Improbable Things

Knitting used as Animation Medium

Just wow.

Immer doch etwas

Today was about this:

One ugly photo to sum up two things.
One - I am knitting! This is good. We like this. That is recycled wool from a found sweater... becoming something else entirely.

Two - the boiler has been worked on. This is maybe not so good. Note that I'm not claiming the boiler is fixed. Who can say? Not the boiler guys, it seems. That piece in front of the knitting is...

HUSBAND FINISHES POSTING in 'continue'

Fiddly things

I started a post about the rest of the trip but things got fiddly. Right as I typed the third sentence of the trip entry we discovered that the little juice cups that we have to Lilibet fit PERFECTLY into the sink drain to lodge in the garbage disposal. It fit so perfectly that only water could slip by the cup edge and we could not grab the lip to pull it out. I fiddled with it; Mona fiddled with it; and eventually Bill saved the day by putting a towel in the cup to suck out the water, then inching it straight up with both his hands wedged in the cup. A real fiddly hassle.

Getting the child to sleep has been a bit fiddly because we all have a cold. An icky snotty cold that apparently moves into a cough. Erg. Virus. Lilibet is about a day ahead of Bill and I battling this. The good news is that she can breathe through her nose again (which is a Big Deal for a toddler); the bad news is that now mom & dad are wiped out. If you are expecting us, oh, say tomorrow at 10 am (hi!), we are probably going to be calling at 9:30 am to cancel so we don't infect those we love.

And tonight I fiddled with windows. I've embarked on refurbishing our original windows. It's not a small project, nor a small decision. Tonight I fiddled 6 panes out of a busted sash, teasing out the teeny little glazing points, and removing the panes that are all different sizes and not cut square. Monday I intend to call a local stripping company to see what it would cost to dip the windows. And in the meantime, I'm looking for a used paint gun so I can soften the glaze instead of just niggling at it with scrapers. Someday soon I'll get to play with epoxies! Woo hoo. Bill noted that it's like the potter of home repair - very hands on and creative.

And I'd be an awful friend if I didn't note that today was made possible by Auntie M. She treated me to lunch and a massage at a spa for my birthday (coming up next week). We found a great craft/toy store where I got Lilibet a chalk board. I relaxed into a lovely head massage. Back at home, we grilled patty pan squash and a pork tenderloin. All the while, Auntie M braved the evil virus to play with Lilibet, who was happy to have another grown-up to wrestle with and demand stories of.  Auntie M also saved my (slowest  ever) knitting project from complete failure by picking up the lost stitches. (Although now I've lost the pattern, damn it!) And she replaced buttons on Lilibet's jumper. And she brushed my dog. And she made pudding pie. 

And really, she's a saint on earth with a wry sense of humor. I have no idea why she hangs out with us, since we only repay her in head colds.   

Sheep. Dog.

Ok. So that's not a sheep, but somehow I went the MD Sheep and Wool Festival and only took pictures of funny looking alpacas and little lambs. But Sophia looks more like a shorn alpaca than a shorn sheep, which is a testament to how well I avoid her plumping up!

The MD Sheep and Wool festival was, for those that doubt my sanity, a true treat!

NYC - Breaking the Seal

AKA Finding the Second Half of a Lost Week.

Last week was B's Spring Break from the university. And altho he had to work a gig in Las Vegas the first half of the week, we wanted to do something the second half. We again tilted at a trip to NYC. We are not far from NYC, so in theory this should be easy. My in-laws trundle up to visit family often enough without undue trauma. But each time we have tried, the venture has failed due to lack of ... something. I think we've  been victim to a belief that it is closer and easier to get to than it is. Then we start pacing through the logistics and discover that we didn't plan for enough travel time, for the costs, for whatever. 

Like all of its predecessors, this trip was almost canned as well. But we reprised it in the form of a simple overnight. Up on Thursday, back on Friday. Our motto (thank you, sanjay) remains "cheap and cheerful."

On the drive up, we jumped off I-95 for lunch in Philly. We knew Elisabeth would not hold up for a 5 hour drive without breaks, so we all took lunch at the Famous 4th Street Deli. The pickles!! OMG, I never thought I could be so happy with pickles. (Elisabeth did NOT appreciate her first intro to pickles. Not at all.) The BLT I got was the size of 5 BLT's and B's Reuben is documented here. We walked around and awed at the great murals all over Philly. It was a great stop and made the logistics of travelling with baby both easy and fun. Better than stopping at the rest stops on the turnpike and not much longer of a detour (at noon on a Thursday).

In NYC: We could afford one night in the funky 100 year old hotel B found. So long as we didn't mind toilets on the hall and not en suite (we did not mind.) or the crazy distracting wallpaper (we did not mind and Elisabeth loved it passionately.). Our window opened into a tiny air shaft/alley where guys were blow-torching something below and pigeons were making noises I had not heard from pigeons before. But it was clean and comfortable and quite possibly Elisabeth's favorite part of the trip.

Thursday night I went to the book launch for Yarn Harlot at FIT. 750 knitters in one room. I was kinda a poser there, since I barely finish anything and don't live up to Mike's nickname for me of "knitbot". But it was a lovely positive group of people, and a very funny speaker. It was especially moving when she started, looking reasonably awed by the group, then noticed her husband had come down as a surprise. Just a very cool experience. And all the participants scored free yarn!!

Other than that, it was just toodling around the East Village. We had a random Hungarian lady named Maxine sing and pantomime to Elisabeth on a street corner. Elisabeth's slowly dawning realization as she woke up from a nap in The Strand that those were ALL BOOKS! B giving Elisabeth a bottle while being tragically unhip in the Forbidden Planet. After drinks on Thursday, I scored a Little Tikes Workbench set out on the street. (Just the bench, not the toys.) B and Sanjay still can't believe I 1) saw it and 2) grabbed it and hauled it back to the hotel in the rain. But, dude, it's perfect! And I can totally get some toys for it off of eBay. Think of it as our souvenir from Elisabeth's first trip to NYC.

Das Leben ist (gar nicht) Grausam!

So I made an obscure request a few entries ago for a t-shirt from a German a cappella tongue-in-cheek band called Die Prinzen. Bill and I have a deep fondness for Die Prinzen... I even used <D> to woo him while we were courting. They started in choirs in Leipzig back before the Berlin Wall fell and they've never lost their harmonics. They have though gained popularity and some notoriety for their sarcasm, enduring 80's hair styles, and self-deprecation.

For a sampler of their songs, YouTube is here for you. Deutschland, PopMusik and, most importantly for this story, Mein Fahrrad. You see, their first album was titled, "Das Leben ist grausam" which pretty much translates as "Life is crud." Could be reflective of life in East Germany, maybe, could be. In the Mein Fahrrad (My Bicycle) video, they are all decked out in unfortunate spandex and "Das Leben ist grausam" t-shirts.

Of course, all the best jokes in all of these songs are lost on English speakers. I wish I could share, because the lyrics really are terribly clever. But, instead, I share my joy at this:

My Secret Pal from several years ago, Sybille, still reads and we arranged a swap! Die Prinzen for Weird Al. Soooo fitting. Of course I haven't mailed my side of the swap yet, because I feel I have to find soemthing better to include... because look! She knit Elisabeth a sweater! From Sock yarn! And sent baby books and chocolate! Check out the lovely detail of the back of the sweater. This will still fit splendidly next year (although today we had more ice, so the season may not be over yet!) I really have to think of something better than just Weird Al CD's!

Modeled by Hundchen

Handmade - modeled by Hundchen
Originally uploaded by sophiagrrl.

Of course I also have a picture of Lilibet in her new sweater (fits Perfectly!) but how could I pass up another image of pet torture? Auntie M got me started on some knitting and (believe it or not) I finished the baby blanket and I am THIS close to finishing a scarf I started, er, about a year ago. (Yes, Jen, your scarf! There are witnesses!)

The picture actually documents that Auntie M has made a sweater, hat AND quilt - and that we use all of them!

But my good knitting intentions might be slowed by the introduction of a completely addicitive book: The Time Traveler's Wife. At the rate I am devouring it though I should be done in a day or two.

Must. Go. Read.

Knitbot 2006 update

Lookee! Finished objects! I feel like I never finish things, but if I got smart and made an Fo page, it would probably impress me.

Today I can report a finished Clapotis! This was actually finished about a week ago except for two ends to weave in...and for some reason that last step took a week. I am silly. I'll ship it to MLE, to maybe warm her spirits after the loss of poor Roo, tomorrow. The pattern is on Knitty and the yarn is Brooks Farm Harmony that I picked up at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival last year. The yarn is wonderful and warm without shedding as much as pure mohair.

I also tried a pattern from my spiffy Xmas gift: Modular Knits. I(t) failed. I don't know if it was me or the pattern, but I ended up with 9 triangles instead of 6 on the top. But the end result is spiral-like, and the number of stitches at the end lined up, and it fits. So go figure. I tried another pattern and came up with the wrong number of stitches, so I'm giving the book a rest for a few days.

And I am now toying with a baby blanket, since Carla, Sumona, Polly, Chris, and a few others are expecting... Oh, and me! I should make at least one baby blanket, right? Perhaps I will try this for the Knitting Olympics.

Knitbot 2006

Just a quick knitting update.

I finished the wave and shell shawl for my MiL. She had the perfect coat to wear it with.

I have been working on the Clapotis and it is in the throes of being decreased! The end is in sight.

And I am carrying a sock around in my bag, finally using the great yarn that my SP5 gave me in July. No pictures yet.

And no knitting, especially winter knitting in chilly houses, gets done without puppy companions.

SP6 Gift and Knitting update

You might not think I am knitting, but really, I still am. Since I last posted on the topic, I spent an afternoon teaching pre-teen boys to knit. We made hackey sacks and PSP cozies and I managed not to lose my mind. I also taught MLE how to knit hats in the round over Thanksgiving. I've made some progress on the Clapotis... but most importantly, I finished a project!!! I finished the mohair fan & feather shawl for my mother-in-law. I started this in July and worked on it through my convlescence and through all the times I spent hours in the hospital with my father-in-law. One day I draped it over my MiL's shoulders WHILE I kitted, since hospitals are always sooooooo cold. Finally, I decided (with Auntie M's input)it was long enough.

Then I blocked mohair. This scared me... I've never blocked before and mohair is so fickle. But I just used cold water and pinned the bejeezus out of it. No wimpy blocking wires for me. I used hundreds of pins and warned the hubby away from impromptu afternoon naps that day.

So, one homemade Christmas gift done. It only took 6 months. I wonder if I will get the Clapotis done before summer?

Also in Knitting Knews, my super Secret Pal in Australia sent my second package! What you see here is 4 skeins of a silky soft Patons Zhivago yarn (made in Australia), some yummy smelling lotion (made in Australia), a colorful angel ornament, a nursery design book... and perhaps most inscrutable, real homemade plum pudding (made in Australia)! Who knew it came in a cloth boil bag? Thank you so much!!