"And it's happy to see you!"Thursday, June 25, 2009
Knitting Notebook
I finally decided to separate out the knitting and crochet projects into their own notebook. I needed the graph paper format for charting lace. It was actually quite a bit easier to find a book with graph paper than it was to find a plain one! I intended to recover it eventually but ended up carrying around the unadorned Mead book for quite a while. However, I found the perfect paper at the Paper Muse in downtown Sumner last weekend and made time to put it together with a little help from my fabric and paper stashes.I got paper for my most current design notebook as well, but left it at my in-laws house over the weekend. Fortunately we'll be going back down there on Saturday!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Folklife '09
We continued our yearly tradition with a lovely, sunny afternoon at the Seattle Center.
This was a Balkan brass band with some really excellent playing. This is also a couple of odd people with some not so excellent dancing. There seems to be only two types of dancing done at Folklife, contra (or square) and this strange free-form body movement which I have no name for but appears to be well understood by sufficient numbers to encounter it anywhere that music is being played. We even saw a woman attempting it, with even less success than usual, to the strains of some delightful Scottish fiddle playing.
We visited the hands on area which was hosted by the Nordic Heritage Museum this year. There were a couple of charming ladies demonstrating traditional Scandinavian knitting techniques. Of course, I couldn't resist pulling out my WIP that I had on hand to share too.
This was also the first day that I wore my new cotton vest. I was so excited that I didn't take the time to block it properly. It looked fine but the gentle blocking that I have since given it did improve the fit. It also left little bits of cottony fluff on my skirt.
And then there is the food. Glorious food. We always try to get different things in order to get the most out of the experience. Jonathan opted for a chicken artichoke crepe and I got some tasty Vietnamese food.
On a side note, the man who took our picture said that I looked like a nice, wholesome, American girl and then proceeded to lecture me on universal healthcare, minimum wage, taxation and gun ownership. How does looking wholesome let me in for that kind of thing?
This was a Balkan brass band with some really excellent playing. This is also a couple of odd people with some not so excellent dancing. There seems to be only two types of dancing done at Folklife, contra (or square) and this strange free-form body movement which I have no name for but appears to be well understood by sufficient numbers to encounter it anywhere that music is being played. We even saw a woman attempting it, with even less success than usual, to the strains of some delightful Scottish fiddle playing.
We visited the hands on area which was hosted by the Nordic Heritage Museum this year. There were a couple of charming ladies demonstrating traditional Scandinavian knitting techniques. Of course, I couldn't resist pulling out my WIP that I had on hand to share too.
This was also the first day that I wore my new cotton vest. I was so excited that I didn't take the time to block it properly. It looked fine but the gentle blocking that I have since given it did improve the fit. It also left little bits of cottony fluff on my skirt.
And then there is the food. Glorious food. We always try to get different things in order to get the most out of the experience. Jonathan opted for a chicken artichoke crepe and I got some tasty Vietnamese food.On a side note, the man who took our picture said that I looked like a nice, wholesome, American girl and then proceeded to lecture me on universal healthcare, minimum wage, taxation and gun ownership. How does looking wholesome let me in for that kind of thing?
Midwest Adventuring
We headed back to the Midwest for my sister's college graduation this May.
Sisters!
Congratulations, Camille!
Graduation is always on Mother's Day. Jonathan stepped aside to give his mom a call.
It was also great to see my brother as well. I missed seeing his apartment this year but nice to not have to consider preparing a full meal with all of the other hustle and bustle that was going on. We did make time to go to Sereniteaz and found a scrumptious lemon rooibos that refreshed us during the heat spell that we came home to.
Next stop, St. Louis!
The timing for this trip could have been more opportune in many ways. The week that we were there was finals for all of the friends we hoped to see. However, these lovely friends graciously opened their home and the others made time out of their busy schedules to see us. I saw Charlie and Keren, shared tea and salad with Megan and visited the Missouri Botanical Garden with Nathaniel. In a characteristic fashion, I switched my schedule and went to see one friend on the wrong day and saw a good bit more of St. Louis than I planned on while navigating my way between houses but that is just what being a tourist is for, right?
The Missouri Botanical Garden is definitely on our list of beautiful places to visit again. The irises were blooming while we were there.
Jonathan was absolutely fascinated with these flowers. I stood in the breeze trying to hold a bloom steady enough for him to get a close up shot. In the end, the best one was this one of the entrance drive.
We had wanted to do a bit more sight seeing around the city but spent so much time seeing friends that everything else got passed by. This is as close as we got to the famous arch.
On to Kansas City....
...where we had a good time visiting Jonathan's brother and his family. We celebrated the end of Elijah's first year of preschool, saw the IHOP, had delicious barbecue and had a chance to catch up.
It also included some exercise to work off the barbecue.
The verdict? We need to go back for more visits!
Sisters!
Congratulations, Camille!
Graduation is always on Mother's Day. Jonathan stepped aside to give his mom a call.
It was also great to see my brother as well. I missed seeing his apartment this year but nice to not have to consider preparing a full meal with all of the other hustle and bustle that was going on. We did make time to go to Sereniteaz and found a scrumptious lemon rooibos that refreshed us during the heat spell that we came home to.Next stop, St. Louis!
The timing for this trip could have been more opportune in many ways. The week that we were there was finals for all of the friends we hoped to see. However, these lovely friends graciously opened their home and the others made time out of their busy schedules to see us. I saw Charlie and Keren, shared tea and salad with Megan and visited the Missouri Botanical Garden with Nathaniel. In a characteristic fashion, I switched my schedule and went to see one friend on the wrong day and saw a good bit more of St. Louis than I planned on while navigating my way between houses but that is just what being a tourist is for, right?
The Missouri Botanical Garden is definitely on our list of beautiful places to visit again. The irises were blooming while we were there.
Jonathan was absolutely fascinated with these flowers. I stood in the breeze trying to hold a bloom steady enough for him to get a close up shot. In the end, the best one was this one of the entrance drive.
We had wanted to do a bit more sight seeing around the city but spent so much time seeing friends that everything else got passed by. This is as close as we got to the famous arch.
On to Kansas City.......where we had a good time visiting Jonathan's brother and his family. We celebrated the end of Elijah's first year of preschool, saw the IHOP, had delicious barbecue and had a chance to catch up.
It also included some exercise to work off the barbecue.
The verdict? We need to go back for more visits!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Silly Boys
This is an experiment in inserting the video that Jonathan put up on YouTube. The boys are quite a bit bigger now, of course, but they still like playing in the tissue boxes.
Here is the other video of them playing on the cat tree for the first time.
Here is the other video of them playing on the cat tree for the first time.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Introducing Harebell
After the Swallowtail, I was emboldened to try something a bit bigger. This wrap is a combination of two patterns in Sowerby's lovely Victorian Lace Today. The yarn is Knitpicks Shadow in Jewel Heather (hmm, sounds like a friend of mine).
If you look carefully, the clusters of flowers against the background of diamonds are just visible.
I started this last fall, set it aside to work on Christmas presents, worked on it again in January and February and then set it aside again to work on baby clothes. I also find that I get tired of working on it exclusively. It was great to see the speed at which it grew when I took it up again after Christmas with renewed enthusiasm.
There are a few more baby clothes, my fingerless gloves and a new gift project to work on too, but it might be time to revel in blue again.
If you look carefully, the clusters of flowers against the background of diamonds are just visible.
I started this last fall, set it aside to work on Christmas presents, worked on it again in January and February and then set it aside again to work on baby clothes. I also find that I get tired of working on it exclusively. It was great to see the speed at which it grew when I took it up again after Christmas with renewed enthusiasm.
There are a few more baby clothes, my fingerless gloves and a new gift project to work on too, but it might be time to revel in blue again.
Catastrophe
Once upon a time, we had a cookie jar.
It lived on top of our fridge in elegant state--sometimes empty, sometimes and very temporarily full. It held cookies, rolls, scones and occasionally my jug of crystallized honey in a conveniently inverted position.
Once upon a time.
The jar and its fellows on the fridge top have a enemy, however. It is the tilt of our house and therefore the tilt of everything else. When the fridge door is slammed, the little fridge top community feels the pull of the tilt towards the edge. Usually, I am alert to the insidious creep and can counteract the effects.
Usually.
On this particular day, Jonathan made his trip to Costco and returned laden with frozen bounty. (I know, it's me that is supposed to be the merchant ship from afar but when I do the shopping, far is definitely involved--far too much spending.) As I stood at the sink, washing up, he came in to put the items away. In the midst of our discussion of what items needed to be moved into the fridge, the final bump took place. The jar, weighted by the aforementioned honey, tipped off of the fridge and shattered on the first solid item in its path--the back of Jonathan's head. It then proceeded to fly, in various smaller pieces, in a manner consistent with Newton's Laws of Motion, until brought up, with great suddenness (and more shattering) on the next solid item--which was, for most pieces, the floor.
The pieces landed just like this--label and all. Once the shock wore off (and I was sure that Jonathan wasn't seriously hurt*), we could appreciate the perfect layout and lighting.
Shards of glass went everywhere. Because the fridge door was open and there were multiple shatter points, there were pieces all the way to the back of the shelves. Fortunately the only thing that was ruined was the plastic container of frosting in the door. A fragment had punched through the lid. We could see the big piece but weren't sure of any others lurking. Having no desire to test out the dangers of glass shards in sugary goodness (don't take homemade candy from strangers, kids), we tossed it.
Cleaning out the refrigerator was definitely on the to-do list, even though it was not our intention for that day. But who knows how long it would have taken us to get to it otherwise?
*I'm mourning a bit for our cookie jar, which was a wedding present, but let me reassure you that my first concern was for Jonathan and his head. With the exception of a few minor nicks, there were no injuries and we were amazed by the multitude of circumstances that were in place that prevented it from being more serious. He was even wearing shoes and eye protection! There was so much glass in his hair and clothes, however, that we decided that the only way to get it all out was to take a shower.
It lived on top of our fridge in elegant state--sometimes empty, sometimes and very temporarily full. It held cookies, rolls, scones and occasionally my jug of crystallized honey in a conveniently inverted position.
Once upon a time.
The jar and its fellows on the fridge top have a enemy, however. It is the tilt of our house and therefore the tilt of everything else. When the fridge door is slammed, the little fridge top community feels the pull of the tilt towards the edge. Usually, I am alert to the insidious creep and can counteract the effects.
Usually.
On this particular day, Jonathan made his trip to Costco and returned laden with frozen bounty. (I know, it's me that is supposed to be the merchant ship from afar but when I do the shopping, far is definitely involved--far too much spending.) As I stood at the sink, washing up, he came in to put the items away. In the midst of our discussion of what items needed to be moved into the fridge, the final bump took place. The jar, weighted by the aforementioned honey, tipped off of the fridge and shattered on the first solid item in its path--the back of Jonathan's head. It then proceeded to fly, in various smaller pieces, in a manner consistent with Newton's Laws of Motion, until brought up, with great suddenness (and more shattering) on the next solid item--which was, for most pieces, the floor.
The pieces landed just like this--label and all. Once the shock wore off (and I was sure that Jonathan wasn't seriously hurt*), we could appreciate the perfect layout and lighting.
Shards of glass went everywhere. Because the fridge door was open and there were multiple shatter points, there were pieces all the way to the back of the shelves. Fortunately the only thing that was ruined was the plastic container of frosting in the door. A fragment had punched through the lid. We could see the big piece but weren't sure of any others lurking. Having no desire to test out the dangers of glass shards in sugary goodness (don't take homemade candy from strangers, kids), we tossed it.
Cleaning out the refrigerator was definitely on the to-do list, even though it was not our intention for that day. But who knows how long it would have taken us to get to it otherwise?*I'm mourning a bit for our cookie jar, which was a wedding present, but let me reassure you that my first concern was for Jonathan and his head. With the exception of a few minor nicks, there were no injuries and we were amazed by the multitude of circumstances that were in place that prevented it from being more serious. He was even wearing shoes and eye protection! There was so much glass in his hair and clothes, however, that we decided that the only way to get it all out was to take a shower.
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