Chirp, Chirp, CHIRP!

Technology and safety gadgets are wonderful things. They are. Sleep is also wonderful. Last night was the first night in four that I actually got some. I know, those of you with small children are laughing at me. You have my sympathies and may go right ahead and giggle.

Four nights ago, The Hub and I were rudely awakened by an electronic chirp. You know, the high-pitched kind that is hard to locate if you aren't close by and tells you that one or another of your gadgetry needs attention. We suspected the smoke detector in the hallway. It is one of those sealed ones with a battery that is not replaceable. The next day that detector was removed and put in the living room to ascertain if it was the culprit.

Three nights ago, more chirping. We started noticing it around 3 a.m., but the chirps were again too widely spaced for us to find the source. Of course, there being just enough time between chirps to fall asleep didn't help matters. The next day, the entire family was getting grumpy. The Hub inspected the batteries in all three bedroom smoke detectors. While it was apparent that we had not changed them at the last time change (we mark the month and year on the batteries when we install them) we were puzzled that they would be dying so soon. In any case, we pulled the old batteries and went to bed anticipating a quiet night.

Two nights ago, yes, the chirping was back. Still unable to find it and getting grumpier by the second, we were stumped. What dreadful thing was keeping us from sleeping! We puzzled and pondered until our puzzlers were sore. Then, The Hub thought of something he hadn't before! Once upon a time, we had a linen closet. Then we began to accumulate gadgetry. Eventually, we turned much of the linen closet into a network closet. This little space still houses a few towels and a vacuum cleaner, but it has evolved to serve a much more important cause. This space now has a network printer, the router, the network backup device, numerous cables, a punchdown block or two, and the all important cable modem. Some time last year, we figured that since this space was only designed for towels and such but was now holding enough electronic stuff to power a small business, we should add a smoke detector. We made two mistakes in this otherwise clever plan. First, we left in the cheap junk battery that came with the detector. Second, we forgot about the detector altogether.

The entire family is much happier this morning. I spent yesterday hiding from the world since my sleep deprivation was not making me ready for prime time. Instead, I jumped on the bandwagon and started my very own Clapotis. Since I can't do anything as written, it is going to be a little different. Instead of a worsted weight, I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock knitted on US6 needles. I loved the colorway (Blueberry Hill), but couldn't make it behave in socks. I think I'll need to add one or two extra increase repeats and who knows how many extra straight repeats. So far, I really like the weight. Being in SoCal, the last thing I need is another worsted-weight scarf/shawl. This should be perfect.



The sewing machine has also been getting a bit of a work out. Last weekend, I put together a bag from Handle With Style. This weekend I added a matching needle roll from Tostetoes' pattern. This is a gift that is actually ready a week or two before the deadline!

One of my other obsessions over the past few years has been beads. Seeing all the cute stitch markers around the web made me want some of my own. Want very quickly spiraled to need and I spent some time this afternoon with my tools and some spare beads. I used a US11 needle for the sizing then remembered that I would want a set of four for felted bags. That is why one set is a bit larger. For those, I used a US15 needle to make sure that they would fit over my US11 circular needles.