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Drumline

July 3rd, 2009 § 0

How Kaity spends her sultry summer evenings once a week:

We were across the parking lot, so you can’t see her, but the sound is pretty good.

Makin’ Cookies KAL: Casting on for Eunice

July 2nd, 2009 § 0

The mods of the Makin’ Cookies ravelry group decided to take a small hiatus for June, so we’re starting the second pattern from Sock Innovation in July. Blog readers chose Louet Gems Sport in Teal for this project.

Option 2: Louet Gems - Teal

In celebration of my successful dissertation defense, I bought myself a yarn swift (a great deal from KnitPicks) to go with the ball winder I got for Mother’s Day.

Yarn swift in action

It makes quick work of winding skeins into center pull cakes, and Kaity is grateful to no longer be my yarn holder while trying to wind balls by hand.

All wound and ready to go!

I also purchased a handmade sock-knitting bag from Slipped Stitched Studios on Etsy. I had been using a drawstring plastic bag to carry my sock knitting around, but my needles kept poking through.

Not your grandma's knitting bag

Here’s the progress on Eunice, which I’m thinking will be a gift. The leg is a little short for my taste, but just right for another family member who had never had a pair of handknit socks.

Almost through one leg repeat

I’m liking the pattern so far, and the yarn has a tight twist making for great stitch definition. The only modification I’ve made is to go down a needle size (to 2.0 mm, US 0) because I’m using a slightly heavier weight yarn. I think these will be a quick knit, and maybe I can finish them before the baby makes her debut.

***

Other cool knitting, or why I don’t call myself a “fiber artist.”

1^st Grade Buddy

June 30th, 2009 § 0

In my Social Studies class everyone was assigned a first grade buddy from one of the local elementary schools. The first letter I ever got from my buddy was adorable. They were supposed to describe themselves. She mentioned that she had a little brother, liked to do karate (which I read as decorate) and that her name was Katie.

I am a first grader. I have one brother, I like to play soccer, but most of all I like to do karate

I am a frst gradr. I have one braothr. I like to play socr. But most of all I like to do crote.

On every letter she always drew pictures. On the first letter she drew a bunch of people that were doing karate. The last letter that she sent to me included the information that she was going to go to Disney World this summer and that it was going to be her first plane ride.

Dear Kaity. I am going to have so much fun this summer. I am going to disney world this summer and it will be my first plane ride.

I am going to have so much fun this summer. I am going to disney world this summer and this will be my first plane ride. It will be fun.

At the end of the year, we went on a special surprise field trip to visit them. The kids were in gym when we got there, so we sat at their desks and waited for them to come back to class. They were very excited to see us, and Katie kept hugging me.

Kaity and Katie

I think that she was trying to explain something to me.

Kaity and Katie drawing on the sidewalk.

This was one of my favorite things about 9th grade social studies.

Happy Birthday, Kaity!

June 29th, 2009 § 0

My baby turned 15 today.

Kaity, November 1997

She had her toes painted, after a full spa pedicure including an hour in a massage chair.

Purple toes

She had her hands basted, as part of a manicure.

Soft hands, coming up!

We had drunken pork chops (brined in burbon) for dinner, along with artichokes and mashed potatoes, at her request.

Yummy

And then it was off to Sylas and Maddy’s for a 5 flavor sampler, with gummy bears, for dessert.

Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip, Reese's, and Mint Chip Ice Creams

Happy Birthday, baby!

Mustang Monday – Etcetera (Spring Play 2009)

June 29th, 2009 § 0

At Central, there’s a tradition of a student conceived and written production for the Spring Play. This year, Kaity spent many after school hours helping to write it, and her scene was the big finale (which we didn’t get on tape unfortunately, because there was no power to the balcony that night and the camcorder ran out of battery about halfway through). She does appear in other scenes though, as Valery, a preppy little rich girl who has a change of heart. Her work on the Spring Play is one of the reasons she was given the Chuck Holley Memorial Theatre Award for outstanding drama student.

Kaity receiving the Holley Theatre Award

In this first scene, taken from It’s the Economy, Stupid, Valery is a student in Mrs. (B)Loomis’ English class. Based on Kaity’s actual English teacher, most of the laughter you hear is from people in the audience who know her. She’s an institution at Central, and an incorrigible flirt (or possibly she just enjoys giving Brandon crap). The old gym is named after her (she taught gym before teaching English), and all of the kids just love her. Mrs. Loomis is one of the reasons Kaity was sad to leave junior high.

As always, you’ll need QuickTime to view the clip.

38 Weeks

June 28th, 2009 § 0

T-minus 2 weeks…. The baby has dropped, judging by the shape of my belly and the fact that it is now easier to breathe, but less comfortable to sit.

38 weeks

It feels like I could balance a stack of books on top of it and not have to worry about them falling off. Not much going on otherwise though. The midwife says I have some time left, which is good. Brandon has a big project at work that they’re rolling out over the holiday weekend (and how did July 4th get here already?!?), so I “have to make it to the due date.” Tell that to the baby.

Superbusy Saturday

June 27th, 2009 § 1

Aren’t weekends supposed to be relaxing? The last few months, our weekends have been consumed by playing catch up on all the things we missed doing during the week. Take today, for instance. We started the morning at the Farmer’s Market. There were:

Ponies

Puppies

and if I didn’t know better, I would swear Spencer and Xavier had made a trip to Lawrence this weekend.

The older one is wearing tie-dye, and the little one is wearing orange galoshes, just like Kaity's two favorite boys.

A couple of appointments later, and we were at Images, so Kaity could get her hair cut for her birthday.

The aftermath

The new do

Then it was time for bowling and pizza with 5 of her closest friends.

And finally, a sleepover with her two oldest friends, Raven and Danielle. They were up until 3am watching:

Grandma’s Blanket: Instant Plaid

June 26th, 2009 § 0

Kaity’s second square for Grandma’s Blanket is the Instant Plaid from Barbara Walker’s Learn-To-Knit-Afghan Book.

Instant Plaid

She’s really getting the hang of stranded knitting.

Technical specs:

Yarn: Berroco Comfort, Colors Cadet (9747) and Boy Blue (9707)
Needles: Size 6
Pattern: Instant Plaid

Other cool knitting:

knit-a-blog

Earlier this month, Wired featured a story on Geek Art, with particular reference to the knit-a-blog, a project started in 2005 which:

put a blog at the center of its challenge. Each of the 20 or so participants had to create a knitted patch and then hand it over to the next participant. The receiver of the patch would have to photograph it and upload it to a blog called glittyknittykitty, where its progress would be tracked…The knit-a-blogathon also borrowed from the principles of open source programming. Participants could add, embellish or change patterns, but they had to build on the work of previous knitters. They also could not remove or alter any work already done. All the work would be the public domain and participants would have to agree to freely contribute in terms of time, ideas and yarn.

Open source knitting – awesome!

–Image credit: BildMuseet

Little Wolf’s Book of Badness

June 25th, 2009 § 0

Little Wolf’s Book of Badness was great. It was about a little wolf who was playing a trick on his parents and he was being good so they would say, “Oh my goodness, Little Wolf is being good!” Instead they sent Little Wolf to Cunning College for Brute Beasts to see Uncle Big Bad and live with him until Little Wolf got his bad badge.

– written by Hannah

What I’ll Miss Most

June 25th, 2009 § 0

…now that I’m officially a doctor.

Current and former members of the LBA in attendance at the presentation of the Higuchi Research Achievement Award to Dr. Crawford in 2006

From the left, front row, we have Rohina (PhD 2007), Anne, Dr. Crawford, Kristie, Geetha, Chris, and Norberto. Back row: Jay (defending his dissertation on July 16), me (PhD #30), and Marion. Not pictured are our two most recent graduates: