The Lab

So, this house was built in 1935. We have lots of windows and the sorts of things that were important in that time, including a canning kitchen. Next year I might even be able to use it for that purpose.

However, it's much more fun to call it what the Wiz has dubbed it: The Lab. He says we'll practice recipes down in it instead of up in the real kitchen. It's a good place for them to make regular cookies, because I can be away from the flour, if anyone in this house ever makes regular cookies again. It's also good for so many other things, too. Like sewing and making things with the boys. It's a pretty open room, made for messes, and clean up is easy since there is a sink in it. However, the lighting stinks. I need to find a way to add more lamps to the track.

That's enough talking. You want to see the pictures, I'm sure!

Presto!

Before: Picture courtesy of the Wiz.

After:Picture courtesy of the Collar. (Who said: "I actually took a good picture of you!")

Knit Happens

...while I am monitoring my classes.

Currently, I have 4 active projects. One is a bath mat for the basement bathroom (no pictures, it's slow going because it hurts my hands to work on it too much), one's a pair of socks that lives in my purse, one is the Spey Valley Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. I'm working on the leg now--the cuffs of both socks are now finished. This is the same dye lot but so far the socks don't even look related. Maybe soon they will.
I'm knitting them in yarn that my mother gave me because someone gave it to her, but she doesn't knit socks or things that require small needles. These are really small needles, too. I'm knitting these socks on size 0 needles, or 2 mm for non-Americans. They are basically just ribbed socks, but the vikkel braid was fun.

I wanted to start something that 1.) needed larger needles and 2.) was more complex than various types of ribbing or plain old garter stitch. So I started this: a Christmas stocking with fair isle or stranded knitting. It's my favorite technique. I've finally gotten to the fun part, too. :) I love what is on this one, too. You'll see when I've knitted it.

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I rode my bike this morning. This time, I made the whole trip, with NO flats. New tires and tube apparently fixed the issue. I was kind of slow (12-14 mph) out by the wheat fields (wheezed a bit) and was fast (17-20 mph) before and after the wheat fields. Maybe it's a wheat allergy--it's happened every time I have gone out. What I really need is to find a route that's not near wheat fields. That's highly unlikely.

Lazy Sunday?

Not usually.
Yesterday, we went to Mill Creek to hike again. A different weather pattern has come through (we had rain off and on all day). We went out any way.Some of us decided to chase the ducks. (They knew she had no chance to catch them.)
All of us walked. We saw all sorts of signs that summer is still sort of here, but fall's coming too. There are still blackberries ripening. The Wiz approves. I'm not sure how many more afternoons we'll be able to go out and do this, but we're going to enjoy it while we can.

The Wiz's Room

Yesterday, we cleaned his room. This is as good as it gets, so I'll show it to you now.Wanna see? Of course you do!There are still five rooms left: Game Boy's room, which will never be clean; our bedroom; the living room; the family room; and the lab, aka the canning kitchen. There are also 2 bathrooms and the hall/nexus upstairs, of which I have pictures, but haven't posted.