I knew you were going to wear that!

Even though we're 7 years apart, my sister and I have this weird fashion ESP. I'll never forget when she came home from college and I was in junior high and we had bought the exact same bathing suit. It was the '80s and it was pretty hideous, if I recall correctly. Peach and gray stripes - not a tankini, but the belly cut out and the sides attached. So hot.

We still do it on occasion, not wearing the exact same thing, but something similar. Like, at her rehearsal dinner we both wore sundresses with a chocolate brown and white spot thing going on. I've decided to start asking before I get dressed for a major event. Whoever is out of town and has only one outfit option wins.

Well, now we have two boys who are 10 months apart. We met in Salado for a weekend of swimming and just getting away. And.... here's the rest of the story:

(To any visiting knitters - I will get back to the knitting blogs eventually. Just haven't been up to it lately... more on why later... )

Future Fisherman

We just got back from a field trip to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. (Doing all I can to wear the boy out while Dad is out of town for work.) It's a neat place about an hour out of Dallas with a fish hatchery, catch and release pond, alligators and a tram tour of the hatchery.

"Hey fish, what you doin'? Wanna eat lunch with us?" (actual quote)

It's a bit too hot for fishing (and someone is a little too impatient), but no too hot to feed the catfish and explore the other aquariums. Too bad cousin Wyatt, the true fish lover, couldn't join us.

We'll do it again sometime when it's cooler!

D and the Dinosaur

Here's Donovan at the newly renovated science museum. Although nothing competes with the trash truck, dinosaurs are becoming one of his favorite things.

There's a fun story behind this picture... It's all because of Curious George. Donovan has really taken to reading Curious George stories every night before bed - I think he identifies with the character. I certainly identify with The Man in the Yellow Hat some days. So, one of the stories involves George and the man going to the dinosaur museum then going on a dig with scientists. That was all Donovan needed and we were talking about dinosaurs all the time. Some days we have a dinosaur that visits us at mealtime and we have to go to the front door to let him in.

One afternoon after school we went to the museum to see the Texas dinosaurs, but the T-Rex was missing! The museum was moving it to a new location and created a fun game out of it. The lady at the front desk told us he ran away and his friend, the other dinosaur, was sad. They had lost pet signs everywhere and even created a blog. Donovan talked about it for weeks. "The dinosaur ran away because he was sad." (so he got the story a little mixed up...)

So, the day the new exhibit was opened we all went to see him (most of all so he would quit asking about it!). He dug for dinosaur bones under the T-Rex and get his picture taken. And we're still talking about it... "The dinosaur came back!"

Impulsive

First of all, let me give a little *wave* to the occasional visitor I have received from the Knitting Blog Web ring. Thanks for visiting! Thanks for your comments!

So, Sunday afternoon, while both of my boys were asleep (husband counts as a boy) I got this wild creative urge to sew... bean bags. The weather has been nuts here in Dallas, if it's not raining it's too wet to play outside or 95 degrees and humid. I decided we needed a rainy day game. Some bean bags, a piece of cardboard with shapes cut out and, viola, you've got some toddler fun for at least 10 minutes. It took me back to my childhood with a vacuum box that I used as a space ship or plane. I drew a keyboard on it and "Type in where you want to go." I was very hi-tech.

This, dear readers, is a typical example of my impulsive way of crafting and shopping for crafts. I had a few knitting projects I could have done, I probably should have napped, definitely could have cleaned, but this urge over came me and I had to sew. So maybe it's compulsive. Sometimes it's frightening... good thing I'm too lazy, too much of a Pisces (we're flaky, non-committal) to be a true addict to anything.

The sewing impulse continued, as today I took a break from work and went to the fabric store around the corner... two more sewing projects-worth of fabric is now sitting on my ironing board.

Back to the knitting! After finishing my cabled scarf, I decided I needed something else that would be a quick knit. I've reached the stage in Tulip where it is boring stockinette stitch over and over. I need something to shape. This felted fireman hat from Vickie Howell's book, New Knits on the Block, has been on my list for a while, but for some reason I couldn't get my brain around the short row shaping. But, thanks again to VH, I saw an episode of Knitty Gritty and my visual-learner brain clicked. (Confession time: I'm a little bit scared of the Dominitrix...)

So, I'm about halfway done, just using a Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tomato Red.... and Donovan sees the book and says he also wants the Viking outfit. Sigh.

And, despite my whining, Tulip is coming along nicely. I have just a couple more inches to go on the back and I bet the fronts will go quickly.

ttfn... off to knit!

A Downtown Adventure

This Friday Donovan took his first train ride downtown to see Daddy at work. So what if it took us 3 times longer to travel via train... it was exciting.

And a little bit scary...

with so much to see.

Downtown has so many fountains for splashing, we arrived at Daddy's office a little damp. Yep, those are cowboy boots. Since Pop bought them, they are his chosen footwear this summer. They look great with shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. "I'm a cowboy, yee haw!"

Watch out world, here comes the next real estate mogul!

The Need to Complete

I had an urge to work with needles larger than the size 5 on Tulip, so I picked up my cabled scarf and realized I could finish it while watching our Saturday night movie (which was Breach, about the US's most dangerous spy... not bad). It felt good to finish.

The story of this scarf: My mom took me to her new yarn shop in Burnet that a few ladies opened to provide the other knitters in the area another option besides WalMart. I made the mistake of picking up this Baby Alpaca Grande.... oh my. I could not walk away. It's so soft. It's so pretty. It's BURNT ORANGE (hook 'em). But, at $14 a skein I really couldn't justify the cost of all the skeins it would take to make a sweater, at least not impulsively. Plus, I've made a sweater with bulky yarn and, well, never again. Anyway, the yarn simply would not stay at the store, so I picked up two skeins to make a scarf for the one UT game when it might be cold enough to wear a scarf.

So, I'm not sure if the pattern works. I need to try blocking it with the steaming because it has a tendancy to roll inward. But, if you want to give it a try, here goes: (I've never written a pattern before, btw. Hope it works out.)

Simple Cabled Scarf

CO 20

K 4 rows

Row 5: K3, P4, K6, P4, K3

Row 6: K7, P6, K7

Repeat Rows 5&6 2 times (if you like a longer stretch between twists to your cable, repeat 3 times or more)

Row 11: K3, P4, Place 3 stitches on cable needle and hold to back , K3, Knit 3 off cable needle, P4, K3

Repeat rows 5-11 until scarf is desired length.

Knit last 4 rows.

BO.

Hanging the scarf on the fireplace makes me long cold snaps in the fall, wearing browns and boots, snuggling up under a blanket.... But, I'm not complaining! It's only 94 and no 100 degrees days in sight! I swear, I'm not complaining!

No Knitting for the Weary

I have been struck with the latest toddler-created cold (he is often referred to as the Petri Dish) and going to bed early, so I have no major updates on the knitting front other than my little Tulip sweater is coming along sloooooowly. I actually got out some of my favorite tops to measure - just like all my knitting books say to do! - and decided those brits at Rowan must be short, or I've taken to the 80s long shirt styles, and I need to knit a couple extra inches to make it to my liking. So happy I found that out before I finished the back.... just like the knitting books say. ;)

And, I got an email from another RECPTA member saying she read my blog and wants to join the next knit night! We have fans! Someone other than my mom read my blog! So, once the clutch of death makes it's way through my body we'll have to coordinate another Thursday night at the 'Dog.

On to random knitting thoughts... I've been listening to a new NPR show, Radio Lab. It's so great if you, like me, like to learn random things about human nature mixed with psychology and science. Very cool show. So, they were talking about sleep and dreams and how you tend to process the things you think about throughout the day in your dreams and work in other memories, emotions, just sorting it all out, putting what goes where. People who play Tetris for hours during the day will dream of Tetris in the first few moments of sleep, but later on their dreaming of other memories that may or may not relate to Tetris. Yet, I can't think about a time when I've dreamed about knitting, even though I obsess about it (knitted cupcakes) throughout the day and night. Maybe knitting puts my brain and emotions to rest for a while before bed so I've already worked it out before bed... it is my meditation.