It's official

Our house is now for sale. I write for the local paper, and this week my column (which comes out today in stores, tomorrow for home delivery) is all about moving. So the word will be out.

In other non-knitting news, yesterday a friend of mine took me for a pedicure. This is a big deal because (a) I've never had one and (b) it's Vermont and we had to drive an hour to get there. I don't know which I liked better, the foot stuff or the massage chair. Together, they totally mellowed me out and I fear suddenly that I could enjoy another pedicure in the not too distant future, although I can't say it really works into the household budget very well. Behold:

There is even a little rhinestone in the middle of the flower, which is a whimsical touch yet totally stupid since, again, it's Vermont and sandal weather won't be here for several weeks, and then only in small doses. So what? It was fun. Not only that, but Vermonters don't generally think much of people who have flowers and rhinestones painted on their toes; it suggests one is not practical. I expect the same goes for acrylic nails, although I've never seen anyone wearing them around here, so I couldn't say.

There is a little knitting news, in that having finished a small pair of socks last week, I ceased knitting altogether for many days. But yesterday I managed to pick up the sweater I started for my daughter as part of Project Spectrum. Pink. For March. It was one of those inertia problems. I knew I waas on the second sleeve but I was too lazy to figure out how many more increases I needed to make and how often, so I didn't feel like picking up the work. Naturally, it took all of 8 seconds to figure this out. Why do I do this?

I have a lot of skinny stripe yarn left over from her socks and I'm thinking about a stranded knitting project using that and a solid color. Mittens for the fall maybe?

Meanwhile, I FINALLY got a chance to dye some yarn. And this time around I've decided to take you on a Day in the Life of a Self-Striping Yarn tour. I got the idea too late for yesterday's batch, but I started taking pictures from the start of this next batch. Hopefully, that will make the process clear but not so simple-looking that everyone will go out and start selling their own striped yarn, putting me out of business. Maybe I should leave out a critical step, like the part where you apply the dye. Yeah. Anyway, I got a few new dye colors yesterday, including BLACK, which I'm dying (ha, I wrote "dyeing") to try.

I am also photographically documenting another crafty project: turning an old picture frame into a fancy new bathroom mirror. I will post pictures as soon as it's done, providing it works out the way I plan. The killer is the beveled mirror for this baby cost like $50 (actually, it was either $40 or $60, but I can't remember which) which kind of defeats the clever thriftiness of using a free frame from a friend's attic, and even worse, it's not even coming to the new house with us. (Unless it's spectacular, but the upstairs bathroom needs it more than we do.)

As promised, here is the before and after of the upstairs bathroom. Before, it was not a bathroom; it was part of a 12' x 20' room that we opted to divide so that we could have upstairs plumbing. The upstairs was not livable in 1994, so we gutted the entire space and then reframed the walls where we wanted them. Here's the future bathroom (and the past me) after removing the plaster and lath:

Lovely, huh? What you see behind me is a hole we cut from the main house into the storage area over the kitchen. We added a wall just about where I am standing to enclose the bathroom, and then enlarged that hole into a doorway, which leads into what is now the master bedroom. Here's what the bathroom looks like now (see the square window for reference between the two pictures):

Astute viewers will note one knob still missing from the cupboards. It's there now.

(And since several of you asked, yes, I am going to miss this place.)

Comments

[scout]

The having to drive an hour for a pedicure made me giggle because I don't think I ever had one in VT. Now? Once a month I treat myself to one! Aren't the flowers fun. I will warn you though, the top coat they put on to keep those bad boys on is nearly impossible to get OFF!

Congratulations on puttin the house on the market. Remember to go and get some Tollhouse cookie dough and each time you show your house throw a few in the oven so the house smells yummy. I have my Real Estate license and I swear by that one!

[Rosa]

You two are so handy! I wish I had an ounce of vision and handiness to make those types of changes. I am sure you will sell your home quickly because there are so many touches that make this a "home". And I love the toe nails. Great pics!

[Carrie]

That is one lovely looking house, and I only saw the front fence and the bathroom. The ones you put your mark on are the ones you miss the most.
I have a pedicure appointment on Saturday! The second in my life. The first was the day before my wedding. I bought strappy sandals, the first shoe purchase in 15 months - pregnancy is HARD on the feeties - and decided my feet needed to be lovely to wear them. I love the flower!

[Susan]

Ahhh, pedicures. That's the funny thing about So Cal, they are literly on every corner. I have a serious thing for them, during the summer, I have a tendancy for every two weeks. Sigh.

[Cindy]

I love your toenails. I have never had a pedicure. I'm too damned practical. Still, your feeties look lovely. Very tempting to give in. Your house is lovely. Yes, you will miss it, but you will love your new house too, just as soon as you make it yours. And yeah, leave out part of the process. We need mystery.

[christine]

Great toes! I love having Pedicures in the summer...........it's my most favorite thing. And here in Chicago, there is a nail salon within walking distance from almost anywhere.......

[Kelly]

Wow what a differnece between what it used to look like and now. Those are very cool looking toes even if it's not sandal weather.

[Laura]

Hey I just made a warping board last night and have part of the dyeing done for my first skein of self-stripe! Cool! I'm sure I'll look at your tutorial and say "oh, duh, I should have done that".

Will you come make a bathroom in our upstairs too? Our "before" photo is exactly like yours except you're not standing up there. The "after" photo hasn't been planned yet but I'd love it to look like yours. :)

[Ramona]

I dyed some self-striping sock yarn with Scout today for the first time. What fun! Gotta love a good pedicure.

[Donna K.]

Ah.. a pedicure sounds wonderful. Everyone deserves some pampering now & then whether they're from Vermont or not. I finally learned how to post pics to my blog...check out the skinny striped socks. I will e-mail some pics to you this weekend. Now, I need more sock yarn.

[lynne s of oz]

Yep, I can see why you'll miss your old place, but the new one is going to be so much fun!
Seems like we are all dyeing sock yarn, but it really is only a small sample of the knitting population that also dyes stuff - I know people who have no intention of dyeing yarn or spinning it.

[Spinningfishwife]

Great toenails!

I`ve never had a pedicure, but they tempt me to try...

[Latoya]

You had to drive 1 hour to get a pedicure?! Wow. I can't imagine.
Your toesies would be welcome here in Florida, so destress some more and come and sit and knit with us. Smile.

You all have done a lot of work on the house. I'm sure that everything will go well.

Knit on!

[Tina]

Yes, that's quite a big difference! Beautiful work! (and I'm not just talking about your toes here :)

I really like the look of your bathroom, will you have to do a similar huge project in your new house?