a win-win weekend

This entire weekend was one rollicking moment of supreme awesomeness after another. I loved every second of it and I'm so glad it's over so I can get back to work and get some rest. ;-) There's sooo much more to it all, but highlights from the blog's yarny perspective follow:

We arrived home from celebrating Scott's b'day with another stellar Fire and Ice Day at Old Sturbridge Village to discover that the mailman had delivered our copy of the latest magazine they put out for members. Flipping through, on the last page, hey! There's Scott (holding coffee cup and wearing a handknit hat) and his mom (purple coat), getting warm by the fire when we were there for Christmas By Candlelight. And you see that handknit hat peeking in at the top right edge? That's Jesse wearing Habitat. Sunshine, fresh air, a day spent among living history in action -- win.

While the guys then headed out for ice fishing with a friend, Leah and I met up with other friends at a nearby yarn store for their second annual Stash Swap. We traded in some unused yarn from our stash (most of which was given to us and just wasn't in colors/fibers we'd use, but still perfectly fine stuff) and came away with yarns we are more likely to use, including that gorgeous 3-lb cone of navy blue tweed rescued from being unloved in our friend Jen's stash -- woot! -- sock yarn, superwash wools, handspun, handpaints, some good solid wooly worsteds, and yes, there's some ladder/ribbon/railroad "yarn" there. I have a plan for that stuff too. Just you wait and see. ;-) Traded in freebies/hand-me-downs we won't use for a big pile of yarn that we will use, and hung out with friends in a cozy place -- win.

Sunday morning, while the guys had friends over for a good time, Leah and I headed north w/ my mom and our friend Elizabeth, meeting up with lots of other friends and acquaintances there for the Webs Super Bowl Escape. This is the third year we've gone to this event, which is an excellent party. Leah is in her element from the moment we walk through the door. Just such a festive atmosphere. I have been itching to do another pair of stranded mittens, had actually just Favorited the Signe mittens pattern on Ravelry earlier in the morning, so I was delighted to win a door prize of the yarn, pattern, and needles for Floral Brocade Mittens. Win.

Back home in time to say a quick hello and goodbye to the friends who were visiting Scott and Jesse (the mom asked me to teach her to knit the next time we hook up!), scoop the guys, and head out for a Super Bowl party. This was a house full of folks I've know since we were about the age our kids are now. My kids wore their Steeler shirts. The house was decked out in its usual Steelers paraphernalia, and maybe a wee bit more. The guests mostly showed up in yellow and black, a few wearing some of my dad's vast collection of Steelers shirts (man, if I had a dollar for every time he was mentioned last night...), and I dug out my Steelers pins that have been around since we lived in the 'burgh.

Notice the little crocheted Steelers hat with its hand-drawn logo? Dozens of these were made by kid crocheter Debbie (that's me!), circa 1976, I'd guess. I didn't have any here, but my mom had 2 stashed. Moms are good like that. :-) One of the guests asked me to teach her to knit! We ate Steelers cookies sent by Gram, spun our Terrible Towels like lunatics, munched classic football food and yellow M&Ms printed with Go Steelers, rec'd a steady stream of phone calls from friends/fans also enjoying the game where they were, and basically whooped and hollered until we were hoarse. And happy.

Win!

yarny bits

Progress to date on my Minimalist cardigan. Psyched. Looks like the armholes aren't tall enough, but I think they are. Hm. Gonna have to check that again.

Another hat knit by Leah. Kid's on a roll w/ the hat improv. Using up the scrap yarns, keeping people's ears warm. Win-Win.

Yarn cone reincarnated as a Christmas tree rocket, inspired by this video but downsized so we can skip the $150 worth of engines it would've taken to launch a real tree. Test launch happening at this moment in prep for launch at rocket club this weekend. Junk rockets are my favorite kind.

And yesterday, some time with needles of a different type. I got a few quick rows in on Lacy Baktus with Edge (my fourth -- I know! Can't stop! Love these scarves!) while waiting at a blood drive.


I also took a pic of this Lacy Baktus with Scrooge after seeing Hartford Stage's performance of A Christmas Carol. The picture didn't turn out too hot, but the show was great fun. We did a behind the scenes tour afterward to find out more about all the special effects and backstage workings, during which nephew Z got chosen to sit in the Ghost of Christmas Present's huge chair with a wreath of candles on his head as the whole shebang glided across the stage with lights, booming sound, glittery snow, and a low fog cloud. Totally cool.

a weekend in the 'burgh

Leah wanted to celebrate her 9th birthday with her Great Grandma in Pittsburgh this year. It ended up that was also Mother's Day weekend, so my mom joined in on the fun and we all headed to Pittsburgh. There was fun for the knitters and fun for the glassy guy and a Pirates win for Gram the Fan, meals with extended family, and an all-around good time. Click the album for many pics and captions. My favorite of these is our traditional height comparison between Jesse and Gram. The boy has grown a bit between 2006 and 2007!

Pittsburgh 2007

When we got back home, Leah used some of her birthday money to buy herself a pair of Crocs. They're fine shoes for showing off handknit socks. :-)

More kitten pics coming soon!