"There's always someone worse off"

Well, yes. There's a discussion going on in the comments section on Crazy Aunt Purl's blog today. High gas prices, high food prices, worry, anxiety, stress--and someone always saying some variation of "it could be worse, you know". General consensus of those who commented was that although true, it really doesn't help alot of us feel better. I don't know. I think after what I've gone through in the past couple of years, I don't say "it could be worse" much anymore, and then only to someone really, really whinny. The economic situation in this country does affect us and our sense of well being, and it scares us, because it feels like we don't control it. I don't feel like I have much control, although I do think carefully about driving anywhere, about spending every dollar, and looking for ways to save however I can. I don't think our government is going to do anything about the energy problem. Sure, Congress grilled the oil company executives in hearings, but are they going to do anything? It seems like they just want the voters back home to see them on CSPAN giving the oil companies hell. I could say I won't vote for my Congressman and Senators if they don't take some action, but the people who run against them may not be any better. Maybe they need to hear people complaining! My two cents worth.

Making Progress

I've finished the first sock of the Child's First Sock Pattern and made a start on the second. Not exactly speed knitting, but progress none the less.

Hot weather has arrived in Northeast Ohio. We've gone from the 50's and 60's directly to the high 80's and low 90's. I had my air conditioning checked this week, and I have needed it since then. I had hoped for a couple weeks of temperate weather where I didn't have to run either the furnace or the air conditioning, but it hasn't happened. I love sitting on my screened porch to read or knit in my Amish hickory twig rocker. I got to do this for exactly two evenings before the humidity and heat even in the evening made knitting uncomfortable.

I've also been busy planting flowers and weeding around my patio. My condo is shaded by trees, so I've planted mostly impatiens and a few shade tolerant perennials.

Oops, gotta go. It's Sunday morning and I have to leave for church.

Long Time, No Post

I really didn't mean to abandon this blog. Life just overwhelmed me for awhile. I have been knitting--mostly socks, some mittens, and a couple of sweaters for the grandchildren.

Just to catch up (if anyone cares)

• January 2007, unexpectedly sold the house in the city I lived in for 28 years.


• February 2007, began search for a condo.


• March 2007, bought condo in the countryside.


• April 2007, moved to condo in countryside


• July 2007, much restructuring and upheaval in my workplace. But, I still have a job.


• November 2007, divorce papers arrive by certified mail. The Ex moved out some time ago, but still he could have told me. Really.


• December 2007 to present. Hanging in there. Not alot of fun, but things could be worse.
  

Here's a pair of socks I'm working on.

Not the best picture, I'm afraid, although the color looks pretty true on my monitor. The pattern is Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern, from Nancy Bush's book, Knitting Vintage Socks. The orginal pattern that she adapted was a child's sock, but her pattern fits US woman size 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 shoe. I'm using size US 1 double points, and the yarn is some Paton's Kroy from the stash (bought from Elann some time ago) in the shade "blazing blue". That's it for now.

A Finished Object and Stranded Color Progress

Remember the hat I finished that looked bad on my head? Here it is on another head. And it does look much better.

Want a closer look? I still need to buy a button to secure the flap. For now I just pinned it with a snowflake pin. Since I won't be wearing it, I haven't hustled out to get a button. I must do this, just in case I find someone who looks good in it. My daughter probably would, but she doesn't often wear hat. Probably afraid she'll get hat hair.

Here's a shot where you can see the yarn better. It really is a lovely yarn, a chunky weight merino, Classic Elite Paintbox color 6820. I had just the one skein, purchased on a whim one day at the LYS.

I've made some progress with the Camelot sock too. I got as far as the gusset, which is where I was before when I realized it wasn't going to fit.

This is a shot of the heel flap. And here is another, of the pattern on the front of the leg.

I'm using 5 needles to knit this. Normally when I use 5 needles, the heel flap stitches are divided, half on needle #1 and half on needle #2. Then the stitches across the instep are divided half on needle #2 and half on needle #3. The pattern instucted you to place the stitches as the picture shows, probably to keep the cross motif lying flat. You could use four needles instead of five, and just have the instep stitches alone on needle #2, but this isn't recommended by the pattern's author. So I am doing it her way.

Very little progress has been made on the Forbes Forest Scarf, I think only about 1/2 a pattern repeat. Working full time really cuts into the knitting time.

That's it for today.

A Set Back

I finished the first chart repeat for the Superskunk Vest. But what I had knit so far just didn't look right. It didn't look like the size was right for a 4 year old. So I measured my gauge. It was way off! And I had swatched, and I was positive I hadn't changed my tension. I had a horrible thought--was I knitting with a size 3 needle? I did a quick check with my needle gauge and, uh oh, I was knitting with a size 2 needle! Somewhere between binding off the gauge swatch and casting on for the vest, I set down the size 3 and picked up the size 2. I have no idea how this could have happened. I but I did it. Unless it was a Brownie playing tricks. (We had a Brownie in our house when I was growing up, who was always blamed for mischief when none of us children would admit to whatever wrongdoing my mother was questioning us about. "Who got into the paint cans in the garage? It must have been the Brownie!") So it looks like I'm starting over with the vest. The trouble is, I am going to need more yarn. Every time a color change is made at the center steek, I broke the yarn and joined the new color. So if I frog what I have knit so far, I'll have a bunch of short lengths of yarn, none of which will be long enough to knit the same number of stitches in the round with a needle a size bigger. I may not have to buy yarn in all the colors. Their were at least a couple colors that were used for only a few rounds. Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift isn't stocked by my LYS, so that means an internet purchase. I did a little preliminary checking, and depending on who has what colors in stock, it's going to cost me between $4 - $5 a skein, plus shipping. I really cannot afford to buy anymore yarn this month, what with the holiday expenses. So it will have to wait until January. I could start over using the yarn I have left, but if the dye lots vary significantly, the new yarn might not match the yarn I have well enough. I'm not going to start over a third time if that happens, so I'll just have to wait until the new yarn is purchased and arrives at my house in January. So. Now what?

The Lucy Neatby Camelot sock has been retrieved from the unfinished project basket. It ended up in the basket when I tried it on and could not get it over my heel. What needed to happen (and I did it last evening), was to frog back to the cuff and change to a size bigger needle. So this project is back on track, and I'm still doing some colorwork. I think it will go fairly quickly. Famous last words. And I plan to finish the Forbes Forest Scarf before Christmas. It's not a gift, I just want the satisfaction of a finished project.
That's it for today, folks.

Get Out of Bed, Mr. Coffee's Dead

Well, not really. But you know, that kind of morning. Got out of bed reluctantly, due to staying up too late watching John Candy in Uncle Buck. I know, but it seemed quite funny, probably due to the Jamieson's on-the-rocks the Ex and I were drinking. He came over to help me put up the Christmas decorations. Anyway. The driveway had six inches of snow and the snow plow service I contract with was nowhere to be seen. Called and got an answering machine. Left message. "I am a NURSE and I work at a HOSPITAL and no matter what else is closed, canceled, or snowed-in, I have to be at work. YADDA YADDA YADDA. Managed to back the car out of the driveway without getting stuck. Apparently the cities of Shaker Heights and Cleveland have not yet got their collective snow removal act together. Drove through slushy snow to work in 20 minutes instead of 10. Everyone on the road has forgotten how to drive in snow since last winter. Make it to work. Open my office door to be buffeted by a heat wave. Totally my fault, I was cold yesterday and turned the heat up and didn't turn it down when I left last night. Fluorescent light fixture flickers and dies. Email work order to Plant Ops. Decide to call my buddy Phil in maintenance. Get voice mail. Leave pathetic message that if rest of hospital is not falling apart this morning, could they fix my light fixture so I do not have to work in the dark? So here I sit by the light of my computer monitor. The day can only get better, right?

Ok, knitting. The Forbes Forest scarf now has 11 pattern repeats and I am at the end of the third of five skein of yarn. Two more skeins or 10 pattern repeats, whichever comes first. I'm make slow progress with the Alice Starmore vest. Over the weekend I completed the checkered border and the first 25 pattern rounds. If I get any light at all in my office today, either daylight or fluorescent, I'll take a picture and add it later. I'm enjoying the changing colors, even if it's a slow process for me.
Edited later: I left the camera batteries at home, so here is a picture from my scanner. Not the greatest, but you can get an idea how it's going.

Ready, Set, Go!

I'm off and knitting on Super Skunk. I have the checked bottom band done and the first few rows of the chart done. Here's a picture I scanned from the pattern book.

It was black as pitch when I left the house this morning, so I didn't take a progress picture. There wasn't that much to photograph anyway.

I'm really excited about this knitalong since I've never done steeking and some of the other Fair Isle techniques.

Here's a couple more pictures of some colorwork mittens I completed. Just keep the interest up, ya know.

That's it for today.