Did you see smoke?

You should have seen smoke in the distance. Smelled the odor of wood burning a bit over the hill. Yes, I had an actual thought. Several things happened this week. I've been relistening to the old podcasts for "Cast On" w/ Brenda Dayne. Her easy style of podcasting is just SO relaxing to listen to, so I'm downloading all the old episodes and giving all the series' a second listen. Well, I'm up to the series on the Muses and the episode on memories and history and all that. She had a guest essayist who wrote about knitting her own bridal veil and knitting a future memory.
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2X4 between the eyes for me. You see, I've also been lurking on the "EZ as Pi" group over on yahoo and Elizabeth Lovick designed an Orkney lace Pi shawl. She just finished hers and she has a pic of it hanging on her clothesline and it's beyond gorgeous. Absolutely lovely! That picture sort of flittered through my mind as I was listening to this guest essay and... Bingo! I know I've said that I adore lace, but I really see no purpose since I like my shawls warm. I'm not a lacey kind of gal. Lacey confections of loveliness are something to be admired, but not something that I'd really wear. So why would I knit them?
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How about to create a piece of future history? I have two daughters who are 16 & 18. Someday, I hope they'll marry and want kids and all that. Why wait until they make the announcement to plan a wedding project? Why can't I knit a lace wedding shawl now for each of them? I could knit them now. Wash and block. Carefully pack them away in a ziploc bag with their name and then have them ready should the day come when they want to marry.
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After all, I've pretty much decided that, unless the bosses force me out of my current position and reassign me to a new post, I'm staying. I'm ensconced in my booth and I'm quite happy to remain there for however many years I decide to stay at my job. How more lucky could I ever expect to be? How many knitters could fall into a job where they can spend probably 30 of every 40 hours knitting? Stay where I am and simply plan large projects for each year. This year, I'd wanted to knit Christmas presents and I'd planned the two Philosopher's Wool sweaters. All projects accomplished as well as some extra Christmas gifts thrown in because I hd the extra time. Both sweaters knit also. Now I'm working on more socks and that Pi Are Squared shawl.
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Anyway, so next year, I could get a couple cones of laceweight yarn and work on future heirlooms for my daughters.
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Oh, speaking of yarns. Claudia Handpaint in Bearded Iris are done. Lovely yarn and lovely colors. I just turned the heel last night on the Colinette Jitterbug in Monet. This is the second sock, so I expect those to be on the feet this week. (Can't test how warm they are unless I wear them, right? /g/) And I started a new pair in Fannie's Fingering from Farmhouse Yarns. Now, Farmhouse Yarns is the one who started the store where I bought all those yarns in the bin sale. She sells mostly her own yarns. In fact, a great deal of the yarn is made from her own sheep. (At least, this is my understanding of how things have progressed for Carol Martin.) She used to sell her yarns from her home, but she's done well enough that she now has an official shop. I have to say that it's well worth the trip to see her shop. The yarns aren't cheap, but then she's located in East Haddam. Not exactly a poor part of the state. Taxes are low, but I'm sure rents are sky high and the housing market is unattainable for someone like me. Anyway, it's called CT Yarn and Wool (www.yarnandwool.com). Well worth the visit. Displays are wonderful and the colors in their hand-dyed are simply amazing.
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But I'm blathering. Fannie's Fingering in Zinnia, which is various shades of yellow with some orange and peach. Really gorgeous stuff to work with. Lovely, lovely. A real pleasure on the hands and the end fabric is lightweight, but I imagine it will be warm also because it's 100% wool.
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In the meantime, I have to sit down and clean my wheel in preparation for spinning. That will be my project while recuperating next month. As soon as I can sit comfortably, I'll be at my wheel while working through my library of DVDs. I got some beautiful fibers from Cathi at Stone Barn Fibers (www.stonebarnfibers.com) I got 6 oz each in her colorways of Blueberries & Cream, Orchids and also Arcade Treasures. Okay, I also got more sock yarn in Cranberry Bog, Spring Fling and Winter Wonderland. Oooo.... damn, Cathi's sense of color is beyond amazing. Gorgeous stuff and I can't wait to work with ALL of it... /g/
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Anyway, I do have quite a stash of fiber and my plan is to spin it all this summer so I can plan on projects next fall. In between the large projects of the two future wedding shawls, I'd like to see if I can finally spin my own sock yarn. If I can't get it that fine, then I'm hoping for a couple moebius' for the women I know--Mom, mother-in-law, aunt-in-law and a wonderful excellent friend, Linda. Christmas goodness in yarn that I spun myself. Yup, that's the plan.
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What was really nice this past week was spending the day with Hubby. Remember I wrote how we had to get a new entertainment center for his mother? Damn thing was solid oak. Weighed a TON. But we managed to wrangle it onto the trailer and then get it over to her house. It was real interesting to finagle it into her small apartment. Now, anyone else would consider this a huge room, but you have to understand my mother-in-law. She collects everything that comes within five feet of her. She stuffs every nook and cranny (as well as every available open space) with more junk that she considers "treasures". You can't take a step in any direction anywhere in her apartment without tripping over something. More crap than a dairy farm... /sigh/
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Anyway, got the picture? We had to maneuver the old entertainment center out. That was interesting enough. Then had to maneuver the new one in. Yeah, took us well over an hour because, for every step, we had to move three things.
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But we got that done. And then the DH had to pick up a car in Higganum and transport it over to Southington. Sure, I took the ride with him. It was really nice to spend about four hours, just the two of us. Nothing special. No big and meaningful conversations. Just spending time with each other without anyone else.
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Am I getting old if I can simply appreciate spending time with the Hubby? Quite possible and that's okay with me.

Attach head to shoulders...

Yes, someday I'll attach head to shoulders before I start typing. Surgery is May 14th, not May 7th. But we won't dwell on that. First because I really get annoyed by people who have no other conversation skills beyond their health. That's a personal and individual thing, so let's keep it personal and not inflict it on others. Second, yes, it makes me nervous. I've been exceedingly healthy for the majority of my life and this is major surgery. While I'm napping, they're going to cut a big hole, remove some parts that used to be quite handy and then sew me up. I'll be sore, I'll be cranky and please feel sorry for my poor husband. The girls can notes for someday, but my poor husband. I'll go to sleep with some fading hormones and wake up without them. I have no interest in HRT, so this poor man will live in lack-of-hormone-hell until I adjust.
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Nuff said about that issue.
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Widdershins. This pattern still bothers me. So I have some wonderful Plymouth Happy Feet yarn that I'm going to play with. I have some ideas on how to adjust Widdershins so I actually like it. I'm just not going to use expensive hand-dyed yarn while I'm playing. Happy Feet runs about $6/skein (2 needed for a pair of socks), so I don't mind playing with that. OTOH, I also won't make the second sock before I put them on feet. I'll try first and if that one doesn't work, make more adjustments on the second until I get it right.
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In the meantime, I've pulled out some of the oddball skeins from my big stash steal and I'm making a slant-pocket bag. I think that's one of the new felting patterns over on Knitty.com. It's a fairly mindless pattern, but I really like it. So I'm making the first and see if I like the size so I can make others as Christmas presents for this year's holiday. (Geez, Louise! It's only April and I'm already beginning to think on Christmas, for Christmas' sake!!! Well, if I don't think on it now, I'll surely be in trouble come September... /g/)
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If the size felts down to a good size -- yeah, how do you explain that one other than... not too big, not too small... LOL! Anyway, if I like the size of the final bag, I'm going to make one adjustment to it. I'd like to extend the top of the bag so it folds over. Maybe add an I-cord frog or something so you can close it, but keep the slanted pockets and be able to fold the top of the back panel over the front. I'll also have to test the length of the strap. Most straps are too long for me. I'm short at only 5'3". Not tiny, by any means, but I like a bag to hang about waist-length. Not down at my hip and not short enough that I can't tuck the strap over my shoulder comfortably without the bulk of the bag under my elbow. Most straps tend to hang the bag down around my hip and I don't feel comfortable because I can't tuck my elbow against it. Remember, I'm a safety girl and I always worry that someone is rumaging in my bag whenever I'm forced to enter a mall. So I like to tuck it against me with my elbow, which is at my waist.
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What else? I have the Claudia Hand-paint in Bearded Iris on the needles. Very lovely yarn to work with. And I had no trouble with running short. 70 rows on the cuff and my usual 55 rows between the heel gusset and the toe decreases. (Yes, I resorted back to my usual cuff down construction until I can get Widdershins to my satisfaction.) I also cast on my first pair of Colinette Jitterbug in Monet. Wonderful, lovely yarn to work with. It's a bit heavier than the Claudia, so now I understand why Brenda Dayne ran short the time she worked with it. As usual, skeins are sold in weight, not yardage. These skeins only have about 180 yards in them because it's a bit heavier gauge, though I'm still knitting with my trusty 2.25mm Options circular in a Magic Loop. Stitch definition is wonderful in Colinette because of the heavier yarn and the colors really do remind me of lilypads in a pond with those splashes of color for the flowers.
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The Pi Are Squared Shawl continues a few rows at a time. It's now remaining at home for night knitting because it's large enough to be a bit of a pain to carry with me. That and the alpaca does have a tendency to shed a bit, which can be annoying at work. A navy blue uniform makes shedding yarn a real pain because I'm constantly having to lick my palm and roll the hair into little tufts to remove every few hours. So that's going to stay at home and be my at-home project.
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I'm not sure yet if the bag project is too large to carry around. It does squish down quite small and I'm past the halfway point on the pockets so that should work up quickly. Then I have the strap to knit and I can put the whole thing together before felting it all. It's kind of a mishmash of colors because I began with a yarn that was mostly a moss green with some flecks of orange and mauve. Then I switched to a variegated mauve with no green whatsoever. (This, though, is the section that the pockets will attach to so it will mostly frame and peek from behind the pocket.) The pocket is a wonderful bright purple and mauve and pink with touches of green and yellow. Very cheery and bright and I really love the way these colors are working up for the pocket. Then I'll take the remains of the variegated mauve and, if needed, any leftover bright whimsy to knit up the strap. It's kind of patchwork, but that's okay. The felting should make the color changes a bit less obvious and, even if it doesn't, I don't mind. Even though it sounds like a strange mixture, it seems to work.
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This coming week is nothing special that I can think of. Just work on both jobs and an uneventful weekend. Nothing planned yet, but I'm sure my family will have lots of ideas for what I should do with all that extra time that we know I have no clue how to fill... LOL! Today is shower, laundry, change bed and catch up on LOTS of programs that I've previously recorded.
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I'm SO spoiled. Two years ago, Mark bought me a DVD recorder for Christmas. So I have the ability to record all the programs that I'm not home for. Yes, I have a secret obsession for "People's Court", "Judge Judy" and "Dancing with the Stars". I feel like the first two help me keep sharp and honed mentally. Testing what little I know of legal proceedings (which amazingly helps a great deal with my 2nd job doing accounting... especially for the bums who wrack up huge bills and think they can't be held responsible for it) and I've watched "DwtS" since the first season. Having been an ice dancer in a very young and very long ago life, it's interesting to see how the stars grow as dancers as well as how the professionals interpret the stories behind the various dances. (Yes, in the Paso Doble, she is not the bull and him the matador. She is his cape and she is his instrument used to entice the bull that cannot be seen. And do you know why she turns her head away from her partner in the Tango? Because the men were usually just into town from the plains and quite sweaty. It has nothing to do with whether she wants him or not. He's paid his money for his dance -- and other various possibilities for the night /g/ --she will deliver what he's paid for. OTOH, she doesn't have to smell his sweat in the meantime... LOL!)
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"Judge Judy", though. Read her books. Ladies, you're really missing out if you don't. Her advice is timeless and her experiences in her life as well as her experience in the family courts is invaluable. You're never too young or too old to learn something new and something eye-popping.
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Before I blather on about whatever next pops into my head. New task for today. Mother-in-law nagging husband to pick up and put together a new entertainment center. She has the patience of a mayfly, so I'm going to help out. That way I can treat myself to catching up on recorded programs.
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Have a wonderful week!