#2

When lying in bed at night
Trying to daydream
Myself into slumber
I find that even there
In my fantasies
I’m hamstrung by
Plausibility
How to imagine that torrid affair
With that sexy star
Without thinking
I’d rather be
Elsewhere
When I’m not daydreaming

new socks, no picots

Here's my new sock. Gasp, no picot hem! Nope, 1x1 ribbing. I wanted something different and, of course, I quickly got bored with the ribbing. The color didn't photograph well, it's actually more neon and grass-like than minty. Anyway. It's going to be mostly stockinette with a rev-stockinette panel down the back onto which I am placing stockinette shamrocks. I have no idea when I will wear these socks; I'm not really into green. But, they're perfect for Project Spectrum this month.

I have a couple of projects in mind for the next PS colors: BSJ in green KnitPicks Shine; ballband dishcloth style pillow in Sage Calmer for my living room; brownish socks if I have time.


On the poetry front, I've got nothing. No inspiration today, so I'll have to find some time to work on it.

Goals, again

It's April 1 and I bet you're wondering how I did on my miniscule March goals (well, maybe not, but I can't think of a better intro). I missed the weight goal by a pound, I missed the sweater goal by a week (although, F-i-L did get it back completed on Sunday and wore it to work yesterday), and we did abysmally on our goal to get B outside more. I do partly blame the weather on that one.

Overall, room for improvement.

April goals are:
1) five pounds, should be pretty obvious
2) participate in NaPoWriMo without actually participating
3) get B outside more

Nope, no knitting goals this month. Why? Deadline knitting is done until August. Give me a w00t!

I do have another FO to show, my flamingo picot socks, but it's too warm and humid to wear wool socks today. Maybe tomorrow.

I do think I need to explain goal 3. April is National Poetry Month. To that end, there is a NaPoWriMo like NaNoWriMo in November. But, I didn't want to participate on the site. Please, I feel bad enough afflicting you all. I will be writing 30 poems this month. I may not post 30 days, but I will scribble 30 times. I'm a little rusty, so please forgive me.

#1
beginning again
c'est difficile
pen to paper
cursor on digital page
with nothing to say

I tend to be epigrammatic in my verse, when I'm not being obtuse and over wordy. So this short stuff is very me. I haven't written in so long. I think I'll need to round up some exercises and things. Work the flabby verse muscles.

adding an inch or two

You know, that rowanspun yarn really sticks to itself. It took time to rip out the button band and seams last night. But, sleeve one is ready for ribbing again, after I added 2 inches. Tonight, I hope to get at least the other sleeve done and a front piece started. Depends upon how enthralling Dexter is (I've been watching season 1 on demand via cable).

My second flamingo sock has a toe and I'll be starting the heel tonight. I think I'm going to have to commute the sweater tomorrow and Friday so whatever doesn't get done on the sock today will have to wait until the sweater is done again.

Meanwhile, I really want to cast on something else.

F-i-L's sweater is in a state of suspended animation. In other words, I haven't touched it since Sunday. I'm just done with it, you know?

Tonight. Tonight, I will start ripping it apart.

I'm rapidly approaching the toes of my flamingo picots. I love these socks. But, I think my next pair won't be the same plain Jane picots. I don't know what I'll do that's more exciting, it's hard to find patterns that fit big-girl ankles without resorting to a gauge that has uncomfortable stitches. I do know the socks will be kelly green.

almost made it

I almost made it. I sewed the last seam on F-i-L's sweater as we drove into town on Sunday. there were still ends to weave in and the buttons are still on the card, but it was put-together enough that he could try it on. And of course, it is too short. I need to add about two inches to the sleeves and probably four inches to the body. Why do these men have such long torsos?

(It could probably use an inch or two in width, but I'm not re-knitting the whole damn thing.)

Tonight, I will take off the button band and begin taking the seams apart. I'm kind of bummed about this. I so wanted to be finished so I could start something else. I haven't been working on this sweater for too long, but I've been working on it pretty exclusively since cast-on.

I do have my flamingo picots to work on today. That's a nice switch, but I want to start something new. I've got a couple of green projects in mind for April and May Project Spectrum and I can't wait to start them.

home tonight

As of a little while ago, Hubby's stomach ick from this morning isn't better and we're going to watch the game at home. I might get the sweater done in time after all!

brain dump

Been thinking about alot of things lately.

Like knitting a BSJ for a colleague who's pregnant. I've got lots of Knitpicks shine in green, perfect for next month's Project Spectrum (although, I may through in some yellow and cream).

I've also got shamrock socks to knit for PS next month (hey it's not my fault the colors and holidays aren't lining up). They're shamrock socks just in that I did a kelly green dip dye last year around St. Pat's.

I want to knit B a pullover hoodie with a front pocket with the leftovers from F-i-L's sweater. We'll see if that happens before he goes to high school.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to finish F-i-L's sweater by Sunday afternoon. I started the sleeve cap shaping last night but didn't finish them.

Last night we went to Maundy Thursday service at our church at 7:30. Since I went to the "gym"after work and showered and it's a 20 min drive, dinner was after the service. We had a nice leisurely dinner and didn't get home until nearly 10:30. I went right to bed.

I also need to re-work the back (rip out an inch) and the front (rip out two inches and re-knit one) before I can start seaming. And it's going to have a very long neck band. I've never not finished a sweater for M-i-L and F-i-L in time for their birthday dinner. I skipped last year for F-i-L, but every other year I had the sweater done on time.

I didn't bring it with me today since we're not sure about our plans this evening. M-i-L's keeping B until tomorrow morning (she volunteered). Since we might go to the Devils game, I didn't want to bring my really big bag to work and if we go to the game, I probably won't knit on the sweater at all today.

I might be up really late tomorrow.

fabric

I just placed my first fabric order in over five months (I've bought remnants at Joann since October, but no yardage). I promised I would cut back until I got my sewing machine back up and running. It crapped out on me just before Christmas as I was sewing a messenger bag for my sister. I haven't touched it since.; with all the deadline knitting the last few months, I've not taken the time to get it up and running. But, I was browsing a sale yesterday I saw some fabric I thought would look good on my dining room chairs. I love my dining room set. It's mission style, cherry finish over oak, with tall chairs and a rectangular table, but the fabric is not great. I've lived with it for over seven years and it's time for a change. Now, it's not just a fabric I don't like, it's a fabric that's lived with a toddler. Today, they're running a different sale and I found this for $4.39 a yard. Our walls are cream with sage trim and the floors are hardwood with a sage area rug under the table. I think this would look outstanding. I e-mailed hubby and he said we should go for it. I think next weekend might be dining room fresh-up time.

I also got some fabric for fun totes. This for when we go to BYO restaurants (or maybe even to make a gift bag for giving wine) and this one because I just had to.

I've had a thing for dragonflies for a long time. Mom and Dad live in a very swampy area and there are always lots around. One time, I was sitting on the back deck writing and I took a rest and five landed on my notebook. They took on a little more significance when my grandmother died. At the funeral, her pastor compared my grandmother to a dragonfly, not flashy but always busy and doing a lot of work that benefits others. It was a lot more poetic the way she said it, but that's the gist. I only bought a yard of the orange one. I'll make a tote or something (maybe a sleeve for my work laptop).

knitting and thinking

We've been sick. I took B's temp Wednesday and he was normal; I took mine and it was high (100 in one ear and 101.1 in the other). Like an idiot I thought, I don't feel bad so I'll go to work. An hour later I was at my desk near tears being told that I didn't look good. I went home, went to bed for 5-6 hours and felt fine afterwards. Thursday we all went to work/school. As I was leaving work (in the elevator actually) I got a call from daycare. B had a temp of 101.8 and someone was going to have to pick him. F-i-L did that duty and I stayed home. Plenty of fluids later and we all seem to be okay. B was okay in time to go to our neighbor's daughter's 5th birthday party yesterday. He was totally stoked that it was at her gymnastics school. He's even cleared up in the snot and cough categories. Thankfully, he was sounding a little ragged from Thursday on. Phew, I hope that's the worst of it for this winter.

I am tired. B woke up at 3:30 this morning; he'd been dreaming about the garbage trucks again. I laid in his bed with him (it doesn't work if I take him into our bed, we tried that yesterday morning when he was awake at 6) and dozed off. I woke up just in time to go back to my bed and hit the snooze button. Fortunately, B's bad dreams are about loud garbage trucks and airplanes (we live 15 minutes from Newark Airport and have lots of planes overhead, sometimes way too low). I like these as scary entities; much easier to deal with than monsters.

M-i-L and F-i-L came over for our annual corned beef and cabbage (coleslaw not the boiled kind) dinner. They brought B a gift. She said they just couldn't come empty-handed. I pointed out that she took Tuesday off to stay with B and F-i-L had picked him up on Thursday, the least we could do was give them dinner!

So, I haven't done too much knitting. I did start the sleeves on F-i-L's b-day sweater. Must get knitting, I have less than a week!

knock knock

B's sick-ish. He's got stuffy/runny nose and a wee cough and a fever (100 yesterday morning). He stayed home with Hubby yesterday and M-i-L stayed with him today (I have a couple of meetings today with out of towners). If he still has a fever tonight (M-i-L's not sure she's doing the infra-red ear thermometer right), I'll be home with him tomorrow. When I called to check on him this morning, he was jumping on the couch. I don't think he feels terribly sick.

He's trying to tell jokes. His knock-knock joke:

B: "Knock, knock."

You (or me, or whoever): "Who's there?"

B: "Apple pie."

Y: "Apple pie who?"

B: "Mommy (or Daddy or Molly, just a random name each time)." Giggling by B, head scratching by you the recipient of his wit.

Our trip to AC was fun. Hubby lost lots of money, I lost a little bit. The weather was pretty wicked. When it wasn't pouring rain, it looked like this. Hubby walked out of our motel room Saturday morning and asked if we were back in Scotland. I spent part of Saturday in our room working on F-i-L's sweater. I finished up the left front Sunday night and cast on for the right front. This is what it looked like yesterday. I'm at the point where I should be starting the v-neck shaping today. I'd love to have the fronts done today.

AC baby

Fronts go so much faster when they're half the width! I'd be very happy to finish this in the car tomorrow. We'll see. I have just over two weeks to get the whole thing done.

So, we're still going to AC tomorrow. I'm happy about it. I need a little break. I love my son and he did stay with his grandparents last Saturday night, but two nights away will be enough to recharge my mommy batteries. The repetition and non-stop chatter are wearing on me a bit. I'm sure I'll be very happy to see B again Sunday afternoon.

We're going to the "Celebration of the Suds," which is basically a beer tasting with entertainment. I wonder how many attendees will be like us, having planned the trip back when they thought the parade was this weekend.

See you on Monday.

Hey Ho, three in a row

Wow, how long's it been since I posted three days in a row. Okay, not too long ago, Feb 13-15, but not once in January. My, I've been a slacker this year.

I finished the armhole shaping for F-i-L's sweater last night. I could have curved it but I took a class with Jean Frost on sleeves and she said it wasn't necessary. I'll have to pull up my notes from that class to figure out the sleeve cap. The armhole's easy. Figure out how wide you want the back to be at the shoulders (usually by the bone that sticks up) and decrease down to that width. If I were doing it all over again, I'd decrease every row instead of every other, but I'm making pretty deep armholes so the slope shouldn't affect too much.

Color's a bit more accurate here.

I need to get this piece finished tonight so I can cast on a front. I need to get at least the fronts done this weekend. I know, it's a lot of knitting, but it's going to be a pretty deep v-neck so that will help.

Hubby and I are up in the air about our plans for the weekend. We have reservations for a room in AC for Friday and Saturday nights, thinking the AC St. Patty's day parade was going to be the second Saturday in March, like it usually is. They moved it to March 16th this year. We have until this afternoon to cancel the room without penalty; but Hubby's not sure if he wants to stay home this weekend (especially since it's so hard for him to reschedule a vacation day at work). Me, I wouldn't mind the weekend away. No parade and bands at Michigan Pub mean more knitting time for me.

$50 gets you free shipping

I'm debating placing an order with KnitPicks for a 47" cable to assist in the button band when I get there. Actually, I know I'm going to order the cable and two US #1 harmony needles; I'm really debating bumping the order over $50 to get the free shipping. Eh, it's only $3 for the shipping on the needles I want and I can't justify ordering more yarn or a pattern book when I'm not using patterns so much lately.

So, I think I've decided to go with a set-in sleeve. Which is good, because I've reached the point of armhole bind off on the back. Boy, that sure looks orange. I had to use the flash, though. Every pic I took without flash was way too blurry. Boy, the flash sure picks up the nubs of the tweed and Molly's fur!

Poor B had a scare this morning. I think it was a nightmare induced by the traffic on the street behind us. I was getting out of the shower and he yelled "Mommy, I love you too." (lately, he's been adding the"too" even if he says it first) So, I told him I loved him. It was weird because he's usually still asleep when I get out of the shower and he generally doesn't talk to us when he wakes up unless he needs to potty. He sings and chatters, but not directed to me or Hubby. Then he said that he was scared by the horn and asked if he could get up. So he spent the time Hubby and I usually cuddle watching the news chattering at us while we tried to watch the news. He was in fine spirits afterwards. He didn't share too many details about the horn except that it was yellow. He did say when asked, that it was from a truck. I hate that he's having bad dreams.

three goals for March

I have three goals for the month of March.

1. Play with B outside (weather permitting)

2. Lose 6 pounds (seriously, I'd been doing pretty well and then I treated the last two weeks of February like my own personal all you can eat buffet and I really, really want to get below a certain number for motivational reasons and all it will take is 6 pounds)

3. Finish this:

Actually, it needs to be done by Easter. F-i-L turns 65 on Easter this year. That's the back of his sweater. It's going to be a v-neck cardigan with brown leather buttons. I'm just over half-way to the arm holes. I have a lot of knitting to do but, I'm stuck. What kind of sleeves should I do? Raglan are the easiest to figure, but set-in looks less casual. I'm really thinking saddle, but I've got no idea how to figure that out. I need opinions, and resources if you've got them.

even more picots

I'd say I'm in a rut, but there's nothing boring about these socks. When I first dyed this yarn, I called it orange crush, but when I cast-on for them last week in SC, I realized Flamingo was more like it (actually with a touch more red, they'd be scarlet ibises). So these are my flamingo picots. Pic was taken yesterday, sock two is slightly longer today. The pic is sad; the yarn is much pinker, more orange and brighter in person. They're actually brighter than my trekking socks.

The picots I showed you just before my vacation were completed in SC and have been worn frequently since I've been back in the cold weather. They just look so good with my brown cords and olive clogs.

In other knitting news, I finished, really and truly, Hubby's St Andrew's Flag sweater. He loves it and wore it to work today. Next time I do a large intarsia design, I'm going to keep in mind how the fabric curves around the body. The design is poorly placed. I've been thinking of doing a different version in a heavier gauge yarn for B or Hubby's Scottish grandfather.

What a crazy week. Tuesday was the worst. We had our parent-teacher conference, had our taxes done, and had B's four-year old physical (and I had to go back to the doctor because daycare had given us two copies of the same form instead of one copy of each). Poor B is a trooper, three vaccinations and a TB PPD test and he barely whimpered. He was a cranky mess at bedtime (no nap, lots of pokes).

The talk with his teacher was fine. Her main concerns were about his attention (doesn't answer questions appropriately and would rather watch other kids do their tasks than do them himself) and verbal skills (ie, he's not always intelligible and he talks more loudly than the other kids). Fortunately, basic hearing assesment was performed at the doctor's and he hears just fine. We think he's loud because Hubby and I are (comes from being country and growing up around deaf people). We have a referral for a speech eval. Doc just said to correct him, read to him, and if we wait until he's in public school it will be free. I really don't think it's a true impediment situation. I think he's lazy and just wants to get on to the next thing. (I don't mean lazy like a sloth, I mean he's just not so particular.) I asked the doc about the attention and she figures it's a phase.

At 3' 6" dude is the biggest kid in his class at at 75% for height. He weighs 42 lbs, which I thought sounded light being a person who actually lifts him, but he's at 75-90% in weight. Doc figures he's got heavy bones because there are no rolls on him.

I forgot to mention the trip was good, but the next time we plan to spend 4 days in the car for 9-10 hours, shoot me first. I got to watch the whole first season of Heroes, but still that's just too much.

Happy Valentine's Day

Sorry, blog post title's all you're getting. I don't have pictures of hearts or flowers to share.

I do have a sweater, though. But, it's blue. It's for my sweetheart, though. Does that count?

So, I did finish the sweater in time for our Robbie Burns dinner. It hasn't been washed or blocked. Hubby likes it a lot. I hate it. It's two inches too short and I've ripped the ribbing off the back and put it back on needles to knit down 2". I don't hate it because it's short and I have to keep knitting on it. I hate it because I think I did a poor design job. Okay, I do hate it partly because it just won't end and I really want to cast on for F-i-L's birthday sweater which is much more Project Spectrum appropriate. (Not to mention F-i-L's 65th birthday is on Easter and rapidly approaching.)

In other news, I have another pair of picot socks rapidly approaching second toe and I'm itching to cast on some Red socks. Probably more picots. I'm just loving the simple socks right now. So easy for my commute. I'll post pics tomorrow.

Finally, I'm a little stressed about my kid. He's four. We just got his "three year old" progress report and he got more "working on it" grades than we're comfortable with. Especially since the teacher explicitly told Hubby we needed to have a conference. Since I've moved past my resentment at her and a society that feels pre-schoolers should be graded (call it good, working on it, and N/A, it's still a grading system). Moreso because I didn't go to Pre-K or K, I learned how to read and write in first grade and I turned out pretty well (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, etc.). I've done a wee bit of reading today on developmental milestones and I'm glad we're meeting with our pediatrician the afternoon of the conference. He doesn't run well, can't jump well, doesn't do one foot things and the coloring and drawing don't seem to be on pace. I'm also slightly concerned that he's nonsequitor boy. At church last week they were talking about making a valentine for Jesus and a beat or two after the pastor asking what should go on the card, B said "P is for Pig." Cracked us all up at the time, but his teacher says he doesn't answer questions well at school. Is he too young to have assessed?

Birthday Boy

Doesn't he just look fascinated here? When I asked him what kind of ball cake he wanted, he said beach ball. He picked out the colors.
He's very proud of himself here. I can't believe he turned four over a week ago.