Sophia Tomten Done and a Daycation

Last weekend, on the rainiest day of the week, Mr. G and I went to Bannerman Island in New York state. Mr. Bannerman bought the island in the early 1900s and used it first to house his 2nd had war paraphernalia used for his business and later for a home for his family in addition to his supplies. When we approached the island (in the rain) we saw one of the buildings that once housed the supplies. The arsenal buildings were all modeled after Scottish castles. They are in terrible condition due to over fifty years of abandonment and fire damage.

As usual, Mr. G took amazing pictures, even in the rain. The buildings are so beautiful and I love the look of the crumbling brick and concrete with all the greenery flourishing in this damp weather.

You can see above that the rain must have been immensely heavy. I had on a super thick sweatshirt (thank you, Mom) and it kept the damp out for most of it, but my legs were soaked up to my booty. It felt strangely good, though, a nice break from summer. And it added to the whole feel of the place.

This was one of the main entrances to the seven story, once four floor arsenal. You can't go near it...or can you?

The hole in the above pic is a whole in one of the five cisterns once used to store drinkable water for the residence of the island.

Below is a shot of the family's home. The shot is slightly obscured by rain drops on the lens, and he did take a second, clearer one, but I really liked the composition of this one with the garden shed in the forefront and the weathered stairs tumbling into view.

This building is also very damaged. The people who support the site and are fighting for it's preservation want to renovate this building to set up a "presence" on the island. There's literally no where to go in bad weather and I can't imagine them meeting with press or business people to conduct island bees wax without having some place with a roof.

Mr. Bannerman had to mark the property line even in the water, but instead of going for it in a hum drum maner he rocked it with these beautiful structures like castle fortifications. Some pieces are still there.

Remember that I typed that people can't get too close to the arsenal? Well, all the rain had the tour guide's worried about us and they brought us under the arsenal staircase for shelter.

It was a wonderful experience.

On the knitting front...I was opening my needle case to seem up the Sophia Tomten, and the bottom broke off in my hand. I am very sad. My friend, Jackie, gave this to me. I don't often trust people easily, but I just felt comfortable with her right away and she means alot to me.

:(

Yes, so I was SEEMING THE TOMTEN!!!!! THAT MEANS IT IS COMPLETED!!!!!!

It took such a long time. I kept stopping to make baby stuff for pregnant people, and my clapotis, still unfinished. The buttons are from Yarn Diva in Hillsdale, NJ. I am so s Stix-n-Stitches girl, but Yarn Diva is great too, and the buttons matched perfectly.

I made it to match Griffin's (Sophia is my friend's neice and Griffin is my friend's son)

This one was for Grif...

The two are made of Jarbo Garn yarn.

My co worker, Mrs. B, who I adore is preparing for another grandbaby (number 3) so I started a baby surprise for that child.

I want to do something more purposeful with the stripes than I usually do...I pretty much just throw in a different color whenever I feel like it. So this one will be a bit different, but still using the Cotton Tots from Bernat. It feels great. By the way, my friend Jackie gave me this pretty bag too.

In addition to all this, Mom aka Lupie escaped to Lancaster, PA with dear old dad to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. They have been having a blast, but I can't wait for them to come home!:)

Just to show mom...

Although I did do some knitting today I didn't take any pictures of it...just finishing up the Sophia Tomten. I saw her today at Griffin's 1st Birthday party and thank the Gods it looks as if she'll still fit into it. She's so cute and tiny. And I managed to get some in-my-arms time with the Grif. He smelled like birthday cake:) He is the most gentle baby ever.

So why am I here if I don't have knitting pics again? Hey, 'I do what I want,' and what I want is to show mom my new hair...

The roots were a half inch and the bright red was very different than my fawny brown and ever graying natural...so I dyed it dark, dark, dark brown yesterday and left some streaks of red. Wasn't happy with is this morning, though, and had no black left, so I dyed the streaks dark fuchsia (showing up hotter pink here I guess) and a few thin pieces light red.

Tomorrow Mr. G and I are spending the morning filling out paper work for my doctors appointment on Thursday, and planning a trip to Boston:)

When I am knitting what do I read (yes, if I'm not doing something really crazy, like an evil lace, I read at the same time. Many people do this). In addition to the Twilight series and some comic series I'm reading the book I just got...around ten years old me thinks...

Hysterical! Like the beginning of the Fisher King but way more creatively bizzare and silly. I also picked up the Graveyard Book...Neil Gaiman!!:) and a discount art book og Gil Elvgren's pin up art! Hubba hubba...and my avatar is featured inside:)

Long time no see, long post to come

It's been a long, long while. What have I been up to...honestly, being an infant and surrenduring to a "hard time". I kept moving and shaking, but inside I've really allowed myself to surrender to my frustrations one too many times...but I'm human, you know. I stuck to my guns and didn't go to library school this semester. I'm glad b/c I had more time to devote to moving in. This house is a definate highlight in my life! I don't care what anyone else would have to say about it...too tiny, to old fashioned...I thought I'd never have one and now I do and I think it's great!:) We have done quite a bit in the short time we've been here.

Some B4 & afters...
the bedroom...
All we did here was paint. Is it blue? Is it purple? My husband's grandfather painted the pre-raphielite there.

Dressingroom?

It's a previous bedroom that joins our own through a blasted out wall. They were using it as an office. We're kinda leaving it open incase we need a nursery (cross your fingers, but it's been like two years and no dice yet).

Sunroom!:)

Mr. GrimmWitch has his compputer set up in there and we have a window seat sort of table with Smudge stuff and a round table covered with graphic novels at the moment.

Diningroom...

All the gross wallpaper is gone! Haste-La-Bye-Bye!! You may not be able to see it from here but it seemed almost 5 mm thick and was textured. It was pealing off in most places and gross! I have my Mucha reproduction and my devilish boozer art there. The wooden box is filled with my grandmother's silver...retro 50s stuff with six pointed nuclear-y bursts etched into the handles. I love them. Thanks Mom!

the Livingroom...

My mom has been calling this room "table city". We don't really have seating in here...nothing but that chair currently being used to hold some of my husband's weapons. The color is a gray green...and again, ALL THE FREAKIN WALLPAPER IS GONE! The same kinda stuff was in here, textured and thick. Also, this room, the stairs upwards, and the hall were carpeted. This beautiful wood was beneath that. We had this done right away.

Finally, my favorite room, the Family Room.

I love the color we painted the wall...it's "Pumpkin Pie". The sunroom is just beyond. The rug is still here, but there's no hard wood here so we'll wait until we can aford to do a planned remodel of the back of the house.

Smudge seems to be warming up to the place just fine. He had a cold when we moved in, but now he seems okay. There's his condo, and the cardboard structure on the left is a maze.

He started exploring immediately. This was his first night. He has not gone beyond this room yet.


In other news, work sux! It's gotten to the point where some days I actually hate my job. I love my kids... my supervisor was asking me if I like math. Shamefully, I am a write who's grown to love teaching math:) That's not it. i just have so many problems with the execution of my job for many reasons, the severe student apathy and poor work ethic (lord knows I don't expect the theory of relativity, but they just don't work, and I put bells and whistles on everything! How can such creative, fun people be so turned off when I toil to make the learning fun?). I also feel like my school community is going through a transitional period, like those first akward teenage years when your face is so greasy it has reflective qualities.

I am knitting quite a few things. I'm still working on that tomten.





Yarn Diva had buttons like the one's I used on Mrs. B's Sophia Baby Surprise in just the perfect color for this tomten (for a different Sophia:)

I had to take a tomten break to make this Baby Surprise for Henry L.




For whatever reason, who knows, i just wasn't as happy with this one.





Love the buttons. Same as Griff's.


Some of The ChalkDust Knitters are making this Debbie Bliss shawl scarf. Here's a very blurry picture of my still tiny on. My mom's is already so long!

Last, but not least...Here's the Shmed...

Sophia's Tomten, Mom's Addi Turbo set

I'm pretty happy to be working with the Jarbo Garn yarn again as I re-start this tomten. The yarn feels like you're knitting with spun cloud - so puffy.

My friend asked me to start this for her niece. My originial intention was to have Griffin's and Sophia's in the same yarn, different colors so they'd match, but I stopped when she said the hot colors may be too much for her sister in law, but after she go Grif's tomten and was so pleased with it she agreed. The yarn is so great. I'm not one for a mix of these colors if i were to hear about it, but when I look at it I have to say I would totally put this on my kid...when I have one.

And Mom picked up this set of turbos that Jackie bought for herself and brought with her on Friday to the ChalkDust Knitter's meet up. I showed up late, had a Christmas party for work. The food was good and I got to have a beer - been craving one for a while and haven't gotten around to it.