Oh, My Aching Head!

Sinuses, do we really need them? Must we have these holes in our faces that fill up with gunk and ache so badly? I got a sinus infection last week. It really put a damper on my activities over the weekend. I took a sick day on Monday and managed to snag a doctor appointment. She listened to me explain that it felt like my upper teeth on the left side were being pushed out of my jaw against their will. Now I'm on antibiotics and sinus meds.

It hurt so bad I didn't even feel like knitting. That's when I know I'm really si....

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG POST FOR THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
I just now received a phone call from someone wanting to verify the model number of the photocopier in our office. Now my momma didn't raise any fools and I didn't just fall of the turnip truck yesterday so I told the dude that I know he's participating in a scam and that he should be ashamed of himself. He says "this is not a scam" and then hangs up on me. Way to protest your innocence there, Buddy.
If you ever get one of these calls, don't give them any information. They will send you supplies for the copier that you didn't order and then bill you or even worse just bill you without sending you anything.
WE NOW RETURN YOU TO THE BLOG POST ALREADY IN PROGRESS...

...ck; I loose interest in doing the things I love.

The snow from last week is still hanging around. Here are some photos of the lacey remnants along our driveway.



I did force myself to knit a little over the weekend but the only thing that kept me going was this beautiful Malabrigo Twist yarn. The pattern is The Amanda Hat (Ravelry link) and I think I did something wrong on the crown. It's a little small. I may open it back up and rip out the crown and add some extra rows between the decrease rows. I really like it though. It fits good around my tiny head and should stay one better when I'm shoveling. Not that I want to do anymore shoveling. I've had enough of that to last me quite some time. But I found that the various hats I've knitted don't stay in place during hard manual labor.


Meanwhile, I've started the Evenstar Mystery Shawl KAL, a pi shawl inspired by Arwen's necklace that she gave to Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings. When I finished my first and only pi shawl last summer (Girasole by Jarad Flood) I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be doing another pi shawl any time soon. I'm just not fond of round shawls. But Susan Pandorf's motif for this shawl was so lovely and I'm such a sucker for all things LotR that I immediately signed up. I commissioned Nicole at No Two Snowflakes to custom dye 1800 yards of lace-weight silk for me and purchased 3000 beads.

The first clue was released Friday night but I didn't start it until Tuesday evening because of the pain in my head and mouth. I didn't even look at the pattern. It hurt just to think about a circular cast-on in 100% silk lace-weight. When I did started it I remembered one of the reasons that I don't care for pi shawls - the circular cast-on. I tried 3 different methods and after starting over at least 10 times and having to cut off the worn-out end of my yarn, I settled on Emily Ocher's method. Now I'm almost done with the first clue. No photo yet.

I'm using a the recommended needle size, US#3 and it's producing a looser, more open lace than I usually allow. I've decided to continue with this needle size though because I want this shawl to be large. I'll get used to the openness, I guess.

Hello, It's Me!

Yes, it's been awhile. I missed my third blogiversary, my birthday, all kinds of things. No regrets though, because I've been busy. Doug and I have been mowing on the evenings and weekends, when weather permits. Looks like we're about to have a thunderstorm here any minute.

I've started Zumba! It's been 4 weeks (eight classes) and I can really tell a difference in my movement and energy level. After months of little or no energy and therefore little or no activity I'm finally moving again. Of course, I can just barely walk to the car after class and don't even think of asking me to do anything when I get home but I'm taking baby steps.

I had a check up with my oncologist yesterday and after a very thorough exam she said everything seems fine. I'm scheduled for a mammo next month. I've been putting it off because of lingering tenderness in the incision area, but I guess I'll just have to bear up and get it done.

My hair is coming back like crazy! It's very fine baby hair, mostly white, but some darker strands are coming in finally. I can't say I'm thrilled to have to shave my legs again but it's pretty sparse so I'm not complaining.

And of course, I've been knitting. I didn't get to go to MD Sheep and Wool this year because of a wedding in the family (honestly, what were they thinking?) but I made a list and my wonderful friends went on a treasure hunt and found almost all of it. They also bought a few wonderful things that weren't on the list that they knew I'd like. I've got great friends!


I've bought more yarn since. In fact, I've been on a little spree but it's over now. I've got one more order coming and I'm done for a while. The center photo on the top row of the mosaic below is the Midnight Rainbow/Harlot's Peacock from Perchance to Knit that I ordered from the Loopy Ewe to made a Girasole (Rav Link) shawl. I've wanted it for a long time and since Sheri was offering a 20% discount to those of us buying yarn to join the Girasole KAL, well I had to buy it.


We bought a Canon Rebel Xsi DSLR for our anniversay and I'm slowing learning how to use it. All of the photos about were taken with the new camera. I'll post a photo of my new hair later.

Just a "Smidge" of Silk, Wool & Pearl

I don't know how many of you are aware but there's a tempest in a teacup going on on Ravelry about something called a Pidge. If you click that link you'll see a completely redesigned website. The company changed everything after the tempest began in an effort to save face. Their original site made all sorts of ridiculous claims about their product and how it's produced in an attempt (in my opinion) to justify the outrageous price. The prices for this bit of cashmere and wood ranged from $275 to $425. Read Quenouille's blog post about the company's claims for more information.

A group was started on Ravelry and everyone was encouraged to come up with their own "smidge" designs. The photo above is my first attempt. It's just a simple seed stitch but the beautiful silk/wool yarn and the antique pearl buttons really make it special. It's light weigh so it can be worn indoors to protect from drafts or just as a fashion accessory. My friend Jennifer modeled it for me and I think it looks great on her.

Here's the stats:
Yarn: Glenfiddich Wool in silk/wool
Pattern: Row 1 - S1,*k1, p1, repeat from * for 21 stitches. Row 2 - S1,*p1, k1, repeat from * across. Repeat rows 1 and 2 to desired length minus 1.5". Make two button holes. Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 1.5 inches. Bind off. Sew on buttons. Different yarns will require different tactics as far as the number of stitches cast on, stitch pattern, etc.

This was a quick knit that required less than 110yds of yarn and I plan to make more for Christmas from a variety of yarns.

New arrival Spider Spud poses with Lacy Cabled Scoop sleeve

My, what a handsome devil! You can see on the box that he comes with all the necessary parts to transform back into Peter Parker Potato. Work continues on the Lacy Cabled Scoop. I have one sleeve almost done, just a couple more rows. Hopefully I can get a good start on the second sleeve this weekend especially since I'm off work tomorrow.

Saturday is our Spring Farm Toy Show and I'll be taking money at the door so I should be able to get a little knitting done after the initial rush. Happy knitting, Everyone!

Knitting and Ripping

I've knit a few rows and ripped a few rows but I think I'm making a little headway. I knit a while last night then found a mistake and had to rip out about 6 rows. I'm thinking about putting in a lifeline. Those of you familiar with lace knitting will know what I mean. For those who aren't, a lifeline is a thin thread put through all the stitches on a particular row when you're sure what you have knitted is correct. The purpose is to be able to rip back to the lifeline if necessary and not have to worry about dropping any stitches. I use crochet cotton and a darning needle and go through all the stitches on my needles and let the ends hang loose. I may do this if I keep making stupid mistakes.

KUI (Knitting Under the Influence)

Here's the first photo of my progress on the sweater. The color is actually a bit darker. As you can see, I'm not breaking any speed records but I am enjoying it very much. It's quite a change from all the socks I've been making lately. I'm doing the cables without a cable needle for the first time and it's going great (knock on wood).

Most of what you see was knitted in the car on Wednesday. We went to Annapolis to see the Smothers Brothers at the Rams Head Tavern and I knitted on the way down, for a little while in the car while we took a break from sight-seeing, and at the Tavern in the bar while we waited for our dinner reservation. I had 2 Copperhead lagers while I was working my way through the C&LR chart for the first time. I'm not sure whether that was the reason why I had to rip it out later or whether I just wasn't paying enough attention to what I was doing. Whatever, I was one stitch off and didn't notice it until I started the second repeat.

It's a long way around that XL sweater body (253 stitches) but I'm more of a process knitter than a results knitter, thank goodness. I hope to work on it a lot more tonight at our local community college basketball game and over the weekend.

I hope you are all able to get started real soon. I know you'll love it!

Cross-posted to the Lacy Cable Scoop Knit-Along.