Soccer and Sweaters

Soccer games started today. Both boys played on fields near each other, which is good, as their games were only 1.5 hours apart.

The Wiz is happy, because they won, and he scored a goal. Game Boy isn't so happy, because he didn't win, but he had a good time anyway (we're playing him up a league). They are both happy, because we ate at Papaleno's. The Collar is happy, because he didn't have to go to work today (and because we ate at Papaleno's). No pictures because when I coach, it's not easy to take them.

So, that is the soccer part. Now for the sweater part.I started knitting the Hexacomb Sweater from Spring 08 IK, in yellow. I haven't gotten too far yet, but I do like so far. It will be a nice little sweater to wear over my sleeveless dresses. I need to knit something that requires half a brain, rather than something that doesn't seem to need any of my brain (aka the arm tubes).

The boys are on spring break next week, and we will be busy with many and varied things. Consider this a warning that I might not be around.

Oh, and I am beginning to finally get over this cold. I must get over it before April 11, when I will be flying. Congestion and flying do not mix, unlike gin and tonic.

Unsupervised

Yesterday afternoon, the boys played downstairs (except when they were shooting nerf darts at each other). They weren't too quiet, so we didn't worry too much.

Later, after soccer practices and dinner, I went downstairs, and this is what I saw:They built a roller coaster from paper and tape. (Please ignore the mess/clutter. It is the playroom after all.) I asked about it, and they are quite proud of it. It works!

Now you know why they aren't allowed power tools and chemistry sets.

Below is a picture of the cycling armwarmer. I like the bright colors. It's more of the soft Knit Picks Felici yarn. I need to go rest again. This is a really, really bad cold.

Breathe in, Breathe out

Lent is over.

Holy Week is over.

Easter (the day) is over. Easter the season won't be over for 48 more days, but it's not the intensity of Holy Week/Easter Day.

Anyway, I/we have been busy. We colored eggs:


The Wiz will eat hard boiled eggs. Game Boy will not. I'm eating them for breakfast. Do you know how important eggs are to me? Being a celiac/severely allergic type, eggs in their many forms are a huge staple of my diet.

Easter was pretty much low-key. The Collar's parents did not come down, as his father wasn't feeling well. It's probably better, because I came down with a nasty cold. I just got over one from my spring break!

Last Thursday, I started a new pair of socks, for the Wiz. I finished them yesterday. They are 48 stitches, mostly in stockinette. I just couldn't do more ribbing for a while. They are Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn in Elderberry. I knit them on size 1 needles and did a short row heel. The Wiz likes them. They were fast. Right now, I am apparently only knitting one thing at a time.

My next carry around project is arm warmers to wear when I'm cycling and it's chilly. They are going to be striped. I'll also be casting on for a short cardigan to wear over my sleeveless dresses (in yellow!), but first I need to get the right size circular needle.

Now, to check my school email, eat lunch and take a nap. I told you it was a nasty cold.

Surprise!

A finished pair of socks:
The face to go with the socks:

Yes, it's Game Boy, NOT the Wiz. (I was really surprised that he picked this yarn, too.)

The Details:

2 balls of Knit Picks Felici Yarn in Hummingbird
Size 1 (US) needles

Cast on 64 stitches. Knit in the round in 2X2 rib for about 6 inches. Knit a heel flap type heel.
Knit plain for 6.5 inches. Standard web toe. My generic "male" sock pattern, such as it is. I started these on the 6th of March, so it took me 13 days.

I like this yarn. It's really soft and the different width stripes make knitting with seem faster, because it's obvious that you are progressing.

Now the Wiz needs another pair of socks. Or so he says.

Signs They Are Growing

The Wiz brought home 2 Captain Underpants books home today from the book fair. Yes, we have hit the armpit fart and Captain Underpants stage, yet again. I'm so pleased.


Game Boy* is wearing my shin guards and my cleats to soccer today. They fit perfectly. I have informed him, that any socks I knit him for the next two years must be socks that I'll wear too, since he's going to be passing them to me after he out grows them. (I'll be getting hand me downs from my son. Weird.)


*(He's ten, if you don't remember.)

Breakfast Conversation with The Wiz

The Wiz always talks. Always. He talks as soon as he wakes up in the morning and stops some time after he falls asleep. This morning, he and I were eating breakfast at the same time. (On Sundays, we eat as we are awake and hungry, as long as it's taken care of by the time we need to leave for church. All other mornings it's pretty much together.)

The Wiz pipes up that "Did you know that the only difference between girl skeletons and boy skeletons is their hip bones?!?!"

Well, yes, I did know that. I do teach biology, and even though I'm a botanist/ecologist/environmental type biologist, I have taught the skeletal system before. But how did he know? I asked him.

"My music teacher told me."

Um, why?

"Because we went to music class, but the teacher had play practice in the music room, so we went to the library." (????? There was more about why they had music class in the library, but frankly, it made no sense and I tuned out. In my defense, I hadn't had more than a 1/2 cup of coffee yet.)

"Then we had music but the teacher told us about skeletons."

He seemed to believe that this explanation made perfect sense (music teacher, skeletons, music class in the library) and decided to read the comics out loud to me. The one he found funniest was Blondie. I think because he could read all of the words. It wasn't very funny.

Spring?

Today is much different from Saturday. Look! Grass! (And my favorite orange shoes and my broadripple socks.)I've been on spring break. So far, I have written a quiz, gone running, took a coaching clinic, went with The Collar to get our taxes done, gone for a bike ride (today--14.2 miles with a nasty headwind all the way home), and worked on the socks. I haven't done as much knitting as I expected to do, because I have been really busy. I haven't even been my alter ego on Guild Wars.

Further evidence that spring will come is all of the plants growing. If the weather holds, I'm going to ride my bike tomorrow, too. Even if I have a nasty headwind on the way home.

I'm ready for spring now.

It's March. Time for spring! Enough of this white stuff, already! However, maybe this means we won't have a late freeze like last year.

(I'm on spring break now. Really.)

Cast On

I have two works in progress right now. The Domovoi Shawl (I guess it counts--I haven't frogged it yet!) and the dishcloth cotton miter square baby blanket are the only two at the moment. No socks. That's terrible!

Thus, I have cast on for another pair. Here is a picture:The colors are reasonably close to the actual color. I love knitting socks with self-striping yarn, because you can tell easily that you are making progress. This yarn is KnitPicks Felici in Hummingbird, and it is so soft. I knit my FIL a pair of socks out of the same yarn, but in Pebble.

Guesses on whose feet these will be?

Socks!

I finished a pair for me!

Started: February 20, 2008
Finished: March 6, 2008 (all of 15 days)
Pattern: Dublin Bay by Ryan Morrissey
Yarn: 2 skeins of Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn, Handpaint in Ragtime colorway
Needles: size 1 dpns (I used five), but I probably should have used size 0s. I guess I'll need some.

These were fun to knit. It's a really easy pattern, and the lace panel is simple enough that it doesn't compete with the variegation in the yarn. They are a bit too big, though. I went down to 64 stitches for the foot, so the foot's fine, but apparently I knit loosely. The leg is kind of baggy. I only got 8 stitches to the inch rather than 9.5, and I didn't check gauge, so it's my own darn fault. I'd rather have baggy than to tight, any day!They are happily drying upstairs on my handy dandy blocking rack/dog crate as we speak. I won't get to wear them tomorrow, but they'll be ready soon.

In like a lion

Today was a pretty good day. Once the whining was done (The Wiz, Game Boy and The Collar), there was time to go out and play. Game Boy went off to a friend's house, and The Wiz did this:Game Boy used the scooter to gain confidence and balance before he began to take off on his bike, so we're hoping it will work the same way with the Wiz. (He's got really skinny little arms and legs, doesn't he?)

The Collar and I ran in the same room this morning, ran errands (grocery shopping together sans children is actually not too bad), and had lunch together. Then we came home and I paid bills. Yuck, but I always feel better when it's done. (We paid one off, too.)

My current knitting is getting close to complete. Here they are, in twilight glory:I have finished the foot of one, and about half of the foot of the other. They are going to be loose on the leg, though, because I probably should have knitted these on 0s, not 1s. They'll be okay.
I'd rather have slouchy socks than tight ones, any day. I do like the yarn for these. The question is, will I be wearing them soon, or will they wait until fall?