Snapping Grey Turtle Skirt = Hexagon Math Goodness

Between the fantastic trip to New York with Double Vision, a sad going away party for close friends, and the madness that continues to call itself my house i have been finding bits of time here and there to … knit!  Not really much of a surprise as i have needed all of the relaxing and meditative activities that i could find to help keep me sane over the last few months, and weeks even more so.  What have i been working on?  Another skirt!!!  I am super excited about this one as it is six hexagons knit from the outside into the middle using spaced decreases and four rows high. It's a math skirt!

Here is a picture of the Turtle skirt keeping a park bench in Central Park warm a few weeks ago.  I am really enjoying the skirt as it is a fairly easy knit without a pattern to carry around, but it's not plain.  I am not just knitting back and forth, back and forth.  I am knitting hexagons that are 18 stitches wide on all sides to begin with and all of them end up as only a single stitch on the needles after all of the decreases.  I love you geometry.

Now that i have finished nearly the top two rows of hexagons i decided it was time for some dress form testing.  So far so good…  I was pleasantly surprised that the skirt seems to fit.  The hexagons are bubbling a bit in the centers, but nothing too weird that the blocking won't fix.  I love the Star Skirt that i knit a few years back and am looking forward to having more hand knit items for day to day wear.

House Week 10, 11, 12: Roof = Light at the End of the Tunnel

The last few weeks there has not been much progress made on the house between the problems with the contractor (who isn't even showing up anymore to complete work), me being in NYC with Double Vision, and all of the fantastic movies that i've seen so far this summer.  While i've been gone the house moved along at a slow, but steady pace.  We got the roof trusses onto the house which makes it actually start to look like a "house" again finally giving me a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.  Once the trusses were up sheets of plywood and these awesome little metal clips took over my roof.  I guess the clips help hold the sheets of plywood together where they are spaced over the different trusses so that when we have a tornado that my roof isn't pulled off.  Good to know in case tornado's pick up along the west coast ; )

 

  

At the beginning of week 12 i started getting actual shingles on the roof, see below.  Looks like for the first time ever we are on track with a schedule and the roof may be finished by the end of the day on Sunday.  I never thought back in February that it would take so long to do all of this, but i also had not idea what i was really getting myself into.  I still can't believe the problems that we found with the house when we got the walls and floor pulled out; fire damage, cast iron chemical laden water pipes, and so many other just evil things i never would have guessed were even possible in a house that is only 90 years old.  No matter how long and difficult the road i know that it will be worth it and i am starting to get SUPER excited!

Something about putting a roof on it makes it really feel like a house, not like a dream or some fantasy that is never going to come true.  I am still short a bathroom sink as it was the last thing to be returned due to being "cracked in half".  I never got to see it, but i was told it was pretty sad.  A new one has been working it's way across the united states for the last week.  I am hopeful that by the end of next week i will have all of my windows and exterior doors installed.  My Dad is being a bit more optimistic and including most (he says all sometimes) of the new siding installed around the house.  Once the siding is up ... drywall, tile, and move in party!!!