Paper, Paper, Everywhere!!!


So, I've spent the last three days on the computer from early morning to suppertime. Nope, not playing the latest game but doing data entry for a company that digs big holes with big toys. The boys are not good at paperwork so I got them to stuff it in a big box & I got to sort it into years while I watched the Home & Garden channel . . . . . Now I get to throw it on the computer. There are some compensations though - I've been listening to several of Ben Bova's novels. He slams the world into the Greenhouse Cliff - his version of the Greenhouse effect gone into overdrive that causes a sudden catastrophic meltdown of ice caps, a huge rise in sea levels, the drowning of all coastal cities, a total change of weather patterns & a massive shifting of the ocean currents. A whole series of books spin off with the development of the settlements on the Moon, mining of the Asteroids & exploration of the other planets. I like the multiple voices that act out the books too. I suppose if you have to beat on the keyboard all day, every day, you might as well have some good entertainment!! I started out with The Empire Builders & went on to the Asteroid Wars series. I highly recommend these books if you like realistic SciFi.

I have done some knitting in the evenings too. I finished the turquoise Garn Studio socks for the BT's mom!! I like them. This yarn is a little thicker than some of the other yarns I've used but I like the feel of it & made them a little longer than I normally do for her so they'll make good winter socks. She normally prefers short socks but I've convinced her to have so longer ones for those days when its really cold outside.

I decided to knit a couple of pairs of short socks for myself to wear in my sneakers - I have some in cotton but my darned feet get wet!! So, I hauled out a ball of OPAL in wild colors. I figure I'll get a couple pairs out of one ball. Don't you just love those little Teddy Bear stitch markers???? Handcrafted by none other than Karen, our friendly spinner/knitter/quilter. Not quite finished my Opals but I am down to the toe shaping. I'll have these ones off the needles tonite since it's Wednesday Nite Knitting tonite!!

Arvik has been on hold during the heat wave. It's been too hot to have a wool sweater draped across my knees while I knit!! It's bad enough knitting in the heat but to have half a sweater covering you is just too much!!!

So I haven't been too Wordy lately

Keeping up a blog is a pain in the ass sometimes - especially in the summer when the days go by at supersonic speed!! I've been working on Sundays lately, opening the UBrew for the old faithful client who can't bottle any other day . . . . it's okay with me since I work the rest of the day by myself in peace & quiet while I listen to my latest audio book. I've been listening to the Friday Night Knitting Club & have become embroiled in the comings & goings of Walker & Daughter!! A fun listen so far!!

Still knitting on the Arvik sweater although it's big enough so that it's also too hot to work on it! I love the fabric though & will definitely spin more yarn with projects in mind in the future. I'm guilty of producing YARN with no purpose other than to decorate my living room. Baaaaaad Sharon. I've turned the heels on my Garn Studio socks - the Parents Who Have Everything will be pleased when their birthdays arrive next month! The male half is getting shades-of-brown for his birthday while Her Nibs will be getting the turquoise jobs in the photo on the last edition of this blog.

I considered joining the Tour de Fleece but decided not to. I've got enough on my plate this year!! But in it's honor, I've been hauling the Indian Spinner outside in the morning when it's cool to spin for a half hour or so. I'm really enjoying it with my morning tea . . . . I get to see the squirrels running along the fences while the crows dive bomb them! The cat lays in the old chair & mewls at the little birds landing on the steps while I work.

Last nite, the boys who brought me the 150 pound pot of bamboo arrived with hacksaws & box cutter to cut a piece off for the new patio planter one of them bought. I was happy to let them since I wanted a smaller bamboo to stuff into the new pot I bought for it. I got the biggest plastic outdoor pot that Revy had. It was too small. The bamboo had to get a root cut. After an hour of almost constant chopping, cutting & jumping - they took turns!! & I dug out a folding camp shovel that doubled as an adze - the boys finally hacked off a piece big enough to stuff in their planter!! The bamboo was mostly intact but had lost about a third of its roots, 40 pounds of rock & a little dry dust in the middle of the pot. The poor thing had grown around the rocks in its bottom so that they were almost engulfed by wood. All the pounding, jumping & laughter drew it's fair share of curious neighbors to gauck of course. But, it's now snug in it's new pot with mushroom manure & topsoil after soaking in water all nite. I think it looks happier! Anyone want a piece????

That's about it except for all the late tax returns I've been doing. Maybe I'll finally get mine done one of these days.

So it's July already

I'm not sure what I've been doing lately but the time sure has slipped away. I remember my Grandmother talking about how time speeds up as you age. I thought she was nuts at the time! I guess I've joined the nutty generation.

But, I have been knitting. My Ginny sweater in recycled purple yarn is almost finished. I've got a little piece of one sleeve to do. And then I have to figure out what kind of edging I'm going to do - maybe just a couple of rows of single crochet??? I wonder how it would look to edge it in dark plum on a light purple sweater??? Hmmmmm?? Remember, I'm no photographer & the purple is actually darker while the light pink is actually a lavender color!


Arvik - the handspun shetland wool - is down past the armholes & into the body! I'm edging it with seed stitch instead of garter or ribbing - I'm soooooo tired of ribbing!! Isn't it neat the way the natural colors of the fleece make a nice stripey effect??? Not sure if I'll put on pockets yet - they only bag & sag anyway, so maybe it's not a good idea. I intend to finish off the bottom in seed stitch as well as the cuffs too. Or the arm banding. Depends on whether this sweater gets long sleeves or three quarter sleeves. Still haven't decided. This is my very FIRST handspun sweater! The girls sure were mad at me when I frogged it the first time . . . . . I promised to keep this one intact so I have something for Show & Tell at the Fall Retreat!

I couldn't help it but there's another pair of socks on the needles! These are in a Garn Studio yarn that's kind of stiff & scratchy but I'm hoping that's just the sizing they put in it when they spin it. I'm up to the heel shaping at the moment. There are times when you really NEED a smaller project to pack around with you . . .


Got out the Indian Spinner & have been spinning early in the morning when it's cool. I sit outside & spin while watching the squirrels run across the wires & down the fences with peanuts in their mouths. I found a whole Hershey bar buried in my hanging basket of succulents one day! The squirrel got to it off the stairs & kicked out some of the succulents to make room for the candy bar. I'm not sure what that damned squirrel thought it would do with a candy bar, but like a dog with a fresh bone, it buried it. This is certainly the weather to hang freshly washed & dyed skeins outside to dry. I got the itch to dye something but I have to spin the wool first. Mmmmm - now that I think about it, I could dye some of those Brown Sheep mill ends & then spin them . . . . . I wonder how that 'egg' shaped lump would come out????

I'm not much of a Finisher


I've got all these great projects running around in my brain. I've got some great patterns in my ring binder. And I've even got some started . . . . . But I have a problem with finishing. For over 20 years my best friend & I worked on projects together. She could never get anything started without my bright ideas & I could never get anything finished without her. We made a great team. Only problem is - we enabled each other. Like two drunks with one bottle, I started it for her & she finished it for me! Now that I'm on my own, I have no problem coming up with my usual bright ideas, money making schemes & great projects but I never seem to finish anything bigger than a sock.

Like the Moss Stitch Blazer from Dawn French. I spent a couple of years buying up the yarn - I couldn't afford it all at once!! I planned the sweater, I bought the yarn, I dreamed about a RASPBERRY wool blazer. I knit the pattern in raspberry acrylic to make sure I'd like it!! I wore that acrylic sweater long beyond it's natural lifetime. I got compliments wherever I went. And people would stop me & ask where I got it. I loved the color & the pattern even though the acrylic stretched all out of shape over time. I couldn't wait to start it in wool. I finished the back, one front & half of the other & it's been in the bag for at least three years . . . . . .

And then there's the Heartbeat Sweater started a couple of summers ago. In Lavender. I have most of the front knit up - good thing the sleeves & fronts are knit together. This sweater did have a legitimate problem with the pattern. It was a knit-a-long on one of my Internet Groups because it was multi-sized & very attractive. We couldn't wait to get into this one. The pattern wasn't well written for larger sizes though. This created a big problem with the neck & shoulders but a couple of members came up with creative solutions. A lot of members gave up on the pattern but I figure it will work out if I knit the front & back as for a 44 or 46" width & get the additional width in the garter stitch panels at the sides which have no shaping. It IS an attractive sweater & worth fiddling with.

I started the Fly Away Free Jacket from Just One More Row. I bought some varriegated pink microfibre & had to start knitting right away. I have the back, one front & half of the other knit up . . . . . sound familiar?? I was disappointed in this one because I ran out of the yarn I bought for it. I did buy extra but the yarn is discontinued & I may have to take this one apart.

So, I'm working really hard on not starting anything until the Arvik sweater is done. I'm almost down to the armhole where I'll put the sleeve stitches on a holder & work on the body alone. I've put a seed stitch border down the front & will probably do it on the bottom as well as the cuffs. I'd contemplated making 3/4 sleeves & may yet do it - who knows?? I'll wait till the body is done & then worry about the length of the sleeves. I was going to put LadyBug buttons on it but I think they'll be too heavy for this light-weight wool. I probably won't button it up anyway, so why bother.

There are days when I wish I were a size 0 so that the projects would just go faster & be done sooner. I think that's the worst part about projects for larger bodies. They take so long to do! But you know, I suppose even a size 0 has finishing problems.

It's been a Hellova couple of weeks


My doctor changed my blood pressure medication. And gave me samples of allergy medication that wouldn't conflict with the BP meds. Well, the allergy stuff may not conflict with the BP stuff but the package lied about the "non-drowsy" part!! I've been utterly exhausted. I've been able to go back to bed TWO hours after getting up . . . . and sleep soundly for another 3 or 4 hours!! If I don't take the allergy stuff, I cough up a lung - but, in the end, I found something else that lets me breathe without putting me to sleep. Allegra is the winner. What a time I've had!!!

So now that I can stay awake long enough to knit, roll the drums, clash the cymbals, ARVIK is back on the needles!! It's been such a cold spring - what Spring??? - that I decided I had to have some WOOL around me to keep me warm! From the three balls above, I intend to reknit Arvik! Of course, Arvik is a little bigger than this photo at the moment, I think I'm now up to 5 triple increases called Legal Loopholes, invented by Medrith Glover. Legal Loopholes add extra width in the front & back without increasing the sleeve width. This means a raglan sweater for a larger body or bigger bust can be adjusted to add width where it's needed without getting armholes that drop to the waist!!! In the end, Arvik will have seed stitch borders, cuffs & bottom. I'm not sure if I'll put on a seed collar on it or not yet so I just did a few rows of ribbing ,which will be hidden under the collar, if I knit one, to start it off. I'm still planning on using my ladybug buttons on the front but I suspect they'll just be for decoration.

My Danish Working Shawl is DONE!! I even wore it to work last week in the cold warehouse. Worked like a charm. The ends are so long, I didn't even have to put ties on them to tie them in back. I may crochet short ones just to make it easier to untie when I want to take it off. Cozy as it is though, I think I'm still a sweater person in my heart. So, I'm seriously thinking of spinning up some more of this delicious wool - Black Sheep mill ends from The Sheep Shed - dyeing it with my 'Mother Mackenzie's' Dye Kit in Magenta & Cyan & knitting up one of the Kimonos in the "Knitted Kimonos" book that I just had to buy last year. There's some lovely kimono style jackets in there & two that I really want to make. No, Gail, I'm not into long flowing sleeves but the textured kimonos really turn me on, especially the red lacy one on the cover of the book.


And I've finished the Baby Surprise Jacket. As I said before, I wish I'd made one before making this one for someone else. But I finished it & now just have to crochet the trim & sleeves. I thought about knitting up a bonnet to match but the colors are in such long blocks that I'm afraid the bonnet will look silly in only one or two of the colors. But, I'll knit it up anyway just to see what it looks like.

I was considering knitting up the Adult Surprise Jacket for myself but I saw a couple of other options that interest me a little more while still showing off wildly colored leftover yarns. I decided I must have a sweatshirt of some kind to throw into the car for those cool evenings so the Purple Wonderful Wallaby is also still on my list to Things To Do.

Is it ME?? or Is It Chilly Outside???


Just a little greenery to cheer everyone up. No flowers, no pollen, no fruiting bodies, Just green. I couldn't keep anything alive in this coconut fibre lined basket so I planted a hen & chicks with a little Sedum to keep her company a few years ago. Since then, the Sedum has crawled into everything & Mom has repopulated the whole back yard! They never die. You can't over or under water them. They survive flood, snow, hail storm, heat wave & wind storm. This one hangs in her basket under the stairs, beside the door to my basement suite, next to the wind chimes. She's a great place to lay my socks when I shoot them.

I've been coughing up half a lung in the mornings lately - nope, ain't a smoker - I suspect it's probably a combination of allergies, new BP meds, dust mites, mold & the new yarn I've been playing with. I notice my nose runs, I sneeze a lot & wheeze when I'm knitting with the Kauni yarn. It has a lovely blend of colors but it's a little rustic & puts tiny fibres into the air as you work with it. I have the same problem with other "rustic" yarns, linen, hemp, some dyes too, anything over processed or plant based except for cottons. No problems with fleece, silks, minimally processed or smooth yarns. Kind of weird, eh?? Remember Phentex??? My nose seizes up at the memory . . .And Yeah, I was the kid, with hay fever so bad my eyes were almost closed, who insisted on driving the haymow anyway because I loved the smell . . .
So, I've been working on the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket designed by EZ herself. What a neat bit of architecture it is! What a pain in the *#% it's been! Stupid me, I didn't look closely enough at the yarn before I began. It's a little thick & thin in places which doesn't look so good when you're striving for perfection in the wrong needle size! I started off with my 3.75mm Denise needles - just because I love them. Didn't like the overall texture - I had thin spots which I didn't like very much. So I frogged it. And went down a size or two to 3.25mm needles - liked it much better overall. Was almost to the neck shaping & contemplating adding a hood to it when I realized one of my increase rows looked odd. Bloody hell!! I'd moved over a stitch when I did increases on one side so I frogged it back almost halfway . . . . . So, now it's straightened out & I'm carefully making my way back to the neck. Grrrrrrrr . . . . .

And I'm finally on the last ball of handspun for Danish Working Shawl!! Looking forward to the end & finally being able to wear it! I love the color and the texture. I really like the yarn I spun out of the ovoid mill ends from The Sheep Shed. This wool is NOT over processed. It's smooth, silky & just spins itself. After washing, the yarn is springy with a spongey feel that makes you want to wrap yourself up in it like a big hug. I think I'd love a garter stitch jacket in this wool.

And waddayuknow??? Not a sock to be seen. Nothing on the sock needles! Nadda. Zilch. Zip. Not even a baby sock. It must be the end of the world.

Spring has Finally Sprung


My Clematis is trying very hard to make up for lost time. Since the weather's been so cold, it hasn't put on the early spring show of flashy flowers it normally does but as you can see, the big, fat, furry buds are just bursting out all over!! The bud in the middle is an inch & a half long . . . .
Now, if the weather stays warm, it should look like the picture on the left which is from last year!


I've been trying to learn the Twisted German Cast-On. I've watched the movies on YouTube. I've watched several animated examples. Do you think I can do it?? NO! I'm missing something in the translation & my attempt is NOT working. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. And I'm frustrated. I decided I want a stretchier top on my socks - especially those I'm knitting for the BT's dad who's a diabetic. Since his ankles sometimes swell, he needs a little more room - just in case. And I can't figure out how to do this technique!! I suppose I'll have to dig out the Queen's Crazy Heels & Toes book & see if SHE has a stretchier cast-on.

Haven't started any socks this week but I did finish the Gluttony socks - my way. I tried my best to overlap & alternate the colors for a couple of inches so they flowed a little better. I really like the result & I learned about sock yarn that I'd never have used. I think there's just enough left-overs to knit a pair of newborn socks for the Afghan project too. I really enjoyed getting the first Deadly Sins package - I can't wait for the second one which is already in the mail!!!


I offered to knit the Baby Surprise Sweater last week. It's in the Kauni yarn now carried by my LYS, Knitopia, in Langley. The yarn comes in 150 gm balls which are varregated & it's not easy to tell what colors are hidden in the ball!! Since I knit from the centre, I started off with yellow which gradually turned to green - I have no idea what other colors are in there but the outer most color is a rich burnt sienna. I guess the adventure is in the knitting!! LOL The Baby Surprise Sweater is an easy knit as long as you keep track of where you are. I'm knitting this one on 3.75mm or US 5 circs to get the gauge of 6 stitches to the inch. And, I'm using my Denise needles again. I love the Denise needles!! I love the way I can just pop off the end, attach another piece of cable & pop the end back on. My hands appreciate the lightness of them too.

Still working on my Danish Working Shawl. I thought I'd use up ALL the splotchy dyed yarn & make it a bit bigger so I have one ball & a bit left to go. I figure I might as well use all the yarn since I'll never be able to match the dye job again! If I get the time to knit this week, I may even finish it off.
And then, I have plans to finish my Arvik sweater at last. Poor Arvik. It's been pulled apart at least twice but I do believe I've figured out exactly what I want this time. It's still TOP DOWN using the Legal Loopholes shaping for the raglans but I want to curve the front neck around more like a crew neck than drop it straight down from the LL Henley type shaping. I'm too big in the bust for the straight drop & the sweater always works its way to the outside rather than hang with a more closed look. This only emphasizes my already large bust!!
Did I mention that I bought Ladybug buttons for it?? I thought the red bug buttons would look great on the shades-of-grey sweater & aren't they FUN????

BLACK

What is it about BLACK that sucks the cat hair out of the air??
And you don't even have to have a cat. I'm not stupid, I know all about clothes brushes - oh, I've got the one with the sticky tape that you peel off & I've got one with a sticky surface that you rinse off. I've even got a folding sticky brush in the car for all the hair that attacks as you try to get from the house to the car!! Nothing really works. Not in the 'burbs anyway . . . I'm thinking black is the color of the city - I'll bet smog & air conditioning clean the cat hair out of the air so those people can wear it. I suspect the kids who love black sleep all day & go out at nite do it to avoid the hair that sticks to their clothes! And what is the point of this ranting?? I bought three pairs of pants on sale last year that I can't wear because they literally suck cat hair right out of the air! They have hair & I've never had them on!!!!
And people ask me why I wear sweats!!


Knitting content??? Well, I have been busy this week but not too busy to knit. I've made a lot of progress on my Gluttony socks & I'm about to start the toe shaping. I decided if I have to reknit them, I'm gonna do it MY WAY. I didn't bother with a pattern but I did overlap the colors somewhat so there's no demarkation line where one color ends & the next begins - I think they're really pretty!! As I said before, I'd never have bought this handpainted merino before this Seven Deadly S(p)ins group but I like the result. These socks are mine to wear & enjoy!! I've had notification that the second package is on the way already!! I can't wait.


The Danish Working Shawl is well on it's way too. I've started the second big ball - second skein of four - & this shawl could be HUGE if I used all the yarn! If I had it to do again, I think I'd double the yarn & work with slightly larger needles. But, this one should do just what I wanted it to do & keep me warm without getting in the way of anything. I've never wanted or used a shawl before but I think this will be great to snuggle in especially when I'm sitting outside in the evening & just want something light to wrap around my shoulders. One thing about this shawl - it's given me more ideas about things to knit with handspun. I love the sponginess & springiness of handspun! I love it's softness as I knit. I love the fact that I made this yarn & dyed it myself - GAWD, I sound like a commercial for handspun!

And on to other things - I volunteered to make the Baby Surprise Jacket. Now, this is something I've been eye-balling for a while & I wanted to knit one up from odds & ends of sock yarns to see what everyone's been talking about. I understand there's people out there who churn these things out like a factory. And there's even an adult version too. So, like I've got nothing else to do, I volunteered because it gives me permission to knit when I should be working . . . . . . LOL
So, I had to drop all the other projects & start the Jacket last nite. I found some old Scheepsjwool Luzerne - my old fav in wool & acylic - & cast on. The only real thing I found you have to do with this pattern is remember which side you did the decreases on & exactly where they are. It's not that apparent in the first couple of rows!!! Other than that, it's dead simple!! This might be a great project to pack around when I'm off to drink Tea at Starbucks . . . . .

Back to Knitting & Spinning!!


The paperwork pile has diminished somewhat although about a dozen of the perpetually late entries are still to show up & the business stuff has only begun. Hopefully all this work will help me buy a NEW portable wheel!! pant pant I've sent my newer Country Spinner off to be viewed & hopefully purchased, by a newby spinner. It spins anything from silk thread to heavy Cowichan style singles very nicely - it spins much better than the old Mud Valley clone - I would've preferred to use it, BUT, my my old one is too persnicketty to sic on anyone. So, I kept the old one. And I've had it since the early 70s, so we understand each other! And I can still pack it fairly easily to any Spin-In while the other is really hard to get into my little car.

But, I haven't been spinning. I've been knitting! Yes, Gail & Karen, I am actually turning yarn into something useful - well, other than socks. I saw the Danish Working Shawl in the latest issue of Spin off & thought - "That's just what I need!" so, I decided to cast it on the needles that day. I found FOUR balls of my splotch dyed handspun in the end & just started on the second ball - if I use it all, this will be huge. You can really see the color variation here too. Here I've been concerned about having enough yarn to knit up something for myself but with this shawl, I've come to realize that I DON'T need a huge amount. Handspun goes a looooooong way! I noticed that with the Arvik sweater too - when I frogged it, I had three largish balls for the whole sweater. And I knit it with two strands.

Haven't done much on my Gluttony socks other than reknit the ribbing after frogging them as you can see in the picture. But, as I said before, I should've followed my own numbers from the beginning on this one. They won't take much time to reknit, I just wanted to get the shawl going until it's too big to haul around comfortably whereupon it will stay home by the TV & the socks will come visiting with me.

Last nite, my Starbuck's buddies, Steve & Kelly, arrived with a huge pot that someone had abandoned in the park across from their house. Kelly walks his dog - aka, the Dirty Little Dawg - several times a day in the park which is a semi wild gully park with a salmon spawning creek at the bottom. The boys're always hauling crap out of there. Anyway, they arrived with this huge, heavy pot of BAMBOO. Since I'm not much of a photographer, you don't really get the scale of this pot. The guys figure it weighs about 150 pounds & it took two of them to get it into the truck!!! Now I've been saying for a while that I'm going to get several big tubs & plant bamboo in them as a forest on the side of my patio to keep the kids from cutting thru. So, when the boys saw this, they brought it over to my house. It may take an axe to split it up but I figure we should get at least four big tubs planted! Now, if I wasn't planning on moving this summer, I'd get a big box about 8 feet long & 2 feet wide built & plant the bamboo in that!! I love to hear the wind rustling thru bamboo & grasses. I'm such a fern, vine & grass person . . . . .

Ahhhhhhhhhhh . . . . Tax Season


Well, I haven't had much time for anything but paperwork for the last week or so. At a couple of points, I've had two printers going at the same time & was still printing about 10 returns behind what I've actually done!! Tractor feed printers are sloooooooow but cheap to operate. Ink Jets are fast but expensive. What do you do?????


Haven't had much knitting time either, but I did have time to FROG. I thought my Gluttony socks were just a little big - but often socks can look a little big until you get past the heel shaping & actually get to try them on. The pattern for Gluttony had several errors in it so I chose to just knit them simply & let the handpainted yarn show off. They started off with 76 stitches which seemed like an awful lot to me since I normally use 68 for women's socks - well, 69 but I knit the first & last stitches together . . . so 76 seemed like an awful lot. But, I hadn't used this particular yarn before - superwash merino tightly twisted - so I went with the pattern recommendations. I frogged the socks on Wednesday. They were only to the heel shaping & the Wednesday Nite Nitting Gang agreed with me that they just were too big. I've only got the ribbing done at this point but I like them better already. With any luck, I'll get them finished before the next Deadly S(p)in package arrives early in May!!


Remember this?????
Seeing as how I needed something mindless but still wanted to knit on my breaks, I started a Danish Working Shawl - yeah, I know, I know, I'm not the shawl type - but it caught my fancy, it doesn't take much yarn & I wanted something light & warm for work!! My poor printer overheats from printing all day so I have the window in the office wide open to keep it cool . . . & I'm cold! I had those three big, fat skeins of koolaid dyed splotchy yarn that was begging to be used for something . . . . so I cast on for the shawl. It's a fast & easy knit - a couple of yarn over increases on each end as well as in the middle give it it's shape. Other than that, it's simple Garter stitch. I can understand why this shape is so popular in many places in the world - it's fast, it's easy, you can use any type of yarn in any color AND you don't have to measure, shape or even be a good knitter!! And one pattern can be sized up or down to fit anyone. You just keep knitting until it's the right size! This one has strings attached - or ICord - to each end so it can be crossed in front, wrapped around the waist & tied in back. You can tie it on top of the back point or under. Keeps the body warm & the arms free to work. It may just be the perfect office wear.

I've been busy knitting socks again

So, Mother's Day approaches rapidly. My own mother only calls when someone in the family dies so I've adopted & been adopted by the BT's family. That doesn't mean I'm off the list when it comes to remembering all the Important Days though. Especially since I started knitting socks again. They just KNOW they'll get socks on the Important Days. And, well, what DO you buy the Parents Who Have Everything for those events???? Yeah, we all could use a new car or a trip to Tahiti but we're talking about the LITTLE events like Mother's Day - I mean, could YOU afford to buy your Mom a new car?? I thought not. So, we're back to socks.

I truly ENJOY knitting socks. They're fast, fun & easy to take anywhere. I started knitting socks for practical reasons - I've had cold feet most of my life. And now I don't. But, you can get too many socks - you should see my basket!! So I branched out. I'm slowly filling the BT's basket - I think he has a dozen now, his mom must have a dozen by now & his dad is getting there. Once everybody has a drawer full, I may start knitting fingerless gloves!
This is my last pair of Mexiko socks. I got half a bag of Mexiko on sale for a terrific price when the Chocolate Shop in Chilliwack closed. I'm truly sick of Mexiko in this colorway. I think I made a pair in one of the Denim colorways that was really nice but I haven't done anything else but THIS one since. I found the last two balls & these will go to the BT's MOM for Mother's Day. I know she's got a short pair which she really likes so I thought I'd knit her up a longer pair for those cold days when the wind blows up your pants.

And just to make things really good - I've even finished the 'girly' socks for the BT's Dad - his term, not mine - for Father's Day, well in advance of the event!! I bought this Confetti with the BT's Dad in mind because it's much paler than my usual choices. I really liked the softer colors in the ball. His Dad's taste runs to the MANLY colors of black, brown & navy - but, at least he's more adventurous than his son who wouldn't wear anything that wasn't WHITE COTTON until I knit HIM socks!!! I've introduced patterned socks to both of them which are more adventurous than they really like but neither have given them back - his Dad says they're under his pants so what does it matter??? But, I know he'd like some a little plainer. That's why I chose this 'calmer' yarn for him. Well . . . . it's calm to ME!

Now I have time to finish my Gluttony Socks. Remember them?? Well, I'm down to the K1S1 heel & I'm shaping the gusset stitches. There was a pattern included with the Gluttony Socks but after the 4th correction was published, I decided to just knit them in all their colorful glory in my usual simple fashion with the Queen's heel that I so love. I think they're beautiful! And I've already been notified that the next SINful package is being readied for shipping at the beginning of May!! I am soooooo glad I signed up for this - it really is a treat to look forward to!!!

Happy Birthday to ME!


This has been Birthday Week. The BT had his on the 12th & mine is on the 16th. Until I met him, I never bothered much with my birthday - hey, I'm the one who forgot about her own 30th birthday & went off on a caretaker job for a week or so. My friends were really pissed because somebody, in an Instant of Insanity, thought they'd plan a surprise party complete with the requisite male stripper!! And then they couldn't find me . . . . But, I digress - everyone found me THIS week.


The Wednesday Nite Nitting Gang made sure I was coming & brought cake! Thank you Kathy. Gail slipped a little something dyed in Neon Pinks & Chocolate - above - into my knitting bag & Karen blessed me with another lovely set of handmade stitch markers - you can NEVER have too many of those!! Inside each of the black beads is a tiny little pink rose - they're sooooo pretty!

I got some of this very same roving a couple of years ago from Gail for my birthday. I spun it up right away but never made anything out of it since there wasn't enough to really do anything but socks, a hat or scarf. It's much too pretty for socks & I don't really wear hats or scarves so I hung the two skeins up as art! I really liked the colorway & was only recently - like Tuesday when my hands were freezing cold at work AGAIN - that I started thinking about making some fingerless gloves with it when I suddenly got MORE for my birthday!! I think I might actually have enough for a working shawl - especially if I knit it on slightly bigger needles!! Karen recommends a Faroese shawl which is fitted to the shoulders so it won't fall off. And, no, your eyes don't deceive you - there's a little turquoise in one skein - I think it was already ON the bobbin & ended up coming off in the skein when I wasn't looking. I kind of liked it there, so I just left it.

Thursday Nite, I got another big surprise. The BT called me on Wednesday to go out to dinner for my birthday but I said no, it was Nitting Nite!! So he called again on Thursday & we trotted out to dinner. Apparently he got a couple of KEG cards for HIS birthday & thought it only fitting that WE should celebrate together. So, we scarfed down Prime Rib & garlic mashed spuds & washed it all down with beer. We were so stuffed we could barely walk out the door. It was a hellova birthday.

I was surprised


Yesterday was the BT's 50th birthday.
You all know how the usual 50th goes - it turns into a big drunk with morning-after consequences. Well, this one started on Friday nite with the arrival of buddies from out of town - with BEER. He called close to midnite to tell me his place was full of people with sleeping bags & BEER. I called yesterday around suppertime to ask if he was hungry but his local buddies were picking him up to party at the Cloverdale Legion. I've been there on MY birthday & the shooters don't stop coming . . . . . . I did remind him that if he needed a ride home to just call & I'd get him. I've always had this pact with friends & their kids - if they call, I pick em up! At 8:50 the phone rang. He asked me to pick him up. You could tell he'd had a few but he said he was tired of the party, the booze & the drunks & would I please come & get him. I did.
My BT has finally grown up.

How the Time Flies . . .


I've been soooooo busy but not too busy to do a little shopping. I filled up my old van last week & the gas was still pumping after it hit $100. I freaked out, turned it off & got away from there as quickly as I could. I decided the Van Must Go. So I put the word out to all my buddies on Monday that I was in the market for something a little cheaper to feed. And I informed the Guy who wanted my Van that he better make space because I've filled it up for the very last time!! On Wednesday I looked at another Van but a smaller one - mmmmmm. On Thursday I called a bunch of guys on Craigslist. Had my eye on a Jetta or a Toyota. I tended to look at all the ones under $500 . . . . On Friday I went to see this Mazda & bought it on the spot. And dropped off the Van to the Guy - with most of a tank of gas. I should've driven the silly thing for another week or so till the gas was low but I found the Mazda. Oh well . . .



I also did some other shopping - I fell in love with this purple Marble yarn. Yeah, it's acrylic but I wanted acrylic for it's washability. I'm making the Wonderful Wallaby with this Marble -and suddenly everything I'm buying is some shade of purple. Dunno what's going on. Menopause??? While in the store slobbering over the Marble, I spotted this sock yarn in the bin - the dark parts are all deep purple!! Well, gee, it just got up & followed me home!! Honest to Gawd!!


And Gail, I went down to Knitopia before work today & put some money down on that Majacraft spinner I was admiring before I found another reason why I shouldn't. Now that I've got a smaller car, I really DO need a folding wheel!!

Oh I just love Weird Things

I'm not a shopper as a rule - oh, I love the Big home improvement stores & Really Big Plant stores & quite often cruise the aisles of office supply stores but I'm not a Mall Rat. I don't shop as recreation. But, this morning I went to Wal-Mart. I figured if I had to go there, I might just as well have a good look around & see if there was anything else I needed. In the 'craft' department I found Nut Beads. Not sure what I'll use them for but I think the "acorn" type on the left might work well as Toggles. The Rings at the top are extremely light while the big nuts on the right are heavy. I just couldn't leave them behind!


While there, I also found some discontinued items that also looked quite interesting. The stars are plain silver while the rectangles are antique looking. And I splurged on a bag of Ladybug buttons for a sweater. If I ever get the Arvik sweater finished, they'll look great on it's mottled grey.

And I've been working on socks this week - not much time to really do anything else since it's tax season. I've started on the second color in my Gluttony socks & am just starting the gusset increases for the heel. I wound the four skeins into 4 balls so I'm doing the by guess & by golly method of dividing the yarn between the two socks. The yarn is a tightly twisted super wash merino in four colorways. I didn't use the pattern that came with the yarn since it has quite a few errors in it & I didn't really like it anyway. I think the yarn is beautiful enough without a pattern & look forward to wearing these socks when they're done.

At the same time, I've been working on the pale Confetti socks which I'd earmarked for the BT's dad. He wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not when I first started them but decided they weren't quite as 'girly' when I got a couple of inches knitted.

I've decided to move

Yup, it's true. I've definitely decided I have to move. I need the space you see. Every time I want to start a project or decide I NEED to start a project, the stuff I want is in the bin at the bottom of the stack - and there's nowhere to stack the stack so I can get into the bottom bin for the stuff I want.

I need at least a THREE bedroom place or a TWO bedroom one with an enclosed garage. And that ain't here. Oh, I played with the idea of renting the space once occupied by the BT - it comes with an extra bathroom that I don't need but does have a huge room with a big walk-in closet. That would be enough space to spread out all the STASH & it's accoutrements. But it's cold all the time around here - good for stash but bad for ME.
And why do I need THREE bedrooms??? Well, I need one to sleep & hang clothes in. One to fill with stash. And one to use as the Working office. One must work to pay for stash, you know.

So, I have to move.

I want outside laundry tubs to wash wool & a clothesline to hang dyed skeins. And a garden to grow dye plants. A proper compost box & two rain barrels too. Hanging baskets & a big front porch for my rocker. Gawd, Maw Kettle comes to Surrey!! Can you just see it all?? I might even take up macrame again - Holy Seventies Batman!!!

My living room is the stash room at present. I don't have room for anything but one chair because it's taken up with books, spinning wheels, stash bins, baskets of stash & stacking shelves of stash. I know there's even a table in there somewhere but it's covered with stash. The office closet is full of mohair. I think there's still a fleece or two in a bag under my bed. They've probably had twins by now. I'm afraid to look . . .