In Front of the Tube


While I was watching Dick Proenneke build his log cabin in 'One Man's Wilderness' for the 14th time on PBS last night - I love that show by the way!!! - I was trying out the pattern for the 10 Stitch Blanket. Yeah, I was supposed to be working on the Poncho Pullover from Cabin Fever but I misplaced the pattern & had to do something in front of the tube! Apparently no one, including me, wants to crochet or sew All Those Squares into blankets. I don't mind knitting or crocheting but GAD, I hate the sewing together!!!

I thought maybe, it might be faster to just do something else with them. Like the 10 Stitch Blanket. I mean, how tough could it be - it's only 10 stitches, right???!! Well - I'm not sure I like the damned thing at this moment. It's only 10 stitches but the corners are made with short rows. Those nasty little wrap & turn short rows which aren't exactly like the ones I learned to do for my sock heels. These ones leave holes if you aren't careful, mine don't. I lost count several times while watching Dick make perfect notched logs, wooden hinges & burl bowls. This was supposed to be simple, mindless knitting but I'm having problems with it!
I think I'll try the short row method I use on socks - just knit to the stitch before, turn, slip the first stitch & purl back. When taking them up, knit to the stitch before, pick up the loop at the base of the next stitch & knit together with the stitch before. No holes. Easy. Easy to see, easy to do. Simple. And I don't like the way the damned pattern says to pick up the stitches on the side to join the pieces together neither! Maybe I should just re-design the whole thing . . . .

A Whole Lot of Nothing Going On


I traded an unused coffee maker for a shredder today! I had two 12 cup coffee makers. A friend also gave me a one-cup coffee maker. Today, I traded one of the 12 cuppers for a shredder. I have a light weight shredder that sits on the top of a "Bag Buddy" with a clear leaf bag underneath but it can only take two or three pages at a time & craps out after a few minutes because it overheats. My new one will take lots of pages, turns them into confetti & goes until the bottom fills up! Progress! Since I drink tea & try to work in a home office, a second shredder makes more sense than another big coffee maker . . .

Gad, the sun is actually peaking out! I know it's supposed to be summer & the ferns seems to agree, but it also seems to rain more than it shines lately. My motorcycle students were drowned last weekend & most of the week as well. This Saturday's class was surprised by sunshine until around 4:30 when the weather alarm on my desktop turned RED & started flashing a Storm Warning. The sky had suddenly turned black & we could hear the distant thunder. I packed up the office & ran out the door to avoid getting caught in the downpour on the way home but the students were already getting soaked as they threw on rain gear once more. Just another soggy Summer Saturday. The Fraser River is overflowing it's banks, people are being flooded out & we need more water like a Fish needs a Crochet hook! My little house by the banks of the Fraser is safe & sound in all this flooding this year because Translink(our transportation/road authority) has - in it's wisdom - been building a new Perimeter Road Freeway from the deep water port to our south along the River to it's new Toll Bridge. There's an 8' high dyke with the road on top from the Port to the bridge. Thank you for something effective at last, Translink!!

But, seriously, I'm beginning to wonder if I should bother with Summer knitting at all. Most of the time I'm in wool socks, long pants & a sweater. So, I went back to work on my Poncho Pullover. It's the Cabin Fever sweater I chose to knit in the assorted collection of Blue skeins of Briggs & Little Wool I bought on sale at Knitopia in White Rock. It's knit from the top down with increases down the front, back & arms to make the poncho shape. And I'm ready to divide it for body & arms. I made it a little larger than I actually need because I intent to soak it in the washing machine & toss it into the dryer to FULL it a bit. I don't want to shrink it but just 'finish' it enough to keep it flexible but keep the wind from blowing through. I did up a large swatch & threw it in the dryer with some other stuff for a few minutes to see what would happen. I loved the fabric that came out!! So I'm going to throw in the whole sweater when the time comes . . . . If the worst happens, well, I can always use another knitting bag.

No new socks on the needles right now since I've also been trying to knit that Indian Vest for my Ex. The back it now almost to the armholes - can't do any more until I measure it on him & take a couple of other measurements. My hands can sure use the break. In the meantime, I have to admit I've been trying to see if I can somehow make the stretch lace pink socks that Linda sent in the goody box work. I picked up all the stitches & have been wondering if I can pick one sock back to give me enough yarn to finish both toes. The completed foot is quite long & very stretchy. Since toes don't need patterns, I think it might work out just fine. I just have to TINK not FROG to keep the pattern intact! So much better than knitting from scratch!!!

Is it almost over???

I don't know where the week went, never mind the weekend! It's been busy as hell as usual around here but a couple of things were accomplished. And a couple of things went by the wayside . . . I rescued a couple of beaten up hanging baskets left over from Mother's Day last month. I brought them home, pruned them back, soaked them & eased them into the sunlight. They were finally looking really good when someone snuck up & stole them in the middle of the night on Saturday night. My guess is that they were nicked for the perpetual garage sale at the end of the alley. New seedy looking guys have taken over & street people pushing buggies are suddenly converging on the place. Could it be the 'Free Water' & 'Free Buggy Parking' signs on the fence??

I'm about a third of the way up the back of my Indian Vest for the Ex. Knitting with this heavy wool & large needles has caused my previously injured left wrist to hurt like hell. I thought I was all healed up but apparently I was wrong. I'll have to admit, the Siwash Wool is nice, there's a lot of oils left in the wool so it feels good when knitted up but the process is a killer! I may be crocheting those slippers instead of knitting them.

Haven't dug out the spinning wheel as yet but I've been working on my Poncho Pullover. The weather's been more like January instead of June lately so I thought I might need it!! I'm still working 4 days a week for the Motorcycle School. My replacement was stolen by the Boss! But, we'll have some fun again while the Boss is away on Mondays. I guess I might as well work if there's no sunshine . . . .

Sunday Again

Here I am pounding on the keyboard in my jammies once again on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Well, sort of sunny that is . . . but not raining like it has been all week, that's for sure! The poor motorcycle DaySchool students were drowned all week but I'm hoping for a sunny Monday finish to brighten their experience. And mine too, I hope. Again, I'm working the Monday but all is not lost. I've finished the orange & brown Kroy socks!!! Yes, for MY feet! I'm so excited. Since I have no one around to photograph them on my feet - I've tried & they always look stupid upsidedown - I've laid them across my keyboard & you'll just have to imagine them on my tootsies.

And I've even cast on for the Indian Vest for the Ex. Gawd, I'd forgotten how awful it is to knit with BIG yarn & big needles - you get spoiled with 2.5mm needles & THEY'RE big for socks!! I'm using a 6mm for the ribbing & a 7.5mm for the body! I'm also using the SIWASH carded wool - made in Canada by Spinrite Yarns Ltd. I remember this company from the 70s - I used to buy huge rounds of single or double strand wool by the pound!! The wool is soft & only a little scratchy but turns out to be soft & snuggly when knitted. I have 6, 200 gm rounds of Siwash & several rounds of Cowichan in the same color so I'm sure to get a nice warm vest for his nibs out of this! The color is a little off as usual - it's more of a warm pinky tan instead of this yellowish hue. I was gonna knit it up in one piece to the armholes since I hate to sew things together but it's so heavy that I thought I'd spare my hands & wrists the pain. And sewing the side seams will stop it from stretching as he wears it too. I do want him to like it & wear it.

Nose to the Grindstone


Still working 6 days a week & trying to fit everything in my office into Sunday or evenings but I seem to be making some headway. Thank god for filing online although you can't file some forms after midnight!! My little buddy Bryan will be sharing Mondays with me after this week - he'll work them unless his bus supervisor calls him in for work. I can't wait since I could really use the extra day to clean up some of the backlog in the office.


No spinning going on but I broke out the old knitting needles the other day to finish up the project which got shoved into a corner of the car. There's nothing like a new pair of socks to get the juices going again!! TADA - one sock down & one at the heel shaping. In case I didn't mention it, the yarn is Kroy & it knits up a little thicker than most sock yarns so I'm using my bamboo skewer 2.5mm needles made by Moi with a little elbow grease & fine sandpaper! I love these needles because they're extra long - stitches don't fall off in the bag - and they're so delightfully bendable. Yes, bendable but not breakable. Haven't broken one yet although I have another 92 in the package to replace them.

The Cowichan vest is next. My Ex says he isn't as cold these days & seems to be wearing a layer less than usual. But, it won't be long till he's cold again so I thought I'd get it done while I can work with it outside. I'm sure I have enough of the better quality 'Cowichan' wool for his vest but it still sheds a little because it's pretty old. The 'White Buffalo' is really dry & I don't understand how we survived when it was so popular! It sheds huge amounts of little dry fibres into the air as I knit and they make me wheeze! I'm hoping to spend the rest of the summer using up the crappy White Buffalo for slippers for the donation bin. I really like the idea of using it up for nice warm slippers - AND getting it out of MY basement where it takes up a lot of space!!!

Just a little peek at a tasty little sweater I found on Ravelry. It's so simple but I just love the seed stitch design that gives it that pseudo shaping! What a clever idea - so clever that I bought it!! It's name is Shiraz.

Is it really Thursday???

I've been a little crazy lately. I've been trying my best to declutter & throw a few things out. Nice to say but almost impossible to do. I've got at least 6 big Rubbermaid bins in closets or acting as a bedside table that haven't been open in years & I really should send them as is to some Thrift Store somewhere & just get an empty bin back but it would make me crazy to think I've given away a treasure. I'm sure I don't own any treasures but what if one was hidden in there?? Stupid but paralyzing thoughts!! I suspect they're all filled with sewing fabrics, books & stuff like that that I might need someday . . . sometimes it's just better to have a fire. But some things have made it out the door. I suspect more would go quickly if someone dropped a bin in the driveway . . .

Last Christmas I knit a bunch of touques & socks for Loving Spoonful to tuck into hampers. This year I decided I needed a new project for the hampers but I didn't know just what. While browsing Amazon.ca for thongs, I found a BOOK - it's a soft cover BOOKLET actually - with a selection of slipper patterns. The pair on the cover made me buy the book!! I want a pair of those for my own feet!! There's a couple of chunky pairs of slippers as well as a pair of Red Sports car slippers for a young fella. I know a couple who'd love them. There's Ballet & MaryJane slippers & even a pair of bog booties too. Nice thing about slippers is that you can combine several yarns or use up crappy old White Buffalo to make 'em. A couple of pairs are even stuffed with folded foam rubber to give a nice 'cushy' sole but I think I'll just buy a dozen or so pairs of felt insoles from the Dollar Store to make nice, thick soles for mine.

And all those squares?? Well, the girls & I are planning a little surprise. We collectively knitted those squares to donate to a project that seems to have died a quiet death in BC. I hauled them all to a Wednesday night session at the Pool Hall & we discussed what to do & which to use. Gail suggested more darker squares & then crochet around each one in black to make them pop. I hope someone else will put them together. I hate sewing things together!!! But it sure would be nice to get rid of that bin of squares since I have more yarn that could use that bin.

Soup on Sunday

I had great plans for today. The sun was up early, it was cool but not raining & I thought about going to Rotten Ronny's for a coffee, an Egg Mcmuffin & a free Sunday paper. I did get as far as the shower etc but never got out the door. I spotted that smoked salmon in the fridge - yeah it was raining when I bought it - and I decided to make fish soup instead.

I have this great Healthtec pot with a close fitting lid from the 60s. Apparently it came with two or three pots of different sizes, this big pot or Dutch Oven & a three inch deep pan. The only part of the set I've ever seen has been the pan, the Dutch Oven & the lid. But I think Healthtec was the original "waterless" cooking system & was extremely expensive when it came out. Let me tell you, this pot can be warmed up, turned on the lowest setting on the stove & left for days. I've even greased it & shoved it into the hot coals of a campfire & left it to cook dinner all day - which is why the green color on one side is a little blackened. It's my all purpose pot.

So, this morning, I made fish soup. I started with a litre of chicken broth, broke up the smoked salmon & tossed in the skin too. A little fresh ground pepper & a touch of granulated garlic. And I put on the lid, turned it on high until the element turned cherry red & then turned it down to a smidge above OFF so that it was as low & I could turn it & still be on. A couple of hours later I had fragrant orange broth that I filled with chopped red & yellow spuds & a little dried onion. Eventually I took out the skin & added some cut up frozen Basa - any white fish will do. Just before dinner I added a little fresh dill, a teaspoon of margerine, some milk, a handful of cooked prawns & a cup of instant mashed potatoes to thicken it a bit. And ate a big bowl. Wonderful stuff.

Just a Little Experiment


I follow a blog called Food In Jars. I love the recipes for small amounts of jam, pickles, relish, condiments etc which make it perfect for one or two people. I tried one of her Marmalade recipes which was very good & a couple of days ago, I read about Chive Vinegar. I like green salads & have resolved to make my own dressings since I own a blender, Magic Bullet & VitaMix!

I've been experimenting with different vinegars, oils & condiments whipped up in the Magic Bullet. It's nice to have a very small machine that can make small amounts without all the cleanup - yeah, you can put everything in a jar & shake - but the Bullet can emulsify everything so much faster & smoother. I've discovered several different kinds of olive oil - I like the Fruity one very much but I especially love the Peppery oil! I've invested in different kinds of vinegar as well so the Chive Vinegar caught my eye. All you do is fill a jar a third to half with chive flowers & cover with a white vinegar. After a few hours, the vinegar turns pink. Mine has been in the jar for two days now & is just about ready to filter.

Back in the Saddle Again


Whew. Haven't had any time at all to knit - other than the Birthday Socks for the boys at work!! Had a few moments here & there, I must admit, but the old hands have just been too damned sore to do much of anything other than beat on the keyboard. And I'm still beating on the keyboard, albeit a little more slowly - seems I'm now gainfully EMPLOYED rather than flitting around as a Contractor for most of the year.

I've accepted my fate & will continue to be employed since I continue to be the only one who can run all the software & fill in the cracks. Not what I intended but, I can finish paying off the loan & pad my Canada Pension for a change. I will be one of the ones who HAS to work to 70 unless a rich relative dies & names me heir to the fortune! Hehehehehehe The Ex also continues on, hail & hearty too.

One thing about being employed, you get to leave after 9 hours & go home without being called for more work. I might get to like this. And, of course, I have time to knit, spin & dye.

I started out with good old KROY & my favorite 2.5mm bamboo skewer needles. I think I originally MADE these bamboo needles because of Kroy. I couldn't find a 2.5mm set of needles anywhere! My 2.25s were too small - the knitting was too tight - & a 2.75mm was way too big. I didn't want a set of sock needles that wouldn't get used again - I'm also cheap & broke much of the year so that had to be considered. And I LIKE bamboo too. So, I made my own with sandpaper, beeswax & elbow grease. I've used them so much that they have their own patina & are smooth as glass. The Kroy slips along just fine as did the lovely splotchy Confetti yarn I used to knit men's socks. That splotchy Confetti felt thicker & definitely knitted up thicker so my 2.5s were perfect! Wish I could find more of it . . . But, I'll settle for the crazy orange Kroy for now! I must find more in other colors before winter.

As usual, I've used the heel shaping from Crazy Heels & Toes. I love this heel shaping. I love that I can knit that gusset at dusk with no lights on. I can even knit it on the porch, at night, with the security light on & no other illumination. I no longer have heels falling apart in the wash because I couldn't see to pick up a stitch. When you knit cuff down, a heel falling apart means you re-knit the whole damn sock. Or throw it out in frustration because you gave away the leftover yarn that you now need to redo the sock because it's a color that you can't match or coordinate.

I usually pause at this point to swap socks. At this point, the sock has to come in, out of the car, because it has to be turned under my DAYLIGHT lamp. It's also too fiddly to work when you're out with all the rubber band markers needed to show the short row shaping. I cast on the other one & move it out to the car for "WAITING" knitting while the heel is turned indoors. This pair with the longer legs will be for ME. Not going into the Donation basket but straight into my Sock Basket instead!!

Suddenly Summer


The weather changed while I've been hammering on the keyboard across town - man, this working for a living is the pitts!! - and yesterday, it became summer. I'm working 4 days a week in a tin box with what they call 'air conditioning'. I'd like to call it that too but it only cools you down when you stand in front of the machine in the classroom portion & not at all in my office end of the box. Yesterday, the classroom air wouldn't stay on & my fan at the end of the box stopped. Just around noon. By 3:00PM, it was over 30 in the office & not improving at all. We tinkered with the machinery to no avail till the Boss's Reno buddy walked in the door . . . . he twitched something & turned two dials & cold air started blasting out of the classroom. Holy Crap. Since the remote was misplaced, no one but Bryan - who's gone to Bus Driving School - knows what MODE the machine is in since the display is on the remote. We were not in Summer mode, that's for sure. The classroom is cool again but sadly, my little blower has died. Hopefully, it will be replaced today. When I deliver it. I drove home yesterday with the air conditioning in the van turned up to max! It was only the second time in the year & a half I've owned it that I even turned it on.

My basement is nice & cool in the hot weather! Good thing because I freeze in the winter. You can always put on more clothes when it's cold but once you're down to skin in a hot place, you can't take anything else off! So it's a great place to be in the summer & an even nice place to lounge outside in the evening. Last night I found three balls of that orange Kroy that we got so cheaply at Michaels & started a nice thick pair of winter socks, hehe. I love Kroy. It's thick, it knits very quickly & you don't even have to watch as the stitches go by. Other than the heel & toe shaping, they almost knit themselves. I just put on my mini IPod, tuned in "The Ten Year Anniversary", a Women's Murder Club book, poured a huge icy Mango juice & went outside to knit after dinner. Bliss.

I've made a promise to myself. Since I have three days a week that I don't have to get up & commute to work until I feel like it, I will get up & commute to my patio with my morning tea & spin. Should be a nice shock to all those people who like to take the short cut through my yard instead of walking around the block on the "public" street.

Rumor has it . . .


The Aliens have not swooped down & taken me away as someone reported although some days, I wish they would. It's been a tough Tax Season this year & I've been trying to work TWO jobs at the same time since my little buddy Bryan ran off to join the Bus Driver's union. Apparently he's had it tough too since he's in the Fast Track group & doing the course in half the time!! We've barely texted to see how the other is doing - guess we're both coping though since that's the kind of people we are! But, I'm still working a 32 hour week at the school, finishing up all the late returns, trying to do 5 year ends, working at least one day in the office with the dogs, catching up in the warehouse job on Sundays & trying to finish 11 corporate tax returns. All at the same time. H E L P! Aren't these supposed to be the Golden Years where you s l o o o w down??

I have to report that I have nothing fibery to report. No socks. No vest. No nothing. I've looked at it all but I'm just too damned tired to work on anything. The Boss Birthday socks still need their toes completed but I still have a week . . . Maybe next week I'll pick up the needles again. Maybe after I sleep for a whole week. Gawd, I have to get out there & plant my baskets & tubs too. I'm just too damned old for this much work.

Birthday Stuff

I got some nice goodies from the Wednesday Nite Nitters for my birthday!  It was totally unexpected but really nice. The topknot at the bottom is in the Paua colorway from Aurelia Wools. There's supposed to be enough fibre there for a hat, scarf, a pair of mitts or socks. I love the Paua colorway!!! The orange roving is superwash merino & nylon from smithandewe.com. It ranges from light mango to a burnt orange, sort of reminiscent of a tequila sunrise soooooo, it will become Tequila Sunrise socks! There's enough in there for three pairs I think. The deep purple on the right is called Grapes of Wrath! from SheepyTime Yarns. There's 100 gms there but its only 181 yds in about an aran weight. It'll probably become a cowl for the fall. The lighter skein is called Gloom 'Shroom from the same company but ranges in color from light lavender to medium grape with deep blue flecks. Lots of yardage & in sock weight so we all know what it will become. Last but not least, on the same Wednesday, the Boys at work gave me a Mr LUBE card good for TWO oil changes!! Yeah, baby.

Today is my Birthday



Today I turned 61. That's 61 big ones! Teenage angst, zits, having kids, finding a husband & wearing panty hose are loooooong in the past with my old 45 collection, telephone booths, Ford Falcons & fluorescent shirts! Yeah, yeah, yeah!! Gone are two Rons & a Keith. And that crazy 6 month fling with a Lorne. Nordics all. I just don't have the energy for Nordics any more. They work all day & party all night. If I was offered a choice between a red hot Nordic & a pound of cashmere, well, I'm 61, I'd rather be warm than red-hot! And speaking of red hots - those are in the past too. My temperature gauge has finally been adjusted back to normal, although I could really use a little tweaking of that Thermalosity during these damp winters lately. Getting old isn't the problem so much, it's the creaking like a ship in full sail & the failure of parts you depend on that gets me. By the time you learn what it is you really, truly love - you can't do it anymore!!


It's exciting to wake up on your 61st birthday! Especially when you had a Senior Moment the night before & somehow set the alarm clock for 4:31AM. And put it on the Country Station to boot. The shock of leaping out of bed put natural color back into my cheeks & lips. Who needs a Latte???


So, what am I doing for my birthday??? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. I just don't have the energy after leaping out of bed this morning. So, I'm having a huge green salad with avocado/feta dressing even though I'd rather eat a big bag of LAYS plain ripple chips. I think I'll just lay about in my jammies. I might even listen to a new audio book. Or I might go out for a giant Latte all by myself. It's MY Birthday!

It's a GOOD Friday

It's been a long haul since that last Official Holiday here on the Wet Coast! April 06 is a loooong way from January 01! And it was nice to sleep in till 8:30 this morning until the kids upstairs started fighting. It's nice to be sitting here in my jammies today as well. What you can't see is the mounds of paper amid the boxes of work I have to do in my jammies!! The coffee pot is brewing TEA as I sit here & pound on the keyboard. Later, I'll be making Cauliflower soup for dinner. Why soup?? Well, I just about froze yesterday & it's not that warm in here today either so I've got my heater plugged in & soup on the brain. I love a nice thick soup for dinner & I'm still being kind to my insides until the effects of that antibiotic are gone. Creme & broth based soup are on the menu for the moment. Egg Drop soup is a fav as is Broccoli Cheese & Creme of Cauliflower. I almost can't wait!!!

I'm working as fast as I can on gift socks before my buddy Bryan goes away. I know we'll keep in touch but it's just not the same as working together! It's been a ball mostly & I'll probably cry myself to sleep when he's gone . . . No pics until they're on his feet though because he told me he peeks at the blog occasionally . . .

And another project on the needles as soon as Bryan's socks are done. My Ex is always cold. Since the damn specialist put him on a ton of medication for his heart, he's always complaining that he's cold. He tried to get some of it cut back but the specialist told him to put more clothes on. I think he needs a new doctor but that's not up to me. So, I suggested I knit him a nice wool VEST to wear over his 4 layers of clothes to keep him warm. I just knew there had to be a good use for that wool in this climate!

I rooted through all my old stuff & found an official Sweater pattern put out by White Buffalo back in the day for 60 cents - I have the Touque, the Socks, the zip front Hoodie & the Vest. Oh yeah, did I say that I'd knit a lot of these waaaaay back??? I AM NOT going to bother with a knitted motif! I don't think he'd wear it if I did. Nope, I'm taking the beige Siwash wool & knitting a plain, zip front vest with a pocket for his wallet. Something to keep an old Geezer warm & get rid of all that wool.

An old Gift Box

I know, I know, TWO blogs in a row in the middle of TAX Season??!! But this isn't really a blog, it's a warning. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

As everyone knows, I can't pass a good deal without taking it up. I was born the eldest in a scrounging family. My father was a Longshoreman in the days before they had benefits & great wages. And we had 6 kids. The house was clean, my mom could cook & bake & sew. In my family, if you wanted things other than the basics, you got a job. Or you took in strays. I love strays, especially when they come in boxes!! Most of the time that is.

Years ago, I got two boxes of Buffalo Wool. You know the kind. We all made fake Cowichan sweaters back in the day. I think I made them for my brothers & boyfriends. Some of the wool, like Siwash wool, was minimally processed & still retained it's oils. Others, like White Buffalo, were dry as dust. Somehow, I ended up with two boxes of White Buffalo wool as a gift several years ago. I knit up touques & even a large hooded, pullover sweater with a pocket on the inside for a homeless woman one winter. I worked it down to a half dozen packages which I stuffed in a box to give away when I developed a cough from the dry wool. Yesterday I was rooting around in the office closet looking for something & came upon a box. I couldn't remember getting the box addressed to me but it had to be years old. And unopened. I dragged it out, opened it & it exploded into packages of wool . . . There must be 20 packages of Buffalo & Siwash wool in there. It looks like someone was going to knit a white, oatmeal & tan sweater at one time. Or the half dozen packages of wool in the other box gave birth in the closet.

And the moving finger moves on . . .

The more things change, the more they stay the same!! My job at the Motorcycle School is changing once more. My buddy, the Office Manager, has been offered a job that gives him & his family financial security at last. But he has to leave in two weeks if he wants it. The season has been slow to start & his earnings have been lower than usual. But he'll be leaving just as it's finally beginning to heat up. OMG, not only am I the only person who can run the whole office again but I don't want to run it all the time!!! I only signed on for Part Time! Hopefully, we have a volunteer who will work at least 3 days a week so I only have to work the other three. I'm so sorry to see Bryan go but he has to for his sake . . . sob. Now I have to get his socks knit up quickly!!

Just in case I have to work more than 3 days, I've been working tax return marathons to free up my time. Sunday, I worked 9 hours straight - well, I stopped for a Starbucks Latte & bran muffin midday but I went through the drive-thru & came back home again!! My poor printer was overheating! It was a hellova day! Luckily, my Ex called & took me away from all of it to eat Chinese. Oh, how I love Beef & Black Bean Sauce with Green Peppers!! It also gave me a chance to drop tax returns into the bin on my way home! And got there just in time to watch a Murdoch Mystery while I worked on the latest sock. Just a Regia sock but in a more interesting colorway than the last one. Still a conservative sock but definitely more interesting than plain blue.

While cleaning out a big basket - I'd forgotten what was in the damn thing - I found a bag with a half knit summer top, several balls of yarn & no pattern. Sigh. I'm in the process of frogging it but I really like the color. It's a little pinker - as usual - than it appears but the acid pink is soft with the purpley blue. Acrylic of course but as I said, I like it. Since the pattern's missing, I may rejig it into the Heartbeat sweater from Just One More Row which goes up to a 64" bust. I remember working on the Heartbeat Sweater in the past - it needed some tweaking - but I love the heart shaped front. I'm sure I have enough yarn in that bag. I hope. I'm pretty sure I do - but it will make something eventually if I don't.

Tax Season Again

I know some of you laugh out loud when I say this is my favorite time of year. I really do love Tax Season. It's the challenge of the Game and it often IS a game because it's not what it IS so much but what you CALL it that counts!! Different types of Income are taxed differently AND not all expenses are treated equally. It's knowing the difference that matters. It's sort of like sock yarns.

And speaking of sock yarns - I've had my Gift Box sitting on the little table in front of my TV watching chair since I got it. I take things out & fondle them & put them back. I've got two balls of purples in with two balls of greens of the same yarn but FOUR different colors. I keep thinking about green & purple striped socks . . . hehehehehe! And the ALMOST finished hot pink lace socks!! And not enough yarn to finish them either. I think I'll have to frog them - SOB - but I have the Smoldering Hearts pattern which might work. Or a couple of Gansey Heart patterns. I could get two pairs of summer socks out of them!! Either way, I think it's screaming HEARTS.

Brown is not normally my color but I like the mottled shade in the box. I can't SEE to pick up heel flap stitches any more & I know my tension will be different so the mottled brown socks will have to be frogged for sure. And a real shame too since one whole sock is finished & the other is done to the heel flap. I think I'll use the same pattern which I really like - just a simple rib stitch - which will be appreciated by any man at Christmas. You can tell I'm already planning socks & hats for the Christmas Box.

But, before Christmas, there's all the Birthdays in the Office to contend with. April & May are the big months so I have several pairs on the go right now. The Boss Sock is the slowest of the bunch because it's that dark, dull color. I distinctly heard him say that he loves the new socks so much he'd almost wear any color. Hmmmm yeah, right! Mr Conservative says that but does he mean it??? I don't think so. I think he'll continue to get the dark, dull colors . . . Sock #1 is done & onto #2. I sincerely hope I have enough yarn!

I'm thinking Bryan will get Frankensocks. The wilder, the better for him. And I'll put a row or two of Black or Blue between the colors!! I can't wait to get started on them!!!

Just like Christmas

I got a box! I got a box!! I got a box of goodies in the mail yesterday but I was so busy I forgot it out in the car till late last night. It was so exciting! You'll have to forgive my crappy photographic skills - I never get the light right. The yarns are much pinker & brighter than they look here!! I got sock yarns & even a set of square needles still in a sock!! LOL It looks like the knitter was so annoyed at one point that she wrapped it all up, needles & all & tossed it in the box! I remember that feeling when I was learning to do the Queen Kahuna heel from the Crazy Heels & Toes book. At one point I kicked the book across the room in one direction & the knitting in the opposite one. Since the cat was still around, I did have to pick up the knitting but that book laid there for weeks . . . I did eventually finish that sock after a couple of frantic phone calls to my friend Gail who didn't laugh too loudly. And I did learn how to do that gusset heel all by myself. The light bulb came on during the 3rd pair of socks! All of a sudden it all made sense. Honest to gawd, it was just like ZAP & the light came on. I can do it in my sleep now. Best heel I ever used. I was horrified when I realized I couldn't SEE to pick up the stitches around the heel flap without being outside at noon. I just had to find another way. Gail suggested the Queen's heel. I can whack off a heel in no time now. And the gusset heel is so nice & deep - I can adjust it to be shallower or deeper by adding or subtracting gusset increases - my socks never creep into my shoes or boots any more.

I love the box of goodies - there's some yarns in there that I've never seen before - yeah, I live in the wilds of the Vancouver 'burbs on the Wet Coast but MY yarn shops don't carry those fancy yarns. And I couldn't afford to buy them if they did. So, I'm saving the colors I love the best - good thing there's lots of shades of pink & purple - and adding the others to my sock donations for Christmas to Loving Spoonful. Thank you Linda.

Over at Last . . . I think


I'm down to the final periodic morning coughs & snuffle sessions. I don't think I've ever been this sick with a crappy rhino virus in my life! I dodged the pneumonia, thank gawd, but I'm still feeling the exhaustion & dehydration. I think I drank a gallon of milk in three days this week so far & I don't really LIKE milk. I ran out of socks again so here's a few hanging up on washday.

I've been making a lot of soup - Hamburger soup is a perennial fav as well as Italian soup. Both start with onion soup mix & browned onions & garlic. Hamburger soup contains browned burger, barley, carrots or sometimes chopped cabbage & all the leftover veggies in the fridge while Italian soup contains diced tomatoes with Italian spices, sometimes little white beans or soup pasta & chopped green veggies like spinach, zucchini, chard or beet greens. Instead of greasy Italian pork sausage, I've been adding chopped Tofurky Italian sausage made from tofu. It has all of the spicy bite with none of the grease!! It seems the blowing, sneezing & coughing takes a lot of moisture from a body!

And have I been knitting?? Some. I knit up a couple of soft touques, one from merino & silk & one from mohair & handspun. One cold evening, one of my clients showed up with the shaved head so popular with the twenty & thirty somethings & I stuffed one on his head! I think he's the second to be warmly covered this spring. And I stuffed the other one into his pocket for his new son, Joshua. I'm almost to the toe on the Boss Sock & still plugging along on my Poncho Pullover. Haven't felt much like knitting lately - this crappy weather has my hands slightly swollen & my knuckles aching. I suspect the virus & tax season have contributed as well! I'm using my hands a lot & they really hurt some days. I've ordered a DVD 'Yoga for the Rest of Us' from PBS(Public TV) Peggy Cappy produces a program of gentle yoga with a section for arthritic hands. She's been on Public Television advocating for Yoga - especially for seniors - to increase mobility. The reports from the Seniors involved in her program are very encouraging. So, I thought it might really help my overworked & arthritic hands so I can knit more!! hehehehe, what can I say???

Just a little Rant


I want to know how a 15% increase in a Teacher's salary over 3 years is supposed to reduce crowded classrooms, add extra Teaching Aides & find more resources for kids at school??

My Opinion is that Schools, like Churches are undervalued & underused. Especially Elementary Schools. We paid to install all those bathrooms, kitchens, gyms & classrooms that only get used from 8:30 to 3:30 Monday to Friday for about 8.5 months by kids. The rest of the time, they're empty. Let's get our money's worth!!! I would rather pay extra NOW & make sure the next generations are healthy & ambitious than waste money building more jails.

With the shortage of good daycare - especially for babies - why aren't schools being used for Daycare???? With all the Portables available, Daycare space could be expanded & contracted to meet the needs of the community. Daycare MODULES could easily adapt to any age group with the addition of a bathroom/laundry module.

I've heard that the school lunch/breakfast programs are often the only meals some kids get on a regular basis. Let's feed all school kids. And the Before & After School program kids too. These kids are our next generation of tax payers. Let's show them how it's done.

With the captive student population attending school - Medical, Optometry, Dentistry & Psychiatry should be part of each school FREE to each student. Everyone would get the services they need at school! Parents wouldn't have to lose a day of work & the student a day of school. What a wasted opportunity an empty school is.

Back to My Life

Still coughing but everything is moving along as it should. Managed to get out to work full days on Friday & Saturday without any problems except that I'm still falling asleep when I sit down!! Can't bring myself to open the bills yet but Tax Season is starting so it will all work out in the end. Today, I did nothing! I slept in & ate breakfast at noon. Watched a little TV & caught up on a few things. Like taking pictures of a couple of things in progress. Like that Poncho Pullover from Cabin Fever. I'm using Briggs & Little Heritage one needle size larger than the pattern calls for. My swatch snugged up when I washed it in the sink & then tossed it in the dryer on cool for a few minutes. I liked the fabric I got with the smaller needle before I washed the swatch but preferred the swatch with the larger needle after washing so, it's a little loose as I knit but I know that will change when it's washed the first time. And this stuff has to be washed!! It's dusty & should've been soaked BEFORE I balled it all but it sticks to itself in the skein when washed & I've had a terrible time pulling the sock weight skeins apart never mind a dozen or so big worsted skeins!!! So I shook it & thwacked it against the porch poles outside a few times before winding it up & it'll get a nice soak & spin in the washer before I wear it . . . The rain was soaking the whole patio so I had to take this pic in the bathroom with all the Daylight bulbs. Another couple of inches & I'll be blocking off the sleeves. I intend to add some cheeky fringe on the bottom too.

April is the month of birthdays at work. Three out of the five of us have April birthdays & one is in May. Three Aries & a Taurus manage to work very well together believe it or not. Lucky for me that all three of my compatriots have decided they love my socks. I have no problems shopping for any of them - Taurus is dull as dirt & only wears 'traditional' footwear in monochromatic 'manly' colors. The other two are Aries Adventurers with no real hangups, color phobias, personality problems, tics, twitches or unexpected public exhibitionistic tendencies - except in socks - who will wear anything that comes off my needles. I love them all & am doing my best to see they're all happy again this year!!

Mr Taurus is getting socks in the Regia Jet Set colorway in dark blue. This is about as monochromatic as I get. It varies a little from almost black to a lighter blue but it's basically DARK BLUE. I have a few more balls of Regia Jet Set in the sock basket only because I got it on sale. The Ex loves the darker socks too so he gets a pair or two every year as well. I don't tend to knit too many for him though since he wears a size 13WWWWW & I need THREE 50 gm balls for him. The Taurus sock is reclining on my new Ravelry Sock Bag under the Daylight bulbs in my bathroom so you can see the real color of this sock yarn.

Still Coughing, Still Snuffling


I think I'm gonna live! Yes, I'm still wheezing, coughing & snuffling but it's mostly in the mornings when I first get up. I'm singing the praises of Benylin's Mucus & Phlegm which I found on Monday when I dragged myself to the drugstore. I was really afraid I was on the verge of pneumonia especially since I didn't even have the energy to knit after a coughing fit. Not a good thing when you're single!! The Benylin really did the trick. One dose got everything moving, I can now cough almost like a normal person & my lungs are relatively clear. Yesterday, I actually went to work for a partial day. I have to admit I was exhausted, sweating & falling asleep by the time I got home but I believe I'm on the mend at last. This is no bug to fool around with folks but I think I've survived the worst of it.

Today I'm going to the Newton job with the dogs. I don't have to deal with the public there, I can work at my own pace & leave when I'm tired. Gotta take it while I can!! I really really miss the pooches. And, if I survive that, I'm going to Starbucks to work on that Boss Birthday Sock . . .

It's Monday

Woohoo. I survived the week. I left messages on a couple of phones saying I would be borrowing money for the bills when I get mobile because I just don't have the strength to go to work right now. Got up at 7 yesterday, rounded up all the dirty socks, undies & towels - I haven't been dressed in anything but a ratty Tee & shorts all week but I ran out of socks & undies - threw em all in the wash! I had to go to bed around 2 because I was exhausted. Stop scratching your head - you don't understand. I have to wash all the cups & glasses in the sink, clear the counter, pull out the washer, drag it to the kitchen sink, attach it to the spout, load it, unload it, un-attach it, drag it back to its corner when its done working & then plug in the dryer where the washer plugged in & put small loads of wet clothes into it. Socks get hung up in pairs. I rounded up all the boxes & bags of used cushie TP, tied them up & stacked for easy disposal on Monday, garbage day. Took a shower & went back to bed for 4 hours! Food?? too damned tired. Got up & ate three bananas. Dryer's still plugged in so I can't use the stove & who cares anyway. I want Won Ton Soup & don't have any. Drank 96 ounces of peach iced Tea while I watched TV & fell into bed before midnight. Oh, and I managed to turn the heel on the current Birthday sock. Production.

Got up Monday morning. Chest so gluey I couldn't stop trying to cough. I was like an old lawnmower that you have to pull start 100 times to get it going. When everything finally caught, someone ripped out part of a lung with that last yank . . . & I was exhausted all over again. Nope, this ain't pneumonia yet but if I don't get that crap moving, it will be. Been trying to sit up as many hours as I can so I DON'T get pneumonia but it's been tough. Finally got my ass in gear & went to the drugstore to buy the MUCUS REMOVER. Bloody terrible tasting stuff. By the time I got home, I was ready for bed once more. Woo Hoo. So, I managed to file 13 T5018s(contractor's earnings) & 1 T4 today, go to the drugstore And put out the garbage.
I Am SO TIRED of this!!

Kicked in the Butt


I've spent the last four days flat on my back wishing I was dead. It isn't a flu bug - it's a nasty cold. Nothing hurts except my chest, sinuses, nose & itchy dripping eyes. One day I was perfectly fine & in the night I woke up with this nasty crap. After pawing through my bathroom drawers, I came up with TWO night time COLD capsules - the day ones were all gone, FOUR pouches of NeoCitran that expired in 2002 & one NeoCitran cough strip that expired in 2006. Fat lot of good that stuff did! Can't go out to buy more because I look like I've been through the wars!! And I can't shut off my nasal drip except when everything suddenly backs up, blocks my sinuses completely, gives me a sneezing attack & shuts my bloodshot eyes which constantly run. Thank gawd for the 48 rolls of cushy, soft toilet tissue which has been a whole lot kinder to my nose than boxed tissue. I'm treating the cough - which feels like someone's tearing out my lung - with hot tea laced with Bailey's. The alcohol relaxes the cough & the liquid seems to soothe everything else. I just hope the Bailey's lasts for the duration!!! Donations can be left outside the door . . . .

I have to say I've felt so bad that I haven't felt like working on anything until today. Maybe that's a sign! But,this morning, I started on the heel of a sock I started last week. And that's SLOW for me. I promised cuffs to my buddy Bryan at work & the socks are the Boss's birthday present. Bryan, Chris & I all have birthdays in April or the first week of May. Both of the boys want more socks. Chris only has the one pair & I hear he keeps washing them out so he can wear them again the next day. I'll have to make sure he gets a couple more pairs. Bryan has several pairs but has hinted about more & Diane, our other instructor, will take any & all I produce. My work is cut out for me!

The Monkey Always Wins

This is not an entry about Crafting although I'm working on another pair of plain men's socks. This one is about the things I'm doing to improve my brain.

I've never been much of a breakfast lover even as a young kid - I'm not much improved as an old adult but I AM getting better. I prefer to eat around 11AM. I know you need the morning fuel to use your brain efficiently but putting anything but liquid in my face in the morning gags me. But, I've learned I NEED to eat in the morning for my brain!

I joined Luminosity to improve my brain. Luminosity has a whole whack of torturous little games you play on a regular basis to improve Memory, Spatial Relationships, Problem Solving, Language Building etc. Just five per session, takes about 10 minutes. Like Name Tag for instance. You're shown pictures of people & given their first names. The pictures & name tags are then turned over & you play Go Fish. You turn over one name tag & one picture at a time until they're all matched. You start with two or three & work up to nine. When I started Name Tag, I had problems remembering who was who. Now I can usually whip them off in no time - mind you, I've grown to know them. But I AM better. I'm getting better at finding my way through a Maze with Monsters because I can remember where they are most of the time. But, one game really drives me crazy. It's called Top Chimp & the Monkey always wins! You go one on one with the Monkey. Each time you are shown a group of numbers from 1 to 9 & you have to get them in order from smallest to largest. You get to chose the number of numbers each round. But the program chooses the time you get to look at them. Time is the problem. Each round shows you the time you get to look at the numbers so you can choose to add or subtract the amount. My problem is that my eyes don't even SEE most of the numbers when they're flashed on the board. So the Monkey always wins.

What's all this got to do with breakfast?? you ask. Well, I didn't realize how much difference food makes until I started playing Luminosity games. I can do the same series of games before breakfast & after breakfast & SEE with my own eyes, the difference it makes. I always thought I did my best brain work in the morning when I don't want to talk to anyone & exercised my people skills more after lunch when I wanted to socialize. Turns out that I'm just bitchier in the morning because I haven't eaten!! LOL I've proved it to myself in my scores on the Games. That was the first eye opener. The second is the progress I've made in memory & name recall. My graph looks like the Stock Market - there's ups & downs all over the place but overall, I've doubled my scores over the last few months! As you age, you don't lose memories, you lose the ability to access them when you want them. They're all filed away in there but the drawer either won't open or the filing system is out of whack. So I've learned that I have to eat breakfast & keep on Memory Training. After all, if you don't use it, you lose it & the Monkey wins . . .

All in a Day

I've been missing for a couple of weeks. I've been coughing, wheezing & sneezing again. It's a curious thing, but every spring a couple of weeks after I start back at the Motorcycle School, I get the Spring Crud. I figure it's exposure to Kid Germs. I get it approximately two weeks after the Motorcycle Show when Bryan & I are back working together around the beginning of February after working alone for two months. I got a similar bug last September, a couple of weeks after his kid started school. So I figure it's Kid Germs.

The big problem with Kid Germs is that they give me the neverending Cough. You've heard the commercial for the 3 Week Cough?? That's me. Add the rustic commercial yarn I'm using & I have a problem that seems to go on forever. I really like Briggs & Little yarns but they're dusty. And they shed little bits into the air as I knit. I'd forgotten about that fact until I decided to knit the Poncho Pullover. I wheeze, sneeze & hack when I'm working on it! I have to take Benadryl in order to finish knitting this darned sweater! If I had any brains at all, I'd work on it over the summer when I'm sitting outside on the patio but, NO, I want to wear the thing NOW. I'm moving rapidly to the arms but didn't use my head when I started the darker blue. I should've put another red stripe in or started it right below the red . . . . now, there's so many stitches on the needle that I really don't want to rip it back. And the actual color is a little darker than the photo. Handspun yarns are looking better & better all the time . . .

We're Wet & Moldy

Wow, with the weather being so changeable on the Wet Coast - we've gone from sub-zero to snow to slush-on-ice to Spring-is-coming - all in the space of a couple of weeks!! I work part time for Action Motorcycle School - yes, if you've ever wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle, come & take the course!!! - and the weather was so bad for the annual Motorcycle Show two weekends ago that most people didn't come. Seriously - if you've been dreaming of riding & live in the Vancouver burbs, give us a call. Training won't guarantee you a license, no one can, but it will guarantee a SAFER experience. And you'll probably see my socks on a couple of the Instructors!!

But, back to the weather - as usual, it's our changeable weather that makes knitted sweaters so necessary in our climate but so hard to gauge. Right now I'm knitting away on my Arvik Ribbons sweater, using the Ribbons-o-Round pattern from Knitter's. It's light & airy - it has another colored stripe since this was taken - but warm since it's woolen spun with not too much twist so it holds air for insulation. That's all fine & good but if the wind blows or a downpour occurs, I'll freeze & soak my butt!! What I need right now is something in a good worsted wool that will keep me warm when the wind blows or mostly dry when the rain comes pelting down. Why oh why didn't I knit an Indian Sweater for myself instead of someone else?? Or another Wonderful Wallaby in wool for me??? Or get it in gear with the Poncho Pullover??
This brings me back to unfinished projects - I'm a great starter but a lousy finisher. This is why I knit socks. They're small, portable & done before I get bored. Unless they're black, grey, brown or one solid color - then I get bored really, really fast. Because I'm a Starter, I have three sweaters on the go for myself & nothing to wear. So, you heard it here folks. Arvik, which is a couple of rows from the armhole shaping, will become my new car knitting - it's been going to Bucks for a couple of weeks anyway - and I'll get myself back to the barely started Poncho Pullover while I watch TV - if I have TV after this week. Maybe, I'll actually have TWO sweaters this year??? Since I have to recharge the camera before I can take any new pics, you'll just have to look at the old ones . . .