And In To The Dog Days

Of summer, that is. Meet Peanut. She's my brother's Italian Greyhound. 7 pounds of boundless energy.

I returned last week from a fantastic time with my family in the North Woods of Wisconsin. And do I ever wish I were back there!!!


The Son and I drove to Ludington, Michigan, and travelled across Lake Michigan on SS Badger.
It was a much-needed 4 hour break from an all-day drive from the Washington DC area. The ship is pretty neat-- it's a car ferry, that was originally designed to transport trucking cargo and train cars. There are "staterooms" available, but also lots of areas with comfy seats where one can catch a snooze. I ran into a knitter in the "Quiet Room."

We landed in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and proceeded to what was probably the last available motel room in Eastern Wisconsin. The Oshkosh Fly-In was that week. When I was making reservations, my requirements were modest: a 2-bed non-smoking room. There was one in Green Bay-- about a 40-mile trek from Manitowoc.

The NorthWoods are amazing. I spent a lot of time up there as a kid during the summer, at camp and camping with friends and family. There are trees, trees, and more trees; lakes at every turn in the road; people who are down-to-earth, and just plain glad to see you. I think I could be happy there-- but I'd have to try a "winter-over" first, just to be sure.

It was just the best, being with The Parents, The Sibs and Their Spouses, and The Collective Offspring. All totalled, we are 45. And this year all but 3 were able to be there for at least part of the time. The Offspring are really getting along well, growing in age and grace, and able to entertain themselves. The Sibs all enjoy being together with The Parents at any opportunity. We are truly blessed, and we don't take it for granted, ever.

I picked up The Daughter at the Rhinelander airport, and got to meet the Hodag


We made the most of our time in Wisconsin with a visit to the Leinenkugel's Brewery

A get-together for 45 of my favorite relatives at the ORIGINAL Famous Dave's


(That's not the family-- just a pic of the inside... And my new friend.

I even did a "drive-by" of Camp We-Ha-Kee (seriously-- I'm not kidding) where I spent time as a camper, and later as a counselor

And after a last pontoon ride on the lake to see the eagle's nest in the tree around the bend, I headed back to Rhinelander Airport, to fly back so I could return to work.


Knitting News?

Not so much. I need to remember "MINDLESS KNITTING-- IT'S A GOOD THING."

I had the bad judgement to take along a couple of projects that were just a bit too fussy to work on while talking to family. AND, I discovered that on MS3, I'd been making some continuing errors. I printed out the pattern in black and white, instead of color, and I ended up putting beads in every row, since the overlap squares on the 2 pages of the pattern chart end up looking the same as the lavender shaded squares that indicate bead placement. Because of yarn-overs and various decreases, they aren't all centered, and it looks pretty awful. I'll be able to solve the problem by using a pliers to break the offending beads, but it was all too overwhelming to deal with.

The Leaf Trellis socks also require attention that was better spent with my loved ones. Attention well spent, but no knitting accomplished.

That'll teach me.

I Have a Pen Pal!

Or rather, an e-mail pal. Her name is Jane, and she lives in England. She found me through the Mosaic blog, and we've been corresponding.

How fun! I had a pen pal once when I was a kid, but she only wrote to me twice. I kept writing (I'm thick like that) and after about 20 unanswered missives, I gave up.

Jane just started her own blog, so go visit her!

On My Way...

To the North Woods of Wisconsin, that is. I'm packin' up the knitting, the iPod, the camera, the corkscrew, the fishing pole and the industrial strength mosquito repellent.

It should be a good time.

It will be about a 2 day trip to get there. The Son and I are leaving early early in the a.m., for Ludington Michigan, taking the 4-hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan to get to Wisconsin. We've taken SS Badger a couple of times before across the lake, but the kids were quite small then. The Daughter is in Florida at a sorority gathering, and she'll fly to Wisconsin on Sunday. The Husband, unfortunately, is deeply embroiled in work, and has to take a pass on this year's gathering. We will miss being with him.


The place that we're gathering is Barker Lake, which doesn't appear on many maps, but is near the tiny town of Winter. There is a lot of outdoor activity up there, to go along with the mosquitoes. Lots of lakes, fishing, and so forth. The original resort and golf course were established in the 1920's by beer baron "Polack Joe" Soltis who designed it as a retreat for other Chicago area gangsters. Such history....

I come from a rather large family-- I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters, and amongst us we have 26 children ranging in age from 8 to 25. So we get together every summer for a week, and again over New Year's. When we are all able to be together with our parents, we number 45 so it's quite a gathering. We've gathered at a number of places over the years, and this will be our first at this location, although it is familiar to many of us.

When I was growing up, we would spend a week each summer at a girls' camp (Camp We-Ha-Kee; I knit you not), because it's pretty remote, and they needed to have a doctor and nurse there all the time. So my father, who is a doctor, volunteered at the camp. The girls in the family stayed in cabins with the campers, and the boys were in the doctor's cabin. As we got older, the siblings would visit Barker Lodge for a round of golf and a couple of beers. By this time I was away from home playing sailor lady, so I've never been there. My parents heard that the property had been sold, gone into disrepair, and then was purchased by someone who is reviving it. So we decided that it would be a good place to go. One of my sisters is there now, and she said it's rustic, and lots of fun, so I'm anxious to get on the road.

Some of the events we envision are a visit to the Leinenkugel Brewery, the ORIGINAL Famous Dave's, and some fishing, chatting, reading, relaxing, and a bit of work on the Mystery Shawl.

I'd better get packing!

...And in Happier News

Decent progress on MS#3.

And-- my Harry Potter book just arrived.

Catch you later.

Mystery Shawl #3 and Non-Bulimic Purging

Making some progress after 2 total frogs from 20 rows or so. Pics tomorrow, maybe.

The better news is that I've been making some noticeable progress in de-cluttering. We have way too much stuff (my massive yarn stash and multiple sets of needles and accessories don't count!!!!!) (Except maybe my bazillion straight steel needles from my pre-Addi, pre-Crystal Palace past. I'll probably give them to friends as starter needles as I teach them to knit.)

I've filled 3 lawn & leaf bags with clothes I haven't worn forever, or just decided I don't care to wear anymore. I hope to fill 2 more. I filled a box with shoes that are in good repair, but don't fit perfectly. Life is too short for sore feet, regardless of how lovely the shoes may be. (Go Crocs!!!) My side of the closet is pretty amazing. I'm holding on to most of my tote bags, because one can't knit without them.

There are charity pick-ups at the house on Saturday and Monday, and my goal is to have a respectable pile for each pick-up. Y'know-- the second iron that works well, the huge amount of coordinated plastic storage containers that looked so great at the Tupperware party-- 15 years ago, the stack of jigsaw puzzles I picked up before a vacation just in case it rained all week, the pool toys that the kids have long outgrown, the matching Samsonite I received when I graduated from high school (still works great, but HEAVY!!!), fabrics for projects that just aren't going to happen, and at least some of the vases and flower-arrangement containers that have accumulated over the years.

I've donated most of the hotel toiletry items to a shelter. I kept the really nice ones, and am using them in my new bathroom. It makes me feel like I'm staying at a resort--- at least while I'm in the shower. We take our escapes as we can...

I'm in the process of giving my several year collection of needlework/crosstitch pattern magazines to a friend who loves and will use them. I will probably put together my flosses and give them to her as well. I haven't cross-stitched for probably 5 years. If I decide to do another project, I'll get more.

The hardest project for me is de-booking. I need to set a reasonable goal for donating books to the ongoing library book sale. I was endowed with such a love for books, that it's hard to part with them, but hey-- they're taking over the place!!!

I'm still so far from where I want to be, but you remember that trip of a thousand miles....

And then there's the office. Lord, give me strength!!!

I'd much rather knit.

A Fine Friday

It was lovely. I got to sleep to a reasonable time, then went to work for a meeting and a tad of paperwork. I actually made it out in 2-1/2 hours!

Then to Trader Joe's to pick up some provisions for Knit'n'Nosh at Knit Happens. It's been ages since I've been able to stop in. And it was so great to see the friends I've been missing for so long, and some new friends as well.

These women are really important in my life, and I miss them when I'm not able to "hang out" for awhile.

I haven't seen Stephanie for a couple of months. We've both been busy and away. She started a new project-- a baby blanket that's a beautiful pale blue. Katie is back in the States for awhile, and it was great to see her, and catch up a bit. She brought in a top she'd done in King Tut, in a dark red. She wasn't fond of the way it looked on her, but Aimee tried it on, and it was spectacular.

I hadn't seen Rosanna since MS&W. She's working on the Mystery Shawl 3, which I joined as well-- but haven't started yet. Maybe today. (Need to go pick up some beads!) (Sorry-- it's closed, so I didn't link it.) Elspeth was holding down the fort at the counter. She appeared to be working on a modular knit scarf, and making good progress, I might add. Nikki was there, and I met another Laura. (Never enough Laura's.)

My friend from work, M came, too-- for a very special reason. She wanted to learn to knit! My evangelism is working! And since it was her birthday, I decided she needed to start out right, so she magically received an Addi Turbo circular, a couple of balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in a wonderful turquoise/teal that she zeroed in on immediately, and a set of "toys" that came in a cute little pouch. The yarn looks amazing with her pale blue-gren eyes. She is a quick study, and learned to cast on, knit and purl in just over 2 hours, and is on her way to a very respectable scarf.

We were having such a good time that I lost track of time, and Holly finally had to point out that it was closing time. (You don't have to go home, but you can't. stay. here.) And home I went.

Here We Go Again
This morning it was back to Mosaic Tile to look at tile for the middle bathroom. I just love looking at tiles and considering combinations and possiblities. The consultants really know their stuff, and are able to recommend combinations, and to give rough, ballpark estimates of cost for the project. Following my own advice, I paid a bit more attention to price this time around, and found a couple of possibilities that are very reasonable. We will probably tile around the tub to the ceiling, with some accents at eye level, rather than doing the walls around the whole room. We'll retile the floor and get a new tub, toilet, and probably a pedestal sink, as well as new lighting and medicine cabinet/mirror. And of course, the plumbing.

So I'll call the contractor this week, and get going on the plans, estimates and schedules.

Good thing I like this stuff...

Hokie Healing Wrapup

Go see Mosaic and Gina (and probably their other links) for great pics, video, and a story that will touch your heart.

Back on Blossom Street

I can’t spend as much time reading as I would like. So most of my reading is non-fiction, work-related or spiritual. I listen to novels (as well as non-fiction and biography genres) on my iPod while commuting and traveling, and as a bedtime treat as I’m drifting off. (It reminds me of my Dad reading bedtime stories when I was little.)

I was given the opportunity to review Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. I was familiar with her name, and knew that she categorizes herself as a romance writer, but had never read or listened to her work. As I looked for information on the book, I discovered that it is the third in a series of “knitting novels” by the author who has written 120 books with several scheduled for release in the upcoming months.

I’m not a big “romance” reader. But I do enjoy reading and listening to stories about women and their friendships, relationships, interactions and lives. I’m a great fan of Anne Rivers Siddons, who I wouldn’t categorize as a “romance” writer. I’ve discovered that the genre has expanded and that current novels don’t follow the traditional patterns of romances. (There are no Fabios in these books!)

Not having read The Shop on Blossom Street and A Good Yarn, the previous two books in the series, I ordered them for my iPod, and listened to them abridged, which were the only versions available (not a great fan of "abridged" but you take what you can get...). I became familiar with the basic characters and back-stories. You don’t have to read these first, because Debbie (may I call you Debbie?) brings you up to speed in the current book; however I think the previous books enrichen the story, and they’re fun, quick "reads."

Back on Blossom Street is the tale of a group of women and their friends and families. Lydia owns the shop “A Good Yarn”; her sister Margaret helps run the store, Alix- introduced in the previous books, is a young woman with a troubled past who has found her way (and a good man); Susannah owns a flower shop, "Susannah’s Garden", and hires Collette, a rather mysterious newcomer to town who has experienced tragedy and disappointment and has challenges to face. The focus drawing the story and characters together is the local yarn shop, where they gather for class to knit “prayer shawls,” each with a specific reason for knitting hers. The story progresses with crises, conflicts and resolutions—and through it all, knitting and the friendship of the knitters maintains the thread. (Yes, you may laugh weakly.) Characters from the previous two books are reintroduced, giving promise of new books in the series to come.

There are a couple of bonuses in the book. Debbie includes actual prayer shawl knitting patterns for beginning and more advanced knitters. What an unexpected pleasure! I plan to knit Alix's prayer shawl which is a lacy, intermediate pattern. (Hmmm-- I seem to remember purchasing some forest green laceweight at MS&W... Hmmmm)

Reading this book, and listening to its predecessors brings to mind my own “LYSs” in my two homes—Alexandria and Blacksburg. The remarkable women I’ve met in these wonderful oases of caring and creativity, with their myriad life stories and experiences are in themselves rich novels-in-waiting. (Probably won’t happen—I don’t have Debbie’s gift. So just read my blog and follow the links to theirs.)

Is Back to Blossom Street “GREAT literature” in contention for the GREAT American novel?” You know the answer.

Is it GREAT fun, a GREAT story of women’s friendship and a GREAT beach or bathtub read? It surely is.

Will I continue to follow the women of “The Shop?” You Betcha.

Debbie just released another new book. The title? Susannah’s Garden. Sound familiar?

Sloooouououuurrrrrp!!!!!

That’s the sound of me allowing myself to be sucked into another series.

And looking forward to it!

Hey-- It's Hot Out There!

Out camping with the Girl Scouts, that is...

I did the First Aider thing with a really great group of girls. And it was hot. Dripping hot. I can hardly breathe because the air is so thick hot.

It happens on this day EVERY year!

It all turned out all right-- no catastrophes, and I actually got some sleep last night.

I also got some knitting done on the Leaf & Tendril sock. I hadn't been able to knit for a week, so I was a Happy Nurse.

I really enjoy being with the girls, and spending time with women who share my belief that we are contributing to the best hope for another generation of strong women who will change the world.

Tomorrow-- a review of "What I've Been Reading."

Freedom is Not Free

The price I paid for being able escape to Blacksburg = concentrated work for a major chunk of this week.

77 hours in 7 days. Not complaining-- I'm the one who scheduled this.

But I'm pretty tuckered out.

Good thing I like this stuff...

Tomorrow= Camping with the Girl Scouts.

Wow—What a Weekend

It included several of my favorite things-- VT Hokies, Knitting and Knitters, and Baseball.

Friday:
I left work at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and made it to Blacksburg in 4 hours 10 minutes. Yes, I know….

Saturday aka Hokie Healing Day:

I woke up Saturday, got my stuff together (Chibi's, scissors, ibuprofen...) and went to Starbucks since I won't be back for awhile and didn’t want to open a new can of coffee. I noticed activity at Mosaic, and saw the crew, Gina, Sandy, Mimi, Belinda, Debbie and others loading up squares, silent auction items, goodie bags, so lent a hand take stuff to the VT Alumni center.

What a time we had!!!

Gina and her crew did a really great job setting things up. We sort of spontaneously made little work groups, and it all came together.
There was coffee-- Hurrah!!! and cookies, sandwiches, barbecue (from Top of The Stairs). YUM!!!

The goodie bags were great fun-- I wish I'd taken a picture of mine. It had a tube of Bioque cleanser and little samples of all the products to make us beautiful, a packet of coffee from Starbuck's, a Red Bull, yarn (mine was Elsebeth Lavold silk and wool in a really pretty golden tweed), "naked" yarn and Kool-Aid in Hokie colors to try one's hand at dyeing, coupons for $$ off at Firehouse Pizza and a free pass to the health club, and best of all, a 25% coupon off yarn at Mosaic. And there was probably more that I can't remember right now.

The silent auction was a kick, too. There were some amazing items-- a full set of full-sized Bioque products, numerous autographed knitting pattern books (I got one by Debbie Bliss and the "no sheep for you" book that I'd been eyeballing), some lovely Lantern Moon bags and needle cases, a Hanne Falkenberg shawl that I drooled over but forced myself to resist, and so on. There were also a bunch of door prizes. I won a gift card to the nail shop across from Mosaic which I gave to Suzanne who's going to be in a wedding next month.

Look at all these squares—Before

And After.
Go to the Mosaic site for lots more pictures.
I just had to get a picture of Debbie and me in our Hokies United t-shirts. Over 115,000 have been sold-- and if you want one, you'd better order soon...




We finished 16 of the quilts. People took the rest of the 32 home to finish, and took additional squares to make more quilts.

It was really neat to see some of my squares sewn in with others for this wonderful project. Gina had hoped for 2000 squares. They received over 6000 from all the states and something like 16 countries!

I thought about all the different knitters and crocheters who had contributed—I wonder about their lives—do they have small children? Are they great-grandmothers? Do they have professional careers? Are they the service people that make our lives livable? Did they knit all day to fill their hours, or did they squeeze in a few minutes each night before going to sleep?

Every stitch is a prayer. I wonder how many millions of stitches, and how many thousands of hours went into the contributions for the Hokie Healing project.

I met some really neat people—and unfortunately, I can’t remember all the names. Some who have remained in my brain are Kathy and her mom Charlotte, Suzanne, and Nancy (who will be moving up this way soon). (If I met you and can't remember your name, please email me-- my mind is a terrible thing to lose.....)

I took a couple of the quilts back to the condo with me to crochet around the edges. It was nice, contemplative work, fueled by a couple of glasses of wine and some movies on the tube.

Sunday
I woke up, ready to finish the second border, but needing some coffee. So I was getting ready to throw on some jeans and head down to Starbuck’s, when I remembered that they had donated 1-pot bags of coffee grounds for the goodie bags! Hurrah!!!! So I put on a movie, drank coffee, and finished quilt 2.

I spent much of Sunday at Mosaic with Mimi, and got another border completed. It was lovely to just sit and chat, crochet and watch the shop activity.

When the shop closed, I went over to campus and walked around. They’re putting in a semi-permanent memorial in front of Burress Hall that echoes the spontaneous memorial placed there by the students.

I am continually impressed by the sensitivity and respect for the students displayed by the leadership of Virginia Tech. How thoughtful to include student representation on the committee that planned this, and how they honor not only the victims, but the students by echoing the design that evolved in the location on the drillfield that has come to be so significant for so many. This memorial will be in place until a more permanent one is constructed, and the Hokie stones will be offered to the families when the semi-permanent memorial is dismantled.

After I dried some tears, I headed over to PK’s for a brew (the cold, wet kind) and some buffalo chicken. I just love that place.

When I’m in Blacksburg, it's usually pretty busy, so I took the opportunity to just drive around. The road past our condo gets really rural, really fast. I enjoyed driving along the very winding road, up and down through the mountains. There were creeks, and horses, farms, interesting little cottages and large houses… and I kept thinking of how nice it would be to live here, and wondered what it would be like to drive on this road during a blizzard in the winter.

I completed about 1-1/2 borders, then to bed.

Monday:
I woke up and finished the second border without benefit of coffee. Rugged. I took the 2 bordered quilts in to Mosaic (with the Loopy Ewe-- who is on vacation...) and then headed north.

I had a very pleasant drive up I-81 and across I-66 to meet up with friends and co-workers for the Nationals' game against Detroit. Our Nurse Executive invited a whole bunch of us-- and we had a super time. The game itself was a bit sad until the 8th inning when the Nationals got in gear, not quite grasping the game from the jaws of defeat, but coming out looking rather respectable in a 9-8 loss.

I wore my new "Knitting for Healing" t-shirt.

And then I went home.

How I Spent My Saturday

Knitting in public on the Metro, and

With about 120,000 friends from all around the country.




Some of you know that I'm active with the Girl Scouts, and this year marks the 95th birthday of the largest women's volunteer organization in the world. In the past I've been a troop leader for all levels except Daisies (the kindergarteners), and now I work in positions helping the adult volunteers. One favorite service is as a "First Aider". I was a Red Cross First Aider for many years, and now I fill the role as a nurse. In addition to serving at events such as this, I go on campouts when first aid presence is needed.

Be Prepared:

A Gentle Pitch
If you're in the Nation's Capital area, and have an itching to work with the Girl Scout Organization, or if you're an ol' Girl Scout anywhere in the country who would like to register as an Alumna, go ahead and contact the council. There are opportunities to work with girls, or if that's not your thing, to do support activities, paperwork assistance, teach outdoor skills, first aid, helping area groups with money management, be the "extra adult"-- no matter what your strengths and interests, there's a place for you. And there's not a better way to be a part of helping girls become responsible adults.

Of course, we have a lot of fun, while teaching girls independence. Check out these two from Connecticut:


There's Even Room for Knitting
One of the most fun times I had was when I was a Day Camp Unit Leader for Cadettes. This can be a really tough group, and I was very concerned, and not too eager at first. Silly me. The theme for the week was women's history, and one of the activities we were encouraged to explore was learning a craft that was important years ago. Well, of course you can guess that I decided to teach the young lovelies to knit!!!

This could have gone really really well, or really really badly. In preparation, I overplanned activities so we could quickly switch away if it bombed.

I was so happy that it went well.

Being on a rather tight budget, Addi Turbo's, Lantern Moons, and even Clovers weren't in the plan. I purchased dowels-- probably about size 10's, and sharpened them in an old pencil sharpener that came with the house. This was for 15 girls, by the way. (There were a couple of blisters on my thumb and hand that are probably now healing after 5 years.) I started to sand the tips, and then decided to let the girls do it-- good decision! I think the girls took pride in working on their own tools. We glued on ends (I think they were toy car wheels from the wood section at Michaels). And then taught them to knit using donated bulky craft yarn.

I was thrilled at how they embraced the craft. By the end of the week, they even learned to cast on. I learned a lot about teaching knitting to kids, and I learned that I could love even a group of middle-school girls. The night before camp ended, I was at Michaels, and found some close-out knitting needles-- REAL needles-- for $1.00 a pair. So I was able to give each of the girls a pair, and closed out my stash of Wool-Ease.

And Then Some Grown-Up Time

It was hot and sunny. White Girl Need Shade!!! So I took the Metro back, picked up a Raspberry Crystal Lite Slurpee at the 7-11, and drove to KnitHappens where I spent a couple of hours with
Holly and Kelly. They have some cool new stuff, including some shawl pins that I am definitely going to buy several of (some wooden, some carved bone), and some nifty new yarns. I'm still working on the top for The Daughter, but I need to go in small increments because the Jaeger Aqua is a tightly spun cotton with no give that is a bit hard on the fingers for closely knit projects-- but it's gorgeous.

I've been working on the Leaf Tendril sock from Socks Soar on Two Circulars, using Ellen's Half Pint Farm sock yarn that I got at MSW. I really love the colors, and I think that the 1/2 Merino, 1/2 Tencel blend will make them durable.
The pattern isn't difficult, once you decipher Cat Bordhi's sometimes cryptic pattern-writing. This toe-up pattern is different from those I've done before, and the toes are somewhat pointy, even after I stuffed them for the picture. I have rather squared-off feet. But we'll see. I don't feel like frogging this, and I have lots of relatives and close friends with skinny, pointy feet who could use them if they don't work for me. I usually use the short-row start for Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks. Next time, I'll stick with a sure thing, use Wendy's toe, and continue on with the other pattern.

(Go, Wendy!!!!)

How I Won't Be Spending Next Saturday
Even though it'll be a good time.
Because I'll be helping to finish Hokie Healing blankets.

And in my life, every day is a Folk festival.

I Swore...

That Paris Hilton would never take more than 2 or 3 seconds of my attention. But for crying out loud!!!!

And what hairbrained judge considers it a punishment to be stuck in her home for 40 days?

Throw me in that briar patch....

I'm So Excited- Again

For several reasons:

1) Although I told you "enough already" about the bathroom, I get to use the shower today. The grout is fully cured. So that's REALLY the end of the bathroom news. (Fair warning-- there will be another bathroom renovation, but I'm pretty sure it won't be as exciting for me. At least I don't think I can afford for it to be....)

2) This arrived in the mail yesterday. It's my copy of The Book for which I authored The Chapter that I whined about so mightily a few months back. I'm Chapter 15- Capillary Blood Sampling. Aside from the fact that I am now published (in hard cover, I might add- with internal spiral binding for your reading convenience), I won't ask you to get excited about it. A bunch of my friends at work also contributed. If you're not "in the business" this book is definitely not your cup of tea. It's not only extremely esoteric, it's also a bit graphic. But as far as professional "how-to" guides go, it's pretty darn swell. It'll be something to show my grandchildren, which I hope I don't have any of very soon.


3) I was able to move some shifts next weekend, so I can go to Blacksburg to help sew together the Hokie Healing blankets. This project has helped me a lot, and helping put them together is something that I really, really wanted to do. And I was pretty devastated when I realized I was scheduled to work for the entire weekend. Some of my co-workers made switches with me-- one even working my Saturday in exchange for her Wednesday!!! I still need to work next Friday, so I'll either leave after work (7:30 p.m.) or more likely, get up around 4 a.m. and arrive around 9, in time to hit Starbucks before going to The Inn for the Great Sewing Together of the Hokie Healing Blankets.

4) I got a call at 5:15 this morning asking if I'd like to be off work today. Since I'm bumping up against my maximum number of vacation hours, it took about 3-1/2 seconds to say "You Betcha!!" I may be able to spend a bit of time at Knit Happens today. And if not today, maybe sometime over the weekend. I haven't been in for awhile because of my schedule, and I miss those chicks with sticks.

And now I think I'll go back to bed for an hour or so.

Enough Already!

...about the bathroom.

OK, but first, some final detail pics. The Nurse had a REALLY good time at Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday-- found some antiqued pewter accessories on sale- (including a wastebasket!), a really nice shower curtain bar, a travertine candle base and some nice rocks, and a cinnamon and frankincense candle.


And since there's really not a proper linen closet, I found this little shelf unit for the new towels.

I do believe I've shared more than I ever thought I would about my bathroom.

Enough Already!

Ta-Dah!!!!

Now, before you say "Isn't this supposed to be a knitting blog??? And she keeps writing about her bathroom???"

Let's review a few blogging things and their similarities to the bathroom project: We love to brag about FO's. I finally have one. It still needs to be blocked (translation: the grout needs to cure until Thursday before we can use the shower).

I have the obligatory shot in the bathroom mirror picture:



And I'm showing you the details of the project:











And we sometimes talk about our storage options:








Finally, the view from the throne:





Details: We contracted through FH FURR. They are a large, reputable plumbing company in Northern Virginia. We have used them for heating and air conditioning service for many years. We were initially referred to FH FURR by a doctor I worked with who highly recommended them when we'd been through the mill with several other firms trying to handle a pesky furnace.

We decided that, although we love do-it-yourself projects and we've done small bathroom do-overs in the past, we didn't have the time, energy or expertise to take on this type of project. And we really didn't have the time, energy or resources to have someone else re-do it if we screwed it up. We wanted it done right and done fast.

Planning took a couple of weeks-- meeting with the representative to discuss options and fixtures (don't you just love the antique pewter faucets and shower head and handle?), selecting tile at Mosaic Tile showroom in Lorton. Once this was done, we received our final estimate and the project was scheduled to begin within 2 weeks. The Husband and I purchased the vanity, medicine cabinet, storage cabinet and sink from Lowe's. The sink was special order, and although the delivery time was 3 weeks, we lucked out and had it in a week and a half.

Actual work in the bathroom from start to finish was 1-1/2 weeks--6 actual days of work with 4 days of the Memorial Day Weekend in the middle. The company sent us a schedule and they stuck to it. Work included: demolition & removal of old bathroom fixtures, re-plumbing & shower bed preparation (2 days);
tiling & grouting (3 days);
plumbing finish and fixture installation (1 day).

The products we chose are beautiful. The workmanship is excellent. All the workers were courteous, cleaned up after the project, and kept the noise as low as could be expected, considering the amount of sawing, pounding, hammering etc required. The time involved couldn't be beat.

Would I recommend them? Yes. Unequivocally.

The Bottom Line:
One caveat if you're on a tight budget-- make sure you understand what your costs are during the design phase. Let the company representative know what your limit is, ask questions, and make sure you understand everything he's telling you. They want your business, and they have a vested interest in making sure you're happy. They can explain what you absolutely need, and what you can get for the amount of money you're able to invest in the project. If you have some flexibility, they can also help you to understand where you can tighten up the project, and where you can splurge a bit. Of course, the labor costs will always be there.

We knew what we were getting into, and decided to go pretty big on this, enjoy the project, and not stress about what we knew would be a pretty good chunk of change. This is a capital improvement to our home. We did compromise on some aspects that saved us several thousand dollars, but still resulted in what we consider to be a spectacular little space.

When doing a project like this there are a couple of ways you can go-- you can figure "the hell with it, we're going to get everything we can dream of" which can be very dangerous. Fancy shower features can add several hundred to thousands of dollars. It took my breath away. Extra tile features can add hundreds more. These hundreds here and there add up, and knowing where to draw the line is very important. At the same time, there can be the tendency to nickel-dime the project. It's going to cost thousands, and saving $10 or even $50 on something may not be in your best interest if you won't be happy with the finished product.

We could have reduced our costs in several ways- some would result in substantial savings-- thousands, and some in more moderate savings: We could tile only the floor and shower area and paint the rest of the walls (thousands), select a less expensive tile (more thousands-ours was pretty high-end) and eliminate the little stone shelves, go less high-end on the towel bar and tp holder (several hundred), use different sink material, use different plumbing fixtures, etc. For the time being, we're forgoing the glass sliders on the shower, which will cost $1500-2000, because we have another bathroom project coming up. We'll put in a tension bar and get a really nice shower curtain. And we may decide that we like that just fine.

You get what you pay for. We got a lot. And it was money well spent.

Hokie Squares

Squares for the Hokie Healing Project, that is.

I finished 9 squares, and blocked them last night. I wish I could have done more. I have plenty of orange and maroon yarn, but never enough time... The time that I was able to spend on them was soothing to my heart.


The Husband is off for Blacksburg after work today, and he'll deliver them.

The grand sewing-up of blankets will be on June 15 at the Inn at Virginia Tech. I, of course, am scheduled to work that entire weekend, but if you'll be in the area, contact Gina.

And now, off to work for the night.

Pictures of the finished bathroom tomorrow.