What a week

My husband returns home from a week in Tokyo tonight. There is nothing like a long absence from your spouse and being pretty much cut off from instant communication to make you remember just how much you love someone. Not that I don't always love him, but frequently, our lives take over and you feel like you don't spend so much time with your spouse. Small children also tend to dramatically change the time you spend with each other. So, it was nice to realize that we spend a lot more quality time with each other than I thought!

With a 14 hour time difference and a price tag of 25 bucks for a five minute phone call, there has been only 10 minutes of voice contact this week. (Before you try to tell me about Skype, let me tell you that his company doesn't allow Skype on their computers, so that was a no go.) I can't wait to see him this afternoon.

And he sends me this email not to unpack his suitcase because he has presents to last from now until my birthday next June. Now, I hate waiting for a surprise more than anything and he knows it so that's just mean!

Dear Mr. Spam

I am not interested in doubling the size of anything on my body. Or, in the case of parts I don't possess, in doubling the size of anything on anyone else's body.

Really.

The only place where size really matters is, well, I was going to say stash, but it's not even in stash. Because even that is more about quality than quantity.

Advice please!!!

Bean wants a shawl.

The question is yarn.

It has to be pink, natch.

And it has to stand up reasonably well to a four-year-old. I'm not counting on it lasting forever, but KSH would never work.

I'm thinking sock yarn, but would love other suggestions.

I think I probably need about 350 yds of yarn to knit something she can use for a while.

Also, if anyone knows of a child-sized lacy shrug pattern, I'd love to hear about it!!!

Swamped

I'm up to my ears in alligators down here. Nothing bad, just tons of stuff to do. So, more doing and less blogging.

I'll be back Friday!

I've been on the edge of catching a cold all week and now, it seems as though I have it. Fortunately, Bean is simply crazy about playing Nurse Mommy. So at least I have someone to take care of me.

Taking care of me involves lots of "shotters" and lifting of my eyelids and general poking of my person. I know damn well that, while I will admit to occasional poking, I have never peeled back an eyelid. I'm blaming that one on her father!

Fair Aisle

They fixed it!

I can just imagined scored of pissed off knitters emailing and calling Banana after seeing Jessica's post on the "Fair Aisle" sweater!

I'm well into my swatch now, but at 5.30am, it's too dark to get a good photograph.

Bean and I spent a good bit of time shopping for dragons yesterday at a place that carries a huge selection of Folkmanis puppets. Of course, she wanted the one that was enormous and 60 bucks. Then, to my excitement, she decided on a potholder loom! Poor thing ended up getting nothing, though, because she decided engage in a protracted bout of Not Listening. So we left.

But it gives me a good idea for Christmas!

Along with this!

Tired with a capital T

Dr Pig and I were having a our nightly talk about our days and, about 10.30pm, I decided to go to sleep. So, I snuggle down into the bed and it's damp.

No, it's wet. The dog had fallen asleep on the bed and peed on it!

Yes, 10.30pm and I had to wash the mattress pad, the sheets, the blankets, etc. I ended up getting to sleep around 1am.

I'm tired.

I hate everything.

Thank GOD for coffee.

PPS

I have Post-Project Syndrome.

PPS occurs most often upon the completion of a large project such as a ginormous shawl or a sweater for one's much larger significant other. (Or socks for someone with really big feet.)

PPS is characterized by an inability to cast on for a new project and a marked lack of interest in even finding one of the many UFOs stashed around the home. Other symptoms include a stack of knitting books and magazines beside one's desk with little slips of paper marking possible patterns.

Severe PPS may include the inability to stash-dive. If PPS progresses to the point whether the sufferer is not interested in shopping for yarn, cashmere is the quickest cure to lure the PPS victim back to the fold.

This Public Service Announcement has been brought to you by the Society to Cure Post-Project Syndrome and the letter K.

Imporrrrrtant Announcement

Arr, Matey!

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

My daughter can say the entire Pledge of Allegiance including pronouncing "indivisible" correctly! Yay! Oh yeah, and I finished Moth. But my four-year-old child can say the Pledge of Allegiance and not just in some monotone! She can also say the Preamble to the Constitution (thank you Schoolhouse Rock). I find that totally cool.

Mothra!

Wing O' the Moth Shawl









Pattern: Wing o' the Moth Shawl, by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Louet Sales Kidlin Pixie in Grasshopper. 4 skeins. I probably used up 995 yards of yarn.
Needle: 5s and then 4s for the twin leaf and corona sections, when it became apparent that I would run out of yarn.
Modifications: One less repeat of the twin leaf section.
Size: 94" wingspan. 43" to tip. I barely blocked it. Otherwise. it would have been big enough to be an oddly shaped afghan. (Seriously, I didn't stretch it at all - more just pinned it a bit to keep it even. If I had bothered to pull on it at all, I could have easily gotten 6 inches each way.)

The very latest in Halloween ghost attire!










Obviously, I am an even looser knitter than I previously thought. Next time, I go down two needle sizes! (Swatch? No thanks, only for garments.)

Carole and Cheryl are the only ones left. But they're just stalling, because they have plenty of time to knit and spin other things. I think they are going to just UFO us to death.

I'm having a love/hate thing with the color. It's not quite as chartreuse as I orginally thought. I sort of wish I had chosen a red color (despite knitting something like four red or pink shawls this year). On the other hand, it really shows off the pattern, so I shouldn't complain.

I keep trying to upload some better pics, but Blogger sucks big green Donkey wongers today, so no go. Maybe tomorrow.

(Obviously, I need a new camera. I think I know what I want for Christmas ;>)

Words fail me

More Americans have died in Iraq than in 9/11

It was close

Hey Carole, Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah!

will I have enough yarn?

Keep your fingers crossed.

At this point, each row takes a ridiculous amount of time. I'm beginning to think that Moth is some sort of cosmic joke and it will never, EVER be finished.

Ever.

Never ever.


Well, maybe someday.

Getting to No

At what point, did the word"no" drop from the list of acceptable terminology?

When you call me on the telephone to try to sell me something, please realize that No is an acceptable answer. It may not be the answer you want, but, if you have difficulty understanding the meaning of No, please consult Mr Webster.

When you ask me to volunteer at the school carnival and I respond that I am bringing a cake for the cakewalk and am signing up for future events, but will be unable to volunteer the day of because my husband is leaving for Japan that morning, do not try to find ways to make it work. Do not tell me I can work the booth with her. That never works. And do NOT tell me to find a babysitter. I said No.

When I say I don't want to teach Sunday School, don't try to talk me into it. I know you are my friend, but let's think about this. Do you really want someone who DOES NOT WANT TO TEACH LITTLE CHILDREN to teach Sunday School?

Forget "Getting to Yes". I want "Getting to No". I want to be able to say No without being made to feel guilty about it.

NO!

And if you won't accept No as an answer, don't get all shocked and hurt when a fsck off is next.

The Countdown Begins

No, Moth is not finished. Stop asking. It's never going to be finished. Either that or I will run out of yarn. Your guess as to which happens first. (Yes, Moth is sending me 'round the bend.)

In about a week or so, Dr Pig boards a plane bound for Tokyo, where he will present a scientific paper, the title of which I will not reveal for two reasons: 1.) His company would totally hunt me down and sue me, and 2.) I can't remember what the hell it's called but it's some part of the scientific process used to make your cell phone do more stuff. I think at this point he's trying to get cell phones to make coffee. Which I am all for. Chemistry at its finest.

He'll call me when he gets there and then I get to ask him if there were mother****ing snakes on his plane!

The Blob

Seriously, it's a big pile of pale green fuzzy dental floss.

I'm on to the twin leaf pattern now and my outlook is much improved. Oddly, I'm really liking the fact that both the right and wrong sides are being knit in pattern at this point. I seem to knit the lace part faster than straight purl rows. I think that's because I have to count the repeats on purl rows anyway because it's easy to fix a mistake at that point. When I knit the wrong side in a pattern, mistakes become even more apparent and no counting!

Remember when I said I was aiming for Friday. Yeah, Julia mentioned the word "crazy" to me. She's right. There's no way. I had a meeting last night, I am teaching tonight, and I have a meeting tomorrow night. Ah well, there's always the weekend.

Stay tuned.

Call the exterminators!

No, I'm nowhere close to being finished with Moth. I've finished the 14th repeat and the little segue into the first border.

Now, it's onto the border.

Which means I have more than half the knitting left.

Which is more than I originally thought.

I believe the correct term would be "zounds*"!

*or crap! or sweet mother of God I love this pattern but this sucker is ginormous!

I am on the board of a local charity and this year, my position is creating the newsletter. Now, a month or so ago, I was informed that all I have to do is create the newsletter and then send it to a particular person who will then distribute it via email. Yesterday, said person came down with an attack of the stupids and now wants me to do it. And I'm not entering 200 email addys by hand. Fortunately, a friend of mine is totally on the ball and has a Word doc I can use in a pinch.

Of course, the newsletter was supposed to be sent out yesterday. Guess what folks? It's going out whenever I get the emails and then can spare time from Moth. Better luck next month.

In addition, I'm also on the committee putting on a huge event in October. Can you say overcommitted? (I originally typed "overcommitteed" - talk about your Freudian slips.) To recall an email that my husband (then boyfriend) sent me years ago, "I'm so mad I cna't type!" (At the time, he didn't intend the spelling error. Now, it lives in infamy.)

Back to Moth. I really don't understand how Vanessa's hands didn't fall off.

I've had a meeting every night this week. Bleh. I'm looking forward to a weekend full of laying around, drinking beer, and knitting on Moth.

I hope you and yours have a happy and safe weekend!