stitch marker

the days are longer, but not long enough

This little sweater is almost finished. Almost.

But I had to take a break because I got the most amazing opportunity to take an all-day class with Annie Modesitt yesterday. I took her Twisted Float shrug class (more on that after I download the pictures). Today I'm making up for lost work time over the past two weeks.

While I sit, head bowed over grant proposals, the hops are starting to climb. Birds are chirping in high gear. Our locust tree is getting its leaves, to join the leaves already out on our vine maple and hawthorn.

Sebastian is practicing saying "I'm three." So very big. He puts a piece of paper on his head and says "This is my house, Mommy." A piece of straw, "This is a propeller, Mommy." When it's time for bed, "Snuggle me, Mommy." Every second I look at him he breaks my heart.

So so many things I  want to think about, read, cook, knit. I wish I had another entire day for every actual day.

the holidayknititng, or one whose B is A

I think of it as all-one-word like that, sort of urgent, or German.

(Or perhaps as in Sanskrit, one whose B is A.)

I usually don't get caught up in it, the holidayknitting. I don't make a list and an effort. I sit back and enjoy watching the Yarn Harlot's annual effort, thinking that if someone who is clearly such a fast and good knitter as Stephanie can get behind, then the world is okay for all of us.

This year, though, her effort is inspirational to me in a different way. This year I did get involved in knitting several things for the Big Holiday Around Here, and I like to think in Harlot terms that if I don't get finishing some things it's going to soon kick my arse. (It's fun to think with the word "arse" - so much cuter than the American "ass.")

My holidayknitting is not yet kicking my arse, but I'd say it is nudging my arse. I did finish the gigantic long cabled scarf for my sister and that's quite a relief. I have the sock above, and also a pair of arm warmers for my mom's assistant for which the yarn has not yet even arrived. I'm trying not to freak out about that, but am looking expectantly to the mailman each day. No response on that, from the mailman.  Oh, and I want to make garter mug cozies for various people.

My list seems tame compared to some, but we're talking about 13 days here, and not much free time to knit. I'm starting to fit it in between things like while waiting for water to boil. I kind of carry the sock in my pocket, just in case. And I may begin breaking out looooong, engaging movies for the child.

favorites, 11.11.07

Sebastian's favorites:
fixing things (papa says he gets very excited and serious about this)
screwdrivers
corn muffins
diggers!
singing, making music
running around and around the table
chocolate milk
raisins, as always
Stuart Little

Mama's favorites:
Jaywalker socks
my new boots with fur pompoms
NYT Sunday crossword puzzles
Tandem Cafe, and the bagels and chocolate stout bread
quiet days when we get them
fires in the fireplace

And another thing. It seems ironic that with all my knitting, and all the meathead hats out in the world, that I am a person without a hat. I was sooooo cold today on the way home from work. Is anyone interested in knitting me a meathead hat? I'll trade you some yarn!

The thing is, I want to knit myself a hat. But I want it to be this Inga Hat, which I've bought yarn and swatched for. But I'm so pressed for time that my hat plans are far beyond what I can knit now. My knitting is already in process beyond the dawn of the new year. I can't go that long. And today...in Nordstrom Rack?...I almost bought a knit hat. Almost. Bought. a Hat. It looked like one of them mason dixon washcloths, actually. It was cute. But come ON. Finally I could not spend the 13 bucks on it, knowing I could knit a fine hat, if only I had the time.

So I froze at the bus stop, and cursed myself.

the photos were as dark and creepy

As the night itself. I'm not sure what went haywire with my settings. I know just enough about my camera to get in trouble, and so I did.

Sebastian was a sick little working guy, but he valiantly tried and did trick or treat enough for a small haul that he thought was huge (so cute). His papa's costume? Totally my idea. He went as a green roof.

a few lovely things

It's summer here. Really, truly summer, hot, people walking past to the park all day, dogs nosing around, kids off school, popsicles, watermelon, summer. For some reason we'd gotten rid of our living room curtains and were baking away every afternoon, miserably cooking in the glare, unable to see our post-nap TV screen (yes, we watch Kipper for a few minutes after nap, during the incredibly looooooong slow waking process).

Summer feels easy. I am an anxious person, always trying too hard at everything, making everything harder than it needs to be. In second grade, the teacher gave us a long word and asked us to make as many smaller words as we could out of it. I made four words out of it, total, without repeating any letters. Of course, she meant to make one small word then start over, make another small word start over. This is how I tend to do things, the hard way, and then I'm horrified when I have only 4 small words when everyone else has like 50.

I've always felt like I'm a newbie at this. I'm a new soul, and I don't know how to do anything. Inadequately oriented.

Summer doesn't make me feel this way. I feel like I know how to do it. It's nice.

Anyway, I meant for this post to be about a few lovely things. Not at all the same scale as one another, but here they are in one list:

• Monroe's birth (story and pictures)
• the curtain fabric I got at the bins
• Sebastian's symbolic squirrel curtain and play kitchen underway
• little baby pants
• this lily pad game; I really want to make these!
• root beer floats (thanks to Katie for the idea)
• running together with the whole family in the park (we get such admiring looks!)
• the dream of going to the movies, though we don't really