Look what I got!

Yes, it's a Mother's Day card from the cats! It was signed by my cat Harley, my sister's cat Schuster, and, of course, the infamous Simon, who my sister and I share.

I'm pretty sure that they talked my sister into mailing it -- and addressing the envelope, of course. None of them write very well!

Yarny Goodness

While some of you go to exotic places like MdS&W, NHS&W, and even Shepherd's Harvest S&W, I went to Oklahoma City. No, no fiber festival there (at least not this week). Sometimes life just takes you places and this week it was OKC. However, I did have enough time for a brief yarn crawl. (No pictures of the actual yarn crawl -- I didn't even think about taking my camera!)

Oklahoma City has two yarn shops, twice as many as San Antonio, which is more than twice as big with only one LYS. Both are apparently fairly new, but I'd be happy to have either of them as my LYS. I think I liked the yarn selection more at Carol's Knitting (no website?), but Gourmet Yarn Co. had a wonderful pair of couches where you can sit and stitch. Gourmet Yarn Co. also seems to have more 'accessories,' although it may only seem that way because by the time I got to Carol's I didn't need more accessories!

After consulting both Mapquest and a real map, I went to Gourmet Yarn Co., on the north side of OKC, first. There, I bought accessories: Kookaburra wool wash, circular needle tags, and a Knit Sticks Sack for dpns. (The Eucalan was bought at Carol's, later in the day. Why two wool washes? Because you CAN'T buy either one at my LYS!)

After a quick stop at Penn Square Mall, I made my way to Carol's Knitting, on the south side of town. Carol's had a really great selection of yarns, although I definitely had to control myself. She doesn't take credit cards!

From the right, you see one skein of Opal Petticoat sock yarn (farbe/color 1290), two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Lucky Stripe, and 4 skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted -- two pink and two purple. I can buy Lamb's Pride worsted at my LYS, but Carol's had more colors. Unfortunately, I want to make the felted laptop bag from the Fall 2005 IK, so I need two more skeins. Fortunately, I need those two skeins in a third (undetermined) color, so I'll be picking that up Saturday afternoon.

In knitting progress, I finished the first Sixth Sense Sock and will be casting on for the second tonight. I'm also making nice progress on the Seraphim Shawl -- I'm a little more than half done with the stockinette section.

Secret Pal 8 Questionnaire

Possibly more than you really want to know about me.....

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Merino, alpaca, mohair – anything wooly. Cotton is okay, but I like the stretch in wool. I’m pretty anti-acrylic, although I’ve used an acrylic blend recently for a baby sweater.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a nice needle roll made by my mom for my straights, but I need to find something better for my dpns and circs.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I’ve been knitting for a little over two years this time, although I first learned as a child. I’d say I’m somewhere between beginner and intermediate.

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

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love vanilla-based scents and in the summer, I like citrus-y scents, too. At the moment, I really like orange/tangerine.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Chocolate!!! (any kind, and I think I may be addicted to peanut M&Ms)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
No, I don’t spin and I don’t really want to learn. I have enough hobbies – I also scrapbook and stamp. I know how to crochet, although I haven’t done much in quite a while. And I used to cross-stitch a lot, and at one time knew how to tat. On the non-crafty side, I also work on my family history,

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Because I am old, my favorite music is 70s rock, but I really like almost everything, except maybe rap (although some hip-hop is okay). And I have an iPod.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love pinks and reds and everything in between. There aren’t really any colors I hate, although in general, browns and earth tones aren’t high on my list (although I do like greens).

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Single with two kitties.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
No ponchos, but I like shawls, scarves, hats, and mittens, despite the fact that I live in South Texas.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Right now I’m into socks.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Well – socks! And a Seraphim shawl.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circs, I guess, although sometimes I feel like I just have to knit with straights. Mostly I use bamboo, although I have a one set of rosewood dpns that I love and a set of Denises I use regularly.

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

17. How did you learn to knit?
Grandma taught me to both knit and crochet as a child. At the time, crocheting “took” and knitting did not. About two and a half years ago, my sister decided she wanted to learn to knit, so we took lessons at our LYS.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
I have a cable shawl in mohair that I’ve been working on for about a year and a half. It’s very pretty, but awfully warm to work on during all but the coldest months.

19. What is your favorite holiday?
I guess I’ll be boring and say Christmas, but I do really love the decorating and the presents and the cards and the seeing of family and everything else about it.

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Old or unusual cake stands and “Pink Daisy” pyrexware. I used to collect teapots and still have a soft spot for them.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
The only subscription I have is to IK. I’m always jealous of knitters with good LYSes that carry those “exotic” yarns, like Lorna’s Laces and Koigu. There’s lots of sock yarns out there I’d like to try.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I have really bad knitting form – I just sort of grasp the yarn in my right hand and toss it around. I’d like to improve my form, but that may be impossible. Ideally, I'd like to learn to knit Continental, since it looks so elegant.

I'm also a beginner at lace knitting, and at the moment am enthralled with it.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes. I wear a woman’s size 9 shoe. My foot is about 9 1/2 inches long, and I have a rather high arch and, a, ummmm, sturdy ankle.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
July 30.

Do You See What I See?

The first title for this entry was "Oh, Crap!" Do you see why?

I'm working on the toe decreases for my Sixth Sense Sock. I thought it looked big -- although it's for me, and nothing about me is particularly petite. So I slipped it on, to discover that if I keep this up, I'll have at least an inch, maybe an inch and a half, too much sock. I want to wear these socks (they're Koigu!), so I'll be ripping back tomorrow. Too tired tonight....

Storm Damage

UPDATE: My sister, brother-in-law, and boss came over this afternoon and helped me pull the patio cover down. Actually, the guys did most of the work -- I just pulled on an extension cord we were using for a rope when they told me to, and the whole thing fell over. And my sister missed the whole thing because she was in the house taking a phone call. We also pushed the shed to one side, so if a big gust of wind comes up, it won't smash into my bedroom window.


************************************************************************************


We had a big storm last night - 4 and a half inches of rain in my backyard, with wind and hail. Wind came across the currently-empty lots behind my house, knocked down part of my fence and....



yes, that's my shed, upside down. It landed about 4 feet from my bedroom window. It looks like it was just picked up and flipped over. The weird thing is that the contents of the shed are mostly intact, although very, very wet.

My patio cover is also about half down. It's supposed to rain more later today; I hope I can get the patio cover down before it storms again - I don't want it coming through my windows into the living room!

You can see more pictures, including the contents of my shed, just sitting there shed-less, here.

Back to knitting

Fiesta is over, and I'm exhausted! Thursday night was NIOSA, a big street fair in the La Villita historic district. Thursday night is traditionally "college night." I was in college once.... Friday was the Battle of Flowers Parade and Saturday was Fiesta Flambeau, the "Night Parade" where not just the floats but even the bands are lit up. Sunday I went up to Buda to the Wiener Dog Races (okay, not really a Fiesta event) and Sunday afternoon was our weekly knitting group.

It was actually cool enough both Friday and Saturday that I was able to knit while waiting for the parades to begin. I worked on the scarf for my cousin, which is now about 35 inches long. Stephanie's new book (which I love, by the way) says a small woman's scarf should be a about 40 inches long; my cousin is a small woman, so I'm almost done! (Okay, I know it's the scarf that's small and not the woman, but in this case, both are true!) You can't really tell much from this photo - take my word that it's 35 inches long. It needs to be in the mail next Wednesday, and I should make it with no problem.

I've also worked a little bit on the Sixth Sense Socks, but unfortunately I seem to be having my first case of second sock syndrome. What makes it even worse is that I'm not even quite done with first sock yet! I think I need to put it aside for a bit.

Luckily, I have a new project to distract me. (You were worried, right?) I cast on for the Seraphim Shawl, in Elann's Peruvian Baby Silk (80% baby alpaca, 20% silk) which is just a wonderful yarn - so soft, so silky! And it's in a very pretty raspberry color, which this photo doesn't do justice.
Yes, I have a ways to go - you begin by casting on 5 stitches, and you increase to 247, before the pattern really begins. I'm up to 51 stitches. I'm forcing myself to work on the scarf to get it done, but I figure next week I can really work on Seraphim.

Drive-by Blogging

1) My math skills escaped me in the last post - there are actually 93 bottle caps in each panel, which makes the panel a much better deal!

2) It's suddenly relatively cool and maybe rainy - the high for the rest of the week is supposed to range from high 70s to low 80s, which is great Fiesta weather. We've got a chance of rain, but cool and rainy is better than miserable hot and sweaty. You're wet either way.....

Viva Fiesta!

This is Fiesta week in San Antonio. Fiesta is an annual 10-day party that includes events all over San Antonio. It started in 1891 with the Battle of Flowers parade to commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto. Now it includes three big parades - the Bttle of Flowers (a.k.a. the Day Parade), Fiesta Flambeau (the Night Parade) and the River Parade, where the floats really do float. Luckily, it's cooled off a little bit - I think yesterday the high was around 90 - so we'll only be sweaty, not miserable, during Fiesta.


Yesterday I went with my sister and a couple of friends to the Fiesta Arts Fair. This is not your ordinary arts'n'crafts show - it's a juried show with participants from all over the country. I bought some earrings by my favorite jewelry maker and this:

It's a 6-foot-long panel made of vintage bottle caps. The panel isn't solid bottle caps - there are about 50, divided up in sections like this one. The sections are connected with key-chain chain (if you know what I mean). For the last six years, I've been trying to figure out how to sort of disguise the entrance to my pantry/laundry room from the kitchen. The entrance is fairly narrow, so I think 3 of these panels will do, hung from a curtain rod. They're a little pricey, though, so I'm starting with this one. Luckily the artist is local so I can acquire more periodically. But I just love it! It the right combination of funky and food-related that my kitchen needs!

There is some knitting news. Remember my Chevron Scarf (which I have to admit isn't done yet - I promise it will be done by winter)? Well, here's her little sister -- Chevron Scarf II, made out of one of the unidentified yarns I got at the yarn swap.

Last winter, one of my cousins admired the Chevron Scarf, which was about 2 inches long at the time. Her birthday is in about 3 weeks, so I need to knit, knit like the wind. Although this one should go faster, since it's 36 stitches on size 8 needles, compared to 72 stitches on size 6s. I really think size 9s might be better but it's too late now!

A Meme and a Sock

I had been thinking about the contest that Kat is having: Name 5 places other than your house or a knitting store where you have knit. I didn't think I had knitted in that many interesting places, and then I realized that I was thinking about this while knitting at a stop light (not all that unusual, I know). So, here goes:

Five places other than my house or a knitting store where I have knit

1. At what must be San Antonio's longest stoplight, at the intersection of Huebner (pronounced, by the way, HEEB-ner) and Babcock
2. At my desk on my lunch hour, while reading knitblogs and listening to podcasts, knitting and otherwise
3. In the finance guy's office at the Saturn dealership when I was buying my current car. While I waited for the finance guy, I knitted. He called me into his office, and I kept knitting. He said, "Is that crochet? Can you do that while you talk?" I told him I was knitting ("one stick, crochet; two sticks, knitting") and that I could talk, especially since I didn't have to count during that part of the pattern. And he asked, "You have to count when you knit?"
4. At a crop (scrapbooking party), when my scrapbook just didn't interest me
5. At lunch during the SCC Board meeting, just a couple weeks ago. I tried to turn the heel while I talked. I ended frogging the entire pink cable footie.

And here's progress on my Sixth Sense Sock. I've turned the heel and I'm very happy with it. It's my first short row heel and it's done in garter stitch. I have a teeny hole where the heel meets the instep, but it's practically unnoticeable. It seemed harder than a heel flap, but then, my first heel flap seemed hard, too.

Oh, and if you tuned it for the weather report, the high today was only 83F (28C), very close to the normal high is 81F (27C). And it rained a little last night and today!

Yarn Swap Stash Enhancement

I've talked about our yarn swap last Saturday and you've seen the pictures. But I didn't think about showing you what I got in exchange for my weird black and white Lion Brand yarn, the odd acrylic boucle (although I did really like the colors of that yarn!), and a little bit of cash.

As is usually the case on my blog, the colors aren't too great. (Do I need a new camera? Or just more talent? Don't answer that....) Most of my new stash isn't labeled, and I'm not sure how much of it I have, but it's so much better than the yarn I took! In the upper left is some pretty lavender linen yarn, Louet, I believe, that Kim didn't like. In the upper right is a whole bunch of something that I have no idea what it is, but the colors are so pretty -- pinks and red and light green and a bronzey color. It's a relatively thin yarn (maybe DK weight) with definite texture. In order to take this yarn, Betsy forced me to take the blue and purple and sparkly Skacel Summerwind you see in the center. It's really kind of pretty and I'm thinking it could become something for my 9-year-old niece. And in the front - the piece de resistance -- a whole bunch of pink/rose/maybe kinda fuchsia mohair with thin multicolor strands intwined. I see a shawl....


But first, I see a sock. This is the Sixth Sense Sock from the Six Sox Knitalong (I don't think that link will work if you haven't joined the KAL, but go ahead and click it to find out!) The yarn is Koigu KPPPM, evocatively named P717. It's not nearly as blue as it looks in the picture, although it does have blue in it. In life, it looks fairly neutral, in a slightly pinkish tannish way.

This is a fairly simply pattern, although you'll see the cuff is turning up. The cuff is in garter stitch, although the rest of the sock is in a variation of 4x2 rib. I've just begun the heel, which is a short-row garter stitch heel. This is my first short-row heel and I haven't done enough so far to know if I like it or not.

And for those of you following our weather -- the high today was supposed to be in the high 80s, but it got up to 97, which wasn't a record - it got up to 100 in 1996. That was the summer that my parents built their house down here (which they lived in for 3 years, before moving back to Illinois to be near the only grandchild. Yes, it's true -- Simon wasn't enough for them!). Anyway, I remember that summer was hot, so I guess it started early. And right now, I'm hearing thunder and see a little lightning, but I'll bet there's no real rainfall.

Are you tired of the Cable Footies yet?

Look, it's a pair of hot pink cable footies at home among the cake stands!

This is my second pair of these, and they're great - a very quick knit, even if you frog half of the first one you knit (which I did, both times). They're from One Skein, and knit in my fave Cascade 220. I used US8 BrySpun Bry-Flexes, which I've already gushed about. These are for my friend Linne', who I'll be rooming with at MLA.

Last time I mentioned our yarn swap on Saturday at Valletta Kafe in Pleasanton. We all had so much fun, and luckily Susan has posted pictures. Be sure to check out Enid channeling Frida! And that's not some sort of dead animal on her head - it's a large skein of something (mohair boucle?) that Kim got from Betsy, owner of the really charming Kafe.

And summer is here with a vengeance. Although the official temperature today was only 99, it was 102 on my side of town. The normal high is around 80. Just a touch of global warming, maybe?

Birthday Meme

First - we're apparently done with spring and into summer. The high temperature today was 95 (35 C), breaking a record from 1894. The normal high is 80 (26 C). They're predicting it will be just as hot tomorrow.

This meme has been making the rounds, and, since I have no interesting knitting content to show you, here it is. (Actually, my knitting group met this afternoon at Valletta Kafe in Pleasanton for a yarn swap - I came home with more than I took, but it was much better quality, so definitely a good thing!)

So here's the meme: Do a Wikipedia search of your birthdate, minus the year; list three interesting events, three people who were born, and three people who died on that day. Like almost everyone else who has done this meme, I had trouble limiting my choices to 3, so I didn't!

Interesting events:
1954 - Elvis Presley makes his debut as a public performer.
1956 - A Joint Resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God We Trust" as the U.S. national motto.
1974 - Watergate Scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the United States Supreme Court.
1975 - Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m.
1990 - The first Saturn automobile rolls off the assembly line. (I drive a Saturn Vue.)

People who were born:
1818 - Emily Brontë, English novelist (d. 1848)
1939 - Peter Bogdanovich, American film director
1941 - Paul Anka, Canadian singer and composer
1947 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born actor and Governor of California
1956 - Delta Burke, American actress
1960 - Richard Linklater, American director
1961 - Laurence Fishburne, American actor
1963 - Lisa Kudrow, American actress
1971 - Tom Green, Canadian comedian and actor
1974 - Hilary Swank, American actress
1984 - Kevin Pittsnogle, American basketball player

People who died:
1718 - William Penn, English founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (b. 1644)
1898 - Otto von Bismarck, German chancellor (b. 1815)
1918 - Joyce Kilmer, American poet (b. 1886) ("I think that I shall never see/a poem as lovely as a tree....")
1983 - Lynn Fontanne, English actress (b. 1887)
1989 - Lane Frost, American bull rider (b. 1963)
1996 - Claudette Colbert, French-American actress (b. 1903) (one of the stars of my favorite movie, It Happened One Night)

It's a Pink Cable Footie!

Despite the set-back (read: complete frogging), I've complete half the pair of hot pink cable footies and have cast on for the second.


Remember my frustration with Kitchener stitch? I still want to master Kitchenering, but for this toe, I just pulled the yarn through the last eight stitches, and I'm really happy with it!

If you look carefully at the floor behind the footie, you'll see something purple. Actually, you'll see several cat toys under the TV cabinet, but one should look familiar. Yes, it's the purple catnip mouse! I noticed a couple days ago that it looked a little "felted," and sure enough last night I saw this.


Harley seems to be quite fond of the mouse. She carries toys around with her, so I expect to find it in my bed soon. I once found a US3 DPN in bed, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't knitting in my sleep!

Speaking of DPNs... Susan and May asked about my rosewood DPNs, and how they compare to the Bryspuns. I'm using the Bryspun Bry-Flex US8 needles for the footies, and US2 Colonial Rosewood needles for the Sixth Sense socks. They're very different, as needles go, but I like them both! The Bry-Flexes are obviously much larger needles, but they have a really cool point, which is apparently only on their larger needles. I tried to find a picture online, but couldn't, so we'll have to make do with this fuzzy one I took. But see how the tip sort of dips in? Very nice - I think it speeds up my knitting, which is a good thing, since I'm the world's slowest knitter.


The rosewood needles are great to use - smoother than bamboos, I think, and they feel stronger. Like all wood needles, they're warm and flexible. For little needles, I think rosewood may become my favorite, especially since the teeny Bry-Flexes don't have the cool point.

Sunday Morning Blogging

I don't usually post in the morning, or even during the day - 5 mornings out of 7, I'm at work, and there's barely time to read blogs, much less to post. On Sunday mornings, I'm usually in church. But today, even though it's Palm Sunday, a day where, in my church at least, you get to bring home a souvenir (a palm), I stayed home. My allergies have been really bad for the last few days and the thought of dealing with the Palm Sunday crowd was about more than I could bear.

So, I'm at home, doing laundry, reading blogs, and listening to knitting podcasts (currently, Episode 2 of It's a Purl, Man). So here are some random thoughts:

1. Thanks to a comment to Ann and Kay's latest hilarious post, I cannot get "King of the Road" by Roger Miller out of my mind. Of course, after reading that Wikipedia entry for Roger Miller, I seem to be moving on to "England Swings." I don't seem to really know more than the chorus of "England Swings," though, and that's really frustrating.

2. You've seen pictures of my current kitties, Simon and Harley. Here are my previous kitties, Charlotte and Aggie. Like Simon, Charlotte was a tuxedo cat. The only white on her face was on her chin and her whiskers. She was kind of a little cat and was the best cat ever. I got her in January 1985, when she was about 7 months old. She had been a stray, and I got her from a vet's office. She lived to be 18, when she went into kidney failure very suddenly. She definitely ruled the roost. For the last few years of her life, she lived not just with Aggie but with Simon and Schuster (my sister's other cat). Oh, and with my sister and me, too! She was a very sweet cat, very easy to live with, but definitely in charge of the cat posse.

I got Aggie (short of for Agnes, not anything to do with the Texas A&M Aggies, although I got that question all the time) in 1988, when Charlotte was 4 years old. You know how they tell you to keep the new kitten away from the old cat for a while? Charlotte would not allow that! As far as Charlotte was concerned, Aggie was her baby. Aggie was the daughter of two semi-feral cats (probably brother and sister) who were fed by a friend of mine. She looked like a Maine coon cat and was very shy. She was a big cat and had lots of hair. Charlotte groomed her for at least the first 5 years of her life, which meant that she never really learned to groom herself. After Charlotte quit grooming her, it became my job. She liked being combed and brushed, but would only let me do it while lying in bed. Aggie was very ill with a virus of some sort when she was a kitten and spend about 4 days at the vet. This apparently traumatized her and after that, she was always frightened of people, even, to an extent, me -- getting her to the vet was always a trauma for both of us! My friends knew they were really part of my life when they actually saw Aggie. Aggie lived to be 13, when she developed a tumor on her jaw. It was diagnosed on Sept 10, 2001, so my memories of 9/11 are always intertwined with my memories of the last month of her life. Operating on the tumor would have meant removing part of her jaw. This sounded awful and not really an improvement, so I spent about 6 weeks just watching her and adjusting her diet to softer and softer food as the tumor grew. I had to have her put to sleep in October 2001. She actually hung on longer than I thought she would; she sort of let me know when she was ready to go, which made it easier. Charlotte died almost exactly a year later, very suddenly, which was harder. (And now you know more about my late cats that you do about me....)

3. Knitting content: Nothing much to talk about. Scroll down and look at the sock cuffs. The Sixth Sense Sock is about two inches longer and the Cable Footies is down past the heel turn. It would be farther along except I frogged the whole thing and started over, after I screwed up the heel turn the first time through. (I was at a meeting on Friday, and tried to turn the heel while I talked. Oops......)

A Pair of Socks

Actually, it's a pair of sock cuffs, although it's not a matching pair! On the left is this month's Sixth Sense Sock from the Six Sox Knitalong. The Six Sox Knitalong knits a pair of sox every other month -- they just began the April pair, so I joined right up. The yarn is Koigu KPPM in colorway P717 (so evocative!). And see the rosewood US2 DPNs? I got them at the LYS sale a couple weeks ago, and like them a lot. On the right is the beginning of another pair of Cable Footies, this time in hot pink Cascade 220, on the same US8 BrySpun Bry-Flex DPNs that I used for the last pair. I like these needles, too! These are for my friend from Houston who I'm rooming with at a conference next month.

The Sixth Sense Sock was interesting to start. There's a ribbed cuff version, but of course I had to do the more complicated hemmed version. You turn under the first few rows, then knit the cast-on edge with the next row, stitch by stitch, to "sew" it down. Kind of fiddly and really time-consuming, but it turned out nice. I hope the second one turns out as well -- I hope I remember how I did it!

No Sock Here

So I had started my first toe-up socks using my Koigu KPPM. Just to make it more interesting, I was making up my own pattern - I wanted to use a figure 8 toe (like from the Knitty tutorial), a short-row heel and beaded rib (from Sensational Knitted Socks) and a picot bind-off (from all sorts of places). My problem was that I can't find anywhere that will tell me how many stitches to cast on to get to a given number of stitches. The tutorial showed starting with 8 stitches per needle to get to a 48 stitch sock. But SKS said, with my gauge, foot-size, and needle size, I needed a 70 stitch sock. I sort of winged it, starting with 12 stitches. It looked fine when I got up to 70 stitches (and it was lots of fun, and not all that hard). I did 6 rows of the pattern, and put it on my toes to take a picture -- and it was huge!!! So I frogged the whole thing, which was dumb -- since I had a giant swatch, I should have at least used it to double-check my gauge!

So I guess the problem wasn't with the cast-on, but with the number of stitches. 70 does seem like a lot, doesn't it? In my swatch, I was getting 7 and a half stiches per inch on size 2 needles. My feet are size 9s, and about 9 and a half inches around at the widest points (both the ball of my foot and my instep).

9.5 x 7.5 = 71.25

Huh. 70 stitches should have been a little snug. How come I had sock flopping all around the ball of my foot? Maybe I frogged too soon. Or maybe I was knitting looser than my gauge. I guess I should have measured before I frogged....

I've also begun a pair of Cable Footies for a friend. I'm going back to them - they can flop around all the want!

Stash Flashing

But first -- this is my backyard, outside my living room. See those giant "flowers"? They're dandelions. I need to do something about this this afternoon, although, if it weren't for the weeds, there wouldn't be much green in my backyard at all!

Now, on to my stash:

Actually, my stash wasn't as big as I was afraid it was. I was particularly worried that the wtf? part of it would be huge, but really, it's not so bad.

Here's where most of my stash lives. It's a vintage 1950's dresser that was my grandmother's, but now belongs to my sister. (yes, it's missing some drawer pulls - in one of the drawers is a bag with replacement pulls.) My sister doesn't have room fo it, so it's in my craft room. My stash takes up the right-side drawers that you see here, except for WIPs, which live in my living room in a leather bin next to my knitting chair.


As you might guess from the can of Oust, my stash shares the craft room with a large litter box.

Here are my current WIPs. At the back left is a large stockinette-in-the-round bag which will be felted if I ever finish the knitting. I've decided that is has to become the knitting I take to knitting group - it's mindless and it has to get done! At the back right is the bubble gum pink mohair shawl, which I can only work on when it's cold. Unfortunately, our coldest weather this year came during the Olympics, while I was slaving over those socks. Front right is a feather and fan scarf from some yummy Brooks Farm Duet, and front left is Koigu KPPM which are about to become a pair of socks for me. And I just realized that hiding somewhere is a skein of fuchsia Cascade 220, which I've cast on for a pair of the Cable Footies for a friend.

This is the heart of my stash. This yarn will become something someday. Some of it already knows what it will be. That raspberry Drops Alpaca at the front left will be a lace smoke ring like Eunny's. The row of red balls in the middle is some more Brooks Farm Duet, which is destined to be another Clapotis. There's also a good bit of sock yarn behind the Brooks Farm. Behind the lighter pink alpaca is four balls of Kidsilk Haze in a wonderful gray-lavender called Majestic. It was supposed to be Birch. However, a couple nights ago I frogged the three rows I had done. I'm not sure what I'll do with it now, but I'm sure I'll do something - after all, it's Kidsilk Haze! (Although now that I've looked at the Yarn Harlot's pictures of hers again, I'm thinking maybe it will become Birch after all.)

Simon recognizes this yarn - it's all left-overs from FOs. Notice there are quite a few complete skeins in there. I almost always buy too much yarn for a project.

And finally, here's the dreaded wtf? pile. Like I said - it's not as bad as I remembered. About half of it is from my beginning days as a knitter (see all that Lion Brand boucle'?), some of it is that $1 yarn from Target which I should have resisted, and some of it I inherited from other people's stashes. Sorry if you see something there that used to be in your stash - but there was a reason you wanted to give it away, right?

So that's my stash. Now I need to go look at yours!

FOs

Yes, that's plural: finished objects!

I finished the footies for my sister. Here they are in their artsy shot, relaxing in the pewter bowl my sister gave me for Christmas. They're not very photogenic: they're actually more periwinkle andmore attractive that they look in the picture.


Pattern: Cable Footies from OneSkein
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Periwinkle - a little less than one skein
Needles: US8 Bryspun Bry-Flex DPNs
Modifications: I kept the cables going down farther to the toe, which I think looks better - although I don't think the two footies look exactly alike!
Notes: The toes are awfully pointy and elf-like, but these are footies, not socks. I'm still not happy with my Kitchenering. However, I think I just need more practice. I absolutely love the Bry-Flex DPNs -- they have perfect points, at least for me.

I'm sure I'll make these again - they're fast and cute and very useful.

My second FO is a catnip 'mouse' for my kitties, made from the same yarn as the footies (the remnants of the first skein weren't quite enough -- luckily, I had another skein!) The pattern is from Wendy, and is very cute, with the little cable down the mousey back. I left it on Harley's Alpine Scratcher for her to find. (And sorry about that really lousy picture!)


So far she's ignored it, but Simon spent a little time batting it around. I wonder if the catnip is old.....

Fixed Footie

After a little encouragement from Cyndi, I decided to try to fix the footie rather than frog it. So this evening I dropped those four cable stitches down to the mistake, then reknit them with my crochet hook.

I'm really happy with the result. If you know what I did, you can see the difference in the cable, but I think that once the sock has been washed and blocked a little, it will be unnoticeable.

I've added a little arrow so you can see where I fixed the cable. It's just a little larger than the rest. At this rate, I'll finish this pair tomorrow or Wednesday. I think I'm going to make another pair for a friend, too. Doesn't everyone need a pair of nice warm footies?

Other hobbies

First, here's the photo Blogger didn't want me to post the other night.

It's the cabled footie from Oneskein. (It's resting on the needle case Mom made made me last year. Isn't it pretty?) Since I took this photo on Wednesday, I've finished this footie, and have gotten down to the foot on the second. Unfortunately, I realized at knitting group this afternoon that I had missed a cable crossing in the second footie, so there will be frogging.


Whenever I hear about spinning, I practically stick my fingers in my ears and sing la-la-la, because I really don't need another hobby. I spent a good part of Saturday working on one of them: scrapbooking.

Some people are surprised to hear that there are people (well, mostly women) without kids who crop, but in my little group there are more of us without children than with. My interest in scrapbooks began as an offshoot of my interest in genealogy. Thanks to one of my cousins, I received copies of a number of old photographs (old as in late 19th/early 20th century) of my father's family. As my interest in my mother's family grew, I started tracking down photos from her family, too -- from Mom's scrapbooks, from my grandmother's, from one of Mom's cousins. Before I started my 'heritage album,' I did a practice album, which started out as a way to rescue photos from my college years, in the 1970s, from slowly disintegrating sticky-paged albums. That album grew to include the years after college, when I was married.




College (really, there was more than just partying, but you have no idea how hard it was to find a sticker of a six-pack of beer! A keg would have been more appropriate, but I was thrilled to find the six-pack.)

(Oh - and there was a magazine under this page when I took the picture - that's what the mccormick spice logo is from!)

Wedding

These photos were all taken by Steve's sister. I like them at least as much as the ones taken by the professional photographer!

My father's grandfather

This is one of my favorite pages - I'm sorry you can't see it better!











Mom and Dad while they were dating and first married




















And I stamp, too.... Someday I'll show you some cards I've made!

A Bit of Knitting

So I'm sitting here reading knitblogs and thinking, "I wish I had something to post," when I realized -- I do! I'm close to starting the toe decrease in the Cabled Footies. I'd post a picture, but Blogger's not cooperating with pictures tonight. And, anyway, the color is lousy - they're really a very nice periwinkle, but show up in the picture as just king of blue.

As I said before, this pattern is from the book Oneskein, which is full of good stuff. The footies are knitted from worsted weight yarn - I'm using Lamb's Pride Worsted - so they'll be nice and warm. I should finish them fast - it's supposed to get down near freezing here tonight and, I think, tomorrow night, which is cold for San Antonio at any time of year, but unbelievably cold for late March. I mean, I've already had the air conditioning on once this year, but now I've got the heat on again! But I digress -- the footies are for my sister, whose husband keeps their apartment at about 60 degrees year round, so she'll get use out of them year round!

Oh, and remember the baby Blu jeans and the orange and blue baby sweater? (How could you forget? I blogged incessantly about them!) The recipient was born on Monday, and the sweater and jeans are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll have a picture or two eventually!

Peeps!

Spring must be here, because the Peeps have appeared!

It seems like people feel one of two ways about Peeps: they either love them or hate them. Me, I'm a lover (although I have mixed feelings about non-Easter Peeps). I think those of you who claim not to like Peeps just haven't embraced your own inner Peepsness. Either that, or you haven't tried leaving the package open for a day or two, which causes a crunchy shell to form around the marshmallowy goodness. And just so you'll know that Peeps aren't just about fun, check out Peeps research here.

There is knitting content today, too. I stopped by the LYS yesterday morning to buy a few more things at 25% off.

Here we have a copy of The Knitter's Companion, recommended by Chris (thanks!) and four more skeins of sock yarn, all Fortissima Socka. The "darker blue" skeins on the sides are actually purple (color 1014) while the top and bottom skeins are a very pretty greeny-blue (color 1005) which, oddly, the color card calls Coffee, although at least Yarndex notes in parentheses that it's blue. I think the purple will work well for toes and heels with the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock I got on Thursday.

I also bought a set of Bryspun US8 DPNs, which I love (look at those points!). They're already in use here:


It's the beginning of a Cabled Footie from Oneskein, a great book that took our SnB knitting group by storm last week at Barnes and Noble. They had three copies, and I think we bought them all! I'm making them in the Periwinkle Lamb's Pride Worsted I bought on Thursday.

In non-knitting news -- anyone else a college hoops fan? Can you believe the NCAA tourney this year? Bradley, George Mason, and Wichita State all in the Sweet 16? The fact that Kansas and Tennessee are also out makes Illinois' loss a little easier..... and Bradley's in Peoria, only - what - 70 miles?, from Champaign, so they're the central Illinois team this year!

Stash Enhancement

San Antonio's one-and-only LYS is having a sale this week, Thursday-Saturday. They almost never have sales, but this one is 25% off everything in the store. So I took advantage of having Thursday off and dragged Mom with me to the Yarn Barn that afternoon. I definitely enhanced my stash of yarn and of needles.

The color in this photo just sucks - so badly that I spent a few minutes googling all the yarns to try to find better representations of the color. That proved tiresome, though, so you'll have to imagine the colors!

At the top: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Periwinkle
Second row, left: Plymouth Sockotta in 5616, which is really a pink/orange/yellow stripe
Second row, right: Drops Alpaca 3720, a very pretty pale rose and not at all lavender
Third row: Cascade 220 in 9469, somewhere between deep rose and fuchsia
Bottom row: One lonely skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Fresh Stripe, turquoise and purple, but more subdued than the photo.


I'm going back to Yarn Barn tomorrow morning and hope that there's another skein of the Shepherd Sock in the same dye lot (they're restocking at night, but won't check stock during the sale). If not, I hope there's enough in a single skein for a pair of socks or at least anklets for my 9-year-old niece.

I also went crazy with needles, especially "fancy" ones. Here Simon is pointing out that he's more important than silly knitting needles. If you look closely you can see 3 pairs of rosewood needles, a pair of Skacel DPNs, some BrySpun DPNs, some of my old favorite Clovers, and two extension cords for my Denises. Wow! I'll never need to buy needles again, right? ;-)


Speaking of Simon, he had a follow-up with his regular vet tonight, and he was declared as healthy as he can probably be. He's walking and jumping just fine (he was on top of the fridge a couple nights ago) and acted very charming for both Dr. Masters and the assistant. He's going to remain on enalapril, in addition to the lasix he's been on for seven years. His heart problem is never going to get any better, but it's not slowing him down. And he got his shots, so he's all good for the next year.

Completed: One Pair of Socks

What's this?

Why, it's what was left over from the skein at then end of the second sock, laying next to my 7 inch DPN for comparison. I had about twice this amount left from the first sock's skein.

The good news, though, is that I finished Mom's socks before she left for home. I don't have a picture of her wearing both, though, because she's in bed. She's leaving at 4:00 tomorrow morning!

Pattern: Crusoe from knitty.com in the larger size

Yarn: 2 skens of Koigu Kersti (not the KPPPM called for)

Needles: US3 Clover Bamboo DPNs (up from size 1s, since Kersti is a heavier yarn)

I really like these socks, and sock-knitting in general. I'm about to cast on for another pair for my sister. I have issues with Kitchener stitch, though. I understand it perfectly in theory, but can't seem to execute it very well. I've used instructions from several different books. Does anyone have Kitchener instructions that you think are really clear?

One Last Look

Here's one last photo of the baby jeans, this time from the back. They're awfully cute, if I do say so myself!

Pattern: Blu from knitty.com in the 6 month size

Yarn: 2 and a half skeins of Rowan Denim in Nashville (dark blue); about half a skein of Rowan Denim in Tennessee (light blue); a little bit of yellowy-orange DMC floss for the embroidery

Needles: US6 Denises

No matter how cute they are, I never got used to the fact that the dark blue yarn turned my fingers and my Denises blue. Other than that, these were a quick and easy knit. Seaming the pieces together was the hardest part, and my mom put the elastic in for me (although if she hadn't been visiting this week, I'm sure I could have done it myself!)

Now I just need to wrap it with its companion, the Illini orange-and-blue sweater (made from Plymouth Encore DK), so I can send them back to Illinois with Mom at the end of the week. As far as we know, the baby hasn't been born yet.

Speaking of Mom, I've turned the hell heel on the second sock -- for some reason, I had to do it about four times before I got it right! I'm still hoping to have it done before she leaves....

One last thing: my hometown is Springfield, Illinois. Actually, I grew up a little bit south of Springfield, and my mom and brother currently live just outside of Springfield. Springfield was hit by two tornadoes Sunday evening. Luckily, it seems that no lives were lost and my family is fine, although 48 hours later, they still don't have power. However, much of the city is not fine. The southwest-side suburb of Jerome was really hard-hit. There doesn't seem to have been much national coverage of this. For more information and photos, see www.sj-r.com or www.wtax.com.

Sock and Baby Jeans

Note that the title says "sock," not "socks." But one of my Knitting Olympics socks is finally and completely done. Here it is, being modeled by the recipient herself, my mom.


Here's the requisite "heel shot":


(See that black and white picture in the background? That's Mom and Dad's wedding photo. I'm pretty sure she wasn't wearing socks this pretty that day!)

Now, I just have to frog the other, too-small sock and knit a mate for this one. Mom doesn't go home until next Friday morning. I wonder how likely it is that I'll have it done by then?

With Mom's help, I've also finished the baby jeans from Knitty. I seamed them up, sewed on the button, and embroidered the fly and pockets. Mom sewed in the elastic. Actually, I think Susan has a jeans label for me to sew on the back, so I'm not quite done. But here they are, in all their cuteness.


And here's a shot of the whole outfit -- baby Illini sweater and jeans. They're done just in time, since the baby is due any day, and Mom can take them back to Illinois with her.

Quick Update

Thanks to all of you who worried with me about Simon. The good news is he's doing much better. In fact, he's close to normal. He's still having a little trouble jumping high, like onto the kitchen counter, but he's doing it anyway. Who knew that I would ever be thrilled to see him up on the counter? ;-)

In knitting news, I'm in the middle of seaming and embroidering the baby jeans. They'll probably be finished tomorrow, I think, so I'll post a picture then.

A Little Bit Scary

Brief knitting content: I have finished knitting both legs of the baby jeans and have washed and dried them (in the dryer!!!). Next, I need to block them to size by ironing, embroider the pockets, etc., seam them up, and install the elastic. That last piece, about the elastic, is a bit intimidating to me, but my mom, the super-sewer, arrives for a visit tonight...

Now - what's scary (besides putting your knitting in the dryer and having to install elastic)?

Saturday, Simon suffered something like a minor stroke. He tried to walk towards me and fell to the right. He got up and it happened again. I immediately called my vet, but it was just after noon, and he was closed. The message suggested an emergency clinic, so I shoved Simon in the carrier and got there by 12:45.

Although they first suspected poisoning, which apparently is the most common cause of neurological problems in cats, they tested and found nothing. Once he found out that Simon has a heart problem, the vet changed track. He reminded my sister (who had met me at the clinic, and who is really Simon's human mommy) that for a cat to be treated with Lasix for seven years is almost unheard of. He was also totally freaked out by the size and shape of Simon's heart in the x-ray. (Simon had endocarditis in 1999 and his heart is permanently enlarged and oddly shaped. It's almost "heart-shaped" on the x-ray.)

In addition to having trouble walking, they also suspected that Simon couldn't see. His eyes worked, but his brain wasn't processing what he saw. He didn't respond to fingers or shiny things dangling right in front of him.

They kept Simon overnight. I went to visit him around 9:00. Simon recognized me, or at least recognized my voice, and purred when I held him and scratched his ears. Sunday morning, my sister and I went to visit him again and they said he was stable and he could come home, although of course he would have to see his own vet soon.

As soon as we were home, Simon walked out of his carrier. He was very happy to get out of it - after being on IV fluids all night, he had peed in the carrier as soon as he got in! Where's a litter box when you need one? He was still stumbling, but I was certain he could see. As the day progressed, I became convinced he could see. I don't know if he had actually been blind or if he just hadn't been interested in the stuff being dangled in front of him. After all, he is a cat.... He also began getting around better, and was able to jump up on the bed by himself. He did seem tired, but I'm sure the overnight at the clinic wasn't very restful! He also wasn't particularly interested in eating.

This morning we saw his regular vet, who says that the x-ray of Simon's heart is pretty much just like what it was the last time it was x-rayed, about a year ago. He says this episode is likely related to his heart problem. Simon is now on enalapril in addition to Lasix (he's like a little old man with his heart meds!). He's walking much, much better, although jumping is still problematic - earlier today he jumped for the back of my chair and fell off. Of course, he walked away like he had meant to do that! He's also learned to walk with his back legs a little farther apart, which helps his balance.

I stayed home with him today, even though I'm sure he would be fine without me and that Harley would watch over him. Luckily, I work with pet-owners so they understand why I needed to be here. One of my co-workers reminded me that meat-flavored baby food is tempting to sick kitties, so I'm going to go to the grocery store in a few minutes.

Simon says....



I'm feeling better now, but am somewhat concerned about where they shaved my arm for the IV. And don't get me started about what they stuck up my butt!

Where Have You Been?

Or, more appropriately, I guess -- where have I been?



I've been to Canada once -- to Vancouver for MLA in 2000 -- but that trip gives me credit for the entire country. And those ten years as an Army wife helped, too, with Europe and that tiny blip of red that is South Korea (which you may not be able to see, because the map is being cut off to the right). You can create your own visited countries map; that link gives you an option for a states-visited map, too.

Yarn Porn

Yes, it's Socks That Rock in Queen Rock. The color is not quite as bright as in the picture. For one thing, that royal blue on the right is really much more purple. It's wonderful and I have no idea what I'll use it for - socks, I guess!

Also in the mail today (actually, delivered at about 6:30 by FedEx) was this -- Adagio Tea's ingenuiTEA 'teapot' -- more like an infuser -- and a green tea sampler. I used to be quite a tea drinker and in fact have a collection of teapots. More recently, I've only drank tea when I'm sick or when it's really cold outside, but the recent reports about green tea's benefits have emphasized its protection against Alzheimer's. And since I worry about Alzheimer's anyway (worried, I guess, about becoming one of those crazy ladies with cats -- no, I'm not there yet!), this seems like an easy thing to do. And while you're at the Adagio page, watch the little video about how the ingenuiTEA works -- so cute! ;-)

I wanted to prove to y'all that I've really been knitting, so I tried to take a picture of my fingers, which are blue from the Rowan Denim yarn, but the flash keeps washing out the color and - duh! - I can't remember how to turn the flash off. But take my word for it - I'm quite blue. The fact that I grasp my knitting so tightly that you'd think it was trying to run away probably doesn't help....

Simon says....

Why is everyone talking about Harley?

I've reassured Simon that he is very handsome, wearing his tuxedo every day, but Harley is more interesting. After all, she's a tortie! Chris asked if Harley was a boy, because she had never seen a male tortie before. No, Harley's a girl -- "Harley" is short for "Harlequin" because I thought it looked like she's wearing a mask.

A little quick-and-dirty research shows that Chris is right. Male tortoiseshell cats are rare, and it looks like chromosomally they are frequently XXY. So, I guess I'm happy that Harley's a girl!

And, yes, I'm still working on the baby jeans. Maybe by the weekend, I'll have something worth showing y'all!