A life fulfilled

Sorry to be a downer today, but I just want to write a little about a man who passed from this life early this morning. His name is Dewey, and he was a friend of my parents and the father of one of my brother's friends. I used to go over to their house and his son, Eddie, would let me play this really early computer game of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was all text based and very nerdy and mind-blowingly cool at the time. I remember they also put in a pool one year, and they were the only family I knew with a pool. Dewey was a kind and gracious man. He was a dear friend to my father, even when they butted heads while playing Phase 10. Not too long ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer, and the disease progressed rapidly. He was moved to hospice about two weeks ago, where he was able to get up and down, talk, joke, eat, and enjoy his final days with his family up until earlier this week when he seemed to enter a twilight from which he never emerged. His son (who everyone calls Dewey now but who will always be Eddie to me) has been keeping everyone updated on his blog. I was stunned when this morning's message, entitled "newcomer," was actually announcing that he had passed early this morning. The title refers to the family's very strong faith that Dewey is now in a paradise called Heaven. I haven't yet reached my mom and dad to speak to them about it--I imagine they're with Dewey's wife, Judy, and I'd rather not interrupt them on the cell. But I know they are all grieving this morning, and I am with them in spirit. All my love and warmest sympathy go out to Judy, Eddie, Cindy, the grandkids, and all the brothers and sisters Dewey left behind.

And then, the quiet

Yesterday was pretty hectic but good; the pool is sparkling clean and it took a fraction of the time of past years because we had such a good cover. I did go ahead and buy that automatic vacuumer, but I hand-cleaned it the first time just to be sure all the nooks and crannies were done. Seriously, in past years I've scooped leaves for days and days and days because of that darn tarp. This year I was done with the cleaning and ready to balance the chemicals in about a hour. I could have leaped for joy. Instead I bought a vacuum, which was just as fun. The kids were chomping at the bit to get in, so I said sure. Heh. I knew that water was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Rebecca made it in up to her ankles before giving up. Ben never even got out the door in his suit. Hopefully the sun will warm it up a bit before tomorrow, and if nothing else we'll make the kids run around and get really hot so the cold water will feel good. We also went to Old Bethpage, the historic recreation of a Long Island village, where they had their "Sheep to Shawl" festival. We watched a woman shear a sheep with clippers. A little boy next to me kept yelling (really loud!) "Dat hurt! Dat hurt!" His mom gave up trying to convince him that it didn't. Rebecca got to card some wool and I got a small bit of handspun. It might be enough to make a little Webkinz scarf, if I can untangle it first. And today...ah. Quiet. DH took the kids into Manhattan where a historian is giving a walk/talk for children about Jews in New York. They're meeting some friends from camp, and my mother-in-law, so I opted to stay home and clean and shop for tomorrow's party. I've taken a couple of internet breaks as well, lol. I guess I better gather up my list and head out for groceries. This family likes to eat, so no skimping.

Let the screaming begin

Our first fight over the Wii. Don't you just love school holidays? Yeah, me neither. I'm up here perusing my Ravelry forums when all of a sudden I hear the patented Boy Screech from downstairs. When I get downstairs the explanations begin before I even say a word. Rebecca actually has the nerve to say to me (remember, she's 9 and Ben is 6): "He's making me play when I don't want to anymore!" Really. Based on past behavior, I'm guessing it was his turn to be player 1 and she quit playing because she had to be player 2. Can you believe it, a petty nine year old? They're currently serving out their 1/2 hour sentences in their respective rooms. Rebecca doesn't care; she loves to lie in bed and read. I'll never figure out where she got that. Ben reads too, but he spreads out in the floor. They have to learn now, though, that if the game is a problem there will be no game. Darn it, that commercial said it was going to bring my family together, and we're going to get some togetherness if it kills me!! Quick review: Wii Fit completely and totally rocks. It has a little humor, a little attitude, and a lot of energy. I did the basic hula hoop routine about 4 times in a row and broke a sweat. When I unlocked the advanced hula hoop I did it once and had sweat dripping. Now, I'm overweight so I could run to the mailbox and break a sweat. But at least I know I can get my heart pumping with this thing. Ben discovered the running games yesterday and played them pretty much non-stop until I made him quit to eat. I think he collapsed at bedtime. When I went in to check on him before I went to bed, his little feet were still moving, like a dog will do when he's dreaming about chasing rabbits. Rebecca enjoys the balance games, particularly the tightrope walk. Today's agenda: take the kids to the park with some neighbor friends, maybe hit Friendly's for some lunch, and make a library run. This weekend I hope to go to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration where they're having a "Sheep to Shawl" festival. I'd love to see them spin the wool into yarn. Still lots of prep before we can have the family over for our annual Memorial Day barbeque. (Can I call it annual if this is only the second year?) Great Friday, everyone.

Will Wii or Won't Wii...?

Get a Wii Fit today, that is? See, I got a Wii for Mother's Day. Yeah. A Wii. I've had to share it, naturally. But the reason "I" got a Wii for Mother's Day was that I heard about the Wii Fit game coming out and wanted it. On Mother's Day night I went online to see if I could preorder a copy and nobody had it. Nobody. So I went to Target and asked them if they were going to have any. The lady in the electronics department told me they had 80 of them in the back but they couldn't put them out until Sunday. So on Sunday I got up at 7:00, grabbed a cup of coffee and drove over to Target to wait until they opened at 8:00. Walked in and learned that the Wii Fit would not be out until Wednesday (that would be today). The woman I spoke to earlier thought I was talking about the console, not the Fit game. So I was sad, and weirdly enough that sadness has been following me around ever since. My darling husband told me that he would take Rebecca to school for her early orchestra practice this morning and then run over to Target to see if he could get one. **pause to answer the phone** Well that's pretty funny. I was just about to write that I didn't think he would be able to get one, that I would have to wait for a couple more weeks before I could play this game. That my blue funk (or is it a brown study?) would be hanging over my head for even longer. And then the phone rang. It was my dear, darling, precious, wonderful husband saying he got the game. He said they have about 100, and there were two people ahead of him in line. That completely changes the tone of my entire day. I'm so happy and excited now! And you got to experience it as it happened. Lucky, lucky blog readers. So now I can stop obsessing about that damn game and get back to knitting. I'm currently knitting a Charm Shrug for my daughter in a lovely red/pink tweed yarn. Here's what it will look like, only in a different yarn natch. So far I have the fronts and back done, and they're attached at the shoulders. I picked up stitches around one side and have done about 2 inches of the first sleeve. It's going fairly quickly and I'm enjoying this new method of construction--I never did a three-needle bind off before and I love the way it looks. Well, I'm off to imagine how much fun the Wii Fit will be and how svelte and sexy it's going to make me look. :eyeroll:

Can we call this a trend?

For two Mondays running, I've cleaned the house. I mean really cleaned it well, top to bottom (except for the basement). Today it took me until just after noon, but I got it done. I was going to make a cake for dessert after dinner but I'm just too darn pooped. Tomorrow I'll get down there and clean the basement. Some of the soot and stuff drifted into the finished area, so I really need to give it a good vacuum and wipe-down. The kids have been coming up from playing down there with black on the bottoms of their socks. Tomorrow: basement and cake! Very good combination. Do you ever have neighbors who get a big pile of mulch and then take forever to get it laid down? That would be us this year. We're doing it ourselves, and weekends have been so busy that we just haven't gotten it finished. The worst part is that it's been raining so much, and when we DO have time the mulch is soaking wet (or it's actively raining). The rain is giving me major weed problems too. We only have one section hasn't been covered with landscaping fabric underneath the mulch, and that's the biggest problem area. Next year that section is getting fabric too, otherwise I'm going to lose it. Good news: the pool is open! I was so surprised to see how clear it was underneath the new cover. Up until last year we only had a tarp over it, held down around the edges by long tubs filled with water. Inevitably, the water would evaporate and the tubs would fall it, causing the edges of the tarp to fall in and all the leaves to dump into the water. We couldn't even replenish the water in the tubs because the sprinklers and hoses had been winterized. Last year we broke down and got a Loop Lock cover, and I'm so glad we did. The only other thing on my pool wish list is one of those automatic vacuumers so I don't have to go out there and do it manually. It's one big pain. Or I'm just lazy. A bit of both. I hope we'll be able to have the family over on Memorial Day for a swim and a barbecue.

A few photos

So I promised you oil burner photos. Here we go. This is the workshop area with the old burner. You can see why we referred to it as "The Dinosaur"...it was both huge and old. Here is Mr. Ben waving it a fond farewell: And taDAH!!! Here is the new, more efficient burner. You can see the old oil marks in the floor to show you where the old burner came out to, compared to the new one which virtually hugs the wall. When DH came home, I could see his mind immediately begin to calculate which new tools he needs to fill in the space. And just because: Finally, here is the cabinet I just put together this afternoon. The middle is "regular" yarn and the bottom is sock yarn. You can see if my regular yarn collection grows any further, I'm going to have to start smooshing the sock yarn. Or using it up faster, one or the other. Today was graduation from the Jewish Cultural School or "schule" that my kids attend on Saturdays. My kids are both in the youngest class, so their part of the program was to do two traditional dances. I didn't have my camera (BAD MOMMY) but my husband got a few on his camera phone. I'll share if he ever sends them to me. Great weekend, everybody.

I survived!

I made it through this stupidly crazy day. The new oil burner is installed and it's so cool. But it took the entire day. And the house smells TERRIBLE. There was a lot of dust and oil and oily dust, and they threw that stuff down to soak up the oil that they use to clean up vomit in elementary schools? I was getting crazy flashbacks. Then I started getting lightheaded and went down to tell the installers that I was having trouble with the fumes and they said it was because they were using an acetylene (sp?) torch to weld. It was nice to put up the umbrella on the patio table and sit outside and read though. I'll post some "before and after" photos tomorrow. The sprinklers...oy, don't get me started on the sprinklers. All the plumbing stuff is sticking up out of the ground on the side of the house and every year something else has broken to the tune of four hundred bucks. I think the guy finally convinced DH this year that he needs to let them bury the plumbing to protect it. And the dog training course was really, really good. I don't know if I mentioned last winter, I took Seeger to a puppy kindergarten that a neighbor recommended. Well I don't know if they had a new teacher or what, but she was awful. Totally the Nazi Trainer from Hell. This class, recommended by a different neighbor, was the complete opposite. Everyone was very nice, the teacher was extremely patient and corrected our problems very kindly. And she customized the class for the owners of the younger dogs so that they didn't get too tired out. Seeger was, naturally, the head of the class. He's just so regal looking, he always looks very elegant in a sit. He heeled like a champ. He's passed out now, so I know he worked hard. I'm very proud of him. Tomorrow, pull out the checkbook again. The guys are coming to open the pool. Maybe it will be clear enough and warm enough to swim over Memorial Day. Well, if I can drag the remote away from DH and get him to turn off the darn Mets game, I'm going to watch the Office season finale.

Thanks for your "support"

Thanks to Linda, Melanie, and Chris for supporting my decision to try and curb my sock yarn purchasing, by telling me I needed to keep buying sock yarn. With friends like these...! Actually, what I did was go out and buy a nice cabinet to use for yarn storage. My plan is to use one shelf for knitting books and a cup with needles, one shelf for sock yarn, one shelf for non-sock yarn, and the cabinet for things that don't look so purty on the shelves. The sad part is that once I get all my yarn on the shelves, I'll probably notice that there are a few empty spots needing to be filled and go on a shopping spree. I do, actually, need to buy the yarn for this sweater, which I'm going to make for DH: Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. Early chorus practice for Rebecca, the guys are coming to replace our old oil burner, the guys are coming to turn on our sprinkler system, I have to be at school to go to book fair at 9:20, Rebecca has to stay late for art club, and I have my first obedience class with Seeger. Phew! If you see me tomorrow, I may be a blur!

Book Fair

I don't know why I let myself in for these things. I hate the fundraisers that they have at the school, not because I don't want to contribute but because they always seem to put such a breach between the "haves" and the "have nots" of the community. Seeing a small child walking around with hands in pockets and tears in eyes, knowing he can't buy a book from the book fair because his parents couldn't afford it, just breaks my heart. And yet I continue to support the sales by showing up and giving my kids money to buy things. I say, "The money is going to a good cause." And yet I know the sadness these less privileged kids must be feeling. And then there are the kids whose parents would have sent money but simply forgot. They make me want to cry, they look so sad standing there. Now I'll grant you, when I'm working at the book fair, like today, the kids with no money seem to be the ones who ask me the prices on eleventy-million items. Then they want me to add it up in my head. Didn't you just come from math class, kid? Figure it out. You don't have any money? Then why do you CARE how much it costs? Criminy. Anyway, I do like this particular book sale they have at the end of each year, because it's the half-off sale. Last year I got "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" for half price, and this year it won the Caldecott Award. How forward-thinking of me, yes? This year I got another cool-looking book for Rebecca and a half-priced I Spy game for the DS for Ben. Come on, could I turn down half price? It would be foolish. I think it's time I admitted I have a problem. Yes, I'm going to come forward and be honest right here, right now. I have a problem...with sock yarn. This is my current stash: This is enough yarn to make 23 pairs of adult-sized socks. I don't think I even own 23 pairs of Target socks. So on this, my road to recovery, I take my first step by admitting that I have a problem with sock yarn. And in taking this first step, I think to myself, "Wow, walking this difficult path would be a lot easier if I had a nice cushy pair of handknitted socks on. I wonder what new colors they have in at the local yarn shop." Someone, send help.

Quick project

After I've done a couple of major projects (well, some people don't consider socks major but we'll ignore them) I like to do something quick and easy. Yesterday I made a mug cozy or mug sweater in about 3 hours. And it only took that long because I was having to adjust the pattern on the fly to fit my particular mug. I had to start over once and rip back rows a couple of times. The mug came from Target, and they had several different colors when I was there for about $4 each. The yarn is from AC Moore and wasn't expensive at all. So with a small investment of time and not very much money, you can have a very cute gift for teachers or coaches at the end of the year. Stuff the mug with tea bags, Hershey kisses, or pencils and erasers. I can attest that the mug sweater does help keep the beverage warm a bit longer!

My first pattern

Don't ask me what the heck I think I'm up to. I'm completely ignoring my entire to-do list today because I actually :gasp: made up my own pattern for a pair of socks for my daughter. And not because I think I have anything like a designer hiding inside, but only because I know how hard it is to find tween patterns for anything out there, I made the effort of writing down what I did and presenting it to you. So if you need to make some cutesy socks that knit up pretty fast, please feel free to take the pattern! All I ask is that you don't share the pattern but direct friends here to get it themselves, and don't sell anything you make from it. It's also available via Google Documents, HERE. Diamond Valentine Socks by CindyS Visit my blog! These girly and lacy socks were designed for my nine-year-old daughter. Please note that the instructions are given for knitting the socks two-at-once, toe-up. There are several resources for learning to knit socks this way, but I highly recommend the tutorials at Come To Silver. If you have never knit this way before, I suggest doing a small practice sock first, or simply adjust the pattern to work with your sock-knitting method. Materials 2 skeins Moda Dea Sassy Stripes (50 g/1.67 oz, 147 yds/135 m) or similar DK weight yarn One 40" circular needle, size 4 Yarn needle for weaving in ends Gauge 21 stitches per 4 inches in stockinette Sizing These socks fit my 9 year old daughter a bit loosely, and she wears a size 4 shoe. They are stretchy enough that they almost fit me, a woman's large, so they are pretty adaptable as far as size goes. They are easily adjusted for a larger foot by increasing the number of cast-on stitches as well as the number of knit and/or purl stitches on either side of the center motif. Adjust foot length accordingly. Cast On Using Judy Becker's Magic Cast-On, cast on 8 stitches per needle for sock A. Slide the cast-on stitches to the cable and cast on 8 stitches per needle a second time for sock B. Begin by knitting around all stitches one round. Mark the instep of sock A with a stitch marker to help you keep your place. If you have cast on correctly, you should be knitting the instep of sock A, followed by the instep of sock B, then the sole of sock B, and lastly the sole of sock A. This brings you back to the marker. Toe Increases On the instep of sock A, knit into the front and back of the first stitch. Knit to the second-to-last stitch, knit into the front and back. Knit into the final stitch. Repeat for the instep of sock B, repeat for soles of socks B and A. Knit one round even. Continue increasing every other row until you have 48 stitches per sock (24 on the instep and 24 on the sole of each sock). The toe should be approximately 2 inches long. Foot Setup round: P24 for insteps of sock A and B, K24 for soles of sock B and A. Below is the stitch pattern for the instep of each sock. Follow the pattern for the instep of sock A, repeat for the instep of sock B. Then KNIT across the sole of sock B, and knit across the sole of sock A. Row 1: K5, P2, K2, K2tog, yo, K2tog but do not remove stitch from left needle, K into first stitch again and slip both stitches off, yo, skp (slip one stitch purlwise, knit the next stitch, the pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch), K2, P2, K5. Row 2: K5, P2, K10, P2, K5 Row 3: K5, P2, K1, K2tog, yo, K4, yo, skp, K1, P2, K5 Row 4: K5, P2, K10, P2, K5 Row 5: K5, P2, K2tog, yo, K1, K2tog, yo TWICE, skp, K1, yo, skp, P2, K5 Row 6: K5, P6, K1, P7, K5 Row 7: K5, P2, K2, yo, skp, K2, K2tog, yo, K2, P2, K5 Row 8: K5, P2, K10, P2, K5 Row 9: K5, P2, K3, yo, skp, K2tog, yo, K3, P2, K5 Row 10: K5, P2, K10, P2, K5 Repeat these 10 rows 3 times, to a length of about 5 3/4 inches. IMPORTANT!!!! On your final repeat of the pattern you must STOP after knitting the last row on the instep of sock B. Beginning with this last section of sole stitches we will turn the heel. Heel You can use whatever method you prefer for the heel, but for my sample sock I used the method from Cat Bordhi's YouTube videos which can be found HERE and HERE. Knit to the next-to-last stitch on the sole of sock B. Wrap, and turn. Purl to the next to last stitch, wrap, and turn. (You may find it helpful to place a stitch marker after each wrapped stitch, so you don't accidentally wrap the same stitch multiple times.) Knit to three stitches before end of row. (This will be the stitch before the one you wrapped.) Wrap and turn. Purl to three stitches before end of row. Wrap and turn. Continue in this manner, knitting or purling to the last stitch before a wrapped stitch, wrap the unwrapped stitch, and turn. Do this until you have 8 wrapped stitches on either side and 8 unwrapped stitches in the center. Knit across to the first wrapped stitch. Knit the wrap together with the stitch by lifting the wrap over the stitch and knitting the two together (seriously, watch the videos linked above). Repeat 6 times until there is one wrapped and one unwrapped stitch left. DO NOT PURL BACK UNTIL ALL WRAPPED STITCHES ARE KNIT. When you reach the last wrapped stitch, lift the wrap over it then knit these two stitches together with the final stitch on the row (which was unwrapped). Turn. Purl across to the first wrapped stitch. Purl the wrap together with the stitch by lifting the wrap over the stitch from the knit side and purling the two together. Again, watching those videos will make this so much clearer. Repeat 6 times until there is one wrapped and one unwrapped stitch left. DO NOT KNIT BACK UNTIL ALL WRAPPED STITCHES ARE KNIT. When you reach the last wrapped stitch, lift the wrap over it then purl these two stitches together with the final stitch on the row (which was unwrapped). Turn. Now, each sock has 24 stitches on the instep and 22 stitches on the heel. As we go around to begin the leg, we will add those missing stitches back in. Knit across all sole stitches of sock B. At the end of the row, M1 by picking up the bar between the stitches of the row below. This helps close any holes between the heel and the foot, as well as making up for the decreases we did at the end of the heel. Now switch over to sock A and turn the heel as outlined above. Don't forget to knit back across after the final purl row, and M1 at the end of that knit row. Leg You are now ready to begin the legs of the socks. Because you stopped on row 10 when you began turning the heel, you simply need to begin the stitch pattern from row 1 on the sock insteps. Knit Row 1 across sock A, and again across sock B. At the beginning of the back/heel stitches of sock B, M1 again to make up for the second decreased stitch we made on the sock. Knit across sock B. When you begin the back/heel stitches of sock A, M1 there as well. We are now back to having 24 stitches on the instep and 24 stitches on the back/heel of the sock. Continue knitting the pattern stitch across the insteps and knitting across the back of the leg. Alternately, you can begin to knit the pattern stitch across the back of the leg at this point if you wish. Knit until the leg is the length you like. Cuff To make the purl stitches of this K2P2 ribbing line up with the purls in the pattern, knit your cuff as follows: K1, *P2, K2* repeat between the * 5 times, P2, K1 Repeat this pattern on each needle until cuff is about 1 inch. Bind off and weave in ends. Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary to me!

I just noticed in my sidebar that I've been blogging here at Simon Says Scrap for 2 years now. I did have another blog before, which was supposed to be my "personal" blog while this one was for my digital scrapbooking design business. But the design thing kinda petered out after a while, and this is the only place I ever blog/journal/unload anymore. I still only have about five readers, but that's okay. I guess I don't really want my private stuff all over the internet anyway, and it's not all that interesting to begin with. But just a little "thank you" to all of you who do check in with me from time to time. Thanks for listening and responding, and for helping me feel like there are a few witnesses to my life...that it will not pass completely unremarked. Hugs all round.

Sickness

I just can't seem to get rid of this nasty sinus thing that's wrapped me in its clutches. On the positive side, I don't cough nearly as much during the day as I had been. I can breathe through my nose and I can taste again. On the negative side, I seem to cough all damn night and I can't get a decent night's sleep. I keep DH awake as well, so I move to the couch and then stay awake for the rest of the night. Also, my ears are stuffed with cotton. The Tylenol Sinus medicine is helping, but I really wish I didn't feel like my head was underwater. On the agenda for later today: NAP. A few overdue knitting project photos for you. First, the adorable baby sweater with matching boo-tays. Next, some socks that have been done for about a month now. I ordered the yarn custom dyed in Mets colors for my baseball crazy husband. He loves them, and they are VERY soft. And last, the socks I took on vacation with me to Niagara Falls are finished. Yay! They turned out very lovely if I do say so. Currently on the needles: the pattern called Eloise that came with my last shipment of the Chewy Spaghetti sock club. The yarn colors are unique, not my favorite, but the sock is knitting up nicely. Also on the needles are a pair for my daughter which are knitting up lickety split because I'm using a DK weight yarn on size 4 needles. This pair is my first "design" because I pulled a stitch pattern from a stitch dictionary to use running up the center of the sock. Other than that, it's a toe-up with a short row heel. Photos of that to come. Off to make tea, start laundry, and rest if I can.