It has been a really rough week, but things are looking a little better. My little dog Rupert is getting old, and her back legs just don’t work that well. The right one doesn’t work at all. With the left one weakening, she’s been having a harder and harder time getting around. I just felt like the deterioration was more pronounced last week so Friday I went to have her checked out. As expected, the vet gave me no hope for her legs to ever get better. In fact, when I said I’d begun to prepare myself for the end, he said that was probably a good idea. oooof, *stomach kick*.

Friday night she was so bad off, I was absolutely sure I’d be taking her in to be euthanized on Saturday…but by Saturday morning she was doing better. She’s on a new pain medication, and it seems to be helping her a lot. She still can’t use the right back leg, but the left is doing it’s job better. It’s Sunday now, and she is as good as she was 2 weeks ago, which isn’t great, but better than she was last week…so, it’s not time to give her up yet. I know it’s coming soon, but I have some time left with her.

Today we worked on our 2006 taxes. Yup, we’re that far behind…but I took a chunk out of what needed to be done.

Later in the day, I drove the Boy with me to drop off a doggie and to pick up some cat litter and dog treats. He fell asleep in the car so I got about an hour of knitting in. Check this out:

See the rain on the windshield? It was just pouring down. The rain sound was quite nice. I’d have preferred a big easy chair and a steaming mug of coffee…but it was still very nice.

Knitting. Hmmmm…look how much difference one needle size is making:

The one on the bottom is the one I’m knitting now. On top is the one that my gauge was off on. I’m actually feeling pretty glad I started over! I think this is going to be much nicer.

Same concept, different angle:

Notice the helping hands. That photo is the last one of my handy little tape measure before it was heinously tortured to death by those “adorable” little hands. This supposedly sweet little boy did wantonly and viciously stretch that innocent tape measure so far out of its container that it broke, and now won’t go back in. *sad* It’s a horrible thing when toddlers go bad.

Well, I’ve started over.

I’m sure I’m breaking some cardinal rule of knitting, but frogging the 17 inches and rewinding the yarn made me feel pukey, so I’m just knitting right off the dead part. I cast on directly from the part I’m ripping out and just frog as I knit. It sits in my lap and my knitting bag so nicely.

Do-overs are a bitch.

Our neighbor gave the Boy a pumpkin. Do you think he likes it much?

We got trouble, right here in knittin’ city, my friends. Trouble with a capital G, and that stands for gauge!

I think I may have to start all over on my Dickenson Pullover. I did knit the gauge swatch, but figured it was ok when it came out a quarter to a half inch to short. I was anxious to start knitting, so I told myself the sweater would be a bit snugger than on the model, and that’d be ok. Well, snugger IS ok, but it’s turning out to be quite form-fitting. My unblocked, unstretched work so far measures about 16 in. across. Extrapolating from that, the whole sweater will be only about 32 inches around. My bust is 38 inches and my waist is 34. Unless, I stretch/block it out wide every time I wash it…it’ll be quite snug. Snug can be good, but clearly this sweater is designed to be loose fitting.

I’m so stuck. I’m sort of having a hard time facing facts that I’ll have to start over. And it hurts to have wasted an entire weekend of knitting. Especially because I should have taken my time and knit the swatch a few times with different size needles, doing it right from the start. *sigh* Moral support will be muchly appreciated.

The second Fetzensock is coming along nicely. I’m past the heel and working on the cuff, so it won’t be long til these socks are ready for the fork! Next socks? Dunno. I have some Wollmeise (Lowenzahn) coming from The Loopy Ewe. I’m desperate to knit Bellatrix…but I’m holding out for Wollmeise Poison #5. It’s hard to get a hold of, but I have patience…wait a minute…no I don’t!!

Did I ever show you my Clapotis? I finished it more than a year ago when I wasn’t blogging so it never made it up here til now.

Brooks Farm Fourplay in Varsity. It’s yummy!!!

We had a really great time on our camping trip. The drive there was easy and I got lots of knitting done. The campsites at Sibley State Park smallish, but we found a nice one and set up. We were putting up our tent around 6:00 pm. As we were unpacking the dry box we started making a list of all the things we forgot. We always forget lots of things. Every camping trip we drive to the campground on Friday night, set up, spend half of Saturday in the nearest town buying all the stuff we forgot, then pack up on Sunday morning and drive home leisurely. We resolved this time, that we’d just make do. No trips to town. mm-hmmm, right. That plan lasted til we figured out we’d left some crucial prescription drugs at home. *sigh*

After the roaring campfire turned to coals, we put a couple racks of ribs on. mmmmm, I just love ribs for dinner when we’re camping. We let the Boy set his own bedtime on camping trips. Whenever he’s sleepy enough, he just lets us know and we help him get snuggled into his sleeping bag. This time the Rock Star had purchased a new pad for my sleeping bag. It’s about twice as thick as the thermarest I’ve been using. It was super comfy but Ididn’t sleep all that well, cuz the meds I left behind were my sleeping pills. The next night I slept like a rock, though.

Boy Pics:

I knit every possible moment. I absolutely love knitting by firelight. I have a very nice headlamp called a Petzl. It works great!! I always bring a supply of charged up rechargeable batteries and between that and the firelight, and even a bit of help from the nearly full moon, I can see just fine for knitting.

I worked on the Dickenson Pullover the entire weekend. I got about 12 inches of the back done. It’s turning out great!! But. There’s always a but. My gauge is way off, so the sweater is knitting up small. I’m actually ok with that. It’s big and baggy on the model, and I think I’ll like it closer to form fitting. This is my first serious cable project. At first I had a hard time figuring out how to keep track of all the different pattern repeats, but once I figured it out it was easy. The work is immensely satisfying!

Here’s what I have so far:

That color isn’t really accurate, but it was the nicest picture. Here’s one of the main cable section:

Here’s me eating breakfast, notice the knitting bag within reach:

I’ve cast on for the Dickenson Pullover in Interweave Knits Fall 2007. My first sweater for me. I think I have the gauge thing figured out. I cast on 5 selvedge stitches, then 62 for the cable pattern, and 5 more selvedge stitches, then knit for 15 rows. Put the swatch on the broken 60 in cable and soaked it. (didn’t want to use one of my good cables). I laid it out to dry and the next morning measured the 62 stitches in the middle, hoping for 10 inches. It came pretty close, so I’m casting on for the 40 in finished measurement and it’ll be a bit smaller than that, and that’s ok. I’d like it to fit a little closer on me than it does on the model. Here’s a picture of an evening’s work. The beginning of the back piece:

I’ve gotten to the gusset increases in the second Fetzensock. I love this sock, but I don’t seem to be able to get in any sort of groove with the pattern. Seems like bout every 5 rounds I make a mistake and have to tink back.

We’re going camping this weekend. 2.5 hour drive to Sibley State Park and I’m hoping to get lots of knitting done.

the Boy is loving his big boy bed, but hasn’t exactly settled into the idea of SLEEPING in it. It’s more like a giant toy at this point, and the bedtime routine has been very much disrupted. I know if we stick to it, he’ll get used to it and go to sleep sooner than the 2 hours he’s been averaging all week.

We taught him how to say “You feel lucky, Punk?”. The effect is a bit diffused by the huge grin on his face! Music Class starts again tomorrow morning! He’s excited about that, plus the camping trip, plus breakfast with Curious George we have scheduled next weekend.

I’m volunteering in Al Franken for Senate office these days. I went last Thursday and helped fold a stuff a mailer. I go back again today (going to try for every Thursday)

That’s one done. and the second one is started. I got the toe and one whole pattern repeat done last night. I haven’t been enjoying this pattern as much as I thought I would. Not the pattern’s fault, though. It just doesn’t lend itself to to one or two rows at a time, and that’s really what happened with this sock until after the heel was turned. I kept losing my place in the pattern and was too stupid or lazy to get a sticky to mark my place on the chart when I was done for a session. Then when I’d come back, I’d try to figure out where I was, knit a round, realize I wasn’t where I thought I was, and have to tink back and do over. So, not the pattern’s fault.

My heart has really not been into the LFFCS/BOBA since the cable broke, I’ve yet to go back and repair that spot and continue on. I think if I could just bring myself to repair that spot, it would be a good time to just let it rest. My knitting desires have turned to warm sweaters and socks and hats. Fall is in the air!

I’ve been trying to do a gauge swatch for the Dickenson Pullover from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. I have that nice pile of Cascade 220 Heathers Blue for it. I’m completely confused as to what to do for the swatch and am plucking up my courage to post a question on Ravelry about it. Here’s what the pattern says about gauge.

21 stitches and 27 rows = 4 inches in 8-stitch textured pattern from chart on larger needles, after blocking & 62 stitches of 42-stitch center cable combined with 10-stitch rope cable on each side from chart measures 10″ wide on larger needles, after blocking

If anyone is reading this, and help me understand how many to cast on, what to knit, and how to measure it (count stitches per inch), I’d be very, very grateful.

the Boy’s third birthday was this past week and much fun was had. We held a big open house last Sunday and his daycare had a little birthday party for him. He got lots of prezzies and had a great time! His big gift from us is the big boy bed. He really likes it. Can you tell?

Recipe for Squeeeee

1 tiny baby
2 tiny knitted booties

Fold baby into booties. Don’t shake or stir. Preheat your camera flash. Take pictures until the other coffee shop patrons start shooting you dirty looks. Serve warm. Makes 1 serving, 0 carbs, 0 calories.

This is a high smile, high squeee treat. Very rich, but you can never get enough.

These are very close up pics of the LFFCS/BOBA lace. Pretty, eh?

Last night I promised myself I’d get at least 4 rounds (640 st each *ugh*) done on my LFFCS/BOBA. I was doin’ it, too….knitting like the wind. Then disaster struck.

**WARNING** This next part is not for the faint of heart.

The skirt is on my 60 inch Knitpicks options cord and the cord came unglued from the join. It happened as I was moving the work along, you know how it gets all bunched up? I’ve done this hundreds of times before, but this time the cord just pulled out…around 40 stitches were dropped off and I just about had a heart attack. This yarn is cotton/rayon and super slippery. And it’s all lace…yarn overs and PSSOs. If I so much as moved a muscle, the stitches would start to unravel and I would never be able to get it all back. I gasped out loud and said, “OK, don’t anybody move.” Mostly to myself, but my dear husband stopped in his tracks and turned around to see. The first thing he said was, “What do you need me to do?” I was frozen and I barely dared move my lips. I’m not exaggerating about how slippery this yarn is… I was envisioning weeks of knitting going to hell.

I had a pair of 16 inch circs laying on my desk and asked him to bring them. He held part of the work and a needle still, while I tried to find and pick up the dropped stitches. I’m pretty sure I didn’t breathe for at least 10 minutes. I managed to get it all secured, then I set it down and started to breathe again.

It took me about an hour to move the entire project onto another 60 in. cord, find all the dropped yarn overs and replace the stitch markers. I’m pretty sure I got it all, but it’s definitely going to look wonky there. My only consolation is that this is a flowy drapey skirt and I’m sure it won’t be massively obvious to the casual viewer. I prolly won’t be showing it off to any knitters, though!

Damn, I got all tense again, just writing about it.

I called Knitpicks today. A nice lady named Millie, actually gasped out loud when I told her what happened. She was very sorry. I never had any doubts that they’d replace the cord, and of course, that’s what she said she’d do right away. Knitpicks is known for their outstanding customer service. The cord was only $3.99, so it’s not about the money. It’s about the trust. How can I trust that it won’t happen again? The trust and comfort is gone…I s’pose with time my complacency will return. I only hope that another disaster like that doesn’t happen again.

Next yarn? Something super wooly, that will stick together no matter what. Something that felts from the sweat on my fingers…yeah, that’s the ticket!

Tonight I’m turning the heel on my Fetzensock. Nice and safe.

As of 1:13 am this morning my baby is THREE YEARS OLD!!! We had a big ole birthday open house yesterday (Sunday), today Gramma is watching him here at home so he can play with all his new toys, tomorrow at daycare they’ll have a little cupcake party for him and this coming Sunday will be the party I invite all the children he knows over for a couple hours. Kind of a big birthday week! Here’s the look he’s sporting today:

Well, time to write a bit about our recent trip to California. The impetus for the trip was the Rock Star’s cousin S’s wedding to the beautiful M. The wedding was planned for the day before Labor Day, but we went out 10 days early so we could visit the Rock Star’s father and step-mother. After the parental visit, we planned a few days in San Francisco with his brother (including one night of extreme debauchery for the bachelor party). Then we drove north the Anderson Valley area of California for the wedding. This first vacation blog entry will be about the parental visit and the drive to SF. Parts of it are not a pretty tale, so I’ll try to go over them quickly…and get to the parts where I molest, fondle and buy yarn.

(more…)

Therapeutic knitting has been happening.

Make two of these and call me in the morning. Can’t. Stop. Plotzing.

…and keeps on ticking. Remember that old Timex (?) watch commercial? Well that’s me right now. Depression is a terrible thing. I’ve been plunged back into the darkness and am having a bit of trouble finding my way out. I’m sure I’ll make it, just need a bit of time.

Vacation was really great and there are many stories. or Yarns, if you prefer. Everyone loves a good yarn, especially if it’s about yarn. There are some stories about yarn, and about my family, and about a beautiful wedding and seeing/meeting friends from far away. In a bit of time.

Here’s some natural beauty in the meantime.