Up to my Ass in paper


Lately I've been thinking about the "paperless" office. What a concept! No dust, no shredded bits laying on the floor, no bulging sacks of reject paper. It's an occupational hazard this time of year . . . I'm sure the dust in the air represents a health hazard as well!! When I processed returns in the CRA factory one year, I wondered out loud what kind of toxic hazard it represented in the windowless, crowded, security basement. Amazingly, fans appeared, loading bay doors opened & our persistent coughing & sniffling decreased. Really makes you wonder, doesn't it???
Once upon a time I thought I could save the shreds for something crafty but that fell by the wayside when I got involved with natural fibres! Although I've been following the Damselfly's adventures in knitting with paper yarn - I sure don't have the patience for that! And the paper accumulates. I now have two orange leaf bags of shredded & leftover paper. What to do, oh what to do??? I may just spend part of the summer manufacturing handmade paper or paper mache this year - not as durable as clay but still good for pots & decorative vessels. Yarn & paper together! Hmmmm.

I'm looking forward to blowing the dust off the spinning wheel later this month at the Spring Retreat in Cache Creek, too. I've given myself this trip as a Birthday present - 58 big ones on the 16th!! - even though it's in the middle of the busiest time of the year for me. I NEED a break. I haven't spun anything since last summer! After the Fall from Hell & the subsequent split with the BT, I didn't do anything but knit for a while, instead of making yarn. I bought some lovely wild super wash roving in hot pinks & blues from Knitopia last spring for socks - & spotted that wild neon pink to go with it!!! And, Yeah, that's some of it at the very top on the spinning wheel!!

And there's that gorgeous handpainted roving in purples & grey that I got at Knitopia which I intend to take with me to spin. I have fibre I bought years ago that I haven't had time to spin. This summer, I intend to spin a whole lot more of it.


In the meantime, I've started another sweater for myself - in WOOL. Oh yeah . . . but I have all that Briggs & Little Anniversary yarn I bought to knit hoodies. Since the BT is no longer getting one, I have tons of yarn left over. So, I'd like a hoodie but decided I'd use a cardigan more often. I didn't want ribbing at the bottom like every other sweater either so I thought some side vents would make a nice change. So I made the back & two fronts separate for the first 6 inches with 2 inches of garter edging & 2 inches of garter up the fronts & on each side of the vents. Last nite I put all three pieces on one cable so I could knit the whole thing in one piece to the armholes. I'm carrying the garter up the fronts but have ended it about 3 inches above the two side vents. I'm planning on making the armholes quite deep & doing a Moss stitch on the front yokes. I don't know how it will close yet, I'll think about that when it's done! This is just a Free Form knit at the moment!!

I reported I bought MORE YARN at the Knitopia Garage Sale. Well, it was a practical purchase. Honest!! I'm not yet sure what the Eton yarn will become but I have enough to make just about anything. I originally bought 20 balls of the Eton in a light blue to knit a sweater for the BT. He decided he wanted a V-neck sweater instead of the round yoked sweater I'd originally planned so it never got started. Good thing. So I bought a few more balls in the same dye lot and a couple in navy for contrast so I have enough to make something for me. A knit Kimono perhaps???

And I'm seriously thinking of an Adult Surprise Jacket with the Briggs & Little Regal & Heritage I scored for $2 a skein - too good to pass up! I have the pattern & it's easy to knit so I bought all the shades of BLUE - figured I could also use some of the Anniversary yarn with it too. And I want to buy one or two skeins of RED for a surprise touch, LOL! I will be warm for the next winter!!

Happy April Fools Day!

When I got up this morning, it was snowing. Isn't this supposed to be SPRING?? Flowers, bees, little birds, cut offs & tees??? Not Snow! Is this a global warming joke?? Is David Suzuki having one on us??? It's hard to believe the Global Warming Doomsayers when it's snowing on April 1st.

In deference to the temperature, I've started another WOOL sweater. I have tons of the Briggs & Little Anniversary BLUE yarn so I thought I'd might as well knit myself another sweater. ME ME ME!!!! It's all about ME. Gawd I'm turning into a greedy Domiknitrix lately, aren't I??? I'd like a Wonderful Wallaby but I don't think it would be terribly flattering to my menopausal protruding stomach. I've fallen for a cabled & moss stitched cardigan in the new Arans & Celtics book I bought but I think its a little too fussy for the aforementioned protuberance so I've decided to knit a sweater in the style of the Celtic cardigan with a plain stockinette back, side vents & a cable up the front with a moss stitch yoke. Sounds complicated?? Nahhh . . . . I think the moss stitch will also go up the fronts with a cable on either side - at least thats the current plan. I'll pick up the sleeve stitches & knit them down to the cuff after I finish the body. I'm using garter stitch on the hems, vents & sleeve bottoms.
I was trying out a cable pattern from one of my old Knitter's magazines without success - some of the pattern is missing! But, I believe I can recreate something similar. The cable has a plain & two fancy stitch branches - it's so gorgeous as it marches up the front of an otherwise plain jane sweater!! I think it would be a wonderfully elegant addition to the plain Wallaby!
Soooooo many ideas & so little time . . . . . .

Was looking at the Sock Summit website - I soooooo wish I could go but an elderly cat & finances keep me at home. All I can give is my support, SOB. I suppose I could kill the cat but unless I win the lottery or someone dies & leaves me money, I'm stuck at home anyway. The best I can do is a weekend Retreat this year. And I suppose the money I save by NOT going will buy a lot of sock yarn. Speaking of socks - I'm down to the toe shaping on the socks that I started in January for my mom. I have no idea why these are taking so long - sock block??? All I know is that I will be soooooo glad to have them finished & off my favorite bamboo skewer needles!!! I have some purple yarn on hold at Knitopia that I want to knit up into Summer Socks for ME.

Yes, we have no Socks



There are NO socks on my needles. Empty. I decided I was sick of socks at Christmas time & will knit for ME for a while longer! I've bought a new book of patterns to sample!

I went off to the Fibres West show at the Abbotsford Ag-Rec on Friday to see what new & wonderful items were available. I have to report that I had fun, yakked with a lot of people I only see at Fibre events, shared my Fuji apple with the llamas & generally enjoyed myself. I did not enjoy getting to or leaving the event though!! I used the Google directions to get there & Google has NOT been updated in the last year or two & failed to include the changes to the new Mt Lehman interchange. I ended up miles away from where my directions said I should be - but thanx to Karen & her handy dandy mapbook, I made it to the Show on time! All the usual vendors were there as well as a few that I'd only heard about but never seen in the flesh. I fell in love with Arelia's "PAUA" colorway & had to have a bag of the stuff to play with!!
I have to admit though, I was expecting more Farmers & more small Artisans in the mix. Although it's nice to have all that STUFF all together in one place for my shopping pleasure & I'm pleased to say I took advantage of some of it - I would like to see more of the little guys you never hear about unless they advertise in the Guild newsletter or the local paper. I'd really like to see some of the local fleeces for sale at these events!! Having said that, I slobbered over handpainted rovings in PURPLES & GREYS at Knitopia. I found bags of sock yarns to dye for & looked at every book in every vendor's display. I spent too much money - like I NEED more fibre . . .

Just a little horsetrading


So I broke part of the body of my car during the nasty weather over Christmas & New Year's. Just to add insult to injury , it happened one Wednesday nite, in the dark & driving rain while on the way to knit with the girls. I guess the snow plow lifted a big piece of the blacktop with the snow & left a HUGE pothole that spanned the entire lane of the main road. I hit the thing with an awful bang & discovered the break in the body the next day. I guess someone else had broken it some time ago & had it fixed with Bondo because the bracket is broken at the part that bends. My fall into the pothole broke the repair & left the nose swinging free of the fender. Over time, it just got worse as the plastic nose warped away from the headlights as it bounced in the breeze. So before applying duct tape around the fender, through the wheelwell & under the hood, I decided to consult with the fellas at Lordco to see if there was some industrial strength glue or velcro or something to hold the two peices together. Someone suggested I go to a sheetmetal shop & get a bracket made. Apparently I can get a Z bracket or an L bracket made & then I just screw the ends to opposing parts. A customer suggested I try the Fender Shop just down the road. Apparently they have whole nose replacement peices for a couple of hundred dollars. Well, why not???

So I find the Fender Shop on a little side street a half block long between old broken down houses. I see racks & racks of fenders, hear the noise of someone working but can't find a door into the joint. Lucky for me there's a phone number on the sign & I eventually find a nice man who examines my damage. Car's too old he says so you'll have to find someone to make a bracket but it won't be pretty. Who cares, says I, this is a work vehicle & I don't give a damn what it looks like as long as it's safe, sound & runs properly. Hold on he says, I may have a solution. He comes back with a cordless drill & a handful of screws. He drills two holes in the fender & screws two 4" wood screws through the plastic side nose & into the metal inner fender. There he says, nice & neat, if it comes loose, just put a couple more screws into it. He wouldn't take payment unless I wanted to knit a wild scarf for his 12 year old. Sold, said I & the scarf is already on the needles . . . .

And that's the Moss Stitch Blazer under the wild scarf in progress. I tried to take a picture with it on but I couldn't get enough of it into the picture in the mirror with the flash going off. So You'll just have to believe me when I say I wore it yesterday. And I'll wear it tonite when I go knitting. And I may wear it on Friday when I go to the Fibres West in Abbotsford too.

So as soon as I finish the wild scarf - I'm going to get busy with something in the Purple Marble yarn. I tried swatching the pattern for the red Kimono on the front of the Knit Kimono book & I really like the pattern!! I want this one for summer so I want something warmish but still light & cool. The Marble really produces an open pattern so I'm wondering if it might not be a better option than the Indigo Noragi pattern . . . . decisions, decisions . . . .

And What Happened Yesterday??


Did anyone else notice the weird weather yesterday?? I left home in the drizzly early morning hours to open the shop for my Sunday morning customer only to have it turn to snow. By lunch, I was making the food run in white-out conditions! And then the sun came out around 2:00 to dry it all up. I had coffee in the sunshine around 3:30 only to see the hail falling on either side of the shaft of sunlight. Two hours later, it was half rain & half snow before the big winds came up & blew the rain sideways . . . What a day! Someone mentioned they'd actually seen snow in April as a child back in the 50s but other than that, we're usually enjoying early summer this time of year. I want to plant my patio pots!!!

The Moss Stitch Blazer is done except for sewing the cuffs. The side seams are done, the sleeves are sewed together & it fits. I just decided at the last minute to add ribbed cuffs to the sleeves - I like a snug wrist. I'm so happy to be wearing this sweater. I love the raspberry wool & I have tons of it left to knit another sweater!!
As I said before, I've been eyeballing that purple Marble yarn for the next project while knitting the Moss Stitch Blazer. I really think I'm going to do that Noragi Kimono in the purple. It's fast & loose enough for a summer evening wrap - I like the textured yoke & sleeve detail too. Marble is light & washable so it's perfect to drag along anywhere. Yup, I think it's next.

Gad, with all the production going on around here, I may have to get my sewing machine out too. I've fallen in love with the baseball style tee shirt - I've purchased several over the years, even buying one in BROWN which is not a color I normally wear!!! But it's a rosy brown so I'm getting away with it. I think it would even translate into a knitted sweater if I worked at it. I was thinking just the other day that the Bernat Baby yarn would work nicely. Bernat makes a lavender Baby yarn that's a great color on me. It's a slightly rippled yarn which gives it a nice textured look when swatched, it's light & machine wash/dryable. Perfect for a casual knit tee or baseball shirt!! I know, I know, it's acrylic . . . . but it's light!! Good color!! And cheap!! Great for work!! No dye lot!! All of which makes it perfect to experiment with. Really.

The Mother socks are languishing on my favorite skewer needles. I've lost my sock motivation somewhere. I'm not sure if its the color of the yarn or that I've just run out of steam or what. I'm tired of socks. I'm tired of knitting for other people. I can't even get the motivation going for the blue Frankensocks. Maybe it's the knowledge that those size 13 WWWW's are waiting to be knitted that's sucking my motivation away.

Data Entry Hell

It's THAT time of year again! I love it & I hate it. Oh, I love it because the money actually DOES flow in nicely but I have to work my ass off to get it. I finished 13 tax returns on Friday & managed to walk exactly 877 steps all day according to my pedometer. I didn't have time to walk anywhere except to the tea pot in the kitchen & the throne down the hall. Even the cat was disgusted with me. I'm not counting all the work still in boxes & in piles in my office that I haven't had time to get to yet. One thing about it, I'll have money in my bank account & less to pay on the old plastic card when I'm done . . . . .

I tried on the Moss Stitch Blazer this evening. Both arms are just to the elbow & getting longer by the minute - it's gonna be a tough call as to whether I can wear it to the Fibres West dooooo on Saturday. Hopefully I will but that depends on how much knitting time I get between now & then. Nothing like the seat-of-your-pants planning, eh?? I'm going to really enjoy it when it's done though because I love the color & with this weather, even I deserve a good wool jacket! I woke up to blowing snow this morning with -6 windchill, went to work around noon in blazing sunshine & came home in an icy wind with more falling snow!! We used to have spring & wear shorts this time of year!!!!

Got myself a new job today. A client lost her big dark brown St Bernard suddenly this week. He'd been her constant companion since she came to this country & she's devastated. She managed to save a big bag of hair from all the brushing over the last couple of years & wants me to spin it up & knit her some socks. Sigh . . . . Of course I said yes. I'm thinking I can card Nic's hair with some of Arvik's offerings & maybe throw in some silk or mohair for strength. I told her she might be better off with mitts & a hat or scarf but she wants socks. I'll see how much I get - maybe a small shawl to snuggle up in would fit the bill too. Just because Nic was a pretty special pooch.

Alert!!

The Ex just called to tell me he's been in a house fire. Oh shit! That's the retirement fund! I asked if he was okay & he says it's the house NEXT DOOR that burned down. Oh, the PARTY HOUSE?? I ask. Yup, he says. Apparently it caught fire last nite & set the side of his garage on fire. He slept thru the whole thing until the neighbor across the street came & got him out of bed at 3:00AM. But the PARTY HOUSE is gone. Free at last, Free at last! The neighbors are holding a Street Party as soon as the fire crew leave!

According to the Ex, the Fire Department thinks it's Arson. The Neighbors aren't surprised. The house has been red tagged for years but somehow the oriental Management has put on a roof, vinyl siding, remodeled the interior, turned the power on & rented it out to a succession of druggies & party animals who disrupt the neighborhood in the wee hours. The neighbors raise hell with the city, Hydro cuts off the power & the City red tags the house. The Management rips off the tags & rents it out again to even worse people. The fire has removed the problem & left a nice building lot. No one was sorry to see it go.

The Ex intends to sic his insurance company onto the property owner's insurance company for damages. He was so afraid of that house burning down that he put metal roofing on everything & 8' high metal cladding on the fence between his garage & house next door. The city gave him shit for the metal cladded fence & he refused to take it down. The Fire Department says the metal cladding saved the house & garage.

The sky is blue & the grass is froze


And here we go again!! Not a cloud to be seen in that brilliant blue sky & they say snow is on the way for the weekend - I bloody hope not! I have to work all weekend. All I know is that its cold out there baby & my wool sweater isn't finished yet!

I did manage to add a couple more rows to the Moss Stitch Blazer last nite but that's about it. I planned to go knitting with the Gals at Knitopia but I got sidetracked by two small businesses who both needed payrolls done NOW - all the bosses are going to Vegas for the weekend!! Is there a special on???? And then the Techie boys wanted to have coffee & talk business so I didn't get much done. It IS tax time after all . . . .

I did swatch the pattern for the Indigo Noragi jacket in the Knit Kimono book. I used the purple Marble yarn for it & I'm thinking it's a winner!! Yeah, yeah, I could've taken a better picture but I have several different patterns on the same big swatch so it isn't as clear as it should be!! I just have to work out the numbers - the jacket is 45" wide & I'm a hellova lot wider! Since the construction is pretty basic, I think I shouldn't have much a of a problem. The only thing to remember in this pattern is which direction your stitches are pointing! It first curves to the left & then back to the right over a 12 stitch pattern & it's easy to forget which way you're going if you don't pay attention. I do like the texture though & it's no harder than the double moss stitch. I know, I know - I shouldn't be swatching for anything until the Moss Stitch Blazer is finished but I'm excited to use the purple Marble yarn that's been looking at me since last April when I bought it to knit myself something nice.

I can't believe it's been sitting there for a whole year - but then, last year was a rollercoaster, emotionally & financially! So this year, I'm trying to get things DONE. For me.

Another one of the KNIT KIMONO patterns I really like is the one on the front - the Komon. It's done in an open knit pattern that looks like crochet. The shape is simple so it should be simple to enlarge - I believe its the old 45" wide again.

And I have a really good excuse for planning the next project so soon - I've been watching the Healthy Brain series on Public TV. One of the ways to keep your brain healthy, the good doctor says, is to work on projects that keep it flexible & learning new things. Jigsaw puzzles, card games, lace knitting, logic problems, painting & bird watching for example, all involve healthy brain activities. The brain has to forge new pathways & remain elastic in order to do such things. The fine doctor who's presenting the program says you should always be planning the next project to keep your brain active. So I'm keeping my brain healthy by swatching for the next sweater . . . . . that's my story & I'm sticking to it!!

Knitting Diary . . .

So the snow's gone, the weather hasn't exactly improved & what am I doing with myself??? Well, besides data entry & shuffling paper, I've been knitting. Yup, knitting. The fronts are done, connected at the shoulders to the back & the collar back is sewed together for my Moss Stitch Blazer. I decided it was too much work to sew the sides together & then sew in sleeves so I just picked up stitches around the armhole - quite a few LESS than the pattern calls for I might add - & intend to knit them to the cuff - much easier in my estimation. I'm knitting them flat & will sew the sides all the way from the cuff to the hem in one fell swoop. One of the problems with the Moss Stitch Blazer is that its basically a rectangle with little shaping. The shoulders are too wide - you only cast off 6 stitches for the armhole!!!! & there's too much fabric at the top of the sleeve. So, I was kind of redesigning it as I went along. When I knit the next incarnation, I'll deepen the armholes & narrow the shoulders because I really do like this sweater. And I'll be wearing this one to the Fibres West shopping spree er show.

I've been wondering what to do with all that Briggs & Little Anniversary Twist yarn I bought with the intention of knitting a second Wonderful Wallaby for my former BT. The price was so good that I bought a LOT!! Could this be another case of the Boyfriend Sweater Curse??? Heh, I was only THINKING about it!! LOL Anyway, I bought enough to knit at least one more big adult & maybe a small kid's version as well. And that got me thinking . . . . I love the Wallaby & would really like a hoodie for myself but the design seems only to enhance my broad expanse of Boob & Belly. So maybe the answer is to do a zip hoodie or add some vertical interest. I have to think about it - don't want cables - maybe the answer is to do a seed or moss stitch border up the front . . . .

And then, there's the wonderful variegated purple Marble yarn I bought for myself - it would make a nice Kimono style sweater for the summer - I bought the KNIT KIMONO book & have fallen in love with a couple of the designs.
My Favorite is the Indigo Noragi which is knit in four pieces - a yoke, a lower back & two fronts. The yoke is textured & folds to become the sleeves & the top of the back & front. The fronts & lower back are simple stockinette. I love the simplicity of it's shape.
Another one I love is the Komon which is pictured on the front - this is the reason I bought the book!!! The simple open lace pattern really appeals to me as a summer sweater.
The pattern in the Fan Kimono is wonderful too but I'd have to make the sleeves a lot smaller for it to be functional in my world. Good thing it's knit in one piece so they can easily be adjusted!!
My final favorite is the Water & Sky kimono. It has a more western style to the shape & a lovely variegated or textured yarn such as the Marble might work with this one nicely.
Since I only have to knit socks for a couple of people right now & I'm also committed to children's sweaters for charity, I think this year I'll just knit mostly for me for a change.

What was THAT???


I looked out the workroom window yesterday to SNOW. I couldn't believe my eyes! Huge chunks, the size of coffee cups were falling out of the sky. Now I'd heard there was a snow warning for the mountain passes & HIGHER elevations - read North Shore Mountains - but nothing for us in town. Then it started coming down. And here I was, on the weekend, pruning bushes, pulling dead tops & generally grubbing in the ground & thinking about planting pole beans!!! If the fuchsias survived winter in the box against the house, this last blast will surely do them in since I watered the ferns in the dry dry box . . . .

The Wednesday Nite Nitters called back & forth about the snow & in the end, decided to go Knitting anyway since the snow had stopped, the roads were wet & we just damnwell wanted to knit! Three hours later, we came out to snow covered roads - we didn't realize the snow had continued to fall & the smart people left at 9:00! Yeah, I slid around a corner or two, had a small fright at an intersection when someone else couldn't stop & realized the smart people had stayed home!!! Looking out the window this morning isn't an improvement. While it isn't snowing - YET, the sky is that leaden grey that says "I'm gonna shit all over you" if you venture out. The roads are icy, I have two payrolls to do & I need to head to Langley. I really, really don't want to go out there today.

Still knitting as fast as I can on my Moss Stitch Blazer. Got the second front just about to the armhole decrease. I can see I'll be needing it if this weather keeps up.

I was in the Garn Studio site the other day & they have the Spring & Summer patterns up already. I found a pattern in the Fall collection that I really like though - its Drops 112-28. It's a scoop neck, three quarter sleeve, front button jacket knit in a bulkier yarn - they recommend ICE - which I've never seen! So, the gauge is 11 x 15 to get 4" on 8mm needles. I'll have to swatch it but it may be a candidate for the Marble yarn I already have - see last blog for the swatch. I think the Briggs & Little is too fine as a single & too heavy doubled. But, who knows. If winter hangs around, I may end up with an indian sweater!!

The sky is blue, the grass is riz . . .


The weather has been maaaavelous lately dahhling! The sky is blue, the sun is out . . . I actually got a bit of a GLOW the other day - you can see it when I take off my sunglasses or bracelet! I do believe Spring is on the way. 'Bout time, I say. I guess this is as good a time as any to finish a wool sweater . . . .

My Moss Stitch Blazer is actually coming along nicely. I've finished the first front & will be casting on the second one today sometime. And I may just be wearing this item in the next month or two. Since I still have several pairs of socks to knit & tax season has arrived, I can't devote all my time to it. But, I've discovered once again how much I really do like this sweater/jacket/blazer. I think it's one of the few designs in the old Big Knits books that actually looks great, fits well & is easy to make. There's little shaping but since this sweater is designed to roll softly from neck to hem in the front without fastenings, it doesn't matter. I can see where the armholes could be made higher & narrower for a closer fit too. But, all in all, this one's a keeper.

I've even swatched the double Moss stitch in the Briggs & Little yarn I used for the Carpenter Wonderful Wallaby & the wonderful purple Marble yarn. Who knows, I may get ambitious & knit a couple of these. I think the slightly variegated Marble would make a nice summer sweater.

Still plodding along on socks from the Ugly Yarn basket. Funny how they tend to go slower than the ones in exciting or unknown yarn . . . I've almost finished the second pair for my mom who complains about cold feet. I'm thinking of trying out a pair of toe-up socks for the next pair - oh, just because I'm tired of the same old, same old . . . I was looking thru Knitty & found an article on a Magic Cast-On for Toe-Up Socks by Judy Becker. Looks interesting so I might just try it out. Judy's using this for socks on circs but it should be even easier on 4 DPs!! The Toe-Up sock may be easier for the size 13 ex-husband canal barges I have to cover - at least for the first pair- till I learn how big they actually need to be. It's been many years since I knit him a pair.

And I couldn't help myself. I started playing with the leftover sock yarns I have laying about the place. I need to make Frankensocks in blues. I have a LOT of blue left overs. I have bags, one plastic bin & a brown box with a lid - full of leftovers! And then there's that bag of single balls . . . so I started playing one day. This is actually Navy & there is blue in this yarn, a wide band of it in a slate color at the very top where the needle is. It's a lot more exciting in person of course but I think I'll dig out all the blues, throw them in one big bag & just knit these socks as the balls come out. I can't wait to see how they turn out in the end.

Trying to knit

I woke up the other morning with my left thumb knuckle swollen, hot & "take your breath away" painful. I spent the day soaking it in hot water whenever possible & wishing for more fingerless gloves - with a stiff barrier around the thumb so it wouldn't get touched!!! Do you KNOW how many times a day you NEED that thumb???? I do. So much for my knitting time!

I decided I need a sweater - NOW! So I dug out Arvik & have been knitting like mad to finish it. Got the sleeves almost long enough & then discovered I don't have enough spun yarn to finish the body! How did that happen???? I guess when I made the sweater a little bigger & put the seed stitch border on it, I forgot that seed stitch takes a lot more yarn than a little garter ribbing. sigh . . . And I'm not happy with the sleeve - which you can't see - that's almost half grey & half black. I think I'll frog it back to the grey & use the black in the body where it won't be such a big block of color. Will Arvik ever get finished - yes. In my lifetime?? Dunno. Maybe I'm trying too hard, maybe I should just make the sleeves shorter & JUST GET IT DONE. Maybe it should have some LACE so it needs less yarn.

I don't want to work on Ginny! With Spring coming, it will be too warm to wear!! the Scheepsjwol Luzerne is a winter yarn. So I dug in the basket & found the Moss Stitch Blazer by Dawn French & Sylvie Soudan that I started eons ago in the Fuchsia Dalesman wool from Birkland Brothers. I bought several skeins each time I went to the store or saw them at the Fibre Fest because it was old stock in colors that couldn't be duplicated. And I bought a LOT of skeins! I found a complete back & two pockets but, I'd never finished the rest. Now, my favorite, ratty old sweater is in the same color & pattern but in acrylic. I've loved it for years & still got compliments until it became so ratty I couldn't wear it in public anymore. I still curl up in that sweater when I'm cold at home. The color in this picture is pretty close to the actual color of the yarn for a change too!!! The cat can't have it until I find something else to wear!!!
So, having made the decision, I cast on for the right front. And I'm knitting as fast as I can. I think this will make a wonderful spring sweater until I can get some more shetland spun up to finish the Arvik sweater.

I even swatched the Briggs & Little Anniversary yarn that I bought for the Carpenter Sweater in the Moss stitch pattern. I think I really like it as well. I was going to knit myself one the Wonderful Wallaby sweaters but again, the Wallaby is really a winter sweater - especially in the heavy B&L. But, the Moss Stitch Blazer has an open front & can be worn as a jacket & might be okay for spring & fall wear. Have to think about it some more - I still have a LOT of the B&L in the Anniversary Blue yarn. Maybe I'll actually get a couple of sweaters for myself this year!!

Ta Da . . . .

I got them finished! For some reason my camera hates this sock pattern & refuses to take a picture that doesn't look blurry! I've taken at least 6 pictures of these socks & none of them is terrific! Dunno what the problems is but I'm not taking any more.

I found the nice slatey blue for the toes in the left-overs bag of goodies that will eventually become more Frankensocks. I think it goes rather nicely with the eye watering pattern on these socks. I know you love it Gail, but my camera & I really don't!!

I got 30 pounds of Moose & Bison meat given to me the other day. I had to do a quarterly GST return for a guy who isn't exactly literate but pays me when the work is done. This time he paid me in MEAT. Most of it's steaks so I'm heading out to the Hairdresser to get my permed mop trimmed a litte & I think I'll pay her in Moose steaks . . .

I spoke too soon!!

I got up this AM to more of the white stuff falling from the sky! Unbelievable! And here I was so sure spring was on the way that I pruned back the clematis the other day & found sprouts on it already.
Why did I prune the clematis you ask?? Well, the first year I got it, it had been languishing in a plastic bag in the side yard of an elderly couple's yard for several months & trying to bloom. They decided to plant roses where the glorious clematis once lived but couldn't throw it out. No one had come to get it so it got tossed into my van one day when I left it unlocked in the drive. Their son said of course I'd take it. So I pruned it hard & let it come up again. The first year I had blooms the size of bread plates. The second year they were smaller but more numerous. Last year, they were few, spindly & small. So, I pruned it back hard again this year. Hopefully, they will come back strong & beautiful after I toss in a little well rotted manure to keep them happy.

So besides gardening, what's been going on? Well, not much. Tax season is rapidly approaching so I've been filling cartridges, buying paper & clearing out the stuff still on the desk. I've even had a chance to look at the Lap Top I've repossessed. Once. I may fill it with Audio Books & my music when I learn how to operate Vista. And I started a new pair of socks.

My mother, to whom I talk once a month or so now, said her feet are always cold these days. Well, she is 75 this year . . . I decided I should knit her some socks since everyone else around here except the Ex has them . . . . and knowing she likes the darker hues, I bought some extra balls in the discount bin at Knitopia. One of the colors was mostly white with some rusty orange & a little blue in it. A little strange, I thought, but it's in the SALE bin so what the hell! And this is what I got when I started to knit. Kind of interesting, eh?? The orange is a little weird in the mix of light blue, white & a little hint of blueish purple, but I think she'll like it okay. I'm knitting this on my fav handmade - by me - bamboo skewers, in size 2.5mm. Mom needs a looser fit for her big calves & ankles that swell so I've used 72 stitches & I'll use the Queen Kahuna heel of course. I have a blue stripey pair left over from Christmas done on the same needles which should fit my mother & I'll probably knit one more pair before sending them off. Three pairs should keep her warm for a while & give me time to knit a couple of pairs for the Ex in the next few months. HIS socks will be a challenge.

So I've turned the heels on both of the socks for the "Special Someone" socks. Since I'm not absolutely sure of the size, I'm making them a Ladies Large & they can be thrown into the dryer to shrink them a little if necessary. If there's something good on tv tonite, I'm hoping to have them finished or ready to finish tomorrow. I think they'll get dark blue toes!! It seems that no matter HOW I photograph these socks, they always look a little blurry! Dunno why. Maybe they'll turn out better when I can photograph them OUTSIDE.

Its all gone!

The snow that made the roads so very treacherous Tuesday morning is now just a memory. Well, there's just a tad left on the roof of the shed next door but that's about it. Now that's snow I can deal with . . . the only remains of our nasty White Christmas are piled along roadsides & in parking lots - in most Handicapped stalls - & will probably still be with us till Easter unless we get some really warm weather or a lot of rain. As long as the heater in my car works, I just don't care!

Speaking of my car, I have an Oil Light indicator with an audible DING. It rings constantly since the mechanic put the new thermostat in my car. Now heat is really good when there's ice & snow so I'm not willing to give up the thermostat but that damned DINGER is driving me crazy. If I crank up the Country music, it drowns out the Dinger but you sure can't have a conversation with a passenger. So yesterday, the mechanic made a House Call. Took him an hour & a half to take apart the dash in my car before he admitted he couldn't find the DINGER wire to snip it. Oh he could hear that damned thing but couldn't find the source. Oh, said I, do you want me to find the wiring diagram on the computer for you?? So I looked it up & printed it off. The COMPUTER in the car controls the DINGER. Shit. Took him an hour to put the dash back together & we have two screws left over.

I had a little meltdown the other day when my phone rang to tell me I had a message waiting. Now, my phone doesn't always TELL me right away when I have messages so I wondered who had called - I mean it's not like I can even hear it in the car. Turns out it was the message the BT left me just before Christmas that caused me to give us BOTH a Merry Christmas. Seems I hadn't erased it. It came calling again to boot me in the ass & I lost it.

So with the message, the dinger & the useless housecall, my week isn't shaping up really well. So I went out yesterday afternoon & bought the biggest bottle of Carolans I could find!! And had a nice shot of Irish Creme Liqueur in my tea to make it all better. Sigh, I need a NEW BT . . . .

Here we go again

The weatherman said "flurries"! Well, it wasn't flurries this morning when my ink cartridge ran out & left me with nothing but blank sheets & estimate forms to print. I had no choice in the matter, I had to go out into the snow & get my cartridges filled. The roads were NOT nice so when I slid into the Safeway, I moved my Dentist appointment from later this afternoon to tomorrow afternoon!! The weatherman promised rain by then!! And, by the time I got a few things, learned how to use the Automatic Checkout - Hey, no more line-ups!!! - & got back to my car, the temperature had gone up enough that the roads were all bare & wet!!! In one hour!! Hah!

I don't know what's going on anymore . . . . .


I've finished my new socks! I really like this yarn. It's a little thicker than my usual Confetti or Regia & feels really nice now that it's knitted up. I think I'll enjoy wearing them. Even if they're not my usual style.



And I've turned the heel on the first sock for the 'Someone Special' socks. The other one is in progress as I type & I've been contemplating toe colors. I may make them navy because I don't have any light blue or tan. I think I remember when Gail knitted this up for herself - she was looking all over town for the same tannish, rusty brown for toes for her socks. I think she ended up using the navy in the end too. We'll see how it goes when I get to the toes.

Today was definitely a soup day. I decided while in Safeway that it should be a Corn Chowder day. I found THREE bags of frozen corn in the freezer - yeah, more leftovers from my 'shopping for two' days. So Corn Chowder it is. I found some fresh Chorizo sausage, sometimes I use Mennonite smoked Turkey sausage & sometimes leftover ham. I bought red & yellow potatoes & a couple of yams too. I brown the sausage, throw in some chopped onion, 4 cups of chicken broth if I have it or water if I don't, the spuds & yams in small chunks, fresh ground pepper & let the whole thing simmer for a couple of hours. I put in a couple of cups of milk & enough instant mashed potato flakes to thicken it a little when the spuds are done. Put on the top & let it sit on warm. It goes down very nicely with any kind of crusty bread or even warm pitas & tastes even better the second day. Often I use the same basic recipe for seafood chowder but cook the spuds & yams in chicken broth with smoked fish first & then add the remainder of the cut up fish & prawns to cook in the hot liquid when I let it sit. Cheap, filling & tasty. Warms you up after shoveling snow, raking leaves or walking the pooch. I may even share some of it with my Ex who seems to be always underfoot these days . . . .

What happened???

So where'd the sunshine go?? The fog went with it. We're back to that steel grey sky again - does this mean we'll actually get those snow flurries today???? OMG.

The cat is curled up in a ball on her Christmas blankey with the paw prints on it on her shelf on the window ledge. She twitches & gives out with a moaning sigh every so often. I wonder what cats dream of? Chasing birds?? Mice?? Raccoons? Eating? I know mine chases everything out of the yard & likes eating cheese & chips. She'll take a chunk out of your leg if you don't give her a piece of shrimp chip!! Or she'll sneak a drink out of your glass of milk if you aren't looking . . . .

Boy is she gonna be pissed in April when I head off to the Spring Retreat. I've just found out I can still go & I decided on the fly to just pick up & go!!! With the window open, the toilet open, the big bowl full of crunchies & the litter box freshly cleaned, I think the cat will be okay for three days on her own. Yeah, she howls at nite but the kids upstairs scream, swear, stomp & fight at nite too, so what the hell . . . why should I care? I'm giving myself a birthday present this year. And I may even go to the Fall one too.

Is that Sunshine?

I woke up early this AM to more fog! Grrrrr - but Chinese New Year is almost here so I decided to go for BBQ pork, tea, fresh shrimp chips, noodles & greens!! The fog lifted while I was shopping & I came out to a glorious burst of sunshine!! I just knew that's why I packed my knitting bag with me this morning! Time to go sit & knit at Starbucks for an hour or so! Called Gail & got her to come & join me for some theraputic rays. Yessiree, one glorious, gorgeous day. The kind that makes you get up & yodel!!!
I'm looking forward to shorts, thongs & tees . . . .


So what's in the knitting bag, you ask?? Well, the obvious - socks! Remember the pink & blue ball I bought for myself?? Well, it knits into broad bands of color. I didn't expect this when I bought it but I'm growing fonder of it all the time. The girls keep laughing at me because my favorite tee shirt is broad horizontal lavender, pink & white stripes BUT, I keep reminding them that these socks are just a little girly for me.

I have a second pair on the needles in a color that I'm not so fond of but they're not for me so I guess it doesn't matter. Gail told me she knit herself a pair out of this very color a long time ago - I think this yarn has been aging in a stash for some time . . . I'm knitting these on my 2mm Brittany Birch needles so they work up a little denser than normal. I thought they might be a little warmer that way. And these socks will eventually go to a friend who has never had anyone knit a pair of socks for HER - boy is she gonna be surprised!!!


And then there's all that UGLY yarn. Well, I think it's ugly anyway. But, since it's for a man who doesn't care what color his socks are as long as they fit, well, I guess it doesn't matter. I don't have to wear them. As I said before though, ugly yarn takes longer to knit. There's nothing to look forward to but the end of the sock. I may be crazy but I think size 13 Frankensocks would knit a lot faster than size 13 Ugly socks. But that's just MY opinion.

Ahhhhhhhhhh . . . . . Sock yarn shopping!


I made the run to my local yarn shop on the way to work today to pick up some balls of the "UGLY" sock yarn on sale. Well, it's not really ugly I suppose but it's dark or muted colors - the guys really like most of it - but it sure isn't much to look at. It's the sort of yarn that knits slowly because there's no excitement about it. But, I suppose when you're knitting socks for a size 13 foot as wide as a house, there isn't going to be much excitement. Unless you count the thrill of actually finishing!!
So I blew the budget & bought 22 balls at half price. Why so many??? Well, it takes almost three balls to knit a pair of size 13 canal barge covers. Hey - I gotta pay for the spinning wheel.

On the way home, I stopped & got rid of the last 5 loaves of bread that needed a home. I got a warm welcome, a home brewed Cappuccino, a doggie kiss or two & a nice cuddle in a deeeeeep chair that I needed help to get out of. I love my friends.

What's with all this FOG??

First we get snow, then it rains too much & now it's FOG??? Whatinhell's going on with our weather?? I did NOT have a good time driving home last nite from across town through the dark & fog! One at a time is enough, thanx!!

So I took my Ex out for breakfast this morning. I bought a box of frozen chicken breasts on sale the other nite & couldn't get them in the freezer when I got home. I'd forgotten that I'd picked up 10 loaves of Healthy bread on sale for the BT a while back & intended to stuff them into the freezer of his fridge before he got home. Sort of like all the juice & canned stuff I bought on sale over the last three months which were supposed to go there too . . . . anyway - I had to take out the bread to get the chicken in - you know where MY priorities are!! So I have 8 loaves that need a home. I thought about abandoning them at the nearest shelter but a couple of phone calls later, I found homes for them. My Ex volunteered to adopt a couple of loaves to go with the Hamburger Soup I made - hence the breakfast meeting!
So, while at breakfast he asks me how I'm doing without my 'friend'. I told him I'm doing just fine. He's still doesn't quite believe that we've parted company permanently. And he doesn't want to upset me by badmouthing the guy, dancing on the table or cheering out loud - but I can tell he's thrilled. And, he's up to something. So, he asks about my future plans. Well, I mention that I should finish those last two courses that I haven't been able to afford. And that I want to get that new spinning wheel I've had on Lay-a-way since last spring but haven't been able to afford. And that I'm inquiring about a job in Bella Bella that pays a salary & offers free accommodation & moving expenses. I certainly wouldn't run into the BT in Bella Bella now, would I???
The Ex asks how much the spinning wheel costs. About $800 I say. Which is why it's still on Lay-a-way!!! He offers to pay the balance. Oh, & could he please have some socks too. Holy Crap.