Erica’s Blog

Must.  Get.  New.  Camera.  Blogs.  Without.  Photos.  Are.  Boring.

1. Finished the knitting on the blue baby blankie for this weekend.  Now, I just have about 70 ends to weave in (this is NOT an exaggeration!).
2. Cranked out a 2×1 rib hat for myself from less than one skein of the Andy’s Merino in Orchid.  Intended purpose = walking the dog in the early mornings.  Now, if I could just wake up w/o a headache for once, so that I get up in time to walk her….
3. Did several more repeats on Mrs. M’s end-of-year gift of a “leaning eyelets” scarf in Kid Merino on size 6’s in a wonderful green color (“her” color).
4. After being incessantly nagged by Thing One, started on Mrs. G’s Silk Garden Yoga socks.  Found a mistake or two in the pattern, but they’re whizzing along.  I’m about 1/2 done with the first one, and I’m really enjoying watching the slow color changes.  These socks will definitely be fraternal twins.
5. Do not ask me about Shannon’s wristers.  We will not speak of these.
6. Meeting Bobcat at Cottage Yarns on Tuesday morning so that she can buy yarn for a new shawl.  I just lurves spending other people’s money!  lol

Booking Through Thursday

Here’s an idea from Julie:

I had an idea for a BTT question when I was taking a peek at one of my bookcases yesterday and spotted my old copy of the Aeneid in Latin sitting there. Maybe this question has already been done—but if not… Do you have any foreign language books and if so can you (still) read them?

 

Hmmm….I had to check the shelf for the answer to this one.  Yes, I have three:

 

1. an aged copy of Le Petit Prince
2. an ever-so-slightly-newer French New Testament
3. a hardback copy of Dios Habla Hoy (Spanish modern-language Bible)

I can pretty much do OK getting through the Spanish Bible - enough to get the gist of it - but not as well with the French stuff.  These days, I speak way more Spanish than French, despite having studied French for 7 1/2 years.  Living where I do, I get *much* more opportunity to speak Spanish (Tagalog would come in pretty handy, too).

Well, you’re just a sassy teenager!

Um, Thing Two?   Why did you just call your sister a sassy teenager?

Because she IS!

But she’s NOT a teenager; she’s eight.

I know, but that’s what I say to her when she’s being like that; I call her a sassy teenager.

Oh, my.  And summer hasn’t even started yet.  Perhaps I ought to sign them up for some classes this summer, after all.  It could get veeeerrrrryyyy long…..

You know the end of the school year is drawing near when:

• the kids are waking up later and later in the mornings
• the kids’ school pants get too short

BTW, the end of the baby blanket is also near.  I was binding off yesterday evening and got just a couple of inches from the end and ran…out…of…yarn.  Gaaaaaah!  So, I carefully tinked back all the way around, then tinked back a whole ‘nother round so I’d have enough yarn.  I’ve now tried about three different ways of binding off and haven’t like how any of them have looked.  This is getting irritating.  I need to bind off so I can weave in the eight zillion ends.  (OK, not really eight zillion, but for the 16 center squares, there are 64 ends.)

FINE!  I’ll just lock myself in the bathroom for ETERNITY!

 

Thankfully, Thing One directed these words at Thing Two, not at me.  NO idea what they were arguing about.  Whatever it was, it blew over without my having to get involved.

Just a quick update so I don’t get “Where are you??” messages…

Hubby’s cousin Tony’s wedding on Saturday was a lot of fun.  The ceremony itself was a “speed wedding”; I didn’t time it, but I’ll bet it was only 10 minutes long, if that, b/c it was just the bare bones.  The reception was really nice, and we had a great time sitting with Rick/Adri and Big Mike & Diane.  I even got Hubby to get up and dance with me more than once!  We first got up to dance during “my” song - “Brick House”.  lol  (I won’t say what “my” other song is b/c, well, my MIL reads my blog, and that would just be TMI.)  All week, Hubby & I were practicing:  “Tony and JULI, Tony and JULI, Tony and JULI, Tony and JULI.  JULI, JULI, JULI, JULI.”  It was really good to see all the aunts & uncles from Hubby’s dad’s side of the family, too.  The Amazing Megan babysat for us and told us to take our time, that it was even OK if we came home at 1:00 or 2:00 b/c she didn’t have to be anywhere in the morning, and she knew it was a long drive to Fairfield.  I tell ya, this kid is something else; I wish could have paid her even more than we did (but I have a graduation present coming for her from Amazon). Oh, and we got home at 11:30, not 2:00.

Sunday, the annual Women’s Day at church was great.  I was really surprised that more people didn’t get stuck in the Bay to Breakers traffic.  I guess most people planned better than I did [Note To Self:  Next time, take 19th Avenue, NOT 9th Street.].

I’m still plugging away on the baby blanket for this weekend’s baby shower.  I got a tiny reprieve in that I realized today that I was a day off — the shower’s on Sunday evening, not Saturday — but I’m still anxious to get it done so I can crank on the teacher gifts.  Mrs. M may not get a lace scarf after all…

Funeral for our aforementioned family friend is on Wednesday.  I barely knew her, but having seen how much a friend of mine appreciated the support she got when she lost her husband to suicide, I really feel the need to be there for Bill’s sake.  She’s being buried at Cypress Lawn, which is where Paul was cremated.  I think I’ll be OK.  It would probably be harder for Hubby b/c he’s the one who went & saw Paul laid out, etc. (He says I couldn’t have handled it, but it’s one of the things I now regret.).

I *hate* not having pictures to post, but I’ll give you a quick update, anyhow.  The baby blankie for Erik & Florence is progressing pretty well.  I got the central 16 squares done, then had to figure out how to proceed from there.  After a few abortive attempts, I finally decided that the best bet, considering I didn’t know how far the remainder of the yarn would go, was to do garter stitch stripes around and around and around until the yarn ran out.  I’m mimicking the stripe pattern of the center section:  alternating ribs of colors A & B for 21 rounds, then alternating ribs of C & D for 21 rounds, etc.  The only bummer is that since I’m doing garter stitch in the round, it’s slower b/c I have to do one round knit, the next purl, etc.  (Sorry for the non-English, LaSchaunda!).  I’m doing mitred corners.

Someday, I’ll have pictures for you…

Found out this morning from Poppa that a family friend took her own life earlier this week.  I had only met her a handful of times, but Poppa, Nana & Auntie knew her better b/c her dad was close friends w/Poppa.  She took the time to say “good-bye” to my family by emailing Poppa to express gratitude for his support & friendship before she disappeared.  Everyone is is still waiting for answers from the official folks, but those won’t answer the real questions of why, what could anyone have done, etc.

I can only guess at the devastation her poor husband is feeling (they had no children).  If you’re a praying person, please send up a prayer for Bill; he can use all the support he can get right now…

Booking Through Thursday

It happens even to the best readers from time to time… you close the cover on the book you’re reading and discover, to your horror, that there’s nothing else to read. Either there’s nothing in the house, or nothing you’re in the mood for. Just, nothing that “clicks.” What do you do?? How do you get the reading wheels turning again?

Well, if I finish the last of my library books, and I’m still wide awake, I’ll grab something from the living room.  If I’m really desperate, I’ve even been known to creep quietly into Thing One’s room and grab a book off her shelf.   I then make sure I get myself to the library SOON.

Edited to add:  I looked at this last night, and some stuff I hadn’t italicized was, etc., so I’ve fixed it (I hope). 

It’s goin’ around…

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby sized)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting (I think this means carried color work.  If not, then consider this unbolded.)
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn (well, someone else’s…)
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding (well, to wear to a wedding)
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair

Hair accessories
Knitting in public