I Must Be Stopped

I'm sitting here with a nasty headache that was present and accounted for upon awakening. I only have 4 more blissful days until the kidlets are out of school for the summer, and I'm feeling too bleh to enjoy it today.

I need to update and balance the checking accounts, do some laundry, tidy the house, and run some errands. Instead, I'm playing on Ravelry. I happen to go to my queue and I notice the Sitcom Chic.

"I really need a summery sweater for those times I'm in overly air-conditioned places which is practically every where, because, Heaven forbid we as Americans should ever sweat! We are after all a nation of consumers, so let's consume some energy!"

"Will you shuddup already? You can't be starting a new project right now! You've got to finish the Husband's aran before June 21, because you've signed up to do the Summer of Socks. You're already committed to making socks this summer. If you're cold, just throw on one of your ratty sweatshirts."

"Yeah, you're committed alright. You're just cranky from the headache. Go take an aspirin. Listen, you've got to go pick up a prescription and some graduation and thank you cards, and Michaels is on the way home. You could run in and just see if they have enough Cotton-Ease (that's what is recommended) since you don't have a suitable alternative in the stash. Besides, it's supposed to be a quick knit."

"I think the aspirin is helping. Maybe Michaels won't have a color we like, and that will stop this yearning we have to start something new. Besides, Sheldon still doesn't have any feet."

I Have a Confession

The best way to do this is just to jump in with both feet. I'm going to let you see something that most embarrasses me. It does not reflect well on me either. I hope y'all appreciate the size of my cahones after you see this picture. Here it goes...

That, my friends, is our front room. It has been in some form of that state since we moved in 8 years ago. Yes (hangs head in shame). This is what greets visitors to our home. Let me tell ya, the rest of the house ain't much better.

But, it's about to change. That one wall will be covered in built in book cases. The other walls will be covered in paint, not crayon drawings. The floor will be covered in wood laminate (it has a 30 year guarantee - we need it with this crew). The lego covered table will be moved to the basement (you're next basement - I'm coming for ya!). The antique settee and matching chair that currently resides in the garage will be recovered and moved to this room.

I'm glad that's off my chest.

Finally blocked the 'go to' sweater (we don't need no stinking segues). It's amazing the amount of dirt that came out of this thing. Dirt that was picked up just by schlepping it around while it was in process. If you look closely, you can see the Jamieson and Smith DK that I picked up in Dogrose for the hem lining.

I've got to shovel out the front room. An electrician is coming to install track lighting to shine on the soon to be installed book cases.

What I need is a Deadline

I was reading Polly's post this morning. It' all about her monthly goals. God bless her, she usually manages to meet her goals. I, on the other hand, don't set goals. Well, I do in a vague sort of way. I set goals like "I will do laundry this week", or "I will get around to calling the dentist about this painful tooth".

I did promise the Husband that I would have his sweater done by the time the weather turned cold...in 2007. I just realized the other day that I have been working on his sweater for over a year. At least I'm not spinning the yarn for it myself, right, Steph?

Polly has signed up for a KAL of sorts. I was intrigued. I don't like KAL's. I don't like knitting something that everyone else is doing. I know that with these cyberspace KAL's the chances are pretty darn slim that I'll run into someone wearing the exact same scarf, but the possibility exists. O.K., I did knit a warshrag and a bathmat from that book, but lest the world has gone barking mad, I don't plan on wearing any of those out and about.

This KAL is the Summer of Socks hosted by Zarzuela. You're not told or sent the yarn to use, and you're not given a pattern. All you have to do is knit socks between June 21 and September 1. Quelle facile! (I have to use my college required language credit some how.) Her that knits the most socks wins. C'est bon. There are some 'side' contests, so if you're not a fast knitter you could still win something.

I'm not it for the prizes. Really. It's an honor just to be nominated...I figure that I need to get the Husband's aran and my 'go to' sweater (which is at the pick up and knit the hem stage) finished before this contest begins. Voila, I have a deadline!

I see shopping in my future

Thursday was the Boy's 12th birthday. The twelve years that he's been on this earth have been joyous, loud, frustrating, and funny. We gave him his present on the day of his birthday, but since it was a school day and there were karate classes after school, we are having a celebration today.

I have to bake a cake, and I've been trying for days to get out of the Boy what he wanted for dinner. Since he hasn't decided, we made the decision for him. We're doing homemade pizza. I don't have the fixin's here. I'll have to hit the grocery.

Before I go to the grocery, I'm going to the yarn store! I don't have that big of a stash, and I don't have a dk weight wool yarn in order to do the hem linings on my 'go to' sweater. I want to use a lighter weight wool to reduce the bulk at the cuffs.

I misspoke. I do have the correct wool, but its my Koigu. I really don't want to dip into the 3 skeins I have. And it's orange. There are shades of pink in my brown sweater, and I was hoping to use a pink for the lining. Although the orange would be pretty, also. I'm waffling.

Don't need waffles from the grocery, I have plenty, thankyouverymuch.

Not Quite Done

I've had time to let my thoughts about the previous rant percolate, and I decided that I came across as anti-charity. Not true. If celebrities want to lend their face and name to do good, why not go with an established, proven charity?

Feel strongly about providing health care to those that desperately need it? How about Doctor's Without Borders? Feel strongly about helping to feed the hungry, and provide ecological ways to sustain and protect the earth's resources? How about Heifer International? Are you an eyeglass wearing celebrity? How about donating your used eyeglasses, and lending your voice in support of Luxottica's Gift of Sight? Years ago I went on a Gift of Sight mission to Mexico. It was fabulous.

I was privileged to see the look on some one's face when they could finally see well. Priceless. We had some specs there donated by famous people (Whoopi Goldberg and Crystal Gayle come to mind - thanks Whoopi and Crystal!) I actually got to fit Crystal Gayle's used specs on a amazing little Mexican woman that was thrilled to have them. Working a mission was one of the most uplifting and depressing experiences I've had.

Uplifting because I got to witness the joy of good vision. Depressing because there was so much more these people needed. We helped literally thousands of people in the two weeks we were there putting in gruelling 14+ hour days, but there were many more that got turned away simply due to man power and our exhaustion.

When is the last time you heard of a famous person helping in a soup kitchen on a regular basis? I'd like to think it's because they do it quietly, and they aren't in it to keep their name in the media.

Now. Done.

Speaking of done...I'm on the neck band of the 'go to' sweater. I decided to raise the back by doing short rows in the ribbing, but I had to rip it because I didn't hide the holes properly on the turns. Live and learn. I'll post pictures later. I'd do it today, but to paraphrase Franklin the sweater is over there, the camera is over that way, and I'm here. The powers of the Force aren't quite working for me today to bring them all to me here.

Friday Morning Rant

Is anyone else sick of the rich celebrities and their sycophant followers trying to push their beliefs and politics down our throats? I just read this article about Madonna's shenanigans concerning Kabbalah and Malawi. I have no doubt that she means well, but I wonder if it isn't just a big scam. Per the article, her charitable foundation isn't even registered.

I wish that Madonna, Tom Cruise, et al. would just shut up. Yes, it's wonderful that we have the freedom of speech, and that we can say and do anything as long as it's legal, but I suppose my beef is with the media outlets that give them air time to spout their views. Yes, I'm spouting my views on the world wide web, but realistically I command an audience of few while they have an audience of millions. God bless Paris Hilton's vacuous, shallow heart. Her only charitable foundation seems to be to keep the bartenders and nightclub workers employed.

Done.

That's It?

After about 5 days of beautiful weather, we're back to rainy and cool just in time for the weekend. Not that the weekends mean the same to me since I became a stay at home frump. Every day is a week day! This is by far the most difficult job I've had, ever. Enough proselytising.

We had the most exciting thing happen to us in this area in years, and I slept through it. Apparently I missed the aftershock also.

Last weekend in Gurnee did not yield much knitting time as I had planned. The first day of the kidlet's tournament found me working a scorekeeper's table. But what are you going to do when the kidlet's sensei (who also happens to be the head ref at one of the rings) points at you and summons you by the power of his finger?

There were other powerful fingers at the tournament. I witnessed another ref walk in front of a group of young competitors sitting on the floor. All he had to do was point with his finger, and they all scooted back several feet. I must learn the power of the finger from the sensei.

I did get a little knitting time in on the second day. I'm now on the yoke of the 'go to' sweater. No pictures, it's just more stockinette. Maybe I'll get it finished in time for warmer weather, if it ever comes.

Just the Thing

Having been left in a general funk since my father passed, I should have known better than to lay aside my knitting. For several weeks, I felt as though I was just going through the motions of life, and that was just one motion I wasn't interested in. It seemed extraneous.

I'm thankful for my children. As much as I enjoy a peaceful house when they are not around, they have a way of figuratively smacking you in the face ala Cher in Moonstruck. My father told me one day, as I gave him an 'are-you-nuts' look, that I was really lucky. At the time we were at his house, and the kids were running around being kids and loud. He said that he sat in his quiet house, with no demands on his time or attention, and thought about how lucky I was to be living in barely controlled chaos.

The smack came about two weeks after we laid my father to rest, and The Girl reminded me that I had promised several Sheldon's for her, Thing 1 and 2, The Boy (who's almost 12 and still wants one, may he never become jaded), Cousin D and Cousin B. She also pointed out that I've had the yarn in my stash for close to a year!

What a smart girl I have. She knew that what I needed to get over my funk was something that I could see progress on almost imediately, and it was in a cheery color, not grey or brown like the other two endless projects.

So, here is a legless (not Legolas) Sheldon. The legs are stuffed and ready to be attached.



I just need to stop the kidlets from arguing about who gets the first one.

And as for the other projects...I'm on sleeve two of the 'go to' sweater. And I've finished the front of the Husband's aran, and started the sleeves.



I'm doing them at the same time on the Knitpicks Options (love me some Options). This will be my weekend in Gurnee, Illinois for the kidlets regional karate tournament project. I have to have something to do to keep from noticing my numb, two day, bleacher sitting arse! My apologies to the wonderful people of Gurnee, but there is absolutely nothing to do in your little burg. Unless you go to Six Flags, which isn't open yet.

And proof that spring will soon be warming us up...starter plants!


Basil and Cosmos


Thyme


And the mighty Tomato

We also have rosemary and nicotaina coming up. I'm still waiting on the sweet pepper, jalapeno, and eggplant.

Snow? What Snow?


Snow drift outside the back door.


Preparing to go and clean the driveway. Who is that masked man?


Having a neighborly chat during the blizzard.


Some think it's fun.


Four days later. This is my kind of blizzard!

Caught in the Act

I've decided that Tuesdays are for cleaning out Dad's house. It's a rather big house, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, which will be a big job. It's overwhelming just to think about it.

So in order to not feel overwhelmed about clearing out Dad's house, I decided to go the the local yarn store first - and feel overwhelmed there! I knew they were having a sale this week, and I went in without a plan. I don't have any projects in mind. Well, I do. I just don't have any projects in mind that I don't already have the yarn. I was trying to knit from the stash. And, really, I can't afford to start any more projects until I'm done with the Husband's aran and my 'go to' sweater. I don't want to start down that slippery slope of startitis. Must Keep Feet Firmly on Path of Completion!

As I'm wandering the yarn store admiring the lady that had pattern in hand and the fortitude to only shop for yarn that would work with her pattern, my cell rings. It's the Husband.

"Hey, are you at your Dad's?"

"No."

"Where are you?"

"Shopping."

"Shopping where?"

"The yarn store."

"Lambikins? I'm glad that you are able to assuage your grief with yarn!"

Darn tootin'! I assuaged my grief to the tune of one book (A Gathering of Lace - I had one, but water had been spilled on it. It had never properly dried, and the pages were sticking and mold was growing), 1 skein of Sockotta, 2 skeins of Araucania Ranco, 1 skein of Misti Alpaca 2ply lace, 2 skeins of New England Shetland by Harrisville, and one large beautiful skein of Interlacements Spiderweb. You can see them all on ravelry - kskferg.

I thought my grief could be even better assuaged by the purchase of several skeins of the Jade Sapphire Silk/Cashmere. But I was sure that if I did, I would feel grief of a different kind. The grief of spending too much.

Sloooowly Getting Back To It

I've started knitting again. Granted not with the same drive I had before Dad passed, but I'm knitting. Still nothing picture worthy. I am almost done with the first sleeve of the 'go to' raglan, before the joining with the body that is. I think that with sleeve number two I'll try the magic loop, or maybe two circulars.

A Punch in the Gut

My father has passed away, and I feel as though the wind has been knocked out of me. In order to cope with the grief, I keep busy. Busy making funeral arrangements, busy cleaning, busy bringing order to the paper work nightmare that is his will and numerous accounts. But the one thing I have not been busy doing is knitting. I just don't want to.

I'm sure I'll get back into it soon. I find it interesting, in a detached way, that the one thing that knit bloggers the world over say is the 'new yoga' and that comforts them when they are stressed, anxious, sad, etc., is the farthest thing from my mind right now.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you whose blogs I read. With your cheery pictures of beautiful, colorful knitting, you remind me that life goes on and that spring will come. I know this intellectually having also lost my mother some years ago, but I also need to feel it in my heart. Reading recently neglected blogs helps me to forget about my woes for a while which I know is part of my healing. Thank you.

Hey, honey, wanna neck?

I'm at the neck on the Husband's aran! The problem is that I've misplaced (quelle surprise!) my little knitting notebook with all (not all, honey, get your mind out of the gutter) of his pertinent measurements, including his neck. So, I'm unsure of how many stitches to cast off.

Luckily for me, the Husband called off sick today - not so lucky for him. He hurt himself about a month ago while working out, and the pain has been slowly getting worse. He hurts too much to move, so I have a captive subject for my measuring tape. The last time I measured him, he was rather impatient even though I was measuring him for his sweater that he wanted.

At the time he hurt himself he thought it was pulled muscle. Now, after a quick call to the doctor-brother-in-law, he has a suspect. Mr. Hern E. Ah. All will be confirmed or denied after a visit to our doctor.

Hot Damn!

While I would hold down the ground hog for Franklin, we are having a little milder winter here in southwest Ohio (knock wood). It is indeed a beautiful morning. Yeah, it's rainy and overcast, but look....



1/4" of crocus buds!

How about a gratuitous artsy-fartsy cute puppy picture?



Knitting? I got nuthin'.

WOOHOO!

I got to raise the "percent completed" amount in Ravelry for the 'go to' sweater and the Husband's aran. I know, I know, the blog has been rather slim on the knitting lately. I'm trying to get these two projects done before I move onto another.

There have been no pictures, because it's just more of the same. Although I did rip out the 5 inches of sleeve that I had completed on the 'go to' sweater. I'm going to start over and work on it at the tire place today while I wait for them to put two new tires on the Husband's Jeep.

If you've ever worked with kettle dyed wool like Malabrigo, you know that you need to work from two different skeins and switch every two rows or so in order to blend the colors. This is because there are no dye lots in kettle dyed wool. No two skeins are exactly alike. In order to not have an obvious difference in your project where you had to start with a new skein, you need to work with two and switch every row or two just like you are doing stripes.

Well, where I was switching skeins was right at the beginning of a new dpn. In order not to have ladders, I was pulling the first stitch tighter. I decided I was pulling this stitch a little too tight. So I ripped.

Then I got the brilliant idea of magic looping the sleeve. Unfortunately, I've misplaced one of the 32" cables that came with my Options set (the other is in use in the Husband's aran). I'm not going to use the 24", because I think it will be too short to work with comfortably once I get a few more stitches on the needles due to increasing.

With this conundrum at hand, I went online shopping! Hi, honey! I only spent about $18 - including shipping! I bought extra cables, and those little marker things that you hang on the cables to remind yourself what size needle you were using should you need to remove the pointy part of the needle. Oh, yeah, I did buy two skeins of Alpaca Cloud that was on sale to make Ene's Scarf. Shhhhh! I don't want the Husband to know! He thinks I have enough yarn. Silly man.

Nothing to see here, move along

Just miles and miles of stocking stitch on the 'go to' raglan of Malabrigo. The body is complete to the joining of the sleeves. I started a sleeve last evening.

Show's over, people.

Now, what kind of mother would I be?


Yesterday morning-ish, after I decided that it would be a good day for a 'jammie day', I told the Girl to take a shower. She smelled a bit ripe. As I dozed in the La-Z-Boy by the window letting the sunbeam warm me up, I heard a series of crashes, the last one being very loud, coming from the upstairs bathroom.

"Now what!?", I mumbled to myself as I started to shuffle upstairs. I moved a little faster when I heard the high pitched "Mommmmeeeeeee!!!" coming from the bathroom. I didn't move that fast though, because, well, the Girl is a bit of a drama queen.

I found the Girl standing in the bathroom, nekkid, holding a towel to her butt. "I'm bleeding!", she yelled. She evidently had fallen in the tub, and had broken that little ceramic soap dish that sticks out of the tile and cut herself on it.

I saw a little tiny cut on her calf. "Oh, ferchrissakes, that's it?!", I said disgustedly.

"No, I think I'm bleeding from my butt!"

"Move the towel, let me see." As she looked over her shoulder, I thankfully kept my face calm as I saw a 3 inch long zig-zag gash about 1.5" deep right next to her crack.

How was I going to get a girl dressed with that canyon of a cut on her bottom and to the hospital? Add to this the fact that the Husband was out on one his very rare 'boys outings', and the other 3 kidlets could not be left alone. There was no way around it, I had to call 911. The husband got home with in minutes of the deputy, squad, and ladder truck showing up. Ladder truck? She has a cut heiney! Well, we gave the neighbors something to discuss for the afternoon. Y'all can thank me later - with cookies.

So, as we are riding in the back of the squad with the PD following in her car (we would need a ride home - at least I wasn't at home with the other 3 kidlets, one of whom was hysterical because he thought his sister was going to die), the Girl looks over at me and sees that I have a bag with me that I use to carry knitting projects and says very accusitorily, mind you, "Mom, you brought your knitting?!"

"Of course not, what kind of mother would I be? These are clothes for you to wear home!" I failed to tell her that I did briefly consider which project would be best suited to a wait in the emergency room. I am so ashamed, let's keep this between us, shall we?

Yawn



Not much to write about, just some boring stocking stitch in the round. This is going to be my 'go to' sweater. It's Malabrigo that was going to be the Husband's sweater, but he decided there was too much pink in it. By 'too much pink' he meant 'not macho enough'. It's going to be a raglan with hemmed bottom ala Elizabeth Zimmerman. I'm thinking a rolled collar.

I'm even putting the Hamish to sleep.

I'm as Giddy as a School Girl

Can't talk now. I have to go gussy up for the handsome men that are going to deliver my new front load washer and dryer today, because any man that delivers new large appliances to my house are handsome.

I've been wanting a pair of these (get your mind out of the gutter, honey) since the twins were born 7 years ago. It's amazing how adding just two people to your family of four (to make 6, for those of you who've not had your morning libation) can increase your laundry 10 fold.

For the first time in my life, I'm actually excited about doing laundry. I've held off doing laundry for about a week now (the kids are in their third day of the same pajamas) just so I can give these babies a good hard (honey, gutter!) test run. The laundry room is newly organized with new shelving and sorting baskets, and I'm all a quiver with anticipation!

I'll see ya later. I have to go put on lipstick.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family



This is Hamish. He's a Scottish terrier that came from a rescue, just like our other dog Brunnhilde. Now that he's gotten used to us, he is quite playful and fiesty. He needs to be around Brunnhilde.

If you only weighed about 5 pounds and you had a 90 pound German Shepherd dancing around you wanting to play, you'd be fiesty too.

I wonder how much longer he'll be able to fit here? Black dogs are very hard to photograph.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
-Uncle Ben Parker "Spiderman"



T-shirt available on tampaxdahtcom. They are donating money to worthy cause, girls in South Africa ala Oprah, yadda, yadda, yadda. Not to belittle the cause, but I am not wearing that across my chest.

Are you Effing Kidding Me?

As an ebay addict and compulsive knitter, the two worlds sometimes merge serendipitiously. At other times, I see this...http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270195396778&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

Gobsmacked

Last evening after dropping The Boy and The Girl off at the karate dojo, I ran to Biggs with Thing 1 and Thing 2 to pick up a few needed things. Thing 1 had been whiney all day due to a toothache, and I was in a not so good mood due to said whineyness and the fact that he wouldn't let the dentist take an x-ray.

But I get ahead of myself. The day before he had been complaining of a toothache, but like any good Mom I looked in his mouth and my Momovision detected nothing wrong. So he was sent off to school. Yesterday, same thing, except this day was different. He was sent to the clinic in tears. So, I went and picked him up, called the dentist (who was swamped with appointments) and begged for a few minutes of time.

The dentist graciously squeezed us in. After Thing 1 has been in the exam room for all of 5 minutes, I'm asked to come back. He fought the dentist about putting the little thingy in his mouth to take the x-ray, and when the dentist finally convinced him to do it, he ripped it out as the x-ray was being taken. We got a nice blank x-ray for our money and wasted time.

So now I have to take him to a pediatric dentist (ca-ching), and they can't fit him in until Monday. So more whining on Thing 1's part, because he was to wait so long(and more whining on my part, because I have to hear his whining for 3 more days).

Fast forward to last evening at the grocery. So, I'm walking up and down the aisles in a bit of a rush with the two Things, and Thing 1 spots the great big bin full of Webkinz. The Things (who are 7) and their older sister are all Webkinz all the time.

Those of you with children know what happened next. We are talking a full-blown, full on frontal assault hissy fit complete with floor flopping! Amazingly enough, Thing 2 was very adult about the whole thing.

The cleaning of the grocery floor by my son with the use of the coat that was on his back occurred several times through out the remainder of the shopping excursion right up to the check out lane. I exhibited great restraint by not grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him up and down the lanes in order to do a complete and thorough job of the floors thereby possibly earning a discount on my groceries due to the gratitude of the dude whose job it is to sweep.

When he realizes that he is getting no where with me, he sulks off to the Webkinz bin to pout(which happened to be near the check out). Along comes an angelic grandmother, who stops to talk to him. She then looks a me and asks if it's o.k. if she buys him one! She notices the twin, and says, "I'll get one for him too, aren't they cute?" Yeah, they're cute, alright.

My initial response is, "Granny, are you on crack?", but luckily my brain filter was working. Instead my response was, "No, Christmas is coming, and they don't need it."

Long story short (too late), she bought them for the Things, because she said it made her happy and she has a grandson of her own. In order to thank her, I asked her what her favorite charity was so I could send a donation. She said it was "Gospel Mission in Jackson County, Kentucky", she likes them because they are all about helping children.

Anyone (of the four of you that read this!) heard of them? I've googled, but with no luck. I guess if I can't find them, I can donate to another "children's charity". Any suggestions?

Ho Hum

I caught the Boy yesterday morning trying to squeeze his big melon head into one of his little brother's hats(Thing 1 and Thing 2). I guess he was trying to tell me that he needed a hat. Luckily, we are having an unusually warm day, but tomorrow it's supposed to get colder.

What to do? Whip up a basic beanie hat from the stash. It's Plymouth Encore DK on size 8's, with a few stripes. You can't really see the stripes in this picture, but they are there.

Since the Boy tends to lose things, I made it simple and quick(and inexpensive - no cashmere for the Boy just yet!) so there will be no dramatics from me when it doesn't come home.

A Thanksgiving Blessing

May you have pleasant dreams while napping on the sofa having been lulled to sleep by a full belly and the gentle glow of the television broadcasting football, and may none of your goofball family members snap pictures of said slumber.

Damp Sponge



There's the Sponge, drying. I decided to block it first to even out the wonky stitches before weaving in the ends. I read this suggestion somewhere, I think in Maggie Rhigetti's book. I'm not crazy about my tension on the teeth(too tight), but it will make it easier to weave in the ends and get the tension correct if it is blocked first. And no, you can't see the back once I'm done, it's crap.

I'm also going to give it a proper seaming(mattress). Please to ignore the missing red stitches on the curly thing under his mouth. Those can be easily fixed with a duplicate stitch embroidery.

I hope to have it all done by tomorrow. I know that he'll want to show it off to his SpongeBob lovin' cousins at the gatherin'.

Phoebe



May 1, 1995-November 19, 2007

R.I.P You'll be missed.

A Typical Conversation in My House

The Boy: Hey, Mom, where's Daddy? When's he coming home?

Me: It might be a long time. There was a shooting.(For those of you that don't know, the Husband is the senior police sergeant in a neighborhood bordering a large-ish city.)

The Boy: Hmm. Do you think he'll remember to bring home Ratatouille? Can I call him to remind him?

Me: Weasel, I think he'll be a little busy, and Ratatouille will be low on his list of priorities.

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?



After a brief hiatus, Spongebob is back. I had lost the original chart I had made(I think it was thrown out in a cleaning frenzy), so I had to make a new one. Which involved going downstairs to use the computer that is connected to the printer rather than the laptop. Yeah, I'm lazy.

But it also involved this really cool website where you can generate your own knitting graph paper to your gauge. Here's the link if you don't already know about it. There is also another very cool site that will generate a graph for you if you aren't comfortable drawing your own. It's here. I've not used it yet, so if you do, let me know how it turns out.

This sweater has to be perfect. Thing 1 is a man(boy) after my own heart. After he received one of his frequent progress reports that he demands on no particular schedule, he told me that when he out grows the S.B. sweater, he is going to save it for one of his children to wear. Thanks, kid. Thanks for the added pressure of knowing I'm making an heirloom.

A Revelation

So I'm browsing through the 'Fibre after 40' forums on Ravelry, this is a group for knitters of a certain age. There is a thread on perimenopause. Perimenopause? I thought it was just 'menopause'.

After a little more research, it turns out I'm drowning in perimenopause! It's a bit of a relief to put a reason, or excuse, to all of those niggly little things that are going on.

Insomnia - check!
Thinning hair - check!
Forgetfulness - check!
Belly weight gain and bloating - check!
Daytime fatigue - check!
Zits - check!
Dry skin - check!
Forgetfulness - che..wait I did that one
Mood swings - check!

I told the Husband a few days ago that I didn't like the person that I was becoming emotionally. I was blaming all on the kids! Now, they are innocent of those charges at least. This doesn't mean that they are innocent of leaving dirty dishes, socks, and underwear all over the house.

It's quite liberating, really. I'm free to speak my mind, yell, cry at the drop of a hat, and just give into the naps all without feeling guilty. If someone starts giving me crap, I got one word for ya' - perimenopause. Except that's too long. I should just call her Perry.

A Life Changing Day

Honeymoon: on the train from Stonehenge

Fourteen years ago today I married the Husband. It was truly a day that changed my life. Before Husband, I was still at home with my folks(I could have moved out, I chose not to. Why move from a large-ish house with off street parking in a good neighborhood close to shopping to a crappy, dingy apartment? Besides, I had good room mates!)

So the day we were married, I became a homeowner, first time on my own person. I'm glad the Husband was there to help me with the transition. He had been on his own for 12 years. It was a big transition for both of us. Back then 'playing house' by cleaning and grocery shopping was fun. Now, it's drudgery.

Thankfully, it's only the little things that have become a grind. I could say that everyday has been fun, but that would be a lie. But, with the Husband by my side, we've weathered those stormy days only to come through stronger and more resilient. Besides, we actually like each other and laugh often.

If it weren't for the Husband, I wouldn't have had the wild ride and 4 kidlets that all look like him. Well, three look like him, the Girl looks like his sister!

Here's to you, hon. I'm counting on you to make the next 14 and beyond as fabulous as the first fourteen.

One Evening at the Kitchen Table

I need a drink...



Much better...



Pretty...uh, where was I?



I'm going to bed, I have a headache.

Rat Bastard

It bears repeating...

I have finished(relatively speaking) the birthday wash cloths for the PD. Two still need weaving. The one on top is from the leftover scraps. Even though they had the same amount of yardage(so the label said), I was only able to get one full cloth out of the variegated colorway. That was the first one, and the one on which I had trouble counting. Maybe I added a few extra rows.



This is the rat bastard part. I am one glorious little inch from completing the back of the Husband's rather large aran sweater. That's not a rat bastard, that fact is the opposite of a rat bastard, a non-rat non-bastard, if you will.

I was knitting happily along last evening, when I saw it. Approximately three inches down from the needles are three groups of travelling stitches in the center celtic knot section all crossed the wrong way. They are going in the correct direction, they're just not latticed.



And to make matters worse, I did the same thing where you see that fabulously(if I may say so) manicured finger. After yelling out the title of this episode, I asked the Husband if he saw anything wrong with the sweater. He (not being a knitter, and a man) said he didn't see a thing wrong with it. I then pointed it out.



That dear sweet man told me there was no need to fix it. His reasoning: it's just the back of the sweater and barely noticeable. Barely noticeable!!??? I think if Salma Hayek were to suddenly grow a big, fat, hairy wart on her chin it would be just as noticeable.

Bless his heart.

The Death of Peter Cottontail

The following post is not for the faint of heart or fluffy bunny lovers.

We had a bit of a carnage here last week. Our usual weekday morning routine was disrupted by a mauling. The usual morning goes something like this: the Husband leaves for work, I wake up the kidlets, and walk outside in the back yard with the large carpet spotter Brunnhilde. She evidently can not be alone even to pee. She will not go outside with out me standing there, unless her dog pal neighbors are outside, then she'll go alone.

This past Tuesday, the Husband called in sick, the Girl felt ill and didn't want to go to school. Brunnhilde was even willing to go outside without me. I should have read the warning signs, but it was early, and my brain was foggy from sleep.

Then I saw why she wanted to go out without waiting for me. She had a rabbit on the run. We have a family of bunnies living in the over grown garden. She occasionally chases them, but they are able to make it out of the gap between the fence and the back gate. It was not to be that day.

This day the bunny wasn't going to make it to the gap and made for the 3 x 5 grid space in the liner of the fence. He got his head through. By the time I got back there, she had made his hind quarters nice and bloody, and he was stuck.

The Husband was not going to help, and didn't appreciate being bothered in his sick bed about a rabbit stuck in the fence. I knew the rabbit wasn't going any where, and he could just wait for my help until the kidlets were on the bus. The only problem were the two cats I saw in the property behind us on the prowl. They had noticed the ruckus and were very interested. So, I posted the Girl on watch to keep the cats away.

After I got the Boy off to school, I realized that I was going to have to cut the stupid rabbit out of the fence. My neighbor had beat me to it. It was obvious that the bunny was dying, and we should put it out of it's misery. I deferred to the neighbor. Having grown up on a farm in North Dakota, I hoped she would be up to the task.

She said, "I've killed rodents by twisting their necks, I've even killed cows, but I don't know what to do with the bunny." Great. We decided on suffocation. So, with an apology to the rabbit, I put him in a plastic garbage bag and tied it up tight.

His body is in temporary holding in the garage. I'm especially looking forward to garbage pick up this week.

Rat Bastard





See that mess? It's supposed to be a washcloth from Mason Dixon. You know the cute one worked in the round with the bobbles and eyelets. Evidently I don't know how to count, at least not while the t.v. is on and the kidlets are home from school.

That's the third go round on the rat bastard. Don't get me wrong, there are parts about it I like so far. The yarn so far. I'm using SWTC's aMaizing. (Should it still be called yarn if it's made from corn? Wouldn't "yearn" be better?)

I had yesterday what at the time seemed like a brilliant idea. The PD's(the Husband's knickname for his sister) birthday is this weekend, and she decided to have her own party at her house. I can't show up empty handed, so a couple of face cloths and some nice soap would fill up my hands.

That was until I was unable to count. I wonder if Ringo Starr is available for tutoring. He once said that he was able to make a decent living simply by counting to eight.

A Few Things I Learned about Myself in 24 Hours

1. I am enabler. This past August while my Massachusetts friend I've known for over 20 years from college was in the area visiting family and friends, I pulled out the toe up sock. She pointed at it and said, "I want to learn how to do that."

So, yesterday while she was back in town we decided to go to the University of Cincinnati vs. Marshall football game. On the way to the game I gifted her with a set of size 10 bamboo needles, 3 balls of Bernat Bamboo(which is really, really soft- so I bought some for me!), and a print out of a lacey rib pattern that would make a really good scarf. She told me that every time she's tried to knit, she's had tension issues. Maybe the gift will give her a little gas to go just one more mile.

2. The UC Band is (still) Damn Good! Last night was the first UC game I had been too since my friend and I graduated from college and hung up our band uniforms. College kids look young! During the game I was thinking about how all those kids feel like they have nothing but opportunity before them, and the world is wide open to them. I was almost envious until I looked down in my hand and saw the beer. Hah! Take that you wrinkle free, non grey haired kids! I'm old enough to drink beer. (Honey, I had two in the space of 5 hours, and finished the last one about an hour before I got in the car to drive.) (The previous was for the benefit of the police officer Husband. He's a bit of a stickler about drinking and driving, rightly so.)

Which brings us to the third thing...

3. I'm too old for this shit! My friend was flying home to MA this morning. She had a 7am flight. She asked for a ride to the airport. We decided that rather than having her spend the night here, waking the 4 kidlets up at 4am to drag them to the airport which is 45 minutes away(the Husband had to work today, so he couldn't hang out with the kidlets) we would just go to the airport after the game, and she would get a room at the hotel.

So by the time I picked the kidlets up from my in law's after the game, dropped them off at my house(which is on the way to the airport), visit with the Husband for a few minutes, drive to the airport and back it was 3 am before I flopped in bed.

The kidlets were up rocking and rolling at 7:30am this morning. I see much caffeine in my immediate future.

It's an embarrassment of riches

What to do, what to do...The husband has one of his rare weekends off this coming Saturday and Sunday(rotating schedule and all that). My two oldest nephews are playing against each other on Saturday. One is on the defensive line. He has played several positions in the past(defensive end, cornerback), the other nephew is a wide receiver(for those of you that didn't have the benefit of growing up with two older brothers and father that spent their fall weekends watching football and you just sort of picked this stuff up by osmosis - a wide receiver is an offensive player).

The kidlets asked me which team to root for. My answer: root for which ever nephew is on the field.

This weekend is also the Celtic Festival at Yeatman's Cove. Having a bagpipe playing husband of Scottish descent, well, it's pretty obvious what he wants to do this weekend.

Also this weekend is the Wool Gathering Festival in Yellow Springs, OH. Seeing as how this is supposed to be a blog about knitting, it's pretty obvious what I want to do this weekend(without the kidlets in tow - I did that last year - it wasn't pretty).

I think that next year the organizers of these events should consult me on scheduling.

Bloody Fantastic!

This has been the fifth best thing that has happened to me in my life - all of the kidlets are finally in school all day.

I have big plans for this school year. Every closet in this house(that's 8, one of which is a walk-in) will be cleaned out and organized. Now that the kids are finally past the coloring on the walls phase, every room will get a new coat of paint.

After nearly 8 years of living in this house, the front room will finally become what it was destined to be - a living room. It will not be a 'toy room', a 'PS2 room', or an 'empty room because we came from a smaller home and didn't have furniture to put in said room' room.

This year the front room will get built in bookcases(I'm trying to convince the Husband that I can build them and save us some money), a new wood looking laminate floor(we have kids and animals), and furniture. I have the furniture. So far I have an antique settee and matching chair(I could have the matching platform rocker, but that is a rather sore spot with me) that came from my grandmother's house. Unfortunately, the settee has been stored in the attic for a gazillion years and the chair had been in the house that is like a really big petri dish(don't ask, that's a post for another day). So, in order to save money, I need to learn how to re-upholster furniture.

So I have the coming 9 months mapped out. But I've taken the first week off, because dammit, I deserve it. I've been doing this,

the Absorba bath mat from Mason-Dixon knitting with Peaches 'n Cream, and some more of the Husband's aran.

I also started my first toe-up sock from the "formula" in the Fall 07 IK. I needed something that I could work on during the 4 soon to be 5 evenings a week I sit at the dojo while the kidlets are doing karate. I had been working on the Husband's aran, but found when I got home that I had made many mistakes(too much gabbing with the other Moms) and had to selectively rip back a few pattern repeats.

I also decided to make them knee socks to eliminate any left overs(Plymouth Dreambaby DK). I hate it when you don't have enough left overs to make another complete meal, and you end up with just a snack.

MMMMMM



A box of red summery goodness, fresh from the farm complete with dirt.

Bleh

In spite of playing on Ravelry, I have done some knitting. But I've mostly ripped. I lost my place on the Husband's aran and couldn't figure out what row I was on in the pattern.

Maybe it was because of the raging headache I've had for the past two days. It's hot as, well you know the cliche, and we are under a smog alert. They have been advising people with respiratory problems to stay indoors. That would be me.

I just found out last week that I have asthma. I've had this annoying non productive cough for weeks now, and last week I was doing some heavy cleaning and stirring up cat hair, dog hair, and dust. My chest felt tight and I was short of breath. While sitting still. Great.

So one inhaler and extra strong allergy medicine later, I'm stuck in the house with a raging headache. I'm not sure if the headache caused the losing of my place, or the losing of my place caused the headache. Hmm, anyone, Bueller?

Woohoo!!!

I'm in! I got my Ravelry invite! I'll be incommunicado for a while. See ya.

30 More Days

That's how many days are left until it is blissfully quiet around the house. I have been looking forward to this day for years. August 27th is the day that all 4 kidlets will be in school all day! No more of the half day for preschool or kindergarten crap! No siree, all blooming day! That thought will be the sustenance that gets me through the next weeks. When you go shopping for office supplies, I'll be the one dancing in front of the two pronged folders.

Not much to show on the knitting. I'm still plugging along on the Husband's aran. I've finished the second sleeve of the Spongebob sweater, and I'm on the ribbing of the front soon to start the face.

I haven't done much knitting this week. I've been busy cleaning the house for the cleaning lady! My sister-in-law set us up with an immigrant(I'm assuming she's legal since she holds down two other jobs that with hold income tax). In order for her to actually see the dirt, I had to pick up all of the crap that was hiding the dirt. This has taken me days. I kid not.

Mt. Laundre has become a mountain range in the laundry room. I'm off to scale the mountain, because it's there and it's the last unconquered frontier! If I'm not back in 3 days, send help.

Lazy Days of Summer?

I don't know about you, but the "lazy days of summer" are a load of crap! Even though the kidlets are out of school(48 more days until school starts!), we've been just as busy as during the school year. Thus, very little knitting has been done.

The kidlets and I spent 5 days camping at Robert Treman State Park near Ithaca, New York. My two best friends and I have been taking a camping trip around the 4th of July for well over 20 years now, and it's evolved over the years to include the spouses and children. The Husband didn't go. Camping isn't his thing. We swim, hike to falls, and taste wine. The Finger Lakes region is beautiful. I have no pictures, the Husband needed the digital camera for the weekend for some free lance work and snatched it out of the car right before I left the driveway.

After returning from NY, the Husband had oral surgery, Thing 2 has had some dental work done(we have another appointment tomorrow at 8am), all four kidlets have eye exam appointments in the next week, and the Girl has an appointment with an orthopedist at Children's. It's nothing serious, her pediatrician just wants to have the duck foot waddle walk she tends to do checked out.

Two weeks ago, while the dishwasher repairman was here, I managed to chart the Spongebob intarsia sweater for Thing 1. After I finished it, I realized that I have the design too close to the neck shaping, so I'm going to move the whole design down a few rows. Sorry, I have no pictures. It's too big to fit in the scanner, and I can't find the camera. I'll post pictures next time.

I'm on sleeve two of the sweater, and I'm not too much farther along on the Husband's aran. In fact, I'm a few rows back. I saw that I had accidentally done a few rows of ribbing in the middle of one of the diamonds and also in the moss stitch section. So rather than dropping back a few stitches to fix just those parts, I ripped back 6 whole rows. I was rather pissed with myself, and ripping was much more emotionally satisfying.

I need a nap...this must be the lazy part.

I have a Deep Dark Secret





Hi, my name is Karen, and I've been crocheting(it's still evil). Last weekend we were at my Dad's house. While the Husband was taking care of fixing some computer problems, I was rummaging around the closets. Don't judge, I used to live there, and I was digging through the closet in the bedroom that had become my Mom's craft room.





I found a baby blanket that Mom had been crocheting for my nephew, who is now 15, and never finished. She had time to finish it while he was a baby, she just never did. Joey was 5 when Mom died. I thought it was a shame that it had never been finished. I immediately made a vow to not let projects go unfinished for years in order for my children to find while cleaning out my closet and wonder why I never finished it.





So, it became my mission to compete the blanket. She had easily 3/4 of the blanket done. The whole thing is done in double crochet. Easy enough.





Except I've not been able to stop crocheting! I've actually walked past the Husband's aran to work on the blanket. I rationalize it this way: The blanket has Mom's mojo so that is why I'm drawn to it(I'm also getting Mom's gauge). Also, it's a dream of mine to open a yarn shop, so I'll need to know how to crochet because I don't want to discriminate against crocheters. So, I also consider this research into the world of crocheting.





There will be no pictures. It's being made from inexpensive acrylic 80's pastel variegated yarn, and I'm still too ashamed to admit that I'm actually crocheting.

The Greatest Generation

We have lost another member of the Greatest Generation. This past Friday, Walter S. of Indiana, passed away. He was the Husband's grandfather. He was 84 years old, married to Dorothy("Mother") for 66 years. He was the father of 5 children, and the total number of grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren number close to 50!

He served in the Army Aircorps during WWII and helped to liberate Luzon and the Bismarck Archipelago. He was quick with a smile and laugh, and loved to hunt turtles, fish, and woodworking. We are losing members of this generation at a good clip, and we must never forget their sacrifices for our country. But to hear them talk, it was no sacrifice. You just did what was expected of you at the time. A good tenet for anyone in any time.

I heard many good stories about Papaw Walt after his military burial. My favorite personal memory was when we were together around my in-laws round dining table having a good old country dinner of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, etc. Mother was sitting next to Walt with a chicken leg on her plate. She had taken two bites of the leg when Walt, with a gleam in his eye, reached over and snatched the chicken from her plate and began eating it.

No one else at the table paid any attention to this, but I looked at Mother with a surprised grin on my face and a little chuckle. She said, "I never get to finish a piece of chicken." Everyone else in the family had seen this move for so many years, they had become used to it.

Walt proceeded to skeletonize that innocent chicken leg, and then broke it open and sucked out the marrow. The Greatest Generation that also lived through the Depression were not wasteful!

Another one is assimilated

Bwahahaha! Several weeks ago we were at a family gathering/cookout. I, of course, brought along the knitting for the after feast stupor sit around and visit time. I didn't realize it at the time, but my 9 year old nephew must have been watching me knit.

Later while said nephew was riding home with us, he asked me to teach him to knit. I told him that learning to knit while in a moving car wasn't the best idea, but I would teach him the next time I saw him.

Several weeks later, we went to a family camp for the weekend(like summer camp for kids, but for families) and said nephew's family was also there. I pulled out the sleeve to Thing 1's sweater and started working on it, when the nephew reminded me that I said I would teach him how to knit. So I gave him his first mini lesson using the sleeve. He was actually interested, and kept it up for a while. I promised him that the next time I saw him I would have yarn and needles that he could keep. Of course I waited until he was out eyeshot to rip out his efforts.

I really want to encourage this, because Nephew has been diagnosed with ADHD, and if you observe him for a while, he just doesn't seem to have the happy-go-lucky attitude a 9 year old should have. I think he has been diagnosed with depression, but don't quote me on that. He's the kid in the family that you just want to grab and hug tightly.

As he was proudly looking at the rows he had accomplished, he requested a turtle sweater. I said, "What like Leonardo?" He said, "No, a box turtle." Thank goodness, I don't think I could stomach another cartoon character. Cowabunga, dude!

Sure, they look innocent now







Don't let them fool you. They'll suck you in with their cuteness, and when they see that glazed look in your eyes - they pounce. This is reason not much knitting is getting done. I'm busy putting out fires. Laundry, picking up, scrubbing, running errands - the stuff of life. There seems to be an inordinate amount of it lately.

I have managed to finish the back of Thing 1's (he's the one on the right)SpongeBob sweater and have started a sleeve. The Husband's aran is only about 3 rows further along. I keep ripping back a few stitches here and there, ala fixing a miscrossed cable, and tweaking wonky looking stitches. I don't trust a good blocking to fix some of the wonkers.

Dadgummit!!!




That's the Husband's aran. I had the perfect atmosphere for working on the aran(no kids, husband, or dogs in the immediate vicinity) and I still screwed it up! I still have the black eye from the knitting goddess' smackdown.

So, I valiantly used a crochet hook to pick up the stitches on the cable I had incorrectly crossed and get them going in the correct direction(a crochet hook's only useful purpose in my opinion), when I noticed that I had $%^&ed up the celtic knot center portion. Some how I had gotten on the wrong row on the chart and was blissfully knitting along for 3 rows before I realized it.

I can fix that I thought. Rather than use a crochet hook(this was too big of a job - 28 stitches with multiple crossings), I used dpn's and reknit it. Although I'm going to give it another go, because I used dpn's way smaller than the 7's I'm using on the sweater.




This left me with a very tight gauge and loops of 'left over' yarn that I don't think a severe blocking will correct. I knit on for a few rows thinking I could tug it into submission. No joy.

In the spirit of random Tuesday...Last evening was the Carpet Spotter's(Brunnhilde the German Shepherd-why am I using a knickname for her like I want to protect her privacy?) first night of training. We were kicked out in the hall for 'talking'!!!!

And we're back...

I'm trying to catch up on my sleep. So far, not so good. The two older kidlets and I arrived back home around 9m last night, and I'm sleepy. The hotel was nice and comfy, but the Girl insisted on sleeping with me. I would rather have slept with an octopus.

At about 1am the first night, I decided that I'd had enough of the random arm flailings and knee kickings to get up and crawl in bed with the Boy. Now at only 11 years the Boy is only a few inches shy of being as tall as me(I don't come from Amazonian sized parents), he was taking up most of the bed as he was stretched out from one corner to the opposite one. Being the self-sacrificing mom that I am, I didn't want to disturb his rest since he was the one that was going to be competing the next day, I pulled the really soft and cushy comforter of the bed that I had just vacated and made a nest on the floor. I figured that the Girl would be fine since it wasn't that cold and she is usually very hot when she sleeps.

I was sleeping very soundly and quite comfortably(surprising since I was on the floor), when I was awoken at 3am by the Girl to tell me she was cold. So I got back in bed with her to be kicked and punched until 5am when the Boy got up and flipped on the flipping t.v.!

"HOLY MOTHER GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?", I said. Although I'm sure it sounded more like, "Hug movr guh, wha'do?". The Boy said he couldn't sleep(though you couldn't tell by his snoring). I said "G'bed, stare seal." Translation: Get in bed and stare at the ceiling.

The next night I debated about just starting off on the floor, because I had found an extra blanket that I wasn't coherent enough to search for the previous night, when the Girl promised me that she wouldn't flop about. I also warned her that I was going to punch and kick back if she so much as crossed over the "line of death" that ran down the middle of the bed.

After pushing her back over the line to her mutterings of "stop it!" and putting the extra blanket on top of her, I was back in my nest on the floor. I was going to get in bed with the Boy, but he had rolled up in his blankets like a burrito. I was later awoken(again, after very comfortably sleeping on the floor) to, "Mom, I'm cold." So I was once again kicked and poked the remainder of the night. Besides that, I had the beginings of a cold, so breathing was not up to par.

Last night I got to sleep in my own bed, and I slept well, but I'm still nodding off at random times this morning. I think one more night ought to do it.

Oh yeah, the Boy came home with a bronze in sparring, and the Girl came home with a silver in sparring(I guess she was practicing on me during the night - had I stayed in bed with her, it may have been a gold).

If Nautical Nonsense be Something You Wish...

This weekend the Boy, the Girl and I are off to Gurnee, Illinois(north of Chicago, almost into Wisconsin) for a regional karate tournament. Those of you in the Chicagoland area will know how excited I am to be going(she says with sarcasm).

Since I'll be driving the 7 hours to get there, this eliminates any possibility of knitting in the car, that and the motion sickness. If anyone has figured out a safe way to drive and knit, I'm listening.

Sitting for 6 hours at the tournament venue and having to pay attention to the competitors(not just my kidlets, but the others from our dojo as well), eliminates working on the Husband's aran. I need something I can knit on autopilot. That would be this...

That's the beginings of Thing 1's Spongebob sweater. I figure that I can work on the back and sleeves while cheering on the competitors, because it's a mindless drop shoulder sweater and also because I haven't charted the front yet. The front is going to be an intarsia version of the Sponge's face.

Drop on the deck and flop like a fish!

So Where Was I?

Oh yeah, the Husband's aran. One fine day while we were out with out the kidlets(they were all in school, and the Husband had the day off), we were running errands. One of the stops was the library which happens to be a short mile or so from the yarn store. I dragged him there, under vehement protests of course, to pick out the yarn for his sweater. I think he didn't want to go there, because it wasn't, well, macho like a hardware store. (Insert manly grunting here.)

I wanted him to go, because I didn't want a repeat of the last sweater I had knit then ripped for him. In that instance, he picked out the stitch pattern but not the yarn(soft enough to be knit into undies, Malabrigo). He liked the softness factor, but he didn't care for the color.

The Husband settled on a yarn that is exclusive to the yarn store. Actually, I picked out the yarn, he just chose the color. It's Yarn Source Sol in grey. It's 100% wool, 100 grams per skein(approximately 220 yards) for $4.50 per skein. in a worsted weight. I think this yarn is excellent. It's nice and soft, and I've had no problems with splitting. It's a good utility yarn at a good price. Christine has lots of fantastic colors. Go on over to her online shop and check it out.

Now that I had the yarn, there was no excuse not to swatch. Besides, I was so excited to be working on something other than the #$% samurai hats, I actually wanted to swatch! For those of you that have an allergic reaction to swatching - get over it!(She says in her motherly "I'm tired of putting up with your nonsense" voice.)

To determine how many stitches to cast on for the Husband's aran, I swatched each panel and measured the width. For example, the diamond pattern panel with moss stitch in the center of the diamonds is worked over 25 stitches and it measured at 4.5" in width. The celtic knot is worked over 28 stitches and measured 4.5"

By adding up the measurements of each panel including the 4 cables I was using to separate each panel, that gave me the width of moss stitch I would need at either side to make up for half of the circumference of the aran(30"). I figured that I would need 5.75" of moss stitch on either side of the seam, which worked out to 26 stitches. I'm putting a lot of ease in this sweater, because the Husband likes them big and he will be able to hide his weapon and badge under it(policemen never go out in public unarmed and they don't like to advertise the fact that they are armed).

I know, I've been rambling, but here's how it worked out...I need a total of 162 stitches for 1/2 of the body.(I chose not to do this in the round so I could have the stability of seams, and I knew that it would be easier for me to keep my place in the pattern if I was only working on half of the sweater at one time.) So my pattern is:

26 stitches of moss stitch,

8 stitches for a 6 stitch right cable(this includes a rev stocking stitch on either side of the cable),

25 stitches for the diamond pattern,

8 stitches for a 6 stitch right cable,

28 stitches for the celtic knot pattern,

8 stitches for a left cable,

25 stitches for the diamond pattern,

8 stitches for a left cable,

and 26 stitches for moss stitch.

Using the EPS, I cast on 10% fewer stitches for the ribbing(2x2 for 2"), increased 16 stitches on the next row in purl stitch(making this the wrong side), and I'm off to the races! I increased in purl so the stitches would recede to the wrong side and that row wouldn't be noticable in the big scheme of things. I could have increased on the last row of ribbing, but quite frankly I didn't think of it. I also added a selvedge stitch to each side to make it easier to seam.

After all that, I think you deserve a picture.

I Failed Miserably

Oh, the shame...I failed to finish all the #$% samurai hats by the deadline. I had until 5pm on Sunday. I was this close to being hysterical when I realized at 3pm that there was no way on God's green earth I was going to have them done.

So I did what any self respecting knitter would do. Rather than save my honor and finish them(better late than never), I cast on for the next project. I'm now working on the Husband's aran.

There has been considerable work on the aran so far. Not knitting work, mind you, but planning and much math.

I can't use published patterns for the Husband's sweaters. I've yet to find a designer that has designed a decent looking sweater for a man that is larger than an XL. The Husband has a 55" chest. The largest published pattern that I have come across is for a finished chest of 54". As unselfconscious as the Husband is about his body, I don't think he wants to look like a 'sweater girl' of the 40's.

I wanted to make sure that the Husband was going to wear this sweater, so he was very involved in the planning stages, whether he wanted to be or not. First I picked his brain on what type of sweater he wanted. Which meant that I had to drag out many books and magazines. We consulted Tara Manning's "Men in Knits" and Debra Mountford's book. We even consulted a handknit aran sweater that I've had for close to 15 years that I purchased(yes, purchased) on a trip to Bath, England.

The Husband decided that he liked a twisty Celtic knot looking pattern for the center panel and a diamond shaped cable with seed stitch centers for the side panels. I decided to add a simple 6 stitch cable to separate the different patterns.

The next step was to chart each individual panel, because the only patterns I could find for them were written out. I've never worked from a chart before, but I figured that this would be the best way to go. I knew that I would be consulting my notes a lot, and it would be easier to keep track of where I was.

After charting the Celtic knot and diamond pattern, it was time to swatch.

Will our heroine faithfully swatch? Will she get the Husband to Lambikins to pick out the yarn? Will she be able to figure out how many stitches to cast on?

Stay tuned.

The List

The following post has nothing what so ever to do with knitting. You've been warned.

Last evening the Husband and I had an unexpected treat. We went to his parent's house for Easter dinner and the Ga-Ga(this is what the oldest grandchild started calling Grandma and it stuck- or sometimes she is known as the Gaggs - the Husband's family is big on nicknames) offered to let the Kidlets spend the night(I use nicknames in order to protect one's privacy). (I promise from here on out to limit the use of paranthesis.)

The Husband needed to go into the police academy to finish up some copying that had to be done by this morning so I went along to help. While on the drive there we started discussing "The List".

The list is a list(obviously)(Damn!-there they are again) of people, that given the opportunity, we would allow our spouse to have a fling with. It is also an unwritten rule that the names on this list must be someone with who(or is it whom? - Dadgummit!)that we have no chance in Hell of ever having a chance meeting.

We are each allowed five names. My List(in no particular order-AARRGGGH!):

1. Colin Farrell
2. Sam Elliott
3. Kiefer Sutherland
4. Jackie Chan
5. still working on this one - maybe Brendan Fraiser, or LL Cool J, George Clooney, or Johnny Depp

Now, I named my list off rather quickly, and not because I have put a lot of thought into it. I have always liked Sam Elliott. There's just something about the rugged good looks combined with that voice. The same goes for the rest of my list, I've just always liked them.

So, we began to work on the Husband's list. The first name was very easy - Salma Hayak. The husband likes them curvy with a bit of intelligence, which rules out Pam Anderson(The Husband greatly admires Condeleeza Rice because of her intelligence and piano playing ability, but he'd rather just sit and discuss politics and world events with her - I've given in to the power of this form of punctuation). But we were having a hard time coming up with others. It took close to two hours to come up with the next two, Viveca A. Fox and Tia Carrere.

The Husband then pointed out that I had a rather well rounded list of ages and nationalities. Whereas his had so far a good mix, he needed a woman of Anglo-Saxon descent to round it out. We had a very hard time coming up with this name. We finally decided it was because women of Anglo-Saxon, blonde persuasion value skinniness to the point of looking boyish of frame, i.e. Nicole Kidman, Rene Zellweger, Kiera Knightly(not blonde, but very skinny).

Remember when "Bridget Jones' Diary" came out and everyone was making a big deal about Rene Zellweger gaining - gasp!- 20 pounds? The Husband and I thought she looked fantastic with the 'extra' pounds, especially the Vicars and Tarts party scene when she shows up in the bunny costume.

I know that none of these skinny young starlets read this blog, but I have a favor to ask of all of you. If in your travels you come across any of them, please hold them down and force feed them a sandwich. You'll be doing all of us a favor. Those of us that look like Renaissance women will be in vogue, and the Husband will be able to finish his list.

This is Spring?


I spoke too soon in the last post. Today the kidlets are supposed to go to an Easter egg hunt, and there is snow on the ground. Now if we lived in Canada or Maine this wouldn't be a big deal, but this is southern Ohio, for the love of Pete(Rose). This past Monday was the Cincinnati Red's Opening Day which is a rite of spring in these parts and the day was beautiful and warm. Today, not so much.



The brace is off the thumb, it still feels a little stiff but thank goodness it wasn't as bad as Kate's. I've got one week to finish the #$%^ samurai hats and they will be out of my life forever! I can't wait to cast on the Husband's aran. Since even the XL size in most patterns don't accomodate the Husband's chest, I had to come up with a pattern on my own. The Husband was very much involved in the designing of this sweater. I don't want to be 3/4 done with this sweater and have to rip it like I did the Malabrigo that was supposed to be for him.

I checked out all kinds of books from the library, pulled all of the patterns for aran sweaters that I had in my personal library and had him look at all of them to tell me elements that he liked. Then I combined the cable patterns and went from there.

Once I cast on I'll post on the details. I really have to steel my resolve and finish the #$%^ samurai hats.

The Big Smackdown


Several weeks ago, the yarn shop that I frequent was having their spring sale to clear out the bulky winter yarns to make room for the summer weight yarns. I felt obligated to do my part.

So, I thought that since I was almost done with the Girl's hoodie I would pick up some yarn(Plymouth Dreambaby D.K. - very soft and machine washable) for Thing 1's SpongeBob sweater(of my own design). Although I have a pile of yarn waiting to be worked into the Husband's aran, I would now have a project waiting in the wings for those times I became disgusted with all of the mistakes I knew I would make on the aran and toss it aside for a few days.

Naturally the stuff I picked out wasn't on sale. While there I also picked up some yarn for baby booties. A co-worker of the Husband's just had their very own Thing 1 and Thing 2, and some friends of ours just had not only Things 1 and 2, but a 3!

As an added bonus during the sale, with every purchase you got to reach into the 'box of surprises' and grab a gift. Some were for discounts on future purchases, but I grabbed a $25 gift card! Woo-who!

To add to this elation, I finished the Girl's pink hoodie, and she loves it so much that she has worn it to the bus stop every morning, and I have not been able to get a picture of it.

(Finally got a picture since it's 70 degrees this morning, and she didn't need it).

Our weather has finally turned the corner to 'Springsteet'! A sweater is all the Girl needs in the morning. And just yesterday I saw as I was driving the first haze of green on a roadside bush, and a slight shade of yellow on a forsythia! I have crocus blooming in the front yard, and my Bradford pear trees are about to pop open their blooms. I love this time of year, in spite of my allergies.

Just when my heart was so full of silly joy that I felt like I might burst into song like Shirley Jones in "The Music Man" came the big smackdown. Tendonitis in my right thumb. I have a brace on my thumb, an anti-inflamatory prescription in the cabinet, and doctor's orders - no knitting for at least two weeks. Why don't you just tell me not to breathe, doc?


I also found out that D-Day for the #$%^& samurai hats is April 15. I have the knitting done, I just have to assemble. Doc didn't say anything about not assembling for two weeks.

Ready to Go

I've been waiting close to a month for this. The dishwasher was tired. Even though it was only 7 years old I figure in appliance years it was probably 15-20 years old. Here's how I see it: Dishwashers are designed to do one load a day, but our family of 6 ran the dishwasher with a full load at least twice, sometimes 3, times a day, hence tired.

Unfortunately, it decided to start leaking at the same time as the 13 year old fridge and the upstairs bathroom shower. Plus we were having highs of 10F when the Husband said he needed a new winter coat, because the old one just wasn't doing it for him anymore.

So the bathroom leak, coat(a gorgeous black leather number), and fridge repair came first, while I washed dishes by hand. By hand, people! For 6 people that must get a clean glass every time they want a sip of water.

So I sit here waiting for the handsome men(I know they are handsome, because any man that delivers a dishwasher after a month of hand washing is handsome). I'm so excited I could piddle on the floor like the bladder control issue, old spaniel.

I was about to hand wash those dishes in the sink, but then I realized that I need some dirty dishes to test out the new love of my dish cleaning life.

I think I'll make a cake, some cookies and brownies, and roast some big hunk of meat just so I can have more dirty dishes! I'm feeling giddy. I'd better have a lie down so I can get myself under control before they show up, if I don't I may not be able to contain myself.

I've been remiss

I've been remiss in thanking the Husband for the virtual flowers. I think he was a little hurt that the post immediately following the Valentine's post was not a post thanking him. John, I am sorry.

The flowers are beautiful, and the best part...much cheaper than the $60 you would have paid for real ones on Valentine's Day.

John is a fantastic husband that works hard for the family and has made many sacrifices and often gone sleep deprived for us. He is also a terrific father and best of all he gets to be the 'fun' parent.

Thanks, hon. I'll have your aran sweater done by this fall. I promise.

License Revoked

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I should have my knitting license revoked.

I spent this past Saturday sitting on an incredibly hard bleacher for 6 hours at a state karate tournament and didn't once get out the knitting. Please believe me when I tell you that I feel deep shame.

I took the girl's pink hoodie that I had set aside last fall in favor of working on the gazillion samurai hats(that still aren't finished). I only have 3/4 of a sleeve and the hood to go. She could still get some late winter/early spring wear out of it, if I'd only finish the dang thing. It's being knit in the round so I don't even have to stare at it for weeks until I resign myself to sew up the seams.

I'm sure the Blogging Police will probably revoke my blogging license next for not posting pictures.

"But, officer, I have a good excuse. The batteries in my digital camera died, and I don't have anymore here at the house. I'm so scatterbrained anymore that I forget to pick up a pack while I'm standing there staring at the battery display looking for just the right size watch battery for all of the kidlet's Tamogotchis!"

"Tell it to the judge, lady."

The girl and boy #1 did well at the tournament. The girl came home with a silver in kata and a gold in kumite. The boy didn't medal, but he was in a much more difficult division. Although he is a brown belt, he was in a division with black belts. I'm very proud of him, he held his own and did his best. That's all we can ask.

I sneaked onto my wife's blog because I have been sick the last couple of days and did not have an opportunity to get her anything for Valentine's Day. She's a great gal who is always there for me and (almost) never complains - even when I forget Valentine's Day.

So Karen, please accept this dozen roses as temporary until I recover from this virus so I can go out and get you something more tangible for Valentine's Day.

Love - John

Holy Crap, it's cold!!


February has never been my favorite month. It's right about this time of year that I get so sick of winter that I just want to hibernate. Even though February is the shortest month, it seems to drag on. It's like sitting through Lawrence of Arabia again, or The English Patient, two movies that are supposed to be great, but make me want to poke my eyeballs out with size 1 double points.


On to knitting news...

I'm still working on the Color on Color scarf from Scarf Style. But that's not the exciting part, this is...(the picture is dark because it's just too bloody cold to take the knitting outside for a good shot)

See that Fair Isle section? The one with the dog hair on it? I did it two handed. That's right, I carried one color in one hand, and the other color in the other hand. It may be no big deal to those of you that knit Continental, but I had never been able to master the Continental style of knitting. It felt awkward and I was never sure of which way to pick up the yarn. The best part about this, I taught myself.

I'd better stop congratulating myself, because I know the big smackdown is coming. It always does.