Two Black Sheep

Pocketful of Sunshine

There's no good excuse for why this is not a knit heavy post.  Both of us have made significant progress on our items, especially Ava.  But I'm in a slumpy mood.  It usually happens when Ava leaves.  I mean, how can a girl get excited to drive to Cincinnati after spending 3.5 days with her sister?  I've also put a pretty firm "No News" policy in place.  Not that I don't care, but I need a break from natural disasters, food shortages, soaring gas prices, & campaign promises.  It really is starting to chip away at my "cheery" attitude.

Here are a couple of our favorites from Ava's visit.  I'll give you some links, because we firmly believe that you'll add them to your List as well.  And if you don't, SHAME on you.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day:  Holy shit this an excellent book!  I've seen it floating around the Blog World, but I love my bread machine.  I almost felt like I'd be cheating on her if I gave into temptation.  Since our library had a copy, I requested it.  The first batch didn't work.  I was halving the recipe and I added the whole amount of water.  I tried to scoop it out, but that was a ridiculous attempt.  The next time I made it while the Boys were awake.  I was knuckle deep into the sticky dough when SK asked what I was doing.  "Just leave me alone for a couple more minutes," I begged.  An hour an half later, SK told me it was worth all the mess.  Best part was that I had another 3 loaves in the fridge.  Ava had some for breakfast and told me that she pays a lot for bread that taste this good.  We made an olive loaf for Mother's Day & she wanted to watch the process because she couldn't believe it was that easy.  Mix, rest and bake.  That easy and beyond delicious.  I've only made the basic loaf, but today I'm going to try out the Light Wheat recipe.  I'll post results.

Saint Bridget's Porter: I grabbed this for two reason: the chick on the box and the name.  We wanted Other Sister with us in spirit.  On Monday, we popped the caps & experienced true beer love.  Ava took a sip and said, "Mmm, chocolaty."  I took a sip and said, "Mmm, coffee."   I'm horrible at tasting the hints and undertones of a beer.  I'll read the bottles and search for lemons and oranges, but I usually take the brewer's word.  This time it was really easy to spot those ingredients.  I'll look for this beer again and again.

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter at Whole Foods:  This is a true treat!  I only get this when Ava comes to town.  For as long as I can remember, she's always eaten peanut butter from the jar.  I enjoy peanut butter, but not like she does.  Enter this fresh peanut butter.  Smooth, delicious, heavenly, gotta-be-like-heroin.

Sea-Salt Brownies from Trader Joe's:  The angels start to sing when the top is popped on this babies.   SK saw these and turned his nose up.  We both said, "More for us."  And we finished them in record time.  Want a good recipe?  Vanilla ice cream topped with the honey roasted peanut butter and cram the bowl full of Sea-Salt brownies.

Do some searching and find these goodies.  You won't be upset.  If you are, email us and we'll take the left-overs off your hands.

Lola

Are You a Hypnotist??

If we used actual titles for posts, this one would be something like "Send More Beer, It's Mother's Day" or something to that effect. We thought we had enough for the whole weekend (silly us), but last night proved us slightly wrong. Luckily, it's Ohio and that is easily rectified.

Since it is Mother's Day, we thought we would dedicate this to all the mothers in our lives. If ever we would write a book, which we won't since we started writing this blog when it seemed as if every blogger with a modicum of talent was offered a book deal and we were irritated on a daily basis, we would write it on practical parenting and call it Things Your Mother Should Have Told You (And Probably Did But You Weren't Listening Again). Even in hypothetical books, I enjoy a good parenthetical phrase.

Our mom is one of the kindest, sweetest, do-anything-for-you-est person that you will ever meet . . . and she drives us nuts. I'm not sure why that is; maybe it's because we think that we are doing a decent job as moms ourselves and she tends to pick at the flaws, but it happens on a weekly basis. We weren't allowed to tease each other growing up for fear of giving the other one a complex. A complex? Who the hell says that? Consequently, we frequently call our kids all sorts of names . . . Syrup Head, Lotion Brain, Doofus, What-were-you-thinking. You name it, we've done it. We were always nice (or forced to be) growing up for fear that we would hate one another. That kind of backfired for me since I never really like Lola until she was about 16 - shocking, I know. Not sure about the sister, but I know that my girls don't always get along and I'm frequently the sounding board for the displeasure. But, all in all, we love her unconditionally with all of her foibles . . . we just hope she feels the same.

A trip to Columbus is always an adventure; this time it was on the first half of the leg. I got to Newark in plenty of time, breezed through security, figured I had time for a preflight Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and checked my gate. No gate. Delayed to 10:40 PM . . . as in two hours later. For me, that means one thing: more time for knitting and more time for listening to my book on tape. BoBo is the perfect plane/drinking/movie project at this point. Miles and miles of stockinette with very little attention. I'm done with the decreases in the body and have 4.5 inches more to go before the short rows in the boobs. As far as colors, I think I am leaning towards a nice turquoise and maybe a cream, so thank you.

Speaking of yarn, I'm sure we learned of its pleasure here, but damn . . . why didn't someone emphatically tell us about Malabrigo's lace weight? At $8.80 for 450 yards, what are the downsides to this? Not enough of the color you wanted? Maybe, but that's all I can think of. Oh to be wrapped in a sweater made out of this yarn! I might become a recluse if that happened.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend . . . it's rainy here in C-Bus, but I could care less. I have two personal days to take, the beer is cold, and the knitting is easy. Sing that to the tune of "Summertime" and you have a song worthy of Simon Cowel.

Ava

PS - a special Mother's Day love fest to our mothers-in-law (we both won the lottery with them!), sisters, sisters-in-law, and friends . . . if you celebrate, live it up!

Darts of Pleasure

If you're looking for the latest trends in knitting or how to solve some advanced math . . . keep cruising to another blog. This post has very little if anything to do with knitting.

Since the fall of 2000, I've been going out for a few beers after work on Thursdays with my friend, M. Next to Lola, M hears about everything first . . . usually before the Flyer. Thursdays were always a place for us to kick back, rehash the week, and drool a little over our favorite bartender in a very "chaste and tip nicely" kind of way. Our Thursdays have taken a beating over the years, but this year the end of our dry spell was in sight and with the newly licensed drivers in the house, we were back with a bang. Both of us had been looking forward to this afternoon since Monday. So, with stupid grins on our faces, we walked back into our normal haunt only to find that we were in the Twilight Zone.

Bartender? Check. Cold beer? Check. Accordion/trumpet/sax music? Check. What the hell?! Fucking accordion music playing to the point where I had to cup my ear just to hear M talk (and no, I wasn't looking coy or sly . . . it was full fledged "I'll just practice for when my hearing goes"). I told her that I wanted a cigarette and a beret and to say things like, "Ah, you peasants you just don't understand life," but in a really horrible French accent. Then, just to mix it up and keep us on our toes, an "older gentleman" comes and sits next to M despite the plethora of empty seats. Maybe he thought we were groupies or maybe he mistook our utter confusion for desperation, but it wasn't pleasant. After the raging accordion solos, the band switched it up and transported us to the bayou with some wicked zydeco music. Honestly, at that point, I felt like I was in a Prilosec commercial and was looking around for a number to hold up to show how many days I've been heartburn free. Of course, I could have looked for a bat with which to bonk the band members, but I probably never would be allowed back in. That would have been the worse crime . . . not the music continuing but getting kicked out since I really look forward to my Thursdays.

Thanks for the suggestions about the colors. I am leaning towards turquoise for the BoBo yoke, possibly with a cream instead of the gray. And yes, Robert Downey, Jr. did a fabulously tasty job as Iron Man. Sequel? Can I buy my ticket now?

Ava

PS - pardon the mess . . . this is what I have to clean before I head to O-H-I-O tomorrow.   

Whipped Cream

Today, my knitting will soothe my nerves. Today, my knitting will take my mind off of other things. Today, my knitting will focus the rest of my life. Who the hell am I kidding? Today, my knitting will be fucked as I am clutching the needles and yarn in a death-grip, trying not to think about Betty driving to work for the first time alone. Nothing has prepared me for this . . . nothing.

As Lola alluded in the previous post, I have some personal days left to take (there is a god) and I've opted to head to Ohio for a little R & R (and yarn - don't forget the yarn). When she told Gus that I was coming to visit, he responded, "Again?" Yes, again, you little shit pot . . . as in, "I get more books, again?" The Flyer culled some action figures over the past weekend, so Gus can count on at least one Iron Man toy to play with. Sadly, he isn't as tasty as the current Iron Man. Otherwise, he might be up to no good with the Black Sheep girls.

The Obligation Sweater is finito, save the buttons. The yarn was uber-cushy to knit with and I am pretty chuffed with the results. Granted, the final repeat was a rushed affair, and I did tie on more that one piece of yarn (I lost count at four), but the damn thing is done and I can concentrate on the one person who really needs some knitting: me. That's right . . . I am being selfish and making something for myself.

I thought about finishing the Trellis and Leaf shawl, but I don't think that makes for a great plane project right now, despite that it started out that way. The current sock is too boring for words, which makes it a great "shopping" project but not a "me, me, me" project. I even thought about dusting off Ariann, but once I saw the Bountiful Bohus cardi in More Big Girl Knits (my Mother's Day present a bit early), I knew I was on to something. Ariann got a dusting off if only for her yarn; sadly when I do knit her, it won't be in the luxurious red she was intended. That Cascade 220 is headed for some steeking. A Bountiful Bohus, or BoBo as I am renaming her, looks grand, and considering I have the yarn, I'm being a cheap bitch about this one. The colors in the yoke are the only concern that I have; the sample in the book uses grey and beige for the colorwork on a brown sweater. I have one skein of a charcoal grey . . . but what to use for the other color? Suggestions?

All my papers are graded (and can I just say how happy I am not to write "Hook?" or "Where is your thesis statement?" . . . so happy) and I'm ready to knit . . . and worry . . . and freak out . . . and be a mom of driving teens. How the hell do I do this?

Ava

PS - Best laid plans and all . . . Lola, sweetie, could you tape Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica for me next Friday? Kind of a geek here.

Hello Goodbye

My recovery time after a flight is a couple of days.  I'm not sure how the Flyer does it.  I'm positive that those presidential clubs dotting the terminals help.  I kept thinking maybe I could sneak in, but I noticed that there was a woman sitting just inside the door checking credentials.  I thought about just letting myself leak all over the place & then plead to her womanly side.  Maybe Flyer does it well because he isn't sitting on toilets pumping every three hours. The sight of Flyer pumping isn't a good way to start your Friday morning.  I tip my hat to you Mr. Flyer.

One fabulous reason to fly, tons of reading time.  I finished A Simple Prosperity during the first leg.  I was so happy with this book.  This is the first time in a while that I wasn't reading a book about food.  However there was chapter dedicated to food, the importance of a garden & eating whole foods.  I'm trying to get SK to read the book.  We like to call him Old Man SK because of his elder rants.  The book has that flavor in the very beginning, but then provides a number of reason why a sustainable lifestyle makes sense.  When I picked up A New Earth, I thought it would read like S.P.  While it is a good book with an almost religious feel, S.P. has real-world examples that work in my head.  I'll go back & finish reading A New Earth, but the library emailed me that my copy of In Defense of Food is ready.  Back to food, but I'll stop after this one.  Promise! 

What's a girl to do as she counts the minutes to her next pumping jag?  Something!  I was digging through my purse looking for anything exciting.  I have children!  Shouldn't I have crayons or little cars hanging out in the bottom?  A old container of Cheerios even?  Nope.  But then just as I was moving my second pack of old receipts, there she sat!  You know that scene in Goonies where they find Chester Copperpot's treasure?  That's how I felt hanging out in the airport.  I had found my sock bag sitting in the bottom of my purse!

I've been knitting this sock since before Tuck was born.  I love the color, but when I knit with the yarn it has a squeaky feel almost like an oiled yarn.   But I had something to do, so I sat & knit for the remaining flight.  The pattern is Jeweled Steps from New Pathways, but I think that it has a "Dixie Chick" feel.  I remember hearing that the Chicks got chick feet tattoos to mark milestones.  The wrapped stitches are staggered & look like little footprints.  Fortunately I'm singing Chick songs every time I pick up this sock.  It's usually Good-bye Earl or Sin Wagon.  Occasionally Top of the World  or Godspeed pops in & then I'm crying (yep just started right now).

Have you gotten your Summer IK yet?  Summer is always my least favorite issue, so I'm not real surprised with my reaction.  Once again about 2 likable patterns & the rest make me shake my head.  At this point, I'm not sure that I'll renew my subscription.  At least throw in a couple articles, Eunny!  I think that there's 2 articles in this entire issue.  At least that's all I could remember & that isn't a good thing since I've looked a the magazine 3 times.  I miss the staff projects a lot.  I didn't realize that I enjoyed seeing different project takes until it was snatch away from me.  Free the staff!  Unlike most people, I like the photos.  I know that there always seems to be a big controversy over the photographs.  If the projects were nicer, would people be bitching about the pictures?  I'd say, "NO" but in those same forums everyone is still raving about the magazine (sans the pictures).

Today is a big day in our house.  The new counter-tops are coming!  When we bought the house, the kitchen still had the original pink tile & glittery Formica counter-tops.  I was going through a pink phase, so it was fate.  But 4 years & lots of hard use, the counters had to go.   I hope the installers won't flip out when I hug them at the end.  That's happening, people.  SK is seeing Iron Man tonight & I'll be watching my counters.  Oh the muffins I'm going to make on you...

L

p.s. Ava is trying to decide if she's going to be able to use some personal days & come to Lola-land.  She still has to check a couple things before she commits.  I hate those couple of days because my fingers ache from being crossed.

Hush

It's my turn for the ABC-along & I got 'H'.  I've been thinking about this one pretty hard.  I could've done my morning wake-up or my favorite wings.  I could have done it about what someone called me Saturday night (for some reason I was offended, but Ava & SK helped me come to terms). 

I could have written about the happiness this picture makes me feel each time I look at it.

But I'm going to use my 'H' for Heathers.  Not the fantastic movie, but for yarn.  Lots of people wax on & on about the beauties of tweed.  Yes, I love a good tweed.  But lately, I'm digging heathered yarns.  Currently, I'm using Cascade 220 Heathers for Amanda.  Unfortunately, I don't think that heathered yarns photograph well.  I always see their beauty when I'm knitting outside.  The sun picks up the glints of gold that are woven into the wool.  There's the faint implication of softness whenever I see something knit with a  heathered yarn.  I'm a rational person and realize that Cascade's Heathers is no more softer than their standard, but I'd like to think that it is.

Amanda is exactly what this bored knitter needed.  There's a soothing quality about the rib pattern.  It's knit one, purl two.  Flip and start to knit two, purl one.  Followed by 2 rows of stockinette.  I love the rhythm of the pattern.  I can nurse and read while working on the project.  I have about 3 more inches and then I can move onto the sleeves.  I've had some concerns about the fit.  I got gauge, but when I measured again, I was way off.  I measured again and it seemed to look good.  Maybe I fucked up with the ruler.  I've "tried" it on & it won't be real roomy, but rib stretches & blocks well.  I'm going to keep trucking.

I'm off for another day and night of pumping.  I'm helping out down south.  The reason I'm not real broken up is that I'll get to finish my current book. Maybe I should fly more often.

-L

Feed the Tree

I really have nothing remarkable to share other than I got home safely.  Exhausted & full of milk.  Pumping for 2 days isn't really a great option when you have a 3 month-old.  I had to skip the evening pump yesterday & I thought I was going explode on the airline crew if we hit an air pocket. Besides sore boobies, I had a nice "vacation"  I did have one Dirty Martini by the pool.  Granted, it was in a plastic cup & the pool was closed at 10 p.m., but it had vodka & lots of olive juice.  I was also able to finish Omnivore's Dilemma.  I enjoyed the book, but I'm really looking forward to getting In Defense of Food.  I've got a couple other books on hold at our library & a few more came in the mail.  It's a good thing because none of them revolve around food.  After finishing OD, I'm starting to think "What the hell should I eat these days?"

I'll put a post up of my progress on Amanda.  Such a great t.v./book knitting project.  She'll get a ton of action with The Office & 30 Rock on tonight.

Since I missed making an Earth Day post, take a look at Liz's post.  I've never really wanted a garden before, but this type is starting to change my mind.  I think that I have a fear that I'll walk out one morning & I'll have a grid full of dead plants.  Who knows maybe I'll get a hammer into SK's hands.

-L

 

Power and the Passion

So, my sister is a quitter . . . about fucking time! Honestly, Grace was the first knitting pattern I ever "officially" quit, but truth be told, there are lingering WIPs that are so far gone that I ought to quit them; when you pick up a project and can't remember where you are or why you were there, it might be time to call it quits whether the yarn was pricey silk-merino or cheap-ass acrylic.

Today's topic de rigeur is Obligation Knitting. You can call it Guilt Knitting or Knitting-for-Others or Knitting Because You Have To, but I'm going to call it what it is: knitting because you feel obligated. My Obligation Knitting takes the the form of EZ's beautiful February baby sweater. I knit this once before (out of obligation, by the way) for a colleague at work who was having a baby girl. The yarn was cheap and I wanted to try the pattern, so I wasn't too broken up over it.  Suffice it to say, the sweater turned out marginally okay, the colleague loved it, and slowly people began to expect a small baby sweater when the bumps began to grow. Turns out I started a trend and four baby sweaters later, I was fine with it. But this sweater is different. You see, up until this point, I liked all the colleagues that I was knitting for. This time around . . . I don't. Please - don't roll your eyes and say, "How horrible! How can she say that!" We just don't get along. Period. The truly bad part is we work on the same team, eat lunch together every day, and should work closely together. So, in a few short months she'll be welcoming her first child, and I was torn. To knit or not to knit . . . Shakespeare forgive me.

So, I began knitting it out of obligation. Sure I could have said no to that inner nag inside my head, but she just wouldn't go away. I rationalized it by saying that I was truly knitting for her baby girl who had done nothing to me other than make her mamma sick a little and thus inconvenience me during a project. So, Baby M will have a cute February baby sweater in the most luscious chili pepper red wool bamboo yarn Moda Dea could produce. I might be knitting out of obligation, but I don't have to knit it out of yarn that I don't like. Besides, that little nag in my head has a mind of her own and I have great plans for this pattern during the summer.

With Earth Day a mere 12 hours away, another topic I need to get off my chest is this whole push towards green marketing. Hello? Wal-Mart? Let's talk about how annoying those idiot pre-teens are that you have shilling your Coca-Cola t-shirts made with recycled plastic bottles. Here's a thought. Why not encourage people to drink less soda as a means of reducing plastic bottles in the first place instead of shoving crap t-shirts at us. Call it "feel good green" or "eco-consumerism" or whatever other good awful clap-trap your marketing firm thought up, you're still making a buck because you use cheap labor in a Third World country. And Campbell's Soup with a green label? Pittsburgh's favorite son is spinning in his grave as we speak. There are other blogs who put it better than I do, so please . . . go see what they have to say. For Earth Day, I plan on not handing out a single worksheet and have decided to reduce my printing by 25% for next year. If I can keep it up, I'll be back to slates for my students in no time at all.

So, I'll stop while I'm only a little bit bitter since I have the body of the sweater to finish as well as the seaming. Oh, and the baby shower. Did I mention that I'm co-planning the baby shower? No, well, I am. That takes obligation to a whole new level. Have a lovely time in Florida, Lola. Don't do anything I wouldn't do . . . that still leaves you plenty!

Ava

PS - If you live in Pennsylvania and you are registered . . . VOTE tomorrow! Even if your candidate has it all sewn up . . . VOTE!

Rain

This is the story of how a non-quitter has an Awakening.  Here's a good reason Mom doesn't know about the blog because I'd get shit for saying the next part.  The girls in our family were raised to not quit things.  I realized I couldn't quit things when I decided to take a stand one summer.  Sometime around early grade school, we were told that we'd be joining swim team.  During summer break, Other Sister & I had to get up before the local pool opened.  This meant waking up extremely early during a time when most of our friends were enjoying a break from their alarm clock.  We shivered as we rode our bikes to the pool.  Jumped into the icy water & swam laps for a solid two hours.  Then we rode our bikes home.  I hated swim team.  I have never been good at sports, so on top of hating it, I sucked at it.  I decided to sit my parents down & tell them I'd had it.  I was quitting the team.  They looked at me & said, "Tough."  I tried to make my argument, but I was rejected at every breath.  Knowing I could say nothing, I ran into my room, crawled under my bed & bawled.  My parents are still amazed that Social Services were never called.

I've had a number of jobs that I wasn't allowed to quit.  The first "real" job was an all-female retirement home.  It was my job to clean up after 20 women.  It wasn't horrible, but at 13 it wasn't ideal.  Emptying the mop bucket was difficult.  Being yelled at because I confused 2% and Vitamin D milk wasn't pleasant.  Watching some of your favorite women slip into Alzheimer's was painful, but Other Sister & I had to stick it out.  I left there when I was able to drive to my new job.  In college, I had a waitressing job that almost drove me to pills.  I was out of college for about 3 months & I still hadn't found a job.  I couldn't leave the waitressing position, but I would get the shakes before & after my shifts.  I explained this to my parents every time I spoke with them.  In their defense, they couldn't do anything I was a grown woman.  "How would you pay your bills?"  Was an appropriate response, but I wanted them to say "Quit, you idiot!"

Maybe as you get older quitting things isn't as dramatic or happens as often.  Sure, I could quit SK, but I still love him.  Yep, I could quit my kids, but I still love them.  I could quit my job, but we need food & a roof.  A couple years ago, I would have powered through a boring book instead of finding a new one.  While knitting the Union Square Market pullover, I kept trying it on & could see that it wouldn't work.  But I kept knitting.  Seamed the sleeves.  Attached the button. And was still pissed that it didn't fit.  But I have evolved.  I have no shame or remorse in quitting little things.  Grey's Anatomy?  Quit.  McDonald's Quarter Pounders? Quit.  My love of A.M. radio?  Quit (thank you Sirius).  Knitting projects?  Yep, quit without a second thought. 

Last post was all about my frustration for the Spiderman blanket.  Today's is my quitting of another big project.  I've decided to chuck the Aran Saddled Shoulder.  I thought about keeping it on the needles for about three seconds, but then yanked it hard.  Two reasons why:

• I've got to be realistic.  Right now, I need projects that can be dropped in a second.  Gus needs lots of hugs & kisses these day.  The laundry baskets have become "cages" that sometimes fall over with him inside.  The armchair has become a horse that he likes to fall off of.  And it's easier to knit simple projects while I'm nursing Tuck.  For right now, no charts or patterns with a lot of cabling.
• I found this book.  The reason I started the Aran was my need for a cable dense cardigan.  I couldn't find something that looked classic, but still modern.  This book is full of beautiful patterns that fill that void.  I decided to start Amanda with the Cascade 220 from the Aran.  It has enough detail to excite me and to allow me to knit while taking care of the kids.

So I'm a quitter and I love it.  I'll make no apologies.  For this project, I had to quit another thing.  I called Ava right away and told her how filthy I felt.  I wanted to return it right away, so I licked the book and thought that it'd be disgusting if I handed it back to the cashier.  What would that gesture solve?

I need to wish SK a huge "Happy Birthday!"  Gus' birthday is right before SK's, so I feel like he's gotten screwed out of the Big-Deal-Factor.  We're throwing little grilling party tomorrow  & we're hoping that it doesn't rain.  Happy birthday, honey!

p.s. I found this blog a couple weeks ago & instantly fell in love with this shirt.  She's going to donate a percentage of her sells to charity.  Maybe that'll be my Mother's Day gift to myself...

April Wine

Coming soon...

The Real Life Story of a Quitter