Now what?

Okay, I'll start by saying how psyched I am that the Sox won the World Series. I'm even more psyched that I was living in Boston when they did it (and now, as one of my friends said, this will help me find closure -- the Sox won, so I can now move in peace). But suddenly, now that it's all over, I feel so lost. The post-season was a blissful time of baseball and knitting for me. I finished all kinds of projects. And now that it's over, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to spend my evenings fretting about our upcoming move. During the World Series, however, I did manage to knit my Bogey Jacket (Bogey got a haircut yesterday, so he'll be wearing it a lot now -- pictures coming soon), a soft and fuzzy scarf for me, and a couple of dish scrubbies. I also started a totally random funky scarf that I'm making out of mini-skeins that I got out of the free bin at my LYS (man, I'm gonna miss that place!).

But now it's over...and I'm back to the grind. And I never did get to make myself a pair of red sox.

Knitting haze

It's been a knitalicious weekend so far. On Friday night, Paul had to go to a meeting, so I sat in front of the TV and dove back into my Bogey Jacket. I got so caught up in my knitting haze (and Friends reruns) that I suddenly pulled myself out and realized that it was 8:30 -- and I was supposed to get the laundry out of the laundry room downstairs an hour before. Oops. But I finished the jacket. It just needs the buttons, which I'll wait to sew on until after I have a fitting with its furry owner.

Yesterday, I decided to dive into my pile of UFOs that had been sitting on my knitting basket (some had been there for months). I just hate sewing the ends in, for some reason. I realize it's not a difficult task, so I don't know why I hate it so much, but I do. So I had a huge pile of stuff that I hadn't finished. And while I was waiting for the Red Sox game to start last night, I finished five dishcloths and four scarves. Then I made a couple of dish scrubbies for Mom (out of strips of tulle that Mom took from the seamstresses at the bridal shop) and started another miscellaneous scarf. There's another game on tonight, so I should be able to finish that scarf in no time.

Mom called this morning to tell me that she wore the mini shawl/scarf that I'd made for her out of Plymouth Electra (I didn't take a picture, darnit) to church this morning, and she was the talk of the congregation. She was so excited about her new scarf (which she wore with her new black dress) that I may have to get her another color of Electra to make another one.

My greatest wish right now: I wish I knew how to knit socks -- because I'd make myself some Red Sox. :)

Yea Red Sox!

With the Red Sox's trouncing of the Yanks on Wednesday night, they not only made living in Boston wicked cool for the last month of my living here, but they also provided me with several more days of extended TV time. Sure, I'm excited about the games. I'm pretty psyched to watch the World Series. But I'm also pretty excited about the extra knitting time it'll give me.

Last night, during my non-baseball TV time, I continued to work on my counting-required Christmas project (though I'm still not sure if I got all the counting right), and it's almost finished. Then I continued to work on my Bogey sweater. Give me a good Red Sox game (tomorrow night!), and I'll have it finished. Then I think I may need to devote some time to finishing the stack of projects that's been collecting on my knitting basket.

Go Sox!

It's all ours...

Home Sweet Home 

Yep -- it's our house. OURS. Everything is signed and agreed-upon, and all we need to do is close next month.

In knitting news, I've almost finished the mystery project, but it's been especially hard to do the final counting stuff while watching the Red Sox, so I set it aside for now. Instead, I'm designing a doggie jacket for my friend's poodle, Bogey. Bogey loves his sweaters, and Amy wants to make more for him -- so I used one of his fleecy jackets to create the pattern. I'm doing the first one to try it out, but it's such an easy pattern that Amy, a beginner, will be able to do on her own. In no time, Bogey will need a closet of his own...

What kind of knitter are you?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.
http://marniemaclean.com


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Split-levels and bi-levels and two-stories, oh my!

This week has been one gigantic blur of houses. I get up in the morning, drive Paul to work, do a little work of my own, and then I head out with Gale, our real estate agent. I've wandered through so many houses in the last week that they all start to look alike. In fact, I got home yesterday and proceeded to upload my pictures from the digital camera, and by that time, I had already forgotten which master bedroom went with which house. Then last night I picked Paul up from work and we rushed right out to meet with Gale again (the poor woman must be so sick of me by now), so I could show Paul the Top Four. Currently, the list is down to two, but it's going to be insanely difficult to get it down to one. We may have to buy two houses.

Here's the breakdown:

House #1 is a bi-level with three bedrooms and (drum roll, please) two and a half baths. It's totally been redone, complete with gorgeous neutral paint and carpet throughout and things like marble sinks and granite counters and fabulous brushed nickel fixtures (fixtures that I would never, ever be allowed to buy on my own) everywhere. The problems? There are a few strange things about it. It's got a small kitchen, and the fridge (which isn't currently included) goes in a strange place. The bedrooms are a bit small, and there isn't a ton of storage space (though a few shelves in the garage and a storage shed out back will help with that).

House #2 is a two-story with three bedrooms and, much to my dismay, only a bath and a half (which is a pain for a) guests and b) the simple convenience of being able to get ready at the same time instead of, for instance, me having to wait until he's off to work before I can take a shower and get ready to start my own work day). (Do any of you know a plumber in Ohio who's willing to work for nothing more than the satisfaction of making me really happy?) It's got a finished basement that adds living space (though that means more living space to clean) and storage. But the place needs some work. There are walls that need to be repainted and things that need to be fixed. And the kitchen just doesn't make me excited to cook -- it's got ugly tile that definitely doesn't fit in my desired color palette. And the space that was once a formal dining room has been turned into a play area for the owner's day care. While that will make a good office for me, it's just...awkward. And #2 is asking $11,000 more than #1.

Unfortunately, in the millions of houses that I've looked at, I haven't been able to find The Perfect House -- one that's pretty and spacious and doesn't *need* a lot of work and has two showers. So now we've got to decide what we want to sacrifice.

We haven't spent a lot of time in our room this week -- by the time we got back from dinner last night, it was 10. But I've still managed to cheer the Sox on to defeat while working on a new knitted project that I can't talk about because then it wouldn't be a surprise for someone who's most likely reading this...

This week's FOs

Instant gratification makes me smile... 

Paul left for a conference in Chicago on Saturday morning. When I picked him up from the airport on Wednesday night, I was wearing my new poncho.

"Nice," he said. "Where'd you get it?"

"I made it while you were gone," I told him.

I LOVE this poncho! It's so soft and warm and cozy -- and it was super fast to knit. Really. I didn't spend all that much time on it, and I LOVE how it turned out. I know I'll be wearing it all the time.

So last night I knit up a hat to go with it (out of Weekend Cotton, on 17s) while we were all watching The Apprentice. Talk about instant gratification! I love both pieces -- I'm sure they'll get tons of wear.

Busy week...

Mom and Dad just left, headed south to Newport, Rhode Island. We had a crazy week, all three of us taking advantage of our last New England fall. On Sunday, we went to the Yankee Candle flagship store. On Monday and Tuesday, we took a trip through New Hampshire and Maine to check out the colors (and I took a side trip to Patternworks, where I bought a skein of yarn solely because I liked the colors, and I'd like to use them in our new kitchen). On Tuesday, we checked out Sturbridge and a local craft outlet. And yesterday we hit the mall (and A.C. Moore). We spent a lot of time in the car, eating potato chips and candy and drinking lots of coffee, and we had a blast. And boy, am I tired!


A good ol' New England fall day... 

Caught in craziness

Well, it's official. We're moving to Columbus. Paul's company says we'll be there by the first of December -- if not sooner. Paul left this morning for a big trade show, and he'll be gone until Wednesday night. Mom and Dad are three hours away -- they're coming to keep me company and chill me out -- and they'll be here until Friday morning. And next Saturday morning, we fly back out to Columbus to look for a place to live. Until then, I have to work, entertain my parents, and shop online for houses.

I've got a present all ready for Mom. The mini shawl that I started for her when I was at the cottage last month is finished -- and it's wrapped up and waiting by the door. I hope she likes it. I think it'll look great with her wide variety of black sweaters and dresses.