the mighty momogus

It's All Part of the Package

2008-05-12T10:18:00.002-04:00

I kept Gus home from school on Friday because he was coughing so much. By Saturday, Matthew said we should take him to the hospital because he thought he was having an asthma attack. Gus has shown no signs of asthma before, but Matthew has had it since he was a kid so he knows what to look for.

We took Gus to the hospital on Saturday and yep, he was having an asthma attack. We went home after treatment, but he had a bad night, and so we went back on Sunday where they treated him again. Being at that hospital always brings back a lot of sad memories, so I was in a pretty shaky state of mind watching my baby looking tiny in a hospital bed hooked up to monitors with doctors and nurses fussing after him. When he was feeling more comfortable, the nurse who was treating him suddenly turned to me, smiled wryly and said, "Happy Mother's Day!" Of course I'm already on the brink of tears but I managed a watery smile, and she said, "It's all part of the package, eh?" Ooof. You said it, lady.

He slept comfortably last night, after asking if the steroids he was taking for the asthma would help him hit a home run in his next Cork Sox game. Ha ha - that's the other part of the package.

On the bright side, knitting-wise, spending so much time in the hospital allowed me to knit a lot. Here's what I worked on - First, this is one of the prettiest (if not THE prettiest) thing that I've ever knit:

It's not even blocked yet, and it's so pleasing!! This is the Beaded Lace Scarf from Heartstrings. Handpaintedyarn.com laceweight in pink/red/orange combo and chartreuse beads from Bumblebeads. This is an insanely fun knit - easily-memorized lace pattern and you place beads on every wrong side row. If this were all I could knit for the rest of my life I'd be happy. Nuff said.

This second project is another prospective Tangled Web class for the fall. This is the Reversible Cable Scarf by Ruthie Nussbaum.

I've always wanted to do a Reversible Cable scarf and I like the subtle, wavy quality of this pattern. I'm also working on a Felted Knitting Basket that I'm going to try as a class this fall, but it's just a shapeless green blob right now so I'll spare you.

2008-05-06T11:32:00.004-04:00

This morning I sent Gus upstairs to get ready for school while I puttered around downstairs. It usually takes him a matter of a minute or two to get dressed and brush his teeth, but I found this morning I had time to clean the dishes; I fed the cats, I straightened up the living room, I put a snack in his backpack, I endorsed a check, I organized my planner.... finally, I realized that a lot of time had gone by. So I shouted up the stairs, "Hey, are you dressed yet?"

And he appeared at the top of the stairs, still in his pajamas, and said calmly, "Oh, no, not yet. I'm still trying to see if I can lick my elbow..."

Huh. I see. How can you argue with that?

2008-05-05T07:15:00.002-04:00

Good morning and happy Cinqo de Mayo to everyone. O frabjous day - Blogger fixed whatever was wrong with it and here is the post that's been percolating for a week:

Ooooh! Finished Objects! Finished Objects!

First, the Paisley Shawl from Folk Style.

I was carried away by the beauty of friend Neeta's version of this, even though she made some cautionary noises about the knitting of it when I first saw it. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca (bought at Purl by the Sea in Montauk, NY). Neeta had used Ultra Alpaca Light, which is the weight that it called for, but I forgot that. This turned out to be a serendipitous mistake.

Back in January, I had an email conversation with Kate Gilbert, the designer of the shawl, about a different project. In the course of our conversation I mentioned that I had bought Folk Style solely for this pattern and she emailed back, "Oh I hated that Paisley Shawl!" Wow. I never found out why, but now I think I know. Because the paisley eyelet blobs are irregular in shape, there's no symmetry or rhythm to the knitting. I spent hours - HOURS I TELL YOU - counting the stupid little spaces in the graph on every row. Ugh. I finally got so sick of it that I just bound it off where I was. Because I used a heavier weight yarn, though, it turned out to be the size it was supposed to be. Fine. Done and DONE.

Next I finished the Marianas Pullover from Valley Yarns.

This was a stash-buster; 5-yr-old Jaeger Chamonix that had been lurking forever. It's a great yarn - very soft and smoochy - but I think if I were to make this sweater again (which I would in a heartbeat) I'd use a stiffer yarn. It's a great shape and a quick knit (love those top-downs), but it's a little floppy in this soft yarn. Modifications: I made the ribbing much deeper on the cuffs and I used garter rib on the body. Next time I'd use the garter rib on the collar to make it lay flatter. Great pattern though.

Finally, this is the Calla Lily Bag from Knitter's Book of Yarn (awesome book). This pattern had me completely kerfluffled, but I finally figured it out and here it is:

More stash-busting! Red and orange Cascade Pastaza. I think I'll teach this as a class this fall.

2008-05-02T07:38:00.003-04:00

Hrmph. Blogger is experiencing technical difficulties with uploading photos, so I can't post my brilliant post about all the many beauteous finished objects that I have lying around. Oh the color! The stitches! The finished object-y goodness of them all! But alas, we'll all have to wait.

In the meantime, the young and valiant Sixers finally lost to the Pistons, but it was great to watch them develop as a team this year. I'm looking forward to next season with more anticipation than I have in years.

The Phillies have been chugging along, led last night by Adam Eaton - yes, I said Adam Eaton, and Ryan Howard, whom I hope is emerging from his funk. I haven't thought of switching the flag in days!

That's all for now. Have a beautiful weekend!

2008-04-25T07:24:00.002-04:00

To while away the time in a good cause and to improve one's vocabulary go here: FreeRice.com donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Fund every time you correctly identify a vocabulary word. It is addictive, entertaining and educational. (Dad, you alone with your big bag of words could put a serious dent in world hunger.)

And now, because I don't have any knitting stuff to show you, here is a picture of my alternately-beloved-and-detested Mr. April Pat Burrell, who is currently batting .355 with a league-leading (and tied with teammate Chase Utley) 8 home runs*. Feel the love.

*Oops - as friend Kel pointed out, Utley actually has the league-leading 10 home runs.

2008-04-22T17:28:00.002-04:00

It's Election Day here in Pennsylvania - don't forget to vote!!!

Knitting news:

I have become obsessed with making hats to match all of my Momogus Knits samples. So I've knocked off these in the last couple of days:

Here is where I am on the Marianas Pullover. Finished collar, yoke and both sleeves - heading down the body. Coming down the home stretch.

Poking around on Ravelry I came across this, which I then had to order from Nordic Fiber Arts (the source of all that is good in the world) immediately. More Selbu madness!!!

It's actually in Norwegian with an English translation attached. Part of me (a big part of me) wants to see if I could knit a mitten without resorting to the translation. I'll keep you posted. The other book is a gorgeous and worthy contribution to Mighty Momogus Mitten Madness.

Doing some Knit-Along research for the Tangled Web fall season, I started the Calla Lily Bag from "The Knitter's Book of Yarn." It's designed by Cat Bordhi, who is a genius. Unfortunately, I am not a genius, and the twisty-turny directions wrestled me to the ground and had me in a headlock almost immediately. I sent a plaintive note to friend Anjeanette who has made a beautiful version of this bag. Funnily, just knowing that she would help me calmed me down and I figured out what was going on. Which was craziness. But I'm halfway through now and enjoying it rather than weeping in frustration. I'd post a picture but it's just a big red blob right now.

I wasn't liking how the Phillies were playing, so I took the spring flag down and put the Phillies flag up. They immediately won two games, including last night's in which Utley hit another home run (one in each of the last five games!!) and Werth had an inside-the-park home run, which is very cool. Now I hope they continue with their winning ways for a while, so I don't have to become the Mayor of Crazytown switching flags every other day.

2008-04-21T08:47:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, most beloved cousin of all!! It's Beth's birthday!! Yippeeee!!

2008-04-20T08:26:00.003-04:00

Okay, I meant to do a post about what's going on with me knitting-wise these days, but it's sort of boring, so I keep putting it off. I'll try to get inspired in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, indulge me while I post again about baseball. Yesterday was Opening Day for the GYAC Cork Tavern Red Sox. Like last year, the Opening Day Parade was awesome, complete with:

fire engine!

and Mummers!

Here I captured the Cork Tavern Red Sox walking by the Cork Tavern itself (see yellow arrow)

Here's the sweet swinger (his coach told Matthew at practice the other day that Gus's hitting reminds him of Gary Matthews!) posing for his baseball card:

Third baseman anticipating the play (he never actually touched a ball in the field during the game, but he looked good):

Post-game pep talk from the coach:

Gus went 2-for-2, with 2 RBIs. The team "won" 7-6. Though they don't keep score, the kids know down to the very last ball and strike what the score is. Great day.

2008-04-12T17:09:00.003-04:00

Gus got his team uniform today. Of course we knew he was on the Red Sox and that was thrilling. Here he is in all his glory:

[Yes, that is a pitching mound in the middle of our backyard....]

But there was an awesome surprise in store for us - look at who's sponsoring his team!!!

Yep, the mighty Cork Tavern of Glenside (last year the team was sponsored by an attorney's office). Though I drive by it every day on the way to dropping Gus off at school, it's one of the few local pubs I haven't patronized.

Here's a review I found on Yahoo. Local: "While it can be intimidating sometimes for non-locals, The Cork is my alltime favorite bar. It's not the nicest or the cleanest or the best smelling, the menu's limited and the guy sitting next to you may be missing teeth/fingers/normal brain function but it still beats any place else to tie on a cheap load."

BWA HA HA HA HA!!! Okay, so I can't see taking the team there for a post-game celebration, but I think the parents definitely need to make a field trip.

Go Cork Tavern Red Sox!!!

2008-04-08T12:14:00.002-04:00

Finished!

Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, Interweave Knits Fall 2007, Rowan Felted Tweed.

The experience of knitting this sweater boggled my mind. I knit this on #5s, which is the smallest size needle I've used for an adult sweater. It had crazy, mind-consuming stuff going on all the time. And yet this seemed like the quickest knit sweater I've ever done. What's up with that??

I made the body and the sleeves 2" longer than the pattern called for and that was just right. I sewed the collar down instead of doing the fussy 3-needle bind-off, I picked up 110 stitches for the button band instead of the 148 that the pattern called for (where would I have found those extra 38 stitches????); I made 6 k2og/yo buttonholes instead of the 9 bind-off/cast-on buttonholes that the pattern called for. I usually never block sweaters when I'm done, but this one needed it. I steam-ironed DIRECTLY on the sweater and it responded beautifully.

This experience also reinforced my love for the Tangled Web Knit-Along. Usually I've knit the project ahead of time as a sample, but this time I knit along with everyone else. And the advice I got and the camaraderie of the other folks was really wonderful. It would have been much sloggier going without my fellow Knit-Alongers.

As part of my Journey To The Center of the Core Of The Stash, I started the Mariannas Pullover in some old old old Jaeger Chamonix that I had bought at the Tangled Web on sale many years ago. [I'm too lazy to get up and take a picture, but will in the next day or so. It's aat a boring-looking point right now anyway....] Interestingly, because blue is not one of my favorite colors, the Chamonix, like the Felted Tweed I used in the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, is a steely grey-blue. So two blue sweaters in a row. The Chamonix is yummy - thick and soft - I'm glad that I made the Journey.

I spent 2 hours at the dentist this morning, having a procedure done that I've put off for many many years. I can only eat soft foods for the next 24 hours. Soft foods like, say, melted cheese? Or Choco-Marshmallow S'Mores Dessert Option?? I wonder if I could persuade Matthew to go back to the Melting Pot after a one-day interval.....

I watched "Master and Commander" on hulu.com yesterday. I was avoiding it because I thought it might give away something about the books, but I decided I was far enough along to risk it. And I really wanted to see the ships and the rigging and the cannons and everything on screen. It was great - Russell Crowe was a great Jack Aubrey; Paul Bettany (though a great-looking guy in real life) made a creditable showing as the scrawny, plain Stephen Maturin. I highly recommend.

I forgot to take the spring flag down and the Phillies won anyway. Now I'm stymied. Matthew said that I should let the flags work their mojo over a few days and not immediately take them up or down. I guess he's right. We'll see how they do today.

2008-04-07T07:15:00.003-04:00

I forgot to take the winning/spring flag down when the Phillies lost and so they lost again yesterday. My bad. Matthew says I shouldn't be concerned with switching the flags as soon as the Phillies lose, but I'm not so sure. I'm going to put the Phillies flag back up this morning and see what happens. What's up with Myers anyway??

Some cultural notes (warning: these are pretty highbrow - the air is mighty rarified up at the level of sophistication that I inhabit):

1. In cinema: "Horton Hears a Who" gets the MM thumbs-up. It was G-rated, and pleasant and funny and true to the spirit of Dr. Seuss. I think that Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell should have switched their roles, but that's splitting hairs.

What I was most excited about was the preview for "Speed Racer". The preview was full of mind-boggling action and hyper-saturated color. What cracked me up was when the preview was over I was sitting with eyes bugging out of my head and my jaw on the floor, and I look over , wild-eyed, at the three 8-yr-old boys with me, and they are practically asleep they're so unimpressed. They said they were excited to see "Speed Racer" but I think they were just humoring me.

2. In television: I have become a Bravo junkie. It started with "Top Chef", and then because I would be too lazy to change the channel and would be mentally bludgeoned by all of their preview commercials, I began to love "The Real Housewives of New York City" and "Make Me A Supermodel." At least "Top Chef" has a whiff of legitimacy and is genuinely interesting, but "TRHONYC" and "MMAS" are just like candy-coated car crashes - you cannot look away. Of course, when I saw that the season finale of "TRHONYC" was next week I almost cried from abject sadness. Fortunately, Bravo reruns their shows without pause, so maybe that will tide me over till next season.

3. In the world of letters: I am finishing up "The Surgeon's Mate", which is Book 7 of the Aubrey-Maturin series. I am still looking for someone to chat about these with. I browbeat (in a nice way!) Dad into starting the series again, but he is bailing after Book 2, because he has other books to read. Hrmph. I ask almost every customer who comes into the store if they've read them (which is a fine sales technique, by the way), and only got one hit. One woman said she listened to them on tape in the car, but it was so long ago that she didn't remember anything about it. What??

4. In fine dining: Let me tell you of the most yummerific cuisine-ery delight I just discovered. It is the cheesy, chocolatey, dippy world of FONDUE!!! The three of us went to dinner at The Melting Pot in Chestnut Hill last night, and my world was ROCKED. I wish I could eat there every day of my ever-living life!!! You can keep your molecular cuisine, your foams, your reductions, your ras al hanout - I'm going with the Choco-Marshmallow S'More Dessert Dipping Option!! I think my eyes literally rolled back into my head at one point. Plus I could actually feel my arteries clogging up. But in a good way!!

So that's all for now from the highbrow world of culture from yours truly.

2008-04-03T07:20:00.000-04:00

I made the Phillies win!!!

I changed the flag this morning and they won their first game this afternoon. Now to use my powers for good and not evil......

2008-03-31T07:06:00.004-04:00

I declare it's spring already! Signs of spring:

This!

Phillies Opening Day! Yippeee! We're going all the way this year, baby!! Yay! I'm delusional but also optimistic!! [Okay, Gordon blew the win today, but it's a long season which will be full of uplifting Phillies wins!]

And this!

Pretty! In the back yard!

And if it's spring, it must mean it's time for Spring Cleaning and Organizing!!

Yes, I have made a momentus decision. I am going to go on a journey. A journey to a far-off place - a mysterious place - a place of despair and wonder. I am going to go on a Journey To The Center Of The Core Of The Stash. Either by giant titanium-bit drill or tiny miniaturized ship (I can't remember what movie I'm stealing from....) I am going to go to a place that hasn't seen the light of day in years. If I can gather up the intestinal fortitude I'm sure I will be rewarded by a great prize at the center of the core of the stash - nice yarn that I love that has survived numerous purges over the years.

I think Yarn Harlot did a riff on the nature of the stash in one of her books - comparing it to different sedimentary layers at the core of which was yarn that was beloved but that had been deemed too precious to ever knit up. That's what's happened to me. I have three or four sweaters' worth of yarn that I dearly love but can't bring myself to use. Ridiculous! Short-sighted! Silly!

Now granted, I work in a yarn store, so there's a never-ending supply of beautiful yarn and inspiring projects that cross my path every day. It's been easy to succumb to the let-me-start-a-new-project-now-let-me-wander-around-the-store-and-
pick-out-some-yarn impulse. And let me say, I am all for supporting your local yarn store, believe you me! But something's gotta give and my momentous decision is that I Am Going To Knit From My Stash. Non-knitters might find it rather interesting that this is so momentous a decision - to actually use yarn that I've accumulated - but you knitters out there know what I'm talking about.

Here's part of the reason why this is such an epic journey. My basement:

Tucked under the shelf and in various Rubbermaid containers is my core stash.

As you can see, most of those containers contain ephemera from my childhood home, which was sold last year. Organizing them is a project for another year. Anyway, I took the first plunge into the Core this weekend and unearthed a nice yarn, which I will tell you about tomorrow.

In other knitting news, I've been ploughing ahead with the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. This was a Knit-Along at The Tangled Web, and though I've been a big proponent of our Knit-Alongs, this one really convinced me how great a concept it is. This was one of the most challenging projects that we've picked and one of the most surprising. More people completed this project more quickly than any Knit-Along I can remember (and we've done a lot of them!). What's up with that?

And I have to say that there were many moments when I would have put it down and let it languish for a long time if I didn't keep seeing customers come in with their gorgeous finished sweaters. That said, I am on Row 17 (of 18) of the yoke cable, so the end is in sight!

Check out the madness!

2008-03-25T10:01:00.001-04:00

Ooops - I've lapsed into 2007 Diana mode, not posting for a week! Here's what's been going on:

1.) Today is Opening Day! Matthew and Gus got up at 6 am this morning so they could watch the Red Sox-Athletics game, which was played in Japan. Matsuzaka started, came out throwing 125 mph all over the place, but then settled down and the Red Sox eventually won.

Phillies open at home on Monday against the Nationals. After a shaky start, everything's suddenly come together (even Adam "Get's B" Eaton has pitched well!), so now we're back on track to win the division and go to the World Series. Maybe my friend Pat Burrell will be the annual MVP from the Phillies this year!

2.) Gus's community baseball team assignment came the other day. He's on THE RED SOX. Yes, the mighty GYAC Red Sox, along with four other kids from his class at school. The only thing better, of course, would be the mighty GYAC PHILLIES, but at least he's not on the GYAC Yankees.

3.) Happy Easter to all of you out there that celebrate. We do, in a mild, chocolate-eating, egg-dyeing way. Here is the master at work:

I took the plunge into another Selbuvotter project. This was my Valhalla, my ne plus ultra, otherwise known as Annemor #10. Allow me to digress a moment. Back in 1994, when the movie "Little Women" came out, I was absolutely mesmerized by a pair of gloves that Susan Sarandon wore in one scene, and I've obsessed about them ever since. Believe it or not, I found a picture of these gloves on the internet (and it wasn't even difficult - why would there be a picture of these gloves??) Anyway, here is Susan in her obsession-making gloves:

Ever since I saw these, I've sought high and low for a pattern that was similar, with no luck until the mighty Selbuvotter appeared. I remembered these as sort of generic Norwegian snowflake-patterned gloves, though now that I see the picture, it kind of cracks me up that they are almost nothing like I remembered. They actually resemble a more heavily-patterned Annemor #7 (this picture is from the book):

When I saw Annemor #10, they were the ones I thought were the closest to the Little Women gloves, so I decided to take the plunge and off I went. I still love this book A LOT, but there are many moments when the directions kind of fling you off a cliff and expect you to find your footing. As an experienced knitter I appreciate that faith, but there are some places where my intuition can't make the leap.

The charts for the fingers didn't match the pattern or the photograph of the finished glove. I had to appeal to another Annemor #10 veteran on Ravelry, Pam/aka Northstar, who very kindly and quickly emailed me back that she had cast on extra stitches to make it turn out okay. Which I did. Also, there was only one row of ribbing at the cuff, so of course it flipped up madly and I had to pick up stitches and knit a hem to make it lie flat. I like it hemmed better anyway, since it makes the glove more substantial and finished.

I finished one glove, and I love it more than anything I've ever knit. But I need to take a little break before plunging into the second one. It wasn't difficult, but it required a lot of mental exertion. Ta da!

2008-03-17T07:17:00.001-04:00

Ooooh, look what I pre-ordered from Amazon this morning:

We love Chris Coste. Remember this?

(OMG - Look how young my boy is!!!) Anyway, we like Chris Coste and would like to support him in all his endeavors.

Here is what I worked on yesterday, the 2nd Selbuvotter mitten (what a relief to be doing symmetric color work - so soothing, so predictable - makes me happy - plus 60-stitch rows are sooo short!!!), many rows completed during "Top Chef" debut last night:

Done and done.

I'm not a reality-tv watcher as a rule, but got caught up in this show last season, and this season a dear friend of mine worked as part of the crew, so I'm extra-interested!! I will badger her gently and mercilessly for all the inside gossip.

Yesterday, was the solemn and dignified Closing Ceremonies for GYAC Basketball. Here is Gus's team, the mighty 3-10 Pacers. What a bunch of good kids, and very good sports - they suffered a couple of knife-in-the-gut losses and bounced back cheerfully. (The hair on these kids cracks me up - none of them, including Gus, looks like they know what a comb is....)

Happy St Patrick's Day to you from the great-granddaughter of Himself - Kieran McCulkin. Don't drink too much green beer!

2008-03-12T07:22:00.002-04:00

I got the fever. Yeah, I can feel it coming on.... You know the symptoms: a listless feeling while contemplating your present projects, an unhealthy and speculative interest in what other people are knitting, the incipient rationalization of wanting to start a million new and different and shiny projects under the guise of "stash-busting".

I'm slogging through the Paisley Shawl from "Folk Style". Here is unhelpful progress shot:

I love the yarn (Berroco Ultra Alpaca) and I love the finished look (lots of nice flat stretches of stockinette interspersed with paisley yarnover blobs), but the knitting isn't fun. There's no rhythm to the yarnovers and I have to count the stockinette stitches on every row. I finally gave in and charted the last two charts on Excel, complete with stitch counts, but that's 10 lonnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg rows away. It makes me yearn for some delightful palate-cleansing Feather and Fan - you know, full of regular k2togs and yos.

My Landscape Shawl is growing, but it's so mindless it's almost like socks, so it doesn't count as a project. [hear the rationalization??]

I think I might finish (or actually start) the other Selbuvotter mitten. It would give me a new fussy project to start, but I actually would be finishing a project at the same time. I'm tricky!! [Update: yes I did start the second mitten yesterday, and it feels so good!]

In Phillies spring training news, Davey Lopes has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was diagnosed early and his outlook is good, but still very scary. I remember (said in creaky, old-coot voice) when he used to fly around the bases for the Dodgers in the 70s. Phillies baserunners had some insane base-stealing success rate (like 95%) last year because he was the first base coach. Let's send some good healing vibes out to him.

Likewise to the pitching staff, which seems to have gone into a collective swoon. Of course, they're just swooning now to engage my interest. Once the season starts, they will pitch brilliantly. Yes, say it with me. They....will....pitch....brilliantly.

2008-03-10T07:15:00.003-04:00

Today's post is about the wonder of the Internet. Sure you hear horror stories, but I'm going to share with you the story of an Internet experience that went wonderfully RIGHT.

Gus received a magic kit for Christmas and really enjoyed trying out tricks for us. So I thought for his birthday party, "I'll get a magician!" But of course, being a tiresome parent, I then thought, "who will teach them magic!" (because everything's got to be educational, right??)

Not knowing where to start, I googled "Philadelphia magician teach" and after checking out some not-so-great sites, came to the website of Magician Francis Menotti. He seemed to fit the bill, so I emailed him. He said teaching magic to kids at parties was something he did, we picked a date and that was that.

Well, weeks went by and I started to think, "Huh, it couldn't be that easy, could it?" On Saturday I found out - it was!

Magician Francis Menotti arrived promptly (in the middle of the crazy monsoon), and spent an hour and a half performing and teaching the kids some simple tricks. He told them how he learned tricks using simple items around the house, like rubber bands and crayons. He emphasized the importance of practice. He said that he got interested in magic by taking a book out of the library (obligatory parental swoon here from all the moms in attendance). And most importantly, the kids had a blast. Here they all are:

I cannot recommend Magician Francis Menotti highly enough. 'Nuff said.

Tomorrow, back to baseball and knitting.

2008-03-06T07:14:00.003-05:00

Hey, Cole, suck it up and pitch already! I feel so sorry for you that you're only making $500,000 in your second full year. And you're 22.

Baby.

I was flattened by the flu earlier this week and being confined to bed, finished "The Mauritius Command" in two days. I had to ask Dad to bring Book 5 today when he visits, though how I will explain that in my weakened state a book was easier to hold than the pieces of paper of his manuscript I do not know....

Now I will tell you the story of the Blessed Flu-Induced Contact Lens Miracle. Yesterday, since I had rejoined the ranks of the living and was going back to work I decided I would forego my glasses and look nice and put my contacts in. So I'm standing in the bathroom and I put my right contact in and it's kind of blurry. I put my left contact in and realize I can't really see. So I think, Huh, maybe they've lost their structural integrity [as they have not done in the previous 20 years that I've worn contacts??] So I break out a fresh pair. Then I put the right contact in and it's still blurry, so I think, Huh, I must have reversed them somehow... and switch them around. And it's still blurry. So I take them both out. So then I put the right one back in and it's still blurry and I think, Huh, the flu must have drained fluid out of my eyeball so that my contact doesn't fit anymore. [because that's what happens!] I'll have to call the eye doctor! So I take the contact out and look around and realize, Hey I can see really well! The flu must have altered the shape of my eyeball so that now I can see clearly!! And then I look closer in the mirror and realize that I already have a contact lens in my right eye. What?

The only thing I can figure is that I must have put it in when I got to the bathroom and then immediately forgot I had it in. Whoa..... That's a scary insight into how my mind is working!! (or not working, actually...)

2008-03-04T08:10:00.000-05:00

Who's a crazy sock knitter???

Apparently, I am. Mary decided to do a sock-themed window display this month. When all the socks were displayed, we realized that I had knit every one of them, except one (the rainbow-y one with the loopy top). Now that's CRAZY.

2008-03-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

Birthday Boy!

An auspicious date.

He is eight.

He is great.

xxxooo, my Gussie.

'Nuff said.

2008-02-28T18:56:00.005-05:00

Sing along with me.... "It's the MOST cupcake-filled time of the year!!"

Yep, it's that time of year, when Team Momogus gears up for the 3-consecutive-day-[except for leap year]-birthday-celebration! First, my niece Grace turns 3 today, my nephew Charlie turns 6 on Saturday, and my boy turns EIGHT on Sunday. Phew. Plus Gus has an unrelated birthday party to attend on Saturday. I went to Target to buy birthday cards and gift bags and left $50 poorer. Even the checkout lady was like, "Wow, you have a lot of birthday stuff there!"

I also realized this morning that tomorrow would be the day that Gus would have cupcakes at school, so I made some this afternoon. Look how we decorated them!!!!

For those of you without 8-yr-olds, they're supposed to be Pokeballs, from Pokemon, comme ca:

Woo Hoo!!!

I finished "HMS Surprise" last night, but Dad brought the next one (Book 4) this morning so I'm okay. He also brought a reference book to all the terms in all the Patrick O'Brian books - GOLD!!! Dad brought me the manuscript of his next book to read and edit a week or so ago, but Aubrey and Maturin have interfered with my editing. I told Dad that at this rate, I'd be able to read his manuscript in 12 weeks, since I'm on a book-a-week pace, there are 15 books, and I've finished 3 of them. Ha ha, he laughed... It's funny, right, Dad? Right?

Phillies played their first spring-training game yesterday - Jamie Moyer pitched three scoreless innings. Yeah, baby.

2008-02-25T07:38:00.002-05:00

Time for another chapter of "Third Time's a Charm", the (seemingly) never-ending saga of my quest to satisfy my Landscape Shawl yearning.

You may remember this, though your mind (like mine) may recoil at the memory:

This was my first attempt at a new Landscape Shawl, made with the butt-ugliest color of Kureyon sock yarn ever seen. I gave up after I saw bright turquoise and grey coming up next.

Then I cast on this:

This is sock yarn that I had stared at abstractedly for months since it was on the shelf across from the counter at work. I think it's Trekking, but I've lost the ballband. The colors, caramel with bits of green and rosy pink, seemed warm and inviting and not as yechhy as the Kureyon. But, as often happens, once I started to knit it up, everything got muddy and unappealing.

Then on Friday a shipment of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn arrived at the store. And because I don't have any yarn at all at home HA HA I purchased some, and cast on once again.

Now we're talking! I'm foregoing the picots, which I have always been a little ambivalent about. They're kind of a signature for the Landscape Shawl, but they're also a pain in the butt, and I also honestly like the look of the shawl better without them. So there you are. More than you ever wanted to know about my recent Landscape Shawl history.

Shall we switch gears? In unrelated Phillies news, Ryan Howard beat the Phillies for the first time in arbitration. The team should have just have given him the extra ding-dang $3 million in the first place. Brad Lidge hurt his knee yesterday - uh oh. Cross yer fingers that it's not serious.*

I finished "Post Captain" and am now reading "HMS Surprise". Dad told me that this was his favorite, which I found a little demoralizing since there are like 20 books after this. But perhaps my experience will be different from his. I liked "Post Captain" because there was a lot of girly-romancey stuff; this book is a lot saltier - there's torture and scurvy and squalls - and the ladies are 12,000 miles away. But it's still immensely enjoyable. Patrick O'Brian rules!

*Hey! - I thought I told you to cross your fingers! Lidge has to have surgery and is out till May. Of course. He's thrown ONE PITCH as a Phillie - we're in Garcia/Tartabull territory here, folks.

2008-02-22T09:04:00.002-05:00

SNOW DAY!!!! YIPPEEE!!!!

Somebody knows how to do a snow day right - he "suggested" pancakes as a special Snow Day breakfast (I obliged), then put on nearly every piece of clothing he owns, went out, made a snow angel, brushed off both cars, shoveled the sidewalk, threw some snowballs at the trees, built a snowman, then came in, put on warm comfy clothes, "suggested" hot chocolate, and then settled in front of the tv to take in some cartoons.

Yeah, snow day.....

2008-02-20T06:52:00.002-05:00

So here's what's new around here:

1. Hello!

Is it a desperate blogging tactic to post pictures of appliances? This was pretty earthshaking stuff around here. Our old refrigerator was 35 years old - it was Harvest Gold. The model name was, I kid you not, FOOD-A-RAMA!!!! Yippeee! Despite its groovy name, it had some unfortunate characteristics that I won't spoil your breakfast with. So for Matthew's birthday I gathered up my pennies, hiked on over to Gerhard's and purchased this big beauty. It was quite an endeavor to get it in. To get the old behemoth out, the two delivery guys had to take its doors off and also remove our back door! The Food-A-Rama must have weighed 1800 pounds, but the guys remained cheerful and funny throughout. This new fridge makes ice (what? when did they invent that??) and has ice and water on the door. We are speechless at the luxury of it all. I figured if we're only going to get a new fridge once every 35 years, we might as well go all out.

2. While poking around Ravelry the other day (which is what I do with about 85% of my spare time), I saw that dear Stuntmother had queued The Inga Hat. I was so knocked over by its mighty beauty that I immediately cast on and knit it all Monday and yesterday (Gus had off so I had some leisure time while we lolled around and watched tv). Here it is:

It's a pretty gorgeous pattern, but this hat (knit to gauge, folks!!) was HUGE. Even on my gigantic noggin, it came down to my nose. I've seen modifications, but they entail losing half of the pattern. I'd dearly love to make it again, but I'll have to knock it down to fingering weight.

3. I am halfway through "Post Captain". Unlike "Master and Commander" a lot of this book takes place on land and concerns Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin jockeying for the affections of the same woman. Bonus! I thought it would all be quarterdecks and topgallants, so this excursion into Jane Austen territory is quite pleasing. Dad has already dropped off his copy of Book 3, so I am set.

4. The Phillies are happily ensconced in Clearwater. How dreamy to read all the articles and see all the baseball news stories. What a nice time of year.......sigh......

Hallelujah!

2008-02-14T10:50:00.002-05:00

It's Valentine's Day. The Dark Time is officially over. Pitchers and catchers report today. Celebrate the love.