflap Hat"
Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints #9867 & Cascade 220 white

Ah Success

2008-09-29T13:17:00.002-06:00

Finally. I made a hat that fits. You'll have to trust me on the fitting part--he did not want to wear it for the camera. (Give it a month for the temps to dip down a bit...)

Pattern: Very Warm Hat by Elizabeth Zimmerman (a hand-out from Knitting Camp 07)
Motif: A modified "We Call Them Pirates" chart provided to me by Stacee (knittingelephant)
Yarn: Cascade 220 (.4 skeins of blue and gold)

Blue and gold were chosen because those are the colors of the boy's coat. Not for any team affiliation. I grew up in Ohio and had to say this *first thing* to my mother, who still believes if you wear blue and gold you are, even if you don't mean it, rooting for Michigan.

Try, Try...Try Again?

2008-09-19T13:58:00.002-06:00

This is my second attempt with this hat. I tried it last year, as well.

This time it's too big. And it's made with a large seam that's designed to cover the ears with double the fabric. I like the idea in theory, but in practice it means that there's a big, chunky seam running right through the pattern. And you can see it, especially since it's too big for his noggin.

So, ever emboldened (?!), I've decided to try again, but this time I'm using Meg Swansen's V. Warm Hat (Rav link) that I got at Knitting Camp last year, and N has chosen the motif from the We Call Them Pirates hat. Should be interesting! At least this one is completely lined..it's basically two hats, one knit inside the other. I hope it'll work. It has to..it's the third time.

New Start

2008-09-04T15:15:00.003-06:00

I know we were asking for it, but starting in the first grade instead of Kindergarten turns out to not be the most seamless experience on the planet. But he has stepped up and has taken the whole thing in stride.

Tuesday when he started school it was 92 degrees. Today, two days later, it won't even hit 60. Things are just very weird here, overall. The whole school experience and weather wackiness have left me feeling a bit unmoored.

But I did finish a baby cardigan for a baby shower I'm attending in a few weeks. It's the Easy Baby Cardigan by Knitting Pure & Simple, made with stash yarn: Sheep's Gift from Joslyn's Fiber Farm. It's very lovely and there was plenty in one skein to make this sweater. I might even crank out a hat to match, since I already bought pink Robeez for the little one, who is due in October. She'll need a wool sweater, if today is any indication of the Fall and winter that are ahead of us.

The Summer Away

2008-09-01T17:25:00.002-06:00

It appears as if I took the summer "off" from blogging. The truth is there are a whole lot of reasons why I haven't. And they seemed to overwhelm the reasons why I should. And that is all.

We still haven't sold our house. I'm convinced at this point that we'll spend the rest of 2008 here and a good portion of 2009. We have about 40 days left on our listing, and after that we are not relisting it until after the holidays. Who wants to spend Nov & Dec keeping their house immaculate for showings? Not I, said the fly.

So it works out Ok. Really it does. Thankfully my husband is his own boss in his new venture and he has been working from our house since July 1. He can continue to do that, with semi-weekly commutes to Boston.

Our son starts school tomorrow (!) and if we don't have to move him immediately to a new school, I think that's what we prefer at this point. Some may remember he's due to start kindergarten, but we inquired with the principal about whether or not he has made leaps of progress so as to sit well in first grade. A few weeks ago he was tested by a first-grade teacher who deemed his skills to be more than adequate for first grade, so off to first grade he goes. He'll be the young one, but we're confident that he'll do well. (And when he gets older, we can tease him about never learning to share because he "skipped" kindergarten.)

As for me, well...I'm just trying to ride the sea of change, for lack of worse imagery. Our daughter most likely will be home with me all the days because we didn't enroll her in preschool because we thought we were leaving. It's a difficult place to be in...leaving but on hold. Going but staying. But I think I've mastered it by now--we've been in a holding pattern for quite awhile.

Ear Cozies by Fiber Trends

I haven't blogged, but I have knit! Earlier this summer I churned out a few hats for the Iowa flood victims. There is still time to provide items for them, although now I suspect with the hurricanes in LA, MS and TX, Iowa's flood victims might get "lost". They are taking:

mittens
caps
scarves
afghans
prayer shawls
baby blankets
dishcloths
socks
infants, children’s and adult sweaters

Everything should be sent by November 1 to:

Post office address:
Cottage Creations
At the Farm on Deer Creek
Carpenter, Iowa 50426

UPS or Fed Ex address:
Carol Anderson
4562 Zinnia Ave.
St. Ansgar, IA 50472

I have matching mittens in the works. It'd be so nice if you could churn something out to warm a little head in Iowa this winter. Many people there lost everything in the floods of June.

Superstitious

2008-06-19T09:14:00.007-06:00

I try not to be superstitious. I inherited a few from my parents, though. When the salt spills I have to throw a bit over my shoulder, for instance. Innocuous, for the most part. However, the past two times I've blogged, I've come down with a big illness shortly thereafter. What's up with that?

I'm actually still sick. Low-grade fever and possibly heading toward another sinus infection. I'm trying to head it off with a neti pot. Thankfully husband is in town this week and has been picking up my slack.

Monday was the last day I was out and about. Here's a colorful photo of M, who is growing up so quickly lately. We had to take her to the ER last week with croup, but she has recovered.

Doing her best to beautify our house while it's for sale

Over the weekend, our son really got the hang of riding his bike without training wheels. Santa brought this new bike for Christmas, and it didn't come with training wheels, so there has been some motivation to ride it. Seeing as Santa also took the other bike that had training wheels. Santa's ways are mysterious, for sure.

Like about a billion other people, I started the February Lady Sweater. I'm using Araucania Nature Wool and although I had to fiddle with the numbers because my gauge is off, it's working up nicely. I don't know what those people at Araucania were smoking when they got 18 stitches for 4 inches on size 6 needles--the gauge on the label. I like this wool at 6 stitches per inch.

I've also decided to write up my diaper cover/wool soaker pattern and sell it on Ravelry. I have uploaded a total of three hat patterns on Ravelry for free, and they seem to be going over well. I like my diaper cover, because the design is very clean and has an adjustable waistband, too. We'll see how it goes. Right now I'm just trying to recover from this virus and make sure it doesn't go all bacterial in my sinuses. I'm sure blogging about it won't help, eh?

Published

2008-06-10T07:55:00.002-06:00

I forgot to share that I finally published my Cherie Beret pattern (free) on Ravelry. You can find it here!

"I don't know where you went..."

2008-06-09T08:15:00.003-06:00

I've been here the whole time, Internet. Just not feeling like blogging. When I have nothing but complaints, whines and moans, I usually refrain from posting. So that makes me a very intermittent blogger, at best.

But then a blog pal left a comment and said "I don't know where you went..." and it made me feel a little badly for not updating lately.

Let's see. Shortly after that last post, I had a vicious stomach flu that took a week to get over. I did finish my mom's socks for Mother's Day and they were semi well-received, although a week later she still had not tried them on. And I haven't asked about them since.

After that, I needed a sure-fire project to pick me up, so I knit my first lace: a Shetland Triangle Shawl for my oldest friend. We go back to the 4th or 5th grade, when she moved to my school. Somehow we keep reaching out to each other from time to time and I truly believe we will be connected throughout our lives. She's a very special person to me.

Project: Healing Shawl (Shetland Triangle Shawl from Wrap Style)
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Sock in Gothic Rose
Modifications: 10 repeats, but I'm pretty sure I could have done 11
Received: Extremely well. Better than expected. Happy.

After that, I knit a cabled pillow, but I have yet to sew it up, so that'll be for the next post. I also caught the February Lady Sweater fever, and cast on in 100purewool's 3-ply. It's turning out lovely.

100purewool 3-ply in Azul Profundo

On a continuing personal note, our house has been on the market for just over a month. We are hoping to move before school starts, but we're not counting on it. The housing market, if you haven't heard, isn't great. But we are buoyed by the fact that a few houses in our neighborhood have sold in the past few weeks.

I continue to spend way too much time on Ravelry, and CESOB in particular. I've met some great friends there and would like to give them a shout-out. We just had a stitch marker swap, and these are ones I received from Lynnea. I'll post photos of the others in another post. I promise to post again in June. Although I can't promise it'll be upbeat.

Lovely stitch markers from Lynnea

Mother's Day

2008-04-22T11:48:00.002-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that my immediate family doesn't know about this blog. It's appropriate because they also don't care about knitting. But it's also convenient for me because then I can dish about works in progress that are gifts and not have to be all hush hush about them.

This particular pair of socks is for my mom for Mother's Day. I haven't knit any socks ever for my mom, and I thought that since summer is coming, Sockotta (cotton/wool/nylon blend) would be appropriate. I actually don't often knit with true fingering weight yarn for socks (preferring the process to go a little more quickly) so I'm surprised at how quickly these are working up.

What happened is that I realized I don't want to knit for pay. I knit because I love it and I only knit for people who I truly adore. That doesn't translate well into knitting for random people for money. Thankfully we are financially in a position where I don't have to earn money. Anything I earn is gravy, and so I can continue to knit for love. And thankfully the people who invited me to participate in their store have graciously allowed me to bow out.

I felt so relieved, that I just knit and knit and knit on my mom's socks. And lo. They are going much more quickly than I had anticipated! Maybe I *do* like fingering weight yarn afterall.

Not Very Massachusetts

2008-04-14T08:19:00.003-06:00

Our house went on the market Saturday officially. Let the craziness begin. In the meantime, I've determined just how much I guess I am not Massachusetts:

You Are 16% Massachusetts

You Yankees loving homo! You probably think Starbucks coffee tastes better than Dunkin Donuts.

How Massachusetts Are You?

Ack. I suppose it's not very scientific, but then, I tend to think since I've spent 29 out of 36 years of my life in the Midwest, I'm fairly Midwestern and probably always will be. It's not a bad thing, is it?

As a result of the above, I haven't been knitting much, well, much that's very interesting. I started knitting for a little online store--baby things. They are fun and pretty quick and I'm "designing" some items, so that has been creatively challenging and fun. But I also yearn to get back to my other adult knitting projects.

Where Is Spring?

2008-03-26T08:53:00.005-06:00

Hi again. I feel the need to introduce myself. Hi. I'm Jen and I knit. Sometimes. Lately, not so much. And because I'm not too big on complaining publicly, and lately I've had not much nice to say, I've resorted to...well, not saying much. Which is probably not the right thing to do because I think about blogging quite a bit.

Just do it, right?

Genuine tagged me on her blog and even said I'm "very inventive" so I guess I need to follow through with that or lose her respect forever. This is a six-word memoir and it can include an illustration. Mine will not.

Reads, knits, writes; usually plays nicely.

Boring? Well, tough. In truth I would have liked to write something like "Writer saves humanity with poignant prose." But I have neither the ego nor the crystal ball to say that. So I'll stick to the here and now.

T&A
In other news, our daughter sailed through her tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy last week, but not through her recovery. It has been a tough, long slog. Two days after the surgery, she came down with croup and a nasty cold. Which meant she didn't want to eat. At all. Not even ice cream, popsicles or pudding could entice her. So it has been rough, but we're managing. She's almost 3, so she's got that 2/3 thing going on, too.

I was able to finish another diaper cover (before the surgery)! This is another soaker for Sam. It's from 100purewool's 3ply; the color is Brown Lilac and I just love it.

I also finished the second sock in a pair (after the surgery). This pair is made with Duet from A Swell Yarn Shop. I had traded for it on Ravelry a little while ago. I have to say while I adore the colors (cream, tan, pinks) I'm not in love with the yarn base. I found it splitty and squeaky. I think I've decided I'll mostly stick with wool/nylon blends for socks after this one. Superwash 100% wool just rubs me the wrong way. It feels too much like acrylic to me.

Even though they are heavy wool socks, there's something about them that says "spring" isn't there? (Despite the fact that we're supposed to get two more inches of snow tomorrow. On top of our 100+ inches for the season--we passed by our previous record of 76 inches awhile ago. Oh the humanity!)

No New Knits

2008-03-11T16:48:00.002-06:00

Blog posts are daunting when you have no new knitting to show. But there has been stash acquisition and other fun things, so I'll go ahead anyway.

This past weekend the knitting guild in my city hosted a Knit-In and I came away with quite a few items:

Tribbles. More specifically, 12 Tribbles for free.
Won as a door prize.

Blue buttons from Jennie The Potter
I couldn't resist!

Pink Button for Imogen from Jennie The Potter
oooooooooo.

MC Bearfoot for Periwinkle Beret
to match my brown winter coat

Aussi Sock in Faded Valentine

I also may or may not have purchased 8 skeins of Black Water Abbey 2-ply in Ocean. She didn't have them on hand, so I don't have them in hand, but I think they are making their way to my house as I type. Or perhaps that was allllll a dream.

I do know one thing. This week is "Kids Week" at the local children's hospital and because we were there today for a pre-operative appointment, we got two "doctor bags".

Surgical masks turn out to be a really handy plaything when your 5 year old has a low fever. Can I just point out that...shouldn't every week be "Kids Week" at a children's hospital?

Miss M is scheduled for her tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy March 19. Yes, we'd like a matched pair, please. No seriously, I know this looks and sounds ridiculous. But rest assured that we are not operating on our children willy-nilly. Our ENT is a very conservative guy and we all agree it's time to take hers out, too. Even the nurse practitioner who saw her today commented on the size of M's tonsils.

Ah life. It just keeps doling out the sweet and the not-so-much sweet.

Back to Reality

2008-03-02T15:57:00.004-06:00

The lull experienced on this blog was actually a refreshing vacation in Jamaica. For six days we frolicked on the beach, soaked in the sun and ate delicious, authentic Jamaican food. Truthfully, I had low expectations for this trip. Let's face it: I am the mother of a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I know that vacation can have it's trials for little children. Especially an overseas vacation. But it was seriously very fun. We kept the activities to a minimum so as not to wear out the children (and thus ourselves) and we happened to get really lucky when we booked our stay at The Blue House near Ocho Rios. What an amazing place. They call it a B&B but it's more like a boutique, luxury hotel. We stayed in the cottage behind the house and there was so much privacy and the food was amazing.

There was even time to knit. I started and almost finished another Koolhaas Hat. I didn't bring dpns with me, so I had to wait until we got home to finish it. I'm calling it my "Rum Cream Koolhaas" because the colors remind me of Jamaica Rum Cream, the most delicious drink on ice that I've ever tasted. It's rather like Irish Cream, but so much better.

We brought a few bottles back.

Project: Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood of brooklyntweed
Yarn: 100purewool.com 3-ply merino in "Tostado" colorway
Mods: none (4 repeats, not 5)

You know, for all the complaining I've been doing about this winter, I was so happy to come back to 30-degree temps. Today it's 41 and the snow and ice is melting. Much of the week it's going to be in the 30s. That's all a girl can ask for--it's my 36th birthday tomorrow and I'm just glad it's not supposed to snow.

ETA: *sob* it snowed last night. I guess there are worse things, right?

C is for Cup

2008-02-20T13:29:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I'm late again and it's a mug, not a cup, but I had to show off this new-found rescued mug from my parents' house.

Why, right? Why rescue this cup/mug? I love tea. And this mug is really big. I'd say it holds more than 20 ounces. Upwards of 80 inches of snow has fallen so far this winter, and it's only February. That calls for a lot of tea. This mug makes me giggle, too.

Baby Love

2008-02-15T14:59:00.004-06:00

I reckon it has been over a week since I posted. Things are going well. Our son flew through the surgery like a champ. We were there from 9:30am to 5pm, so it was a long day, and we were both happy to be home. He actually spent the morning at preschool today, the first day he has been there since the surgery.

The surgery had an immediate effect on his sleep. The first night I went to tuck him in, I put my ear to his face to make sure he was breathing. In contrast to before the surgery, when we could hear his sleep apnea episodes from downstairs. We are so relieved that he is getting sound sleep now.

Our daughter also may need the surgery, but we are watching and waiting right now. Her tonsils are very large and her sleep is also interrupted, so she may need them out sooner rather than later.

Knitting Content
I've always thought those wool diaper soakers were so darling. But I never wanted to cloth diaper my children. (Please, no flaming me for that. Save it for BID in Ravelry, K?) So when my good friend Alison recently said she wanted to try wool with her second babe, I jumped right all over that. This is the Curly Purly Soaker:

It's not quite done yet, so technically a WIP. I still have to do the one cuff. These are extraordinarily quick and easy. This one is made of discontinued Chester Farms Pride of the Flock, which has built-in lanolin and is undyed. So now her baby can be an accurate Revolutionary War re-enactor. Or something like that. Just kidding. But at least his soaker might match his poop.

I did not do such a hot job on the grafting, however. I *will* get better at grafting. I figure that's mostly a part not many people are going to see on a very young baby, though.

There's also another knit in progress for another baby, and unfortunately I can't show that one because it's a gift for another friend (blogless) who reads this blog. Sorry!

There is something else I'd like to alert you to. I know some people who read this blog have young children. If you have tiny-person clothes packed up in your basement, or attic, would you please consider sending them to Mel, a doula in South Africa, who is giving them to new mothers? Otherwise, if they run out, sometimes the babies go home wrapped in newspaper. And I can't think of many more sad things than that.

Sweater & Surgery

2008-02-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

This is a drive-by post to upload photos of the finished sweater. I love it so much. It has replaced my pregnant Wallaby as most favorite knit item yet. I tried two new things on this sweater: applied i-cord and a zipper. This was made with 100Purewool 3-ply merino. Decadent stuff. If you are enterprising, you can find some for sale on some swap boards where mamas congregate because they often use it for diaper soakers and the like. You can also find some co-op buys out there for it. It's very soft.

That is a Melissa & Doug "Princess Mirror" she's holding. Sigh.

Our son is scheduled for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy tomorrow. We only just scheduled it today. But we had waited two weeks to see the ENT, who subsequently said today, "These need to come out. Now." So. An update will come again when possible. I'm looking forward to getting our happy go-lucky, well-rested son back.

B is for Buried

2008-02-06T17:11:00.000-06:00

Somewhere between 12 to 18 inches of snow. Another snowstorm and we'll have to dig out the poor mailbox.

They don't call it i-cord for nothing.

2008-02-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

I believe it was Elizabeth Zimmermann herself who called i-cord "idiot cord" because any idiot can make it.

Well, I can now tell you that it takes a special idiot who is very applied at the idiocy to make applied i-cord.

Children's Neck-Down Cardigan, Knitting Pure & Simple
100Purewool 3-ply in "Orchid", 2 skeins (24" chest)

I couldn't get a good close-up shot of the applied i-cord, but let's just say it has been a challenge. I first bound off in i-cord at the bottom and then decided to motor on around to the front edge, where I ran into problems. I think slipping the first stitch on the fronts of the cardigan was a bad idea because that elongated first stitch not a great area in which to pick up stitches. I was slipping the first stitch in an effort to keep that edge clean and allow for better pick up of stitches, but now I see it's just leaving fewer stitches to pick up and making the i-cord too short for the edge and pulling it up.

I'm making this sweater (oh, it's pink!) because I recently got two more skeins of 100Purewool 3-ply and could not fathom the idea of not knitting it immediately. The stuff is that nice. And although, technically, I wasn't sure I had enough for this sweater, I made it work. I decided I would take this opportunity to learn two new things: applied i-cord (hah!), and putting in a zipper. I do have some rudimentary sewing skills, so I'm hoping the zipper business won't be so difficult. Maybe I'm deluded, because I didn't anticipate applied i-cord would be that difficult, either.

Durn it.

Happy Forest Koolhaas

2008-01-27T15:42:00.000-06:00

Thanks to another enterprising swap with Bertha, I got my hands on some Dream in Color Classy in Happy Forest on Thursday. By Friday morning, when the kids were at preschool, I was at the coffee shop, happily knitting away. Saturday, this was done. And the world was good.

Pattern: Koolhaas Hat from Holiday Edition of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Happy Forest
Mods: None. Four chart repeats.

This was so fun to knit. And I happened to have the perfect vest to wear with it, although vest weather doesn't usually happen here until March or April. But all the same, I really enjoyed knitting this hat and plan to make another one to match my winter coat, too. On Ravelry, some people said they preferred five chart repeats, but that would have been too long for me.

This will be most excellent for St. Patrick's Day. And if the Packers ever make it to the Super Bowl.

This took 54 grams of Classy, and I have about 66 grams left. Enough for an entire hat! But my question is...do you think I could get a pair of adult mittens out of it?

Buttons Ago-Go

2008-01-23T07:17:00.000-06:00

Finally! Buttons for the purple monstrosity:

I've worn this about three times now, and I have to say I'm not too happy with the wear-factor or durability (? it's early) of this yarn. Maybe it's that I didn't knit it at a tight enough gauge, but it's pilling like crazy and because the yarn is already nubbly, it just looks homemade to me instead of handmade. Unfortunate. Maybe I should have struggled on those size 8 needles instead of knitting it at a bulky gauge.

As for our son, I got word that the ENT has greenlighted (greenlit?) getting him on the OR schedule, but that it might be three or four weeks until we get a spot. Insert expletive here. At least he actually ate something besides milkshakes for dinner last night. To be a little more clear, he doesn't have tonsillitis and in fact isn't sick at all. He doesn't have strep throat. His tonsils have seemingly decided to poof out ('specially that left one), leaving the barest minimum of space between them, for no apparent reason. This is the main reason to do surgery. But ending all the sleep apnea will be a bonus, too. Right now our guy, 5 years old, is napping daily--something he hasn't done since he had pneumonia last year. He's just not getting any quality sleep at night because his breathing makes him sound like a tractor. Thank you for all your positive comments.

More Pink

2008-01-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

Pink has been playing a major part in my knitting life lately. I don't usually try to analyze my color choices, but treat them more like thoughts while meditating..."hm...there's another pink project. Oh, huh, there's another pink project."

Child mittens and Ear Cozies from 100purewool 3-ply merino

I made these for an auction our preschool is having to benefit an inevitable, upcoming renovation project on its space. This yarn is delightful to work with. I have to admit it's my new favorite. It's very soft but because it's 3-ply, it seems more sturdy and strong than 1-ply Malabrigo, more consistent, and I hear it's less likely to pill, as well.

I'm also making progress on Imogen. I finished the first sleeve last night, although this photo doesn't show it.

Imogen in Araucania Nature Wool Chunky #111

I think this is going to be a flattering, nice-fitting sweater. Famous last words, right? I hope not.

You all have been so supportive in the past, and I'd just like to share a little mommy-freak-out situation and ask for your positive vibes for our son. About three weeks ago we noticed his voice sounded different, full as if he had a sore throat. So in the ensuing 2.5 weeks, we asked him a bajillion times if his throat was sore. Finally, realizing that probably wasn't a good tactic, I decided to take him to the pediatrician. Who said his tonsils needed to come out immediately. They were enlarged. So we saw the Ear/Nose/Throat (ENT) doctor--the same one who put in M's eartubes over the summer--and he did a blood draw to test for mono (negative) and said we should wait a month to see if they get smaller and then consider a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. That was Thursday.

Yesterday afternoon, he sounded worse. So I looked in his throat. His left tonsil has swollen up disproportionately and is threatening to take up most of his throat. There appear to only be about 2 cms between the tonsils now. I was sufficiently alarmed that I sent DH and son to the ER last night, and because son does not have a fever or any pain and he can breathe and swallow, they did not recommend any immediate treatment but said we should call the ENT on Tuesday. The official documents from the ER say "unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy." Do yourself a favor and don't Google it. It could be all sorts of terrible stuff. But it also could be nothing.

Mommy anxiety prolonged yet another day. Darn that Martin Luther King, Jr. ;)

A is for

2008-01-20T08:11:00.000-06:00

Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. Which our daughter sometimes clutches like a security blanket.

Today is the last day to sign up for the ABC-Along 2008. Get thee to Vicki's blog and sign up!

Contest Winners & FO

2008-01-14T10:57:00.001-06:00

Ok! Whew! A lot of people commented! Thanks very much. They were very interesting to read. I got everything across the board with knitting projects, and I hope you found it rather interesting to think about what you'd really like to knit, and maybe you can incorporate that project in your queue this year.

I chose four people randomly (or, rather, random.org gave me four numbers and I matched them up with the commenters). They have been contacted and will receive their yarn hopefully this week. They are:

Vicki Knitorious
Melissa of Banana Migraine
Anne of The Bag Lady & The Pro
Michele of McKnitter

Thanks everyone.

Last week I finished some fingerless mittens for our favorite preschool teacher. She's the type of person who can tell when something is slightly 'off' with your child or you, and she's so caring and knowledgeable and practical with her childrearing advice. I hadn't jumped on the fingerless mittens bandwagon because, truthfully, where we live it's just usually too cold. You need fingers on your mittens. But then I observed what happens on the preschool playground. The teachers have to take their mittens or gloves off a lot to help the kids. So I decided to make these:

Axel Mitts by Blue Garter
Araucania Nature Wool Chunky color 111

The pattern is written for bulky weight, and as Araucania Nature Wool Chunky is misnamed and is a worsted weight, I jiggered the pattern a little bit. But see how nice? They fold up over your fingers. Perfect for the preschool playground.

One More Day!

2008-01-10T18:51:00.000-06:00

There's one more day left in the contest (see post below). So far 68 people have commented, and I definitely think I'm going to have to make use of a random number generator to pick three winners. Unfortunately, the socialist tendencies in me cannot allow me to pick, say...an Orenburg shawl over a house cozy. I shouldn't have contests because I'm notoriously indecisive. But I'm really enjoying reading the comments-- thank you!

Nova asked: "What is yours?!"

I'd have to go with a Zimmermann-esque self-designed aran knit in the round, steeked for cardigan opening and armholes, with a hood. Kind of like her Aran Coat, but not knit at 2.5 stitches to the inch.

Isn't it a blessing...and a shame...that we can't knit just one project in 2008? If we did, we'd all get our absolute dream projects finished. And what a joy that would be indeed.

Come One, Come All: Win Yarn

2008-01-04T17:19:00.000-06:00

Ok, technically this is my 99th post, but I couldn't wait for the 100th. And didn't have anything else to write about, if you'd like to know the truth.

In celebration of 100 posts here at Friender (and my first blogiversary coming soon), I present to you a Deep Sea Diving Expedition. We're fishing for comments here, readers. I know, but I'm a middle child, so I need the attention.

So here's what you do:

Leave a comment (with your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win) by January 11th answering the following question:

If you were only allowed to knit one thing in 2008, what would you knit?

Three people will win yarn!

Araucania Ranco Multi 302 blues/purples

Joslyn's Fiber Farm Sheep's Gift in "Montego Bay"

Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters in "Raspberry"

Creativity counts! Really think about it and put in your comment by midnight on January 11th. **Winners will be contacted via email, so please do fill out the little form with your email address if you'd like to be considered.** Thanks for reading!

edited to add: I don't want to force people to leave their email addresses in their comments. If you have a blog attached to your profile on Blogger, I can find you! If you are blogless, please give me some way to contact you. thanks.

Knits in Action

2008-01-03T08:15:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year. My parents came to celebrate Christmas on New Years (yes, we're slightly off kilter that way) and so I was able to get a photo of my mom in the Reader's Wrap.

It was well-received, as my mom is the most gracious person I know. She's particularly deserving of something she can wear everywhere next year. Especially since she and my father have always been so supportive of my knitting hobby, not to mention generous. This year they got me the Knitpicks DPN set, The Knitter's Book of Yarn, More Sensational Knitted Socks and Favorite Socks. And two skeins of Knitpicks Bare to assault with more Koolaid. And a new digital camcorder. Yeah, they're generous.

And here is me. It was a gray day and well, the photos aren't the best. But I do love this sweater and actually had to take it off while preparing our food that day--it was too hot for the kitchen.

I'd also like to thank Tiennie--apparently I'm starting off 2008 with some good vibes. Never having ever won anything in a blog contest before, I was chosen as her random blog commenter and she's sending yarn! Yarn! Thanks Tiennie. I'm so excited to see what it is.

Speaking of yarn, this is my 98th post on my blog. Rapidly approaching 100, in which I'd like to give away some more yarn. It's fortuitous that I need to visit my LYS for buttons today; I can pick something out there to give away. Stay tuned and tell your friends.

Just. All. Wrong.

2007-12-31T17:35:00.000-06:00

Independently, all of these things are good. But together, they just don't work.

Case #1

A. Rowan All Seasons Cotton
B. Desire to knit a child's top-down sweater with contrasting-c0lor raglan sleeves in the round

A+B=No. No. No.

The sad part is, this is my second attempt at this. I was sure I had figured it out this time. I could have continued this way, but I would have ended up with twice as many tangles and ends to weave in. Ugh.

Case #2

A. Thrifted, chunky buttons of unknown origin and unknown composition
B. New sweater, blocked and dry

A+B=No. No. No.

The buttons, unfortunately, make it look on the 'granny' side of style. Also unfortunately, I have no other buttons in the house. And tomorrow is New Years.

Let's hope for better button mojo in the new year, shall we? I'm looking for either some dark purple or black buttons for this thing, and until then I will wear it without buttons. Buttons be damned.

Thank you for all of your kind comments and emails about our preschool 'situation'. It does help to hear from people who have been there, teachers and friends. Thankfully he's none the wiser about the whole situation and, I'm sure, will return to preschool in a week very cheerfully. I hope I can say the same for myself.

Sneak Peek

2007-12-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

It hasn't blocked yet, but I couldn't wait to post this. I finished knitting the Elderberry Jacket last night and weaved the ends in this morning. After getting frustrated with Imogen, I pulled this baby out of the knitting trunk and realized I might be able to get it done in 2007.

I'm going to give it a bath this morning, block it and let it dry and then put on the buttons. It has been very good for me, emotionally, to finish up this sweater. I really want to wear it. You see, it's supposed to be in the single digits the next few days and I could use a squishy warm sweater to cozy up in.

Also some things have been going on at my son's preschool that I could have never dreamed up. He's apparently become his teachers' target for therapy. This, the second time they have suggested a second therapy for a separate thing, we took him to a skilled practitioner who indeed said, no, your son does not need said therapy. He needs understanding teachers. The truth is, as you might have imagined, he does not fit neatly into the little boxes that the majority of kids do, but that does not always warrant a diagnosis. Yeah he's different. He learned to read by himself a year ago when he was 4; I'd say that's different.

The hardest part for me has been, yet again, wondering if I am an attentive, loving, proactive parent or in denial. When our son was very young, he was exhibiting some abnormal communicative development, and while everyone around me was saying "No, no, he'll be fine..." I pushed to get him into the Birth-To-Three program. I never regretted it. His speech and other communication skills are now advanced for his age. Yes, that may have happened naturally, but I didn't want to find out. Now, having the teachers, out-of-the-blue, say that he needs therapy, and feeling inadequate, like I didn't spot something I should have, that has been emotionally draining.

So yeah, I need this sweater. In more ways than one.

That's a Wrap

2007-12-23T10:19:00.001-06:00

I don't have FO photos of the Reader's Wrap, but it has been finished for more than a week. I'll take some photos of it on my mom. Unfortunately, we won't be getting together until New Year's Day, but it's with good reason. My youngest sister just had a little boy and my parents are spending a few weeks there helping out with her oldest, who is 2.5.

So free I felt after that wrap was done! I cast on a sock, and finished it:

I guess I really can't call it a "Finished Object," however, until I finish the other sock. It's made from Duet Sock Yarn (A
Swell Yarn Shop) and the colorway is "Chantilly Lace". Acquired in a swap on Ravelry. I had no idea it would stripe! I do like it. I had been planning these as a Christmas gift to myself, but in my usual manner, I became distracted.

I started an Imogen jacket with the Araucania Nature Wool Chunky from my abandoned Egg Jacket, but in my rush I cast on the wrong size. It's quite an interesting pattern, knit from side to side, but that means instead of looking at the chest measurement for the size you want to make, you need to look at the length first. You can basically make it any width you want (just as if you were knitting "regularly" you could make another sweater any length you want). So I blindly cast on for a 'large' as the chest measurement looked right for me. However, that would make it 31" long, which is longer than I'd like. I'm actually going to cast on for the 'small' size, which sounds incredibly ridiculous, given that I'm 5'10", but it's 25" long and I think that will be perfect for me.

In other yarny news, my good friend Mandy (whom I'm insanely jealous of because she lives in NC where it's mild right now) sent this beautiful skein of handspun merino! Drool! I need to find an appropriate pattern for this...possibly a hat, as suggested.

Thanks Mandy. I love it.

And we've embarked on another home improvement project. Our downstairs half bathroom is the only place in the house that still harbors wallpaper. And hoo. Get ready for this ugliness...(shield your eyes--you've been warned)

To top it off, the countertop is wall-to-wall, fake plastic marble swirl and the cabinet is yellow.

So we're stripping the wallpaper, taking off the countertop, determining if there's tile underneath the cabinet (probably not) possibly tiling under and putting in a pedestal sink or maybe leaving the cabinet, painting it and getting a new countertop with sink. We'll see how it shakes out. We've got a week.

Oh, and we're planning a family vacation to Jamaica.

Goodbye 2007! We will think of you fondly, but are excited about the prospects of 2008.

Enough Already!

2007-12-12T13:44:00.000-06:00

We have damn near 22 inches of snow on the ground. That's quite a bit for here in the first part of December...in fact someone was reminding me today that we had no snow for Christmas last year. I got very cozy with the snowblower yesterday and the kids played outside for awhile, too.

In fact I do like snow. It's driving in it that I really don't like. I believe that Grandma & Grandpa are getting the kids new, sturdy sleds this year for Christmas, and we will put them to good use. We tossed our old sleds because the pink plastic was cracking and breaking.

It's almost done! Wow, that Reader's Wrap is a fast project. Or maybe it's because I haven't knit on anything else since I started it. Usually I'm bouncing around all different projects. It's motivating to see how much I can get done when I stick with one project, actually.

I had a difficult time photographing the color. It's Blueberry Borscht Peace Fleece and it's more of a dark periwinkle with raspberry flecks. I have about 2 more inches to knit then I'll add the second pocket and do 8 rows of seed stitch, bind off, weave in ends, sew down pockets (how?), block and wrap. Whew. Here's another shot in the sunlight...

I'm about five posts away from my 100th post! I'd like to have a contest of some sort (with yarny goods to give away), so if you'd like to suggest a nifty one, I sure would be happy to consider it. Thanks.

Screeeeeech

2007-12-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

No, not a reference to "Saved by the Bell". But rather an about-face on a knitting project that I've been waffling on for months. I started knitting a Cabled Donegal Tweed Vest in August with the idea that I'd give the finished project to my mom for Christmas. The last time I knit her something for Christmas, it was a bulky wool sweater and she rarely wears it because it's too hot for her. So I thought this would be perfect. So I thought. Over the ensuing months, I keep checking out the pattern, eyeing the ribbing. Thinking about my mom...I don't think the deep ribbing on the waist and armholes is a good choice to flatter her body. Plus I realized, too late, that I had only knit the back and half of one front and I didn't think I could get it done in 20 days.

In comes the part with the ball winder.

I ripped it completely out last night.

And I cast on for a Reader's Wrap. I'm slightly altering the pattern by doing seed stitch on the borders instead of double seed stitch and I'm making the pockets ala EZ instead of sewing them on the outside. But I think this should be a pretty quick knit with no seaming. My kinda project.

Oh, I finished an Irish Hiking Scarf for my newest sister-in-law. This was my first Irish Hiking Scarf, and due to the aforementioned time constraint (I also have to ship this to NJ), I doubled Cascade 220 and only knit two cable repeats instead of three and got what I think is a *great* chunky scarf. In four days. This is what actually led me to the Reader's Wrap--I was thinking of knitting four cable repeats and making a 'personal afghan' of sorts for my mom, when I browsed Ravelry and found the Reader's Wrap. I'm loving this idea. I hope the execution lives up to my expectations!

It's a Good Thing

2007-12-01T14:06:00.000-06:00

I can be a bit of a homebody when the mood strikes. This morning the boy had soccer, and after that I had to run to the LYS for some black Cascade 220, but we are buckling down, enjoying hot chocolate and each other's company. For the weather outside is frightful. And the knits inside--so delightful.

Little Girl Knitting

2007-11-30T13:51:00.001-06:00

As it's officially 'crunch' time here, I've been working on finishing knits. The first one is for my niece for her late-December birthday. You may remember I made one for her brother for his October birthday. I used the same yarn, Cascade Eco-Wool, but dyed it with Kool-Aid. And turned it into this:

Pattern: Children's Neckdown Pullover #9730, Knitting Pure & Simple
Size: 2-4 (generous for a petite 5yo girl)
Yarn: Cascade Eco-Wool, tan, 1 skein!

Next up were matching mittens for my darling daughter. I made her Ear Cozies a few months back when I was procrastinating on Sockapalooza socks. (Funny how that works, as I'm now procrastinating on the vest I need to finish for my Mom.) I made mittens from this pattern last year for the kids and really enjoy it. Quick, easy and accurate sizing, oh and it's free.

Pattern: Children's or Adult's Mittens by Sandy's Needle Nook (pdf)
Yarn: Plymouth Outback (1 skein!)

The only way I modified these mittens were to put longer cuffs on them to help keep them on under her coat. It's difficult to see in the photo above, because in the real world, I always put her mittens on before her coat to try to take advantage of the long cuffs.

long cuffs

This, unfortunately, was only dress rehearsal for the mittens. My kids are passing around a fever/cough virus, and it's her turn so she stayed home today from preschool. Not that she minds very much. She wore the mittens all morning while watching "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."

This latest knit is especially timely given our forecast for tomorrow: Winter Storm Warning with 3-6 inches of snow predicted and 1 inch of ice pellets thrown in for good measure. As well as freezing rain on Sunday. This calls for a trip to the grocery, stat!

Plowing Through The Season

2007-11-25T12:55:00.001-06:00

How did it get to be that time again? That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that many knitters look forward to and dread at the same time. That time when it seems there are more recipients for handknitted items than hours in the day. The time we spend thinking about our family and our blessed friends.

Thankfully I checked one project off the list. And with a few days to spare! My older sister's birthday is only a week away.

FO: Carrie's Birthday Socks
Pattern: Short-row toes and heals from "Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy" by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. P1, K4, Cable on the K4 every six rows.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Special (not a good yarn to cable without a cable needle, incidentally. Rather splitty.)

One down, a few to go.

For the past few years, we've gotten our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Usually the weather isn't too frightful and the crowds not too large and there are plenty of good trees to be found. This year we wavered, because Thanksgiving was early and we're always aware of a tree drying out and becoming hazardous by Christmas. But we did it anyway. I love that we're continuing this tradition from my childhood, although I swear we used to drive an hour each way to get our trees when I was growing up, and then they were stuffed into the car with us in the back seat, creating a claustrophobic situation like none other I've experienced. I'm thankful we have a great tree farm within 15 minutes from our house.

Him, wearing handknit mittens and her wearing handknit mittens and hat.
Yes, we had just enough snow before Thanksgiving to make things beautiful.

Homage

2007-11-14T13:39:00.000-06:00

When I was pregnant with each of my children, I often wondered if they would have any distinctive traits from my husband or me, or possibly others in our families. Our son was born with very little hair, which he promptly lost and didn't grow back for a long time. He didn't need a haircut until he was almost 2 years old. His hair was so light--he definitely resembles me as a child. However, it has become apparent that he's got his father's and grandfather's ability to memorize and learn. He started reading at age 4, and we found out quite accidentally last night that he has memorized 80% of US State capitals. He even knew the capital of South Dakota. Do you? Without cheating? Yeah, he's 5. It's a little scary.

Me, 3 Him, 3

Our daughter, on the other hand, is so sweet and mild-tempered and sleeps so well; she's so much like her father, and definitely has his eyes.

But now I'm wondering...I'm really wondering...if our daughter is going to grow up to be Amy Detjen. I'm serious. She's all about wanting to learn how to knit lately (she's 2!) and just look at the shoes she chose at the Midwest's Largest Shoe Store* yesterday.

They're cute, but they're quite purple! Ah well, it wouldn't be all bad, now would it? A prolific, outspoken, funny, kind knitter in the house. With purple shoes.

*Yes, this is the same shoe store that got the Badgers in big trouble a few years ago.

FO - Socks again!

2007-11-13T17:18:00.000-06:00

My lovely Sugarplum Socks are off the needles and actually I've worn them twice. Twice! They are quite warm.

FO: Sugarplum Socks
Pattern: Toe-up from Simple Socks Plain & Fancy with a K3P1 rib, short-row toes and heels
Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Not Just For Socks in Sugarplums & Butterscotch
Needle Size: 2

I mailed my younger sister's socks for her Nov 19th birthday and started my older sister's birthday socks for her Dec 1st birthday. I decided to use some Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch that I got in a trade on Ravelry. It has some nice color changes, will look great with jeans and I can do a little cabling, too.

This is just a K4, P1 rib with the a cable thrown in on the K4s every 6 rows. I turned the heel today, thankfully. It's a little slower-going than the other socks, but I think I have enough time. This yarn should hold up to my sister's inevitable washing/drying in machinery. I think her husband does the laundry, so we can't blame her!

Veterans Day

2007-11-07T16:30:00.000-06:00

This probably sounds stupid, but I thought I'd write it anyway because it makes me angry.

My dad is a United States Vietnam War Veteran. For as long as I have been an adult, I've sent him a Veterans Day card in the mail. I appreciate his service, more so now that I'm a mother of two young children. When my dad went, he left voluntarily to be a doctor in the War and he had a wife and a 1-year-old daughter at the time.

So last year, I went to two Walgreens stores to find Veterans Day cards. Neither had one, and I ended up fuming to the person working there, writing an email to the Walgreens website and finally bought a "Thank You" card and wrote something in it to my dad about the injustice of not being able to find a Veterans Day card at Walgreens.

So this year, I was down on State Street this morning and decided, heck, to go to the Veterans Museum because I figured...they would DEFINITELY have Veterans Day cards and probably good ones, too.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? You'd really think so, right? You'd be wrong. They don't have Veterans Day cards in the gift shop. They said "go to Walgreens."

Finally found one today at Hallmark . I almost did what my husband said to do, "buy two or three of them at least, so you don't have to hunt them down every year." But there was only one suitable one. There was a Vietnam-War-specific card, and it actually referenced the fact that the Vietnam War was controversial for many years. Who wants to send that to a Vietnam War vet? THEY KNOW. Anyway, I thought writing this might help get this off my chest. I still can't believe the Veterans Museum doesn't have Veterans Day cards.

If you know a vet, acknowledge him or her Sunday, Nov. 11.

ETA: Go look at Hallmark's website. Go look. Not a mention of Veterans Day on the home page. What the heck, people?

Fall, Unadulterated

2007-11-04T14:41:00.000-06:00

This past summer, I spent a few hours cultivating a small garden behind our house. I planted what I could get my hands on, including a few varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, basil and pumpkins. The pumpkin seeds came from my mother, who is a Master Gardener, and had used a few of the seeds four or five years ago. I doubted they would come up, but two of them did and promptly took over the garden. I had no idea pumpkin vines would spread everywhere. Eventually I got two pumpkins out of them. One of them sprouted over the garden fence, so I couldn't save it from being scratched and bitted by squirrels and rabbits. The other plumped up in our garden to a respectable size. About a month ago, I brought it into our house. It was an eating pumpkin, but I wasn't quite sure how to turn it into a pie. Until I read this.

So yesterday, I baked this:

And then I knit a little bit on these:

And not to be outdone, the kids had great fun, too.

I hope you also had a (mostly) perfect fall weekend.

FO

2007-11-01T16:30:00.000-06:00

Just a quick FO to post (brag) about. These are for my younger sister's birthday. I'm so grateful my sisters both have birthdays during colder months. Oh, and that they enjoy handknits, too.

Pattern: Toe-Up from Simple Socks by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts using Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Interlacements Toasty Toes

I also cast on for my second for-me pair of socks...I know I've got a lot on the needles, but I couldn't resist this yarn. It's Farmhouse Yarn's Bo Peep "Not Just for Socks". The colorway is "Sugarplums & Butterscotch". Delicious. Scored from The Sow's Ear in Verona, WI. This is also a sportweight yarn, and knit so tightly it can stand up on it's own. I think this will be a good sock for February.

Nah Nah Nah Nah, Nah Nah Nah Nah...

2007-10-29T12:54:00.001-06:00

Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye.

Here's what I was so excited about last week.

Casting away previous excuses ("too tired..wah wah wah"), I followed a chart! And I was so excited.

Now, not so much. I tried it on my son, and the fit is terrible. You see, this pattern, the "Norwegian Star Cap" from "Hat's On" by Charlene Schurch, has you do a knitted cast-on, knit a hem, then knit a picot edge (my first!), and then motor on up the chart to the top of the hat. I switched it to a provisional cast-on because I thought it wouldn't show as much from the front when it was tacked down because there would be less bulk. I think I had the right instincts, but trying to cast on exactly 112 stitches provisionally is difficult, and I think I hit about 118. So I decreased a few and it was no big deal, or so I thought.

I tried the hat on my son and it flares out at the brim. Not the desired look in a cap. So I think I will knit it again, this time like Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Very Warm Hat" by using long-tail cast-on, starting immediately on the chart, and then later picking up the cast-on and knitting the inside facing under it. Maybe I'll line the whole thing. Or maybe, once again, I'm insane. All my posts are ending that way lately, aren't they? So much verbage for such a little hat.

Here is the top-down jacket:

I have about 3 inches of the other sleeve done, too, so hopefully this will be a finished object before the snow flies.

Cleaning House

2007-10-21T13:06:00.000-06:00

As previously mentioned, we are in the first stages of thinking about our upcoming move in the spring/summer next year. We have visited the place we think we might want to live, although we're waffling back and forth on that.

Now, it's time to visit our house. The one we will need to put on the market in possibly a mere four months.

An objective eye is always the sellers' best friend when it comes to selling a house. You know what I mean. It's important to detach oneself from sentimental decorating choices and get real.

That leads me to this.

Don't laugh. This is in our garage. It is not our fault. It was there when we bought the house. And, well, it's in the garage. The spooky thing is that sometimes when you turn on the light in the garage, the fan turns. Sometimes it doesn't.

So, I am inclined to leave it. It's in the garage, after all, and neither my husband nor I really want to deal with tearing it out and covering up the resulting hole. Good idea...or not? Maybe it's worth a kajillion dollars and I could list it on craigslist. Or maybe I'm just insane.

Notes on Beaverslide

2007-10-13T14:59:00.000-06:00

I first encountered Beaverslide yarn when Leanne used to sell it on eBay. She packaged it in auctions of four or five skeins, sometimes of different colors as a sampler. I bought some 90% wool/10% mohair in Bluebird to make a sweater for my younger sister for Christmas. It would match her eyes. It was among my first sweaters, and it was an ambitious Christmas--I had three sweaters on the needles for my sisters and my mom, and then...well, I got pregnant. I didn't finish a single thing on time. I was so nauseated and tired, it took all my energy to get to and from work. It turned out I didn't have enough Beaverslide yarn to finish my sister's sweater, and that's when I first encountered Leanne's excellent customer service. Of course she had more of the same dyelot--she holds a few back for this very reason. They all got their sweaters in the next few months...

Next, I bought some more 90/10 in Glacier Heather directly from Leanne to make my first Wonderful Wallaby for our infant son. I was pleased--it matched his eyes.

However, sensitive that others might not want baby things in wool, I didn't use it again for awhile. I didn't have much time to knit, either. By the time I got back to it, Beaverslide had been reviewed in Knitter's Review and had become very popular--or, at least popular enough that the auctions disappeared from eBay.

Not too long ago, I bought my first McTaggert Tweed. I was intrigued with the colors and when I received it, the texture was amazing. Almost like a boucle, very soft and, for lack of a more technical term, squishy. (The Elderberry...it doesn't match my eyes. Thank God.)

I've been knitting with it now for the past two or three weeks, working on a top-down jacket, and have only found it more interesting. My swatch with size 9 needles gave me 3.5 stitches to the inch before washing, and it was a struggle to get 4 sts to the inch with size 8 needles. That was not fun knitting. This yarn wants to be knit at a chunky weight, in my opinion. Besides that, when I did get 4 sts to the inch, after a solid wet block, the yarn relaxed back to 3.5 stitches to the inch. The row gauge changed ever-so-slightly as well--it actually shrunk a little bit.

Another endearing thing about Beaverslide McTaggert Tweed.... I had to completely change how I knit. Well, that might be overstating things. But previously, to get even tension, I would always wind the yarn around my pinky finger.

I got so much drag knitting this way with the McTaggert Tweed. I don't know if it's that I have dry hands, but the yarn was catching on my skin and it was very difficult to knit this way. Not fast. Not at all. So, as I wanted to finish this sweater in 2007, I decided to play around with things a little...

So here's how I do it now. Remarkably faster with this yarn and the tension might be a little off, but I keep telling myself what Meg Swansen said about blocking wool; that it's just magic.

The other thing to keep in mind about this yarn, in my experience, is that it breaks much more easily than other 100% wool yarns I've encountered. I haven't used it for cabling, but it doesn't take much tension to snap it.

Well, I love most yarn. But there's something special about Beaverslide McTaggert Tweed, and no one paid me to say that nor gave me any yarn to say that either. (but I'd be open to free yarn! Oh Leanne? Just kidding!)

WIPs

2007-10-10T08:21:00.000-06:00

Hi there. Since I put that "Blogging without Obligation" button on my blog, it seems I've turned into a blog slacker. Anyway, with good reason.

See, we're moving to Boston. We currently live in Wisconsin, and have lived here for seven years. It is home for me. But, for reasons that will go unexplained right now on the blog, it's better for us financially to move to Boston. We are planning to do that next spring/summer. Which is coming up faster than one might think.

So this past weekend, my husband, our daughter and I went to Boston to check out neighborhoods and preschools. (Our son had a *great* weekend with grandma and grandpa.) Preschools, as some people know, start enrolling almost a year before, so I knew we needed to get that in line pretty quickly.

I will spare you the gory details, but our trip was mostly crap. I got lost a million times, despite having a GPS in the rental car. M came down with a fever, and our plane was delayed for 3+ hours at Logan on the way back. Previously, my worst flying experience had been an unexpected overnight stay in O'Hare way back in 1996 or 97. That was before children. This was worse--having a dehydrated, feverish, angry toddler in an airport for most of an afternoon was something I hope never to repeat again.

We were fortunate to meet Devon for lunch on Friday, while M was still perky and feeling well, and that was the highlight of the trip for us! Devon is such a sweetheart--she brought a coloring book and crayons for M. It was so nice to meet her in person and determine that she really is as genuine and goodhearted as one thinks she is.

Thankfully, I had some time to knit on the plane. I worked on the Top-Down Jacket:

I still plan to post an indepth review of the Beaverslide McTaggert Tweed, because this is the most interesting yarn I've worked with yet. It has some different properties, in my opinion. I think it's working up nicely and I'm excited about the project still, which is a feat after all of this stockinette.

There's also my niece's sweater:

Which will be done for her 12/28 birthday. This is the yarn I dyed with Kool-aid.

I also thought I'd post about an upcoming project. After finishing the Donegal Vest for Christmas for my mom, I'd like to tackle this for myself:

It's a Top-Down Aran Sweater! The construction is mesmerizing and I'm really excited to 'graduate' to this sweater after knitting a few top-down things lately. Seaming just intimidates me and I'm thrilled about the idea of making a more complicated sweater. Of course, that is, if everyone stays fairly well in our house. (knock on wood)

Goodies from Camp

2007-09-28T12:14:00.000-06:00

Here is Meg Swansen, reading from "The Opinionated Knitter" at the behest of Amy Detjen. Everyone was silent and in awe. Please excuse my camera--it is old and doesn't take very good (or very long) videos.

I Can't Believe It

2007-09-27T17:33:00.001-06:00

This is going to sound insane, because to me it doesn't even make sense. So, as I mentioned before, I attended Meg Swansen's mini-camp last weekend. I learned a plethora of things, and was exposed to extremely intricate, gorgeous knitwear. I bought the Saddle Shoulder Aran Cardigan 'pattern' and the Adult Suprise Jacket, too, and sufficient yarn to knit any of it. Along with "Hat's On!" (at t the enablement of Dee, who also 'sold' about six other "Hat's On!" books to the group) and "Meg Swansen's Knitting".

So what do I feel like knitting?

A top-down stockinette stitch jacket.

Wah? Shouldn't I be attempting all these wild and fun things I learned? Shouldn't I be taking advantage of all of that?

Yes, probably. But as I say to myself time and again--there will be time for that. I am a comfort knitter right now. I have, at most, one and a half hours per day to knit, and I'm usually tired, too. While I adore cables and fair isle, I just can't bring myself to do it right now.

What a boring blog. (sshhh! Don't tell anyone!)

Hey, pink or purple for the jacket?

Rock Stars

2007-09-25T14:38:00.000-06:00

I've been home for two days and it may seem over the top to some people to say that my knitting life has changed forever, but that's how it feels.

I spent last Thursday through Sunday at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp. There was an overflow waiting list from the summer camp, so Schoolhouse Press decided to have a mini-camp in Marshfield, WI, in September and I jumped at the chance. There were only about 20 of us, so it was intimate and amazing. I don't know how I can sum up in one post. I've been struggling to think of what to write about the experience, actually.

Meg is a truly very genuine person, completely lovely and a very good teacher. Amy Detjen, who assisted Meg, is very funny, boisterious and talented. Joyce Williams is amazing. Really, I think it took everything we had to not stare at them the whole time with our jaws on the floor. They showed us some amazing knitwear:

We shopped.

We laughed.

We knitted.

Above all, it was a much-needed escape for me. I hadn't ever been away from my kids for more than two days. We truly missed each other, and I think that was the best part about the whole experience. Although it doesn't hurt that I learned how to do a crocheted steek, too. More on camp when it digests in my brain.

Edited to add...some of my photos will be disappearing from my blog because of this. I am outraged to think someone would steal photos of children and do this. So I will be careful from now on how I photograph my children for public consumption, unfortunately. Sign the petition and do what you can to help.

Whew & FO

2007-09-17T09:57:00.000-06:00

So what was that last post about? I didn't want complain outright, but I felt extremely tired and cranky after that day and started to reflect upon the why of it. And the numbers stood out in my head, especially after that second milk-spill incident. Ah toddlers.

And I have forgotten to mention the results of our daughter's surgery. They removed a lesion from her wrist--it was determined to be the result of a bug bite. We are so thankful that it was nothing serious. This was one crazy bug bite reaction, though...it had been there for more than a month and it looked infected, scabbed, was 2cm wide and antibiotics did not take care of it. Wouldn't you know, the day after Labor Day she woke up with her right eye swollen shut. As she is only still two years old, we are learning how her body reacts to different things. Obviously she has issues with bug bites.

FO: Toe-up socks using Simple Socks by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, 3x1 rib
Yarn: Interlacements Toasty Toes

Now, onto better things! I finished my first socks for *me* this weekend. So proud. I know, they're a little manly. They're big (size 11) and dark, but they will be cherished this winter here in Wisconsin. Remember this?

Next on the needles are socks for a dear friend. It's her birthday October 4th and she deserves it.

Today, By The Numbers

2007-09-13T17:59:00.000-06:00

One 2-year-old girl
One 5-year-old boy
One traveling husband
One crazy mama

Three bowls of cereal eaten
Two cups of juice consumed
One mug of strong tea chugged
Two phone calls
One doctor's office visit averted
Two parks visited
Three beef sticks eaten
Two fruit cups slurped
Two impressive milk-spilling displays
One nap
Four shoes tied and untied three times
Two clothing changes
One poopy accident

(Take a breath)

Two knock-down, drag-out tantrums
178 times spent saying "I miss Papa."
178 times replying "Believe me, so do I."
$26.95 spent at a grocery store
Two bags of chocolate chips bought
48 chocolate chip cookies baked
12 consumed
One movie watched
Three fish sticks eaten
One quarter-pound of french fries munched
Four ounces of ketchup consumed
Two loads of laundry washed & dried
Three emails written
Three rooms cleaned of toys
Six diapers changed
One blog post crafted in my head
Four books read
Two lullabies sung
20 stitches knitted before 7pm

How does your day look?

Questions...and Answers

2007-09-11T12:45:00.000-06:00

So, because I have nothing to show today but I felt like writing, here are some answers to recently asked questions. And may I say that including your email address when you leave a comment on a blog may be a good idea (especially if you don't have a blog for me to comment on)...because then I could write back to you personally. But then, on the other hand, I wouldn't have blog content for today. So whatever.

1. Sue asked: "I have never used Joslyn's yarn...did you like it?"

Yes, I do like it. I have a few skeins of Sheep's Gift -- it's more of a sportweight-- in my stash and recently acquired 1.5 more from a trade on Ravelry. The .5 skein threw me for a loop...I had planned to make adult socks with it but couldn't. So that's when I decided to use it for booties. A niece is due any day now and I should make another pair. The only 'problem' with the yarn is that it's not superwash. Which I don't mind, but it might not be the best yarn for booties. But it's darn cute, isn't it?

2. Wendy asked: "Love your wallaby - i have a few questions about it: for the sleeves and bottom, how many stitches did you cast on (as many as the pattern called for in the size you made, or as many as you would eventually increase to?) also, did you start with the smaller needles and switch?"

Thanks Wendy! I remember this process well. I wanted a Wallaby without ribbing, so I swatched with the yarn (a cotton/acrylic blend). I knew that I wanted to machine wash and dry the finished sweater, much like a sweatshirt, so I measured the finished swatch, washed and dried it, and measured again. Then I did a little math and figured out how much it shrunk (about 15% lengthwise!) Then I decided how wide I wanted the sweater to be (I think it has 6" of ease--it's roomy), and multiplied my stitch gauge (ex 4.5sts per inch...46 inches would require 207 stitches) and I cast-on for that. I did not increase; just ran straight up until I hit the armholes. I measured another sweater to get that measurement, keeping in mind that my swatch shrunk quite a bit lengthwise, so I had to get that percentage correct. It took some math, but I think it worked out well. I did not switch needle sizes, either. You might want to decrease a little if you don't want the big sweatshirt-tube look, but that happens to be what I was going for at the time.

Thanks for reading and asking!

And no, I haven't forgotten. We were fortunate that none of our East-Coast-living family and friends were directly affected, but we mourn the collective loss.

Throw Down

2007-09-09T15:43:00.001-06:00

There's apparently a battle on, and I'm going to win it. You see, I happened to have lied when I said that the Sockapalooza socks were the second ones I had knitted. Technically, they were the first because my first pair never got finished and I frogged them awhile ago. I didn't really take to the "two socks on two circulars" method...maybe I didn't give it a chance, but I bent my size 0 Addis and that made me a little miffed.

Anyway, I think the sock gods are punishing me for lying. A little while ago, Aija, all-knowing Sock Pr0n proprietress, advocated for the book "Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy" by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. So I filed that away, bought the book when I saw someone was destashing it, and then asked my friend Mandy what kind of dpns she was using, and then scored some of them in a trade on Ravelry.

So I had the book, the needles and plenty of sock yarn (hah!), so I took out a huge hank of Interlacements Toasty Toes -- a sportweight to try to lessen the frustration this first time out. And I read through PGR's book no less than three times. I finally was ready to try. This is what I got:

Gah. Then I had the gall to post it on Ravelry forums, asking what the heck I did wrong. I'll tell ya what I did wrong! I left only 6 stitches at the toe. I don't know about you, but my toes are wider than 1 inch. Anyway, frogged.

The next try does not have a photo because it happened late at night and I couldn't bring myself to document it. Suffice to say that it wasn't good. Way too big.

Now, I know what you're thinking. This sounds familiar, doesn't it? Like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, kinda, eh? Well, we're not done yet.

Third time a charm?

No. Most decidedly not. Too wide *again*. That was 26 stitches on each side and 10 for the toe.

I am nothing if not persistent, though. I cast on again during naptime with 24 for each side and 10 for the toe. Can I just say...I really have this short-row toe down cold! Invisible cast-on, bang. Short-row toe, no problem. Pretty cool what messing up does for your skills, right?

Trendy

2007-09-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've never been one to be trendy. Don't get me wrong--I'm not 'too cool' for it or anything, but back in adolescence, when it seemed to matter, I just didn't have the sense for it. It's not that I looked like a freak, but I've always been pretty boring, style-wise. I did once own Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, in the 5th grade, and I wore them almost every day. See, I really wanted to do it, but couldn't quite pull it off right.

Likewise, I'm not usually one to get excited about the 'it' thing that everyone is knitting. Usually it seems too involved for my tired eyes or costs a lot. It's not that I don't *admire* all the projects, but I know my limits.

But this time, hah, this time....well, here it is.

FO: Saartje's Booties
Yarn: Joslyn's Fiber Farm Sheep's Gift
Recipient: Friend's baby girl
Mods: i-cord ties instead of straps, ala Tangelled Angel and Yarnbird. I liked the idea of ties. I think they'll stay on the baby's feet better. My son didn't care, but my daughter was pulling things off her feet from a young age. Plus, aren't they just cute!? I didn't know if I had tiny buttons, either, and buttons for babies worry me...what if they pull them off and ingest them?

People around me a procreating at an ever-increasing rate! A niece and a nephew are scheduled to make their appearances this year. Yes, I know I'm in my 30s--prime child-bearing years. However, just in case that Wallaby photo from last post was confusing, let me clear up. We have an 'M' and we have an 'N'. We will not be having an 'O'. Or an 'L', for that matter. Love my kids (we are so lucky), but I did not enjoy pregnancy. Most days, two children is more than enough for us.

ALSO...I was the happy recipient of my Knitters Virtual Vacation Swap last week! On the very day of M's surgery, my GIANT package arrived and I feel so blessed. Sonya really made me feel like we were on vacation in Southern Indiana! She took all kinds of photos of the local tourist spots and put them into a scrapbook. And then she sent all kinds of fun things, including souvenir Louisville Slugger baseball bats (they are 1 mile from Louisville, KY), a 'Looavul' hat, some very fun alpaca/cotton yarn, red hots, and on and on! She made me a drink cozy! She filled a huge box! (can I use more exclamation points?!) Thank you so much, Sonya. On the day I needed a package the very most, you came through and I really appreciate it.

Back in the Saddle & Best Ever

2007-09-02T11:47:00.000-06:00

Taken yesterday at Henry Vilas Zoo

Thanks for all the well wishes. M's surgery went well, although it seemed to take for fricking ever. I guess it was about 30 minutes in all, but every minute seemed like three. Ever have an experience like that? She was not herself when she came out of the anesthesia, but regained composure (after smacking a slushy drink all down my shirt-chilly!) after about 10 minutes. Those minutes were long, too.

However, yesterday, a day after the surgery, she seemed back to herself. She's getting used to having the wrap on her hand. We need to keep it on and dry until her return appointment to have the stitches removed. Any suggestions about how to keep a toddler's wound dressing clean and dry? I didn't think so. We snagged some more wrap supplies before we left. We should find out on Wednesday what exactly it was they cut off her wrist.

No time for a long post today, but Mandy asked for "Best Ever" knits and here is mine:

This is a Wonderful Wallaby knit from Elann Naturelle 8/8, a cotton/acrylic blend. I wear it constantly when the weather is chilly and it was roomy enough to accommodate a pregnancy, too. It makes me feel cozy and it ushers in Fall, which I adore. It's plain, simple, but I don't know what I'd do without it.

Can't Help Myself

2007-08-29T15:45:00.000-06:00

In times of stress, I reach for routines. They make life feel safe, comfortable. That's why I'm going to bore you with yet another child's top-down raglan. BUT, this one has a twist.

Kool-aid.

I have a goal this year of knitting sweaters for my nieces and nephews (there aren't that many of them, but they are multiplying rapidly) and have one down and three to go. I loved knitting that top-down raglan so much that I decided since I have another skein of light brown Cascade Ecological wool in my stash, I'd use that for one of my niece's sweaters. So then I asked my sister: Brown or pink?

Oh the woosh of exhilaration when she said PINK! I already had the Kool-aid on hand so I went to work.

+
equals

I was surprised it was fairly uneven. I'm not sure why that happened and at first I was upset about it. But after letting it dry and handwinding the huge hank into a ball and knitting the first inch of the sweater, I do like it. It's almost like my very own kettle-dyed yarn.

This shows the true color. The ball, below, does not.

So Friday morning at the hospital I'll be the nervous mom in the waiting room with mottled pink yarn, knitting yet another top-down child's raglan sweater. Trying to calm my nerves with a pattern I almost know now by heart.

Devil's Lake & Contest Winner

2007-08-27T07:24:00.000-06:00

There was a miraculous break in the weather this weekend and we decided to picnic at Devil's Lake. By some ridiculous oversight, we'd never been before, despite having lived in Wisconsin for seven years. We had so much fun. We hiked...

We picnicked.

and I knit while the kids played at the playground.

Photo taken with the help of my Ott lamp, as we're under attack again today by the thunderstorm gods

Pattern: Children's Neckdown Pullover by Knitting Pure & Simple
Yarn: 1 hank of Cascade Ecological Wool
Mods: Added one set of short rows to the back ala EZ

And we have a winner: Bertha, who said, "I think you'll have 15+ yards left!"

Surprisingly, there was plenty of yarn to knit this thing. I didn't measure the leftovers, but in the future I could add on to it with no problem, which is the great thing about knitting from the top-down. When he's 5, assuming my sister hasn't felted the sweater by then, I can unpick the bind-off from the sleeves and the bottom and add a few inches.

So hey Bertha, you want a skein of Curious Yarns' Sock yarn (Ocean) or a skein of Sockotta to add to your stash? Thanks for being optimistic, lady! There was a point when I'd finished the body and still had the sleeves that I felt really dire about the amount of yarn left. Ah, you never know.

Swamped

2007-08-23T15:24:00.000-06:00

So by now you probably know that the Midwest is under water. Tragedy has struck. But the Midwest is so huge, let's try to localize this a little. Let's have a look at a backyard in Madison, Wisconsin, shall we?

This is standing water that was much more impressive about an hour before this photo was taken, when it was raining. The photographer did not want to go out into the downpour, however, to take a photo. Bad blogger photographer.

Here's what our radar keeps showing, day after silly day:

A whole week of swimming lessons has been drowned out. On the plus side, we made a volcano today:

And I knit. I'm going through a brown phase right now, so here's what is in the works for my nephew's birthday:

A top-down raglan pullover in Cascade Ecological Wool. Love this yarn. I'm a little scared, though, because the pattern says it takes 475 yards for the smallest (2-4) size, and the skein has 478 yards. Who thinks I'll have three yards left? Let's get a bet going here. Over, under or even? Whoever is right will have a chance to win something. I don't really have this all worked out, but I do have excess yarn and you will get to have a choice of items! By next post I'll have them up, I promise.

This is the longest post I've ever written. In other news, our baby girl will undergo surgery on 8/31 for an unknown *thing* on her wrist that is not going away. The surgeon mentioned a possible tumor. I was not pleased, seeing as the pediatrician thought it was an infection that could be lanced in-office. Anyway, I am very distracted and not quite myself. I am reminded of Elizabeth Zimmermann's words:

"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crisis."

No Small Feat. Or Feet. Or Both.

2007-08-17T13:47:00.000-06:00

My Sockapalooza socks arrived today! I feel like shouting from the rooftop. I am sure my neighbors would appreciate that. They did, after all, hear my son yelling out his window from his room this morning after repeated attempts to get him to stop torturing his sister.

I digress.

Aren't they lovely? Aren't they beau-ti-ful? The best part is that they fit. Yes, they fit my literally huge feet--size 11s that Ann had to deal with here. No small feat. Hah.

Thanks Ann! I love them!

Socks: Fools Rush (pdf link)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Irving Park

For the Cure

2007-08-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

Have you seen these socks? Not only are they stunning, they are helping to wipe out breast cancer. Check out the Campanula for the Cure KAL, donate in any amount and you'll receive the pattern for these socks and help support breast cancer research.

Good mojo all around, in my opinion.

Also a quick SHOUT OUT to Mandy, my Ravelry Tall Knits Group pal, who was mentioned in Yarnival! You go, girlfriend! Watch those blog stats climb and enjoy.

High Five

2007-08-13T12:39:00.001-06:00

There has been a flurry of activity here in our house. A boy turned five.

And he lost his first tooth the day before. His party included "The Banana Lady", who entertained the kids with games, balloon twisting and face painting. The Banana Lady was a show herself, nevermind the other stuff she did.

And I cast on a new project. I saw it advertised in the Fall 08 issue of Interweave Knits.

Although I can't afford the Tahki Donegal Tweed (pricey!), I decided to swatch with Peace Fleece and fell in love almost immediately. I waited to photograph this because while I did get the entire back done already, it's reverse st st, which is pretty boring. Here is the the left front:

Pretty damn satisfying so far, if I do say so myself. High five!

FO: Children's Tunic

2007-08-06T12:46:00.000-06:00

It is my tendency, unfortunately, to seek out all that I have done wrong and pick on myself. I will try not to do that here. Because, really, the only thing 'wrong' with this sweater is that it's just too big. When he put it on, he said, "You made it too big, mom." Yes, I did. Guilty as charged. But in my defense, he's growing so quickly that I think I'll be happy it's so big in two years when he can still wear it. The sleeves are rolled up twice. (Oops.)

inside, in the air conditioning

Specs
Pattern: Children's Tunic #232 by Knitting Pure & Simple
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton 8.25 skeins of misty and .5 skeins of midnight
Mods: I knit it longer than the pattern called for because I wanted to wash and dry the yarn in the dryer and cotton blends always tend to shrink lengthwise. Plus I know my son is not getting any bigger around, only taller. Also the pattern has you knit a facing around the hood that you later tack down and run knitted cord or shoelaces through. I didn't do this, with a nod to safety. There is also a button hole at the neck to close the front opening and I don't foresee ever closing it so I probably won't put a button on it.

I also did a jogless join for the first time and am proud of how it turned out.

This boy turns 5 on Sunday. Where has the time gone? How could the days--that seemed to stretch for weeks when he was an infant--be going so quickly now?

He still has the same eyes as when he was four months old.
Yes, he got his first teeth at four months old.

The Groovy Gift

2007-08-01T18:19:00.000-06:00

Thanks, everyone, for being so supportive regarding giving the "gift of time" as one thoughtful blogger put it. Now if only you were my relatives. We can make that happen, can't we?

Sockapalooza socks are blocking on self-made sock blockers. Blowing in the wind. If there was wind. It's fricking hot up here in the frozen tundra. These were only outside for a short time because truthfully I was afraid that a squirrel would take off with them, ala Yarn Harlot's fleece-stealing squirrel. No way was I going to let that happen.

I thought I would show what else I'm sending. Just a few things...

Like this Groovy Retro sock bag. Totally bright and awesome, like my pal.

And this ORIGINS Ginger Float Bubble bath. Plus a little, unpictured, present for her offspring.

This is from my vegetable garden. In North Carolina the growing season was so fun. I'm sure they've had tomatoes down there for more than a month. Sadly, these are among my first cherry tomatoes, just ripening. But pretty all the same.

Looking at these photos, I think I've caught Mandy's groovy green vibe.

A Boy's Sweater

2007-07-31T13:41:00.000-06:00

Well, not just any boy's sweater, my boy's sweater. I cast on while I was in the middle of knitting aforementioned Sockapalooza socks, felt guilty and quit, but now we're back with a vengeance. I tell you, this one is going quickly. Possibly because aforementioned boy has soccer camp this week, which means some extra knitting time while his toddler sister is occupied kicking soccer balls on the sidelines.

This could have been done very quickly, only I got a request from not one, but two males in the household (um, there are ONLY two) to redo the bottom. Seems that 'vents' are not to their style, even though one of the males will decidedly never fit into the sweater. Hmph. And so it's not difficult, I'll just rip out and knit a rolled-edge bottom like the gazillion Wallabies I've knitted for him.

In fact, this sweater is not unlike the Wonderful Wallaby pattern, although it is only for children. But I got tired of knitting that one, after seriously knitting five or six of them. This is knit top-down and has almost no finishing at the end. Love love love Knitting Pure & Simple Patterns!

A small, very personal note about the not-so-small boy (pictured right at a family wedding in mid July) who will live in this sweater in a few short months. He's turning 5 in a few weeks. Just in time to be technically eligible in our state to attend kindergarten. However, we are "redshirting" him and keeping him in preschool for another year. Our reasons are many and it took months and months to make the decision. I am really very sensitive about it; hoping to not make any decisions I will regret in years to come. I really hope this is the right one. Bugger off to the relative to recently told me that redshirting is "trendy"...yeah, that's why we're doing it. Because it's trendy. (insert expletive here)

The Well-Traveled Sock

2007-07-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

Why, yes, it has been quite some time since you've heard from me. I'm sad to say it has almost been a month since my last post. And not that I haven't wanted to. Within there we had a trip to the East for a family wedding and fit in one day of family vacation at the NJ shore. I swear I've been knitting nothing else but Sockapalooza Socks since my last post. On my honor. They just seemed to take forever! Here they are, lifelines and all, FO'd just right after I took these photos:

Why yes, they are as eye-searing in real life. And I'm a little worried because I can't get them on my feet. But my sock pal has size 9s and I'm sporting my gargantuan size 11s. So hopefully they will fit her. Not long now! My next project is making some thrifty sock blockers.

So these socks have been in The Midwest, they have flown over much of the East Coast and have landed in Detroit and New Jersey and spent some time in Point Pleasant Beach. I call that a well-traveled sock pair indeed.

So stayed tuned...I can finally post about that other project I had started round about when I was mid-sock, before crunch time set in.

Once Upon A Time

2007-07-09T06:45:00.001-06:00

There lived three girls with their parents. These three girls grew up in Ohio (Go Bucks!) and Wisconsin (Go Badgers!) and had a mostly happy upbringing. One weekend, after the girls had families and children of their own, the parents and the oldest and the middle decided to descend upon the youngest and her family, having just moved to a new city, and "help" them with projects around their new house.

This was fun, but kind of odd because two of the sisters had to drive with the parents and spent the weekend without spouses or their children. The two sisters, who spent quite some time in the parents' van, at times felt again like they were 12 years old, bounding out of the van at rest stops without having to lug a diaper bag or think about who might need a snack.

Finally, after working and working one of the days, they got the nursery painted, the spare bathroom painted, shelves installed and curtains sewed. It was a successful weekend. The End.

Taking Care

2007-06-29T04:59:00.001-06:00

There has been some knitting, but nothing I'm prepared to talk about just yet. It's no big secret, but I feel guilty because it's not Sockapalooza socks. I'm picking those back up again this weekend, I swear.

This knitting has been with Rowan's All Seasons Cotton. A lovely yarn, by my standards. Very easy to knit, soft and makes a fine fabric.

However, the care tag really cracks me up:

This is a cotton/acrylic blend, people. They don't even have the hoity-toity sense to say it's a cotton/microfibre (they are British) blend. I love cotton/acrylic blends for myself and my kids, so I did a little sleuthing and found out what's on some other similar care tags.

Lion Brand Cotton-Ease: Machine wash and dry; do not bleach or iron
Cascade Cotton Rich: Hand wash and lay flat
Katia Mississippi: Machine wash and dry
Plymouth Wildflower DK: Machine wash and dry flat

Nothing about soapflakes. No strange order to "not leave wet" (how does that work, by the way, since you can't put it in the dryer?)

Rowan, come on. Nice yarn, but really. Sometimes ya' seem a little flakey (and not soapflakey) across the pond.

Time Flies

2007-06-27T12:47:00.000-06:00

I guess we're having fun, right? It has been more than a week since I posted, and Bloglines is telling me I have exactly 144 webpages to read...I have not been sucked into the vortex of Ravelry, but rather actually mostly enjoying summer and working on our environs.

We bought this house last year, and while it was apparent the previous owners had been working on the inside, it was also painfully obvious they had neglected the outside. I don't have photos of some of the beds yet, so we'll tackle the windowbox.

The windowbox. It doesn't look that terrible, right? Hah. Take another look...

It, along with the shutters, badly needed some scraping and paint and impatiens.

Ah the magic of the Internet. All done.

Ok, so this was a few weeks ago. The impatiens are really filling in now and look nice.

I'm working on the back beds and we got a landscape contractor to do the front. Who are we kidding? We have a 2yo and a 4yo and doing all the flowerbeds would have taken about three summers. (You have to take into account that 'summer' lasts for exactly 76 days here.)

Oh, I got a tickle from my Sockapalooza pal. And with no way to email her back, here goes: Cuff....I'd prefer higher than anklets but lower than knee socks. Three/four inches higher than anklets would be perfect! Use your judgment--I trust you. (and thanks!)

A Superhero is Born

2007-06-19T13:47:00.000-06:00

Ala Mandy, I, too, have been procrastinating with a two-day project. (The sockapalooza socks will be finished, but, ah hell I had to sneak this in.) Because there are the necessary knits. You know what of I speak. For sure M will need a winter hat this coming season, and because I am cheap I already got her coat on sale from last season. So I know what color it is and I have the perfect wool for it. And I do so love the Ear Cozies pattern from Fiber Trends.

I am not sure, however, how I feel about this hat now that it's finished. I made one last year for M, and the yarn I used - Interlacements Toasty Toes - created nice spirals of colors around the hat. I have been having fun with this one, though, trying to make it into a good thing.

You see, on the front, it's a normal hat.

On the back, however, she has an unintentional lightning bolt of pastel pink! Watch out superheroes! Here comes M, the lightning bolt head!

gah. I may have to donate this one to the Dulaan project or to my niece. ;) I still have plenty of Plymouth Outback wool left to try again. AFTER the sockapalooza socks are finished, of course. wink wink.

Here's to Internet Friends

2007-06-16T14:44:00.001-06:00

Misti Cotton
Originally uploaded by Friender

An Ode to Internet Friends*

Oh Internet Friends
knitting and not
you brighten my day
with all that you've taught
and cheered, and cried
and shared with pride
your lives and the yarn that you've bought.

Thanks for the yarn Devon! You inspired a poem with your generosity as Swap Pal for the "No Sheep For You" swap.

*I cannot take full responsibility for the lame rhyming in this ditty. Much if it is courtesy of Rhyme Zone.

Friday Update

2007-06-15T14:28:00.000-06:00

I suppose it would be in ill form if I didn't update with knitting today, especially since my two squirrels are sleeping. One is sick and the other one is so very tired of being inside on a summer day, and so I am playing on Ravelry and sucking in the alone time I am getting this afternoon.

The heel approacheth.
So. I'm going to try a short-row heel. Those who know...do you like it? This is only my second pair of socks and it makes me nervous that you don't need a gusset with the short-row heel. I guess I don't understand it, so I'll just blindly follow instructions and hopeth that it worketh.

I have been re-reading Pride and Prejudice. So sue me.

It remains to be seen...

2007-06-12T20:42:00.001-06:00

water4
Originally uploaded by Friender

if this actually will be cheaper than joining a local swimming pool this summer. However, it still is plenty of good, old-fashioned fun. M was much more interested in playing in the water this year. Last year, when she was still an itty bitty, she wanted nothing to do with it.

Knitter's Virtual Vacation Swap Questionnaire

2007-06-11T12:37:00.000-06:00

Well, what can I say? I had a good time with the Knitters' Treat Exchange, so I thought I'd sign up for the Knitter's Virtual Vacation Swap. Especially since our only 'vacation' this summer is for a family wedding in NJ.

1. If you could visit any state in the US, which would it be and why? Hawaii, like everyone else in the swap, because I've never been there and it looks so beautiful.

2. If you could visit any country in the world, other than your own, which would it be and why? Probably Australia because I've never been there and it's so far away. Plus, the added bonus of being able to speak the language, generally.

3. Have you ever driven across several states/providence/countries? Yes, as a teen we took a family vacation in an RV from Ohio to Wyoming. HAH. And then during college when I was an exchange student, I drove with a boyfriend through France and Italy and Switzerland.

4. Have you ever visited someplace you consider exotic? Where was it? Hmm, not really. I don't count Italy as exotic.

5. What was your favorite "travel" vacation? Why? Italy in 2000 with my husband. He was just about to start grad school and so we went all out and had a two-week vacation and traveled most of Italy. We also got to visit his aunt, who is a nun in Rome.

6. Have you ever played tourist in your own home city/state (if international, country)? Explain. Yes, I lived in Washington, DC, for about a year and that, obviously, lends itself to lots of tourist activities for visitors. Also living here in Madison, Wisconsin, I've played tourist once or twice with family in from out of town.

7. Are you a museum visitor, beach comer or an amusement seeker? Wow, well, I would have to say I like the beach first and museum second, but they are in close running. It depends on my mood and type of vacation. London in the spring...museum. Florida in February...beach.

8. What's your favorite type of yarn? Here's my downfall. I don't have a favorite. I like good old fashioned wool and I like cotton blends. I like linen, etc. I like sock yarn. I like bulky, worsted/aran, etc etc. I am not picky, which either makes it harder for you or easier, depending on your personality.

9. What's your least favorite type of yarn? I don't like wool/acrylic blends, superwash (except for sock yarn), or yarns that don't have some natural fiber in them.

10. What items do you like to knit/crochet? Kid sweaters, adult sweaters, hats, socks

11. What do you pack, knit/crochet wise when you go on vacation? Socks

12. What other crafts do you do/would like to do other than Knit/Crochet? I would love to learn pottery and jewelry/soldering.

13. Are you allergic to anything? (Yarn wise or treat wise) Nope.

14. What is your favorite color? Least Favorite? I don't have a favorite color. I like purples, lavender, pink, blues (denim and other), most greens (not lime). Least favorite? maybe chartreuse? I just had to put that in there. I'm not sure what chartreuse looks like, but I like the word. I dunno. I like most colors, although I can't wear (near my face) lime green, red, hot pink or some yellows (pastel yellow is good, but others are not).

15. Sweet or Savory (Treat not personality)? Sweet.

16. Anything else we are forgetting to ask that you think your partner desperately needs to know? Desperately? Lol. No. I'm easy-going and think this swap will be pretty fun.

Happy Little Things

2007-06-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

I'll be the first to admit that it's ridiculous how much I love this little bag. I bought it from Etsy seller stuckinillinois. Since I'm stuck just north of her and the bag was all of $10 including shipping, and it was SO cute (isn't it, though?), I bought it. It arrived in one day.

What can I say? It's the happy little things that I try to focus on right now. Like the fact that M was not screaming and yelling after coming out of anesthesia after her surgery for ear tubes. The nurses had warned me that some children yell for a long time. M acted much as if she'd just woken from a nap. Groggy, sleepy, thirsty. The whole thing went off without a hitch, if you don't count that I was weepy watching them put her under the anesthesia. I don't.

Another happy thing is that I'm really liking these socks. Will have to crank out another pair for my mom, whose birthday I forgot. I am a terrible daughter. Well, I sent a card, sent a gift but then on the day of her birthday, I forgot to call. I suck. Thing is, I never forget birthdays.

Hopefully I can get these done quickly to get another pair started for my mom. Who will probably wonder why I knit her winter socks in the summertime. Sigh.

Happy Little Things. See what I mean?

50th

2007-06-03T08:38:00.001-06:00

This is my 50th post! *blush* I know, I'm such a newbie. Anyway, I felt it appropriate to lay down the knitting projects I'd like to complete this year*, that way I can look back on them in December and laugh my ass off. These are not in any particular order.

1. Complete the Toddler Jumper.

2. Three top-down sweaters for kids (two for my nephews and one for my son) from navy blue and gray Rowan All Seasons Cotton in the stash. (These are for Christmas, and if I complete them in time, I'd like to do one for one of my niece's too.)

3. More socks. Generic, but good. I think I can plan to have a pair of socks going pretty much all the time. I'd like to give a pair to my mother with her Christmas present. Maybe for my sisters' birthdays in the fall, too. (I haven't told my family that this blog exists, so they don't read it! I can write whatever I want regarding presents.)

4. Complete the Log Cabin blanket.

5. Figure out if the adult Tomten (aka egg jacket) is salvageable and either fix or rip.

6. Complete one Lisa Lloyd design for myself, probably this one.

7. Determine if making the Trellis jacket (right) is a good idea. I've loved it for years, always planned to make it, but is it too boxy to be flattering on a suburban mom? Your honest opinions are quite welcome! I've got Beaverslide (light heathered gray) that I think will work.

8. Sketch out and plan a top-down cardigan for myself with my first-ever colorwork. One color, but still.

9. Complete my Central Park Hoodie. It's hanging out with a back and one front complete. Oh the shame of it. I really need to finish this one--I think I'll wear it a lot.

*Ok, after writing this, I felt it important to add that I know there is no way I can get all of this done in six months, but it's nice to have a list of the projects always bouncing around in my head.

Girls Party

2007-06-02T14:10:00.000-06:00

Probably to some, I've made surprisingly little progress on these socks, but I am pleased. I did have to rip back once because of a mistake, but this is only my second time knitting two socks at the same time, toe-up, on two circular needles. I'm bound to be slow.

I am really enjoying it! I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, but I am. I really like this method. It especially suits three of my qualities:
1) Being a major starter of projects and not so much for finishing
2) Having very large feet
3) Being basically cheap

So knitting two at the same time from the toe-up means that there is no chance to develop SSS (second-sock syndrome, or the tendency to end up with single socks) and also I can just knit up the cuff until I run out of yarn. Very economical...no waste.

Yesterday the boys left for NJ to visit with relatives for the weekend. There's a bachelor's party my husband needs to attend (it's for his brother) and N is spending quality time with his grandparents there whom he doesn't see often. That leaves the GIRLS at home! Girls Party! Girls Weekend! We went out to dinner, just the two of us, last night and today we went shopping today...lol...I never go shopping but I need a dress for aforementioned summer wedding and M is a good helper. "Does that one fit, mom?"

An added bonus is the increased knitting time. I forgot what it was like to have only one child, one who naps for 3+ hours every day!

Did You See?

2007-05-31T12:25:00.000-06:00

Jared is embarking on the adult Tomten cruise! He's such a good knitter, so I'm really interested to see what modifications he makes and how it turns out. Maybe I'll be able to salvage my big, gartery thing based on his experience.

For now I'm plugging away on socks and really enjoying it. Pictures, hopefully, tomorrow. I made a mistake in the pattern so I need to rip back. Thank god I put in a lifeline.

Today we spent an ungodly amount of time at the health clinic for our daughter's first visit with the ENT doctor. He recommended surgery to insert tiny tubes in her ear drums to help fluid drain. Then they were able to fit us in to see everyone else we needed to see before scheduling the surgery for Tuesday! Although I know it will be traumatic to see her under anesthesia, and no surgery is without risk, we are very happy about the prospect of getting her off the seemingly constant cycle of antibiotics.

R.I.P. Egg Jacket (or How To Waste A Month)

2007-05-25T14:04:00.000-06:00

Well, what can I say. I had such high hopes. Until I put it on last night. I do think this pattern really is best for children.

That's because the hood on the adult version (or, at least on mine), as happens when you size up, becomes extra huge and deep and not really useful. A big waste of beautiful yarn. It hangs halfway down my back. (and it was difficult to get a photo of my back!)

Then when I put the hood over my head. Laughter. Piercing, shrill laughter, followed by a lot of groaning. I look like the grim reaper in pink. I should have realized this when I saw the photo of the adult tomten in Opinionated Knitter. See how it's folded back? On me, not so cute.

Also, for some reason, whether it's my knitting or just the style or the stitch, it's looking more homemade than handmade to me. I feel like it's sloppy and that I wouldn't wear it. And to me, those are all signs I should call it quits.

I can't, in good conscience, keep knitting something I don't think I will wear. I'm a little depressed. But maybe this is the Sockapalooza voice yelling at me. Yeah, that's probably it.

100 Things

2007-05-23T13:27:00.001-06:00

OK, doing the Seven Things prompted me to do the ever-popular 100 Things. Hey, don't laugh. It was either this or more photos of the Egg Jacket on Sleeve Island. Why on earth do we have arms? I digress. Here's more about me than anyone would ever like to know.

100 things

1.I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I read “Harriet The Spy”. Harriet records all sorts of goings-on in her notebook.
2.I’ve tried to keep a diary, but I can’t stick with it.
3.I do have bachelor’s degree in journalism.
4.When I was in college, my parents were embarrassed of my aspirations to be a journalist.
5.Until I faked being embarrassed that my mom was into gardening; then they shut up about it.
6.My parents are generally very supportive.
7.There was only one other time when they weren’t, and it was when I was moving in with my boyfriend.
8.That was 12 years ago. We’ve been married for 10 years now.
9.I’ve lived in four states, one district and two countries: Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Washington, DC, North Carolina & France.
10.I did not own a car until I was 24 years old.
11.My husband still drives that car every day to work. It has 108K miles on it.
12.Washington, DC, was an interesting place in which to live. I always say about DC: “Great place to visit, wouldn’t want to live there.” And about Raleigh, NC “Great place to live, wouldn’t want to visit.”
13.I moved to DC about eight months after graduating from college. I didn’t have a job. So in between job interviews, I toured every single free museum.
14.After that, I never visited another one.
15.I lived in Ithaca, NY, right after college, working as an intern for American Demographics magazine.
16.I met my husband in a meat-market bar in Alexandria, VA.
17.He picked me up.
18.I almost didn’t give him my phone number; I was afraid my roommate would make fun of me.
19.She did. But I got the last laugh.
20.I was born on 3/3. My mom was born on 6/6 and my paternal grandmother was born on 9/9.
21.My son was due 8/9, so I was gunning for 8/8. He was three days “late.”
22.My daughter was due 3/28. I did not even think about the possibility of her being born on 4/4 until I went into labor the evening of 4/3. Seriously, who wants to think their baby will be five days late? She was born on 4/4 at 1:04 am.
23.I am not superstitious.
24.I grew up on five acres of woods in Ohio, in a place that was completely rural, but it’s now posh to live there.
25.Our school was one building that housed Kindergarteners through high school seniors. Now there are 13 elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools.
26.It was one of two in our athletic conference that had a cinder track.
27.I threw discus and shotput.
28.We moved to Wisconsin three days before my junior year in high school.
29.I wouldn’t recommend doing that to a 16-year-old girl.
30.I do think I am a stronger person for having moved then. It took me quite awhile to believe that, however.
31.I was not popular at either high school, but I had a few good friends.
32.All of my friends played sports.
33.I went to the state track meet for shotput in Wisconsin in 1989 and I placed last.
34.The next year I went for discus and I placed 12th.
35.I was embarrassed about those accomplishments.
36.I went on to make the volleyball team freshman year in college.
37.My first college semester GPA was a 2.2.
38.My parents asked: “Are you going to be a professional volleyball player or a writer?” I did not try out for the team the next year.
39.I graduated with a 3.3 GPA
40.In 1994 I studied for one semester in France. I was at the Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Toulon.
41.The campus was called the “la Grande Tourrache” and we called it “Grand Trash”.
42.I dated a French guy I met there for more than a year.
43.It is time to call it quits when you get along better with someone while they are in another country.
44.I learned to knit in 2000.
45.I took a beginners knitting class at a local technical college. It was 12 classes for $50. I think it was a bargain.
46.The first project I made was a roll-brim hat with Lite Lopi I had bought from the craft store.
47.I was knitting in the round with circular needles and had no idea what to do when the decreases made it too tight to continue. I was stymied.
48.So I learned to knit with dpns soon afterward.
49.But I knit most everything I can on circular needles, even straight pieces.
50.I listen to public radio any chance I get.
51.I think it makes me a better person.
52.My favorite shows are “This American Life” and “What Do You Know?” (not much, you?)
53.My husband got me an iPod for Mothers’ Day and the first thing I downloaded was the latest podcast of “This American Life.”
54.While I was growing up, my mom would make dinner while listening to Paul Harvey. You know, the “Now you know the rest of the story…” guy.
55.She would get really angry if we talked during the show.
56.They haven’t listened to NPR for years, claiming it’s too liberal.
57.I am pro-choice and generally liberal. They are decidedly not.
58.I am the middle of three sisters. My husband is the middle of three brothers. We are like the Brady Bunch, but not really, since we’re not siblings. Ew.
59.Being the middle meant that I grew up wanting either two or four children.
60.Neither of my sisters knit.
61.When I was a kid, it was so cold in our house in the winter that we got dressed downstairs by the woodburning stove.
62.We lived on five acres of woods. It was a lovely place to grow up.
63.One of the most startling images in my mind from childhood was watching the Challenger blow up on TV. I was home from school watching it because we had a snow day.
64.I had two rabbits: Cinnamon and Snickers.
65.I had two hamsters: Marshmallow and Cinnamon.
66.I did not have Cinnamon the hamster and Cinnamon the rabbit at the same time.
67.I did not name everything after food. I had a plant named Emmett.
68.I did not name everything.
69.My first name is Jennifer, along with about 100 million other people in their 30s.
70.My parents said they didn’t know a single person or child named Jennifer when they had me.
71.I guess they thought they were original.
72.I was the ear infection kid growing up.
73.Now my daughter is.
74.I like to volunteer. I am on the Board of Directors at my children’s preschool.
75.I love singing to music while I’m driving. I generally like 90s progressive music.
76.Right now there’s a CD in my player tuned to “Loser” by Beck. I love that song.
77.I like to think of “Loser” as the anthem of Gen-X. It’s funny to think of all these successful Gen-Xers singing “Loser” 15 years ago.
78.Here’s what Wikipedia says about Gen-X (in case you are too young to remember): “During the early 1990s, the media portrayed Generation X as a group of flannel-wearing, alienated, overeducated, underachieving slackers with body piercings, who drank franchise-store coffee and had to work at McJobs, concepts that had some truth to them but were in many cases stereotypes.”
79.When that song was popular, I was in college, working as a server at a restaurant during the summer, and the dishwashers used to yell the lyrics as loud as they could.
80.Frickin’ hilarious.
81.I know nothing about bar drinks. Once when a man asked for an onion in his drink, I went to the salad bar and put a piece of raw onion in his drink. He thought it was a funny joke, but I was not kidding.
82.I’m a pretty good waitress, although I hope to never do it again. It’s hard work.
83.I’m fairly good at multi-tasking.
84.One semester in college, I was sports editor for our college newspaper.
85.I made about 50 cents an hour at this job.
86.That semester I made coaches particularly angry because I refused to put “Woman in Sports” day on the front page and then I wrote a column about how they should put more effort into it so it would actually be news.
87.My final semester I was editorial editor. Then I made a sandwich shop chain particularly angry because I ran an editorial cartoon depicting its recent ecoli outbreak and likening it to ‘trick or treat’ because it was Halloween.
88.The newspaper lost that advertising account. I’ve heard that sub shop still doesn’t run ads, and they had been running them weekly for years.
89.I would have liked to work for a newspaper, but I couldn’t take the hours as a newbie.
90.So I sold out. My last full-time job before I had children was as a marketing copywriter. It was a cushy 8-5 job.
91.My first job was at a nonprofit association magazine. My starting salary was $21,000/year. In Washington, DC.
92.I took the metro. I mourn the fact I didn’t know how to knit, because no doubt I could have completed unknown numbers of socks, ala Wendy.
93.I was sure I would have two boys. My husband is one of three sons; his father is one of five sons.
94.When I was pregnant with our son, we only had one name picked out. We didn’t even have a girl name.
95.At the 20-week ultrasound the second time around, I was flabbergasted to find out she was a girl. I know, the odds are 50/50, but I was really shocked.
96.Soon after that, I got really happy about it. Very soon after.
97.This is getting boring.
98.Good thing there’s only two left.
99.I once met Jane Pauley in person when I received a national award for a magazine I wrote and managed.
100.I can never pick a favorite color or a favorite food. I have too many.

Dumb Luck

2007-05-18T13:38:00.000-06:00

Progress on the adult Tomten continues, despite the tiny, little voice that says I should be knitting Sockapalooza socks. When the voice decides to get louder, or it becomes June, that's when I will officially listen. I have momentum on this thing and I'm sticking with it.

Anyway, so last night I decided I had knit enough hood and went to Elizabeth's directions for the tomten. They say to graft the top of the hood, and refer you to another page for instructions for grafting garter stitch.

Nah, I say, I don't care if there's a seam. I'll just try three-needle bind-off with the right sides together and see what happens.

Lo and behold. I flipped the bugger inside out and...do you see a seam? I don't see a seam! There's a seam on the inside, of course, and I guess I've always done three-needle bind-off on stockinette hoods (wallabies, mostly) because usually there's a noticeable indentation. It was 9:30 pm so I wasn't thinking it would work out so well this time. Not that I mind a seam--really I don't. But it's fun when it works out, isn't it?

Neither Purple Nor Pastel

2007-05-14T07:41:00.000-06:00

This ought to do it.

Tagged, a First!

2007-05-10T16:31:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by Jessica. Here is how it works: Each player starts with seven random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their seven things as well as these rules. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. In high school I threw discus and shotput and I qualified for the state track meet for shotput in 1989. I placed last. The next year I went to state for discus and I placed 12th. I really never tell anyone this because it's embarrassing for me.

2. I was born on 3/3. My mother was born on 6/6 and my grandmother was born on 9/9. When I was pregnant with my first child, he was due on 8/9. Naturally, I was hoping he would be born on 8/8. No such luck; he was four days "late." When I was due on 3/28 with my second child, it didn't even enter my mind that she might be born on 4/4. That is, until I went into labor on the evening of 4/3. She was born 4/4 at 1:04 am.

3. I am the tallest woman I know in real life. I am 5' 11".

4. I’ve lived in four states, one district and two countries: Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Washington, DC, North Carolina & France.

5. I learned to knit in 2000 through a course at our local community college. It was 12 weeks long and cost $50. I think I got a bargain. My grandmother crocheted so my mother dislikes fiber arts. She sews and quilts.

6. I got my first car at age 24.

7. When I try to come up with random facts about myself, I think I'm pretty boring, but really I'm very happy with my life. I guess that's not so boring.

I'm tagging:

Mandy
Sharon
Chrissy
Alison
Trista
Angie
Devon

Teacher Appreciation Week

2007-05-10T07:49:00.000-06:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Won't you honor one or two who are close to you? They do so much for so many.

Pastel or Purple?

2007-05-07T13:54:00.000-06:00

I joined Sockapalooza for the first time for several reasons. Not the least of which was a push to finish these. I decided awhile ago I wanted to learn how to knit two at at the same time, toe-up on circulars. I bought "Queen Kahuna's" book. I think she's inventive, but to tell the truth, it's hard to get through a book where red is used very liberally and italics are apparently a designer's best friend. I haven't worked on these in six months. But I love the yarn (Koigu) and would love to finish them. I have the distinct feeling that if I could just get this technique down, I wouldn't have to look at the book ever again. Hah.
Some examination happens when you look through your stash, searching for the exactly right sock yarn to knit your pal's socks with. It turns out I have a lot of purple. And a lot of pastel. And you know where this is going. Pal is fine with just about anything, really, except for purples and pastels. How hilarious is that? Really, I think it's funny! Like any fiber freak, I love buying yarn so I had no trouble plunking down the Paypal to order up something more to her liking. But I still thought it was really funny. I leave you with...a parting shot of some of the purple sock stash (Interlacements Toasty Toes).

Big Ball of Hyper

2007-05-06T12:27:00.000-06:00

This has me laughing uproariously. "A big ball of hyper"? Who writes this stuff? This is pretty funny, you have to admit, after my last post moaning about how tired I am. I am pretty scattered, though. I do like the color lime a lot, but unfortunately cannot wear it.

Your Birthdate: March 3

You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper.
You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality.
Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure.
Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone.

Your strength: Your larger than life imagination

Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered

Your power color: Lime

Your power symbol: Lightening bolt

Your power month: March

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Egg Jacket Procedeth

2007-05-03T20:34:00.000-06:00

Although it may look like boring knitting, this is truly right up my alley, as they say. I stay at home with my two kids, that is to say that I am their full-time caregiver. We don't always stay home--that would be suicide.

Anyway, lately there is no time to knit during the day. I don't think of this as anyone's "fault" but rather just that right now life is busy with two little beings. I have always been sure I will miss the hell out of their little selves when they are even 6 and 8 years old, so I am trying to enjoy them as much as possible. As possible as they make it, that is.

So a 7:30 p.m. bedtime for them leaves me with 1.5 or maybe 2 hours of knitting time at night. And usually I am truly beat. Very spent and don't really feel like spending it doing math or backward flips to figure out something new.

I have to keep telling myself this, unfortunately, because I'm so inspired by so many blogs and projects out there and sometimes it gets to the point where I feel guilty for not pushing my skills more.

The truth is that right now, knitting for me is about getting to my center, doing something I really enjoy and making something that looks nice. Maybe when they are 6 and 8 and I will have the energy to do backflips.

Who knew?

2007-04-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

Who knew that cleaning out the garage on a sunny Spring morning could be so much fun?

Ok, it wasn't that fun, for at least two of us. But the other two could be said, at times, to be having quite a fun time.

Who knew that a well-worn, cracked and broken pink sled could have a different use...when there (thankfully) was no snow to be found?

Who knew that I would suddenly find yet another photo for Project Spectrum? Like the slacker that I am, I hadn't joined until recently. But I put a photo up there yesterday and will do another today.Who knew my kids could be so sweet...when there were two of the interesting item to play with, of course.

The Egg Jacket

2007-04-24T15:53:00.000-06:00

I refuse to "feel badly" about starting this sweater because, unbeknownst to Blogland, I had actually already knit this in the winter, but I didn't like how it was turning out. I had even started the arms, tried it on, and to my shock it grew--down to my thighs. I had planned for it to be a jacket-length, but to my hips was all I wanted. The garter stitch was stretching like nothing else and I wasn't happy.

So I frogged it. And it sat. I never photographed it.

Now, back, new and improved, I present the Tomten Jacket or, as I lovingly now refer to it, the Egg Jacket. I know, most Tomtens are made for children. The pattern is written for children. I have coveted one for years for myself, living in the great white North. The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. Do not be fooled--this is NOT a chunky yarn. That's the problem I had last time. I went for the quick knit and decided to get 3.5 stitches per inch with size 10 needles. Too loose. Now I'm getting 4.5 stitches on size 7s and I like the firmer fabric. It will keep out the wind, that's for sure. I like this yarn in garter stitch because you really don't have to worry about the variegation in the yarn creating a pattern and it lends some interest to the fabric, as well.

I'm calling it the Egg Jacket because I visited a farm with the kids a week ago and lo, if there weren't chickens there laying eggs that were green, brown and pinky/brown. I have had a hard time describing the color of this yarn. Sometimes it's pink and sometimes it's warm brown, but when I saw the egg, that was it egg-zactly.

Treated!

2007-04-21T07:58:00.000-06:00

I received my wonderful treat box yesterday from Cheryl at A Simple Yarn. Cheryl lives in Dublin, Ireland, and so I received a plethora of lovely Irish items, including two special treats for my kids. How thoughtful--thanks so much Cheryl! I was able to take one photo of the box before my camera batteries died. See the gorgeous wrapping paper?
In there, I tell you, was not one, but TWO candy bars. I scarfed one of them down immediately, I'm not ashamed to say. No photos exist of that one. Otherwise included was an excellent pattern book with patterns for men, women and children, a copy of Delicious magazine (the Italian issue, no less!), four skeins of cotton, (just enough to make a nice baby sweater), Helping Hands lotion from Lush (*very* luxurious), a bath fizzer ball smelling of honeysuckle (how great is that?!) What else? I'm not looking at the contents right now so I'm sure I'm missing something. There were two silly straws with sheep on them for the kids (they ADORE them), and a box of Irish tea. Thanks Cheryl! It was also a great teaching moment telling the kids about Ireland and showing the 4-year-old where it is.

I'm a little baffled that I got this package, all the way from Ireland, in 5 days but it appears my package sent to my treatee in Canada more than a week ago still has not arrived. hmph.

10 years

2007-04-19T07:04:00.001-06:00

Ten years ago today, I married a great man. There's not much more to say without getting all sappy.

We were married under the Pergola in Duke Gardens in Durham, NC on April 19, 1997. The reception was at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill. We occasionally miss North Carolina--he more than I--usually around this time of year because it's so beautiful down there before it gets scorchingly hot.

Here's to 50 more!

Yarn enthusiast

2007-04-17T21:28:00.000-06:00

Here is my son, taken about a year ago. I've always loved this photo for the way the yarn makes his blue eyes stand out and the way he's snuggling the fiber. And also that it marries two of my most favorite things in the world.

One of his favorite games is playing "mail carrier" and he brings me packages (empty boxes). He knows that if he says they have yarn in them, I'll smile and keep the package. But otherwise he thinks it's hilarious to say that he has brought me pickled pigs feet.

He hasn't been doing very well with the sticker chart, but sometimes we need to give him a break. He's only 4. As they say at his preschool, "Little kids, little problems." It was never more apparent to me than on Monday after hearing about the shootings at Virginia Tech.

All About the Stash

2007-04-15T13:39:00.001-06:00

I have yet to 'flash' my stash. I wouldn't really want to, actually, except that I'm making a pledge to knit from my stash for the rest of the year. Yarn for baby items and swaps and socks are exempt. In other words, no big yarn purchases.

This, after a pretty big acquisition last week. After the big 'got' always comes the big guilt, true? I got 16 skeins of Peace Fleece in the mail. Well, I did get them discounted, but still. So here is Volgassippi Blue (left) and Anna's Grasshopper. I am so happy with the colors. I used to have some Volgassippi Blue in the stash years ago, but didn't use it and sold it. This batch looks much more vibrant with almost a green/turquoise cast. The Anna's Grasshopper is amazing. Very hard to describe. So there's plenty for two lovely sweaters this year.

Not to mention the rest that's in here...
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