One Crazy Fiber Lady

Coming Clean

Wow, time really does fly when you're not paying attention.  Days flow in their normal way.  Work, kids, sleep.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Oh yeah, knit on the train.  XBox at night.  I finally found the family timer on it and set it for 90 minutes a day.  I finally got some knitting time last night as I didn't totally lose track of time and play Puzzle Quest until midnight.

I finished the first of the teacher scarves last week ( I think, lost track of the time and stopped noting when thing were started and finished.)  Here is scarf number two, also in Malabrigo worsted, colorway Amoroso (?).  I finished it last night while watching Project Runway.  See, the timer on the 360 is a good thing. 

Friday night/Saturday I was sort of pushed to finally get an item off the queue and onto the needles.  See, Friday night the twins got robes from my folks for Hanukkah.  Alex's came with slippers.  Kat's did not.  I've been unable to find her slippers.  Then I remembered Twinkletoes and that I had already had the Calmer in pink marinating in the stash.  So I knit the little miss a pair of the toddler size.  She's got wee feet like me.

I've become the role model for avoiding SSS.  I giggle when I read others quoting my "immediately cast on for the second".  So what does this say about me?

All three are first socks.  I can't remember the last time I had three single socks on the needles!  Left to right are:  Duet Skinny in Sailor Girl, Regia in the Kaffe stripey goodness and Jitterbug.  It has been a very long time, September to be exact, since I finished a sock!  The Duet was started on 9/11 believe it or not.   I haven't a clue when the other two were started.  I'm not looking forward to all those second socks! 

The Jitterbug sock has presented additional difficulties and is now on its third set of needles.  The first set were the ebony Lantern Moons that I bought at Rhinebeck.  I managed to snap two of the needles.  WHILE KNITTING.  Not while taking out of purse, or just collateral damage in purse.  No.  I was actually knitting, on the train, and snapped first one, replaced it, and then a second one two days later.  Damn.  I  swapped in a set of rosewood needles over the weekend only to find that the 6" needles do nothing more than piss me off, jabbing me in the hands.  I've now gone to the third set, and apparently my favorite needles, Clover Takumi's. Good.  Maybe now I'll finish the damn thing.  I have to say, I'm sort of tired of these socks.

This is the first year we did the 8 nights of presents for the kids.  They really "got it" this year.  (As always click for bigger)

Thanks to the snow falling outside presently, no SnB for the second week in a row.  I'll probably be leaving the office early to avoid having to dig my car out of a large snowdrift at the station with nothing more than a stupid brush.  Have I mentioned before my serious dislike of the white stuff?

Craft on!

Edited to add:  almost immediately after I hit the post button, the kids' teacher called to tell me that Tutor Time was closing at 2:30 because of the weather.  I gotta leave in 25 minutes in order to get them.   

Vacation

The reason I've been so quiet is that I've been on vacation since right before Thanksgiving.  Monday before, I got a surprise when my boss informed me I had 7 vacation days that I needed to take before the end of the year.  What a better time than to pair with a 4 day weekend.  So I've been home and busy.  Thanksgiving was at our house this year and it was filled with family.  No better way than that to spend the day.

Black Friday, the folks and I hit a store for a bargain.  This one is mine...

Damn, the xbox looks good on that!  And yes, I've been spending significant time playing with that toy.  Got mom hooked on it too.  After the kids go to bed for the night, we sit down and play Lego Star Wars or Puzzle Quest (thanks Lizzy for that one!).

I managed to sneak into the eye doctor on Monday for my first appt in 6 years.  Turns out that the nearsightedness that I've had since starting college has resolved itself thanks to aging ;)  I now need reading glasses.  My doctor recommended saving the cash and buying a pair of .75 or 1.0 glasses from the pharmacy.  Works nicely so far and working on kauni has been made easier.

Speaking of Kauni, while I haven't knit much over the last 11 days there has been some progress to speak of.  I'm pass the beginning of the front neck steek and halfway through the reductions.

In other knitting news, it is teacher gift season. New school means new teachers that haven't received a particular gift already.  I've sort of decided to set a standard gift of the One Row Scarf from Stephanie in a yummy yarn.  Malabrigo to be exact.  Here's the first.

I've also been doing some sewing.  I made two little skirts for Kathryn out of quilting stash fabric.  Each skirt took just under 3 fat quarters.  I'll definitely make a few more of these for her. 

Finally, this morning we awoke to find it snowing.  The kids were eager to go outside.  They helped clean off the cars before embarking with Pop-pop to make a snowman on the driveway.

It's been a confusing seasonal change around here for sure...

Craft on!

Friday in Pictures

Its almost time to head home for the weekend and I just don't feel like toiling at the moment.  The ache in my ankle (yes the bad one) is terribly distracting.  Two weeks ago it went from its on and off dull roar to constant.  Didn't help that I rolled it again stepping in a pothole coming home from the SnB.  It hurt something fierce that night but was better by morning.  The last week has seen it become constant with the added bonus of tingling in the foot.  Nothing like nerve involvement to freak someone out.  I decided it was time to see the doctor.  I have an appointment next Friday morning with a foot & ankle ortho specialist.  In the meantime, I'll be pulling out my old ankle brace and making sure the advil is stocked up.   Good thing I'm adding a single treadle wheel! ;)  (Might be time to use the electrics until the Schacht arrives)

Anyway, ankle bitching aside, I have been knitting.  First, the important bit.  Setesdal is done.

Doing some checking for the album, I discovered it took me just about a month to do this sweater.  Not bad, considering it was almost entirely done at home on nights and weekends.  I do hope my sister likes it.  I'm happy with it though and almost ready to make another one.  Though if I do, it will not be superwash wool!  I'd like the yarn to work with me if I have to steek it.  I did discover my error with the sewing as to why the ends popped out.  My sewing machine has an automatic stitch size and it defaults to that when you turn it on.  I forgot that.  I saw the levers down at the smallest end of the scale and went with it.  Oh well.  I ran it through again using a much smaller stitch size before picking up for the second front band and everything stayed in place.  Whew.  Still, I'd much rather a grippy wool.  I guess I have to make a Dale for Kat now.

Socks are the standard knitting project for me.  Here's the finished shot of the Vesper babies.

Full details here.  I wore them yesterday with a pair of cords that matched the brown exactly.  They were comfy, if a pain to knit.  Love the colors!

The Trekkings are progressing very nicely.  I mentioned the first was done and I'm halfway through the foot of the second now.  I'll finish that tonight.

And finally, here's a shot of the pretty pink Spring Things.  I worked on her last night at the SnB so she's further along than this picture by another 3 repeats or so.

Tomorrow is the baby shower and thank goodness the weather has finally turned to spring.  It should be far nicer to allow some 25 people outside rather than cooped up in the house.  Oooh, we'll probably finally get to use the porch!  I'll tuck a sock in my pocket for random knitting during the day.

Have a great weekend all.

Craft on!

Coming Clean

I expect that most of you are now used to my rather sporadic posting.  I have to admit, I'm not.  I liked posting more often and well, miss it.  But then there's the whole time crunch thing.  There's a secondary problem that if I don't post for a while, I want to write about so much that I expect it will take forever to get that one out of me that I don't actually do it, compounding the short absence to a longer and longer one.  Someday I'll have it all figured out.   

This week has been rather crappy at work, but at least going rather well outside the office.  Which is good.  The kids finally went back to school yesterday.  The daycare center director apologized profusely for the length of the "spring break" and thanked us for our patience.  She's have a "parent appreciation dinner" next week and has changed the remaining vacation schedule to make up for the additional 6 days that they took now.  Nice lady.  Excellent center.   Miss Kat went wearing big girl panties yesterday for the first time.  She did rather well, with only a small accident.  Naturally I sent extra clothes for such emergencies.  She was so excited this morning that she announced she would hold it until she got to school.  Mom and I convinced her otherwise.   She's an odd duck ;)

This weekend another one of the wheels went off to a new home.  The cute little hitchhiker is now living with new spinner, Dorre.  I have to come clean now and announce publicly (beyond the comments dropped around blogosphere over the last day or two and in emails) that I ordered its replacement.  I ordered a Schacht Matchless ST from WoollyManor.  I've been looking at this wheel for a while and know that is quite popular around the blogosphere.  It just seemed the right time, what with tax refunds on their way.  Sadly, it won't arrive in time for the trip to MD$W (I booked my hotel on Monday - woot! - staying in the same place as 2 years ago.  Kim and Dorre are staying there too!)  According to the email I got yesterday, it is expected to ship from the factory around May 7. 

In preparation, I've been doing a little spinning recently.  I sat down at the Lendrum Saxony Sunday night and was finally motivated to see if I could figure out why the hell the thing squeaked so badly.  I knew it was coming from the front edge of the treadles where a metal bar went through and fit into the front legs.  After oiling and otherwise lubricating the heck out of it, mom sat and watched as I spun (and cringed listening to the squeak).  Result?  The metal bar flexes as I treadle.  It flexes enough that it rubs against one side of the treadle because while the metal is bending, the wood is not.  Little I can do to lubricate for that.  No wonder I oiled the hell out of it for naught.  I had a bit of a brainstorm and pulled a pole out of the closet that I use to get hangers up to the upper rod.  I put the pole against the block between the treadles, out back under the wheel with the other end jammed against a table leg to prevent the bar from flexing.  It worked!  I was able to spin without any squeaking!  Now I have to come up with some kind of permanent rigging, like a piece of wood from the bar to the back leg.  But at least I can use this wheel without the frustrating noise.

I finished knitting the body for Setesdal.  Sunday morning the sewing machine came out and I seamed and the cut the steeks.  Instead of knitting the neck area flat as the pattern suggested, I steeked there too.  I'd much rather do that than knit two color flat.  Bleh.  Unfortunately, while I was picking up the stitches for the first button band, some of the white ends slipped out of the machine sewing.  I grabbed them before they could unravel too far and hand sewed them into place.  I think I'm going to reinforce with some iron-on interfacing.  I have until next weekend (4/21) to finish and might just make it.

Because I'm really lacking in projects, I started a new one at the SnB last week.  It is the Susan's new pattern, Spring Things.  I'm using crack Kidsilk Haze in a color number I don't quite remember and can't check as it is at home.  The Vesper Neapolitan socks are the current commuter project.  I purchased silver lined crystal beads from EarthFaire, which arrived yesterday.  I'm up to a little over 100 stitches per row at this point, but it has taken a back seat to the socks, Setesdal and the Mitered Squares.

I found another sock yarn accidentally last week that I just had to order.  Pretty colors and I love the idea that it is packaged with a coordinating heel/toe color.  I went a little nutsy though and have 6 different skeins.  Two arrived after this picture was taken.  It is Duet Sock and I look forward to trying it out.  I'll probably hit one of these after the Vesper socks are done of which I'm well into the second sock now.  Unlike my standard, this yarn is DK weight so it should make for some fast socks. 

That's about it for now, hopefully another post sooner than later.

Craft on!

 

Weekend Update

Sorry, this will be a quick posting.  The weekend is drawing to a close and there is work in the morning.  I do have progress on a number of fronts to relate.

First, a finished pair of socks.

We have a guest spokesmodel for today's pictures.  Miss Kat has been extremely helpful (and attached to me) over the last week or so.  More about her later.  I finished these socks on Thursday at the SnB.  Project details are:

Yarn:  STR - Lucy
Pattern:  Own basic toe-up over 52 st
Needles:  US1

Which was really excellent timing seeing as the order Dorre placed for Vesper had arrived and she was bringing my yarn that night.  I saw that there was going to be an update of Vesper but as I'd be on the train home, no way could I place an order.  I asked Dorre if she could do it for me and she was lucky enough to get a few skeins!  I started my Neopolitan socks Friday morning on the train.

I'm back to using the US0 for this yarn as it is much finer than the STR.  Its not at tightly twisted as I prefer to use but rather nice all the same.  I'm digging the colors.  Somewhere along the way, I've gotten onto a Neopolitan kick and have all sorts of sock yarn (and some worsted for a felted bag) in the same colors.  I'm going to try the toe-up flap heel on this sock for something different and maybe feather and fan on the cuff.  We'll see when I get there if I actually do it.

Progress has definitely been made on the Setesdal for my impending niece.  I'm 2cm of binding off for the front neck.  Amazing how fast little baby knits go.  I did get a rude awakening after realizing that I had to use a 16" Circ for the body.  I generally don't like anything that small, but there really was no choice.  I'm surprised at how well I've adjusted to it.

And now, the most important progress.  Potty training of the girl child.  She's done remarkably well.  With the exception of an accident or two a day, she is going on the potty to pee.  She's even initiated it and not waited for my periodic question of whether she had to go or not.  I do believe she's rather pleased with herself.  There is one shadow on this sunny day though.  She has yet to make poop in the potty.  (Oh the new google hits that will turn up on the stats now!)  Makes for rather messy new panties.  This afternoon though, she was so upset about her latest accident that it took both mom and I to calm her down and tell her it was okay. Patterns are starting to emerge that the "accidents" occur right after nap so I started to drill her a little on what to do when she woke up.  Head for the bathroom, just like mommy.  We'll see if that works.  We have another week before they go back to school so Mom and I can work on her further.  We got the call Saturday morning that the construction at the school still was not complete and certainly not inspected so they would be closed again this week.  Sigh. 

I'll leave with a final picture of the front of the house.  I forgot that I hadn't posted a final/finished front shot.  With the wait, you can now see the new pole lamp that dad installed last week.

Before.....

After...

Craft on!

Knit Goes On

I can't believe the amount of time that elapses between posts these days.  Between work and the kids, it really comes down to knitting or blogging.  Recently, unfortunately, the blogging has been given the short shrift.  I've composed a dozen posts in my head, but actually sitting down and typing doesn't always happen. 

While I was in NYC on Thursday, I wasn't able to represent.  Damn.  Judging by all the posts, I missed some good fun.  Looking forward to MDSW all the more now.  Especially since the folks have already agreed that they'll watch the children for the weekend enabling me to go unencumbered.  I've been debating between staying with my sister in Lancaster area or getting a room near the fairgrounds again.  I'm leaning towards the hotel, probably the same one I stayed in two years ago with the twins.  It was a nice place and convenient to the grounds.  Oh wait, I think I've got the answer.  I head out to sister's house Friday night and use that as my launch base Saturday late morning.  Hit the fairgrounds Sat afternoon and then to the hotel for the night with the fair the main event on Sunday.  There we go.  Sounds like a plan to me :)

While potty training has, in the past, been less than successful around here, we've finally made a breakthrough with Kat.  I took Kristen's suggestion of M&M's for potty success.  Though the bag sat unopened for close to a month, it has finally worked.  That's not to say that we're down to periodic accidents, not by a long shot, and the boy doesn't even try, but at least Kat is starting to get it.  I got the first "I have to go potty" out while shopping yesterday!  We're close and maybe this week's vacation will do the trick. 

Speaking of which, due to the sale of the school building probably, they've had to reschedule their spring break from the first week of April to next week.  Fortunately my work is flexible enough that this isn't a problem, I can't imagine what someone with a less flex job has to face.  I'll be home thru Wednesday so I'll probably be scarce but you never now.

In all that, I have been knitting.  Icarus is now halfway through Chart 2.  Love it, but it comes out of the bag and can't be commuting knitting any more.  Its no longer the mindless knit it was.  It is a pain to photograph and is certainly at the shapeless lump of floss stage so any further photos will be at the finish line.

I finally cast on for the second STR sock yesterday morning.  I knit on sporadically during the day.

Friday night I finished the second sleeve for Setesdal.  Yesterday during nap, I cast on for the body.  I had some serious brain farts in trying to get 154 sts into a 2x2 rib.  Took me three tries, but now I have 3/4" of ribbing done.  Geez...

I managed to actually finish something too.  On Monday (3/19) I finally got to the end of the Swallowtail Shawl in the Sea Silk that I started a while ago.  Its now sitting in the pile of lace that needs to be blocked.  Someday.  Maybe today if the twins cooperate.  Ha ha ha.

Having seen a lot of links to Loopy Ewe, I finally went and bought something myself.  I had to get the German Stocking pattern and some Louet to knit them.  High in the queue these babies are.  Service was super fast.  I'll definitely be shopping there again.

 
The pattern indicates 3-5 skeins are necessary, but I figure with my little skinny feet that I should be able to get by with the 3.  I seriously hope so, I only bought 3 ;)

I have a few other projects in the prep stages too.  I'd like very much to knit the Mitered Square blanket from Mason-Dixon.  I ordered Mission Falls Cotton from Purl in a variety of colors.  It was on sale cheap and currently winging its way to me.   Its a cute blanket and I like the idea that each block doesn't get larger as in the Log Cabin.  I'll probably supplement with some other yarn I have in stash.  I recently did a little spelunking and came up with forgotten packs of Rowans All-Season Cotton, some Cotton-Ease, and quite the cache of TLC Cotton Plus.  Put together, it should make for a good blanket. 

Time for more coffee and a little knitting...

Craft on!

Snowblind

Geez, this winter is never going to end.  The 70F temperatures earlier this week were nothing but a tease!  I must have gotten a foot of snow/ice in the last 24 hours.   I had the kids out this morning for some fun in the snow, but boy am I glad that they wanted to come in.  They are currently vegging out on the couch watching some TV giving me a primo opportunity to catch up.

Here's how I've been spending my commute time during the last week:

The current socks, as Christine correctly guessed, are from STR in the Lucy colorway.  It is a slightly thicker yarn than I normally.  I "swatched" with the normal US0's but wasn't happy with the feel of the fabric so I went up to the US1.  As a result, these socks are only 52 stitches!  Combine that with a short foot and these babies basically knit themselves.  Which is a good thing when you see that sexy toy holding my needles for me ;)  That's the sweet PSP.  I played Me & My Katamari until my fingers cramped.  Oy.  I've since taken a break and played Lumines (Tetris on steroids!) and even put a couple of movies on the 4 gig memory stick I bought for it. 

I've done a bit of work on Icarus, but don't have any progress shots as of last.  I finished the 5th repeat of chart one and am in the prep for chart 2.   In other lace update, my Sea Silk Swallowtail has come out of timeout and I'm ready to start the final chart today.

Yesterday Kat awoke with a fever, I had a headache and combine both with the snow, I took the day off.  I was very productive though.  Beyond getting through the Lily of the Valley chart on Swallowtail and well into the partial repeat of Chart 1 for Icarus, I started a project...  I don't think my baby sister reads the blog regularly and if she does, MOVE ALONG NOW RIKKI!....

She's due with her first baby, July 2nd.  The baby shower is April 21st so I need to get knitting.  While I did pick yarn and a pattern at the MY SnB on thursday, somehow the pattern didn't make it into my bag.  I'll have to pop down there tomorrow to pick it up as I won't be able to make the SnB this week (folks are teaching a final class on charting/plotting to a bunch of local police turned activated Navy Reservists who are off to Iraq shortily).  While the u/s pretty much indicates that I'll get getting my first niece, mom thought it best not to rely on that quite yet.  We've had a few u/s indicated nieces turn out to be boys at birth ;)  U/S technology is far better these days, but better yet save the pink yarn for a couple of months.  So I went spelunking in stash and hot off the heals of my success sewing together the Dale sweater for Alex, I remembered the Baby Ul marinating that I bought to make a baby sized one.  I got to work and by the end of yesterday finished this:

I'm pretty sure the pattern is Sedestal (its way upstairs and I'm too lazy to go get it).  I "swatched" by starting the sleeve, getting spot on gauge.  Nice.  Its a cute little knit.  Now to maintain focus long enough to finish it ;)  Knit on US0 and 2's, I'm seriously glad it is a baby sweater.  I'm making the 6/9 month size so it should be perfectly sized to get my niece through the fall and winter.  I hope her mama likes it.  I hope to have it finished for the shower.  I might try for one of these sweaters too if I can find the right yarn for it or maybe upsize it for one of the monkeys.  (Thanks go to Dorre for the link!)

Time to go relax..

Craft on!

On a roll

First I hope that everyone had a happy and healthy Christmas.  I was a busy little knitter whilst trying to avoid the last minute crush at the mall and finding something to do while the whole area shut down :)

Thursday night was the Knit n Nog at Modern Yarn.  What a serious blast that was!  The place was packed with all the regulars PLUS I finally got to meet Deborah in person!  I did the finish work on Ariann but left the buttons for Friday night and moved onto STS edging for the remainder of the evening.  Wasn't much that got done thanks to the NOG and  shopping as I finally made use of my 25% discount and picked up enough Cascade 220 to knit two sweaters, including a second Ariann.

After getting home, I had to quickly wrap up the teacher gifts as they needed to go to school the next day.  Ain't nothing like leaving it to the last minute, huh?  Here they are all lined up with the supervisor looking on.

Friday night was devoted to finishing off Ariann, which got blocked on Saturday.  I need to do a little touchup work on the buttonholes.  Either the buttons are too small, or the holes are too big, whatever it is, the darn things don't stay closed.  As I love the buttons with the yarn, I'm going to sew the hole a tad smaller.  Right now though, I've taken to wearing it open!

Sorry.  None of the head shots are even remotely presentable so you'll have to live with the Ichibod Crane versions.

After blocking out Ariann, I went back to work on the Shetland Tea Shawl.  I finally finished the bugger around lunch time on Sunday.  Dad had taken the shorties out for hotdogs and a trip to the park.  That allowed me to finish it off and get it blocked out.  Whew.  Glad this anniversary shawl didn't hit the anniversary mark!  I fell about a month short of that date.  Lovely shawl and I'm so glad it is finally done.

Here she is hanging on the door to my desk armoire.

As an aside, the color in the second picture is true (at least on my monitor).  That picture is also courtesy of the Rebel.  Man that camera takes some lovely pictures. 

Now that I've finished off a couple of projects, that meant I could start something new!   As STS was drying, I had pulled out the yarn for the next one.  This time it is the Forest Canopy Shawl in Claudia's Handpaint, Plumicious colorway.  What a great project this one is.  I think it would be fabulous for a newbie lace knitter.  It isn't terribly difficult and very easy to memorize.  Par for the course though, it is terrible to photograph under way!

I found a sunny spot in the house this afternoon!  My new bedroom to be has a west facing window and this sun patch was on the folks' bed.  I quickly took advantage of it as my current room only has north facing windows.  The Rebel ate this one up!

Having spent a day playing with the new shawl, I started a new sweater yesterday.  I joined Julia in an informal KAL of Celtic Dreams.  I've been intrigued by this sweater forever.  So when she mentioned it as a possibility, I joined up, ordering Blackwater Abbey Yarn in Bracken, as well as, the pattern.  I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before.  Well before the others go too terribly ahead of me, and since I had promised to join as soon as Ariann was done, there was no time like the present.  I cast on yesterday!

It took me a little longer than I expected to get really underway.  Deb, you'll be amused to know that I had gauge issues with the shoulder saddles too.  The suggested needles are a US7/4.5mm.  Using that needle, my saddle was a 3" wide rather than the 2.5" the pattern indicated.  Ugh.  I dropped down in size and finally wound up with a 3mm Addi Natura.  Aran weight yarn on essentially a US2?  Oy.  I'm surprisingly far into it now.  Even further than this picture indicates.  I'm two rows from putting the back on hold and starting the front and have finished the second of the 24 row pattern repeats.

I'm off this week entertaining the monkeys during their school holiday so I'm hoping to get some bonus knitting time.  Tomorrow we're heading down to visit my sister and her boys.  Thursday we're hoping to get together with Lisa and her daughter for some ceramic painting and lunch. 

Today Mom and I keep them busy with a trip to Montclair looking for 32" wood circs in a 3mm.  Modern Yarn was closed, but I did get Naturas at Stix-n-Stitches.   I'm also incapable of leaving a yarn store with just needles.  I had to get the methadone of knitters:  sock yarn.  This time a skein of Austermann Step in Color 8.  I'm intrigued by that whole Aloe Vera/Jojoba Oil in the yarn.  It was one of those great mail days as well!  My Frangipani arrived today, as well as the next in the Sundara Petals collection (which puts me 3 behind now ;)  Also sitting in the mailbox was the skein of SeaSilk in Pumpkin that I bought from Knit-Purl last week earmarked to be Eunny's Print of the Wave scarf.

I'm pretty well set for stash knitting :)

Craft on!

Changing Trains

This week is a much shortened work week for me.  Today is the last workday as the office is closed for the remainder of the week.  As a result, a goodly number of people took advantage of being able to get a whole week off by using only two days, leaving the office a bit of a ghost town.  I don't have much to do as my big projects were completed last week.  Makes for a nice quiet time before a long holiday weekend for sure. 

As a bit of an experiment, I modified my commute again this morning.  I've gone back to switching trains in Secaucus to end at Penn Station NY rather than Hoboken.  Timewise, the two options are about the same.  The difference, even with having an extra train, is a shorter walk once in Manhattan.  The Hoboken + PATH leaves me at Sixth Avenue and 9th Street with a need to wander over to Broadway and 9th.  That's three long avenues for those who aren't familiar with the city.  (The distance between avenues is far greater than between streets.)  Penn Station + Subway involves a one avenue walk between Penn and Herald Square with a subway exit at 8th and Broadway.  Not sure about your math, but three trains makes for shorter walking, especially in the cold wind tunnels that is NY in the winter. 

The downside is potentially reduced knitting time.  I couldn't get a seat on the Secaucus to NY train and had to stand in the aisle  (leaning against a bulkhead I could knit, but not standing) so I turned to the ebook on my Treo. 

We'll see how the return commute works tonight before I decide whether I buy the NYPenn monthly for December.

I spent most of yesterday's knitting time working on that sleeve for Ariann.  I'm one increase short the end goal on the first one and I don't think it is a stretch of my knitting speed to predict it shall be finished today.  No pictures of it as it looks like the one yesterday, just longer.  I have, however, been able to work the increases into the eyelet pattern and am pleased with how it is coming out. 

I did put a little time last night into the Moderne Baby Blanket, though have not completed the third block.  I was itching to get Ariann's sleeve done before the urge to start a new sweater overtook my ability to finish it.  Anyway, I do appreciate the suggestions in the comments yesterday regarding ack-rylic for baby knitting.  It really isn't as bad as the ack-rylic I remember from my early knitting days, the yarn that squeaked.  Eeew.  This is the Bernat Softee Baby that is actually quite soft and is pleasant to knit with.  It ain't wool, but then again, it ain't cotton (blech).  The skein in the picture is the fourth color I'll be using for this blanket.

Should I admit to the spreadsheet I created to calculate percentage completion on this blanket?  Nah ;)

Here's the final teacher scarf.  This was done in a Farrow Rib on US8 needles.  The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Old Rose.  I really liked the yarn and it held up well to the insane number of start/stops that this scarf had.  Offhand, I know I tried at least 5 different stitch patterns before hitting on the Farrow Rib, which was perfect commuting knitting!  I actually could walk to the PATH station while knitting the thing. I started it Thursday at lunch and finished it Friday night. I'm pleased with the results.  Next step is to block them all and get the kids to pick which scarf is for which teacher.  I'm terribly relieved to get the gifts out of the way but very glad that I did, in the end, opt to knit them something.

Sara found herself someplace far more comfy than my night table to sleep last evening.  Right before bed, I found her ensconced on the living room sofa.  Earl usually sleeps at the other end of the couch.  Right now, they have no view out the window as the builders put sheets of plywood up to protect the windows from accidental breakage.  The window will be replaced sometime during this project, but surely not now.  Memory is a little fuzzy, but if I recall correctly, mom needlepointed that pillow that Sara is leaning against.

And now for the daily house picture.  This was taken as I left for the train(s) this morning.  You can see they are now incorporating the new addition into the existing roof.  A not totally unexpected condition was discovered this morning as the sheathing under the roofing tile on the old part of the house was found to be in rather poor condition.  As a result the whole thing needs to be stripped off and re-sheathed before the new roof installed.  You can see that the pile of wood is greatly diminished. Mom has gotten her side of the driveway back and we no longer have to stack our cars up each night.

In case anyone has stuck around, I do have a question as to how you figure which size sweater to make.  I'm a 36" at the widest point, but just barely, more like 35".  One of the possible next projects is Celtic Dreams, with the Blackwater Abbey in Bracken purchased, delivered and starting to mellow in stash.  The sweater sizes are 36" and the next up would be 40".  I'd think that the 40" would give far too much ease and make for a big baggy sweater that I wouldn't wear very much, but that the 36" would be too tight.  Which would you make?  Can I just block the 36" a little bigger?  Do I fudge the pattern to make a 38" somehow?

Craft on!

Ketchup

As I hoped earlier today, here's a more comprehensive post.  Sorry had to pause to yell at a preschooler who doesn't exactly want to go to sleep. 

There's been a lot going on around these here parts.  Like others have noted, this past weekend, especially Saturday, was downright glorious in this area.  My dad and I took advantage of the almost 70F November day and took the monkeys to Van Saun Park.  We went for a ride on the park railroad.

After the train ride, we went into the zoo.  A pretty well stocked zoo whose admission was free for the day.  Can't beat that.  While in the zoo, I spotted this picturesque spot where fall's splendour is in full display.

As I mentioned in my brief post earlier, construction is due to start here this week.  If it weren't for the deluge promised for tomorrow, it would have already.  Monday, a large pile of wood was delivered and stacked over half the driveway.  Interesting logistics now as mom's Envoy and my Sienna need to get parked in the driveway with dad's cute little PT Cruiser living in the garage.  In order for him to get out, we need to move the rest of the cars.  Sigh.  We took some before shots of the house:

This is the front (and you can just see some wood in the corner of the picture.

And from a different angle (and pre-wood delivery)..

And the back..

What are we doing you might be asking?  Well we're adding a whole floor over the shorter half (one story) of the house.  This will contain a new master bedroom suite for my folks, an office for us grups to share and a sitting room/den.  This leaves the existing 3 bedrooms for the monkeys and me.  I'll take the old master bedroom (kind of cool yet creepy in a way) and when it comes time to split up the monkeys, there will be room.  For a while yet, they'll continue to share the larger of the remaining rooms with the smaller becoming a playroom for them.  I get to take the current den as a fiber/hobby room to share with mom.  SuiteSweet.  There will also be a porch running the length of the addition along the front of the house, replacing the current brick front steps with a slight wrap around the side.  They are predicting ripping off the roof on Friday.  The builder is promising to have the addition framed in with the new roof in place within 10 days.  Yeah.  I'll try not to turn this into a construction progress blog, but no promises :)

Finally there has been knitting.  Pretty single minded knitting for me too!  I've been working on the teacher gifts... and joined the KAL that Nancy created.  Here's my progress so far:

From back to front:

*Irish Hiking Scarf in the hand spun Cormo/Angora that I started 11/6 and finished at the SnB on Thursday.

*One Row Handspun Scarf in Malabrigo started Thursday at the SnB and finished Friday night while watching Battlestar Galactica.  Dude, that is probably the best show on tv, but I digress.

*Skinny Clapotis in Noro Silk Garden started on Saturday (after ripping several other patterns including a Multidirectional Scarf and some entrelac thing I found on the net) and finished Sunday.

By finished, I mean that the knitting is finished.  They all still need to be washed and blocked while all but the ORHS needs to have its ends worked in. 

This leaves one more stinkin' scarf to do.  And yes, I haven't finished it.  Actually I really haven't gotten past the start point on it.  Kat was sick Sunday night through yesterday and work commitments kept me busy so that I haven't had much time to knit.  I did break out the ballwinder for a skein of Lorna's Laces in the worsted for this final scarf.  I started a couple of patterns, even got through 5 repeats of the IHS with it before I pulled out the needles.  I didn't want to repeat any.

I sat with the Barbara Walker books and found a stitch pattern that might work, also named right too.  In the second volume, I found the Twin Rib.  What better pattern to knit a scarf for a teacher who cares for my twins?!  Seems like that serendipity to me.

Oh and this is for Deb, sneaking it in under the wire, here's my calendar.  It is a mimeo sheet that I get each month from the kids' teacher as to what they will be doing that month.  It does serve as my wall calendar while the Treo maintains everything else, especially with its on air connection to my Outlook calendar at the office!

Craft on!