A Baseball Star!

Today was closing day ceremonies for Murphy's Tball league. It's been a blast and I'm going to miss it, though I admit that not having to sit in 101 degree sunshine is a relief. Murphy is already champing at the bit for soccer, but he'll have to wait for camp in July.

There was a Home Run Derby, in which each player was pitched 8 balls, and each hit was worth 2 points, and then if the ball went a long distance, more points were added. Murphy scored a 12 in the first round, which qualified him for the final round! The top six players hit 5 balls each in the second round, and Murphy scored 8 which won him THIRD PLACE!! We were all very proud and very happy!

Here's a close up of his trophy (he wants you to see his name, so you know it's really his!) and a close up of the 3rd place medal for the Derby. It's really cool!

We had a wonderful visit this week from two of our favorite people. Mammama and Merridee came to visit and got to see Murphy and Dad sing and play in the school's Spring Sing. Then Mammama bought Murphy his first ever Banana Split. He never knew such delights existed! It was so wonderful to see them, and we hope they come more often.

In other news, the critter in the attic seems to have been scared away by the man setting the traps, so the holes were repaired and there's no more critter noises to drive Mom crazy. Thank goodness! Eric has finished this year's college and is looking for a job (anyone have one to give? Anyone?) I'm spinning color and trying to finish the socks I'm knitting, for which I Love love love the finished product but am not so thrilled with the actual knitting; it's mostly purls, and somewhat tedious. One sock is complete, and I just started the heel flap on the second, so now it should pick up a bit. Then I"m trying to knit from stash. Reduce reduce reduce is the mantra. No more yarn purchases till my stash is reduced at least by half!

Off to knit that heel flap!

Time for the Monthly Update

Someone from an email group I belong to asked about Tofutsies yarn. I've been meaning to post about this for a while, so this is as good a time as any.

I have made two (and a half) pairs of socks with this yarn. It was pretty fun; the colors are very bright and interesting, and it's novel to be knitting with crab shells. I did find it splitty, but tolerable for someone with low standards, such as myself.

But there was a very big problem, once the socks were completed.

Fade.
I mean, serious fade.

These socks were knit last summer and fall; so they're less than a year old. And I admit, I am not a handwash sort of girl; they get thrown in the washer and dryer with everything else. The nice thing is they didn't shrink. Take a look at what did happen.

The original colorway is black, magenta and gold. Each color was plied with a white strand.

The left is the socks as they currently are. Gold? What gold? Magenta faded to pink, gold is gone completely. White is almost all you can see though the black has held up fairly well.

The second item in the picture is a headband I made to match the socks. It's obviously been washed much less, and therefore isn't too bad off, unless you hold it right up to the remainder of the skein. Not sure you can see in the picture, but there is obvious fading between them.

This is the second pair I made. Green, blue, yellow. No white. Very bright and vibrant colors. I really loved this colorway, which is strange, as green is not really my thing. See how they've held up?

There is literally NO blue left. The green and yellow have faded to pastel. Sad.

I also am not sure how durable they are. The black and gold ones have worn a hole at the base of the little toe on the instep. Strange place for a hole!

Now, I do wear both of these pair at least once a week, and as I said, they get washed in the regular clothes wash. But my Trekking socks have not faded one bit with the same treatment. Regia has not faded (can't remember which one; the line that has elastic in it.) My bamboo ones have faded noticeably, but still not to this extent, and they were the first ones I made.

Now I know that cotton tends to hold dye less well; it may be a function of that. But I probably won't buy this yarn again. If you buy for color, and then the color fades, what's the point? And truly; they aren't quite as comfortable as my wool socks.

Ok, so what have the family been up to? Well, we took a vacation day and went to Knott's Berry Farm. Fun! I was worried about how Murphy would do, as he gets notoriously carsick. Instead, Eric and I got carsick on the way down, and then Eric did the "Sidewinder" coaster, and that pretty much did him in for the day. Murphy? Well, he went on the "Wipeout" which is a spinning ride that also goes up and down. Dad took him on and I was so afraid I'd hear him screaming. Well, I did. Screaming "Let's do it again, Dad!" Well Dad looked a little pale, so Murph went on alone. And then a third time. And then a fourth.

And by then, Dad was feeling better, so they went on the "Boomerang." TWICE. This ride goes fast forwards with a loop de loop twice; then goes back to the beginning backwards. LOOP de LOOP BACKWARDS! Oy. Needless to say, Mom stayed with her feet planted firmly on the ground and took pictures. This is actually THEM in the third car.

Murphy can't wait to go back. Actually, neither can I. It was a pretty awesome day.

Then there's the baseball. Murphy is on the Cardinals, and is probably the best thrower and hitter on the team. He is the oldest (it's really T-ball) and by far the most huge on the team. Here's the team picture; can you guess which one is Murph? Oh man, there is nothing as cute as six and seven year olds trying to play ball. Not even kittens.

Here is a big hit:






Here he is sliding into home for a run:








Then we had a lovely visit from Eric's grandmother, Estelle, and her husband Abe. We only get to see them once or twice a year, and it's always a treat. We had a lovely talk, a tour of Lake Casitas, and then a dinner trip to Carrow's. They're always welcome!

I think that's about it for now; we're all well and happy and going strong. I do hope to get back to some spinning and dyeing soon!

Opening Day

Opening Day game 2008; the Cardinals vs. The Tigers.

Murphy at bat in his first T-ball game. He likes it well enough, but he's still going to be a soccer player when he grows up...

with apologies for the cinematography; new camera and bad angles don't mix!