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Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Calm Before The Storm

The Calm...


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The Storm...

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Actually, we got the stuff put away pretty quick, and there really hasn't been much mess.
The Big Guy set a trawl and got a halibut before he ran to the mainland to pick these guys up. 
We are eating halibut Sunday night!!

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The birthday girl was fascinated with the cleaning process.

I've got to get a picture of all the electronic devices, computers, even toothbrushes, and their respective chargers. The Big Guy is trembling at the thought of next month's electric bill. 

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Blog Problem

Can somebody with a brain tell me why my pictures get cut off on one side in Blogger?

I have searched forums and played with all kinds of stuff (meaning html code) that I should NOT have anything to do with, to no avail!
Any ideas?
It's bugging me...I see the same template used on other blogs without this happening...

which clearly means I've done something.

later today....finished pictures of that awesome Drops top for Natalia!
It's so cute!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

You've got to be kidding me.


I don't think this is meant to be funny, or sarcastic. And it just pisses me off. And I don't have my period right now.

A man wrote this. Actually, a group of men.
There is no doubt in my mind.

Just for the record:
1. I eat chocolate all month long.
2. My toenails are never unpolished.
3. I hate going to the mall, ever.
4. If I am slightly annoyed, ever, at any time, the world does know about it.
5. I don't cry. I get mad. It's far more effective. Be afraid.

I love Always pads. But they reeeally need to ditch this ad campaign. I'm going to their website right now to express that very opinion. And I won't be crying when I do it.

So, because inquiring minds want to know...
here is the link to the very awesome white top for Natalia, that I've only got the back done on so showing you a progress picture won't mean anything.

    She's coming to visit for a week, which means if people will leave me alone, and let me work on this, I can actually fit it to her and have it done by the time she leaves!!



Monday, June 23, 2008

Mad Monday

Town Meeting today, 4pm.


Margaritas and Nachos, my house, 5:30.
I may start without you.
Can't wait to get this over with!!!!!!

My summer officially begins when this meeting ends.  Woohoo!!!

It's 2:02 am, I haven't been to bed yet, the Big Guy just left to put the boat on the beach, and I'm off to take a shower.

We have a blatant disregard for time in this house.

And wait 'til you see what I'm making for Natalia. I LOVE this, wish I could fit into it!!
Pictures tomorrow...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Bug

     I woke up this morning with a bug up my butt. Not literally, or I'd be cuddled up to a bottle of wine right now. No, here is my particular bug:


Book-7_Jeans-Rope-Bag

I found this yesterday afternoon. I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's Rowan's Cotton Jeans, worsted weight, 100% cotton. Love, love, love the colors. It's the beach in a bag!
I. Must. Make. This.

Strangely enough, the craving is more than the lace itch. More than chocolate (right now), if you can believe it!

Well, I was about to post a plea to keep me on track with the Seasons of Lace KAL I want to start...but I just went and ordered the makings of this bag. 
Oh well, here's to muliti-tasking and many, many sleepless nights to come while I try to do both!!!!     *clink*

Speaking of lace, I have settled on this:

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You know what it is, you've probably already done it. Branching Out.
In what yarn, and which color I have not yet determined. I can tell you that it will not be white or ecru, nor will it contain mohair. Something silk, maybe even seacell, with great stitch definition. Any ideas??

This is the part where you drag me away from the Handmaiden at Colorsongyarns.com, at $34.00 a skein...

I really want one of these,  but can't figure out how to get Jared to make me one. Working that one out.

I'd like to think I'm smart enough to know when I'm crazy. And that, for me, is craaaaaazy!
aaaaaaah, maybe someday...when the kids are out of the house.....

     June is drawing to a close, and it can't come quick enough for me! This month is hell. The kids are out of school. I think they should have full time jobs. They need to be occupied.
Saturday my SIL is coming for a visit. Don't know where I'm going to put her, now that Thing 2 has moved into the (former) Toyroom/Guest room. The Princess is much, much better, but still on the mend. I have declared her room off limits (still arguing the point with the Big Guy, but he'll back down if he knows what's good for him). So, where to stash the young one? He wakes up at 5:30 or 6am. Thankfully, he gets right on the computer and plays games until 7:00, so I have reprieve until then. Princess has been sleeping until 10am!!

      About that guest room/toyroom...
      The other day, during what can only be described as a 'ShitFit' (when my son got into the drawer where all my knitting toys live and broke my only cute measuring tape- the one that looked like a ladybug-) I was lamenting the fact that I have no place to store my 'stuff' so the kids don't get into it. And the thought occurred to me....when we moved here, we didn't have kids yet. I was naive enough to think if I set up this 'extra room' (wow, really? we had an extra room?) as a guest room, we would have guests. My family would come up for weeks at a time to visit, having their own space and full control of the downstairs bathroom...yeah, never happened.
Brilliant. Whenever I needed to use my sewing machine, it involved dragging it out of the closet, setting it up on the kitchen table, and finishing whatever the project was in a hurry so we could eat dinner. And there was that empty, unused guest room, mocking me, all those years.
Then we had kids, and it eventually became the toyroom, AKA The Black Hole.
Why, why , why didn't I stake a claim on that room from the very beginning?!?
It even has a lock on the door!!!!  (Young One hasn't noticed that ....yet.)

     I still don't know where I'm putting my SIL.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

"What Now"

     So we had an interesting trip off yesterday. It started with a boat ride from a neighbor who is not a lobster fisherman, but a Harvard Professor. His boat is small. And fast. 

I'll let you do the math. It did not go well for me. 
The kids loved it, even the sick one. Man, that thing flies! It was flat, mirror calm, honest-to-God I've never seen it so flat. Then we hit some tide, and were airborne. I was wrapped around poor George's leg at one point. 

I don't think I'll be invited back.

And I wish I brought the camera to record it!

     But we made it to the Doc, somebody new to us. She was so nice, and fixed us up in no time.
Ms. Princess does indeed have a whopper of a sinus infection. Turns out she has only been on an antibiotic once up 'til now. So we got the same one (docs are leery of letting us try out new things this far from the mainland), in a very strong dose.
So much for the home remedies, though it is always worth a shot to try them first.
     
      So last night was her worst night yet. The day must have worn her out. She asked to go to bed at 6:30, so we got her settled in and woke her to give her medicine when it was time throughout the night. At one point, she got up (we could her her moving around in bed), sat up out of a dead sleep, and said,"What now? What Now!". We didn't know whether to laugh or cry; if you could only have heard the frustration in her voice. I still can't figure if she thought I was waking her up for medication, or she was referring to her sore throat, stuffy head, head and neck ache, etc.  (I actually thought she'd wet the bed, or thrown up, the way she said it.)
     When I went up to bed at 3am, I found her sitting on the side of her bead, rocking back and forth crying that her head was going to pop like a balloon.
Thank God for modern medicine. She slept from 4am to 1pm!!
She is MUCH better this afternoon.

My knitting news is bleak, but I guess it's a good thing.
I brought my double mittens on ML with me to do while we sat in a waiting room, hoping to be worked into somebody's schedule. Firstly, George was able to bring us over nice and early (in his Time Machine of a boat!!) so we were on the mainland by 9:30! I had a note on my car from my friend Bonnie, who noticed my inspection sticker was about to run out....but I decided not to worry about that until next time off.
     On the way to the Doc's office, we pass 2 other clinics. On a whim, I stopped in at the closest clinic.
I don't know when this happened to me...I used to be a very monogamous patient. Our Doc is a friend of mine; I've known him and worked with him for almost 12 years. But suddenly, I take my kids to anyone that's convenient! Unheard of! I'm the first one to say sticking with the same doc makes for better care, continuity and all that....what happened to me?!? And what will I say if Lou finds out I 'cheated' on him?!? (I usually 'cheat' out of State...)
     Well, that clinic said they had an opening in 30 minutes. Very cool. I had time to kill, so I drove back to our mechanic, who not only was there, he wasn't busy, and said he could do the car inspection on the spot, and have it done in plenty of time for our dr appointment! I knew right then it would be fruitless to buy a lottery ticket, I'd just gotten all the good fortune I was going to get, all in 15 minutes. 
I did start to fret a bit, that the "Boomerang Effect" would strike, and that we'd end up in the hospital with something far worse than a sinus infection.....
but I put those thoughts away, grabbed the kiddos out of the car, and walked around the parking lot while Alan played with lights, brakes, and the horn. My son thought this procedure was a riot.
When we got back to the clinic with our shiny new inspection sticker, we didn't even get a chance to sit down, they took us right in.
Can you believe it; I never even got my knitting out of the bag the entire trip. The only time we had to wait was when the Big Guy came over to pick us up. 
We'd stopped for ice cream, however, so it wasn't much of a hardship to lick a cone while waiting!

Princess is definitely feeling better; I just received a request for meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner.
..off to cook....

Monday, June 16, 2008

The rest of the story

     About that 'Under the Sea' sweater, I neglected to mention that I had less than one yard of the light blue yarn left when I finished. I was beginning to worry when I did the wave pattern on the second sleeve. By the time I finished the colorwork, I was fretting over it. By the time  I picked up stitches for the neck, I was sweating bullets. I probably would have done 2 or 3 more rounds for the neck, but it looked okay as it was. I ended up frogging and re-knitting the neck 3 times.

     And I've lost the pattern!! I'm so mad, because it's awesome; the math is worked out for top down raglans in three yarn weights and like 8 sizes! I've looked everywhere I can think, and I cannot find it. That means it will turn up in some weird place in the future.....or it fell into the trash. I haven't looked at it since checking the length for the first sleeve, which was a longish time ago. 

Can you tell it's driving me nuts?

On a positive note....
remember this girl?

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that's Em, on the left.

She and Chris dropped by tonight, kind of late (for them...they are 'in bed by 9pm' kind of people).

SPORTING A VERY LOVELY SHINY DIAMOND ON HER LEFT RING FINGER!!!!

I am so excited for them! This was a long time comin'!

I was so excited, in fact, that I didn't think to grab the camera and get a picture of the two of them, leaving me to recycle this old one of Ms. Em....soon to be Mrs. S.

       Ahem, plus I was curled up on the couch in my jammies, so jumping around to get the camera would have been slightly embarrassing in front of Chris. 
        See, I say that, and then I remember that there isn't a soul on this island who hasn't been  blessed with the sight of me nursing two babies. I was topless (at home, anyway...and, you know, that one time in Walmart), for something like 3 years, give or take, and islanders have the disturbing habit of just walking into each other's houses unannounced. No knock, no call, usually just a shout as they come through the door. It's led to some very....umm.... interesting situations. Truly, there isn't a single person on this island who couldn't describe any or all of my nightgowns. It bothered me until I had kids; now my house is so noisy, if someone was to knock, we'd never hear it. And, you know, they've already seen all my not-ready-for-primetime-nighties.

Edited to add: These are sounding  like the sheer, fur-trimmed nighties one might find on certain ladies of a certain profession....NOT! I'm talking about ripped, threadbare, old lady nighties, here, folks!

Hey, today was the day for open sign-ups for the Yarn Pirate Booty Club, and I'm in, baby!
Pirate yarn, yum!
I feel lots of socks coming on!!!


I've finished that pair of fingerless mittens and started another. Since I've been on the couch with a very sick Princess, I've moved right along on this pair. It helps that I learned a new trick last night:
magic loop two at a time!!!!
    I tried this before, and couldn't get it on. I was determined today, however, and wasn't moving until I got it. Turns out I was pulling the wrong needle out to knit with. Could NOT figure out why I only had one needle and a cable when I got to the second mitten. And then it clicked, and it's the same darn thing as doing ML on one mitten! And now there's no going back. It's fantastic! Imagine, no second sock! Imagine, all the increases and decreases lining up!
Love it!

Thanks to Dirkey for providing the incentive to list and accomplish 5 new things this summer.
That's two for me so far:
1. made stitch markers
2. ML 2 at  a time
 Check out her awesome blog, she's posting hints for "Frugal Fridays" that are cool, too.

Tomorrow we are taking an emergency trip off to the doctor. I don't know what's wrong with this kid, but it turns out she DID have fevers all last week...our stupid ear thermometer wasn't working. We found out Thursday night, when her fever was 103'.  Now it's gone on so long, that we can't get her fever down. Probably should have taken her off today, there were lots of boats coming and going, but no doctor. So, the Big Guy will miss a day fishing, and run us over in the morning to sit in the office until they can squeeze us in. 
She's just miserable. I am thinking sinus infection.

Happy Father's Day, Dads. 

We saw the Big Guy for about an hour today, at dinner. He tore the roof off the boat, and worked on it from 4:30 this morning until 6pm. Then he fell asleep in his chair. Yup, it's all glitz and glamour over here, folks. I was in jammies at 4:00 today, and the kids never did get dressed!

And my house stinks of fiberglass and resin. pee yoooo!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Public Service Announcement


The definition of enabling is :
    doing for someone things they should be capable of doing themselves.

 As opposed to the definition of helping, which is:
    doing something for someone that they are not capable of doing themselves.

I saw that the World needed this reminder, so I provided it.
So, there you have it.

Read it over a few times, and try to incorporate it into your day.

Remember, we're all in this together.

The time I spent sitting at the polls on Tuesday enabled me to do this:


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That was totally an accident with the remote, it was on the chair.

Finished, and I love it. And Thing One loves it. And it's not for her. And she's pissed.
I will have to do another one. I may do one for each kid, for xmas pictures.
You know, if I start now, they may get to wear them for their High School Graduation.
note to self: learn to knit continental. Got to knit faster!!


 


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Not the thickest we've ever had, but pretty miserable.

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It's really cool when you can't even see that big tree and leaning shack . Once, from where this picture was taken, I couldn't see the basketball court (on the right).
THAT was some fog!

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A picture can't show it, but this was blowing in like smoke. 


That's the best I can do, folks. You'll have to visit the island in June for the full experience.

Now, speaking of experience...
  We have visiting musicians here with us this week! In lieu of a music teacher at school, we have a week long intensive music class. This year the 'teachers' have rented violins, one per kid, for every kid in school! They have been having lessons all week, and on Friday they will perform an Operatic version of "Peter and the Wolf".
They are all working their tails off, writing the songs and original scores, and practicing on their instruments. It's awesome!

One of the musicians, Bo Newsome,  has been coming out for a few years to do this program. We just love him! Sadly, the other musician who usually accompanies him, Sally Bloom, was unable to make it this week due to a scheduling conflict. We will miss her. There are two other musicians here with Mr. Newsome, who I will get to meet tonight at an Open House. I'll bring the camera...if I know Bo, there will be music!!

Full Bio's on our traveling musicians tomorrow, and the Opera on Friday.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Election Day

Though that's not how my husband pronounces it...cough.....


Tuesday is Election Day. Go vote for something. I have poll duty from 9 to 11, then post office hours are 11 to 2. 
That puts me in that nasty building from 9am to 2pm tomorrow.

And my big worry is this:
    I am 10 wrist rows away from finishing the wave sweater. (like 35 sts a row)
     oops, and some neck finishing, but very little.

This baby is DONE with like, 30 minutes of attention.

So what the heck can I bring to knit?!!!??!

Need to go search for some quick mindless pattern to do!

And this is stuck in my head, has been all day:

F,   R ,   E,   E,

that spells free,
credit report dot com, baybee!!!

(must be sung with a southern accent, per the commercial).

GOOD LUCK GETTING IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD NOW!
 Mine is still bobbing uncontrollably to music I can't even hear. 
credit report .com, baby!

Ooops, I just found those lime green fingerless mittens left unfinished in a basket.
Guess I'll be doing those tomorrow.
Whew, I was thinking about casting on a pair of socks!

p.s. David Letterman has more hair now than he did when he was 30.
        75 million a year. f,r,e,e, that spells free.....
but he looks better than The Donald....

        Hot enough for ya??????

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Pure Joy!

I couldn't get to the computer yesterday, so this is all a day behind.


Thing One loved her field trip, we all survived without any artificial help of any kind.
I was so completely distracted by a surprise in the mail that I never even had wine at the end of the day!

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Homecoming!  hmmm, she looks tired.
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What, no smiles? She said it was fun and she was glad she got to go. However, she came home sick. She apparently fell asleep in the car twice, and had to drive with a giant McDonald's cup in her hands...just in case....
She's been on the couch all day today, was up all last night. I guess there was candy, McDonald's, chocolate milk (she's not supposed to drink regular milk!!), and ice cream.
I really think she's just tired, she hasn't been sleeping right.

Ok, this is totally not about the kids, for once.

'Cause that's not the joy...here's the joy:

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My swap came in the mail!!!!OOOOO, what's that peeking out?? Noro???

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Oh My Goodness! Just look at all the stuff she sent!!!!
Look, there are even flower seeds...sunflowers, my favorite!! and nigella, and two kinds of tea (one is loose and smells like heaven) and a tea ball and treats for the kids (thanks, E!) and omg, espresso beans (yeah, those are gone. they were chocolate covered, and doomed not to make the day. they didn't!)
Oh, and some awesome lavender soap, in the shape of a cute goat that D's SIL MADE! It smells so good.
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Hey, that's Regia Bamboo sock yarn! Cool! (I was too excited to think of taking this out of the plastic for a picture. Does that tell you how excited I was? I'm surprised any of the pictures came out, my hands were shaking. Oh, and I lost my voice by the end of the day from shrieking, "Oh My God" over and over.)
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See?!? Omg, she gave me a spindle! She's also going to have to teach me to use it!
Man, I'm a sucker for anything made of wood. Woo hoo, I can't wait!!

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Check it out, sheep fur!! And look, she sent some yarn THAT SHE SPUN HERSELF!! I am going to have to thoroughly research what I want to make with that! Super-special!

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Look, she made the beaded chain!  Now, here's where things start to get weird. I have scissors, of course. I can cut yarn. But, I have this crappy old bag that I keep all my little widgets in, and my scissors are just a tad too big for it. So, this  happened:

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Yup, those are the tips of my scissors poking thru the bag. Now, that happened, like, as soon as I started using that bag. Um, I didn't have kids at the time, so it was at least 7 years ago. Wait, I remember that from our old house...so it was at least 11 years ago! But it worked, so I just never got another bag, or smaller scissors. I did lose a stitch marker, however.
So, it's very cool that D thought to get me such awesome scissors, and they even have a 'lid' so they won't stab me when I root around for them. Nice!

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Oh yeah! Yarn Harlot book! And because The Big Guy once joked that I only read books with the word "dead' in the title...a scary book!! I love scary books, and then I have to sleep with the lights on. (D and I will have a read- along with this one, she got a copy, too.)

Oh, on that note...scariest movie I ever saw (recently, anyway...the memories fade over time...)
The Hills Have Eyes
Now, I can't watch horror movies with The Big Guy, for a variety of reasons. The biggest one is that he heckles them, and it ruins it for me. I know they're corny, and tacky, and predictable...but sometimes I wanna jump when the bad guy shows up, even if I do kinda expect it!
So I have this whole setup that I do to watch a scary movie. 
First, he has to be Out Of Town. Like, Not Coming Home For The  Night. 
Then I take the cordless phone (in case I need to call for help while running, which would be impossible given my fitness level, and really, who would I call?), 
my cell (for backup, in case the lines are cut by a wandering ax murderer), 
my sharpest knife (joke, in my house. can't hardly cut a tomato with any of my knives), 
I lock all the doors and windows,
 close all the curtains (because if I even think I see a face in the window I'll have an instant heart attack), 
make sure the kids are asleep (because nobody should see or hear this stuff before they're ready), 
and go to my room to watch The Movie (not the living room, because chances are good I'll be too scared to move when the movie ends. Have to be in bed at the beginning).

I made it about a third of the way through The Hills Have Eyes, and I had the pillow over my mouth to keep from screaming and scaring the bejesus out of my kids.
 I had to shut. it. off. A first for me!

Then I called my neighbor, Tim (who loves horror flix like I do), who told me this was must-see. And I made him stay on the phone with me for the next 3 hours, until the movie ended, and the shock wore off and I thought I could go to sleep. (I'm sure he was thrilled, but I think he knew I'd be on his doorstep with my 2 kids around 3 am in hysterics if he didn't stay on the phone, so it was the smart thing to do.)

Now I'm dying to see The Strangers. Seen the ads for this one? Just the Ads scare the crap outta me!
It's already on my Netflix list.

Wait, back to the show!!!

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Addi lace!!!!What's better than Addi lace!!!!! And size two's, which I did not possess!
But I do now, thanks, D!

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Another weird thing...I only had 3 stitch markers. There were 4, but one fell thru the hole in my widget bag. And she couldn't have known that!
And how awesome are these?!? I love 'em all! She said the letter ones are for something in one of Cat Bordi's books, which I am obviously going to have to do. Maybe with that bamboo.....

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And look at this cute cute box, which is the perfect place for all these stitch markers to live...


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I'm looking at a few things I forgot to mention...there was the newest issue of IK, and a needle felting kit, which Thing One wants to do with me. She's getting the knitting bug!

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So, I'm putting stuff away, and I go to put all the stitch markers in the pretty purple box ( to hide from kids and cat), and look, there's something else....

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No way! How could she possibly have known that I've been dying for a bracelet row counter? I've never told a soul!  See, weird!
I have had a clicky type counter for about 20 years (wow, am I getting old), and it works, but I hate it. It never stands up, makes me have to knit next to a table...it's a P-I-T-A. But, there's nothing wrong with it, so I couldn't justify getting something new.
But I've wanted one of these bracelets for years!
And look, matching stitch markers!!
And she MADE it! Can you believe it!! I love it!


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Now, I don't admit to this; if you ask me my favorite color, I'm going to say purple or green. But really, I love orange. I wear orange all the time. 
I have samples of paint, right now, in my closet that are various shades of orange, because I'm seriously considering painting my living room some shade of orange (the only thing holding me back is, how will I like it in the summer? I may have to go with a version of gold....).
It says Fall, my favoritest season (though I like summer a lot). And how perfect, I mean perfect are the colors in this Noro?
And did I have to be wearing my favorite orange sweatshirt on Friday when this box came in the mail!!!!
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And do you know, I had put everything away but the yarn (ok, ok, I was toying with the idea of casting on for something, anything with this...)when I noticed it's SOCK YARN!!
People, I feel lace coming on, in my favorite fall colors, and with my new Addi size 2 lace needles!!!
D is an enabler.

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I can't stop playing with this. Or this:
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Sheep Fur. My cat is beside herself. Wait 'til she sees the spindle in action.
Oddly enough, the kids love this stuff, too.

D, thank you so, so, so, so, much for everything! I absolutely love it!

Tomorrow:
     A possible preview of Frenchboro Fog. It's supposed to be 90' on the mainland. We are sure to be socked in with fog. I thought it was raining out today, turns out it was fog. ( I never left the house today, stayed on the couch with my sick kiddo.)


Friday, June 6, 2008

Field Trips and Tranquilizers

There has been a cloud hanging over my head this whole week that I've done my best to ignore. Fortunately, it's been a tumultuous week, with multiple hormonal imbalances and stuff. (I refer you to last post re: water tampering.)


The Big School is going on  a field trip today. It sounds like fun, right up my alley, as they are going to a farm.  Awwww, sheep and stuff! and it has a museum...where they've catalogued old-time/historic tools used on Maine farms. How cool is that!?!

But I have nobody to babysit the post office.
So  I can't go.
And my 7 year old is.

I've been trying not to think about it, but it's been lurking there in the back of my mind, all week.
I am the Queen of Denial. Really I am. I once had myself totally convinced that I wasn't at a funeral, but a reunion of sorts. I completely and totally believed it. I even had a good t....well, best not to say.
Maybe that's why I wasn't able to pick up my needles all week.

This trip involves a boat ride (not the big ferry, but Kim Strauss , my most favoritest and trusted Captain is driving), a 2 hour drive (with a driver that is NOT me, but Rachel who I've known for 11 years), a lunch, the farm, and then all of that in reverse.

I'll be home (and at the PO) with the 5 yr old, who is BEYOND PISSED that he can't go.

How many tranquilizers will it take to get through this day?

On a positive note (because when you can't find one, and you make jokes about tranquilizers...it's time to be concerned), I got to spend yesterday afternoon playing cards...kid-free, no less...with a friend. ( I kicked butt)

Toldya, Dawn. 
Karma. 
I knew something good would happen to me yesterday to make up for the day before!
No package,though. I thought for sure it was in the mail bag...there was a flat rate priority box, and I was soo excited. I sorted all the mail, stacked all the other boxes, and was just about to tear into that priority box...and I happened to look at the name just before I sliced it open.
Darn! Not mine! (yeah, that's so not what I said.)
Thank God I happened to glance at the name...imagine If I'd opened somebody's box!!
I don't know if the post office Powers That Be would understand the insane excitement of a yarn swap. 

Then, yesterday evening, we went to Open House at the Big School. It was nice, saw all the kids' work, some of the art they've done with Anne Claude Cotty (our art teacher, we all LOVE her!), and watched Brody and Elijah shoot off some rockets as part of their science projects. Very cool.

Well.
I've made it through the morning, off to the Post Office. Let's see what kind of trouble I can get into there!

fingers crossed for Dawn's package!!!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Derailed

    I am filled with resentment tonight.


 Some days I am resentful of my kids, when they take an inordinate amount of my time, and I feel invisible. Then they do something cute and it goes away, and I remember that I'm the Mom and that's what I do. Even if I didn't get to knit one single stitch, or read a single page, or finish answering a single email...

    Sometimes I am resentful of The Big Guy, because he is a man and therefore (thinks he) has the ability to do what he wants, when he wants. For example, he can decide, in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, that he should run to the mainland to buy a screw for the boat... just because. He steps onto any boat, hands free and unencumbered, and goes.

My trips to the mainland involve 2 kids, luggage, a snack cooler, carseats, lifevests, a babysitter for the post office, and a minimum of three days notice. (to obsessively check the weather.It sometimes also requires medication. That's a story for another day.)

     Today's resentment, though, comes in the form of PEOPLE WHO IMPOSE ON MY TIME WHEN I'M WORKING AGAINST A DEADLINE AND HAVE PLANNED AN ENTIRE UNINTERRUPTED AFTERNOON OF KNITTING.
 yeah, in caps, just like that.
And my whole day was derailed.
I didn't knit a single stitch.

Many forces are conspiring to work against me, my friends. 
There is the fact that sleeves suck, in general.
There is the fact that I am at a point in the pattern of said sleeve which is not just mindless stockinette, which I'm craving right about now.
There is the fact that I'm supposed to hand it over tomorrow afternoon, along with 3 other unfinished projects.

And there is the fact that it's June.

 June is fog season. Bet you didn't know there was such a season. There is, and we have it.
 Ever read Stephen King's "The Fog'? He's very perceptive, that Stephen. He may have spent some time on an island. Our fog is like nothing I had ever previously experienced. It's thick, and wraps around you like a blanket. A thick wet, salty blanket engulfing you, not with dainty tendrils, but fists. Obliterating the sun. Doom and gloom.
I've met fog before, of course. It mists around you, but sort of off in the distance. You walk, and it retreats a bit. You know that if someone is looking at you through the fog, you'd be a shape in a shadow.
Not this crap. It rolls down the street, like smoke, soaking everything in it's wake.
That's how thick it is. You step into it and your hair is as wet as if you sprayed it thoroughly with a spray bottle. Hosed.
You literally can't see your hand in front of your face sometimes.
And on the water, you see ...nothing. A wall of white. The guys drive by instruments, but they don't much like it. Could you drive your car by instruments, and trust them?!?
The fishermen can't see from buoy to buoy in the thick stuff, and it keeps them landlocked.
And that doesn't work for anybody involved!

And it's right on our horizon.

And people are getting a little....unstable.
At least, I hope it's the impending fog.

 Because my other theory involves a government conspiracy that involves Prozac in our water supply, or more specifically, the removal of Prozac from our water supply during the months of May and June, wreaking havoc on our inter-personal relationships.
I haven't worked out all the details yet. But judging from the last few days on this rock, this scenario is looking more and more plausible.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Switching gears

I know, I know.

I have a deadline, and I'm all but ignoring it.
I'm usually not a procrastinator, OCD sort of cures that, but I can't seem to make myself pick up that wave sweater. And it's getting close...I'm supposed to have it done by Thursday. (Ain't gonna happen).

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I got a whole sleeve done, and am ready to start the wave on the 2nd arm. That's the holdup, I need to concentrate to do the colorwork. Maybe tomorrow.
For the record, although I was at work, at the post office, it was after hours. Me and my wave sweater were hiding out from the kids. The caveat is that other people find me...even when I've been closed for almost 2 hours. Hey, sometimes it's the only knitting time I can get! The Big Guy can't figure out why I can't ever get out of work on time...I keep telling him, we're just soooo busy down there!!

So, here's the switching gears part....

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I don't know what possessed me to cast on these mitts. I think it was a fleeting thought of possibly starting some socks.....
and in the back of my mind is that yen for lace....
at least these are quick...

and there was this:


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hmmm, lovely shot of the 10 cent button, but not so much with the stitch definition. Can't get a picture of that crocheted cord to save my life. And it's really cool!
I've done a dozen of these in one day. My kind of project! I feel like Tiennie!!
(Yeah right! I wish!  Sorry for the insulting comparison, T!)

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I've been wearing one for 2 days, and all kinds of people have noticed it.

Okay, well, not so much today. Small town politics dictate that I can't say much about today's hubub...but I will just say that this Town Meeting is going to be a doozy.
Seems everybody is cutting corners in their homes, the school budget is stripped to the bones, but the Town Selectboard has other ideas. Weeeee'lllllll seeeeeeeee........