Random Friday

There used to be themes/topics for days of the week back in the heyday of the knitbloggers.  Yes, the WIP Wednesday, the Saturday Sky, Tuesdays are for Socks, Ten on Tuesday, (I think that one might have become controversial, but I missed out on why it was, and I think I might go back and see if I can find the topics for those ten lists and redo them here) FOAD Thursday, (it's probably perilous for me to bring back that one) and a bunch of others I missed or don't remember, and I make no guarantees of being correct with the ones I just listed.  Anyway, I came in after the height of it all, but before the tail end of those days, I never really was part of the crowd, and most of them have stopped blogging altogether as far as I can tell, so I'm probably safe from the shunning if I'm doing random on a wrong day.  I might search about and see if I can find more knitbloggers and connect.  Then again, I might not.  Sigh.  I better get to the random before this turns into what qualifies as a cohesive topic around here.

• I've been having some photo difficulties and figured out the camera setting that needed fixing.  I hate the occasions where my pictures have been off, but I'll just move on from it as I can.  My photos may not be as bad as they were with the problem, but they probably still won't be very good.  I mean, the problem I identified has nothing to do with how bad the color was off in the picture I took of the mittens I started this week. 
• The storm damage home repair woes continue, and they took an upsetting turn this morning.  We've been done wrong by a company, and it puts us in an even more difficult spot than we were before, and we were already in a tough spot.  I cried a lot over this today, and could easily start crying if I think about it much.  We're going to try to move forward as best as we can.  If you need a roofing recommendation, I may not be able to tell you who to use, but I can definitely tell you who to avoid.  
• Our trip to The Magic City was productive.  We didn't get all the answers we hoped to have, but we have a plan to get more answers.  The cardiologist we saw listened to us and is working to get the best outcome possible.  He discontinued a medicine that could become troublesome, ordered tests, and is working on a plan.  
• Are you watching Days of Our Lives?  Yeah, it took a big turn this week, and I don't mind seeing how this storyline plays out, although it was a bit jarring when I realized it wasn't just a one-off episode.  What got me was hearing about the long hiatus and everyone being released from their contracts.  Stephen Colbert could have spoken of it a bit more gently and given more information, (yes, that's how I learned of this) but that would not have worked with his monologue.  However, it did send me to the computer to try and get more information while simultaneously avoiding spoilers.  I know that they have episodes to air for many months, but the idea of the show possibly going away sometime next year was pretty upsetting to me.  
• I found a bit of lace in need of repair.  I must tell you that when I first spotted it, I really did think of just chucking it and knitting a new one, but: 

1.  I really do have enough lace shawls that I do not need to re-knit and replace this one.
2.  It is a shawl with a bit of an in-joke (the pattern is The Sheep Shawl, but I knit it out of alpaca).
3.  Today is not the day to make big decisions like that.  
4.  This will be good practice for repairing broken lace that I might face in the future. 
5.  Speaking of knitting a lace shawl again, where is my Creatures of the Reef shawl?
   
           

Random Like a Lion

Well, we are glad that the beginning blast of March weather did not make its way any closer to us. I just kept the television on in the background to keep an eye on things, and curled up with the Kindle and finished reading a book. However, after finishing, I have kind of floundered, not really able to settle on anything. I knit some, but interruptions prevented any real progress. I even considered making more owl hats, but I could not find my crochet hooks. Rather than make you worry and wait, I will let you in on that mystery--I had put the hooks away where they belong. Imagine that!

We followed that with Aunt Sarah duty with a just-unwell-enough-to-need-to-stay-home-nephew. He remembered to bring his uke along, and we made great progress. I gave him a new set of strings, and he is one chord away from being able to play one of his favorites, "This Land is Your Land." Oddly enough, he was rather unimpressed with my rendition of "Hungry Like the Wolf."

After that, it was a flurry of housework that ran headlong into an unexpected out-of-town visitor, and then one we were planning on having. I had hoped for a quiet, plain, boring, nothing day, but it is not likely to happen anytime soon. Maybe one week from tomorrow, but that is the Ides of March, and I will probably not have the power to beware.

Probably most of tonight will be a not sleeping one, but maybe I will knit. I just hope everyone else sleeps in, and I can secure large quantities of coffee.

Did I mention that I volunteered to give a weaving demonstration next week?

What the Wednesday?!?!?

Aunt Sarah has on her production-elf-hat and the stitches are flowing. There are the effs that have been oh-ed, the things waiting for the post office, the items already gifted, (oh, those December birthdays!) the projects nearing completion, those waiting for a quiet moment of attention, the ones not yet begun, a last-minute addition or three to the list, and that is just the knitting. I have plans for three of four scarves I want to weave, and a general idea for the fourth.

Today I can show you a quick, satisfying, well-received gift. Last week was Katie's birthday, and I gave her a hat I knit from her handspun. It is a bit on the small side, but she loves it, paraded around in it, said she was going to bring it for show-and-tell, and patiently posed endlessly for her mother at the camera. She was even sweet enough to let me get a snapshot, too. Let me just add, that, in certain situations, knitting with extra-bulky yarn might not be the worst thing in the world.

I am feeling much more peaceful after the resolution of a stressful situation. It really was not so much about me, but rather someone else's issues spewing forth in a most unpleasant manner, and I was in the line of fire. I was beginning to think that it was going to turn into a great big deal, and it nearly did, but at the last moment the person was able to see what was happening and turned it around and things are back to being good.

I am not feeling quite so much peace about some postal issues. I have been expecting packages and they have not arrived. There is a possibility that they have not yet been mailed and I do not want to pressure anyone, (and we all know how bad I can be about mailing things) but I also do not wish to appear to be someone who does not acknowledge receipt of a package. Beyond concern that they could have gone missing, I am not really worried.

However, I am a bit worried that the ukuleles I ordered for the nieces and nephews will not arrive in time. Apparently, they are still out-of-stock, but we remain hopeful. Their books and pitch pipes are here already, and we have something of a backup plan for just in case, but I really want the ukes to be here for Christmas.

For the Random

When I cannot concentrate, I am grateful for the Random Wednesday.

I have to rip back an inch on Salt Peanuts because I was not measuring and knit too far. I do not mind it too much, because I was busy visiting with knitbuds.

I have hope that I will finish this sweater soon because our weather is predicted to be freezing on Friday and 80 on Monday.

NaBloPoMo is still fun, and I am glad to be able to say that. What I do not like is that it is no longer on its own site and has been absorbed by BlogHer. Perhaps I would like the BlogHer site more if I gave more time to exploring it, but I kind of doubt it. I find it to be too busy, redundant, and a bit tedious.

I want to stay true to my Salt Peanuts, but the itch to cast on something new is getting stronger. Maybe I can satisfy it with a MochiMochi, but only after I get the cardi on the right track. Then knitting something new is like a reward for good behavior, right.

Wait--do you hear that sound? It is a close-to-complete pair of mittens declaring that they should come before anything else, even a Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi.

UM...Fingerless Friday, Now with More Random

I brought these Serpentine Mitts out of hibernation for travel knitting. It worked out well, and steered my mind toward portable knitting. They have been nice to keep with me to work on while we have been out-and-about on errands and in waiting rooms. Their small size and ease of working on while on the go almost makes me want to knit socks again--almost. I have been able to work on these mitts a bit more, and I only have one more thumb to knit before I have a finished pair.

However, before finishing those, I decided to begin some others. I used Fetching as a starting point, and ended up with these. If I knit them again, I will make 2-4 fewer increases on the thumb gusset. Still, I like the pair, and they stretch and snuggle most any size hands.

We have been doing some home maintenance and improvement. Last night was painting, and it required having the door open for a bit. This let a few mosquitoes in for us to swat and squish. More got in than I had figured, as I discovered over two dozen bites on my feet when I was getting ready this morning. That was a bit of a puzzler, but I spent more time thinking about the odd dream I had just had.

It was a bizarre one that had many celebrities. I cannot remember most of them, but eventually I ended up in a yarn store where the yarn was 50% off, but the prices were already too high, so the discount only brought things down to a few cents below what most stores charge. Anyway, Bill Murray was working there, by the Cascade 220 if I recall correctly. I sat down on one of those stability balls across the display from him, and he is going on with some anecdote. I could not tell whether he was eventually going to try to talk me into or out of buying yarn when the alarm clock sounded, and I was awake and the dream was over.

After reading about my dream, you would probably feel cheated if I did not share my Unconscious Mutterings for the week, so here they are.

Return :: To Sender
Alarms :: Ringing
State :: Your Business
Picture frame :: Crooked
Wreath :: Holly
Arrest :: Punishment
Sincere :: Apology
Nathan :: Cousin
Bag :: Fake
Arched :: Enemy

It's Wednesday, Right?

Let the random fly!

The dvd collection has grown. Now I know what happened on the fourth season of Dexter just in time for the beginning of the fifth season. We do not have Showtime, so I will be out of the loop before too long. However, the other dvd set is already blowing my mind and making me excited about spinning, so I have plenty to occupy my time. Also, watching it while folding laundry makes folding laundry not so horrible.

Speaking of ordinary tasks, I am spending less time doing one of them. Of course, I am talking about tying my shoelaces. Lifehacker (do not recall just how I ended up there) directed me to the Ian Knot. It will change your life.

Speaking of changes, Bloglines is going bye-bye by the first of October. Have you snuggled up to Google Reader, or do you use something else? Some have suggested connecting the blog with Facebook, but that is not for me.

Speaking of Facebook, I was looking at stats for the blog the other day, (I used to look at those obsessively, but not so much lately) and it seems that there has been a good bit of traffic leading people here, specifically, to the entry for the last pair of mittens that I knit.

Speaking of mittens, they are one of the few things that have not been on my packing list. I want to pack light to make room for souvenirs traveling simpler and more enjoyable, but I fear being unprepared and not having something that I need. I learn a lot each time I travel about what I need to bring, and what is best left at home. I used to bring way too much knitting, but I have a better grasp on that. Speaking of travel knitting, it is time to pick some out right now.

Wednesday Whirlwind

The summer heat is in full swing, so we say goodbye to the snow peas. We had about 3/4 pound of them, and they were so tasty. Briefly, I felt like a successful gardener. Really, twelve ounces of snow peas is a big pile. They are our best harvest so far. The stray cats have also declared the end of snow peas in the garden to be tragic. They quite enjoyed spending time amongst them. Sometimes they best loved to nap under the snow peas' cool shade. Other times, they played jungle cat--hiding and then pouncing. I think we will plant more when cooler weather returns. No, not more stray cats, thankyouverymuch.

Speaking of exciting gardening news, I have seen baby watermelons! We planted many more seeds this year in hopes of increasing our success. If you recall, one softball-sized watermelon is our current record. Bruce is very pleased to have found seeds for a variety he remembers fondly from years past called Sun and Moon. I will not even ask anyone to guess the song that runs through my head when I think of this type of watermelon. It is "The Only Time" by Nine Inch Nails.

I think I might need a yellow shirt. The Tour de Fleece is almost here, and I have ideas. Some of it involves spindling. The wheels cannot follow me everywhere I might be next month. If all goes according to plan, there is a small Las Vegas adventure happening soon. One of the travel days might need some extra knitting, but I have not yet made any decisions. Probably it will not be this, though lately, I have had an inexplicable urge to knit it. Yeah, we have conditions in the nineties for temperature and humidity, and I feel the need to knit a stranded vest.

As it has been a number of years since I last flew, I have been reading a little bit about how the rules have changed. No, I am not posting a question about bringing knitting needles on the Big Six, but I would like to be aware and prepare accordingly. Once again, the innerwebs have varied information--clearly, not all of it to be trusted. What I have determined, is that perhaps the quickest, easiest way to make it through security is to have a service monkey. Of course, I did read a lot of advice, and it is possible that some bad tips filtered through with the good.

Jumping Around in June

We will just pretend that my jumping was so joyous that I sprung right past the first. Of course, after a month where I rarely knew the day of the week, missing just one day seems like I am doing great. June is sure to be better. So far, my niece, Kaitlyn, has been released from PT, and all of the other therapists have given the green light for her to go to kindergarten this year. We could see she was ready, but I can tell my sister-in-law needed to hear it from them.

Anyway, new month, new lace, right? It may or may not be the answer, but it is definitely a good idea. I am knitting another Swallowtail Shawl, and it is coming along nicely. Once again, this is not for me. This shawl will go to a friend I have recently reconnected with after many years. While seeing each other in person is not likely to happen anytime soon, it is still quite nice to be in touch again after all this time.

The beginning of what we hope will be sourdough made its way to me this week. My sister has been raving about the bread that her co-worker bakes, so she pushed my name to the top of the starter waiting list. It requires another feeding before it is ready to go, but there are already claims on the first loaves.

The weather people are predicting lots of random rain, thunder, and hot for this week. The good part is that it means we do not need to water the garden. However, it also means outside time does not always happen when I would like it, and I am still trying for a photo shoot for Bitterroot. I need to put out some food for the wandering cats, clean out my gills, and get out there and do my best at the next opportunity.

Speaking of the garden, check out my first lavender bloom ever.

Wednesdays are for the Random, Right?

I am working on a super-secret-deadline-lace project. If my calculations are correct, I must complete 27 rows, which totals around 2500 stitches (give or take, what with changing stitch counts) each day to finish in time. I have remembered to include time for blocking and drying. I am currently choosing to believe that my biggest challenge will be the sharing of the one magnetic board for my two current chart projects. Yes, they are both deadline knitting.

On a local Freecycle group, I saw a curious posting. Offer: Bachelorette Accessories

Yesterday's Ten on Tuesday topic has been detrimental to my productivity. I have been playing games and having fun.

I have lost part of a fancy hat I began knitting in September. I had the opportunity to check fit on the intended recipient, and it is nowhere to be seen. It is in none of the cleverly organized places it should be, and asking me where I last saw it is not helpful.

Scarves are often stubborn, tricksy, and false. I have been knitting on what is attempting to be the Red Corrugator of Doom often, and sometimes for extended stretches. It is not yet 36" long. I wanted to have at least three good scarves for the Red Scarf Project, but this second scarf is out to get me.

Not that I do not enjoy having you here, but I thought I would send you away in hopes that you will win prizes. The deadline is today to enter for Hillary's contest. You have a week to make it over to where Phyllis is giving away some beautiful fiber.