A couple of pending projects

Announcing one of my next knitting projects:

Because here is my other project:


I'm sure that you were all dying to know what the inside of my uterus looks like. So there it is folks. 6 weeks, 1 day today. Due March 23. We're calling it "Itty Bitty". Catie calls it "Doggie".

Let the puking begin.

One Local Summer, sans photo

Tonight we had our "eat local" meal of the week. In all honesty, we eat something local a few times a week, though usually not an entire meal. Tonight we had quite the feast, though unfortunately I wasn't thinking about a photo before I sat down and ate. So you'll just have to close your eyes and imagine:

Steak (homegrown)
Grilled zucchini (farmers market) and eggplant (not local, but organic from the Boise Coop--I had a serious hankering for eggplant and its not ready here yet. Sorry)
Oven roasted red and Yukon gold potatoes (farmers market)
Stir fried zuchinni, onions (farmers' market again) and mushrooms (local grower).

I'm on a zucchini kick right now, if you hadn't noticed. One of my favorite vegetables, hands down. I think the challenge is going to start getting a whole lot easier, as more and more fruits and veggies become available. This whole thing has definitely got me thinking a lot more about where my food comes from, which is the whole point, right?

On a non-food note, head over to The Amazing Lace and vote. My latest entry (Santa's beard) made the finals!!

Brief update below

My laptop is on the fritz. I have no clue what I did to it. But it's quite ill. So posting has been limited. I've been knitting away the past few days. Birch (take 2) now has a whopping 3 pattern repeats done. God knows how many left to go. The Jaywalker sock is progressing along. The heel is turned, stitches picked up, and I'm working on the decreases. This is a seriously fun pattern. I'm well aware this is NOT news to the vast majority of you out there, as I think I'm the last person in the knitting world to have not yet knitted a pair. Always a step or two behind, that's me.

Not much else to write about for now. I'm trying to fight the urge to start a new project. Don't you think Catie would like cute in this? 2 weeks until vacation. We're going on a long roadtrip to Montana, so I'm envisioning LOTS of knitting time. Maybe by then I can start on the new sweater. Let the countdown begin.

Amazing Lace #4

So the current Amazing Lace challenge is to show what our projects were to be if they were bound off right now. I just have to thank G for at least consenting to have his picture taken, though I don't think he looks too thrilled.


Oh lookie, Santa's beard!!

Eating Locally And More

I've been a bad blogger of late. I guess the days are flying by, because here it is the 16th of July, and I haven't posted for 2 whole weeks. I thought it had been a week. Weird. So obviously there's a few things to catch you up on. I've been reading a few books for my summer reading challenges, which hopefully I'll catch up on THOSE posts tomorrow. I've been working on Birch and some Jaywalkers (I like that pattern so much more than the Chevron socks I had been trying to get into). I've been spinning some. I've been cooking more. Haven't been exercising much, but definitely have been eating more healthy.

So now, on to the pics. I didn't post a pic for the One Local Summer challenge last week (obviously, due to my lack of recent posts). But here's this week's meal:
Eggs, zucchini, and onions all bought at the farmers' market. Tortilla from a local tortilla factory. Only the salsa isn't local, but needs to be used up. Pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

One Local Summer

Two posts in one day. I don't think that's ever happened before. And odds are, it'll be awhile before it does again. At any rate, Liz over at Pocket Farm has challenged people to eat one meal a week made from local foods. I've been stalking the Eat Local Challenge blog and links related to that. I've been trying to buy more food at farmers' markets and the local coop (see links along the side). So along came this challenge and I thought this'd be the way to get us eating more locally (and hopefully more healthy too).

So tonight was our first night.

Potatoes: Yukon Golds from the Nampa Farmers' Market

Greens: Mixed greens from the Nampa Farmers' Market

Meat: Can't get much more local than this. Home grown beef from our own back pasture.

Overall, the meal turned out well. The greens were a bit bitter for me, but the stir fry sauce was good. My only non-local contributions were the onions and garlic in the stir fry. I had both already in the fridge that needed to be used up. What to try for next week?

Amazing Lace Poem

I've been trying to knit Birch for Amazing Lace this summer. We've hit a bit of a roadblock though. I know my poetry is simply the most incredible and moving thing you've all ever read, but try to hold back the tears.



Ode to Birch

A white could of silk and mohair
Who knew it could be such a bear?

Such delicate fine thread
But, oh, how it does shed

Worked on in fits and starts
It's breaking its knitter's heart

Lifelines are for sissies, she declared.
Alas, now she's running scared.

Thou shalt not knit lace and chat.
She seemed to forget that.

A whole pattern repeat gone bad.
Has made her very sad.

So last week, she tried to tink
But it nearly drove her to the brink.

So frog away she did.
While her shame, she hid.

So now dear Birch has been started anew
Just how much more trouble can she brew?

New goodies

All I can say is "WOW". Yesterday I got my first installment of the Petals Collection from Sundara Yarn. The color is Calla Lily, with a pattern as well. Purples and greens. It came Priority Mail and was wrapped beautifully. The pattern is on cardstock and comes in this gorgeous green envelope. AND there's a postcard size picture of a Calla Lily. AND a little flower shaped sucker. On one hand, I can wait to get started on these socks. On the other hand, the package is just so pretty I just want to keep looking at it. The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

An experience to dye for

A couple of weeks ago, Kim and I got together to try a little dyeing. I hadn't dyed anything before, but I have all this wool sitting here just asking for a little color. Kim had done some dyeing before, and I felt like I needed a little hand holding. So off we went. I had visions in my head of hand painted yarn that was dyed in clumps of color, sort of like Socks That Rock is. You know...an distinct area of blue, another of green, etc? Well, here was our first try at that...I think a little Gaywool blue and Raspberry.

Not so much distinct blocks, but not bad. My next attempt at multicolored yarn produced a uniform shade of brick red. Very pretty, but again, just not what I was expecting.

We finally figured out that dark colors were pretty overpowering. Amazing how quickly we figured that out, eh? So I thought I'd try some lighter colors. This last batch is some yellow, green and blue dye. I tried the hot-pour method. Or at least our version of it. Here's the wool sitting in the dye

and now spun up.

I surprised myself with this one. I don't usually like green, especially something of this shade, but the more I look at it the more it's growing on me. I had been calling it "Split Pea", but I'm not a big fan of split pea soup, so the name has quite the negative connotation, at least for me. Maybe "Shrek" is a better name?

Happy Birthday Catie!

Well, this is only 2 days late, but as of Wednesday, June 21, at 10:51 PM, Catie Grace turned 1 year old. I had this freakish desire to make her cake from scratch. Like somehow if I bought a cake, I was a bad mom. So I baked the cake (no Duncan Hines here, folks), made the frosting, and decorated it myself. Whew. Now I can rest easy that I'm not a bad mom. Never mind the fact I'm never home, but hey...something the little things are all we have. So here we have the cake:

Hmm...what have we got here?

And now...mmm...I like chocolate.

What a great year it's been. Though it's certainly gone by fast. It's been amazing to watch how she changes from day to day. I can't even really remember what life was like before her. Happy Birthday, Miss C!

A real cop-out

Well, it's midnight on Tuesday. I've delivered 6 babies in 7 days (a lot for me). I've had 4 call nights in the same time frame. I need to be at the office at 7am, and I'm staying up late to finish frosting Catie's birthday cake. And I haven't posted in a couple of days. SO...courtesy of Kat with a K...

You scored as Elinor Dashwood. As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister. > Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Enough bitching and moaning from me. Pictures of the one year b-day party coming soon to a computer near you.

Book Reviews

2 books down. Many more to go. I've been reading a couple of chapters each night. It actually feels good to be back reading a lot again. I haven't done nearly as much lately as I used to do.


My first book that I've finished is The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. 321 pages of goodness. What a great book. I'm certainly not the most religious person, so was not intimately familiar with the story of Jacob and his family. But this perspective is something I can get into. What an amazing story and women and their role in the world. I was fascinated by all the midwife stuff.






Book #2 is The Overspent American, by Juliet Schor. I actually read the hardcover version--253 pages, though the last 75 are bibliography, references, etc. This one's from the library. I'm rather disillusioned with my life and finances right now, and so am reading quite a bit about downshifting. Too much junk and too many bills. I can't say I really learned much from this book, but it's a good overview of our consumerist culture, of which I somewhat unhappily am a participant. It does have some recommendations at the end, but most of them are pretty common sense. I guess it can't hurt to get a little refresher course though.


Next up...a book about signing to young children and I need to finish Eragon. Plus there's been a "development" with my Birch shawl. I'm going to have to rip back a few rows. Dang.

Why Mary is the BEST!

The title of my last post was "A Little Housekeeping". You know how you're supposed to do a little housekeeping every day so that, come the weekend, you're not overwhelmed? I'm not very good at that. When it comes to the house OR blogging. I always have so many things to write about, but don't get here every day for various reasons. So...every few days I feel like I have to catch you all up on things that have been going on (though in general my life is pretty lame). I'm going to try and restrain myself today, because my last post was a bit too much, I think.

So...today is going to focus on my last Secret Pal gift. Tuesday night I'm getting ready for bed, too late as usual, and George brings in a big manila envelope for me. It had come in the mail that day, and he set it up on top of the fridge to keep it away from the dogs (eye level for him, 2 feet above my head). He finally remembered it was there before he came to bed. Well, it was my final SP package, and what a good one. This was the "reveal" package. Mary in NYC, you are such a great secret pal. You always seem to know what will be perfect for me. Further proof--4 skeins of KPPM, Knitted sheep and doll patterns, the Kids Kids Kids book of patterns, Zephyr in blue (my fave), a book that I can't wait to read--Sylvia's Farm, about a woman who raises sheep. Especially pertinent considering our newest additions of Lacey and Aran, who by the way are getting tamer and more friendly every day. For your drooling pleasure:

Not much else going on tonight. The REAL housekeeping still awaits. Next up this week--some reading updates, my first adventure in dyeing, and more.

A little housekeeping

I have so many things to post about, I don't even know where to start. I keep meaning to write about all this stuff, but I get sidetracked. So here we go.

First off...the box from the

arrived at my house last week. What a bunch of goodies. It took me a few days, but I finally decided on

in exchange for these:

More sock yarn...just what I need. I've been wanting to learn to dye, so this KnitPicks color your own comes at a very appropriate time. Perhaps this weekend...? (Hey Kim--busy? What to do some dyeing?) I mailed the box off to the next person this afternoon. Enjoy.

What else? Birch is progressing along, though slowly. I've done one more repeat. Pretty sad...one whole repeat in a week. And in terms of my diet, I really sucked today. Krispy Kremes at the office with no breakfast before is a BAD combination. Damn those glazed gobs of sugar.

I've joined the Mason Dixon Knitalong as well. I made this over the weekend.


What a fun pattern, and quick to make. I'm going to try and make a few more over the coming weeks. I think they'll make good additions to bridal shower/wedding gifts, and good lord, I have several of those this summer.

And I joined this as well:



My first book is The Red Tent. I bought this book 2 years ago when we were on our honeymoon in Victoria and read the first couple of chapters and then set it aside. It's high time I actually picked it up and finished it.

I think that's all...at least for now. Yikes.

Amazing Lace Entry #1

Take 1

(Cheesy announcer voice)

This summer, while children play in city pools and parks, while adults flip burgers on the BBQ and drink beer, join us on a quest. A personal journey, of sorts. Watch these two individuals work to transform themselves into something bigger (or smaller) and better than ever before. Ladies and gentlemen, WELCOME TO THE AMAZING LACE.

(Cheesy action music)

First we have our project, Birch. Ahhh, Birch. Birch, whose parents are Rowan and Kid Silk Haze. Birch, the ugly duckling who hopes to someday turn into the beautiful swan. She spends her days languishing on the dining room table, a pile of silk, mohair, and Inox needles, only to hope that she will be remembered at night. Wishing and praying that her knitter will stay focused, keep her eye on the prize, and actually finish her. Right now she looks like this: but someday, hopes and dreams of looking like this.

And now...the knitter...Jocele...

(more cheesy music)

Jocele works all day and sometimes all night (trying ever so hard to pay off those damn med school loans). She tries to squeeze in knitting when she can. But will she get sidetracked? There's those socks, those Mason-Dixon dishrags and log cabin blankets, that baby sweater. The spinning wheel. Not to mention spending time with her handsome husband and adorable daughter. But Jocele has more than knitting and family on the brain this summer. She is packing a few (oh, okay, more than a few) extra pounds post-baby. Especially concerning because the said baby is 2 weeks away from turning a year old. So in addition to the shawl knitting, yarn spinning, perfect gardening and housekeeping, as well as being the ideal wife and mother, she's going to try to find the time to eat better and excercise more. She's hoping by the end of the summer, there'll be a bit less of her to see. Here is a picture of our knitter a few months ago. What will she look like come September? Only time will tell.

How will these two do on their challenge? Stay tuned...

(Music fades out)

A little Lacey (&) Aran, you say?

I love 3 day weekends. So you get 3 days off. But then that means you have a shorter work week. Bonus. YAY!!! Okay, okay, so it's just a little mind game I play with myself, but it works for me.

I got a fair amount of knitting done this weekend. Birch is moving along nicely. I've gotten 3 repeats done. I'll be glad when the rows get shorter and it goes quicker. Because now it takes FOREVER to get through a couple of rows. Maybe I'm just slow, though. Here's how she looks so far

I think I've actually done a couple more rows, but you get the basic idea.

And I'm happy to announce, the sheep have names. Thank you all for your suggestions. I had a hard time choosing. But now I have lots of ideas for the next sheep, whenever that may be. And so, without further ado, the lucky winner is (drumroll): Lisa with "Lacey and Aran". The white one will be Lacey, and the brown one Aran. Although G is going to call the brown one "Clarice". Can you believe I've never seen that movie? So, Lisa, if you're out there, email me with your address and a prezzie is on its way.

The sock is moving along. I basically ripped it all and started over, so now it's back to what it looked like prior to the frogging. And I've been poring over Mason-Dixon Knitting. I've never been so intrigued by dishcloths. My house needs more knitted stuff, and the sooner the better. I'm trying to finish something before I move on, though. It's hard, because I've got some pretty dishcloth cotton just sitting here looking at me. Who knew cotton could be so persuasive?

She's gonna hate me for this someday

Long time, no post. And to make up for that, here comes a long post. It's been a busy week at work. Several nights of working late. Which means that, for the past few days, there's not much time for anything besides checking email and brushing my teeth before I fall asleep at night. But here we have a 3 day weekend. Oh, the joy. Too bad it rained most of the afternoon, but I found ways to compensate.

The sheep are settling in nicely. They're getting used to their new pasture and are becoming more curious and courageous as well. They're actually coming up to us and sniffing us as we try and feed them. Thank you to all who have written to suggest names. We're pondering (and even bickering a bit) over which ones are the best names. So check back Monday, because that's when I plan to announce the lucky winners.

So, how did I spend my Saturday? Well, I had grand plans of sleeping in. I might as well give up on those forever. I wake up at 7, regardless, and have a hard time falling back to sleep. So after snuggling in bed with G and Catie, we got up to start the day. I had planned to meet a friend for lunch, so eventually Catie and I headed into Boise. The restaurant we were meeting at was downtown, in the same block as the Farmers' Market. I was blown away by the number of booths. I'll definitely have to check this out again. I'm becoming entralled with farmers' markets. Could be because I'm on this kick where I just want to be an organic farmer/shepherd/cattle rancher. Just a dream.

Lunch was at a Greek/Mediterranean restuarant. Yummy. Then all three of us walked through the rain to the yarn store downtown. Didn't buy anything there, but enjoyed looking. Then we went for a cup of coffee, where Catie fell asleep while nursing. It's been FOREVER since she's done that. It was so nice just to hold her while she slept. Then we went our separate ways, and I headed to Borders. I've had a hankering for a new book. I hadn't actually LOOKED inside this book, but I loved it. Those Mason-Dixon ladies sure have lots of projects I'd like to try. And god forbid, I leave a bookstore with only one book. I also got Big Girl Knits. We met G and his old roomie, Jason for dinner. Where Catie ate an amazing amount of food. I have no idea where it all went. I don't think I've ever seen her eat that much. Maybe she's getting ready to grow another inch or two. Here's a picture of her last weekend at the rodeo.

So now here comes the embarassing part (the part she might hate me for someday). My sister, her hubby, and baby came for the weekend too. Catie and Danny got to hang out and play. Here we have them together...please pardon the look on C's face. Not the most attractive one ever.

And here's just one of the many pictures that show just how much they enjoyed each others' company:

I never thought "kissing cousins" could be so cute.

I need your help!

Forgive me for not posting for a few days, but trust me, this is a good one. Think beyond knitting.

This weekend marks the annual Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo, the rodeo in the town where I grew up. So off Catie and I went, while George stayed home with the stomach virus from hell. At any rate, this is what the pasture looked like when we got home.

Look a little closer now...
And just a little closer yet...
Yes folks, today was sheep delivery day. I've mentioned on here in the past that we were planning on getting a couple of lambs. They're from Cleo, at The Sheep Shed, the same place I bought my wheel. Here's a couple of close ups:















The white one is a Merino-Cormo cross, and the brown one is Border Leiscter-Merino cross. Both ewe lams. Both about two and a half to three months old.

SOOO...here's where you all come in. We haven't come up with good names for these little girls. So I'm holding a bit of a contest. Let me know your ideas. G and I will choose from among the options, and the lucky winner(s) will get a little gift from me. Some lovely STR, perhaps?? Maybe a bit of handspun as well??

He can't complain anymore

Ladies and gentlemen (though I suspect it's mostly ladies that read this)...I'm proud to present...G's Trekking XXL socks. I've been working on these for about a month. In fact, I think exactly a month. Done, except for the weaving in, but pretty close. They're not an exact match. I did more decreases on one toe than the other, but if you won't tell, I won't. I think he'll be happy to finally have a pair done.

And on G's size 15 feet:


The vital stats:

Pattern: No specific pattern, just a larger version of my basic, generic sock pattern
Yarn: Trekking XXL, Color 122
Needles: Crystal Palace dpns, size 1
Started: April 15, 2006
Finished: May 15, 2006

So what's next, you ask? Lace, baby. I'm going to work more on Birch, and for portability, yet another pair of socks. STR this time. Maybe I'll go back to this:

Happy Mother's Day (or why I should ask for French toast more often)

Well, Happy Mother's Day to all. It's my first as a mom. It's been a great day. I had grand plans of sleeping in late, but I woke up at 6:30 or 7:00 just the same. As you may have read yesterday, my only request was that G make me French toast. Which he did. But beyond that, apparently he and Catie picked out of a pair of these for me too:



Then when Catie went down for her morning nap, I broke out Birch. Last night I was quite frustrated with this project. I wasn't sure I didn't screw up on the first row or two. I went on to knit Row 3, and I did a little happy dance when it worked out right. I'm right on track. Finally. And here's the little halo of silk and mohair to prove it.

Later in the afternoon we went to Barnes and Noble. Site of our first date. AAAWWW. I bought the new Interweave Knits and The Shop on Blossom Street. Yes it's fluff. But right now I need a little fluff in my life. Sometimes a mindless read is just what the doctor ordered.