tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218702932024-03-07T12:55:54.356-06:00Irish CloverDedicated to my Mom ~ Commentary on knitting <br>And the antics of the Clover family.Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.comBlogger384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-8814846651756747902011-12-14T13:17:00.001-06:002011-12-14T13:17:46.529-06:00I've movedThe blog has moved! If you are still interested in following our antics, you can find us here:Irish Clover Knits, the adventure continuesIrish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-44071123815643512942011-10-20T09:22:00.008-05:002011-10-21T14:11:49.711-05:00On the lawn there arose a soundA few nights ago while Italian worked late, Little Clover and I settled in for a movie night. Getting into the Halloween spirit, we decided to watch a classic, Monster Squad. The setting inside was perfect. We turned the lights off and popped some popcorn. At one point, I got the creepy feeling one feels of eyes watching or someone being present who shouldn't be. I looked at Spot, happily Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-28410073956674713272011-10-20T09:21:00.001-05:002011-10-20T09:22:27.304-05:00In SilenceThere is much activitySo much activity, in fact, that the blog has been silent for almost two months. What's been going on, you ask (or don't ask because you are no longer reading)? Well, pull up a chair and pour a brew and I'll tell you.I started a new job, sorta. I still work for the same company, in the same department, but I'm now on a new team and I've switched from being an "individual Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-61971082044288093042011-08-23T16:59:00.001-05:002011-08-23T16:59:58.904-05:00Rainbows in the UKI've been staring at my calendar for most of today trying to figure out what in the world I was missing. A nagging feeling of forgetfulness loomed over me. Finally, after lunch, I realized the importance of today: the anniversary of my mom's death. I sat stunned for a bit, then relieved and happy. After 12 years, I don't dread this day, and I miss my mom less, but not because I don't think Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-87257746012660453992011-08-16T13:36:00.001-05:002011-08-16T13:37:21.954-05:00Home againSummer is officially over, and not just because we returned from vacation, but because of this:
From Family
The annual first day of school picture.
This year, when I completed registration, I realized there is only one grade ahead of him at school. Just one. At parent orientation, the teachers spoke of preparing for high school. High School!!!! Don't they realize he's way to young to go to Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-46285617328319398232011-07-22T17:25:00.003-05:002011-07-22T17:29:15.204-05:00London callingHello from the UK! There might be radio silence as I try to figuire out how to post photos while mobile. Don't panic (the answer is 42), the blog will resume and be back to normal soon.Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-65524324000133579782011-07-12T15:31:00.001-05:002011-07-12T15:33:01.241-05:00Knit like the windWhat does one do when binding off over 500 stitches on a shawl and one realizes with growing gloom there is not enough yarn to make it to the end? I don't know what you do, but I keep binding off, run out of yarn with 12 stitches left, rip back the bind off by a couple of inchecs, run out yarn with 5 stitches left, rip back the bind off even further, make it to the end with two inches left to Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-55574873675209287732011-07-07T10:06:00.001-05:002011-07-07T10:08:27.145-05:00Time WarpIsn't summer the time of the year when time slows to a crawl and one relaxes in a hammock with a nice cool drink? Maybe it's the lack of hammock in our lives, but summer has sped up the rate of time, not slowed it. Even though my calendar clearly states the month is July, I can't completely comprehend it. We've had so few weekends at home or unschedule this summer and we've been blessed by Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-7852552660700525172011-06-23T08:56:00.000-05:002011-06-23T10:39:54.307-05:00Two different campsSummer camp is in full swing for both Clover and me. He's in his second week of Zoo Camp and even though the zoo is in the heart of the city, he's had plenty of wildlife encounters. He's fed hippos and played with iguanas. A trantula walked across his hand. An eagle came to visit, as well as a host of other animals. Despite not really knowing anyone else at camp, he's plunged in everyday Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-38108232374777922122011-06-20T11:20:00.000-05:002011-06-22T11:21:47.429-05:00Going to CampWhat does a busy mom on a yarn diet with an active family and a job outside of the home need? Why one more thing to do of course, especially if it involves buying yarn! I'm heading to camp, but not any camp, I'm "packing up" for Camp Loopy, a virtual knitting camp. I dashed off to Cabin 3 with all the other night owls. My bag is bursting with my yarn, and I've casted on for Catkin, a lovely Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-84160970651459859742011-06-13T14:43:00.001-05:002011-06-13T14:44:53.592-05:00Another yearAs hard as it for me to believe, we've made it through another year. Little Clover not only survived his first year of middle school, but it was a smashing success. He managed his school work on his own without help from us and brought home great grades. He excelled in sports and chess camp and enjoyed his first dance of the year. His class even beat out the other class for the most blue Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-77979025471946040292011-05-24T14:47:00.000-05:002011-05-24T14:48:25.298-05:00Measure a LifeRecently, and article from the Harvard Business Review titledHow Will you Measure Your Life stumbled into my inbox. Not only did the article provide great probing questions, but it also made me wonder how I want to measure my life. In addition to the article, Little Clover once again suggested I look into working at the zoo, his dream job office. I told him if I took a job at the zoo, then we Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-51709669469506478402011-05-17T16:31:00.000-05:002011-05-17T16:32:00.741-05:00Would you like fries with thatItalian and I just celebrated another wedding anniversary. Since we like to eat, we try to make the most of celebrations falling during the week with an extra little night out on the weekend. This year, we tried Iris and loved it. The New Orleans inspired menu looked delicious on paper and sounded even better when our server hit the highlights. Plus, Iris tries to source food locally where itIrish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-851869435545825972011-05-13T13:33:00.000-05:002011-05-13T13:34:48.725-05:00Best kid everWork life has been stressful. My company has completed a round of lay-off and benefit changes that have been quite taxing on a professional and personal level. During these trying times, I'm more grateful for my boss, who is truly an excellent boss, and my family who is truly the best family ever. In honor of this past Mother's Day, I will proceed with gushingly sweet "mommy moments."Mommy Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-60928269320409728172011-05-06T09:37:00.001-05:002011-05-06T09:37:34.563-05:00KnitcationIt began with Maryland Sheep and Wool last year, this new need of mine to run off on an annual fiber themed trip. There is something about being surrounded by wool in raw and processed forms with other fiber enthusiasts who do not look at you oddly when you jump up and down with blissfully pure excited at finding the "right" yarn that really speaks to me for some reason. Having gone to a wool Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-80943129239824956732011-04-21T10:35:00.000-05:002011-04-21T10:36:19.384-05:00Meanwhile, back at the Bat CaveIn the midst of work, the after school activity de jour, household choirs, and household maintenance, we've managed to cram some fun into our hectic life. The fun didn't leave anytime for blogging (at least that's my excuse), nor has it left much time for transferring pictures from the camera. What have we been up to? We made our first trip to the zoo this spring where we encountered a keeper Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-61165586007475621062011-04-05T15:16:00.001-05:002011-04-05T15:16:59.039-05:00Happy birthday to youFrom Disney 2011Today, one of the loves of my life is celebrating his birthday. I've known him for almost half his life and like a fine wine, he's gotten better and better with age. He's grown handsomer and lovelier with each moment. He's an amazing husband, a loving father, and my bestest friend ever. Happy birthday, love. May this new year be filled with tight lines, fun trips, loving Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-56738205887507361472011-03-31T14:27:00.002-05:002011-03-31T14:29:58.348-05:00611Like my father before me, I love photography. Unlike my father before me, I don't have rolls and rolls of film and albums upon albums strewn about the house. Instead, I have an external harddrive and a paid Picasa account, both of which came in extremely handy last night when I began downloading my more than 300 photos of my camera. Even though I expected more than 300 pictures, I was not Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-36599484450432424712011-03-30T13:43:00.001-05:002011-03-30T13:43:54.318-05:00A break from the breakThere is something about Spring Break which can be exhausting. I think it is us. For some reason, we see Spring Break and Fall Break as opportunities to go out into the world and cram those days with as much activity as possible. These are the vacation breaks where we willingly wake up early and hit the day running only to stop late in the evening with a hard sudden crash. I think there must Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-61461568996482837172011-03-08T15:57:00.003-06:002011-03-08T16:05:24.112-06:00My reason for feminismToday is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, and I wasn't going to take note of it nor celebrate it. Then, I read the Yarn Harlot's post. Not only was she eloquent, but she's right. Feminism is and should be the practice of equality of the sexes, both sexes.In college, I was the one with the "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle" bumper sticker. Not because IIrish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-69110061731551540802011-03-03T11:14:00.001-06:002011-03-03T11:14:31.974-06:00To be youngThere hasn't been as much knitting going on at Clover Field as I would like. I blame the Twilight series. With some luck, the last book will move to my "read" bookshelf tonight and knitting can resume with it's normal voracity. The lack of knitting greatly impacts my Cold Sheeping goal of knitting through 8000 yards this year, which means I'm going to have to either knit faster or convince my Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-89486831769737765612011-02-21T14:48:00.001-06:002011-02-21T14:48:50.055-06:00Timing is everythingSome people have a knack for timing. They purchase the right stock before it skyrockets. They show up in time to get the best deals or the best seats. They finish their knitwear in time to wear it during the same season. I do not seem to have the gift of timing which is why my Bohus sweater leapt off my needles as the mercury outside climbed to 68 degrees (F). After a year of on and off Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-34367173171546188382011-02-09T18:45:00.002-06:002011-02-09T19:14:58.919-06:00SnowmagedonWell, we all survived Clover's first dance. After dropping him off at the dance, I parked in the parking lot just in case he needed to run out for a last minute request or a last minute decision he wasn't ready for dances and wanted to come home. That didn't happen, so, I cried. Just a little bit, but I definitely shed a few tears. We passed yet another milestone in his journey.At least he Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-26525259278773201192011-02-04T22:28:00.003-06:002011-02-04T22:30:02.772-06:00Emergency blog postI just picked up Little Clover from his first dance! One of the girls in his class brought a camera. After being informed by another classmate, I asked if I could see the pictures. OMG, my little guy was slow dancing with his crush! Will post more later.Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21870293.post-1530365835822578782011-02-02T15:00:00.001-06:002011-02-02T15:02:48.262-06:00I was told there would be no mathRemember those days in high school when you sat in various math classes thinking, "Will I actually use this stuff?" There are really only a few times in life outside of a classroom when remembering Pythagorean’s theorem becomes vital. Other than the occasional need for geometry and algebra, my life has been rather void of mathematical equations; that is until last week.Last week, I received a Irish Cloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03843132685236597825noreply@blogger.com1