Spring Break fun

Spring Break was celebrated at our house yet again this year as the daughter came home for a week. Love having her around! While she was home, there were a few things we got done, in between moving furniture and sorting through boxes that really needed to be done.

Here's the 100" scarf nearly finished. While at this stage I thought it might be long enough to accomplish the goal of wrapping twice around to keep the son warm in the frozen Northeast, I asked a couple of 'models' to help me test the length in order to send the pictures off to the son for approval. Tell me how cute these are? Now, to be fair...the daughter was freezing her toes off! Nice-huh? come home for Spring Break just to freeze!

The scarf at 100" hanging loose both in finished and nearly finished states.

Wrapped once around the neck.

Wrapped once around the neck and again around the face. I'm hoping that it'll do the trick with the Nor'easter begin to blow!

More homework reading time-boy does this bring back memories of my kids when they were little. I loved it when they were learning to read and then filling in their reading time reading out loud to me for their reading credit time! Quite often they'd read while I was making dinner. It's a great idea if you enjoy children's literature to get in more 'story time' as you go through your daily routine while listening to your children's progress.

Best baker's helper was on tap for frosting the cake. He did one side while I did the other and raced to the center. Loved the help, too!

Now, this has got to be one of my favorite pictures. I hope you can see her hands in it...once a kid...always let the inner child come streaming through...Make a wish!

How many do you know who can schedule Spring Break to share with lots of family and celebrate a birthday? I know I never did.

The evening was capped off as Syracuse went into their 2nd of 6 OT's in their hard won basketball game. It was a great game, and one of her favorite TV activities...NCAA basketball season is at hand-guess what will be on her DVR?

Now, how can you not love a kid who brings over coffee (to break an asthma attack) and cream cheese and bagels? (Don't hate me for the pictures-they're just too darned cute not to post! and rumor has it, they look just like me!) Oh, and she got me active over on Facebook, too while she was here! It was a lot of fun the past week to get intouch with bunches of her friends and some of my old college buddies from back at SVSC, too! Did you know there are knitting groups on Facebook, too? Oh baby!

Yep, far too short a visit and can't wait to see you over the summer! So, who needs a Social Work Intern this summer? I know of two ladies looking for an internship!

Happy 28th Birthday!

To my 28 year old Smurfette!

Hopefully when you go back to school you won't turn this blue! So glad you were home and that we could share your day together!

plugging along...

The scarf is at 65" at this point. Seems like I've been here before...har har... Yep, still tagged with new stitch and row markers are steadily at work here.

I am finding that while watching movies, these 'tube' scarves go faster than I'm aware of. Have you found that in some of your 'mindless' knitting? Watching the snow report up in Boston has also put a little speed in this project as well. I keep remembering last year when I was working on my Dad's vest. I loved the project and the feeling of knitting hugs into it so much, I didn't want to give it up. Therefore, he didn't get the vest until June - in time for Father's Day, but not needed in the warmer months of the year. Listening to my parents talk about how often this winter season they've worn their hand knits, it's made me make sure to get this finished before the need is gone for my son. Yes, guilt is a motivating factor here! Guilt works. Amazingly well.

Now, one last thing, I want to mention the needles here. I am a complete devotee to my Addi's. When I lost the first scarf, I was so intent on starting this over again as quickly as possible, I picked up a pair of Clover bamboo circulars, as I wasn't near a store that carried Addi's. Right now, I'm thrilled with the fact that my Addi's Clicks don't come in a 16" cable. (There's a reason here, I believe the tips that come with the set are too long to work with the 16" length. Notice that in the 16" circulars the difference of the length of the tips? Yep, I think if they come out with a 16" length of cable, the tips would have to be shorter, or come as a separate set. My opinion, of course.) Knowing what I feel now, I'm thrilled they didn't come in 16" sizes, I'd be sick to my stomach to have lost them with the first scarf.

When I picked up the bamboo set, I intended to switch as soon as I could pick up another Addi 5.5mm size, hoping they'd have them at the stores in the new blue cable that I reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy love! However, when I went to measure the other Addi's in the 5.5mm sizes, and then compared the bamboos that I'd been using, there is a difference in the actual size. The bamboos are a bit bigger. I have decided to keep the bamboos for this scarf so it doesn't throw the gauge off. I did that years ago when I first switched to Addi's from my old Boye's. I was making a baby blanket and I thought..hmmmmmm....not going to matter. Was I wrong!

Can you see the difference in the 2nd picture at the top of the blanket? Yep, big, noticeable difference. Now, it could be the fact that it was a gap of 5 years between working on the blanket, and then also switching needles after I'd discovered the Addi's. Between the work time, I know I gained a lot of knowledge as a knitter with the new things I'd learned via the Internet groups and the books that I'd taken the time to read and put into practice. Things like gauge, learning what your knitting is doing, learning what the stitches were actually doing in the fabric that I was creating makes a big difference with the final outcome. Also, learning to try different tools and fibers and what feels comfortable has been a great knitting education here. And it also tells me I have a lot more to learn.

I'm not sorry that I've gone through this. There is a reason to pick different 'tools' for your projects. For me, I love my Addi's. I love the smooth, slickness to them and their joins, are fabulous for the projects that I've made with them. The bamboos have a definite 'drag' to them while using them with the wool. Which is why I prefer to use bamboo straights for my dishcloths and hanging dishtowels. The 100% cotton on them works well for me. Same with the Brittany Black Walnuts that I have only 2 pairs of. Hindsight, I should have picked up a few more before they were totally gone. *sigh* 20/20 vision I guess.

What does this all mean? Give lots of different 'tools' a try. The day I walked into a LYS looking for a pair of circular needles and hearing all they carried was Addi's and knowing that I was on a really tight budget with their price tags, made me wince. I had never tried them and couldn't imagine any needle making that big of a deal in my knitting. I had found the Susan Bates to be better than the old colored Boye's. They seemed slicker and I thought I was OK with that. I did miss the lack of colors in the needles that I liked knowing by sight which pair was which. Then I started hearing discussions about the difference between wood/bamboo/metal needles, and again, after knitting for more than 30 years at that point, I thought it was all hogwash. Keep in mind, I was still using my metal straights for the Baby Jiffy Knit sweater! Ya, those days are long gone. I had no idea how much easier/lighter weight it was for my wrists to switch to circulars with smooth joins would make while knitting.

What's the upshot of all of this? Give something different a try when you get the chance and make up your own mind. Try out a pair of needles from a friend, try out some while at a LYS that has extras on the table for you to use for a little bit, etc... There are subtle differences between brands, and sizes, etc... I won't even touch on a pair of double points I picked up recently, again in a rush to get a project started, that ended up having one needle of the set a noticeable difference in size. Pay attention to what you're buying, and what you want to use if you are going to spend any kind of time in the future knitting. I've taught a group to knit using chopsticks. They were a great way to learn to 'test' the waters. I've also taught a group of Brownies to knit on dowel sticks that I'd cut and sharpened to use. Both ways are inexpensive choices to give to a group who wants to try. But, when the time and finances come to a point that you want to invest in yourself, just like investing in a computer, or the tools in your toolbox to work on the house or the car, pick something you want that fits your needs that you are comfortable with using. After all, if you're making a sweater or an afghan, you're certainly putting in a great deal of time with those tools in your hands. Treat your hands well. They'll give you years and years of great knitting time if you do! Tools, massages, exercises, rest time, go 'hand in hand' with great knitting (and crocheting) experiences.

Above all-enjoy!

Now, back to watching the Bachelor 'cry' some more, so I can get ready for the daughter to come home this weekend and hear her opinions once again on how Jason was 'wronged' the last time he was on the show. I'm dying to hear her opinions on the ending of this go-round. Shesshhh...I'd sworn off regular watching of this show a long time ago..and dangitall anyway..she's sucked me back in this season. What's your guilty TV watching secrets? I'm knitting while I'm watching last night's episode on the computer while every TV "News" show has been talking about this. OY!

Rule #2

If my new rules started with Rule #1-label/tag your knitting...then Rule #2 has to be:

Carry it in a bag that zips shut!

Sheessshh...that should have been a no-brainer! What was I thinking?

Zipping along-at the 46" mark as I type. *sigh* maybe it will be finished before March goes out a like a Lamb...

Stay warm!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR......

Scarf...meet Mardi Gras!

Well, that WAS going to be the title here. Right about the time I WAS going to post the pattern with a picture of the finished scarf. Right about the time I SHOULD have been wrapping the scarf up and mailing it out this week while my son is taking his Bar Exam. (Do you see a theme here?)

See this picture? It's the last one of this scarf. Probably.ever. Barring any REALLY BIG miracles.

Why? 'Cuz stupid people give me a headache. A really big one. Stupid people who CAN'T wait their turn, have a modicum of patience, remember their politeness rules from Kindergarten...

While getting off of the plane the other day, it got left behind. How? Well, I had been sitting in the aisle seat. The little "DING" went off that signals it's time to get up and gather your things. You know the one, that's the one that means it's apparently time for stupid people to think that while they're sitting next to the window - which is the third seat from the aisle and a good seven rows from the front door...they don't have to wait for the path to be clear for them to reach over the top of someone else (that would be me) bending over while putting a computer into a computer bag on the floor, and reach further more to the over head bin above the seat in front of us to grab their stuff, thus knocking more things out of the overhead bin so it all lands on my bad foot. Ya...really stupid.

Oh, but it gets better...the words out of her mouth literally made me drop my mouth open. She goes, and I quote, "Oh, I nearly hit your foot." My answer? "No, ... you did." Whereby I stood there in pain wondering what in tarnation was going through her head to think that she was so important she didn't have to follow any rules of common decent behavior. Her next comment capped off the moment. She followed up her first idiot comment with a very sarcastic, "Well, you must really get hurt a lot." WHAT???????????? are you kidding me? Like I shouldn't have been annoyed, hurt, shocked by her juvenile, careless behavior? I walked off the plane totally amazed at the events that had taken place moments before. Completely amazed once again at the stupidity of people over and over when in public when their Mothers aren't watching them.

About an hour later, I got mad at myself. Apparently while paying attention to the stupid behavior of that woman, I failed to notice that the scarf was no longer in my tote bag. Gone. Lost.Poof! I searched high and low, under seats, in bins, etc...I've spent the past 3 days on the phone calling airlines, airports, lost and found, baggage claims begging, praying and hoping that it would miraculously turn up.

Nope, not at all. At least not yet. So much for the " 'EVERYTHING' gets sent to Lost and Found" comments they are trained to give you when you report that you've left something on a plane. So, here's the lesson for you to all learn from my experience...a) don't let stupid people distract you from what you're doing. Just because they're pushing over top of you...apparently it would have been a much better idea for me to have stood up and told her to sit down and wait her turn. (Heaven knows I've had enough training for little kids to know how that works) b) Double and triple check your knitting bag every time you are out in public before leaving one spot for another to make sure you aren't leaving behind a good 30 hours worth of work designing, planning, knitting, ripping, creating, and re-knitting up exactly what your son is needing to keep him warm in the frozen tundra. Especially when you're within two hours of finishing the project. c) label your knitting as well as your bag with your name, etc.. so if it's left behind, someone will have a clue you're interested in getting it back. d) don't assume that EVERYTHING gets sent to lost and found. It could have been thrown in a trash bag or 'acquired' by someone else/aka...stolen.

You know those flimsy paper tags that airports give you for your luggage? They certainly don't last very long on your bags, but I think they NOW work really well for attaching directly to your knitting. The little bits of elastic work well to put a loop through your stitches and are light weight enough to keep them from distorting your stitches. One little snip from your scissors to remove them (granted they could be cut as well by the 'acquire-er' down the road, but....) if you can't untie them when you're finished.

Ok, so I am naive to think that people are going to be honest and return things that they've found like I do. I dream.big. But, at least you have given your knitting a fighting chance to come home to you. At least it puts a little bug in the back of their heads that what they have in their hands doesn't belong to them. And that you want it back.

It could work.

Right?

After all, sit for a moment with the knitting you're currently working on and think about the money you have invested in that particular project. Count up the yarn/wool (five skeins), the needles (Addi's), the measuring tape, the stitch markers (one of them) and row counters (eight of them on there) and all my pattern notes for the project in there. Not to mention the pens, paper, etc...that goes along with any of my projects that I'm working on. Add it up. Then go around town to re-purchase them and see what your final bill is to make you think about labeling your knitting. After all...'stuff' happens that will stop you from your normal routine and take your attention off what you so lovingly spent a lot of time working on when you least expect it.

Then ask yourself, if your knitting is worth it?

Ya, not to mention the cost of the time and gas to drive all over tim-buck-two to find just the 'right things' or the things that will get you through until you can get back home to your favorite tools of your trade.

Yep...the most polite response I can think of right now is a big, old, fat....

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR......

I'm labeled and ready to reknit this scarf for my son. After all, it would be nice to get it to him before the snow melts and he no longer needs it. No matter how stupid that woman behaved on the plane last Sunday. But, if you find it, please let me know? I'm running out of Motrin here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

May your heart be cherished by someone very special!

I ran away...

Last week, my daughter sent me a picture of her Hearts on your Coffee Sleeve in use. She did say that it was a little bit loose on her Starbucks cup, so you may want to drop the needle sizes by one if you find that happening to you as well. I wasn't using that 'brand' of take out cup to test when I was making mine. I'll have to work up a couple soon and see how that works. When I get it done, I'll update the patterns and let you all know.

In the mean time, I've been knitting on what may become the 'never-ending' scarf for my son, also in frozen country. Remember, he wants to wrap it around his neck twice and have it long enough to hang down across his chest. It took a bit of a trip with me...

Scarf -meet a cow...

Scarf - meet the snow and -23*F wind chill!

See? I can dress for the weather up there! (and use my hand knits) Now, where did I go?


mmmmmmmmmmmm.....

I had the opportunity to 'run away' and visit the daughter up in frozen country this past weekend. I'm still trying to absorb the fact that at the last minute I was able to 'run over' for the weekend. She and her friend picked me up at the Buffalo airport .....

and we drove back to Syracuse.

Scarf, meet Up State New York!

The "GIRLS"...hey girls! It was a blast-thanks for letting me crash your movie night! Dinner was at the Dinosaur B-B-Q place we've been wanting to try every time I've been in town. Boy was it good!

(Check this out - did you know that 3 of these ladies are knitters? Ya think it might rub off on the daughter?)

Remember all the pumpkin that we filled her freezer with? Well, let me just say...mmmmmmmmm milk please! (notice the felted oven mitts? Gotta make me some soon!)

Shameless effort to get the daughter to email the better picture of us that she has on her camera.

This is why the daughter needed the care package last week..her favorite Tapitio goes rather quickly. That would be from Stella's! another fabulous place in town.

See where the 'pink heart for big sister' ended up? Too cute - huh? Right next to the picture of the two of them up on her walls.

Valentine's mug from the daughter.

More snow-but starting to melt before I left town.

I finished the last 3 baby washcloths for the AC4C project for January.

The current state of the Blustery Day scarf. At first I thought I was going to go to 84", but when I get there, I'll see if that will be enough. I have a feeling it won't be long enough. We'll see.

Now that I've left the daughter's place, it was time to make some pumpkin bread for me! Thank you Betty Crocker for the recipes! Yummooooooooo!

Then it was onto Apple Crisp-again...yummy and Betty Crocker and I are goooood friends, I tell ya!

I'm off to work on the scarf, so I can get to some of this 'souvenir' yarn from A.C. Moore that Megan took me to pick up while the daughter was at work. I have some plans for this! Can you see the new colors of that Bernat Cotton baby? Must.Knit.Faster.Son.is.still.cold.

*sigh* Today is/was my Grandpa's birthday. I miss him and my other Grandparents a lot.