Erica's Blog

WWMDfK??

2012-02-24T17:12:00.001-08:00

Knitting Backwards

2012-02-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Me? Noob.

2012-02-24T11:26:00.001-08:00

Anna Zilboorg Is A GODDESS!

2012-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

My Weird Kid

2012-02-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

FINALLY Got To Open It!!

2012-02-14T07:48:00.001-08:00

And it was worth the wait. My husband is Da BOMB!

Vday Breakfast For The Family

2012-02-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hubby's Actual Birthday

2012-02-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Ooops, in my catching up I forgot to post pictures of Andrew's actual birthday. I love the crazed look in his eyes in the first one. Here ya go:

Usually, getting gifts from me is weird for Andrew because he knows he paid for them since I'm a full-time mom. This time, however, I was able to tell him that the girls paid for their gifts to him out of their own money, and I paid for mine from my most recent WWMDfK? royalty check. He liked that he didn't buy his own presents.

BBQ Around the World - Highlights

2012-02-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Just a few highlights for you. The full complement of photos can be seen in this Flickr album. Enjoy!

Catching Up

2012-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

I know - long time, no blog. My pattern for Defarge Deux was due a week ago (and didn't get finished until two days ago), Andrew's birthday was last week, Thing One missed a couple of days of school, etc., etc. You get the picture.

I can't show you any pictures of the Defarge Deux project, but I'll tell you this much: Superwash yarn; atypical construction.

Andrew's birthday was great fun. It was one of those milestone birthdays because he turned 45. In typical fashion, we had a barbecue with way too much meat for the number of people we had. The theme was "BBQ Around The World", and we ended up with four different types of ribs, plus 50 oysters, and some shrimp, not to mention assorted side dishes, cupcakes, and my mom's famous "Cheesecake for Twenty". A good time was had by all, as far as I could tell.

The girls are doing well. It's hard to believe that the other day, I went over to the district office and did the paperwork saying where we wanted Thing Two to go to middle school. Today, Thing One has an orientation about high school next year. Yikes! Weren't they both just in diapers?

OK, off to a wee bit of self-indulgent knitting before I jump back into the "work" knitting. I may have my Defarge Deux project done, but there's still the four items for Defarge Does Shakespeare, plus something to design for Defarge Does Sherlock...

Best. Invitation. Ever.

2012-02-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yummy!

2012-02-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

Regular Groceries + Party Prep = FULL Car!

2012-01-25T09:13:00.001-08:00

Never Wake a Sleeping Sickie...

2012-01-24T09:20:00.001-08:00

She's Knitting!

2012-01-23T21:09:00.001-08:00

Thing Two was doing some organizing in her room this evening and found "her" needles and yarn. It had been over a year since she touched them, so she frogged what she ha and asked me to teach her again.

I set aside "her" ball of Mmmalabrigo, grabbed some WOTA, and taught her how to cast on. (Last time around, I cast on for her.) She wanted to do it the way I do, so I braced myself, and tried to teach her the long-tail cast-on. She got it!

She wanted to knit a square for practice instead of something "real", so she cast on 22 stitches and went for it. She remembered how to do the knit stitch and knit five rows!

Best warm fuzzy of the night? When she said, "Are you proud of me for getting into the family business?" Yes, kid. Yes, I am.

At bedtime, she asked if we could spend time tomorrow on it. Guess I'd better get a lot done while they're at school tomorrow...

New Year, Same Yummy Food

2012-01-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

Anticipation

2012-01-20T09:48:00.001-08:00

Last night, my Valentine's Day gift from Hubby appeared, wrapped, on the mantle for me to stare at for 25 days. It had arrived during the day from Spunky Eclectic, and it's something I specifically asked for. So, now I get to look at it and be excited. It's a great "carrot" for me because my finished project for Defarge Deux is due on the 14th or 15th. Knowing that I will get to play with this once my work is done definitely helps motivate me to get it done. On that note...I'm off!

Today's Dye Mess

2012-01-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

It looks like a dog's breakfast, but this was just supposed to be a learning piece. I know what I want to do when I do silk painting "for real" now.

As Joy-Lily says, "If you don't like it, that just means it's not done yet." Yupp, I'm gonna be over-dyeing this...

First Non-Secret F.O. of 2012!

2012-01-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

After finishing the Sooper Sekrit prototype project for Defarge Deux, I needed a quick, palate-cleanser project, as it were. As it happens, my pal Kristi mentioned she would really loooove a purple cowl/gaiter for her birthday, which happens to be the same day as Hubby's (I knew there was a reason I liked her so much!). Perfect timing!

I present to you Kristi's Cowl:

I emailed her the photo, and she has declared that she loves it. The big question now is whether I give it to her this Thursday or torture her by making her wait till closer to her actual birthday. Hmmmm.....

2012 Stash - First Additions

2012-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Fret thou not; I have not broken my "cold sheep" vow of not buying any new yarn until Stitches next month. This yarn was all acquired through a "Zen Night" at my knitting group on Tuesday. As you might imagine, this is a yarn swap night, but the "Zen" aspect is that no one expects anything in return. If you have yarn you're not going to use or you don't want anymore for whatever reason, you bring it and put it out for anyone to take. There is no "take only as much as you bring" rule; you can bring nothing and go home with three pounds of yarn or bring three bins of yarn and take nothing home. We had a record turn-out that night, and the other patrons at Starbucks clearly thought we were nuts (except for any other Tuesday night "regulars" who are used to the crazy knitters). I took some yarn that needed a loving home and came home with this, which happened to all come from my pal Julie:

There is more than enough of the red CotLin for me to make myself a new Alisa for the summer. Why do I need a new one? Well, I handed down the original (a test knit for Chrispy) to a friend. Why did I hand it down, even though it turned out so well and was so special to me (my first test/sample knit job!!)?

Since a picture is worth 1,000 words:

'Nuff said...

In light of a pattern that Julie also brought, I suspect all the blue and grey WOTA was part of a felted bag kit. I am overdue on some baby boy baby gifts, so all this blue will come in quite handy, even though it's not superwash.

Pajama Day at School

2012-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

Random Reflections

2012-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

I'm too unorganized to do a formal "2011 in Review" post or a "What's Ahead in 2012" one, so here are an assortment of random thoughts on both years:

2011

I'm glad it's over.
Whenever I think of our big road trip in June, I'm still amazed at how well the girls got along for all those hours in the car. I really am proud of how they've both grown up lately and how much better their relationship is these days (v. the days of "Thing One hates Thing Two").
Sabbaticals are DA BOMB!
Parenting a teenager is hard...and mine is still only 13!
What Would Madame Defarge Knit? Wow. It's kind of weird to think that I'm a "real" designer now. I got the ultimate compliment on Jane's Ubiquitous Shawl: one woman knit it in white lace yarn as a wedding shawl for her daughter. Awwwwww...
I'm not as OK with aging as I always thought I'd be.
My life isn't perfect (whose is?), but I have a great life.
With Valentine and anniversary get-aways, two trips to Truckee, trips to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Florida, and a camping trip, clearly we'd rather spend our money on travel than on remodelling the kitchen.
We really do have amazing family and friends.
For the record, I completed > 80 knitting projects of assorted sizes and knit up 12 miles of yarn (Only yarn from projects actually completed in 2011 counts toward this. Mileage only gets counted when the project is done, and stuff that gets completely frogged never gets counted.)
I stink at being an Iron Crafter.
I set a goal to read 25 books in 2011, and I read 31.

2012

This will be the year of Defarge Deux, Defarge Does Shakespeare, and, possibly, Defarge Does Chaucer, plus, hopefully, some onesie/twosie *.PDF file pattern publications. Guess I'm "for real" now.
I had my first (live! eep!) podcast interview this week, and it was on Yarn Thing, which has > 15,000 downloads every week. OHMYGOSH!
Once again, I have a goal of knitting at least 12 miles of yarn this year.
Thing One will start HIGH SCHOOL this fall. OHMYGOSHIDON'TKNOWIFWE'REREADYFORTHIS.
We are in our last few months at the elementary school because Thing Two will be moving on to middle school. Just as I'm having a harder time with my aging than I expected, I'm having a hard time with Thing Two getting older. She keeps telling me "Stop staring!" because she finds me gazing at her, thinking about how she's getting older, imagining how she'll look as a teen, remembering fondly her days as a little kid.
A couple of years ago, my theme for the year was "The Year of Being Positive". For various reasons, I have decided that this year, my theme is "My Year of Gratitude".
I am determined that, somehow, this year my dear friend Heather and I will get to meet in person!
Knitters are a breed apart.
We really do have amazing family and friends.

Eh, that's enough for now...

His Favorite Christmas Present

2012-01-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Andrew's faaaavorite Christmas present this year was a meat grinder attachment for the KitchenAid mixer. He and Thing Two had fun grinding up a combination of duck and pork (side pork from the local Asian supermarket), then seasoning it. We had burgers for days, LOL. Once he gets more experienced with figuring out how to balance the seasoning, he'll break out the sausage stuffer attachment he also got, buy some edible casings, and make duck sausages. Mmmmm....

2011 Stash - The Last Additions

2012-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the final stash additions from 2011. NO, I shall not calculate the yardage added to my stash, thankyouverymuch NOR the total yardage of my stash for you. Nope. Not gonna do it.

I bought THESE gems in Truckee at the now-closed (sniff, sniff) Lake Tahoe Yarn Company:

Kelly's beautiful, hand-dyed yarns will still be sold online and in a few brick-and-mortar locations via DogEared Dyeworks.

My pal Kristin in Florida saw this, bought it, and sent it to me. How cool is that - getting hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn in the mail from a friend you haven't seen in years??

Who Needs Fuzzy Dice?

2012-01-11T13:25:00.001-08:00

A Mini Date on Sunday

2012-01-10T16:47:00.001-08:00

Rico Suave

2012-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Cuteness!

2012-01-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

New Year's Eve 2011-2012

2012-01-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Truckee Trip, aka Fun in the NOSnow...

2012-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Yupp, no snow in Truckee. Based on the snow configuration all our other trips to the cabin, I've always thought that there was a hill between the main street and the driveway. When we pulled up on the afternoon of the 27th, I was shocked to see that there's NO hill there. It's flat, flat, I'm telling you. That was ALL SNOW before!

Continuing in our totally relaxed mode, we barely took any pictures while we were up there. Wednesday, we ventured out to Cabela's in Nevada so Andrew could look for some hunting-related stuff he needed, and we stopped in at the store-closing sale (sniff, sniff) at Lake Tahoe Yarn Company. I was in search of a new spindle, but all her spindles were already sold (good for her!), but I came away with three balls of Jameison's Shetland and a hand-painted sock blank (pictures to come). Thursday evening, we drove to the Lake to have dinner with friends from our Marin days, the Johnsons (yes, the same Johnsons we stayed with in Snohomish in June) and the Wilsons, and later that night, Robin, Cathy, and Spot arrived. Friday, Andrew, the girls, Robin, and Cathy hit Cabela's and Scheels, where Andrew found the rest of the hunting stuff he was looking for. Saturday, after a flurry of frantic cleaning of the cabin, we relaxed a bit, then headed back home in plenty of time for the traditional Higuera-Hernandez Crab Fest in Pacifica.

Here are the (very) few pictures we took in Truckee. As you can see, we completely forgot to get any with Robin & Cathy.

Sonoma Christmas

2012-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

[Insert Festive Imaginary Photos Here]

In keeping with this year's Christmas theme of not trying to do too much in one day, on the 26th, we slept in a bit, had a leisurely morning, then headed on up to my parents' house in Sonoma to celebrate with them and my sister. The afternoon and evening were SO relaxed, in fact, that I never got around to taking a SINGLE photo. D'oh! This was, however, 100% a reflection of my relaxed state, not of some weird wish not to remember the time or a desire to slight anyone; I just didn't do it. Sigh.

We did, however, have a lovely time giving and receiving gifts, having dinner together, and spending the night.

The girls were especially thrilled about their warm, fleecy pajamas and the Harry Potter DVD boxed set. (Stupid me, however, planned on having a movie marathon in Truckee, but didn't consider the fact that we had gotten blue ray DVD's, but the DVD player up there is not a blue ray player. D'oh! Major disappointment for all three Hernandez ladies...)

Jews say, "Next year in Jerusalem". Well, I say, "Next year, I'll take pictures!" When my sister gets home and sends me her pictures, I'll post some. Suffice it to say, we had a good time and are really grateful to have so much loving family in the area that we have to juggle time with everyone.

Christmas Afternoon/Evening

2011-12-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Very laid-back time at Mike & Diane's yesterday from 3:00 till about 8:15. So relaxed, in fact, that I barely took any pictures. Here are the few I got, though:

Sarah Getting Ready to Play Santa
And Distribute the Gifts,
Diane Supervising

Does She Look Adorable or WHAT?

Big Mike Sportin' His Apron From The Snuggery

COUSINS!

Rick & Adri

As always, a good time was had by all. The prime rib was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, but then again, I've never had a bad meal at ANY Hernandez house, LOL.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Our INSANE children set their alarm clocks for 4:30 a.m. I didn't say anything about it last night because I didn't believe they'd really get up that early. BIG mistake. At 5:30, Thing One attempted to get us up. Uh...NO WAY, KID! Girls went back to sleep until I got up around 8:00.

Other than the crazy wake-up time, Christmas morning went as usual:

Stockings
Christmas devotional - Andrew reading the Christmas story (various bits from different Gospels to get the whole story) while we all acted it out with the Fisher-Price nativity set Grandma Ruthie got us ages ago. The older the girls get, the sillier it becomes. This year, it seems we had a "ghetto" nativity, based on the voices Thing One put on. It was pretty funny. As usual, we closed with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday, Jesus".
Presents!
Brunch

SO glad we don't have to be at Mike & Diane's until 3:00!!! It has been wonderful to have a slow, relaxed day. Helps that I did a lot of prep last night, too. OK, off to get ready. Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Gone, But Never, Ever Forgotten - Even at Christmas

2011-12-25T12:17:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

We had to start the festivities later than normal because our church service was from 6:00 - 7:00, but neither grief nor lateness of the hour could deter our families from the traditional Higuera - Hernandez Christmas Eve celebration at our house!

A Classic Kid-to-Parents Gift

2011-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

He Got a Mallard!

2011-12-24T12:23:00.001-08:00

His Christmas is now complete, LOL!

A Wee Christmas Party

2011-12-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

We had a laid-back Christmas party last night. Invited a boatload of people, ended up with 27, including kids (and the four of us). It didn't really feel like a lot of people, but that's probably because we now have the garage fixed up, and there were always a handful of people out there, playing pool or darts.

I meant to take some pictures of the spread, but never got around to it. It was a pretty impressive array of sweets, if I do say so myself. Then again, when it comes to throwing a Christmas dessert party, I learned from the best - my mom!

I had had grandiose intentions of making ornaments or other favors for people to take when they left, but that never happened. (Next year, I'll have to start making them in November or something.) As it turns out, we had so MUCH food that I should have made everyone care packages to take home.

We served:

Red velvet birthday cake w/cream cheese frosting & sprinkles (one guest turned 11 on the 20th, another turns 14 today)
Coconut white cake cupcakes w/green frosting and Christmas Peeps on top (snowmen, Christmas trees, and reindeer)
Caramel-swirl brownies
Dipped pretzels (dipped in melted: caramel; candy cane Kisses; peanut butter chips; cookies & cream Kisses; Andes mints & mint chips; regular chocolate chips - some with coconut, some with assorted sprinkles, some with toffee chips)
"Moose Munch" or "Moose Bark" - pretzels & popcorn with caramel, toffee bits, Christmas M&M's, and melted chocolate
The last of the See's Candy (nuts & chews) that Rob Skinner gave us on Monday
Some store-bought cookies that Thing Two really loves (those thick, soft sugar cookies w/icing and seasonal sprinkles)
A bowl of assorted Christmas Hershey's Kisses
A bowl of assorted Christmas M&M's
Coffee
Hot cider
Lemonade
Egg nog
Root beer
Diet soda

As if all this weren't enough, people brought:

Shrimp with cocktail sauce
Pumpkin pie
Cream puffs
Homemade sushi
Chicken
Better egg nog than I had provided

I was having FAR too much fun with people to remember to take pictures, but I did manage a few, and here they are for your viewing pleasure;

Thing One, Eagerly Awaiting Guests

The Two Ericas

This is Our Skinny "After" Picture.
Jeannette Has Lost More Than My Total Body Weight!

Heather & David, Mansour & Reza
Heather & David Are Part of That "Exclusive Club No One Wants To Belong To":
Parents Who've Experienced Stillbirth or Neonatal Death

Lauren Wearing T1's Wig, T2's Cap & T2's Fake Glasses
Doesn't She Look Like Garth From "Wayne's World"???

From what I hear, a good time was had by all....

Silly Puppy...

2011-12-24T08:40:00.001-08:00

Party On, Garth!

2011-12-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

Sad Occasion, But a Great Picture...

2011-12-21T13:42:00.001-08:00

Recent Random Learnings

2011-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ultrasounds can be wrong sometimes. My cousin Ed and his wife, Julie, have been eagerly anticipating the birth of their baby girl. Yesterday, their son was born. Good thing I hadn't knit them a baby gift yet; now I can knit the appropriate color, LOL.

Making chocolate-dipped pretzels is a lot of work and creates a lot of mess, but boy-oh-boy, is it a lot of fun!

Even though she hasn't been there in over a year, the dog definitely remembers the vet's office, poor thing.

My kids have hit an age where they are too old and cool to drive around, looking at Christmas lights. This makes me sad.

A Quick Birthday Gift

2011-12-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Today is thing Two's BFF's birthday, so T2 requested I make either some legwarmers or a slouchy beanie for her. Slouchy beanie it was! I finished it with a few hours to spare - whew! Kiana seemed to like it; she was wearing it when she and her mom brought T2 back from dinner (Korean food!) tonight.

Thing Two graciously agreed to model it for me.

I did the garter band a la Ripley, then joined, picked up stitches, [kfb, kfbf] around, then threw in a dropped stitch pattern. Because it was knit so loosely, the dropped stitches just created a little texture. I knit for...a while...then decreased sharply. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Whatchathink?

Christmas Party Family Picture

2011-12-15T11:28:00.001-08:00

Green screen picture from Andrew's work kids' Christmas party last Friday afternoon

Today's Ornament

2011-12-12T07:44:00.001-08:00

My Manly Man

2011-12-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

Hubby's Work Family Christmas Party Yesterday

2011-12-10T13:57:00.001-08:00

Fibery Birthday Goodness

2011-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

OK, now that the last package of stuff I ordered with birthday money has arrived, I can show you all the fibery birthday goodness from various sources:

Needle cases from Bobbi & Tanya to keep my needles
and the cables for my interchangeables nicely organized.

Three skeins of Quince and Co. Finch in the color Clay

Two Skeins of Cascade 220 Fingering in Charcoal

One Skein of Cascade 220 Fingering in Blue Velvet

Two Balls of Reynolds Wash Day Wool in Teal

I am a lucky, lucky girl. Yes, I am!

Knitcircus Giveaway Winnings

2011-12-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

Lookie what I won from the Knitcircus Giveaway!

It was like an extra birthday present!

Long-Ago Stash Additions

2011-12-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Previously unpictured stash additions, acquired for Defarge Does Shakespeare, coming next year from Cooperative Press and the CraftLit family:

I can't wait to cast on with this stuff!

Speaking of Milestones

2011-12-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

January 12, 2009 - Seeing Thing One off to Outdoor Ed

December 5, 2011 - Seeing Thing Two off to Outdoor Ed

Leaving for Outdoor Ed

2011-12-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

One of the big fifth-grade milestones is Outdoor Ed, where the kids spend Monday - Friday at a sleepaway camp. A few teachers go with them, along with several high school honor students. Having already heard so much good stuff about it from Thing One, Thing Two was R-E-A-L-L-Y excited to go. Honestly, if I had let her, she would have started packing a month ago! Thing One is excited to have a few days as an only child. Thing Two has experienced this at least four times - when T1 went to Outdoor Ed and church camp - but I don't think T1 has gotten to have us to herself for days on end like this before. Should be fun!

The kids were more than a little excited to go. The only tears I saw this morning were coming from a few of the moms, LOL.

Cupcakes!

2011-12-02T13:16:00.001-08:00

Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius - December KAL Begins TODAY!

2011-12-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today is the beginning of the KAL for one of my "babies", Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius. The pattern is now available as an individual Ravelry download ($6), so if you want to join in, but can't/don't want to buy the whole book, you can still play along.

Discussion/moderation is happening on Ravelry, in the Bertha KAL thread in the WWMDfK? group.

To inspire you, here are some of the previously-knit Berthas:

Heather's Bertha
A Yellow One
One With Cool Modifications

Cold where you are? Want a hot "adult beverage" to warm you up? Bertha's Bad*** Brew is good for what ails you.

Square, Turned

2011-11-30T22:08:00.001-08:00

December Knitalong - Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius

2011-11-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

Want a little something to keep you warm or to jazz up a plain outfit? Need a quick gift knit? Been itching to try moebius/mobius knitting? Having trouble deciding what to cast on next from What Would Madame Defarge Knit? Have no fear; your solution is here because the December KAL for WWMDfK? is Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO PARTICIPATE:

The pattern, either the individual PDF ($6) or the book ($16.95 as an electronic download or $26.95 in paperback form).
One skein of Malabrigo Sock OR roughly 440 yards (402 meters) of a comparable fingering-weight (14wpi) yarn. The sample shown is knit in Ravelry Red.
One 40" or 47" US size 6 (4mm) circular needle. (YES, you DO need one that long for moebius knitting.)
One stitch marker.

The KAL is being hosted in the "Bertha KAL" thread within the WWMDfK? group on Ravelry. Come join us, ask your questions, share with us any modifications you make, and most of all, post your finished object pictures! I have really enjoyed seeing the ways people have made this their own when they've knit it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what more people come up with.

MOEBIUS CAST-ON HELP:

If you have never done moebius knitting before, this Cat Bordhi video is fabulous; it's how I learned to do the moebius cast-on. There is no point in my trying to write an explanation on how to do it because I couldn't possibly compare with her instructions.

Have at it!

Camping Highlights (belated pics from August)

2011-11-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

The other day, we got a CD in the mail from Andrew's Uncle Barney and Aunt Becky with photos from the big family reunion camping trip back in August. I've added all the photos to the Flickr album here, but I thought I'd give you a few highlights:

The whole gang! I'll give you ONE guess who didn't want to be in the picture and totally rebelled. Should be easy to tell, LOL.

Don't we have handsome nephews (all four of them)? I love the picture of us next to the tent camper and the one of me spinning. Gosh, I loved spinning outside in the quiet....

Yummy!

2011-11-29T17:26:00.001-08:00

Um...NO.

2011-11-28T11:21:00.001-08:00

I couldn't buy something with this name, no matter HOW much I loved it. Could YOU?

Must. Buy. Groceries.

2011-11-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

A Boy And His Dog

2011-11-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Birthday Morning (Mine, This Time)

2011-11-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I opened presents when the girls and I were all still in our jammies. After all, why wait for presents, right?

I'm not usually one to care about age, but I must say that 47 is a really WEIRD number....

Jenna Loves Poppa!

2011-11-25T16:01:00.001-08:00

A Feast!!

2011-11-24T16:31:00.001-08:00

I am so NOT deprived!

Oops, I forgot THESE!

2011-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

These are the ones from our iPhones:

Monterey Getaway

2011-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

Got my replacement cable for my camera today, so here are the belated pictures from our getaway last weekend:

Heh.

2011-11-22T13:52:00.001-08:00

Leave it to a former roommate to send a nightshirt like THIS as a birthday gift, LOL!

Souvenir - Monterey Getaway

2011-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a brain fart and left the cable and charger for the camera in the hotel room, plugged in and sitting on the desk. We should hear back from the hotel today on whether or not they found it. Until we get it back or get a replacement, all I've got are my mediocre iPhone pictures. For now, I'll just give you a scanned-in copy of our souvenir photo booth pictures. We took these in a cheesy tourist shop on the Monterey Fisherman's Wharf. $5 for two strips - not bad.

View From Our Balcony

2011-11-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

Leafy Sea Dragons

2011-11-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

I could watch the jellies for hours...

2011-11-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

Kelp Forest Feeding

2011-11-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

Having a Lovely Time...

2011-11-18T20:23:00.001-08:00

Promotion to Blue Belt in Karate

2011-11-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

At the last minute, we signed up Thing Two for the karate promotional exam on Sunday. We hadn't been able to do it during the week because she'd been so sick with a virus and double ear infection. On Sunday, she was really nervous, and her ears still felt kind of "full", but she pushed through and was VERY glad she did. Here are some highlights (she is #7 with the ponytail and a yellow belt):

Since T2 was a last-minute sign-up, Sensei Sue was unable to get her blue belt before the promotional exam, so she awarded it to Thing Two at the beginning of class yesterday. My apologies for the lousy iPhone pictures; I should have taken the real camera.

So proud of my little ninja-in-training!

How We Spent Last Week

2011-11-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

[AKA "Why I Didn't Post Much Last Week"]

Yupp, both kids were sick ALL WEEK. There's something that doesn't happen often, eh? Needless to say, it threw me way off. I knew they were better when they were obnoxious and getting on my nerves, LOL.

Jane v. Bertha - Who will win?

2011-11-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

Jane's Ubiquitous Shawl
by Erica Hernandez

Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius
by Erica Hernandez

So far, Jane has been "favorited" by 57 people, Bertha by 59. They each have nine projects at the moment. I wonder who will win in the long run? I suspect Bertha will because she's easy, cheap, and fast (pun intended). In real life, though, Jane would win because she's got perseverance and the power of pure motives behind her.

Which will YOU knit?

Remember, Bertha will be the December What Would Madame Defarge Knit? KAL.

He's a STAR!

2011-11-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

What Would Madame Defarge Knit - November KAL & CAL

2011-11-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

What would Madame Defarge Knit in November? Well, if we're talking about THIS November, I imagine, she'd join the WWMDfK? KAL and knit up a Princess Langwidere cowl by Gretchen Funk:

Photo copyright Gretchen Funk

YARN:

1 skein Aisha Celia Designs Sock Yarn (100 grams, 440 yards/402 meters, 15WPI), color Olive
1 skein Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino (25 grams, 240 yards, 219 meters, 18WPI), color Green

NEEDLES:

2 16-inch US size 3 (3.25mm) circular needles

This is a great cowl, whether you wear it to keep your neck warm in the snow, as a fashion statement, or to cover the seam on your neck where you change your head every day.

If you'd rather crochet something, how about the Not-So-Ruby Slippers by Dawn Ellerd:

Photo copyright Dawn Ellerd

YARN:

1 skein Cascade 220 Superwash (100 grams, 220 yards/201 meters, 9WPI)
1 -2 skeins Cascade Fixation (50 grams, 100 yards/91 meters, 11WPI)

HOOK:

1 size G (4.5mm) crochet hook

These slippers would be great gifts (stocking stuffers?) and another instant-gratification project.

It's not too late, so join on up; there's plenty of November left! All KAL's and CAL's are hosted in the WWMDfK? Ravelry group.

What's wrong with this picture???

2011-11-04T08:29:00.001-07:00

School Picture - Thing One

2011-11-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, Thing One's school picture for this year. Woot!

Heh. Second "hello" got me THIS...

2011-11-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

I Said "Hello."

2011-11-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

Clearly, in Jenna's mind, acknowledging her existence is the same as an invitation to climb up on the bed.

Elementary School Halloween Festivities

2011-11-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Each year, the teachers all dress as something starting with the letter "P". This year, they were "People of Peace" - in other words, hippies. I still insist that the BEST year since we've been with the school (2003) was they year they were pirates. The principal was Captain Hook, with a gorgeous velvet coat and a parrot on her shoulder, and Mrs. Penna was a PG-13 pirate, LOL.

Ready for Candy!

2011-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Thing Two and her pals cooked up a scheme to go trick-or-treating together, so Jeannette and Booger came over last night so neither he nor Thing One had to go alone. They brought along their newest Chihuahua, Shakey, dressed as a dragon, and the four (five) of us hit the streets for about an hour and a half. We had fun, but it was bittersweet because traditions were broken, and I think it was Thing One's last year.

Hubby did what he's been wanting to for a while: He took the screen off the window closest to the front door, opened the window, moved things around so the glider was next to the window, and passed out candy out the window. He wore the spider hand puppet, but a few of the littler kids didn't like it, so he had to take if off from time to time. After we got back, I got to hand out candy for a bit. Jeannette got to laugh as I made a couple of non-costumed teenagers each give me five jumping jacks in order to get candy.

Costume...or NOT?

2011-10-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Andrew claims that he can only wear this t-shirt today, as a costume, but I beg to differ. If he can wear his "I'm tired of being my wife's arm-candy." shirt any old time, why not this one?

Your thoughts on the matter?

We Clean Up Pretty Good

2011-10-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Never made it to the dry cleaner's this week, so it was slacks for me for Becky & Joaquin's wedding. Oh, well. All the better for hanging out on University Avenue while T1 was at the church middle school Halloween Party. That's as dressed up as I could get T2 to be. It was too warm for the sweater vest, but that totally "makes" the outfit - verrry cute. T1 was loving her high-heeled boots, of course, though the pencil skirt took a LOT of getting used to. ("I'm not used to taking such small steps, Mom!") She's lucky my feet are so much bigger than hers are or I'd be "borrowing" those boots all the time.

OK, looking at that picture, I think just maybe I see why all of Thing One's teachers at parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday knew I was her mom even before I introduced myself....

Rose Tyler

2011-10-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Rose dashes off, following The Doctor into yet another impossible situation.

[I did tell her I thought Amy Pond would have been pretty easy to do, but her response was, "I don't like Amy; she's a cheater!" Well. Not gonna argue with THAT logic, now, AM I?]

Helix

2011-10-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Taa-dah! Wedding gift finished > 24 hours before the wedding, LOL.

I'm only about 80% happy with how it came out, but it'll have to do...

Opening Day - SCORE!

2011-10-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

Book Update - WWMDfK Follow-Up(s)

2011-10-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, follow-ups, plural.

As I believe I've mentioned before, What Would Madame Defarge Knit? has been so well received that a follow-up book is in the works. After last weekend's Rhinebeck wool-a-palooza (SO jealous! Next year in Rhinebeck?), Shannon, Heather, and who knows who else decided that, actually, THREE follow-up books were needed, hence the plan is this:

What Would Madame Defarge Knit? - released Summer 2011
Follow-Up Book [working title: WWMDfK2] - more patterns based on characters from classic literature; very broad
Defarge Does Shakespeare
Defarge Does Chaucer

As of this writing, I expect to have one pattern (or more?) in WWMDfK2 and two (really four+) in Defarge Does Shakespeare. Chaucer? Uh...that would be "no". Not gonna read Chaucer. Then again, that's what I said about Moby Dick, right, and look where THAT got me! (Gosh, have I got the hots for that male model with the "racing stripes" in his hair!)

Watch CraftLit and this space for further updates. Please bear with my lack of knitting photos for a while. Considering that one of my patterns for Defarge Does Shakespeare has roughly six variations and the other has two, I'm kind of up to my eyeballs, as it were. And then there's the Christmas knitting. Oy, me and my over-commitment...

Another Completed Bertha!

2011-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Heather, of CraftLit fame (aka "Madame Editrix" of What Would Madame Defarge Knit?), finished her own Bertha (Bertha's Mad, Mysterious Mobius). It never ceases to amaze me how different it looks knit up in different yarns! To illustrate this, here is a picture of the original Bertha:

If you are interested in knitting your own Bertha but don't want/can't afford to buy WWMDfK? in its entirety, keep your eye on the Ravelry pattern page, as it will soon be available for purchase as a standalone *.pdf pattern. Bertha is a quick knit, perfect for holiday gifts, and will be the December KAL for WWMDfK?, hosted in the Ravelry group by...yours truly. Wish me luck!

Want an "adult beverage" to take the chill off as you're knitting your Bertha? Make up some of Bertha's Bad**s Brew, concocted by our dear friend, Sean.

Grandma

2011-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

We had a brief visit from Grandma Ruthie last week. While she was with us, we were enjoying the time too much to bother taking pictures - except for the traditional "Last Night With Grandma" photo:

O.L.D.

2011-10-20T18:25:00.001-07:00

I am now officially old. Sigh.

Not MY Dinner...

2011-10-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

Flowers (Wedding Shower Table Setting)

2011-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

More Pumpkiny Goodness

2011-10-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm really pleased with the way this one turned out; it's much cuter than the first one. The main difference is that before I started the ribbing, I doubled the number of stitches. This made it take longer to knit, but that's OK. Next time I make one of these hats, I think I'll do seed stitch for the bottom instead of garter stitch because I don't like the jog at change of rows that you get with garter stitch in the round. Plus, it would be cute.

Too Hot For Hot Food...

2011-10-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

So I threw all my dinner together in a big salad tonight.

Pretending...

2011-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Pretending she's not about to jump
up on the bed the second she thinks I'm not looking...

For The Road...

2011-10-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Having Fun If It Kills Me...

2011-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00