PURL

One last photo of PURL from across the street. I had to scan this from a print from my film camera. See how small it is? Who would have believed it would be this small with such a huge web presence? Ahh... the power of the internet!

My Koigu

This is what I ended up with. I wish I would not have purchased this colorway. It was crowded, my husband was waiting, I was feeling rushed and I'm sorry I bought it. But in truth, there wasn't much to choose from.
















This is the view outside our window. The Empire State Building is so pretty at night with the red, white and blue lights they have on it. It was fun being "Village People" for a few days. Greenwich Village really is a neat place to hang out.

Purl Window Displays

Technical Difficulties

I swear the entire world is trying to frustrate me today. Not only is my digital camera broken, but blogger and photobucket are not cooperating either. I had to get my digital photos from a friend's computer because I have no power in my camera. It just stopped working. It was fine one minute and the dead the next. And, no, it isn't the batteries. I tried that. Anyhow I took a bunch of photos at Purl on Sullivan Street in NYC. Honestly it's a tiny hole in the wall. I was so shocked. It opened at noon and I got there around 12:15 and it was packed. I never did get any photos inside. There were two young girls working and one was assisting a customer with a pattern and the other one was at the cash register. I didn't get any warm fuzzy feeling in there. The yarns are arranged in bins without any signage of any sort. The space is so small that most of the yarn is up high, out of reach and you have no idea what it is, because there are no signs of any sort telling you what it is. You don't know brand, you don't know weight, you don't know anything. The koigu sock yarn selections was less than stellar. They had lots of solids but not too many multi-colored colorways. I don't know why I bought what I did. I think I couldn't find what I liked so I just felt I had to buy something. More to come later... as the computer allows. I tried to upload more photos but it wouldn't let me.

Branching Out - 15, Holly - 0

What did I say about not giving up??? Hmmn. I think I'm giving up. Lace. I SO want to knit lace! Why is it so difficult? I don't understand why I can do all the aran stuff and not lace.

In NYC news, it's supposed to be one of the coldest weekends so far... I believe they called it "arctic weather". Of course. Why not?

And after all the thought and deliberation on what to knit on the train, I decided on baby socks. I'm de-stashing and I'm going to knit as many little baby socks as I can. They go SO quickly. I'm having my own little train knitting olympics. I think I can get two pairs done. We will see.

Happy Weekend Knitting Everyone!!!!!!!!

ZYX Friday - Featuring the Letter "U"

U is for unicycle. When I was a child I went through a period of time where I wanted one of these in the WORST way. I begged for it. My mother was usually a pushover when it came to begging... within reason. She never gave in to this request though. Maybe it was because we were already on a first name basis with the nurses and staff at the local ER. One more visit and I'm sure we would have been invited to their company picnic. There isn't an extremity on my body that hasn't been stitched up at least twice. I guess she just wasn't into finding out how they would treat a cracked skull. Thank God my kids never asked me for something like this.

Interweave Knits

And yet another edition proving I made the right decision not to get a subscription. Boy oh boy. Nothing... well, mayb.... nope..... nada. Disappointing.

Crashed and Burned....

That's right. She can't.



This is the progress on the Branching Out scarf. Okay, the lack of progress. Non-existent progress. I bet I ripped it out 10 times last night. It doesn't matter what I do, I never have the correct number of stitches on the needle for the next row. I'm not giving up though. I love this yarn too much to give up. But believe me, if it weren't for the yarn, I'd be so totally OVER lace knitting.

In happier news, I did finish this except for the kitchener.



I guess I will work on the second sock tomorrow on the train. I can do that and talk. And maybe even chew gum. If I'm lucky.

So. Much. Knitting

I came home from work yesterday totally exhausted and thinking I'd go to bed super early. Instead I knit until midnight which is totally unheard of for me. I don't know what got into me. I finished the pieces for Kepler, put a few inches on the sleeve of the baby sweater, and started this:



Knitty's Branching Out scarf. Using this:



Natasha sent me this gorgeous lace weight mohairy goodness in the Pittsburgh Secret Pal exchange. I just love the colors.

I have to say that I really have a love/hate relationship with lace. I tore the scarf out 3 times after trying to knit it from the chart. Then, this morning, in a move that defies all logic and daily routine, I picked it back up again and began knitting from the written directions and had no trouble at all. Having said that, I can tell you without hesitation that I would have had trouble with that too if the lace pattern wasn't worked over just 19 stitches. I just can't keep track when the row is much longer than that. I am constantly losing my place with lace knitting. But because this is so short, I can do it. And it got so addictive this morning that I ended up late for work. (I think when your addictions start messing with your work it's time for help and intervention :-)

I also noticed working with this lace that I think I need better needles. Ones with pointier (is that a word?) tips. It's difficult to get these blunt needles under the stitches for the ssk's. I don't know enough about needles to know what to look for to improve the situation. Sounds like a trip to the LYS to me.

Also, I just want everyone to know that I love the feel of the Valentine's Day socks when I wear them. They were done in Paton's Kroy sock yarn. There is something different about this yarn. I don't know how to describe it other than to say it's "springy" and just feels good. Maybe it's just the difference in the 4 ply vs. fingering weight. I don't know but I love them. More Paton's Kroy for me.

Random Stuff

I just posted a really long post and blogger ate it. Seriously. Here one minute, gone the next.

I don't have the patience to do it again. So I'll leave you with this.

My nephew posted it on our family blog today in honor of our family's recent population explosion. Enjoy. It will make you smile... and I mean REALLY smile.

baby - babies.wmv @ ZippyVideos.com - Free Video Webhosting

Lots of work, lots of knitting....

It was a good weekend... kids were home... lots of knitting got accomplished and I worked quite a bit. So it was busy and enjoyable. I'm definitely on the home stretch with Kepler. I have the back almost finished so from here on, it's blocking and finishing. I'll definitely have it finished in time for the shower... now if it just actually FITS me, everything will be cool.

I got a sock almost finished as well. Gotta knit socks.

As I sit here typing, my little grand nephew is being born by C-section in London. My niece's water broke Friday and they don't admit you to the hospital automatically when that happens there unless you go into labor right away which she didn't. So, she went into the hospital at 3:00am yesterday (our time) and has been in labor ever since.... I can't imagine. So they finally decided to call a doctor (midwives do everything in England) and deliver by c-section. Poor girl. If they don't do something about soaring health costs here, this is what we have to look forward to in the future as well. (man... I can't stay off the soap box these days!) I'm a wreck sitting here waiting to find out if everything is okay.

My daughter and son-in-law found a house that they like here over the weekend and they had over 30 couples at their Open House in Delaware. So things are moving right along with that situation.

So it's New York on Friday. I've decided to conquer the subway system on this trip. My husband is less than enthusiastic about that idea. Where is his sense of adventure???

Edited 12:10pm - mother and baby fine! Phew!

Oh. Wow.... Gotta do it

MagKnits, your friendly online knitting magazine

This is so me....

Stolen from Natasha

Your Candy Heart Says "My Way"

You love to be in love, as long as it means being showered with attention.And no need for you to give anything in return - being with you is gift enough. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a first class trip to Hawaii Your flirting style: witty and showy What turns you off: having to "chase" someone Why you're hot: you're more confident (and arrogant) than a rock star!

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Holy Cow! Is this me? Hawaii? I don't think so. Send me to the romantic city of Florence. And I have never felt the need to be showered with attention. Being with me is gift enough? Geesh! Why am I even posting this thing??? I guess because I think it's funny.

ZYX FRIDAY - Featuring the letter "V"

V is for Victoria's House of Needleart. This is my LYS. Carla has a nice selection of yarns for knitters and crocheters as well as lots of stuff for needlepoint, cross stitch, and other needle arts. And another great thing is that it's located next to the Meadows Frozen Custard stand so you can feed two addictions with one stop! So, if you're ever visiting Blair County, stop and say hi to Carla and tell her I sent you. Victoria's House of Needleart

In knitting news, there is none. As usual. I'm beginning to think I'm not going to be able to knit until I get on the train for New York next Friday. Life around here is hectic these days.

I don't know what the weather is in your neck of the woods but I think we're going to blow away here. I've never heard the wind like it is today. It actually sounds scary. And tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same .. only... instead of 53 degrees it will be in the teens. Oh joy. I'm showing 8 houses tomorrow in that. Why couldn't it have been yesterday? No one in Central Pennsylvania should have had to go back to work after lunch yesterday. They should have declared the afternoon a holiday with that gorgeous weather. Crazy wonderful for February. But I guess we'll pay for it tomorrow.
Happy Weekend Everyone!

Oh.. one more thing... I'm pretty sure I'm getting a new nephew in London today! The water broke! Yay! Georgio's on his way!

Withdrawal....

Once again, no knitting last night. I'm suffering withdrawal. Like I said before, thank goodness I didn't decide to compete in the Olympics!!!

I spent time with my parents last night and took my mother to Baskin & Robbins. Illness has not done anything at all to diminish her appetite for ice cream... fortunately. And, of course, I'm always looking for an excuse to partake as well. All coffee, all the time. (in the form of Jamoca Almond Fudge) Yum.

So, this morning, just to try to ease the withdrawal pains, I pulled Corie out of the bag just to look at her and I noticed something extremely disturbing. Something I didn't notice when I did it. Something I'm not going to bother correcting but I should. I'm going to think of it as my little signature on the piece. One day Corie can say... my ditsy aunt made this sweater and look what she did.... No. I know better than that. I think she'll realize that even the mistakes were made with love.

Happy Valentine's Day To Me

While at Sam's Club yesterday I walked past the DVD's and, low and behold, the one I've been wanting forever was sitting there right in front of me. My plan was to first read the book, then watch this old version, then watch the new version with Kiera Knightly. Turns out I started in the middle. I'm such a sucker for Colin Firth. What can I say? The guy does it for me. I watched this all evening while working on the second sleeve of Corie. (which is almost complete) I really wish I would have been able to read the book first because I think that's always the way to go. So, yes, that was my exciting Valentine's Day.

I'm going to climb up on the soap box now so if you want to head out before I begin rambling, now would be the time. I am not usually a political person. I tend to leave that up to the people who really pay attention. I normally concern myself with less important things. And I've noticed that the few political views I do have are not the views of most knitting bloggers I've read and continue to read. I still don't understand why all knit bloggers have cats and lean to the left. It's a mystery. Maybe what is bothering me today is more of a media problem than a political problem, I don't know, but if I hear one more word about the Cheney hunting accident and how the administration hid the facts from the American people I'm going to pop a vein. Let me see, as an American citizen, what adverse effect did not hearing about an accident until hours later have on me? Um, none. If terrorists strike somewhere here I want to hear it immediately. If Dick Cheney accidentally sprays someone with buckshot, I can pretty much assure you that I'll be ok hearing it whenever anyone feels like telling me. Why has this incident sparked such political discord? How did we get so messed up as a country and so full of disunity? If the political parties need to grab on to something as inconsequential as this and spend all this time and media coverage bashing each other over the heads about it then we're in big trouble. On the early show this morning they actually had a doctor on explaining the physiological mechanics of the victim's heart attack. Are you kidding me? I'm so concerned about this country and it's collective idea of what's important.

Ok, I'm going to get down now.

Sorry.

Oh, one more thing.... I WOULD have a cat if my son wasn't allergic.

The power of suggestion.....

This is a cream cheese chocolate chip cupcake. It appeared because I wished it. No kidding.

My sister was telling me the other day that I have to stop at the Magnolia Bakery in NYC next weekend and get one of their cupcakes. It's near the apartment. She said people stand in line for them. Ever since then, I have not been able to get cupcakes out of my mind. All day yesterday I was thinking... where can I get a good cupcake??? The supermarket ones are yucky and we don't really have a little bakery anywhere near here. I thought about actually baking them but I didn't have time. So I was pretty much convinced that I wasn't going to get a cupcake. That is until the nice girls at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage showed up here this morning with a little Valentines Day goodie basket. How did they know?? It's amazing.

Tomorrow I'm going to wish for about 350 yards of cashmere worsted weight.... preferably tan in color. I can't wait to see what happens!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I couldn't wear my valentine's day socks today because I had to get dressed up for appointments. That's a bummer.

I'm glad I did not join the knitting olympics. I haven't been able to pick up a knitting needle since Sunday afternoon and it's not looking good for tonight either. Work is crazy. I haven't even been able to stop to see my parents lately either and that always makes me feel really bad.

Catie is sick at school and they won't give her an antibiotic. It's been going on too long and it's stressing me out. I'm about ready to jump in the car and go get her. Grrrr.....

There better be some chocolate in my immediate future. I need it for the stress. :-)

Photoless Monday

I have nothing to show for it but a lot of knitting did get completed over the weekend. I finished the front of Kepler.... thought I was doing the back originally but it was actually the front. I put a couple inches on the baby sweater sleeve and got about 1/2 a sock finished. I knit so much my hand aches! I notice that my right hand aches when I do a lot of sock knitting. I wonder what's up with that. I think it's the way I hold those dp's.

It turns out that Purl is about a mile and a half from where we're staying in NYC. I thought it would be within walking distance but if it stays this cold, I'm not walking it. If they don't mind me taking photos in there... you'll get them!

Things are starting to hop again at work which is good. And on that note... I have to go write a contract. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be more interesting.

Knitting At Work

I must say this is a first. I am totally out of my routine here today. Since I am the broker's assistant, I usually train new agents. So today we have a new agent taking floor time for the first time so I am essentially "babysitting" here at the office today. I'm knitting socks and listening to XM Radio on AOL. I discovered "Relax Trax" on Lite Sounds.... awesome music... at least to me it is. I could really get into work if it was like this everyday!

I needed to start a pair of socks for the train trip to NYC. It's way too long in a train not to knit. I'm loving this colorway. It's a german superwash wool called Trekking (XXL). It's no different than knitting with Opal. Feels exactly the same.... maybe a tad softer.

I checked out "Purls" website today. They are in SoHo, not far from where I'm staying so I think I will have to hit that store while I'm there. I have never knit with Koigu so that is what I will buy there. We'll be staying in the West Village which is absolutely my favorite area of NYC. I love walking in the Village and around Washington Square. I may not even go to midtown! We'll probably check out Chinatown and Little Italy this time too.

I just got an email pushing great travel deals to Costa Rica. ????? Yeah, sign me up.

Actual Knitting Content

I picked up the stitches for the back of Kepler last night and made some progress while watching TV all evening. (I have to say that CSI was particularly gruesome last night which didn't make me happy) Anyhow, the stockinette is very welcome knitting at this point after all the intarsia and cableing I've been doing lately. I really enjoyed the simple knitting for a change. I just hope this thing fits me because I really like it.

Laurie G. sent me some good instructions for weaving in the ends as you knit with intarsia. Thanks Laurie! I'll put that to the test over the weekend hopefully. My son has promised to help me clean out our little spare room on the second floor tomorrow. I'm envisioning a little nursery there. We'll see. That room is the catch all and it's a total disaster.

Yes, this is new sock yarn and I know I said I wouldn't do it. It jumped off the shelf and into my hands at the LYS on Saturday. What could I do? I have to get a pair of socks on needles because I'm going into bad withdrawal. I took this photo 4 times with my "new" digital camera and this is the best I could get. So, hopefully, this weekend, I'm finally going to search for the box, software, and receipt and take this thing back to Circuit City. Of course I've been there and done that already with a printer and they told me I had to take it up with the manufacturer. I don't care. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my money back for this piece of junk. Don't buy a Fugi Finepix A345. I am SO disappointed with this thing.

In wine stain news, the stains did not come out of my pants (which were brand new) either. This is NOT good because I have to order my pants online (no one sells talls locally) and now I have to go through that all over again. I did use Oxy Clean on them. Those damn little grapes!!!!!!!! One of the girls I work with told me I should try to dye the aran sweater a dark maroon color and I thought that was a fantastic idea. Any suggestions about how I should do that? I've never dyed anything in my life.

ZYX FRIDAY - "W"

W is for WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY located in Chester County, Pennsylvania. My oldest daughter was an excellent student and could have gone anywhere... but the budget said "state school" so Pitt, Penn State and Indiana University of PA were right up there on the top of my list, all being somewhat close to home. My daughter decided on West Chester. West Chester is near Philadelphia and is nearly 4 hours away. And, why did she decide that, you ask, when a similar education was available 6 miles from our house? Well it was October when we first went to look at the college. The colorful leaves on the tree lined streets were gorgeous and the air was crisp and she said the picturesque campus looked and felt like she had always envisioned a college campus should look. It was like a movie set. It was perfect. Beautiful old ivy covered stone buildings everywhere... one after the other..... Yada, yada, yada. Right. Yeah. Uh huh. She actually thought I was going to buy that. Oh, don't get me wrong, all that is true.... but if you think that was really her reason for wanting to go there I have some land to sell you in Florida. Could the real reason have been that her boyfriend was 25 minutes from there at the University of Delaware? Oh yeah, you betcha. I had visions of them bringing each other's grades down, or worse....breaking up.... tearful phone calls, her being miserable so far from home, having to go through the hassle of transferring to a school closer to here, etc. etc. I did my best to talk her out of it. No go. Boy did she ever prove me wrong. Not only did they stay together, but he (being wonderful) provided her transportation to and from school and home for every holiday and weekend visit the whole time she was there. We never had to buy her a car. She ended up being awarded an academic scholarship that paid for her junior and senior year there (including room and board). The boyfriend is three years older than her, and when he graduated from UD, he enrolled in a three year graduate program there and stayed the entire time she was an undergrad at WCU. Upon graduation she was hired by the school district where she did her student teaching, he got a great job as a physical therapist, they got married, are expecting, finally moving home, and I'll never second guess any of her decisions again. West Chester University was good to us. And it really is a lovely campus. They are known for their great music program and their nationally recognized forensics program. Go Rams!
West Chester University of Pennsylvania

No Knitting News or Content

The needles got a rest last night. We went out to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. They are leaving in a few days for London for an entire month.... lucky them. Hopefully they will arrive in time for the birth of their third grandchild and stay a few weeks after to help out. Before we left the restaurant I managed to spill an entire glass of red wine on my white aran sweater that I bought in Ireland a few years ago. I'm sick about it. SICK. I took it to the cleaners and the counter person just gave me a sad look. CRAP.

So today I arranged for a realtor to meet with my daughter and son-in-law to get their house on the market. Hopefully it will sell quickly. Being pregnant, my daughter is so emotional. She had a little mini breakdown when it finally hit her that they were going to sell the house she loves and finally had decorated and fixed up just the way she wanted it. She will hate to leave that house. They worked hard to get it as cute as it is. Anyone in Wilmington, DE.... go check it out!!! It's in the Triangle Neighborhood.

Okay... so here's a little knitting content. Since I ruined my aran sweater, I think I'll scrap the "Rogue" idea and make an aran cardigan with my irish yarn. I'll get a lot more wear out of it than I would Rogue. I wear dress clothes 95% of the time including weekends anyway so Rogue would not have gotten much wear. Yep, that's what I'm going to do. So the hunt for a good aran cardigan pattern is on. Surely with all my aran books I'll be able to find something.

The good, the bad, and the stringy

Well I am already having an obscenely bad day at work and it's only 9:00AM. So... when the going gets tough, the tough get.... blogging. Ugh. (and I love this job why???)

So here is the scoop on intarsia and "manageable lengths". First, let me say that working with manageable lengths beats working with bobbins hands down. I would never have believed the loose lengths of yarn would not get all tangled up but they don't. It's great. It's so much quicker and easier. However, I must say that along with the good, there is usually some bad. And the bad in this case is lots and lots more ends to deal with. You can wind an awful lot of yarn on a bobbin and just keep plugging along with it. When using manageable lengths, it goes without saying that you have to use shorter pieces, thus creating a lot more ends to have to weave in when finished. So while you may certainly be saving time while knitting, you're going to pay for it in the end. See for yourself:















New Corie sleeve knit using manageable lengths. Looks good from the right side.
















New Corie sleeve from the wrong side.... whoa... lots of string!
















This is the wrong side of the first sleeve knit using bobbins. See the difference? Not many loose ends.

So the moral of the story is... intarsia is a pain in the butt no matter how you slice it. End of story.

There were only 4 of us at knitters night last night. Where was everyone??? And no Shelly so no spinning. :-( There's always next month I guess. Or bribing Nora with sushi. I like sushi.

Knitting Fever

It's all about Kepler right now. This is the second sleeve. I got home from work last night at 5:15pm and started knitting at 6:00pm. I quit at 11:30pm. Can that be good? If my kids played video games that long I'd be worried about them. Heck, I'm worried about ME! And tonight is knitting night so it's more of the same... only with people... so surely that's better. Right? Mix in a little socializing. Yeah. That's good. As for Kepler, I'm enjoying the yarn that Shelly made. There is something special about knitting with yarn that someone you know actually hand spun and dyed especially for you. You can find Shelly's yarns here:

Rose Garden Fibers

And speaking of spinning.... remember this? I took a half hour break on Kepler last night and got out the drop spindle and roving that Natasha sent me. (Pittsburgh Secret Pal exchange) Once again I sat with the book and tried to get the hang of it to no avail. So tonight I'm hoping that Shelly will show me some technique that I can use to at least get started so I can practice. I really don't see myself as getting too addicted to this particular craft (because, God forbid, it would take time away from my knitting and we can't have that) but I would like to be able to do it. I love playing with the fiber. I'm in total awe of Natasha's yarns. She is such an artist. Her color combinations knock my socks off.

Check. It. Out.

luxe's Etsy Shop - luxe.(handmade, hand dyed, homespun)

Finally.... One for the thumb!!

YAY Steelers!!! You've made my family very happy. Happy husband, happy kids. Life is good.

I finished an entire sleeve of Kepler during the game. As it turned out, we stayed home so the dilemma of whether to knit or not knit was not an issue. There are some minor issues with the Kepler pattern and I found the KAL posts and comments very helpful to get past the little glitches. It's one of those things where you think you know what she meant, but it's not written that way and then you have your doubts. I ended up not picking up the stitches on the band very evenly but I think I can fix it in the seaming. Tomorrow night is knitting guild so I think I can make some serious headway on sleeve # 2 then. I might just get this finished in time for the baby shower.

Winter is back in Central PA. I'm not a fan. This will slow business back down when it had just started to pick up. But, I do still have my high maintenance clients from Wilmington, DE on my tail everyday telling me that for all the commission they won't be paying me I better get off my butt and find them something NOW! This would be my daughter and son-in-law who have decided to move back home. Those two are going to keep me hoppin!

GAME DAY

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

"X" is for X-ray

When I was a freshman in college at Penn State, my brother graduated from Chiropractic school in Chicago. He set up shop in our home town and I worked for him in the evenings and on Saturdays during my spring semester. I worked for him all summer that first year too. Then, I loved it so much, and I was so afraid of the math classes that I had to take the next year, that I just dropped out and worked for him for the next 15 years. We started that business together and I was proud to work there. He is so good and so caring. He taught me to develop X-rays the old fashioned way in a dark room with smelly chemicals and a dark light. Our dark room was on the second floor of his old victorian office building and in the summer it had to be 105 degrees in there. The process took about 15 minutes in which time you were totally trapped because you couldn't open the door. I used to sit on the floor in that tiny space and wait for the timer to go off so I could open the door and escape the heat. That was total day-dreaming and meditation time because there was nothing else you could do. It was before husband, before kids, before being grown up. I remember it fondly.

STEELER FRIDAY

It's Steeler Friday in our office today. The wearing o'the black and gold is required. This is what I came up with last night. I thought about going and buying a jersey but I knew I'd never wear it again... so why? This can be my Steeler Sunday scarf from now on. I think I used size 13 needles (I didn't even look at them!) Basic drop stitch kind of thing... it was fun to make.

Here's a photo of the "cake" completely fininished. It cost $40.00 to make. The one for sale online was $100.00. Plus shipping of course. So, needless to say, we did ok.

Happy weekend everyone! GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!! (and pray for my kids if they lose :-)

Baking a Diaper Cake (Crafty Grandmas!)

First let me say... it's not as easy as it looks. I thought (wrongly) that the diapers would be arranged flat against each other somehow. That didn't work at all. It's obvious they have to be wrapped. So we wrapped them with scotch tape.That is the only way it worked.



Emily held them while I wired around them and then we wrapped the bow over the wire.





We had a lot of fun decorating.. I still need two yellow roses and the resin bees to complete it but it will look like this:





Not bad for a couple of old grandmas, huh??

Knitting Content ..... Nope!

Actually I did put a few rows on the second waist band of Kepler last night but that was it. I spent the evening working on putting a deal together on the property in Timbuktu (which my friend kindly pointed out to me is really a city in the West African nation of Mali) Smart _ _ _. Anyhow, it's terrible when you have to work instead of knit.

Tonight, my grandchild's other grandma is coming to help assemble the diaper cake for the shower. I will post photos when we're done. It should be fun. I ordered some little resin bumble bees for on it (the theme is bumble bees) but they haven't come yet. I guess they will have to be the finishing touch. This is the first grandchild for both of us so it's pretty exciting!

I went to preview a house that just came on the market for my daughter and son-in-law yesterday. I loved it. I hope it lasts long enough on the market for them to see it. It's so hard for them to get up here as busy as they are. Teaching these days is a 7 day a week job. She's really going to hate to leave those kids before the end of the year.

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!