The First Broken Bone

Always said it would be daughter number 2. Fell off the monkey bars on the swingset in the back yard Sunday evening. I spent Sunday night in the ER getting a cast on her right forearm. Nice clean break. Not near the growth plate.

Going to see a friend this week to have it set -- he's the dad of a pre-K classmate.

Funny thing is -- on Friday we almost joined a swim club, but I forgot the check book. So, I brought the paperwork home. Now, I'm wondering if it's worth it to join with the five year old in a cast for six weeks.

Perfect start to summer, don'tcha think?

Brownie Camporee

So, here we are.  Getting ready for the big Brownie Camporee.  Two nights and two days in the wilds of Pennsylvania.  Parents were made to read and discuss with their girls "Living with Pennsylvania's Brown Bears".  Rumor has it that a brownie broke the rules last year, had candy wrappers in her sleeping bag in her tent and the bear made off with only the sleeping bag once she grabbed onto a tree.  (The tents are open on both ends.)  

My idea of camping is a hotel without room service.  Daughter No. 1 can't wait to go on this adventure.  I mentioned the pit latrines outlined in the memo.  I mentioned the bears and the bugs.  She still wants to go.  So now I'm packing what seems like enough stuff for an army for one eight year old girl for two nights.  

Of course, during the same weekend as the Camporee, the Little One has birthday parties on Saturday and Sunday for friends.  I have my niece's wedding shower on Sunday (see wedding shawl post above) and the usual weekend stuff.

The wedding shawl is coming along.  I have ripped it twice now.  I have one and a half repeats done at this point and I like how it looks now.  However, I need to speed up the knitting.  Problem is I can't do lace while I'm at the shop -- too many interruptions.  

Let's hope the bears stay in the woods this weekend.

A Wedding Shawl in Progress

Now that I'm done with the shrug phase, I have cast on a wedding shawl.  My only niece is getting married in August and I have offered to knit her a light as air, rectangular stole for the wedding.  Picking the lace weight yarn and pattern were the toughest part.  I wanted something delicate, yet durable.  (I hope that one day she can pass the stole down to her own daughter.)  The pattern couldn't be too fussy, because she's not a fussy type.  Her gown is a simple, ivory strapless gown and she is going to be married outside.  

My choices -- Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Natural.  It is 50% silk, 50% wool and knits like air.  The pattern -- the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls.  It will knit up in a more airy fashion as my lace weight is different than what is called for.  So far, I've cast on, done the 20 row garter stitch border and I am about half way through the first pattern repeat.  No big problems to date, but this is a new project.  

On other fronts, the dogs have taken to their spring digging.  Who needs a rototiller when you have two greyhounds aerating the back yard!  

I have until the beginning of August to finish this shawl.  Plenty of time (I think.)  Keep your fingers crossed.  

Yet Another Shrug (No Photo)

There has been knitting in the house! Much jubilation. I cast on the Baby Alpaca Grande Shrug from Plymouth in a varigated colorway which the color card does not do justice to, for my mom on Easter night. I finished over the weekend and mailed it to her today. It is such an easy and addicting knit. It's amazing what you can do with ribbing and chunky yarn. Mom picked out the pattern and the yarn during the grand opening of the store.

I've come to consider this shrug knitting crack. It goes very fast and when you get done, you want more. After knitting socks and mittens and other things on nothing thicker than sport weight yarn, having a project finish this quickly is very gratifying.

Next quick knit up -- worsted weight socks for the 8 year old to sleep in. She grabbed something unlabeled from the stash. Other than the fact that it's 100% wool and varigated blue, not much I can say about the yarn. I love kid socks -- they go fast. More knitting crack.

A Movie Meme and Sock Wars III

The Movie Meme

Saw this one and had to join in. Here are 10 lines from some of my favorite movies. Some are obscure. Kind of like me. All are on IMDB, but don't cheat and look them up. I'll post answers when someone posts a comment with the right movie. Some of these are painfully obvious, but still some of my favorite movies that make me laugh.

1. How much for the little girl? How much for the women?

2. Sometimes you gotta say "What the F*ck", make your move. Joel, every now and then, saying" What the F*ck", brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity.

3. Badges. We don't need no stinkin' badges.

4. After all, the wool from a black sheep is just as warm.

5. Pick me out a winner Bobby.

6. Yippee-kay-yay, mother f*****.

7. You be careful out among those English.

8. Get off my plane!

9. No matter where you go, there you are.

10. Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?


Now for some knitting stuff. I made this shrug for my sister out of Shaefer Yarns Elaine in the Coretta Scott King Colorway. Looks completely different. The yarn is a joy to work with. It is a thick/thin yarn -- 99% merino with 1% nylon. Finished it on Easter at my sister's house where we had dinner.

The day before Easter, which was also my late father's birthday, was the Grand Re-Opening for Ewe and I. It was a bittersweet day. The customers were great -- we had great traffic. But I really wished he had been there to see it all. I know he was looking down on me and was proud, but I would have turned over everything in the register and more to have had him there.

Mom saw the shop for the first time. She picked out a colorway of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande for the same shrug I made my sister. I didn't have time to wind any of the yarn at the shop, so I had mom hold the skein around her hands on Easter night so I could wind the first skein into a ball. I cast on and now it's almost done.

My one regret about owning a yarn store -- I have less time to knit now than I did before. Hopefully, Mom's shrug will be done in the next day or so. I may have to knit a wedding shawl in the near future -- my niece is deciding if she would like some lace to wear with her wedding gown. I would be honored to knit it for her.

Finally, Sock Wars III. Some of you might know that registration is now open for Sock Wars III. If you don't know what Sock Wars are, try this article in the Wall Street Journal. For anyone who stops into Ewe and I with a copy of their e-mail showing they registered for Sock Wars III, they will get 20% off sock yarn and appropriate needles to "arm" themselves for battle. So long as you have not been assassinated, the discount continues. May the fastest fingers win. We are ordering some of the "official" Tofusties color, if that's your poison. Otherwise, we have tons of neat sock yarn for you to pick off someone with.

Well, it's taken me about five days to write this post -- better get it online.

Up from Under an Avalanche of Yarn

OK.  I can breathe a little now.  The shop is up and running.  My employees are great. I would die without them.  I have even had a day off  (Easter).  Most of the old stock and most of the new stock are out.  I even finished a shrug for my sister -- based upon the Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Pattern, but I knit it in Schaefer Yarns Elaine in the Coretta Scott King colorway.  Now doing the same shrug in variegated baby alpaca for mom.  She picked out the yarn at the grand opening.

There's the big news.  We had the grand reopening of Ewe and I on Saturday.  It was my father's birthday.  Sunday, was Easter.  This was a tough weekend for all of us.  We have my mom staying with us for the week helping with the girls who are off from school.  Keeping her busy is the main objective.  With an 8 year old and a five year old, that shouldn't be a problem.  

Maybe, I'll remember to take picture next time.

Well, I've been a bit busy

As many of you know, I am in the process of buying Ewe and I, a long-standing knitting and yarn shop here in the Philadelphia area.  Well, last week we moved from the Bryn Mawr location to the new location in Narberth.  Prior to the move, I was suffering from delusions.  You know the kind -- sure we can pack up a knitting store, take inventory, install a new POS system and unpack it (while the contractors are still painting) in four days and be open on March 1.

Okay.  I was on drugs.  

We opened, partially, yesterday.  

Some of the stock is out. We're getting there, but I haven't had a day of less than 18 hours in the last two weeks.  

I'm very tired.  I'm going to pour more coffee and put more yarn in the inventory system.