Opera Yarns

Moving Day

2011-04-14T09:22:00.003-04:00

The time has finally come. I have officially out grown this blog and am moving to a more suitable space. I thought about just overhauling this place, but that doesn't feel right. I won't delete it either. That feels too much like deleting my past. Instead, I'm moving to Peeking Through Clouds. I hope it can be a peaceful place where I can express whatever I need whenever I need it. I find my world view is so much bigger than it was when I started this blog that I really need a diverse place to express myself. I hope that there will still be lots of yarn and music on it, but I have other stories to tell now. I hope you'll check it out.

Defying Gravity

2010-08-12T07:31:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. It's a terrible cliche, but since I first heard the cast recording of Wicked, I strongly identified with Elphaba. Sometimes it seems that no matter how good you try to be, you can't catch a break. At some point, you have to make the conscious decision that no matter what the universe throws at you, it will not drag you down.

I remember clearly the moment that I made that decision. I was in high school. The decision that I made was that no one would hurt me again. I've learned two things since then. One is that the hurt I was feeling then was like a paper cut compared to the hurt I have experienced over the last year. The second is that people are going to hurt you and there is nothing you can do about it. What you can do is decide whether or not you're going to let them destroy you.

My 34th birthday was just a few days ago. It was a great day. I felt like I had finally turned a corner. I woke up feeling rested. Mike and I were getting along really well. I had a day full of great plans. Mike had gotten me a luxurious spa package and reservations at a lovely Italian restaurant. I also had an appointment with my OB to, hopefully, get the approval to get pregnant again. Although that conversation didn't go exactly as we had hoped, within 24 hours we got the answer we were hoping for. I am cleared to have another baby!

I have no illusions about how hard another pregnancy will be. I am a natural worrier, but I think the combination of hormones and my hard earned knowledge about how badly a perfectly normal pregnancy can end will make things that much worse. Still, I'll keep that promise I made to myself so many years ago and not allow the worry to eat me up.

I'm not pregnant yet even though my mother keeps asking. So, I think I'll post some pictures of that knitting content I keep promising. I went to Knitters Connection in Columbus, Ohio back in June. I took a spinning class with Amy Tyler and a photography class with the one and only Franklin. Both teachers were lovely. I especially learned a lot about the camera I've had for over ten years. (About time, right?) Oddly enough, I didn't actually get a lot of knitting done during that weekend. Here is some evidence that I still knit and actually do own a spinning wheel:

Meet Milo

2010-07-23T18:09:00.003-04:00

Well, Mike and I have completely lost it. Last night we brought home a 9 week old Australian Shepherd. Meet Milo:

Milo is literally Moxie's little brother. They both have the same parents. We went up to New Paris, Indiana last night to meet him. Moxie went with us and was very helpful in deciding which puppy to bring home.

So far, things are going really well. Moxie and Milo are currently under my chair sound asleep. They are playing very well together which is what we had hoped for. Mike and I felt that Moxie needed some company besides the cats while we are at work. They do a nice job of wearing each other out. I look forward to watching them grow up together.

I wish I had other news for you, but we're still waiting for the official okay from my doctors to try for another baby. I have an appointment in a few weeks and I feel very hopeful. I been eating well, exercising, and continuing to do Weight Watchers. I have lost 25 lbs since March! I'm not where I want to ultimately be, but I also don't want to wait much longer to have a baby. I'll be 34 this summer and will be treated as a high risk pregnancy anyway. That's all fine. I just don't want "Advanced Maternal Age" added to my list of risk factors. It's just silly.

Speaking of eating well, I do believe it's time for dinner. We got our Farm Fresh Delivery order this week, so we've been eating very well. Tonight we'll be having grilled chicken with zucchini fries and another side dish that I have not decided upon yet. If you have a service in your area like this one, I highly recommend it. It's been one of the best decisions we've made. Not only are we getting organic and/or locally grown produce, but it saves us a trip to the grocery store and we are supporting a local business in addition to all of the local farms that provide the produce. It's a good feeling all around!

One Year.....

2010-07-17T08:50:00.001-04:00

Your absence has gone through me

Like thread through a needle.

Everything I do is stitched with its color.
~ W S Merwin

This just in....

2010-04-11T08:36:00.004-04:00

I am still alive!

I know it's been far too long since I've updated. The thing is, I've been lazy. I've been depressed. I've been dealing with more postpartum health issues. I've not been much fun to be around, so I guess I've just kept it all to myself.

I love spring, though. It's a great time to make changes and start fresh. A few months ago, I had a Me Day. I bought clothes. I got my eyebrows waxed. I bought make up. Since then, I've really been trying to take better care of me. I actually wear the make up I bought. I've been investing in clothes that fit well, no matter the number on the tag inside. I've even been buying colors I like, even if it's pink! The first step was deciding I was worth it. It was a good choice.

Since then, I've had a bit of a health scare. I was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy. It's not terribly common, but not entirely unheard of either. Mike and I had to put off our plans to have another baby until it was resolved. Fortunately, the cardiologist assured me that 2/3 of women who get this disease recover fully. About half of those women do not need medication. I had to wear a heart monitor for a couple of days and I had a nuclear stress test. The doc also recommended that I stay away from salt, try to lose some weight and walk, walk, walk to strengthen my heart.

Four weeks later, I have lost 10.6 lbs thanks to Weight Watchers and lots of walking! I already need to buy new clothes again. I feel great! I'm sleeping better and my mood has been better. I feel in control and I am excited about eating healthy foods. The best part? The results of my stress test showed that my heart function has normalized! The doctor still wants me to lose weight and continue to strengthen my heart before getting pregnant again, but he said there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to in a few months. The only condition is that I have a couple of echocardiograms during my pregnancy.

Meanwhile, life is pretty stable here. I still have my bad days, but they are getting farther apart. I know I'll always have those days. Even when there is a healthy, living baby in my arms, I will still miss my little ladybug. Still, the world isn't going to stop for us, so we might as well try to keep up. Our pets are bringing us a lot of joy and that helps. Here is the newest addition to the Harding Zoo:
This is Moxie. She is a five month old Australian Shepherd. Don't let the sweet face and pink bows fool you. She is trouble. She's also a ton of fun. She is very smart and has loads of personality. I think she fits right in here. It's been wonderful watching her grow and progress. She is a handful now, but she is such a fantastic dog. I'm looking forward to many long years of her companionship.

I'll be back soon, I promise. I might even have some knitting content!

When will it end?

2010-02-26T09:29:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I am constantly outraged by the "morality" of the religious "right." However, I believe they have achieved a new low. Please read this article and, if you are as angry about it as I am, make a big stink. Let Utah know that this is unacceptable. Thank you.

In which I become an athlete.

2010-02-15T12:32:00.003-05:00

okay.... not really. But I have become a Ravthlete. I finished my first event in the 2010 Ravelympics last night. I entered my Earth Tone Throw in the Aerial Unwind. It represented Team I Did. I think it performed admirably. See?

If you aren't familiar with the Ravelympics, you will think that I am the biggest dork in the world. However, I am okay with that because I am not alone. There are thousands of Ravthletes competing on hundreds of teams this year. The goal is to challenge yourself creatively. I am participating on two teams, Team I Did (Ravelry's Newlyweds) and Team Schuyler Blanket Project. I had two projects planned for Team I Did. The first is finished and will be enjoying the rest of the games from the sidelines. The second, Lady Sunshine, is competing in Mitten Moguls, Cable Cross Country, and Stash Compulsory Dance. As you can see, they are much more complicated than unwinding a project I didn't love. They had two false starts, but fortunately, there are no penalties for that in the Ravelympics.

Team Schuyler Blanket Project has set a team goal. We will attempt to knit/crochet enough squares for a whole blanket during the Ravelympics. (By the way, the dates of the Ravelympics are the same as the Olympics. To qualify, projects must be completed before the flame goes out.) Squares are great group knitting projects because they don't take a lot of concentration. I knit with a few groups during the week, so I think I can pull my weight with this team.

Check back for an update soon and enjoy the games!

2010-01-26T09:58:00.003-05:00

It's been a little over six months since we lost our little Schuyler. I can say that things have gotten easier, but I think about her everyday. I am sure that I will for the rest of my life. I'm able to go weeks without crying now, but sometimes surprising things will trigger my emotions. My best friend had a baby girl in November. As happy as I am for her family, I had a rough few days. My cousin's wife had a baby boy at the beginning of this month. I see status updates from friends on Facebook celebrating their babies' milestones. Some of them have babies that are the same age that Schuyler should be. I can't help but wonder what she would look like, what she would be doing, how she'd have changed since birth.
On top of everything else, Mike and I have experienced yet another loss. Mike's dog, Tremor, lost his battle with cancer on January 15. It was not lost on me that it was six months to the day from when we lost Sullivan. Tremor was a wonderful dog. At 13 years old, he was still full of life. It seemed so unfair that his body quit on him before he was really ready. We miss him everyday too.
It's not all sadness here though. We have a new source of joy in the form of a 10 week old Australian Shepherd named Moxie. She has been a challenge and a lot of fun. I won't lie though. I am looking forward to the day that she completes her vaccines so we can go to puppy school. Gretchen and Victor continue to do well. Thunder is hanging in there as well, but at 15, we're afraid we can't expect too much more from the poor old man.
On the surface, I continue to do my thing. I work. I knit. I read. I sing. I heal a little at a time. It's done me a lot of good to see The Schuyler Blanket Project grow by leaps and bounds. I continue to see a therapist, but knitting squares for these blankets and seeing so many other compassionate, wonderful knitters and crocheters doing the same has been the best form of therapy. It brings me a sense of peace and stillness when, very often, I feel like I am running in circles, emotionally and physically.
I'd like to get back to some knitting content soon. It's difficult to find a moment to myself with such a young puppy around. I have lots of things to block and photograph and mail and complete. With the Ravelympics only a few short weeks away, I'm feeling a sense of urgency to get them all done. I still have to decide what I am knitting for the games too.
And in the meantime....I hope.

Self-Medication

2009-11-29T13:58:00.001-05:00

Changes.....

2009-11-06T22:20:00.003-05:00

When I think about where I was when I started this blog, I'm amazed at how far I've come. I was a second year grad student, in an unhealthy marriage, and completely miserable. Since then, I've gotten divorced, met the love of my life, married him, given birth to my first child, and lost her. I can honestly say that the only thing I would change is losing Schuyler. I know that everything in my life has led me to where I am now. In spite of the heartache, I am a happier person than I was just a few years ago. I am more comfortable in my own skin. I have learned to embrace who I am and to like the person I have become. I know I have a long way to go, but I believe that's what this journey is for. I think we are here to learn as much as we can and to fulfill our potential as human beings. What comes after I am still not sure about, but I don't believe we only get one shot at this.

In light of the changes I've been through, I felt it was time the blog got an overhaul too. I've been thinking about this for a while. I think I even posted about it a long time ago. The time seems right. My goals and priorities have changed so much. I have come a long way from the self-conscious, miserable, scared girl who wanted to be an opera singer. I've realized that while I may have the voice for it, I don't have the disposition or even the desire for that kind of life. I struggle with some guilt regarding this choice, but hopefully the people who went out of their way to teach me and train me will understand. I hope I'm not letting them down. I have no doubt that I will always sing and always support the arts. It's just not my calling to be a professional singer. (Well, except that I am, because I am paid to sing. I guess it's not my calling to be a full time professional singer.)

So, the "yarn" part of my blog name is still true in that I still knit and I still have stories to tell, but I feel like this place needs to be more than that. I think my blog is becoming more of a journal, a place to record life as I know it. As part of the overhaul, I think it's time for a new title. I just don't know what that title should be. Meeting Mike changed my life. Marrying him changed it too. Life changed again a year ago when we found out I was pregnant. It changed again less than four months ago. It's going to continue to change as Mike and I continue to heal and try to add to our family again. I have no doubt that I will change too. It's so hard to define myself right now. I'm a mother, but not a parent. I'm a musician, but not a performer. I'm a lot of things and I can't narrow it down.

For now, my banner will remain blank. I hope to be able to fill in that blank sooner rather than later.

Remembrance

2009-10-15T10:29:00.002-04:00

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. For parents of angels, every day is a day of remembrance. It is difficult to understand how the rest of the world can keep moving when our world has come crashing down around us. Please take a moment today to reach out to those you might know who have suffered the loss of a child. Sometimes a simple "how are you doing?" is enough to let them know that you have not forgotten too.

Two months....

2009-09-17T09:56:00.001-04:00

Two months ago today, Schuyler was born. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life and it turned into a nightmare that I still struggle to comprehend. There were no indications that anything was wrong. The only reason I even had a c-section was because she was such a big girl that I needed some help. Neither Mike and I nor the doctors, nurses, and midwives could fathom what had happened or why. We still don’t know what happened. Even if we find that out from the autopsy reports, we will never understand why we had to lose our baby girl.
On the morning of July 17, when I woke up having contractions, I knew my life would change forever that day. Little did I know that it was not going to change in the way that I was expecting or hoping for. Mike and I spent nine months dreaming about our new life with our daughter. Our dreams were taken away from us after only 40 minutes full of worry, straining to hear her first cries. They never came. She never took a breath on her own and we never got to see our baby girl alive.
Instead of two months full of midnight feedings and diaper changes, our nights have been full of nightmares and our days full of tears. The only things that have kept me from going insane are the support of my amazing husband, wonderful family, and incredible friends. Knitting has also gotten me by.
I have had very little desire to knit for myself. I find myself wanting to knit for others. I am knitting nine scarves for the nine nurses who cared for me during my stay in the hospital. They were all so wonderful. They were compassionate and caring. Not only did they care for me, but they asked after Mike and took beautiful care of Schuyler, who stayed at the hospital until I was discharged. They brought her in for us to hold whenever we wanted and never complained even if we only wanted to hold her for a minute. They sat with me and held my hand while I cried. They cried with me. A scarf is not enough to show them my gratitude, but it’s all I can do right now.
The Schuyler Blanket Project has become a spark. I’m inspired to see if I can nurture that spark and help it grow into a flame. No one should have to lose a child, yet it happens all the time. In just the two months since losing Schuyler, I have already met so many others who have lost sons and daughters of all ages. I hate it for them. I hate that they will have an empty place in their hearts for the rest of their lives. No matter how many more children Mike and I have, our family will never be whole now. I hope that this project can grow and spread just a fraction of the love Mike and I have received to some of these families. I know that it won’t bring their children back, but perhaps it can help them feel less alone on the bad days.
Thank you all from the very bottom of my heart for helping me do this. I can’t even being to express my gratitude. Thank you all so much for helping keep my baby girl alive.

The Schuyler Blanket Project

2009-09-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

The wonderful, beautiful, amazing people who created the Big Blanket of Love for Mike and I have agreed to help me expand their idea and bring a little comfort to other families who have lost children. Here is the description of the group from Ravelry:

"The Schuyler Blanket Project began life as The Tammany Blanket Project, as a group of Ravelers came together to provide support for Tammany, a fellow Raveler who lost her baby girl less than an hour after she was born. Members of this group created a blanket for Tammany by making individual squares, providing her with a warm soft hug that she can wrap up in on the bad days.

The original Tammany Blanket is complete, and Tammany herself requested that we carry that mission forward in baby Schuyler’s memory to create blankets for other bereaved families and to provide them with comfort and love. Do you have the time and heart to make a few squares for a blanket that can change a family’s life? Please join us and see how a few hours on your part can bring light and love to a family who is experiencing their darkest hours."

If you would like to help or know someone who could benefit from one of our blankets, please let me know. We'd love to see how far we can take this and how many families we can help.

Thank you.

The Big Blanket of Love or Why Fibery People Rock

2009-09-09T15:43:00.001-04:00

So, if you don't knit/crochet/dye/spin or have anything else to do with the fiber arts, you may never have heard of Ravelry. (If you do have something to do with the fiber arts and you still haven't heard of Ravelry, you need to crawl out from under your rock and go there now.) In essence, Ravelry is an online community for the fiber arts, particularly those arts having to do with yarn. I guess you could call it Facebook for knitters, crocheters, etc, but it's way cooler than Facebook.

Besides discussing all things fiber related, Ravelry has user created groups for just about everything you can imagine. There are groups for musicians, nurses, fans of TV shows and movies, book clubs, politics, religion. You name it. I belong to groups for singers, musicians, newlyweds, people who live in Indianapolis, Red Sox fans, and a "wingnut watch group." I have also belonged to groups for brides-to-be and mamas-to-be. Unfortunately, I now also belong to a group for pregnancy loss and mamas of angels. Like I said, you name it, the group exists for it.

Shortly after we lost Schuyler, a new group was formed that I knew nothing about. My friend Adriana, whom I have never met, started the Tammany Blanket Project. She invited all of my Ravelry friends (Yep. You can even friend people on Rav, just like on Facebook.) to join this group. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that *74 people* would care enough about Mike, Schuyler, and I to join this group, but they did. Some of them I know from school. Some of them I know from my knitting group here in Indianapolis. The vast majority of them, I have never met in person, but only formed friendships with them through our connections on Ravelry.

These 74 wonderful people helped Adriana create a blanket for Mike and I. Their intention was to send us lots of love and a gift that would make us feel like we were wrapped up in that love. Boy did they succeed! They all knit or crocheted squares to send to Adriana, who then sewed them all together. After sewing just 20 squares for Schuyler's blanket, I can tell you that I do not envy her that task. The blanket, as you can see from the photo, is huge! Most of the members of the group made more than one square. They are all made from different kinds of yarns and different patterns and they are all beautiful and special. There are plain squares, lacy squares, rainbow colored squares, squares with special meanings such as Schuyler's initials, baby footprints, a heart, a star, intertwined trees, and a network of cables intended to signify our network of friends. Each square is so unique and so very special to me.

I love this blanket. I love what it means. I am so, so fortunate to have such supportive people surrounding Mike and I with their love as we try to handle our grief and figure out our new normal. There is no way we can ever pay back all of that love, but I promise that I will do whatever I can to pay it forward.

And that is why fibery people rock.

Our Little Skittle

2009-07-21T15:23:00.002-04:00

This is our darling baby girl, Schuyler. We miss her more than words can express. Thank you all for your love and support during this time. It truly helps knowing that we are in your thoughts.

Schuyler Brynne

2009-07-18T19:56:00.002-04:00

Schuyler Brynne was born last night at 10PM after a very long, hard labor. In the end, we had a c-section because the midwife felt that she was either too big to pass through my pelvis or that she had a little hand in the way. After the surgery, things did not go well for Schuyler. She had aspirated a lot of meconium and the NICU team could not get a breathing tube in. They also could not get her heart rate up to an adequate level. They worked on her for forty minutes, but she passed away.
Mike and I are hanging in as best we can given the circumstances. I will be in the hospital until at least tomorrow night, possibly until Monday. My mother is still here to help us with anything we need. We miss our baby girl very much. She's perfect in every way.

The Final Countdown

2009-06-27T13:13:00.003-04:00

Well, the knitting's done, so the baby can come. Skittle's blanket was finished yesterday with some help from Peg. It feels weird to have this monster off the needles. I started it in November, shortly before I lost my knitting mojo for three months. I am glad to have it finished though. Now I am can focus on some UFO's that have been languishing and on getting this little girl out of her current home. Now that the blanket is finally done and we have some diapers, I think we're as ready as we're going to be. The house is a mess, but my mom will be here in a little over a week. That's plenty of motivation to get it clean!

I based this blanket on Maja. I think I used more colors, but other than that, it's basically the same. I had some help with color combinations and placement. Mike wrote two programs. The first was for the squares. No two squares are exactly alike. The second was to make sure the squares were placed as randomly as possible. Because of the number of colors and squares, it's not as random as it could be, but it's as close as is mathematically possible. I used Knit Picks Shine Sport in Butter, River, Cherry, Violet, Green Apple, and Turqoise. I'm very pleased with how it came out. Hopefully Schuyler will like it too!

In Memoriam

2009-06-15T18:00:00.002-04:00

Mike and I made the difficult decision to have Sullivan put down today. He has been sick for a long time and it was clear that he was beginning to suffer. Surprisingly, I am okay. The hardest part was making the choice. I know he is in a happier place now and while I'll miss his terribly, I will always cherish the ten plus years we had together. There will never be another Sullivan.

Quickie

2009-05-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

Just a quickie to show off my latest FO's. We may or may not have other stuff to do deal with today, but I'll hopefully be back soon with more!

This is Helena from Knitty. I used Cascade 220 Superwash. It's supposed to be the 6 mo. size. I even checked my gauge, but I don't think she'll be wearing it at 6 months old. We'll see. She feels like she's going to be about four feet tall at birth, so I could be wrong.

I love this little hat. Unlike Helena, I think this one is way smaller than the pattern says. This says it should fit a 2 year old, but it also said to use "baby yarn." I used fingering weight. I assume "baby yarn" means DK or sport, so it's not surprising this is small. I see her wearing this over the summer and into the fall when the air conditioning is on. There is a lot of yarn leftover, so I'm going to make some socks and mitts to match. By the way, this is the Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap. (I would love to link to this, but I do not see the buttons for doing so. What's up with that?)

More to come. I seem to have baby knitting on the brain lately. Weird, huh?

Rebellious

2009-04-08T12:18:00.003-04:00

I just finished making a little flannel bunting for the Skittle. It's not so much that I was feeling rebellious as it was that I happened to have this flannel in my fabric stash. I think it's super cute and where is the law that baby girls can't wear blue?

I started this yesterday and just finished a little while ago. It's not perfect, but it's good enough. I haven't touched my sewing machine in about a year, so I'm pleased. It's been even longer since I've put in a zipper. I would make more of these. I would make a couple of changes though. I hate the tubular ribbing. I would probably find another way to finish the neckline and cuffs. Elastic would most likely do for the cuffs. I'd probably also consider elastic around the bottom instead of ribbon, but the ribbon is very cute.

In the meantime, work continues on her blankie. I called it Skittle's First Blanket, but others have beaten me. This will actually be her third blanket. I think it's really cool and I actually haven't gotten tired of knitting the squares yet. I hope to have all of them done before I'm too huge and uncomfortable to be on my hands and knees seaming for hours. Mike has been a big help with this project. He wrote a program to figure out the squares. No two are exactly alike and none of the colors appear in the same position relative to other colors more than once. He's currently working on another program to figure out the layout of the squares. It is so handy being married to a computer geek! I love how excited he is about this blanket and about our little girl too. I can't wait for them to meet. Not too long to go now!

Your "WTF?!" Moment of the Day.....

2009-04-08T09:53:00.003-04:00

How many of you grew up with Mr. Rogers? Did you know that he is an evil genius and the reason why you are a lazy socialist with an inflated sense of entitlement? Well, according to Fox News, he is. I particularly enjoy the last bit about staying inside to make your own sweater and not going to Macy's to buy one.

April Lady?

2009-04-04T19:17:00.002-04:00

I finally made a sweater for myself! Just in time for it to get too warm to wear it, of course. Actually, there is snow in our forecast for Monday, so I might get to wear it one more time before spring officially arrives. (As I sit here writing about snow, Mike is out back mowing the lawn. Go figure.) Anyway, here is my February Lady sweater!

I'm not sure what the deal is with my facial expression there. I'm happy with the way the sweater turned out except for two things. The sleeves are too big under the arm. I had read that this was a problem, but chose to ignore it due to my fear of math. I also underestimated the size of my "girls" so there is a wee bit of strain on the button holes. I figure I can reinforce them somehow and then pray that I return to my pre-pregnancy size. Someday.

It's very strange to see a picture of myself like this. I almost don't recognize myself. I know one is expected to gain weight during pregnancy, but some parts of my body seem to have changed quite a bit. I haven't stood in first position since I was about 13. Now I think I am permanently stuck there. I've said more than once that if I didn't find growing a human so fascinating, I think I'd be pissed all the time.

Presto!

2009-04-01T16:18:00.002-04:00

Hey, look! A finished project!

This is Presto Chango. It's a sweet little sweater, the first I've made for my baby. It's a quick knit. I didn't make any modifications this time. The seams are too bulky in my opinion, so if I do knit another one, I will try to gather enough brain power to figure out how to do it seamlessly.

I used Plymouth Tweed for this sweater. I had six balls to start with and used barely over two for this project. I even made an extra front panel. It's a nice yarn. I think it has a raw quality to it, but I sometimes like that in a yarn. Some people might think I'm nuts for making a baby garment with it, but I think it will be fine. I think there will eventually be a little hat and some wee booties to match since I have so much yarn left over.

Stay tuned. I have another sweater that I think I will be putting buttons on tomorrow. That one is a wee bit bigger than Presto Chango.

Dear Churches Everywhere,

2009-03-15T07:22:00.002-04:00

I know that the Bible says you're supposed to worship on the seventh day and all that. Where does it say that it has to be at the crack of dawn? (If it really does say that, please don't tell me. I don't want to know.) Don't you know how evil it is to make someone sing before noon? I vote that services be moved to about 1:00 in the afternoon, k? Thanks?

Tired, Grumpy, Hormonally Challenged Soprano Who is Dreading having to sweat through the extreme heat of the second service and having to tell the tenor section leader for the bazillionth time that, yes, I am fine, I'm just pregnant. Back off!

It's a......

2009-03-04T13:31:00.001-05:00

girl! She looks healthy and very active. Her name will be Schuyler (pronounce Skylar. Tell all your friends.) We are still debating a middle name. The nursery will be done in this theme.

Let the lacy, but not necessarily pink, knitting begin!

Updates....

2009-02-23T09:36:00.003-05:00

1. I am still pregnant. I do not know how the baby is. It's in there. I can only assume it's growing and doing fine. I can feel it moving now, though, which is pretty cool!

2. Sullivan is doing much better. After we discovered that his antibiotics were supposed to be refrigerated, things start to turn around. Our regular vet gave him an antibiotic shot that is effective for two weeks. His congestion started to clear within two days. He's still not eating as much as we would like, but his kidney levels are down. He's also back to his usual behaviors.

3. I still know how to knit. I am working on a February Lady Sweater for myself. I hope to have it done before it's too warm to wear it, but I am probably going to run out of yarn. I need to head down to my LYS and see if they have anymore in the same dye lot. I was also working on a Snowdrop Sock in Noro Silk Garden Sock. I frogged it last night because I kept snapping needles and I seriously screwed up the toe. The yarn will either become plain old socks or a scarf. I'm not sure which yet.

4. I am giving a recital on Saturday. I am really nervous because I don't feel prepared. I have quite a bit of music left to memorize and no desire to do it. At least I get to go buy a new dress for it!

5. I have pictures of things to show you, but I don't know where my camera is. Someday, I will get around to it.

2009-02-11T10:42:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for the encouraging vibes for Sullivan. He is doing better. He still won't eat on his own, but he is at home. He has his own private pharmacy, including subcutaneous fluid. We've determined that the reason he won't eat is because he is so congested, so we are hoping for that to clear up soon. Otherwise, we think he is doing well. He's out and about around the house, rather than hiding under the bed like he was earlier in the weekend. He is open to affection. He's seeking out water. He's using The Box. I am taking all of these as good signs that he is not on his deathbed. I think he probably never was. I definitely had a hard time keeping it together for a few days though. I am so relieved to see him acting fairly normally. He is, of course, sleeping a lot, but that's not all that unusual for him. He loves a good long nap.

Healing vibes needed

2009-02-09T16:43:00.001-05:00

I have a very sick kitty that I am worried about right now. Sullivan, my ten year old Siamese/Himalayan was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease over the weekend. He's not eaten on his own for several days and has been on fluid since Saturday. It would be entirely impossible to explain the bond I have with this guy. We found each other when we needed each other the most and we've shared a very special relationship since he was four months old. I don't think I am quite ready to let him go, so I'd appreciate some healing vibes sent his way, especially of the "please eat something" variety.

Thanks to everyone who left such great comments about my last post. I am feeling better about not wanting all the nonsense for my baby. I think I may have found a care provider that I can feel good about too. Sadly, I can't get in to see her for another month, so I'm stuck where I am for now. I hope to make an announcement about the Skittle's gender soon!

In which I have a minor breakdown....

2009-01-21T13:03:00.002-05:00

Did you know that there is such a thing as a boob cover? It's also known as a "hooter hider." It looks like a small apron that you hang around your neck to help cover you up while you are nursing. When I found this out, I asked why a blanket wouldn't suffice. I was told that it would, but it might fall down. Then I found out that someone on Etsy makes these cute little clips that also go around your neck to hold the blanket up. They remind me of the chains a dentist uses to hang the napkin around the neck.
I am reeling. There is so much Stuff out there for babies. A large majority of it seems to be completely ridiculous. For example, a baby monitor with an LCD screen. I mean, I want to be able to hear if my baby is awake, but if I want to watch it sleep, I will sit with it while it sleeps. How about wipe warmers? Special bottle sterilizes? (What happened to boiling water?) Antibacterial everything?
Will I be less of a mama if I want less Stuff? Is it horrible that I don't think this baby should get to take over my house? (At least until it's officially a toddler?) As far as I can see, babies eat, sleep, and poop at the very beginning. Is it possible to keep my list to somewhere safe to sleep, warm clothes, diapers, and a car seat? Yes, I want a cute nursery. Yes, I want to be able to "wear" my baby. Yes, I want their clothes to be attractive as well as functional, but I don't see the need for shoes for a newborn or hair accessories for someone who will most likely not have that much hair.
Any minimalist mamas out there have any suggestions?

Oh, Happy Day!

2009-01-20T09:03:00.002-05:00

I won't try to say what everyone else is saying today. I just wanted to chime in and say that I am so, so excited that this day is finally here! Let the change begin!*

Best of luck, President Obama!!!

*I realize that the changes are going to be long in coming. I am very optimistic that they are on their way!!

In which I seek inspiration

2009-01-09T13:46:00.002-05:00

I am feeling some return of the mojo lately, but no inspiration. I frogged the two projects I started before Christmas, rewound the yarn, and put it back in the stash. I have several projects hibernating, but they are just as uninspiring. Mike gave me some gorgeous yarns for Christmas, but two of the three skeins have not told me what they want to be yet. The other one has, but I'm not sure I'm up for it yet. I think I want to knit lace. Or a sweater. My only hesitation on the sweater is this whole pregnancy thing. Will I even be able to wear it by the time it's done?

Ideas and suggestions welcome!

In which I distract you from the lack of content with pictures......

2009-01-05T18:35:00.002-05:00

One of the Twinkie's in his Christmas hat. PS- He's faking.

The other Twinkie in her Christmas hat. PS- She's really awake.

The Skittle. (Why are the kids in my life all named after food?) We heard a heartbeat today and learned that we have a very wiggly baby. The sonographer got a little frustrated when s/he disappeared completely from the screen. I believe the words she used were, "You little stinker!" It was very clear that she likes her job though.

It's too early to tell the sex yet, although we are relieved to see it's not a kitten or something. We just have to wait a few more weeks. They moved my due date up (again) to July 5. I'm not going to put much thought into the due date. Baby will make his/her appearance when s/he feels ready. In the meantime, we'll all just continue to focus on staying healthy.

Speaking of healthy. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2009!

2008-12-06T18:38:00.003-05:00

I'm still here! I know, it's been ages. I've just really had nothing to blog about. The knitting mojo sort of came back. I am almost done with a pair of felted clogs for my brother's girlfriend. I had intentions to make three pairs. Mine have enormous holes in the bottom and I promised a pair to my aunt about a year ago. I don't think those are going to happen anytime soon. I still have to make gifts for my brothers. I am almost done with one sock, but I have no sock mojo at all. The other brother wants beer coozies. I have no interest in making those either, even though I know they will go super fast.
It's incredible how much I do not feel like myself lately. I am tired all the time. The cruel irony of that is that I do not sleep well at night. My dreams are incredibly vivid and bizarre. Fortunately, I seem to have stopped having nightmares. I've also gotten rather flaky and irritable. I've been ranting and raving about how horrible my job is for weeks. I hear myself constantly bitching and I want to stop, but I am so angry! My vocal coach thinks it's because my priorities are changing and I don't want to waste my time with lazy students anymore. This is probably true. I have more important things to worry about.
In the meantime, poor Mike is bored out of his mind. All I want to do is sit around. I'm not even that interested in watching movies. I just want to sit. I know I should be up getting some exercise and all, but it's not happening. I am hoping that I will get some energy and motivation back when I get into my second trimester. If I don't, this is going to be the longest nine months ever! In the meantime, I still need to find a new doctor. I think I'll get on that on Monday. Perhaps a midwife will have some suggestions for getting my butt in gear.

Update

2008-11-24T18:03:00.003-05:00

Mike and I went to our first doctor's appointment together. I had to update the baby widget because I am not as far along as we had thought. According to the doctor, I am due on July 15th. We have confirmation that it's only one baby. (I wasn't worried, but Mike let out a huge sigh when he heard that.) The most exciting part was seeing the baby's heartbeat!
I am scheduled to go back on December 22nd. I think I am going to ask to be transferred to a different facility though. This doctor had no sense of humor and wasn't particularly nurturing. She also doesn't do water birth, which is what I am really interested in doing. She offered to transfer me to another local hospital that does do water birth, so I think tomorrow I am going to call them and see if we can take a tour and meet some of the staff. They even offer prenatal yoga and mommy and baby yoga. I think that's awesome!
I will keep you posted on the Skittle and whether or not my knitting mojo ever returns again!

Outed

2008-11-19T13:03:00.002-05:00

Since a friend of mine kind of "outed" me on Facebook, I think it's time to share the news.

Mike and I are going to be parents!

If you think you're surprised...... We have always planned to have kids, but this is about a year sooner than we had expected. So, we are still kind of wrapping our heads around this whole thing. It's a big, big deal, of course. I am, to the best of my knowledge, due in July. My first doctor's appointment is on Monday. Hopefully they will be able to give us a better idea.

I am feeling ok so far. I have to admit that the emotional side of it all has been very difficult. I've had many meltdowns over the last week or so. Talking to my mother and former voice teacher about it really helped a lot. I am starting to feel more calm about the whole process. I'm told that women have been doing this since the beginning of time, so there's no reason why I can't do it too. And apparently, the end result is worth it. Who knew? ;-)

One of Those Days.....

2008-11-16T17:36:00.003-05:00

So, I have this church gig. I have to be at church at 8:30 AM to help lead the singing in the 9:00 service. Then there is a second service at 11:00 AM in which the whole choir sings. It's a good gig and a good choir. (I hate the interim director with a seething passion, but that is another story for another day.) Today was a bigger-than-usual day for me. At the early service, I was scheduled to sing two solos. (Sing Ye a Joyful Song from the Biblical Song of Dvorak and Every Time I Feel the Spirit arranged by Harry Burleigh, in case you were curious.) I was also slated to cantor the psalm in the second service. This is all fine with me. None of the music was hard and except for having to be able to rehearse and sing for the 9:00 service, it was no big deal.

I got up early like a good little singer. I had some breakfast and I actually warmed up. I bathed and got dressed and all of that. I had to have Mike help me because the side zipper on my pants got stuck. He helped me pull it all the way up. The pants don't have a waist band, so the zipper must be all the way up or they won't stay put.

I am going somewhere with this. Trust me.

I got to church in time to arrange my folder and meet the organist in the sanctuary to rehearse. All went well until I tugged my sweater down and find that my pants are wide open. I figure the zipper has come down, but given how hard it was zipping up, I can't imagine how. Then it dawned on me. The zipper has split. The tab is still at the top, but there is a huge gap showing off my bright blue granny panties.

I stayed relatively calm.

Until I got into the ladies room and realized that damn zipper is not going to budge. I had five minutes until the first service and I really, really had to pee. I couldn't get the zipper to move in either direction and I could not get the pants off without undoing the zipper.

So.

I made it through the first service. People thanked me for singing. It was fine. I asked a fellow knitter for a safety pin, which she didn't have with her, but found anyway. I returned to the ladies room and proceeded to cut myself out of my pants, pee (finally!), and pin my pants back together. Then we went to the sanctuary to rehearse. I sat down, and...... yeah. The pin came undone.

Fortunately, I made it back to the choir room after rehearsal without my pants ending up around my ankles. Another lady who works for the church found me two ginormous safety pins. Those stayed together until I was in the car on the way home. I might have a scratch or two on my side, but at least I didn't humiliate myself!

Sadly, I'm not sure the pants can be repaired at this point. I may have accidentally cut the fabric in my haste to get out of them. They were some of my favorite new pants too. *sigh*

Almost done...

2008-11-06T15:08:00.004-05:00

I promise to return to regularly scheduled knitting content soon, but the recent election has really got me thinking. While I am thrilled about the results of the presidential election, there are some issues that have come up during the journey to Tuesday night that really have me sad and disheartened. The more I read about reactions to the election, the more I realize we have a long way to go. I'm not a writer, so forgive me if I'm not very eloquent, but I feel the need to express some of what I've been thinking.

The amount of ignorance in this country is astounding. There are people all across this nation who want others of their ilk to be in charge. They want this so they can impose their beliefs on everyone. I have a serious problem with this. For one thing, they assume that their way is what is right and best for everyone, without bothering to ask questions of and listen to those that do not hold the same beliefs. For another thing, this country was supposedly built on the ideal that people should be free to believe what they wish. I do not believe the founding fathers meant "freedom of religion as long as it's the same as ours." While I find many beliefs of the religious right (and other groups) to be offensive, I would never try to stop someone from believing what they do. However, I don't think it's too much to expect them to respect my beliefs.

This is where one of my other issues lies. Many, many people do not respect my beliefs or those of anyone else who believes differently than they do. The worst part of this is that they are so ignorant of what those beliefs are. For example, I do not know anyone who is pro-abortion. A common misconception of pro-lifers is that people who are pro-choice are pro-abortion. This is simply not true. It is not the abortion that people want, but the right to choose what is best for them in their particular circumstances. The video I posted a few days ago explained some of the horrors some women in this country have faced because they were not allowed the freedom to choose what is best for them. Why should a man in Washington D.C. who has been elected by people in Kansas be allowed to say how, where, and when a woman living in California can give birth to her own child? How does it even affect this hypothetical Senator when the Californian woman decides to have a vaginal birth in her home? The fact is, it doesn't, so let each and every woman decide what is best for her. If it's an abortion, fine. It's not, that's fine too. We just want the choice. Kristen also told me recently that somewhere in this country, someone is attempting to pass a law requiring women to take vitamins from puberty just in case she might have a child someday. If this is allowed, where will it end? Will women of childbearing age be banned from caffeine and a night cap?

The other thing I do not and will not ever understand is how allowing gay couples to marry "threatens the traditional family." That's almost like saying that if I eat a peanut butter sandwich in my home, the kid halfway across the country that is allergic to peanuts will go into anaphylactic shock. It makes no sense whatsoever. I have gay friends. Some of them have been in committed relationships for many years. When Mike and I decide to have children, I do not feel that my friends will threaten our family. In fact, I think they will be supporting and loving of us, as they always have been. I will be happy to have them be wonderful role models for our children. And at the end of the day, who my friends choose to date, live with, and marry is frankly none of my business. And where will this stop? Will unmarried couples of any orientation be banned from living together before marriage? Will it threaten the traditional family if couples continue to "shack up?" Mike and I lived together before we were married. Many people believe this is a sin. Fine. I had no moral issue with it and I do not see how it threatened anyone I know or, especially, anyone I do not know.

The United States took a huge step forward in electing Barack Obama to be the next president. I am proud and excited to see what kinds of positive changes will happen over the next four years. But I am also feeling a bit of despair. I've seen too much ignorance and hate bubble up over the last two years for my taste. If I were a praying person, I would pray that those who called the destruction of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina "God's will" will see the election of President Elect Obama as "God's will" and offer him their support and good will. I would pray that they will open their eyes to the good he can and, I believe, will do instead of seeing the color of his skin, his cultural heritage, or the fact that he has a different stance on important issues than they do. Unfortunately, I know that this is unrealistic. Ignorance and hate will continue to be a part of our culture for a long time.

So, I look forward to the next four years with an odd mixture of hope and sadness. If I was a praying person, I think my biggest prayer would be that I'm proven wrong.

Insert Hallelujah Chorus Here!

2008-11-04T23:08:00.002-05:00

I can now breathe an enormous sigh of relief and sleep well tonight!

Good night!

thisclose

2008-11-04T08:48:00.002-05:00

Today is going to be an excruciatingly long day. I'm already poring over Ravelry groups and online headlines. When I leave to go to the eye doctor, I will have NPR on. It's a nerve wracking day. Today is the day when I find out if I should take all my talk about Canada seriously. (Although, Kristen and I discussed Canada yesterday. We're kind of afraid that if a gaggle of Americans moves up there, it will wreck Canada.)

So, I imagine you've guessed who I'm voting for. Even if you disagree with me, if you are an American, get out there and V.O.T.E.! If you're not an American, just keep your fingers crossed for us. (Because if things go badly, a whole bunch of us might be invading your countries!)

So, so glad tomorrow is Election Day!

2008-11-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:46:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween, everyone!

It's been a fun night here. It's the first time I've been on the losing end of Trick-or-Treat. I couldn't even tell you how many pounds of candy we've given away. I thought we had bought too much, but apparently not. Anyway, two events have made this one of the greatest Halloweens ever.

The first happened while I was driving home from work. I was chatting with Mike on my cell phone when I heard our doorbell ring. Mike opened the door to a huge chorus of "TRICK-OR-TREAT!!!!" Mike said, "Hi! Are you guys having fun?!" Then I heard them all say, "THANK YOU!!!" as they walked away. I had tears in my eyes. Mike is going to be an amazing daddy!

The second just happened a minute ago. John McCain and Barack Obama came to my house trick-or-treating! It went something like this!

Them: TRICK-OR-TREAT!!!

Me: Wow! I didn't expect to see you two together tonight.

Obama: Yeah, I know.

McCain: We're buddies.

Me: So, where's Sarah?

Obama: Oh, she's out with Biden.

Me: Oh? Is he teaching her how to do this right?

McCain: Yeah.

Sometimes, I have great hope for the youth of this country. I bet those two are awesome kids.

PS- McCain is a girl. Who knew?

And now for your "ROFLMFAO" Moment of the Day!

2008-10-30T13:57:00.001-04:00

"WTF??!!!!!" Moment of the Day

2008-10-30T10:17:00.003-04:00

I will now be strapping on a chastity belt and refusing to get pregnant and/or give birth while living in this country. How did we get to this point?

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2008-10-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you!
(And I really don't think my mother actually poked you with that boutonnière pin.)

Another fabulous photo by Zev Fisher Photography!

Movin' Right Along

2008-10-27T12:08:00.006-04:00

Holiday knitting is going very well this year. I have finished my mother's scarf:

This is Branching Out from Knitty. It's a very easy lace pattern. The repeats are only ten rows and the scarf is only 25 sts wide. It flies by, especially if you use Malabrigo Silky Merino. This yarn was so, so soft! I can't wait to get my hands on some more! The color is gorgeous and the silk makes it shine! It does split some, but I think that is the nature of this type of yarn. If you only knit with yarns with a tight twist, this is not the yarn for you.

Up next, two hats for The Twinkies. The Twinkies are my cousins, K and M. They were 4 months old at their first Christmas and I made them silly hats. Apparently, doing something once in my family makes it a tradition, so they will be getting their fourth set of silly Christmas hats again this year. The first one is just waiting for tassels. The second one is cruising along as we speak. I'll post pictures as soon as they are done. In the meantime, how about pictures of the Twinkies themselves?

Miss M in her very first Christmas hat.

Mr. K in his very first Christmas hat.
And now?

The last two photos by Zev Fisher Photography.

Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?

2008-10-21T15:41:00.002-04:00

I am super tired and bitchy today for no apparent reason. Maybe because I can? (No. I'm not pregnant.) I dunno. Instead of complaining about it, I'm just going to show you a picture of my latest FO and try to pat myself on the back for getting another holiday gift done. (I can show you all here because I don't think the recipient even knows what a blog is.

This is the Hemlock Ring Blanket, adapted by Jared Flood. The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Mulled Wine. I used a smaller needle size than called for. I wish I hadn't, but it's too late now. I enjoyed the pattern. I plan on making at least one more of these, possibly two.

I am almost done with another gift, this one for my mom. I don't think she reads here, so I can post the photos here too. I should have it done tonight or tomorrow, depending on how tired I am when I get home from work tonight. Oy.

Life with Mike

2008-10-12T17:22:00.001-04:00

A typical monologue at the H home:

"No son or daughter of ours is going to be a butt sniffer! You have to have four legs to be able to do that.......And/or a tail."

I really hope our future children do not have tails.

Where's my invitation?

2008-10-09T10:45:00.002-04:00

I figure since I helped pay for AIG's bailout, I should be invited to their retreats, right? I didn't get my invitation to the first one, so I'd like to think I'm going to be invited to the second one. Insurance agents aren't the only people in the States that need a spa treatment right now.

The Root of the Problem

2008-10-07T12:23:00.003-04:00

I believe that I have discovered the cause of the financial crisis here in the United States. It is an attitude problem. Or stupidity. Or a stupid attitude. Anyway, I overheard a man say this at the BMV today:

"Shoot, if gas prices keep going down, I'm gonna sell my little truck and start driving my Suburban again."

headdesk

Revealed!

2008-10-03T09:16:00.002-04:00

I think most of you know that I had been working on a Super Secret Project for most of the summer. Well, it has been finished and passed on to its recipient.....Mike! Time to share photos!

This is, of course, the Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood. While not the most interesting knit ever, I did appreciate not having to sew anything up at the end. (Except for closing a couple of gaps at the sleeves.) The fit, while looser after blocking, is pretty near perfect. Personally, I think Mike looks great in it. Now I have to convince him that it's not so delicate that he can't wear it!

By Popular Demand.....

2008-10-02T18:09:00.000-04:00

More wedding photos this way!

Teaser...

2008-09-29T10:39:00.003-04:00

I'm still up to my eyeballs in thank you notes, laundry, and straightening up. (All of which I am successfully putting off at the moment. Thank you Ravelry and holiday knitting!) I wanted to share a few more photos that were sent to me by family members. I know I have a lot of details of the day to share, but I'm still kind of processing it all myself. A lot of it is a blur, although I know I was having fun at the time!

Obviously, this was taken during the ceremony. Isn't my husband a hottie? I wonder if I could get him to wear a tux on the weekends just for fun.

Our cake was beautiful *and* delicious! How many people can say that? The bottom layer was coconut cake with chocolate ganache filling. The top layer was banana cake with banana cream filling. (Mike loves banana!) The bottom layer was demolished at the reception. I don't think there was a single crumb left over. The top layer made for a wonderful breakfast each morning on our honeymoon!

Did I mention we got married on International Talk Like a Pirate Day? Mom handed out eye patches during the reception. I can't wait to see the rest of those photos! (Especially the one of my friend Sandra who was a little confused. You'll see.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Michael H!

2008-09-27T12:30:00.002-04:00

We're back home and unpacking, unwrapping presents, writing thank yous, and dealing with a sick dog! More photos to follow. It was a perfect day and a wonderful trip!

Jaywalkin' on Sunshine

2008-09-17T15:59:00.003-04:00

It just occured to me that I never posted a picture of my last pair of socks for Summer of Socks. Well, here they are:

They are the ever popular Jaywalker by Grumperina. The yarn is J. Knits Superwash Me Sock in the Florida colorway. Even though they are too wide in the toe for me, they make me exceptionally happy. I believe they will help keep my spirits up once winter sets in and it's dark and dreary outside.

This will probably be my last post until Mike and I get back from Massachusetts. When I get back, I have an award to pass on, a few stories, and some advice for future brides.

Have a great couple of weeks!

Dilemma

2008-09-06T09:47:00.002-04:00

I'm having a moral dilemma. As many of you know, I teach private voice and piano lessons at a local music store. While it's often frustrating and not very stable, it is a decent income. I doubt I could make as much money doing something else, particularly since, as a musician, my skills are limited. However, lately I've run into a dilemma with this store.
It started back in August when there was a teacher's meeting. In this meeting, one member of the sales staff said that the only reason the education department existed was to sell pianos for the store. um.....'scuse me? I was so pissed off. I didn't say anything then. I figured that I don't have to deal with the sales staff that often. All of the students that have come to me have had one form of keyboard or another in their home already.
Then last week a new student entered my studio. Apparently, they do not own so much as a cheap, one octave, electric keyboard. I sent the mother downstairs to discuss purchasing a piano since she mentioned they were looking for one. I was motivated by two things: 1.) that lessons with her son are going to become exceptionally frustrating very quickly if he has no way to practice and 2.) I get a small referral fee if they buy a piano from the store. Obviously, it's more important that this little boy get an instrument to practice on.
After their lesson, I emailed the head of the sales staff and asked how the referral process works. She explained it to me, then told me that this mother had been a customer of hers for seven years! How can you be a customer of a Steinway dealer for that long and not own a piano?! The manager told me that the person I refer has to be a new customer. This is all extremely shady to me and I'm starting to really wonder whether this is the kind of place I can continue to teach in. I don't teach music for the money. I sure as hell don't teach music so that this particular store can sell Steinways.
This whole situation makes me very sad. Some of my students I've had for two years. I've loved watching them progress as musicians and as human beings. I know how difficult it would be to start a home studio, especially since the terms of my contract with the store say I can't take any students with me if I leave.
So, my question is this: What would you do?

Accountability

2008-09-02T09:59:00.004-04:00

Casey has started a new craft-a-long! If you have a hard time completing your list of handmade holiday gifts, you should go check it out! Send her a note and let her know you want to join. The blog is private, so your friends and family won't be able to see what you're up to. I plan to create my queue as soon as wedding knitting is done. (Thisclose, people, thisclose!)

BTW.....

2008-08-28T18:23:00.002-04:00

I got the job! My first rehearsal was last night. I think it's going to be fun, but it sure is different singing with a choir where I'm expected to blend. In my last gig as section leader, I was hired for my ability to drown out the other sopranos. Very, very different situation here! I'm also going to be singing alto on some pieces, depending on the needs of the choir.
That's all for now. I've been running around like a headless chicken. Time to chill out for a while!

Insert Jeopardy Theme Song Here

2008-08-25T10:19:00.002-04:00

I'm waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting and it just might be the death of me. Yesterday, I had an audition with the church whose children's choir I'm directing. I auditioned for the position of soprano section leader. It would be a nice gig. The pay is decent, the choir is great, and I wouldn't have to drive to the church once a week just for a half hour kids' rehearsal. So, now I wait to hear the results. There were four of us who auditioned.

I feel like the audition went well. I had to prepare two selections that the director gave me, O Sacred Head Now Wounded (Bach. Sorry. I can't remember the German title.) and two phrases from Vivaldi's Laudamus Te (from the Gloria.)> Considering they are both outside my normal rep, I think they went pretty well. He did ask me to try the Bach with as little vibrato as I could. In fact, he told me to imagine I was singing with 12 boys. This used to be no problem for me. It was never comfortable, but I could do it. I was surprised to find out that it has become very challenging to take the vibrato out of my voice. (For the voice students who may or may not read this, this is not a particularly healthy thing to do on a regular basis. Straight tone should be used as an ornament. Vibrato is the sign of a free voice.)

I also had to sing a prepared piece of my own. I sang Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child arranged by Harry T. Burleigh. I cannot express enough how wonderful his arrangements of these spirituals are. I just love them. My only complaint about how this piece went has to do with the accompanist. I've never worked with him before, but I know he's wonderful. The problem is that most accompanists worry about balance and don't play strongly enough when they first work with me. The director asked me to redo a phrase because he felt I was under pitch. I did it and he said it was "a little better." I feel like if the pianist had played out more, I could have heard the piano over my own voice, but I'm not going to stress. The director was at my recital in January, has hired me as a ringer for his choir twice, and came to the production of Trouble in Tahiti I was in two years ago. He knows I can sing in tune.

Finally we did sight reading. EEK! I haven't had to sight read in a long time. The church I just left tends to do the same anthems year after year, so by the time I left this summer, I had pretty much done all of their repertoire. This was also the scariest sight reading I think I've ever done. In the past when I've had to sight read a four part hymn, the pianist would play the three parts I wasn't singing. This time, he played all four parts for one line, then dropped out completely. I was on my own for the rest of the hymn. Luckily, I underestimated myself. The first hymn went really well. So well that the director made me do another one because the first was "too easy." The second one was much more difficult. I got off in two places, but managed to correct myself and end up on tonic! I have to admit, I was pretty damn impressed with myself. I guess all the new music I've done in the past has really paid off.

So, now I wait. The director admitted in front of me that he thinks I have a great voice for a soloist, but he's not sure it's flexible enough to fit in a choir. That's kind of what I was expecting to hear. However, there are some things that work to my advantage.

1. My clearly keen sight reading abilities.
2. The fact that I already have to be there on Wednesdays and some Sundays.
3. The fact that I can guarantee that I will be there for all the major holidays because I do not have a school schedule to conform to.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. While it would be nice to have almost every Sunday morning off, I do need to be singing somewhere. Since I missed the opera chorus auditions again, this is my best bet for this season. (Short of another solo recital.) I should know by tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, keep the Jeopardy theme playing.....

Running behind

2008-08-20T10:12:00.002-04:00

I promised a post last week, but clearly, I'm a slacker. I've been a little overwhelmed this week. It seems that changing jobs, ramping up my teaching schedule, and planning a wedding seems to be catching up with me. Not to mention that Summer of Socks is almost over and I am behind schedule on that too. I know, I know. I told myself that I was under no pressure to complete my queue, but I'm so close! I have three and a half pairs to go. I feel like it would be cheating to rearrange my queue again. The whole point was to try patterns I had never done before.
Right now, though, I'm working on a pattern I have done before. I'm working on my second pair of Jaywalkers. I'm using J. Knits Superwash Me Sock in the Florida colorway. The yarn is fantastic! I used the same yarn in a different colorway (AC130) for my first pair of Jaywalkers. I also used it in the Portland colorway for my Monkeys. It's very soft and splits quite a bit, but what I love about it is that it feels like wool. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It makes my fingers tingly when I'm working with it. I like that. Anyway, sock one is done. It doesn't fit very well. The stitch pattern doesn't have any give at all, so my first pair was tight in the leg and heel. This time, I tried a bigger size. Sadly, it didn't really fix the original problem and now it's too big in the foot. I should have decreased to a smaller number of sts in the foot. I was also tempted to do a plain stockinette foot. Too late now.
So, my birthday was last week. (The big 3-2.) It was a nice evening. Mike took me out for dinner, then we went walking around the Village of West Clay, which is where we lived and spent a lot of time together last summer. It was a great walk. We also went to see Step Brothers. It was by far the worst movie I have seen in a long time. We walked out after 45 minutes. But then we got brownies, so it was all better!
Presents? Why, yes, there were presents. Mike got me this wonderful bag from DellaQ. He got the black/white tweed. I had told him that I wanted a knitting bag that looks a little more grown up and professional than my usual totes. This one totally fits the bill. (Since I'm teaching so much now, I thought I might try to look like it's my career this winter instead of my usual jeans, etc.) He also got me some of this in the Pansy colorway. His original plan for it was for me to teach him how to knit so he could knit something for me with it. We discussed how lace weight isn't the best yarn for a beginner. The plan is for him to use something from my stash to make me a hat. Meanwhile, I get the pretty lace weight! He's so sweet, isn't he?
ok....time to go write a lesson plan for rehearsal tonight, fill out tax paperwork for the new choir gig, and try to knit a few stitches before going to teach!

Sox, Sox, and More Socks!

2008-08-12T09:54:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, Mike and I drove up to Chicago to see the Red Sox play the White Sox. Sadly, our boys lost, but we had a good time. (And they won last night, so we can forgive them.) Here's a pictorial run down of what we saw:

The view of Chicago from near the top of the stadium. We can't afford seats any closer to terra firma.

Part of the stadium. It's huge.

Clay Bucholz, opening pitcher for Boston. He was the butt of many jokes that afternoon. He didn't pitch very well at all.

David Ortiz, aka Big Papi. Even other pros think he's cool. Here are three of the opposing team chatting with him during a pitching change. I wonder if they asked him for his autograph.

It's a three hour drive from Indianapolis to Chicago. Naturally, I brought knitting. I had intended to finish Nutkin on the trip, but I managed to lose one of the DPN's. Fortunately, I had brought yarn and needles to start Jaywalker. I didn't make much progress on them, but I am excited about them. They are going to be very awesome. They will make my feet happy in the winter. When I get further along, I will show you why.
I did get Nutkin finished yesterday. (Fortunately, I have two sets of Lantern Moon needles in size US 2.)I am very please with them. I've discovered that I really like the short row toe with a three needle bind off. Or is that I just dislike grafting that much? The world may never know. At any rate, not only is this a great pattern and a lovely yarn (Plymouth Happy Feet), but I also have a Christmas gift done! It doesn't get much better than that! (Or does it? More tomorrow.......)

oooooo.......shiny!

2008-08-09T15:12:00.003-04:00

Look what Mike and I picked up from the jeweler today!

It fits perfectly and I love it. I can't wait to wear it. We have about 41 days to go until I can, so it's back in its box, waiting patiently.
We also picked up Mike's but it wasn't as photogenic as mine. His is very similar to this one. It's also a perfect fit and the engraving is already done. Squee!
I finished socks today too! I finally jumped on the Brigid bandwagon.

I've admired Kristen's and Red Scot's, but hadn't made any of my own until this week. I had started a pair that were on my Summer of Socks queue, but quickly realized that the yarn and pattern weren't going to cooperate. Rather than decide whether to use the pattern and find a different yarn or vice versa, I scrapped them both and went for Brigid. I used Socks that Rock heavyweight in the Spinel colorway. They were sooper fast to knit and the are very cozy. I'm definitely going to be making more of this sock. (In fact, I have more STR heavyweight upstairs.) It will have to wait until SOS is over though. I have five and a half pairs of the ten I planned done and only a few more weeks to finish. Can I do it? Only time will tell. Luckily, I love the Olympics. I don't really care what sport it is or who wins. I just want someone to win. I find it all very exciting and uplifting. (Not to mention great for knitting!)

This backpack isn't a hammock*

2008-08-05T19:47:00.004-04:00

There has been a lot going on around here! Wedding plans are in full swing. We're picking out things like napkin folds and hors d'oeuvre. Oh, and I have a new dress! I finally got real about the other one and the chances of fitting into it by September 19. I went to David's Bridal and got a beautiful dress right off the rack. I'd show you, but Mike doesn't want to see it before the Big Day.
I've also taken a new job. I am now the director of the Celebration Choir at Northminster Presbyterian Church. This choir is for children ages 5-7. I am actually very excited about it. I met with the church's music director today. I'm a little nervous about getting started, but he made me feel a lot more realxed. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I love kids that age. Hopefully they will love me too!
There's been some knitting going on too! I've finished two more pairs of socks for Summer of Socks. I finished the Oriel socks. I loved the yarn, but it didn't work very well for it. They are also a little snug around the leg, but I had a serious case of Knitter's Denial and finished them anyway. If I scrunch them down, they fit nicely.

Mike finally has his very own pair of socks now. I call them Black Watch because that is the name of the colorway. It's Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock. I really enjoy this yarn, but it wants me to knit it on a US 1 needle. That meant a lot of stitches which led to a lot of pooling. Mike loves them, though, which is great because he wears a size 12. These are some big socks! I don't think I could handle it if I put in all the work to knit socks this big and he didn't like them! (I did break up the monotony by tossing in a little twist on the outside of each leg.)

* This is something that Mike said to one of the cats tonight. I have no idea what it means. Neither did he. That happens a lot around here.

Detox: Days 3-7

2008-07-28T15:38:00.002-04:00

Let's just say this did not go as well as I had hoped. I did learn that I have a severe addiction to soda. That was the one thing that I really wanted badly. I have to admit that I did feel good while I was trying this.
Since my wedding dress still doesn't fit, I am going to modify this diet a little. I still have a long way to go to my ideal weight goal, but I've realized that I just can't cut as much from my diet as this plan required. I plan to stick with smoothies in the morning, but instead of tofu and soy milk, I'm going to do tofu and either regular skim milk or fat free yogurt. Probably yogurt would be better. It's good for the tummy.
Dinner will still consist of chicken, veggies, and rice. Lunch is what I'm not sure of yet. I hate to do another smoothie. I feel like that's not enough food. Maybe a nice salad. I also have to cut the soda back and get tons more water. I generally drink a lot of water, but if there's soda, I'm more likely to drink more of that than water.
I've also got to get back on the exercise wagon. I had been doing really well. I'm not sure what happened.
I feel bad that there has been almost no knitting content this summer. I promise I haven't given it up. I've just been working on things that aren't too interesting to look at in their unfinished state. I should have a pair of socks to show off by the end of this week. Promise.

Drastic Measures

2008-07-26T17:46:00.002-04:00

At approximately 2:30 PM today, I looked like this:

Now I look like this:

So. Much. Better. I feel lighter, thinner, and much happier. And now I won't have to pay a stranger to do my hair for the wedding because there is no way this hair can look bad even with me doing it. Now we've just gotta get that dress on and zipped.....

Day Two: In which I am weak.

2008-07-23T08:30:00.003-04:00

Apparently, I can eat the required amount of veggies if I eat steamed broccoli. The sautéd asparagus didn't cut it for me on Monday night. However, I have been enjoying the chicken and rice that I get for dinner. I've even enjoyed the rice I get for lunch. Tonight I'm going to try an artichoke.
Oh, and don't tell my grandmother, but I had a soda last night.
The good news is that Mike and I chose a menu for our reception last night, booked the restaurant for our dinner the evening before (no rehearsal for us, thank you!), and I am going to order the Plan B shoes tonight!

Detoxifying: Day One Update

2008-07-22T15:16:00.001-04:00

There is no way I can eat the required amount of vegetables. I don't like green vegetables that much. Why can't I eat tomatoes?
Also, I would sell my grandmother for a diet Dr Pepper right now.

Toxic

2008-07-21T09:15:00.002-04:00

I have decided to try a detox diet. I've been wanting to for a while and the timing feels right. I'm using Mark Hyman's Ultrasimple Diet. I will spare you the details on the program unless you're really interested. Let's just say that a week without dairy, sugar, wheat, gluten, alcohol, high fructose corn syrup, prepackaged foods, most fruits and some vegetables is going to be a challenge. However, the things I can eat sound delicious and healthy to me, so I'll do the best I can.
I weighed myself and took a few measurements this morning. I'll be sure to keep you posted.
Meanwhile, knitting has slowed down a little. I knew I shouldn't have set such lofty goals for Summer of Socks. I'm behind on that. Icarus is hibernating now as well because I've decided to knit a scarf for my Bride's Dude for the wedding. I've also got a shrug to knit for my Matron of Honor.
How will I get it all done? Stargate and audiobooks.

May I never live to see the day.....

2008-07-14T21:48:00.002-04:00

Have you read about this? I've got one word for you: travesty. Seriously. I'm not sure I can survive without chocolate. I think I'm genetically wired to require chocolate at least once a week. I imagine my child(ren) will be too. I don't know how future generations of my family will get by.
If they tell me the world is also running out of peanut butter, I'm going to have to find a new planet that's filthy with peanuts and cocoa. mmmmmm..........cocoa........

Thisclose

2008-07-10T10:18:00.001-04:00

Mike mailed our wedding invitations today!!! Two months and nine days to go!!!!

That is all. (SQUEE!!!!!)

Plan B

2008-07-08T15:03:00.002-04:00

For the record, Zappos rocks! I ordered those red leather shoes on Sunday and they arrived today. As I predicted though, they didn't fit. I'm going to have to go with Plan B. Kristen and I are going to Nordstroms on Thursday so I can get fitted for all the ridiculous undergarments I'm going to need to wear with The Dress. I will have my feet measured and look at shoes while I'm there. Unless Nordstroms has something better, I'll order the Plan B shoes in Garnet. (You can see the colors by clicking on the little link next to the color menu.) While I'm disappointed that the ones from Zappos didn't fit, I think these will work out just fine. My feet won't really be seen anyway, but I've seen some cute pictures of brides with their colored shoes sticking out from under their gowns. As we all know, the wedding is all about the pictures. (Just kidding, Mike!)
By the way, Mike made a nice website for our guests. If you are interested in taking a peek, it's right over here.

So many shoes, so few feet

2008-07-05T20:57:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to decide on shoes for the wedding. I thought I had my mind made up, but I guess I was wrong. Here are the issues I'm dealing with.
1. The ceremony is going to be in the grass, so the heel must be high enough for my dress, but wide enough that I don't sink. I'd like to keep it to 2 1/2" since I'm tall enough as it is.
2. I really want to wear red shoes, but if I have them dyed, there is a good chance they will run, even if I have them waterproofed.
3. If I get shoes dyed ivory, I will have shoes I'll probably never wear again. If I have them dyed another color later, I'll still have the issue of bleeding color.
These are the dyeables I like:

4. I have found a pair that I like that come in red or ivory, but cannot be dyed. If I buy them in ivory, I can return them if I don't like them. If I buy them in red, I can only exchange them for size.
Here they are:

5. Is leather dressy enough? I found a pair at Zappos that I like, but they don't seem dressy enough to me. However, they are red, the color won't run, and Zappos has free shipping and returns.

Zappos had another pair that Kristen pointed out to me, but Mike had a strong opinion on them. (He didn't like them.) I guess they are out of the running at this point. If you're curious though, they can be found here. Oh, and if I was really short, I'd be all over these.

Do not adjust your monitors....

2008-07-03T20:46:00.002-04:00

My Child's French (Whore) Socks are done and they are lovely, and eye-ball searing, and too small for me. The yarn is Gypsy Girl Creations fingering weight in the colorway Lydia. I have no idea who Lydia is, but boy is she a hussy. I think the color in the pictures might even be a bit dark. These socks are bright! (They are also too short for my feet, but that's ok. I have a willing recipient.)

The pattern is the Child's French Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. It's a good pattern. I'm not sure I'd knit it again, but I enjoyed working on it the first time. In general, I love Nancy Bush's stuff, but I found the diapering pattern to be a bit dense for my taste. I think it looks good, but I didn't really like knitting it.

I've started my third pair for Summer of Socks. If I keep this rate of production up, I'll have no problem getting through all of the socks in the queue. I'll probably be adding more to that list shortly since things are going so well. I've started the Oriel Lace socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. It took three false starts, but I have a game plan. I'll keep you posted!

"She turned me into a newt!"

2008-06-28T09:22:00.004-04:00

ok....it was just an ear infection, but Tremor did get better. It was pretty rough for the first day he was back with us. Tremor has chronic colitis and is on a medication long term to prevent the, um, unpleasant symptoms that go along with having a very sensitive digestive system. Well, the genius emergency vet took him off that medication just in case it was causing a neurological issue and then put him on a new antibiotic for the ear infection. A new antibiotic that is known to cause the unpleasant symptoms. So we had a fun day, but after a visit to our regular vet, we got ourselves straightened out. They put him back on the old med for 24 hrs, then reintroduced the new antibiotic. They nixed the antacid and gave him an antivomit med. He also gets his ears flushed once a day and medicated drops twice a day. He's taking it all in stride. He's taking a few more naps than usual, but appears to back to his old self! Thanks for all of the happy healing thoughts.
Next week he gets to go to a different vet. This one does all the tests necessary to make sure his lymphoma hasn't come back. He's four years clear of cancer!

Tremor

2008-06-25T00:20:00.004-04:00

Tremor, one of our Shelties, is spending the night at the vet tonight. Mike and I just got back. He was having trouble walking earlier tonight and was panting heavily. Tremor is Mike's partner in crime, so we'd appreciate any healing thoughts you might send his way. He's a really wonderful dog. Mike occasionally gets the idea that I don't like Tremor. He does tend to be a bit loud and runs into the screen door a lot, but he is a very good dog. He's also a tough little guy. Tremor is a lymphoma survivor, so I'm sure he's going to overcome whatever is ailing him now.

Summer of Socks 2008

2008-06-23T16:07:00.002-04:00

Summer of Socks began on Saturday. I've decided to use the sock books I had to have, but have never used for this KAL. The queue I have over there on the left is what I hope to get done, but I'm not going to kill myself doing it. If I get through them all, great, if not, no big deal. I've also decided to knit the patterns I have never done before first. This means I might not get to Jaywalker, Nutkin, or Apple Harvest before all is said and done. I'm OK with that. So far, it's going really well. Mike indulged me on Saturday and let me knit all day. (Probably to get me to shut up about SOS.) I finished on Friday Harbor. I just finished the second one a little while ago. They are upstairs bleeding in a bath of warm water.

I used Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Rosehip colorway. I love this yarn. I must acquire more in the future. Not soon though. I dragged out all of my sock yarn to decide what to work with this summer. I have a lot of sock yarn. See?

The pattern is lovely. I made some, um, modifications that involved me not reading the pattern thoroughly before I began. I plan to make these again at some point and I'll do it right next time. The foot is a bit short for me, but not too uncomfortable, so I can live with it.
I haven't decided what my next pair will be yet. I think I want to get some more work done on Icarus before I start another pair of socks. Since Icarus isn't all that exciting to look at yet, I'll leave you with a picture of a jalapeño. Mike wants to leave this one on the plant until it turns red. I'll let you know how that goes.

Odds and Ends

2008-06-17T11:02:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for the compliments on my shawl! The pattern is the Faroese Flower Shawl by Lucy Neatby. I used Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool as the pattern called for fingering or DK weight yarn. I was a little worried about it during the knitting, but it blocked up beautifully. I'm not sure it's quite the look I wanted for the wedding, so I've also started Icarus in an ivory lace weight soy silk.
I have finished Augustus Gloop.

I love these socks. I love how the stripes aren't quite the same. If you look carefully, you can see that the stripes are negatives of each other. Very cool. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Sheperd's Sock in the SSYC colorway. It's only available from the Simply Socks Yarn Company. It was a gift from Kristen. Hooray!
The recital has been postponed until after the wedding. Between my health and our accompanist going on vacation for three weeks, we felt it would be prudent to wait. I am very relieved about this. Now I have time to get my voice back.
I had to go buy pants the other day! They are a size smaller than my old ones! I am so excited. They are one size smaller than The Dress. Since wedding dresses tend to run one or two sizes small, I figure I am close to getting the thing zipped up! Double hooray! We have three months and two days to go! (Not that I'm counting.)

Fin

2008-06-11T11:23:00.001-04:00

Anticipation

2008-06-10T11:57:00.002-04:00

Thank you for your support regarding my mojo. I don't have it back yet, but I am feeling better about it. I've realized that I am allergic to Indianapolis or something. I've been feeling better in the morning, but as soon as I step outside, my throat and chest start to get tight. There's not much I can do about it right now. I've tried taking Claritin and it didn't help. I tried taking Benadryl and ended up sleeping all afternoon. I'd go to an allergist, but I live in the United States. I do not have health insurance. I'm going to have to ride out allergy season and hope for the best. What concerns me is that even with all the rain we've been getting, I'm still having a hard time breathing. I guess having bronchitis immediately followed by pollen season has made everything worse.
In the meantime, I'm taking baby steps to getting my voice back. I haven't heard from the chorus master yet, so no hurry there. I haven't heard back from either church that Kristen and I want to perform at this summer, so no hurry there either. We had planned recitals for July 25 and 27. I guess if I'm not ready, I'm not ready since nothing is set in stone. We can always do it in the fall too.
I do have a nice stack of scores from the library sitting on my piano. I still haven't chosen all of my repertoire for the recital. I've got scores by Argento, Bolcom, Rorem, and Laitman. I think the Laitman is a given. It's called I Never Saw Another Butterfly. The text is by prisoners of a Nazi concentration camp. It is scored for soprano and saxophone. This kind of piece seems to be the thing for Kristen and I to do. It's rather similar to Vollinger's The Child in the Hole that we have performed twice already. When my website is done, I'll put up a recording of it. It's a great piece.
On the knitting front....the shawl is done! ok...almost done. I have finished the knitting. I need to bind it off and block it. I'm planning on doing a stretchy bind off to give it a bit of a ruffle. I'm also planning on running a life line before I bind off in case I hate it. I don't think I will though. It should be all done and blocking by bed time tonight!
Other wedding plans are moving forward. Mom is taking care of favors and centerpieces. I have relatives looking out for restaurants for our "rehearsal" dinner. (We're not having a rehearsal, so it's really just dinner.) The one big concern is that my dress still doesn't fit. My seamstress is awesome, but if I don't get it into gear, even she will not be able to help me out. I see a lot of salad in my near future. I hope the weather stays sunny for a few days too. The shawl is going to take up all my work out space in my office while it's drying! I'm going to have to suck it up and go outside for walks. Luckily, Mike will come with me and won't let me push it to the point that I stop breathing entirely! He's a good man.

Have you seen my mojo?

2008-06-02T21:07:00.003-04:00

So, last week a friend of mine told me that the choir master of the Indianapolis Opera chorus is desperate for singers for next season. He asked her for recommendations and she wanted to know if she could give him my name. I have talked about auditioning for the chorus since I moved here in 2004, but something has always come up. I told her to definitely give him my name and email address. I haven't heard from him yet, but I do want to audition. I thought I was fully recovered from The Plague, so my accompanist and I started brushing up an aria last week. I haven't sung it since January, so it was tough. Then on Friday, I went to work early to practice. I'm starting to get a little freaked out. You see, I can't sing in tune anymore.
I am really nervous about this. What if I've lost it already? I've never even done anything really exciting with my singing. (Well, singing Dinah in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti was cool, but that was grad school.) Is it possible to get bronchitis once and then never be able to sing again? I hope not. I hope I'm just in a slump or something, but what if this guy emails me tomorrow and wants me to sing for him next week or something? I know it's not the Met, but I still don't want to sound like poo at my audition.
A friend of mine called tonight. I haven't talked to him in a while, so of course he had to ask about auditions. He's been really supportive and trying to push me to do things I don't have the confidence for. No wonder I can't breathe tonight. I feel like I am on the verge of a panic attack. Too bad it sounds like Red Scot drank all the gin in the world recently. I could use some.
Perhaps a bubble bath instead.

Workin' Out

2008-05-29T19:49:00.004-04:00

I am very fortunate in that I only work a handful of hours a week. I teach on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. My church gig doesn't happen during the summer, so I even get Sundays off for the next few months. I have a lot of time to myself since Mike works a "real" job. With gas prices being what they are, this summer is going to involve a lot of knitting, reading, practicing, and taking care of the house. I'm really excited about it.
Another thing I'll be doing a lot of this summer is working out. You see, my wedding dress doesn't fit. I bought it many years ago when I thought I wanted to marry the person I was with at the time. It's the perfect dress for me, but it took 8 more years for me to find the perfect guy for me. I have until July to get this thing zipped up. I've talked about my weight before on this blog. I'm happy to report that I have lost 21 lbs since January, maybe more. I weigh myself on Friday mornings. I'll keep you posted! Meanwhile, I'm sore. I hurt in places I didn't know I had places. I've actually had a good time doing it though. When one gets out of their work out routine, one forgets how good it makes one feel.
Today I skipped my workout because of the pain. (Mike and I did go for a walk together tonight though.) I knit all day. Here are the fruits of my labor:

This is my wedding shawl so far. The color in the photo isn't very good. I think it looks too pink here. I am really enjoying working on this. I find lace addictive which is probably why I've gotten so far so fast. (That and I have really good motivation....wedding photos!) Once I got a handle on how the pattern goes, I stopped having to knit three rows then rip two back. The rows are almost 300 stitches long at this point. Mike did the math for me (because he's smart like that) and the final row will have about 400 stitches when all is said and done. I expect to have it done rather soon, but I may get through fewer rows each day.
I mentioned in an earlier post that my mother was very generous when she came to visit in April. She bought us plants, a grill, and all kinds of other things for our house as an early wedding gift. She helped us decorate the room we jokingly refer to as the South Room and this is where I will be spending a lot of time this summer.

(This picture was taken during the dogs' dinner time. They eat in there because it's easier for them to stand on the carpeting than on the hardwood floor in the kitchen. They slip on it a lot. The cat was just hoping he could sneak in and get some of what they were having.)
It's almost as good as sitting on an enclosed porch because of all the windows and natural light. I absolutely love this room. It gets sun all day in the winter and is still nice and bright during the summer. The cats love this room too. They sit in the windows and watch the birds for hours. The mantle is one of my favorite parts of this room. I love the prints and the vases of daisies. The light overhead is aimed at the mantle. It's a very nice feature in the evenings. It's very intimate.

I am looking forward to many more hours here this summer. My piano is there too. It's a lovely place to practice. Next fall we'll even get the fireplace in working order. I love our house!

How dental floss saved my life...

2008-05-25T10:24:00.002-04:00

Everything is going just swimmingly on my Faroese Flower Shawl, a.k.a. My Wedding Shawl. Well, it was, until I couldn't make row 43 of the pattern work. I went back and looked over the work I'd done. It was all correct. I tinked back the section that wasn't working twice. It was all correct. I checked the pattern errata. Row 43 was charted correctly. Then, as I was holding up the work to yell at it, I saw it, two rows back....

Two. Dropped. Stitches.

I panicked for a nanosecond. Then I realized that my life line, my dental floss, was hanging onto those two stitches for dear life. Not only that, but because I planned my life lines ahead of time, I knew exactly which row in the chart I had threaded the life line through.

Thank you, dental floss.

Pictures of the shawl in progress soon to come. How about hydrangeas instead?

As requested......

2008-05-22T21:11:00.002-04:00

The yarn for my wedding shawl! I am ten rows in and so far so good. (After four attempts to get it started.)Since Mike isn't against seeing this before the wedding, more pictures will follow as I progress!

And just for fun, the baby hat I made to go with the Baby Yoda Sweater.

This is the oh-so-lovely Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch n Bitch. (I always want to write "chord." I'm such a geek.)If I get my arse in gear, it can be shipped off to Maine and baby Liam before he outgrows it!

It's here! It's here!

2008-05-22T10:42:00.001-04:00

The yarn for my wedding shawl is here! I think it's even the right color! (I'm going to double check before I wind it up.) I can't wait to cast on! Squee!

And I can knit, too.

2008-05-19T21:42:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone for their nice comments on my little garden. Also, thanks for all your healing thoughts! I am feeling better. I'm not 100%, but I'm getting there. I still have a cough and something going on in my chest. I've also been getting bad sinus headaches, but I think that's due to allergies, not bronchitis. If I could just get my energy back, I'd be ready to go!
I kept promising pictures of knitting. This is a knitting blog, after all. I only have one FO to show off and that is the Baby Yoda Sweater. I made this sweater for a friend's new baby, Liam. Liam's mom was one of my very best friend's in high school. I haven't seen her since I was in undergrad, but I still hear from her every now and then. She's sent me a few pictures of Liam and he is a sweet looking boy. Hopefully the sweater will fit when he gets it!

I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in the Sea Spray colorway. I really enjoyed the yarn, but I will definitely be making some changes to the pattern the next time I use this pattern. Many people on Ravelry have knit this sweater in one piece and picked up the sleeve stitches rather than sewing the sleeves in. I'll borrow these modifications for the next Baby Yoda. It's a great pattern, but I found the seaming tedious. Setting in the sleeves was the most difficult for me and I'm really not happy with how they turned out.
There should be some more knitting to show off soon. I have two projects that are almost done, Augustus Gloop and my Girly capelet. I'm eager to get these off the needles for two reasons. Summer of Socks starts in a few weeks and I have a long queue of socks to try out. Also, the yarn for my wedding shawl shipped from Webs today! I'm especially anxious to get started on that!

Make our Garden Grow

2008-05-18T18:31:00.002-04:00

"you've been a fool and so have I..." Sorry. Just reliving a moment the tenor soloist and I had at church this morning. It seems like so long ago, but this morning was the last day of the choir season. I have Sunday mornings off until September. (Except for the four times that I signed up to do soli.)
When I got home, I went out with my camera and finally took some pictures of the pretty things that are growing on my patio. (Because of me or in spite of me, I'm not sure.) Here are just a few of those pictures:

My favorite one of all! This hanging basket is so full and beautiful. It is also starting to gain some small yellow flowers. Even though red is my All Time Favorite Color, I have to admit that when it comes to flowers, I love yellows and purples, especially together. Like this one:

Those are "supertunias" and some kind of daisy. I love the daisies. They are purple in the center and close up at night. They make me smile.

I'm also trying to grow some things to eat:

We've had three red strawberries already, but they didn't last long enough to be photographed. (yum!)

If you look closely enough you can see the wee green tomato that has appeared on this plant. There are actually two more teeny 'maters on there too. Sadly, the cherry tomato is not doing as well. I don't think the cucumbers are going to make it either. But I am super excited about this:

Those are baby peaches! I can't take credit for them. The tree was here when we moved in. I just hope we get a few before the birds get them all. (I swear there are eleventy billion birds in this neighborhood and they all live in our backyard.)

We also have, from right to left, cucumbers, chamomile, cilantro, jalapeno, and rosemary. Not pictured are the peppermint, parsley, and lavender.
I wanted to show a few more pictures of our flowers, but this is a pretty photo heavy post already. Maybe another time. For now, here's another photo of my favorite flower combination:

Word Association

2008-05-18T00:06:00.002-04:00

Mike and I indulged in a bottle of wine tonight. He apparently has no head for it. Like the good Irish boy he is, he can only tolerate whiskey. Anyway, he played a game of word association with himself. I am still trying to figure out how aardvark and singularity are associated. The world may never know.

Like Saturdays as a kid

2008-05-08T13:09:00.002-04:00

This whole week has been one long Saturday morning. Except that I'm almost 32. And I haven't just watched cartoons. (Although I have watched plenty of those too.) And, oh yeah, I'm sick.
I'm very frustrated with this particular form of plague. I *am* feeling better than I was over the weekend, however, I don't seem to be functioning normally yet. My nose and head are still stuffy, but that I can deal with. It's the exhaustion I can't handle. If I am sitting on the couch knitting, watching the idiot box or reading, and surfing Ravelry, I'm fine. If I try to go up or down the stairs, brush my teeth, cook, or basically live, I get out of breath and wobbly in the knees. I tried to go teach last night. Bad idea. By the time I got up the stairs at the store, I was sweating and shaking. I met with my coach to give her some scores for the upcoming recital. We chatted for a while. Then I called my last four students and canceled. I did teach the first four lessons and that was not good. I could barely engage with them, let alone teach them anything worthwhile. My poor voice student had it particularly rough.
So anyway, I should have lots of knitting to show you when the weather clears up well enough for photos. I've got a baby sweater to put the finishing touches on and I'm working on a capelet for myself. I have a serious case of startitis as well. Perhaps it's a symptom of the plague, but I just want to knit and knit and knit all kinds of new things. Keep your eyes open for it!

Benched

2008-05-04T22:49:00.002-04:00

I've been put on the sidelines for a few days with a nice case of .....something. The doctor I saw today called it bronchitis. I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure I completely agree with him. I went in because I've had a sore throat for four days. I have a wee bit of a cough, but apparently it's enough to require prescription cough medicine and possibly an inhaler. I got the prescription for the antibiotics filled, but the pharmacy didn't have the cough syrup. I'm not planning on getting the inhaler unless things get really bad.
Unfortunately, one of the symptoms of this illness has been fatigue. I've had no energy at all. I've really wanted to get out in the yard and do some cleaning up in the front garden, but when brushing your teeth wears you out, you know you need to just stay inside. There are a few plants that are threatening to take over the front garden. We also need to dig up all the weeds that have taken over the previous owners back garden. We are planning on letting the grass take over that spot. If we decide we want a bigger garden, I think we'll do raised beds. For now, my handful of containers are good enough for me. (By the way, nothing has died yet and the tomatoes are starting to blossom!)
When my energy level returns to normal, I will get out in the yard for some weeding and photo ops. Knitting has not been too hard on me, so I should have some pictures of a baby sweater to show off in the next day or two!

Sunflower

2008-05-02T10:53:00.003-04:00

Mike doesn't like sunflowers, but I do. Since I can't have them in the house, I figured this hat would be a close substitute.

It's the Sunflower Tam from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan. (If you haven't looked at this book, do it! It's gorgeous!) It's the second one I've knit. The first one didn't fit well and had lots of mistakes. This one doesn't fit well either, but it is mistake free as far as I can tell. I opted not to do the i-cord on top, but just pulled the yarn through the remaining sts. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Vera. It's the first time I've used this yarn and I would definitely do it again! It was a little splitty, but very soft and the colors are wonderful! I have a few skeins of Lorna's sock yarn in my stash. I'll have to be sure to bust those out for Summer of Socks!

Hob Nobbing

2008-04-30T10:24:00.002-04:00

I saw the Yarn Harlot again last night. She was hilarious. I knit a lot. Kristen amused everyone by taking pictures with her laptop. I met cool people. That about sums it up!

Pass the tissues......

2008-04-29T11:07:00.001-04:00

see more cute dogs and puppies

I'll vote for the candidate who can fix everything that is wrong with this picture.

Thanks, Ma!

2008-04-28T09:59:00.003-04:00

So, my mother was here for the last week. She arrived last Saturday and left yesterday morning. While I have to admit that Mike and I were ready for some alone time well before yesterday, it was good to see her. We had a good time too. See, mom planned on getting us our wedding present while she was out here and she really outdid herself:

We now have a fully decorated family room. We just need two more 5x7" prints for the really cool frame on the wall.
Our bedroom is almost done too. We just need drapes that aren't hideous.
Our guest bathroom is now a shrine to the Boston Red Sox.
I have lots of plants. Mom is a plant person and I've decided to try to be. They are all outdoor plants since the cats love to munch on growing things. (Then throw it all up later. Ew.) So, I'm trying my hand at container gardening. We only put one plant in the ground. I'm also going to try and maintain the garden that is already in the front of the house. Hopefully I won't kill too many things.
We have a brand new grill.
We have the latest season of Scrubs on DVD and several new books.

I'll probably hear about how broke she is for the next six months, but she insisted on all of that, so I'll just remind her of that later. ;)

Meanwhile, it's back to work for me this week. I'm so sick of teaching music lessons to stupid over-privileged kids and their crazy moms. Lately, I've been thinking about becoming a librarian and singing on the side.
Speaking of singing, I had a gig last night. I sang alto in a local church choir for their performance of Haydn's Mass in Time of War (aka Paukenmesse). I'm definitely not an alto anymore, but I'm glad I took the gig. Apparently, the countertenor they hired to sing the alto solo has to have surgery soon to correct some vocal issues. While that is completely terrifying to any singer, it gave me a chance to shine. I was asked by the director with less than a week to go to sing about three pages of the alto solo. It was fun and I got lots of compliments afterwards. I'm sure it's going to spark the whole "what voice type are you anyway?" debate again, but at this point, I don't care. I got to sing. In front of people. Woohoo!

PS- I'll post pictures of the plants and everything soon. I just need to take some!

2008-04-18T12:22:00.003-04:00

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, my pets really pissed me off. They kept shaking my bed. It was like both cats were on the bed bathing at the same time and the dogs were rubbing their heads against the rails like they are wont to do.
Oh, wait. It was an earthquake.
Never mind.

WHAT THE FUCK?

2008-04-17T10:20:00.001-04:00

Sorry. I know that's not my normal tone here, but this article has me absolutely boiling. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go sign the petition to stop this sick fuck from doing this again! ART MY ASS.

By the way

2008-04-17T09:19:00.002-04:00

I finished these. I don't know why I didn't post anything about them. I've finished them and worn them twice already. In spite of all the trouble I had with the yarn, I really love these socks. The next time I make this pattern though, I'll add and extra pattern panel to the leg.

What trouble with the yarn, you ask? One knot, four places where the plies were breaking, and this:

That last didn't seem to affect the colors on the sock itself, but I'm really worried about how much more dye might come out when I wash them. They'll be bathing by themselves for a while, I think.
My mom will be here for a visit on Saturday! She's staying for a week. Hopefully I will have some fun picture of the house for you. I think she's planning on helping me decorate at least one room. We're also planning a visit to the White River Gardens for the butterflies.

Monkeyin' Around

2008-04-15T11:21:00.002-04:00

I finished the Monkeys I had intended for my mom. I figured they weren't going to fit her pretty early on in the process, so I've decided to send them to my best friend's daughter whose nickname happens to be Monkey. She is obsessed with monkeys and I have to admit that it's all my fault. Her mom and I have been calling her that for years and I started buying her monkey related things for birthdays and Christmas when she was about four. She's almost twelve now and the craze continues. Hopefully these will fit and she will like them.

I used South West Trading Company's TOFUtsies. I have to say that I am not really a fan of this yarn. It splits like mad and has very little give. I found myself knitting very tightly and it really hurt my hands a lot. I'm sure my gauge is all over the place because I had to keep reminding myself to relax. It does make a nice, light, smooth fabric though. I have most of this skein leftover and a whole skein in a different color in my stash. I'm going to use up what I have before I decide if I'll buy more or not. I know someone who would gladly take it off my hands though if I change my mind, right Kristen?

The Gallery

2008-04-11T19:33:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed that my Flickr badge is missing from the blog. It's only temporary. Mike likes to browse through my photos on occasion, but can only find it through that badge. I've taken it down because I just uploaded picture of my wedding dress today! He's not allowed to see until The Big Day. If, for some reason, you feel the need to look at my pictures,they are all still there.

Boys and their dogs

2008-04-09T09:56:00.003-04:00

We had a really nice weekend here. It was warm and sunny. The boys in this house had a great time. The feline boys laid around on the floor soaking up the sun. The boys that are allowed outside had their own brand of fun:

If you've done the math, I'm sure you'll have noticed that I am outnumbered 5 to 1. That's a lot of boys to take care of! But I wouldn't have it any other way.

huh?

2008-04-07T15:12:00.002-04:00

This headline caught my eye today.
I've read it three times and I'm still wondering if there was a lawful way to kill her. Or anyone for that matter.

Experimentation

2008-04-05T13:41:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is day one of a week long experiment Mike and I are attempting. We've been trying to come up with ways to save money since buying a house and having a wedding are expensive. Our latest and greatest idea is to see how we would get on with only one car, so starting tomorrow, we're going to pretend like we only have one car. If it goes well we are most likely going to sell my car. That's would save us the amount of the payment plus gas and insurance costs. That's quite a bit of money each month that we could put toward more important (and fun) things like our honeymoon or getting a fence for the backyard.
Of course, this means that on my days off, he will have the car at work. I'll be at home with no means of conveyance. You know what that means?

Knitting time.

Oh, and practice time since we bought a piano last week! It's a used Baldwin, but the person who came to tune it for me said it's in great shape. I have no excuse not to practice anymore which is a good thing since Kristen and I are cooking up a joint recital for July. If you like American music and will be in the Indianapolis area, you should come!