Hodge Podge

Well, today is my last day of Spring Break...I am ready to go back.  There is never much left of the school year when we get done with April break anyway...I think we have less than 35 regular class days, then four days of local finals and then a week or so of NY State Regents exams, so there isn't much left at all. Plus, the weather is beautiful and everything is green and happy and the world is all new and lovely.  

Obviously, I love this time of the year...it restores my soul after the winter.  I cannot stand the winter.  A lot of people ask me why I don't move to somewhere where there is no winter to detest, but to be honest, I don't think you can fully appreciate the beauty of nature in all its glory without winter.  Winter is a necessary evil.  I know I wouldn't fully appreciate Spring and all of its rebirth without the crappiness that is a NY winter.

Anyway...onward to today's post.  This is my husband's Cobblestone Pullover from Interweave Knits magazine. 

               

It did fit, he tried it on and I took a picture, but it looked ass-tastic, so I had to delete it.  I am clearly not blocking things correctly...you can see little lumps all down the sides and sleeves were my pins were in it, and it looks like a dinosaurs tail.  So, I have to re-block it.  But it does fit.  And that, in and of itself, is a relief.  I need to find a tutorial on proper blocking techniques and maybe invest in a real blocking board and wires...I've had this issue before!

I moved on and was starting my Back to School U-neck vest (details on my Ravelry page) when I got a call from a work friend.  She had just gotten a wee little puppy who was shivery in the cold night air and she wanted to commission a puppy sweater.

I have always sworn I would never knit a dog sweater.  Be careful what you swear you will never do.  This is the Penny pattern from Knitty. I added a neck ruffle and a butt flounce.   The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool that I have had in the stashola for a million years.  It is a pretty shade of lilac.

Then, I decided to paint my dining room.

That was the before...

and this is the after.  

Just half the walls are this lovely deep garnet red.  The others are a pretty chino tan color.  I tried to post paint chip pictures, but Sherwin Williams' website has an attitude today.  You can see the tan color on the wall to the left of refrigerator if you look carefully...

We took the boys to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in town.

It was a gorgeous day.  The Bug is wearing my sunglasses because his eyes were "shy". Translation:  they didn't want to stay open in the bright sun.  After the museum, we went to the local soft serve place and ate hot fudge sundaes for lunch.  I highly recommend the practice of dessert as meal...it is really delightful.

They had a display on Amelia Earhart.  I loved this quote of hers, I adore quotes:

If you can't read the fuzzy picture, it says, "Women must try to do things as men have tried. 

When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."

Today, was spent getting ready to go back to work tomorrow:  haircut for the Bug, laundry, groceries...maybe a couple of new spring skirts for moi, the usual.

Tonight, more knitting on my U-neck vest.

Remind me next time to explain the inner drama with the Elizabeth Bennet Cable Cardigan yarn...I am such a yarn slut, I cannot be faithful to any choices that I make!  It's going to end up being about a $300 sweater when I factor in how many different times I buy a different yarn to make it.  

I am going to have many sweaters next fall--I have to use up all of my fickle choices on something!