Random thoughts on a Monday morning.

My goal this Olympics (I joined Ravelympics late but have been following in spirit) has been to work through some of my WIPs.  It's been an odd exercise.  In the case of the Summertime Tunic from IK (Summer 2007 I think) I made myself finish something I put down a year ago because I knew it wasn't working.  I should have frogged it but I convinced myself it was fine and having finished it (no pictures, sorry, it's too heartbreaking) I realize it should have been frogged and one of these days I'll reclaim the cotton yarn for another, more workable project.  This is a lesson I've learned before, but there seems to be a point in one's knitting where frogging seems overwhelming and such a failure.  However, in reality,  frogging just means I have more yarn in the stash for the right project -even if that project doesn't come along for years!  Sigh.  On the other hand, there are also the projects you set aside for no good reason.  They're working up fine, they look fine and you just lose interest.  I picked up the sweater I started for my youngest nephew in December and-poof!-it's just about done.  This picture was from earlier last night but by the time I put it down I have just the short rows for the neck, the neck ribbing , graft the underarms and weave in the ends left.  It looks great, it's plenty big enough and I love making these ( Drive-Thru) for kids so have no idea what made me abandon it.  I also finished the plain striped socks and  am almost done with sock one of a pair of monkeys I started in the Spring.  I think I'm coming away from this exercise with the thought that knitting is something I do for fun and relaxation and if something isn't working I need to walk away and not punish myself by leaving it as a WIP or forcing a finish .  I have no clue as to what would help me finish things that are working in a more timely manner.
John continues to have a lot of trouble with the broken hand.  I personally think it's because it's not getting much chance to heal and because it's his right hand he keeps defaulting to trying to use it.  However, with the cast he hasn't been able to deal with his hair (and frankly had let it get to long to easily shave over the past few weeks anyway) so yesterday morning I spent an hour shaving his head.  After buzzing it short and then lathering and shaving and also doing the face and trimming the goatee and an hour had gone by!  It looks much nicer now though and no cuts and nicks (well, I got the ear once but no one can see that!) and it's much smoother when someone else does it.  The downside here is in order to keep it that way it needs to be done frequently.  Sigh.
    Well, it;s time to accept the fact that school starts in just over a week and I need to get the kids organized and ready.  I'd love to rant here about how school systems now send home lists that can cost $100-200 to outfit your kids with the supplies that are "required".  In theory, my daughter needs a calculator that appears to cost about $100!  This year I plan to email the teachers about what is really needed and what is filler.  Every year I have every dutifully bought every item on the list, to find that some things they really need aren't on the list and some things they don't need are.  It's a financial inconvenience for us but not undoable-I really wonder about kids whose families absolutely can not afford to do this.  In our community you pay over $200 a kid for busing to school (there is a cap, but it's after 2 or 3 kids I believe), you pay a fee for them to be part of any school activity, extra for music and if you do school sports even more $.  Our town has pay as you throw for garbage.  The economy is in the tank but the school department feels fine sending out lists with $100 calculators?  Grrr.
    Today is my only free day this week (and I use the term loosely because I have the kids of course, so it's not like I could sit back eat bon-bons and knit, even if I didn't already have 350 things that need doing) and I would really love to take them to the Cape next week end before school starts (although that's looking less and less possible).  I work two days this week, John has to see the hand surgeon, I have some family obligations mid week and another MRI  (mine) on Friday.  The evenings have various meetings and obligations filling them as well.  I'm torn between getting all the back to school errands, grocery shopping, organizing, cleaning and more done today or just goofing off with the kids while I can.  This is a little funny because it's nearly 11am and my son is on the Wii, my daughter is still asleep and I'm in bed on the lap top, so it's sort of like I've made some kind of decision there!

    I hope everyone has a great week.  I will take and post pictures of finished WIP at the end of the Olympics and maybe even start Em's vest (from one of the new Classic Elite books). It's the Portland Tweed vest from the Autumn book. I'm using Cascade 220 in a lovely blue/grey color.  Bye!