If the sun is shining . . .

It must mean I have a sick child at home. I don't really mind being the stay-at-home-one right now while everyone else gets to run errands or off to the library. The YC is pretty happy just watching "The Princess Bride" on the couch.



Here's the Sick Youngest Child during happier, healthier days.

We are a thrifty family - I always cut off the feet of the footie pajamas when they wore out. In fact, I just heart YC telling one of his school friends that he used to have footie pajamas - only his didn't have the feet anyone.

If things stay quiet here, I'm pretty sure I can guilt someone into a trip out for cross country skiing. That's a great calorie burner, even if you are a slug like me. I ski strictly on the trails. I do like it though, it's almost like open water swimming - being out by yourself, moving on your own power.



This week's Saturday Seven was a result of putting away the Christmas presents. I weeded out the puzzles that I wanted to keep for rainy days, one ones being kept for the next generation (many years from now, I hope) and the ones I think could go to my church's junior church program. So, three puzzles, two plastic boxes of crayons, another coffee mug (good grief, these things must be multiplying like the ice cube trays!) and yet another Sponge Bob Square Pants video. Like Patrick, like Gary - hate the whole cartoon. It just gets on my nerves. I think it's because the show is a mix of childhood sweetness and sassy, teen-aged bathroom humor. One just ruins the other for me.

Enjoy the Sun!

A full pair at last!

Sometimes, my working on socks can drag on for months - I could only wish that they all went as quickly this pair. I think I just get bored and have to put them away for awhile. I must not be a sock knitter because they just don't fly off the needles for me. But then, all that gorgeous sock yarn calls to me and I can't resist. I only wish that I could find sweater yarns dyed half so beautifully as that produced by independent sock yarn dyers.

On this project, I just broke down and ripped back every time I made a mistake. Even last night, I was just about to do the toe decreases when I made the yarnovers for the right side pattern on the wrong side. About an inch of absolute wrongness. So wrong, I must have been knitting in my sleep. Perhaps all that cold medicine caught up with me?



The Saturday Seven came about when I looked long and hard at my closet and pulled out seven things that I have no idea why I was keeping. All were very nice items but NOT me. Over to St. John the Evangelist's Big Sale.

We are all now officially sick - except for Youngest Child. He is fine as frog hair, full of energy and ready to wake up at 6:30 a.m. Unfortunately, we are not. So, this is the messy week at our house - lots of dust and dog hair and used Kleenex - but I can handle that for the time being. Now, it's time to sleep!

Lupine Lace review

Well, I could have been at the Guthrie, watching "Jane Eyre" with the rest of my book group but . . . real life interfered. Instead,
DH and I hired a babysitter for Youngest Child and spent the rest of the evening ferrying teenagers around to their various school social functions. Swing Dancing for Middle Daughter. Senior Scavenger Hunt at the Mall of America for Oldest Daughter. Billiards for Youngest Daughter. Good Grief! I would be willing to take a few classes to get this kind of social life!



Knitting time has been a highlight in my week. Youngest Child has spent the last three days at home with a flu/cold - it all blended into lots of sofa time for him - so I've been spending some time with the Lupine Lace Socks. Once again, ripping out was painful, but necessary. I've begun to memorize the pattern - but since the pattern is only the instep now, I sometimes forget the "rest" round in between Lupine Lace rows.



I think I'm still off on my row gauge so I only did four sets of lace repeats instead of the five outlined in the pattern. They are still very long socks. Hopefully, I'll get to the toe tonight!