Ice Cream Social

I took the youngest DD to her Kindergarten class for an ice cream social yesterday. She was so very excited! Her best friend from daycare just got moved over into her class, so they were both thrilled. They were positively giddy. Until they walked into the classroom and met the teacher.

Now, this teacher is AWESOME! She was my oldest's teacher and she is just terrific. I think the reality hit them full in the face - "We are going to school!" and it suddenly felt a bit scary. This is the part where it is great that they will be in the same class. These girls have grown up together and are good friends. While they are both a bit bossy and very confident in their environment at daycare (and parties with the same group of kids), this is a 'bigger pond'. They suddenly felt unsure and insecure. I'm very glad they'll have one another to get by.

I'm bit grumpy about the photo. Camera phone. I tried to lighten it up, and it honestly looked fine on my computer at 5:30 am, but looking at it now, it isn't so hot. Mom was not prepared for photos, mom was just happy to get off of work early and do something exciting with the girls. That will have to be good enough for now. There will be other photo ops with the same crowd very soon.

I'm nearly finished with the quilt square. In fact, I should have it all done today by the end of lunch, unless I'm interrupted. By bedtime for sure. Then it is back to the slipper. Yippee! Tonight (or tomorrow morning EARLY), meteors. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! A nice long one for those of us here in the States. Though they're never quite long enough, are they? LOL

Oh dear!

brew knits -- [adjective]: Pretentiously academian 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I forgot where I found this one, but, Oh dear! I have to say, that it does sound a bit like me. I prefer to think I don't really come off as pretentious, but that's not really something I'm likely to be able to judge myself. So, in the event I really am a pretentious git, I'm sorry, please forgive me. I won't make any appologies for loving academics though, that is just who I am. LOL

I think my brain is finally starting to wake up. I can't tell you how very foggy I've been all week. Maybe you noticed it in the previous two posts, but it has been pretty bad. I would like to blame the lunar eclipse or something, that way it wouldn't be my problem, it would be the universe causing the problem. Notice I didn't say "conspiring against me". That just sounds a bit too parnoid or desperate at this stage. I prefer to save that one for bigger problems. Hee!

I have been paying a bit more attention to the cosmos lately. I attended a guest lecture on extra-solar planets, which was quite interesting. I don't think most of the art students were all that excited, though. (Extra-solar planets are the ones outside of our own solar system.) It is so nice to sit in on a lecture for fun. Anyway, I missed the lunar eclipse this week because I preferred to get some much needed sleep instead. However, there is a cool meteor shower on Saturday morning at 4:30 PST, the Aurigids and I hope to catch that one. It sounds like we could be in for an amazing show, if the skies are clear. Always a bit dodgy up here in the Pacific Northwest. I'll probably set the alarm, go out and see if it is clear, then go wake up the kids. We can lay out on the deck under a pile of blankets if needed. They love doing this!

So until then everybody sing: Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies, do I see...

Quilt Square

Note: I appologize in advance for my overall incoherent rambling. I have no idea why my brain isn't working well, but yesterday I commented on someone's 'incomplete sandwich'. In case you are wondering, it should have been 'incomplete sentence'. And no, I wasn't hungry at the time. LOL

Here's a shot of the quilt square. I'll try for a better photo when it is complete. The lighter blue is actually very bright blue, the middle bit (that looks like it has an "S") is very dark blue.

I took the crossstitch to Tae Kwon Do last night and caused quite a stir. A number of the kids, primarily boys, thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen. They crowded around, much to the annoyance of my daughters, and wanted to know how it was done, what the pattern looked like, what colors I was using, etc. The only reason they didn't ask to try it was because it was time for my class and I had to put it away. It was pretty wild, but fun. A few of them were old enough to give it a try (over 5 y.o.) and at least one of them looked interested enough to want to try it. I'll probably take it again on Friday, just to show him how much work I've done on it. Maybe I'll have even finished it. (hope, hope, hope)

My knitting never caused such a stir. At least not with the kids. I've had one or two inquiries, but never the crowd that I had yesterday. It was fun. Maybe now they'll have the same questions for my other work though. You know, now that they've talked to me once I'm not quite as "other" as before. Hard to say with kids.

Anyway, I'm making good progress on the design and I'm easily halfway done now. I should be able to get it done by Sunday and that's all that matters to me right now. As predicted, I'm getting a bit of a bug to do more stitching. I even went so far as to consider a weekly schedule of knitting for 5 days, spinning for 1, and stitching for 1. Dreams are cool, aren't they?

First Foot

Okay, here's a photo of the first slipper so far. I still haven't finished the crossstitch, but I figured since I had the camera out, I might as well get both.

I seem to have a heck of a time with the photo part of blogging. More often than not, that is what keeps me from posting, a lack of pictures. Goodness knows I've always got something to say. (Even if it isn't all that interesting to anyone else. LOL)

I'm using Cascade yarn in a very bright red. This one is for my oldest DD, and she picked out some very vivid colors compared to the youngests' pastel choices. It suits her. The pattern calls for 10 or 10.5 US needles and I had to go up a size (I think), so I'm using 11US on these. Or perhaps I'm really tired and forgetful and I'm using 13s, but I don't think so. (I mean, I don't think it is 13s, I know I'm a bit tired today.)

I'm really anxious to get back to this project. It goes so quickly, I'd really like to get these finished up and get the next pair out as well. I'm very curious about this whole felting thing, and if I can make it work properly. Also, it is a project that has my girls pretty excited. I have no idea why, but they are. I'm not sure if it is because it is for them, or because it is slippers. Whatever. We'll see how long the love affair lasts once the slippers are done. Children, especially young ones, can be so fickle.

There's a bug going around my school and also daycare. Some kind of 24 hour stomach flu with a high fever. It made me think that I almost wish for a sick day, just so I can try to finish things off. Then again, I don't actually want to be sick. I just want to be home stitching and knitting. So I'm back to diligently washing hands and avoiding people who look a bit sickly. Since we're approaching finals, all the students look a bit sickly. hee!

I am taking a half day off on Thursday for a Ice Cream Social for the Kindergarteners. It is a get-to-know-you thing for them and should be nice. I'll probably take both girls, my oldest had the same teacher and the youngest always tags along to the school stuff for the oldest. It seems fair. Maybe there'll be a little time left at the end of the day to get some stitching done then. I'll get a picture up of the quilt square tomorrow.

Ye Olden times

Isn't he just adorable. Or maybe it is a she. I'm afraid I didn't check. LOL

The family went to a medieval village this weekend and had a lovely day. The girls helped to crush apples in a cider making demo (sadly, no cider to be sampled). We ate at the Inn, although the girls only sampled the food Himself and I were eating. We watched a play, and that was where the girls found the sheep (there were two, but one was sleeping) and decided to share a bit of grass. The youngest was a bit nervous about getting too close to the teeth.

The oldest DD went in for some archery and did quite well for her first ever attempts. There were a few arcade type games; a cross-bow shoot-the-dragon game, a catapult-&-sink-the -ships game, a catapult-knock-down-the-castle-walls game and a fire-the-cannon-and-smash-the-towers game. They both played these several times and did very well. They seem to have better hand/eye coordination than mom, which is a good thing. However, I don't think I'll be getting them many toys that can be launched/shot at me in the future. They're too good.

The girls also made some candles. This was a lot of fun, something I would enjoy doing more of in the future. I'm not sure they would have the patience for this if it were an on-going hobby though. I think it was the crowd of other people trying it out and the novelty that kept them going. The wax was in a pot of water over a big fire, and that was cool too (as it were). Until the wood popped a bit of coal onto my youngest DD's foot. She wasn't hurt badly, but it stung a bit and she was mightily offended that the fire would do that to her. Her enthusiasm for the candle making dimmed a bit from that point. I would still enjoy it, but I probably wouldn't do it over an open fire sort of thing. The electric stove doesn't pop out sparks like that, so she might give it a try again.



Knitting-wise, not much going on these days. I need to get a photo of the slipper up, but it isn't quite completed yet. I've gotten part of the top bit done, but I've had to stop. I am crossstitching another quilt square for a wedding at church and I have a due date of Sept 5. I've spent maybe 45 minutes on it so far and I've got a looooong way to go. The quilt is all in various shades of blue and white, so it is pretty and a nice break from the earth tones of the last 3 or 4 quilts. I'm not saying earth tones aren't pretty, I'm just saying 3 or 4 quilt squares all in shades of brown, rust and cream get a bit old after a while. The stitch patterns are interesting, but not that interesting, and they don't compensate for repetitive color schemes. I'm enjoying the six shades of blue (although two are so close in color that I don't think the difference will be visible unless they are right next to each other in a good light).

Once I finish the quilt square I'll be able to get back to the slippers. I'm also working on a new website for myself. I kind of needed something professional looking for a position I am applying for this week. So, my evenings have been full of computery stuff and I've really missed the ability to sit down with the knitting and just go. Does that make sense? Crossstitch is fun, I love it, but right now I want the simplicity of the slipper project. One yarn & just keep going. The multiple threads of the crossstitch, trying to decide what shade of blue to use where, etc., isn't quite as relaxing. That's okay, I've got two weeks at most & then it will be finished. I wonder if I will have adjusted into a crossstitch mode by then? I've got a few of those projects I'd like to finish too. heh, heh, heh

Yep. I really need to take up candlemaking...

One FO down...

Okay, here's the shawl. I took some of me wearing it (or my girls took some of me wearing it), but my hair was in the way and it just looked weird. Stats: Eros Glitz color 115, 2 balls of yarn = 1 nice scarf for dear great aunt in Florida. Just in time for hurricane season. You know, 'cuz the one thing you really need then is a scarf. LOL

I've cast on for the first slipper for the oldest DD. It will be red. The youngest is horrified that it isn't pink and also that I'm not knitting hers first. It's a hard life, you know? She seems concerned that maybe I've actually lost my mind* and that I might be knitting her some red slippers by mistake. Somehow that seems more likely to her than the fact that I might really knit slippers for big sis first.

*I lost my mind years ago, but the girls haven't figured it out. Yet. The time will come when it will be painfully clear to all that I have no mind left. Right now they just think I'm very "silly". Sometimes. Works for me.

Anyway, we had a very long conversation clarifying that she wants pink slippers. And maybe purple or light blue also, but definitely NOT red. I've got it. She's not convinced. So cynical and so young. I don't know where she gets it.

I'm really liking the short projects. A week or two and BAM, you're done. I think a few of these are in order before tackling something bigger. I've forgotten how nice it feels to finish a project. I still don't know what I'm going to do with the blue sweater. No rush, but I still feel like a bit of a slacker that it isn't fixed yet. I think I'm just sweating the sweater (heh, heh) because I'm really sweating the job search thing. Tons of applications out and not a single nibble. Very frustrating. I'm working on another one very close to home. This would be a great one to have, so my stomach is starting to hurt (in true Charlie Brown fashion) on this one while I work on it. Bah, it'll all work out as it should. In time.

I got mail today about my baby's kindergarden class. sigh That is such a bummer & so exciting at the same time. She will have the same teacher that her sister had. Mrs. W is awesome and will be a perfect match for DD#2, or I think she will. Sometimes I wonder if it isn't cruel to inflict #2 on anyone, she never stops talking unless she's singing (usually making up her own songs) or asleep. I think that's why she's so very skinny. Her metabolism is incredibly high burning energy to keep her mouth in motion 24/7. LOL Such as very sweet girl, I can't believe she's gotten so big. Guess I'd better get those school supplies soon. I wonder if I can knit a muzzle... LOL

There be pirates!

This weekend was a busy one (as usual). The girls and I had belt testing for Tae Kwon Do. We all passed. Then we were off for a celebratory lunch. On the way, we heard about a pirate festival going on and decided to check that out. The ship in the photo above is the Lady Washington. Sadly, we missed the walk-on tours and we did not have advance reservations for the evening sailing (with mock battle), so this is as close as we got. One of these days I am determined to sail on this ship! She was in the first Pirates movie, btw, so my inner geek was very excited to see her. LOL

DH was in charge of the photos and did not take any of the actual pirates at the festival, he only took video. There were swordfights every hour and lots of games for the kids to play, complete with a treasure map & pirate booty at the end. All in all, a lovely impromptu excursion and the girls had a blast.


My little Cheetah belt above. She is surprisingly willing to wear the headband to class this time. She hated the one she had before (as a Tiger belt). She and I are working on the same forms, which is really interesting for us both.

A photo of my oldest in her sparring gear. She did a really great job sparring with a black belt candidate. I'm really proud of the little monkey, she had to work very hard for this (purple) belt. It was the longest form she's done and it was a real struggle at times. (No pictures of me in my gear. Sorry, but really, you'd thank me. Barring all of my insecurites of my appearance in general, I look really, really bad in white. My hair being so very white and my skin so fair, I look quite dreadful and washed out. I try to dodge all cameras when in class or testing.)


I was able to finish the shawl this weekend. Barely. The fringe didn't take as long as I thought it would. (a good thing) I'll post the picture and the other info on it tomorrow. (I need to take a picture first!) I also worked on a guage swatch for the first pair of slippers. It really is a boring process, isn't it? On the one hand, there's the excitment of starting something new, getting the feel of the yarn and enjoying the color change from the project that came before. On the other hand there is the tedium of postponing the actual start of the new project until you are sure the needles and yarn are a good match. Can you tell I'm trying to see the glass as half full?

I found that I had to go up a size on the needles to get guage. Usually I'm spot on for whatever the pattern says. This time, not so much. It isn't a big deal or anything, but it is unusual. Perhaps I'm just used to knitting things that don't require I make guage. Who knows. Still, the girls are excited that I'm going to start a project for them. I just hope they fit. Someone.

I've been holding out on you. Well, not really, but I placed an order for some Scout's Swag yarn in Death Eaters and Socktoberfest and they arrived this week. Hop over there to get a better view of the colorways, my photo is not good (the 7 y.o. again, but also the lighting - sorry). I got a Merino/Tencel mix and it is soooo soft. Do I need more sock yarn? Have I finished even one pair of socks? Does it matter? LOL

I'm looking at using the Death Eater colorway for the Bellatrix sock over at Socktopia. There's a Lime and Violet influence on that one, I think. I don't have any plans for the Socktopia yet, I just really liked the mix of colors. In fact, I like too many of her colorways. I see far too many purchases on the horizon if I don't temporarily "forget" about Scout. :)

I'm still going strong on the shawl, if not as fast as I would like. I hope to have the knitting done by the weekend, then I can work on the fringe for the next week if necessary. That will still leave plenty of time to get it in the mail for my great-aunt's 95th birthday. She is in pretty good health, although I believe she is getting a little forgetful/confused at times. (So am I and I'm not 95!) I'm hoping we can get out there to see her in the next year. She now lives near my in-laws, so it is a possibility.

I'm definitely going to work on some slippers after the shawl is done. It'll give me something small and simple to work on before tackling another big project. I'll also get to try felting. I'm not all crazy about felt in general, too many itchy experiences in the past I think. Still, they should be comfy on the feet. Who knows? Maybe I'll develop a new passion - like I need one. LOL

I've been having a bit of a weird week. A blood vessel burst in my eye, so the entire outer half of my left eye is solid red. I mean a solid dipped-in-blood looking red. It is an interesting social experience since most people look you in the eye at least once. I did check it out with the doctor, btw, and he said it is a "normal" thing and is harmless in and of itself (barring a blow to the head or vision impairment, etc.). It looks really disturbing, especially for my squeamish students. heh, heh, heh. I've had some fun with them this week, giving them the "evil eye". They can't wait for it to get better (probably about another week considering how nasty it looks) adn several suggested I wear an eye patch. I took a picture, but I'm not posting it. It is pretty freaky. My youngest DD told me I was evil because I had a red eye. Cartoon villians = red eyes = fair enough. I told her I was only half evil because it was only one eye. My oldest chimed in and said "no mom, you're pretty much all evil all the time." I have no idea how they got this way.

The shawl

The shawl is moving along nicely. (Please pardon the photo, my 7 y.o. took it and decided to include the Dora blanket scrunched up in the back.) I need about 28 rows to complete it and then it will be down to adding the fringe. Somehow I think the fringe will be the harder part, but maybe not. I just haven't done it before. The shawl has gone pretty quickly, but I really hate knitting into the front and the back on the first stitch. The ladder yarn is a pain to pick up that way.

I still haven't made any decisions or committments on the blue sweater. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself, but at the same time, I'm still feeling relaxed about the whole thing. This leads me to believe the quiet part of my head is going to make a big push for ripping the whole darned thing and staring over again, possibly with a different pattern. >sigh< Never trust the quiet part of the brain, right? I won't worry yet. I'm just going to finish the shawl, maybe work on felted slippers for the girls and let it slide for a bit. I wanted it this summer, but not if the 'challenges' of making it fit are rushed and make me hate it instead. I'd rather work at it at a comfortable pace and not stress about a completion date.

I'm also trying to decide what 'big' project will come next. I could just do small things, maybe even gifts for Christmas! Though I really don't want to start stressing about what I'm working on that much. I gave up on being a single project knitter, but I'm still trying to avoid being a panicked Christmas knitter. I'd rather not give knitted gifts than get myself in that groove. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, a cardi for Himself or a sweater for the youngest DD. Hmmm. I guess I'd better see if DD still likes the yarn she picked out last year. LOL Perhaps I'll start there.

Something new

Well, I've cast on for a slinky shawl done in Eros Glitz color 115. I've had a few balls of this sitting around in my "well intentioned" part of the stash. Well intentioned = quick & easy gift for loved one I seldom get to see (which is pretty much all of them, really, since I live all the way across the country!). This one is actually intended for my great-aunt who will be 95 in late August. Dearest Nita moved from her home in SE Oklahoma to central Florida to be with her youngest daughter a few years ago. I've found it difficult coming up with a knitted item for central Florida, you know? I'm pretty sure she doesn't need wool socks (or even a sock!), or gloves or hats or scarves. This slinky shawl (pattern name from a LYS) seems like a nice compromise: hand made with lots of love, not impossible to wear in the muggy hot climate of Florida. I understand the evenings can be cool, but more importantly, I can't imagine that these types of shawls generate a huge amount of warmth. But she'll look snazzy! The many shades of blue in this will go beautifully with her eyes.

This whole Florida thing has actually kept me from knitting anything for my in-laws either. My family in Texas actually get a day or two of cold-to-cool weather each year. I really don't think the greater Orlando area experiences much in the way of "gosh! I could really use a scarf!" weather. I wonder if my brother-in-law would like one of these shawls... LOL

I spent the weekend spinning a bit and attempting to ply. I have a huge tangeled mess at the moment from plying from a center-pull ball. I wound some other skeins of yarn into balls, with my little helpers turning the crank. I did not pick up the blue sweater this weekend at all, other than to move it around. I need to finish up the sleeves & neck and then get to researching fixes for whatever ails this sweater. More on that as I get to it.

Belated Happy Blogaversary to Me!

Jinkies! How lame is that? I skated right past the date, 7/25. Oh well, I logged on, but got too busy to actually post anything. This week has just been weird that way.

Hmm. Well, I must say I'm pleased to find that I've not only stuck with the blog thing, but I've really been enjoying it. I'd enjoy it more if I were better about pictures, but if I stress about that, it won't be fun. So, we're definitely blogging for year two. LOL I was having some thoughts about knitting and where I am in that whole journey this morning, so this is probably an appropriate topic for a blogaversary post.

I have completed the first sleeve (well, all but the binding off bit) and I tried on the blue sweater. It no longer fits right. No, I did not suddenly gain 500+ pounds overnight (though the Ben & Jerry's probably didn't help), but I'm just woman-shaped and the sweater that fits so well down to the waist does not fit properly over the hips. I'm having some debates with myself about what to do here. I am not okay just leaving it "until I lose some weight and it fits better". I'm not putting my yarn in that basket, it needs to fit now or else it will never be worn. This is where all the knitterly pondering came in.

"I can't fix this", I said to myself, "I'm just a beginner knitter. I don't have the skills."

What the...? At what magical point do I move from being a beginner knitter to intermediate or even experienced? Notice I am not using the word "master" although I might be willing to use the word "novice". By my reckoning, I have been knitting for about five years sometime in August. That's five years spent learning and polishing my knitting skills. And I think I'm still a beginner? Why is that? I've knit three sweaters - even if the last one doesn't fit right and including one with cables, dozens of scarves, half a dozen or more hats - including one that I made up the pattern for, a couple of fingerless gloves, a sock (heh, heh) and washrags - including one in Intarsia. I have also helped two people learn to knit, cheered on a few other newbies and (I very modestly add) inspired a number of retired knitters to pick up their sticks again. I am able to converse comfortably on any topic involving knittng, yarn, tools of the trade and spinning without frothing (too much) at the mouth and to the satisfaction (they don't run away screaming) of the person who asked the oh-so-innocent question.

Is there a secret item or action that moves me into the next level? POOF!

I don't think so. Is this an attitude that is inextricably tied to self-esteem? That would stink. I'll never let myself move on if I don't watch my every thought. (I'm sure I'm not alone there either.) I mean, sure, this sweater snafu has me bummed, but it is a learning opportunity. Right? So long as I act on it right away, that is. If it sits for too long it will be a nice dust rag or something. Mistakes are how we learn. The Intarsia washrag? Not as pretty as I would like, but it is a washrag AND now I know I want to take a class to learn to do it right.

So, whatever hesitation my brain has, and for whatever reason, I proudly declare myself to be an Intermediate Knitter. Sure there are lots of things I've never done, but I'm not afraid to try. I've learned the basics, though I do have something to learn about fitting a piece to the recipient. LOL That will be my starting place for this next knitting year, learning about fit and modifying patterns to make them work for me, and hopefully all of my giftees as well. I've certainly got the books to make it work.

Immediate plans are to finish the sleeves & do the neck & button placket. Then I'll sit with my books and figure out how to make this sweater fit nicely. So what if I miss the summer weather? I can wear it all year if I want to, and there really isn't a deadline for this. It's just for me. On the other hand, I did want to finish it before casting on my next big project. I may have to change that plan. As much as I love it and want to finish it, I'd like a break for something else. So, I'm probably going to finish it, start reading about ways to fix it and cast on the next big thing, whatever that turns out to be.

Sounds like a plan to me.

Can I please sit down?

Well, it has been another long week of rushing around for no good reason. Or it sure feels that way. I can honestly say that last night was the first time I've been home early enough to do anything before going to bed in about a week. And, of course, as a mom "do anything" means sit down for about 5 minutes just because I want to. As a result of the hectic week, I'm a bit out of sorts today. Sorry.

I spent my sitting time finishing a book with the girls, How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. It was a fun little book, and the girls are looking forward to further adventures with Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. I'm not sure what we'll read next and it may be a while before we get back to Hiccup. (I've got to figure out how I'm going to get Book 7 read this weekend!) I've started reading with them while they are in the bath/shower. That way, we always get some reading done each day.

I've got the first sleeve cast on and it is going well. This part should go pretty quickly, though I seem to be getting very impatient now that I'm almost finished with the blue sweater. There are fewer stitches in one round of a sleeve than in one round of the body, so it really should move right along. My brain, however, seems to think that it will take a bazillion years at a minimum. It would help if I could stop being so darned busy at work and actually get more knitting done at lunch.

I've been watching some movies with my knitting (on the days I actually get to work in a lunch). This past week I've seen Cold Comfort Farm, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and Sin City. I'm thinking The Lion In Winter is next, unless I get distracted today.
Kind of all over the place, huh? Surprisingly, the one I liked the least, if I had to pick one, would be Mrs. Parker. Outstanding cast, and very interesting, but kind of depressing and her voice drove me nuts (though it probably was based on how she actually sounded). I tend to just wander into the video room and browse the shelves. Sometimes I watch a bunch of new educational videos, sometimes culinary, I just never know what I'll pick. It is nice having such a big collection to choose from. (Especially one I didn't have to pay for. - ha!)

Dinosaurs ROCKED!

Saturday morning we drove to Tacoma to have lunch and walk around before the dinosaur show. We ate lunch at a great brew pub called Harmon Brewery and Restaurant . I had their Vanilla Porter at the brew festival last month and it was really good. Their other beer is also good and the food was very tasty as well. It was a nice spot for families and was a great start to the day.

I had also looked up yarn stores in Tacoma, and there was one about 7 blocks or so from where we had lunch, so we set off to find the yarn. I didn't really need anything, so I was mostly just browsing. I was trying to keep my eye out for interesting yarn in a certain range of reds, but I had my youngest in tow. The oldest and DH had not wanted to wander around the tiny, tiny yarn shop and went for coffee and juice instead. I was a bit, um, happy from the brew pub (I forgot that I hadn't eaten breakfast until I was well into my second pint) and so I really wasn't sure how shopping was going to go for me. Ha! My youngest found a pattern for Fiber Trends slippers and insisted that these would be most excellent princess slippers. Then she picked out a bunch of Cascade yarn in pink, lavender and baby blue for the slippers. I decided I'd probably spent too much on stuff I really didn't need (and more projects that I could have done without, really) so I headed over to pay.

Turns out, all the stuff I bought was 40% off. I spent about $20, incl. tax. I was so flummoxed. I wanted to go buy more yarn & get stuff for me. But I really didn't need to go there. I've got some things in my head that I want to order, and I just didn't want to spend the money on "random purchases". Well, I also didn't want to spend more time shopping with the little princess. She loves yarn stores. She loves to pet yarn. She loves PINK yarn. And SPARKELY yarn. In fact, there is no yarn too PINK or too SPARKELY for her. I was afraid to spend more time there because I might not make it out without some of the PINK SPARKLEY stuff. I really don't want any. Besides, it was getting close to Dino Time.

The yarn store does not have a website, so I didn't link to the directory. It was very small and very, very crowded with yarn. Piles and piles of lovely yarn, lots of luxury, higher end stuff. Very nice, and the woman working there was very friendly. If I were claustrophobic, I would not have survived that store. Lots of dead ends, but they were full of yarn, so not too bad as dead ends go. I had trouble finding an order to the madness, but that might have been due to my youngest's inexorable pull towards PINK SPARKLEY yarn, where ever it was stashed.

Anyway, off to the show!



Okay, the Walking With Dinosaurs Live show was the most awesome thing I've been to in I don't know how long! I had all of the excitement and fun of being a kid with all of the joy of a mom watching her own kids' wonder and joy. I don't know how you beat that, if you can. During the show, the youngest, who sat in my lap for a better view, kept telling me she wanted to see it every day forever and ever. After the show, I asked my oldest if she liked it and she said, "Liked it? That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen!"

People, if you or your children, grandchildren, whoever like dinosaurs, this is an amazing show. It is a bit pricey, or maybe that is related more to each venue, but it is totally worth every penny. The show is about 2 hours and has an intermission. Merchandise is a bit spendy, but is always optional. These dinos are LIFE-SIZED, not scale & that is pretty amazing to see. There is a narrator on the floor with them, so you get a very real sense of how immense these things were. If you have access to a museum with real bones, maybe not such a big deal, but I've only ever seen dinos at 1/3 scale. I did not hear/see any small children freaking out (or grown-ups either), it is loud. If you've seen the TV series (BBC), you have an idea of what might go on. It is a quick journey through several periods with LIFE-SIZED dinos from the various periods. The narrator tells you what is going on with the planet and how the animals are evolving, etc. There is video and humor and it is just incredibly well done.

The dinos look amazingly real, the flesh jiggles a bit as them move, just like you'd expect it to on a massive creature in motion. While you know they are robots, and for a couple of smaller ones you can see the people moving them, it is well done and while you could focus on that and really hate the show, I think you'd have to work at it. They've done a great job blending the people and mechanics into the dino and the set/stage really helps create the illusion they are not people powered.

I believe Seattle was the first spot on the North American tour, so check the listings and see if it is coming to a place near you. The next spot is Spokane, WA. I really can't express how fun and awesome this event was. I'd see it again in a heartbeat, and so would my kids.

My DH took the pictures. Some of them turned out, most didn't. I think this was his first experience with low-light photography. Many of them are blurred. Too bad. But that's why I bought a program full of pictures at the show. I'm pretty bummed that so many good shots were not so good. Oh well, more incentive for you to go see the show.

Did I mention that I liked this show? :)

Fan geek

Sorry for the terrible photo, I totally forgot about the flash and my spotted mirror. LOL I'll take new pictures once I finish the back edge, but the front edge is done. I still have the back edge, sleeves, collar edge & button placket to go, but I'm on the home stretch. I'm happy with the length, not sure about the fit yet. It is hard to tell with needles still in the back and my arms up in the air. :)


Other news, I went out to visit our local Kwik-E-Mart yesterday and got a Squishee and some Buzz cola & several pictures. I got a bit self-conscious about the picture taking and stopped before I got everything in the store. I guess there aren't many tourists out at 6:30 am and the construction workers seemed to think I was a bit odd. Normally I wouldn't care, but there was a really long line to check out (hungry construction workers) and I needed to get to work.

No Duff Beer, for those who are curious, but there are Krusty-Os and some other things. A number of Simpson character's liberally placed around the store on displays or with other signage. I think I'll try going back next week and get a few more pictures of the bits I missed.

Tomorrow the family and I are off to see the Walking with Dinosaurs show at the Tacoma Dome. I am so excited! Yes, I'm a dinosaur geek. I LOVE them! The girls are pretty excited too, I hope they like it. The tickets were pricey and I'm not leaving early if they don't. LOL I don't know if I'll be able to take pictures, but if I can I will post a few next week. We're driving to Tacoma early, so we don't have to mess with traffic worries. I think I'll try to work in a yarn store between lunch and the dinos.

Hmmm...I wonder if I could knit a dinosaur...

Am I caught up yet?

Nope. Not that it matters, really. The weather is beautiful, if a bit too warm for my tastes. It is supposed to start hitting the upper 90s (F) around here this week and the fire danger is up because we're pretty dry. I know, I'm from Texas, I should be able to handle the heat. Well, that doesn't mean I like it and the only place you find air conditioning in Seattle is in a mall or business. That means, the house can be pretty uncomfortable in the afternoon - overnight. (Especially since my neighbor cut off the shading branches on my tree. mutter, mutter, mutter)

No matter what, though, it is georgous outside.

I am finishing the length on the blue sweater & girding myself for the sleeves and other finishing bits. I don't think I'm going to get all bogged down with the end, but I am having trouble finding time to knit. That might slow me down a bit.

I went shopping this weekend. Yep. Bought yarn. It is lovely stuff and I did, of course, do a bad job of shopping. LOL I bought some Schaeffer Yarn Co. Nancy yarn in the Gertrude Ederle colorway. Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel, if I remember correctly (I left the label at home). I LOVE this colorway! My initial inspiration was to make a summer tank top or short sleeved sweater, so I bought 2 hanks of yarn. A very brief pattern search at home left me with no suitable match so I checked out their website and found this a pattern there that I really liked. (look for the pattern link for the Nancy Feminine Tunic). Of course, I didn't buy enough yarn on my first visit, so, I obsessed over it and went back and bought another hank of the yarn so I could do this tunic. I'm super excited about it, I just love the colors. I also seem to be procrastinating finishing the sweater already on my needles. Just a little. LOL

I'm hoping now that classes are back in session, I'll have my fairly regular hour a day knitting time and I should get the blue sweater finished in "no time". Whatever that means. Ha!

Of course, the new Harry Potter movie is out tomorrow and I've got to make time for that too...

The rest of the story

Week 2 of vacation was all about painting the girls' room (they share a room). It has been a rather deep periwinkle, which is a pretty color, but the room is small and the color was dark and so the room got even smaller. Both of the girls easily decided they wanted a pink room, a Barbie (tm) pink room. I was pretty certain I would go mad with that sort of color in the room, so I said yes to pink, but no to a deep shade of pink. (This decision was contested until all the furniture was moved back into the room after painting. They now seem very content with the color.) My oldest DD decided that she wanted a wall with stripes in different colors. The youngest absolutely did not want a wall with stripes in the room. Compromise: stripes on the wall next to the oldest's bed, which happens to be the wall with a big window. I thought this would be a bonus, but it really didn't matter since I had to mask off the whole darned wall anyway. The youngest decided to get flower stamps and put that on the wall next to her bed.

We decided on a whole range of what appeared to be pale pastel colors. "We decided" = they agreed to the pale pastel colors for everything but the pink, but I pulled "mom" rank and pale pastels won out for all colors. The first day of painting was also the last day of school. I moved out all of the furniture except the beds (I didn't want to take them apart to get them out of the room) and then I had to do a base coat of primer on the walls (the periwinkle was dark and it was a semi-gloss, I was going back to a flat finish). I ended up using two coats of primer to get it all covered (I think I was just stingy with how thick the coats of paint were). The girls came home, took one look and said "We wanted pink". This in spite of the multiple conversations preparing them for the process of white - pink - stripes/stamps.

Day two was pink everywhere. Both of the girls helped for a while, then moved on to more exciting things like playing outside or watching movies. The youngest was the most interested in painting and also the most efficient. Go figure.

Day three was masking off the one wall for the stripes (photo at top, sorry it is so dark). That job involved lots of measuring and climbing up and down a step stool and lasted for about 4-1/2 hours. I was wiped out! The girls said "we didn't want blue stripes, where are the other colors?"

Day four was painting the stripes and stamping the flower things on the other wall. The stripe colors are purple, yellow, blue and green (and the pink, of course). The girls were very eager to paint the stripes, and they did a great job on this bit. Here's the youngest having a go at some blue paint.


And the oldest taking a turn with the green. Do you see all of that tape?!


The actual painting part didn't take so long. Removing the tape from the wall was a bit of a nightmare. There were about 5 or 6 places where the tape stripped the paint completely off the wall down to the plaster board underneath. Fortunately, once I stopped muttering bad words under my breath, I did see that it was only the pink that had stripped off and not the other colors in the stripes. I spent about an hour and a half touching up all of those spots before we could move on the the stamps. Once the touch-ups were done, I then shifted the furniture to do the stamps on the opposite wall. There were various flowers, a butterfly and dragonfly stamps and we used the same colors as the stripes. The stamps did not turn out as well because our walls are very, very textured (which I hate!). However, my daughter is happy with the results and it doesn't look bad, just not as nice as it would on a smoother wall. I suppose you might call the effect "rustic". Ha!

Here is the final result of our 4 days of effort. I took the pictures before I hung up all of their art, just to get a better view of the stripes. I must say I'm pleased, but I won't be taking on anything like this for some time. All of these big house projects really wore out my knees and I'm just exhausted.


The pink turned out much darker than it appeared on the sample card, but it is lighter than the periwinkle, so the girls are happy with it. I painted the green dresser next to the bed for the previous color scheme in the room. I toyed with the idea of repainting it to match this one, but I was DONE painting, so that will have to wait. I did paint each part of the window sill to match one of the stripe colors. Himself says it looks like a circus tent. Dork. It looks brilliant! The oldest is delighted with the stripes and (a week later) is still talking about how cool her room is.

Mom scores one point.

One big negative: I noticed that I seem to have created another cyst in my wrist from all of the painting. I could absolutely scream in frustration and anger over that, but so far it doesn't hurt and is not interfering in any way with my activities. I'm hoping it will go away on its own, unlike the other one. I wouldn't go through that surgery again unless it was as bad as the other one, but I would be really, really, really unhappy to have to do so. I'm just trying to pretend it isn't there. Funny, my daughter caused the injury that led to the first one, and now painting her room has brought on the second one. Good thing she's so cute! I had no idea that my wrist was still so vulnerable or I would have postponed the painting job. It has been 7 months, afterall. Oh well, there are worse things, and like I said, so far it isn't causing me any trouble.

On the knitting front, I took the blue sweater to a 4th of July party at some friends from church, an annual event usually involving about 40+ people & some fireworks at the end. I have now reached the end of the length for my sweater. WOO-HOO! I need to do the garter edge (split the stitches so there is a split at the sides) and sleeves and finishing bits. Yippee! More on that as it progresses.

I also got some very interesting conversation in with a fellow who has made himself a CD drop spindle and is carding his own fiber, or is prepared to card his own fiber. I can't really tell and the conversation kept twisting away before I could verify what he was up to. It is a good thing I only see him once a year. He was trying to talk me into getting a fleece and doing all the processing up to a sweater, just because it would be fun (he is not a knitter, btw). Cheeky man. I hope to do it someday, when the kids are older and I (hopefully!) have more time. If I spent more time with him I'd probably own my own sheep and add a loom to my life as well. Talk about an enabler! I wonder how his wife manages him... LOL

Vacation is over!

Okay, you'd think I could manage to post more on a vacation at home, but seriously, I really wore myself out. My vacation started on a Thursday, so I did the movie shopping thing. The weekend was the Washington Brewers Festival . This event is held every year on Father's Day weekend. It has been a tradition for the past, um, 10 years or so to treat DH. (Yes. Even before we had kids.) He gets to drink as irresponsibly as he likes, I stay sober and drive. He never drinks too much, but he always has a great time. This year we took a friend and the girls took photos. Don't the menfolk look like they're having fun? They are perusing a map of brewers to go try out next. (Himself is on the right.)


The next week on Monday, I balanced the check book dating back to November (Himself installed MS Money and went back to Nov. , but entered a starting balance of zero, this took 6 hours to complete) and the next day I decided it would be great to shampoo the carpet in the house. Yep. Nothing like a day of hauling furniture around. I decided that I'd had enough after completing the two main family/guest rooms in the house (about 3 1/2 hours), and really, they were the worst ones for stains (from the girls). I can't believe what a difference that makes in the rooms! Wednesday I rested and knit up the Pirate washrag.


Isn't it cute? This was my first ever Intarsia. Now, let me say that in spite of what I'm about to tell you, I will try this again. In fact, I will knit this pattern again, just to see if I've fixed it (my youngest wants one in pink - of course!). This pattern had so many typos I don't even know where to begin. If I were experienced with Intarsia, this might not have mattered too much, but I was nervous to start with, having to guess what the heck the instructions were supposed to say DID NOT HELP. Then, in my opinion, things were left out. Example: you cast on 46 stitches, do some garter rows then knit the first and last 5 stitches of every row. The chart is for 24 stitches. So 24 + 5+5= 34. Where the heck are the other 12 stitches? I decided there were an additional 6 on each side of the pattern in stockinette, but it was never addressed in the pattern at all. For a newbie, I did not appreciate having to work this out on my own just 5 rows into the project. Then, the HUGE number of typos, just plain typos, on a very, very short pattern. Seriously, the written instructions are probably shorter than this paragraph and fully 1/4 of the words are/have typos. The chart is fine. Tackling a new thing was dodgy enough, I didn't appreciate having to deal with the typos too. Still, I like my Jolly Roger washrag, mistakes and all, and I will probably attempt another one in the near future. If for no other reason than to see if I can have an easier time of it now that I've worked out the written bit and had a go and the process. I'd love a class, but I don't see any listed anytime soon.

I also plan to contact the shop and let them know that they might want to tidy up those written instructions quite a bit before handing them out to anyone else. sheesh.

Thursday was yardwork, mowing, etc. Friday was another day of rest and of spinning! Yippee! I finally got my Northern Lights roving plied and got started on the ruby merino.


I'm not sure the colors worked out so good in the photo, even after adjusting them. The darker roving is the Northern Lights and has lots of turquoise sprinkles (amongst other colors) in it. The ruby yarn is actually a very deep blue-red color - it's georgous! I plied up three hanks of the Northern Lights and I have to say, I am really delighted at how balanced the yarn turned out. I was not expecting that, and I got good results on all three hanks of yarn. Go me! I only got one bobbin of the Ruby spun and plied. I decided I was too excited to see how the ruby was going to look, so I just spun up the one bobbin and plied it from a center pull ball. That worked really well and I was glad not to have to worry about two bobbins of different length singles and left-overs. Now I just want more time to spin the rest of the fiber. It was so nice to be spinning all day.

All in all, a very busy but satisfying week one of vacation. Tomorrow I'll tell you about week 2.

Vacation day #2

Well, I could also have called it "Shopping Frenzy 2007", but I don't want to encourage myself any further. LOL I have done a bit of that as you can see.

I started off my Vacation Day #1 with a trip to order my advanced copy of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Why wait so long? Ah, well, I wanted to draw out the excitement. Then I got all weird about getting my hands on a copy for sure (like that's really going to be a problem) and decided to get my copy reserved. Now I can sleep at night. I also picked up a couple of mysteries (here and here) that I absolutely did not need, so of course I bought them. sigh. And the Summer issue of Spin-Off. Don't faint, I've never gotten a look at an issue before, it was there, so I bought it. Seriously, it was like sharks on chum. I can't tell you how many books I put back. (I got my oldest DD Skippyjon Jones, it is very cute. See how I work?)

Okay, seriously. I'm a librarian with little time to read (mostly because I knit instead, not that I mind), and when I do read, I go a bit overboard. I have a huge pile of TBR books (To Be Read), but when I finally get time to read, I go buy new ones. Well, if I don't they'll disappear from the shelves and then I won't ever read them, now will I? (Work with me here, support my logic system. It extends to Fiber Acquisition too. If it fails for one, it may well fail for both.) I'm thinking I'll knock out the Harry Potter numbers 4, 5 & 6 next week to refresh the details in my memory before the next movie and book. In the meantime, I've been reading Gil's All Fright Diner and In the Company of Ogres. I go on binges, okay? I can stop any time I want to. Really.

Next stop on my list was a LYS I never get to visit. It is in-between work and home and is really not very convenient. It is a cute little shop, I went a few times when it first opened, but haven't been back in some time. Wow. When I walked in there was a lovely group of knitters just knitting and laughing and drinking tea. I really wanted to sit down with them, but I had sort of a time schedule and I really wanted to shop. I was delighted to find that the shop had added spinning supplies to their inventory (it was not there before). Sooooo, I bought some lovely roving, a beautiful new threading hook for my wheel (because it is pretty, that's why), sock yarn (like I needed it, but it too was pretty and it was Fleece Artist Seacell!) and some more washcloth cotton. I didn't need that last either, but I was on my way to see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and they had this cute little Jolly Roger washcloth and I just had to have the pattern... You know how that goes. So here's the details on my booty. Arrrrrrr.

The Fleece Artist is up top. It is their Sea Wool (70% Merino, 30% Seacell) and seems to be Raspberry or possibly Ruby Red. I really couldn't say for sure. I can't find anything on the lable to indicate the colorway (at least not that I can see), but it is a very pink red and some orangey stuff in there too. It has the Sea Wool Bordello Socks pattern, and I'm looking forward to getting this on my needles. (I think I like the pattern name as much as the yarn!) Also pictured is the new threading hook for my wheel. It is made by one of the ladies who was sitting and knitting while I was there. Gotta support those local artisans, right?

Next up is the Jolly Roger pattern and some GGH Java in black. I got two because I never see this cotton stuff in black. I mean, I have to have a couple in black and white, then I can go all pink or something later. Right? (The Java was on sale too, so as good a deal as the Sugar 'n Cream.)

Lastly, this lovely roving from Dragonfibers, another local craftsperson. (There's an email on the label if anyone is interested, let me know.) This is 4 oz. of Bluebells and Buttercups and is 60% Merino and 40% Bamboo. This will be new and exciting, I've never spun bamboo. The colors on this are just lovely and completely unlike anything else in my stash. I just love it, though, and I can't wait to get spinning on it. Right after I finish plying the other stuff on my bobbins...

Hey, what else is vacation for? Getting caught up on projects, and starting new ones, right?

The evening was spent at a Sock Hop at my daughters school. I had a lovely time dancing with my girls, some of their friends including the Fiber Hating Twins (I've mentioned before). It was great fun, but my knees are killing me today (and a good bit of last night too!) The Bunny Hop, Cha-Cha, Jitterbug, Conga line, Hokey-Pokey, the Swim, the Electric Slide, the Macarena & just general dancing. Some people pay for that kind of work out! The kids also did the Limbo, but I was definitely not competing with 5 year olds. They can get lower than me just walking. No sense in putting myself into physical therapy for a few months over that. I figure I'll recover from this just in time to paint the girls' room.

Vacation Day #2 was shopping for very specific things (things I couldn't find - so very frustrating!) and to the movies for Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer. I can't tell you how nice it is to sit through a movie all by myself. No trips to the bathroom at the most exciting part, no one begging for popcorn and candy (I don't have to beg myself - lol). Also, it is a chance to preview things for my kids. "No" on Pirates, the girls are just too sensitive (even if they don't think so) and "yes" on Fantastic Four, not as intense.

I should have spent more time knitting, but I managed a bit while I was getting the oil changed in my van. That was a chore that was way overdue. Next week, I think it will be knitting and cleaning time. I have promised myself to find a balance in that. We'll see how I do.

Woo-Hoo! Look at that progress!

Would ya look at that?! I've almost got the length on this puppy, then it will be sleeves and finishing. I really might get to wear it this year after all. I can't believe it! No picture from the 5 year old either, though she might have done a better job.

I've been knitting like mad at lunch at work, and it is starting to pay off. Since my TV shows are done for the season (and I haven't picked up any of the filler shows), I've been watching movies on my PC at work. So far, Gothic and Shadow of the Vampire. I'm sensing a theme here. Anyway, they seem to have inspired speedy knitting, so more power to them. I wonder what I should watch next...

I start my long-awaited vacation on Thursday. I cannot tell you how delighted I am about that. I so need a break from work. I'm planning to kick it all off by FINALLY going to see Pirates #3. I can't believe I've made it this long, but since I wasn't taking the girls, that is how it had to be.

I did cast on the next sock. I've made about half an inch of progress, so, enough not to forget what I'm doing. I hate to spend too much time on it, however, as I'm doing so well on the blue sweater. I'm also jonesing to do some spinning... Just one more day & then I can go nuts. Well, at least I'll be free to do more knitting and spinning than I can currently work into my day.

One more day...

It is finished!

Woo-Hoo! I'm certain I must have started this thing last June and last night, 6/4/07, I Kitchenered off the toe. I'm not 100% pleased with how that went, but it'll do. I couldn't wait to get that sock off the needles, I didn't want to wait until I'd spent a week researching ways to finish the toe. I'll do that in the year it takes to do sock #2. LOL Ahhhh. I can't tell you how pleased I am about ending the Endless Sock. I'm sure everyone has an experience with the project they thought would never end, so I'm guessing everyone knows the feeling themselves. It is good, no?

I was trying to get a closer image of the detail on the twisted cables. Maybe I'll try again another time. Now for the details:

Opal Rainforest Eule / Owl
contents 75% wool, 25% polyamide
465 yds / 100 gram ball

The pattern is from Classic Beginnings: Socks for the Family by Michele Wyman and I used the Mock Cable Leg Ribbing (which I adapted for a hat back in November or so). The pattern was well written and was in a formula sort of format. I made some copies so I could just fill in the blanks for any size of sock that I might be knitting. The patterns are all written for dpns, however, so I had to do some adjusting to do them on two circs. No big, I just used Cat's book for that and it all seemed to work out (once I adjusted for the stitch counts).

I used Knit Picks #2 circs for the bulk of the socks (started on bamboo dpns #2). I think I knit these much tighter than I normally do (everything else I knit), so I managed to get 8 stitches to the inch. Or, I think I did. I must have for the gauge swatch, and whatever else may have shifted, the sock fits, so I'm good. LOL

I have not yet cast on for sock #2, I was pushing bedtime back about 20 minutes to get the sock off the needles and the pictures done (see what I do for you?). I was sooo tired yesterday, I didn't sleep well the night before, so I didn't want to stay up late. It was worth it for the sock. LOL I'm wiped today, of course, you know how you get when you finally get some good sleep after missing sleep. I'm thinking one more good night's rest should set me right. Maybe finishing the sock will let me sleep better. (Or maybe moving back to cooler weather will do it...).

While looking up the stats on the Opal yarn I was distressed to see that they have released a second Rainforest collection. Holy cow! I've only just made peace with not buying all the colorways in the first collection and now they add even more colors I want to own in Rainforest 2! Jeepers. I was really setting a new goal for myself to only knit socks with thicker weight yarn (than the Opal). What in the world will I do with a humongous collection of tiny, tiny sock yarn?! Besides pet it, I mean. Oy.

Back to the sweater. I'm still behind on all of my TV shows. I haven't seen the season finale on a single show yet and they've all been done for a week or more. sigh Oh well, at least I've got some good knitting time left (and some more dark chocolate covered almonds!). Then I think I'll watch Firefly again. And the Dresden Files will be out in August. Now that's something to look forward to!

Excuse my while I go model my sock for people. Whether they like it or not...