I finally registered my business and put up an etsy shop! It only took me a year.
I am only offering stitch markers right now, but I have big plans to expand over the next few months and offer handmade magnets, earrings, note cards, knitting patterns, and hand dyed wool and sock yarn! This, of course, assumes that I can find the time to be creative and make these things whilst simultaneously running two kids around all summer to the beach, school and play dates!
The creation of my new shop explains my lengthy absence from posting. Being the anal retentive lawyer type that I am, I did a lot of research into operating a business and all of its attendant requirements before setting up shop.
You can access my shop by clicking on the little widgety thing in the side bar. It will feature a picture of one of the items currently for sale in my shop! If you are local and you want to purchase something, let me know and I will be glad to remove the shipping costs for you so I can hand deliver it.
Check it out! I can make earrings in the same style as the stitch markers, too. I use sterling silver hoops. Enjoy.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
My Kids Amuse Me
Sorry for the radio silence lately, but after two weeks of adult only time, I'm now in North Carolina for a week with my parents, after which the kids and I will fly home. It is as hot as Hades here. Seriously. I do not kid, it's been about 100 for most of this week. Thank the powers that be for air conditioning.
But...I digress. The kids seems so much older after two weeks away, especially Jack. My dad took him to the barber. I told my parents to get him a "little boy cut" because we didn't have time to go to his usual barber before he left on his trip. My mom called to say my father had taken Jack to the barber and his cut was very short. I said "As long as it's not a 'high and tight.'" She said, and I quote "Oh, it's not, but it's a lot shorter than it was before." When I got to NC, I immediately saw that Jack was sporting a high and tight, contrary to my mother's claim. He looks like a miniature marine. Fortunately, the cut is very cute on him and I'll probably keep it that way until the fall. It also makes him look older.
The kids have been getting up to all kinds of shenanigans at Grammy and Granddaddy's house. My father has a giant Peanut M&M figure that shoots M&M's out of it's side (forgive me, but it is very hard to describe) if you crank its arm up and down. Lily "pressured" him into buying M&M's for it (she asked once) and the kids love getting a treat. In order to keep the candy consumption to a reasonable level, my father took to hiding the Peanut Man and telling the kids he had gone away. Lily somehow interpreted this to mean that the Peanut Man periodically goes away to the M&M Ball. Jack isn't as fanciful and just started hunting for Peanut Man and quickly located him in the closet. My father now hides him behind some boxes.
Now that Peanut Man is sometimes AWOL, Jack tries to get him to come back by holding his hand up to his ear and telling my father "I think I hear candy!" For some reason, this cracks me up. Lily, on the other hand, was happy in the thought that Peanut Man was having fun at the M&M Ball until yesterday, when she caught my father carrying him into his office. She ran out to the living room and told me "Peanut Man hasn't been at the M&M Ball! Granddaddy has been hiding him and moving him all along!" She was very indignant, and immediately left to confront my father. I don't know what he told her, but today she said he was at the M&M Ball again. Ah, to be a child again. Any time one of the kids discovers that Peanut Man has returned to my father's office, they run out and tell us that he's back. It's really funny.
In other big, big news, Jack suddenly started to use the potty four days ago. My mom bought him some big boy underpants and showed them to him when he first arrived. Fast forward to the day I arrived. Jack asked me to give him a lolly. I told him "You can have a lolly if you pee in your potty." He carried on and whined and then went away to play. About four hours later, however, he told my mom "I gotta pee!" and ran into the bathroom. To our surprise, he peed into his potty for the first time ever! He got his lolly, and then he told my mom "I wanta wear my big boy underwear." She let him put them on, but he refused to put pants on and asked to have his shirt off. He ran into the living room wearing only the underwear and said "Ta-Da!"
He's been using the potty one or two times a day ever since. He's also been wearing his big boy underwear for most of the day without incident. Unfortunately, he still usually insists on wearing ONLY the underwear. He did grudgingly allow me to dress him the other day when he got too cold from the AC. He still comes out and says "Ta-da!" when he first gets them on. In order to encourage his potty training, I supplmented the baseball themed underwear my mom provided with Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder. He is very serious when he picks out which pair to wear and discards two or three options before settling on a design. It's hilarious!
I'm knocking on wood that this self-training will last and become a permanent habit. I never thought he'd train this early. I feel like singing and dancing with joy, but I hold it in because I fear the potty training gods will smite me and send him back to the diaper. I'll keep you all posted. Send good potty vibes to Jack.
But...I digress. The kids seems so much older after two weeks away, especially Jack. My dad took him to the barber. I told my parents to get him a "little boy cut" because we didn't have time to go to his usual barber before he left on his trip. My mom called to say my father had taken Jack to the barber and his cut was very short. I said "As long as it's not a 'high and tight.'" She said, and I quote "Oh, it's not, but it's a lot shorter than it was before." When I got to NC, I immediately saw that Jack was sporting a high and tight, contrary to my mother's claim. He looks like a miniature marine. Fortunately, the cut is very cute on him and I'll probably keep it that way until the fall. It also makes him look older.
The kids have been getting up to all kinds of shenanigans at Grammy and Granddaddy's house. My father has a giant Peanut M&M figure that shoots M&M's out of it's side (forgive me, but it is very hard to describe) if you crank its arm up and down. Lily "pressured" him into buying M&M's for it (she asked once) and the kids love getting a treat. In order to keep the candy consumption to a reasonable level, my father took to hiding the Peanut Man and telling the kids he had gone away. Lily somehow interpreted this to mean that the Peanut Man periodically goes away to the M&M Ball. Jack isn't as fanciful and just started hunting for Peanut Man and quickly located him in the closet. My father now hides him behind some boxes.
Now that Peanut Man is sometimes AWOL, Jack tries to get him to come back by holding his hand up to his ear and telling my father "I think I hear candy!" For some reason, this cracks me up. Lily, on the other hand, was happy in the thought that Peanut Man was having fun at the M&M Ball until yesterday, when she caught my father carrying him into his office. She ran out to the living room and told me "Peanut Man hasn't been at the M&M Ball! Granddaddy has been hiding him and moving him all along!" She was very indignant, and immediately left to confront my father. I don't know what he told her, but today she said he was at the M&M Ball again. Ah, to be a child again. Any time one of the kids discovers that Peanut Man has returned to my father's office, they run out and tell us that he's back. It's really funny.
In other big, big news, Jack suddenly started to use the potty four days ago. My mom bought him some big boy underpants and showed them to him when he first arrived. Fast forward to the day I arrived. Jack asked me to give him a lolly. I told him "You can have a lolly if you pee in your potty." He carried on and whined and then went away to play. About four hours later, however, he told my mom "I gotta pee!" and ran into the bathroom. To our surprise, he peed into his potty for the first time ever! He got his lolly, and then he told my mom "I wanta wear my big boy underwear." She let him put them on, but he refused to put pants on and asked to have his shirt off. He ran into the living room wearing only the underwear and said "Ta-Da!"
He's been using the potty one or two times a day ever since. He's also been wearing his big boy underwear for most of the day without incident. Unfortunately, he still usually insists on wearing ONLY the underwear. He did grudgingly allow me to dress him the other day when he got too cold from the AC. He still comes out and says "Ta-da!" when he first gets them on. In order to encourage his potty training, I supplmented the baseball themed underwear my mom provided with Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder. He is very serious when he picks out which pair to wear and discards two or three options before settling on a design. It's hilarious!
I'm knocking on wood that this self-training will last and become a permanent habit. I never thought he'd train this early. I feel like singing and dancing with joy, but I hold it in because I fear the potty training gods will smite me and send him back to the diaper. I'll keep you all posted. Send good potty vibes to Jack.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Childless!
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.
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.
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.
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