Ancient Scroll

Well okay, maybe not 'ancient,' but they have been on the needles for a while. Scroll Lace socks, done in Hazelknits Artisan yarn (nylon & merino) in Plum Glace'. Great pattern, easier than I thought it would be. Knit toe-up (natch), and sized for a woman's big (10.5? 11?). Chickenknittle likes her socks high up her calf, so the first time I finished them, I wanted to compensate for the fact that legs get a little wider going up the leg. Oops, I over-compensated and when she wore them for a couple of hours, they got a little slouchy; can't see the lovely pattern when they're all squished down around her ankles. So I undid the 2x2 ribbing in favor of a 1x1 ribbing (oh and I may have decreased down a few ::cough:: 8 ::cough:: stitches). She tried them on today and they fit like they were made for her. Which they were. Duh. :-)

And, even though she had a wicked bad head cold, she still came over and helped me reorganize my yarn room. Everything's nice and neat, but the best part is that there are empty spaces that are crying out to be filled with MORE YARN! Just in time for the Bobbin's Nest pre-inventory sale!

Blessed (slightly belated) Solstice, Chickenknittle. Thanks for all your help today, and I hope you're feeling better.

Thankful, But Disappointing

Christmas Day was quiet and lovely. Waking up next to DH always makes it a good day. And with the current economy, I really shouldn't complain about going to a nice restaurant for Christmas dinner... but I must.

A formal letter to the restaurant will be written today or tomorrow, but it started with a shard of glass found on my bread plate, then continued to store-bought dinner rolls, having to ask (twice) for a fork, a cold prime rib, and a liquid creme brulee. Unfortunate, especially given the price they charge for 'special event' days like yesterday. The server wasn't attentive enough to notice that I wasn't eating my appetizer (no fork), wasn't eating my steak (no fork), cut my steak but had stopped eating it and pushed the plate to the side (cold), or had cracked into my creme brulee but had put that aside, too (liquid). Luckily, the food - once problems were rectified - was superb. (And I changed my main course from prime rib to something else - I didn't want to take any more chances.)

No, I'm not going to name the restaurant. This was highly unusual for them, and I do mean *highly* unusual. We normally get excellent service there, even on other special event days. So, while we're chalking this up to an aberation, it still demands that they get a letter.

So, despite the clunk of a dinner, it was a wonderful day. We're together, we have wonderful friends and family, and have been able to keep a relatively steady income through the year.

Oh, and Santa went shopping at a yarn store, and I got some Mountain Colors wool/mohair/nylon sock yarn in a gorgeous colorway. Yum! (This was on top of my other Santas bringing me some Jitterbug, some Malabrigo sock yarn, and some Arucania Magallanes. More yum!)

Hope your holiday was happy!

Quick!

The last three days were spent at the new Clement Hotel on Monterey's Cannery Row. It was one of the nicest vacations I think we've had in a long time, which is really weird since it's only about an hour from home. But there was no writing work to be done, no housework to be done, no alarms to set, no cooking to worry about... absolutely nothing to do except walk up and down Cannery Row, wander around the Monterey wharf, watch the people ice skating on the postage-stamp-sized ice rink they put at Custom House Plaza, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, wander over to Pacific Grove (and visit Monarch Knits), have room service bring us food, and sit, and take naps, and read, and relax.

Three nights away, back home in time to have Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner, then wake up together in our own bed for Christmas Day. Nice.

Right now, though, DH has stepped out to do Christmas shopping (he will *always* show his guy genes on 12/24), and since we've been away during the time I thought I would wrap presents... I gotta do it now! Before he comes home! Hurry! Quick!

(Oh, lots of progress was made during the Monterey foray: Did 3 more inches on "Hey, Teach," cast on Silkie (in 'Moody Blues') for Monkeys (and got through 1.5 pattern repeats, just in time to start some Cat Bordhi Upstream increases), cast on Paton's sock yarn in 'Denim Jaquard' for socks in a basket-weavy pattern (almost time to start the arch expansion for those, too), finished fixing half of one of ChickenKnittle's Scroll Lace socks that were a little too loose around the ribbing, finished one of FIL's slippers and started the second one. Like I said, lots of progress.)

It's A Big 'un!

Yep... The big 6 - 0... No, not me, wise guys! DH turns 60 today. All he wanted for his birthday was to have dinner with his 'nieces.' That's inside-joke-speak for me and KB. On recommendation of KB, we're going to R_______ J____ R______ in Los Gatos. (It's a surprise... I don't want anyone to leak where we're going!) Lots of good reviews, so it should be quite delightful.

And, in honor of his turning 60, on Friday he gets to have his first colonoscopy! Oh joy! Oh rapture!

Sugary Sweet

That's me... full of sugar that can't go anywhere. I'm now among the ranks of people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Oh joy. Kids, take heed: watch your weight and watch what you eat. This is preventable, and I knew it, and I still let it happen. More pills to take; oh goody.

That's not the bad news, though. The bad news is that my aunt has been diagnosed with 'multiple myeloma of the bone marrow,' or MM as the insiders apparently call it. While this is treatable, it isn't curable. She goes to the hematology oncologist on 12/22 to find out what's next. Please send good thoughts her way.

On a happier note, I wonder if anyone else has wondered about the sweaters in the Stainmaster carpet ads...

I think they're pretty sweaters, especially the cable. Do you think they found the sweater and loomed the carpet? Or loomed the carpet, then found/knit a sweater to match?

Goody, Goody, Gumdrops!

FO time! Holiday gifty! Wonder who for?

Cloud 9!

I got one of the BEST emails in Ravelry today... and I quote:

"Hi! I just wanted to tell you that I got your book off of Lulu.com, “It was all such a blur”, I just finished it, and I loved it! I saw the link from there to hear and since I’m on Ravelry too I thought I’d drop you a line and let you know how much I enjoyed your story. Have a good night! -Kathy"

Squeeeee!
happy dancing my way off to beddy-bye

Subversive Knitting!

Don't you just love Stephen Colbert??

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving was nice and quiet... We slept in, made some breakfast, then went to see the new James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace." A good chick flick and dick flick... DH really likes the Bond franchise, and I... um... I really like Daniel Craig. We both enjoyed the movie. A little choppier than "Casino Royale," but fun to watch. After the movie, we allowed our good friend Marie Callender to cook us dinner. She's a good cook. And she didn't even mind that we showed up without calling first, she just let us sit down and eat! So what am I thankful for? Friends, family, my health. Mostly that I get to wake up and go to sleep with the best husband in the world.

Yesterday (Friday), we totally avoided anything that resembled shopping. No "Black Friday" crowd crush for us, thankyouverymugh. Another sleep-in day, then up to San Francisco to visit my client for some work and dinner. She's a good cook; we had a yummy spinach salad with pomegranate seeds and pumpkin/cheese ravioli.

Today... ah... today... nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't get out of bed until 10:00, played on the computer while I listened to "Car Talk" over the internet, then went downstairs for breakfast while listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." Since I had finished my novel (YAY!), I knit one heel on my Gumdrops and started another pair of slippers. (Yes, another pair.) So, yes, ChickenKnittle... holiday knitting will commence with vigor! The meals for the day were of the grazing variety - there were leftover quiche, leftover veal parmesean, leftover hamburgers, leftover Thanksgiving ham dinner, and leftover pumpkin pie. Yum.

Tomorrow? Well it looks like another day of relaxation... the only thing on the calendar is Madonna's afternoon knit group. Dinner will be one of DH's specialties: tacos!

Yippee! Four for Four!

Another NaNo, another WIN! Yay, me!

I hit 50, 750 words today and got validated by the NaNo robots, so I have my purple bar of goodness on my NaNo profile. Excited? Very yes!

I hit the 50K mark, but the story's not yet done. I'll keep writing through the weekend to finish the actual story. Hopefully, it won't flounder like last year's... I still need to finish that story up, too. Hm. Maybe I should plan on taking more than just 2 days to tie up these slightly loose ends...

If You Give a Bear a G-string...

Really, there's no way to explain this.

Shhhh! Don't Tempt the Writing Gods!

Don't look now, but I'm pretty much on pace for this year's National Novel Writing Month. I was 700+ words ahead of yesterday's word count, and even though I didn't write a lick today (not in the novel, anyway.... was too busy attending to emails and... well, here), there are two write-ins this week, plus the open space of Thanksgiving weekend. And... I know what my story is! I think this is the first time in 4 years that I had a plot this soon before the end of the month! See, it all started when Bill Clinton called me on my cell phone in a dream...

Of course, now that I've said this, something will happen this week and I'll have to come up with 10,000 words on Sunday, the 30th. Sheeeyit...

I'm Just a FO Machine...

Alright, I admit it - a wine bottle is not an adequate substitute for an adorable little Yorkshire Terrier. But since there is a distinct lack of Yorkies around here, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvingnon was the best I could do. Deal with it.

This here is little Chloe's "Little Black Dress," (click here for the non-Ravelers among you) complete with pearls at the neck and ruffle at the rump. It will probably be too big for her, but I'm assuming my in-laws will fatten her up (like they've done to every other dog they've owned) and it will fit within a few months.

More FOs

Uh oh... I was about to post pictures of my two most recent finished objects... then realized that the recipients may actually read this blog. In order to get pix on Ravelry, I either need to use Flickr, upload from here (via Picasa), or upload directly from my PC.

Well, I hate Flickr, the PC uploader in Ravelry isn't working, and if I post here, the recipients will see. Maybe they just won't know who's getting what? Okay, we'll try this... anyone who thinks they're getting something knitted from me for the holidays, don't look below!

Knit Pix

Okay, Kadootje... look away! The image uploader from PC isn't working on Ravelry, so I have to post here so I can post there...

Finished - Flat Feet socks! SweeTart pattern (BMFA RSC pattern). Currently blocking on ChickenKnittle's sock blockers (thank you!). Still wet... have no idea how long before they'll be completely dry, but they do seem to be a good deal softer than when I was knitting them.

Almost done - Aunt I's Red Spice sweater. In this picture, one sleeve is on. In real life, the second sleeve has been started and is just about at the first set of decreases. I'm going to send it to her to try on before I go further, as I think it might be a tad small.

I'm back to working on the Gumdrops, and will likely pick up the Scroll Lace socks again. Maybe.

Dora the Explorer

Surf... sand... sun... On our annual trip, which normally isn't this late in November, so it's going to be a balancing act to get in the knitting I want to do (Christmas is only about 45 days away!) and make my 1667 words a day for NaNo. But the best part? Being with DH and NO WORK to do! Sleeping in, not needing to be on a conference call, no documents due to anyone... Loverly...

NaNo!

It's NaNo time again! (For those who aren't involved or who don't recall, November is National Novel Writing Month - write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.)

Days 1, 2, and 3 were good word-count days; as of now, I'm about 200 words over the daily amount needed to keep pace (1667 per day gets you 50,010 words by the end of the month). And last night I went to my first write-in of the month, at Panera's in Gilroy. Munichmaedchen and I were there from about 7:00, and around 7:30, ca.bookwyrm joined us, too.

Tonight, I'll be hosting a write-in at our local indie bookseller, BookSmart, from 6:00 to 8:00. Ca.bookwyrm said she'll be there, too, but it's anyone's guess how many others will show up. It may be a gaggle of two!

In November, I don't usually have a lot of knitting progress to show, but I am very close to finishing another pair of slippers, and am about 4 rows into the lace part of "Hey, Teach!"

Now, off to do some writing for someone else (for which I get paid) so I can do some writing for me (for which I definitely do not get paid).

Halloweird

We normally get lots of neighbor-kids a'knockin' at our door on Halloween. We totally underestimated the first year so ran out of candy early - like 6:30 early. So we loaded up last year (and still ran out a little sooner than we had planned). This year, DH will still be in Philly, so I was facing an evening of tykes and not-so-tykes showing up at the door all by myself, and got 2 hugemungous bags of teeth-rot at Costco so I wouldn't run out.

It's those not-so-tykes that get me all worked up, though. We've had 'kids' coming by as late as 10:00, even after we'd turned out the light. (Shouldn't it be illegal or something for anyone over 12 to go trick-or-treating??) No one ever did anything, but I was always afraid we'd get TP'd or - worse - egged, or - worser - splatted with paint. (True story - used to happen all the time in my home town. For about a week before Halloween, the stores wouldn't sell eggs, toilet paper, or spray paint to anyone under 18, so they would raid their parents' garage, put the paint in little squirt bottles, and splatter paint on your garage door if they didn't get a treat. Punks.)

Good newts, though! Champer and Knitterliness will be coming over to keep me company (oh, and to hit Red Robin for dinner) (oh, yeah; there will be knitting).

Juuuuust Right...

Okay. So. Those bamboo needles? Owch. Made it to Anacapa Fine Yarns before they closed on Saturday (thank you, DH, for getting us there safely and in time! smoooooch!). They had an impressive array of Addi needles there, and I was so blinded by the selection, that I grabbed the 2 bags I thought I needed.

And went to the hotel room. And took the shorter needle of the two out of its bag.

And wondered when 16" had gotten so short. And started to knit. And wondered why my hands were cramping.

Ai caramba! I picked up 12" long size 7 circs!

Who can knit with needles this short? Good heavens. I tried, I really tried to use them. But seriously, my hands just didn't know how to deal with needles that short. So I loaded my sleeve up with the other needle - 47" long - and started Magic Looping.

When I went back to the store the next day to swap the 12" for a 16", the nice lady said they don't normally take returns or exchanges on needles. I hadn't noticed that on the receipt (it was there, I just didn't see it), but then she said, "I'll do it for you, though, because those needles are awful to work with." God bless an employee (or owner) who recognizes when a customer just makes an idiot mistake and is willing to bend the rules!

If we ever had to move to Ventura or nearby, Anacapa Fine Yarns would be a damn fine LYS to have.

FO news... finished DH's slippers! (Only took 10 months.) These are slippers from Frugal Knitting Haus and they're put together like origami. You knit 7 squares about 2.5" big, then sew them together and voila! A slipper! (Except that with my hatred for sewing seams, for the second slipper, I figured that I could actually knit 5 of the 7 squares one right after another, without having to detach the yarn, then just pick up for the last 2 squares. Lots less ends to sink, and I think it's a cleaner looking line between squares.)

A Snag

More things I've learned - needle choice is dependent upon yarn being used. In particular, sticky yarn + bamboo needles = sticky knitting.

TLC Cotton Plus + Clover Takumi #7 bamboo circs = ow ow ow ow ow

Doing a short-row sleeve (my first!), hard to push the yarn along the needle because the sticky yarn sticks to the sticky needles. Plus, the little plastic bump at the cord join? Bad. Sticky yarn gets stuck on the sticky needles AND has a hard time getting over the bump.

Solution? Use different, non-sticky needles. Where are my #7 Options? Um... I don't know. Maybe with Hibito, maybe with Picchu-Picchu, maybe... aw hell, could be anywhere I'm not looking. House is a mess, can't find any #7 project. Over to Madonna's because the 50%-off sale is still on. Uh-oh, no more #7 needles left. Swallowed bile and went to The Other Knitting Store In Town. Shock and amazement, they hardly have ANY needles at all, Addis or otherwise! Definitely no Addis in #7. Borrow from Thursday knitters? Forgot to ask. Asked one of the Wednesday knitters. She has them... at home... not with her, we're leaving for Southern California in the morning, can't do swap before we leave.

Oh well... just means I'm gonna have to stop at Anacapa Fine Yarns in Ventura tomorrow!

Other than the snag with the sleeve, Vanilla Spice is coming along nicely... see?

Lessons Slowly Learned

One project = faster finish.

Multiple projects = slower finish. (But maybe a little more fun.)

Here is progress on Vanilla Spice, the only thing I've been working on since the thumb surgery at the end of September. I took these photos earlier this evening, and about an hour or so after taking the pictures, I already had most of the left front done, up about 6 inches more than in these shots.

After finishing the left front, you do a 3-needle bind-off of fronts to backs, then get started on the sleeves. I do believe I'll have this one done for Christmas!

Still awkward to work with sock-sized needles, which is why I'm sticking with this (US#7) for now. Everyone will just have to wait a wee bit longer for their socks!

Every High Schooler's Dream

Colonoscopy done! Doc found 3 small polyps and used "Polyp-B-Gone" on 'em. No cancer - whoo hoo!

The prep day is pretty low on the "things I'd like to do again tomorrow" meter; luckily, this is a once-every-5 (or 3)-year event. (Every 5 years if they don't find anything, every 3 if they do).

But there's one really good thing about it once it's done - when you leave, the doctors and nurses tell you to fart! It's a medical order! (Yes, I know... I'd do it anyway, but it's great to have the full faith and credit of your surgical team ordering you to do it!)

Seriously - Over 50? GO GET ONE!

Coming of Age

"Today, I become a woman..."

Or rather, "Tomorrow, I become an old woman..."

Take a guess... The new coming of age ritual for 'seniors' (which used to be "anyone at least 15 years older than ME")... What do you think?

No, it's no longer joining AARP, it's getting your first colonoscopy. I get mine tomorrow. Oh, goodie.

Statue of Liberty No More

Yay! (mostly) On Thursday, the doctor removed the underlying gauze and stitches from my surgery. Yippee! He had me stretch and flex my thumb and said everything looked good.

But then he put another bandage over the incision and re-wrapped it in the ace bandage. Oh no! I was looking forward to not having that bandage! That bandage means I have to wear a rubber glove in the shower, wrapped with waterproof tape, and even with that, still have to hold up my hand like the Statue of Liberty (because water still leaks in, even with the waterproof tape). And it's hard washing the right side of your body when you can't get your left hand wet, let me tell you!

Not to worry. Doc said the bandage is just a reminder to me that my body is still in post-op recovery mode - and to lessen my chances that I'll whomp it on something hard - but not only can I take it off in the shower and get the incision wet, he encouraged it. Yippee!

Here's what it looks like now, under the outer swaddling.

We Fought the Law and the Law...

...DIDN'T win!!!

So we got this $700 supplemental tax bill about 6 weeks ago, and I thought, "Hm... We bought a new house in 2006, we paid supplemental taxes then... Why are we being billed for 2005 taxes on a house we didn't own in 2005?"

DH got on the phone with the tax assessor's office. First call - 45-minute wait. Had to hang up to go to meeting. Second call - 20-minute wait, but an actual human answered. Took it as far as he could with one person, then was transferred to another person - who immediately saw the problem and acknowledged they (yes, THEY) had made a mistake and billed us in error.

Turns out the bill was a legitimate supplemental bill, and covered a period when both the original owners and we owned the property. But we only owned it for 9 days of the tax period, so the original owners need to pay the bulk of it; our real portion is only around $30. Yay!

So, with DH on the phone for about an hour-and-a-half, at his current bill rate... well, we're still ahead on the deal!

And here's two exciting pictures of my hand after surgery. Taken 9/29, but could have been taken the day after surgery... same bandage, a little grubbier, perhaps.

Opposable Thumbs

Yeah, I know; I went to those mechanical biology classes and read all about those opposable thumb, but seriously? What's the big deal? So you lose the use of a thumb? So what.

Well, hot damn, I'm here to tell you it's a pain in the tuchas. I had my trigger finger surgery yesterday (everything went fine, thanks very much), and now have my left hand swaddled in a big bandage. I honestly thought (based on some internet research) that I'd be a little sore and maybe couldn't knit for 1 or 2 days. What was I thinking?? I must have been on drugs BEFORE they gave me any! And we're leaving to visit the in-laws on Saturday - and I can't knit yet!!

The drugs (Darvocet this time) help the ache go away by making me go to sleep, which isn't polite to do in front of your in-laws, so we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, here's progress shots of what I was working on while in San Diego last weekend.

Hey, Teach! (This doesn't show any of the upper lace, but I'm just about done with the back now.)

Hibito (I'm guessing that this very lovely - but very slippery - yarn will NOT be the first thing I reach for when I can knit again!)

Blanket Buddies (these are for ChickWithSticks' twin granddaughters, due in November).

Good Friends

I had a very yarny birthday, thanks to my many wonderful friends! Some Mini-Maiden and Casbah, some Jitterbug, some Arucania, and a gift certificate that brought me some lovely Guanaco by Aslan Trends. And my friends? They know me... all the colors were perfect, simply perfect! What fun, what fun! Thank you all!!

Tomorrow (Monday), one of my closest friends will be visiting. After 9/11, she moved back East to be closer to her family, so we've been keeping in touch via email and phone calls... but tomorrow she'll be here in the flesh! It's been too long since we've seen each other, and I really miss her. It will be good to see you again, JB!

Hand surgery scheduled for Wednesday morning (early early early!). Expecting a relatively quick recovery, recouperation, and re-use of my left thumb without pain and snapping.

Oh, and I spent my birthday taking the California mandatory 6-hour notary training class, followed by the California mandatory 45-minute, 30-question notary exam. Got the score yesterday; passed with an 88! I may not do a lot of notarizations, but it's really cool having that stamp and the embosser! (Yes, I know I don't neeeed the embosser... but it's really fun to use!)

Making progress on Hibito, Hey Teach!, and ChickenKnittle's Scroll Lace Socks (mostly thanks to spending the afternoon at Bobbin's Nest yesterday during Shop Hop), not so much progress on the other socks and sweater on the needles. But I have a goal... The Hey Teach! yarn was purchased with birthday gift money from last year. I'm aiming to have it done (or mostly done) by the time we visit DH's parentals at the end of this month.

Lessons Learned

Sitting here on the balcony of a lovely hotel room in Sandy Eggo, overlooking the bay and Coronado Island, I am happily knitting Hibito... and am learning some lessons about knitting monogamy vs knitting whoredom... To wit...

Knitting something from start to finish in one (relative) swoop means that your gauge does not get overly wonky from putting it down, picking it up, putting it down, picking it up, rinse, lather, repeat.

Knitting something from start to finish, I can remember where I purled from the knit side and where I purled from the purl side.

Knitting something from start to finish, I can see where I did cables without a cable needle, and I can see where I used one.

Knitting something from start to finish, I can (probably) (mostly) remember where I changed the pattern to make it a bit longer... and to avoid so many purl rows... I will (probably) (hopefully) be able to seam them well enough so my two fronts are the same length as my back.

I'm about to add the 3rd color to do the top pattern, where the armhole shapings are... I should be able to remember how I did the shapings on the front. Right?

Bless Me, Father, For I Have Sinned...

...it has been 13 hours since my last cast-on. I was supposed to be saving myself for someone special (Malabrigo) by slutting about with those other projects on needles - the embellished top, Hibito, Scroll Lace socks, Flat Feet socks - oh, well, you know all those other things; I've been promising to be faithful to them for weeks. Alas, I have fallen, succumbed to the soft squishiness of Malabrigo , and to the ease of Hey Teach.

Even the obstacle thrown in my way - I couldn't find the right needle size - was bulldozed over. I simply cast on and did the ribbing on size 8s, knowing that when I got to the stockinette part, the size 9s would make their appearance - and they did!!!! Er, I mean, sadly, they did.

In penance, I am actually following all the recommendations about knitting with hand-dyed yarn, and am switching from one ball to another every 2 rows to mitigate any pooling or striping that might occur. (Boy, that's a pain.)

::sigh:: I'm hopeless...

Garage Sale!

Tomorrow, Saturday, September 6 - Garage sale in and around Mission Ranch... Come one, come all! Our trash is your treasure! Insert another silly garage sale aphorism here! Or just come by to say hello. I'll have my stuff, ChickenKnittle's stuff, and another neighbor will be bringing her stuff over, too (she lives on a not-easily-seen cul-de-sac and rarely gets any bounty hunters).

Startaholicism

I don't call it "startitis." The suffix "-itis" refers to an inflammation. Okay, so I suppose a broad stretching of 'inflammation' could mean 'inflated numbers of items on needles,' but I actually prefer to think of it as 'startaholicism,' as in addiction. Need the rush of anticipation and hope and potential - like before you knit it to the point where you realize you've made a lot of mistakes and it won't look at all like the picture.

The past couple of days I have been itching to cast on. For the "Hey Teach" sweater. For the "Vanilla Spice" sweater. For "Wisteria." For anything where I can use my Garnstudio's Silke Alpaca (it's soooo soft, I desperately want to knit something that will be against my skin). I have resisted so far, but I'm weakening. And all this desire to start something - multiple somethings - new made me wonder what was wrong with what I've got on needles now.

- Flat Feet socks: Pattern is boring, yarn crimp is weird. They're for Kadootje and I would love to get them to her but the pattern is boring and the yarn is crimpy and sproingy. It is my pocketbook knitting, though, so I tend to get a round or two done a day.
- Coriolis socks: TINY NEEDLES! They are taking forever! (It doesn't help that I keep looking at them instead of knitting them.) Luckily, there's no due-date for them (which also doesn't help get them knit any faster).
- Scroll Lace socks: Face it, they're for ChickenKnittle - I'll be knitting them forever. She likes her socks up up up her leg. And she's a tall one.
- Hibito sweater: Not a hard pattern, but needs some attention. And the yarn is slippery, one false move and the pattern is wonky.
- Picchu-Picchu sweater: This is my practice-Continental piece and I'm just not in the mood right now.
- Gumdrops socks: Actually, I'm kinda liking these and manage to get a row or two done a night.

Oh, and here I am posting this instead of knitting on Coriolis or Hibito or Flat Feet. Yeah, I understand the cruel irony of it. So as I make my way from upstairs to downstairs, I wonder if I'll accidentally manage to pick up the Silke Alpaca and some needles along the way...

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

DH is off on another business trip; this time, he'll be away for 8 days. Yes, that means over a weekend. And dummy me turned down an offer of a free ticket to join him. Seemed like an adult thing to do at the time, but doesn't feel like it makes much sense now. Ah well. I'll have a garage sale to keep me warm over that weekend. Yeah, I'm a dummy...

Sad to Admit...

After finishing the Lacey Vee tee for Ravelympics last Sunday morning, I haven't knit very much. My hand was so sore Sunday that all I did at Sunday Afternoon Knit Club was sink ends. Monday, no knitting. Tuesday, I had a toe-up sock class, so did limited knitting to show my student what to do. Tuesday night, I futzed with a top I am modifying - crocheting around the sleeves for drama (yes, I know... I said 'crochet' and didn't follow it with cough croshit cough). Wednesday, no knitting. Thursday, I tinked back ChickenKnittle's sock so I could start the leg over with larger needles and more stitches. (Tinking doesn't count.) Today, no knitting.

Okay, so I can't blame it all on my achey hand from the Ravelympics. My trigger finger thumb has been very sore lately. Surgery is scheduled for September 22. Between now and then, I'll do some actual knitting, but probably not much. And definitely not as much as I did last weekend!

Thank Goodness They Weren't Time Trials!

I raise my left hand with a cramped and bloodied stump and say, "thank goodness that's over!"

Oh, okay; I had fun. I learned lots of things:

- “Forced project monogamy” is not my cuppa tea. (I still managed to cheat on both Ice Queen and Lacey Vee with at least 3 other projects. I'm a hopeless yarn ho.)
- The more projects I finished, the more I wanted to cast on for something else.
- That I am actually capable of finishing knitted items that aren’t socks.
- That working with yarn on a cone is wonderful - no joining!
- That working with yarn on a cone is a pain in the tush - YOU try lugging around 2 pounds of cotton to get your WIP knitting done! (That’s why it was a WIP for 3 years!)
- That I really really like my Ice Queen.


The Knitters (well, most of them...) were here yesterday and I was knitting pretty solidly with them from around 3:30 pm until 8:30 or so when the last person left, then on into the night until 1:30 am, when I bound off just as the US basketball team won their gold medal match. Fitting, I thought.

But, really... my left hand is killing me if I put it into any position other than knitting position. I'm tempted to make progress on ChickenKnittle's socks, or Kadootje's socks, or RP's socks... but I'm going to pretend to be all growed up and dunk my hand in a bucket of ice water instead. So, while I do that, you can admire my lates FO. Friends, Romans, hunky Olympic swimmers, I give you Lacey Vee tee. (And, since I had the camera out, the teeny bit of progress on the Gumdrops socks.)

The Omega Clock Says It's Official

... so I got my Cowl Jump award today for completing Ice Queen! Yay!

One Finish Line Down, One to Go!

Done with Ice Queen. It's quite lovely; fluffy and pretty and discretely sparkly. The pictures below show it before blocking (it's drying now). The one yellowy-toned picture is without a flash. I included it because it shows off the beads better than the flash shots, but it really doesn't look like camo-colored yarn in real life. The color in the flash shots are truer to life. I'm very pleased with it.

As for the Lacey Vee tee, I've got one more inch on the back before about 2 inches of back neck shaping, then on to the front. I don't think that finishing by next Sunday (the Olympics closing ceremony) will be a problem; with a lot of effort, I may even be able to get it done by Thursday night's night group. Go, Meggie!