The Middle of August

Can you believe it??? It's the middle of August & the 'Back to School' mobs are on the move in the malls. I tried to buy a couple of packages of paper in Staples on Saturday - OMG - I backed out & vowed to come back on a Monday or Tuesday morning instead!! The place was mobbed. I hate shopping this time of year but, the bargains are tremendous. I buy paper by the box, pencil leads by the 12 pack & big D-ring binders at close to half price during 'Back to School'. Even some software is very cheap but, oh, the pain of crowds, whining kids & long line-ups.

Finished the wild Regia socks that I had on the go & cast-on another pair in a rather scruffy 4 ply green/blue/red/white stripe that I had in the bottom of my bin. Looks like a cat or dog chewed on part of a ball but there's still plenty to knit a pair of short socks. If not, I'll put a solid colored toe on them. 4 ply is lovely for winter. It's much warmer than 3 ply when you live on unheated cement floors.

I volunteered to test knit a sock design. I got a lovely, squishy merino/nylon yarn with it. It looked much too fine in the cake for the recommended needle size - the Designer even wound the skein into a centre-pull cake for me - but once I started knitting, it became loftier than expected. I have to confess that I've never used a chart to knit a pattern before, I've always followed the written description. But, the pattern is so well charted & so easy to knit that I've had no problems at all. I even learned a new heel method in the process.

At it Again

I'm at it again. Yes, the sock thing. I had planned on taking a summer sock project to the hospital with me because they make you hurry up to get there - a couple of hours EARLY - and then make you wait for surgery. So, rather than work up a nervous sweat, I thought I might as well take a project to work on. I like to get the cuff out of the way before I go - especially if I'm going to be interrupted or have to stuff it in a locker. I could use another couple of pairs of short, summer socks anyway, so these ones were on my needles for last Friday. The yarn is Regia - in their Brazil line of colors. I think every color in this yarn goes with a pair of shorts or a tee in my closet.

I'm using my usual cable cast-on, cuff down, heel with knitted gussets as you go & simple decreased toe with a three needle bindoff. I can make these socks in my sleep.

When these socks are finished, I have a sock test knit to do. Can't tell anyone anything about it until the pattern is published but I promise pictures when that happens. Then, I have to get my butt in gear for Fall. I have a couple of kid sized Wallabies to knit out of acrylic & then a Blue Wallaby in wool. Then it's on to touques for the charity box. Luckily for the homeless this year, I have a ton of black acrylic - my least favorite fibre in the world. Although I think wool would be a better choice, no one will accept them because they can't be washed in a laundromat. Curses.

Someone Else got my Cut

Well, here it is, almost time to check out of the Day Surgery at JPH. And I'm not there. At almost the last minute, I got bumped from my spot by someone who was just diagnosed with cancer. Even if I'd had a choice about it, I would've willingly given up my spot for that person. I just lost most of my voice but he/she may lose far more than that. I wish them good luck.

I, on the other hand, spent my morning running my stressed out Ex to the Motor Vehicle to renew his license.
Driver's licenses & Medical cards are being combined. Apparently we CAN keep them separated but it costs more, it's one more card to lose & both now require a picture.
My Ex went to renew his on Thursday, opted for the combo & was told he had to produce a birth certificate to verify his name. Verify his name??? Why? My birth certificate has a different name on it than my Driver's License. I'll bet yours does too. But, he had to find his birth certificate because they wouldn't renew his license without it.
He was in a panic because he couldn't find it & turned the house upsidedown yesterday. He thought he was going to lose his license. And called me 5 times in a half hour. He was so upset he couldn't even talk. Why do people DO this to Seniors???
Today, I took him to a smaller Driver's Service office on the edge of town. The only questions  asked were about restrictions, suspensions & whether he wanted the combined license. They even took a great mug shot for his new card. And the nice gal flirted with him while she processed it all. If he still can't find his birth certificate by the time he gets his new license, I told him I'd  order a new one. So then, he took me to lunch!!!

So, it turned out to be a pretty darned good day after all. Things sort of went sideways but worked out in the end as they usually do. And it's a good thing men have women around.

Spinning & Walking . . .

Green Braid

I've been trying to spin every day of the Tour de Fleece. I spun so much the first couple of days that my feet, shins, hips & hands seized up but after an application of hot shower & Ibuprofen, things were looking up. I've taken it a bit easier since & only spent one morning stiff as a board after a marathon spin. Hey, there was a terrific line-up on the Knowledge Network so I watched & spun through about 6 hours of TV. I had a maaaavelous time.



So far, I've spun up all the Neon Pink, the Green braid & now, I'm working on 4 oz of a handpainted, multicolored, BFL roving from Sunset Fibers. I actually have 2 packages of

Rainbow Roving of the Month

the roving which was the Roving of the Month last September. My friend Gail traded me hers for another monthly offering that I didn't really like. So, I will have 8 oz when it's spun up - enough to make something larger than a hat or a pair of mitts. I'm not sure what it will be in the end but it's nice to have the choice to make something else. Who knows, it may become a Stephen West scarf since the colors sure remind me of him!!

And in the meantime, I've been booked in for surgery on my throat for the morning of July 31. Oh my Gawd, I may just get a voice once again. I got to do all the prelims at the new Jim Pattison Care Centre - a real factory style assembly line experience. All my tests were pre-booked, timed, set up on the computer & all I had to do was show up with my Care Card & lay on the bed/sit in the chair. I never even signed my name or filled in a questionnaire!!  4 hours later I was spit out into the parking lot with an instruction sheet for the surgery. Other than a acres of walking  over three different floors because the elevators & my appointments were at opposite ends of the building - oh my aching knee - and the most expensive parking I've ever seen, it was a good experience with perpetually cheerful people. I'm not certain I'll be able to stomach all that cheeriness at 7AM but I guess I'll have to try. Anything for a voice again.

Spinning the Tour de Fleece

Woke up Friday morning to a cool, grey sky & the weatherman making cautious sounds about rain on the weekend. It rained Friday night & all day Saturday. It was a good day to stay inside & spin. I'm participating in the Tour de Fleece again this year but haven't spun a thing on my wheel since last year. We Spinners follow the Tour de France & challenge ourselves to spin faster & longer as we watch the Riders compete in the race. It can be a real challenge to spin every day the Riders ride, especially if you don't spin regularly or don't spin that well. Legs, feet, & hands really let you know they aren't used to the pace.

Last year my leading knee was still too sore to do much treadling so I proceeded slowly. This year, I dusted off the Suzie Pro & picked up the pace but never even thought about  how it would make my feet, Achilles tendons, hands & shins feel. Oooops, by Friday, I 

was so sore I could barely spin. They're just not used to all this treadling!! Treadling just doesn't feel much like exercise until you've been working at it for a couple of days. And I've been working hard to spin up this neon Pink - which is just about finished -  for my 'Color Craving' scarf. When this is finished, I'll spin up the greens that will go with it.

Today when I woke up, everything was seized up. Some of it from treadling and some because of the change in the weather. Drugs work. Good Thing. We've had this nice long stretch of dry weather which has been good for my body but we desperately needed the rain. It's definitely cooler outside & that rain has perked the garden right up. It looks like it also washed all the smokey gunk off my car as well. And I believe the lawn turned green overnight. It's amazing what a little rain can do.

No knitting, no socks. Spinning has taken up all my time.

Too Hot, Too Smokey

It's just been too hot to knit. It's also been too hot to spend any time in my sweatbox office. It's been too hot for the poor computer so it has to be shut down. Around 3:30 the wave of heat just pours in - it's like someone just cranked up the Blow Dryer. Not a breath of air, I shut it all down, close all the blinds & the door that faces west & go to bed for a nap. My tall, thin, oscillating fan at the foot of the bed keeps me cool & an Audio Book lulls me to sleep!! I like direct, medium air the best.

My old - doesn't oscillate anymore - fan under the TV blows directly on me as I sit in my chair to watch. So, I have two cool spots to relax in. Then it got smokey. I thought the neighbor was burning her garbage in the BBQ again because it smelled like leaves & paper. Then it got so smokey I had to keep the door closed. And so smokey that I had to get the puffer out. I changed my mind about doing laundry since I have to hang it outside & I don't want to smell like the morning after a Pub Crawl. The sky has been grey but the sunsets have been glorious as fires blaze to the North & East of the Lower Mainland. The Wet Coast is tinder dry & no rain in sight.
Today, the heat has decreased, the smoke smell is almost gone & a nice brisk breeze has blown in to keep us cooler. I can actually feel that breeze through the blinds in my office. Whooee.

Even though it's been too hot to do much, I decided to participate in this year's Tour de Fleece - Rock it TeamCanada - again. I haven't had my spinning wheel out since the last one ended. And it's  time. I have spinning stash up the ying yang, three garbage bags of roving, besides all the hand dyed packages & braids of delicious stuff I've bought over the years. There's even a fleece or two. I bought most of it when I was working, knowing I wouldn't have the money when I retired. Some of it just followed me home. And some came from others trying to downsize their stash. I gave it all a home. Hahaha - and some of it will probably get passed on to other people's stash along the way.

So, this year, I decided to join the Stash Spinning group on Ravelry & work on that stash reduction. Right now, I'm spinning up some Neon Pink that I found in the Stash. Don't know when or where it came from but I love it. I'll spin some dark grey - I have a whole bag of it that followed me home one day - when this is finished & some bright greens that my friend Gail found for me, when that's done. I intend to knit Stephen West's Color Craving shawl/scarf for myself.
I'm 10 months away from Retirement & long, lovely days to spin & knit. Nice thought, but I will still do some work out of my home office. I have every intention of knitting some of it up for me when it's spun. And some of it will become hats, socks & sweaters for the Donation Box.

Happy July 1st

Canada Day. Another holiday day. I feel like I'm missing out somehow since I'm not getting paid for this day anymore. But I'm also not trotting off to the park to wave little flags, paint my face, sing songs, eat expensive charred food, fight for parking or stand in line to use the bathroom either. I can do without everything else, but I have to admit I love the fireworks. Happy Birthday Canada.

I was laughing at my neighbors last night as they hauled the big garbage cans to the curb. I didn't even take my green garbage out because today's a stat holiday & I figured they would pick up tomorrow. Well, the joke's on me, the garbage guys are out there picking up the cans as I type. Dammit. I really hate freezing it for another week!!

This heat wave is inconvenient. I don't have a problem sleeping because I have a tall, skinny oscillating fan at the foot of my bed that can be programmed to run constantly or just an hour or two. I can vary the speed from Gentle Breeze to Hurricane Force. It oscillates from low to high & can even be programmed for the whole works at once, if you like. I like Gentle or Low with & without oscillation for all night cooling. I have to cover my knees though, or I won't be walking in the morning!! I have a second oscillating fan in the livingroom so I can watch tv - same problem with the knees.

But the room where I spend most of my time is a sweat box. It gets so hot in there that I have to shut down the computer in the afternoons. This is the place that I WORK. I WISH I could put one of the oscillating fans in there but I need to keep paper on the desk so I can work with it. I'm getting too old for this stuff. Sigh. Good thing we usually only get this kind of weather for a week or so in August. Remember this??? It wasn't that long ago that we were all bundled up with our teeth chattering! I like to remember that when I'm sitting in a pool of sweat thinking about yet another shower as the News tells me that we need to conserve water. No snow or ice on the mountain to melt into the reservoir all summer. No rain to keep everything watered. In the land of too much water, we have a drought.
I figure if we all flushed less often - do we really need to flush after every little tinkle??? - and only showered once a day, we would save a huge amount of water. This is drinking water we're flushing with, after all.

On this Canada Day, we should celebrate Freedom. And Justice. And Free Speech. And taps that always have water on demand. For now.

Hot Town, Summer in the City .  .  .  oh yeah, I can hear the Lovin' Spoonful singing, can't you?? You can tell it's summer out there, especially when your front door faces West. Lucky for me, I also live in a basement with cement floors. I bless those cement floors in the summer - not so much in the winter when my feet freeze but in the summer when I'm still sweating & have nothing else left to take off - yeah, they're good to have. I haven't even turned on a fan yet this year!! It's hot & dry enough that nothing hurts unless I do too many hours of data entry on the computer. And it cools down really nicely at night. I could live with this for quite a while.

I fixed my sock problem - reknit the frogged sock until it matched the unfrogged one & then put them both on the same set of circs. I'm not fond of the "Two Socks on Two Circs" method of knitting socks but this damned orange/red makes my eyes water which  makes it difficult to measure where I am. With MY luck lately, I'd end up with one that's too long as well as one that's too wide. So, not taking any chances, covering my ass & making it as easy as I can, I am knitting them both on the same circ.
I can see that the "Two Socks on Two Circs" method would be excellent for lace socks. Or very patterned socks, too. It's NOT a good method for watching TV because it's really, really, easy to knit the wrong yarn into the wrong sock or get the needles crossed if you don't keep an eye on things but it does keep the socks more or less the same. I started out loving this color but now, I'm not so sure.

Summer in the City

Whoooeee, Summer at last. It's so nice to commute to the office in shorts & tee shirt, work a couple of hours, open the door & windows to let the fresh air in, go outside & water the jungle & then come back to work again without putting on shoes. I've been up & down, in & out & really getting some production going until 3:30 when the sun comes blasting in. All I can do then, is close everything up until about 6:30 when the sun goes behind the trees. So I take a nap.  Sometimes I work after midnight until it just starts to get light & the birds start singing. I love summer.

Being semi-retired is not that bad at all. You just have to have enough money to survive it. LOL And along with being semi-retired is more time to knit.

The latest summer socks should've been done by now. Stupid me, I decided to work on both socks at the same time but on different circs. Since I use the 2 circ method, I had one sock on my Chiagoo metal 2.25mm circs & the other sock on my KnitPicks wooden 2.25mm circs. I was merrily knitting along, turned both heels & just about to the toe shaping on both when I suddenly realized one sock was bigger than the other. Almost a half inch bigger. Not longer - oh no - but wider. I had measured both sets of needles with my brass snail measurer & again with my green ruler measurer - both the same size. BUT, one set is metal & one set is wood. Apparently I knit tighter with metal & looser with wood. This has been a surprise to me. I had no idea that gauge could vary depending on the materials from which the needles were made.

Needless to say, one sock got frogged while I cried big tears & is now being resurrected on 4 DP needles.

I just wanted to show off how far I've come with the latest summer socks. I've always maintained that wild & crazy yarn knits up a whole lot faster than boring yarn. Maybe it's the excitement of discovering what that weird mishmash of colors will eventually become. All I can say is that wild yarn knits faster. And I have 26 pairs of wild socks to prove the point.

I can't remember when I bought this yarn or how long
it's been lurking in the stash but it seemed to be just right for short summer socks. This is not a color I could wear anywhere else but on my feet but it screams TROPICAL to me. After the GREEN socks - oh the combo was really nice but still dark - I HAD to knit something bright & wild.

Sock one is ready to have it's heel turned using the Queen Kahuna method. See all those little elastics?? Each one of them marks the end of a short row that I'm due to close when I turn the heel.
I couldn't SEE to pick up the gusset stitches along the flap unless I was outside at noon. So I bought "Crazy Heels & Toes" by Mary Ann Beattie to learn a new method. After kicking the instruction book across the room & a couple of desperation phone calls to my friend Gail, who learned it before me, the lightbulb finally came on.  It wasn't the method that made it difficult to learn, it was the crazy manual.

Summer in the Burbs

Yesterday, was beautiful, hot & dry in my part of the Wet Coast, but I could barely move. My hips ached, my knee wobbled & my damned hands hurt so much I couldn't knit or sign my name properly. I just couldn't believe it. The WeatherBoob said we wouldn't even get a sprinkling of rain & the temps would stay the same when the weather system went by us - it was going east & north BUT my bones knew the barometer was changing. We got a hellova big storm in the night. Now, I don't mind having a barometric TOE but why does the rest have to hurt too??? Grrrr. I totally understand why my mother packed up & moved to the desert climate in Vernon - about 260 miles inland - some 35 years ago & won't even visit the coast anymore. Today, after the storm, nothing hurts. And everything out there looks exactly the same as yesterday, except for the wind. Craziness.

So, yesterday I couldn't knit, but the day before I could, so I started a new pair of Summer Socks. Socks again, you say??? Socks are addictive. They're small. They come in wild & crazy colors. They don't even have to match your clothes or each other. And you can take them with you wherever you go. So I dug in the old stash & found some DROPS Fabel Superwash yarn - in oranges & reds. Mmmmmm HOT HOT HOT. And I think I see a little Lime in there too. It's 75% wool, 25% nylon & 205m in a 50 gm ball. I can make a pair of socks for my size 9 clodhoppers with two balls & even have a little left over for 'Puffs' for someone's blanket-in-progress. Since I'm making Summer Socks, about 3" shorter than usual, there's enough left to knit Barbie an outfit. If she'd wear it.

The Tour de Fleece is coming up very quickly so I decided I'll use it as an excuse to spin the yarn for my Color Craving scarf. I dug through the stash & found some NEON Pink & a braid of NEON Green. I have lots of grey roving & bags of the slightly felted cherry to spin so I think I'm ready to go. I forget where the Neon Pink came from but I totally love it - just think 150 times brighter than the picture. The Greens were chosen by a good Pal who's very good at picking wonderful colorways. The real color doesn't show well through the bag in the photo but that light lime green makes your eyes water. Looking at it next to the pink in the sunshine makes my eye-balls start to melt .  .  .  .  .

Murphy's Bite

It seems it doesn't pay to get too chirpy & cheerful when you've been down-in-the-dumps for ages. Murphy's Law baby, Murphy's Law. Things were sliding along like a well oiled machine, hell, I even had money at the end of the month - two months in a row!!! With all the bills paid. And some extras in the cupboards for a change too.

Murphy bit me on the ass. Literally. I suppose it started as an ingrown hair or inflamed follicle. You know the kind. Sometimes it starts in your arm pit. Or sometimes on your eye lid. I've heard they can start anywhere a hair follicle can become infected. Sometimes you don't know about it until you sit on it - ouch. Needless to say, I've spent a good deal of my time this past week curled up on my bed with a heating pad & a book waiting for the damned thing to pop. Yeah, I could've gone to Emerg & had it lanced but I spent almost 8 hours waiting to be seen when I damaged my knee. This time I preferred to stay home with a soft bed, thank you.

Luckily, it popped sometime in my sleep last night. Yeah baby. Another crisis averted. Just have to keep it clean & covered & stay off hard coffee shop chairs for a while. Whatever happened to those nice, cushioned benches they used to have???  Where do the Old People sit???

I had planned to do some spinning outside this past week but Murphy put an end to that. I did manage to finish one of my new Summer Socks in the green Berroco Sox yarn that I found in the stash. One down, one to go. It turned out to be a very Manly sock. I do like the different greens in it & while I couldn't wear these colors as an outfit, I think they're very handsome in a sock. I used my 2.25mm, 24" Chiagoo circular needles - two circs at a time. The yarn felt a little thin & scratchy as I knit so I think I could've gone down to the 2.0mm easily. If I remember correctly, this yarn fluffs nicely when given a bath to remove the spinning oils.

Wow. It's Summer.

It's summer out there. My Jungle is looking like someone cares this year. Last year, it went wild because no one did care. Last year, I was out of work, unhappy, feeling sorry
for myself & hobbling on a very sore knee that wouldn't do anything I wanted it to do. Last year I had a cane that threw my balance off. And last year, I barely came out the door to the patio unless I was passing through to the car.

This year, I pulled in the a**hole strings & put on my Big Girl pants. I replanted the hanging baskets after rescuing the few plants that survived a year on their own & added a few more. I bought a whole tray of multi-colored giant Nasturtiums & another of Alyssium. I tucked them into a big hanging basket of fresh dirt & dribbled fish fertilizer over them. Once they get going, they'll take over the place!!! I have Ever-bearing strawberries in three baskets - two baskets are 'volunteers' from the original bought several years ago. I put them in hanging baskets so I can eat them instead of the slugs & squirrels. And I planted a few Scarlet Runner beans with a ring of 'Snake' beans - the picture shows beans growing in spirals - for the bees. The poor house plants have been moved outside, under the table near the back of my covered patio & watered for the first time in a month or two. My Clematis - Jackmani - has 4.5" blooms on it this year & the Christmas Cacti is outside blooming it's little, freshly watered head off. The Pink Lady apple tree has sent out a shoot this year - I thought it had died. And I've been pulling that damned Morning Glory off everything. Since the Landlord hates to cut the grass, we got an infestation last year that took over everything. Even his lawn is full of it. So I've got Morning Glory, creeping Jenny, Vinka, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Peppermint, Fennel, Garlic & several other perennial herbs growing wild all over the back yard. My grasses have thrown seeds into all the cracks & crannies too so I have Blue Fescue - which I love - popping up in the driveway cracks! It's starting to look like my Jungle again!!!

And with this burst of energy, I started a new pair of Summer Socks. This time around, I thought I'd make them a bit shorter & rib them from the top to the ankle before making a simple foot with a nice, deep heel so they don't slide into my shoes. The greens are very pretty & I think I'll enjoy wearing these socks even though they aren't my color. One thing about socks is that you can really explore all the wilder combinations or colors that you would never wear normally.

These socks are being made from Berroco SOX. It's 80% wool & 20% nylon for hard wearing socks. The picture is a little dark because the greens are actually a lot brighter than the picture. I'm using my 2.25mm Chiagoo needles & knitting them from the cuff to the toe.

Back in the Saddle - Again

I've had trouble with Google again & trouble getting back into my own blog. Every once in a while Google decides it doesn't know me & tries to sign me up again. It refuses to believe I am who I am & I have to go away until it decides I am me. So, now that I'm me again, the tale continues.

My Winter Socks

Since finishing the last winter sock, I've been feeling naked & unworthy. It's a strange feeling. I keep looking for something & then can't remember what it is I'm looking for. I'm restless when I watch TV & can't sit still. I've come to the conclusion that being without a sock on the needles is screwing up my routine. So last night I gave in & cast-on a summer sock. It's an unlikely color for me - shades of green - mostly dark green but with a little acid apple thrown in for good luck. I think this is one of those Bargain Balls I bought several years ago when Dressew was clearing yarn for $2 a ball. No one sees summer socks anyway. They're hidden inside sneakers - I just can't wear them without a sock - just to soak up summer sweat. So who cares what color they are.

And I bought that 'Color Craving' shawl pattern. It was just too weird & I had to learn how to do that stuff. After watching the YouTube clues 1 & 2, I was hooked. I had no idea you could do some of those things with yarn & needles so I'm going to give it a go. Hot Pink & Plum anyone??? Maybe.

Something New

Here I sit broken-hearted
Thought I'd finished
But only started!!!

I've lost a day somewhere. Or the garbage schedule changed when I wasn't looking because I missed Tuesday somehow. I thought today was Wednesday. I used to know that Wednesday followed garbage day. The cans were out yesterday. I know they were. I dodged most of them on the way out of the alley in the morning. TV used to be handy to tell what day it was but I've been too busy to watch most of it. What happened???

Guess I've been too deep into bank reconciliations & listening to "Prescribed Danger" by Gwen Hunter. It's book two in the Dr Rhea Lynch series. Dr Rhea fled big city life in Charleston to a small ER in rural South Carolina where she grew up. In book one, Rhea returns from holiday to find her best friend near death from a mysterious stroke. In book two, Rhea is working the night shift in the middle of a huge storm when a couple is brought in who've been beaten & tortured. The woman is 6 months pregnant & in labor. I worked until 3:30AM because I couldn't turn it off!!

I finally finished the last pair of socks I worked on for so long. The old fingers have really had a workout on the keyboard the last couple of months so I wasn't knitting much at all. My Thumbs seem to be the worst for some reason. But, I've been taking pills before bed again & they seem to be a lot better. Of course the weather has improved as well - so, the socks finally got finished. For the moment, socks are done.

I thought it might be time to try another project for a change. Something I've never even considered before. Something so bloody weird & strange that I just have to have one. Well, I found it  - Color Craving. Oh, I hemmed & hawed & watched the YouTube videos several times before making up my mind. I thought - what the hell am I going to do with THAT when it's done??? I know some of you will laugh out loud & call me crazy. I'm not insulting the fellow but his designs have become just a little off kilter in the last few years. He reminds me of the artist who designed the giant knitted Vulva, hung it in the corner of the gallery & called it ART. And he's so far off the rails that I think I want to try it because his techniques really fascinate me. Lace shawls are definitely not my thing but weird scarves may just be.

Slowing Down Time

One of the problems of the 'Feast or Famine' lifestyle I am now living is that things get forgotten when I try to do several month's work in a few weeks. Everyone is in a hurry to get something done two days before a deadline. And it's not that they didn't know there was a deadline - most of them include the warning letter with the paperwork. It's just that they didn't have the time to get here, are too afraid to open the brown envelope, didn't realize it was THAT important or just didn't care because I always take care of it when I get it. So other things suffer. Like my laundry. Or the dishes.

Today I thought I'd make a slow-cooker chili. Something with meat & beans & all the sad & lonely leftovers in my fridge. Something with spice in it that cooks itself. Apparently, sometime in the previous month, I started to cook something in the slow-cooker & got side tracked. I'm not sure it even got turned on. But, like an Alien, curled up & nicely hidden in a corner until you stand next to it, it exploded in my face with a mountain of spores, to incubate new life in my body, when I lifted the lid this A.M.

Tonight, I shall be eating out.

Thank Gawd it's Over

Yes, bang the drums & toot the horns, it's over for another year!!! I filed the last tax return last night with minutes to spare, just before midnight. And you can't even slip one by them at 12:01 because they shut down the internet at the Tax Department at midnight. No GST or tax returns at 3:10 in the AM, no siree, the Tax Man takes a break.
And, although there's still lots to do, it can wait for another day because I'm taking this one OFF. I've slogged away for the last 6 days without a break other than a couple of coffee runs at the drive-thru & a trip to buy a new printer. Yeah, I have a pile of stuff to print & the stupid printer paper sensor decides to die. But that was then & this is now & I'm done.

NO knitting, reading or watching much tv either. I've been too damned tired after all the staring at the computer & paper documents. The winter socks I was working on are not quite finished because my fingers are too sore. Actually, my Shoulders are too sore too. So I listened instead to Audio books instead. Anne McCaffrey has always been one of my favorite authors. I have all of her books - well worn - & most of them as Audios as well. Some people might think my tastes are odd because I usually go for Mysteries, Thrillers & Action series as well as British Detective novels. But, when I'm busy with the brain engaged, I want simple, well known characters In familiar stories. Star Trek & McCaffrey help me along.

A couple of years ago, my niece asked for some wrist warmers. I had some sample balls of this & that so I made up a whole bag of them. A couple of other gals took a pair or two along the way too. I made them with ribs & stripes & in seed stitch, ribbing, stockinet & even lace. It was a lot of fun. The niece finally showed up with a bag of unfiled tax returns & I gave her the bag of wristlets. She was delighted with her old Auntie & wore a set home. I'm terrible about taking pictures & thought I had one but alas .  .  . 

There is one project I started about 6 years ago that I intend to finish next right after the sock. It was started for the old BoyToy who wanted a BLUE afghan. He liked the multicolored one I made myself which sat on the back of the couch in all it's glory but he hated all the wild colors. He chose a DULL faded denim blue. It was so boring that I bought several shades of grey to give it a little interest. I worked on it when we went to Starbucks but it became so large that I couldn't carry it around to work on it anymore. Then the weather got so hot it got put aside. He got tossed & IT got tossed in a bin without being finished. I finally have a home for it to go to because, quite frankly, I need the bin space. The plan is to add another couple of stripes to it & then finish it with a couple of rows in RED. How do you like THAT, BT???

Vancouver is so beautiful when the sun shines. The sky is so blue, the water too, even the mountains on the North Shore have a tinge of blue with all the green. Yeah, green everywhere - well, green where we haven't black-topped or cemented over it, that is. But a lot of green almost everywhere. Parks & green spaces abound. Trees are on almost every block - even right downtown. Lots of good places to sit & knit or haul out the old spinning wheel.

And speaking of green on this Earth Day, remember to blow the dust off that refillable cup you used LAST Earth Day & use it again today. It saves trees. If you must use a disposable, recycle it. It can make toilet paper & paper towels which are more important than disposable cups. My Big Red Cup rides with me in the car & goes into my favorite Cafe with me - it's a hellova lot nicer than those dinky white ones they use & it's RED. And I always have my Starbucks plastic go-everywhere cups with lids. Looks just like the throw-away cup, doesn't it??? It works for hot or cold - cost me a buck !! Not as classy as the Red Mug but doesn't chip or break & you can still use it with a straw.

Just another winter Kroy sock on the go - two of them actually. I think I'll probably run out of Kroy before I finish the toes so I'm working them side by side to make the most of what yarn I have before finding left-overs for the toes. Shortly, I intend to go out with my Red Mug, get a coffee & find a sunny bench & just knit for an hour. Too bad for all of you trapped in your offices looking out today, the home office closes for sunshine & knitting.

After surviving the birthday, I am now counting down to the first Old Age Pension check. I made a smart remark about probably not needing it by the time it showed up & I believe it's come back to haunt me. I've been practically a BagLady for the last year & a half  since my school closed down. So, it's been great to have several of my old clients hear through the grapevine that I'm back in the home office. One called from Prince George on Wednesday. I know the world has become a small place with technology but, I don't often do bookkeeping for a guy 600 miles away, but what the heck. And I got a call from Campbell River - on Vancouver Island - about some work for another old client. The latest though, may turn into a regular part time job. I did a software setup for a small business several years ago & I've been asked to drop in for a chat. Apparently they need a bookkeeper.

So, it seems life goes on, no voice, gimpy leg 'n' all. 

And what's on the needles??? Socks as usual - winter socks in blue, green & red above. I have another pair in the very same colorway. Since my basement doesn't have a subfloor, that tiled cement gets really cold most of the year - even with shoes on - so I usually wear WINTER socks in the house!! On the right are some of the KROY 4ply I scarfed - some for my birthday - thanx Jenn, and some as a Before gift - you know, take this before I toss it!!! The balls with PINK in them are next on my sock list. I need some Pink.
If I remember correctly, about this time LAST year I was bemoaning the lack of Summer Socks in my rapidly expanding sock bin. But, I just keep squeezing the latest balls of Kroy 4 ply .  .  .  .  maybe it's time to get out the left-overs bag & make FrankenSummerSocks. I want PINK & PLUM in my summer socks. Maybe even some Neons! Gee, Maybe I can afford to BUY a few balls this year????


 

Will you still feed me, will you still need me . . . .

Today I'm 64. Wow. I still can't imagine it. What happened?? The last 30 years have whizzed by so fast that I barely remember them at all. Guess I was busy living. And paying bills. And I suppose I should be relatively happy since the Tax Man isn't gunning for me, I haven't been bankrupt & all the bills ARE paid. Except for the credit card, but then, most of us are carrying a balance these days right into Retirement. Mine isn't huge but it's still there.

And what am I doing on my birthday??? Started out the day with Revenue Canada collections - no, no, not mine. But it means I have extra work in the next two weeks which I hadn't anticipated. And then I went out for breakfast at my favorite little truck stop cafe. I almost took a couple of bottles of wine along since it was MY Birthday. In the end, I decided NOT to drink wine before breakfast. The boys at the cafe laughed out loud when I told them I almost brought wine & gave me a free breakfast while singing off key instead. I do love those crazy boys!!!

Got 4 balls of my favorite Kroy 4ply sock yarn from one of my Knitting Pals. Two are in a lighter colorway with PINK in it which I'll knit first!! I would've cast on immediately but my favorite circs are already in use with another pair of Kroy socks. Since one heel is already turned & the ribbing finished on the other, they won't take long to finish if there's something good on the old tube for the next coupla days.


So, other than Starbucks - my FREE birthday drink awaits - I will be in the office, pounding on the keyboard as usual, since there's only TWO weeks till the end of the Tax Season. EEK.

A Whole Lost Month

I've been in a daze this past month. Not that I haven't been doing things, but simply, I just didn't feel like going anywhere, socializing or blogging. I did take a two hour 'Tea Time' break with PBS to watch British TV with my lunch - I loved the two weeks of "Call the Midwife" reruns!! But I didn't even want to go out past my patio unless it was to head through the drive-thru for a Very Large coffee-to-go. I have my choice between Starbucks, Tim's & Mcdonald's within 4 blocks. Coffee tastes sooo good with two milks in it late at night. I have a 24 hour drive-thru just up the road & it sure does a good business at 4AM.

Of course, tax season hit with a bang as usual.  Some of my old, old customers are back with multi-year offerings too. Thank Gawd, it's been a tough year & a half for me since the school closed. I'm in that grey area where I'm too beat up for a full time job but still too mobile to be written off. In 9 days I'll be 64 & 11 months away from being an old age pensioner. Gee, I wonder what I'll do with all that extra money???

I did knit a couple of pairs of socks this past month. One for me - this is finished & already in the wash & one for my second favorite short order cook in the local truck cafe. He's a good boy & can make a mean toasted chicken & havarti  sandwich on rye. Most of the employees of the little cafe love my wild Frankensocks so periodically, someone gets a pair. Once in a while they get to keep them too. One girlfriend & one Mom has pinched a pair or two along the way.
There's already another pair of Kroy 4ply socks on the needles for me & two wonderful wallabies on the needles for two little boys under 4. The old hands have been complaining but little sweaters don't take much time or effort before they're done, do they???

The camera is charging as I type so there may be some new pictures on the next entry. Back to the grindstone, taxes &  the GST wait for no one. Woo hoo

I lost a Week

This time of year is normally full of grey days & dark nights so everything looks like an old black & white photo. Surprisingly, my part of the Wet Coast has been bathed in sunshine every day. So much sunshine that I've been living in the office. It faces west which makes it the warmest, brightest, sunshiniest room in my basement. My only excuse for missing posts is sunshine which has kept me working instead of crafting.

Since I have just a part of my voice - one paralyzed vocal chord & one bum knee - torn meniscus(cartilage), I've been mostly unemployable. All potential employers want me to answer the phone since I would be the office slave. My voice fades out with too much talking & some people can't even HEAR me on the phone. What a pain for someone who loved to sing & could talk to a room without a microphone. But life goes on. I'm back in the home office banging on the computer for small businesses again - it's a hellova lot nicer than picking bottles out of ditches for 5 or 10 cents each or standing in line at Welfare! And I do enjoy doing income taxes. Call me crazy but extracting every cent of overpaid tax out of the Government, well, it just gives me that warm & fuzzy feeling. The data entry to get there doesn't. But it's that necessary evil. The good part is that I also get to listen to Audio Books while I work. The second good thing is that I will be able to sit on the patio all summer & spin on my breaks while the rest of you are stuck at work .  .  .  . 

Spring Socks

It's beginning to appear like Winter has passed us by here on the Wet Coast of BC. Crocus, Daffodils & Primulas are up & starting to flower. No buds on the clematis yet but I expect them any day now. This shot is from the pot standing next to my door. Blue Fescue hangs over one side, brown Fountain grass in the back with Primulas in the front.

 I meant to do so many things this winter. I looked at so many projects & rejected most of them due to sore hands. The only two that I started was the Ringwood gloves, two tuques & a couple of pairs of socks. I still have three sweaters in-progress, a pair of lace socks on my favorite circs & the Ringwood gloves on my second favorite DPs.

The stripey Kroy socks finally got their toes finished - a lovely thick pair of socks to keep the chill away. I had three balls of this pattern so I had more than enough to make them really long for a change.
As I've said before, I really do love Kroy 4ply because it's just a little thicker, wears like iron & has terrific wild colorways. I love wildly colored socks. Especially in the winter when it's dull & cold outside & color has disappeared from the world. A wild pair of socks seems to be so necessary.

Ringwood is still on the needles but my thumbs have been too sore to juggle 4 DPs & all the little cast off & ons for fingers. They may sit in the basket until the end of the tax season when I have time to rest the old fingers or until the next long dry spell. My hands don't care if its warm or cold but it must be dry.

Since I'm unable to sit in front of the tube without doing something, another sock magically appeared on my needles. I had an almost full ball of a Kroy 3 ply in a pink/green/orange/grey pattern that really spoke to me but there wasn't enough to knit anything other than wrist warmers or fingerless gloves. So it got tucked away. Eventually I got some leftovers & another partial ball donated. I picked out the pink/green/orange/grey yarn to save because I really liked it but knew I didn't have enough because I'd forgotten about the first ball. I'm a visual person. If I can't see it, I forget about it & buy a new one. So I live in chaos so I can SEE what I have. LOL Eventually, I found the original ball. It was waaay too much to take & I had to cast on then & there.

Trying Something Different

My thumbs are sore as hell again but not as bad as they were at the beginning of the year. I've gone back to eating my dinner from a big plastic measuring cup - the handle takes pressure off the thumbs when you eat in front of the tv & I'm using a big mug with a handle to drink my tea for the same reason. I'm not knitting as much as I used to because Tax Season has begun & I need my hands to work.

Knitting is an Opiate. It's addictive & has become a life long habit that's impossible to break. So to avoid withdrawal sickness, I've had to cut back my habit a little & try something small & light.

When the pattern came out in Knitty Deep Fall, 2010, I fell in love. I copied the pattern in COLOR. And I filed it away in my pattern binder for the day when I got my courage up to knit a pair of gloves. Funny how that works. I can knit an Aran sweater with all the cables & bobbles but gloves terrify me. They can't be any harder to knit than socks??? And I've knit hundreds of socks - even a couple of pairs of Lace socks. So with sore thumbs that keep me from big & heavy projects, I cast on a pair of Ringwood Gloves. I found three balls of KROY sock yarn in a deep Wine color. The gloves have a seed wrist band with buttons & the stretchy Ringwood stitch everywhere else.

Sharon's Taxi Service

I've had a very busy couple of weeks chauffeuring two of the men in my life to & from eye appointments. I'm tempted to put a sign on the door of my van & go into the taxi business. Between Specialists' appointments, detached retinas & laser surgeries, it's been a busy time. And I have three more days of it at the end of the month too. Why am I doing all the driving you ask?? Because both of them get their pupils dialated by the Specialists & can't drive (or see) for up to 5 hours after the appointment. And I'm building up credits for when I may need rides to & from whatever myself. My only complaint is that I have to get up at 6:30 in the morning in the dark & dodge pulses of heavy rain from the latest Pineapple Express to do so. And now that my driving duties are over for the day, the sky has cleared & the rain is gone. There's no blue up in the sky but it's about 60 watts brighter than it was at 7:00!

So you'd think I'd get all this knitting done while I wait at these appointments?? Nope. Too dark out in the car. Too crowded in the waiting room - really only room for the patients - and no coffee shops. I do get a lot of reading done with my Kobo Aura - the back light is so good that I use it all the time.

I mentioned I wanted to knit CONIC from CookieA's book 'Knitwear - Shapes & Form' Since it's mostly an easy straight knit, I decided to cast-on the yarn I got from Knit Picks in LadySlipper & use it as 'car' knitting. I love the color. It's one of the blued tones of pink that suits my coloring nicely. I just hope it doesn't bore me to death with all the stockinette.

This is Not About Knitting

I am currently driving my second Voyager/Caravan. In case you don't know, they're 
identical except for the emblem on the steering wheel. And the wheels may be different sizes on some models but overall, they're the same. My old Caravan had a sliding door on the passenger side only while my Voyager has a sliding door on both sides - I love this by the way. Sure makes my life easier for loading when the passenger side is parked against the fence, next to a wall or too close to other autos.

Now my cars are always old even when new to me. I've never been able to stomach the depreciation you get in the first year of owning a new car. Must be the bookkeeper in me! And I never cared enough to want another monthly payment or to triple my insurance either. I take good care of the working parts but I don't really care what the outside looks like. If I won a huge amount of money??? I'd still drive an old junque car.

My current Baby developed a problem with the driver's window in the summer. It just wouldn't go down without a fight any more & told me so with a squeal. The headlights were already  sandblasted when I got it & recently, I broke the driver's seat back adjustment switch when it jammed & I tried to make it work.  With a really wide tire behind the seat to hold the back upright like I wanted, I put out the call to my Scrapper friends about a new seat.

I was so excited when I got a call about a van going to the crusher with good seats inside. My buddy said my seat was held in with only four bolts & he could change it out in 10 minutes. So, while he was doing that, I checked out the lovely clear headlight assemblies on the front of it. Oh yeah!!! I was quoted $500 for new ones. And after I eyeballed them - same lights. One bolt, two screws. Everything matched nicely. Except the side wouldn't snap in. Mine had a round hole & the new ones had a slot. Well, dammit all anyway.  Apparently this is what grinders are for. A little trim here & a little trim there - why lookee here, it fits. And just because we were there, we took off the master window module - two screws & a plug - Holy Picture Window Batman, we have windows that work without a complaint.

All in all, not a bad couple of hours of scrounging. I probably saved myself $1000 in parts - you almost always have to buy headlight assemblies & window master modules new 'cause they're worn out in scrap cars too - the labor was already paid for by a previous favor. I smiled all the way home. No knitting got done. I didn't even think abut knitting. But my Baby's back & everything works again. Wooohooo

Wasn't that a Rainfall??

I had to go out yesterday since I ran out of milk on Wednesday. I can drink my tea without milk although I prefer it with, but I just can't eat oatmeal made with water!!  I love my oatmeal. I like Old Fashioned Oats which are just oats mashed flat. They take longer to cook but have nothing added or removed. I use oats, a quarter cup of raisins or craisins & milk. Cook it in the microwave for 7 minutes in my big 8 cup measuring cup. Let stand for 5. And eat. Sometimes I eat it with sugar, sometimes with cinnamon or jam. But I just can't eat the damn stuff without milk.
So, I had to go out. In the middle of the Rainfall Warning. OMG. Bad enough driving in the stuff but running - or in my case, hobbling - from the car to the store was awful. Not only did I get soaked going but carrying groceries BACK, unlocking a car, loading bags & self. Lets just say, I should've just brought soap & called it a shower.

I didn't do a couple of the things yesterday that called for running hobbling from car to store. Thinking I would do them today when the storm was over, I was sure mistaken. It's still coming down and there's still a red RAINFALL WARNING flashing on my computer. To hell with it, I guess I can just stay home & wash dishes instead.

In the meantime, I have been picking away at the current pair of socks trying to finish them off even though the fingers are sore. My thumbs are somewhat better than they were but still painful. The sticky salve works a whole lot better on the knee which means I can walk more without pain or wobbling. It doesn't work as well on the painful thumbs but it sure makes the skin soft. I can knit a few rows if I knit slower & take a break on every commercial if I'm watching the tube. I knew commercials were good for something. And a couple of the kids I know have asked for small items.

Jennifer asked for Boot Warmers. I'm on the Lion Brand e-list & the last email offer included a Free Knitting Pattern for - Cabled Heart Boot Cuffs - just in time for Valentine's & just in time for Jennifer. The pattern is written for "Vanna's Choice" which is a worsted weight & size 5.5 & 6mm needles. I wish I had Red for them but Jennifer prefers any shade of black. Yuk.
Max, on the other hand, wants a tuque in any shade of Blue. He says he'll even wear Royal or Robin's Egg but likes Black too. I told him it won't be Black. He likes to roll his tuques up & wear them like a Beanie with his hair tucked under at work. I think a nice Royal Blue Antler would be good for him. The pattern is from 'Tin Can Knits' and is free on Ravelry.

Oh to be Useful Again

I'll tell you, having a job again really makes me feel better. There's a reason to get up in the morning. It's like the brain turns on the 'Git up & Go' hormone when you have something to do other than cater to your own needs. I sleep better, feel more rested & actually look forward to pounding on the old keyboard once more. I put the word out that I was back in business in the Home Office a few months ago & it seems people have finally got off their asses. It's a month before Tax Season of course, but I suppose it's better late than never. And I'm loving it. I think my sight & hearing have even sharpened up a little too. Stop laughing out there - just wait until you've been written off as 'No Longer Needed' 'But you're almost 64, why do you want a job' or my favorite 'Retire, you deserve it.' Yeah, Okay. But, I've worked all my life & am not ready to quit just yet!! And I still NEED the money.

To celebrate, I visited my doctor about my painful thumbs. I wanted information on & samples of medicinal cremes that I could rub in instead of taking more & stronger pills. I worry about my Liver. In the past, I tried a couple of them but wasn't impressed. And I just don't have the money to spend on sampling. I was told not to bother. Apparently the over-the-counter analgesic cremes don't have enough of the analgesic for anything other than minor aches but he could give me a prescription for one to be made up. And the cost would be about the same as the one on the shelf.

I should've known better. I ended up with a nice large tub of beige muck, the look & consistency of axle grease. It doesn't smell, thank gawd, but it takes forever to rub in - sort of like rubbing heavy Vaseline into your skin. The Pharmacist assured me that it mostly penetrates the skin but may take several applications before it's effective. I must apply it twice a day.

Let me tell you, you don't just dip a finger in, rub it on & go about your business. It's get a cup of tea, sit down, rub it in for 15 minutes per spot until it's gone, drink the tea & then go about your business after you wipe or wash the remainder from between your fingers. I must've spent at least an hour that first day rubbing it in!!! But you know, the darned stuff works. It takes a while but it works so well that I rubbed it into my whole knee - both sides & below & had the first painless knee since I tore that cartilage!! I'm still working on the thumbs.

And this is why I have no knitting to show & no projects to discuss. Instead, I'm reading Sylvia Olsen's book - Working with Wool. It's an extremely interesting history of the Native women who gathered the fibres, wove the blankets & knitted the sweaters that kept their families warm & fed over the years on the Coast of B.C.  It's a History book & a Sociology book & a Story book about the Women who work with wool.

Frustration

I've been so frustrated the past couple of days that I could send my foot through the Internet & up the backsides of everyone at Google. For some strange reason Google decided to GOBBLE up my blog & my business G-mail account. No comment, no warning, no nothing. It's sort of like when you're typing in the Blog & the type-face suddenly changes in mid word. It's taken a couple of days to actually figure out what happened & then get it all straightened out. Why can't they leave well enough alone????

Haven't knit much lately since I've been pounding on the keyboard with a new project & filing GST reports. Trying to get as much done as  possible before it's time to do T4s & jump into Tax Returns again. And I have to bone up on all the changes this year - nice of the Tax Man to spread a few goodies around for the Working families for a change instead of giving tax breaks to the wealthy & rebates to the poor. Did you know the biggest percentage of tax is paid by the Middle Class Worker???

But, now that you're terrified by Taxes & Google changes, here's a picture of something warm & wooly that I'm finishing up. The mate is on the needles & almost ready to have the heel turned. It's my favorite Kroy again but in the 3ply - no wonder it went further. Other than finishing a pair of Arrow Lace socks already on the needles, I'll be concentrating on finally finishing a sweater for myself - yeah, the Poncho Pullover is still on the needles but it is advancing down the body rapidly!!! 

And I think I'll knit CONIC from Cookie A's book 'Knitwear Volume 1 - Shapes & Form' that I bought in December. I was chatting with another large woman in Ravelry who knit it for herself & she says it's a fairly quick knit even in fingering. She says she loves how it feels & drapes even though she sized it UP a few sizes. I love the back panel & those crazy sleeves. It seems to do what I need - covers the back, shoulders, sides & sleeves to the elbow & makes a great office sweater to kill the chill.

REALITY

Back to pounding on the Home Office computer for a living. This wasn't what I had planned but in some ways, it's kinda nice being back. I can commute in my fleece PJs, I can do the laundry while working & I can cook dinner while working & doing the laundry in my PJs. What a life!!
The only real problem is being cut off from the world. I can go for days without talking to anyone & it's easy to let your days become all tangled up with your nights & end up sleeping & working opposite of everyone else. That only adds to the loneliness of course. So, starting this week, I've set my alarm for 7:30 & plan on heading to bed before midnight to get my days & nights back on track. I have a big job of data entry, filing GST & Corporate Tax returns over the next couple of weeks.

I've become a complete TV addict while unemployed. PBS offers TEA TIME programming for adults during the day. From 3 to 5, they offer British drama & Antiques Roadshow. I like to take a late lunch at 3 & watch. A nice perk for the AT HOME worker. It also gives me time to work on the latest sock or my Poncho which is eating up yarn at tremendous rates. Since the weather has brightened up, I may be able to take a photo for a change too. It was so gloomy the other day that when I woke up at 7:30, I got that disoriented moment where you wonder if it's day or night. Looking forward to getting up really early again in the spring, drinking tea on the patio & watching the birds. I'm always happier when the days are lighter for longer.

Working on the second sock in another pair of KROY 4ply socks for myself. Since I had three balls of this color, I thought I'd make a pair of L_O_N_G socks for a change.

This must be an older Kroy colorway because I was able to make one long sock out of one ball. My orange/brown socks HAD to be shorter because of the yardage in the ball. Expecting the same yardage, I was able to make my new Red/Blue socks 4 inches longer & still use only one ball per sock.