Quiz

From Hesira's blog

If you could see my tags on my car, you'd know why this is so funny :)

vtwopoint5 -- [adjective]: Full of bees 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Current Works in Progress

Baby sweater. This is the Yarn Harlot's pattern found here in Knitty.



I'm using Classic Elite Flash, worsted weight cotton, from my stash. I may not have enought to finish it. If not, I'm thinking I could get a solid color for the sleeves.

Baby blanket.



I'm using Knitpicks Bare fingering weight superwash wool. The pattern is a Dalegarn that is hard to find on the web since it's a few years old and the blanket isn't emphasized. I love working with this yarn and these needles.

Rectangular Wrap. Fuzzy pic (I was going for accuracy in the colors)



This one uses Knitpicks Gossamer, laceweight merino wool. After a few false starts, this will be what I work on when I feel all sharp and alert, which means it will probably be worked on the least :) I hope the colors pool once I get going on it.

I talked with my local boss. I was working on 3 surveys. He said I could quit one of them, no problem, but suggested that we just cut back on another one to make sure I can keep the one I want. Bottom line, I feel much better. The good survey is highly coveted and there's only one position for all of my city, so many would be willing to push for the job for themselves. I think he's giving me a chance to figure out if I really dislike the job or just need less of it :)

Back and relaxed.

I find this so soul soothing. This is right by the cabin.



There was no hiking this time so I didn't get to try out the hiking socks I made. It was enough just walking from the parking lot to the cabin. I definitely needed some rest.

This place was closeby, Ravenwood Castle.



Check out the website for pics of inside the castle.

I didn't get to look inside but I want to go there for dinner in the medieval dining room sometime. This time I went to the Tea Room for lunch.



They also have several very cute cottages on the grounds.



I also went to Ash Cave, which has a sidewalk going back into it. I usually hike up and around the perimeter.



I watched a few dvds, read, and did a little knitting. I had to restart the shawl again. I think I lose my yarn overs that are next to my place markers, so I'm going to try using yarn for them and make myself do lifelines. For fairly mindless knitting, I did this.



It's from Mason-Dixon knitting. I may use that pattern to make some placemats, adding a garter stitch border.

Today another Knitpicks order arrived, so I have too many options for my next project. I purposely did not order any more cables to go with my Options needle set because I don't want to have too many projects going at once. My goal is to finish what I start and I'm getting much better at that.
I want to try socks on two circs using the Kool-aid dyed yarn. I got yarn for Baby B's heirloom blanket, I want to make her a kimono, the placemats (although I don't have the yarn for that), and....well those are the top contenders at the moment :)

I figured out that I'm so dissatisified with my job mostly because of being so tired. Then the job drains me even more. I haven't been able to discuss this with the boss yet, he has dental issues.
Maybe this week I'll have a chance.

It worked again.

Typing things out here really does help me, that plus help from someone who understands. You know who you are :) I see I need to separate my job issues. First, I need to figure out if I need to quit my job or if I just need a break. Then, if I need to find something else, I will deal with that.

The plan is to go the a cabin for a few days to clear my head. I have to go fairly soon, before other people start going for the summer. I'll see how I feel about my job after that. If I am still unhappy, then I will ask boss for a month off the employment survey. I'd still do the construction survey because that one doesn't have the job issues I'm contemplating. If he says no, then I will tell him I'm taking a vacation during that time. I don't know if they would let me quit the one survey and keep the good one. That would be the ideal thing for me, I think.

I had been indecisive about starting a knitting project. I plan to buy some more yarn and supplies for specific things, but in the mean time, I was just looking at yarn and patterns over and over. After figuring out my plan above, I saw exactly what I want to do now. Using the Knitpicks Gossamer in Caribbean, I have started on their Rectangular Shawl. The picture in the old catalog is much better than this one.

Koolickle

They actually taste pretty good. I think I needed more Kool-aid because I'm not getting a lot of sweet and the pickles aren't entirely red.

Story found here

Mother's Day weekend

Knitpicks Generation Purse



I gave it to Mom for Mother's Day. It didn't seem like a big hit, but she was polite about it. Making the lining meant I had to get acquainted with the new sewing machine.



There was a time when using a sewing machine felt as natural as breathing. Using the new one was almost like starting from scratch. Threading the needle is now a real task, where it used to be so easy for me. But when I went back to it the next day, it all went much smoother and it is starting to feel more normal. I may have to find a needle threader though.

For Mother's Day weekend, Husband and I went to see the inlaws on Saturday and then Daughter and I went to see my parents on Sunday. It was the right thing to do, and I would do it again, but it was also kind of depressing. The aging process can really suck. I'm now very much looking forward to babysitting Baby B soon! Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face :)

Hiking socks

First pair finished.



They fit and feel really nice. The yarn is Classic Elite Flash - 100% cotton.

What to do with my leftover Kool-aid.

Kool-aid and what?

Link courtesy of a non-yarn friend. I just may try this.

The ball of yarn.

I like it much better now that it's all in a ball. My only issue is with the white spots, but they may blend into the finished product ok. That will probably be socks unless I think of something to make for Baby B with this.

I used 3 packages of each color - yellow, green, and blue even though the suggestion was for 2 packs per 50 grams (my skein is 100 grams).

How not to dye yarn with Kool-aid

First was getting the yarn ready.

Oh what a tangled web we weave....



I did not think to wind it into a ball first. Maybe if I had used different sections, it would have worked better, but it took most of an evening to get it around the chairs. I didn't measure the chairs, or anything. I was just going with the flow.

Yarn soaking in water and shampoo.



I used Knitpicks Tutorial as a guide.

Mixing the Kool-aid with just enough water to dissolve it, as instructed.



Adding yarn to mixture. This is probably mistake #1. Maybe I should have used larger containers to give the yarn more room.



Now adding water to cover yarn. Hmm....the color didn't mix well. I wondered if it would mix as it heated.



The two minute zap in the microwave.



The water is clear. Already? After only one zapping?



I need to do it again to get the white parts dyed, at least a little.



This is not what I wanted. Now I can see that the yarn soaked up the color immediately so there was no color left when I added water. The water should have been totally mixed before adding the yarn. Mistake #2.



I decided of my remaining colors, blue could do the least amount of damage with the yellow and green. Notice this time I mix it with all of the water and use a bigger container.



Putting the big chunk of white yarn into the blue. I briefly contemplated dyeing the whole skein in the blue, but decided to do just the white part.



After only one zapping, water is milky, so it's done.



That worked to dye the yarn much better.



Hanging out to dry.



Mistake #3. Lack of patience means I messed with the yarn before it completely cooled. There may be some felting. We'll see when I get the desire to wind it into a ball.

Indecisiveness

I keep changing my mind about which colors to use. I asked Daughter, if I were going to make a pair of socks for her, which colors would she like me to use. She said green and yellow. Hmm. I may just have to go with that, but it will be later today. I was surprised at how long it took to get the yarn undone and ready. Next time, I will make it into a ball first, then wind it around the chairs.

I have kicked the coffee habit. Well, I can't take full credit since it happened when I was sick with food poisoning. I'm now a tea totaller in the mornings. I don't know how long it will last, but I like not being in a total brain fog after getting up.

Koolaid and yarn

Now to choose the colors. I thought I would go into this with laid back attitude and just have fun. Now I don't know what colors I want to use. I first thought the blue, yellow, and green, but I just bought some yarn in those colors. Do I want to use 3 or 4 colors? Stove or microwave? Try for a certain look?

I won't get to it tomorrow, so I have time to let all of that go through my brain for a bit.

New month, new attitude.

I'm finally able to eat again after the food poisoning, so I am getting back to normal. It will be a long time before I eat at Bob Evans again. I only go there a few times a year anyway, and that's for strawberry pie in the summer or carrot cake in the winter. I'll have to find a new place to stop on the way to the cabin though. I would stop there before heading into the hills and pick up a few meals to take to the cabin. Speaking of cabins, I plan to go for a few days before this month ends. It will do me good. I won't have the stamina to do any real hiking, but I can relax and decompress.

This is what I made out of the Knitpicks Shine. The pattern is on the website (free).


I just need to sew it up and I blocked it to try to make the seams nicer. I am thinking about giving it to Mom for Mother's Day, but I have no idea how she would respond to it. We'll see.

I liked looking at these stitches for some reason. I can get caught up in trying to see what can be done with color or other stitches, but I really like looking at stockinette stitches.



One of the annoying things about being sick, especially with something that should not have happened in the first place, is the feeling that a whole week of my life was wasted. Ugh. Now I'm feeling behind and a little overwhelmed trying to catch up. None of the things I wanted to do got done, but now I'm going to try to go with the flow and assume eventually things will get done :)

New goodies!

Look what arrived in today's mail!

My Knitpicks Options needle set.



Along with a chart keeper, a size 2 circ, and id tags. I'm lovin' these needles. DIL gave me a gift certificate to help buy these. Have I mentioned how much I like that girl? :)

I also got some yarn.



I know I've complained about working with lace weight, but I couldn't resist the colors. I want to use the gossamer and shimmer to make neat wraps.

I plan to dye the Bare, maybe with Kool-aid and then use it for socks. The yarn is so soft though, I'm considering using that kind for Baby B's heirloom blanket.

The red is palette to use in my next tam and the blue is shine sport. I've read great things about it so I got a ball to see for myself. It IS so soft and nice to work with.

Now if only I felt like knitting and having fun with this. I'm still recovering from what I think is a case of food poisoning. It's been rough.

The older the model, the higher the maintenance.

Somehow April became my "checkup" month, or at least the month I think about getting all of the checkups I need. What fun. Since I grew up in the age where the Coppertone products used numbers to show how fast and deep you would tan, and I can check off several other risk factors, it seems wise to add the skin check. Several months ago I had a mole checked that I thought looked wonky. She told me to come back later to compare and contrast. I find myself confused. The wonky one has gotten bigger, but she said it and all of the others that are appearing or changing are ok. Then she looked at one on my arm and asked how long I've had it. Forever. Has it gotten any darker? No. Has it gotten any bigger? No. "I want to take that one off." It's not that I'm worried about it, but I'm still feeling as if something is amiss.

I also found it kind of depressing that all of the posters and info pamphlets everywhere there were all about ways to look younger. Maybe next year I will try a different office for this, but I imagine the poster and pamphlets will be the same.

I am now reminded it's time to schedule an oil change for my car....

Money plants

Hesira - a few of them showed up here this year!

Revelations in my brain.

Laceweight yarn + brain fog = mistakes.
I was knitting along on the Branching Out scarf just fine until yesterday. Now the scarf is undone and I don't think I'll go back to it. I tried starting another one and it didn't go well. I MUCH prefer knitting with fingering weight yarn so now I'm thinking any lace shawls I attempt in the future should be done with fingering weight instead of lace weight yarn. Brain fog can strike at any time and last any amount of time.

I started reading a book last night and a line in it hit home for me. It said something about how elderly people want to meet young people. "We jump on them like vampires." Whoa. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am not against old people. I mean, according to some, I am one! Here's how the process went.

I was looking on the YMCA website and found a hiking club and decided to investigate further. I went to the pictures and saw the group, which consisted of a variety of ages, including some elderly people. My first reaction was to think that if I went there, they would see "driver" and I'd then have to be either a hard ass or I'd be stuck being a chauffer. After more investigating, I see they have it set up to take care of the issue. If you want to car pool, meet at certain locations AND if you ride, you pay the driver $4. Ok, that's not so bad, but I needed to consider my reaction to that.

I think what has happened, is that I have been somewhat successful in deflecting people looking for a doormat in general, but that now I need to be careful to not become a doormat for the elderly.
I'm not talking about long time friends, I happily drive, whatever for them. Yes, I know someday I may need to be driven places, etc. But for now, in the big picture, I need to sit back and not let things get out of balance. Yeah, that's it....things could be come out of balance if I don't pay attention. Shields Up! :)

Then, as I looked more into info about the hiking group, I saw that they plan a weekend retreat next month at a place that sounded familiar. I followed the link and it went to the website for the church camp my parents made us attend every summer. Ugh. That site had 4 links, one of which was for the church they made us attend while growing up. Double UGH. That was a trip down memory lane I would not intentionally ever seek out. I lost interest in the hiking group at that point.

Flashbacks

I think my neighbor is having flashbacks. She's an elderly widow and I'm not sure of the condition of her health other than I see that she still drives.

Our house is on a corner lot with most of our yard being on the side and very little back yard. The side of H's house, where her bedroom is, is very close to the back of our house.



This window is in my "office" which is at the back of the house and that's H's roof you can see in the picture.

When Son had this room, he played music. He played guitar - electric guitar. We limited the times of day and he didn't really blast it unreasonably, even H said it wasn't the volume that was the problem, it was that it vibrated against her bedroom window. This was all several years ago.

Last week, she called me at 12:30 at night. I was still up, not a big deal. But she asked if one of my boys was playing music because it was vibrating against her window. I told her no, they don't live here anymore. She commented on the vibrations a couple more times and then we hung up. I opened the window and heard nothing.

She called again last night about 10:30 asking if one of my sons was playing their music. I tried to explain again that they haven't lived here for years, that Husband and I were the only ones home, and we had nothing on that would make noise. She said "but that light is on". I told her I was in that room, that I use it a lot now. She was quite insistent that something was booming against her window. It was like talking to my mom these days. After hanging up, I opened my window again to listen and the only sound out there was someone's heat pump working.

Her son lives down the street. I don't know when or if I should go talk to him. H has never been thrilled with us as neighbors, but she's been generally friendly to us.

Weather whining

The weather is really getting to me. Ugh. It's more like November than April. I have no energy and a big case of the blahs. I know it will all clear up when the weather clears, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen soon. In the mean time, I'm hoping that acknowledging it for what it is will lessen the impact.

I finished the sock but haven't started on it's mate. I'm still working on the Branching Out scarf, slowly it seems. Is it normal to have to hold both needles with one hand as you wrap a stitch to keep the needle from slipping out? I wish I had sharp bamboo needles for this. I'm tempted to stick what I have into the pencil sharpener.

I won!

Noreen had a contest in her blog, Noreen's Knitche, and I won! I'm excited about the prize which is Yarnscapes, a personal crafting journal she authored.

It is just what I need as I start to come up with my own designs and as I alter patterns to suit me. I've tried to keep notes, but I haven't been very organized about it. I can't wait to see it :)