That Age Old (Knitting) Dilemma

Do I want it soon, or do I want it right?

It seems I will not be getting both with these stockings.

I have made a beautiful swatch of the lace pattern, and I was very pleased with the way it turned out. Here it is shown in a tan worsted weight practice yarn. And so, I began the lace pattern on the leg of the stockings. How did it get so complicated? A ha! Working in the reductions. That does present a challenge. I thought I got through pretty well. I had added a lifeline every first row of the 10-row repeating pattern. At every 14th row I needed to make a reduction. I thought I followed those directions well too.

Then at row 70 of the pattern, when I stop reductions for a while, I am supposed to have 74 stitches. But after counting three times I am convinced, alas, I have an ESP (Error Some Place). I have only 72 stitches.What to do now? There seems to be some mis-shaping in the lace pattern second from the knee (that's at the bottom of the photo). If I rip back 60 rows I might avoid having to make an entire third stocking in order to end up with one usable pair. If I rip back and re-do this leg, I might do a better job on the lace next time around.

Well, as I write I seem to be convincing myself that ripping back about 60 rows and starting again after the ribbing must be the way to go. The last bit of doubt I harbor is due to the fact that this yarn, being a brushed wool, does not show that lace pattern as nicely as a smoother yarn would.

I'm wondering If I ought to leave more slack in my yarn overs, or maybe wrap around the needle two times per yarn over, so that the lace shows a little better. On these tiny US 1 (2.25 mm) needles, one wrap is not a lot of slack. The pattern calls for using a size US 3 needle. But when I used ones that large my stitches and were way to large to fit the gauge. My stitches per inch matched exactly with the US1 and the rows per inch were quite close.

A Risk!

At the risk of creating a new addiction over which you have no control, I'll post my method for toasting pumpkin seeds. My family cannot get enough of them!

Saturday morning the Quipper took the Artist and the Engineer to a pumpkin patch. They came home with two large pumpkins this year. The Quipper and the Artist are cleaning them out because I do not like to put my hands in "pumpkin guts." Each child is now the proud owner of a jack-o-lantern. The Artist designed hers, on the left. By next year, the Engineer will care enough to design his own too. Then the icky part! The Artist removed the seeds from the clingy guts. This is much faster when done with a colander, but I was busy reading blogs while she struggled through this the hard, ickiest way. Next, liberally butter (real butter) a baking tray. Get all the way to the corners. Then spread the seeds on it. They will be moist and they may stick together. That is fine. Now some fun -- sprinkle them with seasoning. Celery salt and hickory salt are my favorites. I have not been able to find hickory salt in the past decade or so, but I found some hickory smoke seasoning that is quite good too. Some people like to put Old Bay on the seeds. That is excellent too, but I don't have any on hand. Sprinkle it over the top then jiggle the tray a bit to help it spread around. You can use a spatula to flip some seeds, then sprinkle on some more. For the toasting, I don't have a recommended temperature or time. I put them in the oven on high (300-350ºF) if I am inpatient to eat some NOW. I let them go about 10 minutes then I take out the tray, jiggle the seeds around, flip them with the spatula, etc. I want to see how dried out they are. If there is still some moisture on them, put them back in the oven. Sunday afternoon I was impatient, and I think it took about 15 minutes altogether until they were completely dried out and lightly browned. Not every seed needs to be browned, just dry. At other times I am more patient and I'll do the same process at a lower temperature, say 250ºF for a longer time. The toasted seeds make a nice garnish on pumpkin soup. Or so I have been told. They don't last long enough for me know at my house!

Traditional Lutheran Hymnfest

Another announcement relating to my post of Sept. 16th. My Pastor sent the following text in an eloquent email about our church's upcoming hymn sing. I hope to see you there!

~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday November 5, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. Christ Lutheran
Church in Cleveland will feature a traditional hymnfest. Come
join in singing the music which formed your faith from earliest
years as found in The Lutheran Hymnal.

These are the hymns which proclaim the powerful Gospel of
Jesus Christ without faltering; teach the Bible's beautiful
doctrines in a most unforgettable manner; comfort us during
trial and tribulation and majestically praise God in spirit and
in truth.

This year's hymnfest will feature great favorites such as A
Mighty Fortress, Abide With Me and Praise To The Lord,
as well as organ introductions by Cleveland's finest Lutheran
organists.
Pastors Lloyd Gross and Dean Kavouras will provide the
fascinating history, commentary and biblical insight which
inspired each of these dynamic hymns.

This Service of song will be held at Christ Lutheran Church;
3271 West 43rd Street, just ½ mile south of Clark Avenue
on Cleveland's Near Westside. It will begin at 3:00 and be
followed by light snacks. A freewill offering will be taken to
support the Lutheran Heritage Foundation which brings
preaches the Gospel of Christ in 83 languages around the
world. This is also the organization which published Pastor
Kavouras' book: 911 The Aftermath – The Word Works.
Autographed copies of said book will be available during the
reception.

Bring your voices, your friends and your family for a
wonderful afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~

Let me also add, you can hear samples of the magnificent organ at Christ Lutheran Church by listening to the podcasts in the red and blue CLC Radio link in my sidebar.

Fridge Meme

Echo From the Green Hills tagged me!

The kitchen is often the center of the home. Ours is no different. We all need to walk through the kitchen to go out the back door. Being that the garage is out the back door, we use that portal nearly all the time. Muddy or slushy shoes come off in the kitchen and to dry on the kitchen matt near the heat vent. As the mom, I do a lot of work in the kitchen. Book bags, sport bags, and all the papers and parcels associated with errands to run collect on a shelf in the kitchen or next to the steps. It is certainly the busiest room in my house. And the largest appliance there is my fridge. It provides a high shelf for my copper canisters (tea, coffee, sugar, flour, cookies (or fruit snacks in our case) and a big blank slate for much miscellany. The place of honor on the front goes to the calendar. Going clockwise from there on the top (freezer) door you can see:
*the Quipper's weekly "things to do" list under a dentist's magnet
*a business card from the barber (After 10 cuts you get one free) under a US flag magnet
*my handy dandy timer/stopwatch combination -- so useful for school and occasional baking
*a list of emergency contacts (doctor, dentist, vet, grandparents, etc.) under a bank magnet
*a magnetized "Merry Christmas" pad of post-it notes
*some unemployed magnets: green cross, house photo, and durable medical equipment provider
*a card from the orthodontist with the next appointment reminder under a purple cross magnet
*in a red clip are some printer pages with the Quipper's gig schedule for the next several months
*and finally, more unemployed magnets: Bryce Canyon, a plumber, a radio show, and another bank

Then we come down to the door the kids can reach! You can see one of the several kitchen hand towels we were given as wedding presents. Oh my, they are 15 years old! No wonder my stash is getting thin. Something to add to my shopping list.

A clip magnet is holding the Engineer's football class registration and information. By the way, his first class was today. The Quipper and he both loved it! I need to sneak in a little photo here to show you how much he was looking forward to it. This was taken before I went to bed around midnight earlier in the week:
Back to the meme...
At the left of the fridge photo you can see above the fruit basket is another large space of open refrigerator white space looking to accumulate clutter. Here I have (top row) a library flier, a record of a great day target shooting, a church Deacon's schedule. The second row holds German school contact info., an inspirational quote about home schooling sent by a good friend, and a blue clip holding menus from our favorite take out restaurants. Finally there is an invitation to a party.


But wait! There's more! Inside we keep a family annual tradition so it is always at hand for review: Each family member makes a list, reviews it near the end of the year, and makes another list for the next year.

Now we are old friends and you can feel at home when you come to visit.

Chloe Joins Our Household

Yesterday the Artist went on a field trip to see Malabar Farms , the home of author Louis Bromfield. This article shows nice photos in the house and on the property.

After touring the home, the group went on a self-guided tour of the farm. Following that, the parents took the children on a short drive to Mt. Jeez.

Please note, this is Ohio! The term 'mountain' is very generous in its application here! But the elevation is high enough to give a nice overlook of the farm. The only photos I could find were all similar to this one from the Ohio Historical Society. But I digress. Atop Mt. Jeez, my friends were admiring the vistas. And my daughter noticed a caterpillar crawling across one mom's shoe. Something about this reminds me of the time 20 years ago when my friend and I took the children we were babysitting to the zoo. We went to the Pachyderm Building to see the elephants and the little boys were fascinated by the ants on the ground in front of the elephant display. But that is another digression!

So when my daughter comes home I see she has a little plastic baggie with a caterpillar in it. I am informed that Chloe is tired out from the car ride. I am thankful I saved the most recent pickle jar rather than tossing it. I make some holes in the lid and we set out to make a home for Chloe. The Artist did a good job making a placard to keep by Chloe's jar:We spent the evening looking up how to take care of Chloe. I am excited the Artist has the opportunity to do this in school. At the same time I harbor a little dread for it seems I am not good at keeping caterpillars alive. We have not had success with this in the past. So, though we will do our best, this may be the first and last time you read about this science adventure.

Over the Knee Socks (With High Hopes)

I've gotten up the gumption to begin a pair of over-the-knee stockings from Handknit Holidays. Here's a great photo from the book. I believe I'll chose a different outfit to wear with them!
My yarn is this denim colored, brushed wool superwash. It was an Ebay special. And it was very inexpensive to buy that way. After I started working with it I could understand why someone would part with it for so little. The brushed texture would make people with sensitive skin a bit itchy. After wrapping a swatch around my foot and my leg, I thought I could handle it. So, I began.
I have heard that when making long socks, elastic thread should be knitted into the cuff. This pattern does not call for that, and I have not decided if I will add it in anyway or not.

Any advice is most welcome!

Finally, I'd like to thank my dear friend, the writer, artist and photographer of Dances With Wool for inspiring me to knit these. When I had newly returned to knitting she showed a photo of these stockings that she had made and I fell in love with them. That was her post of March 12, 2006. And this morning I had the great pleasure of looking back in her archives to see so many beautiful things.

Books and Movies

Last night I began to watch the BBC miniseries Bleak House. The series is based on the novel by Charles Dickens which I had just finished reading earlier yesterday morning.

This was my first time reading an e-book. I did not realize at the time I selected it that this was an 800-some page novel! But I plodded through it and enjoyed it rather much. It seemed more plodding at times because I would have been more comfortable cuddled under a blanket with my feet propped up on the couch. Instead I was seated sans blanket in a dining room chair with my feet up on the piano bench!

I do not remember how I learned about the Daily Literature website, but I am glad I did. I'm not sure what I will read next. Probably a shorter work this time, like Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, because I distinctly remember not "getting it" in school. But I can't stay away from the British Victorian novels for too long. There are two Anthony Trollope novels among the choices.

Thank you, Classical Pelican, for lending me the miniseries on DVD.

p.s. I only watched the first episode last night, because it was great fun to watch the Cardinals trounce the Tigers in Game 3 of the World Series. Come on Cards! -- Two more and you can take it at home!!!

What Do You Do When...

...your daughter misspells her name on her school assignments? I was so frustrated by this yesterday. My girl, obviously, knows how to spell her name. Paying attention to what she needs to do is another matter. Where do the extra letters in there come from! This has happened two times already this year. Grrr.

...you bought your house in spite of the garish orange kitchen countertops? What? You didn't know orange Formica was an option for your kitchen?
...the football team your family roots for fires their Offensive Coordinator?



In the first case, I warned her that if she misspelled her name again she would get an F on the assignment.

In the second case, we're looking forward to getting an estimate on replacing the countertops. It will be tacked onto the estimate for another household project that is needed. The kitchen improvements are a great big want for me. But since all that orange Formica is actually in pretty good shape, I can't really call it a need. Sigh.

Lastly, you recognize hope on the horizon (again). (Ooh! That's another manifestation of the Cleveland chip-on-the-shoulder Cleveland Confessional Lutheran was talking about, isn't it?) It will be interesting to see what happens from here. After all, it can only get better.

Boys Will Be Boys...

...and this boy is allergic to canine saliva. You can probably see where this is going already.

Boy visits grandpa. Usually boy watches grandpa's dog but does not get involved with dog play.
But on this day, the boy was possessed to put the dog's tennis ball in his mouth!

EEEWWW!

Boy's lips and chin turn bright red and bumpy.

Big sister runs to the car for medicine while boy gets a face wash.

Boy resists medicine initially, but relents when presented with a slice of blueberry pie.

Thank you, Classical Pelican, for the pie!!!

Taxes

There are some renewal levies on my ballot this November. I thought you all may be interested in what I learned last April about replacement and renewal levies.

They are all tax increases!

No if, ands or buts about it. They are all tax increases.

The ballot language is misleading. Especially when it calls a replacement a reduction. This is purposeful deception.

Even when the phrases "no increase in millage" or "reduction in millage" are used, it is still a tax increase.

Levy proponents often give sample costs for sample properties when they state their case. They generally do not give the effective millage, that is, how the new costs compare to the current cost of the levy to be replaced. Obviously, to do so would defeat their purpose. Without this information each taxpayer needs to research what he or she currently pays for each levy and make the comparison on their own. Do you know anyone who does this? I don't either.

A major contribution to voter confusion is that levy taxes are not computed with voted millage. Instead, in Ohio anyway, effective millage is used to make the computations. This is due to Ohio H.B. 920, the common moniker of Ohio Revised Code 319.301 . Please note: property values generally increase at a faster rate than the funds needed to run local government agencies. Effective millage is a revenue stabilizer: It keeps revenue to a school district, for example, stable while the property values contributing increase and new construction is added to the tax base. It does this by having a declining scale of millage collected as the levy ages. Effective millage is the millage that decreases as property values rise.

The Tax Commissioner determines effective millage for each levy. Effective millage is closest to value in voted millage when the tax is new. The gap between voted and effective millage grows the longer the tax is in effect.

While Ohio Revised Code, 5705.02 does not permit taxes of more than ten mills on each dollar of valuation without a vote of the people, taxes under this ten-mill umbrella are not reduced as property values increase or as the levies age. The government agencies that rake in the dough from these taxes have built in increases each time your property value goes up. Your vote does not effect them at all.

I was made wise to how these taxes are computed by listening to a presentation (and taking notes and reviewing a treatise on the subject) by Mrs. Carolyn J. Blow. She gives some examples relating to her county in this article.

Fingerless Gloves

At last I have completed the fingerless driving gloves. These are quite comfortable and I am happy with them.The gloves have 16 rows of a twisted rib cuff, and then six or so rows of K1, P1, rib stitch. The twisted rib is very attractive, but it flares a bit rather than resting on my wrist. Combine that fact with all the leftover yarn and I get the desire for wrist warmers to match my gloves.

That is what I have cast on right now. I'm going to make them all in K1 P1 ribbing, with a slight gradual decrease from the mid-forearm to the wrist. Hopefully they will tuck right up under the flare in the gloves' cuff and keep me nice 'n toasty.

The last few days

For about nine months now I've tried to load a photo to accompany my name of these blogs and I just cannot figure it out. Every time I try it tells me the photo is too big. But I'm still trying. Next I'll try getting the Quipper to scan a photo for me and I'll see if that will be a small enough file. Here are the candidates. Hopefully some time soon I'll get one to load.A few days ago the Quipper got to take the kids out back to kick the football. A good time was had by all. He was impressed with the passes the Artist threw when she recovered the Engineer's kicks. The Quipper's sore fingers (from kicks that did not land squarely on the ball) are not bothering him too much!

It is a big deal to see a cherry picker driving down the road when you are four years old. So you can imagine the excitement when this truck pulled into our driveway. We were in need of a small repair. The workmen could do their job using a ladder so, my engineer did not get to see the bucket extended. He had fun anyway.

Hymnfest

Hymnfest

Sunday, November 5th
Christ Lutheran Church in Cleveland's
annual hymnfest will feature
Hymns of Hope.

Join us in celebrating and singing the music
that formed our faith in our earliest years
and continues to serve the Church today
in The Lutheran Hymnal.

This festival of Lutheran Hymnody will be held
at Christ Lutheran Church
3271 West 43rd Street
½ mile south of Clark Avenue
on Cleveland's West side.
It will begin at 3:00 and be followed by light snacks.

A free will offering will be taken to help support
Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

The Hymnfests are truly an uplifting experience. Guest organists lend their talents for the occasion and the church's beautiful old organ leads the music. Brass and woodwind accompanimentss fill in the sound. The choir is magnificent, and those who do not wish to sing can enjoy the afternoon as fully as those who do.

Welcome!!!

Two new Baby Blogs....
A warm welcome to the blogging world to my Dad, the Classical Pelican!

And let me extend the greeting also to our friend, Chaplain To The World. We didn't convince you, I know. It was the hit count on the podcasts that did it (wink, nudge). Nontheless, we're glad you are here!

Au Revoir

It is the end of an era at the Tae Kwon Do school. A friend from the adult class is moving to Texas and last night was her last night of classes in our school.

After class, the good-bye party was held at the local nightclub where the Quipper and Running in Circles provided the entertainment. There was a lot of laughing and remembering good times shared together over the past couple of years. And more dancing...And a little tambourine-playing from the guest of honor. One of the neat ways the band interacts with the audience involves inviting those celebrating a birthday or another event up on the stage to play along with a song. Our guest of honor played along with Blondie's One Way Or Another. The after-party was at a local Denny's (Hey, it was late) where the heartiest fivesome enjoyed each other's company for an early breakfast. As it turns out, I have not been missing much at all by not frequenting Denny's (a 24-hour short-order restaurant [a.k.a. "greasy spoon"] with franchises across the USA) at 4:00 a.m. All the most indescribably strange characters were in their element. We avoided incredulous gawking by saying our last goodbyes in the parking lot and hitting the road home.

Seasons Change

At 2:38 p.m. yesterday the kids and I were on the way to the Engineer's doctor appointment when the first snow of the season spattered my windshield.

There was nothing that threatened to accumulate. But wait!!! Twelve minutes later we were about to turn left into the parking lot it was a squall. (Well, it was not quite like this blizzard of '77 photo from Buffalo, New York, but it was a squall!) (If you'll indulge me another parenthetical note, poor Buffalo did get 15 official inches of snow at their airport last night, with up to two feet in parts of the city -- yikes!) Back in Cleveland, drivers had their lights on and I could not see the Cleveland skyline any longer."Why did I not get the winter coats on the kids?" Sure it's still early October, but...

This morning I awoke to the news that the Detroit Tigers game will be moved up to a 4:30 start time due to the cold. What!!! Are you kidding me? It is just as cold in early April when everyone has to play evening games and most of those are still outdoors. The news report I heard did not say the game was being moved up so it could be completed before a snowfall -- they just mentioned the cold. Sounds like spoiled athlete coddling to me. It is not so cold that the media coverage equipment will fail to operate, so, "Play Ball!" Let the pitchers blow on their hands.

Last week the Artist had asked me about our Autumn decorations. I dug them out of the attic just in time for the first snow, it seems. Perhaps I'll finish these just in time! Thank you to the Artist for helping me with the photos!

Measures of Success

Many Hearty Congratulations to the Quipper and his band, Running in Circles , for getting a show at House of Blues in Cleveland! Way to go, Guys!!!

In knitting I was side tracked last night...
My library called to let me know the movie I requested, Anna Karenina, had come in. Because it is a DVD I have it for a 7 day loan. There is a $1 per day fine if it is overdue on return. I'd like to avoid that!!! So I started watching it last night. There are about 7 more hours left to go, and I imagine this should be done before the Quipper gets home and football overtakes the TV again. Despite the slow going because of the interesting movie, I got a few fingers done. I need to finish the index finger, then read about how to create the thumb.
The Artist has had her success today too: After serious studying of flash cards and quizzing aloud, she earned a great score on this year's first Latin test. Great Job, Sweet Cakes!

Finally, the Engineer has been very interested in school and in reading books. Here are some of his library favorites: He is now to the point where he will read these by himself, fairly successfully, if I do not join him on the couch fast enough.

For a final note I'll let the Quipper know that I'm enjoying fresh whipped parsnips while he is out of town. First simmer till soft. Then I whip them in the blender with butter (the squares are a little hard to see), milk, and nutmeg. Mmmm. The whole house smells so good now.