Halfway

This is probably not a surprise if you know me in person. After all if you've seen me in the last month it's pretty obvious. Today marks 20 weeks into my biggest current project due to culminate on July 18.


These were taken last Thursday. I hadn't been feeling much movement yet, but for at least the half hour we were watching this baby is on speed. Flips and kicks and yawns and waves. The first picture is profile and feet, the second is the top of the head and fingers. We counted all ten fingers and at least got to see feet, but not really toes. The face was mostly turned away, but we got a few quick glimpses. No idea on gender. Maybe we'll find out later, but for now it just didn't seem like we wanted to know. Everything is going well. I'm actually getting some studio work done, I'll never have all the pots ready that I need, but at least I won't be without any. I'm hoping to be able to reach my wheel for another 8 weeks then start glazing and firing around the first of May. We'll see how that goes and if my body will stand for it. I'll take some belly pictures tonight when Kevin gets home and post them later.

I finished something!

I've been working on these socks for months. I think I started them in October, but they are ribbed all the way from top to bottom and I hated every minute of knitting them. I like the result though. They are my first finished object from my own dyed yarn. Other people have made socks, but not me.
Anticipating their completion I started the Clapotis scarf from Knitty.
This is also my own hand dyed yarn. It's thicker than the sock yarn I've been doing and it's wonderfully soft and squishy. I'll post another picture of this one soon. Even since I took the picture last night it's lots different.


I have a friend who has been knitting for many years but doesn't shop for yarn much. She's always facinated by the patterned sock yarns when she sees my socks. So I dyed up a batch for her. It was my first try with dyeing sections on the stove top. I was expecting three sections each of three solid colors. The verigation is so much neater. I really love this effect.


And it's even striped! I can't wait to give it to her for her birthday next week.


In other news, I've actually been in the studio this week making pots. It's good to be back at it. I've got lots to do to get my shops stocked and be ready for the studio tour in June.
I still want a foot of snow, but I'm enjoying the warm week too. The frogs are out and croaking in the pond. and there is still plenty of time for a March snow storm, and I did get to have snow cream on Sunday morning with our pitiful inch of snow. So no more complaining from me.

The Maggie Index

Meteorologists are missing out on a really important tool for weather tracking, I'm calling it the Maggie index. It is a combination of temperature and sun intensity with a little wind thrown in. Unlike any other weather tool it is measured in minutes. Is is of course the amount of time that Maggie will stay outside in a given period before whining and jumping in front of the window to be let back in. For instance this morning at 10am the index was at 20 minutes, but by just 11:30 we were up to 45 minutes. However with the incoming clouds now at 2pm it is down to just 6 minutes. Of course there are factors to be considered, mainly the laziness of the person who has to open the door. Sometimes one can ignore the whining and increase the index considerably.

Cute Overload

Does it get any better than this?

I don't get to keep them. I'm putting them in the mail tomorrow. But there's plenty of yarn for more. Finally a way to use up left over sock yarn, and as fast as they were, all the new babies due in the neighborhood will be getting a pair.
The link is here if anyone else wants to try it out.