The Musings of One Miss Julie

A Realization

2008-05-25T22:27:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure what it means yet, and perhaps it's nothing, but I discovered the other day that the difference between how I approach knitting now that I've been doing it for a while as compared to how I approached it when I was just learning is something worth pondering.

When I first learned, I had this voracious, unstoppable hunger to learn and experiment. I wasn't afraid to make mistakes since I knew they were pretty much unavoidable. When knitting instructions read like Greek, I boldly forged ahead, convinced of my ability to figure it out simply by doing. The most exciting element during that time was that I dabbled in created my own wee designs for things. Nothing fancy, but I didn't run for a pattern for inspiration all the time.

Then all the sudden, I became a more competent knitter. The fear set in and so did the inhibition. Yarn I had on hand couldn't be used because, God forbid, it might be better served for another future project (read: I might screw it up). I got scared about experimenting. And worse, I got lazy. When a problem seemed insurmountable, the project got stashed in a bag, and I started developing unhealthy levels of shame.

Lately, though, now that the girls are older and I'm not feeling sapped to the very core, I've been reinvigorated to start some projects. I've always been a habitual starter in all of my areas of interest. (That explains the two-foot-high stack of books on my nightstand; I really am reading all of them.)

It feels good to knit an impromptu project out of a practical need. My new glamour-girl sunglasses were getting scratched in my handbag, so why not knit a case for them? I dug into the stash and found a funky blue yarn I'd bought ages ago and dove in. I've finished the knitting and now need to stitch it up. I've been having fun thinking about other ways to adorn the case so that it won't be overshadowed by the rhinestone-studded glasses.

I know I still have a long way to go in unpacking my hang-ups and just relaxing, but this feels like a positive first step.

* * * *

It's Gracie's turn to star in the Gratuitous Photo this episode.

A Quiet Re-Entry

2008-04-22T22:29:00.008-04:00

Since I've been away so long, it's rather ridiculous even to attempt to catch up my zero readers with what's been going on while I was away. And since I have zero readers, and I already know what I've been doing for all this time, it only reaffirms my point.

Anyway...

I've been doing a bit of sewing lately. I'm not to the sewing part just yet, but I did cut out a wee romper for Megan the other day. I'm using Butterick pattern 4966, the little ruffly-sleeved shortalls shown in yellow in the illustration.

I found a lovely, funky-mod geometric circle patterned seersucker cotton in my favorite shades of lime green and pink. I found this photo of the fabric at the Hancock Fabrics site, and while it doesn't do the print justice, it's a taste. The fabric speaks to my Lilly Pulitzer-loving soul.

It's been loads of fun creating something again, but based on some disappointing past experiences with fitting, I'm crossing my fingers so hard I'm losing circulation hoping that the outfit won't make my 19-month-old Megan look like a barge.

Here's a picture of my dill, Meg, experiencing the joys of Play-Doh for the first time today.

The Cold Shoulder

2007-07-07T14:11:00.000-04:00

Remember this little number? I last posted about it in January 2006. Whew.

Well, that flarey-flarey shoulder ribbing bit the dust today. It was my first-ever rip-out of that proportion (not that nothing I've ever made didn't deserve to be ripped out, I just put items that need it in my procrastination pile). I will wear the sweater vest this fall. The shirts that I bought to wear with it are getting faded in the wash and won't look so fabu if I don't finish the vest soon.

I figured out where I went wrong with the sweater. Truthfully, more than just the ribbing should be undone and redone, but it's just too heartbreaking to contemplate. When I chose the size I made, I based it on fitting my volumptuousness, and as a result, the shoulders are way too big. So, I'm going to do some fancy knitting-sewing hybrid moves to shape it up and hopefully have a garment that's more flattering.

When I pick up the stitches again for the shoulders, I'll keep even with the edge under the armholes, but as I move up toward the shouler I'll start tapering in a few rows so that I'm essentially creating a hefty seam allowance. I'm going to forego the ribbing altogether and do two or three rows of garter stitch, which will match the neckband. That will create a smaller frame for the arms and help, too. When all the knitting is done, I'll pull out my serger and serge and trim the excess from the seam allowance.

My next step is to mark the line I'm going to follow as I pick up stitches. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

* * *

In baby news: Last night we took the girls to their first drive-in movie, hoping they'd sleep through it so Scott and I could enjoy an evening out with family in tow. Gracie decided sleeping was out of the question, and therefore enjoyed the bulk of Transformers right along with us. Good times.

A Summer Lament, Author Envy, and My Girls

2007-06-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

It's hardly original of me to say, "Gee! Is it the end of June already?" But that's where I'm at tonight. I'm loving summer and hating it at the same time -- hating it because it's so fleeting in Michigan.

I've been a busy girl lately, but that's not so original either. At the beginning of June, I went to New York for work. It was my first trip to Book Expo America, a super-huge publishing industry extravaganza, and only my second trip to New York.

Even though I work for Borders and, as a result, have fairly regular access to acclaimed authors and musicians, I never stop appreciating how cool it is to meet such interesting people. While at the conference, I attended a wonderful, but rather surreal, publisher party in which Caroline Kennedy, Kristin Gore, and Dog the Bounty Hunter were standing in the same room with each other. I was too shy to speak with Caroline Kennedy and I didn't see Kristin Gore until I was leaving, but I did meet Dog, and he's a terrifically personable guy with some great stories.

The true highlight of my weekend was meeting a children's author I adore: Kate DiCamillo. During one of the daytime sessions I was invited to attend, I walked into a small booth with several of my coworkers and was introduced to a man named Gregory Maguire. I knew I was going to meet Kate, but didn't pause to consider who Mr. Maguire was until it dawned on me that this man was the Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and any other number of fantastic reimagined fairy tales and mythologies. We talked all about his upcoming book, What-the-Dickens, in which he imagines the civilization of tooth fairies. Brilliant stuff. And he was so nice and smart and funny and altogether likable that I think I might put him on my annual Christmas card list. (He'll probably wonder who this weirdo girl is who's sending him cards, but alas, he made an impression on me even if it wasn't reciprocal.)

Then I met Kate. It was my second time meeting her, actually, because she gave a reading at my office and she signed a book for me. I'm sure I was just one amongst the sea of faces she encounters at such events, so I'll not hold it against her for not immediately recognizing me. (Perhaps I should be glad that I'm not that recognizable.) We talked, we exchanged curly-hair tips, and then I got to read her upcoming picture book, Great Joy!. Beautiful stuff. She's also smart and funny and fabulous and has a wonderful ability to see things and describe what she see using words that show rather than tell. She also comes up with perfect names for her characters, like Edward Tulane (a china rabbit), Mercy Watson (an incorrigible pig who loves to eat hot, buttery toast), and Winn-Dixie (a beloved dog). Maybe I'll be as good at writing when I grow up. Sigh.

Anyway, I also did a bit of knitting while I was there. So I post a photo of my first-ever sock, in progress. There are cables there, but the yarn makes them tricky to see. The colors of the yarn aren't my favorite, but the texture is nice, and I'm having a good time knitting it. All is well.

I also include a gratuitous photo of the girls.

A Long Time Coming

2007-05-28T20:35:00.000-04:00

I didn't want to let an entire year lapse before posting again. Is anybody still out there?

Life has been busy for me, to say the least, these last months. Here's a summary:

-- Scott and I went on what could be our last lengthy and unfettered vacation in July 2006.
-- We welcomed our most perfect creations ever -- Grace Elizabeth and Megan Anne -- into the world on August 31. Twins!
-- The first 12 weeks of their lives (and subsequently the length of my maternity leave) passed in a whirl of joy, exhaustion, emotional turmoil, and new-parent anxiety. I really learned what I was made of during that time.
-- I went back to work the Monday after Thanksgiving. Scott and I traded duties: He stays home with the girls and I support our family.
-- Until just recently, I spent most of my days doing the same thing: Working really hard, rushing home to be with the girls and help Scott, put the girls to bed, finally give in to my own exhaustion.
-- I'm finally getting my grip, which is probably helped along by the improved weather. I've started to find reserves of energy and creative drive that allow me to read or knit for longer than 5ish minutes at a time. I'm up to about 10-minute stints now, woo-hoo!
-- And now today, we took the girls out flower shopping. They helped us choose some petunias, geraniums, African daisies, and impatiens to spruce up the lawn. Gracie took a nap at the greenhouse, but Megan was all agog.

Life is full and wonderful (though some days are wonderfuller than others, if I'm completely honest). I am blessed.

Meet Gracie and Megan, left to right.

The Joints of This Blog Are a Bit Creaky

2006-07-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

Whew! I sure didn't think it would be more than 4 months before I posted again.

So much has happened in that span, I'll have to offer a brief summary:
-- We had a great trip to Florida with the fam in March
-- On March 23, I went in for an ultrasound to check out some things the doctor was concerned about. Turns out there was nothing worrying -- just TWINS!
-- Scott and I spent many hours together soul-searching, reflecting, and generally laughing at the magnanimous change in our lives that our two little Doublemints are going to bring.
-- In early May, our home was broken into. The thievery wasn't upsetting so much as the sickening feeling of violation. Also, we think the robbers did something to Groucho because he just hasn't been the same dog since.
-- In early June, Groucho the Wonderpooch, the world's happiest, friendliest, spunkiest dog turned on Scott and bit him. That still has us seriously freaked out as we think about bringing two little ones into the house. We're keeping a close watch on him, clamping down on the discipline and training, and trying to understand what happened. We both think the break-in had something to do with it.
-- Also in early June, we learned that the two Doublemints are in fact two little girls. Ruffle-butt bloomers, here we come!
-- Just yesterday Scott and I returned home from a week at his family's cottage on Lake Huron where I enjoyed lounging and generally exploiting my Queen Bee Pregnant Lady status.

I've been doing some knitting, though not much. I did finish two cutie little fruit hats for the girls, but I can't post photos just yet because our digital camera was amongst the items the burglars walked away with.

In the meantime, life continues along quite happily. I keep thinking to myself that I must have been born for this pregnancy stuff. I feel really great, my body feels more in its element than ever before, and I've got a blissfully content frame of mind. It's lovely.

Dusting Off Ye Olde Blog...

2006-03-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

...but not for long.

Yep, I took a break. But I've got happy news to share.

Those January blahs I reported last time were as much to do with the fact that it was January and blah-ish but also because I was experiencing the fatigue and other symptoms common in the early weeks of pregnancy.

It's true. At the end of January Scott and I learned the happy news that our wee household would soon be adding another member. I anticipate that September 2006 is going to open a whole new world to me for the rest of my life, and I couldn't be happier about it.

So far things are progressing just fabulously. Other than weeks of unbelievable tiredness and some other mild symptoms, I've felt pretty good. I express my gratitude almost every day that I don't feel nauseous and have experienced no morning sickness.

Last week Scott and I heard our baby's heart beat. All we could do was clutch at each other's hands, get misty in the eyes, and try not to blubber uncontrollably in front of the doctor. It was all so beautiful and magical.

Now that I'm feeling more like myself again, with renewed energy and vigor, I figured it was time for a post. But it will be another shorter -- I hope much shorter -- span before I write again. Tomorrow Scott and I head to Orlando for a full-blown family trip. My folks rented a place where we can all fit, so we're heading down to meet my sis, my brother and his wife, and my parents for what should be a blast of familial good times.

In the meantime, I know I'm going to battle sleeplessness tonight as I 1) worry about whether the Northwest Airlines pilots are going to strike, thereby preventing a smooth beginning to my trip and 2) try to get my childish excitement about going to Disney World under control. "It's a Small World" here I come!

T.S. Eliot Got It Wrong

2006-01-18T20:46:00.001-05:00

It's January, not April, that's the cruelest month.

So I took a little break from blogging. I've also taken quite a break from many other leisure activities in the last two weeks, most notably knitting. I've been doing some reading, but nothing too serious. Instead, I'm fighting a serious case of the January blahs, blues, and don't-feel-like-its. I'm embarrassed to admit that my television consumption during this time has skyrocketed, which may be a symptom of or a treatment for the January ickies I've contracted the last few years.

I'm hoping that a weekend trip to see my chum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be just the thing. We've got plans for facials, good fun cooking in the kitchen, and all the laughter we can pack in.

I haven't been completely without occupation, however. Back in November, I started an official build-a-better-Julie program along with the husband. We'd talked about it for a long time but realized that talking about getting into smaller pants hadn't made it happen. I'm happy to report that after some significant lifestyle changes, particularly in what we eat and how much we eat, I've lost about 13 pounds. I haven't decided what my ultimate goal will be, but it will probably be somewhere around 40 pounds. I'm optimistic that I can continue to have as much success as I've had already (and which even includes the nearly all-cookie meal plan I adopted for two weeks around Christmas).

So I may not have been knitting or writing or doing a lot of anything else lately, but I have been watching my midsection steadily decrease in size. I've also spent a lot of minutes in front of the mirror working at trying to produce a double chin. My elation at its difficulty is almost enough to supersede all the January doldrums.

A Melancholy Update

2006-01-05T20:01:00.000-05:00

Gentle readers, to put you out of your misery because I left you with quite the cliffhanger last time, I've got pseudo-news on the State of the Sweater Vest.

I still haven't actually done anything by means of progress, but I gave myself time to have a good think. As a result, I believe I figured out what contributed to the linebacker effect I experienced at first try-on. I must have picked up too many stitches around the armholes.

Note the flaring that's visible on the armband (see fig. a).

The common-sense solution would be just to dive in, take out the stitches, and make the necessary repairs. The Miss Julie solution is to let the sweater vest stew for a bit longer, procrastinate as long as possible, and finish the sweater in July -- when wool sweaters are just the thing.

Between watching hours and hours of Lost - Season 1 (so many hours that I've had quite disturbed sleep), I picked up a few new projects. I'm making the Rib and Cable socks from the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits. Here it is in all its after-dark, incandescent-lit glory.

It's my first sock ever. I had no idea that two inches of ribbing could thrill me so. And I'm counting on it only getting better. If I do have any trouble (I've heard talk of tricky turns at the heel), at least there are no shoulders or armbands to botch.

Warning: Tale of Despair, Pt. 1

2005-12-29T01:10:00.000-05:00

I hoped to post good news tonight. Alas, it is bittersweet, and heavier on the bitter side.

All day today I was working on my cabled sweater vest, knitting furiously away (and trying new techniques, to boot). I was so close to finishing it, you see. I finished one shoulder seam (thanks, Heidi, for the tip -- the crochet slipstich method worked great!) and I tried it on. Success! The sweater actually fit around me, which was my greatest concern.

After all my try-ons today, I had nothing but optimism. I modeled it one last time just a few minutes ago. I finished all the knitting on the neckband and armbands and had only the side seams to go. "It's going to be great," thought I.

I look like a linebacker.

Which is, needless to say, not the look I was going for. Yeah, as usual for me, the shoulders are way too big. I'm "blessed," as my mother reminds me, with a curvaceous figure. (Read: I've got a prow to make Barbie jealous.) There's no blessing about it (and I'm not fooled into believing that Mom's suggestion is anything other than a well-meaning parental lie). But the fact is that the biggest part of me is disproportionately large compared to my small shoulders, small upper chest, and small back.

Why didn't I consider that sooner? Why couldn't I remember what I learned a while back at a sewing seminar on fit that I attended? In the class, led by Sandra Betzina, no less, I discovered that I'm a victim of small, sloping shoulders, a neck that sits forward on said shoulders, and a number of other fitting nightmares. All of which require (pain-in-the-arse) alterations.

Yet I forge boldly ahead, assuming that if I just knit the pattern as it's written and cross my fingers while I'm doing it (an impressive display of dexterity, surely), that all will turn out well in the end.

Tomorrow I'll finish the side seams and give everything a final steaming with the iron. I know what magic an iron can work, so I'll put my faith in shaping the shoulders so they don't stand out from my body like the cut of the spacesuits worn by Erin Gray in Buck Rogers.

If that doesn't work, I'll try Plan B: I'll put my head in my arms and cry. Then I'll post a photo and we can all cry together.

* * *

But because I can't end unhappily, here's the photo I meant to post before Christmas. I intended to showcase only my favorite of the cookies I baked this year, but Groucho the Wonderpooch insisted on getting one of his best sides in the shot.

I Know What I'm Getting for Christmas

2005-12-14T18:08:00.000-05:00

Mum instructed me to get one of my own Christmas gifts, so I did. It arrived today. I admit it: I peeked. Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein is just too delicious to resist. I wonder if I'll go through the charade of acting surprised on Christmas morning. I suppose it won't be too difficult to muster up some excitement for this book, though, considering it contains instructions for the coolest fringed scarf I've ever seen.

I have a week off from work beginning next Wednesday. I'm plotting and scheming what my next knitting project will be. I thought I had it all figured out: I was going to use the hot pink yarn from the last post to make the Point Five Pullover from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits. I've also been thinking about venturing into colorwork. Scott and I went to Frankenmuth (a place I secretly love) this weekend where he saw a fabulous Dale of Norway sweater that he begged me to make for him. Add that to the lovely colorwork stocking Jan at Be*mused made, and I'm stuck.

Alas, I guess I should concentrate on finishing the sweater vest. I stalled out because I can't figure out what seaming method to use for reverse stockinette. Does anybody out there have any suggestions? I'm particularly befuddled by how to stitch the shoulder seams together invisibly.

It's That Time of Year

2005-12-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

I saw my first sunshine in what seems like weeks today. Over the weekend I finally started getting into the Christmas spirit a bit and now the Christmas cacti are catching my mood. They looked so beautiful this morning.

I love the Christmas cactus, with its exotic blooms and waxy leaves. The top pot, which contains both white and salmon-colored blooms, holds a lot of meaning for me. I estimate that the cactus is at least 30 years old. I received it 4 years ago when my grandma gave it to me for safe keeping while she and my grandpa headed south for the winter. She died quite unexpectedly a month later.

The hot pink blooms reside on a cactus I bought for myself last year to add to my collection. And the violet is just there for good measure. I received that as a sort of gift, too, from Mr. Julie's grandma. The plant was in the most bedraggled shape and none of us gave it a strong prognosis for longevity. It's proved us all wrong and is now the star of the living room, with blooms spanning more than 2 inches in diameter. My secret? Give the plants water every 2 weeks if they're lucky. They've gone as long as a month between drinks.

In other news, I had good surprise mail today.

Back in August I fell in love with some bright pink thick-and-thin wool yarn at the Michigan Fiber Fest. I could only buy two wodges of it at the festival so I contacted the spinner and ordered more. After sporadic email communications, I finally received my other four wodges today. Now I finally know what I'm going to make next.

An Actual Finished Project

2005-12-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

As actual proof that I may be the slowest knitter in the whole wide world, I present this finished garter-stitch scarf, which I started about a year ago. Granted, I did unravel everything at one point and start again (about 10 inches of work). But really, should it take a body this long to make a scarf?

It's a bit more than 6 feet long, 3 inches wide, and made with size 10 needles using some Haitian cotton I bought on the cheap at Yarnia. I particularly love how the dusty-dull teals, tans, and brick-reds of it occasionally transform into silky-shiny versions of themselves.

I'm still procrastinating on the cabled vest. Anytime the picking up of stitches is involved I cringe. I may face it tonight, though. I've got some time to kill while we hang out around the house until 9:30. We're going to see my man Brendan Benson play a show in Ann Arbor and he probably won't hit the stage until 11oo.

I hope I can stay awake that long.

Breaking News: A Bowling Update

2005-11-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

When I said my career-high bowling score was 170, I actually meant 181. Not bad, eh?

For the sake of fairness, I should mention here that Mr. Scott redeemed himself this evening. After two weeks of watching his wife whoop him, he started his third game tonight with 5 strikes in a row and ended the game with a score of 197. I think he's finally found his bowling legs.

Happiness reigns at Chez Julie.

This will probably be my last post before Thanksgiving, so here are my fondest wishes for happy Thanksgivings all around. And may you always have much for which to be thankful.

Look Who's Blocking

2005-11-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

I've been a busy miss in the almost two weeks since I last posted -- and I don't have as much to show for it. Mostly because the Build-a-Better-Julie Program has begun in earnest. And successfully, too. I've lost about 5 pounds. I've been celebrating the ever-decreasing size of my posterior, and for once that celebration doesn't entail food consumption. Any second now my pants are going to be so big that they fall off.

Just tonight I finished the bulk of the knitting on my sweater vest. I've got it laid out on the kitchen table, all nice and dampish and blocking away. Here's the really compelling photo that's got "professional" written all over it.

I'm now to the part of the project I loathe: Finishing. I'll probably delay and procrastinate on this for a good couple of weeks so that by the time I do finish it spring will have come and I'll have to wait to wear my sweater anyway. Betcha can't wait to see what I'll blog about during that spell.

I've got bowling again tomorrow night. You can check out the Sister Strikers bowling shirts my sis and I wear at the lanes. Last week, Becky and I really carried Team Spare Change. Poor Mr. Julie barely crossed the 100-pin threshold and had to sit and watch as I bowled my career high of 170. I ask you this: Can it be a career-high if our league calls 9 pins a strike? (Note to self: C'mon now, who are you kidding? Does it really matter?)

A Day in the Life

2005-11-08T23:51:00.000-05:00

I usually steer clear of mentioning my work here in any specifics because it's important for me to appear neutral and uncommercial, not get myself in hot water around the office, and because, in general, I think it's better form.

I break my rule this time. And mostly because I'm really, really proud of the end result and think it's fun and worthwhile.

Here's what's been occupying so much of my time of late.

I now present to you The Borders Holiday Storybook -- a super coolio gift recommendation plaything.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, if you're so inclined.

Keeping It Out of the Gutter

2005-11-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

So Scott and I joined a bowling league, along with our friend Bryan and my sis. Tonight we hit the lanes. We call ourselves Spare Change.

I have a long and sometimes embarrassing history with this sport. And yes, it meets my criteria for sporthood. It's simple: Anything that leaves me diagnosing my aching self with the activity as prefix is a sport. For example, tonight I've got Bowling Thumb, Bowling Knee, and Bowling Backside. I can't apply that criteria to everyday activities like Saturday's leaf-raking, for example. There is no such thing as Leaf-Raking Shoulder because at my age there's only one diagnosis for such ailments: The Build-a-Better-Julie Program needs to find time for physical fitness.

Bowling appeals to me on several levels. First, it's a great social activity. Not only do we chat amongst our little team but we get chummy with our competitors, too. And in my case, I'm high-fiving folks who aren't in my usual social circles. The guys from Lou LaRiche Chevrolet who bowled against us tonight were swell fellas, to be sure. Perhaps the best part about bowling, however, is the fashion. You can't say enough for ugly shirts, uglier shoes, and the occasional terry wristband. Here I present the bowling shoes that Mr. Julie gave to me and my sis for Christmas a few years back. I feel mighty swanky strolling onto the alley in my own multi-colored suede size 7s. Tune in next week when I put my very own bowling shirt on the catwalk.

I'm proud to report that sis and I proved indispensable contributors to our team tonight. I brought in 124, 140, and 132. Not bad for a girl who not so long ago, in 10 frames, only knocked down 7 pins.

A Celebration of the Ordinary -- Long Form

2005-11-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

Clean underwear is underrated. And I don't mean just any clean underwear. Today I refilled the top drawer in the dresser with my favorites, an abundance of freshly laundered underpants, which gives me a peaceful, easy feeling. Am I alone in enoying that moment, I wonder?

These last three-ish weeks when I was so busy at work that time for laundry was nonexistent, I got into the dregs of the underwear drawer. Maybe I'm the weirdo here, but my underwear drawer is layered. The top layer contains all my favorites, the no-fail always-comfortable variety. The middle holds the B-strings comprised of older former favorites. And the dregs contain either the embarassingly ratty or else pairs that over and over again leave me asking myself "What was I thinking when I bought those!?" Today I climbed out of the dregs I've been living in and I'm ready for next week. In any case, let the state of my underwear drawer today be a metaphor of my feeling of general well-being. And you thought this was a knitting blog.

I'm mostly out of the insanity at work -- I hope. This week will be busy again, but I think I will be able to get home before 8 p.m. each night and maybe even enjoy a few meals in the kitchen with Mr. Julie. And best yet, I may not have to continue working into the night even after I get home. Poor Groucho the Wonderpooch has been feeling so neglected that on Thursday night he pushed his way onto my lap around 10:30 and forced me to take a break. Here you see him on my lap, bathed in the glow of the monitor, and checking things over.

We had such a fine fall day today that Mr. Julie and I headed to the backyard to dig out the shin-deep leaves. We have 14 trees and 3 hedge rows that create quite a mess. We're thinking of having a passel of kids just so we have help for fall cleanup. I've heard that's a great reason to have kids.

I was on leaf-bagging duty while Mr. Julie pushed all the leaves into sizey piles for me to pick up (see "picking up nails" reference). In order to flatten the bottoms of the paper leaf refuse bags we used, I had to insert my head and entire upper body into the bag a la Charlie Brown. While I was inside of one leaf bag, Mr. Julie decided to make it difficult for me to extricate myself, causing no little amount of frustration and panic for yours truly.

For a moment out there today, I imagined myself in a romantic comedy (presuming anyone would want to watch me and Mr. Julie, two fine, but pasty Midwesterners fall in love) with some happy love ditty by Harry Connick, Jr., fading in to create a mushy-mushy music video scene. In it I would not bumble around in the paper leaf bag but would exit it laughing prettily and twinkly-eyed, I'd throw leaves at Mr. Julie, he'd throw some back, I'd throw some more, somehow we'd find ourselves lying in a large pile of leaves on the ground, the tension would grow, the tension would grow to be too much, I'd swoon in his arms while he kissed me with heavy-lidded passion. And that, my friends, is where the scene would end because, I ask: What girl wants to get itchy, scratchy leaves in her hair, her mouth, under her shirt, and worse, down her pants? The End.

Actually, we had a delightful day, we did throw some leaves at each other, and we took lots of deep breaths of that gorgeous fall-scented air. And we shook our fists at the heavens for sending breezes that blew more leaves from the trees onto the lawn we'd just cleared.

And because this is a knitting blog, after all, I've got this to report: I knit 4 rows last night.

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T19:30:00.000-05:00

Mr. Julie is also Mr. Halloween. For weeks he's been crafting the perfect soundtrack to the trick-or-treating festivities. And as I sit writing this, I hear the booming montage he made by layering blip hop, sound effects from an old Disney Haunted Mansion vinyl he had (which he painstakingly converted to electronic files), and some riffs he laid down using the Garage Band software on his Mac. It's pretty good stuff when it's sandwiched between Danny Elfman music and the Macbeth-inspired song from the last Harry Potter movie.

Scott has also been slavishly decorating our front lawn. There's the pumpkin-head scarecrow, the black-lit ghost, torches (which have nearly set the house ablaze three times now), and my favorite part: the silhouettes in each of the front windows.

Here you can see the best of the three: a menacing talon reaching down from our living room window and Mr. Spooky Ghouly Guy.

I think Scott got his inspiration from Martha Stewart. He bought his own black felt, cut out the designs using a template, and then glued them onto some cheapo white bed sheets. The whole effect is rather eerie; I can't enter our office without thinking the Bogey Man is waiting to get his evil hands around my oh-so-delicate neck.

This just in: The ghost is burning. Scott says he heard the lighbulb pop and explode, then the ghosty sheet lit on its own, not needing any electrical aid. I'd better get out there to make sure the situation doesn't get (any more) out of hand.

There's Only So Much Julie to Go Around...

2005-10-26T22:57:00.000-04:00

...so the blog suffers, the dog doesn't get as many ear-ruffling "Good boys," and Scott has to make do with several short phone conversations during the day and an even shorter, yawn-filled chat when I finally stumble home. Work. Swamped. Only another few days.

It's bad when a string of 14-hour days at the office start feeling normal.

I'll focus on the good stuff instead.

1. Today I got the official yer-outta-here from the physical therapist. Those twice-weekly sessions have done their job because my ankle feels mostly normal. I've still got some pain and I still brace myself for the worst when approaching any uneven ground. But yesterday I walked at my normal zippy pace without realizing I had until a few minutes later. I'll take it.

2. I had a birthday. And except for the really great roller-skating bash I had at the Skatin' Station when I was in 4th grade, this one was at the top of my Best Birthday list. Scott threw me a surprise party. Almost everyone I'm wild about was there. My good friend from ye olde days at Eastern Michigan University even drove in from Chicago. The details of the surprise are too plentiful to list here, but Scott and my sis really outdid themselves.

I leave you with a rather unflattering photo of myself [Note to self: Clearly the Build-a-Better-Julie Program needs revisiting.] but one that aptly displays my reaction at the moment of revelation.

Something in the Air, Part 2

2005-10-16T20:25:00.000-04:00

I didn't start a new project last night after all. Remember this and then this? Well, some of the yarn I am using for the new wrap was among the desecrated -- in fact, it's the silver gray yarn that's stretched from the floor to the couch. It took me a while last night to put it to rights. (It strikes me that I should post a new photo of my living room now that we have new carpet, freshly painted walls, and new furniture.) And then today I lost the bug to start a new project so I dove into the cables on the back of my cabled vest instead.

Early this afternoon Scott announced that he'd like some banana bread. I, being a lover of baking and almost anything made from butter, sugar, and flour, was only too happy to comply. Besides, he so rarely asks me to bake for him that I headed straight for the mixing bowls.

I tried a new recipe and baked my loaf in a different pan than usual. My favorite resource for inspired basics, The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, didn't let me down. The recipe was simple, rich in bananas, and without a lot of extravagant and unnecessary ingredients. I like my banana bread stripped down without cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices.

Usually I bake the bread in a 8.5" x 4.5" metal loaf pan. Today I tried my Chantal loaf pan, which is glazed stonewear and 10.5" long, so my bread wasn't as tall. In any case, the crust got nice and crusty. I think I've got a new favorite quick-bread pan.

This is going to be super-crazy-busy week at work and in my extra-curriculars, so I expect the cooking and knitting urge will be put on the back burner, so to speak.

Something in the Air

2005-10-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

For no reason at all, except that I felt like it, tonight's dinner was an Occasion. Something about October always inspires me to get Julia Child-ish in the kitchen (even though I don't cook anything French, really -- unless you count French silk pie -- and Ms. Child's wacky voice gives me the vapors).

Once I hit the middle of October I get into a pre-holiday-season tizzy. My birthday's in a week, then Halloween comes. Then it's on to all the pumpkin pie and turkey I can handle until the Christmas feasting arrives. [Note to self: Maybe you shouldn't get that excited about eating.]

Tonight was fun because I made a special dinner using oodles of wedding gifts. Out came the breadmaker and the fancy cloth napkins and silver napkin rings. And to cast just the right light and shadows, a red candle in the silver candle sticks with an engraved leaf pattern. And because I could, I chose the funky blue-stemmed goblets my sis gave me when I was in college.

The lasagna was fabulous, made with my own homemade sauce. The wheat berry bread was crusty on the outside and soft in the middle, and wrapped in the breadcloth Mom embroidered for me. And the yummy wine didn't disappoint: half a glass in and I was flushed and tipsy. (Thanks, Mom, for giving me that gene! We really know how to light it up.) The best part? Sitting down with my fella in our Saturday work-around-the-house jeans and T-shirts and sharing it.

And now with my wine-head, it strikes me as the perfect time to cast on for something new. Finishing projects is so passé.

Library Expansion

2005-10-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

I'd received a Borders gift card a while back, which means that I suffered from What-to-Buy-with-My-Gift Card Anxiety. I don't know why I feel such pressure to buy just the right something whenever I have a gift certificate, but I'm sure it goes back to my family's frugal roots.

In any case, I thought long and hard about what would be special enough to deserve being purchased with my gifty stash. Today I decided.

The Jean Frost Jackets should have been a no-brainer for me months ago. After all, I've checked it out from the library at least three times now. It has the best information on fitting knitted items that I've read so far. That alone made it worthwhile. Plus, the designs contained within are wonderfully classic and tailored-looking. I also appreciate that the yarns she chose to use for her jackets are neither impossible to find or excruciatingly expensive, should I choose to use the same yarns.

Viva Poncho is also a public-library discovery. I know I've read other knit bloggers who declare that ponchos are out, but I'm willing to risk their derision. I found the design you see at the left (that's more of a wrap than a poncho anyway) that would be perfect for some yarn I already have. Plus, it will give me some practice at the drop-stitch technique so that someday when I get farther down my project on my list, I'll finally make my own Clapotis with ease.

Hmmm... I'm noting a pattern here: I'm late on the poncho uptake a bit and I'm ages behind on the Clapotis frenzy. Hey, has anyone heard about those books about a kid wizard-in-training named Harry Potter? I hear they're really something.

Addendum: For all of you who are just beside yourselves to know how it was that I was painting last weekend what with my injured ankle, I'm happy to report that I booted The Boot and I'm now wearing a super-duper and less noticeable brace that allows me to get around pretty normally. Unfortunately, it has thrust me into the Mall Walker phase of my personal style; I'm unable to wear any shoes but my white tennies with the brace, regardless of how it coordinates with the rest of my ensemble. Vanity hurts: Friday I decided to chuck the brace just so I could dress with a bit more sophistication. Alas, I'm paying for it today with a rather achey foot and ankle.

Whole Lotta Paintin' Goin' On

2005-10-01T20:23:00.000-04:00

The headline is rather a giveaway, but I'll state it plainly: Lots of painting means not so much knitting or other Julieness.

Like the ant in the well-known fable, we've been working hard to get ready for what will undoubtedly be a cold, blustery Michigan winter by painting the exterior of our house. I guess we're also like the grasshopper, too, since we started the painting last year but left it incomplete. We've only got the trim to paint on the garage tomorrow and then we'll be done. Ah, yes.

Our neighbors are pleased that we no longer have the House of Many Colors. We're pleased because now we can think about other projects (like sitting on the couch, cozied up by the fire). Only the icky giant spiders who lived on the backside of the garage are unhappy because they got evicted to make room for the drive-by of our paint brushes and rollers.

I suppose the spiders will have the last laugh, though, because I think I overheard them whispering to their eight-legged buddies that now is the time to move into the house and give this Miss Julie the heebie-jeebies for the next six months.

Anyway, I hope to have something more stupendous to report next time.

Things I've (Re)Learned in the Past 12 Days

2005-09-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

In no particular order:

-- Patience. It's not always easy being waited on, especially when the kind helper-outer doesn't do things the same way as I do.

-- Multi-tasking is fine, but focus is better. Because my injury and The Boot on my right foot prevent me from moving too fast, all of my transportation is quite intentional. As a result, I've grown to like moving a little slower; my heart rate and relative stress levels are feeling the relief, too.

-- I need some new socks. They may be my favorites, but they're looking a bit threadbare in the toes, which doesn't look too keen when revealed in The Boot.

-- Having a big family is fantastico. When we all gathered to celebrate my grandpa's life, I counted 35 of us -- and that's just my immediate family on my mom's side. I love it and all of its accompanying laughter and rowdiness.

-- Laughing at a funeral is just as appropriate as crying. Especially at stories about my grandparents I'd never heard before. Especially at my sister for having to lead the singing of a hymn (chosen by my mom) that she didn't know.

-- "Misery loves company" isn't completely true. Instead, I discovered even strangers are sympathetic. As a result of my quite visible limp and Boot, people I've never seen or spoken to before in my office have felt compelled to help me out or simply offer words of encouragement as I've recovered. One woman I'd never seen around before even approached me in the hall and cheered me on when she noticed I was no longer using my cane!

-- "Legacy" isn't just a word. I gave the eulogy at my grandpa's funeral, and while thinking of what I was going to say and stories I wanted to share, I discovered traits of my grandpa that have been present all this time in my uncles, mom, and even my brother that had just never struck me before. Another point for being focused and intentional, I guess.

-- Short-term mandatory rest can be a good thing. Two days after the sprain, my mother-in-law actually asked me if I was bored. With all that reading, knitting, and napping I accomplished, I should think not.

-- Apparently, I'm not too young for masses of gray hairs. Enough said on that topic.

-- It's good to be almost back on my feet again. I drove for the first time in nearly two weeks today. I took my first longish walk today. I returned to cooking dinner today. Nice.

A Little Hiatus

2005-09-15T23:19:00.000-04:00

This last week has been eventful for me and my family. My ankle sprain was only a small part of it.

On Tuesday, my grandpa, who suffered from dementia for so long, passed away. I never knew that dementia was such a cruel disease until I saw how it ravaged him. While I'm very sad about Grandpa's death, I also see something in his passing to celebrate, albeit quietly. As a believer in heaven, I have faith that he's whole again.

I'm going to be a way for a little bit. Resting, swapping stories and memories, and spending lots of cozy time with my family are on the schedule. Now go out there and hug somebody you love.

Stylin'

2005-09-10T13:41:00.000-04:00

What was intended to be a quiet, relaxing Thursday evening turned out to be not so relaxing and rather painful. While letting Groucho the Wonderpooch out for his nightly trip outside, I stepped funny off the stair of our deck into the yard.

A trip to urgent care that night and a couple of doctor visits yesterday morning later and I'm now harnessed into this rather fashionable foam-and-plastic ensemble for the next few weeks. Oy. Hobbling about on crutches is a slow and sometimes humbling mode of transportation for me. Due to significant hearing loss my sense of balance is lackluster on good days so I have to laugh at how I must look clutching walls and other stationery objects just to stay upright.

Scott is a big one for believing that things happen for a reason. I grin when I think that maybe the reason was because he was intended to wait on me and attend to my every need. He's been a super nurse, but it's still a lesson in patience for this lady who usually prefers to do everything for herself. I'll have to get used to having a chauffeur, too, since it's my driving foot that's out of commission.

Vested Interest

2005-09-08T19:05:00.000-04:00

Some crazy-long hours at work have prevented me from really digging in, but I've made a good start on the back of my sweater vest. Since it's in dark blue the photography won't be all that exciting (not that I favor myself by believing I'm a superior photographer even when the yarn is light-colored). Instead, the front makes its Miss Julie debut.

For my first foray into cables, I don't think I did half-bad. And the color combo just wows me every time. Though it doesn't display quite accurately here, it's navy blue, periwinkle, and an acidic lime green.

I've even got the perfect puce-green colored shirt, complete with 3/4-length sleeves, to wear under it.

Return to Origins

2005-09-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

Do you remember this, my ChicKami? Well, it now looks like this:

I thought long and hard about it. I finally realized that the reason I dreaded working on it was because the fabric created by the yarns I chose was just wrong, wrong, wrong. There was too much bulk and stiffness and not the pliability that I wanted. Seriously, who wants to wear a tank top that can stand on its own power?

I don't know what I'll do with the yarn and I'm not sure when I'll attempt the ChicKami again, but I feel satisfied with my decision. Now I can focus on the good things heating up in the Upcoming Project Incubator.

Days of Beauty and Despair

2005-09-02T16:05:00.000-04:00

I've been in a bit of a block knowing what to write these last days. The domestic activities of last week, when Scott and I stayed up past 1 a.m. every night painting and working on our home, and the busyness of work seem so inconsequential when compared to what my countrymen and women are experiencing on the Gulf Coast.

Even mine and Scott's fifth wedding anniversary, which we celebrated last Friday, loses a great portion of its joyfulness in the shadow of all that's befallen our nation since last weekend.

The weather here in Michigan has turned just lovely. And at any other time I would feel my heart soar at its beauty. Instead, I can't separate myself from television news accounts and, because I don't have access to TV at work, online reporting from The Washington Post and others. Surely the pictures are too horrible to be real and the stories too unbelievable to be true; yet I know that's not the case.

So when my feelings of sadness seem overwhelming, I remind myself how thankful I am that my sister Becky was able to move home from Baton Rouge a week before the storm hit -- a coincidence considering no one knew the storm was going to hit. I'm quietly grateful that she is home safely with us when so many others suffer greatly.

Donating seems insufficient an effort, but it's all I can do at this point to help. I hope you'll join me. I support the efforts of World Vision, but there are so many other worthy agencies giving aid.

An Ode to the Angora Goat

2005-08-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe not.

Yesterday my chum and I took in the thrills that are found only at the Michigan Fiber Fest. I don't know what was better, the herding dog demonstration (which always gets my heart pumping) or the lovely chat we had with a goat farmer. His angoras had won the top prizes of the day, so we were definitely in the presence of an authority when he spoke about the qualities that make a goat a good, er, show goat. Here I am, not looking my best, but delighted to be in such fine company all the same.

I also bought some yarn, though I nearly left with nothing. I bought these two lovelies on the way out, and now I'm wondering if the woman I bought from has any more.

I came home looking for something to make with the yarn and figured that if I had just a few more skeins that I could make this sweater, which I've loved for ages, from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits. What do you think? I haven't tested the gauge yet, but I presume it's close.

Harvest, Pt. I

2005-08-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

My first tomato! All season I've said I would be happy if I got just one to ripen, and now here I am. Our little garden plot is a sad and neglected thing this year. All the action's been taking place in the house, what with ripping out the floor, replacing all the doors and trim, and now repainting pretty much the whole house so we've not had the time or energy to maintain the yard.

I shall ignore the wilting and sorry tomato vines in the back yard and instead sink my teeth into this juicy red wonder and smile.

Oh, I Shouldn't Have

2005-08-19T11:34:00.000-04:00

Overcome by temptation last week, I succumbed. I bought this lovely green merino and red mohair from Elann.com.

I don't have any absolute plans for them yet, but I think something cabley would be great for the green. And if the first rub-the-yarn-against-my-cheek tests are accurate, this may be a rare wool I can actually wear right against my skin. As for the mohair, I may try to find some sort of metallic silver strand to carry along with it to make a really dramatic evening wrap.

Isn't that bowl great? My mother-in-law knows of my fondness for all things daisies and lime green, so before Scott and I married she gave me that hand-blown glass bowl with a set of 6 matching goblets. I haven't used it in a long time, but I'm now inspired to have a girly gathering before summer ends so I can serve some yummy salad and lemonade.

The Apprentice

2005-08-15T21:47:00.000-04:00

Whew! Things have been busy here at Chez Julie. Not much knitting to report (except the ripping out and re-knitting of a few frustrating rows of Branching Out).

Scott and I are just two days away from a kitchen floor. So while Scott's been using the saw, I've been the Carpenter's Little Helper. (I'm really favoring Scott with the title of "carpenter," but he deserves it for how hard he tries.) Most of the time my primary task during such jobs is to pick up nails, do the vacuuming, pick up more nails, and be the stalwart encourager. This time I've been in the thick of it; I even got to use the nail gun. The power! The rush!

Tonight I've been caulking around our new baseboard trim, a first for me and a wholly satisfying job since I discovered that caulk and I get along brilliantly. And now, even though it's nearly 10oo p.m., I'm about to bust out the paint brushes and rollers and go to town on the kitchen wainscoting.

We're so close to enjoying life sans sawdust, splinters, and other various construction detritus. Just a few more weeks -- and probably a few more splinters in my, ahem, backside from scooting along the floor sanding and painting.

10 Days and Counting

2005-08-11T19:19:00.000-04:00

Since my inaugural visit to the Michigan Fiber Festival last year, I've been planning my return visit. For the last few weeks, I've wracked my brain trying to think of someone who I could ask to join me since all of my usual go-alongers had other plans. Going alone would have been fine but sometimes you just like an amiga to share the fun with. Today I have fantastic news!

My friend Jenna, who lives in Colorado, will be arriving in town the day before I plan to attend the festival. Our friendship is intrinsically linked to the road trips we took together in college. And now we're taking one more.

On Sunday, August 21, we'll hit the road for that two-hour drive -- windows down, iPod kicking out the tunes, and our two enthusiastic but imperfect voices wailing along. We'll have all day to catch up since it's been a year since our last visit. And there will be pounds and pounds of lust-worthy yarns to fondle and live alpacas to coo over.

Right... Uh-Huh

2005-08-09T20:54:00.000-04:00

Vacation was grand. We arrived home several days ago, but I'm feeling particularly stymied when it comes to blogging lately. I'm sure you haven't noticed. Jan must have been reading my mind with her post today.

The camping couldn't have been more perfect. Highlights included: all the sleep I could handle; nights by the campfire with views of the stars that you just can't get here in town; and a great day at the beach in Grand Marais, where Scott and I frolicked in the giant Lake Superior waves. And all of this took place in country so beautiful it makes my heart constrict with love. Clearly it's been too long since I spent any time up north in the U.P.

My subject line acknowledges the naivete of last post's proclamation that I would have lots to show for all that free time. I had plenty of free time, but much of it I was happy just to be. And sometimes being means not even doing those activities one loves the most.That's why the only photographs we came home with were ones of me splashing around in the water -- and those aren't hitting the Internet anytime soon -- despite the number of photo-worthy views we took in.

I did make some progress on Branching Out. I love the almost magical quality of knitting lace. I'm so slow at it because at the finish of each row I simply must stop to examine and admire my work.

Gone Fishing

2005-07-29T19:10:00.000-04:00

Gee, what a scintillating week it's been around this blogspot. And it's going to be dry again next week. We're heading up north to the Upper Peninsula (aka the U.P.) tomorrow morning where we'll camp on Lake Superior. It's going to be grand, grand, grand.

What do you think of my gorgie new sunglasses, which the ever-knowing Scott chose for me? He's a great gift-picker-outer and he didn't disappoint this time either. The glasses are inspired by the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film that's out now, and I think they're meant to look like the ones Johnny Depp wears at one point in the film, though I haven't yet seen it to know for sure. And while they don't show in the photo, there's a really fabulous swirly W on the arm, which I love. Oh how I adore over-the-top accessories (these are taking the place of the bright orange cat glasses I've been sporting lately).

Anyway, what with all the free time I'm going to have next week, I hope to have lots of fun finished and in-progress items to report on when I get back. And I'm giving in and delving in to the Harry Potter books at long last. (Scott's nearly beside himself because he can't talk over Book 6 with me.) We'll see if I can buzz through Books 1-4 as a start.

Toodles, dahlings.

I'm Back

2005-07-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

We had an extraordinary time at the wedding this past weekend, though I'm exhausted. We arrived home at 4:00 this morning, and I had to work today. Our journey, which lasted an unnecessarily long 17 hours, was pleasant enough (gosh, that Wisconsin countryside is lovely) but we kept laughing that the guests who flew in from India probably had shorter journeys than ours. In any case, I say that there's still no better way to experience the romance of America than by traveling in the car.

This truth made itself known to me again on the trip to the event: The trouble with technology is that when one needs it, it will disappoint you. Such is the case with the digital camera, whose battery died somewhere on the long drive between Detroit and Minneapolis because the design of the camera leaves the flash vulnerable. The flash got turned on, the battery drained, and all we could say was: That's a toughie. No pics until the film is developed, then.

And now I'm off to my bed. It's just not fair to put Scott and Groucho the Wonderpooch through another day of sleep-deprived, cranky Julie.

Off to the Wilds of Minnesota

2005-07-20T20:02:00.000-04:00

Actually, not really, since we're going to Minneapolis. But it does feel pretty wild to consider that I'm going directly west of my beloved Great Lakes for the first time instead of being between them or east of them.

Scott's good friend is getting married so we're off to the wedding. It's going to be a grand weekend extravaganza, and it's the first Hindu marriage ceremony I'll have attended. It should be fabulous and very special.

I'm off to pack and research yarn-shop possibilities. Be back Monday!

As for Me, It's Over

2005-07-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Scott and I did the Midnight Magic Party thing last night for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I've worked for Borders through the release of at least four Harry books now and I'm embarrassed to admit this was the first release party I went to.

We picked up Scott's copy at the downtown Ann Arbor store, where I thought they had a good handle on things. We were number 265 in line and there were probably still several hundred after us waiting. It was actually quite fun to be part of and feel that frisson of excitement that just hung in the air. And even though I sometimes roll my eyes at the hype that little guy Harry receives, I do really like that people are so excited about and feel such a connection with a book.

And now, I can happily bow out of this round of Harry Potter craziness at work. Who knows, I may blog about Book 7 some day.

I'm All Smiles, Darling

2005-07-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

What a guy! That fella of mine surprised me at work today with these beauties, and as a result I had a wee cry followed by hours of an irresistible need to smile. He knows how to pick the flowers, too: Those Gerberas are my favorites and they look stupendous in my yellow office.

The note attached to the bouquet congratulated me on my new office, but I'm seeing the flowers as a loving acknowledgement that we finally made it through the long haul of some of what capital-L Life throws at you sometimes.

Good things breed more good things, apparently. Scott also got his official teacher's certification from the State of Michigan today. I've taken to calling him Mr. I or Mr. Isgrigg so he'll be prepared for when he gets a job.

Yummy!

2005-07-07T20:56:00.000-04:00

I've got food on the brain today.

First, I saw Heidi's post about her brave attempt to say no to refined sugar all next week. Yowsa! That's a bit punishing for my tastes, but I admire her courage and wish her well all the same.

Still, thinking of her didn't stop me from whipping up a batch of Ben's Chocolate Ice Cream from my favorite ice-creamy idea book, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert Book. And as I poured in that full cup of sugar, followed soon after by a full cup of heavy whipping cream, I could only sigh and smile. I'm taking it to a birthday celebration at work, along with some brownies and sundae fixin's. Now I just need to hope that enough people are still on extended Fourth of July vacations and therefore aren't Lean Cuisine-ing the communal freezer, leaving no room for my ice cream.

Second, my sister emailed me today with a happy announcement: Penzey's is finally coming to Southeast Michigan! Now I can drive to get my spices -- inhaling what must surely be a delectable aroma -- instead of ordering through the catalog. It's going to be heavenly.

Look Who Finished Her Booga Bag

2005-07-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

I'm so pleased with the outcome. The colors are scrumptious, my first foray into felting was oodles of fun, and now I have this gorgeous hunk of wool to show for it.

I'm thinking of adding a lining just so items I put in the bag won't catch on the fibers. But that's not going to stop me from carrying the bag until then.

Happy Fourth of July!

Nothing Much

2005-06-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

I've been spending a lot of time in my Green Room of late because it's the one place in the house that is unadulterated by the return of the renovation bric-a-brac. Since I'm getting so close to completing my Booga bag, last night I pulled my yarn stash out of the closet looking for next-project inspiration.

I think the lucky winner is a couple of balls of chartreuse Austermann Acapella, a wispy kid mohair blend, that is going to become either the Branching Out scarf from Knitty or a gossamer wrap from Beyond Wool.

One other thing: My friend added photos of her little guy wearing the sweater I made for him to her blog. And I worried about the sweater being too small.

Warning: Home Repairs Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

2005-06-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Here's my take on home renovations: The results are fantastic and -- hopefully -- create peace, but in the meantime you'd better be prepared to face an emotional wasteland. Surprise, this ain't a cheery post.

Scott and I, with huge help from our dads, ripped out the floor in our kitchen, our entry hall, and the side hall on Sunday. We thought we were going to have our much-anticipated new floor installed today. Think again. After the installers left this morning, breaking the hard news that our floor is so warped and unlevel that we can't put down the flooring we chose, it's as though all we really heard was the sound it makes when someone touches the tweezers to the side of the funny bone compartment in the game of Operation -- incessantly. Or if that grating sound is unfamiliar to you, maybe you know the wah-wah buzzer from The Price Is Right game show, which is often accompanied by a big fat red X across the TV screen.

Back to the drawing board and the dread of having to go out shopping together again to find something we both mostly like and that will cooperate with our uncooperative floor.

Until such a time, we're stuck with a grimy-dirty, splinter-ridden, gotta-wear-shoes-on-it wood subfloor. And did I mention our stove is in the living room? Our kitchen table and chairs is in the family room? The kitchen counter's covered in a measurably thick amount of dust?

Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine.

Ode to Buttons

2005-06-23T20:11:00.000-04:00

With nothing very photo-worthy going on with any of my craft projects or my recent gardening exploits, I dug into the button box tonight looking for inspiration.

Most of the buttons I have came from my grandmas and were ones I'd played with as a girl. Now I keep the buttons tucked away in a drawer with my other sewing accoutrement waiting for that far-off day when I'll either a) find the time to use them, b) remember that I have them to use them, or c) find the perfect project to slap them on. Alas, I suppose those are the woes of a stasher.

I love the two giant green-ish zebra-print buttons down front. Wouldn't those look stunning on the collar of a dramatic wool swing coat or cape? Sigh.

One Ball Down

2005-06-19T19:30:00.000-04:00

Here's how the Booga bag is coming along. I'm about half-way up the sides now and I'm still loving, loving, loving that Kureyon!

A Lovely Surprise

2005-06-16T21:43:00.000-04:00

Today a friend of mine at work arrived at my office bearing gifts. She's told me all about her in-laws' travels throughout India, Thailand, and other Asian destinations and has mentioned several times all the wonderful gifts she's received from their time abroad.

Today she shared some of her treasures with me. Apparently, she has bins and bins of textiles and other bric-a-brac that she either doesn't have the space for or realizes she'll never use. (I can't imagine the strength it must have required to come to such a realization.) Here I share with you some of what she gave me.

From left to right: a fantastic cotton table cloth, complete with bead fringe on the corners; a gorgeous square cotton scarf from India; a long rectangular silky-cotton blend scarf, with self-fabric fringe; and a stunning curtain-type piece, complete with a casing. I think I'm going to finish the one raw edge of the the curtain and use it as a wall hanging in my office at work until I can begin and finish the quilt wall hanging I'm scheming about.

In any case, this was a touching gift today. My friend also told me she plans to have a yard sale on Saturday offering up some more of these types of items. I'm there!

We Made It

2005-06-12T09:22:00.000-04:00

The house may not be photo-shoot ready, but it's certainly much improved. All the tools and other renovation effluvia are back in the basement where they belong instead of occupuying every available space throughout the house.

We even finished the bathroom. We held first-flush ceremonies on Friday night, and it was lovely. Even my dad, who participated via speaker phone, was impressed. Never has a toilet sounded so lovely.

Our friends arrived safely last night, so we're off to our cottage on Lake Huron for a few days. It's going to be just fabulous! And I'll get to visit Lamby Locks, my favorite little yarn shop up there, where I may have to succumb to some of the owner's beautiful hand-spun, hand-dyed gems.

So Much To Do

2005-06-07T22:50:00.000-04:00

We've got chums coming in to visit us from Syracuse this weekend and we couldn't be more delighted. We also couldn't be more foolish: We're trying to accomplish three years' worth of home repairs in the span of one week. We've already had to pare back our list, but I know more tasks are going to get cut as Saturday draws nearer.

Since this blog is about keeping it real, I post a picture of my Green Room, which also happens to be where my friends will be staying this weekend. (What do you think, Marth? And sis, if you're reading, has your pulse steadied yet?)

I hope I don't need to assure my gentle readers that the rest of my house does not look like this. I also realize I will have to post a follow-up photo to redeem myself.

We really ought to have guests stay in that room more often. That way, I could actually use my room as the studio I always dreamed it would be instead of a slapdash repository for everything I don't have a place for.

But I can't end on that downer. I also show a detail of my freshly painted bathroom wall, with the chair rail I had so much fun choosing. You'll have to use your imaginations a bit: the colors are a bit more periwinkle and the nail will be tapped in and spackled.

The room is just gorgeous and serene. And once the plumber comes tomorrow and installs our new pedestal sink, we'll be almost finished. It's going to be so great to see the dream I've had for the last two-and-a-half years be a reality. Plus it feels great to get that brand-new sink and toilet and other bathroom hardware out of the basement, where it's been mouldering away waiting for me to stop procrastinating. In any case, I'll post another picture of the wall later after I've had a chance to sponge the darker blue half with the lovely irridescent glaze I picked out.

Only four days left to get it all finished!

Heaven... I'm in Heaven

2005-06-03T17:54:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist. When I should have been cleaning and painting and doing any other of the myriad house projects we need to complete before our friends come in next weekend, I cast on for the Booga Bag. It seems like everyone else in knitting blogland has made one of these, and now I'm jumping onboard. I've finished the bottom already. What a difference size 10½ needles make compared to those 2s and 3s I've been using.

Let me also just say that as many times as I've admired Noro Kureyon objects on others' blogs, I couldn't truly understand its beauty until I'd felt the strands of wool slip through my own fingers. The color! Truly inspired, and truly divine.

Out-the-Door Prices

2005-06-01T18:37:00.000-04:00

Check out what I saw while visiting KnitPicks.com today. Except for cropping, this is an unedited image:

Uh-huh, it seems to me like it would be adding insult to injury to charge so much for the materials to make such a bag. I mean, I know it could carry everything, but if you had that much money, wouldn't you just pay someone to carry everything for you instead of making a bag so you could carry it all yourself? Really now.

I gave the wee sweater to my chum today. I think she was quite pleased. Now that I've finished it, I feel so free and easy about what I'll work on next that there's almost an equal sort of anxiety about that! But I'm going to bask in it for a bit yet.

Ta-da!

2005-05-31T22:50:00.000-04:00

M'mm M'mm, Good

2005-05-30T14:22:00.000-04:00

Last night Scott and I were struck with a bout of culinary inspiration. We both enjoy cooking but often get lazy when it comes time to get down to it. (Okay, so as Scott was just reading over my shoulder, he reminds me that it was actually he who had the light-bulb moment. I was just the go-alonger.)

In any case, Scott bought some ribs at our favorite local market. I don't usually even like ribs, but the ones we made last night with the recipe Scott found online were surely the best I've ever eaten. I even put aside my aversion to getting foody viscosities on my fingers and my dislike for eating any food that requires a Wet Nap after the meal.

Maybe it was the bourbon, maybe it was the root beer, but this recipe was divine.

A Weekend for (Getting Close to) Finishing Things

2005-05-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

I finally made some progress on my bathroom yesterday. Now I just need to paint and hang the trim before I can install the new toilet and pedestal sink. Ah, that's going to feel so good.

Tonight I've made my first real foray into unsupervised seaming. I blocked the baby sweater yesterday, and that went just swimmingly. Tonight I stitched the right shoulder and sewed on the right sleeve. The left sleeve is going to be trickier because the left shoulder is left open for a button flap. My trusty Vogue knitting book hasn't let me down yet, so I should be able to make it through relatively painlessly.

After that it's just stitching the underarm and side seams and adding the buttons.
I hope to continue working on it tomorrow, but we've got some Memorial Day family gatherings to attend, which will certainly impact the time availability.

I know one thing for sure: Three-day weekends are fabulous, dahling.

Groucho, P.I.

2005-05-20T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here's Groucho the Wonderpooch, seen modeling his little trench coat that my sister gave him. As you can see, it's a bit biggish. And the smaller size is a little too small, so we're going to have to hit the racks again in search of the perfect outerwear for the resident canine.

The other night I suffered some knitting frustration, but I think I'm back on track. When I finally braved the pick-up-and-knits, I wondered why I couldn't come anywhere near the number of stitches I was supposed to have. I had a "Well, duh!" moment and figured out that I picked up stitches on the front of the sweater and the instructions I read were for the back of the sweater. Brilliant, Julie.

I was encouraged, however, to discover that I had actually picked up the correct number of stitches for the front piece! I just had to tear out a few rows to insert a buttonhole I had missed. And when I started binding off, sighing a satisfied sigh that I had accomplished my goal, I tore it all out again because I didn't like how my stitches lined up at the edge of the fabric.

I'm bound and determined to get it just right tonight. Fourth time is a charm, I'm hoping. And since I know what I'm doing, I should be able to pick up the stitches for both pieces tonight so I can start seaming it all together. All told, picking up and knitting isn't so bad. I don't know why I was so jibber-jabbery.

P.S. Have you checked out this fun little tid-bit from Brawny, the paper towel maker? Even with the subtle use of paper towel in each of the clips, the super-sensitive strapping man in flannel provides plenty of feel-goodness after a long day. The "random breakdown" segment spoke to me in particular.

Of Sore Losers, the Theatuh, and Timeless Insults

2005-05-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

We had a whirlwind weekend, which started for me on Thursday when my sister, who was in town last week, brought over a tres adorables trench coat for Groucho the Wonderpooch. (Pics to come.) Friday we played games with the fam and Becky taught us Settlers of Catan and Dutch Blitz. Seriously, my sister wins at games like no one else I've ever known. I'm rather amused that her beau, who taught Becky both those games in the first place, managed to fare remarkably unwell at both of them that night. I tried not to be too amused at his expense, but he was clearly razzled by my sister's glowing success that night.

Saturday morning we hit the road for Stratford, Ontario, where we took in a conference on teaching Shakespeare through performance. I was one of a few non-teachers there, but it was altogether an enjoyable time. We watched their production of Shakespeare's As You Like It. As a result, I have a new favorite insult: "You lisp and you wear strange suits." I should be able to work that one in every day.

Taking a tour of their Festival Theater this morning made me realize that it could be super fun to work with a theater company. Their wardrobe department was practically an in-house Haberman Fabrics. They had a walls of buttons and trims 7 feet high and 20 feet long -- each. Bliss.

Nothing Like Mom's Approval

2005-05-09T20:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday for Mother's Day Scott and I had our fams over. I wanted to make a special meal using recipes I'd found a long time ago but had never attempted. I think there's a rule held by some people that one should never try new recipes on guests. Rules schmules.

It was scrumptious and beautiful, and I don't mind saying so. The chicken was delicately breaded with parmesan, herbs, and bread crumbs. It came out of the oven nearly photo-shoot ready. That's never happened to me before. And my first try at risotto was a glorious success. It was creamy, the rice had a lovely texture, and the small pieces of carrots and asparagus throughout were crisp-tender just the way I love 'em. Topped off with some bread and our favorite Michigan Riesling, it was a wonderful meal. And oh yeah, we had a great time with our moms, too.

Tonight I planted some snapdragon and cosmos seeds. So by the end of July I should have photos of my flowers to post. Oy, that seems ages away, but we're finally getting some lovely days so I don't mind so much.

Pick-Up-And-Knit Scaredies

2005-05-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

Yay, me. I finished all the foundation knitting for the little sweater on Sunday. I made myself sit still in one place and actually finish it. It's super-duper hard for me not to do things based on whether I feel like it.

I know I should continue working on it tonight because I've just the finishing. But I'm giving in to my I-don't-feel-like-its and piling up with some escapist reading I picked up at the library. I worked a 16-hour day yesterday and feel a bit worn out, so I'll not self-inflict the guilt over two days of no knitting.

I need to pick up and knit the stitches around the neck and, frankly, I'm scared. I've only ever picked up stitches with the assistance of my knitting teacher. But class is out now and I'm on my own. My favorite knitting guide, that trusty Vogue book, has some good illustrations on the how-tos, but it's lacking in advice on how to know how many stitches and where to pick them up from.

If I didn't hate having to tear out and re-do as much as I do, I'd just jump in. Guess that's what I'll have to do anyway or I'll never get anywhere. I haven't let myself work on any other projects until I get this puppy done. The agony! Must. Finish. This. Thing. Soon.

Knitting on DVD

2005-04-29T15:44:00.000-04:00

Last night I watched the DVD The Art of Knitting, which I checked out from the library.

Most of it was interesting enough even if there wasn't a lot of new info for me. I guess a more accurate assessment of it would be that it was a pleasant program to watch in the background as I sat on the couch and knit. I did enjoy the discussion on different fiber types from the woman who owns Prism Yarn. I also got to see an alpaca shearing demo. (When I told Scott last night that I wanted to change careers and become an alpaca farmer all I got was a "That's something my mom would say." I'll take that as a compliment.) Perhaps my favorite segment was the discussion on dyeing with the two women who make up Twisted Sisters. I know nothing about hand dyeing nor about the color theory behind it and I found it fascinating.

Too bad the production was so low-budget, though. Some of the segments were filmed at fiber festivals and the background noise and terrible lighting nearly made me turn off the DVD at several places. The DVD topics were lacking in specificity, too. "Shearing" took me to the alpaca demo, which was fabulous, but it only addressed alpacas. "Spinning" took me to a quite brief profile of a family-operated mill but didn't give real information on hand spinning, which is what I expected.

And then there was the section entitled "Zen and Knitting." One of the first things I loved about knitting was its meditative quality, for lack of a better description. But that was, for me, something I appreciated simply because it was therapeutic in a quiet and repetitive way. The author who led the zen discussion started off okay but really soured for me when she got all poetic about how each stitch of my knitting is symbolic of my place in this world. Eeew.

In real knitting news, I am making progress on the second sleeve for the baby sweater. I should finish it this weekend with no trouble.

A Good End to a Good Week

2005-04-24T09:29:00.000-04:00

It's almost inconceivable to me, but I actually held steady and finished one of the sleeves for the baby sweater yesterday. I'm going to cast on for the second one today and see about maintaining my pace.

I can't believe I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Friday was an exceedingly happy day around here. First, the day we'd been waiting for: Scott's last day of student teaching. Whew. No more crazy late nights, no more dancing around trying to please too many people and forgetting entirely about himself. Now it's just down to finding a teaching job, which could be no simple task for a wanna-be high-school drama teacher with Michigan's economy the way it is.

Second, I got promoted. I've been waiting for months and it's finally happened. I'll now be Manager of Interactive Content, which just puts me up higher on the Web ladder at work. I think I'm most excited about having an office. And did I mention that office will have a door? Ah, the simple things.

Me vs. Natural Order of Things

2005-04-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

Whew! So I'm finished with the primary knitting on the back and front of the baby sweater and I'm rushing my way through the sleeves now. My friend's baby is now two months old, so it's a scurry against time to make sure he doesn't reach 12 pounds before I'm finished with his gift.

I really like the clean-babyness of this sweater. I mean, I don't think anyone prefers an ooey, dirty baby, but I rank with the best of 'em in terms of really, really disliking the gooey-fingered, drooly candy-mouthed, Kool-Aid moustached variety of little tykes. Something about the white and blue combo just says "Clean, Dry Baby Sitting Smiling in His Pram." I'll have to bug my friend for a picture of her little Jake wearing my handiwork just to prove my theory right. I'd better get back to the needles -- he's probably growing faster than I'm knitting.

Oh yeah, we're supposed to get up to 14 inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon. I wonder if anyone reminded God that it's almost May.

What's Up with Me?

2005-04-08T16:13:00.000-04:00

I enjoy many activities (sewing, mucking around in the garden, that sort of thing). I'm nearly obsessed with others (reading, thinking about knitting as often as I can, knitting, and recently, listening to Keane). But something happened to me in the last couple of months.

When we drove to Louisiana two weeks ago, I was sure I would spend much of the 16-hour trip clacking away with the needles. I didn't even pull my work out of the knitting bag. It was as if the act of moving the bag from the back seat to the front was so exhausting I needed a 15-hour and 59-minute rest. I did manage a few rows on the return trip, but it wasn't with much enthusiasm.

Even my lifelong passion for reading has diminished. I've started numerous books sure I was going to be utterly delighted. Not so much. The most recent example was Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It's precisely the sort of giant book I dive into and never come up for air. I've already renewed it twice from the library and I'm only into about page 150 of 800. I don't think the library will let me renew again, and I can't muster the energy to keep going.

I'm hoping that with the springy sunshine I'll get a boost of Julie exuberance and feel familiar to myself again. In the meantime, I guess it's just going to be me, the iPod, and the musical chaps from Sussex.

We're Back

2005-04-05T21:34:00.000-04:00

What a fantastic vacation we had! And sheesh, did we need it.

We spent a few days with my sis before heading south to the Big Easy. Over the course of our trip we took in the Tabasco factory, which you can see here. (What is it with our delight at standing next to super-sized versions of everyday objects? Admittedly, Scott doesn't look as charmed as I do.) We visited Oakley Plantation, where the birdman John James Audubon spent some time. We encountered a lovely white peacock at the plantation (I cut most of my dopey self out of the background of the photo, but that's the bird we saw) that apparently took a liking to us. It put on quite a show for us. We also lounged on my sister's couch, an understated but very enjoyable part of our trip. We walked all over New Orleans, taking in the fantastic aquarium and zoo they've got there. And oh yeah, I bought some yarn.

I finally gave in to my need for the Noro Kureyon. I hardly need any more yarn sitting around and reminding me that I'm not a fast enough knitter to move through it as quickly as I'm buying it. But hey, when I finally do make that Booga Bag with it, I can remember my trip with fondness. There's justification for you.

Baton Rouge or Bust

2005-03-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so it's taken me two months of not posting to post so I can tell my ever-growing audience that I'll be away for a week.

Scott and I are heading south, making the trek to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We're going to grace the sis with our presence for the next week, try to catch some much-needed sunshine and warmth, and then head down to New Orleans for even more fun.

Maybe I'll be a better blogger when I get back. Or at least maybe life won't be so hectic so that I can be a better blogger and a better lots-of-other-things, too.

Lazy Saturday Morning

2005-02-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

Grooving to some quiet jazz trumpet on the stereo and with the sun streamed in so beautifully this morning, I was inspired to bust out the camera for photos I've been meaning to take for a while.

At the beginning of January, I went to visit my friend Michelle in Chicago for the weekend. I took in some yarn shops while I was there, which I was sadly disappointed by. The shop I had longed to visit, and that was anything but lackluster, was Tender Buttons (read an article about the store).

For this button-ophile, their selection was heavenly. They had vintage buttons of all styles, shapes, and materials that were absolutely fascinating. I was most intrigued by the full sets of buttons -- still on their cards -- from the 1930s and '40s. I couldn't wait to get home and dip my hands into the button boxes we inherited from my grandmas to see how their collections compared. In any case, I just couldn't leave Tender Buttons without making a purchase, and when I saw the perfect shanked accessory for my bubblegum-pink SitcomChic sweater, I scooped them up. Aren't they adorable? I also really like that the store designed and had them produced.

I knit a little more on the back of the baby sweater while Scott slept in late this morning. I know I could fly on this if I'd just settle in with my knitting for longer than 15 minutes at a time.

Later today I'm going to take a giant basketful of yarn over to the community center for use by the senior citizens. I got a lot of yarn from Scott's grandma that I know I will not use but that still has plenty of enjoyment left for another needleworker.

Lots of Blue and White

2005-02-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

I started the blue-and-white striped baby sweater for my friend's little one last week. I made some fair progress over the weekend, but haven't touched it since Sunday. Something about the domestic bustle of weeknights keeps me from doing much knitting.

I did learn an important lesson about stripes, however: You don't always have to cut the yarn when changing colors. I took the sweater back into knitting class with me on Monday night to show my teacher. I knew something was wrong when she got a look at the wodge of yarn ends hanging from one side. She gave me a sympathetic look and then told me I could have carried the yarn to the next pattern of stripes instead of cutting. Now I guess it's just going to be me and the darning needle for a whole lot of hours as I weave in each of those ends. I'll take that lesson to heart when I knit the front and the sleeves of the sweater.

I should mention that, surprise!, I won't be finishing the sweater in time for my friend's baby shower tomorrow afternoon. Another fine example of how this one Miss Julie is a step behind.

I'm also doddering along quite nicely with the ChicKami. I know others out there have raved about how quickly it knits, but seriously, I've been no Speedy Gonzalez. I don't know whether it only feels like it's been forever because I haven't spent all that much concentrated time on it or whether the miles and miles of boring stockinette stitch send my mind into a stupor. In any case, I've finally split the front and the back for the raglan shaping. And if I have to say "It won't be long now..." for this little number again, I think I'll just rip it all out and forget about it altogether. (I'm encouraged about its fit, though. I tried on what I'd finished before I split the front and back and I think we've got a winner!)

Mon Chapeau

2005-01-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

Well, the purple Molly hat is all finished. I've never had a hat named for a sheep before. All in all, I love my new cap, for all its hearty, wooly goodness. And I realized with this project that hats are fabulously cinchy -- what took me so long to make one?

The handspun yarn I used charmed me to no end. I love its unique little imperfections, which I think give the hat character. There are a few rows of stitches where the dye is rather striated in the yarn and it creates a coolio effect. Then, the top of the hat is slightly a different color because the second ball of yarn I used was a bit more grapey.

I can't wait to take it up to the Lamby Locks store in Harrisville, Michigan, where I bought it so I can show the owner. And maybe I'll just have to buy more yarn that came from her sheep Molly.

I'm going to start on a little baby sweater for my friend, who just had her little guy this week. But that's for another post.

Straight to the Hips

2005-01-21T11:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a post I read last week on LJC, I dashed off to Starbucks last Friday to try their new Chantico beverage. It's chocolate heaven, and I seriously had to keep myself in check lest I show the strength of my adoration for its sensual pleasures and embarass myself.

I liked it so much that when Scott set his cup down on the table and got all chit-chatty with the friend we were hanging out with, I stole his cup and surreptitiously finished his, too. He took it in good grace, assuring me that he wasn't yet finished with it but was still sipping it. I say, who can sip when gulping such deliciousness is ever so much more satisfactory?

On Saturday night, we went to dinner with Scott's family. Afterward, I suggested another jaunt to Starbucks, where I enjoyed another Chantico. I'm definitely going to have to watch myself on that.

Good news! I finished my cousin's scarf and posted it to her earlier this week. The lovely mademoiselle sent me a picture of herself modeling it, which I share here.

My First Hat

2005-01-19T08:11:00.000-05:00

Last summer when Scott and I were up at his family's cottage on Lake Huron, I visited the little yarn shop I had discovered the summer before. The first time I visited, I was too shy about buying some of the owner's handspun and hand-dyed yarn, but not the second time.

The two skeins of purple wool I bought (that the shop owner had harvested from her own Tunis sheep named Molly) were just lovely, but I didn't know how I was going to use only two skeins. Enter a really cinchy hat pattern from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits.

I started the hat last weekend while taking the train to Chicago. I finished the ribbing, and only just started the stockinette this week. It should fly once I settle in and work on it. I'm just wishing now I had finished it sooner, what with all the single-digit and below-zero temps we've had around here lately.

The Stockings Hung with Care...

2004-12-31T16:26:00.000-05:00

It took me long enough, but after five years Scott's stocking is finally finished and made it to the mantle on Christmas Eve. I started the cross stitching on it in October 1999 thinking that I would have it finished for Christmas of that year. Ha! I made a good-faith effort, but it just couldn't even come close to happening that year. And since we weren't even engaged at that point, I joked that if something went awry with us that I would just insert some other name at the top so at least my work wouldn't have been for naught.

Last year I finished the stitching but I was too much the procastinator to stitch the backing on and truly complete it. I hate that part of any needlework project anyway, so in the end I got a fair amount of assistance from my mom just so it would be finished this year.

And so, I present a piece of work that I'm quite proud of and that I was delighted to finally give to mon amour. (I should mention that I took this photo today, when it was an unseasonably balmy 60 degrees here in Southeast Michigan.)

Ugh, a Certain Fellow Named Harry

2004-12-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Never before has a fictional character so affected my life.

Just today, with the announcement of the release date of J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I see my future drastically changed. July 16, 2005, is months and months away and it stretches about before me, laughing at me, reminding me of how it has and will turn my life upside-down at every possible opportunity.

Working as the web marketing girl for a certain bookstore is lovely most days, but not when the publication of the biggest book of the century (so far -- we've still got Book 7 to look forward to yet) is announced a few days before Christmas. And the day before I'm to start my own holiday vacation. A vacation that may be delayed a bit more. Urg.

Things I (Ahem) Didn't Finish by Thanksgiving

2004-12-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

This is a toughie to admit, but of the seven items I listed in my last post, I only finished one of them. Can you guess which? That's right, the Halloween decorations returned to their home in the cabinet and the basement, and the sorry bowl of yellow and green Laffy Taffy (who eats those flavors anyway?), hardened Tootsie Rolls, and broken rolls of Smarties headed to the trash.

I'm trying to work my way through the other tasks -- still -- and I hope to finish at least some of them soon. Admittedly, though, the exercise task doesn't really have a finite deadline. I've made some good headway on the bathroom and I'll have pictures to post soon.

Knitwise, I'm sad to report that I broke one of my size 5 Denise Interchangeable needles. I'm thrilled with my set and I recommend it to everyone. But there I was last week in my knitting class working away on my ChicKami when -- SNAP -- the poor thing split in two. Just yesterday I sent it off to the friendly folks at Denise hoping to get a replacement. I hope it arrives soon so that I can keep on working. I've gotta finish that sweater by springtime so I can loll around in the sun with my bare shoulders.

Things I Will Finish by Thanksgiving

2004-11-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm laying it all out here, folks. That way, if I fail miserably at more than half of the items on this list, I will be publicly shamed and revealed for the procrastinator and "I don't feel like it-er" that I am.

So, in no particular order:

Finish knitting my cousin's scarf

Clean the Green Room (my wanna-be crafty room) so that it's presentable enough to leave the door open and tidied so Groucho can't find harmful bits and pieces upon which to munch

Finish renovating the powder room—it's only taken me nearly two years

Give the basement a significant tidying-up

Find some way to exercise at least twice a week

Sew the lining into and finish my sis's handbag, which was last year's Christmas gift

Remove all Halloween-esque decorations and bowl of sorry trick-or-treat candy remainders

Fur and More Fur

2004-11-09T18:46:00.000-05:00

I'm moving right along on Rachel's scarf, having finished one entire rotation of all four colors. If the soft, furry deliciousness of this scarf doesn't make her the envy of the middle-school set, I don't know what will. But then again, kids that age can be so mystifying, there's really no understanding them sometimes. (I speak from experience, having been a mystifier of sorts myself. Glad I got that all worked out. Right.)

And because I can, here's a gratuitous shot of Groucho the Wonderpooch. My adoration for him borders on the unhealthy. I'm sure I never knew I could be so crazy about a four-legger—especially one who is particularly demanding when he decides it's playtime. There's no ignoring the imploring eyes of this little guy when he brings around his bone and starts pawing at your hands until you finally give him and give him the tussle he's after. It's either play with him or have the epidermal layer of your hands become a fond memory.

By the way, I happily found this site last week, Lab-Tested, which reviews the chewability of dog toys, based on the experiences of one chocolate lab. Groucho may not have that big of a rack of teeth, but his chompers make short work of the Nylabones he ravages.

Part of the In Crowd Now

2004-11-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Yay, me. I'm now a fledgling member of the loyal readers of Interweave Knits. Thanks to my sister (that lovely lady), who bought me a subscription as a birthday gift, I may now enjoy those pleasures that only come with having those happy trips out to the mailbox and once every three months finding something utterly delicious waiting.

I dove into the winter issue today and already I see so many things that I love. I mean, just look at a few of the beautiful offerings!

How will I ever find the way to show the sis my appreciation? Maybe I'll start by finishing her Christmas gift—last year's, that is.

Summer and Winter

2004-10-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

Although I have been crazy busy at work these last two months, and will be for the forseeable future, I have found a bit of time to continue along on my ChicKami. I'm guessing I'm about 2/3 finished.

I've switched to the lighter blue yarn now, which I continue to like. I'm only a little nervous that the fabric may be a little too stiff since I'm knitting with two strands of yarn. I've always liked my clothes a bit more structured, so I may be worrying for naught.

I also started knitting the scarf for my cousin. She picked out some fun furry yarn in a couple different colors to create a bold, color-blocked effect. Because the yarn is so furry, I actually have to pay attention to what I'm doing. The first time I started it, I started with 30 stitches. A few rows in I checked to make sure I was on track, to discover that I had added 8 stitches along the way. Since casting on again, I haven't had any trouble. I'm hoping to finish this scarf for her before Thanksgiving so she can wow the rest of her middle-school buddies with her stylishness for the duration of the long Michigan winter.

A New Knitter on the Make?

2004-10-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

Today I took my little cousin (well, she's not so little, she's about 12) to the Old Village Yarn Shop to pick out some yarn for a scarf she asked me to make her. We spent a leisurely hour together wandering about and fondling lots of yarns until she finally spotted the one she was sure she loved.

She chose some lovely furry novelty yarn in a couple of bright colors to create a striped scarf. The whole day was just so pleasant and enjoyable. Not only did I get to bury my mitts into luscious quantities of fibrous goodness, but Rachel got to experience her first forays into a yarn shop.

I'm going to make this scarf for her, but I've promised that next time we meet we'll have a knitting lesson.

A Whale of a Tale

2004-10-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, I was driving in my car and I had reached my destination, but the story I listened to on the radio was so compelling I had what NPR calls a "driveway moment."

Apparently a 60ish surfer out in California was just paddling along on his board when he was lifted out of the water and carried along for a bit on the back of a whale. He received no injuries (other than a pinched finger, poor dude), and he never left his surfboard.

I was so mesmerized by the story, I just had to share it here. You can read more in this newspaper article, or listen to the radio story as I heard it.

In knitting news, I'm making progress on my Chickami. I switched to the lighter shade of blue last night at my weekly knitting class. I've got about seven inches more to go before I'm using only the white yarn. Pictures to come.

Ah, Youth

2004-09-27T18:33:00.000-04:00

For the last few days I've been doing lots of freelance writing and editing. Usually it's not always the most adrenaline-inspiring work (maybe qualitative research trade magazines get some folks' blood pumping, but not mine), but this weekend I had the fun task of writing little bio blurbs for some high-school soccer players.

I was commissioned to write and design a little booklet for the graduating seniors that will be distributed on Saturday as part of a little recognition event the school does. I was working from a stack of questionnaires the players filled out so I could have ideas about what to say about them. I've never met any of these players nor do I know anything about soccer, so I'm a perfect choice for the task, eh?

Well, clearly some of these fellas don't know who they're dealing with, because I pride myself on my fact-checking. So when I saw the name "Peter North" appear as several of the players' personal heroes, I started wondering. A Google search later, and I discovered that Mr. North was none other than a rising star in the adult film industry. Ha ha, boys.n (I realize that all my talk of adult films, etc. could bring some interesting folks to my blog. Welcome!)

When all is said and done, I had a delightful time writing sincere, yet also slightly mocking blurbs about some of these guys. I mean, they're just so pompous they need to be made fun of! And when a couple of the parents reviewed my first draft of the booklet today, it not only passed muster, but they liked what I did.

Gee, this all sounds boastful. But really I just had so much fun with it, that it's still in the forefront of my mind.

Well, I'm outta here. I've got 17 minutes to get to my weekly knitting class.

Cheap Thrills

2004-09-26T13:34:00.000-04:00

I got my fall Patternworks catalog early this week. I don't know about other yarn lovers, but anytime I get a new yarn catalog, I simply can't let it go.

Usually for the first two weeks I have it, it sits on the kitchen table within easy reach so that I can browse every morning as I eat my bowl of cereal. And even though I may have already thumbed through the pages 20 times, I still find something new and fascinating to capture my attention.

It's not good for my Must-Have-o-Meter, however, since these days tight budget restraints limit our household spending to just the essentials. So while my heart yearns for new fabulousness, the moths hanging out around my wallet keep me realistic.

I'm sure anyone who has eyes has noticed the shopping malls bursting with ponchos this year, and Patternworks shares it own offering of patterns for the armless pull-overs. But it was the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk book that most captured my attention. I love the jacket, named Lara, I show today.

Though I've not yet had the pleasure of handling the Baby Alpaca Silk yarn, I have been really wanting to try a garment using alpaca yarn, so maybe this will be it.

I Hope This Isn't Becoming Habitual

2004-09-22T19:54:00.000-04:00

I've been a blog slacker lately, it would seem. I won't feel too bad about it, though, since I'm putting in so many hours at work I miss my husband and I miss my dog, who get top priority these days.

Anyway, what do you think of the new color scheme for my house? The old tan palette was never my favorite, and I'm such a color girl that I wanted to leave the beiges behind as much as I could. So, green and cream it is. Both sets of next-door neighbors have given us their sign of approval (which was appreciated, but not a requirement), so now we just have to finish painting the sides and the back of the house, and the entire garage.

In knitting news, I went to my first knitting class of the season. It's not really a class, but more of a two-hour knitting social with some friendly and fiber-loving kindred spirits from around town. I'm continuing to work on my blue-and-white ChicKami, which is feeling really satisfying right now.

A Week Come and Gone

2004-09-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

Whew! How the time does fly.

I spent the last week prepping for a wedding shower I held for my friend at my humble abode. Scott and I were painting the exterior of the front our house like fiends so that it wouldn't be a crazy mess of new and old colors. I'm really sold on the new look: We traded in tan-and-tan for green-and-cream.

The shower went just beautifully. I made some yummy treats, which I was very proud of. But mostly, it was a great day spent honoring my friend and her big next step.

This is the big news for today, though: I've decided that me and the November 11 craft sale just aren't meant to be. When I sat down and did the math, I figured I'd have to complete 2.5 scarves or more a week to build up enough inventory to make it worth my while. Otherwise, I'd look Miss Dork sitting at a table with two finished scarves.

I'll also take it as a sign that the day after I made my decision, the non-profit organization within my company sent out a call to all knitters and crocheters for donated yarn, finished handmade scarves, or time to make new ones to be sold at the craft fair. All proceeds would benefit the foundation, which in turn supports other employees who find themselves in need of a helping hand.

I'll probably help out in some way with that. I also wondered if it wouldn't appear selfish of me to have my own table selling the same wares as the foundation, but for profit.

Scarf-o-Rama

2004-09-05T11:52:00.000-04:00

So I wanted to post pictures of the plethora of scarves I'm knitting up for the craft sale, but due to some system difficulties, it's a no-go today.

Even if I decide that I won't be able to have enough scarves knitted in time for the craft fair, and therefore can't participate, this whole experience is suiting me just fine. It's allowing me to start a bunch of projects at once, switch between them at will, and experiment with lots of different techniques and patterns.

I'm liking most of what I'm creating, though there is one scarf that could challenge my ability to love it. I wanted to get wild and crazy and stripe one, but the colors I chose just aren't meshing as well as I hoped they would. (That may be the last time I buy yarn for striping purposes online because of the iffy color accuracy through my monitor.)

I'm working three scarves on one needle right now, which seemed like a good idea at first. But since they're made from an Eros-type railroad yarn, the strands just keep gnarling up. I'm spending more time on detangle duty than knitting.

I started another scarf out of a thin cotton-rayon blend in an extraordinary variegation of earth tones. I may have a hard time giving that one up. I'll try to post the photos soon.

Bathrooms Under Siege

2004-08-31T21:58:00.000-04:00

I've got no photos today, but I hope I can paint some vivid word pictures instead.

So for the last year-and-a-half, we've lived with one working bathroom and one out-of-commission bathroom because of a burst of misguided insistence that I try my hand at being a regular handy ma'am. What I realized is that watching one's dad be handy and watching plenty of home renovation shows on Saturday mornings on PBS does not necessarily a handy girl make. And watching others do it certainly doesn't improve the motivation quotient much, which is why we've lived with a rag stuck in the hole in the floor where the toilet should attach for so long.

Starting today, that all changed. I'm tired of looking at bare walls, a dangling light bulb, and a half-finished tile floor. So I finally got down on my hands and knees -- after much prodding from Scott and others -- and grouted the floor. I'm a bit stiff and sore, but the satisfaction of having moved one more step toward completion feels pretty good.

I hope the feeling lasts: I've still got to paint, get and install the trim, install the new toilet and sink, install the new light fixture, and a myriad other little tasks.

And as if one bathroom under construction wasn't enough, yesterday morning the tub shower in the other bathroom (and the only shower in the house) decided to take a vacation of its own. The spigot where the water would normally come to pour water into the bathtub simply came off in my hands when I attempted to pull the plug that would divert the water to the shower head.

Now I'm left with a naked copper pipe sticking out a bit from the wall that blasts water directly onto the opposite wall of the tub, which creates all kinds of moist havoc. And contorting to wash my hair in the morning isn't particularly fantastic either, but alas. The faucet manufacturer says we'll have the replacement part in 7-10 days. Ugh.

And I'm complaining about difficulty in bathing for a few days when I have to remember that many (if not most) people in the world don't have access to modern-day necessities such as indoor plumbing, let alone clean water for consumption or bathing. (Note to self: Let that be a reminder to you.)

Love Is in the Air

2004-08-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

Today, Scott and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. It was a grand day that started off just right and turned out to be just right. (If "just right" can be defined as having eaten two servings of ice cream in one day. What is it about special occasions, or even imagined special occasions, that just send me on a sweet raid? Note to self: Remember your hips.)

This morning, I checked my email before I left for work to discover that my Mum -- ever wise and ever knowing about her daughter -- had emailed a family photo taken a few weeks ago that showed me and Scott at our loving best. We were squabbling and it was caught on virtual film. What you see above is the detail from that photo, which out of context looks like we could be sharing a loving gaze instead of one of our usual silly spats.

This blog's all about keeping it real, folks.

In knitting news, I found out that the craft fair I'm aiming to sell my scarves at has been scheduled for November 11. Yowsa! I'd better get a move on. I've got 1 scarf completed and another nearly finished.

This is truly going to be an experiment in whether I can supercede my procrastinator's ways. I don't know whether to blame the public school system or my genes, but for as long as I can remember any time I've got to have something done by a certain date that inner rebel inside of me sabotages myself at every turn. And if I don't have a due date, well, that's even worse. Case in point: the half-bathroom I tore out over a year-and-a-half ago that's still in a state not much better than when I tore everything out.

Well, the scarves are calling...

Wooly Fun

2004-08-25T20:48:00.000-04:00

In short, my first experience with the Michigan Fiber Festival was delightful. There were lots of beautiful items for sale from the vendors (gee, I wish I had taken some pictures!), which gave me plenty of nifty ideas for future projects, but surely my favorite part of all was seeing the creatures who produce all that fiber in question.

Recently I discovered the divine nature of alpaca yarn. Maybe because I'm still a new knitter (I'm coming up on my second anniversary), I had little concept of the charms of the llama-like animal. Who knew that a cud-chewer with a mop-top could make my heart go pitter pat? Alas, I am in love.

Mum and I also got a fantastic lesson in angora rabbit fur. One angora farmer (?) gave us a personal tour through the still-attached fur of her 6-month old rabbit to show us the different parts of the fur that are responsible for producing high-quality angora that, when worn as a sweater, won't leave the black skirt you paired it with looking like it grew cilia. Fascinating stuff, to be sure.

And in the sheep barn, I even saw a curly-locked sheep (shown in the photo above) with hair strangely similar to my sister's. (I mean the curls, not the presence of straw, poop, and other effluvia. Ahem.)

The crowd favorite -- and mine -- was the herding dog demonstration. I left feeling both amazed at what one border collie could accomplish and dismayed at how little I've been able to train Groucho the Wonderpooch to accomplish. I don't want to think that I have a dumb dog, nor do I want to think of myself as a second-rate trainer. So maybe border collies are superbreeds; yeah, that's what it is.

The day ended all too quickly but not before I learned one of life's important lessons. While my desire to support the small-town band by purchasing a hot dog from their stand is well-intentioned, it probably won't be wise to repeat. There's nothing like a two-and-a-half-hour drive home spent wondering whether that dog just grew legs so it could run all around one's insides. Good thing Groucho got me used to saying "Stay down, boy."

Off to the Festival

2004-08-22T08:20:00.000-04:00

Well, my mum is going to arrive any minute to pick me up for a fun-filled girly day at the Michigan Fiber Festival out in Allegan County on the west side of the state.

I've never been to a fiber festival before, so I'm not completely sure what to expect. I've only seen sheep shearing at the Michigan State Fair. Today's schedule of events sounds like it's loaded with goodies. And if I"m lucky, in addition to my fiber fix, maybe I'll even get my greasy pastry fix (elephant ear or funnel cake, anyone?).

I'm packing the camera, so I'll try to post photos.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

2004-08-18T12:13:00.001-04:00

What happens when you leave the scene of the blog photo shoot unattended.

What happens to the dog who found the blog photo shoot unattended.

What a Haul!

2004-08-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

I went crazy for some yarn, which arrived last week. It's the first time I've ever placed such a large order. I think I received some 20 skeins of various yarns. Oh, I love that Elann.com!

I decided I was going to try to knit for profit. I don't know how it's going to work out, but it will be fun trying. I'm going to start off simple making some neat-o scarves, ranging from the sporty and silly frou-frou to the sophisticated. The corporate headquarters where I work (for a certain bookstore chain located in Ann Arbor) has held a craft sale for employees to sell their wares in November of the past few years. I thought it would be as good a place as any to gauge potential interest in what I can do.

You can see two of the scarves I've already started. The blue variegated one is in this fantastically soft and cuddly totally synthetic polyester. The olive scarf on the right is a wool-nylon blend (the nylon comprising the charming lighter green eyelashes that wave all about).

I may decide that I prefer to knit only for myself and for the occasional gift, but right now I'm having too much fun buying yarn almost indiscriminately.

Some Sadness

2004-08-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

I wanted to say I'd be away for a few days because of some sadness that occurred in my husband's family.

Take care, all, and take a moment to be grateful for the ones you love.

Tres Chic!

2004-08-06T17:20:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I've got quite a bit more to go on the ChicKami. I've been a bit distracted from her for a while, but I've finally attended all the summer's weddings and major events so I can once again return my focus.

Isn't it strange how even though there are things you know about yourself, they're so easy to overlook -- and sometimes even forget? When I chose the yarn for this little strappy tank, I gravitated to the cotton yarn -- again -- even though I'd sworn off that fiber for a while. But sure enough, here I am with the cotton again. It's not that I don't enjoy working with it, but until I had knit with wool and experienced its joys, I didn't know what I'd been missing.

But then I went and purchased a giant lot of Enzo Lucci Long Island Cotton (which I think must be a Phildar brand spin-off because some of the skeins were labeled Phildar) on eBay and I had no choice but to try and dig in. I've seen so many other knitters using the Onde yarn lately. I liked its fade-away characteristics, so that's what I'm trying to mimic. When I finish this skein of blue, I'm going to switch to a lighter shade to create a similar effect. It won't be as gradual a gradient, but I think it's got potential.

Another Notch on the Finished Project List

2004-08-04T14:56:00.000-04:00

Woo-hoo me! I finished knitting my sister's fabu surprise on Monday night. I just need to pack it up and ship it her way. (I'll post pictures after I know she has received it.) Now if only I can complete the Christmas gift I gave to her in pieces nearly 8 months ago... Alas.

I'm going to try to make some serious progress on my ChicKami, particularly since the leaves will be falling and the days will be cooling sooner than we know it. I've discovered that even though knitting in the round saves me from lots of moaning over how much I hate seaming pieces together, I really hate how slow it feels to knit that way. Yeah, yeah, it's mind over matter I know, but it just seems to take hours to accomplish even an inch of knitting because of how long each row is. Maybe that's more a statement of my general knitting pace.

Bountiful Harvest

2004-08-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today's warm weather made me feel almost overcome with the satisfaction of knowing my little garden plot is bearing fruit. I've got oodles of ripening tomatoes hanging on the vine that I can't wait to enjoy. Maybe it's cliche by now, but I doubt I'll ever get over the thrill of biting into a sun-warmed tomato and feeling the juice run down my chin. Except for being a bit messy, it's close to perfection.

Tonight to accompany the pizza Scott picked up on his way home from work, I threw together a quickie salad of lettuce with my second ripe tomato from the garden. And even though the salad wasn't chock full of other stuff, it was just right.

I see some stormy-looking clouds rolling in, which means it's a perfect time to settle onto the couch with some knitting. I'm hoping to finish a surprise little gift I'm making my sis.

Hello, world!

2004-08-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

Well la-dee-da! I'm a blogger!

I'm feeling rather shy about this whole publishing to the so-called World Wide Web and all, but it should prove to be a rather interesting method of keeping in touch with folks now that the Noricks family diaspora has officially begun. My sis just moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this week, leaving behind all her Michigan loved ones. Sigh.

I'll hop right into it, then.

Today Scott the hubby had to work, which left me and Groucho the Wonderpooch home alone. We did a bit of sleeping, a bit of eating, a bit more sleeping, and then I did some knitting whilst Groucho continued his nap. Ah, there's nothing like taking full advantage of perfect summer days when it's 85 degrees and sunny outside.

I wasn't completely Miss Lazy today. I took the bicycle for a spin today (the bike that's on loan from my sis) and rode over to my aunt and uncle's house, about a mile away. I felt pretty proud of myself for attempting any kind of physical activity, since exercise and I just aren't a match made in heaven. I will say, though, that I felt really good after the ride, so maybe it's a sign that I need to get off my arse more often and forget that it may, incidentally, be exercise.

Sleep well, my little sissie in Baton Rouge...