What's this, am I first again?

You're right. It's unlikely that all of that ruination would befall a good person. You haven't been being secretly evil, have you?

Oh geez. And here I am de-stashing. And making excellent progress.

Sarah Etter

Am I really first?
I'm so sorry to hear about your 'soil stack' - my late husband was a plumbing contractor so I have a tiny inkling what that means - and I wish he had updated all our plumbing before he went away!
But I'm writing about the STASH. I'm thinking about investing the life insurance money he left me in very nice yarn. The value us not going to drop as fast as the value of a US dollar, is it?

Don't know how it works in Canada, but in the U.S., the cost to replace the bad pipe won't be covered by your insurance, but all the costs to access it & any ensuing water damage caused by the leak IS covered. If you haven't yet, call your insurer. Take pictures of the damage & holes made to access the pipe. I used to be a property claims examiner for an insurance company & this (again, here in the U.S.) is routine loss & covered all the time. Good Luck!

"value is" - not "value us"

Oh, my gosh! Here's hoping you're using up all of 2009's bad luck in the first few days of the year. Plumbing problems are invariably scary; I do hope you have a plumber you trust to tell you the truth, good or bad.

I'm glad to hear the stash is proving its worth, however. It's amazing, isn't it, how knitting always manages to be the bright spot in the sea of gloom and doom?

Oops! "value is" - not "value us"

Reason #7832 why stash makes things better!

As I was reading I immediately thought how if this was me I would be finding alternate lodgings faster than you can say "i need a shower and a hot cup of tea". Glad you have your mother in law!

Dude. Time to burn some incense at an alter, maybe slaughter a tofubeest as an offering to the Oh Gods, because as soon as you start feeling optimistic about the repairs...

Best of luck! I will be wishing on any stars I can find for you.

I've got my fingers firmly crossed this is the end of the unexpected house/vehicle/everything repairs for you! When I first bought my house, the entire bathroom had to be re-plumbed (no water pressure at all makes for a very sad shower) and the two weeks of washing in the kitchen sink was not an experience I care to repeat. Be very glad you have Hotel Lovely-Mother-in-Law! (And a lovely Stash!)

Geez, dude - I think you're covered for calamities this year, and it's what, the 5th day? Guess that means the year can only get better...
And way lucky to have Hotel Lovely MIL nearby.

Honey, if you put up a tip jar somewhere on the blog we would fill it so fast. You who do so much good and entertain us so much; it's the least we could do.

Stephanie - I live in a house the same vintage as yours and my cast iron waste pipe developed a 6 inch vertical crack in the "soil stack". Water was running into the basement, so the problem was immediately obvious. We fixed it by cutting out the cracked portion and replacing it with PVC, coupled to the remaining iron pipe with rubber and clamps. This repair has worked like a charm for at least 15 years (touch wood). I don't know the location of your damaged pipe, but is this an option? My dad and I did it ourselves.

You didn't eat your black eyed peas on New Years did you? Sigh. I suspect that there would have been consequences to shipping them to Canada, but it would have been worth it to ward off evils.

I suggest carrying a nice skein of cashmere around and patting it like a kitten.

On the upside for the rest of us, you'll have to keep writing to pay for all the repairs. Never let it be said that there isn't a silver lining if you just look hard enough. Of course, this silver lining belongs to your loyal fans and not to you.

Home repairs, especially if you live in an older house, are a never-ending drama. Trust me, my house (or at least part of it) dates back to 1741.

I don't even know what to say....... except that it's better they found it now, before further damage is done. Another reason to thank Sir Washie (may he rest in peace).

I have to second (or maybe third by now) the idea of a tip jar. You provide us with a tremendous service in the form of constant entertainment and I for one would be happy to provide a bit of compensation in return.

Run! Leave the house as soon as you can. Believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near the place when they start looking at the plumbing. Drink some wine and pretend you are on a lovely vacation for a few days and that your house will be exactly as you left it (sans soil leak) when you return.

You are just getting the tough stuff over at the beginning of the year, by April it will all be a distant memory.

Unbelievable how it all starts connecting. So good you have your stash for comfort. Is there a hope at least that this has been part of your water pressure, one water appliance at a time issue?

I agree that you need to do something to appease the gods; water running around in your walls for unknown period of time is not good. Don't ask how I know.

Somehow I feel compelled to send money to you to help with these perverse universe conundrums! Your blog (and books, and patterns, and in person talks) bring so much pleasure (and moments of sanity) to my life--I simply want to have a way to say thanks (and at the paltry sum authors earn per book, I don't think I have space or know enough people for the number of books I'd need to buy)!

All this stuff that needs fixing really sucks. When things break down is the only time I feel lucky that I am renting.

Re the stash--I really know what you are talking about. I used to feel guilty about all my yarn, etc. Then three years ago I went cuckoo bonkers and could not work any more which = no money. Am I glad for the piles of yarn and the countless needles in every size available. And the many, many shoes I used to buy!!! (Birkenstocks and Dr. Martens won't go out of style, thank goodness.)

Oh honey..Here's hoping everything gets sorted out soon!

holy cow woman! at this rate you will have a whole new house-one piece at a time.

I second Beth V's suggestion to call your insurer - you really have nothing to lose. I have been pleasantly surprised by both my home insurer and my auto insurer in the last 10 years and for substantial sums of money. The first time was in the mid-nineties when it seemed like all of Toronto experienced extreme snowfall followed by ice-dams in the eaves and we had major water running down the inside of our walls - repairs totalled something less than $20,000 but not much.
The second treat was about two years ago when my new van got hit by a deer (yes, she ran into me then ran off into the bush)and the passenger side front panel, door and headlight were trashed - $4,000+ covered under the windshield portion of my policy. Yes, the windshield portion!
Make the call. Good luck.

major bummer! I'll hope and pray it is not astronomical on any account, either financial or structural or mental... (heavy on the "pray"!)

Ugh. There are far more fun ways to spend money, but best to take care of the plumbing. Shortly after we moved out of the 1920's 4-plex we loved while my husband was in medical school, our bathtub did go crashing into the downstairs apartment. Likewise, within months of moving out of our next house, after YEARS of sitting in bed telling my husband "I think I hear a drip," the ceiling came down in the bedroom with a flood from a broken pipe. Now in our third domicile, we are still recovering from the sewer pipe replacement of 2002. Plumbing is a blessing and a curse. Will the work fix the water pressure problem.

That really sucks wanker-doo-doo. Its always something. God bless your mother in law for taking you in.

Perhaps this is a message sent from the "other side" by Sir Washie--even though you have worshipped him and paid proper homage, he still might be jealous. Like many ghosts, they don't know that they're dead.

I know you have your beliefs, but a priest and some holy water might be useful here.

Wow, your start of year is sounding like mine....I'm very sorry to hear it. I am not enjoying mine much.

In a weekend, the furnace and the dog went. 3k for the dog, 3k for the furnace.

Sometimes I think old houses are the land of 3k. Everything costs 3k. Or more.

That sucks. But, at least you have the stash!

EEEGads ... my husband says that the house is working correctly and actually done only when the owner is dead ... until then it's always something ! So sorry and indeed ... stashing is like saving money ... when we need it it is wonderful to have.

If I could send you Mike Holmes, I would, for free, in a heartbeat. Hang in there, Mrs. McPhee. I know you're made of tough Canadian stock so I have no doubt you'll family will continue to succeed and get by despite all the recent bad luck.

I wouldn't be thinking "...it can't get any worse..." because it most certainly can. Been there, done that.

No, I'd be asking for everything to hurry up and pile on so I can get over it and move on.

I can hear you singing now "the wrecked truck is connected to the eavestroughs, the eavestoughs are connected to the washer, the washer's connected to the kitchen, let's saw the whole thing off..."

Take care

oh geez louise! I do hope this is the end of it. Reminds me of an old vehicle I used to have. I only repaired it when absolutely necessary because any time something new was placed, three other things panicked and quite working. Do call your insurance and thanks for the reason I need to enlarge my stash as soon as possible.

When my grandfather gives me another lecture about why I should buy rather than rent I think I'll just show him this post.

Don't worry. Full moon on January 11th. The best and worst of whatever happens will culminate by then. Decamp with cashmere portions of the stash (as suggested by Ann) and all will be well. That is, until Mercury comes out of retro on February 9th.... lol!

I really don't know what to say!!! This is an unbelieveable run of bad stuff!!! And I was whining because the computer will be in the shop for a few days. :-/ You've certainly got that little problem beat! Keeping all digits crossed in hopes the plumbing won't be as costly as quoted....

wow. It seems that its pouring for you right now (bad pun). I totally agree on the stash thing though. I think of mine as myh college knitting savings.

Oh, Dear Heart! I'm so sorry things are so bolluxed up right now. It'll all work out in the end...

I hope you got a second opinion - or at least a very trusted first opinion.

We had a plumbing issue in our home a few years ago and the first plumber that came out told us it was going to cost $1500 to fix it.

The second opinion plumber we called fixed it on the spot. For $75.

I feel the same way re stash. If we have financial reversals this year (pretty good chance we will), I'm still set for the foreseeable future.

Good luck with the plumbing. I have an absolute horror of flooding/water damage.

I'm delurking to say so sorry. I hope all goes well for you. And why do these things always happen in the dead of winter, anyway?!?

Just back away from the house and pet the wool. Breathe in the wool fumes. Wool good. You'll be ok.

Ouch! I was happy for you that you were getting a new washer and dryer, but the plumbing thing does not sound like the same blessing. Somehow I don't think there's enough coffee in the world to make you feel better. You might want to go spin for awhile -- you don't have to think about it or have to reknit something later which only causes more stress. Hang in there -- I hope things gets better soon. Maybe you'll have better water pressure when this is all behind you so at least something good can come from all of this.

um....I hate to throw this out there, but...um....you could always sell the stash on eBay to pay the plumber...(I mean the small portion that you do not need for mental health reasons)...but that's part of what an investment's for, yes? People might just pay twice as much as it's worth for a piece of Harlot stash!

Oh man...I'd be going insane right about now. Our house is vintage 1906 and I've lived through some major renovations (like ripping off the back of the house to redo the kitchen). I'd be going insane right about now if our soil stack turned up cracked and my husband would definitely not be calm, cool, and collected like Joe. Good luck with it!

Oh dear. Well, at least bad things happen in 3's. so Truck, Sir Washie, and the Stack.

That's it. No more bad can happen!

I'm also hoping you have one of those good plumbers who stick by their estimates, or who make high estimates so you're happier with the end bill!

We had to have that done a couple of months ago.... it wasn't as bad as they made it out to be. they made a fairly fast repair (as opposed to the 3 week tub fiasco)

you'll knit your way through it and plumbing life will be much better following!

Good luck!

I am weeping for you... and wondering if I should have my brother, a former plumber, come down and check out all of the plumbing in our house.

I'm so freaked out by the thought of it, though, that it's making me woozy as well.

This so reminds me of the year I replaced the stove. Except that I needed to have the gas pipe of the stove moved just a little if I wanted to use the stove AND one of the only three drawers in tiny kitchen. Except that after the gas plumber moved the pipe and turned everything back on, the water wouldn't. Now granted that it was 20 years old, but it had been supplying water for one person for 5% of that 20 years.
So my stove ended up costing close to 2 1/2 times what I thought.
My deepest sympathies.
I'm presently meditating on the fact that the AC in the condo needs replacing and that I truly should replace the 25+ year old furnace as well and that means coming up with a whole lot more money than I want to before May. Eeep.

Years ago, when my former husband & I bought a house (Chicago 2 flat) that was standing in 1872 (predated the Chicago Fire but was outside the city limits at the time), we did a lot of research on plumbing & stuff. It seems that pipes are a lot less durable than most of us think - the waste system is generally considered to have a life span of about 65 years & supply pipes (because they constant have water in them) are only expected to last about 30 years. That makes me worry about the entire water delivery & sewage system which is way, way older than that in the Chicago area. There have been a lot of broken water mains lately - likely the entire system should be replaced but how does one do that for an entire city? Maybe we can all go stay with our friends in other cities?

I'll spare you the details, but I havt to tell you, I've been there; it's much much better that they found it now.

Good luck!!!

If you run out of yarn, let me know. I have some I can let you have.

I feel your pain, in the plumbing deparatment. Last year was my year for plumbing problems. When the downstairs toilet wouldn't flush, last March, I called a plumber to have the line snaked out. Turns out the drains hadn't clogged, but ruptured-- I had to replace all the pipes under the house, and then have the septic tank pumped and flushed for the third time in a year. Not cheap. A few months later, I went to turn off the water to the back yard so the plumber could replace a few hose bibs, and was surprised to find the soil marshy around the cutoff levers. Surprise, surprise-- the water heater had ruptured. That was also not cheap, but at least the plumber replaced the hose bibs for free. Then, last week, I had the leaky bathroom fixtures replaced, which cost as much as the water heater. The furnace, which has been nonfunctional for the last three weeks, should be fixed Thursday-- also not cheap, but not plumbing-related.

Houses are expensive animals to support, but I wouldn't want to be without one.

Oh man!!! May the force be with you!!!!
Good luck.

so... will tuesday's be for spinning at the MIL's? So happy the drip stayed far away from the stash.

Um wow! You sure know how to bring the new year.
Yeah I second the hope that you have used up your share of bad karma for 2009.

My heart goes out to you as I share your pain. Recently, while I have gone from merely pinching pennies to searching under floorboards for a stray coin, I have injured my back, suffered with a toothache, and listened to the roof and cesspool gleefully plot which one wanted to fail first.

If I did not have a [rapidly diminishing] stash to keep my fingers occupied and my mind soothed most evenings, I believe I would have collapsed into a heap more useless than Sir Washie.

All I can send is positive thoughts, and I am sending bushels!

I told your story to my husband, as he was fixing our leaking toilet downstairs (no comparison to what you have) and he reminded me of a homeowner hereabouts who had his home inspected prior to sale, and it was discovered that he had NO SEWER PIPES. Everything just went into the dirt under the house. House had to be lifted, all toxic soil removed (as it had become an official toxic waste site), and then he had the sewer pipes installed. (This is true: I saw it all on the news.) Now, I know this doesn't even come close to helping things for you, but I thought I'd show you that you're not alone with your, uh, home renovations.
P.S. You hit the nail on the head with the stash thing. Absolutely, you bet, you just never know...

Ok...this story does it. You now officially have the sympathy of my 14-year-old non-knitting, and not-interested, son.

Lady...I don't know what you did in your prior life, but you're certainly paying for it now! Too many beers, perhaps?

Honestly though...my heart goes out to you. I don't know if it's more for having to be at your mum-in-law's for three whole days with the knowledge that your own private place is just down the road...

I hope everything goes smoothly. Laughable considering that it's construction and plumbing-related.

I'll be praying for you.

This brings to mind a song called 'The Gas Man Cometh' by Flaunders and Swan.

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/song-midis/Gas-Man_Cometh.htm

My grandma always said things came in threes (though I've kinda lost count of all your tribulations), but they must surely end soon.

Chin up. Keep knitting. I'm rooting for you. Glad you have the stash. If I knew where to send it, I'd send sympathy yarn....

[I have a Japanese kit with steel wool to knit. Can I knit pipes??]

Oh noes! Not more woes with Chez Harlot!! But it is rather pleasant to see stashing justified...

Eeek. There is NOTHING worse than plumbing problems in a house. Very scary. Here's hoping the damage (both physically and to the checkbook) are as minimal as possible. 2009 can only get better after this.

Seriously high entertainment value on the blog these days. And it's not even about screwed-up knitting. Extra points for that.

Oh Steph! I feel your pain. My 2 daughters and the BF of the elder one live in a lovely 1920's bungalow in Denver. The management company that handles the rental "forgot" to drain and shut off the water supply to the swamp cooler when they came to winterize the house which resulted in a flood of epic proportions in the kitchen and basement and caused the plaster kitchen ceiling to fall in huge chunks, leaving my older daughter (who luckily was working from home that day) to carry the big new TV, 2 game systems and accompanying stuff, and the BF's computer from the basement up to the living room while water was cascading from the kitchen light fixture. It took several hours and a frantic call to the homeowner in California before the receptionist decided maybe it was an emergency and she could call the property manager on her cell phone and interrupt her afternoon meeting. They are now totally tented out of their kitchen (mold and lead abatement) and all of the soggy paper insulation had to be removed from the attic so they are wandering thru the house (which reportedly smells like a combination of muddy swamp and mildewed carpet) in enough layers to rival the Michelin Man even with the heat on. Their 60lb dog is with me for the duration (too far for them to commute from here) and they are having to eat every meal out (and saving receipts!). At least they won't have to pay for the repairs since all 3 up to their eyebrows in student loan payments and would have ended up living in a tent in the backyard. I made them each a hat from the stash to help them keep warm.

Good luck with the plumbing thing. Do you mind explaining to my husband why I need to buy more yarn, just in case?

Oh...my...God. What a way to start a new year. My sympathies. Just bury yourself in the stash and stay there. It may be the only safe place.

*sigh* I should never have read this post. We've also got some "20th century" plumbing that I'm trying not to think about. Quite a lot of it, actually. So far no signs of problems with the cast iron, but the copper pipes are kind of on their last legs. And we're down to one income for now.

I think I'm going to go knit now and try to forget.

Welcome to plumbing hell! I'm currently living with three kids (on the world's loooooongest summer vacation), two builders, one p***ed off partner and a billion ants. And no bathrooms. And eight friends (including 5 small children) are turning up next Tuesday for a week's visit.

We had a little accident where a hole got poked (with surprising ease) in the shower wall. Turned out the wall was rotten... because the shower was leaking... which made the nogs wet... which soaked the struts... which rotted the floor... which went through to the other side... which *was* our ensuite bathroom but which is now also a big black dank mouldy hole because the entire wall and floor have to come out.

They started 'ripping out' today, I get to spend tomorrow buying a new bathroom suite and floor tiles. And if we aren't back in business (at least with running water and sewage) by Friday then I'm going home to mother.

Oh no! Good luck!!

Well, look at it this way...what WONDERFUL thing is the universe going to send to you to balance this out after this much shift in the other direction? Something downright great must be coming your way!!! (Hope the insurance advice above pans out!)

I have a different perspective of the idea of using insurance. I live in the United States and have had one insurer for my home and car for the past thirty years. We have very infrequently used our insurance but in one five year period we used it three times - one when my lap top was stolen at work, again when someone broke into my car and finally when a tree fell on our house during a hurricane. All claims were against our homeowner's policy. Right after the hurricane I discovered that our insurance company could cancel our insurance. Three claims in five years is sufficient for them to do that. Please keep in mind that in thirty years we only had one other small claim - but it was the three claims in five years that was the problem. I learned that insurance should be used only in a catastrophic circumstance. I am now of the mind set that if something bad happens, even if it is covered, that I really want to think about whether I want to engage my insurance. The second thing that I learned is that there is a database that keeps track of homes with water damage. When an insurance company pays a claim for repairs with water damage you are now on that database. That's a database I would rather not be on.

So sorry that this is happening. Just want to ensure that you check all the angles.

Poor you. Well, grab a hank of 100% wool and start huffing!

Oh dear. Best wishes to you from someone who was without a bathroom for 7 days. Thank goodness for yarn, chocolate, and coffee. Let me know if you run low on any of the above.

Stashing is good. A few years ago I was laid off for 11 months. If I hadn't had my stash I would've went nuts.

Think of creating a stash as a savings bank for the thin times.

Pack up as much of the stash as possible, and take it with you. This will ensure that the entire house will not flood. Leaving the stash behind would be asking for structural damage.

My recommendation is that after all the pieces are put back together, have a ceremony to bless your house. All the gremlins that have been causing this trouble need to be evicted from your home! :-) Good luck with the repairs!

Thank you for that sage financial advice. I'm acting upon it as soon as possible. :)

Oh, Stephanie, I am getting a sick and shivery feeling just thinking about your plumbing problems; we have had lots of reno's over the years but the worst problems are when water is involved! I hope the plumbers can do a good and quick job for you and Joe!
On a happier note: I am a relatively mature and organized person who has enjoyed a number of 'day-at-a-time'type calendars over the years; your's is the first one ever where I have trouble stopping at one page......I am half-way through January already! Having enjoyed your books and blog for a few years now, I just know that the next page will be funny or thought-provoking or whatever. Good work!!

Oh, no. I think I'll have a lie down for you. I will send lots of yarny, hopeful thoughts your way.

Luckily, this happened in my house RIGHT BEFORE we signed for it, and the previous owners ended up paying for it. But I believe homeowners will pay for the structural stuff. It stinks, literally, so be glad for mother in law!

I'll second the notion to get a second opinion. House stuff seems to vary widely in price and sometimes the next guy has a clever idea that fixes it for a lot less.

Also, as I too used to be in the insurance business, talk to your agent. I suspect this is not covered because it may fall under a wear & tear issue, but it is worth getting the FREE look at it by a qualified person. They may also offer you a solution.

I'm sending positive house vibes your way!

I'm glad to hear the yarn is soothing you. I know it would for me. And if this helps at all I'd like to pass on what my friend said after a $9k sewer line repair: "it's not $9000; it's $75 a month for the past 10 years since we always knew it was going to happen at some point!"

Sending my most positive of thoughts for the structural integrity of your house.

And you are SO right about the stash - I've just finished grad school and am unemployed at the absolute WORST time to attempt finding a job... and yet my knitting continues unabated because back when I had an income I was smart enough to purchase far more yarn than I needed. Go us, and our clever selves!

OMG, that is ROUGH. Blaine says to get a couple different estimates (unless your plumber is a friend.)

That really sucks! I hope it all gets fixed quickly and as painlessly as possible so you can get back home and enjoy your new washer and dryer. I assume you brought plenty of yarn to your MIL's?

They say that trouble comes in 3's... but I think they meant 3 squared!!! I hope your news is good news tomorrow.

Dear Steph.... last year we had a "Chimney Issue" for whichwe were given estimates high enough to necessitate selling not just the first born but his wife and two daughters, and both our cars. When the big boss came to check, he came down from the chimney and just looked at me. I said, "It's worse than you thought, isn't it?" He shook his head, and said, "All I can say is you must have been very very good in a past life!" Turns out we only needed to lease the first-born, and we got it fixed that same day. Surely you were a very good person in your past lives, at least as good as me!

We'll be keeping our good thoughts aimed in your direction. After all, the good work with MSF must count toward your karma quotient!

Thank goodness for MIL. I was going to say - "Quick, cook up four meals" and put them in the freezer just in case. I have been in the kitchen suspension situation before.

Goodness. You are beginning this year with a lot of newness. Hope this bodes well for a shiny 2009 and the metaphor of replacing so many water-related items must mean a better flow of energy and good things for you and your family. At least that's my theory and I'm sticking with it!

OMG! I think you have had enough surprises for now. If you want to come to CT, we have a guest room. I'll even share my stash so you don't have to pack yours unless it's in danger of flooding with stack contents.

Very sorry to hear this news!
I concur that I hope you have a very good plumber. (I really like mine, if you need a second opinion)
And you are sure any leaks are not getting into the stash?
I am thinking positive thoughts towards the west end.

Well, DANG!
That's just DANG DANG DANG!

No shit?

I'm concerned -- water damange/plumbing problems and STASH don't mix.. perhaps you should take your stash with you to your Mother in laws, till all potential water issues are fixed? I'm sure she would understand.

Whoa, these old houses - full of nasty surprises. My sympathies. SO glad you have a home on offer, nearby.

Seriously - - UGH. I feel so bad - - I know how I feel when we have been given bad news about something in our home: like a pit in your stomach. Good luck.

/me diverts funds into the Harlot kitchen remodel 2009...

I hear you- I have long said all light bulbs blow in January - well this year the garage door is acting up, I noticed a water mark on a ceiling, my boys bathroom has no electricity... I could go on but I do feel your pain!

Here's to firmly hoping your water problem happened during the time when it was too cold to grow mold. We will have to do that soon, but we have two bathrooms that need plumbing, and due to the construction style here in the southwest US, that means a good large portion of the foundation gets to come out too. Eep.

Our cast iron pipe break was under the concrete basement floor. The entire pipe path had to be jackhammered out and the cast iron pipes replaced. Jackhammering in your basement - not a good sound. But it went quickly because (surprise) the floor was way thinner than it should have been. And, we didn't even have to haul out all the cement chunks because the water flowing under the floor had carved out some nice hollow spaces that now needed filling. Then we discovered that the pipes from the house to the street were cracked and needed to be relined with PVC. And, oh yeah, we also found out that the water-in pipe was lead, not copper, and needed to be replaced as well. This involved tearing up the sidewalk in the front yard. Thank god it was summer.
The joys of older homes. I kept mumbling a mantra about wood floors, stained glass windows, beautiful woodwork and claw foot tubs to keep me going. Fondling merino helps as well.

You sound a bit like my first lab patient this morning who endured, during the week of Christmas, 4 pipes frozen and burst under her house, her hot water tank going out, leaking water all over and having to be replaced, and two days later, her refrigerator dying like Mr.Washie and having to be replaced. Makes me think of the New Year's Day when our furnace broke, our dryer went out while drying another load of diapers during a diarrhea epidemic and I sat on my glasses and broke them. Oy vey. Hope things are soon looking up for you.

I'm so sorry that the kitchen is being *more* demolished. I'm so glad that you have Casa della MIL available. I'm so reassured that "stash it while you can" is indeed a good policy!

So you don't want to hear about my head cold?

Yes - call your insurance! And umm...I don't want to rock the boat anymore than it is....but you have checked on all the stash in the house right? Moth proof is also water proof right?

And you can look at it this way...new pipes - more water pressure - all things water work at the same time! (And heck maybe throw in a shower head too!)

Seriously though - I do feel your pain, we were on a similar path after our first house purchase. (Not all house inspectors are good inspectors!)

Frak. Major frak.

I'm really proud of you for not losing it and necessitating a trip to the loony bin.

Sir Washie is having his revenge after you forsook him for another :-D

Oh dear Lord!

to go from such bliss to stunning potentially horrific news. there is a silver lining here... not sure when you'll see it.. but maybe it will be that you will be able to take a shower and have the new guy singing Shubert Trout song at the same time...

maybe? hang in there... and revel in your stash!

I'm not sure what a "soil stack" is, but I do know that any water inside a house (and not contained in the water pipes) is really, really bad. We own a cottage which was built in 1875 and we found that water was leaking into the basement during rainstorms and rotting away the main beam of the house. Luckily my dh is very handy and fixed that problem. Then we found that the air conditioner was dripping down the inside of the wall. Fixed that too. Moisture must remain outside! I sincerely hope that there are no more nasty surprises for you and Joe in 2009, only good things, like lovely skeins of yarn, and bottles of good French wine.

I will be crossing my fingers, toes, and legs with the rest of the Harloty gang for you!

Let this be a lesson to all of us to increase stash when we can! Who needs a new bra anyway?

God bless the stash. I know now why I light a candle to mine everyday. I'll light an extra for you!

I don't know about you're plumbing problems but I just read you
book and it is hysterical! I purchased it for a wonderful elderly
woman who knits almost continuously and will probably knit as she reads your book without making any mistakes. Things I Learned From Knitting, what a great book for those of us who enjoy a hobby that non-knitters could never ever appreciate. Thanks for the book, I will check out the other one as well and good luck with
the plumbing problems.
Carol

Well, at least you're getting everything out of the way to make for smooth sailing for the rest of 2009 - isn't that the way it works? Did they run a miniature camera down the pipe and give you a copy of the video? Believe me, that is something that you will never watch twice. We recently had to replace the cast iron waste pipe in our house, too and the terra cotta pipe that ran from the house to the main sewer in the street (this part involved a lot of digging). I love my old house, I love my old house . . . . Good luck!

Crossing my fingers also. I'd do my part by rushing off to buy another of your books, just in case there's structural damage, but wait...I have all your books and your calendar to boot. Better get busy on the next one! And, I agree with the others - make sure the stash is safe!

Hope this all turns out well for you all. Why do these things always happen in a bunch. Any ideas? Yay for stashes. Just don't get a hankering for some new yarn that everyone just has to have that's all. Thanks for all your enlightening and amusing posts. Cheers

Oh dear me. I did just buy your Free Range Knitter book....surely that will help with the bills? Well, maybe not so much. But I am enjoying it!

Oh, my. I must say, you sound remarkably sane. This reminds me of a friend who lived in a hundred year old house. He said, "I rebuilt it from the inside out."

I know what you mean about the stash! We are gatherer's for a reason.

This seems like a scene out of the movie "Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. So sorry you are having so many troubles, but it is good to get them all over with at once!

I feel your pain. Really. I'm about to have a bathroom torn out to discover why the tile is falling off the walls and cracked in the bottom of the shower. There is nothing about this that feels like good news, especially given that other "easy" repairs in this (old) house have revealed unsuspected universes of badness. Hang in there and enjoy the stash raiding.

My DH just suggested we set up a Save-The-Harlot's-House fund. If everyone who reads the blog sent in a dollar, you could fix the leak *and* buy yarn. I would gladly contribute although (as Presbytera pointed out) you are far more entertaining when you're in crisis mode. Am I a bad person for laughing at your meltdown? (I kid because I love, Harlot dear, you know that.)

Stephanie- Let me give you the GOOD news. Chinese New Year starts JANUARY 26th... this means a second chance for a better year. google it. Get your house in order and clean prior to that date and you will be fine. My feeling is, if our calendar doesn't work... use someone else's. I've been thinking this since your disgust over the events of the holidays and I was feeling the same after suffering through 6 days of a power outage before Christmas and then another on Christmas Day. It left me no time for a proper start to the New Year! We need to change the course of the year now!

And wear red for the New Year... not black...Good luck!

You can come down here to Asheville, NC while they do unspeakable things to your plumbing. I'll put you up. It's pretty mild here at the moment--57 F on my drive home this evening; Blue Ridge Mountains, nice folks...I'm hosting my knitting group Tuesday evening too. Got beds for 4.

Poor Baby! I had my dishwasher and my dryer die in the same week - and we are currently having an annoying plumbing problem in the kitchen (that apparently doesn't involve a leak, rather something plugged up) but my things didn't happen all at once. They were spaced out over a year. Go pet the stash. That will make you feel better.

Yikes. No fun at all. I think you need to find a distant fiber festival in some warm place (Australia? New Zealand?) where you absolutely must go sign books and give a talk RIGHT NOW.

Are you saying that "waste water" (!!!!) is leaking in your house????? OMG....

I feel your pain. Stuff like that NEVER happens when you've got a little extra cash laying around. On the up side, having been a "victim" of what happens when pipes leak inside walls, your insurance should most definitely cover it. Mine did, to the tune of a complete rip-out and rebuild of the floor and half way up the walls in the finished basement. You have my sincerest good wishes for good karma to find you.

I learned the hard way to NEVER ignore "funny little water noises". Years ago, I woke in the middle of the night to find my entire, no basement house, had 18" of rapidly rising water in it.
Perhaps, since your kitchen is going to be demolished, now is the time to make any changes you've wanted to do, but couldn't quite justify earlier? (I'm trying to look on the bright side here)
I think that Lovely mother-in-law has a stash sweater, and possibly socks on the horizon?
And by all means - take as much stash with you as possible!

Omigod! You poor child! House issues seem to come in groups, and never seem to go away. All of my kitchen appliances are dying (refrigerator, cooktop, dishwasher) or dead (my oven). The new refrigerators and ovens are different sizes than the current cabinets accommodate. I won't bother to describe the hole next to our basement that was dug to put an "egress" window in the basement, the multi-day October thunder storms, the non-absorbing clay and rock on which the house is built, and the hundreds of trips I slogged up and down said hole with buckets of muddy water that was threatening to fill the basement..... I feel your pain!!

Man, what a saga. You are to be commended for keeping your sense of humor and any ability to remain sober for any length of time.

Best of luck. For while ill health and death in the family are horrid, it is the little, hideously expensive things in life that truly try our souls. Because there is no way that all that money has gone to a better place. Go stroke some cashmere and have a good lie down.

given that the "soil" of soil stack is the poopy stuff of soiled diapers, you are bloody lucky there isn't some sort of odd smell associated with that leak. though maybe you blamed that on all the guys hefting appliances or something.

Sounds awful. I hope it is not too costly or inconvenient. And it sounds like you are getting all the bad stuff out of the way in the first part of the year.

Well, crap. If that don't suck the big one, I don't know what does.

I hope your insurance covers the damages and hell, if the contractors don't do a good job, you can always beg Mike Holmes to come and "make it right". Doesn't hurt that he's not hard on the eyes either.

My best wishes for a quick solution to the water problems that are engulfing you. I was thinking of Chinese New Year and horoscopes and it turns out your sign is the Water Ox! One horoscope for today reads:
"You'll no doubt feel ill at ease and little sure of yourself. You'd like to express your spontaneity, but something will prevent you from doing it. You should not count too much on others, or else you'll know disappointments. Associations may be proposed to you; don't accept them for the time being, for it's possible they conceal some deceit which you'll realize only later, that's too late! You'll be drawn, torn between the desire to impose yourself in your work, to use your abilities to advantage, and that of giving up before the obstacles."
Weird how uncanny this stuff is,but I would agree with doing some sort of ritual to appease the water gods. And obviously get a second opinion and bid, that bit about not trusting may have something to it.
Hopefully it will all be over soon and in the end it is just a blip on the radar or as my mother in law used to say, "another brick in your apartment house of life".

I know we've never met, but if you need a hug:
(hug)

just when i thought you were the clever-est person in the world for making the (sort of) ordinary household stuff the funniest, i am not sure whether to laugh or cry. or cry or laugh.
seriously, just plain UNBELIEVABLE!

ps. good job on the stash!

Oy! Poor Steph! It reminds me of when we had wiring problems in my childhood home. My Dad could smell something burning for years when he sat in his Lazyboy- turns out, the wiring in the walls was bad. No real fire, just singed insulation, thank god. It could be worse- everybody is healthy, and safe, clean ginch or no.
I second (or third, or fourth) the tip jar button being added to the web page.

Oh dear. Is this the third problem? May it be the last of them... I'm thinking good thoguhts for you.

We had a unseen water issue too. (The shower didn't completely shut off but we didn't think it caused problems yet it had only just started happening). Around the same time our internet (DSL, tied to the phone) slowed and then died. Then the phone service was always staticy. We complained to the phone company. Turns out that the box that serviced two lines (12+PH floors) of our building was *flooded*. uhm. right. It was stored directly underneath the L-line's bathroom pipes in the building's garage. All the K's and L's now have phone service compliments of a wire running outside the building and coming in through the window or a hole drilled through the cinder wall.

Heh, heh I'll have to remember those lines when I explain to my Husband why I am a member of 4 different sock yarn clubs, either that or convince him that yarn is as addictive as crack....

Oh. Dear. Me. There is nothing like tearing into the plumbing in old houses. I'm so sorry. I'm sitting here shaking my head in dispair for you at the prospect. — Enjoy the comfort of your stash, Stephanie. You may need it.

Stephanie, you have way more determination than I do, because right about now I would so be on the phone with a Realtor. But if the market there is as lousy as it is here...well...just keep drawing on that positive mental attitude.

Though after I got off the phone with a Realtor my husband would probably be on the line with the local nuthouse, because that's where I'd end up if I had to slog through what's been hurled at you. Best of luck on the remodel and all the ensuing chaos that comes with it.

What do you live at our house? Seriously, good luck.

Wanda

Stephanie
Like several others who commented, we too have a "vintage" home and have lived your current nightmare. We rented a special pipe saw from a local rental place (home depot or stephenson's probably has them in Toronto). Like the other readers, we cut out the bad cast iron stack, replaced it with ABS and clamped it to the old section using a neoprene sleeve and clamp specially designed for this purpose. There is also a support brace to install if you're not removing the entire cast iron stack.

We did the whole thing ourselves. The plumber's estimate at the time was about $2000 in 1986. We did it successfully for just the cost of materials and saw rental...and it was not hard to do....messy but not hard.

Good luck!
Cheryl R

Dude.

Have you ever seen the movie "Money "Pit" with Tom Hanks? I think his tub actually DOES fall through the floor.

Good luck tomorrow!

BRIGHT CHEERY SPECKLE OF HOPE.....
The new water pipes will allow for > 1 type of water usage at a time.

I understand your pain though.... Last year on the last day of my sister's vacation with me here in Florida my stacked dryer spent three hours drying 1 towel. We decided it was broken before it quit. My jeep ran out of gas at the gas station on the way home from the Keys and then refused to start. We had to push start it. The AC in the jeep quit before we got home. The AC in the house quit as my sister pulled out of the driveway with my very handy (like Joe) dad in the passenger seat for a 7 month visit. The dishwasher quit. The fan I bought to deal with Florida heat in August skittered across the floor until the cord pulled from the socket - then it fell down the stairs - dead. Did I mention the company I worked for went out of business? Three times in two weeks. I feel your pain.

Keep your focus on your knitting until you feel calm. The rest will be there when you can deal with it.

I had my waste pipe burst the day before thanksgiving. Thanksgiving morning I decided to do clothes and wondered why the top of the washing machine was wet. Called hubby, cussing commenced. We of course were doing the bird, as in cooking it and I was worried that we might have to turn off the gas. The lines were close together. Day after I persuade hubby to call a plumber. They did it in no time, joked with hubby, I might have given them some pie, so the caste iron pipe was replaced and it all worked well.

I would be happy to chip in for the house fund. It is a pain to be really tight with limited resources. I think my US dollars might be worth a bit more than Canadian at the moment. (but hurry, the economy you know)

In my experience, one thing always leads to another with an old house. Hopefully each new thing will be less and less significant until the problems dwindle out fpr a while. Good luck!

I can totally relate to your washer problem (mine ran water all over the floor) and then the leak. We had to rip out a whole bathroom because of a leak. Take consolation in your stash. I knew there was a very good reason for adding to it at all times. Remember sock yarn does not count as stash.

I can't imagine the feeling. It hurts to read about it. I wish you all the best of luck.

Put it this way. After all this, 2009 can only get better. And you're making a great use of the stash. I'll remember to deduct mine as a medical expense on my taxes (mental health insurance.)

Ooohhh Steph. Is this retribution for all the Finished Items for Christmas? :) Naah. With an old house, things like this are common. You're earning your old house stripes!

Congrats on the stash. I have a new attic to stow mine in, and boy is it gonna get used. Floor space is not so available, but attic is just inviting more stash!

Last year my parents had a leaky roof. They knew the roof had to be fixed but were busy paying off the loan they had taken out to put me through college. Then one day my mom called all happy and thrilled because they had paid off the damn loan that day. A few days later while watching a basketball game on TV, the ceiling to the living room fell in on them (no one was hurt luckily) because it was so water damaged.

Well-- they finally bit the bullet and fixed the roof and ceiling. Then my dad decided the house was such a wreck they might as well fix all the lighting, repaint inside and out and tear out the carpets. Under the carpets they found the original California oak floors, which they had refinished. When I went home for a visit the house look amazingly beautiful.... when I joked with my dad about it he said "well, I guess the having the ceiling fall in turned into a good thing in the long run." It will be okay Harlot-maybe one day, you'll even be able to look back and laugh at it all, and maybe somehow it will turn into a good thing.

Hearing about your housing woes make me want to stay in an apartment forever and ever and never leave.

how good that chez mil is not only nearby but welcoming. i'd rather have stayed in a freakin' IGLOO than spent even one night in the home of my first mil!! the igloo woulda been warmer, too, considering the temp of her heart.

yes, indeed, yarn is a good investment! i'm (permanently) laid off but putting off taking social security until i hit 65 in june, so i have lots of time to knit and, blessedly, way more than "enough" yarn, whatever "enough" may be. my stash will provide entertainment, warmth and gifts for other people all winter long.

let's hope your life settles down enough that you can go back to blogging about knitting adventures, instead of the other kind. they're much more fun to read about than to endure, i'm sure. thanks for finding humor where most people would find only bills and inconvenience.

Iron pipe? Bad luck. I had copper with iron-rich water. Got several holes in it over the time I lived there. Had a husband that was not into maintenance in any way, shape, or form. Holes in the walls all over the place to fix those holes. And the holes never got patched, either. Worst was the Christmas day that the copper from the well broke. No water from that source ever again. Good thing there is delivered water in Fairbanks. I have neither the house nor the husband any more. But a large stash!

Yeah...we had something similar happen during our first year of marriage. It ended up with a completely destroyed front yard, the need to tunnel under the street and a mess in our neighbor's yard as well. Dratted plumbing.

Four words -Oh my shattered nerves!!-- keep knitting for goodness sake.

Aren't you glad all this happened after you redid the bedroom? Would that ever have happened if the chronology were reversed?

See if the plumber can run a PVC pipe down the inside of the old one. That's what our plumber did when our ancient house had the same problem. Fixed us right up without any ripping apart.

OMG. from bad to worse and plumbing is the pits. The estimate is merely a guess until they get inside your walls and can really see what is going on. Crossed fingers and toes by everyone in your house is my suggestion other than calling the insurance company and hiding under your stash.
You probably have several squared planets and something in retrograde. sigh.

Er... have you been wanting to do a kitchen remodel? Cuz this may be your house hinting.

That is ... that sucks. Knit! Knit like the wind.

The mysterious brown stain a foot from the shower/bathtub tile on the exterior wall of my bathroom was, well, the tip of the iceberg. I hope you have better luck. We ended up with a full backyard view from the commode for a while during which we did an emergency demo of the whole bathroom exterior wall, interior side wall of the tub, and replaced some exterior and interior wall studs, all underlayment, and siding (which is tongue and groove and 10" cedar, which was unavailable, so we had to mill it ourselves in the back yard with a router, oh my god).

I learned to set tile from that experience, anyway ;)

My mom is incredibly impressed that your washer sings and would like to know the make and model.

Here's hoping the plumber digs in and changes his mind, maybe it'll be one of those cheap, five-minute fixes...

My husband I bought a house in good enough shape that we wouldn't have to do any work "for a year". Well, the house must have heard us because almost a year to the day there was a leak in the dining room ceiling from the soil stack.

The pipe was fixed in a couple of hours. It was the wall/ceiling repair, plaster work and painting that took a couple of weeks to get done...

I hope your repairs go faster!

Dear God in Heaven. You know. If there is one. I am so, so sorry. All we did was lost the water heater two days before Christmas and I thought that was incredibly annoying. I'll know better next time. Best of luck with them finding minimal damage and a speedy repair. I kiss your mother in law across the distance and promise myself to move to Newfoundland before the decade's out.

Sympathies on the plumbing issues.

Knitting will ease the pain.

I have to know - does the dryer sing anything when it finishes its chore?

I once accidentally set my kitchen on fire and the insurance paid for that; surely they will pay for water damage you knew nothing about.

Ah, the life of an author. I always suspected that it was glamorous!

Hang in there. Hopefully there will be a balance in the world and these problems will be evened out with incredible good luck.

"Target that explosion and fire!"
Capt. Sulu, "Star Trek, The Undiscovered Country"

Translation for the non-geek crowd:Trouble is a
magnet for more trouble.

The plumbing issue just sucks... as in squeaky acrylic fun fur on bent aluminum needles sucks. I hope that the walls can be dried out with a fan and that no permanent damage has been rendered to your home.

A caveat about contacting your insurance company... our home owner's insurance was cancelled several years back because a car hit our house during a police chase. The odds of that happening in the first place were astronomical. The odds of it happening again were virtually non-existent, yet the insurance company re-classified us as owning a "High Risk" home as their reason for the cancellation and then nobody wanted to insure us. This became particularly nightmarish when we tried to sell the house several years following the accident and buyers had trouble purchasing our dangerous home. Oiy!

I'll be sending dry thoughts your way. If I was there I'd buy you a beer... or two.

What a nightmare! Good luck with the plumbing replacement/

i am horrified to hear of this new disaster in your home. i'm going to start praying for your plumbing right now,

Personally I think it's Sir Washie doing one last good deed by getting your "water affairs" in order. I know nothing about plumbing but maybe your water pressure will be better after this.

OK, spelling police . . . let's cut this girl some slack. "U" is very close to "I" on the keyboard. With everything else going on, it's a wonder she managed to correctly type anything! Steph, girl, just knit and breathe slowly in rhythm with your stiches (a good stiff drink probably wouldn't hurt either).

We had ALL the piping of the house changed, it was a nightmare but the house insurance paid for it. You should ask your insurance if you have one. I am so sorry that you have to go through all this after the wonderful Christmas time you had. Things will get better!!!!

You have my most sincere sympathies! We had a lovely water problem during "indian summer" this year.. the last HOT weekend caused the air conditioner condensation to overflow through my dining room ceiling.... due to a clogged drain line AND a "stuck" float in the drain pan, that did not turn off the AC as the water was rising. I still have the holes in the ceiling and wall. but I may have a lead on a reliable plaster guy!

OMG. You have my sympathy.

And I 3rd or 4th getting a second opinion on the plumbing. Not only have I found prices for the same repair vary a great deal -- but the recommended solution often varies too.

The stash *is* safely contained, right? Just in case water starts cascading from strange places? I'm just checking because when our hot water heater blew up and started spewing tens of gallons of water in all directions, the husband was a little irked that I ran for the wool instead of the water main shutoff.

O....MI...GOD!!!! your story makes me shudder with apprehension. BUT i send you all good vibes and positive energy for the next 3 days. Godspeed!

shall we write you a letter to extreme
house make over or send some one over
from hgtv- over your head throw a little
curb appeal in
the start of my stash came in the mail
2009 in the states will be a long one

HOLY CRAP!!!!! I am so sorry about all the stuff going on at your house that involves wall coming down and plumbing problems. My heart goes out to you. I can sympathize as I live in a older home though mine is not as old as yours. Good Luck with the plumber -- hope he can give you better news.

And thanks for affirming my reasons for having a stash to turn to for consolation and for lean times when I have to not buy yarn! I've always said building up my stash was part of my retirement plan...that I plan to have yarn when I retire. I just hope my taste in colors doesn't change too much. :o)

You have my deepest sympathies and empathies...is that a word? My year of 2007 included losing both my aged and dear dogs, my mother and a "leak" in my basement (finished) that required digging out the foundation, repairing, and redoing the yard. Oh...did I mention the fire?? I truly understand and can only add: keep knitting. 2 sticks and some yarn provided needed sanity.

Considering that the plumber we just had in to do a "cheap fix" on a persistent outflow problem just informed us that our cast-iron outflow pipes are ticking time bombs....I'm heading out to do some yarn shopping pronto.

Do you suppose that Sir Washie knew of this leak and the potential ramifications on your house, and so he called an appliance/utility meeting and offered to sacrifice himself? Because maybe if he hadn't been carried out, and his replacement jammed in, you would've never gotten around to calling the plumber.

Maybe he died so that others may live...

Can we help? Please?

Several bad words in rapid succession. I love old houses. I hate old houses. Ours is a comparative youngster, built in 1937, however we still managed to blow through $100,000 in renos, didn't even come close to finishing, and did absolutely nothing to make the house prettier, just nicer to live in (wamer/less draughty/fixed moisture problems).

I'll tell my DH that stashing is, indeed, prudent. I'm sure he'll agree. (I don't want to come back from the alternate universe. I like it here.)

I feel your pain. We had a leak behind the ceramic tiles in our bathroom shower. Didn't know it for quite awhile. Couldn't figure out why daughter #2 would have asthma attacks ALOT!
Turned out black mold was acreepin' up the walls. God it was a mess. But, it got fixed, asthma is under control, and you have yarn stash. Knit slowly. You must pace yourself w/your stash.

Oh my goodness...I do hope this run of demolition and destruction ends for you all very soon!! You've really had a stretch of it here, haven't you? It's got to end soon, and then things will be better! In the mean time, pull a chair up to the washer, pour a glass of (cheap) wine and enjoy that stash.

Sheesh, when it rains it pours at your house!!
Absolutely, stashing is sound financial advice. :) Stash knitting, a glass of wine and the new Mr. Washie... take your mind off the leak.

everyone has already said what I would (in much nicer phrasing than I could manage right now) so I will just add what instantly popped into my mind as soon as I saw it:

'eavestroughs' is such a better word than 'gutters'.

wow...I'm kinda glad we rent. I'm going to buy another one of your books (even though I have them all) tomorrow. Hope you get royalties and that'll help you out (however little).

I'm with AlisonH. Seriously.

I too wish you would put up a tip jar. I would be more than happy to help out. I don't have much, but you definitely deserve it. If you receive more than you feel comfortable with you can always redonate it to MSF. I wish you the best.

When EZ wrote "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises," I doubt she envisioned that our dear Harlot would need to knit continuously on for an extended time in order to get through this saga.

Which reminds me of another quote - Mother Theresa said "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

Amen sister...and don't forget to take a jug of red wine with you to take the edge off!

(Sorry got typing too fast ..)

The above SHOULD have included:

Sending hugs & lots of hope that tomorrow's plumbing report is as good as can be.

They say bad things come in threes. I think car wreak, washer-drama and pipe replacing, *ought* to be it. You should be good for a while after all that....fingers crossed....

I can relate--I had the plumber out twice in two weeks. Old plumbing and misguided home repair choices of former owners are the culprits here. Hope things aren't too dire. Hang in there.

All I can figure is that you spy on our house through some remote-access point, change a few words around, for example, from "termites" to "plumbing," and get a lot of people to read about us, and they think it is you. I think I'll go knit now.

Good luck with all the work on the house. And I agree. the stash has been a saving grace since the Husband lost his job in June. I've only bought one skien of yarn in six months but just finished two pair of socks last week! And making bed socks for the grandbaby with leftovers!!

Oh, my head is spinning just reading this. My sympathies to your house!

Now that your laundry's gotten around like James Bond, you need to take a tip from him while dealing with the plumbing problems: Vodka martinis make everything easier, more glamorous, and less painful.

My husband wants to know exactly WHY it is we are contemplating buying a house after hearing this horror story! OH SO SORRY harlot. While drinking those shaken martinis, take comfort in the fact that you are funding the post christmas budget of your plumber. You're doing your part to keep the economy going... right?

Oh! My !
I wish I could offer you a lot of good beer. And some good friends to hold you up on the way home from those good beers. I am glad that all this waited until after your Christmas celebrations though. And I hope this is the last of the disasters that befall you this year.

here's hoping... that things really do come in threes and you are done with this ongoing catastrophe (and Sir Washie was a simple diversion?)
here's hoping... that your 100 year old home has nice dry wood that is quite glad to get a little moisture and there was really no pooling of water and that accompanying disaster
here's hoping... that you don't get any crazy ideas about remodeling that delay the onset of a nice simple, but clean, 2009 routine

Our lead pipe that took waste from our toilet to the soil stack gave out after 100 years, sending water through the floor to the kitchen, but when we opened up the bathroom floor above our recently refinished kitchen, there was no water damage! Now, we are remodeling the bathroom in this economy. It's a necessity. It's been between 30 and 100 years, but we are keeping the claw foot tub and adding a walk-in shower---gotta live in both worlds!

here's hoping the stash holds out until funds accumulate

#1. That sucks.

#2. I was thinking those very same thoughts about stashing just this evening.

#3. I am sending huge cosmic hugs your way.

No rest for the wicked and the righteous don't need it. I know that no knitter is wicked so just let this be an aformation that you were being righteous in stashing when you could. You and yours are in my thoughts.

I find it really scary because I remember when "20th century" anything meant up-to-date. I mean, I qualify as 20th century.

My sympathies on the plumbing, but at least the stash was dry. Can it visit your MIL as well?

Oh Stephanie! I'm so sorry to hear about all those things happening at once. We've had periods like that as well and they were some really dark days, but they did come to an end and the sun came back out again.

I'm thinking positive thoughts to your plumber, your plumbing, your structural integrity, and the Lovely Hotel Mother-in-Law. Lets hope you're just getting all the trials and tribulations for 2009 out of the way early and the rest of the year will go smoothly.

Hugs - it sounds like you need them!
Nancy

Omigosh, Stephanie, as you can see you've endeared yourself to hundreds, thousands of people across the miles.
We're ALL feelin' your pain and here's another cosmic hug comin' your way.

Oh no! You poor thing. =( I hope that it is fixed soon and that things go smoothly! (((hugs)))

I, too, am very sympathetic. We thought we could make some money and bought an old apartment house six years ago. Suffice to say, we haven't made any money yet, since we had the same problem you do only in all four units. I could go on for quit a while , but it's just a drag. I know you would not be comfortable with a "tip jar" but you might think of a few patterns you could sell on Ravelry. Variations of your standard recepes would be very popular.

Besides being a wise portion of financial planning, broad stashing habits can give you a portfolio of soft places in which you can curl up in the fetal position when "hole in your plumbing" comes up.

I, too, am your cosmic cheerleader. Imagine the joy of having new and improved plumbing AND a brand new washer. :D

Nooooooooooo! GAH!!! UGH!!!!

...and my husband wonders why I get semi-hysterical whenever I hear "odd" noises, no matter how soft. "What's that noise? That one! That NOISE! It sounds EXPENSIVE!!!!"

"...honey?...it's just the cat's nails on the tile..."

...oh...

Hang in there...thank goodness for gracious mother-in-laws!!!

Oh my, what next. After all this you will have nearly a new home. My stomach went flip flop when I read all that has happened in the way of water problems after all the rest. We just had some plumbing troubles as well and it is no fun to go without bathrooms or running water. You have a wonderful mother-in-law that is so generous to you. Give her some more hugs just for that. Is Joe still keeping his cool and calm demeanor? I sure wouldn't.

I tell my friends that my stash is my "Fiber IRA". It brings me great comfort. With all that has been going on at your place, maybe you should break out some Screech, go fondle yarn & inhale the lovely lanolin fumes. . .

I told a friend yesterday - the next home I live in will be glass and steel and brand new. Or I will RENT. :)

You really should let the blog pay you somehow. Advertising, tip jar, something. No one else posts as regularly as you do, no one else writes as well as you do, no one else is so smart and compassionate--you need to get paid for all the work you do here!

Oh wow... darlin'-- hold that stash to your heart... it looks like it's got to comfort you for some tough times ahead...

Ack! Ack! Ack! Very sorry to hear it and, yes, you must get it repaired immediately. Hang in there!

Golly! What a difficult situation. Maybe you're getting the worst of it over this month. I hope once this new problem is fixed you'll have smooth sailing for the rest of the year. Thank goodness you have your stash!!! Please make sure it is in a safe place before they start to work on the plumbing.

This is the email that I should have sent you a while back. PLEASE apply to be a candidate for whatever Canadian equivalent exists to Extreme Home Makeover. Your home should be considered as a prime candidate; you should be selected as you merit this on several fronts, in addition to receipt of a Humanitarian Humor Trophy for your work in entertaining the knitting population of the entire planet. If a write-in petition is required, please add my name!

I'll go buy some more of your books, OK?!!!??!!

Oh dear... I hope everything will work as quick and painless as possible. Just make sure the stash is protected from any leak?
And I sign NoIdahoWoman's petition if you want.

My thoughts are with you - what a difficult time you're having. I hope you have better news than you expect tomorrow.

when mug was a baby i could hear a little watery noise when standing in the bathroom. nowhere else... couldn't figure it out, since there was no visible water leaking anywhere. phew, huh? basement is fine, walls are fine, ceiling is fine. yet.. the tinkle. after months and months and months of hearing it i finally called someone to have a.. well, a listen. turned out it was a cracked ceramic pipe of some sort. i've blocked it out.. the house was built in 1908, and exactly how much can you ask of a piece of terra cotta anyway? resolution entailed the city coming to identify the problem exactly. yes.. cracked pipe was 18" into my property, so the bill was mine. a guy with a tractor came and dug up the sidewalk, my driveway (did i mention that it was a massively steep driveway that would eventually have to be repaved by hand, because it was too steep to use equipment on? omg.. that was the worst ever) the neighbor's driveway.. and there was some serious pipe replacement. i didn't know that a tinkle could cause numbers with that many zeros to appear on bills in my name.

so.. believe me when i tell you, that i am very, very sorry to hear your news about the noise. i hope it is quickly resolved.

I hate when that happens! Why is it that just when you figure out how to deal successfully with a series of minor to medium catastrophes, that you then get an even bigger catastrophe thrown at you? It's almost like Murphy, the Irish harbinger of Doom that he is, is sitting there, listening. He hears of your success and then says something along the line of "Oh yeah? You think you're a grownup? Well here's a mess that will make you pull out all your hair and leave you destitute in the process! Mess with me will ya!" It definitely seems like that when that type of thing happens to me, and that crap happens to my family a little too often LOL! After all the washer business, did you or someone else say something along the lines of "What could possibly go wrong now?" or "What could be worse than this?" or "What now!" Among my family and friends, every time someone says something like that, something even worse happens. I could fill a book with storys about what happens when a family member has been stupid enough to utter those dreaded phrases LOL! God forbid, saying something like this next one is like asking for a visit from the ten plagues of Egypt! I'm pretty much the eternal optimist but even I will not utter the dreaded, "Nothing can stop us now!" That's guaranteed to bring down even the most stalwart optimist with Murphy's worse inflictions. Your poor kitchen! I'm hope everything comes in under the estimate!

Dear Stephanie, no laughs this time, a friend is the person you do laugh and cry with, surely, you are your readers friend. The pipessystem nust have been jealous of Sir Washie and wanting to go into retirement too. Do get a second opinion on the problem and the cost, unless you know your plumber is the very best, Insurancewise, be glad it is the o t h e r wall, because if it was the same, insurance paying, no way. Keep the bills in a safe place, they will show you have solved the problem when selling your house. Are you in a two-houses-under-one-roof house? Then contact your neighbour as maybe he will have the same problem in the near future, he might consider renewing now too, might save some pennies. Have you thought about an auction of knitted items by you with a nice "Yarn Harlot knit this 2009" label to help with the plumbingcosts? Check if there are electric wires in the same walls, better to renew those, saves doing it all over again in the future. I have an advice for all of you stashers, though, if you always knit from a pattern, make sure to put some printed patterns with your stash, in case of an electricity failure you will be able to knit (there are candles and matches in your house, I assume) but you will not be able to print a pattern or otherwise use your pc to find some. To those who nicely point at typingmistakes in Stephanies posts, I am sure your help is much needed at centres that help grownups to learn to read and write, there are in my country! I am grinning now, while adding this post, there is an advise on local radio about knitting, which is sooving and a joy to do, if the button at the end of your knittingneedle lets stitches pass over, put a somewhat bigger piece of cardboard next to the endknob. Hooray, even radioprograms advertise knitting as an actvity to keep you sane. This musy be a good omen. Meanwhile, Stephanie, knit your way out of troubles, poor Joe, has he got something to keep his mind from bills? Have heart and wishing for happier times. Margreet.

Ouch. One of my friends shortly after buying their house had to replace a lot of plumbing (a tree was growing into it), and it was scary expensive. I've got my fingers crossed that it won't be as expensive as you were led to believe and that Casa de MIL works well while you are waiting for the plumbing to be fixed.

My husband and I had a similar problem with the pluming in our house. Only ours started with a backup and the entire pipe was clogged. It was an original pipe approximately 60 years old. It took three full days along with jack hammering up concrete in basement and digging up half of our back yard. Turns out the pipe was also cracked where it met with the townships line. In total we spent $8,000 dollars (US). Not exactly how we wanted to spend our wedding money, and not exactly the way to start a new life together. In the end though, I do like to take showers, drink water, wash dishes, and most importantly do business not in an out house, but in the indoor bathroom.

Oh my, I had my plumbing problems fixed before the holidays .... came home the evening before Christmas eve, opened the door and thought, "My it smells so soapy clean in here." Now where I thought soapy clean came from during my 12 hour shift at the hospital I have no idea. However, the dogs who met me at the door with the whole, "I had nothing to do with it. I swear" looks on their faces alerted me to the fact that things were not good. Sure enough it appears that if your pipes freeze in the kitchen you should immediately call the plumber and not think to yourself, "Oh they'll thaw out today in the heat of the sun." Because they will thaw out but also the ice will burst your copper pipes. Yes there was water everywhere, in the cabinets, on the floor, in the back yard there were inches of water. It sounded like Niagra Falls behind the walls in the kitchen. And could I find the water main turn off? Umm, no. The plumber who came the next day was darling and he got the pipe fixed pronto. All seemed well until the sewer pump failed ....hang in there Steph. Maybe you can get a new kitchen out of all of this? Maybe we should start a "Knitters without Kitchens" group and raise $ for your pipes! Happy New Year.

Not that it helps the bottom line very much, but I'm now so glad that four copies of your calendar were purchased for one knitter this year.
Treasure the stash!

When told that God wouldn't send more than we can handle, my friend's (12 yo) daughter commented that "He seems to have me confused with someone else." Do you know someone who is having a stretch of really great luck? Maybe you're getting some of her/his bad karma and your good karma went to her/him.

Oh no! Fingers crossed that nothing else happens with the fix.

Oh Stephanie. There's nothing to make the floor of your stomach drop as much as hearing a 'conservative estimate' from a soon-to-be-rich builder. I'm so sorry your year had to start like this, but at least they got to the problem before it developed to the extent that you crashed, in your bathtub, through the floor and landed on Joe in the kitchen. I mean, things could be worse, no?

:-) I'm so glad you've got some money wrapped up in yarn! Tell Joe it's all non-returnable.

I'm truly sorry this has befallen your family! I can only say, it's time for Yoga, and more of it ..... at least three days straight. And by the way, I'm in for a Knitters without Kitchens fund .... it's the least we can do!

Hey, there might be a bright side to all this. Maybe after all the plumbing is replaced you will be able to run the washer and the dishwasher AT THE SAME TIME WHILE brushing your teeth.
Good luck

Funny how so many people don't understand that fixing the waste pipe won't solve the supply problem. (Not just you Chrissie, sorry). Too bad stuffing the space under the pipe with Joe's unfinished gansey won't stop the leak.

Dude, that sucks. I'm sending my very best plumbing wishes to you.

Oh, man. I live in a century-old house, but it didn't get indoor plumbing until sometime in the '60's. I think I'm good - I know I've seen a lot of PVC pipe in the crawl space - because they didn't put the bathroom upstairs, they put it on what had been the back porch off the kitchen. Hooray for lazy renovators!

My mom, however, has one of those cast-iron pipes going to/from the upstairs bathroom. Hers was outside until my dad built an addition around it, so it's now in the corner of the "new" downstairs bathroom, protected somewhat from the elements and climate stress.

I feel light-headed at the thought. I replaced my own plumbing when I moved into my house but I'm too intimidated by that big monster. Can't wait to see what happens! (This is like one of those old fashioned thrillers... Will Stephanie be rescued from peril by a burly dude with *ahem* plumber's butt? Stay tuned!)

Here are the words that make my stomach lurch when spoken by a repairman/contractor..."Can I show you something?"

Funny you should mention "Stash as Insurance" policy. My husband and I will both be out of work as of Thursday...and if it weren't for my extensive stash (yarn and cross-stitch) I don't know what I would do. I am going to get a library card (Borders and Barnes and Noble may go out of business)but without fiber craft insurance, I would surely go insane. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

I bet that "rat-bastard" chewed a hole in it for revenge! Having had my kitchen ceiling ripped open for similar surgery, I feel your pain. It is totally dis-respecting of you as the wonderful person you are to have all this befall you at once. I'm sending my best repair vibes your way. In a few days, this too shall pass.

I had to stop reading the scary comments, the last thing I want is to start hearing phantom drips in the night. I've had water through the ceiling twice this year so I'm hoping that it's sort of like inoculation, nothing really bad and wet will now happen to me for a while.

Fingers crossed that there's nothing structurally wrong.

Oh my! I will keep my fingers crossed that there are no hidden fees and that this will be the end of unexpected expenses for a long while. Thank goodness for Mother-In-Laws though - I have a keeper in that category too.

Yikes! Bloody hell! I agree, more is just unlikely. And would truly suck rocks. So... nope, that won't happen. Maybe they'll find buried treasure. That would be good.

Ugh! I hate these little "tests of character" that houses throw our way from time to time. (We had rotating floods in ours the first six years - every scrap of pipe in the bloody house has now been replaced except the bit left over from the 50's connected to the dishwasher. And its days are numbered.)

Sweet Jesus! Been there! Done that! Seriously, where is the Tip-jar/Pay-pal link? Lots of hugs for you, Joe and the kids. Knit on!

I second Evelyn. Let the blog pay you with ads or sell us patterns--whatever you want. I so look forward to your take on everyday life, and you're so generous with what you share. Let us share back!

I just got back to knitting in the last year, and I found you pretty quickly. Your writing has made a tremendous difference in my approach to learning and doing, and I'm using the positive energy to move forward in other areas of my life as well. That's a valuable thing!!!

Keep your chin up, Stephanie.

Awww CRAP.

Hugs to MIL... for taking you in... and prayers for no structural damages...

agree 100% about stash... saving for a rainy day/economic crisis or house of fiscal doom and all that.

And here was me thinking about whether this was a good time to buy a house while I was on my way into work. Think I'll call the apartment maintenance about my little water issue...

Maybe with all new plumbing your water pressure will improve!

You are our "Everyknitter" and we see our lives in yours every time you share with us. Thank you!

You will come through this one stronger and with humor (as usual) and we will cry and laugh with you and offer prayers of thanks that it is not us (this time). [Lost a finished basement in a huge flood a year ago..]

I am so sorry.

No, I really don't think you can have all of that AND sturctural damage. But apparently you CAN have a busted/leaky water heater, a leaky pipe, the pipes at mom's turn into a waterfall, a leaky dishwasher (Just loaded badly PHEW!) AND a computer that is slowly crashing.
Ask me how I know??

Our recent "tear apart the bathroom to solve a mysterious seepage showing at the base of a wall" project last summer revealed (in addition, mind you) that the drain from the toilet had a honking big hole in it, so that sewer gas had been leaking into the house for years and years. Euwwww.

I feel your pain and have the scars to prove that I have been there, too.

The good news is that those walls are the only good ones in the house now!

This is a fantastic excuse to stash more. Thank you for that.

My sympathies to your house and your wallet, though. It never rains but it pours, right? (Or in this case: "It never snows but it blizzards"?)

OH. MY. GAWD.
Knit. Drink. Eat Chocolate.
Big Hugs from a big me.
Deep Breath. Recive the love

Completely off topic: I am a bit obsessed with knitting the pink cabled scarf of which you posted a picture at the very end of your 4 November entry. Could you share the pattern source with me?
Also, I received "Free-Range Knitter" for Christmas (Thank you for kindly signing it "Merry Christmas" at the Brooklyn book signing. My husband certainly aced that gift!). I LOVE it! I am sure many people on the NYC subway think I am nuts from laughing out loud so often. Thank you for that pleasure.
Good luck with your kitchen!

1. Hear, hear! Without my stash, I would not have survived the last two years of enforced yarn diet brought on by the arrival of one small human and necessitated by the EXTREME cost of childcare.

2. And THIS is exactly the reason that everytime the husband says, 'No, really, it'll be a quick fix...it couldn't possibly take me more than an hour to fix this fillintheblankproblemthatrequirestheuseofapowertool' I curl up cowering in the corner until it is all over. Because here is what I have learned...in an old house, no well-intentioned repair goes unpunished.

I think one of the major reasons I am so glad to have married my husband is that he can do almost anything. We had a terrible leak behind the bathtub (okay, well, he went to take a shower and pulled the faucet right out of the tub)..... He spent a few days and a few hundred dollars (and said a lot of words I haven't heard before), but was able to repair and replace the plumbing. Amazing, I tell ya!

Here's to hoping the damage is not too great, and that the stash sends you much comforting thoughts during your trauma.

OY! I'm with Laura, way up there....I think you're getting ALL of 2009's tsuris (Yiddish for "nasty little problems") overwith at once. And I imagine that, once replaced, that pipe will last another 250 years. Rock on (said timidly). Can't say as new sewer pipes were likely on the list, but what the hey? Oh - and I'm LOVING my new Page-a-Day calendar (as well as the new book). I read a little of each, each day - if I've been a Very Good Girl. (What'll I do when I've finished the book? Go back to being BAD?) {snerk}

Oh you poor thing. I thought that our boiler packing in on Saturday was bad (it being beween -3 and -8 here. Positively springlike for you I'm sure, but we're just not used to it in North Wales), but you have me truly awed. By the way, we got our boiler fixed yesterday and I swear I will *never* take being warm for granted again! I'm sure it will all work out ok with the soil stack, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you anyway :)

I'm telling you - my husband (AKA the worrier ) has found his soulmate. We had a little running water noise which ended up being fairly disastrous in terms of repairs.
MOTTO : never ignore odd water noises, they will bite your ass!

I could tell you tales about paint actually slipping off of my drywall from a very small slow leak in pipes we put in...before the ceiling let go too and water that had been collecting for God knows how long hit everything below it. But you already know these things can happen.

We'll keep our needles crossed that this is the end of the Home Improvement section of your saga for this decade.

Harlot, I am sorry sorry to hear of your troubles. Best of luck. There's lots of great advice in the comments about insurance and second opinions -- you never know until you ask.

DH and I are building a new house. Construction also has it's charms, from one of the wettest summers in record, to a very cold winter with near-record December snowfall, an ice storm that knocked out power, a poorly placed ledge (thanks, nature) that required 18 10-wheeler loads of fill and stone to prep for the foundation, an existing water pipe laid in an S-curve fasion, and a brand-new woodstove that leaks smoke at an alarming rate. Also, the fact that we spend so much time working on it leaves only about 15 min a day for knitting. Bleh.

Ah, the "curse" of an intersting life! Best of luck, drink some wine, knit some, and know we're all rooting for you!

Like others - been there done that. Water damage is my biggest fear.

Oh my God. All my sympathy, Stephanie!

A wise yarn shop owner once told me that stash was a "hedge against inflation." I would add that it is a welcome haven during tough financial times. Best wishes for a speedy conclusion to your plumbing nightmare.

Oh, I feel your pain. We had our drain back up on Friday and had to have Roto-Rooter snake it. They told us that they cannot give us the usual 6 month guarantee as they feel that the drain pipe is collapsing on itself and will need to be replaced. Simply delightful...as we live on a hill and the usual price for this is about $6000 because of the trenching. (Lots of our neighbors have been through this, so we fear we are next, although I did see this process going on ten houses down from us this morning, so we look to be next to next). This on top of having to replace my car last year, and having just paid tuition and rent for my son's semester, and having bought a car for my other son to use which was promptly stolen wih only liability insurance because it was 16 stinking years old. Then we bought him another older car that some yahoo promptly ran into. We also needed to purchase a new clothes dryer on the heels of a new heating and air conditioning system. When I think of the money we just finished spending and this new probable expense and the savings account that we used to have I could just cry...oh wait, actually I did! I'll gladly meet with you for a beer and a sob! You have my deepest commiserations.

Selling something on ebay might be a perfect idea for a way to earn funds. Be sure to put Yarn Harlot in the title so we can find you. You can sell something really dumb - like something damaged by the bad plumbing, and one of your fans will pick it up just to have something you've touched. Make the description hilarious and bidding will go through the roof! If you did break into the stash, you could put Yarn Harlot Stash Sale in the title - you'll make a mint! You could even sell that one odd Latvian mitten.

PS I bought your book on CD and I'm hoarding it - only letting myself listen to one disk per day, even if I have to go back and listen to the same disk over again, just to make it last. Thanks for the laughs

Ouch. I'm sorry. And a bit queasy for you.

What is the sound? Our stack pipe is currently visible (the bathroom is taking us a while) and now I'm looking at it suspiciously since it's of the same vintage as yours.

I agree about the stash: it's for a rainy day, and you're having a rainy day. My friend Anne discovered the same thing when she had TWO mortgages to pay because the house she & her family moved out of was on the market for more than a year (yikes). Having the stash was an emotional, if not financial, life-saver.

It's a good thing to replace the plumbing stack; we did that a short time ago, somewhat under protest, and it has been great. No more flushes in which the toilet seems reluctant to do its job... no more post-shower queries of "what's that coming UP from the drain?" (I try not to think about that one too much.) I truly hope the little leak turns out to have done NOTHING bad, that it's just some cosmetic-ish stuff inside that has to be done.

Good luck!!!!!

"they will demolish "a small portion" of the kitchen ceiling and wall and discover what's what in there."

What are the odds? I've got a gentleman coming this week to DO THE VERY SAME THING! I looked up just before Christmas at my kitchen ceiling and thought "What's that?" at a small brown crack. I reached up to touch it and my finger WENT THROUGH the ceiling. *sigh* At least ours appears to be caused by the drain from the tub, not the plumbing itself. Don't forget to contact your insurance company! Ours has already said they'll cover any work over our deductable so at least we won't be out-of-pocket too much.

Good luck!!

I'm sure others have mentioned this, but I haven't had a chance to read all the comments. Call the insurer. Chances are at the very least the damaged sections of the house will be covered, if not the actual repair itself. And that leaves more money for yarn.

As to the stash, here I am destashing, and thanks to our wonderful leadership watching the economy and consequently my savings dropping like a rock -- maybe the mistake was the destashing? Have I angered the yarn gods and the only way to get back in their graces is to shop at my LYSes? (Any excuse to go fondle yarn!)

Entries like that make me REALLY glad I rent my home! With my luck I would buy a home and the day we closed, some horrendously expensive disaster would occur.

Go to your MIL's and knit on, with a nice glass of wine by your side. This too shall pass.

Oh Miss Stephanie:
I understand plumbing problems very well. Bought an old house many years ago, and it has had constant issues.
The stash enhancement was an excellent idea. Take it with you to the MILS, good food, good wine and a lovely visit is the key to surviving the soil stack repair. Best wishes from Massachusetts ( only 55 minutes from WEBS)
Carolyn

Should I mention that you might want to put your stash in ziplock bags if they're not already. Wouldn't the worst thing to happen be that somehow they mess something up and cause your house to flood in its own water supply and your stash ends up felted?

Yikes! Good luck with the plumbing issues!! But just in case, you might want to warn your mother in law that it may be longer than 3 days!!

here's hoping that it's minimal. And if it's more, can your homeowner's insurance help pay for any destruction or construction? Remember, you're really lucky to have caught it before your ceiling caved in! :)

We just bought a house (1930) and had to replace the kitchen and remodel two other rooms just to bring it to code, never mind lovely...and you don't want to see what the upstairs bath looks like (you really don't). On the other hand, I now have my beloved vintage style kitchen, complete with vintage appliances that will outlast me.

I feel your pain and am more afraid than ever to wonder "what's next?".

Thank God for the Stash!!

Wow, just think - all of the bad stuff for the year *must* be done all in one go, right? Right? I can see how you feel that the truck is "wreaked" and not "wrecked", as something out there seems to be wreaking havoc on your home this year already.

Better check on that stash, as something in your house must be soaking up that water trickle...

Oh, I do so hope that things start looking up soon :)

Aren't you the Clever Harlot, for maintaining stash at Calamitous Event Preparedness levels! Also, please feel smug that you virtously resisted the $4000 washer, thus freeing up (if only in your mind) funding for current plumbing issue.

I am sending good plumbing vibes your way and hope there is no structural damage.

Ugh! The exact same thing happened to us, although ours was leaking through the ceiling fan fixture into the kitchen. We ended up just knocking the house down and building another one on the foundation, since it turned out that that was the least of its problems.

Leaky plumbing bad. So sorry you have to rip up your kitchen.

Stack advice - when they cut the stack pipe, the old cast iron pipes are known to "jump", causing possible damage to the flashing at the roof. For the sake of your sanity and future finances, have someone go up on the roof and make sure the new stack is properly flashed and repaired and no shingles or tar-paper is ripped. Otherwise the entire repair is useless as the leak will continue, only higher up. The voice of bitter experience.

Oh, my Lord. And it's only six days into the New Year. My wishes for you are that this is the last and worst of it, and that abundance and prosperity return to you and your family post-haste!

Sounds like there is a "Mess With the House Right When There Are Lots of Holiday Bills" monster on the loose. Just before Christmas we had furnace work and a new water heater installed. Then during Christmas we had ice and weather that caused ceiling leaks (fortunately the nearby computer was spared, but only because I heard the water dripping once everyone had gone to bed). The New Year has brought the Federal Government "Of Course Last Year's Taxes Are Incorrect and You Owe Us a Ton of Money" monster to our house as well. We are doing battle with this one, and with a little luck we might come out all right - especially since the error can be squarely placed on the tax software we used, which is guaranteed. So having forgone joining any sock clubs, I will be reveling in my yarn treasury for the foreseeable future. That and free patterns should get me through. Knit On!

aieee, that happened to me too. By the time we realised there was a leak it had pretty much destroyed the flat downstairs (you'd think they would have raised the alarm...). Now it's more or less destroyed our place too - they have to take the shower out, rip the floors up and the walls apart to fix it. Maybe they've already done so - I'm on the other side of the world right now and moving out as soon as I get back!! At least I'm lucky in that - it's my landlord's problem, not mine.

I am new to the blog- any previous posts with photos of that financially responsible ;)stash of yours? I love to see other knitters collections... Blessings on your leak/new washer-dryer/now kitchen remodel/mess project!

Oh Steph! I hope all's going well for your family. That's an awful lot to deal with at one time, let alone over the holidays. Sending good thoughts & mojo your way.

I don't think I'll ever feel bad about the amount of yarn I purchase again. I can always say I'm making an economically sound investment.

I hope everything gets sorted out soon!

"muskrat in a mirror store..." you seriously crack me up.

and your kitchen/basement/stairway looks suspiciously like mine. same vintage too.

Know the feeling all too well with a break up ahead - we're still living in the same house, but not for long - I'm going to be in a tight financial spot for a while... Thankfully I have enough yarn to keep me warm for years:) Good luck renovating

Wow, sorry to hear about all the problems! Water damage is scary...and it puts our $600 car inspection bill in perspective. I'll have to run your stash theory past the hubby! I feel for your financial woes - on Christmas Eve, our bank account was down to $1.83...luckily it was just because I forgot to deposit some cash, but terrifying all the same!

Oh gosh, make sure the stash is not in the path of the water!!

Also, this would be a terrific time for me to go out and buy your latest book. Just doing my part to help out.

And just think of how much more room you'll have with that lovely big new "storage closet" in your kitchen! You can store so much stash there AND insulate the house at the same time!

I'm crossing all my fingers for you - I really hope you get the best news possible about this.

Also, I'm right on with you about the stash as an insurance policy. I've been building mine since I started knitting against the day we had a baby and my disposable income went to nil. All those fiber festivals are paying off bigtime.

Steph, this is my first post and probably a tmi one at that.. but I can totally sympthasize. Just reading your entry made my stomach do a knot. The DAY we brought our second baby home I discovered water would squish out from beneath our only bathroom's linoleum. Thankfully hubby could replace toilet faucet and redo floor, but that also meant poor postpartum mommy me had to use a porto-bucket for the couple of days the bathroom was out. I would have given anything for a nearby mother in law! You are not being punished... there are worse things than naughty plumbing. Hope things get to working order very soon!!

I have found 2 sites that claim to have your booklet. Email me and I'll send you the links.

I don't like linking to other sites in someone else's blog -- in no way am I associated with either of these websites

I absolutley LOVE: "Stashing is just a clever financial insurance policy, and it's simply fiscally responsible to engage in it."

I'll be sure to let my husband know! :)

Grab the stash (and a beer)and start knitting. We should be seeing some great projects completed over the next few days. It's that or insanity. And quite frankly, I think it would be hard to knit with your hands tied behind your back.

"Stash as an insurance policy." I'll have to remember that! I like knitting dishcloths and got lots of cotton yarn for Christmas presents. I won't have to buy yarn for a while! Hope your house is back to normal, soon.

If we had something like that in our house, I think we'd be moving in with my best friend. My parents live too far away.