Back Again

There's a couple of Blogs that I follow with regularity. Oh, I don't check them daily but I do pop in at least a couple of times a week just to see what they're working on or to check on an on-going project. I really hate bloggers that get you all excited & then disappear for weeks or months. And here I am, joining their ranks .  .  .  .  I can't believe how fast the days go when you have no fixed schedule.

It seems like I've been cleaning out this damned dead fridge for weeks. The apartment was almost empty when it came in & now it's filled to the brim. Not only do I have to move it but I have to move half the kitchen & living room to get it OUT. My knee is being bossy about all this extra exercise and wobbles. And aches. And then there's ALL that work I have to do sitting in boxes in my office  .  .  .  What's a person to do??  Why, KNIT of course.


My Dental Assistant wants Pink socks for her size 12 feet. She's the only person other than the male Dentist in the office who can work on me with metal tools. I get galvanic shocks from everyone else in the office when they touch my teeth. It's a mystery & it's painful. The female Dentist gets annoyed. My theory is that it's the nylon in their undies & panty hose that builds up the static electricity - like you scuffing your feet on carpet before touching the dog's nose - which zaps me when they touch me. Every time they touch me. I'm sensitive to that electricity. The freezer doors at Safeway zap me. My front door knob zaps me. Sometimes my car zaps me. But, Lara wears cotton undies & rubber soled shoes so we can react nicely. She deserves socks just for that. But she's also a nice girl & I try to give her a pair every year. This year I asked what color she wanted, she said PINK. Great, the one color I don't have!! And that's why I'm knitting Frankensocks in all the leftover yarns that have pink in them. I'm just starting to turn the heel on the first sock.

I've been working on my sweater. I'm using Briggs & Little Heritage for this one. It started out to be a Wonderful Wallaby but they're knit from the bottom up which is tough to fit on my body. I decided to work it top down using the Cabin Fever book - Need an Ample Cardigan? - instead. I didn't plan to put a hood or pouch on it but I wanted the 'hoodie' shape. I'm using Peacock
blue for the yoke & the Anniversary Twist for the body.

I Changed My Mind

I have a great deal of difficulty knitting sweaters for myself. They either turn out too big - the usual or too small. Oh yeah, I knit swatches - BIG swatches & do the math & measure but some Gremlin comes in the night, rips out everything I've done & knits it to a bigger size! That's how it must happen because I can't figure out any other way. And I've knit a lot of sweaters over the years - especially for somebody else - and THEY fit properly. Maybe it's a body image thing. Do I see myself BIGGER than I am?? Does my brain automatically compute for a bigger size?

I've had more success with Top-Down sweaters - the ones you can fit as you go. Mainly, because, well, you can TRY it on as you go. Menopause has turned me from an apple shape with big boobs to a cantaloupe with smaller boobs. I came to the realization in my teens at 155 pounds, that I would never have a defined waist or flat stomach unless I was dead. And I had those boobs, four sizes bigger than my butt. I knit sweaters to fit the boobs, but what fit the boobs didn't fit anything else. Maybe that's still the problem. I'm trying to fit the boobs when I should be fitting the belly.


I really want a Wallaby. I like the comfort of a sweatshirt when I'm working in my home office. I've started the darned thing twice - first time around it was based on bust measurement & gauge. At about 8 inches, it looked HUGE.  Put it on a long cord & tried it on. It WAS huge. Frogged it all & cast on again less 30 stitches!! Did I mention, the Wallaby is knit bottom up in one piece to the armhole .  .  .  Second time around, it still looks too big. 

Backup Plan. Dug out the Cabin Fever book "Need a Plus Sized Cardigan?" and decided to work it from the Top Down with a V-neck which I'll cross over - good style for me - and knit down to the hem. I've learned how to do short rows to add fullness for the bust that has decreased with age & the belly that has expanded. I really want to avoid ribbing at the bottom - it just emphasizes the belly. I want a nice fat edge in seed stitch with an open vent at each side edged in seed as well. I really would like to take that bottom over there on the left & attach it to that top on the right. Here we go again.

Pink Frankensocks in the Sunshine

It almost looks like summer out there again today! Hardly a cloud in the sky & it looks like folks are wearing shorts!! Actually, some never take them off around here in the winter, they just wear heavier materials, longer socks & a jacket.
I missed most of yesterday's sunshine while I pounded on my keyboard but today, I'm taking my latest Frankensock project with me to Starbucks & soaking up some sunshine.  I promised PINK socks to my lovely Dental Assistant just before Christmas. Pink is her favorite color. After looking through my stash, I find I don't have anything in Pink except leftovers. I have a big pile of leftovers with Pink in them because I like patterns with pink & purple as you can see. Frankensocks would be a good option here because that darned girl has very long, large feet. Even though I know she'd be thrilled with pink LACE socks - lace never comes in size 12 unless you knit them yourself - Frankensocks, it will have to be this time. I could even add some black or dark grey to really make the pink pop, too. And while I really hate knitting size 12 socks, I guess it's better than owing size 12 feet!

Nothing like a little Sunburn

Today I woke to glorious sunshine & managed to haul three containers of garbage out to the cans all by myself. I hear you all laughing. This is the first time since I tore the cartilage in my right knee that I've been able to get there on my own. I have to walk around the house, through uncut grass & hidden potholes to get there so today's adventure is no mean feat. It now means I can do this job myself instead of waiting for someone else to do it. It also means I can also clean out the fridge which died some time in the last couple of days. If it isn't one bloody thing, it's another.

I took myself down to Starbucks around noon & sat outside in my shirt sleeves & read the paper while I baked in the sunshine. Most people - except the smokers - stayed inside with their coffees. I laughed out loud & soaked up every stray ray I could absorb for two whole hours. Yeah baby, this is what Vancouver's all about. It might rain most of the winter, spring & fall but when the sun shines, it's really glorious. The only thing wrong with today was no knitting.

But, I have been knitting at home. My Wonderful Wallaby is coming right along. I decided to use a seed stitch border instead of ribbing on the bottom. I also built in a side vent, 8" deep on either side. And I left off the pouch which would just bring more attention to my post menopausal belly. Several short rows were also built in to give my belly a little more room & help the hem to fall where it should.