Baby Sweater Hell

We are back to the M&D baby kimono.

Yeesh.

Okay, so for those (2?) people following the drama so far: I started the baby kimono with some Dale Baby Ull that was a gift from KnittinSis for Christmas. We have documented gauge issues (umm, I don't swatch?), so the 80-stitch wide, 25-row deep "sweater" became a gauge swatch. Live and learn.

That got frogged and I went on a quest to find another baby sweater. Do you hear the tick-tick-ticking?

I settled on Haiku from Knitty, which is adorable and adjustable based on gauge. I'm charmed by the idea of doing a sideways sweater with fewer seams. Off we go again...

And today, once I hit the box stitch, I finally faced up to the fact clearly written into the pattern: This sweater is going to fit a 1-year-old, particularly as small as my newborn is bound to be, based on precedent. I mean, it was 10.5 inches long. My last newborn was 21 inches long. So much for my math.

But if I turn the 54-stitch wide front of Haiku around, it makes a slightly larger baby kimono back with only 1 more inch to go until casting on for the sleeves. I say, let's live dangerously...I'm going to go for it.

Not that I've read any further in the pattern than comparing my gauge and giving myself a mental high-five: "You can do it!"

Meanwhile, there was un poco stash enhancement yesterday at the LYS. Perhaps I have a new sock obsession after seeing Carrie's two-week miracles. Will go into it more when I have a good photo of the yarn I had to have.

And how did I have time today to ponder all this knitting, inspired by my day at the yarn store yesterday? And listen to an episode of Cast On and Lime 'n' Violet? Here's how the boys spent the afternoon:

Sit 'n' Knit

I had the most fabulous, wonderous, splendiferous day today!!

I was sittin' and knittin'.

Grampy took Slim to the Air and Space Museum, which the boy never tires of. While they were enjoying the rocketships and learning about the solar system, I hauled down to my LYS.

Meanwhile, don't fret for the poor boy seeing the same museum twice in one week. Here's what he thought...

So I made good progress on my second sock, chatted about law school with a woman taking the bar this month (good luck, Lauren!) and laughed about picking kids' names with the LYS owner, who has a 3-month-old at home.

I must have fondled every yarn in the store, some twice. We dished about Interweave's new layout, and the general feeling was "eh, so-so." I dittoed other feedback I've heard about having a hard time telling the ads apart from the content and about separating the patterns from the pictures. I also would appreciate having the designers' names in the photos so you can tell who made each one. At least Vogue Knitting does that. I just got a subscription from my mom for Christmas, so I hope they go back to the old design a little bit.

But as far as new design goes, if you happen to make it up to NYC, take in the "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting" show at the Museum of Art and Design. There were some fantastic pieces there, including my favorite: the Bobbin Lace Lamp made of fiber optic cable. Beautiful. The whole show was unique and inspiring.

I tell you, my mood is so much better with a little civilized knit time. Makes me worry that much less about the Cap'n embedding with an army patrol this weekend in Baghdad. He arranged flowers all the way from Iraq. Now that's something to live up to, guys!

Confinement Begins

My confinement is underway, and I couldn't be happier. No more traveling, just sitting at home and finishing up this baby. I'm reading up on this, since March 10 is getting closer...

And we have a heel!!

It's on to the foot of the second sock...I am definitely planning to finish these up, hopefully by the end of the week. IndyGrampy just got into town on the heels of NCGrandpa heading back home. So I'm hoping that Slim and Grampy can go enjoy the museums while I sit home and knit.

Slim had a great time with NCGrandpa (DiDa!), taking in a show at Air and Space's Einstein Planetarium. Snow and ice have literally kept us confined at home the last two days, so Slim is getting cabin fever. Tomorrow he's at least going to the park.

What we don't have is any baby handknits made by mummy. I still need to measure my garter swatch and see if I can work up a little something in the next few weeks. Luckily it's Aunt KnittinSis to the rescue!

I'll have to get her to leave a comment on what the yarns are. I think the little golden one has some alpaca in it and the cranberry one is made of leftovers from Uncle Ben's hat. Too cute!

Getting these, plus a new monkey rattle from LAAuntie, makes it more real that baby is getting closer. And I'm anxious that I'm not ready. No clothes laid out, no diapers, no co-sleeper set up. And NO HANDKNITS! Sigh.

But there's nothing like breaking a few fashion rules with your knitting to make you feel better!

Stop by Maryse's before tomorrow and show off your handknit sock style.

And before I sign off, I want to send a big Valentine's Day shout-out to my Cap'n. I had a dream last night that I was headed off to Iraq to report with him. Wouldn't that be fun?

My Cap'n is the man. He cooks gourmet meals and he's the best father I've ever seen. He tells me I'm beautiful even when I waddle, and even when he's thousands of miles away in a war zone. He gets my favorite joke in the whole wide world: Two men walk into a bar, the third one ducks. (Think about it. heehee...)

Happy Valentine's Day, Cap'n. I love you.

Still Here

It's been a while since my last post, and we're off to another family gathering soon, so I just wanted to leave an update that we're still hanging in here.

We had a little excitement in NYC with one of the SILs taking me to the hospital on Sunday for some light contractions. Luckily it was just the onset of a stomach bug that caused the contractions, so they eased off the next day. We haven't made a baby yet here.

Slim and I had so much fun in NYC. Slim playing with his cousins, and me hitting the art openings and museums with my SILs. It was so good to hang out with family. And all the art was inspiring.

But things are on a high stress level here...I won't lie. We're off to NC with NCGrandpa so we can meet up with all the family for my aunt's wedding. I'm looking forward to it, but I don't feel like I have everything together yet. Plus we're planning on traveling through the day, and Slim can be, well, "challenging" in the car for too long. We'll see how it goes.

Pics when we return...and a review of the MofAD knitting show and hopefully, actual knitting content.

I think that is part of the reason why I'm stressed...I haven't picked up the needles in almost a week. EEK!!

NYC Bound

I wanted to get a quick word in during the boy's nap because Slim and I will be taking Mia up to Brooklyn this coming weekend, and I don't know how much blogging I'll be able to fit in.

Yesterday was a big day hanging out with our Safta, whom Slim had running around chasing him all afternoon. Here he was "helping" bring out some tangerines for snacks.


Our Safta is an amazing woman -- 87 next month -- and still volunteering and driving around younger, more invalid neighbors. Slim enjoyed hanging out and reading her books and showing off his cars.

And we got good news at the midwife's this morning: Baby Dos decided to cooperate and turn head down like a good little bean. I guess the swimming and crawling around this week has helped!

The funny thing is that I think I feel more pregnant now that the little baby is in the right position. I've got more pressure on my pelvis when I'm out walking, I get more out of breath and I have more kicks in my lungs.

I'm getting tired more easily, but I can't wait to hang out in NYC. While I'm there, my SIL will have an opening of her artwork at Sunny's Bar in Red Hook. I am always inspired by her art. I identify with the distance of them, with how they capture that feeling of traveling and waking up in a strange place at 3am where you don't speak the language.

Plus her show openings are fun. So NYC knitters/art lovers, come on down!

I am also angling to catch the Radical Lace Subversive Knitting show at the Museum of Arts and Design. If I can, I'll leave the kiddo at home, but I imagine the little screamer will be along for the ride. Maybe the aunts and cousins can help entertain him. The NY Times gave only a so-so review for the show, but I think it will still be interesting.

I'm looking forward to the trip. It'll be good for Slim to hang out with the cousins and I need the sisterly support. And when we get back, NC Grandpa is coming for a visit, and then we'll have a family wedding to celebrate.

All kinds of good news...

Going Swimmingly

The Cap'n called before going to bed and said that his room at the hotel has a small balcony. He opened the curtains, looked out the window and said, "Wow. That's Baghdad." Weird, huh? There he is, halfway across the world. But safely, thank goodness.

Skype has been wonderful so far. I can hear him better over the computer than I could my SIL on the cellphone in New York. And last time we talked, I asked him to check into Baghdad yarn. They've got sheep, right? Someone's bound to have wool...

Meanwhile, Slim and I are staying busy here. It took me all weekend, but I finally finished the necessary cleaning around the house. This is Slim enjoying the Thomas trains at the bookstore on Friday.

The boy and I floated about at the neighborhood pool Saturday and enjoyed a walk with the dog in the 52-degree weather. Sunday we woke up to rain and made our daily grocery store walk in sleet, but Saturday was awesome. Today we've got a grand high of 30. Toasty.

And I'm so proud to say that this weekend I resisted the siren call of my LYS's winter sale. I have a new game: HYS. Home Yarn Store. It's gotta be the way for me...though I won't make any promises about souvenir yarn this weekend from NYC. I think Mim said it wonderfully about why stash enhancement expeditions (SEX) are so tempting...

Brenda of Cast On inspired me when she talked in this last episode about reorganizing her stash. I think I might try to pull out everything tonight (really, it's not that much, Cap'n!) and figure out what I have and what projects I have lined up for them. Those baby sweater ideas are weighing on me as D-Day inches closer.

Silly me cast on for the Mason-Dixon baby kimono with the Dalegarn Baby Ull I got for Christmas, but I didn't think it through enough. I mean, I actually put thought into it: But the train of thought derailed before it made it into the station. Here's how it went:

1. The pattern calls for worsted weight on US6 (4mm) needles.
2. I have fingering weight and a US2 (3mm) needle.
3. I'll cast on double the number of stitches the pattern calls for (80 instead of 40) and figure it out as I go.
4. Hell no, I won't swatch. I'll assume that somehow my gauge will be half that called for.

Sheer knitting brilliance, huh? Anyhoo. After holding up a day's worth of knitting to Slim and noting that it will probably come out fitting him, and remembering that babies are actually quite small, I put it down and am back on the hunt for another pattern.

Besides, Carrie challenged me to finish big on my SAM2 commitment and get that Child's First Sock done before the end of the month. I have not had a chance to work on it this weekend, but tonight I'm going whole hog. THE RACE IS ON!

I've got 2 more pattern repeats on the leg and then it's the heel and foot. Wish me luck...

I Don't Love to Sew...

But I do love my husband.

I have been knitting this week, but on the down-low, so I couldn't share it until now. I would like to introduce the Cap'n's Felted Mittens.

The Pattern: Double-Cuff Mittens from Knit One, Felt Too (my first felted project!)
The Yarn: Bemidji's Original Homespun from A Good Yarn in Baltimore
Colorways: Oxford Grey and Charcoal Heather
Needles: Susan Bates aluminum US11 dpns and Clover Takumi bamboo US4 dpns
Time: Little over a week? I started them after we got back from Oregon and I finished today.
Modifications: I made the inside ribbed cuff longer as per the recipient's request. I also included a colorwork Shetland-style pattern around the palm, inspired by the samples knitted up in the shop.

First, the yarn is AWESOME. I purchased these two skeins plus a cream one the night before my LSAT in December. I got it on the recommendation of the girl in the shop, who said it felted beautifully. The yarn is also incredibly soft (considering it is untreated wool) for wearing next to the skin. And at $6 for 225 yards, you can't beat the price. I still have a good bit leftover from the mittens -- I'm hoping enough to make a pair of boot socks to match for the Cap'n. I'd like to modify the Country Sock pattern in Folk Socks.

The shop had a pair of these double-cuff mittens knitted up, and they were worked up in the same colors with a Fair Isle pattern across the palm. I knew I had to make some for the Cap'n.

Unfortunately, I didn't study the mittens closely enough to remember the pattern nor did I draw it out. So when it came time to do these, I cast about for another Fair Isle inspiration. Luckily I have the best one close at hand: The Art of Fair Isle Knitting. (A birthday gift card purchase last year.)

I believe this pattern is referred to sometimes as "three to the fireplace, three to the door." The author, Ann Feitelson, had a pair of gloves knitted for her with this pattern by an 80-year-old Shetland Islander who remembered her aunt making this pattern in the 1920s. The aunt was 70 years old in the 1920s and had been making this pattern for decades, according to the book. I so appreciated Ms. Feitelson's research in this book, and thanks to her I can continue making a pattern that is more than 100 years old. You can see it better in the unfelted before photo.

There is not a pattern written up for this in the book, but I just hand-charted it and inserted the pattern across the palm. The challenge was keeping my floats loose, especially since I knew it was going to shrink. The colorwork definitely came out to be the tightest part of the mitten. I probably would have liked to felt the mittens for slightly longer, but was afraid that the palm would become too small for the Cap'n. As it was, it only took about 10 minutes to felt them in the washer downstairs.

The ribbed cuff is unfelted and whipstitched in. I own absolutely no thread and no sewing needles. On purpose. I don't really like to sew and in 4-H I begged my mom to let me take Consumer Clothing instead of regular Clothing, just so I could get new clothes without sewing them. But in the space of a naptime, I overcame my fear of sewing and finished off the mittens.

When I originally purchased the yarn and book, I showed it to the Cap'n to see if he would like them. He said he would, but he wanted a longer cuff that would tuck into his sweaters. Luckily, he forgot he OK'd this project, so when I decided to make him something to send off with him to Baghdad, these mittens came as a surprise.

You will note however, they are not in Baghdad.

Despite the quick knit nature of the big double points, the mittens did not dry in enough time to get the cuffs sewn in before the Cap'n flew out last night. (I did get a call from him saying he made it to Amman safely and will make the last leg of the trip tomorrow.)

So now he has to promise to come home and wear them.

Slim approves too. (But he did rip them off quickly after this shot...)

Slim also had a fun day, playing with Thomas trains at Barnes & Noble. And I made progress on my Child's First Sock. We'll see what progress tomorrow brings...

Walking Out

Clearly, my unborn child is exceptional. I mean, he/she fits the profile of only 5 percent of births that occur.

Yep, the midwife thinks Baby Dos is breech. The little critter is in position to walk out of there.

On the one hand, it gives me more to worry about, but on the other, I am proud of the strength of those punches in the ribs I've been getting. I thought it was baby's feet.

There's still time for baby to swim in the other direction. Slim is going to think I'm the one regressing, because the midwife suggested I crawl around on all fours. He and I also will be going to float in the pool more in the coming weeks.

But I'm open to any and all suggestions...

And to keep this from being yet another whiny, picture-less post: Gratuitous Baby Cuteness. This is him being really proud of tasting the watercolor paints...

Can't Concentrate

This morning out hasn't relieved any of the anxiety I'm feeling or helped me get anything done on the law school stuff. I can't focus on it. I'm still writing the personal statement, and I don't know what I want to say.

I want to say that the month ahead is looming like an incoming mortar, just bound to wreck something in my world. I want to admit to being easily distracted, but then scream at the first person who suggests that I don't have a reason to be: "Excuse the hell out of me, but are you 7 weeks from your due date with a willful toddler as your sole responsibility and a husband who is going to a war zone where they just shot 5 U.S. civilians?!!?"

How stupid would it be to hit the 95th percentile on the LSAT and not go to law school?

Of course, now I'm thinking I would be better off applying next year, with my applications due around Baby Dos's 1st birthday. That way I would start school when he/she is a year and a half and Slim is 3. If I can't work at home now on writing with just one kid, how am I going to do it with another infant?

But then, that may just be a rationalization on my part to justify not doing these damn applications.

God, I hate this.

Over There

I think everyone who should really hear this by phone has heard by now, so it's okay to post on here about the Cap'n leaving this Thursday for Baghdad.

Yep, that Baghdad. You know, the one with all the shooting and dying and carrying on.

I'm having a hard time right now not self-censoring and editing this post before I even write it. What with keeping myself busy being just fine.

Let's put my feelings in algebraic form:

X but Y.

I am proud of him and supportive, BUT I'm worried about him going there.
I am sure he will do a great job, BUT I don't want him to get hurt.
I am a confident woman who can handle being alone, BUT I am a 33-week pregnant lady with an active toddler and a dog and I get tired.

The Cap'n was asked to go by his work (not as part of the military), and he'll only be there for a month. He should be back two weeks before my due date, and since Slim was 4 days late, I'm not really worried about him missing anything.

I also know lots of people have it worse than me. Though it is not helpful to the Cap'n's cause when HE points it out. There are military families separated by a year or more. Guardsmen suffer loss of businesses, salaries, etc. with their extended deployments. There's been plenty written elsewhere of the overextension of U.S. troops and the affect it has had on them and their families. I'm not going to get political right now.

I'm just knitting and trying to stave off worries by not reading too many of the news stories out there. The Cap'n has been getting ready all week, so we've had a taste of him not being around. And it's already hard. This does not bode well.

As I told a friend of ours who was in Baghdad for 8 weeks doing the same thing as the Cap'n, it's about ME. I know the Cap'n can handle himself and I'm comfortable with what his workplace is doing as far as security goes. I'm stressed about handling things around here for a month while he's gone and my belly gets bigger. The third trimester tiredness is definitely starting to kick in, and I have the millionth cold of this pregnancy.

My family is prepared to swoop in (Thank God), and I think the grandpas are going to come to entertain the boy. And I have plenty of activities to keep me busy...I keep telling myself it will be fine. And that's all I can do.

It'll be fine, right?

Let It Snow

Winter finally made it to D.C. Slim got some good use out of his new snow boots and winter pants (Thanks, Gramma!) I had to share the picture with the snowflakes. He is wearing his hat, so it counts as a Handknit Street Style pic too!

Kiddo also got to hang with his babysitter on Friday night while the Cap'n and I enjoyed a great show: Pan's Labyrinth. If it's anywhere near you, go see this movie. It was so well done. The story, the visuals, everything worked together beautifully. It was completely engrossing from the first minute.

Before the show, I also put my B&N gift card from Christmas to use. Okay, maybe plus a little more. I went a little insane: Johnny, Loretta, Nickel Creek, the Highwaymen, the Raconteurs. I haven't had new music in so long, and it is all so good.

So it's random, but it's a post. More news tomorrow. And hey! Maybe I'll have part of my law school apps done too! But don't bet your booty on it...

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other...

One of these things is just not the same.

First Knitting Swatch Option 1:

Here we have a little bit of garter stitch, a little bit of stockinette. There are a couple of big loops at the cast-on edge from dropped stitches, and our swatch shares much more in common with a parallelogram than a rectangle. Clearly, not a knitting natural. Let us have pity on this poor beginning knitter, who obviously needs mental help.

First Knitting Swatch Option 2:

Here we have row upon row of nice, even garter stitch. Don't bother looking closely for any dropped stitches, inadvertent increases or accidental decreases. There aren't any. This knitting savant was apparently born with needles in hand. Her first swatch actually functions quite well as a cute little bookmark.

Wanna guess which one is mine and which one is KnittySissy's?

Now apparently Mom is knitting too. And KnittinSis has already cabled. I've started a revolution.

Let's just hope my head isn't the first one on the chopping block...

P.S. I do think I remembered when my last yarn purchase was. I got some Bemidji undyed wool at A Good Yarn in Baltimore the night before my LSAT on Dec. 2. So let's hear it for me going almost 2 months without buying yarn! Whoo. and Hoo.

The Oregon Trail

A long weekend being pampered in Oregon is just the ticket for a tired 32-week pregnant lady.

I have to say I owe the Cap'n and our friends, Dos Doctores, for the wonderful time. El Doctor demolished one of the bathrooms in their beach house 3 months ago, and after (shall we say) "limited" progress, La Doctora called the Cap'n for his dormant but formidable contracting skills. I formed a substantial part of the cheerleading squad.

So while the Cap'n and El Doctor shored up framing, drywalled and spackled, La Doctora and I got a babysitter for the 4 kids and had a facial at the spa and got our toes painted. (It's a hard life, I know.) Then we took the kids to the indoor wave pool and out for pizza. I also finally got to see "Cars" and loved it. You can't tell Slim is having a good time from this picture, can you?

The time in Florence couldn't have been more relaxing. There's something wild and beautiful about the Oregon coast, and the kids loved digging in the sand and climbing on the huge driftwood logs. We had a delicious dinner out sans kids and had the best time catching up with our friends. El Doctor and the Cap'n went to high school together, but I feel like I've known them both forever.

And it was priceless seeing Slim playing with their 3 kids. Their youngest is one month younger than Slim, and while sharing was a foreign concept, they played well next to each other. The bubble machine was a big hit.

We even got to see a friend from that other Portland (Maine) in Portland before we flew out. He was visiting his West Coast girlfriend, and we all got to have dinner together before our red-eye flight back.

The red-eye was one of those good in theory, not in practice ideas. I thought all three of us would get some sleep, but it didn't happen. We're still adjusting back to East Coast time and catching up on sleep, but Slim is finally back on his schedule.

I saw two KIP-ers, one going out and one coming back, on the plane. And one woman on her way to the bathroom saw me working on Slim's mitten and asked if I had any trouble getting needles on the plane. I only brought three pairs of wooden DPNs, so I didn't even get flagged.

Again though, No. Souvenir. Yarn. And not that much knitting time, but it was worth it. I'm still working on my second Child's First Sock in Shell pattern, and I hope to have it done by the end of the month to meet my SAM challenge.

The next Sock-a-Month starts in February, but I'm not sure about joining again. I had fun this time and am really proud that I made a pair almost every month (2 in September but none in October). I'm just worried that I won't be able to keep up with it while entertaining an infant and toddler.

I am tempted to re-join a Stashalong or Knit From Your Stash challenge. Just because so far I've gone without a yarn purchase since before Christmas. In fact, I can't remember my last purchase...though I'm sure the Cap'n will be happy to remind me.

I'm actually psyched to play Home Yarn Store (HYS). I've got so many cool projects stashed away in there, including some baby sweaters planned that I must get to before they grow out of them.

RULE 1: It is NOT OKAY to knit for your grandkids when your children are under 5.

That's a keeper.

Florida or Bust

I am having such a hard time dressing appropriately for the weather in D.C. Florida is still on my mind.

After a flight back from Indiana midday, Slim and I spent the afternoon repacking with warm weather gear and waiting for the Cap'n to get off work at 1am. We started out at 2:30am and made it down to Ft. Myers in a marathon 22 hours, including a 5 hour stop in Savannah, Ga., to meet up with my parents who were coming back from a dive trip in Florida. I think Slim's shirt says it all. (Thanks, LAAuntie!)

Clearly, this is the beginning of the trip -- a quick gas stop in Benson, N.C. But Slim has been a really good soldier throughout all our travels this last month. It's a point of personal pride for the Cap'n that Slim made it to Florida and back (and the Oregon flight, too!) with no DVDs. Just a lot of books and cars. It was tiring work to entertain him, but worth it, I think.

Why Ft. Myers? None of us had been there yet, but the Cap'n and I still reminisce about our canoe trip to the Everglades that I blogged about a month or so ago. And we were offered a free place to stay by our friend, who knew us back in the first town where the two of us lived together. Plus that child of ours needed some warm air and palm trees, as did his daddy.

It's a beautiful city, even if we didn't get to see any manatees the entire time we were there. We spent two days over on Sanibel Island, including exploring the Ding Darling Nature Preserve on a 4-mile nature walk.

We saw ibis, herons and egrets. There were plovers along the shore lines, and little crabs scurrying along the mangrove trees. We did not see any gators, but Slim got a new nickname: A.B. (Alligator Bait...doesn't he look tasty in his little stroller?) There were definitely times walking along the pathway where I could imagine a hungry gator sneaking out to snack on us.

The birds were a real highlight of the trip. We also rented a canoe at the Port Sanibel Marina and the whole family (Mia, too!) paddled out to find more birds. Again, no gators or manatees, but lots of birds, including a very large osprey.

The woman who rented us the canoe clearly thought we were nuts. She asked the Cap'n, "Don't you think you're taking a lot on?" What, there's something weird about a 7-month pregnant woman, an 18-month-old and a dog who doesn't like water going out for a paddle? But Slim was really into the ride, and most of the canoe trail was in water about 2-3 feet deep.

After the walking and paddling, the Cap'n and I needed a quiet day at the beach, which we got next down in Naples on Barefoot Beach. We saw quite a few gopher tortoises just in the parking lot. Slim napped naked on the beach and we all went for a dip in the shimmering blue waves, even if the water was still a little cold. A perfect January afternoon.

Unfortunately, we had to cut the trip a day short because we learned my grandfather got sick, and we wanted to make a detour through North Carolina. But before we left, we made a point to take Slim on an airboat ride, thinking he would be really into the wind in his hair and seeing the big gators. We did see the big gators, but Slim also quickly fell asleep on the boat.

We saw a lot more birds too, including very large wood storks and iridescent purple gallinule, but despite the Cap'n's best photographic efforts, most of the shots are of the backsides of the birds as they fled the noisy airboat. Okay, I know airboats aren't the most ecologically sensitive crafts or that good for the wildlife, but I'm just redneck enough to like the noise and the speed of them. Sorry.

So on the way back to DC, we visited good friends in Tampa and made the push through to North Carolina. By the end of the trip, there was nothing more we wanted than to be O-U-T of the car. Slim was just squirming in his seat and whine-crying. Even Mia was giving us that look from her perch on top of the bags in the back.

A fun time was had by all, but I think we may have to make shorter trips and maybe get a bigger car (Mazda6 wagon, anyone?) with BabyDos...

Quite a memorable first family vacation!

Quite a Life

Phew. All I wanted to do this evening is put on comfy pants and some handknit socks. Good thing my watermelon socks were clean and waiting for me after our redeye flight from Portland, Ore.

What a fun time in Eugene and Florence!! I'm going to get some pictures up from the trip soon. Slim had such a good time playing with our friends' kids. I got pampered and the Cap'n got to pound around in the mostly demolished bathroom they were refinishing.

Meanwhile, there's a lot going on here...but all in good time.

I did get the second Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern started and I'm about done with the ribbing. I think this one will go pretty fast, since I have the pattern down now. I made one mitten for the boy out of leftover yarn from his Elf Swirl hat, but I think it's too small and tight. So it's to the frog pond for that one. It only took a day and a half, so I need to get it restarted and finished since it's cold back here in D.C.

Mom made a request for a pair of socks from Knitting Vintage Socks, so that's the next sock project on the needles. (Note: I said "sock" project. Not all projects.) She likes the Child's French Sock, and I'm thinking about using some Opal sock yarn (color 64 on the web site) that I found at Springwater a long time ago. I do want to swatch, however, so that I'm sure I'll get socks that fit Mom.

And you heard right: I'm using more stash yarn. Our trips to Florida and Oregon yielded NO opportunities for souvenir yarn SEX. NONE. When I was making notes of what to catch the blog up on, I somehow wrote that down twice. NONE. Of course, stash enhancement has been helped by significant gift yarns, so I have plenty to work on...

Of course, I mentioned the baby sweater with the Dalegarn Baby Ull. I need to swatch it and still find a pattern. I'm thinking I might try to go through some of the vintage pamphlets that my dad and grandma gave me to see if I can find something in there.

And I HAVE TO FINISH MY SWEATER. Y'all it has been almost a year since I started it. It's shameful. I am totally afraid of blocking and finishing. I'm not even sure if it will fit me and my 32-week belly right now, but it's the principle of the thing. And there might be some chilly days after March where I can trot it out.

The Cap'n has "laid down the law" on the sweater. I'm not supposed to pick up crochet, from the Happy Hooker or anyone else, until the sweater is finished. I've been psyched since getting the Big Box of Yarn from Dad about learning crochet and have been thinking about taking a class. KnittinSis gave me Deb Stoller's book, so I'm going to start there. But, yes, after the sweater. Heck, probably after BabyDos.

So I really meant to post pics, but I think I'll do a separate post on Florida and another on Oregon. By time I get those done, I'll have knitting progress and other news to post about. And hopefully those law school apps done....ooh, don't remind me.

Instead of working on them during our travels, I managed to finish two fiction books: "Restless" by William Boyd (a Hanukkah gift from the Cap'n) and "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. I can highly recommend the first one, which is a fun read, but the second one was so-so. It was too reliant on stereotypes of the South.

So now I'm on to "Specimen Days" by Michael Cunningham, which I got just on the basis of "The Hours,"which haunted me for weeks after reading it. And knitting...I need the relaxation.

Catching Up

It's come to that point where there is so much to blog about, I have a bit of writer's block. But I know that if I don't start somewhere, I won't start at all. So here goes...

A second blog post from Indiana was interrupted by the 18-hour stomach bug. First Malcolm was throwing up all Tuesday after Christmas, then I could barely crawl out of bed on Wednesday -- missing the big family shindig.

So it's taken me until now to brag about all my Knitty Kristmas presents! I am waiting on stitch markers and needles for my new Interweave subscription to start. And I'm really excited to start using my new KnitPicks Options set. I would like to use them with my Dalegarn Baby Ull in sage green to make a baby sweater for Baby Dos, but the needle sizes only go down to US4, and I think I need a US2. Any pattern suggestions?


But the siren call of German sock yarn is hard to resist also. Mike and Mom returned from their recent trip with three balls of sock yarn that I am dying to dive into: one Online Supersocke and two Lana Grossa (a Colortweed and a Cotton Fantasy).

The Lana Grossa ColorTweed, I've decided, goes too perfectly with the purple Cherry Tree Hill that I already had at at my At Home Yarn Shop. So I'm thinking of making Devan from Knitty for Baby Dos after the green sweater is complete.

Thank goodness I have my new camouflage Go Knit pouch and chic(k) tape measure to carry my sock projects in and measure them with! Ha! You pull an egg out of its butt! It's the little things that amuse me.

Good times...There's more to blog about, particularly gators, birds and baby, but another day. I'll leave you with my very slow knitting process over the vacation.

That's one finished Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in brick (an astounding replica of the sock color from the book). I LOVE IT. Now I just have to start and finish the second.

Bask in its glory until our return from Oregon....yes, yet another trip. Ta-ta til Tuesday!

We're Back!

Blogging to resume shortly...

We made it back safely from our marathon vacation tour of the Midwest and Southern US. After a quick half-day turnaround from our Indiana visit, the family headed off for southwest Florida.

Pictures of paddling, alligators and birds to follow...

Hope everyone had a good holiday season. Are you as glad as I am that it's over?

Merry Christmas!

Guess what made their debut in the airport screening line on Thursday?

The finished (Seedless) Watermelon Socks are lovely, warm and, ahem...too big. At least, the second one is. It's loose around the picot edging. And the heels don't exactly match. And they don't have the little dyed seeds that the knitted-up samples in the store have.

But I still love them in all their seedless glory. Here are the specs:

The Pattern: Judy's toe-up socks (always handy, always useful) on 56 stitches

The Yarn: Hand-dyed by Robin from Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington, a birthday present from the first KnittinSis

The Modifications: Picot edge cuff from this wonderful tutorial and short-row heels by Wendy and Lucia

Time: Dec. 1 to Dec. 20 (only two days for the first sock, longer for the second...isn't that always the case?) I think this is the first pair since the Socks of Doom that I have started and finished both in the same month for my Sock-a-Month challenge.

The guy who sat down next to me while we were putting our shoes back on at the airport kept checking out my socks. That's about the only checking out I get nowadays, so I appreciated it.

Thank you to everyone who commented and told me to keep my head up about the house hunt. I really appreciate it. I know it will get better. And it's amazing what a little sleep and getting over a sinus infection will do for your outlook on life.

So Slim and I have made the journey up to the grandparents in Indiana for Christmas, but since he's napping before the unwrapping, I thought I would catch everyone up on our trip. The socks were welcome company on the plane. And Slim made friends while we were waiting to board. The picture is blurry because it's frankly difficult to catch a 19-month-old and an 18-month-old in stillness at the same time.

The trip was uneventful, though much singing and reading was done on the plane to keep Slim entertained. We've actually had time to relax up here because the family parties don't start until today. So there is knitting content to share.

ALERT THE MEDIA: We have a new knitter joining the fold! Besides the first KnittinSis, we have KnittySissy (we'll maybe let her pick a new nickname) practicing her first garter stitch last night while A Christmas Story played.

Isn't it even stitching? Don't we hate her because her first swatch looks so cute? I think she may have the gift. But I was having trouble showing her different ways to hold the yarn because I'm so used to the way I do it now. Does anyone have any online tutorial tips for how to hold yarn?

And I have to say that KnittinSis has completely come over to the dark side. Check out what she travels with for a one night stay:

The little blue bag on the left (I love it: Will Knit for Tattoos) carries clothes and overnight accessories and the other two (the grocery bag and the giganto Tilli Tomas) carry her overnight knitting stash. You know, just in case she runs out of projects to work on.

Maybe a guest blog from her is in order so she can describe what she's working on???

I am practicing project monogamy on this trip, and it's already killing me. However, great progress has been made on my Child's First Sock in the Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. I'm through the first heel and I think the foot will go even faster.

Mom has made a request for the next pair of socks: Child's French Socks also from KVS. She wants blue, green or purple yarn, so I think that will be my purchase at our planned yarn crawl to KnittinSis's LYS on Wednesday. Also, I'm thinking of making Baby Dos a baby kimono and hat from Mason-Dixon Knitting, and they carry Dale of Norway Baby Ull.

I better wrap this up before Blogger decides to kick me and my prolific mouth off this thing. Here are two final photos and a moral: The kid always decides when he's finished with a popsicle. Always.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Well, That Was Quick

Our offer on the house was rejected. Apparently, an investor made an offer significantly above asking price (which we couldn't have afforded anyway), so that's that.

I'm a bit devastated. And I can't cry because I don't want to upset the kid.

I am going to try to count my blessings, that I have a nice, warm (tiny) place to live and a good husband and a healthy baby and an uneventful pregnancy and a dog that loves to cuddle up to me.

But you might have to give me five minutes....

WARNING: Grumpiness Ahead

Well, actually, not until Dec. 22nd...we put an offer in on a house today and gave them until Friday to respond. I don't have high hopes, especially since I actually like the house, it's in D.C. in a not-so-bad neighborhood and it's not an absolute shithole.

The Cap'n doesn't want the house anyway, so it'll probably be better to have the (low) offer we made rejected. Our realtor had me write a cover letter, and that helped me get some of the emotions of wanting the house out, so now if it doesn't work out, I can rationalize that it's because the seller is a Grinch.

Welcome to the Cranky Zone.

I was hoping this post would have a picture of some finished watermelon socks, but I've had no time to knit at all. Also the second short-row heel is coming out with bumps on both sides, though no holes. And I'm worried that I might run out of yarn. Whoo-hoo! We're a barrel of laughs around here, aren't we?

So, let's change the subject, eh?

Happy Hanukkah!!

As we were lighting candles this morning with the boy, I was trying to count my blessings, I really was. He's digging the 8 days of presents, once he learned that there was something cool behind the paper. And he's learned to cheer when we spin the dreidel.

So far we haven't missed a night of candle-lighting. On Saturday, the Cap'n made latkes for friends visiting from Philly. And in the grand tradition of gift-giving for the Cap'n, I've had my usual 50 percent success rate with presents. So it's back to the store tomorrow for a return. I'm sure there won't be any crowds, right?

Sorry. I was going to drop the negativity, wasn't I. I'm sounding like this...

Hello, we're horrible parents who take pictures of our child having a screaming temper tantrum. Don't you wish this thing came with sound? He's fully hit the terrible twos 6 months early. What a funny little boy...he's also taken to walking backwards lately. Why?

I have to share this story about him. Yesterday at the park, Slim picked up a ball just laying on the ground and started to walk toward me with it. All of a sudden, this 5-year-old boy with his 3 or 4-year-old sister ran up and grabbed the ball out of Slim's hands. The girl was giving Slim the evil eye and standing between him and her brother. She had her arms crossed and was trying to stare Slim down for having the nerve to pick up the ball.

She stuck out her hand in the universal "STOP" sign to Slim, as if to say he better never even think about getting that ball or any other ball, for that matter. So what does Slim do?

He gives her a high five and walks away.

Y'all. He is a funny kid.

And I did get to finally open my gift from North Carolina. May I present a Big Ole Box O' Yarn?

I have ideas, thoughts, inspirations from this...I'm actually thinking about the "C" word...

Likely no posts til Indiana this weekend...and I promise to be in the Hanukkah spirit by then, 'kay?

A Secret FO

I can't show you pics, but a little less than a day and a half worth of knitting got me another FO this evening. I will tell you some of the specs, you know...just to tease.

The Pattern: the Spiral Top-Down Hat Calculator
The Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (they aren't kidding)
Colorway: I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you
Needles: Susan Bates aluminum US11 DPNs (set of 5)
Time: cast on Saturday at noon, cast off Sunday night around 10pm
Circumference: 64 sts, 22in or so

That pretty much tells you everything you need to know right there, but isn't there a good chunk of the story missing? The who(m), most certainly, and the why, which is an interesting story.

But it is proof that stash diving is a fun and diverting activity.

Will have more pics tonight of Hanukkah fun and a big ole box o' yarn...stay tuned.

Want to Knit....

I saw a knitter on the Metro today. My first encounter with a fellow subway train KIP-per. It looked like she was working on a scarf with some nice worsted weight purple (maybe tweedy?) yarn. She was a thrower (English), working with some wooden straights.

That got me to thinking about sitting down with my KnittinSis at Christmas and having our very own SnB. I really want my mom and other sis to join in with us, so I think I'll bring along some extra needles and yarn for them, or pick up some from Sarah's stash. It would be really nice for the 4 of us to do a crochet class together, since that's something I want to learn too.

I can't wait for vacation. It should be great.

Of course, I really need to get to work on the watermelon socks if I'm planning to wear them on the plane to Indiana. I didn't get any knitting in today at all, what with cleaning the entire house and having friends come visit from Philly.

We hit the National Building Museum and Smithsonian American Art Museum today. I think it's on to the Holocaust Museum tomorrow, and maybe another one. We'll see what the kid is up for...

I gotta get some stitches in tonight while we sit up chatting...

Random Wednesday

1. I love Wednesdays. It's my favorite day of the week. I think it's a leftover from school, when it meant the school week was half over. And today was such a lovely Wednesday, with some mild weather for a December. Slim and I spent a couple hours at the park.


2. Reason #139 why I am so cool and in touch with the trends: So there's this little show called Scrubs that I just found. It is hilarious. And it has apparently been on this newfangled gadget we call the "teevee" for like six seasons now.

3. Decorating for Hannukah is priority #1 right now. I planned to do it last weekend, but my kitschy menorah from Tar-jay didn't work, so I have to return it tomorrow and decorate in the evening. Presents also need to be wrapped. I'll be listening to the Cap'n's cousin singing "Hooray for Hannukah."

4. I'm planning to get the watermelon socks done before leaving for Indiana next week. So the preparation for knit packing has already begun. I'll definitely take the Child's First Socks with me, which means I'll need the Vintage Socks book to finish the pattern. So I'm thinking I'll take some yarn with me to start another one of the patterns in there. I have some Sunbeam St. Ives in a very manly color (Mallard, maybe?), so maybe the Cap'n will get another pair of socks? I like the Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern and the Gentleman's Fancy Sock, but the latter may be too close in pattern to the Purled Ladder from Sensational Knitted Socks that I first gave him.

5. KnittinSis and I were chatting today about our planned yarn crawl to her LYS with our cousin when I'm visiting Indiana. She said they have Dale of Norway's baby yarn, which I thought I had seen in previous trips. I am thinking of a souvenir yarn purchase to make a present for Baby Dos. Maybe the Mason-Dixon baby kimono? But with a button or bobble closure instead of a bow/ribbon. I want it to be unisex, so I'm also thinking a nice sage-y green.

6. I have this idea for a book...

7. In a huge sign of restraint, I have a box full of yarn and knitting supplies sitting in my living room unopened. My Dad and MawMaw have been on the hunt at yard sales for KnittinSis and I now that we're into this crazy craft. So they divided up their haul and sent it to each of us. The Cap'n says I must wait to open it until Hannukah (his Moldy Ogre side coming out), so in a few more days I'll present the photographic evidence.

8. Slim has been convinced to wear his Elf Swirl Hat by me telling him each time that he looks as cool as the Cat in the Hat. Have I mentioned how much he L-O-V-E-S this book? I have it memorized. No, really. The whole thing. If he's crying in the stroller, I can start reciting it, and he stops.

9. The other thing that gets Slim to stop crying is when the Cap'n or I start singing Johnny Cash's version of "Sam Hall." It's got an interesting history. We're raising one tough little boy.

10. Does it violate the spirit of Random Wednesday to have an even Top Ten random list?

11. Oh well....I can't remember the rest of the random things I was going to put in here, and Seconds from Disaster is on. I luuuuve this show.

Eh, Who Knows?

That pretty much sums up the way I'm feeling right now...I think it is the socks that are holding me together.

I was talking to my sister earlier this evening about house hunting in D.C., and I just got depressed. There is seriously nothing we can afford. And I SWEAR I am not exaggerating. What you can get in the city for under $250K is either in the ghetto or needs to be completely gutted and redone with an additional $100K, but most of the time it's both. And if I'm lucky, there's a bus nearby...not the easy access to Metro that I really need being car-less.

So we also are looking in this little suburb of D.C., Greenbelt. It's a wonderful community, totally planned and walkable, and it's more affordable. That is: If we had an extra $25,000 lying around to put down on a townhouse in the cooperative there and we could afford the condo fees on top of the mortgage. The houses are affordable because they are in the cooperative, but we can't afford one because we can't meet the downpayment requirement. Is that the definition of ironic?

Enough.

No point in stewing over it. The four of us will be very "bonded" in March in our little 550-sf apartment.

I am also starting to get anxious over having nothing prepared and no space to prepare for Baby Dos. We have no room for two sets of diapers, bringing back the newborn clothes, the co-sleeper, etc. But we'll have to make do. It's only 13 weeks away, and I'm starting to feel the pressure. I guess I should be happy that it's only kicked in now.

I have been working on my law school applications, but will have to kick it into high gear this week so that I don't have to spend vacations working on them. The Cap'n has been really helpful about taking Slim in the mornings. Today they went to the National Building Museum, which is an almost unknown gem in D.C. They have a great kids' playroom that makes for a wonderful (free) activity when it's cold out.

I also feel rotten today because I fell off the 4-day wagon and had a Diet Coke. See, I'm not making a big deal out of it, but I'm trying to get off the DC so I don't push out a hyper-caffeinated newborn who is going to start having caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Also because there are very confusing statistics out there about the safety of aspertame (NutraSweet) in Diet Coke. So for the last few days, I've been slugging back the flavored seltzer and being really good. And today while I went to the coffeeshop to work, I was back in a familiar habit -- having Diet Coke while studying for the LSAT -- and I just did it. It didn't even taste good. So it's back to raspberry seltzer for me, and the self-flagellation will have to wait.

So on to the socks...let's end this post on a happy note and with some pics, shall we?

I'm going round and round on the foot of the second watermelon sock, and since stockinette is not exactly rocket science or that photographically exciting, let's wait for the finished pair. Maybe this weekend?

But in more challenging news, I'm happy to report a successful cast-on and 3 full, un-screwed up pattern repeats of Nancy Bush's Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern. I am using the Lorna's Laces Shephered Sock in Brick, and it looks quite a lot like the socks in the book. (Please ignore the months-old pedicure...)

The Cap'n has already cast his vote of approval.

In baby news, Slim comes over to my belly and pulls my shirt up so he can hug it. I ask if he says hi to the baby, and he waves.

Let's hope that attitude lasts after Baby Dos gets here.

To Happier Endings...

I can't get the story of the Kim family in Oregon out of my mind. I'm really upset by this. James Kim sounds like he was a strong guy, and both parents really put themselves on the line to save their kids.

I guess in some ways, I could see it happening to our family. The Cap'n and I have not been shy about setting out on adventures of our own. The Kims were only on a simple road trip, when one mistake took them off the path. It could happen to us. We even visited friends in Eugene, OR, earlier this year and made a trip to the Oregon coast.

Did I tell you about the time the Cap'n and I got lost in the Everglades? We joke and laugh about it now, but we got lost on a canoe trip and ended up spending a night out sleeping in the bottom of the boat. From the vantage point of a canoe seat, all the mangroves lining the route look exactly the same and they are all about 8 feet high. You almost feel like you could stretch and see over them, to figure out where you're supposed to be going.

But you can't.

Both of us had just finished reading "In the Heart of the Sea" just before our Everglades trip. It's the true story of the whale ship sinking that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. Wonderful book. The descriptions of the stranded men had both of us thinking that one day our boat would float out of the swamp with nothing but bleached bones at the bottom of the canoe.

The first day went well. We put in on a marked trail, every twist and turn noted with a length of PVC pipe anchored in the mud and numbered. It was like connect the dots. Some of the openings between the mangrove trees were just barely wide enough for the canoe and tall enough for us. We joked about snakes dropping down from the vines into the boat, or onto us. The scenery was beautiful; the mosquitoes weren't that bad; and we were getting cocky.

We arrived at the chickee (a platform serviced by an outhouse where you set up camp -- there's no other option in the water-covered Everglades) in plenty of time to set up our tent, make a nice dinner and enjoy the company of Al the Alligator who was swimming around looking for handouts. That first night it was a double chickee, and two old canoeists were camped out on the next platform over. We should have had an inkling of suspicion -- when we told them our bold plan for the trip, they were surprised and said they wouldn't have the nerve to do it, despite their recent canoe outing in Minnesota's Boundary Waters.

Reporters -- we only recognize foreshadowing when it's written down for us.

So our chickee companions headed back to the visitors' center at Flamingo the next morning and we set out for the next chickee. This time with only our compass and map to guide us. The rest of the route was through larger bays and waterways, and none of it was marked.

Another hint we missed: We got a little disoriented not long after leaving the first chickee and backtracked so we could re-consult the map and compass. We ran into "Mr. Stinky" -- our nickname for the ranger and the actual christened name of his boat -- as he was cleaning the outhouse, and he gave us encouraging words for finding the next chickee, "Head into the wind."

We debate to this day whether he meant that literally or figuratively. I thought he was giving us general directions. (Let's save critiques of my general directional sense for another day, 'mkay?) The Cap'n argues that its only common sense from a man piloting a boatload of poo.

The second chickee was the same distance from the first chickee as we had crossed the first day. The first leg had only taken us a couple of hours, and we were getting warmed up, too. No problem, right? We paddled out a second time from the chickee happy as larks. As we went, we made sure to do as the ranger back at the visitors' center advised us before we set out: We looked behind us to note our surroundings, and we described the mangrove formations to each other as little landmarks. "That one looks like a man bending down." "That one looks like a dog jumping." Ha, ha.

Perhaps the Cap'n became a little concerned before I did, but it was nearing on mid-afternoon (we had set out from the first chickee around 8:30 in the morning) before I started getting an inkling that something was wrong. We were seeing the same blind bays. One had a white cloth tied to a tree branch at the entrance of it, as if someone else had been in our same predicament. Our landmark mangroves didn't look the same from the opposite direction. We tried going in the direction of some motorboats (airplanes?) we heard. We tried going back toward the first chickee again. We ate lunch in the canoe. We started seeing the sun set.

Around 5, the Cap'n said, "We're going to have to find a place to tie up for the night and try to make it in the morning." I think that's the only point at which there were tears. I don't swim well, I frankly don't like the water all that much, and I really don't care to lose any appendages to alligators. I did not want to hear about a night spent in an 18-foot canoe.

We found ourselves (again) in a large bay that we had already explored to find an exit -- no such luck. We tied off to a small island in the middle and the current pushed the canoe the rope's length away from the trees (snakes), underbrush (raccoons -- damn things swim), and greenery (mosquitoes). The sun started to set as the Cap'n made ramen noodles over the campstove in the middle of the canoe.

Our "romantic" dinner was aborted until about an hour of sunset, however, as the barrage of mosquitoes was too powerful even with the 100 percent DEET Everglades sauce we were marinating in. It kept them off for about 20 minutes, and then we retreated under a tarp as the little buggers beat against it, looking for any way to reach flesh.

After dark, we were able to finish dinner and contemplate life truly without illumination. Actually, I believe the halo on the eastern horizon was the lights of Miami, which only made where we were a little more scary. So close to civilization -- were those motorboats we kept hearing? -- and yet so far away. The moving pinpoints of jet airplane lights in the sky were always overhead. I could imagine being on one just then.

We stashed the backpacks and coolers at either end of the canoe and, lifejackets firmly on, managed to wrap ourselves around each other (head to toe, toe to head) and around the thwarts in the center of the canoe. The METAL canoe. The very HARD METAL canoe. We could only sleep for about an hour before our hips and shoulders would cry out for a shift. Then we would gingerly -- very gingerly! -- trade places in the floating, rocking canoe in the dead of night in a swamp full of alligators.

My dreams became half-waking hallucinations. Once I thought that I had set up and noticed a boat ramp on the other side of the bay that we had just missed before. My parents were there with the van that we had taken my childhood camping trips in, and we drove out of the swamp to a party where the mayor of the town I covered was dressed as an Elvis impersonator. It seemed very real at the time.

The fog rolled in as it come morning, and so did the clouds. It was starting to look like rain for the next day of our "adventure." And the Cap'n has this charming habit...when things aren't looking so good, he likes to say, "Well, if we weren't here, we wouldn't be seeing this (insert natural phenomenon, i.e. sunset, stars, sunrise, clouds rolling in, etc.) right now." Ha. Don't you just want to smack him?

An aside to note: If you desire tips on how to handle it when "nature calls" while you're stuck in the middle of a swamp in a canoe, please email me, and I'll be happy to share my experiences.

So we set out that drizzly morning with a new mission and a new plan. I silently decided that there was no freakin' way I was spending another night in rocking canoe surrounded by alligators. The Cap'n decreed that we were going to take a compass heading for the second chickee, based on the sunrise, and we would not deviate from that path. We would navigate through the mangrove trees, marking each turn along the way with a knot from the rope that tied us up the night before.

It must have been around 7am when we put our paddles back in the water, and as the sun burned off the clouds, fortune started smiling on us. We entered larger and larger bays -- none of the cramped coves of the afternoon before. We paddled through one final switchback of mangroves before we entered the largest bay since we had left the first chickee the day before. An island was ahead of us, and as I looked at the map, I told the Cap'n that it looked like there was an island in the bay where the second chickee was located.

Then...chickee ho!!

There it was at last, the closest thing to solid ground we had set foot on in two days. We made straight for it and arrived 26 hours after we had set out originally. Of course, it turns out it was only about an hour paddle from the first chickee.

I immediately passed out after declaring that no persuasion by the Cap'n could get me back into the canoe to fish for dinner. Obviously, I would never sleep well on a waterbed, but give me flat planks, and you wouldn't wake me for days. The Cap'n did go fishing (and almost got lost again), and we celebrated in style that night, with an honest-to-God tent to keep out the buggies, a full meal and plenty of room to stretch out in our sleeping bags.

The rest of the trip (a night on the third chickee and then a full day's paddle all the way back to the trailhead) was aborted since we spent the night in the canoe, so we set out the next day for dry land. We soon figured out where we had missed our turn the first time around, and passed the first chickee in about an hour. Then we entered the marked mangrove trail, and pulled out in time to load up the canoe and gear, get cleaned up back at the visitors center, and enjoy dinner and a sunset at the restaurant there.

Quite a difference from two nights' before. We laugh at pictures of me with one eye nearly swollen shut from a mosquito bite, hunched over in the canoe tearfully consulting the map. There's a celebratory photo of the Cap'n at the second chickee in the all-together, finally taking a bath.

We joke now about how tour companies should hire us to do trips at the same time they're taking groups out. We could get a cut everytime they passed us -- stuck or lost -- by pointing at us and telling their clients, "See, that's why you hire a guide!" We'd be stars if someone still made educational movies about What Not to Do in the Wilderness.

But it's only a joke if you survive.

The Cap'n and I talked last night about putting together a little survival kit for the car, and we weren't joking around this time. Being a parent has given me a new appreciation for preparation, for being responsible for other, smaller human beings who need protection.

I'm grateful for our happy ending (so far). But I will be thinking about Kati Kim and her daughters every time we head out for a trip. I hope they can find peace and a happy ending somewhere in front of them.

Juicy News

Dude. There is absolutely no holiday knitting to be found on this blog. Nada. Zip. Zero. Not now, not later.

Why, you may ask? No good reason, I suppose. Love the fam, made them scarves, belts, socks. I have no idea whether they're even being used. I guess I came to the realization this year that I don't want to force handknits on anyone, and that they may just appreciate something else.

But hi! More knits for me!

Lookie! Watermelon! And exclamation points!

This is birthday yarn from my newly knitting sister, purchased at her LYS from a local hand dyer. She said there was a sample knitted up in the shop and it looked like a watermelon, so I knew I needed to make this a very simple sock.

Perfect timing, what with the LSAT last Saturday. I cast on Friday with the plan of making a toe-up sock on my tried and true formula. Round and round. Sweet, perfect stockinette. Mindless knitting just at the right time. And two days later, we have this...

Isn't the picot cuff at the top girly looking? Smooches...I love it. Lolly pointed the way to this wonderful tutorial by Kristi on how to make a picot cuff on toe-up socks. I went with #4, putting the stitches on scrap yarn and then weaving the live stitches in with the corresponding stitch below.

But that's actually new technique #2 for this sock. See the heel? Dig it...it's my first short-row heel. I went with Wendy's generic recipe, with some help from Lucia. It wasn't making sense at first, but then the heel just started popping out.

I was really proud of one side, even though my only hole (since darned up) appeared there, but the other side doesn't look as smooth. I think it was the purl side, and it was right where the color change happened between green and white. Little white dashes appeared on the turning line. Oh well. I still love how it turned out.

Actually, I think the short-row heel was faster for me to execute than either the toe-up heel flaps I've done or the two forethought heels. I'm just not sure how it will wear or how I will like it. I've been wanting to try something new with socks, so this gives me a little confidence boost to just pick this up.

A much needed confidence boost after Saturday's test. Oy vey. After some boo-hooing and driving around for a while, I feel a little better, but not much. I just don't feel I did as well as I could have -- I got flustered, almost panicked at one point, and the test administrator threatened to count me absent after I spent 4.5 hours struggling. Oh well. It's over now.

Let's talk about yarn, shall we? It's the only thing keeping me together right now, considering my cold came roaring back the day of the test too. Since I was up in Baltimore for the test, I decided to track down a new yarn store to check out the day before the test to help me relax.

I can highly recommend A Good Yarn if you're in Baltimore city limits anytime soon. They are right on the edge of Little Italy and the Inner Harbor attractions, which is a fun area to visit anyway. It's a very small shop, and they specialize in yarns created by "local" artisans. They've expanded the definition of local across the country, which makes for a whole roomful of unique yarns.

I resisted the hand dyes, but got a great deal on some worsted wool straight from the sheep. It's made by Bemedji Woolen Mills, which has been in the same family for something like 150 years. It's not treated, so the wool only comes in natural colors. It's a great deal of yardage for the price. They had a sample knitted up in a felted mitten with a ribbed cuff, and I just have to make a pair for Oren. I also thought they would make him a nice pair of boot socks, maybe similar to ones in Nancy Bush's Folk Socks.

Speaking of my idol, I did swatch(!?!) and cast on for the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern in Knitting Vintage Socks. I'm still only on the cuff, and I think it may take a little while to get the pattern down. But I think the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in brick will look a lot like the one in the book.

And now for the part the family is waiting for...Slim photos.

This morning while house-hunting Slim decided it was his turn to drive, of course with Daddy's coffee cup in hand. He's really such a Daddy's boy. He walked up to the apartment door yesterday afternoon, hit it and said, "Da!"

He's really such a sweet kid. I had such a proud moment the other day when both he and the Cap'n were at the park wearing their handknit hats. I DID THAT! Whoo-hoo!

The Cap'n was Mr. Domestic this weekend while I was busy testing and whipped up this little beauty on Saturday. Any guesses? The Le Creuset teapot sitting next to it is a clue, as is the fact that it was inspired by the Cap'n's favorite cookbook. Sock yarn for you, if you know. Or a knitted pair of socks, if you don't knit yourself.

P.S. The apple doesn't fall far from the trees...fell asleep reading.