My new Wheels

So, my new-to-me van & I have been getting to know each other this past week. Oh, I've had to fix a few things but you ALWAYS have to fix a few things when you get someone else's old car. It came with almost no rubber on the wipers - no wonder they made that strange noise when I used them!!! And there was this great Black Hole in the dash at night - someone put in a new instrument module & mickey moused the wiring. So I got the wiring fixed. The worn out fan/water pump/air belt that started to squeal was also replaced. And I learned that I have a factory Alarm/Disabler in there. I also learned how to use it without a FOB. Nice of the former owner & mechanic to tell me about it. NOT! There's nothing like sitting in a screaming van in front of a bank with no idea how to make it stop. But I learned. Like any new relationship, you enter with shining eyes & open heart forgetting about the bumps along the way. Van's pretty easy to get along with & doesn't have a lot of baggage from former relationships. His heater's hot, he has good bones, he's in pretty fair mechanical condition, his body's in good shape for a van his age & so far, he always starts when cold.

With all the damp weather we've had lately, I haven't accomplished much in the way of knitting or spinning. Although I'm casting on for some fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm - I made Spirogyra from Knitty.com twice - I'm going to try another pattern this time. My hands & fingers hurt. I'm so stiff in the mornings that whatever falls to the floor, stays on the floor till much later in the day. And I tend to wash dishes a little at a time all day so I can soak my hands in the hot water - why waste water??

Soup is back on the menu again jsut because the weather is cool & damp! I cleaned all the chicken & turkey carcasses out of the freezer & made a huge pot of soup! I'd saved all the drippings from cooking a turkey last month & added them. It was wonderful!!! I added barley & bow tie pasta before adding back the meat picked off the bones & a couple of cups of baby peas at the very end. I ate it for three days & gave some away!!! It was the best turkey soup I've made in ages!!
Today, I'm making Soup with hot Italian sausage. I cook it in chunks in the pot. I add water, a can of diced tomatoes, a package of Onion Soup, a can of small white beans or any beans you have & tiny bead pasta. 4 cups of cubed zucchini are added at the end. Sometimes I chop spinach or bok choy leaves if I don't have zucchini. And I've actually thrown in a cup of pureed yam a time or two. The Italian sausage really gives it that bite of flavor!

Huston, We have another car!

One of my clients called with a line on two cars. He went & saw them, offered to bring the most likely for me to try out & told me to meet him at my favorite Greasy Spoon. Threw on my clothes - wasn't dressed yet - roared down the road in my hot "little" car & met him as he pulled in. He was driving MY VAN!!! Well, a silver version of MY VAN! I ran over & peeked inside - it was MY VAN, same interior, same seats & the steering wheel even had the Chrysler emblem on it! A TWIN to MY VAN. I got in, drove it across the parking lot & said, "I'll take it!". I actually drove it to New West from Surrey & delivered it back to it's owner so I know it rides nicely & purrs along so quietly you can barely hear it!!! Oh, it's a little newer, has a couple of extra buttons, a 3.2 litre motor instead of my 3.0 & a different color outside but it's essentially the same van. Dodge calls it a Caravan & Chrysler calls it a Voyager. Whoopee, I'm back in business! Kudos to Ralph, my sweet elderly Rock Truck owner, who spent most of the last week driving all over town to find me a car! He's getting my last big bottle of Port from 2005 that I was saving for a Special Occasion!

Car Trouble - Part Two

So I got my new-to-me free car on Friday evening. Not a bad looking car with a couple of problems. It's a Buick Skylark. The car has been sitting in a client's drive for the last month since he found his mother-in-law the new mini van! He gave me the car to use until I can find - scrape together the money - a car. My van picked the worst time since every bit of spare money I've made this year went to pay down the bills I 'inherited' when I gave the BT the boot. But, back to the car. Gavin gave it to me for free. He told me it had a dead short so I'd have to disconnect the battery at night. He also told me about the leak in the trunk & the hole in the muffler. I can live with that I said. RIGHT!

It came on empty with the gas door pried open. What a surprise! It also came with one set of keys & the official wrench to connect the battery terminal. So, I connected the battery & took it out to Revenue Canada to drop off paperwork. I can't believe it's so low & so small inside. My butt barely fits into the seat but there's actually plenty of leg room. And, I couldn't get the door open to get out of the car. I was afraid it would run out of gas before I got next door to the gas station!!! I couldn't find the interior light, I couldn't open the door to make it come on & was stuffed inside so tightly I couldn't even climb out through the window if it was sinking into the river!!! Eventually, I found the Kiddie locks on the doors - why on the Driver's door??? Like some kid has room to open the door when MOM's driving??? I think I hate this car! Eventually, I got gas & went home. On Saturday morning I had to let it run for half an hour until the condensation on the INSIDE of the windows cleared enough so I could see out. I could get into the car by gravity feed which I remembered from the night before but getting that seat belt on is a trial! My ample butt overfills the moulded seat & doesn't give me much maneuver room to find the belt & stuff it into it's other end. When I could almost see through the windshield, I put the front windows down so I could see both sides & left for work with the defroster still blasting. The passenger window wouldn't come back up again. But, the heater works, the radio sometimes works - you have to dial in your favorite station every time you reconnect the battery . . . But, the car really moves. Lots of power, signals work, horn works, electrical works when the battery is connected. I parked it in the sun on Saturday to dry out the interior. Sunday morning was great. No condensation inside at all. But it was cranky to start after I dropped the wrench inside the car when trying to connect the battery cable in the dark. Had to tighten it by hand. Couldn't keep the car running properly & had to balance the brake with the gas at all lights or it would die. Got to the main intersection - lots of accidents here - car stopped, battery not connected properly! Oh Shit! Had to pump brake lights to let people know I was there in the dark & then pry my butt out of the car, raise hood, tighten battery terminal by hand because I'd dropped the wrench somewhere inside the car where it probably fell out on the road by now, close hood, fall back into snug seat & get out of the intersection before the light changed. To hell with the seat belt . . . balanced gas & brake all the way to work. This car is a menace! I'm going to go to the Auction, get a car & put it on my credit card if I have to!!!

So, while I haven't been driving anywhere other than work, I've been knitting. I've cast on new socks for the Ex - this is pair #3 this year - and am to the heel shaping on both. If I survive this car, I'll make him one more pair before Christmas.

Yes We have No Wheels

Since I still don't have a car & yesterday was payday - the 'Boss' didn't have a problem picking me up - late!!! - & dropping me back home - also late - he forgot about me!!! He WAS sick so I told him to GO HOME & go to bed. I didn't need him breathing all over me - I was very busy for the whole day. I didn't even realize I'd been forgotten till my stomach started to growl . . . . My loaner car will be here sometime today - if the current owner can be located to sign the transfer paperwork . . . so I'm working at home making soup & doing laundry while I pound on the keyboard. The old Home Office is really great at times like these - I can multi-task & get paid for it too.

I've been out on the patio moving plants around. My houseplants are still out there where they've been since Easter. Since the basement is quite dark in the winter, I try to give them as much time outside as possible & yet not freeze them. As long as we don't get a hard frost, they'll be just fine out there under the cover of the balcony & against the back wall. The Easter & Christmas Cacti are already setting buds & getting ready to bloom their little hearts out when I bring them in. The Jade Plant has sprouted new leaves all up & down its thick main stem & the remnants of the branches I left attached. It got quite weedy in the office's dim light so I pruned it severely & gave it a shot of fish fertilizer in the spring. One of the Spider plants has babies almost as big as the mother plant & the Ferns have doubled in size with the damp, cool weather! Jade plant cuttings were thrown into the side of a large plumed Flamingo grass planter & rooted themselves. I've been giving them away as I can. The Grasses are enjoying this weather with a nice variety of plumes, seeds & nubs.

Finished two pairs of size 13 socks & started another for the Ex in a nice blue Regia yarn. Regia always feels so thick & cushy after knitting with Confetti! After washing, they all feel more alike of course, but Regia is just so nice to knit with. I have two 100 gm balls of the same blue yarn so I'm knitting one sock from each ball for him which will leave lots of yarn to knit a pair for me out of the remains. I found a nice simple lace pattern that I'd like to try & may use this Regia for it.

Still spinning up my Brown Sheep mill ends. I spent several hours every sunny day over the Holiday out on the patio with a Murder playing on my MP3 player spinning those mill ends. I have about half a Safeway bag full of the 'bumps' - I'm not even going to talk about the roving I haven't yet started to spin. My half of that 15 pound bag has gone a L-O-N-G way!! I never imagined when I bought it!! I am really hoping I have enough yarn here when it's all spun up to knit a kimono style jacket for myself.

The Fickle Finger of Fate

I distinctly remember whining about being a dull person with a dull life. On Saturday morning, I got a little excitement in my life that I'd rather not get. My car blew up. My nice little Voyager van that buzzed through that damned AirCare like a hot knife through butter. And raced up the Coq at 120k just as smooth as you could want! I had to fill up the oil once a week lately because it developed a leak. It had a problem or two but overall, it ran well, didn't cost me a lot of money & got me where I needed to go on time. Yesterday, it blew a head gasket on the way to work & left me on the side of the road in a cloud of steam/smoke. So, it's off to the Crusher & I have to find a new-to-me car.

Life isn't SO bad though. I spent a couple hours on the phone letting all my friends & customers who tinker with cars know I blew up the van. I also let them know I was collecting money for new wheels!! One of the worst offenders may be able to pay his bill by finding me new wheels!! And my favorite customer Ralph was already at the Auction - he offered to check out the Reserve cars at the end of the day!! In the end, I was offered the use of a car which has a small trunk leak & a dead short in the battery. I will have to disconnect said battery when I park it for more than a couple of hours but it's free until I can find a better one. We decided a kill switch on the outside of the front grill would be a nice touch & save me from being drowned when I have to connect/reconnect the battery in the rain . . . . I did ask for excitement. Didn't I??

And the wandering Red Cup has come home. When I ordered my tea at Wednesday Nite Knitting with the girls, it came in my Red Cup.

Nothing to Report, Nothing on the Needles

I've come to the sad conclusion that I'm not very exciting any more. I do the same old things, see the same old people, rush home to the same old tv shows & knit the same old stuff. It's Tuesday, so what am I doing?? Well, the very same things I did last Tuesday. I haven't got dressed yet although I've been pounding on the keyboard for a several hours contemplating going out to pick up the mail, pick up a cheque, do some banking & eat a chicken & swiss sandwich at my same old coffee shop while catching up on two day's newspapers. See?? Dull!
I miss the old BT in some ways - he, at least, wanted to get out & GO somewhere for coffee every day. So we had to get shampooed, showered, shaved & scented to go out for coffee. Sometimes, by myself, I don't go out for days. Not that I'm unhappy or bored - I have tons of things to do - but I'm afraid I've become dull, boring & sexless as aging women often do. Damned if I'm going to start running after men or drinking in public but I may just have to generate some excitement by dyeing my hair a flaming bright RED. Just to stir things up a little. If I was 16 again, I'd dye it MAGENTA!! But I'm not sure that would work when I deal with the public who are often insecure & needy.

So, I guess the only thing left to do is to take on a new project. I DO have 7 more classes to take to finally finish the degree I've been working on since the 70s. Hell, I've been working on it for so long that 5 of my classes have been deleted as "non transferable" "content unknown" from my transcript!!! It's time to get it finished! I even picked out new classes but I have to win the Lotto to afford them. Where is a rich relative or a Trust Fund when you need em???
I could start working on that Poncho Pullover pattern - the hot Pink & Purple yarn I bought is just too fine for the pattern but I have a ton of Briggs & Little Heritage that would work! Come to think of it, I have a box full of Buffalo Wool that would work too . . . . And then there's that bag of Phentex yarn that Gail so nicely gifted to me. Thanx a lot Gail! I should make her something she has to wear out of that "yarn"!
I suppose I could even get my sewing machine back in action - yes, I DO sew - and make myself some pants now that I've given all the ones in my closet away! I had a moment this summer & cleaned out my bedroom closet. I threw out everything I'm not happy with, don't wear, is the wrong color including all the pants - 11 pairs that I have to roll in the waist!!! I found out I'm petite sizing in pants with regular length legs. Whoop-de-Do!! They don't make pants for people like me. I can buy shorts or capris because they have short legs. but not pants because the legs are too short. I can't wear regular pants unless I roll the waistband or chop three or four inches off the top & put the waistband back on. Easy for pull-ons with no pockets or design detail but impossible for anything else. So I live in shorts or sweats. Lately, I've been thinking about buying stretch denim or heavy cotton/lycra & just making my own pants. I like a stirrup pant for winter so there's no gap between sock & pant leg when you get in & out of the car. I can make them easily AND since I don't have an orange cat anymore, I can wear black pants if I want!!!! I also want leggings to wear with my oversized tees for exercise class. I am NOT prepared to pay $40 to $60 for them! Hmmm - not a bad idea that . . . I may be boring but I will not be unpanted!! I can make wild, flowered leggings!! I can have MAGENTA & PLUM stretch pants!! Come to think of it, I haven't been in the discount fabric stores in years . . . and there's those bins of fabric in the closet of my bedroom - mmmm, I wonder what's in there . . .

I'm Back

I decided I just didn't feel like knitting & went cold turkey. Didn't knit, crochet or spin a thing for a while. I read. I watched tv. I hung out at Starbucks. But I didn't do anything with fibre at all. And then, the other day, I decided to haul my old Indian Spinner outside into the sunshine in mid afternoon & spun till the sun went down. I listened to an audio book set in Alaska, in the small town of Naniltna, about 30 miles down a gravel road from Anchorage, till it got too cool to spin outside comfortably. Then I went inside & cast on a sock for the Ex. Today, I went outside in the sunshine & did the same thing again until the sun went down behind the trees. It got pretty nippy all of a sudden & I had to quit for the evening. I have more 'bumps' to finish but I'm more than halfway through the pile I used to have. And there's a nice bunch of skeins sitting in a basket on my couch to remind me to get off my butt & finish spinning them, get them dyed & make myself something. Hopefully, this winter!

I promised the Ex some socks a couple of years ago when he saved my butt by letting me take a small mortgage against our house. He asked for some socks in exchange & I've only knit a couple pairs since. So I figured I'd better get some of that ugly "manly" sock yarn out & put it to good use! I have enough "manly" yarn to keep two Ex's in socks for the remainder of their lives . . . Isn't this one special??? I knit this one & it's mate in the last couple of evenings. It's my usual plain jane sock with the Queen Kahuna knitted gusset heel. No picking up stitches along a damn flap!!!! The price of the yarn was great & I need two & a half balls to knit a pair of socks for the Ex's big clodhoppers! I think this is some of the ugliest yarn I've ever seen but he doesn't think it's bad at all. He's going to wear it so why should I care - I guess. At least he isn't fussy like some men, that's for sure.

I've been picking away at the hood on my latest hoodie. Since I decided to knit larger kid's sweaters for charity, I've been knitting size 10s & 12s. They do seem to go on forever in the larger sizes but I figure the end result is worth the effort. That bin of donated yarn just never seems to get any lower though - I think the yarn is reproducing in there!

And speaking of hoodies, I dug out the half finished - everything I make for myself seems to be half finished - purple Marble sweater. It's the Kyler's Kardigan pattern from Cottage Creations that's knit in one piece from the neck down. It looks like I'll have lots of yarn to finish it & I'm almost to the hip in the body with the arms to do yet. It's become Car Knitting so it will get finished sooner. I don't think I'll bother with a hood or the kangaroo pockets in front. I think I'd prefer a big roll collar instead since it will have a zipper front. I may put a small pocket inside to hold my MP3 player though. The garter stitch is loose enough to feed the earbud end through without building in a 'hole' but I want a narrow, deep pocket to hold the player. Kool, eh??

Well, whatinhell happened to Summer?? Yesterday I went to work in wool socks & long pants! I hadn't intended to do THAT till the end of October. Not that I'm complaining too much about the rain but I thought we got our summer rain last Tuesday when we got torrential, tropical monsoon-like rain that made most of us stay home if we could. It rained so much - I'd made a date with a co-worker to drive 30 miles away to an All-You-Can-Eat lunch of Indian Food - that I slowed down for a FROG who was crossing the highway!!!!

So, now, it's raining again. I suppose we really do need rain but can't it wait till mid week when the kids are in school & the rest of us can enjoy it?? Oh, no, it has to rain while we're running here & there picking up last minute stuff or waiting in line to get home or like me - wanting to spend the afternoon sitting in the sun listening to the lastest Murder on my MP3 player. Oh well, guess I'll stay home in my Jammies & listen to it while I make money pounding on the keyboard. The only good thing is this rain caused me to look for long pants again. I have two pairs of jeans I bought oh, 12 years ago or so. I hate stiff fabrics & never actually wore them. They hung around in my closet - one still has the tag on it - until yesterday when I tried them on again. Turns out they're stretch denim & while they're too long in the rise - every pair of pants I own is - they fit. So, guess I should shop in my own closet more often.

One of my clients went shopping at Cost Cutters just across the Border yesterday. He went at 6 in the morning & phoned to report an hour wait at the Border to come back at 9:00AM. He brought me 20 pounds of chicken thighs & a dozen eggs. It cost me $14.58. I have 6 packages all nicely frozen & well sealed. I got three Sockeye Salmon from a client for $10 a fish. I'll probably get another three or four fish & another 20 pounds of chicken when they're on sale again. The freezer is filling up! I just put on the Slow Cooker with a layer of spuds, a layer of baby carrots, a layer of chicken thighs - with skin & fat removed - topped by a can of creme of chicken soup! Supper tonite & lunch for two days while I work. Life is good folks!

Haven't done much knitting or spinning lately with all the work but I have to report the Rainbow socks are ready for toe shaping & should be on their new owner's feet by the weekend. And the nice size 13 Blue socks for the Ex, well, I'll graft those toes when I watch the Antiques Roadshow tonite at 7:30 on PBS. Yes, Monday is a good nite on the Boob Tube! I watch the British & the American Antiques Roadshow & then the History Detectives! When the socks are finished, I will be finishing my purple Marble Kyler's Kardigan for moi. From the looks of that weather out there, I'm going to NEED it.

I have to report that sometimes it's not very exciting around the old basement abode. In fact, yesterday, I didn't even get dressed. I spent the day pounding on my computer trying to get some of the backlog out of the Office. I listened to most of a Thriller - 61 Hours by Lee Child - on my headset while working. It was just THAT kind of day. Oh, I did some work on my "Nations" socks but mostly, I just worked like a fiend. I knew if I got dressed & went outside, I'd have to deal with the oil leak in my car & I just didn't want to. I decided to do that today.

It's sad but I have to find a new mechanic. After 30 years, I have to find a new mechanic. It's horrible. My faith in a new set of wrenches is not good. I've always had my Gerry Mechanic to tighten up the stuff that vibrates loose, patch the holes, find a good used part or buy a new one with his 30% discount. In most things I'm a liberated & independent person. In mechanics I'm an idiot! Well, I do understand some things but not enough to do any monkey wrenching, that's for sure!! And now I have an oil leak. It may just be something that needs to be tightened up or it may be something really important - who knows?? Is there a mechanic out there who needs winter socks???

I have a pattern in my head for a LOOPY Bonnet. It's your basic TEE shape with the front being on the long side. I folded the back to the front & sewed the two short seams & then picked up stitches around the neck & knit an inch or so to finish it & then crocheted two strings to tie it on with a big pompom on the end of each. Sometimes I left the sides open a little for pig tails. I knit it in acrylic while in college in the 70s for a small consignment store in Whalley. They took all the Loopy Bonnets I could produce at $3 each back then. The money helped pay my bus fare & groceries but the Profs were a little startled to see me knitting in class . . . When you figure, my budget was $85 a month for a 'housekeeping' room - bed/sitter with kitchen & share the bath down the hall & groceries - I was working pretty close to the bone!! I had a phone - they were still rotary phones - but no tv or car. I walked or took the bus everywhere, lived off soup & stew & was healthy as a horse! 10 hats every couple of weeks paid most of the grocery bill! And every once in a while, I made a few Adult Loopy Bonnets & sold them for $5!! LOL I'm thinking of reviving it with a modification or two because it made a very cute little girl's or infant's hat.

I found out that I passed my exam. Apparently I aced the Taxation & Pension parts - I bloody should've since I battle the Taxman at every opportunity! Seven of us attended the course from my little "group" & only TWO of us passed the exam according to my Up-line. My table mate & I wrote the 3 hour exam in less than 2 hours. The guy in front of us finished in just over 1 hour. We all decided that we must be really, really smart or really, really stooopid because none of us thought the exam was that tough. I think we only needed the calculator once or twice in the whole thing . . . we decided we weren't going to worry about it. Today, I found out I now have to be fingerprinted!

Summer's coming to an end & you can feel it in the cool evenings. I think this time of year is one of my favorite times, oh, I love the Indian Summer of the early Fall too. Those clear, blue days when you think the time will go on forever & you get to wear a favorite hand knit sweater & socks with your walking shorts! But, I think this time of year is the best! The days are warm but not scorching & nights are cool enough to sleep comfortably. Field tomatoes are just ready. You can still find cherries & nectarines with melons of every kind. Jam is simmering on the stove. And wool starts to look really good again. When it was so hot & sticky, I didn't want to knit ANYTHING. Now that it's cooled a bit, I've started to knit socks again! This pair in the Regia NATIONS colorway is for a work cohort. She teaches the Theory portion of the Motorcycle Training & is often out in the parking lot assisting with the Practical Training as well. I thought these would make her stand out from the crowd!

I downloaded a couple of CABIN FEVER top-down sweaters from PATTERNFISH the other day. I've been slobbering over a couple of them for ages & finally bit the bullet & ordered them. I have some lovely hot pink & purple yarn bought on sale which will look great in the PONCHO PULLOVER. I think this one will be terrific to throw on when I'm off to the grocery store or Starbucks to have a tea with the Techie Boys!!
And I have tons of blue or magenta dk weight yarn which would work for with the MENDOCINO SWEATER from OAT COUTURE! It's not top-down but it's such a pretty cardigan with light cables & seed stitch.
I also fell for the TOP-DOWN SWING COAT also from CABIN FEVER just because of the different directions the knitting went. It intrigued me a little & it's that simple garter stitch design that's soooo cuddly when it's cold. I personally think it would work out really well with handspun yarns. The directional variation in the SWING COAT would really suit handspun! Sweaters, sweaters everywhere & only two hands to use . . .

Hello World

I survived the Weekend. I rode the train for the first time in probably, maybe, 10 years. I didn't discover till the END of the day that I didn't validate my ticket in the morning. Yup, I inadvertently became a Scofflaw!! I stuffed that ticket in the machine & it 'clunked' but I didn't realize it was supposed to 'suck' the ticket in & print a time on it before spitting it back. The 'clunk' meant nothing. Ooooops - I'm just an old fart from the 'burbs . . . anyway, I learn quickly. Picked myself up a Bum when I exited the Granville Station - I asked for directions & he offered to be my guide! Bought us both a coffee & bagel at Timmy's right next to the place! After the fact, you can tell where BCIT is because there's a Timmy's, a Starbucks, a Mcdonald's, a Pizza-by-the-slice joint & an Extreme Pita within a half block!!!

54 people attended the weekend class from all over the Lower Mainland & the Island. The class turned out to be a REVIEW of the course which MOST people in the class had not yet finished. Some hadn't even started! One or two were unaware there was an ON-LINE course. Some came to the Review Weekend to find out what to study for. We have three opportunities to write the exam for our Mutual Funds License. Some will not write the exam tonite - one of their three attempts - and go home to review only what's in the handout from the weekend & write again later. I decided to review what I had problems with - two chapters I didn't study - and write the exam tonite just to get it over with!!!

Gad, ONE more climb up all those stairs to Seymour Street & it's over. Unless I fail. I better not fail. I want my life back! I've had more brain & body exercise in the last three days than I've had in the last three months . . . .

MIA

I know, I know, nothing has been posted for ages!! I've been Missing In Action, so to speak for the past week or so while trying my best to complete an On-Line course for a Weekend Course that I stupidly signed up for, ohhhh, about three weeks ago. I was told " It's only a two day course over a weekend with the exam on the Monday . . . ." so I paid the 400 bucks, sent in my application & got ready to do the "Weekend Course". Of course, none of these stupid things are that simple & easy!

I found out about a week after enrolling that the "Weekend Course" was just a Case Study Session! I had the course to do, On Line, BEFORE the weekend in question which was less than TWO WEEKS away. Oh yeah, somehow I'm working almost full time & then must come home to my hot little basement & try to do a course in less than two weeks. Good thing I took a Calculus course waaaaay back in the 80s because there are formulas to memorize & use. Did I say we CAN use a calculator?? It can't make noise, must not be programmable & you STILL have to memorize the formulas! And here it is, two days before the "Weekend . . ." and I'm only a little more than half way through. Last night I came home from my job exhausted. I laid down to have a nap - the old eyeballs were red & tired - and woke up FIVE HOURS later - to my surprise. I had something to eat & was back in bed by midnight & slept through to 6:30 this morning! That's tired!

So, now, it's back to the computer. I have to finish learning about Mutual Funds, bonds, stocks, debentures, T-Bills, GICs, Loans, Premiums, Discounts, face values vs market value, Strike, Bid, Ask, Money Markets, the Rights of a Client, confidentiality, Interest, Capital Gains, Grossing up, Taxable Income, Net Income, when you're In the Money, At the Money or Out of Money & Trading in the Market. I still have to find out about the rest! Whooooo Hooooo. Right now - I think I'd rather spin or dye some wool . . . .

Knitting Right Along

I've enjoyed the last few days of cool & damp intellectually even though my joints hate it physically. I creak like an old sailing ship in the mornings & avoid stairs if I can. Thank gawd for fish oil & enteric aspirin!

Not much progression on the 'lump' spinning since it's been too wet to pull the spinner out to the patio - why is it that it rains sideways when you have an open sided roof???
In my crafting defense, I've pulled out the latest "hoodie" & am moving rapidly towards the shoulders & hood. The yarn I'm using is rather loud so I found a solid pink to knit the yoke. I'm really hoping that the street kids of Afghanistan don't have the color allergies of the spoiled kids in North America. I think the colors are fun but, who knows what a kid will think??? When this one is finished, the next one will be in the grey/tan/cherry. I have about 10 balls of it so I can make another size 10 or 12 sweater for a larger kid.
Also in my own defense, I've been working on the purple Kyler's Kardigan for myself as well - you can see it just peeping out from under the hoodie in the photo. It's the top down garter stitch cardi I've been working on in that nice Marble acrylic yarn from Knitopia. It feels soooooo soft & yummy as I work & I'm really looking forward to wearing it in the Fall. It's almost hip length at the moment!

Haven't knit a sock in some time. I just got tired of socks I guess, although I invested in six sets of Knitpicks Harmony circs. I bought two sets of size 2, 2.25 & 2.50mm needles in the 24" length. When I did the Smoldering Hearts socks, I had to use circular needles to keep the front & back separated because the lace chart had two parts that were slightly different. I'm not totally comfortable with two circs but I see their advantage when doing patterns or lace. I want to make a pair of Monkey socks from Knitty for myself & will use a set to keep the pattern organized. And I still have two pairs of promised socks to make . . . .

Have you seen the new Knitty??? I fell in love with VICTORIA! I printed it off immediately when I saw it! And it goes up to a 60" bust! I don't have turquoise yarn but I DO have Magenta Dalesman wool & a lovely Eton wool in a soft, slightly faded, blue. And, come to think of it, I also have a whole lot of Briggs & Little in the Anniversary Blue colorway reminiscent of faded blue jeans - both blue yarns were bought with He, who will not be mentioned, in mind but have become MINE by default! In the end, it doesn't matter which yarn I use, I love this sweater & intend to make it for myself.

Skeins, Skeins Everywhere


I finally wound off the yarn on my Indian Spinner. Although I didn't finish the bag of "lumps" I intended to spin for the Tour de Fleece, I did spin a respectable amount of yarn. I finally wound it off this morning & got 5 skeins of approximately 500 yards each. That's 2500 yards of fingering weight yarn! I have two or three larger skeins of the same stuff tucked in a basket and half a Safeway shopping bag of lumps yet to spin. I'm not absolutely sure but I think I have at least a full bobbin's worth yet to spin!

I'm rather surprised at how much is still in that bag! I have to spin it all up before I dye it so it's at least 'related' before I use it. I have too many odd skeins from dye experiments that won't work together unless I crochet them into Granny Squares! Remember these??? These were some of the sample skeins I dyed while experimenting with the set of Dyer's & Printer's primary colors I bought. I had a lot of fun but I ended up with a whole basket of skeins that had no relationship to each other other than being the same fibre. That's why I intend to spin up ALL the knots before I dye them. And, of course, I have that project in mind.

The Tour de Fleece

If I was actually in the Tour de France, you could say I fell off my bike about half way into the race. Oh, I started off with good intentions. And I was enjoying spinning in the cool mornings or evenings on the patio amidst the vines & flowers. I confess to plugging in the headset & swaying along with a mixed bag of country tunes one evening which caused the strolling neighbors to stop at the end of my drive & gawk. I just know they thought the Goree (white female devil in Punjabi) had finally lost her mind!! But - they also tend to gawk & whisper to each other when I'm thwacking wet skeins against the posts on the patio too. Let em gawk - time they saw an old time Canadian hobby, I say!! But, I digress . . . I fell off my bike.

I had good intentions. I dug out ALL THOSE BUMPS of wool, put em in a green Safeway shopping bag & really tried to spin them all up. But, two clients had to have year ends done NOW. We're talking almost three years behind but they need at least TWO done NOW. And then my part time - two day a week job with benefits - has become FOUR or FIVE days a week in an office with no air conditioning. Not a problem till 3:10 in the afternoon but not a happy place when it hits 90+ degrees! And my thumb is still sore - especially when I have to write all day in the office. Spinning became a luxury! I haven't had any time off to do it! I know, I know! Whining doesn't get the job done! Here's a shot of the bobbin on the final day of the race. Oh, did I mention this is a HUGE bobbin ?? It probably holds a pound of spun yarn when it's full.

I still intend to finish spinning those bumps but I guess it will be much slower than I expected. The worst job is winding all that yarn off onto the niddynoddy!!!! And, today, I finally got a day off from Langley to work in my home office.
Tonight, I will pour a big glass of wine, turn on my headset, tune in a murder & spin until the mozzies drive me in for the evening!

A Summer Mug Shot!

Obviously, no one thought about Sunscreen.

Spinning in the mornings

I've been having problems sleeping all night again. For some reason the sciatica that started when I slept on that hard wooden bunk at a Spinning Retreat has returned with a vengeance. I wake up with pain running down one leg which recedes after I move around & sit in a straight back chair for a while. If I sleep in 4 to 5 hour chunks, it doesn't seem to bother me but if I try to sleep for 8 hours, well, it gets bad. And I've been wearing thongs all week because I couldn't tie my own damned shoes!! For the last few days, I've been waking up around 4 AM, frisky & all ready to go. Crazy I know, but that's how it is. Sunday mornings, I open a business at 7 for one customer for a couple of hours before I do the books. This Sunday morning however, I was there at 6AM with coffee & egg mcmuffin to find my customer already there! We both woke up early & while I went early to read the paper & let the cool air in, he was hoping I'd show up early because he was awake with the birds too.

But, I digress . . . when I can't sleep I've been hauling my Indian Spinner outside onto the patio amidst the jungle of plants & spinning when it's fresh & cool. My project for the Tour de Fleece has been to finish all those Brown Sheep "lumps" that came from The Sheep Shed in the 15 pound grab bag so long ago. Yes I did share that bag with Gail, but I chose to take most of the "lumps" in my half while giving her more of the mohair/wool roving. I found the "lumps" to be more interesting than the roving which almost spins itself. The "lumps" are a little more rustic & that kind of appealed to me. I'm more the adobe, big baskets, bright colors & chunky wood furniture type anyway!
The big bobbin on my spinner is almost full again - I think I got 4 big fat skeins the last time I emptied it & expect to get the same again this time. I know, I know, I have the new Majacraft Suzie Pro but I started spinning these "lumps" on the Indian Spinner & have to finish them on the Indian Spinner so I don't have a change in the yarn on the new machine. Suzie spins differently & much faster too so my barely spun singles will certainly be different! I intend to dye all my skeins at the same time - when it's hot out there hopefully - I'm planning a Kimono style jacket - from the Knitted Kimono book I bought last year.

The Tour de Fleece

I really wanted to join the Tour de Fleece this year & almost missed the start yesterday! I'm still coughing up half a lung & need an afternoon nap but I think I can stand to spin a little every day, just for the exercise. All those Brown Sheep Lumps I've been meaning to finish spinning remain in the basket! I will finish spinning them over the next three weeks! I have a project in mind & intend to work on it this fall . . .

Remember that big bag of Brown Sheep Mill Ends??? Yeah, it was a long time ago - at least three years. I split it with my pal Gail - I wonder if she ever finished spinning hers??? Haven't heard. But, I intend to finish spinning mine. I started with the knots or lumps of wool. My intention is to spin a lump every day before I work on any other project. I've already spun up several lumps & had a whole huge bobbin of it on my Spinner before I started. The spinner was bare - well except for some pink superwash sock roving - last night before I spun a medium lump. I sat outside on the patio with my Jungle all around me - I turned my small carport into a covered patio with plants growing everywhere - and sipped a large hot NeoCitran with extra honey & lime while I spun. Four big fat skeins sit in the big basket I take to my spinning retreats & I hope to have a half dozen more in there by the end of the three weeks.

I think my luck ran out . .

I've been sick as a dog these past few days. That dry hack, which I thought was an allergic reaction to the unfolding of the latest box of scrunched paper bits, turned out to be the beginning of a real kick-in-the-ass virus attack. I've coughed my lungs out, sneezed, wheezed, blown & croaked my way from bed to kitchen for juice & tea & back to bed. I think I slept most of the past three days! I got up this evening, felt like getting dressed & ordered Chow Mein from my favorite Chinese cafe. Needless to say, I haven't been knitting a whole bunch! But, I did finish a nice washcloth for the Christmas basket.

I have watched a couple hours of TV, so I've knit a little on the latest hoodie. This one's a kid's size 12. As I mentioned before, people tend to make things for little kids & big kids get left out, so I decided to make larger sizes since I have the yarn. The last hoodie in a size 4 took 3, 100 gm balls of yarn. I have 8 to 12 balls in several colors so I decided to knit size 12s for a change. On Saturday, I was finishing the pouch before fusing it to the main body of the hoodie. Last night, I actually got as far as the underarm in the main body & started the first sleeve while watching the Antiques Roadshow & History Detectives. Then I went back to bed.

The Wonderful Wallaby pattern I'm using is worked from the bottom up to the armholes in one piece with the pouch stitches picked up & knit into the body - NO SEWING!! The sleeves are knit to the underarm & joined to the body on one circular needle & knit in one piece to the neck. At that point you can cast off for a plain sweater or keep on knitting the hood. The hood is sewed down the centre & a few stitches under the arm are grafted on to the body. I love the almost NO SEWING part of this sweater. No seams to come undone. No buttons to lose. No zipper to break. Great sweater for kids. When this one is finished, I'll knit another in the greyish/tanish/cherry yarn that I used for the size 4. I didn't realize I had another 12 balls of it in the bin!

Hello World, it's me again . . .

I've sustained a major injury to my right thumb. Dunno what in hell you call it, maybe thumbitis - anything with major inflammation has 'itis' added onto it's end as in appendicitis, bursitis etc Maybe it's actually tendinitis, now that I think about it. It's the base of my thumb where it actually joins onto my hand that's killing me. I can't knit, sew, screw, swivel, press, write, use the mouse or do much that requires the cooperation of that opposible digit that separates Me from an Ape. I'm thinking the Ape is probably more intelligent since he wouldn't have done this to himself!
I bought a new gizmo to exercise my shoulders, arms, chest & upper back. I have a weakness in this area due to bursitis in my right shoulder. I saw this neat little gizmo advertised & thought I'd try it. Recognize it?? It's the old button on a string that we used to play with as kids. Well, a CERTAIN generation used to play with it as kids. It was all the rage when I was in Primary school back in the 50s. We would get the biggest, brightest, fanciest coat button we could find, thread nylon twine through it - fishnet mending twine was the best - wind that thing up & pull on it all day. THIS one comes in cast aluminum & gives you about a 20 pound resistance. THAT should've been the hint. TWENTY POUNDS. The thing proved to be light, easy to operate & fun! You should've felt my Triceps - those muscles under the flappers on the back & underside of your arms - burning!! I didn't use it too much. They recommend no more than FIVE minutes a couple of times a day. Well, after the first couple of weeks, I started using it SEVERAL times a day for a couple of minutes. I felt it in my forearms & shoulders. But I wanted to give an extra 'burn' to my triceps. So I hooked my thumbs through the rings & worked my triceps for FIVE FULL MINUTES four days ago. Oh they burned alright. My thumbs hurt the next day. My right thumb was swollen & hot the second day & excruciating by evening. Still sore as hell. Funny how the left thumb is just fine. Is this Nature's way of telling me that pulling on that button is just for kids???

I managed to finish the latest Hoodie before I damaged my thumb so at least all is not lost. When the thumb is back in shape, I'll start the next one since the yarn is already picked out & I have a couple of dozen more balls of this variegated yarn.
The next one will be a larger size since kids come in all sizes. People love to knit small sizes - yeah, I know it's faster - but big kids are cold too. AND I have 8 more balls of this color! This hoodie will fit a 3 to 5 year old & took just under 3, 100gm balls of worsted weight acrylic. Cheap & easy! I may make the next a size 12 so it can work for a small teen or large kid. The Wonderful Wallaby is really a simple, fun project that takes no time to knit. Although I hate sewing things up, this one only requires a few stitches under the arms & a three needles bind-off across the hood - even I can do it.

Had my second strawberry this afternoon from my very own strawberry plants!! Here's a pic of the spot. I know, you can't see the plants too well - the hen & chicks have taken over the pot - but if you look carefully at the top, right hand corner, you can see the strawberries poking up above the chicks. This was once a strawberry pot that a single chick was tucked into because the squirrel kicked it out of its basket while trying to bury a Hershey's bar. I tossed the Hershey's bar - gawd knows where the squirrel got the thing - and planted the chick in some fertile soil next to the strawberries. It grew to a gigantic size before it started populating the garden with offspring. I have several pots overflowing with them now & have sent a couple of pots off with new owners.

What to do, oh what to do

The hoodie is just about finished with some of the hood to knit & the underarms to sew up. I know I'll probably just cast-on another one right away but I feel the itch to start something else, for a change. While rooting through the bits & pieces for some inspiration, I came across two 100 gm balls of Scottish yarn in a DK weight. It's mostly acrylic with a little wool in the most marvelous dark lavender with orange bits in it. I'm sure it will knit up quickly & prove indestructible - it was originally $7 a ball & bought at Eatons - must be 20 years ago. That makes it old & a luxury at at the time, too. I almost think there's enough for a hoodie but what if there isn't?? I have nothing that would go with it if I ran out of yarn. A vest? Maybe. A child could wear a vest under a hoodie. I keep looking at it wondering if I could make something for me out of it. It's too bulky for socks, won't felt for slippers, too bulky for fingerless gloves - could make a cowl or neck warmer but they just don't suit me. I've hung on to it because of the color, I just know it. But maybe it's because of the feel too - it just feels luxurious. I'd like a sweater in that yarn.

I have another bag of wool in three colors. I tried to give it away but no one would take it. Someone suggested a felted bag but I read the labels & with 10% nylon, I think felting is out. I have 17, 50 gm balls of fuzzy DK weight yarn which would make a terrific bag or even nicer slippers - too bad I can't felt it!! Maybe a blanket on very large needles? Crocheted? Something soft & pouffy would be nice to cuddle under when it's cold outside, that's for sure. I'm just wondering if there's enough yarn in that bag to make something warm to wear in my drafty office this winter. Top down on very large needles?? Mmmmm

So, I'm finally at the toe shaping on the latest socks for the Ex. Size 13 takes a loooong time, especially in solids or dull colors. And he's looking forward to more of the same. I think the next pair will be grey - since I have 20 balls of it. I'd forgotten about the other balls of "manly" yarn I'd bought on sale last year! All my storage boxes should be clear so I know what I have but since his socks take 3 balls of yarn, I guess I'll use it all up eventually. I don't think I need to buy another ball of sock yarn this decade! Well . . . not until something brightly colored & seductive blows kisses in my direction, anyway . . .

A Mugshot

That damned mug sent me another photo!

Is that sun??

I opened the door this morning to the sun! Wow, it's been raining so long I'd forgotten what it looked like - it rained almost every day in May & continued into June. The flowers are happy with this warm wet weather but my hands sure aren't! Even the Strawberries & Clematis are happy - the strawberries are sharing pots with the Hen & Chicks & seem to be in love. I guess the slugs don't like strawberries enough to crawl over the Chicks to get them! And the Clematis! I haven't seen them put out as many shoots since the year I planted them! Must be that rotted steer manure I threw on them back in April . . . .

Before I start another project - and I have a couple already picked out - I decided to finish the hoodie I cast on in one of the Odd Ball yarns. This is another incarnation of the Wonderful Wallaby that I've been knitting for the Boomer project. Knitopia, now in White Rock, is still shipping hats, scarves & sweaters to the Canadian Forces base on the Island. They go to the Troops in Afghanistan to be given out to the kids to keep them warm in the winter. I started this one a couple of months ago & it got set aside for the tax season. I decided I better finish it before starting something else or it would get lost in the UFO bag. And a kid will need it this winter!

The wild socks with the fraternal pattern are also finished. Amazing how the wild yarns still knit up faster - even with a weird lace pattern! One of my Motorcycle School cohorts oohed & awwed so much when she saw them that I gifted them to her. She's a character & will enjoy wearing them with her riding leathers!
And both heels are turned on the new blue socks for the Ex. I may just add a narrow red stripe before shaping the toe to jazz them up a tad. Hey, it worked with the BT's socks. And I'm thinking the next ones will be grey - I just bought 20 balls of grey on sale! LOL

I need more socks like a hole in the head! I think I counted 22 pairs last time I looked in the sock basket. But - I have this wonderful purple patterned yarn that would go with most of my favorite tops! I can't wear sneakers without socks & could get two pairs of short socks out of two 50 gm balls quite easily. This colorway would go very nicely with the three purple & two fuchsia tops I love to wear! Ahhh . . so much yarn & so little time