Random Yarns

One Down..

About Half-Dozen to go.

I've been trying to empty out the overflowing knitting basket by finishing up some of the WIP's in there. But there's not been much knitting going on at Random House. With trucking kids to various educational opportunities, going to work, trying to keep the house from degenerating into a health hazard, I've not done much.

But I have finished the Edgeblad Doily. For your viewing pleasure, a poorly lit, indoor, with flash shot.

Its been blocked, starched, pressed. Maybe I'll even weave in the ends someday. This is a pretty decent sized doily, measuring 18" in diameter.

I did discover something about myself during the process. I can't crochet worth a damn. The simple crochet cast-off took me hours and hours. My hands cramped,  I have a permanent crease between my eyebrows from scowling, and I managed to alienate my family by snarling at them whenever they had the audacity to interrupt me.

We had our first homeowner disaster. See this,

Its a load of clean dishes. How did they get that way?  With a sink full of hot soapy water. Yeah. That sucked. So I went shopping. Picked up a new one yesterday. And just for giggles, I had them throw in a smooth top radiant range.

So, how are we going to pay for all of this? Why, with good ole Yankee thriftyness, of course. We'll just turn down the heat. Our thermostat:

The top is the thermostat, set at 50 degrees. The bottom is the thermometer. Its now 60 degrees in my downstairs. Yikes. Its going to be a long, cold winter.

And finally, as if I'm not busy enough, we're in the process of adopting a dog from a rescue organization here in New Hampshire, called Puppy Angels.  Go on over, and check out the darlings. We're probably getting a little pup called Keller. He's taken off the website right now, but he looks a lot like his brother, Whitman. I'm so excited! He's pretty young, and I'll probably leave him at the foster home for an extra week, just to make sure he's healthy and hasn't caught anything on his ride up from Kentucky (that's where most of their pups come from).

Loose Ends

I absolutely cannot stand to knit on the Tina shawl any more. A quick dig though my knitting basket shows that I have quite a few WIP's that need some attention in the mean time. So I've dug out Edgeblad Doily for a little while. It took me nearly 20 minutes to figure out where I left off (Note to Self: Remember to mark your stopping point on the pattern). I'm enjoying it!

The only bad part, the mercerized cotton makes my hands hurt some.

I also got my order from Knit Picks. I bought a bunch of the Options Needles. Holy Cow, these things are sharp! I luv 'em! I like my points like deadly weapons.

I also bought another lace shawl pattern (this isn't the greatest picture. It's inspired by a doily),  lace weight yarn, and sock yarn to knit Cable Net.

Yesterday I chaperoned my son's Kindergarten field trip to the Rochester Fire Department station house. We walked there, and about one block from the station house we hear sirens, and the trucks go blazing past! Luckily, they returned quickly (a false alarm) and we continued our tour. They sure are nice guys. The class (with fuzzed faces, since I don't have the parent's permission to post).

Unfortunately for the mom's, the firefighters weren't particularly hunky. Bummer.

The ladybugs are migrating. I find them everywhere. There was one in my shower this morning. She ended up washing down the drain. Sorry buggy.

Its in the bag

I have a weird fixation. Seems that I I have a fondness for insulated coffee mugs (I have 7 different ones), water bottles (6) and now, pretty things to carry my kinitting around in. Of course, having a pretty bag or basket sure helps you knit faster.

My newest knitting conveyance:

A Cape Cod basket, with hand made lining, a draw string closure. I bought the basket at The Christmas Tree Shop in Portland, Me for $2.99
I love the weave!

Then I made the lining. I only wish I had a pretty fabric in the house. The navy blue is blah. But I designed the lining to be pulled around the outside of the basket  while the contents are being used.

I need to work on the contents some more, the Never-To-Be-Finished-Tina Shawl. It will be stunning when done, but I don't think I will ever get to the end of the border! But I've got other things competing for my attention (the tiny little person standing on the porch is  my dearest little Ryan):

Right on Target

Target. Bessed bullseye retail. How pleased, how relieved I am that you have chosen to grace humble Dover, New Hampshire with your newest location. Ah! Discount retail that's not Wal-Mart. Does it get any better?

Today was Target's "Friend and Famiy" night. Opened quietly, without fanfare. We went. We saw only a handfull of other shoppers. It was a beautiful clean place, with smiling employees, a Starbucks (!). We dropped $81.79. I passed over that debit card with a grin splitting my face.

I think this very well may fall under the category of "get a life".

A little knitting

There's been a little bit of knitting going on here. I've been working on the Crooked Cables from Sock Bug. Can I just say how wonderful her patterns? This is the third pair I've made from her.

Sorry for the crappy picture. Night-time indoor photos with a flash aren't so great. Its Koigu. Isn't it amazing that I'll use $11/skein yarn for knitting socks, but I put fingernail polish on the runs in my pantyhose, so I can get one or two more wearings out of them before I throw them away?

Work at Starbucks has been keeping me busy. I've been working quite a few hours, and have been asked to take a Shift Supervisor's position. Its good, because that means more money and more responsibility, which keeps me from being bored.  I'm sure you've heard about the Price Increase. They are giving us all a $.10 wage increase. Whoa. Don't spend that all in one place. But hey, when was the last time a company raised its prices and then gave it to their employees?

We promised Alex a kitten. I don't know what's overcome us. Somehow I didn't think I'd hear the  pitter-patter of four little feline feet again. He's been really wanting one for a while, and I'd like another kitty since the passing of Bear. We miss having two in the house. Sadie's not sure what she thinks of this idea.