8/26/2007

It's hit me that it's the end of summer, not really weather-wise as September and even October are often our summeriest months here. The weather's good; the tourists have emptied out after leaving the contents of their wallets in San Diego. The kids go back to school, but still in their summer clothes, as it's just too hot to wear the nationalized "back to school" offerings yet. But the afternoons are still long and the beaches are quiet. Really a spectacular time of year.

I'm working on three tech editing projects right now. A mixed bag of delight and aggravation, these, but I love the short time frame (10-14 days) on a tech editing project, all the different ideas I'm exposed to, and, yes, getting to unleash that OC-Delightful aspect of my personality and give it free reign.

On the computer front -- It really was broken. After a couple days' worry that I had unwittingly committed some not-under-warranty offense that would cost me half the cost of the machine to fix, they replaced the malfunctioning keyboard, no charge. In celebration I bought it a protective cozy, though I'm holding out for a smart little bag from Lexie Barnes.

So the needles up there at the top of the post -- most of them belonged to Leo's grandmother, whom everyone called Baube. She passed away last year and I received most of her knitting things, a few needlepoint things, her apron. Leo's dad just brought me the family copy of Jewish Cookery, complete with midrash. And I got a box unexpectedly of a few more knitting things from Leo's sister. There, tucked in with a few skeins of RedHeart, a handwritten pattern. Coming across the handwriting of someone who's passed is right up there with hearing a recording of her voice. There's something captured there.

Anyway, here you have Baube's Ripple Afghan pattern. I've started mine, using up leftovers. Feel free to Baube along. Now if only I could replicate the Date Nut Pinwheel cookies...

Afghan -- Ripple Pattern Cast on 206 sts. Use 10 or 10 1/2 needle with 4 ply yarn. Row 1: K1, k2tog, k6, yo, k1, yo, *k6, k2tog, k2tog, k6, yo, k1, yo*, finish row with k6, k2tog, k1.

The pattern, I'll note, does not offer subsequent rows, but I assumed that if there was more critical information needed, she would have offered it up. So, Repeat Row 1 on all RS rows, and WS rows can be either purled or knit.

????????