A whole lot of cables going on--



Most of the back of a vest for Ben.

Today is the 21st anniversary of the due date of my first son. He was actually born on the 28th--all 9 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 and a half inches of him. He's now 6-2 with a size 15 foot. Actually a nurse commented that he had big feet when she took his footprints, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
I remember that week of waiting. We tried something new everyday--pizza, Chinese food, a roast beef and apple pie dinner to simulate nesting. That's the one that did the trick. My water broke at about 11:30 and after15 hours with no progress beyong 3 centimeters, I had a c-section.

That was then. This is now.

Most of my grades are in, Ben is home and Alex is due Thursday, and I've finished my cardigan in Classic Elite Lush.
I'm happy with how it came out, though I suck at finishing. The shoulder seams are terrible. (btw, what looks like a spot near the bottom is just some dampness from last minute blocking)

The pattern was On the Button from Design Source Collection 2, which is also called Serendipity.
It was a simple pattern, but I think it is elegant.
Next I start a vest for my younger boy, which puts my husband's sweater back in line.

I'm spending the day at home---what a treat!

My last class was yesterday so now it is all about finals and grading. I hope to get through it in the next week and a half, so that I can enjoy my break---and plan to improve one of my courses substantially for the spring. It was a grad course I taught for the first time this fall, and I know I can make it better.

Still working on my Lush cardigan---a sleeve and a half to go. I also have to complete another pair of Fetching gloves this weekend.

In honor of grad students everywhere, I'm linking to this meme: http://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/2006/11/measuring_the_s.html


Thanks Melanie, for directing me to this.

My husband just called---the power is back!!!!!!!!!!

It is time to rant.

It is Monday, December 4. My home, and about 40 percent of my zipcode, has been without power since just before midnight, Novermber 30. This is getting old, not to mention it is the second time in 5 months that there has been a major power outage affecting at least a half million people in this community. I know ice storms are an act of nature, but this is ridiculous. I've been staying at a friends, but my husband is sleeping at the house with the dogs. We're lucky of course--we have options. There have already been half a dozen deaths from this ridiculous situation.

On the plus side, I have done quite a bit of knitting on my Lush sweater. The back and left side are done, and the right side should be complete soon.

The boys are gone and it is back to work time. The house feels so empty. I don't think they ever both left on the same day before. Here's a picture of them teaching my mom to be a badass.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. I think I have actually found the key to family harmony---at least for me. It's called a chocolate cake, and there is certainly no flour involved. Combine equal parts Frangelica and Vanilla Vodka, drink it as a shot and then take a bite of lemon. It tastes exactly like a piece of cake...delicious. (I'm not a big drinker, but sometimes it really is just the right thing.)

I'm really loving having the boys home. They're such nice guys. I'll be so sad when they leave on Sunday. At least I'll have my knitting.

My next big knitting project is a sweater for my husband with Galway Highland Heather in green. I'm trying the Amhara'n Gra' pattern from knitpicks and it is a little tough. No tv watching with this pattern.

Alexander came home last night and Ben has been here for a few days. I'd forgotten how lively everything gets when the house is full. We picked up Alexander at the airport and weren't home for five minutes when he and Ben went out to Steak and Shake---which isn't possible in Philadelphia. Alex came home without Ben and was home for a bit when Ben came home with four high school buddies. They hung around for half an hour then headed out to see Borat. Alex had already gone by the time they left. At about 12:30, Alex came home and at 3:30 the doorbell rang since Ben apparently forgot his key. This morning the remains of my halloween pumpkin were scattered in my front yard. I suspect firecrackers.

I've had some Classic Elite Lush for a couple of years, and I've finally decided to turn it into a cardigan. The pattern is pretty simple with a lot of purling. I just cast on Friday and I've been a bit obsessed--mainly because I can't get over the way this ribbing looks like pleating.



I think this is just so cool. I can't believe what a kick I get out of it.

I feel like I am careening toward the end of the semester. There's so much I have left to grade and cover in class. It always feels this way when Thanksgiving is close. Both boys are coming home and we're really looking forward to that. I'm not sure what Alexander is going to say when he sees his room...I've outfitted it with an extra table for my sewing machine. He's likely to feel a bit cramped, but I think he will adjust.

I finished this Irish Hiking Scarf for Ben.


I also just finished another beret and should be able to wrap up a pair of Fetching mitts during House, which is coming up shortly.

We went to Indiana to see Ben's last football game---he didn't play, but he doesn't think he will even go out next year so he wanted us there. I'd kind of forgotten what it was like to sit in the rain and cold for 3 hours, hoping that no one gets hurt. I used to feel like if I wasn't there, one of my kids would get hurt and it would be my fault. Ah, motherhood---it makes for rational decision making, doesn't it?

I'm delighted the election turned out the way it did. Not only did we elect a decent senator, but we passed the stem cell initiative, assuring that Missourians won't be left in the cold when it comes to medical advances. I'm so relieved. And the icing on the cake? No more Rumsfeld! Oh happy day.

Coming to you from the home of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!

The end of the World Series means the end of baseball---so summer really is over---in case those 40 degree temperatures were not a clue.

My knitting injury is behind me, so I am making holiday presents:


Berets and fingerless gloves for the people who make my life a lot easier at work. I still have a way to go since there are a few really helpful people

My knitting break came at the same time as my fall break, so I took up something new. I am trying to learn sewing and eventually quilting. It's odd that I have this strong urge to create tangible things of late. It is relatively new to me.

Never done this before, but it seemed like fun. Remember, I can't knit and I don't feel like grading.

Four jobs I've had:

Copywriter
Producer
Professor
Camp counselor

Four movies I can watch over and over:

The Great Escape
The Magnificent Seven (a bit of a Steve McQueen thing going on)
He Said, She Said
Anchorman (I know, just forgive me)

Four places I have lived:

Boston
Baltimore
Tucson
St. Louis

Four television shows I love to watch:

House
The Office
Law and Order CI
Gray's Anatomy

Four places I have been on vacation:

Estes Park
Israel
Pick a beach, any beach
London

Four of my favorite dishes:

Grilled cheese with tuna
Cheesecake
Bananas Foster
Fresh peaches

Four websites I visit daily:

CNN
Crazy Aunt Purl
MSNBC
Eonline

Four places I would like to be right now:

Pick a beach, any beach.
Jerusalem
Paris
At a Cardinals playoff game

You know you are getting old when you doctor puts you on an anti-inflamatory medication and tells you to stop knitting for a week. I am suffering from a knitting injury, according to one of my sons. This seems to crack my husband and sons up. I, however, am not amused.

The offending wrist attached to the weakened hand. Besides being wrinkled, big and ugly, it now doesn't even work right. Plus it need a manicure.

Fall is here, and I just couldn't get past the frustration of a recent failed cardigan. So I made this simple pullover with something called Smile. It was so fast and easy that I didn't even have time to mind all the stockinette. So now I have a football game sweater, though with my kids at college, I'm not going to many football games. Still, it's nice to complete something and put the bad vibes of a lousy project behind me.

I finished this for Aunt Purl's grandma and am finally putting it in the mail. I also finished some socks awhile ago, and now that fall is here, I'm getting a lot of use from them.

Empty nest time. Everyone is off to college and I'm back at work. I've finished a few things this summer. Most recently, a Sunrise Circle Jacket:

About 20 minutes after my last entry, my power went off for the second time in two days. We lost power during a monster storm on Wednesday, along with about 400-thousand other people. It was almost 100 degrees on Thursday, so I spent the day at my office. I'm a college professor, and don't need to be there much in the summer, but there was power and I used it. Our own electricity came back on about 21 hours after we lost it, but only lasted for about 15 hours, when another storm came through, with winds up to 80 mph, and knocked us out again. This time, we were joined by closer to 600-thousand, but the weather cooled down considerably so it wasn't so bad. I lost everything in my refrigerator and learned that I am way too dependent on electricity.
I did do some knitting, using one of those miner type lights that you wear on your head. My husband uses it for biking. It was kind of cool and I may use it again for knitting in the car at night.

It's been an odd month. My son Ben has been in Israel since the day before all the current fighting. He's fine and the tour he is on made adjustments. He'll be back on Sunday, but the focus of my time has been spent watching the news. I've done some knitting, finishing both socks of the Child's First Sock pattern before ripping the first one back to the heel to redo the gussets. I should finish this weekend and then Ben will be home and we'll need to get him ready for college.
We had a preview of the empty nest sydrome this past month with both boys gone. It's not as bad as I expected. The overwhelming reality is that life is kind of boring without the kiddos. Need to find something, other than pointy sticks, to do.

The picture is blurry, but I am sure enjoying knitting with red yarn. It's different to follow a pattern instead of just going round and round. I went to Threadquarters this morning and got some Lopi, and a few more sock yarns, including some Trekking yarn in an olive tweed. I've wanted to try this yarn and I figure at 30 percent off, now is the time.

Hello out there. It's been awhile, though I have been knitting up a storm. To the left are shots of some plain socks and a felted knitting basket. I also finished a plain trinity stitch shawl and am working on a sweater, some red socks and a cotton top. I don't think I am a long term fan of cotton, but we will see.

My new cell phone has a camera and I hope I will inspired to post more often. We'll see.

I have been listening to knitting podcasts. What an interesting concept. I'm going to have to figure out what this new type of communication is going to mean in general. My kids laugh at me as I space out, plugged into my Ipod listening to Brenda Dayne. I'm not quite the demographic.

I'm trying something other than plain socks this time--Child's First Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. Just started last night. Perhaps I will have some pictures in a day or two.

I'm working on another pair of socks and two different shawls. Note the felted knitting bag in the picture of me and the boys at my younger son's graduation.

In just a few months it will just be Rick, me, the dogs and the kitty in the house. I'm not sure how the "empty nester" thing is going to be. Alex has been gone for two years, and I miss him everyday. Ben makes me laugh, when he isn't making me holler and now that will be over...especially since he hates to talk on the phone. You never stop being a mom, but the day to day stuff, which defines you for 18 years, is about to end for me. It will be quieter, with no need to ask for music to be turned down, shoes and towels to be picked up or lights to be shut. It seems so trite and predictable to even talk about. What's different, I think, is that life begins to shrink, after years of expansion. That can be good, I guess, with more focus on your spouse and yourself as part of a couple. But it is a loss, nonetheless.

I'm working on my first lace project and the socks for my sister are done. This is really just an excuse to show my handsome sons. One is just back from college and the other was on his way to prom. Cute, huh?

I saw the Yarn Harlot at the St. Louis county library last night. She's hilarious. The library was pretty shocked at how many people showed up...we were spilling into the book aisles.

Besides the socks for my sister, I am also working on a shawl. I had about six skeins of Microspun left over from an earlier knitting incarnation. I've become a total snob since I bought it, but it is soft. The only real problem is that the yarn splits so much. In any event, I am using a Trinity stitch and will see if I have enough to make it wearable.

So it's been awhile. I could say that I've been busy, but the reality is that I've been lazy, and I don't actually think anyone is reading this, so I suspect no one has noticed.

In any event, I am now on my third pair of socks. The first two are mine, but these are for my sister Bonnie. I am just using a simple pattern with and inch and a half of ribbing and then stockinette stitch. Next pair I will try something a bit more exciting.

I also knit a vest for my mother and a little dress for my niece. The vest was an Olympics project and the dress is Project Spectrum April. I think it's pretty cute.

I'm going to learn how to knit socks. Class begins today at Knitorious.

My aunt in the Tzarina cape. Pretty cute, huh? She loves the varigated yarn, and I must say, working with that malabrigo has spoiled me for everything else.

I am trying to make a little teddy bear for my niece. I've never made a toy before, so I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I am working with a cheap acrylic, and after that wonderful malabrigo, it feels like sandpaper.

I finished the tzarina wrap this weekend. I'll post a picture when I give it to my aunt.

I'm working on finishing up a seed stitch coat from Fall 2005 Vogue knitting. It's a bit boring. I think I am ready for something new. After I make the vest for my mom (Olympics project), I think I am going to give socks a try. The idea intimidates me, because the work is so small. We'll see.

I'm interested in this idea of a "knitting lifestyle." What does that mean exactly?

So how to I get this image over to the side?

I've joined the Knitting Olympics! I'm planning a vest for my 85-year-old mother.

Almost finished with Tzarina. I'll have to find something to fill in the gap between now and the start of the Olympics. Maybe I can finish (or work on) that Vogue magazine coat pattern I started last fall. It's almost spring, so I should be able to wear it.

I'm about about two-thirds done with the Tzarina wrap from Wrap Style. I figure if I buy a book, I really need to work it.
I'm making it for my aunt, who picked out a malabrigo yarn. It is wonderful to knit with, but I don't really like the varigated pattern.

I guess it reminds me of the 70s. I remember seeing a lot of stuff like this--usually in orange. Some people are sentimental about that period, but it makes me cringe to remember how arrogant and self important we were.

My aunt picked out the yarn, so she obviously doesn't share my feelings!

With my son Ben and my lovely new wrap

I finished Twisty Turns and spend hours trying to put it together. I felt like such an idiot. I'm sure the directions make sense to someone who knows how to READ directions, but I was doing everything wrong. I went over to Knitorious, which is without question the best yarn shop in this town, and Sandy helped me figure the whole thing out. I'm pretty proud.

So winter break is almost over and I am racing to finish this twisty turns project. Next I am committed to a Tzarina cape from Wrap Style for my aunt, a scarf for my son, and completion of a coat project from the fall Vogue magazine. Not sure why doing more than one project at a time has such appeal.

I am looking forward to getting back to work, an emotion I am sure I will lose quickly. I miss being on a more regular schedule and seeing my students.

Row after row.

I like the way this Twisty Turns project is looking, but I am getting a bit bored with the repetitiveness of the pattern. I'm sure it will be worth it eventually.

After a non-work related meeting yesterday, I asked the chair if she was offended when people pulled out their knitting needles in the midst of budget discussions or whatever. She admitted that she was. I'm glad I didn't take out my project.

A new year, an old addiction.

It seems to be time to write about knitting. I'm not sure why anyone would be interested, but I read other blogs about the subject, so why not?

I've been knitting sporadically since I was about 14. My grandmother was a talented knitter, but not a teacher. My mom sent me to a kindly neighbor for lessons.

My needles lay dormant for decades, but last year I began again, knitting the obligatory fun fur scarves for co-worker holiday gifs.

Since then, I've become obsessed. I consider myself only an advanced beginner, but I'd like to try new and more difficult projects.

Right now, I'm working on Twisty Turns, a shawl/wrap from the Wrap Style book. I'm working in Nashua Creative Focus Worsted, and just ripped out 40 rows to begin again. There was a flaw I couldn't stand.

Thoughts, responses? Anybody out there?