Challenge Accepted

Many of you reading this have never and probably will never meet me in person.  You may have some ideas about my personality, or perhaps you've never really given it much thought at all.  I'm an introvert, weird, and sometimes if I receive a quick response on a text/dm/email, I find it extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to respond that response, but write imaginary ones in my head for hours, days, weeks, months, or years.  I alternate between very short texts and emails and tremendously long blocks of writing.  That being said, I doubt you'd be surprised to know that I can chatter away with someone for a really long time.  Fun fact:  I'm a telephone pacer.  I wander about, walking back and forth if I'm on the phone for any measurable length of time that doesn't require me to be seated.  I'm also a telephone avoider, (although I don't hate the phone) am awkward, and have not yet developed the skills necessary to not rattle on and on until something comes along and necessitates an end of the telephone conversation.  

Recently, I've reconnected with someone I met through knitting back when I was an in-person social knitter.  We have been having weekly Zoom meetings lately.  It is the free version, so we are limited to forty minutes.  I don't think we are related, but if we are, we don't need a full-on genealogy survey to find a common ancestor, because if one exists, it's obviously Chatty Cathy.  So far, we've been mixing small recaps of recent history mixed with what is currently happening in our lives.  It seems like we've barely begun when the ten-minute reminder countdown clock appears.    

  So, while it might be frustrating at times when one of us is mid-story when the video feed cuts out, I choose to look at it in a positive.  This could be a chance build some (much needed, in my case) skills while staying in touch.  Sure, it's a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to make the most of limited time.  And if we keep up with meeting weekly, we might even get around to knitting together.  Speaking of knitting, I picked up the stitches on the black blob, and it could be perfect for working on during the Zoom chats.  I still need to knit a few rows on it to see if my pick-up rate was right, but I feel pretty good about it.  As I'm sure you can tell, this isn't a current photo, (and judge away, 'cause the picture is from February 2019) but possibly the best picture I will ever get of this sweater.
       

Don't Call it a Comeback...Yet

Sure, these UFOs have literally been here for years, but I've not been working on them, and the mere act of dragging them out may not mean anything.  Their longstanding neglected status is not all these projects have in common.  They're both in states of waiting for their next steps, and their next steps are the final steps in knitting them.  One needs a bit of ye ol' pick up and knit action, and then it's just stockinette (and rev-st-st, and maybe a little more st-st) until bind-off time.  The other needs the set-up for the lace edge, and then it's a short chart repeated all the way around, eating up body stitches as I go, a quick graft, and the knitting's done.  Right now, they're also both rather unimpressive (and not terribly exciting when it comes to color, either) blobs of plain knitting--one garter, the other stockinette.  

They also have quite a bit of knitting left on them.  I mean, if I squint, I can make out the finish line in the distance.  The lace edge is an eight-row chart of thirteen stitches, but I will be working it over and over again to make it all the way around.  Sure, it's likely I'll get the chart somewhat pasted onto my brain after I've done it a number of times, but it's not mindless, and when I reach the corners, I will need to consult the written directions, too. I'm not going to attempt calculate the stitches that remain, but the number is not insignificant.  After some quick calculations, I think that the simpler project has over 16,000 stitches to go, but the knitting is pretty mindless once I get it on its way.  Still, if I recall correctly, the "requirements" for NaKniSweMo is knitting a sweater of at least 10,000 stitches in a month, but that's a bit hazy to me and I could be mistaken.  Then again, that's a totally made up, self-imposed, unimportant event for next month.  Ugh.  I just realized that next month is November.  I'm going to need a moment.  OK, I've pushed that reality back into a corner and can get on with other things. 

I guess I'm in the so close yet so far away zone with these, but giving them a chance to be something other than blobs of knitting in a bag seems like a good idea.  I hope you're giving good ideas a chance, too.                 

Still a Blob, but Bigger than Before

My knitting hope for today was to finish the first sleeve and pick up and knit the stitches for the second.  I got off to a slow start for the day, but once I found my rhythm, I was going round and round until it was time for the end of the sleeve.  Next thing you know, the sleeve is done.  Then I set it aside and took care of a few things around the house, and by the time I looked at it again, I just didn't have the concentration for the task.  Tomorrow is another day, and I'll probably have plenty of knitting time.  Bruce is has been feeling a bit under the weather, (just a bit of the crud) and if he isn't greatly improved by morning, we'll likely head in to see the doctor.  Sometimes there can be a bit of a wait when they're trying to work you in, so I'll bring knitting.  On the other hand, if he is feeling better, it will still be a quiet day, and I'll have my knitting.  Ah, knitting, such a constant companion.        

Back on Track

The sweater is going really well.  I was right to set it aside for a day.  I resumed work on it today and everything went much more smoothly.  The picking up of those stitches that I couldn't make work before didn't give me a bit of trouble.  I've made it past the decreases, and now I am just working stockinette in the round.  I'm past the halfway point on this sleeve.  The biggest problem I have with it is that I have to keep untwisting the sweater as I work round and round, and that isn't really a problem.  The sleeves on this only go to the elbow-ish, and I like that.  When I wear long sleeves, I'm usually pushing them up to that length, so it works perfectly that these sleeves will already be there.  Making progress on this makes me think that I could get both sleeves done this week.  I may be dreaming, but I'm going to keep going.  

Rather than subjecting you to another formless blob progress photo of my sweater, today I'll share a picture from a wonderful November afternoon from a couple of years ago.  I hope you have something good to do today and a nice memory to cherish.

      

Not the Charm

After three times of trying to pick up stitches for the sleeve of my sweater, I decided to set it aside for the night.  The first clue that I was going to struggle with it this evening was when I couldn't find the pattern (the sweater was in a pouch in a larger knitting bag, and the pattern was in a pocket of that larger tote) until after I went and found a second copy of the pattern.  I mean, it's just fifty-four stitches on each side of the shoulder seam, and I can't seem to make it happen.  Yeah, when the idea of switching to picking up somewhere around 400 (I made changes and have not calculated how many more I will need) stitches for the front/neck/collar bit of this sweater seems more appealing than trying to work out these fifty-four, it is probably best to let it be until tomorrow.  The good news is that this sweater is endless photogenic.  

I have occasionally been putting on the body of the sweater, enjoying a little extra bit of warmth.  Of course, then I try to get up and do something around the house, and I get caught up on the ends I've left hanging.  I mean, I could weave in those ends, but really, finishing the sweater is the better option.  I would like to have it done before the end of the year, and that is possibly a doable goal, but I'm not hung up on it as a deadline.  I do have other things I want to knit, too, so this might not get my full attention.  I will say, once I get these stitches picked up, much of the knitting is pretty plain, and that can be a nice television companion, and I find that idea rather attractive.          

Happy Groundhog Day!

Has your Groundhog Day been great?  I hope so.  It has been pretty good here.  I made it outside and enjoyed some beautiful weather.  Bits of green are poking their way through the dirt, teasing at the possibility of flowers arriving soon-ish.  I even managed to knit a bit.  

Little, by little, I'm getting the sweater to the point I want it to be by Monday night, but even if I don't get it there by then, it will be alright.  It would just be nice to have it joined below the armpits for a very long Tuesday. 

It Doesn't Repeat Itself, But it Kinda Rhymes

I get ideas.  It's probably for the best that some of my sparks of inspiration extinguish themselves as quickly as they ignite.  Occasionally, however, I see some of them through.  In this instance, I only saw part of it through, (although the other parts are more tangential, and certainly don't matter for the rest of this story) and past the deadline, of course.  

Last year, I purchased a pattern collection with some birthday money.  Not that I disliked the rest of the book, in fact, after flipping through, I can see myself knitting several of them, but I really only bought it for three of something like thirty patterns.  Anyway, at first glance, I thought one of the patterns resembled a scaled-down, miniaturized, simplified version of a sweater a friend had knit for herself.  There you are, millions of miles away through all of those tubes of the internet, and you see where this is going.  You know me a little bit, and you know if I see something like this, I will feel compelled to knit this for my friend.  

I cast on, and slowly, I made progress.  Why so slowly, you wonder?  Well, I quickly spotted a problem with the pattern, and I didn't want to have to fix it.  The closer I got to the error-riddled section, the more I slowed, and the less I worked on it.  I occasionally looked at the clearly wrong colorwork chart and tried to figure out how to fix it.  I thought I had an answer.  The chart is worked over twenty-four stitches for thirteen rows.  It looked as though it should have been worked from stitches thirteen through twenty-four and then one through twelve.  It made me tired just thinking about it.  To compound this, I ought to mention that for this section, you are working back-and-forth instead of in the round, so odd rows of the chart are read right-to-left and even rows left-to-right.  I think it is accurate to say that working this chart in this manner while trying to compensate for these errors is probably a greater burden than I should place on my will to live.  So, I copied the chart, cut it up the middle, and made the first half the new second half.  You know what?  Yep, it wasn't right, either.  At this point, I already had the chart copied, cut out, and cut in half, so I tried something else.  I made the first half of the chart the second half, but I rotated it 180 degrees, and it worked.  I don't know how they made the error that they did in putting together this pattern, but there you go.  

While I knew that I would not make my self-imposed deadline, I moved on with the knitting and thought of my friend.  When she knit her sweater, that pattern had many problems, too.  She worked through them, and the sweater looked great, but I'm pretty sure the pattern remains on her "Would Not Recommend" list.  I composed the note to accompany this many times in my head while I knit.  I shouldn't do that.  It so often paralyzes me as I try to find the right words, and by the time I to put pen to paper, my note has morphed into inky awkwardness, something I will feel embarrassed about whenever I think about it over the years.      

So, while it isn't exactly a miniaturized replica of the original, people-sized version of the sweater, it kinda rhymes.   

In a surprise move, I went ahead and mailed this off instead of waiting until the end of the year.  I know, shocker, eh?  Hey, I had to try to do something as right as I could this year.  Speaking of, how is your year thus far?    

Petrified, I Tell Ya

 
Be afraid; be very afraid.  When we're talking about knitting sweaters next year, I should be afraid.  I have last year's NaKniSweMo sweater sitting around here with probably less than three inches of it knit hoping it will have its time.  And, if I'm being sensible about this, it should.  But, hey, friends on the internet bullying encouraging us to knit sweaters next year is not the time for being sensible.  

I think I'm supposed to blame Cheryl for this adventure, but Squish is upping the crazy for me.  She reminded us of the Less is More pattern from Amy.  I kind of feel like this is my kind of crazy and that I should do it.  I also feel like it might be a terrible idea, and I should do it.  I also feel like it is too complicated for me, and I won't be able to do it, but I'm also having some trouble concentrating right now, so perfect time to sign up, eh?           

Almost Makes Me Want to NaKniSweMo

I finished a sweater last month.  Yes, I finished it last month, but I started it way back when--January 25, 2015, to be precise.  After I picked it up to work on it, I was pleased to discover that I could figure out where I was in the pattern and just how close I was to finishing.  I was most of the way done with one sleeve, and then all that would be left was the second sleeve.  Upon binding off that first sleeve, I was free to try on the cardigan without the entanglement of needles or trailing a ball of yarn, and I felt good about it.  It really was inspiring.  Then we had some cooler weather, and I wanted to finish it so I could wear it.  The closer I got to completion, the more I thought about knitting this pattern again in this same yarn in other colors.  I considered small modifications.  I even thought about NaKniSweMo-ing it.  That thought didn't last long, though, but I do have a new sweater.   

Of course, now that it's done, we have a warm-up and increased humidity, but that happens.  I'll have plenty of opportunities to wear this sweater in comfort, but I didn't wait for that to attempt a photo shoot for it.  I just kept setting the timer on the camera and posed over and over and hoped that something would turn out alright.  By the time I came in, I had taken 336 photos, and I didn't like any of them.  However, the Google Photos Assistant created an animation from some of the photos, so that's what you get. 
  

Details:  
Pattern--Featherweight Wrap to Knit
Mods:  M1R/M1L instead of YO increases
Yarn--(sit down--it's scandalous) Woolike (85% acrylic 15% nylon--told you it was scandalous)
Color--Chocolate
Verdict--Would knit again (or not, I don't knit many sweaters)

I think this cardigan will work well for me.  I like the way it fits through my armpits.  I'm weird that way.  I may not really be describing it right, but I just do not like clothing stuck up in my armpits.  There is a similar (both in name and appearance) cardigan pattern that was popular a few years back, and I really wanted to knit it, but it seemed like it would do that, and I don't think my body shape/size was a good fit for it either.  Anyway, I was glad to find this pattern, because I would like a few cardigans in the wardrobe.  This is a nice, basic pattern, and I can think of some simple modifications I might make if I were to knit it again, such as changing the length and perhaps decreasing a bit more on the sleeves.  If I feel really adventurous, maybe one day I'll spin to knit one. 

Thirty-Four

So, maybe FiSweMo?  I'm not really thinking about a deadline or schedule for finishing, but I would like to find out if I have been knitting a sweater I will wear.  Anyway, I'm a bit at loose ends with what to knit now.  My focus is a bit off, so I figure I can spend a bit of time with my Featherweight Wrap to Knit for now.  It is in a long-row stockinette state, so it seems like a good choice for what to work on for now.  So, no NaKniSweMo, and not even the pressure of FiSweMo, but maybe just KniThiSweSoMo.  

And now, because the big brown blob of a sweater is even less photogenic than the last time I showed it, I'll show you a picture I took back in July outside a yarn store in North Carolina.  

 

Time to Return to the Sweater?

 
Ta-da!  Julia is finished!  I like it, and think it will be a nice addition to the wardrobe for cooler weather.  I -alonged this with Stacey, but I think she might have abandoned hers for now.  I understand, because I needed to take some breaks, too.  Thank you for bringing this pattern to my attention and inviting me to knit it with you, Stacey.  

 
Now that it is done, I need to decide what gets my attention next.  I could return to my socks.  The roller coaster that was May caused me to have something of a gauge issue, and I need to rip back, but I'm not really feeling it.  If I didn't already have the first sock finished, I'd just frog the whole mess and forget about it.  

I could focus (no pun intended) on getting to know my new camera.  It is a hand-me-down from my brother, and there is a lot to learn.  I have had it for a little over one week, and I have been reading, but this is definitely going to be a process for me.  I joked that this nicer camera would mean that my photos would magically become better, but like so many other things in life, it will take time and effort.  The time, I have.  I can put in the work, too, but we are still rather worn out from everything.  

 
So, that leaves the sweater.  The big brown blob waiting for its turn.  The big brown blob getting close (well, it was for a while) for me to decide whether I want to keep the reverse stockinette hem, or opt for something different.  I recall that I was thinking garter stitch, but I don't remember why.  What I do remember is that I wanted to have this sweater finished this summer if possible.  So, I guess that makes the decision for me.  Besides, it's too hot to do anything else besides stay inside--it's sweatering time.  If you have any input on the sweater, please chime in with your opinions.  I only have about ten more rows before it is decision time.  (ETA: the sweater is Featherweight Wrap to Knit)  

Of course, I did pre-order this book and am already enjoying it, so we'll just see what happens.  As you can see, I've already knit a dolphin and a crab.  I love this book, and these cute little creations are perfect for taking a break from those long sweater rows and all the brown.     

Crossing the Finish Lines

Well, NaBloPoMo is over, and I met my goal of posting each day. Some entries were lesser in quality than others were, but I made it through, and it also helped me to reconnect with blogging. Of course, I am, once again, behind in emails, comments, and reading, but that is nothing new. I am really glad I did this, and having you all stick with me all the way through has been wonderful.

NaFiSweMo is over, too, and I achieved my goal with that. Most of the time when I finish a sweater, I am so sick of it that I have a hard time finding the love for it, but not this time. I am so very pleased with my new sweater, and I have not taken it off since I finished it. I have already received wonderful compliments on it, and my friends can tell that this is a sweater that I will wear often. Salt Peanuts is a great cardigan, the color I chose is perfect, and I have even more love for the yarn (Patons Classic Wool) than when I started. I do not think I could ask for more.

State of the Sweater

When I made my bold declaration that I would finish a sweater this month, I knew that at some point it would mean actually picking up the pieces of my long-neglected Salt Peanuts and assessing the situation. Now that I look at it, this big, crumpled pile of gray wool no longer feels overwhelming. I can see how it may not look very promising right now, but I am so close. I just have to finish one of the front pieces; I just have to figure out where I am in the pattern. Yeah, letting this sit for so long was not one of my better choices.

I do not even remember why I set it aside. Probably, it was because the weather turned horribly hot and I could not face putting more work into something when it seemed like it would be ages until I could actually wear it. Now, however, our weather is featuring cooler temperatures on a more frequent basis, and I want to have my new cardigan. Additionally, Helen has joined me in the agreement to finish a sweater this month, and I do not want to let down my accountabilibuddy.

I super-swear this is not an excuse to put-off my deadline knitting. I am working on it, and it will be done soon, too. Now it is just a race to see which I complete first.

Un-Sheeping Believable

Has it really come to this? It just seems wrong that I am modeling a sweater for a little poodle. At least the tension from knitting and guessing on the pattern rinsed away with the lavender wool wash. It is sure to fit one of the little dogs, and that will probably just encourage her to knit more of these things. This was supposed to be Soho Cables, but she wanted to knit it right.now, and when she could not get it for immediate download, and shipping more than doubled the price of the pattern, she ended up using a free pattern that required a lot of guessing and fiddling with the downsizing, and then there was ripping and cursing, and then in the search for the buttons she spotted me, and that is how I ended up in this superwash--insult to injury, I tell ya--dog sweater.


Oh, and you wanted to know about my intentions for 2011? I intend to not have to wear another dog sweater, but that might be a losing battle, so I will work on acceptance.

Still Here

However, I really do not have much to show for my time. I wove a scarf (mohair is just as much a joy to un-weave as it is to un-knit), helped out with visiting family from out-of-town, baked bread, finished one sleeve, and started another. At one point, I viewed the first sleeve as a metaphor for my life--long, gray, unimpressive, more work than it should be, and curled up on itself. Then I laughed at how ridiculous I was being and started the second sleeve.

Of course, I have been doing other things. There is lace, and it is very good, but it is sooper-sekrit for just a little while longer. Knitting lace is always good, and this pattern is fun and just a little bit different. Making this from fabulous yarn for a great person has also added to the enjoyment. I can probably show this to you next week, but the weather keeps interfering with things. I would cross my fingers, but I really need them to finish my sweater, and the temperatures have definitely been wool-worthy.

UM...Swatching Saves?

Well, I hope it does. I was desperate, and despite hitting more record highs, (though the rumors are for cooler temperatures soon) I have started swatching for Salt Peanuts. I needed to find something new to knit, and I was in a hurry. I had made the mistake of knitting a couple of rounds on a long-hibernating sock, and it nearly stole my will to live.

Anyway, although the cardi from Verena is prettier, I feel more like knitting something a bit plainer and looser fitting. As for the sock, I will return to it soon, and it knows the score--grow or go.

UM
Intruder :: Bedroom
Repelled :: Attracted
Trench coat :: Flasher
Lipstick :: Stain
Humongous :: Ginormous
Oven mitts :: Burnt
Case :: Champagne
Daughter :: Mother
Attorney :: At Law
Shaken :: Stirred

Not Quite One Year Later

When last we saw our Azalea Vintage Cardigan, its fate was in question. Would it go to live with someone else? Could I find a solution to make it work for me? Would it return to stash form? Would it really be cut into pieces and then burned? Since I was much closer to cutting and burning, I set it aside. When I put it a few days later, it fit. How? That is a mystery, but a happy one.

While I wondered whether it might turn back into an odd, unwearable piece within a week, I decided to believe I had a victory, and worked on it a bit more. I was not super-pleased with the neckline. I had worked crocheted slip stitches around, but it needed more. I considered adding a picot finish, but rejected that idea after a bit of experimentation. Then I thought about the rolled stockinette others had done, but I just was not feeling that, either. The pattern calls for working i-cord and then sewing it to the cardigan, and just thinking about doing that was draining my will to live. Still, i-cord is a nice finish, so I decided to do applied i-cord. I did not even have to think about the rate of picking up stitches because of the crochet finish I had already worked. A little while later, it was finished with the exception of buttons.

I got out my button stash and tried out styles. The coconut shell ones would have been perfect if they were smaller. Then there were the pearly ones that looked so nice, but were too small. The wooden ones really called to me, but would not fit, either. I found another set of pearly buttons that seemed perfect, but I did not have enough. So, it seemed it would need to wait for a trip to the store.

The next time I went out and found myself near a Hancock Fabrics, I did not have the cardigan with me, but I did not let that stop me. The wall of buttons mesmerized me, and it took me a while to notice that they were on sale for 50% off the regular price. It did not take long to find several styles that I wanted for future knitting, as well as some possibilities for my GVC.

Then it was time to repeat the process of trying to make a match between the nearly finished cardigan and the new buttons. If I were really into having a bunch of kitty faces on my sweater, I could have stopped looking almost immediately. They actually looked nice, but it is not the look I was going for with this project, and those were purchased for future knitting. Anyway, as I worked to find just the right buttons to work with this, I picked up the wooden set from the stash again, and now they fit. I really do not know how to explain any of it.

After I sewed on the buttons, it was time for the photo shoot. After about fifty pictures I decided that if none of them were good, it was not likely I would ever get a nice photo. Once I had them all loaded to the computer, it was interesting to see how really dreadful this nice sweater could look. Then there were the shots where the sweater looked fine, but I had a horribly pained (or irritated, angry, annoyed, bored, confused, or out-of-touch) expression on my face, or a ray of sun was shining on me in an unfortunate way, or the body-image-issues-gremlins tried to ruin everything.

While just short of a year is a rather sorry start-to-finish time for a cardigan, I am pleased that it is finished, and that it fits. We even had some of that cooler-than-average weather over the weekend, which gave me several opportunities to wear my new sweater. I still have mixed feelings about it after some of the ups-and-downs I had with it, but I am thinking about calling it a win.

Herding Cows the Size of Schnauzers*

That's right, there has been an abundance of Aunt Sarah time lately. I like being an aunt, and I love the kids. I just do not always hold up so well to so much of it back-to-back. For a period of about 2 1/2 weeks, I think I had two days without youngsters. That certainly has knocked my productivity down a notch. Add to this the fact that I operate best (and that is relative, to be sure) on a different schedule than the one that kids do, and it is no wonder that I am behind in many areas.

I did give the first knitting lesson to the youngest niece. She has been asking to yarn, and I told her I would teach her. She did not quite take to it. I do not know that I am much of a teacher, or perhaps at 4 1/2, she is not ready to learn. As it turns out, she had given a good deal of thought to this yarn adventure. When she saw that the yarn and needles we were using were sitting on the table while I was knitting something else, she was perplexed. She wondered why I was not knitting her scarf. I explained that I was knitting a baby blanket. Still hopeful that I was knitting for her, she asked if it was for a real baby or a baby doll. She was not brightened at all when I suggested that a scarf could be a nice present for her birthday or for Christmas. Ah, she'll learn.

I cannot decide what I should do about the GVC. I would like to send it to time-out, but if I do, I think I may never finish it. I want this sweater, but it may not be meant to be. The seaming on the sleeves was gorgeous, and I hated to rip. I really ought to be able to figure this out, but I feel stumped sometimes. For now, I just take it out of the bag and work on it for a while. It is a good deal of knitting and ripping, but at least I know that the yarn holds up well. The other positive--it makes knitting on the deadline baby blanket less unappealing.

I do not recall whose turn it is, but I am going to pick up the needles and make some progress. It is about survival. I do not dislike my knitting, but I am not quite feeling the love, either. That is hiding, but possibly in the stash. When we find each other, it will be good.

*why I like that commercial or the other like it is beyond me, but I do

Can't Blog--Busy Seaming

I have to hold my tongue just so to get this right.

While I keep to this unsightly task (srsly--I look even weirder when I seam), you can peer into my mind.

Death :: Taxes
Identified :: With
Saturday :: Sky
Dumped :: Garbage
Division :: Bell
Stilted :: Speech
Crimes :: Passion
Stumped :: Stuck
Future :: Shock
Team :: Venture

Brain Sludge

I cannot understand what has happened to the camera cable. I have straightened up and sorted and still cannot find it. I do not know if this is an indication of what is happening with my brain, but I do know that it has been struggling a bit lately. I was working on my Golden Vintage Cardigan, and was completely stuck on the sleeves. I reached the sleeve cap instructions, and thought there was a terrible error. It did not occur to me to do the math between the numbers from directions earlier in the sleeve and those in the cap. No, two little letters--CO, stuck me. I puzzled over and over, "How can I CO stitches at the beginning of the next two rows and have fewer stitches than I currently have?" It took the help of a friend to remind me that CO can mean Cast Off, too. I could hardly believe that I had needed to set the knitting aside and get help on that one. Of course, this means it remains set aside, and I have not worked on it in longer than I care to calculate.

The trouble has not just been that the brain will not work, but that it alternates with working overtime. With some extra effort, I have managed to get it closer to on track. Sunday afternoon, I put some Futurama in the dvd player and knit on the July psc sock. The combination of mindless viewing with charted socknitting was a winner. I was able to zone in and out of what I was watching, but my mind could not wander too far with the chart filled with twisted and traveling stitches. I like the way the sock looks. I wish I could show my progress.

I am going to have to do something about this camera cable situation, because not being able to add a photo is getting to me. Yeah, I cannot take it any longer. Here's a picture of my niece holding my mom's new puppy, Harvey.