Can a CPA be a Knitter? Can a Knitter be a CPA?

Finish or Start Over?

While sewing together Anna's top on Sunday, I decided to wash and block the back of Mom's sweater.  It's a mitered square jacket pattern from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2003.  I was very worried about the gauge of the knitting, and of the size I am knitting in general.  Mom had given me a jacket to use for her measurements, and I picked the size from that.  Well, after washing the piece and putting it on the blocking table, I cringed.  The gauge was way off!  But I pushed and pinched and smushed the rows together as best I could.

Monday morning I checked the piece.  Though still damp, I made up my mind that I needed to start over!  Mind you, the back and left front are complete, both sleeves are 80% knitted, and I only have the right front remaining to knit.  But I didn't like the way the variegated yarn looked in the mitred sqares.  I packed my Jean Frost "Jackets" book to take to work and  most of the day pondered what to do.  I finally made the decision to start all over and made a call to Mom to let her know.  I had a new pattern in mind, and even contemplated buying different yarn.

I finally got hold of Mom on Tuesday morning and told her the news.  "You don't have to make me anything" was her response. 

When I got home from work, I went upstairs to my knitting room, pulled out the tape measure and used it on the now totally dry back of the jacket.  Guess what?  Perfect measurements and gauge!  A little steaming of the mitered squares (the back consists of 4 squares) and it actually looks pretty nice.  I held the back up next to my body, and I think it is the right size for Mom.  What a surprise!

I gave Anna her top tonight at dinner, and I think she actually liked it!  I was right about not using the sleeves and she liked the flower motif.  It fit her great and the color looks very pretty on her with her fair skin and red hair.

So, overall a successful day in my knitting life. 

The Middle of July Already?

Yes, I am still alive.

And still knitting, and crocheting.

I actually tried to post to my blog this week, but the Typepad service was down for maintenance.  I took that as a sign.  But I finished a top for Anna today, just in time for her to take with her on her trip to Mexico.

I am very happy with the way the top turned out.  I made a few changes, the original pattern calls for "flutter sleeves" which I did crochet but decided not to sew on.  They seem a little fussy, and Anna doesn't usually wear clothes with alot of clutter.  If she decides she wants the sleeves, it won't take long to sew them on.

The pattern is "Flutter-Sleeve Top" from SweaterBabe.com's  Fabulous & Flirty Crochet.  The yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport, a 60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal blend.  I love the color, Hydrangea.

I haven't neglected my knitting since my last posting.  Tanya and I went to Camp Stitches East in the beginning of June at Lake Junaluska, NC.  We had a great time and learned alot.  We both took Jean Frost's class where we learned how to create our own patterns and ,most importantly to me, learned how to make sure the clothing you knit FITS.

Wow, all of this blogging has me exhausted!  I'm going to leave you with a picture I took in late May in anticipation of putting it on my blog.  The flowers are still gorgeous 6 weeks later.

Pointy Sticks

Time to Cast On

Late Spring Flowers

What a beautiful weekend!  Time with my children and husband, my knitting and a good book.  We also celebrated my mother's 75th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  The sweater I'm knitting for her is not quite finished, so a purchased gift would have to substitute for now.  But, Mom, I promise, it will be done by fall.  You won't need it until then, anyway.

Here is a birthday bouquet from my garden.  I love you, Mom.

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with all three kids under one roof (that doesn't happen too much nowadays.)

The day contained two dozen rozes, monkey bread, a new garden and a fabulous dinner of steak, potatoes and grilled asparagus.  It also held lots of hugs and kisses, a few tears, and gifts of a knitting book and Yankee tickets. 

I enjoyed every minute of the day with my children and husband.

Almost Tax Day

Hi Everyone!

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Haven't done alot of knitting, I've been coming home from work, eating dinner and vegging in front of the TV for about an hour before I pass out with exhaustion.

But my to-do list is getting smaller every day.  Still have a couple of returns to get out of the office and extensions to prepare, so I will be back in a few days!

 

Quiz

I have a quiz for my children today.

Today, St Patrick's Day, is the anniversary of your father's and my first date.

If you can be the first to answer the following 2 questions correctly by leaving the answer as a comment here, you will win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

1. What year did we have our first date?

2. What was the main activity on this date? (Hint- it's not a three letter word.)

The contest closes at midnight tonight!

Non Knitting Rant

I had really hoped this time it would last longer- at least 10 years. I had really hoped that this time there would be no problems, that taking care of the day to day needs would prevent serious problems down the road.

I am not writing about my love relationship, I am talking about MY CAR, a JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE!.  I have owned it since October of  2001 and had every intention of owning it for a long time.  I don't have a car payment and have taken good care of the car, but it seems as if American cars are built to start decomposing after 4 years.  I am so frustrated.  Every time I turn around I am spending more money (and precious time) on this car!  First, almost $1,000 for new tires.  OK, that's to be expected, but then all of the tires developed slow leaks that caused constant worry and 4 different trips to the tire dealer to finally be able to drive the car for an hour without feeling like I should check the tire pressure.  The heat on the passenger side had stopped working three years in, and of course, the dealer couldn't find the problem while it was still under warranty.  It took another dealer three days and $700 of my money to fix it.  But, wait, it still wasn't fixed!  There was another problem, which luckily the dealer didn't charge me the $600 to take off the whole front panel again, just the $200 for parts and labor for what they didn't do the first time.  But NOW, the cruise control on the steering wheel doesn't work.  Think maybe that has something to do with taking the front panel off twice, maybe it wasn't put back on and all of the wires attached properly?  The dealer doesn't think so, "it could be something else!"

Yesterday, when I hopped in the car to drive home from work, the "check engine" light came on. Now, I'm really worried.  There has been a distinct smell of gas, I had asked the serviceman to check it a few weeks ago when I had the oil changed.  At the time, he said he couldn't find anything.  Luckily, my son was able to drive me to work today and drop off the car for me.  The service station just called to let me know I had a cracked gas cap.  What a surprise!

I'm getting on the internet tonight and start researching what new car I am going to buy.  You can bet it won't be made at a GM, Ford or Chrysler plant!

Help, I've Fallen.....

...under a pile of tax returns, and I can't get up!

Coming home too tired to knit, I've been too busy at work to sneak on the internet and be inspired by all of my knitting buddies and online yarn shops and bookstores.  36 more days of tax season to go!

I do try to set aside Sunday as a day away from work and I spent some time on my mitered square sweater and gauge swatch's for Ene's Shawl today.  I am trying to decide whether to use one strand or two of the Knit Pick Alpaca Cloud to make the shawl, and have not yet made a decision.  Any comments?

Remember, Tax Day is April 17!

Should You Wear It Right Away?

What are your opinions on wearing a new item of clothing right away?  I vote for Yes- why wait?