When It Rains, It Pours

Remember back during December when I said that I was looking forward to January, because the kids were going back to school and there wasn't much going on so I could get a lot of knitting done? I shouldn't have been so stupid as to dare the universe that way.

First I got sick, that horrible seasick flu I wrote about. That kept me on the couch, too nauseous and dizzy to knit, for a week. Then, just when I was beginning to feel better, poor Jr. Jr. woke up vomiting -- on his birthday, no less. He spent the first four days of this week at home. He wasn't terribly sick after that first day, but sick enough to stay home. I'm counting the minutes until I hear that Sr. Jr. is sick, too. At least the trial that Mr. T was supposed to have last week and this week was postponed. I couldn't have made it through that week of being sick if he'd been gone.

So here I am. I used what little free knitting time I had to finish up the body knitting on Pas de Valse. Last night I finished the two ends of the neck/shawl extension, and feeling rather lazy, I connected them with a 3-needle bind-off. And immediately hated the big, giant seam down the middle. So after I finally got both children off to school this morning for the first time in ages, I sat down, unpicked the bind off, and kitchenered the two halves together. Aaaah. Much better. No giant ugly seam down the middle of the back of the neck:


Now all I have to do is add the sleeves. This will be a new sleeve method for me. You pick up stitches all around the armhole, then knit your way down, going back and forth using short rows, until you've knit all the way around and can continue down in the round. Sounds great, and I can't wait to try it. Getting started, however, will require some concentrated quiet time, and who knows when that will happen.

In the meantime, I will try to finish up the Dark Isle socks.

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We're all up in arms here because a convicted pedophile has moved in up the street from us. We haven't entirely figured out what he was convicted of, but we know there was solicitation of a minor under the age of 13 over the internet, and then there was another charge involving a child under the age of 6. I counted up all the kids on my block alone, and there are over 30 kids under the age of 18. There are two bus stops near this guys house, a school with parks where ball games are played, a rec center with a part where ball games are played, a private school, regular parks, and a public library. This is Kid Central. As you can imagine, we're all up in arms about what we can do. I was just beginning to get comfortable with letting my kids wander the neighborhood a little. I send Sr. Jr. to the library by himself, and have him run up to the CVS for stuff when necessary. Jr. Jr. is still confined to our block, but he wanders up and down to play with different kids.

I no longer feel comfortable doing that, and I'm mourning the loss of my safe haven.

The guy had been living with his wife in a different part of Virginia, but came here to live with his mother after being in jail for a year, and probably losing his job. We've learned that his mother also owns a house out in the country somewhere. I would love to see him go out there, where he won't be surrounded by so many kids. I supposed that the authorities would prefer to have him here where he can be monitored, but my concern is with keeping my neighborhood and my kids safe.

Sigh.