Friday, September 28, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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.

Friday, September 21, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

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.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

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.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

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!

Friday, September 7, 2007

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.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

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.

Monday, September 3, 2007

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.