knitting done and to do

Some beaded knitting is done and in progress:

This is a looped knitted choker for a SIL. The pattern is from Brenda Franklin's first book, and contrary to how it looks - it's very easy to do, and quite quick!

upclose, I hope you can see the beads - they are a bronzy colour, and i used champagne coloured perle cotton. The cotton shows a little - if I made this again, I'd search out silk thread in a colour that matches the beads a bit better, but I'm happy with this, and SIL will be too.
Another SIL likes a little more colour, so she is getting the bugle bead choker using some multicolour seed and bugle beads I had hanging around. (Knit from stash! I love it!)

I got to do a little knitting on our vacation. The toe of the first sock was done before we left, and I got the foot knitted while sitting at the airport from 4:30am to 6:00am when we boarded - the heel and leg were knitted on the plane from Toronto to Orlando, and the ribbing is the sum of 4 nights of knitting at Disney World. (an indication of just how tired I was!) The second sock toe was cast on and done at my Mom's, and the I got to the heel at her place and on the plane. Not as much knitting time, as I spent a lot of time cajoling Son into doing his homework that he was studiously ignoring. (Yarn is Austermann Step with aloe and jojoba - picked from the stash by Son himself).
I also got most of another handwarmer done - just need a thumb and another for the pair - destined for a Christmas gift for one niece or another. Fleece Artist Kid/silk blend, also from stash.

I took stock of what I have done, and what I have left to do, and surprisingly, I'm not in bad shape. I got a lot of holiday knitting done ahead of time, I guess. I thought I had more to do, but I have severely cut back this year - it was getting ridiculous. The kids (nieces and and nephews) were getting a little presumptuous with their requests - there's no way I'm buying my 13 year old nephew a laptop - nice try. and the girls! Very specific in their demands. And you know what? That's what they are - demands. No more nice little lists, once they hit the teen years. So each is getting one gift, and one gift card. The girls are getting something handknit (hand warmers, maybe a bracelet), and the guys - something small they want (I've been told posters of "hot girls" will work. Now I have to find out if he wants Jessica Alba hot, or Jessica Simpson hot. I'm hoping for Alba.) And then it's I-tunes gift cards for all!

So once I finish the above, I have one more (maybe two) pairs of handwarmers, and some bracelets to finish. (and these already have the beads strung). I think I can do this. I hope.

a caution I take to heart...

We spent the first half of last week at Disney, then went to my Mom's for some recovery time. Hubby and I relaxed, read, swam, and I shopped and knit. Young Son was appropriated by his Nanny (my Mom) to be shown off around her park. (She has a house in a senior's park - they're all prefab homes). He swam in the pool, rode a "giant tricycle" (they all seem to ride these big three wheeled bikes down there), and discovered that when they post signs near the pond, they really mean it:

(that's as close as I was getting...)

I also did some knitting. I finished one sock for my son in the airport and on the plane flying down, and got half of the second one done on the way back. I didn't have as much time on the way back to knit as I was helping Son with his homework that had been basically ignored all week! I also got some handwarmers done, but realy, for a week off, knitting time was sorely lacking.

I'm starting to surface again - I've dug my way out of most of the paper at work, Son has been to swimming lessons and basketball practice, I've been to a Guild meeting, Hubby has been to poker... Now I have time to get some groceries in the house and face the Mount Everest of laundry. Oh Joy. I've also started to realize that we are in December - I'm not sure how that snuck up on me - and now I have to face the fact that I am woefully behind. I need some time to shop for a few things, knit a few things, wrap a few things... I won't even get into the family issues that are arising right now - I've already made my stance pretty clear within the family, and I'm not going to take the crap that is potentially going to be dished out. Not going to happen. I don't have time for drama. I think I need a Lene...

Disney recap

Wow. All I can say is the people at Disney World really know customer service. There wasn't anything we needed that wasn't looked after. A really, really great time. And one thing we noticed - when we asked at booking when the "quieter" time was at DW, we were told "there is no slow time - Disney World is always busy". Well. I can tell ya, go right after American Thanksgiving - it definitely slows down somewhat. We arrived on Saturday, and went to Epcot for the afternoon. It was BUSY! We couldn't get on the rides we wanted to try, and they weren't even allowing Fast Passes. Sunday we hit the Magic Kingdom early, hoping to beat the crowds, but there weren't the crowds we expected. It was busy, but not BUSY. We used Fast Passes for some rides, but others didn't need it. Same thing at Animal Kingdom on Monday and MGM Studios on Tuesday. (We detoured back to Epcot before getting to Animal Kingdom - we had to go on the Soarin' Ride, and it was well worth it.) The hotel was great, and the three of us had a fabulous time. There's a lot of walking, I tell ya! Things to do, places to go, and everywhere, something to see. All in all, a great time.

Some of the highlights:

The picture millions have taken before me, and millions will take after:

Seeing this as you enter the Magic Kingdom just screams DISNEY!

We are a Donald Duck family. Nothing against Mickey - I love the Mouse, but my husband can actually talk like Donald Duck, (to the delight of all kids) so it's all about the Duck. We have family pictures posed with Donald and Daisy, but I don't have permission of husband or son to post them recognizably, so here's Donald at one of the parades:

We have pictures of each of the park symbols - Cinderella's Castle for the Magic Kingdom, The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, the Sorcerer's Apprentice hat at MGM and the golf ball at Epcot. (Is there a name for that thing?) Unfortunately, they all seem to have one of us in them - sorry!

There were so many highlights - each day brought something memorable, but this one stands out:

How many parents get to watch their kid defeat Darth Vader?

Son was chosen out of the audience to be one of 16 Jedi-in-Training, and have a chance to fight Darth Vader. They learned proper light saber techniques and well, it was so cool! It pays to dress your kid in bright orange! Even at the parades, the characters seemed to find him and high-five him. And the bright colour was so that I could find him in a crowd - who knew it would also help the Jedi Master pick him?

I'm back, but...

Our return flight was delayed - got in late last night - desk piled to the heavens...

Let me find the camera cord and well, actually, find myself amidst the paper and I'll be back. Give me a day or two, ok, Nancy?

And yes, the trip was wonderful, fabulous and everything we wanted it to be!

M...I...C...

See you real soon!

Back in a week or so...

(and the stash is safe - the neighbours are house sitting. Always good to make friends with the guy who works at home, knows EVERYTHING that goes on on the street, and whose kids are always looking for extra cash, earned by getting mail, feeding fish, turning lights on and off...)

And, how cool is this?

Driving in to work today, I saw the coolest rainbow arcing around the sun. Unfortunately, it didn't photograph nearly as nice as it appeared in real life, but it was a hell of a birthday gift.

can't stay away from the beads!

I try. Really I do. I have lots of lovely wool to knit, using reasonably sized needles, with nicely formed tips - sharp, but not lethal.

But these keep worming their way back into the rotation...

They and their friends keep grabbing my attention, and force me to do things like this:

(the colour doesn't show very well here - think gloriously bronzy beads, on champagne coloured perle cotton..) Both of these are destined to become chokers for some SIL's that will love them.

And the needles are like this:

sharp (really sharp), and small. Small enough that my age is starting to show, and I am looking ABOVE my glasses to see this stuff close up. My husband keeps using the "B" word (bi-focals), but I'm resisting. I mean, why should I, when just taking off my glasses works just fine...

Added note - people, we're Canadian. Snow should not be a surprise to us. But judging from some of the people on the road this morning, they've never seen the white stuff before, and they certainly don't know how to drive in it...

And to my American Friends - I hope you have a wonderfully Thankful day. I know I have a lot to be thankful for, and many of you are part of it. Enjoy.

lots of little things

I've been knitting - I'm trying to get things organized to go away, and that means a lot of starts, but not a lot of finishes. (yes, I plan my travel knitting before all else, what of it?)

Travel knitting to me is little things that work up easily. No sweaters, probably no beads, (although it's hard to leave them behind...), nothing that requires lots of chart referrals, etc. So we're talking socks and hand warmers for the most part. I've cast on a couple of toes, and got them to the point of off the two circs, and on to my beloved dpns. A pair for my hubby in Rabbitch's Toe Jam, Black Watch Colourway:
I've told you the history of this - Hubby's grandfather was in the Black Watch, and it has a special place in Hubby's heart, as well as historical significance. Good on ya, Rabbitch. These are on metal dpns, so will not make it into the cabin of the plane with me. I know that, by law, I am ALLOWED to bring knitting needles on the plane, and I have successfully done so in the past, but we have a 6:30am flight, and it's young son's first time in a jet (he's flown in Cessnas, both wheeled and float, but not anything bigger - talk about doing things backwards...). Anyhoo, I figure this will be the one time I get a crankypants bag checker who will freak at sharp metal sticks, and cause us all kinds of problems that I will not be able to deal with in the middle of the night with (probably) very little caffeine. Hence, a pair for my son - Austemann Step with Aloe, on bamboo dpns. Should pass muster:
I also have a pair of handwarmers on bamboo ready to go, because as we all know, I have KADD (Knitter's Attention Deficit Disorder), and can't be limited to just one project. Plus, there's always that hope that I will warp the Time-Space Continuum, and whip off 2 full socks, and still have flight time left, and THEN WHAT WOULD I DO? The Need Factor for a back up project is there.
That's just what's going in the carry on. (Well, the Black Watch isn't, but anyway). I'm still deciding what goes in the checked bag. I'm thinking some Fleece Artist Silk/Kid in a beautiful red/pink, as well as some other worsted for handwarmers, and an extra ball of sock yarn. And beads on fine thread. (You know, in case that Time-Space thing happens...)
I've got the knitting planned, now I must see about clothes and such...

I iz not two smart...

I stole this from Carol:


She is genius level. I'm not quite there...

Edited to add...
Thanks Wannietta! I think my husband agrees with you...

I think my problem is I hang out with too many elementary school level people. And I'm talking about work, not my Grade Three age son...

RU

The above title applies to Ravelry. It could mean a Ravelry Update (which this is), but actually, it stands for Ravelry Underachievers. A group I happily embraced! Of course, once I did that, I actually started adding things to Ravelry - my profile, some of my books.. It takes joining an underachievers group to actually get me to start achieving things...
However, I still haven't set up a Flickr account, so I guess I am an underachiever.

If you are on Ravelry, and I haven't added you to my friends list (I'm workin' on it...) let me know, and I'll get on that.

Posting may be a bit boring this week - I'm a little busy, and my knitting is well, boring. Small things, finishing up things. I hope to have some more bead necklaces to show one of these days...

fall down, go boom...

I kinda fell the other day. Metaphorically, I should add, not physically. The only thing I hurt was my credit card balance.

You see, I was reading Rabbitch, and she was mentioning some yarns she had for sale over at the Sweet Sheep, and how one of them was her favourite. So I hopped (hopped! get it? Rabbitch... maybe it's just me.) over to the Sweet Sheep to take a gander (I have an animal thing going here, I think) .

Rabbitch's fave was "Anthem" which is lovely, but I kept looking and found "Black Watch". Whoa. Hubby's grandfather was in the Black Watch, Hubby has his regimental tie, and well, it's an important part of his heritage. So I had to get it. And then it looked so lonely in the shopping cart, I just had to add to it.

I ordered on Monday (?) I think, and it was waiting for me when we got home. My son gets to the door first, and sees the package. He picks it up, gives it a squeeze, and says "It must be for you Mom, it's yarn." My Boy! I've got him trained so well, he can tell yarn through plastic Canada Post packaging.

How's this for customer service? Not only does it arrive fast, it arrives all packaged up so pretty:

Pink tissue, label and a handwritten thank you card. "Candy for your Stash" - you got that right!

Rabbitworks Toe Jam - "Black Watch"
C*EYE*BER Fiber - Gregory
Dream in Colour Smooshy - Good Luck Jade

The black Watch is perfect - black and just the right shade of green. Hubby approves, and has asked that they go to the top of the queue. It's wound and ready.

Mama E's C*EYE*BER Fiber is lovely. The perfect brown/blue combination that I am in love with. This may go to the top of my queue...

And the Smooshy. Swoon. Green is my favourite colour, and this is really, really nice.

I also bought the Tulip baby sweater pattern. (See Steph? Your influence again...) I have no babies on the horizon. None. The only person I know that's even getting married will not be baby making. (It's Hubby's 85 year old uncle, and we are thrilled for him and his bride-to-be).

Be warned - a visit to the Sweet Sheep can be dangerous. Fun, fulfilling and a joy, but dangerous to credit cards...

Holiday light etiquette - lets discuss...

First off - yesterday's post was a JOKE! I feel the need to explain this to the people that felt the need to leave me a private email instead of a public comment. I am not mad at Stephanie. I like Stephanie. She's been to my house for dinner, we are friends. She makes me buy things (good things, Sheepstrings...) And now she's making me knit things because she shows how beautif ul these things can be. And yes, I still read her blog every day, and her books are still in the place of reading honour in my house - the bathrooms.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand...
what is the etiquette of when to put up Holiday lights? As a kid, my Dad always put them up around the second week of December - Epiphany (Janaury 6th) was important to my Mom, so we kept them on until then, but they didn't go up until around December 10th or so. Which is kind of what my husband and I do. Early-mid December and we stop lighting them around New Years. Seems to make sense to me, but maybe I'm warped.
There are at least 10 houses around my neighbourhood already lit up. We're talking about November 10th, when I saw the first one! I'm thinking that sort of dilutes the excitement of the season when you drag it on for almost 2 months, wouldn't you think?

Hubby and I are also in conflict on the type of lights - I'm the single colour, sort of laid back type of decorating. Hubby likes colour and flash that would make a Las Vegas Hotelier weep with envy. But this year, his flashing ribbon multicolour lights have bit the dust. And I was given the task of replacing them. I think I hit the happy medium. LED (because, d'uh, why wouldn't you - better energy use, brighter colours and all that), single strand (my liking) BUT, they change colour from red to green, so it satisfys his need for some flash. I also have some twinkle lights (again, LED) for our crabapple tree near the deck, so he gets that extra flash of colour.

I'm not a Scrooge, I'm really the farthest thing from it. I love Christmas, especially since our son came along - I love giving hand knit gifts, and that something special that no one is expecting. This year, Hubby is getting Guitar Hero 3 - he mentioned a few weeks ago that he played it with some of our Godkids out in Calgary, and how absolutely cool it is. Well. That sealed it - he's getting it. What else do I get him? We don't need a lot of stuff. And when we need it, we go and get it. So Christmas is really to give something that we normally wouldn't get for ourselves. I'm kinda looking forward to some riffs myself...

waiting...

I'm waiting rather (im)patiently for my copy of Selbuvotter to arrive. (I've ordered it from my LYS, Needles and Knits. I try to shop local when I can, and Tove's shop is so great, it's nice to support it). I've got the Shelridge yarns ready and there are mittens (a la Stephanie) in my future.

I may have to stop reading Steph. If she's going to insist on showing cool things to knit, and bringing up the Christmas countdown (41 days! ack!) I'm going to have to smack her with wet wool. Wet wool, fresh off a sheep. Wet wool, fresh off a sheep that hasn't been skirted.

I mean it.

rainbow wristers

I meant to add some details on these wristers yesterday, but I was on a roll with my rant, and it just didn't seem like the right time. I have made these for my niece. Last year, she got a hat out of the rainbow yarn, and loved it. I had yarn left over, so I thought I would whip up some fingerless mitts. I made these very simply - just a tube with a thumb opening, and a picot edge bind off. But they were plain. I stewed for a bit, then found the blue Ovation (kid mohair / silk blend) in my stash, and it matched. I thought about a ruffled trim, but that didn't address the issue of the open thumb. So I thought of maybe a ruffle that covered the thumb for warmth, but still left it open for ease of use. I was also in the midst of one of my beading frenzies, and had these clear beads hanging around - a perfect solution for a very busy yarn like this variegated. I picked up stitches just below the thumb opening, and started knitting. I put in two rows of beads right at the beginning to define the cast on, and I increased around the mid point of the thumb so it wouldn't be too tight, but would still be snug enough for warmth. I continued up to around where the top of the thumb would be, then did two rows of increases to created a ruffly edge. I then cast off, adding a bead to each cast off stitch to add some weight. I love how the beads add a heaviness and swinginess to the ruffle.

When you wear it with a coat, the picot edge of the variegated and the beaded ruffle edge just peek out of the cuff. And if you need to use your hand, the ruffle flips back over the wrist, out of the way. I hope J likes them. She's 13, and such a great kid, that I know she will be very thankful at Christmas, but I just hope she LIKES them, know what I mean?

channeling...

When I was younger, living at home, and I got pissed about something, my Dad always told me the channel my anger into something productive.

Can you tell how mad I was on Friday?

Clockwise from the top centre - Striped slippers (pre felting) made of Soy Wool Stripes from Patons. Dark Blue slippers (pre felting) made from Gjestal Naturgarn. Beaded wristers (1 was done, I finished up the second). Green leg warmers.

(before you think I was really THAT angry, the slippers and the leg warmers were mostly done on the knitting machine). I also washed all the sheets and towels, and hung them outside for awhile to get them nice and fresh, cleaned 2 bathrooms, and organized a few cabinets in my kitchen. On top of my normal weekend stuff...

What gave me the need to channel my anger? My HR department. In the past month while I have had the illness that won't go away, I have taken 2 sick days. (My doctor recommended much more, but I was somewhat functional, so I came in to work). Last week, I sent in the form for the most recent, requesting it as an unpaid sick day. (I've used up my allotment of 4 sick/personal days already) Friday I get an email from HR stating that no, these are not unpaid sick days, they have been taken off my vacation allotment, meaning that I have 3 days left of vacation. "PLEASE ABIDE BY THIS" was capitalized on the email. Right. She has conveniently forgotten that I am off in a couple of weeks to Florida for a family vacation. That can't be changed. Correction - that WON'T be changed. I sent back a lovely little note, apologizing profusely at the oversight, but that I WILL be away for 5 days, and whatever is decided, I will ABIDE by. (i.e., I expect to get a written warning.) This is such crap. If HR spent less time policing the people that already work here, and more time finding people to fill the numerous vacancies, maybe there wouldn't be such turnover. (Have I told you that we have had more than 10 receptionists in the last 2 years? And that for the past 2 months, we haven't even had one? We've all been taking turns helping out at the front.)

So I channeled all that into to above. And by Sunday night, I felt much better. I still can't stand her and her policies, but then again, I don't work in HR so maybe I'm just being a pain. I don't know. What I find funny is that if I get 2 written warnings about absenteeism, I get penalized by... wait for it... 3 days off without pay. I'm thinking I should take another couple of days off, and add the three suspension days for a week off. What do you think?

All this just weeks after getting a "Substantially Above Target" rating on my employee evaluation. I get nailed because my priority is my family. Whose priorities are screwed up here...

fun stuff Friday

First off - I have to thank you for the nice comments on Tubey. Nancy did a great job on the pictures, but you really have to see this in person to appreciate the loveliness of the Sheepstrings yarn I used on the arms. And I'm thrilled at how well the Elann Highland wool matched. I may have to knit myself more sweaters...

I stole this from Wannietta, but made some changes...

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) = Martini Civic (eh, not a banner name...)

YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav. ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) = Dulce La Leche Homemade (could work...)

YOUR "FLY GIRL" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of last name) = SRic (boring...)

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) = Green Penguin (sounds rather Marvel Comic-ish...)

YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) = Jacqueline Montreal (yeah, could work...)

YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) = Ricsa (no worse than Jar Jar Binks...)

SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, put "The" first) = The Orange Beer (this I like!)

STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) = Obsession Rockets (look for me, starting a 2 week tour at the Brass Rail... JUST KIDDING!!)

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names) = Pauline Liliane Edward

And, let me add a popular one that I have come across: Here's where we differ - Wanietta has the first street you live on - mine was Mom's maiden name (and since I don't use that for any confidential purposes...)

PORN STAR NAME (name of first pet and name of Mother's maiden name): Martini Martel (and my best friend would be Champagne Kennedy - we have a team!)


ETA: Some people may use this kind of information for nefarious purposes - feel free to alter your answers if they could be clues to your passwords or financial data. But it's still funny!!!

mailbox treats!

Amid all the junk mail, assorted bills and other crap that appears in my mailbox, the other day there was this:

Sorry for the crappy photo - but if you really squint, you can see the return address - Tradewind Knits! Yup! Lucy Neatby's company! And inside...
THe Abracadabra Scarf pattern, and a hank of Celestial Merino Dream. THis stuff is wonderful! Soft, squooshy and totally luxurious. And all for me! No CHristmas gifts will be made from this.
Lucky had this sent to me as a thank you for a circular needle storage thing, and dpn holder I made for her. She's got great taste, and I will gladly do stuff for her if this is the result. She ordered it at the Creativ Festival, directly from Lucy Neatby herself! How cool. The pattern is very interesting, and I think I'm going to get some fabulous red beads to go with the delicious cream Merino yarn. How very Canadian of me...

Thanks Lucky! Any time you want to trade, I'm all for it!

lots to show!

So this was my deck this morning:

For those of you in Toronto proper, this is what happens when you move to the 'burbs. Your deck and plants get covered in snow. Those pots are herbs that I was still harvesting on the weekend. And will probably be able to continue with some. The sage looks okay, but my basil is now toast.

But regardless of the weather (there is no snow at my office in Concord, and at home it will be gone shortly, I'm sure), I charged the camera battery, and the flurry of finishing can now be shown.
The KnitPicks Dancing socks - Christmas gift for MIL:
The Fleece Artist fingerless mitts - probably a gift for my sitter's daughter. She's a fabulous soccer player, and she spends a lot of time with my son, practicing soccer. Plus, she's just a great kid:
A black seed and bugle bead choker - possibly for a SIL. I misjudged how much thread this was going to take, so there are only three beaded rows instead of the pattern's five. I may keep this, or give it away, not sure yet. I've already started another one, with finer seed beads, no bugle beads, and silvery grey cotton thread. It's another Brenda Franklin pattern, and I have to thank my husband - he made me some stainless steel 1.5 mm needles - gotta love a guy that has a shop with the ability to do this - I asked for needles about 8 inches long, and that's what he brought me! Now, if only I could get him to make me circulars...
And... last but not least... Tubey is done! I wore it to my Guild meeting last night, and Nancy kindly took some pictures. Here's the side view of Tubey - short rows in all their glory:
Funny, I originally typed it as Tubbey - I think that fits better. Must leave Halloween chocolate alone...
And the front view (which really does fit the name Tubbey):
I'm very happy with this sweater. Other than the fact that it is warm, I love the fit, the sleeves, and the yarn.
SPecs:
Tubey from Knitty (sorry for the link lack, but I'm drugged up pretty good. It turns out I have a sinus infection, and am on Zithromax. If this doesn't work, I don't know what's left to do...)
Modifications:
Different yarn. This project started with the purchase of 2 hanks of Sheepstrings hand-dyed yarn at Kitchener, that Stephanie and Rachel H decided I needed. (I did need it.) I found that I really didn't have enough to make what I originally planned, then remembered Emma's sweater, Rachel H reminded me of the pattern, and the rest just followed. I used Emma's brilliant idea of short rows, and they worked great. Covered everything quite nicely, and there is no pulling. Jen christened the sweater the Booby Tubey!

SO Nancy - no more of this talk that I don't knit sweaters! I do! (Just not very often...)

Next, gifts in the mail! I love getting packages in the mail...

no time

Out on the road today. No time for pictures. Lots tomorrow, promise...

to distract you...

Okay, I admit the weekend was a flurry of finishing, and a spate* of starting.

(*The best "s" word for flurry that Thesaurus.com could come up with. Also, todays "word of the day" on Thesaurus.com is woolgathering. How cool.)

I finished up some things, and started some new things, but the one thing I forgot to do was charge the camera battery. Dang.

Otherwise, it was a great weekend. Aside from all the knitting, my son had his best basketball game ever - scoring 10 points, including a basket at the buzzer. (Just a little proud, here). He also memorized "In Flanders Fields" and knew his electricity and magnetism facts inside and out for his test today. We got leaves raked, I might have bought more beads, and I spent way too much tie on the Disney World website.

So, to distract you from the lack of pictures, I give you my results of some quizzes that have been sent to me...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Milady the Most Honourable Sandra the Mellifluous of Divine Intervention Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?

You will sink in a mire. You like to think you're normal, but deep down you really just want to strip off your clothes and roll around in chicken fat.
Take this quiz!

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

keeping up

I feel like I've been depressing lately. My issues with my workplace, and this never-ending illness seem to be my discussion topics, and well, I feel like that's not fair. I assume you come here for the knitting, and lately you've been getting the complaining. Sorry about that.
With regard tot he workplace issues - Lucky pinned it - she told me that one of my emails had a "sadness" to it. That's what it is - a sadness. With my ex-boss gone, there's no one here to confide in, to talk to, to laugh about the idiosyncrasies that occur daily. It sucks. But I'm making the best of it. It's still my job, and they pay me to do it, and it's my nature to do the best I can do. I am looking into options, some of which mean staying here, but possibly reducing my hours, which would work for me. Some options obviously entail moving on, but I'm going to make sure that any move I make is a good one for me and for my family.
The cold / flu / allergies / whatever is causing this is a completely different story. I start feeling better, and then a coughing fit comes over me that leaves me weak. At least they are fewer and far between, but still. It's been 3 weeks! Enough already!

But I'm looking ahead. To good things. Like finishing Tubey. (It's been my knitting focus at night. I'm still looking to wear it on Tuesday). Like doing some more beaded chokers. (beads are strung and ready.) To finishing up some fingerless mitts for gifts. And I'm especially looking forward to going to Disney World with my boys. And seeing my Mom in Florida as well. It's a long needed vacation, and I hope it refreshes and revitalizes us.

I'm also looking forward to an extra hour of sleep this weekend, and coming back MOnday with lots of knitting for you.

nothing much new

Last night, my little demon (not attitude wise, he was actually dressed like a demon)
raked in the goodies, and while Husband took him around, I stayed home and shelled out to all the other demons, princesses, pirates and transformers that showed up at the door. Most years, we do a pretty good job of decorating the outside deck, but this year, illness and bad timing got the better of us, so we only had some basic spider webbing, and a few bats and spiders hanging around. I'm amazed at the number of people that commented! I had to promise we would do better next year... The pumpkins were a hit - I carve three - one for each of us. I'm still trying to figure out why, if we each have our own pumpkin, do I have to carve all three...

We had the usual amount of cuteness at the door - the little ones are so sweet! In our house, the smaller and cuter you are, the bigger the handful of chocolate and candy that goes in your bag.

My favourite costume of all time was a couple of years ago, when a little boy about 5 years old came to the door, dressed all in grey, with Barbie dolls stuck to him. I asked him what he was, and the proud answer was "I'm a Chick Magnet!" I laughed, and said that his dad must have dressed him. I still think that's the best.

Surprisingly, I got quite a bit knitted on Tubey last night - it was the perfect project, Not too small that it became fiddly, nor too complicated that it was difficult to pick up and put down. I'm about 5 inches past the short rows, so I put the stitches on a thread and tried it on again. I wanted to make sure that the short rows weren't too pointy. They're not - the fit is just what I was after, and I'm so glad I put in the short rows. The hem edge (where I am still knitting from is nice and level all around the torso, so the short rows did their job and covered the girls properly. I want to make a real effort on this - I'd love to have it read to wear on Tuesday at my Guild meeting, but knowing how easily I get distracted, I'm not promising anything...

daily recap

Man, can my kid generate wax! You do NOT want to know how much crap was flushed from the ears of my child. Maybe he actually couldn't hear me, instead of just ignoring me. But he has no excuse now...

My family doctor, while great, has one fatal flaw for a knitter. He's on time. Seriously. Son's appointment was for 3:15, and we were in the examining room at 3:15. Since school lets out at 2:55, by the time I collected child, herded him into the car and drove to the office, I had no time to knit. I mean, really! What are doctor's waiting rooms for anyway? I used to be able to knock off half a sock waiting for doctor's appointments. By the way, this doctor also limits his practice enough that I called for this appointment yesterday. Yup - a 24 hour turn around. I could have seen him earlier, but I didn't want to take Son out of school. And he's a nice guy. And no, I'm not telling you his name - I don't need him to get more patients!

So while I did not get much knitting done there, I did have time between that, making dinner and getting to basketball practice to finish one fingerless mitt, and start another one.

Plus, I dug around in my Wellington Fibres stash to come up with some wool/mohair blends to make more. Between beaded bracelets and these, I may have Christmas in the bag...

Still here, still kicking...

I'm here, I'm here. (Nancy was worried). And with everything that's going on, I'd be worried too. Actually, everyone at my office seems to be worried. My ex-boss and I had a great working relationship, and every one here expects me to jump ship any time. Little do they know, given the right oppotunity, I'm going to. But on the outside, I'm all work. I do miss my regular Monday morning meeting with D. He and I would hash out our week, setting our priorities (which always got blown to hell, but still,) and have a chat. Now there's no one I'm comfortable chatting with. One never knows what people are reporting around here.

But I'm here. I still have the head/chest cold that won't go away. Our whole household is sick - Son started it weeks ago, and got better once he gave it to me, but his cough seems to be returning. Husband is sick with the same thing I have. The whole house has a lingering smell of Vicks Vaborub... (and yes, we are putting it on our feet). At least, Son and I are, husband scoffs at such things, but he's the only one coughing at night...

Son is going to the Doctor this afternoon - he generates enough earwax to start a small candle factory, so I need to get the ears flushed. Maybe that's why he doesn't listen to me. Yeah right. He doesn't listen becasue he's 8, and he doesn't want to hear what Mom has to say... I also want to have the Doc give him a general once over before we go away. How often should kids get physicals, anyway? I know as infants they schedule these things regularly, and as adults, well, I go once a year. But what about kids? I mean, he's generally healthy, he's growing as he should (he's taller than most kids in his class, so that seems OK). He's fitting into the general size of clothes for his age, he eats well, and overall, seems OK. So, do you take your kids to the doctor on a regular basis or just when illness strikes?

The other thing about the child's doctor appointment - it's right after school, but during work hours. Oh well, guess who gets to leave early? I mean, he's only 8 - I can't expect him to do this alone now, can I?

On the knitting front, Tubey is continuing along, but now that the fun part of the short rows is over, I get distracted. I finished the Regia Galaxy socks (standard toe up, short row heel mindless knitting socks):

(yay! another Christmas gift done!), and started a pair of fingerless mitts, using some Fleece Artist Kid Silk I found in my stash.

This stuff is deliciously soft, and is knitting up very quickly (my own design, done on the fly, so no pattern link). I have enough to make a few pairs of these, and will probably do so - they make great gifts, and the turquoise is a popular colour choice among my friends. The 2x2 rib really pulls it in, but it fits beautifuuly on the hand - I still have the thumb to finish here. I have some luscious Wellington Fibres skeins as well - I think a few more of these will come of the needles...

Finishing the Galaxy socks meant there was only one pair of socks currently on the needles (Knitpicks Dancing - gift for MIL), and well, we can't have that! So I cast on a new pair, probably for my husband, using some 50% merino, 50% tencel from the Sweet Sheep, in the colourway Coffee Bean. Yum. The tencel blend is lovely so far - I'm hoping this continues as I keep going.
Lots of little projects on the needles, plus Tubey. Sounds about right...

good news, bad news, and more of the same

The good news:
I'm goin' to Disney World! (I feel like I've just won the Super Bowl, or something...) But seriously, next month, we are Magic Kingdom bound. Usually, every November, I go to Florida and spend a week with my Mom. Quite often I bring along a girl friend and we shop, golf, sit by the pool, shop, go to the beach, shop, drink and shop. This year, Hubby and Son are my travelling companions, and we are going to the House of Mouse for a few days, then heading to my Mom's place. A much needed family break. We haven't told the young one yet - it's a month away, and I'd like him to sleep between now and then...

And Tubey! The short rows have been completed, and I took the time to sew in ends last night, so now it's straight knitting until it's the length I want, and done! I really hope to have it finished for my next Guild meeting. I even have some unflattering pictures of it in progress. Understand that the photographer is 8 years old, and I made him stop watching TV to take these.

The above two shots sow the rows at half completion - I was very happy with the coverage. THe one below I took this morning - Short rows complete, and while it looks as though Madonna could fit one of her cone bras in here, I'm pretty sure it will smooth out nicely.
The Bad News:
It's my boss's last day. He's not sure what he can do for me, but he's going to do some networking. I know the owners are very nervous about me jumping ship as well. They are bending over backwards to compliment me and do what they can to make me want to stay. I'm pretty sure I'm moving desks again - getting a window and a ton more privacy, but I'm not sure that it's enough. I'm going to make the best of it - I don't want to jump from this situation to something worse, so there is some information gathering to be done. ( and lottery tickets to be bought!)
Thanks for all the good wishes on my quest to get out of this place. WHile it is a bad situation, at the moment I can deal with it, mostly because they are TERRIFIED that I'm going to leave.

The Same Old:
Tubey continues on. Sock knitting continues on. I want to start some fingerless mitts for some of the teen girls on my list (and probably for me, as well!) I've got a great stash of Wellington Fibres worsted weight that will be perfect for these, and they will be great portable projects. (good travelling projects)

Crap.

This is bad. Very Bad. You all know the isues I have with the people that own and run the company I work for. Let's just say "integrity" is not a word in their lexicon. (actually, they don't understand polite, understanding, compassionate, nice, upstanding or a whole lot of other words, either).

The one beacon in this hellhole is my immediate supervisor, D. D is great - I've known him for years - we met when I worked for Sega and he was at Toys R Us. When I was job searching, he found out, and called me for this job, and they hired me right away. We have a fantastic work relationship, and I've said for months that he is the only reason I am still here. (You can see where this is going, can't you?) D resigned yesterday. His level for crap tolerance hovers around mine, but he gets more of it, so he reached his limit first. He also had some great networking help, which will now be helping me. I have made him aware of my job search, and he is all for helping me escape. Actually, he can't promise anything, but he's going to see what can be done where he's going. Keep those fingers crossed.

Yeah, life took a significant down turn when I heard this. I really don't know what to do now. He's going to be missed. And my work environment is going to suck. Large.

Tubey again and tagging

Wannietta tagged me, and it's short, so I can do this no problem...

Page 161, 5th line of the book that I'm currently reading.

"Mrs. Etra answered her front door and seemed very uptight and nervous"

- Four Blind Mice, James Patterson.

I'm on a bit of a Patterson jag lately. He cranks 'em out at such a rate, I'm never sure if I've read one when I see it. Libraries are great for this - I check them out, start reading, realize by the third page I've read it before, drop it and grab the next one. (I love his Women's Murder Club series). And yes, I know how he cranks out the books is such numbers - he works with a number of authors who provide the outline of the story, and write with him. But he does give them credit.

As far as Tubey - I'm about halfway through the short rows - I've done 5, and I think 10 (maybe 12) will be enough

You can see here how the slant is starting to form, and how the front will be longer than the back. That orange marker is where the side of the sweater is. It's funny - I always do short row heels on my socks, so this is starting to look like a gigantic heel forming. My one worry might be that the slant may be a little too acute. (High School Geometry, anyone?) If I find that the angle needs to be softened, I can rip these rows out, and space out my wraps and turns a little more. Hopefully, I won't have to do that, but we'll see.

Up close, you can sort of see the wraps on the stitches. You can't? Wait, let me help...

Carol asked how I avoid holes on short rows. I use a double wrap method. I start as above, wrapping a turning each stitch. Then when I go back to pick up the wraps, I pick up the wrap and the stitch, and then I wrap the next stitch again, giving it two wraps to be picked up. This does mean that the first wrap picked up does not get the extra wrap, but that's OK. Wendy has a pretty good description of this method in her short row heel directions on her toe-up generic sock pattern. I've probably got another couple of nights work to get the short rows done, then it's straight K3P1 knitting until it's the length I want. If I wasn't coughing up a lung still, this would be a much faster knit, but this illness is doing a job on me. I'm coughing so much, I've pulled a chest muscle. Lovely. I'm such a joy to be around...

ooo, I get to help someone...

Needles of the comments had this to say about Tubey:

"I'm watching you knit this one. I hope that doesn't come across sounding stalkerish, but well, umm, it very well may be. ha ha

I hope to knit this for SS, gf of son1. SS has the perfect hourglass figure (drat her) so the info on short rows is very valuable. Are you inserting them at the apex of the bustline, how many short rows, etc are my burning questions. If you can post this sort of info or direct me to it, I will grovel at your feet, and bless your name to the net forever."

Really, how can I not help my very first stalker??

Needles, I don't have the perfect hourglass figure (although I can dream...) but my girls are, as I said, substantial enough to warrant a little shaping. The way Tubey is constructed, the tube of the body is knit straight down from the shruglike opening of the sleeves. So, picture a shrug. It's basically two sleeves joined together, with an opening for your body to fit in. Picture the lower edge of this opening - all across the back, and across 5-6 inches on each side of the front. Then you add 40ish or so stitches across the opening to bridge the gap, and you have a tube that will become the body. (it's very well described in the Knitty pattern, trust me). The nature of this pick up is that the front bridge part tends to ride up a bit, because the back neck is pulling it naturally. If you knit a straight tube, even without any boobage, your front hem is going to be higher than your back hem. Add in some boobage, and well, that's just not pretty. If you look at the original Knitty pattern, the model is lovely and slim, and not heavily endowed. No short rows necessary. Then there's me. Short rows necessary.

My plan is for the short rows to form a bustline dart of about 2-3 inches in length. This translates to about 12-15 stitches worth of dart, so that's about 12-15 rows in which short rows need to be added. (Note, that I'm winging this - If a 3 inch dart seems to be too much, I'll let you know as I'm ripping). So if the total height of the dart will be 24 rows worth of short rowing, and I want the dart to be centred to about the midline of my bustline, I want to start the short rows about 12 rows above this midline. For me, that's about 3 inches into the body. And guess what? I'm pretty much there, so the short rowing will be commencing this week. I've started the process, and have three wraps on each side so far. And so far, so good.

I'll keep you up to date on the mods as I make them (and possibly un-make and re-make them...) and hopefully that will help. And understand I am not at all taking credit for the short row idea - Emma (I don't know her link - Steph? Rachel H? any ideas? I'd like her to get the credit due) short rowed her Tubey, and it was that sweater that inspired me to make mine.

I really hope this works. I've never had my feet grovelled at before...