new project

not that i'm easily distracted... actually probably always have been that way... but I started a new project last night.  as i was getting ready to begin (not beginning.. just getting ready to begin) going through my massive and messy stash in my spinning corner i discovered a bag of yarn i'd totally forgotten about, and had really intended to do "something" with.  So, all good intentions of stash organization and reduction were overtaken by the need to do something with that lovely yarn left from the dye exchange that Lynne and Pam and I did many months ago.  the perfect project is Lynne's "Justify" at Knitty.com !!  the yarn isn't quite "chunky", as called for, so i'm using US#8 needles (my much loved new beautiful wood needles, Options from KnitPicks), and cast on 10 sts more than called for.  And i also put some other yarns in the basket which were not part of the exchange, but will work well in this project!!  About 6 or 8 inches of this mobius wrap got knit while i watched Jon Stewart and then Stephen Colbert, followed by Boston Legal (three of the very few TV shows i watch regularly).  and so a new project is started while i got some good (and snarky) laughs for 3 hours!

And right now i really am going to get into the stash reduction.  really....

changes slowed!

Well, Jim spent literally hours on the internet and phone checking out the zoning and the past building permits on that property in Duvall, and things were lookin' good... with a few questions for the seller.  we got down to fast and furious on the phone calls between the 2 realtors and the seller and C&K and us ... and things were still lookin' good.... up until the question of a bid with a contingency was brought up, and everything lurched to a stop.  Seller was not interested in that.

but we are hoping that with the slow market, (and one might assume that a 9 acre parcel with 2 houses on it would not be what many people are looking for), that the seller might come around to changing his mind.  however, since we have made the decision to make the move, we'll go on with getting ready for that... and that will keep us busy for awhile.  

and, meanwhile, we're making the plans to go to Crete for 3 weeks in April.  Pam and Larry are going at the same time and we'll share a house!!  damn, i hope it's warm there in April... i'm so tired of being cold!  We're having freezing and rain = a frozen mess out there.  expecting some snow sunday night and monday.  and i'm wishing for a warm chinook wind tonight to blow out the cold so twisted sisters can get here tomorrow for a spin-in.   and there's about a snowball's chance in hell that will happen.  i wonder whatever i will do with all those dolmades and hummus (with 4 toppings!) for the grazing table that i got at costco.  luckily, both are low-fat,

so Jim will eat them.

maybe some pics tomorrow of the sweater i've been working on lately.  it's one i pulled out of the UFO stack.  the bodice is done and i love it.  however, what i had planned for the bottom part is dreadful and just won't work.  have been working on the sleeves while meditating on what to do to make it all work.

something finished

finally.... something finished!  and my firm belief in maintaining a goodly stash has been reinforced.  i hauled out some of the fabric stash (including some wonderful donations from SIL, Judy!!) and made myself a new dpn case/holder/roll-up-thing to replace the quite pathetic old one i have.   and i'm really pleased with it (and myself!).  I used one of the buttons i bought at SAFF from Diane Edwards at Annie's Sweet Handspun.  I got a bit carried away while shopping at her booth (something i really never hardly ever do..uh huh), but it's really wonderful to have an array of beautiful buttons in the stash when one is needed!  I love this one because it reminds me of a petroglyph found in the Columbia River Gorge, called "She Who Watches".

and i don't know what that damn stupid ? is there for and i can't make it go away!  oh well....

more about changes

it is looking more and more certain that we will move to Duvall in the near future!   While i was up there visiting last week more options came to the table.  Chris and I were out driving around in his jeep and saw a "for sale" sign and took one of the info flyers, went home and looked at it, then called the realtor and made an appt. to see the property the next day (last sunday).  This looks like a much better option than buying the 10 acre lot next to them and building a house there... which involves clearing a building site, putting in a driveway and connecting to a VERY unimproved road, drilling a well, putting in septic, etc.  Anyway, the property we looked at has a big house (really big!!) and a little house (very little!!) on 9+ acres about a mile from their current house.  C&K hadn't been considering a move... but this set-up looks pretty good.  the little house will need lots of work, but Jim has already drawn up a floor plan which looks workable.  the lot is about half wooded, with pastures and small out-buildings including a kind of hokey greenhouse.  the one photo i took there is of the resident sheep and 1 of the 2 goats... don't know if any of them will remain.  there are also a bunch of chickens which are reputed to supply 10 eggs/day... and Kate and Alex want to keep them.   it would be nice to have fresh organic eggs and to have a sheep around, but i have absolutely totally no interest in being responsible for any critters other than our 2 dogs.  So, we are in the process of figuring out the financing.  

When thinking about moving from here, i feel panic, dread, tachycardia, some sadness... and excitement with anticipation of a new adventure.  hmmm, i wonder how many twisted sisters would be willing to make the 4 hour journey to Duvall for a spin-in... it could be a combo slumber party/spin-in.  The day after i got back home, Jim took amtrak north to take a look at the property, and he is quite positive about it.

and while there i got a couple of pics of Alex and Zylie - on the left, playing some zoo game, and on the right absorbed in xbox viva pinata

powerless X2

due to wicked fierce winds and sideways rain today, our home, neighborhood, and town 

were without power twice today.. happy to say, one outage was for only about 1 1/2 hours and the other (after dinner!) about 2 hours.   it looked and sounded like the keeper of our planet was mighty pissed off and trying to take us out with force far beyond our puny selves!  the winds are calm now, but expected to pick up again during the night, and as usual the Oregon coast has suffered the most with high winds and rough ocean.  i don't think they are flooded again though.  During the dark i was able to entertain my spoiled self with my fully charged macbook and the internet!  so that's a good thing.  it kept this twisted queen mom from freaking out!

On the knitting scene, i've got a piece of entrelac about 8" X 12" and have started making some small mitered squares, eight of them attached together by picking up stitches along a finished side.... no sewing together for me if i can help it.  photo tomorrow if there's enough light.

and on the family scene, we talked to Soren, my Danish semi-son, last night!  He had all kinds of news... in my opinion the most exciting is that he and Pia are expecting a baby boy in May.   So i will be a semi-gramma for the 2nd time!!  I haven't even seen their first child, Laura, yet! but we hope to remedy that next fall!!  He says that 2 X semi-gramma makes me a legit gramma.  the background info is:  Soren was an exchange student and lived with us for several months, and we've stayed in contact since then (that was 1988 or so)  While Soren was here his parents came for a visit and we had a marvelous time with them!  Then the next year we went to Denmark for his high-school graduation, and had another great time with his family.  And we went back for another visit when Soren and Pia got married (about 2002???)  Another wonderful visit... his family and extended family are lovely folks and were so very hospitable and fun to be with!  During all those years between high school and marriage, Soren came back for visits here several times.   So that's what's behind the "semi-son" stuff.... he's not a son in the strictest sense, but kinda sorta like a son = semi-son.   And it warms my heart that this sweet person calls me his semi-mom and friend!