Friday Update

• I am officially a Knitting Blogger now. My little blog was added to the webring this week. I guess I should make sure I put up some pictures soon to prove I'm still a knitter.
• Though there hasn't been much knitting this week. Lorelei has an ear infection and has been waking up in the middle of the night. So as a result I've been too tired to knit.
• I have made a little progress on Picovoli and got a couple more rows of the Wavy scarf done - I'm almost halfway through and it's looking pretty good. I'm hoping to finish/fix the first Opal sock this weekend.
• I've signed up for Summer of Socks. Hopefully, this will motivate me to knit up my growing sock yarn stash. It's hard to justify buying more sock yarn when I've only finished one pair of socks, have two started socks OTN, and have at least four more balls of sock yarn sitting in my stash mocking me, but sock yarn is just so pretty that I want more.
• There have been some really good shows on tv this week. The series finale of Alias was really good. I liked how we saw bits and pieces of Syd's past. I felt like the finale closed everything up well. And the Lost finale was probably my favorite episode of this season. It had the feeling of Season One with the giant bird and the whispering. I'm hoping that the people in the hatch didn't die, but I guess I'll have to wait until Fall.
• As far as series finales this season, I've been really happy with all of the ones I watched. Alias, West Wing, Will & Grace, Charmed all left me feeling complete and happy (and not like the finale of Seinfeld at all). I liked how Alias, W&G and Charmed all showed us a glimpse of the future. And I thought that the West Wing was perfect (even though I've barely watched the last two seasons) with the transition to the new administration.

Happy Friday!

Random Thursday

• I've gotten to the bottom of the arm holes on my Picovoli. I think the next few inches should go pretty quickly. I'd been saving it to work on when I had lots of time and could concentrate, but the hard part (for now) is over so I should be able to work on this during my regular tv viewing.
• I finished the first Opal sock, BUT the bind off was too tight so it won't go on my foot. I'm working on undoing the bind off, hopefully I can re-bind off looser next time. I may be destined to not knit socks. And it fit so perfectly too (until the bind off).
• I've been in computer class all week for work, so I'm way behind in reading blogs and posting.
• Lorelei's been sick this week, so VERY cranky. Being the mother of a toddler is hard enough, being the mother of a sick toddler is a lot of work. Especially when she wakes up at 4 in the morning.
• The new Fall tv schedules are (coming) out this week. The final networks, FOX and CW, announce today. There are a couple new shows that look promising, but I'm not going to look too closely at them until closer to Fall.
• Tonight is the final Will & Grace. I hope it's good.

Trish's TV this week - May 12

It's finally here. The end of another tv season. The first of the season finales were this week and I am loving it. These have been some of my favorite episodes of the whole year.

The Office - I didn't really think this show was funny when it started last year. It's been slowly growing on me so that now it's one of my favorite shows. I've been laughing all the way through every episode lately and the season finale was no different. Some of my favorite moments: Jim's Jedi mind trick, "I'm a philanderer," Dwight (every Dwight moment), Jan driving 2 1/2 hours for casino night, and of course the KISS.

Earl - I thought the first 30 minutes were boring, but the last 10 minutes were laugh out loud funny. Especially the old lady.

Gilmore Girls - I've been reading the message boards about this episode and people seem to be split into Luke and Lorelai camps (kind of like Stars Hollow when they broke up). People in the Luke camp think Lorelai is a tramp for sleeping with Christopher, people in the Lorelai camp feel bad for Lorelai. And most people in both camps hate the writers. I still like the writers, but I think I'm in the Lorelai camp. I've never understood why Luke's acted the way he has this year and I don't like it. This seems like it was the last straw for Lorelai. That said - I really liked the episode. I needed Lorelai to yell at Luke and I loved Rory and Logan. I can't wait to see what happens next season.

Veronica Mars - This was the best season finale ever. I just started watching the first season of VM, so hopefully that one is just as good. I was completely surprised by the entire show. Beaver was never on my list of possible suspects. I love that Daddy Mars is alive (I think) and that L and V are together again. And the last couple of minutes left me with a lot of questions. This is definitely one of my new favorite shows.

West Wing series finale is this Sunday. I haven't watched in a couple of years, but I'll be watching just because of how much I loved the first few seasons. Oh yeah and because Bradley Whitford is cool.

Sheep, sheep, and more sheep

Saturday I went to my first sheep and wool. I'm still amazed by how many people where there. I almost ran into a coworker (but I ducked away quickly so she wouldn't see me). There were sheep everywhere, several Alpacas (I had never seen one up close before), and a couple bunnies. We didn't get there until after noon, but I still got in a good 3 hours of shopping and gawking. I had a limited budget, so I spent more time looking at the yarn than purchasing but I did get some good stuff.

• 4 skeins of Noro (20% off)
• 2 skeins of blue Koigu
• Koigu shawl kit
• 1 skein of Opal - for socks for Lorelei's dad
• Crystal Palace DPNs - size 1 1/2
• Knitting Rules!

I think next year, I need to have more of a shopping list, get there earlier, and take more money. I'm also thinking about learning how to spin before next year too. Of course, I have a toddler and no time for an additional hobby.

I missed Wendy's book signing, but I did finish the heel of my toeup sock (based on Wendy's pattern) this weekend. The sock is going really well - I can't wait to wear these.

Happy Monday!

Ouch!

When I knit, I jab the needle into my finger as part of my regular process. I know I do this with my little DPNs when I'm knitting socks, I'm not sure if I do it with larger needles. So my two main projects right now are my Opal socks on little bamboo DPNs and my Picovoli on a size 4 aluminum circular. My finger is a little abused from the sock already and last night I was working on my Pico when I jabbed my needle into my finger. Hard. It hurt a little but I kept on knitting. Today I noticed that there is a slice on my finger - it looks like a deep paper cut - from my knitting. I'm just glad it didn't draw blood.

I guess I need to be more careful, I don't want to get blood on my yarn.

Monday Update

Knitting

• I was going to take pictures of all my WIPs last night, but Lorelei wouldn't go to bed. Maybe tonight.
• I started my first toe-up sock and I love it. I'm using Opal Prisma yarn and Wendy's sock pattern.
• I didn't get to Wendy's book signing on Saturday, but I did buy the book and start reading it. It's pretty funny and I like a lot of the patterns.
• Picovoli - 2+ inches, Wavy scarf - 15 inches, Irish hiking scarf - 30+ inches, Opal sock - 4 inches of foot, Sock from hell - I might finish these after the Opal socks (the anger may have faded by then and I should have more skillz to deal with it)
• Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend!!!

Lorelei

• We bought a potty this weekend. I'm a little scared, but I'm sure it will be easier for her than it is for me.
• Lorelei said beer this weekend. She didn't know what it was, but it made me feel like a bad mother (when I wasn't laughing).

Happy Monday all!

New Words this Week

New words: Wiggles (this may not be new, but it's new to me), cracker.
I heard that she told her teacher "Not nice." I wonder where she's heard that before. As I've mentioned before, Lorelei is a biter. She's not afraid to hurt you to get what she wants.

Words we're working on: bird, cat (we know this one but don't use it appropriately), mouth, hair.

Words she said but probably doesn't understand: tooth, two and two (as in two balls, two strikes), please. She's starting to repeat everything, I really need to start watching my language.

I know there are more words for each category this week, but I can't remember them.

The end of Gilmore?

The Palladinos have left Gilmore Girls. I feel like my puppy just died.

Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Dan were responsible for creating Gilmore Girls and keeping it going for these last six years. Now if there is a seventh year (which looks likely since Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel have another year on their contracts) it will go on without the Palladinos. This can't be a good thing. This will be like the West Wing when Aaron Sorkin left. As much as I want the Gilmores to go on forever - it may be time to let it go. I'm going to go cry now.

Random Thursday

• I now know the names of all 4 Wiggles. Greg, Murray, Jeff and Anthony. I've been playing the Wiggles nonstop because I think it's cute how Lorelei dances to the music and says Wiggles. It's one of the longest words she knows.
• I've gotten an inch completed of the neck of my Picovoli, 30 inches of Irish Hiking scarf and 11 inches of the Wavy scarf. One day I'll take pictures of my WIPs.
• Flickr - Somehow I've already used up all of my free downloading this month. Not really a problem (since I haven't taken any pictures anyway). But if I did take pictures it would make it harder to blog from work.
• I'm tempted to frog the sock from hell. It's caused so much grief that I don't want to touch it. And I'm still not sure if it will fit anyway. I'm thinking about trying toe-up, but with another yarn. I love the sock from hell yarn and I think it will make great stripy socks that I want to wear, but I don't want to think about right now.
• I started my Picovoli on Friday. This is definitely my biggest and most complicated project to date. I'm about an inch into the neck after several hours of work. I hope I'm able to finish it before summer is over - I really want to wear it. I just learned knit into front and back. I think it looks ok, but I need to get a little more completed to be able to really tell how it looks.
• It's going to be 80 degrees today, but my office is so cold that I have to wear my jacket. I wonder how long I'll be able to feel my fingers.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Saturday was my 31st birthday. After all of the changes that were happening last year at this time (new state, new job, tiny baby), my life looks a little boring. But then I look at Lorelei and remember that it will be a long time before my life is boring again. Every day she's doing something new, saying something new, or trying something new. My little daredevil is going to keep life interesting for quite a while.

So now I'm "in my 30's." Maybe because my life has quieted down, it seems like a bigger milestone than 30.

Anyway, happy birthday to me. Now I need to go buy myself something special - like yarn!

A birthday meme

In honor of my birthday Saturday I thought this would be fun.

From Cara:
Do a Wikipedia search of your birthdate, minus the year; list three interesting events, three people who were born, and three people who died on that day.

Three (or four) Events:

1. 1755 - Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language published in London.
2. 1912 - The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks at about 2:20 a.m. after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic almost three hours earlier.
3. 1923 - Insulin first became generally available for use by diabetics.
4. 1947 - Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, breaking that sport's color line.

Three Births:

1. 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist (d. 1519)
2. 1707 - Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician (d. 1783)
3. 1959 - Emma Thompson, English actress

Three Deaths:

1. 1865 - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (b. 1809)
2. 1998 - Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator (b. 1925)
3. 2001 - Joey Ramone, American musician and singer (The Ramones) (b. 1951)

A Stupid Thing

Lately, all of my knitting stories seem to include the phrase "and then I did a stupid thing...".

I finally started the wavy scarf for Lorelei's teacher over the weekend. And I LOVE the wavy pattern, it's a lot of fun to knit. So I bought a ball winder over the weekend to wind my yarn - after I started knitting with it. After I had already gotten it tangled up into a nice mess. Long story short - it took me about 24 hours to unmess and wind my ball.

I really like the ball winder - I think it will be really fun when I don't have tangled yarn.

New Words this Week

This is the first in what may become a regular post. Lorelei is 16 months now and starting to talk like crazy. Her favorite words are No, baby, mommy, daddy, and dog.

New this week: mine, cup, all right, Elmo. She also said bear and some other words, but I don't think she really understands those yet. She usually calls all animals dog so I think it will take a little time before she understands that there are different animals.

In other Lorelei news, we bought the Wiggles DVD over the weekend. It's the cutest thing to watch Lorelei dance to the music. She's quite the little dancer.

Knitting Update

First, I know I've been really bad about taking/posting pictures. Everyday, I tell myself that I should do a better job of documenting my knitting. Maybe I'll start tomorrow.

Sock from hell update - so I really thought the third time was the charm (and it may still be). I'm still almost down to the heel, but I had a little setback this week. I was trying it on to see how much longer I wanted the leg, when one of my DPNs snapped in half. My lovely expensive Lantern Moon DPNs. Thankfully, I have 5 and I was only using 4 and I was able to save all of my stitches that fell off during the crash. But I've decided that this is a sign that I need to not work on this for a while.

Irish Hiking scarf - still almost finished with the second ball of yarn. I had originally planned on using 4 balls which would make me halfway finished, but Lorelei's Dad wants it a little longer so I think it's going to need 5 balls. And I really plan to post a picture one day soon.

Picovoli - I finally ordered the needles that I need for this last week, so I'm waiting and waiting for them to be delivered. I really want to start this.

New project - I want to work on something new this weekend, so if my needles don't get deleivered I'm going to need something else to start. I've been meaning to start a scarf for Lorelei's teacher (her birthday is in Aug.) so that looks to be at the top of my list. I also bought Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet so I may start trying to learn crochet this weekend. (I will admit that my friend tried to teach me and I was too stupid to figure it out - I hope I can do better with the book.)

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms are a big deal in our nation's Capitol. In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gave some cherry trees to DC. These trees only bloom for about a week each year. For that week, thousands of people come to DC to see the trees.

Last year we moved a couple weeks too late to see the cherry blossoms. So this year is my first time experiencing the cherry blossom mania.

On Sunday, we went to the Tidal Basin to see the trees. Of course we had to turn our clocks back so we got there much later than we would have liked. After searching for an hour for parking, we finally joined the throng of people taking pictures of the famous cherry blossoms. There were thousands of people there and everybody was taking pictures every five seconds. Yes, it was very pretty. Yes, I love living near DC. But there were too many people everywhere. OK, maybe I'm a little grouchy.

I will say that Spring in Virginia is very different than Florida. Plants are starting to bloom, there's color everywhere and nobody wants to be inside doing work anymore. It's nice.

Take me out to the ballgame

A baseball timeline:
1996 - I think baseball is a boring sport. I meet Lorelei's Dad who thinks that baseball is the best sport ever.
1997 - The Florida Marlins are in the World Series (and win), so I am forced to watch many hours of boring baseball.
2000 - We move to South Florida - home of the Florida Marlins.
2003 - We go to a couple of baseball games and I find out that my friend is a Mets fan. Early in the season the Marlins and Mets are battling it out for last place in the division and baseball starts to become interesting to me. Then the Malins get good and again go to the World Series (and win).
2004 - I am now a Florida Marlins fan. We went to the opening day game. And then I got pregnant and was too queasy to go to more games. So,I would come home from work everyday for months and watch the games on tv.
2005 - We move to DC. DC has just gotten the Nationals/Expos who are in our division so at least I'll be able to watch the Marlins when they play the Nats. Wrong! So few of the Nationals games were televised last year that I never got to see the Marlins.
2006 - We get MLB extra innings - up to 60 games a week. And Lorelei wore her Malrins jersey yesterday. She was adorable, but wouldn't stand still for a picture. Maybe next time.

So yesterday was Opening Day. I was all excited to see my Marlins play the Astros, since I've paid lots of money to do so. And the cable schedule had the Marlins coverage start at 8 (an hour after the game starts). Ok, so we miss the first hour - no big deal. But then the game before went late, so the Marlins game was half over before I could start watching. Oh well, maybe tonight's coverage will be better.

Shake your booties

I finished these booties (my first pair) a couple of weeks ago and I'm finally posting a picture.
These were gifted to my best friend (and her baby Joshua) while we were on vacation in Florida.

I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out. I need a little more practice picking up stitches, but these were easy to make and only took a couple of hours each. I got the pattern from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. There are a couple of other things in the book that might be cute for my new nieces/nephews (both of my sisters-in-law are pregnant, but it's too early to tell if there will be boys or girls).

In other knitting news, I'm almost finished with the leg of the sock (again) and this time it fits. I need to figure out the short row heel I want to do but hopefully I'll have a finished sock this week. I'm also still working on the Irish Hiking scarf slowly. I'm getting close to finishing the second ball of yarn, so I should be getting close to the halfway point.

I thought this was cool

Sock it to me

Before vacation, I started my second pair of socks. I wanted to get the first sock started enough that I could work on the plane easily. So,

1. Cast on. Round 1 - Lose a stitch. Round 2 - realize I lost the stitch and fix (sort of). round 3 - finish and realize that there are 4 rows on two needles and 2 rows on the third needle. I guess I got turned around and started knitting backwards. Frog.
2. Cast on. No problems. Knit, knit, knit. Knit on the plane, knit at my parents' house. Knit about 5 inches of the leg. Get almost to the start of the heel and realize that this sock will never fit my foot. Not in a million years. Frog.
3. Cast on. Knit 4 rows. I have now started this first sock three times. This time I cast on a few more stitches, which hopefully will be enough to go around my foot. Unfortunately, I started my long tail cast on too far into my yarn, so the first stripe will not be a big as I would have liked. We'll have to see how this goes.

Stay tuned for breaking news on this story.

Home again, home again

A week in Florida was almost all that I needed. I saw friends, I saw family, I saw beach, I felt warm again. A few selected highlights in no particular order:

• My best friend's two week old baby. Pictures of his finished just in time booties will be posted soon.
• The five minutes we spent at the beach before Lorelei decided she'd had enough.
• Miami Metrozoo - it was a lot bigger than I had imagined, though it was also a lot hotter so we didn't stay long. But I have decided to visit the National zoo again very soon (I still haven't seen Tai Shan).
• Dinner with my extended family - turns out my great aunt (who I rarely see) was a professional knitter and has a giant stash. I may need to go visit her in Chicago sometime.
• My niece - she's a week older than Lorelei and I haven't seen her in almost a year. She's turned into a real cutie and it's interesting to see the differences between the two cousins - Lorelei is outgoing and very active, Isabella is shy and calm. But both are too cute for their own good.
• Florida was a lot more damaged by the hurricanes last year than I had thought. There are still blue tarps everywhere you look. After living in Florida for 20 years, the last two years have brought the worst damage (other than Andrew in 1992).