The Mini-Vacation hits midpoint

I took Friday and Tuesday off, so I have a five-day break from work. Much needed.

Just some brief news and quick pictures.

My Grandmother is in the hospital again, though she's due to come home today or tomorrow. She's going to be getting in-home hospice care. I keep reminding myself how forturnate I am to have a grandmother still, and how lucky my girls were to grow into adulthood with a living, coherent great-grandmother. Her mind is as sharp as it ever was, which is good. Her body, sadly, is pretty much coming apart at the seams.

That photo is about ten years old, but she still looks pretty much the same. Frailer, much thinner, but still the same. That's my auntie with her.

In other news, the Yarn Harlot (link on the sidebar), Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, was in Pittsburgh to do a book signing and I went. It was so much fun! While we were waiting, I took this photo down the line of chairs-look at all the socks in progress!



Socks everywhere!

Stephanie was funny, charming, and gracious. Also, she apparently does not like hockey. I'll try not to hold that against her.


Here she is holding my sock with hers. She recognized that they were Knitpicks needles. I wanted to say that I really prefer bamboo needles but that the yarn I was using for the pattern of the socks is very elastic and grabby and the bamboo wasn't really working out at all. ("Quill Lace" from Knitty is the pattern, they're for my mom for Easter, and the yarn is Knitpicks "Dancing", which I have 4 more skeins in my stash and despair of ever using up... it's not ideal)


That sweater she's wearing is amazing. The colorwork makes me get tears in my eyes. Someday, someday.

In the meantime, the quill lace socks are finished now, I've gotten a good piece of the Pinwheel sweater started (15 stitches between yarnovers and one color change) and I want to get back to it. I also promised my grandma a pair of socks. I'm thinking squishy, warm bedsocks. I know her feet get cold and I have some great superwash merino handspun I could use for them.

We took my mother to Phipps Conservatory yesterday. I took many photos.
All of them can be found here, but this one is a particular favorite.


And for some reason, these japanese maple buds reminded me of ballet slippers...


(if you prefer viewing through flickr, they're available through the link in the sidebar as well.)

Have a good week!