Who could be sad or mad about dead duck day when this happened?

S lost his first tooth!

And this:

hubby rushed out to get us a tree before only the puny ones were left

And this:

kindergarten holiday concert - awwwww

And tonight I may even get to knit. Ooooooh, good times.

Ever have one of those days? After dead duck day, things that you were excited about, things that were good, just make you sad or mad. After dead duck day, you plod along and do the things that one needs to do, but you just can't feel about them the way you did before. Last week ended with a big ol' dead duck day for me. And I'm having a hard time caring about that big ol' freaking duck any more.

(some ducks can be very big)

Now that's it's dead duck day plus three, I say enough about disappointments and disillusionment; Christmas is not the time of year to be focusing on those sorts of things (not that we've had any time to put up a tree or get out Christmas decorations - we may have to forgo that this year). Still, the decorations are all around and the Christmas music is never too far away (usually I feel like I can't escape it, but this year I'm thankful every time I catch a note or two). I'm not religious, but I can really appreciate the idea of a holiday celebrating a birth and a new beginning. So I'm off to an OB appointment to focus on the impending birth in our family, instead of some silly dead duck.

NYC was great! I got all my Christmas shopping done (and boy are my arms tired!). And I even squeezed in a few minutes of shopping for myself at Purl.

There's some Mission Falls cotton for one of those LMKG children's cotton hats (I never actually made one of them with cotton!) and some pretty pink yarn I've never heard of before (Pear Tree Merino) for another sweet baby hat for wee one (check out the super cute Tante Sophie patterns! I got the last one shown on that page. How can you resist that baby face?). I even picked up a few fat quarters of fun, girly fabric from the the new Purl Patchwork store.

That place was so nice, I momentarily started dreaming of taking up quilting (but of course, I don't have the room or the patience for quilting so that will remain a dream).

I visited my mom while I was in the city and look, she wore her native sweater!

We had yummy comfort food at Sparky's.

I like my new camera phone - can you tell?

And then she let me raid her sock drawer for socks for the stupid sock creatures.

A red argyle sock creature for S and blue/yellow argyle creature for B - they couldn't be more perfect!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Instead of knitting, I've been looking at Sexiest Man Alive photos all weekend (not of George, mostly Johnny and Jake) and reading celebrity gossip headlines online.

And speaking of The Office's John Krasinski being chosen as one of the sexiest men alive, what was up with Pam in the last episode saying that her mother knit this sweater for her?!

Um, does her mother work in a factory for Anthropologie?

Back from Rhinebeck where it was all about Socks that Rock and being a square. And I didn't participate in either.

I just wanted to run by and yell, "don't believe the hype!"

This was the line at the Socks that Rock stand about 15 minutes after the fairgrounds opened: 30 people, each with at least 5 skeins in their arms. And supposedly the line stayed like that all day. Crazy!

After checking out the STR insanity, we moved on to things I really wanted to get. Like Jamie Harmon's amazing hand-dyed angora. Last year I got her angora to make this funky hat. This year I got yarn to make this little baby hat for wee one on the way.

this is soooooo soft!

And I picked up some extra in the same colors to make a hat for me too. Awwww. Then it was on to another favorite: Shelridge Farm, where I was reminded of a cutie patootie baby bonnet pattern of theirs that Lisa, Johanna and I fell in love with last year.

Lucy Neatby's Domino Baby Bonnet

I've got some Lorna's at home that'll be perfect for it! I did still pick up some Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Ultra for a tiny, lacy sweater for wee one to wear home from the hospital. And a skein of their worsted weight for a design idea. I couldn't find a sweater of theirs that I was desperate to make, so I'll just have to make one of my own!

And then we drifted....

I found this so funny, I kept repeating this title all day long. Just ask Johanna!

love that color - and it's not even yarn yet

sweest baby hat at the fair

Kate Gilbert's baby was in the best baby sweater at the fair, by the way. I didn't get a pic because I only caught a glimpse of her at the knitblogger meetup which was a mob scene. Oh and no, I'm not a square (sorry, Rhinebeck Bingo players). I am lame.

price list at the cashmere stand - check out that last item

a super bulky Kate

After about 6 hours at the fair, we spent about 4 hours at Morehouse Merino's shop. Here's what I got...

naaah, this is the sale yarn in the store - cool, huh?

We shopped, ate a ton free refreshments (we are pregnant, you know!), then Johanna and I grabbed a sofa by the laceweight and sat and knitted and told everyone we saw to knit a lace shawl like my Melody's shawl. (Look for me, Jess and Maya to be making the exact same shawl in the near future!)

making babies, selling laceweight

Finally, it was off to the Marriott to meet up with lots of knitbloggers and knitbuds for a knitting and spinning party in the lobby.

a couple of my all-time favorite people, Leigh and Sandy

I worked on my garter stitch baby sweater, getting all the way to the front panels.

she came home almost all done - watch for the finished pics soon!

And last, but not least, we stopped by Colorful Stitches in Lenox on the way home on Sunday to check out a little sale we heard they had going on. I got two baby sweaters' worth of yarn (one in Jaeger Matchmaker DK, one in Mission Falls 1824 Wool) for a total of $26!

thanks Peta for the tip!

And then we came home and showed all our loot to the Knitsmiths. Cause no one else would really understand.

I'm so confused this week! First there was the holiday on Monday, which had me thinking it was Tuesday on Monday (who caught that on my Monday post?) and that it was Monday on Tuesday (missed a meeting with B's teacher - doh!). Then yesterday I spent the whole day with the boys' classes on their first school field trip. They got to ride a school bus for the very first time!

They went apple picking and got to do everything you'd expect, like pick apples, feed farm animals, take home a pumpkin, and eat apples all day long (B's got a new loose tooth now!). It was great!

But now it feels like my week is starting all over again. Is today Thursday or Monday? I can't wait for the weekend to restart my internal calendar.

Okay, so going to the Topsfield Fair on the last day it's open, on Columbus Day, and on an unusually beautiful, sunny and warm day was not the best idea. Let's just say, there were a few other people who had the same plan. We were in line to pull into the parking lot for 1 1/2 hours. Plenty of time to take some pictures of the fall scenery.

When we finally made it in, the boys knew where they wanted to go.

Four rides on the fun slide! Then, off to see the funny pumpkins.

A few bunny rabbits, a cow or two, some ice cream and it was back to the rides.

It's nice when the boys get a day off school and can spend it with mommy again.

I just got back from taking the boys off to kindergarten for their first day of school.

They were so excited! And looking at those little faces, I couldn't help but be excited with them. The legos however are feeling very lonely. In fact, although the boys were never worried about missing mommy (or each other - they're in different classes), S did express some concern about going to school "every day!" and not having enough time to do his building. Awwww.

Knitting makes you an old maid? What's up with that?! She could at least be crocheting! (Gasp! Did I say that out loud? Just kidding crocheters, really.)

smile, smile, smile on the subway

Z... O... O... that says "zoo"!

hippo. hippo. (is the song in your head now too?)

B's really looking at the giant pile of rhino poop behind the giraffe

beating the heat at the "cooling station"

We're visiting friends in DC this weekend. And since one of the friends is la gringa tejadora, I think we might even squeeze in a mini-yarn crawl! For the boys though, the trip's already been a blast.

excited boys in their new booster seats on the way to the airport

boys watching "Little Einsteins" at the gate

the boys declaring the house to be "extremely nice"

And we're off to explore (DC Ducks, National Zoo, Air & Space, here we come!)....

Hubby gets this super cool mag called Make that has fascinating little articles like the one about a guy who built a mini-monorail in his backyard, how-to's like how to make a battery out of an ice cube tray and some coins or how to put an entire PC system into an old Atari game console, and reviews of books and gadgets for people who like to make stuff (they even included Knitting for Dummies in the recommended list in one issue!)

Now they're coming out with Craft magazine (for people who like to make stuff with a little less soldering, I guess) and it looks so freaking awesome! The first issue has what looks like Jess Hutch's knitted robots on the cover and the ad blurb speaks of "converting an old pair of shoes into chic knitted boots" - why that can be none other than Tina Marrin's knitted boots that I made! And here's a preview of how to put LED lights into a tank top.

No, I don't plan to make that (you were worried, 'cause I made the boots, I know), but I totally want to see someone do it. First issue comes out "this Fall" (how vague!). Still, I can't wait!

Help, I'm trapped playing checkers with the boys! Can't blog, can't knit. Save me!

Since we've been back, it seems like we've done nothing but visit doctors. Somehow all of our regular visits got scheduled for right after our trip. There was the boys' 5-yr checkup, my annual doctor visit, a follow-up with a specialist, and today we're all scheduled for our dental exam. One day last week I even had to go twice because the phlebotomist forgot to draw blood for some panel and had to stick me again. I've been over to the hospital and medical areas so much now, that I'm beginning to imagine there's something wrong with me!

Then there's the jetlag, which has been particularly harsh this time. The boys wake up early and want to play board games all morning (their current favorite is Monza). Then it's hot and humid all day and by about 7pm, we all look like this:

can we watch one more showzzzzzzzzz
(current favorite show: How It's Made)

All my usual knitting time has been lost to fuzzy-headed game playing, medical poking and prodding, unsatisfying sleep, and general malaise. I need another vacation.

There was just way too much good sports on tv yesterday for me to get myself over to the computer and blog! First, I watched Wimbledon (we know I love watching Wimbledon). I tried explaining the game to the boys and to their credit they really watched and cheered with me for about an hour. ("Go Fed!") Then they went off to practice their penalty kicks in preparation for yesterday's World Cup final.

Knitting group rescued me from seeing the bitter end of that game. And the baby geek sweater kept me from even getting involved in that interminable Red Sox game.

Phew, what a day!

Sightseeing in NYC with the twins...

Look, a giant FIFA soccer ball in front of the Adidas store. (The boys got free little soccer balls.)

And a trip on the Circle Line.

S really, really, really wanted to have those green foam Statue of Liberty hat and torch souvenir thingies. I wasn't sure why he wanted them so much, but they were only $6, so I figured what the heck. Was it ever worth it! He put on that crown, grinned as big as I've ever seen, and lifted up the torch like he was the beacon of freedom itself. And he kept it up for everyone in the boat to see. We weren't anywhere near the statue yet so he sat back down in his seat, slightly bored with the trip, but with torch held high. He stood up again proudly when we finally got to the statue itself.

Then he raised his torch for every passing boat on the ride back from the statue. And for then for all the passengers on the M42 bus. And then for our fellow subway travellers. And then back at home....

Well, we're offline at least. After about a two-hour power outage, our internet connection has not come back up. Our internet service provider says they'll come by "sometime tomorrow" to look at the "problem", but if it's our fault, we'll have to pay. Riiiight, we broke it.

So I'm imposing on some nice neighbors with an unsecured wireless network to say hi and apologize to all those to whom I owe emails and correspondence, and then I'll just fade away back into the dark ages of pre-internet life.

See you on Wednesday, I hope.

Blue KidSilk Haze from my just renewed Rowan subscription, blue bucks back from Old Navy, and the prettiest blue crocheted bag from fellow sockapalooozer and super crafy girl, bySarah. Look at the beautiful blue beads!

I don't think I've ever owned anything with beads before. I certainly don't have the patience to work with them, but wow, what an amazing effect. Speaking of patience, look at all the ends Sarah wove in on that little bag. Thanks so much Sarah - I love love love it!

This is the beginning and the end of my green gable.

All the Knitsmiths were doing it: Thea made two; Johanna is almost done with hers; and Gayle just bought her yarn and cast on. So when Shannon said she was going to make one, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.

I cast on, misread the first row, ripped out, reknit row 1, figured out what I'd done wrong in the first place, ripped and reknit it correctly. Then I started the pattern, realized after 5 rounds that I messed up the initial marker placement, ripped back, redid two repeats of the pattern, noticed that the lace wasn't coming out right, and ripped again. I gave it one more try, got through three repeats of the lace pattern and again my stitch count was off.

Look green gables, it's over. It's me, not you. Except for your appalling lack of stitch counts you're a nice pattern. I'm sure you'll make many more someones a nice top someday. But you and I are just not compatible. Sorry.

Swap day at the Knitsmiths!

take a number and take some yarn

I recognized three or four things on the swap table that I had brought to previous swaps. They were sitting next to things I had picked up at previous swaps and was reswapping. Heh, heh. We swapsmiths may have been swapping with each other a little too long.

the sock yarn table

It wasn't all old stuff though: both of my first hand-dyed skeins of sock yarn were up for grabs on the sock yarn table. Johanna took the "poop on a fence" skein and Norah picked my self-striping skein.

loot!

I picked up some Steadfast Fibers Marvelous Mohair leftovers. Look at those colors! And then there were some old patterns that seemed so insistent that I felt compelled to take them.

But wait, it's a series! When you're done with that lumber coat, you need to knit a bed coat, quickly. Done that? Good. Now, knit a jerkin quickly.

Um, okay, what's a jerkin?

Sing along...

And I go rolling down the hill

I-I-I'm rolling down the hill
I-I-I'm rolling down the hill
I-I-I'm rolling down the hill

But although there's a whole menagerie of metal creatures in the boys' Ritter Rost books (here's a little blurb in English), all I could find were these metal goats.

Maybe it's metal cashmere!

Friday

Sunday

Tuesday

the Tooth Fairy brought Legos!

Today it's my son S's turn to post a few pictures. I gave him the camera and asked him to snap some pics of a few of his favorite things:

Hey, it's the knitted tea set I made two years ago!

Our new IKEA chairs in S's favorite color.

A close-up of the Children of Catan game, with the most important part: "4 years"

Blankies.

Legos.

What more could a boy want?

B is taking over the blog today with a little photoblogging. When he was helping me get some good pics of the Hermione mitten the other day, the phone rang.

hi!

I left for a brief moment - yes, I left him holding the digital camera! - and he took all these pics:

the tree

the new IKEA chair

brother S

S's blankie

the safety gate

the window

The eyes of a child.