Two Black Sheep

I Could Say

I've got a FO to share!!  The sweater has been finished for a long time, but some guests made it hard to post.  I picked this pattern book up while I was visiting Ava.  I fell very hard for the cover sweater.  I would love if SK would wear shawl collars, but that isn't happening.  I'll settle for him tossing on a cardigan!  Which also hasn't happened, but I'm hoping.  I can't force a grown man into a sweater, but my boys are another story!  I gave the pattern a test run & finished it for a friend's baby.  The gender won't be known until the day it pops out.

I have no good explanation for why I picked this yarn.  I needed Sport Weight.  I needed something fast.  And I didn't want to spend any money.  So Candi Jensen's Red Heart Sport was reluctantly chosen.  Ah the sweet sounds of squeaky yarn.  I really wanted to make it black, but I'm never sure what people feel about baby girls in black.  Personally if I had to have a girl,  she'd be in black most days.  For my boys, I plan on using a tweed minus the squeak.

This is the first sweater I've made in a very long time that required seaming.   I'd love to try & make the boys' sweaters in the round, but I'd have to figure out the stitch patten first.  Besides seaming, the pattern was pretty straight forward.  However personally, I'm never a fan of patterns where the sizes are written for the Age.  No good reason why, I just like to see 2T or 5T.  The baby is due in October, so I made the One/Two year size.  My knitting confidence is getting much better.  I knew while knitting the sleeves that I should shorten them.  Kid patterns always have sleeves that will fit a small adult.  Of course, I ignored my Knitting Confidence & kept knitting.  Tuck kept flapping the sleeves as he ran around the house.  My only salvation is that the mom & dad of this baby are both well over 6 feet.  Watch the kid will turn out to be 5'3 & a good sweater will be wasted. 

Currently, I'm in the Last Lap with Ulmus.  I've got about 20 more rows & I can't think or do anything else.  Problem?  Each row has 400+ stitches!  Knitting is my torture.

L

Sweet Lady Mary

I told Ava today that if the doctor diagnoses Tuck as having Manic Depression, I will not be surprised.  She called yesterday at dinner time & could tell that it was an awful time.  Why?  Simple.  It was dinner time of course!  For the past two weeks, this is a typical dinner time routine at Chez Lola.

Lola cooks a lovely meal for her family.  She takes the time to make sure that it isn't only good, but healthy.  Tamale Pie was on the menu tonight.  The picture doesn't do this dish justice.  Hell, the scoop onto the plate doesn't do anything for this dish.  But it's satisfying & yummy.  Click the picture & book details are on Flickr.

In Tuck's defense, he's already flipping out before he's put in the highchair.  Full on pissy & it's outta no where.  Hence the Manic reference.  No milk.  No water.  Nothing makes him happy.  Even getting him out of the chair, gets him more angry.  But once you put the bowl down, it's on.  The screams are louder.  The tears fall faster.  Thankfully, he only pushes the bowl away.  I guess throwing is only reserved for when he's actually taken a couple bites & deems himself stuffed.

And then, blammo!  He stops crying.  Dips a finger into the dinner.  Eats a smidge of food & says, "Yumm."  He's laughing.  Smiling.  Shoves more food into his mouth with louder "Yums."  Back to normal. 

During all of this, we have Gus to deal with.  Everything is "Yucky" before he takes a bite.  Once a bite has been taken, it is always followed with "This is good, Mom."  But it's getting a bite into his little mouth.  Most nights, he'll sneak two bites, declares himself finished, & ask for a cookie.  Last week, we had a ten minute stand-off.  Didn't even take one bite of dinner.  I wasn't budging.  He finally brought his plate over to the sink & said, "I don't even want the cookie."  He's been a dinner skipper since he was Tuck's age, so I'm not worry or even challenge him much.  But hearing, "Yuck" without a bite can still sting. 

And this is where my day ends.  They're digging in a dirt pile.  We were only outside for a couple minutes before Tuck was attacked by bugs.  They adore his little face.  Gus is looking for pinecones. And I'm working on my next baby gift.  Design F from Sidar 337 Little Speckled Chicks book.  I love the stitch pattern, but hate the yarn.  More on that nugget later.  I've got to clean some Tamale off my face.

Lola

Splishy Splashy

I was in the check-out lane yesterday and took a quick call from SK.  I told Tuck that I thought Daddy was on a Mom's Day Gift Mission.  The clerk then told me that "all those gifts don't mean squat in the end."  No kidding, but really?  Does anything matter in the end?

I don't care what she said, I am having a lovely Mother's Day.  My favorite one happened a couple years ago.  SK took Gus to visit his mom & left the house to me.  God it was perfect.  But today is coming in close second.  I got to sleep in.   My MIL came over to watch the boys so SK & I could also celebrate our anniversary.  Hummus, yum.  And we're dropping the boys off at a friend's house so we can see the new Star Trek movie.  I haven't gotten this much Boy-Free time since I was in the hospital having Tuck.  That's a pretty good Mother's Day if you ask me.

My last post, I was wondering if I could finish an 18 month sweater in a week.  Well, I didn't.  I finished a 24 month sweater in three days.  I started Manda Ruth almost immediately after I purchased the pattern.  I figured I had enough Kraemer's Tatamy Tweed Worsted in Merlot, but I figured for the smaller size.  Which means I ran out during the hood.  I tried everything to come up with an option to use only what I had.  All of the collars looked silly because of the seed stitch and I bought the pattern because of the hood.  I had to do it!  I tracked down another ball from Knitter's Mercantile & finished it before I hopped on the plane.

It really is an adorable kid knit.  Get to her store & buy one.  I was a little worried about the increases but Jane answered my email quickly.  After helping me get past my own nuttiness it was very easy & pretty quick, but aren't all baby knits?  I have one more to make.  Same size.  Different color.  I may wait though.  I'm thinking about starting a project that is going to involve some designing.  I'll post later about that one because I'm going to need some help.  It involves two sweaters, more tweed, & a pinch of humiliation for my kids during their teenage years.

Mother's, whether you celebrate it or not, enjoy your day!  Because in the end, it doesn't mean squat.  If it don't mean squat, you might as well have had a good day.

L

Keep Me

My, my, my, Ava.  I've been a bad blogger.  Remember that discussion we had a couple weeks ago about the knit blogs being slow?  Ain't that the truth!  Doesn't it seem like the whole knit blog world is real quiet?  I know that when warm weather hits everything slows down, but I wouldn't call the past couple months anywhere close to summer.  I've been knitting.  Really I have. 

I've been almost exclusively knitting on Vivian.  I've probably knit one block on the Noro Rambling Rows afghan, but every other knit/purl stitch has been on this cardigan.  I love it.  There's something about seed stitch that gets my juices going.  1x1 rib is pure irritation, but seed stitch is pure heaven to me.  There's something about the switching of the yarn and the fabric's pattern, that keeps me motivated to knit.  I also think the charts keep my attention.  If I know that I have to cable every sixth row, I'll knit those six rows before I put the sweater down.  I started the second sleeve last night.  I'm guessing that I'll have a thick wooly sweater just in time for Fourth of July!  I don't think my projects through.  But let me take this time to ask Interweave's editors a good question.  How about in the summer edition (which is usually the worst) you fill it with winter sweaters?  Or does everyone else knit really fast for the season?  Maybe I'm the Wack-adoo.

Let's keep with the seed stitch, Ava.  A friend is due in October.  She's decided to find out the sex of the their second child.  That exciting day is tomorrow.  I've been trying to find new baby blanket patterns for the past couple months.  I had a couple that almost made the cut, but I can't do it.  I can't bring myself to knit another blanket right now.  I love her, but I can't do it.  One day while viewing our Ravelry Friend's activity (my favorite thing to do on the site), I came across this pattern.  Holy Ma Moly (Gus' new favorite phrase usual followed by his new fav word, 'Dude')!  Cardigan, seed stitch, top-down, love it!  Once I get the email on the baby's sex, I'll start swatching.  In the meantime, I might give the pattern a test drive.  My newest niece is turning one this weekend.  I didn't knit her anything.  Her sister got an adorable cardigan, but Neice #2 got nothing handmade  Anyone think I can crank out an 18 month size in a week?  I've got a flight towards the end of the week that may help with the knitting.  Is it possible?

Non-knitting news, we've got a walker.  Tuck fought walking up-right forever!  He's been walking the walls since he was nine months, but screamed if we tried to get him to walk without assistance.  Saturday the ground & driveway must have annoyed him long enough, and he just started walking.  At one point, I look over and he's standing on the picnic table with a fork in his mouth, and a shit-eating grin splashed across his face.  That's Tuck for you.

L

p.s. What's up with the new LinkWintin widget?  Someone clear this up for me.  Is it automatic or do you have to find more links to input? 

p.p.s Still no camera!  I miss her so much.  Please, Nikon fix her and send her back soon!

Big Legged Mommas are Back in the Style

Oh good god, we've got cable!  I think that if I had to miss The Office or 30 Rock, I may have lost it.  No power for almost a week, I can deal.  No Jim & this city would have had a problem.

I think that everyone will eventually have to go through an extended power outage.  We just got one sooner. So how did the Great Blow of '08 prepare us for the next black out? I've put together a list of tips & tricks.

If your child's daycare is closed for 2 days, give them plenty of new toys.  Gus was trying to lure Tuck into the basket by placing a book in the bottom.  I'm not sure what he would have done if Tuck had taken the bait.  We didn't get that far because Gus decided to wrestle with him.

Always purchase the large box of wine, you never know when a freak hurricane will hit.  I don't know why it should be a box.  I think it just sounds cooler when you're sitting in the dark.

When finding a book to read during a freak hurricane, don't pick a book about climate change.  While I really enjoy this book, it's not an appropriate book to read at this time.  But who kept reading it for the first 3 days?  Yep. 

If you choose to ignore the above rule, look at the Box of Wine rule.  If not by the fourth day, you'll be in the basement building a fabulous new bunker for your family.  That's not something to do without a couple glasses of Merlot.

When your husband (and your own sanity) kicks in & forces you to chuck the Climate Change book, don't read a cookbook. You'll only be attracted to recipes that start with "Preheat the oven to 400 degrees."  Thankfully, I found the new Mason-Dixon book the day after we lost power.  Ann & Kay saved me.  I also got The Gentle Art of Domesticity from my library the day before we lost power.  It was a nice book to look at, but no power equals no pretty domestic duties.

Never ever try to knit lace by the freakish glow of a halogen bulb.  Cleite didn't see much action during my week vacation from power.  I did rip Tuck's Trellis & started a knit that doesn't require light.  A nice little EZ sweater for the holidays.  Like Kay & Ann, it saved me.

Find places that don't need power & let your kid show you the way.  Gus loves maps, especially zoo maps.  He'd pull it out & show us the places we'd been & where we needed to go.  edit to rule: Never go to the zoo if your son got 4 hours of sleep.  Eventually that map will be crumpled up & thrown in the trash by your son.  Then you'll have to deal with a melt-down in front of the tigers because "My Map" is in the trash.

When the power goes out & you have a load of wet towels in the washer & dryer, go to the laundry mat immediately! If you ignore this rule for 3 days, enjoy the sounds of your husband dry heaving.  This is another reason why I could not block Amanda.  She'll get done today!

When you have no tv & only AM radio, use your kids for entertainment.  Gus & I watched Tuck toss his pacifier out of his crib.  Gus would give it to him & tell him "Don't do it again Tuck!"  When he'd toss it again, we'd belly laughed for 15 minutes.  And when Gus' teachers asked the kids if they had lights, Gus responded "Yeah we got lights, they're just outta power."  Good times, but I'm ready for some quality tv laughs.

When cleaning the fridge, go back to the Box of Wine.  The smell & sight of dried breast-milk was not an enjoyable way to spend a Monday.  At least the Great Blow forced us to get rid of those 3 year-old salad dressings.

It's so nice to be back.  I missed the Internet.  Ava & I were trying to figure out how to tell if eggs were bad.  She says "I'd tell you to go online, but that'd be mean."  I had to tell her that I actually went into the office before I realized that it wasn't going to work.

L

p.s.  Of course, I'd try to see if the new Knitty was up from my Blackberry.  Why make myself suffer?  When all of the schools were open, I hit the library.  I'm thinking of making L'illo in pink for my newest niece.  Tatiana made me smile at the library's computer dock.  Probably will never make them, but I love 'em.

Well Thought Out Twinkles

Three words: Parent.Teacher.Conferences. Never fun to be on the parent side . . . even less fun to be on the teacher side. Two days of conferences with a week leading up to the actual event. Is it any wonder that I was making mistake after mistake at Knit Night on Tuesday? Very elementary mistakes . . . sad.

The Mars baby sweater is done, save for a button. If you look on the right side of the cardi, you can see where I forgot to decrease and tried to "fix" it. The hood is a bit wonky, but I think the hood is really for decoration, which would be why I am knitting a hat on the plane with the extra bit of yarn. All in all, it was an easy knit, but I really don't like Debbie Bliss patterns. Details are in the finished album.

See you soon, Lola! Tell Gus we'll read books Saturday morning . . . unless Batman is on; then all bets are off.

Ava

Something to Believe In

A formal proclimation first: Happy Birthday, Little Prince! Your Aunt Ava (yes, he and his sister call me that as  his father, MC,was nice enough to point out) is crap at sending out birthday pressies on time and probably always will be, but something is on its way to you very shortly. Now, on with the knitting.

Stupid writers' strike . . . not that I am blaming the writers for wanting a fair stake of media moola, but seriously I can't take much more of the crap that the networks are churning out. I fell in love with Pushing Daisies and that seems to be, well, pushing daisies for the time being. Luckily for me there was Eli Stone last night so all is right with Ava's quirky side. Jonny Lee Miller? Hello, my pretty. Victor Garber? Sit down a spell while I knit. George Michael? Just stay out of the parks and we'll be fine.

Look at Lola's needles and you will see just one thing . . . one fucking thing. Mine? Sure there are several items listed, but I lie. You could conceivably add five more to that list and you might just scratch the surface. Why do knitters do this? When you find out, let me know and then we'll do an expose for Interweave Knits (and no, I wasn't impressed with the preview). For now, I am trying to concentrate on three things: the Mars baby hoodie, the trellis and leaf shawl, and Beaner's sweater. Did I forget to mention that socks don't count? I did? Oh, socks don't count . . . they keep me sane and sanity is a good thing.

The Mars sweater is progressing nicely. I opted to use the yarn called for in the book - DB's Cashmerino Aran. Was it a splurge? Yup. Do I really, really like the mother-to-be? You betcha. Is she a knitter? Affirmative. Am I mortified by my one error? Kill me now. Apparently, I forgot to do a decrease and so I dropped the stitches down and now it looks all wonky. Hopefully she will be kind enough to overlook it or even lie and say, "Why, no, Ava, I don't see that glaring error on the front of the sweater very near the top and the button. What ever are you talking about?" While I enjoy the yarn, I remembered yesterday why I don't knit very many Debbie Bliss patterns: no schematics, confusing directions, and a lot of assumptions. I called Lola in a near panic last night about the hood. Couldn't I just increase around the hood section instead of casting off 35 stitches and then casing on 60 stitches? My theory made sense to the both of us, but in actual practice it looked like shit so I ripped back and did as Debbie said.

Lola and I always go back and forth about telling our mom about the blog. It's been really hard sometimes to keep it quiet, but so far we've been "good" about it. Our big fear isn't about our mom . . . it's about our other sister. Let's face it, when you call a person the "other sister" there is the misconception that we don't like her. Nothing could be further from the truth . . . we love and adore our sister, but she doesn't knit and sometimes our views on life conflict with hers. Everyone has a role in their family whether they want to admit it or not. Our sister was always the "nice" one . . . we're still not quite sure what ours are. Pain in the ass? Smart mouth? When our family finds out - and truly it will happen at some point - we fear our sister's wrath more than Mom's because it will be one more thing that we didn't share or include her in. Trust me, I tried to teach her to knit, but she didn't want to. So, for the record, we love, love, love the other sister and always will . . . even when she is pissed at us about the blog.

Enjoy your weekend! Watch Groundhog's Day tomorrow. Eat enough wings and drink enough beer to feed a small village on Sunday.  Oh, knit more.

Ava

PS - Um, if you didn't catch the "naughty influence fly into town" reference in Lola's last post, I'll be winging my way to C-bus on Friday. Tuck has a doctor's appointment, and I'm there to help. Besides, what are sisters for if not to influence their siblings a little bit? I hear the Malabrigo calling now. The yarn in question above? STR's Rolling Stone and Tlingit . . . apparently they love Betty's boots as much as I do. And yes, the "real" camera will be back as soon as the battery recharges. I might replace the photos as soon as that happens.

Hungry Heart

Angry edit by yours truly . . . don't ship things with the yellow and red shipping company! The Flyer said, "You know, I almost stopped you because we used to ship with them and stopped." Oh, fuckity fuck fuck! I sent this out on New Year's Eve with an estimate of it arriving on the 2nd. Well, it's the 4th and so far - no package! Whenever I look on the "track your shit" page, I get an estimated delivery date of - and this is precious - the 3rd! Apparently DHL, like Superman, has the ability to turn back time. - Ava

Dear TBA -

Well, your mama must have received the package if this post is up and running, so why not give her a good hard kick and tell her to circle the date on the calendar since I finally sent something out on time (see ironic note at the beginning). Seriously, kick her until she circles it . . . she'll thank me later. She had to have known that the bar project was for her (or you, rather since BAR are your initials), but your mama was just being nice not pushing the issue - thanks for that, Lola. It's come a long way since looking like a jaunty beret. Let's just say that the panic of you possibly coming early forced me to knit on Serenity until I thought my knuckles would break.

Before we welcome you kicking and screaming into the fold, there are a few things that you should know about your Aunt Ava and the family. First, don't call me Aunt Ava . . . just Ava will do. I've never really liked the whole "Aunt" thing and only begrudgingly dropped it with the Other Sister since it seems to bug her that Betty and Veronica never called her Aunt Other Sister.

What else do you need to know? Okay, the obvious . . . your mama and I like to knit - a lot. I know, I know, you probably already figured that out by now, but sometimes you have to tell a person over and over again that you enjoy it. She knits more than I do (let's be honest, Lola - you do), but we both take some kind of twisted pleasure searching for the best yarn for the latest project only to find another pattern beckoning from the wings. Not sure if we should be seeking medication for knitting ADD, but I'm sure that your Mimi has some left over pharmacutical helpers from the Bro's battles with ADD if it gets really bad. When you are old enough, we'll tell you the story about the week that she took some of his meds and was amazed at how fast she could clean her house.

There are other things you should know that are more mundane like books. I love them and will drop a huge chunk of change on them . . . just ask your brother. But then again, I am cheap (hence the choice of yarn for your blanket - clearanced Merino superwash for $5 a skein). You'll figure the balance out eventually. Oh, and where your mama will make all sorts of lovingly prepared healthy dinners for you and Gus, I enjoy a good hamburger on a weekly basis and try to get out of cooking at any turn. The swearing is something I try (fingers crossed behind my back) to curb when I am around Gus since he points out the bad words. That's not to say that they don't slip out; I just apologize right after I tell the driver next to me to fuck off. One last thing, and this is something your brother found out the hard way; if I come for a visit, I usually sleep with Lola in a sort of grown-up slumber party. When the girls come with me, we all bunk in the same room so be prepared for a little "girl power" now and then.

The other stuff you'll figure out along the way and that, my dear little nephew, is part of the fun. Eventually, you'll meet the girls and the Flyer. I'm sure that he'll throw a napkin at you and you'll fall in love with him the same way Gus did. Good luck with the rest of the family - we're a pretty boisterous bunch but tame by comparison to most families. I'm sure that the girls will find a pair of baby ear plugs if we get too loud, but then again, it's usually your mama and me who start it. So, welcome to the family and enjoy the crazy ride!

Love,
Ava

Pattern: Serenity by La
Yarn: Summit Hill by Kraemer Yarns (clearanced because they want to sell it in hanks - boo!) in Adventurine
Needles: Denise Needles in 7 with 9s for the bind off
Modifications: Can we just call this "fuck ups" and be done with it? I messed up the border on two sides and I had "issues" with the double decreases so I fudged it in places.

Sweet Potato

I've been a bad bad blogger.  I haven't posted in a while.  I read skim my Bloglines, & I rarely comment on other blogs.  I've become a lurker again.  I have a feeling that my current bad habit will start to fade very soon.  Since I missed the Thanksgiving posts, I thought I'd post what I've been thankful for the past 3 days.

::Washable markers::

Gus has been coloring all-day & all-night.  It's a riot to see what he's creating.  When you ask what he just finished, he'll causally say "A man sitting in a car with his dog."  Hmm?  Beautiful.  He's pretty good about keeping the art on the paper, but when he does slip, it cleans up easily.  Thank you, innovation! 

::A hobby that will keep my boys warm::

I almost forgot that I made Gus a Wallaby this year.  It still hasn't been blocked, which also means that it remains nice & scratchy.  He didn't seem to mind.  I still haven't figured out why he was playing with tongs.  What I have figured out is that it's easier to stop trying to "figure" out a 2.5 year old.

I'm slogging away on TBA's blanket.  I have about 1.5 blocked rows until I can scratch it off my list.  I'm constantly picking this thing up because it needs to be done prior to his arrival.  I'd love to add a border, but we'll see when I BO the last stitch.  If I'm in the middle of a contraction, this will be a borderless blanket.

I also started the Beer Mitts from the latest Stitch n' Bitch book.  I had SK flip through the book & see if anything appealed to him.  He's such a picky dresser that I felt confident he wouldn't find a sweater.  I knew he'd be attracted to the fingerless mitts & the dead teddy bear.  Since he's in his 30s, we went with the Beer Mitts.  I'm using Cascade 220 & my Knitpick Options.  This project has renewed my love of Cascade 220.  The color & quality of this stand-by is fantastic.

::A good muffin recipe::
I haven't had any cravings with this pregnancy.  Zip.  There's nothing that I must eat, but I do love baking muffins.  Maybe it's just the ease of grabbing one before I hit the road.  I'm not sure, but I've tried several healthy recipes.  I have a really good one from Cooking Light, but now I've found a clear winner.  Recently, I picked up Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.  We don't have an issue with Gus & vegetables.  We have more of a "I-Don't-Need-3-Meals-a-Day" issue.  But if you can squeeze more vegetables into meals & desserts, why wouldn't you?  We've made a couple of the dishes & tonight is the meat-loaf & mashed potatoes.  Both have an enormous about of carrots & cauliflower purees mixed in.  But I really bought the books for the breakfast & dessert options.  Yesterday, I made the Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins.  God gawd, people!  If you love peanut butter, make these muffins!  It's just a plus that they're made with whole wheat flour & carrots.  SK didn't enjoy them as much as I do, but it had nothing to do with the added vegetable.  He just didn't like how much they taste like peanut butter.  More for me, honey.

So that's my "Thankful" list for the past 3 days.  I've also got to say a huge "THANK YOU" to Ava for coming home.  I'll be back & ready with a nice knit-worthy post.  I've got a hotel trip this week.  Translation: Lots of knitting time.  I've also got a trip to Ikea scheduled.  Translation: Stuff to store my knitting notions.  Oh & meatballs!

Bad knit blogger,

Lola

Voodoo Child

Finally, a finished object that I can be somewhat happy with . . . and it isn't even for me! A co-worker of mine was due on October 2nd with her first baby and she finished out the week looking every bit as cute and pregnant as ever. Lola, honestly, she is in the running for the cutest looking pregnancy ever (I think you'll still win since you're my sister). Anyway, here is the sweater knit for her soon-to-be-born son. Hopefully he can wear it in March and be nice and warm. Specs are in the finished album.

While knitting the neckband, I thought there might be some errata for the pattern because it just didn't make sense to me so I looked it up. Nothing. When I told the Flyer what I was doing, he says (with only a slight German/Dr. Strangelove accent), "Don't you know that Cat Bordhi doesn't make mistakes. You infidel! Very soon a mailer will arrive on the doorstep demanding that you mail the book back and you'll never knit a pair of socks from it." Two things become quite apparent (well, three): I was quite obsessive over "the book" and I finally got it in the mail. The third one? He wasn't listening when I said Debbie Bliss . . . and there wasn't any errata on the pattern, just a craptacular knitter without her morning Starbucks.

The book. What can I say other than "Wow!" If I say more, I might die of fright. Some of the patterns will take some getting used to, but I think that I am going to dive head into it. Then again, with five babies due before March 25, I might as well make a "learning sock" or two. Some of the patterns are a bit too twee for me, and while I love different styles, some seem different for the sake of being different. I was planning on using the Tofutsies to make a pair of Sarah's Synesthesia socks (three times fast now), but I might give in and try a coriolis architecture socks. What to do, what to do.

Ariann, sadly, had been relegated to the back burner, not because she isn't lovely and beautiful and giving and just utterly wonderful but because I need to get Baby J's sweater finished. Now that it is done, I am hoping to pick up our gal Ariann and knit on her. The color is divine (a real cherry red for my inner diva) and I am actually liking Cascade 220. Who knew? No comments from you on this one, Trish, because I know damn well where to get more.

So, what do you do when you pick up the phone at 6:30 PM and hear your father telling you that he is about 120 miles away from your house on his way to Boston to pick up the Bro who quit his job (remember, he's getting married soon, ladies and gentlemen . . . okay, Steve and Mike)? Do you say, "Be careful driving through Wilkes Barre," and go back to your knitting? Or do you say, "Don't be silly getting a hotel room. I don't get to see you that often because you live in Ohio. Come stay with us," and then in a panic throw all sorts of crap onto the dining room table and run out to the grocery store to buy his favorite ice cream and snacks (the kind Mom forbids in their house) and have the girls clean like lunatics. Yup, we opted for the second choice and spent a lovely two and a half hours with Daddy. Nothing controversial was brought up, Lola, so that was a relief. I scrubbed the computer of all mention of the blog (parents still in the dark) for nothing as the visit was too brief. After a quick stop at Starbucks, Daddy was on his way to Boston to extract the Bro (and hopefully talk some sense into his thick skull about the wedding date).

Off to knit some socks and still looking for normalcy . . . something tells me this is it. I can deal.

Ava

PS - we saw this advertised on the telly yesterday and the Flyer has now affectionately dubbed it "cooch mousse." Surprisingly, it is packaged similarly to Rogaine.