I give you, on this day of sweetness in excess, the ultimate in Easter oxymorons:
Sugar-Free Peeps
Really?
Happy Easter!
I (Still) Do
Posted on April 22, 2011 · 2 Comments
My ring in the original setting
A diamond is forever, right?
Haha, news to me, it appears that this is not true. About two years ago, I lost a diamond out of the ring and had it repaired and the diamond replaced. I continued wearing it until a couple of months ago, when I lost yet another diamond. This time the jeweler advised me to stop wearing the ring every day or have it reset, as the prongs were all wearing out after nearly 20 years of daily wear.
So, I decided to do something different. Instead of a separate wedding band with the ring, I decided to have it reset onto a wider band so I could wear it solo, as my wedding ring. It’s also now white gold instead of yellow (which is stronger), and the setting itself is flush against the band, decreasing the likelihood that I’ll catch it on every sweater sleeve along the way.
The end result? This:
My ring in the new setting
Isn’t it a beauty? I’m loving it.
Not Quite an Ordinary Monday
Posted on April 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Today started out as an ordinary, blah Monday. Doctor’s appointments, errands, work… you know. Monday. Wasn’t looking forward to it. But then, after work, we decided to hit the new Red Robin in our neighborhood. There’s something about that place that just drips with happy. So, what follows is my pictorial evidence that Monday doesn’t always have to be drab.
After our amazing, impromptu dinner, we had to make a quick run to the grocery store. When we got there we saw a classic car show in the parking lot across the street. So of course we had to take advantage of what was left of daylight and we walked around a bit. Of course the owners were more than happy to talk about their “babies” and rev the engines a time or two for my DH.
And I’m constantly reminding him why it’s a good thing that I always have my camera.
After all, Mondays like this don’t happen every week.
Here’s hoping you found something good about this Monday, too. If so, drop me a line and tell me about it. Let’s share the Monday joy together.
Mystery Knitting Tool
Posted on April 15, 2011 · 1 Comment
I love Fridays. This one was particularly busy at work, but the sun was out, so I was trying not to complain too much. So, I cranked up the iPod and tried to stay on task. I got lots done, but by the time the day was over, I was feeling rather icky. One of the side effects of a beautiful sunny day in April is the pollen count, which is, no doubt, affecting me.
But, I had plans. My son had spent the day with my mom and step dad, and we promised my daughter an only-child night with mom and dad at Olive Garden, her favorite restaurant. This was my favorite part of the meal:
Fried lasagna
Yum! I just love this appetizer, even though I know it’s SO bad for me! Thank goodness I don’t eat there very often.
When I got home from dinner, I found this waiting for me in today’s mail:
Knitting tool I received in the mail today
Can you guess what it is?
Well, in case you can’t, let me tell you about it. It’s literally a double-ended latch hook, hand crafted by the folks at Knitting Today. I know about this handy little thing because I am a former user of the Bond Incredible/Ultimate Sweater Machine. It is a seed stitcher tool. I gave up on the Bond long ago, but not this little thing. I’ve almost always had one, even as a hand knitter. But the one I’ve had for a long time suddenly had gone missing. What do I use it for? Why, fixing garter stitch, of course!
Imagine dropping a stitch. With stockinette stitch, you can use a crochet hook to grab the ladders where the stitch has run down and make a chain stitch back up the line to fix it. With garter stitch, this is a little harder, because you have to feed the stitch from back to front to work up a line of garter stitch ladders. With this tool, you can pull the stitch back and forth as you go, and it makes fixing garter stitch easy-peasy!
No hand knitter who likes garter stitch should be without one of these babies. I like it so much, I got two this time, just to be sure I don’t ever truly go without. I only wish I had had it three or four weeks ago, when a series of mistakes in my current shawl project, which is all garter stitch lace, just about drove me nuts.
Now, I can rest easy. And dropped stitches? No sweat. Not anymore.
Not (Really) Another Book Review
Posted on April 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Sampler Knitting, by Barbara Walker
. Luckily, the book is easily available on the used book market, and within a week or so, it was here.
On the surface, the book seems to take bits and pieces from other existing Walker books. I have all of the stitch treasuries, and even Mosaic Knitting
And yeah, the colors and photos in the book, and the designs themselves, really look like 1973. But, just like all of my knitting books, this one will serve as inspiration for me. I’ve been saying for some time that I want to do knitting as art, and this book has certainly given me some ideas. I think I want to play with the concept of mosaic knitting especially, because a) it’s something new to me, and b) it looks like one of those things that LOOKS hard, and looks totally like knitting magic, but it’s easy! That’s my kind of knitting.
Stay tuned… there’s knitted art in my future.
Monday, Monday
Posted on April 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment
It’s just another Monday at the House of Day. I don’t have anything knitting related to share today; I’m still working on the shawl project, and trust me–it looks exactly the same as it did a few days ago. I spent most of the weekend at home except for a few errands on Saturday, and I have very few stitches to show for my down time. Some weekends are like that, though.
This is testing week at BoyZilla’s school so he doesn’t have a lot of homework. Which, yay! is a break for Mom and Dad! So, how was he spending his time? He asked me if he could play games on my computer after dinner, to which I agreed, for a time limit of 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, though, I could hear that he was no longer on the computer. THIS is what he was up to:
My boy, the filmmaker
That’s him, trying his hand at stop-motion film. He’s got his Lego characters set up in a scene, and he’s moving them ever so minutely and taking frame by frame photos with my husband’s camera. He’s written a script, too, complete with shot and camera directions. I love it when he decides to express himself in such a productive and creative way. I love watching him learn like this. It makes me wonder, when I watch him write stories, or draw, or now, try his hand at movie making… at 9 years old? What in the world is this kid going to be? I think it’ll be amazing to watch.
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Zöe, the cat. She just had her 19th birthday about two weeks ago, and she’s doing amazingly well:
19-year-old kitty
Kitty Glamor Shot
Not bad for 19, eh? She’s doing great. I’m kinda sad to admit that she is much happier being an only cat since our other one passed away six months ago. She eats very well, is still playful, and is way more talkative now that the other, more boisterous kitty isn’t around to overshadow her. I’m sad, knowing in hindsight that the presence of the other cat might have made her unhappy for a full 17 years, but glad that her elder years are so happy.
Like I said, it’s just another Monday. Thank you for indulging me by peering into our little slice of life this evening. I’ll be back on the knitting soon. I promise.
Somebody Talk Me Down…
Posted on April 9, 2011 · 1 Comment
I wanna knit a moebius.
I want to do it, NOW.
I keep watching the video of Cat Bordhi’s amazing cast on, just so I’ll be ready:
I’ve been fascinated by this knitted form for years, but have never acted upon it. I think there could be lots of these scientifically astounding things in my repertoire.
There’s just one little problem. And we all know what it is. I have a SHAWL to finish, plus at least a dozen other things. This always happens to me, when I get to the long, drawn out part of any project. My mind wanders, and I get obsessed about the next thing. Until I can’t stand it anymore, then I put the current thing down, and start on the next thing, whatever the obsession of the moment happens to be. Today, it’s a moebius. Lord knows I’ve knit plenty of them by accident. Every time I’ve ever cast on a project to be knit in the round, and I try, oh I try, to “join, being careful not to twist.” Every time, I fail. At least once. So I rip it out, and try again.
But this time, I want to twist my knitting. On purpose. In that special, moebius-y way. But….
NO! I CAN’T! STOP ME! I really MUST finish my shawl!
Sigh… This happens to me every time. Please, I beg you, you knowing knitters. Help me to stay strong. The moebius can wait.
