We've been without children for just over one week. So far, we have done the following adult-only activities:
1. Dinner at Mexico Lindo. I did not have a pleasant dining experience there. We've heard an equal amount of rave reviews and pans, so we're thinking there must be two chefs and we got the bad one.
2. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Excellent film! If you like Indiana Jones and/or Harrison Ford, go and see it. Really.
3. Dinner at the Boston Grille, a sports bar/video game/pool hall. The Grille was nice, the games area, not so much. I think we would have had more fun there if 90% of the video games weren't BROKEN. I did get a couple of little plastic people who will stick to the wall if thrown there. Woot!
4. Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Festival. I had lots of fun and bought more yarn, which always puts me in a good mood. We hung out for the rest of the day in Northampton, and Jim had fun, too. We had some difficulty finding a place to eat on the way home (long story...) and ended up at Cracker Barrel. Both of us ordered breakfast for dinner and both of us ate too much.
We had small group of friends over for a barbecue on Memorial Day, which was a lot of fun. There were ribs, delicious hamburgers seasoned with herbs and spices, grilled veggies, corn, watermelon and pie. We all had cocktails made with fresh fruit and mint (mine was a Mojito). The weather was just perfect, too.
Jim worked today but will be taking the rest of the week off so we can hang out, work on some stuff around the house and really enjoy the last half of our vacation without kids.
Meanwhile, the kids are having a great time at my parents' house. From what I can gather, they are eating candy and ice cream, watching awful television like "Barney" and generally having their every whim catered to. Sounds like fun! We call them twice a day. Typical conversation with Lily:
Me: Hi, Lily!
Lily: Hi, Mommy! Can I talk to Papa?
Me: (Version 1): He's at work. (Version 2): Okay.
Lily: Bye, Mommy!
Typical conversation with Jack:
Me: Hi, Jackie!
Jack: Hi, Mommy. (Version 1): I wanna talk a Papa! (Version 2): Grammy gave new shoes. Grandaddy go for walking. (Version 3): Mine plane fell inna dish washer!
Me: Okay!
Jack: Bye, Mommy!
We really do miss them, even if it is fun to have so much adult-only time. The house is clean and very quiet.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wii Fit is Here!
I asked Jim to get me a Wii for my birthday last year. At the time, they were difficult to find due to a shortage(they may still be difficult to find, but since I'm not currently looking for one, I don't know). ANYWAY, after some trouble, Jim managed to scare one up on Craig's List.
The primary reason I wanted the Wii is because I was told they were going to bring out an exercise program that worked with it. I later discovered that the Wii Fit program was not coming out until May 2008.
It's here! It comes with a little step platform that you can stand on. It weighs you and calculates your BMI based on your height and weight. It takes you through 4 types of workouts: Yoga, Strength, Balance, and Aerobic. I was skeptical at first, but it's really fun. The Yoga program is great because the platform tracks your center of balance and you work to align your body properly by keeping a dot on the screen within a certain area. It's challenging and you have the satisfaction of knowing you are holding the pose correctly.
I also like the step aerobics. You follow the footsteps as you step and kick on the platform. I made it to the advanced program today. I must admit, I really chuckled at the warning drawings at the beginning showing someone stepping off of the edge of the platform and falling. About halfway through the program, I almost fell! You really get going at one point, and I wasn't careful about my footing.
The strength and yoga workouts provide you with a trainer (you get to select male or female). The trainer says encouraging things, like "Great Job!" I really enjoy it when I totally fail to stand on one foot and have to step down and the trainer still says "Great Job!" Unfortunately, the trainer's mouth doesn't really move, so he's a little creepy when he's talking. You can make him shut up by pressing the A button to move him along. He can be a little wordy at times and he is very repetitive. I've been told about 100 times that doing yoga will build my core strength. Unless there will be a test later, I would rather get right to the workout.
You are rated on how well you perform. I'm a yoga master at most of the poses (having taken yoga and pilates for quite a while), but a workout novice at most of the strength activities.
All of your progress is tracked on the program. You can see how your BMI and weight has changed, set goals for yourself and keep track of how much time you spend working out. I've been using the program every day since I got it, so we'll see how long it keeps me entertained. So far, it's pretty fun!
The primary reason I wanted the Wii is because I was told they were going to bring out an exercise program that worked with it. I later discovered that the Wii Fit program was not coming out until May 2008.
It's here! It comes with a little step platform that you can stand on. It weighs you and calculates your BMI based on your height and weight. It takes you through 4 types of workouts: Yoga, Strength, Balance, and Aerobic. I was skeptical at first, but it's really fun. The Yoga program is great because the platform tracks your center of balance and you work to align your body properly by keeping a dot on the screen within a certain area. It's challenging and you have the satisfaction of knowing you are holding the pose correctly.
I also like the step aerobics. You follow the footsteps as you step and kick on the platform. I made it to the advanced program today. I must admit, I really chuckled at the warning drawings at the beginning showing someone stepping off of the edge of the platform and falling. About halfway through the program, I almost fell! You really get going at one point, and I wasn't careful about my footing.
The strength and yoga workouts provide you with a trainer (you get to select male or female). The trainer says encouraging things, like "Great Job!" I really enjoy it when I totally fail to stand on one foot and have to step down and the trainer still says "Great Job!" Unfortunately, the trainer's mouth doesn't really move, so he's a little creepy when he's talking. You can make him shut up by pressing the A button to move him along. He can be a little wordy at times and he is very repetitive. I've been told about 100 times that doing yoga will build my core strength. Unless there will be a test later, I would rather get right to the workout.
You are rated on how well you perform. I'm a yoga master at most of the poses (having taken yoga and pilates for quite a while), but a workout novice at most of the strength activities.
All of your progress is tracked on the program. You can see how your BMI and weight has changed, set goals for yourself and keep track of how much time you spend working out. I've been using the program every day since I got it, so we'll see how long it keeps me entertained. So far, it's pretty fun!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Climber Down! Climber Down!
Oh God. I can barely stand to write about this. I had to frog the Stole of Evil this morning. Again. All the way to nothing.
I had progressed to 1.5 repeats. All appeared well. On the last row, I came up with one stitch too many. I counted again, still 81. I spread out the lace to see where I might have been wrong. Couldn't spot it. No problem, I thought, I'll just frog back to the life line. Both life lines were securely in place. No problem!
Problem. As I was counting the stitches after retrieving them from the lifeline, I saw a HOLE. Not an unusually large yarn over, but a HOLE. And two tiny little dropped stitches inside it.
WAY down below the lifelines, near row 5 or 7, by my estimate.
Somehow, despite my careful counting, despite my life lines, despite EVERYTHING I have done to make this work, there were two dropped stitches. Impossible! Except...I did remember thinking that there was one place where the yarn split a bit and the stitches were on the thin side. Apparently it was too thin and it let go.
I am telling myself to be grateful it happened when I was only 18 rows from the start, but still.
I think the Stole of Evil knows I'm trying to conquer it and it's FIGHTING BACK. I'm going to sit down with it today for a few hours and have a stern talk with it. If it still can't behave, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put it in the naughty closet with the other bad projects until it has had enough time to think about its bad behavior and reconsider.
Do you hear me, Stole of Evil? This is your last chance before I hibernate you or possibly even trade you to someone else for better yarn that will behave. Don't mess with me!
I had progressed to 1.5 repeats. All appeared well. On the last row, I came up with one stitch too many. I counted again, still 81. I spread out the lace to see where I might have been wrong. Couldn't spot it. No problem, I thought, I'll just frog back to the life line. Both life lines were securely in place. No problem!
Problem. As I was counting the stitches after retrieving them from the lifeline, I saw a HOLE. Not an unusually large yarn over, but a HOLE. And two tiny little dropped stitches inside it.
WAY down below the lifelines, near row 5 or 7, by my estimate.
Somehow, despite my careful counting, despite my life lines, despite EVERYTHING I have done to make this work, there were two dropped stitches. Impossible! Except...I did remember thinking that there was one place where the yarn split a bit and the stitches were on the thin side. Apparently it was too thin and it let go.
I am telling myself to be grateful it happened when I was only 18 rows from the start, but still.
I think the Stole of Evil knows I'm trying to conquer it and it's FIGHTING BACK. I'm going to sit down with it today for a few hours and have a stern talk with it. If it still can't behave, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put it in the naughty closet with the other bad projects until it has had enough time to think about its bad behavior and reconsider.
Do you hear me, Stole of Evil? This is your last chance before I hibernate you or possibly even trade you to someone else for better yarn that will behave. Don't mess with me!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Home Alone and Some General News
First things first. The kids are at my parents' house for 2 weeks! They left yesterday evening and (so far) they are having the time of their lives. Jack told me he was playing with Grammy and Granddaddy and that Granddaddy has a mustache. Lily told me she missed me at first but that now she was having "so much fun" playing she didn't mind.
With the kids out of the house, Jim and I are at a bit of a loss. We had to set the alarm clock for the first time in two years because Jim had a very early meeting scheduled this morning. Jack wakes us up no later than 6 am every morning (sometimes much earlier). Jim actually set his phone alarm and the alarm clock so that he wouldn't sleep through it.
I got up when Jim did and had breakfast, but decided to get back in bed around 7:30. It was nice to sleep without any interruptions and I felt refreshed and full of energy for the rest of the day. I spent about 4 hours doing heavy spring cleaning in Jack's new room (more on this later), the living room, dining room and kitchen. I also worked on my stole (see earlier post today). When Jim got home, we went to try out the Mexican restaurant that moved into Melrose a few years ago (we weren't impressed). We each had an adult beverage. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home because there was no rush, and picked up a few staples. We came home to a clean, quiet home.
It's nice, but I really miss the kids. I also feel really strange all day, like I'm forgetting something. I keep thinking I hear Jack crying upstairs. I keep planning everything around picking the kids up at school. Jim thinks that by the time we both fully realize that we can enjoy time on our own, it will be time for the kids to come home!
Now for some general news. We've been having lots of fun lately. We (well, mostly me) celebrated the Trifecta, which is what Jim calls my birthday/wedding anniversary/Mother's day weekend. Lily and Jack bought me a ball winder, and Jim bought me Wii Fit, fancy-schmancy hand-made chocolates and took me to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, where he bought me two skeins of pretty sock yarn. The kids loved the festival -- Jack because he's fascinated by roving, and Lily because there was ice cream. Jim had a buffalo burger and we all shared french fries and kettle corn. Lots of fun.
My parents came into town last week for Lily's ballet recital. Their trip just happened to coincide with the big WEBS tent sale, so I convinced my mom to drive out to Northampton with me. We left early, had breakfast at Sylvester's, and then went to the sale.
I'd been told how big the store was, and that it was attached to a giant warehouse, but it was still pretty overwhelming to see it. I bought lots of yarn, most of which is earmarked for Christmas gifts. My mom picked out yarn she liked and asked me to make her a shrug, so that's one of the things on my list. I treated myself to some wool/alpaca sport weight which should make me a sweater and leave enough for a child's sweater as well. Anyway, it was lots of fun and VERY cheap.
The following day, we went to Lily's recital. She was excited all day. I put her hair in a bun and used hair spray, which she thought was pretty neat. I put real makeup on her (she told everyone "I'm wearing my mom's makeup!"). We bought her real flowers to give her at the end of the show.
Her ballet class gave the first performance. I've been watching them practice this dance for at least 6 months. Like snowflakes, no students have ever performed the dance alike. That being said, their performance at the recital was the most coordinated I've seen. Lily really impressed me. She followed the routine very closely and did the best I've seen her do. We thought she was the best performer, of course!
She was really excited to get a real flower and immediately put the vase in her room. We left at the first intermission and took the kids home so Jack could nap, then we went to Jim's boss' home for a barbecue with his colleagues. We got rained on, so the party continued in the house, but we still had a lot of fun. Jack apparently stole a finger puppet shaped like a whale, concealed it in his pocket and brought it home (at least, that's what Lily claims). I just now (as I'm writing) asked Jim about it, and it turns out that Jack handed the puppet to Jim, who concealed it (inadvertantly) in HIS pocket and accidentally brought it home. Oops. When I asked Jack about the puppet, he told me he "got it at the shiny house." We think he was talking about the shiny new floors in the house, which was recently renovated.
Anyway...the kids got cake, so they were in seventh heaven. We spent the next day (Monday) getting ready for the trip and they flew out last night.
Jim and I plan on doing some painting (living room and dining room), some nights out (dinner and movies, mostly) and may even take a couple of days off to drive to Montreal next week. We'll see how things go.
With the kids out of the house, Jim and I are at a bit of a loss. We had to set the alarm clock for the first time in two years because Jim had a very early meeting scheduled this morning. Jack wakes us up no later than 6 am every morning (sometimes much earlier). Jim actually set his phone alarm and the alarm clock so that he wouldn't sleep through it.
I got up when Jim did and had breakfast, but decided to get back in bed around 7:30. It was nice to sleep without any interruptions and I felt refreshed and full of energy for the rest of the day. I spent about 4 hours doing heavy spring cleaning in Jack's new room (more on this later), the living room, dining room and kitchen. I also worked on my stole (see earlier post today). When Jim got home, we went to try out the Mexican restaurant that moved into Melrose a few years ago (we weren't impressed). We each had an adult beverage. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home because there was no rush, and picked up a few staples. We came home to a clean, quiet home.
It's nice, but I really miss the kids. I also feel really strange all day, like I'm forgetting something. I keep thinking I hear Jack crying upstairs. I keep planning everything around picking the kids up at school. Jim thinks that by the time we both fully realize that we can enjoy time on our own, it will be time for the kids to come home!
Now for some general news. We've been having lots of fun lately. We (well, mostly me) celebrated the Trifecta, which is what Jim calls my birthday/wedding anniversary/Mother's day weekend. Lily and Jack bought me a ball winder, and Jim bought me Wii Fit, fancy-schmancy hand-made chocolates and took me to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, where he bought me two skeins of pretty sock yarn. The kids loved the festival -- Jack because he's fascinated by roving, and Lily because there was ice cream. Jim had a buffalo burger and we all shared french fries and kettle corn. Lots of fun.
My parents came into town last week for Lily's ballet recital. Their trip just happened to coincide with the big WEBS tent sale, so I convinced my mom to drive out to Northampton with me. We left early, had breakfast at Sylvester's, and then went to the sale.
I'd been told how big the store was, and that it was attached to a giant warehouse, but it was still pretty overwhelming to see it. I bought lots of yarn, most of which is earmarked for Christmas gifts. My mom picked out yarn she liked and asked me to make her a shrug, so that's one of the things on my list. I treated myself to some wool/alpaca sport weight which should make me a sweater and leave enough for a child's sweater as well. Anyway, it was lots of fun and VERY cheap.
The following day, we went to Lily's recital. She was excited all day. I put her hair in a bun and used hair spray, which she thought was pretty neat. I put real makeup on her (she told everyone "I'm wearing my mom's makeup!"). We bought her real flowers to give her at the end of the show.
Her ballet class gave the first performance. I've been watching them practice this dance for at least 6 months. Like snowflakes, no students have ever performed the dance alike. That being said, their performance at the recital was the most coordinated I've seen. Lily really impressed me. She followed the routine very closely and did the best I've seen her do. We thought she was the best performer, of course!
She was really excited to get a real flower and immediately put the vase in her room. We left at the first intermission and took the kids home so Jack could nap, then we went to Jim's boss' home for a barbecue with his colleagues. We got rained on, so the party continued in the house, but we still had a lot of fun. Jack apparently stole a finger puppet shaped like a whale, concealed it in his pocket and brought it home (at least, that's what Lily claims). I just now (as I'm writing) asked Jim about it, and it turns out that Jack handed the puppet to Jim, who concealed it (inadvertantly) in HIS pocket and accidentally brought it home. Oops. When I asked Jack about the puppet, he told me he "got it at the shiny house." We think he was talking about the shiny new floors in the house, which was recently renovated.
Anyway...the kids got cake, so they were in seventh heaven. We spent the next day (Monday) getting ready for the trip and they flew out last night.
Jim and I plan on doing some painting (living room and dining room), some nights out (dinner and movies, mostly) and may even take a couple of days off to drive to Montreal next week. We'll see how things go.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Everest Base Camp
Well, I've picked up the Stole of Evil again, after a week-long hiatus.
This was my plan of attack. First, I gathered together all of the necessary equipment:
stitch markers
thread
needle
row counter
waste yarn
project yarn
pattern
post-its
lace circular needles
Amazingly, no sherpas were required, as everything fit neatly into my Lynyrd Skynyrd bag. I re-did the provisional cast on. I am very good at the provisional cast on now due to the numerous times I've cast on this project. I purled the first row and carefully threaded a life line through the stitches. I made sure to leave lots of extra thread at each end to avoid any accidental stitch dropping.
I started the pattern slowly. I said each stitch out loud as I worked it. I read somewhere this was a good idea, so I did it, even though I felt like a fool. It did force me to focus on the pattern. I was pleased to see that the first row of the pattern appeared to be correct. Just to be sure, I counted each purl stitch in the next row. Perfect.
I took another piece of thread and carefully threaded it through the stitches, leaving lots of extra thread on either side. I repeated the process. 4 rows done! I started to think maybe this project was going to get done. I completed the next pattern row and it appeared to be correct, but then, TRAGEDY. As I was purling across the row, I dropped a couple of stitches. I did my best, but when I counted, there was one extra stitch. I couldn't figure out where the mistake was, so I ripped back two rows and redid them. Success! Six rows! It only took me two hours.
I put it down and went out to dinner. I started it back up this evening and managed to add another 4 rows in 2 hours (lots of ripping back, though). Due to the fact that I'm now putting in a life line after every two rows, I have 10 rows that are good. Two more rows and I will have finished an entire pattern repeat. Then I will have only 33 more repeats to go. By my estimate, if things continue as they've started, I will have the center of the stole finished in about 165 hours, give or take. If I can work on the stole 2 hours a day, it will only take me about 85 days to complete. Woo hoo!
Since this stole is my personal Everest, I'm hoping that the first couple of pattern repeats are like Base Camp. When climbers go to Everest, they spend weeks at base camp getting acclimatized to the thin air. They make numerous trips part way up the mountain, only to return to the base camp on the same day. Naturally, I'm slow at the pattern during my Base Camp stay because I'm getting acclimatized to the way of lace knitting. I'm making progress, but in baby steps. Once I get acclimztized, I'm sure (pretty sure) that I'll be moving along much faster.
At least, that's what I'm telling myself. My goal is to finish the stole before I go to Rhinebeck in the fall. No way am I letting a ball of yarn and a 12 row pattern kick my butt. No way. Now, it's personal.
This was my plan of attack. First, I gathered together all of the necessary equipment:
stitch markers
thread
needle
row counter
waste yarn
project yarn
pattern
post-its
lace circular needles
Amazingly, no sherpas were required, as everything fit neatly into my Lynyrd Skynyrd bag. I re-did the provisional cast on. I am very good at the provisional cast on now due to the numerous times I've cast on this project. I purled the first row and carefully threaded a life line through the stitches. I made sure to leave lots of extra thread at each end to avoid any accidental stitch dropping.
I started the pattern slowly. I said each stitch out loud as I worked it. I read somewhere this was a good idea, so I did it, even though I felt like a fool. It did force me to focus on the pattern. I was pleased to see that the first row of the pattern appeared to be correct. Just to be sure, I counted each purl stitch in the next row. Perfect.
I took another piece of thread and carefully threaded it through the stitches, leaving lots of extra thread on either side. I repeated the process. 4 rows done! I started to think maybe this project was going to get done. I completed the next pattern row and it appeared to be correct, but then, TRAGEDY. As I was purling across the row, I dropped a couple of stitches. I did my best, but when I counted, there was one extra stitch. I couldn't figure out where the mistake was, so I ripped back two rows and redid them. Success! Six rows! It only took me two hours.
I put it down and went out to dinner. I started it back up this evening and managed to add another 4 rows in 2 hours (lots of ripping back, though). Due to the fact that I'm now putting in a life line after every two rows, I have 10 rows that are good. Two more rows and I will have finished an entire pattern repeat. Then I will have only 33 more repeats to go. By my estimate, if things continue as they've started, I will have the center of the stole finished in about 165 hours, give or take. If I can work on the stole 2 hours a day, it will only take me about 85 days to complete. Woo hoo!
Since this stole is my personal Everest, I'm hoping that the first couple of pattern repeats are like Base Camp. When climbers go to Everest, they spend weeks at base camp getting acclimatized to the thin air. They make numerous trips part way up the mountain, only to return to the base camp on the same day. Naturally, I'm slow at the pattern during my Base Camp stay because I'm getting acclimatized to the way of lace knitting. I'm making progress, but in baby steps. Once I get acclimztized, I'm sure (pretty sure) that I'll be moving along much faster.
At least, that's what I'm telling myself. My goal is to finish the stole before I go to Rhinebeck in the fall. No way am I letting a ball of yarn and a 12 row pattern kick my butt. No way. Now, it's personal.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
My Personal Everest
When I first joined Ravelry back in February, I spent a lot of time looking at patterns and projects that other people were working on. In doing so, I noticed a few trends. There are sock people, Clapotis people, Entrelac people, color work people, and lace people. There are probably a few more people that I can't think of right now, but you get my drift. Most knitters seem attracted to one specific type of knitting over others. They might dip their toes in a different style of project every now and then, but they always return to their favorite.
My "thing" is color work. I like doing stranded knitting. I'm not sure why it appeals to me, but it's a combination of watching the pattern build as I go along and using multiple colors. It interests me and I love the end product. Once I joined Ravelry, however, I suddenly had access to all sorts of different projects that I'd never really thought about before. It turns out that felting runs a close second to color work in terms of enjoyment for me. There's something really satisfying about knitting a large, grossly misshapen object and then watching it magically shrink into its proper shape at the end. Socks are fun because they're highly portable and a quick knit. I've decided I'm going to keep at least one sock on the needles at all times for traveling purposes.
Ravelry also exposed me to techniques that I've never thought about. I taught myself how to knit in the Continental style, learned several different cast ons and increases/decreases and finally get the importance of gauge. Go, me.
Everything has been positive for me except one: lace knitting. It's my personal Everest. I'm a reasonably intelligent woman, I've been knitting for more than 35 years and I can do almost anything I try...except lace. I really suck at lace. It started with the Branching Out scarf. It's so pretty, and Knitty assured me it was an easy lace pattern. Apparently, the Knitty editors have never met someone like me, because that scarf was the bane of my existence for two months. I finally finished it, but I never once made it through a single pattern repeat without have to rip it back. There was also the Reid Sweater. I think I had to frog and cast on that project at least three times, and still haven't gone beyond the first repeat. That project is in the naughty closet so it can learn how to behave.
Despite those set backs, I somehow thought I could knit a lace pattern in lace weight yarn. For those of you not in the know, lace weight yarn is like embroidery floss, only, you know, made out of wool or alpaca or something. Do you see the contradiction here? I can't knit a simple lace pattern from normal sized wool on a size US 8 needle, but I confidently believe I can easily knit a whole stole using thread and toothpick sized needles.
Needless to say, I have not been successful. I picked a lovely stole pattern called Print o'the Wave. I bought gorgeous alpaca lace weight yarn and used my new provisional cast on skills to cast it on. I never made it through a repeat. You know what happens when you knit with lace weight yarn? It looks kind of like a snarly mass. A more talented knitter might be able to frog back a row or two, but if I do it, I can't tell where to pick up the stitches. Also, my bamboo circulars? WAY too dull for lace weight. Of course, I cast on and frogged at least twice before I fully comprehended these facts.
I went on Ravelry. I carefully read through various tips for lace knitting. Did you look at the stole I'm knitting? The end product is so beautiful, it kept me working on the project. I learned that using Post-it notes on the chart will keep you on track. I read that Addi lace circulars are key to easy knitting. I also learned that threading a "life-line" through a row you know is correct will prevent you from having to frog all the way to the beginning due to the impossibility of seeing the stitches. Frog down to the thread and pick up the stitches! Whee!
I cast on again, worked the first row and threaded in the life line. This way, there is no chance I'll have to redo the somewhat cumbersome provisional cast on again. Go, me. I knit a few rows, counted every stitch across the purl rows and made it to Row 7 of the chart. I finally got my lace Addis, but I was so exhausted from all the frogging and painstaking counting that I just wasn't up to working on the project any more. Everything went into the project bag and I put it aside for two months.
I knit a pair of socks with a lace pattern with relatively few problems. Hey, sock weight yarn isn't that much thicker than lace weight yarn, so maybe I'm getting better! I worked out my own lace pattern for a pair of socks and am knitting merrily along on those. I think I'm ready for the stole again.
Yesterday I made a bunch of pretty little stitch markers. I came up with a plan to mark the end of each pattern repeat across the row so that I would know where each section starts in the event that something went wrong and I needed to count stitches. I pulled out the stole at 5 pm and worked a row to put it on the Addis. The knitting went so much more smoothly! I zoomed through rows 8-12, and on Row 13...disaster. Something was terribly wrong. Counting back did not reveal the mistake, so I knew I had to frog. Sadly, I didn't think to move up the life-line at any point, so I had to frog back to the VERY FIRST ROW.
I started up again. I thought to myself, this is actually a good thing because now I'm knitting on the really good needles and I can make sure my tension is more even. It will actually make the finished project look better.
I knit three rows and frogged back to the first row. I knit five rows and frogged back to the first row. I knit 6 rows and thought "Ha ha! I'm going to move the life line so that I can actually make progress!" Smart move, no? I also thought "I'm going to leave in the original life line just in case!" Good plan.
Here's where everything went wrong. Instead of spending the 1 minute it would take to look through my bag for more thread, I just pulled the bottom life line out a bit and cut it in half. There was plenty of extra thread hanging out both sides. I put in the second life line and knit up to row 11. Something went wrong. No problem, life line!
I ripped back to the second life line and noticed that it had pulled through the last 20 stitches or so. Good thing I have the first life line as a back up. Except that my first life line has also pulled through about a quarter of the stitches. It dawned on me that I was going to have to rip back the entire stole again and do another provisional cast on. I frogged the stole, rewound the yarn and put the whole thing back into the project bag.
When Jim came home from his guys' night out, I said "Do you want to see all the work I did on my stole between 5pm and 11pm?" I pulled out the empty lace needles. Jim said "Not going to well, huh?"
My "thing" is color work. I like doing stranded knitting. I'm not sure why it appeals to me, but it's a combination of watching the pattern build as I go along and using multiple colors. It interests me and I love the end product. Once I joined Ravelry, however, I suddenly had access to all sorts of different projects that I'd never really thought about before. It turns out that felting runs a close second to color work in terms of enjoyment for me. There's something really satisfying about knitting a large, grossly misshapen object and then watching it magically shrink into its proper shape at the end. Socks are fun because they're highly portable and a quick knit. I've decided I'm going to keep at least one sock on the needles at all times for traveling purposes.
Ravelry also exposed me to techniques that I've never thought about. I taught myself how to knit in the Continental style, learned several different cast ons and increases/decreases and finally get the importance of gauge. Go, me.
Everything has been positive for me except one: lace knitting. It's my personal Everest. I'm a reasonably intelligent woman, I've been knitting for more than 35 years and I can do almost anything I try...except lace. I really suck at lace. It started with the Branching Out scarf. It's so pretty, and Knitty assured me it was an easy lace pattern. Apparently, the Knitty editors have never met someone like me, because that scarf was the bane of my existence for two months. I finally finished it, but I never once made it through a single pattern repeat without have to rip it back. There was also the Reid Sweater. I think I had to frog and cast on that project at least three times, and still haven't gone beyond the first repeat. That project is in the naughty closet so it can learn how to behave.
Despite those set backs, I somehow thought I could knit a lace pattern in lace weight yarn. For those of you not in the know, lace weight yarn is like embroidery floss, only, you know, made out of wool or alpaca or something. Do you see the contradiction here? I can't knit a simple lace pattern from normal sized wool on a size US 8 needle, but I confidently believe I can easily knit a whole stole using thread and toothpick sized needles.
Needless to say, I have not been successful. I picked a lovely stole pattern called Print o'the Wave. I bought gorgeous alpaca lace weight yarn and used my new provisional cast on skills to cast it on. I never made it through a repeat. You know what happens when you knit with lace weight yarn? It looks kind of like a snarly mass. A more talented knitter might be able to frog back a row or two, but if I do it, I can't tell where to pick up the stitches. Also, my bamboo circulars? WAY too dull for lace weight. Of course, I cast on and frogged at least twice before I fully comprehended these facts.
I went on Ravelry. I carefully read through various tips for lace knitting. Did you look at the stole I'm knitting? The end product is so beautiful, it kept me working on the project. I learned that using Post-it notes on the chart will keep you on track. I read that Addi lace circulars are key to easy knitting. I also learned that threading a "life-line" through a row you know is correct will prevent you from having to frog all the way to the beginning due to the impossibility of seeing the stitches. Frog down to the thread and pick up the stitches! Whee!
I cast on again, worked the first row and threaded in the life line. This way, there is no chance I'll have to redo the somewhat cumbersome provisional cast on again. Go, me. I knit a few rows, counted every stitch across the purl rows and made it to Row 7 of the chart. I finally got my lace Addis, but I was so exhausted from all the frogging and painstaking counting that I just wasn't up to working on the project any more. Everything went into the project bag and I put it aside for two months.
I knit a pair of socks with a lace pattern with relatively few problems. Hey, sock weight yarn isn't that much thicker than lace weight yarn, so maybe I'm getting better! I worked out my own lace pattern for a pair of socks and am knitting merrily along on those. I think I'm ready for the stole again.
Yesterday I made a bunch of pretty little stitch markers. I came up with a plan to mark the end of each pattern repeat across the row so that I would know where each section starts in the event that something went wrong and I needed to count stitches. I pulled out the stole at 5 pm and worked a row to put it on the Addis. The knitting went so much more smoothly! I zoomed through rows 8-12, and on Row 13...disaster. Something was terribly wrong. Counting back did not reveal the mistake, so I knew I had to frog. Sadly, I didn't think to move up the life-line at any point, so I had to frog back to the VERY FIRST ROW.
I started up again. I thought to myself, this is actually a good thing because now I'm knitting on the really good needles and I can make sure my tension is more even. It will actually make the finished project look better.
I knit three rows and frogged back to the first row. I knit five rows and frogged back to the first row. I knit 6 rows and thought "Ha ha! I'm going to move the life line so that I can actually make progress!" Smart move, no? I also thought "I'm going to leave in the original life line just in case!" Good plan.
Here's where everything went wrong. Instead of spending the 1 minute it would take to look through my bag for more thread, I just pulled the bottom life line out a bit and cut it in half. There was plenty of extra thread hanging out both sides. I put in the second life line and knit up to row 11. Something went wrong. No problem, life line!
I ripped back to the second life line and noticed that it had pulled through the last 20 stitches or so. Good thing I have the first life line as a back up. Except that my first life line has also pulled through about a quarter of the stitches. It dawned on me that I was going to have to rip back the entire stole again and do another provisional cast on. I frogged the stole, rewound the yarn and put the whole thing back into the project bag.
When Jim came home from his guys' night out, I said "Do you want to see all the work I did on my stole between 5pm and 11pm?" I pulled out the empty lace needles. Jim said "Not going to well, huh?"
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Nintendo DS Has Been Located!
Call off the APB. I found the DS! Remember how I mentioned I thought the DS was not in our house? I found it completely by accident today in my car as we were pulling into the driveway. I happened to glance downwards and to the side and saw the case poking out from underneath Jim's sweatshirt, which has been in the car for, coincidentally, as long as the DS has been missing.
Jim and I are pretty sure that Lily was using the DS in the car and one of us then put it in the front before getting out at our destination. Just for the record, Jim told me several times this week that he searched my car, because that was one of the first places I thought of once it was pretty clear (to me, anyway) that the game was not in our house. Today he admitted he only looked on the floor in the back seat. I really should have looked in the car, too. Everyone knows that men are genetically defective when it comes to finding something lost because they have difficulty moving and/or looking underneath things! I really can't believe I didn't notice it all week, but I obviously didn't pick Jim's sweatshirt up off the floor!
I'm relieved that we found it because something else has gone missing. Jim took a brand new loaf of sour dough bread out of the refrigerator while I was at my all day crop on Saturday (Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day!). He advised me this morning that the loaf of bread was missing. He claims that he left it on the counter to thaw, used some of it for dinner last night and then put it in the bread basket we have on the counter. This morning, the basket was empty. We have looked in every cabinet in the kitchen, inside the oven and in the refrigerator and freezer and cannot find it. Jim queried whether the squirrel that's been eating all of our bird seed got into the house and snatched it! We both wondered whether someone was coming into our house and taking stuff or (eek!) living inside our walls like in that movie!
Jim thinks he probably accidentally threw the bread out or left it somewhere random in the house because he was "so busy making dinner and taking care of the kids" while I was gone. Since I spent another hour looking for the DS this morning, I'm confident that the bread is not in the office, living room, guest room, dining room, bath room or Lily's room. I haven't searched the basement or the upstairs.
Anyway, now that we found the DS I feel a little less like Jim's been trying to Gaslight me all week. Or like someone is living in the walls, playing Nintendo and eating sour dough bread!
Jim and I are pretty sure that Lily was using the DS in the car and one of us then put it in the front before getting out at our destination. Just for the record, Jim told me several times this week that he searched my car, because that was one of the first places I thought of once it was pretty clear (to me, anyway) that the game was not in our house. Today he admitted he only looked on the floor in the back seat. I really should have looked in the car, too. Everyone knows that men are genetically defective when it comes to finding something lost because they have difficulty moving and/or looking underneath things! I really can't believe I didn't notice it all week, but I obviously didn't pick Jim's sweatshirt up off the floor!
I'm relieved that we found it because something else has gone missing. Jim took a brand new loaf of sour dough bread out of the refrigerator while I was at my all day crop on Saturday (Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day!). He advised me this morning that the loaf of bread was missing. He claims that he left it on the counter to thaw, used some of it for dinner last night and then put it in the bread basket we have on the counter. This morning, the basket was empty. We have looked in every cabinet in the kitchen, inside the oven and in the refrigerator and freezer and cannot find it. Jim queried whether the squirrel that's been eating all of our bird seed got into the house and snatched it! We both wondered whether someone was coming into our house and taking stuff or (eek!) living inside our walls like in that movie!
Jim thinks he probably accidentally threw the bread out or left it somewhere random in the house because he was "so busy making dinner and taking care of the kids" while I was gone. Since I spent another hour looking for the DS this morning, I'm confident that the bread is not in the office, living room, guest room, dining room, bath room or Lily's room. I haven't searched the basement or the upstairs.
Anyway, now that we found the DS I feel a little less like Jim's been trying to Gaslight me all week. Or like someone is living in the walls, playing Nintendo and eating sour dough bread!
Cookie Monsters
No explanation is needed for this post other than to say that the kids were eating butterscotch chip cookies during these photos, and they are both little hams. Enjoy!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Graffiti Artist
As some of you may already know, Lily wrote each of our names on the seats and/or backs of our dining room chairs so we "would know where to sit." With a black GREASE pen. One of the knitting ladies suggested that I take a picture of them for posterity, because it is kind of funny in that "if only I didn't have to reupholster" way.
I took a picture of the one that said "Mama." Unfortunately, the writing has been washed and worn down a bit so it's hard to see (but not enough to avoid reupholstering):
Taking that picture gave me an idea of documenting her various graffiti efforts around the house. So, here is a gallery of her recent work. You will notice several recurring themes. The asterisk is popular, as is the repeated writing of her own name.
Angry Graffiti
In this piece, Lily was exploring her frustration with me after I sent her to her room. As you can see, she put her name in a box with a heart to show that she is good, and crossed my name out to show that I am bad. Crayon on painted plaster wall.
The Gatekeepers
In this piece, Lily has identified the people who are allowed to move the baby gate. They include Mama, Papa and Lily. Jack's name is notably missing from this work. Black pen on wooden gate frame.
Ownership I
This unfinished work explores the ownership of various items around the home. Lily wanted to show the world that Mama owns the lamp. but was caught midway through the piece. The blurring is a result of Jim's failed attempt to erase the magic marker and salvage what was a very expensive Pottery Barn Lamp. Marker on fabric lamp shade.
Ownership II
This companion piece to Ownership I shows that Lily owns the box formerly containing scented drawer paper. This piece was created prior to Ownership I, but was only discovered afterwards, thus explaining its out-of-sequence title. Marker on cardboard box.
Doorway
What a treat! This is a vintage piece, drawn at a time when Lily still confused the order of the letters in her name. Many scholars have attempted to interpret the meaning of the red symbol with little success. Marker on wooden door.
Art and Television
In this piece, Lily attempts to contrast the beauty and symbolism of art against the capitalism and consumerism of television. Or, she's just trying to make the TV look pretty. Marker and crayon on plastic TV case and glass screen.
It's My House
This sentimental piece shows how Lily thinks her home, symbolized by the doll house, is a beautiful place to be. Or, she just wanted to make the doll house look pretty. Crayon on painted plywood house.
Asterisk
A large, stark image of one of Lily's favorite symbols. Magic marker on pine panelling.
Happiness
The title says it all. Magic marker on painted wood door frame.
I took a picture of the one that said "Mama." Unfortunately, the writing has been washed and worn down a bit so it's hard to see (but not enough to avoid reupholstering):
Taking that picture gave me an idea of documenting her various graffiti efforts around the house. So, here is a gallery of her recent work. You will notice several recurring themes. The asterisk is popular, as is the repeated writing of her own name.
Angry Graffiti
In this piece, Lily was exploring her frustration with me after I sent her to her room. As you can see, she put her name in a box with a heart to show that she is good, and crossed my name out to show that I am bad. Crayon on painted plaster wall.
The Gatekeepers
In this piece, Lily has identified the people who are allowed to move the baby gate. They include Mama, Papa and Lily. Jack's name is notably missing from this work. Black pen on wooden gate frame.
Ownership I
This unfinished work explores the ownership of various items around the home. Lily wanted to show the world that Mama owns the lamp. but was caught midway through the piece. The blurring is a result of Jim's failed attempt to erase the magic marker and salvage what was a very expensive Pottery Barn Lamp. Marker on fabric lamp shade.
Ownership II
This companion piece to Ownership I shows that Lily owns the box formerly containing scented drawer paper. This piece was created prior to Ownership I, but was only discovered afterwards, thus explaining its out-of-sequence title. Marker on cardboard box.
Doorway
What a treat! This is a vintage piece, drawn at a time when Lily still confused the order of the letters in her name. Many scholars have attempted to interpret the meaning of the red symbol with little success. Marker on wooden door.
Art and Television
In this piece, Lily attempts to contrast the beauty and symbolism of art against the capitalism and consumerism of television. Or, she's just trying to make the TV look pretty. Marker and crayon on plastic TV case and glass screen.
It's My House
This sentimental piece shows how Lily thinks her home, symbolized by the doll house, is a beautiful place to be. Or, she just wanted to make the doll house look pretty. Crayon on painted plywood house.
Asterisk
A large, stark image of one of Lily's favorite symbols. Magic marker on pine panelling.
Happiness
The title says it all. Magic marker on painted wood door frame.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Under The Couch This Week
....not too much! It really must be weather related, because, while there was some clutter, it was NOTHING like what I usually find. Here's the list:
14 plastic marbles belonging to a game (various colors)
child's frying pan
Christmas themed mouse doll
6 big Lego pieces
plastic loaf of bread
wooden watermelon slice
one of our phones
umbrella cover
1 pair of underwear
1 girl's t-shirt
toy fishing rod
McDonald's American Idol figurine
2 crayons
2 small Lego pieces
a hair elastic
lamb doll
baby toy (must have been pulled out of the donation bag downstairs)
golf ball
instruction manual to the Zelda game for the Wii
worn out glo necklace (gift from the magician at the Dockside Restaurant)
jar of peppermint foot cream
cat shaped bath scrubby
See? Not so bad. Do you know what wasn't under the couch?
THE NINTENDO DS LITE! See more on this below.
14 plastic marbles belonging to a game (various colors)
child's frying pan
Christmas themed mouse doll
6 big Lego pieces
plastic loaf of bread
wooden watermelon slice
one of our phones
umbrella cover
1 pair of underwear
1 girl's t-shirt
toy fishing rod
McDonald's American Idol figurine
2 crayons
2 small Lego pieces
a hair elastic
lamb doll
baby toy (must have been pulled out of the donation bag downstairs)
golf ball
instruction manual to the Zelda game for the Wii
worn out glo necklace (gift from the magician at the Dockside Restaurant)
jar of peppermint foot cream
cat shaped bath scrubby
See? Not so bad. Do you know what wasn't under the couch?
THE NINTENDO DS LITE! See more on this below.
Jim's Big News
I almost forgot to post this, bad wife that I am.
Jim received a Spot Award from his company! He was nominated "based on his outstanding effort during a recent trip to Basel," where he and his boss presented the customized software system that he's been working on for two years.
As I (vaguely) understand it, the purpose of the software is to keep all of the pathology departments worldwide in contact. He hopes it will create common practices as well as helping labs communicate their findings more efficiently. In Basel, he trained their pathology department on using the system and incorporated some of their ideas into the software to customize it even further.
This software project is something he's been working very hard on for a long time and something he's very proud of, so I'm really happy he won this award. He received $250 as a prize, too.
Jim received a Spot Award from his company! He was nominated "based on his outstanding effort during a recent trip to Basel," where he and his boss presented the customized software system that he's been working on for two years.
As I (vaguely) understand it, the purpose of the software is to keep all of the pathology departments worldwide in contact. He hopes it will create common practices as well as helping labs communicate their findings more efficiently. In Basel, he trained their pathology department on using the system and incorporated some of their ideas into the software to customize it even further.
This software project is something he's been working very hard on for a long time and something he's very proud of, so I'm really happy he won this award. He received $250 as a prize, too.
My House is a Black Hole
I have just spent an hour scouring my house for Jim's Nintendo DS Lite game.
Missing Item Report
Subject name: Nintendo DS game
Date of Report: Sunday April 27, 2008 Missing Since: April 26 or 27
Description: Shiny black plastic, last seen wearing a navy blue and black padded case and holding a white stylus. Known to be carrying Jim's mod chip and at least two games in its pocket when last seen.
Facts: Subject last seen by me recharging batteries on the kitchen counter. I believe this event took place last Friday. It was definitely before the weekend. Upon interview, Jim stated that he had last seen the subject sitting on the back of the couch during the weekend. Subject was not reported missing until Sunday evening, at which time this household officer did not take the report seriously. Many items go missing for brief periods of time and show up a few hours later. I don't consider an item officially "missing" until it's been gone at least 24 hours.
Upon interview, Lily stated that she did not know where the subject was and did not recall whether she had seen it or not. Upon interview, Jack stated "Papa game GONE."
Jim searched the home half-heartedly on April 27. Both Jim and I searched a little more thoroughly on several occasions between that date and May 1, 2008. I conducted a hard target search this afternoon, with no success.
Status: The game is really missing!
Seriously, this house is not that big. I've checked all of the kids' usual hiding spots: behind the couch, behind the chair, behind the radiators, in my knitting basket, in the storage drawers under Lily's bed (where I located the missing flashcards she's supposed to be working on), in the bathroom cabinets and in the TV cabinet. No game to be found.
My Household Officer instincts are telling me that the game was removed from the house by someone. I checked the car to see if Lily brought it with her on a ride somewhere, but it is not in my car. I've left a message with Jim to make sure he didn't bring it along with him somewhere and leave it at a friend's house or in his briefcase. Help! I'm running out of ideas! Maybe a masked intruder broke into our home and stole the DS?
My usual mantra in these cases is "It'll turn up." Things always do. But the DS has been missing for a long time now. Things usually show up in a couple of days.
There must be a secret kid hiding place that I haven't discovered yet. I'm off to look again, this time while cleaning up the house. Wish me luck! If you can think of any other places I should look, leave a comment. This is making me CRAAAAA-ZY!
PS: Thanks for the nice comments, both on here and in real life. I'm not going to let the haters get me down!
Missing Item Report
Subject name: Nintendo DS game
Date of Report: Sunday April 27, 2008 Missing Since: April 26 or 27
Description: Shiny black plastic, last seen wearing a navy blue and black padded case and holding a white stylus. Known to be carrying Jim's mod chip and at least two games in its pocket when last seen.
Facts: Subject last seen by me recharging batteries on the kitchen counter. I believe this event took place last Friday. It was definitely before the weekend. Upon interview, Jim stated that he had last seen the subject sitting on the back of the couch during the weekend. Subject was not reported missing until Sunday evening, at which time this household officer did not take the report seriously. Many items go missing for brief periods of time and show up a few hours later. I don't consider an item officially "missing" until it's been gone at least 24 hours.
Upon interview, Lily stated that she did not know where the subject was and did not recall whether she had seen it or not. Upon interview, Jack stated "Papa game GONE."
Jim searched the home half-heartedly on April 27. Both Jim and I searched a little more thoroughly on several occasions between that date and May 1, 2008. I conducted a hard target search this afternoon, with no success.
Status: The game is really missing!
Seriously, this house is not that big. I've checked all of the kids' usual hiding spots: behind the couch, behind the chair, behind the radiators, in my knitting basket, in the storage drawers under Lily's bed (where I located the missing flashcards she's supposed to be working on), in the bathroom cabinets and in the TV cabinet. No game to be found.
My Household Officer instincts are telling me that the game was removed from the house by someone. I checked the car to see if Lily brought it with her on a ride somewhere, but it is not in my car. I've left a message with Jim to make sure he didn't bring it along with him somewhere and leave it at a friend's house or in his briefcase. Help! I'm running out of ideas! Maybe a masked intruder broke into our home and stole the DS?
My usual mantra in these cases is "It'll turn up." Things always do. But the DS has been missing for a long time now. Things usually show up in a couple of days.
There must be a secret kid hiding place that I haven't discovered yet. I'm off to look again, this time while cleaning up the house. Wish me luck! If you can think of any other places I should look, leave a comment. This is making me CRAAAAA-ZY!
PS: Thanks for the nice comments, both on here and in real life. I'm not going to let the haters get me down!
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