This Week

I'd love to say that this has been a smooth and relaxing week, and it truly did start out that way. But since Monday afternoon Boston has been weighing heavy on my heart and I've had to very actively shut out information for periods of time.

We were able to go on a few field trips this week, catch up on the house (and laundry!) and I even got back to my sewing machine a little bit in the evenings. 

On the Needles... 

I've been ignoring the newest knit- partly because of the issues I've been having with it and partly because I've been spending my project time sewing. I do need to weave ends on a baby gift in the next few days and knit a little companion hat.

I read...

So many news stories it's ridiculous. Ender read The Bears on Hemlock Mountain in just 2 sittings. He's getting to be such a fast reader now and needing more material. I spent a little time making him a new book list this week.

Learning all the time…

We are in "finish up" mode. We're close to the end of all of our "dailies" (like Explode the Code, Handwriting without Tears and math workbooks) and I told the boys that they can have a break from most of school (except from math because I'm that mean mom) until July as soon as they finish up- the timeline is up to them. IF they continue forward as planned they'll finish around Memorial Day. Ender has big plans to attempt to be finished in just 2 weeks.We still have history to read, but any time now spring will actually show up and we'll switch over to a big science block to put in the garden and work out there.

Inspiration...

I'm planning to spend at least 1 hour a day on Kids Clothes Week making a few things for Ellie. I already started in the last day or so, but the KCW project officially starts on Monday. Will you join us?

Watching (Spoiler Free, of course...)

I've mostly been tuned to the news once my kids are in bed, but I've also been watching the current season of Project Runway (I'm a little behind, so no spoilers please!) to relax my brain a bit. It's been interesting to see relationships develop between designers so differently this season due to the teams. I think I'm down to 2 more episodes to be completely caught up.

Garden...

We are waiting.

And waiting.

It is so cold at night still and most of the week has been a torrential downpour. I think next week we will build a few boxes for raised beds, and I'm really hoping to be able to plant some in early May.

In Stitches...

I actually touched my machine this past week! I didn't forget how to do anything (which was a surprise) and I made a little dress. Of course, I had to rip out a few times because I made silly errors, but over all not a bad first run back at the machine. Ellie got a "slightly off but still very wearable" dress out of the deal and I learned how to make a pattern so that I can make her several spring/summer dresses.

This weekend...

A Soccer game and a baseball practice, time with my sewing machine in the evenings and lots of time with the baby and my not-so-little-anymore boys.

Deja Vu Yarn Along

{Knitting Along with Ginny this week.}

Back in 2009 I queued a vest on Ravelry that I really liked. It was fitted, a little lacy, and seemed like something I'd be able to jump into after just a little more experience since I'd not really knitted a lot of garments at that point. Come 2010 I was pretty sure I was ready to jump in with my usual style. I pretty much knit whatever I want and if there is a new technique involved I take it as an opportunity to learn said technique. And wouldn't you know I hadn't knit any lace at all yet? So I knit and ripped and knit and ripped, and wondered again and again what the 10 + 2 thing meant on the lace pattern, and I added stitch markers at the end of every repeat, and STILL I ripped.


And ripped.


And ripped.


And finally I had enough sense to cancel the project and admit that my non-existent lace skills were not good enough to get me moving on this project. I planned to come back a year or two later after getting a handle on lace.


So it's about 3 years later. I've knit several lacy things. I've followed many a chart and actually know what 10 + 2 means. I realize now that I hadn't understood at the time that I'd knit row 1 of the lace chart from right to left and then row 2 from left to right. I realize now that I hadn't understood that the yo might shift over the marker (since I tend to use cut up straws for markers) and I'd need to watch for that to make my counting life easier.


With 3 more years of experience surely I can try again.


Except it's deja vu all over again, baby. I have ripped it back to beginning 4 times, the first time because I decided to change needle sizes, but the other 3 times? Irretrievable mistakes, almost always with counting. I put all kind of markers in there, people- every three repeats. I've been working on this things for 4 days and I'm just now 7 rows in. I've been throwing extra yo in there, extra k2tog- the kinds of things that mess with the tension too much to just drop down and redo those rows and work your way up- it has all required a ripping every time and I may have said some not-kind things to myself as I tried to figure out how that many extra yarn-overs can make it into 20 stitches. And the usual mistakes don't apply- I'm NOT a beginner. I don't accidently yarn-over switching from knit to purl stitches- in fact it doesn't even switch from knit to purl within one row!

Yes, I've read people's Ravelry notes and checked for errata. Like a million times. Because sure I can't be the problem here.


At this point I think I just have to assume I'm a counting dud on this particular pattern. If it doesn't work forward in the next week I'm going to abandon for good and leave it alone for eternity. Surely there is another little vest out there that I will like just as well. And if not, maybe it's a sign that I should forgo vests altogether.


I have really not read much this week due to the recital. I have a giant stack on my nightstand though, so I need to get moving again soon.

Runners

It is hard to have anything to say today. To talk about knitting or the weird things my kids say or music...


So I will just say that my husband is a runner. In fact, his first race of the season was this past weekend and we weren't able to go. We always try to make it to his races, to stand at the end and wait for him, celebrate with him. But there was a soccer game and it was recital weekend and so very many things to do, and when he signed up for the race a few months ago he said it was no problem- he'd race alone that day and come home to join us when he was done.


But he was quietly disappointed that we weren't there to meet him.


Those moments after the race when you are so tired both mentally and physically, surrounded by family is exactly where you want to be.


We are so sad over what happened in Boston yesterday. I hope this one event does not change the way races are run. The end really should be a celebration. So many runners race for reasons- for a father, mother, sibling, friend- for someone lost, for someone sick, to prove to themselves that they can keep going, one foot in front of the other. Running has been a sort of salvation for my husband since his mom passed away- it is proof to him that he can still get up and still go on in spite of pain and grief at the loss of someone so very close to him.


We pray for Boston and for the many who will be healing for many weeks to come.

This Week

The past week or so is the first length of time where I could apply the word "normal" after having illness in the house for so long. I think we caught up on pretty much everything but laundry- but when is that ever really caught up? We got back to a normal amount of school work too, and that was a bit rough. After having the better part of 3-ish weeks either completely off or only keeping up on math and reading, going back to the full schedule seemed a little rude to the boys.

I swear the last few days completely vanished. I'm not entirely sure that they actually happened, to be honest. It's been a blur of lots and lots of lessons and extra lessons for a few coming twice in one week to be extra sure they are ready for this weekend's recital.

And now you know where my brain has been- on recital. Just a few more days until that big day, and then there will be 7 full days with no students and no work schedule- just a few adventures the kids and I have planned.

On the Needles...

My knitting time has been more limited than usual so I'm still finishing up the little February Baby Sweater for my soon-expected niece. I am looking forward to starting something new, though. Do I make myself finish a Shapely Boyfriend sleeve first? Maybe...

I read...

I finished Julie of the Wolves and I got a copy of Sally Melville's latest book to savor over the next few months. I've been keeping myself from jumping right in, because I know I won't want to emerge for many hours.

Learning all the time…

April is the month of school related deal making. It's when I find myself saying things like, "if you do double math every day this week we can take extra time off in May..." and other things like that. The funny thing is, this time Ender actually took me up on it and said that he wants to finish his math book by the end of April so that he can take all of May and June off. I told him that was fine by me as long as he does xtramath during his months off. And because he loves xtramath a deal was made and he's already made himself a chart of how much he has to do each day to finish in time for his goal.

In the Kitchen...

I think I made my last round of semi-pureed baby food Monday night. Ellie is really mostly on table foods already, but some foods she likes as purees haven't quite made it into her rotation on the tray yet in their whole form (like broccoli).

Inspiration...

I'm aiming to start working on a few sewn things for the kids in the next few weeks if I can get myself together in time for Kids Clothes Week. People are pinning some very lovely things on the KCW boards.

Watching (Spoiler Free, of course...)

After approximately 1 million people told us we should, we finally watched the first season of Big Bang Theory. And it was hilarious- except for watching Leslie and Leonard play the violin and cello in one episode. That was painful. I have learned to never watch when a t.v. character "plays" a string instrument. It's always terrible. I've been told that Benedict Cumberbatch "plays" a respectable fake violin in Sherlock, but I'm not that far in the series yet.

Garden... 

If it ever decides to stay above 50F here for more than 3 days in a row, I'll get going on this category. The plans are made, most everything is ready, we're just waiting on the weather to make up its mind about what season we're in.

This weekend...

Recital weekend! So I will see you guys again next week after my brain has cleared of all things recital.

Inspiration

My brain has been just about everywhere this week- the studio recital is fast approaching, we're almost to Ellie's first birthday (!!!), I'm working on the planning for our next school year, the baseball season starts next week- leaving us with a month of soccer/baseball crossover... April has suddenly become a super busy month just 4 days into it.

On my mind...

  

:: Collecting School Materials 

{Loving Half-A-Hundred-Acre Wood}

:: A little girl's birthday

:: What to knit next...

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