The Day After Saturday....

Yes, I realize that it's Sunday. I haven't attended church in YEARS--mainly because of the way my home church treated me when my husband left me. Nevermind that he likely told them all that I had cheated on him (which was a lie from the word go, but I digress). I basically became a pariah in the midst of married families. I never felt so out of place in my life. Eventually, I stopped going.

I moved to a new area, and began going to another church, but I was so desperately lonely, and the church really didn't provide solace for me there either--even though I joined the choir and sang in a couple cantatas, I just didn't "feel" as if I belonged there. So I left there and found another church that I liked very much, but hubby didn't like it, and so I am churchless once again.

That's okay. I have my knitting. I really do miss singing in a choir. It's something that's been missing for a lot of years when I didn't exactly feel like singing--and now, I miss it, because I'm not as lonely as I used to be. Does any of that make sense to my shawl-knitting-addled mind? Not a bit.

I have a cousin in law with ALS. Lou Gehrig's disease. Nasty stuff. Don't catch this if you can help it--I'm being silly, because this disease in just a horrible thing. I don't deal well with horrible things, and so make jokes--that really aren't funny. Anyway, my cousin in law just bought this van with a lift in it, and now it won't start. She's freaking out about it--and needing a mechanic in the worst way, but my step son hasn't the time to work on it (nevermind that she lives nearly 2 hours away), and my husband's best friend is very ill--so he can't work on it, and so I'm praying that some soul from the church will find out that she needs a little bit of help and go over there after church and take a look-see at her difficulty.

So David, if you're reading this, please go to my cousin's house and fix her car! LOL!

Before Poppa died, when he found out that she had ALS, and how quickly she was going down, he muttered to mom that she might not be around by Fall. I don't know how she keeps her spirits up. Seriously. ALS is a Muscular Dystrophy Disease, and while some people live for years, my cousin in law has always been what I call "borderline ano
rexic" ie--she doesn't eat right, and I'm concerned that it might have been her downfall.

In happier news, I am to row 110 on the shawl. Pics....

And the pin, better pic this time, with my shawl underneath....

Hubby is still haranguing himself over not retiring, and trying to decide what he wants to do from here, or whether he WILL do anything from this point forward. He's having troubles over it--it's affecting his sleep and everything--making him a grumpy BEAR...and so I asked the cards. Which they said, basically...

Sticking it out, and not taking the step off the precipice (retirement) is proving to be NOT the sunny day you were expecting, and while the sun IS still shining, the opportunities you hope for may end up feeling like you're wishing on a star. The hard work you're putting in to figure out your financial ability in the next several years would be best reviewed by a professional, because you're only confusing yourself with details. You need to give it a rest, continue to utilize prudence in your financial endeavors and you will attain success. But it was not immediately forthcoming--I had to draw 9 cards to get this much. This could mean that things will clear up in 9 days, 9 weeks, 9 months or 9 years. Hubby wasn't happy with 9 years....but I think consulting with a financial professional would do him a lot of good.

Beyond that, we are planning on going to breakfast this morning. Sound good?

Civil War Shawl Redux

Having said all that on the previous day, my friend Mary tells me that I am actually in the middle of the 4th WEEK of the Knit A Long--having knit for ONLY 4 days (now 5) and I'm going to begin row 88 tomorrow afternoon.

There are currently 480 stitches on round 87.

I found a small hole in my knitting, which I can deal with later, but it ticks me off, since it's in the first, oh, I don't know--12 rows? I probably dropped a stitch and then picked it up incorrectly, but it's an easy fix to make, so I am not worried.

Won't that bother me?

No, not in the slightest little bit. I am NOT ripping out 66 rows just to fix a hole. When I fix that hole (without dropping down, without ripping, without a care in the world), NO ONE--not even me--will be able to see it or find it.

And that's the truth, but right now, it's a pretty glaring thing. I marked it with a safety pin so that I wouldn't forget about it (Like I'd forget about something like that--a mistake in my knitting!).

I took a bunch of pictures tonight, and I'm waiting for my program to come up to transfer the pictures from my Blackberry to my computer. It's taking a lot longer, because my virus scanner is running. Things always go slow when the drive is accessing.

Pic of the latest? Yes.
I suppose I should put it on a bigger cable now...result..

In my travels today, I decided to stop at the MegaMall Antique Store. They were having Red Hat Day. You know I can't miss a good sale right? Well, I found this Broach, and thought it pretty enough to wear with my Civil War Shawl. I have no idea if it's from the era or not (doubt it), but it will go quite well with my outfit, so here it is.A better pic coming tomorrow. I can't believe how bad the pictures come out on the Blackberry.

After work, I went grocery shopping. I won't bore you with the details, but I did manage to buy only one thing not on my list--bread. Go figure. When I arrived home, I began knitting, and I didn't stop until 10pm. I only got 8 rows done, but I'm still doing well. I hope that I have passed the 5 week mark.

I took a ton of pics of my animals. Most of them were bad. This was the best one.Yes, that's my Honduran Milksnake trying to hide under a plastic deli cup--you'll note that she's not hiding very successfully, right? The little black spot just beyond the edge of the cup is her nose. I do believe she thinks she's peeking out at me. She's lying right atop her heating pad--and fast asleep--hibernating. My boa constrictor won't even poke a nose out right now, but the weather is becoming nicer, so she will likely make her presence known in a short while. She'll be very hungry when she does, as she hasn't fed all winter, and is still hibernating also.

Yes, I have snakes. So? It's not like they're poisonous or anything! And they're too small to do any harm to me or any of my animals. So they are fine--and they keep the in-laws out of the house! LOL!

Civil War Shawl

As some of you know, I have begun work on Sue Pufpaff's Civil War Shawl.

I will begin row 80 today.

I have completed 9% of the shawl, and still haven't reached the end of the first ball of yarn.

Wait a minute.

9%?

ONLY FRIGGIN' 9%?

You gotta be kidding right?

Since there are 9 balls of yarn, if I'm at 9%, shouldn't I be done with one ball (or at least NEARLY done)?

I
think
I need
to work
on a little
bit smaller
project. Next
time I decide to
knit a piece this big,
do us allone big favor
and SHOOT ME before
I start, only to find out that
when I am 9% done, I have
knit over 12,000 stitches and
still only 9% done.

I need to have my head examined.

Really--You Must See This--

Extreme Sheep

You will not believe it. I sure didn't.

Another Dishcloth Done!

Actually finished last night, and forgot to put it on my blog post for this morning, but it's so pretty. I think it deserves it's own page--I have already posted it to Ravelry, so you see it in the margin--but here it is:
See? I told you it was pretty. I think I'll make another, this time in scrappy colors--maybe alternate red and white, or perhaps just multi colors--the ideas just go nuts with this one.

I've got spin night tonight, but I'm going to knit on my shawl. That is, if I can concentrate.

Hubby is still wrestling with the decision--to stay or to go--retire or stick it out. He doesn't know which way is up he has gone through the numbers SO many times. It's not fair that they are keeping secrets from their own employees. Tell him where the money is, and that's where he'll go--otherwise, he will retire. I mean what is the point of making him go through all of this stress?

He's off on some errands right now, so a bit of a reprieve from all the wrangling in his mind. I would imagine that he's had quite enough of it, and frankly, I have had enough of it too.

We did our taxes on Sunday and I mailed them today.

I got a file from the MMario group (from MMario himself!) for an edging to put on my Entrelac Sweater. I may just finish that sometime this week, but with hubby home in the evenings now, knitting time is hard to come by. So what I can grab, I do, and knit on the shawl.

I had hoped to get some done today, but I had so many other things to do, that the time was just never right. It's in the car, going to Spin Night. Right now, I'm wrestling with a "what should I eat"...because really what I want is FAST FOOD. Specifically, McDonald's because I had some on Saturday, my body is saying "YUM! MORE!!!" while I say "not today..we'll have something at the house..." but there is literally nothing quick to eat--except carbie pizza! Which is quick, but will put me over the top with sugar. I had sort of a carbie meal at lunch too, and didn't want to overdo tonight, but with it being Spin Night and all, well, the time just doesn't allow for it.

What to do, what to do?

I need to eat, but would really prefer some soup and a grilled cheese, but my taste buds are saying NO NO! McDonald's! I guess I should have eaten elsewhere on Saturday, because my body is really craving McDonald's right now. How to get past it?

I honestly don't know. Maybe I'll make a pot pie.

Getting Way Ahead of myself!

This Friday, I started the Civil War Shawl a la Sue Pufpaff. I figured I would have it done over the weekend--but alas, life intervenes.








Saturday morning, earlier than the birds, Ray drove in, and together went to the Living History Show held in Kalamazoo at the fairgrounds. Very interesting day. I got a little carried away with the camera, taking pictures and all that--but I wanted a lot of pictures so that you could see what I went through!!












Okay, maybe more than you wanted to see, but I love these glasses! They are the coolest things I own!






Sorry for the fuzz. Ray took this one and he wasn't too handy with a camera he knew nothing about.







We're on our way! I'm sitting here knitting (since you can't see it. I've gotten pretty far--this is just outside of Galesburg--nearly there!








We arrive, and I start snapping pics. The place is full of craftsmen (and craftswomen, as well!). Some of the wares--




A barrel maker...I think they called it coopersmithing?






A jeweler...












Silversmithery...








Taxidermy--those are foxtails on the ring on the wall!









Gun blanks made for folks who like to build their own rifles! There are small holes near the trigger area where the rifling goes--this done with a special jig made just for cutting out rifling. A very interesting conversation!






And the prettiest one---a coppersmith! All these items, made by hand! Can you imagine? But you know, this is how they did it "in the old way", before things went to heck in a handbasket--putting people on a manufacturing line doing one boring thing after another, ultimately not caring for quality--but only for quantity--as such was what the management wanted en masse! See what one individual can do from start to finish? Maybe not as MUCH as a plant will turn out, but certainly better quality.






OMG~! PIRATES!








Civil Indians, also coopersmiths! The elder brother...








The younger brother....








Heck, even grandpa!














This lady personified the "look" that I hope for someday. I love her entire outfit! I don't think she knew that I was snapping the pic, but I really did want some candid shots, rather than "pose for the picture, please".













I found her hiding in the booth, doing some sewing repairs (by hand mind you!) behind some of the displays. She looked so cute and was so determined and focused on what she was doing that she didn't even notice lil ole me and my camera!





Some Tri-Cornered Hats try to strike a deal with a vendor. Englishmen! They will try anything to cheat a lady, won't they?









A guy in a tophat--he was admiring another booth. I just liked the hat, but when he turned to look at me, he smiled. I found out that I liked him too. WOW! Was he ever handsome! Tho, a bit too young for me, I'm afraid!





This fellow is from Ann Arbor. He is working on a sock knitting machine--and interesting contraption that cost anywhere from $900 to $1900 depending on the exchange rate. His came from New Zeeland, and he's busy at work making some re-enactment hose. The machine makes short row heels and short row toes--which are both made in a similar fashion! This one also does ribbing, which I found quite desirable. I've considered buying a sock machine, but alas, they are currently out of my price range, as I pay too much money for YARN!








I tried on a new hat. The vendor didn't have a mirror, so I snapped myself-I decided I didn't like this one. Maybe the scowl on my face tells the whole story. I did buy a slightly different hat later in the day, which I'm quite happy with.





And a new velvet purse to go with my costume. I love the lace on this! I wonder if I can knit it?

And then we headed home. Whew!

What a day!

Yesterday....All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away..

Not that I'm a Beatles fan or anything, but when I was a kid, I was in the drama club. Yes, Yes, I was a budding Thespian. Most of the time, I was a walk-on, or an extra or even (gasp) one of the chorus!

There were a couple of times that I had speaking roles, however. I was typecast most of the time, as a piece of trailer trash hillbilly hooker--mainly because my two front teeth come out to

HERE.

It was a singing role, and the nemesis to the lead (well sort of) in a play about Barbara Allen who wanted to marry a male witch from the mountains.

The second play was our town, where I got to play my guitar and sing The Water is Wide, while two star struck lovers talked in whispers behind me--of course, all three of us were dead in the play Our Town.

Typecast? Did I say Typecast?

Anyway, Yesterday was one of the songs in the play, which I helped to teach the harmony to a couple people, and because it was sung a capalla--which means without accompaniment--the harmony, which was airy and ethereal, gave sort of a spooky, yet mournful sound to it and set the tone for the entire play.

The song stuck, and now, when ever I say "Yesterday" I hark back to those times in high school when I thought I would be the next Carrie Underwood. Good sense hit me hard when I graduated, and I went to college.

That entire episode of my life was fun, but it wasn't real for the most part. I don't think I ever really lived back then, and hope that my real life will start soon. HA!

So last night, I'm thinking...what should I do? I did obtain the rows for the Monthly Dishcloth, and went beyond those rows almost to the end. Since I'm not sure how the washcloth is actually "finished" I will have to wait a few days for the rest of it--so I have a few days of respite when I won't be working on it--you see, it's a short row cloth, worked flat, but the pieces work sort of like pie slices, and I'm not sure if there are 7 pie slices or 8. If 7, the cloth will lay flat. If 8, it's going to have a ruffle, and I won't like it.

So I'm going to talk to the person in charge and simply ask "Is there 7 or 8 pie wedgies in this cloth?" and then proceed with the ending the way I think it should be done. I'm doing it this way so that the cloth will still look like everyone else's when it comes time to take pictures!

The mail brought two packages from Ebay purchases--a ball of Opal in crayon colors, and several ounces of Turquoise Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, and the second issue of The Knitter magazine which I paid WAY too much for--by the way, the mag is now on the Barnes and Noble Magazine rack at only $12.99! I paid twice that! I hate myself. I will wait for the next issue and make a note in my calendar when it's approximate date of delivery to the bookstore will be.

I need more Udder Cream. My old udder cream has turned into cleansing cream--it's softened and more like something that comes in a pump bottle than from a jar. Very soupy. It still works, but it makes a mess on the floor (your clothes, the cat...oops! sorry kitty!).

I use this stuff for my feets. Us diabetics have to take really good care of our feets. We have to keep cream on them because if they get dry and cracked it can lead to severe infections, and we could lose an appendage--I don't intend on that happening. AND speaking of diet..

I lost another 1.5 pounds. I am now down to 202.5. Do you see me? I am doing that happy dance, like Snoopy--okay, maybe not such a good visual---a 202# Snoopy doing the happy dance could lead to the house falling apart--in fact, hubby just came out and asked if we were having an earthquake.

I told him to go back to bed.

I'm going to the Living History Show tomorrow in Kalamazoo. I'm going to take along some mindless knitting (read that either sock or dishcloth--I'll decide tomorrow) that I can work on while I'm walking around and chatting with Ray. I don't expect that I'll be buying much.

Well, must be on my way. I have feedback to leave on Ebay, check my other purchases to figure out when I will receive them, and away I fly off to the office. Where'd that broom go?

One Upload Short of a Full Blog

What does that mean, you ask?

It means, dear reader, that I was skunked this morning!

I emailed myself a couple of pics to put on my blog during the day--I had intended to blog a bit on my lunch break--sadly, it would appear that either the pics were too big, causing the email server at the office to toss it in the rejected pile, OR the email server at the office has blocked my yahoo! account from sending in any email.

This is a problem, because sometimes, I will be at home, and I will need to send myself a reminder to put something on my calendar. I suppose from now on, I will have to access the email at my work account, and send myself a picture through my work account to myself at my work account.

Now HOW BACKWARDS IS THAT?

But anyway, here's the results of my endeavors yesterday evening. I begin with the first 3 installments from the Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo! Group, which is going along gangbusters, and the dishcloth is shaping up very nicely.

I even like the colorway--though not so much in the ball--it looks pretty good on the cloth!

And I've only done a circular cloth once before, so this is a new one for me--I'm hoping that I don't run into the issue with finding out that I should have used a provisional cast on, but I'm thinking with this pattern, things should be okay.


Later in the evening, JPFun Crochet had a cute little snowflake--this bugaboo was only 2" wide, but it took nearly 2 hours to crochet, and when I was done, I WAS REALLY DONE. I mean, so tired of crochet that my hands hurt. I blocked it. I haven't yet woven in the ends--that comes tonight, and then I will crochet a little chain in one of the clusters, and hang it on our fireplace mantle at Christmas time. I think it's adorable!

And then, a friend of mine and I discussed the possibility of doing a knit along on the Civil War Shawl--A La Sue Pufpaff--who is a native Michigander--this is a BIG, circular pi shawl, flat in the middle and ruffly around the edges--a full 72" in diameter monster that, of course, I want to knit for my Re-enactor garb. It comes with requirements for 9 skeins of fingering weight yarn--this is darn near 2 pounds of yarn, my dears, and as they say in France "tres cher!" If I buy the yarn required for the pattern from a Mill outlet, I pay nearly $9 a skein, and that totals $81 for the math challenged. Now, I am a yarn addict, I will admit. I am a pattern addict. Freely, I also admit to that! And my name really is Tenna. Say hi to Tenna...but to drop nearly $100 in one sitting for yarn when my car is making funny noises, is not the thing to do!

So I'm thinkin' layaway?

Anyhow, I have to connect with the mill, and see if I can arrange it. If not, I'm back to square one figuring out what and how I'm going to make this shawl, and it MIGHT end up using the shetland wool that I spun up for a fair isle sweater..the heathers are right, the weight is just a little heavier than fingering, but it could work--of course, I wouldn't be able to carry it anywhere but on my back--end result would probably weigh 3-4 pounds, and that's a lot to carry on your arm all day long. At the end of the day, it would feel like so much tonage...not only that, but I would need to use a slightly larger needle, resulting in a massively larger shawl--and end result would be something that could stretch from here to eternity.

So at this point, I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed. I am quite sure that I have enough Shetland Wool to spin for this, and once knitted, I could then dye it any color of the rainbow that I choose.

I had also considered a place called Astrid's Dutch Obsessions. She's got some lovely yarns, mostly in laceweight, but some are bearing on fingering--I thought hmmm...maybe. We'll see. The problem with Astrid, unfortunately, is that she is overseas, and it takes a long long while to get here for some reason, what with customs and all that rot. It's got all these drugs and guns in the package you see.

Maybe I shouldn't have told you that.

But it's on the to do list, now, and a serious consideration. I suppose I could also buy some broadcloth, cut it into a circle, crochet around the outside edge will turning under the raw edge, and make the ruffle ONLY around the outside--somehow, I don't think that the effect would be the same.

On the way to work this morning, was this beautiful beginning, which was the portend of a lovely day. Unfortunately, it turned a little too brisk for the walk to work, so I did wear a coat.

Um, I think I need gas. I really shouldn't take pics while driving!

And, the Entrelac Sweater in progress--still waiting for the book with the pattern I will use for the lower edge...coming to a library near you next week!

One New Battery, Two Pounds are History

I replaced the battery in the scales today.

Then I stripped down and stood on it.

It says 205. I tried it 4 times, and it never so much as wavered. Not even by a half pound. Not even a bit of letting my heel fall off the end of it...

Darn.

But it means that in the last week or so, I have indeed lost 2 whole pounds.

I think.

In the meantime, I've had to table the Entrelac Sweater for a new project.

Tonight, I am reviewing the pattern for a Civil War Shawl for casting on, as soon as I get the 2600 yards of cashmere laceweight I bought on Ebay recently. There's another "can't hardly wait for it!"

In the meanwhile, think I will upset the applecart and work on a dishcloth. CU2Moro!

I Call THAT a BUMMER!

Yesterday, I stood on my scales, and found that I'd dropped another 9 or so pounds. Feeling a little dubious, I decided to try again--since I'd been stuck on 207 for WEEKS, but I got the same result 196.

I was ecstatic! I threw a little party in my head, and went to the office wearing my thinner jeans and a smile!

You can almost see it coming, can't you?

This morning, I stood on the scale again, and I'm back up to 205. No way I ate 10 pounds of anything yesterday!

So I removed the battery from the scales, and I'm getting a new one. This machine needs something of an overhaul, and it's most likely the battery.

My biggest fear? That it will tell me I weight a lot MORE than I ever thought because, Hey! It's got a new battery, right?

So I'm feeling let down this morning. Betrayed by my own scales. BUMMER.

When there is even more Fretting

I think I've finally got the pattern ready for below the waistband--I picked up stitches and did a row of eyelet inside a rib, which looked much better that the stockinette that I started with and ultimately FROGGED. I also went down two needle sizes, and it lays fairly flat now.

But I am still at a complete loss as to how to do any sort of pattern to match the sleeves, just done DIFFERENTLY and LONGER. So I am still stewing basically. What's weird is that I can *see* it in crochet. I can't see it in knitting. Not because I don't know enough about knitting itself because I've knit for over 40 years, but because I don't want to do the WORK, only to find out it's NOT WORKING! I really hate ripping. So much that I will knit an entire article that I don't like the look of after all, and simply give it away or simply call it a learning experience and let it take up room in my bureau drawer--that's how much I hate to rip.

So I will give it another day to gel in my mind. In the meantime, I sewed on the buttons and they work perfectly. A pic tomorrow!

In the meanwhile, I have some seriously good news. I have lost just a ton of weight over the last several weeks. You see I haven't really been watching it, and I stayed at 206 for the LONGEST TIME, wondering

"Why am I not losing weight?"

This morning I got on the scales, and they say 187! But I'm a little dubious about it--since I weighed 196 on Saturday, which was only 3 days ago, and I doubt I can lose 10 pounds in 3 days--it just doesn't fit. But my older jeans are saying it's a valid loss--and I'm starting to be able to put on some of the older clothes--which are still fashionable (thank god for small wonders). But it's making me wonder what I'm doing differently that's causing me to lose so quickly. I'll check my weight in a couple more days and if I find that I've lost another 10 pounds, I'm going to go buy a new scales.

I can't tolerate a pair of lying scales...no matter how nice they talk to me. Of course, I wouldn't want a set that said "GET OFF!" either.

Contemplation....

Okay, I finished the other sleeve yesterday, and unpicked my provisional cast on for the waistline only to find out it wasn't provisional at all---

It is a tubular cast on!!!!!!! Oh dear. Another setback? How could I forget that I made this nice, lovely sort of cast on for this sweater which makes it nearly impossible to add a lace panel to the lower edge without looking totally ridiculous and slapped together??????? OHMYGOD!

So as I pulled out the waste yarn, the stitches just sort of folded over onto themselves, and made a very NICE finished edge,



and now I'm wondering if I should pick up stitches to make the lace edge along the waistline, as the sweater is a bit...

well...

short. No pic here, as I'm just too embarrassed.

And so I'm back to fretting about the best way to pick up those stitches to add a 2" border to the waistline edge. The rest looks lovely, and while I fret, I'm going to go to JoAnn's and pick up about 3 small pearlie buttons for the tabbie front.

Okay, so having said all that, while I'm waiting for my Ebay bidding to finish up, I'll sew on the buttons. But I didn't get it done, so I'll have to do it tonight...durn it.

And then decide what to do about that midriff hugging, too short a length--I think what happened is that when I originally measured for the waist, I didn't allow for the neckline to pull up a bit--and that's why it's now a mite too short. I've even thought of doing a different lace entirely, but it depends on my method of picking up stitches from the tubular cast on--I can't believe it turned out SO NICE only to be SO SHORT.

Oh well. Life hands you lemons now and then--and you learn to make lemonade, God willing. Of course, God's been watching this entire process, but let me make it too short ANYWAY! I call that neglect, what about you?

I will figure this out. I think I can, I think I can. Maybe a trip to the LYS will provide a hint--it's worth a shot, and on the way to the JoAnn's store. In the meantime, I can get myself a bit of breakfast, too. So I wait for Ebay, do a little blocking, wait for Ebay, do a little blocking--and then take off for the craft store!!!

In the meanwhile, I peeked about on Ravelry, and found a very nice Shrug here and a really cool pattern for a pair of fingerless mitts here for which there is no pattern yet--but there will be, and they are SERIOUSLY on my todo list. Plus there's about 3 pair of socks and 2 books on order at Amazon--Cookie A. has come out with a new book on how to make socks that literally pop on your feet, and make your legs look like you really care about them...and another book, which I can't remember it's name at the moment, but it's due out sometime this month, so it will be like Christmas in July, only in March.

Also, there are shawl patterns on the MMario listserve that I want to try very badly, but before I can do that, I have to complete the Princess Shawl--which I set aside about 2 years ago for other things--I think I have 30 repeats of the border to go, and the pattern starts by making the border, so I am only like, 1% done with it. The pattern is difficult, but not impossible. I'm just being lazy. But the Peacock Snowflake (also on Ravelry) is a must do. A circular shawl that pins out with massive points--and is so intricate in the center that, dear god, if I am able to do it, I will. But it's one of those things that you don't wear, but that you put on black velvet and behind glass and display it on the wall instead of the plasma television!

And Monthly Dishcloths KAL starts today, too--nearly forgot that!

And a pullover done in the same slip-stitch pattern as the February Mid-Month that I considered to be the dishcloth from hell--seen on Ravelry, but only in the baby size...what a cool pattern for my husband as a pullover? Well, that's going to take some calculation there---measuring, and then more measuring, but I think I can make it--and it would take no time at all!! I figure if someone from my knitting group can make a pair of socks with that waffle pattern, then a pullover should be no big thing! All I can say is that it's on the table.

And what about my Aran Bag? I have the pattern now, and the yarn--and the purse handles. I just have to start it...and and and

I believe...

THAT I'VE HAD TOO DARN MUCH COFFEE THIS MORNING!!!!

Oh Dear.
A cute pattern for a dishcloth on Ravelry...with a teapot on it! It's precious! This is the trouble with Ravelry. There are just so many cute patterns! You know, I think it's so new, that I can't even access it yet! How bad is that??????? But I've been watching Ravelry pretty closely lately, and while I don't have a credit card, I do still have a card--after a fashion which I set up special just for online ordering...and when I need to buy something, say through PayPal, I call the bank and transfer just enough funds to cover and then I send payment. It's been working really well, and keeps the balance low in that account so that if somebody WERE to break into my files and such, they wouldn't get much in the way of real money.

Not that I'm loaded mind you. But you should check out some of my purchases on Ebay--orange and blue sock yarn by Cherry Tree Hill and some Zephyr Laceweight for the Snowflake Peacock Shawl that I have on my todo list....

So, here goes nuthin'~!

When the Best Laid Plans Go Seriously Awry!

Well, I did wake up well before dawn, concerned that I'd read my Ebay bid ending time incorrectly, and figured I'd missed it. As luck would have it, there's still six hours to go when I woke--frantic that I'd lost the item--but all is well. Things are safe.

Having fretted and stewed for 3 days over the lace for the sleeve edging on my entrelac, I began, the intrepid adventurer, and realized the lace I'd chosen was a garter lace--so I had to adapt the lace to a stockinette (means "purl back" every row), which also means that I had to rip out several rows I'd already knit, dissatisfied with the look of the result and begin again. It's a good thing that a lace edging is only 7-12 stitches wide--or well, at least this one is. However, working in stockinette has it's own drawbacks--in that, it does tend to curl--which is precisely what this lace wants to do--the garter wouldn't have done that--but the overall "look" and feel is more "matched" with the diagonal stockinette of the sweater, and so I am, at this very moment, blocking my lace on one sleeve of my entrelac sweater--just so that I can take a picture for you!

My first task was to get up with the sun, but I beat the sun, so there you have it. Unfortunately, I still smell (okay, I reek) because I didn't take my shower. I unloaded the dishwasher, and reloaded it with dirty dishes, then cleaned out the sink and found out that my drains are plugged! Somewhere between the garbage disposal and the U under the sink, so I have to wait until hubby wakes to fix that before I can continue with dishes. So I loaded the laundry and started knitting.

It's likely to be several hours before the parade downtown, so I probably have time to finish the other sleeve before I have to go. The second sleeve will go much faster because I know better what I'm doing. I'm thinking that I made a mistake with the stockinette, and that eventually I will probably tire of it constantly curling--and I'm not sure how I'm going to counter that aspect--it would be quite nice if the stockinette were on the diagonal--rather than parallel to the sleeve, but that was a change that I wasn't quite ready to parse out--especially at 10pm at night.

Perhaps to win the item on Ebay as well--we'll have to see about that. At present there are still 3 hours to go, which puts the ending time right around the time I figure I must leave for the parade--I'm thinking about taking my wheel downtown, maybe dressing up in my re-enactor garb, as well, to spin and talk with passersby. That's the great thing about spinning--where ever you go, there are people who will stop and watch what you're doing, and you get to demonstrate your craft while they ooooh and ahhhh in understanding as you explain just exactly how this contraption works. It would be seriously cool to take the traditional saxony wheel with me--since the car is clean still, there's likely room for it. I would just have to park VERY close to where ever I decided to demonstrate. What would be even more seriously cool, would be if I had some flax to spin into linen, but I don't know how to do it.

YET.

It's one of the things that I'd like to learn, however, I understand that there is some considerable use of your own spit to soften the flax fiber to manipulate it into linen--rather like softening cane for weaving baskets. I'd also like to learn to spin cotton on a Charka--a small wheel in a box. They cost about $100--and at present, I have no time (or money)for that endeavor (expense). However, the Michigan Fiber Festival will be in August, and I do intend to buy one at that time. Cotton yarn, here I come!

So now, while my lace is cooling, I'm thinking--OH THIS IS SO PRETTY!! I surely have trouble waiting for things to chill down from blocking--it can't cool fast enough--even in the 60 degrees or so that we keep the house! So I'm going over to take a peek to see how it's doing....

Oh it's done! It's done! Picture time!As always, comments are encouraged!!! :)

It's Miller Time!

Well since I can't drink, ya'll are going to have to celebrate for me, because it's

THE WEEKEND!

And tomorrow I have a BUSY day planned.

First, to rise and shine with the sun.
Second, to take a shower.
Third to get the dishwasher emptied and refilled with dirty dishes.
Fourth, to fold the clean laundry and put it away.
Fifth, when the dishwasher is done, to start laundry washing. Then PLAYTIME!
Sixth, head into town and watch the Glen Erin Pipe Band on parade!
Seventh, to come home and knit on the Entrelac Sweater.

I haven't knit any on it for two whole days--reason? Because I've been totally tired, and in order to do lace, one must be bright eyed and bushy tailed...and let's face it--I haven't been either for a couple days.

I have good news and bad news, which would you rather hear first?

Okay, the good news..I am finally debt FREE! Well, except for the house, which pleases me beyond measure, and this time, I cut up the credit card and cancelled the account, and I'll never have another credit card (not even if my hubby leaves me!). Never ever again! I'm swearing off them, cold turkey!

At least until I want to buy a newer computer.

The bad news? Well today is my last day to enjoy my evenings, as my hubby is moving back to the day shift, which means that he will be home before I get home in the evening, and I'll have to go back to cooking his meals and cleaning up after, which means I will have NO time to knit, NO time to relax and NO time to run after young, single men.

HOLD IT

Did I just say that? Freudian slip, perhaps? Not!

Anyway, it will be nice to have him home, just not nice that I have to cater to him--and as much as I love him, I love my time alone. I can make a cheese sandwich if I want. I can make a roast for supper if I want (but I usually don't), and I will miss the freedom that being by yourself allows. Of course, all this will change again when he retires, which will be April 1--coming up REALLY soon.

So I have to get out my "Honey Do" Pen and get busy--that would be Eighth on my list. Maybe I should quit now, while I'm ahead?

From there, things get complicated, because hubby will wake up at some point, and have to stay up until MY bedtime, and then he'll have to sleep with me--which will put my schedule off, while trying to get his sleep pattern back on schedule--and he doesn't sleep well with me. Probably because I'm female--but I digress.

So this weekend will encompass many changes. Too much to do! And I have to get some knitting in there somehow. Right now, trying to figure out how to make my lace around the cuff to look "seamless"--and I'm not entirely sure how I'm to do it. The lace is knit perpendicular to the sleeve--

Now I could start with waste yarn, but how do I tell if it will end off at the same pointish where I started when I get back around to the beginning?

My head is starting to hurt again.

You know, I think that I might be overthinking this a lot, but I really want it to look nice and, well

appropriate.

I might have to get with some of the lace knitting friends on one of my lists and ask some questions about how to work it so that it comes out about right?????? That sounds like a plan--on that I intend to follow up on..

just as soon as I take some aspirin.

In the meanwhile, perhaps a pair of mindless socks?

Sweater Update

Well, I have to think on this sweater so hard, that it takes me darn near a whole day to decide what I want to do next--then the next day to institute it in yarn and pattern, but here is the final result of the decided neckline for my entrelac sweater...

Open...

Closed:

Which makes my head hurt. I need two small pearl buttons for the front tabbie closure to complete "the look" and a lot of blocking! Sheesh!

Almost Bedtime...

It amazes me how when you work until 6pm, that the evening just seems to fly by--especially when you want to go to bed at 9pm because you've not paid enough attention to your need for sleep for the last two days.

You just sort of nod off a little...zzz

Then you wake up again realizing that you're in the middle of a sentence, and decide maybe it's just time to pack it all in, forget about knitting anything for the evening, turn on the television, which has absolutely NADA interesting on a Tuesday night, and then you come and blog.

Not really much to say, outside that I didn't get any knitting done today due to the fact that I worked 9 1/2 hours and didn't get home until 7pm--had to make supper AND start the corn stove, which my husband so nicely left for me to do--meanwhile the house is freezing, and I'm seriously thinking about that card for the divorce lawyer....grumble, grumble...

Actually, I'm really not, but it makes a good story, and of course, I won't ever allow him to think that he's got one over on me. When he gets home, I'll be sure to have the cast iron skillet in bed with me. Teach YOU to let the stove go out!

Well, it's so nice to fantasize, but really, I have to get some shuteye--I'm back to work on the Entrelac Sweater. I got the tab done in the front, and now I'm dispairing about the neckline--and what sort of treatment I want to do there. I could do a standard neckline. I could do a stand up collar (maybe). I don't see many sweaters that look something like a shirt, so it's tough to imagine what exactly I want to do there. I'm almost afraid that it's too BIG an opening--and that it will end up hanging off my shoulders--or that I'll have to ADD to it in order to skinny up the opening--or sew it together a bit to make it slightly smaller--I'm just not sure how I'm going to proceed.

Bed calling. Goodnight for ..zzzz

Latest and Greatest

Another Dishcloth, this one from here.

Very Pretty, don't you think?

Little Lace Bookmark

I found another yahoo group that is in Dutch, but the patterns are sometimes in English, and I found this little pattern for a bookmark--a lacy bookmark, and I thought okay--a little lace, a small project--just right.

I only made one mistake, but was able to tink back 2 rows to fix it, and continue on. I blocked it with sugar water, and I added a tassle, hooked to the project with a crocheted chain.

Here's the end result.

Another Dishcloth and Next Project

I got another dishcloth done--it's
amazingly

A pot of GoldI am going to do a lace project next--something small to whet my appetite for the Princess Shawl, which I've been thinking about lately. It's a little bookmark. One of my online friends and I are doing it as a knit along. It's cute and its a quick little project that won't be a massive drain on time and energy.

Altho I am doing mine in Royal Blue. Should be hard to see by the end of the day.

Gotta go to work. Bah! Nasty four letter word.

Owlie Finished! On to the Next Project!

Next project is the Dishcloth Monthly KAL for March. I'm only 4 days behind on it, but should catch up by this evening. I had hoped to begin on a purse, but think I'm going to save that for the weekend when I can spend more time with it.

In the meantime, I found another lace group on Yahoo, making charts of some really lovely stuff. It's a Dutch-speaking group (of which I know very little except for the sometimes "germanic" language similarities--except I don't speak a word of German either), so it's likely that I won't be participating in the group's dialogs. My main focus would be the files section, which is full of some lovely stuff. I'll be forwarding notice to some of my other lace groups about it.

What's bad about lace groups is that while I love the look of lace, I actually have very little use for it--except perhaps in the case of table wear and doilies--but add a couple cats to the mix, and even that is sort of an effort in futility. Cat hair gets into everything--and cats just love to sit on doilies that you leave on the table--furthering their evil plot to put their mark on the pretty things I own. So I tend to box up my doilies and table cloths for bare naked furniture--at least you can clean cat hair off a solid maple table top, right?

But I love the look of lace. I love the feel of it. I love knitting it. I don't get enough of it. Now, I realize that the Princess Shawl has been languishing in my UFO pile for too long (years), and I've been considering going back to it, but I don't like the yarn. It's actually THREAD--something that my mother would sell her soul for, but it's not something that I would have chosen to make this particular shawl. First off, I like to be able to SEE what I'm knitting. I don't know, I guess it's just a THING with me. The end result is some really spectacular lace, but the effort to get there almost doesn't seem to be worth it! In this thread, the shawl is HUGE, so making it in a lace-weight wool would make a shawl that would cover up 14 people, including the dog! So, maybe not going in that direction...so thread it is. I know where the pattern is. I know where the border is that I halted before reaching the 81 or something like that points before I laid it down and began something else...never to pick it up again. There are so many other things I really must finish first.

So tonight, I will work on the dishcloth. Tomorrow, I will start a lace bookmark, and get my quota of lace in. Saturday, I'll start a cable handbag. Sunday, I'll pull out the Princess Shawl and see if there's any point in continuing. Sigh.

Oh, one last thing. There's a book for learning Tarot on the web. Margarete Dolff was hoping to find something of the sort. Good luck, Margarete!

Another Owlie

Why does that sound like it hurts?

Anyway, I'm working on another owl, and this one is ready to put together--I need a small bit of grey yarn for his beak--a few stitches to attach limbs, and voila! Owlie!

After this the plan is to make a new bag to carry stuff in--I'm thinking about making the cable bag I saw on Ravelry with a bit of a twist--using the cable pattern I found on one of the forums there--it shoult turn out pretty spiffy. I hope that the yarn I bought today on sale at JoAnn's will hold up and give me good stitch definition.

While at JoAnn's Ifound some Red Heart heart and sole--in the toasted almond colorway, but there were only 2 skeins left, and they weren't the same dyelot. I figure that I'm going to have to knit both colors at the same time--alternating skeins so that the colors don't look like they came from different dye lots--which should result in some interesting pooling results!

I'm picking up the check from the refinance for our house today. Afterward, I'm heading to the library to renew my library card--then I'm going to download books to my MP3 player to listen to while driving on the commute from here to there and where ever this life might take me--so expect a book review soon!

Happy Trails!

We Have a Winner!

No sooner did I make the contest available, as someone wrote me to tell me the pattern is in the Harmony Guide to Knitting Patterns book 2--Connie Sutcliffe gets to claim her prize. I sent her an email requesting her address for her 2 skeins of white romney yarn. My own beautiful handspun, which can be dyed any color of her choosing--or not at all, if she wishes.

And in fact, I do have that self-same Harmony book--although it is in a box downstairs, and there are several boxes, which I will need to hunt through to find the diamond lace pattern. She said that the other small cable is in the same book. I believe it. I will set about knitting this lovely 'ghan soon.

I also pulled a card this morning. I want to know if my ex is going to show up at the Living History show, which falls on March 21 or 22 this year. What can I say? It's a stupid fixation--I'm really mad at him. Not only did he tell all of our friends that he was planning on leaving me in front of my 10-year old son, he also threatened my son with his life if he told ME. Imagine that sort of behavior from a grown man?

My only hope is that his wife reads my blog to find out what sort of womanizer he was with me--the girls (and I don't mean girls his age) coming up to me to tell me that he was "coming on" to them. The neighbor next door who said he "came on" to his wife. The time my ex told me that his best friend told him to never darken his doorstep again--made me wonder later, if my ex had done something inappropriate with HIS girlfriend.

Oh yeah, my ex was a real keeper, NOT.

Then after how I heard he got caught in bed with a 16 year old girl!

I'm not supposed to be upset about this sort of thing? If his current wife reads my blog (and it's likely she does), I have heard him call my name outside my bedroom window at night. I have dreamed about him screwing around with a long haired red-headed bimbo while married to you (search my blog--you'll find the story--look for "motorcycle"), plus the behavior of sleeping on the couch, and the cards told me all about him losing his job before it ever happened.

So I keep track of the guy--mainly to make sure he doesn't come around me so that I can be prepared with a rifle and buckshot. If he ever darkens my doorstep, it will be too soon. You need to know that my fixation isn't because I want him back, it's because his behavior is darn near demonic to me. He doesn't deserve to have children. He doesn't deserve to have a wife that he can contemplate murder over. He doesn't deserve to live. Frankly, if I could hate anybody, it would be him.

So the card I draw this morning is to find out whether he will be at the Living History Show so that I can arm myself. You should also know that it's his plan to go to the Eastern High School Reunion on July 25, which will be held less than 20 miles from me--he is always looking for ways to get a little closer to me so that you don't get the idea that he's pulling one on you--elsewise, he's going there to find another woman that you won't know anything about until it's too friggin' late. Be ON YOUR GUARD. He cannot be trusted.

So the card is:

Ace of Cups reversed. Aces mean beginnings. Reversed they mean endings (sometimes) or prevented from beginning. Cups being and having to do with love/relationships. It could mean that his marriage will soon be over, leading to sorrow and a review of his life and what he's done to deserve "all this". Or it could mean that someone hurts his feelings on the shorter end of the stick, but my intuition tells me the former.

I pulled cards for a friend recently, asking the cards about a person I do not know. The cards told me that she was in an abusive relationship, and that she should choose to go her own way without the guy. I know nothing about her, so I'm interested in finding out whether my reading was on the mark or not--they have been before, so it's very intriguing. If I'm "on", then she's offered to make an exchange for my services. Otherwise, I'll have to pay....which isn't a big deal for me, but being able to share my gift that way is really cool. We'll see what happens, and I'll let you know here.

Work is the same, and if I'm to get there, I should leave 10 minutes ago...so BYE!

I Am On The Hunt Contest!

I am looking for a pattern. My father-in-law was the recipient of a small lapghan when he was in the hospital dying--the pattern is just to die for. I wanted to make it in a bigger "ghan", but can't find the stitch pattern.

I was just wondering if anyone has seen it...
Isn't it pretty? I figure that it's some sort of diamond lace lattice pattern with a little lacy cable in between with reverse stockinette--but you know how it is--when you want something badly, you can't even name that tune--let alone remember who the artist is, or where you might have seen it last.

I want the pattern badly enough to offer up two skeins of my white romney 100% wool--beautiful stuff, just waiting to be dyed--enough to make a really stunning scarf or to knit a pair of mittens--because it's not just me that wants to make it--my mother in law would also like to knit it and wants me to teach it to her.

So Consider this the Contest. First one to email me with a link to the pattern WINS, and I'll mail the wool out the following day...

*********

Yesterday, we drove to my mother in law's house and spent time with her, then we all drove over to my stepdaughter's house and had a nice supper with her family. We were out all day long with family and friends, grandchildren and noise...

In other words, it was a totally marvelous day! We were pretty glad to get home, exhausted from the day's events and the driving--plus neither hubby or I are used to having children around--not that we don't like it, because that's not it AT ALL! We're just not used to it, so it just wears us out as much as we love the grandkids. I'd like to baby sit more, but we're sort of farther away than more local sitters, so we almost never get the kids out this way.

I got a tad furious with my dog when we got home. She was excited to see us, having not seen us all day, and of course, wanted attention--but we were pretty "attentioned-out", and she ended up scratching me under the chin with her claws--I was furious because she wouldn't mind and settle down, and when she scratched me, I pretty well blew up and put her down on her bed and told her to stay there until she could function like a stable dog!

Imagine that? A stable dog?

Anyhow, she did lie down for a few seconds, and I had to put her back, over and over, until I tired of getting off my chair for the nth time. By then, however, she had calmed down, and I could pet her head.

All night long I dreamed. I am not certain why, but I dreamed about my ex over and over again. So when I woke up, I drew cards on the issue, inquiring what was going on with HIM. Yesterday, I drew the Wheel of Fortune reversed--which means a downturn of luck usually, so when I asked what was going on, I drew the Lovers reversed (a bad choice) and the Ace of Swords (the Beginnings of Difficulties) entitled Intellect--meaning that the choice would have repercussions that would affect other areas of his life that he hadn't considered. So the dream was to tell me that he's having some real problems and making some really bad decisions, and basically, his life is going to take a real tumble--which may cause me to feel really sorry for him.

Not.

Well, okay, maybe from the standpoint that no one should have that much trouble in their lives, and let me tell you, I've had lots of those myself. Right now, though, I seem to be having a really strong, stable and happy life, and I'm drinkin' it all in like it was well-aged bourbon! Slowly--savoring every drop.

*********

So help me find the pattern--or just the stitch pattern--so that I can make a bigger afghan.