Journey

There is a person who has begun a new journey. I do not know her, except her name is Cassie. She knows loss. Enormous, terrible loss, that I can not even try to comprehend. Her husband was hit by a car and killed while jogging. He was 37 years old. I do not know her, yet I feel such sadness in her story. What started as one journey, in a heartbeat has changed to another. I keep her in my prayers, hoping she will find comfort in knowing others are out here thinking of her.

I found this mentioned at Mind of Winter, and followed the links to Stitch Marker. If you want to help, buy the pattern or just give a donation.

Help ease her journey.

Hopping on a Left Foot

Last night I finished my travel project. These were knit while riding in the car over the past two weekend trips north.




World, meet Anastasia.
Anastasia, meet world.







Here are the specs:

Pattern: Anastasia by Pepperknit
Needles: Addi Turbos US1 Circ
Yarn: Knit Picks Memories in Rocky Mountain Dusk
Date Started: February 15, 2007
Date Finished: February 27, 2007

Being happy to have new wool socks, I have worn them all day, without washing or blocking. The knit fabric is soft and warm. I think I like this yarn. While the colors are pretty true in my photo, there is a little more black in "real life." The one bump I am trying to get over is that there is already a little halo around the heel and toes. Slightly disappointing on a brand new pair of socks, making me wonder what washing will bring.

It is very difficult to take pictures of your own feet. I see some beautiful photos out there, all taken by the wearer of said socks. How do they do that?

BTW ~ Today we had a conference with LM's pre-school teacher. LM is doing fine and ready for Kindergarten next year. But do you know how hard it is to sit through a conference with a teacher as one of the parents? It's kind of funny to watch the "battle of who knows more about early childhood" that develops between them. Pretty soon someone is spouting a research study, then Meap Scores and how much experience so-and-so has. All this because LM is having trouble hopping on his left foot. Hmmmm, someone is taking things a little too seriously. It's pre-school for cryin' out loud. I have serious doubts that this will affect his ability to get into Grad School.

Snow Bunnies

This weekend was our annual trip up North with RM's entire family. Since all the kids ski we naturally go to Boyne. it's a great time for all of us to be together and reconnect. We never saw the kids because they were always out skiing, snowboarding or at the water park. So us adults had fun with some skiing, good wine and lots of laughs. An added bonus is my SIL is a knitter! I lured her to the craft two summers ago and now she take her needles everywhere. SIL is working on an adorable purse that I fawned over enough (as a blatant hint) that maybe I'll be the lucky recipient.

I am making good progress on the simple wrap sweater. I think I am going to re-name this sweater Ouch. Not because it is a bad pattern or design, but because I have learned a lot about shaping. The hard way. It has not been painless. I have learned that I must be ever watchful of my stitch count. Plus reading ahead in the pattern, but not too far ahead, might be a way of catching some of the decrease issues earlier. All that said, both front panels are complete and about 1/3 of the back panel is done. No sense complaining, but plain stockinette over 120 stitches for 21 inches can be a little ho hum.

Keep your eye on the goal, Trixie, eye on the goal.

Join My Knit Alone

Listen. . . Do you hear it?
Me either.
That's right! Last night I had the whole house all to myself.

Here's what I did:

1. I used the bathroom when I wanted. I did not have to search for a full roll of toilet paper. It was there waiting for me.

2. I ate take out authentic Mexican food. The way I like it, with lots of sour cream and guacamole. Plus I got to sit on the floor in the living room without a napkin!

3. I got to hold the remote and change the channels! If I wanted to linger on a station, by goodness I did. So there.

4. I got to drink soda pop. Now, we usually keep some soda pop in the house, but only for adults. What makes this special is that I got to have glass after glass after glass. The caffeine buzz that came later was kind of a bummer, but oh so worth it.

5. I turned the water bed temperature up (gasp) and laid across the bed, using all the pillows and all the blankets. RM will tell you I am great about using all the covers so he doesn't get too hot - even on sub-zero nights. Isn't that generous of me?

6. I knit. A lot. But I was alone. Many, many people knit alone each day. I enjoy it. The music or TV forms a rhythm and I just cruise along. So, I may never join a knitting group. Well. . . never is a long time.

7. I watched Season 2, episodes 11 - 15 of Grey's Anatomy. Now, this new fixation is CJ's (JJ's hubby) fault (yes, you will get yours). I have given up knitting to watch this show. It's evil I tell you!

8. I jumped at every noise, creak and meow. Eventually I fell asleep with the lights and TV on. Apparently, I am very comfortable with my men in the house. I have forgotten my solo sleeping skills, so getting relaxed enough to doze was difficult.

9. I truly and utterly missed my family. Will be with them this evening and I can't wait.

Do you enjoy knitting alone? That solo time to reflect on the day or lose yourself in the rhythm and counting? Knitting with a large group is fun. The giggles, laughs and knowledge is out of this world. But I don't seem to get much knitting done, just a lot of talking. When I want to crank out a project, I don't take it to a knitting group, in the car, or any public knitting. I hole up on my couch and begin.

So I will knit alone sometimes, but look for companionship all the time.

My Wicked Ways

Well, I went and purchased the pattern for Wicked. After seeing Robin's, I knew I needed to have this sweater. Because of budget constraints (our truck needed major repairs this week) I could not splurge on expensive yarn. I pulled some Nature Spun in Lavender Blue from my stash. In my opinion it will make a great short sleeve version. Still up in the air about the pocket. . . and the ribbing vs. moss stitch (I have seen several comments about this on other blogs).

In other news, I figured out the problem with the simple wrap sweater, as detailed here and here. The pattern calls for a decrease at front edge until 22 stitches remain, then knit until piece is 22 inches in length. Not in the three times I knit the front could I get anywhere near those numbers. Then by chance through my exceptional math skills *giggles - a lot* I found that I had exactly double the stitches needed. So instead of a single decrease, I did a double decrease. Ta-Da! Needless to say, I have the right front complete and the left will be done by the weekend. Yea, it feels good to conquer this one.

Boo-boo wants to know why I never "knits" him anything. I guess the sweater doesn't count. It was one of the first sweaters I knit, so maybe the quality is a little low. But each stitch has a lot of love. But now he has requested some socks. Maybe I'll "knits" him a pair to match Daddy's.

OK, that's three projects I am working on at once, plus some traveling socks and a design project. Hey, "knits" monogamy is not my strong point.

I'm sooo wicked!

Happy

With the warmer temperatures outside, the snow is perfect for packing and snowballs. We are outside playing.

Hope you enjoy your day!

Life Gets in The Way

I am here.
I am knitting.
I am fffffffreezing.

Sorry about how long I have been without post. Life seems to get in the way. But Soccerchica was home for a few days. We had fun laughing and exchanging early Valentine's. In the end, I believe she liked the ear rings. We watched her play an indoor game on Saturday. Her team plays up in the boys division to keep the games challenging. All the kids played hard, but we won (with Chica scoring a goal). Throw in a snow day and Valentine's Day you have a pretty busy week.

But on to knitting. I fell in love with Rose's Wrist Warmers. I first saw them on Rae's blog. Go on and check them out, I'll wait.

So, you loved them too? It had to be the fact that Rose was longer than these or those. Immediately I cast on with some Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Superwash in Shane's Red. I am infatuated with this color. Not too orange. More scarlet in color with flecks of blue and green.

As in most cases, I tried to follow the pattern to the letter. Yet, Rose was proving too long for my taste. My solution was to omit one diamond repeat. After, they fit perfectly, not too long and not too short. The pattern says you can do a 1x1 rib on the palm to prevent any rolling that might occur. It's a good idea. Do we see a matching hat in my future?


Knitting frantically to finish RM's socks by Valentine's Day.

Oops. Missed that one. So he'll get them a day (or two) late this year. He got a little "gift" yesterday anyway. Now, get your mind out of the gutter. Boo-Boo got him a photo album! RM has been asking me to start scrap-booking for about six months. I even received this for Christmas as a subtle hint. Point taken. But I will not join the cult that is scrap-booking. Nothing against anyone that does, but I am not that creative with paper and glue.

Valentine Socks

Busy knitting - fast.

Need to get RM's socks done by . . . today. Eeek.

So I will leave you with this:

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

Enjoy!

Rubber Donuts and Painted Metal

Apparently, those four little black rubber things under your car (also known as tires) need air in them to work properly. Who knew?!

I drove with a flat tire to, not one, but three gas stations to find an air pump that worked. Along the way, several nice people flashed lights and pointed at my car. Yes, I felt dignified to be driving this hunk of *&%!*. Upon arrival at a working air pump, there should have been no problem, just fill the tire with air and I could be on my way. Uh, Yea. Remember, I am knitter, not a mechanic. But after a nice little visit to the local tire shop, I am now the proud owner of one new tire and new rim.

I did not want to spend my money on a tire and rim. I wanted to buy yarn. A nice chunky cashmere or some really great hand-dyed sock yarn would be nice. But, instead I get a big black rubber donut and metal painted to look like chrome. Gee I am bitter lucky.

I have decided to show you this. It's a sample for a sock of my own design. The swatch is knit in Knit Picks Palette line. By the way, red is hard to photograph, so this is not a true color, but a washed out version (even without flash). The 100% Peruvian Wool knits up nicely. I wanted a gauge of 7-8 stitches/1" on my Addi Turbo US 1 circs, but I am getting more like 9 stitches/1". Some minor adjustments can be made, since it is only a swatch right now.

Well, I am off to enjoy my new tire. If I am lucky, the remaining tires will need to be replaced in the next weeks, effectively ruining my yarn budget for the year.

Cold Fingers, Warm Toes

It's a balmy 5 degrees F. Hmmmm I am thinking swimsuit weather!? Yea right.

To keep warm I am knitting and ordering yarn in yummy warm colors. Here are the treats I received over the weekend.

Yarn is by Yarn Pirate in the Sweetheart colorway ordered from The Loopy Ewe. It is 100% Superwash 50/50 Merino and Tencel in a fingering weight. You can't tell from the photo, but the yarn is soft. The colors are very fun, plus the slight shine will look great in the pattern I have in mind. One hank will make a pair of socks. Yea!

I had never ordered from The Loopy Ewe. Wow! Sheri makes the registration and ordering experience so simple. That's a bonus for me because I get distracted easily. She has a nice selection of quality yarns to choose from. Plus, the site is easy to navigate and designed well. I ordered on Wednesday, and by Friday it was in my house! But the best part was the personal note and little goodies I received with the order. What a super touch. Sheri has definitely created a loyal customer, I will purchase from her again.

This four skeins are from Knit Picks Palette line. I bought two of the Red and two of Petal for some Valentine's socks. Never using this yarn before, I can't give you a true opinion yet. It doesn't seem remarkable, but I don't mean that in a bad way. I just mean it is a standard wool yarn. Plus, the price was definitely right. I have already started a sock in the red and it is knitting up nicely.

These two beauties are also from Knit Picks. The Burgundy on the right is from their Gloss line. Not loving the color, but the feel and shine are nice. I chose the color, so I have no one to blame but myself. The yarn on on the left is from the Memories line in the Rocky Mountain Dusk colorway. All are destine to be socks.

I am a repeat Knit Picks customer, returning time and again for their yarn. The quality is nice and the price is within my budget. They ship quickly. I ordered these on Wednesday and was holding them on Saturday.

BTW ~ All the area schools are closed today! That means RM, LM and I are still in our PJ's enjoying a very lazy day. Please don't try to visualize that scene. . . it's not pretty. A child in PJ's is cute. Picture footed blanket sleeper. Two adults in mis-matched flannel, un-brushed teeth and bedhead. Yikes!

Give 'em A Little Rice Cereal

Mom: "Is the baby crying?"
Trixie: "Yes, but I think he's sleepy. "
Mom: "I bet he's hungry, just give 'em a little rice cereal."

Mom: "Is LM OK?"
RM: "Yes, he has a wet diaper."
Mom: "Oh, I bet if you give him a little rice cereal he'll be OK. "

Mom: "Why is Lula-belle upset?"
JJ: "She fell and stubbed her toe."
Mom: "Oh, poor baby. You know, a little rice cereal will help her feel better."

Do you see the trend? Apparently, rice cereal is the cure to everything. You know what cereal I am talking about? It's one of the first solid foods you can feed a baby. It tastes like . . . well . . . something that rhymes with "mitt" (had to keep that very weak knitting reference in there). I may be exaggerating slightly on the fact that this is her standard answer for everything that ails children. OK, I'm not, not really. But my mom's intentions are good. She likes to help and is always willing to give a hand. For this, I love her.

Which brings me to the fact that RM is sick. Down with a sinus infection and missing work. Two days. Two looooong days. The question I dread asking is "How are you feeling?" I usually try to do this while standing at the bottom of the basement stairs in a whisper. Otherwise I tend to hear how no one else this side of the Mississippi has ever been this sick. Ten bulls couldn't endure the pain he is experiencing. He then goes on to tell me how brave he is being between the moans and the sniffles.

Now, because I love him dearly (and want him to take care of me when I am old), I willing take care of his needs. Each and everyone. . . tomato soup and the "little" crackers, only the lemonade flavored Gatorade with crushed ice in the blue glass, running to the video store to get the last four episodes of 24 (at 9pm mind you), and the biggie . . . wait for it . . . no knitting while he is home so I can tend to his every need. That last one is H.A.R.D. But to me, he is worth it. When I need him, he is always there.

I need him to get better. Maybe I should give 'em some rice cereal?