Whoosh...

That's the sound of the last couple of days going by. Today's the day we leave Calgary.

Much to do, but I wanted to add a post today before the mass chaos of pre-airport time.

Sorry you're working so hard, Catherine.

1.5 hours Monday (and what a lovely 1.5 hours it was too!), 41 hours total. I'll try to post again tonight, or early tomorrow with airplane time results.

Margie

I give.

Somehow I am working harder at work than I've worked since I started there. I am exhausted. And still jet-lagged from Korea, so I'm headed to bed even though it's only 9 o'clock. But, I think you should make it to 40 hours between now and tomorrow, so this isn't such a hugely embarrassing episode for both of us.

Let me know what kind of salsa you want!

Catherine

A Wild Saturday Night!

Fun times here, migrating around Calgary saying good bye to friends.

Knit on the sweater for an hour Saturday night. Almost to the point where I start shaping the body.

Margie

1 hour Saturday (limited computer access, thus the late posting). 39.5 hours total.

Margie

Italy, Slovakia and Tires

While waiting at the Fine Establishment that is Canadian tires for them to change my winter tires (separated = garbage) to my all-weathers (low tread = garbage, but still on the car) I got to knit on the sweater and watch the last 20 minutes of the Italy vs. Slovakia game in the World Cup. Wow! It was fantastic! Very cool. Of course, it sucks if you're an Italy fan...

1 hour Thursday (sorry, hoarding?) 38.5 hours total.

Margie

Boxes, boxes...

Just a short post as the packers are working away.

An hour and a half for me last night working on the baby sweater. Already got some time in today while waiting for my summer tires to be put on the car. Will tally that later.

1.5 hours Wednesday, 37.5 hours total.

Margie

And this little piggie went wee wee wee...

... all the 24 hours it took to get home. 

I didn't get as much time to knit as I was hoping. But, I did get a good start (3.5 hours) on my second entry into the knit creature category, which will be a little pig. And I did entertain my neighbor on the plane. Anyway, here's the tail for you to admire. The face is currently in pieces on my counter. I'm sorry I didn't blog about it on Monday, but I am just starting to feel not insane from the time change.

32 hours for me! Watch out, seester!

Catherine

Behold! The Pink Skirt!

There it is...the skirt of pinkness!

While I was sewing on the ruffle, I discovered several things.

First, you know how often when you baste for ruffles, the directions tell you to baste two rows? One row always seems to be where you actually sew the ruffle to the other piece, so the basting is a big pain to take out, and there are always folds and smushy parts and it's all just a pain. Well, tonight I cheated and moved the lower row down a bit and it all was so much easier! Breakin' the law, breakin' the law!

Second, (this is a roundabout point) I have been asked to be chair of the stewardship committee at our former and future church. I dig stewardship. I was co-chair at our church here in Calgary and I got to give a very short sermon this past fall. It was about why I give money to the church. One of the reasons is because it brings me joy to do so. So I was thinking about why I make clothes for my children. We have plenty of money, I could go spend $65 on a skirt like this at some spiffy store. I make them, ruffles and all, because of the look on their faces when they put it on for the first time. For when Smallest will put on that skirt and twirl and twirl. I do it because it brings me joy.

And that's stewardship too!

Now it's on to the x-stitch Santas and the baby sweater!

2.25 hours today, 36 hours total.

Margie

The Gauntlet, It is Thrown!

I had some cute things from a store to send to Catherine, but she's been out of town. I wanted to know when she would be back so it would be safe for the package of cute things to arrive so I emailed her asking when she would be back. She responded by saying she would return on Monday and that she planned on knitting during her whole overseas flight so that she could regain the lead.

Time to get to work!

I knit for 30 min. last night on the back of the white baby sweater, started before the grey baby sweater, but now intended for the pregnant owner of the barn where Middle rides horses and breaks bones. The picture is up there at the top, although I wanted it to go right here.

Then, I snuck a look at Middle's knitting this afternoon while she was playing with a friend. Yikes! I'm sure my knitting looked like that at one point - I definitely remember phantom stitch increases, but wow! It took me 15 minutes to get that all straightened out. I supervised her when she was knitting this evening. Not the most attentive knitter, but she likes it and she's having fun, so I'm not going to point most of the problems.

Tonight, because we're moving in two weeks, I decided it was time to hem the curtains that I made for Middle's room about two years ago. I had grand plans to sew a deep pink grosgrain ribbon around the bottom and middle edge of the curtain, but the nearest Fabricland was lacking in the ribbon department. So I chose a light pink and decided to use it to fold over the edge. It worked rather well. That white stuff you see on the curtain is the blackout liner because the sun doesn't go down until after 10 here in the summer.

I worked on the pink skirt too and realized I could take one block of fabric out of the ruffle. Although it's a pain, I greatly dislike making ruffles, so I'm taking out the extra block. I'm planning to finish it tomorrow because the packers will take my sewing machine away next week, and I don't want to have to finish this in Houston.

1.75 hours today, 33.75 hours total. Catherine, bring it on!

Margie

Fount of Knowledge

This evening, while we weren't eating dinner because we all at ice cream at 4:30 in the afternoon, Middle was frustrated with her latest craft idea, and was rapidly becoming Bored.

I suggested I teach her how to knit. She cheered right up. She chose a color of yarn, we found the needles I had made with her brother when I taught him how to knit (when he was 5, not sure what he remembers) and off we went.

I was really impressed with how quickly she picked it up! She did great. She did a couple of rows and then started to have had enough, so I told her she was welcome to put it down for a while and work on it later.

On her way to bed tonight, she asked me if she could finish it in the morning. I told her I didn't know how long it would take her to finish it, but she could certainly work on it once she was ready for school.

I cast on for the back of the white baby sweater. That's a nice portable project, so I can work on it after the moving van goes, but I need to finish up the pink skirt before the end of the week. The packers come next Monday. Yikes!

1 hour today, 32 hours total.

Margie

Darn Internet!

I just wrote a lively post, only to have the old Mac go offline when I was trying to post it, so it's gone. No time to recreate it now.

1.25 hours for me Friday, 31 hours total.

Fleshing Out

Well, I chose not to watch the show with the Fabulous Fitness Trainer last night. I knew I would get hooked and have to watch the whole season, so I skipped it.

I finished Santa's body last night. His arm and head and feet are left, so perhaps I am halfway? It is a rather simple cross stitch. I will try to get a picture of it today.

I am wondering if the baby blanket is all pink, or if it has a white border, because in the picture, it looks like it has a white border?

One hour for me, 29.75 total.

Margie

Cleaning up...

I have had the ingredients for 4 quilt squares on my desk for an eternity. The last time I worked on them was apparently April 18th. Eep! So, I spent a few minutes (30 to be exact) sewing 2 of them up.

I also watched this show where Fabulous Fitness Trainer goes to Very Fat People's house and does her best to fix them in 5 days. One thing that she was talking about with Youngest and Least Fat girl was about making the choice between failure and success, and about how you can get in these habits of thinking that failure (i.e., not even trying) is the better option because you don't have deal with the sadness of trying to be successful and failing. Then you can end up sabotaging yourself so you don't even have to think about trying in the first place. I need to think about this, at the very least in how it applies to a certain dress that I have yet to make...

28.5 hours for me.

Catherine