House Update

Here is the latest on the house. We have shingles on the roof. They ran out of shingles, so the front section still has a little more to do. We have windows in the master bath.

We have hardy board on all of the back porch columns.

We have lots of bricks in the front yard.

This is a closer look at the bricks so you can see the color better. I really like the variation in the red color.

They are working on all the A/C vents inside, but that's not so exciting to look at. All the water and gas lines are in, but not connected. I did a walk through for telephone/cable/data and security today. They are supposed to start that on Friday after the electrician comes. I chose interior doors, mill work and wall finish today, too. It's moving along.

Roofing

We now have decking for the roof. It's not the right decking, but there is decking. I'll let you know what happens with that. We also have windows in most of the house. The windows that are hurricane proof are not here yet, but all the others are in.

We have plumbing. That's what all the red and blue hoses are. Red for hot water, and blue for cold. None of it's connected yet, but it's in place.

And last, but not least, we have bath tubs. Woot!

So that's the latest on the house.

Glacier Lake Socks

These are the Glacier Lake socks I have been working on for a while. I finally finished them last night. I love the colors in this yarn, and it worked up nicely, too. Down Home sock yarn from Knitivity. Glacier Lake colorway. Needle size US 2 (2.75mm) Basic Sock pattern from Ann Norling.

House Blah, Blah, Blah

Here is the house right now. The sheathing and tyvec are going up. There has been more done on the inside, too. This is the balcony off the back of the garage.

This is the bonus room over the garage.

We now have a bar between the kitchen and the living room. This view is from the breakfast area looking to the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left.

Here is the fireplace.

And, for those who asked, here is what the house next door looks like now.

More Rafters

Here are the latest photos of the house. These were taken yesterday. This is the front of the house, obviously. I was really happy with the way it looks. It's one thing to have an idea and put it on paper, but sometimes what you actually get is not the same. This is pretty much how I envisioned the house to look. Of course, this is just the skeleton, but the over all lines are pretty much what I had imagined. This is the back bay window in the master bedroom.

This is a photo of the back of the garage and the bonus room over the garage. We were able to walk up into the bonus room yesterday evening. It is going to be great. The light was almost gone by that time, so I will have to show pictures of the bonus room later. The balcony will be for Wally's telescope if there are not too many trees in the way.

Rafters

So this is what I saw when I drove up this afternoon. Not a whole lot of change since Friday, but we do have some rafters on the garage and the back wing of the house. The guys were working on the main part of the house this afternoon. I was glad I was not the one up there holding that beam. It looked heavy, and I really don't like heights.

We'll see what it looks like tomorrow.

Knitting!!!!!

Here is a wool soaker I knitted for one of Sarah's friends. The yarn is Cascade 220 Quatro, the pattern is from CurlyPurly.com. Needle sizes were US 3, 5 and 7.

More House Stuff

This a photo through the front door. The entryway goes straight through to the living room and then out to the screened porch. Here is the kitchen. Really looks like a kitchen doesn't it? Oh well, it will when it's done.

This is a shot looking down the back porch. Today was the first time Wally had seen it. He says he may have over done it on the porches, but I think we will enjoy them.

This is me standing in the master shower.

This is the big beam that supports the second story on the garage. It's huge.

Here is a shot of the garage and the stairs going up to the second story.

We did find a couple of things that are not right in the framing today, but they are small things that can be corrected easily. Mostly it just incorrect sizing on a couple of windows. I will talk to the guys on Monday to get it corrected. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays nice for a while longer.

House Progress

These first two photos are what the house looked like yesterday, 31 Oct. The foundation forms were gone, and the framers had started framing.

This is what I saw when I went out this afternoon. This shot is from the street.

Here is the garage. The framers are still working on the support for the second story of the garage. The garage will be attached to the house when all is finished.

Here is the front porch. It's hard to tell it's a porch since it does not have the roof on yet.

House Update

These first two photos are of the foundation prep. This a post tension slab, so all the blue cables will be pulled taut 7 to 10 days after the foundation is poured.

Today they poured the foundation. Here is a shot of part of the front porch.

This the machine that pumps the cement from the trucks to the forms. This photo shows the garage.

Here are the showers in the front two bedrooms. Exciting stuff, huh?

Here are the back two bedrooms. It's hard to tell anything right now, but it will all take shape eventually.

More House Stuff

Top photo: Forms for foundation and all the drains put in.

Middle Photo: Digging the footings for the foundation.

More digging of footings.

With the rain we've had lately, things are moving a little slowly. However, this week is supposed to be dry, so we are hoping the footings will be poured this week.

Ravelry!!!

I got my Ravelry invite yesterday. Yea! I can tell already that it is going to be a huge time eater, but it looks like fun.

Knee Socks

These are the latest socks off the needles. They are knee socks for Sarah. The yarn is Madelinetosh 100% superwash merino in the Vintage Apron colorway. These were knit toe up using Judy's Magic cast on for the toes. The rest of the pattern is the On-Your-Toes Socks by Ann Budd from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits magazine. These socks were knit on US size 2 (2.75mm) until I got up to the calf, then I switched to US size 3 (3.25mm).

I love the yarn. I'm not sold on toe up socks, but I may try them again. It was good in the sense that I divided the yarn into two equal balls and was able to use all the yarn. It's good to try new things.

House Update

Here is a post about the house. Yes, we are still building a house although I have not posted about it in a long time. This first picture is how the lot looked when we bought it.

This is after we had all the underbrush removed last year.

This photo is after the trees that were in the way of the house were cleared.

This is how the lot looks right now. That is our contractor's sign out in front. The pad for the foundation has been brought in and all the stakes for the house are in place. See the three trees grouped together in the middle of the photo? The front door will be just a little to the right and in back of those trees.

Here are the stakes for the garage.

Here is the house being built next door to us. It is a spec house, so we don't know who will live there when it is finished. The area to the left in the photo that is a different color dirt is where the pool will be whenever we get around to building it.

So, estimated date of completion is April 2008. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather.

Pay It Forward

In accordance with the rules set out on Piglottie's Parlour blog. I invite you to Pay It Forward. Here are the rules.

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

So come on people, let's PIF.

Yarn Harlot

Last night I went to hear Stephanie Pearl-McFee aka The Yarn Harlot speak to Houston knitters. What can I say? She is so funny, and she knows knitters. Stephanie spoke for almost an hour and a half, and I think she had us laughing every two to three minutes if not more. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Stephanie speak, go!

How Many Socks?

The other day while I was sitting and knitting at my LYS some one asked me, "How many hand knit socks do you have?" My reply was, "I have no idea." So, I came home and dug out all my socks, counted and photographed. I have nineteen pairs of hand knit socks.

For those who are interested in what yarns I used(not in any order), there are 2 Koigu, 2 Lorna's Laces, 4 Mountain Colors, 3 Trekking, 3 Cherry Tree Hill, 1 Madelinetosh, 1 Tofusies, 1 Fearless Fibers, 1 Wildfoot and 1 Jojoland Melody.

Another Pair of Socks

The latest pair of finished socks are made from Koigu and Cherry Tree Hill. Why, you ask. Because I ran out of Koigu due to my own lack of forethought. I made other pairs of socks out of Koigu using only two skeins, but I forgot when I bought this yarn that I had changed my basic pattern slightly since then. Therefore, not enough yarn. What to do? Finish the toes with some leftover Cherry Tree Hill that really goes well with the Koigu. Even though the darker toes were not planned, I kind of like them.