MS3

Yey! I finally got my yarn last Friday, just in time for the 4th clue to be released! We were in the midst of planning the birthday extravaganza, so I was not even able to properly feel on my yarn until Sunday night. Wow. It was SO worth the wait! I was a little upset that it too so long to get here (almost 2 weeks to the day), but I think the lady deserves a little slack, because hey, laceweight wool was in such high demand due to the MS3! I cannot believe that I made was able to sign up for the MS3 before the cutoff date! I am always the last to know things, and how I was lucky enough to get in on this one I will never know. I am loving the pattern! Lovely Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist is the leader and creator of the whole MS3 phenomenon. It is so beyond me how anyone designs beautiful lace things like this! It 's like, trying to understand how astronomers figure out the logistics of landing a rover on a distant planet (that's like, basically predicting the future, right?). Well, to me, it seems that designing lace is kind of the same thing.

I took a picture of my progress so far (I am still on Clue #1), see Slow Bee Badge to the right. Kind of sad that the photo does not do it justice (you can't even really see the beads on it!), but I really dont feel like looking for a good place to take the picture. I am pressed for time already, as it is. I HATE frogging, so because of this, I am SUPER cautious. As you can see, I have stitch markers, and life lines out the wazoo!

Zephyr wool/silk in Cassia, on size 4 (3.5mm) Takumis

The is the first knit-a-long I have participated in, but I am really hoping that Melanie will have a MS4 for next year (hint hint, Melanie)!

Our birthday celebration went really well this weekend! We had a bit of fun with it this year and kept Clay's gifts a total secret. Once he went to bed, we set everything up outside. So, Clay went to bed with the backyard looking like this ....

and woke up to this ....

He was simply ecstatic!

I also tried my hand at making him a cake this year.

He LOVED the cake. Well, let me clarify that ... he loved the TOYS on top of the cake. This is the second year in a row that Clay was not interested in the birthday cake! Last year he sat and stared at it like it was going to rear up and bite him. This year he stared at it like it was some gooey lump getting in the way of him playing with his trucks. Oh well, considering that the cake was not all that tasty, he really did not miss much ;) Let's just say that the decorations rocked...the cake did not.

Where's my two dollars?

Okay, I think the mailman is starting to think that I am stalking him. I am starting to feel like that paperboy in that classic 80's flick "Better Off Dead" .... "Where's my two dollaaaaaars? I want my two dollars!". Where's my yaaaaarn? I know that ALL of the yarn stores have been SWAMPED with orders for laceweight yarn ever since the MS3 KAL started, and I am trying to be patient and understanding. BUT I WANT MY YARN! It's going on 2 weeks since I placed the order.

I got the beads, I got the size 12 (!) crochet hook, and I have all of the charts taped together, marked out and ready to go. I am so ready to start this thing! Personally, I think they should call the crochet hook size a -12, because depending on who sized it, a "regular" size 12 hook is enormous. The hook needed for the MS3 (my -12) is a 1.00 mm hook. The other, more "common" 12 is almost a size L or M which is almost a cm in size.
Needless to say, I was really confused when the directions said to apply the beads to the laceweight yarn using a size 12 crochet hook. I was starting to wonder if the "beads" were supposed to be soda can ring pulls.

Must.not.obsess.over.yarn.
Must.distract.self.

Okay, how about this for distraction?
The Heathen Housewife has a contest going on this week! Let's go check it out!

At some point I am going to have to start photographing my FO's, UFO's and stash. That is going to be quite the undertaking, so I am just going to have to start slow, and post photos of the MS3 as I creep through it . I have not quite decided what this site is going to be about yet, but I suppose that will all come in time.

Well, I am off to go figure out what kind of birthday cake to make for the weekend. I cannot believe that my little boy is already going to be two years old! Perhaps the way I will privately celebrate his birthday for myself is by finally making some time to post his birth story on my Doula's web site. I almost cried at his first birthday because I was remembering how beautiful he was when he was born, and how beautiful that day was for me. I honestly believe that the birthday celebration is not only for the person born on that day, but it is also a small celebration for the mother that brought him/her into the world.

No Bitchin' Camaro for you ...

I went to a particular web site this morning and signed my older son up in a Little Toy Car "VIP Club" that will hopefully keep him current with all of the popular, cool, and "hip" toy cars. 'Cuz we all know how important this is when you are a little boy and have a younger brother to impress.

You know which brand of toy cars I am talking about. Yeah, the ones we ALL played with. ANYHOOOO, I hesitated doing this because once these places get your information, you are through. Thing is, this little boy loves cars, so hey, why not let him have a little fun. Well, I figure now that they have my address I will probably start getting a TON of spam and toy junk mail -- but I know that if a piece of mail comes here with a picture of a car on it, well, my son will be ecstatic. So I sign up for this "service" and then find that this e-mail has been sent to me...

Thank you for applying to become a member of the "Little Toy Car" VIP Club. We are excited that you are a fan of "Little Toy Cars" and want to be part of this special group. We will let you know within one week whether or not you qualify. Thank you!

Whether or not I QUALIFY?
QUALIFY?
QUALIFY, MY ASS.

Man, I qualify so hard that they oughta just send us five free cars. Two for each of the boys, and one for me.
I'd like the Bitchin' Camaro, please.


I have TWO BOYS. What more do you need to meet up to their stringent Toy Car Club Membership standards? Thank goodness I did not tell them of my past history of accidentally letting the vacuum pressure in the SEM fall, so that for 12 hours we had to wait for it to stabilize again. (PHEW!) ... had they found THAT out, I am sure we would have been totally screwed! I had no idea that my past indiscretions could possibly affect my son's chance of being a part of the Little Toy Car VIP Club. Crap.

Niiiiice. Real nice.

Me: Sweetie, what color are the leaves on the trees over there?
Sweetie: Black!
Me: Sweetie, what color are those pretty flowers?
Sweetie: Black!
Me: Look! There's a car! What color is the car?
Sweetie: Black!
Me: (sigh) How about the sky, what color is the sky?
Sweetie: BLACK!
Husband: Honey, what color are momma's teeth?
Sweetie: YELLOW!

Great. Maybe he does know his colors after all.