Mom's back!!!!

I don't often get really close with others, I'm a rather guarded person in certain aspects, but when the one's I am close with are away I'm dying for them to come back. Mom came back from Connecticut. She gave me the idea to go there a few weeks back.

She brought with her some more Ellyn Cooper yarn. I think the yarn is called Twisted. They're really beautiful.

Pepper has gotten to just around the underarm of her adult surprise jacket. She's kinda taken off on the EZ pattern and done her own thing. She's also working on a really cool fuzzy-ish eyeglass case that I did not get a pic of.

I've been working away on the cable sweater I started after I put the Schaefer aside. I'm using all different Lions Brand superwash wools. I want to put in some pockets and have a cable running up the front and around the neck...we'll see. It's the first time I'm trying anything like this.

Pepper's pup Maggie is feeling much better after having had surgery last week. She is the sweetest thing...a good dog. Here she is in her new collar from Connecticut.

Mom's in Connecticut...

and I really miss her : ( I cast the Schaefer aside...I love working with it, but I tore it out for the 90th time, and I don't want to ruin it. I started the same pattern I'm working on, but double stranding Wool Ease. We'll see. I still have to get my school tests, study guides, and papers ready for 9/6. Pepper's 1st year...my sixth year, but tenure year in my district...hopefully my mom's last year teaching...may be interesting.

EPILOGUE...

I had spent this migrane-y day at home with Smudge burning every Knitty Gritty I have on TiVo onto a DVD. Then the lights went out.

The super of this sell-your-first-born-to-afford-the-rent garden apartment complex I live in is never home...he's always "at work." I've known supers...being a super IS THEIR JOB!.
Hubbie is unreachable, and when he finally calls me he has no time to help me...I get the moonlighting super on the phone and he's rushing me off the line like he doesn't have the time to speak to me. He sends his "brother" over - who knows - and asks me if I have keys to the basement where the fuses are. Darlin' if I had keys to the frickin basement I wouldn't have called anyone to being with!

This was just the latest in a series of irritating events that have been bothering me regarding the apartment that's way too expensive for it's condition. I wish I could transplant the apartment to some other place, because I love my actual apartment, but ...bleh!! Whatever, man...talking, rather, typing about it I feel a bit better now...oh, but all those Knitty Grittys!!:( I need me a chocolate milk.

Post to Mom

Mom (and anyone else who happens to read this...),
This woman posted her EZ February Sweater on Zimmermania...here's a link to her
blog. It's really awesome. The three of us should make some...and maybe try to use more than one color. I love the color of the trim.

I'm working cables on the sleeves only of this Schaefer sweater, and writing out the pattern as I go...perhaps for once I've learned my lesson...only time will tell

Off to the BBQ to here any update about work anyone has to offer.

I can sense it coming in the fresh pencil shavings and crisp crinkle of binder paper, the sweet artificial aroma of new plastic lunch boxes. It's in the din of havoc as an entire family dig through mounds of dirty clothes, comics, cds, and video game cartriges to find school uniforms that have not seen the light of day since June 26th. The once smart oxford, ripe for the washing machine, is raised from the rubble still stinking of early summer classroom dust, still stained with pink and purple chewing gum. The leaves outside are beginning to tan to Oompa Loompa orange...it's coming!

May the force be with you...

Baby Surprise Jacket

I finally finished...well, sort of. I still need to finish seaming the shoulders. Now the three of us need to go button shopping.

Click for larger view


Mom's Jacket Atacama Alpaca yarn by Araucania




Pepper's JacketAll Seasons Cotton (I believe) yarn by Rowan




My Jacket Amore yarn by TLC




Pepper's working on an adult sized Surprise Jacket, my Mom is still working on the crochet jacket and has started a new surprise baby sweater. I'm working on a cabled cardigan with the Schaefer.
Maggie, Pepper's dog (see section at right for cute pics) went in to the vet today for some stuff, and that was kinda stressful for everyone, but Maggie is a trooper. In addition we live in the part of Jersey where the water got screwed up, so ick. A small blip of a problem when I think about the bridge collapse. I can't even begin to imagine ... I don't know ... just, un-frickin-believable.

A sweater's end...

I am on the last few rows of the Baby Surprise Sweater. I'm not quite ready to do another one for a while. It was a nice experience, but I'm movin' on. Mom has started her second and Pepper is doing an adult sized version. Last night I tore out the sweater I'd started with the Shaefer yarn and started it again to knit along with Pepper...but now she's doing the adult sized Surprise Jacket, so I'll continue on alone.
Last night I finished Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. I really love the way Gregory writes...and wrote more about the book under "What I'm Reading."

I just started Nectar from a Stone by Jane Guill. It looks promising.

As far as my own writing is concerned...eh. About two weeks ago my father advised I go back into an unclompleted piece and try to work on that. I've done this before, but this time I didn't go back to the piece I was happiest with, or even the longest piece...I went back to the oldest and was able to work on it for 5 or 6 hours. I just can't seem to write when the Husband is around. Spending time with him is more appealing to me right now than continuing work on all this stuff that I'm just not that happy with. Hopefully I'll soon write something that will feel worthy enough of my attention.

School Daze

Today Mom, Pepper, and myself went to Teaneck to The Skein Attraction on Cedar Lane. Mom was all excited to get some circular Turbos. Working on these Surprise Baby Sweaters, we've all been using circulars and she hates the constant coiling up even after they've been steamed. I really like circulars any old way.
We went in, stumbled around a bit, admired the lovely Schaefer I have no money to buy, and Mom bought some size 7 circulars. We hobbled back to the car (my ankle is still swollen) and drove away only to realize some blocks later that they were 24in circulars when Mom had wanted something longer. Pepper offered to drive back but Mom was not having it. We decided to go to Pat's Yarn Boutique in Fort Lee - we've driven by a thousand times but only been there once. We found the place closed.
Mom was bummed, and I had to pee. We then resolved to go on an adventure to find a yarn store we'd heard about in Hoboken - not our usual stomping grounds.

On the way we passed through the town where we all teach, and the fact that summer in draining away really hit me. I'm not ready to go back yet. I was looking around to see if I could see any of "my kids" on the street. Any of "my kids" is an ever increasing group that consists of any child that has been in the 5th grade while I was teaching at my school. I do miss them. They're people who I spend most of most every day with - how could I not miss them when we're not in school.

I guess most teachers will understand missing the kids, your co-workers, but not being ready to give up the stay-at-home-ness. Soon enough I'll be getting up at 5 am and getting home at 4:30 only to have 1 to 3 hours of planning, paperwork, or grading to do once I get home.

The mad dash to make dinner, release Smudge, take a shower, kinda put some laundry away a little bit maybe (forget about dusting!) and hope that I can fit in some knitting/crochetting/writing/reading before I go to bed at around 9 so I can start over the next day. Only two hours a day with the husband. How would I do this with a baby? People do it, so I guess it gets done, but thinking about it just then was a little overwhelminig, like anticipating the plunge in the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney when you were like, five. You know it's coming. You don't wanna do it, but that's the only way to go. I would never give up teaching, and I would never give up my plans to be a mom...somethings gonna have to give.

Anyway, we finally got to Hoboken - the ride was easy. The place was Patricia's Yarns. Cute place, very small, and Mom found her Turbos, 8s and 40 in. to boot!

I have to finish up the EZ Surprise Baby Sweater, and Pepper's going to start a reglan for herself (I'm very excited!!)...That is all:)

As usual...

I was the ultimate klutz and sprained my ankle. I've been hanging around at home, unable to get help on the Surprise Baby Sweater, so I put it aside until I can get to Pepper and Mom and see the ones they are making (now almost complete).

In the mean time I started a sweater based on the Boobholder by Stephanie Japel of Fitted Knits fame.

I'm not making puffy sleeves and plan to make mine longer and looser...we'll see. The yarn is Schaefer - my favorite!

Here's a bonus pic of Smudge being cute near the Noro Silk Garden sweater I finished a while back.