I have been busy, Really!

Remember when we were kids & we could spend all day laying in the grass or the sand watching the clouds move around & make shapes. Time used to last forever & we had all the time we ever needed because it went so slowly. Now that I'm 62, it goes so fast that I never get everything done before I'm out of time! I just don't understand. Does time accelerate as we age or does our brain just work differently???

Lately, I've been working on projects that got forgotten in the eddies & backwaters as time marched on. Arvik Ribbons for example - yeah, it's hanging on the door to my office so I don't forget - this incarnation I will wear in the Fall. It's knit from the top down, with a round yoke & increases hidden in the rosy ribbons of color in the top. The really nice thing about it is, I can try it on as I go. I'm past the armholes & moving down the body. This past couple of weeks has been just too hot to work on it though - I mean who needs a lap full of wool when it's 28C in the room????

I'm also participating in the Tour de Fleece again this year. I saw a cowl in the Fall Knitter's magazine that I just loved but couldn't find the yarn for it. Linda, at Sunset Fibers, dyed me up 8oz of fibre which is close to the colors I wanted & called it RED HAT. I love it!! So I'm spinning it for the TdF.

 I also got some of Linda's new TRANSITIONS colorway in GRANITE which I also spun up for the TdF. Not sure what the Granite will become - it's greys & pink & blues - maybe some l-o-o-o-o-g fingerless gloves??? Wooohooo!
I'm hoping there's enough on the bobbin to make something nice - only 4 ounces - but I've spun it finely enough that it may make the gloves if I make a lacy pattern.

I also spun up some wild acid green superwash for TdF that I traded some purple for, not sure if there's enough for a pair of socks but I think there's some orange left from last TdF that may just work. And if I don't like them, there's someone at work that will drool all over them. I'm hoping that I can get a couple more braids spun up before TdF ends. Doesn't seem like a big job anymore since I set up the old Suzie Pro in front of the TV & my favorite chair. And the fan blows on both. All of this going on & I'm still working full time & trying to work in some year ends for three different clients .  .  .  .  Do I really want to take that 30 week course in Plant Ecology???

 Summer in the City

                                                                                                                          

Got an unexpected day off this week so I should be basking in the sunshine, working on my tan - right??? Well, nooooooooo .  .  .  .  it's raining out there. It rained on my LAST day off too. It must've been 105 in the little tin box office out in the paved parking lot on Saturday when I went to work, it rained yesterday but did improve & today, it's back to rain, when I'm off!  Not complaining too much mind you, I'm safe & dry in my basement apartment.  I, too, have been watching the news about all the flooding to the east & across the prairies in the past few days. So shocking to see downtown Calgary under water!  I'm counting my blessings even in the rain.

Not a lot of knitting going on around here other than sock knitting. I have two pairs on the go at the moment but one resides in the car for those moments when I'm waiting for a train - more often that you'd expect when you take the Industrial back road to & from work!, waiting at the school crosswalk - I go through at least FOUR in the morning unless I leave an hour early, waiting at the drive thru - Tim Horton's has got to be the SLOWEST ever but the steeped tea is the best or waiting for trucks to back up - I take the Industrial back road. The last two FLAGS series Regia sock yarn in blue, turquoise, yellow, orange, purple & red are being used in the current house sock. I do NOT know what possessed me to buy 10 balls of the same color! Maybe I had a plan at the time but I forgot what it was. I managed to give away three pairs of socks & two balls of yarn in the end which leaves me with leftovers & two big balls.  I should've made short summer socks but they ended up as extra longs instead. They're top down, the gussets knit on either side of the flap as you go heel and a three needle bind-off at the toe. Car socks are now being knit on TWO CIRCS so the stitches stay on  even if I cram the sock into a purse.

The other pair are thick Kroy socks for Fall when my floors freeze - I have a cement floor with tiles stuck to it so it's COLD most of the year - and I love thick, warm socks!! They're actually past the heel & almost to the toe but I forgot to take a new picture!! My pal Karen scrounged around & found me several balls of Kroy in her stash - thank gawd for friends who like to circulate their finds - I never buy any because I can't go into the store that sells it! They keep all the Perfumed Items at the door so I can't go in. Maybe it's a good thing. I really, really like Kroy yarn & Kroy socks. This is the latest in the series of pink, orange & brown patterned socks & now, the colors I missed, all in one sock.

 Lately, these days, I've been working my spinning muscles. Suzie Pro now sits in front of my TV chair in all her glory with a sample bag of a new blended color product from Sunrise Fibers. The owner has her fibre pin drafted in two or mo

re colors that blend softly as you spin. Or you can separate them to spin if you like. I'm experimenting with doing both & will see what happens when I knit it into a swatch at the end. I'm just warming up for the Tour de Fleece coming up rapidly in July. Anyone else thinking about it yet???

Just a Sucker for Socks

Summer has arrived, it's time to spin on the Patio & what, pray tell, am I doing??? Knitting winter socks!! Winter Socks! I guess I'm just a sucker for socks .  .  .  they knit up quickly - we aren't going to talk about black, dress socks here are we??? - and it's quite the fashion statement to wear two different wild socks at the same time!  Although I'm not that crazy, I do wear Fraternal socks - same colors, same balls but no attention paid to the starting point. There's so many wild color combinations on the shelves these days that I haven't even made more than a couple pairs of patterned socks. I kind of like the looks I get when I'm in my conservative urban granny costume of navy pants & pink top with these wild red/orange/yellow/pink socks in my sneakers!!

Red Hat

I will admit to a teensie weensie bit of spinning on my SuziePro wheel. I got a bag of a new line of fibre from Linda @ Sunset Fibres ooops Fibers to you Americans!! She has a group on Ravelry called Sunset Fiber Addicts & dyes all kinds of interesting things. I found  a cowl in a Knitter's magazine, sent the picture to Linda & she dyed up some fibre for me in a similar colorway!! She called it Red Hat. I think it's going to be a real favorite of mine!!

Pink Elephant

Sunset Fibers is also the home of Pink Elephant which I love. It looks quite dull & grey but when it's spun up there's just enough peach & pink to lighten it a little & it does remind me of elephants. I really liked it's subtle prettiness once it was in the skein & bought two more braids!

Galaxie

The current fibre is called Galaxie. Linda has taken narrow strands of several colors & twisted them together so they spin up as blended colors that naturally spiral together. My sample has very muted mauve/green/peach/grey/pink in it which seems very plain to me but I've only spun a very small amount so far. I'm going to reserve my opinion until I can knit a swatch with this one.

Trying to De Clutter

I've been crabby lately. My house is still a mess even though I keep throwing stuff out & taking more bags to the recycling bin. Hell, I'm even giving books away these days! I swear the junk just grows in the dark of night. The kitchen counter keeps accumulating dishes even though I wash some every night. I'm not sure what this means other than the fact that I have too much stuff. For instance, I bought myself a new ceramic mug & a car mug that actually fit in the  holes in my car organizer. That leaves two sets of Starbucks mugs & a couple of strays on the shelves in my cupboard. And then there's at least a dozen mugs of various sizes & shapes - each with a history. I have to keep my Big Red Mug because I love it but what about all the others??? If I toss them & company comes, what then??? But, who actually needs 19 cups & mugs?? Maybe that should be the first job - I know mugs don't reproduce in the dark.

And there's that pile of plastic shoes. Yep, I love those stupid things. I have them in bubblegum pink, hot pink, purple, navy &  even have two pairs of winter ones with felt linings. Bad for the feet they are. Like thongs. You don't walk properly, there's no support & you throw your pelvis into an odd position & then it gets your back. Last winter, my feet froze in them - even with socks & felt liners. I live on concrete floors & they're COLD. So why do they stay??? It's the colors. Sigh. But, no one needs 6 pairs of useless plastic shoes - they're next on the list. It's going to be an interesting bag of stuff.

I did accomplish something this week though. I finished the Pink Kroy socks at last. Even with a rough jointed circ & a couple of breaks in the yarn, I finished another pair of deliciously warm & snug Kroy socks! Something to be uncrabby about!

I wish I were a harlot


I've been piddling along on my Kroy socks - I'm growing to really, really dislike my lovely Harmony circs ! ! Why?? you ask - well, they used to be wonderful. So shiny & smooth & warm in the hand but I recently had one replaced because the cord had pulled loose. And the replacement isn't much better - the finish is not the same, it's dull & draggy. The metal collar doesn't quite line up with the wooden needle or the cord & there's now TWO rough spots instead of the one I had before I got a replacement! I wish I'd kept the old one & tried to fix it. Knitpicks doesn't seem too interested in  quality control any more! And, rather than spend more money with them, I'm looking for something else. I know I'd like the needles made by Signature but I can never afford them, even when they make needles in sock sizes. Dyak doesn't make anything in US#! yet even if I could afford them too. Addis?? I'd like wood, I prefer wood but it's an option. I suppose I could go back to DPs but they're a pain in the car which is why I went to circs in the first place. Whine, whine, moan, moan. This is no way to get socks made up for the winter! I remember when it was so simple - buy DPs in wood, metal or plastic. End of story. I guess there's just too many choices.

So, I've piddled along on my socks. I haven't even finished one pair in the last two weeks. I AM  approaching the toes on the second sock of the pair I was working on last time but that's about it. I wish I was a Harlot & could whip out a pair of patterned socks in two evenings & half a day while doing 100 loads of laundry & churning out vegetarian meals for my family. I wish I could knit 40 miles an hour like she can - have you seen the YouTube of her knitting??? The woman is a knitting machine!!! It's enough to make anyone else give up knitting.

Always a Sock Knitter


I couldn't help myself & dropped everything to get my Birthday Kroy socks on the needles. I love looking at the skein & wondering what kind of pattern that colored yarn will make in the end & sometimes, I just can't wait. So I cast it on & had the first sock done right away. I had it done so fast that I was afraid of running out of yarn before I got to the toe & had to put the word out for another ball or even some Kroy leftovers to do the toes. Kroy is thicker so I thought I'd make long winter socks with it since we're not quite into summer & I'd get to wear them for a little while before it got hot .  .  .  yeah, well, summer arrived! But, the sock got finished, the toe got knit & I only needed a couple of yards to complete it in the end!! Talk about close.

While I was on the sock kick, I found two more balls - I thought I'd finally run OUT of the REGIA Nation Color series!! The yellow, green, blue, purple & orange dye lot jumped into my basket about a dozen times!!!! Don't ask. I don't know why & I paid for it!!  But the last two balls are in the process of becoming socks for the Sock Basket. I'm knitting hats & socks for the basket this year - the hats will go to Loving Spoonful again & the socks will find homes elsewhere at Christmas time. Instead of spending all my time frantically knitting in October & November, I will knit all year & fill the basket this time. Hopefully. Procrastination is a tough habit to beat.

I bought so much of this yarn that both my Co-workers at the Motorcycle School have socks in this color - I believe one of them has two pairs! He said he loved to wear them out in the parking lot with his shorts & navy Tee. All the Students could find him by looking for the socks.

My Birthday Came & Went

Back in the middle of April when taxes are hot & heavy, I had a birthday. I remember saying I was taking the day off this year but that didn't happen. I think the Ex remembered & bought me Chicken & Broccoli at my favorite Chop Suey house. The Boss gave me a couple of oil changes at Mr Lube AND Karen & Gail gave me socks. Or rather, they gave me the yarn for socks - we all like to knit our own - but the yarn gets given

and traded all the time!!!

Karen knows I just love Kroy sock yarn for it's thicker feel & warm &  cozy end product. I love it so much that I immediately cast it on the needles last night after I got those two skeins even though I had another sock already on the needles. I just wanted to see what kind of pattern it makes - yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. They both know I love anything with hot pink or purple in it too. Gail found  a lovely hot pink skein of Sweet Georgia sock yarn. I've been happily knitting outside on this, my official Day Off while drinking hot lemonade from my NEW 64oz Bubba Keg Mug. The hot lemon is supposed to help my laryngitis & the Big Mug is to help me get my water.

Holey Tax Deadline, Batman

I did something today that I swore I would never do on pain of death.  I worked on Tax returns till they ALL were done on the last day - including the ones I got Monday evening - and then drove over to Revenue Canada & got into the line-up around 9:00 to get them in the box before the midnight deadline. Years ago, when I worked as a seasonal casual, I discovered the Back Door to the joint. The staff mostly used it but if you looked carefully, there was a mail slot with a big blue box directly under it. While the Public sat in the line-up on the last day, I drove up to the back door & tossed all my returns into the bin & drove off again. He he ha ha. Then they remodeled. No more slot & no more access, dammit. It was relatively painless to get into the line-up, didn't even have to get out of the car to deposit the returns. But, it was still hard to realize that I had actually come to this  .  .  .  .

The last couple of weeks haven't been very productive in the knitting department since I've been doing two jobs at the same time. My little two day a week fill in job at the Motorcycle School has morphed into full time - not that I'm not enjoying the extra money but heh, I'm getting too old for this!!!  And I've developed this annoying case of

laryngitis - just try answering phones with it!! I can't take enough time off to rest my voice so now I have no voice left. Grrrr Add all the tax returns & year ends - I've been falling asleep when I sit down - can I retire now??? Please???  I have finally finished a couple of pairs of socks for my hairdresser - we swapped for a perm in January. And I've been working on & off on my Arvik Ribbons sweater.The pink 'ribbons' are spun from 'It's My Party' roving that ranges from chocolate to acid pink.  I spun it up to go with the grey Shetland that I've almost worn out from knitting two other sweaters. I made one too small & another too big! This one should be just right. It's based on a pattern in the Fall Knitter's magazine called 'Ribbons o' Round'. Knit from the top down with a round yoke with increases made evenly on every colored round. I spun the Shetland quite finely & am using two singles held together. The fabric is light & airy but warm - perfect for summer.

The Girls Go Shopping

Wednesday nights, the knitting, crocheting, tatting, spinning, quilting etc girls & one brave guy, Steve, get together at the local Wired Monk to gossip, get rowdy & sometimes, knit. Three or four of the gang are now daring each other to embark on Outrageous Shawls! Karen even brought in a sampling of her "recycled" fibres as encouragement. You have to understand Karen - she retired a few years back to spend her 'Golden Years' with her hubby & commune with fibre. She is in love with lace. And spends a lot of time in Thrift Stores looking for sweaters made of luxury yarns that she can undo to knit lace shawls. Luxury yarns even in lace weight are expensive. This Shawl Thang  must be serious for Karen to bring out the Big Guns.


Several of our members like to shop as much as Karen does. Gladys knows where every discount fibrey sale is going on even when it's only advertised on Craig's List. We all got an emergency email about the Mother Lode of spinning fibre. She suggested we share a Red bag for $10 a pound. Of course we all jumped in and bought some!! Are you kidding??? No one misses out on Gladys' finds!! I bought 2 pounds myself! My pal Gail bought 2 pounds too - she needs it about as much as I do .  .  .  but what the heck, Gladys found it!! apparently some woman had a small mill & processed all this dyed merino into 10 pound bags. When she went out of business a couple years back, it went into her garage & she's been trying to sell it ever since. Gladys arrived out of curiosity & posted it to Ravelry. After we got our bag though. I'm now the proud owner of two pounds of bright cherry merino - slightly felted & a little neppy - NOT what you want to spin finely for lace but certainly great for felted slippers! I I intend to make DUFFERS!

Gail brought a

box to Wednesday night as well. She & I ordered some hand painted braids from the same vendor & to save a buck, we suggested it be mailed as one lot. I can tell no lies - I just wanted more Pink Elephant so the nice woman dyed some up for me!!! I'd bought a 4oz Polworth braid last year & fell in love when I spun it up. Pink Elephant is mostly light grey with a little smidge of dark, some shell pink & a little orange. Delicious when spun. 4oz was just not enough to DO anything with so she dyed up another 8 oz for me!!!  I also fell in love with a cowl that was in the Fall KNITTERS magazine. It was a turtle-neck that came down to the elbows in a short 
poncho. They made out of oranges & reds & hot pinks in lace, sock & dk weight yarns in garter & stockinette. I fell in love with it so she made a new colorway just for me for the project - she calls it RED HAT. I don't think I'll spin it in three weights but I'm not really sure right now either. I may spin it all up in one weight & then use textured stitches to make the cowl or I may use three different needle sizes. I love the braid color & I love the soft Polworth so it may have to just be petted for a while .  .  .

Once Again, I have a Blog


This is the fourth entry I've tried to write in the last week. The Blog, for some reason unknown to everyone, decided it would no longer let me post. I gave it one last chance today after uploading some software to replace my old Browser & BINGO, everything is working again! Yes Dotti, much as I hate to say it, You were Right.

This blog was originally about my crazy sock knitting adventures. And then along came the BoyToy who took up a lot of space. I still knit a lot of socks but my personal basket is overflowing, the BoyToy & his parents - who used to suck up a dozen pairs a year by themselves, are gone & all I can do is knit for charity. Sheesh!! I could spend my time back on the spinning wheel - I've been collecting a mountain of painted rovings, two full fleeces - one light grey, one white, six pounds of Coopworth batts, three partial Shetland fleeces - almost black, an apple box of dirty alpaca & a whole pile of silk hankies. Oh yeah - there's also the remainder - several pounds - of the Brown Sheep Mill Ends I imported years ago to share with my buddy, Gail. Or, I could take up sweater knitting - I'm NOT into those sissy shawls that some of you knit - and I won't go into all the damned yarn I have. But, I may be switching from mainly socks to mainly something else .  .  .  .  I could start working on that Needle Felted Coffin I was mentioning to a friend or two.  And they say you can't take it with you!!

I've been a Dirty Dawg


It seems the longer you put off something, the longer it takes to get back to it. I've been a Dawg, I admit it. I cuss & call names when other people neglect their blogs & leave me out in the cold & here I am, doing the bloody same. Mea Culpa. I have returned.

The cold, damp weather also seemed like it would never go away & like many of you, I fell into that state of semi-consciousness that makes you eat, sleep, work, sleep the days away. Did I watch tv or knit or sew?? Not sure. I now know that I'm capable of falling asleep in any chair with arms - no matter where it's located! I used to laugh at my mother for such behavior! She used to say she was resting her eyes .  .  .  well, I've been resting mine at every opportunity! And it's her fault.

So what have I done?? We won't talk about work other than to say that I swore, I SWORE I would never work full time for one employer ever again because it's boring & mind rotting & full of office politics??? Well, I'm doing it. Knitting/spinning wise?? I have dropped all projects except one sweater & two pairs of socks (gotta have socks fer gosh sake!! That would be positively uncrafty!!) I'm just tired of scattering my time over many projects & never finishing anything. Yeah, I can hear the laughter. But, I'm a Starter, a Big Picture Person & a Bottom Liner. I don't care how a project gets done as long as it gets done & I don't have to finish it. I like to dream up the Big Ideas but not put out the Trash. You don't understand how difficult this is for me. I have all these projects started, I knit a few evenings & the weather changes. So, I made up my mind I would work one sweater at a time.

And this is the one. I know you haven't seen it for a while but the weather changed & I decided that I'd like to finish the one that I can wear NOW. I think I have enough yarn spun to finish it. If I don't, I found the fleece that I can spin to finish it. This will be my summer go-to sweater. The one I curl up in outside on the patio & the one I take to work when it's chilly. And just to remind you - this is spun by me from a couple of small Shetland fleeces from a sheep named Arvik who lived a long happy life in the green fields in Alberta. I loved her fleece because it was multi-shades of grey. My friend Gail gave me the pink & brown fibre - from Great Balls of Fiber - for my birthday one year & I just loved it! I spun it up quite finely but since I'm not a shawl wearer, I wasn't sure what to do with it. Knitter's Magazine came out with their "From The Top" Fall issue last year & I fell in love with the "Ribbons-O-Round" sweater!! So, this is my version of the 'Ribbons' sweater in handspun. I've spun lace weight singles & used two singles held together to knit on a 5mm Denise circular so that it will be very light but warm. When dumped out of the bag, I discovered it was two inches below the armhole where I joined for the body, so hopefully, this won't take forever to knit.

March Mayhem

I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up this morning - SUNSHINE!  It's been a while since we actually saw any of this & I know the Sunday students will be cheering. They're out of rain gear at last. Wednesday, when the sun wasn't shining but  wasn't pouring either, I bought some of the season's first Primulas. Home Depot had them out in scads of colors - oranges, yellows, pink, purple, blue .  .  . with huge blooms on them. They've sat in the back of my car ever since. Today, I will venture forth & plant them in the big pot of dead Geraniums by my front door! I had hoped the geraniums would survive the winter tucked against the back of the patio, by the door but it doesn't look good. So - Off with their dead carcasses & in with the Primulas!! I need some color in my life! Who knows?? Pansies may be next.

Haven't been knitting a lot lately - my hands have been giving me hell & now my wrists are joining in. I stopped taking all the big timed release aspirins three times a day & switched it up with Tylenol & Naproxin. Yes, I am avoiding anything by prescription for as long as possible since they're expensive. Back to the big Aspirins I guess. They, at least, cut the inflammation!! While I haven't been knitting a lot, I have been knitting socks. As usual, one pair's in the car & one by my chair!! The chair socks are for me. I've gone up to a 2.50mm circ to knit the Kroy socks since the yarn is thicker. I like them on the 2.5s. I used the smaller formula in my head - 64sts instead of 68 - but they knit bigger so it all works out in the end. They're just waiting for me to sew the toes!! Love that Kroy.

Since this is March, it seems time to bring out the spinner & work on making yarn! For Christmas, I received a nice bag of Blue Jeans - just a splotch dyed bag of roving that ranges from medium blue to very light blue. The name is so right because it should spin up to the perfect faded shade of a favorite pair of jeans. Not sure what it will become - there's enough for socks & mitts, a shawlette, a couple of hats or something else that catches my eye. I can't wait to spin some of it up & knit a swatch!

Or - I just ran across this pattern on Ravelry & instantly fell in love!! They're called Duffers. And they come in all sizes from infant to large Adult. Yes, I bought the pattern!!! Are you kidding???  I love the look of them & have lots of leftover Briggs & Little single skeins in different BLUES in the stash that I was going to use in a sweater. Changed my mind & now they're sitting there waiting for this project. They take 2 skeins of Cascade220 or any other comparable yarn that felts.

I'm a Dawg

Yeah, I know I've been laying about, neglecting the damn blog but I've been busy! Motorcycle season has started with a bang & the reason I've been chained to an office chair for most of the time this last couple of weeks. Not only do I man the phones & SELL the courses but I organize training schedules for people who work rotating shifts, spend several weeks out of town & one week in & those who travel for a living but want that motorcycle license NOW. I take their money too & keep the business books, send out confirmation emails, hold hands & encourage the wobbly ones. I remind people that they can't do Road Tests until ALL the course requirements have been met & figure out how to get them into empty slots to finish said course. And then I do Income Tax returns. And small business bookkeeping. And Incorporate Companies. etc etc When do I knit?? Lately? Not at all!!

But that's changing dammit. Too much paper turns the old brain to mush. And too many student problems make you crazy. But, it's the nature of the Beast. My beautiful Purple & Blue socks have gone to a new home! The Langley Softball team is having a silent auction to support the travel expenses. My socks went as an auction donation. I just happened to have them in my bag the day that one of the girls came in looking for business donations. Unfortunately, the Motorcycle School has one thing - Motorcycle Courses - no two hour lessons or short anything - we sell 30 hour courses. So the socks went. I can knit more!!

On the needles - well, more socks, of course. I like to have a pair in the car for waiting knitting & one by my TV watching chair. My lovely friend Karen gave me FOUR balls of KROY sock yarn!!! I love KROY. It's a little thicker & makes nice warm socks in wild & crazy patterns! Last year or the year before, Karen found a huge supply of KROY at a Thrift Store. She supplied us all!! I knit several pairs of orange & brown & pink & brown socks for charity - I managed to save an orange & brown pair for ME. But I wished I'd saved more. So Karen found some for myself!!! I am working on the pink & brown balls to make the standard sock-in-my-head but I'm using 64 stitches instead of 68 & my 2.5mm circs instead of the 2.25mm ones for these since the KROY is thicker, I thought I'd experiment just a tad. I'm a little surprised at how much I like what I've knitted so far. They're a little bigger than usual which is okay since I've had a ankle swelling problem for the last year or so & they do shrink just a little when you wash them by machine. We'll see how they fit in the end. My camera batteries are dead so you'll just have to wait for the pics.

The heels are turned on the Blue/Grey second sock & they're out in the car as Car Knitting. Since I've been cold & need a light but warm sweater, I have the Arvik sweater - Ribbons top-down cardigan from Knitters Summer 2011 or 12, I believe - beside my TV chair. It's rapidly getting lighter & will soon be warmer so Arvik Ribbons must be ready for Spring. I am down past the armhole & moving rapidly towards the hem. Woohoo

Doldrums

These days I have a love/hate relationship with my craft stuff. I have a whole lot of new patterns that I love but no one here wants to create them. No one here wants to do the math to make them fit. And no one here wants to take the time to knit the swatch, cast on all those stitches or spend any time spinning the yarn for it either. I just want them done NOW. I just want to spend all day in bed, under a blankey, cuddling something warm & furry, READING. It's a funny thing, but I don't even want to go to Starbucks.  Maybe this is Spring Fever??? All I know is that I'm cold & without ambition these days .  .  . 

I owe my Hairdresser two pairs of warm socks so I've been plugging along slowly. She said she wears them like slippers when she comes home at night with sore feet. Apparently she kicks off her shoes, puts on the socks & her pjs as soon as she comes in from work. Her male companion had the nerve to pinch a pair I gave her last year & wore them till the feet wore through in several places. So now she only has one pair that have to be hidden!

Since she wears them as slippers, she doesn't need them to be much above the ankle but the feet still need reinforced heels since that's where she wears them out first. I like to knit the 'cushy' heel not only at the back of the heel but around & under the heel as well for that extra softness. I even extended the K1,S1 on the entire sole of the foot on several pairs for my Ex at one time. Extra work, but he really appreciated the cushioning when his feet were sore.

The yarn for the second pair is much thicker than the Regia leftovers I've used in the two toned blue socks above. The yarn is a lovely superwash merino that looks like sock weight but knits up to a much thicker fabric. It makes a nice knit fabric on 2.75mm needles but will make a thicker slipper type sock on my nice little 2.25mm needles.

A Finished Object

I was beginning to think I'd never get anything finished! I've been chipping away a little at this & that but mostly I've had sore fingers & no ambition to do anything other than dress, undress, find something to eat when I'm hungry & do enough dishes to keep ahead of the mess. No energy, no desire to go out & no desire to knit anything. Maybe it goes with the cough & maybe not. This last week I've been taking extra Vitamin D & sitting under my 'Daylight' bulb & forcing myself outside around Noon especially when it's sunny - well, on the TWO DAYS it wasn't raining??? Haha   I do feel better. Maybe it's the Placebo Effect but who cares, I feel better. And I've finished my stripey blue & lavender socks!! At last!!

The old fingers are still sore & tax season is upon us. I haven't been taking much medication  - trying to get by without - but it appears it's time to smarten up & get back to it. And stay on it, sigh. Or I won't be able to spin in the Tour de Fleece this year. And I already have a light blue/dark blue pair of socks on the go. I intended to knit Frankensocks but the partial balls I found are pretty big & may almost stretch to a pair of socks - I'm to midfoot & will knit until the yarn runs out - with solid toes. Since the Hairdresser's boyfriend stole a pair of her socks & wore them until the heels wore through, I'll have to make her a second pair & he'll get the Frankensocks when I get around to it.

On the Road Again

MOST of the Bug seems to have gone somewhere else. I'll say MOST because I still lose my voice & the damned cough comes back when I've been talking most of the day!! This is not good when you're on the phone doing Customer Service!! But, since everyone has it, had it, knows someone who has it, or had it or is now getting it, well, I can make do!

The Motorcycle School is open again. I seem to have become the Main Office Person again this year - I refuse to be Manager even though I am, I guess - and I'll be back at it FULL TIME by the second week in February when the first Students of the year arrive! This time of year is actually quite interesting & I'm so busy when I get there that the time really flies. Things are changing in the Motorcycle world. The Provincial government wants to make Training mandatory. In the meantime, it wants to extend the Learning time to a minimum of 6 months with restrictions on speed, size of motorcycle & night riding for two years. This means  EVERYONE who applies for a Motorcycle Learner's will soon be on the Graduated Licensing Program. Right now, you can get your Learner's & take your Road Test 30 days later with or without Training. They've been telling the Industry change is coming but we don't quite know when.

My Crafting time has really shrunk. Suddenly everyone who didn't file things last year is dumping old stuff on my desk! Here we go again!! But, last night, I finally started the toes of my lovely pale Phildar socks. I thought about adding pink toes in the same tone but I had tons of yarn left to do toes! I even made the legs extra long - the yardage in that 100gm ball is incredible!!! Getting in & out of the car sometimes sends a draft up the old stems so the longer leg works a charm! Will slip in a picture when the toes are cast off.

Haven't touched the Poncho Pullover in a couple of weeks. Since I got this cough, knitting with ANY rustic yarn makes me cough even more. I love the yarn I'm using & how it softens up with handling & wears forever. After coughing up a lung - I have scar tissue in my right one which aches & gives me pain from coughing - I've had to set it aside for a while or work on it outside. Too damned cold to knit outside these days!!

Time to work on something else. So, I found the bag my Ribbons top-down cardigan lives in & will work on it instead. I know I stopped working on it to make the heavy sweater for winter - actually, I wanted to participate in a KAL on Ravelry is what really happened!!! The yarn is so soft in my Ribbons cardigan, I know it won't shed as I work on it. I just don't understand why I even thought about stopping this project! It's handspun. It's soft. It smells so good! It feels so good!! I must've been nuts. Found TWO cakes of lighter grey handspun in my stash after I thought I had to find the fleece & spin more - this fleece ranged from very light grey to almost black in patches. And I spun up the very dark parts into a couple of balls to use as the cuffs & button bands. This is the sweater I should work on right now - by the time I get it finished, it'll be time to wear it.

I'm such a lazy dawg

Actually, 4 eight hour days in a row at work, two weeks in a row just about killed me. So did the overflowing toilet, the icy stairs & all the other little things that got to me as I went back to work after 6 weeks off! I enjoyed my time off although I'm not sure if I really DID anything! Best holiday I guess .  .  . 

I have little to report in the Craft situation. The nasty bug carries on - the cough is apparently gone - I won't say that too loud just yet - AND a nasty stomach ache arrived. WILL this virus never end??? I am going to do the fruit & veggie purge thing for the next couple of weeks to try to kick it out. I've had enough!! 

In the meantime, my fingers have been too sore to do much knitting so I'm working on the same two pairs of socks, three sweaters & one tuque. I do a row or two here & there on the socks & hope something will be finished by the end of the month. I want to finish both pairs & the tuque by the middle of February at the latest since Tax Season is almost here & I won't have a lot of time when it arrives. The Poncho Pullover will get finished in it's own sweet time I guess. I'm not feeling terribly motivated at the moment & just seem to want to sleep all the time! Yes Virginia, I started taking D, C & Fish Oil again since this may just be Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunshine. I'll let you all know if I get my Mojo back.

How Time Flies

Just don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone!! It's got to be an AGE thing. I've been cussing everyone at all the BLOGS I follow for not updating often enough & here I am .  .  .  my only excuse is that the damn days go so fast that by the time I notice it's the day AFTER tomorrow!!  It didn't happen like that when I was 40 or 50 but now that I'm about to be 62, well, it's not fair!  I mean it takes longer just to get moving in the morning - especially if you couldn't sleep the night before - and I often have to take a nap in the afternoon or I fall asleep when I sit down to watch the 6:00 news, I need time to S-L-O-W down a bit  .   .   .  But it doesn't! And now that I'm falling down the slippery, age-related slope, I guess I'll have to find some sticky soled shoes.

So?? What have I been doing for the last couple of weeks?? Oh, knitting a little, throwing out some junque & sleeping a whole lot. Some ugly virus bit me a while back & I've been hacking ever since. I never really got SICK - I developed a sleeping sickness!! Some mornings I get up & sneeze for 10 minutes & then spend the next two hours blowing my nose & coughing up a lung. Other mornings, I'm just fine. But I get tired. The Motorcycle School called me back to work two weeks early!!! Ouch! Was not expecting that but the old bank account is excited!! I still have to pay for my On-Line excesses so back to work I went.

On the needles - well - I have two pairs of socks on the go. One is for me in lovely light, stripey Phildar yarn that ranges from palest blue to palest lavender - not my usual thing but I thought it was interesting & had to have it. I found some pink in the same light shade & may put pink toes on just for fun!! The other pair is intended to be Frankensocks - there's a couple of half balls in a dark blue with light blue here & there - looks like I'll be able to turn the heels & perhaps do part of the instep. I may just find some light blue yarn & stripe the feet. I have a couple of birthdays coming up & both people LOVE wild socks. Maybe I should just find a bright GREEN & stripe the feet.
Oho - I just traded my Hairdresser two pairs of socks for a Perm. She doesn't care what I knit since she wears them at home in the evenings when she takes off her work shoes!!! She just wants cushy, snuggly & warm socks. Another convert!!!


Still working on my Poncho Pullover from Cabin Fever! It's down to the top of my butt & needs a couple more inches before I decide whether to put fringe on it or not. I like the look of fringe but may just add the length in knitting instead because it'll be faster! and then on to the sleeves! I should be able to wear it about the time I don't need it anymore .  .  .  .

          


             2013

                     

The End

It's almost the End of the Year. It happened so fast that I have barely a memory of this time last year! I was probably doing this.  Unlike the Harlot, I have no Traditions in this house. There's no family to feed, no pets to trip over & nowhere to go tonight. There is laundry to do, dishes to wash, floors to sweep, junque to toss & bills to pay but I need at least another few days to get it all done on time, so I don't think I'll let it all worry me. I've managed to get by without Traditions this long .  .  .  

But, I think I'll put my new Cranberry flannel sheets on the bed, put the old feather pillows into their new Cranberry covers & spend the day planning something tasty for dinner. I intend to KNIT IN the New Year with Inspector Foyle.  I've added a little more than 6 inches to the body of my Poncho Pullover during the holidays & almost completed anther winter sock on the side. Neither project will get finished tonight but I'll work on finishing as much as possible.

It's snowing outside again. This is unusual for our part of the world!! Snow likes to show up in February & spoil everyone's Valentine's Day plans or cause a 2 hour commute to turn into 7 hours from Hell. Trust me, I've been there .  .  .  I intend to be cozy, warm, well fed & sipping a tall, fruity drink in my own home tonight while the Galactic Clock takes another tick forward in time. See you all next year!

All Over but the Returns        

I know today is Official Sale Day. I know people have been waiting in line to spend more money on things they don't need but I will not be one of them. I'm psyching myself up to stand in line with returns. I ordered a bunch of warm shirts for the Ex this year because he never buys himself anything new. Of course I got the wrong size. Sigh. I think the thing I dread most besides going into Malls in December is the Returns in January.

I stayed home for Christmas - I intended to watch Inspector Foyle while I worked on the Poncho Pullover. I worked on the Pullover alright - it's just about time to try it on again!!! But I ended up on UTube watching an English series called Landscape Mysteries & listening to Detective Nan Vining murders instead. Apparently, I bought the Nan Vining series by Diane Emley ages ago as a package & forgot about them. Somehow I found them again on Christmas Day.

I'm also reading Monica Ferris' series of Needlework mysteries on my Kobo - I started with 'Crewel World' & am now reading 'Framed in Lace'! They're delightful, light without being silly. The stories revolve around a small, lakeshore community in Minnesota and a group of needlework lovers in a little shop called 'Crewel World'. The shop is run by the sister of the recently deceased owner, who came to visit & has been talked into staying.  I just wish I had them in Audio Book form so I could knit while I read!!

 
No Turkey here. I'm making Cowboy Chili in the crock pot for dinner tonite. If I get ambitious, I'll also make the Apple Pudding recipe for dessert. Just a totally non-traditional time at my house this year - maybe I'll make Turkey for the New Year.

The End Came & Went

Never, for a moment's notice, did I expect the world to come to an end about 3 this morning. It would've served all the Credit Card companies right, had it done so though. I'm sure a few people caught in the Ice Bombing on our new bridge thought it had come early. And the commuters caught in the massive traffic jam behind jack-knifed trucks & iced bridges the next morning were hoping it would end soon.
I kind of giggled at some of the End of the World parties that were mentioned on the late news though. One of the groups went to a Spa & then ordered IN to their spiffy hotel suite while they watched Pay-Per-View in their jammies. Sigh. Now why didn't I think of that?

I stayed home & knit. I'm trying to get my Poncho Pullover finished. This thing better fit when it's done too!! I actually hope it's a little big - I think it will be - so I can 'full' it slightly & still be able to be comfortable with a shirt under it. The body is getting quite long & I intend to end this before it gets too long. Since the front dips down quite a bit, I'm thinking of stopping when the sides are at hip length. That should place the front & rear points just below my butt. We'll see how it looks. Gawd make it look good!!!

Safeway got my last pennies tonite when I made the run for yams, raspberries, blueberries, a loaf of bread, raisins, dish soap & milk. Yeah - I got a few more goodies but not too many. I found a recipe for Crock Pot Bread Pudding & I intend to make it in the Crock as a special treat for myself. My Foyle's War DVDs also came in today so I'm really excited to spend my time Christmas day watching them while I eat my festive bread pud.

A Decision Made

The Poncho Pullover won. I was a couple of inches past the sleeve openings & I had no choice! It's sort of like arguing over who's gonna clean out that closet full of junk & having it all fall on you the next time you open the door a crack to sneak in another thing. Decision made. 

I've been knitting like crazy because I need to wear this thing NOW. Yesterday snow flurries were in the Forecast & I was out in my Recycled pop-bottle Hoodie. Here on the Wet Coast, the weather doesn't really get cold enough to invest in a big coat unless you take Transit to work. And then usually a warm jacket & umbrella will do. Periodically, Northern Canada remembers us & sends a blast of deep freeze our way, but mostly we're wet. If you drive your own car, who needs a coat??? I have a big fleece jacket & a wool blanket in the emergency kit just in case but normally, a heavy sweater will do the trick. A heavy WOOL sweater that is. Recycled pop-bottles do not keep you warm when you're sitting or standing outside in the damp for very long. You need wool. Wool socks, wool mitts & a nice wool sweater. And I'm working on it. Hold the socks!!

Tuesday Afternoon

Boss socks are done!  Regia sock yarn in one of the Jet Set colorways. I used two US#1 or 2.25mm circs & cast-on 72 stitches. They were worked top down. Secretly, I thought they'd never end. I think it was that frogging of the second sock when I got to the heel shaping & discovered I'd cast-on 82 stitches instead of 72. But they eventually got finished.

It's been cool enough outside that I really, really have to get a thicker sweater finished for me sometime in the near future. I'm still dickering between the two top-down sweaters from Cabin Fever, the Poncho Pullover & the new Top-Down sweater, the Lace Frock. I suppose the best way to go is to pick the one the furthest along & just finish the damned thing. Makes sense doesn't it??? But my heart isn't in it.

Got this lovely stuff in the mail yesterday from Sunset Fibres. The owner paints her own fibres  & has produced many really nice combos. This one is called Blue Jeans. There's even a little bit of smokey grey & khaki in the mix. I'll be curious to see how it modifies the blues. There's enough for socks but this fibre felts so I have a couple of ideas for it once it's spun up - hopefully, over Christmas with the other two braids I couldn't resist.

Free at Last, Free at Last

Yesterday was my final day at the Motorcycle School, well, officially that is. I still have a few things to do but I can do them on MY TIME & bank the hours. Yesterday was an eventful day besides being the final day on the job. We graduated our very first December DaySchool class. All of them are now legally able to ride on Public Roads during daylight hours!! We'll see most of them in the late spring for their Road Tests & one fellow will take his back home in Northern BC. Normally we close by the end of November but the calls kept on coming in .  .  .


Just because I'm officially free from the School it doesn't mean I'm free free .  .  .  I already have two boxes, one giant envelope with two year ends & two plastic bins - oh shit, there's that damned briefcase sitting there too. So my days will not be filled with bacchanalia just yet. But, I'm looking forward to locking my doors, pulling down the blinds, turning off the phone, slipping the new flannel Penguin sheet set on the bed with the new Penguin quilt cover, opening that bottle of Blood Orange Merlot, lighting the Vanilla Cookie scented candle & spending a week with Detective Inspector Foyle between Christmas & New Years! I'll finally use that nice little portable DVD player that I got a couple of years ago to play my 'Walking with Leslie' CDs. It will be ensconced in the bedroom where I can snuggle under Penguins with the Inspector.

I love Mail Call

I did manage to get myself out & about yesterday - I had two small packages to mail & my mailbox to clean out. I've been doing a lot of shopping on line lately at Amazon, the Kobo site & Public Television so I've got some goodies coming by mail. My Ex is getting a couple of seasons of his favorite TV show which he missed while on Satelite TV. While shopping for him, I got Cast On, Bind Off - 54 step by step methods for myself which came yesterday!!! I love the little book already.

 
I love the way it lays flat as you use it. And the techniques are nicely illustrated & demonstrated. I found them easy to follow & taught myself one already. After skimming the pages, I discovered a Picot Cast On which I thought would look wonderful on wrist warmers! Had to drop the socks & get out the needles for a small try. It turned out so well that I may even use it on a sweater neckline or sleeve edge since there's even a Picot Bind Off included elsewhere in the book. Judy's Magic Cast On is there as is her Extra Stretchy Bind Off! A terrific book as far as I'm concerned. Small, easy to read, lays flat & fits in any knitting bag.

My first attempt at the Picot Cast On from the book. Isn't it pretty??? I'm going to make some wrist warmers to wear under my fleece jackets. The sleeves are quite wide & the drafts go in when I run outside to scrape my car windows in the mornings. I'm not a glove person but wrist warmers seem to do a good enough job at keeping me warm.

Down to the Wire

Third day off in a row - this is almost an oddity since getting TWO off in a row only happens when there's a Monday holiday & no class scheduled. But, a third day off in a row & I've got nothing much done. Oh, I had plans to haul my sorry ass out early with the bags of recycling but it's been raining & blowing. Yeah, I know we're used to rain around here but my computer's flashing the RED STORM WARNING & the garbage & recycling bins are at the front of the house. I don't think I'm the only one around here that saves everything in the house until the last minute either, the bin's always empty until the day it goes out to the street!! But, at least I don't have to put them out!! That's why we have teen aged boys in this world, isn't it??

Have been knitting like crazy - good TV on the Knowledge Network on Weekends!! - and was going to turn the heel on sock #2 for the Motorcycle Boss only to discover a problem. Could NOT believe it but I actually cast 82 stitches on for the second sock! Now, these are plain-jane, pattern-in-my-head socks. They are carved so deeply into my little Grey Cells that I can knit them in my sleep. Or so I thought. And I cast on 82 stitches instead of 72. So, last night I had to frog a quarter of a sock & get that same quarter re-knit ASAP. They go to their new owner on Friday! Hopefully this is just a minor glitch in normal bodily operations & not a prediction of things to come .  .  .  .