52 hrs 12 mins and counting..

That's how long they've been gone. The house is very quiet but my cell phone is not. They've been calling 5 - 6 times a day. Yesterday, I was winding my new skein of blue/green lace weight merino at LYS when it rang. I picked it up to hear Peanut screaming in the background and the Mister sounding like he was nearing the end of his rope. All this over Twizzlers. Seems to have been their worst worry on the trip so far. Much better than I could have asked for.

I signed Peanut up for preschool yesterday. I think I had a harder time with that than her being gone for a week. It was so strange to talk about field trips and curriculum and have it be about my baby. I liked the teacher and it's at a local Lutheran church, so she'll get some exposure to the Bible. Her neighborhood buddies J & M are also in the same class. I think it'll be good for her.

After signing her up, I needed a little pick me up. I headed for The Knitting Den. No better place to be on an overcast, chilly Saturday. They'd moved it around a bit since I was last in there. They have a lot of yarn, but some interesting choices I thought. I wound up buying a my first skein of lace weight. It's a beautiful color. It's color 669, but the color in the photo on their site isn't quite right to what I have. I bought it to make the Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Shawl. It's a potential birthday present. The birthday isn't until October, so I've got some time. I also picked up the Sisters pattern to make Peanut a jumper. I found some purple wool ease that should be perfect for it. I got the Ribbons baby blanket pattern too. I think I've got a thing for Fiber Trends patterns! I got three patterns, the yarn, stitch markers, row counter and a new 32" addi for just over $50. I burned 2 hrs, picked up my spirits and stayed under budget. A total success as far as I'm concerned.

I hit the grocery store and came home. Kroger was having another one of their 10 for $10 sales. Mister's favorite food is Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper. Not something I'd get excited about, but then again he feels the same way about Chinese food. At the sale price, I saved $1.79 a box. I cleaned them out. I think he's set for a while.

I got home and had good intentions of purging and organizing, but a good friend suggested I take it easy considering it's my first Saturday alone in 2 1/2 years. I did just that. I perched on the couch with a glass of wine and the Lacy Leaf Shawl (LLS). The only lace project I've done is Branching Out (BO). Thank goodness that got me knitting from a chart. BO was basically 25 stitches with a 10 row repeat. LLS has a chart that's a bit bigger. I started it last night. Had to tear it out and start over. I've never done a crochet cast on and had some trouble with it and the fine yarn. I think the pattern is fabulous, but working with such fine yarn is what's proving to be interesting. If I'd opted for the fingering yarn, I think this would go swimmingly. I'm determined to work something out of it, though. I can only work on it in short spurts, though. I find my wrist gets sore and I must be clenching my jaw while working with it. This is supposed to relaxing, right? I'm going to cast on the for Sisters jumper today. Should be an easy knit and a good balance to the shawl.

While watching TV Friday night, I saw this commercial. I had to watch it a few times to realize it wasn't some new extreme nature special. I got a big kick out of it.

Sorry, no photos. The camera is with Mister & Peanut documenting their road trip.

Singledom

Mister's father had an accident at work last weekend and broke his leg. With Mister off work and Peanut out of school, they decided it would be a good thing for them to visit. Mister's father lives in Atlanta. 750 miles from us. They leave at 6 a.m. Driving. The decision for them to go was just made last night, so I've had a lot of last minute packing to do. It's a big trip for a 2 1/2 year old. It's an even bigger trip for me. Since Peanut came home on November 5, 2003, she and I have never spent a night apart. Now, we're staring down 7 days 8 nights and states away. Mister keeps assuring me it'll have a bigger impact on me than her and I hope he's right. I spent some time reading some stories into my MP3 player. I ripped her favorite CDs and put them on there. I also slipped in some of my favorite stuff. Tomorrow will be a very long day for me. I won't be able to relax until they make it there safely. Our neighbors have made an offer of company and longnecks tomorrow after work to help take my mind off of it.

In knitting news, I'm back on the Larry the Trapper Guy scarf. It's coming along. I've added a second safety pin to it. I use one pin to keep track of where I need to do the cable. The other I'm now using to show progress in a single sitting. All that orange cabley goodness starts to blend in and run together.

With Peanut away I'll be able to set up the USM in the family room. I'm hoping to revive our friendship while they're gone.

That's it from here. If you could, add the Mister & Peanut to your prayer list. 12 hrs in the car with a 2 1/2 year old could be volatile.

Here Ye Here Ye..

Gather round, get comfy and settle in. I've got photos...lotsa photos! First up, some finished objects. Yes, FO's!!

That's Pepp checking out the Bay Window Bear.Took me over a week to finish him. He's made out of LB WoolEase in Red Sprinkles and Cascade 220 in a purple color. It was left over from the ballet slippers I felted. His mouth and eyes were done using spare strands of LB Microspun. He'll be shipped out tomorrow. Mister did a road test and declared him huggable.


These are the hats to match the Twins' (Klyn & Blyn) shower blankets. This is the first time the pink & white has been photographed. The color is pretty true in the photo. These were done on my USM and finished with a little i-cord top knot. It'll be a while before they can wear them, but they'll grow into them. Update on the twins is that they are doing well, but are probably going to be in the NICU the full six weeks until their due date rather than the original 3 weeks.

What do you need for an extended stay in the NICU? Matching hats & booties. This is one of the two sets. I need to finish the hat for the other set. I'm hoping to get that done up this weekend and then off to the girlies. Mom & Dad are big Earnhardt Jr. fans, so they'll appreciate the red & white. The other set is the same, but the colors are switched around. These were done with LB Microspun. Interesting stuff to say the least.

PROJECT SPECTRUM
As you can see from above, I've completed two projects in one of the designated colors for the month. Here are some photos to document the shades of red in the JB home.


My favorite wax warmer & tape measure, some red hued CDs, dried roses the Mister gifted me at some point. FYI - The white (yellowed) ones you see are my wedding bouquet.

The bug pillow. We bought the pillow before we knew Peanut would be a girl Peanut and her name would be close to the bugs. Must have been fate that we found the Ladybug on sale at the furniture store. The puddle of yarn is what Peanut stole from the Bay Window Bear.

If you've stuck with me this long...you deserve some spontaneous Peanut cuteness. Who knew our kid would be so photogenic??

Drive-by Posting

This will have to be quick. I'm catching Big Love and the Sopranos tonight since I missed them last night.

You may have remembered the purple & white striped baby blanket I did about a month back for my cousin's shower. I also did a pink & white striped blanket to match. The twins weren't due to be born until the end of April, but they arrived on Tuesday. Their mom's water broke Monday night. Little B-lyn was 3 lbs 3 oz 15 3/4" long, bigger sister K-lyn was 4 lbs 7 ozs 17 1/2" long. They're expected to be in the NICU for a few weeks before they can come home. Mom & babies are doing well. Coordinating pairs of booties are finished and I'm going to start their hats tonight. If you get a second, please say a little prayer for them.

That's it from here. Photos soon, I promise.

Branching Out Goes Out

My Gram is pretty camera shy, so I have yet to get a photo of her with the scarf. I do have a story to relay. She calls me last night to see how I'm feeling (I've had the late winter crud virus for a week now) and to chit chat. The following conversation happens:

• Gram: You know that pretty scarf you gave me?
• Me: Yeah, the one I gave you on Sunday?
• G: Yeah, I wore that to the credit union today.
• M: And how'd that go? - Knowing she wouldn't have mentioned it unless she had something to say about it.
• G: Ok, we took Molly and your Grandpa sat in the car with her while I went in. I had to deposit our checks. Molly is their shih tzu, she's a chick magnet. Grandpa loves to walk her around and have people ask him about her.
• M: Yeah.
• G: Well, the girl that waited on me. Well, she asked me about my scarf and told me how pretty it was. I told her that my granddaughter had made it and it was made from that stuff...oh, what's that stuff again?
• M: Alpaca?
• G: Right, that stuff. Well, she asked me how old you were and I told her and she said you did really nice work for your age and it looks like you've done it for years. She asked to touch it and I slipped it to her under the glass. Then the girl next to her came over to see it and had to touch it. They all just loved it. I just wanted to tell you that.

So yeah, warm fuzzies from Gram. She wore it out and showed it off. This whole conversation took place while Peanut was practicing climbing Mt. Everest by repeatedly climbing on me and yelling "HI GRANDMA!!!!" Gram is Peanut's Great-Grandma. It's not a current photo, but this is my favorite photo of them together. It was taken on Peanut's 1st birthday in 2004. Even at an early age, the kid has a taste for diamonds.

The knitted bear for Bay Window is nearly finished. I stayed up late to finish knitting his legs and sew up his head. He's all set for his arms to be picked up and knit. I think he's cute. I made him with left over Woolease in Red Sprinkles for his body and Cascade 220 in purple. He's a modern bear where he feels secure just wearing a sweater. No need for pants. I'm hoping to get the USM out this week and work one out on it. If I do, I'll post the changes I made to the pattern to make it USM friendly.

Laura & Erin won my blogiversary contest. I was finally able to get their prizes out in the mail today. I hope they love them.

Mister is still at home with Peanut. No calls from the union just yet. With the weather warming up, it'll be hard to hide my jealousy. They went for a long wagon ride today. I'm so thankful we're able to enjoy his being off for now and not fret too much over the financials. There's a silver lining to everything.

Update on the Merq: Mister replaced a 30 cent hose coupling and it's totally fine now. Runs like a champ! Yep, you read that right 30 CENTS!!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

I was reading Phyl's blog the other day and saw this post. Since getting the bear book from Alecia, I've been itching to make one but the Larry scarf called to be finished. My Grandpa's birthday is the 5th. He's going to be 79 and when you reach that age, are in fabulous health and have 3 great, generous kids..you have all that you could want or need. He's insisted there be no gifts this year, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Enter the bears. I'm working on a red bear with a purple sweater to send to Bay Window to commemorate the Big Man's birthday. He can't complain that I bought him a gift, but I feel good about doing something to mark the day. Larry will understand, he's that kind of guy. The first bear, I'm doing by hand but I think I can adapt it for my USM. I'd like to make a few more to eat up some of the smaller odd balls in my stash. The USM was made for stockinette, so who am I to deny it of it's potential?

I finally downloaded the Knitcasts to my blue buddy. I haven't had a chance to listen to them just yet, but it's great to plug into while using the USM. I have to pay too much visual attention to it to watch TV, so it's perfect. All 22 episodes are loaded and ready to go.

I had Friday off so Mister could visit the dentist and have lunch with his former crew. Peanut and I just hung out and I got to catch up on my blog reading while she was napping or mesmerized by DVD of the moment. I checked in with Laura and her fabulous ladies at home. She announced that she had joined Project Spectrum. First I'd heard of it, so I had to check it out...and JOIN! Considering I had project going in this month's color and I had an extensive post card collection as a kid...it's almost like it was just waiting for me to find it!

Mister's out trying to figure out why the Merq stalls when you stop while in drive. Not the best thing for a massive tank car to do. He thinks it's an inexpensive hose rather than the $350 of bad sensors AutoZone told us about. If he's back in time, I'll be hitting the Knitting Den. For what you might ask? Well, I have contest prizes to acquire. First, we had Erin who guessed Toy Story2 correctly. Then, Laura came in with the Shrek reference. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and comment ladies. It means a lot to have not one but two winners!!