And Yes, It Hurts To Type Too, Darn.

So I seem to have knit a bit too much in the last few months and given myself some tendonitis in my wrist, boo. But I am (finally) just finishing up this wee knit for the newest baby in the family... I'll divulge a bit more once its in the mail, though really I'm not leaving much to the imagination here...

In Praise of Deadlines

You will never guess what I finally finished!

It only took me a mere 18 months!

The jury is still out on whether or not it fits The Hubsand, as I had only 15 minutes to spare in getting it to the County Fair committee today, and The Hub was running around getting his photo submission ready as well. So you may notice that the model is distinctly not he. I may also have stayed up until 3 am last night figuring out how to graft and seam the crazy patterns on this thing, but really don't want to admit that in public.

Hey ever wonder what the inside of a cabled sweater looks like?

Kind of a keerapy mirror image of the outside, huh? And notice all those loose ends? With approx 15 balls of yarn in this thing there were approximately 30 of those suckers to weave in on the inside!

Ever wonder what suziehulahoop looks like after a knitting marathon, no shower and little sustenance, while modeling a wooly sweater in 92 degree heat?

Alrighty, time to head back to Knitpicks and get the supplies for the next project!

Damn Gnomes

Yes I finally found my card-plug-in-reader dohickey! I swear I looked there a million times, so the gnomes must have tired of messin' with my mind and finally returned it to my dresser.

But alas, now I'm looking at the pictures and they are sadly out of date:


Sunny the Sunflower here has grown at least another 10 inches! Yay! He still has that odd hitch in his giddyup there, but is actually budding for what might be a real live flower! Go Sunny!


And the Hubsand's handknit sweater sleeves have actually grown from this size by a significant number of inches as well. Go Suzie! (They also might have an odd hitch in their giddyup too, but I'll just ignore that for now and blithely knit on...)

And speaking of giddying up...


...despite the fact that my precious wee one here has a distended bowel that is pressing on his bladder, decreasing his bladder capacity to half its normal size, and now has to be on laxatives for the next four months, he's been displaying his normal aptitude for new sporting events.

Knitting Emergency!

I enjoyed knitting Tank's socks so much that I decided I should have another pair on hand for all my fidgeting needs. So I cast on for the ever popular Jaywalker socks. Scroll down that page for a wee photo of a finished pair, or alternately, here is my no-where-near-finished pair...




So far they have been the perfect combination of bright spring colors (I'm not sure the lovely blues and minty greens are showing up very true, alas) and easy but not boring knitting.

And then I took them along on last Friday's Girls Climbing Day. A fellow climbing gal asked if I was making legwarmers, an actual useful item to have along for spring climbing and its weather fluctuations. So now I'm stumped, do I go ahead with the socks, that, at most, will get worn once every two weeks (hey, we have a LOT of laundry to get through!) or do I bite the 80's bullet and knit some springy legwarmers that practically never need a laundry break? I'm partially nervous about the legwarmers, due to the sheer monotony of two long tubes, and the pattern winging part to fit them over my below pictured (and slightly furry) athletic calves...


Any input from the peanut gallery? Eeek, I'm getting fidgety!

poll by twiigs.com

Piggies and Their Blankets

Hmmm, still working getting video up (edited: video is up!) on that last post. But in the mean time...

TODDLERSOCKS!


I swear this is not a wee torture device, just a sock in progress. Immediately following this photo/sizing test, the torturee himself grabbed one knitting needle, pulled (much to my dismay!), and dropped the stitches off! Eeeek! but fortunately I managed to get it back together and here's the finished pair!



Knitting is fun. Knitting toddlersocks is (are?) fun, fast, and satisfying!

Moving On...

I am trying to move past the drama and angst here at casa hulahoop. So I have done a wee bit of knitting. So wee in fact that it won't fit its intended recipient, Tank Boy. Good thing I know of a few babies comin' round the bend nearby. Perhaps it can warm a baby noggin for a month or two...



And yes, it is rather similar to a previous project. I can't imagine any scenario where the two recipients would ever meet however, so I think its okay.

Devolution

I love the holidays so much. I love the industriousness of it all, starting with Halloween and the home sewn costumes, building through the Thanksgiving domestic rush, and the grand crescendo of Christmas gift crafting, wrapping, and sending.







And then after the flurry comes the slide into New Years, accompanied by excessive alcohol, hangovers, and sluglike behavior. Must. Fight. Off. Post. Holiday. Blues.

(And get back to being industrious, as I have yet to mail out ANY long distance Christmas presents!)

Right This Very Minute

It is too bad that the Huzbunkle doesn't want a sweater vest for christmas, 'cause then I might make it on time...

But since he wants a whole actual sweater, those pesky sleeves might put me closer to his February birthday than Christmas morn... But I do have to say that it is begining to look a lot like a sweater these days, a nubbly, cabled, and complex sweater! Yay!

As for our train ride last week, Tank Boy and I had a fabulous time! We made the 6:20 am bus (a small miracle, if you know my preferred sleeping habits!) and then made all three subsequent transfers from bus to train to bus to train! We ended up in my old hometown of Truckee, where a friend picked us up and fixed us dinner while we waited for the Huzbunkle to fly back from a business trip in GA and then drive up from Sacramento. All together the logistics of this trip were akin to an algebra word problem, but it all went surprisingly smoothly in the end. We made it to the work holiday party in Reno, and rubbed elbows and white elephants with the big bosses, despite the fact that I had pretty much lost my voice to the hacking cough that had taken up residence in my torso region.

This weekend we're all considerably healthier and homebody-er! We got our tree up, and some lights on the entry way, and are tackling the two weeks of back laundry! Funny story about the tree though, last night, a mere 8 hours after getting the darn thing up and decorated, it decided to take a swan dive in to the middle of the living room floor. The Huz and I who had been dozing on the couch watching the tube, bolted upright ready for action at the surprisingly loud noise a fully decorated tree makes hitting the hardwood (and the family dog, totally uninjured btw.) An hour and three vacuum passes later we were back in business. Lets hope the bugger stays put this time!

We've got non-stop carols on the sound system, and a ham in the freezer! I loves me some holiday cheer!

Raffle Ho!

Ye gad, its been a while since I've been on here! We've been all over for the holidays, then been sick, well, and sick again. We are heading out again soon, (we've got a housesitter you thiefy types!) but I enjoyed being home for the week like one who is about to leave again only can! I got to do some nice cooking in our fully functional and stocked kitchen, and crafting in my stocked and cozy craft (/guest) room! We are missing the daycare fundraiser this weekend, so I guilt crafted this little choker necklace jobber and matching earrings for the raffle. I think they came out rather festive!



Tank Boy and I are off on an exciting train adventure soon, so I'd better get packin!

Finished Object!

I knit a quick hat for a coworker who has retired. He plans on riding his Harley around the country for a few months. I hope he likes it!

Happy Halloween!!

Roar!





Cute yet fierce! I could just eat him up!

Tasty Autumn With A Hint Of Spring

Due to an unusually forceful and prolonged rainstorm here a week or so ago things have, again, taken on the rosy tones of Shangri-La. The fall colors are coloring, but the air is clean, crisp, and dust free. The waterfalls are flowing again and the grass is growing. The past two weekend have been painfully pleasant, that aching sweetness that only fall can conjure.










If you're wondering why this entry is filled with so many fantastic pics, its because they were all taken by the Hubsand. He got a new camera, and is up to his old (and fabulous) tricks!

I'm still working away on the dinosaur/dragon costume, here's the latest addition, scary claw fingerless mitts! (Note the lack of flair in the pic, it was taken by me...)


The Women's Thursday Evening Climbing Club has come to a halt for the season, that pesky darkness just kept interfering. It has, however been moved to the Friday Day Women's Climbing Club for all those who are interested! Last week a gal and I did the (CLASSIC) Nutcracker. I led all 5 pitches (yay me!) and was WORKED by the end of the day! Today is the first day I got out of bed without creaking!

And yet again the world reminds me why I love the savoriest of the seasons. I keep reminding my self to breathe, absorb, and enjoy.

A Present, For Little Old Me?!

Hi y'all. I finished knitting some socks. (Yes I cheated on the Hubsand's sweater-in-progress!)




And yes, my feet are large, and I do have slightly hairy ankles. But they are soft and fuzzy (the socks, not the ankles) and shall ease my transition into fall.

Home Improvement, Schmome Improvement!

So this past weekend was much more relaxing than last weekend's evacuapalooza. And to top it off the County Fair was in town. Now Tankster loves himself some fair, but I hate to admit that I might love it even more! The farm animals, the snack foods, the knitting on display! The live bands, and cowboy stuff! Balloon animals! Juggling! Eeeegads! Too much good clean family fun to resist!

Did I mention the $3 giant slide?



The impossible to win ping pong ball games, set up for toddlers so that you get a prize just for playing?


And tired loopy toddlers boogying down in the dark?


Ack! I can't stand it, I LOVE THE FAIR! (Despite the fact that I entered the knitting contest and came in dead last! That is how much I love the fair!)

Oh, and speaking of knitting, I did finish that sock I started last week...

Tadaa! One more to go and I can actually wear them! (Yes, that is a super lazy picture of the sock sitting in my lap. It is dark, artsy does not happen here after dark.) G'night!

Duck and Cover

Yeah, so. It has been a wee bit stressful here at Casa Remodel. The Big Meadow fire came a lot closer to our little neighborhood and we were evacuated. (The second evacuation for us in approximately a year!) I was at work so I missed the "pre-evacuation" call, and therefore had less than an hour to pack, and no idea if our recently completed house and all of our belongings were going to go up in smoke. I was not pleasant to be around. (Barky McSnappypants) The evacuation ended up not being that big a deal, some friends in our old neighborhood put us up in their little straw bale cabin for the three nights. (And unlike last time, the power was on at our house so we didn't lose all of our perishables, phew!)

Tank boy had a great time playing with their kids and their toys,

The Hubsand worked his booty off due to the air quality aspect of a wildfire, but Molly cat was not so pleased.

Then we got the call that a coworker of The Hubsand died while climbing during the same weekend. Bluh.

On a completely lighter note, and with almost no segue, I did get to knit a wee bit (Yes, I packed my yarn and knitting supplies. What?) and started this cute sock. Then it was too big and I had to rip it out and start again, but that's not such a big deal with a sock.


And my dad is still not feeling well after the appendectomy, so send him some good vibes, m'kay? We're just going to nestle in here and attempt to not piss off whatever capricious gods currently have their panties in a bunch. Duck 'n cover.

Just Keep Swimming...

So some of y'all have been kind enough to inquire as to the status of the house remodel. Try to bear in mind that the place will look much better without the thin veneer of power- and hand tools, and also those pesky dangling fixture-less electrical wires. First the heart of the house, the kitchen/dining space, with double doors onto the "courtyard"...
Could be nice soon, huh?

Then the wee guest room that will soon house my favorite sibling and family...
Tiny, but nice!

Then a quick glimpse at the loo...

Supposedly the tile artist will have this whipped into jaw dropping shape in two short weeks! (Watch the knees while on that imaginary potty, the door will definitely clip them if someone comes barging in!

And still in the works (perhaps in time for 90 degree weather?) The Hubsand's wool cabled sweater! Remember when I surveyed y'all as to the fate of this handknit? Well, much like the Million Dollar Man ("We can rebuild him - we have the technology!) it has been restructured for the betterment of mankind. AKA, made bigger and knit in the round (front and back at the same time).


Even Tankster agrees, "It's wool, but it sure isn't itchy!"


Now all we gotta do is keep on keeping on!