All American Family
Jan 31, 2006 Life
This week my parents are the “All American Family”. Nielsen’s ratings invited them to be a Nielsen Family for the week. My dad considers this the highlight of his week.
The downside? Instead of showing Scubs, NBC will be broadcasting the State of Union address. In case NBC cares, my parents want to improve Scrubs’ ratings, but they can’t.
Oh so close!
Jan 27, 2006 Knitting
Oh so close!
My Clapotis has been my project of the month. With a lot of luck it will be done before summer arrives. I’m almost done. Yet I can not finish. I ran out of yarn. Ugh!
I’m using Artyarn’s Supermerino #127. I originally purchased 7 skeins, which yield 700+ yards. The pattern used just over 600. I thought I would be safe. I even downsized my needles to US7. Apparently it wasn’t enough. I’m getting about 17 stitches to 4 inches. The pattern’s gauge is 19 stitches to 4 inches. That adds up to a lot of yarn over a whole Clapotis.
So what am I going to do? At first I was going to order more yarn. I couldn’t think of another solution. Then I wised up. There are 13 repeats in the straight rows. I’m going to delete one repeat from the straight rows. Then I’ll have plenty of yarn. While this method requires more time than just using an additional skein of yarn, it is the less expensive method. Right now, I’d rather spend my money on fabric. I’m ready to start quilting again.
Small Changes
Jan 24, 2006 Life
I decided that my blog needed a small face lift. I’ve used the same design from the beginning. After reviewing many blogs on web, I deleted the left navigation bar. It wasted a lot of valuable real estate. All the content from the left side integrated into the right-side navigation.
As of January 24, 2006, my blog sports this look:
Compulsive Purchase
Jan 23, 2006 Quilting
On Saturday, I picked up the latest Fons & Porter magazine from Barnes & Noble. I like this magazine. It inspires me to quilt and be creative. I think the Wheel of Mystery quilt is the only quilt I’ve actually make from the magazine, though I intend to make others.
The January/February issue features Kaye Wood’s View & Do™ Hexagon templates. I like hexagons. From a geometrical point of view they fascinate my mind. They can be divided into three equal shapes that are very different than the original shape, very talented. The project, a simple item, is a Hexagon Star. I think it is the quilter’s version of a crocheted dollie.
This morning after I purchased Ross’ birthday present, I found myself on the Fons & Porter website. Before I knew what hit me, I bought the hexagon templates and a 2-year subscription to the magazine. Now I want to go home and select fabrics to make a hexagon star. This will be the perfect project to work on in between the bathroom remodeling project.
On and off the needles
Jan 18, 2006 Knitting
In between remodeling the bathroom, I manage to knit a bit. Ross asked for a scarf for Christmas. He didn’t get it on Christmas. Instead he received the scarf before the end of the year. It knit in a “moss rib”. I really like it. It knit up quickly.
To fill up small gaps of time, I started these socks. They are intended for my youngest brother. I’m not so sure about them.
- I don’t know if they’ll fit. I need to see how they fit on him.
- I think the ankle part should be ribbed not just the cuff. I’m think I might ripped them back.
- I’m not loving the #2 needles. Progress doesn’t come easily. In the past, I’ve used #3 needles. They weren’t bad at all.
This project will continue to feel my dead time. No rush.
Current project: Clapotis. Oh baby this is one of the funnest things I knitted I love dropping the stitches. I want to finish this project. It need to be worn.
Bathroom Remodel I
Jan 6, 2006 Home Improvement
For Christmas Ross and I recieved a Home Depot gift Certificate and some money. We quickly decided that we didn’t “need” anything. However we want a lot. Since we purchased our condo we haven’t invest a lot of money improving the place. With our presents in hand, it felt like a good time to start a home improvement project. Oh where to start? Over the years previous owners upgraded a few things, but the bathroom has received nomimal attention.
The countertop needs to be replaced. Besides being an eye sore, there is actually a crack in the surface. The bathroom mirror rested on top of the countertop backsplash. The mirror would need to go before the countertop could be replaced.
I selected a recessed mirror. When all is said and done the recessed mirror will be wonderful. It will extra create space. The trim is a high gloss white paint that is very washable.
Step 1. Remove the mirror. I wish I took a picture before I removed the mirror. Regardless this is the wall without the mirror.
Shortly after this picture, I cut a square hole in the wall board for the mirror
Step 2.
Road block #1: An electrical conduit wraps around the wrong side of a drain pipe. I need to move it to create more space for the mirror. This means taking apart the outlet box in the kitchen. I know enough about electical work to be dangerous. I opened the box to find a ton of connections. Ugh!
I sorted out the wires, moved the conduit to the other side of the drain pipe and put everything else back together. I didn’t put everything together tightly on the kitchen side of the things. I’m going to replace the outlet this weekend. Here is a before/after picture of the conduit.
Next step: notch out the space in the studs and creating a frame for the mirror. At least this is what I hope to accomplish this weekend.
