All that Snow

I didn't go out on Saturday morning as planned because it was snowing like mad. The Weatherman promised - crossed his heart - that we'd only get flurries which would soon turn to rain. Since this was my first snow since the knee crapped out, I was a little leery about going out when it might be slippery. Well, the Weatherman lied & it kept on snowing & snowing & snowing .  .  .  Not unusual for this time of year but a pain in the ass, just the same when Safeway had milk & eggs & raspberries on sale. Grrrrr

Today I got up to the sound of snow shovels in the alley. One of my friends came over & shoveled my drive, swept the van off & even unclogged the drain. Free again!! Now if someone would come on over & clean my house, I'd be thrilled.

The Wallabies got almost finished for the Ravellenics. I did try my hardest to get them both done but I'm still working on the hood for #2. I did finish it but didn't like the garter stitch hood so I tore it all out & am now doing a stockinet hood instead. #2 Wallaby has been knit twice except for the bottom ribbing which should've been torn out too. But, I am NOT going to do it now. I think the boys will enjoy wearing these & probably need them now. So the hood will get finished tonight & they can go to their new home tomorrow. I think the little boys will love them. It's so much fun knitting for small children.

A Faster Clop

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself in the last few weeks. It seemed that no matter what I did, how much I rested, whether or not I took medication or where I went, I was in pain enough that I couldn't sit, stand or lean comfortably. It was like the Monostat commercials, I kept changing positions & moving chairs until it got so bad I didn't want to go anywhere with anyone. I was just too damned miserable.

I started thinking about what might be causing all the pain. I've been trying to increase my steps to strengthen my right knee - nothing like not being able to go places that makes you want to go there. Most of the pain was in my shins, the inner knees & right hip. My injured knee got wobbly from the pain & my left wrist ached constantly.
I thought about shoes. I pronate or roll to the inside of my foot when I walk. My expensive shoes help with that problem. They're about 7 months old but for most of that time, I wasn't walking much at all.
And then there's that cane, which I hate, that might be changing my gait. Figuring it might be cheaper to leave the cane in the car than buy new shoes, I started by leaving the cane in the car for the short walks. Most of my trips are short walks. Go to the coffee shop. Go to the bank. Go to the drug store, you get my drift. Going to Safeway is different. It's a much longer walk from parking to buggy. I prefer to park by the buggy returns even though I have a parking pass & sometimes they're empty. But, I left the damned cane in the car. And guess what?? Friday, I had a whole list of errands to do & went to 4 different places where I walked without the cane. I came home a little wobbly & sore & had to have a nap because I was so tired from the unaccustomed activity. I was a little stiff the next day & my injured knee ached a little but nothing else hurt, not even the hip.  I think I solved the problem.

Some days I feel old & used up

It's been 4 months since I turned right & my right knee didn't. Four months of hobbling, leaning on things & not being able to walk where, when & as fast or slow as I want. Four months of checking the weather, the parking & access before I and the damned cane, head out the door! And I'm sick to death of it.  My left wrist - the one that holds the cane - is sore from being used so much & weak from being dislocated in a fall on black ice two years ago. And now the muscles around my knees & down into my shins are complaining in the damp weather .  .  .   I wish it would all stop hurting, dammit. Someone said "it takes guts to get old". They weren't kidding.
This isn't how I planned to spend MY golden years .  .  .

It's a good thing I have my knitting. It makes me feel like I can still do some things like I used to. The first Wallaby is done except for tucking in the ends & sewing the stitches under the arms. Wallaby #2 is already on the needles & I'm just about ready to pick up the stitches for the pouch. The Pink Frankensocks are still in the bag unfinished. Pictures later.

Almost a Week In

So, the projects are coming along quite nicely. It's been a while since I knitted a Wonderful Wallaby but it's a very short Learning Curve. Gotta keep the 'little grey cells' working - as Poirot so often points out. My 'little grey cells' have been laying stagnant for the last couple of months but are now back in full gear. Not only am I taking an on-line E-course in Botany, but it's tax season, I'm knitting like a fiend for the Ravellenics & doing masses of data entry while I listen to Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper audio books. Yeah, I'm addicted. I don't know what I'd do without my Audio Books when I'm pounding on the computer so much. I've become a Murder/Thriller listener but will admit to downloading a new book in the Star Wars genre. Han Solo is young again - Harrison Ford will always be Han Solo - and he's off to new adventures after blowing up the Deathstar. He still owes money to Jabba the Hutt & is still running from the bounty hunters with Chewbacca. I believe the series is called Scoundrels & there will be several books. Just a fun change from death, detectives & destruction .  .  .


My Wonderful Wallabies are coming along nicely but they may be too big for the little boys. I know they'll grow but it's nice to have something fit NOW too. I'm hoping they're just too long. You can always fold up the sleeves & wear it too long. It's a Hoodie after all.

It was like Christmas last night at my knitting night. I traded sock yarn that had lost it's bloom for sock yarn that brightens my day. She was happy with my old stuff & I have more of my favorite Kroy Sock. It's thicker than a lot of sock yarn out there but when it's cold in my basement, it's the only sock yarn I want. Love the stuff.

The Pink Frankensocks are moving right along too. I found a little more yarn with some pink in it plus a lovely lavender leftover to add to the mix. My dental Assistant is gonna glow in the dark when she puts these suckers on! I can't wait to go to the Dentist again.

Let The Games Begin

The Ravellenics(the knitting & crochet version of the Olympics) began this A.M. with the Opening Ceremonies in Sochi.  I Cast On a little later in the day. I slept in since had a really, really busy day yesterday. I had my first appointment with the Specialist about my lack of voice & my first test at the hospital. And of course, the fight with the parking machine that wouldn't take my credit card - either of them - and the phone call to the head office to complain, which ended up with a recorded message giving me an 'incident number' which I couldn't write down since I didn't know I was getting one . .  .  .  all standing in the -9 weather with the wind blowing through my double seed stitch sweater. I am not equipped to be standing outside in very cold - for the wet coast that is a record setting temperature - windy weather with a cane, a limp & a bag.  By the time I got home from 4 appointments, I was done.

Thank Gawd for the internet. I was able to look at all the outfits that everyone wore. The colors are definitely wilder this time around & I'll bet they glow in the dark too. Someone else got the Silly Medal this year for their outfits. And I was so glad to see our Athletes look a lot classier in 2014.

I'm competing in the Ravellenics again this year. Hopefully, I'll actually get my Arvik sweater finished & on my back this time around. It's been hanging on the door to my office for a year & is on it's third re-knit. As some of my friends have said, that wool will be worn out long before I get to wear it if I don't watch out. But look at all the fun I've had. You can't buy that with money .  .  .  .  Yeah, WIP Wrestling. That's the category for people like me with projects like that. And we get a medal if we finish too. Wooo hooo.

I'm also knitting two little Wonderful Wallabies. Size 2 & 4. They'll be entered in the Sweaterboard Cross as a single entry. They're going to have stripey arms with a plain navy body since I don't think I have enough navy yarn to finish both sweaters if I don't. They'll be cute enough for two small boys to roll around in, that's for sure. This is the amount I managed to knit today on Day 1 of the Ravellenics. I've got 4" on the body of the size 2 Wallaby & I'm getting ready to pick up the stitches for the pouch in front. But that's  a project for tomorrow. I think this one will get the variegated blue sleeves since I only have one ball. Or maybe I'll alternate the blue with the buff to stretch it out a little. An extra long cuff that can fold back for now will give a little kid a little more growing room.

Where Did January Go??

I was doing something on the computer yesterday & found out it was February.  What happened to January??

I've been busy. Busy working on my course. Busy doing data entry on late year ends & late tax returns. I even filed my own late return, haha. And I've been choosing my projects for the Ravelenics. This was the knitting/crochet version of the Olympics until the IOC sent a letter to Ravelry telling us we couldn't use the Olympic name. The event was renamed & we'll cast-on during the Opening Ceremonies & lay our projects down during the Closing. We challenge ourselves with techniques, projects, unfamiliar materials etc. Team Canada - my team - has been planning to Cast-on as a group, with Canadian Cider - we keep on discussing flavors that most of us haven't tried - and whatever project each of us have chosen for the duration. It's beginning to look like most of us should be doing the W.I.P. (Work in Progress) Dancing category since we have so many on the go .  .  .  and I can be counted among them. I don't even want to think about most of them but there is that afghan I started about 5 years ago for the BoyToy that remains in the bin, unfinished, unwanted & unloved. I should probably frog it but I've often thought about just adding a fat RED stripe to it's blue & grey sameness.

One of my clients asked if I'd knit sweaters for his two little boys a while ago. They're almost two & almost three. After digging through my stash for something machine washable & dryable for the little guys, I found an odd collection of balls in navy, black, two shades of yellow & one variegated blue. They're 100 gm balls of worsted Markoma  Pittsburgh yarn. I thought I'd knit a Wonderful Wallaby with a solid blue body with yellow & blue striped arms for each of them. A perfect project for the Olympic Cast-on. I can knit two of them in less than two weeks! And if I finish, well, maybe I'll finally add that Red stripe to the blue & grey crocheted afghan.

And on my sock needles?? The Pink Dental Frankensocks are on the go. It's amazing how much yarn I have that doesn't contain PINK. I have two small boxes full of leftovers that don't contain Pink. I thought I was a lover of Pink but it seems I have mostly Purple leftovers or Red leftovers or a lot of Blue leftovers but hardly a Pink one. Sigh, so they're taking a little longer than anticipated. Do you know how much Pink you need to cover size 12 ladyfeet???

Back Again

There's a couple of Blogs that I follow with regularity. Oh, I don't check them daily but I do pop in at least a couple of times a week just to see what they're working on or to check on an on-going project. I really hate bloggers that get you all excited & then disappear for weeks or months. And here I am, joining their ranks .  .  .  .  I can't believe how fast the days go when you have no fixed schedule.

It seems like I've been cleaning out this damned dead fridge for weeks. The apartment was almost empty when it came in & now it's filled to the brim. Not only do I have to move it but I have to move half the kitchen & living room to get it OUT. My knee is being bossy about all this extra exercise and wobbles. And aches. And then there's ALL that work I have to do sitting in boxes in my office  .  .  .  What's a person to do??  Why, KNIT of course.


My Dental Assistant wants Pink socks for her size 12 feet. She's the only person other than the male Dentist in the office who can work on me with metal tools. I get galvanic shocks from everyone else in the office when they touch my teeth. It's a mystery & it's painful. The female Dentist gets annoyed. My theory is that it's the nylon in their undies & panty hose that builds up the static electricity - like you scuffing your feet on carpet before touching the dog's nose - which zaps me when they touch me. Every time they touch me. I'm sensitive to that electricity. The freezer doors at Safeway zap me. My front door knob zaps me. Sometimes my car zaps me. But, Lara wears cotton undies & rubber soled shoes so we can react nicely. She deserves socks just for that. But she's also a nice girl & I try to give her a pair every year. This year I asked what color she wanted, she said PINK. Great, the one color I don't have!! And that's why I'm knitting Frankensocks in all the leftover yarns that have pink in them. I'm just starting to turn the heel on the first sock.

I've been working on my sweater. I'm using Briggs & Little Heritage for this one. It started out to be a Wonderful Wallaby but they're knit from the bottom up which is tough to fit on my body. I decided to work it top down using the Cabin Fever book - Need an Ample Cardigan? - instead. I didn't plan to put a hood or pouch on it but I wanted the 'hoodie' shape. I'm using Peacock
blue for the yoke & the Anniversary Twist for the body.

I Changed My Mind

I have a great deal of difficulty knitting sweaters for myself. They either turn out too big - the usual or too small. Oh yeah, I knit swatches - BIG swatches & do the math & measure but some Gremlin comes in the night, rips out everything I've done & knits it to a bigger size! That's how it must happen because I can't figure out any other way. And I've knit a lot of sweaters over the years - especially for somebody else - and THEY fit properly. Maybe it's a body image thing. Do I see myself BIGGER than I am?? Does my brain automatically compute for a bigger size?

I've had more success with Top-Down sweaters - the ones you can fit as you go. Mainly, because, well, you can TRY it on as you go. Menopause has turned me from an apple shape with big boobs to a cantaloupe with smaller boobs. I came to the realization in my teens at 155 pounds, that I would never have a defined waist or flat stomach unless I was dead. And I had those boobs, four sizes bigger than my butt. I knit sweaters to fit the boobs, but what fit the boobs didn't fit anything else. Maybe that's still the problem. I'm trying to fit the boobs when I should be fitting the belly.


I really want a Wallaby. I like the comfort of a sweatshirt when I'm working in my home office. I've started the darned thing twice - first time around it was based on bust measurement & gauge. At about 8 inches, it looked HUGE.  Put it on a long cord & tried it on. It WAS huge. Frogged it all & cast on again less 30 stitches!! Did I mention, the Wallaby is knit bottom up in one piece to the armhole .  .  .  Second time around, it still looks too big. 

Backup Plan. Dug out the Cabin Fever book "Need a Plus Sized Cardigan?" and decided to work it from the Top Down with a V-neck which I'll cross over - good style for me - and knit down to the hem. I've learned how to do short rows to add fullness for the bust that has decreased with age & the belly that has expanded. I really want to avoid ribbing at the bottom - it just emphasizes the belly. I want a nice fat edge in seed stitch with an open vent at each side edged in seed as well. I really would like to take that bottom over there on the left & attach it to that top on the right. Here we go again.

Pink Frankensocks in the Sunshine

It almost looks like summer out there again today! Hardly a cloud in the sky & it looks like folks are wearing shorts!! Actually, some never take them off around here in the winter, they just wear heavier materials, longer socks & a jacket.
I missed most of yesterday's sunshine while I pounded on my keyboard but today, I'm taking my latest Frankensock project with me to Starbucks & soaking up some sunshine.  I promised PINK socks to my lovely Dental Assistant just before Christmas. Pink is her favorite color. After looking through my stash, I find I don't have anything in Pink except leftovers. I have a big pile of leftovers with Pink in them because I like patterns with pink & purple as you can see. Frankensocks would be a good option here because that darned girl has very long, large feet. Even though I know she'd be thrilled with pink LACE socks - lace never comes in size 12 unless you knit them yourself - Frankensocks, it will have to be this time. I could even add some black or dark grey to really make the pink pop, too. And while I really hate knitting size 12 socks, I guess it's better than owing size 12 feet!

Nothing like a little Sunburn

Today I woke to glorious sunshine & managed to haul three containers of garbage out to the cans all by myself. I hear you all laughing. This is the first time since I tore the cartilage in my right knee that I've been able to get there on my own. I have to walk around the house, through uncut grass & hidden potholes to get there so today's adventure is no mean feat. It now means I can do this job myself instead of waiting for someone else to do it. It also means I can also clean out the fridge which died some time in the last couple of days. If it isn't one bloody thing, it's another.

I took myself down to Starbucks around noon & sat outside in my shirt sleeves & read the paper while I baked in the sunshine. Most people - except the smokers - stayed inside with their coffees. I laughed out loud & soaked up every stray ray I could absorb for two whole hours. Yeah baby, this is what Vancouver's all about. It might rain most of the winter, spring & fall but when the sun shines, it's really glorious. The only thing wrong with today was no knitting.

But, I have been knitting at home. My Wonderful Wallaby is coming right along. I decided to use a seed stitch border instead of ribbing on the bottom. I also built in a side vent, 8" deep on either side. And I left off the pouch which would just bring more attention to my post menopausal belly. Several short rows were also built in to give my belly a little more room & help the hem to fall where it should.

Happy New Year Everyone

The Last of the Turkey Soup

I don't bake. I stir-fry, make soup or use the crock pot. My neighbor convinced me to go to the grocery store on Christmas Eve to score a few bargains at the last minute, like turkey. Why not?? I semi thaw it, hack it into pieces with my cleaver, cook the parts I want right now & bag the rest for the future. I love turkey thighs.

This time around I filled the crock pot with thighs, legs, wings and gibblets. Added a little garlic, some onion, a pinch or 5 of salt,  a couple of cups of water and let it simmer on LOW all night while I slept. Late in the morning, I took out all the meat which I stripped off the bones except for the neck which went back in, added more water,  some celery and let it simmer most of the day. The legs and thighs were delicious.  Half the leftover meat went back into the crock while the rest hit the fridge. I left it on LOW overnight and added dried tortellini the next day. While it simmered, I chopped kale and Bok Choy tops to stir in just before serving with crusty bread that day for late lunch and dinner. Couldn't finish it all so I added more water, more pepper, some barley, baby carrots and the rest of the leftover meat and let it simmer all night on LOW. Had it for breakfast and dinner again.  Best Damn Turkey I ever had!!  And the breast is still in the freezer.

The Crockpot is a lifesaver for the Single person! I didn't get dressed for three days over Christmas & enjoyed several of the marathons that ran day and night. I discovered 'The Amazing Dr Pol' on the National Geographic channel. A lovely show about the comings and goings of a modern day vet in the farmlands of Rural America. I watched Fred and Ginger cavort on the stage in several really old black and white movies on Turner Classics - it isn't really Christmas without them. This year, I did NOT watch 'A Christmas Carol' or 'It's a Wonderful Life' in any incarnation. Why? I don't know - I guess I just wanted something new for a change. 'Hawaii Life' seemed a better option this year, somehow. And while I watched, I knit.


I finally finished the socks in size 12 for the Dental Assistant I see in the spring. I have another pair to knit for her in pink - Pink Frankensocks! But I'll do them later in January.


I decided to knit a coat of many colors for myself. I knit several swatch strips about three feet long with two to eight colors on each to see how I liked the effect. A friend has one that she found in a Thrift Store which I really like but it's basically 5 or 6 colors in big blocks that are pulled from a multicolored yarn that makes up a couple of blocks in the sweater. The multicolored block ties the other colors together nicely. My bag of leftovers ranges from orange to pink, all in solid colors. The pinks and purples sort of make up one lot and the oranges, yellows and  greens make up the other with the tans and one ball of grey working with either lot. And I don't think there's enough of either group to make a sweater for me. I think it would look silly to put all the colors together unless I knit an Adult Surprise Jacket which is designed to use all the leftovers. Or maybe, a jacket with one side going horizontal and the other vertically so it doesn't look silly.


I made the only decision I could and threw it all back into the bag and cast on for a Wonderful Wallaby in blue. I have enough skeins of the Anniversary Twist from Briggs and Little to knit one for myself. Just a simple pull over to keep warm while I sit outside Starbucks with a tea or pound on the keyboard in my cold cold office.  And, by the way, toddle on over to Chez Lizzie @ blogspot.ca and take a peek at her new jacket.

Two Days Before Christmas

The socks are all knit, the tuques have left the building, the garbage is hauled, the dishes are done & the only thing left is to live through the event. Well .  .  . I might slide by the grocery store for more cheese, fruit & a jug of milk since I'm down to a litre or so. And if I feel ambitious, I might swiffer the floors & clean the bathroom. I'm looking forward to a couple of days of Peace & Good Knitting.


I have a pair of red lace socks to finish for Moi but I've misplaced the Spin Off Sock book. I'm making the Lacy Arrow socks from the front page only mine are Red. I thought I'd like a pair of red lace socks for a change after all those wild multicolored ones I usually knit for myself. One sock is finished to the toe shaping & the other is barely started but I've misplaced the damn book. It's somewhere in this house & I'm probably looking right at it!!! But, it'll turn up when I stop looking.

In the meantime, I've decided to work on a Wallaby in strips! I'm going to try it. It'll be so much easier to knit in strips 8" wide than casting on All Those Stitches to work it in one piece. I'll knit the strips to the yoke, including the sleeves & then make a solid yoke & collar. I think it'll be so much fun. At least I'll knit the front strips & put them together to see how they look. You'll see me coming even in a snow storm because I have every color from orange to purple in my leftover bag. Not sure I want a pouch & I'm not certain I even want pockets yet - who knows - afterthought pockets can be fun too. So, let it rain, sleet, snow or hail - I'm ready for it all.

Same Song, Different Verse

Part Two of Dealing with Government - Just because I assessed & paid the tax at the bank yesterday didn't mean I was done with the Government Collections department.  This took up most of the morning on Friday. Hopefully, by Monday morning, my guy's business bank account will be functioning again & I can get paid. What??? You think I did this out of the kindness of my heart??? I have YARN to pay for.

Not quite yet. The bank remits payments when they get a bunch of them. This means any time from the day you pay to SIX WEEKS later. So, if you've paid & want your bank account back with the money intact - you better call the Collections department & be prepared to back up your claims with faxed proof. Don't even think about asking for a refund of money taken in error, it was your error - not theirs & they will just issue a credit to your tax account.

It was lovely today, to watch the snow fall & not to have to worry about going out in it. A friend tried to convince me that his lack of planning meant that I would have to drive him across town to Langley at lunch time but my Collections call had not yet come through so I got to wiggle out. I did think about it though since my favorite Soap & Candle supply place had a sale on .  .  .  and my favorite Sandwich Shop - home of the best Roast Beef with pickles .  .  .  .  oh oh oh .  .  .  was just down the block but common sense ruled & I waited for my call. I'll go tomorrow. 

Did the math for the Wallaby but am still trying to make up my mind dickering about whether to finish the sweater I started from the Cabin Fever Gal's new booklet, "Need an Plus Sized Cardigan?" All the designs are Top Down & mine is already down to the bottom of the V-neck. I was going to make the Sleeveless Lace Frock & wear it as a Vest for Spring & Fall like Deb does. Since I don't have long sleeved anything - I just push em up to the elbow so why bother??? - I'll have to put sleeves in this sweater. Why start from scratch???  I wanted a Wallaby dammit. Either way I have to unwind skeins & wind them into balls for knitting. I can try Deb's design on as I go & make adjustments but the Wallaby better be right because it knits from the bottom up. I just want to pull it on & go .  .  .   Will I, won't I, will I, won't I .  .  .

So, in the meantime, I'll just wind all the skeins into yarn cakes on my ball winder just in case. I love this thing. When I first brought it home, I wound up every skein I owned as well as all the leftovers. I still think it's the handiest fibre tool I've ever owned.

Nothing to do with Knitting

Christmas is less than a week away & it seems it's the hardest time of the year to deal with Government. Well, except for Fridays & Mondays all summer. I think Government employees take their holidays in long weekends all summer & no one's in on Fridays & Mondays. Not a bad idea if you don't like to leave your work to a 'temp' & have to spend two weeks fixing it all when you get back. Anyway, since I do paperwork to support my Fibre Habit & sometimes even have to do some work, today was one of those times. It seems to be my week to deal with the Government .  .  .  .

My job today was to file overdue PST forms for a business that normally files 'NIL' returns. The PST people have 'assessed' an "amount owing" & froze the business bank account. The outstanding returns are both 'NIL' returns as usual. I spent most of the morning on line trying to file these returns on the net which is the fast & easy way to deal with this problem. No dice. Seems I need a GST return with an amount not zero that has been filed before August 2013 to prove who I am. I don't have one. Technical Support is overloaded & can't take my call. Customer Service can't help me & can only transfer me to Technical Support or Collections. Collections won't take my call. I can leave a message for an appointment & they will call me or I can use the On-Line registration form to do it myself . . . .

After banging my head on my desk, I assessed the business for ONE CENT on both forms & headed to the bank to stand in line & get the damned forms taken care of. Did I tell you the Bank won't take 'nil' forms???? I told the Commercial Teller my sad story & she made out special receipts for me for ONE CENT for each of them. She attached one to the copies going to the government too. Now to get the bank account released .  .  .  .    It's a good thing my favorite cafe had REAL turkey today to soothe my rumpled nerves!

Back in the Knitting World. Not a stitch was completed by me today! Oh, I wound skeins into balls, frogged a couple of samples from the past & did the math for a Wonderful Wallaby for myself. My basement office is cold this time of year & I want something easy & warm to throw on for work other than my purple Ginny which I've worn to ribbons.  Ginny was made up of two sweaters I'd made for myself years & years ago. I salvaged the yarn & knit it up again a couple of times. The yarn was an expensive wool from Germany - Scheepsjawool was the brand & I bought it out of the SALE bin before 1982 when I moved back to Surrey!! Poor Ginny's full of pulls where the old cat snagged her or I caught her on something. She needs another good soak in some wool wash but I need another sweater to wear so I can take her out of circulation for a few days!! I thought about making a Wallaby - I

made a lot of smaller ones in the last few years for kids & women in Afghanistan. And I made one for a Carpenter that got snagged by his visiting mom. So, I think it's about time I knit one for myself. I have enough 'Grape Heather' wool - not quite dark enough to be Eggplant but a lighter shade with red glints in it. I also think I have enough Briggs & Little Anniversary - a light blue twisted with a dark blue - to make one too. The nice thing about the Wallaby is that most of it's mindless knitting that can be done in front of the tube with no sewing up when you're done except for two spots under the arms. My kind of sweater.

Tis the Season

Here we are again - the Season I love to hate. The time of year when Good Cheer is supposed to reign but it's more likely to be Bad Manners & Short Tempers that rule.

This year, for the first time in my life, I'm a Gimp with a Parking Pass. This means that my cane & I are guaranteed a parking spot outside the door of Just About Anywhere. Sounds delightful, right?? Nope. Seems those Handicapped Parking spots - that we pay for incidentally - are handy as drop off, picking up & various other excuses that people without passes use to park at the door. A running van, loaded with kids, was left in the Handicap Spot while the Owner ran an errand. I pulled up & had to force myself not to park directly behind it while I went into the mall to find the Post Office. It was my Good Deed this year.

And speaking of Canada Post - another sore spot on my agenda. Seems Canada Post in it's wisdom picked December, a week before Christmas, to stop delivering parcels to my Post Office box at the UPS Store. Not only will they not deliver parcels to my box, they decided NOT to drop them at the Postal Outlet at the end of the block in the same strip mall but instead, drop them inside Guildford Mall, at their new Postal Outlet. Is this advertising for their new site?? I tried to get it redelivered to my box but NO, it has to be signed for. Since I thought it was my new cheques, I made the trip. Turned out to be a box of knitting magazines. Last year, I ordered everything by internet & had all parcels delivered safely to my Box at the UPS Store, even the US ones. This year Canada Post changed the rules. I wasn't surprised to hear the Canada Post is cutting everywhere - they are overpriced, top heavy, inconsistent, slow & inefficient. Problem is, they're cutting at the wrong end to save money. The mail carriers are the most important part of the service! Without them, Canada Post might as well shut down.

 
And now that I've vented my spleen, it's time to get on with Knitting. I dropped wrist warmers & a tuque to the delight of my favorite Industrial Cafe on Friday. They all got a bottle of Port from the batch I made two years ago too. They make the best soup from scratch every morning & chicken/swiss on rye to go with it whenever I drop in. This time of year, they're cooking turkey constantly so I get REAL Turkey on rye instead. Today, I lucked out & took home leftover Turkey & Veggie soup - a whole gallon!!! I love that cafe! Monday, I dropped off tuques to the Front Room in Whalley  with promises of more to come. My bus driver pal will pick up some more after Christmas to hand out on his skid row run.

Since I'm so done with tuques, it's time to relax & knit for me. I need a couple of sweaters. I want one big unstructured one for indoors that I can snuggle into while I read or watch TV. I'm not a shawl lover but found a Berocco sweater which is just a very long rectangle with two openings for arms & one for neck. A button band is picked up from the front hem around the back neck & down the other side to the front hem. It can be knit as wide as you like & forms a shawl collar. The sleeves can be knitted with a cuff on the end or left as they are. Another in Interweave Crochet is a sweater called Red Rocks Wrap. It's also basically a rectangle joined to a very long rectangle which is wrapped & crossed around the body & joined with buttons at the side with a crocheted waistband.
I could knit a standard sweater in strips using leftovers. As seen above, the strips run shoulder to hem - basically 2 to 4 per side in the front & 2 to 4 in the back. Each sleeve is made up of 2 & an additional strip could be fitted from underarm to hem for extra shaping or more room at the hip if necessary. I just love this sweater in the classic sweatshirt configuration. What a great way to use up leftovers!

Slip Sliding Away

Now that I'm officially a Senior - gad, what a thought - the days are going faster & I can't figure out what the hell I did during those hours. I'm sure it didn't take me 4 hours to get out of bed & dressed for the day, if I got dressed at all. One thing about working in your home office is that it really isn't necessary to get dressed for the day. The laundry gets washed less often as a result & WOW, your Carbon Footprint is smaller. Makes you think, doesn't it?? Maybe the Nudists were right all along.

While I was out of bed, I DID finish more tuques. I've changed my method of tuque knitting - I was knitting them with a double strand of sport yarn to make them really warm & toasty but my Tuque Tester suggested making them thinner so they'd stay on at night in bed. In BED??? My Tester is bald & currently suffering from Cold Trailer Syndrome. More cold is coming in that he can chase out in this cold snap we're having. Apparently he wakes up in the night with a freezing cold head. He wants a finely knit hat to wear all the time & a thick one to wear over the fine one when he goes outside. I suggested another heater or more insulation might be the solution. And then knit up another tuque with one ply of wool/acrylic. The tuque was perfection. 

So now that the rough edges have been taken off the tuque, I'll probably knit all the others the same even though, I like the thick ones better. Maybe my bald friend has a point in the end, some people have little or no heat & may have to wear it to bed to keep warm.

Meanwhile, there's a skiff of snow out there today. Looks like about a half inch to me. I can look out from my home office to the back stairs & railing & see how much is sitting on the railing. Looks like just enough to send a Senior gimp & cane sliding down the hill at the Chinese grocery store. I think I'll go there tomorrow instead!! I find a skiff is far more dangerous to a walker than several inches. You might have to work harder with more snow but at least you have some traction!!

Today, well, I guess it's Laundry Day. Good day for it. I'll clean out the fridge & make soup with all the findings too. I know there's tomatoes, potatoes, a whole cabbage, some kale & one sushi carrot in there that I can see & a few containers of leftovers in there too. Mmmmm - looks like Creme of Veggie soup or even Italian Soup to me.

Knitting to the Boob Tube

I do most of my knitting in front of the Tube.  Always have. I do most of my spinning in front of the Tube too. I have my corner chair surrounded by all the detritus of a fibre fanatic. My scissors, crochet hook, darning needle & needle sizer are on the right, my kleenex box & tea mug on the left. Just lately, I've added a tilting table on casters just big enough for a laptop, dinner plate or pattern. Since I'm in no shape to go shopping - even if I could - I'm churning out tuques & socks. Always hoping for something interesting on the tube especially this time of year when it gets dark & cold so early. The biggest problem is finding something good enough to watch. Tis the season of Christmas reruns.

In the wasteland of television, I've found several series interesting enough to add to my small collection. Foyle's War is one of them. I just added season 7 to my library. The series so far is shot in the English coastal town of Hastings during WW2. Detective Inspector Foyle, against his wishes, is assigned to Hastings as Police Chief to keep him busy & out of the way. He turns out to be an industrious investigator to the shock of the Government & roots out secrets no one was ever supposed to know. The series exposes the inconsistencies, brutality, lawlessness, deprivation & favoritism of war while telling stories of the people of Hastings so realistically that Historians have found only 3 mistakes. Seasons 1-6 each cover one year of the war. Season 7 starts after 1946 when everything is still rationed & the Cold War is just beginning.

Another series I bought is 'Call the Midwife'. Shot in the gritty East End streets of London in the 1950's, it's a small slice of a world just entering the modern age. While not as historically accurate as 'Foyle's War', it's the memoir of one woman who worked

those streets. It's a place where people still live without heat & a lot without sanitation, cooking facilities & running water in their own quarters. Medical care is almost unknown. Swarms of dirty children play in the narrow cobbled streets & the hospital is still a place you go to to die. Still, it's a happy series focusing on the successes & joyful moments of the Nuns & Midwives as they try to deliver healthy babies & maternal care to the poorest women.

And just for fun - If you're over 50, you MUST see 'Last Tango in Halifax'. Childhood sweethearts Alan & Celia were separated in their teens when her family moved & he didn't get her new address. Now in their 70s & widowed, they meet again on the internet. Seems they still care about each other & decide to meet up. Sound like a simple love story?? Well, it isn't. They both have families & 60 years of baggage to bring to the party. You'll laugh so hard you'll pee your pants & then cry real tears when things all go wrong. This is one you shouldn't miss.

Christmas Countdown

Tuques, tuques everywhere!! Back in the grooooove again - will be okay until all the yarn runs out.  I managed to snag 4 balls of Eton Super Wool that a fellow Wednesday Nite Nitter was donating to the cause. Men, especially, have been asking for all the dark colors. They favor BLACK even though we tell them it's not fashionable to wear all black, all the time. They just don't give a damn. Black is the first to go. So, being the congenial submissive woman that I am, I am knitting BLACK hats. This is not as bad as knitting black socks - yes, I admit knitting ONE pair for an old Geezer with puffy, diabetic feet who needed black socks for funerals - but, never again.

Black tuques are a different bird. First of all, I'm using 6mm needles. Secondly, I can actually see the stitches. And best of all, I'm using two strands & it's all ribbing. So, you have to have black Buddy, here you are. Hopefully the dye will not run in the rain. I hope it does doesn't.

Most of my tuques will be in other colors simply because that's what I have.