Knittin as fast as I can!


Those orange socks are now history! And I've got another pair of orange socks on the needles already. I scored another 5 balls from Karen so I can knit the next two pairs with larger feet. I sure hope there's a couple of fellas out there who'll like these for Christmas!! For the more conservative fella, I've dug out some nice greyish Regia. Got a terrific deal on this yarn too - can you say TWO BUCKS A BALL??? I bought it to make socks for my Ex who has terrible feet & feels cold all the time now that he's on that damned heart medication. But he's also developed sensitive feet - can't say if it's side effect or not. I have to knit his socks on my 2mm needles now & it takes forever to knit size 13WWWW socks. And, with some yarns, even turning them inside out sometimes doesn't make them bearable so he's back in machine knit socks & I have all this grey & blue yarn I bought for him . . . oh well, into the Sock Donation Basket with it!! And at this time of year, I have a sock bag everywhere I go.

I finally gave in & brought the Jade Plant & the two Cacti in from under the patio table on Hallowe'en night. I figured if I didn't, they'd freeze out there since we're in the low single digits at night these days. Geeze, that reminds me, the Spider is still out there!! Oooops! But anyway, the Cacti was so grateful to be brought inside that it started setting buds!! One of these is supposed to be a Christmas Cactus & the other, an Easter Cactus!!! And the cuttings I chopped from it's abundant self in the spring are also setting buds & they're still in the jar of water on the window sill!! It has something to do with the periods of darkness. My mother used to tell me that they set buds only when they got 12 hours of darkness. But what about the Easter Cactus?? Oh well, I guess it's just 'Shut up & Enjoy' time.

Kicked in the Ass Again

Woke up on Friday with the second half of this neverending virus. This time it's the headcold part. Felt like a brick building fell on me squeezing all the fluid to pressurize my head. The old eyeballs felt like they were popping out & the lower body just kind of wobbled. Took drugs & went back from whence I came. Slept when I wasn't upright & dazed in front of the Home & Garden channel with a big cup of hot lemonade. Did the same on Saturday. Today I'm wondering if I'll be able to pay the credit card at this rate . . . Bryan, I hate your kid!!!

Even though I was dazed, snuffling & wheezing, I am incapable of sitting in front of the tube without doing something other than zoning out - even when I'm semi-conscious. So I knit. I can't help myself. That orangey brown Kroy was sitting there staring at me. As if I don't have at least 30 balls of Other Sock Yarn laying about & at least one other sock on the needles! But I love the bright & wild stuff. It knits up faster. Yeah, I know it's all in my head but I think it's the excitement of finding out what the colors turn into that makes it go faster. And I wondered if this sock would turn out well. It was dark & muddy in the beginning with the colors blending together but I kept on knitting. Then that bright orange showed up & got in the mix and WOW. This sock doesn't seem to have the clear pattern the pink socks have, the colors tend to blend more but that shot of orange in there reminds me of a Southwestern Sunset. Aren't they grand??!! They'll probably go into my Donation Basket for Loving Spoonful but I sure enjoyed making them. And I wish I had 100 more balls of KROY.

Some Fun on a Gloomy Day in October


The sun was out & the sky was blue all week & part of last weekend so I guess I can't really whine about the change in the weather too much but geeze, Weather Gods, ya didn't give us as much sunshine as we normally get in August & September after that cool summer so the least you could do is throw a few more sunny scraps our way. I mean, what did we DO to deserve all this doom & gloom??? So, in order to brighten up my somewhat gloomy life - that damned virus my little buddy Bryan shared with me is STILL hanging in there - I had to knit something wild & crazy. TA DA


Yes, that's my messy desk in the background. I spend a good part of every day pounding on that keyboard & sorting through all that paper in order to afford my addictions! But, to hell with work at the moment. Aren't those socks glorious?? And FUN? They're made from the 79 cent a ball Patons Kroy that Karen found. Kroy is a little thicker than most sock yarns today so I knit it up on my 2.5mm bamboo skewer needles that I made!! After the first few inches, I wondered if I'd have enough yarn to finish them & compromised by making them a little shorter than my usual winter sock, they're about 4 inches to the start of the heel including the 2 inches of ribbing. So, I guess that makes them officially Ankle Socks. Since I wear pants all winter - fleece lined ones when it gets really chilly!! - they'll be hidden away unless I take my shoes off. When I look at these I wish I had a pair of those see thru plastic boots everyone was buying a few years back to show off their socks.


And how much yarn did I end up using?? You can see I made it through to the toe but THIS is what's left. Not a lot. Not even enough to do a toe in another pair of socks. Good thing I didn't want a regular pair of Winter Socks. I wear an 8 to 9 women's shoe & would need 3 balls of Kroy to make a pair any longer or use my usual 2mm sock needles. But at 79 cents a ball?? Well . . . . who cares! I'm wishing I'd bought a few more balls of this color but when it comes to sock yarn I'm a bit of a slut. I can fall in love with almost anything if there's pink or purple in it!

I'm Gonna Sound Like a Commercial


I am so in LOVE with the new Knitters magazine! I don't think I've seen one in a long time where I've wanted to knit so many things in the issue. Round yoke sweaters seem to have made a comeback this year - either top down as in the Ribbon-o-Round sweater or bottom up as in the Artichoke Twist! I think both of them are Up Sizable - especially the Ribbon-o-Round which you can try on as you go. I think Round yoke sweaters are very forgiving of a few more stitches & quite simple to make. Knitters has put several into the new issue which really excite me. I also love the silk lace Top Down jackets & Harvest Jewels, a Fair Isle inspired sweater!! There's even a sideways knitted Kimono style jacket!! I'm not impressed with the cover sweaters - they look silly to me & a fringed(not sure who would wear that!) skirt but all in all, a great issue!! The best part of all is that the price is the same whether you buy in the US or Canada. Yeah . . . Knitters!! I no longer buy the competition because of the blatant difference in price EVEN WHEN OUR DOLLAR IS AT PAR OR MORE!!

I really want to make the Ribbon-o-Round & the Artichoke Twist. I think someone on Ravelry is organizing or at least talking about a KAL for the Artichoke Twist. I have some Eton in a Robin Egg blue & Navy - I had planned on knitting Jared Flood's Round Neck men's sweater published in Interweave Knitting several years ago for the BT. But I think the Eton would work well for Ribbon-o-Round. Mind you, I have tons of Briggs & Little Anniversary yarn - a worsted two shade barber-pole of blue - too. I could make a true WINTER sweater out of the Artichoke Twist if I knit it up in the B&G!! Or, come to think of it, I have some Fuchsia Dalesman's Wool from New Zealand in the stash . . . Sooooo many patterns & soooooo little time!

Baby It's COLD in Here!!


I love the blue sky & sunny days but geeze, it sure got COLD allova sudden!! And damp. And I've been hacking & wheezing with SOMETHING that doesn't quite make you sick enough to stay in bed but keeps you feeling achey, sneezy, wheezy, congested & sleepy. No ambition at all. And I keep seeking warm places like my car in the sunshine. Definitely WOOL Weather.


In self defense, I cast on another pair of socks. I shared in a Patons Kroy sock yarn windfall. We only had two colorways, but at 79 cents a 50gm ball??? Hey, where do I pay?? Kroy, if you haven't used it, is thicker than the usual sock yarn & it has about 30% less yardage in a 50 gm ball. I haven't used it in some time so I'm not sure if there will be enough in a ball to finish my sock - I'm using 2.5mm needles. If there isn't, it'll be close & I can easily knit the toe out of anything else. These aren't quite as long as my usual winter socks but they're still well above the ankle. They'll fit size 8 - 9 easily - just MY size - and I'll appreciate the nice thick sock when it really gets cold! When I bought the yarn, I was going to make socks for Christmas baskets but I'm keeping these ones because they're my colors!!!

This week it was warm & sunny enough on my patio one afternoon so I hauled out the old Indian Spinner & spent a couple of nice hours spinning up some more of the Brown Sheep mill ends that never seem to end. Every time I think I've spun up the last bit - well - I find another bag with a couple of 'bumps' in it. And that doesn't include all the wool/mohair blend mill ends that came in the same bag about 6 years ago. I have plans for this wool if I ever get the rest of it spun up. I want to dye all the skeins at the same time so they'll WORK together. You know how awkward things look when you have to work in a couple of skeins at the end that aren't quite right??? Well, I AM determined to do all the dyeing at the same time so they'll at least be related enough to work in the same pattern. Still slobbering over Knitted Kimonos & unless I find something so totally wondrous that I have to drop all else to make it, this wool will be a Kimono style sweater.

Has anyone seen the Fall Knitter's?? There's a terrific sweater called Artichoke Twist in there which is knitted from the bottom up, the sleeves are knitted & added to the body & then everything is knitted in one piece to make the yoke. I like sweaters like this because there's minimal sewing & it can be mostly done on a circular needle.

Progress Report


Haven't been doing much since my eyes close when I sit down these days! It's either a virus or the change in the weather - depending on who you talk to. But, I have finished a few touques!!

My little 50 gm balls of sport weight wool knitted up to snug caps that will keep heads warm. I just cast on 100 stitches & knit in K2P2 ribbing until it was almost used up. I did a row of P2 tog, then 2 rows of K2, P1. Then a row of K2tog, P1 & two rows of K1 P1. Finally, a row of K2tog & sewed it into a ring at the top. Simple. Neat. And they fit an adult head.

On the circs - a simple ankle sock. I have one pair in the basket & this one on the needles. If time permits, I'll add a couple more pairs to the Donations. Or maybe some simple mittens from the pattern Karen shared with me. She found a top down FREE pattern that lets you knit mittens to fit any size from any yarn

And the Moving Finger Moves On . . .


Time keeps marching on too! Only last week I put gas in the Beast, checked the glop that used to be oil & made plans to do a little maintenance on the old thing before winter. Since the battery posts were white & I couldn't find the date anywhere, I figured my next paycheque would not only get it some oil & fill up the fluids but replace the battery as well, sigh. But then, it died as I tried to beat the rain home yesterday from work. Thank Gawd for BCAA! And there goes my spare money once again.

Since my finances - such as they are - have been set back by mechanical repairs yet again, I guess my social life will be restricted to hanging out with my knitting needles this winter. Nothing like a little kick in the pocketbook to get you started on the Christmas Donations! So, I cast on for a hat. Just a simple, ribbed hat suitable for either sex when it's cold outside. I found four balls of wool in the donated stash - WOOL - but in four different colors! And about the only thing you can make with one 50 gram ball of Sport weight yarn is wrist warmers, fingerless gloves & a small hat. Don't let the picture fool you, there's 84 stitches on those wooden needles & it will expand to fit an adult head. This was the only set of DPs I had in a size that would work with the yarn - 4mm - so I went with them since I wasn't sure how far the yarn would go. I'm pretty sure this hat will be large enough for an adult head but when I make the next one, I'll use circs instead in a 6 or 8mm to make a bigger, fluffier hat. The ribbing keeps it nice & stretchy & I'm sure there's plenty in each ball to make a good sized hat. And I'll be making it again in Wine, Brown & light Grey. Wooohooo!

Where Does the Time Go??


I finished the latest pair of socks & actually took a photo before they wound up on feet - MINE! Like I don't have at least three pairs of blue socks in the basket . . . but I liked this colorway & saved it for myself a long time ago. Fabel by Garn Studios. I think I like their yarn even better than the old Confetti black & blue speckled yarns that I bought by the dozen for you know who. This time around they're all MINE, MINE, MINE! well, except for the socks I volunteered to knit for the Christmas Hampers . . . Scarves & hats are just so damned boring.

So, I'm trying to knit as many pairs as I can before Christmas. And sew all those squares together for a couple of blankets - Oh, Girls . . . .

Happy Labor Day

I know it's a Stat but I've got work on my desk! Apparently so do a lot of us on this Labor Holiday. I know the Unions fought tooth & nail for the benefits that most of us enjoy when we go to work but those benefits only apply to "employees". And Honey, that ain't me. Oh, I enjoy the 'freedom' of choosing who I labor for, when I go to labor, how much I will labor for & how long I will labor. Sounds great?? Well, not always! Sometimes the Self Employed labor far longer for far less in far weirder circumstances than an Employee could ever imagine. But today, it may not come to that. I suffered in sauna conditions yesterday - even put my bare feet on the warehouse cement floor to cool off because it was so hot. Today I should be in the basement office pounding on the computer but I think I'll sneak off to Starbucks & listen to a book on my new-to-me IPOD. Yes, I've been seduced by the Dark Side.

My Buddy Steve gave me an IPOD MINI for Christmas. It's a little one inch square gizmo that clips onto your collar. I love it. It stops & starts at a touch - great if you're working in an office & need to answer the phone or talk to someone occasionally. Great for music or audio books. UNLESS you get very long books with very long chapters because the gizmo goes back to the beginning of the song, chapter etc when you turn it off or pause it. I spent two whole days listening to the same chapter beginning over & over again. And when it came time to change to a new part of the Book - long books are broken into multiple parts for ease of download - I couldn't tell if I was going forward to a new part of the book, back to the beginning of the last or another piece that had loaded out of sequence . . . that was IT for me! My Creative device packed it in a couple of weeks ago so I'm left with the Mini. Steve took pity on me & gave me his old IPOD. It's a First Gen - not exactly sure what that means other than it was the first - & has a cracked screen. The screen has been cracked for a very long time but he used it anyway until one of his buddies gave HIM a new Fourth Gen IPOD. Tech guys!! But it's mine if I decide to keep it & we think we can even get a new screen. Steve's been trying to get me into IPOD for a couple of years now but I've dug in my heels because I refuse to pay for the NAME. I mean, I can get an Insignia or Creative which will hold exactly the same data & do the same thing for less than half the price!! Will people beat you up on the street for your Insignia?? Not likely. They will for your IPOD.


Meanwhile, back to Socks & Stuff. The blue Garn Studio socks still don't have their heels turned. I've been where I can work on them without enough light to see what I'm doing or been where there's tons of light but too many conversations going on to concentrate on the short rows!

I have been messing with a sample ball of Berroco Geode. It's a mix of mohair, silk & wool in winey colors that morph from a very reddish wine to a deep bluey wine color. I loved it at first feel but apparently it's discontinued so the only thing I could do when I'd finished fondling it was to make some fingerless gloves! One is finished but I'm not liking it much - I have to do something else with the thumb shaping . . .

And - I was cleaning up my kitchen counters - especially the corner with the tea caddies, pasta can & oil bottle - only to find the lone survivor of the last soap making kit I bought. One bottle of mixed Super Moisturizing oils & it's partner, 70 gms of flaked lye! I like to make my own soaps. I started doing so when I got married because he was even more sensitive than me & couldn't use detergent bars at all. I got out the old Reader's Digest 'Back to Basics' book & made my own. I used Gillet's flaked lye & Beef Tallow from Safeway when I first started. But I discovered cheap olive oil, coconut oil etc & began to experiment. Lard is too soft to make good soap & beef tallow is almost impossible to come by. Crisco is no good. The best oils I've found are a combination of olive/coconut/Vitamin E oil & avocado oil. I bought my oils in several different ethnic markets at first. When I found Voyageur Soap & Candle Company, I thought I'd died & gone to soap heaven. Everything can be bought in bulk, in kits or small containers. I like the kits because the mixtures of oils are wonderful, they're premeasured & make FOUR pounds of soap. So, after the History & the Commercial, TaDa 6 new bars!

I like large soaps that still fit comfortably in my hand. I always liked the shape of the Dove bar so I found Bee Hives & LadyBugs which are flat on the bottom & curved to fit your hand. This is a super moisturinzing bar scented with bitter almond. It lather's beautifully even in very hard water like that in Saskatchewan. I'll be letting it air dry for at least a couple of months so that it hardens up & lasts longer. I have three more kits of Coco Butter Soap to make up - gifted to me by someone who 'doesn't have the time' anymore.

Not even a picture to show

I got the call on Tuesday at bedtime! The local fishermen got a two hour opening & there were fish on ice for me. I could pick them up in the morning after they were unloaded & cleaned! Since I had to work on Wednesday, I picked them up on my way home, still packed in shaved ice!! Once I got my hands in the fish, all I could think about was cutting them up, shrink wrapping them & filling up the freezer. I never thought to take a picture until it was all safe in the freezer!! Sockeye are gorgeous fish! Mine were that wonderful, bright orangey-red color under sparkly silvered scales. When cooked, they still retained that rich bright orange color & glorious salmon taste that simple cooking enhances. I simply fried my steaks up on low/medium in my non stick pan & ate them with a squeeze of lime & a romaine salad. The richest person on earth could not've had a better supper!!

The Separated Arrangement

My Ex is talking about ordering Meals on Wheels. He's 73 & hates cooking & shopping. He's really fit but just about killed himself hauling & chopping wood & then spent two days barely able to move last week. There was nothing in the fridge to eat & he got mighty hungry. How hard is it to stock eggs, bread, TV dinners & canned soup?? Even I have a couple of cans of ready-to-eat soup in the cupboard! After laughing out loud, I suggested I might have to move back in. That led to a serious discussion - it might even work, I wouldn't have to pay rent & he would get fed. A simple trade. The thought of that cozy wood stove with a steaming kettle & burbling soup pot in the middle of winter when I usually freeze in my basement - well, it's kind of enticing. And a full size washer/dryer! Room in the garage for my freezer. It's a pretty small house mind you, but most of my fibery stuff already lives in bins so it could easily go outside in the enclosed garage. But I want a big deck or porch on the front of the house where I can sit outside when it's warm & spin. He loves technology but can't make it work. I'm constantly reprogramming his remote & resetting his satellite console & MP3 player. I just don't understand how a man can get an MP3 player stuck on ONE book or loose the MENU option on his remote!! I'm thinking about it. Is my freedom worth about $1000 a month in savings?? Do I want to look after someone full time again?? I could get that damned bill paid off sooner & my credit card back to zero. My buddy Steve said "MOVE" & volunteered himself & our buddy Kelly. He says they'll put up shelves, install the office & have me moved in one afternoon. Quick. The boys at the Motorcycle School said the same. Something to think about, for sure.


Meanwhile, back in Reality, I've cast on yet another pair of socks. These are for the Fall. I found a couple of balls of this Fabel sock yarn in the bin of yarn that I reserve for myself. I love these colors & they get even nicer as I knit. Fabel makes some really yummy colorways - I have it in pinks, plums & now, blues. I think I even have a pink/orange pair!! I bought this yarn at Knitopia when they were in Langley but I haven't had much chance to get down to the White Rock store to see if they still stock it. Pity. Nice yarn, great colors, good yardage!!

Oh, surprise!!! Arvik has reared her soft head once more in a new incarnation. I hope. I've been drooling over a certain sweater for years. I worked out the gauge a couple of times in a couple of yarns but it just wasn't right. The sweater was designed for Noro to show off it's long runs of color which morph into each other. Now, Arvik doesn't have long runs of color but it IS variegated since the fleece ranged in color from very light grey to almost black. It shows distinct banding when knit so I thought it might work. I'll just have to play with it & see if it comes out like I hope.

Was that a 'Senior' Moment??

I work in interesting places sometimes. And I often share spaces!! Did I ever write about the time a guy built me an office in a truck box?? Yup, a truck box! Came with a phone/fax line, computer, heater, desk etc but no window or door. They hung a thick moving blanket at the entrance to keep the heat in. Oh, & the toilet was a Porta Pottie by the side of the road, in the drive - on the far side of the wet & muddy yard! The pump truck had to have access to the Pottie so it had to be on the side of the road . . . Needless to say, I didn't work there long! One of my new shared spaces is a nice ex-basement suite complete with private entrance, dinner sometimes, a window, bathroom & three little pooches. One barks too much, one whines too much & the third is a paper chewer. They bark & whine at the connecting door because their humans are gone all day. So, I just open the door when I arrive & they line up at attention at the desk. We have a routine. I let them in, we go out to the yard, they pee on command. Then they get a treat. We're still working on the barking, whining & chewing.

I stopped yesterday to buy some treats & found I was out of money! Couldn't figure that one out since I'd just put in a big check a couple of days before AND wrote a check to my EX. Oops. Flew to the bank & found I was almost TWO THOUSAND overdrawn! Oh Shit! I'm sure my chin hit the floor! Printed out the activity to find all my stuff had gone through except the deposit. Where the hell was the deposit??!! Had a thought & checked my savings . . . well, to make a long story short, all my deposits had been sitting in the Savings while I wrote checks on the Checking. Total weirdness. I KNOW I put that big one in the checking account . . . . What is it you take for memory???

The Last Pair of Summer Socks


I finished the toes on the latest short socks. I chose the Barn Red because I liked it the best!! They turned out so nice that I've already found them a new home. My little buddy Bryan just loves my socks & has been watching the progress on these ones. I made them a little too big - I guess they really wanted to belong to someone else - & he claimed them! These socks have an inch & a half K2P2 ribbing on 68 sts using 2mm needles & about 6 rounds in stockinette before I started a K1S1 heel with knitted gussets at each side of the flap. I made 13 increases on each side before short rowing the heel itself. I am so glad I learned to knit the gussets as I made the flap instead of picking up stitches on the flap itself!!! I can actually SEE to do it. Oh, I used ONE 50 gm ball of 'Sock it to Me' from Elann. I started one sock from the outside & one from the inside so I could use up every inch of yarn. I think I got to about 6 rows before the toe shaping on a pair of size 10 socks. The toes are Kroy sock yarn - wonderful stuff for heels & toes!!!

Saturday Afternoon in the Swamp


I played hooky this morning. I used the old 'finger in the nostril' trick to get the boys at the Motorcycle School to think I was sick so they would make me stay home today. I work all Saturdays from February to November for them & since there's no students from last week to process, they just don't NEED me there. And I'm tired. I haven't been sleeping well again. Oh I have no problems GOING to sleep but I have problems STAYING there. I NEED afternoon naps! I have work on the desk to do too. And laundry. Socks, underwear & tee shirts up the ying yang & nothing clean to wear!! I've been dragging my sorry ass home around 8:00PM after a full day of non-stop data entry & I don't want to drag that washer over to the sink & hook it up . . . I know, whine, whine, whine . . .

But, I have another pair of socks on the go! I found several single balls but nothing that would go together so I started a pair of socks from the same 50 gm ball. One from the inside & one from the outside. I was curious to see how far the one ball would go to making a pair of short socks. I figured I'd turn both heels easily enough but wasn't sure about how much foot I'd get. I'm actually doing quite well!! I'm almost to the toe which is a nice surprise. Now all I have to do is choose between the brick red & the greyed blue to finish them off. I'm leaning toward the red. It's also Kroy. It's tough & makes great toes that seldom wear out. And I kinda like red toes.

Happy BC Day!

I peeked outside at 5:30am to see sunshine & blue sky! A gorgeous BC Day! Especially for all those who are heading home from a weekend spent "RELAXING". On Friday morning according to the Radio, there was a 2+ hour wait at the Border, all the Ferries were sold out til mid afternoon & the freeway East was a parking lot less than 20 miles out of town. Happy Long Weekend.
For all those who will be crawling home on the freeway in the heat, Happy BC day!
The thought of a lazy afternoon, chicken thighs on the grill, a big cold salad & an icy English Cider in the shade, well, hell, why would I want to wait for hours in a line-up in the sun??
I will spin today. And knit. And find a seat at Starbucks under the umbrella for a change.

Summer, Socks & Leftovers


Apparently it's been Summer in the Lower Mainland this past week but I missed most of it. Oh, I saw some of it coming & going from two jobs but that's about all I've seen. The Office Staff at the Motorcycle School banned the boss as of Tuesday morning. We ordered him out for a week & a half because he & his family need to spend time together. And, far, far away from us!! We need to do some Student cleanup that he doesn't need to stress about!! We have all kinds of Student problems like Assessments, missing Road Rides, missing documents & where we can stuff people to finish off their Course. And, damn it, schedule who's now going to teach/hold down the office for the oversold Day School!! Then I get to go home & work in the home office. Feast or Famine, the curse of the Self-employed.


And then there's my second job. I've been doing data entry for an old client for a few months to get his paperwork caught up & finished by the end of July. Two weeks ago, I found out my thumb drive had failed & I lost all the work done to that point. You don't want to know what I screamed at that point . . . So, I've been putting in non-stop 8+ hour days to get it all back on the computer when I'm not at the Motorcycle School . . . luckily, most of it is organized & has spread sheets attached so there's less Thinking & just plain Donkey work left to do! I also had several new Murders, Thrillers & one SciFi to listen to which makes the days go faster. I've been coming home Blind & Brain Dead to eat cereal & blueberries & fall into bed. By the way, I recommend the 'Island in the Sea of Time' by S.M.Sterling!! A mind boggling listen or read that was so real I know it's a possibility!!

Do I have time to knit?? Well, a little. I've actually finished a second pair of short socks in the Saturn colorway - had to find another ball of yarn for part of the foot & toe. A second pair in some Sock it To Me stripey yarn which left me enough to start another pair but I know I'll be lucky to get the heels turned before I run out of yarn. A blue pair, from several small balls of leftovers I found while looking for something for the Saturn socks, which reminds me of the Mexico colorway in Denim, which are on my feet as I type! I have a pair barely on the needles in some other leftover stripey yarn - probably another Sock it To Me - because I am incapable of sitting in front of the tube without knitting in my hands . . .

My Taro plant now has three leaves & I recognize it. Isn't this called 'Elephant's Ear' if you buy it in the Plant Department???

Another Blast of Summer


It's here!! Summer again for a couple of days . . . I have been up before 5:30 in the morning the past couple of days because it's so bright out there!! I was up & out to Starbucks this AM to meet an old customer for tea at 6:45 - he's the guy who used to bottle his beer at 6:30 on Sunday mornings. Today, we visited for a couple of hours in the sunshine. And then in walked the youngest kid of a friend who died several years ago - he was always one of my favorite kids!!! Always a big grin & too much thick, white blonde hair. I didn't even recognize him. The kid's now bald & grey!!! How time flies when you're having fun!!

Haven't been spinning much but I sure have been knitting up a storm. I've knitted up three pairs of summer socks in the last month or so & another's already on the needles!! One nice thing about summer socks, they're so short I can usually get a whole pair out of one 50gm ball!! The socks in progress in the last post are finished & a new pair - I found an odd ball of the very same stripey yarn in a different colorway - are already on the needles! I believe the yarn is "Sock it to Me" from Elann. And, since the day was so warm, I washed all the summer socks & hung them outside in the sun to dry. I must be losing it though, seems I took two pictures of the same bunch & neither shows the new socks!!

Oh, by the way, the new Super Krill Oil has arrived! I've been taking it for four days now, morning & evening. Haven't noticed any improvement in the joints but I really, really HATE the lemon/lime burps! It's also giving me morning sickness. I've been so nauseated that I had to take Gravol the past two mornings! I read the bottle this afternoon & it appears to contain extract from shellfish shells. I bet that includes crab shell. Crab & I don't get along very well . . .

Just Another Sunday


My little Stinker hasn't been around to knock over the garbage can since I caught him in the act on Monday! My old cat's orange buddy came sneaking through the door though. I guess the two of them were out battling the racoons together for years & he still comes around looking for her occasionally. He used to sit outside the open door & yowl but now he just sits out there. Poor guy.

I actually had the old spinning wheel outside a couple times this week. My thumbs are better so I was able to spin for a half hour or so - don't want to make them too sore since you NEED thumbs to do EVERYTHING!! I remember last year when I tried out that Spin Gym thingie & inflamed them so badly that I couldn't even get dressed for two days. Yes, you NEED thumbs to get into a bra!!! I have been able to knit so I finished off the second pair of summer socks in the 'Saturn' colorway & started a new pair in some yarn that's been laying about for a very long time. After using the thick Regia, this unknown yarn feels thin & splits at the drop of a hat! But, it's very light, colorful & I like it!! That's all it takes to knit socks for moi.

My container garden is doing just fine in this weather. The strawberries are not only producing big, juicy berries but they're sending out runners in all directions as well! Good thing since I was down to THREE plants! I guess I'll be filling up the old Strawberry pot with offshoots this year & should have a huge crop next year. These are Ever Bearing so they produce from early June through to the first frost.

I have my first cukes!! The one cucumber plant that I bought got taken home because it looked so sad & neglected. I originally only wanted another Rosemary plant to add to my big herb tub but that cuke looked bad. I got it for free because we didn't think it would survive. But, survive it did & it is now producing fruit!

And then, the Hen & Chicks have gone nuts. Some of them have grown long stems & are producing flowers! Maybe it's because the pot has become too crowded?? I originally planted one chick that got kicked out of the hanging basket by a bad squirrel burying a Hershey bar. Now where he got that Hershey bar, who knows, but that nasty little rodent tried to bury it in my Succulent hanging basket. I planted one displaced chick in the side of the old strawberry pot. That chick grew into a huge Hen & produced so many babies it took over. One lone strawberry plant remains poking out from between the closely packed chicks.

The Ferns love this damp, warm weather & so do the Spider plants out there. The Taro has actually sprouted!! Which you can see in the top picture. About the only thing that doesn't love this dampness is me. Or rather my joints, that is. I wish that Super Krill Oil would hurry up & get here! Yeah, I fell for a smooth talking Snake Oil dealer who promises results in 5 to 7 days! I'm not paying anything but the $4 shipping. I'll try anything & who knows, it might just work. Its cheaper than moving . . .

The Garbage Can Mystery

For several months now, I've been finding my green garbage can kicked over & the garbage strewn about. One evening, I even heard someone go down the back stairs quietly - my office window is beside the stairs but the blinds were down - AND HEARD the can kicked over!!! But, I didn't get out there fast enough to see the bugger who did it. I spoke to the Landlord & he's been getting his can kicked over too. I told him about someone sneaking down the back stairs the last time but he doesn't think it was his kid. He's blaming the kid next door! Guess we just have to catch him at it . . . Last night was Garbage Night - Pickup is sometime on Tuesday & if you wait till the morning - well, sometimes they come barreling through at 7:00AM when you're in the shower! Haven't had the can kicked over lately so I was surprised to see it on it's side waaaaay under the stairs. Dammit!! I had to get the broom to help me get at it & ran into the can kicker inside the can. Yup - waaaay inside with his head in one of the bags of leftovers! A half-grown Skunk. A real Stinker. He'd figured out how to get that thing on its side & jumped on it so the top would blow off - it's old, plastic, with split sides & the lid snaps on both sides just above the handles. I line it with double garbage bags but I guess he can still smell the goodies inside. He's been feasting on the fruit peels, veggie stalks & chicken bones for months. Then he gets to have a wash & a drink at the big bowl of fresh water I have under the plant stand & ferns for the local critters. And I suspect it was he, who left the stink under the stairs last week - probably met the local raccoons at the water dish. Perhaps it's time to buy a new garbage can with a hooked lid. Removing the water dish is not an option.

I bought a taro root almost two months ago for 18 cents. A lady in the veggie market was seriously checking out all the roots & I asked her what she was going to do with them. She told me Taro makes a wonderful house plant. She wouldn't tell me what it looked like but told me I'd recognize it when it sprouted. Well, it takes a long time to sprout. It needs heat & water, lots of water. It can be grown in moist soil or in a pot in a water garden because it also likes to live IN water. I tucked it into a BLACK pot & put it out in the warmest part of my garden spot on the concrete. I noticed yesterday that it had a sprout. It's been out there baking in the heat & FINALLY sprouted. I can't wait to see what it will become! Meanwhile, the Everbearing Strawberries are throwing out runners everywhere!! I suspect I'll be able to fill the Strawberry Pot with them this year!! And I'll have to check out the damage to the ferns where the Skunkette ran to hide when I disturbed his feast . . .

I've been pounding on the computer for up to 7 hours a day for the last 9 days!! Needless to say, I haven't spun a damned thing. My thumbs are not up to the task at all so I've dropped out of the Tour de Fleece. I can knit, barely, but I can report that both pairs of short socks in the Saturn color way are finished. I DID have to finish the second pair feet & toes with an odd ball of dark grey but they're DONE. Another pair are currently on the needles but only just. If I can get through all this work I've suddenly got, then maybe the old hands will get back in shape again. I've even ordered a trial sample of some Super Krill Oil from Purity Products in the US. They advertise on information & talk radio & made me an offer I couldn't refuse - for the total price of 7 bucks US, they will ship me a 30 day supply - & include the Hair/Nails/Skin product as well - which is guaranteed to make my joints better in 7 days or less or my money back. If I like it, they will ship for free! At this point, I'll try anything but heavy duty drugs!!! I have to make these hands work like this for another 10 years at least!!!

Was that June?

Got up this morning to July. I know it's a holiday because no one in my neighborhood was up at 5:30 AM loading siding, crashing garbage cans or yelling from upper sundeck to lower car parked in the alley. On holiday mornings like this one, all of the above seems to happen about 10:00 instead. As I sit at my desk, I see the walkers are out, the kids are already playing hockey in the alley & someone IS loading aluminum siding on a truck. And I'm sitting in my old tee & shorts, uncombed, unshowered, pounding on the keyboard & listening to Jean Auel's new book, The Painted Caves. I'm finding it hard to get started this morning even though I have HST reports to file for a couple of small businesses before I start on WCB reports. I have to do as much as possible since the Tour de Fleece starts tomorrow & I intend to spend most of Saturday evening & Sunday morning spinning while I watch a weekend marathon on HGTV!!

When rooting through my UFOs I came upon the three balls of yarn I spun from Arvik. Arvik was a little Shetland sheep with a lovely fleece that ranged in color from light grey to almost black. I fell in love with that fleece the first time I saw it advertised on Canspin!! I have three big balls of the medium grey with a hint of brown, a big ball of the darkest yarn & the remains of the lightest grey from two small fleeces. Since Arvik has died of old age, I won't be getting any more fleeces, dammit. This morning I had a great idea. I've already made two attempts to knit a work sweater with this yarn. Instead of using my yet to be spun, wildly colored, Paua for a work shrug, I think I should make it with the Arvik instead. Since I don't have enough of one shade to make the sweater I want - I was thinking about using a lace pattern & larger needles to stretch it - I do have enough to knit a large rectangle to make the simple Lion Brand shrug. I could even use the dark wool to pick up & knit the cuffs I was considering as well. It should be warm, snuggly & the color would work in dusty warehouses a whole lot better than Paua. And it would make a really great car knitting project for the summer!!

Haven't quite finished the second pair of short socks in Regia Saturn although I've turned the heel on the first sock & will turn the second this evening. Summer socks really go very quickly since they're only a couple of inches above the ankle - great for leftovers since half the foot & toe can be in a complimentary or contrasting color! The only part that's really visible is the ankle & ribbing so any other leftovers can be used - great opportunity to make some really wild Frankensocks.