Magic

After a thoroughly refreshing mini-vacation from work, I have plenty to report.

First of all, my dear sweet Little Man delivered his first spurt of pee into the little potty. Wee! This does not mean that we're potty training. This guy is way too stubborn to accept such prodding. [it's genetic, and in spite of being a fairly stubborn person, my skinny-weak stubborn gene pales in comparison to Wifey's uber-buff stubborn gene. aka - it's her fault.] He will potty train on his own damned schedule, or he'll attend college with Elmo on his Pull-Ups. So sayeth Little Man.

We trekked through the Harold Parker State Forest in the wee hours of the morning, encountering only two souls (a cutie Dad and his cutie son taking a morning dip in the pond) and much wildlife. We hiked. We sat and stared at nature. We snacked. We splashed in the pond. I was feeling very zen until Little Man threw a temper tantrum and refused to walk. How does one deal with that? Well ... whatever you pack in, you must pack out. It's a simple rule of hippie outdoorsy people, right? Yeah. All snarkyness aside, I enjoyed tossing his pissy little ass on my shoulders and feeling tough and strong. Not surprisingly he perked right up and enjoyed the trip out. I remember this from childhood. There is something magical about the shoulders.

The glory of life is summed up in two words: Plum Island. In my fantasy world, I own a home on Plum Island. I have a seriously kick-ass internet connection and a fast laptop. My job allows me to work remotely. I have an endless supply of yarn. My child grows up in the sand dunes. I sit on the beach and look for seals. I have a steady supply of sand in every bodily orifice. We spent two days on Plum Island this week and it was magical.

In addition, we spent tons of wonderful time with KangaRoo and Baby G. Love them. Glad they're healthy. All you knitters will understand this -- how happy was I when Roo asked me if she could borrow some big fat needles? So happy. She makes these chunky garter stitch scarves in cool colors, and only buys yarn for one project at a time (no stash!!) Then the kicker - unique little felt flowers. I have two flowers from the first season of flower-making, and as of Thursday, I have this season's flower. This evolution includes a button and stitching. Pictures to come. Wunderbar!

Now for FOs.

I fina-fucking-ly finished my Branching Out. The Wifey loves it. I like the finished product, but the knitting was a beast. I should listen to Dilettante Debutante's theory -- don't knit lace while parenting wee ones. Here she is -- the Beast:


In extraordinary news, I am also finished with my SockPal socks! Hooray! Here they are:

Yeah, OK, so it's not the most artistic photo. Nor is it taken in natural light. But hell, I wanted to mark the occasion in time to get onto Alison's Tuesday update. Artistry plays second fiddle to braggery. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. And I love this yarn! Please note: the majority of the pooling was herded to the soles. Also, my SockPal's feet are both shorter and narrower than mine, so the socks should be snug on her, but not pull the stitches like on my canoes.

As proof that I loved the ArtYarns SuperMerino, I spent early Sunday clicking away at these for a little guy's 1st birthday:


More pics tomorrow. Stay tuned...