I posted a picture yesterday of a wee obsession, and most of you guessed it, and some of you were rightly hesitant to make a guess, especially since I am fickle as the wind and just about as consistent.
Carol observed:
It’s the Baby Mine sweater! Gotta be.
She’s totally right. Two points to anyone who remembered that while I’m spinning up more and more things and fussing about twists per inch, Megan of Lettuce Knit is getting bigger and closer by the minute. (I’m remembering to add “from Lettuce Knit”, since someone said they were thinking it was my Megan my SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER who was about to have a baby and even the suggestion of that gave me palpitations and may have ruptured something in my brain. Lucky for us Joe talked me into that chastity belt for daytimes and the cage at night, so I don’t have to worry.) it was starting to feel reckless to not knit this little gift.
Jennie says:
It looks like the cuff from Lenore to me (but maybe I’m just seeing things now I’m so far behind with the Rockin Sock Club?)
Nope Jennie, you’re bang on the money. (Very observant knitter there.) Months and months ago I designed a sock for the Rockin’ Sock Club. It was a gothic sort of sock called “Lenore” (because it was in a Raven colourway – get it?) and from the moment I charted this little bit of business I knew it would make a perfect sweater pattern as well. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The pattern for the sock isn’t widely available yet, but if you’re in the sock club, this probably did ring some bells for you. I can’t wait to show you (and sort of me) what this looks like as a baby sweater. I’m pretty seriously psyched up for it. If I didn’t have to eat, sleep, parent, talk to Joe and work for a living, this would be done. Maybe also a bonnet. With a cream coloured satin ribbon. Not that I’m thinking about it much.
CTJen enquires:
Is that the lovely soft pink STR you had especially dyed for your friend who’s oven timer is about to go off? Lovely. I would be obsessed, too.
Good call. This is Quilla, one of the two colours that I had Tina at Blue Moon invent in honour of Megan’s new baby. (The other one was Nyame.) I’ve had lots of people ask if these are just skeins in that Tina dyed for me or if they are going to be made available to knitterdom at large, and if you follow those links by clicking on the names you can see that they’re already available. I’m making the sweaters out of STR mediumweight, but the colours are available in all her yarns. (I think. Mostly. A lot for sure.)
Kit says:
Ah yes, sometimes I get like that too. We’ll send in reinforcements to make sure you get your hydration. Would you like an IV?
Yes. Thanks for understanding. (Also, if there exists out there a human who feels the same way about mopping a kitchen floor, doing the laundry or figuring out where the (*&^%!!! the ants in the kitchen are coming from as I do about this sweater, feel free to drop by.)
Fiona says:
You obsessed???- I can hardly believe it!!!
Yeah. I know. Came outta nowhere. Oddest thing. Whoosh.
Minnie says:
funny, that doesn’t look like a spinning wheel! 1500 gms indeed!
HA!
I’m spinning too! Yeah. Ok. I’m a little behind. I can catch up. I swear it. Just give me the weekend. I’ll have a sweater and a bunch of yarn spun up. And a clean house. And no email in my inbox. And I’m making dinner.
I CAN DO IT.
(Ok. Just bring me over some beer will ya? We’re still out, and it’s starting to effect my coping strategies.)
Perfect and gorgeous sweater pattern. 🙂
Of course *you* can do it! Warping the space-time continuum is your speciality!
Okay, I didn’t guess it, but that is so beautiful – I hope you will post the pattern for us! Lucky baby! (the heck with cleaning, I mean really. The ants will disappear in a couple of months.)
You do make me laugh–when you’re done you can come over and clean my house–you’ve got plenty of time right 😉
Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. Looks like someone’s living on the banks of Denial. (I recently bought a houseboat on Denial, so I totally get you.) Gorgeous knitting, gorgeous spinning, and we won’t even talk about the condition of your kitchen floor. Go, go, go!!
If I were closer, I would bring you a beer and one of those hats for your head where you put the beer in and there’s a straw like device so you don’t have to hold it…imagine not having to put down your knitting to have a sip of beer…and guys thought they were for football games…silly guys.
The texture of that sweater looks divine. What a lovely pattern and wonderful pictures. I’m sure Mommy and Baby will both enjoy the sweater just as much as you are enjoying making it.
All that in a weekend?? Mmmm..
I’d gladly cook for you and your bunch. Love to cook. Cleaning…not so much, but I am good at laundry. I’ll even get some beer, and you’d have it all to your self. I prefer cold coffees.
Too bad I’m in another country :^|
That sweater is going to be SO SWEET. One of my friends needs to have a girl, gosh darnit. They’re all making boys left and right! And while knitting teeny baby blue jeans is not without charm, lacy sweaters are calling to me.
As soon as I find someone who can locate the entry for the ants in my kitchen, I’ll send them over.
Heya! I am near the top! Cool!
I am endlessly amazed at how much you accomplish. Do you ever sleep?
Also: I… HATE… ANTS….
OK, I belive that you can have the sweater and the yarn done….. but a clean house? And no email in your inbox? That sounds a little bit more difficult.
I get a little flashback to something called Christmas here….;)
Are you going to make these cute baby sweater patterns available for all of us?
I knew it was Lenore when I saw today’s picture! I also thought the lace portion of the sock would make a great edging for a sweater but have no time/talent to put it together. I hope the baby sweater will be available to mere mortals who bow in awe of your designing talent.
I’m told ants like to come in when the outside gets too wet for them. (You mentioned a while back that it was quite rainy where you are, right?)
If you watch them for a while, you usually can follow their trail back to the source and know just where to put down the ant traps. (Though they might get worse before they get better, considering that they invite all their friends over to the trap for dinner before its effects actually kick in.)
I’ve also found it helps to store things like flour, sugar, cereal, etc. in plastic tubs with air-tight lids. It helps two ways: They can’t get in to snack, so they won’t want to hang out at your place as much, and they can’t get in to snack, so you’ll still be able to when you want. (I don’t like trying to fix breakfast and realizing the ants are dining in my kids’ favorite cereal!)
You make such pretty things! I love the color of that yarn you spun, and the sweater is just lovely. I myself am chronically behind on a blanket for my soon to be nephew. I need to suck it up and bring myself to rip out half a dozen rows of intarsia. And figure out how the bugs are getting into my house. Except in my case it’s black widows, not ants. Los Angeles sucks.
ants? they’re the last holdover of the spontaneous generation theory- they just spawn, magically, in the most inaccessible corners. I’m not sure what the best way is to get rid of them if you’ve got a critter running around (like a cat, or dog, or small child), but I’ve always found that liberal applications of Terro powder and the spray-foam-caulky-stuff works quite well.
I am on the way with beer and my mop.
Does it still work that the babies aren’t born until their sweaters are finished? If I were pregnant with twins in a Toronto summer I’d be willing you to “knit faster, knit faster!”.
Tomorrow is a flat stage in the Tour de France, so spin something easy in advance of Sunday and Monday’s mountains.
I don’t know how you feel about poisons, but dude, I was fighting a major ant issue for almost a year until a friend casually told me to get some Terro Ant Baits. They’re prefilled, the ants crawl over each other to get to it, and in my house, they haven’t been spotted again! In my parents’ house, they’re still cleaning up the carnage. But it’s so nice not to find the armies every morning for any stray drop that lands on the floor!
The sweater edging is looking gorgeous– can’t wait for that pattern!
I am so sorry about the ants. I hate ants. I hate ants even more than I hate the idea of spraying for ants, and so we have a contract with the pest people. My boys were building all sorts of contraptions, with Tinker Toys and Legos, to catch the ants (whatever, it kept them busy) but I finally told them, “The one and only plan is to call the trained professional to come out here and KILL THEM.” My husband chuckled and thereafter referred to the pest guy as the Trained Assassin.
I. Don’t. Like. Ants.
I DO, however, like the baby sweaters. Can’t wait to see them all done.
“…no e-mail in my inbox…”
Hustle with that IV, hut, hut, hut! She’s hallucinating!!!
I’ll do your laundry and cook for you but draw the line at toilets. I hate toilet scrubbing.
I can’t wait to see the sweater finished! Are you doing two sleeves at a time?
Oh, and after you’ve finished warping the space time continuum to get everything done this weekend, would you mind backing up and teaching me how to do it too? My house could use a serious cleaning, and I’m totally obsessed with a beaded Swallowtail right now…
I hate ants – I’ve linked my username to a whole page of natural remedies for ants. I hope one or more of them will work for you! 🙂
I think denial is catching these days. Everyone at work has got it regarding implementing a new system that HASN’T EVEN BEEN TESTED YET! Not that I’m concerned. No… We won’t mention that my friend told me my crochet looked tighter today (on my 10am break). I do hope you’re planning to write those patterns up and provide them to us diehard fans. It *is* baby season after all. 😀
We’ll give you a little pass on the spinning until the baby knits are finished. We wouldn’t want Megan to explode if you don’t finish the knits, because we know that’s what the little sprout is waiting for.
Wow…it’s like IT in July. Awesome.
(I’m really, really sorry about the Megan/Megan thing. I didn’t mean to break you. I shouldn’t have shared. Bad me.)
People mop floors? Seriously? I don’t believe you. Knitting obsession…sure…I understand. Floor mopping…..not so much.
Out of beer? That’s just plain out wrong. Remedy that situation right away…especially if you pla on doing this “floor mopping” thing of which you speak.
I guess I am living with you and Violet on the banks of Denial…I recently moved in there with a deadline (of something big enough for me to know better) of next Sunday! The sweater is just beautiful. We have a parade of ants walking in our front door, through our living room and dining room, through our kitchen and out the back door. We are not sure who put up the detour sign that leads through our house…but when I find out, they are in deep touble!
I’d have had heart palpitations too! A girl in Dan’s grade eight class wore a dress to grad that made her look 6 months + & I was relieved to see her looking like a non pregnant 14 year old girl (with poor fashion sense) the next day.
I’m “old school”. A girl is Never too young for lace or jewelry.
I still don’t really understand the whole beer thing. But if it’s what you need, you should make Joe go get it for you.
It is an adorable sweater, but the spinning might feel neglected… As for catching up, that’s what I say about studying for organic chemistry.
The beer I can help out with. The floor mopping? Not so much. Sorry.
Remember Ann in Lexington who had knitted those very long kilt hose for her brother to wear at his wedding? She’s not my only talented child–her brother, David, made a Scotch Ale for his wedding that I would be proud to share with you if only you didn’t live so darned far away. It’s on tap at a local micro-brewery so we can go down and get a growler to take home. How convenient. Tell you what, I’ll hoist a tankard in your honor. Because I’m just a self-sacrificing kind of friend.
A good mopping followed by drying (very important! Ants LOVE water, so you have to make sure you get every bit of water off the floor) has always resolved my ant problems.
Let the ants do the cleaning for you. I’m sure they’ll have removed whatever it was that attracted them eventually…
Love the Lenore. 🙂
Don’t bother to find out where the ants are coming from, at least not right now, ’cause you’re busy. Just sprinkle (liberally) fresh-ish dried mint (as in hasn’t been in your cabinet since last summer) where you don’t want them. Spray them with window cleaner to kill the ones you can see. And then you can also draw the line – literally – with plain old white chalk as you find the places where they ingress.
And for a non-toxic way to be rid of them permanently and if you have some Cream of Wheat in the cupboard, just sprinkle that around the mound or all around the base of your house and they’ll eat it, get thirsty, drink water,… and explode. 🙂 I know, is kinda bloodthirsty, but simple and non-toxic to birdies and kitties.
The spinning and start of the sweater are just loverly.
Sweater’s lovely, of course. But I’m fixating on the ants.
How come my house is invaded in the drought!? If they come in when it’s wet? (they do then too). Found ants all over my 5 year old’s bed last night, just before tucking him in. Because they were on his water bottle, or I never would have noticed until Too Late.
(No food in his bed. Strictly forbidden, with his easy agreement. He must be very sweet.)
(I don’t think traps etc will work. The entire city of Oakland seems to be built on top of a lower level ant city.)(I just clean them up persistently and they give up after a few days.)
very “sweet baby” beautiful ! So will you be Posting or marketing the pattern for all of us who love what you knit?
Isn’t there a liquior store in that large city that delivers?? You call, tell them what kind of beer you crave and they bring whatever amount you tell them. The delivery charge is worth it!
P.S. It is a waste of time to clean the house before the teenagers move on and out. Just hang a sign on the door”Please excuse our stuff and dust-teenagers live here”.
Now go knit-that floor will still be sticky next week.
“Lucky for us Joe talked me into that chastity belt for daytimes and the cage at night, so I don’t have to worry”
and this is coming from “the harlot”…
sorry, but it certainly is kind of ironic. Maybe it’s time to rethink the name of this blog? LOL
(nah… that Megan of yours certainly looks like a fine kid)
Ants (at least the sugar kind) don’t like cinnamon. I’ve used this trick for two summers–but cinnamon across the door frames and windows and it does help. It’s not perfect but I’ve gone from random swarms to the occasional ant.
I hear that you can stop ants by dusting the area where you see them with baking powder and leaving it for fifteen minutes before vacuuming it up.
As for chores, I’m open to just about anything except the bathroom. Ugh.
I just wanted to delurk for a brief moment to say that I love your blog. Your posts are very real to me and make me laugh.
I like it a lot! I must have missed Lenore though, is there a pattern hiding out there somewhere?
Beautiful, I look forward to seeing the finished sweater. Megan (oLK) is a lucky lady and her little one is a lucky little one, whatever s/he turns out to be.
BTW, in case you didn’t know, ants hate mint. Whenever I see some in our house, I put a line of mint oil across the threshold of the nearest door(s). Mostly keeps ’em away, and in any case does nothing worse than smell nice.
THE ANTS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME.
*breathes*
And I’ve just started spinning…
“Ok. I’m a little behind. I can catch up. I swear it.”
This is what the guy at the back of the pelaton is saying as well.
“Lucky for us Joe talked me into that chastity belt for daytimes and the cage at night, so I don’t have to worry.”
…I can’t say what I’m thinking in the comments. It would be tacky.
I have a mysterious tribe of ants too…must be the year or something, last year I couldn’t stop the fruit flies, even though everything in the kitchen was soaked in Javex twice a week. This year no fruit flies, just ugly little six leggers (I think it’s six anyways). Beautiful yarn, stunning sweater.
I thought that was Lenore! (or a version of it) I’m making a pair right now with sock camp KawKaw. Love that Quilla.
See you in September!
Unsure if this has been suggested before or not, but use bay leaves for the ants. Stick them under appliances and around cracks and such, anywhere you think they might be coming from. Might help to smoosh them a little first, releasing the oils… but it’s a little tip that has worked wonders when we had a small any incursion in my house a couple summers ago.
Beautiful sweater, beautiful handspun yarn….don’t you wish there were more hours in the day? Eagerly anticipating the finished sweater and what you decide to knit out of all your freshly spun yarn. 🙂
Thank goodness mine is not the only house with a million of those freaking ants. No matter how sterile the kitchen is, they keep coming to visit anyways. Can’t wait for fall. 😀
What a darling sweater-not that I had a clue what it could be yesterday!
And here I was all happy about the spinning I had accomplished this morning-HOW do you do it all?!? And I only got the teensiest bit of sock cuff knit this afternoon. Sheesh! Oh well-I’ll just look forward to seeing the sweater and skeins on Monday :~)
Mmmmm… that teal is yummy. I need to do some spinning too.
Beautiful beginning.
I’d believe all that except the “cooking dinner” part.
For the ants, put down some yellow corn meal. The ants take it back to the others, and then can’t digest it.
Love the baby mine so far! Need the pattern for my littlest girl. Obsession and denial go so well together, the sweater, beer, spinning and food are the weekend necessities though. Keep up the great work. I love the teal yarn you spun…where can I find it????
Like the idea of the beer hat. Corn meal works? Good to know.
i’m so sorry for the heart palpitations, dear harlot. i have a twelver in the fridge and it’s cooling down out here in oregon, time to make another west coast book tour!
Lovely little sweater! What a lucky baby!!! (And mom, who will, of course, appreciate it the most!)
Lovely sweater and story behind it!
As someone who has spent a considerably long time hooked up to an IV, I would venture to point out that they’re rather difficult to knit with. Not that I tried. But it was hard enough to comfortably hold a paperback book while it was attached to me. =)
The pattern for the baby sweater does look addictive. Oh, and to have it in a sock pattern is really cool.
What roving are you using now? Great teal? color.
You CAN do it!
All the ant comments are awesome. I ran out and tried the cream of wheat one right away. And if you try them all and it doesnt work, at least you could sweep it all up, put it in a pot, and have an extremely interesting (and unsanitary) stew.
Also I read somewhere that squishing them releases a pheremone that attracts more ants. They say you should use warm soapy water to wash up the ant so that you also wash away his trail.
(I have been doing this all summer to no avail)
If you put cayenne pepper down around the edges of the room, it keeps the ants away. Well…helps to, anyway. Lovely sweater. 🙂
Last year I found where it appeared the ants came marching in and sprinkled cinnamon all around their little path. It seemed to do the trick. At least when the dog didn’t lick it up or roll in it . . .
First, I am totally intrigued by all of the “natural” remedies for ants.
That being said, I live in New York City. We have ROACHES. Way more disgusting than ants. Any classy natural remedies for those?? Hell, they eat everything, including soap powder. Will the Cream of Wheat work? I’m not sure anything on earth will make a roach explode – they say roaches will survive a nuclear holocaust.
Second – beautiful, loverly sweaters. Will the baby get to keep both, whether a girl or a boy?
How about some nice local cream ale in honour of the Canadian rider (Ryder, who is from my hometown, hurrah) in The Tour? It’s called Slipstream from Philips Brewery and is quiiiiiiite tasty if I do say so!
Oddly, except for the fact I’m Touring on a spindle, not a wheel, and the fact I’m knitting a shawl, a sweater and a vest, all for me, not babies, and the fact there are no children hereabouts, my life is remarkably like yours. Insane. Lovely, rewarding, but completely in-friggin’-sane.
I’ll hook up the IV as soon as I buy beer. The Lenore pattern is absolutely stunning on the sleeve. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!
Mardi — boric acid. Buy it at the drug store, sprinkle/spoon it along the baseboards. The eat it, carry it home, and explode. After that, don’t think about it.
Next time you come to Seattle, you’re totally getting some of hubby’s Springbok beer. Some tasty goodness, that stuff!
I hope you’re taking notes on that sweater, I would love to have a chance to make it, too. Not that I have any friends pregnant at the moment (you hear that Jennifer, Becky and Kristin??) (but Heather, Chelsea and any girl dating one of my sons must ignore me!!)
The sweater is going to be *adorable*!
Orange oil is great for getting rid of ants, and harmless to people and pets.
I like doing laundry (not the other things, alas)and I have the next two weeks free. Where will you deliver my plane tickets?
I’m so proud! I feel like Buck Henry watching Get Smart!
But twice as geeky.
Ants: wanderers leave a trail behind them for other ants to follow, so just killing the ones you see won’t stop them. You have to wash away the trail by washing around all windowsills, door edges and sills, and the outside wall around the windows and doors. Also maybe the cellar. Remove vines from house, tree branches that touch the house, anything that gives them a free ride.
Good luck.
Um, Steph, I think I got some weird genetic thing for tidy; I say it’s genetic because my son does it too. I get a perverse sort of satisfaction from cleaning things – it’s kind of a zen experience, like when you manage to learn the pattern and can just knit for hours? Well, housekeeping does it for me (and so does knitting mostly unless it’s complicated.) So if you want me to come mop your floor, wash and fold and put away your laundry, and vanquish the ants with my fool-proof bleach and cinnamon method, I am SO there!
Of course, I’d have to get from SF Bay to Toronto, but it could happen. And I wouldn’t drink all your beer (but you might need to lock up the scotch!)
I know that Lenore is part of a sock club, but will it ultimately become available somewhere? And if so, will you tell us when and where it becomes available? It is a beautiful pattern!
I would love to know where exactly the ant in my kitchen are coming from, I know under the window somewhere… damn ants
Ok. Get the ants to CLEAN the kitchen for you and you’ll be all set. There are zillions of them, so they should be done in what, an hour?
Knit! Spin! Knit! Spin! GOOOOOOO HARLOT!
I like to vacuum up ants. It gives me a perverse sort of satisfaction. I just vacuum up the trail a few times a day until they give up and go away. I vacuum up fruit flies too. Hint: This really appeals to teenagers for some reason. Casually leave the vacuum by the ant trail. You’ll see. Perhaps it appeals to the inherent sadistic tendencies of teenagers (or maybe just my teenagers). Love the sweater design, by the way. Can’t wait to see the final product!
I was at Lettuce Knit for the firs time today and think that I saw Megan.
If it was indeed Megan, you’d better knit double time as I think the baby is coming very soon.
Anyways…g’luck.
🙂
Still out of beer? Woman, I am concerned.
Come to my house, we have lots!
Ooh, pretty. No, not pretty, gorgeous.
I’ll send you up some Wisconsin beer, shall I? I know you have plenty of great beer up/over there, but we have plenty to spare. Might get stopped and drunk at customs, though. Cheese curds?
Knit, spin, knit, spin, knitknitknittillMegandeliversandthesweatersdonespinspinspinspinspin.
If the baby ends up being Baby Yours, will he wear the Baby Mine Sweater? And will Mine wear Yours? Does one baby get a two-sweater deal? Or if it ends up Yours, does another baby get mine? Logistics, logistics.
well as always it’s beautiful stuff. As for the ants, especially if their small ones I do a 50% mix of borax and sugar and leave around. they can’t tell the difference and bring both back and it kills the nest.
That. Is. Stunning.
Maybe it’s the hormones (I’m due in January!), but I would LOVE to see a pattern available when you’ve finished your ‘Baby Mine’… please? (imagine a very hopeful/desperate pregnant knitter’s face here)
What a beautiful diversion from the spinning. I understand. We all do!
What is that fabulousness that is on your bobbin? I wants it!
Gorgeous sweater! But you know that, you’re right there knitting it and absorbing its goodness. Then you started talking about ants, which provoked many comments about ants. So I just have to share this link, which made me LOL:
http://www.offthemark.com/daily.php?go=1213059600
On a more practical note, if anyone has particularly large, black, intimidating looking ants, you might want to investigate to be sure they are not carpenter ants. You don’t want those charming beasties to eat your house. 🙂
i’ll have my nurse friend set up a tequila iv for you. would you like me to fan you ala cleopatra or rub your feet and lower legs to keep circulation up (wouldn’t want you to lose your feet, then what would you do with all those socks?)
Love the sweater and love the spinning. And bow down to you as the Goddess of Domesticity if you manage all that and have a clean house too!
Have mercy. Could I come over and drool over the GORGEOUS teal stuff you are spinning??? Please?
Good to know I’m not seeing things – think it’ll be fab as a sweater!
The best thing about hanging out with other fiber addicts,(oops I meant artists! What was I thinking!) is that housecleaning isn’t necessarily their first priority either! There’s too much else to do like spinning, knitting, weaving, taking care of fiber animals etc. My kitchen floor is just awful and I think it’s going to be that way for a while in spite of my best intentions. Besides, your baby sweater is just too lovely to stop working on anyways, especially for a kitchen floor. The ants might be another story. Good luck on your mission and sorry about the beer!
I totally thought you were talking about YOUR Megan too and said to myself, “whoa. she’s handling that pretty well.”
I loved Lenore so much that I am using that pattern for a stole for a friend. I am going to knit the socks again because someone “helped” me by sending my pair of STR Lenore to the laundry and only one came back—but it didnt shrink.
YOU’RE OUT OF BEER!!??
DOCTOR! WE NEED A HOPS-HEAVY IV IN HERE, STAT!
Oh, and? Yes, the sweater is LOVELY, I can’t wait to see them both. But you need to send Joe out for beer. Seriously.
I love that yarn you are spinning! Are you going to have the blue cable sweater pattern available for the masses? I love it!
Your little project makes me smile…I’ve used a similar motif for a top I made for a sweater design class I took last year (link above). I can’t wait to see this as a little baby sweater!
Forget the beer — you need caffeine by direct infusion! Oh, and an automatic mopper 😉
Oh my denial is a good thing is it not ? Look out for Stephanie it’s blast off time this weekend. Good Landing.
I. Love. That. Sweater.
And I think this echoes a comment above, so I’ll second peppermint essential oil as yet another natural remedy for ants. Previous house had TONS of them, and that significantly helped.
I, too, have over committed myself. CPA exam is on Thursday and I still have half of sock one and all of sock two to knit for my Tour De France KAL. These are my first socks. Terrifying….
Time-space continuum activation lessons are needed, PLEASE!
Perhaps these lessons could go on a “pattern” page along with Lenore…..
ok, is this your own creation or is there a pattern out there? If it’s your own, are you gonna publish it? I love it so far…
Ants breathe through their skeletons and suffocate in the presence of soap, so, scented soapy water is a safe way to do them in and to disrupt their scent trails.
I see: the Quilla has the stork wings beating like the wind at the bottom, making a beeline above it to the finish line.
Just need the rules about shipping beer to Canada. You don’t mind if it’s a bit preshaken and liable to foam like hell, do you? Anything special you want?
PS The yarn is beautiful. Can we still get the roving? If you knon what it is of course.
This is completely off the subject of this post but…I was watching a cooking show called ‘Good Eats’. They are always doing silly comedy skits about food, and one of them was taking place on an airplane. They made the announcement to turn off all electrical equipment, but they kept filming their “documentary” on airplane pretzles, the stewardess came over and said “didn’t you hear the announcement to turn off all electrical equipment?” and took the camera. Well, now that I type it out, it was much funnier watching it. Either way, I thought you might appreciate that.
Beautiful! (And I am really interested in the Lenore pattern whenever it is widely available.)
How did you let yourself run out of beer?? I know everyone dreads when their children are old enough to drive and even more when they are old enough to legally drink. BUT… I will tell you this. Once that teen starts driving you have more control than ever! You simply say, “DO IT OR HAND OVER THE KEYS!!!” We made it a point to pay for half of each of their first cars. Mind you they were what many kids called junkers but our kids were proud of them and took better care of those than some kids they knew with brand new cars. The other thing is once they are drinking age you phone them and say, “on your way home can you pick me up some……..?” Fill in the blank. I would usually pay them back with a larger bill and they got to pocket a little extra gas money and Mama had a cocktail! Worked for me. Before everyone starts with the ” you’re encouraging your kids to drink” replies, that’s not true. They were told about waiting till they were of age, NOT EVER drinking and driving and the result for doing either of the above. Never had a problem! Gotta Cop and a daughter who married a Cop! So there!
1. The sweater-to-be is lovely and the baby-to-be is fortunate indeed.
2. The teal yarn you’re spinning is breathtaking.
3. The ants are present because it’s time for the ants to be present. See http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/07/10/a_full_and_round_understanding.html for verification. It’s not you, it’s not your house or your housekeeping. Their little ant alarms went off, telling them that it’s time for the Invasion.
I don’t know anyone who is expecting period, definitely no girls in the offing, but my mind is wondering: “When can I get my hands on this pattern.”
are you not close to london town
a few days out of town would help
i live in florida 8 foot gators
in ones back yard and fire ants
its freezing in new zealand
they have yarn you could go
there and send us post cards
a few days out of town would help please
Gawd, you never cease to amaze me. I guess if I endeavored to keep up with your schedule my arse would be as skinny as yours…. (would that it could be!)
That is a lovely and delicate sleeve-you do realize that you are going to have to make the finished pattern available or we will all collapse in fits of weeping…
Since you’re going to be warping that space-time continuum thingie once again, maybe you could warp me back to a baby and maybe (maybe) someone in my life could make me that sweater. It is entirely wrong to be jealous of a soon-to-be infant, but whoa nelly, do I ever covet a sweater like that! Gorgeous gorgeousness!
Since you are being so efficient and seem to have oodles of time, I have a KAL project I could use some assitance with and I know you’ll do a bang-up job paginating the holiday catalogue (I even spelled it properly for you). See you Monday a.m. – 9:30 sharp. Feel free to bring your wheel, wouldn’t want to impede progress.
Any chance that you’re going to write out that pattern??? I love what I see so far!
I’d love to see the pattern when you’re done, too! (She says, having only seen the sleeves…) I just began swatching a sweater for my own, girl-flavored baby, but the pattern I picked isn’t QUIIIITE what I’m had in mind and this looks like it might be!
If you *do* work out how to warp the space time continuum, lemme know, ok? Although I think maybe I’ve figured it out… the wrong way round, though. How is it Sunday evening? I’ve barely knit anything!
Ya know, the more astute observer might have hovered their mouse above the “mystery” picture from the day before and seen that the pic had “quilla” in it’s name. But…. =^)
Anywho, the yarn looks much more white than pink in these photos. Wasn’t it pink before? I do love the pattern though. Gorgeous work!
Oh my, commentator number 122! It’s doubtful if you’ll read this, but please, if you do, I am very respectfully begging, if that’s at all possible to pretty pretty pretty please finish this one up quickly so that you can share this pattern with us when you’re done! I have a little baby girl joining our family in the middle of December and I’ve been itching to knit up a gorgeous little lacy sweater. This is, so far, one of the most stunning little bits of sweet sweater lace and it is driving me to distraction! How and I supposed to keep my family fed when all I can think about is how this little sweater going to look when you’re done? Nothing’s getting done around here, I can tell you!
So, in case you don’t have time to read all of my comment, here’s a synopsis:
1. Please knit very fast!
2. Please share this gorgeous pattern!
My family’s well-being relies on you!!
;-P
Beautiful pattern … where can I find it … can it be adapted for an adult sweater ? That baby is going to be the best dressed baby in Canada ..
is the boy’s version finished ? pictures, more pictures
I just got back to electricity and am catching up on your blog. One of the rewards for 2 days of travel. Anyway, I wanted to ask: why don’t your girls do laundry? Maybe I have been in Africa to long where 10 year olds do the laundry and help with the cooking and care for younger children…
I just wanna say that your blog always makes me smile, if not laugh out loud!
Thanks for being you – and sharing you with us.
gorgeous sweater… i get girl baby lust when i see projects like that! here’s my ant tip… i wash down everthing with dr bronner’s & many drops of peppermint essential oil. then i make a spray of a litte bronner’s, water, and about 30-40 drops of peppermint eo and spray this along the baseboards, doorways, along the walls against countertops, any sort of entrance/crack. that does it over here, but of course we’re in denver, and maybe they just give up for lack of oxygen. 🙂 peppermint is actually an ant deterent though. good luck!
Love, love, love all your knitting, spinning and humorous (humourous?) stories! Showed DH your Canada Day blog and he said, “Let’s move to Canada!” He does already know your national anthem and taught to me and our kids….
After our second tour on Guam (DH is in the US Navy) I learned to truly hate ants!!! They ate the glue in all my boxes I had saved for when we move…box for the tv, the MW, BOTH my sewing machines, etc. Bleah! And I never found ANY think that really worked on them but I gave it my best effort and sprayed vile smelling bug spray a lot! The ants did keep the geckos fat and happy and when a gecko died the ants did their part and carried it away for me….nice we live in such a complementary world I guess….but no ants in my present abode, thank the Lord!!!
I love to do laundry, and I’d be honored to meet Sir Washie, but unfortunately I don’t live anywhere near you. The baby sweater fragment is beautiful though.
When I was on holiday in Toronto recently (I should mention that I live in England) I made a pilgrimage to Lettuce Knit, where I witnessed with my very own eyes the lovely Megan, complete with bump containing the recipient-to-be of that delightful sweater…. It was a v hot and rather stressful day (we were on our way to the airport, and I’d had to leave my boyfriend waiting under a random tree with all our bags & cases while I ventured alone into an unfamiliar city, desperate to buy some yarn and visit the hallowed spot, haunt of the harlot), and when I finally tracked LK down it was so lovely… like a little knitterly oasis of calm and woolly peace. I just immediately felt at home, despite being a very long way indeed from home. It was almost spiritual. Now I’m back in England, and I may never get to visit Lettuce Knit again, but I have my lovely skein of Socks that Rock, and it is rather exciting to think that I have seen with my own eyes someone for whom Stephanie is knitting a baby sweater! (and I hope I don’t sound too much like a crazed stalker if I admit that I may have covertly touched all the chairs in Lettuce Knit, so I could say I have touched a chair on which the Yarn Harlot has at some point no doubt sat…. ok yes it does sound a bit insane, but don’t worry, Stephanie, I live far too far away from you to feasibly come stalk you in real life : )
Is there a pattern for the sweater I could find somewhere? (pddns@hotmail.com) Thanks! It’s gorgeous.
My Grandma Helen was obsessive about cleaning they way some people I know are about knitting and spinning and the like. And even she had an ant problem. She kept a squirt bottle filled with vinegar and when she saw an ant, she’d go at it with the vinegar. I think the vinegar erases the trail and makes it hard for more ants to follow because they were usually isolated cases–one lone ant wandering across the kitchen floor…soon to meet its destiny with a 90 lb, 90-year-old woman and her squirt bottle.
Beautiful little sleeve.
At my house, where housekeeping has been totally optional since I-can’t-remember-when and the ants come marching in every spring, we use diatomaceous earth. It comes in a squirty puff-bottle and you can get it at the hardware store or garden centre. Squirt a line across likely entry points and some of the more unlikely ones, too. It’s like razor wire to them (it’s fossilized sea-critters and its edges are naturally sharp). They won’t cross it and it won’t hurt the cat if she wanders across the line and then washes her paws.
this post, while not intended to do so, made me weepy. you are so sweet to talk to Blue Moon about naming yarn colours for Megan’s baby-to-be. again, you blow me away.
love to know where you got the chastity belt, btw. i figure once Patia hits middle school, she can start wearing one.
My teenage boy does his own laundry, or goes without. He also, when quite a bit younger, used to take clear packing tape and use it on the ants as we do for cat hair!
Now I keep scrubbing the sink and surround with the cleaner from the health food store, and require everyone to wash their dishes the SECOND they are done with them. I had armies of ants in the dishwasher – now only a few scouts make an appearence in the mornings.
I try not to think about them. I knit standing in the kitchen while preparing dinner, just to keep up my efforts to destash!
Hi YH,
It kinda matches the baby hat I designed way back when. I love that horseshoe lace for baby stuff, it just screams christening gown or something.
http://fiberfetish-courtney.blogspot.com/2006/11/lace-baby-hat.html
Courtney
The sweater is lovely, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I’m really more interested in whether or not you found someone to do the mopping, the laundry, and the ants. Will you send them to me when you’re done with them, please? If I could find someone like that, I might even consider marriage. Same sex, different sex, no sex, polygamy, who cares?! If they love to clean, do laundry, and take care of ants, I’d marry them!
And just where does one acquire a cage the right size for a teen? Do they sell the chastity belt there too? Just planning ahead (mine is only 9, but you can’t start too early!)
And where can we find this Baby Mine sweater pattern???
Did I miss the picture of Joe in his gansey? Are you aware we are 90 days to crappola weather? Are you spinning in denial!!!