LuluBelle Knits and Runs

My Nike+ running avatar

2008-09-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

Wow!

2008-09-08T21:26:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Reid on achieving his sub-5:00 mile in the virtual 1 mile, truly an inspiration! I really enjoyed my 1st virtual race - trying to break out of my 9:00 mile rut. Of course I chose the flattest stretch I could find in my hilly neighborhood to time myself and managed to run it in 8:48 - I was pooped, can't even imagine what 4:59.95 looks like! A couple years back I had a PR of 8:43 now I really want to keep working on improving my pace.

In need of advice

2008-08-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

Now that I'm running longer distances I need some way to track how far I've run. I'm considering either the Nike i-pod sport, or the Garmin 405. I like the nike because it costs much less, but I've heard it can be unreliable. I like the GPS function on the Garmin but the cost really puts me off. I'm not super crazed about my times and tracking every last detail about my runs. I just want to know how far I've gone, and how much time it took. I know I can get the less expensive garmin, but I'm not into wearing that huge clunky thing when I run. Any advice - save up for the garmin or go ahead and get the nike? BTW I don't run in nike sneaks so I'd also need to get some sort of device to attach the nike to my Mizuno's.

Ran 6 miles yesterday - I procrastinated all day long and ended up going late in the afternoon. I really prefer early runs, and I was just dogging it. The weather was so strange very autumnal rainy, windy, cold - I was freezing all day long. I wore my running pants and a long sleeved shirt which turned out to be a mistake, I got so hot and tired and then aggravated with myself for my poor choice in clothes that I didn't much enjoy the run. Must choose better next time!

One Mile Challenge

2008-08-29T08:32:00.002-04:00

Get this widget!

Found this fun virtual Challenge over at Life Strides. The super-speedy Reid is trying to run a sub 5:00 mile. In a show of solidarity as many runners as possible will run their fastest (or not-so-fast) mile as well. It's embarrassing to say "fast" and sub 9:00 minute mile in the same sentence, but that's my reality. I'm usually about a 9:15 mile when I push it a bit, my PR is 8:43. I've been training for a half marathon and have been focusing on distance not speed, so this will be an interesting exercise for me and a good excuse to get some speed work into my runs. Good Luck to Reid - with all those runner vibes out there supporting him hopefully he'll break through!

non-runner nancy

2008-08-28T09:17:00.000-04:00

I love this new site that I've found. Since I've been running more seriously, I've also been finding some new running blogs in addition to all the knitty/crafty blogs that I love. Nancy's site is just friendly, motivating and non-threatening. Some of the running sites are soo intense with these uber-fit psycho runners. Nancy's site is for the rest of us - those who love (mostly, usually) running, but have very human struggles. She has created some fun virtual races which are great for me because they give me that sense of comradery since all of my very real running partners have succumbed to injury. As Nancy puts it running is easier with friends. My first virtual race was August 8th and I didn't even know I was doing it. After I completed my long run of 8 miles, I found Nancy's site a realized I had un-officially run along with the 8-8-08 Olympic Spirit run - who knew? Next time I hope I have a heads up and can participate for real - virtually.

Alissa Baby

2008-03-22T09:00:00.004-04:00

This is the Waldorf baby doll I made for Alissa when she was 5. In a fit of originality she named her Alissa baby, and off she trotted to kindergarten to show off her new dolly. It seems like I just made that doll, and that Alissa was just 5 only a moment ago. But somehow Alissa is now almost 13 and almost as tall as me. Happily she still loves her 'Alissa baby' toting her along to overnights at her friend's homes. I know in a blink she'll be off to college taking her 'Alissa baby' with her because she seems to understand how much love was put into making that doll just for her, and that wherever life takes her, Alissa baby is a bit of home.

Jane

2008-01-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

Which Jane Austen Character are you?

Must Make This!

2008-01-06T20:16:00.001-05:00

I saw this advent calendar at Molly Chicken and fell in love. It was much too close to Christmas when I found it to get it done for '07, but since I've resolved to stop procrastinating I want to try to do this now for next year. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the $22.00 for a magazine that's in Japanese - or if I should just try to wing it. The magazine does look gorgeous, but I think I'm going to give it a go first. If it doesn't work out I'll be plunking down my hard earned cash over at Kitty-Craft!

No time to blog

2007-09-30T07:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, Wee little blue boy did arrive safe and sound all the way from Tasmania to New York! Thank you Jenny - he is as sweet and lovingly made as I knew he would be. My girls and I all love him - we took him to Boston with us - I was a bit disappointed because he seemed to prefer the pool to all of the fabulous historic sights (but he is just a baby after all what can you expect?) Sorry the pic is a bit of a blur - you know it's tough to get those little ones to sit still. My husband thinks we are all odd in the way we take him with us and place him in different little scenes around the house.

So far my plan of keeping up with the blog hasn't turned out too well. Back to work at the library full-time, as well as two night classes (required so that I can keep my job) has not proved to be condusive to blogging. I do manage to read a few of my favorites, and it makes me crazy to see all the wonderful things bloggers are doing - sometimes it feels like my life is passing me by! The Boston trip was in August, and tomorrow is October 1st - how did that happen? I'm off for now hopefully more to post soon. It's a beautiful autumn day today - unfortunately I'll be spending most of it inside a theater. I'm taking all three girls to see the stage production of High School Musical of all things. I love having the day with my girls, but I'd rather have it at home in the country on such a lovely day. Oh well the things we sacrifice for our children...

Material Girl

2007-08-08T10:51:00.000-04:00

Cruising around the net today, I found some things I really want like this cute fabric from kitty-craft which I have absolutely no use for, and this "don't Socra-tease me" nail polish from OPI, and I already bought this wonderful cast iron frying pan (I found it at figandplum and love it).

And now it seems that all my favorite bloggers (yarnstorm, soulemama, angrychicken) have written books, and of course I want them all. I don't know where these fabulous ladies get all the time to keep up with their blogs, write books, and do all the creative things they do. I don't even try to keep up - I just enjoy what they share and take away a little inspiration. Oh, the Internet is a dangerous place - or at least an expensive one!

Sometimes I have a difficult time just adding new posts because I really get attached to the way my blog looks with a particular picture. For instance today it was difficult to replace the wee little blueboy (another Internet purchase) - hopefully he'll arrive in time to accompany us on our Boston vacation. Time to get off the computer before I can't afford a vacation!

Wee Little Blue Boy

2007-08-05T08:20:00.000-04:00

Well now that it's been almost a year since my last post, I've decided to try to get back into the swing of things. I miss blogging mainly because of the way it makes me look at things. When I'm blogging I pay much more attention to the details of my life - what would make a great picture? (and it's often some odd little detail), what have I done today that's interesting? The blog helps me keep focused on a project so that I can actually show some progress, and hopefully at some point a finished project. I do it for myself mainly to have a sort of chronicle of my life - it all goes by so quickly, I really enjoy looking back sometimes. Even though I haven't been writing, I have been reading. I still use my blog to get to all my favorite blog links. I recently saw this sweet little blue boy at Little Jenny Wren's (you can see him snuggling with the cat in her blog title) and just had to have him. So now I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival (all the way from Australia) - and hoping to incorporate him into the blog on our family adventures.

Where have I been?

2006-09-03T21:33:00.001-04:00

Here! Beauooootiful Colorado. After a long, long, long drive from New York, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and finally Colorado - we spent a week in Steamboat Springs. This was our view lakefront from our campsite. We stayed at Pearl Lake state park, it was wonderful. I finally finished my confederate gray sock on the ride out past miles and miles of cornfields. Then appropriately started my next pair of socks with Mountain Colors yarn.

I thought I would have gotten tons more knitting done on the drive, but I was completey distracted views around me - I didn't want to miss anything. We've wanted to drive cross country for years now, and finally decided that the girls were at a good age to try it. I just wanted to see it all - the Iowa corn fields, the wind farms, Nebraska flatlands, the rolling prairies of Eastern Colorado, then suddenly this...

I think only by driving it could we have felt how we did when we finally saw the mountains. My husband and I were both struck immediately by the feeling of what the pioneers must have thought and felt when they saw this ahead of them. Here we were in our GMC Envoy complete with portable DVD player to keep the girls from driving us crazy. I just love this country and am newly amazed by the hearty souls that had the nerve to do this in a covered wagon.

What shall I be?

2006-07-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

My dear sister in-law gave me this lovely yarn. I'm just tickled, this is the first gift of yarn I have ever received - finally someone gets it - all I really want is yarn. Now the big question is what to make with it. Alissa has called dibs - asking for some sort of a cute hat, so now I'm on a pattern search. It only seems appropriate that Alissa should be the recipient as these are some of her favorite colors. I was immediately struck by the similarity of colors to those in a Georgia O'Keefe style water color that Alissa painted at school.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been thinking of something like this or maybe this, but not this.

The title of this post made me think of a board game I used to play when I was a kid. What Shall I Be? the exciting game of career girls. I LOVED this game - it's so funny to me now to see the career options.

Of course now I'm a very liberated homemaker, who loves to knit, sew and bake - you've come a long way baby!

Gray Wednesday

2006-06-28T18:32:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been rainy so I've actually had a bit of time to knit and read. Sorry the pics are so drab, my socks as well as the weather are gray. I'm embarrassed to admit that gray is actually one of my favorite colors. What can you expect from a former accountant turned librarian?! These are my first pair of socks worked on circular needles, and aside from a few glitches I think that I am a circular needle convert.

I used two circulars rather than the magic loop. I'm still intimidated by that whole loopy thing, and think that the whole business looks rather awkward. I was reluctant to abandon my double points - there's something about them that makes me feel connected to the past. Maybe it's all of the lovely artwork out there that depicts women working so industriously on their socks. (Though I must admit this young lassie doesn't look all too excited about the task at hand. Is that a dreamy far off look - or a bitter 'when in the hell will I ever be done with this freaking sock look' ?)

That said, cables are wonderful because you never lose them, as I'm always losing those tiny double points, and you don't lose stitches when you put your work down because you can slide the stitches safely down onto the cable. My only trouble was that against the advice of the yarn shop owner I insisted on purchasing the bamboo needles rather than the Addi Turbo's. Don't get me wrong I love Addi's, and in retrospect I should have bought the Addi's, but I fell in love with those cute little bamboo needles and the elegant gold join, that would later prove to be the bane of my existence. You see the stitches are essentially divided in half between the two cables. Work half the stitches, then slide the stitches down onto the cable, drop the needle and pick up the other cable needle working the remaining stitches. Note that the stitches need to slide onto and off of the cable after working the stitches on each needle - here was my problem, that pretty little golden join was not smooth at all - and even after loosening up my stitches a bit to accomodate the join - the last two stitches were always a bit tighter and very tricky to slide back onto needle.

This became rather annoying as you can imagine with the zillions of tiny stitches that go into the making of a sock. So live and learn I guess, or save yourself some time and go straight for the Addi's.

By the way April 1865 is a very interesting book for any of you Civil War buffs out there. I felt very apropros knitting a gray sock while reading it even if I am a Northern girl. By the way I can't actually read and knit simultaneously - that's just a dream of mine, I have to take turns.

I Am a Terrible Mother

2006-06-12T11:40:00.001-04:00

Caroline's birthday was in November, we had her little girl party in June. Enough said. The party is done and it was lots of fun, so better late than never I guess. Caroline wanted a Chinese princess party. We have two nieces adopted from China, so my girls just love anything Chinese. Rather than favors, each girl got one of these cute little dresses to wear home.

The weekend was crazy busy. I worked frantically in my gardens and cleaning my house so that all the moms bringing their little girls to the party wouldn't think poorly of me. Peer pressure is a wonderful motivator. Frankly if it weren't for the fear of company coming I wouldn't get anything done, and since we live in the country people don't just pop in too often. I would rather spend my time with my husband and kids, or reading, knitting or running, but I also hate to get caught with my house in disarray...I am a complete fraud. I often wonder when I read some of these blogs where everything looks so perfect, is it really that way? Beautiful crafting, fabulous children, lovely homes, lofty reading... is there really a huge mess lurking just outside the range of the camera lens? Anyhow I didn't knit at all last weekend - so of course today rather than cleaning, I'm blogging and knitting. Blogger has been really wonky this morning and it's taking me forever to get this post done...so now I'm done!

While My Computer Was Sleeping...

2006-06-04T21:47:00.000-04:00

I've been working, watching many, many soccer games, not cleaning my house, not getting into my garden enough, and knitting a little. The Fingerless Mitts were completed just in time for summer (she said sarcastically). But my Alissa loves them and thinks they are very cool to wear while she's playing her drums. These were very easy to knit up - can be done in an evening or two and used just one ball of Noro Kureyon. I tried to throw caution to the wind and knit the mitts including that strange section of rust colored yarn, but in the end I just had to chop out the whole rusty chunk - it just did not seem to belong there.

I've also squeaked in some reading, movies, and further progress on the PBSJ. The yoke and sleeves are done, and I'm started on the back - which I think I need to make a bit longer than the pattern calls for, but I'm daunted by the task of figuring out how to do it properly with that pleated back and diamond pattern.

Anyhoo - loved the Movie as well as the book (Geisha that is) it's beautifully filmed - but sad, sad, sad. The Country Life I'm not lovin' so much. It's about a woman who abandons her life in London, in order to go live in the country and care for a young disabled man. Three-quarters of the way through it's just been a series of silly situations she gets herself into, and is just FINALLY beginning to explain why she bagged everything in her previous city life. I'm hoping that maybe it will somehow redeem itself in the end.

Guess that's all for now - I feel there's so much I want to say after being away so long, but I don't want to bore everyone to death.

Computer Woes

2006-05-15T13:38:00.000-04:00

Well this has certainly been an unplanned hiatus. A variety of circumstances have prevented me from blogging in ages. My computer has some sort of major illness that even Paul couldn't repair, so no pictures I'm afraid. But I have been knitting - I completed the fingerless mitts for Alissa, I've finished the yoke and 1 1/2 sleeves on the Pearl Buck swing, and working alternately on my May socks, and a scarf for my car and soccer knitting. Soccer by the way has taken over my life - pretty much four nights a week. I love watching the girls play, it's loads of fun to see the 4 and 5 year olds run back and forth across the field in this tight little bundle of chubby arms and legs, and Alissa's youth league is now really beginning to look like real soccer with lots of action - but it makes the evenings crazy busy - I miss our sit down dinners!

I also have a new job!! In my former life before kids, I was an accountant. While I was at home with the girls I earned my master's degree in library science, but my last daughter was born just as I finished my degree, so I've never used it, aside from some spotty freelance work. Well five years have passed, and Caroline went off to school, but I felt as though no one would hire me after so long with no experience. Suddenly two weeks ago an opportunity pretty much fell in my lap. Now I have this great job in the library at a cute little rural school, with a fabulous new library. The job is just two days a week with school hours and vacations, so it's a great way to get my feet wet. I'm just so pleased to be working in my field, yet still have time for the girls. It's funny how your priorities change so much. I've had the power job and at one point in my life was so driven by my work, I could have never imagined that I would one day see things so differently.

So things are now a little more busy, but it's all good and I'm thankful. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures soon. I think I chose this Cezanne still life because I'm wishing for a bit more stillness in my life right now.

A Fairy Nice Day

2006-04-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

So what is a mom with three girls at home for the week to do? Why make wee fairies of course!

Fairies are a big deal in this house. We read books about fairies, watch movies about fairies, play games about fairies, and on and on. About a year ago we bought the book Felt Wee Folk by Salley Mavor and started making little flower fairies. This book is really wonderful with beautiful pictures and clear step by step instructions.

We have kind of developed our own style - a little less fidgety than those in the book. The book was worth every last penny as the little fairies we have made have produced hours and hours of play time, both creating the fairies and in imaginative play. These dolls are about 2 1/2" high, and are inexpensive to make - a few dollars worth of supplies will make many fairies.

PBSJ Yarn

2006-04-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

At long last I've bought my yarn for the PBSJ! I like this yarn well enough as long as I don't look at it side by side with the Jo Sharp DK in Glade that I really wanted to buy. At almost half the price I decided that the Dalegarn Hauk was a suitable alternative. After swatching with the needles called for in the pattern I'm realizing that I need to buy some needles the next size down. Did you ever notice that no matter how many needles you have in a multitude of sizes, you never have the right size for a new project?

Priorities

2006-04-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

My friend Corey's recent posts have made me think about what it is that's most important. "The only thing that remains is what you have left behind...did you give it your best?" I hope that as I journey through this life what I leave behind are children who grow into kind, responsible and happy adults with fond memories of their childhoods. At least I'm giving it my best. Oh, and I hope that they knit as well!

Happy Easter

2006-04-15T07:46:00.001-04:00

It's been a busy time, decorating for Easter. This is the first year that we have made an egg tree. We used a Marble Swirls egg decorating kit which was a big departure for us as we always use the classic PAAS. You can't tell from the picture but the "swirled" eggs look marbelized and just slightly glittery. They're very pretty, and were easy to do with children.

Emily, Alissa and Caroline have been very busy girls drawing these pretty Easter pictures.

What the?

2006-04-14T14:55:00.000-04:00

So I had this great idea to make these very cool Fingerless Mitts for Alissa. I had this ball of Noro Kureyon with what appeared to be lovely shades of olive and purple.

When I began to pull from the center of the skein I found miles and miles of this dull-as-dirt brown. Not exactly the color to get a 10 year old girl excited.

Then suddenly this bright rust appears. Now I've knit with Kureon before, and never had this experience where it appears as though the skein is made up of two completely different color lots. I think that if I knit this up the mitts won't even look like a pair. Maybe I should by another ball and knit 2 pair - hmm...how to proceed here.

This whole tangle reminds me of this crazy glass sculpture we saw while visiting the Corning Museum of Glass over Winter Break.

Happy Feet

2006-04-12T08:16:00.000-04:00

Caroline's rainbow sherbet socks are finally done. These were supposed to be my March socks for the sock-a-month KAL, oh well now I can get an early start for my May socks. I'm pleased with how they came out - this is the first time I've knit a picot edge. I used this wonderful tutorial from Booga J. I really prefer how the socks look using straight stockinette, rather than ribbing, but I was concerned they wouldn't stay up using a simple stockinette.

Caroline is pretty pleased with them as well - she picked the yarn out to match with her pink, pink shoes (She is my girly girl). I didn't have to do any convincing to get her to model on the kitchen table - she watches far too much of the Style Channel. Caroline immediately put on her best Zoolanderesque Super Model persona.

I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's basic sock pattern from Knitting Without Tears, using 48 stitches on size 2 dpns. The yarn is Sockotta from the Plymouth Italian Collection 45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, 15% nylon. I'm a little worried that they feel a bit scratchy, hopefully they'll soften up with washing.

As long as I'm talking socks I was wondering about the Magic Loop, or knitting on two circulars. I really like knitting on dpns, but I'm forever misplacing and losing those little needles, so I do find the idea of a circular kind of appealing - any opinions out there?
Update: I've just found this 'magic cast-on for toe up socks' in the new issue of Knitty - looks interesting, a possibility for May.

I've Been A Very Good Girl

2006-04-10T12:12:00.000-04:00

Taxes - done. House - Clean. Ran - 4 miles.

I've earned this...

Happy Friday

2006-04-07T09:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Spring

2006-04-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

While busily avoiding my spring cleaning and taxes - I found some new places to visit. The little picture above is from Brown Betty. Molly Chicken has some other great links to Japanese cuteness. Who knew the Japanese made such cute, cute things? I could just shoot myself for not knowing this while my brother and sister in-law were living in Japan. I'm also a fan of Netherlands cute like this little spring daff at De Witte Engel.

Tongue in Cheek is a beautiful blog by an American woman living in France, married to a French man. She has gorgeous pictures, writes insightful posts, and shares her life in France, and her passion for French flea market finds. We also found this link at Tongue in Cheek, and although spring has arrived the girls have been busy making loads of snowflakes.

Some knitting sites My Dog Ate My Mittens and Two Left Needles

Cool places Shelterrific - "where obsessive homebodies hang" found via wee wonderfuls

Just plain weird: Do it yourself animals at eatliver.com (found this one via blackbird)...freaky.

The Incredible Stretching Sweater

2006-03-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

I finished up the Hourglass as planned Tuesday night. I tried it on and it fit perfectly - sleeves perfect, neckline perfect, length perfect. Everything perfectemundo. So I gave it a nice little bath and layed it out gently on a soft towel, smoothed it and went to bed feeling rather superior. You see I read the Hourglass KAL page - I knew all the pitfalls - I had an extra skein of yarn, I made 3 extra sets of neck decreases to avoid the too big neck, yes I was pretty pleased with myself. I may have even gone so far as to say aloud to my husband that I have perfect guage. Well can you see where I'm going here? Wednesday AM, my sweater still looks lovely, in fact the stitches are now looking dare I say it? - perfect. Wednesday afternoon - feeling almost breathless - I try on the Hourglass, and what the ??? The sleeves are now at least 3 inches longer dragging on my knuckles, the neckline - bra straps sticking out WIDE, and the length now hitting at the widest part of my hips....huhh?? My cute little Hourglass is now a tunic.

OK this mirror shot stinks - it is really hard to take a picture of yourself in the mirror - I kept getting all mixed up trying to center myself with everything being opposite in this really weird way. Anyhow this shot doesn't really show the length problems, but look at that droopy armpit!

Paul finally took pity on me and took this picture which shows the crazy-long sleeves.

I've never had this happen before, was it the silk content in the Noro Cash Iroha? (as an aside - it does drape nicely though)

So what do I do now? I'm wondering can I rip back the bottom of the sleeves and re-hem them? I think I could live with it if the sleeves were at least the right length. Maybe run a length of elastic through the neckline to help keep it in place? Re-block it and try to squish it all back in place? Any thoughts out there??? Please.

On the knitting front

2006-03-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

Here's some evidence that I do actually knit once in a while. I'm so ashamed that I'm still working on my Olympic sweater, but finally the 'Hourglass' is off the needles! Unfortunately loads of hemming to do.

I'm starting to feel a little panicked about completing my March sock for 'Sock a Month' club. This little picot edged cutie is for Caroline. I haven't allowed myself to work on it until the Hourglass is complete - I am vowing to finish it today. Then it will be a mad dash to finish the socks, then...I'm committed to the Pearl Buck Swing. Yikes the pressure!

How do some of you find all the time to get so much knitting done? There's Iris who seems to whip off a pair of socks on a daily basis, while homeschooling her children and living the most idyllic life I think I've seen. And Jane - who knits, sews, embroiders, reads, bakes, takes incredible photos, loves her children like mad, and writes some of the most intelligent posts. And Jeanne who also seems incredibly smart, well read, insightful, as well as an accomplished knitter. Christine - who knits, raises her children, attends classes - (really hard sounding classes) - as well as doing a knitting podcast in her spare time. Francois knits fabulous projects, and comes up with the most wonderuful collection of knit related artwork for her blog. Oh I could go on and on. These bloggers are all so inspiring to me, not just for my knitting - but how I think, and how I live and raise my children. So even though I feel a little inadequate at times, that's OK because I just love everything I learn from the little glimpses into these other lives. Thank you bloggers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

Having a bad time of it - decorating for St. Patrick's day that is. I do love the holiday, just not the color. I just can't get into that kelly green. It's lovely on grass, a tree, perhaps a mossy rock - but clothing, or home decor...no. Now sage or olive, that's another story - I'm not anti-green or anything.

Trying to weasle an invitation for our family to my mother in-law's for St. Patrick's dinner. She's a proper Irish girl, who can cook a proper Irish dinner. Goodness know I've tried, but this German/French girl just can't get it down, and I don't understand why - you pretty much just throw everything into a pot and boil the '@#$%' out of it. Maybe it's genetic.

Anyhoo - I highly recommend this CD for your St. Patrick's day listening enjoyment.

Ahh...The English Seaside

2006-03-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

Uhh...it's gray and snowing, freezing, and hurricane windy. I want to go here -

Stunning beach house in Whitstable built in 1884 for use by the British Army. Fantastic interior and interesting props. Private beach and decked seating area. Large pretty cottage garden. (What was the British Army doing at this fabulous beach house? Sign me up.)

I found these gorgeous pictures at jujulovespolkadots. Now that would be a dream vacation - to be in that cottage by the sea, taking classes taught by Julie. She just seems so clever and funny. It's fun to dream anyhow.

As long as we're dreaming, check out the other country estates pictured at the Oak Management web site - can you imagine?! I think I'd enjoy 'The Woodland House' in Bath while on my Jane Austen tour. They even have a category for 'Quirky' properties. Can you tell I'm really avoiding the housework today?

nothin' could be finer than to knit with Caroliner

2006-03-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Today's a half day at school. Alissa went to a friend's house, and Emily has a full day (poor girl), so I have Caroline all to myself. Guess what she asked to do?.....she actually asked to knit with me - oh my heart goes pitter-pat!

March is Red and Pink

2006-03-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

I'm not officially participating in Project Spectrum - but I thought I'd make something red just for the fun of it. I love the color red, but for some reason, I don't ever wear it, decorate my home with it, or craft with it - hmm... So this little word cloud was about all I could pull off.

Now pink is another story. In a home with three little girls we have loads of pink, and I mean that literally. I am amazed that I can do two full loads pink (or pinkish) clothes each week.

As I finish this post I've realized that I overlooked some red that is literally staring me in the face - this groovy 3-D poppy that Alissa made hangs above my computer.

Get Unstuck

2006-03-08T14:01:00.000-05:00

Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

Sick Day

2006-03-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

Caroline is home with me today - she ate too many strawberries and got a tummy-ache. It's nice to have her here. We're reading The Hundred Dresses - a great book for little girls to read, and help them think about being kind to other girls who might be a little bit different.

Caroline found this tea cup in the bag where I keep all the shards of lovely things I've broken. I usually can't bear to just toss them. I imagine that some day I'll make something clever out of them. Anyhow, she salvaged this pretty cup (apparently I only broke the saucer) - she's been sipping her OJ from the cup with a bendy straw, very elegant.

Signs

2006-03-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Is the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket in my future? I'm beginning to think so. Although I'm completely put off by all the piecing and finishing involved, I'm still drawn to it. First it really is a beautiful sweater, second the model in IK looks just like a grown up version of my niece Anya, and third The Good Earth is one of my favorite books ever. Last night I opened up my e-mail and found this:

Be-eth ... Be-e-eth. Kni-i-it me...

Love, PBSJ

strange.

TGIF

2006-03-03T13:14:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for this day. My red envelope arrived from Amy probably over a week ago (along with the always fun to peruse King Arthur Flour catalog). But I haven't dared to open it until I had a day - a day to myself to really enjoy it. It's been long in coming, but hurray the day is finally here and how cute are her illustrations?!

I feel like a little kid, so excited to have something fun arrive in the mail. Now maybe I'll actually get myself organized. It's just so nice to have the house to myself - it seems so rare these days. I plan to spend the rest of the day with Hemingway, and my Hourglass sweater.

This is the view out my kitchen window

So I was feeling quite pleased with my picture of these cheery daffodils (although beginning to droop a little) in their humble little Ball jar.

Then I checked out Yarnstorm as I always do - and could only laugh when I saw Jane's fabulous vase of Daffs. Now how sad are mine?

Y is for Yarn

2006-03-02T13:31:00.000-05:00

Oh happy day - after months of struggle, Caroline had her a-ha moment. Suddenly she's reading - this is such an exciting thing to watch. When you break it down into all it's basic elements, it amazes me that anyone learns how to read at all. I have no memories of learning how to read, other than that I was painfully aware of being in the slow reader's group in the first grade. While all the quick little readers were in the bunny group, I was relegated to the snake group - and believe me I couldn't have felt lower than a snake. I swear what are some teachers thinking?

This graphic is from the Jan Brett web site - I love her illustrations. She has tons of cute activities posted on her site. Check it out

Time's up!

2006-02-26T18:22:00.000-05:00

And we have a winner!...oh no, and a loser. But enough about me (the loser) let's hear from our proud Gold Medalist Alissa.

"I was really surprised when I won and Mom didn't. She's such a better knitter than me. I should give her credit because she's taught me sooooooooooo much about knitting (and she chose a bigger project than me ........ and I started a little early).(Tee-hee). But my project was an orange suede scarf that's very comfy. The scarf is as long as I am tall. I'm sooo happy I finished- it's my first knitted project I finished."

Well I'm so proud of Alissa this her first finished project after many years of gentle pressure from me to get her to knit. This Olympic project really sparked her interest, and she's so pleased with her finished object that hopefully she'll continue.

I'm pretty disappointed not to have finished myself, but as it became more and more clear that I would not be done without Herculean efforts - I decided to enjoy the process, enjoy the Olympics, and enjoy my girls for their last few days of winter break. I'm very glad that I participated - it was really fun knitting along with women all over the world, and now I have a sweater that's 75% complete. Caroline's dolly miss Ariel has graciously agreed to model:

Lessons learned along the way: it's not really necessary to make cute stitch markers to match my project (although I do really love them), and it's probably not a good idea to become obsessed with creating a new blog at the same time, and lastly I should always check the kid's school vacation schedules before making such a commitment. Thank goodness this was all just for fun - and it was fun. Goodbye Olympics!

Tic Toc

2006-02-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

I didn't even consider the irony when choosing the aptly named Hourglass sweater for my Olympic knitting challenge - but it's oh sooo clear to me now. The lyrics from the Queen song Under Pressure reverberate through my mind as I sit in my nest on the couch watching the Games, trying to knit through the achiness in my left wrist. I had no time to train, no swatching, late arriving yarn, volunteer commitments, cancellation of school due to high winds, and now the dreaded mid-winter break all conspire against me. And I've just discovered the highly stressful countdown clock at the Yarn Harlot's site. Yet I'm inspired by the athletes - I will press on.
I'm trying to go with the "Enjoy the Process" Eddy the Eagle attitude.

But yes, I must confess - I really want to earn a gold medal for my Blog page.
So with that stark reality I will employ all available resources.

Coffee - Check
Merlot - Check
Chocolate - Check
Addi Turbos - Check

2006-02-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Craftiness abounds in this household. The Valentine on top was made by Caroline at her Waldorf preschool - she watercolor painted the big heart then decorated the top with pretty paper hearts. The hearts on the chandelier are the classic waxed paper with melted crayon sandwiched between and the beaded heart in the middle is a la Martha Stewart, from last year's Kids Magazine. We made the beaded hearts with my Girl Scout troop last year, I just love how they catch the light. Over 60 handmade Valentine's were produced by the girls' for their friends at school - the glittery doily heart variety. And I made some giant heart shaped cut out cookies which did not last long enough for me to snap a picture. Bottom pic shows the gifts for the girls wraped in 1940's reproduction fabric that I found at Carriage House quilts in East Aurora (I've just discovered this cute little shop, tons of cute, cute fabric). What's inside these pretty packages? The Long Winter for Alissa, Little Pear for Caroline, and peanut butter hearts for Emily. But best of all are the peppermint nougats - I've only ever seen them at Christmas - I was thrilled to find them with a Valentine theme - love them! Sadly they're gone already, and I can't blame the girls. Must see if I can find them marked down post holiday.

Braided Toe Holder

2006-02-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but the name of this sock makes me laugh. I can just imagine the designer trying to come up with something clever. Anyhow, at long last here's my first post of a finished object - my new Braided Toe Holders! I'm modeling them in my favorite shoes - my Born Mary Janes. They're sensible yet feminine, and I feel about five years old when I wear them. I wear these shoes all the time with my jeans and love that my pretty handknit socks peak out of the open top so that I can secretly admire them. Would a 40 year old woman wear shoes like these? You betcha!

I knit these on #2 dpns, using one skein of Mountain Colors Yarn in Sierra. The pattern is from 3 Trails Handknit Designs. This pattern has a pretty little braid that looks like a small cable, but is actually a twisted stitch pattern. The twisted stitches definitely added to the knitting time, and I think would have been more effective in a solid yarn - the pattern gets a bit lost with the variegated. But I love them and will wear them often.

Ta Da...

2006-01-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

I'm getting closer...here's a picture of Fraser Canyon from my vacation to British Columbia last summer. I never could figure out why my own photos wouldn't upload using the standard eblogger method. So I downloaded Picassa which seems to do the trick. Really I will have some knitting pictures soon!

Test

2006-01-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

I'll get these pics uploaded if it takes all day!

uhghh... this is so unprofessional - why is it that I can upload pics off the web, but not my own pictures????? Help!!

Re-do

2006-01-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

OK it's been a rather sad start to my life as a blogger, but I really, really want to do this. So as I say to my kids when things have gone badly, lets have a re-do. I'm so motivated by all the other blogs I read - I think it will really help me to keep motivated with my knitting if I actually participate rather than just being a voyeur. So I have decided to commit to the sock a month knitalong over at knitten' mom. I'm also inspired, yet intimidated by the challenge for Olympic Knitters by the yarn harlot. I love the idea, I love the Olympics - it would be really cool to be knitting like crazy while watching the games - so I'm mulling it over. I'm very intimidated by the Hardangervidda sweater Stephanie is knitting - I was thinking more along the lines of the Hourglass sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, which seems pretty lame by comparison - but I know my limits.

My biggest problem with this whole blogging thing is the technology. I'm just not up to speed. For instance, I did finish the book First Desire ages ago. But it took me forever to figure out how to get that little book on my page, and now that I've moved on, do you think I remember how to do it again? Right. I'm also trying to figure out how to put pics on my blog as I think that is the most interesting part on the other blogs I read - I love getting the little glimpses into other peoples lives. Still having touble getting the pics on-line, hope to figure it out soon! Anyone out there with any advice - books, web sites etc. to help me on my way?

Notta Lotta Bloggin' Goin' On

2005-12-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

I'm totally disappointed with myself and my complete lack of blogging. Many excuses to be had - the laryngitis cold, zillions of holiday events, mad shopping, and a week long bout of explosive diarrhea for poor Caroline. Yet still I notice that others seem to manage daily posts, I take solace in noting that some of my favorite bloggers seem to be experiencing a bit of a slow down. Still working on the Haiku scarf for my mother in-law, but making pretty good progress. I think I'll be able to finish without a last-minute frenzy. I did get new needles for the lace work and they make a world of difference - Balene's white plastic needles with a fabulous point, and a steal at only $2.80!

Lazy Day

2005-12-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

hurray...finally got the little book to link to amazon! today is a lovely light snowy day, went for a run with paul and rae. alissa painted a pretty little water color johnny jump up - this will be my christmas present - we just need to get a suitable frame. i'll upload a picture of it as soon as i figure out how. i've been taking a stab at my first lace knitting project. i bought some gorgeous purple mohair yarn at rhinebeck - haiku from alchemy. it's to be a scarf for my mother in-law, but so far i'm not loving the lace experience - i was all excited to use my lantern moon needles with this yarn, but the needles are too blunt to pick up the fine yarn - it's been excruciating. word on the street is that bryspuns might be a better choice. can't wait to get to the woolly lamb on monday - gosh i hope they're open on mondays.

Blogging 101

2005-12-03T20:08:00.000-05:00

can't think of anything clever to write on my first post, oh my what am i thinking? how in the heck do I edit my template so that i can have a cute little picture of the current book i'm reading that links right to amazon? [see the giant non-linking image below right]
I've been at this for ages, i'm sure it must be easier than i'm making it.