Fuzzy Love

Boldly Going Where I've Never Gone Before

There it is. Everything I need to knit Seascape. I still haven't cast on yet though, because my last foray into Kidsilk Haze didn't go very well (actually, I got out the scissors and it went right into the garbage). In anticipation of this project I've listened to a couple of podcasts (#59 - Lace Tips and Tricks by Knit Picks was helpful), read the whole KAL on Ravelry, and poured over the charts again and again. I realize that much of that excessive prep is fear-based (plus I want to finish up a gift* I'm working on), but I have learned a few things. Like casting on with big needles: it calls for #4 (3.5 mm), but I'll cast on with 10.5 (7 mm). That those needles should be wood or bamboo and that straights are preferable to circulars (to some). And, of course, that both my children should either be out of the house or asleep whenever I work on it.

ETA: I've also been told to knit from the outside of a ball of KSH or it will collapse into itself at some point like a fluffy black hole. And to maybe choose a different yarn.

I've been craving other new (to me) things as well, like stranded mittens. I got a kit for the Blackberry Mittens that I've been itchin' to cast on for, but, again, this stranding stuff is pretty new to me, plus it has some braided bits. I've only ever done one stranded project, and that was a hat I cast on for in 1999. It went pretty well until I got to the top and required DPNs; I didn't know what those were, so into long-term hibernation it went. I just dug it out for the Ravelypics but didn't quite get to it. I will soon though.

So I popped into the knitting section of the library yesterday to see what might be there that could help me out and, indeed, something was:

What a great book! I may be the last person on earth to realize this, but this book is a treasure. Patterns and techniques, for sure, but also the history of Fair Isle, how to translate one's inspiration (such as fall leaves) into a color scheme, and gobs of stitch patterns. Lovely. Of course this is one of the discontinued, sells-for-big-money-on-Ebay books, so I feel lucky to be able to absorb some of its info before I have to give it back. And yes, it has occurred to me that I could just "loose" the book before someone else does, but I won't. I'll just renew it forever. ; )

But before I get into any Starmore-ish sweaters (whoa nelly) I've got a bunch of mittens in my system. As part of the Books and More swap I got the book Folk Mittens (Rav link), and it is chock full of beautiful projects, like the pair on the cover. Plus I have some yarn around that will become those cute snail mittens. And did anyone pick up this fall's Vogue Knitting? Oh yes, our hands will be warm this winter.

And then there's socks.

Damn gussets! Can I ever knit you without holes?

I did NOT knit those. I got that beautiful pair of handknit socks in that swap and I am literaly swooning over them. They're almost too nice to wear, since I know the effort that has gone into them. So I'd like more. A lot more. Not to mention I have way too much sock yarn for someone who has never knit a successful pair of adult socks. A nice lady on Ravelry suggested I check out New Pathways for Sock Knitters (Rav link) for an abundance of heels that won't have holes and luckily it was at the library yesterday too. There are some really interesting patterns (with ususual constructions) in there as well that I'm ready to cast on for right now.

So enough prep, right? Just jump into the pool already. Olivia should go to bed early tonight (horrible nap), and then Seascape is getting on the needles. Wish me luck, okay? I hate to ask for advice two days in a row (thank you guys, by the way), but if you have any lace/KSH tricks, I could certainly use them. 

* It's another one of those things that I was the last person in the whole world to make. It's in Ravelry if you want to see it before it is gifted.

For Me it was Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom

Liam turned five during my absence from blogging. That means I've missed the boat on writing about how astounding it is to me that my baby is so close to being grown up (in one more year, he'll be a third of the way to college), and how amazing he is, and grown up, and that I adore him beyond what I ever dreamed possible, so I won't go into it now. But he did have a fun birthday party with a pirate theme, complete with buried treasure and a jolly roger cake (that I didn't make).* Here's a picture:

Anyhoo, one of the gifts Liam got was a butterfly pavilion kit. It's basically a large soft cage and a coupon for some live caterpillars, which arrive in the mail a week or so later; ten little caterpillars in two little plastic jars with lots of air holes in the tops. The jars have food in them and, after a few days of monstrous eating (and monstrous pooing), the little guys triple in size, climb up to the ceiling of their jar, and start making cocoons. At this point, we transfer them to the butterfly cage (or Mark does, because of all the poo).

Fantastic gift, isn't it? The kids were both fascinated with the whole process, but that was nothing compared to seeing our first butterfly.

They're painted ladies. We served them orange slices and flowers from our butterfly bush dipped in the same sugar water that goes in hummingbird feeders.  We watched them uncurl their little tongues to drink and we loved them.

And then, of course, things got a little more interesting. First of all, Fuzz couldn't wrap his little fuzzy head around the idea that these butterflys were pets of a sort, and not snacks. We had the cage hanging in the kitchen but, after we caught him leaping up and grabbing it with both paws, we moved it to the top of Mark's dresser (that didn't stop him though; we heard a pathetic furry thud in the middle of one night that was Fuzz not making it to the top).

And then there was the evening when I saw some butterfly lovin' going on in there. I didn't manage to take a picture for you (aren't you disappointed), because butterfly love doesn't take very long, but I did call for Mark so he could share in the experience and both kids came along with him.

Then we had an interesting conversation. Liam's been interested in the whole source-of-babies question lately anyway and I've been answering it in every possible way without using those two big key words with "into" in between them. I don't seem to be satisfying his curiousity, as he keeps asking.

I'm sorry to say that I completely wimped out that night. Honest to god, I used the words special cuddle. HELP ME! Is five too young for the big talk? We've had little talks many times, but the questions keep coming. I'm ready, really I am. I even have a book (left over from my childhood) for the right time, but is the right time now? Goddamn butterflies.

Anyway, the big release was yesterday morning. Since we had explained to Liam that butterfly eggs were forthcoming, and not being sure of the gestation period of painted ladies, we all agreed that it was time to send our butterflies into the wilds of our backyard. It was great. With a little prompting ("BYYYYYEEEE BUTTERFLIIIIIEEEESSS") they took off high into the air and then settled on the nearest bush. It was early though, and still a bit chilly out. We checked later and they were all gone.

Hopefully they'll come back for visits.

(Any advice people? Pleeeease?)

* Do you know how to make black icing? It involves lots and lots of green food coloring. Within 24 hours of this party, each and every guest had a shockingly green poo. And then called to tell us about it.

Happy Birthday Honey

....bunny?

Gotta love a man who will happily wear pink bunny ears because his kids ask him to. Happy birthday babe. Forty-two looks good on you.

Up, Up and Away

The Rocky Mountain Balloon Festival was this weekend. We were completely unaware until our babysitter texted Mark all about it (that's how they communicate), since her family volunteers as a ballooning crew. Now how fantastic is that, that they all do that together, in a family full of teenagers? Anyway, we were convinced. And it was beautiful, even though our usually-reliable, little blond alarm clock didn't go off and we missed the mass ascension. No matter; a few balloonists slept in too.

That's Liam, heading for the last balloon. But we actually had that wonderful view from the car, and afterwords we got to watch some motorized para-gliders take off from the field. Great fun.

Last night we headed back early to stake out a spot for a picnic dinner and to watch the balloon glow. The kids had a chance to see lots of balloons up close, and inspect the fans and baskets, and feel the heat of the fires.

By the way, Energizer was a sponsor, with a giant pink bunny balloon, and they handed out gobs of ears, although I'm not sure why I'm still wearing them long after my children lost interest. I'm also not sure what we're doing to Olivia in that picture.

But no glow. The wind had picked up a bit and, though many balloons made a good effort, everyone had given up by dark. It takes a surprisingly small amount of wind to push a giant balloon over onto a parked car (this picture was taken on its way back up), leading to lots of speculation about how combustible hot air balloons might be.

Time to go!

In other news (read: knitting), I finished something else. Poppy. Thanks to the Olympics and Ravelry, I finished yet another abandoned project. Here's the headless shot (only one of my heads per post, thank you):

I think the shape of this sweater is very flattering. The vertical stitches around the waist pull in a bit, for some effortless shaping. V-necks are good for me, and the horizontal line goes above the bust, not across it. I have heard that the bottom of this sweater will also grow a bit vertically, and it's sort of blocking now (I just wet it and shaped it and lay it flat), so I'll let you know. And I love the bell sleeves, despite many second thoughts. Speaking of the sleeves, one stripe is different; can you spot it? It was either buy another $11 skein or make do with the leftover scraps I had. I went with the scraps. (I know that no one would ever notice if I didn't point the difference out, yet somehow I feel I must.)

So I imagine this sweater will get pulled on quite a bit this fall and winter, especially for walking to school and other super-casual-yet-chilly events. It's pretty warm. And natural-material filled. But then some days just call for that.

Byes and BSJs

My brother James was here for a little over a week. We had a nice visit, full of sports events (because that's what James does), but lots of just sitting around hanging out too, which was nice. I haven't had a lot of time just hanging out with my brother over the last few years; our visits to Halifax are just too busy. But I have spent a lot of time worrying about my brother (some justified, some just because I tend to do that), so it was great to have him sitting around on my sofa for a while, drinking soda and asking me to make cookies so he could eat the dough.

See that picture? He's a bit of a goof. But lots of fun to have around.

But, whenever we have house guests, we are inevitably tempted to change the kids' schedules. First thing that happens is Olivia is allowed to skip her nap so that we can extend our sight-seeing sessions. Then Liam is allowed to stay up late a night or two to experience something special. For example: we took him to a baseball game that started at seven. Can someone please explain to me how I decided to take a kid who is usually in bed at 7:45 to a game that ended at 10? He was good for about three innings (James would argue two), then he was totally wired, and finally he started begging to go home to bed. FUN. And after three days of no naps Olivia thought she was a hummingbird. (Remember on The Simpsons? when Apu thought he was a hummingbird? No?)

James wasn't all that psyched about having children before he came.

Anyway, James and Mark went to a Broncos game on Saturday and drank beer and oogled at cheerleaders, so I suppose that was fun. I sat at home and knitted and watched Michael Phelps, and that certainly was.

So I actually finished a knitting project this week.

No babies in sight; I just had to knit this pattern. And lord knows I have enough sock yarn stashed for an army of babies (oh yes). I cast on for this dang thing over a year ago, but I kept screwing it up. It's not even difficult, and then it's made even easier by a plethora of spreadsheets that account for every stitch, but I just couldn't get it. That's not quite right; I got it, I just couldn't DO it. I suppose, in retrospect, I should have used stitch markers, but this pattern calls for the kind that stick right into the stitch and I was worried they'd stretch out. Not a good call.

But now that it is done, I am excessively pleased with myself. It's still sitting out on the kitchen counter just so I can admire it (not that it has anywhere to go). If you are unfamiliar with the Baby Surprise Jacket (or BSJ), it is knit in one piece flat and then folded up like so much fabric origami and seamed. It's quite the trick, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my smugness: I guess I really didn't think it would turn out until it already had. Plus I think the buttons look like candy.

So there will probably be another someday. Now, are any more babies coming? Anyone?

Operation Bunny Rescue

Like, a real bunny.

Isn't he/she adorable? He fell into our window well. This happens from time to time and usually we don't notice until, well....until it is too late. But today I found this little guy alive and trying to jump his way to freedom. It seriously was breaking my heart to see him try again and again to get out of this four-ish foot deep hole, so I quickly took a picture and scooped him up and placed him out by our back deck, under which he lives with his mom (I'm pretty sure).

Now I had heard that rabbits can make some god-awful noises when scared, but now I have first-hand experience with it: all I could think was, "Put this bunny down NOW." Those little high-pitched squeaks bore right into your skull. I was actually worried he'd have a little heart-attack in my hands (or pee), but he didn't, but now that he's safe I'm concerned that his mother will sniff him, think that's a people, and not let him into the burrow.

In other news, Liam and I both survived his first day of kindergarten. While some of the other kids came flying out, leaping into their parents' arms, Liam played it cool and greeted me with a bored, "Hi, Mom." The day was "good," but "nothing" happened. I did get down to some very specific questions, but I still don't feel like I got any real information. He does want to go back (and is there right now AND Olivia is sleeping!), but proposed a pattern: one day on, one day off. He said that to go every day would be too much of the same thing. Does anyone care to interpret that for me? Sheesh.

Before the bunny appeared, I thought I'd catch you up on my unexciting knitting, so here's a bit. I honestly haven't done anything noteworthy for the last few months, except for maybe this scarf:

It's a Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf for, appropriately, the Breast Cancer walk that my friend Lisa and I do every year. Last year I boldly swore to knit something pink to wear this year, and the time has come to put my money where my mouth is. This is knit from Classic Elite Bam Boo; I'd never knit with bamboo before and it is the softest stuff. I'm going to try to eek out three scarves from four balls of the stuff because my kitchen scale tells me it's possible.

And I've made a bunch of minis too.

Why? I donno; someone said swap, plus they only take about an hour to do. And they're cute and use up yarn leftovers. Actually, much of my knitting energy lately has gone into various swaps, but that's another post.

And that's about it, really. Right now I'm working away on poor neglected Poppy (there's a picture about half-way down here), and am just piecing together a second Franken-sleeve, which always seems to happen when I work with Noro. Here's a shot of the first, which I am attempting to match on the second, even though the whole point of this sweater is to let go of matchy-matchiness and just let the stitches flow.

Clearly, that isn't my forte. I have been craving some very strange things (for me), however: lace (!), mohair (!!), mohairy lace (!!!). I've even bought some thin fuzzy yarn, which I'll show off next time, as this post has gone on already and I need to soak up a bit of the the silence in my house.

Wow. Excuse me while I go revel in it.

Holy Crap, It's a Post

Good lord, people, where have I been? Granted, summer is traditionally a slow season for blogging, but come on! It has been busy. We moved, of course, and that went well; we took an actual vacation, and that was great. We finished preschool, starting swimming, played baseball, had some house guests (actually, my brother is asleep on my sofa right now) and I knit a whole bunch of stuff, although nothing terribly exciting. I've got pictures, but I'll save those for another day. First up: proof that the kiddos are alive and well.

(She hasn't quite worked out a picture smile yet.)

But the biggest news, the news that actually got me back out to Typepad (where I was horrified to discover I had forgotten my password AND my id), is this:

Kindergarten. That was Liam yesterday (not unlike a day two years ago), on his way to a Tissue Tea; he got himself oriented in the classroom with his teacher and a few other students while Mark and I (and Olivia) filled out paperwork in another room. Of course he was fine. All the public schools around here are built with the same floor plan, and his classroom is even in the same location as his old preschool classroom (besides the fact that it is in a different building). And his teacher has a wide-eyed, super-smiley manner that is just built for kindergarten. He decided he had to bring her an apple on the first day, by the way, so we sped out yesterday after discovering that all the apples in our house had squishy spots. Today is more Tissue Teas for other students and tomorrow is the big FIRST DAY. I expect I will cry. A lot.

Also, check out Liam's face, waiting to go in on his first day:

And his mother's, twenty-nine years earlier (eep!):

Are we really going to go through with this?

(Note my corduroy and flannel outfit; perfect for summer.)

But get this: Liam has been assigned to afternoon kindergarten, and Olivia still naps. Wooee! I'll be stuck in/around the house, but my "Me" time is about to go through the roof. I can only assume this means I will post more often, but let's see what happens, shall we?

I hope you guys are all well and enjoying your summers, by the way. Hmmm....let's go see...