I had two whole hours today to knit--in public--at work! We had a company-wide meeting, which for those of us in a satellite office means huddling together in a conference room around a computer screen and a telephone, watching Powerpoint slides on the computer and listening to one disembodied voice after another give us the latest status on the company. I knew I'd fall asleep if I had to sit still for two hours like that, so I brought in my knitting. What a wonderful thing--I was able to listen (and pay attention!) to all the details of the meeting, all while feeling utterly decadent and completely useful while knitting. Hurrah me!
My latest project is inspired by Lene, who knit the cutest French Market Bags I've ever seen (here and here). Gorgeous!
I don't have pictures of mine yet -- at this point, it's just a blob of orange stockinette. (Besides, it was gutsy enough to knit in the conference room today. If I'd been taking pictures at the same time, who knows...?). I'm using Cascade 220, which I understand felts beautifully. I'd like to embroider something on it the way that Lene has, but I haven't decided what my motif will be. Birds? Leaves? Sunflowers? Happy faces? (okay, I can safely say it WON'T be happy faces!)
It just feels so good to be knitting again--even though I have to crank the air conditioning to even consider having wool in my lap...
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Friday, or Fryday?
Actually, I think it's going to be a fry-weekend. Tim has had a serious hankering for serious chicken wings since moving away from upstate NY, so he's bought a Wing-It, a dedicated chicken-wing deep-fat fryer. He's just tickled pink about it (especially since he got the world's greatest deal on it--brand-new at half the price!). I am struggling a little to share his enthusiasm, though--having always been squeamish about meat on bones, the idea of chicken wings doesn't exactly make me drool. (There is no bonier meat than chicken wings, except perhaps ribs.)
Hmmm. It'll be a real joy to see his face light up when he makes his first batch of wings. I've promised I'll try them...once.
Onto a knitting topic--I am a knitter in search of a summer project. I still have Tim's sweater on the needles, but it's hard to get enthusiastic about a lapful of wool in the summer time. So I'm thinking I should do a scarf, or a bag, or something else smaller and lighter. But what?
I'm at such a loss! Usually I have a backlog of projects I want to do, but I'm directionless. I think it's perhaps there are too many choices for me out there. This world of blogging is a delight, but I see so many beautiful things that others have made, that I want to make them all! But as soon as I think I'll make this scarf or that shawl or this pair of mittens, I see yet another pattern that looks delicious too.
Or, I could just read blogs and never get started on anything....
Hmmm. It'll be a real joy to see his face light up when he makes his first batch of wings. I've promised I'll try them...once.
Onto a knitting topic--I am a knitter in search of a summer project. I still have Tim's sweater on the needles, but it's hard to get enthusiastic about a lapful of wool in the summer time. So I'm thinking I should do a scarf, or a bag, or something else smaller and lighter. But what?
I'm at such a loss! Usually I have a backlog of projects I want to do, but I'm directionless. I think it's perhaps there are too many choices for me out there. This world of blogging is a delight, but I see so many beautiful things that others have made, that I want to make them all! But as soon as I think I'll make this scarf or that shawl or this pair of mittens, I see yet another pattern that looks delicious too.
Or, I could just read blogs and never get started on anything....
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
New things to look forward to
We had a quick trip out to NY week before last to start getting things ready for our move. We took Aidan to his new school, where he passed his kindergarten screening test with flying colors (scored a 94%!) and was thrilled with the books they gave him to read over the summer. We took Douglas to his new daycare, which is a wonderful cheery place run by a warm and creative woman named Chris whom I'm looking forward to getting to know better.
We also had a major turn of events that seemed quite threatening at first, but turned out to be delightful. We were planning to live in the house Tim had had before he moved to Boston, but for it to work with all of us, we needed to add on more living space and a workshop for Tim's business. We had everything lined up, and the excavators were scheduled to come in two weeks. Then we found out that the zoning laws had changed in such a way that made our plans unworkable.
Talk about a pit-of-the-stomach feeling! The central part of our whole plan was living in that house, and it wasn't going to work.
So, on impulse Tim stopped by a realtor's office and picked up a few flyers on local houses for sale. We'd never talked about getting a different house before, but he thought it might be worth exploring.
There were just a handful of houses in our price range with enough space for all of us. There was just one that also had a workshop already built out back. What was the likelihood that it would work out? Practically none.
We saw it, we loved it, we're going to buy it!
It is simply amazing how much farther housing dollars will go outside of the Boston area. The house we're buying has literally three times the space of our suburban Boston house--at less than half the cost. Amazing!
There is a catch (there is always a catch). The house was last decorated sometime in the late 1960s. Acres of green shag carpeting. Outdated floral wallpaper in all of the bedrooms. A very piney office. There will be a lot of redecorating to be done!
But the fact that the house hasn't been renovated recently means that there are a lot of original features (and interesting vintage ones as well) in this circa 1876 house. Leaded glass windows. A quirky 1940s-era shower. A built-in china cabinet in the dining room. It even has a late 1940s-vintage stove, the same era as the one I already have. (Mine is a gas stove, which my grandmother bought new in the late 1940s and which I shipped from Los Angeles to Boston even before I'd bought my first house!). Even with its dated interior, the house is warm and welcoming, a real family home.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be grand!
We also had a major turn of events that seemed quite threatening at first, but turned out to be delightful. We were planning to live in the house Tim had had before he moved to Boston, but for it to work with all of us, we needed to add on more living space and a workshop for Tim's business. We had everything lined up, and the excavators were scheduled to come in two weeks. Then we found out that the zoning laws had changed in such a way that made our plans unworkable.
Talk about a pit-of-the-stomach feeling! The central part of our whole plan was living in that house, and it wasn't going to work.
So, on impulse Tim stopped by a realtor's office and picked up a few flyers on local houses for sale. We'd never talked about getting a different house before, but he thought it might be worth exploring.
There were just a handful of houses in our price range with enough space for all of us. There was just one that also had a workshop already built out back. What was the likelihood that it would work out? Practically none.
We saw it, we loved it, we're going to buy it!
It is simply amazing how much farther housing dollars will go outside of the Boston area. The house we're buying has literally three times the space of our suburban Boston house--at less than half the cost. Amazing!
There is a catch (there is always a catch). The house was last decorated sometime in the late 1960s. Acres of green shag carpeting. Outdated floral wallpaper in all of the bedrooms. A very piney office. There will be a lot of redecorating to be done!
But the fact that the house hasn't been renovated recently means that there are a lot of original features (and interesting vintage ones as well) in this circa 1876 house. Leaded glass windows. A quirky 1940s-era shower. A built-in china cabinet in the dining room. It even has a late 1940s-vintage stove, the same era as the one I already have. (Mine is a gas stove, which my grandmother bought new in the late 1940s and which I shipped from Los Angeles to Boston even before I'd bought my first house!). Even with its dated interior, the house is warm and welcoming, a real family home.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be grand!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Please buy my house!
I'm not the most patient of creatures. It may take me ages to make a decision, but once I do, I want everything to fall into place right away.
Okay, so our house has been on the market for all of 11 days, but why hasn't it sold yet? It's adorable! It has a great location! It has a view of a pond! It has a fabulous garden! It has a great location for commuters to Boston or to the western suburbs! It's priced right! So what's the deal???
I know, I know, I must be patient. The right buyer is out there, somewhere.
Okay, so our house has been on the market for all of 11 days, but why hasn't it sold yet? It's adorable! It has a great location! It has a view of a pond! It has a fabulous garden! It has a great location for commuters to Boston or to the western suburbs! It's priced right! So what's the deal???
I know, I know, I must be patient. The right buyer is out there, somewhere.
Friday, June 01, 2007
I need knitting time
I'm certainly not the first person to note how therapeutic knitting can be. It's a form of meditation. I'm convinced it brings down my blood pressure. I know it feeds my soul.
These are good times for my family. We're about to embark upon a new venture, picking up stakes and moving west (okay, to the Finger Lakes, but it IS west of here!). I've had official approval from the folks at work about my plans to telecommute (I knew it would be approved but official word just came down today). My days as a diaper-changer are coming to an end as Douglas is finally recognizing that the potty isn't just a substantial white chair in the bathroom. And Tim and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary this weekend. There's a lot to be happy about.
But there is so much to do! Get the house sold! Get everything packed! Make arrangements for new schools and new daycares! Figure out how we get three cars to NY with only two drivers! My head is spinning....
These are good times for my family. We're about to embark upon a new venture, picking up stakes and moving west (okay, to the Finger Lakes, but it IS west of here!). I've had official approval from the folks at work about my plans to telecommute (I knew it would be approved but official word just came down today). My days as a diaper-changer are coming to an end as Douglas is finally recognizing that the potty isn't just a substantial white chair in the bathroom. And Tim and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary this weekend. There's a lot to be happy about.
But there is so much to do! Get the house sold! Get everything packed! Make arrangements for new schools and new daycares! Figure out how we get three cars to NY with only two drivers! My head is spinning....
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