Coming off Anaesthesia

So the 5 teeth turned into 6 at some point, I have a mouth so full of temporary crowns the dentist just made whole side panels instead of individual teeth and it took an extra half day to do it all.

My toe doesn't hurt at all any more, isn't that strange?

I just keep taking naps punctuated by leaving smartass comments on some of my friends blogs. and eating ibuprofen like I hate my liver or something. So I decided this time I woke up I was coherent enough (at least my internal monologue is, if I talk I still sound like "the Spleen") to post a little. First, here is a picture that rather beautifully sums up my Sunday knitting at Knitch.


Picture courtesy of the Happy Goth who has a camera that actually works. She and I went to Target sunday morning and loaded up on halloween candy for all the knitters. If I had known it was Nells' birthday I would have gotten her a card at least or maybe her own bag of chocolate monster bodyparts. Anyway, we has a great turnout even considering how many folks were off at SAFF having yarn buying crises. Many of the Sunday crew who showed up had day-tripped SAFF and Doug let us drool over his acquisitions as he put the last few finishing touches to his fantastic sweater. I drank beer, ate chocolate and finished the first Bird Foot sock.

So now it is Tuesday, I have lost 2 precious days of my life to my crazed dentist and I am taking internet quizzes, which is the next step in coming off the anaesthetic, right after the tingly discomfort and inappropriate blog commenting phase.

Which'>http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=11856N">Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in with? (pics) created with

Did you know that ALL the tests I take that place me in a sci-fi world put me in the Firefly category? Or crew me to Serenity? Or generally categorize me as a browncoat? I suppose its not really any stranger than being a poultry god.

By the Power of Greyskull!!!!

I just got my October Rockin Sock Club package. That is all.

And For My Next Trick...

I will juggle three charts while decreasing the gussett and balancing a pyramid of 40 filled champagne glasses on my head. At least that's what it feels like. I really must be a crazy, because I'm loving it. I am not loving the semi-crappy camera action, however. It seems you can choose some focus, or some color, but you may not have both at once.


So I didn't get to work on this very much yesterday due to a headache. I can't imagine doing this with a headache. Later I went to watch the Happygoth's husband and his group ring bells at St. Lukes' Episcopal church downtown. They have a huge bell tower with 10 bells, and after the ringers from England showed up they got all 10 bells going. It was absolutely amazing. I really didn't know anything about change ringing before I met them, but I find it fascinating to watch everyone working together to produce these complex patterns of bell music. The local group rang a quarter peal on 5 bells, which is over 1000 changes rung without error, before the Brits arrived. It was quite moving.

The only problem that afternoon occurred when the husband was explaining something fascinating about the bells to my left while to my right Happygoth was talking to one of the British ringers' wives about knitting change ringing methods in cables. My brain felt like a wishbone being pulled apart trying desperately to listen to both conversations at the same time.

On a totally unrelated note, is Kaffe Fassett just going to be everywhere Wednesday or what? I got emails from 3 different shops that he and Brandon Mabley are going to be there, and I'm wondering if I just show up at all three wearing the thankgodihaveaknittingmachine stripe wrap and glaring at them, do you think they'll get creeped out and think I'm stalking them and set security on me?

Hell, it's worth a try.

The chicken oracle speaks. Or maybe boks.

First, I would like to thank everyone who sent in their guesses as to what I broke right before blogger broke. No one guessed, and that was probably due to my lack of information. It really could have been anything! So I took all the names of folks who sent me a guess, assigned them mystical symbols and went out to the chicken. I then spread some feed out and watched the chicken eat until she got bored and scooted off. Then, in the feed appeared a symbol which closely resembled the symbol corresponding to ... Jen! Congratulations, you get a skein of Raven Series STR as soon as it's available!

Sadly, this was not the strangest thing I have done this week. Prior to this I managed to break my toe by using someone elses' steel toe boot. That is the thing that topped off my weekend. And in this picture? The color is actually pretty accurate as of 2 days ago.

Now you see the similarity to the Raven Series colorway. Lots of black blue and purple. My whole foot started getting blue grayish. Fun!!! Now it's much better although I'm still staying off it as much as possible. And while I'm off it, I'm knitting. I finished Jareds' Hemlock Ring Blanket . It was an extremely satisfying knit, and I am in love with the finished throw. Excuse the crappy picture, hey, I'll get more creative when I'm not having to hobble around like a one legged turkey.

And in a total fit of startitis, I cast on these. Yesterday. I can't stop knitting them.

Bird Foot socks by Robyn Gallimore. You can get the pattern of kit from Red Bird Knits. Yes, Canadian, but worth the wait. And, as you see, my foot is much better. Now I have to go and knit some more on the Bird Foot. So I will leave you with one last picture.

Yep, a one legged turkey. (that rear leg is cut off at the knee. She hyperextends the stump and bends her good knee to walk. we call her hobblegobble)

The unplanned road trip

Well, turns out we are going to go down to visit the parental units. I really don't look forward to the 71/2 hour drive each way, after work, over 3 days. But, I am really not whining about it. My Dad is having surgery Tuesday and I'd like to see him before. Just because, you know?

Nowadays, if you can manage to get a laser or laparoscopic version of whatever surgery you need, even pretty major procedures are far less trouble and risk than they used to be and recovery is way better. I remember as a kid when my Memere had cataract surgery she would have to live with us for at least 2 weeks to recover and wore huge glasses for the rest of her life. My mom had laser surgery and corneal implant and she healed over days and doesn't have to wear any glasses for it. My husband had laparoscopic gall bladder surgery and it took maybe 2 weeks for him to recover and the only scars he has make him look like he's been shot with arrows (which he thinks is cool - what is it about guys?) So when my Dad got the green light on the laser version of his surgery I was really relieved. But I still worry. It's only natural.

Alright, enough of the family medical history, I get to knit like a maniac on road trips. I will be bringing MS3, my Dark Mark scarf (thankyouverymuch Janice Ireallyneededanotherproject!) and my KPS Top Down Wrap Cardi which I am doing in the Fiber Company's worsted weight Khroma, in Cypress, which is the wonderful deep green of late summer. I will get some pics when I get back (or maybe in the car on the road, who knows).

And since my Dad is the theme for today, I present a FO from June. Fathers Day Socks!



Garter Rib Socks from "Sensational Knitted Socks" by Charlene Schurch
Yarn is Chomp (merino superwash) in Arial (fingering weight) from Meg of Twisted (also available at The Urban Knit which is where I bought this) Knitted on size 0 dpns

My Dad loves Andes mints and I thought these looked just like them. I love Megs' yarns and I have collected many of her colorways. The yarn itself is light and lofty and makes a very nice fabric.

Anyway, everyone have a good weekend and if you could send some good vibes my Dad's way, we would all appreciate it very much.

Regaining the habit of blogging

Well, the weekend came and went without a post, and that was mostly due to me forgetting about it. I have simply gotten out of the habit of thinking about blogging, so while I am thinking about it...

The finished Fair Isle Sampler Hat. I opted for the tassel instead of the pompom on the end, but this tassel is a little wussy. I will need to make a beefier tassel for it before I wear it. I mean, I want this sucker to induce tassel envy when I am done.

Then there are the socks for my Mom...

in a very seasonal color combo. All hail Trekking 143. These lovely picot edge socks brought to you by Claudia's pattern. I think she would also approve of the color choice. I sure hope my Mom likes them.

Then there's the in progress stuff. I am still going to town (slowly) on the Paistu Mittens, no in progress pics yet, but I have to say that I freaking heart color knitting. I have also gotten half a sleeve into this...

which will not look nearly as good on me as it does on this model, but there we are.

So that's the wrap up for now, more to come soon. ish.

Koyaanisqatsi

Many thanks to all of you who have been sending notes of condolence and good wishes. It is so nice to know that you all are out there thinking of me from time to time, checking the blog and being patient with me.

Things have been better.

They are, however, looking up. Remember my partner with the stress-induced vertigo? Her being out left us 3 pharmacists down, and almost gave me a case of stress-induced quitting. But I really do love my job, and that became my mantra until she got better and we hired two new pharmacists who I think will really work out well. So there. Now I can breathe again.

But enough about me working, lets get to me knitting. And dyeing. First, lets have a lovely shot of the finished yard from our last dyeing installment. It came out darker than I had planned, darker than the picture. But I really really like it. I even named it.


I am calling it Blood and Souls. Yes, yes, from the books about the ridiculously depressed albino superhero. What can I say? I had an Elric phase. And the color really is more blood-like than the picture. I was going to call it the Bloody Baron, then I remembered that he's a ghost and his bloodstains were silver, which totally wouldn't work. Blood and Souls it is.

In further non-knitting news, there has been much backyard improvement thanks to mother nature and DHL. First, from the water garden we have the exciting news that my asiatic lotus has five buds. I didn't get one flower last year because it was a baby, but this year it is very happy.

Two of the three buds. Down near the water there are two more buds just starting! Bonus!

Second, from the back forty, DHL delivered my eglu about a week ago. I'm just waiting on my chickens to arrive. This picture's kind of blue, but it was just about to rain when I took it.

Last but not least, I have been knitting. In dribs and drabs, surely, but knitting did happen. I went on a bit of a starting binge. First, because two colors just weren't enough for me (it seems)...

The insanely long and cool Fair Isle Sampler Hat from IK Fall 2004. Yes I am tired of weaving in ends already.

And last because when charts were too much for my brain there's nothing like the instant gratification of Trekking XXL...

With a picot edge. God, I am such a follower. But I made my own decorative stitch markers, so neener neener neener.

And where, you may well ask, are my previous WIP's? They're still there, I've just been fickle as hell. And in the true spirit of someone who's largely too busy to knit, I have still managed to buy. But that will be another post for another day. I have to dye more yarn and update my template now.

BTW, koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi indian word which means "life out of balance". I thought that pretty well summed things up. It is also a movie I really like.

One thing still works...

Colorwork. For some reason, while I can't knit plain stockinette in a single color, I have made a bit of progress with the turkish stocking. Can't explain it, but there it is. I did realize that trying to knit the stocking toe up and learn colorwork at the same time was self defeating, and since I think I can produce the same sock knitting it from the top down, I'm going to go with my strengths and do it backwards. I am pretty happy with my slow progress...

Now, the book, which really supposes you know a hell of a lot more about sock knitting that I do, says the original sock has a "hybrid" heel. I have no earthly idea what that is, and I am not sure it is even something that can be done properly if you knit the sock any way but toe up, so I'm going out on a limb with an inserted heel, which I hope will preserve the sillhouette of the sock. Wow, I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about! Anyway, I have a ways to go before I get anywhere near the heel, so there's plenty of time to figure it out. I'm pretty proud to have figured out a couple of errors in the chart in the book (even though it's pretty obvious, still, I could have been unconscious about it) and I like the way it is looking. Mostly I like it because it is the only one of my current attempts at knitting that hasn't self destructed on me. And I've got gauge spot on with 1s. Wheee!

Turkish Stockings for a Persian Lady

After wrestling with two lace projects to the point of complete frustration I decided it was time to cast on for the Turkish stockings anyway, so that's how my weekend came to a close. After reading the instructions for a toe up socks and trying with great success to do a wrapped cast on on size 6 dpns and worsted weight yarn, I switched to the Satakieli and size 0's and I discovered something. For some reason I can't translate the same movements to the tiny needles and yarn and have it work right. I don't know why, but I tried and tried, and it kept on looking wrong. So in the interest of my not flying into a frustration induced psychotic rage after a weekend of ripping and reknitting lace, I decided to cast on the leg stitches and get cracking on the chart to get gauge and practice colorwork. Talk about your instant gratification!

Gauge seems right, now I have to check measurements on the recipient and master the toe up thing on the tiny needles. I think color work is so much fun that even this little bit has been a sufficient break to calm my nerves. Which is a good thing, let me tell you.

Lately I see this phrase showing up on more and more blogs - "work is kicking my butt". Well, I am jumping on that bandwagon for sure. I have two weeks of hell coming up on me, and if I disappear from blogland I am probably in the hospital recovering from a stroke. Seriously, I have no idea if there will be anything left of me for knitting by the end of the day, but I'll check in a few times so you know I haven't had a nervous breakdown. Or maybe I'll just blog about having one. We'll see.

Finally - the first FO of 2006!

Classic Sock Pattern from "Folk Socks" by Nancy Bush in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorway "Wildflower". Knit with many mistakes on #2 Addi circs (started on clover dpns, switched to magic loop technique halfway through the first sock).

I won't be going back to dpns for socks except for historical knitting demos. Everything is so much easier with circs. And Merlin is becoming quite the intarweb hog, isn't he? I think he just knows how the sparkling black fur sets off those colors. Now I get to sleep. Durrow tomorrow. Nighty night.

I broke my socks.

OK, so I have one sock done. This is a pretty comfy sock, but it has one baggy-ass heel. I have been struggling with this since I noticed it. First I noticed that the picture from the book had heel stitches that looked different from the rest of the stockinette stitches, then when it grew to a size to start trying it on, the back of the heel bagged and it didn't look the same as the book. I also noticed that in all the pics I have seen of heel reinforcement, there is a woven pattern to the inside I could not figure how to do while looking at the inside of my sock. For the picture of the sock I shot in the car, I pulled it up pretty tight so as not to show the bagginess in my photo. In reality though, it looks like this:


Humility time. One baggy-ass heel.

I am an idiot.

Sock 2 heel flap. It is amazing what happens when you actually read the instructions thoughfully and not remember the fuzzy feet pattern, assume you know what you just read quickly and go with it. Instead of Sl1 knit or purl to the end of the row, Sl1 K1 repeat to end of row. REPEAT. Sl1 P1 REPEAT to end of the row.

Oh, well, it's a learning process. They won't match, but I was only making them to sleep in, so no biggie, I guess. I do see very clearly how this sets up the stitches on the inside of the sock for that woven pattern of reinforcement yarn.

When you have that moment of pattern epiphany in the middle of the project, it sure is humbling. I am such a perfectionist that I am really fighting the impulse to rip my finished sock back and do it right. But you know what? I'm going to pass on that urge and learn to let go. I don't need my first sock project to turn into a masochistic festival of perfectionism. It isn't like they won't still keep my icy feet warm in bed.

Visiting Katrina

So last weekend my husband and I drove to New Orleans. Road time is knitting time and the little sock that snuck in amongst my other WIP's got finished.


et voila! One sock in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, the colorway is Wildflower.

The good news is that there seems to be enough yarn left for the second sock. Yes the yarn is supposed to make a pair, I just never trust that things will turn out right. I also made lots of progress on Durrow, but it was too big to take pics of in the car. And now a lovely picture of the current state of my ancestral home.

It looks so much roomier this way, no?

I can't tell you how much damage there is. It seems the rest of the country thinks this is all over, but I wouldn't be surprised if it will take 20 years to repair all the damage and rebuild the cities. We saw the first major storm damage 50 miles north of Mobile and rode through an increasing nightmare until we just became numb. So many people living like gypsies in their driveways and front lawns. City Park has a tent city in it visible from I-10. We almost couldn't leave Monday morning because we couldn't find gas. Some people are still living on MREs, a few restaurants are open only a few hours a day with limited menus and are serving food on paper plates. 5 months later. I couldn't bear to see how many houses in the neighborhood were marked with the x indicating a body had beed found inside for the follow up crews to remove. There's lots of people still there, determined to make it work, determined not to let this get the better of them.

So I knitted, and I cried, and sometimes I laughed, because you can see some pretty delightful and amazing things where people try to make their homes amongst the rubble. Some people have named their FEMA trailers like people name fishing camps and have made little signs and planted little gardens. "Bed and Breakfast" was my favorite.

Now I have another sock to finish, Durrow needs a sleeve and a very special Coronet needs to appear all before the end of February. I have fallen very much out of love with Clapotis, and although I am 8 skeins in, it seems to be going nowhere and might join the frog list. I would like to see that particular colorway in a Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole, but I am just not sure yet. Every time I give that a serious thought, there's still a little pang for Clapotis, and I don't know, maybe I have lost too much to lose one more thing.

It's Saturday. There's yarn. Somebody stop me!!!

Yes, yes, yes, I am sticking to my plan, but somehow my stash keeps growing. As do the projects I want to do. My latest acquisition - Satakieli from the nice ladies at Schoolhouse Press.

And the socks I will be making from it. This is going to be a trade item. I will be getting a costume from one of my best friends who is one hell of a seamstress. Still, I am not casting on till March. Or maybe later this evening. I don't know. I said I would only finish pieces through February. Well, this is Finnish. Close enough for me. La, la, la, la.......

The Feet, They are Fuzzy.

And they fit the husband very well. I have been avoiding the felting because I was worried about what would happen, then I realized how bass ackwards that was and threw them in a pillowcase and went for it. I think they are lovely and with the white stripe on only one of them, the right and left will never be confused. Yeah, ok that's lame, I just didn't like the stripe all that much after the first one so I didn't do it on the second. I let the husband do the shaping because they were his, and although they lack the ocd perfection they would have had if I had exercised my usual control freakiness over that aspect of the project, he likes them just fine and I like that he wears them. All in all this was a very fun KAL.

Fuzzy Pair

There is probably some mystic and eldritch reason that this weekend will see the completion of the Fuzzy Feet. This weekend has become a celebration of all things feet, somehow. Today I started and finished foot number two, tomorrow I will be felting and shaping them, then my darling husband and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary with the late show of Riverdance at the Fox Theater. I don't know what I will be knitting next. I have real tiny scary sock yarn, but I am now armed with special sock knowledge. I also have the stuff to make a Birch shawl. After my first unblogged about and frankly humiliating experience with lace knitting, I am still determined but possibly still unready to try lace so soon. Maybe I'll just pretend all that doesn't exist and go on a finishing binge. I've still got the Clappy and that dratted Fletcher hanging over my head (kinda like the sword of Damocles, only without the fun musical accompaniment of Rocky in his little gold lame bikini undies singing about it). For now, look for finished object photos of the felted feeties tomorrow.

Knittin' Large

I have been knitting for maybe two months now. So far, I've done really well at identifying projects that are too advanced for me, and I have learned to back up. I really need one of those annoying beepers for when I go into reverse and back into a simpler project. I wanted to learn cables so I started with Forbes Forest, which quickly set the little robot in my mind screaming "danger, Will Robinson" and I backed into Coronet, which was a total success. I jumped in to trying Branching Out in Douceur et Soie (that's right, I didn't even blog about that disaster) and learned that I needed to back into wither a simpler lace project or a try at that pattern with a yarn I can actually work with, I haven't decided which yet. I took a break from the endless (but I'm OK with that) Clapotis to back into a totally mindless, skinny and wonderfully fast mistake rib scarf. Again, success, set to the soundtrack of my reverse warning beeps.

So what do I do? I go out and buy "Knitting on the Road" and "Knitting Vintage Socks". I need to have my head examined.

Actually, this is all Lolly's fault, her and her evil Soctoberfest. I really couldn't have cared less about socks till all the cool pics started showing up all over the web, and then it was too late. She even ran away to Hawaii, undoubtedly going into hiding to avoid me giving her looks because she started the sock fire which now burns brightly within me. But yes, now I must knit socks too. I never realized I was that much of a joiner, but I guess I am, and there's no shame in it I suppose. Actually there is plenty of shame, but it rests mostly in my total lack of sock knitting knowledge.

Crazy Aunt Purl to the rescue! This is the second time I have mentioned her in this blog, which is just a baby blog, and I swear if I mention her again I am just going to have to apply to her for adoption. Anyway, thanks to her Fuzzy Feetalong, I will not only be knitting socks, I will be KNITTIN' LARGE (socks). Somehow this reminds me of this strange flash animation. And with that vision firmly in our heads, picture me knitting Fuzzy Feet.

Now picture me knitting the heel according to instructions which just seem wrong and taking it on faith that the kind and generous Theresa wouldn't lie to me - and succeeding!!! I am so stoked over this giant and increasingly sock shaped creature spilling forth from my oversized needles! I feel a little like Dr. Frankenstein creating his monster. I dunno, maybe that's the leftover Halloween candy I washed down with a beer talking. Nothing like knitting giant socks drunk with the sugar high from hell. I recommend it highly (no pun intended).


Here is Samantha with my first heel and gussett. Marvel at the natural splendor of this REALLY BIG SOCK!

***UPDATE***
Well, these are cool, and they're fast! I have finished one already.

On to fuzzy foot Number 2!