Faux Drama

All’s fair in love and war. War is the h-word. It’s just a game, kids. I confess to keeping the energy high in this international socknitting tournament. Have you been keeping up with what’s going on in the Sock Wars? In truth, it is merely a fun game, and I am not nearly as wrapped up in it as I may seem to be. I’m having fun. I’ve peaked in on several blogs that were new to me. Much time has been spent considering time zones and thinking about other parts of the world. I wonder if I will have an opportunity to visit any of these far-off lands. I’ve tested my internet searching skills. The fact that I have been unsuccessful at acquiring my target’s mailing address proves that I am not the excellent stalker you have believed me to be. I know you are disappointed. The Skanky Knitters have been zinging the emails back and forth. I’m the only one without a mailing address (I have completed a pair of the International Socks of Doom), three have mailed off deadly socks, one more is close, and another has had scheduling and familial conflicts which finally cleared long enough to cast on Monday night. On Sunday I took a break from the battle to complete another chemo cap. I was called out on an emergency heel flap lesson Saturday afternoon. Friday night I set down the deadly socks I was knitting to help fix those of a fellow warrior. She said that what I had done was the knitting equivalent of a soldier leaving safety to bring back a fallen comrade lying on the battlefield. I don’t know about all that, but I was glad to help. I have really enjoyed assisting my fellow Skanky Knitters with their socks. I am honored to have had a hand in teaching new knitting techniques to other knitters.

Preparation

I signed up for the Sock Wars way back when they were first announced, and I’ve been following the rules. That’s right, I’ve been annoying the daylights out of anyone whom I could force to listen. The upshot of this is that through my constant blabbering and the infectious nature of this event, nearly all of my Monday night s’n’b is participating in this worldwide event. There is a collective frenzy amongst us, although some have been able to maintain cool exteriors. We’ve swatched. We’ve plotted and planned. We’ve agonized and hypothesized. Will 50g/180yards/160 meters of dk yarn really knit a pair of adult-sized socks? Are these going to be decorative socks? Has the whole foot size issue been dropped? Will it be toe-up or top down? There have been ethical dilemmas. Does my yarn have too high of an acrylic content? What if I must kill a friend? How will I care for my family while I’m at war? Why is there an appalling lack of pleasing colors in the yarn in my budget with which I can achieve gauge? Is it right to incorporate Fun Fur or some of that poo-poo brown Bernat Disco that so many of us received for free into the cuffs of the Socks of Doom? I for one will be using Woolease Sportweight yarn. I was roundly abused over on the forum for suggesting this yarn as an economical, widely available (oops, I just looked on their website and see that sportweight is discontinued) option for Sock Wars. Yes, Woolease socks are the foundation for all foot fungi, knitting with it causes carpal tunnel syndrome, and it is the root of loose morals and tooth decay. Puh-leeze! Allow me to let you in on a little factlet. I’ve got gauge, kids, and that is what matters. I’ve also knit more than one comfortable pair of socks with this kind of yarn, and they have held up over the years. That being said, if you don’t want to knit with the Woolease, don’t kill me before I finish the socks. Speaking of the pair of socks you don’t want to have to finish, Monday Night’s Brittany has been able to achieve gauge only with Lion Cotton. Upon plunking the gauge-producing yarn on the table, she exclaimed that she might be the tightest knitter in the land, although there is competition amongst our group for this title with Beth. It would seem that most of the group wants to be able to kill at least one other sock warrior. I’ve only heard one amongst the Monday Night s’n’b Skanky Knit group who views the idea of having to kill another group member as fun. There are talks of public execution. Oh, this is going to be a fun event. Please remind me of this if I’m not listed as a fallen comrade a month from now, or if I am on the list Saturday.

I'm staying up all night tonight on pattern watch, and then--knitting. I had hoped to have one last get together with my local sock warriors. Instead, we kept the nephew who isn't feeling well. A 4 1/2 year old boy who is just sick enough to be kept out of daycare makes for a less than fun house. Ah, I love him! I'm just going to have to let him watch Star Wars, Finding Nemo, or whatever else he wants to keep him busy while I'm knitting the International Sock of Doom.

It’s not all about socks around here, but before I move on, have you heard about this? Anyway, since the yarn arrived last week, I could begin my preparation in earnest for the knitting of Snowman and Skates for my mom. Armed with a tape measure, I was able to corner her and get the information I need. I still need to swatch. I believe I found an error in the pattern booklet. It’s not a big deal. The supplies list that one needs US size 3 (3.25mm) needles. This size is noted elsewhere in the booklet. However, under the gauge section, it reads 28 sts = 4” using size 1 (2.25mm) needles in stockinette stitch. At any rate, the steeking instructions leave much to be desired. In fact, they basically encourage the knitter to consult knitting reference books or to do an online search for further instructions on performing this scary maneuver. This is fine, because we have the lovable Eunny Jang (have you seen these socks?) to guide us through the steeks. I’ve made a quick read through her guide to the world of steeking. I think I’m going to employ the crochet method. It all remains to be seen. There is still a lot of knitting to be done between now and then. Heck, I haven’t even swatched yet. I also have to decide between embroidery floss and yarn for the snowman details (and doorknobs, too). That’s also one of those decisions that can be left for later. I’ve even considered using beads for some of the finishing bits. Or would that be too much and turn it into one of those horrible holiday vests?

Socks and Shawls

Socktoberfest is back. I love knitting socks, so I just had to join the celebration. I have so many potential socks running through my mind that they may need darning before I’ve even cast-on for them. I am excited for the beginning of this festival of socks.

In the meantime, I’ve moved on to the fish charts for my Pacific Northwest Shawl. I'm on row 161 of the 178 in the body of the shawl. The rows are long, but I'm still enjoying the knitting. I had a heart-stopping moment in the wee hours of Monday. I inadvertently twisted and pulled on the Denise with which I’m knitting the shawl and it became disconnected, letting many stitches free. This is where using a yarn with a significant mohair content really paid off for me. I was able to pick up all the stitches, and all was right with the world.

I'm keeping up with my spinning. I think that I would like what is currently on the spindle to become the Swallowtail Shawl (IK Fall 2006). The yardage required for this pattern is relatively little, and I think it would be great to turn something I've spun into such a cute little lacy shawl. This is my spinning goal/dream for now. In fact, I think I'm going to go spin.

Silver Linings

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Does that quote officially belong to someone? I don’t know. It’s a true one, though. We had an experience last week (I won’t go into details) where we were afraid to hope. At the same time, it was difficult to face the event without allowing some rays of hope to enter our hearts and minds. Perhaps this is what made the disappointing news such a punch in the gut. It really did knock us for a loop. I try to look for some positives, and the best to be said is that it could have been worse. Two days later we learned that this event has given us experience and preparation for a future occurrence that is even more unexpected. I must say that we have probably exceeded the adult recommended daily allowance for a dosage of irony. What is the antidote for an irony overdose? I’m treating liberally with wool and knitting friends. I’m also doing my best to realign my thoughts on these matters toward the positive and perhaps productive. This remains to be seen. There are some things that we cannot change.

My first order from Knitpicks arrived on Thursday last week. I needed that yarn love. We were on our way to face another unpleasant bit when I saw the postal vehicle pass us. I asked my hubby if he would mind turning around. I just knew my yarn was in that truck. I was being rewarded for facing some unpleasantries with a positive attitude. We pulled up alongside the mailman and I joyfully received the anticipated package. I opened the box and examined each item. Can you believe that they neglected to include a catalog? I was a bit surprised. I have not received a catalog in quite some time. This is just as well, as I have spent my yarn budget for who knows how long. This is also okay, because I do have the stash. Anyway, it was the yarn and pattern for the Seasonal Fair Isle Vests that had me eagerly awaiting this shipment the most. I’ve got to say, Palette feels pretty nice to me. The Essential sock yarn seems like it will be a good, solid, sock yarn. I’m curious to find out how the Dancing sock yarn will knit up, especially because of the 7% elastic content. I also ordered one of their circular knitting needles in US size 0. New knitting needles are an exciting experience. Upon first examination, it seems like it will be good circular needle. I like the tips. The last thing I ordered was the pattern for the Sweet Mary Jane cardigan. I believe that I have the lace yarn for this in the stash. The range of sizes this pattern has been written for is astounding (xs-5xl). I don’t know just when I will get around to knitting this, but it has been on the mental to-knit list since I first saw it. I love to knit lace, and I've wanted to knit myself a cardigan that wouldn't be too heavy. Besides, at $1.99, and the fact that 100% of the sales of this pattern go towards breast cancer research, putting this in the cart was a no-brainer.

Genetics

Lacking only the semi-sweet morsels for chocolate chip cookies, I let my nephew decide which Walmart we would visit on the way home. Of his two options, he chose the one I don’t get to as often. This worked for me, as I wanted to check out the clearance sections. I set him to the task of remembering our chocolate chips while I headed towards the yarn. They are making some changes, amongst which is the decision to carry Lion Wool. At any rate, this means that shelf space must be cleared to make room for the new stock. Clearance yarns of interest to me include Cotton Tots and some colors of Moonlight Mohair. My nephew is four and one-half. He was introduced to my obsession at a very early age. One of his first complete sentences was, “Don’t look at your knitting. Look at me.” Needless to say, he has petted yarn with me. When I caress the yarn, I often touch it to my cheek. The little man has taken to this habit. As an even littler man, I had to watch that he was not passing the yarn across his slobbery, baby mouth. I am glad that he has progressed past this stage. When I handed him a ball of blue Cotton Tots to pet, he felt it with his little fingers, stroked it on his cheek, and then he sniffed it. It seems that I have passed on another yarn investigation trait to my nephew. I don’t think he has ever seen me sniff yarn. Somehow, he has just happened upon the practice. I can tell that he feels it to be important in the process of evaluating a new yarn, and I agree.

Anticipation

I was eager for my mail week to begin. I suffered through Monday. I knew that I had yarn coming to me. For one thing, I made my first order to Knitpicks last week. As if this weren't reason enough to wait on the mail carrier, there was more. Becky queried those who donated hats last round for a preferred shade of Cotton Ease. I'm pretty easy to please, so I left the choice to her. She sent me a lovely ball in Ice Blue. If I didn't already have a chemo cap on the needles, I would cast-on with this. It came in the cutest little plastic bag with sheep all over it. There were also two skeins of blue Lang Jawoll sock yarn wrapped in some lovely pink tissue paper. I won those in a contest to help choose contest ideas. To top it off, she enclosed a nice note on a cute knit-themed card. These are both new yarns for me. I look forward to knitting with them. It really made my day. Thank you, Becky! I especially needed this boost after checking the status of my Knitpicks order. I made sure that everything was in stock before I submitted it. I kept reading that it was being processed. Impatiently, I pored over the site for an answer. I continually read that most in-stock orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours. I placed the order on Friday, and when it hadn't shipped on Tuesday, I began to wonder. The same message that my order was being processed greeted me each time I checked (no less than ten times) on Wednesday. Finally, when I accessed the site one last time before leaving the house today, I was pleased to read that the order had shipped yesterday. Woohoo! Now the waiting can begin anew. I wouldn't say that I'm being impatient, I'm just really looking forward to beginning a present for my mom. Also, after telling my grandmother about my order, she is most interested in my opinion of their needles, as I ordered one.

DPN Danger

I do not aim to enter the battle unprepared. There is the physical preparation. Appropriately sized needles are cleared. I’ve trained with the magic cast-on and it now is a weapon in my growing arsenal. I can graft the tops of toe-up socks without looking at my directions. Oh, but my nerves! You have suspected that this could be my downfall. So I have done what I must to steel myself for the upcoming pressures.

Back in the days of yore, Dye-O-Rama spread out across the earth. The contagious properties of this -a-long had infected me. Mind you, it was only a mild case, and I did not join. Still, skein after skein of lovely yarn assaulted the senses until I could take it no more. I had to dye. A lone white ball of Brown Sheep Nature Spun became Seedless Watermelon by way of Kool Aid. I knit the socks up on dpns, first one, then the other. Ah, there is danger enough in knitting footies one at a time with a hand-dyed, can’t replicate it, fifty-gram ball of yarn. But that is what I did. The first sock was completed, and I mastered the magic cast-on with the second. When my gauge took a sudden and unexpected turn for the worse, I ripped back and re-knit. I brought my knitting along to what would be a nerve-wracking family get-together. I don’t really swim too well. I’ve been told that rocks can float more easily than I. Water can make me a bit nervous. It had been decided that we would all be out on the pier. I knit up the foot; I turned the heel. The ankle decreases were worked, and I began the ribbing. I could not help but notice the dwindling ball of yarn. I pressed on, my mental fortitude tested by this (the colors are much better in real life):
Children, the gaps betwixt the boards were frighteningly wide. I do believe they were further apart each time a needle was cleared of stitches and was in mortal peril of being dropped and rolling away, down, down, into the depths of the lake. I called upon inner reserves of strength, steadied my hands, and finished the sock. I now have a pair of Seedless Watermelon footies. My knitting put itself on the line for me that day. It helped me get through a day that we have not figured out, yet.

What with all the preparatory training, you know I had to do something to jinx myself a bit. I've already created and decorated the mailer which will carry the Sock Wars socks to their target. Yes, this assumes that I will kill before I am killed. I would show a picture of the packaging, but I want it to be a surprise for dying. That's right, my unknown one, you are already dying. I shall slay you. Time to get off this roller coaster, for now.

On My Mind

Here’s an FO from my first unplanned-it’s-on-clearance-I’ve-wanted-to-try-this-yarn-impulse-purchase of the year. Last year I knit one of these for my mom to keep her ears warm. She doesn’t wear hats because they mess up her hair. Still, she needs to keep her ears covered because a cold wind blowing will give her an earache if they are left bare. She has a horrible, faded pair of earmuffs hanging from the rearview mirror of her car. I thought this could be a good alternative. I don’t know if she uses it. Anyway, I keep my hair back with store-bought, stretchy, knit headbands all the time. I thought that I would like to knit one for myself, and this yarn seemed like the perfect match. Whatcha think? It’s not so easy to get a good picture, so please bear with me. The yarn is Sinfonia. It is 100% mercerized cotton. I should still have enough leftover to knit a chemo cap. I think Shedir would be so striking with this yarn and color. Speaking of Shedir, a picture of one that I knit now graces the Caps for a Cure homepage. I am so honored. Our group is growing and we are knitting and donating so many chemo caps.

Well, you’ve seen the headband, I’ve given another chemo cap plug, and you’re wondering what else is on my mind. It’s stalking, I think. Ah, but that has such a negative connotation to it. The truth is, I want to send a surprise prize to another blogger. A lack of some basic facts is keeping me from being able to send the package. So, how do you go about getting the mailing address of a fellow blogger without her knowledge? In many ways, we are strangers. It just isn’t the best idea to publicly post our full names and contact information. We’ve got to think safety. So, if I were to ask someone whom I think has the details I need, should/would she give me this other blogger’s snail mail address? You see, that’s my plan. I know she has previously participated in swaps. I was thinking of contacting one of her past swap partners or hostesses and asking for the information. It could work. I just have to not come across as the type of person who should not be trusted with personal contact information. Hmmm…giving the appearance of a normal person is not exactly one of my strengths, but I’m going to give it a try. If all else fails, I will have to let go of the idea that it will be a surprise, and just ask the blogger in question.

August Recap

I was able to complete three chemo caps for August. This brings my total for the group in the Carolinas up to seven. I sent four last month. There are no patterns for any of them. I just cast on a number I thought would work for each yarn, and began to knit. The Cascade Pearls was the first I knit this month. The yarn was a thoughtful gift from some knitting friends. I really like the hat; the photo does not do it justice. Alright, it downright sucks and makes it look lumpy and misshapen. It really is a cute rolled brim cap. I would have taken a new picture, but I've already mailed off all the caps. The second hat is knit from Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. The blue is from Mandy, and the coral is leftover from my Thorn and Thistle top. You can see that I took these pictures while feeding the stray cats. At this point in the photo session, the cats had finished their food, thus making what I was doing of interest to them. The last cap is knit in Sassy. This is yarn is from Columbia Minerva, it is sport weight, and the content is 85% So-Lara Acrylic 15% MemorelleTM Nylon. The yarn comes from the stash; it was part of a bunch given to me by my aunt, who gathered it from unknown sources of unwanted yarn. I was unsure that I would get the last cap done. Sunday morning came, and it seemed like this was one of those where I could knit on forever, and it would never grow. I began to multitask. I was lying on the living room floor, and the Grand Prix from Istanbul, Turkey was on the television. I would sit up for awhile and knit, and then I would lie back down and knit some more. The laps were completed in the race, and the rounds of the hat were knit. The knitting was simple, and I never had to look at it. Then I began to think about the fact that I needed to exercise. Hmmm…I was still tired. I wasn’t sure what all the day would bring. I added more multitasking to the mix. No, I didn’t just think about exercising whilst knitting and watching tv. I did abdominal exercises while I knit and watched the race. I worked the abs during each commercial break, but I never stopped knitting. I would do little crunches working the upper abs or lower crunches, or any other various ways of engaging my core muscles, all the while, the knitting continued. When I needed a break from the ab work, and thought that I ought to change up what I was doing with my arms, I set the knitting down, grabbed the barbell, and used it during the advertisements. Then, I fell back asleep. There were a couple more opportunities to pick up the yarn and needles that day, and finally, I held up the work and determined that I needed the tape measure. Sure enough, it was time for the crown decreases. Unfortunately, it was dark, we were back in the car, and I didn’t have my little headlamp. So, when we got home, I was able to finish the hat. I was on the homestretch, so I just kept going until the hat was off the needles. Did I stop? No, of course not. I weaved in my ends, and had the satisfaction of one more chemo cap ready to be washed, dried, and shipped. Ah, it was a nice way to end Sunday. Monday the caps went into the wash, and then I waited for them to dry. Wednesday I made it out to the post office and the library. Someone has misplaced The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook, so I wasn't able to check out the book yet. I feel ultra productive. I just did a mini twenty minute strength workout. Next it's laundry, spinning, and aerobics--order yet to be determined.

Gift 'n' Spin

Naw, it isn’t a toy to make you puke. I just received this lovely yarn Monday night from my friend, Elisabeth. She brought back yarn for all of us from a business trip to Fort Lauderdale. The label reads Rustik Raggsockgarn Almedahls. It is a wool (50%)/nylon (35%)/viscose (15%) blend. I have 170 meters of loveliness with which to work. I’m tossing around ideas. It may become a birthday present for my brother. I have such wonderful knitting friends. I feel like such a heel because I forgot to give Elisabeth her Thank You card when I saw her on Thursday. Ugh! I had it all written and placed in my knitting bag. Then, the entire night passed, and I forgot to give it to her. I guess it will have to wait for Monday night.

Take a look at the way my spinning is coming along. I think it looks pretty good. I am enjoying spinning more and more. I hope that this ends up being knittable yarn. All of this spinning has me wanting to join a swap, and an a-long. I won’t be joining this one because of timing/budget issues. I would like to join in as I think it looks really nifty. I attempted to talk myself into participating. I tried to pretend that I could make it happen. Perhaps I could, but I'm not signing up for something unless I can be quite sure of my ability to live up to my end. But, hey, you might want to check it out. They're still looking for more participants, especially Virgin Spindlers. So, if you've been considering giving handspindling a go, this could be your chance.

Now, I’m afraid of joining this one because I worry about not being good enough. Margene has kindly encouraged me to join. I’ll keep up my spinning practice and see how I feel when the time comes. I’ve been greatly inspired by her spinning over the summer. I'm really beginning to think that I might join in, as it is an a-long, rather than a swap. No one will be waiting and depending upon me to do well for this event to be a success. I just did a quick search, and my local library has The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Since it's currently available, I think I might go try and check it out tomorrow.

FO, Sorta

I knit the last stitch, finished the shoulder seams, and lay the garment out to admire it. I’m disgusted. I pull the top on, and feel worse. I cannot even post a picture of the Ballet Camisole at this point. Ugh! There is so much more to be done. It isn’t time for this fat lady (okay, so lady might be a stretch) to sing. This is good on two counts. One, I cannot sing worth a flip. Two, there is still hope for this mass of stitches. Ah, finishing work is the favorite part of the process for every knitter, right? There are a number of ends that must be woven in carefully, and invisibly. This is going to be a bit tougher than usual. I’ve tried weaving in one or two, and the result has been woefully visible. This is my first time working with Royal Bamboo. Tips, anyone? There is blocking to be done. That does not bother me one bit. There is the crocheting to finish off the neck and arm openings. For this, I have mixed feelings. I redid the crochet bits on the neck of my Thorn & Thistle top. I like it much better. This gives me confidence. Then there’s the part that makes me feel incompetent. I attempted to help one of my Monday Night Knitting Buddies. Brittany is amazing. She’s a practically brand-new knitter. I believe that her first or second project was The DNA Scarf. Anyway, she had completed the knitting of her Soleil, and needed a bit of assistance crocheting the edges. While I was able to show her how to crochet, and tell her what to do, it wasn’t quite coming out to our satisfaction. All I could offer was, “Rip back and try again until you get the look and feel you like.” I wanted to be helpful and admired. I wanted to sound wise and appear capable. I wanted to do more. But hey, I was just offering up the advice for what I do. There may be a magical mathematical formula for it all, but sometimes I think you’ve just got to get a feel for things. I was able to fix Beth’s problem with the clutch she was knitting and will felt. Then when it came to sewing it up, I felt that my advice fell short. We shall see what happens. I guess it is good that it’s a felted project. So, why all of this not-so-sudden lack of confidence? Why all the worry about my teaching ability? It’s Sock Wars. Yeah, I have been following the first two rules and telling everyone about it. So what’s the problem with that? Some of my Sock Wars anxiety comes from the fact that I knit two socks on one circular needle. Huh? You thought that this might sound like an advantage. I don’t know that it will help me out or anything, but I do know that it caused something to happen. It goes something like this (edited to combine several encounters; not all of this is fact-based):

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #1: Wow! Look, Sarah is knitting socks.

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #2: Whoa! Are you knitting both socks at the same time?

Sarah: Yep

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #1: Let me look at that. Oh, I’ve always wanted to knit socks. How many needles are you using?

Sarah: It’s just one really long circular needle. They call it the Magic Loop. See?

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #3: Sarah is so cool. I’ll never be as cool as she is, nor will my knitting ever begin to approach her advanced skill level.

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #1: Sensei Sarah, wouldst thou honor us with lessons?

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #2: Yes, please, Knitting Guru Sarah! We are humbled in your presence, and desire for you to teach us. I don’t think I could handle dpns, but if you could impart your circular wisdom to us, I believe I could be a socknitter.

Monday Night Knitting Buddy #3: Please lead us into battle. The start of Sock Wars looms ever closer, and we have never knit socks before. Save us, Great Sarah! Two socks on one circ is the only way we can hope to survive. You are the lone practitioner of this most ancient magic. Please don’t let the magic die with you. Won’t you pass on your ways to the new generation?

Sarah: Sure.

Monday Night Knitting Buddies: (in unison) Thank you, oh wise one, our greatest hope is to be slain by you in the Sock Wars.

So, the upshot of this is I am trying to come up with a good way to show others how to Magic Loop 2-on-1 in such a way that they can do it. That, and to not break out in stinky stress sweat. Oh yeah, and to not make any mistakes, let alone plain old showing them incorrectly. I shouldn’t worry so much. I will do my best, and be sure to offer other resources that may be more helpful than I am. They all know that I am human. Actually, it has been discussed that none of these people exist, and that they are all figments of my imagination. If this turns out to be true, I don’t have to worry (at least not about teaching). I already know how to do Magic Loop 2-on-1.

That’s right, just two more rounds from the charts and then the ribbing to finish these.

Round and Round

Yep, I’ve been spinning. I’ve been trying to make sure that I get in more time with the spindle on a regular basis. I hope that this will lead to improved yarn results. That’s part of the difference for me between spinning and knitting. Even when I was a beginning knitter I was able to produce nice, useful, knitted objects. A brand new knitter’s very first stitches could result in a garter stitch scarf if carried on long enough. It is true that over the years I have improved and become able to create a greater variety of nicer and more complex garments and accessories, but I was always able to make something. Once I knew how to make a knit or purl stitch, I created knit and purl stitches. My spinning has been another thing altogether. What I have previously created has not resembled yarn. I feel wasteful that I’m using up fiber and not producing something good enough that I can use it to knit. I’ve made messes. I’ve gotten in touch with the drop portion of drop spindle. I’ve created tangles. Now, however, I am beginning to make yarn. I know you can hardly wait to see my real-live, real-little, skein of handspun (penny included for scale). I may keep this little skein as a reminder of when I first created yarn. Then again, I might want to try and knit with it. What to try and knit with it is another question. I know that I have spun up 8 grams (1/4oz). What I don’t know is my yardage. Soon I will set my husband to constructing a niddy noddy for me. It’s not that I cannot make one myself, but he likes doing that sort of thing. He will probably have improvements to make on any set of directions I might provide. I plan to go the cheap-o PVC route for now. In the meantime, I’ve taken to spinning with the fiber my mom brought back for me from Estes Park Wool Market last year. She bought me the fiber, a nostepinne, and a spindle. The fiber is Polypay Wool Top, and it has been dyed some really groovy greens and purples with plain bits, too. The nostepinne and spindle are from Magpie Woodworks (no website). I never felt I spun well enough (and I never put in enough practice time) to do anything with the fiber. A couple of years ago I bought a kit with a Louet drop spindle and some fiber from Blue Goose Glen Farm at the Harvest Days and Fiber Festival at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The wool from the starter kit is what I’ve spun up for this first little skein. Anywho, I’m going to keep working at the spinning on as close to a daily basis as I can. I’m having fun with the colored roving. I see how it looks different as I spin it up, and wonder how it will look when it is plied. It’s an adventure. Speaking of adventures, a fiber acquisition opportunity approaches. The Monday Nighters have planned a trip here on Saturday. I might be able to join them.

Just Peachy

Sometimes good things can happen when you outsmart the map. Truth is, we didn't look at our directions until we thought we had reached the point in our journey when we would begin to need them. It turns out that Mapquest had planned for us to get off the road we were on much earlier. However, it we had followed those instructions, we would not have been able to take the exit to a nice fruit stand where I took a picture of the Pomatomus and Bruce bought a big basket of peaches.

Sock Wars

It has been called the knitalong to end all knitalongs. Okay, so I haven't read this description of the event anywhere, but I want to impress upon you the enormity of this happening. There were over 200 sign-ups in the first week. You still have plenty of time to join in on the fun (sign-up deadline is 8 September). I'm pretty excited about all of this. I've been telling everyone about it. My husband think it sounds nifty, too. When I wasn't sure about taking part in it, he was encouraging me to jump in and become a part of the madness. I'll need to clear the sock needles to get ready. This will help me move my Pomatomus from the needles to my feet. I think this is going to be fun. I don't see myself winning, but that's not really the point. Still, the worst case scenario is a new pair of knitted socks. Yes, I know there are always possible flakes and other things that can happen, but I'm not too worried about it. I'm going to play by the rules and have fun playing this game.

Monday Night Knitting Report

I almost stayed home. Then I saw the enthusiasm in the e-mails of others that would be there, and I decided to go. There was more gabbing than knitting that night. First it was double show and tell. JJ had returned from a business trip to California and brought back yarn for Jaspher. They generously gifted each of us with yarn. I got this extra groovy Cascade Pearls. Margaret’s Knitpicks order had arrived. She had a boatload of shade cards for us to view. That is so cool. I can’t tell all about the rest of her yarn because I want to wait for the finished object. Begin to prepare yourselves now. I don’t know when it will happen, but it is awesomely frightening for some, and frighteningly awesome for others.

Eventually I did get the needles out and began to knit. I didn’t get but about three stitches in when I saw something was wrong. There was a problem with my Pomatomus that I could not reconcile (more on that later). I had already begun and completed one project that day. Don’t get too impressed. It was a sweatband made from worsted weight cotton. I shoved more of that yarn into my knitting bag before I headed out that night. It was a good thing that I did. Otherwise I would have been just sitting and not knitting. Sure, I had a ball of Royal Bamboo and the Ballet Camisole pattern, but I still couldn’t decide on the right size (details to follow on this, too). So, I pulled out some needles and that cotton, cast-on, and began knitting. They asked what my project was, and to answer I modeled the one I had made earlier that day. They got a good laugh. Do sweatbands improve the appearance of anyone? Not mine, nor anyone else’s I’ve seen. Still, they serve a function, and I’ve needed to knit more.

I sweat when I exercise. I’ve been expanding my exercise repertoire, and to aid in this, I received another sweet prize. Margaret kindly gave me her old VHS copy of Buns of Steel Power Yoga. Her VCR is kaput, and since she doesn’t plan to get another, she passed this workout video on to me. I viewed it last night, and I know that it will challenge me. It is a great addition to my exercise video collection especially because I’ve needed more stretching. Of course it will also serve to strengthen and get my heart going.

Monday Night Knitting is very dear to me. I’m thinking about something for them. I won’t write about it in case they stumble across the blog. They really do help me and my knitting. In fact, I think that it was the fact that I spent time with them that I was able to fix two knitting problems. One was the Pomatomus. Turns out I just needed to read some of the written directions to see what to do before working another repeat of the chart. Next, I figured out which size to knit on the Ballet Camisole. I was so focused on the chest measurement. Then I looked at the numbers on the schematic and the measurement at the bottom of the top let me know which size will be best. I’ve progressed a couple of rounds on the socks, and I’ve cast on and passed the ribbing on the camisole. I’m doing things and it is good. I was beginning to stall out a bit.

July Recap

I’ve managed to finish four hats this month to send in to Caps for a Cure. Two are Odessa (both beadless), and two are Shedir. I ran out of yarn on the second Shedir towards the top. I took a risk and added in a different color. At first I wasn’t sure and thought that I would frog it. I went ahead and finished it and then solicited opinions. The general consensus was that it is cute this way, and I agree. Then when I found myself tugging at the hat on my head in attempts to make it fit me so I could keep it, I became sure that the hat is good enough to give away. As soon as I got the second Shedir off the needles, I cast on for the next Odessa. I loved knitting with the Cashsoft. It was so generous of Louise to hold that contest for the group. These hats are bound for South Carolina. I really need to work on my photographic skills (or a lack thereof, rather), and perhaps purchase a form for modeling the hats I knit. We’ve extended the normal two months per group time line to three months due to summer. That means I’ll have the opportunity to knit more hats before we rotate to a different spot.

War

Have you been keeping up with the news? A war is beginning, and soon. I’m not sure how I feel about it, though. At first I just had to read about it when I saw the headline. Should I get involved, or am I just going to sit back on the sidelines and watch events unfold the way I have so many times in the past? This definitely calls for some time spent seriously contemplating all of the issues concerned. One shouldn’t take lightly the commitment of joining in on such an endeavor. I’d like to encourage all of you to investigate the situation for yourselves. I feel like some of you may want to be a part of this quest. Go ahead, check it out, you might just be surprised.

Options

Raise your hand if you thought this was going to be a post about the new KnitPicks Options knitting needles. Hmmm...I guess most of you rightly discerned that I would have been unable to keep quiet if I had ordered them, and that I would not have waited for them to arrive to begin blathering on about the subject. Now, just because I haven't made an order doesn't mean I don't have something mailbox related to share. Monday was a wonderful mail day. I received the lovely Cashsoft from Louise, which in and of itself was enough to make my day. As I flipped my way through the rest of the mail I did not expect anything else to delight me, but I received a happy surprise. My epoll reward had arrived. I had cashed in my points for an Amazon.com gift certificate awhile back. I hadn'’t expected it to show up this soon. I think I'm going to buy knitting books, of course, but which ones? I reviewed my wish list; at first this only spawned more indecisiveness. In order to narrow things down a bit I considered what types of things I most like to knit. I love knitting many things, but perhaps lace, socks, and shawls most. Next I thought about the books that have spent so much time on my wish list but haven't made their way into my library for some reason or another. I think I have whittled down the list of possibilities to a more manageable number.

The finalists:

Folk Shawls Cheryl Oberle
A Gathering of Lace Meg Swansen
Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns Nancy Bush
Sensational Knitted Socks Charlene Schurch
Shawls & Scarves: The Best of Knitter'’s Magazine

If it were up to you, which of these books would you choose? Are there any books on this list that you would advise me to avoid? If you must, you may nominate a different book than the ones I have listed. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you, Louise!

Ever since I read that I had won, I had something positive on which to set my sights. When I knew that the package had been posted, I could make trips to the mailbox accompanied by eagerness, rather than dread. Tonight as we drove home, I told Bruce that a package would likely be waiting for me in the mailbox. Finally, the moment had arrived. I reached inside and extracted a wondrous parcel that had been sent to me from across the pond. Thank you, Louise! The Cashsoft so generously offered up in your contest will soon be transformed into a cap to comfort someone in need. I think my current Shedir just might be temporarily set aside.

Notice of Cancellation

My fellow knitters, please pardon the interruption for the following important notice:

Last week has been canceled. Yes, you read correctly, last week has been canceled. Informal survey and research has shown that many people consider last week to have been extremely unfortunate; therefore, it has been canceled. You may now disregard any worries or concerns that may have arisen. There are no plans to reschedule. We sincerely regret any inconveniences this may have caused.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled calendar, already in progress. Thank you.

What Lies Beneath

Have you seen these? I really enjoyed the Dark Chocolate M&M's when they had their short run as a part of a Return of the Jedi promotion. Now they are widely available all the time. This may or may not be a good thing. For now, I'm trying to focus on the positives. If you look beneath the candy, you can see my latest swatching. The swatch is good. The yarn (Royal Bamboo, Plymouth Yarn Co., Italian Collection) is wonderful to knit with, the fabric is fabulous, but I think the swatch and its yarn will sit a bit. I had thought that it would be either the Bonita Shirt (IK SU 2006) or the Ballet Camisole. I had nearly settled on the Ballet Camisole, but then I had problems. The biggest problem is that my brain won't function well enough to choose the proper size to knit. The next issue is this and this. Anything look familiar? Yeah, it would seem that I could be knitting the same top (more or less) over and over. Even the color between the prospective Ballet Camisole and the already knit Soleil is nearly identical. Still, if I could measure, think, and choose, I believe I would knit the Ballet Camisole. I've swatched and have gauge. Perhaps I should just knit the smaller of the two sizes I'm vacillating between and then exercise like mad whenever I'm not knitting the top. Mostly though, I feel like going back to bed. Perhaps lace would help. I don't know why, but sometimes it does. I'm having trouble knitting. Perhaps I should work to be less inwardly-focused and work on my second Shedir for Caps for a Cure. That seems like the best thing to do. That, and work out some more. I got a new set of exercise dvds. I'm still working out the steps. The choreography is a bit more complex than I'm used to doing. I've only done the Cardio Blast (haven't tried the Weight Loss one, yet) dvd so far. It sure makes me sweat.

Where's the Passion?

Miles of stockinette stitch stretch across the landscape. The never ending columns march on toward the edge of the world. Shadow and light reveal the soft, flowing nature of the fabric. Actually, it's just a swatch. Details to come, once I figure things out.

In continuing with our theme of feeling uninspired, I must say that I'm not very interested in watching Passions, lately. To be honest, I've lost interest in most things, but we'll pick on this wacky soap for today. Throughout the spring and summer they had a storyline taking place in Rome. There were collapsing catacombs, virtual reality wolves, a hunchbacked nun, a pope, a chalice, Swiss guards, a mystery monk, bad writing, and sadly predictable disappointments. What did we really expect, anyway? Whether you're a disenchanted viewer or not, why don't you check this out? It has nothing to do with the soap. It is a blog detailing the real-life Roman adventure of my amazing friend, Susan.

Don't Let the Name Fool You

I don't know about you, but Thorn and Thistle doesn't make me think of anything I'd like to have next to my skin. Still, I like my new summer top. It is so soft and lovely. The picture does not do it justice. I was using the self-timer function of the camera to take the photo. I would have enlisted my husband's help, but he isn't wild about taking a million shots (he would say that they all look good and that he can't tell the difference between them) for me to declare that I don't like any of them, and then to hear me drone on and on about how I dislike my body. I can't say that I blame him. I'm trying to keep busy to drown out my own thoughts on the subject because I'm just not in the mood to put up with me. I still have to weave in the ends from doing the crochet finishing around the neck and arm openings (my, oh, my, how that made a difference), wash it again, and then it will be ready for wearing. Well, I guess I won't be wearing it until I can calm down a bit and really love the top again properly. I go through a bit of post project dislike in which I feel I didn't knit well enough, I'm ugly, I'm fat, it's not good enough, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, just typing it makes me tired and bored. You don't want to spend time in my head. I'm thinking of stepping out of it for awhile, but I've never quite perfected that move. Besides, getting back in can be particularly tricky. Enough of that. I know that if I'm boring myself, I've likely lost most of you.

Are you ready for the details (as best as I can recall them)?
Pattern: Thorn & Thistle from IK SU 2006 by Joan Forgione
Needle: Denise Interchangeable US 6 (4mm)
Hook: Susan Bates Silvalume Size E/4 (3.5mm)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece Coral Sunset (3 skeins, I'm pretty sure)
Size: 36 1/2" (that's how the pattern sized it)

Dry Already, Will Ya?

The Thorn & Thistle is nearly complete. I'm waiting for it to dry so that I can seam the sides and then work the edgings around the neck and armholes. I really like the way it is turning out so far. I was able to complete all the knitting except for the three-needle-bind-off at the shoulders while I was at my Tuesday afternoon knitting meeting.

I guess it's time for me to decide between Bonita (IK SU 2006) and Ballet Camisole (July 06 Magknits). I suppose I could start swatching with my yarn and see if that helps me decide. I know I was going to change Bonita (a bit less of the lace on the front and no embroidery), and I felt a little unsure of it for me. Deciding which cute top to knit for myself is a happy dilemma.

A Star is Born

I was able to wrangle my nephew for a moment to capture this picture of Shedir. This doesn't show the color well, and I couldn't get him to hold still long enough to take a picture of the side cabling. In all fairness, the hat is too big for him and it was very hot. We can all be impressed that I was able to get this image. I love this hat. It will be sent off with others to the Caps for a Cure group. I think I want to knit it again. I may have already chosen the yarn. It is a mystery yarn with no label. I must test swatch, first.

I've finished Mary Ann's Cashmere & Pearls Lace Scarf (yes, I know it's been renamed Angel Pearls Beaded Scarf). It is blocking, and I haven't gotten a good picture of it yet. I figure I'd limit today's post to one poor quality picture.

I need to redo the bind-off on two pairs of socks. They have sat in a sat state of near-finishedness, but I just haven't been able to sit down with them and do the work. I was so excited to get them done, and now I'm just blah about taking out the bind-offs and redoing them.

The Thorn & Thistle top is nearly done. I've completed the back, and the front is worked nearly to the point where I'll be working the shaping along the neckline.

IK is pleasing me. Thanks to a head's up from one of my Monday Night Knitting Buddies (or Knitters Anonymous as the Ultra-Friendly Barnes & Noble Starbucks Guy wants to call us), I checked out the preview for the Fall 2006 issue. There might be enough patterns I like to purchase it. I'm not sure, though. I really love that Swallowtail Shawl. One pretty lace pattern can be enough to make me think that an entire issue is worth buying. Most of the time I end up putting a magazine back when it is just one pattern tempting me, but that might not happen this time. I mean, just one lonely ball of Misti Alpaca Lace to knit such loveliness? How can I refuse? Maybe Mom would like it.

I also think she might like Snowman and Skates. She would definitely want it button-up style, but steeks frighten me. I like the other patterns in the booklet, too. They may just be beyond me for now. Still, maybe it is just being up at 2:13 in the morning, but making us matching vests appeals to me a bit.

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.

Fearless Frogging

Who knits five heels on one pair of socks? I do. Well, I will, and more if necessary. I've already turned the heel three times for my mom's Wick socks. The first time I was turning a heel I thought there was a problem, but I carried on with it. Then I worked the heel of the other sock. I compared the two and saw that the first needed to be redone. No problem. I ripped back and worked that heel again. Still, I was unsure. I decided that I needed to have Mom try on the socks because I began to think that they were not long enough in the foot. Sure enough, she pulled one on, and I could see that they were too short. I've now ripped back both and gotten them back on the needles. Time for more round and round with the stockinette. I guess I just want to give this pair of socks to my mom so much that I've gotten ahead of myself. I also want them to be great, so I don't mind frogging and reknitting them until they are right. I've already redone toes two or three times. It was well worth the effort to get the toes right. I know these are going to be great socks. I love the way they feel. This yarn is so neat. The other good thing about all the frogging and reknitting is that I have greater confidence that this yarn will hold up well. It still looks great after all the abuse it has been through. It makes me believe that these socks will stand the test of time.

Well, the socks aren't showing progress, but that doesn't mean I don't have an accomplishment to report. I got those chemo caps off in the mail. They're somewhere between here and Maine. I believe the next group we're knitting for is in South Carolina. Time to bring out some lighter weight and cotton yarn, I think.

To the Post Office

Here is my humble offering to the Caps for A Cure group. Now to put them in the mail.

The Year's First Yarn

A sale at Yarn Expressions led me to make my first yarn purchase of 2006. I scored this Crystal Palace Kid Merino at 50% off in Painted Iris and Ultra Blues. This picture does not do justice to the colors, especially to the Ultra Blues colorway. Thanks to my mom, more yarn followed two days later, but I've yet to take pictures.

My Pomatomus socks (discussion on proper pronunciation has led us to call them Hippopotamus socks) are progressing nicely. I took a picture at Monday night knitting, but it didn't turn out well. I've managed a few more rounds since then, and I'm about to begin working the fish scale lace all the way around the leg. The heel turning went well, and they feel great on my feet.

I'm still doing the Fit Knitter thing. I did Aerobic Body Shaping from The Firm today. I really am getting in better shape. While most of my workout dvds remain a challenge, none of them make me feel like I'm dying to complete them.

Caps for a Cure

I joined this group awhile back and have been knitting away on caps. I'm finally getting a respectable pile of them to wash and ship. I received this fabulous package in the mail on Wednesday from Mandy of some donated Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Lovely Lavender and Columbine Blossom. I can hardly wait to get it on the needles and knit more hats for this group. I have often thought about knitting chemo caps. There is a strong family history of breast cancer. In fact, I have an aunt undergoing treatment for it right now. To say she's a dramatic gal doesn't quite capture her, but it really does sound like it is more serious than even she knows. I would like to have knit some chemo caps for her, but sometimes parts of my family do things in ways that are not my favorite. Suffice it to say, my sending her handknit chemo caps full of love and prayers would have turned into a brouhaha. Drama and then some, y'know? Still, I love knitting and I love to help, and this is a cause near (physically, too, I suppose) and dear to my heart. So, rather than sitting back and wallowing in the dysfunction that family can be at times, I decided to do something. I am very pleased to have found this group. Knitting these hats helps me, and helps others. That's about as perfect as it gets in my book.

Fit Knitter

It slips my mind where I discovered this "a-long" the other day, but it interested me. I've been working on becoming a fitter person, and of course, I knit. We're supposed to post a bit about what we're doing to be fit. I do a lot of in-home exercising utilizing various dvds. I began with Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds Express, and have gone on to add some Pilates (among others, Mari Winsor), stability ball (aka Swiss Ball) dvds, Tammilee Webb, The Firm, a bit of yoga, and some other Leslie dvds. My quest for a healthier me began about two-and-one-half years ago. I'm about fifty pounds down and in better shape than any other time in my life. The changes prompted me to branch out in some of the clothes I wear and garments I knit. Now my fashion sense is seriously lacking, but if you'll check out the pic of me and Stephanie, you'll see me wearing Soleil. I never would have had the confidence to knit and wear that three years ago. Besides, it would have taken more yarn. Now I'm looking at some cute tops in the current Interweave Knits that I'd like to knit for me to wear.

In knitting news, I'm busily working on my Pomatomus and Bruce's socks. It's heel turning time here. I feel the need to cast on another pair of socks for on the go knitting. I also long after Icarus for several reasons. It's a shawl. It is gorgeous. I have the yarn in stash. I think I'm about to break the dry spell on not buying yarn (nothing so far this year) as one of the LYS is having its anniversary sale. I'll definitely have to be there Saturday, if not sooner. They also have books and patterns buy one get one (of equal or lesser value) free all month long. I think I'll finally get Folk Hats. Yeah, I know there are some "out there" patterns, but I've gotta have it.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

It wasn't quite the Cinco de Mayo we had in mind. Up early for a long drive to Birmingham. The Birmingham VA Medical Center (BVAMC) to be more precise. A day at the BVAMC is always a long one. We never sleep well the night before, and we need a day or two to recover afterwards. At least I can always count on some good knitting time. I knit the whole way down while Bruce drove. The patterning in the sock yarn was revealing itself, and Bruce decided that the colors suit him and that the socks will be his. This makes me happy.

Bruce has had some trouble with his gall bladder in the past. He has recently had more flare ups of what seem to be more gall bladder trouble. Previous testing has been inconclusive, so he was scheduled to have a HIDA scan. That's what we did with our Cinco de Mayo. I sat in the Imaging Department waiting area for three hours and knit. This is a picture of what I worked on while I waited. Things did not go well. Two hours into the process someone comes out of the Nuclear Medicine door to be sure that I will drive home. They say they are having trouble finding the gall bladder and that they are going to do something with morphine. I didn't get the details about what all they intended to do before she disappeared behind the door again. An hour later, a disheveled Brucie staggered out into the imaging department waiting area. Apparently this morphine business isn't something they do too often and they were hesitant to do so then. They all gathered about and discussed the possible things that could go wrong. Bruce has quite a sense of humor; he believes that the folks working in Nuclear Medicine has either had theirs removed or just nuked to death. He jokes around with everyone, including medical personnel. So when they pulled the crash cart up next to him (just in case) he said that he usually didn't get the morphine until after he'd been jumped off. All of a sudden, they declared that they could find the gall bladder, and that they didn't need to administer morphine. Hmmm...we'll see. Bruce partly wished they had given it to him anyway because they caused him plenty of pain. They got the gall bladder good and angry and his digestive tract is still upset. I still ended up driving home because he was just so exhausted. We were parked on the eighth level of the parking garage and I did manage to snap this terrible photo of part of one of the socks and Vulcan off in the distance. Of course my driving meant no more knitting for awhile. I did knit when we stopped for lunch, though. I made good progress on the socks and nearly finished another chemo cap. I used the Odessa pattern again, but without beads this time. I was able to finish it later on Friday night.

Thinking Positively

I can be a bit negative. It's good to try and look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes when I'm having difficulty keeping the depression at bay I take the extra time and energy to focus on how things could be good. Yes, I am having trouble beating back the beast. In fact, I forgot that I had begun cooking on Sunday, went back to bed, and nearly burned down our home. It is with the idea of keeping a more pleasant perspective that I write this post.

While I did temporarily have a Sarah-style freakout moment over the excitement of meeting Stephanie, the overall effect has been positive. I was getting into a bit of a knitting slump. Now I am about halfway up the feet of my Pomatomus, and I've cast on and passed the toes of another pair of socks. The only decision is whether this second pair of socks will be for me or Bruce.

I've been spending more time reading knitting blogs. It seems like I can spend a whole day following links and getting inspired. My trip to Threaded Bliss Yarns has me keeping up with their blog now, too. They are having a captioning contest for the pictures from Stephanie's visit. Check it out and see if you can be a winner.

Somehow I found myself on the preview page for the Summer 2006 Issue of Interweave Knits. I think I might need to pick up this one. There are a few patterns I think I'd like to knit. I'll need to look through the magazine to be check them out more closely. There are some nifty patterns available online, too. I find Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Bazaar Socks to be especially inspiring. I see potential in the patterns in this issue. I might need to do a bit of tweaking here and there, but that's not a problem. In fact, it's good. I'll expand my knitting skills and stretch my brain to change the patterns to suit me.