sad bargains

The Point Knit Cafe in the West Village is closing today. They lost their lease and the fire sale started on Monday. We weren't able to get there until today and the place was nearly cleared out.

I got 14 skeins of Classic Elite Solstice (cotton and wool) in orange peel, 2 skeins Kraemer Natural Skeins from Jeannie (420 yds fingering merino/nylon), and 1 skein Arucania Ranco in Pink (wool/polyamide).

The pink will become a scarf for my sister that likes pink. Something funky and not ordinary. She's not 2x2 rib scarf girl.

I'm not sure about the Kraemer. I may use it for M-i-L's birthday or hold onto it as sock blanks.

The Solstice will eventually become a summer cardi for me. That's why I got the buttons to match.

My friend Jen's been a more regular customer at The Point than I have, but we were both sad to so it go.

flashing

So, while B was out running around at soccer on Friday, I did this. I got a wee sunburn. Sunscreen next week.

I love how the heel flap on sock 2 is flashing.

In other news, my basement stairs are now safe again and we're well on our way to replacing the WC down there.

It's going to be a busy week. We've got game 7 of the Devils' playoff series tomorrow, Yankee tickets for Thursday (my first trip to the new stadium) and tickets to CDC's Peter Pan on Friday.

I had to bail on a work dinner for tonight. No way I can do dinner until 10 and the rest of this stuff in one week. Good thing it wasn't a mandatory work function.

Hubby and I put the bedroom air conditioners in this weekend. It was over 90 Saturday and Sunday and he just couldn't sleep.

bad mother award

I get the bad mother award this week. I do not know when my son said his first word or what it was. Hubby thinks it was Dada. I know he wasn't speaking at 13 months and that he had a small vocabulary at 18 months. I spent time this morning looking for his baby book and there's nothing in it. I've done a worse job filling in his baby book than my mother did mine.

Hubby does say that he remembers B started talking earlier than he did. (At least that's what his mom told him.)

This was prompted by the SLP asking for some of Billy's milestones. He crawled right before he turned 9 months and walked right before he turned 13 months. He gave up bottles before 15 months.

I know we were all concerned about the lack of speech. I blogged it. He pediatrician was worried about his vocabulary at 18 months, but he must have improved enough to appease her because we didn't do anything at the time about it.

Anyway, I'm home today. Mr. Handyman is fixing my basement stairs (very important as our tv room is down there) and this afternoon I'm taking B to soccer practice. It's going to be neraly 70 degrees. Woot woot.

I'm off to go sew now. Enough time on the Internet for today.

ikat

I finished my first Yankees Ikat Sunday night watching playoff hockey (Devils won in OT). Pretty quick sock for me 6 days or so.

My favorite thing about these socks is the way the colors flash at the gusset and toe.
The gauge seems really loose to me. When I put the sock on the stitches really separate, but it's just over 9 st to an inch. I guess I've got too much negative ease. Oh well, onto sock two, which is approaching the end of the hem.

You'll probably see more of this yarn. I'll be making a pair for B from the leftovers. He said he'd like a pair when I asked him.

an FO and some stash

Here are the Widow's weeds socks. All done and on my feet. I tried to get a picture of the patterned heel, but it ddint' work out. I can't spend too much time photographing my own feet, I do have a job to do.

So the deets, these were knit on US2 addi turbos from Regia Step. I cast on 70 stitches and worked in the double eyelet pattern from 365 knitting stitches perpetual calendar. I made the leg a little longer than I normally wear them. (I have really, really big calves and do not want to deal with decreasing at the ankles so I wear short socks, quicker knits.) I did a heel flap and gusset after reading some great tips on the magic loop board on Ravelry (I'd gone to afterthought heels because I'd found gussets too awkward on ML). Standard wedge toe. Just over 2 weeks to knit.

These are my new obsession. I love American Jane prints and I am going to make a quilt for our bed with these.
All but the recess charm packs came Wednesday night and Hubby asked what they were for. I said I was thinking about making quilts. He asked for whom. I said us. He was all over that. I think I can do an oversized queen with 9 charm packs and a plain 5" border around. I just need to find a plain fabric to go with (and figure out how to layout the charms).

I'm so looking forward to the nice weather tomorrow. I may actually do some yard work!

swatch spa

I knit up a tee-tiny swatch with my Yankees Ikat today, just to make sure the size I cast on today will be approximate to my mega-ankles.



















It took a nice little water bath in a cup and is now lounging on the radiator drying.

I finished the Widow's Weeds last night. They had a eucalan bath last night and are drying (not on my office radiator). I hope to have FO pics later this week, maybe Thursday. Forecast for Friday is mid-60s so I doubt I'll be wearing wool socks. Of course, I had hoped to have to put these socks away until Fall. Oh well.

Looks like B may start speech/language therapy next week. This new SLP is a real go-getter, once we finally connected.

In other news, my son informed me last night that I have the same belly as on the commercial for Mega-T commercials we see during Wheel of Fortune. I don't think it helps that I have a salmon shirt and khaki pants like the second headless model is wearing (although, I don't wear my pants that tight). I told him it wasn't nice to talk about people being fat and decided to walk a lot more often.

Easter Eggs and weeds

Finally finished my Retro Mama easter eggs Saturday. They sat for over a week waiting for me to sew the 1" turning hole.

They never made it to the dining room table until this morning. I think I'll leave them in this bowl in the china cabinet so I can see them year-round.

They were sewn with the yellow, green and light blue charm squares from one of my Recess charm packs. I'll definitely make more for next Easter.

My second sock is nearing it's toe. I hope to get these finished up soon. I wound up yarn for two more pairs last night. I'm finally going to cast on my Cabin Cove Yankees Ikat (scroll down to see the yarn and the dyer's socks) and I just bought some Wicked Witch yarn from Knit Picks. I've been wanting some purple socks for a while.

We had a nice Easter. B looked very charming in his shirt and tie. He insisted upon wearing the shirt and tie all day yesterday, putting them back on after his nap and not taking them off until we put on his PJs. I don't think it will be hard getting him dressed up for our next family event (little sister is graduating next month).

gusset mussed

I turned the heel on weed #2 yesterday at lunch. I figured I'd be able to finish the gusset on the bus ride home last night. But, even though the bus ride was longer than normal (traffic's been ridiculous), I didn't finish the gusset. In fact, I have to rip it out. I didn't pick up the same number of stitches on each side. One side has five fewer stitches than the other. I think I was thrown off by the conversation at lunch.

A couple of the people with whom I was sitting (me knitting, them eating and chatting*) mentioned that it was their 10th reunion this year. I chimed in, oh, it's my fifteenth this year. Then I realized they were talking about high school. I was talking about college. Teensy bit embarrassing.

Finally spoke with an SLP group who will be able to work with Billy at day care. I faxed his eval over last night and am currently awaiting a call back (story of my life lately, waiting for a call back). Hopefully, she'll dial the right number today. I hope she got the fax. One of the two numbers I faxed to never picked up to receive the fax.

B and Hubby are home today (well, B's not home, yet; he spent the night with the in-laws so Hubby and I could go to Maundy Thursday service). Who wants to bet me $10 that when I get home they're in front of the tv. Never fails, I leave B with Hubby and I get home and he's watching tv. Even on Saturdays when I leave them for less than an hour to go workout, I come home and he's been in front of the tv for nearly the whole time.

*My work knitting group used to have 6-7 regular members. Now, it's me and another knitter who has been working from home on Thursdays, so I sit with a non-knitter friend and occasional others. I try not to let it get me down. It's not like the former members left me for another knitting group, they're either at different companies or on different continents.

weedy Wednesday

My second weeds sock is approaching the heel. About 5 more repeats to go (20 rounds). I hope to be working the heel tomorrow. I may be able to wear these socks next week. It's been decidedly cool the last couple of days (we even had flurries in Manhattan this morning).

I thought I had a good lead on an SLP to work with B at daycare last week, but I've left three messages since I got a message from them last week and no call back since! I'm vastly irritated and if there's no call back by tomorrow, I'm trying someone else. I so want to get him started so he doesn't fall further behind.

I've had a couple of anxiety attacks the last couple of days heading home. I'm pretty sure PMS is causing the free floating anxiety. I think being up at 4:30 am the last two days hasn't helped either. B woke up having to pee yesterday and would not go back to sleep. How do I know he wasn't sleeping? He kicks the wall next to his bed and the banging keeps me up. This morning he didn't wake up quite in time. He did go back to sleep, though. Moral of the story? Fewer liquids at night!

a very good reason to keep a project by the bed

Did you hear abou this woman in Italy?

the weekend that was

My weekend started early. 12:40 am Friday, to be exact. That's when B woke up screaming because he'd vomited in his sleep. We showered him, changed his bed, got him into clean PJs, got him to the toilet and got a bowl and were back to sleep about 3 am. I slept in B's bed with him in case he needed the bowl so I didn't really sleep much. Hubby stayed up until 2 doing laundry.

I stayed home with B and knit feverishly on my widow's weeds while he vegged in front of the tv.

Saturday, he felt much better (actually, he was much better after his nap on Friday). We signed up for the pool, bought him an Easter outfit (with a tie), and I put a dent in our new car. It was very windy and unlike my husband told me to, I didn't park far, far away from the other cars when I went to the mall to buy myself something for Easter. So, of course the wind ripped the car door out of my hand and into the side mirror of the car next to me. Hubby got the big dimple out but the little crease is still there. I'm grounded and not allowed to drive the three-week-old car until I can take better care of it (or until Hubby puts his own ding into). I'm not really grounded, but I do think I'd rather not drive the precious for a while. Of course, I couldn't find anything for myself, but I did get a nice new Spring tablecloth and some 300 ct sheets for less than 1/2 price.

I knit some more on my socks.

Last night, I talked myself out of cutting a dress for myself out of some fabric. My allergies have been horrible and I knew I wouldn't get it done in time (I still haven't finished my easter eggs, jsut have the turning hole to sew up).

I did finish a sock last night. Here it is with its twin, a few rows in.

weedy ankle

Decided widow's weeds would get a better showing on my ankle than a soda bottle.

I'm on the second iteration of the heel flap. I tried doing just a 5 x 2 rib, but it looked stupid (fortunately I realized that only a few rows in). I hadn't wanted to do the eyelets down the heel flap because I was worried about my heels rubbing.

One problem with that line of thinking, I wear clogs 85% of the time. Eyelets down the heel it is!

National Poetry Month, a day late

My favorite use of alliteration is in this Holy Sonnet by John Donne (the only A+ I ever received in college was a short paper on this sonnet).


XIV
Batter my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend,
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee, and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd , and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely I love you, and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie:
Divorce mee, untie, or breake that knot againe,
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.

Another reason I like it is that it exemplifies my struggles with faith. Faith is not easy for me; I have to work at it. Although, I do have to say that the rape imagery is problematic for me as a Feminist.

widow's weeds

For some reason, these socks want to call themselves widow's weeds. I'm not sure if it's an inapporpriate name for a pair of socks, but they want what they want. I spend too much time arguing with Super-5 at home to argue with a pair of socks. (Don't tell the sock that it's probably inappropriate for it to be so immodest as to sport eyelets. It loves its eyelets.)

Sock yarn is Regia Line Step or something like that. (Here's the rav link with the actual yarn name.) The stitch pattern is double eyelet rib from the 365 knitting stitch perpetual calendar. I've wanted to knit socks with one of the eyelet ribs from this calendar for a long time. So, now I am.

I cast on for this sock on Sunday. I was procrastinating finishing up Billy's green sweater (just need to knit the collar and seam it) and had finished my last pair of socks Friday night on the way home. I really wanted to knit up some of Ruth's eggplant yarn, but I couldn't find the skein. I went stash diving and found this. I wear a lot of black and gray and don't have black or gray handknit socks. (For some reason I keep typing greay, like I can't decide which spelling to use.)

I reacquainted myself with my sewing machine last night. I made some Easter eggs based on this tutorial. I cut into one of my Recess charm packs; I used all the green, light blue and yellow. They're super cute. I'll try to get some pics in the next few days. I've got 4 done and 5 more cut out. If I use up the whole charm pack, I can make 9 more. You should expect to see more of this fabric line, like maybe a Chinese coin quilt.