Halloween - Part I

The littles attended two fabulous Halloween parties (three if you count last weekend's birthday party for a friend), one at David's workplace and one at church. I helped set up and run both parties, which meant the kids were dragged along hours before each party, too. They were real troupers, and I am proud of their great behavior and ability to keep themselves entertained while I hung banners, and all that jazz.

At party number one, David was a vampire and Lily was Rapunzel. A friend took these photos, and I am so grateful since I didn't even have the Broken Camera of Doom along.

At party number two, David was an even better vampire and Lily was a pretty Bat Princess. Again, no pictures, and I don't know if anyone got any. I may have to do a re-enactment to get pictures of that!

Both parties ended with trunk-or-treat - a bunch of folks park, decorate their trunks, and hand out candy. It's a great way to take them trick or treating in a confined area, and worked really well for church since trick or treat is not the Huge Deal it is in the US. The Littles ended up with more candy than last year, and have been on a nice sugar high since Thursday night. Actually, they're pretty reasonable about consumption, and they've still got a bunch of treats left, unlike me when I was their age.

Heat, Humility, and Hot Water

Today, Gentle Readers, I have a little tale for you. And it's even a tale with a lesson...

The Month of No Heating in October went surprisingly well. I did have two detours, when we had guests and I turned up heat for their comfort, but all in all, I think we saved a bunch of money and we didn't suffer for it.

Moving forward to yesterday morning, the day after Halloween, I woke up MORE than ready to wash the hairspray from my own hair and to wash the hairspray and dirt off the kids. I hopped in the shower but it never got more than tepid. Hmmm. All right for me, but not for kids' baths. Left the house for errands, returned, and tried the taps again, and this time the water was downright chilly. I thought the water heater was broken, but then realized that it was everything in the house, when I turned the thermostat up to check. Furnace was ticking along but no heat was coming through.

I'll pause here to ask you, Gentle Reader, what would you do in this situation? If you guessed: call the landlord and arrange for a furnace/plumber guy ASAP, then you'd be quite sensible. I commend you.

If you were not so sensible...in fact if your name were Susie and you were the owner of this blog, you would freak out at the fact that you couldn't fix this problem yourself, and call your husband who's far, far away for work and have some nice hysterics because you don't WANT to call the landlord on the weekend. [You would not be reasonable and consider that the need for heat and hot water in a household with small children trumps Landlord Convenience.]

Yep, that's what I did. I totally freaked out at the thought of having to call for help. Once David talked me off the ledge, I did call and got no answer. Aaaaack!! Then I started calling people from church, in hopes one of the members could maybe take a look. Then I called the landlord back, just in idle hope, and reached his daughter. He and his wife were away this weekend, but Wonderful Daughter took the info, called them, and was at my door 30 minutes later to tell me a plumber was on the way.

Wonderful Plumber came, diagnosed the problem (a broken pump thingie that takes the hot water from the boiler and pushes it through the house), and replaced the part. Just like that. Well, 90 minutes of just like that.

So what was so difficult about that? Nothing, in actual fact. Once I got past my fear and freakout about asking for help, I got it with no questions asked. I find it more than ironic that one of my volunteer roles is as a Key Spouse. In that job, I am there for people who need help, whether it's to provide the help myself, or show them where to look. However, when it comes to asking for help myself, I am hopeless.

Yesterday, I learned that asking for help feels OK. Remembering that I am not supposed to be able to deal with everything might be a wise thing, too. Our mom raised us to rely on ourselves, as much as possible, but I keep forgetting the "as much as possible" part.

Ahh, yes, today's blog recommendation - how about Kris, The Knitting Wannabe? She's no wannabe, and her online yarn shop rocks, too. Most of all, I love reading the day to day life stuff. Today's post (linked above) is about thankfulness, and that's just what I was needing to see, myself.

NaBloPoMo; 10,000; Blog of the Day

Happy First Day of November, the Festive Day upon which NaBloPoMo commences.  I'm sure I should bake a cake or something, but instead I'll just be taking candy from my children. Two nights' worth of parties and  trunk or treat has provided them with a nice surplus.

Are you doing NaBloPoMo?  Just click the link if you want to be all official about it, and sign up!

10,000 - yes, 10,000. In the world of micro-blogging, I've hit that amazing number of blog hits. I noticed the StatCounter getting really close, and I watched the numbers obsessively. Until I forgot to. So, now the blog's reached the dizzying hit count of 10,030.   Still, it's a pretty neat moment, knowing that my blathering on has been viewed so many times.   I'd like to thank my Gentle Readers, and all those who arrive through Google Search, especially my fellow Simon's Cat fans. Stay a while, look around, and enjoy your visit!

I've had an idea that should give me some good blog fodder this month.  Every day, unless I forget, I'll be highlighting a blog I read, but may not have linked to.  Please feel free to poke fun at me remind me in the Comments  if I do forget.

In honor of those bloggers who knit, crochet, spin, or weave, I offer this link: Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm.  This is an amazing little operation. They raise sheep and goats, and see shares in the flock's fiber production to be able to afford to give the little guys the best living conditions and care possible.  The customer pays for a share, the money goes toward raising the flock, and at the end of the year, the customer gets a portion of gorgeous wools spun from these happy little animals (spinners can request a Spinner's Share, and keep the fun of making the yarn for themselves).  Their latest news is that they will be starting a flock/fiber cooperative in New York's Hudson Valley soon.

If I sound like a bad advertisement, that's because I'm pitching this to my beloved, in case he's ever stuck for an extravagant gift for me.

Check out the blog (linked on their main page) for frequent incredibly cute animal pictures, like this one:

NaBloPoMo - Are You?

As my sweetie reminded me, National Blog Posting Month is almost upon us.  A post a day for all of November?  Are you up for it?  I'm going to do my level best!!!

Heat, Halloween, Useful UFOs, and Cabbage

The Month of No Heating continues, although  I did dial it up once again this week for a little guest. Lily had a playdate and I didn't want them shivering all afternoon.   I've got the thermostat at 10C [as low as it can be set], which is approximately 52F.  I consider that as close to "off" as we can afford to be, given that evenings are now freezing.  Given my commitment to cool, I was flabbergasted a moment ago, when I walked in from the laundry house, to notice that the kitchen radiator was warming up.  Apparently the house is/was colder than 52F.  Who knew?  I'm not going to turn off the furnace, but I think we're definitely saving some money!!

Today was a down day here at Casa KnitFarm. The kids are on half-term break: Monday we headed to an indoor playplace to meet with a couple of friends, Tuesday we had another buddy over and then had family movie night (we give Night at the Museum two thumbs up, by the way), and today I planned to head to Castle Acre for some craft activities.

Instead, when I woke up this AM, I decided to have a lazy day. It was lovely, and still is, actually. We did carve pumpkins, though.  Designs by kids, carving by mom. Lily's is a classic jack-o-lantern with a bat beauty mark on the cheek. David's is a haunted house backlit by a full moon.  The results are pretty darn good - pictures tomorrow perhaps.

Costumes are being prepped for tomorrow's party and Friday's party.  D's got a vampire cloak, white shirt, and fangs. He needs face paint, but is otherwise set. Lily is going to be Rapunzel.  Easy peasy, as we have the perfect princess dress and a tall pointy hat.  I discovered a great use for a UFO, too - a half-finished yellow mohair scarf is easily converted into a long lush braid for Rapunzel, with some strategic wraparounds to bunch it in, like a plait.  I'll attach it to the inside of the tall princess hat and we'll be good to go.

On to cabbage....I made Frugal Upstate's cabbage roll casserole last night, almost exactly as she posted. I didn't have fresh onion, so subbed a hefty tablespoon of granulated onion; I also used more cabbage, about 6 cups total, I'd say. I used tomato soup, as suggested. Didn't add any sour cream garnish.  WOW, was this tasty!  I am  kind of abashed at just how fast this casserole is disappearing, especially since Lily refused to eat any, and David ate only a small amount.  So very yummy. I will definitely be making this again when DH is back, so we can have three of four here to consume it.

Visitors

Yesterday, I played host to some out-of-town friends. Way out of town...as in, from New York state! Jim and Pat are traveling through the UK and Ireland on their honeymoon, and went far out of their way to come for dinner. It was a wonderful evening, and I added that extra-special touch for their comfort. We call it... central heating!

Yes, I turned the heat on for the evening. That means I will have to go at least one extra day past Halloween, but it was worth it not to have shivering guests at the table.

My friend Jill in the US, worried about the effects of this lack of heat pledge, has got my local weather on her computer. She wrote to warn me that Monday's supposed to be a good frost.  Fear not, Jill and other Gentler Readers, the furnace is lit and I have the heat set to kick in at 10C (approximately 52F). I may go crrraaaazy and kick it up to 12C, too.  So, we'll have heat well before the house and pipes get to freezing.  At least, that's my plan.

Getting back to visitors, if you come to stay, I promise to put the heating on if it's autumn or winter.  We have a guest bedroom, and it's nice and tidy (not even any clean laundry, SusieJ!).   I can cook, after a fashion, and the pub does a world-changing lamb shank.  We'll even make a fire in the fireplace for you, and bake cookies.  Did I mention the castle around the corner, and the Queen's country house down the road 5 miles? Just let me know when you're in this neck of the woods, Gentle Readers, and our door is open.  But not too far, or the heat'll escape.

Linky Love - Cabbage Roll Casserole

So...one of my fave bloggers posted her weekly menu, and mentioned making cabbage roll casserole. That made me prick up my ears, since I looooove cabbage rolls but do not love the labor involved in making them. I left a comment that it sounded like a grand and yummy menu item, and mere seconds (OK, maybe an hour!) later, this post appeared: Frugal Upstate: Cabbage Roll Casserole.

How cool is THAT? Sounds seriously yummy, especially now that we're heading into cold weather.

Thanks, Jenn at Frugal Upstate!!

Rievaulx; Other Knitting News

I am quite excited to see that Kelly Without a Net (a brilliant blogger I follow) has now published her cowl pattern. I have been reading about on Ravelry and her blog - it's called Rievaulx, after the abbey, and it looks yummy! I especially like the version with the rolled edges.  Check it out here.  Jill, I think some of that soft pink Elann yarn you gifted me a while back is destined for this...

Other knit updates - the wrist warmers are done and are AWESOME!  I highly recommend the pattern - doing the 6x2 ribbing for the body of the mitts definitely made for a better fit.  This was an easy knit and a good way to use up 40 grams of DK wool.  Not to mention how well they are helping me resist turnign the heat on!

I'm halfway through Clue 3 (aka the heel) of the Mystery Socks, and still liking them very much.  Pictures shall follow in daylight, when the Broken Camera of Doom tends to do a better job.

Insomnia

There's nothing quite the headache one gets from lack of sleep. Hoping buckets of water - both imbibed and showered in - will help me get through the morning.

I do NOT look like this lovely creature when I'm still awake at 1 AM. For more drawings and paintings by this artist, check out his web site.

Thank You, Shopper Friends!

Yay for commenters - you've given me some great links! To answer a couple of comments/e-mails, I checked out Walmart.com and Tarzhay.com first, since that's where I used to buy most of the kids' clothes (in person, not on line). They don't have nearly as much on line as they do in the stores, and none of this season's was the right kind of dress.

Kohl's looks good, and Amazon's section could keep me browsing for A LONG TIME.

My favored places for dresses have always been thrift stores (charity shops here) and the last three dresses were actually finds sent over by my mom before she died. So it's a little extra-sad to part with them. I might keep them and make a pillow case for Lily, though.

E-Bay looks very promising indeed - thanks, Elizabeth, for the search tip. I found a couple of lots of the exact sort of dress, going for 20 dollars for three dresses. I think there'll be some bidding happening after payday here.

You all rock - thanks for the good ideas, and now, I promise to get back to regularly scheduled blogging.

Speaking of which, I have not knit in a few days. I've been reading Miss Tey, and the Mystery Socks are currently staring accusingly at me form their spot next to the laptop. Wednesday, guys, I promise!

Favorite Authors: Josephine Tey

I'm feeling inspired to talk about Josephine Tey tonight. That's actually a pen name - her real name was Elizabeth Mackintosh. I have all eight of her books, and have read them all several times. My favorites are like comfort reading - I think I read them at least twice a year.

The first Josephine Tey book I ever met was The Daughter of Time, a wonderful story about Richard III. My mom was reading this, and passed it on to me, when I was perhaps 11. I know we were living in New Haven so I couldn't have been older than that. I thought it was great then. Now, I think it's fabulous. And I love Richard III. I practically cried when I saw his portrait in the National Portrait Gallery in London. [If you ever visit York, check out the Richard III Museum there...it's in Monk Bar Gatehouse of the walls of the city. Very cool!].

Another super-favorite of mine is Brat Farrar, about an imposter you can't help but love.

Seriously, all the books are wonderful. There's just something so polished and lovely about her writing, and the stories. They never grow old for me.

Perhaps Favorite Authors will become a recurrent blog topic. I do have so many favored and favorite authors, after all. What do you think, Gentle Reader?

Any Power Shoppers Out There with Advice?

Lilybean has grown out of all her casual dresses, and does NOT like wearing trousers or even leggings with a tunic.  I've been browsing a little on-line, and I found this sort of dress at Lands' End.  It's a simple jersey dress that's not too short.  However, I'm NOT interested in paying 30 dollars apiece, since I'd like to buy three or four. Military family budgets just don't allow for 30-dollar play dresses. KnowhutImean?

Anyone have a favored on-line retailer?

Here in the UK, everything costs double what it does in the US, and to go with that, it seems like Boden is the only place where you can find really simple, casual dresses without a logo or something.  And that's double the normal UK prices.

I'd be interested in either UK or US links - if you have any, or any tips on where to look, hit me in the comments.  KThxBye!

Saturday Random, with Knitting and Lego

First, the Lego bits. Small D insisted I blog this creation. It's James Bond being threatened by a villain, in an Egyptian setting. D's very proud of his work, and Mistah Bond will never surrender the jewel. So I'm told.




I'm proud of my work, too - had a great day of knit and chat yesterday with Afton, and the wristwarmers (a.k.a. The Furnace Wars Weapons) are trucking along after two days of knitting. I chose to do this Basic Mitt pattern instead of Fetching from Knitty, because the lack of ribbing at the top of Fetching wouldn't work for me, and I didn't feel like fiddling with it. This shot is a bit too bright - the actual colours of the wool are dove brown, pale gray, and very pale blue.

Last, but definitely not least, a picture of my Mystery Socks. The sun has turned them vivid pink, but they are really a pinkish lavender. This is Clue 1, finished. I've had a peek at Clue 2 and I think I will do the basic version (no gorgeous cable) because I need to shorten it to adjust for my calves, which don't look great with sock over them.  Needles are teensy size 0 Clover bamboo, and I looooove them.

Today's a glorious sunny day, and doors and windows have been thrown open wide.  Later on, we'll be going round the neighbors' for a playdate and pizza tea.  Sounds nice to me!

Napoleon Dynamite: Bunny Version

[edited to fix broken link - sorry!]

If you have been reading a while, you might remember this post (30-second remakes of famous movies, starring cartoon bunnies). I watched another one yesterday - new to me. Napoleon Dynamite a la Bunny. Pretty funny!!

I Think It's Half a Pica Off....

Try the Eyeballing Game - this is an addictive little app that tests your ability to eyeball geometric shapes/angles/etc. I'm not too shabby at it, I must say. I think small D would enjoy it quite a bit!

[The post title refers to a family in-joke. Which is probably funnier if you lived in a house with three copyeditors/proofreaders, as I did...]

It's a Major Award!

(Who out there gets the reference?)

Toni, whose fiber blog is  A Little Yarn on the Side , has bestowed this award on me.  She's too kind, and I'm NOT worthy!  But I do feel quite special :)

Many thanks, Toni, both for the award, and for your inspiration to live more richly.

I'm now tasked to pass the love along, and I'll choose a random bunch from my most-followed blogs.



Lynn at Never a Dull Moment, who started blogging after I'd mostly stopped, and completely inspired me to start again. Knitting, needlework, kids, kitties, and all the fun of life. Go check out those Saturday skies...they'll make you green with envy if you're not in the Sunbelt!

Marianne at Busha Full of Grace. She truly is filled with grace. Her writing, and the love she has for life and everyone in her life, are inspirational. We could all aspire to be a little bit more Busha. I love you, man, and I don't even know you except through the Blogosphere.

Meredith at Like Merchant Ships is an amazing, frugally fabulous blogger. I'm continually wowed by the things she can do with time, talent, and frugality. She's not too active posting right now, being very much with child, but I look forward to more posts when she's ready.

and finally, David at The Wit Farm. [Yes, I'm shaming you into posting, although I don't even know if it's possible for you to post from Away right now.  I miss reading your stuff, and I'm not the only one!]

Now, the rules for accepting their blog awards:

1. Please put the award on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

Keeping Warm

I empathize with the kitty.  My son, though, could BE the kitty. When I allow him to turn on the space heater, he is Right. There. On. It.

However, there'll be precious little space heater time this month.  And no radiator heat!  We have vowed to make it to Halloween before turning on the heat.  There are sweaters, sweatshirts, warm socks, and down throws galore in this house, and as God is my witness, we will USE them.

D. left last night for a month to sunnier climes, and that's lucky for him.  Not so lucky for us, who will be both missing him and shivering.  I will particularly miss the radiant heat he throws off at night. Seriously, if I had known my husband was warmer than electric blankets, we might have married far sooner. 

This afternoon, I shall curl up with a cup of cocoa and some wooly knitting until it's school run/ballet run time.  The Mystery Socks are both finished through Clue 1, awaiting Clue 2 tomorrow.  No picture, not because of spoilers, but because Bad Camera has no battery and Good Broken Camera needs charging.  I have the Revontuli to work on, but I may have to put it aside for some wrist warmers (like Fetching), to keep my knitting hands supple and warm.

The Yarn Harlot is a lot funnier about her own Furnace Wars than I am.  [You'll have to read back in her archives a bit, but this post confirms that she lasted until 5 November last year.  Plus there's a cool free hat pattern in the same post.  Bonus.]

The Verb a Knitter Created...

Oh, my. Wow. If you don't usually read the Yarn Harlot's blog, please go right now and check out this story about the ultimate in kinnearing.

Again, wow. I've mentioned kinnearing here before (to do with me, Other Susie, and a now-not-much-a-stranger-on-a-train-anymore [Liz]).

In other bright spot news, it's LDS Conference weekend, which means to those of us here in the UK, much later church times. [OK, the down side is church on Saturday evening, too.] I like sleeping in. Heh. Especially on a rainy morning...

We made the first fire of the season last night in the living room fireplace.  Nothing gives me autumn/winter wam fuzzies quite like a fire and some hot chocolate.  Especially when we've vowed to keep the heat off until Halloween!

Socktoberfest Begins!

While surfing my favorite blogs, I came across a link to the perfect Socktoberfest project. It's a Mystery Sock! How cool is this?!

[In addition, I've discovered a new favorite blogger - her posts are colorful and interesting, and oooooh, my goodness, the knitting. Just gorgeous. Browse a little and check out those striped hoodies.

So, let the good times roll. This should be a good challenge for the Month of the Sock - a sock outside my Plain Vanilla comfort zone, AND the first sock I've made that's not a superwash wool. The yarn is one I bought as a souvenir at this summer's Pensthorpe Mediaeval Spectacular (which was, rather). It's from the Mulberry Dyer, purveyors of natural dyes and things that have been dyed naturally. Very nice!

This incredibly blurry picture is not artsy, it's what happens when the good cameras are a) lost and b) broken. The color of this wool is fairly true-to-life, however, so try to imagine a really clear picture of wonderful handspun, hand-dyed wool in place of my hideous picture.

Socktoberfest

Socktoberfest!!  It rapidly approacheth.  Are you in?  I love Socktoberfest because it's my kinda "Thing-Along."  There's no competition, no rules to speak of, no real deadline...it's just a month of socky celebration, however that works for you.  Me, I may (may, I am saying) branch out and do a sock with a lace or cable pattern, rather than my usual and beloved self-striping plain vanillas.

Check out the link above for some inspirational pictures from last year's Fest.  By the way, the host, Lolly of Lollyknitting around - that's her blog, and it is an inspirational thing, itself.  She explores the world of color and texture, through knitting, photography, weaving...there's even yoga there.  What a neat lady.

[Speaking of Thing-Alongs, I've opted out of the Mystery Stole 4 for now.  I found that my beads were too small, and my credit card too otherwise engaged to order more.  Additionally, I wasn't feeling the love for a stole that needs to be grafted in the middle.  I'd be the girl who knit one half, then lost the mojo to knit the same half all over again.  I will say, from looking at Clue One, it's going to produce some gorgeous stoles.  I'll keep printing the Clues, and hope to be re-inspired at a later time.]

My Cat, If I Had One...

This made me snort soda from my nose, just a little. You can buy the bumper sticker here.

Hope all is well with you, Gentle Readers.  Been a busy, not-very-newsworthy week in KnitFarmVille.  More soon!

Finished...One More Pair of Socks

These bad boys have been languishing for a while, but I picked them up the other day and finished off the half-sock that was left. [OK, the ends aren't darned in, but they will be.] Most of the knitting was done on the train to here and there, and some was done while listening to the Great and Mighty Yarn Harlot give her talk at IKnit London. That makes these very special socks, indeed!

Fact file:

Regia 4-color sock yarn (Canadian Classic line, colour 4741)
Size 0 US needles
My own basic ankle sock

I call them the Socktor Who socks because the tones are so much like the colour theme of the revived Doctor Who series.

I love Regia sock yarn. Easy on the hands, soft on the foot, and wears like iron.

Good times, y'all...good times...

A Real Noro Sock Knitter!

Looking to confirm the shade of Noro I am using (it's colourway 185, Noro Kureyon Sock, by the by), I happened on this AMAZING sock knitter. Check out those posts to see some beautiful Noro socks. Almost enough to make me want to try the wool for socks. Almost...

Why the Noro's [Almost] Worth It...

These are true colours, taken outside just now on a mossy stone next to a brick wall. See how rich the colours are? I wish some of the "smooth yarn" manufacturers would bring out shades like this. If they're out there, and you've seen them, I'd love to see links!!

"Noro, Noro, Noro..." (shaking head in dismay)

So.  Once again, the lovely rich shades of Noro yarn have seduced me.  In my opinion, Noro wools have some of the most vibrant, unusual combinations out there.  I love to look at them in the skein, and I loved watching the colors come out as I knit up the Noro Kureyon I was given.

[rant] However, I do not so much love working with this yarn.  The Kureyon had sticks scattered throughout, random knots, and the WORST thick and thin spinning you'll ever see. Seriously, sometimes it was like knitting with Lopi  and sometimes I was knitting with wool as thin as two strands of embroidery floss.  To me, that doesn't bode well for durability.

However. Ahem.  At the I Knit London event, a gorgeous skein of their newer Noro Sock wool followed me home and it is becoming Revontuli.  As I have gotten started, all the reasons Noro Is Bad are flooding back, except maybe the "spun with sticks in it" part.  No sticks yet.  I have had horrible irregularity in thickness, three joins in the one skein (so far!), which also did not follow the color repeats. 

I pulled out the joined areas that didn't fit, and have made them into little balls that I can add in at appropriate spots.  Oh, my goodness, what a lot of work for a single skein of pretty colours.  I just can't imagine using this for a pair of socks, which would get much more hard wear than a scarf!  [/rant]

In fact, here's a review of the Noro Sock, which does say the durability is, shall we say, less than optimal.

Glamping?

Well, once again as the summer begins to fade away, we didn't get out camping.  I get nostalgic for the camping of my youth, when it seemed like we were off to a state park every weekend.  Much of that probably had to do with cramped living conditions, and sharing a house with another family for a few years, but I learned to love tents and sleeping bags and roasted marshmallows.  I have especially fond memories of a camping trip David and I took ages and ages ago - "Forgettable 45s," sweetie?

Somehow, these nostalgic memories don't seem to translate into tons of camping trips for us now.  As we've gotten older, the lure of sleeping bags on hard ground, or even air mattresses, is less than compelling.  Perhaps we're meant to try this new style of camping...this glamping thing.  Check out the linked article - doesn't it sound fun? And luxurious? 

However, the price tag is a little TOO glam for me: "Prices start at £275, about $488, at $1.82 to the pound, for two nights for a medium tent that sleeps two to three people."  Yeesh.

Ahoy, Mateys!

So, how's YOUR weekend been?  Saturday was good fun.  Kids had two birthday parties to attend, D. and I had a nice date night and watched a ridiculously funny movie, Pineapple Express. [I was snorting with laughter much of the time at the poor stoned heroes; I think this movie is the evil, extra-violent, stoner version of Napoleon Dynamite.  Same sort of very random humor, only with lots of pot, swearing, and bad fight scenes...]

Allergies have me pretty zonked this evening, so no knitting progress, but I leave you with this, in case US politics is weighing too heavily upon your brain: Crazy Pirate Fashions.

"First Day"

For all of you who don't get the family newsmail, here's the "First Day" picture of David as he starts the school year.  Big Year 5 boy.  I suppose you could say he's Year 5.5 this year.  Because he hopped up a grade when he arrived in England, David will get to spend 3 years in the Year 5/6 room, rather than move on to the high school at age 10.  We all adore his teacher, so no problems with that at all!  

Anyway, here's the Day 8 of school picture for your viewing pleasure...

Remembering

In Honor of the Large Hadron Collider's Big Day Out...

I showed this lovely video to small D. just now.  Geek rap at its supah-finest, complete with back-up dancing scientists...we loved it!  Here's to the Higgs boson, wherever it may be!



Check out this link for a clear read about the Large Hadron Collider, and how it's totally NOT going to suck the earth into a black hole.

Quick Drive-by Post

The kids and I headed to Heathrow last night with Harriss, and we've seen her safely on board her flight home to the US. Bon voyage, sweet niece of mine! I hope you had as much fun with us as we had having you here.

Now, it's back to reality, and house-shovelling, and de-cluttering, and all of that jazz.

I'm whipped, but did start an interesting new knit on the train to London yesterday. It's the Revontuli shawl. [Go look; I'll wait. It's a worthy pattern!] Revontuli means rainbow in Finnish, and it looks like the perfect pattern to show off a strongly striping yarn. And strongly striping yarn is something I have, since I purchased a single skein of Noro Sock at the IKnit festivities. I believe the colorway is this one (picture nicked from Flickr), with earthtones and a vivid purple. I have enough to make a shoulder scarf-sized shawlette, methinks. I've seen at least one other on Ravelry that used a single skein.

I'm almost done with the Soctor Who socks (at the toe of sock 2) so I hope to get a decent picture in daylight for posting.

Hope all is well with all of you Gentle Readers.

IKnit, Harlot, and Yarn, Oh My!

Yesterday was IKnit Day in London, and as my husband amusedly pointed out last night when I was giving him blow-by-blow recaps, it was, for knitters, something like a sci-fi convention for Star Trek fans.

I got up at oh-dark-thirty, with backpack and knitted alien in tow, and made an early train from King's Lynn. Once in London, I tubed it over to Oxford Street area and checked out the big Waterstones briefly, and then Hatchard's, which I liked much better than Waterstone's, to be honest. Hatchard's is in a lovely older building. Several floors of interesting books, many I hadn't even seen at the big chain stores. I wandered over, via breakfast and the Times, to the Horticultural Halls for IKnit. When I got there just before opening time at 11, the queue was literally around the block. It was rainy, but I had an umbrella, and the fellow waiters were both friendly and decked in interesting handknits. What's not to love?

Inside the hall, there were workshops (great, I heard, although I didn't attend), fashion shows (good), stalls for charity knitting projects, and vendors galore. Oh, wow. The vendors. So nice to pat some of these yarns in person. I picked up some Addi Turbo Lace needles in a size I needed, dropped off my alien to play with the others on the competition display table, browsed all the stalls once, knit on the World's Biggest Knitting, chatted with other attendees, and commenced to spend my limited-to-cash disposable income.

After lunch (a sandwich, a soda, and some quality time spent queueing and talking knitting and comparing knits with another solo knitter) and the vintage knitting fashion show, I headed over to the hall across the street to hear the Yarn Harlot's talk and Q&A. Man, she's funny. Man, that hall was full. Man, it was great to be there, and be alive, and be among so many other knitting folk.

Afterward, she came to the main hall for the booksigning. That was another fun queuing time, sighting gorgeous shawls and wraps and bags and jumpers. After seeing so many shawls, I want to knit one in jeweltoned silks. They absolutely shimmered.

The Harlot (aka Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) was so lovely and friendly to each person she met, including meeeee. She complimented my jacket (which is an awesome chartreuse wool number, even if it does make me look as big as a house), noted my unusual accent ("You're not FROM around here, are ya?" sort of thing), and commiserated with my gauge difficulties when I showed her the lovely Snowdrop shawl (her design, my first lace, and waaaay oversized). All that in less than a minute. She rocked.

Intermixed with talking to knitters, sitting and knitting and watching fashion shoes, and all this loveliness, I did do some stash enhancing. I came home with some awesome stuff, mostly lace weights, that I hope to photograph later. The interim camera I was using was pretty rotten when it comes to focus.

I did get the following blurry pics, but I must refer you to Liz at Knitting on the Green, who has posted some great, and CLEAR, pictures of the day! Check out the end of her post, when she mentions my buddy Susie kinnearing her when we first met! Who's that chartreuse person?

Got home at 11 PM, after a fun "incident on the line"-related re-route from King's Cross over to Liverpool Street Station and the Oh-so-local to Cambridge, followed by an hour's wait on the platform there.

Here we have a picture of the wonderful Yarn Harlot signing my book. See the chartreuse?

Oh, look! More chartreuse. It's me handling the World's Biggest Knitting.

A view of the Alien competition entries, early in the day. My batteries died before the winners arrived, but every. single. thing. was fantastic. My alien, behind the stripey green tentacled one, was definitely the poor little matchgirl, but it was fun to bring one along.

Here's Acrilla the Pun, from Planet Orlon in the star system PolyAstra, with a magenta friend.

And a completely random shot, for the kids, of this knitted pirate and treasure. Aaarrrrr!

Better First Day Pic; Mystery Stole 4?

[Edited to change title of post because of CREEPS who Google. Nuff said.]

To all the friends and family who read my e-mail earlier, this is what First Day Girl looked like without half of her cut off. Promise to get a picture of First Day(ish) Boy soon, too.

As for knitting, I'm halfway done with sock 2 of my Soctor Whos, and preparing for Mystery Stole 4 to open for business. Anyone out there signed up for that?

School's In!

I just returned from the first day drop-off, and here's to a great new year at school for the kiddoes.

Sorry for my absence last week (really, most of the summer), but David was off and we were touristing our little toes off: Salisbury, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Legoland, and another trip to the Doctor Who exhibition. I'm a wee bit tired.

This week we have fewer plans: Harriss will catch up on some school work, she and I are going to see the Prickwillow Drainage Museum (finally!! Whoo hooo), and Saturday I have a knitter's thing that includes a talk by the great Yarn Harlot. I'm excited.

We finish our week with a birthday - Harriss' 17th!

I do have pics from the trip, although not from our camera. That has gone missing since the History Fair at West Acre and either it's in a bag I haven't found, or I really lost it. Sigh. I made Harriss take lots of pictures with Precious Junior, however. That's her camera, obviously.

I also used it for first day of school pics, but will have to wait to download them until later today.

Promise to be back in blogging action soon....

Busy Summer Days

Sorry I haven't checked in to report summer's doings, but we have been keeping busy here. Kids go back to school next Tuesday and this week we will head to Windsor, Legoland and Stonehenge to crown the summer holiday.

David has just gotten a new (to us) car, so looking forward to the road trip in that. It's a Citroen C5. So now we have two French cars. I find that amusing, for some reason.

We've taken in the Doctor Who exhibition in London, the History Fair at West Acre (Iron Age through English Civil War - excellent Roman reenactors and a real life archeological excavation, too), and the Mediaeval Spectacular at Pensthorpe. That was truly good fun. David was happy to visit with his favorite vendors: Pan's Pantry, who have a great medieval incense stall.

I didn't even BRING my camera to Pensthorpe, and took only a few pics at the other events. Perhaps I will post a few, perhaps not...we'll see.

Various volunteer stuff with the squadron is also keeping my hours full. Harriss is with us for about 2 more weeks. I know we'll get down to London the weekend before she goes (also her birthday weekend), and I'm booked for IKnitLondon's big day out with Yarn Harlot on Sat. the 6th.

Knitting stuff - I've got 90% of an ugly alien. I may get inspired to finish it to enter in the IKnit Alien competition, or I may not. I've got a sock and a half of what I call my Soctor Who socks. The colors are browns and the orange/blue combo that is so typical of the new Who episodes. Might have pics of those too.

Anyway, we're all well, good, and fabulous. Just busy!

Simon's Cat Strikes Again

This one's for all of you Gentle Readers who find the blog hunting for Simon's Cat. It's called TV Dinner, and as usual, the cat's too dang funny.

How We Spent Our Wednesday

Wonder why these policemen are gathered round... Hmm, what's with the crowds?

Oh, yes...it's the Sandringham Flower Show. That means - royals! Prince Charles is a patron of the show, and we actually were about 3 feet away from him as he walked to the local schools' display tent to view the students' art projects. We had gone down to have a look ourselves during my hour away from the preschool stall but got trapped behind the rope line.

The preschool's cake stall did a booming business, so I didn't really get to walk around the show this year, but the weather was fantastic and I think the kids had a good day, going about with Harriss to the school display, the carousel, several Punch and Judy shows and this and that.

Noah and the Whale

The first time I heard this band's name, I thought it must be a mistake. Nope, that's really the name, and this single is so lovely. Optimistic and wistful all at the same time...

Five Years' Time

Silly Things

First...an unstuffed alien in progress. I am using the only washable worsted I could find in the house, a lovely Red Heart, and trying out Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar pattern for yesterday, Dolly Dorothy. So far, alien's got two legs, and a tummy (not pictured). I am about to decrease for the neck.



Second...who loves UK shoe sizing? Meeeee. Do you know I am a 6.5 in UK shoes? [I wear a 9 or thereabouts in US shoes.] UK sizing sounds so much nicer, and look at this supah-fab new shoe. Scored at TK Maxx today - a pair of Biostep shoes in electric blue that fit like they were made for me. They're a little loose all over without socks, which means they should be perfect for Crazy Sock Display. No?

Wordle

Check out Wordle to make your own - no registration, just a really nifty application. Thanks to Annalea at The Passionate Mind for the link!

Amazement

This is not what one expects to see when washing up after dinner.

Why, yes, that IS a peacock strolling down the lane.
He took a turn into our side garden, and hopped up on the game larder shed, before heading into the stableyard next door. Wow. And double wow!

Adamas: The Sequel

I've decided to frog the light blue cashmere Adamas I have started. It was only through Chart 1, and it's simply too fine for the needles I have. I will have to get a size 2 or 3 (US) lace needle.

Instead, I've begun an Adamas from this amazing wool - Seacoast Handpainted merino laceweight, in Sahara. Gorgeous, gorgeous color changes. I bought this from Sonny and Shear a few months back. This is MUCH, much easier to work with on a size 5 needle. I've already finished Chart 1, in about an hour's desultory knitting, while listening to a Miss Marple podcast.

Check out my LazyGirl technique here. I'm knitting straight from the swift, rather than skeining the yarn. This means the project isn't portable, but what the heck. Note the innovative use of cloth napkin to protect the coffee table finish. Heh.

A Wee Update

I know I've been away...sorry, all you Gentle Readers :)

The last couple of weeks have been indeed hectic. There was much backing and forthing to the theatre for dance rehearsals, and then we ended the week with FOUR performances. All of which went very well. Miss Lily was a fetching piglet, and ran around the stage doing her ballet thing, ignoring the audience like a pro.

There were tears of pride, I confess!

Here's a picture of our ballerina. I asked her to say "Cheese," and she struck a pose. Very Dance Artiste...



This week it's been recovery from Ballet Week, with some massive laundry, etc., and now we are into School Play mode. Dress rehearsal was Wednesday, opening night last night, and the last performance tonight. I'll have pictures, and if any come out, I will post one. No photos during, just after the curtain call.

The play? Romeo and Juliet, in musical form. A tad ambitious for a bunch of 8- to 11-year-olds, but they pull it off, sword fights, poisoning, ballroom scene and all!

David has his first speaking part in a school production, and is very pleased with all three lines of it. He's Gregory of the Capulets. Everyone sings, and it was just lovely to hear 40 children singing the songs we've been hearing in the car and around the house for months now.

Every year the Key Stage 2 children put on a play, always a musical since we've been here. The teachers do a fantastic job getting them involved in every aspect, and everyone is on stage as Greek chorus all the time, with characters stepping forward as their scenes come up. So even the littler ones with no lines are "performing" the whole time.

Master of the Universe...

Or at least, master sergeant of the universe. Congratulations, my sweetie.

Stripey Socks and More Adamas

Here's a shot of one of the socks I have been working on, intermittently, for a while now. Lovely stripey yarn. Who loves the stripey yarn? Me! Me! It impresses non-knitters no end. Even some knitters, too!

And this blurry shot is me with the Adamas, for scale. Small D took the shot just as the camera died. I hope the recipient likes it. She is a bit taller than I am, so I think it will at least be a better fit for her :) If I make this again in the same weight of yarn, I will stop at 10 repeats.

Adamas, or More Shawl Than You Wanted to Know About

Adamas, she is finished. Rinsed, blocked, and smelling sweetly of lavender. Details:
Adamas pattern by Mimknits
Size 5 Addi Lace Needles (Da Bomb)
Hunt Valley Cashmere 2-ply, just over 3 ounces (~800 yards by my guesstimate)
Started 1 June 2008
Finished 18 June 2008

Behold, many pictures. If you don't come for the knitting, move along...nothing to see here.

For the rest of you, here's Adamas pinned out on the double bed. It blocked even larger than I expected.


Here you can really see the pattern details well. Blocking is truly magic for lace knitting. No more wet noodles now!


I like this detail shot because you can see the fluff and imagine the softness of the cashmere.


This is a doofy shot but I tried to reduce two similar pictures so that the gate is the same size in both. You can really see how the lace has opened up and the shawl has GROWN after blocking.

I'm on Fire!

Knit! Knit like the wind! That's been me this past week or two. Adamas is off the needles, but still unblocked. I am contemplating gifting it to someone who is leaving England to return to the States, but I'm not sure if it would be her cup of tea. I'll have to consider it some more, while I block. I cannot believe what a quick knit this has been, and what a FUN one! I want to cast on for another right away, but am forcing myself to return to the stripey socks instead.

Dover was lovely - the castle is amazing. We spent the best part of two days there. I won't post castle pictures, because they're all detail shots. The place is so vast that you can't get a full-castle shot unless you're quite some distance away, and I was always in a car at that point.

The tunnels, the keep, the displays, the Ghurka band who were performing, all of it was really interesting. I give this castle two thumbs up.

We also went over to the cliffs and walked about, although being RIGHT UP ON THE EDGE with children proved to be pretty nerve-wracking. I did get this shot of The White Cliffs of Toe-ver for you, Susie My Friend! No shots from over the edge of the cliffs, though, thankyouverymuch.

Off the Grid...

Well, we'll be trying an Internet break for the next day or so. Time for a family trip to Dover, where we want to visit this castle, walk through the wartime tunnels there, and see the cliffs up close and personal (and look for those bluebirds).

Have a great weekend!

Trebuchet Commuters?

With gasoline prices edging toward insanity, this option seems rather clever!

'Albany, NY - With no end in sight to the rise in fuel prices, commuters in Albany are using a network of trebuchets to save on gas and the airlines are taking notice.

“We have a high-density of renaissance festival attendees, so it’s only natural that the trend started here,” said Clinton Decola who heads the Trebuchet Transport Cooperative of Albany (TTCA).'

Click here for entire article. Very funny!

Weaning from the E-mail Jones...

This article really resonated with me today. It's about taking time away from Teh Interwebs - the better to live your real life.

E-mail is my addiction. That, and checking up on my Google Reader bloglist. I have made great strides toward lessening that addiction, I think, in the past couple of years. Still, if I am away from e-mail for more than a day, I get antsy. If I can't Google something instantly, I get cranky. How did I survive, waaaay back in 1992, before I had a computer at home? How did I exist with only dial-up?

Inconceivable as it is, I DID exist, survive, even thrive, without net access for decades! Surely I can do it for one day a week? I'm also winnowing my bloglists, by creating an UltraFaves department that I check daily (ten or fewer), and then mass deleting the rest if it gets overwhelming.

Seriously, though, have a look at the article. It's a good read.

Just 100 Things...

This is a very interesting article, all about clearing the clutter in our lives. There's quite a lot about a man attempting to pare down his possessions to just 100 things.

Could you do it?
What would you keep?
Why?
And does stash count as one thing?

Some things to ponder, there...

Adamas Progress

I'm fairly flying along with the Adamas shawl. I can't believe I have found a lace pattern that I can work on while watching telly, or talking to friends. Amazing stuff!

I stuck in a lifeline and pulled it off the needles this afternoon to figure out roughly how much more I need to knit. My gauge is MUCH looser than the designer's intent. Here's what 9 repeats looks like, spread out but not stretched, with 5-year-old child for scale. I am thinking 3 more repeats, plus the edging (approximately another repeat in length), should do it nicely. The shawl pattern calls for 14 repeats and I think 12 in my looser gauge is more than enough. What do YOU think, Gentle Readers?

Calendars

My friend Lynn is holding a Blogiversary Contest (go wish her well - it's been TWO years!!) and pictures of your calendar(s) are the entry requirement.

These are mine - the top is a knitting page-a-day calendar (I am saving about half the patterns as "might knit possibly") and below is my planner, without which I do not exist. If I don't have the Blue Book of Doom, I have no idea what I need to do.


No wall calendars, as we don't have a good spot in the kitchen to post one.



So Lynn, that's my entry, and congratulations on two years of fun posts to you!



In other news, I spent waaaaay too much time doing laundry on base today, as many folk had the same idea. Fortunately, I popped the wet stuff in baskets/car and took a break to have lunch with my honey while the dryers were all full.


Said honey found me a swift! For a pound! At a boot sale! I am SO happy about that. I want to blog it but I'll need to wait for the sunshine. It's a vintage three-armed wooden wool winder, called a "Nitta Wool Winder," and it even came in the original box.

Such a nifty gadget. I have already used it to wind my skein of Hunt Valley 2-ply laceweight cashmere that has been ripening in stash for over ten years. That skein is now 5 repeats worth of the Adamas shawl, and growing. See the pic below.


Quick review - Adamas pattern? VERY simple and satisfying to knit for a lace pattern. Addi Lace needles? Awesome...they slip along so quickly but the wool? Does. Not. Slide. Off. Ends. It's truly a lace-knitter's miracle.

The Game - Have you seen it?

Edited to add: I have explained my own "answer pics" below, since they are a little hard to decipher unless you're....me!

This is a meme I have seen on several blogs now. Curious, I clicked the link to find out more. In a nutshell, you answer the following questions in picture form and post your mosaic. Very cool, indeed.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

Here's mine. By the by, the celebrity crush is Phil Harding (IloveyouTimeTeam!).

Answers to The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Susan

2. What is your favorite food? Mnay but I chose Salmon skin hand roll sushi

. What high school did you go to? Kent School in CT - that's a pic of the back of the chapel there.

4. What is your favorite color? Green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Phil Harding or all of Time Team

6. Favorite drink? Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper...do they even MAKE it any more?

7. Dream vacation? Corfu in Greece

8. Favorite dessert? Banoffee pie

9. What you want to be when you grow up? an archeologist, not a sock monkey

10. What do you love most in life? my family

11. One Word to describe you. Loving

12. Your flickr name: susieknits