Domestic tranquility

The contact papering is finished! Note the nicely organized shelves.

And I'm so much happier now that I purged

all the unwanted/stained Tupperware.

(I just found out that Chittenden County takes all plastics #1-7! Woot!)
You may not be able to see it in these pictures, but the trees in the marshy area of the Sandbar are already turning colors. That - coupled with the Halloween candy in the store today - does not bode well for summer.

Anniversaries come and go.

Sometime in the past two weeks, my blogiversary came and went with nary a nod from me. Maybe next year, we'll have a big party complete with prizes, cake and beer. This year, I'm in the home zone. Actually for the past 18 months I've been in the home zone, with the last few months being less about the renovations and more about decluttering/simplifying.

It is amazing to me that the more I declutter, the more I find to do. And I'm a purger by nature! I think a lot of it has to do with the fact this is the longest we have lived in any one place and the natural purging that happens when you move hasn't happened here in 12 years. I also find that as I get older, I get more ruthless. I have never been a sentimentalist, but now I'm finding stuff that was on the fine line between 'memory' or 'dust catcher' status has fallen decisively onto the "I don't want to clean/maintain this anymore" side of the fence. So Goodwill has received several CattyAbode dropoffs in the past month (cast iron skillets and a set of dishes, anyone?)

While I'm in the home zone, knitting is now deadline-driven only. I'm working on Chas Arthur's baby sweater, which is not speedy due to the sock yarn/#3 needle concept. And since he was born last Sunday (2 weeks early, thankyouverymuch) at almost 9 lbs, I've kicked the sweater up a size which only compounds my problem.

So it's time for me to get back to work, but I thought you might enjoy a picture of Isabelle in an empty box (I was purging old receipts and records.) I think she's honing her Serengeti skills.

Bring on the Happy

First, a FO! Jayda's Helena.

Project specs: Cascade's Cotton Rich DK #2 and #6 Addis. Pattern modifications: I shortened the skirt by one lace repeat and did a picot front edging. I'm not a big fan of self-ties, and I think this will be cute without any fasteners at all. The pattern was very easy and very fast.
 
Now on the needles: Devan for another co-worker's grandson-to-be. I'm using Soxx Appeal, which is very sproingy! But I think this sweater will be slower-going than Helena.

But the happiest moment of the whole weekend? Was realizing my favorite PA beer was 12 minutes away (by ferry).

And it's only taken me 12 years to realize it. *goes away to bang forehead on the wall*

Weekends

For some reason, I'm really enjoying weekends this month. So many times, the weekend blows by and I haven't much to show for it. However, the past 3 weekends have been a perfect melding of housework, rest, knitting, reading, and fun with the CatMan. Last night, after a wonderful light summer dinner of zucchini quiche and apple-bacon-gorgonzola salad, we went for a drive through the Islands. We live here year-round and I'm always amazed how much the summer people change the Island dynamic. There are those summer people who are the stereotypical obnoxious tourists and then there are those whose families have summered here for generations - they are the ones who bring that special 'vacation' feeling I sense when we drive around the Lake's shore.

And now for the knitting! As promised, here are some FOs.

The BYOB from Knitty. Project specs: Aunt Lydia's Baby Denim in Chambray Blue and Butter (the accent color is the orange mercerized cotton left over from the Jacquescloths). Done on #6 (the seed stitch panels) and #8 (the lace panel) circulars. The Baby Denim is not 100% cotton and doesn't seem as splitty as some all-cottons. I had a good portion of the yellow left over and some blue (probably enough to do the orange band yardage on another bag.)

And finally, the Trinity Wrap. Try as I might, I could not get a good picture of the beaded Trinity stitch insets. *sigh* But it's done. and I'm pleased with it's lightweight warmth and touch of girliness.

Project specs: Teal baby alpaca (on a cone so yardage guesstimate? Not so good!) with teal glass #8 beads using #8 Addi Turbo. The wrap is about 72" long and 24" wide.

I started Helena last night and am over halfway done. The baby shower is Wednesday and the betting pool is now open. I'm thinking it will be all done except for the front edging.

All but the knitting

It was a very productive weekend here at the CattyAbode. There was some cleaning (entire upstairs washed down), some purging (desk drawers /office bins), yarn organizing, some eating out and some eating in. We also went grocery shopping and car shopping (just looking at this and this.) There was napping both days and consuming of adult beverages. There was date night at Barnes and Noble and a loverly rainy restful Sunday reading this.

I also found time to block the Trinity Wrap (it's still drying) and I worked 2 pattern repeats on the Cypress Scarf. Maybe some time this week, I'll actually get BYOB and the scarf off the needles. Who knows, next weekend there will be 3 FO pics to post. Or I'll finish contact papering the kitchen cupboards.

It's a wild wild life here at the CattyAbode. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Crisp, clean and refreshing

Behold the newly painted bathroom. Oooh. Ahhh. (sorry, that was leftover from last night's fireworks display). The calm, restful blue is "Open Air" from Sherwin Williams.

Here's a closeup of the switch plate: I used a wallpaper map motif which picked up the blue paint color, the crisp white of the trim, and the dated beige wall switches.

I also did the same for this outlet - and I gave the wall pocket two new coats of white semigloss. Now you can really see the leaf and berries motif.

I started prep on Friday morning and got two coats of the blue and one coat of the trim on the walls. Saturday, I finished the trim, regrouted around the tub, freshened the shelf and wall pocket with white paint and trimmed up the spots I missed. Then I treated myself to a nice long hot shower and a bit of knitting on BYOB.

How was your weekend?

(I) Like a cheap distraction

Ever since we dug out the wedding pics last weekend, I've been on an 80s video kick. Here's one of my favorite bands singing one of my favorite songs.

This weekend has been about the punch list - all those little items that needed touchups/fixing. The separation between the trim and the ceiling over the bed, the missed 2nd coat of paint on the baseboard behind the laundry hampers, the loose lamp socket - all taken care of now. And to treat myself, here's a cheap distraction brightening my windowless bathroom. The bamboo is from Creative Habitat, the dish is an old canary birdbath picked up somewhere in my journeys, and the filler is from my jar of polished stones and seashells.

I'm off to iron a stack of clothes while watching some movies. And then on to this other cheap distraction -

Pip says, "I got my tummy to distract me."

A unplanned organizational side trip

Friday night, the CatMan was looking for our wedding pictures. Unfortunately, they were not in the album conveniently located in the bottom drawer of his nightstand. They were in the last box I pulled out of our upstairs storage closet. Culling through this space had been lower priority on my to-do list. This is the shred box (receipts/statements/etc. older than 7 years - Jack the cat is for scale.) I also have one banker's box of photos which need to be sorted and labeled; easy enough to do while watching TV.

Here's the closet, cleaned out and organized. What you can't see in this pic are my feet wrangling cats out of the way. This closet is the feline version of spelunking. With my clothes as the belay lines.

I ended up frogging last week's Cypress Ribbon scarf and started over doing it the right way. This is a little over 1 skein into the project. Yes, that is a safety line. I'm not tempting any fate while doing this lace pattern. I've got too many other projects to get on the needles.

Bandwagon--->Me

Yep, all the cool kids are doing it. Here's my version of the Lace Ribbon Scarf that 1180 Ravelry knitters are working on. The yarn is the Rowan Wool Cotton in Cypress purchased at Kyarns' sale. In my usual let's-not-really-read-the-pattern style, I didn't do the pattern repeats as outlined so I have solid stockinette ribbon alternating with the undulating waves. And I like it enough not to frog it. So there.

The finished Spring Cleaning socks. Project specs: Lang Jawoll Aktion (wool/cotton/nylon) , color 7113, using my favorite sock pattern on #2 Inox DPNs. And I can say my spring cleaning is done too. I think.

Isabelle says "It's hot, but I'm gonna sit in the sun anyway."

Where did May go?

Hello? I don't remember authorizing an ENTIRE MONTH to go by without my realizing it. When I'm in purging mode, that doesn't mean TIME!

The CatMan and I don't live a majorly stuff-filled life. My knitting stash occupies a 3-drawer bin, we I routinely cull over our books, and I've confined the CatMan's outdoor gear to one room of our apartment (which also doubles as his office/study). But this weekend, I took 6 computer paper boxes to a tag sale, 3 boxes to Goodwill, and several large trashbags to the dumpster. I am amazed and chagrined at the amount of crap that readily fills the corners of our lives which, if left unchecked, sucks our time in maintenance.

Knitting content will resume shortly - there is a light at the end of the spring-cleaning tunnel.

Rumor has it...

That I have a knitting blog. Seriously! Believe it or not, I have been knitting and thinking about said blog, but that's as far as I've gotten. Until now. Hold on, it's gonna be a garter-bumpy ride!

First up is the completed Bouncing Baby Blankie. This didn't photograph as well as I hoped, but trust me - it's cute and will be perfect for a coworker's new grandbaby due in July.

Project specs: Plymouth Wildflower DK in Grape, Lime, Butter, and Dove on #6 Inox circs. I used about 1.25 skeins for each block and then using the Butter color, doublecrocheted an edging around the whole blankie.
And how can I go on without showing you the haul from Kyarns annual sale?

Clearly, I can't. There's some Berroco Pure Merino in Cardinal (for the sweater I'm not going to knit), more Wildflower DK (1.00/skein!!) to add to the baby yarn stash, 4 skeins of simply lovely Rowan Wool Cotton in Cypress, 2 skeins each of Plymouth's Happy Feet in the red and moss green colorways, as well as some random skeins to keep me on my toes. Kalen was so enabling sweet to make sure I had two bags to fill.

Spring cleaning continues at the CattyAbode with the CatMan's office bearing the brunt of it. We made one dump run, numerous large garbage bags have been filled with debris, and now we wait for the UPS guy to deliver the new furniture. I have to admit, when it comes to purging/cleaning or knitting, the purging wins almost every time.

We are off this weekend for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Since I won't be able to clean, I'm thinking I should have plenty of car knitting time to finish Trinity as well as my second sock.

In the air

...and nothing completed to show for it. Around the house, the first coat of spackling is done in the scary hall. Table has been rented for the big island tag sale next month. The ancient TV (and assorted other electronics) were taken to the e-cycle day. I've been trying to upload blog pics and balance my checkbook online but the webgods are not smiling favorably on me today. It makes me very angry {/Martin the Martian voice}.

Work continues on the Trinity Wrap

and I started a Wildflower DK mitered baby blankie.
I bought some goodies at Kyarns the other day. The neutral Happy Feet colorway will be socks for me. The purple (which looks blue in this pic) Cotton Rich DK is going to be a baby sweater to go with the blankie. And the Jawoll cotton is a stash addition (but probably more socks for me!)Now if I can just knock one of these balls out of the air.

blog fodder

Still knitting on the Trinity shawl, so not a lot of new knitting to share with the rest of the class. But I do have some random blog fodder for your personal edification.

First, the CattyTV went to the Big TVLand in the Sky. But s/he had lived a good long life. We figured out the set was manufactured one month after the CatMan and I first met. Now if we could just find a new one...

The Cure continues as I rip off the old wallpaper on our third floor landing. Scary? Actually the blue paint here is very close to the paint I've picked out for the hall and bathroom. But there's a little patching to be done first, don't you think?

And this was in the Easter candy clearance aisle. For .49 cents and 5 Hershey's Kisses how could I not! (The CatMan got the Kisses and I got the sheep who really does have 2 eyes, you just can't see the one because of the angle.)

And finally a little craft-related content. Some of my felted rounds for the Felted Table Runner WIP made their way to this bag. My friend Sue pieced the interior lining using some of the tropical fabric from my beach bag and a buttery soft microsuede upholstery fabric. Me like-y. Alot.

The Spring Cure - Bathroom

The Spring Cure continues at the CattyAbode. This week's biggie was replacing the nasty yellowed and cracked plexiglass insert over our vanity and switching out the old lighting to new fluorescent lightbulbs. As you can see, our bathroom is the size of a postage stamp with no external window, so brighter lighting helps avoid the 'we live in a cave' feel. When I took the ancient plastic insert into Vermont Plastic Specialities, the guys had a very hard time disguising their smirks. All I could offer was, "Hey, we rent."

(I had to stand in the tub to take this shot!)

I also changed out the vinyl shower curtain liner and laundered the old one for future use. To wash it, I just stick it in the washer with a load of towels and set it on warm/cold, then air dry it over our laundry rack. The towels scrub the residue off and I can usually get a few more uses out of it before it is time to throw it away.

Spring Cleaning

The osprey are here, so it must be spring. And this week, I found out there is going to be a huge community yard sale at the end of May. Taking my inspiration from here (warning - this site is a good way to waste a day...or a week - click at your own risk!) I have begun the Spring Purge. So far, two+ computer paper boxes have been filled.

Culling through my drawers, I was reminded I have never posted a pic of my favorite socks. These socks were made pre-blog, so I don't have a clue on the yarn (readers, any thoughts?). They have worn like iron and feel better each time I wear them. In fact, if I could remember the yarn, I'd make some more!

And FYI - no stash has been harmed during the Purge.

...and your little dog, too!

Edited to add action shots -
Sophie wagging happy.

Sophie's cheesecake shot!

Sophie's Skully Sweater

Project specs: Leftover Jawoll sock yarn in black with Mango Moon's Capelli in Cherry, knit on #2 Inox needles. The pattern ended up being created on the fly using Miss Sophie's dress as a sizing guide. For scale? The skull is the size of a 1/2 dollar. Sophie's owner has promised to bring her into work to model the sweater --ooo, live action shots!

On a more serious note, my boss (aka The Little Dog - not to be confused with Sophie) and his wife found out last week that she has breast cancer. Until we get more details and ways to help the family during this crisis, I started knitting a wrap for her.

I love the look of the Trinity stitch on the larger needles. And though you can't tell in this pic, the green is brighter and there are small beads interspersed throughout the border.

However, all this talk about dogs activates the alien in Miss Isabelle.

I'm so done with this!

I'm so done with:

Daylight Savings Time

Snow/slush/ice

Laundry

The Rosa Fingerless mitts (which I truly/madly/deeply love)

Project specs: the leftover Malabrigo from Tudora, knit on #8 Brittany DPNs. The pattern is my own - of course if I had been thinking, I would have put Tudora cables in the mitts. But I was just too darn excited to be knitting the Malabrigo!
Almost done is Sophie's Skully Sweater. I can't knit on this at work anymore - too many people stop me to look at the skull!

The Perfect Boyfriend

Cinco came to us a few weeks after the death of another cat. Someone had left him in a box outside the vet clinic where I worked. He was a matted, unneutered, flea-ridden, orangish puffball who bore more than a passing resemblance to Animal from the Muppet Show. The first time we saw each other, it was love. He was the quintessential lap cat, and the lap he most wanted to be on was mine.
The first day I brought Cinco home to meet the rest of the brood (only 3 others at that time), he morphed into 'attack cat' and terrorized them in addition to making me doubt my sanity. That is until the CatMan's footsteps clumped onto the decking. Cinco ran to the door, flopped over and proceeded to clean himself, looking for all the world like he had been waiting oh-so-patiently to meet his competitor for my affections.

As I've mentioned before, Cinco and the CatMan had an uneasy truce. Cinco's favorite mode of revenge on the CatMan was either chewing the edges of his paperback books, or if really upset, urinating on his clothes/backpacks/climbing gear. The CatMan's favorite nickname for Cinco was "Chewbookapeeboy." The only time the CatMan could do no wrong was after we had eaten dinner and his was the Lap of Choice.

Over the past two months, we have been noticing an onset of the "Dwindles", which culminated this weekend with Cinco no longer eating or purring. I will miss my boyfriend with his deep rumbling purr, old man sigh when he finally settled in to sleep, and even his ongoing insistence to be in my lap despite my protests (he usually wore me down anyway.)

Goodbye Mr. Cat. I love you.

Cinco - May 5, 1992 to March 3, 2008

Thank you for being a friend -

It was a rough week for me (hey look! Panic!) and a friend came to the rescue. She gave me some great advice, prayed for me, and shared her own issues with anxiety. I started these socks last weekend, and it became clear to me that they needed to be hers. And so they shall be.

Project specs: Plymouth Yarn Co "Happy Feet" (a superwash/nylon blend) in colorway #6 on #2 Inox. You really can't tell from the pic, but the colors remind me of an autumn forest: deep piney green, lighter moss green, tan, mushroom brown, and a deep claret. Maybe not the most Spring-y of color choices, but I think she will like them.

I love the Happy Feet yarn and at $6.00 a skein, it's an affordable treat! I even have enough left over to trim a baby jacket I've got on the docket.

But first, a dog sweater for a 3# chihuahua owned by a Harley ridin' guy. Ayep.

Do a little dance...

Stuff is just zipping off the needles now that the wrap is done.

First, socks for a relative:

Project specs - 1 skein of Bernat Satin Sport (DK weight) in the Meadow colorway, using an improvised pattern on #5 DPNs.

Then a Tudora for me. I love the Tudora. Abnormally. It ain't right I tell ya. I think it's the perfectness of the yarn and the pattern.

Project specs - less than 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the Amoroso colorway on #8 needles. Turning the work before the last stitch is knitted on the bind-off edge is brilliant!

And then there are the dishcloths for my very patient friend Jacques.

Project specs: the Crested Wave and Bamboo cloth patterns from Dishcloth Boutique done in Saucy cotton, color 125 on #7 Addis.

Now I'm on a pair of socks for me using Plymouth's Happy Feet. 'Cause you know my feet are doing the "Happy FO" dance.

Free at last!

The Wrap with Sleeves is finally done! And by "done", I mean "all but blocking". I think I really love it - enough to make another one, maybe out of alpaca, using big needles and the trinity stitch. Maybe to look something like this (click on 'more views' to see all the different ways to wear it!)

And totally non-knitting related....

Yesterday, I was domestic goddessing around the CattyAbode and realized just how much I like my home right now. There are still projects to finish (stripping the hall wallpaper and painting the trim, repainting the bathroom, and totally revamping the CatMan office - aka The Black Hole of Despair). But in this past year, I've made some changes - subtle and not-so-subtle - that took me from 'eh' to 'I like to be home now!'

Now if I could just find the perfect purse...

Look! Bright Shiny Object!

That's how I feel right now about knitting. I'm determined to finishing at least ONE of these *&^#) WIPs. *sigh* So things like the new Patternworks catalog are very distracting.

Case in point: (and I'm not even a sweater knitter!!)

Or perhaps something like ziss? (Right. Like I'd abandon my favorite - and memorized - pattern.)

I'm even thinking about painting our postage stamp-sized bathroom. It's between these two -
lime granita (it's a bit brighter and greener than this swatch) or open air .

And finally, here's a pic of the Christmas amaryllis bulb we gave the CatMan's Mom. I didn't know it would have so many blooms!