Snowdrop and Suitcases

These are the pictures of Snowdrop, blocked, that we took way back. It is truly, truly lovely. I wrapped it around my mom when we went to see her, so it is the last thing to touch her. That comforts me when I have the shawl around my own shoulders now. I'm so very sad she didn't see it; I think she would have been quite impressed, since the last time she saw the shawl it was only about 5 repeats along.


I have been working, when I do feel like knitting, on Argosy, which is another intriguing pattern from Vyvyan . I'm using a German sockweight yarn in soft seablues and gray/brown. When I get in the rhythm, I can do several repeats pretty quickly, but it's getting down to it that is the problem.


I also started fiddling with Branching Out, another lace scarf pattern, in some cream mohair, but I am only a short way in, and I think the mohair might be TOO hairy for this one. We'll see.

Now I'm making a packing list to get ready for our Germany expedition. Don't want to forget the passports and all that. Or the knitting. Or the kids!

Berit 1936-2007

I don't know where to start. I don't know how to go on.

My mother died 29 March - she was coming to stay for a visit and had a massive heart attack in the car bringing her here from Heathrow. It happened while she was still near the airport. I take some small comfort in the fact that the coroner said she died very very quickly. I take no comfort in the fact that she is gone, that we weren't there, and that she was alone. I still can't process it.

We traveled to London to see her, so I could say goodbye, and to make some arrangements. David handled absolutely everything and I am so very grateful. I can't really talk about it or think about it.

My sister and her family had also been planning to visit while mom was here. Anne was able to come quicker than planned and arrived with Harriss (their younger daughter) on Easter. I was so glad to see her, and to be together with her here when mom's ashes arrived. Sometime I will write about that day, and how it was really wonderful instead of the horror I dreaded.

Steve and Clarke came as scheduled on the 19th. David had to leave for Germany for 6 weeks the week after Anne arrived. Having the family here kept me going and kept me from drowning, and even made me laugh fairly often. We kept very busy while they were all here. Now that they are back home I am really floundering.

We leave to join David in Germany for a couple of weeks this Wednesday. Then we are home for a week or so before heading to the states for mom's memorial and to sort through things there, etc. Anne and family took mom's ashes home when they left, for the memorial.

The memorial will be a wonderful thing, I know. It will be in Pennsylvania, at our beloved Sheila's. Sheila and mom have been friends since the 50s, and she is like another mother to us. Mom stayed with Sheila in this past year and a half when she wasn't in England with us.

I don't believe that she's not here, and I'm not dealing with it so very well. Everything I see and do reminds me of her, and that hurts so much right now. When my family was here I felt rather overwhelmed by all the touring and things we were doing, although I know this may be the only trip to England they make. But keeping busy as we did kept me from feeling awful - and I am sure it did the same thing for them.

I wish I could take a magic pill and feel better, but I can't bring her back, and I can't imagine feeling better. I get through the days OK, although I would rather just sleep. It seems like it's been raining here for the past month, too. The house is a tip, relatively speaking. The laundry is piled up. Sometimes the kids don't get a real meal for dinner but they will survive on string cheese and cherry tomatoes and pretzels for a time.

Mom

My mother died very suddenly last week. I can't blog right now. When I'm better I will be back.

The Last Gasp of the Camera...

With its dying breath, my 4-year-old digital camera took this oddly blurry picture just for you, Gentle Reader. Of course, it ate six other pictures that it was showing had been taken, so I'm not TERRIBLY grateful. Will have David look at it, but I sense it's time for a new camera...

Blurry, and uncontrasted against off-white carpet, I present....Snowdrop Blocking! The dresser behind it is shown for scale. I promise an outdoors picture with human wearer once it's dry.

Hmmm...What could this be?

Anyone know what this picture could be? Anyone? Could it be a Snowdrop Shawl (unblocked) wrapped around two little girls?

Why, yes. Yes, it could be. And it is! Having our friends visit this week, I had some nice sit-and-knit time, and I bound off the top edge of the shawl on Friday. Slightly stretched on the floor, I can tell that it is going to be HUGE, so I am definitely taking the easy out and not adding the edging. Should I do the shawl again, I'll use smaller needles if I want to add the edging.

Sometime this week, I should get some pins so I can do a spot of blocking. Stay tuned for that!After Snowdrop is finished, I'll be back to the Ivy for a while, methinks...

Hello from a Nice Weekend

Greetings, everyone! David and I attended the squadron's Dining Out on Friday. A formal affair (with elements of The Crazy as well), and occasion for the Sunday best...I like this picture. Thanks to picture-taker Samantha for making us so photogenic!

Check out www.honsinger.net and www.knitfarmhealthspa.blogspot.com for even more picturey goodness...

Checking In

Sorry no scintillating posts, or even progress on Ivy, to report.

Sick kids, depressed me, Life Happening. Sometimes it's not even worth posting about. Kids still sick, me not so down, weather getting better. If only we can finish with the horrendous coughing and the albuterol, things should get back to normal.

Yellow Submarine

I had forgotten how VERY surreal this cartoon is. Lily and I are watching it as I type, and it's terrific, but makes me feel like I should be taking some mind-altering substance. Or be 3 years old. I'll go with the 3 years old, and a diet Dr. Pepper.

Got to hang out with some friends and knit a little yesterday - thanks so much, Jeanna! I admired their scrapbooking efforts, and got a bit more inspiration to get mine going again. Amazing, creative pages - I love looking at scrapbooks. We had a little Chinese food for dinner, and I made it home in time to see the lunar eclipse with the Davids (Lily had long since been put to bed).

Ivy's Coming Along...

I just finished the first sleeve of Ivy tonight. I decided to do the sleeves first since I didn't really trust my gauge swatch, and a sleeve is a lot less to rip out than a sweater back...guess what? I don't think I'll be ripping anything out tonight!


Unblocked, but stretched, the sleeve is exactly as per pattern. It also is fitting into my "template sweater" measurements nicely, as you can see from the pic below. (The Ivy sleeve is stretched on one side, but rolled under at top, which is why it looks too skinny.) That black sweater is my favorite and best-fitting fine gauge sweater, and the sleeve cap is almost identical in size. The wrist length on Ivy is longer, but that's the bell sleeve and hitting below my watch, as opposed to above the watch. It may be a tad long, but I think it's about perfect.


One sleeve took just over two balls of Highland Silk. I'm a leeetle worried that I may not have enough to do the whole sweater (I have 15 balls) even though I have the amount I am supposed to have. But I'm only a bit worried, not angsty.

Just Funny, Not Knitting

It's Chad! He's back with Episode 6 and life is good. Ahh, I do love this saga...

A Short History of Susie Knitting

I was musing about all the different things one can knit, and the different styles of knitting, and I realized something interesting. I'm not a prolific knitter by any means, but I've taken a stab at all kinds of different knitting in my day.

I taught myself to knit from a book at 16, my mom showed me Continental knitting, or as I call it, FAST knitting, and I never looked back. The first thing I remember making was leg warmers, in bright pink acrylic. This WAS the 80s, you know. I wore them often during figure skating lessons at school. No pattern, just...hmm, ribbing....hmmm, maybe I should make them smaller here, and there you are. Perfectly fine leg warmers. Last year my sister, now living in Florida, sent me a pair of leg warmers I made for her, near the same time, although these were wool. A little felted, but I was impressed with myself - they looked good for over 20 years old!

The next project I tackled was a sweater. Fair Isle, knit in the round, seamless. I had no idea it was supposed to be hard! Thank you for Elizabeth Zimmerman, and her seminal book Knitting Without Tears. If I were on a desert island and could have only one knitting book, that would be the one. The sweater was made in a foggy blue lopi sort of wool, with brown and green and cream patterns, and it was lovely. I remember buying the wool with my Mom at a yarn shop long since closed on Calvert Street in Baltimore, MD.

The sweater? Wonderful! I still find it hard to believe I knit something to fit myself so quickly out of the knitting gate. I wish I had a picture of me in it, but it's long gone now. Sadly, my young knitting self couldn't be trusted to care for woolen garments and I shrank it pretty severely when I left home and did my own laundry.

After that, I didn't knit myself another sweater for ages, until I made a boxy but good rollneck in the mid-90s. No more sweaters for me; I didn't grasp the idea that fitted garments make you look less like a fireplug, so the huge or bulky sweaters I did start were less than successful. I did tackle socks, Turkish socks, color-patterned fair isle hats, cabling, and socks knit within socks. And of course scarves. A wonderful Aran vest that I never wore because of the above Bulky Issue. And the odd mitten. I made a few lovely, lacy baby sweaters and two baby blankets in complicated stitch patterns.

Despite all those pretty nifty achievements, I lost confidence in my Mad Knitting Skillz somewhere along the way. Then I had kids and lost my ability to carve out free time. In the past year, my wish to knit and time to knit have somehow met up again, and we're glad to be back in business.

Things I have found out: I knit VERY loosely and it's a challenge making socks that aren't floppy. A small project can teach you as much as a huge project, and you might actually finish it! Lace is tough. Until you can read a chart. Then it's just time- and attention-consuming. Fitting a sweater to your own personal measurements means you just might WANT to wear the sweater when you're done.

It's not rocket science, but it's knitting. And it makes me happy.

Three Guesses

Here's what I spent my knitting hours on this weekend.

I'll give you three guesses as to what this is.


Give up? See this post for details.

Wedgie Complete!!

One Wedgie, size 5 (US) needles, two and a half balls of Noro Kureyon, and total scarf happiness!! I decided not to do the differently-shaped final wedge and just cast off, but now I'm second-guessing my second guess. I think Vyvyan's scarf pictures show that the funny little last wedge is really THE way to go. I may spit-splice and add that wedge, or I may just live with my pointy one.


I really really like this scarf - I think it's a great way to show off Kureyon color shifts and it's skinny enough to wrap around while still being snuggly. GREAT pattern. I have some tan alpaca that would be really nice in this, but I think I am going to try Vyvyan's Argosy pattern for that. Am I ready for the challenge? We'll see! That is one chic scarf.

Some Knitting and Way Too Much Whining.

Hey, all you Gentle Readers! All three of ya :) I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Been feeling a little overwhelmed by life and underwhelmed by dealing with it. Plus DH had my laptop in his custody for a couple of days, studying for his promotion test.

Our promised "several inches of snow" fizzled out today, much to the disgust of young David, who says "I hate global warming."

In knitting, I picked up my lovely Wedgie a couple of evenings ago and am now into skein three of the Noro. I contemplated stopping at two skeins, which Vyvyan suggests, but I like to wrap a scarf around my neck a la Tom Baker's Doctor Who, so I'm going for crazy-long. It's looking great and I promise a pic on me soon. Camera is batteryless, and David has his camera at Cub Scouts tonight to photograph the small David's investiture (?). After Wedgie, I am going back to my Snowdrop Shawl to make a little progress, I think. So ends the knitting update. If you don't need to read a truckload of whining about how to make my child happy again, stop now!

Small David is ... not great. He's feeling angst-y, irritable, and gets upset very easily, and it seems to be a combination of all kinds of things.

Here's what I hate - when your kids are too old for you to be able to solve all their problems. Sigh. We've made some progress getting him to talk about his feelings, at least. All kinds of things are getting to him, and he's just not ever...happy. Not really for a couple of months now. I'm getting more and more concerned.

Tae Kwon Do was stressful - we found out that it is because he's gone up a belt and has a much more complex pattern that he can't memorize yet. Dadster talked to the instructor and he had a helper do lots more one-to-one work with him to get the pattern and moves down. I think that's going to be OK now.

Cubs has just started to become a "thing," too. David loved Beavers and the kids/leaders there. He's just moved up to the Cub pack and, frankly, it's more than a little Lord of the Flies. The leader is a very old woman, who's been doing it since her son, now in his forties, was a Cub Scout. She, and the other leaders, have no idea how to command the attention and respect of a group of little boys, and the kids in general make me REALLY happy David doesn't go to the school most of them attend. I attended a couple of sessions and found myself speaking up to say "Oi. Listen to the leader." DH is there tonight and will be watching, and talking to the District head who will be there, but I think the solution is to look for a better-run pack. There's only one little boy that David has bonded with there, anyhow, so we might be able to switch to a pack a bit further away if they have space. The other pack is more likely to have kids from David's school anyway, but they were oversubscribed when he joined Beavers last year.

School is now boring and a waste of time - he can't really articulate that one, but hasn't tried when he's not in the middle of being upset in the morning when it's time to get ready for school, so we'll have to chat again soon. I talked to his teachers this week to let them know he's feeling bored and frustrated and that I would try and find out more. They are watching him more closely. Because the classwork is too easy, he's not getting anything out of the day except his socializing, especially with his tablemate and buddy Sam, who is another really bright kid in his year.

However, I don't know what to suggest to enrich the work and add some interest to the topics. He likes the arty projects best. Those of you who know David have some idea just how bright he is, and his main teacher certainly knows his has stellar test scores, reads off the charts, and has an incredible vocabulary. However, he does what is expected of him and not more in school, and she doesn't push for anything different, since he was the youngest child in the room last year. The classroom is a combined Year 3/Year 4 room, with about 20 kids. That equates to second and third grades in the US. This year, at 8, he is in the middle of the age range so he's fitting in socially really well with both years. His slow and not-very-neat writing is the thing holding him back from really ripping with story writing, etc., and I keep trying to point this out to the teacher, but she's pleased enough with his writing in class, and I've seen samples. It's creative and funny, and very polished for a 7-8-year-old, etc., but he struggles to get it out on paper in time. Mathwise he does really well but if it were somehow more interesting, I think he'd leap far ahead. So school. That's an issue. I don't want to take him out and homeschool him, because he likes the kids so much and it's a great little school. But we need to find ways to challenge him within school before he hates it. I think homeschooling right here, right now, would be very isolating for him. But some days I wonder. 90% of what he knows he's taught himself through books, etc. That's what happens when you learn to read at 3. I'm struggling.

He doesn't like bedtime at all. We've tried several different ways of easing the transition or lengthening the awake time. In a nutshell, he doesn't like being alone in his room. It's a huge room, 15 by 15 feet, and he has a loft bed, and I think he feels lost and lonely in there. DH and I have been tossing around a couple of ideas to make the room more warm and fuzzy, among them turning the loft bed into a low bed (it's a bed that has three height settings; used to be highest height when he shared a bedroom with Lily in Nebraska, now it's middle height, and at low height you could put curtains or something around the bedposts and make it a hidey place.) The other idea is to swap rooms and put him in the Grandma room (guest room) which is much smaller, but there's really not room for all his bookshelves and toy shelves in there.

See? A very boring post, but it's all that's in my head right now. That, and all the stuff I need to do for Lily's preschool. Feeling overwhelmed by my To Do list, which I wouldn't be feeling if I weren't overwhelmed by David's general unhappiness.

Suggestions? Advice? Two cents' worth? Anyone?

Go See the Magic

Hiya, Gentle Readers....check out our Family Blog for a great little slide show of our trip to Disneyland Paris, made by Darling Husband of Mine.

Knitting...not so much this past week. I did work on Wedgie while I waited for the Disney Princess parade to start, so that was fun, but it's still got a skein to go, maybe two if I decide to make it superduper-long.

I'm Baaaack.

Yes, we made it home from our EuroDisney trip, and everyone had a really lovely time! I will post pictures when I get settled. The last two days have been unpack/recover days, but today was a "migraine from nowhere" day and I ended up crawling into a dark room to hide under the covers for almost 5 hours. I'm up now, but there's still a fraction of headache left, which means I still have a really bad headache, just not a "my head is going to explode" headache.

Let me get through this day, and perhaps tomorrow will improve!

Just to Say Howdy!

Checking in to tell you, Gentle Readers, that I am officially the baddest bowler of the ladies who gathered on Tuesday. Sounds better than the WORST bowler, doesn't it? I seriously contemplated putting up the bumpers on the lane, but I was laughing too hard at my ineptitude to do it. 50-odd points. A new low in bowling scores for me, I think. It just makes me want to go back again soon, though. I know I can improve THAT score.

Noro Wedgie continues to grow pretty fast, although I only sat down to do one wedge last night. I am getting the exact gauge, and I think I may even use three balls instead of just two. I like a long Tom Baker-length scarf and the color changes on this are really fun to watch. As I get through the third set of repeats, I'm finding that I can "feel" the flow of the pattern, and I don't have to keep count as ruthlessly as I was two nights ago. Really really nice!

I got an unexpected, and lovely, knitting gift yesterday - thank you, Not-so-secret Pal! Speaking of lovely things, check out this knitting shop/site, kpixie.com. Drool, drool, drool. Sock yarns are calling my name pretty loudly right now...

Wedgie Update

Heh heh. That pattern name makes me snicker. Heh heh. But the pattern is terrific! I had a bit of a hitch figuring out the wrap and turn of a short row, but then all became clear, and I'm sailing along. I did the first 4 sections, and here's a progress shot. Not much time to knit today, as I had a bunch of errands and then a ladies' night out (bowling - wheeee! Boy, am I bad at bowling...). But here's what my Wedgie looks like so far. It definitely showcases the Noro colorshifts, and size 5 needles are giving me a FIRM enough fabric while still being relaxed knitting.

Noro Joy!!!

I have just seen a pattern that is perfect (perfect I tell you) for my beloved, yet annoyingly un-knit-up-able, Noro Kureyon yarn. Check out the Happy Camper and this post of hers. Scroll down to see her Noro version...I also love that colorway.

I'm going to give it a spin this afternoon, and see what happens - the pattern's very different from anything I have tried. Lots and lots of short rows, which I haven't tackled before. Oooh, a challenge!!

I'm still here...

Sorry for the lack of Knitterly Content, or any other sorts of content, actually. I've been sorta focused on Le Health Spa blog page, and haven't felt like knitting on anything.

I did pull out the Sari Silk Scarf I've almost finished, and I've stashed it in my purse for on-the-go knitting, like when I am on Tae Kwon Do waiting duty.

I can't get excited about socks, I can't get motivated for the shawl, and I'm not ready to dedicate myself to Ivy yet. It remains my absolute favorite thing from the fall issue of Knitty, however.

I actually seamed the shoulders of my Noro vest and wore it for an afternoon (all it lacks is a zipper, and the final round of I-cord edging around the armholes, which I was considering skipping. That was very disappointing. The vest just draaaags down, and looks very stretched out and ... odd. I can't even call it a Boho Chic feature, or anything. I was SO pleased to have found a pattern that showed off the coloring and could be knit to my dimensions.

In my heart, and my head, I know what the problem is: I knit the Noro too loosely. That's usually my problem. If you have ever seen my knitting in person, you will see that I am the most "Relaxed gauge" knitter there ever was. Makes for a mellow knitting session, but explains why I must knit socks on size 0 needles or smaller. But I can't imagine reknitting the same vest all over again in a tighter gauge. Especially since I don't love how it looks right now. It's hard to picture it looking good, KWIM?

I don't know what I want to do next with this yarn. [Whine, whine, whine.] I love it, love the colors and the feel, but I'm running out of ideas. I might try some mitred squares, but again, I have to watch the gauge. Do I have to knit this stuff on size 3 (US) needles to get a non-floppy fabric? Ai yi yi.

I have a feeling it would lend itself to felting. Anyone out there used Noro Kureyon in a felted project? That sorta limits the projects to...oh, a bag. I don't want or need a felted hat. Felted slippers out of Noro - seems awfully decadent. Maybe I need some decadent. Or maybe a multidirectional scarf. Or six. I have a LOT of this Noro.

My Darling

Today is my Darling David's birthday - he's MUCH, MUCH, MUCH older than I am. Almost a month, even.

Kisses to you, today, baby! You get better with every passing year, and I am so very lucky.

Guilty Pleasures....

Oh, yes...the rich, creamy awfulness that is Celebrity Big Brother UK. We are sooooo there. Watching the entries now - so far, my favorites are some SClub7 popstar and old disco popstar Leo Sayer (?). Oddest and probably most drunk - director Ken Russell. Now, we have some gossip columnist coming in....ooooh, the meowness. I think there are live feeds free on that link above.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha - now I have passed the madness on.

New Link for you, Gentle Readers

I'll be blogging in a separate spot about weight loss, fitness, the universe, and everything - so if you want to see progress pics, hear progress news, read my whining, send ecncouragement, or anything like that, check out the Health Spa link at left. And if that's not your bag, baby, it won't be cluttering up the clutter that is the Knit Farm. Heh.

Happy New Year!

We had a lovely, quiet New Year's Eve. Small D stayed up to see midnight in, but just barely...He turned 8 a few days back, between Christmas and New Year's.

I love this picture with his cake. By the by, we ate one slice each and threw the rest away. Kids don't like any part but the frosting, but the grownups like it all. Too much!

Some Quick Entertainment

This is funny (and festive).





This is funnier.



This is hilarious but really not safe for kids.

Wonderful Day

Christmas Day - terrific from beginning to end, even if small D. did wake up at 4-odd in the morning because he was so excited. He ended up sleeping in our bed until Lily came in at 8 to wake us all. Santa brought lovely things, family and friends sent wonderful things, and even Mommy and Daddy gave some nice things. Mommy and Daddy even got a present or two of their own.

Dinner was yummy, we got to speak to all the grandparents, and there was a Doctor Who Christmas episode. True excitement for the kid who got a TARDIS playset from Santa.




Here's a nice shot of the shop that Santa left - we've since changed the shopkeeper's chair for a shorter one that fits better.

Check out the Family Blog for a few more pictures of the kids enjoying some of their gifts...

Merry Christmas, Gentle Reader

Wherever you may be, know that I wish you the happiest of holidays and a wonderful new year ahead. May your Christmas have love and friends, family and fun!

And maybe some quality knitting time by the fireplace, with glass of delicious mulled wine close at hand, and your sweetie by your side. Sounds really nice to me. I'm just sayin'...

Fortunate

A fortunate Festivus to you, Gentle Reader!!

My Fortune Cookie told me: Tomorrow will be an excellent day for putting Slinkies on an escalator. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

Too true! Especially if anyone is out there heading to the shops on Christmas Eve. Hoping like heck that WON'T be me. We're done here. Kinda need a bit more cello tape, however.

Joke for ya; Festivus decor

First, a great joke from small David.


Q: What do misers do when it's cold?
A: Sit round a candle.


Q: What do misers do when it's VERY cold?
A: Light it.



The pantomime was HILARIOUS and great fun for everyone. Highly recommend them...



Here's a picture of David with the Festivus pole - unadorned, as per Festivus tradition.

Dude has a new blog!

Papa's got a brand new blog, just in time for Festivus. I expect humor and curmudgeonry abounding...Today we are off to see our first pantomime - panto is huge here in England at the holidays. This one is Jack and the Beanstalk. Should be a hoot.

Decorated for Christmas

Here's that dollhouse - all greeneried for Christmas. David wants the Borrowers to come live in it...so do I, actually.

FitDay

Not much happening here as we hit Day 1 of the Christmas break. Everyone is off work and school, and we are reveling in the late wake-up. Today's activity plan: decorate the dollhouse for Christmas. This is a dollhouse I won in a raffle at the Sandringham Flower Show this summer. The kids and I have gotten some bits of furniture for it, but now it's time to put the greenery on. Picture will follow...

The other activity going on around here is tracking food that we (adults) eat - D. is using the Weight Watchers site and I am using FitDay. Gotta say - for a free service, it's pretty spiffy. I can add custom foods quite easily. The only hassle is adding custom recipes - have to do lots of math BEFORE I get it added in. Or I can track them an ingredient at a time. It all works, somehow.

Rather than gaining ANOTHER 5 pounds over the holiday, the goal is to lose a pound or two before grooving into the New Year with some more weight loss

Critical Mass

Tonight, we have achieved something I fear - my daughter has enough of her favorite color clothing to make an entire laundry load of PINK. Perhaps I can encourage a new attachment to loden, or violet, or burnt sienna...

In which I consider the relative joys of Festivus...

Yes, there are times I can see the beauty in the simple aluminum pole and non-rituals of Festivus. This afternoon? Oh, that might be such a time...

On the plus side of Christmas preparations, there are many things. First, I found a rocking Christmas music internet radio station with a true mix of tunes, all of which I've enjoyed so far. Check out Superjukebox. Only the occasional plea for funds, and I like 'em so much I may just make a donation!

We were able to pass on some Christmas love by giving Lily's old toddler bed to a new toddler through Freecycle this afternoon. So her lovely Pottery Barn-looking pine bed will help another New Big Girl sleep well...that's cool.

I had a great time with Lily this afternoon, mixing up a great big batch of sugar cookie dough. Tasty stuff. That's more Christmas love, as we are making the cookies for single airmen who are here in the dorms (barracks) far away from family at the holidays.

On the minus side, oh, let's see - ahhh, yes. The fact that I somehow FORGOT about the BAKING POWDER for the entire batch of dough, and didn't realize this until we had rolled and chilled all of it, and were cutting the first batch of cookies to bake.

Yes, that was a minus. It was even an opportunity for me to use colorful language. LOTS of colorful language. I'll need more flour AND more butter before I redo these the right way, because I am just about out of both. Sigh...

So, on to a plus. We do have two dozen chocolate chip cookies done (these were the slice and bake jobs but the kids added their special sprinkles touch to each one). Made those already while the "sugar cookie" dough was chilling.

Furthermore, I have made great flourless peanut butter cookies before, and they're dead easy to do. Even had organic PB around so they wouldn't taste totally of sugar. They took no time at all to make up, and David rolled each one in sugar for sparkly good looks.

Oh, wait, a minus! The cookie baking is supposed to be nut-free to avoid allergy issues in any recipients. However, we decided that might just be a plus, because it means 2 dozen cookies are going to be eaten right here at home...

And a final plus - the test batch of "sugar cookies" that I went ahead with tasted just like boring but good pie crust. So I have taken some of the batch and I'm baking a crust right now. We'll have an apple tart from it, at least.

No, wait, another final plus - because I'm a DOOFUS, the house will smell of baking cookies for two days instead of one. I love Christmas, you guys!

Signing off for a coffee and one of the non-givable peanut butter cookies now..

Socks and Turkeys

Thanks for the input on teeny sockdom for this month. No, there are no knitting police! So I will forge ahead and finish them up, and if they're big enough, I'll count them as Official Socks for December.

Meanwhile, we have turkeys in the yard. A medium-sized trailerful of turkeys. Here's a view from the kitchen door - you see a corner of Knitting House at left and the wall that separates us from the stables behind the trailer.
Our landlord and local landowner has been raising some lovely Norfolk turkeys this fall for the holiday eatin' season. They've been in a little fenced-in area across the lane. Today Lady Landlord knocked on the door to ask if she could stash them in our yard for a little bit - they're loaded and ready to go, but I guess wherever they are going TO isn't ready yet. Since it's really their yard and all, and since we could park a dozen cars easily and still fit ours, I graciously agreed :) And that was very sweet of me...

If...

If a knitblogger wants to knit a pair of socks in December but is:

a) sick,
b) rawther lazy, and
c) still working on a certain Snowdrop Shawl

do American Girl doll socks count as official Sock-a-Month socks? In my defense, I can't get that gauge (8-8.5 st/inch) to save my life on size 0 needles, so they will be bigger. Perhaps even requiring a touch of felting to fit the dolly. Could I call them booties, which do count? Rules are: Must fit a human.

Writing of the Snowdrop Shawl reminds me - poor Yarn Harlot has outgrown her webspace, or something like that, and can't make new posts or take comments until it's sorted. I, along with multitudes of others, am in serious withdrawal.

It's hard to believe sometimes, but it's been over 10 years since I left the world of the office, first for full-time freelance work, then part-time, and for the past 2 years for plain ole Stay-at-Home-Momliness. Now, way back in my Cube Farm days, I used to indulge my Not-so-inner Dork by sticking plastic action figures or the odd Happy Meal toy to my computer monitor top - He-Man and She-Ra had a good run, as I recall...it kept me amused. That and lots of coffee. And doughnuts.






Now, if they had had these fellas back then, you know I would have had them in the cubicle as well! Darling Son has had the various Cubicle Playsets on his wish list since we discovered ThinkGeek.com. Hours of fun, baybee.








Something else essential for any cubicle is a Successories poster, or maybe a Despair ,Inc. poster instead, like this one at left. Caution: some of these are so funny you may snort beverages from your nose.

Six Months in a Nutshell

"Ooooh, I'm in a nutshell...oooh [say it a la Austin Powers for full effect]." If you want to see our last 6 months in a nutshell, check out the Family Blog for all the words and pictures...

I feel good because I am catching up on lots of things that have needed to be done, but I've still got Christmas cards for family and a few small packages to prep for mailing. HAS to be done by Tuesday, the day I am driving down to the base to the U.S. Post Office. Good times...yeah, fun times.

And craftily speaking, here's an awesome sampler that David made in school for a Christmas gift. I am well impressed. How about you?

Schooly Thoughts

David's friend Ciaran and Ciaran's brother Benjie received letters from Santa today. David told me this the instant he came out of school today. And insisted I blog it. So what was IN the letter, I wonder? Money? Fabulous gifts and prizes?

Nope, and David will tell us: "It came in a red corrugated envelope with a seal (not an otter, snort) that says 'Merry Christmas from Santa' around the edge. Inside there was a letter and address was Snowflake Cottage, Icicle Lane, Reindeer Valley, North Pole. Ciaran's letter finished off with: 'Must dash...I've got to get Leacham off the ceiling.' (Leacham was an elf who was trying to see how high he could bounce on a pogo stick and got his head stuck on the ceiling) Benjie's finished off with: 'Must go...Mrs Christmas has reminded me I need to exercise the reindeer before I go to bed.' They both came with a red leather pouch and inside was a small bag of Elf Fairy Dust. Uses of Elf Fairy Dust: on Christmas Eve sprinkle some outside and it will guide the reindeer to landing. Also, put some under your pillow; you'll have sweet dreams all night and be fast asleep when Father Christmas comes."

Special thanks to David's photographic memory for that.

My schooly thoughts: OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education) are scary. I am the chair (voluntary position) for Lily's preschool. The preschool staff and I met today with the Link Teacher (sort of a mentor) about being prepared for OFSTED's surprise at-any-time inspection. It was a bit overwhelming. NOt so much for the inspection of the school itself, which is a terrific place; it's the paperwork and documentation that they want supporting every plan, or activity, or what-have-you. I'm feeling a bit ISO 9000 about it all. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon doing the instantest bits, and making a list I can go through with the head teacher so we can get all our ducks lined up most efficiently. The staff are so amazing - they are truly gifted with the children, and Jane (head teacher) is also incredible with planning, etc. But this paperwork has got to be a real team effort...

Checking in...

Quick post to say "I'm here, still alive and kicking..." Mom arrived safely back in the states, and we are all missing her. I'm just sick is all, with Lily's cold having taken up residence in my chest, thankyousomuch. Delivered David to school and took to the couch for the rest of the day, with periodic breaks to feed Lily and otherwise keep her from burning the house down. Lily deserves the Well Behaved Preschooler of the Year Award for her incredible patience and behavior today.

Feeling a bit better now. Tomorrow looks busy - Simon's last visit until spring, I should think (Simon is the Garden Guy who makes it all look good) and the preschool treasurer is coming over to puzzle out an annual report we have to file. Fun times.

There are Christmas cards to write...none of which got done today, Tae Kwon Do class to go to (that job goes to dadster tomorrow), knitting to finish, food shopping to do (this is URGENT), etc., etc.

But I got this cool badge from fussy.org's site - I claim it, even though I had one post which could not be put up on the date because of bad wireless mojo.

Mmmm...gingerbread

Thank you, premade gingerbread house kit! This is what the kids did on my mom's last night here - David decorated the back and one side, Lily decorated the front and one side. I think it came out pretty well, and it was VERY easy to assemble, unlike last year's Rice Krispy House.

The Jultomten Are Watching...

In this season of Advent, just remember that the Jultomten, the little Swedish Christmas elves, are watching you! They may appear anywhere in your home each day, and they report back to Santa Claus. But only if you are Swedish, or a little bit Swedish at least.

My mom (the Swede in us) left for the U. S. yesterday - we took the train down to London and Heathrow and it was surprisingly smooth. May I recommend On-line Check-in for Virgin Atlantic? The Bag Drop line was about one tenth as long as the other check-in lines. Excellent...

More posting later, maybe later today, when I show you the work of the Gingerbread House Construction Crew.

It's Exhausting...

This is what it looks like when you've been sick all week, you feel a bit better, decide to dress up as a ballerina, and become soooo exhausted by putting on your costume that you need to lie back down. Poor baby.

I would show you what it looks like when you are sooooo exhausted from blogging each day all MONTH, but I don't think it would be quite as cute.

Today's topic...no, wait. Darn.

Drat! And again, drat, I say. I was quite excited to see I've been tagged for a meme by Everwhelming Liz - I love these things, and I am in dire need of some interesting things to say as we head to December. But then, as I started typing, it seemed familiar. TOO familiar. Yep. So, see my archives and look at 15 October for that one.

Lilybean is indeed sick, so sick that I sent my charming spouse to the computer last night to blog FOR me because Lily was asleep on me, feverish and coughing up a lung, or so you would think. My 2 AM call to the nurse line was oddly reassuring (especially since the nurse was in California and I'm in England...weird). Despite coughing till she threw up, twice, the Bean has no "Get thee to the doctor right now" symptoms. I don't think it's croup, because she's not exactly barking, but at times I wondered last night.

Our pediatrician is calling me back today to do a phone consult. I'd just like to know if there is a cough suppressant on the planet that would help her stop long enough to go to sleep. Poor little cookie. Kids look so small when they don't feel well. She hasn't eaten more than an apple wedge or two in over a day. She is drinking, though. Send happy, healing thoughts her way...

What else? I'm really close to finishing the Snowdrop, or at least to getting started on the I-cord top edging. If Lily conks out, I'll be on that. Christmas shopping is pretty much done, except some bits for nieces and nephews. Cards...sigh. Maybe when I have had some more sleep.

Speaking of no sleep, I was SO thankful for Mr. Ward, the taxi, today. David's school is so small that there's no school bus, just the school taxi. Last year he rode there and back in the taxi most days. This year it's not as consistent, because Lily goes to preschool round the corner in the mornings, I usually drive David as well. But with Lily so sick, Mr. Ward has added David back to the morning run this week. Bless his heart. This also meant that when Lily feel asleep at 6, I could stay on the couch with her while my mom got David ready for school.

p.s. Check out my buddy Lynn's blog as well. She's been quite the busy lady, and just finished some kickin' socks. I am envious, but I have accepted Sockless November as the price I pay for Snowdrop November. Heh.

Minimal post

This is a pro-forma post, because the Lilybean is sick (cold/flu/ickiness) and that's where the priority is right now. Back tomorrow!

Today's Snowdrop Progress

Here's what you can do when you are at home with a non-running car and a nose-running, sick little girlie who's mostly sleeping - check the size of your Snowdrop Shawl:

While Lily drowsed, I took the shawl off the needles to spread it out a bit. Without even beginning to block it, I can see that it will be amply big. In fact, I won't be adding the edge to this one, or it would be about 5 feet long at the tip and waaaay too big an armspan. As it is, with two more repeats (1.5 really) to go, I'm thinking it may be too big. Is there such a thing?

The next one (hee!) will be stopped sooner or knit with even finer yarn so I can try the edging.

Turkey Lurkey Loo...

Here's what Thanskgiving turkey looks like on Day 4:















I'd say it's a good thing we only cooked a 4-kilo turkey, wouldn't you, Gentle Reader? The turkey noodle soup was lovely for tonight's dinner, though. All's pretty much well here as we roll to the end of the lovely long weekend.

A few glitches popped up - the weather totally failed to cooperate yesterday so the friends we hoped would come by couldn't make it, Lily has blossomed with a lovely cough today, and...what else? Oh. Yeah. My lovely little car won't start. The engine turns over but immediately stops unless you keep the gas pressed. Taxi man is lined up for David for school tomorrow, and I'll be communing with the local garage. I think they tow in. I sure hope they do!!

Just a Quiet Weekend Day

Ahhhh. The end of a quiet, rainy day here, and I'm about to settle in with a mug of tea and my sweetie to watch a movie. I don't really have much to say - I'm about to end the second ball of wool on the Snowdrop shawl, however. It looks like it will take most of three balls to get the main body done, and then perhaps one more for the edging. We'll see.

This I know for certain, I will not get my varsity Sock Letter for the Sock-a-Month Knitalong this month. There are no socks on the needles, or in mind, right now. I'm just sayin'...

Day 24

Day 24 of the NaBloPoMo - and I am hanging in there. Came close to forgetting today, however. Yoikes!

Mom and I went to the Sandringham Craft Show today, and it was surprisingly easy to resist the things on offer there. Guess I am Craft-Showed-out.

This afternoon, David's buddy Nathan came to play and as usual they had a terrific time. I love watching them set up a game and play for ages. Today they spent a long time with the wooden track, making a mondo layout (spanning two rooms and connecting to Nathan's Thunderbirds playset he brought along). And they are always so tolerant of Lily, including her quite often in things they do. Good kids all around.

David the Elder and I just started watching Casino Royale, the original "Bond" movie starring David Niven. One word: Ewwww. It's very campy and tongue-in-cheek and British Bad. Not worth my telly-watching time, really. I'm lobbying for bedtime. Night, all!

Oh MY!

The childebeestes went to school today, as we were planning to dine late and a day of cooking is much more fun for all when children don't have to loll around. Lily came home at lunch and helped make our lovely centerpiece with Grandma. David attended the opening of the village shop with his schoolmates (all 70 or so). Guess who officiated? PRINCE CHARLES!! Click that link for an article about the shop and the Prince.

p.s. The shop is lovely, and the meat they sell is good stuff indeed. Not too pricey, either.

Happy Day to You

Happy Fabu Glamtastic Thanksgiving Day, Gentle Reader. May all your celebrations be occasions for family, happiness, warmth, and crazy-cool centerpieces like ours.

So.

On the day before Thanksgiving, I just want to say "Is it too early to start playing Christmas music 24/7 on the iPod, the radio, the laptop?"

I know you'll say "Why, yes. Yes, it IS too early." But I can dream.

Did I mention I got two 3-foot fakey trees so the kids can do their own thing decorating, as well as decorating the big one we'll get? Did I mention I bought another 3-footer for the Knitting House? (Fear not, they were less than 3 pounds each.) I am definitely ready to get in the Christmas mode.

What I Did Today

What I did today was...bake pies. Lots of pies. These are going to folks David works with, for Thanksgiving. I had a lot of fun with the apple pies, although my Stoopid Brain took over and I skipped a crucial slicing step for the first two pies. I'm confident they all taste equally appley and yummy, even if they aren't as pretty as the Smart Brain pie pictured here. Also made three pumpkin pies, which were definitely tough to resist.

Tomorrow is baking day for our Thanksgiving dinner - but I think I'll let today's pictures speak for both days of baking.

Just Another Not-so-Manic Monday

Seems like this Monday has just moved on by without event, although I am positive we did something today...

Preschool staff and mummies were quite happy about the money raised this weekend, we put up new (to us) drapes in the dining room so now the radiator is not covered in curtain fabric, and we actually ate some leftovers for a change. So, there's that.

Come to think of it, the highlight of the day was when I averted a near-disaster with a holiday present we had picked up yesterday. (Now, really, don't you think that when items come in two boxes, the staff might politely advise you when you've taken only one?) I was actually gazing upon the beauty of said present this morning when I saw the dreaded "Box 1 of 2" notice on it. With 90 minutes until preschool pick-up time, Mom and I were off to town in a flash. The manager was expecting us :) - she'd noticed the problem this morning, so when she saw the lady run in and go right for a "box number 2" she was ready.

Sorry, no pictures today and no really enlightening observations. Day 20 of NaBloPoMo isn't the best day so far. Here's to better tomorrows.

Three Words for You.

Best. Bond. EVAR. David and I were lucky enough to see Casino Royale this afternoon. I make no apologies. I'm a big fan of the James Bond flicks. I love them: good, bad, and really bad. This one blew all the others out of the water. "Daniel Craig is the new Bond hotness. All other Bonds are old and busted," to totally rip off Will Smith's line in Men in Black. David thought it was terrific, too. In fact, the first words out of his mouth as the closing credits rolled were indeed "Best. Bond. EVAR."

A grand day at the movies...

Progress, progress, progress

The Snowdrop Shawl is actually growing, although it's hard to believe night after night as seem to do only 3 or 4 rows... Check out the latest shot. There's enough to drape now.

The boot sale was a pretty good success today. We got windburned and stiff but moved most of the donated items and made 104 pounds, or 196 dollars. Rock on! That still does not include the money I will kick in for some things I cherry-picked during sorting, and have to pay for. A nice bit of change for the preschool funds and I learned some boot sale wheeler-dealer-man-ship from David, as well!

Something else to check out is my sister-in-law's babywearing blog, for a nice essay and a link to an absolutely gorgeous mei tai sling she made. Maybe I inherit my crafty side from the in-laws??

What I did today...

No pictures, no scintillating observations today. I do apologize, Gentle Reader.

Today's theme was "Get Ready for the Big Car Boot Sale," and it's been a very long day. We are participating in the boot sale (like a giant multi-seller yard sale) to raise funds for Lily's preschool. This morning, I picked up a last carload of donations, to add to the boxes of things already donated and waiting at home. Mom and I spent the afternoon sorting out items by category and then David and I sorted into prices this evening. For the crowning touch of sheer excitement, we managed to pack everything into one car. I really thought we'd need to take two, but "I was wrong." Right, sweetie?

By leaving out the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, a bunch of books, and assorted china/glassware, David was able to Tetris everything into one vehicle. It's highly stacked, and there's absolutely no visibility through the rear window, but well done! There's another jumble sale coming up in 2 weekends where we can take tomorrow's leftovers and the things we didn't pack in this time.

Now it's eggnog time, soon to be bedtime. Early start tomorrow - mom will watch kidlings while David and I wheel and deal.

One Word

Day 16 of NaBloPoMo and I'm flagging just a bit. To my rescue, a nifty (and brief)list of things about me that you never knew you wanted to know. Seriously, thanks to knitchat.com for this one...

1. Yourself: chilly

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): loving

3. Your hair: greying

4. Your mother: role-model

5. Your father: sad

6. Your favorite item: ring (wedding)

7. Your dream last night: forgotten

8. Your favorite drink: coffeeeeeeeee

9. Your dream car: Mini

10. The room you are in: cluttered!

11. Your ex: distant(memory)

12. Your fear: loss

13. What you want to be in 10 years? healthy

14. Who you hung out with last night? hubby

15. What You’re Not? polished

16. Muffins: Ehhh.

17. One of your wish list items: ballwinder

18. Time: enemy

19. The last thing you did: phone

20. What you are wearing: scarf

21. Your favorite weather: monterey-ish

22. Your favorite book: Unfair! (not just one....)

23. The last thing you ate: motrin

24. Your life: blessed

25. Your mood: pensive

26. Your best friend: warm

27. What are you thinking about right now? shawl

28. Your car: blue

29. What are you doing at the moment? idling

30. Your summer: crazy

31. Your relationship status: great

32. What is on your TV? fingerprints

33. What is the weather like? windy

34. When is the last time you laughed? recently

Today's Funny Brought to You by SPLU.net

Yes, Gentle Reader, I have The Funny linked right here, and it is good: Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager. You must go HERE and watch these short videos. They're hilarious, and even safe to watch with kids around. I can't wait for Episode 5...

What? No knitting??

Ai yi yi...another day with no knitting as yet. Time has gotten away from me. Took the small D. to an allergist appointment and then lunched with uppercase AND lowercase Ds before returning lowercase to school. Came home to a nice HUGE pile of leaves and dragged them to the mulch pile. Consumed much-delayed coffee. Delivered small D. to Beavers (small Scouts) field trip to the grocery store. Consumed MORE coffee in store cafe. Read gossip magazine. However, I bought it for a friend of a friend. Honest!

Now it's time for one last coffee and mebbe even some of that knitting stuff.

I leave you with this question from David's letter to Santa: "P.S. Can you make snow fall? Or are you just used to it?"

Thank You, ZoomCafe

At David's suggestion, we made these for dinner tonight...funky! The recipe is on the Zoom web site - we altered it to use hummous for the dip and veggies on hand for the other bits. Lots of fun to make.

Best. King Arthur. Tale. EVER.

I finished reading The Sword in the Stone to David this evening. This has been an off-and-on part of our bedtime routine for a few months. The first time I read this book, at 9 or so, it rocked me back on my heels to encounter such vivid writing; I've re-read it many, many times since and the older I grow, the better it is.

It was a perfect read-aloud book for us, giving me a chance to perform and David a chance to sit back and be read TO. That's a rarity when you're 7 and your reading levels are far off the scales... The writing style is denser and much more descriptive than today's books aimed at children, even the Harry Potter books, but it's a terrific tale even at his age for listening. I loved the edition pictured here, which has some absolutely gorgeous color illustrations in it by Dennis Nolan.


In other news, mom's returned from the Mystery Tour, which packed a LOT into 3 days. They visited Oxford, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, AND Greenwich (home of the prime meridian and Greenwich Mean Time and the Cutty Sark and lots of coolness). But wait, that wasn't quite enough - how about the London Eye as well? Quite the weekend!!

Art and Life and Veterans' Day

Today is Veterans' Day, or Remembrance Day here in the United Kingdom. My political opinions aren't a topic I choose to talk about in this blog. In general, politics doesn't make for very good conversation anyway, does it? Politics aside, I am proud to be an Army veteran, a daughter of a World War II Army veteran, a sister and sister-in-law of Navy veterans. I am proudest of my husband, an Air Force veteran now back in the blue suit after 9/11. This day is deeply important to me. I remember those who have served, and I honor those who have fallen and those who are serving their countries now.


Garry Trudeau is the author of Doonesbury. He's been talking about the wounded veterans of this Iraq war for the past three years, in a way as real as art can be, in that way that great characters and great writing can become real. Today I read an awesome article about him, about the strip, and about some of the veterans whose stories he's been telling in a way. On this day, why not check it out here?

Yoda's Got a Buddy...and Tales from the iPod

Dadster found one of the picture files with Yoda AND Anakin. Don't they make a lovely pair? I can't believe how young David looks - he was nearly 5 there and looks so babyfaced to me now.

More randomness for your reading pleasure...how about "Stuff That's On My iPod" for a topic? There are four Rick Astley songs on there, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Hey, remember the 80s? I sure do. There is NO Tiffany, however, or Debbie Gibson. A girl has to have her standards.

Other iPod goodness...all U2 songs EVAR, because D's iPod is a U2 edition. George Strait and lots of him, for a weird juxtaposition. One Blues Traveler song. Moody Blues. Grateful Dead. Simon and Garfunkel. Barenaked Ladies. Barry White, baybee. All the 80s music you can choke on, says D. And lots (as in many, many songs worth of lots) of Johnny Cash (souvenir of D's latest trip to the Sandbox and some file-sharing). And you know something, Gentle Reader? I have discovered that I really like Johnny Cash.

[Edited with News Of Mom as of this evening] I've waited to post today so we can all know the exciting Magical Mystery Destination for my mom. She was picked up at the door this morning at 0730, and taken on a long long journey. Spoke to her at lunchtime, when she was dining in Oxford, where they visited the Ashmolean. Now she is in Reading. Our guess WAS a seaside destination on the southern coast (like Bournemouth or the Isle of Wight) but they are actually in the Reading area, near Wokingham. The hotel is quite posh, and she reports that her bed is about 7 feet square. Tomorrow there will be a Mystery Expedition. They're 20 miles from Windsor - my guess is Windsor Castle or perhaps a Random Stately Home?

Blog you must! Mmmmm....

"Blog daily you must," decrees young Yoda. This is actually a Halloween pic from 2004 - D. found it while working with some older hard drives. Lily was 6 months old for this one - David was Anakin, and a very cute Anakin he made as well. D. didn't send that picture to me, so you'll have to take my word for it.

All's well. I am into the second ball of wool for Snowdrop, which is gratifying. It proves progress, even when I can't really see it.

Mom is packing for a Magical Mystery Tour. Well, it's a Mystery Tour....3 days to somewhere, courtesy of our local travel agents. Cool, no? She'll have a mobile phone along, so she can tell us where they are, when they get there. I'm thinking Blackpool. She thinks York. Stay tuned, Gentle Reader!

Snowdrop Progress Pictures

Two posts in a day - mercy! Actually, I forgot to post these pictures in the previous entry and wanted to show them off anyway. You can see I have done a little bit in the past few days, but it's still nearly impossible to see the beauty that will come, even when I try to stretch it out a bit with my fingers. This pattern is really intriguing, and keeps my interest without completely taking my mind away from activities around me. I have even been able to watch a little television while knitting on it. Impressed? I am. Heh.

I'm all about the little-bit-boring stuff today. My mom has been very busy with the computer and CNN.com, checking out election results while rubbing her hands together gleefully. "All as planned, all as planned, mwah hahahahahahahah!" Well, that's sort of what she's doing. And felicitations to you, Mother Dear, voting in your very first election ever. (New citizen this year, doncha know...)

Boring-ish knit content - I continue to make progress with the Snowdrop Shawl, even though I kind of a little bit fell asleep in front of the fire last night, instead of finishing the repeat as I had planned. My rudimentary geometry skills tell me I am 25% done with the main triangle, but it's got a mighty big edging as well, so I have a long way to go.

Just to keep you busy, this quiz was quite fun, and one of the first that has actually pegged my origins correctly. Usually I am diagnosed as Standard Broadcast American English or Midwestern. Which I'm not.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
Boston
The South
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Election Day in the U.S. of A.

....Have you? We voted by mail, sending ballots back to our home state of record (New York). I am actually glad we voted absentee, reading a little online about today's electronic voting machine and numerous glitches. Mail-in ballots still are tangible sheets of paper, big ones in the case of New York state.

All's well in our corner of the world. There was leaf-clearing and kindling-gathering this afternoon, and a bit of shopping as well. The kids are doing a Chrismas gift thing for a charity through the primary school. David was back at school today, but Lily helped me buy some of the bits and pieces to fill each shoebox today. One small problem: the shoeboxes are too small. We'll have to find some bigger ones to pack all the goodies in by Friday, when the school is gathering all the boxes. That's a nice problem to have, however.

Have a terrific day, and if you are in the States reading this today, VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE! 'mKay? That'd be.....great.

You know what's great?

Here's what's great: cheesecake, a fire, some interesting knitting (I am into about row 100 of the Snowdrop shawl), and an iPod on random. Signe from Eric Clapton's Unplugged, Ripple and Box of Rain from the Grateful Dead's American Beauty album....all kinds of loveliness comes up and makes for a really relaxing evening.

Semi-extended weekend day here at Casa de Coughing. Small D stayed home from school with HIS cough and a little fever. He was much too cheery about no school, though, and as the fever has gone, he will be doped with cough medicine and sent to school tomorrow. Lily had preschool, during which time I did a little long-overdue paperwork. And coughed. A lot. There were naps in the afternoon for small D and me and my mom. Big D worked on reviving a computer. Pretty slow day, all in all.

Ah well, back to my knitting. I have at least an hour before I get too tired to follow the pattern. Cheers!

Remember, Remember...

Remember, remember
The 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason, and plot!

Yep, today is Guy Fawkes Day here in England. In honor of this failed revolutionary, fireworks have been going off all weekend. We didn't go see any displays with the kids, but we did light some sparklers in the garden tonight and in lieu of a bonfire, we had this:



Isn't that a pretty sight? The first fire of the 2006/2007 season. It was a lovely afternoon here by the fireside. I hope it was equally relaxing wherever you may be.

Time-shifted November 4th...

Sooooo...on our mini-trip, we were unsuccessful in findiing WiFi. Went out to two local pub/clubs but there was NO signal and MUCH Guy Fawkes weekend madness. So here's what I tried to post then...Written on the appropriate day, at least!
******
Gentle Reader, I almost forgot about posting for day 4 of NaBloPoMo -
yoikes! DH and I are on our mini-getaway in town, and our hotel,
whilst fetching and comfy and all that, has no notion of the
internet. So I've enjoyed an entire day and a half without even
thinking about computers or email or blogs - until dinner tonight.
We did bring the laptop because I had intentions of finding local
wireless connection to upload a post. And if we succeed in that, I
shall indeed post this tonight. Either way, more from me tomorrow.
Mebbe even a picture or something! Yours in utter relaxation, Susie

Socks, Needle Size, The Universe, and Everything

This morning I used my trusty new (replacement) Susan Bates Knit-Check gauge checker to check the needles I've been using for socks. The trusty blue needles are not size 1. Nope, they're size 0. Who knew? And here I thought they were size 2 at first. Goes to show you that an old cigar box (however kitschy and kicky it may be) is not the most organized place to keep DPNs. Heh. Maybe I'll start keeping the gauge checker in there too.

What this means is - to knit any tighter in lightweight socks, I'll have to move into 1.5 mm or 1 mm needles. What are those called in US sizes? 00? Or maybe I need to knit some socks in thicker wool. I have a rawther loose stitch gauge and my Vanilla Blue socks (56 stitches around on these size 0 needles) are already seeming floppy on my nonskinny ankles, after only a month of occasional wear. Those were knit in a DK weight machine-washable wool blend (Sirdar something). However, I had been gentle washing and then air-drying.

Today's experiment was to machine wash and dry them like normal clothing and see if they spring back a bit. The result was equivocal. They shrank in length a teeny bit, but sprang back almost perfectly to original width/circumference. Sooooo, I will knit the next pair 4 stitches narrower but 10 rows longer in the toe. I've got a lot of that wool and I love the way it feels on my feet. Sadly, I think the Vanilla Blue socks go to my mom's sock drawer now, however. She has shorter but still wide feet!

Boring stuff, I know, but with the Sock-A-Month KAL, I think about socks a bit :) There are a few more patterned socks out there that I'd like to tackle in plain colors. I love the look of the Diamante Socks in the fall '06 Knitty, and they are also an interesting challenge because they are knit from the toes up. But the pattern is 72 stitches around, and I would have to downsize that too. I might even have to .... swatch!! Aiyeeeee. The author did post a 60-stitch version on her blog, and I have got it somewhere on my computer now.

ANYway. This weekend there'll probably be SOME Snowdrop Shawl knitting time. DH and I are heading away for a couple of nights, all of 5 miles away into town. We'll be staying here, within easy reach of my mom if she needs help with the kiddly beans:



Lots of downtime with my darling. It's a Good Thing. Thank you very much, Mother Dear!!!

Ghosts Walkin'

Tonight my agenda includes no knitting.

Do not despair, Gentle Reader, because I shall be joining a Ghost Walk around Ely in Cambridgeshire. This is a lovely little city, and I know approximately nothing about it except that Oliver Cromwell lived here. Apparently it's quite haunted as well. Maybe we'll see old Oliver tonight.

This is the November event for the spouses' group I belong to, and afterward there will be Pizza Express. With grownups only. Imagine!! Almost makes up for not being able to knit and walk in the dark at the same time...

The Complex Project

This is what I have been communing with in the knitting house, for several hours yesterday and again for a little while today. I'm into the 3rd set of pattern repeats and I think I'm finding my groove now. It is the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl and I am in lurv.

I am using the Swaledale wool I got from a local charity shop (3 pounds 49 pence for over a pound of very finely spun wool). The wool is a bit "rustic" in look and feel but feels softer to knit and touch than I feared it might. Needles - Clover US size 5 bamboo with flexible ends and a bead for the end. Sort of like knitting with a circular cut in half.

If you squint and imagine this stretched out, you can see the pattern really starting here as I finish row 77. This is going to be a timesucker of epic proportions, I can see - not that there's anything WRONG with that...