Playing With Needles

Update

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:22:00 +0000

There are constant discussions about how to define a WIP (work in progress) and a UFO (unfinished object). In my humble opinion, a WIP is something that I have every intention of finishing and soon. A UFO is something that I started and abandoned and may or may not finish up…ever.

With this distinction in mind I would like to point out that I have seven WIPs going. Well, really just six because all I have to do for one is weave in the ends.

My six projects, as named on Ravelry, and their status are:

1. My Mystery Pi: I saw this mystery shawl KAL and decided I needed to do this. I’m not sure why. PLUS I bought new and interesting yarn to make it. I did learn something new…a circular cast-on with laceweight yarn. This is the thing that has prevented me from making The Veil of Isis. Now that I’ve got it –ahem—mastered I will start the Veil of Isis with less apprehension. That project scares me but I WANT it….just like I want the Forest Path Stole…but that’s another story. I have finished the first clue. It took me two tries because I was talking on the phone, but it was done pretty quickly. I figure she’s easing us into some massive chart as not to scare off knitters new to lace. I was stunned to see people having trouble with this first clue. I guess there’s no gauging what will be considered easy to everyone.

2. Oblique in Aporto: I liked this sweater as soon as I saw the pattern on Knitty, but figured there was too much of me to look good in that sweater. Well, there is less of me now and Webs had a sale and I’ve started this sweater. I have stopped working on this sweater so that I can finish another WIP that I’m sick of looking at…..

3. Maddie’s Verde: I can’t even talk about this. All I can say is that I thought it would be so much easier. I’m on square 11 of the 12 and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4. Nan’s Baby #2 Blanket: I have a friend in NY that I thought would never marry or have children. I was wrong. I needed a blanket for her second child and decided crochet would be a good idea. I’m not crazy about the yarn worked up, but it’s almost done. I just need to get to finishing it up. I think what stalled me is not knowing what to do about the edge. Most of the time I don’t bother with any finishing of crocheted blankets, but I feel like this one needs an edge and I’m not sure what to do. I still haven't taken a picture of this...

5. Marine Shawl: This is Juno Regina from Knitty by Miriam Felton. I just KNEW I was going to get the monster part of this shawl completed while I winged my way to NY LAST DECEMBER…didn’t happen….the best laid plans, right? So, I’m in that center section….forty-two inches of what is basically stockinette…but oh so easy to fuck up. I want to get it done, but it’s just not happening.

6. Morandi Montego Bay: This is a scarf pattern from Interweave Knits….maybe Summer 2008…it’s pretty and seems to be a good fit for this yarn…which I love, but has given me horrors in finding a suitable pattern. Hopefully, it will soften up a bit in the wash and be a joy to wear.

There you have it. An update on my work....I know a little short on pictures, but I have my limits...check Ravelry to see more. :)

So Pissed Off....

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:50:00 +0000

I often knit for other people…to be honest most of my knitting seems to be done for other people. The only things I’ve got in my place that I’ve knit for me are socks, hat and scarves….and that 1/8th of an extra large Big Bad Baby Blanket, but I’m only referring to finished objects. I know it's mainly because it was difficult to knit a sweater for myself before the weight loss. You don’t think of the extra yarn that’s needed (well I didn’t), until you figure out the yardage. So, while some people can get a sweater out of 900 yards, I needed almost twice that amount….not a cheap proposition. I’m down to needing about 1200 yards and that makes me happy. But I digress. I knit for other people and am wondering how to deal with being angry at the person I’m knitting for in the middle of a project.

I have been working on a project for a friend for months now (since December) and she pissed me off yesterday. I sent her an email asking for her work address because I don’t know what the security is like at her home if a package can’t fit in the mail box. She sends me an email with the address and a note saying “save it this time.” My reaction was: What? The? Fuck? I’m sending you something, and all you can think to say is save it this time. As if it’s a bother to you for me to ask for this address. If someone asked me for my address every day for a year I’d just fucking give it to them and not act as if it’s a bother to me.

**breathe** My neck is tensing up.

So, I go home and I make banana bread for my local friends. As I’m waiting by the oven I knit. I finish up the first scarf for the soldiers and then start the second one. Then I pull out The Project. My annoyance flashes through my mind as I begin to work on it and I glance over and see the pile:

This pile represents six months of work…off and on, but mostly on….so much on that the SnB ladies have asked when it’s going to be done. Imagine them asking when they only see it once a week and how I feel about it seeing it every single day?

I begin to muse about being pissed off in the midst of this epic project. How would I handle it if I’d been pissed off enough to shoot back a snide remark and probably end the friendship? She’s had a hard half year or so…and has developed a habit of dishing it out but not taking it in very well. As I knit the center of the first of the last four squares I thought about that story of the angry kid with the nails in the fence. And think she put a nail in my fence today. Then I thought, maybe I’m just being too sensitive because I’m not feeling well….I need a Red Tent is all I’m saying. So, while I pondered these things I never stopped knitting. I am about halfway through the first of the last four squares which puts me at 70.83% complete….

Here are all the squares of the epic project…just three and a half more to go before I begin the finishing:

I want this thing done and out of my house....after that it's all knitting for T all the time......although there are several stash members that are earmarked especially for gifts for her....I'll have to chop it back to special occasions only.

Longing

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:13:00 +0000

I had to go back to school in February...not sure if I mentioned that before. I figured a week or two and I would be free...on my way to a site to begin my new career. Things haven't happened that way. I'm still in school...three months later...and last weekend was the three month mark. I'm fighting the bitterness. I'm just saying.

All along school to me has meant knitting time for me. I knit LOTS of socks during classes. It kept me calm and able to sit quietly and watch other people scan. It kept me from getting anxious while the poor scanners were on the job. It kept me alert during lectures. In my world School = Sock Knitting. My current teacher is not so excited about my knitting...not the knitting per se because she knits herself, but she is not happy about me knitting while patients are in the room....or when she thinks I should be scanning.

This weekend I'd pulled out the pink socks I started with the intention of working on them at Unleash The Power Within. After two repeats I decided that the pattern was too complicated and I needed something simpler to work on and the teal socks were started. Ironically, that pattern was too complicated as well, and not as nice as the picture so the sock was frogged and restarted at the seminar and in the end there was too much jumping around for much knitting to get done.

Anyway, I took the Pink Primaveras with me to school....blind hope that I would get a free moment or two to knit. At one point during the day on Saturday, while a patient was being scanned by another student, I glanced over and saw this:

Those two and a half inches were all that I had been able to produce in terms of knitting and only about half an inch had been produced that day. The longing it produced was palpable. It made me sad that I was stuck in class watchign this inept person fuck up a simple scan and not be able to quell my nervousness with my knitting.

Although, in the end the weekend wasn't all bad for the knitting. By Sunday afternoon I had turned the heel and made my way down the foot of the sock. I think it was because there were two extra bodies in the room that made the teacher let me slack off and knit, but whatever the reason I'm really happy. She was feeling lethargic and some other students showed up, and she let me sit and knit, and by the end of Sunday I was halfway down the foot on that little sock you see up there. Hopefully, I'll have my site very shortly and I won't need to knit to calm my nerves in class anymore.

It's been a long time...

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:51:00 +0000

"I shouldn't have left you, without a strong beat to step to...think how many weak shows you slept thru...times up, sorry I kept you..." (anyone know the song? artist?)

I'm still around. Still knitting. Back in school. I've been super busy and disinclined to write. I'm feeling up to it this evening. I hope you're still out there!

So, there's really waaaaay too much knitting to rehash in one post. I'll try to give you the short versions of projects as we go along, but tonight's post is especially for Nic & Christine...and Tom & Dan....I made a purchase and I think it will excite them. It didn't do much for the Atwater knitting ladies, but for the Burbank bunch it should be a little bit more interesting.

So, I haven't had a lot of time to read blogs either, but there was a lull at work and headed over to make. see. eat. do. to catch up with what Tom & Christine have been up to. I read all the way back to his post about their Red Hot entry...can I just say reading this blog makes me want to eat! Anywho, I read and thought, why isn't this item available here? I wonder if.... And so it went. I made a purchase.

I must say being busy at work has been wonderful for my saving plans, and not working at a computer will probably be even better....back to the tale at hand. I found it on the web. I'm not sure what the website was, and I have absolutely NO idea how much it cost me in dollars, but it's now with me. So, there is a Red Hot in Burbank and a Berry in Glassell Park. Maybe we can get them together to have a party! Whoo hoo!

So, there was lots of knitting...this week I've worked on Oblique, Verde Verde Verde, Kasan's Slippers and my teal sock...quite exciting really. I have even crocheted in my long absence.

Here is Oblique, for me, which I am particulary proud of:

I'll be back soon! I promise.

I'm still here....I really am!

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:43:00 +0000

I'm out here and have been knitting quite a lot since November or so. I decided on some last minute Christmas knits that were treated to a lukewarm reception and no use since gifting day. **sigh** Why do I keep trying? Yes, of course it was something for the baby. Here she is in the Dream In Color Tulip. She looks pretty much the same, but is getting rather weighty.

Wait! Where the hell are the place photo options? Why? Why do they keep changing things?

What is the point of a blog with no pictures? Sure I've got witty reparte, but damn, it's a knitting blog and now I can't seem to upload pictures. This kills my desire to blog.

Let me dig around a bit and see if I can find the option somewhere. If not you'll have to look me up on Ravelry.

Be back in a few.

Even I'm tired of looking at that title!

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:46:00 +0000

I'm still out here. I'm tired and a bit cranky. I don't feel like talking or in this case writing. I have been knitting...quite a bit. I've sewn and cooked and baked. I've been to NY and back. I've worked several short-term gigs to make a little extra cash without resorting to Santa Monica & Highland. I'll post again eventually, but just not now. I wanted to Twitter like Dix, but they don't support Blogger...or Blogger doesn't support them....Perhaps I'll twitter on my own...with pictures even!

Hope you all had a great holiday season and that the new year brings you all the joy and happiness you desire!

Happy Belated Birthday Karen! (I didn't forget....)

tb

Long Nails, Knitting for Babies and Other Tidbits

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:59:00 +0000

Long Nails & Short Hair

Way back in 1992 when I willingly cut off a full head of healthy hair for the first time I was very uncomfortable with my decision. I thought about doing it for months, but still I was uncomfortable. So much so that I wore a hat for two solid weeks to keep it covered up. Part of my discomfort was the feeling that I was no longer feminine enough. I’ve never been one for make-up—except lipstick and the occasional eyeliner when clubbing—so I thought I needed to keep just a little bit of the “girl” around so I started getting my nails done. This was back when airbrushing was at it’s height of popularity, and multi-colored highly patterned nails were all the rage. After a week or two of that madness I settled back into either a French manicure or no color at all…every once in a while I would do a single color on all the nails.

I would actually go to a barber shop to get my nails done and thought it would be easy one stop shopping for my “beauty” regimen…I use the term beauty loosely. I met some cute boys and one that I dated for a bit who made me LOVE this hair cut. He would hug me and rub my head at the same time. It was awesome….he had issues and it didn’t last, but he did help me through a time of self doubt.

So, I’ve grown out and cut the hair multiple times since 1992, and the hardest thing is finding someone to cut my hair so that it doesn’t look too hard, too manly…to be frank: too butch. When I moved here I couldn’t find anyone to cut my hair the way I liked it on a consistent basis and just ended up with the Caesar. Caesar being a very low cut even all over, also called a One or a Zero depending on how low it is. I am still not a make-up person, although I have given it what I think is an honest try, and once in a while feel like I need to girly it up a bit. So, I head back to the nail shop. I did this about a month ago.

I started with tips and they’ve grown nicely. They’re about 3/8th of an inch long. They look natural and really nice, even with no color on them. They slow down my knitting. They must go. I haven’t decided if they must go altogether, or if I’ll try to cut them down first. I’m kind of enamored with them so I will likely make them shorter and see if that speeds up my process. If it does not then they’ll be going for sure because I miss making socks!

Knitting for Babies

I’ve told you all about the saga of knitting for my niece. I haven’t gifted the sweater yet, but I think I will this weekend and ask that she wear it to Thanksgiving dinner so more than just three people get to see her in the sweater.

See the pretty colors. These are the colors I chose to make a blanket for her:

The colors are from top left: Soft Yellow, Watermelon, Blue Mint

Second Row: Limelight, Grape, Green, Lemonade

Third Row: Mango, Raspberry, Rubine Red, Iris and Rose Violet

The blanket has stalled. I’ve been working on other things and last night started a knit item for a different baby…she’s the daughter of a friend of my cousin’s. The mother is apparently fond of me and I feel like I should have a gift in hand because she has a new baby. I made another Tulip Cardigan out of yarn that I’m hoping would have been leftovers from Senaiah’s blanket. The colors that did not make it into the sweater are: Rose Violet, Raspberry, Green, Soft Yellow, and Grape...and I added a color not in the picture, Dk. Country Blue.

I’ve only got one full square done so I’ll be able to tell from that color’s leftovers if I’ve set myself up to buy more yarn. No matter, I’ll just make Senaiah another Tulip in a larger size if I need to buy more yarn. I’m setting myself on a cycle here, but it’s too late to turn back now. The only way I can remedy this is to make the blanket smaller if I’ve used more of the yarn than I should have. It will be easy to frog the half square I’ve knit and pull out a couple of rows of the first color, but here’s to hoping that is not necessary.

I don’t have pictures of it, but last night I got the body of the SSBrites sweater completed up to the bottom border. Just a few more rows of that and I can do the front flaps and applied i-cord cast off. If I can keep up the pace it will be done before Thursday. Which is also when I need to have Senaiah’s DIC sweater done…just need to weave in the ends on that. I’m going to try to do that tonight for sure.

Other Tidbits

Here is a shot of my dad’s sweater….I so need to finish this. I’m on the end of the first sleeve. It took me a little while to “figure out” how to do garter stitch in the round. Does anyone out there know? I’m pretty sure I got right, but no matter. I’m not pulling it out. So, just one sleeve to go and then I need to decide about the front flaps and button vs zipper situation.

I started to make myself a hat. I love the look of this, but I’m not sure I’m equipped to make it. The nails might have something to do with this. I might just give up and make a different hat with this yarn, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in chocolate. I need a hat to tool around New York in.

I started to make socks for myself. I originally cast on with the yarn that Dixie got me for my birthday on the Sox Stix she gave me. They’re gorgeous, but they’re too large for this yarn for my knitting style [I’m a loose knitter—sounds so dirty!], and they’re blunt. Anyway, I moved them to a Knit Picks Classic Circular of the same size and it was then that I realized I need to go down a needle size. So I cast on a different yarn one day and it’s UGLY and kind of splitty. Anyway, the nails are not helping, so they will more than likely go today. I want to knit socks….plus, what am I going to knit on the plane?

And finally a shot of the Lady E as it sits today....I still don't think it's long enough which makes me feel like I'm elephant wide and pissed because I don't want to buy more yarn!

A Little Off Kilter

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:41:00 +0000

That's the feeling around her for me and my knitting that is.....I don't really feel like writing, but I have been reading and knitting.....although, sadly not at the same time. I would really just like to go home and get in bed and stay there. No phone, no errands, no people. Just me and my knitting and books and educational TV. Oh well.

The Little Sweater:

Senaiah's sweater of many colors is almost complete. I need to weave in the ends and turn it over to her parents. I told my brother that I wanted her to wear it with a jeans skirt and her mother told me they found one. I was stunned. Hopefully, it won't be embellished the way the ones I ran into were...although, with all of the colors in the sweater it might not matter. If I get a picture I will share it with you. Here are shots of the complete sweater and a close up of one front & the sleeve. I was all prepared to complain about the so-so instructions and color changes on the sleeve, but I don't have the energy. It came out nice. Clare told me it's the nicest thing I ever made...and Christine loves it too!

Wobbly Circles:

The Wobbly Circles tote is almost done as well. I need to do two lines of stitches on the bottom of the bag and then work on the felting.

Here are the sides at the end of the knitting:

And here we are after my fit of weaving in of the ends....I know that you don't need to weave in the ends, but since I'll need to do it and do a good job of it for Senaiah's sweater I decided to "practice" on these. It wasn't bad...I'm not saying I want to do it all the time, I'm just saying it wasn't bad.

And here it is one minute from completion. It needs stitching along the corners to form the bottom of the tote so that it can stand up. I love the way this came out! Lets hope this feeling persists through the felting process.

And now on the needles is the Lady E...no matter how much I work on her it seems like a never ending process. I was able to add almost a whole skein to her last night, which leaves me three to go.....maybe. I started with 8 skeins of the Silk Garden, and ordered 3 more...so, if I only plan to use 10 for the body then I'm more than half way done, but if I need more then my percentage of completion drops. No matter. I'm dedicated to her....strict monogamy because I want her ready for my trip home!

Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Not for the blog…there were so many iterations of my blogging in the beginning that I can’t remember when I actually started one....and not on blogger. This weekend is the fourth anniversary of my move to Los Angeles. I flew into the airport in Santa Ana at night and drove “home” with the glow of fires and smell of smoke to greet me. I’d read White Oleander which opens with a young girl looking out onto the fires, but it didn’t occur to me that there was really a fire season here. Ah well, we live and learn.

I was having a conversation with someone recently about my feelings about my new “home.” I was explaining to this friend that I have not acclimated. I was told that at 18 months I would be used to it, and at 3 years it would feel like home. I’m five days from my fourth year and still no shift in my feelings. I began to wonder at what keeps me from settling in….this morning I figured it out. It’s the drive to work. On that six mile half-hour to forty-five minute drive I think almost every single day about how much I hate living here. My morning commute keeps fresh the hate in my heart for Los Angeles. It’s because people are selfish and inconsiderate in a way that I have never EVER experienced before.

Last week one of the SnB ladies said she couldn’t make it to our gathering because the turn signals on her car weren’t working. I quipped about how people here don’t use them, but seriously. The only, ONLY reason I’ve seen most people here use them is to let you know that they are IN THE PROCESS OF cutting you off. Not to indicate that they need to merge, not to warn you of their impending action…it’s like an after though to the action. **sigh** I’m getting angry just writing about it. The other thing that people do on the road on my way to work is zoom past a line of cars waiting to make a merge and cutting into said line because they don’t want to wait. The line moves quickly and if you take that route once you know what to expect. I don’t let people in past a certain point on that path. I feel like it’s just part of the process to have to wait my turn and why the fuck should I let some jackass who feels they’re too good to wait in? Let me just reiterate that these are the things that keep the hate in my heart for LA fresh.

These were my morning thoughts. I did knit over the weekend...I've got an FO-sorta to show you....I'll be back later if I can.

Honestly, I have...

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:44:00 +0000

Been knitting...and not a whole lot else. My house is still a mess. It feels like it's more of a mess now than before, but it's because of the clothes to get rid of piles. Does that make sense? I've got piles and bags of stuff laying around to be mailed or donated. If I could just get that taken care of then I would be okay....you know?

In the meantime I've been knitting...alot. My therapist asked me what I do with my anger and worry now that I can't eat and apparently I shop and I knit. The former not good for the end of job six months of free work budget, but it keeps the latter going....I guess only time will tell if it balances.

On to my knitting life....

Crazy Aunt Purl's Reading

I went to the reading with Christine, Clare, Dixie & Toni. We had a nice nice time. I gave her the socks I made for her and I won the basket. It was bizarre....she had a woman in the front row pull the name and she walked back to the lectern and turned and said, The winner is: Tevana B! I was stunned! It was great! Here are the pictures Christine took for me:

Felted Clogs:

I'm not sure why I thought these would be a good idea, but I did. I think it was the idea of making socks for a man--two men actually--with size 12 feet. Not pleasant. So, I did some research on Ravelry and discovered this pattern...kind of the same way Columbus discovered America. Did anyone see that History Channel special. Amazing! I digress, I went over to Sit-n-Stitch and got the pattern and some Lorna's Laces because I felt guilty spending only $5.

I got the pattern and the yarn (Patons Classic Wool from Joanns) last weekend (10/12/07) and finished one slipper that night. I finished the second slipper some time that weekend and between then and Saturday night I finished the second pair. I thank God for my Denise set. It would have been a pain in the ass to do it with regular needles. I'm considering the Options (metal) but haven't decided yet.

So, here are the slippers, pre-felting:

Don't ask why they're postioned like that....definite user error.

I don't have a post/mid felting picture now. I'm still working on the felting. :

Baby Gifts:

My brother and his wife had a little one at the end of April. She adorable and smiles big and bright when she sees me. I knit a hat & booties plus a baby blanket for her before she was born, but her parents haven't used any of those items. The blanket matches her "nursery" perfectly, but alas it goes unused.

So, I saw on Franklin's blog that he wants his niece to be the most knitted for baby in the world. I could possibly give him a run for his money in quantity, if not quality (who can top the Four Blessings Blanket? Certainly not me!); however, I'm concerned that if I put in all the work and time to knit for her and her mother doesn't use the items my animosity will grow to proportions unknown. So, I've held off....right up until I saw the Tulip Baby Cardigan from Dream In Color. I ordered the kit from Arcadia knitting. I started it this weekend. I'm a bit further than this picture shows and I'm learning skills that will be helpful when I'm finishing my father's sweater.

I have my issues with the kit as well as the pattern. The only issue with the pattern is that it doesn't give instructions on how the yarn should be used. Am I supposed to use the master color as one of the stripes or not? Do you make the "button bands" as wide as the bottom border? The kit issues were all about the yarn. Arcadia has made kits from full hanks--at least this is my assumption. There are directives on the balls of yarn that sort of make sense. The biggest issue I had were the random yarn joins mid ball. One ball said: Must use color 1 or 2. It wasn't until I had the first two colors knitted that I realized it wasn't a directive of the pattern, but of the yarn seller and I had to re-knit, PLUS there were three knots in the yarn, so the sweater I expected to need to weave in maybe 8 or 9 ends already had about 14 to weave in because of these knots. Just a bit frustrating.

I've made it thru to the sleeves...well, the first sleeve in process. Hopefully they'll put it on her and I won't have done all this work to make a $40 sweater for an infant!

That's all I've got for today. I'm tired & sleepy and want this work day to end already! More tomorrow.

Oh. My. Gawd*!

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:28:00 +0000

I can't believe I won it (scroll down for picture and list of contents)!

I think it's only because Christine put my name in the pumpkin because I don't have luck with such things, but I am thrilled that the stars aligned to get me such a wonderful gift. Christine & Tom were gracious enough to take the Cheetos off my hands -- you know, the surgery diet limitations and all, but the rest of it is marvelous.

It was a marvelous day/reading/signing!

I'm a dolt and forgot to to make sure my camera batteries still held a charge, and had to rely on Christine to take pictures for me...of me, with CAP! As soon as I get them from her I'll post a proper tale of the day.

Have a great weekend!

*That's how they say it on Lawn Giland...and I just can't keep the NY out of my speech. :)

It’s all in there. . .

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:41:00 +0000

Well, almost. Being done with my classes is a wonder. I can sleep late and do nothing all day long if I choose. It’s just great. Eventually, this will end because I really need to get back on the cleaning, but for now it’s good. I’ve been doing things I would have never thought of doing when school was in session.

For example, last weekend I hung out with a friend (old classmate) all day on Saturday. We stopped by the school and handled some business for her. Then we took a leisurely ride on surface streets from Beverly Hills to The Bridge…I think it’s technically Culver City, but with LA you never know. We had lunch at a pie restaurant and then saw Transformers at the IMAX theatre. It was great! Then on the way home I convinced her to stop by Beard Papa so I could get some cream puffs. I’m not sure why I wanted them, and I only took one bite of each and pitched the rest, but it was a nice ending to a good day.

On Sunday I got up late and lounged around. I knitted a bit and then decided to take pictures of my stash until I ran out of batteries or patience with the process. I got it all done….well almost all done. I’ve pretty much photographed (poorly) the portion of my stash that’s in my bedroom—which is my main storage area. There were two or three bits in there that I’m on the fence about whether to admit they live with me. The only thing left to do is the stuff that’s stuffed behind the couch in the living room. I think there are more UFOs there than actual stash, but I may just surprise myself.

There isn’t much else going on in my world. I need to find friends to go to school with me to practice my scanning, and the difficulty in that is I need them to be NPO…which means early morning visits on the weekend with the promise of breakfast/brunch/lunch on me post scan. Does anyone wanna help me out? :)

I’ve been finishing things up. I finished the birthday socks, the crazy socks and the Swallowtail Shawl. I’ve also finished the body of the sweater for my dad and am almost halfway down one of the sleeves. I’m worried that the sleeves will be a bit tight if I reduce them the way the pattern reads. I think I’ll follow it to the letter and if I have to rip back I’ll feel okay about it.

Well, I should look like I’m working. This morning has dragged on…it’s only 9:40ish. Which means I’ve got at least seven hours to go….. **sigh** Well, there’s always the SnB to look forward too, and the reading by Crazy Aunt Purl tomorrow!

Today's random musings

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:44:00 +0000

Monkeys on my feet.

I’ve been losing weight pretty rapidly and steadily since the surgery. I know that’s the point, but I thought I would be able to wear my clothes for much longer than I have. Now, this is a good and bad thing. Good because it means everything is working as it should. Bad because I’m just not ready to buy more clothes. I now understand how people can have things in their “to give away” bags with tags on them. I have things in the closet that I figured I’d get to wear on the way down, no problem. It’s looking like I might shrink out of them before I get the chance to wear them. Again, good and bad.

So, when I got ready for work this morning I decided to put on a t-shirt that used to make me look like a sausage. It was previously ONLY worn underneath a larger more flattering shirt. Now I can wear it on its own. It’s not terribly attractive, but it’s fine under my jacket at work. The shirt is a light sea-foamy minty green and happens to match one of the many colors in the Aslan Monkeys I made for myself. It’s a bit of a reach, but I wanted to wear hand knit socks and these were the only ones that are clean and sort of match. So, I’ve got monkeys on my feet….better than one on my back, right?

The protocol of protocols.

School is over. Well, the classroom, 20 hours a weekend part of school is over. I still have to complete approximately six months of externship, but I am no longer obligated to show up at the building on the corner of La Cienaga Blvd. and Gregory Way any more. As part of the program we had to complete what are referred to as protocols. They were a series of shots for each part of the body whether it focused on one or many organs. The protocols are used industry wide. They might be tweaked, changed a bit by each hospital or imaging center, but they’re generally all the same. We had to commit these to memory and were tested on them all through the program. We were admonished to practice the ones we’d previously learned because although we’d moved onto a different subject we would have to know these for later. We would also be required, as a condition of being deemed externship ready, to produce perfect protocols at the end of our programs. They were the final test of our skill and knowledge, the Year-End Protocols. They were to be completed completely free of assitance.....from anyone.

I learned my protocols. I practiced them. I committed them to memory, and I was ready to do my Year-End Protocols at the end of the program. When I decided to take the six months off to be sure I am completely healed and healthy I realized I would not need to do my Year-End Protocols because they have to be done within 30 days of the start of your externship. However, the lab director and externship coordinator felt that it would be a good exercise for me to complete my Year-Ends even though I would be taking the break. So, I started them three weeks after we were allowed to begin them. I got five of the seven completed and approved within two days of beginning them. The last two were tricky. I needed someone who had clear anatomy, a good female reproductive system and a full bladder. It turned out that despite all the help I’d provided them, none of the women I have been in class with since the beginning would fill their bladder for me.

Well, not none. . . . the ones able to do it weren’t willing. There were only two or three others that were as conscientious as me. One of them did not have clear anatomy, one had a uterine variant that might not have worked for the protocol and the other was secretly pregnant so no scanning them. The others were suddenly angry with me. Asking for help but annoyed that I’d gotten through my Year-Ends so quickly and efficiently. It was, “T, could you help me find the main portal vein?” To which I replied, “Sure. Here it is.” And as I walked away I would say, “Is your bladder full yet? And they would print my picture and say happily, “Not yet, but I’m drinking.” This went on for a good ten hours. Finally, a girl who is one quarter behind me said, “T, I’m full. Do you want to scan me?” And another said, “T, do you have all your Year-Ends done? Do you want to scan my kidneys? They’re good.” And poof, my protocols were complete, and approved…and I was done. It was interesting that they all wanted pictures and to make sure I would keep in touch at the end, but still no full bladders in the house.

In knitting news.

I finished a pair of socks I've been working on as a birthday gift for a friend at the end of October. I've also got a pair almost complete to give to another friend in mid-October. I can't believe I'm ahead of the game like this....However, I don't have a birthday gift for my mother...on October 5th....lest you think I've gone and gotten organized on you. I haven't touched my father's sweater either. I have been working on my aunt's shawl though....just six more repeats of the little feather chart and then onto the area that I believe contains the nupps....5ptogs I think. It's very exciting.

Sorry there are no pictures. School might be over, but I'm still not organized!

I'm Tired...but, it's almost over!

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:52:00 +0000

I don't feel like talking...or writing. I just want to go home and sleep. School is almost over. I've got four things to complete and then I will have officially completed all of the pre-externship coursework for the class and I'm worn out. I keep looking around my apartment and thinking about how much time I'm going to have to spend to make up for 15 months of poor housekeeping.

In a fit I actually started yesterday. In a frenzy I pulled all of the clothes that weren't on hangers out of my closet. I was looking for something specific, and ended up with a three foot pile on my bed (I found it on a hanger on the other end of the closet--**sigh**)...this happened before I left for work...Yes, those things are now in a pile in front of the tread mill. No worries, I'll get to it. A lot of the stuff doesn't fit anymore and I'll need to get rid of it so it's a good thing. I also scrubbed the kitchen and cleaned out the fridge last night and that felt pretty good. Just need to mop the floor. I'm inspired by Crazy Aunt Purl.

In knitting news. I've been slogging along on my dad's sweater and two projects that are kind of secret. I think the recipients are semi-regular readers of the blog and I don't want to spoil the surprises I have planned. So, there are those two secret projects going on. I'm hoping to have them done by the end of this week.

When I got home yesterday I found the other ball of Misti Alpaca Laceweight had arrived(great transaction from this place, quick shipment). I ripped out the Swallowtail Shawl and restarted it. So, I'm through with the first chart and have completed two repeats of the second chart, just 12 more of that one and I don't know what else after that. Hopefully, I will get that done by my aunt's birthday in October. I've got alittle over a month.

It seems like I've got a lot of WIPs, but I'm done with school and it is my intention to spend SEVERAL weekends cleaning, knitting, and sleeping....not necessarily in that order. Hopefully, my girls will have time to spend with me too!

Whoo, it's almost over AND I survived it.

Knitting for the Baby

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:40:00 +0000

I've got a new niece....well, she's four months old now, but new in terms of being the child of my youngest brother. Before she was born I found out the colors planned for the nursery and made a blanket to match. It was a perfect match. The pinks and browns worked together really well, and it was a pinwheel and the motifs in the room were circles...how much more perfect could you ask for?

Apparently, it wasn't good enough. I dropped the blanket off at my brother's apt., along with all the other gifts, the night before the shower so that they could take them to the party since I didn't think I would be able to get out of class to attend. I was able to get out of class and drove across LA to show my face and watch them open the gifts....and guess what? They left the gifts at home because I didn't tell them to take them with them to the party. WTF??? I also told them to wash the blanket and give it back to me so that I could weave in the ends. They're a bit kooky and I wasn't sure about detergents and such, so it was simpler to say wash and return and I'll finish. I believe it was washed, but I've never seen it since then. I don't really expect to.

I also made booties and a little hat for her as a newborn. I don't think those items every saw any use either. Which brings me to now. I would like to knit for my niece, but what's the point if her mother will never put the items I knit on her? I figured I will just give gift certificates and that way at least I will have given her something that will get some use. What do you think?

Well, I've broken my rule and purchased a kit for a little cardigan. It's sooooooo cute. I've seen it made by Franklin and the Yarn Harlot, and thought, my niece needs one of those. Then the rational part of my mind spoke up and said. What the fuck are you thinking? $37 on a kit for a sweater for a baby and her mother will probably NEVER even let her wear it! So, I didn't order the kit....until Friday....it arrived on Monday. I've been looking at it every day since then.

What was I thinking? Almost $40 on a sweater her mother will probably never put on her. **sigh** I'm an ass. It came so nicely packaged in a ziplock bag...just the way I like it.

And the pattern came in a protective sleeve that can be placed in a binder.

Such a nice presentation. Such nice yarn. Such pretty colors.

Too bad she'll never wear it. I'll start it after I finish the body of my dad's sweater. I finally got the correct measurements. He was off by about six inches on every one I asked him for. Now the sweater will be longer than I anticipated, but still four or five inches shorter than he told me originally.

My Knitting Journey

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:51:00 +0000

I learned to crochet at a pretty young age in 4-H on St. Croix. I don’t actually remember learning, but I know that’s when & where I learned. When I moved to NY after high school I started to crochet again for a bit. I still have the yarn I bought from a Woolworths. Yes, it was that long ago.

Then one day I went to see my grandmother…not the risqué one that I talk about these days, but my father’s mother that passed away. She was making these warm and squooshy sweaters for her attorney and his wife. They were navy blue and beautiful.

I asked her if she would make me one and she said, “No, I don’t knit for grown women. I will teach you how to knit.” She pulled out some yarn and needles and taught me how to knit, purl and change colors. It was fun but it killed my hands. She knit what I thought was continental, and between the slippery yarn and needles, and trying to keep the stitches from slipping off while being way too tense I knit a pretty substantial swatch, and then pretty much gave up on it. I did buy needles and more yarn, but I didn’t enjoy the process.

Here is my first knitting ever. Yes, it lives on the needles she taught me on just like that.

Fast forward about 15 years and my grandma passes away. I’m living in her house amongst her things and take possession of many of her knitting stuff. It’s special to me, but I’m still not compelled to pick up the needles. Then I meet a guy and fall hard, he breaks my heart and in order to break the cycle of sitting home crying every weekend I ask my uncle’s fiancé to teach me how to crochet a hat. She and my uncle join forces and teach me. Then she introduces me to a yarn store, and now Pandora’s box has been opened, but only for crochet. I stick to hats and scarves, anything larger is simply too daunting.

About three years later I moved to Los Angeles with two tons of yarn stash, and continue to crochet but I expand to afghans. I was semi-employed and friendless so I had LOTS of time. And in another fit of loneliness I found yarn stores and somehow came across Stitch-n-Bitch LA. I convinced Melissa to come with me to the Atwater Village meeting and that was the start of my enjoyment of my life here. I’ve made great friends and have learned things that I might not have considered doing otherwise.

My father turned 60 this year, and as a tribute to his mother I decided to knit him a sweater. His favorite color is blue and why not navy like the sweaters that prompted my learning to knit? Not the cabled wonders she made, but a simple cardigan he could put on in the evenings when the weather gets cool during hurricane season.

After a major false start on yarn I decided on Knitpicks Swish in Dark Navy, and I’m using a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern. So far so good. I’ll probably need help with the collar & button bands, but so far so good….plus I’ve got a wonderful group of friends who are excellent knitters who will help me along the way.

A Tale of Two Socks

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:37:00 +0000

I keep a pair of socks on the needles now. This practice began when I started school. They're easy walk around with projects (esp if they're on a magic loop), and they're usually simple enough that I can work on them anywhere. The embossed leaves were not this class of sock, but I did walk around with them as much as I could.

The socks that I have been walking around with are from stash yarn. I think I got the yarn at A Major Knitwork when I got the ugly brown-n-black Trekking XXL yarn. It's Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Spirit. It's a self stripping yarn with a 45% Cotton, 42% Wool, 13% Polyamide mix. I tihnk the yarn is nice looking enough...not spectacular, but fine. I decided to do a simple 3x3 rib on the cuff and down the top of the foot. It knits fine, but it's a bit hard on the hands. Not as bad as the Sockotta, but my finger feels rough after a session of heavy knitting on the sock. I've decided to avoid cotton sock yarn from now on unless it has a substantial amount of elastic in the mix; read: Espirit by Elann, or Cascade Fixation. Maybe it's the cotton/wool mix that makes it so hard on my hands, but whatever I'm over this mix.

Here is the first of the pair. The picture is horrible, sorry, but you have an idea of what the colors are like. I have to cast on for the second sock. I cast on for the second sock while waiting to be picked up for surgery. My mother was totally stressing me out and I was trying to suppress the tears so I knit. However, I somehow--under the stress--cast on the wrong number of stitches; then they took the sock home despite me requesting that they bring it to the room for me post-op. **sigh** So, when I looked at it again I realized my error and frogged the three rows.

When I realized I would be readmitted to the hospital for the dehydration I decided to cast on for a plain sock, and that I would use the Austermann Step that I got as a gift from Melissa at least a year ago. See, more stash knitting! :)

So, I cast on did 10 rows of ribbing for the cuff and headed on down the leg in stockinette...well, knit stitch only. I worked on the sock in the bad lighting in my bedroom all day as I waited for the doctor's office nurse to call me back and tell me to go to the hospital. I knit about four inches of sock and it looked the same color. I sat there looking at it thinking, where the fuck are the stripes? Ugh! I'm soooo glad I didn't buy this! Four inches of the same color is NOT variegation! The nurse never called me, and I went to sleep still annoyed at the sock.

The next day I got up and had decided I was going to work. If that heifer couldn't be arsed to call me back then why the fuck should I miss days from work? Yeah, two feet outside my door and I realized there was no way I could make it from the parking lot to my desk so I went back in for my carefully planned "hospital bag" and headed to the emergency room. I didn't take the bag in, but I did take the sock with me because you know: stress relief.

In the bright white light of the ER I realized I had been wrong about the poor sock that kept me semi-calm the previous day. I felt like I needed to apologize to the yarn, to Melissa, and to the sock. It was indeed variegated...subtly so, but there were three colors where I had seen only one. I worked on that sock non-stop in the ER, then in the room that had been arranged for me until they started with the attempt at inserting the IV.

I finished up that first sock in the hospital after my hand stopped aching, then I switched over to Madeline's Embossed Leaves. Word got around amongst the nurses about my knitting and there were lots of visitors for the Embossed Leaves, but the Plain Step sock is the one that kept me from completely freaking out during a highly stressful situation.

Last night I happily turned the heel and am now heading down gusset lane on the second of the pair. As soon as it's done it's back to the hard cotton. The Step is nice. Not merino soft, but nice to work with. I cannot say that I see a difference in the moisture level of my hands because of the Aloe and Jojoba Oil that is in the yarn, but it's been a pleasurable knit.

That is the tale of my two socks, and how I plan to avoid Second Sock Syndrome (SSS).

Where Have I Been?!?!

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 21:06:00 +0000

Here are just a couple of the reasons I’ve been MIA....can you see them?

I got thru the organ rearranging just fine….the post-op gas was quite painful, but I survived it. It’s the dehydration that I have a problem with. It’s been difficult to drink as much as I need to drink, plus I got terribly nauseous and that made me not want to drink…at all….which lead to dehydration. So I was sent back to the clink [aka: Hospital].

I survived that too, but came home looking like a bit of a junky. I’m not sure you can see the marks, but my arm is quite the palette of color. The base color is brown, as you know, and my enhancements are greenish and purple today. Let me just say that IVs are difficult to put in on dehydrated patients…and if the patients start crying it means they’re losing more fluid and becoming even more dehydrated. Don’t let them do this to you…..that’s all I have to say.

I have been knitting during all of this. You know, in hopes of maintaining the shred of sanity I had…I’m not sure if it worked, but I did make a nice pair of socks. I also finished two other socks…they’re singles, but will soon be paired off....no SSS for me!

These are the second iteration of the Embossed Leaves Socks from IK Winter 2006 (I think). The first pair was too large and need to be frogged and re-knit. I’m not looking forward to that, but they’re a gift, so I must. These I took four stitches out of the pattern and they fit beautifully. That’s what I’ll need to do with the other ones.

You can't really tell from these shots, but these are gorgeous. I couldn’t get nice shots of them…not that I tried very hard, but I think even if I had there’s no way I could have captured the richness of the color of the yarn. It’s an almost solid forest green with flecks of lighter color that range from light green to yellow. It’s beautiful. I made them as a gift for my friend who was coming out to spend my birthday and surgery day with me. She didn’t make it, but was here in spirit…Her socks are now done. I just need to send them off to her.

Quick & Dirty

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Okay, it's been a month since I've had the time and inclination to post. Well, a little more than a month, but I'm still here, still busy and still waiting for things to happen.

As a way to cope with the waiting--I'm not good at it...it looks like I am on the outside, but inside I'm seething and antsy and high blood pressurey--anyway, as a way to cope with the waiting, I knit.

In the last month I have:

1. Finished Grandmas's Shawl
2. Finished the Monkey Socks
3. Started a Shawl for my aunt who is coming to support me during the surgery
4. Made a pair of mittens for the daughter of the controller at school
5. Almost completed a pair of Embossed Leaves Socks for my lecture teacher who has been replaced
6. Started a sweater for my father's 60th birthday
7. gotten 3/4ths of the way thru the Wobbly Circles bag

And in non-knitting news I have started the last module of my DMS program, and landed a surgery date.

Surgery is Wednesday, August 1, 2007 at 7:30 am. Amazing, really. I fear that something will go wrong and thwart my forward movement (see above about waiting and it's affect on my BP), but I'm trying to think positive and stay calm, so I knit some more.

I don't have any pictures of the finished objects or the ones in process. I will do my best to get those taken and uploaded as soon as possible because I like blogs with pictured AND I got my invite to Ravelry. It's really very cool, but will take me some time (read: a LOT of time) to get all of my stash photographed and uploaded....guess it's a good thing I'm not concerned with taking artsy professional photos. Snap and go....bad lighting and all. Maybe I can do a drawer or bin a day until I get to the monster ones. We'll see how it goes.

That's all I've got for you.....Send me good vibes...just 8 days to go!

Lions and Monkeys and Love

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:17:00 +0000

I have a friend that I’ve had since 1996 or 1997. I met her in my last year of college. I had been warned against dealing with her by some men we worked with. Initially we only had to work in the same place for about a week and a half, and I was on the second shift while she was on the first, so it was easy to avoid contact with her. Years later we were discussing those two weeks and she said she thought: Why is her skirt so short? And I thought: Why is she playing with her hair like that? Funny…nothing negative, just thoughts that crossed our minds at first sight.

About six months after that initial meeting I was transferred into her site permanently, but didn’t interact with her then because I was on the weekend/second shift and she was on the third….so I was always rushing out the door when she arrived. Then she started popping up on Saturday afternoons with the site administrator, and while he worked she chatted with me. Very light and shallow initially because I still had that “warning” guiding me, and was so caught up in my budding love affair with a Coastie and school that I couldn’t be bothered. Eventually, we became friends. She never judged me, never let me down, and she was there when I needed someone most and that gilded it for me.

She is the only friend I left in NY who has come out to visit. I’ve had others come for business and call me, but she’s the only one who has come out specifically for the pleasure of spending time with me. It took me a long time; way to long to begin to call her my best friend, but it’s what she is. She is the one constant thing in my life. No matter what I bring with me to the table she still loves me. She’s understanding and supportive in a way that I haven’t experienced before and she’s very worried about my impending surgical procedure. She insisted that she would be here for it, but she finally went back to college and I don’t want her to miss school for this so she sent me some love thru the mail. Please meet Magnitudes Guthrie:

I have a rather large collection of lions. So many that when I moved here and unpacked I made calls to the people who give them to me most and told them: No more lions. I can’t....people who visit are going to think I’m the crazy lion lady of Glassell Park! So, I have only gotten a few lions since I’ve been here, two of them from her. One functional: a bowl painted at a place similar to Color Me Mine (which I broke while washing one day...tears were shed!) And now Magnitudes. I rub him when I walk by and think of it. And no, I didn’t name him. Gund names all of their stuffed animals...I had another lion from Gund, a key chain—you’ve seen him, all ratty looking and bald, well, his name is Clarence.

I’ve started working on my grandma’s shawl again this weekend. I’m in a better place emotionally so I feel okay touching it, but in the interim I worked on socks mostly. I finished up the ugly brown Trekking socks and started this one:

I’ve obviously finished one of these. I started it when I woke up from the drugged sleep of the upper endoscopy....nothing like not being able to figure out a two stitch rib pattern and calling your own personal sock maven to ask her to explain it to you and figuring out while speaking to her what you’re doing wrong....she was very kind to me...thanks Dix!....the second one is on the needles, although this would have been an ideal situation to get the second sock syndrome. It’s a stunning sock, I’m just sick of working on it. My cousin is right, I’m project driven. I do enjoy the process, but I like having completed projects even more...even if they’re nothing but stockinette socks! So, I will finish my Monkey socks. I may even try them in a different yarn with the m1fb increase instead of the yarnovers cause I'm not a fan of the holes.

My favorite feature is the way the pattern points to the heel:

Anyway, the socks are lovely. The yarn was a gift from Daniella. It’s Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Aslan*. On the computer and even when it’s in the hank the colorway looks like a combo of taupe, cream and light peach, but it’s got more depth than that. It’s got lavender, a green and some sections that look a lot more pink than peach. All of the colors are muted and sort of delicate...hard to explain.

I tried to capture the colors here in the heel, but all I got was a clear understanding of the limits of my camera....you’ll have to imagine it or wait to see them in person to get the full effect.

That’s all the knitting news I have, and no surgery news at all. Well, I guess I have news but I’ve had no movement. The surgeon is on medical leave so I’ve switched to a different surgeon, but he’s on vacation for two weeks so I wait....

*You do know the Aslan reference, right? It's the lion's name in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. When Daniella saw the yarn she kept saying, but lions don't have lavendar! Funny....it's still pretty yarn. And a dream to knit with!

Sock Woes...

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:03:00 +0000

So, socks have become my walk around project, and since I don’t have a whole lot of down time I’ve been making a lot of socks. Every once in a while I’ll muse about my first SnB meeting where I watched Dixie knit with clover needles and Grace yarn, and thought to myself: There is NO WAY I’d be doing that. . . My, how times have changed.

Anyway, in this recent glut of sock knitting all has not been well. Let me counts the ways in which my sock knitting has gone awry.

Things Fall Apart

I call these the Frankenstein socks. These are from Sockotta...the remainder of a ball after Christine made a pair. It was my first toe up pair and I though it was going well until I tried to put them on.

The leg opening wouldn't stretch around my heel. Undaunted I undid my cast off, ripped back and put in a bit if ribbing and it worked out. I did not, however, have enough yarn for the second sock. After much debate with Nic about stripping and other colors I decided to just keep going and not add another color of yarn...and this is why I called them Frankenstein. There are more joins in that one leg than I have put in the last four pairs of socks I've made...seriously. Anyway, the joining didn't work out well for me because look at what happened when I washed them the first time.

I don't think it's actually a problem with the joins, but with the cast off. WTH? How can a cast off come lose like that? I haven't decided if I'll fix them or not.

Jitterbug

I ordered this Jitterbug all the way from the UK. I was super excited when it arrived...a base of orange and so many other colors in the hues I like too. It was marvelous. I waited until I finished that last wretched pair of Sockotta ones to use so that I could thoroughly enjoy the process. The yarn feels fabulous. The first woe with these is that they’re a little bit tight. I made a pair for a co-worker and they were a bit loose, so I decided to use a smaller needle, and these are a bit snug. Not uncomfortably so, but it’s noticeable. The main woe with these is that as I worked on the second sock it became wholly apparent that the dye job on the yarn had shifted...Can you see it?

One looks stripped** and the other not so much. Nic suggested sending a complaint to Colinette with a picture of the socks, but I don’t think that will work. What do you think?

Trekking XXL

I’ve been reading about this yarn for a while now. There was a big KAL, Mim has a free pattern for the yarn, and I saw it when I had a coupon & a hankering for sock yarn. I got this because I thought it was a nice color combination. As the socks progressed my thoughts changed a bit, and I made them a little too loose.

These may be the ugliest socks I’ve made to date. I think if the black hadn’t been thrown in the mix it wouldn’t have been so bad, but I’m not positive about that. Also, me = not such a fan of self stripping yarn. (**Please see above for complaint about stripping yarn.).

Both pairs are done, but not worn. I’m now working on a pair out of yarn Daniella gave me. The yarn is a dream to work with, but is a bit splitty; but I’ll get to that later. Grandma’s shawl is stalled. I don’t want to work on it when I’m not in a good place emotionally. I’m convinced that I weave my worries into my work and I don’t want that to happen with this piece...my grandma doesn't need to be wrapped in my worries, only my love. After tomorrow things might be better, but there are no guarantees…so the shawl is on hold until I feel better.

Happy knitting to all!

My Brain

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:28:00 +0000

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

And here I am...

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:46:00 +0000

I still don’t feel like blogging, but I figured I’d do it anyway.

I’ve read other bloggers, and seen them write that they feel weird if they don’t have a sock on the needles. I often think—well, used to think—why? Knitting is knitting, right? Well, I’ve discovered it’s not. I don’t have a burning need to keep socks on the needles per say, but I do have a burning need to have portable knitting. For me, these days, portable also means mindless, and that has somehow worked its way into meaning socks. Tuesday morning I rushed out of the house and realized I’d forgotten all of my knitting upstairs. I was running late and didn’t want to take the time to go back up to the apartment to get the current sock. So, I took a deep breath, got in the car and left. As the time for me to leave the office to go to the cardiologist approached I began to regret the decision more and more. I thought about leaving extra early so I could go home and pick up the sock. It also crossed my mind to go up to Needle in a Haystack to buy more yarn. The little bookkeeper in the back of my head said no to that one. So, I was headed off to the doctor’s office with no knitting to keep my hands busy and my heart rate under control. Then I realized I did have knitting with me. I had finished the booties for Diana and she told me I could have the extra yarn. So, I started a baby hat with the leftover baby cashmerino and one of the circulars I always carry with me. The doctor and his nurse both commented on the knitting, and I felt better.

So, in light of the fact that socks have become my portable mindless knitting I present you with the yarn that will become Clessidra:

I’m not crazy about burgundy/maroon (I wore maroon pants/skirts for my high school uniform and I'm over it--along with pink and grey), but this is very pretty yarn. It has a slight sheen. I’m not going to unpackage it because in the end I will just put it back into a plastic bag to store anyway. Clessidra is by no means mindless knitting, but the yarn was on sale (Thanks for the enabling Clare!) and I was awestruck by the pattern as soon as Knitty published it. It may wait until I can concentrate and continue to crank out plain jane socks, but at least I have the yarn in the stash, right?

Another Cuff

The other item that I’ve knitted many of, but am no longer enamored with is Mary Ella from Knitty. It’s a beautiful piece. So nice to feel…run your fingers over. This one is for Daniella. She bought the stuff to make it a while ago and had a hard time with the gauge so I agreed to knit it for her. I wasn’t given a time frame for completion (until last Sunday) and amazingly that was the day I got it done! Ahhhhhh……..So, without further ado, here is the latest Mary Ella in very watermelon-esq colors. I think I was able to capture the green of the beads this time.

As you can see I have not actually finished. The ends need to be woven in, and the clasp needs to be sewn on, but for that I need to dig out the thread, and I'm not entirely sure where I put it during the great pre-surgery clean up of '07. I'm doing a Scarlett O'Hara on this one....anyone know the reference?

Today I am carrying the little hat, and my Trekking XXL sock. The yarn is eh, and the colors are horrendous, but it’s a stockinette sock, I’ve got an appointment with the gastroenterologist, and my restless hands have some thing to do.

Edited to add: OMG! Crazy Aunt Purl commented on my blog!?!?!?! I hope I dind't offend her [You, Laurie] by saying that I thought she was just being nice! I'm even more impressed that she remembered me because I imagine she gets hundreds of emails and I apparently made an impression. So, Hi CAP! -- tb

Even Less

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:13:00 +0000

I don't have any knitting content and no pictures. I've finished a baby hat and booties for a co-worker to gift to someone else and have delivered them without taking any pictures. I finished the Jitterbug Sahara socks, they're jacked up. I've finished on of a pair of Trekking XL socks, they're really not very good looking. I feel like I have nothing good to report and like keeping my rants about sock yarn and local yarn stores to myself.

Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. Hope you all had a good weekend!

I don't want to

noreply@blogger.com (tb) — Thu, 24 May 2007 18:56:00 +0000

I don't feel like talking or writing or communicating with anyone. I'm drained and I want to just pull into myself and try to regroup.

I've been thinking about Crazy Aunt Purl alot lately. It amazes me how much support she gets from her readership when she exposes her weak spots. I share things--not so much on this blog, but with people in real life--and I'm often ridiculed and looked down upon for my weaknesses. What makes one person worthy of love and support, and another a target for rude remarks and ridicule? Is it something in me? Something in people's perception of me? What people think I am able to "handle?" I was told once by my brother that he doesn't help me--even when I ask for help--because I'm the strong one. Funny, I don't feel very strong.

Anyway, those are my musings for today.

On to knitting news:

Stitch-n-Pitch

I went to the Stitch-n-Pitch on Tuesday. It was fun. The so-called Tevana-B-Party was not the largest group within the Unwind group and we were spread out all on one row. Hard to talk that way, but in the end we shifted around to empty seats in the stands and were generally comfortable for the second half of the game. It was quick and I was happy about that. The bag from Unwind was fine. I ended up making the square with the yarn that they gave me. There was yarn left over and I think it's more than enough to make a second and maybe third square as well. I'll have to try to fit it in.

To be perfectly honest I haven't really looked through the bag I got at the stadium. I know I got a crochet hook. I gave away my ball of yarn which was lavendar scented I think.....It wasn't enough to make anything unless you had more than one ball so I gave mine to Joseline so she can make a scarf if she likes. It will build her stash. When I look thru the bag I'll let you know how I feel about it.

The highlight of the game for me was I got to meet Crazy Aunt Purl. She acted like she knew who I was from some emails we exchanged and that was really nice. She also took a picture of me on her way out of the stands, but alas I didn't make it onto the blog. Probably a good thing cause I'm sure (SURE, SURE, SURE!) that I looked horrible!

Grandma's Shawl

I haven't touched it in two days and I'm feeling guilty. It takes a level of concentration and clean hands that wasn't possible at the Stich-n-Pitch or Priscilla's last night. So it has not grown any larger than the pictures show.

Here is the shawl and the cone from whence it came:

Acquisitions:

One of the reasons I decided to go with the Unwind group to the Stitch-n-Pitch was for the discount. Hey, I'm on a budget! Anway, I got some yarn that I've sort of been thinking about and an impulse purchase. I also got some tools in the post.

Here is a new hank of Jitterbug.

I can get two socks out of the hank easy, but what to do with the leftovers? I thought I would get a colorway that would work with the leftovers from Diana's socks and make a pair for myself with that bit and the leftovers from a pair I was going to make for Madeline. Of course they didn't have the colorway I had in mind so I bought the one that I thought would work best with the Castanga......not so much, eh?

I'll probably keep this for myself and keep on the look out for the one I really want for her.

Do I need to explain this choice? AND IT'S ORANGE!?!?!?!?!?

I got these for me. There was a sample worked up in a funky basketweave pattern that I just kept going back to fondle. I just couldn't let it go....So much so that after we got back and Nic was paying for her stuff I stood and counted stitches to try to figure out the pattern. I've got someone to help me perfect it. I'm super excited....a long orange scarf!!!

And finally, I got these in the mail on Tuesday from Moonrise Lace Knitting.

The price was only $12 for the lace ones and $10 for the Addi Turbo that I ordered. She sent them to me with a level of trust that is UNHEARD of today. I got them in an envelop with an invoice. That's right, she sent them to me trusting that I will make good on the trust she has given me. I'm touched that there is someone out there who still believes in people this much....maybe she just believes in knitters. May her trust never be in vain. I'm putting my check in the mail today!