My Favorite!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

... 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

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

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).