Mini Adventures of Mini Mochi

As knitting detours go, this one was nearly ideal: one free pattern plus two skeins of minimal expense, in this instance also known as Mini Mochi, (#307 storm clouds -- I was not in a bad mood, honest) equals a lovely diversion. Don't let the example on the website put you off -- it would peel paint. Consider yourself warned.


It was fun to knit, but nearly didn't happen.


It was the classic MO of my inhouse yarn vandal, who simply couldn't leave it alone!



A quick trip back to the shop to snag the last skein (!!) and I was back on track. Being a person of some extra size, I went for broke and did an extra repeat, which added just enough length to the shawl and pretty much took care of that left-over yarn problem:


Perhaps the best part of this was the sawtooth edging. I'd not done it before and it's terrific!


The yarn vandal returned, lurking for an opportunity. Hi Boing!


Knit, blocked, tried on and photographed ...


... And I don't know whether I even like it. Sigh.

The Power of Flowers

I found this photo in my phone the other day. I'd forgotten about it -- but not the flowers themselves. They appeared on my desk about a month ago during some awkwardness over a job reshuffling. The gesture meant alot. Thanks, Judyrs. You're grand.

Blogger Ate My Post

And I'm right peeved about it. Not that it was Pulitzer material, but it was a nice chat about moving my favorite college freshman-now-sophomore out of her dorm at the University of Dayton. I remember thinking that afternoon that I should've had that irksome pedometer* along, for all the walking I was doing.

She was remarkably organized with her packing, so while she filled bins, I schlepped the full ones out to the truck. Back and forth, back and forth and back and forth some more. I got very lucky when I scored a parking spot close to the door. This was the view from where I parked:


The line went past the horizon and filled the two parking lots that are just out of view. For all the commotion, there was little to no chaos. And not one bit of crabbiness! People held doors, shared vacuums, helped pick up a tipped luggage dolly (thanks again, everyone), and eventually we made our last trip out of the building. We drove back to Mamaw's house, and it felt so good to sit down. And then ... o-o.

My favorite college-freshman-now-sophomore had forgotten her fish in the lounge. This wasn't just any ol' beta -- it was a gift from her Pi-Phi big sister. So back to the dorm she went.

The next morning, I decided that my reward for being such a good helper mommy would be a quick field trip:



In Centerville's historic district, it's a cozy place -- two customers are company, three a crowd -- and arranged a bit differently than most shops I've been to. Instead of being arranged by weight, most of the shelves were arranged by color. It reminded me of the rows of paint chips at [insert your favorite home improvement center here]. Being on a strict yarn diet these days, I didn't buy anything, but I nearly caved when I saw a basket of this.

There wasn't a soul there when we arrived, the door wide open. I had just started poking around when the owner returned. She'd been next door finalizing her bets on the Derby. "I only bet on the Triple Crown races," she said. "I win just enough to cover my losses."

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* we have to use them as part of a pantywaist, ridiculous wellness program we have to complete to get a discount on our health insurance.