Monday, January 16, 2006

Yarn for Brains

I'd like to know where my brains went. Seems like I used to have some, but something happened. Evil yarn companies destroyed my brain cells! I think motherhood is to blame. After all, I took one online IQ test just out of curiosity when Emily was a baby and got a nice score. I took another one recently and it was LOWER. Hmmm... you'd think since I am not nursing any babies, which is notorious for making you kind of dozey and thick-headed (not to insult anyone who is nursing a baby now, but it is a temporary effect, or so I have been told) that my IQ would have gone up, now wouldn't you?

I think it's the battery effect, which works on a mother's energy levels as well. The more energy your children have, the less you have since you are their battery and they are suckin' you dry every minute. Maybe it works the same for brain power? I do have very bright kids...

To illustrate my lack of brain cells, I spent 30 minutes looking for my keys this morning!!! Luckily, Dan was still home when it was time to take the kids to school...his district has MLK day off, but the teachers had to go to a program on poverty at 9 AM, so he didn't have to leave until 8:30 AM. I ended up taking his keys so I could get the kids to school on time. Wasn't any help that I was taking my neighbor's kids as well as my own and they were witnessing my frantic key search as well.

I last had the keys (I thought) yesterday when I got back from the grocery store on Sunday. So when I got back from dropping the kids off, I looked in my car on the floor, I looked on the floor of the garage, I looked on the ground between the garage and the back door, I looked in every place I ever put my keys and even some places I don't (like the refrigerators!) I looked in every knitting bag and turned the couch cushions out and the reclining chair I sit in to knit over to look underneath. I looked in my laundry basket, on my dresser, in my other coat, in the pants I was wearing yesterday. No keys.

I had just removed the key to my car from my husband's keychain, figuring I'd find the extra house key and at least have a basic set of keys when Dan came out of the bedroom ready to go. He said, "Did you check the kids rooms?" I'm like, "What would they be doing in there?" I walk in the Squatter's room and wouldn't you know, there they were on the bed! I had had them in my hand when I went in there to get something of his this morning and I had put them down and left them there. Doh!

Can't be a coincidence that I had touched YARN before I did this, could it? It's the yarn companies...it's a plot! I think I need some of that memory herb...now what is the name of it again? Can't remember!

OKT (Obligatory Knit Content)

I've made progress on the project from hell colorblocks sweater. I'm about halfway up the sleeves. My brilliant idea of knitting both the sleeves at once seemed a great idea until I got to the point where I knit the lavender colored patch on the sleeves. Now I have to have three different yarn ends attached to each sleeve. I have three skeins of orange yarn, so I have to knit from both ends of one ball. 5 skeins of yarn dangling from the needles tend to get tangled...grrr...I can't wait until this is DONE!

I've determined that Laurel will be next in line after the electric yellow sweater for the Squatter. I think I've persuaded her that she wants a poncho. Poncho's are in now, poncho's are cool (and mom doesn't have to seam anything on a poncho!!!) Unfortunately, the one she likes is the one from the new magazine "Knit Simple" and it is a bulky weight yarn with an eyelash yarn called "Baby Monkey" on it for trim. She's trying to decide on the color right now...she likes either turquoise or lime green (not the wool called for, but Plymouth Encore instead...Laurel is not wool-compatible!) So if I get those clip-on sunglasses for the squat's sweater, I should keep them around for this poncho.

Somewhere in there, I have to sneak in some dishcloths...mine are all falling to pieces!

Other Stuff

I spent the weekend feeling vaguely melancholy and a bit fatigued, all chalked up to PMS. Saturday night I was SUPPOSED to have people over to stamp, but they all backed out (you know who you are!!!) So instead I hauled my spinning wheel up to the living room to indulge myself. Dan had a gig, so I could watch whatever I wanted ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!!

I'll pause to let that sink in a little bit. Amazing, isn't it?

Naturally, since I got the TV to myself, there was nothing on television, so I popped Ground Hog Day into my DVD/VCR combo and mostly listened to it since it's hard to look at the screen while spinning. Spent much time putting that dang new plastic belt back on...it must have doffed itself at least three times before I figured out I had to oil it again...either the plastic is sucking up the oil, or the wheel itself, being wood and naturally thirsty at this dry time of year, is drinking the oil off the belt. Managed to spin a bit more before I got too cranky. I had knit my hands into a spasm or I would have knit and watched television instead.

I spent the day Friday at my friend Eve's house. She has been making clipboards and wanted me to make one with her. I had the best time! Sometimes, when you are making things from your own supplies, you hang back on using something because you want to save it for another project. But when you are using someone else's supplies, especially if that someone is as nice and generous as Eve is, you feel very free to put whatever you want on your project. And if you aren't restricting yourself to your own companies' products, you feel very free indeed. This is my clipboard so far...isn't it cool? You hang these on the wall and put pictures on them. Obviously, I will have to put a picture of one of my kids with a friend on this...just haven't figured out which pictures will be best and whether it's finished or not!

Today, I don't know what I'm going to do. The bathroom is STILL dirty so I guess that could be my project for the day! And since the thundering herd went through here this weekend, I should spend some quality time with my vacuum cleaner and broom. But first...detangling my skeins...that should take TOO long...right?

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