Knit & Nosh

mystery over

The middle finger of my right hand is sporting a big, fat band aid.  Typing is difficult, but I have a pretty picture to put up.

These are the Nancy Bush Mystery Socks from the SKA September Challenge.  It is a pattern that I will probably knit again.  Of course I will make some mods, I can't help myself.

Because I do not use the middle finger of my right hand to knit, I will spend the weekend working on this

and holding my breath for the water to be running in the kitchen.

i need to buy some quarters

This weekend marked the beginning of a remodel.  Our remodeling happens in bursts.  After the addition of two new bedrooms last spring, the summer has been pretty calm.  Saturday morning, a jackhammer changed all of that.

Downstairs holds an unfinished laundry room.  The plan is to turn that room into a full bathroom.  A new laundry room will be built in the garage.  Building the new laundry room is at the end of the list for this project.  In the meantime the washer and dryer will be hooked up out in the garage.  A tankless water heater will soon join them.  Fine, no problem, we can wait.

The problem comes in today when the washer and dryer have not yet been hooked up in the garage.  They are sitting in the music room.  The family was told we would be without laundry facilities for the weekend.  No worries.  Now it looks like it will more like the middle of the week, which we all know means next weekend.

Had I known I would be without laundry facilities, I would have spent a couple of days washing everything in the house.  Now it looks like I will be spending some time tomorrow at the laundromat, washing enough to get by. I can not even remember the last time I sat around waiting for clothes.  Probably college.  Is there is a laundromat next to the marina, I hope so.  If not, I have no idea where the nearest place will be.

I have begun a new scarf, it should help get me through the week.

this is my brain...

I have had an enormously productive week of writing/designing and my brain is feeling it.  I thought I was going to go late in to the night, but right now I need a little respite.  That and a glass of champagne.  After all it is Rosh Hashanah.

Today was full of firsts for me.  It began this morning when I let Husband know that I would not be participating in the gathering he planned for this evening.  I am gathered out. The second came early in the evening. I was hard at work at my desk, and a couple of the kids wandered in to converse with me about video games and the origin of the national anthem.  I explained that I was concentrating very hard at the moment and talking was not going to happen.  Then the big one. #3. I shut the door.  I have never before shut the door to my office.  Wow does it feel good.  I think it is going to become a regular habit.  I am pretty sure there is a lock on the door too, hopefully it will not come to that.

its the simple things

Two things that I really like about my new office.

Watching the vine maple turn.

The fact that the cat follows me in every morning.

socks, socks, and more socks

Yikes!  Where did that last week and a half go?  Maybe it ran off to your house?

I will proceed with a quick "photographic evidence" post and then see if I can retrieve the runaway days.

Last night I finished a pair of Yogalaties socks for Youngest Daughter. 

I knew that as soon as they hit her school bag I may never see them again.  This led to a late night/dark photo.  Not high art, just evidence.

Last week I finished a complete pair of socks.

 

The stitch pattern is very simple and provides a great texture.  Sunrise Socks, Enchanted Knoll Farm yarn.  This pair is my first pair finished for the Sock Knitter's Anonymous Ravelry group.

The second pair for the SKA challenge is a Mystery Sock by Nancy Bush.  This is my fist mystery a long and it is enjoyable.  I am not sure I would want to do it for a large shawl or sweater, but for socks it is just fine.

This first picture shows off the little lace pattern running down the front of the sock.

Next you can see that the front and back of the socks are different.

And because the challenge requires these socks be knit in yellow, here is the actual color of the yarn.

Pretty darn yellow.

There is also a shawl on the needles.

  

More about that later.

a happy boy

Two days ago we gave Youngest Son a pocket knife.  This was followed by some safety points and lots of practicing of opening and closing the knife without cutting off his fingers.  This made for a very happy boy.

Before bed I let him know that tomorrow, we would gather some sticks so that he could whittle.  More happiness.

The morning brought rain.  We collected sticks and moved the whittling inside, in front of the fireplace.

This is one happy boy.  Thanks Kate!

keeps me on my toes

Oldest Daughter is back in Vancouver.  Boy, am I going to miss her.  She will be back down in October for some doctor visits.  However I will be in Minneapolis.  That means it is going to be four months before I see her again.  heavy sigh

The good news is that she may be back here for school soon.  When she chose UBC, she was an Anthropology student.  Now she has decided that she would like a career in International Relations.  As luck would have it, the UW is home to the Henry Jackson School of International Studies.  It is possible she could be back in town for the Spring semester.

Look what was in the mailbox:

All from Enchanted Knoll.  Wow is this stuff beautiful.  Josette even included a sweet little stitch marker with the order.  I will get a picture of that after I have some sock progress to show.

I expected to finish the leg of a sock yesterday while waiting at the border.  Something crazy happened.  As I approached the crossing heading south, there were only 2 cars in front of me.  Two!  Unheard of.  Totally worth losing 2- 3 hours of knitting time.