Snow Day Redux

Yup, for the second time in a month, we have a snow day. We'll ignore the fact that the last snow day was off by a day (we should have been off the day after and not the day of).

Plans for the day? Maybe to weave off this warp that has proved to be a challenge.
There have been broken warp thread galore, threading issues and the challenge of weaving off a 39 shot repeat. The challenge there is that I keep getting interrupted and lose my place in the pattern. Despite all these issues, however, I love how it is coming out.

The yarn is some that has been marinating in the stash for 10 years or so. The weft is a slubby, loosely spun yarn, the warp, a nice wool two-ply that keeps breaking.

Next up on the loom, some more blue and white cotton for, I think, baby blankets. I have some cotton of unknown provenance that has been marinating in the stash for even longer than the wool above. My only questions are: is it thick enough for baby blankets and ... what pattern?

First Left to Brooklyn

I have noticed that my commute is somewhat quicker if I manage to stay out of Brooklyn ...

(I'll wait while you all come to the realization that I have a 5 mile intra-boro commute that involves no bridges or tunnels or even, most days, highways.)

And on to our tale ...

This morning I dragged myself out of bed a bit earlier than usual so that I would have extra time to clean the snow and ice off of the car and still arrive at work on time. No, biking was not in the plan.

I did the usual ... shower, dress, dry hair ... and skipped the make-up figuring I'd steal some time and do it at work. After dressing in flannel lined jeans -- mom-style jeans -- and my uber warm Sorel boots (work slacks and shoes in my tote), I carefully made my way out to the car. Carefully, I say, because as nicely as the walks around our Co-op are cleared, the parking lot is a mess of ice and snow.

Picking my way across the lot I was suddenly jerked from my snow induced stupor as I realized that my car was not covered in 5 inches of snow/ice/ick but was mostly cleaned off ... and my husband was putting the finishing touches on it.

(You can all go "awww" now.)

So I did what any self-respecting wife would do (and could legally do, in public, in a parking lot, in freezing weather), I offered him a lift to work (he was going to take the subway). Hey, he saved me 20 minutes of freezing labor.

I carefully navigated my way out of the parking lot, taking only 5 minutes to actually get moving after spinning the wheels a bit in the slush (thank you oh tub of 12 year old kitty litter that lives in my car for just such an emergency). Cautiously, because the streets, while not horrible, were still rather slushy and I had not yet had sufficient caffeine, I made my way to the hallowed edifice that is Stuyvesant High School and dropped off my fabulous spouse and, making a U turn, headed off to work.

On the rare occasions that I drop Mike at work, I then head south, down West Street and through the tunnel that loops around the bottom of Manhattan and leaves one heading North, up the FDR Drive. This was my intent this morning.

I quickly got into the left lane and looked carefully for the signs indicating the tunnel. And when I didn't see them, but did see altered traffic patterns due to the construction at Ground Zero, I took the first ramp to my left. I figured that I was already past the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel entrance.

I figured wrong.

Yes, I wound up in Brooklyn.

Oops.

But I still got to work early.

And I still have a wonderful spouse.

*** And my loom is still delayed in a FedEx warehouse in Middletown, PA due to the weather.

Snow and Song

Today we had something totally unprecedented ... a snow day announced at 11:00 a.m. the day before the storm. No kidding. That said, here in Manhattan, the storm was rather unremarkable except for it's exceptional ability to get one wet. After standing for a mere hour in the snow while Little Squid sledded with friends, I was totally soaked. As in my parka was dripping and my double layered glove-mitten combo had soaked through to my skin. Good thing the kids threw in the towel when they did.

Meanwhile ... the squidlings performed last week, turning their annual violin recital into the Squid show. The highlight was this clarinet-oboe duet.

Yes, I did say it was a violin recital. There were 5 other kids who all played the violin -- as did my offspring. Want to see?

Little Squid Solo

Little Squid - Squidette Violin Duet

Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo (it was an entire sonata and could not be uploaded to Youtube in one piece)

As for my loom (because I know it is as much at the top of your mind as it is on mine ... (yeah, right)) ... it is held up due to the weather and is currently paused somewhere in Pennsylvania. It was supposed to arrive in the area tomorrow but that just is not happening. Oh well, I couldn't arrange for delivery before Monday anyway ...

Snow Day!

Says it all ... except ... why couldn't they announce it last night ... or before I got up and showered.

More later.

February Break

It's mid-winter recess here in NYC and your friendly family Squid has been busy.

I desperately needed a break with the usual and so dragged my family up to New England to visit my sister for a few days. The last time we went there during the winter, my spouse came to realize, all by himself, just how close we pass to WEBS. At that time he promised that we could stop the next time we passed that way.

Fast forward two years ...

Oh, and we also played in the snow ...

And in the evenings, some quiet reading time ...

o m

Winter?

The view from my window this morning ...
And of my stash on the balcony ...
Yes, my stash now has a light coating of snow!

Meanwhile, inside the apartment ...
we are now the owners of a front, back and partial sleeve for Little Squid's sweater.

Unfortunately, that is probably where it will stand for the next day or two. I did something to my left index finger last night (no idea what) and it is now a little stiff and painful. It was a lot more so last night so I am sure that this too shall pass but I suspect I will be catching up on my reading today instead of my knitting and spinning. I think I gave it a good bang at one point, yesterday -- that or all the knitting it took to get to this point on the sleeve, twice. Yup. After doing all the calculations (since Ann Budd is great for gauges involving whole stitches but requires some work if you have, oh say 4.5 stitches per inch) I gleefully cast on for the sleeve and was practically up to the elbow when I compared the number of stitches to what I was supposed to have ... and realized that I cast on 32 instead of 36 stitches. Oops!

Such is life. No big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Home Again

And my urge to blog in rhyme is gone. Sorry.

The last few days were wonderful. My sister and her husband are great people and my nephew is just the cutest, sweetest baby I have ever met ... since my own.We all gained new skills and new confidences on the ski slopes and grew as people. Originally, Little Squid did not want to ski this year after coming up short in comparison to Squidette the year before. To get him to take the lessons, I had to promise to do the same. Since I do not believe in breaking promises to kids, Papa and I took a semi-private lesson. (We shared it with each other.) We got lucky and had the same instructor as last year -- and she even remembered us! Despite the easiest slope being closed, she got us up and down the mountain twice.

At the end of the first day, three squid had descended the easiest available beginner trail and all had found it kind of scary. Two squid opted for not skiing on the second day, one got up his courage and promised to go down the mountain and the last squid wanted to ski but only on the bunny slope. That same squid was a bit offended by her stanza in yesterday's verse so here is her correction:

Squidette found her place
On the Bunny Hill
And went up the rope tow
With balance and skill.She also kept an eye on her brother and let us know when he went up the mountain. This guaranteed a cheering section when he came back down.

This morning we were all up early and hit the road before 9:00. Others would have stayed and skied some more but we are home-squid and wanted to be in our own abode by dinner time.

Once home, laundry had to be done.

This is how many wool socks Squid wear in sub-freezing weather.They are now scattered around the apartment on top of convector units, drying.

On the way home we passed this "tree." Any of you have cell trees in your neck of the woods?
Knitting did get done. As you can tell, Little Squid's scarf was ready for skiing. Also finished was the mystery project. That project will only be revealed after it has first been used for its (their) intended purpose. The first mermaid sock is done and I fully expect to get to the heel of the second sock today. We Squid go to the dentist en masse and I have the dubious pleasure of being the last one in the chair, so lots of knitting time.

Later, pictures of the blocks for the latest school blanket and of my Journey Wheel.

Squidcicles

As I sit with my laptop
Typing one-handed
My nephew, he coos
And acts like he planned it.

While mommy went skiing
and so did the cousins
Nephie and I
communed with the dozens

Of family members
Left behind in the lodge
While their others were
Weaving and doing the dodge

Around those cute moguls
And under the lifts
Waving at mothers
Watching in shifts.

Up on the mountain
One child, he did
Ascend and descend,
My Little Squid.

He conquered his fear
And rode up the lift
And down he did ski
Really, quite swift

Squidette found her place
on a small little slope
and amused herself silly
that cute little dope.

And hence ends our tale
Of Squid on their Skis
This might be repeated
But you have to say Please.

A Day on Squid Mountain

And so our intrepid Squid took to the slopes,
The weather was cold But they knew the ropes.

The Squidlings they went off to camp without stressin’
And Mama and Papa joined up for a lesson.

And ‘lo did the have the same teacher as last
Who assumed that Mama should just have passed.

But with grit and with vigor Mama stuck to her guns
And treated the spectators to two very slow runs.

Down the mountain she came, terrified all the while
Greeted by Papa with a very large smile.

The parents they took to the lodge for some lunch
While the Squidlings enjoyed a late morning brunch.

Then off to the mountain did Squidette then go
And partially up slogged our Little Squid, Oh!

A little bit scared and a little bit frightened,
The Squidlings still ended the day somewhat brightened.

They made themselves proud even though they were scared
And came home to hugs from the people who cared.

And so ends day one of the Squids’ winter journey,
We hope no one returns to New York on a gurney.

Squid in the Snow

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss)

In the land of the Squid
In the time of the Snow
The Squidlings once begged
It is time we did go.

To visit our brethren
To frolic and flee
From the dirt of the City
They said it to me.

And so we departed
Like Squid all a fire
And started our trip
To the mountains of 'Shire.

We drove through the morning
And almost 'til noon
When we thought we would stop
To pick up a spoon.

For food we did need
The poor Squidlings creeled.
And so we did stop,
In the Land of Springfield.

What sights we did see,
The kids they did chertle
To see Papa's sock
Near Yertle the Turtle.

Then 'round the next corner
The Squidlings, they flew
To see the next sight,
Thing One and Thing Two.

Then Little Squid gasped
And laughed with the fun
To see the Who
On the elephant, Horton.

Having seen their brass friends,
The Squid picked up the pace
They kept on driving
As if in a race.

A race to the snow
To the powder so deep
That a Shepard could easily
Lose track of her sheep.

When finally long gone
From the City they'd fled
The Squidlings they finally did,
Climb on a Sled.

Through the snow they did slide
And floundered around
And the Doggies did help them
Get off of the ground.

Then in to the house
They went with all a buzzin'
To have a good time
With their littlest cousin.

More fun in the snow
Will follow this post
But now we must munch
on Hot Chocolate and Toast.

A Walk in the Snow Slush

Today was one of those rare work days when I was not at school at all due to back to back meetings downtown. Since I hate to drive and park in that area, I did what any sane New Yorker would do, I took the subway.

On my way back uptown for another appointment I decided to treat you all to some pictures of "Manhattan, the Day After."Not a pretty sight.

O.k., we do have some beauty ...

Central Park

(Courtesy of my totally flaking and winding up on the wrong train and thus having to walk across town in subfreezing temperatures.)

Wollman Rink (site of my Aunt and Uncle's first date)

The Pan Am MetLife Building (And the really pretty building in front of it)

The Chrysler Building -- my absolute favorite in terms of architecture.

Neat sculpture -- see the snow?
There are more but it is bedtime now. Tune in tomorrow for ... The Kiss!