Tuesday, September 30, 2008

knit night 433rd edition and a CONTEST!

Claire had my favorite line from knit night tonight.

"We should call this the Tuesday Night Rip Club"

Because I am knitting Olives afghan I have no counting or yarn overs or decreases to do and had time to think

A topic that occurred to me is Halloween Costumes.

It makes me want to have a contest.

I think the prize will be a $20 gift certificate to Scout's Swag. Cause I love me some swag.

To enter- tell me about your all-time favorite Halloween Costume.

One entry= if you post about it here.

OR skip the posting here and get two entries if you post it on your blog and put the link in the comments here. Add another entry if you put a picture of yourself in that costume on the blog.

I'll share some knit night favorite costumes and look around for a few pics of my own- just to keep the excitement building.

The contest will end on Friday October 31st- sometime that night. Plenty of time to find those old photos. The winner will be random. Happy October. Spread the word about the contest if you feel like it.

Monday, September 29, 2008

big comfy chairs

Yea, so we figure out how to disassemble our couch AFTER 45 minutes of trying to fit 31" through a 29" door. Couches are heavy. I said, LET'S GET FURNITURE FROM A PLACE THAT WILL DELIVER AND TAKE THE OLD STUFF AWAY. I'M NOT MOVING ANY MORE STUPID HEAVY STUFF.

He said, "maybe we can make this work."

I love it and hate it when he's right.



These are the giant decadent chairs and a love seat for company. LizaJane seems to be company. Many thanks to Vince and Art from the Railroad who came over after work today and helped make it all happen.




The bottom of the old one is still in the driveway. If only we actually lived in WV- we could wait for a big win- a big loss- or the wind to change and we'd be able to get rid of it. Mr. Sophanne says he has it figured out. If you drive by this time next year and it's still there, you'll realize he was wrong- once.

Saturday, September 27, 2008


This is what happens when you 1) have multiple projects on the needles and 2) have allowed yourself mindless knitting with no yo's, dec's, or k2tog's. Stuff gets finished.

This lovely Noro scarf will be a present for a teacher at school who reminds me of my sister. I've found that when your family doesn't talk to you, it's best to go out and find replacements.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

babette...elle est finis




Full size pictures to follow but it was such a cute "action shot."

w00t!

Guess who's going to hang out with Brooklyn Tweed in a couple of weeks?

I'll be taking the two Saturday classes.

The funny part?

When making plans like that I'm kind of an SNL Chris Farley "That's another one of those things I'm never going to do" character. I mean well but I never follow through and justify not doing so in any number of ways- most of them completely absurd. (e.g. what can Jared Flood tell me that I don't already know? HA! I'm an idiot)

Knit Night Chris proposed going. Knowing my ways of being I said, "Sign me up for whatever you do. I'll copy you." It didn't really occur to me that advance payment would be required and signing up was more than saying "hey, we're coming." (which would sort of prove the first statement about another one of those things...)

At any rate The Knit Night Sage Chris signed me up and fronted me the cash I didn't know I needed and I couldn't be more thrilled

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

here's what I think*










*These buttons can be purchased here


*This one can be found here.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

photo op




No cut off heads here- how else could I show the new specs as well. Note the transitioning lenses.

a photo


Until Mr. Sophanne is in a picturey mood, this will have to do. The biggest bonus of this sweater is that it's the first one I've done that actually FITS!

Friday, September 19, 2008

FLS is done

The ends are woven. I'll attach the buttons tomorrow. There will be pictures tomorrow but I had to have a little blog celebration tonight for a finished object.

re: the last post

Does this mean if I am looking for his dad in the crowd I have to say

"Has anyone seen the Father of Mojo?"

"Who here made Mojo?"

Talking to his mom... Mother of Mojo!

Oh the possibilities... talk amongst yourselves-I know you'll crack a lacka me up.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Name that Kid

fyi- about 25 quick rows left on FLS and 2 1/2 GIANT rows on Babette. In the mean time....

Funny names are a part of my job. It's always a treat to see the new batch of k'ers and what their parents decide to call them.

Given the names I've heard tell of over the years, Gunner and Cannon really didn't strike me as all that funny.

However- this year I have the Mother of All Nicknames. As declared by Mom, Dad, K teacher and classmates, I am required to call a 5 year old child "Mojo."

p.s. edited to add. This Is Not A Lie.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Johnny Appleseed


No knitting here-this is for the handful of music teachers that stop by on occasion and anyone else who wants to laugh.

So I remember hearing the story of Johhny Appleseed when I was in first grade. I loved apples and the story and the telling stuck with me. At a workshop a few summers ago I heard Peter and Mary Alice Amidon sing their version of his story. It was beautiful but I've never really had the right context or skill to pull it off.

I decided to try it again this year. I was pretty sure kindergarten was doing a little theme on apples. I asked those k'ers if they knew what Johnny Appleseed did. One kid said "pass out apples." I said, "sort of. but he passed them out in a special way." I still had hope that they had maybe heard the story but were just forgetting it. A child named "Gunner" (no lie- but not related to the other child named Cannon) raised his hand and said "I believe it was applesauce. Yes, it was applesauce he gave to everyone."

That's funny to me standing alone but when I shared this story with Lydee she reminded me that one of the standard kindergarten dictums to maintain a modicum of order is "criss cross applesauce" to remind them not to sprawl around all over the floor. Lydee wisely said.

"yea, I know Johnny Appleseed- he's the guy who invented criss cross applesauce." I know there are at least 5 of you who are laughing your apples off right now! Lydee-- you crack-a-lacka me up!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Why Mr. Sophanne is a Keeper.

to distract you from the lack of fiber content... Babette will be done before the month is over. Possibly before the week is over.

Our terlet had a leak. Because we have a well, the pile of water leaking through (thankfully not out of) the terlet (don't you love the sound of terlet?) caused a temporary lapse in the functioning of the pump in the well. That was fixed easily by the breaker switch. Whether the fix on the terlet was easy or not, I don't have to know.

Mr. Sophanne said "I think it's fixed. Can you help me for 5 minutes?"
Me: o.k. (dreading the possibilities)
Him: pick up that lid and put it on... now flush. All fixed.

Crack-ed me up.

He had to go to the grocery store for some lunch supplies. He came home, sat on the couch and said, "Stop what you're doing. You have to have one of these." And he handed me a triple chocolate Klondike bar. Holy Sweet Chocolate Heaven.

That Mr. Sophanne. Master of Terlet fixing of Klonkidian Proportions.

Stay tuned for babette.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Money in the bank- Money out of the bank

Money in the bank- if you could harness the unbridled enthusiasm of 5th graders on the first day of choir at my school and sell it, you would have lots of money in the bank. Every year I think, oh no, choir- whatamigonnado? For the last two years they've come into the room with the pre-conceived notion that it's going to be more fabulous than the day they were born and I slowly bring myself up to their standards and/or disappoint them terribly.

Money out of the bank- I'm going to the bank this afternoon. I'm going to the yarn store tomorrow. I have to. I "need" some koigu for the traveling scarves. I want some ultra alpaca to make olive's afghan (ravelry link) Another Larissa Brown original.

Thanks to slightly scolding and disbelieving looks at knit night, I've managed to see that the puppy is calmer in the evening. A trip or two to the crate is what did it. Still want some mindless knitting and Olive seems to be the answer


Just got a message from Ravelry- My photo is up for Lisa Carnahan's Stocking Cap. I almost feel famous.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

NEW AND IMPROVED WAKE YOU UP IN A HEARTBEAT ALARM CLOCK!*

"THE DOG'S PEEING IN THE BED!"


Note to Mr. Sophanne- just because she doesn't WANT to go out because she's scared of the thunder and lightning is no reason to let her stay in.


*Patent Pending

Sunday, September 07, 2008

yea, sometimes I knit.

This is that scarf for the librarian- I finished it some time ago. It needs reblocking perhaps with some string to straighten out the edges. I can do that by Christmas, right?




My new favorite thing to do- Brooklyn Tweed's Noro scarf- The colors in this one are interesting enough but now that I've learned how to look at the colors a little better on the skein, the next 3 should be even better. Did I say three? Did I buy 12 skeins of Noro? That will be our little secret.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

wwsbw*

*What Would Sophanne's Brain Wonder?

At an Eye Exam-

to self- how am I going to keep from laughing when the eye dr.'s big ole eyeball comes a-zoomin' in.

Why don't the handles on this chair pull you back like on the airplane?

to dr.- do you have the letters memorized? (obligatory chuckle from dr.) Do you ever just want to say "NO you BLIND IDIOT! It's a G!!" (another obligatory chuckle)

Why are all of these frames so ugly? Followed shortly by the optician/frame helper asking "Were you thinking you wanted men's frames?"

And in spite of these many thoughts and driving through a university town at traffic time, still there was dinner. Hamburgers, buttered red potatoes and more fresh broccoli.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

short and to the point

Chicken Parmesan

Can you believe it? Maybe by the time Yvonne and I have a Saturday in the strip district I'll have something to buy.

One sleeve down, one sleeve to go on FLS. It fits!

Monday, September 01, 2008

update

Almost a week since a post? How can that be?

FLS is getting some sleeves.

Brooklyn Tweed Scarf is on the close to finish side. I love making this scarf. I will make another. I'd never spend 4 Noro skeins worth of yarn on a colleague if it was a Wallyworld present but how can I resist when it's yarn?

Mr. Sophanne is slowly slowly on the mend. As in on his feet an hour or two a day. Apparently this current malaise was caused by a bike fall a few weeks ago when we were biking with Liza. Some kind of pelvis bone stopped moving freely. It manifests itself by a searing pain that appears first in the knee.

I made chili cheese fries last week and banana nut muffins yesterday. No culinary disasters to report. Slowly I am becoming a cooking type.

I'm enough of a pack leader to clip and file Liza's toes but not enough of one to get her to stop the pawing-Sophanne's a chew toy- game.

Bless you for reading this household drivel. Now I must attend to more of it.