V is for variegated!

30 Letter V People are off to school this morning, along with an African Violet with variegated leaves, a ball of variegated yarn & baby socks knit from variegated yarn.

Plant pictured is named Nancy Reagan; plants that went to school are Honeysuckle Rose & Baby Tears. They were just starting to bud...was hoping to get them to open a few blossoms by the time letter V arrived but no luck!

Sunday, so to speak!

Happy Day After Birthday, Steph!

Traditional Sunday dinner started off with a bit of a shocker. A moment we've been waiting for with hopeful certainty, surely this day would come. Uncle Kevin said he had to say something; not trying to start something, in fact it would make my day. "George Bush is an idiot."
And then something about being "done drinking the Kool-Aid" but I was giddy with the joy of the moment, so exact quotes escape me!

There was no gloating, no joyful celebration, as we are stuck with these fools intent on ruining our country for 3 freaking more years. Just a relieved and thankful little, "well it took you long enough."

But he still thinks it's okay for the government to be spying on people without oversight or a court order. There's work to be done getting him to cough up a little more of that fruit juice he's been drinking.

Knitting News

Not that Tom has been infected by the knitting craze going on in this house, but we're planning a road trip during April vacation to Harmony. I've discovered there's a century old yarn mill here in Maine and they have a factory outlet. I also mentioned the Maine (quilt) Shop Hop going on during April and pointed out other possible stops along our route. In reality it's still too early for trout fishing, so he may just be humoring me into thinking we'll actually stop at shops generally veiwed with my nose pressed to the window at 50+ mph.

Other signs of knitting infection:
While watching DVD on Saturday (Bend it like Beckham), just as movie was ending Tom shouts, "She's Knitting a SOCK!"

On Sunday he came home with a bag of yarn that's been up on the back of the stage since he started working at 14th Street School. "Anything you can use, here?"

In a FABRIC postcard mood!

I've agreed to be postcard pals with 2 little girls in Pennsylvania just learning the Art of Fabric Postcards! Here are 2 of my newest creations off to the post office this morning.

There's Garden Fabric, fussy cut >4x6< and then fused with 2 sided fusible web to stiff facing. The butterfly stickers didn't scan too well, but they're in a clear window with shaker confetti - evolved from the snow globe concept. I added some star buttons for balance.


Bird or butterfly buttons would have worked wonderfully . . . must go shopping?!

Well, this means WAR

I filled my coat pockets with trash bags, hooked Jasmine to her leash and decided to spend Monday's spring-like weather outside, picking up after Nasty Litterbugs. What trait in a person causes them to roll down a window of their fast moving auto and fling whatever they will to the ditch and drive off oblivious of their pigginess? How can they drive back by the next day (assuming this is not someone from away driving by, one time only?) and not notice the mounting trash heaps on the side of the road . . . knowing they contributed to the mess . . . and NOT feel guilt?

I don't understand it. I'm not willing to ignore it. Especially the stuff on OUR property. Since we live on a corner, 20+ acres gives us quite a bit of road frontage to clean up. It used to be I could convince the kids, both mine and the babysitting variety, that picking up trash was an Earth Day Event and I had willing helpers. Today it's just me and the dog!

Starting at the mailbox, we headed down to the corner. By the time we reached the stop sign Jazz was giving me the "This is NOT fun" look and I had decided it was too much effort to try picking up all of the mess and still keep her safely leashed. After filling one bag, dragging a broken trash barrel in our ditch back to the neighbors side of the road, so the trash truck would collect it on Tuesday, Jasmine got put inside and I continued up the other road by myself.

In an hour and a half and just a few 10th's of a mile, I filled 4 bags. FOUR HEAPING BAGS. Every driver of every passing car was glared at and if they could read lips at 50+ mph they know I was curious if any of this crap was theirs. It occurred to me as the last bag was filled, right at our farthest boundary and turned to trek home: I needed to rethink future plans to do this ONLY on trash day. I could drop off bags at driveways already boasting: it's trash day. I faced the folly of my plan as I realized I would be lugging 4 full bags of trash 5 miles back home. (Yeah, well a few 10th's seems like 5 miles when 4 bags of disgusting trash are being dragged back to my mailbox!) The found Walmart bag now holding about 75 cents worth of returnables did not seem payment enough. I'm hoping the spotless landscape next time I drive to town will be as satisfying as I remember it in years past.

And WAR? That's now on with our neighbor in the trailer behind our house. By the time I got all of the bags of trash down to the road, where it will be picked up and hauled away, the broken trash barrel was thrown back into the ditch on MY side of the road.

I dragged it out, spouting several loud expletive deletives and dragged it to the pile of roadside crap I had built. CURSE THEM! When I looked out later to see they had brought out their trash for tomorrow's pick up, it had tipped over. I swear . . . not me who tipped it over!
Some neighbors SUCK.

KNITTING is one of the 12 Steps!

In December of 2005, when I asked mom to teach me to knit Grammie Socks, there may have been a moment of fear hidden in there somewhere that morning. A grain of truth recognizing that if her art of socks, her knowledge of knitting was to be passed on, time was an issue.

We were headed to the eye doctor for a check up of the laser surgery done on both eyes in the past year or so and unfortunately it left her vision worse off than before the surgery. Before she could at least read. It was the damnedest thing to have a nearly legally blind parent with an inherited eye disease, most frighteningly passed on to women in our family, lift her glasses off and read better without them. Now she doesn't even have that. It takes a book held in one hand, fairly close to the face and a magnifying glass in the other. After an hour or two, her joy of reading has been replaced by a headache of gigantic proportion and arthritic hands now aching from the effort of holding both magnifier & book aloft.

I'm nearly finished reading Yarn Harlot's book, The Secret Life of a Knitter. It has been one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud reads I've enjoyed in a long time. I've been reading it slowly. . . savoring! A chapter here or there, in between knitting a sock or making letter people or fabric postcards. Sometimes housework. So when I got to the chapter What her Hands Won't Do I wasn't expecting the light hearted fuzzy feeling of my new found step towards inner peace to be replaced by sadness and fear. A knitter who can no longer knit. A knitter who gives away her beloved stash to friends who will cherish it because knitting physically hurts too much. As a quilter - or perhaps as a confessed packrat - the Stash concept for knitter's is a familiar one. But I was not ready to admit this truth likely awaits my mom. Some distant time, far too soon, knitting will hurt too much.

I put down the book and picked up the baby sock I'm working on instead. There was no way I was ready for the next chapter entitled Freaking Birds. It was clearly going to be funny and lighthearted once more. Perhaps a sad chapter needs to be savored as much a funny one?

Knitting seems to have woven itself into my daily routine without my really being aware it was happening. Maybe I've stumbled onto one of the true steps to finding my inner peace. How do I suddenly have more online bookmarks for items in a knitting folder than any other category? It remains a bit of a mystery!

As a new fan of Yarn Harlot's blog & books (also the founder of 2006 Knitting Olympics ;) I went to Amazon.com and read book reviews of her books, thinking it would help me decide if I wanted to read her books. Most of the reviewers were obviously true fans of both blog & books already. I've decided several mean reviews were either posted by Knitting Snobs or knitting book/blog writer rivals with an axe to grind. I will give the one mad about a chapter disbelieving wool allergies might be real the benefit of doubt, since Uncle Elbow once ended up in ICU and they blamed wool.

This copy of The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is borrowed through the library interloan program. I'm reading the Portland Public library's copy from four hours away! I requested her other book at the same time but Bangor Library decided to buy it, so it's going to take longer to get my hands on! I hope the publishers will/consider publishing them in large print. Having told mom of several antidotes from the book, she wants to read Secret Life next. It will take determination as this copy is very fine, small print.

Final story shared with mom before she declared she wanted to read it also:

Harlot approved method for darning socks: Hold above trash can and exclaim "Darn it!" as you deposit sock with holes into bin. I would suggest pairs go in together for this treatment, except my mismatched sock bag, overflowing in oneness, proves I have issues with letting lonely socks go.

Knitting has become my newest obsession. That and trying to learn Hardanger. This stitch work either requires natural light in front of the brightest window in the house, a trip to town for a light bulb that gives off better glow than anything currently installed or visit with an eye doctor confessing, "I can't see!" So far I'm sticking to the sunshine spot in the living room.

I'm finally "getting" the Hardanger buttonhole stitch. Though not perfect (yet) and at times wondering why on earth I think I need to persist in learning something THIS difficult to see . . . counting threads of fabric? OMG! But it's pretty and a Needle Art with history, worth my best effort. Plus it may be that I'm just too stubborn to quit? And now I have all these supplies, thanks to several trips to ACMoore with 40% coupons in hand!

I'm waiting for delivery of my newest Ebay purchase: Hardanger, Basics & Beyond by Janice Love. (Book seller notes it's even autographed ;) My starting bid of $4 won, which feels a bit like theft as the book sells for $15 at all the shops plus outrageous S/H fees. That elusive handling cost some feel compelled to charge really ticks me off! I gave up on the first copy of the book I bid on, it at $9 something. It went for nearly $18 plus S/H - a bidding war gone nutz!! Feeling quite smug with my win actually . . . that fool, HA!

But KNITTING? That can be done in just about any light; it's relaxing to do and a few mintues of channel surfing to see what's happening in the world convinces me more often than not lately to turn the crap onTV off and just knit! Frankly, I'm as surprised as anyone about it.

"Another Weasley!"

They're FINISHED! And another (slightly wonky) W showed up on the other heel. The socks match better than I thought they ever could!

(Also finished Letter People W this week and sent them off to be with the 14th Street Cabbage Patch Kids, in between socks ;)

Skein Whose Price Must Not Be Mentioned

Hey, Look! The Skein of Opal #1125 . . . or as I prefer to speak of it: Skein Whose Price Must Not Be Mentioned has been specially designed, just for me. My initials have appeared as if by magic, into the bottom of the heel. (LW)
See it?! I think the W is defined without too much extra imagination;
L takes a little lower case acceptance.

I'm fighting my almost compulsive need to mark the W with a diagonal red slash.

Once again I'm having issues looking for the beginning of a skein of yarn. This adult size sock is at the point I have just used all of the yarn I had to wind back to the outside of the skein after I pulled a glob from the center of the skein trying to find the end. If there's a trick to finding the center pulls, I haven't discovered it yet!

Notes from my half empty nest . . .

It's time to purge the clutter, again...

My Sewing slash Laundry Room is so messy I can't find the cutting table or sewing machine. Time has come to put things in order. I'm not going to move everything SEWING back into Stephani's room while she's away. This room works when it hasn't been taken over by sewing stuff not put away since the last time it was used or dirty clothes. The shelves & drawers are set up well enough to contain reasonable amounts of sewing items. The rest needs to go. Stuff given to me "because I might use it" needs to go. Obviously, I can't or won't use it in this lifetime. Time also for a little more effort towards finishing quilty UFO's that lost my attention.

It's day 3 of Lofty Cleaning Goal - not making progress very fast :) I found this hastily scribbled note from last year (down behind a box that needs purging!) and I came to the computer to see what it looks like in more permanent font. Not that I would procrasticlean?

(First time our Stephani Nola went away to be grown up)

A few tears crept past
Unexpectedly
And yet, not.
You write wonderfully
Just as I've said since grade 3
So as I read your blog
31 Days gone
31 days Lived
Frighteningly
Wonderfully
Away from me
By so far that even if you called
To say that you NEEDED me
(which you won't)
The getting there
Would take too long.

(This second time goodbye was easier, but still...)

Putting your clean clothes into the dryer
Such a wave of despair washed over me;
You're leaving in the morning.
No more crying
Not like last time.
Not for three days.
Not for such everyday things easily fixed:
Too many dirty dishes
Not enough counter space.
FEAR:
Fear leaving here makes you too glad.
More glad to be gone
Than glad to be back in New York.

New Respect for WOOL!

I will never wash (Sara's) wool sweaters in regular laundry again!

(I probably will never own one if they have to be specially washed ... oh, now convinced they do!)

I've just felted my first knitting project - on purpose - I'm speechless!

I sort of wish I had taken it out and looked at it a little longer the first time I checked. First impression was: It's yummy! I put it back in a little longer - and then let it rinse for a few minutes in the machine. That extra rinse agitation may have shrunken it more compactly than I remember it looking at first peek. Anxiousness at water growing cold ... not knowing what I was looking for exactly, I put it back in. WOW! Thicker than I ever imagined those knit stitches could become. I believe I'm now hooked on knitting & felting wool.

Let the next project/ pattern search begin!

Strappy Doneness, at last!

I chased after 5 year old nephew Kyle all day; my proud Olympic Knitting Completion moment has become exhausted!

Posted the following at Team DPN while the the thrill was new. 3o seconds into my shower Sara knocked on the door to announce her car wouldn't start. Went outside with hair still drippy to confirm; battery sounded like it needed a charge. Kyle would be arriving in less than an hour, the house could use some kid proofing before then and there was no coffee left. Give me back my knitting needles and let me start this day over some place quieter and more peaceful!!

My French Market Bag is finished...the knitting part, that is.
(Still needs felting. Tomorrow is good :)

Connected the straps, bound the 4 top edges, wove & snipped all ends and pulled out the basting by 5:52 a.m. 02.21.06. (2 scrids of 14 inch pieces of yarn are all that remain from 2nd skein.)

Explanation for color change from 2nd skein/ not matching dye lots:
I MEANT TO DO THAT...my story and sticking to it ;)

New techniques tried: Knitting with wool; Knit1/Purl 1 Rib, bound off with Kitchener stitch; joining seams NOT a toe with Kitchener; circular needle knitting and FINISHING item within time allowed. (Also made first buttonhole on one of those other projects!)

Strappy Progress!

Yes. I'm done procrastiknitting (for the moment) and have moved forward with work on French Market Bag straps & binding.

Of course, when just re-learning the art of knitting, do what I do:

CHANGE THE PATTERN? Original pattern says to Bind Off edges every 25 stitches. BUT I've just discovered this Kitchener form of binding off a knit 1/Purl 1 RIB. (scroll down but you put all the purl stitches on a second needle from behind and pretend it's the toe of a sock!!)

I'm changing pattern to: knit 1/Purl 1 (from starting mark) next 12 stitches,* knit next 26 stitches, knit 1/Purl 1 next 24, knit next 26 stitches * around ending in final 12 knit 1/Purl 1 stitches to complete set of 24 rib stitches. For 3 rows.

(Hope this works - or - she's too dumb to know she should be afraid?) It's been suggested I swatch a square to see how this edge felts. Since I wanted to do a mini version of the bag so I could journal my Knitting Olympics month for February at 4x6 Lives, I'll consider this an assignment and NOT procrastiknitting!! (Steph, verbs are not capitalized?)

LOOK how well I baste...quilting knowledge comes in handy for knitting. AND the number of stitches came out perfect. [(24*4)+(26*4)=200] LOOK, Sara...mommy does math. YIKES!!

Procrastiknitting

Procrastiknitting v. to knit on a project NOT already assigned. Continuing to knit project NOT under (self imposed) deadline (Knitting Olympics). my editor should evaluate/update this definition. I'm making it up!

Steph, the ipod cozy2 has biggened itself into a Cargo Pod@.

(Aren't I clever to keep the word pod in there and yet cargo allows for the size factor? I thought it up; so if it's already been done I couldn't find it online, allowing for the fact that I suck at search engines ;)

Finished Procrastiknitting item (not an FMB) seen here is nearly large enough for your camera . . . if I move the button up about 3 inches. And fix that wonky flap, while I'm at it!
*insert in Steph's sarcastic-tinged voice, "YOU are SUCH a perfectionist." here*

It's additional size would also allow your ipod, school id, money for coffee & subway pass. Dad says, "Sure. Then someone can steal all your crap at one time."

Knitting Olympic progress

Day 10
(I think!)
Will probably do a few more rows on the FMB before starting straps. Now that the meds have worn off and ruler applied, it's just at 8 inches. Original instructions made the bottom go up 9 additional rows in contrasting color, after the increase was finished. My bag is all one color so I may be measuring from the wrong place. I marked the end of increase row...not 9 up. If it's going to shrink 2 inches, guess the side should go up a little more.

Made progress on the pretend ipod pocket. LOOKS LIKE A POCKET NOW! Turns out if you want this RedHeart yarn to wave, you must use smaller knitting needles? I like the color on this much better than the baby & mommy socks made from the same skein. Finished in time for Sara's gift giving event, even.

NOTE THE MISSING PLUMBING SUPPLIES. Application took twice as long as our neighbor (actual maintenance guy!) hoped. Turns out our 65+ year old house is crooked and plumbing outdated. Go figure!

Is that what they told you?

An ipod cozy.
Is that what they told you?

Looks more like a rectangular coaster with quills!
Size 1 needles sure are small. Knit for an hour and not yet 2 inches managed.

Should NOT have added extra biggening stitches. TRUST THE PATTERN, indeed.

Not convinced yet it will turn into a pocket as decribed here. Probably should not (credit) blame this work on the Keyboardbiologist!

And those plumbing parts? Been sitting on the table 3 days waiting to be applied to the leaking shower pipes so that water can be turned back on. Full time would be good! Except right now water is pouring from the hot water tap in the shower - even with the knobs & cut off valves turned all the way off? Don't ask me why...I'm not the maintenance guy!

What day is it?

Woke up with a yucky cough and so medicated with some wannabe sudafed to try nipping it, before it became a full on flubug. Feel better actually.

Made some progress on the FMB. Almost at the strap section...maybe a few more rows?
NO...I think I'm ready to move on to the next project so this bag is about as tall as it shall get!

Uh, about that next project? Yeah...well I sort of started it...she admitted guiltily.

Say it with her people (she needs reminding it seems... and perhaps a photo of the quilting UFO's in the next room): THERE WILL BE NO UFO's IN LAURIE'S KNITTING BUCKET!!

But I wanted to try another ipod cozy. My first effort is standing by, waiting for the knitting fairy to figure out how to finish it. (Emailed the designer and she sent advice in return mailbox. There's hope!)

Sadly Steph, as the only family member with an ipod in need of a cozy, my newest effort has biggened itself, muchly. Those darned directions must have been right? WHO KNEW? 20 stitches per front & back...not 24...just in case. Hate it when that happens.

It's even too big for Sara's Personal Organizer Device Thingy.

Unless other stuff has need of transportation, an ipod will become rather floaty.

TIME IN!

KNITTING OLYMPICS:
Resume knitting French Market Bag. (More round in circles, a little boring but Eyes on the Outcome! Inches away from strappy doneness!!)

Fell asleep last night on the couch watching Fellowship of the Rings...again. Had worked on the mommy socks for a while but they were making me sleepy so I gave up. Woke up and went to bed at midnignt...pretending I could fall back asleep! Gave up after 45 minutes; got up and finished the mommy socks by 2:30 a.m.

Glad I don't have to keep them, actually. This skein of Red Heart Starbrights had way too much yucky yellow... and I LIKE yellow usually...just not so much! Plus the color changes took place every 12 inches - exactly. Larger sized sock developed yucky, single row stripes...eeew!

Knitting Olympics - DAY 7

TIME OUT called!

Sara spotted the teeny baby sock I made in order to keep a project going for Team DPN and thought it would be great if she had a mommy pair to match, so that she could give them as a gift to her friend with a new baby. "Saturday? ...this Saturday?"

Baby socks are done, plus half of a mommy sock. (Thank goodness for the crochet hook! I've dropped more stitches on this one sock than all others put together since learning socks.)

So, there will be less French Market Bag progress through the end of the week.

Knitting Olympics

Day 5 & 6:
First full day of Speed Knitting on the circulars went well. I've finished my first skein of yarn (223 yards) of Paton's Peacock wool, ready to connect the new skein on day 6.

BUT FIRST . . . As a proud member of TEAM DPN, not a day should pass during this Olympic event without using a DPN! I cast 24 stitches onto my Size 4 DPN's and finished a baby bootie this morning! The second is cast-on now as well.

Took mom to the eye doctor's for another checkup (scene of my first sock lesson on 12.23.05 :) and KNIT IN PUBLIC! Struck up a conversation with two very sweet older ladies with lots of knitting experience & praise at my effort for such a new knitter.

With fresh DPN's loaded and ready for primetime poking . . . Tom will spring a leak if I poke him as often as he deserves . . . back to the French Market Bag!

Progress: 24 rows completed up the side at the end of Day 5.

LANE CHANGE!

Morning of DAY 5:
I have successfully changed over to the circular needle! MINDLESS SPEED KNITTING ahead.

Knitting Olympics

DAY FOUR:
Well, the morning started off with a trip to town to mail out a care package of art supplies, calculator, forgotten jeans & ipod cord to Steph . . . GO TEAM BROOKLYN!

Since I'm already in town and I'm this close to ACMoore, perhaps a quick visit to the yarn supply section for either another size 7 DPN or some real stitch stoppers. (Plus, last week's 40% coupon is about to expire!) I came away with both and . . . it's all Steph's fault?
1st POKE WITH A DPN of the day!!

In the end, I went with 9 Double Pointed Needles to complete the bottom section of my French Market Bag. Yeah, that's right! I can knit with 9 DPN's. 200 stitches successfully increased. (SLOW) Speed Skating REQUIRED LANE CHANGE about to take place: 1st attempt at knitting with a circular needle up next!

Where's my VALIANT EFFORT award?

Knitting Olympics

DAY THREE:
Today I watched a bit of speed skating and now my French Market Bag has become One with the (slow) Speed Skaters! Okay, mostly we are ONE with the guy on the tail end of the line!
We go round in circles and after about 135 loops around the DPN's, it's a LONG WAY back to Needle 1!

So I'm rooting for any of the skaters back there last in line. What I was really hoping for was to see them to all join hands like we did when we were kids. Was it called a WHIP? The leader skates really fast and in all directions, trying to break the chain and see skaters zoom off in all directions. Yeah, that would be an event I could cheer for!

So now that I've crowded 152 stitches (out of 200) onto four 7 inch long, size 7 DPN's, it's getting a bit tricky making the stitches stay put on the needles. Did I mention I'm new to this knitting thing? I've seen those stitch stoppers at the store. They look like eraser tops for pencils! Thought about buying some a while ago, but if this knitting thing turns out to be just another passing Laurie phase, how much stuff do I really need?!

Wished I had some stitch stoppers though, because I'm not feeling brave enough yet to try out the circular needle. I have one but it may end up in that pile of stuff I'll wonder why on earth I bought . . . but Stephani wanted a hat! oooh, blame shopping spree/packrat moment on the kid away at college . . . consider yourself poked with my Olympic DPN even though you're in Brooklyn . . . Go Team Brooklyn! . . . from the mom sideline cheering section of Maine :)

Well, this Olympic Knitting thing is supposed to be a challenge right? Determined to stick with DPN's and knitting with 8 not working out so well 'cause I really need 9, maybe packing peanuts? Didn't have any, but found some styrofoam and cut up cubes and made my own stitch stoppers.

Have decided knitting with my improvised stitch stoppers is a little like (Slow) Speed Skating WITHOUT taking the iceskate-blade guards off!!

Knitting Olympics

DAY TWO:
This day is brought to us by the Letter L!
Managed to do some more on my French Market Bag - and get this week's Letter People (almost) done!

My FMB is up to 108 stitches (out 200 before we just plain KNIT up the sides). 200 will probably be TOO MANY STITCHES for 4 short DPN's? I tried using the rest of my size 7 needles and still keep the corner increases intact.
I'm a DPN short!

Day One Pictures

Also qualify now for the "What the Hell was I Thinking?" button.
(Need to figure out how to post buttons down the side!!)
My progress so far: After much unravelling and many CASTING ON do overs PLUS first cup of coffee this morning.

Upload order is reversed?
photo #1 & 3: After an hour, 15 minutes . . . starting over . . . AGAIN!
#5: Lots of holes from YO vs M1 (Okay, which ever way you're going to increase - PICK ONE and stick to it. And WHY aren't there the same # of stitches on the 1st needle. Went to bed.

Next morning photos (2 & 4) with coffee! No DAY ONE blogging until ALL of the yarn that just came out with a simple little tug gets knit up.