Vancouver is so beautiful when the sun shines. The sky is so blue, the water too, even the mountains on the North Shore have a tinge of blue with all the green. Yeah, green everywhere - well, green where we haven't black-topped or cemented over it, that is. But a lot of green almost everywhere. Parks & green spaces abound. Trees are on almost every block - even right downtown. Lots of good places to sit & knit or haul out the old spinning wheel.

And speaking of green on this Earth Day, remember to blow the dust off that refillable cup you used LAST Earth Day & use it again today. It saves trees. If you must use a disposable, recycle it. It can make toilet paper & paper towels which are more important than disposable cups. My Big Red Cup rides with me in the car & goes into my favorite Cafe with me - it's a hellova lot nicer than those dinky white ones they use & it's RED. And I always have my Starbucks plastic go-everywhere cups with lids. Looks just like the throw-away cup, doesn't it??? It works for hot or cold - cost me a buck !! Not as classy as the Red Mug but doesn't chip or break & you can still use it with a straw.

Just another winter Kroy sock on the go - two of them actually. I think I'll probably run out of Kroy before I finish the toes so I'm working them side by side to make the most of what yarn I have before finding left-overs for the toes. Shortly, I intend to go out with my Red Mug, get a coffee & find a sunny bench & just knit for an hour. Too bad for all of you trapped in your offices looking out today, the home office closes for sunshine & knitting.

After surviving the birthday, I am now counting down to the first Old Age Pension check. I made a smart remark about probably not needing it by the time it showed up & I believe it's come back to haunt me. I've been practically a BagLady for the last year & a half  since my school closed down. So, it's been great to have several of my old clients hear through the grapevine that I'm back in the home office. One called from Prince George on Wednesday. I know the world has become a small place with technology but, I don't often do bookkeeping for a guy 600 miles away, but what the heck. And I got a call from Campbell River - on Vancouver Island - about some work for another old client. The latest though, may turn into a regular part time job. I did a software setup for a small business several years ago & I've been asked to drop in for a chat. Apparently they need a bookkeeper.

So, it seems life goes on, no voice, gimpy leg 'n' all. 

And what's on the needles??? Socks as usual - winter socks in blue, green & red above. I have another pair in the very same colorway. Since my basement doesn't have a subfloor, that tiled cement gets really cold most of the year - even with shoes on - so I usually wear WINTER socks in the house!! On the right are some of the KROY 4ply I scarfed - some for my birthday - thanx Jenn, and some as a Before gift - you know, take this before I toss it!!! The balls with PINK in them are next on my sock list. I need some Pink.
If I remember correctly, about this time LAST year I was bemoaning the lack of Summer Socks in my rapidly expanding sock bin. But, I just keep squeezing the latest balls of Kroy 4 ply .  .  .  .  maybe it's time to get out the left-overs bag & make FrankenSummerSocks. I want PINK & PLUM in my summer socks. Maybe even some Neons! Gee, Maybe I can afford to BUY a few balls this year????


 

Will you still feed me, will you still need me . . . .

Today I'm 64. Wow. I still can't imagine it. What happened?? The last 30 years have whizzed by so fast that I barely remember them at all. Guess I was busy living. And paying bills. And I suppose I should be relatively happy since the Tax Man isn't gunning for me, I haven't been bankrupt & all the bills ARE paid. Except for the credit card, but then, most of us are carrying a balance these days right into Retirement. Mine isn't huge but it's still there.

And what am I doing on my birthday??? Started out the day with Revenue Canada collections - no, no, not mine. But it means I have extra work in the next two weeks which I hadn't anticipated. And then I went out for breakfast at my favorite little truck stop cafe. I almost took a couple of bottles of wine along since it was MY Birthday. In the end, I decided NOT to drink wine before breakfast. The boys at the cafe laughed out loud when I told them I almost brought wine & gave me a free breakfast while singing off key instead. I do love those crazy boys!!!

Got 4 balls of my favorite Kroy 4ply sock yarn from one of my Knitting Pals. Two are in a lighter colorway with PINK in it which I'll knit first!! I would've cast on immediately but my favorite circs are already in use with another pair of Kroy socks. Since one heel is already turned & the ribbing finished on the other, they won't take long to finish if there's something good on the old tube for the next coupla days.


So, other than Starbucks - my FREE birthday drink awaits - I will be in the office, pounding on the keyboard as usual, since there's only TWO weeks till the end of the Tax Season. EEK.

A Whole Lost Month

I've been in a daze this past month. Not that I haven't been doing things, but simply, I just didn't feel like going anywhere, socializing or blogging. I did take a two hour 'Tea Time' break with PBS to watch British TV with my lunch - I loved the two weeks of "Call the Midwife" reruns!! But I didn't even want to go out past my patio unless it was to head through the drive-thru for a Very Large coffee-to-go. I have my choice between Starbucks, Tim's & Mcdonald's within 4 blocks. Coffee tastes sooo good with two milks in it late at night. I have a 24 hour drive-thru just up the road & it sure does a good business at 4AM.

Of course, tax season hit with a bang as usual.  Some of my old, old customers are back with multi-year offerings too. Thank Gawd, it's been a tough year & a half for me since the school closed. I'm in that grey area where I'm too beat up for a full time job but still too mobile to be written off. In 9 days I'll be 64 & 11 months away from being an old age pensioner. Gee, I wonder what I'll do with all that extra money???

I did knit a couple of pairs of socks this past month. One for me - this is finished & already in the wash & one for my second favorite short order cook in the local truck cafe. He's a good boy & can make a mean toasted chicken & havarti  sandwich on rye. Most of the employees of the little cafe love my wild Frankensocks so periodically, someone gets a pair. Once in a while they get to keep them too. One girlfriend & one Mom has pinched a pair or two along the way.
There's already another pair of Kroy 4ply socks on the needles for me & two wonderful wallabies on the needles for two little boys under 4. The old hands have been complaining but little sweaters don't take much time or effort before they're done, do they???

The camera is charging as I type so there may be some new pictures on the next entry. Back to the grindstone, taxes &  the GST wait for no one. Woo hoo

I lost a Week

This time of year is normally full of grey days & dark nights so everything looks like an old black & white photo. Surprisingly, my part of the Wet Coast has been bathed in sunshine every day. So much sunshine that I've been living in the office. It faces west which makes it the warmest, brightest, sunshiniest room in my basement. My only excuse for missing posts is sunshine which has kept me working instead of crafting.

Since I have just a part of my voice - one paralyzed vocal chord & one bum knee - torn meniscus(cartilage), I've been mostly unemployable. All potential employers want me to answer the phone since I would be the office slave. My voice fades out with too much talking & some people can't even HEAR me on the phone. What a pain for someone who loved to sing & could talk to a room without a microphone. But life goes on. I'm back in the home office banging on the computer for small businesses again - it's a hellova lot nicer than picking bottles out of ditches for 5 or 10 cents each or standing in line at Welfare! And I do enjoy doing income taxes. Call me crazy but extracting every cent of overpaid tax out of the Government, well, it just gives me that warm & fuzzy feeling. The data entry to get there doesn't. But it's that necessary evil. The good part is that I also get to listen to Audio Books while I work. The second good thing is that I will be able to sit on the patio all summer & spin on my breaks while the rest of you are stuck at work .  .  .  . 

Spring Socks

It's beginning to appear like Winter has passed us by here on the Wet Coast of BC. Crocus, Daffodils & Primulas are up & starting to flower. No buds on the clematis yet but I expect them any day now. This shot is from the pot standing next to my door. Blue Fescue hangs over one side, brown Fountain grass in the back with Primulas in the front.

 I meant to do so many things this winter. I looked at so many projects & rejected most of them due to sore hands. The only two that I started was the Ringwood gloves, two tuques & a couple of pairs of socks. I still have three sweaters in-progress, a pair of lace socks on my favorite circs & the Ringwood gloves on my second favorite DPs.

The stripey Kroy socks finally got their toes finished - a lovely thick pair of socks to keep the chill away. I had three balls of this pattern so I had more than enough to make them really long for a change.
As I've said before, I really do love Kroy 4ply because it's just a little thicker, wears like iron & has terrific wild colorways. I love wildly colored socks. Especially in the winter when it's dull & cold outside & color has disappeared from the world. A wild pair of socks seems to be so necessary.

Ringwood is still on the needles but my thumbs have been too sore to juggle 4 DPs & all the little cast off & ons for fingers. They may sit in the basket until the end of the tax season when I have time to rest the old fingers or until the next long dry spell. My hands don't care if its warm or cold but it must be dry.

Since I'm unable to sit in front of the tube without doing something, another sock magically appeared on my needles. I had an almost full ball of a Kroy 3 ply in a pink/green/orange/grey pattern that really spoke to me but there wasn't enough to knit anything other than wrist warmers or fingerless gloves. So it got tucked away. Eventually I got some leftovers & another partial ball donated. I picked out the pink/green/orange/grey yarn to save because I really liked it but knew I didn't have enough because I'd forgotten about the first ball. I'm a visual person. If I can't see it, I forget about it & buy a new one. So I live in chaos so I can SEE what I have. LOL Eventually, I found the original ball. It was waaay too much to take & I had to cast on then & there.

Trying Something Different

My thumbs are sore as hell again but not as bad as they were at the beginning of the year. I've gone back to eating my dinner from a big plastic measuring cup - the handle takes pressure off the thumbs when you eat in front of the tv & I'm using a big mug with a handle to drink my tea for the same reason. I'm not knitting as much as I used to because Tax Season has begun & I need my hands to work.

Knitting is an Opiate. It's addictive & has become a life long habit that's impossible to break. So to avoid withdrawal sickness, I've had to cut back my habit a little & try something small & light.

When the pattern came out in Knitty Deep Fall, 2010, I fell in love. I copied the pattern in COLOR. And I filed it away in my pattern binder for the day when I got my courage up to knit a pair of gloves. Funny how that works. I can knit an Aran sweater with all the cables & bobbles but gloves terrify me. They can't be any harder to knit than socks??? And I've knit hundreds of socks - even a couple of pairs of Lace socks. So with sore thumbs that keep me from big & heavy projects, I cast on a pair of Ringwood Gloves. I found three balls of KROY sock yarn in a deep Wine color. The gloves have a seed wrist band with buttons & the stretchy Ringwood stitch everywhere else.

Sharon's Taxi Service

I've had a very busy couple of weeks chauffeuring two of the men in my life to & from eye appointments. I'm tempted to put a sign on the door of my van & go into the taxi business. Between Specialists' appointments, detached retinas & laser surgeries, it's been a busy time. And I have three more days of it at the end of the month too. Why am I doing all the driving you ask?? Because both of them get their pupils dialated by the Specialists & can't drive (or see) for up to 5 hours after the appointment. And I'm building up credits for when I may need rides to & from whatever myself. My only complaint is that I have to get up at 6:30 in the morning in the dark & dodge pulses of heavy rain from the latest Pineapple Express to do so. And now that my driving duties are over for the day, the sky has cleared & the rain is gone. There's no blue up in the sky but it's about 60 watts brighter than it was at 7:00!

So you'd think I'd get all this knitting done while I wait at these appointments?? Nope. Too dark out in the car. Too crowded in the waiting room - really only room for the patients - and no coffee shops. I do get a lot of reading done with my Kobo Aura - the back light is so good that I use it all the time.

I mentioned I wanted to knit CONIC from CookieA's book 'Knitwear - Shapes & Form' Since it's mostly an easy straight knit, I decided to cast-on the yarn I got from Knit Picks in LadySlipper & use it as 'car' knitting. I love the color. It's one of the blued tones of pink that suits my coloring nicely. I just hope it doesn't bore me to death with all the stockinette.

This is Not About Knitting

I am currently driving my second Voyager/Caravan. In case you don't know, they're 
identical except for the emblem on the steering wheel. And the wheels may be different sizes on some models but overall, they're the same. My old Caravan had a sliding door on the passenger side only while my Voyager has a sliding door on both sides - I love this by the way. Sure makes my life easier for loading when the passenger side is parked against the fence, next to a wall or too close to other autos.

Now my cars are always old even when new to me. I've never been able to stomach the depreciation you get in the first year of owning a new car. Must be the bookkeeper in me! And I never cared enough to want another monthly payment or to triple my insurance either. I take good care of the working parts but I don't really care what the outside looks like. If I won a huge amount of money??? I'd still drive an old junque car.

My current Baby developed a problem with the driver's window in the summer. It just wouldn't go down without a fight any more & told me so with a squeal. The headlights were already  sandblasted when I got it & recently, I broke the driver's seat back adjustment switch when it jammed & I tried to make it work.  With a really wide tire behind the seat to hold the back upright like I wanted, I put out the call to my Scrapper friends about a new seat.

I was so excited when I got a call about a van going to the crusher with good seats inside. My buddy said my seat was held in with only four bolts & he could change it out in 10 minutes. So, while he was doing that, I checked out the lovely clear headlight assemblies on the front of it. Oh yeah!!! I was quoted $500 for new ones. And after I eyeballed them - same lights. One bolt, two screws. Everything matched nicely. Except the side wouldn't snap in. Mine had a round hole & the new ones had a slot. Well, dammit all anyway.  Apparently this is what grinders are for. A little trim here & a little trim there - why lookee here, it fits. And just because we were there, we took off the master window module - two screws & a plug - Holy Picture Window Batman, we have windows that work without a complaint.

All in all, not a bad couple of hours of scrounging. I probably saved myself $1000 in parts - you almost always have to buy headlight assemblies & window master modules new 'cause they're worn out in scrap cars too - the labor was already paid for by a previous favor. I smiled all the way home. No knitting got done. I didn't even think abut knitting. But my Baby's back & everything works again. Wooohooo

Wasn't that a Rainfall??

I had to go out yesterday since I ran out of milk on Wednesday. I can drink my tea without milk although I prefer it with, but I just can't eat oatmeal made with water!!  I love my oatmeal. I like Old Fashioned Oats which are just oats mashed flat. They take longer to cook but have nothing added or removed. I use oats, a quarter cup of raisins or craisins & milk. Cook it in the microwave for 7 minutes in my big 8 cup measuring cup. Let stand for 5. And eat. Sometimes I eat it with sugar, sometimes with cinnamon or jam. But I just can't eat the damn stuff without milk.
So, I had to go out. In the middle of the Rainfall Warning. OMG. Bad enough driving in the stuff but running - or in my case, hobbling - from the car to the store was awful. Not only did I get soaked going but carrying groceries BACK, unlocking a car, loading bags & self. Lets just say, I should've just brought soap & called it a shower.

I didn't do a couple of the things yesterday that called for running hobbling from car to store. Thinking I would do them today when the storm was over, I was sure mistaken. It's still coming down and there's still a red RAINFALL WARNING flashing on my computer. To hell with it, I guess I can just stay home & wash dishes instead.

In the meantime, I have been picking away at the current pair of socks trying to finish them off even though the fingers are sore. My thumbs are somewhat better than they were but still painful. The sticky salve works a whole lot better on the knee which means I can walk more without pain or wobbling. It doesn't work as well on the painful thumbs but it sure makes the skin soft. I can knit a few rows if I knit slower & take a break on every commercial if I'm watching the tube. I knew commercials were good for something. And a couple of the kids I know have asked for small items.

Jennifer asked for Boot Warmers. I'm on the Lion Brand e-list & the last email offer included a Free Knitting Pattern for - Cabled Heart Boot Cuffs - just in time for Valentine's & just in time for Jennifer. The pattern is written for "Vanna's Choice" which is a worsted weight & size 5.5 & 6mm needles. I wish I had Red for them but Jennifer prefers any shade of black. Yuk.
Max, on the other hand, wants a tuque in any shade of Blue. He says he'll even wear Royal or Robin's Egg but likes Black too. I told him it won't be Black. He likes to roll his tuques up & wear them like a Beanie with his hair tucked under at work. I think a nice Royal Blue Antler would be good for him. The pattern is from 'Tin Can Knits' and is free on Ravelry.

Oh to be Useful Again

I'll tell you, having a job again really makes me feel better. There's a reason to get up in the morning. It's like the brain turns on the 'Git up & Go' hormone when you have something to do other than cater to your own needs. I sleep better, feel more rested & actually look forward to pounding on the old keyboard once more. I put the word out that I was back in business in the Home Office a few months ago & it seems people have finally got off their asses. It's a month before Tax Season of course, but I suppose it's better late than never. And I'm loving it. I think my sight & hearing have even sharpened up a little too. Stop laughing out there - just wait until you've been written off as 'No Longer Needed' 'But you're almost 64, why do you want a job' or my favorite 'Retire, you deserve it.' Yeah, Okay. But, I've worked all my life & am not ready to quit just yet!! And I still NEED the money.

To celebrate, I visited my doctor about my painful thumbs. I wanted information on & samples of medicinal cremes that I could rub in instead of taking more & stronger pills. I worry about my Liver. In the past, I tried a couple of them but wasn't impressed. And I just don't have the money to spend on sampling. I was told not to bother. Apparently the over-the-counter analgesic cremes don't have enough of the analgesic for anything other than minor aches but he could give me a prescription for one to be made up. And the cost would be about the same as the one on the shelf.

I should've known better. I ended up with a nice large tub of beige muck, the look & consistency of axle grease. It doesn't smell, thank gawd, but it takes forever to rub in - sort of like rubbing heavy Vaseline into your skin. The Pharmacist assured me that it mostly penetrates the skin but may take several applications before it's effective. I must apply it twice a day.

Let me tell you, you don't just dip a finger in, rub it on & go about your business. It's get a cup of tea, sit down, rub it in for 15 minutes per spot until it's gone, drink the tea & then go about your business after you wipe or wash the remainder from between your fingers. I must've spent at least an hour that first day rubbing it in!!! But you know, the darned stuff works. It takes a while but it works so well that I rubbed it into my whole knee - both sides & below & had the first painless knee since I tore that cartilage!! I'm still working on the thumbs.

And this is why I have no knitting to show & no projects to discuss. Instead, I'm reading Sylvia Olsen's book - Working with Wool. It's an extremely interesting history of the Native women who gathered the fibres, wove the blankets & knitted the sweaters that kept their families warm & fed over the years on the Coast of B.C.  It's a History book & a Sociology book & a Story book about the Women who work with wool.

Frustration

I've been so frustrated the past couple of days that I could send my foot through the Internet & up the backsides of everyone at Google. For some strange reason Google decided to GOBBLE up my blog & my business G-mail account. No comment, no warning, no nothing. It's sort of like when you're typing in the Blog & the type-face suddenly changes in mid word. It's taken a couple of days to actually figure out what happened & then get it all straightened out. Why can't they leave well enough alone????

Haven't knit much lately since I've been pounding on the keyboard with a new project & filing GST reports. Trying to get as much done as  possible before it's time to do T4s & jump into Tax Returns again. And I have to bone up on all the changes this year - nice of the Tax Man to spread a few goodies around for the Working families for a change instead of giving tax breaks to the wealthy & rebates to the poor. Did you know the biggest percentage of tax is paid by the Middle Class Worker???

But, now that you're terrified by Taxes & Google changes, here's a picture of something warm & wooly that I'm finishing up. The mate is on the needles & almost ready to have the heel turned. It's my favorite Kroy again but in the 3ply - no wonder it went further. Other than finishing a pair of Arrow Lace socks already on the needles, I'll be concentrating on finally finishing a sweater for myself - yeah, the Poncho Pullover is still on the needles but it is advancing down the body rapidly!!! 

And I think I'll knit CONIC from Cookie A's book 'Knitwear Volume 1 - Shapes & Form' that I bought in December. I was chatting with another large woman in Ravelry who knit it for herself & she says it's a fairly quick knit even in fingering. She says she loves how it feels & drapes even though she sized it UP a few sizes. I love the back panel & those crazy sleeves. It seems to do what I need - covers the back, shoulders, sides & sleeves to the elbow & makes a great office sweater to kill the chill.

REALITY

Back to pounding on the Home Office computer for a living. This wasn't what I had planned but in some ways, it's kinda nice being back. I can commute in my fleece PJs, I can do the laundry while working & I can cook dinner while working & doing the laundry in my PJs. What a life!!
The only real problem is being cut off from the world. I can go for days without talking to anyone & it's easy to let your days become all tangled up with your nights & end up sleeping & working opposite of everyone else. That only adds to the loneliness of course. So, starting this week, I've set my alarm for 7:30 & plan on heading to bed before midnight to get my days & nights back on track. I have a big job of data entry, filing GST & Corporate Tax returns over the next couple of weeks.

I've become a complete TV addict while unemployed. PBS offers TEA TIME programming for adults during the day. From 3 to 5, they offer British drama & Antiques Roadshow. I like to take a late lunch at 3 & watch. A nice perk for the AT HOME worker. It also gives me time to work on the latest sock or my Poncho which is eating up yarn at tremendous rates. Since the weather has brightened up, I may be able to take a photo for a change too. It was so gloomy the other day that when I woke up at 7:30, I got that disoriented moment where you wonder if it's day or night. Looking forward to getting up really early again in the spring, drinking tea on the patio & watching the birds. I'm always happier when the days are lighter for longer.

Working on the second sock in another pair of KROY 4ply socks for myself. Since I had three balls of this color, I thought I'd make a pair of L_O_N_G socks for a change.

This must be an older Kroy colorway because I was able to make one long sock out of one ball. My orange/brown socks HAD to be shorter because of the yardage in the ball. Expecting the same yardage, I was able to make my new Red/Blue socks 4 inches longer & still use only one ball per sock.

                             
                          Just Knitting in the New Year

Survived the Holidays

Yup, I survived the Holiday - well, the worst of them - one more time. I survive them quite nicely now that I'm old.  I don't mind being ALONE. Some folks do. Some folks spend too much time alone & some folks have nothing but alone time but I have so much to do that a few days alone doesn't matter at all. Between the knitting & spinning projects, I never have to worry!!

I meant to have a nice rotisserie chicken for Christmas dinner this year with Cole slaw & real Mandarin oranges for dessert. I thought about cheese bagels for hummus & chicken sandwiches for later.  Of course, I waited till Christmas Eve afternoon to go to Safeway since I wanted that chicken to be fresh. Why Safeway??? The one I go to has a bank machine, groceries & Starbucks. I wanted to hit all three. And I wanted one stop shopping. Brother, did I make a mistake.

I should've known when my left hand turn lane was backed up for a couple of blocks .  .  .  .  but sometimes that happens when a truck needs to turn & blocks the thru lane because he can't fit into the short left turn lane. So I got in line. It took several light changes to be able to turn.  All roads around Safeway were standing still. Cars trying to turn were blocked by cars trying to get through the intersection IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. Instead of waiting until the intersection cleared, people were rushing into any little space while blocking everyone still in the intersection. People fought to get into Safeway while others fought to get out. People sat in cars blocking aisles to others while waiting for other people to return to their cars & pull out. Knowing about the Handicap parking in the far corner - not a good place for anyone to park - I was able to park. That corner is not popular.  It floods, it's dark at night, it has two ledges to try to get over, there's no buggy return & the cross walk is on the opposite side of the parking lot!! But it was empty. I realized, as I limped across the roadway, that I'd forgotten about the liquor store across the parking lot. No wonder the place was a zoo!!!
All the chickens were sold out before noon. The Deli gal said people were lined up outside at 7 when they opened. I shook my head. Bought meatloaf in the end. And found myself a comfy spot at a corner table to read, drink a large dark roast coffee & eat a slice of banana bread. I got to watch all the parking lot action in comfort until it thinned out & let me head for home.

Christmas was terrific. I knit almost a whole sock while I watched the Tudor Christmas, The Victorian Christmas & the War Time Christmas with Historian Ruth & Archeologists Peter, Tom & Alex.

It's been an odd couple of days around the old Hacienda. The damned teenagers upstairs all seem to shower one after another leaving me with no hot water in the mornings. Who wants to get dressed, hang about for a few hours & then get undressed to have a shower mid afternoon??? I guess I have to get up earlier & beat the buggers to it or stay in my jammies until lunch time. Other than the shortage of hot water, it's so quiet in the house that it's like no one but me lives here. Except for the skunk. I caught him peering in the window a couple of times. He comes up the back stairs & looks in when I'm working at night. And last night, he decided to perfume my back door. Deeelightful.

I finished up the second pair of socks for my Fat Ankled customer who suddenly decided he was paying too much for them. I was really annoyed because I stopped working on my sweater to make him socks when his feet & ankles blew up like balloons. I actually took pity on him, against my better judgement. Luckily for me, I hadn't delivered the second pair yet & needed a little thank you gift for the nice fellow who drops off a loaf or two of lovely rustic bread every week. I hope my Bread Man wears those socks the very next time he visits Mr Fat Ankles.!!!

My buddy & I tried to go to Tim Horton's for a coffee yesterday around 3:30 in the PM. Bad decision .  .  .  .  It may not be IN the mall but it's close enough that we still couldn't get near the place. Not a parking spot to be found!!!  Okay, okay, I'm tired of all this Christmas fuss already!!!! We sat on the far side of the mall, next to the street & watched the Tim's. It took a bit but people suddenly got up & the whole place cleared out. We rushed in to an empty coffee shop, grabbed our coffees & got our favorite seats. Within 20 minutes, the place was packed again. We've decided that we'll stay home till January.

The Madness Around Us

It's the month of gift giving & receiving. And while I'd rather stab myself in the thigh with a knitting needle before I'd darken the doors of a mall, I do like some of the seasonal goodies floating around out there. I love the fact that the grocery store carries a more extensive selection of cheese this time of year. I'm a big fan of Lancashire & Cheshire cheeses. I also love the Mango bath & body products that the Body Shop only gets at Christmas nowadays - I was a HUGE fan of Mango perfumed oil in the old days, sigh. But, if I have to shop this time of year, I keep to grocery & on-line shops. I just can't cope with parking Vultures. You know who you are!! You're the people who circle the parking lots for HOURS trying to park at the door. You idle in 'Handicap' spots to scan for 'back-up' lights. And you sit & wait for people to return to their cars while blocking the entrance/exit for everyone else.

I spend a lot of time reading through my list of Blogs now that I'm not commuting to work on a daily basis. I start my mornings with Food in Jars & the Yarn Harlot while I drool over all the goodies they write about. One of my blogs sent me to the Sweet Georgia blog to read about the new pattern collection called 'Tempest' by Holli Yeoh. I was given a peek & fell head over heels in love with 'Haven', the poncho/wrap. Knit with  two strands of Sweet Georgia Cashluxe fine in some of my favorite colors - Mulberry, Wisteria, Deep Cove & Basil. It's my first choice to knit out of all the patterns in the book. I commented on 'Haven' & told them how much I loved it. They must have loved my comment because they sent me the book as a download!!! Whoopie. I suggested 'Haven' would be a great pattern to use up all the shades of pink & purple handspun in my skein collection. I wouldn't have to buy a thing .  .  .  .

I actually remembered to take a photo of the latest Fat Ankle Socks. They're ordinary, plain, manly men's socks in my usual pattern. I use the cable cast-on to cast on 72sts loosely on 2.75mm needles. I knit one row & then drop down to my favorite Chiagoo 2.25mm circs for the rest of the sock. I do a 2" K2P2 rib on a stocking stitch body. Since I can't SEE any more after dusk, I make my heels by knitting a gusset BESIDE the heel flap as I go before short rowing the gusset to close it after turning the heel. This makes a nice, deep heel with a loosely ribbed top which is easy to get on & off swollen ankles/feet. It's also easier to get on when your knees don't bend as far as they used to.

Drip, Drip, Drip

I can't believe how fast the time goes by. It's been almost a week since I even looked at this blog. Whew. Haven't accomplished a whole lot in the last few days except produce a giant pile of used Kleenex! I've had the nasal drip from Hell. A constant drip. All I've done is wipe my tearing eyes, blow my dripping nose & sleep. Didn't feel bad but the darned drip wouldn't stop & I couldn't keep my eyes open for two days. As the nose dried up, the throat got sore. What is going on?????

I did manage to finish the second pair of Fat Ankle Socks though & now have the time to finish my Poncho Pullover. Hopefully, I'll be wearing it by Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, I bought myself a present. Anyone who knits socks knows Cookie A & her multitude of gorgeous sock patterns, but I guess I'm the only one who didn't know that she also has other patterns out there. Someone in one of my Ravelry forums mentioned a sweater designed by Cookie A. I had to take a look & was astonished by how much I loved it. She puts ordinary shapes together in a very unexpected way that really appealed to me. I was hooked. And I bought the download. I am now the possessor of Cookie A's Knitwear Volume 1 - Shapes & Form book. I have a niece that loves weird stuff & a couple of those sweaters would make her little heart sing! Sigh. Just another project to finish before I die!!! Now, if only I could win the Lotto or find a rich relative willing to die & leave me money .  .  .  .  

The Fat Ankle socks are just about finished, thank gawd! All this damp, windy weather has taken it's toll on my hands - especially my thumbs! I have to take a side trip to my favorite Chinese supermarket & get some Chili Plasters. They're sheets, impregnated with hot peppers, that you can cut into any size or shape & apply to your skin for pain control.  I know they heat up & stick wherever you apply them. They can get TOO hot if left on too long but my Ex swears by them. I intend to apply a small patch to the base of each thumb to see if they help because I have a ton of knitting to do, a year's worth of painted Spinning Club rovings to spin & all that data entry I've just taken on  .   .   .   .   my hands have to work!!!!                                           

Time to get back to my Poncho Pullover too. I've only managed to knit a few more rows with the condition of my thumbs. Gotta finish winding off all the singles yarn on my Indian spinner as well. Much as I love that big bobbin, I really do hate winding off all that yarn. It takes forever. But, if I want to get it ready for dyeing, it has to come off. It's  been earmarked for a sweater from the Knit Kimono book. To keep the color fairly consistent, I have to dye it all at the same time. I must have 15 large skeins tucked away in a bin already & when I wind off what's on the bobbin, I should have more than enough of the lovely stuff for the sweater. I believe I still have about 8 of the 'knots' of roving left to spin before I dye it all. The unnamed wool is from a 15 pound 'Grab Bag' of Brown Sheep mill ends I bought from Sheep Shed Studios so very long ago so. The knots are soft & quite spongy which made me love them immediately. So before I get any older or stiffer, it's time to get to it.