Getting Back on Track

Well, outside the blog, I'm pretty much on track. I guess that's how blogging fell by the wayside. Plus entire summer days spent outside with the kids. Plus tennis elbow (due to knitting, a concept that the doctor found hard to accept) kept the summer knitting to a minimum. And to try to catch up on four months' worth, it's just too much even for bullets. Kids are fine, I'm fine, knitting's good...and I'll just pick up here.

Stitches East

Always a good time, traveling with Mom and my sisters. Excellent shopping even though we missed some of our regulars: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, The Skein Attraction. We LOVE cocoknits--I'm working on Petra right now.


(This is the first 8 inches of Petra that I ripped out this afternoon because my gauge is off by one stitch).

We also had a great time with our new friends Wendy and Amy of Woolworks. I bought yarn for the most gorgeous scarf designed by Amy and I swear, I'll be lucky if I can make it--the laceweight mohair is killing me. That stuff is sooo slippery and if I try to take out any stitches or rip back, it knots up, and I keep having to break the yarn and start over. I will NOT be defeated, though I don't know that I'll have enough yarn left to knit the thing!

I invested in several pairs of the Signature Needles: 7" straights in US 6 and US 7, stiletto points, for knitting the lacy scarves I bought from Woolworks, and 6" sock needles in 2.25mm and 2.75 mm. They are beautiful (although maybe a little slippery for the mohair)! Cathy and the women there were just delightful, and we spent a lot of time with them (Thursday night, Friday morning, Saturday morning) figuring out our purchases and buying more.

It was totally cool meeting Miss Babs and Jennifer. I had promised to come by with my Waterfall socks from the Woolgirl sock club, but couldn't wear them because my Dansko clogs were too big plus the suede was running onto my socks and I didn't want to ruin handmade socks.

We also spent time with and bought a lot of yarn (all four of us!) from Katie and Sharon of Yarn Love and Three Irish Girls. Their colorways are too gorgeous! This is Fresh Celery in Yarn Love's worsted and roving (maybe Maiden?) for thrummed mittens:



My sister, embryo1 on ravelry, loved the Maiden colorway so much, she bought it in sock yarn one day and in worsted (for mittens) the next, and didn't realize it until she got back to the room and reviewed her purchases! We all had a good laugh over it, especially when my other sister, borntoknit on ravelry, nixed certain attempted purchases of mine because I always buy the same colors these days.

This year, my purchases were mainly sweaters, a big departure for me. I'm knitting Petra in a chocolate brown Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Super Chunky right now.

In the pipeline are Loppem in Berroco Palace; a Filati sweater; and Tang in Malabrigo (which reminds me, I need to order a sweater stone). I did buy a few more skeins of sock yarn. I also bought a tabletop swift (handmade by Knitting Notions (all my surfaces have beveled edges so the swifts and ballwinders pop off in the midst of winding and wreak havoc) and a new ball winder. We set it up in our room and loved it! New policy: we bring a swift and ball winder to Stitches.

Stitches East Accommodations

We stayed at the new Hilton and here's our report card:

Convenience: A (nothing like being connected to the convention center. We still have vivid memories of 2007's bitter wind as we struggled back to the hotel with all our bags).

Rooms: A (modern, clean)

Service: D (My sister and I had to tag team the front desk and work our way two managers up the chain to get the connecting rooms that we booked but were not booked properly nor confirmed properly by Hilton staff at central booking and the hotel, then had snarky comment from second manager. Not to mention the line of 20 people behind us shooting daggers with their eyes. Terrible breakfast Day 1; ok breakfast day 2. Room service couldn't get our dinner order right. Redeeming note: our new best friend, Assistant Director of Food & Beverage who came to our room after room service fiasco and listened to all our complaints, whether food-related or not, and took good care of us).

All in all, it was a delightful trip. Next knitting adventure: Yarnings on December 6 to meet Debbie Bliss!

FO report:

1. Valentine's socks from my Woolgirl sock kit from January. I ran out of yarn and when the 1/2 skein arrived, I threw it in my project bag and left it. But I've been motivated to finish things (!) and finished them up yesterday. The color is actually more vibrant than the picture indicates:


2. Clapotis. That thing has been on the needles for two years, only to be forgotten on the blocking board when we left for Stitches East. Here it is on the blocking board:


3. Muno. To replace Boy E's broken Muno. I finished this about 10:30 p.m. at night and woke him up to give it to him. He was hardly awake yet so delighted, it was charming!


4. Second Koigu Kersti garter stitch scarf:


UFO's:

1. Ombre scarf in Rowan Colourscape chunky:
This is totally mindless although I ended up a stitch off and ripped out until I realized that was stupid--it's a stockinette stitch scarf with an increase at the beginning of the row and a decrease at the end.

2. Blue Sky Alpacas Eyelet Cardigan. All I need to do is set in the sleeves. This is a picture of the seamed side:



After I cast on and knit a few inches, I found modifications on Ravelry and decided not to rip out, but I probably should have done it. The pattern does not match at the shoulder or side seams, but since people won't likely be looking down at my shoulders or under my arms, it won't be much of a problem. I know it and will just ignore it.

On a final, non-knitting note, thanks to Lici for tipping us off to this clock to keep the kids in bed (or at least their room) until a decent hour that falls anytime after 6:30 a.m. (yes, I've been up with them at 5 a.m.). It arrived today, and they are all fascinated--too bad I can't figure out to program it with three four-year-olds climbing all over me to play with it and one three-year-old pleading for one for her room. That's the next order of business.

Killing time

Or blog space. I'm just too tired: it's hot, we had a great time at the pool and our barbecue and just got the kids to bed (at 8:30p). I've made no knitting progress, so here it goes:

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% Yankee 35% General American English 20% Dixie 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

It makes sense, considering I'm from the Northeast and lived in the South for 7 years (college + law school). Good night!

p.s. The Dark Knight rocks!

The drive to finish

I got the urge to cast on something new today. Why, I'm not sure. I have plenty of UFO's to finish. I was leaning toward the February Lady Sweater, probably because I have always wanted to make the baby sweater. Then Mom steered me toward Zephyrstyle's Juliet. While we were trying to determine if Mom's stash had enough of any bulky or worsted (to use doubled) yarn to make Juliet, I tried to download the pattern and had a problem with the website. I then flirted with the idea of making a run to a LYS, at which point, I got the bright idea to perhaps finish the Blue Sky Eyelet Cardigan before starting another adult sweater. The back was already finished, so I finished the right front after dinner and just cast on for the left front.
[picture to be added when blogger permits--if you're on ravelry, check here.
The cotton is a dream to work with, and the pattern is easily remembered, too. I forgot how much fun this was to knit!

And good news: I'm now downloading Juliet directly!

Here's the bittersweet news: I think the cardinal family has moved out.

The best of summer

It's mid-July (almost) and summer is hitting its stride. I love dusk, when the fireflies come out. Usually, they make their appearance in early June, but this year, I didn't see them until the end of June and I had started to worry (you know, the bee collapse, frogs are disappearing). There's something magical about the flickering glow through the yard, amongst the bushes, up in the treeline. It's even more magical now that the boys are old enough to understand and appreciate how amazing it is. I've had them up late chasing fireflies twice: the first time was a Sunday evening after they came home from their first baseball game (minor league) with their father; the second time was a drizzly July 4th evening while their father and I were talking to the police and getting a report regarding the damage to his car (someone backed into his car, damaging the hood and grille).

We got a bit into the magic of fireworks, too: when we opened the door to the two police officers on July 4th, Boy E said, "Ooh, look at the fireworks!" One of the neighbors was setting off fireworks in his yard, which is illegal here. One of the police officers muttered, "I don't want to hear it." That's life in a small town! While the police officers were doing their best to ignore the fireworks and to avoid having to bust the neighbor, Boy E kept exclaiming each time one went up. Then the other police officer looked over and said, "Oh man, a roman candle!" Fortunately, we were able to "distract" them. But I have to laugh--they were trying their darndest to avoid having to go over and the neighbor, unknowingly, kept escalating the situation!

I also have a new treat this summer: I have been noticing a cardinal pair spending a lot of the time in the shrub (pretty much a tree) in front of my study window. My desk is under this window, so I spend a lot of time eyeing these birds. Yesterday, I realized there must be a nest, and was able to find it, shielded by a few leaves. Today, I watched as the fledglings shakily jumped to the edge of the nest and surveyed their surroundings. What a treat for me! I hope they stick around...maybe I should fill my birdfeeder.

On the knitting front, I once again cast on the Koigu Daydreams blanket (check out my previous troubles here. This round is on ravelry here. I've used ugrzanna's correction and knitabull's correction, and some math and rewriting of my own, and I think I'm getting somewhere. I'm about 10 rows in on the large center triangle and I finally have 4 points showing up--it should be a triangle when sewn...although that may be an ambitious prediction at 10 rows in.

I'm also working on my second Koigu Kersti garter stitch scarf. It's perfect mindless knitting, and great for working on when I'm waiting for the camp bus. I took pictures of the yarn yesterday with my iPhone, and I think I couldn't keep the iPhone steady enough, but it's a picture:



Oh, and I'm nowhere on Summer of Socks. So be it.

It's 9 a.m. and here's what I've accomplished

1. disciplined biting son at 6:30 a.m. and dealt with resulting hysteria;

2. disciplined son (not biting son) for waking up baby sister;

3. informed baby sister she is not coming out of crib yet and to stop screaming;

4. read 1/2 of discipline book to figure out what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it;

5. got myself washed and dressed (at 7:20 a.m.);

6. got sons ready for camp (use bathroom, put on sneakers, put lunches and water shoes in backpack, spray sunscreen;

7. play games with children and wave at garbage truck until camp bus comes;

8. bring in our and neighbor's garbage cans;

9. speak with contractor about parents' roof leak and get referral for my slate roof repair;

10. eat breakfast;

11. consult with sister-in-law (early childhood development specialist) about discipline;

12. watch the cardinal parents feed their young in the nest in the tree outside my study window.

Gee. that doesn't seem like much...it seemed much busier when I was doing it!

Anyway, last night, I finished crocheting Muno (of Yo Gabba Gabba fame) from this pattern:



I just need to embroider Muno's eye, mouth and teeth.

Two months in bullets

It's been a while since I posted anything of anything, so I think I'll just hit the highlights. Thanks to AmpuTeeHee for the idea!

Here it goes...ready?

* GI consults resulting in crash course in remedial toilet training for one boy with negligible success, leading to CHOP consult next week (hoping for the best and trying to avoid a breakdown (mine));

* a fabu 38th birthday celebration (mine) with great knitting swag and awesome party favors!;

* a disputed case of head lice based on purported evidence in one child 5 days before vacation resulting in all children being sent home from school and generalized but contained hysteria and chaos in the house, with the attendant shampooing of children, and washing and vacuuming of every toy and surface and bedding in the house. End result: no head lice in any child including the alleged patient by evening, and three boys with buzz cuts;

* a low blood sugar episode rolling into panic episode while traveling at highway speeds on the New Jersey Turnpike three days later. (Every time I get that damn anxiety under control it leaks out another way);

* a call from the police the day before vacation regarding what turned out to be a non-incident but raised anxiety levels of entire family;

* the discovery 22 hours before takeoff that previously packed suitcases are too heavy and damaged to take on trip resulting in crazed trip to purchase new luggage and repack same;

* a successful 10-day family vacation (husband around weekends only). Yes, I can wear high heels and take a fish off a hook. Three loads of laundry per day. Wake up 2-3 times per night for disoriented children/children who have fallen out of bed/children who are annoyed by the sibling who is sharing his/her room. Put in request for second vacation...alone;

* return from vacation one week before day camp begins and immediately call nursery school director to see if triplets can attend nursery school camp for one week (starting next day) until day camp starts;

* raging case of pinkeye (mine) following our association pool's season-opening pool party last Friday. Run halls of house screaming "Noooooooo!" and examining children's eyes (without touching them) to see who else is infected and would be unable to start camp;

* three head lice-free and pinkeye-free boys successfully start day camp on the bus;

* day 2 of camp = day 1 of toilet training for smart and completely uninterested two-year-old daughter;

* battle with insurance company and collection agency over unpaid bills medical bills from three years ago. Yes, I am the only one who has a clue about what's gone on for the past three years and the only party involved who is not in violation of the Fair Claims Processing Act (a specialty of mine prior to triplets) and the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (as per husband) is me. Apparently, doctors do not know how to bill appropriately and insurance company does not know how to process claims properly and collection agency does not care. You will find my head exploded and my eyeballs stuck to the ceiling by tomorrow morning;

* repeat mantra of "take two steps away from your brother," "keep your hands to yourself," "we don't call names in this family" every five minutes until children are turned over to school/resort camp program/pre-school camp program/day camp bus counselors, and resume no later than five minutes after children are returned;

* Oh, some knitting and crochet:

The Topsy Turvy Doll (details can also be found here on Ravelry):




The picture of the purple dress shows the doll before I made the bonnet tie and hair--I'll post those when I can do another shoot.

I also finished the Loop garter stitch koigu scarf:




Who knew taking self photos in the bathroom mirror would be so hard? It doesn't help that I'm breaking out like a teenager for some unknown reason (what did I say about stress earlier?), so the position of the camera relative to my face is equal in importance to capturing the scarf.

In casting-on news, last month, Mom and I started our own Funky Monkey knitalong. In the race to the finish (because we're competitive in a non-competitive way), I made a crucial error:



Yes, in my race to get ahead of Mom while she was at work, I put the tail on the front of the body instead of the back. Apparently, my competitiveness overwhelmed my common sense, resulting in lost time ripping out. Here is the monkey now:



Now that I finished the Topsy Turvy Doll, I think this is the next on the list to finish. Oh, and I used the monkey as an excuse to learn Magic Loop (from the pamphlet, of course).

And, I joined Summer of Socks again. I received some great sock club yarns, just haven't been able to cast on yet (it takes more time than I thought to pack three camp bags and make three camp lunches every night). It's almost 9 p.m., so time to pack, then shower, then maybe wind yarn for first pair of SOS socks.

How to feel old, Part II

So, I think I'm finally over the trauma of nearly passing out at the gym in March (or was it February?). No, I haven't back. But after catching sight of The Couch-to-5K Running Plan on someone's blog, I decided to get back on the horse. Not yet fully recovered from the humiliation of nearly passing out at the gym, I hit my mom's treadmill. Whereupon, for the first time ever in my not-as-short-as-it-used-to-be life, I felt my ass bounce violently, the vertical manifestation of the tricep wobble. How did that happen?!