I did my due diligence - gauge swatch - for K's sweater. I got gauge with a slightly larger needle because I'm substituting Plymouth Galway for Lion Brand Wool-Ease. Apparently the Wool-Ease is just a smidge thicker than Galway. I started knitting the sweater Monday night, and even though it was gauge, it didn't look right. That's because to get gauge I had to use a size 9 instead of an 8 needle, and the sweater was looking a bit lacy. Not good for a man's sweater that he may want to wear skiing. I'd been debating about ripping it out and starting again, but to be sure I asked his opinion. His verdict - the wind would rip through it. He's right.
Now the fun begins. He wants a larger size sweater for things like layers. I was already knitting the largest size in Stitch N Bitch Nation, so what's a gal to do? Turns out to be very easy. Grab the Ann Budd Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, find the raglan sweaters, go to the right size and gauge, and Bob's your uncle! problem solved. Ok, mostly solved. I'll have to do a little fiddling to get the cast on numbers right in order to work with the stitch pattern (which is just a very wide rib). However, a little number juggling is nothing to someone who spent a lot of years in front of a computer straightening out balance sheets and budgeting. In fact, it gives me a chance to tweak the pattern a bit anyway. Why make it just as the book says?
As for the intarsia and duplicate stitch. I've been looking at the duplicate stitch in the photo in the book, and to me it just looks a bit sloppy. I haven't decided if it's the nature of duplicate stitch or maybe the sweater was knit up pretty quickly. I think I'm doing intarsia instead of duplicate stitch for the yellow. I think it will just look better. If not, I'm not afraid to rip it out. I've got 2 hours of Nova and an episode of In Search of Myths and Heroes tonight, so let the knitting begin. (and yes, I love PBS. Send them some money so they can keep producing quality tv like Nova)
Gotta go. The laundry won't finish itself. I'd say why don't we have robots to do that, but I'd end up with Bender.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
In lieu of a thousand words
The UT blanket
Random insect picture. I love to find the praying mantis around the yard or on the house:
The Rowan Summer Tweed Sweater:
The first toe-up sock:
The first toe-up sock:
A Sweater for Keith
Yarn is like lipstick or nail polish. I always seem to buy the same colors!
Random insect picture. I love to find the praying mantis around the yard or on the house:
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Countdown
How long until September? Only 13 more days. Approximately 34 more days until the autumnal equinox. Ah, then the earth will be tilted in the other direction with the northern hemisphere gradually getting further away from the sun until the winter solstice. Why these fun factoids? It is so hot here. It's been above 100 degrees more days than I care to think about. I don't want to leave the house. I feel like a hermit, locked away in the house, only leaving when I have to.
However, I have done some finishing. The UT blanket is finished. My first Summer Tweed Sweater is almost entirely pieced together. My Cherry Tree Hill "car" sock is moving along nicely now that the heel is turned. In rush hour traffic I can get a surprisingly amount of rows knitted while waiting at traffic lights. MS3 stole is in time out. I've started Honi's wedding present and have knitted about 8" of length. Depending on how long I can stay awake, I'll finish piecing the sweater. That way it will be ready to wear when the heat abates. I keep thinking, only 13 more days.
I know, there's nothing magic about September, but it seems that at least the nights start to cool off a bit then. Considering that it was 80 degrees yesterday at 8 a.m., anything will be better.
Ending with a random cat picture.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The heat is on...
a.k.a. just some weather data. Yesterday the high temp at my house was 100.2 F. Today it reached 101.7F. We have a computerized thermostat, being energy conscious. It goes down to 78 around 5:00 p.m., unless one of us has been home during the day and turned it down earlier. It's 9:09 p.m. now, and it's still 81F in the house. I wouldn't mind the Arizona temps if we had the same low humidity. It's like a stinking steambath here with the ozone and pollution.
I went out to check the birdbath and wildlife water dishes this evening. It's really quite funny how both the birds and feral cats keep a lookout for me. Ok, it's not just ferals. One of the neighbors has a senior cat. Her husband won't let the cat in the house, but she lets him in when hubby isn't home. The rest of the time the cat keeps an eye out for me in the yard. He's a grumpy old mooch who is quite happy to see me refill the food dish. As for the birds, they have been fussing a bit since the suet feeder is empty. The downy woodpeckers have actually been lowering their standards and eating at the sunflower feeder. I think the suet would melt in this weather, or go rancid in no time. The funny part is if the feeder is empty, the chickadees and titmice (sp) raise a lot of hell if I go outside and don't fill it. They don't have much fear of me, as one of the nuthatches landed on the feeder mere minutes after I had refilled it, and I was only about 4 feet away.
With these extreme temperatures, I haven't seen any of the blue tailed skinks lately. On the plus side that means I won't find lizard tails in the house until it cools off again. I don't have the same experience catching lizards since we haven't had them around here until just a few years ago. I think is was the summer of Katrina when we started seeing a lot of lizards around the yard. Even 2 years ago the old kitties were still hunting a little, but not like the days of their youth when I could count on finding live chipmunks and snakes in the house. I'm an old pro at catching chipmunks and the occasional snake, but lizards are more elusive. I had one lizard catching attempt back in the spring which ended when the lizard darted outside on its own. I do miss seeing them in the yard while I don't miss seeing their tailless selves darting under furniture.
I don't know if I wrote that I finished the UT blanket last night. I had reached the point where I was tired of working on it, and it was a good size. I'll take a picture before I send it off.
I had planned to work on MS3 tonight, but it's getting late and there were goodies in the mail. Magazines and catalogs and patterns and yarn, oh my! It's been so lovely tonight with no tv, just the soothing whoosh of the a/c. I did just finish Wolf to the Slaughter by Ruth Rendell last night. Don't start it unless you can read it through! And before you think I merely read tales of murder and vampires, I must admit to an impending dig through all my paperbacks to find Beowulf. I read part of it while taking Old English in college, then this translation came out several years ago. It's wonderful. This modern English version has the cadence of the old. And you will recognize some of the names within - just compare it to The Lord of the Rings for fun.
On that note I bid you goodnight.
I went out to check the birdbath and wildlife water dishes this evening. It's really quite funny how both the birds and feral cats keep a lookout for me. Ok, it's not just ferals. One of the neighbors has a senior cat. Her husband won't let the cat in the house, but she lets him in when hubby isn't home. The rest of the time the cat keeps an eye out for me in the yard. He's a grumpy old mooch who is quite happy to see me refill the food dish. As for the birds, they have been fussing a bit since the suet feeder is empty. The downy woodpeckers have actually been lowering their standards and eating at the sunflower feeder. I think the suet would melt in this weather, or go rancid in no time. The funny part is if the feeder is empty, the chickadees and titmice (sp) raise a lot of hell if I go outside and don't fill it. They don't have much fear of me, as one of the nuthatches landed on the feeder mere minutes after I had refilled it, and I was only about 4 feet away.
With these extreme temperatures, I haven't seen any of the blue tailed skinks lately. On the plus side that means I won't find lizard tails in the house until it cools off again. I don't have the same experience catching lizards since we haven't had them around here until just a few years ago. I think is was the summer of Katrina when we started seeing a lot of lizards around the yard. Even 2 years ago the old kitties were still hunting a little, but not like the days of their youth when I could count on finding live chipmunks and snakes in the house. I'm an old pro at catching chipmunks and the occasional snake, but lizards are more elusive. I had one lizard catching attempt back in the spring which ended when the lizard darted outside on its own. I do miss seeing them in the yard while I don't miss seeing their tailless selves darting under furniture.
I don't know if I wrote that I finished the UT blanket last night. I had reached the point where I was tired of working on it, and it was a good size. I'll take a picture before I send it off.
I had planned to work on MS3 tonight, but it's getting late and there were goodies in the mail. Magazines and catalogs and patterns and yarn, oh my! It's been so lovely tonight with no tv, just the soothing whoosh of the a/c. I did just finish Wolf to the Slaughter by Ruth Rendell last night. Don't start it unless you can read it through! And before you think I merely read tales of murder and vampires, I must admit to an impending dig through all my paperbacks to find Beowulf. I read part of it while taking Old English in college, then this translation came out several years ago. It's wonderful. This modern English version has the cadence of the old. And you will recognize some of the names within - just compare it to The Lord of the Rings for fun.
On that note I bid you goodnight.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Under pressure
Yesterday's blog entry really felt kind of forced. I hadn't blogged in a little over a week, and I felt some pressure to do so. OK, it's not like I'm filled with witty observations about life, just the rambly day to day stuff that only those who know me might be interested in.
Here's Monster, freshly shaved last week, lurking in the cool wild violets. The cats won't stay out for very long with this heat. They rush out to potty in the garden, then melt on the pavement.
One thing I would like to clarify is how I really feel about the MS3 knitalong. I have found the whole thing quite amusing. I don't feel the same drive to be part of the Internet community, and I'm sure there are other knitters out there who just wanted to knit some lace. I have found it fascinating to see there are some people out there who must comment on every little item that gets posted to the list. In fact, I'm starting to see some of the same people on some of the other knitting lists I've joined. I'm amazed that with all the stuff that these people say they do (and there are so many more women out there homeschooling!) they have as much time as they do to read these endless, many times pointless messages and respond to them. I have the greatest admiration and sympathy for Melanie having to slog through all of them. She's a trooper. I scan the subject lines and hit delete quite a bit. See, not a bit of snarky commentary here.
It's a lovely day in Hotlanta today. The high is around 100 with an absolutely abysmal air quality. How I yearn for September. As we approach the autumnal equinox, at least the nights will begin to cool off slightly. The jet stream will shift, blowing out the humidity and bringing with it cooler air from the north, if the north pole hasn't melted by then. Even keeping our a/c at a not that comfortable 78 F, it runs constantly. I've found a volunteer oak tree that will shade our west facing house sometime in the next 10 years, but at only 4' tall it doesn't do much yet. It's been miserable ever since we had to take down the 2 sweet gum trees that were out front. They shaded the house and kept the temps somewhat lower. Unfortunately they had both been struck by lightning during their lifespans and were diseased and weakened from it. I miss them intensely right now.
This is Mr. Chubbikins, one of the few ferals I feed. He's been looking for a cool spot to hang out while waiting for breakfast. I'm not sure why he's decided this planter is that place, but he looks so cute. He still needs neutering, but since I've spayed all the available females, I think he can wait a few more weeks until the weather is a tiny bit cooler. Even the garage is toasty, and I don't want him to be horribly uncomfortable post-op. Behind him you can see the yarrow and mint are not enjoying the heat.
Here's Monster, freshly shaved last week, lurking in the cool wild violets. The cats won't stay out for very long with this heat. They rush out to potty in the garden, then melt on the pavement.As usual, I am avoiding housework. I should be mopping, but I just finished some food prep. I went for the annual poke and prod today, where I get the fun of discussing my weight with the doctor. It turns out my doctor, a very petite woman, does 1 hour of aerobic exercise every day, 7 days a week. Obesity runs in her family, and she works like mad to stay healthy. I had planned to go grocery shopping at the farmer's market afterwards anyway since I skipped it yesterday. I was inspired to leave those delectable carbs off the list except for some whole grain organic cereals. The problem with eating fresh stuff is that you have to fix it, and each week I spend some time doing food prep. I have cleaned celery, baby carrots and cucumber. I have steamed broccoli and chopped/deseeded watermelon. I did skip the gym today, and I told myself that I would pack up tonight so I would have no excuse not to go tomorrow. The most recent case of poison ivy is almost all gone, so I won't gross out anyone using the weight machines after me. (Very mild case this time, only 2 small blister areas.) I think next time I pull weeds I'll have to find something disposable to cover my arms. Poison ivy is an irritant that has a cumulative effect. You can be exposed to it and not have reactions for years, then all of a sudden you will start reacting. Lucky me. I hit critical toxin mass earlier this year which has been a real inconvenience since it grows all over the place. I have to wear a hazmat suit to pull it up.
I've goofed off enough now. Time to tackle the futility of mopping a white kitchen floor. Next time I'm going for Georgia clay red.
Monday, August 6, 2007
The theme has been revealed!
The theme for Mystery Stole 3, that is. Clue 5 and the theme reveal came out this past Friday, and quite frankly, it has been amusing to watch all the chatter about it. Swan Lake is the theme, and one side of the stole is going to have short rows for shaping like a wing. It's been like watching a virtual ant colony get stirred by a stick. Some love it, some hate it, and what I keep thinking is - it's just knitting! Get a grip. One person was very upset about the waste of time and materials. In my mind, any time spent knitting is great. Sure, there are projects that go on way too long, but eventually they get done. And if I don't like it, I'm pretty fearless about ripping it all out. (Or letting it sit - there is always something else to knit).
So what's been going on here that's kept me from blogging? The after effects of my birthday. I had a great birthday this year lootwise. My family checked my Amazon wishlist and showered me with knitting books and DVD's of bizarre cartoons. I've worked my way through Alf Tales, disc one of season one of Pinky and The Brain, and 2 discs of season 2 of Futurama. Not to mention that with all this knitting I may just wear out my Predator DVD. However, our DVD player is acting up - it won't play some of them which can be frustrating.
It's been interesting at Knit Night at the store. I have been staying for it even though it conflicts with yoga. Knit Night was originally a summer event, and hopefully I'll be back at yoga again in September. I really miss it, and none of the other class times are as convenient as this one is. I also think this is the only class Twiglet teaches. (The woman who teaches yoga is just the tiniest little thing.) Anyway, we had a conversation about movies one night. I must admit that during my college days I went to see art films or foreign films with subtitles. That's what you do when you go to a liberal arts college. Then I met Keith and started hanging out with him and his buddies. I was almost always the only woman along, and I usually had a lot of fun. And more to the point, I started going to action adventure movies instead of pseudo-intellectual fare. Well, I did drag Keith to see Eraserhead. So now I'd much rather watch Clint or Arnold than some film that going to make me think or bring me down, but one of my friends from the shop is always telling me how I need to see whatever meaningful movie it is that she's just seen. I really feel like been there, done that, now I want some fun. She wants to watch Babel; I'd rather watch the Mummy. It was so lovely to hear several of the other folks say how they prefer to be entertained that made to feel sad from a movie. Anyway, we've reached movie detente. We both like spaghetti westerns, so the next knit night at her house will probably include The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. (I'm just waiting for the Sergio Leone box set to come down a bit in price - I must have it).
As for Brownie, she's still on the slippery slope of ill health in the elderly cat. She will officially turn 18 sometime in the next week or so. I don't know her actual birthdate. I'm not sure I ever had that info, but I do know she and Pixel were born in August. Pixel is still very spry although she doesn't do much grooming anymore and isn't the most cooperative when it comes to getting brushed. She still seems healthier than Brownie which is good. I'm not looking forward to having to medicate more than one each day. However, it beats the alternative. These girls are my first ever cats, and I don't look forward to the day when they are no longer with us.
See, really no reason to blog at all. The UT blanket seems neverending, but that's because I have other things I'd rather be knitting. I'm at the heel turn of my first toe up sock, which is pretty exciting. I'm just barely into clue 4 of MS3, and I've got about 2 inches of cuff for Keith's second grey & blue sock. I've finally decided what to make for Honi's wedding too, so I've got wind yarn for that as soon as I get the blanket finished.
So what's been going on here that's kept me from blogging? The after effects of my birthday. I had a great birthday this year lootwise. My family checked my Amazon wishlist and showered me with knitting books and DVD's of bizarre cartoons. I've worked my way through Alf Tales, disc one of season one of Pinky and The Brain, and 2 discs of season 2 of Futurama. Not to mention that with all this knitting I may just wear out my Predator DVD. However, our DVD player is acting up - it won't play some of them which can be frustrating.
It's been interesting at Knit Night at the store. I have been staying for it even though it conflicts with yoga. Knit Night was originally a summer event, and hopefully I'll be back at yoga again in September. I really miss it, and none of the other class times are as convenient as this one is. I also think this is the only class Twiglet teaches. (The woman who teaches yoga is just the tiniest little thing.) Anyway, we had a conversation about movies one night. I must admit that during my college days I went to see art films or foreign films with subtitles. That's what you do when you go to a liberal arts college. Then I met Keith and started hanging out with him and his buddies. I was almost always the only woman along, and I usually had a lot of fun. And more to the point, I started going to action adventure movies instead of pseudo-intellectual fare. Well, I did drag Keith to see Eraserhead. So now I'd much rather watch Clint or Arnold than some film that going to make me think or bring me down, but one of my friends from the shop is always telling me how I need to see whatever meaningful movie it is that she's just seen. I really feel like been there, done that, now I want some fun. She wants to watch Babel; I'd rather watch the Mummy. It was so lovely to hear several of the other folks say how they prefer to be entertained that made to feel sad from a movie. Anyway, we've reached movie detente. We both like spaghetti westerns, so the next knit night at her house will probably include The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. (I'm just waiting for the Sergio Leone box set to come down a bit in price - I must have it).
As for Brownie, she's still on the slippery slope of ill health in the elderly cat. She will officially turn 18 sometime in the next week or so. I don't know her actual birthdate. I'm not sure I ever had that info, but I do know she and Pixel were born in August. Pixel is still very spry although she doesn't do much grooming anymore and isn't the most cooperative when it comes to getting brushed. She still seems healthier than Brownie which is good. I'm not looking forward to having to medicate more than one each day. However, it beats the alternative. These girls are my first ever cats, and I don't look forward to the day when they are no longer with us.
See, really no reason to blog at all. The UT blanket seems neverending, but that's because I have other things I'd rather be knitting. I'm at the heel turn of my first toe up sock, which is pretty exciting. I'm just barely into clue 4 of MS3, and I've got about 2 inches of cuff for Keith's second grey & blue sock. I've finally decided what to make for Honi's wedding too, so I've got wind yarn for that as soon as I get the blanket finished.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Terribly Remiss
Hello all,
Lately it seems my days off have been filled with things other than the fun stuff. How does so much laundry build up?
I'm working away on Mystery Stole 3. I'm about 1/3 of the way through clue 3. I am so glad that we don't get a clue this week because so many people are reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I need this week off to attempt to catch up.
And yes, I was one of those who preordered from Amazon on 2/1/07. I received the book on Saturday. When I got home from work I started reading, much to Keith's chagrin. I told him to leave me alone and let me read. It's not like this was some big surprise. The sooner I finished, the sooner I'd be back in the world. I finished around 1:20 a.m. Sunday morning. Honestly, there was no way I'd be able to sleep wondering what had happened to Harry and Voldemort. And all those hints of who might die...I just had to know. Now I do, and no spoilers from me.
I'm starting to really enjoy the laceknitting except for the obstacles I have to work around. It is not mindless knitting, and I've found the Keith is not always willing to let me sit and knit something that requires concentration. There was a whole thread about husbands and knitting that I didn't read on the MS3 group, but I think I must check it out and see if anyone can offer any good advice. From what I've heard occasionally at the shop, it seems a lot of men are jealous of the time their wives spend knitting. Quite frankly, with a simple project, I can actually pay better attention since I'm not thinking of what else I should be doing. It allows me to multitask in what I think of as a pretty positive way. Anytime you go to a knitting group you see knitters have meaningful conversations while the needles go the entire time. It's probably the same way I wonder if he's really listening to me if he's playing his guitar while I'm talking to him.
Anyway, I've got to be brief today since it's a work day. As usual, I plan to fill you in with pictures this weekend. Maybe I can complete clue 3 before then.
Lately it seems my days off have been filled with things other than the fun stuff. How does so much laundry build up?
I'm working away on Mystery Stole 3. I'm about 1/3 of the way through clue 3. I am so glad that we don't get a clue this week because so many people are reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I need this week off to attempt to catch up.
And yes, I was one of those who preordered from Amazon on 2/1/07. I received the book on Saturday. When I got home from work I started reading, much to Keith's chagrin. I told him to leave me alone and let me read. It's not like this was some big surprise. The sooner I finished, the sooner I'd be back in the world. I finished around 1:20 a.m. Sunday morning. Honestly, there was no way I'd be able to sleep wondering what had happened to Harry and Voldemort. And all those hints of who might die...I just had to know. Now I do, and no spoilers from me.
I'm starting to really enjoy the laceknitting except for the obstacles I have to work around. It is not mindless knitting, and I've found the Keith is not always willing to let me sit and knit something that requires concentration. There was a whole thread about husbands and knitting that I didn't read on the MS3 group, but I think I must check it out and see if anyone can offer any good advice. From what I've heard occasionally at the shop, it seems a lot of men are jealous of the time their wives spend knitting. Quite frankly, with a simple project, I can actually pay better attention since I'm not thinking of what else I should be doing. It allows me to multitask in what I think of as a pretty positive way. Anytime you go to a knitting group you see knitters have meaningful conversations while the needles go the entire time. It's probably the same way I wonder if he's really listening to me if he's playing his guitar while I'm talking to him.
Anyway, I've got to be brief today since it's a work day. As usual, I plan to fill you in with pictures this weekend. Maybe I can complete clue 3 before then.
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