Lincoln Street Knitting

2011-09-12T09:15:00.002-04:00

Pieces that haven't made the Etsy shop cut.

Overheard

2010-06-04T12:45:00.004-04:00

Whilst trying not to eavesdrop...

She: Do you see a difference between the relationship you have with me and your friends?
He: I tend not to have too much sex with my friends.
She: That's reckless.
He: Not just recklessness, it's a take on risk. One of the things I'm pretty precious about. It's excitement. It's enjoyment.
She: It changes my relationship with you. When you say recklessness is exciting, it's damaging.
He: It's not like I take risks completely without sense. There's a level of risk I'm willing to accept for myself that I don't extend to other people.
She: I don't want to have to change...
He (interrupting): If I wanted total security and boredom, I'd be with you.
She: [silence]
He: Sorry, I interrupted you. Finish what you were saying.
She: Why should I finish what I was saying? You've just said everything I say is worthless. I'm not saying security is boredom.
He: That was your point? That was going to be your point?
She: [silence]
He: I'm trying to be mature and good natured. I'm not doing too bad.

Is this not the best couple fight ever? So much to analyze. I loooove psychology.

Process

2010-05-23T08:04:00.009-04:00

I've just come back from Denver. Most of my time was spent at a conference, networking and learning about public policy. I like this conference because I get to interact with academics and grad students. Nuturing the next generation of scholars; very important.

I ended up at the airport about two hours before my flight was set to depart. Denver is home to New Belgium Brewing (now owned by Molson/Coors). They have a pretty good Belgian ale, but I was just too worn out to start drinking at 2pm. Instead, I ensconced myself in a chair with a view at my gate and pulled out the fiber.

Picked this up at a thrift store. Can you tell? Is the 50 cent sticker a huge giveaway?

Starting the round for the hat. Start time: 2:20pm. So cute! This is a little misleading because my hands are very large.

It grows. Increases are accomplished by alternating whether there is one sc or two sc in each stitch. I don't have a set pattern. If the circle is curling too early, you need two sc in the stitch.

Starting to curve the crown. The circle will grow until the outside edge can no longer hold itself flat. At that point, I decrease one sc every 5 stitches (sc 2 together).

Adding color for interest.

Starting the curlicue for the top. Crochet 10 or 12, then sc 3 in each stitch on the way back down. It curls itself into macaroni fringe.

And...finished! End time: 3:55pm.

Just in time.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:15:00.004-04:00

To the mothers that have influenced my life:

Thank you. Happy Mother's Day!

Hats again

2010-05-02T12:36:00.004-04:00

I'm working on a couple of hats for twin boys to be born in May. Seeing as it is already May, I'd better get going.

Babies. So cute and squishy and always needing a hat.

Hats for twins are fun because I can make two using the opposite pattern. I was working happily along on the first one when I noticed something awry. I had put too many rows of beige between the single blue stripes.

This is what happens when I crochet and watch soccer.

So, rip rip rip.

And fixed. First one done, time to start on the second one.

Have to make sure the crown sizes are approximately the same. Do I count rows? Of course not. I made this pattern up. The shaping is all in my head. I just keep going until it looks right.

Are those shorts I see? Why, yes they are! Summer has suddenly arrived in Maryland. 90 and sunny. Wheee! Brewgal is happy.

Vacation, part 2

2010-04-24T08:15:00.014-04:00

We were in London for ten days. It seemed a shame not to dash over to Paris for at least a day. The last time I traveled from London to Paris we went by ferry. This time I booked seats on the Eurostar.

Except for the sardine can that was the tube from Victoria to St. Pancras, the trip was incredibly easy.

Departure from St. Pancras, London.

A little over two hours later, Paris!

View from one end of the Tuileries looking toward the Obelisk.

Little Brewer #1 wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower. This was a total act of maternal love on my part because Brewgal does not like heights.

Of course, the lines were insane.
This is the queue to get tickets to go through security so you can get in the queue for the elevator to go up.

The view was worth it, however. I had never been up the Tower at night and even though I couldn't make it all the way to the edge, the panorama was stunning.

Every so often (once an hour?) the flashbulbs on the outside of the Tower go off in display.

Sparkly!

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Vendome (Hello, Hyatt? Love the Next Big Thing Promotion!) so I ordered room service breakfast.

I SO want to live in this hotel.

A quick dash to Notre Dame,

at which point LB1 started to wear out.

It's the "Do we HAVE to?" look.

Finally, Gare du Nord back to London.

I feel like I'm forgetting something

2010-04-19T18:32:00.010-04:00

What could it be, what could it be...

It's right on the tip of my tongue...

Oh yeah. Little Brewer #1 and I went to LONDON!

We saw the usual sights,

Pardon me, is this the queue for the toilet?

played hide and seek with the locals,

Eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!

sampled local haute cuisine,

Tea and scones. Oh my gosh, that made me sooo happy. My HDL, not so much.

saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace...

with 10,000 of our closest friends

and made it out before Iceland's volcano exploded in Viking fury.

Also we visited Paris. But that's a blogpost for a future date!

2010-04-16T18:17:00.007-04:00

I remember when this used to be a blog about knitting and crocheting.

Not to worry! Observe Bertha:

She is modeling a scarf I made in December. This was a yarn experiment. I have been trying to find a replacement for JoAnn's Dolcetta. Like most TV shows, the minute I start to really like a particular yarn it is discontinued. So, dear readers, if you have a favorite yarn, hide it from me lest I take a liking to it and cause it to vanish.

This yarn has a similar fiber content to Dolcetta- wool blend (did I write down the name of the yarn? did I save the ball band? of course not!).

It has a nice soft hand, works up well and is comfortable to wear (no itching). This is a variation of the pattern I used for the Sunset Scarf. However, even with a K1 edge, it rolls. I am not sure if it is a function of the K5*, P2 pattern or the yarn itself. So I wouldn't count this scarf a complete success.

*edited because I apparently cannot tell the difference between 3 and 5 on the keyboard. Sheesh.

Stuff kids say

2010-04-11T18:11:00.001-04:00

Little Brewer #1 (to her brother): Do you know what a hyperbole is?
Little Brewer #2: Yes, it's a flower.
LB#1: A flower? What kind?
LB#2: A purple flower.
LB#1: Purple?
LB #2: Yeah. Hy-purple-y.

Work Rants

2010-04-10T16:30:00.003-04:00

In which Brewgal rants about recent events at work in a totally non-specific way that will not get her fired.

1. When you send me proposed legislation for comment, please try to give me enough time to think about it. I am much more likely to produce coherent, thoughtful comments if I have more than 2 hours to respond.

1a. Related: Do not sit on said request for comment for three weeks and then send it to me at 3pm with a 5pm turnaround. I can see how long you’ve had it from the date stamp on the email trail. Believe it or not, I have other projects to work on and am not sitting around waiting for your sudden emergency.

2. Please do not hit the “reply to all” button if the email is addressed to the entire Center distribution list. More importantly, do not “reply to all” asking the sender not to reply to all. We’ve all been using email for more than a decade. You should know this rule by now.

3. Sending an email message saying “Outlook is down” is uninformative if my Outlook is down.

And a kudo:
Thank you for putting in hand sanitizer dispensers. I am now much less tempted to push the elevator button with my foot.

2010-04-09T08:50:00.003-04:00

It is truly amazing how quicky they go from this...

to this.

Happy 7th Birthday to my big boy!

Introducing...

2010-03-20T05:36:00.002-04:00

Oliver Coldren Aikin, born March 17, 2010. My first and only nephew.

Eight pounds, 10 ounces, 22 inches long. We grow 'em long in our family.

Hey, what's that? And what's that over there? Can I get a sweater here?

It makes me remember when my own children were babies. This is me and Little Brewer #2. He's only a few days old here.

There are few things better than a new baby sleeping on you.

2010-03-07T06:25:00.003-05:00

The end of the renovation is finally within sight.

The granite guy came back, installed the soap dispenser and bolted down the dishwasher. I still need to decide on a pendant light above the sink.

The big furniture pieces are back from the shed.

That is a carved figure my grandfather bought in Gatlinburg, Tennesee. I inherited it when he passed away. I've always liked the faraway meloncholy look it has. And of course, martini shakers. I've never actually had a martini. I just like the mid-century ambiance they convey.

Brewguy has repainted the foyer. This is a slightly more red color than the previous one and I have to admit it is a little better with the color of the floor and light. Now that he has figured out he likes painting, he is painting everything. I'm not complaining, mind you.

And of course, the wine rack is stocked so I am happy.

Stuff kids say...

2010-03-03T20:02:00.001-05:00

Little Brewer #2: What's "after dark?"

Brewgal: It's after the sun goes down.

Little Brewer #2: Oh. You mean, after light.

2010-02-28T09:07:00.007-05:00

I've been emptying out old conference bags lately. I usually end up with one for each conference. With two-three per year, stuff accumulates. To wit, this is what I pulled out of one bag today:

Photos of Little Brewer #1 hugging other kids in preschool = 2. Hugging is big in our house. Start 'em young.

Backup harddrive CDs from 2007-2008 = 4.

Copies of packing list from office move TWO YEARS AGO= 2.

Small bottles of Tabasco = 1. For spicy emergencies.

Rocks = 1. From Ireland.

Printout of Amtrak reservation from BWI-Newark Airport (EWR) with notes from last Ireland trip on back= 1. Some fun stuff in there, including a Haiku that starts, "So full of tea, me." Must scan for posterity.

Spare change = .03. So I can give more than my .02 cents worth.

Spoons = 1.

Pens = 5. Two of which promote branded prescription drugs.

Research study questionnaires = 1.

Printouts of slides = 1. Not my slides.

Handsfree headsets = 1. So that's where it went! I must have hidden it after it developed the tendency to call people on its own.

USB cables = 1. Possibly belonged to PDA#1.

Crochet hooks = 1. Of course. No bag is complete without at least one.

Tiny purple plastic play jewels = 1. Because I am a Mom.

Fibery goodness

2010-02-26T12:35:00.010-05:00

Believe it or not, crafting is still taking place at Chez Casa de Brewgal. Observe!

A baby surprise jacket for Kendra.

One for El Jefe Jr. I'm going to be an aunt in about a week! So exciting.

Closeup of the buttons. Little Scottie dogs. The cuteness!

I've attended four baby showers (three at work, one for El Jefe Jr.) in the last two months.

I am really enjoying the crochet block pattern. It's a great way to use up stray skeins. In addition to the one seen here, I've got another almost finished. In advance. I know! Crazy! Acela. Awesome for crocheting.

I'm also starting a scarf for a dear friend who has somehow managed to live in New York without a handknit scarf. The knitting will find you. Oh yes, it will.

At the rate I knit, it should be ready by next winter. Hopefully he'll still want it by then.

Action shot of Brewgal in the Sunset scarf.

The 5AM Haiku

2010-02-25T12:21:00.001-05:00

I love sleeping. It’s the only place I can really let my mind go and while sleeping it comes up with some cool wacky shit in dreams. Which makes my occasional bouts of insomnia all the more frustrating. I hate going to bed at 10 only to wake up a few hours later at 2 or 3. Then my mind starts going round and round.

Life’s problems always seems more serious in the middle of the night.

Anyway, I had sleeping problems while I was in NYC, no doubt due to the fact that my hotel room was situated right next to housekeeping and geez, are they LOUD and no, I don’t want to hear what you overheard in room whatever.

So this time when I woke up in the middle of the night after a grand total of 2 hours sleep, I started thinking Haiku.

Long lost friends come back
But when the heart sees them, they
Never went away

Yeah, yeah, sappy. More impressively, I could read my handwriting in the morning.

Quickly now,

2010-02-22T05:47:00.003-05:00

I'm off to New York City for my yearly February conference. I realized how far I've come anxiety-wise when my thoughts are all about where I'm going to eat and not at all about how nervous I am to give the presentation. I'm also taking the opportunity to catch up with some old friends from high school/college. I hope they like Belgian beer, 'cause the chance to have Karmeleit on tap is not negotiable.

Last week I promised more kitchen photos. Here they are!

The wall 'o glass cabinetry properly furnished. Is that Roseville? Why, yes it is! This cabinet better not fall off the wall, dammit.

The backsplash is in. These are polychrome and field tiles from Motawi Tiles in Michigan.

Here you can see it over the range. I created the design myself, much to the consternation of the tile specialist. I'll post the saga of the backsplash later.

I just had to throw this in. This was the weather map before storm #2. Apparently the folks over at NBC4 were SO excited about another 10-12" of snow that they forgot how to spell. See how helpfully they circled the error?

Kitchen update

2010-02-11T07:20:00.006-05:00

I will not mention the snow. I will not mention the snow. I will not mention the snow.

Blizzard conditions? In Maryland? I'm having PA/OH flashbacks.

And not the good ones.

Let's talk renovation!

The flooring finally arrived and was installed. This is reclaimed oak barn wood from Elmwood Reclaimed Timber. They have a great product. Their communication is a bit laissez-faire, but if you're laid back it shouldn't be a problem. Just look at the gorgeousness that is my living room! The Little Brewers have been scanning the floor, looking for their favorite planks. We've discovered one that has some initials carved in it.

My Craftsman style columns have been installed. I looooove the columns.

Here's a view looking down the entryway toward the front door. Will I be replacing the front door in the future? Yes I will. Note the lack of ceiling light. I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect light to complement the columns.

Actually, I had found the perfect light a year ago but couldn't convince Mr. Brewguy to spend the money.

Did you see the hint of cabinets? Patience, patience.

Perhaps some good karma came home to roost because the light I had been lusting over for a year was available at reduced cost.
Is this not the most beautiful light ever? This is work by James Mattson Coppercraft.

Here is the light making my entryway all fancy-like.

More photos later!

Snowdiculus

2010-02-08T16:56:00.005-05:00

Named for the Roman Emporer Snowdiculum (23BC-23BC), the Snowdiculus is a weather event so outrageous it calls for extreme hilarity.

Before the recent snow event. Notice the snow still around from the last snowstorm.

We are approaching Snowdiculous.

We got 27" of snow Friday-Saturday and lost power for 14 hours. Let me tell you, cold and tired makes me cranky. We are expecting another 10"-20" tomorrow-Wednesday. Perhaps not such a big deal in Buffalo, but not so good for Maryland (number of plows=3).

During the event, about 5:30pm.

Saturday morning.

I have shoveled our driveway and that of three neighbors. Ow. The good part is that all the neighbors are now friendly and the shoveling goes much faster with five people.

The blue tape is 28".

My parents called today from Fort Lauderdale to see how things were going. I told them to stay in Florida and not attempt to approach the Mid Atlantic.

They did not argue.

2010-01-10T07:09:00.010-05:00

Around this time of year I typically write a New Year's Resolutions post. This year, instead of writing about what I resolve to do, I decided to do it.

My resolution for 2010: less stuff.

Living in the family room during the kitchen renovation (more later!) has made me realize I have a lot of stuff. It's nice stuff, but there's a lot of it.

But it was not just living in the family room that motivated this mini-epiphany. It was my new favorite TV show.- Hoarders. These are people with serious stuff problems. Fortunately I don't have a problem with cats or overflowing toilets, but I have a way more stuff than I can possibly organize.

So I attacked 1) the TV area and 2) the Stash of Doom. The TV area wasn't so hard (once I accepted the fact that I didn't need to save all those episodes of X-Files I'd taped back in the '90s). I Freecycled three bags of videotapes and a bunch of cassettes.

Neat! Organized! Happy!

The Stash of Doom was harder. I love my stash. I had squirreled away nearly every knitting and crochet tool imaginable in that room, along with enough yarn to supply three or four of me. It was so cluttered I used it to hide Christmas presents. Who would be able to see them?

Bertha gazes disapprovingly at the clutter.

The problem was that I could no longer find anything. There was just too much yarn. *gasp* Did I really say that?

Freecycle to the rescue. I put out the call and found four worthy knitters who could take my mismatched balls of acrylic blend. I also freecycled the fun fur and fizz. I think I'm past that now.

Bertha is happy.

Best of all, I can see all my pretty yarn.

2009-12-21T06:10:00.003-05:00

The weeks are flying by here at Chez Casa de Brewgal.

My birthday came and went, and I was visited by the cake fairy.

I LOVE the cake fairy!

The knee walls were cut in the living room. Greg the carpenter made beautiful caps and is supposedly making me my tapered columns in his shop.

The drywall is up.

And we had a bit of snow.

I've given up on Christmas knitting this year. With the packing and the renovating, there was not enough time. The teachers will be getting dark chocolate truffles.

2009-12-05T07:03:00.003-05:00

The renovation contines apace.

Here is the view from our foyer, looking toward the living room. Knee walls will be cut here, opening up the space.

Almost there...

Knee walls! Eventually there will be Arts and Crafts style tapered columns on the knee walls. You can see all the way from the living room down into the family room.

You can also see paint test #1. We had the most amazing foyer in our Gettysburg house. It was a square room right off the entryway with two tall windows on one side. The light during the day was just incredible. We painted it a similar color to the test shown above. The room just glowed. Did I save notes on the paint color from Gettysburg? No, of course not. I've been trying to recreate that color ever since.

Because the flooring has been delayed (apparently due to the installation of new milling equipment at the manufacturer), we won't have time to put up a tree. I couldn't stand the thought of no decorations whatsoever, so I made a Christmas corner over the fireplace mantle. I think it fits the bill and it makes me happy to look at it.

2009-11-29T06:11:00.006-05:00

I intended this to be a long, detailed post describing the reasons I haven't updated my blog in weeks. I have boiled this down to one word:

FACEBOOK

Facebook is a time-sucker. My updates? Facebook. Knitting photos? Facebook.

Did I mention we refinanced the house and now have enough money to renovate the kitchen? Of course not! I put that on FACEBOOK.

So I am here to apologize to my loyal readers (Hi Mom!) and post some recent photos of the kitchen in progress.

Behold: the disintegrating cabinetry.

This is the primary reason I wanted to fix the kitchen. I fully expected to come home one day and find the cabinets on the floor in pieces.

Funky corner.

It lights up! Bask in its 1970's amber glory!

It didn't take long to rip it out. Not that I personally had anything to do with that.

Now we are in the family room, which serves as dining room, kitchen and living area.

Poptarts and coffee, breakfast of champions.

2009-11-26T08:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

2009-10-09T06:51:00.002-04:00

Thus unfolds the comedy of errors plaguing my recent trip to New York.

Brewgal realizes she has spent too long drinking coffee and checking her email and now only has 30 minutes to pack before leaving to catch the train.

Brewgal makes the train only to remember she forgot 1) hairbrush, 2) camera and 3) cash. Brewgal vows to prepare earlier for future trips.

Brewgal arrives at Penn Station. She takes nearest stairway and discovers that it goes not to the main level of Penn Station but to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) level. Brewgal cannot figure out how to get to main level but spots an ATM. While attempting to withdraw cash, Brewgal discovers that she has forgotten her PIN number. Cash is not withdrawn at this location.

Brewgal does eventually find her way to 7th Ave. Line for cabs is horrendously long, so she decides to walk. How far can it be?

Brewgal realizes she has forgotten how far it is to the W New York (49th and Lexington) from Penn Station (32nd and 7th). She makes the mistake of cutting across on 45th street, which is filled with patrons awaiting entrance to theatre matinees. Brewgal is forced to drag her suitcase along in the street and prays that she is not struck by a car/truck/bus/taxi.

Brewgal survives 45th street, only to be stopped at 5th Avenue by a parade of unknown origin. Apparently it is Pulaski Day. The only Pulaski Brewgal knows is the chief medical officer on the Enterprise.

Brewgal finally makes it to her hotel. Lexington Ave is closed for a street fair, at which she obtains chicken satay and a Pashima. Life is good.

2009-10-04T06:36:00.001-04:00

I've decided I just can't have too many of these on hand. Yet another woman in my office is expecting a baby in the spring.

2009-10-03T06:17:00.000-04:00

Thursday was Octoberfest day in the cafeteria. The offerings included bratwurst with sauerkraut, brisket with horseradish sauce, brussels sprouts with bacon, and curried potatoes with jalapenos. Correct me if I’m wrong, but jalapenos are not native to Germany. Perhaps this was the Nouvelle Cuisine version of Octoberfest. They should have named the dish Nuevo Potato. And where was the spicy mustard? Brats without mustard just don’t cut it for me.

Get it? Mustard? Cut? I crack myself up.

2009-07-05T11:11:00.004-04:00

Harris Park, near Milton-Freewater Oregon.

Never have I visited a park with SO MANY WARNING SIGNS. It's as if the park was visited by a team of FTC Disclaimer Ninjas.

Ok, this one is probably useful.

Even the water is dangerous.

Freak Out

2009-06-09T16:24:00.007-04:00

We had out driveway resurfaced on saturday. It smells really bad, but looks great. As a result, we've had to park the cars on the street while it "cured." This makes me a little nervous, because I really like my car and I don't want it to get smashed or broken into.

The caution tape came off the driveway today, so I had planned to move the car into the driveway later in the day.

Fast forward to later.

I look outside, and no car.

No friggin' car.

I wrack my brain- what happened to my car? Did it get towed? Did I inadvertently park too close to the fire hydrant across the street? I didn't think there was a rule about that, but you never know. Horror of horrors, did someone *steal* it?

I call Brewguy in a panic. I get that stupid, "your call cannot be completed as dialed," message.

I dig out my cellphone and try again. No answer at Brewguy's office. I call his cell.

"Hello?"
"Hi. The car's gone."
"What?"
"The car's gone. It's not there."
"What do you mean, it's not there?"
"It is not on the street. It's not there!" Now my voice is getting high and squeaky and I am totally panicking.
"It's not on the street? Did you look in the carport?"

This is akin to asking, "is it plugged in?"

My car is in the carport. Brewguy had helpfully moved it this morning because he was afraid it would get damaged on the street. He had apparently told me this as he was leaving at a time when I was on a teleconference for work. I guess I didn't hear him.

Whew. That was fun.

Say what?

2009-05-25T10:07:00.002-04:00

Why I am going deaf.

Next year I will bring earplugs.

2009-05-16T15:36:00.002-04:00

We now rejoin Lincoln Street Knitting already in progress.

I've been busy.

Three is a magic number

2009-03-21T06:51:00.007-04:00

As regular readers know (or have figured out), I grew up during the '70's. I spent my Saturday mornings in front of the TV watching Super Friends, Isis, Scooby Doo and all sorts of other cartoons.

Isis was my favorite. She dressed like an Egyptian version of Wonder Woman. I loved Wonder Woman too. I desperately wanted a tiara and bracelets that could repel bullets.

I was also taking piano lessons at the time. They were scheduled right in the middle of Isis. Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than being called out of the most exciting part of the TV show to have to take a piano lesson because if you missed it, you'd have to wait and entire season for them to repeat it and having your little brother tell you what happened was never the same because he always left out the really important stuff like those thoughtful, meaningful looks Isis would get when she found out something really deep about her past, or the amulet, etc.

Thank goodness for the invention of the DVR.

In between all this was Schoolhouse Rock. What a brilliant move, hiding education amongst the Saturday morning cartoons. Schoolhouse Rock taught me the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, how a bill becomes a law, and that three is a magic number.

Where was I? Oh yes. Let's review.

Dishwasher fails (replaced with new one. Pretty!).

Brewguy's car is smushed (construction foreman backed his truck into Brewguy's car. $2,200).

I contracted an urinary tract infection (pain in the girly parts. Ow!).

They say that bad things come in sets of three. Why only bad stuff? Why don't GOOD things come in sets of three? Is it because we attach more weight to bad, distinctive events and as a result they are more memorable than good events?

There's a psychology theory for this but I'm too lazy to look it up right now.

Let's give it a try. Three good things... Long term good things like having a job, a healthy family, and a nice house don't count. Well, they COUNT, just not for the purposes of this exercise.

Thinking...

I found some great vintage jewelry at the thrift store on Friday.
Ciprofloxacin is still effective against UTI.
IKEA has free breakfast today!

One step forward, two steps back

2009-03-08T06:36:00.007-04:00

Mr. Brewguy is a handy fellow. Our front storm door needed to be replaced. The handle mechanism had become so contrary that it was impossible to open the door without two hands and a strong kick. Bad for fire safety. So off it came.

Brewguy painting the door jamb, inter alia.

And the shiny new door, installed!

Brewguy was then briefly possessed by the spirit of the Beverly Hillbillies.

It appears the new front door has made the dishwasher mad. It is no longer performing its primary function; that is, it is not washing the dishes. I can hear it now. It sounds like a wheezy merry-go-round. Brewguy has been doing some tests (running the diswasher, opening mid-cycle to look for water) and has determined that there is little to no water getting through. So the dishes are not being "cleaned" so much as babysat.

So here is the status of our kitchen:

Dishwasher: dead

Stove: one burner not working. Brewguy had to rewire the burners so that the front burner works using the control for the back burner, so to turn on the front burner you have to use the knob for the back burner. What fun.

Cabinets: sagging.

The dilemma is I really, really would like to redo the whole kitchen at once rather than replacing appliances piecemeal. New cabinets. Recycled wood flooring. Patch and paint the wall where the china cabinet of death used to hang.

But the cost of doing this is out of our range. The money just isn't there. I'm doing my best to get a promotion to the next GS level, but that is a long, hard process that involves rewriting the position description for my job. There are no raises coming the way of Mr. Brewguy, either. We hope he has a job in 6 months, much less more money. So I am stuck with a kitchen in which the appliances are dying, one by one, and cabinets that are losing the battle with entropy.

I will instead count my blessings.

And knit like I know how to make a gauge swatch.

Change is good?

2009-03-02T15:46:00.004-05:00

The climate is changing and I have nothing to wear!

I’m so confused.

Winter.

Spring.

Winter again.

I suppose that is the definition of climate change. It changes. A lot.

I’ve just returned from a quick trip to New York City, where I gave a presentation and participated in a panel discussion. This particular conference is always held at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square. It is a very nice hotel. I have found that I take photos of the same features every single time.

The elevators.

The view from my room.

The Peruvian flute players on Times Square.

This time I tried to branch out a bit.

I had a few free hours the afternoon I arrived so I got out of the hotel with the plan of walking around the city. I made it two blocks before I started to lose the feeling in my hands. Damn, it was cold! With cold wind! Ow!

I found the New York Times.

I discovered 8th Avenue is much easier to walk than 7th Avenue.

I learned that Dean & DeLuca has uneven service and should invest more in training its employees. They were good around lunchtime but laughably poor after 4pm. To wit:

The scene: one server helping create a salad for a patron. Someone who appears to be the manager, supervising two other servers, who are guarding the cash registers. A cleaner is sweeping the rug runner Brewgal is standing on. Brewgal moves off the rug at his urging. He sweeps very, very slowly. Finally the manager type shoos him off, where he takes up residence behind the counter.

Brewgal [after waiting for 5 minutes to get someone to notice her]: Can YOU take my order? [Brewgal has to catch a train in 30 minutes and is somewhat short on time.]

Sweeper: No. You’ll have to wait for her (motioning to the salad server, who is now ringing up the other patron).

Other server wanders over: Can I take your order?

Brewgal: I’d like a pastrami panini.

Server: A what?

Brewgal: A pastrami panini (pointing to large menu behind the server on which the sandwhich is clearly written).

Server: Ok. What kind of bread do you want.

Brewgal: Rye. It says it comes on rye.

The server locates and puts on a pair of latex gloves. Then he starts fondling the few remaining pieces of bread in the bread basket on the counter. After determining that these pieces are too stale to use, he retrieves a new loaf of rye from under the counter.

Server: Do you want regular mustard or brown mustard?

Brewgal: Which is spicier?

Server: The regular mustard.

Brewgal: I’ll have the regular mustard.

Server: We’re out of regular.

Brewgal (mouth slightly agape): Why did you ask me to choose if you were out of one of the choices?

Server: That’s why I asked you if you wanted brown mustard. Is brown ok?

Brewgal: Sure.

The server gets a bottle of brown mustard from under the counter and begins coating the bread with brown mustard. Brewgal starts to have doubts about the ability of this particular server to correctly make a pastrami panini, given that he is treating it as a regular pastrami sandwich, rather than a hot squished sandwich. This doubt is confirmed when, after searching under the counter (the apparent source of all things sandwich, sort of like a sandwich Tardis), he announces,

Server: We’re out of pastrami.

At this point I threw up my hands and said, “I have to go.”

I was forced to get a supreme burrito at Taco Bell for dinner.

Haiku for changing weather

2009-02-12T09:59:00.001-05:00

Winter, you're still here.
Daffodils are poking through,
I thought you had gone.

2009-02-08T15:54:00.003-05:00

I had an upper GI endoscopy this week. I’ve been having problems with heartburn that was waking me up at night. I started with the OTC stuff (Maalox, Tums, Prilosec), and sleeping upright in bed. I cut way back on coffee and wine (sob). After about a week of that I decided that sleeping in a sitting position because of heartburn was probably a sign that something was wrong. Body to Brewgal: HINT! I’M HINTING HERE! So I went to my doctor, who gave me a sample of Prevacid. Night and day. After about three days I was no longer having pain or waking up. However, when the sample ran out, the heartburn came back. In a big way. Pain in the stomach and across my chest. Ow ow ow. The kind of pain that makes you think, should I be going to the hospital right now? Back to the doctor, who referred me to a GI specialist.

The endoscopy was to check for malignancies and other problems such as Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s is a condition that occurs when the cells of the esophagus change as a result of long term exposure to acid from the stomach. When the doctor described the procedure to me in the office, he showed me vivid pictures of the path the camera would take, down my throat and into the lower part of my intestines. I expressed some (ok, a lot) of trepidation. No problem, he said, you’ll be asleep for the procedure.

I want to believe doctors when they say things like that. I also want to believe dentists when they say things such as, “I’ll be comfortable,” and “let me know if this hurts.”

Imagine my surprise when I got home and started reading the pre-op material. “You’ll be given a sedative to relax you,” the document said, “and the doctor will spray a numbing agent in your throat to suppress your gag reflex.”

Where was the sleeping part? I want the sleeping part! I don’t want to be awake while a lighted scope is shoved down into my stomach!

When I arrived for my appointment I pointed this out to the receptionist who said, “Hey, I’ve never seen that part before.” Not good. Not good at all. She assured me that whatever the pre-op materials said, the anesthesiologist used Propofol and I would be asleep.

Then there is the waiting. First, the waiting room. Reading year-old magazines in the waiting room does nothing to take one’s mind off the fact that you haven’t had anything to eat or drink for 12 hours. Then, the pre-op area waiting. You’re hooked up to an IV, a blood-pressure cuff and a temperature/O2 finger sensor. The best part? The rest of the pre-op room was filled with patients awaiting colonoscopies farting their heads off. I felt like I was surrounded with whoopee cushions.

I got a brief visit from the nurse, the anesthesiologist and my physician. Then they wheeled me into the operating room. I was asked to turn on my left side, a big pillow was shoved under my back, and a plastic insert was placed in my mouth to prevent me from biting the camera. Because we all know if I was awake, I would have chewed right through that camera. So here I am, laying on one side, a plastic insert in my mouth, staring straight at the TV screen that is hooked up to the camera, and I’m thinking, “um, I’m still awake here.” I can hear the anesthesiologist behind me saying, “I’m introducing the anesthesia now,” and I start staring at the TV screen thinking to myself, “maybe if I keep looking at the screen they’ll see I’m still awake, because if I’m…”

ZZZZZZZZZ.

I’m dreaming I’m on the couch watching TV and I wake up in recovery where I get two very cute little cans of apple juice and some animal crackers. Aside from 10 minutes of coughing, I have no ill effects. My physician stops by to tell me I have mild gastritis and a small hiatal hernia, which is probably the cause of the acid reflux. The big bummer is being told I can’t have any alcohol for 24 hours, because I think having a nice glass of wine is good post-op therapy. Brewguy drives me home where I go back to work because I am a crazy person.

I have to say everyone at the endoscopy center was very kind and reassuring. As outpatient procedures go, this was remarkably easy. Just think, in seven years I get to go back for my very own colonoscopy!

2009-02-01T07:48:00.003-05:00

102.6, 102.8, 101.7, 103.

My favorite radio stations? Why no! That is a record of my temperature last week. I got up on Sunday, had half a cup of coffee and went straight back to bed. For three days. My doctor diagnosed a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics (thank you, Alexander Fleming!). It tastes vile but it really works.

I am dreading the amount of email I will face on Monday, including all those helpful "Your email account is almost full" messages.

The Week in Review

2009-01-25T07:44:00.004-05:00

Sunday: Brewgal has a bad chest cold accompanied by some sort of eye infection. One eye is extremely bloodshot and emitting all sorts of icky goo. Brewgal considers wearing an eye patch and watching “Pirates of the Caribbean” for inspiration.

Brewgal attempts to watch the AFC playoff game but is greeted by this:

DirectTV shall pay. Oh yes, it shall.

Monday: Little Brewer #2 wakes up, announces it is Martin Luther King’s birthday and asks if he can have candy. Ha ha, isn’t that sweet, no. We receive the first measurable snow of the winter. The Little Brewers shovel our driveway, the driveway next door, and the driveway two doors down. In true neighborly fashion, they refuse to be paid. Brewgal dispenses extra hugs, hot chocolate and fresh banana bread.

Tuesday: At 8 a.m. the local news channels are giddily reporting on the inauguration. Everything on the mall is full! No one can get in! Look at all these people! The red line of the Metro has shut down because someone was hit by a train! (later proved false) It’s freezing down here! Brewguy goes off to shoot photos of inauguration travelers on a MARC platform. Brewgal and the Little Brewers watch our new president being sworn in from the comfort of the living room. She surprises herself by breaking into spontaneous applause at the conclusion of the oath of office. The Little Brewers are bored and ask if they can go watch cartoons. Brewgal stands firm and makes them listen to the speech, too.

Brewgal is glad that her father decided against dressing up as Lincoln and going downtown. In his fantasy, he is whisked by the Secret Service to the White House where he greets the new president, dispenses Lincoln-like advice, and is asked to stay for tea. In reality, he would have been whisked to DC jail where tea is not served.

Afterwards we drive to the store in search of a celebratory champagne split. Finding only Kordel, Brewgal settles on a couple of bottles of good red wine. While in the store, Brewgal notices that her boots feel weird, as if the store floor is very bouncy. Upon arriving home, she discovers that her boots are feeling poorly.

Brewgal concludes it may be time for new winter boots.

Wednesday evening, 6:30 p.m. Brewgal arrives home to find her street full of water. A cute little spring has erupted in the center of the road, no doubt from a burst water main underneath. WSSC is called by Brewguy, who puts him on hold for half an hour. During the wait, he receives a news page alert that there is a water main break in Gaithersburg. Brewgal surmises that WSSC is rather busy at the moment and contemplates going to work without a shower.

9:30 p.m. Three WSSC trucks arrive to inspect the damage.

10:10 p.m. The jackhammering of the street begins.

Thursday, 5:38 a.m. Water is restored to the house. The noise is loud enough to wake Brewgal through earplugs. Two of the three WSSC trucks leave.

6:46 a.m. The street is still blocked while asphalt is being laid.

At work, Brewgal discovers the reason her government credit card bill has not been paid is because the government reimbursed the old credit card company, rather than the new credit card company. This despite the fact that Brewgal received no less than SEVEN emails (with exclamation points and flags) warning her not to use the old credit card because the agency was switching to the new card. Yet another example of how going on official travel is punishment.

Friday: Fatigue sets in. Brewgal does not remember Friday.

Saturday: The Little Brewers discover Club Penguin. Brewgal realizes she will now have to share the laptop with three people and despairs of ever using the laptop again.

Brewgal is nearly finished with her latest Baby Surprise Jacket. She tried something different this time, knitting in stockinette rather than garter stitch.

Brewgal forgot that stockinette rolls really bad. Brewgal promises never to mess with EZ again

Home, Home on the Range

2009-01-12T07:27:00.002-05:00

Where the deer and the antelope play...

Where seldom is heard,

A discouraging word,

And the azeleas don't bloom in the spring because the damn deer eat the buds during the winter.

Happy New Year everyone!

The Week in Review

2008-12-14T06:19:00.006-05:00

It has been another eventful week at Chez Casa de Brewgal.

Monday: Brewgal attends focus group research as a courtesy to a colleague in industry. The facility is much, much fancier than Brewgal can usually afford. Beer and wine are served for the evening group. Being on duty, Brewgal does not partake. At the end of the evening Brewgal sadly leaves the bottle of champagne on the cart and does not attempt to sneak it home under her coat.

Tuesday: Brewgal heads to Boston to observe focus groups of her own. Brewgal takes Amtrak and again marvels at how cool train travel is. Note to Amtrak: the section between Washington and New York causes the train to vibrate so much that drinks will shimmy themselves off the tray table. Please adjust. Thank you.

On the train, Brewgal discovers podcasts of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Brewgal laughs all the way to Boston and prides herself on knowing many of the answers.

Brewgal learns how to pronounce Faneuil Hall. Tip: it is not French.

Little Brewer #2 loses his first tooth and is visited by the Tooth Fairy. Discussion ensues about the fate of all the teeth collected by the Tooth Fairy. Brewgal's theory: the teeth are used to build a giant, tooth-shaped castle. This theory is not endorsed by the Little Brewers.

Wednesday: It is 63 degrees and raining in Boston. Brewgal is wearing too many layers (four) and has brought too few umbrellas (none). This severely curtails her walking plans.

Brewgal discovers a cute little wine shop and engages in a 20 minute dialogue with one of the owners about the overpriced nature of California wines. Brewgal lugs home two bottles of wine to thank Brewguy for holding down the fort while she is gone.

Thursday: Brewgal spends all day in meetings. She takes the Myers-Briggs and scores as a ISTP in class and a INFP on the sheet. Brewgal hopes management does not take the test too seriously.

Friday: Brewgal turns 43 and is visited by the cake fairy.

Boston is paralyzed by a massive ice storm. Even the trains are not running. Brewgal is thankful she made it out in time.

Brewgal drives out to a mall in Hanover, MD to observe pretest #2 for her study. Pretest #1 failed because the contractor's computer kept crashing. Brewgal notes that the mall has an air of quiet desperation.

Nature provides Brewgal with an amazing full moon.

Winter

2008-12-07T17:45:00.005-05:00

It's cold. It has been cold for at least a week, which means Winter has arrived.

Signs winter has arrived? The beer is coddled in the kitchen, rather than the basement.

Snow angels appear on the back patio.

And my sweater freezes on the back porch whilst "laying flat to dry."

My children like winter. To them it means hot chocolate and the possibility of snow. Me, I'm not such a fan of winter. Those happy smiling people you see in ski vacation photos? Not me. 1) I can't ski, and 2) it's a sport that requires cold weather. I get cold. I fear I'm going to spend the next five months in a constant state of coldness.

My children and I differ on what constitutes "cold" and the proper state of mind with which winter should be approached.

Children: Is it going to snow? If it snows, can we stay home from school?

Brewgal: *&^%(^!!! It's cold!

Children: I think I saw a snowflake! Look, Daddy's car is frozen! I can make designs on the windshield.

Brewgal: Where the heck is my long underwear?

Children: But I don't WANT to wear a long sleeve shirt. I get too hot!

Brewgal: Whose children are you again?

2008-11-18T07:04:00.000-05:00

Technology is fun until it doesn’t work. Last week I was enjoying my day off (Happy Veteran’s Day to all our honored veterans!) when we had a power incident. When I say “incident” I mean the power was on, then it was off. Then on, then off. It stayed off for about three hours. This totally killed my morning plan of hanging around in my bathrobe playing Jewel Quest II. I was forced to sit and crochet while the house slowly cooled down (power=heat). Just when I was considering what to do for lunch, it came back on. Unfortunately, the power fluctuations seem to have destroyed the internet router. We live in a split level where the main router is on the lower level. There are eight stairs between the lower level and the upper level where my laptop sits. Apparently these eight stairs are too much for the internet signal to climb (traveling so…far….losing…bandwidth…) that we need a repeater in the living room. The repeater no longer lights up, so I assume it’s Dead, Jim. This is the second repeater that has bit the dust in a year. Yo, internet repeater router manufacturer dudes- build them a bit more sturdy, will ya?

I can juuuuust barely connect. This is 1) irritating, and 2) prevents me from uploading photos.

Oh, and the PTA fundraiser? Two hats were sold and I traded a scarf for a 30 minute massage (TBD). Lots of lookers. The kids thought the scarves were great, but at least one person said, “No, Grandma can make you one of those.” Listen, Grandma has better things to do. If Grandma wanted to make you one, she already would have.

Unreality Bites

2008-11-03T12:09:00.003-05:00

It’s been a week of fun and games at Chez Casa de Brewgal.

In a fit of craziness, I agreed to participate in Craft Night at the Little Brewers’ elementary school. I’ll be crocheting scarves and bookmarks. Craft night is in one week. As of today, I’ve crocheted exactly three scarves and zero bookmarks. I am a crazy person.

Some bozo in Sacramento has been using my credit card number to buy gas and groceries. The credit card company has cancelled that card and will send me a new one. Now I’m paranoid someone is going to break into my bank account.

My work badge has decided, apparently on its own, to expire. Not only expire, but expire as of 2002, notwithstanding the fact that it clearly says “2010” in big, official writing on the badge itself. I called the badging office to check it out. Below is the transcript of what followed:

Me: Hi, I’m having problems with my badge. It won’t let me into the building.
Badger: Are you in REDACTED?
Me: Yes, I’m in building REDACTED.
Badger: Name?
Me: REDACTED
Badger: Ok, just a sec. [typing is heard in the background]
Badger:
Badger: What the hell? [more typing, muttering] I’ll need to call you back. Click.

This is never a good sign.

So in the space of one week, a time period that eerily coincides with my discovering I am not a “real American,” I've had my credit card cancelled and my agency has decided I no longer exist as an employee. Also, the washer broke. It was doing the washing part but not so much of the agitation/spinning part, so the clothes were coming out sopping wet. Fortunately Brewguy is a master of major appliance repair and was able to fix it with a $15 part. Note to Sears: when your website says your store opens at 8am, open at 8am. Going from daylight savings time to standard time does not mean 8am = 11am.

I'm out

2008-10-28T17:42:00.005-04:00

Those of you who read my blog (Hi Mom!) know that I tend to stay away from political stuff. Civil servant + journalist hubby = hot potato. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that there is an entire party of candidates who apparently think I am the enemy. Brewgal, with her college/graduate school education who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and chosen to devote her career to protecting the public health, has awoken to discover that suddenly I am not a "real American." Moreover, as not a "real American," I apparently hate "real Americans." How interesting. If I am not a real American, what does that make me? An Unreal American? Am I imaginary? If I'm imaginary, does that mean I no longer have to go to work? As a newly unreal public servant, can I stay home and play gotcha in the backyard with my husband? Is there a time reporting code for gotcha?

Sheesh. No more politcal news for me. It just makes me sad. I'm out. My decision is made.

Busy, busy

2008-10-18T07:03:00.005-04:00

When we moved in to our current house, the previous owners had just painted. All the walls were white. Neutral. Blank. Except for the upstairs bathroom, which was inexplicably painted shocking apple green. It was not that color when we toured the house, I am sure. Since that time we have painted Little Brewer #1's room a deep rose (the color we had in the foyer at the Gettysburg house) and repainted the bathrooms in dark sky blue and tan. But the rest of the house remained bland.

Until last weekend!

I took the initiative and bought some bright cheery yellow paint for the foyer. I bought two colors that were close to see which I liked better. Here is the test patch.

I liked the one on the left, Brewguy preferred the one on the right. They were close enough to each other, so we decided to mix them.

Before...

During...
Aaaah! Don't touch it!
After!
The addition of the yellow changes the light in the adjoining living room. I like it! Now I need to get a front door with glass so that daylight can come into the foyer.

For Columbus Day we built a teepee. Did I know how to build a teepee? Yay, Google! Here we see the kids painting symbols on their teepee cover. That odd stack of sticks in the background is the teepee shell.
In the teepee.
A closeup of the designs.

My teepee building skills leave something to be desired. I am curious how the Plains Indians managed to get the wood necessary for their teepees, seeing as they lived on the plains. Which are typically grasslands. Meaning, not a lot of trees. Do you see where I'm going with this? Where did the wood come from? Brewguy thinks they got it in trade. I'm off to do some research.

LOTR Haiku

2008-10-05T06:31:00.001-04:00

Tolkein had it right.
The road goes ever onward,
Save for those left home.

Non Alarmist

2008-09-30T05:31:00.005-04:00

I do not have a particularly green thumb. My mother can grow anything. She raises champion begonias. She has started raising orchids. From seed. I like to grow things I can eat. If I'm going to get dirty, I want a payout at the end.

I've been having trouble growing rosemary. I am not sure what the problem is. I realize that we are a bit out of the rosemary wintering zone, so it's likely they've just been killed by the cold. This year I decided to try the volume approach. I planted three; one in the back along the porch and two in the front right up against the house. It's south facing, so the brick should keep them warm.

The plant in the back is doing quite well. This one in the front didn't even make it a month.

Before...

and after. *sigh* Maybe I should have watered it more. Or at all.

At least the lavender is happy.I was planning to title this post "Rosemary's Dead," or "The Death of Rosemary," but given recent events I decided I didn't want to add to the atmosphere of uncertainty and panic.

I have two FO's to share. First, the most recent BSJ. This one is for Carrie. I am loving this pattern.

I used vintage buttons to finish it.
I also completed a curly scarf for the girl next door, shown here modeled by Little Brewer #1. A very sleepy LB#1. She was at a birthday party the night before. You can see how much fun she had by the state of her shirt. Now that I have children I've learned there is a high correlation between messy self and fun.

A little of this, a little of that

2008-09-21T08:01:00.008-04:00

It has been another busy week at Chez Casa de Brewgal. I've been on call at work nearly 24/7 trying to finish the procurements for our research funds. No matter how early we get the paperwork in, it always seems to come down to the last day. We haven't had much money for research in quite a while, so while stressful for me, this work will fund the research team for many years to come. I've found that when you operate at that level of attention and focus for an extended period of time it is very hard to "come down." I've gone a whole day without getting a work phone call and I'm juuuust starting to relax. Just in time to get on a train to go to a conference in New York City!

Little Brewer #1 and I took a drive up to Gettysburg yesterday to check out the Lutheran Home Anniversary Day and visit the Evergreen Cemetery. We went to take photos of my grandparents' grave so that I can upload it to the family tree on Ancestry. When I was on Jury Duty, I spent a lot of time on Ancestry. It was comforting to be able to distract myself finding records on relatives who had not died from multiple gunshot wounds.

No, these are not my grandparents. I just really liked the tombstones and the little Celtic design at the top. Great typeface, though I wouldn't have picked LeVan as a Celtic name.

Whilst in Adams County we stopped by The Mannings to see what was on their discounted rack. They had Tiur on sale, but not low enough that I was temped to buy some. So what do I do? Get a bunch of Aysen Araucania Chilean wool/alpaca/silk blend in the purple+magenta colorway. It seemed a much better deal based on yardage than the Noro. And it's purty! I've decided that whatever I win from the AgFair I'll put back into yarn. This year I got a grand total of $16 from my entries. This yarn? Totally blew out my budget. Whatever! It's purty and soft!

And finally, some knitting content. Here is the second Baby Surprise Jacket, finished with buttons.
Having knitted this twice, I now have a better idea of where the color changes should be. There are only four buttons, because I accidently thought one of the button holes was a dropped stitch and closed it on the way up. It is never a problem having to button one fewer button on a squirming baby.

The Week in Review

2008-09-15T12:06:00.002-04:00

The Week in Review, in which Brewgal details her experiences of September 8-15, 2008.

Monday: 5:45am -- Brewguy leaves on a jet plane for Los Angeles, where he will help Brother Surfer Guy and wife pack up to move to Walla Walla, Washington. He expects the truck will be mostly packed and ready to go. Sufer Guy and wife live in a 1 bedroom apartment. How much stuff can there be?
Brewgal packs lunches, gets kids to the bus stop and takes the Metro downtown to a conference where she wows the crowd with her riveting presentation on research not yet conducted. She leaves the conference early (4:30) to make sure she is home in time to pick up the little brewers.
4:45 – Brewgal is stuck on a train at Gallery Place behind another broken down train. They are “single tracking” trains at Cleveland Park.
5:15 – Brewgal begins to suspect “single tracking” does not involve finding the trains any actual dates.
5:20 – Brewgal contemplates calling her parents to pick up kids. Realizes that she is stuck on a train IN A TUNNEL and there is no cell phone service. She begins to calculate late fees and wonders if the aftercare takes credit cards.
5:22 – Train starts moving.
5:43 – Train arrives at Twinbrook. Brewgal’s SmartCard refuses to let her out of the station and as a bonus, her hips are crushed by the automatic gate. Discussion with station manager ensues. Brewgal contemplates writing to WMATA and asking them to rename it the IdiotCard.
6:22 – Brewgal arrives at aftercare with 8 minutes to spare. Little Brewer #2 is upset that Mommy has arrived because he was busy playing FoosBall. Brewgal takes deep breaths and tries to remember that Little Brewer #2 is 5.
Evening – Brewgal makes dinner, washes dishes, helps with homework, puts Little Brewers to bed, gets back on email to take care of some work issues.

Tuesday: Morning – Repeat of Monday (lunches, school bus, Metro, downtown).
Brewguy calls to say they are still packing the truck.
Evening – Repeat of Monday, without the stuck train. Brewguy calls to say the truck is larger than he expected (22 feet long) and that neither Surfer Guy or wife want to drive it. Brewguy will be driving the truck all the way to Washington state. They make it as far as Lost Hills, CA that day (about 3 hours north of Los Angeles). I sense the name is an omen and christen their group “The Donner Party.”
Brewgal once again is on email late at night trying to fix work issues that arose while she was at the conference. Brewgal is counting the days (15) until her research team partner comes back from maternity leave.

Wednesday: Little Brewer #2 agrees to buy lunch at school, so only one lunch to pack. Brewguy calls to say they are headed for Winnemucca, Nevada and that he is feeling bulky. He says he has been “hanging with the truckers.” Brewgal fears that a John Deere baseball cap may have been procured.
Brewgal sneaks in a few rows on Carrie’s Baby Surprise Jacket.

Thursday: Brewguy calls from Boy’s Burgers in Parma Idaho. Says they are 1 hour from Boise and should make it to Milton-Freewater that evening. His voice has developed a twang and “howdy” was uttered at least once.
Brewgal spends most of Thursday in meetings. Dinner consists of cheese toasties and fruit.

Friday: Brewguy and Surfer Guy unload the truck and drive it to Pasco for return. The Pasco airport is understandably suspicious about a large truck idling in front of the terminal. Brewguy is not arrested.
Brewgal breaks the house rules and allows dinner in front of the TV.

Saturday: Brewgal drives Little Brewer #2 to soccer practice. Upon arrival, she is chastised by the Keepers of the Soccer List that she does not know the coach or team to which LB#2 is assigned. This is notwithstanding the fact that the KSL have an actual list they could consult to answer this question, which is why they are called the KSL. Brewgal resists the urge to tell the KSL to bite me. After lunch, Brewgal drops LB#2 at a friend’s birthday party and takes Little Brewer #1 to the paint store to pick out paint samples for the foyer because Brewgal is tired of waiting for Godot to make up his mind about color. After the paint store, we go to Vie de France for croissants and Orangina, followed by a trip to the thrift store. Brewgal finds 3 partial balls of what she is sure is Nashua Wooly Stripes (enough for another BSJ) and 3 yards of super retro cool Danish fabric. Brewgal discovers Showtime is having a free preview and allows dinner in front of the TV (again) in order to watch Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End. Brewgal reconsiders the wisdom of this choice about 10 minutes into the film.
Brewguy visits wineries.

Sunday: Brewgal finds out her great Aunt Margaret passed away yesterday in York, NY. She contemplates going to the funeral but cannot because Brewguy is still away. Brewgal sends thoughtful prayers to family. Brewgal drags the crew into work to complete her technical review of contracts that need to be procured by September 19. Like time and the tides, the end of the fiscal year waits for no one. She gives the Little Brewers $1 each to buy whatever they like from the vending machine. They both choose Sour Patch Kids. Blech. At home later, Brewgal manages to knit 8 rows on the BSJ in progress.
Brewguy gets up at 5am to drive to Portland to catch flight back to Baltimore.

Monday: 1 am. Brewguy returns bearing gifts. The routine begins anew.

2008-09-07T06:43:00.003-04:00

Children change your life in many ways. I can no longer stay up past 10pm. My house is filled with plastic toys. I get fabulous morning hugs.

Having children has interfered with my movie viewing habits. I used to see movies all the time. Between being too tired to find babysitting and "that's not appropriate for you," my movie viewing has taken a nosedive. The last movie I saw in the theater was Wall-E. A delightful film (I love Pixar!), but not the intellectual fare I used to watch. Or as my DH says, "no car chases." Ahem.

Yesterday I found Amelie on Ovation. I didn't even know we got Ovation. Apparently there are many channels higher on the TV dial than BBC America (264) and Bravo (273). Heh. I said "dial" in reference to TV channels. How retro is that?

So anyway, I've wanted to see this movie for many years. I sat on the couch with my glass of wine (it is a French movie, after all), and watched Amelie. I got a full hour in without interruption. After that, the kids and DH joined me. The questions started almost immediately.

"Why is she sad?" She is thinking about her Dad.
"What's that?" What is what? Can you be more specific?
"What's going to happen next?" I don't know sweetie, I haven't ever seen this film.
"Why did that happen?" This question was in response to the scene where Amelie dissolves into a puddle of water when she lets Nino walk out of the bar without speaking to him. At this point I had to shrug my shoulders in Gallic fashion and say, It's French.

I SO want to go back to Paris now!

IQ tests for fun and profit

2008-09-02T16:29:00.001-04:00

Let me channel Richard Dawson: "Non-scientific survey says..."

IQResearchLab

Your score: 156
Top 5% of Population

People scoring at this level are genius or near genius.

Cool! I'm smarter than Tom Cruise!

Ow

2008-08-31T06:20:00.003-04:00

I have great co-workers. They are thoughtful and kind. They have scheduled a baby shower on Tuesday as a celebration for all three of the pregnant ladies in the office.

Three. Apparently there is an unwritten rule that someone must be pregnant in my division at all times. I jest not. When I arrived 12 years ago someone was pregnant. It continues.

We used to blame it on the presence of the Division of Reproductive Products down the hall. Now that we've moved to an entirely different building, I think it must just be us.

Tuesday. I was expecting to have a bit more time, seeing as one of the ladies is not due until December 27.

I had already finished one Baby Surprise Sweater for the Fair.

So I started and finished another. My row counting was more accurate this time. I like the sleeve cap effect.
And another.
I had grand plans for getting all three done. If I knit 30 rows per day, I should have been able to finish both sweaters. I got all the way through the second sweater and up to this point on #3 (see above). I think I hurt myself. I'm getting shooting pains through my right wrist and my elbow is numb. This is bad, right? I'm debating- do I knit through the pain and try to finish, or do I slow down and conserve my mouse hand? A hand I need for actual working.

I think colleague #3 is getting an IOU.

Eat my dust

2008-08-17T15:22:00.004-04:00

Another Montgomery Count Fair has ended and I've just returned from picking up my entries. The grand outcome: three first places, a second and a fourth. My Strikke-along sweater, my Odessa at Sunset hat and a flame hat I made for Little Brewer #2 all took first. I got a fancy little ribbon for entering more than three items.

I made this hat during my jury duty. It didn't turn out the way I had hoped. The gauge is rather tight (it was a murder trial- I was tense) and though I tried to follow a flame schematic, the flames look more like blobs than flames. I expected it to look more "flame-like".

The Baby Surprise Jacket took second. One of the judges wrote "Go Redskins" on the back of the comment card. Ha ha. Now I have to stress about who I can give the sweater to. Do they like the Redskins? Not like them? Prefer Lacrosse? Argh.

The pinwheel blanket got fourth. I hope the judges didn't think these were swastikas. The crochet blanket category is hotly contested.

I have no idea what the competition was like this year because I am too cheap to pay the $8 admission fee just to visit the exhibit hall.

TDFKAL and stuff

2008-08-10T06:52:00.005-04:00

I just had the weirdest dream. In it, I was reading Julie's blog at Samuraiknitter when I see a post from her asking what the fuck is going on and when I'm going to update my blog. Thank you for the psychic message, Julie, but stay out of my head.

Anyway, there I was, one day until the riders get to Paris with 25 rows to go. "I can do this," I thought to myself. "That's only a little over 12 rows per day."

Note to self: Remember, you knit SLOWLY and you have a full time job.

Self: I can knit at work.

Note: You can't knit at work.

Self: I can close the door. No one will know. *maniacal laugh*

Note: It's wrong.

Self: I can put up a sign that says "T-con."

Note: It's wrong. You'll be taking the American people's money and not working.

Self: Stupid conscience.

Note: What was that? Did you say something?

As a result, I didn't finish by the end of the Tour. I was a DNF on the scoreboard of knitting life. Here are two photos of the Baby Surprise just after placing the stitch holders.

And that's pretty much how it looked at the end of the race. I am happy to say that I eventually did finish last Friday, the equivalent of walking my bicycle into Paris. Why did it take so long after the Tour? Because I got called for jury duty in a courthouse that does not allow metal needles. I spent a week on a jury for a double homicide first degree murder trial. That's a story unto itself.

Back to lighter stuff.

Unfolded...
And folded. Pretty cute! I added buttons and whisked it off to the fair for judging.
For those of you who have a hard time figuring out how to fold the garment after knitting, position the knitting so that the buttonhole rows go straight up the front. Once you manage that, you'll see the open seam is at the top of the shoulder, not the bottom.

In other news, Gettysburg lost one of the last remaining Battlefield "witness trees." Link to CNN, because the Gettysburg Times doesn't publish on Sunday.

Tour de France KAL update

2008-07-20T08:43:00.006-04:00

Brewgal is in danger of being dropped off the back of the Peloton. The race has reached the Alps, and I have reached row 57 of the Baby Surprise Jacket only to discover that instead of the 114 stitches in the pattern, I have 116 stitches in the center section of my jacket. At some point I picked up 2 stitches. Do I rip back and start over? Abandon? No way. I've just got to figure out how to distribute my 10 stitches over 116 rather than 114.

Need more coffee.

I also made an equipment change after stage one. I'm now working on circular needles. The straights I picked out were sticking to the yarn.

Look! A sleeve!

It's also brewday in the Brewgal household. Here we see Brewguy heating water for the wirt boil (technically called the "hot liquor"). It is heated to a temperature in the 160 degree farenheit range. The water is used first for the mash, and then later for the sparge. See what Brewguy is doing in the background? He is about to spring the fruit fly trap.

We have an abundance of fruit flies. I think they came home with us from West Virginia. We first tried the paper over the glass trick, a trap suggested to us by a former neighbor who was a professor of biology. He was conducting experiments on special species of fruit flies in his lab and used this method to trap wild fruit flies. You place a small amount of sugar water (or beer) in a jar or glass, cover the top with a piece of paper secured by a rubber band and poke a small hole in the top with a pencil. The fruit flies can go through the hole into the glass but can't find their way back out. When the trap was full he microwaved the jar.

We've used the same method, sans the microwaving. With our luck we'd only create a species of microwave-proof fruit flies.

The paper trick didn't work last night. Brewguy got up early to brew and discovered that instead of being inside the glass, all the fruit flies had clustered on top of the paper, like they were waiting for the club to open. So he trapped them by placing a flower vase on top and released them into the wild.

It's the Hav-a-Hart of fruit fly traps.

2008-07-14T07:05:00.007-04:00

Brewgal et al have survived her family reunion. This is a reunion of the mother's side of my family. She was one of six children. We try to get together every two years. This year's reunion was held at Pipestem State Park in West Virginia.

Some fun facts:

30 = family members who showed up. Not a bad turnout.

3 = generations represented. My grandparents have both passed away.

19 = family members who went white water rafting. This was an event I approached with much trepidation. I've never been rafting before, and I had visions of the little brewers being thrown into the river and crushed by the rapids. I'm sure it didn't help that I had recently read the story about the kayakers who went over a dam and were sucked into the dam's turbines and killed.

3 = minutes it took me to realize I cannot control a raft. They put most of us into two person "duckies." Little Brewer #1 and I were in one, and soon discovered that despite our best novice paddling efforts, we were going around in circles. I'd paddle on one side, and she would paddle on the same side, which meant I'd have to overcorrect on the other side. All the while we were drifting farther and farther away from the calm water where the group was located. Little Brewer #1 was in tears, I was upset, so after we finally managed to paddle back to shore, we requested to go in the big raft, the one with the guide. Much, much better.

1-2 = class of rapids on the river.

1 = number of falls on the river. Captain Andy, our guide and raftmate, told me to paddle through the waterfall. "Most people forget to paddle," he said. "The water is going to want to take us close to the bank, but keep paddling so we go through the middle," instructions I interpreted to mean, "paddle or die." We had picked up another passenger by this time, 5 year old Max. "Ok," I answered with some trepidation. The kids were instructed to hunker down in the raft and hang on to the straps. I am perched on the edge of the raft with a paddle. Then Little Brewer #1 started bouncing up and down saying "let's go! let's go!" Off we go.

As we approached the waterfall, the sequence of thoughts in my brain was as follows:

Hey look, there's a pullout just before the falls if you don't want to go over the falls. Can we do that? paddlepaddlepaddle

Wow, that water is fast. paddle!paddle!paddle!

Holysh!t!Waterfaaaaaaalllll! tryingnottofalloutofboat boatistipping! splashysplashy

Floosh. Calm water. I realize I forgot to paddle.

5 = family who ended up crashing their rafts on the waterfall and going into the river. We watched them, one after another, as they went down sideways in the waterfall.

1 = number of rafts lost in the waterfall.

2 = babies under the age of 6 months. So cute and squishy!

23 = pizzas consumed. We are like a swarm of locusts at mealtime.

7 = days spent at Pipestem.

5 = days it rained. After five days of rain I was ready to rename the state Wet Virginia.

5 = total number of reunions taking place concurrently. We felt totally outdone by the reunion with the big banner and the one with the gift bags.

1 = celebrities seen (Morgan Spurlock, courtesy of the Spurlock family reunion).

12 = hours driving there and back.

$4.19 = price of gas in Hinton, WV.

2 = number of years until next reunion.

Le Tour est arrivé!

2008-07-06T08:49:00.004-04:00

Bonjour mes amis et bienvenue a Lincoln Street Knitting! Le Tour de France est arrivé! As you may have noticed from my sidebar, I've joined the Tour de France Knit Along. I'll be attempting a baby surprise jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Opinionated Knitter. This puts me in contention for the yellow jersey, as the project is in my skill set but somethingI've never tried. Go Team Credit Agricole!

Action shot:
I've cast on. The yarn I'm using is handspun mystery yarn from a friend who is a fiber artist. She cleaned out her studio a few months ago and showed up at my door with two bags of handspun in various colors. How exciting! And how apropos, using mystery yarn for a surprise jacket.

Tomorrow we're heading to wild West Virginia for a week-long family reunion. Internet access may be spotty, so I'll post when I can.

Fun With Amtrak

2008-07-04T08:06:00.007-04:00

As I metioned in my previous post, I've been busy. We returned from the week of camping on Saturday, 21 June. On Sunday I left to go to Boston. Rather, I attempted to go to Boston.

I had a reservation on Amtrak. I knew in advance that Amtrak had cancelled all Acela trains between New York and Boston between 14 June and 17 June to repair a bridge in Connecticut. No problem, I wasn't leaving until the 21st. What I did not know was that the bridge repair was not finished.

I had packed all my fancy clothes (I was scheduled to present at DIA) and just before we left the house, I turned on my cell phone. There was a voicemail message from Amtrak saying that all trains between Boston and New York had been cancelled starting on Tuesday. Uh oh. I immediately dialed the Amtrak reservations number but "all their agents were busy." I could talk with an agent if I waited a mere 21 minutes. In 21 minutes I was supposed to be on a train. So we took off for the station.

Bad move #1.

At the station, the line to talk with an agent is almost out the door. There is one - one!- agent at the desk. My train is scheduled to arrive in 10 minutes. So I got out of line and tried to pick up my ticket at the Quick Ticket machine, thinking "I'll just get on the outbound train and fix the return trip in Boston."

Bad move #2.

The machine tells me that my reservation is "not found." Now panic starts to set in, that rising hot feeling in your stomach that you are truly screwed. Not found? Where the hell did it go? I have the confirmation email. I've paid for the ticket. I have to be in Boston tomorrow to give my presentation.

My train arrives. I run to speak to the conductor, telling him that I have a reservation on the train but that I cannot get my ticket out of the machine and the line is too long to get to an agent. He says he can't let me on the train without a ticket. "But I have a ticket, I just can't get it!" I say. "I can't let you on without a ticket." he replies. I look to the other Amtrak train employee on the platform for help. "He's the conductor." the employees says, shrugging. Arrrgh! Now I am hot, sweaty, panicky, and MAD.

So back into the agent line I go. The train pulls away. When I get to the window, I explain my plight, starting with reservation not found and ending with "and now I've MISSED my train." The agent, whose name was Mariea, was incredibly helpful and patient. She explained that the machine can't handle changes in train schedule and that is why it wouldn't print my ticket. Note to Amtrak- if your machine can't handle train changes, please come up with another message than "reservation not found." Like, say, "please talk to an agent."

She fixed my return. Because of the bridge work there were only two trains out of Boston on Wednesday, both in the morning and both regional, meaning the trip would take 10 hours, rather than 6. I would miss the morning sessions at the conference but getting home was important. Now for the trip to Boston. The next train was a regional- so much for my comfortable Acela trip. Add to that the complication that the next two trains were showing sold out, so she couldn't know if there was really a seat available until the trains left Washington, DC. In the end I got a seat on the afternoon Acela (in first class!). I missed my dinner date but I did make it to Boston. My presentation went fine and I gained a good story to tell.

While I was at the conference, I mentioned my ordeal to a colleague, who looked at me in horror. "You mean, they've cancelled all the Acelas this week?" she said. Obviously Amtrak didn't notify everyone, a fact that became even more clear when I arrived at the Boston station on Wednesday to ride back to Baltimore. Person after person showed up at the station to discover their train had been cancelled. With only two trains between Boston and New York I can't imagine how these people got where they were going. Also, because the train was much taller than the platform I had to lug my bag and carry-on up three narrow stairs. I need to work out more.

The kicker? I was so flustered at getting the initial Amtrak call that I forgot to take any knitting or crocheting with me. I did catch up on all the episodes of Cast On, however.

Camping fun, 2008

2008-07-02T17:18:00.003-04:00

Alas, poor blog. How I have neglected thee.

I am not dead. Nor am I injured, in jail, or on Brangelina Baby Watch. I’ve simply been really, really, REALLY busy.

We spent our vacation camping on Assateague. It was a great time. The tent was destroyed by a thunderstorm on day 2. We were hanging out watching the ponies, having had an early dinner of grilled fajitas. Looking up, Brewguy noticed the weather front moving in our direction. Lines of grey clouds were sweeping across the sky, fast.

“Ooo! Ahh!” we all say. “Neat!”

As the front passed overhead, there was an immediate downblast of wind, followed by a sideways blast of wind that became a sandstorm. A strong blast. So strong, in fact, that as we looked across the loop at our tent we saw it bend down to the ground.

“Noooo!” We all took off at a run for the tent. By the time we got there, no more than 1 minute later, the tent had ripped away from the stakes holding it to the ground. The main poles were bent and the rain fly pole had snapped. We threw the kids in the car (thunder had started) and immediately began dragging everything out of the tent and putting it in the car. There is nothing worse than wet sleeping bags when you are camping.

Imagine the scene: Here I am, flat on my stomach, the wind pressing the tent onto my body as I try to drag pillows and clothes out of the tent, shoving them out behind me because I can’t stand up. There is lightning and thunder and it has started to rain. All I can think is, “I’m going to get struck by lightning in this stupid tent.” The little brewers are shrieking with fear and delight at the whole deal, bouncing up and down on their seats as we throw pillows, clothes and blankets on top of them.

Five minutes later, everything is out of the tent and we are in the car. Rain starts pouring down. Lightning and thunder are rampant. The clouds in the sky look like giant scary fingers reaching down from above. The little brewers are still shrieking with delight and wonderment about 1) the storm, 2) where we are going to sleep (“Are we going to sleep in the car? Can we sleep in the car?”) and 3) all the stuff piled on top of them. I look at Brewguy and say, “I think I saw a Clarion in Ocean City.”

The Clarion turned out to be a very nice hotel. So nice, in fact, that we stuck out considerably with our windblown hair, sandy feet and slightly dazed look.

The next day we drove to Salisbury to replace our tent. There at Gander Mountain, amid the guns, ammunition and duck blinds, was a small tent section, enough for our needs.

The rest of the trip was much more uneventful. SPF50 and OFF! are still my friends. Little Brewer #1 invented a noisemaker out of an empty Gatorade bottle and some yarn. It sounds very much like a diggery-doo. My car finally got a name: Big Red. I try to name all my cars but this one didn't speak to me until now. Next year we will figure out a way to bring bicycles.

Next up: Fun with Amtrak!

2008-06-28T07:45:00.004-04:00

My Dad. Mr. Low Key.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival features Texas, Bhutan and NASA this year. Dad worked at NASA for 40+ years. This is how the conversation went last week.

Dad: "You know the folklife festival?"

Brewgal: "The one on the mall? Sure."

Dad: "Well, this year NASA is one of the topics."

Brewgal: "Really? Neat."

Dad: "Yeah. And oh by the way, I'm one of the exhibits."

Brewgal: "WHAT?"

If this happened to me, I'd be issuing press releases to all my friends. Link here. Dad's listed first.

Actually, I admire his humility greatly. Way to go, Dad!

MDS and W

2008-06-13T12:41:00.007-04:00

In my continuing efforts to be the tortoise of the blog world, I bring you photos of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, 2008.

Here we see a shot of the main drag with crowds. Every year it gets more and more crowded. And loud. Also, every year I am older. Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

Here are some sheep waiting to be judged.

Little Brewer #1 with her stuffed sheepdog, Oreo.

There were lots of Ravelers at the festival. Here's a shot of a bag I covet.

We went to the Rabbit Barn to get my Ravatar sticker. Unfortunately, this is as far as we could get into the barn. So.many.people.
But wait! There they are, the patron saints of Ravelry- Casey and Jess.
At this point the battery in my camera died so I cannot show you the photo of the UFO landing and its occupants passing out free copies of Knitting Without Tears. We stuck around for a few more minutes, but left after it became obvious we weren't going to get anywhere near Casey, Jess or the handout table.

Watch out A-Rod!

2008-06-10T09:00:00.003-04:00

The final hit of the Tee Ball season, provided by my very own Little Brewer #2.

2008-06-08T07:16:00.002-04:00

ROCK

Me

Will be crawling out later this week.

The truth will out

2008-06-03T16:50:00.002-04:00

Climate Findings Were Distorted, Probe Finds.
Appointees in NASA Press Office Blamed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/02/AR2008060202698.html?sub=AR

The only surprise here is that it has taken so long for this situation to be reported.

2008-05-24T07:18:00.000-04:00

Concerned Reader: Hey, Brewgal!
Brewgal: Hey! What’s up?
CR: Nothing much. What’s up with you?
BG: Oh wow. Lots.
CR: Really? Like what?
BG: Well, I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool with Little Brewer #1. It was really crowded this year, like always, but I got some nice handspun and even got to see Casey and Jess! From a distance, of course. The Rabbit Barn was jammed with Ravelers.
CR: That’s great!
BG: Then Brewguy went to Milton-Freewater to visit his Mom because she’s having some health issues and needs someone to come in to help around the house.
CR: Ok.
BG: So he was gone during Mother’s Day. The little brewers made me breakfast in bed all by themselves! I was so proud of them, even if they did end up eating most of my breakfast.
CR: Kids are great.
BG: Yeah! But then I got this virus from Brewguy that hung on and on, just like last year and I thought “uh oh, what if I get sick again like last year? I don’t want that to happen,” because I was running a low-grade fever for two weeks and just feeling worse and worse and then on top of that I got some sort of stomach flu virus thing that made me throw up for two days straight which made me miss the advisory committee I was supposed to present at and as a result my research partner had to come in from maternity leave which she had only just started the day before to give my presentation (did I mention she’s amazing?). Then I fainted in the shower and torqued my neck and knee which still hurt. But I went to the doctor who gave my antibiotics and topical steroids for the uveitis (which had come back) and now I’m feeling better!
CR: ….
BG: Too much information?
CR: Yes.
BG: Oh. You did ask.
CR: True.
BG: And little brewer #1 turned 8 years old. We hired a naturalist to take her and her friends on a walk through the woods. It poured down rain and they loved it! When was the last time you walked in the woods in the rain? Me, never!
CR: Um…
BG: And the pool opens this weekend!
CR: Ok! I’ve got to be running along. I think the stove’s on.
BG: See ya!

2008-05-04T07:31:00.003-04:00

This is the duck,

Who tried to steal the lunch of the girl,

As she sat on Eyre Square,

And who brought the hook on her trip,

To see the sights near the Corrib,

And drink a few pints,

But whose plane was delayed

In Galway.
Apologies to Mother Goose.

Strikke!

2008-04-19T14:32:00.005-04:00

It may not seem like it, but I really *have* been working on my Strikke-along project. I've changed my idea about three times mid-stream with this project. I finally settled on a semi-yoked, 2x2 rib pattern with a split neck.

Here we see my first challenge. Ok, second. The first was figuring out how to knit in the round. How do I join the sleeves to the body?

I spent almost a week puzzling this out. I couldn't figure out how to join the sleeves to the body at the underarm.
I kept reading and re-reading Elizabeth Zimmerman's intructions in Knitting Without Tears. Then it hit me: the sleeves are joined to the body on the OUTSIDE edge, not the underarm edge. The underarm stitches float while the body and yoke are worked. It was the diagram that confused me.

Once that hurdle was hurdled, the yoke went very fast. I added a crocheted contrasting border at the neck and a nice Tinn-Per Norweigan frog clasp at the neck.

Just in time for...

Gone in 5 seconds

2008-04-13T07:27:00.007-04:00

Life oftens throws you a loop. Remember our redecoration? We moved the hanging cabinet from the kitchen to the dining room. Doesn't it look lovely? See my beautiful glassware and ceramics?

Look again.

The cabinet fell off the wall. Just...fell.

Brewguy was standing in the dining room talking to his mom on the phone. I was in the kitchen cleaning up a wine glass he had just knocked on to the floor and broken (can you say harbinger?) There was a boom, then a crash and a crash and more and more crashing as the cabinet fell off the wall, smashing all the glassware. More than smashing- pulverizing.

I stood there, open jawed. Brewguy was silent for a moment, then spoke into the phone, "Mom, I've got to go. The cabinet just fell off the wall."

The consensus is that the vibration from the door caused the bolts to loosen.

It has been a few days, but I am still mourning the loss. My grandmother's Fostoria, the Waterford I dragged back from Stoke-on-Trent in my suitcase, the art deco coffee pot, the crystal... all gone. Everthing I've collected over the last 20 years. Poof! The kicker? Our insurance does not cover glassware or ceramics.

I try to keep in mind that the little brewers weren't home at the time and so therefore weren't hit by flying glass. I'm still finding little pieces of glass around.

Like most disasters, there were a few survivors.

2008-04-06T07:19:00.002-04:00

Sometimes yarn does not wish to be frogged. Take, for example, the pieces below.

I found these two pieces at the local thrift store. The price was right - 25 cents. I thought I could just frog them for the yarn. I think the first one was an unfinished baby bib. I have no idea what the little ball-shaped object was supposed to be. The opening was not big enough for a hat. A yarn hackey sack, perhaps?

So I began to take them apart. Pull, pull, snag. Puullll...grab. Grabsnag. Arrgh! This yarn was the stickiest yarn. It just did not want to be pulled apart, like yarn super glue. I can be very tenacious and stubborn (just ask my graduate school advisor), so once started, it became a contest of wills between myself and the yarn. I won, but at what cost? My hands hurt and I had spent WAAY over 25 cents of effort to gain...

A bunch of partial balls of yarn. The original crocheter cut the yarn at the end of every other row. Sheesh.

2008-03-28T12:32:00.005-04:00

We're back from Milton-Freewater, Oregon, located at the base of the scenic Blue Mountains.

Blue Mountains seen here. You can sort of make out the mountains in the distance. They are, in fact, rather blue. My MIL tells me that the green in the foreground is winter wheat, so called for when it is planted (winter), rather than when it is harvested (spring). She's an M-F local, so I'll take her word for it.
Here is our trip in a nutshell:

Denver. Flat on one side...
Rocky Mountains on the other.
Pasco, Washington as seen from the window of our airplane.
Easter Sunday breakfast at the Longbranch Saloon in Weston, Oregon.
Pictured is half (half!) of the side order of ham and biscuit that came with my eggs over medium. The biscuit itself was the size of a small badger. Never have I tasted a better or larger biscuit.
Interior of the Longbranch. The taxidermy on the wall supposedly promotes digestion.

A trip out to Harris Park on the South Fork. The threat of rattlesnakes always brightens my day.

Back to Denver.

Not pictured: Walla Walla, Touchet, Lowden, Hermiston.

2008-03-16T17:57:00.003-04:00

Remember Rainbow, the fish that was not yet dead? Still not dead, but not looking so good.

Rainbow has been hanging out at the bottom of the fish tank. Camera flash doesn't even move her.

I'm concerned. This does not seem like healthy fish behavior.

A fine vintage

2008-03-15T07:57:00.003-04:00

We're preparing to go out to Milton-Freewater for a visit with the MIL. Mr. Brewguy has been out a few times this past year, but I haven't been out since the great moving-unmoving fiasco of March, 2007.

Brewguy's grandmother was from Sweden. As the story goes, her mother used to walk the halls of the family estate working on crochet or tatting as she strolled. The finished work was then applied to bedlinens, tableclothes, napkins, and handkerchiefs. Sheets and pillowcases were stored with the decorative borders facing out so they could be matched by the staff.

Here are some of the surviving Swedish treasures:

These are hand-loomed tableclothes and napkins with what I think are tatted borders.

Crocheted lace. I need a camera that can handle close-up shots.

The pieces on the right hand side are machine made. What a difference!

Linen needs to be ironed. I spent a lot of time ironing. I cannot imagine trying to keep all these ironed for daily use.

There will be swearing

2008-03-10T19:39:00.003-04:00

My PDA was "removed" from my office today. And by removed, I mean pilfered. I'd like to think I just left it in a conference room but no, I left it connected to my PC. It was not connected when I returned from my meeting. The USB cord remained, untethered to its home like a woebegone umbilical.

Secure Federal Building. Ha!

I really liked that PDA. It was a Christmas present from Mr. Brewguy. A real step up from my old Palm 510. This one connected to the internet and everything. Now I have to change all my passwords and try to resurrect my calendar.

Dear Cursed, shit-eating, thieving rat bastard,
DIE! DIE DIE DIEDIEDIE!
Love and hate, Brewgal.

2008-03-04T18:01:00.002-05:00

We've been doing a bit of renovating at Chez Casa de Brewgal. I've been wanting a little breakfast nook in the kitchen for a while, but the only space available was under my wall-mounted cabinet. For some strange reason, Brewguy objected to putting a table and chairs under a 50 pound cabinet filled with glassware.

So we moved it to the dining room.

I think it looks great. That left space for a table in the kitchen. It also revealed a hidden gem.

Original wallpaper, circa 1974. I had forgotten that we installed the cabinet where a shelf hung. The first owners had clearly put the shelf up over the wall paper, then removed all they could reach when the painted the wall.

Wow. Can you imagine the entire kitchen papered in this stuff?

It's all about me

2008-03-01T07:28:00.005-05:00

Our division is moving to a new building on campus this weekend. I've spent the week packing. Ugh. How do I accumulate so much stuff? In addition to the regular work crap, I found three boxes of granola bars, four miscellaneous balls of yarn (white, blue, oranage, and neon green) and two crochet hooks in my office. I suppose I was thinking ahead in case we were forced to shelter in place.

Anyway, we were given leave yesterday so that the movers and IT folks could set up our offices without us milling about and generally getting into trouble.

A whole day to myself. A vista unspoiled. A blank canvas, awaiting the touch of the master’s hands. You get the idea.

I briefly considered then immediately discarded the idea of housework. Here is what I did for me:

1. Fiberworks, for their Leap Day 29% off everything sale. I am looking for a size 8 circular needle with a short (11”) cord. I've been using double points for the arm of my Strikke-Along project and I constantly feel as though I am wrestling with them. I was unsuccessful in that regard, but did come home with some Frog Tree Merino.

2. Quick run by Roots Market for organic poptarts, dried strawberries and walnut-raisin bread.
3. Second Story Books used books, where I found the following gems:

Copyright 1968. This has some great charted designs. I believe I can modify them to work in tapestry crochet.

A book to help me with my color combos. I'm trying to branch out in the color field beyond blue.

Amish Quilts are cool.

And patterns are great!

4. REI, to look for more Smartwool microweight shirts. I LOVE these. They’re light and warm, just what I need for my I-hate-the-cold layering self. No luck, but I did find an on-sale, small one-shoulder backpack I can use as a large purse.

5. Home, to make tea and watch the last two episodes of Project Runway unmolested.

All in all, a fine day.

2008-02-28T06:24:00.003-05:00

Last Friday was a snow day at Chez Casa de Brewgal so I decided to stay home with the little brewers. Having been in New York, I hadn't seen them in a couple of days and wanted to spend some time with them. Let me tell you, these kids are busy.

We made overalls and a hat for the M&M doll I brought back from The M&M Store in New York. Total time = 30 minutes, not including the time spent finding the yarn in the Stash of Doom.

I did not take process photos, but this is the basic technique I used. The whole set is worked in single crochet. For the suit, I started with a chain that fit around the body of the doll. Join into a circle. Work the circle in rows until it is nearly the length you want (it will look like a wrist warmer at this point).

I put the piece on the doll and continued to work just the back portion, back and forth until it came up above the doll's arms. Then I chained 9 from one edge, over the doll's arm and attached it to the front of the piece. Work across the front for one row, chain 9 and attach to the back of the piece. I single crocheted one more row all around, going across the back, down the chain, across the front, up the second chain and bound off.

I also made a skirt for LB#1. Her own design.

I edged the split in contrasting bias tape.

There was just enough fabric left over for a super cool headband for LB#2.

2008-02-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

I took the strikke project out of cold storage and brought it along with me to New York. Here we see the sleeve in process.

Amtrak is great for catching up on Cast On podcasts but not so great for knitting. Too much swaying back and forth.

This is the view from my window at the Marriott Marquis.

The constant flickering of the Times Square Nasdaq sign is like lightning at night.

Then there were oddities. I don't know if this photo is clear enough to see the details, but there are cars down there on the roof of that building. This fascinated me. First, how did they get up there? Second, they were packed in so tightly I did not see how they could get down. Ah, the mysteries of city living.

On the way back I sat with the Director of Development from the Kogod School of Business at American University. After chatting for a while, I joked that work cut into my knitting time. She said, me too! We both pulled out our projects (her- a baby blanket, me- the strikke sleeve) and KIP'd away. We talked about yarn stores, examined each other's fibers, and discussed patterns and techniques. I just love how knitting and crocheting can form such a common bond among strangers.

Reality hits home

2008-02-23T07:13:00.003-05:00

Not my home, but my neighborhood.

The house with this sign appears to be empty. It's not in the best location, being located right on the corner of two busy streets. I wonder what happened to the family that was living there. Where did they go?

The talk usually starts with, "Did you see the foreclosure sign on blah, blah, blah?" "Oh yeah, I saw that one. I wonder if there are any more around?"

Then the conversation fades as we look down anxiously at our feet.

2008-02-18T17:55:00.002-05:00

I'm heading to New York City for a conference. I'm debating whether or not I should try to see a show. It would be Wednesday night, at the end of a long day and after presenting in the morning. I'm waffling because I'll probably be exhausted.

The little brewers have promised to be good while I am gone.

Do over

2008-02-15T14:20:00.004-05:00

I've been working on another version of the moderne baby blanket, this time in earth tones. It's been put away for a few weeks while I worked on other projects. I took it out again today and I was completely underwhelmed.

The colors don't work well together, the gauge is uneven, it just looks...amaturish. So I decided to unmake it. Time lapse photography below.

Going...

Going...

and...

Gone.

2008-02-12T14:59:00.000-05:00

I decided to add a baby hat to the baby blanket. I love making hats. They work up so fast!

The design is worked in tapestry crochet method. The pattern was inspired by Carol Ventura's Diamond Silk Scarf

I ended up with 67 stitches around. I always fit my patterns to the stitches, not the other way around. The pattern is in groups of 7, which is not equally divisible by 67. When this happens, I leave a few blanks at the beginning and end of the round. That way if I miscount or join wrong, the difference is not so noticable. Here you can see the back join seam.
It's hard to tell in these photos, but the yarns match those in the blanket. So cute I may hurl!

Finis!

2008-02-09T06:23:00.000-05:00

I found out last Thursday that the Mom of one of LB#1's variety show partners is expecting a baby. She is due in late April. Did I realize this on my own? Of course not. I didn't know until I got a baby shower invitation in the mail. How clueless am I? I love hearing babies are on the way. New project time!

I decided to make a crochet baby afghan using the Snazzy Bath Rug pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting in shades of blue.

Notice how I am perfectly willing to drop everything to work on an emergency project. Poor Strikke-along hasn't seen the light of day in months.

Here we see an action shot of Brewgal's hands, working away. Note the favorable product placement in the background. Oops! Label is upside down. I need a product placement wrangler.

Partially finished.

Aaannd...done! I still need to weave the ends in.

Close-up beauty shot.
I followed the proportions set out in the original pattern, but not the exact sizing. I wanted the center square to be larger. It is crib size, which is fine for a quick and dirty work up. I may add a little hat in the same color scheme to accompany the blankie.

Odessa at sunset

2008-02-06T06:13:00.000-05:00

Here is my Odessa hat using Nashua Wooly Stripes Fiesta. It is not too big as I had feared, although it is quite roomy. We've had a patch of unseasonably warm weather the last few days, so I have been unable to try it out. I hope it's warm. I want to wear it when I go back to Ireland in April.

2008-02-03T19:17:00.000-05:00

Brewguy was supposed to be back from Oregon this evening. Unfortunately, due to a snowstorm in Pasco, he missed his connecting flight. As a result, he won't arrive until after midnight. He is currently stuck in Denver, watching the SuperBowl in the airport's Belgian Bar. He sent me a cell phone photo of the Dubbel he was drinking while I was trying to wrangle two kids, dinner and muffin baking. Bastard.

The Odessa Sunset hat is finished. I'll try to get a photo of it up tomorrow. I've also just found out that the mother of one of little brewer #1's variety show comrades is expecting in April/May, so I started another log cabin baby blanket. For this one, I'm using the Snazzy Bath Rug pattern from Maxon Dixon Knitting in shades of blue.

Go West! Again!

2008-01-30T20:04:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow Brewguy is headed back to Milton-Freewater, Oregon to help his mother with her taxes. He's been doing them for a few years. We are Turbo Tax'd here at the Brewgal household. She is still paper and pencil. Brewguy was going to do her taxes when we all visit in March. Uh, no thanks. I don't want him to spend our entire visit working on an IRS spreadsheet while we sit around twiddling our collective thumbs. When I make the trip to Oregon, I want trips to thrift stores! And wineries! Thrifty wineries! I urged him to make a separate visit for the taxes. So it will be just me and the little brewers until Sunday.

We are starting an "all vegetable" week. The little brewers have been having problems with indigestion lately. Poor LB#2 actually woke up in the middle of the night, his tummy hurt so bad. The indigestion could be related to the cassava chips or the plantain chips or the CANDY they've been eating (they deny all knowledge of the candy).

2008-01-29T19:39:00.000-05:00

Brewguy moved into new office space last week. They neglected to mention the building was already occupied.
Actual shot of mouse sneaking into the room. If they're obvious enough to photograph, you know there are a lot of them around.

2008-01-28T17:20:00.001-05:00

We're entering the final week of my month of daily posting. I feel it has gone fairly well. On the whole, however, I've come to the conclusion that my daily life is not that exciting. At least, the part I can post about. My work life is full of fun stuff I can't discuss online (congressional document requests! angry consumers! research!). This exercise has forced me to be more creative, and that's a good thing.

Remember the porter spill? Apparently porter makes a really good fabric dye. I have permanent splooshes on my fleece and jeans. Maybe I should try it on wool. Using beer for dye...hmm...drink and dye!

Odessa progress

2008-01-26T06:43:00.001-05:00

The Odessa at Sunset hat continues to progress. For those of you following along, this is the Odessa pattern by Grumperina worked in Nashua Wooly Stripes Fiesta, designed to match my Sunset Scarf.

I attempted my first spit-splice. It seems to have worked fairly well. I won't know for sure until I start wearing the hat.

I am still concerned it might be a *bit* big for my head.

Norway, 1973

2008-01-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

El Hefe is working on converting all my Dad's slides to digital files. This is part of the first set. Norway. See the mountains.

The lovely lakes.

A fjord or two.

And, of course, a few scientists.

My first thought on seeing this photo- is that an authentic Norweigan sweater? Why isn't there a better photo of that? How am I going to copy the pattern if the picture is all blurry?

I need help.

2008-01-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

Crocheted birthday hats for the neighbor girls, in contrasting colors. Lovingly modeled by the little brewers.

2008-01-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

Actor Heath Ledger found dead.

Bummer. He was only 28.

2008-01-21T18:20:00.000-05:00

Ravelry is great. It is also intimidating. I am completely overwhelmed by the level of creativity emanating from Ravelry's members. Knitters! Crocheters! Spinners! Designers! Designers who space dye yarn with colors lovingly squeezed from selfless plants, obtained in a non-threatening way from organically raised sheep! Using solar power! Every so often I have to step back and not log in for a week, just to give myself some space. It is an amazing resource, however.

I have been inspired to try knitting a hat. A new experience for me, hat crocheter that I am. I am trying Odessa by Grumperina. And because I cannot follow a pattern, I am making it in a different yarn (Nashua Wooly stripes, to match the scarf I've just finished) without beads (because beading yarn is too fiddly and foo-foo for me). It calls for size 4 and size 6 circular needles. Lo and behold, the stash of doom comes through. Not only do I have both needles, I discovered that at some point I seem to have picked up a set of Addi turbos in sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. I am rocking the thrift store needle acquisition.

I cast on today and I am up to row 4 or 5 in pattern. It looks rather large. I am afraid once it is done it won't fit my head closely.

Souls for the master

2008-01-20T17:23:00.001-05:00

In a totally good, non-satanic sort of way!

A few months ago, one of the parents at little brewer #1's bus stop was admiring the hat I had made for her and asked if I could teach her how to knit.

"Of course!" I said. "But this particular hat was made in crochet."

"Oh, ok. " She seemed rather disappointed.

It turns out she already knows how to knit. She had simply let her skills lapse. We arranged to get together today so I could refresh her knitting skills.

When I arrived, she pulled out the afghan she had been working on for 11 years. Gorgeous dusky blue, garter stitch edges with a slight ripple pattern. Her problem was not knitting skill- it was lack of time. She wanted to make a hat for her youngest. All my hats are done in crochet. So I whipped out the crochet hook I had conveniently brought along and proceeded to show her how to chain, join, and work in a circle. We drank tea, ate bread and cheese, and switched to beer when her hubby got home. Let me tell you, alcohol does wonders for a too-tight gauge. When I left, she was well on her way down the sides of the hat. heh heh heh. Another person drawn into the bicrafty league!

2008-01-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

This letter was among my grandmother's effects after she passed away. The gem is on the back.

A transcription of a knit hat pattern from the British War Department. How cool that she decided to save it all those years.

2008-01-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

Here we see the little brewers checking out the kid habitrail at McDonald's.

Static electricity.
I am convinced the marketing genius of McDonalds lies in its appeal to kids. I've realized when my children say they want McDonalds for lunch, what they really want is the toy from the Happy Meal. They don't particularly like the food. I am rather partial to double cheeseburgers but 1,150 mg of sodium in one burger is waaaay too much. Yikes.

Winter Wonderland

2008-01-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

Snow pictures!

I love snows that cling to the trees.

Gettysburg Rocks

2008-01-16T06:05:00.000-05:00

No trip to Gettysburg is complete without a little rock climbing. Here we are near the Pennsylvania Monument, discovering battlefield cannons.

My son and I clearly have different definitions of the word "cold."

Off to search out Devil's Den. My father used to bring my brother and me here on weekends to climb rocks and wear ourselves out before driving back home.

Go! Climb!

You can do it!

Hrrrrgh!

Look Mommy! I can see rocks from here! And trees!

I'm king of the world!

Poor little sick girl

2008-01-15T19:30:00.001-05:00

Lincoln Street's new evening feature: My Day, by Little Brewer #1.

Today I felt dizzy and my head hurt and I just stared at my paper for 5-6 minutes and it felt like I was not there the whole time. Today was not fun. I WANT TO GET BETEEEEEEEEEEEER PLEASE!

2008-01-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

I have found my Pennsylvania yarn Nirvana.

No, not this:

It is this.

I've found The Mannings. I see The Mannings at Maryland Sheep and Wool every year. I've heard many people sing its praises. My reaction has been... eh. In the 9 years I lived in Gettysburg, I never made it out to The Mannings. I was convinced I had already been there and it was just a store.

I was mistaken. It turns out the shop in East Berlin, PA I had previously visited was Woolgatherings. I bought my copy of Knitting in the Old Way there.

The Mannings is situated on a lovely spot of land right next to Conewago Creek. It was the creek that caused us to miss it on first pass. Oo, look at the creek! And the cute bridge! Is that a house? Why are they building a house right on the banks of the creek? I see flooding in their future. You can juuuust see the white retaining wall of the new house under the bridge.

Vroom, right past Mannings. Such is the discussion in Brewgal's car.

Anyway, we completely bypassed the Mannings on first try. Made it all the way out to the main road where we saw a sign pointing back the way we came. We quickly deduced, in our Scooby-Doo sort of way, that we had missed the store. That, and the TomTom feebly saying (in its oh-so-cultured English accent, "You have reached your destination. Turn around.")

Thank goodness for the signs. Hello, Mannings? Love the signs! THANK YOU FOR THE SIGNS.

The Mannings is a barn-sized weaving/spinning/yarn store. There I met Ruth, a wonderful person who loved the store so much she got a job there on weekends. When she found out I had never been before, she gave me a tour. Gotta love a store that inspires people to work there in their spare time.

When I walked in I though, Ok, some books and some yarn. Cool. No no no. This was just the first room. The front room has the books, tools and sock yarn. The next room has the laceweight yarn and cashmere. Then there's a room of DK weight and chunky yarn. And a room of spinning wheels. At the back of that room, behind the table of knitters, there is a wall of fleece, helpfully labeled with the type and name of the sheep it came from. With a photo of the sheep. She encouraged the LB's to stick their hands in the fleece to feel it's "hand."

But wait, there's more! There was an entire room of weaving looms. They give weaving classes. This is in addition to the practice looms where you could try out a loom to see if you like it. Then I discovered the wall of discontinued discount yarn.

Holy crap. Discounted Noro.

I was dazed by the time I made it out of the store. I spent an hour there and I know I didn't see everything. I ran into a woman who used to drive out from Ohio just to shop at Mannings. And another who drove up from DC weekly for classes.

I see more trips to The Mannings in my future.

For lunch, we went to Appalachian Brewing Company. I had the Barley Wine and Brewguy had the Porter. Actually he had two. The first ended up all over me.

A toast!
Clink!
Slurp.
Sploosh. A full pint of porter all over Brewgal. Soaking my jeans. Dribbling into my purse. Across my shirt. We've all had a beer or two spilled on us in the past, I'm sure. However, the experience of having a full pint of high gravity porter draped across my Levis in January, when the prospect of changing is nil because I've subscribed to the mantra of pack light and that means no backup pants, and baby it's COLD outside, tends to sour the outlook slightly.

Then I remembered Gettysburg now has outlet shopping. Hello, Old Navy!

Kudos to our server, Ben, who quickly helped up wipe up the porter-y mess and brought Brewguy a new glass gratis.

Here we see pint #2. Note that Brewguy is carefully keeping his wayward arms AWAY from this one.

Lincoln Street Knitting

Overheard

Process

Happy Mother's Day

Hats again

Vacation, part 2

I feel like I'm forgetting something

Stuff kids say

Work Rants

Introducing...

Stuff kids say...

Contents

Fibery goodness

The 5AM Haiku

Quickly now,

Kitchen update

Snowdiculus

Freak Out

Say what?

Three is a magic number

One step forward, two steps back

Change is good?

Haiku for changing weather

The Week in Review

Home, Home on the Range

The Week in Review

Winter

Unreality Bites

I'm out

Busy, busy

LOTR Haiku

Non Alarmist

A little of this, a little of that

The Week in Review

IQ tests for fun and profit

Ow

Eat my dust

TDFKAL and stuff

Tour de France KAL update

Le Tour est arrivé!

Fun With Amtrak

Camping fun, 2008

MDS and W

Watch out A-Rod!

The truth will out

Strikke!

Gone in 5 seconds

A fine vintage

There will be swearing

It's all about me

Reality hits home

Do over

Finis!

Odessa at sunset

Go West! Again!

Odessa progress

Norway, 1973

Souls for the master

Winter Wonderland

Gettysburg Rocks

Poor little sick girl