A Little Catch-up

Long Weekend Recovery

Whew, give us a couple of days and the first sun we have seen in close to 3 weeks, LOOK OUT!

Hmm, what would the Family do if it could do anything? Hmm, how about look at some trains?
Altoona, Pa, would fit that bill. A close up at Horseshoe Curve and a museum trip, a good time to be had by all.







There was no way for my puny camera to capture this place. It is a crazy curve nestled into the hill side above three reservoirs.


Look how close they are to the train!! Talk about watching trains. INBA was a bit put out because he wanted to see Steam Engines pulling these trains... so do the coal companies, dear.


This one is for my GodMom...

My Godmother introduced me to her favorite candy, Mallow Cups. YUM. Easily, my favorite, too. And what do you know? One block from the train museum... BOYER CANDY!

The chick in the car next to us was laughing at me taking this picture, it was hot and the windows were rolled down, one should be more polite.






Either way, I had a Mallow Cup and choked back a few tears for Patti.

She has been on my mind a lot lately. I miss her dearly.






TAGGED?


Ok, so five things that I do every day...

I live for the kids to go to bed so that I can plop my generous bum in this spot and knit.



I suppose the rest of my day is taken up by Bon-Bons and Soap Operas, but how can I take a picture of that?




I guess on commercial breaks I am constantly dealing with this...

Fly Lady would call this a Hot Spot... I call it organized chaos. If it leaves this place it is gone forever and is never dealt with again. It is the bane of my existance. I hate it, but it seems to be a necessity.









Laundry.

I should do this every day. I seem to be more of the mindset of out of sight, out of mind, out of undies, better sort laundry.

Isn't it ugly... it is in the basement. I had to use a flash, it is so dark and gloomy. But, The Mister promised to fix the lights down there for me. They have only been unworking for about 10 weeks. I am sure if the light fixtures in his office broke....


The All Consuming Job

Ok, so that other stuff gets squeezed in between scuffed knees, nutella and english muffins, art projects, sand castles, puzzles, Hi-Ho Cheerio (my favorite kid game,) getting my butt whooped at Candy Land, (I don't think the boys cheat, but why do they ALWAYS win?)




Can you believe what a 5 year old can build?
This is The Mister's KNEX set. Eldest built this all by himself and is continuing to modify it.
Tell me that Engineering isn't genetic.






OOOH, Wanna see some completion?




Check out the Starfish Tam from America Knits.

I made it with Shine Worsted from Knit Picks. It is 60% pima cotton and 40% modal (whatever that is) and it is grrrreat! I love it! Soo soft and shiny! I hope it wears well.

I have the sides of the matching bag done, need to do the I-cord and sew it up. Too Cute!!

Don't you love INBA? It is impossible to get a picture of him with out making a "funny face." But, he is modeling the tam... Thanks, babe.


And Jaywalker.
Well, I have since kitchener'd the toe. This is the first sock that I have considered orphaning.

I solemnly swear that I won't.

I considered it.

Several times.








Last, but not Least...
Happy Birthday, Little Sister!!! 30-something isn't that bad. Not really. Not most days.

Hey Baby, You Lookin' At Me?

Shark Sighting!!

No fears, it is only a knit shark.
Guess what the Mister said to me... Those side fins are a little wierd. I gave him my best blank look and reminded him that it is a KNIT shark, the entire thing is weird. duh.

I tried to make his mouth look toothy and fierce...INBA wasn't convinced. It has a Frankenstein Stitch feel, I think.

What ever the criticism, INBA slept with it the day I gave it to him. That means it is perfect... enough.


You Spin Me 'Round and 'Round


So Laurie, holder of knowlege I wish to posess, taught me to use the drop spindle at "knitting" on Friday... I didn't knit a stitch. I did attach the handles to my Booga Bag, which Laurie felted for me. I forgot to take a picture, but I think Laurie has a picture of me with the bag on her blog... Notice how I didn't mean to, but I am dressed to coordinate with the bag. I am nothing if not consistent.

Back to my spinning. I did some more on Saturday to impress the Mister. He really needs to work on looking like he cares when I get excited about this stuff. The children were a much better audience... except that Eldest wants to use MY SPINDLE!!

Um, I don't like to share my toys... plus, I am not sure what to do with the stuff that I have on it... Ok, you know that I will show him, right? Maybe tomorrow. :)


Ever Heard of Waynesburg?

I hadn't until Saturday. It was in a list of the summer
activities in the Newspaper... What was going on in Waynesburg? Just their 3rd Annual Sheep and Fiber Festival.
Yeah, maybe the really cool people get to go to Maryland, but I dragged the Family to Waynesburg... and they liked it. Once it stopped pouring rain, that is. They had a few booths and a small stage on the courhouse steps with entertainment, a lamb cook-off, kid crafts, pictures with a lamb, sheep shearing. Hey, it is 3 blocks of "Downtown," what do you want? Best of all, I learned how to use a Spinning Wheel!! And this is what I made!!! Laurie taught me the hard part, the drafting and how to move the twist, so using the wheel was so much easier!!! I want one.

Of Course, the one that I learned on was an $800 Schacht wheel. Very Nice. What, you thought that it would be cheap? Baaaa. A cheap one is still close to $300. It may be old technology, but it is still technology.

Shark Bite

Yeowch!

This is the future shark... ain't he cute?







This is the back fin... notice how there are 18 stitches cast on between 2 stitches! OUCH!!

Lovely Judy says, "The first few rows are not easy to work, just push the stitches close together on the needle and be careful not to drop any of the new stitches."
Uh, can you say 'understatement?' I didn't know what was going to break first, the needle or a finger. It took a good 3 or 4 rows before I could knit all 18 without fear or pain.
I suppose it is worth the effort, but geesh, make me work for it.


I bribed INBA to go to the "nobody likes green" YS. I let him pick yarn for his orca/shark mittens. It was the consolation prize since he was actually hoping that they would be winding balls of yarn off the swift.

I was surprised that he picked such a dark grey, but he had choices, so it must be what he wants. Here it is pictured in the Kindergarten Art Project bowl that I bought at the Extravaganza fundraiser last month. All of the Kindergarteners put their thumb prints around and Mrs. Majestic made them into the kids. too cute.





KID PICS



Eldest made me go in and get the camera and take pictures of him riding his bike.

Can you imagine when he gets his first car?




INBA isn't going to be left out of the action... Hopefully someday we get out of the phase of 'funny faces' and can see his beautiful face un-distorted.

Oh, the pant leg isn't a fasion statement, it got a little wet and he rolled it up so that it wouldn't touch his delicate flesh.

Have I mentioned lately, he's four.

So Many Projects, So Little Time

Good to have Friends




So while The Mister and I were cavorting around Milwaukee, Laurie was frolicing in Maryland.
Being the fabulous woman that she is, she brought me home treats. Here is a hint, people, choose your friends wisely!!

Quietly, I will tell you that she picked me up some "socks that rock." I am being quiet because INBA has called dibs on my yarn. I have had to make sure that it was put away very completely so that he would quit fondling my yarn!
I know, I know, I should be more generous with the child. Uh, but not with $21 yarn. And I know, I should make him is own rockin' pair of socks... maybe with some of that Bernat that I have.






Maybe, when Laurie shows me how to use this, I will be a better Mom and show him how to use it, too. I mean, I am pretty sure that I am doing an ok job with the kids since they both have a healthy curiosity and respect for wool and cotton. I can't be totally wrecking them because I don't like them fondling the Merino. I don't like them twirling my hair at 6am either.

Anyway, about this. Laurie made me this spindle with a cd! How creative is she? And the rest is wool roving. Ultimately, this is going to be yarn, I hear. I googled some instructions for using a drop spindle... All I can say is... Huh??? I need some hands on instruction. I have to wait until next Friday, tho.

And as you can see, Laurie was thinking of INBA, too. She knew it was impossible to leave behind this mitten pattern.

Just envision it in grey and white... yes, that's it. Shark Mittens! INBA saw this and immediately thought the same thing. He needs to learn how to knit so that he doesn't put so many projects on my list. He also wants another sweater, but I am not ready to go there. Besides, it's May. And I already know I can do it in 2 weeks when I don't know what I am doing...









I'm Not Done, Yet?!?!
The prayer shawl is coming along nicely, now that I have changed to bamboo needles. This yarn was just too slippery for me on the metal.

For some reason I cannot take a picture of it that is in focus. I am going to chalk it up to the fuzziness of the yarn. We'll call it soft focus and pretend that it is some fancy special effects. 'K? 'K.











Jaywalking, anyone?

I am into the heel flap, now.

I am not quite sure how I feel about this pattern. I think the pattern stitches are pretty nifty, I like the chevron effect. I am not so sure about the way it transitions. It is a bit funky-bumpy at the ribbing and heel. I guess I will reserve judgement until I wear them, but I am a bit skeptical at the moment. I suppose it could be the Socotta that is making it funky, but I don't know.

Speaking of Funky... On WYEP at 3pm on Saturdays is the Soul Show. I really enjoy this show and it almost always flashes me back to High School. Anyway, INBA doesn't like it when I dance. I feel bad for him, but it is my house and I can dance if I want to! *foot stomp for effect*
I asked him what he doesn't like about the way I dance.
He replied, "You dance funky."
Um, sorry, kid... that's what I was going for, thanks for noticing.

And still, I feel like making him a shark.

I had started this right after our evening with the Harlot.
I lost my enthusiasm after trying to get gauge. I got gauge with a US5. Ow, baby. This yarn of undisclosed content is knit tight. It makes sense, since I am going to be stuffing it and goodness knows we don't want a shark that leaks. Still, it is tight and tough to do, especially when I am supposed to kfb the stitches on each side of the marker.

But it is on the needles so it needs to be finished. Plus the kid is going to love it.




So, you probably wonder about Eldest. I am not neglecting him. He has a birthday coming. The big 6. He is on 2 hands now. He graduates from Kindergarten on the 8th and has his party on the next Saturday. He is getting plenty of attention. Besides, I cannot hold a candle to Daddy. I am just Mom.

The Mister and the boys are going to to a Fun Run next weekend. The Mister will run a 5K and the boys will do one with their age group. I am going to be cheerleader. I best dust off the pom-pon maker!


And before I go, Happy Mother's Day!

Wedded Bliss

Congratulations, Rob and Stacey!

What a lovely wedding!


I really love this picture, I wish it had been in focus... but I think it really captures a loving moment.





And how about the ballroom?! A mere fraction of the space. Everything was gorgeous.



Milwaukee Art Museum

This is the addition to the museum that was completed in 2001. Quite beautiful. The Mister doesn't understand why I don't understand why he is so fond of taking pictures of a certain person's back.

This was The Mister's favorite piece. I wasn't able to write down the title or artist, sorry. But it was mirrored blown glass objects within a mirrored space. What was most fascinating, when we stood in front of it, we didn't see ourselves reflected. When he took the picture, he was reflected. Weird.







My Knitting


So this is a prayer shawl, the ocean color of Knit Picks' Suri Dream. It is so soft and so light.












And then there are the Jaywalkers. I had a hard time getting a picture to show the stitch definition. But I think you can see the diagonals created between the ridges. The colors are Navy, Emerald and Goldenrod. I am really liking the way they are turning out.


A Great Weekend

Thanks to Grandma, The Mister and I were able to take ourselves to the wedding. It was so nice and so weird to have The Mister to myself! And, my goodness! I knew that the children required a massive amount of time and organization, but I wasn't prepared for just how much we could do in an HOUR let alone a weekend!! And we walked all around... and we enjoyed dinner... and we watched a movie... and took 2 hours to walk thru a museum exhibit... And that was Friday! Wow. So nice.

So then I realized that my knitting is really a great relaxation tool. I mean, I knew that it was, sorta, but not how much. Then, at the end of a very relaxing weekend, I didn't need to knit while waiting for our flight. I was fine. Patient. Content. Peaceful.

Um, home 24 hours... well, this sock will get finished.

Sparkle Me

There Must Be A Secret

But I don't know what it is. For the life of me, I cannot get the sparkles to show up in a picture. Luckily, I live in real life with my socks.

I am feeling a little bit naked with my socks on my feet... I don't have a project!!

Uh-oh, I am ignoring the Autmn Leaves Lace socks.
My Booga Bag is waiting for its extra skein.
Otherwise... So, I think my Milwaukee knitting will be some Jaywalkers in Socotta from my stash. Everyone else has already done them, I guess I will, too.

Speaking of Milwaukee... It is supposed to be 52 degrees there on Saturday. Somehow the silk slip dress and strappy shoes just don't sound warm. The Mister says, "you have a shawl." I will post the Sari Silk and ribbon shawl that I made to go with my dress soon... but not remotely enough for 52 degrees. Then he says, "Maybe you could put a shirt under it." A shirt under what? Yes, he meant the dress. Obviously the man is not gay. (thankfully. But it could have been helpful at this moment.) I don't know what I am going to do. My other dressy stuff is heavily on the Black side, not very spring wedding. Oh, yes, we leave at 8am Friday Morning.

I know, I know, no one is going to be looking at me... but maybe my husband will. Isn't that enough of a reason to try, just a little?

Lighter Fare

Hey, Baby, Nice Socks.




See, they don't look so ugly on. It seems that the Mister has skinny ankles. even with the ribbing, he has a bit extra.
It seems that the foot fits ok, so maybe next time (if there is one, don't want to get hopes up,) I would do my new favorite way, toe up and decrease for the ankle. Hmm.

And despite the ugly-while-knitting colorway, these washed up like a dream. So soft! Lucky man, that Mister.








Where Have You Taken My Children?!
Oh, just on the T and up an Incline to the top of Mt Washington.

This is a favorite journey, it involves an electric train, the aforementioned incline and Ice Cream.

mmm-hmmm. My children are not dumb.

So this is the mister and the Children at the look-out.







This is another view from up there, the fountain at Point State Park, behind the Fort Pitt Bridge and in front of Heinz Field... Yes, that is where that football team plays. You cannot see here, but to the left is the Science Center, now that is a cool place.






Flowers for My Boy.

INBA has become ferociously attached to the color red lately. Therefore, Tulips are his favorite flower. After MUCH discussion, we have come to terms with the fact that tulips come in a multitude of colors, but RED is the favorite. How nice of Daddy to take a picture of the flowers for him.

That is the love.