Yarn-mobile

I have mentioned a few times here, and on Ravelry, that I am currently driving around in a Yarnmobile.
This is because, in the midst of packing up my house for the Renovation Project, I sorta panicked about the current WIPs and decided that they needed to be "protected" along with all my important papers, and stashed them in the back of my truck. I knew that a day of reckoning was coming, though, and today was the day. With the help of my lovely assistant, Audrey-Vanna, I hauled all 7 of the bags out of their mobile safekeeping and piled them on the sofa. The topmost picture is the "long view" of sofa and lovely assistant. (She's sitting in a "Rainforest Jumperoo" by the way, a wonderful invention for keeping small babies amused. Every time she bounces, it makes lights and noises and music. I'm really tired of every sound it makes, but she isn't, and she's in love with the concept of cause-and-effect.)

So anyway. Closeups include some of my new yarns, like my pretty Kauni from Webs. And my STR and Yarn Pirate club yarns.

Yummies! The Wool-Ease isn't there. Don't look at it. It's gonna be hats for the granddaughters, maybe. Another year. All of this uncommitted yarn is now living in a big ol' Target bag and will go in Miss A's closet for safekeeping, along with my valuable papers. Cause everyone needs to clutter up their grandkids' closets with their personal crap!

The other bags are going to come with me. Oh, yes, did I mention (for the 400th time) that I leave for Asilomar in the morning? Yay for clean air, fresh ocean air--the conference grounds are right on the beach--and nothing to worry about but my quilting. I'm leaving the house project in the capable hands of D4--hey, she can yell at the contractor at least as loudly as I can! I know I won't have much knitting time while I'm there, but there will be times (like the evening programs) when I will want to knit a bit. And yes, I will try to post regularly from there--it's such a great experience that I really do want to share it! Go here for details!

I will close with a vignette from Easter, showing our ice cream cake.

Hey, it's a yellow "peanut" m & m, but ice cream--all the way through, except for a couple of layers of fudge. With mini m&m candies inside.

And a knife in its middle.

What can I say, we are a sick family.

Well, how else do you cut a cake? Huh?

Actual Fiber Content!

Yes, I know, you thought it would never happen. Well, here it is...
First, my scarf-in-progress in Noro Taiyo.
This is the yarn my fellow OOPsers and I scored at NeedHay one fine Monday. I'm doing a 4 x 4 basketweave sort of thing, which seems to look good in this kind of variegated yarn. 32 stitches across. I'm semi-tempted to frog and go down to 24, but then sanity reasserts itself and I realize that I would then have to reknit the whole freakin' thing. And, I am really not lovin' on the yarn, so it's going to stay. We'll see how it feels once it's gotten done and been given a bath. My skein did have the obligatory knot, between colors, but luckily it came between a grey and a black so it's not very obvious.

Then there's a progress pic on the Very Warm Hat for Audrey's daddy.

Because, of course, everyone needs a Very Warm Hat when the temps are in the 90's.

Gotta love Spring in SoCal. One day it's 90+ and the next it's barely 45. No wonder everyone goes around sniffling!

Here's the crown of the blue side of the hat. The decreases make a nice spiral. Plain but "manly" right?
And another view, showing the turning row. This is going to be my project for the programs at Asilomar, I think: something I can work on in the dark!
And, Louise finished her quilt. She's entered it in the Glendale Quilt Guild's show, which is this weekend in Burbank. It's made from the leftover pieces of her Bouillabaisse quilt, including the back. The only new fabric she added was the black for the star's background.

It's not only a gorgeous quilt, it's a great use of "leftovers" and quite in the spirit of quiltmaking everywhere!

So the house continues to progress, but not in a way that lends itself to photography. The ductwork has all been replaced and they are now installing new heater/ac vents--which can't be seen, because there's paper and plastic down on the floors to protect them from the painters, who are also busily at work. Nothing started on the outside painting yet, but I've been told the kitchen cabinets are ready to move in once the painting in the kitchen is done.

In fact, I'm supposed to be buying a kitchen sink today, along with some bathroom fixtures for the remodeled back bathroom. It's going to be so spiffy that I think we'll have to move the cats elsewhere for their feeding/watering/catbox needs.

Speaking of the boys, they continue to do well in their respective "shelters." Padua is getting some needed medical attention (poor old guy) so boarding chez the vet has been a good plan; and Simon and Hi-Hi are having fun at D3's. Garrett loves them, they tolerate him, Hi-Hi's been raiding the toybox for his Mighty Hunter times and Simon just follows the "guys" around. I just hope they'll be willing to come back home...

More of Whatever

I know that this is supposed to be a knitting/quilting/crafting blog.

I apologize that the blog appears to have been hijacked into home renovation and cute babies.

Well, not really.

I mean, is this the cutest little sleepyhead? And would I love to be able to sleep like that??

Yes I would.



Here is the reason why I can't:

This is my bedroom. Freshly painted in pale pale blue.
It will be very restful, once it's all done.
Once I don't have to move piles of "stuff" and layers of plastic to get to the bed.


Okay, here's a different spot. This is the new shower in the "back" bathroom downstairs. Tile is laid in the proper orientation, floor tile is in, edging is up.

I like.

We are currently shopping for shower fixtures, towel bars, medicine cabinet. Just for this one room.

The tile floors are done, grouted and ready. The painters have begun patching and the plasterers have been at work. We have two different textures of plaster in this house, in addition to the "plain" walls, so getting the texture right isn't the easiest thing. So far, it looks as though the repairs are spot on with the matching thing.

You can look at the Flickr photos for more details. I mean, I only want to hijack the blog for so long!

And here's Little Miss A in the first of her summer outfits:
Cute, eh? And she's too young to know that at this age, those chubby thighs are cute!

Finger food??

Updating Again

First lilacs of the season! And just in time for the first day of spring, too.

I've been needing reminders that there is "hope" out there. Fortunately, my lilac bush has survived another year (it has had some traumas, including having the concrete guys washing off their equipment at its feet) and the bulbs are still coming up and blooming.

More pictures of the flowers, and the house, on the Flickr page--click on the badge over there to see!

There is progress on the tile front, too. The floor tiles are just about done, and I believe today they will finish the grouting. The bathroom shower is tiled but doesn't look as nice as I'd like so there will be more discussion there. Might as well have it look the way we want it to!
This is the top of the trapdoor to the basement, with the new tile laid over it. Note the absence of hinges... I think there's more work to be done here!


However, the floors are coming along. Here's a shot of some of the new wood that's replacing the old damaged parts. They were able to match the original boards really well--once the floor is sanded, they'll all be the same color.
So my days are divided between time with Miss Audrey and her cohorts, and the construction zone that is my house. Guess which part is more fun?

Maxine loves being near Audrey. Here Audrey is munching on her hand and playing on her surfboard mat. It's so cute to watch these two--Audrey giggles and waves her arms and legs around, and Max lays on her back and waves her arms and legs around. Max is better at rolling over--but give little missy time, and she'll get there too.

Here's the tile cut around the base of the newel post at the foot of the stairs.

Not much knitting or quilting going on these days--it's really hard to work on a project when there's so much going on, and supplies are out of reach. I am looking forward to my trip to Asilomar soon, if for no other reason than the quilting time! Of course, having real meals and a peaceful environment will help a lot too!

Pretty Pictures

Well, today I had hoped to have pretty knitting pictures for you. It was certainly a day for eye candy, and a feast for the yarn lovers at knitting group! Patty had brought some of her homespun for Knit Devil, who was working with some loverly red Wool of the Andes. Annette brought her treasures from Stitches West, plus her Tulip Baby Sweater (yummy Dream in Color yarns), Sknitty came by with her Hellebore (didn't get the brand name but it is beautiful!) and Pam had her nearly-done Shedir to share and work on. Mary was working on her Pond Scum sweater--I can't say that color name without smiling!

I had the Taiyo scarf I started on Monday, and Miss Audrey. I got to do two rows of the scarf and fondle a little yarn, but then it was baby fussing time so we had to leave early. There is just nothing quite like painful screaming to disrupt the atmosphere! The good news is, once we got her home and settled down, she went to sleep quite peacefully. Many thanks to everyone for their patience with me and my little friend!

So, instead of yarny goodness, may I present construction-progress photos. The "tile guys" have moved in and are busy applying mud to the shower walls and floors where tile will soon be laid. We (D4 and I) decided yesterday that we will indeed carry the same tile all the way through the back of the house, so the studio/workroom will match the kitchen, mudroom, and back bathroom. The top photo is taken from just inside the kitchen door, looking at the trapdoor to the basement The second photo was taken from inside the kitchen and shows the wire mesh that will hold the "mud" in place. Then the tile will be "floated" on top of the layer of concrete. That hole in the wall with the copper pipes sticking out is the rough plumbing for the ice maker. What a concept--plumb for it first!

However, I do have some fiber for you--quilty goodness! The two quilts shown here belong to Anne and Gail, and the quilts are from the same pattern. Because the fabric choices are so different, the two quilts are barely even fraternal twins!

Have to show you a close-up of Anne's quilting--isn't it purty??

Quilt #1: Anne's, in brights with a lot of lime green and yellow and a nifty striped border. She is planning to hang this in her kitchen where I think it will liven up the place!

Gail's on the other hand is much calmer and the florals she used give it a whole different mood. She also added floral sashing to mellow the look: when she first laid out her blocks,with the black and white borders, the whole quilt felt jagged and agitated. The floral pulls colors from the blocks and makes them stand out so that the design and the fabrics used in them can be appreciated.

The quilts are from a mystery weekend project sponsored by Bearly Stitchin' last year.
That's it for now. I've been told that when I get home today the washing machine will be hooked back up (they were still installing faucets to it) and, since the plumbing has passed inspection, the trenches in the front yard can be filled in. I shudder to think of what has happened to my irises...

More "Progress"?

Let's focus on something pretty for a change, shall we? (Although, the way things have been going lately it seems if I post a picture of a "pretty" it then winds up traumatized, and I'd hate to do that to my camellia!)

This is the bush that grows by the back door.

It is mostly (nominally) this peppermint-candy kind of blossom. Very pretty.


Flowers come in big clusters, and it's a very heavy bloomer.


It also grows blossoms that are solid red. Sometimes you'll see the solid red and the peppermint stripe on the same branch.

Sometimes on the same flower, like this one!

We have a new shower pan! It is full of water, which is a test to see if it leaks.

The old shower leaked really badly and actually at one point was dripping onto the junction box in the basement. That was NOT a good thing! It also rotted out a lot of the floor, especially the trapdoor which is the basement access. New trapdoor coming! And I've been assured, in the face of a total lack of logic to the thought, that they can indeed put floor tile on the trapdoor.

I'll believe it when I see it!
Have you ever seen a sadder looking kitchen? This is a view of the south and west walls--the dark line on the right is the edge of the dining room doorway. Over there on the left is a chunk of the wallcloth that's peeled away--I tried taking a closeup of it but it came out fairly blurry.
Apparently, putting fabric onto the wet plaster was a hotshot design statement in the early 20's.
Looking out to the back room/studio area, this is the north and east walls. Also quite pathetic!
Lastly, I thought I'd show you how the back of the house is looking with the new windows in. You can also see the new French doors and garage door.

When we paint, I'm planning on keeping the body of the house the same color...Swiss Coffee... but not sure about a trim color. D4 thinks the blue looks "dated" but we haven't come up with anything better.

Suggestions??

New Developments

There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting home after dark, to find that your house is surrounded by yellow caution tape.
I had to take pictures so I could see what had happened, since it was too dark out there to just "see."
This is what it looks like in daylight.
Who knew that upgrading the plumbing meant digging a moat in the front yard?
However, the iris is surviving. Hey, I called it with yesterday's post, didn't I?
Let's change the subject for a minute.

Here's something much cuter: Miss Audrey, with her new pacifier/teether/raspberry.

She likes it, in spite of the face she's making here.

And when she drops it, she can get it back in her mouth. She enjoys the nubbly texture and likes to gnaw on it--she's got a good bite action going.



Bleah. (A second later, she had it back in her mouth and was chomping away happily.)
This is what happens when the workmen don't give you the requested 24 hours notice to clear your belongings out of the bathroom * aka safe room.* If the coffeemaker is on the bathroom counter, they will set it wherever they think it will make the best statement.

Yeah, that bathroom has pink tile. I think we lucked out: the former guest house, which is two doors down from us, has lavender tile. Lavender, with black trim.

This is the new window in my bedroom. All 6 of the new windows went in yesterday. I took pictures of all of them, but they're on my Flickr page. Only so much I can inflict on the poor blog! They are quite nice and seem to open and close smoothly. It does seem odd to be replacing the "new" windows from the addition, though. After all, it was only 25 years ago!

Wanna see my bins? This will give you a good idea of the size of the things--they are just a little bit narrower than the driveway.

And yes, those are holes in the wall. I think the painters/plasterers are going to be quite busy trying to patch it all up. Of course, it has to be left open for inspection.

I'm hoping it doesn't rain any time real soon, or there may be some problems around here.

One last view of home-sweet-home. I can only imagine what I will find when I get back there today. Thank goodness I have some place to hide out every day! (and with such adorable company, too!)

Eye Candy Day?

Little Miss A has such a wide-eyed take on the world, and she was snuggled down so sweetly in her swing!
It was a little chilly in the house, so she was wearing her lavender fuzzy sleeping bag and wrapped in a fleecy blankie. With, of course, whales on it!
But of course the cute smile evaporated when the camera came out. Oh well. Check her blog for the pics her mamma took today!


With all the commotion going on at my house, I'm amazed and delighted that this iris was able to survive and actually bloom! This was the second picture I took... the first one had a porta-potty in the background!

I also took a picture of a baby narcissus that is blooming out there. Gotta love bulbs--some of these have been coming back for years and years! Anyway, those pictures are on the Flickr page, which you can access from the Flickr badge over there. (Pointing!)

Today was supposed to be a knitting day for me, but I had to make other plans. Sigh! At least, I got the colorwork done on the Very Warm Hat for Audrey's daddy last night, so now it's just a question of going round and round and round in yellow yarn. Pics when it looks more like a hat and less like a grocery sack!

My big excursion today was out to the "tile place" to pick out some of the tiles etc for the new kitchen and bathroom. This photo is the kitchen cabinets (sample) and the floor tile. 18" and a lightish non-shiny ivory color. This will go all over the kitchen floor, through the former "mud room" and into the back bathroom. Since there are no windows in the kitchen or mud room, I wanted a light color so it didn't feel like a cave.
There is a window in the back bathroom, though. This photo is the shower tile and floor tile together. The color (at least on my laptop) is pretty true. The wall tiles will be 10" x 16" and will go all the way to the ceiling. Shower door will be clear glass.

Again, kind of neutral but we can spice it up with paint colors, towels and accessories. Oh, and there will be a wall cabinet in there in the same honey-maple finish as the kitchen cabinets. There's also going to be a built-in cabinet in the mud room which ought to transform it into a butler's pantry. Not that I have a butler... but hey, a girl can dream!

This last picture is almost-the-backsplash with the cabinet sample and countertop. The actual backsplash will be glass tile like this, but in different colors--the dark goldish-beige, a dark olive, and a dark taupe. The salesman assured us there would be a mix of shiny and frosted tiles, too, which is an effect we really liked.
The countertop granite is something called Emerald Pearl which is closer in color to the picture I took than to the color in the link--it's one of those that has a lot of flecks of iridescent color in it, so when it's photographed head-on with a flash it washes out. I think it's something we won't get tired of very easily, and the dark color will be an accent among all the light colors in the room.

There's something about shopping for the new incarnation of the house, and then returning to the cold dusty shell, that's a real disconnect. I guess the closest comparison is to a pregnancy--there's a lot that you have to take on faith, and it comes with a lot of uncomfortable times, but in the end it should all be worth it.
Stay tuned to see how long this optimistic frame of mind lasts!

Weekend Update

There is progress of sorts on the house front: the sconces have been taken down out of the living room, and new wiring is being run to them. Once the new wires are in place, they'll be reinstalled and hooked up again. It will be fun to have them back!



The old wires that are coming out are very very scary. As in, I don't quite know why the house hasn't burned down due to these old corroded wires!



The other thing that's on its way out is the original 1921 plumbing pipes. New stuff going in--and it's kind of fun to see what is happening to the taste of the water and the water pressure as it runs through new copper instead of rusted galvanized metal.



I'm just grateful that we continue to have hot water in the mornings. Today's shower was a little iffy, as there is now better water pressure in the cold water line so it was "different" regulating the right mix of hot & cold.



Some days there have been three crews at work. I'm amazed at how fast this phase is going. We're now waiting to see what the floor guy thinks about restoring the hardwood floors--there are a lot of areas with water damage since many of the doors and windows have leaked over the years. Well, we knew the house was drafty--who knew there was water seeping in as well?



Miss Audrey has now learned to hold her head up well enough to be able to sit in her Jumperoo. She's figured out that moving makes it bounce, and she's discovering that she can make some pieces rattle or make music by hitting them. She's found her hands in earnest, and seems to enjoy chewing on them as well as reaching for things. I love this stage of a baby's development: you can almost see the wheels go round as she learns new things every day. She's very responsive and has learned to giggle. But, she still stays put when you set her down.
She loves her blankets. They make a good tent!

I managed to get both of the hats for the Nevada granddaughters finished in time to send them home with their parents. It was touch and go--I was weaving in ends as people were saying their goodbyes!





There was some time on Saturday when we actually had all 5 sisters together, for the first time in quite a while. That meant a photo op!

Top: D2 (Nevada) and D1 (Colo.)
On the sofa: D4, D5, D3.


Audrey got to meet her Colorado family for the first time, and they were charmed. Nate got to meet not only the Colorado crew, but his Nevada auntie D2 and uncle too.

Nate is now 6 weeks old, gaining weight and has the greatest dimples! He's a very contented baby, happy to snuggle with his doting aunties and uncles and cousins. He's already working on holding his head up--he's going to be a strong little guy. He'll need to be, since he's the "little brother."

D2's husband was celebrating his 10th birthday--he's one of those Feb. 29 kids.

We were sorry that my son couldn't be here--we thought he'd be at Kristin's confirmation, but it turned out he got snowed in and didn't even make it to that! Of course, as soon as he saw the pictures of the 5 sisters on line, he had to call to give us all a guilt trip! He still doesn't quite believe it was a spontaneous event...

Lastly, in case you've been wondering about the Grandcarrot, here's the only non-blurry picture any of us were able to capture this weekend. Little Mr. Perpetual Motion is at a very busy, totally adorable stage (21 months) and his two-way communication is getting much better.