Author: Sarah

FLAK

Sarah FLAK

FLAK_swatch_closeup_TN.jpgMy swatch for FLAK is finished and blocked, and I’m really happy with how it came out. I decided to swatch the cables it originally called for before trying to substitute any of them, and I like how they came out so much I’m not going to bother switching anything. The cable I didn’t think I’d like so much is the set of three horseshoe cables in the middle of the swatch. That’s never been a favorite of mine, but I’ve never actually done it in 100% wool before and I think that makes a big difference in how they look.

I’m going to figure out all the measurements required for the sweater and decide how much yarn to order tonight! (And I’m going to make a final decision on the color. I do love the avocado green and will most likely use it but I figure I may as well peruse the color card a little more first.) By the end of next week I ought to have my yarn and will be able to get started on the saddles. Yippee!

Here’s the project page with the picture of the full swatch on it.

No Toes?!?

Sarah General

Well, I was going to post about how I finished my swatch for FLAK, except that it’s blocking right now and I haven’t taken a picture of it yet. So, when I stumbled on this fun little thing over at chrisknits, I figured why not?

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Sarahsthreads!

  1. The risk of being struck by sarahsthreads is one occurence every 9,300 years.
  2. In the Spanish edition of Cluedo, sarahsthreads is the victim.
  3. There are 336 dimples on sarahsthreads!
  4. Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than sarahsthreads.
  5. Without its lining of sarahsthreads, your stomach would digest itself!
  6. The sarahsthreads-fighting market in the Philippines is huge – several thousand sarahsthreads-fights take place there every day!
  7. Sarahsthreads will often glow under UV light.
  8. Sarahsthreads is the only king without a moustache on the standard pack of cards.
  9. Two grams of sarahsthreads provide enough energy to power a television for over twenty-three hours.
  10. Sarahsthreads does not have toes!
I am interested in – do tell me about

I wish I’d known about the toes thing before I started knitting socks…

Six Weeks of Winter

Sarah General

The groundhog predicted six “more” weeks of winter. But we haven’t really had any weeks of winter at all yet. I mean, by now we should be socked in with snow. I think Denis has used the snowblower once this winter, and only because it was the first time there was even enough snow to consider it. Since then, if we even get enough snow to cover the driveway it’s melted away the next day. Today it got up to 50°F, and the sun was warm, and the grass was green, and there were birds chirping away – hello, people, it’s not supposed to do that until April at the earliest!

It’s all because I bought Carrie the cutest snowsuit ever at the consignment shop. The only reason it’s snowed at all is because the boots I bought her are too big and fall off when she tries to walk in them, so she’s only partially prepared for winter weather.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining…exactly. But I do believe in payback, as this column from our local paper talks about, and I was so looking forward to a nice spring and a summer where we could use our pool. If we don’t get some cruddy winter weather soon, we can kiss spring and summer goodbye!

February Cross-Stitch

Sarah Cross Stitch

I skipped right over November, December and January so I could have one done in time! And let me tell you, I was really tired of looking at the October cross-stitch by the time last night rolled around. But this one turned out cute, I think, and I have the next few months done through June.

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The Year of the Dog

Sarah Carolyn, Dogs

Molly and Murphy are thrilled that it’s the year of the dog!

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I’m not so sure they were thrilled that Carrie was petting them, but she was certainly happy about it. And in the background are the results of our weekend project. You see that nice cushiony plaid thing where a hearth should be? We made a frame to go over the hearth, glued on some high density foam, and then upholstered it. It’s a whole lot better than having that slab of concrete sticking out in the middle of the room, and Carrie now thinks it’s her very own couch. (I think I need to get a couple of bolster pillows for up against the brick, though.) The nice part is that it just fits right over the hearth, so if we ever wanted to put a fire in the fireplace we can easily remove it, but it’s too heavy and snug-fitting to be easily moved by a toddler.

Babies and Birthdays

Sarah General

My youngest brother turned 21 today. I remember the night he was born, it was really late – he was born at 11:03 PM (is it scary that I remember that detail?) so it must have been well after midnight – and I was still awake in my room when my dad came home from the hospital. He brought home big sister and big brother certificates from the hospital for us, and was going to put mine on my dresser so I’d see it in the morning but I was awake and wanted to know if I had a new brother or sister. It’s really hard to believe it’s been 21 years since that day!

baby_hat.jpgAnd speaking of birth days, Tina had her baby girl today. She arrived quite a few weeks early, so good thoughts and prayers would definitely be appreciated. Jenny has a few more details on her blog, with pictures of teeny-tiny fingers and toes!

I hope this little hat fits her and keeps her warm. It’s made out of some cotton/nylon sock yarn I bought ages ago and is so very soft.

15 month well-baby visit

Sarah Growing Up

Vital stats:
15 months, 2 days old
21 lbs. 9 oz.
31.75″ tall

One of my wishes for Carrie is that she won’t have to shorten every single pair of pants she buys – and since she’s currently in the 80th percentile for height, it might come true! Four shots today, this time in her arms instead of her legs. The shots are getting harder and harder for me to deal with, it’s a really good thing Denis comes along to these appointments. I try really hard to convince myself that the vaccinations are ultimately a good thing, but it still worries me a bit when they give her so many at once.

Other than that, she seems to be right on target with all the developmental stages, and it was a pretty boring appointment.

Oh, wait! She somehow has her 15-month top molars cut part-way through already, and we didn’t even notice! The other day we thought she was a bit droolier than usual, but she hasn’t been complaining at night or anything so we were shocked when the doctor pointed them out. Who knew? So now she has 5 teeth plus 3 almost-teeth.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Sarah Knitting

Want to know what happens when you leave a pile of knitting in front of a west-facing window for 18 months?

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Those are four of the six squares I’ve made so far for my Aran afghan. Luckily, just the one square (of course it would be my favorite) got bleached by the sun. I’m trying to decide how bad it is – it’s actually a bit more obvious in real life than the picture. Is it worth re-knitting the square – assuming I have enough extra yarn? Should I knit a number of the remaining squares in a different color and make a checkered afghan so the cream squares aren’t next to each other? Should I just leave it and put the whole finished blanket in front of a window for a few months? Should I try dyeing it?

I suppose for now I’ll just ignore the problem, knit another square or two, and then decide…that will only be, what, another year or so?

So Many Knitting Projects!

Sarah Knitting

OK. I’m insane. Can we just start there? Yesterday I signed up for sockapaloooza, where I’m going to knit a pair of socks for someone I don’t know, and some other person I don’t know is going to knit a pair of socks for me. Crazy, huh?

And then today I’ve been swatching for FLAK. I’m lusting after a heavily cabled cardigan – I don’t care if I already have too many sweaters! Except I’ve been poring over pattern books and such because I’m not in love with one of the cables so I’m going to change it out and, well, I’m obsessing. I can’t order the yarn until next month anyway, so I may as well play with swatches for a bit.

Not to mention the baby sweater I finished last week that still needs booties, the baby hat I’m halfway through, a comfort/prayer shawl I’m about a third into, the aran afghan I picked up again (that’s a whole blog post in itself, I have a problem) and the scarf I started last year at this time that would be mighty welcome as it just finally turned into winter here.

I need a bigger knitting bag.