Happy Birthday, Baby!

I love you, Bruce!

Her Fans Called Her Tuffy

Last Sunday I went to a birthday party for one of my Monday Night Knitting Buddies. I had such a great time. The evening started with dinner and ended at the Roller Derby. I found this poster Wednesday when I was at Starbucks. I wanted to take the poster, but I did not. Those are the socks I’m knitting for Bruce. I did not knit those that night, but rather I knit on Shedir. That is such a great pattern. I wouldn’t call it the greatest choice for knitting in the low light while you try and watch the roller derby, though. Several of us knit away throughout the match. This guy asked why we were knitting. I responded, “Why not? We love to knit and knitting is awesome.” He said that he just wondered if it was a derby thing. It could be one day. One of my other Monday Night Knitting Buddies wants to join the team. She has to finish healing a current injury before she can get new ones roller derbying. She decided on c-squared for her derby name (I can’t write what it stands for), and it was determined that I should be called Spike because I can be seen knitting with dpns and I sometimes stick them in my hair and forget about them. This made "Roller Derby Queen" run through my head even more fiercely. Anyway, when I was making my way through the parking lot outside the roller derby I thought I saw my brother’s car. Although it is not an uncommon car, I knew it had to be his. There was a band playing, and I thought they must be my brother’s friends. I kept looking at the band and the people around it to see if I could spot him and say, “Howdy!” I never saw him, so I left a little note on the windshield when I left. I tried calling him, but I couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone. We ended up at his house yesterday, and when I inquired about the previous Sunday, I got quite a surprise. As it turns out, it was not my brother at the roller derby. It was his wife. Had I looked more closely, I would have seen her out on the floor. She wasn’t skating (still in training), but was keeping stats. She says that she doesn’t know if she will keep with the derby. I can’t say that I blame her. I think she would really get hurt. Anyway, this non-knitting tangent has been brought to you by the It’s a Small World concept.

Cars, Socks, and More

We went to see Cars on Friday. Outside the theater they had cardboard cutouts of some of the characters. I thought it was a good opportunity to take some pictures of Bruce's socks in progress. It's good to focus on progress. It's not good to dwell on the mistakes. We all have to rip back. Sometimes we have to rip back a large number of stitches. Sometimes it is two thousand four hundred ninety stitches that must come off the needles and be returned to the skein. When I knit something where the pattern gives numbers for multiple sizes, I have a plan. Photocopy the pattern, (good idea anyway for notes and preservation of the original) and then cross out all the numbers not applicable to the size I am knitting. But I could always do that last thing later. I mean, just look at the cast-on number and then knit those thirty rows from the chart. I wouldn't need to look at the rest of the pattern for thirty rows. Guess who cast on for the next size smaller than what she intends to knit? Argh! Oh well, the yarn is wonderful to work with, the lace is nice and simple, (fulfilling my desire to knit lace and being simple enough for the feeble state of my mind these days) and I love knitting. It is the shell from the Thorn & Thistle twinset that I made the big mistake. I've moved on, now. I ripped it out, re-wound the yarn, marked out all the numbers I don't need, and began again. I've passed the lace and the decreases for shaping. It's coming along nicely. I've turned the heel on one of my mom's socks, and I'm part of the way through turning the other. My Pomatomus now have a few rounds of lace going all the way around the legs. Amazingly enough, I made that progress on Pomatomus at Monday night knitting. Monday night knitting helps me make it through the other 165 hours of the week.

Treading Water

I'm getting ready to knit the Thorn and Thistle Twinset from the current IK. Actually, I'm just knitting the tank portion of the twinset. Something about the cardigan/bolero thing doesn't look quite right to me. Anyway, I've made my working copies of the pattern. Now I'm about to begin crossing out the numbers which pertain to other sizes. I'm making the next to smallest size. I hope I've chosen well. I've already swatched. I'm on for stitch gauge, but not quite for row gauge. Eh, I think that's where I'll be making changes, so let's just forget about row gauge, 'kay? We've gotten plenty of warm weather. How great would it be for me to finish this in time to wear it this year? I also want to knit the Bonita Shirt from the same issue, but with several more changes. I don't think I'll be doing the embroidery, the sleeves aren't quite making me love them (tank, maybe?), and perhaps not all of the lace on the front. I think the length issue (yeah, I'm not looking to showcase my tummy) won't be an issue because I'm short. I've done some measuring, and I think I'll be groovy without having to make changes there.

I've turned the heels on Bruce's socks, have one more round of Pomatomus with lace on top only before the lace goes round and round, and I'm ready to turn the heels on Mom's socks. That makes Bruce's socks easy traveling knitting. I think I might just leave that project in the car, perhaps. Mom's socks will soon be to that stage, too. My Pomatomus socks will take more careful attention. I feel like I'm not progressing much with any of my projects. That's okay, though. The dementors have been relentless lately. It's surprising that I'm getting as much done as I am. Speaking of surprises, I'm going to a birthday party (not a surprise party, though). Wow! I have not been to a non-family birthday party in ages. Time to test my social graces, and flex my trying-to-not-look-like-such-a-freak muscles. I'd better stretch first. I think I should bring knitting. It really does help me. I'm going to let new lace projects wait until my mind is a bit clearer. I don't consider the Thorn & Thistle tank to be too lace-intensive to qualify it for back burner status. I'm doing what I can. So far this month I've done three dvds from The Firm and exercised in the water one night. The Fit Knitter thing is good. I want to be an even fitter knitter.