KnitCrush

Oh, My. Just So Much.

Well. I haven't been around these parts for ages. Eons. Too Long.

What happened to me? Again... well. It's not so much what happened to me, it's what's been going on with everyone around me. I'm pretty much just along for the ride.

The kids went back to school, obviously (two months ago, but it doesn't seem like that long). School schedules, Open Houses, homework, you know the drill. Matt has begun college, which is a massive change for all of us, but in a positive way. I went from part- to full-time at work, a hugely welcome change that creates some chaos on the homefront but makes the checkbook feel good. You know, it makes me feel good, too. I feel like I've found A Place.

And then, one by one, people in this house started getting sick. Slowly but surely, over the last three weeks, we've been dropping like flies. Just as soon as one person is almost better, another one is ill. We've all become great handwashers, I have that to say for it.

I haven't been knitting a whole ton (full-time hours=fewer knitting hours). I'm almost done with Multnomah. OK, I'm almost done with the first one. I started a second one today. Shush, don't judge me. I couldn't help it.

I also made a wee pit stop last week at the LYS and found some beautiful sock yarn. So, another triangular shawl. Again, I couldn't help it. This one is just a wing-it type of deal, making it up as I go along. It's Cascade Heritage Handpaints, Color 9931, on US 5 circs.

Really, that's about it. I'm resisting the urge to hit the LYS again today (so not necessary). I do, however, get to go see Miss Jesica for a haircut tomorrow. Wee!

Peek-A-Boo!

I see you! This is what results from trying to sneak a picture of My-Only-Hunter-In-The-Whole-World. He catches me every time, no matter how sneaky I think I'm being. He's like a neen-ja. (I love the funky green of his eyes; they've been ever-so-slowly changing from blue to green for years now.)

While I was trying to sneak a picture of him, I was working with this. It's luscious Misti Alpaca Handpaint Lace. At the time, it wasn't too humid outside to work with it; in the intervening days, it has alternately been great to work with or too-sticky-in-the-humidity to work with. I have fiddled with this yarn from almost a year, never happy with the stitch patterns I cyphered out for it. Now, I've come up with something dandy. (Yes, I said "dandy." Why? Because the colors of this yarn remind me of fields of wheat, of the Plains, and of Little House on the Prairie. And "dandy" fits that, I think.)

The deal-breaker (thank you, Liz Lemmon) with this yarn? The needles. Matt gave me the Knit Picks Options set of needles for Christmas a few years ago, and I also have several sets of Addi Turbo circs. I had started this on some Addi Turbos, but they were just a smidge too blunt--and I do mean "smidge." There is only the most miniscule difference in the pointiness of the Addis versus the Options in this small needle size, but it has made a massive difference. The double-decreases aren't sliding away from the tips of the Options like they did the tips of the Addis, which was really irritating me. See that? Addi Turbos on the top/left, Options on the bottom/right. Squint, really hard, and you can maybe see the microscopic difference in pointiness that kept me from chucking the whole thing into the garbage bin.

Finding the Time

It can be so difficult, sometimes, to find the time to get things done. Not the ordinary things, like cooking, cleaning, and running errands--those things get done because they have to be done. It's the knitting things, My things, that get pushed aside. Please don't misunderstand me--I don't have a huge issue with this; I fully grasp the fact that we have a lot of kids and opposite work schedules, and that's all fine. But when the ideas start to pile up in my head and I can't get to all of them, it makes me feel a bit unproductive.Ideas for patterns float around in my spacious brain all the time, but I don't think I'll ever have the time to get them all knit up.

I have charted out many lace shawls and stoles(I absolutely love doing the charts--flying that geek flag proudly!), but I don't think the knitting will ever get done. I work on things here & there in little stolen moments that don't seem to amount to a whole lot, especially in laceweight.

Take this sweet little bit of lace. It's Misti International Handpaint Laceweight (forgive me, I don't remember the color--I want to call it Foxglove for some reason, though). This poor yarn has tried to be several different things, but not one pattern fit it just right. I thought maybe a scarf instead of a wrap, because maybe I can feel more productive with fewer repeats per sitting. That bit there is the result of some scattered minutes of knitting yesterday.

And then these things happen, which irritate me to no end but are seemingly unavoidable. That, friends, is the result of casting on 256 stitches to knit a stole sideways so that the subtle striping runs the length of the stole. Over several days, I got about 5 long rows done. I left it at the side of my desk while I made supper the other night; when I had finished cleaning up, I found my poor, abused tiny-beginning-of-a-stole with about 30 stitches dropped off of the needles. A few of the boys had been using my laptop and had lain all over the desk, undoing all of those stitches. I tried to salvage it, I did, but it was too far gone. Oh, well.

(If only I could find a job just charting the lace. Then I would be so very happy.)

Knitting a Rainbow

Meghan, whom I greatly adore, has done an amazing thing--she re-introduced me to Ricky Gervais. Run to iTunes now and download his podcast, because it's hilarious and makes me all giggly. Good giggly. So-giggly-that-whilst-listening-and-driving-people-look-at-me-all-funny-like. Even more stitch-in-the-side-laughter can be found in Ricky's clip with Elmo, also available at iTunes. 

Adding to the giggles are these crazy people, who are crazy, and make me crazy, but are funny as all get-out. (What does that mean, anyway, "as all get-out?")

That's Wee Jack, showing me what The Uglies look like. Kid is CRAZY.

 

And that's My Only Hunter In The Whole World, hamming it up because he's really good at it. Kid cracks me up. He's been this huge kid since birth, just big all over, and he has the biggest heart, too. The crossing guard at his school told me the other day that he's been setting a great example to his class of how to welcome the new student; Hunter has buddied right up to him, which is just how Hunter rolls. The best thing? He still climbs into my lap, even though he's so big--he's always been the cuddliest one of the boys.

My Only Hunter walked up to me the other day whilst I knitted on this bit of lovliness and said, "Mom, you're knitting a rainbow!" I am in absolute mad knitcrush love with this stuff. It's so darn cheerful! Makes me smile every time I look at it. It's Jojoland Harmony laceweight in color HC05; this color name does it no justice so I'm calling in Knitted Rainbow. (I know, not very original, and I swiped the name from a seven-year-old, but it fits, so...).

Happy Weekend, everyone. The kids have spring break this coming week, so the next time we talk I'll probably be losing my ever-loving mind. (Hey, what does that one mean, too--"ever-loving mind?")

How Many Times Must Carie Cast On...

... before Carie casts something on RIGHT?! I'm thus far uncertain of the answer -- this is cast-on number four. It's Cotton-Ease, and I love the color (don't ask me what's up with me & orange lately, because I truly don't know. I am as shocked & surprised as you are, really). I had a little made-up stitch pattern in my head, for which I cast on too few stitches three times. Yes, usually I can count, but not last night, apparently.

I also don't understand this yearning for cotton that I've had lately. I have three merino scarves in progress (yes, THREE, but that really doesn't surprise you now, does it?), and I have been in absolute love with the squooshy goodness that is cabled Paton's Merino Wool -- until this last weekend. The temperature rose to something tolerable and suddenly all I could think about was how wonderful it would be to have a few cotton lace wraps to throw around my shoulders when it's warm out. Usually I don't think of these things until it's too late in the season (read: start knitting them in August so they're done in October when I want warm, cozy wool instead of lovely, breathable cotton). Am I perhaps (dare I say it?) ahead of the game for once? Now that's a novel feeling for me, really.

Perhaps this is why I couldn't properly count. AC/DC on Rock Band in the background. Sorry it's so dark. Dakota was singing, Hunter was playing bass, Matt was playing drums with Wee Jack running the bass pedal. Simply hilarious. Pretty sure the laughter was making me miscount. Surely it can't just be ME. :)

Sporadic

  Posting, like knitting, has been sporadic at best as of late. Le Grande Divorce has still had us in court-- yes, still, two years after we were deemed Divorced and I got my Independence Day. However, HRH and his drama can't bring me down, because I have too much to be happy about! The Welder and I went and got married, and we couldn't be happier. The kids are all tickled, and happiness abounds all around.

So, while the knitting has bee sporadic, you can see from the wee pic above that at least it's been productive. That's a Flower Basket Shawl from Interweave Knits by Evelyn Clark, knit with Paton's Classic Merino on US 8 KnitPicks Options circs. It is so squishy-soft and warm! I blocked it out on Saturday morning and gave it to Miss Nancy for her birthday Saturday afternoon at work. Yes, it was still a teensy bit damp, but she's wanted a shawl forever and I knew she'd be at work when I got there, and I just could not wait. Her reaction was priceless.

And the posting here, like I said before, has been sporadic as well. It's not on purpose, honestly-- I'm not avoiding you! We have no internet at home right now, so I'm only popping in here & there. Fear not, the lack of internet will be relieved soon.

Attack From Above

This morning I was sitting on the back deck, knitting on the pretty Clapotis there, Plurking, and drinking coffee. Ahh. Calm & Quiet. Rare occurrences around these parts lately, and well-appreciated.

I heard some curious crunching noises from above, and, suddenly things started falling onto the deck right in front of me. First, there was this:

And then there was this.

After he threw the stick at me, I caught sight of the guilty little rodent. A squirrel with frighteningly good aim. And a problem, apparently, with my sitting on what was obviously HIS deck.

He threw down one more clump of leaves and skittered away. I'm sure I heard a maniacal little laugh, too.

Yes, I'm sure he's building a nest. And that's all fine and good, so long as I don't have to visit the ER due to stick impalement at the hands of a squirrel.

(We really need to re-stain that deck. Hey, if the little creature wants ownership over the deck that badly, HE can stain it).

Graduation?

When I left elementary school for junior high, we didn't have a "graduation." We had an assembly at school, like at the end of every school year, to give out awards for all of the grades.

Now, when these kids leave fifth grade to go on to middle school, they have a graduation celebration. It was actually quite fun, and, I'll admit, made me cry a bit. D's school had two fifth grade classes, and the principal said something about each and every student as they shook his hand and received their memory books.

This was my boys' first year in public school; until this year, I have homeschooled them. Public school was the best thing that could've happened for D. He has tons of friends, became involved in every activity that he could (basketball, K-Kids, worked in the lunchroom, patrol), and actually got over his attitude about schoolwork (the biggest reason to stop homeschooling and go to public school the first place).

(The potato-face in front of me is H, the third of the four boys. He's a ham.)

Please don't misunderstand me -- I will back up anyone's decision to homeschool their kids any day, any time. I loved it. But after the drama of the LGD (Le Grand Divorce), moving, and starting over, homeschooling was no longer an option for us. We have been blessed to have the boys in great schools with amazing, understanding teachers and non-stop support. Letting go of my control over their education was difficult, but was also a blessing as it has given me time to pursue my own work and school as well.

(Just to forewarn you, here comes the typical Mom-lament)... I can't believe he's old enough to begin middle school. It's simply not possible that I have an eleven-year-old child. (End Lament)

Oh, and I so detest pictures of myself. So. very. much. with. the. detesting. But, I'm so very proud of D, so I put it up anyway.

Sooo... what have you all been up to? Is it finally HOT where you are? It's hot here today, and it was yesterday, and it will be tomorrow and every day from now until eternity. Or so it seems. Maybe just until November, which may as well be an eternity away. I detest the heat and humidity almost as much as I detest pictures of myself.

That's a sweet little bag of yarn that I got yesterday. I've been staying away from the wool (because of the aforementioned HOT), so I've been wanting some cotton. Some really nice cotton. I have a horde of Peaches & Creme that probably equals the Potato Face up there in weight (and he's a Big Boy -- the parents on his soccer team call him Tank. Kids run up to steal the ball and they just bounce right off him. It's great fun to watch!) ANYWAY... enjoy our little trip to TangentLand? Sorry! Cotton -- yes! So I've been yearning for some skinny, non-squeaky cotton, and this stuff is it. Aptly named Sublime, it's dk-weight organic cotton. And it comes in the best colors. I didn't even know what I wanted to make it into at first; I just wanted that skinny cotton. Then, I thought about a sweet little tank top, or maybe a slightly-chunkier-than-the-normal-lace shawl. I think I'm going with the shawl, as the heat (read: copious amounts of sweat) has reminded me of why I no longer knit summer tops and tanks. I just can't bring myself to put that much time into something pretty just so I can sweat into it and make it all gross. That kind of detracts from The Pretty.

Marge, She's At It Again!

Setting: quiet neighborhood, north-central Illinois city

A kind retired gentleman ventures outside to fill the many birdfeeders that populate his lovingly-tended yard. As he fills feeder #3, something in the backyard up the hill catches his eye.

"What is that girl up to now?" he wonders as he adjusts his glasses and raises his hand to shield his eyes from the morning sun.

"Hmph," he thinks, shaking his head. "Strangest thing I ever saw."

Leaving the feeders (because he must immediately go tell his wife what he has seen), he retreats back indoors and hollers the above-titled proclamation:

"Marge, she's at it again! That girl up the hill is out in her backyard taking pictures of what looks like KNITTING! Why on Earth would someone want to do that?!"

So, yes, even the kiddy-corner-backyard neighbors know that the knitting continues apace. A-slow-pace, admittedly, but continuing nonetheless. This is a little lace scarf in Tofutsies sock yarn. It doesn't show well in this picture, but it's a lovely blend of pink, green, plum, and cream. Quite delicate colors, finally in a lace pattern that does such muted pastels justice. And, finally, a self-designed pattern that I'm happy with.

Also from Le Stash, a top-down shawl in Cherry Tree Hill Merino Lace, colorway Java, held doubled on size US 6 Addi Turbo Lace circular needles. Again, finally a lace pattern that goes well with the yarn. This pattern reminds me of the Viking runes found in Maeshowe, a burial mound in Orkney. The burial mound itself is WAY older than the Vikings, but when a band of Vikings were traversing Orkney during a snowstorm, they fell through the roof of the burial mound and stayed to wait out the storm, wiling away the time by carving and drinking. They left Viking Runic Graffiti on the walls of the tomb: jokes, poems, love letters, and drawings carved into the stone. The runes are both wonderfully angular and geometric, while the graffiti-dragon drawing (carved twelve feet up the wall -- imagine, one drunk Viking standing on the shoulders of another drunk Viking!), is curvy and lithe.

Ahh, Orkney. Now I want to go back (as if that feeling ever really goes away!)

I hope you're all well, that your knitting is making you content, that you are healthy and happy, and that your vehicles are running well (yes, that's my little aside that the Zip-Zip Van is still sick. Methinks she's terminal).

Habitrail Hell

Spring Break 2008, Day 2.

After much hullabaloo, we finally got out of the house in the late morning and went to play at PlayWorld. PlayWorld is, like I said in my last post, basically a gigantic hamster habitrail for kids. It's a like the "play tubes" at a fast-food joint on steroids. Massive. One loses one's children in the jumbled mass of little people, slides, stairs, and mesh-covered sides in the blink of an eye.

When we arrived, I commented on how incredibly full the parking lot was. More cars, vans, and various other modes of transportation than I have ever seen in that parking lot. Jenna astutely noted that there was also a bus. Oh. My. A bus. Which we could only assume had delivered a metric ton of little children to do exactly what we had come to do -- play.

Shock overcame me as we entered the building, because I have been there before when it was busy, but this was in-sane. I wanted to turn around and leave. There were easily fifty or sixty preschool-aged kids milling around in the lobby area. Fight-or-Flight kicked in on cue. Run. Run NOW. Run fast and run hard and don't. look. back.

But, I had brought the kids to play. Honestly, when you're the woman with six kids, you have no right to run away from the crowd, considering the crowd that follows you everywhere you go. Fighting the primal instinct to turn around and run in the opposite direction, I reasoned that perhaps the solid mass of children in the lobby were leaving. They all had their coats in hand (yes, my cynical, snarky side, who I like to call "Caroline," piped up with "OR MAYBE THEY'RE JUST GETTING HERE!" Shut-up, Caroline, or I'll turn and run screaming. Really.).

Thankfully, I got to mentally chastise Caroline because that ginormous group of kids did, in fact, leave just then. OK, no problem. Perhaps that was the busload. Hopefully, just enough kids remained inside the Play Room so that these guys would be entertained. Piece of cake.

More like a big piece of Humble Pie. It was an absolute zoo in there! A posting within the Play Room stated (rather sarcastically, in my opinion, in view of the Community of Children screaming and tearing about) that "room capacity should not exceed 100 people." Are you kidding me? It sounded like an entire grade school full of kids, all yelling on cue. I recorded about 10 seconds of it on my phone and sent it to Matt, so he could virtually share in my outing with me (More like laugh until he hurt. After all, he was probably in a safer and quieter place, being in the Weld Shop today and all. Relative solemnity compared to Habitrail Hell, if you ask me).

BUT! I did get to knit a bit while we were there. The Pi Shawl was the perfect thing to take with, and I even made it through the next increase, which put enough stitches on the needles for me to change from Magic Looping to a regular circular. The Magic Looping was fine, but I've never done it with laceweight, and I really should've had a longer needle. (See that there? How I needed a longer circular but didn't go buy one? I struggled with what I had and it's fine. I showed some restraint!)

Here's the Pi Shawl as it stands right now. Looks like a colorful spiderweb, I think.

Be with me tomorrow, as Spring Break, Day 3, unfolds. Unending excitement, isn't it?