Wanna Play Along???*

The directions read:

Get your iPod. Put it on shuffle. Press play. Write down the first 10 songs that pop up. Even if they're embarrassing...

OK, here I go - as I am heading out the door, these are the 10 songs that are going to accompany me to the airport:

• Walking in your Footsteps - the Police
  
• Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
  
• Born in the USA - Springsteen
  
• South Ferry Road - The Hooters
  
• Territorial Pissings - Nirvana
  
• Ant Music - Adam & the Ants
  
• Rock Your Socks - Tenacious D
  
• Human Touch - Rick Springfield
  
• It's All I Can Do - The Cars
  
• F.U.N. Song - SpongeBob Square Pants

Yay! This seems like a very promising start to our trip......

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*I know, I know - on one hand, this seems like a pretty weak post. But know that I have really enjoyed reading other people's Shuffle lists - and would love to read yours!

Spring Forward!

This weekend, it is time to Spring Forward.

Ugh. I really hate "giving up" that hour.

And when you think about it - this weekend has all the un-fun events: April Fool's Day and Spring Forward. Hardly seems fair.

However, this year I am willing to overlook both of those things, since Spring Break starts today at 3:30 and we're going on a (hopefully) fun family trip to Baltimore. I think the fun of Spring Break outweighs the "ick" factor of the other two....

I hope to see the aquarium, and Fort McHenry, and wander through Little Italy, and maybe follow in the footsteps of John Waters....
Can you tell I've been doing my Baltimore research???


If this were a "Movie Friday" - I would be going to see Thank You for Smoking, - however, I need to get us ready to go. If anyone sees this, let me know what you think. I think it looks really clever...

10 (a perfect day) + 3 (boys under the age of 8) = 1 (afternoon spent outdoors)

Today is gorgeous - a perfect and deserved "10" on the Mellish Meter. In addition, Schecky has two friends coming over after school. You better believe that we're spending as much time as humanly possible outdoors. Then I'll be spending the next 24 hours in a whirling dervish cycle of getting ready to go out of town for Spring Break...


To make up for the lack of content about either my life, or something crafty - let me share what I'm reading.
Or - more accurately - what I just finished reading: Busting Vega$: the MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees by Ben Mezrich.

This is a somewhat familiar territory for Mezrich, who a few years back wrote Bringing Down the House, which was about a group of six MIT kids who took Vegas for millions. See the subtle distinction???

To be fair, Mezrich himself points out that at first he was not interested in this story. Another MIT kid with a tale about beating Vegas? - he'd been there, done that. But the Russian whiz kid of the title convinced him that it was a completely different story.

I'm not sure that I'd agree that it is a completely different story - but there are more than enough differences to keep it interesting. The first book was about really smart card-counters. This one deals with new methods of "bringing down the house" - primarily revolving around finding a dealer with small hands or a sloppy shuffle, being able to spot the "back" card and then tracking it through the dealer's shoe. If you know where a certain card is in the deck, you can use it to your advantage, and greatly increase the probability of winning. Also - it helps a lot if you are able to "cut" a deck at a certain place consistently. The players in the book practice for hours a day at cutting a deck at exactly the 52nd card. Not my idea of relaxing fun, but who am I to speak? I mean, look at what I do in my spare time...

Anyway - I did enjoy this book. Mezrich has an engaging and easy-to-read style. The story unspools quickly and keeps you interested. I'm not the world's biggest non-fiction reader (although I wish I were - non-fiction reading just seems "smarter" than regular reading.)
However, I love non-fiction that describes a particular person's interests, or passions, and I can read pretty much anything that is well written. Busting Vega$ handily meets both of those criteria.....

---

Although I'd be remiss if I neglected to point out that the use of the $ symbol in the title didn't bug the crap out of me...

<<< Insert evil laughter here >>>

Guess what?

I never did do my lesson plans! Hee!

I figured I would be completely called on it, since we had a staff meeting today - at which we typically "brainstorm" and share ideas. I figured I would be completely called on it, and yet I just didn't care. Instead, I decided to try winging it. First of all, I've been teaching for many years now, so I ought to be able to pull something out of my hat; and secondly, I thought that maybe if I was quiet and didn't pipe up much no one would notice. However, when I went in for the meeting, I was met with the news that we were all to go and sit down - there was a surprise....

A surprise?

A surprise.

A lovely, lovely, lovely surprise! Instead of a regular old staff meeting, one of the parents of the children decided to throw us an inpromptu tea! It was wonderful for so many reasons:

* It was a lovely thoughtful gesture.

* the "tea" itself was a thing to behold: three kinds of tea, three different finger sammiches, scones, and cookies and tarts to numerous to recount.

* And of course, my slackerdom did not come to light, since we were forbidden from talking shop.

It looked like the only downside was that we were all required to wear hats. Big goofy hats, so as to "put us in the proper frame of mind". But I scrounged around in the big box o' hats and found......a TIARA!!!!!!
(and really, wouldn't life be better if there were more events to which you got to wear a tiara)

Never have I been so positively reinforced for completely blowing off my work. A smart and appreciative girl would take this opportunity to sit right down and complete a month's worth of beautiful, eloquent lesson plans. But not me! Spring Break starts Friday, thereby allowing me to postpone the inevitable even longer.
Instead I picked Schecky up at school and went shopping for new shoes (for him, but still fun...)

And all afternoon, the internal soundtrack in my mind has been playing "Electronic's" Getting Away With It...

<<< / end evil laughter here >>>

It's no solar eclipse*...

but we had some pretty amazing looking fog this morning. The sun seemed very low in the sky and quite large, and it was truly difficult to see where you were going. Schecky and I pretended we were spies as we walked into school... I took this picture at about 7:30 am.

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*and to add insult to injury, not only are other parts of the world getting to view a spectacular solar eclipse - lots of them don't even appreciate it!
In the AP article that I linked to earlier it states that pregnant women are being advised "not to go outside during the eclipse to avoid having a blind baby". Oh, yeah - and food that you cooked prior to the eclipse? You need to throw that out, because now it is impure.
Peh. All I'm saying is that if I got to see the eclipse, I'd appreciate it. All I'm saying....

I'm Envious....

Huge parts of the world are preparing for a total solar eclipse today.

Sadly, it's not happening in my part of the world. Sigh.
I'm strangely envious.

Lucky Turks....

Procrastination...

I am supposed to be working on lesson plans....

What am I actually doing?

• checking my email. Compulsively.
  You never know, something might have come in the last 45 seconds...
  
  
• visiting every blog that I have ever bookmarked.
  
  
• visiting every blog that I have ever bookmarked a second time.
  You never know, there might be new content in the last 45 seconds...
  
  
• visiting every blog that I have ever bookmarked a third time.
  Only this time, I'm following every link that has ever been mentioned*...
  You know - if I've ever visited your blog, check your tracksy stats, or whatever. I think you'll see that I'm not exaggerating, even though I do tend to love me some hyperbole....

Starting to sense a pattern here? Wouldn't it just be easier to do my lesson plans? One would think so... But none of my "motivating" tricks that I use to convince myself into doing unwanted jobs seem to be working.

Sigh. And now I have a cold mouse hand (you know how your mouse hand gets so cold from being elevated up on the desk???) and still no lesson plans for the next four weeks....

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*I did come across an interesting quiz - Are You A Hit-Obsessed Weblogger? - thanks to the lovely and talented GeekyMom. I was so thrilled to find her blog, as she happens to be my long-lost best friend from Senior Year in high school...hi, LCB!

My results:

30 points. TYPE C (HIT-CURIOUS).
You do the weblog thing for yourself instead of for an audience, but you are aware that you do have an audience, small as it might be. You are often curious as to what other people find so interesting about your weblog...

Introducing Domo-Kun...

domo-kun

Fans of Fark.com will likely recognize this fellow.

I really don't know too much about Domo-Kun, except for the fact that I think he is adorable.*
And that he was pretty quick to whip up (a nice Sunday night project tackled during Desparate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy - which was a rerun. boo.)

Domo is made from that old standby: Lamb's Pride Worsted, and measures about 3 x 3.5 inches. I filled him with a small beanbag, so that he can go live in Bubba's cubicle and function as a paperweight....

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*and that a FAQ for him can be found here.

Listen, Do You Want to Know a Secret?

OK, OK - I'll be honest and admit right up front here, that as far as secrets go, this is an itty bitty dinky lil' one. It's about what I do every other Friday while Bubba is at work, and Schecky is at school....

I sneak out, and I go see a movie. By myself.

Again, to be honest, there's really no sneaking involved, however - it's even more enjoyable if I can make it seem more clandestine than it really is.

What makes this possible is that the local neighborhood artsy-movie house starts showing movies at 11 o'clock on Friday mornings. So, if I pick judiciously I can see a movie and get lunch out before picking the boy up after school.

Last Friday was a movie day, and I saw Following Sean which was quite good.

It's funny because I don't really advertise my movie Fridays*. It seems so decadent, like I am some sort of spoiled princess - don't I know that there is work to be done?
But you know what? - it is one of the best things that I have done for myself in a long, long time.
And it makes me so happy.
And it's got to be cheaper than therapy....

Is a small two-hour break twice a month really that terrible a thing to want???? And why does it seem like such a selfish thing to do? Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves....

---

*even though I don't volunteer that I have movie Fridays, if someone asks me if I have seen any movies lately, I will, of course, own up to what I've seen.
Funnily enough, I seem to have gathered a reputation for seeing only artsy, independent films - I'm getting a rep as a real "film aficionado". The real truth? The artsy, independent movie house is the only place that starts screening early enough in the day. My real criteria for seeing a movie? It has to to be something that I have at least a tiny interest in - but the biggest factor in what I see is really the start/run time of the film....Some aficionado, hmmm?

Introducing Jackie Robinson...

Jackie Robinson
Originally uploaded by lla.

Ta-da! Here is Schecky's completed Jackie Robinson doll.

Couldn't you just eat him up? And not just because he has an eerie resemblance to the GingerBread Man...

Sewing Jackie Robinson....

Sewing Practice
Originally uploaded by lla.

Schecky came home from school this week with a fun, albeit random-seeming assignment. He is to create a doll of a civil rights leader. The school sent home a list from which to choose, and Scheck chose Jackie Robinson.

I was actually kind of interested in this assignment, if for no other reason than I have enjoyed getting back to knitting, and creating with my hands. And whereas the boy has been very interested in what I am doing, he has not been interested in me teaching him how.
This school project seemed like a great way for us to create something together. I was a little apprehensive, since I don't sew at all, and have absolutely zilch experience in doll-making. But I decided not to sweat it - we'd just have fun with it...

Besides, it seems my worries were for nothing - we have had an absolute blast the past few afternoons: designing Jackie Robinson on paper, making a "pattern" and then making it happen. I am so proud of the Scheckster.... he is so excited about this, and is working so hard on it. The energy, enthusiasm and creativity little kids have is truly a beautiful thing in which to share.

We're not done yet, and I'll post the final project when we're through - however, I'd love it if you took a moment to look at our Flickr pictures that we have so far.

And did I mention how proud I am????

Good Thing I Have a Sense of Humor About Myself...

Otherwise, my Type-A personality would be the death of me....

CAUTION: Unless you knit, or unless you are amused by stories about the cluelessness of some knitters, you will be bored to tears by today's entry. If you continue to read on, don't say I didn't warn you!

I decided to get cracking on another of the Jess Hutch bears. I can't help it - they are just so satisfying! They are the perfect knitting snack food: they're quick, they're delicious, and they are so addictive. Jess needs to include the warning, "Bet you can't knit just one...."
Besides, I am justifying it because I know so many people who just need a bear. They just may not know it yet...

Anyway - foolish me, trying to improve upon the perfection that is the "Henry the Bear" pattern. Yet, I attempted to do so... You see, I don't feel like my duplicate stitching is all that great. And intarsia has never bothered me. So I decided that when it came time to monogram the bear's sweater, I'd just knit it in.
So, I sit down, and I plot it all out in Excel. (Go ahead, click on it to see just how Type-A I was in plotting it all out...)



And then I commence to knitting. And I get to row 17 and I start in with the green yarn... and I get all the way to the end of the row, and I am starting to do row 18 when I realize that all the yarn is in the wrong place? What the...? And I start to get a sinking feeling.... So I turn to my beloved KnittingHelp.com, and yup - there it is:

You can't do standard intarsia knitting (a method of knitting with multiple colors) in the round... The easiest solution is to just work an object flat and seam it if it's an intarsia project.

Well, duh.

This is just so typical! I spend so much time plotting and planning out the little minute details (aka: row and stitch counts), that sometimes the big picture (aka: that I'm trying to do something that doesn't work) eludes me...

So I rolled my eyes at myself, and frogged the previous row, and it's all good.

Oh, and if you are still with me, I think the plague has left my house. I did exactly what I said I was going to do: lounge, drowse, knit and veg. Better than chicken soup....
Thanks for the lovely comments and emails, they were a day-brightener!

Sick Day...

Well - I never have managed to get my sleep schedule back into shape, and I think that it has caught up with me. With a vengeance.

Long, boring story - somewhat short:
I'm going to bed at a decent hour. Some might even say really early. Then I'm sleeping horribly and fitfully. And then somewhere between 3 and 4 in the morning, I am just up. That's it. That's all she wrote. I am up.

This morning I finally gave up and got out of bed around 4. And I realized that I just felt....well, for want of a better word - cruddy. I've got a headache from hell, my nose is runny, I'm achey, my tummy hurts, blah blah blah. I've got such a random grab bag of symptoms that I am not sure if I am really sick, or if I am just fatigued beyond belief - but there it is.

So - I'm going to embrace this. Hey, if you can't beat it, join it - right?
I am taking a sick day. Today I will.:

• nap, drowse, lounge on the couch
  
  
• knit a little
  
  
• read a little - I think Amazon is sending some stuff my way!
  
  
• watch the two episodes of Related that TiVo got for me last night.
  (this will be bittersweet - I really like this show, but it would appear that I am the only person on the planet that has ever watched an episode. I'm not saying it is the greatest TV ever, but it is a pleasant little show with good dialogue and I like it. Anyway, I suspect that the "Season Finale" that is awaiting me is actually the "Series Finale" and that it will disappear without a goodbye - just like last year's Jack and Bobby, another nice enough little WB show that no one but me watched.

Sounds like a pretty nice little day, no? well, except for the feeling like crud part....

Oh, and one last note - about the trio of guys pictured above...
Aren't they wonderful??? Schecky and I did some "cat-sitting" for a friend while she was out of town. She left us these fab little finger puppets as a thank you. I had set them up on the mantel to get them out of the floor, and then a short bit later, I realized that they looked quite pleasing and jolly. So I guess here is a very tiny corner of my home....

Spring has Sprung...

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Ugh...

Well, it's 4 in the morning, and here I am....

I have somehow managed to get my sleep schedule all out of whack, and I am paying for it today. I've been going to sleep earlier and earlier lately, until last night I think I was out by 7:30.
Do I know how to live large on a Saturday, or what?

But then, I slept very fitfully, with very petty and stressful dreams. Ugh.
Around 3, I just decided to give it up and get out of bed. I've been doing some Flickr wandering - just roaming about and tag surfing to see what there is to see.
I found things that made me happy here and here and here and here, just to point out a few....

Yesterday was a day for running errands, and -- are you sitting down??? -- yardwork! Bubba decided that we should tackle the backyard, so he mowed down pretty much everything* there was to mow down (no easy task).

I was put to work on clearing out several years worth of dead tree limbs (we have a nasty habit of every time we lose a big limb off a tree, we just drag it under the deck "to deal with later". Which turned out to be today), along with all the remnants of home improvement projects past (lots and lots of bits and pieces of wood, brick, fencing, drainage tubing, etc.)

I had good intentions of starting something/someone new on the needles, but between the endless Kabuki yardwork, and the toddler-appropriate bedtime.... well, it just didn't happen. Maybe today...

---

*He did spare the mutant mystery daffodils, however!

Introducing Beary...

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Introducing Beary

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On Wednesday, Schecky asked me if I would make his Squarey a bear of his very own. I replied that I'd love to, but how should a little bear look?

He then produced this "pattern" for me....





How could I resist???

So, introducing Beary, Squarey's small square ursine friend. Don't they look so happy together?

I am pleased because I worked without a pattern, and managed to create something that vaguely looks the way I wanted it to.
And I taught myself how to make i-cord, which I used for his arms/legs and which I had never done before. (Many, many, many thanks to SnB, and KnittingHelp.com)

I'm not completely happy with the ears, and his legs should have been placed more toward the corners of his body.....but Schecky is thrilled, and assures me that Squarey is too.

Squarey and Beary

Squarey and Beary

I am Merino Wool....

Through the blogsphere, I have been introduced to 3togetready. It's nice to find a fellow Atlanta girl who's interested in craftiness. I was beginning to think that all the craftiness resided in Seattle, and Australia, and the UK - and other places far more interesting than here.... Although, Creative Little Daisy is rocking proof that the South can produce some gorgeous work - her patchwork bags are edible! The girl has a crazy gift for color.*

Anyhow, 3 introduced me the "What Kind of Yarn Are You" quiz... and here are the results:

---

You are Merino Wool.

You are very easygoing and sweet.
People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted.
You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.

---

< insert manical laughter here >

I don't think I've laughed so hard since...well, yesterday, at the thought that people seeking fashion advice were inadvertently coming to me. Easygoing and sweet? I wish!
I am as Type-A as the day is long, and I suspect my heart is an evil little cinder. I am every bit as snide as the girls on GoFugYourself - although I try to keep quiet about it, because whereas they are clever and snide, I'm, well....just snide.

But two days of laugh-out-loud poking fun at yourself? Priceless....

---

* I need to figure out how to create that blogroll list along the side of my blog template, so that I can share some of my favorite people with you!

WooHoo! I got my first Google hit today....

Well, well, well. This is a milestone....

I got my first referral from Google to BadFortuneCookie today...

This morning, some lovely, lovely British citizen typed into the GoogleUK search engine Do stripes make you look fat - and up popped BFC! And when I test it here with Google.com, it works, too!
All thanks to the charming BabyChubbins. Who is, as I type, in a box on his way to Florida.

Just think - all over the world fashion-concerned young men and women could be consulting their search engines on a quest for flattering fit tips, and they will be directed to my little site o' bears, knitting and other day-to-day minutia! This just cracks me up, as to say that I am severely fashion-impaired is the understatement of the century.

This has, oddly, made my day.
Which may be a sad state of just how little is going on around here these days....
Although I did go to the dentist this morning, and got a good report card. Appearantly, I have "amazing gums". Just what a girl needs to hear from time to time.

Introducing Laurie...

...and now you know how I spent the remainder of the weekend, once I got the in-laws all packed up and out.

This is Laurie - whom I made for a woman who works at the preschool. She (the preschool girl, not Laurie-the-bear) is a real, true crafty girl and I hope that she'll overlook any mistakes that I made!
Actually, that's really just me being hypercritical - she is not judgmental like that at all....Also, this is the best bear I've turned out to date, although I will always have a soft spot for BabyHenry, since he was my first born. Miss Laurie's arms look a little wonky in this picture, since I kind of had to wedge her into the crook of the tree. She's much more graceful in person.

I am still having fun making bears, which is good, since I figure I've got at least 5 and perhaps more to go! It is funny how each one seems to have a different personality and turns out quite differently.

I am thinking about modifying the pattern somewhat and attempting to knit a zombie. If I get that started in the immediate future, I'll keep you apprised.


Aside from finishing this little one, not too much new on the home front. It was a nice visit with the in-laws, the weather is gorgeous, and life overall is good... It's not much to blog about, but it sure is pleasant.

Eeeeek!

Zorak???*
Originally uploaded by lla.

Just got news that my in-laws are coming tomorrow and spending the night.

Don't get me wrong, I like my in-laws just fine. However, I am now caught up in a whirlwind of cleancleanclean, tidytidytidy, vacuummopscrub so that my mother-in-law does not suspect the type of squalor in which I routinely allow her beloved son and grandson to live....

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*Sorry, I am totally cheating with this picture, as it has very little to do with the content of this post. (Unless you count the sense of terror it imparts! Or the fact that I am "buggin'" -- hee! Sorry, I'm inhaling waaay too many cleaning products.)
However, this was the first photo that I ever posted up on Flickr, and I have always liked it a great deal. It was also the first time I used the "macro" setting on my camera.... I am smitten by the macro setting on my camera.

Avid Reader? Hah! Not lately....

You know, for someone who bills herself as a voracious reader, and for someone who loves to read (and I really, really love to read) I've not been doing a great deal of it lately. Or I've still been doing it, it's just not making me as happy as is usually does. Except for the aforementioned Owly.

I seem to have hit a rough patch - which happens occasionally. Nothing seems to really fit the bill, nothing really grips me, or is enjoyable enough that I feel the need to pass it on. In the past few weeks, I've mired through some best seller stuff - legal thrillers, the new Jody Picoult, etc. - and while none of it was great, none of it was terrible. Except for the latest Baldacci, The Camel Club which I thought was a big clunker.

I've had a bunch of books come in that I was very excited about at the time that I put them on reserve at the library, but can't seem to muster up the enthusiasm for now that they are here. I've got Sophie's Choice, which I am having a devil of a time getting into. (I'd never read it, and it just seemed like I should.) I've got this amazing biography of William Faulkner that I had to wait to get for something like 3 months. Now that's it's here, I just can't muster up the strength to dive in. I feel somewhat guilty - I keep wanting to mutter to these neglected books "It's not you, it's me!"

I just get like this sometimes - where no matter what I read, it's just meaningless. I suspect it has less to do with the books that I am reading and more to do with some sort of snit or funk in which I have found myself. The next book I am going to attempt is Peyton Place. There was a very interesting article all about it in this month's Vanity Fair, and I realized that I'd never read it, either. I'm betting it's a way easier read than Sophie's Choice...

The Best Graphic Novels, Ever...

...even if you don't like graphic novels.*

I have just spent the most lovely afternoon with the Scheckster. The UPS man brought us the most recent Owly story this afternoon, and we snuggled in and read it together. It was so lovely that we read it a second time. Then we got out our previous Owly stories and re-read them as well. All in all a simply smashing way to spend the afternoon....

How did a nice girl like me become a reader of graphic novels? Well, it's not my fault....
My beloved Bubba is the Lord of the comic book guys. I know, I know...but he was like this when I married him, so it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into. He gives me no grief about my reading habits, I don't give him grief about his.

But once Schecky was born, Bubba was determined that he would become "Son of Comic Book Guy". Which I don't have much of a problem with - my parents didn't care what I read, as long as I was reading. I kind of feel the same way with Scheck. Plus, Schecky desperately wants to be "Son of Comic Book Guy". However, most comics really aren't for little kids - too violent, and the women...well, don't even get me started on the parody of feminine archetypes!
Therefore I was delighted to find Andy Runton's Owly. I love everything about this guy - he and his best friend, Wormy are such lovely and subtle role models. They have non-sappy, yet non-scary adventures and life lessons. And the artwork just rocks. The stories are told entirely through pictures, so even the youngest child can "read" along - yet the stories are engrossing enough, and the characters so beautifully expressive that even the grownups can't wait to see what is going to happen.

Plus, I think that Andy Runton is an Atlanta boy, so you can feel good about that too!

There are a few short stories that you can view for free on Runton's website: andyrunton.com. If you've got a second, go check them out - you won't regret the time you spend....

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*The first book in the series is called The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer, I just couldn't find a good sized graphic for it. But it is wonderful, too!

Spring Showed Up While I Wasn't Looking...

Big mutant daffodil
Originally uploaded by lla.

I was puttering about in the kitchen, when a glimpse of color caught my eye in the backyard. Which is unusual in and of itself, because we never pay any attention to the backyard. Seriously, it's sad - we never even go into the backyard

It's actually a vicious cycle - we never go in the backyard because it is such an untamed wilderness, but it's a untamed wilderness simply because we never go out there. Also, we never go out there because in Georgia, mosquitos grow to the be size of wombats. And they manage to live pretty much year round, it seems.

But I digress - I decide to go investigate the mysterious color flash. The back door was a challenge, since it hasn't been opened in months. Once that hurtle was cleared however, I fought my way through the brush and discovered daffodils!
They are kind of mutant daffodils - check out the ruffly centers and the sticky-outy things - but daffodils nonetheless. Which is weird, because I don't think we used to have daffodils.* I know I didn't plant daffodils. And I don't think they are one of those plants that just spontaneously shows up.

Whatever/whereever they came from - they are quite pretty....

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*And here I should mention I've lived in this house pretty much my whole adult life - 14 years. That's a whole lot of back yard neglect. But I think I would have noticed daffodils...

Introducing BabyChubbins*...

Chubbins & Henry
Originally uploaded by lla.

Well, BabyHenry's limbed cousin is complete, and has turned out to have quite a different personality.

He's much more happy go-lucky, and somewhat more fearless.

Some technical notes -

1. No more striped sweaters. I don't love how it looked and the color changes got old fast! Particularly on his teeny, tiny arms...

2. I put Chubbins's arms on with a horizontal orientation, as opposed to vertical - which I think would look more natural. But I wanted the stripes on the sleeves to align nicely with those on his sweater, and am pleased with how that turned out...
There are a few more picture of Chubbins at Flickr.

3. Both Henry and Chubbins were made with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in Wild Oak, Ruby Red, and Onyx, from a pattern by Jess Hutch.

---

*Just between you and me, doesn't he look weird with arms and legs? I am so used to Henry, that all those limbs protruding out everywhichway are going to take some getting used to!

Arms and Legs...

Spent the day yesterday making arms and legs whilst snuggling with Schecky the sick....

The limbs on the right belong to BabyHenry's chubby cousin, and should be attached today. The leftmost limbs are to get the jump on a little oatmeal colored beauty who will be up next. I envision her with a whole prep-school thing going on...pink and green sweater and all.

Another Weekend, Another Sick Family Member...

Today Schecky woke up with a fever and a sore throat, so I knew the weekend must be coming. Since the beginning of 2006, we've had ONE weekend where everyone was healthy. Sigh. So he is home from school today, and we'll spend a snuggly time on the coach watching TV and reading comics. There are much worse ways to spend a day...

This, too, means that I'll be able to get some good knitting done. I probably have too many things going on at once, but there are just so many things that I am excited about. It's kind of fun to be able to rotate out between projects. Here's what is currently on the needles:

• Baby Henry's chubby nameless cousin: All he needs is a second leg and his arms and then he's done.
  
  When he's complete, I think he is headed down to Florida for some friends who have a new baby boy on the way. He will be their third boy, and for a few short weeks (until the oldest has his birthday) they will have three little boys under the age of three. Yep, you read that right. Emily, you are a stronger woman than I!
  
  
• The Irish Hiking Scarf which I started earlier this week. It's my mindless "I'm watching TV and doing this, too" project, as it has already become second nature. Pattern was easily memorized, and requires no counting. I'm already done with about 18", so I'm about a third of the way done???
  
  
• A "mystery project" which I can't tell you about until after it's done and mailed out
  
  and of course...
  
  
• the Monster Blanket....
  I went to WalMart last weekend and bought two more pounds of yarn, as I had run out. Hopefully, that will be sufficient to finish this beast.

Happy, HEALTHY weekend to you all.....

Another Project that I Could Not Resist....

Irish Hiking Scarf
Originally uploaded by lla.

I've joined my first Knit Along - this great little Irish Hiking Scarf, a free pattern from Hello Yarn.

It's been a long time (high school, maybe? So a REALLY long time) since I did any cable knitting. I was quite relieved to find that it comes back rather quickly. And this is a pretty quick little knit - what you see pictured here was done last night during the Gilmore Girls, and 2 episodes of Scrubs.

This is going to be for my father. Who is neither Irish, nor a hiker. I just saw this "Kentucky Wildcat Blue" yarn (or, as the people at Brown Sheep call it, "Dynamite Blue". Whatever.) and I thought he might enjoy it for UK football games this fall....