Justification

I missed Friday Night Knitting Club last night because Durwood and I went to a Barbershoppers concert, so I decided to go over to Loops and Links to knit for an hour this morning. I stopped going a while back because I have no resistance to the yarn on the Wall O'Savings. Today was no different. There it was lying in wait for me, seven skeins of Aurucania Toconao #502 worsted weight in a luscious tomato red darkening to a wine red (it's darker and oranger, not pinkish, in person). Nine hundred seventy-three yards of potential. If I wait until I've lost a bit more weight it'll be enough for a February Lady Sweater. I'll have to see what I can do with it once I have the Christmas knitting and the Khaki Cardi done. Done, not close to done, done, finished, finito, that kind of done.




At the concert last night they gave out door prizes, a lot of door prizes and I won one. It was such an interesting assortment of items, I took its picture so you could see it too. There's a bottle of pink Australian wine called Screwed; on the label are tons of excuses: I missed the bus, my alarm didn't go off, my computer froze, etc., a gallon jug of antifreeze windshield squirter stuff, 2 bottles of gas line de-icer, and 4 free lines of bowling at a local lanes. I didn't win the quilt or the savings bonds or any of the restaurant gift certificates, but I love the useful wackiness of the prize I won. Durwood and I will have fun going real bowling one winter day.

This concludes my portion of Blogtoberfest. I managed to post almost every day and I made up the ones I missed so the number of October posts equals the number of days in October. I've enjoyed doing this and I've still got nearly half of the other participants' blogs yet to visit, and I intend to keep reading them until I've read a least a bit of each and every one. I'll definitely be doing this again next October.

Drat!

This is what happens when I don't keep track of my rows; I had to frog the second part of the project because it's waaay bigger than the first and they'd look stupid together and wouldn't fit. Arrrgh. Not such a "quickie" project now, is it?

This would be a perfect day to loll on the couch with my knitting and a novel to listen to; it's drizzly and windy, perfectly dreadful out there, but I've got things to do like return library books and help Durwood set up his job search account online and get my nails done. My life is abuzz.

Only 2 Days Left

Blogtoberfest is winding down. I'm kind of going to miss it, going to miss having to dredge up a photo and something interesting to post every day. I'm replacing it with NaNoWriMo. Having to write 1667 words of a novel each day during November will keep me nicely occupied, thank you very much. I know I can do it; I've done it three times before. I know the hardest part is reminding myself that I can type any manner of tripe, doesn't have to make sense or be grammatical or spelled correctly, doesn't have to connect to what was written the day before, nothing. All it has to be is words. I've got my "inner Hitler" safely stowed in her jar and a vague idea of where the words might go come Sunday, so I'm all ready. Wish me luck.

I've been knitting at work today. Only one customer so far. I found The Dark Crystal on Netflix instant play list so I'm deep in the world of Jen and the Skeksies. Jim Henson was a genius.

My writing friend, Roi, published a book and set of cards of spiritual guidance called Spirit of Archetypes. They are supposed to be used to help you make your way through life's pitfalls but I can't seem to get past the gorgeous art on the cards. I shuffle through them and imagine all sorts of stories growing from them.

Back To The Drear

Happily I didn't have to work yesterday when it was sunny for the first time in what seemed like weeks. Today it's overcast again but it's not supposed to rain until tomorrow night. I see that it's a bit sunny right now but the sun is going down so even if it was clear it'd be dark soon. I did have a few customers today so that was good. I always feel better when I can put a little $$ in the till to help Mr. & Mrs. Boss stay afloat.



Today's knitting is a gift for someone, so all you get to see is the project bag waiting under the desk for knitting time. Nice fishy fabric, though, don't you think?

I Need a Keeper

I said it yesterday and it's so true. I was supposed to get a haircut this morning but my beautician was ill so since I was on the east side of town I zipped over to Hobby Lobby to get a skein of a particular yarn to make her a felted purse for Christmas. One skein, that's what I was after. Did I stop at one? No. (But then you knew that, didn't you?) I did get the purse yarn. I hope she likes these colors.


But I also found these on two of the ends.

I was sucked in by the colors of this sock yarn and by reading on someone's blog yesterday about a woman she met at Rhinebeck or SOAR who only knits single socks, all kinds of patterns, all kinds of yarns, one sock. So this Red Heart Heart & Sole yarn, with Aloe, will be my first foray into knitting a sock on size US2s. Maybe. Unless I lose my nerve and bump it back up to 3s. Or maybe I'll find a pattern I like that calls for US1s and just go for it. That is, of course, after I finish the Reef Socks, 2 Stealth projects, a shawl and more of a sweater. Oh, and a quickie project for someone's birthday. So, yeah, someday I'll be knitting this yarn.




Then there's this I Love This Cotton yarn. I'm all about the variegated, you know that, but I also like the feel of this. It's a little finer and a lot softer than either Sugar 'n Cream or Peaches & Creme. It'll be good for a Ballband warshrag for car knitting.

I was tickled when I checked out and it came to exactly $20, but I didn't have to spend it. I could have saved it. Someone needs to save me from myself. Please!


I did knit on the Lava shawl last night and got through the first 2 rows of the column lace. See? It's a little holey.

Weak, So Weak

I stopped at Michaels yesterday on my way to the grocery (it's so not on the way, it's the opposite way) so that I could pick up 2 more skeins of that alpaca yarn since there's nearly twice the yardage in the wool skeins. Don't want to end up halfway through a glove and run out of the correct dye lot yarn, now do I? I even had 2 more coupons, 2 receipt coupons from the day before to use. Guess what? Now the alpaca is on sale so the coupons didn't work on it. Did I just pay for the on-sale alpaca and leave? Of course I didn't. I stood there in the not-Basic yarn aisle and picked out two skeins of Pure Organic Cotton yarn in two lovely variegated colors that the coupons did work on. I need to have my Michaels visa revoked. I can't go in there unescorted lately; I need a keeper. Pretty colors, though, huh?

A Touch of Green

A while back I read on trek's blog that they use cloth napkins to reduce paper use. She doesn't wash them every day (except for the one in their daughter's lunch) so she's not using more water and power either. I was intrigued, but Durwood seemed unenthusiastic. The idea clung to the back of my mind so the next time I was cruising Goodwill I looked at the napkins, but they had mostly pink and blue, neither of which I'd let in my kitchen. Then I found a hook of smaller, striped cotton dishtowels for a buck each. I realized that I could cut them in half, serge and hem the cut edges, and use them as napkins. I love them, and seeing that I made 10 of them, Durwood is even using them. Much nicer than paper. Thanks for the idea, trek.

Curse You, 40% Off Coupons!

I had two of them. They would expire today. I had to spend them. I went to Michaels to buy a frame for the Sock monoprint that David made for me at The Clearing last month. (frames were already on sale so the coupons wouldn't work on them) I wish I could afford to have it matted right now, but I love the way the print looks in the black frame until I can.





I found this yarn on an end and fell for the dark gray color called Mercury. I picked up two skeins, one for each coupon. When I got to the checkout, after the checker finished admiring the print (she's a print artist too), she told me that the yarn was on sale so I couldn't use the coupons on them, but by then I loved the color so much I had to keep it.

But the coupons would still expire at the end of today! I had to spend them!

Back in the yarn aisles, I didn't even look at the "Basics," I didn't want to waste the coupons on yarn I could afford every day, so I stuck with the "High End" aisle. I fondled the organic cottons and bamboos, but my hand kind of stuck to the Bernat Alpaca. Now, I understand that it's mostly acrylic but that 1/3 alpaca really redeems it, and there near the floor was a color called Stone, just a tiny bit darker (in person) than the Mercury. It was meant to be. And not on sale.

By the time I got home with it I had decided to hold a strand of each together to make this hat and these gloves. I know! A matching set. Imagine that.



P.S. And now with this post I am caught up for Blogtoberfest. It was annoying me that my number of October posts didn't match the number of the date. Anal, much?

FNKC

I planned to take photos of the room full of women knitting at Friday Night Knitting Club, but there were only 3 of us. We didn't fill the room and 3 of the regulars were away, 2 sick and one out of town. So Lyn and Tanya and I just chatted away the hours, listening to the people at open mic night in Harmony Cafe up front, closing the door when the music sucked all the air out of the room where we sit. We love listening but a few of the players and singers evidently equate volume with quality. That makes me sound old, doesn't it? Sorry, my head-banging days are long past.

I did get some knitting knitted and here it is.


A few rows were added to the Lava shawl. I'm not going as fast as I might on this because I keep stopping, laying it out on my lap, and admiring the colors in the yarn. Fewer than 10 rows until the lace begins. Maybe later today.


I worked on the Quickie project that got cast on yesterday afternoon. It's coming right along. Love the colors.

Oh, All Right

Don't show me your "puppy eyes." You know I can't stand that. I give up. I won't show you the completed Stealth Project 2 but I will show you the yarns for Stealth Project 3. Pretty, huh?

Back in the World of Yarn

In order to blog every day I have been straying from the main topic of this blog, but today we're back in the world of fiber-y goodness.

I finished Stealth Project 2 this morning after working on it pretty much non-stop this week, but you won't get to see it until later in the year. Sorry. Stealth Project 3 will be cast on before the end of today, more secret knitting with no pictures to show for my efforts. *sigh* Suspense is good.


I did cast on a quick project with these three yarns this morning. I like them together.





And when I wasn't knitting on Stealth 2, here's what I was busy with--the Lava Shawl. It's like crack, I can't hardly put it down or stop petting it. I'm trying to keep my perspective with this thing but I'm weak, I cave. Only 10 more rows and then I get to start the lace part. Woot!

Irresistible

I turned the corner into our street on my way home from work last night and suddenly my windshield was filled with autumn. I had to go into the house, grab the camera, and walk back up the hill to take pictures. It seemed like overnight the leaves had turned.




I loved the patchwork of the leaves stuck together by the afternoon rain.

The Queen of Socks

Not necessarily making socks, but wearing socks. See the socks on the line yesterday? They don't match. My socks only match in the dead of winter when I have to wear boring but warm ones to keep my feet warm at work.





In September when I was at my writing retreat week, the leader/coach taught an afternoon class that she entitled "Knock Their Socks Off!". She told everyone to wear their craziest socks that afternoon and she asked me to donate one of my mismatched socks as a prize--and I won. Her husband who was taking the Monoprint class thought it was unfair that I won my own sock so he used one of his socks (he had to drive home uni-socked) to make me an award. This weekend it gets a frame. I love it! Thanks, Dave!

Lack of Self-Control

I couldn't stand it; I had to cast on the Colonnade Shawl last night. My intention was to complete Stealth Knitting #2 before starting any other project, not even Foster Hat #3 which should only take a day or two, but I was weak and I caved. I thought I could ease my craving by winding 3 of the skeins of yarn into cakes, but nooooo, as soon as the yarn was caked up, I got out my 2 sets of circular needles, linked 2 of the 16" cables and twisted on the US10 ends to make a 40" circ. It was only a baby step from there to rationalizing casting on 42 stitches to begin. It's only 42 stitches, what can it hurt? Soon it was nearly 11 PM and I had 10 rows done. *sigh* I'm doomed.






This morning I went and got a flu shot. Not an H1N1 shot, I don't fit the profile, just a regular flu shot. It stang, and I didn't even get a cool bandage. *sigh*

Lots of Sock

I had an opportunity to knit a lot of rounds on Reef Sock #2 while waiting for Durwood to be sent home from the ER today. (Not to worry, no pneumonia, bronchitis, or H1N1, just exacerbated COPD sypmtoms. He's home with some new steroids to take for a few days.)

***** (stupid Blogger won't let me put a return here)

See? Only 10 more rounds to go. These are going to be nice and warm this winter. Thanks for the yarn, DD! I love the colors.

See What Happens When I Have to Work on Saturday?

I forget to blog! And I even started and finished an entire project yesterday. Tsk. I'm such a trial to myself.


When I walked along the riverside trail the other day my ears froze even though I was wearing a wool earflap hat. I searched around on the web and found a pattern for an Ear Sweater. I had a skein of super bulky roving yarn in the stash so I was ready to go. At first I cast on 36 stitches on a 16" circular needle but it was too short for me to join and knit; then I cast on 56 stitches, which was barely enough. I got halfway around before I realized that I wasn't enjoying it at all, so I ripped it out and decided to crochet it instead. I got started around 10 AM and since I only had one customer who really came in to have a map copied (?) and just shopped a bit so I'd think he might buy something, I had plenty of crocheting time at work. When I tugged the last yard of yarn out of the skein, I put the two ends together and joined them with slip stitches. Ta-da! An Ear Sweater!

Scrumptious

I came across this shawl pattern on Knitty and really want to make it. I'm not really a lacy shawl person so I've looked at a lot of patterns. I've even made a few, but none of them were exactly right. This one looks right, but none of the yarn shops I frequent carry the yarn it calls for so I got on Ravelry to see if I could find some. I thought about using a different yarn but then I found this--the perfect yarn. Colors so warm, so exactly right for me and for my shawl-to-be that it required nearly no thought to contact the owner of the yarn and beg her to send it to me in exchange for some money, not as much money as I'd have to pay a retailer either.


It's called Lava. I can't stand it, it's so beautiful. I want to roll in it, wear it as a necklace, paint my skin those colors and lie down with it.





P.S. If anyone wants a hint about a little something that Santa could bring, I like these patterns at Kris Knits.

Hmm, Let's See, Let's See...

...what to post, what to post? How about some FOs?

Last night I wove in ends and finished up the two projects I concentrated on finishing last weekend. First, we have the Car Knitting Ballband Warshrag #2. I'm usually not a fan of blue, but I like this subdued and tasteful amount, besides it's a warshrag, not a wall-hanging.

Second, I finished Foster Hat v.2. I love this hat! It's the Brangelina Hat from Crazy Aunt Purl. (I need to read her book one of these days.) I chose the pattern because it uses Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn and big needles, but I love this hat. I have to go get more "boy" colored yarn (i.e. dark) as Durwood informed me that the fisherman one (Foster Hat v.1) is not a boy color. I thought only pink was a girl color but evidently there are layers of acceptable colors for boys. Who knew? Good thing I have Durwood to keep me on the right track.

Look What I Got!

This was waiting in the mail for me when we got home last night. It's a summons for jury duty. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to serve, it's just that I'm the only employee and my boss has another job. If I have to do jury on days she works, we'll have to close the store and that's a bad idea in this economic climate. I'm going to see if I can do it on the days she's off, but I'm not holding out much hope. Although the last time I got called I never had to go and was frankly a bit disappointed.

All The Pretty Horsies

Instead of showing you knitting today, here are some pix from our trip to The Red Mile, the harness racing track in Lexington. It was a very different experience from Keeneland's thoroughbred racing we went to in April. A very much more democratic and varied crowd, and they warm up the horses between races so you can watch and see which one you like or if it has a cute jockey you want to wager your $2 on (not that I would ever do that).




We shared a funnel cake and had a blast cheering home our favorites. Durwood was the big winner of the day; he put $2 on #6 in the 11th race to win and darned if the horse didn't win. He came back from the betting window with $29.60, the lucky duck. We made him buy the funnel cake. That's him with our DD plotting which horse to bet on next.

The Play's the Thing

DD's best friend works for Lexington Children's Theater so she got us tickets to see their production of John Henry, a 3-person play they send around to schools. It was wonderful, with spare sets and lots of singing. I'm not too proud to admit, I cried at the end when John Henry died just like the little kids did.

Small project knitting is super for passing time waiting for things to happen when you're out of town. I forgot my #10 DPNs so this is as far as I can go on Foster Hat #2 until we get home.


Car Knitting Ballband cloth #2 also got a lot of attention on our longlonglong drive down here.

Belated Birthday Shopping

My clever and crafty DD gave me a yarn shop gift certificate for my birthday--to her LYS in Lexington, Kentucky 600 miles from home. That meant that Durwood and I had to come and visit her. Very sneaky, that daughter, hmmm?


We ditched the historic cemetary walk (see previous post's discussion of day-long rain) in favor of a visit to said Local Yarn Shop. Yarn was fondled. Yarn was procured. I fell madly in love with Cascade Eco + first for the color (a deep red) and then for the size of the skein (478 yds.). So I bought 2. I envision a lovely shawl or shrug made with over 900 yds. of lovely Aran weight wool.





I also picked up one skein of Peaches & Creme ombre in apple green, brown, and light blue for dishcloth making. I love me some variegated yarn. Can't pass it up.


Only 2 more rows on my Khaki Cardi until I split off the sleeve stitches. Squee!

I Have an Excuse...

Sorry I missed posting yesterday but we were on an endless drive. We left GB at 8:00 a.m. for a 9 hour drive to Lexington, KY to visit our daughter. It started to rain in Milwaukee and never quit the whole time. It was my turn to drive when we crossed the state line into Indiana. Traffic was at a standstill most of the time so I managed to advance us 70 miles in 2 hours. Gah! We didn't get to our hotel until 11 p.m. EDT, which means we were on the road 14 hours, taking two hours out for meals, we were in the car, and in the rain, for 12 hours.

I packed my knitting and my tea,



Durwood is never without coffee,



and autumn has arrived in Kentucky. (I think it came with the day-long rain.)

A Fun New Toy!

I was reading the ShopKo ad last night after supper and happened to see that there is now a Wii Fit Plus program that lets you program a routine and has more fun exercises and activities. I got on the Nintendo site to see about it, then I got on Walmart's site to see if they had it, and they did. So I threw a hoodie on over my sweatpants and no-bra t-shirt, slid my feet into my Crocs, and went and got me one.

That was the end of knitting for the evening.


Naturally I had to try it out and "took a bike ride" and got my heartrate up so I had the devil of a time falling asleep. But it was fun!



I made a program of the yoga poses I wanted to do this morning and it let me do them one after the other and it only took 22 minutes instead of 45 to work out. Yay!

Schizo Weather

I know, I know, that's not very politically correct, but it's the truth. Monday it was sunny, yesterday it rained so much I started to build an ark, now today the sun's out and the clouds have disappeared. Schizo. As long as the weather calms down for our drive to Lexington, Kentucky on Friday I'm fine with it, really. Driving that long and far in crummy weather would be a true pain. Keeneland thoroughbred racing will be running so we'll be at the track for part of the weekend. Yippee! I fully intend to spend the entire weekend without a trip to the ER, too.

Not much knitting to show you. I finished the wide ribbed brim of Foster Hat #2 and started the top on my new Crystal Palace circs. So far, so good.


I'm learning to knit jogless stripes on Stealth Knitting #2 but I can't show you that. Sorry.

P.S. I'm happy to say that I'm comfortably wearing a pair of pants I haven't worn in so long that the lip balm accidently left in the pocket was spoiled. Yay, me!

Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain

It's raining, and it's supposed to rain alllll day. I'm planning to sit here in my red knitted shawl and work on my novel. What else is there to do? I suppose I'll take a break every once in a while and go knit on Foster Hat #2, but mostly I plan to sit here and write. I have to build up my strength for NaNoWriMo next month.





Okay, okay, here's a pic of my shawl. It's an oldie but a goodie. It's the Short 'n Sassy Shawl from this book.