Not Even Close

Of all the unsurprising things to happen this month, the "dnf" status on my NaKniSweMo cardigan is least surprising.  But, hey, this isn't actually a race.  I can still knit the sweater.  It's not as though my yarn, needles, and pattern disappear at midnight.  Still, it is a little disappointing to have only completed 44 rows.  Yes, the rows before the increases.  Oh, well.

While I might currently lack the objectivity to assess what I have accomplished, I do know it has been a very full month.  I'm plugging away at the laundry from our travels and trying to get ready for next month.  December is nearly here, and it is never empty.    

Countdown

As you know, we sometimes have to go to the doctor all the way down in the 'ham, and that's a bit of a drive.  So, when an appointment is scheduled at the right time and we feel up to it, we like to visit Trader Joe's.  It's not a store we have locally, so it is a fun treat.

Now, truth be told, we mostly pick up junk food, so it's probably a good thing we aren't any closer and don't shop there more often.  It's not all we buy there, but it truly is the bulk of it.  At least we finally stopped buying a bottle of wine every time, because we don't drink, and we don't have much occasion to give a bottle to someone.  That being said, that hasn't always stopped us.  We're weird, and we know it.

Some of our favorites are seasonal items.  We're mental for that saltwater taffy.  One of our nephews loves the firecracker bar (chocolate with something like pop rocks and spiciness) so much.  That's another thing we like about going there; we can bring things back to others that they can't get otherwise.  My mom has never been a tea fan, but she would like to drink tea.  I made her some white ginger pear that she liked, so we brought back a box just for her. 

Anyway, on our last trip, we apparently went on just the right day, because the Advent Calendars had arrived.  We picked up a pile for nieces and nephews, and now we can finally give them to the little ones.  Here's hoping they make the countdown to Christmas more fun.  

          

 

Be It Ever So Humble

There really is no place like home, and it is good to be here.  We've unloaded the car, but unpacking will have to wait for tomorrow.  For now, I'm sipping some tea with honey, and then it's shower and bed.

     

Disconnected

Well, I don't know when this will post, as I have no innerwebs right now.  All on a night when I can't sleep.  Oh, the injustice of it all!  

Today began differently than expected and it stayed that way.  We rolled with it pretty well, and then when one of the shifts in the situation renewed itself, we took the opportunity to go be silly and touristy--we went panning for gems.  

It has actually been a bit of a running joke for a few years now, complete with a hand/arm motion mimicking the activity.  But this time, we finally decided to just get out there and do it.  And you know what?  It was fun.  It was silly.  It was gimmicky.  And getting out there and doing it was a bit of a remedy for some of the ailments of the day.  

We've yet to fully identify all of our treasures, but I think it's pretty safe to say that we are now bazillionaires with riches beyond imagination.  No, no, stop--there's no need to be jealous.  You know us, we will share the wealth, and all will experience an improvement. 

If Only it Worked

Remember that cold I mentioned the other day?  I only had one rough night of it back then, but there is one lingering annoyance--the coughing.  While I do admit that I do not particularly enjoy it, it seems to be even more bothersome/worrisome for everyone around me.  So, now, I am taking OTC preparations that do not make a difference in my coughing, but my doing so seems to please others.  Oh, well, that's just how it goes sometimes, eh?    

This and That on a Saturday

Since it is Small Business Saturday, and we were so close by, we popped into a yarn shop.  It was quiet when I first entered the store with a lesson happening at a table, and busy by the time I left with some younglings (tweenies?) getting needles and yarn with grownups who seemed doubtful that any would stick with it.  In between, I bought some beautiful blue merino/cashmere/silk fiber, a boat shuttle, and some bobbins.  I considered just getting more of the fiber, but I decided to go ahead and get the weaving stuff instead.    

We also made it out for a bit of touristy sightseeing.  We had read about the Greensboro Massacre and stopped by the marker.  If you feel so inclined, you can read more (and see it, too--there is video) about it.  We found the inscription on the sign rather lacking.  

Tomorrow promises to be a big day, starting with car-packing-Tetris.  I'm not sure just how we will get it all arranged.  I'm beginning to think volunteering to bring back someone's Costco list might have been a bit ill-advised.  Ah, but we'll only have to travel with that for a few hours, and then we can rearrange the car again (and again).      

More Turkey?

Yeah, I know many people are tired of turkey already, but I just can't get enough.  I don't think it is just because we don't have access to the leftovers, either.  That being said, there are no leftovers here, so I am left with the knitting of tiny turkeys.  There could be one more after this, but this is probably the last one.  Now I just need to stealthily stick it on someone's refrigerator on the way out of town.
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!  I hope that giving thanks, today and every day, makes your life better.  

Hotel Life, and the Wi-Fi is, Well, it's Free

We've reached the point in our travels where we get to/have to stay in a hotel.  I have mixed feelings about it all.  But right now, I'm just glad to be off of the inflatable MRSA mattress (you don't want to know) and now only have to worry about waking Bruce with my coughing.  All the rest, I just try to put out of my brain.  Now, I'm going to try and put everything out of my mind and get some sleep.    

UM...Yeah, it Really is All I Have Right Now

Yep, it's time to take a peek into my endlessly fascinating mind.

Unconscious Mutterings 

Sprain :: Ankle

Hesitation :: Lost

Navigator :: Lincoln

Supplied :: Denied

Wow! :: Really?

Breaking :: News

sigh :: Ugh

Justice :: Delayed

Everything :: Tired

Chapped :: Lips

No, You Cannot Have the Clothes I'm Wearing

Since I am not most excellent at the sewing machine, I am easily impressed when I do something and it turns out well, even if it is a simple sewing task.  For example, I recently altered the length of my husband's overalls.  I started with an old pair that he wears when working in the garage or when doing yard work, and when I didn't destroy those, I moved on to others.  I'm pleased to have accomplished this task, and he is pleased with the changes.  Not much of a story, is it?  Since you stuck through my saga of simple alteration, I'll give you a bonus "Tale from the VA" story.  

On Halloween, Bruce had an appointment at the BVAMC.  Before we left the hospital to go home, we grabbed a water and a coffee for the drive.  Bruce is wearing overalls.  A man approached and said, "Let me ask you one question."  What followed was not what we expected, but instead was a series of brain teasers.  He then began to talk about the coat he was wearing and all the places in the world he had worn it.  Then he asked Bruce where he got his overalls.  Bruce told him the name of the store where he bought them.  Then he asked to borrow them.  He said he just really needed to borrow them.  We tried our best to just kind of laugh it off and make our way to the shuttle to the parking garage.  Guess who else got on the bus a couple of minutes later.  Usually, those buses are full and there is a line of people waiting for the next one.  This time there were only five passengers--Bruce and I, one man in front of us, and the brain teaser and a buddy toward the back.  Soon he started up again, asking to borrow Bruce's overalls.  He then began to complain a bit more loudly that he couldn't believe that Bruce would not lend him the overalls.  The man begins to make requests that the bus driver might drop him off somewhere besides the parking deck, which of course the driver cannot.  All the way there (it is a short drive, but seemed longer) he would again express his dismay and disbelief that Bruce would not lend him the overalls.  While having the bus nearly empty was not good in that he had almost nowhere else to direct his attention, it was good in that it allowed us a quick exit, and we did.  You just never know what kind of adventure awaits you at the VA.     

Packing Problems

I'm facing the perennial dilemma of the knitter preparing to travel--what yarn belongs in the bag and what should stay home.  I know from past experience that I rarely knit as much as I think I will, but the danger of not having something to knit is not a good feeling.  The fact that many a trip has come and gone during which I didn't pick up the needles once will not convince me to leave it all home.  I have to bring something, even if it is only for the sake of magical thinking that it helps with traffic.  C'mon, you at least secretly believe in it, too.  

So, I begin with the car knitting.  That should be easiest, right?  What requires a minimum of accessories, no charts, and an easily followed pattern.  Large swaths of stockinette are always good for this.  This is usually the easiest knit to decide upon in the packing process.  

Next, come two dilemmas--tiny knits and UFOs.  I reason that the tiny knits are quick, don't require much yarn, something I enjoy making, and are nifty little gifts to leave as a little surprise to people we visit.  However, if I haven't decided which tiny knits I will make, it means taking small amounts of many colors.  Fortunately, I can carry the patterns digitally, so that doesn't take extra room.  

The UFOs are also tempting in that I tell myself that I will totally finish at least one when I'm away from home and the rest of the stash.  However, sometimes the reason the project is unfinished is either some problem I have forgotten about and not yet solved, or I just don't like knitting it.  However, if it is, for example, a pair of mittens, and I do finish them and have a need for them, well, it would be illogical to leave the project at home right?  

It's about this time that the travel knitting bag is overflowing, and I know I need to scale back a bit.  I could make a decision, or I could just go about packing other things and pretend that I have plenty of time to figure out what is right.  Or, maybe I should just leave the knitting at home and bring the EEW5 and some fiber.  Afterall, I do have a car adapter and a battery pack, eh?

        

That's Taters, Precious?

At least that was what I was thinking when I was nearly finished making this tiny dish of mashed potatoes.  It was a quick knit, assembly was easy, but it was iffy until I added the little pat of butter on top.  The assembly and finishing details really do make a difference with these little knits.        

Bits and Pieces

Blergh.  I think I'm coming down with a cold.  Actually, I hoped to be well in its grips by now so that I would already be on the upswing early next week.  Now I'm hoping that it's not going to be much of anything and that by Monday this will not even be a memory because I'll be so busy.  

I have been doing a bit here and there.  I've finished spinning what I would guess (ripped it in half and then that half in half, but no weighing, so, whatever) is about one-quarter of the fiber I started yesterday.  I think I might even have some nice yarn when I'm done, but there's still a long way to go.  My knitting isn't much to show.  When I'm not working on the Featherweight Wrap to knit, I'm off in Mochimochiland, and as it is there unwritten, "Some assembly required."  Oh, yeah, I need to find the rest of the pieces before I can begin assembly.  Ahem.  But maybe some medication is in order first.
  

    

  

Right Round

Yeah, I'm spinning.  I needed to give the fixes on the EEW5 a go, and there's no other way to really do that than to spin.  I'm trying to follow through on what I learned in my Stupendous Singles class, so it's all kinds of new around here.  Maybe mixing together so many new elements isn't a good idea, but there you go.  It's not going super-great thus far, but I'm just going to keep going and hope for the best.  I really like this special fiber, and I want to make some nice yarn.

   

Twill Be Done Done

Ta-to-the-dah!  I finished the Twill Be Done weave-along.  I tried something new and learned a lot.  If you're on the fence about joining in on one of Liz Gipson's weave-alongs over on her Yarnworker site, I would encourage you to give it a go.  I like the answer she gave about the schedule.  Basically, she said that some people weave ahead, some follow the schedule to the letter, and some weave in their heads.  For me, weaving the pattern helped me to learn even more, but I think I could have learned quite a bit weaving in my head.     

The pattern is for a table runner, but instead, I used my warp to weave two placemats because I think that it will get more use that way.  I certainly see the errors and where I need to improve.  I might want to try using a temple to help me with draw-in, or maybe more experience will be enough.  The changes that happen throughout the process from having the woven piece under tension on the loom, to off the loom, and all the way through washing and drying cannot be underestimated.  I like these pretty well.  Now I just need to make the move from looking at them to using them.

    

I'll Totally Finish This By Month's End, Right?

I finally cast on for my NaKniSweMo Featherweight Wrap to Knit.  It really was deciding the color that was holding me up on this.  Making decisions like that has been an issue for me lately, but I went ahead and picked one so I could move forward with this.  Then there was a brief interchangeable search.  I did manage to round up several wayward interchangeable components and (somewhat) returned them to their proper home.  Thinking back, I don't remember where the cable I was seeking had been hibernating, but I did find it.  I could have begun the sweater without finding it, but eventually, it would be a problem to work the sweater on the short cable length I had used to knit the sleeves on the previous sweater.  

Anyway, I'm (barely) on my way.  Impressive, no?  I hope to curl up on the couch with the project and catch up on some shows, but this is a time of many interruptions around here.  If I make a bit more progress, it could be a good companion to other goings on, but for now, it's fits and starts.  One day, I will have a new black cardigan.  I feel rather doubtful that I will finish this month, but soon I think I might have opportunities for some good knitting time, so there is still hope.        

The Waiting is Over

I loved my first Electric Eel Wheel, (the fourth version) and I love my EEW5 even more.  However, hiccups happened, but most were resolved quickly.  One issue I faced along with other spinners, was that of wearing.  Those spinning thinner yarn at a higher speed seemed to come across this issue more frequently.  I noticed that it was happening on mine, but kept going, because I knew it would be fine for a while, and I wanted to keep spinning.  Replacing hooks could be a bit of a patch, but not a good longterm fix, and that wasn't the only part with the wearing.  The Ravelry group is great, and following the example of others, I used wire to wrap the hooks and other parts, and that helped, but again, it was a patch.  It didn't stop me from spinning, and I have already spun wonderful yarn on my EEW5.  I kept peeking in on the EEW group on Ravelry from time to time and knew they had been working on a solution.  Maurice spent a lot of time problem-solving, and I received an email the other day to let me know that the replacement parts were ready.  Now it is time to apply the fix.  

 

UM...Nothing to See Here

It's been a long time since I've played along with Unconscious Mutterings, but when it popped into my inbox, the time seemed right.  Besides, nothing I'm working on is in a photographic state right now, so instead, you get to look into my endlessly fascinating mind.  

1. Prayer :: Wing
2. Rerun :: Daily
3. Blue :: Monday
4. Chat :: Bot
5. Boycott :: Everything
6. Design :: Feature
7. Paste :: Copy
8. Backspace :: Delete
9. Connections :: Webs
10. Reality :: Bites

Not Great, But Maybe Not As Horrible As I Think It Is

It's not looking great for the home team on the Twill Be Done piece, but I reserve judgment for now.  I've made it through the twill-y bits and clove-hitch knots at the beginning and am now chugging along on the plain weave center portion.  So far, I see a few problems, but some may be less problematic after finishing.  Possible problem one is that I think my beating in the twill-y bits is not wonderful.  I'm a little less concerned about that as things look different under tension.  Also, I am learning something new, and that is likely to show.  Another problem is that my twill-y bits didn't seem to show up very well so far.  The color mix might not work well.  I don't find it to be ugly, but rather unfortunate to go through the effort only to not be able to see it well.  It actually looks better in this progress picture, I think, so maybe it's not so bad.  However, looking at the picture, I'm pretty sure I also have some outright mistakes in my pick-up, but I'm moving on and just trying to get something done.

Besides, that, it is going well, I think.  I had a nice rhythm going working the clove-hitch knots, and am glad to have learned another edge treatment.  I might make placemats or towels instead of the runner.  I guess I'd better check the warp length and make some decisions.  After all that, the plain weave seems a bit boring now, and I'm ready to get back to the pick-up sections and see if I'm improving.