Potatoes in the Mist

Hi! I'm up freakishly early. I guess that's what happens when you fall asleep freakishly early. I'm not complaining, though - I feel well-rested. Yesterday I went to an in-law event and met D's cousin's new baby. She only weighs 11 pounds, is about 7 weeks old, and looks like a sweet-faced potato. A potato in the most charming sense. It's one of those cases where she looks exactly like her mom, as if the father's genes were skipped over altogether. I held her for a few minutes and she listed to the right. Apparently she doesn't like to be upright - she is always, always leaning to the right. Holding her was almost enough to make me want another one (with emphasis on the "almost"). A strange thing has happened. I'm without a book. There's simply nothing that's grabbing me right now. However, on my Amazon wish list, which is annotated with the month each book will come out (okay, I can't believe I admitted that), there are a few g

So I'll be making the cardigan that I linked to in my last post, but I'll be using Cascade 220 instead of Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton. I don't really like knitting with cotton - it's kind of stiff and unforgiving. And I'll be making the cardi in a small, not an extra-small. Hopefully it won't be boxy. I just can't envision squeezing into an extra-small. I considered making the cardigan in Malabrigo worsted, but there was one skein less than I needed. The Cascade was considerably cheaper, anyway. And the cashier (whom I think is also the owner - just a hunch) said she thought it would wear better. Something to do with the ply. I also bought some Madeline Tosh hand-dyed yarn for a hat. Then I picked up a book called Love in Mid Air - about two people who fall in love on an airplane, with obstacles of course. It looks interesting.

So I've been knitting somewhat obsessively. I have noticed that, when you're in a knitting phase, it doesn't so much matter *what* you're knitting, so long as you're knitting. It's meditative. That said, I think most knitters do have a favorite knit object. For me, it is generally hats, with occasional forays into scarves and mittens. I've made a long-sleeved sweater, a short-sleeved sweater, and two shawls, but I get much more use out of the accessories. BUT...I am drawn toward this pattern in Knitty. I think I would even make it in their chosen color, orchid, rather than my beloved pink. And I've used that yarn before, and liked it. What's holding me back? Well, sometimes knitted garments are boxy, although this one doesn't look it. And it would be a little bit challenging. It's "piquant", which in Knitty terms means, well, a little bit challenging. I have made piquant stuff before. Before I had a kid. But, you know...I think I

The weather was beautiful yesterday. I had lunch at the Empire Diner, outdoors, with D, E, and some friends. At one point E expressed a desire to be mobile. He pushed his own stroller for a block or so, then we returned it to the table, and we hoofed it down 10th Avenue together. He attracted a lot of positive attention. He passed a table full of friendly gay men with Bloody Marys, and was intrigued by the pretty red drink. "Do you want a Bloody Mary?" one of them asked him cheerfully. Then he saw a bus stop ad that said "8 Nutrients," etc. He announced, "Eight! S!" Shedding any fear of public embarrassment, I yelled, "Eight! S!" in return. The people waiting for the bus were amused. Later, I took him to the park, where he found a small leopard-spotted car. I don't know who it belonged to, but E enjoyed playing with it while we were there, and then we left it there for communal use. I had a revelation. I don't really like big groups. I th

I'm intrigued...there is a new book out called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Not until June, but it's never too early to add it to one's Amazon wish list. It's written by Aimee Bender, who has written a couple of trippy but clever books. One of her short stories lingered with me, about a couple who stole a ring that had some kind of magical properties. I have, it turns out, forgotten most of the story, but I remember the ring sitting in a bin of flour. Tomorrow I will have some alone time to just percolate and think things over. I am looking forward to it.

I'm having one of those weird spells where I feel grateful and not semi-snarky. Things I am thankful for right now: the warm, sunny weather outside (finally, winter has gone away). quiet afternoons (or pre-noons?) with babies who fall asleep in their high chairs, after eating their fill of bananas, Cheerios and pizza bites. engaging books. friends who help you see the world in a different, more interesting way. What are you thankful for?

So here is the hat I finished knitting. Warning: this hat was a yarn monster. It took almost all of a 225-yard skein. I've never seen a hat take so much yarn. On the plus side, it is quite roomy.

Just wanted to touch base, though I have nothing terribly interesting to share at the moment. I put a plate of veggie meatballs, marinara and spaghetti in front of E, and he said "Dodo" (his name for my mother, though my niece originated it when she was little). Apparently he remembered having it at my mother's house. I watched Adventureland from Netflix. It had Kristen Stewart ( Twilight, which I haven't seen) and Jesse Eisenberg (who looked vaguely familiar, but I can't think what I've seen him in) in it. I have to say, I was impressed with Kristen Stewart's acting. I can see how some people would think it's laughable, but to me she was utterly convincing as a Pittsburgh teenager dealing with some rough stuff in her life. The movie as a whole really brought back those days of working at low-end jobs during your college summers, and even though it was set in Pittsburgh (where I've never been), it could as easily have been New Jersey or suburban Ma

So I got back to New York and found a little packet from Random House on the kitchen table. Yay! I did not get the advance reviewer copy of Heart of the Matter , by Emily Giffin, which I had been hoping for; but I did get a copy of Get Lucky, which is hideously named, but it's by Katherine Center, whom I like. She also wrote The Bright Side of Disaster and Everyone is Beautiful , and I enjoyed both. She would probably be classified as "chick lit," but she is also smart, and I like her fun, crisp writing style. The train ride was largely uneventful, though E did throw up once, as he sometimes does on moving vehicles (except the stroller). It didn't seem to bother him, though I felt sad for him, and he enjoyed playing with his alphabet puzzle. The W is missing.

Okay, I seriously want to move to Texas right now. Okay, not really. But I do like Austin...I went there in 2006 to meet up with other bloggers and I'd love to do it again. It's a blue patch in a red state, with delicious food and friendly people. AND it was 80 degrees there yesterday. What else? I'm still in MA, reading a bunch of Robert Parker mysteries (I like his female protagonist, Sunny Randall, the best), and got to sleep in this morning while my mother played with E. Interestingly, he didn't touch her breakfast - oatmeal with blueberries - and showed more interest in mine - peanut butter cookies from Market Basket. I guess that is unsurprising. I gave him half a cookie of his own. I'm not really excited to go back to New York, but I guess once I'm there, I'll adjust.

Hello, y'all, I'm in Massachusetts and feeling very relaxed and cozy after a cup of black tea with some soy milk mixed in. Yesterday I saw Alice in Wonderland with a friend from high school (although actually, we became friends in junior high, and I saw my first R-rated movie - Child's Play - with her when we were both thirteen). Anyway, Alice was a disappointment - one of those obvious, unsubtle Hollywood movies with forced jokes and no depth - but it was great seeing my friend. She is one of those people who never really change, and it is reassuring. It is definitely a good thing, in her case. One of the most solid people I know. I also finished knitting my mitten. I forgot how much I hate knitting thumbs. But it is done, and the second one is underway.

I'm up at the crack of dawn for some reason. Hello, everyone! I'm liking Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. She somehow turns Lewis Carroll's and Alice Liddell's sorta relationship...when she is age 7-11 and he is age 27-31...into something appealing and romantic. Really. But then they have their famous rift, in June 1863, and he drifts out of the narrative, and it loses some of its momentum. But, I will read it anyway. It's still good. Sometimes, just as a side note, I am bothered by the non-anonymity of my blog. I mean, I'm using my Internet handle, but I may as well not be, because my picture is up and many of you know my real name. Some of you have met me in person. Which is all very well and cozy, but does constrain me in terms of what I can say in here. I read a blog once where a woman was crazily personal, and it was fun to read but did feel a bit like a bomb about to detonate (i.e., "I wonder when she is going to be, um, discovered."). Sho

So I finished my hat. I'd put up a picture of it, except it looks like every other ribbed hat I've made. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, I started knitting cable mittens, which is quite the experience so far. I've knitted mittens on double-pointed needles before, and I've done cable knitting before, but I've never done cable knitting on double-pointed needles. So I hit a bit of a learning curve, got around it, and now things are going smoothly. I have more stick-to-it-iveness with knitting than I do in other areas of my life. Not sure why. I also got a book called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. It's about the real-life Alice who inspired Lewis Carroll. It looks like it will be very good. Of course, I wonder if it was timed to come out simultaneously with the movie. I'd like to see the movie, too.