Marie Grace Designs

Apples and Soakers

I have taken another step toward being weaned off the PC and onto The Mac. My email accounts and my calendar have officially been moved to Mac Highness. I think Mac Daddy actually danced a jig when I rolled my eyes and said I was ready.

Speaking of MD he is about to cause me a great deal of stress because he’s going here:

If you’re not sure what the above picture represents let me give a quick rundown- its an Apple store in NYC.....the entrance is made of glass....the rest of the store is underground....its open 24 hours a day. MD is in NYC for a class and is staying within walking distance of this store. I’m afraid he’ll never come home.

Meanwhile back at the ranch I made these:

Soaker prototype #2 in small (pink) and medium (blue) complete with drawstrings. I’m going to do a large and an extra large yet. Pattern to follow.

Friday night was Knit and Chat at the LYS and we have a good turn out. I’ve heard horror stories about some of the groups that meet at yarn shops so I feel really lucky that my local group is so much fun. We convinced Kathy to let us have a late night Knit and Chat so in 2 weeks we’re having a Midnight Madness session complete with pizza and some surprises.

Of course I can never get out of there empty-handed. I’m not always thrilled with bulky weight yarns but this caught my eye. Fall isn’t too far away so I’m thinking outerwear.

There's always somethin'

I figured out a long time ago that when you raise a family there are some things you get used to.

There’s always laundry to do. There’s always something you forgot at the grocery store. There’s always work that needs done around the house whether its mowing the lawn or trimming that new paint job in the kitchen.

There are lots of things to worry about and think about and dream about and if you let it you’ll just go through your day worrying and thinking and dreaming and you’ll totally forget to ya know, be here.

If you look again you’ll see there’s always a cat in a sunny window. There’s always a warm dog at your feet. There’s always someone giggling. And around here there’s always a birthday.

It happened all by itself but we have a kid birthday for each season of the year. No kidding. How cool is that?

Summer’s birthday is this kid, The Little Guy who isn’t so little anymore (okay, he's a little strange too but we like him that way). He’s 8 years old today. Of all the days that could send me down Memory Lane like the holidays and stuff its really his birthdays that get me. If only his dad could see him. I wonder what they would say to each other.

By the way....the whole “he loves fish” thing is really strange if you take into account the fact that I was in a fishing boat on a lake when my water broke with him. No joke.

And don’t forget there’s always yarn!

There’s always a plan and a new project.

There’s always a hank or two of something so yummy I just can’t stand it.

Hey, that Tweedy Green Thing is done. It’ll be popp’in up real soon.

Vacation ’06 comes to a close

Its a quiet Sunday night and I’m the only one still up. The kids are all tuckered out from a very long bike ride (complete with a stop at the Caddy Shack for burgers and onion rings). Mac Daddy is in bed trying to convince his sleep/wake pattern to get back into a 9 to 5 routine.

The painting project went pretty well, all things considered. The ceilings and walls are done in the dining room, the kitchen, the sitting room and the hallway. Some of the trim is done but we have to get some more to finish everything properly. It’ll have to wait for a weekend.

We spent some of today cleaning up the mess we made. Judging from all the paint splatters I scraped off the floor I’d say the only thing that the drop cloth actually caught was Darwin.

Here’s a peek at a corner of the kitchen.

So now that vacation ’06 is over and MD is heading back to work I need to get myself back on track, too. We’ll be starting up our schooling in a few weeks so I have some organizing to do. I’m planning to handle some of the day to day stuff a little differently this year as the older 2 are capable of a good bit of independent work now. The Big Guy is a very strong reader and will take off with just about anything as long as its in an interesting format. The Little Lady is meticulous about her writing and really enjoys writing essays and shot reports. All that said I think they are both ready to have a bit more control and independence with at least some of their materials. I also heard there is a new Co-Op starting in our area so I want to check into it.

As for knitting....

A while back I mentioned I was stalking the grumpy mail lady once again but I never did let you in on what the fuss was all about. I was waiting on a box of wool from Llamajama! Here’s the collection all tucked away in The Cabinet just waiting for me. Obviously I have some options. (Pssst! There will be patterns.)

The Tweedy Green Thing did manage to grow some sleeves over the weekend. I’m not really sure how because all I remember is a lot of paint and good bit of yelling and being up until 2am with blue masking/painter’s tape stuck in my hair.

The Butt Cover prototype is getting a few modifications and will be back better than ever.

Now I can get back to planning and knitting and blogging on a more regular basis. There’s lots of things coming in the next few weeks and months so there will be lots to talk about.

Knitting (of course), school, Cylons (October 6) and football!

I used to bake muffins...

It dawned on me the other day that used to bake muffins. It dawned on me while I sat at the kitchen table knitting and sipping a cup of coffee while The Little Guy sat next to me munching a muffin. A muffin that came in a little carry out plastic box from the bakery. Just for a moment it bothered me.

I used to really enjoy cooking and especially baking. Seriously, I used to really be into baking. I loved the holidays because it was an excuse to bake every sort of cookie and pastry I could come up with. Friends could stop by on any old day and there would be something freshly baked to nibble. I have all sorts of muffin tins, spring form pans and other gadgets but honestly I don’t remember the last time I saw them and I’m not sure I could find them in under 5 minutes.

Mac Daddy even mentioned apple pie the other day. He offered to go buy the stuff I would need to make an apple pie from scratch like I used to. I said something really vague like “Maybe tomorrow won’t be so hot and I can always get what I need at the store later.”

What I was thinking was more like “Are you nuts?!? Can’t you see I’m knitting?!? This is my vacation too, Buddy, and I’ll be damned if I’ll spend it peeling apples and rolling out pie crust! There’s a perfectly good bakery just down the road and on your way back you can pick me up a Starbucks!”

It was sheer panic I tell ya! The thought of taking the time to peel apples and roll crust and watch the oven instead of knitting? By the time I was done with the baking and the cleaning up that goes with it the entire afternoon would be shot.

Have I finally gone too far? Have I traded bakes goods and the aroma of warm apples for yarn and quiet knitting time? I could blame my lack of homemade baked goods on the kids and all the stuff that goes on around here. I could just say I’m too busy to do it anymore but the truth is I’m just too busy...knitting.

What will happen when the holidays roll around? Will the kids be sitting around eating boxed cookies and sipping instant cocoa while I knit?

Anyway....there’s been a little progress with the Green Tweedy Thing and I’m still fiddling with the Butt Covers too when I get a few minutes.

I need a vacation

I need a vacation from our vacation.

In between swimming and riding and going and eating I’m washing and packing and calling and not knitting.

On top of it all we’ve decided to try to get a fresh coat of paint on the dining room and kitchen before Mac Daddy goes back to work next week.

The forecast says today is going to be pathetically hot and humid. In between hanging out some laundry and bathing the dog I’m hoping to stay inside and get a few things done. I may bribe the kids with some movies.

This little turkey is standing 20 feet away from a swimming pool and would rather play with a few scoops and some water in some of Nana’s old pans. I wish I was that easily entertained.

Another knit-less post

Disclaimer: The following post does not contain any knitting. Its The Crew’s fault. They insist on doing this whole vacation/play/have family fun thing.

Disclaimer #2: I’m a mom. When we go out like this I am much more worried about sun block, bug spray, and the whereabouts of the toddler than about my own appearance.

Summer Vacation ’06 rages on.

The crew .....

The medium sized guy there on the far right is my Bonus Kid. He was getting a bit annoyed with all the picture taking. You didn’t know there was a Bonus Kid, did ya? (He’s Mac Daddy Jr) Pennsylvania state law says he’s a Step Kid but I think that sounds rude and distant.

Disclaimer #3: The logistics of my family is enough to confuse anybody. Someday I’ll get around to telling you the entire story, but not today. There’s entirely too many gray spots in the history and right now I’d rather enjoy the sunshine.

Super Dad doing his duty....

Here’s a little story....

Mac Daddy went to Hawaii this year for work. (Work....yea right....it was HAWAII!!!) While he was there he bought himself this shirt. You’ve seen him in it before because it is now his I’m-not-working-today shirt. He wears it on the weekends a lot and its been his favorite thing to wear all vacation long. Maybe it brings back that I’m-on-a-volcanic-island feel. I wash it a lot.

While Mac Daddy and the larger part of The Crew runs around riding big scary things Tater and I find we have time to ourselves. She’s too little to do a lot of the things everybody else likes and that’s just fine by me because, frankly, if I were meant to do loop-de-loops at 58mph I’m pretty sure I would have born with some weird sort of appendage to help me do so. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground and my lunch in my gut.

Speaking of lunch...

All that time Tater and I have is well spent....eating. My favorite thing to do away from home is eat. If somebody else made it and I don’t have to do dishes I’m all for it.

Little bitty frozen balls of artificially flavored ice cream like product. Yummy.

Yarn Slayer tip of the day:

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you don’t, wear a great shirt!

Let’s talk butt covers.

Somebody I know, who shall remain nameless for now, has asked me to come up with a pattern. This pattern is a pattern for a butt cover (aka wool soaker). I’ve never used wool butt covers so I’m a bit clueless here.

This is the prototype.

I understand the idea, soakers replace those horrid plastic pants moms used to put over a cloth diaper. I’d say wool is much more comfortable than plastic and the color selection has got to be better. Do they even make those plastic ones anymore?

Anyway, tell me all about butt covers. Do we need a drawstring or will ribbing be sufficient? How snug do those leg holes need to be? Short rows in the tushie area?

See, now I’m feeling bad about using Pampers all these years.

And lookie here!

Its not for Tater or one of the big kids, its for me! I’ve had this yarn stashed and waiting for a few months. I loooooove this yarn. Jo Sharp Silkroad DK. Tweedy green and its all mine.

Whiney little blurb: Yes, its a raglan. I know , I know, raglan, raglan. I just can’t help it.

Mac Daddy is enjoying his vacation and he’s driving me crazy. I’m not having any fun.

Blast from the past

Sometimes you have such a good day that you forget about the bills and the grocery list and the laundry and spot in the back yard where grass just refuses to grow no matter how many times you seed and water it.

Sometimes you forget to feel your age and you see your kids as your buddies rather than little people you are totally responsible for.

Sometimes you see your husband as your boyfriend. That goofy guy who used to make you laugh rather than just the guy with the paycheck who wants dinner when he gets home from work.

Its not all that hard to do....you just have to go to an amusement park.

I told you Mac Daddy is on vacation and would end up dragging us off somewhere. We were one kid short because The Little Lady was at my sister’s house for a few days yuck’in it up with her cousins.
Tater and I had a great time watching Mac Daddy and The Big Guy torment The Little Guy. They said things like “Its not that high” and “It doesn’t go that fast” all day. Luckily The Little Guy is rather sturdy and has a good sense of humor.

We had a great day and stayed until the park closed. I was surprised that the kids managed to keep going until almost 11pm, especially Tater. She did fall asleep in the stroller on the loooooong walk across the parking lot at the end of the day.

Here’s the blast from the past part:

As we’re walking about a million miles back to the truck and Mac Daddy and I are talking about especially funny things that happened throughout the day and the boys are exchanging stories about their favorite ride I realize there’s music playing. Live music.

We stop talking and listen for a minute....its Def Leppard. And it is live. In fact, they are playing in the pavilion on the other side of the parking lot. I’m telling you that Joe Elliot is standing on the other side of the parking lot....and I didn’t even care. Sure I listened as he sang Rock of Ages and Mac Daddy and I told some “When I was a teenager” stories. We didn’t know each other then so we still enjoy talking about the good old days.

But there I was just a football field away from my teenage idols and all I could think about was how late it was and that the boys ate nothing but crap all day and Taters so tired she fell asleep in the strolled she hates.

By the time we actually got the kids loaded into the truck and got out of the parking lot we heard quite a few good tunes. Hysteria, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Love Bites.

Given the choice between a concert with a million crazed fans screaming and pushing or having your own comfy seat in a quiet SUV with everybody snoozing and smelling like sunblock....nowadays I’ll choose to avoid the crowd and the ear piecing music.

So, I guess I am officially no longer cool. I’ve known for a long time but I’d say its now a guarantee that I will never again wear a pair of holey jeans and a black concert tshirt.

Well, holey jeans might still be sort of fun....maybe with a nice cabled pullover.

Summer slackers.

Here we are facing one of the most celebrated holidays of the summer season. Mac Daddy is having his first real vacation in a very long time. You’d think we would be off doing something exciting or loud or at least something that requires sun block. Instead the kids are in some sort of really mellow mood. I don’t know why or what it is but I’m not questioning it. I’m tiptoeing around them in an effort to not break whatever spell has been cast. Its sort of like when those crazy wild animal photographers say “You’ll be okay as long as you don’t make eye contact”.

Mac Daddy is reading. Well, he calls it reading but seriously I’ve looked in those books he reads and there aren’t any real words. Its all acronyms and abbreviations and made up geek code. There’s not a real verb or adjective in that entire book.

Of course I’m knitting. Every now and then the thought crosses my mind that I should suggest we go somewhere or do something. Isn’t it my job to make sure the family is building summer memories or some sort of romantic family togetherness feeling? Is it wrong for me to sit here with the family I love and the yarn I adore and just BE?

I did drag The Little Guy outside this morning before it got too hot and took some pictures of his fishy sweater. I don’t know what’s cuter the sweater or the kid!

Ahhhhh the Saxon....

The only thing I like almost as much as yarn is new school books. The smell of freshly printed pages and the crisp sound of a book spine being pried open for the first time, total bliss.

We are lucky enough to have a local homeschool resource store that totally rocks. All the latest and greatest plus the usual and the classic. Friendly, helpful staff and a corner for the little kids to play in while you browse. I’m still waiting on a few backordered books to come in but other than that I’m all set for school year 06-07. This year there’s Algebra woohoo!

The fishie sweater is done and washed. Its currently (get it...current...fish...fish in the current...okay bad pun) drying in the breeze on the patio. I think my little ichthyologist will be quite pleased.

I certainly don’t consider myself any sort of knitting expert but since questions have been asked I’d be happy to answer them the best I can.

How do you keep the sleeves matching? I love top-down raglans, but the sleeves are always fraternal.

I use one of these:

Its certainly not my invention but it is one of my favorite knitting doo-dads. Its free if you count the fact that you already own the yarn and its totally customizable. I use it when I’m doing any king of knitting in the round. It serves as a round marker and an increase/decrease/change color marker if you will be doing something repetitive.

Here’s how:

If you need to decrease every 4 rounds make one of these with 4 loops.Put the top loop on your right needle as an end of round marker and move it up one loop each time you come to it at the end of a round. When you reach the bottom loop you will know its time to work your decrease round.

Along with keeping track of rows you also need to make sure you work the proper number of decreases. I use a fancy sheet of paper and a pencil. Tally marks are easy and free. If I need to work a decrease round every 4 rounds 6 times I just write 4th 6x on a corner of my note keeping paper and make a tally mark every time I do a decrease round. Once the shaping is done its just a matter of knitting until your sleeve is the proper length. Repeat for sleeve 2.

How on earth do you keep the fishy backside so... clean?

There are a few different methods for color work. I always do color work in the round and use the 2 handed method; one working color in my left hand and one working color in my right hand. For anyone who hasn’t learned this method it really sounds a lot harder than it is. It takes a little practice but is well worth the effort.

So now that the fishies are done I need to find my next victim.

This has potential:

I really like this:

I’m also stalking the mail lady again. This time its coming in a box!

Here’s a warning for you: Mac Daddy is on vacation. Anything could happen. I won’t even pretend that I will have any control over what the next 2 weeks will bring. He’s like a big kid in the sunshine. The only difference is he has a drivers license.