The Maine DOT giveth...

...and the Maine DOT taketh away.

      We lost our Monday Gott boat. It's very upsetting. We are considering holding a memorial service. The reason, we are told, is that the State has exhausted its DOT budget. You know, because it snowed.

     Umm, is this not Maine? Seriously? The snow took you by surprise? Just what kind of idiots are we talking about here...because, I'm sorry, you have to be a really special kind of idiot to have not suspected there could possibly be a lot of snow during the winter somewhere in the State of Maine. And, you know, budget for its removal accordingly.

     So, whatever. We'll survive without another trip. What a way to run a business, though!

     The good news, in my house anyway, is this:

I DID get the house cleaned out.

I feel sooo much better now.

So, here was the cause of my distress, in a nutshell:

that's FIVE garbage bags of 'stuff that was cluttering my house and my life' that I am happy to part with.

These bags will be living in the back of my van, driving around the island until I (potentially) get off during April vacation. Think I can keep the kids from reclaiming their toys until then?

Wish me luck!

And look what I found in the back of a closet! It needs a tassel on the hood, and a button at the neck, but then it's headed off to Patrice. This sucker  weighs about 15 pounds more than she does, but it'll keep her warm while watching her brother's hockey games and practices.

 

wow, try not to look so excited. 

I finished this last fall, and promptly forgot about it.

Btw, seed stitch sucks even on size 11 needles.

Back to my sock!

Frenchboro's Talent Show, 2008

Tonight was the annual Talent Show, and it was the usual success. There was singing and dancing, a wonderful piano concerto, a gymnastics exhibition, a guitar solo, and a 'live ventriloquist'.

Everybody did a great job; it was hilarious fun!

I did not participate as I have no talent except knitting, (does eating count?) and unless you are a speed knitter, nobody wants to see you up on stage....knitting. I considered a 'knit fashion show' featuring some of my past projects, but as they are all baby knits and we only have one baby on the island...and she can't walk yet...

well, we needed audience members, too.

progress on the Hot Socks, finished the heel.

...same shot, without sunshine. Looks like crap, doesn't it? My camera just will not show the true colors of this yarn. I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with my picture taking abilities.

     I woke up this morning to the cold realization that while I was knitting, every horizontal surface in my house got covered with 'stuff'. I looked around my bedroom as I came to, and had to spend 20 minutes clearing surfaces in there BEFORE COFFEE.

    When I came downstairs, I saw that it had happened there as well. Umm, in fact, it was everywhere I looked. I had 4 cups of coffee in quick succession, turned the heel on that sock, and ripped apart my entire house.

     My kids are totally traumatized by the ravaging of the toy room. They can list the  name of the person who gave them every toy they own, and list 40 separate and distinct reasons NOT to part with each and every toy. We got rid of tons of stuff when they weren't looking. It's the only way.

    If I didn't think it would make me take off on the ferry tomorrow, I would have taken a picture of the devastation.

    Worst news, only 2 rooms got put back together. I have all day tomorrow to finish, then back to work all week. My sock won't be seeing any attention tomorrow, for sure!

(Mother Nature isn't helping matters any either, we got 4 inches of wet slushy snow Friday, the day I had planned to empty the mudroom of all thing snow-related. I'm so sick of tripping over hats, gloves, (even if they are the hand-knit ones) and boots! coats! Bring on the flip-flops!

   If I don't post tomorrow night with a picture of a clutter- free sparkling house, send help!

And bring wine!

Ahhh, success

It is done.

I've never been happier to complete a project.

And I've never been unhappier with a project I've done!

This should have been an easy fast knit. I think I set myself up for failure by messing with the neck when I re-sized this sweater. Then I had issues with the leftover yarn, then my jogless joins...oh, I thought it would never end.

So, while I'm not really satisfied with my work, I am soooo glad to see this one off my needles!

Whew!

So, on to other things...

like, socks...

I'm going to call these Hot Socks, because the color is like hot sunshine. 

Bring on Spring, already!

     This is Southwest Trading Company's Tofutsies.  It has soysilk, cotton, and chitin (which it says "is fiber made from shrimp and crab shells! It's naturally antibacterial!" And anyone who knows me knows this is precisely why I bought it! Put the word 'antibacterial' on a label and it's a sure bet I'll go for it.)It's about as thick as sewing thread. For $16.99, it had better smell like roses and wear like iron.

Now, my pattern calls for a size 2 needle for fingering weight yarn, but this stuff is soooo fine, I should use a zero. I'm compromising with myself and using a one. 

The gauge is just ever so slightly off, but it should be ok.

     The only other sock I've ever knitted was 2x2 rib all the way. I'm giving myself a gift (well deserved, after finishing that evil version of Wicked) and doing this plain stockinette. It's going fairly fast, considering it's finer than dental floss.