technical difficulties

Due to technical difficulties, we had dinner out last night instead of settling down to the turkey dinner with stuffing and all that goes with turkey as planned. I told you about our new stove purchase right around the new year. I haven't used the oven at all, just the stovetop, and Bob has used the oven a few times, but neither of us has read the instructions. Mostly that's because it was a display model and the book didn't come with it. We have to go on line and read it there or print it up (many pages). It's also because Bob, being a man, doesn't need instructions. He can figure it out on his own.
I freely admit to needing instructions but I was too lazy to go look them up yesterday when I got a message from Bob that he was stuck in traffic and could I please turn up the oven temperature when I got home. I stood and looked at the oven controls for a while. I pushed the Bake button and it flashed. That's a good sign, I think. It means that it is waiting for me to do something. I pressed the "+" button and the numbers for the oven temp. went up. Yipee! I found out how to do it. I got to the right temperature, pressed the Bake button again, it stopped flashing and I walked away. 30 minutes later I went back to check on the turkey and maybe baste it and the oven temp. was not where I put it. Hmmmmm. I went through all of the above steps again, but this time I pressed Start instead of Bake. Eureka! Finally the temperature that I needed. Too late, alas. Dinner time was upon us but the bird was cool and wrinkled and not at all appetizing. Off we went to eat out while dinner cooked at home. Leftover turkey is good, but it would have been nice to have some hot, first. Oh, well.

By the time we got home we (mostly Bob) did more moving of furniture and computer to empty the guest room so we can sleep there. I got in a few rounds on my Selbuvotter glove





and turned out the lights. 5:30 AM comes way too early for my taste. While we were at dinner (I always finish before Bob) I knitted away on my handspun sock. Watching and waiting for color changes is fascinating.










It looks pretty bright even in the ball but as it gets knitted up the colors blend well together and I think they will not be as bright as I originally thought. Of course I haven't really had much bright pink in the ball yet.













The weather forecast was a bust yesterday. We barely got 25 drops of drizzle, never mind the sleet, snow and freezing rain they were predicting. I am not sure whether I would like to be in the business of forecasting weather or not. Seems like there is a lot of failure built into that job. Of course it doesn't seem to affect job security, so maybe that's not so bad. ; )

I'll be off to walk with Karen in a few minutes. It may not be freezing outside but it's not easy to go out the door into the dark, cold night instead of staying where it is warm and knitting away on my stranded glove. But we will persevere.

PS I had cold turkey for dinner. No stuffing.

Monday off

I thought about going to work today despite the fact that it is a holiday. It would have been quiet and I could have gotten in several productive, uninterrupted hours of work. The master bedroom in our house is a mess, though and I wanted to sort out the guest room so we will have a place to sleep for the next few weeks while we do the work we have to do (and not be sleeping in a room that is filled with sawdust or paint fumes). The guest bed was removed yesterday and today I moved out a lot of the stuff that was in there, some from my recent 2 weeks of living there to escape DH's cold and some just because it was a convenient place to keep it. When DH gets home from work (no holiday for him) he will move the mattress and box spring onto the guest room floor and voila! Home sweet home.

Karen and I walked again today - hurrah for us for being devoted. It was somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees, but sunny. Sunny always helps me get outside.

I finished Rob's socks yesterday, wove in the ends and gave them to him when he came for dinner. They were a hit. Now I can cast on with my handspun. Yippee!

I have been pretty productive today (see above plus other cleaning) so now I can relax and spin and knit for the remainder of the day with a clear conscience. I really want to make more progress on this wool and silk blend I am spinning for a lace weight shawl. The fiber feels wonderful. Maybe I will have photos to show soon of a full bobbin. I also plan to work on my Annemor glove. I would love to get as far as the fingers today.

This fella visited in a nearby tree for quite a while this morning as I was eating my breakfast. Usually they flit from tree to tree very fast, but he sat in the same spot for at least 15 minutes. Cardinals are handsome birds.



Happy knitting

Quotations

I really enjoy reading the quotes people use at the beginning of their blog posts. Some are funny, some make me think, some make me wonder why I don't get it, but they all make me stop and consider. I think a little contemplation is good for everyone. I don't think I will begin to use quotations to begin my posts, though. I don't think that using quotes from famous people is "me". I also don't know where to begin to look for quotes that might strike my interest. I know you can get books of quotations from the library, but how do you find one out of all of those that will fit you for today? It all seems a bit overwhelming.

The sun is shining brightly out side but it is 22 degrees. Brrrrr. Not as cold as some places, though. My husband (a weather channel addict) has informed me that in Green Bay (site of a playoff game later today) it is minus 13 with a windchill of minus 33 or something obscene like that. I am now thankful for 22 degrees. ; )

I plan to finish Rob's sock during the game and cast on with my hanspun hand dyed yarn for a pair of stockinette socks for me. Jennifer commented about the fact that people are willing to wear colors on their feet that they would never think about wearing elsewhere. I have recently decided to try that myself. I like yellow, for instance. I admit that the yellow in my handspun yarn is quite bright, and most of the yellows I like are more gentle, but I do like yellow. It makes me look horrible, though. Yellow with my skin tones is a major mistake. Socks are mostly hidden (except when sitting down) by pants and only knitters generally take pains to look down at peoples' socks. LOL. I think that's a great place to wear a color that you don't normally wear - no clashing with skin tones to worry about. Except if you are wearing shorts. I don't wear wool socks with shorts so I won't worry about that. giggle.

My alpaca socks are moving along nicely. Soon I will have to make a decision about the top edge. The pattern in the magazine offered two options for the cuff - a ribbed top or a scalloped edge. Since I am reversing the directions to go toe up, I still haven't made that choice. I will have to make it soon, though. I don't know whether knitting the pattern as charted in the magazine will look right upside down (I suspect not) if I choose the scalloped edging. If not, can I reverse it successfully or should I choose the ribbed edge to make my life simple? I think the scalloped edge will enhance the stitch pattern better than the ribbed edge,






but I am not all that sure of my abilities to reverese the chart correctly. It's a problem I have with visualization that seems to apply to most everything. If I drive to someone's house using written directions, I have to ask for the directions to be reversed for me. It is so bad that once I left Molly's house and turned the wrong way out of her driveway! It is embarrasing and sometimes stressful but it doesn't seem to be anything I can change. I just try to work around it by printing the return directions ahead of time, using a map instead of directions (I do that very well) or just asking someone to help. They usually look at me strangley but comply.

It is wall paper stripping day at my house. We are going to be re-doing the master bedroom - carpet (for the first time since the house was built over 20 years ago), paint on the walls (which requires that the wallpaper be stripped) and curtains instead of sheets over the windows (we have blinds, also). Bob is going to rent the paper steaming machine now and I have to empty some of the furniture so it can be moved. Fun day ahead. But I will watch football. and knit. no matter what. Happy knitting.

stranding progress

I have some progress to report on my stranded gloves. I just put the thumb gusset stitches on waste yarn.


Here you can see the pattern on the back of the hand.











This type of knitting is so much fun! I can't wait to see what each row will look like and I love watching the pattern develop.This is the palm pattern.












Karen and I walked today for the first time in a week and a half. I was just tired and a little deconditioned. Karen still has some cold symptoms, so she had a harder time. We didn't walk as far or as fast but we did walk and that felt good. Tomorrow might be a whole other story what with temperatures in the 20's and 25 mph winds predicted. We'll see how much determination we have.

The Christmas decorations and accesories have been put away for the season. This is a bigger task than it might seem. We pack that stuff (and there is a lot of it after being married for 30 years) under the stairs. One of us (ususally Bob) has to climb in under the stairs and kneel back there while the other person pushes the boxes and crates in to be fitted in just so, in the reverse order we will need them next November. Thank goodness that is done.

One more snow photo to share before I go. Football tomorrow. Hopefully spinning. Definately knitting. Sleep well.

It's Friday and we had snow yesterday. It was a very good day.

I sat in the medical records area at work yesterday with the study monitor, discussing issues, making changes as needed and looking out the window. I have no windows in my office and snow was predicted. I watched and waited and sure enough, a few flakes started fluttering down. Then more, and then more. I was so excited - every few minutes I would exclaim aloud about the snow. The study monitor would look at me, smile a litle and move on. Finally I realized that she wasn't excited and didn't know why I was. Duh! She's from Michigan. She has already seen more of this stuff than she wants to see. Oh, well. I didn't need anyone else. I was excited enough by myself.

By the time I left to go home there were about 2 inches on the ground in Baltimore but it had stopped snowing. When I got home (to Bel Air, which is further north and a little further from the water) I saw that we had 4-6 inches on the ground! I was so excited. I immediately went inside for my new camera and took pictures. Lots of pictures, which I will share with you over time. Then I grabbed the shovel and cleared the parking pad and most of the driveway. I love shoveling snow. I did stop before finishing everything - I have back problems and wasn't stupid enough to try to do it all. Lots of fun!





I am going to see Atonement tonight - I know nothing about this movie or the book but have heard that it is good and I haven't been to the movies in over a year, I think. This will be fun.

DH and I are off together this weekend. We have a weekend of house projects and putting away holiday things planned. I am hoping to get back to walking, too. Hopefully the weather and returning health will assist with that. I want to do some spinning on my shawl fiber, also. I didn't get to pick up my Donegal Tweed yarn order last night because the store closed due to bad weather. Maybe tomorrow. And hopefully I will be able to get some good photos of my progress on Annemor # 12 (the Selvubotter gloves) and the alpaca socks. Who knows - by the time the weekend is over I might have a FO - my son's work socks. I started the ribbing. Bye.

If only I didn't enjoy blogs so much

I would have more time for knitting.

I feel the same way about Ravelry. I love the idea of it, I love being able to search for yarn, projects, ideas and groups on it, but it is such a knitting time user. If only work did not get in the way so much. I would have more time for the "important things" in life. LOL.


Size two needle progress was good. I went from this

To this, and the gauge is correct.




I could easily get addicted to color work. Actually, I could easily get addicted to cables, too. I think I have an addictive personality. So far I have only allowed myself to get addicted to chocolate and knitting, though. And I have a strong attraction for spinning and boating and Diet Dr. Pepper (all varieties). And for my DH. And I really like sunshine and the outdoors, reading and relaxing on the beach. And dogs. Mostly big ones. What are you "addicted" to?


I turned the heel on the second alpaca sock, so I am working on the leg of both socks, now. I think these will get finished very soon. Yipee!



Rob's socks are close to being finished, too, and once those are complete I can start on the socks to be made with my handspun yarn (recently completed). I may need to buy an extra pair of sunglasses to work on these. What do you think?

photographic proof of productivity

Here is a photo of the Berroco Jasper I was given as a Christmas present. The colors are wonderful and flow smoothly into each other




Here are the Fetching fingerless mitts I made with ONE skein of that wonderfully soft yarn.



Here is Calorimetry, also made with one skein of Jasper. This is a head and ears covering for people with long hair. When you pull your hair up to walk or jog or whatever, you can keep your head (you loose a lot of heat through the top of your head) and ears warm without getting your hair all tangled or pulling the head covering down so you can't see.





I did both of these in one weekend. What a great feeling of accomplishment to have started and completed 2 projects so fast. (Yes, I know, I did nothing but knit and rest and drink juice, but everyone is entitled to do that once in a while, right? ) I took a picture of Calorimetry "in action" but I looked horrible trying to get the camera aimed and hold still and not get the flash reflecting in the mirror so you will have to wait until there is someone else here to click the shutter. ; )

I mentioned the gloves I started - here is a photo of the planned project.


I detest doing swatches in the round, so I just cast on in the needle size I thought I would need ( size 0). I had almost finished the cuff pattern and decided I had enough to do a decently sized gauge measurement. I found that I needed to go up at least one, possibly 2 sizes, so I frogged it and this is what I have now.



I am trying size 2 needles this time. I have to knit several more rows before I can measure, but I love this kind of knitting, so it doesn't bother me at all. I hold the dark color in my right hand and the white in the left. I am using DPN's right now but may switch to 2 circs to get the tension right if it seems too irregular this way. I like DPN's though, so I will probably stay with them.

So, current projects in the works are Rob's work socks, (about 2 inches from completion), the Selbu gloves, (just started) the alpaca socks (about halfway) and the lace hemp top (not very far along since my dip in the frog pond). With my yarn order (Donegal Tweed for a cabled cardigan designed by me) coming in, I don't know whether I should put aside the lace top to concentrate on the cables or keep going with the lace top and put off the cabled cardigan I have planned. Decisions, decisions.

I think I will go do some knitting and put off that decision until another day.