speed knitting

How's this for some lazya$$ blocking?



I also should have followed all good advice and stretched the stitches out regularly on the rh needle when switching colors. I'm not going to win any patience prizes for this one. There is some crochet finishing to seam the bottom and add form to the sides, some fringe and a strap. I was so obsessed by this that I feel like I wasn't even at last week's knit night. Busy counting red and yellow-gold (which also happens to be my two most not favorite colors together-I can admit that now that I've gotten through it)

I'm taking another train ride tomorrow to NYC- meeting the mama somewhere out there. We've go tickets to West Side Story on Saturday. I think this trip's "one new thing" will be to go to Brighton Beach/Coney Island. If it stays this hot, we won't be alone. Back on Sunday with hopefully no bad stories to tell (you may recall that the last time we tried this trip it was only for one night and the stagehands went on strike that very night.)

more knitting

My friend Maggie is going through a Harry Potter phase of epic proportions. Given that it's likely to last 6 months at best (she's entering 9th grade you know) I thought I'd better get this one on and off the needles as quick as I could. The HP FairIsle pouch bag can be found here. This much is done since about 11:00 this morning. I may even be able to have it finished by the time I see her on Wednesday. O.k. now that I've typed that it's certain that I won't but it will be close.

oh, there's some knitting

and as soon as I recover the misplaced camera, you'll see it. ETA-found it. : )

Daffydil forest canopy is bound off and blocked- thanks to those who suggested I do this sooner rather than later. Artful yarns' is a little twistier than what was used but it didn't really matter on the last 5" of bind off.




Angora/wool Central Park Hoodie is seamed with the ends woven in- could use a good blocking- may or may not get it.

On the needles? Wool Peddler's Shawl in Noro sock yarn, Slinky Ribs from Custom Knits in gold Elsbeth Lavold (though my dye lots don't match and I'm pondering solutions) and another Forest Canopy shawl in Lorna's Laces laceweight.

Each project on the needles has a different goal. The wool peddler's shawl is a new lace pattern- trying to expand my ability to read charts. The Slinky Rib is another attempt to follow written directions, and Forest Canopy in laceweight is an attempt to manipulate the thinner fiber into something beautiful. I know the pattern well so that the only issue will be the yarn weight.

Last night we took the dogwatchers to a Washington Wild Things baseball game. I entered the Tickets for Kids basket raffle. The first winner didn't claim the prize and my ticket was called as the back-up winner. Prizes included a terrible towel, an ipillow with a speaker inside, and various bags and lunch boxes. As the Wild Things lost, the prize basket became more and more exciting.

The dogwatcher drank a gallon and a half of beer in 4 hours. A gallon and a half. He seemed unaltered by this which was a good thing as far as I was concerned, but a damn gallon and a half!

not always the angel

This is a picture of little Miss Thing the night the kids stayed up until 2:00 am. I show her not at her very best because this afternoon as I was taking one of the NY'ers to Red Lobster and Harry Potter, she chewed into my fabric sock knitting bag and chewed every last size 2 wooden dpn I had.

In better news- a skein of "Artful Yarns" canary bound off forest canopy the Two. It will block tomorrow along with an EZ BSJ that's been done for months and will be part of a silent auction.

multi topic post no title applicable

Knit night- popcorn and m&m's mixed as a snack food. Must. Try.

Stray-Much to Liza's delight and Annabelle's dismay, there is a stray cat-very loving- hanging around the house. I mention this because Neghbor Marilyn told me that it and another neighborhood cat went "a$$ over tincups" down the hill in a territorial dispute. "A$$ over tincups." That cracked me up.

Yesterday was Rain Day here in the 'burg. For the 5 years that I've lived here, it's not really rained any significant amount on Rain Day. Usually around 4:00 pm you'll hear someone say "I think I felt a raindrop." or "Someone said it rained at the airport." (why yes, we do have an "airport" of sorts.)

This year it was pouring in the morning. Threatening around the afternoon. Mr. Sophanne and I discussed going for street fair food and he said "but it's raining" and I said "but that's the point." It was all very confusing.

We went with Liza but were stopped abruptly when I saw the "No Pets" sign. He got some fair food and I listened to the "wife calling your husband with a rolling pin" contest. This mostly consisted of screaming and the words "Get Your Butt...." etc.

As we sat at the side of the courthouse finishing dinner two young girls (7-10ish) approached to pet Liza. Then they turned into the "Look what I can do!" kind of kids. This "do" consisted of falling to her hands on the pavement and kicking her feet up in the air.

I told Neighbor Marilyn about this and she said "Where do these people come from? It's just not the same group of people there anymore" (or something to that effect.) Later I asked her if she had seen Neighbor Ellen and she replied "She's probably at Rain Day." Crack me up? yes.

And in news that is yet to be seen as good or bad, my Michael Scott is leaving. In an effort to list all that we've been through she mentioned that we didn't meet AYP standards (classy) and that we were no longer the county's best kept secret. She was tearful and apologetic about leaving. Most had no reaction as we had already learned this from the county's job-posting site. Best wishes Michael. Now I might friend you on Facebook.

Tomorrow I'm adventuring to Mountain Mama's house to pick blackberries and maybe play the flute. She lives way out there and going over always feels like a secret vacation. Last year we accidentally planned lessons for the start of the school year so anything is possible.

Seriously?

eta- there was not enough yarn to bind off-in spite of my best efforts. I believe at some point I will undo the bind off and go for the single purl to make sure I get to the end!




Angry KG must have moved East. Maybe it's just the Wicked KG of the East.

What you see here is the Forest Canopy Shawl in Stitchjones' one of a kind only skein sold Daffodil. The second photo is where I thought I saw trouble ahead and switched from the pattern bind off (which called essentially for twice as much yarn for a heavier edge) to a regular purl bind off.

I will fix it someday. Go back. Take out two rows from the bottom edge. Put it back on the needles. Reknit. Cast off. Not today. For now, it's in Time Out.

Friends, this is much worse than running out of yarn on a long-tail cast-on.

Though secretly I am impressed that I came this close when guessing when to start the bottom edge which means this will likely happen again and that's just sick

A week's worth

Seven pairs of socks so far. Although I'm not sure I'm counting the first pair on the left. They're made of AlpacaSox and may or may not be superwash- hence not appropriate for the weekly washing cycle.



The way I see it, I have maybe seven more pairs to knit and all sock yarn will be accounted for.

Also in progress is the incredibly colorful and warm though possibly not at all attractive Sockghan.

I don't love long socks. A six inch top means that I can half it and do the heel so I stick with that formula. As a result, there is usually about a sock's worth of yarn leftover. I could cast on a third (as suggested by a knit night friend) for those just in case times but really, who wants to cast on for a THIRD sock?

This is a work in progress. I'm pretending that the black will "pull it all together" and make it looked like stained glass. It's the basic granny pattern from Babette- only I'm not paying attention to square sizes and ragtag attaching them as I finish.



Central Park Hoodie the Two has one front ribbed band completed- left to do is the other side, some sleeve attaching, side seaming, and blocking.

This Just In

Girl and Dog Reunited.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Rewards for Survival

We found the rental car place- a short 7 mile drive with a google map on the itouch. Too bad the cab driver that took us back to the hotel didn't have it. He turned it into a 15 mile drive on highways at 90 mph. I'm sure he's now thinking "those people from out of town NEVER tip." Cabbies should think twice about scamming the tourists with all of the techno-gadgets there are revealing their dishonesty.

It's a 7:00 am flight and we'll get the dog on the way home (around 7:00 pm tomorrow)

With an afternoon to kill, Mr. Sophanne's bloodhound-like nose found a casino a block or two from the hotel. His reward for a week survived. (and yes, there is an apple pie in the hotel fridge and some sushi for lunch for me)

I plan on working/finishing my daffydil Forest Canopy Shawl- what a nice break from socks it will be. I also downloaded myself a little reward for the flight home. For $23.99 I got all of season one of"Flight of the Conchords". Hotel internet made for speedy downloading and I've divided them up on the itouch, the ipod and the computer to make the battery life last. I'm actually looking forward to the long flight!

It's second best only to your reassuring comments and stories that got me through the week!

Fairfield is Good

We are in a hotel near SeaTac. Last night I slept on a couch and Mr. Sophanne slept on a twin bed mattress. We made an executive decision to spend two rather than one night in a hotel.

Ten days of family seemed to do it for everyone. Three of the five may come to swim at the hotel tomorrow. I may have understated the meltdowns. Or else maybe they are looking bigger in hindsight. Full-blown screaming temper tantrums may be a more accurate description. And now we are done for the year and maybe they'll grow out of them next year. Democratic versus dictatorial parenting. Democracy leads to temper tantrums when the rational breaks down. Someone's probably written a graduate thesis on this but having lived it, I think I'll pass. Sometimes "because I said so" should just take precedence.

As the non-parent in the mix, I still have a little eye twitch that I'm sure I'll recover from by October or so.

There were plenty of good and smiling times and like many other adventures I've had, I'm sure eventually I'll remember this one fondly. Right now, I'm going to knit and try not to think about finding the rental car place, finding our way back to the hotel and getting on an airplane for hours and hours. Maybe it would be best to watch some video of the dog.

Issaquiet in Issaquah

We've left the beach house and 3 of the 5 youngun's behind. We're now at son and DIL's house. I am decompressing. I imagine they are too.

There is a distinct difference between parenting techniques between the two families. There are advantages to both but I'm glad we're ending our visit in this quieter place. Any more whining crying meltdowns and I was pretty sure I would throttle someone.

Two nights here- and some quality time with Walter Longfellow the dog- part retreiver part Great Dane- what a mix! Head like a lab- body like a Dane- ball chasing skillz of the lab- relative stoicism of the Dane. He's a most peculiar pup.

I am beginning to return to my own body.

T

T-ball and Tacos and lots of sun. Two more socks to add to the mix.

some poetry

I forgot momentarily that in between refereeing we found some time to write a poem based on two favorite phrases of Lily (9) and Levi (7)

Lily went off to the ocean.
Levi went off to the sea
They thought that they would catch some fish
But neither did succeed.
Lily said, "Whatever."
Levi said "So What."
Becky said, "What's wrong with you kids?! I'll give a big kick in the butt."

Levi climbed a mountain
Lily climbed a hill
The saw a goat carrying a boat
take an awful spill.
Lily said, "Whatever."
Levi said "So What."
Becky said, "What's wrong with you kids?! I'll give a big kick in the butt."


Levi went to Pluto
Lily went to Mars
Fortunately for both of them they remembered
their peanut butter jars.
Lily said, "I like this."
Levi said, "Me too!"
Becky said, "Get Back here you kids I'm so lonely without you!"

from Frederick Galleries titled "Ice Cream Meltdown"

and for the record, no matter how good they are with kids, boys will be boys. Just as the peak of the tantrum subsided, Mr. Sophanne called the tantrum thrower a "baby" and said we'd get a plane ticket and leave tonight. Eventually apologies were exchanged and all is well with the world but, well... you know.

Blackjack anyone?

Nothing says "family vacation" like an early morning blackjack lesson.

Day is Done

I am glad. Called the dog. She's o.k.

We spent the afternoon at the pool.

I'm really not so much a people person.

new beach houses

Mr. Sophanne and entourage returned from the store with poptarts, fruitloops, and 3 bags of gummy worms ignoring the fact that they just had eggs, soy milk, and toast as per what the mama recommends.

This for children whose dietary sugar is limited generally to one small candy/piece of gum a day. I was not amused and almost became the tsk tsk'er but then figured- what the hell-it's vacation for them too. If we keep feeding them sugar, we can prolong the meltdown. So far so good but I feel really bad for the mama and the papa tonight.

After amply supplied with empty calories we explored at the shore. No crab was safe. I insisted that Bob explain the Buddha's "Hurt no Living Thing" premise to them and without complaint, when we left, the crabs were returned to their natural habitat. They may need some trauma therapy after being banished to the "punishment shell" within the rock circle of crabness.



Mr. Sophanne also introduced one of his favorite pastimes- "Nature Art."



We're looking forward to watching the tide slowly decimate this abode in "our" back yard. It was all we could do not to throw rocks at it to speed up the process.

We drove down the road a bit to explore swimming options for tomorrow and found more shore very similar to that in the back yard.

I learned that you can do the same thing in a different place with kids and to them it will feel different. (I knew it was true of the songs we sing in kindergarten-same tune-different words-only the very brightest will pause and say "hey... that sounds like...") The house building continued.




After the youngest said "I'm Hungry" we skipped the trip to the grocery store- I was oh so wary of the meltdown potential- and ate at a nearby Mexican Restaurant- a stroke of brilliance on the part of Mr. Sophanne and stupidly- something I wouldn't have thought of. And now here's the kicker... we didn't have a doggie bag. All kids ate all food (each other's and/or their own) and there was no food trauma.

A public thanks to all of the experienced mamas reading and commenting and joining me on this trip. It has reduced my stress level considerably to know you're out there and have got my back.

New Olympic Event

Much like its predecessor, Volleyshoe is an excellent beach game. Played with a size 2 purple croc (specs can and do vary) there are fewer volleys and skilled play is based on the drama of the hit more than the accuracy.

"Getting Under the Shoe" and "Setting the Shoe" is encouraged as is "Diving for the Shoe." To date the record number of successful volleys is three.

The advantage to Volleyshoe over it's more traditional Volleyball is that the shoe does not go rolling off into the water. Volleyshoe appears to have the effect of keeping seven and nine year old siblings bicker-free (and occasionally apologizing for poor volleys) for OVER FORTY MINUTES.



For those of you joining me on this journey, here is a map of where you are. The beach in the photo above is Alki Beach in West Seattle. Our cozy cottage is a few blocks south of here.



And now, because you are my friends and I feel I can trust you, I have to tell you that sometimes kids make me crazy and impatient. While I'm sure the impression I've often given is one of absolute patience and kindness (and I have maintained this external illusion thus far here on Fantasy Island), I may start to lose it pretty soon.

Mr. Sophanne is experiencing some slight reaction with some of his food allergies and and is certain that his heart will likely explode any minute in a way that only a man with some discomfort can be.

This left me large and in charge for about 3 hours this morning. While I know I should be the good and patient wife, I struggle. I forced him out of bed this morning and said "It's nine o'clock." He seemed distressed that I was more concerned with the time than with the pain in his side (NOT near his heart.)

He has now decided to push his way through the pain and I've got a little down time as they are adventuring in the car. If there is something seriously wrong, I'll have this post to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life. If not, then I'm guessing many of you know exactly where I'm coming from in the Mars/Venus world.

For the past 5 years of marriage, Mr. Sophanne and I have taken this family trip, visiting, trying to create good family memories etc. I am not the evil step-mother. I'm not even old enough to be the mother of his children- which in many circumstances could be (and in the beginning- was) slightly awkward.

I told him on our journey here that for the first time, I felt welcomed, loved and that family was looking forward to seeing me and that my only real anxiety was the air travel and kid overload.

I shared this with his daughter as well when we went shopping and we had one of those "yea, we're o.k." moments.

During the trip I took note of the lovely cut flowers and knew that while we were paying for the food, adding flowers to the mix would be considered less than frugal. No biggie.

This afternoon, when daughter's husband and smallest child came back from taking the mama to work, they delivered these.

They are the nicest flowers I've ever gotten with the most sincere sentiment behind them. I got me some in-laws and they're pretty awesome.

I found a more better vase but would feel a little self-conscious taking another picture of them. Know that they are now appropriately housed.





AND- I made pasta, sausage and toasted bread for 5 adults and 5 kids and there was enough and it didn't suck!

Also there was a dead red jellyfish in "our" backyard. Coincidentally enough- it looks like the sauce we had with dinner.

Former selves

Dear Pre-Vacation Self,

Thank you for packing the BullFrog no deet and Benadryl

Love,

Vacation Self

p.s. if you ever need 9 year old "slightly aloof" kids to get all huggy and cuddly, tell them that you miss your dog and you need someone to take her place for some "I love you" time.