Wednesday, August 30, 2006

One down, one to go! It's the Vogue Knitting lace sock, pattern by Cat Bordhi. I'm using Knitpicks Parade, color Daffodil, on size 5. I varied from the pattern two ways -- I didn't like the picot edge, so did 1x1 rib, on size 3s, and did only 3 repeats of the leg pattern (I'm "vertically challenged"). It went quickly, and was fun.

As you can see, Mr. Bill's mouth is still present; I didn't have a yarn needle with me at my office before I took the photo.







Oh, noooooooooooooooooo!








I'm bummed, and may post about it later, for both work and hormonal reasons. But I'm not sure I want to "sully" knitting content with venting. Suffice it to say, although I'm approaching 50, my hormones are acting like I'm 13 again. And my body. (See? I'm posting about it anyway. Damn mood swings.) Arghhh. Must...knit...estrogen.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Sun Sand Surf

... and no knitting to report. Here's a visual of the daily routine:

The beach. My sister and I trek down at 9:30, loaded like pack mules with chairs, towels, and snacks. But it's worth it -- today we saw dolphins!










Later, the boy surfaces. 15 years old and soooooo happy to be on vacation with his mother.










Sister and oldest daughter having fun.











Brother-in-Law having the MOST fun. (note the Labatts)














Tonight, it's off to "Snakes on a Plane." Tomorrow? More beach. Can I stand it? Hmmmm. Yes!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Knitting in Knorth Karolina

It's finally vacation, and in true knitterly form, I spent more time deciding which projects to bring than which clothes to pack!

Naturally, some had to be sand proof:
Baby kimono from MDK, of course --










And some complex: Lace sock from new Vogue Knitting, project # 11. This is the first I've done a toe up, and all I can think about is "Oh noooo Mr. Bill!"



So far so good, but I have learned a valuable lesson -- don't work on anything complex when you've had a few of these ....


especially when topped off (in the neck of the bottle before you add the lime), this!

Time to lather up again!

Monday, August 14, 2006

It's my birthday ..






... and I'll cry if I want to!


ps It's a mask at the Museum of Natural History from some African culture. Or, it's how I feel today.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

A Bad Day ...

My printer won't work.

My secretary is sick and the other one is on vacation.

I have to be in three counties in three separate courts tomorrow.

Photos won't post on my blog.

I'm going out for ice cream.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

It's a Dog Eat Dog World ...








and I'm wearing MilkBone underwear.

Monday, August 07, 2006

DamnedTrak and the Baked Apple

Horror of all horrors. Almost as terrifying as a Stephen King novel. As scary as the Deatheaters in Harry Potter. But worth it? You bet.

My hiatus from blog-land is due to a long awaited trip to New York City, with my 15 year old son. I'd heard that 3 of my favorite authors were doing a benefit reading for Doctors Without Borders and the Haven Foundation (for artists without health insurance). So, foolishly thinking a 6 hour train ride would allow my teenage boy and I to "bond", and selfishly thinking of the knitting time, I booked tickets on Amtrak to leave Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. The performance wasn't until 7:30 that night, so a mid-afternoon arrival would give us plenty of time to check into the hotel, get a nice dinner, then off to Radio City Music Hall.

Wrong.

First off, the train was 2 hours late arriving. Second, there was "work on the track" and we sat for over an hour waiting for freight trains to pass us. Then, the heat advisory. Who knew that if temperatures exceeded 90 degrees, trains had to slow down so the wheels wouldn't fall off!

Of course, if all of this information was given to me that morning, I would have cashed in the tickets and driven.

But no. When it became apparent we were going to miss the show, I almost got off the train and came home. But then I decided to give Radio City a chance to take pity on me, and a very nice woman named Alice was able to trade my tickets for the Wednesday night performance. Phew.

And ... phew! New York City when it's 102? The odors. The sweat rolling down my back and dripping off my nose. The lack of available taxis. Walking 15 blocks to the show. Arghhh.






These guys had the right idea.





We saw this:










And this:



No yarn stores (there is only so much a 15 year old boy can tolerate), but I did cruise the Strand Bookstore -- 18 miles of books!

I wish I could tell you that the return trip was better, and it was -- instead of being 6 hours late, we were only 1 and 1/2 hours late. And although the temperature was in the high 90's outside, I was in the meat locker car, shivering.

But ... there has been knitting! I'll save the "warshcloths" and baby bib for another post, and the Mason-Dixon KAL, but I have to show this:


Log Cabin blanket in Knitpicks Crayon -- pima cotton and soft! I love it, and it's the perfect summer mindless knitting.




So, the lessons to be learned:

1. In the words of Scarlett O'Hara, "As God as my witness, I'll never take Amtrak again."

2. Do NOT go in the subway in NYC when the temperature reaches 100 or above, if you value your nasal cavity.

3. Dumbledore is dead. Really dead, according to JK Rowling. "He won't do a Gandalf," she said, while wearing fantastic sandals with straps that looked like snakes.

4. Stephen King is scared by the Deatheaters. He is very thin, but lively.

5. John Irving is one good looking older man.

6. And ... there's nothing like a cold beer when you get home.