Erica's Blog

My seven skeins of recycled sari silk yarn came today!  I can't believe how fast the shipping was. 

Anyhow, the light's too bad at night to get a decent picture, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow.  So, ya'll will just have to wait.  Sorry (not really)....

 Today was Christmas, Round Three.  Hubby's brothers and their families, plus cousin Dominique all came over to exchange gifts and have dinner.  The kids are at an age now where it was really pleasant, not wild or anything.  The big kids were patient enough to watch out for the little ones, and everyone had a great time.  FOR ONCE, we made just the right amount of food and didn't have 18 tons of leftovers!  Woo hoo!

In all the confusion, I didn't quite catch who gave what to the girls, so my apologies in advance!  I think I know, but I might not have it right.

Click here for the rest of the pictures.

I'm an idiot.

First, I got distracted by the music I was listening to while I was knitting and had to restart my Gioia twice.

Then, I was having so much fun knitting along in the pattern that I totally forgot I was only supposed to knit the second section for six inches or so.  When I finally remembered, stopped, and measured it, it was 13 inches long!

Then, I attempted to frog it back to six inches and pick it back up again.  Hahahahahahaha!  You'd think I'd know better than that.  Of course, I missed a stitch and didn't realize it, so the decrease section was all wonky. 

Sooo, of course, I had to go back and just frog the whole thing and start over again.  Nana and Auntie couldn't believe I was starting all over again (you have to realize that Nana's first knitting project ever was a perfect sweater for Poppa that he still wears, 35+ years later).  I said, "It's OK.  I know what I did wrong, and it will be better this time and easier to do."  What else was I going to say?  "It's OK.  I'm an idiot, and I'm really feeling like an idiot b/c this is supposed to be an easy pattern, and I keep screwing it up, so must be a REAL idiot"?  I couldn't say that!  I was with my family, for cryin' out loud.  Someone might have AGREED with me, and then what would I have done?

All that said, I really do love this pattern, and I love knitting it with the Silk Garden.  I have to devote some good time to it and get it done soon, though.  It matches my new pink dress perfectly, and the dress is so boring (imagine a very plain crew-necked 3/4 sleeve t-shirt; now make it a really long dress) that it needs something to jazz it up.  Of course, it's due to rain all weekend, so I doubt I'll be wearing the dress on Sunday, so what am I thinking?  Oh, I'll find an excuse to wear it...

We can stop holding our collective breath.  I just got an email:

Davoud Mansour

11:35 p.m., December 27, 2005

8 pounds, 1 ounce

TOTALLY HEALTHY -- Whew!

Snort, hack, blech.

There, now that that's out of the way:  The verdict is in!  The Silk Garden will become a Gioia.  Zib has confirmed that it should work fine (she oughta know; she's the designer).

Also, if you pray, please say some special prayers for David, Heather, and Baby Manny (Davoud Mansoor, but they're calling him Manny) today.  Heather was scheduled to be induced this morning.  No idea how it's going; these things can take a long time.  Anyhow, this is a very bittersweet thing for them since they lost their little DonnaLee in January (stillborn two days after her due date) and David's 19-year-old son a few months later.  I'm too sick to go visit her in the hospital, but I think hubby will go tomorrow or so.  As soon as we know Manny's been born, I'll crank out a hat for him.  Sounds dumb and superstitious, but I just didn't want to knit him anything till I knew he was OK.

The rain is back, so another inside day for us.  Snort, cough, bleh.

Sniffle, cough, snore.  Repeat.  That's been my day.  Woke up feeling slightly better than death warmed over.  Hubby has been tremendous, letting me lounge abed all day long.  No one here woke up before 9:00 a.m. (must have been that codeine cough medicine I took last night).  Hubby took Jenna for a long walk, then later took both Things and Jenna down to the fancy dog park in Burlingame (has this weird sandy stuff on the ground, so it wouldn't be as messy after all the rain as the grass one in San Bruno).  I mostly spent the day in bed reading silly "culinary mysteries with recipes". 

Big Highlight of the Day:  I got my Knitty honorarium.  Very cool.  Not a lot, but the first time I've ever been paid for my writing.  Hey, when I submitted the story, I actually forgot that they paid; I thought I was doing it for free (but don't tell Amy Singer that!).  Easy come, easy go, however.  Since I haven't spent any of my other knitting-related earnings on yarn, I turned around immediately bought seven skeins of Kathmandu Handpicked Recycled Sari Silk.  I think I've changed my mind yet again.  I thiiiiink I'm going to use the Sari Silk to make a Clapotis and the Noro Silk Garden to make a Gioia.  That, however, would leave some Silk Garden leftover.  Perhaps a scarf for some lucky friend?