Preschool Field Trip

INBA's class met at the National Aviary on Friday. We had a very nice presentation where the children showed off their enthusiasm and then had a walk around the Aviary.
Here is a very interesting page about the peregrine falcons nesting on the Cathedral of Learning, it has a territory dispute 'caught on web cam' !
The Aviary is pretty neat, if you haven't been, I recommend.

Anyway, this is INBA standing next to a crane... you know, the graceful crane that inspires so much japanese art? LOOK how BIG it is! I wish I had a picture of it with its head up, it is as tall as me!







And then there was this bird.


















That did this! The keeper was speechless!
I guess this is not common behaviour with so many spectators. (It was feeding time.)











Friday events continued with INBA taking his first picture with Mommy's digital camera.













The REAL fun of Friday...
Was at Joseph-Beth booksellers in the South Side at 7 pm.
The Celtic Queen saved seats to see/hear the Yarn Harlot. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this. Maybe it's just because I like to laugh. Maybe it is just because I like to knit my socks without anyone looking at me funny ('cuz they are all knitting their socks, too.) Maybe it is just because I got out of the house.
Whatever it is, I have a new book to read and I have pictures to prove it.
It's Laurie, Me and the Celtic Queen.





oh, and of course, this is Stephanie... holding my sock.

I don't even know what to say...

how about, "great bohus!"

Dang, wish I had thought of that!








What can Top That?
I am hoping that some hand dyed yarn can come close. The Mister made me a PVC niddy noddy just a few minutes ago. So now I am going to try and find instructions on how to wind the yarn on it...ah, this tells me how. I think I am going to have to play with it a bit.
Then I need to soak my yarn and then I need to be patient until tomorrow afternoon when Laurie and CQ (and the boys) come over.

Must Be the Phase of the Moon or Still no Love?

Here is my pile of Heilo. I am waiting ever less patiently for the rest to arrive. I am hot to start the Mister's Bauhaus Fair Isle Sweater and am also having the darndest time getting ahold of the yarn!
The Celtic Queen's favorite LYS allowed me to buy what you see but then refuses any more of my business! I was told that they would order the other 10 balls that I need on the 1st of March when I was in the store. I called last Saturday and the woman who helped me seemed baffled. "I will call you Monday." she says... Well, she didn't. I can take a hint. So I ordered my yarn from SpinBlessing. I haven't received it, yet. But then, it has only been two days. *sigh* It's like waiting for your *birthday* and then your party is postponed.
I guess working on my hat to Represent for Yarn Harlot has gotten my Fair Isle Mojo working... probably good to be anxious for the yarn to arrive, maybe get a running start. I only have 9 months until Christmas, 10 'til his birthday, I need all the momentum I can muster.

Yarn belches.
This is the state of a Spring Holiday project. I made a ball out of some bernat ladder yarn (I tossed the lable, oops) that I bought at Michael's for a dollar (on sale- obviously not worth more:) and pulled one end from each side to work this scarf... it grabs onto itself with more passion than I have seen in a while! So annoying. I am trying to knit as far as I can before cutting and sacrificing yardage. Never Surrender!


I think it is the Moon.
Check out what my sock yarn did! It didn't just burp, it pretty much tossed its lunch.

It is Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Multiringel color 2210.




But, I am in Love... ok, blind infatuation.

I adapted a eyelet chevron pattern for the round and look how great it is!! I am so hooked (I think it is the purl ridge that does it for me)... have to limit myself to only one repeat, otherwise... well, a girl needs her sleep. I guess these will get done faster than anticipated. They can't stay relegated to intermitent-waits-while-out-and-about time.

This is a problem, though. I wanted to have my Green Socks be my fancy at home sock knitting and this be the carry around. My Cardigan is languishing on the end of the family room sofa and I can hardly think about anything other than the Mister's BHFI!! I may need to be disciplined and keep these as carry along and turn my attention to my cardi. I bet I could get most of it done before the rest of the Heilo arrives.

Do you think any of this has something to do with the onset of spring and the blooming oak trees and sunshine and the warmth that has blessed our neighborhood? Startitis to go along with the itchy, watery eyes and stuffy nose? (and yes, Laurie, I have been eating the spring honey all winter.)


*shameless plug for the upcoming birthday of someone we know and love...ME!*

Busy Weekend

Spring Inspiration

Hello, Crocus!

I am seeing this beauty as inspiration for a colorway.

Plans are being laid for my first excursion into dye-my-own-yarn love.

I am hoping to come away with a skein of Crocus.

Let's all cross our fingers, now.

Thank you.

The Harlot is coming! The Harlot is coming!

This is my hat to represent.

How come no one ever says how hard it is to take a picture in the bathroom mirror?

I think it looks better on, but you can see it a bit better off.

I think the pom-pom makes it.

I am not very good at pom-poms, perhaps because I have a love/hate relationship with the pom-pom. Well, not this pom-pom, just pom-poms in general. I don't care for most garter stitch, either, but it has it's moments, too. That's another day.

Anyway, my current pom-pom issue is that it is not as tight as I would like it to be...it is floppy! Maybe this is why I don't care much for pom-poms?

Whatever.

But I will give it over to represent, put my knitterly love out there to keep a head warm. Hopefully the receipient won't mind a little floppy pom-pom.

Let it Roll...

The Egg-Roll was rained out on Saturday.

Sunday afternoon proved to be a gorgeous make up time.

The boys grabbed their eggs and immediately camped out to sugar up.

This is INBA's pose.

I didn't know what he was doing, at first.

He was a bit peeved with me for taking too long to snap the pic.

The kids did an egg-roll and a couple of relays...

So cute,

So fun,

So soggy.

Check out INBA's backside.
His egg broke after only two wacks, but the yolk was pretty hard and made it to the finish line!

Eldest used the egg he dyed to run his relay.

Lucky for them, Mommy has some nice wooden spoons with good bowls to hold an egg pretty easily.

I wouldn't call that cheating, just another example of the right tool for the job.

Winter Took Its Toll

Oh, and then Eldest took advantage and broke up the front porch.

I don't think he realized what would happen when he broke out that one brick, but we ended up after a bit with about 6 or 7 bricks removed from the front of it.

So the Mister took advantage of the first nice day and fixed it.

I told him that I took this picture for evidence of child labor when CPS calls. He didn't think it was funny. Brick laying is a life skill. And besides, you help break it, you help fix it.

All work and no play would be dull for boys.

The finished project.

And in true fix-it style, only 4 left over bricks...

HUH?

Looks good, though.

Next repair is a rip out and put down interlocking pavers.

Hopefully not until next spring!

There is no point in trying.

Someone, whom I admire and respect as the Big Brother I Never Had, has said to me repeatedly, "Once you just love the Steelers, everything will be ok."

I told him that was bunk. But my boys have been indoctrinated with Steeler *ugh* mania. So, I thought I would try to be a good Mommy and indulge a little black and gold that isn't explicitly 'steelers' logo. I came across this Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in 'Bee Stripe' and snapped up 4 skeins. I figured, socks for INBA and mittens for Eldest.

I win because I get to knit nice yarn into things that my boys would wear and I could just ignore the colorway.

Do you know what they said when I showed them the yarn?!?!

INBA shouted, "NO! I don't like it!"

Eldest said, "Why?"

The Mister was the most enthusiastic with a, "sure" when I offered INBA's yarn for socks to him.

Can you understand my disappointment? I am trying here, people!

So, BBINH, The Steelers are not a magic pill.

I don't want to say 'I told you so," but, "I told you so."

Where's the LOVE??

Well, I know where my love is, I just wonder where his is.

I finished Eldest's requested cable vest last night. I crept into his room, while he was sleeping, and draped it across his dresser.
Isn't the picture beautiful?




What? You think this is the Emperor's New Vest?


*sigh* This was the conversation this morning...

"Eldest? Did you see what I left you?"
"Yeah."
"Well?"
"I put it in my drawer."
"Ugh! Go try it on!"
"It looks penty big, maybe too big."
"Go try it on anyway."
"Ok."
pause, returns
"I thought you were going to try on your vest?"
"I did. It fits. Maybe a little big."
"I want to see. Go try it again."
pause, returns
"See, it's a little big."
"No, that fits very nicely. What do you think? Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I am going to take it off, now."
*sigh* the enthusiasm is overwhelming.

Maybe I will knit Mr. H. another dinosaur, just for the love.

It LIVES!!!

Here is my buddy, Mr. H who LOVES dinosaurs.

Mr. H loves dinosaurs the way INBA loves trains. It is kinda scary.

But I really like Mr. H.

He spends most Tuesday afternoons with INBA and me while his sister is at ballet. Mr H. does not want to sit through ballet.

Mr. H likes to watch me knit.

His mom won't let me adopt him. I asked.

Anyway, I thought it would be nice to knit him a dinosaur. Mostly because he said to me,

"You can knit socks, you can knit a dinosaur."

Throw down the gauntlet, why don't you?

So, Mr. H proceeded to watch me knit every Tuesday.

Ok, it was more like, "Hi, Mrs. Mayhem, why aren't you working on my dinosaur?"

"I am opening the door for you, Mr. H."

"Well, I will watch you work on my dinosaur, now."

What a task-master!

Mr. H picked yarn from my stash. I didn't have enough of the same weight (dk) of any one color to do the whole dinosaur, but Mr. H. said it was ok and stripes were good because no one has ever seen what a dinosaur really looks like anyway.

Ok.

Works for me.

He wants me to knit him each of the dinos out of the book

Knit-a-saurus, Cute and Cuddly Monsters by Donald Arthars,

but he isn't my kid and I already knit him the biggest one in the book.

I have assured him that when he learns to knit, he can knit them all himself.

Mr. H. is unimpressed.

Another Distraction

The Celtic Queen has plunged headlong into the blogosphere. So now, every time I mention her name I have to add this link http://livetoknitknittolive.blogspot.com behind her name or initials. Good thing she is amusing, otherwise I might be inclined not to mention her so much. Just kidding, sweetheart, you know I love you. Still, she was going on about how much her boys appreciate her knitting and it made me laugh... not at her, but at my own children.

Eldest is rather unimpressed by my creative outbursts. The hat is useful, it is the only one around, so he wears it. Scarf, similar story. The purple school vest, well, it is school color purple. Daddy's Blue Cable Sweater? Well, that is kinda cool, it has a cable. Everything he saw after that with a cable, "Mommy! You can do that!" Why yes, Mommy can.
So, Mommy, wanting to please her man-child, lets him pick out the yarn and sets to making him another vest-- with a cable (ok, basic braid, but let's not split yarns, ok?) He is anxious, he wants it to be done in time for Easter. No problem. Mommy quit working on her cardigan to get his vest done.

I excitedly show him the progress this morning. I only need to do the neck ribbing!

You know what he says?

"Oh, ok."

Flat.

Monotone.

Enthusiasm, nil.

Yesterday I finished the first of a pair of socks for INBA.

He wore the one sock around all afternoon.

I guess I just couldn't handle having more than one boy that liked my knitting.

I will distract myself with a knit along.

More Suburban Wildlife

I guess spring is trying hard to have sprung (we won't talk about the snow in the 5 day forecast) and apparently, wildlife makes me blog.

There is no picture for this post... it is one of those things you hear and you know.

There is a suburban male mowing his lawn, right now! And surely this is not just any ordinary suburban male, this one is a plain over-achiever, desirous of the ego satiating most-meticulously-maintained-yard-on-the-block award. You can just smell the Alpha scent.

Hey, Mister! You better get crackin'! You don't want anyone talkin' 'bout ya over the hedges...

Am I Really?

You Are A Little Snobby

And being a little snobby every once and a while is totally allowed. Because if no one was ever snobby, no one would ever try to dress up or look pretty. And while you do enjoy the finest things in life (that you can afford), you tire of superficiality. You know there's more to life than what's just on the surface.

Are You a Snob?

It was question number 5 that gave me away.

Non Traditional Celebration or It's a Jungle Around Here!

I noticed as I began this post that it is number 101. I have also noticed that most bloggers celebrate their 100th post. So, being that I was so distracted by the wild animals roaming my yard, I will celebrate 101 pointless posts. Yea for Me! Applause are not necessary, you can send money, if so moved. I need to support my yarn habit.

The Wilderness is closing in on me!!

I am pretty confident that this is a deer.

Woo-hoo!! Yes, dear reader, it is Robin Red Breast, in my back yard only minutes ago.

He had a friend, too.

I have been trying for a few days to get a picture of the Cardinal that has been looking for a good place to nest in the yard. My neighbor ripped out the bushes that lined our yards, destroying privacy and nesting ground. The Mister says he has been seeing a Blue Jay around lately, too.

Chirp Chirp, welcome home, birdie.

Jitterbug...

Animals of all kinds seem to be getting time in the ol' Family Life these days...

Now we are simply refering to the lovely Colinette sock yarn of name.

I present, Lagoon.

It was a present.

Why, yes, I do amuse myself.

I love love love this yarn. It feels like butter on my feet. Yum!

Wild Suburbia

There are Wild Things in Suburbia... look at this track that made its way across my yard!
I circled the two closest prints... and those are my petite size 8.5 shoe prints up and down my front walk...
What on earth is stalking here!!
The closest I could find in my googling...
a rabbit?
We do usually have a bunch of rabbits running around the neighborhood in the spring. I didn't realize that they leave such a large track!
Unless of course, it isn't a rabbit.
But I checked all the scary stuff I could think of... no moutain lion, no bear, no ginourmous killer deer, no fox or wolf... I am comfortable with it being a rabbit.
If you can tell me for sure, please do.

One must really be careful in Suburbia.

Distractions needed when contemplating Wild Life...
The wilds of socks are much less scary.
Unless that means knitting at 8spi a yarn that is perfectly happy at 6.5 or 7.
But I did get guage on the beautiful size 0s that the Celtic Queen bestowed upon me.
Next step, instep. heh.
Really, we must begin with the toe, but that didn't amuse me.

Is it Friday, yet?

Do A Little Dance

Happy Feet!

Well, ok, happy Heather. The wait was excruciating!

But it is here, and that flier in the foreground is what I want for my birthday...

Well, before my birthday, since it is Sock Camp the week before my age ticks another year past.

One must have dreams.

But I do have a Frequent Flier ticket burning a hole in my carry-on.

*Sigh*

The colorway is called MONSOON, quite possibly the most beautiful yarn ever.

The pattern in the kit is for a REVERSIBLE sock-- they beat you to it, CQ!!-- with cable in the leg, knit toe up. YUM!!

UFO's

I need to get the jitterbug socks off the needles.

I am about 4 inches down the leg and it always seems that the leg takes the longest.

My Sprig Cable Cardigan is moving along. I finished the back and have begun pattern stitches on the fronts-- I am knitting both fronts at the same time, I don't trust myself to make them even.

I think that may be why I like knitting in the round when at all possible.

Oh, and CJ's T-rex. I need to do the front limbs and he will be done, too.

Please, smack me if I ever say I want to knit a toy, again.

Lion Roars

March is roaring in in fine fashion

The wind is insane and soooo cold.

It was blowing snow around to near white out conditions this afternoon, but I see now that negligible amounts have stuck to anything.

Still, I am looking forward to the lamb and some warmer weather--even though that means that the oak trees start blooming and I am unable to leave the house unmedicated.

Please, who is allergic to oak trees?

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Ridiculous.

And uncomfortable.

No Love, but I am Smart!

No Blue Moon for me today. I thought MailMan Tim liked me better than that...





I did find something nice in my mailbox. The Celtic Queen was a)feeling sorry for me, b)indulging instant gratification or c) being nice to me and left me some Crystal Palace Bamboo 6inch double pointed needles--size 0 in my mailbox. She isn't spoiling, but this is the size required for the pattern that I do not yet have. Does it make it better or worse to have tools in hand and nothing to swatch? Hmmm. I double checked the front porch this evening-- just to be sure-- so I am fondling my skinny needles.





But that is ok, cuz I am smart. Stop laughing. It said so right in the February 2007 issue of Child Magazine. And I quote:


Are Breastfed Babies Smarter? (no, my mother did not breastfeed me, but read on) Yes, but that's likely because their mothers are too. Researchers from the British Medical Research Council report that maternal IQ accounts for most of the difference between breastfed and non-breastfed babies' intelligence levels. But breast milk does help protect against infection and certain illnesses.

There you go, next time someone gives you stupid and selfish and just plain wrong reasons that they are not going to breastfeed their precious child... just tell them 'stupid is as stupid does.' -- as gently as you can.

I think I shall go tuck in my brilliant little boys, now. :)

NO CATS, ONLY BABIES

Personally, I would much rather look at a blog over run with cute babies than hairy felines. But that is just me and I happen to have a few pictures of an absolutely adorable baby...

In case you didn't get enough of the Pea, here's another. Isn't he scrumptious?!?!
He is a scandanavian boy, no hair under that hat! When he does get it, it will be lovely curls of flaxen gold. Lucky dog.






Who needs to be a dog when one could be a shark!!

A shot or two from the tank of the sharks you don't want to pet at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

You know the boys love that.








Can you spot the animal in this picture?












INBA even fed the Lorikeets! He always wanted to, but was too scared. He did great, this time!

Should I tell you that I have a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Lorikeet colorway?
Yes, I had to purchase it because I missed the birds.







We had to sit on the runway at PIT for 3 hours the evening-turned-night that we left for LAX because of bad weather. So, me being me, opted to not sit in the car for the drive to LEGOLAND, but to suck it up and go to Disneyland (the much much shorter drive) with the boys.

Oh, for those who would know... it is shorter to drive from Long Beach to Disneyland in Anaheim than it is to drive from my house to Costco, time- wise. Of course, I love Costco waaaaay more than Disneyland.

The boys, however, love Union Station more than anything. Ok, maybe it is the trains and the MetroRail ride to get there, but it is none-the-less the premier destination for Mayhem children.

And then we came home to this...

Quite a chunk of ice there, INBA, did you get that off the car that sat in long term parking during the coldest week of this winter or did you find that elsewhere?




So what of the knitting? Did I take a vacation from that? Hardly! I knit INBA a 'shark' hat which is really the Whale of a Tail hat by Cabin Fever. And it is red. If I was more confident and had the mental energy to do so, I would design an actual shark hat and mitten and maybe even scarf (like the dragon) set for the boy. I will put it on the wouldn't-it-be-nice-to-do list.

Oh, Heck! I went looking for the Dragon and look what I found. The Mister and I have been sitting here contemplating how to knock it off... but the mental energy is too much, I may have to order the pattern. I may just contemplate it a bit more, tho.

Anyway, I am working on the Jitterbug Lagoon socks, so generously gifted to me by the ever fabulous Celtic Queen (you know she is a friend when she gives you yarn!) I have not quite finished the first sock, but it is almost off the needles.

I am waiting (impatiently) for my first shipment of the Rockin Sock Club. I am sure that this is a major part of why this week seemed so unbearably long. I am hoping that Mailman Tim is nice to me tomorrow.

So, I will post pics of the knits when I snap them...

Thanks for making it to the bottom...

Do You Love Me, Again?

Whoa!! A picture!!!

And look it is the Pea in a pod!!

I was just trying again and don't really have time to make a thorough post...

but I will soon!!

Have a splendid day!