If Mama’s Not Happy…

…hit the deck.

Household Rules

1.  If the dishwasher clicks when you open it, it’s clean.  Empty it.

2.  If I say no, let it rest.  The answer won’t change.

3.  Pick up a book and read it.  You may learn something.

4.  If you see the TV remote, you don’t have to press the on button.  See #3.

5.  If there’s yellow stuff on the outside of the toilet, you did it wrong.  Go get the Mr. Clean.

6.  If your clothes are in the laundry inside out, they will remain in the laundry unwashed.

7.  If it’s your turn to clean up the kitchen, please wipe off the counters and table.

8.  Your shoes probably don’t belong where they fell off your feet.

9.  Do not call your siblings “buttface loser” or “stupid”.  It makes Mom’s blood pressure go up.

10.  If you have homework, do it.  It won’t go away if you ignore it.

11.  Put your clean laundry away.  If it ends up in your hamper still folded, you’re toast.

12.  The dining room chairs are not coat racks.

13.  We won’t even discuss the state of kids bedrooms.

14.  GIve Mom hugs and backrubs.  It gives you brownie points when you forget #1-13.

15.  Take time to be grateful to God for all our many blessings.  You (and I) don’t deserve them.  It’s called grace.

16.  And most importantly, see to the needs of the princess.

If you gathered from that list that Mom is on the warpath, you’d be right.  I lost it the other night.  The kids were all in bed.  Guess who took the brunt of it?  If you guessed Honey, you’d be right again.

The house is mostly put back together after having my room torn up.  You wanna see my new bed?  I may spend my whole weekend in it, knitting and sleeping.  (I wish!!!)

What a perfect scene.  The bed’s made (for the first time in months).  The sun is shining through the window.  The vacuum cleaner……hey, what’s that doing there?  The nightstand isn’t exactly gorgeous, but it’s my grandmas and it makes my room feel right.  Besides, can’t see it when you come in the room.  The rest of the room is semi scary yet.  I have to finish putting all the yarn away.

But today, Kid #4 and I are having home ec day.  We’re going to go quilt.  I’ll be back soon with knitting content.  Maybe.

Oh, and feel free to add to my list.  Just leave a comment!!!  I’d like to hear what’s on your last nerve!

Was This My Dumb Idea?

Just look at this mess.

No, it’s not my laundry room this time.  It’s the contents of our closet, piled in the bathroom.  We’re getting new carpet in our bedroom and closet.  What a pain.  It is forcing me to do one thing.  I’m dusting my bedroom sorting my yarn.  Look at that sad, empty shelf.

It’s going to be fun to rearrange and put stuff back though.  I do think I need to list some stuff on ebay too.  I’ll let you know when I get to that yucky enjoyable project.

I’m getting a new headboard and footboard too.  Remember this photo?  I was trying to remember why I blurred the edges of the photo.  It was because there was junk all over the floor!

We purchased this bed 22 years ago for $300.  That’s $15 a year, or 3.5 cents a day.  I still like this bed, just not in my bedroom.

There has been a little bit of knitting.  Not much, but enough to keep me on the edge of sanity.  (I was in danger of slipping over the edge this weekend.)  I started Landon by Jordana Paige.  Here’s just one crappy photo of it.

I don’t know what it is with me and pink lately, but I like it.  The yarn is Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed.  I think I purchased it on clearance at Webs.  I’m also knitting my jacket in stockinette instead of reverse stockinette.  I think I’ll make it just a bit longer and the sleeves will be full length as well.  I live in Minnesota and don’t need any body parts hanging out in the winter!  (Or the summer, for that matter!)  I’m also debating the cable around the bottom.  Do I really need that accent around my rear?  The nice thing about a top down cardi is that I can try it on as I go.

Gotta go.  As soon as my kids staff gets here, we need to remove the rest of the furniture from the bedroom.  And since it’s 2:47 PM, I should think about getting out of my pajamas.

Oh, and thanks for all the comments about the baby sweater.  It’s always nice to know that you think I occasionally make cute stuff!!!

Delayed Gratification

I went to a baby shower this morning.  Why should you care?  Because I finally get to show you one of my all time favorite projects.  It’s been finished since July, and I don’t like keeping secrets.

This is Helena, a free pattern on Knitty.  I used Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo, and it’s sooooo soft.

There are teeny tiny Norwegian buttons.

And lace!!!  It’s so much cuter in person, because it’s teeny tiny.

Speaking of teeny tiny, you should see the baby that’s wearing it.  She’s a beautiful baby, and it’s quite obvious that she’s well loved.  Her mommy is loving her new job, and I’ve heard her daddy is too.  Her grandma is pretty tickled and her grandpa…..lets just say he has another little girl that has him wrapped around her little finger!!!!

What else have I been up to this week?  I’m getting new carpet in my  bedroom, so I’ve been sorting yarn, and yarn, and more yarn.  I have so many things I want to knit.  I’m thinking I need to list some yarn on ebay too, but I’ll let you know if when that happens.

But right now I’m going to take a nap.  Who has a baby shower at 9:30 on Saturday morning, for pete sake???

Retail Therapy

Yesterday I took College Girl to the airport to go back to school.  We won’t see her again until Christmas.  (We talk on the phone at least once a day though.)  She’s happy at school, so that’s a good thing, but I still feel funny when she leaves.

So what did I do?  I made a little jaunt through Ulta and bought a few things.  I haven’t bought makeup for a very long time, so that was fun.

But then I went somewhere that made me feel a lot better.  I made a trek to Needlework Unlimited.  I must be going through a brown phase right now.  I walked in the door and promptly started drooling.  Just look at this.

It’s Blue Heron rayon metallic.  I now own 1,100 yards of it.  The colorway is chocolate copper.  How could I resist?  I’m not sure if it’s going to be a shell or lace.  It hasn’t talked to me yet.

My other purchase was also brown.

This is Schaefer Lola.  I’m too lazy to see what the colorway is.  It’s a little more chocolate brown than the photo.  I’m on a quest to add some sport weight sock yarn to my stash.  I was going to start these socks this morning, but couldn’t find a size 2 needle.  Then I remembered that the socks I’m currently working on owns my size 2 needles right now.

I started these last November in Mexico.  I picked them up again last week.  I guess I’ll have to finish them before I can start the next pair.  Hmmm…..forced monogamy.  That works.

Now I have a question for you?  Is anyone panicking at the thought of Christmas shopping???  I am, on so many levels.  I don’t have time.  My kids need nothing.  My relatives need nothing.  I’m feeling like if I put one more thing in this house, it’s going to blow up, spewing the contents into the street.  Last year, each kid got one gift and we purchased gifts for a family that maybe wouldn’t have had much for Christmas.  It was really fun.  I need a brainstorm like that for this year.

I’m also sure that for many people, buying gas and groceries has consumed more of their income.  Christmas shopping is going to be more stressful in that respect too.

So, what can we change?  I want Christmas to be about family and celebrating Christ’s birth.  Materialism is so rampant in our society and our kids think they need and deserve whatever they want.

And no, the irony of the title isn’t lost on me.

Cables

I love cables.  I especially love them in a finished project.

The pattern is Genmaicha by Kristin Kapur of through the loops.  The yarn is from The Loopy Ewe.  I was one of the poor souls that didn’t get in the sock club.  Because of this, I was able to purchase this Dream in Color Smooshy, colorway I’m So Blue.  (Edit:  The color way is Don’t be Blue.)  I wasn’t thrilled with the color when I got it in the mail, but I’m loving it now!

This was a fun, easy, well written pattern.  I started it on Thursday evening, and finished both gloves on Saturday afternoon.

And just because I didn’t take any fall photos while camping, I took this one in the back yard when we got home.

Famous First!

Going camping.

Be back Saturday.

With knitting photos.

And fall color photos.

What’s the famous first?  I think this is my first post ever without a photo and I hate it.

Rainy Days and Mondays

You read the title of this post, and if you’re of a certain age, you’re singing along with Karen Carpenter right now aren’t you???  (I love singing in my head.  It sounds better!)

It rained here all day Sunday, and we woke up to rain this morning.  But this is what my back yard looks like right now.

I don’t know why, but I’m appreciating fall so much more this year.  The colors are so glorious, it almost hurts your eyes.  I drove in to Minneapolis on Friday to pick up college girl (it’s her fall break) and I totally enjoyed the trip.  Fall in Minnesota is the best!

College kid, the next sister, and I stayed in downtown Minneapolis on Friday night.  We went out for dinner and generally had a blast.  Those girls are squirrely though.  Sheesh!

There was some knitting.  When is there not???  I started my Flat Feet socks.

I’m totally amazed at what the knit sock looks like.  It’s a melding of fall colors.  I expected it to be funkier.  I’m not complaining though, because I like the look.  I’m not sold on Flat Feet.  My stitches are somewhat uneven because I’m working with kinked yarn.  Look at the piece hanging off the toe of the sock.  We’ll see what happens when they’re blocked.  Yes, I may actually have to block these.

I have bread in the bread machine, and we’re having chili tonight, because as gorgeous as it is outside, it’s only about 50 degrees!  We also picked up an apple streusel pie at Baker’s Square.  I hope I have ice cream!

I’ll leave you with my artsy shot for the day.

This Isn’t a Quilt

My plan for today was to cut out a quilt.  I got distracted by orange and the fact that I only had the toes left.

Diamond and Lace Socks

Reynolds Sea Wool

Knit two at a time with Magic Loop.

They really could use a good blocking, but I’m morally opposed to blocking socks,  After all, isn’t that what feet are for?

Now I’m going to go cut out a quilt.

Damask + Kauni + Fall = Color

Look what I found hiding in the leaves!

What is that thing?  I haven’t seen it for so long, I’d forgotten what it was.  Hmmmm…I think it’s the original Damask Kauni, but I’m not sure!  You want a closer look for verification?

Why, yes, I do believe it is.  What is wrong with me?  I started this project in August of 2007, it’s one of my very rare flashes of brilliance, and it’s still not finished.  First I told Honey that when it was favorited 300 times on Ravelry, I’d pull it out and work on it.  It hit 300 a long time ago.  So then the number was 400.  It hit that a while ago too.  Now it’s been favorited 537 times.  I think good old fashioned guilt is what made me pull it out last night.  I’m on the second half of the shawl collar.  I’ve already picked up the stitches for the first sleeve.

So here’s the deal.  If you don’t see regular updates on my Damask Kauni, please hound me!  I have to get this thing done.  If you want to see the history of this sadly neglected sweater, just click on the link on the sidebar.  The posts are all there.

I also indulged in a little late night retail therapy.  It’s my reward for taking care of my terribly needy easy-as-pie Honey.  Before I show you what I bought, I need to tell you about my Honey.  His bicep surgery was 9 days ago.  (They drilled a hole in his bone, for pete sake!!!)  Last Saturday, four days after surgery, I walked in the kitchen and he was unloading the dishwasher.  On Monday, 6 days after surgery, I drove him to work for a few hours and he quit taking all pain pills.  The next day he drove himself to work, and yesterday he worked 10 hours.   Everyone assumes that men are big babies when it comes to illness and surgery.  Not this guy.  I told him if it had been me I’d have milked it for all it was worth.  He has it in a custom splint with his arm at a 90 degree angle for four to six weeks.  He could have gotten a lot of mileage out of that!  All five of our children are very strong willed, and I’ve always thought I was responsible for all of that.  Not!!!  He gets half of the blame credit!

OK, back to yarn shopping!

No, they’re not custom bandages for Honey’s arm.  They’re Flat Feet, purchased from Woolgirl.  You just find the end of the yarn and start knitting.  It unravels as you knit.  How fun is that???  I’m pretty eager to start on a pair.  You just never know what they’re going to look like.

I did dig through my sock basket, and found that I was already on the second sock of three pairs.  I may be disciplined and try to finish some of those first.

Or not!

Inspiration

Blogs get me in a lot of trouble.  Go look at the first two sock photos on Pat’s blog.  I definitely want to make the first pair.  And the second pair, the Spring Pools, are gorgeous.  Which leads me to the question of the day.  Why, with the gazillion skeins of sock yarn I own, is there only one skein of sport weight yarn in my stash?  Actually, the one skein I own is a Socks that Rock green that would look great.  But don’t you think I should order some more sport weigh yarn just to make sure?  I think so!

I am being pretty disciplined right now.  I finished the back of Honey’s My Hero sweater and I started the sleeves.  Sounds good, huh?  Well, actually, I started another sweater for him over the weekend and I frogged it.  It just wasn’t right.  So I decided to just keep knitting on the first sweater.  What a novel idea!

One of today’s homeschool lessons today was on fashion as it pertains to dogs.

I guess even the family dog is required to wear hand knits in this house.  (No, I did not knit a dog sweater.  It belongs to Kid #4!)