Never Ending WIP

I Wondered

2012-01-05T22:47:00.002-05:00

Why I didn't have a copy of my natural gas bill when I went to pay the bills last week. I had to call and ask for a statement. The copy arrived yesterday and showed that I had apparently used 917 ccf of gas from their estimate on November 20 to their actual reading on December 20. This gave me a bill of more than $500. I looked at their numbers and realized that the estimated reading was for the former meter in the basement and the actual reading was for the meter on the outside of the house.

I was informed that I didn't have a new meter, they had no record of it. Was I sure? Was I there when they moved it?

I pointed out that as the old meter was in the basement and they had no access to read it and since they had managed to get an actual reading, that they had to have read the new meter outside. The new meter that had started out at zero on November 19.

How did I know what date it was?

Gee, they had managed to literally take out half the root system of my oak tree and I had pictures and the date in my cell phone. Yes I knew what date it was.

Long session on hold. They had no record of it. Could I go read the meter and tell them what it said?

Sorry, I'm at work and can't go read the meter. But the usage was about nine times what I used the past two years, and that I had the bills in front of me documenting that. Didn't that throw up any red flags? Really the house would literally have to be on fire and fueled by natural gas to use that much.

Well yes it was odd. Let me check. Another long session on hold. The verdict. Well, we'll have forward this to a couple of departments and we're going to put your account on hold for the next two months. After we figure this out, we'll probably be adjusting your bill.

Idiots, the gas company is staffed by idiots. And they have no clue about customer service.

I'm not holding my breath

Almost Finished

2012-01-05T00:04:00.000-05:00

Pasta and meatballs casserole for dinner tonight. It took an hour to bake and in all honesty it was really longer than I wanted to wait. I did find a recipe for country style ribs in the slow cooker in a magazine at work. Silly me I forgot to write it down. So that may be Friday night's dinner.

I did get the book finished. Robin's sweater has all the pieces attached together. Two long seams up the sides and she can try it on. Most likely by this time next week it should be done. Yes!!! And I really need to take pictures.

Time to think about something for me.

Brrr....

2012-01-03T23:02:00.002-05:00

Chilly morning, chilly day. At least I didn't sleep through the alarms this morning like I did yesterday. And I can tell that the days are getting longer because the sun is still above the horizon when I leave work a little after five. Hurray spring is coming it just doesn't feel like it.

Right now I'm torn between wanting to finish a book and needing to finish a sweater. Unfortunately the sweater is at the point where I have to watch my hands so reading at the same time is out. sigh...

I really feel like cooking something warm and hearty this week, but nothing I want to eat will cook up quickly. Who wants to wait until 8 pm to eat dinner after working all day. I have country style ribs thawing in the fridge. I also have the fixings for Moors and Christians on the counter. Something tells me I should be looking for slow cooker recipes. But not tonight.

Sweet

2012-01-02T22:44:00.001-05:00

These are blooming in my bedroom and they perfume the entire second floor. I've been having a lot of success with paperwhites this year. These stand less than 24" tall and are not at all floppy like forced bulbs can be in the winter. According to the experts this is because I managed to find a sunny but cooler location to grow them. I had another pot that I planted in October and grew in the dining room. They got more than 36" tall and fell over. There's about a 2 - 3 degree difference in temperature between the two floors. The first floor is warmer.

I'm betting this one opens completely tomorrow. Gotta love forced bulbs, they bring spring into the house and make the grey skies less annoying.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T23:37:00.001-05:00

New sign for the studio door. That says is all. Ha.

Hope you had a wonderful celebration, and that your favorite teams won.

Happy New Year.

Day 365 - 11 for 11

2012-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Well we made our year of 11 for 11. I spent this last day trying to finish both the NZ sweater and the kimono. Right now the kimono needs the completed pieces assembled and possibly tried on before I decide how to complete the neckband. I'm putting it together on the machine and didn't remember that it would be easier to do if I centered the sleeve on the bed first and then the body. Working on that again.

The NZ sweater is through the shaping on the back yoke. About another twelve rows and it will be ready for assembly. I'm concerned that there is enough yarn to knit the edging, but again once it is tried on some decisions can be made.

Looking back at the year what do I have for my 11 minutes a day. Two Dale of Norway ski sweaters, Nagano and Whistler. Whistler still needs assembled and some hand work. Three scarves, five hats, one cowl, two pairs of mittens and two pairs of fingerless mitts, two shawls, a Lopi cardigan, Shaun the Sheep and a ring bearer pillow. Two NZ sweaters were started but are unfinished, as are a beret, the kimono and a pair of mittens. Several UFO's were completed, a coat, at least one pair of socks and my oldest UFO, a silk sweater. So I have a lot to show for the time.

How did you do?

Day 364 - How I Spent My Day Off

2011-12-31T00:05:00.001-05:00

Started off the day replacing six damaged needles. Yes I got the kimono back finished last night. Tonight I steam blocked it and rehung it on the needles and joined the shoulders and bound off the neck. I have everything blocked and the sleeves are ready to be joined to the body. So yes I made my 11.

However the best part of the day has to be the almost four hour lunch that Marjory and I spent at the Olive Garden. Barb begged off pleading sick and not wanting to share, and she did sound awful. So we decided that soup and salad were the way to go. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and spent the time catching up on life in general, family and old acquaintances.

We both decided that we really hadn't been in the mood to deal with Christmas this year, if not for her husband there would have been no decorations or a tree at her house. I countered with a Norfolk Island pine with a handful of German paper stars as my tree, the presents that didn't get wrapped and that there were no cookies despite having laid in a large supply of butter, eggs, sugar and flour. She was in the same boat with the cookies. Our best guess is that it's simply been too dark and gloomy, hello solstice and the wettest year on record, for either one of us to get in the holiday spirit.

We agreed that we both needed to exercise more and I suggested that we look into finding an after work program that we could both tolerate and try doing it together. I know from experience that I'm much more likely to stick with it, if I have someone else to feed off of. Hopefully we can find something reasonable somewhere between Grandview and Grove City.

I spent what remained of the day paying bills and running errands, still no movement on the part of the insurance company. I did talk to the doctors office and passed on the information I received last night. I think my next stop is HR.

All in all not a bad day off.

Day 363

2011-12-29T22:18:00.002-05:00

It dawns on me that in a couple of days the 11 for 11 challenge will be over, and I'm going to have to be more clever with titles. Oh well.

I was amused earlier this evening realize that I was running around the house with a hank of yarn draped around my body like a bandolier. Purple alpaca as ammo belt. hahaha

Successfully cast on the back of the kimono. DAK will be doing it's thing to control the patterning this evening. I was surprised to see that I had trashed a needle on the ribber bed while knitting the hem. Since I don't have to get up for work in the morning, I'm planning on staying with it until it's complete. Yeah, three day weekend.

Lunch with Marjory and Barb tomorrow. It'll be like old times. It's been about ten years since we all worked together. And months since we've all been in the same place at the same time. There will be much laughter to share.

My good news for the day is that I don't have any broken bones in my wrist. It only took them a week to let me know. The bad news is that the insurance company is still refusing to authorize the nsaid that was prescribed on the 21st. This wrist is never going to heal if we can't get the inflammation under control without making me nauseous or trashing my kidneys. I've expressed my frustration to the insurance company today. I am severely right handed. I want this blasted brace off my hand soon.

Saw this on the BBC feed today. Enjoy.

Day 362

2011-12-28T23:39:00.000-05:00

Knitting resumed on the sweater back. It relaxed me to the point that I almost fell asleep after about 45 minutes of knitting. Knitting is the new yoga... at least for me. Looking forward to Friday off work and lunch with a couple of my former co-workers.

Winter has arrived here and with it my collection of sweaters. Since I work near the entrance to the store and the overhead doors, I wear ski sweaters almost every day. My supervisor asked today if I had made my sweater, (Dale of Norway, Salt Lake City). He wanted to know if I had knit all the little people too. Now most of the day shift has seen me working on sweaters. I usually bring them in while I'm working on the last bit of handwork or weaving in ends, so it's no secret that I knit. I was kind of surprised this morning since he's seen me work on two other Dale sweaters since I've been there.

How was your day?

Day 361 - Not Knitting

2011-12-27T21:30:00.001-05:00

Resting my hands after the push the last several weeks. Spent some time looking at Ravelry but not really tempted. My Schacht Matchless is now front and center in the living room, and I have to admit I was tempted to try to turn some purple fluff into singles. But I'm still focused on finished the sweater.

Frustrating drive home tonight, the weather is turning from endless rain to snow and the truck decides at the light to hesitate and I managed to flood it. So I sit for a whole cycle of the light, trying to get it to start without draining the battery. And when it started I decided to bag it, head home and swap out the truck for the car. No sliding into work on Columbus' unplowed streets in the morning.

Two more days of work then a three day weekend and lunch with Barb and MT. It'll be almost like old times, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Day 360

2011-12-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

The year is winding down, only five days left. I really did not want to get up for work this morning. And all week long there will only be two of us on any given day. One person is on vacation and the rest of us are rotating a day off as paid holiday, aka New Years Day. I get Friday and a three day weekend.

I'm trying really hard this evening to make a CD for a friend and the computer keeps telling me there are problems. It shouldn't be this difficult. It keeps refusing to acknowledge that there is a blank one in the drive.

I working on Robin's sweater. About twelve rows into the back yoke. Garter stitch in sock yarn takes awhile to to knit several inches. Less pressure than there was on Saturday. Hoping to have it put together by the weekend.

Day 359 - Fröhliche Weihnachten

2011-12-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas wishes via text message from a friend far away started the day off right. Not a cookie was baked, nor a gift wrapped, yet the day was still great. Some whines from a child wanting springerle or lebkuchen. But that happens. The mittens were a hit. The scarf kit less so. The sweater was appreciated and handed back for completion.

My sister gave me a framed piece of needle punch of a flock of sheep and a bell jar for a house plant. Now I need to find an appropriate plant. There was knitting on a scarf and work on the sweater, but much more food, wine and good conversation. Overall a great day.

Hope yours was too.

Day 358 Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:08:00.001-05:00

Mom told me on the way home from church tonight that Dad had gone out and bought her Christmas present this morning, but that she had forgotten to get him something. And in fact had forgotten what he said he wanted. I offered to go online and order him a TSC gift card.

When we got to the house she said something about getting him a new chore coat, and he said he didn't need one and pulled a new Carhardt out of the closet. Then he pulled me aside and said that Mom had told him that she wanted perfume for Christmas. He had gone to the drugstore but didn't know which one. Did I know how to pick perfume? My advice was smell them and pick one you like. His solution was to hand me cash so I could pick something out. This was after 9 tonight.

Now I know that my mom likes Chanel No. 5. They sell don't that at Walgreens. And my Dad confessed tonight that he sent home lots of Chanel when he was stationed in France in the 1950's. He says it was $15 a bottle in France and $50 a bottle in the US at the time, so all the women in the family loved it. I pointed out that Chanel was a bit more expensive than that these days.

White Diamonds is what she will be getting tomorrow. His gift card will arrive in the mail. Me I still need to finish a mitten and wrap everything. The sweater will be in pieces and on the needles. Three out of four pieces are complete.

Hope your Christmas Eve is wonderful and Christmas is joyous. Merry Christmas.

Day 357

2011-12-23T23:26:00.001-05:00

The pile of purple alpaca continues to grow. Two pieces to go and I'm starting worry if there will be enough yarn. Plan is to knit the back and the see what's left. I can make it work if the band has to be a different dyelot, although I'm kicking myself, since Barb from Weaver's Loft asked me in September if I was sure I had enough. She had held a hank in that dyelot back just in case. Silly me, I told her to sell it.

We'll see. Yes I made my 11.

Bake quiche for dinner and dug through the stacks of books looking for titles for Marcus and Sandy. Marc should be busy for a while. Still looking for a title for Sandy.

Still hoping to get something close to finished on the sweater, so I'm off to knit some more.

Day 356 - 9 Days to Go

2011-12-22T22:20:00.001-05:00

There are nine days left in Heather's 11 Minutes for 2011 Challenge. Nine days of celebrating the joys of fiber related craft and skills. Have I found it difficult? No, not really I was already pretty firmly addicted to the stuff. My major challenge has always been documenting it. I still need to get better about taking pictures of the process rather than just the product. And I think that's more of an issue of me forcing myself to find some way to make the photos interesting.

Has my writing improved? You'll have to tell me. I know that technically I'm a fairly decent writer. I can actually spell and generally punctuate a sentence correctly. That doesn't mean that I'm necessarily interesting. I'm a long time member of the short and sweet club, so I find it somewhat difficult to write volumes on a topic. I don't talk that way but writing, oh yeah.

Did I make my 11 today. Oh yes. I worked on the sweater yoke at lunch. And have spent the evening MK a sleeve for the kimono and have started the cast on of it's mate. Do I think I'll get the Christmas knitting finished in time? I think it will be tight. Mittens yes. Sweater maybe. Kimono, not assembled before Sunday but probably knit. 3 pieces done, 3 to go. This employment thing this year has really thrown off my holiday rhythm. Think about it, I basically have had December pretty wide open for the last several years. This is a good thing, but I need to adapt.

I hope that your holiday prep is going well.

Comments on the blog.

Day 355 - Light

2011-12-21T21:38:00.004-05:00

It's the longest night of the year. For the next six months the days will only grow longer. And we welcome the return of the light.

Real candles are glowing in my house. They perfume the air and hold back the dark.

When you look across history, regardless of faith, this is a significant time of the year. While here in the northern hemisphere the coldest days of winter are yet to come, this is the darkest night and with the return of the light comes hope. In the tenets of my faith the birth of a child is the symbol of this hope. And we still celebrate this hope more than two thousand years later.

Regardless of your beliefs, I wish you and yours the most joyous times in this holiday season.

Peace.

Day 354 - Mission Accomplished

2011-12-20T21:24:00.002-05:00

This is the center point of the front of the sweater. Shaped and short rowed garter stitch form the yoke. All of the MK is done. Only handwork remains. It will be a challenge, but I think it is possible.

This is slowing everything down. I am overwhelmingly right handed. Yes I can knit in it. No it doesn't hurt. But everything is slowed because of it.

Day 353 - Late

2011-12-20T11:26:00.000-05:00

While I wrote the Podcasting for Machine Knitters post earlier in the evening and had in the back of my mind that I needed to write this one, I forgot about it until after I had shut down the computer and was ready for sleep.

My evening was spent MK the back of Robin's sweater. Knitting and ripping and knitting and ripping, replacing dropped stitches and reknitting, before I finally got it off the machine around 11:30. I was determined to get to bed at a reasonable time. I did get the front on to a set of circular needles and started to work the garter stitch yoke. I'm reading Todd McCaffery's Dragongirl while I knit. Think about it, it's basically mindless garter stitch, I need something to keep me focused so I don't get bored and lose interest.

I have Tuesday off and plan on getting the sleeves knit and set aside and just maybe get some work done on the kimono too.

Day 352

2011-12-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

Spent the morning weaving in ends. At least 3 FO and one of them a Christmas present. Went to write the pattern for my sister's sweater only to discover that the computer had somehow ate her size chart. Off to remeasure her.

Pattern written and sweater cast on. Not really sure why I thought full figure shaping was a good idea, but almost to the waist and then back out again. I want to have this piece off the machine tonight so I can HK the short row garter stitch yoke at lunch tomorrow.

I did get the balls on the redbud this afternoon. It may be the only tree that gets decorated this year.

Day 351

2011-12-17T18:35:00.001-05:00

Stockings finished blocked and delivered. Done. Christmas cards signed, addressed and in the mail.

The original is on the bottom.

Found the yarn for Robin's sweater and have swatched a hank. Made the mistake of steaming it and the numbers are all over the place. Back into warm water to reset the yarn. I should cast on another piece of the kimono while I'm waiting for it to dry.

Yes, I've made my 11.

Day 350

2011-12-17T01:42:00.001-05:00

One stocking done, one with duplicate stitch about 25% and blocking and seaming to go. Have to turn them in tomorrow, but I should have this little bit done before they open.

I picked the Christmas card shot last night, submitted it electronically for printing too. It was supposed to be done by 11. When I went in at 6 pm they hadn't started printing it. What the heck did I pay for? I think they gave me extra prints as some form of compensation. Cards to sign, address and post after the stocking delivery tomorrow.

Day 349

2011-12-15T23:02:00.003-05:00

The hand was so bad that I called the doctor about noon. I was shocked to get in almost immediately. Turns out that today was the day they were switching to a digital system to comply with the new federal regs. Based on the fun my doctor was having getting my exam/symptoms into the system, it really doesn't work that well. Diagnosis, tendon damage of some form. Back in the wrist brace around the clock and much better pain killers for this pass. If it isn't improving in a week, I get to go back. Turns out that I was doing every thing right, it just didn't heal.

Before and after. After needs blocked and seamed as well as a name. But really close.

I selected and sent off the Christmas card shot for this year. I should be able to pick them up after work tomorrow. I culled the card list and need to print labels and find stamps and they can go out Saturday morning. It's been 3 years since I could afford to send out cards. Hopefully people enjoy the image as much as I did shooting it.

Day 348

2011-12-14T23:08:00.002-05:00

Tired after an evening with knitters and food. We shared projects and our winter potluck. The stocking is ready to have the ends woven in.

My right wrist is trashed. Don't know what's wrong, but a trip to the doctor is in order. It's getting painfully worse not better. If it turns out to be broken, I'm going to be so pissed and screwed.

Day 347

2011-12-13T23:43:00.003-05:00

HK of stockings finished. Weaving in ends to resume immediately, followed by embroidery and seaming. I want these done and gone.

I need to figure out where the aubergine yarn for Robin's sweater went. I evidently organized it into hiding.

I made my 11 for the day and have plans for tomorrow.

Day 346 - Minimal Fiber Time

2011-12-12T23:26:00.001-05:00

A splitting headache that motrin couldn't touch made for a long afternoon. No knitting time at lunch. I did manage to get past the gussets and into the instep of the stocking, and that's about it for the day. I am looking around for the yarn for Robin's sweater. Looks like my cleaning spree over the weekend may have been too efficient. sigh...

How was your progress?

Day 345 - Stockings

2011-12-11T23:16:00.001-05:00

All stockings, all day. I started weaving in the ends on the first on and have knit the heel flap and started the gussets on the second one. I made my 11 and not much else today.

Day 344 - Burning Things

2011-12-10T15:46:00.001-05:00

What do you do when you have a collection of unidentified yarn? First you estimate how much of it you have, and then you burn a piece to sort out what it's made of.

For the first part of the equation, find a McMoran balance.

Cut a small length of the mystery yarn and hang it on the notched arm of the balance. Cut off wee bits until the arms balance.

Measure the piece and multiple by 100 to get how many yards per pound (YPP). Then weigh the remainder and do the math. (I know MATH is a dirty word.)

To get fairly good idea of what the yarn is made of requires burning a piece and observing how it burns, what it looks like, what it smells like and what is left. See the chart here. Note do this somewhere you won't catch the house or anything else on fire. And burning yarn can really stink, so keep that in mind too.

Using these techniques, I managed to get my remaining cones of yarn cataloged and sorted into storage bins to go in the studio.

I also finished the intarsia and MK on the second stocking and it is ready to have the heel knit. So I have rocked my 11 today. (And really early too.)

Anyone else have mystery yarn in the stash?

Day 343 - Busy Day, Evening to Unwind

2011-12-09T22:30:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy, day at work. I was supposed to cut out by 2 and avoid the requirement for a lunch break. By 1:30 it was obvious that that plan wasn't going to work, so I grabbed a 30 minute lunch, and went back to face the afternoon. Despite my best efforts to hole up and finish what I needed to complete, I kept getting called away to help answer questions. I pointed out to the ASM who pulled me away at one point that while I was happy to help, I was really trying to get finished with the quotes I was working on to avoid OT. I flat out asked if she would approve my OT for the week and she agreed. My supervisor thought that was one of the cleverer things I could have done as it got him off the hook. Finally clocked out around 4, and headed off to meet my best friend at our monthly hair appointments. Spent about 3 hours unwinding at the stylist's and came home with a wavy mane.

I did work on the stocking on the machine tonight but ripped out and reknit almost every row I put in due to dropped stitches. Exercise in frustration was what it was quickly becoming, so I gave up for the night in favor of blogging. Giving up on blogging in favor of sleep.

Hope your holiday knitting is going well.

Comments on the blog.

Day 342 - Progress

2011-12-09T00:02:00.001-05:00

I more than made up for yesterday. I worked my way through the gusset on the foot of the stocking at lunch. I MK past the garter stitch details on the second stocking this evening. And I managed to empty the three trash bags of quarantined yarns and got most of them sorted, cataloged and into storage bins. I have about a dozen unidentified cones left to go. I'll did out my McMoran balance to figure out the yardage and the bins can go into the studio.

Day 341

2011-12-07T22:51:00.001-05:00

Our holiday party had an unexpected visitor in the form of the candidate for our new minister. She's very nice, and listens well. Even with our familial habit of talking over each other at times. She preaches for the congregation on Sunday and we will be voting on extending a call at that time. Thus should be interesting.

While I took my knitting with me, no knitting was done. So I'm reluctant to claim that I actually made 11 today.

Day 340 - Happy Birthday

2011-12-06T22:43:00.001-05:00

My Grandpa would have been 105 today. One of at least 7 kids, he left school at around age 12 when his father died, so he could go to work to help support the family. He never graduated from high school, but was a voracious reader and self educated in a variety of areas. The picture above is from my parents wedding in 1960, that's my Grandpa on the right. He would have been about 54 at the time.

An avid gardener with his own heated greenhouse, he encouraged his grandchildren to plan their own gardens and pored over the seed catalogs with us every winter while we schemed about what we wanted to try. He taught us how to prepare/mix our own planting medium and start the seeds in the greenhouse even while there was still snow on the ground. We learned how transplant seedlings and harden them off to get them ready to transplant to the garden after the danger of frost had passed.

He encouraged us to try to wildest things. I remember the years that we decided to try grow peanuts. We live in Ohio. This is not a state known for peanut production. But we studied what information we could find and picked a variety with a relatively short growing cycle. We were so happy when we dug them up and actually had something to harvest. We dried them, then roasted them in Grandma's oven. It wasn't an earth shattering amount but we had actually grown and roasted our own peanuts and we had something that we grown with our own hands to give Dad for Christmas that year. Before organic/no pesticide gardening was ever a concept, we were mixing smelly African marigolds with the green beans in an attempt to discourage bean beetles. Dad was taking over planting and maintaining the garden about that time and was a bit skeptical about the whole thing, but went along with it anyway.

When I was bored one summer, I decided to tear my bicycle completely apart and put it back together, just to see how it worked. He supervised and helped when I needed it, but for the most part let me figure it out on my own.

Basically he supported us in what ever thing we decided to explore. He's been gone since 1980. I was a sophomore in high school and in truth he had been gone for about 6 months before his heart finally gave out that spring. One of the last things we did together before he got sick that last time was plant Queen of the Night black tulips along his driveway and outside the window where he sat and watched the birds at the feeders. When I bought my own house in 1991, one of the first things I planted was Queen of the Night tulips along my front walk and they are still there every spring. When I look at my yard and garden I know that I am definitely my grandfather's granddaughter.

Day 339 - We Can't Count

2011-12-05T21:50:00.001-05:00

Somewhere along the line, we lost count. There are 365 days in the year. And 31 days in December. Today is the 5th. 365-31+5=339. oops.

I knit the heel flap of the stocking while my best friend and I sat around after dinner working on Christmas stuff. She was embroidering the names on her grandchildren's stockings, me working on the commission. Both of us catching up on life. It was a good evening. Yes I made my 11.

Day 336

2011-12-04T19:29:00.001-05:00

Cast on the second stocking of the pair. Ready to start the intarsia, so getting through Santa's beard and the garter stitch is my goal for the evening.

I did get the systemic pest control applied to all the house plants currently living on the front porch. I need to bring them in before the snow flies and time is getting short.

I did get the amaryllis bulb planted and will probably plant the paperwhites when the potting mix cools off. (Add hot water to a blob of compressed potting mix) Poof. But too hot for the bulbs. I need to find some gravel or maybe marbles to put on top of them to keep them in the pot. They should bloom by Christmas.

Day 335 - Two Stockings

2011-12-03T22:33:00.001-05:00

I reworked the first stocking as I didn't like how close to the seam the picture ended up. So I ripped it back and rehung it on the machine and reknit it.

The stocking with the deadline went back to the LYS for some additional instructions. All agreed that the yarn provided, while a dead on color match, cannot be knit to the same gauge. The LYSO will consult with the client to determine priority, color or size match. I brought home additional yarn in DK weight on the chance that size will be the deciding factor. That way I won't have to go back. Need a decision ASAP as this baby is due on the 12th.

Courtney planted my bulbs and since I didn't watch, I'll be surprised to see the colors come spring. I brought home an amaryllis bulb and more paperwhites from the grocery today. I really want blooms in the house. I need to bring the rest of the houseplants in for the winter. The dining room is going to get crowded in a hurry.

Day 334 - Not Much

2011-12-02T23:07:00.001-05:00

The reply back on the email said to make it the same size as the original. But we had been talking about 2 different patterns that need to be duplicated. So which one. Guess I need to make a trip into the shop in the am.

Other than that and reading knit blogs there has been little fiber happening here today. Long day at work, followed by stupid letter in the mail that required an immediate response. Only to be told that I was "too ignorant to understand" what I had read. OK talk to my attorney. End of discussion.

But tomorrow is the weekend and fiber abounds...

Day 333 - Waiting

2011-12-01T20:27:00.001-05:00

On answers regarding the priority stocking and gauge. So work continues on the mitten.

Knitting Christmas ornaments arrived in the post today, tempting me for a short couple of minutes to consider setting up a tree so I could hang them. The quick realization that there is NO instant gratification when it comes to decorating the tree, nipped that idea in the bud.

Back to the mitten...

Day 332 - The Mitten progresses

2011-11-30T22:44:00.001-05:00

Ready to put the thumb stitches on a stitch holder while I knit the rest of the hand. True progress.

Day 331 - Successful Swatch, NOT

2011-11-29T22:27:00.001-05:00

I guess it depends on your definition. Since I'm supposed to match a gauge, it's not successful. I need to hit about 21 stitches to 4 inches and at 18 it is stiff enough to stand unsupported. There's no way that I'll be able to get it to 21. So I've sent an email off to see what they want to do.

Other than reading blogs and measuring the swatch, I really haven't played with fiber today. It happens.

Right now I'm listening to the bread machine and enjoying the scent of baking bread. Something to appreciate on a cold and blustery evening.

Day 330 - Swatching

2011-11-28T22:14:00.001-05:00

For another commissioned Christmas stocking. It's acrylic yarn. It feels like armor. So happy that it's not mine. I have to match an existing stocking pattern and gauge. I have to get something close to 21 stitches to 4 inches. I swatched 3 different settings and it's off the needles and resting. Hopefully one of them is close and I can start knitting tomorrow.

I need to take pictures to document the process.

Yes I made my 11. But not much more. sigh....

Day 329 - FO

2011-11-27T23:06:00.001-05:00

I finished my fingerless mitts this evening. It has rained all day.

Day 328 - Small Business Saturday

2011-11-26T22:41:00.001-05:00

What better way to support a local small business than Christmas shopping at an LYS? I knocked off about four gifts from my list including two Kidsilk Crack scarf kits, this afternoon.

The local BIG college game was today and that usually means it's the absolutely best day of the year to shop. Not when it's Thanksgiving weekend evidently. Driving into the mall parking lot reminded me why I hate shopping this time of year. But I had a list and this was the only place to get one particular item.

I did get a mitt finished and it's mate started and suspect that there may be enough yarn left to make a second pair.

Day 327 - Black Friday

2011-11-25T20:32:00.001-05:00

The reports say that at least 50 percent of Americans were participating in Black Friday shopping. Which I have to say puts me solidly in the minority, as I can't remember the last time I shopped on Black Friday. I know I haven't in the last 4 years because of the job situation, and I was never fond of it anyway. Since I'm working retail these days to pay the bills, I had to work today. It was a very quiet day at the pro desk, not too many contractors working. I was sending texts to a couple of pros that I knew were working asking them to please send me something to do.

My right wrist was damaged earlier this week. I suspect by a guy who somehow managed to twist my wrist while shaking my hand. So I'm wearing a wrist brace to immobilize it and serve as a warning to others to take it easy when they shake my hand. Hopefully it will heal quickly.

It doesn't hamper my ability to knit, so I'm continuing work on the fingerless mitt pattern. I'm past the cuff and into the hand heading for the thumb opening. This is actually a pretty simple pattern and the yarn is heavy enough that the piece grows quickly. (Only 35 stitches around helps too.) I suspect that I will be close to finishing the hand this evening and moving onto the thumb in the morning.

How did your day go?

Day 326 - Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:27:00.001-05:00

We gathered at my sister's today, my parents, my brother and I. With my brother in law and niece, there were seven of us. My sister and I made an abundance of food and there was much enjoyment and conversation around the table. We are thankful for family, near and far. For the relative good health that all are enjoying. My brother and I are both thankful to have steady work this year. Both of us are in the construction industry and a steady job is definitely a blessing after the least several years. Personally I am thankful for my stash. It has provided me with hours of enjoyment as I slowly turn the abundance of wooly string into warm clothes.

Yes I made my 11 working on fingerless mitts while the guys watched football. I hope that you and yours had a wonderful holiday.

Day 325 - Prep work

2011-11-23T22:44:00.001-05:00

Today has been a minimal fiber day. I have (gasp) done no knitting. I did manage to get my 11 by reading knitblogs this evening.

So what did I do instead? Cooked. Bouillabaise was on the menu for dinner, cod, mussels, scallops and shrimp cooked with fresh onion, and garlic, tomatoes and herbs. In a pork stock base, frozen from our Sauerkraut luncheon last month. Then cranberry sauce and a pair of sweet potato pies for tomorrow's meal and rather large pile of dirty dishes took up the rest of the evening. When I get done with the posts tonight, I'll be putting ingredients into the bread machine so there will be fresh bread in the morning. That will leave me with my asparagus tomato pesto pasta salad to make in the morning. Robin will be shocked if I manage to show up on time. But I'm doing all the prep in advance for once so maybe...

And the even bigger shock of the night was that I actually clocked out and left work on time for the first time in a couple of weeks.

If you're in the US, Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your day off.

Day 324 - Visible proof

2011-11-22T21:48:00.001-05:00

The mitten is growing. This is the palm of the left hand. Slowly but it is growing.

Yes I've made my 11 for the day.

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm also thinking about what I'm going to be cooking for Thursday. I'm thinking pasta salad with sausage filled tortellini with asparagus, wee tomatoes and pesto, sweet potato pies, fresh bread, and cranberry relish. My sister is covering the turkey and stuff. I also want to make a big pot of bouillabaisse for dinner for me. Yummy

Day 323 - Unwound

2011-11-21T23:14:00.001-05:00

The mittens continue to be my challenge and fill in piece. I did discover last night that Google Translator does a pretty good job translating Finnish (the pattern) into something resembling a coherent pattern in English. I translated enough to get me all the way thru the gusset and shaping of the first mitten. Right now I'm abut 2/3 thru the thumb gusset. I'm still a bit worried that these will fit my fat hands.

I knit myself into a stupor this evening. Who says knitting isn't relaxing? May be too much so tonight. I did get my 11.

Day 322 - Why I'm Unhappy

2011-11-20T21:18:00.001-05:00

This was my newest planting area as I was building it late summer 2010.

This is what the oaks looked like that fall.

This is the scarlet oak on the left in the photos above. Yes it does live up to it's name. Beautiful isn't it. This was shot in 2009.

This is what I saw when I walked out the door Saturday morning.

That hole is less than 2' feet from the trunk.

The yellow pipe is the new gas service.

The shattered pipe is the storm drain from my gutters. Notice that the other part of the roots are over there.

These were basically half the roots on the tree that help keep it from falling over in heavy winds, storms or snow. They also feed it. And now they are gone. The tree is about 25 - 35' high at this time. That's a lot of tree to support.

So when they got finished they decided that the best way to backfill was to use the back hoe.

Never mind that it kept getting tangled in the limbs.

Or that it had been surrounded with a planting bed full of perennials and bulbs. Nope they didn't move them. They are somewhere in the hole and there are chunks of sod in the planting area.

And they weren't happy that I was taking pictures and actually yelled that there were to be no pictures taken.

And the area is now covered in rocks. All that topsoil I put down the hard way last fall. Gone...

And my storm line...shattered, full of crud and tipped the up instead of down. That isn't going to drain.

They basically did the same thing along the back fence. My shrubs and perennials are gone and the planting bed is full of sod. Actually it is now higher than the bed inside the fence.

Day 321 - Not Good

2011-11-20T01:18:00.001-05:00

Spent most of the day watching and waiting on the gas company to finish the installation of the new service line and meter and connecting everything to the existing gas lines in the basement. They have done their best to destroy any planting area they were near. I'm truly concerned that they have killed my oak tree. Photos tomorrow.

My 11 were spent teaching Barb how to use Ravelry.

Day 320 - Friday at last

2011-11-18T23:04:00.001-05:00

I was at work before 7am and didn't leave until after 8. But I did manage to get lunch today. So it was better. I accomplished a lot, so it was good. Don't know what management is going to say when they see the OT or the screwy punchs around my lunch break. It took a bit of maneuvering to make sure I managed at least 31 minutes off for lunch. (They have rules about no working off the clock. Which is OK but can be awkward at times. Especially when you're used to being salaried and doing whatever it takes to solve a problem/provide customer service.) My supervisor has said he'll back me but we both know they won't be happy. End result very little fiber time today. Two rounds on the mitten.

Finally managed to reach the gas company this afternoon. I explained about the notes, and strongly expressed my unhappiness with how they have drawn out this whole mess, and their less than stellar ability to communicate. I also asked what they were planning to use to run the new service through the basement (unknown). I pointed out that the house had black iron for the existing service and I expected any new work to match. I was blunt to the point of stating, "I don't spec or allow that plastic crap in the homes I design, and I damn sure don't want it in mine." Tomorrow may be interesting. There were more ultimatums in the doors tonight. Looks like they are trying to make it as painful as possible. There is a new huge hole in the lawn and multiple piles of dirt again. I have very little faith in them at this point.

Maybe I should limit myself to the machine tomorrow. Harder to screw up the tension there.

Day 319

2011-11-17T22:11:00.001-05:00

Not a big fiber day. Long day at work, and then a Scentsy party at Robin's. Lindsey has decided to become a Scentsy sales consultant. Interesting idea and scents. Something new for this area.

Found this at Joann's this evening. Made me think of Heather. You go girl.

Day 318 - arrghhhhhhhhhh

2011-11-16T22:21:00.001-05:00

Ever have one of those times where you'd like to reach out and punch someone? The day was going well until I came home from work, entering as usual via the kitchen/back door. I walked through the house and went out the front door to get the mail from the box on the porch and discovered a note with what I have to interpret as a threat on it. It was from the contractor doing the gas line installations for Columbia and stated "Final Notice - Must call for an appointment this Saturday or gas service will be shut off". When I was bringing the groceries in I found another one in the side door.

They've been screwing around with this for months. Pretty much everything they've told me has been a lie. Two weeks ago I came home late on Friday evening to find one on the side door, "Please call to confirm a 11/5/11 appointment to move meter outside. 419-xxx-xxxx Paul Thank you for your time" Only problem was it was late, and no one had contacted me to make an appointment. They had both my house and cell numbers, its not like you can't call. Turned out that when the guy finally showed up after 10am, there was enough time, as I had to meet my mom and sister to celebrate my sister's birthday. The guy said they would be back the following Saturday.

Flash forward a week, I hustled to get the laundry done so I didn't need the water heater, and hung around until after 2 pm. No one called, no one showed. Didn't hear anything until tonight's threat. Understand that I have repeatedly told them if they have to leave notes for me to find to use the back door. Here's the number for my ~~leash~~ cell, you can pretty much always reach me. It's not like it's impossible.

They're about to discover that I don't respond that well to threats. I have the number of the project manager on Columbia's payroll. I'm pissed.

Day 317 - Growing

2011-11-15T21:13:00.001-05:00

I've made it past the garter stitch beard and have started the shaping of the leg and returned to simple intarsia, I'm well past the halfway point and picking up speed. It is probably about 8 inches long at this point. Maybe it will be off the needles tonight and the next one will be ready to cast on tomorrow. I've been working on it for about an hour tonight, and will likely spend another 90 or so before calling it a night. So I've more than made my 11.

Day 316 - Back in the Saddle

2011-11-14T23:01:00.001-05:00

Machine Knitting. The swatch hit gauge on the first try. I measured it this morning after letting it rest overnight. So this evening while the lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled I cast on and start on the stocking. I got through about a third of the design, and am in the middle of the chunk of intarsia with texture. Slow going there. Hopefully I will get thru the rest of the intarsia tomorrow night, so I can put this one on HK needles to be finished and cast on to repeat it again for a second one.

Flower bulbs were half off tonight when I was leaving the store, so I grabbed a bunch to plant in the new beds under the oaks. I love spring bulbs and there are enough here to do succession planting in layers, so the color should last for several weeks.

How did your day go?

Day 315 - Why Eleven?

2011-11-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

That's what my niece asked me this morning. (After I pointed out that anonymous comments addressed to Aunt Lori, weren't quite so anonymous.) I explained that I had a friend who, in January, had challenged her friends and readers to spend 11 minutes a day doing something fiber related and some how document it. And how this friend had gotten really sick, and I had agreed to step in and take over while they found out what was wrong. Initially this was on my blog, but now I'm writing entries for both blogs.

So for Lindsey, of the knitting lessons, here are the rules, originally published January 12 in Podcasting for Machine Knitters.

So I am committing to 11 minutes of Fiber Related activity every day for 2011. So far this year I’m golden even though I’m just getting around to writing about my insanity. This cannot continue and you will be either happy or chagrined to be seeing daily blog entries by 10pm each day with podcasts interspersed perhaps far more often than previously published. Love or hate it is what I need to do and you dear readers can enjoy or not. I want my mojo back!!!
Since I hand knit and crochet in addition to machine knitting there may be quite a bit more than I normally discuss. But its all fiber and I believe that most mental, physical or spiritual health professionals will agree that this can only be a positive thing. That said? Here we go…
I’ve spent more than 10 minutes writing this entry. But I’ve also spent some time thinking about my goal. I can’t just say I thought about knitting on any given day and for today there will be actual knitting done but I want to make the rules for myself. Set an example so to speak and live it. I’d invite everyone to join with me in this but it’s going to be difficult. I know it is going to be difficult so I need some rules and guidelines I have to live by. So here are my rules:
11 Minutes for 2011 Rules (For Heather Thompson)
1) I will spend 11 Minutes in pursuit of Fibery Goodness EVERY DAY of 2011.
2) I will make note and blog entries detailing each day’s pursuit.
3) Thinking about knitting without a specific project will not count.
4) Spinning, hand knitting, crochet, yarn shopping, meeting attendance, class preparation, class time, fiber bearing animal and plant care and collection all count!
5) Reading counts but only if it is pattern, technique, or industry related. Reading a Debbie Macomber book does not count, sorry!
6) Posts must be made daily.
7) Writing blog entries does NOT count!
In the event of my death, maiming, dismemberment or significant illness a Doctor’s note will be provided!
9) No quitting just because the MOJO seems to be back.
10) Napping with or blankly staring at yarn, tools and books does not count.
11) Failure is not an option.

Rule 8 is now in effect.

My 11 were spent today working on my mitten and working with Lindsey on the next step in her slipper pattern. Her challenge whether she realizes it or not is to get the remaining 10 pattern rows completed before she sees me again for a lesson on how to turn the heel. After last weeks lesson that included a trip to the frog pond for her, I think she may have been gratified to see me rip back about 5 rows of patterning when I forgot to increase for the thumb gusset. oops...

How did your day go?

Day 314 - Happy Anniversary

2011-11-12T21:21:00.001-05:00

Saturday, November 12, 1960, was Sadie Hawkins Day. It was also my parent's wedding day. Fifty one years today. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Day 313 - Movie Night

2011-11-11T22:29:00.000-05:00

The guy in brown delivered this tonight. The last of the Harry Potter films. So I made my 11 while I watched this. In the end I had this.

So yes I made my 11.

Today is Veteran's Day and I want to say thank you to all those serve.

Day 312 - Patience?

2011-11-10T23:21:00.001-05:00

Today has been a lesson in patience. The program that we use to write quotes/sales and sell the same went down nationwide sometime this morning. If you happened to be using it before it decided to run away and hide somewhere, you were fine. The program worked and life was pretty normal. I happened to be signed in and once we realized there was a problem we really watched to make sure someone didn't sign us out. Once you were out there was no way to log back in.

By the end of the day I was the only one in my department still able to make quotes. This would be amusing, except that I ended up with a line of contractors wanting to place orders or get quotes. Since I was already on the phone with another customer, who wasn't quite as decisive, so it took way too long and they left. Normally at the end of the day you close out all the programs you've been using and clock out. Tonight I taped a large note on the computer to remind everyone to leave it alone. Hopefully I'll still be able to do my job in the morning.

My knitting patience came in the form of this. 60 stitches on wee steel needles and the color pattern is just starting to emerge. Yes I made my 11.

How did your day go?

Day 311 - You can have as much...

2011-11-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

as you can handle. This is what my boss told me when I asked about the overtime I'm accumulating this week. I have one customer with a really large project with a really quick deadline and a lot of incremental steps to get there, and I sell him a lot every of stuff every afternoon to get his crews ready for the next morning. And I'm trying to compile a check list of the things he needs the most so he can walk his job and send it over every day.

In the meantime I have other customers who also need attention, as well as the walk in traffic, emailed quote requests and phone calls. I have at least six large quotes to finish and get back to the customers. As well as the special orders I need to write for the big project. I'll be busy for the next month or so... OT is always welcome coming into the holidays.

Tonight was knit night and I was late getting quotes out and paid for as well as setting things up for the morning. New projects were shown, new books and magazines perused, and plans made to celebrate the holidays together. As I was running late I didn't get a chance to pick up my FO.

I came home a got a bit done on my new mitten. Ready to as the contrast color to the mix. This should be interesting. So I did make my 11 but not much more.

How did your day go?

Day 310 - Another Long Day

2011-11-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

But the last one for the week, as I've made evening commitments for the rest of the week. About 10.5 hours today. And I still have a spreadsheet to finish.

My 11 were spent hunting around for a colorwork mitten pattern. Right now it looks like the Egyptian mitten pattern is winning. I did cast on an 1 round. The pattern is in Finnish, but fully charted.

How did your day go?

Day 309 - Exhausted

2011-11-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

FO to celebrate. The beret is done.

It was a long day, and I can't hold my eyes open. So short post and I'm signing off.

Hope your day went well too.

Day 308 - Student

2011-11-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

Lindsey wants HK slippers and wants to make her own. Yesterday we looked at patterns, selected one and downloaded it to her laptop.

She didn't have needles so we ran to the LYS this afternoon to pick up a couple of pairs. In a stroke of luck they didn't have two alike, so two different circulars in different lengths and colors, which should actually make it easier to learn the technique.

She remembered how to cast on. But needed a refresher on purling and the different appearance of the two on the needles. Soon she was knitting away and reading her knitting enough to quickly recognize mistakes. I showed her where to find tutorials on YouTube and had her make a video of my hands while I demonstrated the techniques she would need next.

This is her first attempt at socks and she's doing a good job. I laughed when I told her that socks were generally not the second project type for most knitters. She asked what mine had been, and I said an Aran sweater, but quickly pointed out that wasn't normal either. Her mother piped up that I had always been an overachiever.

To be honest I didn't know any better. I wanted the sweater. Grandma didn't want to make it for me, so I did it myself. I think she's probably in the same position. I won't knit them for her and she really wants them. That's a great motivation in my book. She will learn the techniques, because she has a goal.

While I more than made my 11 teaching, I also got the beret back on the needles and should complete it at lunch tomorrow.

Day 307 - Planning

2011-11-06T01:31:00.005-05:00

Traded work for plants today. Some will replace the daylilies that the gas company destroyed. The evergreen will add a bit of winter interest at my front steps when everything has gone dormant. I need to move a hosta and some bulbs to plant it. Hopefully tomorrow morning when I get back from work.

The gas company showed up after 10 am thinking they were going to work in the house today. I politely explained that I had a birthday lunch to attend and would be leaving. When would I be back? Turns out that 3 pm didn't work for them. I'm not real sympathetic, birthdays come once a year. Lack of communication and coordination on their part does not make this my problem.

My sister and I both had a fiber filled day. She hit her favorite needlework shop in the morning before meeting Mom and myself for lunch. After lunch the two of us hit the LYS, Joanns and B&N on the hunt for magazines and books. She also drooled over some of the sample garments and yarns.

We made plans to start a family knit night for herself, her daughters, our cousin and myself. I've taught all of them at some point and they want to learn more. This should be fun.

I did get the shaping finished on my beret and got it off the needles, although I'm now in the process of taking off the band and picking up the live edge to knit down and re-do the band to make it smaller. I've more than made my 11.

Day 306 - Tired Again

2011-11-04T23:15:00.001-04:00

Crazy day, it was supposed to be a short one, technically I was supposed to leave by noon. Instead I missed lunch, wrote quotes all afternoon, asked my supervisor to quote one of the lists that I had, answered phone calls/pages and still wasn't done at 5:30. My supervisor actually texted me at home to see if I had pulled an order for pick up tomorrow. I responded that his boss had made pointed comments about how I was not to work until close, so I got my critical ones quoted and clocked out. I did make a point of printing the correct pick list, to make it easier, and had left it at the service desk for the manager who had sent me home to resolve.

Got a phone call really quickly after that response. Consensus, yes I had done the right thing. Pointed out that I was planning on finishing quotes during the all store meeting on Sunday am. I've got three quotes, a bid and a spreadsheet to do on Monday, in addition to anything else that may walk in. It's going to be a very busy day.

Came home to find another note in tucked into the door I don't use. This one is again from the gas co. subcontractor, the same one that screwed up the garden on Monday. The note said to call to confirm our appointment on 11-5 (tomorrow) as they are intending to install the inside lines and hook up the meter.

Maybe I'm missing something but usually if you schedule an appointment, there's some actual scheduling/communication/interaction going on. Not a note left in an inconspicuous location dictating a meeting. I have plans with family to celebrate a birthday, they are SOL. (OK maybe I'm tired and cranky and fed up with pushy contractors today, but still I have a life and have plans that can't change.)

But my boss and I did get stopped by the outside sales guy, who passed on that his big customer, who I had done the kitchen measurements and designs for yesterday, had been really impressed. Impressed enough to send an email, which he had passed up to the store manager.

Trying to unwind tonight, I did work on the beret, but only for about 30 minutes. So while it is closer to being finished, I'm not there yet. I have tried it on and don't like the band. While it measures about three inches of negative ease, I think it feels too loose. But I'm not ripping it back this time. Instead I'll snip a stitch and pick out a row and pick up the live edge and knit down on even smaller needles to tighten it up.

Day 305 - Busy Busy

2011-11-03T23:54:00.003-04:00

One of the many hens and chicks in my yard

As I was heading out to my desk this morning, my boss and our outside sales guy were debating about how to get something measured for a customer so the sales guy could sell truckloads of merchandise. Seems that the in house design staff were out for the day, and that they either didn't do or understand how to do onsite as built measurements. The consensus was that there was no way that we could get anything done for them this week.

At this point I spoke up. Yes, I know how to measure for cabinets. Yes I know how to lay out a functional kitchen. I'll do it for you, but I want the sales. While I don't get commission, I do get graded on sales per hour and I'm not stupid, truckloads of cabinets are big sales. But I can't run over there until I take care of the customers I already have waiting on me this morning. After weeks of relatively flat business, for some reason I ended up, busier than a one armed paper hanger this morning, following up on a final details for one customer and getting that order pulled, taking phone calls from several others, trying to pull together a quote and materials for a list that had been phoned in earlier, as well as dealing with carry out sales. It was almost four hours before I could leave. In the meantime management had decided that the place I needed to visit was a bit too dicey for an associate to go alone, so someone else needed to go too.

Ninety minutes later we were back, complete with scribble dimension sketches and notes for five different layouts. I had a customer waiting for me with a list that he wanted priced, and another who had wanted a site visit asking me to move it to Friday, but in the meantime could I pull together another quote and send it over so it could be delivered tomorrow. In between pages and phone calls, we got three of them into the design software and drawings emailed out before I got called away and had then had to leave for the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be short, but with three large orders going out the door in the morning, eight units to walk with a customer, two more kitchens to design and the materials list for a gutted out house to quote, I don't know that I'll be leaving very quickly.

On my needles, the beret is finally to the point where I've started the shaping for the top. I'm thinking another evening and there will be another FO in the collection. Time to get really serious on the Christmas stockings.

Day 304 - More Than 11

2011-11-02T22:10:00.002-04:00

While the younger women of the family met in my living room tonight to dissect/critique the recent Sauerkraut luncheon that we had prepared at church a couple of weeks ago, I sat and worked on my beret. Basically we looked at the master list, made revisions as needed and documented what worked and what didn't and why/how to change it. Through it all I knit. The beret is still in the mindless knitting stage, so I didn't need to watch, and could listen and respond as needed without losing my place.

Tried to find a copy of the potato chip scarf pattern for my niece. She thinks they are cool.

How did your day go?

Day 303 - Warm

2011-11-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

The heat is on, the house is cozy. Darned toasty after waking up to 54 degrees this morning. Actually it's warm enough that it's making me sleepy.

Came home tonight to discover that they had installed the service line sometime today. No they didn't trench any of the yard, it was all bored. However they didn't bother to dig up the plants in the garden and they are all gone. And the area that was once full of perennials is full of rocks/gravel. So I think we will be having a discussion tomorrow.

Sent my secret project on it's way this afternoon. Spent this evening trying to work on the beret and falling asleep. I should really take that as a hint, but I need to get ready for girls night here at the house tomorrow.

Day 302 - Still Holding On

2011-10-31T22:54:00.001-04:00

Wrapped in wool and watching the fire. Still holding out until November to turn on the heat. Not joking, yes the house is cool. A balmy 56 in the living room. I'm wearing alpaca over a turtleneck and a wool hat. Mid 60s is going to feel warm. Tomorrow is the first. Everything changes.

I made my 11 working on my beret.

Day 301 - Frogs

2011-10-30T20:46:00.001-04:00

The beret was way too big, even for my fat head, so off to the frog pond it went.

After church today, I ran out to Utica for fresh apples. Turns out it's the last day of the season for Branstools Orchard. Came home with a big bag of Goldrush, crisp, sweet, and juicy, yum...

Came home through Granville so I could stop by Wisp and pick up another hank of Malabrigo to match the hat. I can't decide if I want to add fingerless mitts or a neck warmer to the set. This gives me options.

And I'll leave you with this. Frosted covered rhubarb and sage with the bars of early sun coming through the fence in the garden this morning. All the shades of silvery green.

Day 300 - Multiple Milestones

2011-10-29T23:36:00.001-04:00

Three hundred days of 11 minutes of fiber related fun a day for 2011. Three hundred days of somehow documenting it, either here or on Podcasting for Machine Knitters. According to the stats this post is also post 100 on this blog. So multiple milestones have been achieved today.

It was cold last night and this morning. I could see my breath in my bedroom. Yes I'm still being stubborn. It was a chilly 48 degrees F in there this morning.

When I stepped out for firewood this morning I was greeted by this. Yes that is ice on the lily pond. Bloody cold this morning.

But doesn't it make the edges of the leaves beautiful?

This is Bloodgood Japanese Maple.

Yes I made my 11 working on the beret.

Day 299 - Home Again

2011-10-28T23:10:00.000-04:00

My truck is back all repaired and shiny clean on the outside. Eddie actually worked on cleaning it inside and out but said he gave up on the floor. My sister has been tweeking me for several months about the rolling trash pit that is the passenger side floor, so I more than understood his problem. It was a work truck for several summers and stuff tended to accumulate there. So I guess my assignment for tomorrow is to clean it out and get the bits and pieces stored away.

I'm sitting in front of the fire, which is working hard to take off the chill. Back to work on the beret.

Day 298 - Brrr...

2011-10-27T22:05:00.001-04:00

Coldest night of the season so far. Still holding off on the heat. And the fireplace is working hard to take the edge off tonight. Should have enough firewood to last until Monday. Stubborn, I know.

I had my annual visit to my allergy doc this afternoon and spent my wait working on my beret. Turns out my doc is also a knitter and loved the yarn, wanted to know where I got it etc. We talked about knitting, family and construction for at least 45 minutes. So yes I did get my 11 in today.

Day 297

2011-10-27T00:02:00.002-04:00

Restarted the Malabrigo beret. Made it through the band. So I got my 11.

Got a lead on a possible job, so my focus is on getting that application polished and submitted so the post is short. Fingers crossed.

Day 296 - Done

2011-10-25T23:46:00.000-04:00

Trips to the frog pond, redesigns and unhappy finishes are behind me and the secret project is done. I finished binding off on the second attempt this evening. A couple of ends to weave in, a nice bath and blocking and this project will be ready to send on its way.

So yes I made my 11. Probably back to the redesign of the beret for my work project and on to the stocking design for my evening project tomorrow. Need to chart it in DAK. Pictures in a couple of days.

Day 295 - Two Steps Forward, One Back

2011-10-24T23:39:00.001-04:00

The shaping on the secret project was finished during lunch. But I decided that I didn't like the edging and it needed to be re-done. A careful snip and subsequent picking out of the row and pick up of the live edge and I was off knitting the edge on smaller needles. Progress but a step back to regroup and finish. Should be done tomorrow afternoon.

I fell asleep several times in front of the fire, and proved that I can't knit in my sleep. Yes I got my 11 but I'm off to bed.

Day 294 - Practice Makes Better

2011-10-24T00:55:00.000-04:00

Over the years friends have asked me why my pictures of things seemed so much better than theirs. I think that part of it is simply practice. The more you do something the better you'll get. Note: Digital makes this MUCH easier and cheaper too. The other thing is that I'm willing to keep at it until I get images that I like. Take this series from this afternoon.

This is a ginko tree in my parents front yard. That's my car parked behind it. The amazing color is what caught my eye. But the background is cluttered. There's my car. The walnut tree and house across the street in the background. The only thing this really shows is color.

Now I've started closing in on the texture and color of the leaves. But they are a bit back lit, so you don't see the colors as well.

Now I'm starting to frame the shot to pull your eye through it. The diagonal lines of the branches pull your eye around the photo. What background you can see through the leaves is more diffused.

Still back lit, and playing trying to unclutter the background. The trunk doesn't do anything for this shot.

Still back lit, but all about the texture of the leaves.

Trunk provides more visual appeal, but the background is distracting again.

This tine I thought the contrast in colors of the leave and the grass with the diagonal of the trunk giving movement to the shot would be an improvement. Still back lit.

This is more tightly framed. Still has the trunk and it's shadow pulling your eye through the picture. Still back lit.

Pure color and texture, but the back lighting has it all in shadow.

Texture, contrasting shadows and lines. A bit of clutter in the lower left, but cropping it would also remove the lines.

Good detail of the leaves. Color is truer in with the sun behind my shoulder. Tree trunk on the left is distracting and should be cropped in the final image.

More tightly focused.

Trunk and leaves no longer back lit. A bit too close, not enough foreground for my taste, but the texture of the bark is now highlighted.

Better color with the sun behind me. Using the trunk's shadow to create movement.

Are these perfect? No, but they aren't bad, especially since I did them with a little point and shoot. Like many skills they get better with practice.

Work continues on my mystery project. Shaping started last night and ripped out this evening because it wasn't right. Made it a bit longer and started shaping again. Much better this time.

One of those hard practice makes perfect things.

Day 293 - Prep time

2011-10-22T22:22:00.002-04:00

Spent a large portion of the mid-day prepping/cooking for tomorrow's Sauerkraut Luncheon at church. Lunch for 70 - 80, means that the meat has to be cooked in advance so it can be sliced and reheated with the kraut in the morning. Three hours of roasting time = several hours of knitting time, so progress was made on the secret project.

The afternoon was spent running to LYS to pick up commissions, look for special orders and returning stuff. The evening was spent baking, picking tomatoes and playing with fire. But the house is significantly warmer tonight that it was when I got up this morning, or even when I got home this afternoon. A trip to Dad's for more firewood is already lined up for tomorrow.

Day 292 - Minus Wheels and Still Power Shopping

2011-10-21T23:13:00.001-04:00

Eddie, my miraculous body and fender guy, called last night to say that he had found the parts to repair the truck after it's misadventure a couple weeks ago, and that I should bring it over when I got the chance. Since I got off work about 30 minutes early, I called to follow up and mentioned that I just needed to find a ride home. If I could get there in no more than 45 minutes, Eddie would take me home. OK so off through evening rush I went out to the next county and way out into the country. Yes 30 minutes and I'm there. Another 45 and I'm home again. About this time it dawns on me that I need to go shopping for the church Sauerkraut luncheon this weekend, that I need to haul in all the tropical plants as there was a frost warning, and oh by the way I only have firewood for one night and now I have no truck to haul any more home. oops. Priorities, plants will die, put in garage. Need to cook in the am, take the car and go to GFS. Wood, well Daddy loves you and will likely loan you his truck, tomorrow.

GFS is winning for customer service today. The guy asked me what I was looking for, I had a detailed list, but couldn't remember what size cups I needed. Turns out that if you are an organization, they actually keep a record of what you've bought in the past for just this sort of thing. So he looked it up, found it for me and ran around with me and found all the remaining things on the list. After it was rang out and I was leaving he helped take it out to the car and pack it into the trunk. It's so cold tonight, that I left everything out there. Refrigerator on wheels is what it is tonight. All told the power shop took less than 30 minutes.

The house is chilly tonight, and I didn't bother to light a fire for the less than 2 hours I would be downstairs. The thermal mass of the chimney wouldn't get hot enough to radiate into the room in that time, so I would be wasting the wood. I just sat under the afghan, dressed head to toe in wooly warmth and worked on my secret project. Yes I made my 11.

Day 291 - Progress

2011-10-21T00:19:00.002-04:00

Tonight I curled up under this and made serious headway on my secret project. The stitch pattern works, the gauge is holding and the two color bit didn't pucker or anything. Success.

Let me tell you that cuddling up under a WIP, while keeping you warm and toasty, is not the best of ideas. You have to make sure that the knitting and stitch markers don't slide off the needles. I think that's probably a sign that I should just break down and finish it. There are only a couple more 36 row repeats to go to finish it. In bulky yarn, on big needles and the rows are only 234 stitches wide. Just saying...

Day 290 - Toasty

2011-10-19T22:53:00.001-04:00

I sit here with my wool hat on and Nagano sweater, stubbornly refusing to turn on the heat on this chilly and wet fall night. The house was a whopping 61 when I got home tonight. Actually there is a fire in the fireplace and it has driven the temperature up several degrees in the last couple of hours. For a about an hour when I first got home, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my touch with fire starting.

Any one who has every camped with me has learned that I have a true gift at being able get a fire going pretty much regardless of conditions. I like to be warm. Fires keep you warm. If you want to stay warm learn how to build and maintain (responsibly on all counts) a fire. I even wrote a research paper in grade school on how fire works and what it takes to make it happen, complete with photos of arson fires. It helped that my dad was a firefighter and knew who to ask to get me photos. It's simple, you need heat, fuel and air. Get it hot enough and almost anything will burn, even rain soaked firewood. My problem was just that, it has been raining all day, and most of the firewood is really wet. The house is cold, and I needed to get the starting fire hot enough, to ignite the wood and keep going. Gotta love paraffin/tealights. Almost anything will burn if you put hot wax on it.

The heat doesn't get turned on around here until about November 1. This will make 68 degrees seem really warm in the evening this winter.

No, I'm in no danger of freezing. I own plenty of wool, go figure, and a down comforter to sleep under. I'll be fine. And that heavy afghan I've been wanting to finish. It's getting fairly large. Well it's amazing how warm that puppy is to put in my lap while I work on it or even sit and read. Any excuse to sit and knit.

Day 289 - It's Back...

2011-10-18T23:25:00.002-04:00

Chilly and damp, autumn has reappeared a bit more forcefully this time. Shiver.

Spent the evening potting up bulbs in the hopes of blooms for Christmas. And cuddling a brand new baby. At 9 pounds plus, she's not tiny, no wrinkled, old man face there. Cute as a button and Grandma is so proud.

Welcome to the world little Isabella.

Day 288 - Not much

2011-10-17T23:20:00.003-04:00

Pretty day, too bad I need to work in order to eat.

Today was the day the every one wanted me to haul stuff home from work for them. Marcus called last night needing help getting 15 sheets of OSB and studs home. My neighbors came by to pick up stepping stones and asked if I could bring them home. I started laughing and offered to let them borrow the truck if they could get it back before I had to leave. In the end only Marcus needed help.

Worked on a mystery project, knitting during lunch and this evening. Worked on creating the necessary charts and stitch patterns this evening.

Looks like rain and chilly for the next several days. Welcome to fall.

Day 287 - Quiet Day

2011-10-16T20:05:00.001-04:00

One down, three to go. Onward.

It warmed up nicely and I opened the windows to let the warm air in. Worked on secret projects for most of the day but went out several times to enjoy the temps. Working my way through Bones, Season 6 too. Looks like its starting to rain, so time to close up the house.

Hope you've had a wonderful Sunday too.

Day 286 - Christmas is Coming

2011-10-15T23:32:00.001-04:00

And I have officially started my holiday knitting. Started and ripped and started again in all honesty. This first piece should be a quick one and easily completed in the next week. I also need to swatch for two other pieces and get back on the machine and finish another. I still need to decide what my Christmas sweater is going to be too. I think another Dale of Norway pattern. Finding the pattern books has to be next on the agenda. Then charting it into DAK. For once I think I have the yarn.

Speaking of DAK has anyone seen the new features and price lists? I think the upgrade will be on my list as soon as I finish paying off the latest batch of home improvements.

Most of the day was spent trying to get Lindsey's jeans hemmed. As usual most of the time was spent on prep and the actual hemming took about 15 minutes. It was the 4 plus hours of prep that makes you nuts. So I've more than rocked my 11 for the day.

Day 285 - Finished Object

2011-10-14T22:38:00.003-04:00

The mittens are done. So a FO to report.

A new yarn was swatched and a new secret project cast on. New knitting mags were returned and a hedgehog/porcupine blankie pattern was acquired. Nothing real exciting, but a bit of progress all the same. Off to hem Lindsey Babe's new jeans.

Day 284 - Why Now?

2011-10-13T21:54:00.000-04:00

Anyone that knows me fairly well, or has read this blog knows that for most of its existence my postings have been sporadic at best. Early this year my friend Heather challenged her friends and readers to knit 11 minutes a day and post about on her blog or their own. Earlier in the year I was occasionally posting on my blog, if I had pictures, and pretty faithfully commenting on her's. She has been podcasting for several years and asked me to co-host with her earlier this year. We've been having a lot of fun with it and we have each learned new tricks, techniques or skills from the other.

About a month ago I got a text from her that she was ill. Over subsequent conversations and emails it was decided that she needed some guest posts to keep the blog going as she had planned this year. I agreed to help. Initially I didn't have access to anything but the comments so I posted there and ask people to join me over here. Eventually she realized that she wouldn't be able to continue and gave me access to her blog. Other than the initial post which was cross posted from here, I have been writing an original post there. And different although usually related post here.

She was right, after nine months of documenting my work in comments on her blog, or occasionally posts here, I did get in the habit of writing something every day. With the new commitment to guest post there and still write a post here, over the last month it has become a habit that has stuck.

She's seriously ill. She's fighting hard, in good spirits and occasionally posting to Facebook and her own blog when she's able. I'm asking anyone who reads this to send good thoughts, mojo and prayers her way.

And of course comments on either blog are always welcome.

Day 283 - Half Done?

2011-10-12T22:59:00.002-04:00

One mitten is finished and it's mate has been started. Is this a FO or a half FO? Along with a brief glance and the Clara Parkes book and starting to look at The Knitter, I really haven't played with the fiber too much today.

It was gray and rainy all day and it quickly reminded me that I will be wearing woolens more often in the near future. For now I'm getting by with minimal layering. A vest, and cotton at that to go outside.

There have been three requests for knitted goods, Robin would like an NZ sweater of her own, plus a hat "that doesn't make her head hurt" when she wears it. Beth would like a short sleeve sweater to wear under a blazer, she has supplied the wool and would like it to be dyed some shade of green. I have a kimono started for my best friend on the knitting machine. It's actually about 1/3 done. Other than the hat and some of the detailing on the NZ sweater most of this could be MK. Guess I need to get motivated again.

Day 282 - Something to Show

2011-10-11T23:28:00.004-04:00

The mittens are showing real progress. Yes, mittens, there is enough yarn to make mittens instead of mitts. And they do reach 3/4 of the way to my elbow.

And UPS and USPS left goodies on the porch. My favorite magazine, The Knitter, Clara Parkes new book, DVDs to watch while I work, and this box of goodies from Bijou Basin.

How did your day go?

Day 281 - Tie ins

2011-10-10T22:03:00.002-04:00

I decided this morning that ham and beans in the slow cooker would be a great idea for dinner. I came home at lunchtime to make sure the beans had not absorbed all the liquid. (A foolish thought as it happened.) At that time the gas co. contractors appeared to be making the final tie ins of the new service lines to the main. Nothing I needed to worry about.

When I came home tonight, my driveway was blocked 2x. A small trenching hoe was parked on it and my lawn, and a truck was parked across the end. And of course everyone street space was also taken on both sides of the street. I just sat in the truck signalling to turn and waited. The foreman came over to ask if that was my house and was I coming home, and if I was it would be really nice if I didn't want to leave again for an hour. I would have thought it obvious but whatever. As I pulled in the drive I could see that they had trashed the lawn along the driveway with the tracks from the hoe. Sigh. I finished making dinner, ate, cleaned up the leftovers and decided to take a walk before it got dark. I had been home about 90 minutes or so and they were still out there and the hole in the neighbor's yard was even larger.

It was apparent that they were hooking up the lines and meter at the front of the house, tying into the house and cutting off the original line in one operation. The foreman told me that he hadn't been able to get the boring equipment to be able to bring the new service through my yard, and he was not going to dig up the landscaping, and would wait until it is available.

They were just pulling away when I got back from my walk around the park. The start of my first mitten was about 4 inches long too. Knitting as stress relief. Yes I made my 11.

Day 280 - Family Afternoon

2011-10-10T00:21:00.001-04:00

Today was a beautifully clear day, comfortable temps, sunshine and blue skies and breathtaking colors. (And we're not even to peak yet.) Perfect day for a drive to my sister's about an hour away for her annual fall gathering. While I was finishing the chores here, my niece calls to confirm that I would be there because she needs her new jeans hemmed before she goes home to NC next weekend. Not sure when I became an expert on alterations, but...would I be at Beth's this afternoon? OK throw some pins to mark the hem in the bag with the tape measure. Side note: why would any clothing company assume that a woman who wears size 00 jeans has a 34" inseam. If she's that tiny she's not going to be 6' tall. Just saying...

Because one of the other things that needed to happen was to get measurements from both of my sisters for the knitwear they have requested. A beanie hat for Robin and a short sleeve sweater to wear under a jacket for Beth. In fact Beth wanted to know if I had dyed the yarn yet. I told her the plan was to knit the garment with undyed so that I could make sure there was enough yarn, then dye the finished garment. I really don't think that she's bought enough yarn yet, but we'll see.

I came home and mowed the grass, noticed that the utility companies have been busy with the spray paint in the front yard again, but some how haven't bothered to call me about coming in to run the supply line to the house. I'm thinking about telling the neighbors to call the cops if they show up when I'm not home. No way to they get to work in those areas without CLOSE supervision.

Day 279 - Short Update

2011-10-09T01:05:00.003-04:00

Short post, its really late/early depending on your point of view.

Mystery project completed and sent off in the post.

A day of fiber overload was had by two. I need to take pictures of the spoils. More tomorrow.

Day 278 - Love This One

2011-10-07T23:36:00.002-04:00

Jean Frost Custom Knit Jackets did arrive and it's wonderful. I have her original Jacket book, love it and have knit several jackets from it. I have also taken classes from her several times. This book takes off from there. It goes into great depth on how to measure yourself and adapt the patterns to fit YOUR shape. She takes one basic pattern and shows you how to change the fabric, the details, the gauge, the fit etc. and create many different styles. She also talks about lining the finished jacket and shows you step by step how to do it.

Yes, there are lots of measurements of yourself that you have to make. Get a good friend to help you. There are charts to fill in and compare to the charts that the garments in the book are based on. She then shows you how to tweak those to fit you. Yes you might have to do some math, but nothing really scary, actually pretty simple stuff. Yes she recommends swatches. But again that's not unusual and after the last couple of days I have to go along with that.

If you are a hand or machine knitter this is an invaluable addition to your library. And I highly recommend it.

Day 277 - Something to distract you

2011-10-06T23:04:00.002-04:00

I'm knitting and ripping, repeat... Yes I made 11. Enough said about the yarn today. I did see that the new Jean Frost book is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Let's see if I can find some pretty pictures to distract you. Did it work?

Alpaca, isn't it cute

This is Fall in my book

Pie in the rough

Bloodgood

Shades of indigo

Dye day

Future NZ sweater

Bright

Day 276 - New Pattern Book

2011-10-05T23:06:00.001-04:00

A man in brown delivered this yesterday. Notice that it says COLOR knitting, but as I was looking at it last night, I kept thinking tuck stitch. The patterns are just that many, many charts for that are intended for color work. No garment patterns just stitch patterns. I kept thinking that some of them would also work well as texture stitches.

That's my goal for the next couple days, to play with some of the more adaptable patterns and turn them into texture rather than color and see what happens.

Want to play along?

Day 275 - Surprise

2011-10-04T23:44:00.002-04:00

I won something, a hank of Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere. I've never won anything before from a random number draw and I was really surprised. I have to thank Lea-Ann at Knitting Today for the bounty. Last night I chose a rich red, and came home to find and email saying that it was on its way. I'll be watching the mailbox the rest of the week.

I worked on a new hat design today. Am only about an inch and a half past the cast on so it's too early to tell much yet. I got my eleven, but not much to show.

Much of my free time this evening was spent planting mums and spring bulbs, with a quick trip to Dad's for firewood. Hoping that the sunny weather continues for a while, so I won't need the wood.

Day 274 - Surprising Reflections

2011-10-04T00:26:00.001-04:00

A friend tonight told me that she's been reading my posts over on Podcasting For Machine Knitters. I was surprised, because I didn't know that anyone local ever read anything I wrote. (I'm declaring that Facebook does not count here.) Over the weekend, I had told my best friend that in the span of a few weeks, I had gone from very random posts on my own blog over the past two years, to entirely different posts on two blogs. We were chuckling about it, because although I am a voracious reader, in all of the years we have known each other, and all the years we worked together, I have never been known for what I was willing to put in writing. I was and still am, a heck of an editor, but generally I'm more comfortable at honing/polishing someone else's message.

M's feedback tonight got me to thinking how surprised my HS senior English teacher would be to see me producing two blog posts a day. I came insanely close to failing her class for my flat out refusal to submit a journal every week. Actually I was failing her class when my mother was called in for a parent teacher conference at the mid term. When she came home the law was laid down, I would submit something, if only three sentences per week, to comply with the requirement that a journal be submitted. So for rest of the year my journal had three entries a week that said "This is stupid." "My thoughts are none of your business." and other pithy phrases in a similar vein. An entire semester fit on maybe two pages. Yes stubborn was there from the beginning.

To my teenaged mind, what she was asking felt like an invasion of privacy. My daily existence was pretty average, aka boring, and I saw no reason to document it in writing. (Note I was a photographer. I spent my entire HS career with a 35mm over my shoulder or in my backpack. My life was well documented visually.) I didn't keep a diary or journal in any form. Never put anything in writing that you didn't want anyone else to see or be able to use against you was my motto. I shared a room with two younger sisters and privacy was hard to find. There was no way I was putting anything in writing and submitting it to a teacher who might share it with my parents. Not a prayer. My friends and classmates poured their thoughts into pages and pages every week. I ignored the requirement until handed both an ultimatum and a compromise.

Even in college, when I was studying architecture for the summer at Oxford and had the requirement of keeping a sketch journal as part of my grades, I wasn't very diligent at it. My sketch book had pithy little observations of what I was visiting, or at most extremely sketchy drawings and a running list of the rolls of film I had shot, the date, location and type of film. It wasn't until half way through the term, when I had to do a presentation on something, and produced a very focused series of photos to illustrate my points, that my professor realized that what he had been requiring in the sketch book, documentation of our observations of the architecture/spaces/built environment we were visiting, I was doing with my camera. Truth is I was simply more focused on capturing what I saw around me on film, which I always felt let me document far more things in my limited amount of time, than I could every capture in my sketch book. I shot about 70 rolls of film that summer.

I have long joked that generally when I need to explain something that it's generally a visual thing. I admit to being both a visual and tactile learner. And to this day, even though this post doesn't really show it, I prefer to convey my ideas visually rather than purely verbally.

OKC - cast on the purple yak. The fabric so far seems a bit drapey. Need to get a larger sample to accurately assess. The cold weather has also encouraged me to restart the NZ sweater. If nothing else it warms my lap. Yes I more than accomplished my eleven for the day.

Day 273 - FO

2011-10-02T23:31:00.000-04:00

After a failed attempt and a re-work, the beret is finished. Ready to move on to the matching mittens. Tomorrow night is my knitting group meets and I almost think that I have nothing new to show. I've obviously been making things, but nothing stands out. But it's always good to see friends and trade ideas and inspiration.

I did take a basket of hats over to my sister's for her to try on. She's been complaining that all of her hats make her head hurt. (I'm guessing too small.) And she was convinced that nothing would work. I thought it was funny that the style and fit she like the best was a simple beanie, both Fair Isle and plain versions.

OK that's simple enough....

Day 272 - Time for Woolens

2011-10-01T22:46:00.000-04:00

After months in the 90's and rapid change in temps, was it really only a couple of weeks ago that I was wearing shorts, I broke down and dug out my turtlenecks and heavy sweaters. It was 58 in my bedroom this morning, but I slept well under quilts and afghans. But the chill had me pulling on the Nagano sweater, wool socks and a wool hat to stay warm. Actually I'm wearing all of that in the house because it's a bit chilly.

Actually it's unusually cold for this time of year in central Ohio. October is a bridge month and some of us try to put off turning on the heat as long as possible. My goal is November 1 and right now that seems like a real challenge. I think I'll be trading wheels with my sister tomorrow at church so I can get some firewood from Dad tomorrow afternoon before trading back at the wedding shower we're hosting for our cousin at my sister's house. I only have to hold out a couple of days and it will be back in the mid to upper 70's during the day and mid 50's at night.

And yes at the moment, I'm very thankful that I know how to knit and have a couple of heavy UFO's to snuggle under in front of the fire while I knit, and watch Hawaii 5-0.

Day 271 - Something Purple Arrived in the Mail

2011-09-30T22:50:00.002-04:00

It was a crazy wild evening and you can read about it here

I came home to a package in my mailbox and it contained a really yummy purple hank of fibery wonder from the really nice folks here. I've met these folks at shows and they are just great people. I can't say enough nice things about them or their yarn. I've knit with their yarn in the past and it feels wonderful.

This is Lhasa Wilderness in the color Regal. It's 75% yak and 25% bamboo, fingering weight. And it's destined to become a hat.

I have a good friend who was diagnosed with cancer last week. Her treatment is going to cost her hair and she's going to need soft and warm head gear especially going into a cold New England winter. So this will become a chemo cap. An exotic one, but I have great faith in her and/or her husband's ability to care for hand knits.

We have a running joke that I'm a natural fiber snob, and that I really do like to find yarns that feel really good in my hands. I also like to play with the more unusual fibers when I get a chance. I like to share the joy too. So I will knit my prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery into this and send it forth.

Day 270 - A Surprise

2011-09-29T22:52:00.001-04:00

Was waiting for me when I finally got into the house tonight. A hard backed copy of Rowan 50, the subscriber only version of the magazine was sitting on the front mat. The link is to the free digital version of the magazines minus the pattern instructions.

Progress continues on the hat. All of the increases have been completed. Now it's straight knitting until it gets large enough to start decreasing towards the band.

It didn't rain today, for the first time in days. So I mowed three lawns tonight. I finished up and headed into the house just as the first drops started to fall. I have tomorrow afternoon off and it looks like I'll be shower shopping then holing up to avoid the rain for the rest of the evening.

Day 269 - New Projects

2011-09-28T23:01:00.002-04:00

I was ~~working~~ holed up in the studio tonight and I heard a sort of tentative but steady knock on a storm door. I went to the front door, opened it to find no one, stepped outside and found no one and so went back to the studio. Then I heard the same thing on the front door, and found this guy who is working with the gas company.

He wanted to see the meter location, figure out where he was going to put the new one and talk to me about how they were going to get it there. They had installed all the other lines and meter locations on the street and had actually started on other streets, and they really wanted to get mine done. He wanted to explain the project to me. I pointed out that I had been to the meeting, and had Columbia's project manager's cell phone. Did I know where the meter and lines were? Sure he could look at the meter and gas lines in the basement. I pointed out they were all black iron and in great shape. He really didn't want to run the length of the house to tie in. I pointed out that there was really expensive landscaping out there and I didn't really want him in it. He thought he could run the new line along the steel support beam and duck under it when he got to the east end of the basement to tie in. He was surprised by the old meter. He'd never seen one like that. I told him to look at the tag on the riser pipe, that I was pretty sure that it was the original meter installed with the house. The tag said 1945.

His game plan is to trench across the lawn and bore under the landscaping. I pointed out that I had spent several weeks last September and October putting in that lawn, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with any one digging it up again. He assured me that they were using brand X seed and they would fertilize and put down straw. I commented that I had noticed they had planted grass seed in the dirt they had piled on my driveway when they fixed my neighbor's yard. He did offer to dig up and move the plants in the area they would have to dig up and then replant them. I told him I loan him the pots. Then he thought it might be better if they did that work while I was home so I could tell them what they had to move. I said Friday afternoon would work. But he thought the weather was supposed to be bad. Could I take an afternoon next week? No, I don't work I don't get paid. OK could they do it after work, did I come straight home? I offered him Wednesday, Thursday or Friday evenings. We'll see how this goes. I know there are bulbs in the area right next to the house where they want to dig Those can be lifted and replanted without any problems. Lifting the blooming asters and anemones will pretty much toast them would be my bet. But we'll see.

On my projects, the new beret pattern is coming along quickly. Love the yarn. I need to think a bit harder about the mittens.