Today Diana went on her school’s annual ski trip at Whitetail Ski Resort. Here are a few scenes from the day:
For some reason that I can’t explain, Diana didn’t want to go on the ski trip this year. But, we convinced her to go anyway, and it turns out she had a great time, just like I thought she would. John went along, and he remarked that for once it was cold enough that the snow was perfect for skiing.
Looks like it was a great day!
Last week, I got a new video camera. I got the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder
Over the summer I got a different portable video camera
What do I like best about the Flip? Well, for one thing, it’s flippin’ cute. And it matches my Namaste Malibu Bag. But the camera is SO lightweight, it doesn’t weigh the bag down. It’s easy to hold and carry, to just whip out and take a quick little video just about anywhere. It also has its own on-board USB connector, so there are no cables to mess with and keep track of, either. This is a HUGE plus.
I have the option of saving the video files as is to the computer, and then opening in my fancy video editing software to create fairly sophisticated movies. But, the option to take the easy way out is amazing. Plug in the camera, it launches its own software. Do a couple of basic editing tricks, save, and upload right to YouTube. Easy-Peasy! I hope maybe I’ll be able to add a couple of knitting related videos sometime soon, but I have to figure out what to do that hasn’t already been overdone. Stay tuned on that one!
Yesterday morning we had an unexpected snow squall in the area. For some reason our town was particularly hard-hit. People not from the DC area always laugh at us and how we can’t handle the snow here. But the fact is, it’s warm here most of the time, so we’re not used to it. And, when we do get snow, it’s usually the heavy, wet, icy kind that makes for especially dangerous driving. Because yesterday’s snow was not predicted, the roads were not treated with chemicals in advance. So we got a light dusting, which turned to a thin glaze of ice on contact with vehicle tires. Accidents were everywhere in our neighborhood. Sometimes it’s the small snows around here that are the most dangerous, because in the really big ones, people have sense enough to stay home. Not so yesterday, so it was slow going.
And thus, the occasion of yesterday’s snowfall was the reason for my first posted video from my new little Flip-friend:
Not the most exciting piece of cinema in the world, but I really thought we’d be in for it since the sky was so dark. But, as quickly as it came, the sun came again. We wound up having a short day anyway, on account of a kid deciding to get a fever sometime between chapel and snack time yesterday. This morning I had to schlep him to the doctor in weather that was something-teen degrees. Sick kid with high fever and extreme cold are a bad combo. Steven has informed me that he would like everyone I know to cross their fingers on his behalf, because his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese is set for this weekend, and he’s hoping we don’t have to reschedule. His dad and I, on the other hand, are hoping that we don’t get sick instead. So, either way, cross your fingers! We’re going to need all the luck we can get.
It was so cold today that Tegan re-discovered her Cozy Cushion. She has spent this entire day curled up under my desk, at my feet.
Poor thing, she’s so old and thin. She has been a wonderful companion her whole life. She follows me like a puppy. Everywhere. And she’s the noisy, fussy kind, so I feel like I always have someone to talk to. Something tells me the day will be here soon that I will be missing her very much, so for now, I’m trying to appreciate every moment.
I wish I had a cozy cushion, too! I’m cold.
I’m totally obsessed with Valentine Hearts. I started last week with the full-sized version, and once I finally figured out how they worked, I was able to downsize to these cute teeny hearts. I started by casting on 31 stitches instead of the 61 called for in the original pattern. At half size, I can do a heart in about 45 minutes.
The cool thing is that I don’t think I’m even going to weave in any ends, because I’m going to use them to tie onto little baggies of candies for my co-workers, kids, and a few other friends. I don’t know how many I’ll get done between now and Valentine’s Day, but we’ll see!
I moved my Feedburner blog feed to Google today. They say the transition will be seamless. We’ll see about that. I’m a little nervous. I’m just starting to gain a few readers here and there, and so I hope I don’t lose anybody!
All this technical stuff makes my head explode. I’d really rather just be knitting.
Good night for now!
Yay! I figured it out!
Actually, I feel pretty stupid. Elizabeth Zimmermann is always right, and I should just trust her, that even though her patterns aren’t always the most specific, hand-holding things in the world, I should just trust that they’re right.
It’s all about the short rows. Most of the time, a pattern will specifically say when you are short rowing and turning before the end of the row, and then they specifically say when you will begin picking the unknit stitches back up and knitting them again. This pattern didn’t specifically include those little notes, so it was hard for me to figure out where in the directions to begin picking the unknit stitches back up again. Ok, the pattern didn’t specifically point it out, but if I had just had faith and followed along just as written without second-guessing, then I would be doing it anyway. It all worked beautifully of course. It was Elizabeth Zimmermann, after all.
To see the pattern, it’s on page 155 of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop
Today is Steven’s 7th birthday! I am so proud of my little boy, who is growing up so fast. His big party is still a week or so away, but my mom and Tony came for dinner tonight and brought an ice cream cake. Here are a few photos from the evening:
Happy Birthday, Steven! I am so proud of you.
Love,
Mommy.
Today we had to leave work early because our kids’ school closed early. Why? Because of this:
It started snowing a little late this morning for schools to be closed for the day, but by the time we were ready to leave for school and work the driveway had to be shoveled first. So we kinda figured we wouldn’t be there the whole day. In fact, we had only been there for a few minutes when we heard the news that we would be leaving early. So the kids got a little outdoor playtime this afternoon and I got to spend some time knitting.
After yesterday’s heart turning out wonky, I did a Ravelry search and found a cute knitted heart by Elizabeth Zimmermann. It’s part of the Heart Hat pattern, but the heart itself can be knit as a standalone object.
Problem is I don’t understand the pattern. Obviously there is some short-rowing going on, but I can tell already that I’m missing something and my counts are weird. Has anybody out there made this? Are there short rows on both ends, or one end only? Help?
Thanks in advance….
Trish, the Heart-Obsessed Totally Confused Knitter
It kinda looks like a heart, sorta, maybe??
I got the idea from looking at a short video on Vickie Howell’s blog, but mine doesn’t look as “heart-y” as hers. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right? I have a good friend who has been trying to reconnect by writing letters, and while I’m thrilled to receive them, I don’t really write letters anymore. Not since the advent of e-mail! So you know it’s a special friend. I hope she likes it!
We’re hoping for snow tomorrow. We haven’t had a good snow around here for a couple of years now. I like snow when it’s enough to cancel school around here, because then I get to stay home with the kids and knit and sip hot chocolate all day. Oh, that sounds divine! The kids went to bed with their jammies on inside out, for luck. Let’s hope it works!
Ciao for now.
