Trish Knits.com

Today is Kristen and Mike’s wedding day. While I am very sad to be anywhere but there, circumstances prevented my attending. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to stay home and feel sorry for myself, even if in my heart of hearts that’s what I most wanted to do. So instead of heading to Western Maryland for the big event of the day, I instead went with my family to my boss’s annual fall chili party at her family’s horse farm.

As you can see in the video, there was this one horse who was very, very friendly. Let me tell you, you’ve not yet lived until you’ve been licked behind your ears by a horse! I rather felt like Fred Flinstone when Dino greets him at the end of the workday.

Here are some other shots from our time on the farm:

As usual, please click the thumbnail to see a bigger version of the photo and read the caption.

All in all, it was a great day! Perfect weather. Yummy chili. And an excellent way to spend an Autumn afternoon.

Oh I am so excited I could jump up and down! (If I could jump up and down, that is!) Today I would be pleased and oh so proud to share with you, THIS:

daughter knitting top down hat with magic loop

My DD, age 12, saw me knitting with Noro Kureyon a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden just had, had, HAD to have a ball I had leftover with blues and purples in it. I was saving my leftovers for a blanket project I have planned, but the DD learning some new knitting skills was well worth the sacrifice! She has been watching me make hats over the last several weeks and was determined that that was what she wanted to do.

Now, this is a kid who can do basic garter stitch, a little bit of stockinette, and anything rectangular. Blankets, iPod covers and amulet bags are her specialty. But this time, she really wanted to learn to knit a hat. A HAT! Yes, she’s my kid! So we had to conquer increasing, knitting in the round and magic loop all at once! And you know what? She got it. Totally got it. And she’s doing a really great job.

Speaking of hats, here’s the update on my latest:

olive and purple hat in progress

I can’t think of a funny name for this one! That’s because, I think, it’s going to be lovely. I can hardly wait to be done so I can wear it!

Homework Tip #1: Write What You Know

first grader finishes spelling homework

See Steven. See Steven spell. See Steven write. Sentences. In the first month of first grade.

Problem is, Steven can think of at least forty-eleventy things he’d rather do besides homework. We’ve had some colossal battles over the last few weeks, some lasting hours. Steven reads and writes above grade level so when he was coming home with words like “hat,” “rat,” and “on,” to make sentences with, he rebelled. Big time. Huge tantrums. I didn’t think we’d survive one or two of them, but somehow we did.

Steven is a bit of a clown and often likes to express his humor at times when frankly, we wish he wouldn’t. But, why not be expressive with his spelling words? We drew the line the other night when he wanted to put the word “butt” into just about every sentence. But then there was tonight’s writing creation, and we just had to let it go. The teacher will just have to deal.

Word: Sock.

Steven’s sentence? “I have a smelly sock. P-U.”

Seriously. It was a keeper.

Tonight Diana decided to sit down and knit an iPod Cozy (a la Sarah Bradberry’s Kids Knit! Simple Steps to Nifty Projects. She was able to complete the knitting all at once, and so now we only have to sew it up and find some kind of closure.

Tomorrow, L. comes over to help me weave in the ends of my baby blanket, and she is going to teach me some seaming techniques. I can’t wait!

Yay, Diana! She finally finished her first-ever scarf the other day and is posing for the camera. She kept asking me, “Do I HAVE to smile?” Though she did actually want to do the photo, even if the photo makes her look like an unwilling participant.

She used two strands of pink fingering yarn, held together throughout. They were two different shades of pink. I don’t remember what yarn, as she started the project TWO years ago and immediately discarded the ball bands. Oh well. She learned to knit in October of 2005 (I think!) thanks to assistance from Genia. She’s already cast on again for an iPod cozy, made with some balls of KnitPicks Shine Sport that I had laying around. It’s based on the pattern in the Stitch n Bitch book but we’re customizing it to fit her Nano, which is smaller than the case that the original pattern calls for. I can’t help secretly hoping that she is getting the knitting bug, so I won’t be alone in my house anymore, haha! (My five-year-old says he would like to knit too, but I know he’s not patient enough yet, so we’ll see if he wants to in a few years’ time.)

Meanwhile …

I’m still knitting away on my rainbow stripey baby blanket. I’m about to embark on a long road trip so I hope that by the time I return it will be about as big as it’s going to get. I am getting lots of compliments every time I get caught knitting in public with this thing, so I guess that’s a good sign. I’m thinking I should also bring something smaller along to knit on while waiting in lines and such. But then again… that would risk getting distracted by another project at a time when I can’t afford losing interest in this one. Oh, help!

Yesterday, August 6, 2007, my son, Steven, at 5.5 years, WROTE A POEM. Here goes:

Steven’s Poem

With every click and every clack,
Every train goes down the track.
Is it white or is it black?
Down the track,
There and back.

Cool, huh? He starts Kindergarten at the end of this month. I added the punctuation, but the words are his.

Grapey Love

My new Jordana Paige Knitter’s Satchel arrived today! My daughter has claimed the old one that no longer closes, but she has decided that closing it with a rubber band is doable for her. It’s a bit small for my current project, but as soon as I’m done with the baby blanket and am back to more sensible hats, I will once again be at home with my purple bag. Yay!!

Short post tonight; thanks for letting me share!

Welp, it’s been a few weeks so I thought I would show a recent photo of the blankie…. taken this evening as I began the 10-row segment of purpleness! Purple of course is my most favorite color, and so far when it came up in the randomness of it, the segment was only two rows wide… waaaah. So I should get my purple fix this go round.

Of course, it isn’t really random at all. See my April 5 entry to learn the methodology for this project, if you haven’t heard it already! (Yes, I’m a geek; there’s a spreadsheet behind it.)

I also have made a major decision about this blankie. I am leaving in a couple of weeks for a vacation and I will be spending approximately 28 hours in the car, plus lots of free knitting time in the evenings. However much knitting I get done during that time, when I get home, I think I am going to call it DONE. It’s definitely not wide enough now, but hopefully it will be by then. I really have been futzing with this baby blanket since February, between deciding on a design and trying and frogging many things. I am SO longing to make a felted hat… to feel the mushing of the wool in my hands and to create something warm for winter. Plus, the baby for whom this blanket is for is due to arrive at the end of this month. I really don’t want this to be his Christmas gift.

So, I hope my plan works, and that it will be big enough when I get back. Wish me luck!

It was knit night at my house, and I had lots of help:

This is my knitting helper, Zöe, who is never far behind when I pull out my knitting, never wants me to get any stitching done! As soon as I pull my knitting out, she always jumps up on the couch for some scratchin’! I always seem to knit while sitting next to the sofa in my den, so I have a place to fling my knitting stuff while I work.

Diana even got in on the knit action tonight. We watched the movie Aquamarine tonight and she added about 5 rows to her scarf. She keeps asking, “When will it be done, mom?” to which I reply that the rule of thumb for a scarf is to make it as long as the wearer is tall. Problem is, she’s been working on the same scarf for two years, and has gotten lots taller in that time! Haha.

Go, Eunny!

I just received my copy of the Fall Interweave Knits in the mail yesterday. (I find it ironic that the subheading says 29 knits to chase the chill, and it was in the 90s yesterday!) It was the debut issue of their new editor, Eunny Jang, who is a fabulous knitter and I love her work, and I was wondering how she’d do with the magazine. She’s so young, and it’s a huge job for anyone, let alone someone who is only in her mid-20s! But so far, I am impressed. (I’m also pulling for her as a local girl… she’s a DC-area native.)

There are several projects I want to make from this, including Anne Budd’s Tyrolean socks and Teva Durham’s concentric vest. The magazine explores the concept of organic yarns, and features lots of projects that include cables in the design. There’s also a cute grouping of hats and a really neat looking pair of fingerless mitts I’d like to try. Also, if ever I do get the courage to do a sweater, quite a few of them in this issue are sized up to my size. I actually loved this magazine this time! I only wish there had been a cable-y throw in the issue to complement the sweaters.

Wow, I had a lot to write about tonight. More next time!

Do not adjust your monitors! This is what my children wanted to eat for lunch today. Really. My daughter even cooked them herself. Just thought I’d share!!

In my knitworld, I’m still knitting away at the baby blanket pictured in the entry just before this one. I’d post a photo, but it wouldn’t be too different from the last one. So that one will have to do for now. Maybe next week I’ll post an updated picture.