We were out running errands yesterday and I talked the kids into a trip to the LYS to exchange a skein of yarn I decided wasn't going to work for the diagonal garter blanket. They were out of the shade I was hoping to find, but i found another pretty one with shades of blue/purple/green. I keep knitting away on the blanket. I am loving knitting it - the colours are like eye candy to me - every time I work on it I think that! Mmmm! ( I hope that phrase is not just supposed to be used in terms of sex!)

Made myself sit down for 15 minutes and work on the nuts and bolts of this sweater I have in mind for my daughter. Like I said, I knitted a swatch with the "homes" pattern about 2 weeks ago, and I've been anxious to get it on the needles, but i kept putting off figuring out the #of stitches and how many pattern repeats that would fit and how many leftover stitches and how I want to do the buttonband. I have a couple simple cardigan patterns for kids, but they all do the front and back in three separate pieces and I am really determined to knit it up as seamless as possible, so I wanted to take time to figure out how to do that - so of course that all got my head spinning and I've been avoiding it...while still really wanting to start it! So today I did like Flylady says "I can do anything for 15 minutes" - I set 15 minutes aside to get started. And wouldn't you know, that did it. So with any luck tomorrow I'll be casting on 130 st. and going from there.

Who's Flylady you ask? Check her out at www.flylady.net .

Today was a gorgeous spring day in the 50's, made all the better because it followed two solid days of rain ( I forgot it could rain that long!). Our yard is a mass of puddles (read "ponds") and streams. Kid heaven. Me and the kids were out there late morning. Morgan was checking out the water like any 16 month old would - wading right in and saying "mmDat?mmDat?" (translated "What's that?") over and over- fascinated by the water. Meanwhile Winter and Shane were playing in the stream by the side of the road continuing a game from yesterday of hunting for "seasoned fish" and x-ray fish. I stood taking this all in and once again was so grateful my kids can be home here and outside in the middle of the day on a day like this instead of in school. Don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who thinks schools are all bad and I know homeschooling is not something that everybody can or would want to do. It's something that works for us. My gratitude comes partly from remembering that last year when my daughter was in kindergarten she was gone from 8am to 4pm and sometimes longer because I was working full time and that's a LONG day for a little kid. So it's a blessing to be able to have her outside playing, exploring, and learning on a beautiful day like this.

It's spring!

It's 36 degrees and raining lightly this morning, but that doesn't dampen my excitement that it's spring! Woohoo! I went out for an early morning walk yesterday, and kept thinking "It's the first day of spring!" That thought alone fills me with HOPE, because if it's spring then warm weather is not far behind. Even the fact that it's raining is good news, because it's not SNOW! Don't get me wrong, I love the wintertime, too, but I'm always happy to see the spring arrive.

As I was out walking yesterday, I was thinking, this hasn't seemed like such a long winter this year....maybe because...I've been home full time and homeschooling (I know, some would say that could make it seem like a very long winter), so I haven't had to get my daughter up and out the door for school, and me and the boys out the door for work/daycare.

We went to the Audubon in Sharon, CT for their Maplefest on Saturday. It was fun and really interesting. We learned about tapping the trees and how old they have to be and saw how they boil the sap down into syrup and, of course, got a taste and heard a storyteller around a campfire telling a story about how sap/syrup first might have been discovered.

We unschool - which basically means that instead of following a particular curriculum and having a sit-down lesson learning time, we follow the kids leads as to what they're interested in and learn that way (as well as sprinkle their path with interesting and fun stuff and go with that too if it sparks their interest), so learning is happening all the time. We were talking about yesterday being the first day of spring. Then I remembered that meant it was the spring equinox too...I mentioned that and we ended up talking about what equinox means and how the day is the same length as night, where the winter solstice was when it was the longest night and the shortest day. We've been noticing how the days have been getting longer. I'm just always fascinated at how learning really does happen all the time.

I've been knitting on the diagonal garter throw every chance I get. Also did a swatch for a sweater I want to design for my daughter. I have this beautiful blue ("Larkspur") yarn from Green Mtn Spinnery that I picked up on sale in Maine a few years ago. I did the swatch in a lacy pattern called "Homes" I found in a Mon Tricot book I have. Came out just like I hoped. Can't wait to start the sweater.

Goodbye SSS!

That's right! The socks are off the needles and on my feet. I got into the toe homestretch last night, and was doing the kitchener stitch in my kitchen this morning in between fixing breakfast for the kids. I've been wearing my new socks all day! Woohoo! Can you tell I'm excited?!

And yes, even though it took me forever to finish these ones, I'm already entertaining thoughts of a next pair..but I'll do them together the next time, for sure.

Rise and Shine Clementine!

I notice I'm waking up earlier these days, as the sun starts coming up earlier and earlier - Come on spring! I also notice...the kids are doing the same thing! Last week they were even waking me up a few days in a row. I like when I wake first and can have a little time for myself before things start rolling. I like when I can get out for a walk too, before everyone gets up. Thought about it this morning, but then I looked at the thermometer....2 degrees....guess not this morning. Brrr!

One of the many things I like about homeschooling is that i can let my daughter sleep in until she wakes up in the morning.

Do you ever wake up with sweater ideas in your head? Since I really started knitting again after the holidays, I keep waking up with pictures of sweater in mind. One night, in the wee hours of the morning, I couldn't fall back to sleep after nursing the baby, and I had this sweater floating around in there. It's really pretty cool. I can see the color and the texture of the yarn, and the patterns on the sweater. I don't have any experience "designing" sweaters necessarily, but I've been writing down these ideas, and looking forward to making them happen.

Things I wonder about:

- There must be a book out there about designing sweaters - I'm sure I've seen one (there are probably quite a few, actually). Maybe something by Ann Budd...who knows. (I love to read and learn through books)
- How do you submit pattern ideas for publication? How do you sell them? Do you copyright them first? (probably a good idea) And how do you do that?

The wind is howling outside tonight! And the snow is piling up. I'm surprised we still have power, but I'm not complaining!

I think i'm over my qualms of turning 40. After a few days, I thought to myself, " Heck, i still feel the same". Not such a big deal after all... maybe. I know quite a few people older than me, so I'm not getting much sympathy there. :)

I've made minimal progress on my second sock, though i have to admit, I really enjoy working on it. I have been keeping it here by the computer and working on it while pages load.

I'm definitely a "process knitter", if i were to stick a label on my knitty self. I like the process of knitting something, I like working up a pattern and watching it take shape. I like a challenge - something to keep my interest as i go a long. Just like I like a good puzzle. And I like working with double pointed needles. I'm one of those people that actually enjoys them.

I'm also knitting along on the diagonal garter stitch throw that I started last week. It starts with three stitches and increases one stitch each row - I'm somewhere in the fifties now, and loving it. I bought several different variegated skeins and no matter what i put where, it all looks so good together. Yum!

Oh man! Baby's waking up - gotta go!

Happy birthday to me!

Can I still pretend I'm 39? Yesterday was my 40th birthday, but I just don't feel as old as 40 sounds to me. I know, I know...40 is still a spring chicken...but it may take me a little while to get used to the idea of it applying to me!

But, as birthdays go, this was a really nice one. Hung out at home with the kids and hubby for the morning and even got my presents early - a beautiful little bluebird my dd had painted in a ceramics class she took last week and a beautiful ruana w/ Celtic designs on it from Signals. Just what I've been craving these cold mornings and evenings. Then, my best friend, Linda (and almost my birthday twin - she turns 40 today) called to see if me and the kids wanted to go swimming at the school pool. Daddy watched the baby while Winter, Shane and I went swimming. It's so much fun, me wonders why I don't do it more often?!

After dinner came my wonderful birthday serenade and a melt in your mouth Silk Tuxedo Cheesecake. Mmmmm! Wow! All really special. Makes me truly grateful for the many blessings I have.

I've been holding off on starting anything new with the yarn I bought last week, trying to put my limited time into finishing off that second sock I've been working on. But last night, after rolling one of the skeins into a ball, I thought "No harm in making a gauge swatch". And, yes, tonight, while the kids were taking a bath, any fly on the wall would have seen me starting the garter stitch throw i got the pattern for last week also, knit on the diagonal. Oh, the colors of this variegated yarn are so beautiful! So....now i'll have two fun projects to keep me occupied (smile)!