WWKIP (World Wide Knit in Public)

WWKIP came and went. I met up with a few others from the Memphis Stitch and Bitch group. We shared a pint, some fun and various hat patterns. Here are a few pictures. I am the one in the blue tank. This is a wonderful group of women and we all have knitting in common. We meet every other Tuesday and Thursday to knit (yes, in public).

The sink that ate a vacation day

After carefully measuring and cutting out the hole for the sink, we tried to install it one evening last week. The grout had cured and I had issued an ultimatum that the sink WOULD be up and running by that evening. I also had a premonition that at 9:30 we would be working on said sink and go to bed without completing the project. I was right. The first picture is a photo of something called a "spud nut". Ours, of course, is not a normal spud nut, but an ancient one that had rusted together with the drain. We tried muscling it off, we tried beating it loose and eventually Ginger took a vacation day the next day. She took the entire sink to Gate City Hardware where they broken a hacksaw trying to remove the drain. We were desperate. We checked the cost of a new kitchen sink. We decided to get out the RotoZip and cut the drain off. Aside from over heating the motor on the rotozip, we were succesful. A new strainer and a more modern spud nut (that the spud nut tools actually FIT) was installed and after a few more zillion hours of water leaks, we finally had a sink. I did my first load of handwashing back in a kitchen sink. It was wonderful. Next, the dishwasher will be installed!
 

The almost finished counter

Still needs the butcher block ordered and installed next to the stove (not in the pictures) and we're waiting for the correct color of Latex Caulk for the gap between the counter and backsplash. It's made, but Lowes and Home Depot do not stock it. Monday we will call the other distributors in town. 

With only a few hours of daylight left, we began installing the tile. There are no pictures of that evening because Ginger manned the rented wet tile saw while Diane mixed thinset and placed tiles. William ran back and forth between the two with cut tiles. We worked until it was too dark to use the saw, then started it all up again at 7 am the next day (the neighbors were gracious). We finished cutting the last tile shortly before the tile saw was due back at Home Depot. A quick rinse and it was back with 5 minutes to spare. The next day Diane grouted while Ginger was at work. Lunch is jokingly referred to as "Grout Fish" because Diane threw fish, rice and Jamacian relish in a pan with some cocoanut oil and told Ginger to eat while Diane kept working. Grout, by the way, dries quickly and might be best mixed in smaller batches. Diane "piped" the grout using a thick ziplock bag and a snipped corner. See, all that baking comes in handy!