Curves Update
Yesterday, after dithering for a week, talking to friends - dithering some more - checking out the competition & just plain laying about, I decided it was in my own best interest to just give in & sign on for a year with Curves. And, I can hear the bell tolling in my head as I write this . . . I just spent too much time on the Cardiac & Stroke wards last fall with the BT to NOT sign on & get my butt moving. The monthly fee bothered me a whole lot. But I checked out the Rec Centre, which is half the price & knew I wouldn't go with all the 20 somethings in spandex & sweat pants . . . I've tried the Multi-Location spot that has all the frills but no instructors to help unless you pay $80 an hour . . . . the Women only local joint has no air-conditioning in the summer - ouch!! And I don't want to work out with the Testosterone crowd . . a l t h o u g h h h h . . NAAAAAA, I'd be too intimidated even though it sounds like fun . . . So I bit the bullet & signed on with Curves.
Yesterday, I went just after lunch to do the paperwork etc. And met the wackiest woman in the world. Apparently the place is dead from lunch to 3:00 - afternoon nap time, I'm sure of it!! So I decided to wander in when it was quiet. The Whirlwind takes me over, does the paperwork & leads me thru the optional computerized programming. Apparently Curves offers a whole lot more than just the circuit training! I'd been watching members insert these tags into the special equipment attached to the machinery & although they do the same circuit, they do it a little differently. So I made sure I got signed on for THAT too. They also have a walking club & weight loss club - I am NOT signing on for more than I can cope with right now.
So, I'm signed up for the Computerized Circuit. Apparently you have to do at least two weeks on the plain circuit before you can sign up for the computerized plan & I've now done my 30 days for the Study! So we sign on , transfer my sign up info & workout info from the study & it assigns me a TAG. We stuck my little tag into each machine, did three full movements, waited for the beep & did three more. After completing the circuit, we went back to the computer, inserted my tag & IT NOW KNOWS MY NAME & BODY. Sounds ominous, doesn't it??? It sets up a program for me. I have to stay within the Green zone as I work out. If I slow down or hesitate, it flashes YELLOW. It has determined that I have good upper body strength - must be all that knitting!!! - AND I am a lot weaker in my right leg - told ya - it targets my right hip, inner thigh & glut as needing work. It assigns me strength & endurance work on each machine according to my numbers. On some machines I have to do so many reps, on others I just have to go slowly & stay green. After my circuit, I'm to go back to the computer, plug in my tag & call up the information from the workout. The computer will show me a graph of how I worked, if I worked to program & where I exceeded or fell short of my goals.
I went back for another circuit as programmed. The instructor recommended that I only do ONE circuit my first time since I'd already done it once while programming. Well, I said, we'd see how it goes . . . and bit off more than I could chew! That computerized program really put me thru my paces, gang. I was stumbling with exhaustion at the end of that circuit - and YES, I only did ONE more! It pushed me to muscle exhaustion. I actually did smaller movements but more reps. Turns out that I have the strength to do the work but not the endurance. The machine is going to work on the Endurance part of exercise . . . . oh bloody!
And I found out why I've been in such pain & why I injured myself on the 30 day program. I was doing WAY TOO MUCH. I was using too much weight & trying to force my right side to keep up with my left. The Computer has changed my program so I work at the pace my right side can do instead of injuring it trying to keep up with the left. So I'm doing lighter work but for a longer time. I literally went home after that workout & crawled on the couch for a nap. And, nothing hurts today folks. NOTHING!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
More Sunshine
The last couple of days have been cool enough to make my right hip ache enough to make me start swallowing Arthritis strength Aspirin again!! My fingers have been sore but not sore enough to make me stop knitting . . . . . I must admit I'm glad to see the sunshine & blue sky again this morning! Everything has stopped aching as I type - maybe it's due to the HUGE amounts of enteric aspirin in my system????
So, I've been working on Kyler's Kardigan for the Boomer project. Remember it?? Lynne at Knitopia donated the acrylic/wool yarn to anyone who will knit children's hats, scarves or sweaters which are sent to the Canadian troops to distribute to the kids in Afghanistan. The project is named in the honor of "Boomer", a Canadian medic who wrote to his mom about the kids he met on the streets.
Back to Kyler's Kardigan. It's knit from the top down in garter stitch. I made too many increases right in the beginning. This made me grumble but I carried on knitting. After a while I decided I didn't like the shaping. And I didn't like the fact that I'd have to find buttons. And sew them on. So I ripped it all out & went back to the Wallaby pattern. No sewing. No buttons. No garter stitch neither because you can't garter in the round . . . . . sigh. But, what the hell, I DO like the Wallaby pattern!!!!
Crawford's mom has sent me another 40 pound bag of yarn. I'm afraid to look in there. I know if I open the top, something will jump out, grab me by the throat & threaten to come inside the house with me. I have enough crap in the house now. So, it lives in the car! But, I see greens & blues & pinks & Lopi in there. No Buffalo wool but a box of THAT has already made it inside the house! The first bag is all bits & pieces. The second bag is balls & skeins. I hear there's at least 5 more waiting for me . . . . . . I hope a lot of this yarn will end up in Wallabies or afghan squares. Somewhere, anywhere!!! I need help here folks! If anyone wants to knit some 8" afghan squares, I've got the yarn!
I've almost finished my wild pink socks in the Drops Fabel yarn. I've been too busy & too tired to knit much in the last week or so but an evening will finish them off! I've made winter length socks because I just know I'll want to wear them a LOT!! I really must get back to Knitopia & see what other colors have come out in the Fabel. You might have your Lorna's Laces, Malbrigio or Wollmeise yarn but I just love my berry colored Fabel!! And it's a lot more affordable too!
Someday - maybe before the winds blow in October - I'll get back to the sweater I'm knitting for myself out of the Briggs & Little Anniversary blue yarn. It's part way up the yoke, heading for the shoulders at the moment. I cast off for DEEP armholes & will use the EZ short row method in the Tomten jacket to pick up the sleeve stitches & knit the cap. Hopefully it will all work out . . . . . before it gets too cold, that is. I guess I could always make a wallaby.
The last couple of days have been cool enough to make my right hip ache enough to make me start swallowing Arthritis strength Aspirin again!! My fingers have been sore but not sore enough to make me stop knitting . . . . . I must admit I'm glad to see the sunshine & blue sky again this morning! Everything has stopped aching as I type - maybe it's due to the HUGE amounts of enteric aspirin in my system????
So, I've been working on Kyler's Kardigan for the Boomer project. Remember it?? Lynne at Knitopia donated the acrylic/wool yarn to anyone who will knit children's hats, scarves or sweaters which are sent to the Canadian troops to distribute to the kids in Afghanistan. The project is named in the honor of "Boomer", a Canadian medic who wrote to his mom about the kids he met on the streets.
Back to Kyler's Kardigan. It's knit from the top down in garter stitch. I made too many increases right in the beginning. This made me grumble but I carried on knitting. After a while I decided I didn't like the shaping. And I didn't like the fact that I'd have to find buttons. And sew them on. So I ripped it all out & went back to the Wallaby pattern. No sewing. No buttons. No garter stitch neither because you can't garter in the round . . . . . sigh. But, what the hell, I DO like the Wallaby pattern!!!!
Crawford's mom has sent me another 40 pound bag of yarn. I'm afraid to look in there. I know if I open the top, something will jump out, grab me by the throat & threaten to come inside the house with me. I have enough crap in the house now. So, it lives in the car! But, I see greens & blues & pinks & Lopi in there. No Buffalo wool but a box of THAT has already made it inside the house! The first bag is all bits & pieces. The second bag is balls & skeins. I hear there's at least 5 more waiting for me . . . . . . I hope a lot of this yarn will end up in Wallabies or afghan squares. Somewhere, anywhere!!! I need help here folks! If anyone wants to knit some 8" afghan squares, I've got the yarn!
I've almost finished my wild pink socks in the Drops Fabel yarn. I've been too busy & too tired to knit much in the last week or so but an evening will finish them off! I've made winter length socks because I just know I'll want to wear them a LOT!! I really must get back to Knitopia & see what other colors have come out in the Fabel. You might have your Lorna's Laces, Malbrigio or Wollmeise yarn but I just love my berry colored Fabel!! And it's a lot more affordable too!
Someday - maybe before the winds blow in October - I'll get back to the sweater I'm knitting for myself out of the Briggs & Little Anniversary blue yarn. It's part way up the yoke, heading for the shoulders at the moment. I cast off for DEEP armholes & will use the EZ short row method in the Tomten jacket to pick up the sleeve stitches & knit the cap. Hopefully it will all work out . . . . . before it gets too cold, that is. I guess I could always make a wallaby.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Onward & Upward
Feeling a lot better this week although I still want my afternoon nap. I think this is the result of getting up too early . . . . those damned birds start twittering well before the sun comes up in the morning these days! I do love this time of year - my Patio Jungle is busting out all over!! Just thought I'd include a picture of my two aged Christmas cacti, spending the summer under the table on the patio. Both are loaded with buds!!! I think they're enjoying the weather too.
I finally got myself a chip reader today so I can now start taking pictures of the projects I've been working on. I fin
ished the purple socks & the decided to finish the pink ones from the 
Car knitting bag. Both are made with the Drops Fabel yarn which feels distinctly thicker than some other sock yarns so I've made longer 'winter' socks with the yarn. I really like the colors & the way they blend into each other - especially the pink one - so I'll definitely buy more of this yarn in the future. I'm almost looking forward to the cold weather so I have an excuse to wear them! I've decided that I like the pink so much that I may knit myself a pair of fingerless mitts in the same colorway. Have to dig out Knitty's famous Spirogyra mitt pattern . . . . .
My first Wallaby for the Boomer project in the bulky yarn supplied by Knitopia!! This was a lot of fun to knit from the bottom up but I'm working on the next one fro
m the neck down using the Kyler's Kardigan pattern from the same people who gave us the Wonderful Wallaby. Kyler's Kardigan is done in garter stitch with two half pockets. Both are easy to knit in front of the tube while you peruse the Home & Garden channel or watch the Antiques Roadshow.
My Briggs & Little Anniversary yarn jacket is temporarily on hold for the summer. It's waaaaay to big & warm to sit in my lap while I work on it in this weather! I'll save it for the damp days because I intend to wear it later this fall.
The spinner has half a bobbin - we're talking GIANT indian spinner bobbin here - of Brown Sheep mill ends spun up on it. The stuff spins like silk & I love it. Dunno why I don't just order another 15 pound bag of it & just spend the rest of my days slobbering over it as I spin . . . . Soooooo much fibre, sooooo little time . . . .
Feeling a lot better this week although I still want my afternoon nap. I think this is the result of getting up too early . . . . those damned birds start twittering well before the sun comes up in the morning these days! I do love this time of year - my Patio Jungle is busting out all over!! Just thought I'd include a picture of my two aged Christmas cacti, spending the summer under the table on the patio. Both are loaded with buds!!! I think they're enjoying the weather too.
I finally got myself a chip reader today so I can now start taking pictures of the projects I've been working on. I fin
ished the purple socks & the decided to finish the pink ones from the 
Car knitting bag. Both are made with the Drops Fabel yarn which feels distinctly thicker than some other sock yarns so I've made longer 'winter' socks with the yarn. I really like the colors & the way they blend into each other - especially the pink one - so I'll definitely buy more of this yarn in the future. I'm almost looking forward to the cold weather so I have an excuse to wear them! I've decided that I like the pink so much that I may knit myself a pair of fingerless mitts in the same colorway. Have to dig out Knitty's famous Spirogyra mitt pattern . . . . .My first Wallaby for the Boomer project in the bulky yarn supplied by Knitopia!! This was a lot of fun to knit from the bottom up but I'm working on the next one fro
m the neck down using the Kyler's Kardigan pattern from the same people who gave us the Wonderful Wallaby. Kyler's Kardigan is done in garter stitch with two half pockets. Both are easy to knit in front of the tube while you peruse the Home & Garden channel or watch the Antiques Roadshow.My Briggs & Little Anniversary yarn jacket is temporarily on hold for the summer. It's waaaaay to big & warm to sit in my lap while I work on it in this weather! I'll save it for the damp days because I intend to wear it later this fall.
The spinner has half a bobbin - we're talking GIANT indian spinner bobbin here - of Brown Sheep mill ends spun up on it. The stuff spins like silk & I love it. Dunno why I don't just order another 15 pound bag of it & just spend the rest of my days slobbering over it as I spin . . . . Soooooo much fibre, sooooo little time . . . .
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday er, Tuesday Again
Unglued an eyeball on Monday morning at 5:13 & decided I felt like hell & went back to sleep. Woke up a couple hours later with one cat standing on chest squawking. Forced the aforementioned eyeball open to sunshine & hungry cat. Not pleased. Eventually got up, fed the damned cat, drank something & crawled onto the couch. Piled on the blankets, but couldn't get warm. Got up at suppertime & ate something. While contemplating the spinning room & complaining cat, the phone rang. Ignored it & went back to bed. Should've had some Bailey's in that tea . . . . .
Got up this morning but not willingly. Head still spinning but I'm out of milk so I have to go out - eventually. I have the Summer Crud. The cat's pissed off because I've also run out of extra lean hamburger which she's become addicted to. Won't eat cat food anymore, only eats crunchies when starved into it . . . I pay $18 a small bag for that expensive chow!!!!! She took another hunk out of my shin reminding me the bowl's empty but I managed to NOT fall down when I kicked her furry behind . . . . I guess I HAVE to go shopping . . . no milk for my tea & I'm too dizzy for the Bailey's already. Sigh.
I didn't feel too ambitious on the weekend either although I went to work. I got out the old Indian Spinner & some of the Brown Sheep mill ends & spun & spun & spun in the evenings. It's such lovely stuff & I haven't really spun anything again since the Spring Retreat in April. So I got out the old girl & spent a few hours listening to a Murder on my MP3 player & spinning until it got too dark to see. I have about half a bobbin full at the moment & plan to spin up a couple of them for my next dye experiment!! I bought Mother McKenzie's dye kit several years ago & haven't dyed anything!! So I was thinking about it . . . . but first, I'm going to get several BIG skeins spun up. A little spinning here & a little there should do it . . . And I may be home by myself spinning tomorrow instead of knitting socks with the Wednesday Nite Nitters if I don't feel a whole lot better than I am at the moment!
Oh, did I mention I've also done a little more work on socks?? Well, I have. To the toe on one purple sock & to the middle of the foot with the other. I think I need them today! It's cool - too cool today. I wonder if its better to be sick on cold days or warm ones?? Blleetchhhh!
Unglued an eyeball on Monday morning at 5:13 & decided I felt like hell & went back to sleep. Woke up a couple hours later with one cat standing on chest squawking. Forced the aforementioned eyeball open to sunshine & hungry cat. Not pleased. Eventually got up, fed the damned cat, drank something & crawled onto the couch. Piled on the blankets, but couldn't get warm. Got up at suppertime & ate something. While contemplating the spinning room & complaining cat, the phone rang. Ignored it & went back to bed. Should've had some Bailey's in that tea . . . . .
Got up this morning but not willingly. Head still spinning but I'm out of milk so I have to go out - eventually. I have the Summer Crud. The cat's pissed off because I've also run out of extra lean hamburger which she's become addicted to. Won't eat cat food anymore, only eats crunchies when starved into it . . . I pay $18 a small bag for that expensive chow!!!!! She took another hunk out of my shin reminding me the bowl's empty but I managed to NOT fall down when I kicked her furry behind . . . . I guess I HAVE to go shopping . . . no milk for my tea & I'm too dizzy for the Bailey's already. Sigh.
I didn't feel too ambitious on the weekend either although I went to work. I got out the old Indian Spinner & some of the Brown Sheep mill ends & spun & spun & spun in the evenings. It's such lovely stuff & I haven't really spun anything again since the Spring Retreat in April. So I got out the old girl & spent a few hours listening to a Murder on my MP3 player & spinning until it got too dark to see. I have about half a bobbin full at the moment & plan to spin up a couple of them for my next dye experiment!! I bought Mother McKenzie's dye kit several years ago & haven't dyed anything!! So I was thinking about it . . . . but first, I'm going to get several BIG skeins spun up. A little spinning here & a little there should do it . . . And I may be home by myself spinning tomorrow instead of knitting socks with the Wednesday Nite Nitters if I don't feel a whole lot better than I am at the moment!
Oh, did I mention I've also done a little more work on socks?? Well, I have. To the toe on one purple sock & to the middle of the foot with the other. I think I need them today! It's cool - too cool today. I wonder if its better to be sick on cold days or warm ones?? Blleetchhhh!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Sweating to the Oldies
So I've hung in for almost 30 days at Curves for the Avon study. I hope I don't skew the works. It seems I'm pretty damned good at these machines . . . . Gawd help me! I'm sore for the rest of the day & stiff & achy the next as well until it's time to go back for more . . . but, I'm meeting my daily totals for exercise, steps & calories so I KNOW it's a good thing although I could use some of that estrogen I used to have to recover more quickly.
Since it's been hot, I've been getting up VERY early & going to Curves just before 7AM when it's cool. I'm sleeping better these days & although I'm sweating bullets, I feel a lot better. Maybe I'll just surprise myself & keep on going.
I finished my first Wonderful Wallaby for the Boomer project & have gone onto the Kyler's Kardigan from the same author. It's knit from the neck down & I have to report that I got a little enthusiastic & made too many increases on the yoke. I refuse to pull it all out so I'm doing just a top-down cardi in garter stitch. Oh, I'll put a hood on it & trim the edges in a nice contrasting color so it'll work out in the end. One thing about knitting, you can adapt it! The next one will be done the right way! Still no pictures of the projects because I have no reader for my flash chip but I'm going shopping later this week & will download them all. A blog is just not the same without pictures!!!
Not much happening on the sock scene although my knitting buddy Karen & talked about having our own Sock Summit for those of us who couldn't go to Portland. The Yarn Stinkers - oops, Floozies are driving down together & managed to get registered for classes on line! Gail, Karen & I tossed around the idea for a brief shining moment but soon realized it was just not on the schedule. So Karen thought we could have one in her back yard. We thought about having a knit-a-long in a luxury yarn or lace pattern or a new sock design. We COULD rent a Retreat space for a couple of days but the idea of a lazy day in the shade with munchies is really appealing. I mean, the money spent on a Retreat could be better spent on a book & some outrageous yarn instead, don't you think . . .
Meanwhile, I have two pairs of socks in the project bag - I turned all the heels & got no further. Maybe Boomer sweaters took over? Or maybe it was just too hot to knit . . . .
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Just another Monday - er - Tuesday
Just back from my fourth, yes fourth, workout at Curves in 8 days. It's bloody awful being part of a study - you can't just decide that you WON'T go today because you screw up the works & stand out like a sore thumb! Today I woke up achy & stiff. At 4:38! Although I tried to go back to sleep, turned over, turned on a tape, plumped the pillows, fed the cat to stop her squawking & visited the biff . . . nothing worked. So, I got up in disgust, had a tea, got dressed & went to exercise. The dreaded E word. In my estimation, worse than the F word! Not a great way to start the morning but at least I started it. Even my fingers ached. Made it thru the circuit in record time - how the heck did I do a 30 minute circuit in 23 minutes??? And went for a grilled chicken sandwich & morning paper to recover. If anything, I'm even a bit sorer now, two hours later, if that's possible. Must be the damp in this part of the world. And the muscles I'd forgotten I had.
I tried my best on the weekend to get my chip reader to work again. I couldn't download any of the pictures I've taken of the goodies in progress - what a pain! I've turned the heels on the purple Fabel socks & am on the heel shaping with the pink car socks, also in Fabel. I've attached the pouch to my first kids' Wallaby - the sweater is in Navy while the pouch is in a stripey blue & white!! The B&L sweater is resting at the moment due to my sore hands - it's become so heavy that I'm in real pain when I try to work on it with sore hands. When the weather dries up, I'll knit like mad again. In the meantime, smaller, lighter projects are in the works! Oh, & on Sunday, I got the first bag of donated yarn from my customer's mom. I haven't unloaded it from the car yet since I have to buy another storage bin just to hold it. I hear there's several more on the way . . . .
The Great Orange Huntress is reclining on her window perch. Mice & birds are safe for the moment & I haven't found any more "offerings" under my favorite chair. The window is open wide & her nose is pointed in the direction of the incoming wind. A cheeky squirrel tried to sneak a peek the other day & TGOH sprang up out of a dead sleep & just about took out the sliding window on her way to nail the invader. I'm not sure who bounced the highest but it sure was a hilarious sight to see. I remember the days when she was just learning to stalk birds about 4 years ago. The crows would totally ignore her till she was about a foot away & then lazily drift into the air with seconds to spare - she was 23 pounds of indoor housecat. Now she's a sleek 7 pounds of fangs & claws - they don't wait when they see her coming . . . .
Just back from my fourth, yes fourth, workout at Curves in 8 days. It's bloody awful being part of a study - you can't just decide that you WON'T go today because you screw up the works & stand out like a sore thumb! Today I woke up achy & stiff. At 4:38! Although I tried to go back to sleep, turned over, turned on a tape, plumped the pillows, fed the cat to stop her squawking & visited the biff . . . nothing worked. So, I got up in disgust, had a tea, got dressed & went to exercise. The dreaded E word. In my estimation, worse than the F word! Not a great way to start the morning but at least I started it. Even my fingers ached. Made it thru the circuit in record time - how the heck did I do a 30 minute circuit in 23 minutes??? And went for a grilled chicken sandwich & morning paper to recover. If anything, I'm even a bit sorer now, two hours later, if that's possible. Must be the damp in this part of the world. And the muscles I'd forgotten I had.
I tried my best on the weekend to get my chip reader to work again. I couldn't download any of the pictures I've taken of the goodies in progress - what a pain! I've turned the heels on the purple Fabel socks & am on the heel shaping with the pink car socks, also in Fabel. I've attached the pouch to my first kids' Wallaby - the sweater is in Navy while the pouch is in a stripey blue & white!! The B&L sweater is resting at the moment due to my sore hands - it's become so heavy that I'm in real pain when I try to work on it with sore hands. When the weather dries up, I'll knit like mad again. In the meantime, smaller, lighter projects are in the works! Oh, & on Sunday, I got the first bag of donated yarn from my customer's mom. I haven't unloaded it from the car yet since I have to buy another storage bin just to hold it. I hear there's several more on the way . . . .
The Great Orange Huntress is reclining on her window perch. Mice & birds are safe for the moment & I haven't found any more "offerings" under my favorite chair. The window is open wide & her nose is pointed in the direction of the incoming wind. A cheeky squirrel tried to sneak a peek the other day & TGOH sprang up out of a dead sleep & just about took out the sliding window on her way to nail the invader. I'm not sure who bounced the highest but it sure was a hilarious sight to see. I remember the days when she was just learning to stalk birds about 4 years ago. The crows would totally ignore her till she was about a foot away & then lazily drift into the air with seconds to spare - she was 23 pounds of indoor housecat. Now she's a sleek 7 pounds of fangs & claws - they don't wait when they see her coming . . . .
Monday, May 18, 2009
Oh what a busy life this is . . .
So, lately I've been busier than I was during the height of tax season in April!! Why, you ask?? Well, it seems I tend to bite off big chunks of Life & then contemplate the wisdom of taking such a big mouthful later . . .
I took up the Sock needles with a vengeance again. Not only did I cast-on for one pair but now I've got THREE on the go & have finished two more pairs of Frankensocks as well in the last month. On the right, the Car Socks in progress in Fabel pinks are very yummy!! Below are the Fabel blue & purple socks in the bag beside my chair!! I have to confess I have yet another purple Fabel variant in the car bag - sometimes you just need to knit & can't do the
heel shaping with the rubber bands because the light isn't good enough or there isn't time or room enough. I've really come to love the Fabel Superwash colors as well as the feel of the finished socks - I highly recommend it !!
I'm still pluggin away on my sweater in Briggs & Little Heritage in Anniversary Blue - winter weight worsted for those who don't know - and I've almost finished it to the shoulders. I intend to pickup the sleeve stitches & knit the sleeves to the cuff - Oh how I hate sewing sweaters together!!! And I haven't yet decided if I'll knit a hood or design a big collar as I go.
I've hauled another big bag of yarn home from Knitopia to knit kids' sweaters for the Boomer Project - yes, one is on the needles as I type. I've really enjoyed both the Tomten & the BSJ in this yarn but the next sweater or two will be Wallabies!!! I even found STRIPEY yarn this time.
And Arvik?? Well, I sent an email to her owner to ask for this year's fleece only to find that Arvik has gone to the great Pasture in the sky. She left behind daughters & granddaughters but none with her coloring. DRAT! I did buy a couple of fleeces so I have to hunt for the bin with the leftovers in it. I tried to exclude the darkest or lightest parts of the fleece but I have no idea what's actually left. I'm sure there's enough for TWO sweaters but I wanted the grey parts rather than the brown parts that existed in the same fleece. A summer project, I guess, since the sweater is three-quarters finished in a plain stockinet & I sure don't want to rip it out again!! Although . . . . . I could rip it back to the yoke & add a simple lace pattern to the body to stretch the yarn a little to finish it . . . . mmmm?
So, lately I've been busier than I was during the height of tax season in April!! Why, you ask?? Well, it seems I tend to bite off big chunks of Life & then contemplate the wisdom of taking such a big mouthful later . . .
I took up the Sock needles with a vengeance again. Not only did I cast-on for one pair but now I've got THREE on the go & have finished two more pairs of Frankensocks as well in the last month. On the right, the Car Socks in progress in Fabel pinks are very yummy!! Below are the Fabel blue & purple socks in the bag beside my chair!! I have to confess I have yet another purple Fabel variant in the car bag - sometimes you just need to knit & can't do the
heel shaping with the rubber bands because the light isn't good enough or there isn't time or room enough. I've really come to love the Fabel Superwash colors as well as the feel of the finished socks - I highly recommend it !!I'm still pluggin away on my sweater in Briggs & Little Heritage in Anniversary Blue - winter weight worsted for those who don't know - and I've almost finished it to the shoulders. I intend to pickup the sleeve stitches & knit the sleeves to the cuff - Oh how I hate sewing sweaters together!!! And I haven't yet decided if I'll knit a hood or design a big collar as I go.
I've hauled another big bag of yarn home from Knitopia to knit kids' sweaters for the Boomer Project - yes, one is on the needles as I type. I've really enjoyed both the Tomten & the BSJ in this yarn but the next sweater or two will be Wallabies!!! I even found STRIPEY yarn this time.
And Arvik?? Well, I sent an email to her owner to ask for this year's fleece only to find that Arvik has gone to the great Pasture in the sky. She left behind daughters & granddaughters but none with her coloring. DRAT! I did buy a couple of fleeces so I have to hunt for the bin with the leftovers in it. I tried to exclude the darkest or lightest parts of the fleece but I have no idea what's actually left. I'm sure there's enough for TWO sweaters but I wanted the grey parts rather than the brown parts that existed in the same fleece. A summer project, I guess, since the sweater is three-quarters finished in a plain stockinet & I sure don't want to rip it out again!! Although . . . . . I could rip it back to the yoke & add a simple lace pattern to the body to stretch the yarn a little to finish it . . . . mmmm?
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
A Normal Life
Other than a couple of late nite phone calls from "Private", my life is almost back to "Normal" again. I admit I slept for a couple of days after the 'Season' ended - it's not really over but the deadline doesn't hang like a lump over my head anymore! I think I have almost as many tax return TO DOs in the pile AFTER the deadline as I did in the week BEFORE. But, to heck with that. Today was a NORMAL day. I slept till 6:30. I went out for brekkie with my Ex. And I didn't even turn on the computer . . . . till now. I swear I hear my blood pressure falling.
So, I had a little problem with the E brake on the car. I don't have one anymore. It locked up when a friend applied it & we had to cut the cable to use the car. I've heard it's a very expensive item laborwise to replace. I was sweating blood because I have to go thru Air Care - I won't go into how useless that organization is - by June 12 & I need an Emergency brake in order to be tested or I can't get insurance . . . . To my utter surprise - hey, good things come to good people sometimes - I got the letter that says, "Air Care not necessary" I did the Happy Dance. And what will I do with the money I've saved??? I guess it will get deposited to cover the Overdraft that has to be paid IMMEDIATELY according to a second letter in the same mail delivery! It was soooo good while it lasted.
My Blue Frankensocks went to a new home the other day. I offered them up as a 40th birthday sacrifice. A bad husband, yeah a friend of mine, one day away fro
m his wife's 40th, still hadn't figured out what to get her. I pulled them out of the bag to dig something else out & he admired them. He asked what I'd charge for them & told me his wife would love them twice before I clued in. Hey, I never said I was the brightest bulb in the array! I told him I'd donate them to the cause. She's an artist so we both knew she'd love them . . . AND I immediately cast on another pair. This time they may actually get to the person they were intended for! I do have plenty of leftovers to work with so nothing much will change in the color department, that's for sure.And speaking of socks - a client has two pairs of hand-knit, wool socks that an old aunty knit for him half a century ago. He wears them as bed socks or when he's sick & his feet are cold. The feet are practically gone, they're stretched out to fit an elephant & I'm sure he only wears them for security. Anyhoo - he gives me a pair & asks if I can fix them. Fix them??? There's nothing left to fix. So I cut off the feet, picked up the stitches & knit a giant foot in aran wool - heh, I have nothing else that will have any durability & be close to the creme color of the existing "sock". I have to deliver them tomorrow & I hope he likes them. I'll have to take a picture for posterity!!!
I have anot
her pair on the needles in my Car Bag - I'm thinking these will be short summer socks, if we get more summer!!! The yarn is the DROPS Fabel superwash in shades of pink, purple, oatmeal & some green. So far, I really like the color & pattern & I think they'll knit up really fast. I've got several balls of the Fabel in my personal collection of yarns - mostly in pinks & purples. Must be a phase I'm going thru!!! And then, really & truly, I have to knit the Ex a pair of 13WWWWWs because I promised . . . . .Saturday, May 02, 2009
It's Over
I always feel just a little let down when it's all over. The tax season, I mean. All that stress and then it's just . . . OVER. Oh, I swore I wouldn't but I made One Last Trip to the BOX just before Midnite on April 30 - I figured most of the last minute idiots would be gone by then. They were but the Traffic Control folks were still there directing them through the maze to the BOX. Got the last 6 returns to the box in time. And then slept most of the following day. I probably have just as many to do in the stack at home but they'll get filed as & when I get to them. Can you believe I met with a couple the following morning to pick up more to do?? Yup. I did.
So I have to report I haven't accomplished much in the way of knitting or spinning this week. I did go for coffee most evenings for an hour or two with the Techie boys & managed to add a few rows to my B&L sweater. I also got to enjoy the floorshow as a Shoplifter got nabbed by a customer leaving the store with 8 pounds of coffee in her big bag. She turned out to be a slippery "customer" & the Techie boys stood guard on the door till the police came for her. Apparently she's well known in the area.
I am now to the armhole of my sweater - 22.5 inches from the hem to the armhole - & I've decided to just carry on as before with the garter trim around the armhole & up the front. I cast off 15 stitches on each side for a deep armhole & will pick up & short row the sleeve cap later. I've carried the garter band up the armhole to make picking up stitches easier & to give it a little more pizazz. I liked the way that Elizabeth Zimmerman did the sleeve on her Tomten jacket - there was no excess fabric under the arm after the short-rowed sleeve was finished so I decided to snitch it for mine. So far, so good. Haven't decided on a hood or not but I've got plenty of time.
When I get the time to buy another chip reader, I'll post pictures of my progress. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait!!
I always feel just a little let down when it's all over. The tax season, I mean. All that stress and then it's just . . . OVER. Oh, I swore I wouldn't but I made One Last Trip to the BOX just before Midnite on April 30 - I figured most of the last minute idiots would be gone by then. They were but the Traffic Control folks were still there directing them through the maze to the BOX. Got the last 6 returns to the box in time. And then slept most of the following day. I probably have just as many to do in the stack at home but they'll get filed as & when I get to them. Can you believe I met with a couple the following morning to pick up more to do?? Yup. I did.
So I have to report I haven't accomplished much in the way of knitting or spinning this week. I did go for coffee most evenings for an hour or two with the Techie boys & managed to add a few rows to my B&L sweater. I also got to enjoy the floorshow as a Shoplifter got nabbed by a customer leaving the store with 8 pounds of coffee in her big bag. She turned out to be a slippery "customer" & the Techie boys stood guard on the door till the police came for her. Apparently she's well known in the area.
I am now to the armhole of my sweater - 22.5 inches from the hem to the armhole - & I've decided to just carry on as before with the garter trim around the armhole & up the front. I cast off 15 stitches on each side for a deep armhole & will pick up & short row the sleeve cap later. I've carried the garter band up the armhole to make picking up stitches easier & to give it a little more pizazz. I liked the way that Elizabeth Zimmerman did the sleeve on her Tomten jacket - there was no excess fabric under the arm after the short-rowed sleeve was finished so I decided to snitch it for mine. So far, so good. Haven't decided on a hood or not but I've got plenty of time.
When I get the time to buy another chip reader, I'll post pictures of my progress. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wheeeeeeze . . . 
Yeah, it's tax return HELL around here. Season of blooming trees & paper dust. Just call me Sneezy, Snuffly or Hack. And knitting with Briggs & Little yarn doesn't help, neither!! Oh, yeah, I've come to love the Heritage yarn I'm using - the Anniversary Blue is really nice & seems to look great on just about everyone - but it puts fibres into the air as you knit!!! And it's dusty too. I never realized that before, but if you sit in a ray of sunshine & knit with it, you'd be shocked at the STUFF you send into the air! Another good reason to spin your own yarn, I guess. But who really has the time to spin everything you want to knit??? Not me. Not in this life unless I win the Lotto or get back 30 years . . . .
So, I'm working on a nice plain cardigan in stockinet with garter borders, from the bottom up in one piece, to the armholes. In the B&L. I haven't decided whether it will get a hood or just a big collar yet but there's lots of time for that. In case you haven't noticed, the evenings are still COLD! And I had FROST on my car Sunday morning! The frost w
on't be around once this sweater is done but I'm knitting it anyway! The goal is to have a Just Hanging Around sweater that can be thrown on to go for coffee or to pick up a plant. Since I drive, I want something warm but flexible. This is the last picture I took for the record. I really need a project to take with me when the Techie Boys haul me out for coffee most evenings. So, this morning when I laid the Sweater-in-Progress on the couch to take it's picture for posterity - I'm about 2/3 of the way to the armholes - the nasty orange cat pounced on the nice new bed & got there before I even snapped the pic!! Yes, I have one of the sweater with the orange blur as she pounced!!! And now it looks like my chip reader has died & I have transferred my last picture for now. Drat.
I finished th
e blue Frankensocks. I do swear that wild socks knit faster!! And Frankensocks knit up the fastest of all. I think it has something to do with the whole adventure. I made these ones long socks instead of the usual short summer socks. I think I was just having too much fun designing them as I went. Hopefully, the recipient-to-be will not be too anal to wear them since they ARE related but are a little more like cousins than brothers although they are mostly blue as requested. Lucky for me, I took this picture yesterday when the chip reader felt like transfering the picture!!
Arvik is really on the needles. But, you can't just pick up a couple extra balls of
yarn at the local shop when you're spinning your own! I have to dig out the fleeces, spin up several ounces, skein it, wash it & only then can I knit up the balance of the sweater. But, I will finish it this summer when It gets warm enough outside to dry the skeins & the paperwork is mostly gone. Right now, I just want dumb knitting. As of this report, Arvik has both sleeves finished to just above the cuff & the body is almost long enough . . . I'm still contemplating using those neat Ladybug buttons I got at Walmart last year too.
Yeah, it's tax return HELL around here. Season of blooming trees & paper dust. Just call me Sneezy, Snuffly or Hack. And knitting with Briggs & Little yarn doesn't help, neither!! Oh, yeah, I've come to love the Heritage yarn I'm using - the Anniversary Blue is really nice & seems to look great on just about everyone - but it puts fibres into the air as you knit!!! And it's dusty too. I never realized that before, but if you sit in a ray of sunshine & knit with it, you'd be shocked at the STUFF you send into the air! Another good reason to spin your own yarn, I guess. But who really has the time to spin everything you want to knit??? Not me. Not in this life unless I win the Lotto or get back 30 years . . . .
So, I'm working on a nice plain cardigan in stockinet with garter borders, from the bottom up in one piece, to the armholes. In the B&L. I haven't decided whether it will get a hood or just a big collar yet but there's lots of time for that. In case you haven't noticed, the evenings are still COLD! And I had FROST on my car Sunday morning! The frost w
on't be around once this sweater is done but I'm knitting it anyway! The goal is to have a Just Hanging Around sweater that can be thrown on to go for coffee or to pick up a plant. Since I drive, I want something warm but flexible. This is the last picture I took for the record. I really need a project to take with me when the Techie Boys haul me out for coffee most evenings. So, this morning when I laid the Sweater-in-Progress on the couch to take it's picture for posterity - I'm about 2/3 of the way to the armholes - the nasty orange cat pounced on the nice new bed & got there before I even snapped the pic!! Yes, I have one of the sweater with the orange blur as she pounced!!! And now it looks like my chip reader has died & I have transferred my last picture for now. Drat.I finished th
e blue Frankensocks. I do swear that wild socks knit faster!! And Frankensocks knit up the fastest of all. I think it has something to do with the whole adventure. I made these ones long socks instead of the usual short summer socks. I think I was just having too much fun designing them as I went. Hopefully, the recipient-to-be will not be too anal to wear them since they ARE related but are a little more like cousins than brothers although they are mostly blue as requested. Lucky for me, I took this picture yesterday when the chip reader felt like transfering the picture!!Arvik is really on the needles. But, you can't just pick up a couple extra balls of
yarn at the local shop when you're spinning your own! I have to dig out the fleeces, spin up several ounces, skein it, wash it & only then can I knit up the balance of the sweater. But, I will finish it this summer when It gets warm enough outside to dry the skeins & the paperwork is mostly gone. Right now, I just want dumb knitting. As of this report, Arvik has both sleeves finished to just above the cuff & the body is almost long enough . . . I'm still contemplating using those neat Ladybug buttons I got at Walmart last year too.Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Gang Goes to Cache Creek
I looked in the mirror the other day & wondered how I got to be 58. It all happened so fast. So before I died of old age, I gave myself a birthday present
& ran off to Cache Creek for the weekend in the middle of TAX SEASON! My Techie bud came & fed the cat & scooped the litter box a couple times a day while I laid about, got fed three times a day & did nothing but be totally immersed in fibre. Gail drove while Karen & I got to knit, nap or watch the scenery! We stopped along the way to have a bag lunch at a picnic spot in the Canyon & they surprised me with a felted Denise needle bag, a bottle of wine for my collection & a muffin with a candle that refused to stay lit!!! Did I say it was WINDY out there??? Not bad eh?? We laughed & laughed till the wind blew us back into the truck & out of there.
Karen & I got to room together again & Gail was off with Lynne, our travelling Socklady who comes in from the back of beyond just to spin & hang out. Although the wind was still blowing, the weather was bright & sunny which gave us a wonderful view of the bluffs on the southeast side of the big meeting room. With warm days & cold nights, we were content to stay indoors & some people were spinning in pyjamas shortly after supper. I didn't even get dressed till noon on Sunday!!!
I managed to finish spinning the superwash sock roving I bought over a year ago! And I also spun up qu
ite a bit of the bossy neon pink roving that I bought to go with it. Although I spun that neon pink finely, it was not fine enough to use it with the pink/blue/purple sock roving. When I twist the two together, the bossy neon pink takes over. Since I have a lot of it, I'm going to try spinning it a lot finer & see if it makes a difference. If it still takes over, it will be combined with something else that needs some brightening - who knows, it may wind up with some Romney roving I have tucked away in a box.
And what did I buy?? Well, not much really. I had most of the books that were on sale & none of the ones I wanted to see were there. Since I couldn't remember which on
e I ordered with my credit from Amazon, I was afraid to buy anything in case I was buying the same book again - I'm sure it goes with being 58 . . . . . but I did buy a package of Black Rainbow Glitter from Aurelia. It's so lovely in the sample - totally black with just a shimmer of acid green, yellow, turquoise or silver in there. The glitter they now
use is very soft & pliable, thank gawd. I remember some wonderful fibre I bought several years ago with that awful stiff & nasty glitter that has to be picked out!!! I got a small package of Wisteria to try - it's another shade of purple with blue in it that I thought might go with something else I had.
Show & Tell was great fun! We saw a lot of lace shawls & scarves - lace is really popular!! Wild socks & Tushie Cushies also made an appearance. And tons of funky yarns - our old pal Guddie is always FUNKY!! Not only did she wear a vest of ZIPPERS but she spun up other scrap yarns & fabric into thicker yarn for knitting & weaving. I dragged in my Danish Working Shawl that I made last year. That rotten Socklady gave me the gears about Arvik which is still only HALF finished & I had to confess to everyone!! Bill & Vivienne made it even though Vivienne was very ill. Bill still managed to check out the wheels while Viv was able to spin for a few hours. She was wearing the neatest sweater & I had to go over & check it out. Vivienne knit a simple cardigan out of multicolored handspun in blobs of color but the sleeves were knit in the round in stripes of the same colors. The ribbing was all in striped colors to match. Vivienne reported she still has 4 chemo sessions to go & hopes to continue spinning & knitting thru them all. One of our hostesses, Sheila Kirk, gifted our travelling SockLady Lynne with one of her handspun shawls. I believe it was silk & alpaca - a lot of people knew but kept the secret rather well, I think!
We all got doorprizes of a sheep keychain with wild eyes - I think HE was into the Bailey's - in a keepsake tin! And I got a nice wooly Aries Ram in the Door Prize draw.
Had a good time - the girls report I'm more fun these days now that my stress levels are down. I really don't know what they're talking about!! Even I've noticed that I'm a lot happier these days but I thought that was just MY personal opinion. Apparently I've been rather sour & contankerous for some time! I had no idea that losing 240 pounds of expensive fat would make that much of a difference . . . .
I looked in the mirror the other day & wondered how I got to be 58. It all happened so fast. So before I died of old age, I gave myself a birthday present
& ran off to Cache Creek for the weekend in the middle of TAX SEASON! My Techie bud came & fed the cat & scooped the litter box a couple times a day while I laid about, got fed three times a day & did nothing but be totally immersed in fibre. Gail drove while Karen & I got to knit, nap or watch the scenery! We stopped along the way to have a bag lunch at a picnic spot in the Canyon & they surprised me with a felted Denise needle bag, a bottle of wine for my collection & a muffin with a candle that refused to stay lit!!! Did I say it was WINDY out there??? Not bad eh?? We laughed & laughed till the wind blew us back into the truck & out of there.Karen & I got to room together again & Gail was off with Lynne, our travelling Socklady who comes in from the back of beyond just to spin & hang out. Although the wind was still blowing, the weather was bright & sunny which gave us a wonderful view of the bluffs on the southeast side of the big meeting room. With warm days & cold nights, we were content to stay indoors & some people were spinning in pyjamas shortly after supper. I didn't even get dressed till noon on Sunday!!!
I managed to finish spinning the superwash sock roving I bought over a year ago! And I also spun up qu
ite a bit of the bossy neon pink roving that I bought to go with it. Although I spun that neon pink finely, it was not fine enough to use it with the pink/blue/purple sock roving. When I twist the two together, the bossy neon pink takes over. Since I have a lot of it, I'm going to try spinning it a lot finer & see if it makes a difference. If it still takes over, it will be combined with something else that needs some brightening - who knows, it may wind up with some Romney roving I have tucked away in a box.And what did I buy?? Well, not much really. I had most of the books that were on sale & none of the ones I wanted to see were there. Since I couldn't remember which on
e I ordered with my credit from Amazon, I was afraid to buy anything in case I was buying the same book again - I'm sure it goes with being 58 . . . . . but I did buy a package of Black Rainbow Glitter from Aurelia. It's so lovely in the sample - totally black with just a shimmer of acid green, yellow, turquoise or silver in there. The glitter they now
use is very soft & pliable, thank gawd. I remember some wonderful fibre I bought several years ago with that awful stiff & nasty glitter that has to be picked out!!! I got a small package of Wisteria to try - it's another shade of purple with blue in it that I thought might go with something else I had.Show & Tell was great fun! We saw a lot of lace shawls & scarves - lace is really popular!! Wild socks & Tushie Cushies also made an appearance. And tons of funky yarns - our old pal Guddie is always FUNKY!! Not only did she wear a vest of ZIPPERS but she spun up other scrap yarns & fabric into thicker yarn for knitting & weaving. I dragged in my Danish Working Shawl that I made last year. That rotten Socklady gave me the gears about Arvik which is still only HALF finished & I had to confess to everyone!! Bill & Vivienne made it even though Vivienne was very ill. Bill still managed to check out the wheels while Viv was able to spin for a few hours. She was wearing the neatest sweater & I had to go over & check it out. Vivienne knit a simple cardigan out of multicolored handspun in blobs of color but the sleeves were knit in the round in stripes of the same colors. The ribbing was all in striped colors to match. Vivienne reported she still has 4 chemo sessions to go & hopes to continue spinning & knitting thru them all. One of our hostesses, Sheila Kirk, gifted our travelling SockLady Lynne with one of her handspun shawls. I believe it was silk & alpaca - a lot of people knew but kept the secret rather well, I think!
We all got doorprizes of a sheep keychain with wild eyes - I think HE was into the Bailey's - in a keepsake tin! And I got a nice wooly Aries Ram in the Door Prize draw.
Had a good time - the girls report I'm more fun these days now that my stress levels are down. I really don't know what they're talking about!! Even I've noticed that I'm a lot happier these days but I thought that was just MY personal opinion. Apparently I've been rather sour & contankerous for some time! I had no idea that losing 240 pounds of expensive fat would make that much of a difference . . . .
Monday, April 13, 2009
Its all over . . .
The Sockblock is gone. I pulled out the leftover box - well, leftover BOXES & two bags that is - on the week
end & started to knit a pair of "Frankensocks". I dug out all the yarns with blue in them - I have quite a lot of them - & just started knitting! And knitting. And knitting. Last night I turned the heel in one sock & am about to do the same with the other. Now, these are Fraternal socks. I'm just not anal enough to match up yarns on both socks! Some leftovers were only large enough for a narrow stripe on one sock while other bits were large enough to probably do the whole foot but I just knit them all till I grew tired of them & then found anoth
er. Some yarns are repeated on both socks but mostly they aren't or at least not in the same place. I love socks.
Update - the heels are turned on both of the Frankensocks! Once I got started, I just couldn't stop! I still say that wild socks knit up faster!
And on the left?? Oh, just a bit of fluffy foolishness 3" wide by 62" long. Bought two balls of yarn to knit something totally useless but fun. Not sure if this will be for a kid or an adult yet but I'm sure it will still be FUN.
The Sockblock is gone. I pulled out the leftover box - well, leftover BOXES & two bags that is - on the week
end & started to knit a pair of "Frankensocks". I dug out all the yarns with blue in them - I have quite a lot of them - & just started knitting! And knitting. And knitting. Last night I turned the heel in one sock & am about to do the same with the other. Now, these are Fraternal socks. I'm just not anal enough to match up yarns on both socks! Some leftovers were only large enough for a narrow stripe on one sock while other bits were large enough to probably do the whole foot but I just knit them all till I grew tired of them & then found anoth
er. Some yarns are repeated on both socks but mostly they aren't or at least not in the same place. I love socks.Update - the heels are turned on both of the Frankensocks! Once I got started, I just couldn't stop! I still say that wild socks knit up faster!
And on the left?? Oh, just a bit of fluffy foolishness 3" wide by 62" long. Bought two balls of yarn to knit something totally useless but fun. Not sure if this will be for a kid or an adult yet but I'm sure it will still be FUN.
Friday, April 10, 2009
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 Birthda
y 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 t
o 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 Sa
le. 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!!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
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 ven
ts & 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 Ret
reat 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.
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 ven
ts & 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 Ret
reat 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.Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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 dand
y 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 s
ome 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 . . .
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 dand
y 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 s
ome 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 . . .Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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 examine
s 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 hole
s 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 . . . .
Monday, March 16, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, March 09, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, March 06, 2009
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 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.
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