Realizing a Dream

At long last my Sweetheart got to live a dream! He has not had a chance to play on stage in a band since college. He and the rest of Running in Circles did a great job on their first gig together tonight. He sings mostly backup and harmonies, but sings lead in four songs.
The crowd filled the dance floor several times.
See you next time.

In the Kitchen

Last night I made latkes to go along with dinner again. This time I remembered to take some pix. These potatoes have an onion, chives, parsley, celery (fine chopped) and carrots (shredded) mixed in with the egg and flour. I mixed with a fork, but use a spoon to put the mix into the hot oil so you don't end up with too much liquid for the last few cakes. They were so good and I'm glad I made a lot so the kids and I can eat them for lunch again today!

Good thing I'm not cooking a lunch today because a science experiment was on the schedule. Dd needed to determine whether or not air molecules float on carbon dioxide molecules. So my sink became a science lab.

We put about a cup and a half of baking soda around the bottom of the sink. Then we added two cups of vinegar. This fizzed beautifully and gave us a sink about half full of carbon dioxide.

Then she had to blow soap bubbles over the sink and notice whether they floated to the bottom, eschewed the sink, or hovered on that invisible layer on carbon dioxide. By the time I got the camera ready the carbon dioxide concentration was almost gone. It lasted a bit longer toward the back of the sink so you can see one lone bubble hovering there. At the front of the sink there was less baking soda. One large bubble in the front had come to rest on the bottom of the sink.
Next, the least exciting part. Writing up the findings and answering the discussion questions!

Chemistry has been quite fun this year with lots of great experiments. Next year physics should be a favorite subject of hers (and mine) too.

Progress (in some areas)

Last night was an important night to friends and strangers. Friends of Dh's and mine are moving far away, to Togo. Our friend is graduating from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was called to be a missionary in West Africa. There he will be teaching God's Word and giving the hope of the Gospel to strangers. But they will become friends. What an incredible experience for him and his family. I pray those who are strangers now are eagerly anticipating his arrival and will welcome him and his family warmly.

The progress with my knitting lately is slow and uninspiring. My baseball sock has not changed in a week. I have not even been able to pick it up. The brown/green socks are to a point where I need to tally every row and keep careful counts. I have just turned the heel and picked up gusset stitches on the more complete sock. The less complete one was put away in mid-construction of the heel flap. I am at that point with these socks where I look at the dwindling ball of yarn and think of the knitting left to do. I need to have faith in my pattern that I will not run out of yarn before I finish the toes! Thursday is usually a day that provides a few hours of knitting time in my evening. But not tonight. I need to make sure all the laundry in the house is completed tonight so Dh can pack for a week-long trip to Connecticut for work. Aren't you all envious now? I get to do laundry tonight!

My school table arrived! I'm happy with the way it fits into the space. When I am done with school for this year I'll be transforming this little play room into a school room. The toy shelves will relocate and maybe some books will move in if there is space. This photo does not show the built-in shelves I'm standing next to. They will hold the school books used during the year.

Field Trip

School was suspended for a field trip today. Dd and I got together with 30-some other homeschoolers to visit Hartzler's Dairy in Wooster.

We saw via video the milking, pasturizing, cream separation, butter churning, ice cream making, and bottling of milk. I was most interested to learn that Hartzler's does light pasturization at 145ºF rather than temps of 175º or even higher. Also the milk they sell is not homogenized. I came home with salted and unslated butter souvenirs. Also some organic cheese.

Following the tour we all enjoyed some ice cream. It was excellent! Then we tumbled into our caravan of vehicles and had a picnic in a park with an amazing playground.

We were nuts! It was sooooo cold out there (about 50ºF). But the playground was so inviting and the kids filled with ice cream so that they ran straight for the playground.

The moms ate in the picnic shelter, huddled in blankets, and had our usual great conversations. Before we had had enough of the cold, around 1:30 pm., a few of the children came in to eat, but not mine. She wanted to get the most of playing and opted to eat in the car on the way home.

Now we are settled back at home and listening to Rhinoceros Tap. Highly recommended for music lovers.

Oh that's right! Music lovers: I'll see you Sat. April 29th at the Boneyard for Dh's first gig with Running in Circles. They go on at about 10:00 p.m.

Poetry and Hymnody

Still during this Easter season I'm pondering and enjoying the beauty of language in a Good Friday hymn. Speaking of the cross...

It makes the coward spirit brave
And nerves the feeble arm for fight;
It takes all terror from the grave
And gilds the bed of death with light.

Great imagery, instructive and beneficial to the soul.

This is v. 4 of We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died from The Lutheran Hymnal, no. 178

Plans and Re-Planning

I've lived in northern Ohio most of my life and I have never been to the Lake Erie Islands. I tried to remedy that situation, but my cunning plan failed. So I came up with alternate plans that now seem more inviting.

Dh and I planned to take a weekend away for our 15th anniversary. I spent a few days dreaming about what I'd like to do and researching details on the web. We found the perfect mix of biking on the islands, seeing the historic sites and visiting a winery on the mainland (something else I've always wanted to do and not accomplished yet). Then when time came to make the reservations we were woefully late. The places we considered staying were booked. But we could delay and take the trip a month later, so we checked that out. Then we were hit with sticker shock! One night in peak season costs more than two nights plus dinner just a week earlier.

Instead we will be enjoying a winery tour and tasting and horseback riding (and I'll spend time in the sauna) in a posh hotel east of Columbus, OH for less than half the cost of the Marblehead, OH accommodations. I have not been riding in years -- I'm looking forward to it.

Over the weekend Dh and I (me mostly watching) took out a dying evergreen shrub from the front landscape. We shopped around for something that would give some color and texture to the house front and decided upon a coastal leucothoe.

It may take some extra care at first, but I'll enjoy the blooms. When they are spent, the rhododendron will begin and when it is spent the azalea will be going strong. By the time that is dropping blossoms the roses will be ready to give color the rest of the season.

Come Get the Whole Picture

Would you believe Dh didn't want me to take a picture of him practicing! You'll just have to see him in person. Here's how: Running in Circles. Mark your calendars.

Seminary Kantorei

We had quite a treat last night. The Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne boasts a talented singing group. This group, the Seminary Kantorei, treated our congregation and guests to a joyous vespers service celebrating the resurrection of Christ. Hearing their voices and the bells and brass uplift the soul.

The music was largely unfamiliar to me. The portions where the congregation joined in song were tentative on my part, but beautiful none the less. The words to the hymns were solid and proclaimed the gospel of Christ. Very refreshing! I wonder if they are hymns which will be included in the new 2007 hymnal.

My favorite portion of the service was the Credo, composed by A. Gretchaninof. I had not heard this piece of devotional music before. It was devout in tone, beautiful in melody and harmony, and salutary to the soul. The soloist was excellent and the performance fulfilling to all who heard it.

I'll need to look for a CD with this music included! I did not find it last night, but Dh did treat me to another CD to add to my Seminary Kantorei collection.

After the vespers we hosted two of the men at our home. We stayed up late into the night talking and playing cards (Thank you, Paul and Brittany, for the Sequence game!!!) but we had a great time!

Preparing for Guests

Tonight is the night: The Concordia Fort Wayne Seminary Kantorei will visit and sing for the vespers service at Christ Lutheran Church in Cleveland. I'm looking forward to the service and song. In the mean time I'm cleaning my house and preparing for overnight guests. After the service we'll provide lodging for some of the kantorei members.

Ouch! Another Cleveland Indians loss last night. Well, now we look forward to beating up those Royals. Poor Royals, another year like our 1970's and 1980's. Well, enough pity. They will live. While I listened, I did get to knit. The sock is about an inch and one half longer now than it was before I began. And to my delight, I did not have to take out any more than 16 stitches (1/4 row). I think I need to go another two inches before I can think about the heel.

Before I turned in for the night I had to work a little more on the brown and green socks. That Regia yarn (70% new wool, 23% polyamide, 7% polyester) is such a pleasure to work with. Can anyone tell me what polyamide is? Is that the elastic in the yarn? At first I thought the elastic would be difficult to knit with, but this is wonderful. I would love to get some more, but I'm at a loss. The label is in German, there is an English language sticker saying "Made in Italy" and the price tag is in US Dollars. When I need more yarn (it will be a while) I'll search the web and try to find some info in English.

Many Disjointed Thoughts

Day baseball means time for me to knit today! I'll change over to my baseball sock and see if I can make some progress on it. If I make progress I'll post a new photo next time. It is not worth it yet. After school the kiddos can play outside and I can bring out a chair, a radio, and a lemonade and knit away. Hopefully the Tribe will be more energized than they were yesterday when we gave up an embarrassing loss. I'll be listening for the injury update too. Yesterday it was beautiful but chilly, so they enjoyed a lunch on the porch in the play house.Knitting on the green/brown socks is going well. I got to take in a two-hour sparring class at Tae Kwon Do last night because German school is having an Easter break. This is the first time I have been able to see a class with so many black belt sparring matches. I'm very impressed! I also got to work enough rows on the second sock that it overtook the first. My own student in the sparring class usually only gets to spar in the summer so I was very pleased with how much her sparring had improved. I arrived in time to see three of her four matches. She made her opponents work much harder than I'd seen before because she remembered she has arms, and arms can be used for blocking. She also used more kinds of kicks to score points than I'd seen before. She won two of her matches.

A few weeks ago steady progress at the piano took a turn for the worse. Dd seemed to forget every basic she once knew. So Dh, the music instructor, took her back to the very first theory book and had her read aloud. Then he quizzed her on the information. The other lessons are on hold until she reviews all the theory books she has covered thus far. Now piano practice is an even larger chore for her because she "isn't learning anything new." Hearing that she is cementing the basics into her head doesn't help. This music program does help. It has the feel of a game and times how quickly notes are recognized. It also has logs where Dh can check dd's progress. And it was reasonably priced.

Thank you, Polly, for recommending this book. I'm enjoying the mirthful look at how the political continuum is simply circular. I think we discussed that on another venue in the past, no? I can see my family when I was growing up in this book. And my love of reading and family dinners, gardening, etc. I think of my school-teacher grandmother in the Bronx who hated cooking and my mom who made her career in nutrition. Mom worked when her children were in school and loved cooking for the family and growing her own veggies. Another favorite memory from my home growing up...hearing music. Mom humming or singing the words to whatever Dad was playing. It seems someone was always playing piano. I still love to hear piano music in the house. Here Dad's playing a piece from The Chocolate Soldier. He still plays for me when I visit for Latin class on Wednesdays.

School Plans

Yesterday I was able to place the order for a school table. Hooray! Another step toward my goal of having a school room in the house. I cannot wait to move classes out of the dining room. After the table comes in I'll need to move a ton of books and do some re-arranging. It should be all set by the fall when I plan to begin K and 4th grade for my two students.

I'm pleased that I don't need to buy the Civil War Lit. Pack recommended in my reference book, The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Each of the books in the lit pack is available at my local public library and there are multiple copies of each. I'm sure I'll have access to them to begin the year, especially if I place my order with the library before the local public and Catholic schools begin classes.

Tools

I've found a use for chocolate! Just kidding, but truly, I don't enjoy chocolate all that often. I don't usually have a taste for it, so it tends to hang around my house. I'm so glad. My helpful tool is this Hanukkah geld we were given this past December. It is very useful in keeping 4-year olds from vomiting when they take a daily chewable prescription. Alas, it appears the parents have passed allergies and asthma to their children to some degree. That degree is being determined now. We much prefer this to the numerous trips we made to the ER when simple colds became very serious very quickly. I've also heard this phase can be outgrown when the lungs get a bit larger so I'm hoping for that too. I loathe the idea of unnecessary medication. I'm praying for the necessary phase to be rather short here.
Voila! Another useful tool. The train whistle operates in much the same way as the spirometer. The more forceful and sustained the whistle sound, the stronger the breath. This seems to be working for teaching a 4-year old to blow into a plastic tube that is no fun at all. A little practice with the whistle then a turn with the meter. Yesterday, for the first time, he registered a reading. I am hoping that is the result of improved technique, not the meds that the Dr. said needed to build up for a few days to be effective. Tonight we will see if the tickle torture romp with Daddy ends with a breathing machine session or cuddles, prayers, and bedtime.

Two more tools. The sun is out and my garden is calling to me. But today I'm watching two little kiddos from next door. This will not be the day I get the peat worked into the garden soil. Maybe I will get to transplant a few hostas though. I've developed a gap along a hosta-lined hedgerow. There are plenty of them around the yard waiting to be relocated.

Easter Holiday

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter celebration. It began at church where we had such glorious hymns. Following the last hymn our choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus. They were excellent -- it gave me chills. I can't give enough credit to those sopranos!
After church we gathered at my in-laws' home. Mom made her usual excellent meal. My brother played bubbles with the kids outside with a bubble squirt gun and a contraption that makes giant bubbles when the breeze blows. The kids were delighted. It was especially fun to see the 4 year old run and squeal with glee.









Meanwhile my Dad, fil, mil, dh and I watched the Tribe lose. Bummer. But things picked up a bit when my brother and I played pinochle with my in-laws. They are excellent at it and we are not so much, but we all had fun. After the kids went to bed dh practiced his music and I knitted to my heart's content. Here you can see the two socks of a pair.

There is a knit-purl pattern in the upper leg to give more room for the calf muscle. In another couple of inches I'll have another pattern change - decreases to taper to the ankle.
On Saturday we got about 1/100 (or so it seems) of the yard work that needs to be done completed. Dh installed new sensor lights in the back yard so he and dd can play basketball after dark. I got lots of old brush cleared out of our grove of trees. Next year the forsythia should look even better - this is the second year of a three-year clean out process for them. I expect great results. This year we have much more bloom color visible than last year when I started the process.

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!
Happy Easter, Everyone.

It is 44ºF outside this morning with clear skies. Dh is no doubt shivering at the sunrise service at the local Lutheran cemetery. The kids and I are home and snug. It is nice enough out that before we go to church for breakfast and a joyful divine service I can hide these around the yard. I like that so so so much better than having an indoor egg hunt.

Slow Growth, Lazy Day, & Something New

Slowly but surely the socks are growing. I'm so thankful I was able to buy a second "sock set" of needles so I can work on my spiral socks and this pair pictured here at the same time. Otherwise, I would be wasting too much time changing from holding needles (wrong size for knitting with) to the correct needles for the project. Here I have one cuff and about one inch of leg completed and the beginnings of the second cuff.
These will be knee-high socks. The pattern is quite detailed with a back panel of ribbing to help with expansion for the calf and decreases to taper toward the ankle. I may have already mentioned that the toe decreases will make for a right and left sock. I cannot wait to try them on.

With the blue spiral "baseball" socks the development is very slow. I did not have much chance to listen to the radio the last two days, but I did do several rows on the sock. Wouldn't you know, I had to frog about 25% of the work I did.
Coincidently, while I was not listening to the baseball games, the Indians did poorly. Dh blames me for the losses.

Slinky is spending a lazy day here. I wish I could join her. In fact, I will in another hour or so. Sort of. I prefer to sit on the sofa rather than the end table. I like to knit next to her here. The sunlight combined with lamp light is great. Slinky is a baseball fan too, so she doesn't mind when I put my little radio next to her. See how she makes herself at home in one of my favorite knitting spots.
You can also see the new yarns I bought. The cream colored and the cream/tan/green ones will be dish rags. Hopefully fancy ones with which I learn and practice my first tries at lace patterns.

I have not looked for any patterns yet, so if you have some ideas for god beginner lace patterns that will be compatible with worsted weight cottons I'd love the references. I was inspired to do this by a fellow blogger who showed her success on her blog pages. Thank you! The pink and white cotton was purchased by dd. She plans to use a wee bit of it to make a parachute (along with a clothes pin and paper napkin). The rest she will knit into a blanket for her doll bed. I'm reminded that I recently learned the Finnish word for clothes pin: pyykki poika. Isn't that perfect?!

On the Right Track

Hooray! The spiral sock is back on track and I have made an important discovery: these will be my "baseball" socks. I cannot keep track of the stitches while the kids are playing and the results were even worse when I was trying to knit and talk or knit and watch TV. But the good results from yesterday's work taught me I can do well with this while listening to the baseball games on the radio. The spirals are finally all even.

There is something else new for me with this sock. I have not had a problem in the past with looser stitches at the corners of the needles, but with this sock I cannot seem to make the stitches consistent. This was not a problem while I was doing the ribbing, it only started after I continued on to the leg of the sock.
Any thoughts?
How can I remedy this?
Will the stitches even out after the socks are washed a time or two?

Because Dh and I did want to watch some TV together last night I needed to find another project that I could do with the TV on. I got out the green-taupe-brown yarn a friend had given me, selected a new pattern, and started another pair of socks. This pattern continues long in the foot and has slanted toe decreases that result in a right and a left sock.

I'll have to put another set of dpns on my shopping list. Both of the socks pictured here are on size 1, so I have to change to holding needles when I want to switch projects. Then I also like to work on both socks of a pair at the same time, so having only one set of size 1's is getting tedious.

Excellent Essay on the Crucifix

I enjoyed this essay by Rev. Lloyd E. Gross. He has been pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Cleveland, OH since 1979, and my dad for longer than that!

Why I Prefer the Crucifix

Within Lutheran circles you will hear those who prefer the empty cross and those who prefer the crucifix. Today I would like to explain my preference for the latter. In case anyone doesn't know what this means, a crucifix is a representation of the cross with the body of Jesus on it. It is the body of Jesus in His State of Humiliation, dying, or perhaps already dead. The empty cross, on the other hand, had no body on it, and is usually stylized, not realistic.

The crucifix has always been the target of iconoclasts, those ecclesiastic vigilantes who believe they are called by God to destroy anything that's holy. They don't seem to realize that we aren't still living in the Old Testament. They first appeared in Constantinople in the 8th century, making real trouble when the Emperor Leo became converted to their position. He began a huge controversy, which was finally resolved when the Eastern Orthodox Church compromised by forbidding statues but permitting flat icons. During the period of the Reformation, iconoclasm appeared again. This time the rapacious state made war on the church to increase its revenues. Many of the Reformed Protestants thought this was a good thing. They wanted to reduce Christianity to a philosophy be getting rid of the sensuous elements in it. Therefore they frequently led the way in turning the Church into an arm of the state by reducing its mysteries. It was from this time that churches began to display the empty cross. The art of the time even depicted an ethereal Christ ascending, more like a ghost than a Person. The Reformed had no use for the mysteries of God. They demanded an intellectual faith. The historical philosopher G. F. W. Hegel saw this move as the real meaning of the Reformation.

Today we have one more assault of iconoclasm. This is the extreme delicacy of the gatekeepers when it comes to the details of the Passion. They don't want to be reminded of the demands of the Law which caused up to be healed by Jesus' stripes. While modern man is quick to make what capital he can of the torn veil in the Temple, he refuses to look at the blood with which the High Priest entered the heavenly temple. Here the crucifix performs for us the most salutary service. It unmistakably focuses us on the sacrifice for sins. Without that sacrifice the veil would be intact today. Those who so loudly proclaim universal access to the Father must understand that such access comes from Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

there is something very incomplete about the empty cross. If one desires an antiseptic faith, if one emphasizes the teachings of Jesus rather than His sacrifice, if one is too delicate to focus on the pain of the Passion, then an empty cross is better than none. But we want to emphasize the physical. Our relationship to Jesus is physical. We are joined to Him by a washing with physical water, and receive His body and blood in physical bread and wine. We eat the sacrificial victim, as Israel did at the peace offering. We sing the Agnus Dei as we approach the Holy Eucharist to identify Jesus with the Passover Lamb whose blood protected Israel from the Destroyer. In Holy Baptism the Red Sea opens for us as we flee from the devil and his hosts. The Word was made flesh. Never forget that. The Word was made flesh, not philosophy.

Those who prefer the empty cross have said that they want to emphasize the resurrection. That is a laudable goal, so long as we understand that both the crucifixion and resurrection were completely physical. But we live in an age that requires a witness to the concrete and particular in God's revelation. The resurrected Jesus must be depicted with His wounds. He must be shown eating and drinking, making the point strongly as possible that he is not a ghost, not "really on the astral plane," but a physical man, who died and is alive again.

We live in an age when people do not want to hear the Law. Therefore they long for a sterile redemption, performed primarily by teaching. We sinners need far more than that. We need forgiveness which can only come by the Atonement Jesus made. The horror of the Passion might make us think of the horror of eternal damnation. As long as that leads us to repent, that is a good thing. Such horror can be abused, of course, as the history of the Church reveals in many places. The point is not to manipulate you, or our society. The sympathy with the crucified which Christian charity might call forth is a true fruit of faith. And the repentance which the horror might call forth is necessary if we are to benefit from the Atonement.

LEG

Fancy Feet

C'est Finis! I'm very pleased with these. The more square toe suits my feet and I used up almost all the yarn left over from the two pairs of Wool Ease socks I had made. A correction I will make for next time is to make the ankle a little more than just 4 rows -- maybe 8 or 12. I kept it to a minimum this time because I was unsure about how much yarn I had left.

Well, back to school -- Thursday and Friday are filled with hair cut and Dr. appts. So we have to get through lots of school today. Writing, math and history are on the schedule.

Thanks for the recommendation, Polly, on Crunchy Cons. I'll begin reading it today now that I'm not itching to finish these footies any more. It is a great way for me to avoid picking up the spiral sock I began a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I had to rip out another half inch or so. I dread that I may need to start over. This is not the project for one who likes to watch TV while knitting or one with young children who interrupt with urgent communiques like "Mommy! I put the truck in the box!" or "I ate a Cheerio." After all, it must be the interruptions messing up my work. Surely it cannot be that I have trouble counting to three (over and over and over and over again).

Go Tribe! We took our first two series. Tonight we face the Seattle Mariners. I'll root for Mike Hargrove any time except when his team is battling the Indians. He was my favorite player as a child. I liked watching "The Human Rain Delay" face a pitcher.

First Produce of Spring

Yesterday was a good cooking day. The breading did not fall off the pork chops. And best of all I had time to make real potato latkes (pancakes) -- with a grater, not a blender.

They were so beautiful, I can't believe I forgot to think of sharing photos. I grated 4 potatoes and added 1 tsp of lemon juice. After that I mixed in one egg, about half a cup of flour, 1/3 of a large onion and two stalks of celery finely diced. Then I went out to the garden and I was actually able to harvest some parsley and chives to add in! I rinsed and chopped those and mixed with a fork until consistent. Then I spooned dollops into hot oil and let them turn golden on both sides. After a brief stay on the drain board they waited in the oven for Dh to come home.

These are excellent with applesauce (how we enjoyed then yesterday) or with sour cream. Even Ds the 4 -year old picky eater loved them. Looks like we'll be having latkes more often.

Busy Weekend

The weekend was busy with a huge list of things to accomplish. The kids were at Grandma and Grandpa's. DH and I started early on Saturday with separate errands and after lunch had several more errands to run together. Here a happy dad is preparing for hours and hours of spring, summer, and fall fun with the kids.
After the frustration of two trips to the one local shop and two trips to Home Depot we had a nice dinner. Then around 9 p.m. I realized there were yet more things I left off the shopping list. Those will have to wait until next time.

Today I have a full school day planned. We'll take Thursday and Friday off for Easter break. We were uncomfortably behind in math, history and science. Now we have cought up to the point of being only about two weeks behind in math. The big push to get some catching up in history will begin after Easter.

The knitting was promising this weekend. I really thought I might finish the footies. No such luck. The first one has about 6 rounds to go before I kitchener the toes. When I pick up the second one again I'll be just beginning the toe decreases. Monday's don't usually offer a lot of knitting time. Maybe Tuesday I'll get to wear them.

Half-Holiday

Rain greeted the dawn this morning. It may have been here before the sawn but I certainly was unaware of it. This baseball fan hopes all the rain is through the area before 3:05 p.m. when the home opener baseball game starts. Because of an unexpected sick day earlier this week we won't be taking the day off school, but I don't have extensive lessons planned either. So it is a half holiday.

Ds's new phrases this week are "I need a big hug." and "Nooooo!, I can't!" I guess I'll take the good with the bad. The latter is most irritating when it comes during meals, usually following a comment from mom or dad like "Eat your carrots." Or maybe in the morning when I say "It is time to get dressed." Or as I write this even when I say, "Hi!"

I have left off the spiral ribbed sock in frustration. I had made a counting error somewhere along the line. Of course, these errors are not evident until the pattern has had time to develop and I ended up having to rip out two day's work.

In the mean time I've been busy with beginning a pair of footies. I like the two pairs of socks I made with worsted weight WoolEase so much for wearing around the house that I've found they are the first socks I reach for in my dresser. The leftover yarn is enough to make one pair of bi-colored footies. The photo is deceiving. The ribbing is about 1 inch and then I knitted 4 rounds before beginning the heel flap. From this point I'll proceed in the Burgundy color until I am ready for the toe decreases. The poor spiral sock will wait a short while. I should get these footies finished on Sunday. Sunday nights I usually have some good knitting time too, which I need for the constant counting required to do a good job when I pick up the spiral again. I may begin the second spiral sock this weekend before I pick up the first again. When I have both socks going I get the job done much faster and avoid that "starting all that work again" dread.

When all these socks are finished I'll look towards some more warm weather wear. I was inspired to begin trying lace with making dish cloths by an acquaintance at LotzaStitches. I like the idea that I can make extra large practice swatches and use them for something. That way I'm not wasting my yarn. Branching further into the summer.... I want to learn how to make cables. I have an idea forming in my mind for a tunic sweater involving 1000 yards of alpaca/wool blend. Before I can solidify the idea I'll need to find just the right red to compliment the grey alpaca. Then the search will be on for the right pattern.
Yesterday was beautiful outside. Dd got to work out her new rollerblades again while Ds helped Dh begin assembly of a basket ball pole.