splityarn

the many phases of moving

I have a few general guidelines to moving that I've tried to follow. In your college years and early twenties when you move, you do it all yourself. 80 million trips back and forth in a car is really nothing. You give your pals beer and pizza and they'll help. When you get to late twenties/early thirties, you hire a truck. You still pack everything yourself, but you're better off hiring a couple guys to schlep all the boxes in and out. (Funny how your late twenties friends are usually busy when you call for help.) Mid-thirties is time to start hiring folks to pack for you. That's where I am right now. I packed 95% of the house in the last 5 days, but I'm letting the moving company pack all the breakables. It's a huge relief not to worry if dishes get broken along the way. Ideally the next time we move I'll be well into the next phase of moving. The much-glorified "hire someone else to do the whole lot of it" phase.

One can only hope.

of cardboard and packing tape

Over the 11 years I lived in Whistler, I moved on average once a year. Ski resort towns typically have transient populations and consequently roommates and abodes change frequently. I learned early on that the best moves are quick and organized; you need labels, proper packing materials, quality boxes and items grouped by function. When it came time to move back to Vancouver, I paid for movers to put everything on a truck. The moving foreman said he had never seen a client so prepared and organized when the crew arrived. My entire two bedroom townhouse was loaded in less than 45 minutes.

I'm hoping that I still have that packing mojo because four days ago, The Husband and I signed a lease on a house in Boston. In exactly one week, the moving van is arriving and we're getting out of Dodge. True to form, we're doing this move fast and (hopefully) efficiently. Better to just tear the band aid off, right? I'm sorry Austin, I'll miss you, but Fall is on the way and I'm ready to start wearing handknits!

eighth socks finished

The only Christmas knitting that I'm going to do this year is finished. One pair of socks for the father in law. The pressure to really crank out a lot of handknits (albeit self-imposed) is a bit much, so I'm officially putting myself on an every-other-year schedule. Sorry family, no knits for you.

Pattern: 6 x 2 rib with the Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe from Knitting Rules
Yarn: Indigo Moon fingering weight, bought at Three Bags Full in Vancouver.
Needles: Size 2 US (3.0mm) KnitPicks DPNs
Started: August 10th, 2007
Finished: September 17th, 2007
Final Verdict: When the Husband tried them on, I realize that they're too long in the foot. They're just for wearing around the house in the cold Cape Cod winter though, so I don't think it's a big deal. Merry Christmas FIL, forget that you saw this post!

Ravelry project details

scene stealer

On the last few trips some of the only knitting I've done has been in airports and on the plane. I haven't made a heap of progress on anything and it's starting to get to me. I have The Husband's next sweater all planned out but I think it will have to wait until we get home from this weekend's trip to Boston. (I know, I know!) In the meantime I'll put the push on to finish this latest pair of socks. The Indigo Moon I picked up in Vancouver sat in the stash for all of a month before I wound it and cast on for the only Christmas knitting I'm going to do. The first sock is finished and I'm about to turn the heel on the second. If all goes well, I'll have an FO to show early next week.

*No socks were harmed in this photo shoot. Apparently kittens don't come with any sense of knitting etiquette.

**Dig Indy! She made it to ICHC

resurfacing

The longer I'm away, the harder it is to settle back into the routine. Breakfast, blog posts, email, dishes all seem foreign at first until I'm a couple days in when I almost forget I was gone at all.

Vancouver was a whirlwind. I was there for two weeks with nary a down day. Quality time with my best friends, some visits to old haunts, a quick meet with a new pal and an almost daily hangover. I miss a lot about Vancouver, but it feels good to be home in my own house. Too bad I'm only here for a day before we fly to Nashville for the weekend. It's getting quite ridiculous, isn't it?