Call Off the Dogs

No need to search for my Trekking XXL #100! I found it stashed in the Halloween ice bucket. Don't ask because I have no idea. But it was kind of near my main stash. So it's coming with me to the woods. I have a feeling there shall be lots of knitting this trip. The game doesn't start until 3:30 and it's suppose to rain most of the time. In the old days, I would have drank right up to kick-off and right through us winning the game. My liver can't take that kind of behavior.


I forgot to tell you about my TSA story. Ever since 9/11, I'm always being pulled away from all the other weary travelers. There have been a couple times that I should have been taken to dinner by a female TSA'er. Or just given a $50. One time, I swear she could've warned me that my underwire was about to pop out. That's how close I've been "checked". And really nothing beats the Bomb Squad-Flying Dirty Thong incident (If anyone wants that story, email me & I'll post). This time, I made it through main security with no problems. I was shocked because I brought along my Addis. I go to board the plane and this sweet little boy asks if he can search my stuff. "Why not." He opens my carry-on and says pretty loud, "Oh my!" Oh shit, maybe Steak Knife threw in some toys as a joke. "Um, is there a problem?" Remember I've had no coffee because of the no liquid laws. "No, I've just never seen so much knitting stuff. How much yarn you got there? Did you squeeze any into your purse?"

You know it sugar.

Here's what my Least favorite City Brought me...

There's a city in Lola-land, that I hate more than any other city. I believe that Ava likes it because it's close to her college, but that doesn't sway me. I travel the state for my job, so I've seen them all. Big, small, clean and shitty. This one's big and clean, but I hate going there more than the small filthy ones. People are mean and the traffic always sucks. But to my surprise, the city did me right.

I found Amy Butler's In Stitches and two more Dinosaur books. First, the dino books. Gus is still to young to love the fact that Dino's have their own series. But I can appreciate a good book. Nice lessons and great illustrations! Steak Knife found out last night if you ask Gus to bring you a book, he will! Child milestones are always celebrated here in the Lola house. First time he laughed at his Momma. First time he made a burping sound. Steps, duh! But the first time, on his own, that he brought me a book and sat in my lap, almost made me cry. Steak Knife and I are big readers (me not so much since knitting has become my crack). Granted it's graphic novels and pattern/technique books, but we know the importance of starting young. Anyway, I was thrilled to find these two books in my loathsome city.

The Butler book is everything that's great about Amy Butler. Beautiful patterns, stunning pictures and fabric that you would almost pay $40 a yard! Not sure if I have the patience to do one of her quilts, but I will make these patterns.



Now, find me the time. Oh, and clean my sewing area!

The sock in the first picture is my pink/green Trekking that I was working on while you were visiting. I'm trying to finish this thing by Thursday night. The Lola house sans Gus is packing up and headed to the woods. I need something that I can work on in the dark and probably while a little tipsy. I'd like to start a plain toe-up pair. This one has ribbing. Fine. But after a few cans of cheap beer, it will have disaster written into the K3, P3 rounds. With Gus home sick today, so I doubt I can crank this one out. I only have 4 inches left, but that's not easy with a sick toddler.

Have fun with the kiddies. I need to make coffee. I've been tempting fate. It's 8:30 and Gus is still sleeping. Why didn't I make the coffee first!? Babies do take you brain cells.

Oh did you see who made it all the way to #3 on Forbes 100 Drunkest Cites? Just guess.

5 more days till kick-off. Ooh, I'm getting sweaty.

Apocalypse Tomorrow

I'm not planning on the worst, honestly, I am not. But every time the summer comes to the proverbial end (meaning school begins and I go back to work), I can't help but think of the Doors song This Is the End, which in turn conjures up images of Apocalypse Now. Yup, my mind works in seriously weird and twisted ways. Last year was very trying and I am hoping for the best with this coming group of students. New year, new curriculum, new textbooks, new outlook on leaving work at work and concentrating on knitting at home.



That being said, absolutely zero knittin' was done this weekend thanks to the Steelers. I bought the Frequent Flyer tickets for the Steelers preseason game against the Eagles as an anniversary present. Yes, I realize that in football etiquette, I probably should have reversed the teams, but seriously, I was there for the Steelers and their quarterback (go 'Hawks). The seats were amazing (second row on the 45, right behind the visitors bench), but the game was light-hearted at best. When Hines Ward, oh he of the most lovely smile in the NFL, walked onto the field to shout something at the opposing quarterback, Donovan McNab, and they both were laughing, you knew this wasn't going to count for much. That being said, we had an awesome time at the game, even if Roethlisberger was only in for two series.



Before the game, the Frequent Flyer and I walked around downtown Philadelphia to take in the sights, do some shopping, and eat at Ted Turner's Montana Grill. The food was okay (the waiter reminded me of the Bro, Lola), but I found this little gem in Borders on Broad Street. My first comment to the Frequent Flyer was, "If we were still having babies, this would be dog eared by now." I walked around with it for twenty minutes trying to figure out if I should get it. There are so many cute hats in there for Gus and I am desperate to make the olive hat for Beaner. Some of the patterns look like they might fit Beaner's brother, but I don't know if the Other Sister will put them on the kids. Knitty Gritty made a darling felted bunny that I was thinking about making Beaner for Christmas, but the same nagging question still gets me: will the Other Sister think it is okay or say, "Oh, that's cute." Decisions, decisions.

Well, Lola, sorry the summer has come to an end. Yes, I know you hate my job. I promise to be better about knitting this school year. I think that may mean lots of socks, but Pin-up is high on my list of sweaters to make. Countdown is on to college football . . . make the most of it and tailgate every night in anticipation!

Should I feel Guilty Because I don't Feel Guilt?

Just a quick post to say I'm home. The work "retreat" was a nice departure from work meetings. This was a reward for a job-well-done. They threw in a massage which was really nice. Eventually I forget that this poor woman had to rub my mosquito ravaged legs. Well, until she said, "This boo-boo doesn't hurt?" Good thing work tipped her well.

But I kept getting the same response from almost every woman I met.

Crazy Lady 1: "So you have a little one at home?"
Me (drinking a somewhat Dirty Martini): "Yes, a 16 month-old."
Crazy Lady 1: "How you doing? You must be missing him like crazy."
Me (sip): "I'm fine. I really enjoy getting away every now and then. I think it's good for the family."
Crazy Lady (a little shocked): "So it's fun with a touch of guilt." giggle giggle
Me (big sip): "Fun without any guilt. I didn't leave our dog in charge of Gus! His dad is pretty good at the Dad thing."
Crazy Lady (amused by me): "How great of you. I'm sure you'll be ready to get home to him tomorrow."
Me (chewing the olive): "Sure."

Seriously, I felt guilty because I didn't feel guilty about leaving Gus. But that last until I got to the next olive...

I'll post some knitting content later. Had a funny run in with the TSA. You know, me & the TSA go way back. This time they didn't call in the dogs. Thank God since I hadn't had any coffee. We have a fabulous coffee vendor before the security checkpoint. No way to get that finished before I had to apologize for my sticky feet.

Go to Jail. Go Directly to Jail.

Remember the Un-Game, Lola? The game where there were no losers, no winners, just families having fun? It was about as much fun as the bi-weekly family meetings that Mom and Dad conducted in the living room. For some reason, whenever I saw that box, I wanted to crawl under my bed and test that theory about dust bunnies. Nothing ever good came out of it, not even the self esteem or family togetherness it was supposed to bring. Now in the Frequent Flyer's family, it was do or die, kill or by killed, monopolize or go for broke. Even Betty and Veronica weren't safe as they had to earn their wins legitimately from the King - their pop-pop.

Which brings us to tonight. The Frequent Flyer is out of town, so Betty and Veronica decided that a "friendly" game of Monopoly might be in order. I should have been a little leery when the game of catch in my classroom ended in Betty beaning Veronica is the face with the stress ball. Ah, Monopoly . . . the game where we normally have four people to handle the financial burden of one person's, well, monopoly. I normally go for the oranges and the reds, but this time, I was short one orange but had one or two of a color each Betty and Veronica needed. And, I kept landing in jail. Not just one or two times but eight times and I never passed Go. I think the 100 pound notes (yup, it is the British version that Mom got me for my birthday many years ago) got mixed up with the 500 pound notes so I was doing moderately okay when the worst thing happened: Veronica landed on the last orange piece that I needed so I made a deal - the yellow I had for the orange plus amnesty until she developed any houses on the yellows. Bad move. I couldn't even put any houses on my properties because I was so nervous of hitting any of Veronica's properties with hotels. That little imp had hotels up in three turns. We didn't stand a chance. Betty, who before had been alluding to Veronica's property as being developed with blood money, went down first and I finally cashed it in quickly after she left for her room. At least with the Un-Game there was the off chance that the Other Sister would be the first one to cry or the Bro would get in trouble.



Say hello to the chevron hand towel. Every quick knit I find really isn't that quick. Oh, sure, it's only a repeat of 12 rows, 26 times, but there is something about performing the same 12 rows over and over. Stockinette stitch for row after row doesn't even register in my brain any more because it is the crux of knitting but memorizing the pattern and performing those specific stitches seems to take more time. I only hope this doesn't become the pattern that I dread completing since I have two more to make after this one. At least Target has some cheery sock monkey sheets to make the time pass.

Enjoy your retreat! I guess you are entitled to the massage after the last weekend. If you haven't already picked up Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics, you need to run out and get it now. Disc two is fun but kind of kitschy; disc one is simply a thing of wonder. Rock on!

Ava

PS - I'll check on flight prices for you, but it might be something that you would have to purchase the week of the flight. Sometimes the cheapest ones happen like that.

PPS - actually, the age limit is 13 - I ought to know - and I love the pattern. I think James needs the afghan. He looked mighty chilly without his shirt yesterday.

Leaving the Nest

Ava,

Reminder I'm on a work "retreat" for the next 2 days! And thank God because Gus was not happy from the moment he woke up. I don't know maybe he knew... I doubt it, he's only 16 months. But man, he was pissy all day long. I kept saying, "You're making this really hard to miss you." Ok seriously, I'll remember those words if my plane goes down in flames.

I was going to leave an entire post about parenting (the visit home is still bothering me). Not that it was so bad or crazy that it's going to shake me. Oh no! But really, why do women have to compete against other women on the parenting racket? Do men try to edge out other men in their parental skills? I doubt it. I've known about the "women vs. women" thing for years (duh, I'm a chick). But when it comes to parent/labor skills, why are we still trying to say whose better? I mean, really? We could do as good as anyone could with Gus and in 19 years one pretty young thing would ruin us. She'd blow one meth induced kiss and we're fucked (I've seen A&E's Intervention)! So I'll skip my parenting rant. I'll get over it. Promise.

P.S. All the flights for Yarn Harlot are close to $500. Find us cheaper and we're there. You can call the cell. Remember, I'll be drunk or massaged. True. I love work "retreats".

P.P.S (anyone still do that over the age of 11?). I bought this pattern from ebay. I've been waiting for their vacation to end for a long time. I'm still on my "Everyone-I-Love-Needs-an-Afghan" kick. Can't decide if Will or Janelle from Big Brother All Stars will get one (kidding, but I do LOVE that show).

Love,
Your little Lola

Get outta Here

Finally, this one's done! In the photo you'll noticed a unwoven end dangling, but she's done now. Steak Knife also made sure to get the Spidey Head in the photo. His own touch on the blog.





Here are the Spec on this gal (yes, my knits have genders):
Pattern: Demi from Vintage Knits (link below)
Needle Size: US 7 for body and US 6 for ribbing. Denises, of course!
Yarn: Cascade 220 in some mushroom brown color
Verdict: Not sure yet. Here's why...

I love the cables and even the bobbles.

I was real afraid that I was going to look like a (quoting our mother) "Two Ton Annie" wearing this come fall. When I first starting knitting, people warned me about sweaters with lots of cables. I think because the sweater is very fitted, that kind of eliminates this fear. However, do you think that I need to increase the length? It hits right at my belt. I was in it for just a short period, but nothing was popping out. So I don't think that I'll spend the entire time pulling it down, but I wasn't sure if it looked funny. I've got an entire hank leftover, so I could always fix it later.

Here's what Demi has eliminated from my Knitting routine:

1). Using a cable needle! I swatched this without a needle and with a needle. The cables looked the same on both swatches. Since this sweater had an all over pattern, fiddling with an extra needle would have been an enormous pain in my ass.

2). Knitting one sleeve at a time. I know that knitting them at once doesn't save time, but it felt like it did. That's all that matters.

3). Trusting a photograph. I knit gauge with the recommended needle size. But after looking at a couple of Demis in blogland, I noticed that the fabric wasn't that dense with a US 8. I can't stand sweaters that show the undershirt through the stitches. Another blogger started the sweater and then went down a needle size for a tighter swatch. I did the same and thought that it would take care of the nasty peek-a-boo. Nope. I tried the sweater on with a white shirt underneath and was pissed! Good thing Target is selling a thin long sleeve brown shirt for fall. Ahh, Target.

And finally, my money shot:

This was the entire reason I wanted to make the sweater. I loved the button detail. Purely detail, I don't have to unbutton them to squeeze my fat head through.

We'll see how much this sweater makes it into the rotation. I'll probably wear it just so people will "ooh" & "ahh". Cables seem to make people do that. Kind of like Ashlee Simpson's new nose.

So let's check my WIP list:

1). 3.5 blocks on my miter square afghan
2). Betty from Rowan #38

Not bad. Only 2, but I've got another baby blanket that needs to be done by Christmas.

Why Reality TV Sucks...

I can't believe it! I just watched my Tivo'd episode of Project runway (while seaming a miter block... 3.5 more to go). Why would they get rid of Alison? Why? I'm convinced that they keep constants on because of the drama they bring to the show. I know, a real shock of a revelation that I'm blogging. Vincent's dress looked like something I would have created in 2nd grade. And you're aware of my moderate amount of artistic talent. I'm so disappointed with this season. Heidi better tell Jeffery to step up his ego and have Laura turn on her Ice Princess charm. Good thing I have Big Brother All-Stars! Man, I should bash my head on the computer desk for that line.

I will post some pictures of a finished Demi tomorrow. She looks good. Very fitted. Very toasty. The one problem I have with it doesn't really concern the sweater itself. More so with the photographers of Vintage Knits. There is no way possible that the picture in the book is accurate. I'm going to always have to wear a brown shirt underneath it. If I wear any other color you'll get that nasty peek of the undershirt through the stitches. Hate that more than someone else's toothbrush.

You Look Hotter Online

After drifting aimlessly at sea for several days, I returned to land and reality. Okay, so I am sure that the captain wasn't drifting aimlessly, but I was. So much sun that even I couldn't get away from it . . . and if you know me, you know that I should. The company was awesome, the drinks were plentiful, and the books were being read. Snorkling was an absolute pleasure after the initial 90 second panic attack. I think that it is something about the sound, which is very similar to Darth Vadar, and being in water way over my head. After the shock passes, I am good to go. Lola, dear, you seriously need to clear your schedule for next year. You could have avoided all the unpleasentness of home if you came this year.

Sizzle made it on to the ship but never to dinner. I think it was something about the short length of the torso that really did me in and I didn't want to tug at it constantly at dinner. I'll try to add about three more inches of seed stitch to bottom but probably not before work begins again in ernest.



I decided to try and knit something simple on the cruise, so I cast on the Mason Dixon chevron linen hand towel in the hotel before we boarded the ship. Surprise, surprise - our hotel got Bravo so I was awake for a few brief moments of the American Icon episode, only to see Robert in the bottom two. Oh, Robert, please don't give me another heart attack. Luckily he did much better last night, but the lovely Allison went home. I still don't understand the whole "Go stick some more Harry Winston's up your nose" comment from Victor to Laura; honestly, several carats of diamonds might hurt when shoved up one's nose.

The good part of the cruise was coming home. I was really looking forward to watching all the DVR'd stuff, including an updated version of MacBeth on BBC America as well as all those Knitty Gritty's that I recorded. Nope, something happened with the DVR and it rebooted, loosing all the stored data. Pissed? You betcha! Figured out why? Not a clue.

Enjoy the rest of the summer . . . I am already back to work (at least part of the day). August 28th is coming way too fast!

Never go Home While PMS-ing

Welcome home Ava! Hope the sun treated you well. Better post all about it! Let me know if you had any problems with the knitting needles and the flight (I think you had to board a plane...).

No pictures today because I got very little knitting accomplished while at home. The title of the post says it all. I should have skipped the sugar pills and started a new pack. Man, was my PMS in full roar this time. Not the way to be at home. If they (Mom & Other Sis) say that we gang up on the family when we're together, they're blind to the fact that they do the same thing. And the PMS did nothing to help keep me quiet. Oy.

I'll post on a couple other sites about my Betty questions. I'm thinking about making some changes, but you know how I feel about messing with patterns. I think that it's just a size issues if I keep the same needle size, but do the more "Rib" looking stitch. I'll explain in the later post.

Also, I seamed Demi. Well, Mom did. On the sewing machine, shhh! I'm looking for buttons today. Won't be able to wear the sweater forever though. It's a hot little sucker. Oh, and very fitted. Still pretty cute for being full of bobbles.

Help!

Ava's taking a well deserved vacation, but not me! I'm having some minor issues with a pattern. I started swatching last night on Betty from Rowan #38. Here's how it reads:

Row 1 (RS): inc one st in each st to end of row.
Row 2: K2tog, P2tog to end.

I started the swatch by knitting into the back of each stitch. After about 2 inches, I thought maybe I should be ktbl on the K2togs and ptbl on the P2togs. So I did about 3 inches both ways. I got gauge (I'm using US 5) when I measured on the "ktbl of all the stitches" half of swatch. Doing ktbl & ptbl made a tighter swatch and the rib pops more.


What do you think the pattern means to say? Increase one stitch by ktbl on all stitches? Or increase one stitch by ktbl on the K2togs and ptbl on the P2tog? It really may come down to, "I'm not knitting an entire sweater on US 4s. Lola, don't you remember the Union Square Market Pullover debacle of 2005 on US 3s?"

I just finished Demi from Vintage Knits. All cables! So I was looking for a nice easy sweater to knit while watching the last bits of Summer t.v. Betty is being a bit of a bitch. Ribs aren't a huge deal, but I've got to look down every couple of minutes and it's kind of a pain in the ass to K2tog/P2tog on US 5s. Why can't I just stockinette? Why?

-Lola

Porn-A-Rrifiec!

I'll start this post with an obvious fact to both Ava and myself, she got all the "boobie" genes. Mom had nothing else left for me. I'm 5'9 and a little extra. Only while breast-feeding was my top half in portion to the rest. And we won't even get into the fact that my tiny hands would secure my place in a traveling carnival. I'll say it again, that's a terrific camera and bra! I like Sizzle and look forward the finished picture (Make sure you have a drink in hand and some sand behind you! Make me jealous, please).

I finished the Knucks, but probably won't post any shots. They look like all the others. Next time I may lengthen the cuff, or go down a needle size. They kind of flair out, but that may have to do with the constant turning inside-out while seaming. I'm sure that a good ole fashion blocking will fix it.

Just thought I'd show how a ball of yarn doesn't only entertain you & I. Gus found a small ball of leftover sock yarn.


He thought it was hilarious that he could hold onto one end and this thing followed him around. He thought it was even funnier when he'd toss the ball at Pup. He damn near pee'd his diaper when he kept tripping over the mess in his sandals. I know this isn't a toddler-safe toy, which is why I sat him down to remove his yarn sandals. This is what ensued:



Have a blast on vacation. Oh, where has this summer gone? The days are coming that I'll have no one to talk to during Dr. Phil. Oh, how I hate those days...

Sizzle-ious

Or, better titled, "Not sure what to make of it." I, Ava of Two Black Sheep, hereby acknowledge the following: Wendy warned that Sizzle was a very deep plunging sweater and I have very large boobs. However, I don't know that I was ready for this.


Part of me wants to hang my head and cry. The other part wants to finish the damn thing and kick up my heels in Mexico. Any suggestions?

Ava

Use a Little Common Sense, Folks

UGH! It's early, and the coffee has not as of yet even entered my body and yet there is a piece on GMA that is really frustrating me. It has to do with shopping cart safety. Here is my version of shopping cart safety: don't put anything into the cart that I will be upset about once I realize that I have been hoodwinked into buying it. Lola and I were old pros at this so Betty and Veronica don't really stand a chance. Heck, we even would go grocery shopping for Mom but would first stop at the deli counter and get a large container of deep fried mushrooms to keep our energy up. Yes, we always paid for them; yes, Mom eventually found out; no, we don't do it anymore . . . but I digress. The segment on GMA is all about properly buckling your child or toddler into the cart and making sure that siblings aren't standing on the back of the cart. Seriously, I am not making this up. Do they honestly think that folks are going to have some sort of epiphany, sitting in the Lazy-Boy, drinking their cup-o-joe, and slap their foreheads saying, "Shit! Little Sven has been in danger for two years now. I now know what those seat belts are for!" I get the same reaction when I see those shopping cart seat cozies. Trust me, I am all for keep the germ level down, but those things don't do a hill of beans in the big picture.

All this ranting and raving can only mean one thing: the Kitchener stitch got me. I will admit, that stitch does something to me each and every time I have to execute it. I was knitting like a demon last night, like a woman on fire. There was an end in sight, my friends, and I wasn't going to be without seaming those shoulders. After watching two movies (The Weatherman - not as funny as the trailer makes it out to be; Syriana - compelling and scary at the same time), two Knitty Grittys, Big Brother (James really needs to go topless more often), and Inspector Lewis I was ready to seam the shoulders. The only thing playing was an episode of Degrassi:The Next Generation so I thought I was safe. It was Craig's first episode, the one where his father beats the crap out of him and he goes to live with Joey and Angela but way before he is diagnosed being bi-polar . . . but I have never seen the end of this episode. So, I was all set to tackle the Kitchener stitch, but Degrassi got in the way. Suffice it to say, the initial edge of the left seam looks a bit wonky, but it all came together in the end. I still have to seam up the sides, pick up the neck stitches, and pick up the stitches on the armholes. Seeing as how I leave for the trip in two days, I have a lot of work to do. Somehow I think it will come together nicely in the end . . . maybe after I drink that Mike's.

As a note, the sock in progress on Sizzle is Betty's, knit out of Trekking XXL and the turquoise yarn and WIP is Veronica's hat. She couldn't find any patterns for hats that she liked so she is using a scarf pattern out of One Skein and adapting that.

Hey, Lola, is it wrong that I am looking forward to Project Runway a little too much this season? I think it all has to do with Robert. I might "love" him more than Nick and Daniel V put together and I didn't think that doing that would be possible. Why is Robert Best (little pun . . . it's his last name, too)? Let's see . . . the man designed for Barbie for one thing. He even designed the Breakfast at Tiffany's Barbie that I bought you for an engagement present. Plus, he sure knows how to rock those sunglasses when his model struts her stuff on the catwalk. And, the man looks wonderful with the microphone taped under his skinny white t-shirt. Besides, a man who worked with Isaac has my vote any day. Robert, darling, if you make it to the final three and you need any custom knit sweaters, I am your girl. Those models can't wear sweaters that take a whole lot of yarn. Call me . . we'll chat! Purely as an aside, while I am on my PR string, you can now buy Project Runway t-shirts with Angela's winning sketch at Macy's. The only problem, you have to walk around with Angela's signature on your left boob so that might not be the best. And, you can take backstage tours of the runway areas if you are in New York. Wanna go?

Off to work for an hour or so and then home to seam and knit. Luckily, the girls have a birthday party to attend and I am sure that I can "convince" the Frequent Flyer to do take-out tonight.

Ava

PS - Happy Birthday (one day late) to one of the world's most excellent dad! Our dad is the kind of man who worked his ass off, taking multiple shifts of overtime so that our mom could stay at home with us. When he was working second shift, he would go in about ten minutes early so that he could stop off and chat with me as I walked home from school. Dad is prone to watching a movie to the last ten minutes and then saying, "Piss on it, I'm going to bed," except if it is starring Reese Witherspoon or a chick flick. He is the type of dad who fed us Cheerios for dinner when Mom was out of town, but now cooks better than most people have a right to. And he is the kind of dad who always says, "I love you," when ending a conversation. So, happy birthday, old man!

One of Those Days

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes you want to beat your head on the keyboard, window of your car, and the shopping cart of the woman in Wal-Mart that yelled at you. Yep, one of those days. Nothing huge happened, but just a bunch of little irritations. No Fall IKs in this city. A great parking space stolen, and then the guy waved. Traffic jam on a two lane road. Daycare gives your kid chocolate (didn't bother him).Restaurant decides to down-size their Reuben. The one savior of yesterday came when we watched a taped episode of Ed vs. Spencer. The challenge: Who could gain the most weight. Absolutely hilarious. I kept having to spit my beer back into the bottle (yes, I'm that trashy). Thanks showing us the way. Steak Knife started in with his "English" accent. Thanks.


My Knitpicks order finally made it to the house!



The light green is for a pair of felted clogs and the olive is scheduled for a Rowan cardigan. I may swatch it tonight, but hold off on starting it until Demi is completely seamed. I got one arm in last night, but I've got to ask Mom for some seamstress advice. Not real sure what to do with the buttonhole band. My shitty finishing skill may not be as noticeable this time. All the cables and twisted stitches seem to hide the nasty seam.

Love,
Lola

Sizzle, Fo-shizzle

Today, dear Lola, marks the unofficial end of summer as I am heading into work to drop off supplies that I bought over the summer. Betty and Veronica are going with me as I promised to let them drive in the parking lot. Honestly, would I be a bad mom if I brought along a Mike's Hard Lemonade to ease me into it. Probably, but it was worth entertaining the thought. The coffee has nearly hit the bloodstream and already Good Morning America is discussing why men fall asleep after having sex. Really? This is the kind of ground breaking journalism I miss when I am at work ten months out of the year? Sounds like lunch conversations with my team.

Sizzle, I am convinced, will be the bane of my existence. The increases on the front are about the only interesting part of it right now, just row after row of stockinette. It is beginning to remind me of Clapotis at the halfway point, just waiting for the row on which you drop the stitch. At least last night I was somewhat buoyed by "V for Vendetta" and the burning desire to watch the "Big Brother" episode that I have taped (don't you dare tell me who went home - please let it be Diane). Anyway, back to Sizzle. I really hope that Sizzle + Fit does not equal Fizzle as witnessed by the addition of the 3.5 inches I added to get the proper length. I toyed with short row shaping over the boobs (you know I gots 'em) but erred on the side of sanity and said, "The hell with it . . . that's what camis are for!"


I am going to knit on this all weekend. The laundry is done, I really don't cook during the summer (who am I kidding? I really don't cook!), the ironing will wait, and I want this done. The Frequent Flyer won't mind the knitting because I want to wear it to an "anniversary" dinner as I didn't have it finished for our anniversary (thanks for 15 splendid years, sweetie!) yesterday and we wound up taking Betty and Veronica out for sushi instead.

Enjoy the lower temperatures! The weather dude just flashed up temps for the next seven days, all of which were in the 80s. I never thought I would be so happy to see temperatures in the 80s, but now it looks like an Arctic Chill. Hopefully, Mexico won't be that hot . . . but as long as I have a chilled cerveza in hand, I am down for anything. Ole!

Ava

Finally, the Rain!

Yep, it's pouring. Our big cold front is making its way. A chilly 80 degrees tomorrow...

So the other night I decided to start a project that would allow me to focus on Big Brother All-Stars and Rescue Me (I'll hold my comments on BB and Project Runway until tomorrow). Why not start a pair of Knucks? "Pair" should have told me that I'd have to knit another one and I can't seem to muster the strength to do so. Just because it doesn't have a heel flap shouldn't eliminate it from the Second Syndrome category. Here's an artsy blog shot of the beautiful yarn texture:

And here's an preview of what the Knuck will be doing a lot of this fall:



I guess as long as I complete the next one before football season starts, all will be right in the Lola household. And if Gus learns to say something other than, "ball". Mom thought that it would be nice if I could teach him the sign for, "Please" and have him put it after his "more" sign. As long as he isn't grunting/screaming at me, I could care less if he's a polite signer.

On a technical note, I think I need a new camera.

On baby news, we have a scheduled C-section date for one baby. And one family who isn't going to buy a changing table because, "No one uses them. All my friends changed their kids on the floor." You guess who belongs to each tidbit.

Welcome Home . . . To the ninth circle of Hell

My, oh my, is it hot! It's almost too hot to knit, but as the pattern is called Sizzle, the irony ain't lost on me. The drive home yesterday wasn't too bad, but stopping off to get a Starbucks nearly did me in. Something about going from a cold car to a hot rest stop was nearly the end for me. And, since Betty and Veronica can't drive yet (not that they didn't offer), we would have been screwed.

.All was not lost; when I got home these were waiting for me. Ironically enough, I didn't get to look through them first as Betty snagged Interweave Knits and Veronica snatched Vogue Knits. It was kind of odd, but Vogue has almost as many nice patterns as IK did and that hasn't happened in a long time.

The real fun came this morning. I woke up at the normal time (6 ish) to a very hot room. Since we don't have central air as we bought a "charming" older home - meaning, too old to have central air - we rely on ceiling fans and window fans. Unfortunately, the window fan's motor burned out during the night. Nothing major, I thought, I'll just run to Target (and Wal-Mart and K-Mart) and buy a new one. First, let's go make some coffee and check email. Imagine finding the freezer door open with the bomb-pops from last night now melted all over the floor and refrigerator! Nice little project for Ava this morning before the coffee. Anyway, it truly was too hot to care at this point in the game and it still is. Suffice it to say, once the heat is above a certain level, it generally can't make me much more miserable.

So, Lola, I am thinking about taking the Mer-Lin on the girls' cruise to make some hand towels next week. I think that they will be easier to do than the socks that I was talking about. If I get the Euroflax in time, I will knit one up in that as well. Personally, I can't wait to do a comparison. Did you see that Vogue had a pair of socks knit out of Trekking? They were super cute (my new word, say it with the requisite Elle Woods' lisp) and I might have to order a few skeins.

Love and miss you,
Ava

PS - I have your Starbucks travel mug (I must have taken the clean one after I packed the new, unused one) and your phone charger (it looks like Betty and Veronica's charger) and will mail them to you tomorrow. I swear!

Happy Trails

Remember having to hear that after every play in the park? As a kid, I thought it was hilarious. Now, it would probably evoke an entirely different emotion. Especially with this heat & humidity... After leaving unflattering web marks on my thighs, the lawn chair would find its way into the garbage can. Don't even get me started on the bug bites!

The Lola household had a fabulous time with Ava's clan. Gus loved watching the dogs play. He even got into the mix a couple times (we're hoping social services doesn't come knocking). But now it's time to get back to the world. So I've checked the blogs, paid bills and thought about cleaning. Instead, why not post my first entry on our new blog?! Here's our first FO picture:


Obviously, it's the Moderne Baby Blanket! I substituted yarn and needle size. I used about 3 balls a color of Plymouth Encore and Wool Ease (must be washable, I've learned that lesson with Gus). I also upped the needle size to US 8, this made it a generous sized baby blanket. Probably better suited to a toddler! It measures 55 x 37.5. Husband, who will be referred to as Steak Knife (will be explained in later posts), was more than a tad upset about gifting this one. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this project. I used to hate the look of garter stitch! Reminded me of my first project back into the knitting world, a neon pink scarf. Ugh...

Hope the trip home was fast and easy (please ignore the cheap whore joke). I'll work on my posting manners later.


Love,
Lola
p.s. Finished Demi sweater pieces, but can't block them until all of the dog hair has been banished!