Flooding

We had been forewarned that there would be high winds, and the power ALWAYS goes out when we have strong winds. I woke up at 4:45 when Dan got up to shower for work. I turned on the news to see what was up, and already things weren’t looking good. I really wanted Dan to stay home but he swore he needed to go in to work. He had originally planned to stay until around noon then come home, but when I told him that’s when the peak winds were supposed to hit, he decided to just stay a few hours.

Even before he made it to work, I saw on the news that all the routes, except the one we use all the time, were closed due to flooding or other reasons. I called him and begged him to come right home. He did a few things quickly at work then headed home.

When he got back to the junction of the freeway and the highway to Vernonia, he could already see the beginnings of flooding. There’s a large area of flatland right there, and it was already completely underwater. The road had several spots of standing water that was beginning to get deep.

I was so relieved when he made it home around 9. We had the news on, and the boys and I were happily doing school when the phone rang. It was Paul from our church, asking if we could go down and help people take all the stuff out of the downstairs of our church, where they hold Sunday school. We drove down there. One the route there, we had to drive by the “creek” in town, which by then was a raging river. A family had recently built a house near the banks, on a large basement foundation with a garage. By then, the water was half way up the garage door. The creek had jumped the banks in other places too, and was about 1 block into the street. It was 2 blocks from the church at this time. We started bringing stuff up as fast as possible. There were about a dozen people there. The water was coming up from the toilets and starting to flood the floor. It smelled like raw sewage and we did as much as we could and left.

As we were leaving I was talking to my friend who lived about 3 blocks from the church. She said we could come over and hang out at her house, but I don’t think she had any idea of the danger. There is another creek about 3 blocks on the other side of her house too. I gave her my number and directions to my house just in case. When I got home I started calling my friends to make sure they were OK, especially my friend who lives right by the lake and has a newborn. They had made it to another friends house to stay.

Kimmy, my friend, calls and says she’s getting worried, she can see the water. She needs to get out immediately. She was moving stuff upstairs, then was going to come over, but was scared she wouldn’t make it through the standing water on the road. Dan went down there in our truck and led her through the mess because she wanted to make sure she got her car out. They got out JUST in time. The puddle she had to drive through was so high the water was up to the wheel wells.

We hung out at home, watching TV while the rain poured down. The wind was not nearly what the predicted in our area, but the water just wouldn’t stop. Just as the rain seemed to stop, the power and phones went completely out.

We have a generator, so we fired that up and watched the news. It was just incredible. Streets all over Portland were closed because of standing water. Kimmy and I decided to take a walk to see what was going on in town. We walked down to my neighbor’s house where there is a trail that takes you down to a street closer to where the water is. We could see the water raging and when we got to the main road the water was at least 3 blocks long. A lifted jeep went through it and was all the way up to it’s headlights.

Kimmy had left her big dogs upstairs at her house, and when she saw the water she was going to walk through it. I talked her into going back to my house, where Dan could blow up our inflatable boat and take her down that way. It took about ½ hour to get the boat ready, and they took off about 4:30 just as it was getting dark.

They ended up boating about 8 blocks to her house. She pushed open her gate and they floated right up to her front door. There was about 2 feet of standing water inside at the time. They got the dogs, then boated around her house to where their boat was stored. Her cat was hiding there so they grabbed her and came home.

Her husband Raymond had gone into work that day, and we had called him to tell him not even to try to come home. He of course didn’t listen to us, and tried to get home. The only communication we had at that time was cell phones, and he didn’t have one. We waited and waited for a call and it never came. Kimmy was calling everyone she knew to try to find him with no luck.

We finally went to bed around 10 or so. At 4 AM Hennessy woke up because it was dark and she was scared. We all sat up. When the boys got up Dan started the generator again so we could watch the news. At about 6:00 a white truck drove up to our house and we knew Raymond had made it home safe.

He had waited at each place of standing water all night until it receded enough for his truck to make it through. He made it close to town at about 1 am and left his truck because there was 1 area he couldn’t cross. The Corps of Engineers picked him up in their huge truck and took him to the mini mart, about 3 blocks from his house. He then ended up wading through chest deep water to their house where he stayed until morning.

We went down to their house that morning to survey the damage. All her new furniture (not totally paid for) was ruined, the carpets, bottom kitchen cabinets, everything. She’s a dog groomer and her shop was flooded too.

Cleanup efforts are now underway all over town. The water that covered town was sewage so it’s really gross and smelly. Our days are spent pulling up carpets, sucking water from underneath foundations, and ripping out sopping wet insulation. There is a lot to do to make their house livable again, and they don’t have flood insurance. We wait for the President to step in to get FEMA involved. I hope for their sakes they get what they need.

They are staying with us at the present and will continue to do so until their house is habitable. We’re all learning to live in a house with 8 people (they have a 2 year old), 4 dogs, and 5 cats. It’s interesting to say the least.

In Memory of Annie

My baby didn't make it through the night. She was just too sick to fight anymore. This is one of only 2 or 3 pictures I can find of her. If I would have known I would only have her for a year, I'd have taken more. She was the best cat ever.
I can't post for a while. I'm just too sad.

Kitty update

She's at the kitty hospital and doing well. I took her there yesterday. She had a high white blood cell count which means she has some type of bacterial infection. They started her on IV fluids and antibiotics and just let her rest overnight. They are going to force feed her this morning (because she isn't choosing to eat) and make sure she doesn't vomit. Then if she starts eating this afternoon, they'll let her be. If she doesn't, they are going to put a tube down into her stomach to feed her for the next week or so until she gains some weight, gets her strength back, and starts eating on her own. I'll be able to pick her up tomorrow afternoon, and they'll teach me to feed her with the tube if necessary. I'm so relieved. I honestly wasn't sure she'd survive the 45 minute trip to the pet hospital yesterday.
I'm knitting up the hat design I created. It's turning out nice. Now to find some good yarn to try it out in. I'm just testing it with crappy cheap stuff.

Sick cat

This week has sucked. All 4 of our fish died, including the one we've had several months and who has survived 2 trips on the carpet. I think the 3 new ones DH brought home from Pet Smart were sick or something. So yesterday we got a new one, a big white fish with an orange head. Today we got another one that looks the same but is smaller. The big one is Tiger, and the small one is Maria. Interesting huh?
We've had a sick cat for a week or so, but didn't know which one it was. We suspected one, but it turns out it wasn't her. This afternoon I went into our bedroom and found 2 more pee spots on the carpet (that is why we knew one was sick) and Annie looked so skinny and lethargic. In fact, I wasn't sure how long she'd make it, so I called the vet right away and took her in. That's a challenge with 3 kids in tow. She was tested for FIV and FIP, and Thank God it was negative. They gave her some fluids, and did a $100 panel of blood work to try and figure out what is wrong. They said her liver is breaking down, either because she has a liver disease, or maybe it's just because she's dehydrated and hasn't been eating. I got some cans of cat food to basically force feed her too. Well the food is absolutely disgusting. It took DH and I 20 minutes to get a little down her (forcefully). She kept that down OK until I tried giving her some fluids too later. Then she puked all over DH, and the smell was so bad I puked too. Poor guy, cat puke all over him and a wife with her head in the toilet. Fortunately he has a stronger stomach than I.
He said that the cat was in drinking water shortly after that so maybe she's feeling a little better. I just can't have another animal die this week. The fish thing was very dramatic for B since the fish was a birthday present.
Knitting wise, I've basically just knit on my hats this week. I designed a fair isle hat (on paper) that I need to start trying to knit up. I tried it using some yarn I had, but didn't like it so I ripped it out to try again with a different yarn. I also started a scarf for my SP but don't like it either. I need to make her something fast since it's basically the end of SP season. I haven't been the best SP I could be and I feel bad. Usually I'm much better than this.

A week has passed.....

And I've only knit hats. I finished 3 for my friend's 2 kids and her husband, and then I knit myself a Jackyll & Hyde (from Knitty) for Halloween. The kids love it and I love that I feel like Clark Kent with my Superman suit beneath my suit. I wore it today and showed it to Cee-Cee's teacher and K. who loved it. The kids had a great time wearing it too.
School is going well and the kids' grades are great. Homeschooling has just been a blessing to us. Today K and I took the kids to the park and met another homeschooling family, people we hadn't met before. We told them about our upcoming co-op and hopefully they will join. She belongs to another one in Hillsboro but was interested in ours too. Her boys were in K and 2nd, and all 4 boys really enjoyed playing with each other.
I'm knitting K an Anemoi hat right now, then when I'm done I'm going to start knitting hats to sell at the bazaar. We're thinking of getting a table in some bazaars in Hillsboro too, since we likely won't make too much money here in the sticks.
Our church had a concert on Sunday by a wonderful Southern Gospel group called Blackwood Legacy. They have a young gentleman (just 21) in their group that is a piano virtuoso. He played and it totally amazed me. I bought some of their CD's, and they plan to use the proceeds to record an album of him playing piano.
Prison Break is back on again. I always miss it when it's not on, because I don't get to see Wentworth Miller. God he's cute.

Apparently.....

I upset someone with my rant about the baby sweater vest that just didn't work. The pattern was vague, and I just couldn't figure it out. So I ranted about it in my blog, which is my personal space to say any damn thing I want.
Today I got a comment about it saying that maybe I should have contacted the yarn manufacturer instead of downing them. I have a few comments back to you.
1. Why should I contact the manufacturer? Isn't it the responsibility of pattern publishers to make certain that patterns are clear to the general public? Shouldn't they be test knit by people of all skill levels to make sure instructions are easy to understand? I know that mistakes can be made but this pattern had been out for a long while. And, interestingly, it has now been removed from their website. Coincidence maybe, but I still would NOT recommend that pattern.
2. Do you honestly think that the manufacturer has any idea what the designer had in mind when the instructions read "at the same time"? The manufacturer is just publishing a free pattern and likely has no relationship with the designer to even find out that information.
3. The only badmouthing I did of the company was to state that they published ONE vague pattern. I never made any comments about their yarn, or any other pattern they have ever published.
4. Dammnit, this is MY blog, and I can say ANY FUCKING THING I WANT!!!!!!!!!
5. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ MY BLOG!

That said, I got my socks off in the mail to my target. She didn't respond to my email so I hope she doesn't flake. Seems as if my assassin has socks in the mail to her too, so it will be interesting to see where my target's socks end up. I sure wish my assassin would have been slow but no such luck. That's OK, this way I will only have to mail 1 pair of socks. I had fun making them too and the ones coming to me are very pretty.
I'm knitting a bunch of camouflage hats to sell at our local Christmas bazaars. My friend and I will get a table together and she's going to sell scrapbooks or something similar. I bought a bunch of yarn to get hats made. I made a test one for K's son A today. She took it home today after they left from a visit. I'm making one for her husband now, who is a big hunter. That's why I think these hats will go over so well. Almost everyone in town hunts. Camouflage is standard wear around here.
School is going well. The boys have each had a few tests/quizzes and are doing well. Some days they are more resistant than others. Poor G had 3 quizzes today, and 2 tests on Wednesday. It hardly seems fair. I hope things spread out better over the course of the year.

Sock Wars

I've not had a lot of knitting time as we are in full homeschooling mode right now. But I forgot I signed up for Sock Wars. You see, your goal is to knit a pair of socks (from a given pattern) as fast as you can then mail them to your "target" to "kill" them. They then send you their partially completed socks along with the info on their target, and you kill them, and so on. Well, my "dossier" came on Friday and I dutifully knit as fast as I could. I finished the socks this evening, but I'll be killed at about the same time these arrive at my target. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!
On another note, we spent the entire Friday at doctor/orthodontist appointments. Garrett got his poky wire fixed first, then off we went to OHSU for 3 different appointments. First, a comprehensive hearing test for Brendyn. He failed his screen at school in the spring, and we found out about 2 months ago that it's because he has fluid behind his eardrums. We waited 8 weeks hoping his body would rid itself of the fluid, but the hearing test proved that it hasn't. He didn't do any better this time than 2 months ago. So, off to the ENT doctor we went. According to her, it won't clear on it's own, and our choices are to let his hearing stay bad, or get ear tubes placed. So, we're opting for the tubes. While they're at it, they're going to remove his adenoids and possibly his tonsils. If so, I'll be glad. He's a snorer and mouth breather and maybe getting rid of that stuff will help that. Plus he had exudative tonsillitis this summer. He freaked out on the table and was bawling his poor little eyes out at the thought of surgery until he learned he could have lots of ice cream. Now he's going around telling everyone he's having surgery.
We got a quick x-ray of his neck (the adenoids), then we rushed off to eat a quick lunch in the hospital cafe. It was pretty good.
Then, off to Garrett's developmental pediatrician. We've elected to add an afternoon dose of his ADHD meds for better behavior control. We forgot to give it to him this weekend but I'll hopefully remember tomorrow. I might have to set an alarm.
I ordered some camouflage yarn and I'm going to try to knit up a bunch of hats to sell at Christmas bazarrs this season. My friend Katie is going to have a table selling something so I'll probably share with her. Even if I could make a few bucks that would be good. We live in hunting country so camouflage stuff will go over well.

Books are here

We finally got our books today from Connections. Two giant boxes with over 50 pounds of stuff. It took me a while to sort it, then determine what can be written in and what can't. I thought it was coming FedEx which comes in the morning, but it turns out it was coming UPS which comes in the afternoon. I ended up not being able to leave the house all day because I had to sign for the boxes and I was afraid I'd miss the delivery. My good friend took Cee-Cee to school and back for me, and brought over lunch afterward. They stayed until about 2 and then she took B home with her to do some school lessons with her daughter. I'm glad things have finally arrived so we can get down to "real" work and not just do a ton of math every day.
I have one Random Rib sock basically done and since I need to check it's fit, I guess DH will know what one of his Christmas presents is. It better fit, or I"m not doing it over.

Why is it...

1. That I get every illness that goes around? It wasn't bad enough that I caught the awful cold that was going around. This weekend I became the proud owner of the stomach flu too. I'm still not over that.
2. That the boys can get through 2-3 math assignments in 1 day when we are doing homeschool and they couldn't even get one done during school hours? At this rate, B will have his 2nd grade math done by spring. And even G(who isn't feeling well) put in 2 lessons today in prep for a test tomorrow.
3. My mom can't make up her mind on a sweater to knit? Seems like every thing she tried this weekend was a bust. I feel bad. She really wants to knit a sweater but just can't find the perfect combination of yarn and pattern.
4. That this stupid sweater vest is knitting up so freaking slow? Maybe it's the 312 stitches around, and about 9 million rows I need to knit to get up to the armpits. Yeah, that's it.
5. That I can't ever remember that G needs to attend "live lessons" for school that start at 11:30? I always remember after 12 and they are done at 12:15. I'm going to have to start planning better.
6. That Cee-Cee never pees her pants when we are at someone else's house, at school, or in town, but she refuses to take herself potty at home? I'm tired of all the wet pants.
7. That no matter how much I clean, my house always looks messy? Maybe it's all the stuff we have. I should de-clutter. Yeah, right.
6. That the baked apple pie candles smell so good? I'm going to have to invest a fortune in buying them because they make the hosue smell so nice.
7. That I have "start-itis" again, and can't wait to get a new project OTN?
8. That I joined sock wars? I did it before I decided to HS the boys. We'll see how fast I get killed I guess.
9. That I have no desire to start knitting the projects I was going to knit as Christmas presents? They are just so freaking boring. Maybe I'll have to change my plans.....
10. That I'm sitting here blogging instead of knitting????????

Not much knitting time

Since starting homeschooling the boys, my knitting time has been significantly reduced. And that's OK for now. We're trying to get into a routine and they need frequent guidance at this point. They are both actually doing quite well and I'm very proud of them for what they've done so far. When our books get here on Wednesday we'll be able to work on the entire curriculum and not have to postpone parts.
As far as knitting goes, I'm just working on the Hyland Argyle Sweater for DH, and a pair of socks (Random Rib Socks) that will go along with the sweater. They are going fast, and the sweater is not. It's long and boring. I might also cast on the new socks from MagKnits, that are done in short rows. That is if I can decide which yarn to use........

Hat fever

A good friend asked me to knit some hats for her. Sure, I said. I can do that, and I offered to do them for the insanely cheap price of $5 as I was going to use crappy acrylic that I have a ton of. It's not the nicest yarn, but it's actually pretty soft and Red Heart Kids has some cute variegated colors. So then she tells me she wants 6 of them. Gasp, if you will. I didn't blink an eye. Of course I can do that. How fast do you want them?
So I started the hats last week. Luckily I have this gallery of hats that I designed. She chooses 5, and tells me to pick my own design on the 6th. Well, after 3 hats all in one color (well, in one variegated yarn) I got bored. So I said "How 'bout I knit this great fair isle hat for one of them? It turned out so awesome looking that I said "How 'bout I knit another fair isle hat?" I ended up doing not 1, not 2, but 3 fair isle hats, all for the bargain basement price of $5 each because I was having so much fun knitting them. I think I'm hatted out for a while.
I started the Hyland Argyle Vest for DH today. It's going to be one of his Christmas presents (providing I get it done in time). It's kind of boring because there's a LOT (who am I kidding, a lot doesn't even begin to describe the amount of it) of stockinette. About a million inches and 308 (inceased to 312) stitches around, partly due to the extra pounds DH has put on since being married to me. If it would have been 12 years ago that I was knitting this pattern, I'd have been able to get by with a M. Now I'm knitting an XL. Not that I'm knocking on DH for gaining a few, I have absolutely NO room to talk. I'm just speaking in pure numbers here, the stitch count for a S was in the 250 range. 50 times a bazillion is a lot of extra stitches.
The boys had their last day of school at WGS today and when I picked them up their backpacks were full of the school supplies I purchased at the beginning of the year. At least it looked like all of them, there was so freaking much stuff I couldn't even tell you if it all came back. It took me forever to organize it, and stash all their work they've done this year so far. Tomorrow we'll get their school computer and the "school" area in the house set up for them. They are excited, but we'll see how they are feeling in about a month or so.
Two of my friends and I are swapping babysitting once a week. One person takes all 3 girls (all 3 years old) from 9:30-2 or so one day a week. It's supposed to be my week coming up but K. has volunteered to take my week again to help me get in the swing of school with the boys. She is a better friend than anyone could ever ask for. She has done more for me in the year than anyone I've even known that isn't family and required to do so.
We got a lovely notice from our mortgage company that we have a huge escrow shortage this year. We either have to make up $1800 right away, or over the course of a year. That combined with the new escrow payment will raise our mortgage about $350 a month, which is nearly the amount of money we were trying to save monthly. That really sucks. We'll find a way to manage but we really wanted to beef up our savings because we spent a lot of it last year buying the truck.

OFF

OFF was awesome. We got there about 10:30 AM on Saturday, which was perfect. It was busy but not so busy you couldn't move around. The first room full of vendors was interesting, but it leaned more toward fleece, roving, and sheep. Like ceramic sheep, sheep magnets, everything sheep.
Then we went outside, and there were a ton of vendors with tents on the lawn. I first saw A Swell Yarn Shop. This I was thrilled about. We decided to take a break, and had a Diet Coke and some kettle corn. Then we shopped the vendors outside. Angora Valley was also outside (Fly*Dyed yarns), as well as Abundant Yarn and Dyeworks, who had dyed up a ton of Trekking to sell. I was disappointed that I hadn't seen Blue Moon Fiber Arts yet, and thought I surely couldn't have missed that booth. Then we found a whole other room full of vendors, and there was BMFA and their famous Socks That Rock. They had some that were mill ends, but only a few skeins of those left at a bargain price. All in all I had a great time and bought 7 (yep, 7) skeins of sock yarn all for myself. My mom also bought 2 books and she was happy with that.
So, here's my haul
Sweet Grass Wool Toe Jammies, in the color Tuscany. Lovely golds, steel blues, wine, and gray.












Chameleon Colorworks Twinkle Toes in Flamingo Sunrise. Beautiful wine, pink, yellow and orange colors.









Socks That Rock in Rare Gems, tuquoise teal, and green, as well as a mill end skein which is shades of tans












Fly*Dyed Lace Wing Sock Yarn, in Twilight, purples, steely blues, and pinks. amd Myst, deeper purples, dark blues and gray.












Last but not least, Trekking yarn which is plant dyed by Abundant Yarns and Dyeworks. It's called grayscale, and it's varying shakes of grays.












I made it home in time to turn back around and drive back into town with my girlfriends for a girl's night out. We went to Olive Garden for my friend's 30th birthday and we had lots of fun.
Today I got a box from KP, with my harmony sock needles (haven't tried them yet) a book, and enough Telemark to knit DH a sweater vest (from the aforementioned book). I hope he likes it, and if he doesn't he at least better wear it to church or something.

OFF tomorrow

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is tomorrow. I should be sleeping so I'm well rested for tomorrow but instead I'm eating ice cream.
One of my friends asked me to make 6 hats for her for Christmas presents. She is paying me. The hats are boring as hell but since I'm getting paid I can't complain too much. I'm also using acrylic yarn and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I finished the first of my Riverbed Master pattern socks. I still am not fully happy with the way the cuff looks. I was hoping to get knee socks out of it but I didn't, they come about mid-calf. I'm working on my other projects while the lone sock cries out for a partner. My Naive sock is also waiting for it's mate. Maybe I could wear them together as mismatches. NOT.
I got my first Lucky Lurker club shipment last Saturday. It's very pretty and I'm not waiting long to start knitting with this. The heel/toe skein is a lovely maroon color, and the big skein is maroon, light pink, and sky blue.
Connections Academy has received the boys' school documents. I guess I missed some pages of G's IEP so I had to fax those today. Hopefully on Monday those will be checked off and we'll be into the next stage. As soon as I click the "final enrollment" thingy, their books will be shipped. G is doing crossing guard at the school this week so I'm going to let them stay in school for this week.

Much better.......

So I think I may have finally figured out my "master numbers" to knit Cat Bordhi's socks. No, they aren't what I thought they would be, nor do they seem to be what my real feet measure. I used those numbers and the socks turned out huge, even though my gauge is spot on. I'm on about my 10th incarnation of the riverbed master sock and I think this time I might finally have it right. Good thing that KP Felici yarn holds up well to multiple froggings. Here's the weird thing. I wear a size 9 shoe, but my feet really don't measure the length that she says a woman's size 9 is. Perhaps I'm wearing the wrong size shoe, but the last 8 1/2's I bought my toe touched the end. Supposedly my mid-foot should be a 9-9.5 (which is is at least on my measuring tape) but I'm ending up making socks using an 8 inch mid-foot circumference (with the Felici at least) and I think they are going to fit perfect. The other sizes weren't even hugging my foot at all. So I'm using 56 stitches around, which will probably be too small for my fat calves but since I've basically figured all this myself, I suppose I can figure in calf shaping. I hope to knit until I run out of yarn since these are 50g balls. Maybe I'll get a pair of knee highs for big girls out of it. These socks look weird when you knit them. Kind of boxy and unattractive when not on one's feet. I sure hope they look better when I have them knit in my size, and on my feet.
My back is still f-ed up. The doctor says I should get some massage therapy. Yeah, tell my insurance company that. Supposedly the lady in town who does massage is really cheap though (and good) so I think I'll call her tomorrow to see if I can get in on Friday since Dan is taking the day off.
Found out today there are 14 other kids in Vernonia enrolled in Connections. That will be good for the boys. There are at least 2 others in 2nd grade, and I don't know about the rest of them. Hopefully we'll soon meet the other families. K (my friend whose daughter already goes there) and I are hoping to get a co-op going where we do 4 stations (science, PE, arts/crafts, and snack) all together. I think that would be awesome!
G has to have his braces tightened tomorrow. I feel bad for him. I remember how much it used to hurt. Fortunately he's done quite well with them. It does mean a long trip into town tomorrow though, and a trip through Banks to pick up my new BP meds. Let's hope it doesn't make me feel as crappy as the old one did.
I got my Lucky Lurker sock yarn on Saturday and it's really pretty. She does a really nice job, but I'm not fond of her patterns. She likes "afterthought" heels and I don't care for those. I should preface that by saying I've never done one, but I don't care for how they look. Besides, right now I'm obsessed with Cat Bordhi socks. I'll be stalking Amazon when her new one comes out.

It's going to be a miracle

If I ever get a pattern knitted from New Pathways, I'm going to rejoice. Nothing seems to work. I tried to knit the Home & Hearth Eyelet Anklets, but they turned out huge. I don't know why. My gauge is spot on and I followed the instructions but I'm sure that they would have been big even on DH, and his feet are several sizes larger than mine. They seemed huge after I got done with the arch expansion, but even then I gave them a second chance. I finished them all the way through the heel, then tried them on again. I might have been able to fit them over my shoes. I just don't get it. I was knitting them with the first yarn I dyed myself (with Kool-Aid) and they were going to be house socks but they just weren't going to work. So down went another pattern (at least for this week).
I did give Bartholomew's another try, and just didn't like the way they looked. So I ripped them too. Then I thought I might knit the Cables & Corrugations socks, but the sizes that the pattern gives seem to me to be kids sizes. I'm just not so sure what was going on in Cat Bordhi's life when she designed these patterns. The biggest size in the C&C socks is an 8.5 in midfoot, which according to the chart in the back coordinates with a woman's size 5. I personally don't know ANY women with feet that small. I have freakishly big feet for a 5'4" person, but when I knit the anklets to that size, they were huge. I seriously don't know. Maybe I'm just sock challenged right now. I did finish the Monkey socks without a problem. Maybe it's just this book.
But I'm not going to let it get the best of me. Tonight I decided to start the Riverbed master pattern, and I'm just going to knit a basic stockinette sock. If it works, I'm going to rejoice. If not, it will be just one more on my list of patterns to knit differently next time.
I don't know what the hell I did, but I really screwed up my back. It hadn't really been bothering me lately (it's just an occasional thing). I walked 3 miles with K. on Wednesday, and i'ts been messed up ever since. I can barely sit, barely stand, barely lie down. I took 2 Vicodin tonight along with a muscle relaxant and it just takes the edge off. I'm going to take a sleeping pill here in a while and hope for the best for the rest of the night. I may end up sleeping on the couch if I can't get comfortable on the bed. I think that the stupid bed is part of the problem. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, if I survive until then.
On a completely non knitting note, I've decided to homeschool my boys. We've found a program called Connections Academy, which is a public school curriculum that is taught at home. I'm very frustrated with our school here and have just decided that I need to pull them out. G. is behind and struggling, and B is bored because it's too easy. They seem to be on board with the whole program but we'll see in a few months. There's a pretty big homeschool community here, and a good friend of mine (with a child the same age as B) is using Connections too. We're hoping to get meetings/activities going here in town. I guess they used to meet (the homeschoolers) but slacked off. I hope we can get a group going again. I'm going to need a lot of support. I really am not sure about my abilities, but it can't be any worse than the local school right now. We have to fax a ton of forms on Monday, and when we are notified that they are fully enrolled, they will be removed from their school. I think in the long run it will benefit everyone. I just hope I don't go looney having them home all day. They are going to have to learn to get along better.
Wish me luck. I will probably need it.

I need a new project

I finished the socks I was making (the top secret project, ssh don't tell anyone it's socks). They turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I also made a matching headband since I had so much yarn leftover. I could still probably knock out another little project with the rest of the leftover yarn but I think I am done. I also finished the little Coriolis socks. I was almost done with the second sock when I realized I hadn't made the spiral go the other way. So I ripped it out and started again. It only took me about an hour to finish it.
So my new question is what should I knit now? I'm leaning toward Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks from New Pathways. I started this sock but ripped it because I didn't think it was going to be wide enough around. I think I'll start it again on 2's and I think it will turn out OK.
I'm having terrible back pain lately. I have an appointment with my PCP Tuesday. She's been on medical leave for 6 weeks and I don't like the nurse practitioner who has been filling in for her. It has restricted what I'm able to do, including knitting. The weather is crappy and that contributes to my feeling yucky. I wish there was a cure for fibromyalgia.
Yeterday I walked 3 miles with an old friend and a new friend. Their girls are in the same preschool as Cee-Cee. We are planning to walk on Mondays and Wednesdays while the girls are in school. I couldn't believe I made it around the pond 3 times. The first trip my legs were dying but after the 2nd round I felt pretty good. I did get a blister on the bottom of one foot but it doesn't hurt today. Tomorrow DH is off work so I might go walk by myself, just me and my podcasts. It's a good way to catch up on my podcasts, get some time alone, and get in some exercise. It's going to depend on how my back feels.
I still can't decide if I want to go to the Flock and Fiber festival. If I do, it will have to be after the Race for the Cure because I don't want to drive all that way a different day when I'd be already half way there.
Well crap. I just went looking on the site about the Race and it's on Sunday this year. Hmmmmmm. I thought it was on Saturday. That totally changes things. I'm going to have to do some thinking. Our church was going to have their Sunday School carnival that morning, and DH and I are supposed to start a class with Sam on becoming a Christian. I think we can probably reschedule that one class since we committed to the race (DH's work is paying for it). I think that maybe I can take Saturday and go to the Flock and Fiber festival, then go to the race Sunday morning. It will mean missing church because the walk starts at 9, and there's no way we can be home by 11 for church. Our town is too small to have a Saturday evening service. I feel bad about missing the carnival too. Another reason I want to go is that Woodland Woolworks (the shop that I have a gift card for) is going to be there. They are having a 15% off all yarn sale right now, and I can order online and pick up the order at the festival. I love me a sale. I've been wanting to get a skein of Bearfoot yarn, they have a colorway called Crazy Woman that I think if perfect for me.

Finishing

This is my least favorite part of knitting. I hate seaming, and I really hate sewing on buttons. So the Peapod baby set sat around for a few weeks. Then I picked up some cute buttons (planes, trains, cars, etc). But they were too big. So I ended up sewing on some plain buttons and I finally sent the package off in the mail. I thought I'd done a pretty good job on it until I was all done and looking at it. The sleeves look awfully short. I hope I didn't screw up but I didn't feel like digging out the pattern to check. I just looked at a few on Ravelry and their sleeves looked short too, so maybe I'm OK. I had planned on blocking it before I seamed it but I forgot so it doesn't look as nice as it could. Oh well. This person isn't a knitter and will never know.
I'm about 75% finished with my new STSP. When I'm done with this I need to come up with another thing to make to go with it. I have some ideas and plenty of leftover yarn. I still have a few weeks to finish it up too.
Then I need to get back to Christmas knitting. On and off, I'm working on a scarf, hat, and gauntlets for my sister. Then I still have my step-mom, mom, grandma, DH and kids to think about. I want to knit an argyle vest for DH but not sure how he would feel about that. I saw a really nice pattern somewhere but I've forgotten where it came from. I'll have to do some hunting. It was a solid sweater with an argyle stripe across the upper chest, and it was a pullover. If anyone recognizes this, let me know.
I'm sick and tired of feeling exhausted. I have a doctor's appointment next week, and hopefully we can get me on a medication that eases some of my fibromyalgia pain but doesn't leave me feeling like roadkill. I love my doctor and she works with me but she's been on medical leave for 6 weeks so I've just had to tough out feeling like crap. I also need to get on a new blood pressure med. The one she gave me made me feel really sick so (don't tell anyone) I quit taking it about a month ago. I'm still taking the diuretic but I quit the other, and really probably should be taking it. I just can't take feeling like crap though.
My mom's group started meeting again which is great. There were 2 new ladies there today and they were really nice. One is having a little girl in a few months so I'm probably going to give her a bunch of Cee-Cee's old clothes. I just want to be rid of them!

New super top secret project

I have a new super top secret project in the works. I have a good friend who has a birthday in about 2 weeks so I'm making her a pair of socks. She loves my socks so I'm making her a pair of Monkey's. I'm working on the 3rd lace repeat on the leg and I just started this afternoon. So far it's a pretty easy pattern so I hope it turns out OK. For some reason though I keep thinking I finished a whole round when I'm only to the end of the 1st needle (I'm a magic looper). I've had to pull out a few rows to fix my mistakes.
Here's a dilemma, maybe someone out there will know what to do. My dad got me a gift certificate for my birthday, but unfortunately it's to a needlepoint shop. I don't needlepoint, and I don't plan to pick it up either. It's not a teeny amount either, it's pretty substantial. I was hoping that maybe this place would sell yarn, and they sell some yarn, but not the kind of yarn I want to knit with. I emailed the place asking if they would refund me the $$ for it or work out something, without spilling the beans. I feel really bad, he was trying to be very thoughtful but I really wish he would have asked me first. Unfortunately this is typical of him. I'd sure like that amount of money to spend on yarn though, I could really get a lot of stuff that I want.
On a good note, my good friend K. gave me a gift certificate to a yarn shop that is local (sort of). It's about an hour away but they do have a website. I'm not sure yet if I'll go there or just order online. I'd love to save the shipping but this place is pretty out of the way. On the flip side, who knows if they have all their inventory online. I did look at their downloadable catalog and everything I saw in the catalog is online, so I'd guess that it is. Maybe I can talk her into going with me one day.

I can't follow New Pathways

I've really been trying to knit a sock from the New Pathways for Sock Knitters book by Cat Bordhi. I finished one whole Ocean-Toes sock and then ripped it out. It was really too tight, and I didn't want to restart it on bigger needles because I didn't really like the look of it. So I've been knitting a little bit of several socks then ripping them out. I just can't make up my mind so I think I'm going to put the socks away for a while and concentrate on getting Christmas gift knitting worked on. I did actually complete 1 pair of socks from the book, and 1 of a 2nd pair. The pair is the Little Sky sock, which are baby socks knit with worsted weight yarn. Just when I decided to knit these, a package from my SP11 showed up. She's from Finland so I got some cool Finnish yarn. SO I used the pink worsted weight she sent to make the baby socks. I'll give them to my friend K's baby R when I'm done. I also knit 1 of the little Coriolis sock, and I'll probably do the other soon. I just need a little break.
I want to make an Irish Hiking Scarf, hat and wrist warmers for my sister for Christmas. I have the Black and Cyan 100PW I want to use, but I got about 10 rows into it when I discovered my hands were turning black. I rinsed the yarn several times and then had to let it dry for a few days. It's still hanging in my bathroom but I'll probably ball it up again tonight and start the scarf again. It's a really simple pattern that I could probably knit in my sleep but I need a little boring right now.
I also got some lovely cream colored silk/wool in fingering weight. I had considered making myself a lacy scarf with it, but now I'm thinking a pair of cabled socks. I'm not completely sure yet. It's lovely stuff though.
The munchkin is asleep and the boys are at school. This is the first peace and quiet I've had since June. So now I think I'll take a nap myself.

Birthdays SUCK (especially mine)

I hate my birthday. Something shitty always happens and it ends up being a sucky day. Last year my mom was in the hospital and she was discharged on my birthday. So I got to spend 3 hours in the car, more time waiting at the pharmacy, and then I got to spend the next 6 weeks taking care of a very sick mom. That really sucked.
This year wasn't any better. Sure, I got up in the morning and everyone says happy birthday, here's your presents, and then it was like it was over. Lunch time rolls around, I make everyone lunch. DH spends the whole day doing stupid stuff around the house and ignoring me. My mom and the kids baked me a cake, but I had asked my mom to make something else I really wanted (spinach and artichoke dip) and she decided it was more important to to the cake frosting so I ended up making it myself. Dinner time rolls around, DH is in the bedroom putting away laundry instead of even being concerned with dinner at all. I finally got really pissed off at him and he decided to throw the pot of bean soup on the stove. Whoopie, it's my birthday and I get to eat leftover bean soup that I MADE. I just sometimes want to feel special, to be treated like I'm special and important to someone. Not ignored the whole day in favor of painting the trim on the house.
So I was too pissed to eat dinner, and then it's time for the kids to go to bed. Well, DH gives them a bath and puts them to bed. We didn't even have any cake. So I sit and wait thinking may be he'll get me some cake and eat it with me. Nope, he even walked through the kitchen a few times without a thought. So I got up, cut myself a piece of cake, poured some milk, and sat and ate it all by myself.
Happy Fucking Birthday to me.

Short

Monday the KP bare yarn came, along with the Jacquard dyes. I dyed the yarn 2 colors of blue, which turned out to be so similar that on the skein it's hard to tell them apart. I was a little disappointed because I spent so much time on them for it not to look different, but I'm happy with how the yarn turned out. I decided to call it "Sapphire Sky" and if I ever launch a yarn dyeing/pattern company, it's going to be called Holey Sheep! Designs. This line would be called Jewels of the Nile.
In preparation for my yarn diet I got some Tykie Knits sock yarn. One skein if BFL, my first purchase of it. It really is nice and soft, I can't wait to knit with it. The other 2 are 50% merino/50% tencel which is really nice and shiny. I don't think I've used any tencel yarn yet.
My baby turns 3 tomorrow. Because she's now going to be a "big girl" we went to Ikea tonight to get her a big girl bed. A good idea turned into a fiasco. First, DH decided to take the long way (and the short way is 1 1/4 hours!). We needed gas on the way, add another 15 minutes. Then at a most inopportune time, Cee-Cee decided she needed to go potty, so we ran by our old neighbor's house to see if they were home. Nope. So we hope to get to McD's about 10 minutes away and she ends up peeing her pants. Good thing we brought extras. We hit about every light and got behind every slow truck on the way. Then we got in the general vicinity but couldn't figure out how to get to where we needed to go. So we had to go past it, then turn around. It was almost 7 when we got there, the kids (and I for that matter!) were starving. The line at the restaurant was long and we had to wait another 10-15 minutes. We didn't finish eating until after 7:30 (and we ate fast) and we still had to shop. We ended up checking out just after they announced they were closed, and we didn't get home until 10:20. Cee-Cee fell asleep in the car but the boys were still up. I hope they sleep in in the AM.
Long story short, Cee-Cee got a new "big girl" bed and bedding. The bed is adjustable, so it will be shorter for a few years (maybe) and then we can make it longer when she gets taller. She's so tiny that even a twin bed would dwarf her. Of course, we had to buy slats for it and a special mattress too. The bedding is stripes and polka dots. The one I really wanted was out of stock, but since Ikea is so cheap I can just pick it up another time.
So we dropped a load tonight but my baby is worth it. She always gets hand-me-downs and I really wanted her to have something new.
Here's a few pictures of her from a few days ago. She wanted Grandma to read her a story, so my mom lay down in her bed with her. That's a bottle of root beer in her hand, but we thought it looked funny so DH snapped a picture. In the second picture, she is wearing the tutu I bought her for her first birthday. She's obviously grown since then.

Stalling again

So today I just didn't feel like knitting. I did finish the toe of my Naive sock (which fits amazingly). There was no toe pattern included, so I just found another sock pattern to use as a gude for finishing the toe. I had some ends to take care of (because I used the Duets yarn) so the sock is all done and needs to be put on the blocker for a picture. I didn't feel like starting anything else until my KP order came, which it did. Then I remembered I ordered yarn to DYE for the Peapod set, so I couldn't get started on that right away. I also ordered a bunch of their limited edition sock yarns (they were a test dye run and they weren't completely satisfied with the colors, but they were CHEAP) but I just didn't feel like starting socks. I have an idea for a sock pattern but I just couldn't get the concept down on paper today so I gave up. I did knit several rounds on the pinwheel baby blanket but that is so freaking boring. I'm up to like 300 stitches per round so it's very slow going. It's also still pretty small. I'm using bulky yarn next time.
So I wasted most of my day and did very little knitting. Hopefully I'll get more done.
In case anyone is reading and wondering, I did hear from my secret pal and all is well. She had a sick child and that was more important. I totally understand that. Usually around here more than 1 is sick at a time. Oh the joy of having 3 kids.
I did cave and ordered some more Fly*Dyed from Little Knits as well as the Cat Bordhi book. Maybe if it comes tomorrow (it should, she only lives a few hours away). Maybe I'll find inspiration in it to start some new socks.
I ordered some new clothes a few weeks ago and they hadn't arrived yet. I called the company today to try to figure out what is going on. Turns out, I forgot to change my email address, home address, phone etc so they had all my old info from over a year ago before we moved. They canceled the order because they couldn't get a hold of me. My credit card had been declined due to an incorrect billing address. They wouldn't reinstate my order and I had to reorder everything. When I had ordered before, some things were on sale and they aren't now. I asked them to honor that sale and they wouldn't. But, they sent me a coupon code for 25% off over $100 (which I was spending anyway) and the whole thing ended up costing me $1 less than the original order. After I placed the order I reconsidered and wondered if I shouldn't order from them in protest. But I need some new pants so I guess it doesn't matter.

SP11--in case you're reading my secret pal....

I'm really sad that I've only received the one brief first email from you. It's been a few weeks since the matches went out and I've tried to be patient and understanding but I feel very left out. I've participated in several exchanges and nearly always had a really good experience. I've had several emails with my downstream pal but just the one from you. I hope that you are just busy or something like that but I just want you to know that I'm sad and feeling neglected......
I spent all day yesterday avoiding knitting on the Naive socks. They just drone on and on. We spend most of the day cleaning the house, cleaning out the kids' closets, etc. And when I wasn't cleaning or cooking, I was on Ravelry or using other avoidance techniques. So today I decided I should just quit stalling and work on them some more. I've managed to get in about 15 rows today, which really isn't much. I plan to get this one sock done then putting the 2nd sock into hibernation status. I just CAN'T work on the second one right now.
I didn't get my KnitPicks order so I didn't get to start the Peapod Set this weekend. I hope it will come tomorrow, but then I have to dye the yarn. I forgot until yesterday that I bought bare yarn to dye. I haven't yet decided quite what color(s) to dye it. I hope inspiration will come to me tomorrow (when I'm sure the stuff will arrive).
I ordered one last yarn purchase before the big stash diet. One of my co-ops sells off Tykie Knits dyed yarn every once in a while so I bought some sock yarn. One skein is BFL, and I've never knit with it before. I hear it's 'da Bomb, and I hope that's true. It will ship Priority tomorrow, so it should be here by Thursday. I might sneak in an order with LittleKnits too, since she sells Fly*Dyed. Now that's some beautiful stuff at a great price with amazing yardage. I'm kind of dying for the new Cat Bordhi book too, and if I buy it there (it's not any cheaper at Amazon) I can get free shipping. I love free shipping!
My birthday is in a week and DH hasn't even asked me what I want. I tried to convince my mom to buy me a yarn club subscription but I don't think that she bought that one. Maybe DH will, or maybe my dad will send money. If I'm going to be on a yarn diet at least I'd like to get some yarn in the mail once in a while.

Still Naive

I'm still working on the Naive socks. Trying to keep track of the cable turns is really far more complicated than I expected. If I had designed these socks (which obviously I didn't) I would have coordinated the cable turns so that they weren't so hard to keep track of. But the socks will probably turn out prettier because of the way they are made.
I finished the heel flap and turn, then remembered I was using Duets yarn and was supposed to change yarn for the heel. So I had to rip the whole thing out and re-do it. That was a gymongo pain in the ass. And I was supposed to pick up for the gusset in a way that the edge stitch showed on the outside but for some reason I couldn't figure that out. Now I'm about half way down the foot and am glad to be almost done with the first. It would be d a shame not to knit the second but I need to take a break from all the cabling. I knew there was a reason I hadn't knit cabled socks before.
I'm hoping to get my package tomorrow so I can start on the Peapod Set. That needs to get done in a hurry so that's a good excuse to bail on the second sock for now.
I'm also considering designing my own sock. Nothing too complicated but pretty. I'm not too much into lacy socks so they will be more utilitarian but still feminine. I have some lovely yarn to use that is VERY light fingering weight. I'll probably have to knit with it on a 0 to get the density of fabric I want.
We're cracking down on our budgeting next month so I'll be on a yarn restriction for a while. That doesn't mean I can't buy anything but I need to bust through some of the stash I have so we can save some money.

Quick Post

I started the Naive socks yesterday, and had about 30 rows done. I screwed up one of the 6 stitch cables, and tried to rip it down and fix it but it was a mess. So then I decided to just rip it back to that point. When I was trying to get the needles back in, Cee-Cee got mad at me and grabbed it. Well, that was the end of it, and I just ripped the whole thing to restart it. I think it was going to be too small around anyway. I was using magic loop on a 2, and it just seemed small. So I switched to DPN's (the instructions are written for DPN's anyway) and it's much looser and is going well. I've completed about 50 rounds. What's difficult is keeping track of when to turn the cables. Each cable (2 stitch, 4 stitch, and 6 stitch) is turned at a different interval, and usually they end up being on different rows. I have a system, and as long as I make the proper marks it will be OK.
I got my 100purewool co-op order yesterday. It ended up costing me $85,45 (w/shipping)for 12 skeins, or $7.12 per skein. If I would have purchased it from the website, it would have cost me $128.50 (w/shipping) plus any customs fees. I think I got a pretty darn good deal. The colors are beautiful.

What's the use in trying?

I finally retired the Lime N Violet yarn back to the sock yarn bin for a while. I got frustrated with all the BS involved in trying to knit with it. No matter what I did, disaster followed. So I give up on it for a while, but I won't be defeated. I WILL knit that yarn at one point. Just not right now because I'm too pissed off at it.
I found a really cool pattern on Ravelry yesterday. Turns out the girl who wrote it hasn't released it yet, but she let me have a copy to test knit. This AM I worked up a chart for the leg portion because it was confusing to me to read the pattern the way it's written. I'm sure she will write up a better pattern before she releases it.
I caved and ordered some new yarn to make a Peapod Baby set for Baby M. I ordered it from KnitPicks so I didn't spend that much money. Plus, while I was at it, I ordered a bunch of their limited edition sock yarns. They are cheap and available in limited quantities because they didn't come out exactly like KnitPicks wanted them to.

Holy Disaster Day!

This was a knitting disaster day. What can I say except that nothing seemed to go right. I was trying to finish up the cute little vest, but the stupid pattern doesn't make sense. No matter what I do, it doesn't work out. I think that the person writing it must have been on crack. But someone on Ravelry made it and didn't make any notes referencing crack-using pattern writers, so maybe it was just me. No matter what I tried, the stitches didn't add up, and I couldn't figure out how I was going to attach the front to the back given the way I was supposed to bind off stitches. I hate it when patterns say "AT THE SAME TIME". I tried doing "at the same time" and that didn't work. So I tried doing what it says after it says "at the same time" at the same time, and that didn't work either. Somehow I ended up with a vest with a different sized front and back, and no way to understand why or how it turned out that way.
I just checked out the blog of the only person I can find who knit this blasted pattern, and this is what she says (and I quote)

A wee vest for the chap i work withs wee boy who will be 1 next week, cute dontcha think, looks like something one would play cricket in! Cygnet wool rich 4ply and this pattern
Was a fairly quick knit even if i did have to frog half the front due to unclear pattern, but i muddled thru!

Notice the part about the unclear pattern. Glad I'm not the crack smoking idiot, the pattern writer is. I hope she doesn't come to my blog (Jan McCarthy if you're interested in having a chat with me about this pattern, I'll have you over for coffee!) and see what I've written. Screw it, I hope she does. Pattern writers need to know when their patterns suck.
That brings me to a topic I really want to delve into today. Patterns NEED to be test knit. Not just by the pattern writer, but by a non-biased third (and maybe fourth and fifth) party. And please please please make things clear. None of this "at the same time" shit. If you want me to do a row, and do two things at once, write out the whole row you lazy writer! Sheesh, it probably would have taken Ms. Jan a few more minutes to write the pattern out more accurately than it did for her to slop together the crap she calls a pattern. Maybe I'm not supposed to complain since it was a free pattern but still, one has expectations of accuracy in a published pattern, and even more for one that was published by a well known yarn company **cough cough Classic Elite Yarns cough cough**.
So I pulled the whole thing out and rewound up the yarn and I intend to make a lovely pair of socks with it when I'm no longer so pissed off. That might take a while.
In the mean time, I decided to knit on my toe up socks in the Lisa Souza Lime N Violet. Well, in my flurry of pissed-off-ness, I tore out the needle from the part I'd already done. So I ripped that too, and decided to try a short row toe sock, thinking it might be less boxy. Nope, when I got the whole toe done, it looked basically the same as the Sock.ra.tease one I was doing, and was a lot freaking harder. So I ripped that, and plan to start the Sock.ra.tease one again. But I decided to blog first while the frustration was fresh in my mind.
So any pattern writers out there, please make sure your instructions are clear to even the most basic knitter (which I'm not). None of this "at the same time" shit, and have a few strangers test knit your patterns.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
(PS now what in the heck am I going to make for my friend's new baby boy? Oh, and it has to be from my already purchased stash since I've bought 2 kinds of yarn already to make him something that hasn't turned out.....)

Frog

Diane asked what color of Rainforest yarn I'm using for the baby vest, and it's Frog. It's actually coming out quite nicely, with wide stripes. I think I'm going to do the v-neck and sleeve trim in just the white speckled color. The color changes are really long, they must have some hugely long factory to get this long of striping. I really like it though.
I took a bunch of pictures with my camera yesterday and something was all f-ed up. They all came out blue and funny looking. I spent a little time messing with the settings and someone had changed the exposure comp from +1.3 to -1.3, so the exposure was way off. I think that because I was trying not to use the flash the white balance was off too. I changed the exposure comp (Nikon cameras notoriously underexpose) and used the flash this AM and everything came out just fine. I finally got my stash updated and my WIPs too.
I bought new tubs to sort my yarn on Monday at Target. The cardboard boxes I got at IKEA weren't kid tough. The first time they sat on one it got smushed. I've been using them since I had nothing else but I got some pink tubs that are cute. The only problem is that they aren't opaque so DH will be able to see how much yarn I have. He's been blissfully innocent until now.
I'm very impatiently waiting my "welcome" package from the Lucky Lurker club. I love getting packages in the mail and I don't have any yarn ordered right now. Not that I haven't wanted to, but I just got a package Monday from LittleKnits with this so I gotta chill on the purchases for right now.
Plus school is starting and my boys needed all new pants. They still fit, but they had blown through the knees of all their jeans before school got out in June. I need to cut them off to make shorts. They also needed new shoes and 7 pairs of shoes later (2 for each boy, 3 for H.).........

Mission--bust

The Mission Falls cardi I was going to knit was a bust. First off, I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn as I didn't check to make sure of yardage, just of how many grams of yarn I needed. Stupid me. Then, it's knit in intarsia, with 5 balls going at once, I just can't handle that. Too freaking much work for me. So now I'm knitting a cute little baby vest with Opal Rainforest sock yarn that will probably take me until the kid is 10 to do, since it's sock yarn. But it's going to be cute since the yarn is self striping and quite nice if I do say so myself. I also started myself some toe up socks with Lisa Souza Sock! in Lime N Violet. I wanted to do a toe up sock for the first time, but every pattern I tried was too confusing. So I am doing the toe part of the Sock.ra.tease pattern I got with my Duets Mariners yarn, and then using the Rockin Toe Up Sock Pattern to finish the sock. I just didn't like the "after thought" heel that the Sock.ra.tease pattern used.
I gotta get to bed. I'm falling asleep on the keyboard.

Thank God it was only a week

I was so exhausted last night when we got home from camp. I went to bed at 7 PM and didn't get up until 8 AM this morning. That is amazing for me, because I didn't even take my usual medications. I was just WIPED OUT!
I did get to knit some this AM and finished my Horcrux socks (yeah!). They are drying on the blockers right now. I started on a round baby blanket for my friend J. who had a baby a month or so ago. I'm a little behind I know. I went to the yarn store today and bought some Mission Falls 1824 cotton to make the baby a sweater too. The blanket is going fast, I'm using sport weight yarn (Lorna's Laces) doubled. The sweater is a one piece cardigan, letterman style. I hope it goes as fast.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some more knitting time in but for now I'm off to bed.

My poor neglected blog

My kids are at daycamp all week, and therefore so am I. It was 70% cheaper to help out, and H. gets to go as well if I help (otherwise she'd have to wait until she was 5). So we trudge out there every morning and get home near 4 in the afternoon. I'm just exhausted but the kids are having fun and that's what counts. Their lunches leave a lot to be desired (PBJ, PB and honey, cheese and mayo, cheese only, and the very different selection of cheese and mayo on wheat). I brought my own lunch today. Tomorrow G. needs to go to the orthodontist in the AM and I have an orthopedic surgeon appt shortly after, so we'll miss the delicious lunch. I'm planning on getting Mickey D's, which I don't even like but sounds like luxury to me.
I'm working in the "portraits" station. The kids lie down on big pieces of paper and another kid traces them. Then they color the picture to look like themselves. I have one other adult helper and 4 teens (2 boys 2 girls). They are all really nice and we've had fun. Today we didn't have any groups so I ended up helping in the bookmarks which sucked. The lady running it was really bossy with the kids. I've got my group whipped into shape. They basically do everything while I supervise (READ:KNIT). I was hoping to get my Horcrux sock done today but I had to actually help out bossy lady. Tomorrow our station has a 1 1/2 hr break after lunch so I'm going to try to go around and take some pictures.
There are probably at least 250 people at c thisamp. It's been going on for a long time and this is supposed to be the biggest camp ever. You can tell they are not completely prepared for the size.
Thursday starts at 1 PM, and the bigger kids (G.'s age) get to stay overnight. We're trying to drum up a tent so DH, B, Cee-Cee and I can stay up there too.

SP 11 Questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love using natural fibers. I don't much care for novelty yarns or acrylic. I'd rather have a little of good yarn than lots of cheap yucky stuff.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle case, and my KP storage binder.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting for about 2 1/2 years. My mom taught me the basics and I taught myself the rest. I consider myself an intermediate-advanced knitter. I've never made myself a sweater but I've done some for kids.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope. But I'll work on one if you just ask.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like things that smell fresh. Nothing flowery.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I LOOOOOOVE chocolate. And skittles :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I've pretty much abandoned all my other craftiness to knit obsessively.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Country. And yes, I can play MP3's.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Pink. And I like all colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have 3 kids (10, 7, 3), 1 dog, 4 cats, and a husband.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Scarves and hats, yes. Mittens and ponchos, I'll take a pass on.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Socks lately. I've also knit over 30 toddler hats for friends of mine.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Horcrux Socks, a baby sweater, a baby blanket, and soon some more socks.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

I love handmade gifts. They are the best kind.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I almost exclusively use KP circulars. I knit my socks using magic loop. I do have an assortment of short bamboos for toddler hats though.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have a winder and a swift. And I love to use them!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I have something festering from when my 3 year old was a baby. It'll never get finished because it's acrylic.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas. I love to give gifts.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Knitting books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I'd love some Knitting Pure and Simple sweater patterns. I just got a subscription to Interweave Knits. I usually buy all the magazines though. I just love to look through them.
I just discovered Wisdom Yarns Poems online. I'd love to try it out. Oh, and Wollmeise. I'm DYING for that.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Not really. If I need to do something, I just do it. Maybe entrelac. I'm a little scared of it. And I haven't done toe up socks yet. That's on my to-do list.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I love making socks. I wear a size 9 shoe and have fat calves. If you want me to measure them just ask.

23. When is your birthday?

September 3.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

I love Ravelry. I'm a volunteer editor there. My ID is MomtoGBandH

I'm a Lucky Lurker!

I wanted to join the Lucky Lurker Club at A Swell Yarn Shop, but forgot about it on the day she opened sign ups. She did add some random slots on various days, but every time I checked there were none. Well, yesterday I was sitting here editing on Ravelry and an email came from Angela at the shop saying that she'd be posting just a few more spots in the next few days. So I clicked on her store link, and was lucky enough to snap up the one slot that was sitting there waiting for me. I can't tell you how fast I typed my info in because I REALLY wanted it. This is the first club I'll have belonged to, and probably the last. I really don't need any more yarn unless I start knitting some, and I can't start knitting some if I don't stop playing on Ravelry!
I'm trying to knit something for a friend who just had a baby. I keep printing off projects, or picking out ones in books, then quitting 10 rows into it. I finally decided that it's the yarn's fault. It's not washable, therefore not practical for a baby. I didn't want to use the Blue Sky Alpacas again but I don't want that yarn sitting around so I guess I will. Now to get the energy to start a new project.

I jsut checked, and there's one spot left in the Lucky Lurker Club. Hurry up and get it!

I once was lost, but now am found......

The cylinder for my ball winder is found. Friday night we were going to go into town to get another one, but DH ended up having to work like 14 hours and we didn't make it. I was really pissed off about the whole thing, but he brought home a massive wide screen monitor for me so that softened the blow of the whole thing.
So Saturday morning we were going to go into town in the morning. We were cleaning up the house when DH found the cylinder inside Hennessy's Dora star catcher bag. Then I was pissed because there was 2 days I didn't get to do stuff because of it. And, I wound a huge ball of Spinnaker by hand. What a waste.
We ended up going into town anyway. We went to a knitting store called Farmhouse Knit Shop in Beaverton. I wasn't too impressed. They do carry Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns (Socks That Rock) and I got a fabulous skein of mediumweight Tide Pool. The rest of their yarns were mostly obscure yarns arranged by color. They did have some lovely stuff that I wish I'd bought but didn't have any idea what I'd make with it.
Then we went to The Knitting Bee to try and find some stuff I wanted for a few projects. They didn't have what I wanted either. I had originally wanted to go all the way into Portland to go the The Yarn Garden, but we decided to try Farmhouse first, and I wish we didn't. I want to get to Yarn Garden without kids though, but I hate driving. Don't know how I'll pull this one off. Our Finnish friends (who live right near Yarn Garden) will be back from their holiday in Finland soon so maybe we can coordinate a visit with them and a trip to the yarn store.
I'm off to church, then to paint pottery this afternoon with the ladies from my mom's group. It should be a good time, and there'll be no children (except for the nursing babies).

Lost!

The cylinder to my yarn ball winder is lost. Who knows where it is. We turned the house upside down looking for it, but the kids have lost it (or DH threw it away accidentally). Either way, I was going to wind yarn tonight and now I can't.
Another thing that's lost...the pattern to my custom baby blanket. I decided to just rip it out and make a blankie that I can knit using double stranded yarn. But I need the winder to rip all the yarn out so I can make it all neat. So I didn't do that.
Then I wanted to start making the Piggy to send to T, to take with her to the hospital next month. Can't do that either as the yarn is in a hank and I'm not going to wind it all manually or my arms will fall off.
So I knit a very small amount on the first of the Horcrux socks (I'm working on the 2nd of the 15 rounds of K3 P2 ribbing). I spent most of my spare time entering patterns from "Dream Toys" into Ravelry. Tomorrow I have some more books coming (3 I think) and 2 more on Friday. I know that Casey isn't hip on adding patterns without projects but once I get all the patterns from these books in I won't have to do much editing, just a little cleaning up here and there. And the Dream Toys patterns are so cute I just might make some to fill in the pictures. I'll probably do the mermaid or the princess first. Probably the mermaid...
I feel like crap today. We had to get up early to go 100 miles (round trip) to take Garrett to the doctor. Then I had a doctors appointment here in town this afternoon. She's changing my meds some in hopes of better pain control and better sleep. Plus my blood pressure was up so she started me on another med for that. Unfortunately, it's the one I refused to take last year because it made me gain a bunch of weight. We'll see this time. But if it does, she'll have to find something else again. I was trying to remember the name of the medicine at her office but I couldn't remember it. It figures it's the same one.
I'm tired, and going to bed. I'll try to photo the new stash additions and latest projects tomorrow.

Company Picnic Day

Today was the company picnic for Shari's, the company DH works for. It's always held at Alpenrose Dairy and it's an adult only event. That has it's pros and cons. My mom came over on Saturday and stayed through today to watch the kids while DH and I went.
I usually just play bingo. They also have volleyball and baseball, but I'm completely unable to participate in those due to my shoulder. Plus, I fell this weekend and had a bit of a shoulder setback. They also play casino games with play money, and the person with the highest total at the end gets a cash prize.
I didn't win any bingo games, but I came close. I did participate in some of the "team" game they do every year too. A. and I had to do a word scramble of words related to "The Wizard of Oz". We did pretty good, even if we didn't know what winkies were. In the end our team got eliminated about half way through when someone didn't show up for their event. The team that wins the game gets first choice of the numbers for the prize drawing.
The prizes are an interesting thing. Three years ago, the first year I ever went to the picnic, Dan won $300, and $200 in a blackout bingo game. Two years ago, he won a golf club. Last year, it was a cordless phone system. So we were due for a good prize this year. Well, it turned out he won an OK prize, a mini CD player stereo system with an IPOD docking station. We thought about selling it but decided to give it to the boys. They've been wanting a stereo for their room, and I won't get upset if it doesn't last very long (which I don't expect it to with 2 boys).
They always have a barbecue buffet at the end and that was OK. But after eating I started to feel really crappy (I had a bad headache). We left at about 4, ran a few errands, then came home.
I got to knit some at the picnic. I finished the Fetching gloves I was making for my swap pal, and started on some Horcrux socks. I really like the yarn I'm using, it's Fleece Artist Merino Sock in Baltic Sea Storm. The colors are really vibrant and look great with the pattern on the leg of the sock.
Tomorow Garrett gets his braces put on. I'm sure he's going to hate me for it by Wednesday.
I've become a volunteer editor for Ravelry, and I keep taking on more pattern books. I just picked up 3 more, and I don't even have 2 of the books yet (I did order them). It's a good excuse to order books that I want, right?

We were on the news!

Brendyn, Hennessy and I on the news. You have to watch the video story but we are standing with our signs at the end of the story. My good friends Andrea and Kari (along with her husband and daughters) were also with us. It was pretty neat. I was on the news once about 16 years ago. Again, just a short clip but cool nonetheless.
I worked hard on the Presto Chango today. I think I cast it on last night, but I got the entire main body of it done today, and I am about 2/3 of the way done with the removable front panel. It should take me about 1/2 an hour to finish it up tomorrow. It will probably take me longer to sew up the seams than it did to make the whole front panel. Oh how I hate seaming. And I don't have any buttons. I might have to go get some Sunday.
G. got back from Cub Scout camp tonight. He had a great time and I'm really glad. I was sure I'd have to go pick him up early. He's never camped before, and he's not really the outdoorsy type. He was very proud that he got a bullseye in bee bee guns, and an "almost" bullseye in archery. This from a kid who has dyspraxia (poor muscle strength and coordination) and ADHD. He also learned to whittle wood.
Tomorrow is NaNa's birthday party. We'll probably have a house full of kids as the weather is supposed to suck. We bought some clay and are going to make some clay caterpillar crayon holders. I hope it keeps the kids occupied.

Eyelet Baby Blanket is WIP no more!

I finished it today. It was just a matter of buckling down and getting that last bit of ruffle done. Then I needed to stitch up the corners and weave in the remaining ends. Oh it feels so good to be done with this one. This yarn sheds like crazy. I think I'm going to have to wash it before sending it off to it's new owner. My black pants are a mess after knitting on it today.
I started on the Presto Chango today. I'm maybe 1/2 way up the flat part of the back, before I add the sleeves. I'm using a color called Cumin (of the same Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed cotton I made the blankie out of). It's really a deep mustard color and I'm not 100% sure I like it. Oh well, too late. It will also go to the same baby the blankie is for.
I knit a baby sock today too, for the cute little sock blocker keychain I got from The Loopy Ewe. It only took about an hour and it matches the Saucy Socks in Jackie O. I made for my mom. I'm going to give it to her on Saturday when she comes over.
I've been a bad girl in the past few days and made some yarn purchases. I noticed that A Swell Yarn Shop had in some Cowgirl yarn, so I had to order that. I also picked up a skein of Blue Moon, and I see now that both of those are sold out. I know her Cowgirl colorway is one of her most popular. I also ordered some stuff from KnitPicks this week and 2 books from Amazon. I just can't help myself.
I got my Lisa Souza Sock! yarn today. It's really squooshy. The hanks look huge, like I could make 2 pairs of socks from each one. Maybe it's just an illusion. The stuff sure is pretty though. I got Lime N Violet, and Violet's Pink Ribbon. If I like knitting with it I'll get more.
The Saucy socks have finally been photographed. I'm loving the sock blockers, they look so much nicer than they did before their bath and air dry on the blockers. I know my mom will love them and she better wear them lots or I'm never making her a pair of socks again!