I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday! Just a quick update today… hopefully I’ll have a bit more to share (with better photos) next week.
KNITTING
I have a not-so-great photo of the beginning of Maddy’s panel for the Family Temperature Blanket.
We’ve been watching Shōgun on Tuesday nights, and the captions require attention, so no new progress!
The girls’ panels lined up in order — Katherine, Alison, Madeleine — and aligned date-wise as best I could this morning. Maddy’s had a hot spell, but is cooling down… I’m so flippin’ excited to see how these three compare.
I took that photo at last year’s birthday party, so she’s a whole year older now. She had a party with friends after school on Friday, and the kids are off of school all week, so she’s going shopping with her mom today. I have off on Friday this week, so I’m nabbing her for a little more birthday shopping/whatever & a sleepover! One-on-one time with Malina — I can’t wait!
Workroom progress…
Other than a few hours of laundry & cleaning at Ann’s yesterday morning, I was housebound, and mostly home alone… and that is OK! I spent most of the daylight hours in my workroom — cleaning, tossing & organizing. I got all the tax stuff put away and threw another previous year’s tax stuff into the “shred” bag, along with a whole bunch of Ali’s/KCT paperwork that’s no longer needed (I’m still caretaker for a few more years… that file cabinet is slowly freeing up).
Here’s a weird early morning photo of my desk — new shelf unit installed at the end, still getting organized & subject to change. The main thing is that you can actually see some desktop real estate!
I spent some time “setting type”
Several years ago, Rusty gave me a box of random wood type for Christmas — after I shared a post from my Neighbor Nancy/Friendly Local Antique Dealer (i.e., strongly hinted!). NN/FLAD has occasionally had more type pop up in her feed, which I’m always eager to take off her hands (the latest, at top right with a quarter for scale — I was expecting much larger blocks but was thrilled with how small they were), even though I didn’t have a place to put it… except for in a box on the floor.
Ali gave me the old type drawer for Christmas last year and you just have to read her note — it couldn’t have been more perfect. (The “LOL Nana” reference is because, to my mom, LOL = Lots of Love, rather than Laughing Out Loud, like it does to everyone else, so it was sometimes used inappropriately and mostly hilariously!)
I had another box of old type that’s about 4″ tall (and very, very dirty… a job for another day) and it all fit perfectly into an old wood file drawer unit that Ali used to use at the coffee shop for customer punch cards — and which also originated with my mom.
This means that a bunch of stuff that’s been taking up room on the floor (including that file drawer) — for years, in some cases, is now consolidated & organized. Eventually, I’d like to hang the drawer. Last year, I built my own Provisional Press & acquired a small vintage Excelsior press (needs a little elbow grease) and got that stuff off my sewing table, too. It’s now occupying space on a cabinet that had previously been taken up by a stack of empty boxes that I don’t know why I was keeping.
The recycling truck comes tomorrow!
But that’s not all…
I found my DPNs! I sorted & organized them a while back and put them away… but I couldn’t remember where! I have a baby sweater that needs sleeves (in the round) and there’s an upcoming gnome MKAL, so I’m glad I ran across them… and now I keep checking to make sure they’re where I think they are. That’s the problem with organized chaos… I can usually put my hands on something in 2 seconds, unless it’s been moved (even if I’m the one who moved it)!
And still there’s more…
Last July, I got the “go ahead” and ordered an island range hood for our kitchen after years of wanting/needing. It’s been in the basement ever since. Now, having confirmed that the electrical wasn’t going to be a problem, and because we have a new range… it’s time.
Rusty & I hauled it up yesterday, unpacked & positioned it…
…and I’m hoping that my electrician can come soon to do the receptacle box so we can install it!! We thought we’d have to move the track lighting, but we don’t! I still want to refresh/reconfigure it, but there’s no urgency. The fan is ductless, because there’s no way to vent outside, but it’ll be better than nothing.
Oh, and early morning dreams
I don’t remember my dreams very often at all, but last night, there were two that stuck.
I was married to Maksim Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a latin ballroom dancer of Dancing With The Stars fame and currently a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. He’s super cute & a really good dancer… also married, father of two, with another on the way (I think).
There was some commotion in the street out front as I was retrieving some parcels from the front porch — in the middle of the night — and some people, presumably tenants from across the street — jumped into a beat up old minivan, which turned around in our driveway. I noticed that the hood was up, and thought they can’t see where they’re going like that… and then the van proceeded to back up, right off the end of the street, people inside yelling. And then, I thought what a PITA it’ll be to have the cops & rescue trucks/apparatus outside all night.
Y’know… weird dreamland! That second one was a little unsettling, so I think I’ll revisit the one with Maks. haha.
It’s a little late for a “weekending” post, given that tomorrow is Friday already, but holy cow… first, it was one of my 5-day weekends and, second, THERE WAS SO MUCH GOING ON!!
Remember early last week when our water heater died?
A few days later, the oven control/oven on our range fried.
Yesterday, we installed a new range. I didn’t expect that the old one would just frizzle & die, though now I’m seeing that there were signs. I was expecting to buy a new range — soon-ish — and I’ve been looking around for months. I almost pulled the trigger on a double-oven model a little while ago, because I love the idea of having two ovens, but then read the reviews and heeded the warning about the lower oven being… really, really low. I have occasional back, hip & knee problems and pulling a heavy roasting pan from the lower oven would not be helpful.
Anyway, of course the new oven didn’t just slide right. There was some tweaking to be done, a planer was employed (along with hammer, screwdriver & crowbar), new connections to be made, a trip or two to the hardware store. Our old range was all gas, but this one is dual-fuel; we’d had an electric range years ago and didn’t remove the range receptacle when we switched, so that was helpful. And it didn’t take all day, the delivery truck was even a few hours early!
Still, due to uncertainty, we had take-away sushi for supper (so good). But I’m looking forward to cookin’! Besides being a regular old oven, this baby has convection & air fry! The “priming” is done, and we’re ready to go.
A few days ago Kate mentioned that bad things come in threes… 1) water heater, 2) range… and Rusty piped up 3) the sink strainer! And it’s true — it broke & I had to buy a new one — so we’re goin’ with that! Thankyouverymuch.
In other news…
I had the kiddos overnight on Saturday, which was super fun — they’re all getting older, getting along better (mostly), and are just great to have around. I took them home on Sunday morning with a stop at their school for the Science Fair! Junah & Ginny both had dioramas…
I love those cotton ball clouds.
The polar bear in Ginny’s project is a Christmas ornament that I bought a few years ago at Rhinebeck!
Introducing the… Mountain Goat.
Junah’s exhibit included a tri-fold with a report on mountain goats, along with some facts & a separate sheet all about the biomes & ecosystem — a lot of research & writing!
Malina & Davy didn’t have exhibits at the fair, but they sure had fun with a few of the participatory ones. There were lots of projects at home, too.
Malina made her own crown — part of a unicorn-themed “craft crate” that I found for each of the girls.
Davy made sure that all the plants in the garden room got a good misting!
And tomorrow is Friday… we have a Winter Weather Advisory from 1:00 am to 1:00 pm tomorrow for 3-5″ of snow. The morning commute might be interesting.
On this day, 20 years ago, which was the First Day of Spring, I wrote my first blog post.
In 2014, I managed a pretty epic (if I may be so bold)10-part series to celebrate my 10th blogiversary.
This year, I thought I’d celebrate by sharing 20 of my favorite knits, since knitting was the #1 reason for starting a blog in the first place. That idea came to me in the middle of the night, but I guess it’s not all that new — I shared 10 favorites as part of the 2014 series (and there are some repeats)!
So, in a bit of a departure from the usual Wednesday unraveling, today I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday with 20 of my favorite knits! I’m not going to link to individual project pages, but y’all can find anything you’re looking for on my Ravelry page… I am knitorious.
1. Cabled Pullover w/Kangaroo Pockets
aka #11 Turtleneck by Anna Sui in Vogue Knitting, Winter 2003/04. This was finished in 2004, knit with Rowan Polar, a yummy super bulky yarn (now discontinued). Katie wore this sweater a lot back in the day!
2. Alpaca Pure Shawlette
I think this was the first shawl I ever knit… Judy Pascale’s Simply Garter Shapely Shawlette. I knit this in 2004 with yarn that I received in a swap (also my first-ever swap). I would never have chosen that colorway myself, but found a pattern that would work and, lo & behold, it was a favorite/staple of my wardrobe for a long, long time!
3. St. Brigid
I fell in love with this sweater on sight, and it’s the #1 reason I learned to knit cables… and to knit from a chart. At the time, the only place to get the pattern was in Alice Starmore’s Aran Knitting, which was out of print. I think copies were selling for $800s or so. Thankfully, that’s been resolved & there’s a new edition. Anyway, finished right around this time of year in 2005, I knit it in Cascade 220. The photo, inspired by one in the book, was taken at West Kilbride, Scotland, on our first visit to the UK in 2011.
4. Fib
I might consider this my first triumph with color, using seven random hanks of Donegal Tweed that my sister Sharon had left over from a kit or two. Alexandra Virgiel’s Fibonacci was the main inspiration, but it’s really more of a Frankenstein sweater… finished in 2006.
5. Williamsro
I knit this as a member of the US Cable Team for the 2006 Knitting Olympics, which was a blast! (I still have my certificate.) Williamsro was designed by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, and the yarn — Noro Blossom & Cash Iroha — was a real splurge.
6. Cecil Cardigan
This was the cover sweater of Vogue Knitting, Spring 2003. Started in 2004, it languished until 2007 when Kate urged me to finish. I’d realized that it wasn’t really suited for me, but it was perfect for her! It was really fun to knit. I purchased the buttons at Tender Buttons when I visited NYC in 2005.
7. Habu Birthday To You
Knit for my mom from an amazing Habu Kit featuring Tsumugi Silk, it took me two years to make it, mainly because… it was weird (those Habu patterns are often… weird). It was knit in pieces, all going in different directions then sewn together, but they were so small… I remember thinking, This is never gonna work! But it did work, after stretching those pieces to within an inch of their lives. It’s an incredible sweater, which I finished in 2010, and my mother loved it so much — it was 100% her style. She loved telling me about the compliments she’d receive, and that she was so proud to tell people that it was knit by her daughter.
8. Parcheesi
My first blanket, and let’s call this my second triumph in color. Knit in 2010, while my sister Sharon was undergoing treatment for cancer, I finished it just a few weeks before she died in December. The pattern is Parcheesi by the wonderful Janine Bajus. You see this blanket every time you visit my blog, as it’s up there in the header. I will always treasure it.
9. Freestyle Cabled Cowl
Inspired by a couple of other cowls that I’d knit, and also by Fiona Ellis, whose taught a “cables” class at Midwest Masters one year (a long time ago), some of the cable motifs are normal, but others go off willy-nilly. I knit this in 2011 with some Plymouth Galway Worsted that I dyed myself.
10. Wisconsin Wedding Shawls
I knit these shawls in 2013 for Ali’s wedding. Her “Wisconsin Wedding” shawl is a pattern by Julia Trice called Mexican Wedding, and mine is also a pattern by Julia, Frambuesa, from the same collection. I used two different yarns, and dyed them both.
11. TTL Mystery Shawl ’14
I also dyed the yarn for this shawl — my first gradient. The pattern is Algiers by Kirsten Kapur. The MKAL started on June 1st, and my mom was admitted to the hospital on June 4th, then transferred to ICU a few days later. There was a wonderful group of “old gang” bloggers who formed an FB group for this knit-along, and it was a balm each night to check in with them. Mom died on June 23rd.
I’m sure I’ve written once or twice about how knitting has seen me through tough times — loneliness, worry, loss. I truly don’t know what I’d have done without it sometimes.
12. 2016 Rhinebeck Shawl
There was no time to knit a Rhinebeck Sweater in 2016, so I knit a Rhinebeck Shawl, instead. I love the pattern — Close To You by Justyna Lorkowska — and have knit it at least once more, and my sister Ann has knit it a couple of times, too. Also yarn that I dyed myself. As chance would have it, I’m wearing that shawl today! (It looks like winter is going to be making a couple of appearances over the next week.)
13. Making Her Own Arrows
This is a lovely “adventure” pattern from 2017 by Larissa Brown called We Make Our Own Arrows. It was potato chip knitting — so fun to pick it up everyday and see how it would go! Another scrap project, another triumph in color, I knit this for myself but ended up giving it to a friend.
14. Oblique
Oblique! A ten-year project (and not the only one), 2007-2017, start to finish. After 10 years, it didn’t fit me, but Maddy LOVES it! I’d like to knit another sometime. Oblique by Veronik Avery, knit it Cascade 220.
15. Gnomes
No list of favorites would be complete without mentioning gnomes! Susan B. Anderson and Sarah Schira are my designers of choice. I made my first little gnome(s) in 2018, a bunch more in 2020 while recovering from Covid, and a few mystery gnomes… another one to start pretty soon!
16. Safe At Home
Talk about Covid projects… this is Margaret Holzmann’s Safe at Home blanket, highly modified. This was knit for Davy (who’s going to be 4 in September!).
17. Hexie Love
This is crochet, so technically not knitting, and it’s also a WIP, as I have yet to master the border situation. And more color! The pattern is Hexie Love Actually by Greenletterday, which I started in 2021. The colors are Madelinetosh Unicorn Tails, and the background is Tosh Merino Light. I’m pretty sure this is destined to be Addie’s graduation blanket… which gives me another year-and-a-half to finish (I won’t wait that long)!
18. 5 Point Bomber
Last year’s wonderful project for Modern Daily Knitting | I Made It with Atlas! It was so fun to knit this project for the kids — with their input. Designer Holli Yeoh now includes coloring pages with the 5 Point Bomber pattern.
19. A Light in the Window for Mack
A fun little riff on Kay Gardiner’s A Light in the Window, this was knit for Mack’s high school graduation. There’s a lot of play on ONE color — mostly dye test skeins that I’d purchased a few years ago. I think he likes it.
20. Family Temperature Blanket
Another WIP, more color, more riffing… and tonight I’ll knit the last few rows of Ali’s panel and get started on Maddy’s — the last one!! I’ve already been working on this for over two years. I’m excited to wrap it up this summer. (Whatever will I do next…?? ha.)
BONUS MATERIAL
A gallery of little projects…
It’s hard to pick just 20 out of 133 projects! That doesn’t count the multiples… gnomes, dishcloths, hats, etc.
And, of course, THANK YOU!! Thanks for reading, laughing, encouraging, enabling, crying, comiserating, and just for being there. It’s changed in many ways, but I’d have never lasted 20 years without our community.
This post was originally published 14 years ago. I read it again this morning and it all still rings true, so I thought I’d re-post with some updates!(Fourteen years ago, I was still using a double-space after every sentence. Fixing that… haha.)
The Blog Changes Lives
One day, a little over 19 years ago, my then strictly-blog-friend Ann/Purling Swine on Long Island wrote me an email that went something like this: I told my friend that I’d quit smoking with her. You wanna quit with us?
I thought for 2.25 seconds and wrote back: YES!
Then I called up my sister and said: I’m going to quit smoking, you wanna?
And she said: YES!
Then I told my family, made an admission and announcement on the blog, and commenced to plan my strategy. Let me tell you, I still remember how thoroughly I thought through all of the different scenarios and triggers and planned and plotted and made decisions about how to deal with each and every one. By the time Quit Day rolled around, I was very well prepared. The triggers that snuck up on me were the ones way further out — like when football season rolled ’round again and the Packers scored their first touchdown of the season and I actually started out of my chair to go out on the back porch for my usual and customary celebratory smoke during the commercial break. Oh, wait, I don’t smoke anymore! Heh. Wow. That was so weird.
Anyway, there was so much blog love and encouragement, it was incredible — and, gulp, that meant there was gonna be no turning back, not with all those eyes on me from near and far! I have fallen down on a few other things over the years, but there’s not much riding on whether I finish a knitting project by a certain date or post a photo-a-day.
One bright star in the galaxy was my then strictly-blog-friend Cara/January One. She and Georgie went shopping and sent me a box full of quit-smoking aids — gum, sunflower seeds, little stir straws, Dum Dums — there was so much that I felt I needed to share and sent a portion of it back east to Ann.
Cara and Ann were then completely oblivious to each other, blog-or-otherwise. I remember talking to Ann about celebrating at some point — maybe at the five-year-mark — by meeting and getting together for a weekend someplace in between Wisconsin and New York… like, maybe Ohio.
Well, as luck would have it, DH (haha, y’all know him better now as RUSTY) and I had an opportunity to visit New York City in June of 2005 — just three short months into the quit — where I was able to meet up and spend some time with not only Ann and Cara, but also with Kathleen/Katyknits, Nancy/Bronx Girl Knits, Cassie/Too Much Wool, and a bunch of other bloggers, many (most/all?) of whom are no longer blogging. It was a memorable and magical trip. I’d only been to NYC once before and the circumstances were so different. Now, of course, I’ve been there… quite a few more times.
I can hardly believe it’s been 19 years. The first days, weeks, months were hell… But since then? I really can’t believe, after having smoked for as long as I did, that I haven’t missed it more, that I don’t have more urges than I do… dare I say it? …that it’s been so easy. I stayed far, far away from anything smoke-related for a very long time — just removed myself from anything, -place, or -one that could lead to temptation. It’s almost like I’m indifferent now. I was in close proximity with someone who was smoking recently and it registered, but I barely had a reaction — it smelled neither good nor bad, didn’t make me want to have one, whatever; I was a little happier when it was finally stubbed out, though. I’ll tell you my story, talk about my experiences, probably tell you more than you want to know, but I won’t lecture or preach; I make my choices in any given situation, other people make their choices.
The Stats
As of this morning (18 Mar 2024), my best estimate of the stats to-date:
Smoke-free for 6,941 days
138,820 cigarettes not smoked
That’s 6,941 packs not purchased, saving me $41,646.26
I’ll admit that the “Lifetime Saved” figure was never all that impressive or encouraging, but it’s adding up, gathering momentum, and is starting to mean something. A YEAR+! Also, the money saved? I doubt that’s reflective of the fact that the price of cigarettes has at least tripled here since I quit, thanks in part to hefty cigarette tax increases in Wisconsin. I think a pack of smokes is near $10 now (I don’t pay close attention), I used a conservative $6/pack in calculating. I can’t imagine how I’d have kept cigarettes in my budget.
Anyway, Yay us! We are AWESOME!! Congratulations girls! And thank you.
A photo from the weekend — had the kiddos overnight on Saturday & this is just as they were heading out on a little hike. Only two children came home with wet shoes/socks/pants. Not bad. Junah made his “camera” with K’nex! Ginny didn’t actually solve any Sudoku puzzles while hiking (or any other time). They all enjoyed some fruit snacks on the trail, though! It was a great weekend.
