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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Finished Projects, Oh My!So I just realized I have 2 more finished projects that I haven't photographed yet. But since Monster had a meltdown last night until almost midnight (teething? random baby-angst?), I'll just go with what I've got.And what I have is a finished Wild Apple! I love this sweater with a passion. Love it love it love it! I'm actually restraining myself from ordering another kit from Solveig.  I also finished Baby A's "Swing Thing" in a record time. I paired some silk yarn from stash with some pre-shrunk 100% cotton. I also used snaps covered by buttons instead of actual buttons, as getting things buttoned is a huge challenge with a wiggly Monster.  My only complaint is that the &#*@$ing silk yarn bled like crazy in a cold water wash, and slightly stained some of the cream cotton. I'm really glad I didn't use the silk yarn for anything else - it's not a big deal on a baby sweater, but could be a real problem in other garments. I guess if I use it again, I'll pair it with a really dark color of yarn.   Abby is still putting up with the whole "baby" thing, and has decided that all of the dropped finger food is a fair trade for the occasional abuse from Monster. She is NOT, however, quite as happy about the new exercise ball routine that S learned from the vet. Supposedly, it is like doggy pilates, and will help her compensate for the missing leg. Abby wonders how many extra chicken strips she's earning by putting up with S' craziness.  Right - off to start dinner and the bedtime routine. Here's what I hope to see in a few short hours...  Labels: Swing Thing, Wild Apple 0 comments || # Monday, June 02, 2008 A Long-Overdue UpdateWow.... I think I only managed three posts in May. Hopefully things will get back on track soon - the main problem, as usual these last 8 months, is my job. The hours have eased up, but I still just fundamentally don't like it, and I've found that my negative attitude is infecting other parts of my life. I'm fighting this as much as possible, but sometimes it's tough to shake off the bad mood that starts when I get out of bed on a weekday. This past weekend, I headed off to the beach in Florida for what should have been a wonderful summer associate retreat... and it was lovely, but it was really hard to overcome my "anti-work" feelings enough to relax and have a good time. I couldn't help but think to myself that, by the time these summer associates start in Fall, 2009, I will be long gone from big law. In fact, my current goal is to be on my way out starting December 1, 2008. So far, things are right on track to make that realistic. So only six more months to go!Of course, it's not just my attitude that interferes with posting. Sometimes, certain members of the family decide that there are more important things to do instead of sitting in front of the computer. For example, perhaps a snuggle or two are in order?  I just wish Cricket weren't so subtle about getting my attention! We made it camping a few weeks ago, and Abby proved that, if you look cute enough, S will pick you up and carry you. S apparently calls this a "puppy walk." I tried to point out that he seems to be a little confused about the "walk" part, but apparently Abby always gets what she wants!  I took advantage of the slightly-slower doggy walking pace to snap a few pictures of spring finally arriving in the Shenandoah mountains:   Abby enjoyed the beautiful weather with a nice nap in the sunny spot in front of the tent. I just wish I could have this view out of my front door all the time!  Once we got home, however, Abby proved why she was decidedly NOT underweight after being on her own with a broken leg AND with puppies to feed. She's killed two more possums, and this morning she chased a bird across the street, leaped over a bush, and killed it too. She's definitely able to feed herself just fine should we somehow forget her extra-fancy gourmet doggy food! Oh, and there's KNITTING! I know, shocking. But really - I've been plugging away.... First up - an almost finished baby kimono! I just bought the ribbons for the closures last night, so it's not completely done - but the baby shower isn't until Saturday, so I should be ok.  And another pair of plain socks - socks that rock in pink granite, for me. I'm about 4 rows away from finishing, so I haven't bothered to take it with me on various metro trips etc... because I know I'll finish in about 10 minutes. Consequently, these have sat around for about a month waiting for me to spend those last 10 minutes finishing them. SIGH.  I dug out Wild Apple again for my metro knitting - I decided to just bite the bullet and plow through the stockinette sections so I can perhaps finish this in the next five years! I've done the back, a sleeve, and am almost done with the second sleeve. I haven't decided about whether to put in ribbing or a hem, so I've left all the bottom edges on waste yarn to decide later. I'm predicting that this will sit in a bag with the Union Square Market Pullover waiting for me to get a wild "seaming urge," which will probably never happen. Maybe I'll force myself to finish these up after the job bites the dust!  And lest you think I'm neglecting the Sheepie Blanket (which I have been, but no matter!), here's the fifth square I've completed -  12 ends. I may also have started swatching for my dad's 2008 vest. I'm really digging the muted colors, but next year's might have to be a riot of reds and golds.  So I should have no problem refraining from buying yarn in the next few months - here's a list of projects either in progress (and not just waiting for finishing!) or on deck, and for which I have yarn:
Whew! Maybe if I were to update more often, the entries wouldn't be such novels! One can always dream, I guess... Labels: Baby Gifts, Camping, Dad's Vest, Sheepie Blanket, Socks, Wild Apple 0 comments || # Monday, March 10, 2008 Quick - Call the SPCA!I want to thank everyone who commented or emailed on my last post - it was really great to read everyone's insights and get comfort that I am not alone in going through this unsettled period in my life. I am increasingly confident that I am on the "right path" in general, and just have to work on my patience as each day brings me closer to the next phase of my life. I have been learning so much about myself lately, and feel like I'm really learning who I might want to be when I "grow up." I'm also learning that my immediate reaction to any "problem" is to fix it... not to wait until the time is right! Patience, it appears, is not among one of my strongest qualities. Of course, my general lack of patience is ironically matched with my current knitting - miles of stockinette on size 0 needles. But perhaps my knitting is just reflecting the current state of my life. In other, more urgent news, Cricket would like to make a public plea for someone to please rescue her from her life of enforced servitude. We make her help us make the bed...  ... and I force her to help me keep my knitting from blowing away.  I believe that look says "touch this knitting and you will be very VERY sorry - this angora-merino yarn is the perfect kitty bed!" And it's not just Cricket who gets put to work in the Musings-Household - I even made poor S learn how to use the sewing machine in order to make one of the panels of the dining room curtains (he's a natural!)  And, as if that weren't enough, I then forced S to be a manly-grilling-man with our new grill and cook up some steaks for dinner. I also forced Abby to go supervise because, well, I'm just mean and I force everyone, Abby included, to earn their keep.  All of our hard work this weekend, however, was worth it - dinner on Sunday was delicious - medium-rare steaks, kale with double garlic (kale is my new favorite veggie!), guinness, smithwicks, and homemade fresh bread.  And, but for the weather turning suddenly colder, we would have enjoyed our yummy dinner on our newly-tidied back porch, complete with the table/chair set we just bought at Ikea ($120 for the set - such a good deal!)  And after dinner, we closed the newly-hung dining room and living room curtains! They still need a good press and hemming, but I'll let them hang for a week or so before I finish them up next weekend.  And see? I even made Abby pose in the picture - POOR DOGGY!  Labels: Sewing, Wild Apple 0 comments || # Friday, February 01, 2008 Whew!!!I'm ready for this week to be over, and for a chance to make a fresh start (and attitude adjustment) on Monday. The "highlight" of the week was spending Tuesday night in the E.R. because my mom freaked me out that the pain I'd been feeling on the right side of my stomach was a sign that my appendix was going to blow ANY SECOND. Luckily, after a VERY thorough work-up and a day to recover on Wednesday, I was given a clean bill of health. I should have known I was going to be fine - before heading to the E.R., I made sure I had enough yarn to keep working on my new love - Wild Apple.(Sorry for the blurry shot - no natural light in the Winter!)  This bohus kit is seriously the best $200-something I've spent in a LONG time. Plus, I'm really looking forward to the miles of stockinette on size 0 needles! In other news, Cricket has been busy with the new house. We've had some plumbing issues (involving water dripping from the kitchen ceiling when we took a bath), but we think we've fixed it... we keep checking each time to make sure there are no leaks, and Cricket is eager to help.  She's also eager to help me make the bed... she's such a team player! I mean, if it wasn't for her, how would we EVER get that nice, cream-colored bottom sheet all smooth?  Of course, for bigger jobs, like putting away clean laundry, Cricket needs help. That's where Abby really starts to pull her weight!  And, of course, Cricket takes time to set up sordid assignations with her new lover - we call him "heat vent." Hint - that little nightstand-shelf-thing is set up directly in front of the heat vent - and there's no back on the shelf. It turns into a little tunnel of hot air, and she LOVES IT.  "Hey - I said I'd start going to the gym - stop telling me my butt is too big to fit under this thing!"  Labels: Wild Apple 0 comments || # Saturday, January 26, 2008 Big Girl P@ntiesI have a friend who used to say that when life gets tough, you have to "put on your big girl p@nties" and deal with it. This has been a month for the big girl p@nties.S' family continues to recover from the horrific health issues they've struggled with so far this year - and we're really grateful for any good news that comes our way from Minnesota. On the home front, we lived like this for a bit at the old place:  Abbers was NOT pleased with our new concepts in interior design...  ... and then we lived with these fine, hardworking folks for a day...  ... and then we lived like this at the new place for a bit...  But slowly and surely things are finding places to live, and the boxes continue to get broken down and placed lovingly in the back of the truck to find a new home at our old apartment complex, where someone is always moving out and poaching boxes. And don't I look like I'm having SO MUCH FUN unpacking?  To be fair, I really don't mind unpacking. What I do mind is the job that is requiring me to work at least one day each of the last 2 weekends (including this one). (See note re. big girl p@nties, above!) On a much sadder subject, I have to announce the demise of a long-term relationship - Cricket and Spongebob have broken up. Spongebob, apparently, is not meant to be a "one-fuzzle" kind of pillow. Promptly after being unpacked last weekend at the new place, Spongebob already had an assignation all arranged...  As far as I know, Cricket hasn't spoken of or to Spongebob since. Luckily, being a resilient little kitty, she's already found her new lover... the floor-level heat vent.  See, in our old place, the ducts for the central heat and air had been retrofited at ceiling level, thereby depriving Cricket of a chance to absorb 95% of the furnace-output. Thankfully, in the new place, we've fixed that particular problem, and Cricket now spends approximately 21 hours a day curled up in front of various heating vents. The other great thing about the new place (among many great things?) I have my own Mr. Washie!!!! I do a little happy-dance each time I run a load, or wash my sweaters without filling up the bathtub...  Speaking of sweaters, I've been knitting away at the Union Square Market Pullover... I'm about 30 bind-off stitches away from finishing the last piece of knitting!  I can't wait to seam this up and add another cashmere sweater to the rotation. Plus, all of the stockinette on size 2 has been a perfect complement to the crazy stressed life I've been dealing with lately... so perfect, in fact, that I've upped the ante. I'll be knitting my next sweater in stockinette on size 0 needles. Any guesses?  Here's a teensy little hint...  Labels: Union Square Market Pullover, Wild Apple 0 comments || # |
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