Brew Knits

When did Mondays start lasting all week?

2011-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

I mean, I get that it happens now and then, but two weeks running? :P

We are not off to a good start this year. I am extremely unhappy about that. The changes in our online school program are really making it hard to get going. Thank you, State of Washington, for screwing up a great program and making it harder to get any school done during the day. NOT.

The attitude of my youngest is making it even harder. How do you spend 3 hours reading and get nowhere? I'd bang my head on a wall, but I already have a headache. She is all excited about working harder and getting done sooner, but she isn't doing the work. I'm trying to get all the new regulations sorted and push her to do her work. We had a great first week, then :P.

I am hopeful that we will find a way to get it together, but she is really just NOT working. Somehow. Ah, Week 1 was So Promising!

I signed up to do an online course on the Constitution from Hillsdale College. So far it is really interesting, but it is tough working it in around trying to get the youngest to do her daily work. I really need more than 24-hours in a day. lol

On the painting side of life, I've finally decided that the color I used in the entry is too dark to keep. The few days of clouds, and the evenings spent contemplating color, just back me up. The lighting in our house is not very bright. I want some new lighting in the entry, but it won't happen for a while and it still might not fix the problem. After painting swatches near the brick on the fireplace, I've also decided this color goes a bit too yellow for me. So, I'll be repainting that space a shade lighter and slightly different (more blue-green). Not looking forward to the whole mess, trying to squeeze it in around the school work that already isn't getting done as it should. On the up side of things, there's a big sale on the paint I'm using starting Friday, so I can get all the paint I need at a good savings.

Always have to look for the positive.

The sweater is proceeding nicely. I'm on my first sleeve, and things are going nicely. After reading, and rereading, project notes for this pattern, I'm feeling pretty confident about the choices I'm making for the collar and button band (which is new to me). I've got two sets of buttons secured, and will choose once I get a band done. I've been rather lazy about the pictures, though. I need to remedy that situation very soon.

I'm also trying to do the Scary Sock KAL again, love these socks! Sadly, my sock mojo is missing and I am really struggling to get things done with that KAL. So far, we've had Frogs, Bride of Frankenstein and The Door With Seven Locks. Very cute patterns, not enough time (or needles)! I'm still hoping to get some done this year. Ah, where are my time management skills? Anyone see them?

More painting

2011-09-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Spent a bit more time last week painting the entry. The final color does not really match the little paint card I was choosing from, and is much darker than the wet paint. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it, which I think means I need to repaint. I think my waffling on the final color is because I don't want to repaint that space. But, it was easier than I thought, though it did take all day, and if knitting has taught me anything, it is that it is worth the time to do things right.

So, I'm thinking I'll get some paint samples, and put those on the wall before making any additional decisions. It is a nice color, don't get me wrong, but it is a bit dark (or is that deep?) for the area, at least darker than I intended, and what I put in this space will determine what I use in the rest of the living area (the walls all run together). I really need to make sure I am happy with this choice before I can move forward. I really need to move forward before the rain/clouds comes back to stay. I really don't need to get paralyzed by indecision. lol

Speaking of taking the time to do things right, I just ripped a couple of inches out of the sweater. Again. At least I'm only at the shoulders, not starting all over again. lol This time, I've second-guessed myself silly over the sleeves. There's a provisional cast-on, but it does not say to use waste yarn, nor does it say anywhere in the pattern to pull out the waste yarn and pick up the live stitches and keep knitting. I decided that since all my other patterns have been more specific, maybe the designer didn't mean that, and that I should do something more creative. After a few inches, and more thought, I realized that the designer probably expected that I would just know that a provisional cast on should always be done in waste yarn, or something like that, and I was a doofus for trying to make it more complicated. So, it is ripped, provisional cast on with waste yarn is done, I just need to get back to the knitting part. I didn't realize the lengths I'd be willing to go to in order to avoid weaving in extra ends! Because, that's pretty much the reason I got all creative with it.

We helped a friend today by babysitting her two-year old. Wow. I'd forgotten how very busy they are. lol The girls played with her all morning, and after her (too short) nap. We got up extra early today, however, and I haven't been sleeping very well. I'm exhausted! I'm also rather surprised that ripping went so well on the sweater.

Finally Framed

2011-09-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

I bought this print about 7 years ago. I never got it framed thinking I could just do it myself. cue maniacal laughter So, I found a big coupon on framing and bit the bullet, stopped putting it off and just got it done. This, in turn, led to picking out a paint color and painting the room to go with the painting.

No. The painting needed to happen. We've been in this house 11 years. The white walls look like it, in many places, and I've decided I should learn to embrace the fact that this is my house and I can paint the walls if I want to. Not sure why that is hard for me to grasp, but it is. Also, painting is a lot of work, so if I'm going to do it, no barely-not-white colors need apply. Well, unless that's what I really, really want.

So, here's my newly framed print, at long last, and my very colorful room.

This is a Waterhouse print, Circe Invidiosa. I love the colors in this print so much. I have no idea why, but, there it is.

I spent the day yesterday painting my room with my kids. I found that one of them is a bit erratic, but a crazy hard worker. The other loses interest quickly and is a sloppy worker. Okay. I knew about the sloppy thing in advance, but I was a Good Mom and did not pick on her for the messes (they weren't too bad), just thanked her for her hard work. They made the work go faster, though it still took up the whole day.

I got virtually nothing else useful done this weekend, other than cleaning out their closet, but I sure love my "new" room!

Ending just in time to start

2011-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

What?

Yep. Homeschooling two, in two different grades turned out to be more challenging than I ever thought. Add in lost time when 1 is sick, much less when they are both sick but at different times, and, well. This looks like a math equation, but mostly just = FAIL. Then the music theatre class sucked out about 6+ hours per week of teaching time, the vacation days, time off for funeral, etc. Wow.

This year was an amazing learning experience, it just didn't fit into the "school year" timeline.

I gave up on blogging for a while, trying to stay afloat in everything else. I didn't 'float' so well, but here we are the last few days before the next school year, and the kids are just finishing their work for last year. I really need a vacation (October!), but we stagger on. I think we've worked out the things we need to change to be more successful next year, so I'm optimistic. The girls both admit they would have forgotten too much, and they "would've been bored" (their words, really), if they hadn't had some school to do over the summer. We all agree that some school over the summer is a good thing. Just not as much as we had.

So, we are almost finished, just the eldest still working away. She should be done tomorrow, but we'll see. She's starting to get really lazy, getting in the way of her own success, really. How often do we all do that each and every day. My kids are really teaching me some valuable lessons in this process. Stop getting in my own way. Who knew?

The new school year starts on Tuesday, 9/6. We'll have a little down-time as the new materials will be late in coming since the girls were late finishing. So, some slower days to recover from the mad rush to finish. Oddly, both are asking me to push them to work this hard from the beginning of the year. You might think this is so they can finish early and have a longer summer. What they say they really want? To move ahead to the next grade faster. When I've suggested this as a possibility in the past two years, they have rejected the idea as unappealing. I have no idea what changed, but I hope I can set a good pace that will move them in that direction without burning us all out.

Seriously. I need a vacation. NOW.

We will make our scheduled family vacation in October, as per usual. Florida is on the roster this year, and we are in heated debate regarding the parks we will visit this year. I'm pretty sure that is all sorted out, but until the tickets are in my hand, I won't believe that any decision is final. Sadly, the airfare jumped quite a bit in the time we've been kicking around ideas. We really need to get that sorted soon. We got all flummoxed when Himself announced a work trip to either London or Frankfurt. There was a brief flurry of thought along lines of altering the family vacation to Europe, but spur-of-the-moment trips like this are very much out of the budget. So, no go on that one.

My lovely girls are very sad to miss an opportunity to visit "all those cool places we've studied in history" and have to go to amusement parks instead. Ah. They are wonderful girls. :)

It seems a bit much to try to fill in all the blanks since I last posted a million years ago, so I won't try. But, a highlight from the year was Tour de Fleece. I managed to reach my goals and had a blast doing it. I never totaled my yardage, but I was pleased. I tried spinning from my first batts, managed some heavier weight yarn than my "usual", and spun with some new elements like firestar, faux angora, etc. My new goal is to knit with some handspun before next year. I was surprised to realize I had never done that!

Oh well, off to finish up more schooling. We'll see if I can't juggle more things this year. lol

March Madness

2011-03-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, more like sickness. The kids both have what must be the slooooooowest moving bug I can remember encountering. The symptoms took nearly a week to move to the "real" sick stage, including fever. I'm still in the "I don't feel quite right, but I don't really feel sick" stage. I have no idea if I will get worse, or better. Down side, eldest has spent her 11th bday feverish. Up side, we had the party last week when everyone was healthy (though the symptoms were starting to show).

Himself stayed healthy long enough to toddle off to Long Beach to give a presentation at a Writers conference. He gets temps in the 70s and sunshine, we have temps in the 50s and a steady rain. Fair trade, I guess, since no one here is healthy enough to enjoy good weather anyway.

I'm busy knitting along on a test knit. A pair of mittens for the upcoming Princess Bride Sock Club (for which the RNG did not see fit to select me!). I'm loving the mitts, though the yarn I had on hand to use isn't the best choice for the pattern. The yarn is beeeyootiful, but too busy for bits of the pattern. I still like them. A lot.

Sadly, my brain is over-eager to cast on many other projects now. I really should not do that, though. I've counted my WIPs recently. I'm scared! 7. I have 7 WIPs sitting around, some of them kind of big. So, adding more would be a bad idea. Right? Yeah. I think so too. Which is why my crazed brain is determined to find new things for me to cast on. In all my spare time. lol

Yeah.

I love my brain.

I don't hate blogs

2011-01-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

Really. I don't.

I have found, however, that they do not blend all that well with my former schedule. Yeah. I said former. Himself has declared this year to be the Year of the Schedule (or should that be year of THE schedule?). After a mere two weeks of one new schedule (just plotting out the general hourly flow of things Mon - Sun) he has decided we need much more daily detail.

Very nice for him. He only has to schedule himself. I have to plan/schedule for 3. Color me displeased and quietly (and gleefully) hoping the new(est) plan dies a miserable death soon. The first schedule idea was working pretty darned well. I was exercising again (after 6 months off), school was starting earlier and, better yet, ending earlier, the kids were back to guitar lessons. Ah, it was nice.

The newest schedule thing, however, is tedious, time-consuming and makes my head go 'splodey. My rebellion has been noted, and frowned upon. Perhaps that's why I couldn't stop giggling when Himself got stuck in the bathroom after putting too much lotion on his hands with new doorknobs that are very slippery. Tears-streaming-down-my-face laughing. Ah, such a bad wife, I am. lol I did get up to help him. Eventually. But by then he had it all sorted out. I didn't realize he'd missed the girls doing this, too. So far, I'm the only one in the family who's managed this predicament without an audience. Yay, me!

At any rate, I'm hopeful that now that we have a Shiny New Schedule, I might work in time for the blog more frequently.

Since I picked on himself so thoroughly there, I'll share the lovely hat and scarf I did for him. Just to prove that I can be a good wife when I want to be. lol

This pair was knit up in Dream in Color Classy Worsted, November Muse colorway. I used the Palindrome Hat & Scarf pattern, which was lovely and very simple to memorize. I was knitting some socks for myself in this color (in fingering weight) and he darned near drooled all over the yarn. That almost never happens, so I figured I should do something for the poor man who supports my fiber habit.

Oh. Did I mention that the scarf measures 10 feet in length? I'm concerned Himself might resemble a mummy once wrapped in it, but as long as he's warm... And, he did request the length, or at least "knit until all the yarn is gone", so that's what he got.

I'm currently in a Stash-Down Mode. I'm working harder on WIPs and trying to work from stash. Hopefully, this will help me feel like I'm making progress on something around here. lol I'm also trying very hard not to buy any new yarn, but I'll likely put myself in some lotteries to win places in some new yarn clubs coming up on Ravelry.

I have had a very busy time since I posted last. Most of the house repair/remodels are done now. Thank goodness. I'm pleased as punch with the results, but my photos are not all that great. We made our October vacation back to Texas, to visit my family in Dallas and in Odessa/Midland. We had a lovely time visiting with family, and I was able to have lunch with friends from high school, and even a few I've known since 1st grade.

Sadly, we repeated the trip in November, just a few days after Thanksgiving, when my grandmother passed away. My mother's mother helped raise me after my parents divorced when I was 6, and we lived with her from the time I was about 10 until I got married. I was named for her, and we were very, very close. I don't think I've properly dealt with her death, or grieved. I was much too busy getting my mom through it all and successfully pushed it all away. When it catches up with me, I will be a complete mess. Until then, I carry on. My grandmother was a crocheter, and loved to see my handspun yarns and finished projects. I had just purchased a nice red yarn to make her some fingerless mitts a couple of weeks prior to her death. Not sure what I'll do with it now.

The holidays were not entirely good this year. I was sick for Christmas and New Years (with different viruses) so I was actually quite ready to move into the New Year and hope for something better going forward. Then, Himself was out of town for my birthday (in Vegas! for work), so that was bit of a let down, as well.

Sorry for the whining, but, well, now that it is out there I can just move on. Hopefully, the (first) new schedule will help us get off on the right foot for the year. You know, if Himself will stop pressing the other new schedule, that is. lol

Owls

2010-08-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

One of the fiber clubs I joined this summer was a Percy Jackson club. The colorways were inspired by characters from the books, and ancient myths (of course). I only did the first run, as I was stretched a bit thin between fiber clubs by the time the second Percy round came along. I can still pick up the colorways, though, which is good. There's Some yummy colors there.

The girls and I have been (slowly) reading the books together, so I allowed them to select their colors and I promised to knit the yarn up for them. They both selected the Athena colorway, there were some very tough choices, and then we spent a good deal of time selecting just the right project.

After discussing Athena for a while, and browsing patterns (they wanted hats), we hit upon a pattern for an owl cable. Perfectly fitting for Athena, if not for the color patterns in the yarn. Eh. So I fussed and fussed with the pattern, which called for worsted when all I had was fingering. At some point, my brain cells started functioning properly and I doubled the yarn. Doh! (Why is easy stuff so hard?!) The hats then languished as I fiddled around with shawls and such.

The guilt finally caught up to me, though, and a desire to get something done, and I finally got to knitting on the hats. They weren't as fast as the baby bonnet, but they just flew by! Get it? Flew? Owls? Oh. I just kill me sometimes! Of course, no matter how much they wanted the same hat, they wanted them different. So, one owl hat has silver beaded eyes, and the other has lilac eyes. The show best when actually worn, but here's the photos anyway.

Silver:

Lilac:

The girls love their hats. In fact, the eldest rarely takes hers off. She even tried to go to bed with it on the other night. I can live with that. As long as they take them off to shower, I guess we're all okay. It is rewarding to knit something so instantly, and thoroughly, loved. I've got plenty of yarn left for some mitts, I think. So I might be adding some fingerless mitts to the collection, though I'm undecided on continuing the owl motif. I have a pattern with the owls, though, so it does seem likely.

I've also cast on another Two-Fisted Tank from Pints & Purls. The first one was in an alpaca blend. It was so lovely and soft and squishy I was really loving it. But about 1/3 of the way through the top, I tried it on. Once I was done loving the squishy softness of it, I was sad. It is a ribbed tank, with negative ease, and that just doesn't work with the alpaca (70%) of the yarn. It didn't say "I'm snugly fitting the shape in me". It said, rather, "I am a soft, squishy formless glob, and don't even get me started on the body wearing me right now." Sadz.

So, I removed it from the needles, pet it for a while and set it aside. I need to re-skein the yarn, which will likely become a lovely snuggly scarf/hat, but I generally wait until I have lots of winding/skeining things to do before getting all that equipment out. I ordered some Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Hollyberry, and cast on a new version Saturday night. This is looking much more the thing, so they were right when they selected a cotton yarn. lol I should not have deviated so far from the intended directions. No. I'm sure it would have worked in something with more body/memory. There was just too much alpaca in the other yarn.

Gratuitous shot of my new sink modeling my yarn. :)

My problem with the project, really, is in the gauge. I cannot get gauge in a fabric I would want to wear. Why do pattern writers insisted upon gauge swatches done in 2X2 rib?! Really? Do you stretch that before measureing? Just a little? Hmmmm?

In order to get the gauge, I have to go up so far in needle size my fabric is too loose and see through (not the look I was going for). So, I'm staying with the fabric density I like and going up in size of pattern. Fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. I don't fancy ripping this out again, but I am determined to knit up this little tank because it is cute and easy. You can tell it is easy, right? Because of all the work I'm putting into it up front. lol If it were way beyond my skill level, I'm sure it'd be going much better for me. That's just the way it works.

The summer school work is all done but the final draft of the final paper. ~~We should have that done today!~~ It is done now! W00T! There is a whole 9 days left to just play with no obligation to any kind of work! For her, anyway. I've got to get things organized and cleaned and tidied, etc. :p

The work on the last bathroom continues. He thought he'd be done yesterday (Sunday). I think I'll be happy if he is done by Friday. We'll see where we end up on that. He did get my deck ripped out, though. Which feels really good! There was lots of dry rot out there, so I was very relived to see it all in a pile in my yard. (pictures eventually)

Ah! I am looking forward to a Fall with new bathrooms and a new deck! And I've been watching football! And brewing beer! Man! Does it get any better?

Winding Down

2010-08-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I've spent pretty much the entire summer not doing what I thought I'd be doing. Anyone else do that, too? I can honestly say, however, that I don't feel like a failure. lol Stuff got done, just not most of the stuff I had planned.

The eldest and I have slogged along completing courses for summer school. We're still doing it, but we will finish this week. If she will write the papers necessary to complete the Composition portion of her work. I am most grateful that the math course finished up with topics that were much easier for her to grasp, generally speaking, than those we started with. I'm also grateful that it did take us this long to finish. She'll have a week or two off, and then get back to math again. She'd like a permanent break, but at least it won't be so long that she'll forget everything. Turns out that I really needed to set a rigorous schedule and hold to it no matter what. None of that, 'you can have today off if you do double the lessons tomorrow' business. That just doesn't work for us. Maybe I'll remember that next year.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Okay, I'm better now. In other news, the youngest will be joining us at home this year. I am certain this is the right thing for her in terms of learning, I have no idea if it is a good idea for her socially/emotionally. I'm hopeful that having them both on the same schedule will allow us more freedom to take day trips to the zoo, or whatever, to break up the sense of being stuck at home. Also, they are going to take a Musical Theatre class for homeschoolers, so in addition to the Hip Hop class, they'll be getting out and doing stuff with other kids (plus the play days with their daycare friends).

I plan to do more homebrewing, and perhaps that will help me cope with having both of them with me 24/7. We'll see.

We refinanced our house this spring and got a home equity loan to make some necessary repairs to our home. I've needed to get a little plumbing work done in one bathroom so that I could re-caulk the bathtub in the other bathroom. When asking around for plumber recommendations, I found out our daycare provider's son is a plumber (and general contractor). He is hoping to start his own business, and is looking for opportunities to do some extra work to satisfy union requirements. We are happy to help him with that goal. lol So, for the money I originally earmarked for potential costs on bathroom repair, I'm getting both bathrooms updated. I am so happy with the work he's doing I may end up moving into one of them when he's done. Seriously. The difference is amazing and I am really, really happy. Of course, I want to do the kitchen now, but that is NOT an option. I can just dream. For now.

We have a deck out back that is officially unsafe, really. I've been waiting on Himself to get it replaced (doing it himself with friends or hiring out) for 3 years. Turns out, our contractor can do the deck, too. So, that's next on the list and I'm taking care of it. I'm done waiting on Himself.

We also set aside $ to replace the carpet and paint the outside of the house. I'm not sure the budget is going to stretch that far by the time we're done (it was all based on estimates/guestimates anyway), but I've decided to go with the carpet if I only get to get one done. My reason? Well, the house paint is really bugging Himself, but I know that if I don't get the carpet done this time, it won't happen. The paint will happen next year, even if we have to wait, because it is really bothering him. Selfish? Yes. But I'm applying what I've learned from the deck experience. If it doesn't annoy him, it won't get fixed. The carpet doesn't bother him enough to get him to replace it. But seriously, white carpet with two kids (now 8 & 10)? It is nothing like white anymore, and doesn't really even resemble any exotic animals I can think of off hand, either.

I'll get photos of the updates done eventually, but so far, the ones I've taken haven't looked very good. I'm working on it. It is hard to take good pictures in a tiny space (bathrooms).

In knitting, I finished up a bunch of small things, cast on far too many new things and did a reasonable amount of spinning for Tour de Fleece. (Just a small sample of what I did. I never got around to photos of the other yarn I got spun up.) This yarn is from Dreams In Fiber for her The Dark Is Rising (by Susan Cooper) fiber club. This series was one of my favorites as a child, and I still enjoy them very much. This set jof fiber was for the Over Sea, Under Stone book. The shipments are alternating fiber/yarn, which is fun. I'm not yet drowning in fiber. Not that I'd complain, mind you.

Of course, after TdF, I bought more fiber. I should really pause the next time I decide to join a fiber club. You know, just long enough to consider what I'm actually doing. Maybe just space them out more, or something.

Small knitted things include a baby hat, knit on a whim for a friend at church. Very cute and FAST. I really should reconsider knitting for babies, I suppose. Here is the Perry the Platypus Inaction Figure (it doesn't do anything!) modeling the Marshmallow Bonnet.

A couple of Jayne Hats done, and an extra for a friend to give to her son for his upcoming b-day. One traditional (orange/yellow), and one in dream inspired colors. I love it when I dream about simple knitting. It is the complicated stuff that gets me. Now if only the rest of that dream would..., erm, nevermind.

The two shawls continue, slowly, but surely. I'm still enjoying them, but the time I have available to concentrate on them is limited, so progress is slow.

Ah well, brief update, now back to school.

More lace

2010-05-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

So here's my next Lace Folly. This is the end of Clue 1 in the Evenstar Mystery Shawl KAL, by Susan Pandorf. Why on earth I thought signing up for a Mystery Shawl KAL for another circular shawl was a good idea, I may never know. I mean, the original one only took 2 years, right? Why not?

This one is different, though. This one is LOTR themed, which = cool and it appeals to my inner (and outer) geek. Evenstar. It is a KAL ( Knit-A-Long), so there are lots of other folks out there involved and there's a whole group of people to talk to about it as we go. The Sock Scarefest was a fun KAL, so I thought this one might be, too. It is a mystery shawl, so the designer sends out the next chart every two weeks. I'm all about mysteries.

As you can see, lots of motivation to give it a try. So, I signed up. This KAL actually spurred on the finish of the Pi. I wouldn't let myself start this shawl until the other one was done. So, that worked well for me. Then I decided to splurge on the recommended yarn from The Unique Sheep, Eos laceweight. Then I decided to not only try their gradience colors, but I ordered a custom colorway. That part worked out really well. I love the colors and Kelly (at TUS) liked it so much, she says they might add it as a permanent choice and call it Midnight Special. The colors may not show well, so it runs from a rather bright denim-ish blue (in back) to a very lovely purple (up front).

The part that didn't work well? Oh, that would be the backorder on the yarn because so many people ordered it. There are 1000 people in this KAL, though not all of them are probably KAL-ing along right now. Not all of them ordered the recommended yarn, either, but enough of them did so that they had to re-stock before the KAL kicked off. Even so, there were quite a number of us who were waiting on their yarn and didn't get to start with everyone else.

I put the time to good use. That's when I was finishing the edging and doing repairs on my Pi. Now, the last clue (#7) comes out this week, and I'm still on Clue 2. I'm feeling pretty optimistic, however. There were a number of clever people in this KAL who started knitting before the ink was dry on the copies of the charts/written instructions. They have sorted out the (very few) problems, and have posted helpful links and tips on how to manage some very tricky stitches. Additionally, there are some lovely people who are obsessively (I say this with love and understanding) symmetrical who worked out some alternate stitches to adjust the way some motifs leaned in the lace. You know, so the leaves are balanced, etc. These were optional, of course, but with the side-by-side photos available to browse while waiting on my yarn, I was able to decide what I liked best and make notes on my charts where I wanted to do something different.

As a result of this incredibly well-planned approach to this shawl (comparing to the first Pi), this baby is soooooooooooooo easy. I mean, there are some stitches that are challenging for me, make no mistake, but the challenge now is fitting my needle in the stitch to do a kfb7 - k3tog without dropping 6 stitches as I make the last (7th) one, not in figuring out what the heck it is. I did have to rip everything out. Twice. That was totally me with some dropped stitches and I wanted another go at it from the beginning to try to avoid ladders. Then I ripped part of the 1st clue three times as I kept dropping blasted stitches in the same stinking row, and I'm pretty sure in the same stinking place.

I finally made it, however, and in the process decided to change needle size as well. I have to say, I LOVE this yarn! The pattern is beautiful, and I cannot wait to see how this turns out. My dear friends who are LOTR GEEKS are going to love it, too, but you'll have to settle for pictures. This puppy is mine! So, naturally, I signed up for her entire LOTR series of patterns. sigh Because my obsession is completing a series. I don't have to knit them all, but I do have to have the patterns in my collection.

My obsessive collecting is also leaking over into my video life. Again. I've tried to avoid it for a while now, but I finally splurged on some DVDs to complete one series collection I've been dragging on. It is tough to justify because the kids can't watch it with me, so I've fallen behind on watching it. But. I. Must. Have. It. So, since we got our tax money in, and Himself spent some on music for himself (heh, Himself/himself), I figured I could do the same, even if I don't get to watch them all as they come in. Of course, there are other series out there that I also "need", but so far, I'm feeling pretty good about just having the one done.

School is going well, but a bit slow. We are so far behind in math we will be doing it all summer. The up side of that is that I think if she had a summer off, she'd forget everything she managed to learn this year. So, perhaps the summer-long work on math will help her be/stay prepared for the next school year. We are signing up to do this again next year, and I am still undecided about the youngest joining us. She's all for it, but I'm not sure it will work with her. I'm taking the summer to decide. Other classes, though, are going well and are more or less on target for completion at the right date. You know, assuming she doesn't just totally drag her feet. One recent stroke of luck for us was the volcano in Iceland blowing right when we started in on plate techtonics and volcanoes. Thanks Iceland! I was happy, however, that we made it through the earthquake chapter without any personal demonstrations.

Ah well, now. Back to school!

Let's not dwell

2010-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Rather than dwell on how long it's been since I last posted, I think I'll just move along with a post. The dwelling has actually kept me from posting anything new for at least a month, already.

My big news is that I finally finished the blasted Pi Shawl! On March 19 at 10:10 pm, to be exact. It was quite a happy moment. The blocking was another interesting first for me, and went reasonably well, but I think I learned from that as well. So without further ado...

However. After blocking, I noticed some weird holes in places just slightly out of alignment with where they should have been. So. I decided to try to make adjustments to the stitches to close those up a bit. That took about 10 hours, or so. I think.

I'm still not sure if the weird holes are due to: A) misplaced stitches (yarn overs), B) the way I moved the stitches along the needles as I knit (putting too much tension in the stitches by letting them pile up, or get pulled along at an uneven pace), or C) failing to move my stitch counters at some critical point which cause the end of the pattern to be off by a few stitches (which is sort of like misplaced stitches, but different in how they got there).

I don't think I'll ever know for sure, but the amount of time spent on the attempted repairs has taught me to be much more cautious in the future! I'm pretty sure I've learned that, at least. I've taken close-up pictures of the before repairs, and after repairs, and I will take more after it has been soaked and blocked again. Then I'll post them. Hopefully sooner than four months from now. The nagging problem remaining is that my stitches no longer look even in the sections that were repaired. Before they were even, but there were big holes. Hmmm. Which will be more noticable? I just don't know. Maybe that will block out, at least a little. I will always see the errors, I guess.

Still, on the bright side, I've learned a lot from this whole project that will make my next project go much more smoothly. I'm not sorry I did it, just sorry I jumped in without all the information I needed to do a better job of it. Oh well. I've never been one to look for an "easy" first project. Oh looky, the deep end! Let's go there first! LOL That's me.

So. Where have I been? Well, homeschooling, too much time on Ravelry and on the Wii I got for Christmas. In my defense, I got the Wii Fit Plus. It. Rocks. I hate exercise. Do. Not. Like It. I've done classes, videos, tried just getting out and walking, etc. Nothing sticks. I don't enjoy it and the least little thing gets me to stop. The Wii? I'm loving it! The days I'm not on it are upsetting to me. Yes. I think it is still me looking back from the mirror saying "I love my Wii". It could be a clone, though I haven't seen any pods lying around. I'm up to a 30 minute jog and a 10 minute Super Hoola-Hoop session every day + some yoga and strength exercises. But then, I bought Walk It Out, and now I can't stop walking in my house. Seriously. I average 4.2-5.2 miles. Every. Day. Sadly, I don't do both the Fit Plus and the WIO every day, it is an either/or thing.

Have I lost weight? Heck no. In fact, I think I've gained. But I can tell that my legs (in particular) are firming up, so I am losing fat. At least in my legs. My blue jeans seem to be fitting a bit differently. I do feel miles better, have more energy (in general) and I get all twitchy and upset if I can't get on my Wii every day. It is insane. But, I am grateful for the insanity and I am embracing it in the hopes that it will turn into a habit that I can live with and maybe even build on. You know, actually get exercise outside? Where all the pollen and other allergens are? Crazy, huh? I did four hours of yard work last week and didn't even feel it the next day. I wouldn't believe it if I couldn't see all the cleared out berry bushes and short lawn out there. LOL I'm pretty sure the pixies didn't do it.

Additional benefit: my formerly broken leg is working/feeling better after a few months on the Wii than it has felt in the tw years since I broke it. The balance programs and exercises are building up those little muscles that have so far escaped strengthening. That alone is worth the price of the Wii.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Wii. I am merely a very satisfied (and somewhat giddy) customer.

Next time, I'll tell you about my new lace project. I will simply say: I am an idiot. :)

My brain hurts

2009-12-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

It could be the cold, but I don't think so.

So, I had this fun idea of using up some leftover Fangasia yarn to make some fingerless mitts in a pattern that will echo the fang motif in the Love Bites scarf. I planned to alternate rows of the Fangasia colorway with rows of plain black silver sock yarn (if you can call "silver sock yarn" plain). This may be the worst idea ever! Not because the colors aren't working out. Nope. They look fine. Not even because I can only knit one at a time. I have gotten used to doing two things (socks & mitts, not sweaters or hats!) at the same time, but these should go quickly. Right? Little mitts?

Gah! I'm doing the mitts on two circs, as usual. But the pattern has all these YOs and K2tog right where the stitches start or stop on my needles. A yarn over at the end of one row, then switch yarns for the next row is very challenging in the round. At least, it is for me, and I'm worried that there will be a big, gaping hole in one spot of the glove. That would not be pretty. The K2togs keep happening when I have one stitch left on the end of the needle, so I keep moving them around every other row. Pfffffft. I'm not enjoying this at all.

Yes, I know. No one is making me do them. But I want the mitts in this colorway. This is the only way to get them. I suppose I could hurt my brain further by seriously moving stitches around to try to adjust where the starts and stops are, but, hey do you smell smoke? I don't know. It is just rare for me to get off to such a very bad start with a project (deliberately ignores the disasterous Pi Shawl start).

Perhaps starting the project while the girls were at dance class wasn't the best idea. I was seriously distracted by the number of kids going in and out of the room leaving the door open with the music blasting and the teacher counting! How was I supposed to count independently of her? That doesn't usually happen, though, and I have spent many, many hours knitting there without any problems at all. No. It is just this pattern/project. I actually started out thinking I could manage to do both mitts at the same time. That would be FOUR bits of yarn to track , keep in the correct order, etc. See? Flat. Out. Crazy.

As it is, I will undoubtedly rip out the four completed rows and give it another go at home in relative quiet. If it is still such a struggle, I'll reconsider the pattern, or my alternating yarn. I could just try to do one in the yarn I have left and see if it is enough. I know it will be very, very close, but which side of completion is the sticky bit. Will I have just enough, or barely not enough? Is it worth the effort and time to knit it with the one yarn and see how far I get? Will I rip it all and do it again with two yarns if it doesn't work?

Yeah. I don't know, so I thought I'd just make it "easy" on myself by using both yarns from the start. Mitts are usually a traveling sort of project. I can work on them anywhere. Perhaps not this time. I'll have to find something else to carry around.

I'm also working on a cross stitch quilt square. Still. I have never, EVER, had this much trouble with a simple cross stitch square in my life. E.V.E.R. I have had to re-work 3 out of 4 major motifs, not just once, but multiple times. Each. Then I get to the "easy" part (should be) and find that one of the motifs is short by a stitch, and I had to rip the whole thing (single motif) out and re-work it. Again. sigh Perhaps I'm just distracted, or something. I don't know. The due date for the square was last Sunday, but we had an unoffical extension to this Sunday. Good thing. It will take me that long to correct all the errors in this puppy. (And, yes, you could tell that there was an error in all instances.)

I'm trying not to let myself work on much else until I get this thing finished. However, I have been doing lots of Pi Shawl work before bed (on the nights where there's time for that). I'm halfway through the last pattern repeat! I find it ironic that after struggling so long with this project, it is now the easiest thing I'm working on.

Oh, well. Nothing like uncertainty to keep you on your toes, right?

And now, after all that whining, some yummy, happy fiber! This is locally dyed BFL in the colorway Dawn In Paris by Auntie Karen & Co. I picked up 8 oz at the LYS and can't wait to get to it. The dyer does not seem to have her own website or anything, just a local who sells through the LYS. That's fine with me. I also picked up 4 oz of this nice bit of BFL in Black Forest Cake. Same artist, same store. Black Friday sales can be good. I wasn't expecting to be out shopping, but Himself had me helping with a project of his and we ended up right around the corner from the LYS, so there was no real reason not to go. I have no idea what I'll do with either of them, though I'm thinking a scarf for the Dawn in Paris. Maybe a hat for the Black Forest I want these colors very, very visible! Too yummy!

Caught Up On The Wrong Things

2009-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well, not wrong-wrong, just not the stuff I should probably be spending my time on right now. Isn't that just the way some of us work, though? I just spent the past hour taking and uploading photos of projects and fiber, updating Ravelry, etc. pffft! I should have been doing something more useful, like going to the grocery store. Or, maybe working with eldest instead of letting her have an extra long lunch today. lol Like she's complaining.

Still, that means I have way too many pics to post now, so I'll try to break it a bit, posting the oldest things first, with the exception of my newly finished Love Bites scarf. This was knit up in Fresh From the Caudron's Silver Sock base in the Fangtasia colorway (Sept. shipment in the yarn club, didn't even get that one posted yet). The pattern was fun, simple to memorize and seem to take for-stinking-ever to finish. Of course, I could have stopped any time I wanted to, I just wanted a longer scarf. As it is, I think I went a bit too far, I don't have quite enough left for mitts. So I'm thinking I'll use some black silver sock from my stash and alternate rows with Fangtasia/Black and see if some work out. Anyway, you can see the two little holes in the wider knitted bands, like fang marks/bites. Love Bites? Ha Ha? I think it is cute, but probably won't explain it to very many people. They think I'm weird enough as it is.

On the idea of getting things done late, do you see that nice picture up there of the nice brew with the blue yarn? I took that baby two years ago, and I've been looking for it ever since. Seriously. I've searched on every thumb drive in the house, every computer (we have, ahem, more than two) and everywhere else I could think of (at 2 am, sometimes). WhenI finally embraced the fact that it was lost, gone forever and not-reproduceable (not exactly, anyway), after Himself updated all the software, etc. poof!, there it is.

Seriously. In His photo collection, which I thought was in the whole Picture folder (he didn't even know he had one of his own). Moral of the story? Never say die! Or dye, or something like that. lol

This yarn is Michael, for Michael Corvin in the Underworld movie. Actually, not a vamp, either. This pair of lovely blue/black Merino / Silk skeins are destined to become a Clapotis. At least, that's why I got two of them. I hope they don't demand to be something else once I get started knitting on them. The blues shade from very light to a rich, deep blue then bits of black as well. So very pretty! The yarn is huggably soft, and slippery with all the silk. I'm sure it will be lovely to knit with!

I can't wait to get started, but I'm also not sure if I'm ready for another big-ish project. I might do the fingerless mitts in the leftover fangtasia first. I just can't decide, but I'm freezing right now. I have not adjusted to our current temps outside. Pathetic. I know. I always need a couple of weeks to settle in, though, then I'm pretty good.

This guy is The Eccentric. He is named in honor of a character from a series who's author is very, very, happy to sue anything that even breathes the name of her characters. Once the dyer got wind of that, she modified the names and made the all exclusives to the club. Paranoid? Maybe, but better safe than sorry.

The picture is not good, but I just don't seem to be able to grab the turquoise and plums in this one. They are quite lovely and the yarn is BFL.

This yarn is an acquaintance to the character above. He is The Antiquated. Rich plums and browns make up this fellow's pallete, and are absolutely scruptious! Also BFL, very yummy. As was the character, IMO, but I'll stop. lol

I'm a bit alarmed at how much fiber has found its way into my home over the past several months. I was doing an excellent job of not buying anything (other than what came in the clubs), and then BAM! I seem to have forgotten what it is to think calmly through all purchases, considering the likelihood that a yarn will be used. Soon. sigh.

Although, I suppose my most fevered stashing seems to be in fiber. Since I added that jumbo flyer, I seem to think I'll be doing all this spinning. lol I am trying to keep it in the loop, at least once a week at minimum. I'm about 3 oz into a 4 oz braid of the Frabjous Fiber in Atlantis I've already posted (bad) pics of. It is turning out very lovely, but it is a slow thing.

If I pre-draft the fiber, I spin it too thin, if I don't pre-draft, it is pretty uneven. I rather like the thick/thin (within reason), so don't mind too much, but it'll be nice when I get a better handle on this new flyer and thicker yarn. I don't want everything I spin to come out sport weight. I was hoping for something worsted-to-bulky in this yarn, but I knew it would be sort of random at this stage. I just wanted to keep spinning. Still, I'm hopeful that I can do a nice sweater or something out of this yarn. Though I'm not delusional enough to think that will happen in the next month or so. lol

Drips and Drabs

2009-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for inspiration and time to get together and shake hands before posting again. Apparently, that isn't going to happen any time soon. lol

I've made zero progress on the vacation photos, which is too bad. I need to get them in order for Christmas pressies. Ah well, nothing like waiting until the last moment, right? OTOH, at least I got mine on the computer. Himself can't even get that far (which is my excuse for not getting to work on photo packages for the family at Christmas).

I found that much of the progress the Eldest and I made regarding a homeschooling routine went right out the window in a week's time. We've spent the past three weeks trying to get back to the relatively smooth routine we had before the trip. I think we're there again. You know, in time for all the holiday breaks. Still, at least I remember what the routine is, instead of trying to create one, so for me, at least, it is easier. Unless you count the fun of dealing with Eldest on the whole thing.

I've done a bit of spinning on this fiber, which is lovely.

It is a nice squooshy Merino and I just love the colors.
There's a bit more of the cream color than I would prefer (more green!), but it is really nice. I have quite a bit of it, 24 oz, so I'm hoping to be able to make something biggish and nice. Sweater of some sort? I just don't know. I'm using my new jumbo flyer, but I am having a hard time letting myself spin a bigger, fluffier ply. I practiced and thought I had it down, but it is a struggle. Still, I'm going to keep going with it anyway. There's a lot to spin, so I'm sure it will be a very "art" yarn when I'm done.

I played a bit with Navajo plying last weekend. That went better than I thought. Very much something to try rather than read about, I found. I don't want to do that with this yarn, however, because I want to maximize yardage to make something bigger. It is a tough choice, though, because I do want a thicker yarn in this colorway. I think.

Ah! To be a more experienced spinner!

Still, I can't save all the "best" fiber until I get to be an "experienced spinner" or else I'll never spin anything! Right? Right. Plenty of fiber in the, erm, sea. Or, something like that. Anyway, I'll try to get a pic up of the result asap. Obviously, you shouldn't hold your breath or anything.

I've made small progress on the Love Bites scarf. I still love it, but long scarf + fingering weight yarn + limited knitting time = long time to finish the project. I've been working more on the Pi Shawl. I'm happy to say I'm 5 rows shy of the last pattern repeat (repeating Pattern 1 for the last time, that is) then it will be on to the border pattern. Woo! Hoo!

I can't help but wonder if this thing will be as big as I need it to be once I'm done. I mean, it looks sort of small right now, even though there are so many stinking rows of knitting. That tiny, tiny laceweight yarn... I just don't see how it will be big enough, honestly. But, my grandmother is also a tiny thing, so I'm trying to reassure myself that it will be big enough.

I honestly don't know if I could ever knit lace again if I spend this much time on something that is too small. You hear that, lace? You've been warned!

Well, it is time to go read to dogs. Lately, I've just been getting lots of cuddles. Guess they've gotten used to us. lol

2009-10-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

The family and I just returned from a fantastic vacation to Orlando. Himself's family is there, a few friends and relatives of mine are there, and, of course, The Mouse is there.

We managed to squeeze in some of each, though I'm convinced vacations are either too short or too long. Has anyone had exactly the right amount of time for everything? No? Yes? Maybe it is just me.

More photos may come, but there's 600+ for me to sort through (just the ones I took), and, well, I'm just not up for that yet. Anyway, here's a few just to prove we were there.

I had hours and hours on the plane to knit, but it was hard to concentrate on it for long. I had no trouble getting my knitting needles through security (I used my bamboo needles) and I didn't even try to take scissors. I'm working on a scarf in sock yarn, though, so it is taking forever to reach the end. Sort of like one of those things where you knit and knit and never get closer to the end, I think. I did get a good deal of knitting on the plane, and a little at the in-law's house, but not as much as I thought I'd do.

Himself was inspired to book the trip because his high school had a band alum reunion (all years) for the school's 70th anniversary. The alums were able to sit next to the band at the homecoming game on Friday and play along. I think the band director may have gotten an ulcer over his lack of control over the alums. They played whenever, and whatever, the wanted fairly often. The current school band had to stick to a more rigid plan. I suspect his mantra was "alums give money" or something like that. LOL Still, I sometimes caught this look on his face...

We went to the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday, and attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party later that night. You must buy special tickets for that, of course, but they close the park to non-ticket holders and there's trick-or-treating, fireworks and a parade. The kids brought their costumes and we took a break in the evening to head back to the hotel and change. It was so much fun! It was such an incredibly long day! 11 am - midnight. Exhausting! I don't think we waited more than 15-20 minutes for any ride, and for most of them, the wait was the length of time it took to walk from the entrance to the loading area. October is the month to go!

Wednesday we went to the Animal Kingdom. It was also pretty awesome with minimal wait times. I met up with a buddy from college (Austin College) and her mom for a few hours. They are living out that way now and so, when I do make it back to Texas, I never get to see her. The park is terrific, though much smaller and with fewer rides. We went to see several shows, including Nemo, The Musical, and rode several things twice. I made it on Expedition Everest, but only once. No one else would ride it with me and I felt bad making them all wait for me, even if the wait was short.

I will share one funny thing that happened at Animal Kingdom. While having lunch with everyone, I kept feeling this poking on my rear end. I thought it was my youngest child being obnoxious. It wasn't. It was a rather cheeky duck, pardon the pun. He was looking for a bit of my lunch and had the most remarkable expression on his face. Well, it looked that way from my point of view. Sadly, no one had a camera sitting out (safely tucked away from the food), so I can't share a photo of the fellow. He was rather bold, though. Just sitting there looking at me with an expression that said "Well?!"

We spent lovely time with family, mine and his, but it was all too short. Well, most of it was. Some folks are best in teeny, tiny doses, but I'll not dwell on that bit. LOL October is the best month for Florida, I think. Not too hot, but plenty warm for the kids. Himself and I were glad to return to Washington and real Fall weather.

The last day or so of the trip, the youngest developed a bladder infection. Sleep-deprived mom didn't really notice, or more correctly, connect the dots on that one until the night before we left. Seriously, I could not adjust to the 3-hour time difference the whole trip! Who knew those three hours could make my brain FAIL so much all week? It didn't help that the youngest was in total denial of all symptoms, for some unkown reason. So, the first day back, we were at the clinic for antibiotics for her. On the second leg of the flight home, the eldest got a sore throat. So, today we were at the doctor's office for her. She's got strep throat, and so they are both an antibiotics now. I hope that at the least, the meds will help the youngest recover from one and avoid getting the other. The adults will have to take their chances, I guess. Oh well, no one was sick while there and so far, no nasty swine flu symptoms.

I still say this was the best vacation ever, and I do hope we can go again in a couple of years. I miss my family, but visiting them is never relaxing, really. Visiting the in-laws provides innumerable amusement parks to visit, plus the beaches, and NASA, and goodness knows what else! But it also allows me to actually just enjoy the trip in a way that I just can't when visiting my family. So, the next trip will certainly be to see my folks, but probably not for a while. Which is good. I have all these photos to work through first...

How are we doing?

2009-09-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been at the homeschool thing for about 2.5 weeks and we're all still alive. Week 2 was better, this week has been up and down (and it is only Tuesday!). We are still trying new stuff, new schedules, etc. and I don't expect everything to go smoothly while we are fiddling around. I have signed up to add Latin I class to our schedule. I think it is an awesome foundation for understanding English, and many other languages as well. I had two years in high school and quite liked it.

Yes. I'm a geek. lol

I'm still waiting for all the pass codes to get into that one, but it looks like a nice online class. I'm hoping the youngest can be part of the class so that she can benefit from it too.

On the knitting/fiber side of life, I finished my Jason Stackhouse Cat's Face Lace socks. These were a fun knit, and went pretty quickly, for me. They got interrupted for another cross stitch quilt square, which slowed me down, but no biggie. The pattern is from Ravelry but is heavily, heavily modified. The modifications were to suit my artistic muse, not because the pattern is in need of modification.

The original pattern is alternating rows of cat paws and cat faces. I decided I only wanted the faces. Then I decided I wanted to readjust the spacing on them, again, my muse was feeling uppity. These are toe-up socks, so the faces on the feet are in slightly different alignment than the ones on the leg, but I'm not even sure I could tell now. I did have some trouble at the top. Since I had a very generous amount of yarn, I repeated the pattern more than called for in the original (you may be wondering if anything is like the original pattern, right?). I thought the sock was a bit loose, so I went down a needle size for the ribbing, did the bind off and started weaving ends. Then I tried on the sock and it was too tight. I pondered my options for a silly hour or so, then I ripped out the weaving, the cast off and the ribbing on both socks, went, back up to the original needle size and did it all again. And now they fit. The stripes are interesting as they mirror one another, but the back of one sock matches the front of the other. I think it is cool.

I then cast on the Love Bites scarf (Ravelry, again) with the Fangtasia yarn in the same vamp club. The colors are really nice and I love they way they blend. The pattern is easy to memorize and goes pretty quickly. BUT, this will take forever to knit up the 400+ yds! At the end of the scarf, you drop three stitches and let 'em rip all the way down. This will be my first project like this, so we'll see how I do.

I bought a jumbo flyer for my wheel. I spent the week before school staining the thing and getting it all put together. I've managed to squeeze in a little time during school to spin a little practice fiber to get used to it. I really seem to NEED to spin thin yarn. I would really like to loosen up a bit. lol I bought a bunch of lovely stuff, but I won't touch it until I can make it do what I want.

I'm not sure how the colors will show up, but there some lovely shades of green, medium blue, white and a medium brown. The colorway is Atlantis, and the artist is frabjous fibers in Vermont. It is Merino Top and I picked it up from the LYS in Snohomish.

I've joined the Super Sock Scarefest again this year, and I nearly missed it! I've just been so busy I wasn't checking the group. I missed the first pattern release, and decided I'd wait for the next one. Since I have so much spare time on my hands, ahem, I'm thinking maybe I'll go with #3 pattern. We'll see how it works out.

I've got other fiber photos, but I think I'll save them. Maybe I can use them to motivate myself to post more often.

Homeschool

2009-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sort of. This is what has been taking up my time. My eldest has been agitating for homeschool for about two years. I promised her we'd talk about it this summer and make a decision. So, we did. I was trying to help a friend with zero homeschool contacts find some info about programs / curriculum that people liked. In the process, I stumbled upon WAVA (Washington Virtual Academy) and it sounded like a really good way to get started. If you know it and it isn't, don't tell me now.

This program is technically NOT homeschool because it is part of the public school system and I do not pay anything additional (to my regular taxes) for the materials. What it is is a home-based education program and I work with a state certified teacher on a regular basis, to make sure we are meeting our goals & requirements (state requirements). The teacher will also help me work out strategies for more successful work with my child. The lesson plans are already built, but I can mix them up a bit if I want (I can't drop any subjects, but I can add things if I want).

We're into day 3 today, and I want out! I expected to feel this way, so I'm not panicked. I also will not be quitting today, so don't worry. As with many new things in life, this is more time-consuming and much, much more tiring than I thought it would be. I have never worked so hard in my life, I don't think. Oh, sure, maybe shoveling snow or painting a room or rearranging furniture is harder in the short term, but this won't end until June 16, 2010.

My self-pep talk today was all about staying adaptable every day, learning new strategies from one day to the next, and just hanging in there! It sort of worked. I'm hoping we will see some real progress in our attitudes/habits after a month. That will really go a long way towards giving me some much needed energy.

I think.

Right now, we spend more than double the time expected on Math alone (today, nearly 3 hours!). Not because we like it. No. Because the child has to change seating arrangements 50 times, get more ice (she's addicted to ice, but at least it is fluids) and make drum sounds. sigh I've already learned that I cannot, CANNOT, do any other thing while she is working on math. That includes knitting. That may change, but not any time soon, I'm sure. I can almost read email, but usually only one or two. If the reply is more than five sentences long, I'd better not try it. After completing (successfully) 19 problems, the 20th problem will warrant a long questions, stony silence and borderline tears even though it is exactly like the other 19 (successfully) completed problems. She can read directions, but if they are for math, it is like she is reading a foreign language phonetically. It has no meaning to her at all. Mind you, she is breezing through all the language and reading materials at light speed, so she does comprehend words. Just not words in a Math Book.

Well, to put a positive spin on the situation, I am learning a lot about my eldest child. She is probably learning a lot about me. Maybe we can both improve over the next year.

The youngest, you say? Ah. She would rather eat worms than be home with me for school. At least, that's where she is this year. We'll see how she (and I) feel about it next year. This is a trial program, Eldest and I both have the option to say No More! for next year. The youngest has the option to join if she wants, but I will not force the issue unless some unforeseen event moves me to change my mind.

Himself is very excited we are doing this. He is (currently) very supportive of this change. We'll see how he feels a month from now. lol When all those things I've been doing regularly start piling up again.

Photos

2009-08-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I thought I would take the kids to play with their friends and then I would be free to spend a little time on chores. After the chores, I was going to enjoy a long afternoon of knitting. You know, because it was too stinking hot to touch wool last week.

Well, as I pulled back into the garage, I looked at all the boxes sitting around in there. Himself and I have decided we are going to spend time working through those boxes and either re-pack the things we're keeping or, here's a novel idea, use the stuff, or give it to charity. So, yesterday, in a fit of strange energy, I decided to sort through a few boxes.

After browsing through some boxes full of spiders, spiders and books, I decided to sort through photos & old personal memorabilia instead. Hmmm. I have a lot of photos, old photos, and now I'm thinking those spiders look pretty nice. lol On the other hand, I managed to get the other stuff sorted out by era nicely labeled in sealable boxes, and some stuff sorted into the recycle bin, so it will be easier to go back and look at it all for fun when I want to. In some small way, mission accomplished.

I was surprised by some of the stuff I found in those boxes. I'm not talking about the spiders here. I found lots of old notes my friends and I wrote to each other back in school. You know the stuff all about that cute boy you followed around the halls, or what you were planning to do over the weekend, etc. The notes you write instead of the class work you should have been doing. I think I kept them by accident, really. My mom had a bad habit (still has, most likely if given the chance) of going through my room and sorting through all my stuff when I was out of the house, spending the night with friends, driving around, etc. Anything in the room was open for full inspection, or reading as the case may be, because (at the time) it was her house. Furniture was rearranged, things were thrown away, whatever struck her fancy when I was out of the house for the evening. Of course, she never had any interest in reading my school papers, but the notes from my friends were fair game in her mind. I took to keeping those notes in folders so that they looked like school work, not chatter with my friends. I think it worked out, but it took me until my senior year to figure that one out.

Of course, a few years later I worked out that my mom's behavior was an inappropriate invasion of my privacy. The reading of private papters is just the tip of the iceberg, but there's no need for going there now (or here). We all have our issues. It would have been entirely different if I'd been a troublesome teen up to no good, etc., but I wasn't. I was a model child. Until college, anyway. But, that's a whole different kettle of fish and one thing leads to another, and so on.

I also found some old love letters from beaux long gone. Is it kosher to keep those? I really hate the thought of tossing them. While they don't come from the man I married, they were very important at the time, and helped me become the person I am. I just don't know what to do with those.

So. Here I sit with hundreds of photos that I hope to scan, and some that will be thrown out due to really terrible picture taking skills, Polaroids that are almost entirely black (I have almost no idea what the subject was it is so dark), and dozens and dozens of landscape photos that simply have no meaning anymore. Look! A tree! Somewhere. Could be anywhere, really. Oh! And here's another tree. Again, I have no idea where. But it is green! Woo-Hoo! Yeah. I probably don't need a gazillion of those. Do I? I mean, I know I took the picture in 1976, or 1978, on one of my trips to Oregon to visit family. The above mentioned trees were photographed somewhere on the road between Texas and Oregon. Could be anywhere, really. The trees in question might not even be standing anymore. But, then, should I keep the picture in memory of a tree that may no longer be? Even if I can't know for sure? Um, no. I think photos lacking any identifiers (people or signs) may all be fair game for the trash bin. They are faded and, really, unremarkable.

The question is: Will I get to work on this right away? Or will I need to find another box...

August

2009-08-04T10:19:00.001-07:00

I have no idea where July went. Perhaps the extreme heat in the last week of July burned the memory of July out of my head.

Whatever the reason, here it is, August. Half the summer break is gone and I haven't accomplished most of the things on my to-do list. I think that is the way it is supposed to go. Right? So, we're having a successful summer.

The kids are spending huge amounts of time playng with their friends from their former daycare. There is a shortage of older kids to play with the provider's grandkids. They've all grown up together and are very close, so my girls are visiting them and getting lots of play time. It is a nice break for everyone. Kids get tired of only playing with their siblings. Swimming at the beach, at the lake and at the public pool, ice skating, Slip 'N Slide and sleepovers. Oh, and spinning. I spent one day teaching the girls to spin. Sort of. They peddled, I managed the fiber. It worked out well and they were very happy with their yarn. We had planned to go pick out new fiber for them, but havent done it yet. Too many other things going on.

I was making some really nice progress on some socks with my Jason yarn. They are toe-up and a modified version of the Cat's Face Lace sock pattern (found on Ravelry). Werecat character inspired yarn, cat lace sock. Seems like a fun match to me. I like the way it is knitting up so far, I'm just a pattern repeat away from the heel. Or that's my best guess.

But I got distracted.

Yep. I picked up the Pi Shawl again, and I've been knitting with great enthusiasm. I've knit up about 40 rows, and I've done the last increase. I've got 576 sts on the needles and I'm on the last K row before starting the final lace pattern. I hope I can keep up some momentum, but I just don't know. I'd post pictures, but it is just a red blob. I refuse to take it off the needles because, even with lifelines, I know I will drop sts getting it back on. I mean, there are FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX STITCHES IN TINY, TINY YARN. Not worth it. I'll take a picture of the blob before blocking, and that will have to do.

I also participated in the Tour de Fleece again this year. I had modest goals, and more or less met them. I am plying the last of the fiber now, so I didn't finish everything on time for the Tour, but I'm still finishing it all up. You know, so I can buy more fiber. lol Once this last bit is plied, I'll wash and set it all. Then I need to figure out how much I have and what I can do with it.

This bit on the left is DragonFibers' Bluebells & Buttercups. It is a Merino / Bamboo blend, and was a dream to spin. I just spent a crazy amount of time doing it. (As in, I got half of it done last year for the tour, and did the other half this year.) Pathetic.

This is also DragonFibers, but it is a Merino / Sea Cell blend in a pencil roving. This is the first time I've spun a pencil roving, and I have to say I love it. I normally pre-draft my fiber, and not doing saves a crazy amount of time! This colorway is Masquerade, and is a lovely mix of blue-ish grey and a purpley/burgundy sort of color. It is spinning up into a lovely yarn.

This lovely DragonFibers colorway is Mermaid's Jewelbox. This was Merino/Bamboo, and turned into a very lovely yarn. My theme for the Tour this year was DragonFibers, in case you couldn't tell. I'd picked up a number of braids, and really wanted to get them spun so I could move on to knitting them up.
Aaaaand, here are the singles for this one. Oddly, it looks dark/deep as singles. The yarn plied a bit lighter than I was expecting. But, since I have so little experience with this whole thing, really, I wasn't disappointed. Just surprised.

All the rest of my fiber stash is random bits of fiber I picked up to practice on. I have no real plan for using the random bits, and there really isn't much of any one thing to make into a project, really. I'll likely need to buy more random bits, or blend it with other stuff, or something else creative that I haven't thought of yet. Still, it is a nice collection for the kids to sample if they want to continue playing with the spinning.

Lastly, I realized that I never posted photos of my July installment of my yarn club. So now that I've got the shipping receipt for the August yarn, I'll get July up.

Here is Fangtasia, so named after the nightclub owned by Eric the Northman (vampire). This is on a silver sock base and is just yummy gorgeous yarn. It is posing on the vampire dress I made for the eldest last Halloween. I mean, I've got to get maximum use from the dress. It was really stunning, if I do say so myself, and will get very little wear.

This lovely yarn is Claudine, Sookie's Fairy Godmother. Claudine is also on a silver sock base, and the colors just really pop. Oddly enough, the youngest had these wings from her costume last Halloween when she was a flower fairy. They match the green & purple colors perfectly.

A fellow yarn club member had to destash some of her yarn and I was able to score a second skein of Claudine, so now I've got about 880 yards to play with. I'm sorry that she had to let yarn go, but I'm very excited to have gotten a second skein now (instead of having to wait for January when the colors are available again). I'm thinking: shawl. But not a round one! I think this is why I got so inspired to finish the Pi. I'm NOT casting on another shawl until the Pi is done. I'm serious. Really.

Brews, Blues and BBQ

2009-07-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it back! It was a fun, but exhausting trip. Maybe we are just wimps and need to travel more (I'm actually sure this is true), but man! I did most of the driving (habit, I guess), about 800 miles, but my poor DH got stuck with the last part of the return when we got stuck in crappy traffic. Yay I-5!

The event was held in a pretty small town, on a small site with a not-so-small number of people. There were about 10-12 breweries, so rather small. I was slightly disappointed that there weren't more, but also that several of them were from the Seattle area, so not new to us. However, the rest were new and more local to the event. They made some nice beer, too. The BBQ side of things was also pretty small and not all local to the event, but still tasty!

I took some knitting, but in the end, I only worked on it in the hotel room. It was just too crowded at the Brew event. And hot. Somehow, I did not want to touch the wool yarn sitting in the bright sunshine. lol

We didn't fully plan the whole trip before leaving. I mean that I found some interesting things to do on the trip, but we had no idea what we would try to do, or what order we'd try to hit everything. So, the first stop turned out to be Ape Cave. Turns out DD2 does not like caves. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. In the end, we rented a lantern and went in for about 15-20 minutes, then left. I hope she was just being a squirrel and isn't really claustrophobic. The rest of us like caves and I'd like to visit more sometime. Still, an interesting little adventure. It was amazing the temperature difference between the topside and just going down the stairs, at least 20 degrees.

We rolled into the hotel around 7 or so in the evening. We checked in, then headed out to a local brewery for dinner. Yummy pizza and a nice view of the Columbia river. The hotel (well, it is billed as a resort, but cost significantly less than most of the hotels I looked at) had no TV or phones, so we played some games and went to bed to rest up for the next day. Sadly, no one really slept much.
The next day we got up and drove East to Maryhill. Our intended destination was the Maryhill Stonehenge site, but we also went to the Maryhill Museum of Art. The museum was a delightful find. They had an exhibition from the Hudson River School, though they did not have my favorite (Frederic Church) in the lot. There's also a collection of sculpture and sketches from Aguste Rodin permanently on display here.

The same fellow responsible for the museum, Sam Hill, also built the Stonehenge monument. My apologies to everyone who've seen the real Stonehenge (not me, sadly). This monument is a testament, in many ways, to why research (ahem, librarians!) is useful. You see, he built the monument to honor the young men in that area who lost their lives in WWI (13 of them, I think). He built it in the mistaken belief that Stonehenge was a sacrifical site, thus the sacrifice of the young lives in the war. He also failed to understand that there is a particular orientation of the stones in Stonehenge, so did not even factor that into his considerations when building this site. Lastly, it isn't to scale and nothing there indicates the difference.

Okay, that sounds horribly critical doesn't it? It was in a lovely location, a high bluff overlooking the Columbia River and some vineyards. (This area of WA state is big on wineries.) I think it is really cool that he was so moved by the loss of life and the war that he built such a lovely memorial for these young men. But, as I am increasingly sceptical that I'll ever get to England, I'm a bit bummed that it was so poorly researched before being built. That said, construction was started in the 1920s, so not sure what information was available at that time anyway.

At this point, please let me mention that it was hot. For my friend in TX, it was probably a lovely day at 86F, but for me, TOO HOT. There was little shade. So, after a long morning spent out driving in the sunny warm weather, we then headed off to the brew event itself. We stayed a few hours, the left to rest at the hotel. I "took the waters" and had a mineral bath & wrap. As I sat there in a tub full of rather warm water piped in from the hot mineral springs I did take some time to ponder the question of my sanity. Hot day in a hot tub. In water that smelled quite a bit of eggs. But, you know, it was all about the experience. Right? Later that afternoon, we went back the Brews event and had another round of tastes and BBQ. It was late enough that the temperature was cooling a bit and we sat and watched a bunch of folk kite boarding on the river. It looked like loads of fun.

The next day we were heading home, so we crossed the river at the Bridge of the Gods, because who can resist that name? Then we drove up the Oregon side of the river and visited numerous waterfalls along the way. This one is Multnomah Falls. Perhaps not my best picture, but I took so many I finally just had to grab one. We got out and walked around (or hiked) most of the falls we came to, so we spent quite a while on the trail.

At Multnomah, there was some event going on, so the kids did some crafts and we browsed the tourist center stuff. While there I found this little gem.

Yes, folks, it looks like maybe El Chupacabra has migrated up to Oregon. Then again, it turns out that Skamania County (where the brews event was taking place) is officially a Bigfoot Refuge and it is illegal to hunt/kill Bigfoot in Skamania County. See, for all of my research into what to see on the trip, I failed to discover that this area is big on Bigfoot sightings, or that there are ordinances declaring the safety and heavy penalties for harming Bigfoot. Back to this little notice, though, I was curious if El Chupacabra could coexist with Bigfoot, or if, perhaps, the locals were misidentifying the creature. Maybe the Oregonians, who are essentially just across the river, mind you, want all the crazy critters they can collect. I mean, Bigfoot can probably swim or something, right?

Having had my little X-Phile moment of squeeing, and after enjoying the falls, we made our way back to WA state and headed up to the Johnson Observatory for a lovely view of Mt. St. Helens. I got behind every. single. slow. tourist. on the way up the mountian. DH had a clear shot down, but then got caught in the STOP and go traffic for 2.5 hours on the highway. The girls enjoyed the view, and we watched the (new to me) movie about the eruption and wandered around a bit. I haven't been there in about 15 years. It is astounding how much the plants/trees have grown up in that time! It is beautiful and amazing to see nature going about its business reparing all the damage.

Finally, after over 12 hours in the car, we made it home, unpacked, and collapsed. A great trip, but it took two days at home to recover from the fun.

Now to prep for the Tour de Fleece!

Lots of brews and knitting, too!

2009-06-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was the Washington Beer Festival, the annual event for Father's Day at our house. As you can see, I lost a child, but gained a puppy. lol

This year, I just parked a chair in the full sun (because who needs shade while sitting around watching the kids play?) and let the kids play on all the bouncy equipment as long as they wanted. I figured it would be less annoying to just sit and let them go than it would be to trek back and forth from where the rest of the group was sitting (in the shade!). I was right, but I got burned for the pleasure. Not too bad, but I can't believe I forgot the sunscreen. I mean, so what if it was raining on the drive down? I should have packed it anyway, I just forgot.

I will say that my favorite beer(s), I didn't try as many as I intended, was from Northern Light Brewing (Spokane, WA) and was called Black and Blue. I'd put in a link, but they don't seem to have one. Anyway, they mix their Chocolate Dunkel and their Blueberry Cream Ale as they pour (like a black & tan, but without the seperating). Both are excellent on their own, and the blending is sublime! They had the longest line I saw all day Saturday. It never seemed to get any shorter, though it did move pretty quickly. In fact, I'm not sure I saw a line anything approaching the length of this one for any other brewer. Nice job, folks.

It looks like there were a number of Friday Only beers that were pretty outstanding, according to folks I talked to around the event, but we didn't go on Friday (no kids allowed for Fri night). We're thinking about maybe going on Friday next year, just to try it, but I don't know. It is sort of a family thing for us. Although, this year we split up and that was not quite so "family". We'll see.

On the knitting side of life, I've been a busy little, erm, knitter. Yay, me!
First up are the two fish hats I knit for the Cafeteria Lady at the girls' school. She requested red, white & blue, so I pulled this mix out of the stash and (eventually) got knitting. I wanted them to be obviously different so that if one of them dropped their hat in the river, or on the catch of the day, it would be easy to know which one needed to be washed. I could just see them sniffing the hats trying to find the least smelly and then fighting over ownership or something. lol These folks are serious fishers, so you just don't know.

I increased the number of stitches cast on and then pretty much followed the pattern. I had more stitches on the needle when I got to the tail, though I did extra decreases, and I made the fins a little bit bigger. I thought they fit the scale of the hat a bit better. I added some increases in the last row of the dorsal and pectoral fins for a bit of a curve in the fins, just for the heck of it. I used Cascade 220 Superwash, so they can be easily washed. Cafeteria Lady was delighted with the hats and was very excited to take them home and show her DH. So, it was worth it. Any time a knitted item is received with that much enthusiasm, it makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

I really struggled getting them done, though. In addition to the usual boredom of knitting two items from the same pattern back-to-back, there were other fun adventures. I ran out of red yarn with ONE red fin left to go. Yep. Only needed enough for, oh, say, 300 stitches. Oh well, now I have red for something else. Also, the end of the year is very busy for volunteers at school. There were field trips, Field Day, and just the usual helping. We were really busy with extra events after school, as well. Still, I'm glad I knit them, she really loves them. It also seems to have been very important to DD1 that: someone else asked me to knit something; I did knit it; the very nice lady was so very excited about it. I'm not sure what is in her head, but I'm glad it made her happy too.

My second knitting triumph is that I finally finished the Bellatrix socks. I cast these puppies on April 18, 2008. I tried knitting them while talking and drinking beer. That was not a good idea and I really, really struggled with this pattern. I put them in hibernation. When I picked them up a month or so ago, they were so easy! I can't believe all the struggle I had with these! Okay, I can. I think I know what happened in the past year to change my relationship with Bellatrix.

First off, I cast on the Pi Shawl. While that one has been a struggle, I have learned a bit about dropping stitches, effective YOs and so forth, and that helped out with tricksy Bellatrix. While I am far from finishing the Pi, it has less to do with understanding lace and more to do with how stinking long it takes to do a single row and the fact that I cannot be distracted while knitting it. That means it doesn't get as much of my knit time as I would like. Though, I'm even getting better with the Pi knitting.

Secondly, I did that Scarefest KAL last Fall. While I didn't complete every pair, I did knock out, what, three pairs of socks? So, I gained some valuable sock experience and confidence. These two things worked together to make Bellatrix fly on the needles this time around. You know, when I got done with fish hats.

I'm really glad she's done, though, so I can wear these socks for movie #5 next month. Not that anyone will likely see them, and I'm rooting for the "other team" (not the Death Eaters), but I'll know they are on my feet and I'll be pleased at my fan geekness.

These socks, since it has been a while, were knit using Scout's Swag in the Death Eaters colorway on US size #2 circs (Knit Picks Options), 2 socks on 2 circs. The yarn was very yummy and squishy and the socks feel great on my feet. If you look closely, you can see that the way the color flowed in the socks is sort of a weird mirror. The color pattern on the front of one sock matches the pattern on the back of the other sock. I kind of like it that way, but it is interesting how that worked out.

I've find myself in a staring contest with the Pi Shawl now. I need another project, though. The Pi takes too much of my undivided attention, so I need something a little less demanding to go with it. I've been looking at UFOs. I found one (so far) that I had totally forgotten about. I mean, I remembered the yarn, just not that it was actually on my needles. It is a fingering alpaca in a denim blue sort of color. I was going to make a scarf, but couldn't come up with anything I liked all that well. I think I spent weeks fiddling around with it. I finally came up with something do-able, but put it away for some other project and poof. Out of sight, out of mind.

Yeah. I ripped that out.

I also found an illusion scarf I started, got through one repeat. I also found that the place I had marked on the chart as my starting point did not match the number of rows I was able to count. We're talking a 12 row difference. Hmmm. What to do, what to do. Oh, I know! Riiiiiiiiiiip.

I love the yarn, but this scarf is not going to happen either. So. That leaves me with an unfinished Harry Potter scarf and the Blue Sweater that has been done for a while. I'm really surprised, but that is the extent of my UFOs. I mean, there are yarns purchased for specific projects, but nothing else actually on the needles. Wow! The Blue Sweater that didn't fit the way I liked. The one I was going to Learn to Modify so that it would fit. Or lose weight. Yep. So. I haven't ripped it out yet. But I might. In the meantime, I think I'll play with the HP scarf. It fits a theme, finishing my HP UFOs. Though, I'm not wearing the scarf to the movie. In July. Even if I finish it by then. My inner geek will just have to deal with it.

Yarn Badness, but in a good way

2009-06-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

What I mean is, the characters the colorways are based on are bad. They yarn is excellent yumminess! This here yarn is Debbie Pelt, and exclusive colorway for the yarn club, from Fresh From The Cauldron. (Please note my nice Southern-ism of "this here". Ahem.) Ms. Pelt is a very nasty, conniving werewolf in Charliane Harris' Southern vampire mysteries. But, she is a lovely, lovely colorway. I'm a bit sad I only ordered one of her. She is on a silk sock base and is very nice to pet. Fortunately, this Ms. Pelt has no teeth or claws, just yummy squishiness.

Then there's the Volturi. Another club exclusive, based on the Volturi in the Twilight saga. (Yes. I read it. My favorite comment on it so far is: I cried when I read it because I could feel part of my brain dying. It wasn't that bad, but it did hurt sometimes.) The Volturi are dyed up on a Silver Sock base, so lots of nice sparkles, like all those Twilight vamps in the sunshine. I think my photo did a better job of highlighting the sparkle than the colors, but the colors are lovely too.

I still have no idea what my lovely vamp yarns will grow up to be, but they are looking all nice sitting in their little basket together. I'm browsing lots of patterns, and a few have caught my attention, but since I'm not ready to cast anything on yet, I'm not too worried.

I have turned the dreaded heel (not that I really dread them) and have made a few rows' progress into the foot of the Bellatrix socks (sorry, no pics today). Sadly, I must get two more fish hats done (for the cafeteria lady and her DH) by the 19th. These really go so quickly. You know, if you actually sit down and knit. Funny how that works.

She has requested red/white/blue hats, so I thought I'd do one with red fins/lips and the other with blue fins/lips. That way they can tell them apart if one of them drops the hats into a pile of fish. They apparently fish competitively, so the hats will be load of funs for them. I'm making these out of Cascade superwash, so they can clean them up if needed.

Here is the gaping maw of the first hat. I'm now about halfway through the body. I've increased the number of stitches I cast on (from 90 to 110) to better accomodate a grown-up head. I was not hitting gauge for the original, but it didn't matter too much for the kids. It does matter for adults.

I'm loaded up a bunch of movies to stream from Netflix (on my Xbox), but I've been too distracted by reading lately. This past week I completed The Dracula Dossier, Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog, Heaven Preserve Us, Bloodline and Bloodline Book Two: The Reckoning. I think that's it. Sister Pelagia and the Dossier were the slower going books. Both done in a more 19th ce style, with footnotes, and the Pelagia had all the Russian names to slow me down. Still, all were a great read. I also started the Maltese Falcon, but had to return it (no renewals as it was a book club sort of thing at the library). I have Hammit around somewhere, so I shall probably track it down at a later date.

The most noticable effect of all the reading is a tendency to lapse into a more formal late 19th - early 20th century sort of vocabulary/wording. Anyone else do this? I'm so sensitive to accents & manners of speech, I pick them up quickly. Such a geek! It was made all the worse, I suspect, by watching A Midsummer Night's Dream yesterday afternoon. I'd better go read something more "normal" quickly. My kids will be quite desperate for a dictionary at this rate, and my newly-turned 7 year old hasn't tried using one before. I guess there's a nice project for us this summer. Learn to use a dictionary. What kid wouldn't want to do that? lol

Two gentlemen callers

2009-05-05T11:05:00.001-07:00

Lovely Southern gentlemen callers (yarn, whatever) we waiting for me when I returned from reading with the dogs at the library yesterday. Imagine my squee of delight as I enjoyed some sweet tea and pet the lovely Alcide Herveaux, at top, a true wolf, and master Jason Stackhouse, below, a newly turned panther (though he is more of a Tomcat, wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

These yarns are both from the Fresh From The Cauldron Vamp Yarn Club 2009. They are both in the silk sock base, 70% Merino and 30% silk and are very, very squishy. Both of these characters are from the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire series, even if these two aren't vampires. I haven't decided yet what I'll knit up with them.

I also got a neat pattern for a fingerless glove knit flat, then joined. This allows the colors to flow nicely in a vertical line, for a different look in the gloves. I do love the pattern, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do with either of these fine fellows.

I'm up to the heel flaps on the Bellatrix. OR, and I really can't decide, I could do a few more pattern rows. I'd like to get them done, and I really don't have a need for knee socks, so I'll probably just go ahead and move forward with the heel. Can you move forward with a heel? Well, I shall try.

I spent part of the weekend finishing (sewing up) a sweet baby kimono for a friend. She's got some sort of tendon issue that keeps her in a brace for her hand. She is able to knit, but can't manage the sewing movements. So, I sewed for her this weekend (heh) and put the kimono together and got a button on a bib. Then my youngest DD volunteered me to repair a classmate's stuffed penguin. Good grief! I'm hoping this was a one-off deal, I do not want to start getting sewing from 20-some-odd first graders! I think this boy is a good friend, though, so maybe I'll be okay.

I am keeping to my plan to avoid starting anything new, so far. I'm hoping for at least another week before I freak out and cast on for something. Maybe I'll make it. I'm getting lots of ideas, mind you, but so far I haven't flipped and started anything.

This week I will have a fun day out on a field trip with the first-graders. We're going to a garden and walk in the woods. I just hope it isn't raining then, but I'm not holding my breath. We had some lovely, lovely SPRING weather last week. We must now pay for it with rain and wind. Later in the month I'm going with the third graders to see The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe play at a local high school. That will be fun, too, and it won't matter so much if it rains.

I seem to have recovered pretty well from surgery, now, and I'm feeling very energetic and spry. I think my brain is so darned pleased that there isn't any pain, or whatever, it is overcompensating. It is lovely to feel genuinely (mostly) mended. Prayers and crossed fingers that this will be a new trend.

Well, off to get those heels going and enjoy a 'nice day to be inside.'

I think it might be Spring

2009-04-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!

I'm a little afraid to say it out loud, but really, it might be Spring. Finally. I've got some tulips (not planted!) and I've had some narcissus blooming as well. If I'd bothered to weed the front garden, I'd have pictures to prove it. I haven't weeded anything, though, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I suppose one proof of Spring might be that I finished that sweater for Himself - now that he can no longer comfortably wear it. lol

I've been crazy busy. Not really news, huh? There was the big rush at the end of Lent leading up to Pascha, though, coupled with the recovery from the hernia surgery. That made things extra fun all around. I had thought that I was having surgery early enough to be recovered well enough to sing in the choir for the big services right at the end (Passion Gospels, Lamentations, Holy Saturday and then Pascha and then Bright Monday). Our beloved Bishop Joseph was here for a few of them, and all of these services are long, and intense. Well, I was well aware that proper breathing and support involves lots of abdominals, but I didn't really think I'd need all of them. heh. Of course, I also didn't know I'd have a six-inch incision either, so there you go. Still, I made it with the help of a comfy bar stool to perch upon when I got too tired. I did resort to using some pain meds to get through the services. Good thing I didn't need them all earier on.

I absolutely collapsed on Tuesday, however, and didn't really feel recovered until last Thursday. (Pascha/Easter was April 19 for us.)

During the mad rush to Pascha I was also on a sewing deadline. I volunteered to make a cape for a gift. A friend of mine has a teenage dd that is about as warm and fuzzy to most people as a hybrid skunk/porcupine. The young lady is smart and lovely, but is quite a challenge for reasons I can only guess at. Anyway, her parents always give the children a nice gift for Pascha, and they wanted to give her a cape. Now, this whole thing was dodgy. She might not like it, it might not be the right color (she wanted all black) and it might not fit. Since it was a gift, a surprise gift, we couldn't measure her. Got it? Full-length cape, no measuring. Easy-Peasy, right?

So, here it is.

Yep, we dared to line it with a lovely deep periwinkle sort of blue. It looks smashing on her, she has that peaches & cream skin with nearly black eyes and hair. Her mom reported that the lass was stunned speachless, spent a long time just hugging the cape, and she wore it proudly Pascha morning. This week the normally silent and brooding girl was positively gushing with thanks and appreciation for the work I did on the cape. I feel very blessed that the gift was so well-received and appreciated. Glory to God, I hope it is a blessing in improving relations in her family, which was my prayer while sewing.

Well, and that the blasted hem would be even. I ripped the full hem out three times. I am so getting a dress form with my tax refund... Envision, if you will, me modeling a cape intended for a near-anorexic young lady (opposite of me) asking my 6 year old if the hem looked even in the back. Man. What an adventure!

It was an easy pattern, but still.

More fun, the knitting I finished.
This is the #2 fish hat made for DD2. Again, it must be Spring because I finished the hat and she no longer needs it. lol Oh well, she'll have it next year, right? She picked the colors, all Cascade 220 Wool, but I added in the blue, it just needed a more "middle" color. (I have no official color theory training, so I have no idea what that "middle" really is. Tone?) Anyway, so two shades of pink, a very dark purple, blue and yellow. This is another live fish, so buttons on the eyes.

I had several kids come up and admire the hat, hinting strongly that they'd love to have one. I made polite noises, but I'm not really interested in starting a fish hat business. Although, I'm concerned that I might have opened myself up to a cape making business, so why not add the fishy hats too? Kidding!

Actually, the cape was such a huge push to get done on time that it sort of kicked me into a crazy Finish Everything phase. I'm enjoying the motivation, goodness knows I haven't been very good at that lately. I'm trying not to worry about then the energy will dry up. I'm also trying to avoid starting anything new right now. So far, so good. Well, except for books. I've been starting, and finishing!, books. They are all from the library, though, so that's okay. I've already paid for them (taxes).

Now I'm working on my Bellatrix socks that I started last year at Pascha. Isn't that nice and tidy? I've more than tripled the amount of leg knit up (not too hard, really), and I'm finding it a very easy pattern. This year. Last year, not so much.

I'm knitting this up, in case you don't remember all the way back to last year (lol), in Scout's Swag Death Eaters colorway. I've got two more repeats of the leg pattern and then I'm ready for the heel flap. I'm trying to talk myself down from extra leg repeats & so forth, but who knows what craziness I'll get up to.

Ah well, phone's ringing and I'd better just save this and get going with my other chores.

Fuzzy Spring

2009-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, that was quite a break!

March was insane, as you might have guessed. My eldest DD turned 9, so we had a family celebration and a party shared with her birthday buddy (a boy she's grown up with). The kids invite most of the same people to their parties, so we just have one big party together. This year, glow-in-the-dark bowling. There were about 20 kids and a bunch of grown-ups. It was a smashing success.

There was drama on an online knitting forum, and I was caught in the edges of it, but it was very frustrating and I spent a great deal of time trying to contain the drama/damage in my own little corner of the world. That sort of thing is draining, however, and I just didn't have any energy left over for blogging. I also didn't want to drag the drama into this space, but I'm certain I would not have been able to resist. So, the break was good for that reason as well.

March was also doctor month for me. I've been having some pain/discomfort that turned out to be a hernia. So, I scheduled surgery for that on April 2, last Thursday. It went well, but the doctor found a second hernia that he didn't know about. Therefore, he said I'd be extra sore. Yay me!

It hasn't been too bad, pain-wise. I've had worse, but there's something about incisions in one's abdomen that are just uncomfortable to think about, even if they aren't hurting. I'm still moving slowly, but I got overconfident yesterday and stayed off the pain meds, thinking I was "done" with them. By the end of the day I found that I was not done with them, and today I'm feeling a bit less good than yesterday. Serves me right for being so cocky. Still, all is well and I am on the mend.

All this down time means I've had some knitting time. Yes, even though I'm on some great meds, I've been a knitting fool! And now I give you, the completed Jack's Aran Sweater from Men In Knits.

Here's another view, it is tough to get the cables to show very clearly.

The cables match on the front and back of the sweater, and by the end of the front I had almost memorized the 8 row cable pattern. The sleeves had a simple 4-row cable pattern on each, which was so easy it was scary. I knit both sleeves and the neck on meds, but after repeated inspections, they still look good and correct. lol

Himself tried it on, and it fits exactly as he wanted. He commented that no one would believe I knit it, it looks so good. I get what he means and I appreciate the thought/compliment. I hope I still think it looks that good when I'm off the meds. chuckle

I'm now trying to decide how to spend my recuperative time. I'm gearing up for a new sock club (Vampire Sock Club from Fresh From The Cauldron) that starts in May, so I'm trying to finish stuff on the needles if I can. I've still got the second fish hat, which is probably how I'll spend my time, and a few hibernating projects as well. I hope I don't go completely loopy and pick up the shawl while on the meds. I'm pretty sure that would be a fantastically horrible idea. shudder

We'll see. Since I'm not at all sure this is the least bit coherent, I think I'll call it a post. I can't wait to re-read it after I'm off the meds and see how I did. lol

Wow! This is interesting

2009-03-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

These things are usually off, but I feel like this description is reasonably close to me. If only I looked this good! lol

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Grace!

You are a Grace -- "I need to understand the world."

Graces have a need for knowledge and are introverted, curious, analytical, and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

* Be independent, not clingy

* Speak in a straightforward and brief manner

* I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts

* Remember that If I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable

* Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity

* If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place

* don't come on like a bulldozer

* Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy

What I Like About Being a Grace
* standing back and viewing life objectively
* coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects
* my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure
* not being caught up in material possessions and status
* being calm in a crisis

What's Hard About Being a Grace

* being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world

* feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all

* being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be

* watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence or technical skill, do better professionally

Graces as Children Often

* spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on

* have a few special friends rather than many

* are very bright and curious and do well in school

* have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers

* watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information

* assume a poker face in order not to look afraid

* are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict

* feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected

Graces as Parents

* are often kind, perceptive, and devoted

* are sometimes authoritarian and demanding

* may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate

* may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Knitting and Fable

2009-02-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

No, there isn't a fable in today's post. One about the follies of a young girl and a fish. No. If I were exceptionally clever and whatnot, perhaps I would have prepared such a thing, but it really only just occured to me. I'd rather just get a new post up, if that's okay with you, dear reader.

Maybe I'll try to get the eldest child, pictured here with the fish hat eating her head, to write a story about The Girl and the Fish. If it works, I'll post the story.

As you can see, hat #1 is finished! I think it is just almost too small for her head, but she is happy with it. The pattern is apparently written for children, so if you want to make it for an adult (ahem), add extra stitches. This is knit up with various shades of Cascade 220 in random order, but with an intent to focus on the red. Her favorite color. She took it to school last week (finished Thursday night) to show her classmates. It was a hit with everyone except the teacher. She is strangely silent whenever my daughter has brought something to share with the class. I don't know if she is always neutral with all the kids or what, but I think it really bugs my daughter to get zero reaction from the teacher. I mean, DD knows the hat is silly, that is sort of the point of having and wearing the thing. It isn't like I forced it on her. OTOH, the girls thought it was cute (I think), and the boys told her it looked like a fish sucking her brains out. For some reason, that made her happy.

The next hat has been cast on, with pink as the focus, for DD2. I haven't really gotten that far, but it is on the needles, so will get attention in the early evenings, I imagine. I'd like to get it finished before it stops being cold. Not a huge issue up here in the Pacific Northwest, I guess, but it is February and Spring is just around the corner. Not that you'll be able to tell by the "change" in our weather. lol The hat is a super fast knit if you work on it regularly and don't ignore it for days on end. The color changes are a bit fiddly, for me, but it is good to try new things, no? The 2nd hat will be pinks, yellow and purple. I think. DD2 picked out the colors.

What else? Well, I've been working on a heel flap for the Princess Toadstool socks for the Bleeping Sock Games KAL. I haven't done well with this KAL. I've been far busier than I expected, and to be totally honest, the patterns haven't been as inspiring as they were for the Scarefest Sock KAL. Guess my heart belongs to horror... eeeewwwww! lol I hesitate to say the patterns haven't been good, they just aren't rocking my world. I think the concept was great, but perhaps we needed more time for some solid patterns to come forth. I will say that the pattern for the Viva Pinata socks is pretty spot on. (That's a Ravelry link there, I couldn't find one off-Rav.) Lots of color work, though, and I don't have any colors in my stash that would do them justice (think BRIGHT pinata).

I'm thinking about a vampire sock yarn club thing starting up in May, though. Sign-ups are next month and all I really need to decide is how many shipments I want to sign up for. sigh Patterns will be included, so, more socks in my future if I will do them. Or, shawls, I guess. The fingering weight yarn would certainly be nice in a shawl. This yarn club is hosted by Fresh from the Cauldron, who has some really lovely colorways. And a delightfully gruesome imagination at times. There's a forum with this name (Fresh... Cauldron) on Ravelry if your interested, signups start March 1.

I've also been working a good bit on the Pi shawl. You remember that one, right? Frogged at every turn, ripping back dozens of rows due to knitter error, etc. sigh Man, this has been a crazy knit. I might have been better off to have ditched it in the laceweight and switched to a heavier yarn, but I shall persevere! I have almost, almost caugth up to where I was when I last ripped back about 20 rows. It is going very smoothly, funny how that works when you are actually following the directions correctly, and it has been (dare I say it?) a soothing knit of late. Still, miles to go before it is done, but I am once again making progress of a few rows a day. Slow and steady, and all that.

The sweater is going well and is still a swim class knit (swim for the girls, I'm there over an hour watching them). I haven't picked it up in a week, but we didn't swim last week. The pool was closed Tuesday, which is good because I was sick all week.

The girls gave me some crud, a sinusy sort of thing, not the stomach bug that's been going around. Fine with me, that's the way I'd prefer it if I got to choose. I was chilled as if feverish, but I never found myself actually having a fever. Perhaps my thermometer is flawed. Anyway, I was not only ill, but got rather down in the dumps as well. So, I sat around and played Fable II (Xbox 360) all week once they were all out of the house.

Himself brought it home a couple of weeks ago, and commenced to play. I turned my eye the other way. He allowed the kids to start a game (monitored by us, and they do have a limit on how far they can go in the game. It is rated M, but the early bits aren't bad & the kids are happy with what they are allowed to do.) I continued to remail aloof. I got sick, all bets were off and I vented my misery all week by killing trools, balverines, Hobbes, and bandits, etc. I had to force myself to do other things too. If I put in laundry, I could play for a while. I did a lot of laundry. When I finished the main quest, I was a bit surprised to find that even in games I can't seem to keep color in my hair. heh. By the end of the main quest, I had bulked up, gone completely white-haired, had glowing lines all over (magic use) and had a halo, for goodness sakes!, because I'm so darned pure of heart.

If only real life were so easy. Now I can continue to play and go on other quests, own business (I already own 5 or 6), etc. Or not. We'll see how it goes. It was nice to have the game around to keep me busy. Knitting was not appealing most of the week, in part because of the game, and I just couldn't seem to settle. Still, last week was a good reminder of why I should avoid RPG type video games. I was pretty obsessed, played every chance I got and nearly dreamed the game.

Mini review of game: It rocks! There are definitely reasons younger folks shouldn't play, the violence isn't bad, though you do kill lots of people/things, no real blood, etc., but you can have sex, marry, have kids, etc. I haven't, but that does ramp up the adult theme a bit. My 8 yo doesn't need to find condoms as treasure (I only found 1 or 2) or deal with the prostitutes offering to "entertain" them. That comes a good bit later in the game, though, so that's why they can only play so far, then they have to stop. It would have been nice to have some sort of option for more conversational speech with other characters at times, but it was still a fascinating and rather rich universe.

I kicked some serious butt, though. grin

I'm feeling much more myself today, still a bit stuffy, but not bad at all. Now it is back to the regular routine. I hope. Now that the major baddies are gone, the lure of the game is somewhat lessened. I really do have stuff to do now.

Healthy updates

2009-02-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

Well, the labs are back for Himself, and all is clear! We are so very, very grateful! The plan is for him to have check-ups every three months for some unknown period of time. I have no idea what they will do at these appointments (needle biopsies?), nor do I know how long he will be on the 3-month plan. I also do not know if I do not know because the doctor doesn't know, or because Himself can't be bothered to ask proper questions. I have my suspicions, but I just don't know.

Heh.

That is a big weight off of us, and the little screaming person in my brain can now sit down and shut up. There is a visit to the dermatologist coming up to check for any additional "areas of concern". Again, I just don't know. Might as well ask the 6 year old...

I have spent the week assisting in science lab for the eldest DD. They've been doing 'investigations' on 5 Unknowns. I was helping with the heat testing. Apparently, I'm competent enough to play with fire at school. All the third grade classes had a rotation through our classroom to participate in the heat tests on the 5 Unknowns. It was fun, but a bit draining. How on earth a bunch of 3rd graders can decide that melting sugar smells like chicken or broccoli, well, I just don't want to know. I found that once they set their minds on a thing, they could not be turned short of me giving them the answer (which I'm not allowed to do). Also, giving detailed instructions to groups of five 3rd graders over and over again is like, well, herding 5 different cats, over and over again.

Teachers Rule! I sure couldn't do it!

It was fun, but I feel like I've been living at the school all week. In my spare moments, I popped into the library and did some shelving. My head hurts at the disorder and I'm dying to just start shelf-reading to get everything tidy. My saner self, the one that doesn't like to be in pain, says just let it go because it wouldn't last 2 minutes. I'm really trying to go with the saner self this time.

Here's the progress I'm making on the Fish Hat. There are short rows for shaping at the mouth, but then it is just stockinette & some decreases for a while. This is the perfect mindless knitting for the end of the day. However, I'm not crazy about the red at the beginning. I was going for a very red fish, because red is DD1's favorite color. Right now, it looks too heavy all together like that. I'm hoping I can balance the look at the end and with the fins. We'll see how I do. I don't guess I've ever done a striped project before that wasn't self-striping yarn. Live and learn, I guess. Besides, she won't care at all. I guess I could have fixed it, but I really didn't want to turn something so simple into a big ripping event.

Also new, I have learned to make my own stitch markers. Not necessarily well, but there you go. A friend from church showed me how to do it, she makes lovely, lovely jewelry. She isn't a knitter, but I showed her an example of one, and she very generously gave of her time to teach me. I now have to try to contain myself and not make 500 of them. Well, I guess if I made 500 I could sell them, but you know what I mean. I don't need any new collectable hobbies. I need to stick to knitting and spinning. Right? Right. Beads will suck out my soul and take time from my knitting.

Anyway, here's my first set. It is all mine, though I originally intended to gift it to a January birthday buddy of mine. I decided not gift it because I'm not sure the ends are smooth enough to avoid snagging the yarn. I thought I'd give them a test use and see how they work out. She wants to learn to cable this year, so maybe she can use them. OTOH, she isn't super-savvy and might not notice they were snagging (if they snag), so I'd rather practice a little more. You know, for her sake. So, I'll practice the technique and then make her a set or two.

Bragging moment

2009-01-30T11:52:00.001-08:00

The eldest DD debuted in her first singing solo at her school assembly.

I'm so very proud of my little pumpkin! I would never have had the gumption to do such a thing at her age. She performed beautifully and looked like she was really enjoying herself. She sang solo and then again in a duet with her friend (in green).

Over the Christmas break, she told me there was a part to practice, but we only worked on the words a little. Though I asked about it, she didn't tell me it was a singing part and that she had to audition. I was floored when she told me that she had auditioned and won the solo. She's been practicing at home for the past several weeks. She's been able to practice with all of Himself's music gear, so she was comfortable using the microphone.

She's not shy, but she also isn't an attention hound (unlike, say, the youngest DD). Last year she had the lead part in a play, and had a blast in that role as well. Looks like maybe I should enroll her in a children's theatre or something.

In a feeble attempt at fiber news I'll add that I cashed in my b-day gift card for a fine fleece and custom knits. (non-cataloger librarian musings - do you capitalize the words in the title if they are not capitalized on the book? My gut says "no", but it isn't really my specialty.) The books are lovely, and I look forward to ~~drooling on them~~ reading them slowly.

Also, I have moved a few rows into the cable pattern on the front of the aran sweater. If I can just keep up the momentum on this thing, I might finish it in time for Himself to wear it once or twice. Or not.

Now, I'm off for a small bit of reading (maybe) before heading off for the second performance. They run assemblies twice at the school, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This is sort of nice since the morning and afternoon kindergarten kids will all get to see the program.

Stitches, stitches and more stitches!

2009-01-29T13:35:00.001-08:00

I'll only post pics of the sort you want to see. I promise!

Stitches #1 -

Last week on Tuesday, we woke to a very, very frosty morning. Lots of fog and frost, actually. While we were waiting for the school bus, DD#2 decided to walk on a wooden plank that had been placed for riding bikes up and over a (very frozen) pile of dirt. I warned her that it was slippery. I asked her not to do it. I repeated myself many times. Did she listen? Did she stop?

Not so much. She had her hands stuffed in her pockets, so when she fell, she went face first. On the board. With nothing to break her fall. I was pretty sure she'd smashed her nose and mouth, but when I checked her mouth, there was no blood. But then, seconds later as the bus rounded the corner, I noticed blood under her chin. My reptile brain told me that a chin wound would almost certainly require stitches, so I didn't bother to look further. I, rather off-handedly, shooed the elder child onto the bus and guided the still stunned younger back to the house.

Himself is not very good with medical emergencies. By "not very good" I do mean completly bloody useless 9 times out of 10. (Mind you, when I broke my leg and was in shock, *I* was the one telling him what to do and where to drive.) So when I asked him to take care of her while I got ready to go to the hospital, he turned around in circles for a bit shouting "what do I do?" He eventually heard the bit about a wet washcloth for her chin. I gathered her things for school, including a fresh shirt, some knitting (hey, the bag was already there & ready to go) and stuffed the now crying and very upset child into the van. I also noticed that Himself had given her a very *hot* washcloth for her chin. *sigh*

We spent a lovely 3.5 hours in the ER, she got 6 stitches, but was very, very brave. I didn't do any knitting, though, as there was nothing to occupy her if I was counting stitches. Just for fun, she was in the same bed I had when I brok my leg. Yeah, she was interested in that bit of news for about 10 seconds. She wanted to go to school, and it was the day she was *supposed* to test for the Highly Capable program. She missed the tests, but they were to be rescheduled. I don't really know if that happened or not, and I sort-of don't care right now. She got 3 stitches out on Monday (this week) and the rest will come out on Friday.

Stitches #2 -

So here is my progress on the Jack's Aran Sweater from Men in Knits. This is the sweater on the cover and I'm doing this for Himself. I started this over the Summer, but I just couldn't seem to get anywhere. I'm using Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends in Wheat, the photo seems a bit on the red/orange side, oh well.

I knit the first 4 inches of cable and ripped it out due to issues with the photocopy of the cable pattern. I would like to blame my copier, but I can't be certain where the blame falls. I *should* have double checked to be sure all of the details copied properly, but I didn't. So, after fiddling with that bit I set it aside after I got 4-6 inches of the correct cable pattern done. The yarn also sheds like crazy and that was annoying me, too. Anyway, I picked it up again around Christmas time, when we were all snowed in, and decided the gauge was off, so I ripped *all* the cables out, switched to a smaller needle and went again. After about 4 inches of cable I re-measured and realized - are you ready for this? - I had used the gauge information *for the wrong pattern* and it - deep breath - was correct the first time.

Nice, huh? So I ripped the 4 inches of cable out *again* and started over with the needle I used the first time around. See? This is where being trapped with your family in your house *could* prove to be a bit challenging (for them). I think I managed it well, I just kept working away like it was all part of my big plan until I got 4 inches of correct gauge, correct pattern cable done. The next day, I started up again and made quite a bit of progress (I think by now I'd mastered the cable pattern, so it was going *much* faster) - until I dropped some stitches. On a cable row.

I picked them up as best I could, and kept going. After about 2 more inches, though, I could see that it was not anything close to correct. It was *very* obvious. So I had to *rip back* to a non-cable row beyond the one that was messed up. I counted, I held my breath, I put in a life line, I took a quick breath and held it again, then I ripped. And ripped. And ripped. *sigh* Close to 4 inches (yes, again) to get to a place I felt comfortable was a non-pattern row. Then, keeping my mental fingers crossed for luck, I put all the stitches back on and started knitting again.

Blessing from above must have beamed down upon me because it looks like I got it fixed. I finished the back off on Tuesday (this week) as Himself was having a minor surgery. I may have knit a bit too far after binding off the middle, but that is easily ripped. I had a hard time measuring accurately at the medical clinic. I figured it was fine to go a bit over and rip back later. I'm currently about 3 rows away from starting the cables on the front section (which will pretty much mirror the back, except at the neckline). The sleeves are attached and then knit down, so I won't really be able to knit them both together, which is what I had hoped to do. Both sleeves have a *simple* cable down them, so no cheating in how they're constructed. Unless I decide to skip the cable, but I probably won't.

This thing goes pretty fast. When you're not constantly ripping it back, that is.

Stitches #3 -

Himself had a mole removed at the end of Thanksgiving and the tests came back showing that it was a melanoma. I've been in a terrible mental panic, but he is cool as a cucumber. The earliest we could follow up on it was the first week of January, then the surgery was scheduled for this week (Tuesday). The surgery was to take an additional 1 cm of skin all around the area, checking for signs of any remaining tumor, and then to test that skin sample for any cancer not visible. The doctor said that the area looked great and he didn't see anything, but of course we have to wait on the labs. Those will be back next week.

I feel better, though, after talking to the surgeon. Or maybe the knitting soothed me, I don't know, but I'm much more calm now. There will also be a visit to a dermatologist, I assume to check for any additional areas in need of testing. It makes me wonder if I should go get checked too, I did spend a number of (fruitless) years pursuing a tan, way back when. I'll get Himself sorted out first, though.

This surgery left my man with 18 big stitches, right between his shoulder blades. It is an awkward spot, to say the least. Every movement with his arms pulls it a bit. He is restricted from lifting anything over 5 pounds for the next week, but that is it. He's already back at his trombone playing, though, so it can't bother him too much.

He was a terrible grump leading up to the surgery. I wanted to ask the nurses if they could give him some "happy juice" just so I wouldn't mind being there, but I didn't. He was much nicer after the surgery. *Heh.* Everything was delayed, as so often happens, so pretty much my whole day was spent there. At least I had knitting to keep me company.

Stitches #4-

Lastly, I cast on something new. The Fish Hat, from Knitty. I'll probably end up doing two of these (at least). See, I'm dying to cast on a new sweater, but I'm trying really hard to avoid doing that until this sweater is done! So, in a fit of start-itis, I jumped on this hat when my eldest said "Oooo! I want one of those!"

Here you can see the lips/mouth are done, and I'm getting started on the body. This is knit in some Cascade 220 in red, a very deep blue-ish purple (violet?), a heathered grey and an off -white. This is a lovely, mindless knit for later at night when my brain has shut down.

It isn't terribly portable, what with the multiple balls of yarn to fiddle with, but it is fun. We'll see if the younger wants one too, but I imagine so. Hers will, of course, be pink.

I'm hoping the hats are done at about the same time as the sweater. Then I can cast on a new sweater without guilt. Maybe. I really need to knit the yougest a sweater of her own, and the eldest has outgrown hers and... I'm sure I'll be ready for smaller projects before the sweaters are done. Right now, I'm cold and knitting sweaters makes me think warm thoughts.

Friday, Floody Friday

2009-01-09T09:43:00.001-08:00

So, here's the view coming into my housing area. This isn't where I live, I'm at 350 ft elevation, this is down in the beautiful valley below. Normally, this view includes the Snohomish river, a railroad line, a river road (which we normally take to go to Snohomish - the city), and many fields belonging to various farmer-folk.

As you can see, those farm-folk (and other rural non-farming neighbors) are feeling a bit damp these days. All of that blessed snow we got last month is melting in the warmer and very rainy weather we've been having. I'm sorry for all the power lines in the photos, but the top of the ridge (and road) is the path for power lines, and there just isn't another accessible spot for photos (or, apparently, power lines).

This photo appears to show a house bordering the river with a bluff on the far side. Actually that isn't the side with the river, though there might be a tributary over there in regular times. All that area is normally fields and pastures for tons of cattle & crops. (It all sort of depends on which farm I got here.)

This shot has a long dark line on the bottom-side of halfway (does that even make sense?) That line is the train track, I have no idea if they are running right now, but I wouldn't think so. The bottom of the picture is fields (below the rails), the bit above the rails is where the river *should* be, and a thin strip of houses & farms, then more water.

Somewhere in this stretch of houses is the farm where we go for pumpkins every year. They have a barn that is marked with lines showing the heights of flood waters over the years. I'm wondering if this year will be a record year for them. I've never understood why these folks take the risk, but I am grateful for fruits of their labor and risk.

I felt a bit like a ghoul taking all these photos of someone elses' disaster, but it is an amazing thing to see. I hope they all survive the flood financially, I'm certain they are all physically safe, though I do worry about the livestock. I have no idea how they manage them in flood situations. This isn't the first flood I've seen in the past 8 years in this house, but I do think it might be the worst.

On a craftier note, in an effort to lighten the mood, I spent Wednesday and Thursday helping out in the girls' classes, as usual. I've also continued to run errands every single day, to try to get everything all caught up. I still have Christmas pressies to mail out. I was unable to mail these before Christmas because I had ordered them for pick up at the store, which I couldn't get to because of the snow. So, now they're sitting in my living room demanding attention. I'm being quite rude by continuing to ignore them. I just can't stand the thought of dragging out more wrapping paper. How pathetic is that?!

I managed a few hours of sewing time yesterday, which was nice. But I've got a badly written pattern (are there well-written ones anymore?) and found I'd made a pretty big error. I think I've got a fix for it, so I won't have to re-cut and re-sew that part of the shirt (for my oldest). Sigh. Anyway, today is the first day I'm not going anywhere (other than going out to take the pictures. And get a Twix Mocha. Yum!). I'm having the worst time deciding if I should do more sewing, dedicate some serious time to the socks I'm working on (did I mention the new sock KAL?), or do some spinning. Decisions, decisions. There's always laundry. heh. I've just been on the run all week, I'd like a break today, but I feel like I'm running in circles.

The shirt is a surprise for DD1, so I don't like to work on it when she's home, but then I never get any time to just sit and knit like crazy on the socks. I need that time. But I'd like to do some spinning, too. I'm sure I'll decide what to do about 5 minutes before the kids get home. LOL

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right?

I finally managed to find some time for knitting again. Frustrated that my first attempts at Evangeline resulted in mitts that were too small for adults & the yarn was too itchy for my sensitive-skinned eldest, I had to try again.

I succeeded with the next pair of Evangelines, these knit up in Cascade 220 in a red/black colorway. I dropped down to US size 6 needles and knit both at the same time on two circs. Sadly, I could only find one set of my Options needles in this size, though I know I have two sets. I used one set of Options and one bamboo. I finished these on the eve of the 31st (I know how to spend my New Year's Eve!) and immediately cast on for another pair for the youngest. These were finished on Jan 4th and are also in Cascade 220, in a pink/purple/yellow/blue colorway.

I have confirmed that I knit too tightly when cabling. The bamboo needles were very difficult to use, the yarn was awfully "sticky" compared to the metal Options. Odd that it bothered me so, I almost always prefer wooden needles, but I decided it was just that my stitches were so darned tight. Some of the cables (particular rows in the pattern) were much harder to do than the others because of my strangle-hold on the stitches. The pattern is lovely, though, all difficulties are of my own making. I'd like to make some more fingerless gloves, but I think I'll take a little break first.

School started up again on the 5th, though it was a late start due to more snow (4 inches), and both girls were happy to have their new mitts to help fight off the cold. Obviously, they are fashion items far more than warmers, but they do help. The weather has warmed up enough that there isn't any freezing day or night, but that little bit of snow made me more than a little unhappy. I needed to get out to run errands, but had to wait to get the girls to school first. (They really slow me down!) As a result, I was hardly at home all day yesterday. When I did get home, I spent three hours in the kitchen making enchiladas for our dinner and for our the Theophany feast at our church today.

I've never made enchiladas for a large group, and never a day in advance, so I was a bit concerned about how they would turn out. I think they were a little dry, but not too bad. Next time I'll add additional sauce to them if I have to keep them overnight. They were still yummy and gone very quickly.

It was a cold and blustery day for Theophany. We usually have a Divine Liturgy followed by a Blessing of the Waters at a local stream. After the third blessing, a cross is thrown into the water and a hardy young lad rushes into the (very cold) water to retrieve it and then he receives an extra blessing. It was fun, if cold & rainy, and then we feasted. I was much more interested in the Key Lime Pie and cheesecake than the enchiladas, but it was all tasty! I think I'm storing up as Lent is just around the corner (it is early this year).

Now I'm off to feed the kidlets and get to work on some socks. I joined the Bleeping Sock Games KAL (Ravelry) and I'm working on the first sock pattern. On tiny needles (US 0). sigh You know, because the sweater and the shawl aren't enough knitting for me. sheesh! This KAL's theme is video games.

I seem to be suffering from a severe case of Startitis, but I must stick to the socks or else they will never get done. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I can stay home (no more errands!) and get something done. Plus, tomorrow is my b-day and I've asked for Bar-B-Q for my dinner, so, no cooking.

swoon I'm fairly certain I could eat my weight in BBQ ribs.

I'm Free!

2008-12-29T20:03:00.001-08:00

Woo-Hoo! Saturday evening I shoveled more snow from the drive and we were able to get out of, and more importantly perhaps, back in the driveway. So, we made it to vespers Saturday for the first time in 2 weeks I think. Wow.

It was so wonderful to see people I don't live with! I mean, I love my family, but it was nice to have a few new faces, you know?

Anyway, the melt is really on now, and we have been out quite a bit. I think Himself is a bit concerned about my state of mind, so he's humoring me. I'd be out even more, but my van suffered a bit in the cold. The driver-side window motor is toast, or very, very ill. The window is stuck mostly down. I can lower it all the way, but I can't get it up more than halfway. Which, well, with the weather is sub-optimal. The van is off for repairs on Tuesday. I had to put it off until I could actually drive there.

I couldn't work up the motivation for the sweater last night, so I caved on the knitting. I cast on for a new pair of the Evangelines. I still haven't washed the first pair to see if that softens them up, but I started a new pair in some Cascade 220 in a varigated red/black. We'll see if they work any better. I did go down a needle size, to a US 6, to try to make a good fit for DD1, so we'll see if that was a good idea or not.

I made a bit of progress on those today as I watched Hogfather. I bought it for me, but I'm the only one in the house that hasn't seen it yet. sigh The family watched "with me" while I was cleaning something-or-other up one day, and as a result I only saw snippits of the first half. I have a few quibbles with it, but it is still a very enjoyable movie. Himself and friends are practicing music for a New Year's Eve gig, so I'm upstairs with all the small humans (my two plus one). That has cut into the knitting a bit, but I'm about to go find a quiet corner and try again.

All in all, calm is slowly returning to me. I can get out if I want to, and my family is all still at home. Am I nuts or what? The only difference between today and last Friday is whether or not I can drive away if I want to. Now that I can, I don't really want to, but I'm happier at home. No wonder my husband can't figure me out!

Um, where's the melting they keep talking about?

2008-12-26T15:54:00.001-08:00

The weather forecast was for warmer temperatures and rain. In fact, we're supposed to be under a flood watch. (The lower elevations will have a rapid melt of a ton of snow, rivers will rise, flat lands will flood. You know, a whole different type of disaster.) Anyway, instead, we had about 2 and a half hours of heavy, giant snowflakes. It looked like a very heavy fog outside, but it was snow. So instead of a melt, which would allow me to leave my home and, say, get groceries, I'm home wondering what can to open for dinner again.

OTOH, I'm happy I still have food in the cupboard, but I'd really like to add a few new non-canned/boxed things. I don't think anyone expected this much snow. Really, 13 days? In an area where they don't plow my street so I can get out? No, 1-2 days is good for me.

We had a lovely Christmas (and yes, it was snowing) and the girls were very happy with their haul of gifts (a few books, some chemistry/science kits, two video games and two movies and warm, fluffy pajamas). I'm glad they like them so much, because that is what they're spending their time doing now. Other than an occasional crawl on the neighbor's igloo, they aren't much interested in going out anymore. The thrill of snow not only wears off, but most of the other neighborhood kids seem to be gone. (The igloo is there near the big bush, but may be too hard to see. It is covered over with more snow now.)

Because of the snow, we missed all of the Vespers services leading up to Christmas at our church. We also missed the Christmas Eve service and Christmas Day as well. That was a big bummer for us, and has never, ever happened before. I hope we can make it to church this weekend! We weren't the only ones not there, though, as a few friends who did make it said the church was really very empty. I guess more of us need chains or snow tires, even if we only need them once every 4-5 years. heh

We were able to get out Christmas Day to have dinner with friends from church. They had snow tires and came and picked us up. We spent the day with other friends and a new one (a co-worker of our hosts). The discussions were varied and quite interesting. The newcomer recently immigrated from India, another guest was from Lebanon, so lots of cultural exchange. lol I brought my knitting, but didn't manage a single stitch. That's okay. I sampled some Lebanese liqueur and some Turkish (style) coffee. Then didn't sleep much, so maybe I should have skipped the coffee. grin

I tidied up my yarn corner a bit today and now can't decide what project to work on. I'd like to cast on something new, but I should just stick with the sweater. I'm making decent progress, in spite of myself, and I'd like to keep going while I can. Other yarn is soooo tempting, though. sigh Especially now that I've been petting it. Oh why didn't I just leave it a bit of a mess?

Well, I'm going to go sit by the fire, watch more snow fall and try to decide what project to work on. Or start ...

Temptation thy name is yarn! Or, it is today.

Snowed in

2008-12-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

Okay. We had about 8 days of straight snow. Sure, there were breaks, and sometimes the snow was tiny, tiny little balls of snow-like stuff, but it was 8 days of snow.

I'm from West Texas. We get virtually no snow. Well, at least no snow that lasts more than about 6-12 hours before fading away. I have memories of my mom waking me up at 1am to go get in the car, drive out to one of our main thoroughfares and doing donuts down the 7 lane roads. In our pajamas. There were no cars to hit, 7 lanes to play in, and the snow was gone by noon the next day. Snowball fights at 2 am in pajamas and coats. Snow ice cream for breakfast.

You get the idea. Snow was rare.

I grew up with impossibly flat land, dirt, trees that only seemed happy in our 2 weeks of Spring, sand, tumbleweeds, dirt, wind, sand, blazing heat, dirt, thunderstorms with very little rain, or possibly thunderstorms with grapefruit-sized hail, dirt, big open skies, sand. Did I mention the dirt? Or the sand? There was beauty there, but it wasn't usually green. Or white.

I love the Northwest. I love the rain and the grey, overcast days. I love the hills and mountains, even the volcanoes! I love having four seasons. I still get wind, and somewhere under all the green is dirt. I do miss the thunderstorms. My poor children will no doubt grow up afraid of them, they are so rare here. I love the water, water everywhere. I can sometimes get over the fact that the geography prohibits road construction to a ridiculous degree. (My hometown of 150,000 has bigger, wider streets than Seattle.)

Every year I can count on a few rounds of snow. It is really nice. It snows and it piles up just enough to look all nice and even, then in a day or two at most (usually) it is gone. It stays just long enough to enjoy it, but not enough to be truly hampered by it.

Not this year. I guess my real point here, before I tripped down memory lane, is that 8 days of snow is too much in a town that does not do well with snow. Big hills, and this year the city decided to be green and not salt (or whatever they usually do). They decided the best thing for us all was to pack the snow/ice down so that people with 4-wheel drives could get around. Now, call me crazy, but if the environmentally friendly folks are pushing us all to get rid of big 4-wheel drive vehicles they are going to have to come up with a better plan for ice/snow. I sincerely doubt the ability of Smart cars to get around on the roads as they are right now.

But I digress again. I have a van. It works well enough for me.

This past week was the last week of school for the kids, but they only went for two half days. They've been home with me all week. Himself is home too, but on vacation. His idea of vacation, so far, is to rearrange the house. Again. I begged off the house thing, I told him I just wasn't up to it this time. We keep shifting the same three sections of stuff upstairs and down, trying to get the perfect, usable arrangement. This is the third move in a year. So, I begged off.

He was a real trooper, got it all done and even weeded out some stuff. I'm impressed with what he's accomplished, and I told him so. Lots of positive feedback for the hard-working man. Of course, that made me feel like a total slacker. So, I worked on a few odd projects myself, but nothing equaling the enormity of his efforts. Anyway, the bulk of that was done by Wednesday, so we've all spent the past six days trying to stay friendly with one another, trying to keep the TV to a minimum and keep the Christmas Spirit to a maximum, as it were. In short, the kids are bored and neither Himself nor I are able to fully enjoy anything we're trying to do without constant interruptions. My computer time is broken up frequently so that the girls can play games, etc., so no real blogging, Ravelry or anything else.

Over the past week I've spent every day vigilant against freezing hummingbird feeders. I must be one of a few, the birds are swarming my feeder every day. I put it in overnight, and some days I've had to bring it in several times to thaw out and then put it back out. I know the hummingbirds back in TX usually migrate, but we seem to have birds that do not. I have no idea what they eat up here in the Winter, but I remember seeing them last year too. (Though we did not have anything like this snow last year!)

Yesterday we shoveled 16+ inches of snow off our deck. It is on a second story, and I was concerned about it collapsing. Our deck needs to be replaced, and I'm worried about its stability anyway, that much snow was just making it even more precarious. Not to mention the giant snow slides we will have when our roof finally melts.

Today we got out for a few hours, but had trouble getting back into the driveway. So, I got out and attempted to shovel a bit of snow off so that we can make the Christmas services at church. We'll see if that helps. We'll also see if I can walk, or even move, tomorrow. So far my back feels fine. I'm suspicious of that, but I'm not complaining. grin

You'd think being snowed in would provide more knitting time. I've spent too much time clearing up email stuff and trying to feel useful. (Himself has given me such a complex this week!) Anyway,I seem to be in a weird knitting place these last couple of projects. I knit up a Jayne Hat (Firefly fans will know what I'm talking about) finally, and somehow I made it too small for my head. I tried it on. I'm fairly certain my head did not shrink for the fitting, or grow after I wove in the last bit of yarn. I have no idea how I messed that one up, but there you go. I'll be knitting a new one. Eventually. Hmm. I don't even have a picture of it. I'll get one of the girls to model my strange hat.

Next, I decided to do some fingerless mitts. I chose the pattern Evangeline and used some Paton's SWS in Natural Earth. The colors were spectacular and the pattern was fun. I decided to give them to my mom if I finished them before Christmas. Well. They fit my 8 yo, but the won't fit my mom. The colors are great. DD was thrilled to have them. For about 30 mintues. Then she declared them very, very itchy. Now they just sit there mocking me. I convinced her to put them on so that I could get a photo, but they were off again immediately.

I'll try this one again with different yarn and maybe go up a size in the needles. I may have been knitting very tightly. I was afraid they would be too big when I cast them on, so maybe I never loosened up again. Worst case, DD gets a pair in non-itchy yarn that she can wear.

After those two relative failures, I decided it was time to pick up the sweater I am making for Himself. (I'm making the sweater on the cover, Jack's Aran Sweater.) I'm not sure it was a wise decision, after the gloves and the hat, but there it is. I've done it now, and I won't look back. I have ripped. Oh, yes, I have ripped and ripped again. Who knew there could be so many frogs in the snow? I checked my gauge before I got started. I decided it was off, too large, and ripped back 2 inches of cable to the ribbing. I knit those two inches again with smaller needles and remeasured. I found that I had been reading the gauge for the wrong sweater (I think) and that my original bit was correct. So I ripped again, went back to the old needle size and started again.

No. Really. I'm not drinking heavily or engaging in any other substance abuse that I know of. I have moved past it, though, and I'm about an inch and a half from the arm adjustments. I shall read the instructions many times before commencing any decreases, etc. I have only bodged up the cables once, and ripped back about 8 rows, but picked it up again and it looks right now. I will be using lifelines again, now that I've reminded myself why they are handy little things. I will post photos of the sweater soon. I am glad I've picked it up again. If nothing comes up, I might even have it done soon enough for him to wear it this year.

I have no idea what I'll do with all of that SWS yarn I picked up on sale, though.

Hearts & Hugs

2008-12-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Here's another quick little project I've been working on. This is the Little Hearts pattern, though please don't judge the pattern on my work! I decided to make hearts of different sizes, and sometimes I didn't do a very good job deciding how many stitches to leave on the needle to Kitchener off. If I hadn't had a pretty firm deadline, I would have knit up a few new and improved ones to send. Then again, as these are meant to be symbolic hugs and warm thoughts from me, perhaps the slightly wonky ones are closer to my true self. lol

The lovely woman who organized and delivered the Pratchghan (from the Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild on Ravelry) recently lost her mom to cancer. Another wonderful Raveler decided to organize a quick response and many people from all around Ravelry are jumping in to knit heart themed items to send off. Nothing can ever replace a mom, but hopefully our hearts will help comfort and cheer her when she sees them.

Frankly, it blows me away just thinking about it. Not the fact that so many knitters who've never met face-to-face would want to give of their time and fiber and hearts (the real ones), I'm well aware just how thoughtful and giving people (and knitters) can be when someone they know is hurting. But the thought of receiving such a huge outpouring of love and caring from so many people around the world at a time when love and caring would mean so much, well, it just brings a tear (or many tears) to my eyes thinking about it. I'd really love to see her face when she opens the packages coming her way. She's in the U.K., so many folks in the US sent to one address where things will be combined into one package. Others will mail to her directly, so the love will continue to trickle in over time. I think it is such a lovely idea!

Anyway, I knit these hearts in some stashed Cascade 220 in red, pink and white on two circs, size 7 US. I got pretty darned good at the Turkish cast-on, which is harder with so few stitches, at least I think so. I also got the Kitchener down pretty good too. I should probably keep knitting these little guys so that I can keep these skills fresh, but I just don't know. I'm feeling a bit unenthusiastic about projects right now. Two weeks ago I was downright frothing at the mouth to get back to the Pi Shawl. Then the heart project turned up, so I needed to get that done asap. Now that I'm presumably free to knit what I want, I have no idea what I want to do. I dithered around for a day or so, then just picked something.

So now I'm currently working on Evangeline, some fingerless gloves. This first pair will be for my mom, and I'll probably do the short version for her. If I finish them in time to send for Christmas I will, but I'm not planning to make these a gift. I don't need the stress. I'm knitting these up in some nice earth tones for her, and I think she'll like them. I know she'll at least like the colors.

My girls want some fingerless gloves too, but I'm not sure if I can size these down properly for them. My thought was to remove some stitches (once I have a better idea of gauge) from the palm side of the glove, but I need to actually see it on a hand (in person) before I try it. My brain thinks I need to remove stitches from needle 1 and needle 2 to make the glove even. I haven't got a clue, and I really don't know if I have the patience right now to try it then rip the whole darned thing if I'm wrong. We'll see.

I think they've gotten a bit spoiled on the knitting thing. Everytime I do a project they like, they want one for themselves. I've had a request for bigger hearts in every color of the rainbow from the youngest, and she wants them all for herself. Then the oldest got a new coat, and no longer matches the hats I made last year, so she wants a new one. Well, if she gets a new one, the younger wants one too! sigh I'm really glad they like (and wear) my knitting, but sometimes it is a little too much. At least when and how they ask.

Who knows? Maybe their little, and not so little, requests will inspire me to get back to some serious daily knitting. You know, instead of playing Zoo Tycoon all day...

Catching up - Again!

2008-12-05T10:58:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally managed to get all my photos on the computer, so I can post all the socks I completed in the Scarefest.

This is the bonus sock Wasp Woman. I knit this one up while watching the timely release of the Cinematic Titanic riff on the original movie. That was loads of fun and this was a fun sock to knit. I used Opal Rainforest in Chameleon on US2 circs, both socks at once. Wow. That is so much faster than on sock at a time! I love these socks! Here they are with a pipe belonging to one of Wasp Woman's victims.

This is the second pair of socks I managed to complete, NeverMore. This pattern was inspired by Poe's Raven. Poe is one of my all-time favorites, I really think he has such a musical feel for language. Anyway, these babies are knit up in Mountain Colors Barefoot Obsidian. This was my first toe-up sock. I find them a bit challenging to get on as they are tight across the ankle/instep. I understand there're alternative ways to knit this part and make a better fit, so next time I have a toe-up, I'll try something different and hope for a better fit. I can get them on, and I have worn them. I love the colors, the pattern was wonderful and they will look so much better if I ever block them. LOL

This pattern was lace and it was an easy pattern to do, technically my first completed lace project I think. I would enjoy these socks a little more if they were longer in the leg, so if I did them again I might do more repeats of the lace. Then again, if I'd blocked them, they would be a bit longer. They have mohair in them, so they are very warm & soft. I had a few problems counting, but that was all about me and the socks and the TV, as usual, so once I stopped with the TV, it got much better.

We had a couple of mummy patterns, but I only managed to work on the second one. This pattern is All Wrapped Up and was loads of fun.

This sock is a fun one because there is one pattern for the front, and then that pattern is re-ordered for the back of the socks. This was the last pair I was able to get done, and I mean I stretched it down to the wire! I had so many other projects going by the middle of the Scarefest, it was really difficult to set aside enough time to get the socks done. The first pair only took 12 days, the last pair almost took me a month. Still, a great improvement over the 2 years I spent on my first pair of socks!

This yarn does not show up well on film, or in person until it has been knit up. It is a creamy colored yarn with bits of pale, pale pink and blue. Once I had about a half inch of knitting done, the colors really showed up. Prior to that I was just taking it on faith that the dyer put pink and blue in it. lol The yarn is Cushy Delight in Darling Mummy by the Vintage Eclectic. I have another skien of yarn from her in Bump In The Night, and I'm really looking forward to getting that one knit up too. The link to her is: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_1&listing_id=14610779

I tried to put the link in the normal way, but I'm having some issues with the browser today. (My computer didn't like the Firefox upgrade and wouldn't open the browser any more, so I imported everything into IE and I'm still having issues. *sigh*)

The other mummy patter was also lovely, and I'll be getting to that one too. I've got the yarn all wound up and ready to go.
There were some amazing patterns in this KAL and I hope to get to them all, I've got yarn set aside and everything! I've signed up for another KAL with many from the same group, Bleeping Socks Games, and the theme is video games. It is due to start at the first of the year. I'm hoping my schedule will work out, but we'll have to see. It is a fun way to push myself to try new things and get stronger on socks.

I've been asked to knit some socks for a friend at church. He's a young man with Muscular Dystrophy, and his feet are always cold. He is confined to a wheelchair, so he just can't move around and get warmed up like most other folk. I'm working with his mom to get some size information and type of sock he wants, fiber, etc. Of course, I think he wants all black socks! So the KAL was a great warm-up to get me over the fear and stress with socks.

Things continue to be crazy around here. However did I work outside the house?! I'm trying to keep everything a bit more mellow for the holidays this year, we'll see how it goes!

Finish Line in Sight

2008-11-07T12:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, here's a shot of NeverMore. I promise I finished the pair, not just one. heh. These were knit up in Mountain Colors Barefoot in Obsidian on 2.5mm Knit Picks Options needles. I started 2 on 2 circs, but had to switch to one at a time (on 2 circs) due to my inability to repeat the lace pattern correctly on both legs at the same time. I might could do it now, but not when I needed to. I could have done a couple more repeats of the pattern for a taller sock, but I'm happy with them, as is.

Not the best picture, but I was going for spooky, and I was trying to take a picture of my own foot in an artistic sort of way. That's really hard, you know? I'm just not that bendy. I should really invest in some sock blockers. The book behind my foot is actually a really lovely (in a macabre sort of way) book with poems and stories by Poe along with b&w photography of settings suited to the mood. Many are photos of statuary in cemeteries & such. Amazon doesn't have a photo of the cover, but there are other books by the same guy, so you can get a general idea if you're really interested.

I loved the pattern on these socks, and I learned lots of new stuff. They were toe-up, my first, and lace, my first completed lace, and they had a picot edge at the top, yep, another first. Obviously, there are some hole issues where I picked up the stitches at the heel, but I don't mind since it is a lace sock anyway. The only real negative is that the socks are pretty tight and hard to get on my foot, especially the one on the formerly-broken leg. (That feels like I'm talking about the artist-formerly-known-as-Prince, who's now Prince again.) I'm not sure if it is the arch part of the sock & part of the design, or if I had a death-grip on the needles through that part and just pulled everything too tight. I'm leaning towards a pattern/design issue only because I did try really hard to loosen up, especially at that part, on the second sock and it is only slightly less tight. I've heard this is sometimes an issue with toe-up patterns, though, so maybe I'll just share the blame for the problem. I know some folks in the KAL followed a different method for this part of the sock exactly for this kind of reason. Obviously, these folks are more experienced with socks. I have the New Pathways book by Cat Bordhi, so I'll look into it next time I do a toe-up sock. (If I can remember.)

The socks will go on my foot, though, eventually, and I love the yarn and the way they turned out. I'll be wearing them, and I can even see myself knitting this pattern again, though goodness knows I've got plenty of other patterns stashed all over. I'm finishing up (turning the heel) on All Wrapped Up, still in the KAL, and trying to get them done before the official end of the KAL (Nov 15). I love they way they are knitting up, and the yarn is just gorgeous. It is from the Vintage Eclectic and is Cushy Delight in Darling Mummy. This yarn is creamy in color and has very, very light color shading in pink and blue. I tell you, I spent ages looking at it in various light and I just couldn't really see the colors. About 6 rows into this pattern, however, and BAM! there they were. They are really lovely socks and the yarn is very smooshy. I have TINKed the heel three times because I am a doofus, but I'm right at the turn bit and then it is smooth sailing. All I need is some uninterrupted time. (I'm a doofus because I keep trying to work on this part while watching very interesting movies/TV and it just won't work!)

I like to think I'd be further along in the KAL, only on my third pair of socks, but I spent much of October sewing costumes for the girls. The picture was taken by Himself and does not show the detail I was most proud of for each costume, but we may stick them back in them and try again. I had a flower fairy and a vampire princess (the pattern was for a princess costume, with long drapey sleeves, we just did it in red and black). It was fun working on the costumes, but it took up all my knitting time most days.

Also for your viewing pleasure is the Scottie dog pumpkin. After all, what is Halloween without the traditional Dog Pumpkin? I kid. For some reason, the youngest wanted a dog & this is one of the patterns I found. I got lots of compliments on it. lol The other was a very well done (if I do say so myself) scary face. The dog was a favorite, though. Who knew?

I'm really not sure about this

2008-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've signed up to be a substitute ParaEducator (teacher's aide) in the local school district. I thought it would be a good way to provide yarn money and get me out and about, without taking away from the time home with the kids. Since I'm a substitute, I can work when I want, more or less, and be unavailable at other times.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Really. If I work 80 hours a month, I'll bring home about what was left of my check from my previous job after taking out gas money and daycare, etc. That isn't really my goal, but it is an interesting number to know. So, I went to orientation yesterday and today I had my first job. It lasted a whole 2 hours, as it was a lunch monitor position at a local elementary school.

Yikes! First, I didn't know what the job was, so I over-dressed a bit. I wouldn't care much, but my feet hurt from standing around on a non-comfy surface. Next time, I'll bring extra shoes, just in case. Secondly, first aid. I took a class a couple of weeks ago, so I'm now certified in first aid and CPR for infants through adults. This is a good thing, but today there were a million accidents requiring band-aids and I didn't have a stash on me. Other monitors did, so I think I may want to put together a little bag that goes with me for that sort of thing. Otherwise, the school nurse is overrun with small scratches that simply must have a bandage. Lastly, I had no idea I would become some sort of counselor. "Um, I want to be her friend, but she won't let me and she never lets me sit close to her and I just want to be friends with her..." It isn't that I'm not sympathetic, but I had a hard time finding out exactly what my duties were (not big on communication). I'm pretty sure this level of counseling was not high on my list of duties, if it appeared at all. I tried, but as often happens with the younger set, he got distracted and ran off. I hope he gets it sorted, but I imagine that since it involved a girl, he is in for a long road of confusion and, possibly, disappointment.

I also ended up with chocolate milk on my head, but well, I'll just let that one go.

I'm at the heel turn of the second NeverMore sock. I like the toe-up thing, it seems easier, somehow, than top down. I'm not crazy about how pointy this toe is, or the heel for that matter. Still, that is a function of the particular pattern, not toe-up knitting. So, I'll know to modify those things in the future. The job orientation and the short job today really ate up my knitting time, though, so I'm anxious about getting this sock done. The next pattern comes out tomorrow! Eek! (See? Scarefest!) I also spent the weekend cooking for a movie party (not mine) and taking the oldest shopping for some new jeans. So, no real knitting in about four days. Woe is me! And here I am blogging instead of knitting, but I'm trying to get a routine going, again, for all the things I want to do often.

I'll get pics up of the NeverMore socks once I finish the last one. These socks haven't gone as quickly as the Wasp Woman socks, but I've learned several new things and I've had trouble counting the lace pattern at times (sleep deprivation!). The second sock is going faster than the first, if only I hadn't been so busy the past few days!

Pardon me while I go chase the squirrels off of the bird feeder, then back to the socks!

Wow! A whole month

2008-09-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing with myself? Well, just the usual stuff I guess. The girls had to get all their gear together for school, and there was all the last minute stuff trying to fit in some more fun before school started. There's been some knitting and some sewing as well.

When asked if she's enjoying first grade, the youngest had this to say: "If you mean do I like sitting around all day in my chair doing nothing and being bored, yeah, it's okay I guess." Hmmm. Not a thrilling reply, but it is early days yet. I'm not sure if she is still adjusting to going to school for a full day, not as physically active in first grade as she was in Kinder, or if she is really bored and not challenged. I'll wait a bit before getting too concerned. I know it takes a while for everyone to settle into a routine, especially first graders, so I'll just see how she feels at the end of the month. The eldest isn't very impressed with 3rd grade either. She doesn't have any of her old friends in her new class, and they spend an hour every day on maths. She is quite unhappy, and doesn't seem satisfied with her teacher either.

It is always so hard to know if it is just the child adjusting to the new teacher and routine, or if there is a real mismatch. I don't want to be a helicopter parent, they need to learn to work things out, etc., but I had some seriously BAD teachers when I was young, and my mom did nothing to help me sort out the problems. (Seriously, I had a teacher who personally hated my mother and took it out on me in class. She made fun of me in front of the other students, etc.) I don't want either child dealing with anything like that, but there's nothing wrong with a 'strict' teacher. They were some of my best teachers, overall.

'Wait and see' seems to be the path ahead.

I've been trying to get back on a "kids in school" routine ever since. I should have it sorted out soon. I hope.

We gave in and joined Netflix, and I've been watching way too many movies lately. Well, that and I joined the Super Sock Scarefest 2008 on Ravelry. I've been watching boxed sets of old horror classics. I'm sometimes confused why a specific movie is considered a horror film, but they are not very long and still entertaining, and it is easy to knit while watching them. I was hoping to gain some more experience and build up my comfort level with socks. I think I'm off to a good start. The first pair I finished is the Wasp Woman pattern. It was a bonus pattern given out before the Scarefest actually started. I wasn't watching the dates, so I started it about 3 days before the first real pattern came out. I've skipped the first pattern, The Mummy, for now though it is really nice and I can't wait to get back to it, and went on to pattern #2, NeverMore (The Raven). Wasp Woman was done in Opal Rainforest, chameleon colorway, which was some stash yarn, and they took about 12 days (or about 10 of actual knitting). I'm pretty excited as the first pair of socks took almost 2 years. LOL That's a nice improvement, don't you think?

I've been buying way too much sock yarn the past 3 weeks.

NeverMore is my first toe-up sock, and is a lace pattern. It is a simple pattern, and quite lovely. The only thing is that the pattern moves around the leg, so once past the heel I won't be able to do 2 on 2 circs. I'm a bit worried that I'll lag too far behind and develop SSS, but I'm hoping I'll manage okay. I'm starting the heel gusset today, and if I can get through this part, I know it'll be smooth sailing for the rest of the sock. They are shorter socks, too, so that should help me get them done. I'm doing this one in Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Obsidian colorway. I'll take some pictures soon and get them up (hopefully in under a month!).

Squeee Alert!

2008-08-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today was the hand-off of the Pratchghan 2008!

As you may remember, when author Terry Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers, a number of his fans in the Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild decided to send him an afghan filled with fibery love from knitters, and possibly a few hookers as well. I was lucky enough to contribute two squares to the project, (here and here) the horseshoe even glows in the dark like Binky's hoofprints.

Our project leader, and tireless worker who sewed all the squares together (though I would never call her a seamstress!), was able to contact Pterry's PA who arranged for her to deliver it in person. What a delight for her and for all the fans who contributed squares, as well as other fans in the Guild.

In addition to the Pratchghan, Cherryred also passed along letters from all of the contributors. While I realize Pterry could buy any number of afghans for himself if he so desired, it was so much fun coming up with themed squares, encouraging everyone to try something new and to see the finished product. The only sadness any of us feel (aside from sadness about the disease itself) is that we don't have our own Pratchghan to commemorate the project. (Photos by and with permission of Cherryred.)

Little Dragons

2008-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

I've gotten some cute little dragon eggs, and hopefully they'll grow to be dragons. Please click the eggs and help them out!

In knitting news, I did a heavy bit of cleaning yesterday and I think my glove had a leak. As a result, my fingers were crazy rough and I wasn't able to knit again after cleaning. I was afraid I'd snag my yarn. So, I got one round done on the shawl yesterday.

This morning I remembered I had a pumice stone somewhere, and used that to smooth out the rough bits on my fingers. So, now I can knit again, if I can just find the time and the mood today.

The morning got off to a crummy start, so I'm not sure what I'll do as far as knitting is concerned. Let me distract you with pictures of my homespun all washed and set!

Ruby Merino - 16 oz.

My first fiber, Romney - 16 oz

Northern Lights Merino

Busy last week!

2008-08-13T09:36:00.001-07:00

We had a busy week last week! This is a good thing. On Tuesday, we were invited to visit our neighbor's camping lot near the Skagit River. It was a little over an hour's drive North. I drove since the girl's are still required to use car seats, or boosters, and the neighbor's car wouldn't hold the seats plus three adults. There was virtually no radio, no movie in the van and the girl's were not interested in conversation. I daresay it was the sort of road trip I took when I was a kid (only shorter, we never went anywhere that only took an hour!)

The neighbors are in their 70s, so I was trying to keep the noise level in the van low enough so that they could talk. As it was Bob couldn't hear what Barb was saying most of the time, and she got really irritated with him for "ignoring" her. She's has a couple of strokes recently, and her memory isn't great, so no matter how many times I explained that the car was noisy and he just couldn't hear her, she was convinced it was deliberate. On the up side, she probably forgot she was annoyed by the time we got home. LOL

Once at the lot, we had a lovely picnic lunch, and then the girls and I hit the pool for about an hour and a half. 'Swimming' consisted of them jumping all over me and demanding that I ferry them around in the water, play Marco Polo, freeze tag, etc. All of the other games involved them jumping on me as well. As a result, I felt like I'd been lifting weights for an hour and a half by the time we got out. I was done in, honestly, but Bob insisted on taking us to the Meadow and showing us the great spot for baseball, etc.

It was a beautiful place, and there was a part of the river running through there. The river sort of broke around a little island, and then rejoined a little ways down from where we were. It was really lovely, especially near the river bank. The girls just wanted to get back in the water.

There's a lot of salmon fishing on the Skagit, at least one of the local bottled water businesses gets their water in this area, and there's a great microbrewery in the area as well. It is the same valley where we attended some Highland Games a few weeks ago, and they also have a Tulip Festival every year. This is also a prime area for (bald) eagle watching trips, which are usually river boating trips. I did see an eagle while we were walking, but it was directly into the sun, so no pictures.

Bob still wasn't done with us. He then made us hike about 2 miles (round trip) down to the river so the girls could see the swimming beach. (top picture) Mind you, this water is COLD, but crazy, desperate people do swim in it in the summer. The girls were exhausted until they got to the water. They perked up enough then to want to swim. Again. (We didn't) It was a lovely, if exhausting, trip and we all slept very well after all of that exercise.

Two days later, the girls and I caught a ferry over to Jetty Island in our hometown. The ferry ride takes all of three minutes, maybe less, but then we were let off at this cute little, well, jetty island. We went to hear a talk about sharks and the walked out to the beach. I was surprised at how many insane people swim in the sound up here. That thing is freezing year round! (in the 50s F)

When we set out on this trip, the wind was very strong and it was pretty cold outside, so I didn't plan for them to swim. By the time the shark talk was over, the wind had calmed significantly, and it had warmed up. We'll probably make another trip out before school starts so the girls can try swimming if they want. The only problem is that I will have to be prepared to get in too, and I really don't want to. It just doesn't get warm enough up here to lure me into that water.

Knitting? Not so much. I did knit a round or two on my socks! But mostly I was psyching myself up to do the Ravelympics. I'm in the WIPWrestling event with my Pi shawl as the project. So far, so good. More on that later.

My Favorite!

2008-07-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Raspberries! I love these things, and they are always so expensive in the stores, even when they are in season. So in my never ending quest to keep the kids occupied and moving around, we went berry picking today at a local farm.

This is the first time we've picked raspberries, even though they are my favorites, because I forget when they are in season. So we usually go for strawberries & blueberries and I'm grumpy about missing the raspberries. Not this year! Yay me! We picked about 8.25 lbs of the things, so some are already sitting in the freezer (we really need to get a bigger freezer!) and we're gobbling the rest. I also shared some with the neighbors. My youngest may wake up as a raspberry tomorrow as she's eaten so many today!

I don't know if it was just my luck or if this is typical of raspberry fields, but I was nearly eaten alive by biting flies and mosquitoes while picking. I've never had them like this when picking strawberries or blueberries, but maybe I've just been lucky. The bugs didn't seem to notice the girls, which is good, or the whole experience might have been less fun for all of us. Then again, I'm always a bugs favorite in any crowd, I'm special that way. I just dug into the bushes not willing to be deterred by the stings. The berries are worth it, all yummy and sweet and just perfectly ripened raspberries.

The girls got bored, bless the little dears, and so we were only out about an hour. Still, it is a good thing I didn't press them to stay longer. I have no idea what I'd do with more berries! We got free shortbread at the checkout stand, which is a nice bonus, and I've got some lovely chocolate ice cream just calling out for a nice sidecar of berries later on. You know, after the kids are in bed and can't see me get all swoony over the double dose of yummy goodness. LOL

Done with boring

2008-07-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the quilt square is done! I finished it yesterday afternoon and danced a happy little jig around the room, much to my children's psychological distress. The photo looks a bit pink, but I set this on top of a pink surface and it kind of bled through the fabric a bit. Trust me, the fabric is white, the stitching is in dark blue, deep cranberry and a pale pink.

As I said before, this should be the last quilt square for a while, so I can now return to knitting. And getting that yarn finished (set) from the Tour de Fleece. I don't have photos of that up yet, as I was waiting to take them when I had all the fiber washed and hanging to dry. It is raining out today, so it didn't seem like the best day for washing fiber.

Still, with luck, I'll be able to pick up one of my languishing knit projects sometime today. If I ever stop playing on the computer!

Quilt square of boring

2008-07-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

This quilt square is really driving me nuts and I just want it done. The pattern I have has some errors, so I'm trying to correct them as I go (which means: I rip out the stitches after I've finished that part of the pattern only to find there are missing stitches in the pattern). I'm having so much fun! I think I'm really just done on the patterns this year. This is like the 4th square (or more?) and since the patterns all come from the same book, they are very similar and I am BORED. And no, the chart errors do not add the correct level, or type, of excitement to the project.

I'm about 60% done, so that is the only bright spot right now. Well, and the colors are ones that I actually like and that helps too. Mind you, I'm very happy to be contributing to such a special gift, I'm just bored of the work. Fortunately, we don't have any more weddings scheduled until next year, so there'll be a break.

I'm been very happy to break things up with the spinning for the Tour de Fleece 2008. I finished all the fiber I had hoped to finish, the Ruby Merino, last night. I'm plying the last bit of it today as my Victory Lap. I'm very pleased with what I accomplished both in the quantity completed and in the improvement in the overall quality of my spinning. I hope I will make sure I spin a bit every week in the future, though that might mean shopping to enhance the stash at some point.

Oh, darn! grin

The oldest DD is feeling a bit under the weather, so there should be plenty of time spent at home to finish the square and get back to the other projects! You know, until I get whatever it is she has.

Stitching backwards

2008-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

I still don't know how I managed it, but yesterday I spent a fair bit of time on the new quilt square project. In reviewing about two hours worth of stitching, I found that there are two small sections where for no apparent reason I decided to cross the stitch the wrong way. I don't know if I shifted the fabric while I was stitching or if I just temporarily lost my mind. (I like to pretend it is temporary.) So, today I will be ripping out those stitches and then trying to get more of the square done.

Yesterday Himself picked up season one of Nero Wolfe on DVD. He got it at a used bookstore for about $20, so it was a great deal! Last night, we watched the first episode and I spent the entire time spinning. It was so much fun! I love this series, it is very well done, and my spinning went really well. If I can continue to balance the stitching and spinning, this will do much to soothe my tired brain.

I handed off the hats to the two boys yesterday, and they were both pleased. The youngest, who requested them in the first place, was so happy he wore it all day. It seems he'd been pestering my friend about whether or not I'd remember that I promised to knit him a hat. He was very worried that I'd forget. I was really happy I made the time, he was very happy when he saw the hat in my hand. That made the whole project worth every minute. Even so, I'll try not to volunteer for anything else in the near future. I'm really not enjoying deadlines right now. Must be SUMMER! LOL

Sad news

2008-07-19T17:15:00.001-07:00

I thought since I had mentioned her on the blog the other day, I would share this news as well. My cousin Lindsey passed away early this morning. She was an amazing witness to all in her love for the Lord and for her family and friends. She will be deeply missed by all.

Fleece photo

2008-07-19T16:33:00.001-07:00

Here's 5.245 oz of the Ruby Merino all plied up. I haven't checked the wpi, but it is at least a worsted, maybe a heavy worsted, which is pretty much the weight I was going for. I'm pleased. I love this color! This is a good thing since I have about 13 more cakes of this stuff to spin.

I was very confident that I would finish this fiber easily by the end of the Tour, but now I'm a little concerned. As with many new endeavors, it is easy to make time for the project in the beginning, but as time passes, it is more of a challenge to find the time every day. Still, that is sort of the point of one of my goals anyway, make time for spinning at least a couple of times per week. Otherwise, how will I ever get better, or, maybe more importantly, knit from any yarn that I've created? Anyway, I'm still excited by the spinning & I'm definitely making progress. If I start to lose enthusiasm, I'll try petting my fiber stash and see if that helps. LOL

Here's my other sudden project, two more Badger Hats. They were done in Bernat Alpaca (like the sweater I'm working on) and turned out very nice, though possibly a bit large. One is in a cream and black (sort of slate-ish) mix and the other is in a nice blue and brown mix. I'm happy they went so quickly and I hope the boys like them. Assuming they can find them when they need them again.

Short post today, but I'm trying to get back in this habit too!

Lazy blogging

2008-07-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed since I last posted anything. What a slacker! At least I can blame it on being Summer, even if that isn't necessarily the cause. LOL I'm afraid the past weeks have been very, very busy with good and bad things.

July 1 I had to have our sweet kitty put to sleep. He had kidney disease, and although we tried a number of different treatments, he just didn't improve and continued to deteriorate. He went from being a very thin 12-lb kitty to being about 5.5 lbs at the end. It was time. I am at peace with that, but it was very, very hard. I not only had to be the one to do it, I was also the one who had to tell the kids - who were devastated. That's both of my cats gone in 7 months, both unexpectedly. I'm feeling naked without my cats.

Himself seems to think this is an opportunity to be an animal-free household, he's convinced that the litter box creates dust that is deadly to his electronics. I say, he never bothers to dust - EVER - so how can he blame all the dust on the cat litter? I also say, we will have cats again and I really hope it doesn't cause an argument. The kids and I need animals to be happy, and the hamster just doesn't cut it for me. We'll see how this turns out.

The other bad news isn't really mine, but a dear cousin's news. She successfully battled cancer about 10 years ago, when she was 18. She had no symptoms prior to a collapse, but once she was in the hospital and the doctors found her cancer, they literally gave her days to live. With a great deal of prayer and chemo, she survived the cancer. Sort of. It seems that the treatments badly damaged her heart and lungs. She has been undergoing evaluation for the past few months in preparation for lung and heart transplants. However, this past week, the trip to the hospital (from OK to Cleveland) wiped her out and the doctors feel that there is nothing more that can be done for her. They expect that she has about 3 weeks left in her earthly life.

She is a beautiful young woman, a teacher, and has decided to leave the hospital and return to her home and hospice. Prayers are appreciated for her and her family, and I know many more than I can imagine are being offered in her behalf.

So perhaps you can see why I've stayed away from the blog. Too much sadness and I can't help but mention it here. Still, thanks for your patience. I will now try to turn it around a bit.

I am spinning away in the Tour de Fleece. I did miss about three days, but I also spun a bit on the day of rest, so I'm only down two days. Right? My goals are to get into the habit of spinning on a regular basis and to get that ruby Merino spun up so I can knit with it. This yarn is supposed to be for a bag for my other grandmother (not the one who's is receiving shawls). I'm making good progress and I've probably got just a little over 4oz left of the fiber to spin. I've got more fiber to play with if I finish this stuff, and if I can get some spinning in every day for the rest of the tour, I should get to try out new stuff.

I have made no progress on the Pi. I'm afraid it is knit five rounds, rip three around here. I think I've got it in hand, again, but then I started spinning and just haven't spent any more time on it.

I have made progress on the sweater for Himself. Sort of. I was nearly three repeats into the cable pattern when I figured out I was making an error. You see, I photocopied the chart from the book and made sure it was all there. What I didn't do was make sure all the shadings transferred. (You see where I'm going with this?) Anyway, it turns out that there are parts of the chart that are shaded, so the cables are slightly different. You'd think I might have noticed something since it seems to be impossible for me to remember front, back, knit, or purl without looking at the key every time I do a cable. Hmmm. The key had four different cable symbols. Why? I apparently didn't care, until I was three repeats into the darned thing. After comparing the photocopy to the book, I could see that the shading did not copy, so all the cable symbols looked the same. I've penciled in some shading now and I've ripped, because it will bother me, and I'm now one repeat into the pattern. It might just be wishful thinking, but I think the cables are looking better and more defined than they were before.

Tuesday I spent a few hours teaching a 12 year old boy to knit. He has no patience, but surprisingly I did. He is well on his way to a scarf (his choice, for a friend girl - not a girlfriend, nudge, nudge) though he believes that he will never need to learn to purl. heh. He did ask me to make him a hat, which I did yesterday. I'm thinking I'll do one for his brother too. So that is my project for today, and maybe tomorrow. We'll see how the time works out.

There's also another quilt square for a wedding quilt. What is with all the weddings?! I think this is the last one (no other weddings scheduled until next year), which is good. I'll get pictures up soon. I hope.

1 shawl competed

2008-06-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

In time to ship for my grandmother's birthday. This is the Eros shawl, and it turned out rather well. I think it is perfect for her at this time of year: H-O-T. It is a pretty thing that may cut the chill a bit in air-conditioned spaces, but probably isn't any warmer than that.

I'm still working on the Pi Shawl, but honestly, I just haven't had much time for knitting lately. Now that the girls are out of school, I've discovered the small amount of progress I'd made towards having a schedule is all shot. I'm pretty much just starting from scratch. Again.

My oldest is surprisingly attached to the idea that I will be "homeschooling" them this summer. I don't know where the idea came from, but she really seems to want that to happen. We'll see if that holds up to actual practice. We've talked a bit about all the kinds of things she wants to do, but I think it is too much to realistically take on. I could be wrong, but I just think they need a lot more time to do nothing. You know, it is summer vacation.

So, we're planning trips to the library, and lots of reading at home, some crafts, and we'll see what we can work out for "field trips". I think I will work in a good deal of reading on history, possibly biographies, and mythology. The oldest will be working on an online math program they were using at school. She seems to be struggling with math, which concerns me a great deal. I don't want her to get behind this early in the game (will be in 3rd grade) because math skill build on the previous skills and it is so easy to get behind and never catch up. Of course, I personally feel that what they call 'math' in our schools (in WA, I have no idea what other states are doing) is complete and utter rubbish. It is confusing, assignments are very poorly written and the concepts seem to be too complex for the younger grades (I'm talking developmentally too advanced for the children.)

Sorry, I had one foot on the soapbox and the other was coming up to join it. LOL Still, My only real goal this summer was to get us all through it in one piece, with some growth in math skills and time for reading together. All the rest is icing on the cake for me (and the girls).

What was I talking about? Oh yes, the Pi Shawl. I'm up to the second lace pattern and 288 sts. Each round takes 30 minutes (give or take a few). I was falsely confident because by the end of the first lace pattern I could even watch simple (non-action) TV or sit in the room with the kids and their TV shows (or HGTV or Food Network) and knit without error. Well, lace pattern 2 has 24 st repeats, instead of the 12 st repeats on the first pattern. My brain has not yet adjusted to that change, so I'm back to the near-total isolation knitting that I started out with. Hopefully, I'll improve again, but I think once I get through this lace pattern, and double the number of stitches on the needles, it is back to repeats of the first lace pattern again. Sigh. I think I'll need more stitch markers.

I'm still enjoying the knitting, I just wish it was a more sociable project. I am planning to establish some "mom time" next week, just to make sure I get time everyday to knit, read or spin (or watch a movie or something). I think that is a reasonable thing to go for. It won't happen every day, but if I can make it work a few days out of the week, we'll all be much more at peace around here. LOL

I've also got the sweater for Himself to break up the intensity of the shawl. I'm trying to decide if I will allow myself to CO anything else. I'm trying to turn my brain back towards some spinning, too. My ambition has no limits! hee! I'm sure I'll get it all sorted, just in time for September!

Both girls modeled the shawl, so here's the back of it on my youngest's, erm, back.

Quilt square - done!

2008-06-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

Well, it took a little longer than expected, but I finally finished the quilt square. Aaaaand, I'm two weeks ahead of the due date! Yay me!

There are light green flowers on a dark green plant with a very rich, dark brown soil. It would have been nice to have a different color to choose from for the flowers, but I was limited to 4 shades of green, tan and dark brown. I often choose to do a single color for these designs, and they look very nice. Lately I find that I get bored if I don't change up the color, so then I'm left trying to decide which green makes the best flower. LOL

The camera really glared on the white fabric, and I spent a fair bit of time trying to make it easier to see. Sadly, I could fix the white, but then I lost the colors, so here it is. It was a simple and small project. I really enjoyed stitching, but I was anxious to get back to the lace project and the rest of my knitting.

It didn't take any longer to stitch than I thought, I just had a hard time working it into my schedule. I got caught up in cleaning my laundry room. It is down in the lower part of the house (we have a split level), which is the part of the house rarely used, really. The cat box is in there, so the dust levels can get really high. It has a half bath (toilet & small sink) which never get used, along with a couple of bookshelves for my TBR books (To Be Read). Normally, I walk in, grab a book and leave. Or maybe, walk in put in / take out laundry, and leave. You get the picture.

Anyway, it is reorganized and sparkling clean from top to bottom. I could actually go in there and hang out if I wanted! (But maybe not with the cat box.) It was the last room in the house that needed a cleansing and reorganization, and now it is done. sigh Perhaps now I can actually feel less guilty when I sit down and knit, or maybe even spin.

Imagine that!

De-cluttering will probably be a life-long pursuit, but I am making a little headway. Sadly, I've run out of space to put the stuff that is going away. The stuff for a garage sale is all mixed up with the stuff that must go to the dump (due to space for storing it), so I need to wait before doing any more on that front. Darn. heh, heh, heh. Looks like it is back to knitting for me.

A friend on Ravelry got a new wheel, a Babe, and is very excited about spinning. I must say she boldly goes where no, well okay, other spinners have gone, but for a newbie, I'm just impressed with her willingness to try everything she can. She's getting me all excited to pull out the wheel and get going again. It has been too long! I expect to give in soon, but I'm trying not to plan too hard lest I be disappointed in how things really go.

In the meantime, I'm excited to be done with the quilt square and ready to get back to both shawls and maybe even the sweater. I've got a friend coming by today for a little knitting and tea, so that will be lovely. I think it is supposed to be a whopping 61 degrees (F) today. Wow, compared to the rest of the week, this is a heat wave! I'm really sorry for the rest of the folks out there who are having a real heat wave. If we could manage a heat exchange of 10-20 degrees, I'd be for it. Wouldn't it be nice?

What were we talkin' 'bout?

2008-06-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, goals. Smoals. Right.

Well, on the positive side of things, I'm posting more often. On the less positive side (but I'm not calling it negative), I didn't finish the square. Life is all about surprises.

Instead of stitching like I had planned, I spent way too much time on the computer. When I got off to fix dinner, the youngest DD had a small fever (really low). This makes the youngest DD a bit of a looney. More than usual, I mean. I also had a water fitness class last night. So, the kids get fed and bathed and I notice that it is 10 minutes until 8 and Himself hasn't made it home yet. Hmmm. I give him a call and he's totally forgotten my class and he's still working.

Pfffffffffft.

He made it home before the class started, but really too late to make the trip over for the class. If that makes sense. So I remind him that today I have a parish council meeting and he starts making faces. Thinking is painful, or so it seems. Turns out he's in a crunch sort of time, so I canceled on the meeting today. Pfffffffft. Again.

That doesn't explain the lack of stitching though, does it? No. I just got caught up in weird little projects around the house. I'm still trying to get some kind of routine going, with very little success so far. I'm not giving up, I'm just really struggling to stay caught up with the things I have gotten in order around here.

When we cleaned out one bedroom, we turned it from a work studio for Himself, to a Library for the girls (and my sewing machine). We wanted to make it a cozy room for them, so I decided to order them bean bag chairs (I can't find any locally!). The company said they'd email me when they shipped. Well, they arrived today & there was no email!

I'm glad to have the chairs, but I was counting on a heads-up. So today, instead of stitching, I was trying to clean out the room some more. There were odds and ends still floating around in there that needed a new home. That bled over into my room & some dusting. Sigh.

I think I'll have some time to work on the quilt square this evening. But first dinner - a Guinness Pot Roast. Yumm! My reward, along with the leftover Guinness.

Eventually I'll get the whole house in order. Right? Please lie to me if you have to.

Goals, smoals!

2008-06-09T11:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay. I know, why set goals if you aren't even going to try? Right? Well, I found out that there was another wedding quilt square that needed to be finished by June 22. That has to take precedence over the Pi Shawl right now. I started this on Friday, and worked on it a little over the weekend. I should finish it up today, barring incident, and then be ready to get back to the shawl tomorrow.

I hope.

This block is smaller, and the design is simpler than for some other quilts in the past. I'm not sure why they went smaller this time, but perhaps the bride made a request for one reason or another. The colors are green and brown, but a nice range of both, so it is a nice one to do. I just get so bored with the ones that have colors that are too similar, you know?

My dryer is sounding a bit wonky (squeaky) and I thought I smelled a bit of a burned rubbery smell yesterday. I could be imagining that bit, Himself has let the kids try out the fog machine in the past week, so I might have just been smelling residual stuff from that. But I think that is stretching it a bit. At any rate, we haven't had the dryer for 8 years, so I figure a bit of maintenance might be in order. Just to be safe. So, at least one day will be spent cleaning up my laundry room so the technician can get in and work comfortably. sigh It has been on my list, but I am really not motivated. Well, I wasn't motivated until I scheduled the appointment. Now I think I can get to it. LOL

I saw an allergist last week for my crazy allergies. He got rave reviews from my regular doctor's office staff, but I have to say, I wasn't impressed. Why do they always focus on pets? I mean really. I had much more severe reactions to all manner of other things, but the only thing he wanted to talk about was my cat. In fact, the area around the Dust Mites swelled up to the diameter of a lime by the end of the day. Saturday it still itched, and then it suddenly stopped. Then my eyes started itching and then they swelled up again. Seriously, all within an hour. I have no idea if this is all related, but the swelling of my face/eyes is why I went to a specialist in the first place. Very frustrating. I need to call his office and report the problem, but I don't want to hear anything else about my cat.

Not off to a good start, am I?

He did say that he didn't think I needed shots, which is good. I don't want them, I just want to stop itching all the time. Perhaps he focused on my cat because he knows I can't do anything about being exposed to dust, pollen, cedar, ragweed, etc. (That is my charitable explanation. I hope he appreciates the effort.) My cat is not making me itch.

The swelling is down today, thank goodness, but I looked horrible Saturday evening and Sunday. This 'event' was much better than the previous one, maybe because of the meds. I take a Claritin and Flonase (a nasal spray) in the morning, and a Zrytec and Flonase in the evening. If I wasn't really miserable, I would rebel. But I'm desperate. I think it is helping, but I'd like more time to be sure.

The cat, poor baby, is not doing as well after his vet visit. The last visit I thought we had reached the end. The doctor gave him B12 & fluids & something for vomiting, and he was bouncy and eating and really alert and perky (and not sick). This time the doctor repeated the treatment, but it did not have the same effect. He isn't eating well, and the vomiting seems to be returning already. I think this is going to be a rough week unless he suddenly perks up. I don't want to push him, and this wait and see thing is really draining for me too. I'm not ready to let him go, but this isn't about me. I've been taking pictures of him with the girls, so I hope that will help them when he is gone.

Ah. Sorry, so depressing. I'll go out with a shot of my Pi Shawl. I managed to get the increases to 288 sts done, and the first four rows that are just knit. I've got all the markers in place now, so I'm ready to start the lace pattern again.

I'm hoping that my "lucky streak" will hold out. I need serious quiet time to work on this thing now, and the rows take about 25-30 minutes to complete. I'm counting nearly every block of 12 stitches, so that really slooooooows things down. But I figure it saves time if it keeps me from missing/dropping stitches. If I have to rip it back, it will take a lot longer than doing it right the first time. Right?

My next lace project is going to be on fingering weight! That will be so much easier! Of course, by the time I finish this shawl, I might have gotten used to using lace weight. We'll see, I guess. I had totally spaced that my grandmother had a birthday this month. There's no way this will be done in time. I won't even stress about that deadline! However, since I can't work on this all the time (kids are way too distracting!) I decided that I will do another shawl out of the Eros yarn for her for her birthday. The Eros will also be in a red sort of color. I've had a hard time finding red, for goodness sakes! This one is a rosey red with some darkish green and black. (At least that is what it looks like in my living room.)

An added bonus is that the Pi Shawl will come as a total surprise to her since she won't be expecting two. I've started the Eros shawl, but I'm not very far yet. They are fast, but I really struggle with knitting into the back of a stitch. I think I can knit 3-4 sts in the time it takes me to knit into the back once. Plus, that ladder yarn can be tough to pick up correctly (and not through the middle of the ladder!). Still, it is a mind-numbingly simple thing to work on and I'm enjoying having it around to balance the Pi.

I haven't made much more progress on the sweater, though I do need to get a picture up. I think I'll be shawling until I finish the Eros, then back to the sweater for my easier knit piece.

Ah well, back to work! I really want to get this cross-stitch piece done. Just some flowers to go and it is finished.

Still ignoring the socks

2008-06-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

But I have a good excuse. I've been working on cleaning up different areas of the house. I moved about half the house around over the past month, but things are settling down again. This is what I did in my living room. I moved out the partial pile o' stash and the sewing machine & video cabinets and put in the Yarn Corner, or whatever it will be called. All my stash is in one room, all my fiber (much less than I thought), needles and so forth. The books are in a different room, but they are finally all on shelves together with all the patterns I seem to NEED to print out from the computer. I didn't take a picture of that room. The Library has the girl's books & videos & computer, my sewing machine, etc. & the knitting & other craft books. I'm going to put some bean bag chairs in there for the girls to use for reading, and that room will be finished. There's a whole 'nuther room full of my books, but let's not talk about that right now. LOL

I've also already found a new home for the fiber I didn't keep. Wow. That sounds so sad, doesn't it?

The Pi Shawl is progressing and I have not yet chewed off my own arm/leg or anything else. I finally, finally was reminded to use a lifeline. Man! I've used them before, I have no idea why I blocked it out on this project (possibly because I needed it so badly?). That made all the difference, or so it seems. Now that I have at least one going in the project, I haven't needed to rip back. Yet. I'm sure it'll happen again. Still, I've made it just past the increase to 288 sts & I'm about to start the repeat of the first 10 rows on Lace Pattern I. I've been considering this project and I don't think I'll knit the full thing. The reason is that my grandmother is a very petite 5'2", and this shawl is theoretically around 72" when completed. I don't need to wrap her up like a burrito, so I think I may pass on the repeats of the lace pattern following the increase to 576 sts. I will probably do one of them and then do a border of some kind.

I've set myself a crazy goal of a minimum of 5 rows per day, with a hopeful goal of 10 rows per day. 10 a day didn't seem too hard when it was at 144 sts, but since the increase, I'm not sure 10 rows is going to work out on a daily thing. I'm hoping I can manage the 5 & maybe a little over each day. I decided to try this "goal setting" thing the other night when I couldn't get to sleep. It seemed like a good idea at the time, because it would make the project move along at a reasonable pace (i.e., I might actually finish the shawl in a month or two) and then I can move on to more substantial yarn weights. sigh

I will do other shawls, I have to, I have the yarn. I just have a much better idea what I'll be setting myself up for, and I'll be sure to have some easy projects on the needles as well.

I cast on the sweater for Himself. A cabled sweater as my "easy project". Yep. Desperation is an interesting companion. The Bernat Natural Alpaca is a nice, soft yarn. My only complaint is that it sheds like mad. I've taken to knitting with a towel in my lap to catch all the shed fibers. Still, I've got about 4 inches of the back knit up, and I like the pattern. And the yarn, even though it sheds.

I also tried knitting up a baby hat from Itty Bitty Hats, but I made really dumb errors and ended up tossing the hat in the recycle bin. (cotton) It was fun and easy, but I mis-measured bits of it, so it was unwearable. I could have re-knit the sections that were off, but I probably could have re-knit the entire hat in less time than it would take to find the woven ends and rip it back, etc. Oh well, it was a nice distraction anyway. I refuse to be bitter.

I've also been kept too busy with a sick kitty. It seems our remaining kitty cat (my other baby passed away right before Christmas), has kidney disease. Going by the bloodwork, he should be doing better than he is (at his levels, etc.). But every critter is different, and he is not doing as well as he could be. We've done subcutaneous fluids, meds for his ulcer and so forth. He won't keep the meds down, so they're no good, and he's developing sever anxieties regarding trips to the vet for the fluids. I don't think he'd tolerate them much better at home. He went on a food strike last week, and I thought we had reached the end, but he rallied in time for the youngest monkey's birthday (6!) and was almost like his old self for a few days.

Sadly, he seems to be going back down now. As long as we can get him to eat he'll be "okay". But if he goes on another hunger strike, I think it will be Time. I'm not sure I'm up for that. Not that I'll have a real choice in the matter. I'm so sad. He's such a loving little guy, and my youngest will be devastated when he's gone. Part of being a responsible pet owner though, right? sigh

Lace is good for getting my mind off of things like this too. Let's hear it for lace!~

Brains, braaaaaaainsssss

2008-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really a total zombie, but I've got two projects on the needles that require my brains, that means no distractions, in order for them to proceed without... incident. Oh yes, incident.

The first project is the Bellatrix socks I cast on last month.

I took these socks to our Pascha feast (Eastern Orthodox Easter) and tried to knit them there. 1) I was also carrying on at least two conversations at the same time, broken up by one child or another stopping by to ask questions. 2) Beer. I had three. Not a crazy amount, but, well, there were still three.

I came home and tinked back 2/3 of the rows I knit while I was there. Mind you, it took me a week to tink back to a spot where I could move forward again. (I just kept putting it off.) Now I'm just a bit past the point where I found the errors, so I've technically made some progress.

I really do love these socks. The pattern is a delight (Monkey Toes pattern) and the yarn is wonderful (Scout's Swag Superwash Merino/Tencel in Death Eaters). Even with the tinking I've done, I am really enjoying these socks. However, I decided this pattern requires a bit more thought than my previous socks. That's fine, I can do it. I just had to learn that I needed to give this project more attention, that's all. No action movies, no conversations with people that involve more than a 'yes' or 'no' answer on my part, and absolutely no adult beverages.

No worries.

So I thought I could use another project, to fill up the time when I couldn't do the socks. So what'd I pick? EZ's Pi Shawl. (And no, I wasn't at the beer again when I made this decision!) I've been wanting to do this pattern since Kelly started talking about it on the Knit Picks podcast. It sounded like a simple project to try out lace. Big, sure, but not too tricky. Uh-huh. So it only took me 6 tries or so to get the darned thing cast on. I knit up to 144 stitches only to find I had 142. I tried counting at various spots to see if I could figure out where I lost stitches. I didn't seem to have dropped any stitches, so did I forget a couple of yarn overs? I have no idea! (although the lost yarn overs seems most likely, either that or accidental K2tog somewhere). So I tried ripping back to the spot where I last had the correct number of stitches. In. lace. weight. Yep.

So it only took me two tries to get the thing cast on the second time, much better. Oh, but then the yarn broke off at 36 stitches. That annoyed me, so I started over again. I got the thing cast on correctly in one go this time! Go me! I'm nearly back to the 144 stitches again, and this is how it is looking right now.

I'm knitting this in Cashwool by Baruffa in a bright red. Why would I do this to myself, you might well ask? Well, my grandmother (dad's mom) was in the hospital for a little over three weeks. When she got home she kept talking about how chilly it was for her all the time she was in hospital. I had knit up a washcloth for her in red and white, and she commented how much she'd like to have something "to go around her shoulders in a bright red". Well? What could I do? She gave me the perfect opening to try the Pi Shawl, the yarn was a decent price and the perfect color. I think I might find it less, um, challenging, if it were in a heavier weight yarn, but I didn't have anything red except the cotton yarn, and that wouldn't work. So while I was open to a fingering weight yarn, I didn't find anything that was cost-effective and the right color in a decent quantity for this project.

So, humor me here, I'm sure once I get used to using the laceweight yarn this project will go a bit smoother for me. I'm getting in a minimum of about 30 minutes of knitting a day, right before bed. I'm trying to trade back and forth between the socks and the shawl, so I'm making a bit of progress on both. However, I feel that I'm going to need a brainless project soon. One that I can do while talking or watching something exciting from time to time. We'll see how that works out. The important thing is that I'm learning a whole bunch of new knitting things these days. If I survive the experience, I'll be an even better knitter. (Go on, humor me some more...)

One of these days

2008-04-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

I will get back into the swing of things. I'm sure of it, I'm just not setting a deadline. LOL

I am so stinking busy these days, I have no idea how I ever worked. Man! Therapy for the leg (now over) and hand (ends tomorrow) kept me running around, I gave up on typing with the cast, but of course that is now long gone as well. I've managed a little knitting, but not really in the past week and a half.

Okay, that's a bit of a stretch. This past Sunday was Pascha, the Orthodox Christian Easter, in a nutshell, and I did do a bit of knitting at our big feast Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for me, I also had a little beer and way too much conversation going on at the same time. I am guilty of Knitting Under the Influence, and of being too distracted for what I was doing, so now I need to TINK back to the last know "good spot" and do it over. sigh

I should've known, right? I have cast on the Bellatrix socks and I'm using the Death Eater colorway from Scout's Swag (merino and tencel yarn). I LOVE the yarn and I LOVE the pattern. I've got two socks on two circs, so hopefully no more of the two-year sock syndrome. However, the pattern does seem to require some of my attention when I am dropping stitches, because whenever I think I've got it and let my attention wander, even just a little bit, I make a mistake. Since there are dropped stitches, and this is really my first pattern with dropped stitches, I can't see where the errors are and I have to rip back to the all knit row before I do the YOs that get dropped. Clear as mud? Yep. I thought so.

Even so, I am pleased to be working on the socks and I really do love the yarn and pattern. I only mind the TINKing because it is backwards progress on the socks. OTOH, my enthusiasm is pretty high for them right now, so maybe it won't take too long to get my brain in gear and get these socks done.

I'm finally getting a picture up of the BS Johnson hat. Since we've had such a peculiar spring here (with tons of snow!) I've had plenty opportunity to wear it. When I can get it away from my girls. I'm still very pleased with this hat. I'd like to do another one, but I think I will go down a needle size for the ribbing, it just seems too loose, but I like the gauge for the rest of the hat.

Well, I gotta hit the post office & grocery store before the youngest gets home from school. I'll try to post more often and get back up to speed. I'm really missing all my blog reading!

Just checking in

2008-04-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

I had no intention of being gone so long, and it may be a while before I'm posting regularly again. We'll see.

The last week of work was insanely busy, even though I had organized everything to death. (Or maybe because I had. Sometimes I think we need a reminder that we are not truly in charge.) I left my co-workers with a printed manual of how to do all of the stuff I do. All the files for this stuff was on the shared drive as well. They were concerned at having to take it all on, though i'm sure they'll manage just fine. I had a nice, if small, going away thing. It was a really bad time since it was finals week and the night before the graduating students displayed their work. It's the thought that counts. They also gifted me with a nice Amazon gift card.

I'm trying to save it for a while. We'll see how that goes.

The repeat on the hand surgery was the next day (21st), and for all I can tell at the moment, it went well. My cast/splint is much bigger this time, and the bruising was more extensive on my fingers. The meds were NOT as good this time around, but they got me through the worst bit which was the important part. I see the doctor on Monday, or rather, an assistant, to get the splint/cast off and the stitches out. The resident said they'd cut in the same place. While I still bitterly hate that the first guy opened my hand the wrong way, at least I shouldn't have a whole network of horrible scars criss-crossing my hand.

Oh, vanity! It's Lent, I should really work harder not to care about the scar. It could be so much worse and I am really grateful that it isn't. My hand seems to be working (well, the fingers are moving) and if the stupid cyst stays gone this time, that's all I should care about. The doctor said that there were two places to get a cyst in the area mine was in. Apparently the first cyst was in one place, and this cyst was in the other. Hopefully I won't push the odds any further. I don't ever want to repeat this surgery.

I'm not a very good patient right now either. I think I'm so worn down from my broken leg that I just had no patience left for another round of being incapacitated. Still, not much longer. It is just really hard to do stuff left-handed (I am severely right-dominant!) and I can't use my hand for anything except putting my clothes on, really. Typing is all done with a pencil in my right hand or with one finger. My cast/splint keeps hitting the ctrl or alt keys and throwing me out to menus and such. And the typos? Off the charts. I do try to correct them if I see them.

I tried to psych myself into a state of Reading Not Knitting. I had all of these books set aside and everything. Uh-huh. I think I've developed a twitch in one eye or something. The reading is nice, but I really need to knit.

Soon.

The stay-at-home-mom thing is off to a wobbly start as well. The youngest is very grumpy and refused to talk to me several days after I picked her up. Granted, one day it was because my long red trench coat was "embarrassing". She wouldn't even walk with me. It was the only coat I have that would fit over the cast and it was snowing outside (I was also wearing a T-shirt - only shirts that fit now too). She said I could go without a coat rather than wear the red one that was so embarrassing. This child will be 6 in 2 months.

The fact that I can't really do anything interesting is really boring for them too. This week was a vacation week for them. Oh joy! We've made it to Friday, however, and no bloodshed. Thing will improve next week, but it was still a lousy start to the new lifestyle.

That's okay, though, things will change and I will knit again. The kids really hate the reading because I ignore them (not on purpose, I just tune everything out when I'm in the zone). They'll be much happier when I'm knitting again, too.

That's it in a nutshell. I'll post again next week. In theory, it should be easier to type.

Nearly there

2008-03-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

The BS Johnson hat is nearly complete! Woo-hoo! I have really enjoyed the challenge of the hat, but I will be extremely happy when it is done. I'm down to the decreases at the crown of the hat, and I'm about halfway through those. I found that I did a M1 either in the pick-up row after the cables, or in the first row after that, so I have 1 tiny little hole to fix, and then I'll be done!

I'm very glad since this means the hat will be done by the time I have surgery. No lingering project in its latter stages waiting forever to be finished. That makes me happy. The Harry Potter scarf is no where near finished, so I won't mind all that much if it is sitting on the needles waiting for me. Does that make sense?

It does leave me in a bit of a quandary over what to do after the hat. Presumably I will finish the hat and still have some days (week+) left in which to knit. Of course, I could just start reading, but I'd sort of like to maximize my knitting days before I have to give it up for weeks on end. I supposed I should just dedicate myself to the scarf, but being contrary and all, I'm itching to do something new. sigh How ridiculous can I get? A new project would just be something else to pout about later when it is sitting there on the needles staring at me...

Well, anyway, I'll have pictures up as soon as I can of the finished hat. By then I should have myself sorted out regarding any nonsense about a new project that I have no hope of finishing before surgery. Hmmm. It seems to me that there is a washrag lying around half done. I should probably find that and make do.

Work continues at a slow, and yet fast, pace. I'm trying to get folks trained for when I'm gone, but I don't think it is going to work really. My boss is pretty much hopeless, and the other one, who normally jumps in and takes on things that aren't hers to do in the first place, doesn't seem all that inclined to get with the program, so to speak. Well, 9 more work days and it won't be my problem anymore. I've got lots of weird hours ahead of me as well, since I'm trying to work in the physical therapy as well. Therapists don't seem to be available when I am, so I'm having to leave work early several days before I'm gone to accommodate the sessions. I feel bad about missing the extra work, but it can't be helped. All it really means is that there is less time for training the others. (Who seem to be resisting the training.)

Oh well, not my problem, I guess. Wow. That feels good!

Continuing hat thingies

2008-03-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I have yet to sort out where I went wrong on the hat. Perhaps it is Unknowable. Okay, I can live with that.

As long as the hat fits.

If the gauge goes wrong on this puppy - well, I'm not responsible. That's all I'm saying.

I've made it 1/3 of the way through Chart B. Some of my stitches look a bit odd, but now I think I'm looking too hard. I suspect the ones that look a bit wonky are actually these increases that are not what they should be. I don't think it will actually matter, once the hat is done. Certainly, no one else will ever know. Except you, Gentle Reader. Never fear, I'm not worried about silencing anyone. LOL I just want to make it through the rest of the pattern without discovering I've gone wrong on some other bit. Hey, if it looks like a hat, it will do for BS Johnson. My pride will be a bit scuffed, but I'll survive. How many people on the street have ever even heard of BS Johnson, much less know of his hat? In fact, I'm as likely to get inquiring looks for a hat done correctly as incorrectly. So, there you go.

I didn't get a whole lot done this weekend, I'm afraid. Apart from some more Noir Knitting (ooo, a great blog title if I ever heard one! I wonder if anyone else has that one... Google note for later) which went without a hitch this time, I got a little done during the swim lessons on Saturday morning. After that, the weekend got too busy. The Noir of the Week was The Big Sleep. An excellent film & great fun to watch. I love Bogart!

I did read Katie McAlister's new book, writing as Kate Marsh, Ghost of a Chance. A nice cozy paranormal mystery. The characters are part of the Otherworld that exists in her other books, though these are all new characters. I really enjoyed it, and to be honest, I enjoyed the fact that it had very little to do with her other books (other than sharing the concept of the Otherworld). I enjoy the other series of hers, make no mistake, I even enjoy how those just almost overlap at times, but I like the more independent feel of this one. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Sunday was spent hosting a b-day party (she'll be 8!) for my oldest. She shared the party with a friend of hers who also has a b-day this month, about a week out from hers. It was a place that has all the big inflatable bouncy slide type things, and all the kids (about 17 total) had a BLAST! I was exhausted. I took tons of pictures because the other mom's camera battery was dead thanks to her teenaged daughter. LOL It was a great party, but I was wiped out! I considered bringing my knitting along just in case, but figured pointy sticks and big inflatable toys were not a good mix (not to mention there just wasn't time!). The closest thing to a downer was that I couldn't play on the toys because I was afraid I would twist my ankle. Poor me! Himself played on them with the birthday girl, however, and they had a blast.

Bloody Stupid

2008-02-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

... hat. You know, I really thought I understood charts. No, really. I've knit from a chart before, Intarsia & Illusion, and they turned out just fine. While I may have struggled a bit with technique, but there was no indication that I was doing something wrong or backwards or even upside-down.

However, this hat is apparently beyond my abilities to fathom. It seems I have misread the chart from the very beginning & my RS rows are supposed to be WS rows. Now that I'm on Chart B, it has become apparent there is a problem. I think that if I just go on as I have been it may not look exactly like anyone else's hat, but it will look fine because the whole thing will have been done a little off.

Frustrating, but appropriate for a BS Johnson invention. I'm still trying to sort out exactly what I did so that I can avoid doing it in the future. It seems to be a little more than my brain currently wants to sort at this time, so it may be a while before I can find peace on this one. In the meantime, I will continue onward and see what I get in the end. As long as it fits, it will be just fine. I really love this blue!

Oh, Happy Leap Day!

Socks in Space

2008-02-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, finally a picture of the completed socks. I was feeling a bit frisky and decided to play with photoshop.

Here's my socks hanging out on Saturn with some of its moons. No particular reason for the association, but the colors blend nicely. I'm kind of hiding my swollen foot here, so you can't see how tight the other sock is. I really hope the foot eventually stops swelling.

I finally finished Chart A on the BS Johnson hat, and I'm trying to get going on Chart B. Trying is the operative word here, but I'm having a bit of trouble with the Left Leaning Purl Increase. I get how it is done, but I don't have a purl stitch to increase, I keep ending up on a knit stitch. I'm trying to sort out exactly how I've buggered this up, but I'm not too worried about it.

If I've read the chart completely wrong (reversed which is the RS and which is the WS), I'll just continue on and make these increases knit increases instead of purl increases. I figure if I've done the whole thing backwards, somehow, then it will be fitting to make the increases backwards as well. I'll just make good notes so that the next time I do this pattern, and I do like it well enough to do it again, I'll hopefully get it right.

It is possible, however, that I don't understand the increases as well as I thought and once I get that sorted out all will be back on track. (I'm getting wonderful help from a fellow Raveller who is very patient with my twisty questions!) .

Here is to be a nice picture of my Badger Hat, which is in chocolate brown and soft white. See? Extremely simple hat, but nice and warm and sooooooooft. I started the hat because it was a) simple, b) quick, and c) I needed a hat at the time. Now it is warmer out & I no longer need a hat. But I'm still glad I did it. It was a nice companion piece to the end of the socks. Simple and fast. And that week felt great - two projects off the needles.

Sometimes, that feeling of accomplishment is not influenced by the difficulty (or lack thereof) of the project(s).

Moving on

2008-02-26T07:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I gave notice on my job. That went better than expected and I'm quite relieved to be 'honest' again. Things were getting uncomfortable here, as my boss kept trying to get me to commit to projects that were taking place after I planned to be gone. I couldn't give him a good reason not to take them on without telling him why I couldn't do them. I know some people wouldn't have a problem playing along, but I just can't do that. It was good to finally just give them my written notice and wait for them to cycle through their phases so we can move on. Phases: stunned silence, polite acceptance, (now we're moving into) panicked attempts to plan for my departure. I expect there'll be a couple of more phases in there before I'm gone. We'll see what they turn out to be. My last day is March 20.

It feels really good to know that I have less than a month of work related stuff to deal with. I'm really excited and happy and nervous as heck. Mostly, I'm just glad to be past the last hurdle and moving forward towards whatever happens next. Daycare knows, the kids know and work knows. Now I just have to start winding things up here, training everyone to do all of my stuff (which may take more time than I have!), and start making lists of all the things I need to do first at home. Of course, the way things turned out (by accident) is that the very first day off of work will be the day I repeat the hand surgery. That means my first 3 days off of work will be on morphine. LOL That may be a fun way to start my new life! This will be followed by several weeks where I can't lift anything over a certain weight, 10 pounds? So that will keep me from trying to do too much all at once. After 6-8 weeks, the hand will be better and I'll be able to do more at a relaxed pace.

That's the plan.

I'm also trying to plan ahead for the surgery this time. Since I know what I'm getting into, I'm trying to psych myself into the mindset that I will enjoy a couple of months without knitting. It isn't working yet, but I'm trying anyway. I'm expecting some good books from a swap, and that will help, plus all the other books in my TBR (To Be Read) pile. In other words, this is the closest thing I'll get to guilt-free lounging for a long time, I should enjoy it as best I can. No work to come to, no big expectations for projects at home, so time to settle in, do small things and start adjusting to my new life. I already know that cross-stitch will work if I need to do something. I can consider sewing as an alternative (because there will be time to spend on it all day if I want), and I can think about projects to start up with once I can knit again.

I've decided to set the sweater back. The one I was planning for Himself? I won't be able to finish it in the next four weeks, so I'm not even going to CO for it. I'll save it until my hand has healed, since by the time that happens it will be too warm to wear the sweater. I'm trying to concentrate on simple, or at least quick, knits. I'm working on the BS Johnson hat from Knitty.com and I may CO for something else. We'll see. The hat is inspired by a character in Discworld by Terry Pratchett. Having finished the afghan squares, I was on a roll and couldn't wait to try my hand at another Pratchett item. I was also interested in this pattern because there are a number of new tricks for me to learn for a small item. It has been a bit challenging, but it is rolling along nicely at the moment.

The next biggest news is that I finally finished the sock! I know! Who woulda thunk it? I don't doubt that there may be a rare soul or two out there who have taken longer on a pair of socks, but zowie two years is nuts! I'm working on the pictures & will get them up asap. I also finished the Badger Hat from Morehouse Farms. Hmm. I seem to be on a hat kick. Makes sense. I have virtually no need for a hat right now. LOL

So, big changes and big knitting finishes (not just because my feet are big!). I'm enjoying the feeling of accomplishment, and the adrenaline rush as I move through this change in work/home stuff. Another nice benefit to being home? More time for staying caught up with the blog, reading all the blogs I enjoy most and Ravelry. And of course, knitting again (once I'm recovered).

A girl can always change her mind

2008-02-11T07:29:00.001-08:00

Right? Okay, so here's the other square I did for the Pratchghan. It is a horseshoe (in case you can't tell) crossstitched using Nightlights glow-in-the-dark yarn over the Cascade 220 superwash. The Nightlights is not a particularly smooth yarn, or at least it isn't if you're sewing with it. Perhaps the process of pulling it through the fabric got it a bit rough. Anyway, that caused the stitches to be a bit wonky, and not fall neatly into an "X". Still, I decided I really liked the glowing and the overall concept, so I sent this as my primary square. I sent the turtle in as the back up, in case more squares were needed. I can't wait to see how this Pratchghan turns out!

I've made astounding progress on my 2nd sock! I'm down to the last 3 inches, give or take, and then I will have a completed pair of socks to wear. Assuming I can get one on my still puffy foot. LOL I will try to get some photos taken today and get them posted of my progress on this and the other projects I'm working on. I'm amazed at how quickly the sock goes when you actually work on it a little most days of the week. Zowie! Who knew?

I'm about halfway through the Badger Hat from Morehouse Farm. I just picked it up on a whim when I ordered more yarn for the Dragon Scarf. I purchased the Dragon kit last year sometime, and after a recent conversation on Ravelry, I decided that I really wanted to work on this item. I read a number of comments about the scarf, and decided I would like to make mine a bit longer by adding to the body, so I ordered another skein of yarn & threw in the hat as well. Well, it was cold the day I ordered & I didn't have a hand knit hat to wear. That's just so wrong! So, of course I had to do something about that situation. Naturally. Anyway, it is a basic, basic hat, but the yarn is so darned soft! Funny thing about the dragon yarn. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and I bought the wrong color. As it turned out, I liked the new color better, so I had to get more to do the whole scarf in the new green. What a dork!

I kind of set the swatch aside for Himself. I'm anxious to get the sock finished, so I figure the swatch can wait. I am scheduled to repeat the surgery on my hand, the one I had last year, and so I've got about 6 weeks of knitting left before I have to take a break. There's no way I'll get his sweater done in the next 6 weeks, at least I don't think so, so I thought I'd work on the things I can finish up in that time. Hopefully, the surgeon will actually be the one in the room, not his resident, and the surgery will be successful this time. I will not do it again. Weeks on the crutches with my leg taught me that my wrist is pretty much where it was before the first surgery. I don't want to live with it if I don't have to, but I'm still pretty ticked that I have to repeat the surgery. Oh well.

I'm hoping the surgeon's ego will be involved this time since he knows his resident didn't do a very good job last time. (I'm still assuming it was his resident since the surgeon looked at my hand and said "Who did this last surgery? That isn't my scar!". He didn't believe it was "him" until his new resident found it in my chart. Encouraging, no? It is possible that it was a team effort, but I just kind of feel that maybe the surgeon just passed through the room and gave it a quick look. Teaching hospitals, always a risk I guess.

The leg is good. I saw the doctor for the last time on Friday. She says I don't need to come back unless I have new pain, particularly pain over the break. It isn't 100% mended, but it is 90% or so. I got a prescription for physical therapy, which I will try to get started next week. Himself is out of town this week, and I just can't add anything new into my day without him around to help with the kids. I should have about a month of therapy and then I'll be done. I'm doing well, I think. It is really just a matter of limbering up those muscles, etc., and building up my strength again. I'll keep using my ankle brace for a week or two, then I'll be done with that too.

It is incredibly awesome to have two feet & two hands again! And the progress on the sock! Man! I'm on a roll! 'Till I CO a bunch of new projects. LOL

Finally getting back into the swing!

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Well, finally something to post! This is my Pratchghan square. It is my first Intarsia design based on the cover of Small Gods (the blue cover) by Terry Pratchett. The Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild on Ravelry is putting together a quilt to send to Pterry & this is my square. Having seen many of the other squares, I'm feeling pretty intimidated. Some of those people have some serious skillzz. LOL Still, I tried to get fancy, and the result was pretty unimpressive, unfortunately. This is only my 2nd attempt at Intarsia, however, so even though it isn't as WOW as some of the other squares, it is a big leap for me. I should cut myself some slack. Right?

My leg is healing nicely. I am up to the walking boot, no crutches except late at night after I'm in bed. I get to split my walking time between the boot and a regular shoe with an ankle brace, and I'm making some progress. It is slow, but I can see improvement. Today, however, it hurts. I don't know if it is due to the great success of walking around without pain yesterday (and maybe I did too much of that) or if it is the serious cold & snow we have today. Maybe it will be a weather leg now. Not sure that is something to look forward to.

In addition to the square above, I labored intensely over a 2nd square option. I'm still debating that one. It is a blue square with a crossstitched horseshoe in the Nightlights glow-in-the-dark yarn. I thought it would be doubly significant. A horseshoe for good luck and a glow-in-the-dark hoofprint for Binky, Death's horse. Sadly, however, the Nightlights doesn't crossstitch so well on the square. It looks a bit stiff and inelegant. I'm trying to decide if the inherent coolness of glowing-in-the-dark outweighs the amateur looking crossstitch. I can probably spend about a week deciding before I have to send it on to be sewn up into the quilt. It is going to England, so I want to make sure it gets there in plenty of time.

I've also spent some serious time working on that darned 2nd sock. I'm making really good progress, finally, and I've got about an inch or and inch and a half before I'll be at the heel. It really doesn't take long to get anywhere with socks, I've just let it be such a filler project that it has taken a rediculous amount of time. Hopefully I've learned my lesson and I'll treat socks a little better in the future. We'll see how that goes.

Lastly, I'm doing a gauge swatch for a sweater for Himself. The one I'd planned to do, about two years ago, no longer suits either of us. So I ordered Men In Knits and he picked out a couple of sweaters that he liked. I'm planning to do the cover sweater first. I was hoping to find something that would use the yarn I already had for the sweater we no longer wanted, but no. That is not to be. Then again, this sweater knits up with a bulky yarn, so it should go faster. I'm looking at using Bernat Natural Blend Alpaca in Wheat. This stuff is soft, though it sheds like crazy, and will be easy to care for, once the shedding stops. LOL I'm all about the easy care right now.

Of course, I've got 8 or 10 skeins of Silky Wool to repurpose now.

Happy birthday to me!

2008-01-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Wow. You know my favorite thing about my birthday? I get to go to work! (Yes, that is a joke.) My birthday always coincides with the beginning of the term at school. Such fun!

I'm sorry, it isn't really that bad, it just seems like a lame present, doesn't it? OTOH, there was a little snow this morning during my commute. That was nice. (since it didn't mess up traffic!) I like watching it snow & I had my peppermint hot chocolate with me. YUM!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas & Happy New Year. My family had a pleasant time together and we avoided any drama. Well, as much as we can with the 5 & 7 year olds in the house.

My leg continues to mend nicely (as far as I can tell) and I am now able to put my full weight on it when I walk. I'm still using crutches with it, but it is much easier now. There's still swelling when I remove the boot, but it is usually gone by morning. The most painful thing about my leg is the stiffness from lack of movement. I'm doing my exercises, like writing the alphabet with my big toe, and it is slowly getting better. I was a bit surprised how much the Primitive Brain influences behavior. When I could increase the weight I could put on my foot, my body pretty much refused to go there. It has taken some intense deliberate thought to get it going, but I'm making progress. Slowly. The patience & tolerance I think I've had through this deal is starting to fade. I hoping I am nearing the end of the bigger boot/cast thing & that I will soon just be back to my own naked leg, as it were.

I've gotten some knitting done over the holidays. I finished the hat/scarf for DD#2 and I designed and knit an Intarsia square for a Pratchghan. The Pratchett group on Ravelry is knitting up squares for an afghan to send Pterry. This is my 2nd Intarsia attempt, and after ripping it 4 or 5 times, I'm pleased with the result. Except, I have come up with another idea for a square. So I may just finish this one off, just in case, then try my hand at the other design, if I can work out the details, and then decide which square to send. I have until the end of January to get it done. It is due Feb 29th, but it is going to England, so I figure I need to allow the postal service plenty of time to get it there.

Still, just one example of how Ravelry isn't just about eating up my computer time. It is about pushing me to try something new! LOL That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

It is good to be back. I'll make with the photos when time permits.

This is so wrong...

2007-12-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

Looking for x-ray technician school?

Wrong, but since I have one and someone sent me this link I had to take the test. Right?

Somehow I know I will sleep better now. Himself only scored 17, I'm thinking I might have to use him as a weapon too. LOL

This was a surprise

2007-12-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Gytha (Nanny) Ogg

You are Nanny Ogg! A talented witch, able to make yourself at home wherever you are, and insist that Greebo is just a big softie. You enjoy drinking, a lot, and singing about a hedgehog. You have a huge family, and get your daughters-in-law to do most of the housework. You are kind and gentle, and help put people at ease.

Gytha (Nanny) Ogg

88%

Commander Samuel Vimes

81%

Death

81%

Lord Havelock Vetinari

81%

Carrot Ironfounderson

75%

Greebo

69%

Rincewind

56%

Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax

50%

The Librarian

50%

Cohen The Barbarian

25%

Brief Update

2007-12-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

Well, I made a short visit to the doctor yesterday. Good news: the leg is maintaining the correct positioning and is healing. Slightly less good new: I have to wait another 10 days for a walking cast/boot. It is really all good news, I guess, I'm just done with the "I can't do anything" stage, and I'm ready to be a little more capable. My family is with me on this one. They are so done being me. LOL

I sympathise with them. It is hard having to do all the stuff I do, but now Himself is getting a better taste of what I do every day. He isn't liking it. Poor baby. The girls are learning to do more for themselves as well, they aren't liking it either. I am learning that they could all be doing more than they have been, without taking over everything I do, and I'd still have more on my plate than I have time for. It is an interesting learning experience. The challenge will be not regressing to doing everything for them again when I can walk.

Wow. A lesson. How nice. I'm sure I'll appreciate it more when I'm up and moving again.

One major downer, my poor kitty seems to be sick. She is a beast of a cat, friendly only to me and even then not the most affectionate thing. She's 16, so getting up there in cat years, but I'm not sure what is wrong. I think she is having some problems with her hips or legs. She has some joint problems, but they haven't bothered her in many years. She seems to be aware of her limitations and doesn't do dumb things (like jump too high, etc.), so I don't know what she might have done to hurt herself. She's just laying around, occasionally crying pitifully while just laying there, and if she gets up to move, lots of crying. I suppose it could be something else, but it is hard to say. She won't even look at me when I talk to her, she just keeps her head down and if I pet her gently, she cries.

I'm really very worried, but since I'm on crutches, I can't do anything to get her to the vet. I have to wait on Himself to work around his schedule to get her in and I'm pretty stinking frustrated. I think I empathize with her pain more than he does. So, I'm hoping it is just her hips and that they can help her get through this pain. I'm worried it is something more and we are nearing the end. Most of my cats hit the 20-22 year mark, but I know that is not the average. Obnoxious though she is, she's my baby. I got her a year after we got married.

Sorry, that got a lot more sad than I intended. On another note, I'm still trying to psych myself into getting Christmas cards out. I missed last year due to the hand surgery. I was really hoping to get back on track this year, but it isn't looking good. We'll see if I get a sudden burst of energy or something.

I finished the blasted hat (on the 5th try) and the scarf. I'll get pictures up when I'm able. Everytime I ask the girls to get me the camera, they start taking pictures of my cast & I never get the pictures I want. I'm about 2/3 of the way into the 2nd hat for the other DD, but I noticed that the ball of yarn was a partial ball. I eventually rememered that I had made a scarf & hat for another friend in this same yarn several years ago. Apparently, I used a partial ball for something and this is what was left. It isn't enough to do the hat, and I was using the remaining yarn from the Hat Ball to add a little more length to the scarf. sigh So now I can either give the youngest a significantly smaller scarf or I can go get more yarn.

The Problem: I can only think of one LYS that carries the yarn that I have a reasonable chance of getting myself into on crutches or the roll-a-bout.

Think about it. We love our LYSs with their stuffed shelves and baskets full of goodies on the floor, etc. On crutches, they are a blinking nightmare of near-death experiences waiting to happen. Two of my favorites are in houses with stairs and I'm not sure I would even want to attempt getting into them, much less maneuver through them. Zowie.

I've never considered accessibility before, but I'm willing to bet that most stores are not very convenient for people with mobility issues. That is a very sobering and distressing thought.

Sorry for not leaving this on a happier note. I guess I've just got too much time for thinking these days.

Snow, casts & stuff

2007-12-09T20:20:00.001-08:00

Sorry for being so absent! I'm afraid the week quite got away from me and Ravelry has been eating up a huge amount of my online life. (I read this often enough in other blogs, I know it isn't just me!) I'm Silvercat if you're there and want to say Hi.

I returned to work this past week and made slightly over half-days most of the week. Thursday I started having nearly constant cramps and muscle spasms, mostly not painful, just persistent. (Reminded me of Braxton-Hicks contractions when I was pregnant.) Anyway, I stayed home from work on Friday & called the doctor. She had me come in for some vascular tests. It seems cramps are a symptom of blood clots, so they wanted to be sure everything was okay.

The Doppler they did on my leg was quite the ordeal. I had a 1:00 appointment, but orthopedics neglected to have me come by so that they could remove the cast first. After hauling myself around on crutches (my Roll-A-Bout was trapped in my house and I could not get it down the stairs to the van) and waiting in the lobby for 20 minutes or so, I went back to an exam/test room where the doctor proceeded to make noises about how she couldn't do anything with my cast on. She finally called orthopedics for me and everything got rescheduled for 3:00 cast removal (orthopedics office across the street) then back for the Doppler at 3:45, then back to orthopedics once more for a new cast.

People, that is a lot of crutching! I ended up moving the car back and forth just so I could have some sit down time. I would never have made it on crutches alone. That left me with about an hour & a quarter to kill. Going home was out & I couldn't really go anywhere that involved moving around on crutches for long, so I just got something to eat, sat in my car and read a book. (I was too grumpy to knit in the car, I have to shift my leg too often to get anything done.)

The Doppler results were good, no blood clots! I just seem to be the lucky sort of person who is susceptible to muscle spasms/cramps when casted like this. Or maybe I'm working too much (or moving too much at work) and my leg is not getting enough rest. I got some muscle relaxers, but I can't take them during the day if I'm driving. So they will be for the evenings only, if I need them. I tell you, the cramps I had last week had me acting like a Tourettes' sufferer all night. (No offense to the people suffering with Tourettes, it just fits) I'd jerk awake yelling, sometimes not very nice things, as my foot cramped and moved involuntarily in the cast which HURT. Scared Himself half to death several times. LOL

So here is my new cast. Nice and shiny red for Christmas. The girls have already decorated it with snowmen and ornaments in silver and gold. The youngest was singing the song while she did it. My leg is already looking stringy and scrawny from lack of use. Good grief!

This Doppler test was my second lengthy ordeal of the week. I won't bore you with the details on it, let's just say that if you need a handicapped placard here in my town, you'd better have an able-bodied person with you to get it! No wonder I was having leg troubles last week.

I did finish the ~~stupid~~, ~~from hell~~, hat. Finally. At least I know how to make one now. Ha! And I wrote everything down since I'll have to make at least one more with the same yarn. The scarf is about 30 minutes away from completion. I'll get the pics up when finished. DD #1 seems happy with them, she keeps modeling the hat, so I guess that is a good sign. If she loses it, I may have to hurt her! LOL

It has certianly gotten cold enough for hats and scarves. Today is supposed to be about 38(F) and there was a bit of snow. (There was snow last Sunday too, that's the top picture.) At least there isn't any ice on the sidewalks by my office. We're at sea level, so it rarely gets bad enough to mess things up downtown. Where I live, however, it is a different story.

I do hope you are all making good progress on Christmas projects & things and that you are taking time to enjoy the season. In spite of how I may sound when sharing my latest adventures, rest assured that I am laughing at myself & the situation. Okay, sometimes I'm a bit grumpy with some of the ~~thoughtless~~, ~~inconsiderate~~ people I'm dealing with, but it doesn't last beyond the moment really. Mostly, I am extrememly grateful that I am not more severely injured and thankful for the many, many blessings in my life.

Purple haze

2007-11-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well, my last visit to the Dr. included additional x-rays and a consultation with another orthopedic Dr. The consensus was that I do not need surgery as my projected recovery would not be improved by surgery. Or, I will heal just as well without it. I've looked at the x-rays and the fluoroscope as the doctor described what she was looking for, while I'm not a doctor, it did seem pretty clear that all was as well as it could be. So, I'm now the proud owner of a purple cast. (Yes Husky fans, that is purple and gold!)

The girls have been handed metallic markers and have spent the week decorating my cast. They've been so enthusiastic that I think the only clear space is on the back where my leg is resting on pillows. I'm not sure how much longer this space will remain clear...

I turned the imps loose with the camera again, it is too awkward to take them myself, and after I'm up for a while, my foot gets pretty achy. I'm glad I decided to postpone going back to work. I had intended to return today, but I am still having a difficult time getting around and if I'm struggling at home, I can't imagine going to work. The trip to my bathroom at work is about 7 times the distance that it is at home. Of course, the restroom at work is equipped with rails, etc., which would make things a bit easier. It is frustrating. The only part of my that is broken is my leg, the rest of me is going mad sitting here with so many limitations. Work is appealing, just so I can get out and interact with people, you know? My husband seems to think I should be back already, but I figure if I'm uncomfortable, I shouldn't do it.

I pulled a stunt worthy of Jerry Lewis yesterday. I managed to get my crutches tangled in my new Duvet and tripped. In the process I banged up the middle toe on my good foot and fell slightly on the broken leg. The slight fall on the bad side ached, but did not really hurt. The thing I did with my good leg/foot, well, let's just say I don't know exactly what I did to my toe, but it hurts & has a big black bruise at the end on one side. I feel like maybe I broke it, but maybe it is just a sprain. It is ridiculous, I mean, seriously. I'm sure Mr. Lewis could have done it justice in a film. I just fell back across the bed and gasped out some very unlady-like words. No one to hear me but the cats. I spent the rest of the day crossstitching and icing my toe.

It may have been a blessing, of a sort. I finished the quilt square now, YIPPEE! and I can go back to other things, like knitting. I've really accomplished quite a few things from my nearly prone position. The colors aren't great, but the girls' camera doesn't have the ultra nice flash & the lighting wasn't great at the time they took it. The color of the vase is a deep steely blue, the leaves are a medium antique-ish green, and the flowers are a very dark plum. They balance very nicely, I think, and it is a nice square. Best of all, I finished well in advance of the due date, nothing to do but turn it in.

I think I'm ready to get back to the knitting, but I might read a bit more first. So far this week I've finished two books; The Old Wine Shades (my first Martha Grimes) and Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair. Both very enjoyable, though the Grimes book involved quantum mechanics, and there were bits that required a second read to make sure I understood it all. I was not prepared for the ending and I wonder if it is common in her books or just fitting for this one in particular. (Don't worry, I won't give it away.) I also worked in a short story by Jim Butcher, an outstanding author (fantasy/urban fantasy).

One last photo, I just can't resisit. My youngest (the 5 y.o.) is quite something. I should probably be concerned, but I'll just file it all away for later. She was posing for her sister with the camera, she is a total ham. And a flirt.

What a cutie, right? Not long after the picture was taken, she was helping with something and I said "thank you, sweetie." She said, "I'm not sweet, I'm evil." I said "No, you're worse. You're cute." That made her laugh and she started making up a song about mommy saying she is cute.

I tell you , that kid is twisted.

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Cast

2007-11-25T14:05:00.001-08:00

Well, there it is. My girls wanted to take some pictures of my foot last night, so I was able to use one of theirs to post here. Please note the lovely flamingo pants I'm lounging in. :) Himself was helping the girls to create a nice shot, so they draped the purple background to set off the foot nicely.

I will go see the orthopedic doctor tomorrow to see if I will need surgery. All I want is a nicely healed ankle, so I can walk comfortably for years to come, it it takes surgery to do that, so be it. I am anxious to get one with it though. I'm trying to be a good patient. Himself has this huge project that is due on 12/7, so this has come at an especially bad time for him. I am trying to keep my requests (and directions) to a minimum so that he can concentrate on all the things he needs to get done as well. Work is going to be a bear.

I obviously have control issues, although I prefer to look at it as a need to plan. I'm really freaking out right now because I have no idea what I'll be doing next week. Can I go to work? Will I be home for two weeks due to surgery? Can I do all of my Christmas shopping on the internet? (Actually, this will probably be the easiest one to manage!) Bah! No humbug, but just lots to sort out. I hope that when I do return to work, I will be able to drive myself. I can't carpool with my DH, his hours are too erratic, especially as he approaches his deadline. Such a mess! So much uncertainty! AAARRRRRGH!

Sorry, I'm trying to look at it as an opportunity to learn patience and to let go and, just have faith it will all work out. December is an especially difficult month to be rendered reasonably helpless.

It really is ironic. I complain that I don't have anytime to just sit and work on projects, but now I have it (in spades!) and I just can't enjoy it. I am rotating through the crossstitch square for the wedding quilt and the gauge-nightmare-hat (I had to rip it again!) and the Harry Potter scarf and the laptop. I haven't worked in any reading yet, since the family is around and I will have plenty of alone time to zone out on books next week. The thing is, those crutches have made my arms VERY SORE. In fact, my arms and shoulders hurt more than my foot does, for the most part. I can't spend much time on any of my projects because they hurt so darned bad.

It will pass, I know. I'll build up muscles/tolerance in my spaghetti arms and then maybe I can make better use of my forced down time. I took my pain meds today mostly because of my arms/shoulders, not my foot. My ankle feels much better today, overall, which I'm guessing has to do with the swelling going down or something. One of the cats keeps running over it on his way to food (of course), but otherwise no one is bothering it much.

I am running out of interest in children's cartoons. Possibly TV altogether, at least with other folks in the house watching it. I had trouble watching (American) football today, which is really something for me. I have to admit that even though I can't do much for myself right now, I'm looking forward to some alone time tomorrow.

I am also amazed by my children. They come in from playing outside and ask me "what's for dinner?" Do I look like someone who is going to cook a meal? Really? Still, we have been playing a few games together, and they've been a bit motivated to try some different toys that have been sitting neglected for a while. That is fun, although my youngest DD is a bit of a cheater...

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and well wishes! They are much appreciated, and very cheering. I'll be sure to post after the doctor visit tomorrow. Now I'm off to help the ~~cheater~~ darling youngest girl with her newest art project.

Thankful anyway

2007-11-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope all my American friends had a lovely Thanksgiving. Our plans changed dramatically, and suddenly, but we had a lovely Thanksgiving day.

I took this past week off of work. The daycare was going to be closed, and the girls' school was on a half day schedule all week, so I thought I'd take a few days off and get some things done around the house, get started on another quilt square and take a little time to get some photos done for Ravelry.

Insert about an hour's worth of hard laughing here.

Yeah, so what I really did was cart the girls around to school and back, go see the doctor about my hand (he wants to do surgery again) and hit a number of after school school activities. I didn't even look at yarn, never saw the quilt square and the only cleaning I got done was just enough to put things in piles to be sorted out "later". There was piles of cooking to be done. We were joining friends from church for Thanksgiving, so I had a few side dishes to prepare. I got those all ready, although I was stressing a bit about the vegetable dish. I was feeling uninspired and all my favorites were already spoken for by other guests.

Wednesday was an insanely busy day, I think the only time I sat down was to drive to the school and back. Himself called late in the day and said "Guess what? It is Christian's birthday and there is a surprise party tonight." So, dinner went by the wayside and we headed down to the valley for the party. There was food and music (this is the guy he's been playing in a band with for the past 13-14 years). We had a new friend there. He is also a musician and plays the Native American flute. (Sorry if there is a better name for it, my head is rather fuzzy - you'll see why soon). There were a few people I haven't seen in some time, so it was a nice, and small, gathering.

We left early, as we had a church service Thursday morning and Himself was directing the choir. Our friends house has about four wooden steps leading up to the front door. It has been rather wet and rainy here, although the past couple of days have been stunningly clear and beautiful. And frosty, lots of frost. As we left our friends home, I was going down the stairs, holding my youngest child, and I slipped (the wet wooden stairs were very slippery!). I have no idea how I actually landed, well, except that I sat on a very old moldy pumpkin. I did not drop the child, though I scraped her leg a little bit on the stairs. She started crying and everyone came to check on her. I was a bit stunned and eventually, people asked if I was okay. (It is nice to be remembered.) I was dazed, but I knew my foot was hurt, so I got Himself to finish loading the (still crying, but fine) child in the car with her sister. Folks gathered to help me up and I discovered that I couldn't put any weight at all on my foot. (Too bad, really, I've got lots of weight that needs putting somewhere!-LOL)

Himself and a couple of other guests helped me get to the van and off we went. I was shivering uncontrollably, I thought from the cold outside (it was in the 30s). After a few minutes, I thought I could actually feel my foot swelling. I couldn't see anything, but it hurt. A LOT. I decided that a trip to the ER was in my best interest. I knew it hurt too much to sleep, and since Himself was directing the choir in the morning, I wouldn't be able to go then.

Good decision. Turns out that I have two, yes 2, fractures in my left ankle. Yay me! They are in the Fibula, the non-weight bearing bone. I had to wait to see the orthopedic doctor until today, and they won't cast it until next Monday. If the swelling is down enough. I'll also find out if I need surgery then. Yippee, just the way I wanted to spend my holidays this year. I seem to be stuck in a rut of some kind.

I'd like to say that I'm very grateful that it was only my ankle that was hurt, not my daughter, and no other bones were broken (or worse). I am hopeful that I can dodge surgery, but if I need it it will be next week. I'm a bit strung out on pain meds, so I'm sorry if the post is a bit rambling or plain old weird. Not only are there meds to work around, but I'm using my DH's laptop, which is weird for me

I was in no shape to go out to eat with our friends from church, so we were planning to try to get a pizza to go with the cranberry salad I had made for lunch. (Sounds like a winning combination, right?) Our friends who hosted my calamity, had their Thanksgiving day plans canceled as well. They stopped by and brought a store bought feast for Thanksgiving. (The people who had ordered the food canceled.) So, we had a lovely meal with good friends afterall. You know, friends are the family you choose. I'm grateful that we did such a good job choosing, even if they have slippery stairs. LOL

Quiet time

2007-11-13T08:21:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems like the proverbial 'quiet before the storm' is setting in. Although, we had a bit of a storm yesterday with gusts in Bellingham up to 97 mph or so. I'm happy to have had nothing over about 50 or so at my house (or here one the waterfront). No pics, I don't usually bring my camera to work and don't use my phone much, but the view was really nice. Glad I wasn't on a ferry, though. Not sure how I'd do on the "rough seas". LOL

What I really mean by "quiet time" is that people seem to be fairly quiet in the blog world. Odd, I know there's the NaBloPoMo going on, but most of the blogs I read don't seem to be signed on for that one. I'm glad I didn't know about it before now, or I might have done something foolish and signed up. Goodness knows I can talk about nothing for, well, ever.

My guess is that folks are taking a deep breath before the gift giving season (looming around the corner) gets into full swing. Yes, only a little over 5 weeks until Christmas. The Advent season is upon us! Last night as we drove past a house with Christmast lights up already, my 5 y.o. asked: "Are they insane?!" No offense to any of you "early birders" out there, but I'm with the 5 y.o. on this one. And I have to admit, it is a pretty darned funny thing to hear coming out of a 5 year old's mouth. I'm just sayin'.

I try to avoid planning knitting gifts for Christmas. I did several scarves a few years ago, and that was enough to smack some sense into my head. (Until I forget, that is.) I also subjected myself to the trauma of knitting dozens of gifts for graduating student employees. On a schedule. Yep. Lesson learned (for now). I just knit things for gifts. If it is done in time for a significant date, fine, if not... Happy Tuesday! (or whatever) I don' t need that much pressure for projects that I do for pleasure.

I'm planning my shopping as well, but I'm also spending my time trying to decide how to spend my time next year when I'm no longer working outside the home. I'm pretty stinking overwhelmed by the whole prospect. I think I'm just going to make lists. In time, perhaps I'll even make lists of lists. LOL Anything to avoid thoughts of the emotional trauma of seperating my kids from the daycare family. Lists are good, they are even actionable. If I do them right.

As a librarian, I'm very good at organizing stuff. Its what I do, really. The problem is, there's lots of ways to organize the same stuff. I think I could easily spend way too much time on the re-organizing side of life. I don't have a problem. I can stop ~~anytime I want~~, erm, ~~when someone hits me over the head with something~~, ah - eventually. Let's just hope that is sooner than later. But I do think I deserve a couple of weeks off. First, I have to get there. (And yes, I know that the time will somehow fly by and drag on, simultaneously.)

The above info is why I have nothing but a profile page on Ravelry. I have to get my yarn stash all out and gussied up for pictures. Then find the time to take the pictures, etc. Still, another organizational project for me. Yay, me!

Frogging myself silly

2007-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, would you believe I've ripped the darned hat yet again?! Somewhere in round two of the stupid fuzzy fee hat I twisted my stitches. I discovered this in round three. I believe that the error occured while watching the girls as swimming lessons, so it is sort of forgiveable, but man! I am feeling fairly incompetent here. Jinkies!

And don't get me started about gauge. I've knit up several swatches, found one that looked good and went with that needle size, etc. Now that I've got it going, I'm concerned that this will be too big as well. And I've already ripped it, what, like four times now? I really don't want to rip it again.

Holy cow.

I thought I could manage a hat by now. I really did. Maybe I've just lost my hat mojo or something. I think I'll go forward for several inches just to see. It is hard for me to tell the actual size of something when it is on the needle. It is so distorted. I'll just knit tighter than usual for the ribbed bit and hope that makes it fit. Otherwise, I might just tell DD#1 that there won't be a hat to match the longer scarf. She probably really wouldn't care, I'm just trying to give the cute little customer what she asked for. And then, whatever she gets, sister will want.

Bah. I'm nearly up to the first stripe on my HP scarf. I can't believe how slowly this one is going. I only work on it at home, so that's pretty limiting. We've been so crazy busy, that's even more limiting. Then, K1P1 seems to take forever to work up into a row (that may just be me). I usually manage 2-6 rows at a time before someone interrupts me and I don't get to touch it again for a few days. sigh This thing is going to take a while to finish.

Please pardon the rather frustrated tone of the post today. I just had such a crazy busy weekend. Himself was out filming a 10th anniversary for the Seattle Gaelic League Friday night (until late) and all day Saturday (again until late) and then Sunday he was recording a CD for a friend. I was parenting without much assistance, teaching sunday school and attempting to keep the kids entertained while I cleaned around the house. Guess how that worked out?

Let's just say the kids were reasonably entertained & I got very little done beyond toasting pumpkin seeds & bringing in the Halloween decorations from the front porch. The rest are still all around the house. I tried to balance our checkbook, but there is some problem with the software and it won't update from my bank account. I think I spent over an hour on that one, to no avail. But hey, I got in quite a few games of Freecell around all of the Zoo Tycoon tutoring I did with the girls.

That game is so stinking addictive. I should probably have just done that instead. I might have accomplished more with the animals than with my house. LOL I'll try to remember that next time. (There's always a next time!)

I bought it for the cover model

2007-11-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

No. Seriously. The new Vogue Knitting? It has Paulina on the cover. I LOVE this woman. You know, in a healthy non-stalking sort of way.

It is a throwback to my life in the 80s. She was all the rage, on the cover of all my favorite magazines, the Cars video for Drive, etc. In fact, her face drove most of my magazine purchases at the time. (I'm sure the 80s marketing directors would be quite satisfied to hear that.) Stunningly beautiful, somewhat ethereal (to me anyway). She was the closest to a 'perfect beauty' I could imagine. (Well, apart from Audrey Hepburn maybe.) I admit that, as a fan of the Cars, the video and her later marriage to Rick Ocasek really pushed me over the edge in my admiration of her.

Man. How superficial is that?! But then I wasn't even 20 yet, so I think some slack is due on this.

Weird. I was never someone concerned with becoming a "beautiful person" or even of being in that crowd. Nevertheless, I was smitten with Paulina. Stayed up to watch her on the Johnny Carson version of the Tonight Show and spent my money on all kinds of stuff just because her face was on it.

Well, imagine my surprise when I was browsing knitting magazines and there she was. Right on the cover. Cover model Paulina is back! Probably not quite what she's been used to, but somehow it is perfect. For someone who had a bit of a reputation for dissing the fashion industry, I think it is appropriate that she represent something she does apparently enjoy - KNITTING.

Wow. The Cars and knitting. Its like we're twins or something. We have so much in common! (Yes. I'm kidding!)

And yes of course I bought the magazine.

Sugar Hangover

2007-10-31T20:56:00.001-07:00

Okay, anyone else a little hungover from all of the sugar?

Actually, it isn't that bad. I did pace myself. Today has been more of a challenge as I am so tired from a late(r than usual) night. The chocolate is a convenient crutch/something to do to keep me awake. This week has been so busy! Field trip with 2nd graders Monday, work Tuesday & Halloween party with a friend of the girls, Halloween & a party with Kindergarteners (oops! I forgot to post a picture of that!) and then back to work. Tonight is homework night and then only Friday to get through. Homework will be tough, though. I'm sure I'm not the only one tired and ready for an early bedtime.

At least I hope I'm not.

Knitting has been a mere dream this week. I cast on a scarf in GGH Fee (I think it is color #13) for my oldest last week (I think) and decided that I'd make a hat as well. I have exactly two cakes of the stuff, so I thought maybe I should do the hat and than incorporate whatever is left into the scarf. You know, to make it as long as possible. (Hey, she's small. She doesn't need a long scarf.) Anyway, getting the right needle size and gauge, etc. has been a real bear for some reason. I've gone two rows in and then ripped it all back out at least three times (I'm starting version #4, in other words) and I'd really just like to git 'er done. (I'm from Texas, I'm allowed this kind of talk on occasion.)

Part of the way through the hat gauge wrangling, I picked up a book at work. sigh So of course I had to finish that right away. Another good one. I seem to be reading these in reverse order. Hmm. Or perhaps "random" is a better word. Either way. I'm enjoying Agent Pendergast, but I do wonder if I might find them boring or repetitive if I read them too close together. I'm trying to pace myself.

I seem to be struggling on the knitting side of life. I don't know if the difficulties in gauge are a symptom or the cause. Perhaps they are unrelated. I only know I'm having a tough time sticking with any one project. Perhaps it is just Startitis.

Did I mention that I cast on for a Harry Potter scarf too? The one for years 3-4 in the Charmed Knits book. I've been wanting an HP scarf for years. Once I saw this one it was just a matter of time. I think I thought it would be an easy and quick knit. I'm obviously insane. (I forget that sometimes.) This scarf will not be a quick knit, but it is satisfying. I just won't plan to wear it any time soon.

I may just be out of sorts due to obsessing about the job/stay home issue. The jury is still sort of out on that. I've got to get the budget in order and I've got a month to work it out. I'm trying to psych myself into staying home (and to stop worrying about the impact of ending the daycare family impact on the kids). I meet with variable success as the day passes. Did I mention that I'm insane? Just in case you were wondering... LOL

slipper madness

2007-10-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

Finally! Here's the photo of the completed slippers with feet in. As I mentioned before, the girls were pretty freaked out at how big they were on their feet.

The slippers were knit with size 13 US needles (16" knitpicks circs). The pattern called for size 10, but I needed a 13 to get gauge. This was odd because I'm usually spot on for whatever the pattern calls for. Oh well. I used Cascade 220 yarn, I don't remember the color numbers & they don't do names. As you can see, one pair was red and the other was pink. LOL

If I do them again (and it is likely that I will), I'll consider making the next smaller size for them both. Unless I really need the larger size to get the right amount of felting, this size just seemed crazy big and it took forever to shrink them down.

That said, here's the finished item. Well, mostly finished. They are still a bit large, mostly in width. I'm considering another round of felting to see if I can make them fit a bit better. The straps seem way too long. If I use them to make the shoe fit better (in the width), the girls will need to button them all the way at the sole/floor. That seems a bit too much.

Of course, I could shorten the strap, but I'm just feeling that something isn't right here. Either I've got incomplete felting, or inadequate felting or I just knit up the wrong size and this is the best these will do for now. Maybe I just measured the girls' feet wrong. I did it about 5 times to be sure I was right, but who knows. I'm still thinking about it.

On Monday I went on a field trip with the second grade class. They went to the Lively property. The name is intriguing during the week of Halloween, but it is simply a property that was donated to the school district to teach children about their environment. I say "their environment" rather than "the environment" simply because it was not a big GREEN place (although it was green), it is just an opportunity for urban kids to learn more about life 100 years ago or so. There's a museum of old farm equipment, an old classroom, a spinning wheel (looked like a modern Ashford castle style, missing some parts) and about 40 spindles (top whorl) for teaching, a BIG basket of raw wool (smelled lovely- the kids thought I was crazy sniffing the wool), and an old wood burning kitchen stove, etc.

All of the schools in the district are given raised plots to use. In the spring students come out and plant vegetables, in the fall, different classes come out to harvest. This is what we did. You can see my oldest showing off a carrot she picked. We harvested a HUGE amount of potatoes and carrots, a few beets, squash and cucumbers. The kids will be making a stew/soup on Thursday or Friday with the vegetables that they picked. It was a really nice opportunity for the kids. I was surprised how many had never even been for a walk in the woods before. I mean come on, we live in the Pacific Northwest. You pretty much don't even need to drive anywhere to find a wooded area.

Good grief.

We also made a scarecrow (sorry I didn't manage to get a picture of the finished thing, they put the parts together in class rather than at the property), pressed some apples for cider (though they weren't allowed to drink it because it wasn't pasturized) and went for a walk on some nature trails. There was also a nice lop-earred bunny that they could pet & a another one hopping around the property that was a constant distraction.

It was a lot of fun. The day was a bit damp, but not too bad, and fairly cool, but not freezing. I had fun, but needed a quiet place when it was all over (about 5 hours with about 60 kids - 7 year olds). I don't know how teachers do it. They deserve HUGE salaries.

I' m just saying.

Felted thoughts

2007-10-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

I spent about an hour Sunday night trying to felt the slippers. (No worries! I did get 'before' pictures that will be posted someday.) This was my first attempt at felting and I must say, it was not what I was expecting.

Perhaps I was anticipating the great drama of Me vs. the Machine as I fought valiantly to keep the slippers from shrinking down to Lilliputian-sized slippers. You know, checking every five minutes as the instructions, erm, instructed. Instead, it was a 30-40 minute ordeal of great tedium interspersed with moments of quiet admiration for the process. No real drama at all. Except for the fact that I was sitting in front of my washing machine in a chair designed for toddlers/small children and my back was still hurting yesterday. (I didn't notice any problem at the time or I would not have remained in the chair.)

A few things I learned:

While I took measurements as instructed, I believe that the sizes I knit were, in fact, too large for the feet of the intended recipient. I may be misled, but it seems that it was a real struggle to reduce these puppies to a size that the girls can wear. I think if I'd started with one size down for them, they would have shrunk to the correct size more quickly. HOWEVER, perhaps the point is not the time it takes to shrink to the desired size, but the time it takes to reach uniform felting as well as shrinking to the correct size. Experienced feedback on this would be appreciated. I don't know anyone who felts.
The slippers are not quite the correct fit. I left them a little big for both girls, you know, so they can grow into them. The slippers are pretty wide, though, and I'm not sure what I can do about that. I could toss them back in the wash and try felting them a bit more (with a different chair!) to see if that helps, but it seems like they would have to shrink quite a bit more to make a difference in the width of the shoe.
I have a front-loading machine. I read (somewhere) that it was possible to felt in a front-loader, but I wonder if it made a difference in how much time it took or how effective the felting process was over all. I put each pair of slippers in a lingerie bag and tossed them in with a few towels. Perhaps I needed something more abrasive? I just didn't want to risk shrinking anything else down in the hot water.
Lastly, I noticed that the "hot" water in my washing machine did not seem to be very hot when I stuck my hand in there to pulll out the slippers to check on the progress. I ended up adding some much hotter water in the hopes of helping things along. In the past, we've had some crazy hot water, but I'm wondering if they adjusted the temperature when they put in the new hot water heater this summer. I think they did. Also, maybe since the washer uses so little water, it doesn't have enough time to get really hot before it is in the machine.

So many questions! Mostly, I think I'm just not much of a felted person. I have some seriously negative associations with scratchy wool and felted things from my childhood. I have dealt with most of the 'scratchy wool' issues since I became a knitter. I now know that all of those hideous scratchy sweaters I had as a child were simply the wrong wool for a sweater. In particular, the wrong wool for a sensitive-skinned child living in the desert where it never really gets all that cold anyway.

The felted issue, well, let's just say there were numerous scratchy felted incidents that left an indelible mark on my views about felt. I can appreciate the many fine qualities of felt and felted items, I just don't have any desire to own many felted object. Though, they do have their place. I'm working on it. But it may take years to fully embrace felt in all of its glory. I'll start with a pair of slippers for me. Eventually. First I've got to find a better chair for the Felting Watch.