UM...Love Your Head

This week we will start with a glimpse into my brain.

Burrito :: Bean
Spike :: Watermelon
Tougher :: Than She Seems
Mock :: Mercilessly
Slurp :: Slap
Knock :: Try
Conference :: Call
Madness :: Sock
Minds :: Alike
Connection :: Missed

I went in search of a different pattern to use for a chemo cap, and when I came across the Hermione Hearts Ron, it seemed like a good choice. I used Plymouth Dreambaby DK because it is so soft and is an easy-care yarn. I was able to finish this one pretty quickly, and think I will start another tomorrow. Either that or maybe an Odessa will be up next.

Speaking of heads and brains and the love they need, please keep my five-year-old niece, Katie, and family in prayer. She is still not awake following a car crash Friday afternoon. They were able to take her of the vent this afternoon. I have not been able to get up to the hospital to see her as I have been taking care of my nephew.

Babies, Babies, Everywhere

Well, not so much, but I know of one that just made her grand entrance one week ago, and another that still has several months to go. Anyway, like birthdays and holidays, I do not usually do much planning for the babies until shortly before they are here. That is why I was casting on for a little something earlier this month.

I chose the Bella Baby Sweater from The Knitter's Book of Wool. Then, to make it extra-special, I chose discontinued yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease Sportweight, in purple. This brings me to my mini-complaint about Lion Brand keeping Wool-Ease Chunky and Thick & Quick along with the regular worsted weight version, but dumping their Sportweight. Ah, but that is not the topic of the day, so we now return to the regularly scheduled sweater discussion.

This was a fun, quick knit. The beautiful, bright color was a joy for the eyes. After I finished the individual sweater pieces, I pinned them out, blasted with steam (this pic has the right color), and got out another book. I like The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, and was glad to receive this reference last year. It seems that at the very least, I need to have the book open to start the seaming process, as it has usually been more than a little while since my previous seaming adventure.

Anyway, while I knit the sweater, I kept thinking about cute ways to embellish it. I considered little bugs, flowers, hearts, stars or butterflies. I thought about careful embroidery, or bold, i-cord additions. However, when the time came, I found two perfect buttons, and could see that the sweater was finished.

Since I did not knit the smallest size, it will be a little while before I can beg for modeled shots, so the fabulous living room floor photography has to suffice for now.

UM...Electricity

Taking a bath by candlelight is so nice when it is a choice. Yeah, we have electricity problems, and like us, they are odd, and puzzling to solve. No power in the bathroom and half of the bedroom means I look even more attractive than ever. I am not much of a mirror-gazer, but now I am doing none. It has certainly altered our week more than a little bit. Still, we have done pretty well, especially considering we had a nephew here for part of his Spring Break. Anyway, we hope to have things fixed soon and back to what passes for normal around here.

UM
Children :: Loud
Saddlebags :: Giant
Restraint :: 5-point
Awake :: Barely
Blood :: Type
Shutter :: Speed
Posted :: No Trespassing
Corn cob :: Latrine
Flagrant :: Abuse
Fart :: Smelly

Wednesday?

How did I miss so much of the week already? Wait, I think it is that magical time of year when The Groundhog rises from The Watermelon Patch, gnaws on alarm clock cords, startles the sun, pees on couches, and leaves prizes in closets. Well, that probably is not right either, but it calls to mind some words from the Tree of Wisdom. It says something like, "When you've been around as long as I have, you sleep less and hallucinate more."

The secret knitting does not make for very good blog material until later. However, the last two have been so nice to make. Actually, one just has the last of the finishing details until it is complete. Then all that remains is getting these packages in the post. Oh, and speaking of the post, I just received a disappointing shipping update of one item that could be quite late by the time it reaches its destination.

Anyway, with those other knits finished, (yes, yes, little details) now is the time to pick my next project. I think I want to use my handspun alpaca, and have narrowed down the choices to the Lilac Leaf Shawl or Bitterroot. What do you think?

UM...Happy Birthday, Lizzie!

Across the miles, I am sending super-magic birthday wishes to my Lizzie!

While I am in such a super-great mood, how about some love?

Near-fo status on a secret knit, and it is different from the one I had been knitting. That one is done.

Dark Cherry Mocha Nonfat No Whip. I've tried it hot; now to try it iced.

We are home

Clean ceiling fans

Twiddydinkies are priced to move

Now, to peer deep into my mind:

Detective :: Uncover
Bangs :: Drums
Consultant :: Color
Puzzle :: Mystery
Learn :: More
Necklace :: Bauble
184 :: WaysToDie
Stimulation :: Mental
Layered :: Lasagna
Police :: State

Experimental

Last night I spent some time with the fluffy stuff and the Kiwi. I treadled and drafted, and did not have much fun. I spent a bit of time examining the fiber more carefully. It is possible that it could have problems. It is also possible that it just wants to be spun in a way that is not my default spinning style. What is probable is that both of these things are true. However, instead of just forcing myself to make my way through a significant portion of the fiber, I did something different. I stopped spinning the singles, wound them off the bobbin with the ball winder, and plied. Then it went into the water followed by a small bit of thwacking. The result is this 11.7g skein of about 48 yards of two-ply fingering-ish weight yarn (yes, I'm too lazy to check wpi). It is not fabulous yarn, and it is not as horrible as I thought it would be. I plan to swatch with it later to learn more about what I have done.

Fairy Tale Mittens

Spring is likely to be here at any moment. In fact, it could sproing right past us all and directly into summer. How did I reach this conclusion? I finished my mittens. This has been a difficult winter for many, and for them, I should have completed these weeks ago. However, there are those of us who feel a little less-than joyous about Spring, and waiting until August seems like a better time to finish. It has been an awesome responsibility and enormous pressure, and the closer I got to the end, the more the obstacles popped up around me.

When we last left the mittens, they were finished except for thumbs. Then, they needed to wait while I did not medal in the Ravelympics with the giant lace. At my next knitting opportunity, I brought the pair back out, and spent most of my time socializing. It was important. Then the needle disappeared. As in, I am holding it to slip the stitches from the waste yarn, and the needle is gone. I cannot find it anywhere. It is not in my hair, around my neck, in my knitting bag, on the floor, in my knitting already, in the book, under the chair cushion, tangled in the yarn, or shoved between the pattern and the notebook. I looked up, down, all around, and even enlisted the aid of a fellow knitter. I crawled around on the floor once again, lifted the flap of the chair, reached into its scary coils and swiveling parts, grabbed what felt like it could be the needle, and coaxed it out carefully. I thought that I was either breaking the chair, or destroying my needle. It felt like it was going to be a bad outcome, but I was wrong. I retrieved the needle, and it was fine. Then I managed not quite two rounds on the thumb before the coffee shop closed. I figured I would finish the pair before bedtime. I made it as far as the end of the thumb, and my eyes and hands were too tired to kitchener.

The next day, we are about to head out the door, and I figure that the bright sunshine would be a perfect time to complete the first mitten and get a nice start on thumb of the second. We make our way to the interstate, and I reach into the knitting bag and cannot find my tapestry needle. If only it were in a cute purple pouch with other knitting notions. Oh, wait--it was! I just did not see it at the time, and ended up leaning my seat back and closing my eyes for a bit. I discovered that it had been there all along when I was getting things out of the bag to sit and knit for the evening. I felt special, but moved on from the experience. Then, I make it about a half-dozen rounds into the thumb when the skunk makes its presence known. It had to have been just a few feet from the front door, but I did not open it to investigate. I have already learned that lesson. Anywho, either the air cleared enough, or I just got used to the stench, and I finally was able to sit down and finish.

Despite the possible meteorological implications, I am glad to have my new mittens, and plan to wear them as much as possible.

Pattern: Mitten 28 from Mostly Mittens: Ethnic Knitting Designs from Russia by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette Black and Fairy Tale (I had trouble capturing Fairy Tale's true color with the camera)
Needles: US0/2.0mm

UM...Broken-ish

Yep, the comments are broken for now. I am working on fixing it.

UM
Harm :: Self
If :: Then
On my own :: Again
She said :: That's What
Illegal :: Sick Bird
Broke :: FixIt
It’s a :: Long Story
Chatting :: Gabbing
Cottage :: Cheese
Podcast :: Not So Much

If you read this far, you get to know that it is time to crawl around in the living room to pin out a giant something and let it dry.