Dawn Brocco's Life and Design Blog

Karin at Knitting & asks what we (the collective we) are doing to cut down on gas usage. Good question, but hard to do. Hubby travels almost an hour each way to work every day (Saugerties to Poughkeepsie), but I work at home and don't drive, so I guess that balances out into normal American family usage.

Over the past 4 summers, though, hubby's been home 3 of the summers from 3 surgeries. This year, he tore the tendon off his bicep and arm is in a cast. He won't see work til mid October *at the earliest*. The other 2 summers were a carpal tunnel surgery each summer. So, we save on gas every time hubby needs a surgery!

Today holds in store a small trip to Kingston - just 20 minutes away - to wander through the Salvation Army store to look for good stuff cheap! and to Target to get son a few nice shirts for his birthday. If not, then a science tome in B&N, as daughter sent me a coupon. Son is on year # - I forget - it's been awhile - working on his doctorate in micro-electronic engineering. Whenever he's done, it'll be an excuse to fly to CA for the ceremony.

We don't fly. Besides the tourist flight over the Sacandaga Reservoir in a small Cessna a gazillion years ago!, we flew once to Chicago.

I heard it said on the green channel that the amount of fuel to fly a family of four across the pond would heat an American house for a year. Good reason not to fly.

I like trains myself. And it's not because I've ridden them much - only once back in college to visit a friend. But I like the idea of getting up and walking around to stretch or get a snack. I find though, that when considering an Amtrak trip to a destination I'm considering, there's no straight trip. Like flying, here's that tedious stopover nonsense, and it's often costlier than flying.

Before I die, though, I want to take one of those romantic cross-country type of rail trips.

Knitting
Had to reknit one of the chunky mitten samples - same yarn, same size and type needles as mitten 1, but it came out at least a half inch shorter.

Now, what's up with that?!

It's been lying, drying, on the pilot-lit stove top, so I haven't measured it yet, but it darn well better be the same length!

Am making progress with the 1st worsted wt. mitten sample, without too much ripping - brain was actually working for a few hours last night. It's not a given that it will be available for thinking, every day. It's potluck.

They both have simple thumbs, and I think I'd like to offer a gussetted thumb, as well. I prefer the gussetted myself, but the extra shaping with colorwork can throw some knitters. The simple thumb is fully-functional, but the gussetted is more organic.

Labels: mittens