Taking a different kind of break February 27, 2006

This is a break from the further catalog of ye olde stash!  So far, 247 balls of yarn accounted for and plenty more to go.  I was considering listing some stuff on eBay but with the trip to Costa Rica less than 2 weeks away–I don’t think I should add post office pressure to the mix.  The house is already undergoing a major tidy!  Sadly, I only found 37 cents under the couch cushions.  Hardly worth it. 

Our bedroom is undergoing a major overhaul!  My MIL will be sleeping there and it’s a bit…umm…messy!  Owen’s got this thing where he likes to pile stuff on our bed–blankets, clothes, toys, books, videos.  Anything really!  And then he crawls under it.  When it is time for us to go to sleep–we tend to just pitch it over the side.  It’s made quite a mountain o’ crap! 

Well, my stash calls…

Excerpt from Owen’s Communication Notebook February 23, 2006

Cute story:  Owie was playing with the cat and when I asked what he was doing Owie said, "I’m catting," with a big smile on his face.  Nice try though. 

Owen has an expressive self action program that he has generalized in an interesting way.  He sometimes requests "I want eating" or "I want running" and sometimes "I want driving".  But I had to share this as it just about melted my heart.  He can be so cute sometimes.

February 22, 2006

I have a bit of an obsession–and it’s not knitting related!  Clocks!  I love clocks.  I don’t know what it is about them but I find them to be beautiful.  Admittedly, I am a little cuckoo about knowing what time it is.  Mismatched clocks make me nuts!  My watch battery is dead and I am currently borrowing Cameron’s little digital watch.  I have a Swiss Army watch that I love but the battery goes every 2 years and it must be replaced by a "professional" to keep it’s water resistance.  I never take it off–shower, pool, scuba diving (which I haven’t done in ages–but you never know!). 

Our Howard Miller wall clock is currently out of commission due to a similar obsession by Owen!  Luckily, I have found a guy on Long Island who will repair it.  And I dream of a grandfather clock…someday!

The drive to CT took more time than expected.  My car was acting very odd–vibrating–you know like when you are driving faster than your car is capable of.  However, I have a 2002 Sienna Minivan and I was doing about 65mph.  I had the tire pressure checked at a rest stop in Fairfield but pulled off the highway in Greenwich to have it looked at by a service station.  They said my tire was ready to blow and they put on my spare!  Freaking thing was just into Toyota on Tuesday.  Last night I had all 4 tires replaced at Costco.  Ugh!  But we made it home safely.  And Gracie is delighted to be with her friend.

A little time was spent with St. Brigid this morning.  If you see any miscrossed cables–don’t tell me!  Scooby got cosy with me and the knitting.  I have been having dog dreams again but Cameron had a horrible allergic reaction to my sister’s dog yesterday.  Sigh.  A nice adult retriever though…or rescue poodle.  Just dreaming.  Any other St. Brigid knitters have progress to share?

I have a bit of an obsession–and it’s not knitting related!  Clocks!  I love clocks.  I don’t know what it is about them but I find them to be beautiful.  Admittedly, I am a little cuckoo about knowing what time it is.  Mismatched clocks make me nuts!  My watch battery is dead and I am currently borrowing Cameron’s little digital watch.  I have a Swiss Army watch that I love but the battery goes every 2 years and it must be replaced by a "professional" to keep it’s water resistance.  I never take it off–shower, pool, scuba diving (which I haven’t done in ages–but you never know!). 

Our Howard Miller wall clock is currently out of commission due to a similar obsession by Owen!  Luckily, I have found a guy on Long Island who will repair it.  And I dream of a grandfather clock…someday!

The drive to CT took more time than expected.  My car was acting very odd–vibrating–you know like when you are driving faster than your car is capable of.  However, I have a 2002 Sienna Minivan and I was doing about 65mph.  I had the tire pressure checked at a rest stop in Fairfield but pulled off the highway in Greenwich to have it looked at by a service station.  They said my tire was ready to blow and they put on my spare!  Freaking thing was just into Toyota on Tuesday.  Last night I had all 4 tires replaced at Costco.  Ugh!  But we made it home safely.  And Gracie is delighted to be with her friend.

A little time was spent with St. Brigid this morning.  If you see any miscrossed cables–don’t tell me!  Scooby got cosy with me and the knitting.  I have been having dog dreams again but Cameron had a horrible allergic reaction to my sister’s dog yesterday.  Sigh.  A nice adult retriever though…or rescue poodle.  Just dreaming.  Any other St. Brigid knitters have progress to share?

Short and stumpy February 20, 2006

That was my sock!  No fears, I just ripped the toe.  Most directions suggest starting the decreases 1.5" from your longest toe.  So that is what I did.  My foot would have been hobbled!  Admittedly, I am a size 9.  I started as a size 8 and 3 kids later, I am a shoe size bigger.  But 1.5" is 1.5"-unless your gauge is off.  Which could be…I knit the socks on a circular and switched to dpns for the toe.  Surprisingly, the dpns weren’t as awful as I remembered.  Did you read that mom?  She hates my use of circular needles for socks and sleeves!  Such the purist. 

Geesh, what a mish mosh of sentences!  Can you tell the kids have off from school?  Gracie will be dropped off in CT tomorrow–halfway to Hingham, MA–to spend a few days with her best friend.  Cam and I may take Scooby to the vet this week for his yearly.  And Owen has school.  I am excited to have time with just Cam.  As the middle child, he is often overlooked. 

Pictureless but for the cat who woke us up at 4am.  When we wouldn’t come out and feed him–he tried at Cameron and Owen’s door and Gracie’s too.  Such a dork!

Freaking kids have me so distracted that I meant to ponder the old toe bone–if I had one–for sure I would know where and when to decrease!

Weaving in loose ends February 17, 2006

1.  I knit my Trekking sock with reckless abandon–no care given to yarn amounts needed for two socks!  Granny is out of the color and I don’t love it enough to buy another skein anyway. I am okay with a different color toe on one.

2.  My gauge on St. Brigid is looser (typed loser first) with my Hotlz & Stein Rosewood my mom gave me.  I switched back to Addi’s.  I am okay that it will block out fine.

3.  I have been a little down in the dumps lately due to some nasty behaviors by Owen towards his siblings.  I am okay with a little retail therapy to ease the sadness.

4.  Retail therapy did not include yarn purchases.  I haven’t bought any yarn (that I can remember) since before Christmas! Kevin is very okay with this.

5.  The second story has been pushed off till March.  They tried to get us in just before the trip to Costa Rica but I said I would rather not go–no stark white walls and curtainless windows for my kids while I am sunning it up.  It is now the week immediately after our trip to Costa Rica!  Holy crap!  It’s okay to be freaked out over this.

Love stinks February 14, 2006

Literally!  Especially when you take smelly Stilton cheese  and add it to some very tasty broccoli.  Kevin loves Cream of Broccoli and Cheese soup.  It’s a pain to make and even Gracie won’t eat it with the bleu cheese but it will make my sweetie happy for Valentine’s Day!

I took a cute picture of Gracie in her 100% acrylic shrug.  She loves it and it only cost $6.00 plus my discount–it practically paid to knit itself!  St. Brigid has been neglected.  My skein winder still hasn’t been mended from it run in  with Owen and I need to wind more yarn.  I did a ball by hand but the call of my ugly Trekking sock is getting most of my knitting attention.  I have yet to find a real repeat in the patterning.  Do you see my Valentine’s candy?  Mmmm…Twizzlers!

I hope your Valentine’s doesn’t stink–or if it does–it’s just the soup!

Blizzard blogging February 12, 2006

First off–thank you all so much for you kindness, understanding and support regarding my last post.  I think it helped just to put it out there and get it off my chest.  And the wisdom shared–invaluable.  I am still trying to catch up on emails.  Thank you.

Second, the knitting.  I have really been enjoying knitting on St. Brigid and finished the 4th repeat on the back last night.  Only 3 more to go–which means more than half done on the back, right?  My mom suggested the possibility of a correlation between knitting on St. Brigid and the Zoloft.  I did seem to quit around the time I increased my dosage.  I don’t memorize charts.  But I am finding I need only give a quick glance to make it through the charts.  I also started a Trekking sock–just a 2×2 rib as my hands were a bit tired from the cables.  I can’t say the sock is improving the hand discomfort but I will find something else to add to the queue.

We do have some FO’s in the house.  They arrived via post from Grandma.  Gracie was the very lucky recipient of some cute beaded fingerless gloves.  And I have a cute beaded bracelet.   My mom and I had both seen this lovely bracelet on Emma’s blog.  And now I have one of my very own.  Here I am dishing up some chicken pot pie.  The kids love their initials on the pie crust.  If only Owen would eat chicken pot pie. 

Off to make cookies and hot chocolate with the kids.  Gratefully, Kevin is home and took them out in the snow.  I hate getting wet and cold.  But I sure don’t mind warm cookies. 

February 8, 2006

I think I am depressed.  Just over a year ago, when the doctor found the lumps in my breasts–which turned out to be nothing–she put me on Zoloft.  I was freaking a little as my mom had left for Florida and the radiologist was backed up due to Breast Cancer Awareness month.  My doctor said go on Zoloft for 6 months and it can reset your serotonin something of other and you can be happy till you hit menopause.  (In no way shape or form did she say this–strictly my interpretation).  Around the six month mark I was still unhappy.  She has suggested counseling but I feel like this–meaning autism–is just something I have to live with and accept.  We decided on a 50% increase on the Zoloft.  Somehow it was a 100% increase and I became euphoric.  Honestly, nothing could get me down.  Arguments and annoyances with Kevin–whatever.  House aggravation…uh huh, yea what?  It was all okay. 

For the New Year I resolved to wean myself off of the Zoloft.  What was I thinking?  I mean Granny getting sick was the first thing but Owen’s birthday and the difficult feelings around that…I increased my dosage back up to the full.  But I haven’t gotten back to that euphoric state and I miss it.  I am strongly considering counseling again.  I am sleeping an awful lot.  But I did go to the gym twice this week…and I started on St. Brigid again and am thrilled that it is taking me less than 10 minutes a row.  About 8 or 7 on a purl row. 

Is this too much information to put out there?  Isn’t this supposed to be a knitting blog? 

I think I am depressed.  Just over a year ago, when the doctor found the lumps in my breasts–which turned out to be nothing–she put me on Zoloft.  I was freaking a little as my mom had left for Florida and the radiologist was backed up due to Breast Cancer Awareness month.  My doctor said go on Zoloft for 6 months and it can reset your serotonin something of other and you can be happy till you hit menopause.  (In no way shape or form did she say this–strictly my interpretation).  Around the six month mark I was still unhappy.  She has suggested counseling but I feel like this–meaning autism–is just something I have to live with and accept.  We decided on a 50% increase on the Zoloft.  Somehow it was a 100% increase and I became euphoric.  Honestly, nothing could get me down.  Arguments and annoyances with Kevin–whatever.  House aggravation…uh huh, yea what?  It was all okay. 

For the New Year I resolved to wean myself off of the Zoloft.  What was I thinking?  I mean Granny getting sick was the first thing but Owen’s birthday and the difficult feelings around that…I increased my dosage back up to the full.  But I haven’t gotten back to that euphoric state and I miss it.  I am strongly considering counseling again.  I am sleeping an awful lot.  But I did go to the gym twice this week…and I started on St. Brigid again and am thrilled that it is taking me less than 10 minutes a row.  About 8 or 7 on a purl row. 

Is this too much information to put out there?  Isn’t this supposed to be a knitting blog?