Employment At Last

Okay, so "at last" might be a bit dramatic. Have I really seemed to be missing the daily grind since January?

But anyway, yesterday I got the call offering me the library job I interviewed for a few weeks ago. I accepted, and after salary negotiations and an official offer this afternoon, I will start sometime the week of the 14th of May. Starting date complicated by a trip to Maine scheduled for May 4-5 and another to Tucson over Mother's Day weekend the 10th through the 14th on my end and a number of meetings on my new supervisor's end.

Still trying to get my head around what it means that I will once again be working outside the house during the week. Of course, for Pupper it means a return to spending more time in his kennel and getting spoiled by his dog walker (who seems quite happy in a way to be getting her job back). For us it means cleaning the house, doing the laundry and going grocery shopping on weekends and evenings at least until M is out of school at the end of June.

And of course, there will be far less time for knitting, weaving and writing. Not to mention gardening, straightening out the stash and organizing our ridiculously messy pattern collection. Alas, the life of a working stiff one again has entrapped me. Cue the violins.

In other news, here is the promised Cork sweater photo:
Pattern: Top-down raglan with rolled collar and garter stitch cuffs. I created a basic pattern with Sweater Wizard based on the gauge, but mostly I just started a sweater and made it to fit (ah, the beauty of top down construction).
Yarn: Rowan Cork #047, Pleasure, 9 balls or so (it was less than a bag, I know that)
Needles: Addi Turbo 40" and 32" #11 (the 40" for magic looping the sleeves); Inox Nickel Plated 32" and 24" #10 (for collar and cuffs).

I love this sweater; I've actually loved this sweater since the first time I slipped the yoke over my head to see if it was time to divide the body and sleeves. It is warm and soft -- soft enough that I could probably wear it with a short-sleeved t-shirt underneath, making it exactly the sweatshirt substitute I was hoping for. Cork is a great yarn, and it is definitely a shame that they discontinued it. Having this sweater finally finished (I started and abandoned it over a year ago) is making me regret in some small way letting the bag of brown that I had stashed go.

Why did I abandon it if I loved it so? I don't know how other people do it, because it was killing me to try to knit the sleeves on #11 DPs without ladders. So I frogged the sleeves and started over using two short circs, but the dangling bits were annoying me. So I abandoned the sweater until I could figure out a solution.

For a while it was looking like the solution was going to be to knit the sleeves flat and seam them (which is what I did with Fantine); then I got tired of always worrying about losing the extra DP from my sock bag, and I got tired of poking myself with the DPs while knitting socks so I finally learned magic loop. Not only have I not knit socks any other way since, but this also presented the solution to the sleeve issue with the Cork sweater.

Monday afternoon, M got home early so we headed down to the big city for some shopping. We hit WEBS, and M is now the proud owner of a Molly of her very own. Hers is blue. I also picked up some hot pink Rowan 4-Ply Soft to make us some socks and a couple of balls of Tofutsies. Everyone I've read or talked to has a very strong opinion one way or the other about this yarn, so I'm curious to try it. We couldn't decide between colors 727 and 726, so we bought both. I'll have to find a really good pattern for it.

I am nearly done with the back of the Crocus Tank, but no pic since it looks pretty much the same as the back of the other one (scroll down the page about halfway), only it's periwinkle this time. [If I had better Photo Shop skills, I'm sure I could just doctor the photo, but I've got other things I'd rather do.]

I'm still loving the tank and the pattern, and this one will probably make the trip to Tucson with us. I wonder if I'll have time to make us a Smooch before then, too. I hear it's already very warm down there in desert (at least during the day).

And here's a final parting pic of the felted penguin, all dressed up for his next great adventure, the school's fundraising auction and arts night Saturday.His hat and scarf are made from more of my nearly endless store of DK weight superwash using the directions that are in the Fiber Trends pattern.

De-Tox, Re-Tox, and De-Tox Again(and other tales of vacation)

So, I think I mentioned before that M and I were engaged in a spring detox regimen because we came out of winter feeling completely blah. Well, we cleverly planned it so our detox ended a couple days before we headed for vacation.

Did the detox work? Oh yes, indeed, it did. We were both feeling better, looking better (clearer skin and everything), and our clothes were getting downright big. Hooray.

Well, we decided to be bad on vacation, and boy did I pay for it. My system rebelled big time against the excess of bad food being put into it. So now that we're home, it's back to strict detox for another week, then just eating healthy until we can lose the rest of the weight we are looking to get rid of (I'm aiming for a size 10 by the UCC's General Synod at the end of June -- not an unreachable goal, but it'll take work).

We did have a wonderful time despite my system's rebellion and the snow. We pretty much had the Inn to ourselves since most other guests had bugged out at the threat of up to a foot of new snow to start the week. The foot of snow never materialized, and we were able to enjoy all of our favorite White Mountain pursuits (with the exception of hiking 'cause the trails were just way too muddy). This time we even indulged ourselves with in-room massages. After that we realized the we both need to get massages more often.

So, now we're home, the rain has finally stopped, and it's supposed to hit the mid-80s today (before dropping back into the 50s by mid-week; this is, after all, spring in New England). I hauled the grill out of the garage yesterday and grilled both lunch and dinner. We also found one of the few creamees that are open this early and indulged in a little cold refreshment -- much to Pupper's delight; he loves ice cream. [For those who are wondering, "creamee" is Western Mass speak for a shack by the side of the road where one can buy soft serve ice cream. Some also do hard ice cream, burgers and hot dogs, french fries and the like, but the soft serve is what defines a creamee.]

But one of my favorite things about summer's imminent arrival is this:hot pink toe nails and my way cool sandals-of-many-colors.

There was some of the promised knitting on the trip.
Please excuse my very white legs -- would you believe I've already done two applications of self-tanner?

Pattern: Top-down sock; 72 stitches; stockinette leg and foot; 2x2 cuff; short-row heel; round toe
Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta #5616, 1 ball
Needle: Inox nickel-plated 40" #0; magic loop, one at a time

I love these socks, with the possible exception of the round toe. I don't think I'll be doing those again. The colors are perfect for those summer times when I need socks for whatever reason. Sockotta is fairly easy to work with, though I find it a little hard. Perhaps it'll soften with washing. I have another ball of Sockotta in color 367 which I will probably be making another pair of simple socks from, but not right now. While I love knitting socks on size 0 needles, they take a toll on my fingers. If I had a dime for every time I poke a hole in the tip of my index fingers with the needle....

So, the next socks will be my purple fixation socks, the ones I had to buy the yarn for after finishing M's pink ones. They're knit on a more reasonable size 4 -- hard to poke holes in my fingers.

I did finish the Cork sweater as well, but it's upstairs drying on Clara, and since it looks absolutely awful on her, you'll have to wait until it's dry and I can do a mirror shot of it on me. And I've got a few inches done on the back of the crocus tank I'm making for M and I.

And finally, here's what the approach of summer looks like at the parsonage (the kitties love their porch):

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Mud Season

... for a little more snow (like, about 2 inches).

And now on to more of the FO extravaganza.



Pattern: from Handknit Style II
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool #28, 7 balls; some red lurex
Needles: Addi Turbo 32" #15 and 40" #13

I actually made this one before Christmas last year, to wear on Christmas Eve. I had been eying this color of Big Wool ever since it arrived, and when Handknit Style II showed up, I found the perfect thing to do with it. I also happened to have bought a lifetime supply (14,000 yards on a cone) of red lurex at WEBS' $3.00 cone sale a while back. Once I had the shrug finished, M declared she couldn't wear it 'cuz she doesn't have the chest for the style. I think she looks fine in it, but anyway.

Enter Fantine. She was supposed to be M's super warm fancy Big Wool sweater, but she got derailed before Christmas and just finished yesterday.


Pattern: Fantine from French Girl Knits
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool #31, 7 balls
Needles: Addi Turbo 32" #17 (never again!)
Mods: I made the jacket longer to fall at M's natural waist, and gave it full length sleeves rather than the 3/4 sleeves the pattern calls for. All together, that wound up using just over 2 balls more than the 4 the pattern calls for.

She is modeled here by Clara, a dressmaker's dummy I found in the attic when we moved in. The woman who owns the house was seamstress to the town for many years (we have a small closet upstairs with more tulle than I think it healthy). Clara is a great blocking tool for sweaters which are knit in one piece as Fatine is. Believe me, though, Fantine looks sooooo much better on M.

And finally, we had a visitor yesterday.

Yep, that's a real pigeon, and if you look closely you may be able to see that he's banded. No clue where he came from or how he got to thinking that our rural garage was where he should be, but he hung around for over half an hour before leaving. Even the sparrows were a bit confused.

FO Extravaganza, part one

First up, Smooch. Apologies for the over-the-pillow photo, but this thing blocked to 30" at the bust -- just fine for the bodies at the store, but not near big enough for any of the real women in this house.

Pattern: Smooch from Rowan All Seasons Cotton Collection
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton #221
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" #8, 32" #6
Mods: None, that I know of, but as I mentioned some of the directions in the pattern were less than clear, so I did my best, came out with the right stitch count in the right places, and made a tank that looks remarkably like the one in the picture.

I do like the finished product, and now that I have sussed out the issues with the pattern, I will likely make at least one for us (in a much larger size). Rowan All Seasons Cotton is very similar to Dive Cotton Club, of which I have at least four bags around here. I also have a bag of bright orange Lang Twin Lame which for which I can probably adapt this pattern as well.

While I was at the store dropping Smooch off, I met and fell in love with Molly. She had to come home with me (in orange). I haven't had a nice summer bag for a long time, and Molly is just perfect.

Next, the penguin.First, before felting (Elle added for size perspective).
Here he is right after felting, stuffed with old socks to help him keep his shape while he dries.
And here he is completed.

Pattern: Playful Penguins from Fiber Trends
Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire #7 Black; Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky #12 Orange, #1 Cream; Lion Brand Fun Fur Black
Needles: Addi Turbo 16" and 40" #11
Other: 12mm post eyes, poly-fil, white felt
Mods: Well, the pattern calls for DK weight wool held double throughout. Would you believe that not one of the DK weight wools I have access to is feltable? So, I opted for heavier wool single-stranded. I went for a heavy worsted rather than the bulky for the black because it was being knit with the fur.

The finished penguin is cute, but the felting was a little strange. As you can see in the pics above, he didn't really shrink all that much -- more just kinda pulled in on himself. In fact, the fun fur so impeded the shrinking of the black that I was able to mattress stitch the back together when I was done stuffing him. Overall, however, I like the final shape; I think it makes him look like a juvenile, which could be perfect for his next destination which is a fundraising auction at M's school.

And finally (for today), Bette.
Pattern: Bette from Elsebeth Lavold, Book Four, The Sophisticated Lady Collection
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed #02 (we call it cherry cola, they call it purple)
Needles: Addi Turbo 32" #4 and #6

I made one of these as a sample for the store quite a while ago (before they killed the yarn) and really liked the pattern. Bette has actually been sitting, fully assembled, in my knitting bag for a couple of months now, waiting for the finishing touches which I finally sat down and did yesterday. I love her, and I'm expecting that come summer she will become my favorite for cooler weather with just a tank top underneath.

I am about 1/3 done with the second sleeve of Fantine so expect pics soon. Maybe I can even get the Cork pullover I abandoned over a year ago finished this weekend.

We leave Monday for our few days of escape in the mountains. In addition to the jaywalkers which are my current port-a-project, I will be taking the yarn for the crocus tank I am making for M and I and perhaps something else. I am also taking a couple of books. Like I said before, this week is intended as a retreat. We're going to go hang out at a great inn and knit and read before the fire. I cannot wait.

Smooch Back At Ya

Well, I had a eureka moment over the first row of smooch (it's a six stitch repeat, not five stitches), though I still have no clue what the "one st on right needle" means. After that, I motored along on the back -- simple lace pattern, some waist shaping, and a lot of pink stockinette. At 17 sts and 24 rows to 4 inches, this thing isn't going to be a long project.

The front is done up to where it is split for the neck. Well, I had nearly finished the left side of the front neck and then had to frog the whole thing. I've decided this is one of the more poorly written patterns out there. I've figured out how I'm going to do the front neck, and it should at least look like the picture in the book.

I do have to admit I'm liking the fact that the neck and arm edges are left raw. The front neck is kept flatish with a slip stitch edging, and the arm holes are allowed to do that stockinette curl. No stitches to pick up!

When smooch is done, I get to start on this:M's school has a big fundraiser at the end of the month and part of the evening is an auction. This is our donation. We're hoping it is at least as popular as the hedgehog M made for last year's auction (it went for $100 -- yes $100 for a stuffed hedgehog!).

Then, I get to do something (guess what) with my Easter present:Yes, more Peaches & Creme in (left to right) 159, pink lilacs; 186 lemon-lime; 186 shades of green. We don't usually get each other big gifts for birthdays, holidays, etc, and this is just perfect (they're even Easter-ish colors). It will most likely, of course, all become dishcloths.

Meet Elle

So named to force me to stop calling her "It" (I've never really been a fan of dolls). I have owned this book almost since it came out, and the yarn to make myself (or my niece) a couple has been in the stash almost as long. After finishing and dropping off the Crocus Tank (Kathy has posted a much better picture of it on WEBS' blog -- scroll toward the bottom of the post) and sending off my niece's birthday package (which, shockingly, included nothing hand made) I took up needles and yarn to make Elle.


Pattern: Knitted Babe from Claire Garland's Knitted Babes
Yarn: Babe: RYC Cashsoft 4-ply #439; Hair: Berroco Pure Merino #8532; Bathing Suit: Regia Stretch Crazy Color #115
Other Materials: Felt and embroidery floss for the facial features; one old washcloth "bog-jacketed" (PDF file) to make the bathrobe
Needles: Two of a set of old 8" aluminum DPs in size 2 (the kind you find when cleaning out your grandmother's crafting supplies) -- they were blue if that matters
Mods: None this time, though the next Babe (yes, I've got yarn in the stash for at least three more) will be knit in the round 'cuz sewing seams on those teeny pieces was NO FUN. I suppose it was designed in pieces to allow you to place the facial features before construction, but I waited until I'd assembled and stuffed her to do the face so I could more accurately judge the proportion of the features to the head.

I was captivated by this book when it first came out (and remember, as I mentioned, I don't like dolls). The dolls are are cute and clever and the patterns provided create a great wardrobe (yes, there will be more clothing forthcoming for Elle -- there are always more bits of sock yarn around here).

While I had the sewing machine out to make the bathrobe, I also whipped up this:
I am hoping that it will hold my books open for me so I can knit and read at the same time. It's just some fabric left over from a stole I made M for her installation here, sewn into a tube and filled with popcorn (in its pre-popped form).

Next up: Smooch in Rowan All Seasons Cotton #221 -- another sample for the store. IF, that is, I can figure out the first row. By my calculations, if you

K3, *cast off 3 sts (one st on right needle), K2, rep from * to end

(ignoring the fact that I can't for the life of me figger out what "one st on right needle" means) you wind up with a few more than 2/5 of the number of stitches you started with. Right? Well, the pattern has me winding up with just over half the number of stitches I started with. I'm thinking the cast off 3 should actually be cast off 2. I looked for errata and found none, so I'm off to try my best.

Crocus Blooms

[Sorry for the poor picture -- it's still gray and gloomy around here.]

Pattern: Crocus Tank from Nashua Handknits Occasion Spring/Summer 2006
Yarn: Nashua June (100% Acrylic Microfiber, 50g, 120yds) #005 Willow, 7 balls (the pattern called for 6 balls, but I used just short of 7)
Needles: Webs Hard Bamboo Circular 32" #5 and Inox 16" #4
Mods: Aside from using an entire ball more yarn than the pattern called for, none since it was a store sample.

I love, love, love this tank! In fact, when I dropped it off today, I bought June in periwinkle to make one for us. The yarn is super soft and super easy to knit. It isn't anywhere near as splitty as you might expect, and the stitch definition is great. I can't wait to have my own.

Oh, this is what was left of ball seven when I finished:

Crocus Blocks

[Sorry for the crappy picture. It's predicted to be gray and gloomy here all week.] The Crocus Tank is on the blocking board. I had to crack into ball #7 about 1/3 of the way into the armscyes on the front. M asked if I might need an 8th ball (remember, the pattern called for 6). I think I can probably make it with 7, though.

One comment about the pattern, however. On both the front and back directions, when you get to the neck shaping, it calls for working across the first shoulder, joining a new ball of yarn, binding off the center stitches, then working the other shoulder. From here you work the two shoulders at the same time. This works just fine for the back, but by the time you get to the front neck shaping, chances are you've already cracked into the last ball in the bag, right? And with June (which is wound around a cardboard center) you don't even have the option to work from both ends of a single ball. Don't pattern writers get this?

I should have had this blocked this weekend and finished last night, but M and I have embarked on a 14-day spring detox regimen (we were both feeling gross after the winter), and my body is still adjusting. By yesterday afternoon (day 3) I was weak and achy all over -- kinda like I had the flu only I didn't feel sick at all. Today I'm much better, and I predict by tomorrow I will feel fine. The tank should be done in time to be delivered on Thursday or Friday.

I'm off to take it easy for the day and maybe get some other knitting done. The Queen B has taking it easy down to a science:
Perhaps she'll give me lessons.

What a Difference a Week Makes

On the first day of Spring, you remember the views. Now Spring is springing (just ask my sinuses), and the views are much different.
THE VIEW showing greening fields and just a small remaining pile of very dirty snow.

Daffodils peeking their little leaves out through the piled leaves which have kept them warm all winter.

The first gently unfurling leaves of a hollyhock (uncovered for their closeup then quickly recovered for protection).

Some volunteer tulips -- I believe they are last Easter's tulips stuck in the garden when it was an overgrown mess last spring (I spent two consecutive weekends last fall ripping out unwanted vegetation, including some inkberry tubers bigger than my forearm) and forgotten about.

Something -- I'm guessing more daffodils -- growing beside the back steps. One of the joys of watching a new-to-you house in the spring is seeing just what grows where.

What aren't pictured here are all the irises I separated last fall (they hadn't been lifted in probaby 10 years) and replanted. Because of the very mild early winter, I do worry a little for them, though I see signs that some of them are sprouting, so there's hope. If not for the ones I planted, perhaps for the dozens of bulbs which spent the winter in cold storage in the shed (there were enough bulbs after I lifted them to plant six gardens).

And there are crocuses blooming from my needles.

I picked up an extra ball of yarn yesterday as I am now convinced it'll take more than the six balls the pattern calls for. I cracked into the fourth to finish the back, and this isn't one of those deep v-neck vests.

I also picked up some yarn for Mom while I was at WEBS yesterday. Since she's paying me back for it when I take it to her, it doesn't count, right? Besides, what are you supposed to do when your mother calls and says, "I got the WEBS sale flyer yesterday, can you get me some yarn?"

And the loom is moved!
Mom, those placemats may make the trip to Maine with us later this spring, really.

PS. What I ferried from the hotel to the shelter yesterday was nothing more harmful than linens. Though you never know what might be hidden in the middle of a large bag of clean sheets. Best not to ask too many questions....

New Things Happening

The job interview went really well last week, and it seems like a job I would really love and be good at. The search committee (which includes the person who would be my direct supervisor) was great, and they seemed to have a good time and not balk completely at my answers. And they asked some of the best and most reasonable questions I've been asked in a job interview in a while.

A little about the job itself. A few years ago the college bought an old Strategic Air Command bunker. That's right, one of those places the military could hide people and sensitive stuff during crises. It's been re-purposed to hold lesser-used library materials. Two people work there full time processing materials and responding to requests to use the materials. TWO PEOPLE. Anyone who knows me knows that short of ONE person, two people is just about my ideal working environment. I've realized I don't mind working FOR other people half as much as I mind working WITH other people.

And the whole place has this great feel to it. Think of what you think a library should be -- quiet, dusty, kind of intimidating -- that's what this place is like. She did email asking for references, so I guess they didn't totally dismiss me. We'll see what happens from here. I think I would love the job, and I definitely know I would love being back in a library, but at the same time, I like the freedom and ease which my not working has given our home life.

I am also now the President of the local Friends of the Library. I kinda got strong armed into accepting the position, but now that I've got it, I intend to do it right. Starting with making sure that Board meetings last no longer than an hour and are actually productive. Then we'll move on to planning programs properly and moving beyond "what we've always done".

Running my first meeting as President definitely gave me some appreciation for what M is up against trying to save a church which is stuck in "we've never done it that way before".

Tonight is my volunteer training for the animal shelter, but I've already got volunteer assignments. This afternoon, I pick up something from a local hotel -- I'm to go to the desk and ask for Jen and bring whatever she gives me to the shelter. I'm taking it on faith that whatever it is is legal.

Keeping busy is sooo important.

Rainbow Socks

They're done, and they're great!

Pattern: Toe-up sock with magic cast-on, short-row heel, and a 2x2 rib on the top of the foot and up the leg. 64 stitches, leg and foot.
Yarn: Regia 4-ply Nation Color #5399, 2 balls
Needle: 40" #1 Addi Turbo, magic loop style, both at the same time

I do have to admit that I need to frog the bind off and redo it. I plan on using this method thanks to Grumperina. Of course, that obstacle did not stand in the way of starting these:
I needed something to knit at church yesterday. Yes, I knit in church. I also knit in class in college and graduate school (with the professor's permission, of course), and I knit in meetings when I can get away with it. I blame it on ADHD. If my hands aren't engaged in something, I can't pay attention. [BTW: I have asked the pastor (aka my wife) if she minds my knitting in church and she doesn't.]

Is the pattern obvious yet?
I've been wanting to make Jaywalkers for a while now, and they've finally come to the top of the pile. Yarn is Regia 4-ply Mini Ringel #5217, and I'm doing them both at the same time magic-loop style on the same Addi I used for the rainbow socks. I'm really loving the two socks at once thing. I'm also loving the fake yarn bras I appropriated from one of my mother's dolls; they are perfect for holding 50g balls of sock yarn.

Pupper wants to know why Mommy keeps putting all these socks on his couch and taking pictures of them.

Oh, A Job Interview

Forgot to mention that I have a job interview this afternoon. It's for an actual library job, something akin to what I went to school to do and originally intended to do with my life. Of course, I'm seriously overqualified for this job, but it's a place to start getting my library career on a different path.

The problem I am facing right now is that I spent all of my professional life doing something very specialized in a specific type of library. And I don't want to do that thing anymore. Unfortunately, if I look for a job in that same type of library, they see me only as a specialist (of a type I don't want to be anymore), and if I look at any other type of library, the see only that I've spent my entire professional career in a different type of library.

The answer: essentially pretend I don't have the graduate degree for now and start back at the bottom, with the type of jobs I had while I was earning the degree. It'll give me "appropriate" experience to then pursue a new career path. Make sense? Mind you, I'm not lying on my resume, just downplaying my more specialized experience in favor of my more generalized education and experience.

We'll see how it goes. It sounds like an interesting job, much closer to what I thought I would be doing with my professional career than what I wound up doing anyway. AND it's a job primarily working with the books and the databases used to control them. No pesky patrons to deal with.

In other news, I started volunteer training at the local animal shelter last night, and I signed Pupper up to be a volunteer in their pet visitation program. Requirements for dogs in the program include that they must enjoy attention. That's our Pupper alright! If you will give him attention he will eat it up. And if you have other things to do, he'll just be here waiting for when you have time for him.

Retreat!

But first, this is spring in western MA:

and so is this:

and this:

and most especially this:

That's actually our very own maple tree, being tapped by a neighbor who's promised us some syrup. Everywhere you go around here this time of year you see two things: 1) sap lines running into collection barrels; and 2) snowmobile trails through snow-covered fields. It's a nice reminder that there are still pockets of rural America around.

And now for the retreat. M and I have both been feeling the need for one for a while, so last night I called our favorite B&B and scheduled some away time for a few days next month. This beautiful and charming inn in the White Mountains is where we went on our first vacation together and where we spent our honeymoon. The plan for the week is us, a pile of books, a tote or two of yarn and -- if it's chilly enough -- a fire. Oh, and a bag or two of penny candy from Chutters (LOVE that place!).

The inn is homey, serves a great hearty country breakfast, and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery God ever created. There are some great restaurants in the area, some fun shopping to be had, and lots of relaxing to be done. It is the perfect place for a pastor and her wife who just need some time away.

I know, I know, now that I'm not working things should be so much better, and they are, most definitely. But even when you're happy there's still that need to get away for a while, and we haven't done so for a year and a half.

And now, the greatest cat toy ever.

Hours of fun for your cat (and for you), all for the bargain price of $2.89. It even comes with a free gallon of milk. The Queen B (who DOESN'T play, mind you) has been batting this thing around for hours.

Interior ReDesign

Happy Spring!
12 hours and counting...

Been in the throes since Friday of a redesign of the office. M and I now have side-by-side desks facing out the windows towards the library. She has access to the books she needs for worship planning, and I have access to the printer with the card reader so I can upload photos so much more easily. We are well on our way to being able to list the old computer desk on Freecycle (I love Freecycle) and getting it out of here so the loom can be moved downstairs. If no one bites on Freecycle, the Swap Shed at the dump opens in May, though we'd really rather not have to move the thing ourselves.

The resulting long-overdue clean/purge of the file cabinets and desks will send six bags of recyclable paper (most of it shredded) off to the dump today. I'm hoping there'll be room for me and Pupper once I have all the trash, recycling and compost in the car.

And that's what I've been doing with my weekend. Did a little bit of work on Crocus Tank over the weekend, but I am knitting wounded right now, so discomfort kinda prevailed. Oh, it's not a horrible wound, just one of those really deep skin splits that plague me every winter. This one, on the tip of my right thumb, makes holding the needles (especially size 5 needles -- let's not discuss the size 1 I'm knitting the socks on) rather painful.

In the interest of knitting content, however:The nearly-done back of crocus. I am still worried about the quantity of yarn. I am almost at the shoulder shaping for the back and about to finish the 3rd of 6 balls. I realize the front will take less yarn, but this thing has ribbing at the neck and sleeve openings, and that'll eat up yarn. Will probably call Karen this morning and have her set another ball aside just in case.

Here's a close-up of the crocus lace motif:The sun is finally shining again, so the color is fairly accurate in the first shot -- a little washed out in the close up.

As for the rainbow socks:I have turned the heel and gotten going on the leg. It was completely unplanned, but I have to love how the light blue stripe was just enough for the toe and then just enough for the heel. There are about 5 color stripes left before I finish, so they should make it to knee sock length. The foot is a smidge too long for my feet, but they fit M perfectly, and since most of the other socks I've made (with the exception of her Pink Socks) fit my feet perfectly but are small on her, I guess it's only fair.

And now I leave you with this beefcake shot, courtesy of our delightfully sweet K-Man, showing off all he ain't got.

Ah, March

WARNING: Image-heavy post

Just three days ago we were basking in shirt sleeves in 70 degree temps. Today, we wake up to this:(That's the lawn where just a couple days ago I was surprised by a flock of robins.) And this:And this:Which is essentially the same view from Thursday's post, now with more snow.

Okay, back up. We didn't really wake up to those pictures. Those are post-shoveling pics (note the shoveled sidewalk in front of the library in the second pic). What we woke up to this morning was Pupper barking at the plow guy (who's only slightly better than nothing) -- anyone who has ever been startled out of a deep sleep by a barking dog will understand the kind of start that gave our day.

Today's scent was something very dark and musky. Probably called "Tahitian Moonlight" or some such -- still not sure if I liked it, but it was an interesting accompaniment to the day's shoveling. I'm not implying that we can always smell the candles (in fact, most of the time we can't), but there are certain climatic conditions under which we can be treated to all sorts of interesting aromas. Then there was the day I wasn't sure if I was smelling apple cider from the orchard up the street or apple cider candles from the factory across the highway....

There must be some sort of bird signal that humans just don't see or hear or whatever. Almost as soon as I came inside from shoveling, this happened:

This is the aforementioned "cat TV" we installed to keep our indoor cats entertained during the day. It keeps us constantly amazed as well. It's fun to watch the birds vary from season to season.

And one more:It's not just Snowie buried up to his neck. You see that mound on the other side of the door? That's Honker, the penguin who got completely buried last night.

Okay, some more just to celebrate the snow:



I may dislike the cold but I do love snow. And I really love shoveling snow. Call me crazy.