Sunday at home

I hadn't planned on going anywhere today - the sink is full of dishes & the kitchen floor needs scraping fer gosh sake! I've been suffering with another attack of sciatica this last couple of weeks & it's all I can do to get dressed & drive the car to work. My right leg decided it didn't want to bend at the knee & move up & down. Getting it from the gas to the brake has been a painful test of endurance. I may have come up with a solution though - after chatting with Karen - I've filled all my office chairs with a thick foam pillow. It made a difference after one day. I guess I'm suffering from Low Chair Syndrome! I still have pain - the weather hip - but not the terrible pain I had in my leg! It's so good to have a retired Physio in the old knitting group!!!! Now that I can move around a little better, it might be time to clean up the kitchen. If I can tear myself away from my latest project, that is  .  .  .

I'll be working on my Lace Frock from Deb's 'Need an Plus Size Cardigan?' book. I know, I know, I have a couple sweaters & a pair of socks on the go already but this one's a quick knit in heavy worsted wool & I'm using STASH. The Ribbons cardigan in handspun is car knitting, Kyler's cardigan is just about done & I should finish the last sleeve so I can wear it but the KAL for Deb's sweater has started & I want to do it for the fitting advice. I don't foresee any real problems but I wanted to be in the KAL just in case. And then I can finish Kyler's since I only have a sleeve & the front band to do - and it looks like I may have 8 balls of yarn left over too . . . Somebody may be getting a purple hat for Christmas!

Changes

The Great God of the Internet has changed my damned blog. You know, I liked it the way it was. Yeah, I erased it all by myself a coupla times. I sent things to 'draft' instead of posting them too. And I've lost my fair share of photos & entire blogs but I don't like it when someone else screws about with my stuff & I don't have any say.

I made mention of my last shopping trip - a major trip considering the price of gas, the condition of my driving leg & the amount of sock yarn I already possess!! And I have some really nice stuff, all in all - none of that 20 buck a skein stuff with the fawncy names - but some great colors, lots of self striping yarn & lots of MANLY colors. And there lies the problem. I got all geared up to knit socks & they tell me they want hats! Not that I'm really complaining because hats are so simple to make but I LIKE socks dammit. And I'm sure I have enough sock yarn to knit socks for the next 10 years without buying anything but the occasional solid for contrast!!

Contrasting toes or heels would be nice on the next couple of pairs. Just for fun. I used to put colored toes on all my 'manly' socks so that each pair could be identified in the wash. The recipient of the socks was in love with two colorways so I had to distinguish the pairs.  I had blue toes on one pair & red on the next while a third had blue toes with a narrow red stripe. Or two narrow red stripes with a grey toe. I had as much fun designing toes as he had finding them. Too bad DGS/Confetti doesn't make that mottled black or blue color any more!

I haven't spent much time putting contrasting toes or heels on my own socks because almost every pair is in a different wild color. Socks are a wonderful way to be different!! I really should get some slide-on shoes to show them off in a better way. Especially when I knit Frankensocks. And what are Frankensocks you ask?? My friend Gail coined the name - they're what you make out of sock yarn leftovers when you can't get your head around the TEN STITCH BLANKET. I divide all the leftovers into three main categories, yarns with RED in them, yarns with BLUE & yarns with PINK/PURPLE. Some yarns may even fit into all three groups but I divide them this way because most shops stock solids in those colors as well as black & grey. And you can't have all toes in black & grey! Kids also love Frankensocks! And nothing's worse than wasting good sock yarn.

Fall Knitting

Is it me or does everyone feel exhausted around this time every year?? It's dreary at the Motorcycle School as we wind down towards the close of the season - only one more month to go I think. The phones are barely ringing. Last year we ran a couple of classes in November but the weather was just terrible & the students were cold & wet the whole time. I suspect our last class will be in October this year & we may be in a different spot next year too.

I was really looking forward to this Sunday off. I had great plans to get all the dishes done, the kitchen floor steam-cleaned, laundry finished and get my Cabin Fever sweater on the needles. None of that happened. My right leg has been giving me hell - Sciatica again, only affecting the inside of my thigh this time. It makes lifting my right leg to get dressed in the morning very difficult & moving from the gas to the brake so painful I don't want to go too far! Every once in a while, my knee gives out to add insult to injury! I just wish I knew how I did this so I could stop. Makes me feel old & crabby .  .  . 

But leg didn't stop me from galloping down to Knitopia on Thursday for a last look before they close with a bag of toonies in my pocket. I save all my toonies($2 coin) in a tin & use them for luxury purchases when a Fibre Show comes to town or I go on a Retreat!! Since it's not coming out of the bank account, it's like FREE MONEY. I had 65 toonies in the tin & took 63 with me. I was interested in sweater yarn but I couldn't afford enough Alpaca & all the sale yarns I loved were in amounts too small to cover my backside. So I settled for some Cascade Paint in a luscious dark purple  to make a winter hooded cowl & a few balls of sock yarn. Now I need sock yarn like a hole in the head but I found a couple of new colors & several balls of solids to use for toes. And I spent every cent of the toonies in the bag & a couple of extra bucks too. It was fun. But I realized I'll have to spin the yarn if I want a sweater's worth  .  .  .  .

Got my first tuque on the needles for charity. Karen kindly donated her first & a scarf as well!! Come on Gail, pull the rag out!

A Whole lotta Fall going on

I love this time of year!! All the sunny benefits during the day but cool at night so you can sleep! Cherries sit side by side with Nectarines & fresh field Tomatoes . . . I've had all of these for Dinner three nights in a row. And I made Italian Soup with Swiss Chard in it - fresh, local Chard!! Oh yeah. The Tomatoes taste like real tomatoes!! And just so you don't think that all I do is EAT - I have a sink full of baby cukes soaking so I can make up some Dill Pickles & Bread & Butter Pickles later on today. The Ex asked for Beet Pickles so I might even churn out a few jars of them too. I mean, they're all so simple. A few spices, a little vinegar, sugar & salt . . . Garlic I got, Dill I got, Fennel I got out in the garden growing wild!! Like I said, I love this time of year!

I do more than eat this time of year too - I've been churning out short socks for myself. I found a few balls of good old Confetti which has been a favorite yarn over the years! It's cheap compared to most yarns but carries a lot of yardage in one of those balls, second only to Regia. It feels a little thin when you're working with it but fluffs up nicely when rinsed the first time. And I have not worn out one single pair of socks made with Confetti yarn yet.

I've also been investigating the Charitable knitting wishlist for this year. I went straight to the Horse's Mouth so to speak & asked what they need. I've been churning stuff out blindly but it's been bothering me that maybe it isn't what's NEEDED. So I asked. Hand knit hats are the most requested item. Scarves are second. The People served by this Charity tend to live in crappy places with few amenities so they're out a lot. They walk between the Drop In centres, medical appointments & cafeterias. A hand knit hat is considered a luxury! Really??? Hats??? Okay, hats it will be!! I have a lot of White Buffalo wool - each package is in a different dyelot! Great for hats. Knit on large needles - good for both sexes, repels water, keeps you warm even when wet & soooooo easy to make! I even have an original pattern for a touque. WooooooHooooooo

The Sun is Shining & the Grass is Riz

My circadian clock says I should be up, eating an Egg Mcmuffin & answering the phones at work! In the middle of a dream this morning, I threw back the covers, hit the floor & was halfway to the bathroom before I opened my eyes. Stopped dead in my tracks & thought, 'Wait a minute . . .' went back, checked the clock, sat back down, thought for a moment & gave my head a shake. Had a serious talk with myself about where I was & what I was doing today. Tried my best to lay back down but I was UP. The sun was shining out there too. I need to vacuum & do the laundry but I don't want to. Has it really come to this?? Would I rather go to work than clean house??? Oh Yeah!!
Maybe I'll just get a Mcmuffin, read the paper & pretend for an hour or two.

And just so you don't think I don't DO anything but work anymore - I finally finished the toes on my latest creations. Now that I'm having problems putting socks on in the morning, I've finished the latest PURPLE short summer socks! These are in the 'On Your Toes' yarn I found in my 'personal' stash. Apparently the yarn comes with Aloe to soothe the aching tootsies. Dunno 'bout that but the yarn is soft, easy to work with, knits up like any other sock yarn on my 2.25mm or size 1 DPs - I cheated in the end & threw them on two circs since they became 'car knitting' & I didn't want the needles to fall out. Dark stitches are HELL to pick up when you get old!!! This is why they took so long. I haven't had much time to knit in the car - I've either been driving or it's been waiting.

And I guess I'll have to start another pair immediately - I lost part of a tooth eating TOAST yesterday so it looks like I'll be hanging around the Dentist's office this next week . . .

Sunday Morning Again

THIS week I'm taking three days off in a row. At least I'm not planning anything work related other than answering the phone I so calmly call-forwarded yesterday. No one is around at ANY of the businesses that I normally work for. NO ONE. Isn't that amazing??? I suppose the dogs are there but other than that, no one is around. Must be that big fat Blue Moon that made this happen!! Aren't strange & wonderful things supposed to happen during the Blue Moon??? For those who don't know - a Blue Moon is the second full moon in a month! Rare, apparently. And we don't get another one for years.

But, as I said, I don't have to be anywhere for the next three days. Think of the possibilities! All the bills are paid. I could take the car out & just drive north, south or east without stopping for a day or two . . . but then I'd have to come back again. So I might as well knit.

I'm a fan of the Cabin Fever gals & just had to have their new book, 'Need a Plus Cardigan?' I like NO SEW, Top-down patterns especially when they come in versions for multiple weights of yarn. And having a pattern designed especially for a large body?? With variations to make multiples?? You Bet. I'll buy that!! I have other Cabin Fever patterns & I like them. I'd been working on my Poncho Pullover until it got too warm to have it in my lap. And then I got involved in the Tour de Fleece & knitting my hand spun into socks for the Ravellenic Games. So it's time to get back to Fall knitting . . .

The Book's release is being celebrated by a Knit-a-Long using one of the sweaters in the Book. Julie from Knitting at Large, Deb from Cabin Fever & friend Robin are all helping us out on this one. I figure if I join a KAL, I might get something finished in time for FALL this year. Seems I can knit for others a hellova lot faster than I can for myself. And I have all that Briggs & LIttle Heritage in two shades of blue. Apparently Deb likes B&L & has used it several times in her new sample sweaters in the book!! I just love the Panel Sweater. I love the version with the lace but you can't knit that in Heritage!! Heritage is a worsted weight more suited to outdoor wear & hoodies! It's rustic but soft & comes complete with bits of straw - but, it should work nicely with the Lace Frock Vest pattern. I'd put a 3/4 sleeve on it & wear it hip length as a light jacket over leggings or jeans! You know, I think I just made up my own mind.