Wool Weather

Prince Rupert weather came calling the past couple of days. We've had that cold misty rain that doesn't look like much but soaks you thru to your skin quickly while you load groceries or stand outside to chat with a neighbor for a moment or two. It's the stuff that keeps the Rain Forest alive & well on the Pacific West Coast but it's hell for the creatures who don't grow a warm waterproof coat. It's definitely WOOL weather.

I picked up the BT at the new Surrey Rehab Unit on Saturday after lunch & spent the rest of the afternoon getting soaked. In the time it took to unload the wheelchair, wheel it to his door, let him transfer & wheel him indoors, I got soaked. After three ins & outs, he decided to stay in the van while I got take-out to eat in the van to save me another soaking . . . . He likes the new Unit although he's the youngest person there again. Very high tech with all the conveniences built right in. And they have Specialists on call for everything. Within 24 hours of finding a problem, they have a Specialist in to check things out & order tests. Rehab patients get priority testing & fixing. WOW.


So I came home tired & wet after being out for the afternoon. It takes a lot of energy to haul that wheelchair in & out & push a 240lb man uphill most of the time!! He was also tired from his first three days in the new unit & was blessing the Gods who give Rehab patients the weekend off to rest! It's times like these that I really miss the old wood stove, but I managed to get warm with the fish chowder I'd made the day before. And I got thinking about the three WOOL sweaters I have, partially finished, for MOI. Yeah, polar fleece works but it sure doesn't keep you warm when it's wet. Wool sure does. I have half a livingroom full of wool & no sweaters for me. Sort of like the Mechanic who drives the worst car in the neighborhood???? So, my Christmas socks are almost finished - toes to do for the BT's dad & toes to do on my Secret Santa project . . . . . . .

AND THEN I FINISH A SWEATER FOR ME!! Remember Ginny??? And Arvik?? Well, Ginny's actually finished except for the edging. I have to pick up stitches down the fronts, across the bottom & back up around the neck & knit some sort of finish stitch. And then I can wear it. I just looked at all those stitches I had to pick up & cast-on for another sock . . . . And Arvik? Well, it's in the top photo & I haven't progressed beyond what you see. Arvik is next on the agenda - probably my Christmas knitting, so there! How do you spell procrastinate???

The Secret Santa socks have their heels turned & are on the home stretch to the toes. I've ended up with only two patterned yarns with the pink & the black somehow. Not sure if I should add a third color or not at this time but I'll knit a little more & then decide what to do. One thing's sure, these are plenty bright & wild just as they are so my Giftee should love them. Just a second shot of them from the heel - don't you love the way the patterned yarn turned out??

Moving toward THAT time of year


So, I don't celebrate Christmas or put up all the doo-dads that come with it but I usually do get involved in the Secret Santa exchange on Canspin. I've belonged to Canspin - Canadian Spinners on line - for years & years. For those who don't know, it's an old internet group on Yahoo. I sometimes get involved in exchanges. I was involved in the Sock Exchange some years back & truly love the two socks I got! Both of them are handknit from fibre that was spun & dyed by fellow members. I have them as ART because that's what they really are. I've been involved in fibre exchanges too with varying success - I got some wonderful batts one time to spin from Nova Scotia that were lamb's wool, silk & dog hair!! They were to dye for . . . pun intended. So, this year, at the last minute, I decided to go for the Secret Santa exchange.

I know who my intended victim er Giftee is to be but she doesn't know who I am! I have a basic intro - "I love bright colors, don't want tea bags or towels & have an open mind !" I've sent a couple of emails asking for more details of hobbies, likes etc but received no answer. So, I guess I'm winging this one. I don't know if she knits. I only know she loves fibre & probably spins.

One of the problems with Secret Santa for me is knowing when to quit. I mean, how much to you put into the package??

My pal Karen makes the cutest stitch markers. I use her Teddy Bear markers almost daily in every pair of socks I knit. The ring on the Teddy is just the right size, Teddy is just big enough to see & weighs nothing on the needles. I love the Teddies. So I asked Karen to make me a set of Teddies for the gift box. She gave me THREE sets!!

I bought several packages of the Sock Stretcher key chains from a fellow Canspinner & tossed one of them in to the box. I was going to throw in a skein of Puma cotton & a pattern for a Sheep washcloth but decided instead to make a pair of shortie Frankensocks in Hot Pink, Black & a bunch of sock leftovers with pink or black in them. Hot Pink is one of my Giftee's favs & I don't want to take the chance that she's not a knitter!! The beginnings of the socks are in the picture above & I think they'll look great when I'm done. I'll stuff everything into the little yellow project bag I found in my stash & include a pocket two-year Memo Book to keep track of all her projects & events. I'm hoping she smiles a whole lot when her Secret Santa package arrives & enjoys wearing the wild socks I have so much fun creating!!

Ohhhh, my aching Fingers!


I've been knitting socks like crazy. I needed several pairs of socks for Christmas. Not that I'm into Christmas at all but I do have several people I give gifts to because they're close to me & THEY celebrate, I DO donate to people who have very little & there's always an orphan or two who never expects to get ANYTHING from ANYONE . . . And I have a soft head to go with the heart!! And just look at these really fun Christmas tins I found at the Dollar Store??? I just loved them when I saw them. They're big enough for a pair of socks & a washcloth. The tree or the bell have enough room for a soap too.


So, I've been knitting socks like mad. As soon as one pair comes off the needles, another gets cast on. These socks are for the BT's DAD for Christmas. The BT says they look a little like Norwegian socks so his dad will probably love them. The yarn is Elann's "Sock it to Me" & some people think it's a little thin. I've found it knits up very much like Confetti & has almost as much yardage. The colorways are not as extensive as some but I liked this one very much & bought it in several shades.
There are times I wonder why I even bother to do this but every time I sew a toe together, I fall in love with another pair of socks. I love the smallness of the project. I love the wildness of the yarns. I also love the fact that I am one of the few people who actually KNIT socks - we're still rare birds even though more people are making them every year!! If only I could get this excited about knitting sweaters for myself . . . .

I've spent the whole morning banging my head against the wall trying to get Flickr to show my latest pictures. Without Flickr, I have no way to post my pictures on Ravelry. Flickr accepts my uploads. It even shows my pictures in the SlideShow but won't let them appear on the site for me to slide them over to Ravelry. What's with this??? Some of the pictures already on Ravelry have even disappeared from my Project area. Why?? I have no bloody idea. Flickr has labelled me a "SAFE" site. I've exposed all my pictures to the world - not that most of it even wants to look - but I am still blocked. Grrrrrrr . . . . I suspect it's all a ploy by Microsoft to make us PAY to store photos! So, this is the only place you will be able to see my projects in pictures - enjoy.

The BT's mother's wild socks are finished!! This is the wild Kroy yarn that I got from my knitting pal, Karen. It feels thicker than some of the yarns we're using these days so they should be warmer on her feet this winter. She likes the wilder colors & this one makes your eyes water if you look at it too long!! The only problem with Kroy that I can see is that the darned stuff splits as you knit. Maybe this is just me, but I was constantly fixing stitches that were partially caught. I can normally read or watch tv without looking at the straight knit parts of the sock & really hate it when I have to watch my stitches!!

The Last Splotchy Confetti socks so beloved by the BT are done. I've looked everywhere & can't find any more of this in dark blue or black. He must have 10 pairs with different colored toes by now. IF he gets any more socks, they'll be in wilder colorways whether he likes it or not!! If he doesn't, then the EX is always available to take anything I'm willing to knit!!!

It's a looooong way from last Tuesday



I just don't know where the time goes. I spent two days this past week at the hospital doing ordinary life skill things with my BT. He had another stroke last Saturday after I left which knocked the stuffing out of him & slowed his therapy down to a crawl for the first part of the week so he's feeling a little peeved/bored/angry/disappointed with his own body. Aries people want everything yesterday. We want immediate action. We want it All & we want it Now. We don't deal well with disappointment & failure. Some of us learn to cope with it somewhat as we age & some of us, well, we break things, we frog things, we start new things . . . . you get my drift. Aries deals very well with all seven plagues. Unless they're our own, of course.

So, I picked him up in the van & took him away. We got a haircut. We went for tea at Starbucks & we ate Sushi for lunch. We discovered a lot of ramps are just there for show! They aren't actually built for wheelchairs unless someone drags you up them backwards over the little curb. We got stuck in the doors that open the wrong way or crash back on you when you're halfway through. We enjoyed the handicap bathroom that no one in a wheelchair can get into without help. We came up with a couple of great ideas for a new business. We figured out how to get that damned wheelchair into the back of a van without killing my back. We even got the old boy back in time for therapy. Mind you, he was so tired by then that he could only walk around the ward twice before he collapsed in bed.
The next day he called & we did the dirty deed all over again & stayed out even longer!! We met friends at Starbucks - I'm getting much better at getting that chair in & out!! And I watched in horror as he sailed down the ramp, across the parking lot & up the other side to meet a friend ON HIS OWN. I had to grit my teeth & turn my back. I had to let him go for it, not watch him struggle to get up the slight incline on the other side & pray a car didn't hit him on the way! He did it & I did it. After all, that's what these trips are for. Normalization. Back to Life. Real World. Kick Ass.


I have two pairs of socks on the needles at the moment which will be Christmas socks this year. The very last balls of the splotchy blue/white Confetti yarn so beloved by his highness are almost socks. I got this wild Kroy in yellow/orange/red/green that I think will excite the BT's mom at Christmas. It should go quite nicely with all her brown outfits this year & it's nice & thick for winter boots. BUT, is it my imagination or is the Kroy a little nasty to knit with??? I've found it splits like crazy which drives me insane because I have to watch my stitches again!!! Maybe I've just been spoiled by the tighter spun yarns??


I have a couple of nice balls of 'Sock it to Me' from Elann for the BT's dad in blues & greys to finish next. For a man who would only wear solid, conservative socks in black, brown or navy, he's come a long way!!

I received a surprise gift of Regia. Gail found this colorway in Calgary last week when she went off to visit her daughter in her new digs. Apparently the daughter had found the yarn shops in anticipation of mom's arrival. Isn't it a great colorway??? I'll bet it knits up very quickly & is on my feet before the Christmas gift socks are finished . . . . .

Remembering


This one's for you Alf. . . I pause on this 11th hour of the 11th day of 2008 to remember Alf Zirk, client, friend & survivor of the Great War who believed that War should never ever happen again. He talked often about the terrible ways that his friends & fellow soldiers lived & died. He often wondered why he was chosen to come back home again. I know why. He came home to try to make us understand. Remember. Never forget.



Finished - at Last!

I'm a procrastinator. I confess. I'm a starter. An idea person. I love to think up new & better projects but I'm a lousy finisher. I take courses on line or by correspondence & I do all the assignments in the last two weeks of the 4 month course. Yeah, I probably need therapy but I don't have the money . . . . one thing about Blogs, you have to actually FINISH something in order to publish the picture. Soooooo . . . . . TADA


The Tomten Jacket from EZ's Opinionated Knitter. The picture is actually a little pinker than the actual sweater but otherwise it's not too bad. I single crocheted down the fronts & across the bottom to give it a more 'finished' look & incorporated the button loops into the finish. Surprisingly, I was able to find 4 pink buttons in my stash that matched the pink sleeves exactly! Now how often does that happen??? The next Tomten will be a pullover sweater & I may incorporate a hood as well. I'm thinking of making it similar to a Hoodie for a change but still easy for a small child to get on & off.


I've also finished the Baby Surprise Jacket, also from EZ's Opinionated Knitter. This one really concerned me after I got to the midpoint of the sweater. It started looking awfully strange in it's proportions - remember, I've only ever knit one other BSJ - but I carried on, not wanting to frog it until I really understood it's dimensions. Good thing I hung in there because it turned out to be just fine. Now that I've made two of these, I can see where I am in my mind as I knit & I know the next one will be so much better. The buttonholes are not in the best place for this particular sweater but I'll be able to adjust them in the next one. The dimensions are a little different in the much fatter yarn I'm using here than in the infant sized one I made in finer yarn. Some areas need to be tweaked a little but I've made notes lightly in pencil in my OK book - sorry EZ! And again, in the stash, I found two orange & two white buttons on cards - now WHO would ever buy only TWO buttons in a style, color or shape??? I must've been outta my mind.

The Week ended with a bang


Sunday mornings I open the local UBrew for one customer who can't bottle his beer any other time of the week. He's a good customer & bottles 3 Sundays out of 4. I don't care whether I work Sunday or Monday so I open at 8:00 on Sunday, visit with him while he bottles his beer & then I do the bookkeeping for the business. I mentioned one week that I knit for charity & he told me to call his mother. He figures she needs something to do & has a whole room full of yarn to do it with. So I did. Look at what he brought me this morning!!!

There's one more sweater & two scarves in the bag as well!! I was so surprised to see such lovely, fun sweaters - I just love them all. A huge THANK YOU to Dorothy Crawford for all the work that's gone into these little items.

Boy, does this inspire me to get my BSJ finished ASAP so I can drop them off at Knitopia on Thursday nite!

One of those Dammit weeks


The weather has been awful, dammit. I've been sneezing, coughing & wheezing, dammit. I'm too hot with a sweater on, but too cold without, dammit. Haven't felt like doing anything at all, double dammit. It's just been that kind of week!!
The wheezing, sneezing & coughing didn't really develop into anything else so I'm wondering if it's some kind of allergy thing. Mind you, I have been doing a lot of data entry this week - how else do you pay the rent??? That paper dust really gets to me. I spend days unfolding receipts before I can sort, batch & enter them. Maybe it's the mold lurking in the walls . . . . . who knows?? I do feel better today, that's all I know.

Visited the BT today - first time in over a week. Hauled down the requisite 15 pounds of fruit for him to stuff in his face & found that he's now up & able to walk around the entire ward several times a day on the walker!! He says it's harder work than the production line!! He's not only doing walker work but he's kicking some of the older folks on the ward into gear! He says he's sick to death of all the moaning, groaning & whining going on from people who won't even try to do anything so he's shamed some of them into going to rehab & has a competition going with a couple more. His attitude has really changed - he does do his best when he's helping others. Apparently the paperwork's in for a bed in the new Rehab unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital where they do rehab 7 days a week ALL DAY. He's looking forward to it & intends to be home before Christmas!! The whole visit really cheered me up even though I had to run thru the rain to keep the parking meter fed.


My Baby Surprise Jacket is almost finished - actually, the buttonholes are done & I'm down to the last two rows before casting off. It really looks strange in the larger size & I'm hoping it turns out as well as the regular baby one did. I keep looking at it & thinking it looks even weirder than the last one if that's even possible. More damned buttons to find. I should just do pullovers from the neck down. sigh The BT's new socks have their heels turned & I'm about halfway down the foot. I'll be glad when these are done since I need six pairs of Frankensocks in the next 6 weeks . . . . & there's that carpenter sweater to finish. Dammit, dammit, dammit . . . .

The RainForest Blues

Another grey Fall day in the Rain Forest. I like listening to the rain when I'm curled up in my bed under the flannel covered quilt with the window open. I think I like laying there even when the snow is blowing in the open window & falling on my face. But, I'm not real happy to get up to it. It's dark, gloomy & depressing out there. It's times like this that I really miss my little house with the woodstove. I miss the warmth, the glow, the soup pot burbling on the back of the stove & I really miss the animals curled around soaking up the heat. Basement suites just don't give you that stuff. So I sit at my messy desk with a cup of tea & dream.

My arthritic hands have been giving me hell since the dampness & bad weather rolled in. The Arthritis Society says bad weather doesn't significantly affect arthritis pain. Okaaaaaay. Maybe it's the dampness, the cold or the barometric change but isn't that tied to Bad Weather???? All I know is that it HURTS, dammit. One day my forefinger's painfull - two days later the thumbs hurt so bad I can't open the laundry detergent bottle but the forefinger's fine - what gives??? It interrupts my knitting. And I don't like that.

Speaking of knitting - I've finished the Tomten Jacket - no buttons on it yet but I've decided it will have buttons. I'll crochet a loop to hook over the buttons which have yet to be found. I'm thinking big black buttons.
The Baby Surprise Jacket is more than half finished. I decided to make it every color under the rainbow. I don't know what size it'll be when it's finished since I used the measurements for the Baby size, but this yarn is somewhere around an Aran bulk when knitted so I'm thinking it may be a size 4 or so. The next one will be another Tomten but knit in the round as a pullover instead of a cardigan.

Since I found two last balls of the BT's favorite splotchy Confetti yarn, I'm knitting one last pair of socks for him in the light blue. While not his favorite colorway, he likes it well enough to look forward to yet another pair. Hopefully, he'll be out of the hospital by Christmas & wearing them.



Look what I found!! I love the color & was gonna knit another wild little scarf to wear with my Arvik sweater when I get it done. Now, well, I wonder if this would make a great collar for Arvik instead? Wouldn't that be FUN??


Wouldja believe I blew the dust off my sewing machine this morning??? I decided to tackle the huge pile of mending piled on top of the sewing chair. Nothing like a couple of hour's mending to start off the day. Made me want to blow the dust off the serger & just get to work on some of that Polar Fleece I've been hoarding in my stash. I need a winter jacket & I know I have at least two big bags of fleece that I bought at a big Closing Out Sale when Fabricana closed it's Surrey location. If I remember correctly, I bought blue with snowflakes on it to make a zipped jacket for myself . . . . For my birthday last year, the BT gave me $500 to buy myself something - I bought a whole bunch of silk noil, wool/silk flannel & tencel fabric to make myself some new tops to go with the pants I also bought. Why am I still wearing sweats??? I think I need to go on a weekend retreat with my serger & fabrics!!!

Time to quit flogging the dog & get back to work, I guess . . . . . the paperwork never ends!

The Sun came out today

October used to be such a glorious month in the Lower Mainland. You used to count on a warm October with crisp evenings & cool nights. Is it my imagination, or have we had too many years with too much rain??? Today was a wonderful October day. Cold morning, warm, almost hot afternoon - yes, that IS a bit too much sun on my face - with the cool evening just starting as the sun goes down. I got my rays at Starbucks today from 2 to 3:30 while knitting on the Wonderful Wallaby in the Anniversary Blue Briggs & Little wool. I love the color. The Carpenter who is to wear this sweater loves the color too - it will bring out the blue of his eyes & make him a little more irresistible to the woman in his life. The BT & I brought them together about 8 years ago when we spent a summer being bums at Starbucks - sigh, young love . . . . . . .


Since my fingers are better, I've been able to take up the needles for a longer period of time & have finished my Tomten jacket in three colors. I have yet to sew up the sleeves or figure out the front closures - looking thru the button bin this evening to see if I have anything that will work - who knows, it may get a zipper. The next one will definitely be a pullover!!!! I think I hate sewing up & sewing on buttons the most - I'd rather knit!!!
Haven't decided if I'll knit a pullover Tomten next or make the Baby Surprise Jacket. The Tomten is really a fast & simple knit - all garter stitch - without any bother about shaping which is really nice if you just want to take it everywhere for those moments you need something to do. It's like car socks - mindless time filler. But some child will love the end result & I guess, in the end, that's the most important part of knitting for charity.

Holy Crap, it's almost Monday again!?!

I have no idea where the last few days have gone other than they've just gone! Hey, I want some of this life back when I'm not stressed or aching! My thumbs have been so damned sore that I haven't knit more than the cuffs on the Tomten jacket & even they aren't sewed together yet.


My friend Karen told me what the problem is with the BT - She said he's grieving. Well, duhhhhhh, of course he is!! - smack myself in the forehead . . . I took all those courses too, way back when, but it's funny how you don't apply them when YOU'RE the one with the problem. Once the light came on behind my eyes, my blood pressure went down. I've litterally been making myself sick with worry. Of course . . . . he's working thru the Anger stage!! I'm so stupid. Upon realizing this, I was able to talk to him rationally about what's going on & beat him up a little about taking it out on me. And then I asked some important questions about how he'll manage when he CAN go home & what he thinks he'll need to make that happen. There's nothing like being prepared when the Social Worker asks the very same questions . . . .


So, now that the BIG problem was sort of solved on Wednesday - the Ladies Auxiliary's home made brownies - on sale in the Hospital didn't hurt neither!!! I was able to come home & root thru my bags - yes, litterally BAGS - of left over sock yarns for ideas for Frankensocks. I think I need a bag of black & red to tie everything together! I love Frankensocks. As long as the measurement from cuff to heel & heel to toe is the same, you can do anything in between! I have more people every year to knit for so I haven't decided whether to make another dozen infant socks for Afghanistan or to make adult socks for charity. So many decisions, so little time . . . . . What did someone say today?? Two months to the big day . . . .

One last whine . . . no, I don't serve cheese with that!

I finally quit feeling sorry for myself, pulled in the old a**hole strings & got back to the grind. I picked up my friend Lucy yesterday morning bright & early - she had some moaning of her own to get done so we had a little teary session in memory of her dad who died two years ago this week. We sat outside in the sunshine, on the cement block behind Starbucks with a coffee, & talked of old times. We laughed till we cried over some of the shenanegans that used to go on at the grubby little shop by the Patullo bridge where most business transactions were done in cash. We giggled over all of the dirty, grimy, sticky, nasty jobs we used to do for her dad for money. He once signed me up to release towed cars from the compound across the yard, if you can believe it!! I was the bookkeeper who also stripped cars & helped install windshields while she learned to scrape, label, paint, prime & cut up junk cars. We both ran for parts. Gawd, I miss you Jerry.

And then we drove down to visit the Nasty Man at the hospital. I know he was glad to see us but as is often the case these days, he was sour & mean. She offered to tip over the chair & suggested we leave him out behind the bushes. He'd fallen in the bathroom just before we arrived so that really put him in a mood! He's frustrated. He's not progressing as fast as he wants. He's tired of the Geriatric ward. And he just wants OUT. But, some progress to report - he's doing physio TWICE a day now - they ARE considering a walker for him & he's getting assessed on his personal care ability tomorrow. I think that man just needs someone a little younger to compete with. His current roomie, who is a lot younger, has given up & just won't try to do anything for himself! That depresses the BT more than anything.


Not much to report on the knitting, spinning or dyeing front. I've been too busy doing receipt sorting & data entry. There's nothing like a little emotional stress to raise the Blood Pressure & cause the old arthritis to flare up too. I'm back taking pills three times a day again & can't spin at all at the moment.
My Tomten sleeves are almost finished - I have one to go, the closure to figure out & then onto the next one which will be a pullover Tomten! I do prefer to START new projects than FINISH old ones . . . . .

Another Weepy Weekend . . . .

I spent the weekend feeling sorry for myself. With the BT & my friend Lucy in the hospital, the Girls at the Spinning Retreat & my techie buddy Kelly in love & visiting out of town - hey, we all know what he's doing!!! - I was actually lonely. I couldn't even find Kelly's buddy Steve on the weekend! The only one left was my ex. Guess who I ended up eating Shanghai Noodle Soup with??? Yup, the EX! Oh I could've hung around Starbucks on my own, I suppose, someone I know would've come in eventually but I wanted to whine & you have to have just the right people for that!! I've been working on my own too long - when I go to work, everyone else is off, I'm losing touch!!

Man - I gotta get out & find some new friends or get a day job like everyone else!!!


I did spend time working on the Tomten jacket. After half a sleeve I realized something was wonky. EZ isn't always really clear in her directions in the Opinionated Knitter! When I realized my sleeve was wider than the back of the sweater, I knew I'd done something wrong! Frogged the whole sleeve back to where I picked up the original stitches & really LOOKED at it. Aha - You don't pick up & knit ONE underarm stitch on the holder each row as you knit the sleeve, you must knit ONE sleeve stitch & ONE underarm stitch together at each end until they're all knitted up. Makes sense to me. So, I'm happily knitting the sleeve once more & it now looks like a sleeve! I now get that nice horizontal line where the sleeve meets the body. Details. Details.

Didn't spin Sunday away as I planned. I was lonely so I went to work. It gave me something to do & I got the wash done while I was at it. And it took me close to the Sushi shop!! Mama had sushi for lunch & the remains for supper!!! Lucky me, Kelly arrived home & took me for coffee in the evening. Oh boy, he's got it bad. He's already commissioned a Designer to work on the rings . . . .

All men are snakessssssssss . . . .

I'm actually still talking to the BT although I've considered trading him in on a newer model! Well, any model for that fact. He can't understand why MY stomach churns & I'm all stressed out - after all, HE's the one with the injury!! He's the one who has to stay in hospital . . . And who's the one who didn't look after himself??? Hmmm?? Why are sick men like poisonous snakes???? GRRRRRRR

I did stop by for all of 40 minutes - Apparently the Physio - heh, she's a member of my Spinning & Weaving Guild - works him like a Rented Mule for two hours every day with no nonsense. By the time she gets done, he's done for the day & has to sleep! He says learning how to walk again is the hardest work he's ever done & he's just too tired to hang out in the coffee shop much!! Apparently the rehab ward is terrific, the staff are wonderful - if you have to be in the hospital, this is the ward you want!!! He's taking advantage of everything he can do & work with. And he's much happier. I guess the secret to make a man better is to keep him busy even when he's sick. I swear my stomach got better just listening!

I treated myself to dinner & then headed over to my favorite LYS, Knitopia. I was going to give a fellow knitter a lesson in turning a heel a la Queen Kahuna & turn in my first "Boomer" sweater. I had lots of fun knitting this wild little thing. I just cast on about 94 stitches & went to town! I split the stitches at the armhole & knit the front & back separtely with a three stitch garter band on either side of each to make picking up sleeve stitches easier. I was going to put buttons on the shoulders but if a kid loses one or two, they may be hard to find.

I looked through a ton of yarn but couldn't find the color I needed to finish the fronts of my Tomten sweater. DAMN. Well, there was nothing to do but frog the one partially knit front & knit them both in another shade of something. The back can stay the way it is. I ended up knitting the narrow fronts in this grey & using a pink for the arms. I think it all goes together quite nicely, don't you???? The Tomten is a fun little sweater to knit & would make a great adult jacket. It does eat a lot of yarn though, so be prepared!! I think I like it's design more than the Baby Surprise Jacket - oh, stop yelling!! - I know the BSJ is a stash buster & a lot of fun to knit but this one's so simple. I'm thinking I'll make the next one a pullover with a split front! Maybe I'll even steal the pouch from the Wonderful Wallaby for the front . . . . . . I must say knitting kid's sweaters is a blast - nice change from all the socks I usually churn out.

And back to Arvik - my perpetually-in-progress handspun sweater was chosen by the cat as a daybed while I was gone all day yesterday. She pulled the sweater-in-progress half out of the plastic bag & rolled up in a ball with it . . . . . I'm thinkin' that this is a hint to finish it NOW & get it out of her way!!

The Girls are off to the Fall Retreat, sigh . . . . with my cat sitter in the hospital, I'm stuck at home this weekend. Maybe I'll just spin all day Sunday & think of them driving through all that rain in the Canyon. I have been spinning up the superwash sock yarn I bought at the Spring Retreat hosted by our local guild. I'm not sure it'll be socks but I'm sure getting fond of fingerless gloves . . . . I'll never be a shawl or scarf person either but leg warmers for work??? Maybe . .

Ode to the BoyToy

So how's the BoyToy doing?? Well, he had a nasty blow-out in one of the arteries in his brain which could've killed him because it took two days to get him to the hospital. By the time we actually got him there, it was trying to heal itself. Lucky for him, lucky for his family!! You don't get too many of these breaks in life. He will have some permanent damage but the medical staff say it'll be minimal - whatever that means. He has no paralysis & his speech is good but he still hasn't located his left arm & leg in space. They're still about 4 inches from where he thinks they are - they used to be about 8" away so I guess this is progress too. His eyes are still not working together properly - they both see & focus but not together in the same place. He can read & understand the big letters but not the small print. His recall is sometimes goofy. But he can pass most of the tests the physio gives him but the big one - he isn't walking yet. His hand is better than his leg. A bunch of his pals hauled him out this weekend for beer & pizza. He's on the mend if he can go out for beer & pizza!!! He's extremely nasty & cranky - sick man syndrome?, wants to escape the hospital at any cost & just wants to go home NOW. And he can't wait to go back to work. So I guess life returns to almost normal.

And how am I?? Well, relieved, angry, resentful, stressed, restless, carrying on as I always do. At least the cat's always happy to see me when I come home - she rushes out to the car to give me shit for being gone so long!!! When I'm really angry & resentful, I try to remember how I'd feel if it were ME laying there not being able to make my own decisions, being poked, prodded, isolated, no privacy or hot shower. I'd be screaming long & loud too. I hate hospitals. I hate the smells, the sounds, the people & the whole industry. And I generally avoid them at all cost! LOL Its funny - the staff say they don't like patients who just want to stay in the Hospital Hotel. But heh, they really don't like the ones who want to get up & check out quickly!

I HAVE been getting some knitting done though. Wheeling those damned wonky chairs, the emotional distress & the change in the weather has kind of crippled my hands. I can't even spin right now. I can barely write never mind knit! But, I've been slowly working on my "Boomer" projects. I still have to find three buttons for the shoulder of the bottom up sweater in the wild colors - yellow, lemon, orange & beige AND I've got a EZ Tomten on the needles in plum - haven't decided what color the arms will be but I wish I had Celery colored yarn. This is the first time I've made the Tomten & I thought it would be fun although garter stitch really seems to go on & on & on. I might try the Baby Surprise Jacket too - it'll be much bigger in the yarn I've been given but I'm not sure how much bigger! I think chunky yarn is much harder to knit with than good old sock yarn when you have sore fingers but I'm doing a little here & there. The day is so dark & grey today that my camera won't even take a good picture . . . .

Another Day, Another Visit


I'm getting pretty good at wheeling wheelchairs around hospital corridors. The only thing I'm NOT good at is making my way up & down hills with a loaded one. I think the staff on the BoyToy's ward hate us. Two days in a row we've had wonky wheelchairs. They go where they desire. They stop suddenly when we hit a mat or veer off into a wall when we try to go straight! It's not easy wheeling a 230 pound man up a hill but it's impossible when all four wheels are going in different directions!! I just about dumped the poor man into the roadway over a 4" drop yesterday . . . . I don't need to go to the gym because I'm getting a terrific workout at the hospital!

I'm doing a fair bit of knitting. My pals & I have dropped everything for a couple of weeks to knit for the "Boomer" project which sends knitted hats & sweaters for small children to Afghanistan to be distributed by Canadian troops. The girls must have a dozen or more hats between them while I've finished one sweater & am onto the second which is EZ's Tomten sweater. I might even get a Baby Surprise Jacket done in this chunky wild yarn. I'm enjoying the knitting - just stocking stitch or garter but I've got 12 different colors to work with!! LOL And I've found that I've forgotten what size a small child actually is . . . . This is a pic of the first sweater in progress. The second sleeve is now finished & I have to sew three buttons on the shoulder!! The Tomten jacket is already on the needles & will be in purples & grey.

In the Blink of an Eye


My best bud had a stroke Sunday night. We both thought he had the flu & didn't actually do anything about his condition till Tuesday afternoon. With hindsight, we should've done something on Monday but neither of us would acknowledge what we both suspected. Who really wants to think they're having a stroke at 50??? Not the guy having one, that's for sure. My pal Karen tells me he has a good chance at a full recovery - I certainly hope so. I mean, what's life without a BoyToy??

So you get to thinking about YOUR chances. About 5 years ago, while sitting at my computer late one evening, I had a TIA. My right hand went all numbish & tingly & the right side of my mouth went all tingly. I thought, OH SHIT, I'm having a stroke. I immediately went & took two regular aspirin with a hot drink & tried to relax. The tingling went away. I went to the nearest clinic in the morning since it was a Friday night on Welfare & Pension week. Welfare week means the emerg is backed up outside the door & it would be tomorrow before anyone saw me anyway!!! I was lucky - my blood pressure was sky high but I had no visible damage once the pressure went down. But I could've had a stroke. The BoyToy has been bitching at me periodically ever since. Did I really heed the warning?? Somewhat. Got my pressure under control. Changed my diet a little. But my weight is the same & I don't exercise. Guess this is a wake up call for both of us . . . .

Summer has left the Room

I guess I have to recognize that Fall is here in all its glory. What happened to Summer?? At least I have wool. It's funny, in the Summer, I hardly took the spinner outside on those few glorious evenings to spin at all. Now that Fall is officially here - well, all I want to do is spin wool. Silky, warm, lovely wool. And I want to knit with it too, of course.

I think Fall is probably my favorite time of the year. I love the long, warm days with the sharp, cool nights. It's great to cuddle under the flannelet covered quilt & listen to the story CD or read a great mystery. I love the colors of the trees as they start to go dormant - too bad they have to lose that showy color. And I love the Fall produce - berries, new apples, nectarines & all the bright root veggies to throw into the slow cooker for soups & stews. The bright fall colors remind me that the cold, dampness of winter is right around the corner & I haven't finished a sweater for ME yet. I'm a great starter but a lousy finisher. Sooooo many projects & sooooo little time . . . . . Arvik isn't yet finished & I want a sweater the color of the new Red Rome apples this year. Can you believe that? Hmmmmm - well, maybe I could overdye some of Arvik with a rich red & knit another sweater???


Speaking of Fall - I've finished the Spirogyra fingerless gloves from Knitty. I had some old grey handspun - some of the Dorset roving I think - so I whipped up a pair to wear in my warehouse jobs. I don't want something delicate or fancy for work - I just want something WARM. The wind kind of blows through those old single glazed windows onto the front computer where I work & I FREEZE. Arvik will be for work too - it's light but really warm & won't show the dirt. IF I EVER GET THE POOR THING FINISHED!


I finished the latest Garn Studio socks. I love the colors so these ones are going straight into MY basket. I may not wear them till the spring when I'll need short socks again but they're all MINE.

I've been sorting through my left-overs since it's also time to knit for my Bum Bags. I'm thinking Frankensocks this year - I've got about four bags of left-overs which I've sorted into Blues, Reds, Pinks/Purples & Everthing Else. Black & Red solids pretty well work with any color in the sock world although Grey is good too. I use the solids for the ribbing, toes & solid stripes between colors. I have to admit that Black is pretty spectacular at showcasing all the jewel colors in the stripes like these ones I knit a couple of years ago.
I've found that a lot of the Black yarns feel much thinner than the colored ones. Why is that??? Is it just my imagination???? Oh well - I got black, several browns & greys to work with for the folks who don't like colors.

And on the spinner - well, I bought some SuperWash wool from Lynne at Knitopia at the Spring Retreat hosted by the Langley Spinner's & Weaver's Guild in February. The bright colors called to me across the room & I had to have it even before it was unpacked & priced. Silly me. Like I need more roving to spin!! And especially more pink or purple . . . . I see a trend here - too much pink & purple in my wardrobe of yarns! And now I want rich burgandy & dark red for fall. Ooooops - maybe it's time to swap some of the pinks & purples I have hoarded away.