No, Body in Retrograde

and having a tole on my knitting! That's a for sure! Going along fine on my Baby Surprise Jacket, mercury problems, then body went the same way...thanks for sharing Charlie! Now count on row is way off and I can't figure out why. The yarn is tearing up my hands but I am so close to the end. I want to finish....just to get through to the end...to see what it should look like...then do booties and hat...just to have a set to pass on to the new borns. Then I want to do another with some lovely yarn to prove to myself I can do it up right. Then on to something else.

As i am still not fully recovered yet, I'll stop now.

Is Mercury in Retrograde?

My chair carrying van is sick and has been since about the 6th of the month and Mr. Fixit has been working so hard to fix it...and the weather has not helped a bit! Raining, snowing! And then there was this nasty onry bolt that would not come loose! He wanted me to get him up early so he and his pal could work on it some more. Now, he is sick and he rarely gets sick! There is nothing I can do for him but offer comforting words and suggestions. There he lies with covers over his eyes and a big dog hat....well, sort of. See--- no no---I know you can't see---there lies His Nips, head on pillow, big black dog lying on pillow behind him...why never have camera ar right time---in the space between his head and the back board. Oscar got tired of the big dying fish impersonator who also keeps throwing covers around and jumping out of bed and then there's the noises he makes and the smells...what's a poor dog to do? This smart puppy came up on the other side of me, asked for a bit of attention, then went back to peaceful dreaming safe in the knowledge that I will be less intrusive.

I did manage to get a couple of row done while at the local Dems meeting. We met the congressional candidate who seems to have the right educational background and working experience. Seems very knowledge about the issues. He was not afraid of any of the questions asked without hesitation. I do feel sorry for him as his district covers all sorts of disconnected blocks. Thank you Tom Delay....now another state's problem. I wonder if the state's attorney general made a deal with him if he got out of Texas or he it was his idea to hightail it out of the state as it was getting too hot for him before spring arrived!

I'm in a tea karma swap group and I got my swapped box yesterday...no the day before...see how your brain works? No sleep equals no calendar change! Anyway, it was so grand! I've tried two of the teas and they were fabulos! Some of the tea came in the sweetest little tin box...great for loose tea when the bags are all used up or for more tea bags. I will deside on that another day. But I gotta tell about some yarn she sent...baby camel hair...oh, if you could only feel it...so soft! As was the green yarn...and those who know me know how much I love green! So soft, so green...ahhhh. Sigh...all i need now is a pattern...I have needles. Oh and there were cookies...they went down fast! Almonds!!! And a card to boot!

No, Sandy, stop thinking about those yarns! You have to finish that Baby Surprise Jacket before you think about or touch that yarn again! Control. Just a little bit of focus!!! And then He, El Sicko, wants a hat or socks...thick socks...she who cringes when people talk about them and double pointed needles! Shuddering at the mention! BUT, I checked with a friend (fiend) who also works with round looms who has done a grand pair of socks on the blue Knifty Knitter loom, She used chunky yarn on hers and they are absolutely beautiful. I want to make them out of bamboo as it has antibacterial properties so will be kind to his toes. He will pick out the color (good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise...and the van gets fixed)....

Light bulb....a V8 moment! I could make a hat with the baby camel yarn and we can share it or if I have enough yarn, I could make two and we wouldn't have to share!

Correction...BSJ... must be completed and a pair of booties to go with and wee hat...both latter projects to be completed with same yarn only on the looms! If none of the kids' kids can use them and no one is pregies, they will be gifted to a newborn baby at the hospital.

Please say prayers for both baby projects and The Van!!!


Happy Easter everyone!!!

PS Lesson: You cannot watch great skating and knit at the same time! Barely enough time to blink!

Where have I been??

No where! just messing around with Ravelry...it is soooo addictive! I keep finding groups I like and talking to people I like! and then what happens???? I end up spending all my free time reading and posting and reading ans posting and.... get the idea?

Oh, my hands? In the peeling stage...wish the finger tips would start! It's like you burned your finger tip, the blister has dried up but the peeling has not started or they suddenly are all callused...something like that only involving all tips!

Did you get to hear or read Mr. Obama's speech! If not, go here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23691239#23691239

I thought it was great! I listened to lots of the talking heads and I think they were not listening to the speech but looking for lines they could argue or endorse. Reading or listening to the to the speech as a whole gives one lots to think about, feel about, search inside yourself...so much more that the news snippits.


His Nibs is outside working again on the van...rain delay. Sure hope he has it up and running by Thursday...have missed way to many days due to van sickness! So why didn't we used the Saturn...you guessed it...broken!

I know another reason Elizabeth Zimmermann called the a Surprise Jacket...it's because she probably was surprised so many of us made it through knitting the whole thing and decided to make more! I finally got it going and then ... the pain... i can't rip it because I am not talented enough to get it back on the needles! That means I have to unknit it...so many rows! I have a good college education... why can't I read???? Good thing I made another copy before I started so I could make notes so as not to repeat the same mistakes. One good thing about continental style, I don't make any accidental yarn overs. Now if I could just get one way of holding the yarn I might finish the baby jacket before the end of the year.

Enough of this chatter...I have to eat my salad before it wilts!

What to do after 1 AM

Type...answer messages, make messages for others to read at a reasonable time of day, read others blogs...

And "Why", you might well ask, "aren't you knitting or at least crocheting or painting?"

Answer: my hands are not well. I discovered why my hands keep breaking out in tiny little blisters which cause much burning and itching! I am allergic to my pain med, which according to Dr. Jones, has put me beyond the pale. Anyway, I have been pretty quiet over the weekend and doing mostly just messing with the computer, The yarn moving over fingers gave me little else to do besides this and sleep.

DH just put on poker after dark so will have to stop...at least until it is over or I fall asleep!

A Meme...

Loom Knitting Meme!
Posted by Denise on Thursday, March 6th, 2008
Filed in Knitting Without Needles · 2 comments

Just for fun…a loom knitting meme.
What have you made with your loom? lots of booties, baby hats, slippers
What do you do knitting/fiber related? dabble with round looms, bond knitting frame, knitting needles, crochet hooks
What I’ve made on my knitting looms and what I have done knitting/fiber related:
Afghan - no
I-cord - no
Garter stitch - no
Knitting with metal wire - no
Shawl - no
Stockinette stitch - yes
Socks: top-down - no
Socks: toe-up - no
Knitting with camel yarn - No--Joann's doesn't carry it.
Mittens: Cuff-up - no
Mittens: Tip-down - no
Hat - lots
Knitting with silk a fine strand with wool for socks - no
Moebius band knitting - no
Participating in a LAL - no
Sweater -no
Drop stitch patterns - no
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - also called "free", my favorite yarn, followed closely by "sale"
Slip stitch patterns - yes
Knitting with banana fiber yarn - no
Twisted stitch patterns - no
Knitting with bamboo yarn - no
Charity knitting - yes
Knitting with soy yarn - no
Cardigan - no
Toy/doll clothing - no
Baby items - YES!
Knitting with your own handspun yarn - no
Slippers - yes
Designing knitted garments - no!
Cable stitch patterns - no
Lace patterns - no
Publishing a knitting book - no
Scarf - no
Teaching a child to knit - no
Knitting to make money - no
Buttonholes - no
Knitting with alpaca - no
Fair Isle knitting - no
Dying with plant colors - no
Knitting items for a wedding - no
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…) - no
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) - no
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn - no
Holiday related knitting - yes
Teaching a male how to loom knit - no
Bobbles - no and I don't intend to as I don't like them
Knitting for a living - no
Knitting with cotton - no
Knitting smocking - no
Dying yarn - no
Knitting art - no
Fulling/felting - no
Knitting with wool - yes
Textured knitting - yes
Kitchener stitch - no
Purses/bags - no
Knitting with beads - no,
Swatching - yes
Long Tail CO - no on a loom but yes on knitting needles
Knitting and purling backwards -uh, no
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn - yes
Stuffed toys - no
Knitting with cashmere - I wish
Darning - no
Jewelry - no
Knitting with synthetic yarn - of course
Writing a pattern - yes
Gloves mittens are warmer! - no
Intarsia - no
Knitting with linen - no
Knitting for preemies - yes
Short rows - no
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers - no
Pillows - no
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine - no
Rug - no
Knitting on a loom - duh, yes
Knitting a gift - yes
Knitting for a pet? - no
Shrug/bolero/poncho - no
Knitting with dog/cat hair accidentally or on purpose? - with 2 dogs, what do you think
Hair accessories - no
Knitting in public - yes
!Knitting with buffalo yarn - no
Knitting with pygora - no
Dyeing with food dye/drink mixes - no
Dyeing with chemical dyes (acid, etc) - no

With my answers, your assumptions are correct, I really have just dabbled!
Play along if you like.

Wheelchair knitting...

Ok, you have a knitting bag but it's on its own wheels. You have your MIL's but it has a wooden handle which won't fit. Ahhhh. Recycle. Take one of those plastic bags your DH brought home and use it....lovely idea, it's waterproof, not quite long enough to drag on the wheel. Has it's own nicely enlarged handles. Ok, so you don't transfer to the comfy chair....you seat is comfy enough and the arms are really set better for knitting and you don't have to put it on the seat beside you where the dogs want to lie or on the floor where you have to almost fall out of the chair to reach. Yes, and it's good for on the go as you can knit in all those long lines or long speeches. What a deal! And "they" feel sorry for me? Ha. They have to stand around sifting from leg to leg, holding coats (mine go over the back of the chair...and twittle their thumbs while I am constructive and happy....oh, works well at doc's office or any other place where "hurry up and wait" is the order of the day!

I used to knit in the car until Oscar decide he had to see and either sit on my shoulder (dog who thinks he is a parrot?) or under my right arm on the arm rest. Either way, knitting is OUT if he is in the car.

May you have a better, better day!!!

Who was that person...

I think I was blogging in my sleep! Then I feel asleep. Woke up a couple of hours later, thought it was afternoon. Computed away before starting to count my stitches. Count did not come out right so started again....next thing I knew, it as 3 p.m.! So maybe when we really need sleep we should count lots of stitches (don't try to knit, or you could end up on mid row) instead of sheep!

Let's see. Ate, drank, sorted laundry, called Dr., can I knit now? No, one more business call, then you can knit the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is PT and then if I have been a really good girl and we don't get lost, Shabby Sheep time. It is just a weee bit of our beaten path to home but.... Well, if there is a yarn shop close to you or you routine, don't you just have to go visit???? I mean a real knitting shop, not just a craft store???!!! I mean all the others I have to go out of my way, but this???? And the reports of the store and people are great.

Him, the Chauffer has said he will be Keeper of the wallet (credit cards and money) before we enter! Says visiting is ok but yarn level must go down and there are enough patters and needles for god knows how many people to work! It's hard to be good but I will try and let you know how I did tomorrow!

I survived yesterday..

or is it really yesterday if you have not gone to sleep...phones too busy, finally ripped out completely (knitting, not phone), recast on before going to caucus...what a zoo...the turn out waayyy underestimated! Got back home about 10:30 and watched returns with hubby and ate dinner. He 's gone to sleep now....I've not, pain. But while at the site of the caucus and waiting for people to move us around and waiting to sign in and waiting....anyway I did get 4 rows done and if my eyes can unblur enough, I will stop updating all my computer stuff and get back to knitting...well, counting to make sure I am still spot on and then knitting again.

How do you know if it is Election day in Texas?

Easy! Every two minutes you have people calling from the candidates or their supporters requesting your vote! And making sure you will caucus. Texas has both primary and caucus voting...so I get to vote twice. Now the other candidates for other offices are calling!!! Don't they know I have stuff to do?

Subject change: Don't try doing more than two things at a time with a huge cup of fresh hot coco! The resulting scream hurts DH's ears, the dog steals your scone, and the resulting red burn marks on you thumb, belly and thighs from the spill makes one very unhappy (dog not fazed as he liked my scone)! Nooooo, I was not trying to knit at the same time...yarn was safe.

I think I might be better served by giving up the knitting for the day and watch my EZ Glossary until it runs out or it is time to go caucus, come home and watch the results.

'Nah...so I keep goofing up...one learns from mistakes and mishaps. Right?

Learning curve?

OOOOOOKKKKK, no one has answered me...probably knitting fast...I went searching other places and people...EZ says the pass 2 over is fine...or you can slip one, k 2 tog, pass s1 over resulting stitch..

And then I lost my stitch...used marker on line and not pin on stitch.

Yack, ripit, ripit, ripit...will I ever get this right...will I ever get this right??? EZ said to do the baby sweater first and think of it like a swatch. This has got to be the biggest swatch I've ever made!

BTW, is there any reason why you can't or shouldn't do the way I questioned?

Probably not. But you are doing EZ's pattern. Try both of her ways (that will make you crazy enough) before branching out on your own or this sweater could take you longer than it has taken me so far! (And the men in white coats are close to me now!)

Think: trying both, you have to knit and frog it at least once or twice to figure out which way you like best.

I am so tired of froggiing! I will leave it more experienced/faster knitters to try my questioned way and let me know the answer!

A fellow knitter said I might be a bit anal (shut up DH).

I picked one. Now have to decide to go back to the cast on or knit it off back to my last mistake.

UUUUUUUUUURRRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!

Did you say you can hear me from there? sorry.

Frogged...

I am about frogged out...NO, NO, that can't happen!!! What about perserverence? What about tenacity???? What about.... Ok, I give in....I'll take a break, play with the dogs, comfort His Nibs. Then I will get stuck in it again! I promise.

Yuck!

Never, I mean never watch EZ & Meg's dvd "Glossary" while casting on. 1st your count will be off (frog it). 2nd, you'll realize you are making 10 the hard way (ribit x 3), Ok, you've got it going again...until you realize you can't count, So after 4 rows, you try to fix it...EZ&Meg did it so easily....you are not them! Frog #4. By now your sick husband's stomach is void of every thing, his temperature makes him want to keep his eyes closed and his mind is telling him that sleep will save him...he finally goes to sleep and stops flopping like a fish out of water. It's 5 something a.m. You have frogged this thing enough times that your mind says: "Sleep, go to sleep you fool! It will still be there in the morning. Hopefully then you will be able to count and get past 5 rows and will be skipping along like everyone else. Besides, you're only following your MO, frog 3 or 4 times before you ever get it going right!"

So here I am after about 4 hrs sleep. Called the dentist to say DH/driver sick, see you when he is well. And I am back to casting on.

I have done my finger warm ups; ready to start again! Yeah!?

Oh,I figured out something....if your arthritis start bugging your fingers while knitting, stop at the end of a row. Get on line and type a while by answering mail. Your fingers have stopped the repeatative (sp) motion and gotten all fingers exercised so should feel better as you return to knitting!

joseph's coat of many colors

'have had to do some work other places (you can't knit all the time...well, you can but DH/puppies and the bill collectors start  hammering on your door and you have to eat in order to lose weight) but have been gently persuaded to knit the Surprise Jacket...the question is which surprise jacket, the adult or baby.  Well, Elizabeth Zimmerman (and it is her pattern) suggested the baby first, so will do, probably.  The yarn is a free (as in no $) acrylic of many colors...like a color wheel on a string...sort of my crayon colored rainbow.  Well, kids, I've got to pay bills so I can get started, again.  I am going to test myself by doing it using the Continental/German style of knitting as it is all knit and no purl...by the end of this sweater and the next (I think I will have enough practic from both)  'might even have enough yarn to do both baby and adult sizes...maybe even do hats to match sweaters!  'have to do more other stuff so I can get back to my challenging project as I want to be able to keep up with the Knitty Gritty group KAL (knitting all along) project!  Pant, pant, pant!!!  Say prayers!  Have you ever tried to knit and type at the same time???  I will back to you all later.