I can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated. But some big stuff happened during that time period. As I mentioned to my friends, the last month has been like the worst country song has taken over the direction of my life... /g/
First, my oldest daughter was involved in a very serious accident. Now, quickly, she's okay. A young driver tried to turn... oh, about 50 feet in front of my daughter. I guess she was really surprised that there wasn't enough road. My daughter was NOT surprised when the headlights suddenly veered in front of her. Six teenagers all sent to the hospital. Luckily, four of the kids were basically treated and released. Two of the teens weren't so lucky, but I've heard that they're on the road to recovery. It might take a while, but they should recover. Both cars were totalled. Yes, my daughter's Blazer was totalled, which should tell you how bad this accident was. But my daughter was lucky. A cut on her eyelid (seven stitches and the scar is hidden in the fold of her eye) and a broken nose.
But that was our first adventure. I won't elaborate any more details because I know some lawsuits are going to come from this accident for various reasons and I don't want to give ammunition to anyone.
Okay, two weeks later, I finished with work at the university and had my surgery. Ladies, let me give you a piece of advice. DON'T wait to have a fibroid removed if the doctor says they can take it out. The operation took over three hours and the durned alien baby had grown to 12cm (they tell me that's about 6") in diameter. Now, I don't think the size was the problem except that there wasn't enough room, so it sort of smushed everything in its path. Recovery is slow, but it's coming along. And I have the 6" scar to prove it... /wry g/
I'm almost four weeks later and feeling very good. In fact, I took my EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) this past weekend and I'm pretty sure I passed. Okay, I know I passed, but I still like the card to prove it... /g/ If you don't know what an EMT is, real quick, it's the basic certification needed to work on an ambulance. I think I've mentioned it before, but I volunteered for seven years on an ambulance, both as a driver and a technician. I still use my training very occasionally in my job in security, which is why I was in for a refresher (which is the technical term for re-certification). Since I'm the only person on site over at that off-campus dormitory, the EMT certification comes in handy. I can do a quick evaluation and assessment if one of the kids gets hurt or sick.
Anyway, moving on. I had the surgery on Wednesday. They released me to come home on Friday. The DH was and still is absolutely wonderful, but remember that one of our trucks is trashed. I get home and notice that my older dog, Copper, is breathing hard and I'm worried. So I call my Mom and ask her to come over. Hmm... Copper is definitely not right. Shelby had taken Copper to see the vet on the day of my surgery, but in my drug-infested sense of perception, I haven't got a clue what she told me. So Mom agrees that Copper needs to see the vet again. Mom and Shelby take her to the emergency vet hospital.
Skip to the end of the story... Copper is suffering from congestive heart failure. Yes, we had to put her down. Shelby called me to advise her what to do and I lost it. I had a complete emotional meltdown. I think I scared everyone because I never meltdown. I try to cut myself some slack on this. I was 3 days post-surgical, I was loopy on percocet and I hadn't started the hormone patch the doc had given me. Yup, I lost it.
In fact, I hope Shelby doesn't hold it against me. I was a little panicked when we got the call, but once I saw her and saw how bright and shiny her eyes were, I knew she'd be okay. I was calm and collected at the accident (yes, we arrived on scene before the fire dept had taken her out of the vehicle because the other vehicle was SO badly damaged that they had to cut the roof off to get the kids out). I'd been at a lot of accidents in my time with the ambulance and, let's face it, I'm her mom, so I knew she was okay. Oh, the funny story is that I knew her nose was broken. My husband denied it. Shelby denied it. The doctor denied it. They did a CT scan. Her nose was broken. Ha! I'm her mom! If anyone would know her daughter's face, it would be me...
Anyway, that's my sad country song. My daughter's okay, but we lost the truck. I lost the fibroid (thank you!), my uterus and my ovaries, but I'm recovering nicely. And I lost my dog, but I know we were able to give her three wonderful years at the end of her life. But we still have the house and my Hubby has been terrific.
Today, our heat index is supposed to be something like 103 degrees. In fact, my youngest daughter just called. They're letting school out early because of it. Oh boy. Last week, we were lucky to get in the 70's. Now we're definitely hitting mid-90's with a heat index of 100+. So I'd better get my shower done and keep putting water in the pool. Normally, our pool would be open by now, but I always help Hubby get the cover off and I haven't been able to do it. The bad part of the surgery. I can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Heck, I have a cat who weighs more than a gallon of milk... LOL!
Oh, the good news is that I mowed a little section of the lawn yesterday. Yes, I felt so normal doing that. I'm hoping to pull a few weeds today while working on my summer tan. I worked really hard last year getting my yard in shape. I'm not about to let it go to hell now. I might not be planting a lot of stuff, but I'm certainly going to search and destroy any weeds that try to invade. I haven't done any knitting or spinning to speak of, but I think that will be remedied soon. I had projects all lined up for my recovery period, but all I've done is sit and watch TV. Isn't it funny how that works? You finally have time to read and knit all you want and, instead, you sit and lament how you can't be out in the yard weeding and planting... /wry g/
But now that I'm feeling better, my fingers are beginning to itch for projects. It's about time, right?
Take it easy. Drinks lots if you're in the soup (hot and humid) like me. Enjoy the week and I'll try to have more fibery and knittery stuff next time I update.
OH, stupid!!!!!! Here's the best news of all! Listen carefully to Cast On in September. Brenda Dayne actually asked me if she could include a piece I'd written about why I began spinning. Isn't that just the BEST?!?!? I'm flattered. I'm honored. I'm totally wowed and humbled that she'd like something I wrote.
Time for a shower, folks. When you can begin to smell yourself, that certainly is NOT a good thing. Weird how I shower first thing so I can go out in the yard and work up a sweat. But whoever said I was normal?
Take care!!!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
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.
~~~~~
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?
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Anyway, so next year, I could get a couple cones of laceweight yarn and work on future heirlooms for my daughters.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Am I getting old if I can simply appreciate spending time with the Hubby? Quite possible and that's okay with me.
~~~~~
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?
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Anyway, so next year, I could get a couple cones of laceweight yarn and work on future heirlooms for my daughters.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Am I getting old if I can simply appreciate spending time with the Hubby? Quite possible and that's okay with me.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
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.
~~~~~
Nuff said about that issue.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/)
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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!)
~~~~~
"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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Have a wonderful week!
~~~~~
Nuff said about that issue.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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/)
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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!)
~~~~~
"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.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
Have a wonderful week!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
More bat poop and graduations
I hate Widdershins. There, I said it. I didn't frog that first heel and try decreasing instead of increasing. I actually figured out that I was wrong and you really should be increasing toward the heel because when you knit top-down, you decrease as you're turning. So, in essence, if you're working in reverse, you should be increasing as you turn.
~~~~~
Yes, she did get that right. Unfortunately, I screwed up big time because it decreased the number of stitches for my gusset, which shortened the foot of my sock. I know, I know. I should have been measuring with my trusty tape measure as I went along. I would have seen that the sock was running short. But I didn't.
~~~~~
I know with complete accuracy that, when working a cuff-down sock, I turn my heel, decrease for my gusset and then I knit 55 rows before I decrease for my toes. Doesn't matter what the yarn is as long as it's knit on my trusty 2.25mm needles. My gauge is almost perfect regardless of what yarn I'm working with and any variation in yarn thickness is so minimal that it's negligible.
~~~~~
So I knit my trust 55 rows, did my gusset, made a few adjustments for the heel but I turned that and knit about 80 rows up the cuff and cast off. What's the problem? Short foot. I need another 10 rows in my foot measurement to match the socks I make cuff down.
~~~~~
Big sigh....
~~~~~
So I have a pair of absolutely gorgeous Great Adirondack socks that are now useless to me and anyone in my family because I have the smallest feet.
~~~~~
Argh!!! Oh, and to add insult to injury? I've finally figured out what my problem is lately. I have dry skin. We're talking alligator skin. You could make a very fashionable pair of shoes out of my skin if I came in another color besides "pink" or "nude" or whatever you want to call "pale"... LOL! And I've been itching like crazy. My arms. My legs. (It's real tricky to try and scratch your inner thighs at work when you work in a bubble booth... /grin/) I have patches of itch on my belly, etc. It finally dawned on me this week that we'd changed our laundry detergent. I can't use major brands because they add perfumes and softeners and all kinds of additives. Generic brands tend to work for me because they keep the price down by sticking to soap and that's about it. So I think that's what my problem is.
~~~~~
It's gotten so bad in the last week that I'm waking myself at night, feeling like one big allergic hive. I was blaming it on the dry air that seems to have huddled over Connecticut. Everyone around us for the last month or so gets all kinds of rain and snow. We get the clouds and the clouds try to drop precipitation, but it's evaporated into the atmosphere before it can hit the ground. That's how dry it is. Weird to think that it's raining at 20,000 ft but not a drop is hitting the ground, but there you have it. Anyway, I thought the dry atmosphere was affecting my skin, but now I'm thinking it's the new laundry detergent.
~~~~~
So oldest daughter picked me up some generic stuff last night. Today I'm going to wash the whole wardrobe and see if that helps.
~~~~~
Quick update... surgery is set for May 7th. The only day of work I'll miss is the big graduation. Classes end the week prior and then I'll be able to work the law school graduation on Sunday. It pushes back the date I wanted by two weeks, but that's okay. It's still early enough not to totally erase my summer, and late enough that I won't have to use all my accrued sick time. That's a good thing because I figure you can always use sick time. God forbid someone in the family got really sick and I needed to take care of them. The job allows me to accrue up to 6 months of sick time and my goal is to do just that. Vacation time doesn't carry over from year to year, so save sick time whenever possible and let that build up.
~~~~~
Anyway, this is all good. The only day I'll miss of work is the 10-hour, 12,000 person party. Hmm... while it's nice to be able to be there on graduation day for those kids I've seen come through the university, it's not always one of the easiest days to work. Kids moving out is the worst because half the kids don't pack before their rides come to pick them up. Kids moving in runs about equal because the freshmen parents never quite figure out when it's time to move on so we have room to move more kids in. Third to those two is the big graduation just because of the sheer numbers.
~~~~~
These are the three events where I get used to being called a "b*!(%" on a regular basis.
~~~~~
Now, I doubt I have more than 10 people who actually read my blog, but can I make a request to those few who do? If you have kids in college or friends who have kids in college, can you please understand the reality of what's about to happen? It's about 6 weeks or less until the big move-outs all over the country. Can you try to understand that it really is not our goal to make this as difficult as possible for you or us? We have approximately 3 days to move out about 4000 students from approximately seven areas where we can park cars.
~~~~~
Ship your child some boxes and bags. Tell them to have their stuff as packed and ready as possible. (Yes, I had a freshman one year who carried his chair downstairs and proceeded to sit in it to work on his tan while his parents packed his room. I told him to get his @ss upstairs and move his stuff or I'd have him hauled away on the hook of a tow truck... /g/) Yes, trust me, I know your child will have 43 friends that they still have to say goodbye to, so please move your car to another spot to wait for them to track down said friends. We need every inch of parking we can get our hands on, so please don't take this moment to stand in line at the bookstore to return books or have that last lunch. You and I both know that your kid waited until the last moment, hoping that you'd do all their packing for them. Don't let them get away with it. Get back in your car and go to lunch. Tell them to call you when they're packed and ready to load. Then please do it as quickly as possible. I have 200 people waiting for your parking spot.
~~~~~
Graduation Day? I know it's a HUGE moment. Unfortunately, it's a huge moment for every one of our 1500 graduates and their families. That's why there are 12,000 people squished onto the quad. I know that you paid $200,000 (give or take) for that "forever photo". Trust me. I've been doing this for five years. But also understand that every other parent is feeling exactly like you and they paid the same amount of money. We have a system set up and, if everyone does what they're supposed to, it works for everyone involved and you'll have those "forever photos". But there's always that one (generally at least a dozen) who feel they're above and beyond everyone else. To us, every single one of our graduates and their respective family members are special. Smile and be polite. You're there for that one moment. We're doing our best to accomodate 1500 of those moments and juggling 12,000 people in order to make sure each of those moments are captured on film.
~~~~~
Okay, 'nuff said.
~~~~~
Laundry today. And more laundry. Oh, and grocery shopping. Oh boy. What fun...
~~~~~
Yes, she did get that right. Unfortunately, I screwed up big time because it decreased the number of stitches for my gusset, which shortened the foot of my sock. I know, I know. I should have been measuring with my trusty tape measure as I went along. I would have seen that the sock was running short. But I didn't.
~~~~~
I know with complete accuracy that, when working a cuff-down sock, I turn my heel, decrease for my gusset and then I knit 55 rows before I decrease for my toes. Doesn't matter what the yarn is as long as it's knit on my trusty 2.25mm needles. My gauge is almost perfect regardless of what yarn I'm working with and any variation in yarn thickness is so minimal that it's negligible.
~~~~~
So I knit my trust 55 rows, did my gusset, made a few adjustments for the heel but I turned that and knit about 80 rows up the cuff and cast off. What's the problem? Short foot. I need another 10 rows in my foot measurement to match the socks I make cuff down.
~~~~~
Big sigh....
~~~~~
So I have a pair of absolutely gorgeous Great Adirondack socks that are now useless to me and anyone in my family because I have the smallest feet.
~~~~~
Argh!!! Oh, and to add insult to injury? I've finally figured out what my problem is lately. I have dry skin. We're talking alligator skin. You could make a very fashionable pair of shoes out of my skin if I came in another color besides "pink" or "nude" or whatever you want to call "pale"... LOL! And I've been itching like crazy. My arms. My legs. (It's real tricky to try and scratch your inner thighs at work when you work in a bubble booth... /grin/) I have patches of itch on my belly, etc. It finally dawned on me this week that we'd changed our laundry detergent. I can't use major brands because they add perfumes and softeners and all kinds of additives. Generic brands tend to work for me because they keep the price down by sticking to soap and that's about it. So I think that's what my problem is.
~~~~~
It's gotten so bad in the last week that I'm waking myself at night, feeling like one big allergic hive. I was blaming it on the dry air that seems to have huddled over Connecticut. Everyone around us for the last month or so gets all kinds of rain and snow. We get the clouds and the clouds try to drop precipitation, but it's evaporated into the atmosphere before it can hit the ground. That's how dry it is. Weird to think that it's raining at 20,000 ft but not a drop is hitting the ground, but there you have it. Anyway, I thought the dry atmosphere was affecting my skin, but now I'm thinking it's the new laundry detergent.
~~~~~
So oldest daughter picked me up some generic stuff last night. Today I'm going to wash the whole wardrobe and see if that helps.
~~~~~
Quick update... surgery is set for May 7th. The only day of work I'll miss is the big graduation. Classes end the week prior and then I'll be able to work the law school graduation on Sunday. It pushes back the date I wanted by two weeks, but that's okay. It's still early enough not to totally erase my summer, and late enough that I won't have to use all my accrued sick time. That's a good thing because I figure you can always use sick time. God forbid someone in the family got really sick and I needed to take care of them. The job allows me to accrue up to 6 months of sick time and my goal is to do just that. Vacation time doesn't carry over from year to year, so save sick time whenever possible and let that build up.
~~~~~
Anyway, this is all good. The only day I'll miss of work is the 10-hour, 12,000 person party. Hmm... while it's nice to be able to be there on graduation day for those kids I've seen come through the university, it's not always one of the easiest days to work. Kids moving out is the worst because half the kids don't pack before their rides come to pick them up. Kids moving in runs about equal because the freshmen parents never quite figure out when it's time to move on so we have room to move more kids in. Third to those two is the big graduation just because of the sheer numbers.
~~~~~
These are the three events where I get used to being called a "b*!(%" on a regular basis.
~~~~~
Now, I doubt I have more than 10 people who actually read my blog, but can I make a request to those few who do? If you have kids in college or friends who have kids in college, can you please understand the reality of what's about to happen? It's about 6 weeks or less until the big move-outs all over the country. Can you try to understand that it really is not our goal to make this as difficult as possible for you or us? We have approximately 3 days to move out about 4000 students from approximately seven areas where we can park cars.
~~~~~
Ship your child some boxes and bags. Tell them to have their stuff as packed and ready as possible. (Yes, I had a freshman one year who carried his chair downstairs and proceeded to sit in it to work on his tan while his parents packed his room. I told him to get his @ss upstairs and move his stuff or I'd have him hauled away on the hook of a tow truck... /g/) Yes, trust me, I know your child will have 43 friends that they still have to say goodbye to, so please move your car to another spot to wait for them to track down said friends. We need every inch of parking we can get our hands on, so please don't take this moment to stand in line at the bookstore to return books or have that last lunch. You and I both know that your kid waited until the last moment, hoping that you'd do all their packing for them. Don't let them get away with it. Get back in your car and go to lunch. Tell them to call you when they're packed and ready to load. Then please do it as quickly as possible. I have 200 people waiting for your parking spot.
~~~~~
Graduation Day? I know it's a HUGE moment. Unfortunately, it's a huge moment for every one of our 1500 graduates and their families. That's why there are 12,000 people squished onto the quad. I know that you paid $200,000 (give or take) for that "forever photo". Trust me. I've been doing this for five years. But also understand that every other parent is feeling exactly like you and they paid the same amount of money. We have a system set up and, if everyone does what they're supposed to, it works for everyone involved and you'll have those "forever photos". But there's always that one (generally at least a dozen) who feel they're above and beyond everyone else. To us, every single one of our graduates and their respective family members are special. Smile and be polite. You're there for that one moment. We're doing our best to accomodate 1500 of those moments and juggling 12,000 people in order to make sure each of those moments are captured on film.
~~~~~
Okay, 'nuff said.
~~~~~
Laundry today. And more laundry. Oh, and grocery shopping. Oh boy. What fun...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
I have a stash and a realization...
Lots of things happened in the last couple of weeks. First, I have to tell y'all about a sale. (Yes, that's read as SALE!!!!) Connecticut Yarn and Wool in East Haddam. I got the email on Friday morning that they were getting rid of their old fall and winter stock because of the arrival of the new spring stock.
~~~~~
Fill a 30-gal bin for $300. Now, yes, $300 is a lot of money. But I'm facing surgery. (Yes, I picked a date. I have to call on Tuesday, but I'm shooting for April 23rd for some very strange reasons... /wry g/) So I'm going to be sitting on the couch for a couple weeks in recovery mode. That means time for knitting next year's Christmas projects as well as finally breaking the seal on all those DVDs I've bought last year and haven't had time to watch.
~~~~~
So I picked up my friend Linda and we descended on CT Yarn & Wool. Now, they always have a "remainder" room where you can get bargains. I can choose from that room and they had bin after bin on the porch. All kinds of colorways. Practically everything is hand-dyed. Yes, most of it is worsted weight and spun singles (think felting). I loaded up. At first, I was very careful to match things, but I lost that ability soon after. I dug into every bin so I could check everything. I unloaded some baskets so I could see what was on the bottom. (Yes, I was careful to put everything back so I didn't make a total mess of the place. /g/)
~~~~~
I picked up 14 skeins of this gorgeous silk/cotton/wool blend. I looked it up on the Internet later. $20 a skein. That's $280 right there and that was a small portion of what I'd stuffed in my bin. Then I found an absolute treasure. A cotton/rayon blend that they call "I'm Allergic to Wool". It's soft and cushie. A wonderful thick n thin that would make some gorgeous sweaters (and scarves and even another shawl). It runs $30 a skein and I've got about 50 skeins of this stuff. Okay, some of the skeins are pretty short, but others were full and fat. That alone is about $1500 worth of yarn.
~~~~~
Oh yeah, I easily stuffed at least $2000 worth of yarn into this bin. Believe it or not, the woman working at the shop suggested that we untwist the skeins and lay them flat. Worked well. We got more into the bin. Course, it really helped that when I thought the bin was pretty full, Linda looked at me and said, "Oh, no, we can fit more" and she sat in the bin... /wry g/
~~~~~
Okay, so I'm going to be laid up. Basically, I talked with the doctor and we agreed that the fibroid needs to go. It's a good size. We also agree that I'm at that age that the plumbing serves no purpose either, so she's going to remove the whole shebang. It's simply a matter of picking a date. Lots of things to consider and not that simple. I'll be laid up for approximately 6 weeks before returning to normal. And since I do a LOT of yardwork in the summer, I don't want to wait too long or we can just forget summer entirely and that's not an option. After all the work I did last year, there's no way I'm going to let my yard go to hell. Another thing to consider is I really can't do without the paycheck. So I looked and I have just shy of 3 weeks sick time accrued. Back up from my last week of work and that means April 23rd. I should be cleared for regular life by the first week in June and, since I never plant much before Memorial Day (danger of frost any time before that and don't let anyone tell you otherwise), the timing would work well.
~~~~~
And this all leads back to my shopping spree. I imagine I'll spend a mimimun of two weeks laying on the couch. Okay, maybe the first couple days I won't feel much like knitting (is that possible?!? /g/), but then I'll have lots of time and lots of boredom to fill. Hence, knitting. Now, all these yarns are in fall colorways. If I start Christmas presents now, all those colorways will be back in vogue by the time I give them away. Sure, it'll be weird to be knitting with oranges and yellows and browns (autumn leaves) in April and May when I'd rather be working with yellows and purples (think crocus). But I'll also have a huge jump on Christmas knitting. Purses and clogs for everyone! LOL!
~~~~~
Now I can finally move the the update seciton... Let's see. I finished the Diamonte socks. Okay, I call them "Cat Yak". The yarn is lovely. The pattern is lovely. Put the two together and it's definitely something the cat yakked up. I don't like it and they would NOT be a favorite pair of socks. But Younger Daughter likes them. So they now belong to her.
~~~~~
Pi Are Sqaured Shawl is coming along. About 3 more rows and I can move to section four, which will double the number of stitches. I think I'll be up to about 1000 sts or so. Yup, a long-term project. Another one to keep handy when I get tired of extremely big knitting for felting.
~~~~~
I just turned the heel for the Widdershins sock last night. I got the increases for the gusset okay. That was fine. But I followed the directions for the heel and it was way off. Not the direction, mind you. I was way off. So I frogged back and did it again. Hmm... definitely something skewed here. I frogged it again. Then I sat down with my trusty pencil and worked out the math from an entirely new direction and it clicked. I turned the heel and I'm now working my way up the heel flap. Again, I looked at her directions and they didn't work for me, so I didn't even try. I read through about three times and got the overall concept, worked up my own math and it's working beautifully.
~~~~~
Okay, how to explain my math (for someone who doesn't understand her concept of math)? I put a stitch marker at the center of the heel. Now, you have to remember that you're coming toe up, so you've got to begin with the largest part of the heel first. So, as you work the short rows, you'll be decreasing the number of sts that you work with, rather than increasing like you do with a normal short row heel.
~~~~~
Wow, it just dawned on me what's wrong with the directions. She makes stitches as you add your short rows. You make a stitch before you wrap and turn to create the short rows. No wonder the heel looked weird when I was looking at it this morning. I haven't tried it on yet, but I think I'm going to have to frog again and decrease, rather than increase in the short rows. Hmm... have to check that out.
~~~~~
But anyway, I started with working 8 sts out from the center before the "m1, k1, w&t". Then I'd work 8 sts in the other direction from the center marker on the purl row. Then I'd work 6 sts from the center marker on the knit row, come back to center and work 6 sts on the other side of the stitch marker. Back and forth in decreasing numbers from the marker as I worked closer to the heel itself.
~~~~~
Bingo! Heel is turned. Now you have to work up the gusset and decrease all those stitches you'd added to make the gusset.
~~~~~
Again, it's really easy if you simply think of working a set number of stitches to each side of the center marker on the heel.
~~~~~
IOW, I like 60 sts overall and I work Magic Loop. So my heel should ultimately end up with 30 sts on that needle. At the beginning, I didn't count, but let's say I have 50 sts, so I want to decrease 20 to get back to 30. As I knit each row back and forth, I only have to remember to knit 15 to each side of the center marker. Then I ssk on my knit rows (pulling one stitch in from the gusset and decreasing on each row). As I purl back, I don't have to remember anything except to purl 15 on the other side of the marker and my last stitch is p2tog, again, pulling one guset stitch in and decreasing). I go back and forth in this manner, almost like working a short row heel, until I have no more to decrease at the end of the needle and then I can begin knitting all the way around again.
~~~~~
Hmm.... now I'm really curious if that heel turn is wrong. Well, not wrong for her or anyone who loves it, but I wonder if it's wrong for me. I think, rather than w&t, I should also be doing an ssk and a p2tog on the heel. It should be pulling in towards the end of the heel, not getting wider and adding more stitches.
~~~~~
Oh dear. I've already frogged it 3 times. Now, I not only have to frog it again, but also about 20 rows of heel flap.
~~~~~
Bat poop... /sigh/
~~~~~
Fill a 30-gal bin for $300. Now, yes, $300 is a lot of money. But I'm facing surgery. (Yes, I picked a date. I have to call on Tuesday, but I'm shooting for April 23rd for some very strange reasons... /wry g/) So I'm going to be sitting on the couch for a couple weeks in recovery mode. That means time for knitting next year's Christmas projects as well as finally breaking the seal on all those DVDs I've bought last year and haven't had time to watch.
~~~~~
So I picked up my friend Linda and we descended on CT Yarn & Wool. Now, they always have a "remainder" room where you can get bargains. I can choose from that room and they had bin after bin on the porch. All kinds of colorways. Practically everything is hand-dyed. Yes, most of it is worsted weight and spun singles (think felting). I loaded up. At first, I was very careful to match things, but I lost that ability soon after. I dug into every bin so I could check everything. I unloaded some baskets so I could see what was on the bottom. (Yes, I was careful to put everything back so I didn't make a total mess of the place. /g/)
~~~~~
I picked up 14 skeins of this gorgeous silk/cotton/wool blend. I looked it up on the Internet later. $20 a skein. That's $280 right there and that was a small portion of what I'd stuffed in my bin. Then I found an absolute treasure. A cotton/rayon blend that they call "I'm Allergic to Wool". It's soft and cushie. A wonderful thick n thin that would make some gorgeous sweaters (and scarves and even another shawl). It runs $30 a skein and I've got about 50 skeins of this stuff. Okay, some of the skeins are pretty short, but others were full and fat. That alone is about $1500 worth of yarn.
~~~~~
Oh yeah, I easily stuffed at least $2000 worth of yarn into this bin. Believe it or not, the woman working at the shop suggested that we untwist the skeins and lay them flat. Worked well. We got more into the bin. Course, it really helped that when I thought the bin was pretty full, Linda looked at me and said, "Oh, no, we can fit more" and she sat in the bin... /wry g/
~~~~~
Okay, so I'm going to be laid up. Basically, I talked with the doctor and we agreed that the fibroid needs to go. It's a good size. We also agree that I'm at that age that the plumbing serves no purpose either, so she's going to remove the whole shebang. It's simply a matter of picking a date. Lots of things to consider and not that simple. I'll be laid up for approximately 6 weeks before returning to normal. And since I do a LOT of yardwork in the summer, I don't want to wait too long or we can just forget summer entirely and that's not an option. After all the work I did last year, there's no way I'm going to let my yard go to hell. Another thing to consider is I really can't do without the paycheck. So I looked and I have just shy of 3 weeks sick time accrued. Back up from my last week of work and that means April 23rd. I should be cleared for regular life by the first week in June and, since I never plant much before Memorial Day (danger of frost any time before that and don't let anyone tell you otherwise), the timing would work well.
~~~~~
And this all leads back to my shopping spree. I imagine I'll spend a mimimun of two weeks laying on the couch. Okay, maybe the first couple days I won't feel much like knitting (is that possible?!? /g/), but then I'll have lots of time and lots of boredom to fill. Hence, knitting. Now, all these yarns are in fall colorways. If I start Christmas presents now, all those colorways will be back in vogue by the time I give them away. Sure, it'll be weird to be knitting with oranges and yellows and browns (autumn leaves) in April and May when I'd rather be working with yellows and purples (think crocus). But I'll also have a huge jump on Christmas knitting. Purses and clogs for everyone! LOL!
~~~~~
Now I can finally move the the update seciton... Let's see. I finished the Diamonte socks. Okay, I call them "Cat Yak". The yarn is lovely. The pattern is lovely. Put the two together and it's definitely something the cat yakked up. I don't like it and they would NOT be a favorite pair of socks. But Younger Daughter likes them. So they now belong to her.
~~~~~
Pi Are Sqaured Shawl is coming along. About 3 more rows and I can move to section four, which will double the number of stitches. I think I'll be up to about 1000 sts or so. Yup, a long-term project. Another one to keep handy when I get tired of extremely big knitting for felting.
~~~~~
I just turned the heel for the Widdershins sock last night. I got the increases for the gusset okay. That was fine. But I followed the directions for the heel and it was way off. Not the direction, mind you. I was way off. So I frogged back and did it again. Hmm... definitely something skewed here. I frogged it again. Then I sat down with my trusty pencil and worked out the math from an entirely new direction and it clicked. I turned the heel and I'm now working my way up the heel flap. Again, I looked at her directions and they didn't work for me, so I didn't even try. I read through about three times and got the overall concept, worked up my own math and it's working beautifully.
~~~~~
Okay, how to explain my math (for someone who doesn't understand her concept of math)? I put a stitch marker at the center of the heel. Now, you have to remember that you're coming toe up, so you've got to begin with the largest part of the heel first. So, as you work the short rows, you'll be decreasing the number of sts that you work with, rather than increasing like you do with a normal short row heel.
~~~~~
Wow, it just dawned on me what's wrong with the directions. She makes stitches as you add your short rows. You make a stitch before you wrap and turn to create the short rows. No wonder the heel looked weird when I was looking at it this morning. I haven't tried it on yet, but I think I'm going to have to frog again and decrease, rather than increase in the short rows. Hmm... have to check that out.
~~~~~
But anyway, I started with working 8 sts out from the center before the "m1, k1, w&t". Then I'd work 8 sts in the other direction from the center marker on the purl row. Then I'd work 6 sts from the center marker on the knit row, come back to center and work 6 sts on the other side of the stitch marker. Back and forth in decreasing numbers from the marker as I worked closer to the heel itself.
~~~~~
Bingo! Heel is turned. Now you have to work up the gusset and decrease all those stitches you'd added to make the gusset.
~~~~~
Again, it's really easy if you simply think of working a set number of stitches to each side of the center marker on the heel.
~~~~~
IOW, I like 60 sts overall and I work Magic Loop. So my heel should ultimately end up with 30 sts on that needle. At the beginning, I didn't count, but let's say I have 50 sts, so I want to decrease 20 to get back to 30. As I knit each row back and forth, I only have to remember to knit 15 to each side of the center marker. Then I ssk on my knit rows (pulling one stitch in from the gusset and decreasing on each row). As I purl back, I don't have to remember anything except to purl 15 on the other side of the marker and my last stitch is p2tog, again, pulling one guset stitch in and decreasing). I go back and forth in this manner, almost like working a short row heel, until I have no more to decrease at the end of the needle and then I can begin knitting all the way around again.
~~~~~
Hmm.... now I'm really curious if that heel turn is wrong. Well, not wrong for her or anyone who loves it, but I wonder if it's wrong for me. I think, rather than w&t, I should also be doing an ssk and a p2tog on the heel. It should be pulling in towards the end of the heel, not getting wider and adding more stitches.
~~~~~
Oh dear. I've already frogged it 3 times. Now, I not only have to frog it again, but also about 20 rows of heel flap.
~~~~~
Bat poop... /sigh/
Saturday, March 01, 2008
I'll Be Back...
Let me say upfront that I'll be back later today to post pics of the sweater that's finally in my brother's possession. Yup, it's finished. It was washed and blocked (more on that later because it took me four days!!!! Yikes!!!!) and sent off via overnight mail, which of course took two days to get to him. It turned out even better than I thought it would.
~~~~~
Okay, here's the deal and I'll get to more knitting later. I actually finished it right on schedule. It was Feb 16th when I finished the last stitch. I took all day Sunday and steeked and sewed and did all those little finishing touches. 10PM when I ran downstairs to stick it in the sink so I could wash and block. A quick squirt of dishwashing detergent and this was a BIG sweater, so I didn't have a lot of room left in the sink for water. The sweater soaked up every last drip of liquid. So I did the best I could without having to resort to filling the bathtub and then I went into the basement and stuck it in the washer for a quick rinse, drain and spin. It rinsed. It drained. But I couldn't get the damn thing to spin. Yeah, yeah, a real slow spin, but that's not going to get the 42 lbs of water out of the sweater.
~~~~~
So I restarted the cycle again. It rinsed. It drained. But it wouldn't spin at a high speed. We're now getting upwards of 11PM and I get up at 5AM. So I grab a towel (or two), lift the 40 lb sweater out of the washer, roll it up and stomp on it a few times. Then I take it over to my handy drying rack and pull, yank and mold it into the shape I want. Yup, looks gorgeous.
~~~~~
I check on it Tuesday after work. Wednesday after work. Finally, I gave up and gave it the weekend to finish drying. I'm guessing that my basement isn't as warm as I thought it was and I can't put it anywhere else or the cats would have a nice white layer of fur all over the thing. Sunday night. YES!!!! It's dry. It's lovely. And tomorrow is my brother's birthday.
~~~~~
So I call him the next morning, sing him "Happy Birthday" and tell him that if Mom doesn't see this after work before I pop it in the mail, she'll die of disappointment. He says that's fine, he understands and it's okay to show it to her tonight and pop it in the mail on the next day.
~~~~~
That's what I did. He finally got the sweater on Feb 28th. He's thrilled. He hasn't mentioned if it fits, but he did say that he's going to wear it all weekend because he's also got a cold spell down South. Rather than turning up his heat, he'll just live in the sweater all weekend.
~~~~~
Now, during the last couple weeks while I've been waiting for that sweater to dry, I made socks and mittens. Remember those Thick Woodsman's Socks that I made for the Hubby? Well, I made him another pair and used reverse stockinette under the footbed. He doesn't like the first pair because the purl nubs under his feet are like wearing those Adidas sandals with the torture devices they call "foot massagers". Yeah, like walking on nails. So I reversed the purl nubs on the next pair. He says they're definitely more comfortable, but he can still feel the lines for the st st. So I'm making LOTS of mittens out of the yarn I'd bought for more socks. I'm going to have to break down and make him socks out of fingering weight.
~~~~~
But I also did a couple other things this week that I found are really neat little mental tricks. I'd started a pair of Jaywalkers in Lisa Souza's "Joseph's Coat" colorway. Now, those are on a size 1 needle (2.25mm) and I make the mittens on a size 8 (4.0mm?). So I'd work 10 rows on a sock and then 10 rows on a mitten. Go back and do another 10 rows on a sock, then another 10 rows on a mitten. Wow, time flew! In the past two weeks, I've finished the Jaywalkers and make about 3 or 4 pairs of mittens as well as finishing the socks for the DH.
~~~~~
Because I was never very long on any given project, they both kept my interest and I never got bored. Okay, after two weeks of nothing but mittens and socks, there was an overall boredom, but never on the individual projects. If anything, I felt this driving need to cast on even more projects... /g/
~~~~~
So I pulled out my Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around and I've been dying to make a Pi Are Squared shawl. I find myself wearing my shawls more and more. I do love them, but there's one thing that annoys me. This is just a personal opinion, but why do shawls have to be lace?!?!?! I live in the North. It's cold here. I don't want a shawl that has holes to let that cold air infiltrate. I like my shawls solid and warm! /g/
~~~~~
So yesterday, as soon as I got out of work, I buzzed off to my LYS and found the last two skeins of that wonderful Peruvian Tweed. It's 100% alpaca in all natural fleece. There's a light, medium and dark colorway. Each skein is plied with several different natural fleece colors to get that tweed effect. I'd used the dark colorway (think dark almost black, dark chocolate and a thin strand of med caramel) to make a basketweave stole which is my favorite and most often worn. So I picked up a skein of the light colorway, which has two plies of almost white/creamy and a very light, almost white caramel. I also picked up a skein of the medium colorway which has a thin ply of the natural cream, the light caramel and then a rich golden caramel is the heaviest strand. Hmm... really gorgeous and very "neutral" so I'll be able to wear this with anything.
~~~~~
Came home and pulled out the nearest Addi Turbo (I think it's a size 5 or 6... Does it matter? /g/) and cast on 20 sts to begin a Pi Are Squared. To keep it interesting, I looked over the instructions and there are 5 sections. So the first section is in the light tweed and I knit that in stockinette stitch. Then I did the increases for section 2 and changed to the medium tweed and knit that in garter stitch. Changed back to the light tweed for section 3 and have reverted back to stockinette stitch. Looking really pretty and this is where I left off, so I'll keep that pattern going. I should end in the light color in st st, so I think I'll do the "traditional" sawtooth border in the medium color in garter. But I can check again when I get that far.
~~~~~
While at the store, I found some Claudia Handpainted in the colorway Irises. What can I say? I have this driving need to keep my stash well stocked for socks... /g/ We'll ignore the point that I have enough yarn to make at least another half dozen pair of socks already.
~~~~~
The other great deal that I stumbled into was some Araucania Nature Wool. They had a table of mark downs and this was calling my name. I already have 5 or 6 red sweaters, but this was a different red. This is color 25 RO 12-0400. A gentle variation that goes from a med brick red down to a deep, rich brick. All my other reds tend to have a cool undertone, not a warm one. This is warm. And what can I say? I like red! /g/ It's 100% wool, 4 ply, and 242 yds per skein. There were 6 skeins and they were chanting, "Take me home! I'm yours!" LOL!
~~~~~
I've been watching and rewatching the Meg Swanson DVD called Cardigan Details so I didn't screw up my steeking and I could really use a couple new cardigans. Most of my sweaters are pullovers but there are times you want a nice cardigan. And I really like the simple design she adds to the top of the sweater. So I grabbed those 6 skeins and, lo and behold, there were 2 skeins of Nature Wool in a soft creamy white, color 01. It will be a perfect addition to the red. A sharp bright white would be too stark against the soft brick of the red, but that creamy off-white will be perfect. And they were marked down from $7.50 a skein to $5.50. Hmm... a Meg Swanson EPS cardigan in 100% wool for $44.00?
~~~~~
Uh, yeah. Duh! I'm SO there and it just naturally found its way into my arms... /g/
~~~~~
Oh, before I forget! New trick!
~~~~~
I'm now knitting the Diamonte sock pattern from Knitty.com in Araucania sock yarn. I'm knitting them top down instead of toe up, but that's besides the point. I wanted to mention something that I discovered yesterday while knitting along (and dreaming of yarn stores when I left work /g/). To do the increases, the designer uses the M1 and says to pick up the strand between stitches in the row below. Pick it up with your left needle from front to back and then knit through the back loop to twist the stitch and make it virtually invisible. Hmm... great idea except it's really hard work (at least for me) to get the right needle into the back of the stitch once I've picked it up with the left needle. I don't knit all that tight, but I tend to split the yarn with my right needle regardless of how careful I am when trying to wedge it between the stitch and the p-u.
~~~~~
So what I do is pick up the yarn with my right needle from the back to the front. And then I simply have to slide my left needle into the front of the loop. Because the yarn is on the front of the needle and the stitch is right in front of me, I can slide the left needle between the yarn that's picked up and the first stitch on the right needle much easier. It still has the same effect in twisting the stitch and, yes, it really is virtually invisible, but it's easier to pick up with the right needle and then insert the left needle.
~~~~~
Does that make sense? If not, let me know. But try it. Especially if you're a tight knitter. I think you'll find this is much easier for you.
~~~~~
Okay, enough talking. Time to get daughter up for her dentist appointment. I have a few errands I have to do while out, but then it's picture time when I get back. My goals today are to upload pics of projects, clean bathroom, do my taxes and then back to my Pi Are Squared shawl. Yeah, I think that's enough for today. A little bit of work and then lots of fun!
~~~~~
Okay, here's the deal and I'll get to more knitting later. I actually finished it right on schedule. It was Feb 16th when I finished the last stitch. I took all day Sunday and steeked and sewed and did all those little finishing touches. 10PM when I ran downstairs to stick it in the sink so I could wash and block. A quick squirt of dishwashing detergent and this was a BIG sweater, so I didn't have a lot of room left in the sink for water. The sweater soaked up every last drip of liquid. So I did the best I could without having to resort to filling the bathtub and then I went into the basement and stuck it in the washer for a quick rinse, drain and spin. It rinsed. It drained. But I couldn't get the damn thing to spin. Yeah, yeah, a real slow spin, but that's not going to get the 42 lbs of water out of the sweater.
~~~~~
So I restarted the cycle again. It rinsed. It drained. But it wouldn't spin at a high speed. We're now getting upwards of 11PM and I get up at 5AM. So I grab a towel (or two), lift the 40 lb sweater out of the washer, roll it up and stomp on it a few times. Then I take it over to my handy drying rack and pull, yank and mold it into the shape I want. Yup, looks gorgeous.
~~~~~
I check on it Tuesday after work. Wednesday after work. Finally, I gave up and gave it the weekend to finish drying. I'm guessing that my basement isn't as warm as I thought it was and I can't put it anywhere else or the cats would have a nice white layer of fur all over the thing. Sunday night. YES!!!! It's dry. It's lovely. And tomorrow is my brother's birthday.
~~~~~
So I call him the next morning, sing him "Happy Birthday" and tell him that if Mom doesn't see this after work before I pop it in the mail, she'll die of disappointment. He says that's fine, he understands and it's okay to show it to her tonight and pop it in the mail on the next day.
~~~~~
That's what I did. He finally got the sweater on Feb 28th. He's thrilled. He hasn't mentioned if it fits, but he did say that he's going to wear it all weekend because he's also got a cold spell down South. Rather than turning up his heat, he'll just live in the sweater all weekend.
~~~~~
Now, during the last couple weeks while I've been waiting for that sweater to dry, I made socks and mittens. Remember those Thick Woodsman's Socks that I made for the Hubby? Well, I made him another pair and used reverse stockinette under the footbed. He doesn't like the first pair because the purl nubs under his feet are like wearing those Adidas sandals with the torture devices they call "foot massagers". Yeah, like walking on nails. So I reversed the purl nubs on the next pair. He says they're definitely more comfortable, but he can still feel the lines for the st st. So I'm making LOTS of mittens out of the yarn I'd bought for more socks. I'm going to have to break down and make him socks out of fingering weight.
~~~~~
But I also did a couple other things this week that I found are really neat little mental tricks. I'd started a pair of Jaywalkers in Lisa Souza's "Joseph's Coat" colorway. Now, those are on a size 1 needle (2.25mm) and I make the mittens on a size 8 (4.0mm?). So I'd work 10 rows on a sock and then 10 rows on a mitten. Go back and do another 10 rows on a sock, then another 10 rows on a mitten. Wow, time flew! In the past two weeks, I've finished the Jaywalkers and make about 3 or 4 pairs of mittens as well as finishing the socks for the DH.
~~~~~
Because I was never very long on any given project, they both kept my interest and I never got bored. Okay, after two weeks of nothing but mittens and socks, there was an overall boredom, but never on the individual projects. If anything, I felt this driving need to cast on even more projects... /g/
~~~~~
So I pulled out my Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around and I've been dying to make a Pi Are Squared shawl. I find myself wearing my shawls more and more. I do love them, but there's one thing that annoys me. This is just a personal opinion, but why do shawls have to be lace?!?!?! I live in the North. It's cold here. I don't want a shawl that has holes to let that cold air infiltrate. I like my shawls solid and warm! /g/
~~~~~
So yesterday, as soon as I got out of work, I buzzed off to my LYS and found the last two skeins of that wonderful Peruvian Tweed. It's 100% alpaca in all natural fleece. There's a light, medium and dark colorway. Each skein is plied with several different natural fleece colors to get that tweed effect. I'd used the dark colorway (think dark almost black, dark chocolate and a thin strand of med caramel) to make a basketweave stole which is my favorite and most often worn. So I picked up a skein of the light colorway, which has two plies of almost white/creamy and a very light, almost white caramel. I also picked up a skein of the medium colorway which has a thin ply of the natural cream, the light caramel and then a rich golden caramel is the heaviest strand. Hmm... really gorgeous and very "neutral" so I'll be able to wear this with anything.
~~~~~
Came home and pulled out the nearest Addi Turbo (I think it's a size 5 or 6... Does it matter? /g/) and cast on 20 sts to begin a Pi Are Squared. To keep it interesting, I looked over the instructions and there are 5 sections. So the first section is in the light tweed and I knit that in stockinette stitch. Then I did the increases for section 2 and changed to the medium tweed and knit that in garter stitch. Changed back to the light tweed for section 3 and have reverted back to stockinette stitch. Looking really pretty and this is where I left off, so I'll keep that pattern going. I should end in the light color in st st, so I think I'll do the "traditional" sawtooth border in the medium color in garter. But I can check again when I get that far.
~~~~~
While at the store, I found some Claudia Handpainted in the colorway Irises. What can I say? I have this driving need to keep my stash well stocked for socks... /g/ We'll ignore the point that I have enough yarn to make at least another half dozen pair of socks already.
~~~~~
The other great deal that I stumbled into was some Araucania Nature Wool. They had a table of mark downs and this was calling my name. I already have 5 or 6 red sweaters, but this was a different red. This is color 25 RO 12-0400. A gentle variation that goes from a med brick red down to a deep, rich brick. All my other reds tend to have a cool undertone, not a warm one. This is warm. And what can I say? I like red! /g/ It's 100% wool, 4 ply, and 242 yds per skein. There were 6 skeins and they were chanting, "Take me home! I'm yours!" LOL!
~~~~~
I've been watching and rewatching the Meg Swanson DVD called Cardigan Details so I didn't screw up my steeking and I could really use a couple new cardigans. Most of my sweaters are pullovers but there are times you want a nice cardigan. And I really like the simple design she adds to the top of the sweater. So I grabbed those 6 skeins and, lo and behold, there were 2 skeins of Nature Wool in a soft creamy white, color 01. It will be a perfect addition to the red. A sharp bright white would be too stark against the soft brick of the red, but that creamy off-white will be perfect. And they were marked down from $7.50 a skein to $5.50. Hmm... a Meg Swanson EPS cardigan in 100% wool for $44.00?
~~~~~
Uh, yeah. Duh! I'm SO there and it just naturally found its way into my arms... /g/
~~~~~
Oh, before I forget! New trick!
~~~~~
I'm now knitting the Diamonte sock pattern from Knitty.com in Araucania sock yarn. I'm knitting them top down instead of toe up, but that's besides the point. I wanted to mention something that I discovered yesterday while knitting along (and dreaming of yarn stores when I left work /g/). To do the increases, the designer uses the M1 and says to pick up the strand between stitches in the row below. Pick it up with your left needle from front to back and then knit through the back loop to twist the stitch and make it virtually invisible. Hmm... great idea except it's really hard work (at least for me) to get the right needle into the back of the stitch once I've picked it up with the left needle. I don't knit all that tight, but I tend to split the yarn with my right needle regardless of how careful I am when trying to wedge it between the stitch and the p-u.
~~~~~
So what I do is pick up the yarn with my right needle from the back to the front. And then I simply have to slide my left needle into the front of the loop. Because the yarn is on the front of the needle and the stitch is right in front of me, I can slide the left needle between the yarn that's picked up and the first stitch on the right needle much easier. It still has the same effect in twisting the stitch and, yes, it really is virtually invisible, but it's easier to pick up with the right needle and then insert the left needle.
~~~~~
Does that make sense? If not, let me know. But try it. Especially if you're a tight knitter. I think you'll find this is much easier for you.
~~~~~
Okay, enough talking. Time to get daughter up for her dentist appointment. I have a few errands I have to do while out, but then it's picture time when I get back. My goals today are to upload pics of projects, clean bathroom, do my taxes and then back to my Pi Are Squared shawl. Yeah, I think that's enough for today. A little bit of work and then lots of fun!
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