So. It's Rat Week, folks.
I have surrounded the house with snap traps, on the sage advice of Random Lowe's Clerk Guy. Because he is an expert, you know. I only snapped my right thumb in a trap twice! Good thing I barely need it to knit, I have a mountain of knitting to do. Remember knitting? This is a blog about knitting.
We are hunkered down here for the week, for the most part. I made some arrangements to go out of town, but then I got to thinking - what if somehow the rats get in and then have a week to do some real damage while we are gone? So we'll be spending the days away and coming home before dark in case we need to do damage control.
The city hauled in TWO semi-truck trailer sized dumpsters, and a bunch of big trucks and stuff to start the job. I took a few before pics with my camera phone. If I can figure out how, I will post them.*
Oh man, they are in there scooping large broken old appliances and whatnot from the back with a backhoe, while the neighbor is moving the hefty bags of dirt from the back to the front! When I was out in the backyard watching the goings-on and sneaking some cellphone pics, he came up with the wheelbarrow and asked me, "Hey, what's goin' on?" all normal as you please, as if this were just another day. Then he loaded three more bags of dirt in the wheelbarrow and trucked them into the front yard.
Must save the dirt! WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE DIRT?!
Good lord.
I am watching for the rats, I can just picture myself out there on the garden swing with my bb gun. All I need is some missing teeth and a six of schlitz.
TWO of those huge dumpsters, a bulldozer, a backhoe, and at least five guys out there, three of whom are standing still in their green vinyl suits most of the time, watching the guy driving the scoop. Smoking cigarettes. My tax dollars.
Meanwhile Neighbor is running load after load of heftybagso'dirt out of there to his front yard.
Oh, did I mention that he spent the weekend digging a huge hole in his front yard, and then cutting up the tree that fell on our power lines in December and burying the pieces in the huge hole?
*My camera phone pics are too big to even upload or something, I can't figure it out. They are also pretty damn blurry.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Packratitis
My next-door neighbor suffers from it.
(This is the backstory for the next post. This mess has been going on for a little while now. Like, years, actually. But it has only affected me recently. Bear with me.)
His backyard is fenced and full to the top with old crap, the easement behind his house is piled high with broken wood things - planks, old furniture, what have you. And hefty bags. There have been up to this point around 100 full hefty bags in his yard. The front yard, since we moved here, has been full of a LOT of aquarium equipment, planters, and full hefty bags. Every window in the house is covered from the inside by boxes and piles of stuff. Every couple of weeks the smell of rotting sewage drifts over and fills my backyard for a day or two. The theory is that there's a broken sewer line in the house somewhere. Or that he's storing sewage. The front yard and sidewalk in front of his house have been covered with ivy and blackbery vines and dog knows what.
At Christmastime, an old, dead tree that he had been warned about by neighbors and the city fell down and knocked out the power in my house for eight days. He spent the day after the storm cutting up the tree and hauling pieces of it to the easement behind my house.
So a couple of Saturdays ago, I went out to my van to get some things, and what do I see, in my own backyard, piled in front of my van?
Hefty bags. A pile of 20 or 25 hefty bags. In MY yard. Apparently the city told him to clean up, so he thought he'd just shift that shite to my yard. I filed a police report, and then, Monday morning, when I went out to take BG to school, I found that the pile of hefty bags had DOUBLED. Fraker sneaked out there in the middle of the night and put more of them there.
So again, I called the police, who came out, we all had a conversation together in which the neighbor tried to tell the police that the city gave him permission to store his stuff there, which is on the line between my place and city easement property. LIE. So I called him on it and asked for proof, he immediately caved and agreed to move the bags back to behind his own house.
Guess what's in them?
Go on, guess.
Dirt. Or compost or... something.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, the police said I shouldn't be calling them about it, I should call the city, but they city told me to call the police. Apparently this guy has a jillion unpaid fines and abatements (is that the right word?) for this exact thing, and now the city is about to go in with big equipment and forcibly clean up the property without his permission, since it's officially a public health problem. They told me they plan to work the whole week of Spring Break, and that I should surrond my house with rat poison during that time because the rats are about to become homeless and they will come to me.
Sewage and hefty bags and rats, oh my.
Apparently, the Special Circumstances Housing Group is handling the case, they have had it for a long time. The house is within weeks of being taken from him. So I hear. Rumors abound.
The Excavation will be over Spring Break, so BG and I are going to visit Grandma & Grandpa. And maybe a couple of other places.
I am really freaked out by the rats, though. The rats! OMG. The strange thing is, I never ever see any evidence of rats at all. I wonder if he doesn't have some sort of rat poison all over that place already. Seems like there'd be some bleedover onto my place, it's only ten feet away. And I get a produce box every Wednesday that sits outside my place until I get home from work. If there were rats, wouldn't they be all over that?
Another friend asked:
'You say the bags are full of dirt? Is it possible he is excavating beneath his house for some secret torture chamber or pot grow room?'
ohmahgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. Some friend! I am now officially obsessed with the dirtbags.
(This is the backstory for the next post. This mess has been going on for a little while now. Like, years, actually. But it has only affected me recently. Bear with me.)
His backyard is fenced and full to the top with old crap, the easement behind his house is piled high with broken wood things - planks, old furniture, what have you. And hefty bags. There have been up to this point around 100 full hefty bags in his yard. The front yard, since we moved here, has been full of a LOT of aquarium equipment, planters, and full hefty bags. Every window in the house is covered from the inside by boxes and piles of stuff. Every couple of weeks the smell of rotting sewage drifts over and fills my backyard for a day or two. The theory is that there's a broken sewer line in the house somewhere. Or that he's storing sewage. The front yard and sidewalk in front of his house have been covered with ivy and blackbery vines and dog knows what.
At Christmastime, an old, dead tree that he had been warned about by neighbors and the city fell down and knocked out the power in my house for eight days. He spent the day after the storm cutting up the tree and hauling pieces of it to the easement behind my house.
So a couple of Saturdays ago, I went out to my van to get some things, and what do I see, in my own backyard, piled in front of my van?
Hefty bags. A pile of 20 or 25 hefty bags. In MY yard. Apparently the city told him to clean up, so he thought he'd just shift that shite to my yard. I filed a police report, and then, Monday morning, when I went out to take BG to school, I found that the pile of hefty bags had DOUBLED. Fraker sneaked out there in the middle of the night and put more of them there.
So again, I called the police, who came out, we all had a conversation together in which the neighbor tried to tell the police that the city gave him permission to store his stuff there, which is on the line between my place and city easement property. LIE. So I called him on it and asked for proof, he immediately caved and agreed to move the bags back to behind his own house.
Guess what's in them?
Go on, guess.
Dirt. Or compost or... something.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, the police said I shouldn't be calling them about it, I should call the city, but they city told me to call the police. Apparently this guy has a jillion unpaid fines and abatements (is that the right word?) for this exact thing, and now the city is about to go in with big equipment and forcibly clean up the property without his permission, since it's officially a public health problem. They told me they plan to work the whole week of Spring Break, and that I should surrond my house with rat poison during that time because the rats are about to become homeless and they will come to me.
Sewage and hefty bags and rats, oh my.
Apparently, the Special Circumstances Housing Group is handling the case, they have had it for a long time. The house is within weeks of being taken from him. So I hear. Rumors abound.
The Excavation will be over Spring Break, so BG and I are going to visit Grandma & Grandpa. And maybe a couple of other places.
I am really freaked out by the rats, though. The rats! OMG. The strange thing is, I never ever see any evidence of rats at all. I wonder if he doesn't have some sort of rat poison all over that place already. Seems like there'd be some bleedover onto my place, it's only ten feet away. And I get a produce box every Wednesday that sits outside my place until I get home from work. If there were rats, wouldn't they be all over that?
Another friend asked:
'You say the bags are full of dirt? Is it possible he is excavating beneath his house for some secret torture chamber or pot grow room?'
ohmahgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. Some friend! I am now officially obsessed with the dirtbags.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
My bubble bath smells exactly like St. Joseph's baby aspirin
Which of course hurls me into a back-in-time tailspin to the time I split my chin open trying to sneak some out of my grandparents' medicine cabinet when I was around four or so. I don't remember being hauled to the hospital to have the four stitches put in, but I do remember thinking the docs were dumb to strap me down like that, as if I weren't a Big Girl, able to control myself and hold still.
I still have the ubiquitous chin scar. Thirty six (almost) years later. This is somehow surprising. Scars can surprise you.
My little brother had a horrific bicycle accident when he was eight and I was nine. It involved gravel and riding another kid on his handlebars and a very steep hill, and culminated in an overnight hospital stay. Aside from the head injury and lost teeth, he scraped off the skin from both knees, so much so that he couldn't bend his knees for weeks. Big, knee-sized scabs. Anyway, about five years ago we were hanging out at some family barbecue and I noticed he had some big scars on the front of his legs, about mid-thigh. Turns out they are the scars from the long-ago bike accident. It blew my mind. Apparently your leg skin grows outward from the bottom as your legs grow. Who knew?
And seven years ago I broke my pelvis. It knitted back together a little off, which throws a very slight bend in my spine, and causes the muscles to compensate up and down my back. The upshot is that every once in a while my back will sieze up somewhere. Rarely in the same spot and usually without warning. It will be a lifelong issue. Not all that debilitating, but still a regular inconvenience.
Recently I have come face to face with some new, less corporeal scars. Things I didn't realize were there, holding me back in my new life, residue from sadness and lonliness that I did not really expect. I find myself more hesitant, less confident, assuming worse of people than they most likely feel.
I
do
not
like it.
One some level I know that I am still the person I once was, just as deserving of happiness and love, just as fun and funny and interesting and sexy. And on another level there is that litle voice. The one that reminds me that at any minute anyone can just change his or her mind about you and *POOF* gone. I hate that little fucker.
I am unwilling to learn to incorporate this scar into my life, my future. I won't just live with it. This is a scar I want to erase. I don't know where to begin.
Maybe right here.
I still have the ubiquitous chin scar. Thirty six (almost) years later. This is somehow surprising. Scars can surprise you.
My little brother had a horrific bicycle accident when he was eight and I was nine. It involved gravel and riding another kid on his handlebars and a very steep hill, and culminated in an overnight hospital stay. Aside from the head injury and lost teeth, he scraped off the skin from both knees, so much so that he couldn't bend his knees for weeks. Big, knee-sized scabs. Anyway, about five years ago we were hanging out at some family barbecue and I noticed he had some big scars on the front of his legs, about mid-thigh. Turns out they are the scars from the long-ago bike accident. It blew my mind. Apparently your leg skin grows outward from the bottom as your legs grow. Who knew?
And seven years ago I broke my pelvis. It knitted back together a little off, which throws a very slight bend in my spine, and causes the muscles to compensate up and down my back. The upshot is that every once in a while my back will sieze up somewhere. Rarely in the same spot and usually without warning. It will be a lifelong issue. Not all that debilitating, but still a regular inconvenience.
Recently I have come face to face with some new, less corporeal scars. Things I didn't realize were there, holding me back in my new life, residue from sadness and lonliness that I did not really expect. I find myself more hesitant, less confident, assuming worse of people than they most likely feel.
I
do
not
like it.
One some level I know that I am still the person I once was, just as deserving of happiness and love, just as fun and funny and interesting and sexy. And on another level there is that litle voice. The one that reminds me that at any minute anyone can just change his or her mind about you and *POOF* gone. I hate that little fucker.
I am unwilling to learn to incorporate this scar into my life, my future. I won't just live with it. This is a scar I want to erase. I don't know where to begin.
Maybe right here.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Kinda tired of packin' and unpackin'
It is truly astonishing how much taking apart and rebuilding a household can drain right out of you. If anyone had told me how long it would take for me to get back here, I would not have believed it. But back I am. I have missed you. And there is knitting to be shared.
Knitting oh knitting, oh how I love thee, oh how grateful I am for your calming, soothing, repetitive motion, your beautiful colors and comforting soft fibers. You are my balm in sad times, my joy, my wooby.
And now I shall thank you by SHOWING YOU OFF!
For the record folks, I have been in negotiations with multiple webdudes who seem to all have the same M.O. of fraking off with my ideas, never to be seen again.
So anyway, here we are, in no particular order:
DB Cotton Cashmere hat for Trina, (my own pattern) pending her approval:
Headbands in various colorways (my pattern) for Cynthia to choose from:
Fabulous Ultra Alpaca reversible cable scarf from Cables Untangled (which, by the by, is an EXCELLENT book! Beautiful patterns, great instructions, and a large stitch dictionary in the back - RECOMMENDED!)
Part of a cabled clog sock (my pattern, Ultra Alpaca AGAIN) for the lovely and talented dubby, which has since been finished, and its mate begun:
Kind of boring Cascade 220 sock for my generous and particular Beloved Mom, part of a pairs of pairs for which she has been waiting patiently for way too long:
Half of the body for a client sweater, which is now finished up to the neck. It's an Elizabeth Zimmerman saddle shoulder from Knitting Without Tears. Very fun to work, in what else? Berroco Ultra Alpaca:
There are a pantload of other new items which have not yet been photographed. They will come soon.
Thanks for your patience.
Knitting oh knitting, oh how I love thee, oh how grateful I am for your calming, soothing, repetitive motion, your beautiful colors and comforting soft fibers. You are my balm in sad times, my joy, my wooby.
And now I shall thank you by SHOWING YOU OFF!
For the record folks, I have been in negotiations with multiple webdudes who seem to all have the same M.O. of fraking off with my ideas, never to be seen again.
So anyway, here we are, in no particular order:
DB Cotton Cashmere hat for Trina, (my own pattern) pending her approval:
Headbands in various colorways (my pattern) for Cynthia to choose from:
Fabulous Ultra Alpaca reversible cable scarf from Cables Untangled (which, by the by, is an EXCELLENT book! Beautiful patterns, great instructions, and a large stitch dictionary in the back - RECOMMENDED!)
Part of a cabled clog sock (my pattern, Ultra Alpaca AGAIN) for the lovely and talented dubby, which has since been finished, and its mate begun:
Kind of boring Cascade 220 sock for my generous and particular Beloved Mom, part of a pairs of pairs for which she has been waiting patiently for way too long:
Half of the body for a client sweater, which is now finished up to the neck. It's an Elizabeth Zimmerman saddle shoulder from Knitting Without Tears. Very fun to work, in what else? Berroco Ultra Alpaca:
There are a pantload of other new items which have not yet been photographed. They will come soon.
Thanks for your patience.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Taking time out from the endlessness of packing,
I SWEAR to myself that I am going to get rid of most of this stuff. Why am I so attached to it? I swear to Dog I keep some things I don't care about just because my mother would be sad if she knew I gave them away. Even though the only way she would ever know would be if I told her myself. (It could happen.) And even though my mother is the antithesis of packrat. Her home is camera-ready, 24/7.
Aaaaaanyway, I plopped down here to catch up and was immediately tagged for this meme (chain letter!). I usually ignore them, but this time I seem to be unable to resist. Plus I love talking about myself.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Four jobs I’ve had:
* Wife (who says it isn't a job?)
* Mother
* Preschool teacher
* retail clerk
Four movies I can watch over and over:
* Elf
* Bridget Jones' Diary
* Tombstone
* Siverado
Four places I have lived:
* Seattle, Washington
* New York City
* Omaha, Nebraska
* Madison, Wisconsin
Four television shows I love to watch:
* Grey's Anatomy
* The Office (except that new girl in Scranton better just keep her hands off Jim! Pam will come around!)
* The New Adventures of the Old Christine ( I like her, she's plucky! And slutty! Good combination.)
* Lost of course
Four places I have been on vacation:
* Disneyland
* Milwaukee, Wisconsin (home of my beloved friend Rachel and her charming jazzguy husband David.)
* The Olympic Penninsula
* Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (OMG I need to go on vacation! That was in 1989! It shoudn't even make the list! Jeez!)
Four of my favorite dishes:
* Long grain rice with steamed broccoli and my special spicy almond butter sauce
* Mom's tuna rice casserole (shut UP)
* Chicken enchiladas
* Real Caesar salad (what kind of crazy person puts bacon bits on a caesar salad?)
Four websites I visit daily:
* Yahoo for my email
* wunderground.com, because you never know wht to wear around here.
* My parenting support group
* crazyauntpurl.com
Four places I would rather be right now:
* Milwaukee.
* Someplace where it's about 68 degrees and comfortable to sit outside sipping cappucinos wearing a hand-knit scarf, with plenty of people milling around and maybe some kind of pastry.
* All moved in to the new place.
* In a dark movie theater, with popcorn and chocolate, and a plain vanilla sock to knit on in the dark.
Four bloggers I am tagging:
(I'm quoting Laurie here**)
* You.
* And you.
* And you, too!
* All ya'll are so tagged it is not even funny. But hey, it's better than that one chain mail where you have to send a dollar to five people on the list.
** Probably a moot point since I don't think I have 4 readers. But again, I like talking about myself.
Soon I will post a picture of the pile of boxes of knitting stuff. Except I may have already packed the camera. So don't hold your breath.
Aaaaaanyway, I plopped down here to catch up and was immediately tagged for this meme (chain letter!). I usually ignore them, but this time I seem to be unable to resist. Plus I love talking about myself.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Four jobs I’ve had:
* Wife (who says it isn't a job?)
* Mother
* Preschool teacher
* retail clerk
Four movies I can watch over and over:
* Elf
* Bridget Jones' Diary
* Tombstone
* Siverado
Four places I have lived:
* Seattle, Washington
* New York City
* Omaha, Nebraska
* Madison, Wisconsin
Four television shows I love to watch:
* Grey's Anatomy
* The Office (except that new girl in Scranton better just keep her hands off Jim! Pam will come around!)
* The New Adventures of the Old Christine ( I like her, she's plucky! And slutty! Good combination.)
* Lost of course
Four places I have been on vacation:
* Disneyland
* Milwaukee, Wisconsin (home of my beloved friend Rachel and her charming jazzguy husband David.)
* The Olympic Penninsula
* Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (OMG I need to go on vacation! That was in 1989! It shoudn't even make the list! Jeez!)
Four of my favorite dishes:
* Long grain rice with steamed broccoli and my special spicy almond butter sauce
* Mom's tuna rice casserole (shut UP)
* Chicken enchiladas
* Real Caesar salad (what kind of crazy person puts bacon bits on a caesar salad?)
Four websites I visit daily:
* Yahoo for my email
* wunderground.com, because you never know wht to wear around here.
* My parenting support group
* crazyauntpurl.com
Four places I would rather be right now:
* Milwaukee.
* Someplace where it's about 68 degrees and comfortable to sit outside sipping cappucinos wearing a hand-knit scarf, with plenty of people milling around and maybe some kind of pastry.
* All moved in to the new place.
* In a dark movie theater, with popcorn and chocolate, and a plain vanilla sock to knit on in the dark.
Four bloggers I am tagging:
(I'm quoting Laurie here**)
* You.
* And you.
* And you, too!
* All ya'll are so tagged it is not even funny. But hey, it's better than that one chain mail where you have to send a dollar to five people on the list.
** Probably a moot point since I don't think I have 4 readers. But again, I like talking about myself.
Soon I will post a picture of the pile of boxes of knitting stuff. Except I may have already packed the camera. So don't hold your breath.
Friday, October 06, 2006
OK, damn.
I'm taking time out from the agony of packing to move (Do you have any boxes?! I need more boxes!) to link to this post about grudges.
I am hereby jumping on that bandwagon, and promising to burrow through my baggage, find the grudges, and get the flock over them. I agree that it's horrible that it took this sad, sad incident to awaken me to the toxicity of grudges, and it's time to change myself in yet another way. So here I go. I can forgive the kid who used to torture me in geometry, once by holding me by the hair while he drew a dotted line on my neck and wrote "cut here," and the father who disappeared, and the aunts with the drama addictions who broke my Nana's heart, and the thrid grade teacher who took away all my books, and the other grudges I'm sure I can remember if given enough time.
MEANWHILE, people! I am moving! Oy vey!
I keep thinking I have enough boxes for all the knitting cack and really? Again and again it is untrue. I had all these big plans to slash and burn the clutter, purge it from my life, and somehow as I pick it all up it seems that I NEED all of it. And you know, for future reference, books are heavy! They should be packed in the SMALL boxes.
Back to the trenches. Wish me luck!
I am hereby jumping on that bandwagon, and promising to burrow through my baggage, find the grudges, and get the flock over them. I agree that it's horrible that it took this sad, sad incident to awaken me to the toxicity of grudges, and it's time to change myself in yet another way. So here I go. I can forgive the kid who used to torture me in geometry, once by holding me by the hair while he drew a dotted line on my neck and wrote "cut here," and the father who disappeared, and the aunts with the drama addictions who broke my Nana's heart, and the thrid grade teacher who took away all my books, and the other grudges I'm sure I can remember if given enough time.
MEANWHILE, people! I am moving! Oy vey!
I keep thinking I have enough boxes for all the knitting cack and really? Again and again it is untrue. I had all these big plans to slash and burn the clutter, purge it from my life, and somehow as I pick it all up it seems that I NEED all of it. And you know, for future reference, books are heavy! They should be packed in the SMALL boxes.
Back to the trenches. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Laurie is peeping me!
Kind of exciting, really. Crazy Aunt Purl asked for a peek into our knitting spots, kids. So here's mine:
That's where I sit, and here's what I look out at:
and what's directly across the way:
You may have noticed the little princess glued to the window. Here's what she's looking at:
Do you see him? See the teeny tiny guy? Yeah, he is on the roof of a HUGE house. Not sure what the roof-sitter is up to. He sat there for a really long time.
Here's where I am with the dressing gown. This is in the middle of the third ball, and it's the inside, according to the pattern. But I like the stockinette better than the reverse stockinette, so I'm making it inside out. It is so soft and snuggly on my lap. perfect for the Fall-into-Winter knitting, as it becomes a larger and larger lapful. The glaring purple is a misrepresentation, though, it is actually a deep periwinkle. I may have mentioned this once or twice. Aaaaaaaaaanyway:
Also! I made a bunch of these lace tie-on headbands. Pattern coming soon.
That's where I sit, and here's what I look out at:
and what's directly across the way:
You may have noticed the little princess glued to the window. Here's what she's looking at:
Do you see him? See the teeny tiny guy? Yeah, he is on the roof of a HUGE house. Not sure what the roof-sitter is up to. He sat there for a really long time.
Here's where I am with the dressing gown. This is in the middle of the third ball, and it's the inside, according to the pattern. But I like the stockinette better than the reverse stockinette, so I'm making it inside out. It is so soft and snuggly on my lap. perfect for the Fall-into-Winter knitting, as it becomes a larger and larger lapful. The glaring purple is a misrepresentation, though, it is actually a deep periwinkle. I may have mentioned this once or twice. Aaaaaaaaaanyway:
Also! I made a bunch of these lace tie-on headbands. Pattern coming soon.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Oh! and I forgot
to show you this:
Finito!
I find myself wearing it every day. Thank dog it finally got cold and rainy here!
Finito!
I find myself wearing it every day. Thank dog it finally got cold and rainy here!
Seduced, I tell you.
I am helpless in the face of it.
To quote the brilliant Rhys Ifans in Knotting Hill, "It's a combination of factors, really."
First there was this:
yummy!
(in the blue violet colorway, which for some reason (might be my computer) I can't find a good image of. But trust me, it is the most beautiful deep periwinkle EVER.)
mmmmmmmm ohhhhhhhhhh oooooooooh so soft and cuddly and wonderful and such a joy to knit with. Makes my fingers so happy.
And then there was this:
OMG OMG OMG so freakin' flippin' GORGEOUS and elegant and stuff. I swoon.
I've been drooling over this dressing gown in Jennie Atkinson's Romantic Style for a few weeks now, ever since we got it in at the shop where I work. I swear, that book is the prettiest knitting book I've ever seen. And the patterns! Oh, the patterns. I wish I had time to knit everything in it.
So, put those two together and I am SEDUCED. No one can blame me for buying the book and 18 balls of alpaca blend. (OK, so I have the yarn on hold and am buying it a couple of balls at a time. I'm not made of money, yo. Anyway it is totally
WORTH.
IT.)
So I have powered through the first ball, only 17 more to go. I'm imagining myself wearing it on Christmas morning, and the beauty has magically caused my hair to be perfect upon waking, so this year's Christmas morning pictures? They will be suitable for sharing! yay!
Good plan!
To quote the brilliant Rhys Ifans in Knotting Hill, "It's a combination of factors, really."
First there was this:
yummy!
(in the blue violet colorway, which for some reason (might be my computer) I can't find a good image of. But trust me, it is the most beautiful deep periwinkle EVER.)
mmmmmmmm ohhhhhhhhhh oooooooooh so soft and cuddly and wonderful and such a joy to knit with. Makes my fingers so happy.
And then there was this:
OMG OMG OMG so freakin' flippin' GORGEOUS and elegant and stuff. I swoon.
I've been drooling over this dressing gown in Jennie Atkinson's Romantic Style for a few weeks now, ever since we got it in at the shop where I work. I swear, that book is the prettiest knitting book I've ever seen. And the patterns! Oh, the patterns. I wish I had time to knit everything in it.
So, put those two together and I am SEDUCED. No one can blame me for buying the book and 18 balls of alpaca blend. (OK, so I have the yarn on hold and am buying it a couple of balls at a time. I'm not made of money, yo. Anyway it is totally
WORTH.
IT.)
So I have powered through the first ball, only 17 more to go. I'm imagining myself wearing it on Christmas morning, and the beauty has magically caused my hair to be perfect upon waking, so this year's Christmas morning pictures? They will be suitable for sharing! yay!
Good plan!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Big ole pile
of finished objects! Huzzah!
The double sided lace scarf is blocking and man oh man, do I love lace blocking. You take your squished up, hey-this-is-sort-of-a-neat-pattern scarf, soak it, and then, as you lay it out, it becomes something magical. The lace bits open up and spread out and become defined and beautiful and HEY! This isn't a scarf after all. I think it might be a wrap!
Who knew?
Here's another view. I am just so damn pleased. Grinnin' like a fool here folks!
***
In other news, I finished the Daughter's little teeny shrug. She actually wore it once, too! That's some high praise right there.
and the sleeve from the front:
Lastly,
I needed a break from the Ruins of Dunstaburgh (ohhhhh don't ask), so I whipped up these hats for some friends' kids over the weekend:
Here's the crown:
And some cabling detail:
So. It has been a busy week. The hat and shrug patterns will be written up soon.
:)
The double sided lace scarf is blocking and man oh man, do I love lace blocking. You take your squished up, hey-this-is-sort-of-a-neat-pattern scarf, soak it, and then, as you lay it out, it becomes something magical. The lace bits open up and spread out and become defined and beautiful and HEY! This isn't a scarf after all. I think it might be a wrap!
Who knew?
Here's another view. I am just so damn pleased. Grinnin' like a fool here folks!
***
In other news, I finished the Daughter's little teeny shrug. She actually wore it once, too! That's some high praise right there.
and the sleeve from the front:
Lastly,
I needed a break from the Ruins of Dunstaburgh (ohhhhh don't ask), so I whipped up these hats for some friends' kids over the weekend:
Here's the crown:
And some cabling detail:
So. It has been a busy week. The hat and shrug patterns will be written up soon.
:)
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Emily wants to know!
the pattern for double eyelet rib. Since I learned it so long ago I can't be sure, but I think I got it from Barbara Walker. I'm not sure. Anyway here's how I do it:
CO a multiple of 7 plus 2, join in round.
Row 1: (WS) k2, (p5, k2) rep () to end
Row 2: (RS) p2, (k2 tog, yo, k1, y, ssk, p2) rep () to end
Row 3: k2, (p5, k2), rep () to end
Row 4: p2, (k5, p2), rep () to end
OR! in the round, comme ca:
CO a multiple of 7, join in round
Row 1; (p2, k2), rep () to end
Row 2: (p2, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk), rep () to end
Rows 3 & 4: Repeat row 1
Clear as mud? Yeah? OK.
Got a couple of baby/toddler hats (and their pattern) done this weekend, I'll be posting some pics later tonight.
CO a multiple of 7 plus 2, join in round.
Row 1: (WS) k2, (p5, k2) rep () to end
Row 2: (RS) p2, (k2 tog, yo, k1, y, ssk, p2) rep () to end
Row 3: k2, (p5, k2), rep () to end
Row 4: p2, (k5, p2), rep () to end
OR! in the round, comme ca:
CO a multiple of 7, join in round
Row 1; (p2, k2), rep () to end
Row 2: (p2, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk), rep () to end
Rows 3 & 4: Repeat row 1
Clear as mud? Yeah? OK.
Got a couple of baby/toddler hats (and their pattern) done this weekend, I'll be posting some pics later tonight.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
You know what I love?
Well. I'll tell you.
I
love
double eyelet rib.
I love it. It is my favorite stitch, my old standby, my first lace love. My very good friend. I love it.
When I first discovered lace, I must have made literally fifty hats in double eyelet rib. FIFTY! That's a lot of hats. Then I branched out and made scarves, wristlets, a gaiter. I had thought the double eyelet rib was old. Passe. I was over it. Then I decided to ignore my daughter's wishes about me never never ever ever knitting her anything for school AT ALL MAMA!
I have a little preview for you:
It is so preeeeeeeetty! *starryeyed* Although it's not so pinky in real life. More deep crimson (it's baby cashmerino, in case you were wondering). And BONUS! Once I told my precious girl that it wasn't for her but I want her to model it for the pattern, she demanded that I let her have it.
Very satisfying.
ALSO!
I have another FO to share - I wanted to find a way to use a single skein of Mountain Colors' Mountain Goat, an absolutely DELICIOUS hand-dyed wool and mohair blend with a SLIGHTLY (ha! slightly!) off-budget price tag. That is, if I were to need more than one skein.
So I came up with another lace scarf pattern - this one with a small ruffled edge. I used a Harmony Guides lace pattern, which I REALLY wish I could remember now, and the Mountain Goat in Lupine. It is scrumpdillyiscious, and actually it worked out so that I can wear it as a scarf or a very small wraplet. I will have the Camera Master take some shots of it on some shoulders soonish-ly, but here is what I can show you now:
I likey!
I
love
double eyelet rib.
I love it. It is my favorite stitch, my old standby, my first lace love. My very good friend. I love it.
When I first discovered lace, I must have made literally fifty hats in double eyelet rib. FIFTY! That's a lot of hats. Then I branched out and made scarves, wristlets, a gaiter. I had thought the double eyelet rib was old. Passe. I was over it. Then I decided to ignore my daughter's wishes about me never never ever ever knitting her anything for school AT ALL MAMA!
I have a little preview for you:
It is so preeeeeeeetty! *starryeyed* Although it's not so pinky in real life. More deep crimson (it's baby cashmerino, in case you were wondering). And BONUS! Once I told my precious girl that it wasn't for her but I want her to model it for the pattern, she demanded that I let her have it.
Very satisfying.
ALSO!
I have another FO to share - I wanted to find a way to use a single skein of Mountain Colors' Mountain Goat, an absolutely DELICIOUS hand-dyed wool and mohair blend with a SLIGHTLY (ha! slightly!) off-budget price tag. That is, if I were to need more than one skein.
So I came up with another lace scarf pattern - this one with a small ruffled edge. I used a Harmony Guides lace pattern, which I REALLY wish I could remember now, and the Mountain Goat in Lupine. It is scrumpdillyiscious, and actually it worked out so that I can wear it as a scarf or a very small wraplet. I will have the Camera Master take some shots of it on some shoulders soonish-ly, but here is what I can show you now:
I likey!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Some progress! And a new yarn review.
OMG! OMGOMGOMG!
Well, I'm off to see the lovely and talented Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (www.yarnharlot.ca) in mere hours at Third Place Books in Lake City and I am DYING of excitement! It was literally the very first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up! I will endeavor to NOT scream like a Beatles fan.
Boy, nothing like a mom with the prospect of a few hours to herself.
But first an update. Finally! Getting somewhere on the Ruins of Dunstaburgh:
Also, we got in a new yarn at the LYS where I work, Classic Elite's Wool Bam Boo, and I'm making up a Reversible Garter Rib Scarf for the shop:
People. I love this yarn. It has all the snuggliness of merino and the sheen of bamboo. It's warm and springy, and the colors are GORGEOUS. So far it's been holding up well to lots of fondling, too, not a pill in sight. (You can get the pattern free with the yarn purchase at www.acornstreet com. If you like. No pressure. :))
Woohoo!
Well, I'm off to see the lovely and talented Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (www.yarnharlot.ca) in mere hours at Third Place Books in Lake City and I am DYING of excitement! It was literally the very first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up! I will endeavor to NOT scream like a Beatles fan.
Boy, nothing like a mom with the prospect of a few hours to herself.
But first an update. Finally! Getting somewhere on the Ruins of Dunstaburgh:
Also, we got in a new yarn at the LYS where I work, Classic Elite's Wool Bam Boo, and I'm making up a Reversible Garter Rib Scarf for the shop:
People. I love this yarn. It has all the snuggliness of merino and the sheen of bamboo. It's warm and springy, and the colors are GORGEOUS. So far it's been holding up well to lots of fondling, too, not a pill in sight. (You can get the pattern free with the yarn purchase at www.acornstreet com. If you like. No pressure. :))
Woohoo!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Well.
My daughter has just informed me, in her very-emphatic-six-year-old voice, that she DOES NOT WANT me to knit her school sweater this year, nor any other knitted item, for that matter.
NO NO NO NO NO!
This as I was getting out the already-purchased yarn for the already chosen design that we have been talking about all summer. Thus destroying my plan of knitting her school sweater every year until she is in her teens, and therefore far too cool to wear something handmade by her uncool old mom. Apparently six is the new sixteen. Alas.
It was going to be so cute, too. An eyelet lace shrug with a bobbled ruffle at the edge of the 3/4 length sleeves and 1X1 ribbing around the opening. In scarlet baby cashmerino. Like the one I made for myself and she demanded a copy of all summer.
*shhhhhhhhhh* I might just make it anyway. Don't tell her.*
NO NO NO NO NO!
This as I was getting out the already-purchased yarn for the already chosen design that we have been talking about all summer. Thus destroying my plan of knitting her school sweater every year until she is in her teens, and therefore far too cool to wear something handmade by her uncool old mom. Apparently six is the new sixteen. Alas.
It was going to be so cute, too. An eyelet lace shrug with a bobbled ruffle at the edge of the 3/4 length sleeves and 1X1 ribbing around the opening. In scarlet baby cashmerino. Like the one I made for myself and she demanded a copy of all summer.
*shhhhhhhhhh* I might just make it anyway. Don't tell her.*
Ze Gauge, she is a wily and capricious mistress.
How is it that woman with thirty-plus years of knitting experience and a thousand or so swatches under her belt can make this huge mistake not once, but twice? TWICE! I can blame it on the fictional entity of Gauge As Whimsical Goddess, right? She is really getting on my nerves, man. I swear I swatched this thing ten times before the first disaster. Which turned out to be literally twelve inches shy of its intended circumference.
An entire foot. I'm pretty sure my client, the lovely Gloria actually wants the sweater in the dimensions specified.
So I laughed and chalked it up to a crazy fluke, did a much bigger set of swatches and cast on again, confident in my experience and abilities, and enjoyed the development of the multiple cables and the feel of the yarn softening with work in my hands.
Measured again this morning, and it is wrong. Again. By far less, but still, wrong. Apparently the only thing that will work with this project is a 100% size sample. So that is what I will be doing this afternoon.
It's a darn good thing I really like this pattern. It's definitely not boring me. :)
An entire foot. I'm pretty sure my client, the lovely Gloria actually wants the sweater in the dimensions specified.
So I laughed and chalked it up to a crazy fluke, did a much bigger set of swatches and cast on again, confident in my experience and abilities, and enjoyed the development of the multiple cables and the feel of the yarn softening with work in my hands.
Measured again this morning, and it is wrong. Again. By far less, but still, wrong. Apparently the only thing that will work with this project is a 100% size sample. So that is what I will be doing this afternoon.
It's a darn good thing I really like this pattern. It's definitely not boring me. :)
Friday, August 25, 2006
Here's something else I'm currently working on:
I can't wait to block it and see what happens.
I'm putting the pattern together and also looking forward to wearing it because it is *dreeeeeeeamy*. It's in Regia Silk 6-ply, a dk weight sock yarn that I just can't seem to get enough of. So so so soft and cuddly and wonderful to knit. I actually went out and bought a coat for Fall just to go with it.
And the best part is THIS!
The archival (thank you Morgan!) pattern, or the back. It reminds me of some sort of sea creature or seeds embedded in their fruits. It looks great right alongside the facing pattern and I am so happy that both sides will be visible when it's worn. Props to Barbara Walker for her Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I adore her.
***
And here's the progress on Dunstaburgh Castle (I am now 7 rows into the pattern repeats):
As you see, each individual cable pattern is separated by a set of colored markers. There are six of them. I color coded the parkers and then hilighted the pattern to make following it "easier."
Easier. Yeah.
Although while simple it is NOT, I am enjoying it even more than I thought I would. I just need many many hours of uninterrupted knitting time to finish it.
I can't wait to block it and see what happens.
I'm putting the pattern together and also looking forward to wearing it because it is *dreeeeeeeamy*. It's in Regia Silk 6-ply, a dk weight sock yarn that I just can't seem to get enough of. So so so soft and cuddly and wonderful to knit. I actually went out and bought a coat for Fall just to go with it.
And the best part is THIS!
The archival (thank you Morgan!) pattern, or the back. It reminds me of some sort of sea creature or seeds embedded in their fruits. It looks great right alongside the facing pattern and I am so happy that both sides will be visible when it's worn. Props to Barbara Walker for her Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I adore her.
***
And here's the progress on Dunstaburgh Castle (I am now 7 rows into the pattern repeats):
As you see, each individual cable pattern is separated by a set of colored markers. There are six of them. I color coded the parkers and then hilighted the pattern to make following it "easier."
Easier. Yeah.
Although while simple it is NOT, I am enjoying it even more than I thought I would. I just need many many hours of uninterrupted knitting time to finish it.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Why does my description show twice? I am such a rookie! *eyeroll* So much to figure out.
While I'm here, I'll just mention that I'm off the endless ribbing part, and onto the multiple-simultaneous cables part. There are SIX. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaang. Photos on the way. The Camera Master was too busy to teach me everything there is to know about the camera last night, so I will have to wait for him.
While I'm here, I'll just mention that I'm off the endless ribbing part, and onto the multiple-simultaneous cables part. There are SIX. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaang. Photos on the way. The Camera Master was too busy to teach me everything there is to know about the camera last night, so I will have to wait for him.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Gloria's Ruins of Dunstaburgh Castle Pullover
OK! Good place to keep track of my custom work, yes? Yes!
Met with the client, the lovely and sweet Gloria, last Wednesday to pick up her yarn and pattern - Classic Elite "Ruins of Dunstaburgh Castle" and Dale Heilo - to make her a huge cuddly walkin'-the-dog-type sweater for this Fall.
She wants to substitute k2p2 rib for the trinity stitch border and cuffs, make it mid-thigh length, and throw on a mock t-neck as well. No sweat, right? Except that today, as I was converting the pattern to knit in the round rather than in flat pieces, I realized that we had planned to make the body 5 inches longer than it is in the pattern.
Rut roh.
Quick, only mildly panicked call to Gloria - quick consult, and what we decided is this: I will knit the body to the length recommended in the pattern, then make one sleeve and see exactly how deep the sleeve hole really is (I'm betting MUCH deeper than originally suspected), to determine whether we need to actually make it that long. She is, you see, a little peanut and our first plan might have left her swimming in a giant cabled sleeping bag. Then another quick call to The Weaving Works to find that they have only 6 balls of this yarn left and they are a mixed bag of dye lots. They are holding the whole motley pile for me for 2 weeks just in case. Bless their hearts.
So now I have to learn to attach pics, I guess. I am so lazy about that. Takes away from my knitting time! Grr! As soon as I figure it out, I will post a pic of the incredibly exciting two and a half inches of k2p2 ribbing I have finished so far. YEEHAW.
That k2p2 sure pulls in. *nibbles nails a little*
Met with the client, the lovely and sweet Gloria, last Wednesday to pick up her yarn and pattern - Classic Elite "Ruins of Dunstaburgh Castle" and Dale Heilo - to make her a huge cuddly walkin'-the-dog-type sweater for this Fall.
She wants to substitute k2p2 rib for the trinity stitch border and cuffs, make it mid-thigh length, and throw on a mock t-neck as well. No sweat, right? Except that today, as I was converting the pattern to knit in the round rather than in flat pieces, I realized that we had planned to make the body 5 inches longer than it is in the pattern.
Rut roh.
Quick, only mildly panicked call to Gloria - quick consult, and what we decided is this: I will knit the body to the length recommended in the pattern, then make one sleeve and see exactly how deep the sleeve hole really is (I'm betting MUCH deeper than originally suspected), to determine whether we need to actually make it that long. She is, you see, a little peanut and our first plan might have left her swimming in a giant cabled sleeping bag. Then another quick call to The Weaving Works to find that they have only 6 balls of this yarn left and they are a mixed bag of dye lots. They are holding the whole motley pile for me for 2 weeks just in case. Bless their hearts.
So now I have to learn to attach pics, I guess. I am so lazy about that. Takes away from my knitting time! Grr! As soon as I figure it out, I will post a pic of the incredibly exciting two and a half inches of k2p2 ribbing I have finished so far. YEEHAW.
That k2p2 sure pulls in. *nibbles nails a little*
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