Aunt Lois, is that you? Uncle Jimmy?

No, not THAT light. I hope.


The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter, but I mean the tunnel that is my skirt.

I finished and bound off the bottom tier at Thursday's knit night and then picked up the 205 stitches for the top AND last tier. The pattern for this ruffle is quick and easy and there is a chance that I might have it finished by this Thursday's knit night. YAY!!!

Then I can stop whining about this project and enjoy having it finished. Finally!!!

Baxter

These are the toys I bought for Baxter to play with:


These are the things he plays with:

carpet fringe

leaf debris

paper bags

sticks

throw rugs

and this is the one thing I bought that he DOES play with.

He has killed it many, many times.

I should vacuum more to get the dust, leaf debris and small sticks off the floors, but then Baxter would be bored!

Baxter

He arrived yesterday.

Isn't he cuuuuuute????

Whew...

I am capable of finishing something!!! This is the sweater I started last week for Elizabeth, and I finished two days ago. Now it has been blocked and as soon as I add a button and loop, I can put it away for Elizabeth's birthday. It is wool...perhaps not the best choice for a little Texas girl, but I love the yarn (Rowan felted tweed) and I love the color.

It is the Rita sweater from Noro Kids by Jane Ellison.

AND I was able to repair the damage from the dropped stitches on the Sasha Skirt. I cast off that tier, and I am now finishing the bottom of the skirt. Four more rows. Then I will pick up 205 stitches for the top tier. I see a light at the end of the tunnel!

And I don't think it's another train coming at me!

Just Walk Away

This happened last night. I was happily, really, really happily, binding off the next to the top ruffle on the never-ending-skirt project. I was using one end of a size 6 circular needle along with a size 7 needle so that my cast-off would be loose. After I had finished about 3/4 of the cast-off I looked at the end of the knitting and discovered that the other end had come off of the needle.

How the...? What...? Why...?

I have no idea how this happened, but I have about 14 inches of the mess above to sort out - two rows, at least, of yarn-overs, pssos, knitting and purling and ....

I picked up what I could, in some cases just guessing where the yarn-overs might be.

Walk away, Knittergran, just walk away.

And that's what I did.

It's So Fluffy!!!!!

But it's not a unicorn.

I'm pretty sure it's a raccoon, and it has made a home in the soffit over our deck.

I'd prefer a unicorn.

A Break

I'm taking a break from knitting the skirt. I swear that I just keep knitting and knitting and never seem to make any progress. I have no idea how SallyKnit finished hers so long ago and I'm still struggling. (She's a faster knitter, perhaps?)

The LYS has this sweater on display and I love it. So I'm making it for Elizabeth's second birthday in October.
But I'm not using Noro; I have problems with Noro. The yarn breaks on me. Where there are changes in the strand and one is tied to another, the staff at Noro seems to make no effort to match up the colors, and I end up with an abrupt color change. I love the colors but not the yarns. Instead, I am using Rowan felted tweed, which I love knitting with. It's a beautiful raspberry color, which doesn't show up well in the photo, but it really is pretty!

I do realize, however, after spending a fair amount of time this afternoon frogging rows of the lace, that had I used the Noro, mistakes wouldn't have been so obvious as they are in this yarn, and I could have CHEATED and faked the fixes!!!

Elizabeth will just have to be happy with a perfect sweater.......

It is knitting up really quickly and I may even have it finished by the end of the weekend!

Babyland

While everyone was here, my younger daughter and two of my granddaughters made it to Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. It is in the middle of NOwhere.

Remind you of anyplace you saw on television in the 80s?

It is a 70,000 square foot hospital where Cabbage Patch dolls are born.

I think 69,500 square feet are devoted to the gift shop...really!

But there are deliveries, and we were there for one.

Here is the doctor, showing us the sonogram:

Once the Cabbage has reached ten cabbage leaves dilated and has had her easyotomy, the baby arrives.

(Don't blame me; these are not my jokes.)

This event is pure magic to the kids. Here is Lily holding the newborn and she was just thrilled to hold him. (The doctor said he was a boy.)

The limited edition babies are in the $200.00 range, but the folks at Babyland are smart. Because practically the whole place is a gift shop, there are dolls...ooops...I mean babies at every price point, and fortunately, the coveted newborn is not for sale immediately after birth. He has to have his APGAR score determined, you know.

So Lily and Elizabeth each brought home a baby - one who laughs when her stomach is squeezed for Lily (Lily's mom was thrilled), and a preemie for little Elizabeth.

The Thrill of Victory

All of the houseguests have left. It was wonderful to have everyone here.

One houseguest had a birthday. Guess how old?!

Ella climbed at Nationals.

Lily and Elizabeth went to Babyland.

Campbell, well, Campbell just plain had fun.

The kids were great! No whining. No temper tantrums. Their mother claims that they do these things at home, but I don't know that I believe her.

Their mother says that there is no reason for tantrums, crying or whining when every single whim, wish and desire is met.

Yesssssss!

Knittergran Rocks!!!

If I Buy It

They will come.

Tomorrow seven house guests will arrive. (two daughters, one son-in-law, four grandchildren)

Friday four more arrive. (sister, niece, her two children)

Am I CRAZY???

Not yet.