Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Staying Strong

Who knew that admitting to such a silly weakness would create almost as many comments as the unveiling of the baby shawl, LOL! It was prompted by the yarn on the Elann sneek peaks---Elann is my 'home page' and Rob asked last night why I never make anything like they show on Elann, such as the green coat (notice he said nothing about the two pink sweaters they showed for a couple days, LOL). That, and the fact that starting in April I will be heading up to Shelburne once a week for Lucy's speech therapy....I have to check Wooly's hours....maybe they're not open on Thursday mornings.....

Rob asked for 'his' ice scraper mitt the other night. I told him it was on the bench in the hall. He finds the new one and declares it's now his, I can just 'whip' up another one to give as the belated Christmas gift. In fact, he thinks I should whip up a bunch and sell them. Haaa Haaa. I do like felting, but I'm not keen on intarsia, on having to do it flat. I don't think using two strands would work too well on the knitting machine. One was fun, two was great--knowing it fit this time, but three? Three's a crowd, LOL.

I am still seeking ideas for the KnitPicks Shadow laceweight. I looked through some of my old books/patterns. A lot use sock yarn weight, but not anything finer, and no really technical lacey type things. I think though, that the yarn would be too fine to give a garment any structure. I saw one pattern in an old Rams Wool catalogue that could be adapted. Double the yarn for the body, ending above the bust, then single strand for the yoke and sleeves. But I am bra-dependent, so not too comfortable with that sort of top. Any of you with "Victorian Lace Today" seen any garment type projects in it? I want something fabulously difficult looking like a shawl, but wearable. Or should I just give in to my inner lacey self and do a shawl? Did anyone in an old KnitPicks catalogue how they turned a stole into a top? Mmmm....

I Will Not...

I Will Not buy yarn I don't need. I will not buy yarn I don't 'need'. I will not buy yarn I don't need. I will NOT buy yarn I don't need.

I will only buy sock yarn and 'collection' yarn. I will not buy new yarn I don't need. I will not buy new yarn. I will not buy new yarn. I will not buy new yarn.

I will only buy sock yarn if I have finished the last pair. I will not buy new yarn I don't need. I will not buy new yarn.

I will only buy sock yarn. I will only buy sale priced yarns. I will only buy yarns for 'collections'. I will not buy new yarn.

I will only buy sock yarn. I will only buy sale priced yarns. I will only buy 'collections' yarn. I will only buy yarn for projects. I will not not buy yarn!

Monday, January 29, 2007

A FO Backlog

First off---does our LYS still have the Step sock yarn? Or does anyone know if Lens Mill has it? I hate to pay shipping.
This morning it was bright and sunny. I thought, great, some time at the knitting machine today. Then, as I'm taking Lucy to school-wham! A blizzard. With giant snowflakes!

I've gotten a backlog of finished objects to show :) Some of it is Blogger fault. Some is because I got SO far behind in my yahoo groups emails over Christmas/sick kids...

So, first off...

This is the second ice scraper mitt, before felting and after. I didn't repeat any of the pattern rows this time, but I didn't know just how long I had made the first one, so I just guessed how long to make this one. And it ends up being a touch longer!









I used the Headwater Guaja for the black and yellow. The yellow is so much brighter than the Lopi yellow. It's funny though, the Lopi looked bright in the skein. But it's a sort of heathery yellow. I really like how the Classic Merino felts--although it can go very fast. This Headwaters stuff is nice too, a little furry, but it takes ALOT more work to felt it. Once again, like with the clogs, I thought it was done, but then went ahead and did one more round. So if you're felting something that you want to control the fit/size easily, this would be a good option.

I'll leave the next project for later :) I'm sure I'm going to hit a dry spell soon, LOL

Out of the Mouth of Lucy

Lucy thought she learned a new song from 'Dora' today:

Rain, rain, go away;
Come again some Mother's Day.

She thought that wasn't fair to have all the rain come on Mother's Day. So she really appreciated hearing the correct version, LOL.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

New Year's Resolutions

I have a deja vu feeling about writing this. I think I wrote something like it on about.com knitting forum one year. My Knit From Your Stash plan is sort of like all my diet plans. Incorporate enough exceptions that the 'diet' part is negated. I'm 'allowed' yarn to finish projects, yarn to add to specific yarn collections, yarn to knit at the LYS on knit nights, and sock yarn. I think I've used all those exceptions already! Thanks Z for the sock yarn--great prices and great service :) (oh, I forgot to ask where you bought the Step!) But I am also working on the stash, bit by bit. And speaking of Z, check out how her cat feels about hosting Knit Night, LOL!

Forgot to mention! The Headwaters New Years' baby...I think was wearing one of my hats on the front cover of the newspaper :) I couldn't quite tell, but it certainly looked like it! It was a white one.

And Sharon, I think you need to start your own blog! I'd love to see the antics you were talking about Thursday night! Almost makes me want to go out and...buy a steam engine? Mmmm...almost, but not quite, LOL.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

WTF?

I'm not the swearing sort, but trying on my sock caused me to get about as close as I can.

Up at the top left is my calf, and what is that bit at the bottom of my heel? A little flipper! My opinion is that I short rowed too many sts out of work--I ended up with around 10 sts unworked. I thought it might be a problem, but the formula I was using said work short rows over half the sock until 1/3 of that half are unworked. But it wasn't even on both sides so I might have added another row...or two. If I were to work till only ....say....13 sts are unworked, that should fix it. But then I have to compensate and have more rows on the foot.

I have designed/knit numerous socks, top down with heel flaps. But heel flaps are not practical on the knitting machine. Nice heel vs sock in one night.... How do you figure out just how much to knit? Of course, if you're HK for yourself, you can try it on. But not on the machine. Here's what I did:

Row gauge needs to be known. Take half the sts, and figure out 1/3 of that. So, say I have 60 sts. Half the sock is 30st, 1/3 of that would mean 10sts left after shortrows, and 20 sts to get rid off--->means 20 short rows. Take foot length, figure out how many rows. Half the heel is on the foot, so that's 10 short rows on the bottom of the foot. Half the toe is on the bottom of the foot, so if you short row the toe down to 10 sts as well, that means 10 rows there too. Take number of rows for bottom of foot, and subtract 10+10. Whew. It appears to have worked on Huey's sock, and it would have worked on mine if I hadn't gotten carried away with the heel short rows.

Can anyone validate me on this? I have found specific patterns on machine knitted socks--but never my size or my gauge or my machine. I have found a great tutorial but it didn't go into measuring details. If you're handknitting a toe up sock, how do you know when to stop and do the heel unless you do the math? Is there something generic if you're using 7 1/2 st/inch sock yarn (I got 7.3 st/inch on the machine)? When you do top down heel flaps, you usually make the flap about 2 1/2" long. The rest just falls into place by some miraculous knitting action, LOL.

Well, blogger won't let me post another photo. Ice scraper mitt #2 is done, and it is HOT! You don't need to scrap the ice, it'll melt right off. Guess that's all for today. Ever noticed how close Blogger is to 'booger'?

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Some more controversy!

I came across this blog http://www.thecowgoddess.com/ . Now, I'm not 'anti-stroller' but I have to say that baby #3 did make me a babywearing convert. All too often I see people using strollers as a way to keep the child occupied and contained....and at arm's length. You know....the baby in the carseat with it's shade over, inside the stroller with it's awning over the other way...but baby is screaming. Or...as an excuse "We can't go there for the day...it's too hard with the stroller..."
I haven't read the article on selling strollers in Africa yet, but it's on my to-do list. As is laundry, sock cuff knitting, baby clothes sorting, doctor appointment scheduling....

Monday, January 22, 2007

Brrrrr!

Winter came back! This is my Dorky Hat; a tuck stitch rectangle done on the LK150. I wanted to seam it so that either side could be worn out, but then what do you do with the tassels? When I blocked it, some other stuff got piled on top and it finished drying with one corner bent funny. I really should fix that, LOL. I used Titan Wool, I think it is. And the mitts are done on the machine, from the top down. There's a few thumb design issues, bu they're acceptable. But not warm. Despite being 50% wool, compared to my Shetland Chunky 25% wool mitts, these are no where near as warm. However, my Shetland mitts are knit VERY tightly. I haven't checked the gauge on these ones, but I usually handknit worsted weight mitts in a lady's size with 40 sts on 4mm needles. These have 30 sts, and are still a little big. I was looking at a mitt pattern in a recent magazine though, and according to it, I have children's size small/medium hands! I know they're small, but NOT that small!

I ended up with just a very small amount of the two yarns left over. This was from my big purchase just before Christmas. Out of that whole basket of yarn, all I have left is one skein of the light blue, and less than one ball of the pink/red sock yarn! My socks are almost done. I had some issues with the ribbing on the first one, so for the second, I just started it at the body. I don't mind the ribbing in heavier yarns, but for some reason it doesn't look as good in the sock yarn.
I ended up making two pairs for Huey, one bigger than the other, and there is only a yard or two left. However, one of the socks that does fit him has vanished!


And this little fella...is wearing my mom's first hat done on a Knifty Knitter! When we were up there just before Christmas, we were going through some boxes, and she has a huge assortment of fiber manipulating gizmos. What else can you call them? Little flower looms, crochet hook/knitting needle hybrids/cardboard loom squares....she's a fiber artist who just can't find her tool of best fit. She tried knitting when I was a kid, and I think suffered from the same confusion of American vs British needle/yarn sizes. The slipper she was trying to make is so tight, I'm surprised she got as far as she did. In the ensueing years she became a prize winning gardener and awesome cook, but still wanted something to occupy her in front of the TV in the garden's off-season. I just couldn't give up my KnitSmart, or afford to buy her a Bond, but the Knifty Knitter round looms came to mind. Wal-Mart only had the baby size and the extra-large, so I opted for baby size. I got her started when I went up after New Year's, and it seemed to be going well by the time I came home. Then she sends me this picture of her first hat and says she's now on #4, and where can she get the other sizes!

Friday, January 19, 2007

A S.O.F.O.

It's 'finished', but only 'sort of'. A Sort Of Finished Object!


I had seen a pattern on the internet for mitts to put over your ice scraper. I thought I'd take it a bit further, and felt them. And hey, wouldn't flames going up your arms be cool? What would have been cool is if I had started just a little bit before two days before Christmas, LOL!





That's my size 8 1/2 slipper for comparison (isn't it funny that I was working on a blue/blue felted clog, and got blue/grey clogs for Christmas?). I actually liked the mitt in the photo better than real life. It was very lumpy in real life. I used all Classic Merino as I didn't want it to be fuzzy. But, I couldn't find it in a bright yellow, so had to go with Lopi. And, after doing the red cuff, realized that it would need to be knitted flat, doh! The flame chart is one of the charts for the Hot Tamale skirt from www.knitty.com. At first, I was going to wing it, but it's just not in me right now.


I used red, dark orange, gold, and yellow, but the dark orange is showing like the red. It didn't shrink as much lengthwise as I was hoping, and is a bit longer than I'd like. In a few places in the pattern, I repeated the same row a couple times because I knew it would felt more lengthwise than widthwise, and I didn't want to end up with short fat flames. I wanted them to still look elongated. And I found a stitch that I had dropped--and and found before felting--but forgot to sew in. Although it won't run, you can see it still.

It needs some ends trimmed, and I was going to de-fuzz the Lopi, but it also needs something to tighten the cuff so snow doesn't go in. I was going to knit a row of eyelets so I could do a drawstring, but I had

forgotten. The fabric is pretty stiff, so I don't know that a drawstring would have worked.

Rob says he likes it just the way it is (except the loose small opening) and he'd be happy to take it :) I don't have enough of the black in the Classic Merino, and I didn't like the yellow, so I went to my LYS and got some Headwaters Wool. We'll see how #2 turns out. And hopefully winter will stay around long enough for the lucky recipient to actually try it out!

De-Lurk!


De-Lurk, I tell ya! Even if you've left me a little comment before, come back and tell me who you are, how you found me, etc. I know my 'regulars' are mostly from about.com knitting forum, but there's been comments from others and I just don't have enough brain power to try to figure out how you got here, LOL. I think it's totally awesome to have strangers reading. I've always liked writing, but it got a little boring writing for your Enrichment Teacher week after week. And tell me what you like/dislike, want more of/less off....I'm here for ya! Hee Hee. Cause, you know, the girls are sitting at my feet fighting over a toy piano....

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Rob's Trip

No, not that kind of trip. His trip to Luxembourg. The phone rang this morning as I was unloading groceries. Rob unplugged the answering machine, so I ran to grab it, thinking it'd be the school again. When I heard Rob's voice, I knew he wasn't phoning to say his plane was 10 hours early! There's a big storm in Europe, and he's stuck for another night in Lux. Check out his hotel/casino! A total of 33 rooms, LOL. To find out more about Husky Luxembourg, go here. To find out more about Luxembourg, go here. It's tiny, 51 miles by 32 miles big, with only 420 000 people, and the largest proportion of inhabitants with foreign passports in all the EU. American Werewolf in Paris was filmed there. There are 6 golf courses, most within 30 minutes of the city. The furthest, at 50 minutes away, is considered in the "Far North" LOL. I don't think Rob was golfing.

Oh well, it could be worse. He could have been sent to Husky Buffalo, LOL.

You think you have it rough?

When you're having a bad day with your baby, take a look at this mom's blog. In particular, read her Christmas card. You will never complain about your baby's runny nose again :) For an awesome picture, go back to Dec. and her plea for donated breastmilk. The power of human milk, and the wonderful unselfishness of other Momma's. I also recently heard of a mom who's baby was stillborn but she was pumping so she could offer human milk to anyone who needed it--especially beneficial is the colostrum. Shame on ANY mother who thinks that breastfeeding is too hard, too time consuming, or too inconvenient!

You think you have it rough?

When you're having a bad day with your baby, take a look at this mom's blog. In particular, read her Christmas card. You will never complain about your baby's runny nose again :) For an awesome picture, go back to Dec. and her plea for donated breastmilk. The power of human milk, and the wonderful unselfishness of other Momma's. I also recently heard of a mom who's baby was stillborn but she was pumping so she could offer human milk to anyone who needed it--especially beneficial is the colostrum. Shame on ANY mother who thinks that breastfeeding is too hard, too time consuming, or too inconvenient!

Ponderings for 2007

Thanks to a "Slightly Crunchy Attachment Parenting" Yahoo Group member for sending this!

TEN THINGS TO PONDER FOR 2007

#10 Life is sexually transmitted.

#9 Good health is merely the slowest rate at which one can die

#8 Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

#7 Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

#6 Some people are like a slinky... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

#5 Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital dyingof nothing

#4 All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

#3 Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars, and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents???

#2 In the 60's, people took LSD to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

AND THE NUMBER ONE THOUGHT FOR 2007: We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow disease is located among the millions and millions of cows inAmerica, and where one strain of e-coli got into the spinach, but we haven't a clue as to how to apprehend thousands of known criminals,including serial killers, pedophiles, Internet predators, identity thieves, would-be and actual terrorists, foreign students whose visas have expired, illegal aliens, suspect members of Congress, crooked CEO's and CFO's etc. Maybe we should just put the Department ofAgriculture in charge of everything.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Found Sock

I found the missing sock, in a place I had already looked. I remade one smaller, and Huey tried it on last night. It's a tad loose on the leg, but a short trip in the dryer should fix that. I'll make another today/tonight. The one I made for me was too big, it probably didn't help that I forgot I wanted to decrease sts after the heel. For some reason, I'm having a rough time with the knitting machine. Well, it's fine (although it probably needs a new sponge bar), but I'm doing stupid things like forgetting steps in casting on, dropping the cast on comb, forgetting to flip the hold levers. Stupid things. And, I realized that I have sock yarn that is not from my LYS that I could be using right now, and save the LYS sock yarn for next week so I could do the finishing at Knit Night. Silly me. Guess I'll just have to buy more :) Or start that Flower Basket Shawl, LOL.

Finished objects! Yes, I keep saying I have some. Just haven't had time to download pictures, and now Rob has taken the camera to Luxembourg. But here's a few. (Stupid Blogger. I used every box to add another image, and NONE of them have shown up. One at a time I guess). These are the FiberTrends felted clogs that you see on all the blogs at this time of year. I started them about a week before we were to go to a Christmas party where we do a gift exchange game. Duh. Although they go quick, so does life. You need to read just about every line of the pattern, and it's written for 6 sizes, and typed on dark teal paper....I made the ladies' large (9-10). I used two skeins of Headwaters Marupe (I think) doubled, in dark blue for the soles, and one skein double stranded in the lighter blue for the tops. And had VERY little left, especially of the light blue.

This is Megan modelling how they can be a multi-functional item. A perfect had for a toddler before felting!.

I felted them, and thought I was done, but then threw them back in one more time, and it was the finishing touch. The yarn felts to a nice fabric. Not as hairy as Lopi, and not tight, boucle like, like Classic Merino, but in between the two.







They fit my SIL who just happened to mention to Rob on the phone that she was wearing the Fuzzy Feet I had made their mother when she came to stay when Megan was born, and thought they were great. I like the Fuzzy Feet idea, but mine wore out WAY too quickly, and I kept sliding down the stairs. These clogs were sitting there drying, and we had missed another gift exchange game, so I was happy to find them a new owner immediately :)



Lucy update. So, after the Boxing Day spent at the ER, things didn't improve. And then Megan got a cold (how much slime CAN come out of such a tiny nose?). The day before New Year's Eve she spent on the couch throwing up. We went to the Doctor's on Jan 2 and she found an ear infection, and also prescribed two inhalers and an Aero-Chamber spacing device for the puffers. It's not covered by our plan, and cost $50!! The next day she spent another day on the couch, throwing up. Then, on Thursday, I said "Enough" and packed them up to take them to Grandma and Grandpa With the Pond (Bancroft). All three kids made it there and back without throwing up once!! But Megan was still sick. On Jan 9 Lucy went back to the doctor who declared her ear healed, and her cough gone, but she still has to use the steroid puffer for the rest of the month. Megan was still slimy. Then, this past Saturday, Lucy spent much of it laying on the couch, throwing up again. I noticed last week that Megan had stopped drooling, oozing from the nose, and her chin/lip rash was much better. I peeked in her mouth, and behold--the first point of her fourth 1st year molar. But the dry spell was short lived and by Sunday she was oozing from the nose again. At least her reflux seems gone (or at least is silent now. Still uncomfortable for her as we saw last Sat or Friday night. Don't know if it was from the garlic scalloped potatoes or all the ibuprofen that I took). THis week, Huey is not feeling great, he has a deep barking cough now and sore throat.
And it's sunny, so I'm off to my knitting corner!!

Flash Your Stash

I love that title. Hee Hee.
So here it is:

Now that my stash is all contained in one spot, I can finally do this. And it's even contained in bins now. Not sure that I like having it hidden, but oh well. It really doesn't look like all that much now that it's all in one spot :)

Top shelf--none of that is knitting stuff. I can't reach it, so I didn't want anything I might need in a hurry up there!.

Next shelf--starting at left--two stacked boxes: top one is needles, labels, winning ribbons from the Fair, etc. Bottom one is odd balls of cotton. Next, a bag of felt pieces on top of a box with the remnants of the Kaffe Fassett "Icon" sweater. White basket holds "Projects on Hold". These aren't really 'unfinished'--they're more likely to be frogged. Or, little things like buttons are still needed. Next--three little boxes of craft things--glues, markers, batteries, I think. Then, a big bin. That's my box of craft sale things, or projects finished by still waiting to find owners. I like to knit--I don't always care if there's a recipient waiting :)

Under all that stuff are 4 jumbo sliding drawers (I want more, but can't find the jumbo size anywhere!). From the left--worsted weight, sock yarn, DK/fingering, and bulky. If I have three or less balls of a yarn, it goes in the drawer. If it's a yarn I'm "collecting" odd balls of (such as Decor, Country Style DK, Classic Merino...) then it goes in the correct bag down below. If I have more than three balls of a matching yarn, it'll get it's own bag and go below.

On the floor--The big bin on the left, with all the bags--that started my collection! Holds project sized amounts of like yarns. For example--6 balls of bright pink Lopi in one bag; 10 balls of a Pinquoin baby yarn in another. The two bags at the very front have almost been used up since the picture was taken!!

The four Rubbermaid bins--coned yarns, more bags of yarn (many from the summer Listowel sale), my "Timeless Tuesday" projects. Rob packed these up when we moved, so they're not really organized. My 'project in waiting' bags of yarn were spilling out of the big bin on the left, so now they're in those bins too. The white box on top is full of 100% fingering/sock weight alpaca that my SIL brought back from Peru. I'm thinking some gloves, a shawl or too...all in black, charcoal, grey, and white. NExt to the bins is a jumbo 'skein' of Bernat Baby Soft from the Spinrite sale in the summer.

Missing in Action--an afghan storage bag full of Patons Decor odd balls. Next to the drawers is my magazines, and old (like, from the 1930s-1960s) pattern books. Pretty books go upstairs on my bookshelf. I'd like all my patterns upstairs, but I had to draw the line, LOL. I also have a couple baskets upstairs of my current projects, and almost current projects!

It really doesn't look like all that much now :) How much smaller will it be by the time of the next Spinrite tent sale?

Monday, January 15, 2007

Why my house is a Mess

We often see the end of this poem, but not the whole thing, and not who wrote it. So here it is!




Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Socks that Walk

No, not the craziness surrounding the "Socks That Rock" sock club and the supposive scam. I made Huey a pair of socks on the machine. I took them to guild on Thursday night, and grafted the toe of one and started the side seam. I use a technique called the "Bickford Seam" but I didnt' take my instructions, so I was working from memory (which you all know is pretty much non-existant). I don't know if it was cause the section of seaming yarn was orange and the part I was seaming was green, but it was showing. So when I came home, I brought it to the computer so I could post a question to the LK150 group. I was SURE it was on the coffee table. Last night I seamed up the other one. I still couldn't find my notes, but I was watching TV and didnt' want to get up to use the computer, LOL. Once I was done, I came in here to find the other sock. No where. It has walked away. But Huey tried on the sock this morning, and the heel is too big. I'm not sure exactly how to fix it, but I'll try. I'll just start a new pair with the ball left over. But now I can't find the little piece of paper I wrote all his info on!

I have Post Project Depression. I've been working on smallish things since the lace baby shawl, but so much of my life is fragmented right now that I feel I need another big project to be one area of solidness in my life. I have some projects that need to get finished up (buttons, seaming, that sort of thing) and some that need life management classes. I don't want to start any sweater type projects, as I have those plans for breast reduction later this spring. I have the wool to make the Flower Basket Shawl (or another), so I can take something fairly brainless to the LYS knit nights (it has to be in their yarn). I was trying a top on the machine in the fall I might give another go. But nothing is really speaking to me.

Then I got my prize from Curlerchik's contest! It's KnitPicks Shadow, Laceweight, 100% Merino, in Jewels colourway. It's not this purple in real life. Very similiar to the blue socks that I fixed up this fall. It's a dark demin blue with hints of purple and teal. There's over 1200 yds there! I instantly thought 'shawl'. I haven't made a shawl for myself, and one that would look nice with jeans would be great. But then I was thinking, maybe I'd like something I could wear more often. With a shawl look, but more like a cardigan. Lace, structure, sleeves...but WHAT? There were some lace patterns on www.elann.com; top down raglan with aran weight cotton I think. I printed it out, but it's gone from the free patterns. I can't find anything that uses laceweight yarn though! I'm going to look through my vintage collection some night--many of those patterns use sock yarns.

There is one pattern I'm thinking of making. It's in the Vogue Vintage Knits books. A grey cardigan with Fair Isle across the upper chest and sleeve bottoms. I have a pile of Country Style DK that I've been collecting from thrift shops and yard sales, and the pattern calls for a Patons DK, so it should work. I'm not keen on the very deep ribbed waistband, but I don't know that it would even be for me, LOL.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Quiet

Rob is somewhere over the Atlantic, on his way to London and then to Luxembourg. My in-laws are on a cruise ship heading towards the Caribbean. The kids are in bed. It's lovely :)
I'm going to get caught up on some TV viewing right now though. It's dark in the computer room, and I prefer to post during the day. And I have a sock or two or three to seam up while I watch TV :)

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Mini Post

Hi!
I am so backlogged in everything. My Yahoo groups emails, blog reading, laundry, vaccuuming, blog posting....
But tonight! Georgetown knitting group! I think it's a crochet night, which means I'll just sit there and knit! Or graft up Huey's socks that I just whipped up on the machine. What's silly is that through Nov. and Dec. I had nothing with yarn from the LYS so I could go there for knit nights. Now, all my projects are using their yarn, but I can't go there this week or next week! By then, I might be back to boring old stash yarn, LOL. I have almost used up that big purchase from before Christmas! And yes, I did just buy some more yesterday, but it's for a current project so it will get used immediately and not even become stash!
That's all for now, but expect lots of blogging next week as Rob's out of town for four nights :(

Monday, January 08, 2007

Will the Real Me Please Stand Up?

You Are an Espresso
At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic
At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung
You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping
Your caffeine addiction level: high
What Kind of Coffee Are You?


This is SO NOT ME! Perhaps I screwed the quiz cause I put action flick for a movie I'd go see. In reality, the last movie I went to see was....uh...oh, I, Robot, which I guess actually is an action flick, but I didn't pick it. Before that was "The Bangor Sisters" and before that "Titanic". Yes, since Dec 1997 we have gone to three movies. When we moved here, we lived a block from the theater. We saw "Titanic" and nothing else (I don't remember exactly when it closed, and we were only in that apartment for 11 months, but still!). Am I straight shooting? Actually, I'm more passive-aggressive, LOL. Am I ambitious? Well, I did knit that shawl in the last two posts, LOL, but most days, being ambitious meaning having a shower. I don't think I'm anxious, although I can at times be stressed. I try to limit my coffee to first thing in the morning, and maybe one after lunch. Like perhaps today, LOL. I don't like strong coffee, I like it sweet and creamy :) Do you know that if you ask for a 'double double' in the Dunkin' Donuts drive thru in the States, they don't know what you mean?! I think Timmy's is a bit strong, and prefer Country Style, but I hate Country Style doughnuts. I'm not a big doughnut fan anyway, but the kids like TimBits. Most men I dated also like coffee double double. The one guy who drank it black...that should have forewarned me, LOL. Then there was the Croatian who introduced me to cappaccino....
Thanks Sandra for totally taking me off on a tangent today, LOL. And thank you Sandra for the beautiful yarn! I braved the wind and snow and pried open the SuperBox today finally. I WON the KnitPicks Shadow laceweight yarn in the Jewels colour! That's one I had circled in their catalogue. It's almost the same colour as a pair of socks I made (the ones I reknit this fall). It'll make a nice scarf/shawl to go with jeans. Now to decided on the pattern :)

I do have some finished knitting pictures to show, and lots more in the sick Lucy saga, but right now I have to take care of some business that has really ticked me off. Luxembourg, vs. doctor visit in Mississauga that's been scheduled for 4 months. And I'm not the one going to Luxembourg. He's supposively been going just about every other week since October, and I'm supposed to believe it's actually going to happen this time? Well, of course it will because it messes things up for me big time :(
Back later.