Tis the Season

Here we are again - the Season I love to hate. The time of year when Good Cheer is supposed to reign but it's more likely to be Bad Manners & Short Tempers that rule.

This year, for the first time in my life, I'm a Gimp with a Parking Pass. This means that my cane & I are guaranteed a parking spot outside the door of Just About Anywhere. Sounds delightful, right?? Nope. Seems those Handicapped Parking spots - that we pay for incidentally - are handy as drop off, picking up & various other excuses that people without passes use to park at the door. A running van, loaded with kids, was left in the Handicap Spot while the Owner ran an errand. I pulled up & had to force myself not to park directly behind it while I went into the mall to find the Post Office. It was my Good Deed this year.

And speaking of Canada Post - another sore spot on my agenda. Seems Canada Post in it's wisdom picked December, a week before Christmas, to stop delivering parcels to my Post Office box at the UPS Store. Not only will they not deliver parcels to my box, they decided NOT to drop them at the Postal Outlet at the end of the block in the same strip mall but instead, drop them inside Guildford Mall, at their new Postal Outlet. Is this advertising for their new site?? I tried to get it redelivered to my box but NO, it has to be signed for. Since I thought it was my new cheques, I made the trip. Turned out to be a box of knitting magazines. Last year, I ordered everything by internet & had all parcels delivered safely to my Box at the UPS Store, even the US ones. This year Canada Post changed the rules. I wasn't surprised to hear the Canada Post is cutting everywhere - they are overpriced, top heavy, inconsistent, slow & inefficient. Problem is, they're cutting at the wrong end to save money. The mail carriers are the most important part of the service! Without them, Canada Post might as well shut down.

 
And now that I've vented my spleen, it's time to get on with Knitting. I dropped wrist warmers & a tuque to the delight of my favorite Industrial Cafe on Friday. They all got a bottle of Port from the batch I made two years ago too. They make the best soup from scratch every morning & chicken/swiss on rye to go with it whenever I drop in. This time of year, they're cooking turkey constantly so I get REAL Turkey on rye instead. Today, I lucked out & took home leftover Turkey & Veggie soup - a whole gallon!!! I love that cafe! Monday, I dropped off tuques to the Front Room in Whalley  with promises of more to come. My bus driver pal will pick up some more after Christmas to hand out on his skid row run.

Since I'm so done with tuques, it's time to relax & knit for me. I need a couple of sweaters. I want one big unstructured one for indoors that I can snuggle into while I read or watch TV. I'm not a shawl lover but found a Berocco sweater which is just a very long rectangle with two openings for arms & one for neck. A button band is picked up from the front hem around the back neck & down the other side to the front hem. It can be knit as wide as you like & forms a shawl collar. The sleeves can be knitted with a cuff on the end or left as they are. Another in Interweave Crochet is a sweater called Red Rocks Wrap. It's also basically a rectangle joined to a very long rectangle which is wrapped & crossed around the body & joined with buttons at the side with a crocheted waistband.
I could knit a standard sweater in strips using leftovers. As seen above, the strips run shoulder to hem - basically 2 to 4 per side in the front & 2 to 4 in the back. Each sleeve is made up of 2 & an additional strip could be fitted from underarm to hem for extra shaping or more room at the hip if necessary. I just love this sweater in the classic sweatshirt configuration. What a great way to use up leftovers!

Slip Sliding Away

Now that I'm officially a Senior - gad, what a thought - the days are going faster & I can't figure out what the hell I did during those hours. I'm sure it didn't take me 4 hours to get out of bed & dressed for the day, if I got dressed at all. One thing about working in your home office is that it really isn't necessary to get dressed for the day. The laundry gets washed less often as a result & WOW, your Carbon Footprint is smaller. Makes you think, doesn't it?? Maybe the Nudists were right all along.

While I was out of bed, I DID finish more tuques. I've changed my method of tuque knitting - I was knitting them with a double strand of sport yarn to make them really warm & toasty but my Tuque Tester suggested making them thinner so they'd stay on at night in bed. In BED??? My Tester is bald & currently suffering from Cold Trailer Syndrome. More cold is coming in that he can chase out in this cold snap we're having. Apparently he wakes up in the night with a freezing cold head. He wants a finely knit hat to wear all the time & a thick one to wear over the fine one when he goes outside. I suggested another heater or more insulation might be the solution. And then knit up another tuque with one ply of wool/acrylic. The tuque was perfection. 

So now that the rough edges have been taken off the tuque, I'll probably knit all the others the same even though, I like the thick ones better. Maybe my bald friend has a point in the end, some people have little or no heat & may have to wear it to bed to keep warm.

Meanwhile, there's a skiff of snow out there today. Looks like about a half inch to me. I can look out from my home office to the back stairs & railing & see how much is sitting on the railing. Looks like just enough to send a Senior gimp & cane sliding down the hill at the Chinese grocery store. I think I'll go there tomorrow instead!! I find a skiff is far more dangerous to a walker than several inches. You might have to work harder with more snow but at least you have some traction!!

Today, well, I guess it's Laundry Day. Good day for it. I'll clean out the fridge & make soup with all the findings too. I know there's tomatoes, potatoes, a whole cabbage, some kale & one sushi carrot in there that I can see & a few containers of leftovers in there too. Mmmmm - looks like Creme of Veggie soup or even Italian Soup to me.

Knitting to the Boob Tube

I do most of my knitting in front of the Tube.  Always have. I do most of my spinning in front of the Tube too. I have my corner chair surrounded by all the detritus of a fibre fanatic. My scissors, crochet hook, darning needle & needle sizer are on the right, my kleenex box & tea mug on the left. Just lately, I've added a tilting table on casters just big enough for a laptop, dinner plate or pattern. Since I'm in no shape to go shopping - even if I could - I'm churning out tuques & socks. Always hoping for something interesting on the tube especially this time of year when it gets dark & cold so early. The biggest problem is finding something good enough to watch. Tis the season of Christmas reruns.

In the wasteland of television, I've found several series interesting enough to add to my small collection. Foyle's War is one of them. I just added season 7 to my library. The series so far is shot in the English coastal town of Hastings during WW2. Detective Inspector Foyle, against his wishes, is assigned to Hastings as Police Chief to keep him busy & out of the way. He turns out to be an industrious investigator to the shock of the Government & roots out secrets no one was ever supposed to know. The series exposes the inconsistencies, brutality, lawlessness, deprivation & favoritism of war while telling stories of the people of Hastings so realistically that Historians have found only 3 mistakes. Seasons 1-6 each cover one year of the war. Season 7 starts after 1946 when everything is still rationed & the Cold War is just beginning.

Another series I bought is 'Call the Midwife'. Shot in the gritty East End streets of London in the 1950's, it's a small slice of a world just entering the modern age. While not as historically accurate as 'Foyle's War', it's the memoir of one woman who worked

those streets. It's a place where people still live without heat & a lot without sanitation, cooking facilities & running water in their own quarters. Medical care is almost unknown. Swarms of dirty children play in the narrow cobbled streets & the hospital is still a place you go to to die. Still, it's a happy series focusing on the successes & joyful moments of the Nuns & Midwives as they try to deliver healthy babies & maternal care to the poorest women.

And just for fun - If you're over 50, you MUST see 'Last Tango in Halifax'. Childhood sweethearts Alan & Celia were separated in their teens when her family moved & he didn't get her new address. Now in their 70s & widowed, they meet again on the internet. Seems they still care about each other & decide to meet up. Sound like a simple love story?? Well, it isn't. They both have families & 60 years of baggage to bring to the party. You'll laugh so hard you'll pee your pants & then cry real tears when things all go wrong. This is one you shouldn't miss.

Christmas Countdown

Tuques, tuques everywhere!! Back in the grooooove again - will be okay until all the yarn runs out.  I managed to snag 4 balls of Eton Super Wool that a fellow Wednesday Nite Nitter was donating to the cause. Men, especially, have been asking for all the dark colors. They favor BLACK even though we tell them it's not fashionable to wear all black, all the time. They just don't give a damn. Black is the first to go. So, being the congenial submissive woman that I am, I am knitting BLACK hats. This is not as bad as knitting black socks - yes, I admit knitting ONE pair for an old Geezer with puffy, diabetic feet who needed black socks for funerals - but, never again.

Black tuques are a different bird. First of all, I'm using 6mm needles. Secondly, I can actually see the stitches. And best of all, I'm using two strands & it's all ribbing. So, you have to have black Buddy, here you are. Hopefully the dye will not run in the rain. I hope it does doesn't.

Most of my tuques will be in other colors simply because that's what I have.

Starbucks or Die

My little bout of Flu is over! While the injection site is still tender, the rest of me except my knee, is back to normal. Said knee is very tender so I guess the virus is still kicking the shit out of it. It also stiffens up quickly if I sit for too long. And sit, yesterday, I did. I actually made it to Starbucks for a tea & ran into two old buddies before the day got interesting.
My gimpy buddy was back from a visit to Edmonton - excuse me while I laugh once more - and left his medication in the bathroom there. Barely hobbling, he called for help & I ran him up to his doctor. Surprise, surprise, we were lucky, they let us in & we only waited 47 minutes!!

It seems there's a clinic on every corner these days & four within a block of his doctor alone but none of them will talk to you after 4:00 on ANY day or give you a number (waiting in line) after 2:00 on Saturday. Where are all these sick people coming from???? If you get sick or need medical attention after 4:00, is your only option the Emergency Room??? If it is, no wonder I waited for 8 hours when I had to go.

I've been lucky, I guess, I haven't paid much attention to Doctors, Clinics & Hospitals most of my life except the odd time I had to get stitched up, or wrapped up when I did something stupid. I sincerely hope I never get a lingering malady that forces me to hang around a Clinic on a regular basis. Let me drop dead suddenly, in the winter, when I can make a neat, frozen package outdoors.

Meanwhile, back at the Factory, I'm just about to put pink toes on the Dental Socks & I'm halfway through a second tuque for the Donation Bin.

I'm using my favorite Denise needles in 6mm with the 15" cord. The yarn is a donated worsted acrylic - local charities ask for acrylic so the clothing can be washed in commercial machines! I'm working K2P2 ribbing on 96 stitches for 6" then decrease every second row until 24 stitches remain. Closed the top by gathering all the remaining stitches & pulling tight. A pompom can be attached at the top if desired.

Thanx for Nothing

I've had a busy week catching up on a lot of chores that require walking & talking - both of which are problematic for me right now. My mother says I was walking & talking at nine months and haven't stopped or shut up since. Until now, that is.
You'd think that when one part fails, the other parts would take up the load. Ain't true when yer old! Not only am I a Gimp moving slowly but I have this little whispy,  unvoice from the nasty virus I got in January or February. I used to be able to lob a tennis ball across three courts & the church roof next door & could almost beat the ball there with my ordinary speaking voice. Old men with hearing aids could remove them & still have a conversation with me. I don't use the phone much these days because no one can hear me. I blame all this on menopause because nothing like either of these things ever happened Before The Change.

I let my doctor talk me into a Flu Shot this year in order to make sure nothing else catastrophic happens if/when I fall victim to this year's assault. I've NEVER had a flu shot because I hate needles. Why suffer when the experts are guessing a year in advance which strain will be here when they work on the vaccine. And I seldom got a bug that kept me in bed for longer than a day or so unless I had a really good book. Got that thing on Tuesday & this morning woke up to red, swollen eyes, sore throat, clogged sinuses, aching bones, headache & a pukey stomach. The only parts that don't hurt are my hands. Seems I've got the flu. I've had to cancel a Dentist appointment & a free Chinese lunch. I think this will be the last flu shot I ever get .  .  . 

 
I have been knitting though. Took the sock-in-progress to the Doctor's office with me on Tuesday & managed to turn a whole heel & knit part of a foot while there. These are for my favorite Dental Assistant who loves pink. I couldn't find anything pink but thought these would be nice with pink toes. Since I'm home with the flu, they'll get finished by the weekend. And for that pink?? Last night I dug through all my leftovers & found enough of them with pink to make her a second pair of Frankensocks to add to them.

The Red Lace Socks have been in limbo temporarily. When I'm finished the Dental socks, they'll be resumed. I actually enjoy working on them & they ARE very pretty. I've actually dug out a couple of other lace sock patterns which I think I'll try. Who knows, shawls may be next. Did I actually write that????

A Gimp on the Go

I've been galloping around a whole lot more than I was last week. To the drug store, to the Farm Market, to the coffee shop. They're all short trips, more or less, but not more than 15 minutes walking time. I've learned not to walk too far or too fast or I pay the price the next day. This gives me plenty of knitting & computer time - I'm back to being self employed & frankly, I love it. The only thing I haven't gone back to is my Plant Biology course. Right now I'm wishing I'd taken the money & bought some fancy fibre, a big Ott light & a pair of purple winter boots! The Sears catalogue has several styles in Cherry & Purple .  .  .  .  sigh.
 

The red lace socks are still in progress although sock number two is just about to have it's heel turned while sock number one is halfway between the heel & toe! Went to take some photos & the battery is dead in the camera. Another trip to the drug store coming up.

This cold, wet weather has made my hands really sore so I'm knitting a pair of plain light socks for the gal in my Dental office. She loves my socks & gets a pair every fall but I'd forgotten her size - I have another appointment next week so I'm hustling through a pair in Confetti. Confetti has been a real favorite of mine for years. Inexpensive, wears like iron & has a lot of interesting colors in self patterning yarn. The pair I'm working on now are cream with a little pale lavender & light pink pattern every couple of inches & a quarter inch band of mustard between the pattern repeats. It's the strangest color combo that I've ever seen but I'll put pale pink toes on them to make them special 'cause she loves Pink. I was going to make a pair of Frankensocks with yarns with pink in them but I don't have the time to dig it all out & knit them before Thursday. Pictures next time.

It's knitted hat season too. I said I wasn't going to knit them this year & I lied as usual. It just wouldn't be the same without a dozen hats to warm a dozen heads. Just sorting out the yarn to decide what I need & what I have. Here we go again!! And, by the way, for all you Shoppers & Keepers of Christmas Traditions - It's a Wonderful Life was on TV last night in glorious black & white. I guess it's time to start counting the days .  .  .  .

We will Never Forget

Boy, was that a bad Idea.

I made my planned excursion to Safeway complete with coupons. Dropped the Ex off to his appointment, made my way into the store & even got a parking spot next to the buggies!! I planned on going slowly & enjoying it. About halfway around, I knew I'd bitten off more than I should've but hung in there & made it back to the car.

I am constantly amazed at how much effort it takes to do the things I used to take for granted like shopping & taking out the garbage. That shopping trip kept me at home with the heating pad & Ibuprofen for two days. Not only is the knee more painful but the wrist I dislocated two years ago is now painful too, dammit. This gives me more time to knit but won't let me knit for long  .   .   .   grrr

All of this explains why I haven't finished my Red Lace Socks. Oh, I've turned the heel on the first one & started the ribbing on the second but normally, I would be finished one &  halfway through the other one at the very least. But, I'm still plodding along. A little here & a little there & eventually they'll be done, sore wrist or not. That's what's so nice about socks. Even if you only knit a few rows a day, they'll eventually get done.

Here's the progress so far, stuffed with an extra ball of yarn to show the lace pattern. The heel is turned & I'm just starting to work up the instep toward the toe. This sock is worked on 72 stitches & feels a little small to me. I suspect I should've worked it on the 3mm needles suggested by the author even though I always use my 2.25mm ones for this weight of yarn.

Gloomember

I'm sick of the cool damp weather already. If I were an American, I'd find somewhere warm all year round to live but since I'm not, short of moving to Vancouver Island, I'm in the warmest place in Canada already. My hands do not appreciate that fact. They ache, burn and crack when it's damp outside. Someone recommended Ginger tea.

And speaking of the old joints, the shoulder and neck recovered quickly, the knee is still it's usual sore self today. I admit to tromping around a fair bit yesterday but that last trip to the drug store just defeated me. I sat in the car, thought about it seriously and went home instead via the Starbucks drive thru. That's the problem these days. By mid-afternoon, I'm done. I want to order a couple of things from Sears but the walk from the parking lot, across the first floor to the escalator, across the second floor to the pick-up desk and back dragging a parcel, is beyond my ability. I AM gonna do the Safeway thing - I want Greek Yogurt desperately - on Thursday!!! Woohoo. I can DO this with a shopping cart to lean on and carry things. Right now, I'd like a cart of my very own. Something grocery cart tall, with the purse shelf in the same spot, that folds for the car and is about a third of the size out front. The little walker/seats the OLD folks push around are way too short for me. Carrying all those heavy bags from the car is a real problem but I'm hoping this will pass in the next month or so if I just keep on moving. Thank gawd I live in town.

And since I've been in front of the tube more than usual, I've been working on more socks. I finished my Blue Phildar socks. They were intended as men's socks at first but once I got into the daylight, I realized they had pink in them. Both men I asked said they were "too girly" to wear. Sigh.
Still experimenting with Modular Squares - don't laugh, but the needles I think I really need to make gauge are already in another project in a bin!  Let's just not talk about that at the moment .  .  .  .   

I wanted something small to make and fell into another pair of socks. I love socks and DO need a couple of pairs as emergency gifts. Sometimes I get asked for a pair to complete a Christmas hamper for a single person or for a raffle or sometimes, a friend needs something special, just because. So, I try to always have a couple of hats and some socks handy for last minute gifts. Last year I made some festive socks with lace Hearts down the front that ended up going to a Charity Raffle. This year I decided to make the Lacy Arrow Socks from the Spin-Off 'SOCKS' book. I love those dainty socks on the cover but would never wear them myself. But, like the crocheted lace tablecloths I used to make years ago, it's the challenge of making them that counts. Surprisingly, the Lacy Arrow pattern is easy to knit even though I'm using a very different yarn and smaller needles. The Designer used a fine handspun merino/silk yarn on a 3mm needle and I'm using a tough 3ply Kroy on 2.25mm needles. It's keeping track of the ROWS that's the problem of course. It's not always easy to tell which row you're on if you leave in the middle of a pattern set especially after sundown. But, I'm getting there fairly quickly because after all, it's the challenge that makes it interesting. My Kroy is a plain RED 3ply sock that should wear like iron. This pattern MUST be made on 4 dps at least to the heel because the pattern sometimes shifts a stitch or two from one needle to another. Otherwise, a nice, easy lace pattern.

I hope it isn't old age

I've morphed into a doddering old geezer. Not only am I dipping on the right & swinging a cane on the left but the other day I tripped over an extension cord - it's been there for at least 10 years now - and strained my right shoulder & neck trying to save myself from falling. Geeze - I am so DONE with being an invalid.

All this being said, I managed to get to Starbucks in the morning before it got too painful & spent an hour sitting outside in the sunshine yesterday. I've been helping a new pal get some assistance from Welfare & we're in our third month of being shuffled around, lied to & generally dismissed. But, we're actually so close to actually GETTING that extra $194 that we can taste it!.
We've been to 4 different offices, filled out applications on line, called two different Advocates, filled out the medical papers twice & finally talked to a lawyer, to get him  medical, dental, prescription, transit & the little top up. He's 61 with a useless left arm, fighting like hell not to become homeless. So, I drive him when I can & take him for coffee to make sure he's still got food. And I help fill out forms. Why?? Most of us are two paycheques from disaster. This could so easily be me. And I'm not sure I'd put up with all the nasty, condescending, arrogant jerks in charge of benefits.

In the meantime, I make sure I walk at least a block every day to keep the knee flexible - as long as it's paved, tiled or cemented. I sure can't afford Physio @ $40 a pop. This leaves me lots of knitting time when I'm not banging on the computer. I haven't quite finished the blue socks but I have decided on a winter sweater. My basement is cold so, I wear an old wool sweater all the time. If I don't, I'm really cold so I know the value of wool. I have all those Briggs & Little blue skeins. All different shades of blue - some with nylon & some without. But they should all work nicely in Mitered Squares. And that's all I'm gonna say until I get the first couple done & see how it looks.
It's Hallowe'en,  beware of the night. A big black spider has taken up residence outside on my patio. Of course it's raining here in the Lower Mainland. We've had one of the driest Octobers on record, foggy sometimes but usually sunny & warm when it burned off. I was out basking in it yesterday while feeding the birds at Starbucks. But it has to rain today, on the last day. They sure don't call this the Wet Coast for nothing.

On the Dole

It looks like all was for naught and I'm unemployed as of Monday. Not only that, but I'm broke and unemployed. We worked our buns off for the last month but nothing could change the fact that we were sliding into an early closure with an uncertain future. Well, we did our best and here we are .  .  .  Broke. I suppose it could be worse. At least I have enough work in my home office to keep me working till Christmas.  And, there's the sweet allure of getting up when I want and working when I want  .   .   .   .

I like to work at night. I like it when it's warm and quiet and peaceful at 3AM. No phones ringing. No kids screaming. No husbands/wives/teens yelling at each other. No clanging garbage lids or slamming doors. Occasionally a cat or a raccoon sits on the outside stairs and looks in through the window. But the night is mine, mostly. I share it with paperwork, data entry and Audible Thrillers. I'm not normally a night person in my real life but in my working life, I prefer it. I just hate to get up when it's dark outside!!

The nice things about a home office - no commuting unless you're having a breakfast or lunch meeting! No worry about fog or snow or traffic jams. You can also do laundry, bake, make soup, can peaches & sit in the sunshine at Starbucks for an hour as you work. I was too working  .   .   .
And the only problem with a home office is the loneliness. You get cut off from people with fewer opportunities to meet and talk to them. I guess while I have no voice and one gimpy leg, the best option is my home office!!

Another advantage of the home office is the freedom to take knit or spin breaks instead of drinking coffee. I keep eyeing the mountain of yarn and wooly things I have in my collection that never seems to get worked on. I am working through the sock yarns at the moment but I need a fall sweater finished ASAP & I don't know what to do. The handspun sweater is probably two thirds finished but it's now too light to wear for late Fall. The Purple Acrylic one is not warm enough either. I haven't quite finished spinning  all the 'bumps' from the mill ends which need to be dyed together in one dye lot. I think that wool would make a terrific jacket but my knee won't let me spin yet. I do have a big bag of blue sport yarn - a nice Robin's Egg blue - and enough blue in a worsted weight to make a jacket - leftovers from ManSweaters to be. But, I guess one of them will be my winter sweater even though I prefer grey or red or purple. Sigh. Is anyone giving out wool for Hallowe'en this year???

He who does not toil . . .

I am fairly stable on my pins these days & decided, at last, to drive on Tuesday. I made my way down to my favorite Greasy Spoon & had a gloriously decedent 3" deep, real turkey & Swiss on rye! I was stranded at home for Thanksgiving so I was entitled!! Actually, I've been home eating soup or baked spuds with cheese or anything a one handed gimp can carry in an 8 cup plastic measuring cup with a handle since the morphine wore off & I decided I wanted to eat again. The pain was so bad that getting on & off the pot or a chair made me think twice about eating or drinking that first couple of days .  .  .  .   So I sipped a little water & lived off excess body fat.

Driving is okay as long as I don't have to hold the brake pedal for too long. Sitting too long with my leg at an angle is also a bad thing.That first step or two when I straighten up is a zinger. I can go UP stairs pretty good but coming down is miserable unless I go backward with my butt on the rail. Other than that, I'm walking fairly well every day. Yes, Karen, I can tell why I have to put the cane in my left hand even though my left wrist is not happy. 

Carrying is another thing - try a purse, cane & bag of something. Do I throw money & my bank card into the knitting bag??? Get a bigger purse? A shopping bag that holds money, knitting & hamburger?? One cane & one bag. That's it. Or, take a person along who carries. How do old people manage these things anyway??? How do they get on a bus with a cane and a bag???  I have renewed respect for all the folks who muddle on despite handicaps!!

And just so you don't think I've been doing nothing but laying in bed with Romances & Chocolates, another pair of socks is completed & still another is on the way. This is the blue Phildar yarn I bought eons ago. Feels thin as you work with it but fluffs nicely when given a bath! I do admit to sitting in my livingroom every evening with the heating pad on my knee, knitting. The muscles are sore from compensating for the cane so I warm them up nicely before heading for bed.

Hot Damn

Woohoo, Hot Damn! I traded my crutches for a cane today. I'm an official Old Geezer, fer gosh sake. Well, maybe not quite - I did skip the walker  .  .  .  one was suggested by someone but no words needed to be said as he took off running. He did come back with a proper cane. I can't go too fast or make any sudden turns or twists but I can now lift my leg a little. I can also get up & down from a chair without wanting to scream. And that terrible pain & the morphine are both gone. My knee bones crack & make a lot more noise than they used to though & I'm definitely unstable on that pin - guess I won't be using my 'Walking with Leslie' CDs any time soon.

As soon as I can drive and get to Starbucks & the veggie store, I'll be happy but I'll wait a while longer. I suspect it'll also be some time before I'll be spinning any of that lovely stuff I have waiting in the living room. Good thing I like knitting socks!

It Was a Party

Our new Surrey Memorial Emergency room opened unofficially on Monday. I hear the Official Opening ceremony was Tuesday but I wasn't there. I got to go to the unofficial opening on Monday instead .  .  .  I spent 8.5 hours in one of the new wheelchairs admiring the nicely padded seats in the waiting room, the nicely padded recliners in the Triage room & the nicely padded, curved chair/beds in the Treatment rooms. The new wheelchairs do not have much padding & made what wasn't painful when I arrived, painful by the time I left.

Somehow in the night, as I took the right turn out of my bathroom, something went CRACK in my leg & left me almost fainting with pain. Somehow I made the two hops to the end of my bed & crawled back in.  In the morning I had to get up to use the bathroom again & realized I was in trouble. I guess that's when I should've gone to the hospital but everyone was at work & I wasn't going by ambulance for a crummy knee that wasn't even bleeding. So I went later in the day instead. Baaaaad Idea. Everyone else in Surrey came too. It was Saturday night on Monday afternoon. It was a mob! The Triage people said it was the busiest day so far this year! And it wasn't even officially open .  .  .  after all I went through in that 8 hours, it seems I've probably torn my Meniscus which is behind the knee cap & stabilizes the bones at the knee. It seems all the other tendons are fine & there's no fractures of any bone. I just don't understand how it can be so darned painful!

And just so you don't think I do anything other than get into trouble, here's what I was doing before I wrecked my leg. I took it to the hospital with me & finished off the toe & started the next sock. I love the colors in this yarn even more when knitted into a sock.  I have a ball in blues too which I also love even though it's really thin to work with. I'm also using my new Chiaogoo RED needles that Gail brought back for me. I love them, they're so smooth at the join. I'm probably repeating myself here but it's worth repeating!! I have now completed 2 full pairs in Kroy, the Regia in this multi-striped Nations colorway - thank gawd it's the last - & halfway through one pair of my Phildar socks to complete the new Winter sock wardrobe.

Now there's only a couple of pairs to knit for friends for Christmas & I can get back to those sweaters for ME for a change. Since I can't spin for the near future, I guess I'll be knitting. It's time Arvik got finished.

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER

The girls went to OFFF - the Oregon Fleece & Fiber Fair for those who don't know. It's been running for years & years & several of the Wednesday Nite Nitters -  my Wednesday knitting & Ravelry group - decided to venture forth this year as a group. Not a bad idea to share the expenses - gives you more money to buy GOODIES!! One of our favorite Vendors is at OFFF every year so at least one of us had to go shopping! Linda, at Sunset Fibers, dyes up some interesting fluff. She's the one who dyed my fibre for the cowl I want to knit from Knitter's Magazine - the Reds & Rounds cowl that extends down the shoulders to mid-arm. She's the inventor of Pink Elephant which I love.  I just joined Linda's Roving of the Month club, ordered a couple more items before I was done & spent my whole TOONIE collection!!  I save all my $2 coins & use them for fibrey purchases - that way it doesn't come out of my budget & I can buy what I want.

And it was just like Christmas when the Girls got back. I got two pairs of ChiaoGoo 24" lace needles in size 1
(2.25mm) for knitting socks! I'd been buying KnitPicks Harmony circs but their quality control has gone downhill - all of the ends where the cable joins the wood is off centre, rough & misjoined. Sending them back gets a new set in exactly the same condition. So, I've gone to a new maker - ChiaoGoo are smooth, lovely & joined perfectly!! I put them into the current sock immediately!

I got the Roving of the Month in the middle in that bluey green with the pnks.
I have no idea what it will be yet - I'm always surprised at the resulting yarn once it's actually spun up.
The bag on the left is a new colorway called Raspberry Mocha. It's designed to spin two colors at the same time for a marled yarn. I just loved the sample of the spun yarn & the buttoned cowl pattern that goes with it.

Of course, I had to get another bag of Blue Jeans. This was the bag with the lovely blue wool, neppy white wool & the nasty beige dryer fluff that shocked me when I opened it. Since it had been a gift, I tried very hard to keep my big mouth shut about it's quality & just worked with it the best I could. It was a challenge to spin - especially that beige stuff! BUT, when the skein hit the water - OMG - it just opened right up. It sucked up the water like a sponge. After rolling it in a towel & beating it several times against the outside post of my patio, I hung it to dry outside, hoping for the best. Well, it sproinged into the loveliest, touchable, hugable skein of yarn so nice that I don't want to knit it into anything. I just love to pet it. I love it so much that I ordered it a friend. Dunno what it will become, maybe socks, maybe l-o-n-g fingerless mitts, maybe a big, long rectangle to wrap around my neck & head.

It Used To Be So Easy

It used to be so easy keeping up with a Blog. That was before I stumbled into a full time job along with the small business bookkeeping & tax returns I do to support myself, before the job. And then try to take on a third year University course after 10 years of not, well, something has to give. Lucky for me, the job will probably end a month sooner than last year due to the awful weather we've been having. Money will be tighter sooner but maybe I'll have time to do all the stuff that's left over from last year!!!  
And the course. I have found to my surprise that it ain't as easy as it used to be - don't tell me Estrogen controlls brain function tooooo??? - but maybe that's just because I haven't done one in eons. E-Courses take a lot more time on the computer & a lot more reading.

This all cuts into my knitting time. And listening time. I bought the latest Sue Grafton audio book - W is for Wasted - and I'm still trying to find the time to listen to part 2!  I also bought the latest Kathy Reichs book too - both are favorite authors which makes the data entry go faster when I'm chained to my office at home. With all the rain out there these days, sometimes I wish I were still chained to it. Saturday, the rain was coming down sideways in huge gusts at the school. Luckily, there was no afternoon class or it would've been cancelled due to the high winds. The office shack is on a platform 7 steps in the air - flood zone thing - & rocked with every huge gust. I got lucky myself around 5 and managed to get out, get the fence closed & locked & get in my car in a calm spot before the next battering started!! It became a drive-thru chicken evening because I was NOT going to get out of my dry car & run through the rain at Safeway .  .  .

All this explanation does not mean I haven't done anything. I did finish that last pair of socks & start a new pair. Boy, I can tell I'm not working with Kroy anymore. I knit 3 pairs in a row in Kroy on my 2.5mm bamboo skewers which made a pretty skookum pair of socks. Thick & comfy. This Phildar yarn I'm using now is being knitted on 2.25mm circs & I feel like I should go down to a 2.0mm. Very thin yarn but feels okay when knit. It should fluff a little when wet the first time. Just not Kroy, that's for sure.

I had to dig out my old sweater since it's become quite chilly in the evenings - time to get that furnace filter I guess, cause we'll be turning on the heat soon!! But, as I said, I had to dig out the old sweater & I'm thinking I'll be needing one everywhere soon. What I really need is a hoodie for outside & a big simple wrap inside. I've really been eyeballing that loose, open WIDE Jacket - it's actually billed as a summer jacket - but I think it would do nicely as a comfy wrappy house sweater. It's actually a big rectangle that goes around the body with the ends open down the front with a big wrap collar that extends down the front. The sleeve is just a cuff that falls around the elbow. I see no reason why the cuffs couldn't be extended a little. I think it would look great in handspun & shouldn't take much time to knit. I may die of boredom knitting a huge rectangle of popcorn stitch but I think it will be big & loose & snuggly enough for curling up on the couch this winter .  .  .  .

Where Did the Last Two Weeks Go?

I don't know where the time goes anymore although I suspect it slips away like a sneak thief when we aren't looking. Napping takes up time. So does commuting. And reading text books when you should be knitting takes up a lot of time especially when you can't remember what the hell you read the day before & have to do it again.

I am plodding through my course. Plodding being the operative word. The Tutor finally sent me an email to ask if I was still IN the course. I had to confess that I spent three weeks checking the mail for the portion I thought was missing. I opted for the On-Line edition of this course figuring I'd still get a work book or something to tell me WHAT to study & in what order. I'm a DumbAss Newby apparently. I eventually found the workbook on-line in something called 'Blackboard' which is the new University standard teaching method for all e-courses. I'm soooooo glad I opted for the physical textbook because I need something to scribble in!!! Anyhooo - Blackboard posts assignments, exams, quizzes, chats, other student's comments & monitors the TIME you spend on-line! Ouch. So, I'm plodding along as I said, checking into the 'classroom' & doing my best. And even beginning to like this way of doing things, I just have to get used to it!!  I've done all kinds of Open University courses over the years but it's been lonely because other than the Tutor, you never talk to anyone in the actual course. This 'blackboard' has real potential. Too bad I'm doing a 399 level course with on-going registration. Seems we get a new student every two or three months .  .  .

I'm also plodding along with my socks. I go to work & come home debating nap or dinner. Nap often wins. By the time I eat, it's bed time again. But, I've turned both heels on the latest Kroy socks - the one with Pink in them - I'm sure I was a Princess in one of my previous lives because I love anything Pink, Purple or Red. Quit laughing. I also love silver - not gold so much although I love the rusticness of small gold nugget rings, cuffs & earrings but silver with pink or turquoise stones really turns me on!! Stop dreaming Sharon!! I'd love a matching set of silver filigree cuffs .  .  .  . 


This time of year forces me to knit.And spin. Next month is Touque Month so this month, I have to finish a sweater for me. I have one half finished hanging on the Office door on a hanger. I hung it there to remind myself it must be finished. I love it. It's light & warm & comfy. And handspun by me. But,fickle broad that I am, I have a new love or two. I found the WIDE JACKET by Bergere of France - a lovely side to side simple stitch on large needles. It calls for a rustic yarn in thick & thin. Just a simple rectangle with a shawl collar picked up & knit after. It looks like they used a popcorn or blackberry stitch - the purl 3 in one stitch on WS & knit 3 together on RS - so dear to the hearts of Aran Sweater knitters. There's no actual sleeve, just a cuff, but the sides are so wide that the cuff falls just about the elbow. I can't see why you couldn't extend the opening just a tad before the cuff if necessary. I figure it's just a bit of knitted fluff to get through the late Summer/early Fall evenings or to cuddle into over your pjs in the mornings. Probably takes a few evenings to finish.
And then there's AGATA at Knitty.com. Oh my. Agata caught my eye & I was done. It takes yarn with long runs of color - the only one I can think of is that NORO which is kind of scratchy. But, isn't it gorgeous??? It just screams for handspun. I have a lot of stuff spun up with purple & even some magenta in it .  .  .  a skein is a long run of color, don't you think??

And the Kids are back to School, yeah!

Not much that's Fall like out there today or yesterday! The Sun is out & Summer's made a fine return. I love this time of year when it's still warm & lovely during the day but crisp & cool in the evening - wish we could get a couple of months of this weather before the rain sets in. All the kids are safely behind walls & you can finally shop or just sit at Starbucks with a tea & read in peace & quiet. I love September.

Meanwhile, back at Home - the doctor thinks I may have walking pneumonia. No wonder I'm so tired! 'Course, that explains the coughing fits - the last two bought up toenails!! I swear! And the constant fatigue. Seems I have Silent Reflux, big time. And filling my lungs with stomach contents at night when I sleep. So I'm back on another little pill with fewer side effects than Nexium. It also costs less than half!! After a couple of days on the pill, I felt so much better I couldn't believe it. And that kind of confirmed the diagnosis. In fact, I feel so much better that I have to pace myself so that I don't overdo & 'Hit the Wall' so to speak. A couple of times, I've just broken out in a sweat & had to STOP. NOW. And go to bed for a nap. But things are getting better. Being sick all the time really depressed me but now that I know what it is & what I have to do, my head is back to normal as well.

Now that Normal is back, I've been producing socks like mad. Winter is not too far off really, so I've been replacing all the thin socks in my basket with nice thick Kroy socks. Here's two of the three pairs I've completed in the last month & the new pair that are a little farther along than this picture shows but not quite finished. I wanted to finish as many as possible this summer because  I've even got a couple of sweaters on the go that I intend to finish this year too.

Eyes Close When I Sit Down

Lately, I've been having this problem. When I sit down, my eyes close! I'm tired all the damn time. Not that I'm doing much physical activity that isn't normal or anything, but I could quite happily spend every afternoon snoozing. Some days, if I get up early, go shopping, haul the recycling & clean up right away, I could go back to bed by noon. I want a nap when I get home from work instead of dinner. Old Age??? I'm not thinking so. Maybe this is why people retire???

In the meantime, I managed to finish the Regia socks. One more pair of winter socks!!! I've had to weed out a few pairs as they all got really thin at the same time, so new socks in the basket will be nice when the weather gets cold. Have you noticed we need a sweater outside most evenings lately???

Karen gave me three balls of my favorite Kroy yarn so I've cast on for another thick sock. I've gone back to my favorite bamboo skewer DPs for my latest Kroy socks. I can knit faster & see more of my TV show when I used them for socks. There's no rough joint to pick stuck stitches from on every round for one thing although I do miss those lovely pointed ends! My Kroy is a jacquard patterned yarn which knits up this lovely dense pattern in a slightly thicker yarn than the Regia.  I really like the Kroy socks when it's really cold outside because my basement floor is cement with tiles glued on top. Not much heat there when the temp dips low - lovely in the summer though when you don't need socks!!

Four trips to the Mail Box has told me my course will come to me all on-line. I do like a physical book to scribble up & a physical course to follow too - quite old fashioned of me, I know, but either way you have to haul something with the course material on it around with you! This way I have to haul a laptop. Would've preferred a paper outline with the questions & material to cover. Not liking that a whole lot. Now to fit the work on my desk, the course & work on the desk at work into my schedule where I want to sleep all the time. Interesting.
 I

Just a little Sock Knitting

Too many projects & too little time! I seem to be doing nothing at all or 5 things at once. Maybe it's because I'm a Starter & not a Finisher??? Might have something to do with it, I guess .  .  . 

Motorcycle training just keeps on going - especially the Day School. Day School - runs just like six days of Primary School including recess - Monday to Friday & the following Monday. Once upon a time, Day School ran every couple of weeks for June, July & part of August. We've been running one since February!! And non stop since April. Unheard of. It's a boon for shift workers though since they can do part of a course with Day School & part with Main Program on Weekends. I've even had a couple of guys do theirs in 3 parts over several weeks! Seems we're the only people who will make that happen. Maybe we're crazy but we ARE in the Service industry.

And I've been working on my new course. Learning Kingdoms, Species, Families & genus of plants as well as the chemistry of life & the parts of a cell. The old memory isn't quite as fractured as I thought since I remember the parts of a plant cell quite well from Biology 101 in 1970 something. My problem is the new Software I have to use. Learning how to FIND it helps too.And, of course, ANOTHER new PASSWORD & ID#! My course info hasn't arrived yet but I decided to start without it since I have the text & access to the online class. Seems I'm the only one taking this course this semester - so I'm on my own. Damn.

Got an eye infection just to make life interesting. Why not??? First the voice goes - I now have a croaking whisper or whispering croak - take your pick!! And then the eyes go.  I get it every year at Tax Time. It's from handling dirty paper & rubbing tired, itchy eyes when working too long at a desk. You can't help it. So this weekend, I'm washing my hands every hour for two minutes with soap & then washing my eyes & face. No need for sticky antibacterial eye treatments, washing with soap & water several times a day for at least two days does the trick.

Between the goopy eyes, work & the course, I've even found time to knit more socks. I found another TWO BALLS of Regia Nations yarn. Yes, the Harlot is wearing a pair of the very same ones this week. I swear this is absolutely the last two balls I have!!  Dunno what I was thinking when I got so many balls of it waaaay back when it was on sale - $2 might've been the reason I guess - but 10 balls???. Four pairs of these socks have gone on to new homes in the last couple of years. And I will wear the last one. Maybe. It isn't Kroy but I like Regia a lot too.

I'm all Alone in this Saddle

I got all excited about the new course & even found a second hand text book! But no box has yet arrived with the course in it. Most of it should be on-line but it's not on-line to me, YET. So much for excitement. Take my money & make me wait. Sigh


In the meantime, I'll play with yarn! I finally wound off most of the yarn I spun up for the Tour de Fleece this year. I spun up 8 ounces of RED HAT - this was the yarn I asked for to make the Cowl I fell in love with in last Fall's Knitter's magazine called Reds, Rounds & Ridges. I couldn't locate the yarn anywhere so I got some hand painted & spun my own.

It has more pinks in it than the original which was more red & orange but I like it very much. I'm not sure at this point whether to knit the original pattern - which is a cowl extending from neck to mid body - or to knit more of a long tube which can be extended up & over the hair. Decisions, decisions.


Another project that I spun up for the Tour de Fleece was a bag of fluff called Blue Jeans. It turned out to be some beautiful blue fibre died in light & dark blue mixed with some awful neppy white wool & something in beige that could only be called 'dryer lint'. I was appalled by it but the vendor is reputable & I tried to spin it before writing her a note couched in very diplomatic terms. I didn't want to upset her but I wanted to let her know that her supplier was sending out some very nasty fibre. I was told that it was 'special' fibre that would make 'textured' yarn.

Textured all right .  .  .  .  so, I took it as a challenge & let the neps, knots & bits stay & tried my best to work in the 'dryer lint' because it was really, really awful. I spent a lot of time picking out VM which I KNOW does not belong in 'Designer' yarn!  Challenge met. It was nothing spectacular until after it's bath. It plumped up like nothing else & softened so much - I love it. Was worth the bad words & threats. Was even worth the Diplomatic note I eventually sent the supplier after many tries.
                                                                                  

Back in the Saddle Again

I broke down & signed up for another course at Open University. I've been working on this damned Bachelor's Degree since 1973 when I applied to Douglas College to do Criminology. It was a new Program then & they were really pushing women into it. Since I couldn't be a Welder, I let them push me. I really wanted to be a Welder & work on the pipelines that were to carry oil out of the North. I even had a job to go to outside Fort St John but they wouldn't let me into school. I was told no one would hire me. I countered with a letter with a job offer. But it became a bathroom issue in the end if you can believe it .  .  .  so with no money to go to court, I went to college. It was a muddy hole with Atco trailers strung together with covered wooden paths. It was either too cold or too hot inside but we had a ball. The cafeteria was populated with vending machines that often gave you half chicken soup & half coffee. One coffee/hot cocoa machine regularly failed to shut off after one cup & everyone would rush to get a freebee. Most of us had to bring food because we had no extra money. I ate a lot of turkey or pork neck soup with cabbage, carrots & barley that first year. I had no tv, no phone, no car & shared a bathroom down the hall with two other roomers. But I had a full kitchen. I was blissfully happy.

Stupid me, instead of going FULL time after the third semester, I went part time & worked. You see, I didn't want all that student DEBT. If I worked part time & took two classes a semester, I could pay my own way. I got hooked. I took English, Biology, Geology, Physical Geography, History, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology & a few more ologies before I was done. I ended up with 128 credits in Douglas College which was then only a two year college. I needed 60 credits to get my Associate of Arts. It's so easy to stay when you can register first, have a rare parking pass & live 10 minutes away!!

Eventually I went to the Open University because I HAD to, I continued to study what appealed to me - in 3rd & 4th year classes though. I took Earth Sciences at UBC - the very thought of going there terrified me but they turned out to be easier than the Open U! I took Physical Geography, more Psychology &  Ecology with the Open U.

A couple of classes short of the Degree I just couldn't find the time to take them. And then I had no money to go although I worked all the time. Meanwhile the Open U moved to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops & I lost some non-transferable courses in the move! Not a tragedy until I found out how much those courses now cost to replace!!!
I did a lot of thinking about it. I could wait until I'm 65 when all the courses are just about free & hope none of the other courses become redundant. I'd still have to pay student fees & buy the books. Or take one every year & be a graduate student in my Retirement. I fully intend to spend my days going to school, spinning, knitting & volunteering at the Food Bank.

Last week, I signed on for another course. People & Plants caught my eye. It's an Ecological course about the interaction of Plants & Populations & how the search for plants as spices, dyes & medicines have impacted people & the plants. I was quite intrigued until I saw the cost of the course & the text!!! Even downloading it to my KOBO as a rental for a year was $100! In the end I found a used one for $70 online. That makes me happy because I write notes in my books, I tab them & highlight them too. This course is 30 weeks long so I should be happy all winter! And one more little tax deduction to help as well.

So, here we go, off on another tangent but still slightly related to yarn, socks, spinning & dyeing. I'll have to see how my 62 year old brain functions in a cyber space course!!

Whew - All Over

I've been spinning like mad for the Tour de Fleece. I wasn't sure at the last minute that I would. But, I did, and I had a blast! I haven't really spun anything much in the last year except a couple of 4oz hand painted goodies from Sunset Fibers - Gail talked me into joining the Group on Ravelry.  Linda, of Sunset Fibers, hand paints all her stuff and she does a pretty good job of it too!!! Every time I turn around, she has another color that I can't resist. I'm beginning to thing I may actually BE buried in a felted coffin because there's no way I'm sharing any of this gorgeous fibre.

So TdF just finished & it's been too hot in my computer room to do much but here's the skeins - they haven't been bathed or hung yet - they're fresh off the bobbins.

 This is 8oz of Red Hat. Linda dyed it up just for me from a picture of a cowl I fell in love with in last Fall's Knitter's magazine. It's not as bright as the yarn used in the cowl but I love it's soft blend of pinks/reds/blue. It's a little pinker than in real life too.

 Most of this skein is Linda's Granite colorway - I had a small blue/turquoise topknot that I added onto the end of the bobbin just to get it spun up & it was too much trouble to tear it apart so after the bath, it will become it's own little skein. The soft shades of Granite come from a new line of 4oz heathered braids that Linda came up with. Several colors flow together as you spin .  .  .

And this one - well, it looks overspun but it's not. I loved the acid greens in this batt that a friend was spinning up. She had a bunch left over & I was sick to death of my purple superwash so we swapped. Now I have this green superwash, some purple & a little left over orange .  .  .  sounds like socks to me!!