Disaster averted! Woman swoons and carpets are sent to the cleaners!

I don't have my camera handy which doesn't really matter because there isn't much to see right now. Big sigh of relief. My life must be really boring because this has been affecting my whole day.

This morning while I was "incommunicado" (as we say in my house) - otherwise known as "in the bathroom" - my three-year old son opened the gate to the front stairs, walked all the way upstairs, down the hall and down the back stairs into the kitchen. At this point, he opened the refrigerator, pulled out a full bottle of maple syrup, and reversing his steps, walked all the way back to the living room.

Now, the good stuff happens. He opens the bottle, sprinkles syrup on the furniture, the sofa and the rug. Lots on the rug. Lots and lots on the area rug - the most expensive thing/piece of furniture we've ever bought.

What really gave me a start (besides the fact that he opened and closed the supposedly-child proof gates) was that this all happened next to my knitting bag! With Oldest Daughter's almost finished blue sweater in it! I've been putting off finishing this sweater because it got a little boring but this would have been awful - what do you do to get maple syrup out of wool?!

After rushing the bag out of the room, settling Boy down for a time out on the bottom stair and getting out the bucket and cloths - I had plenty of time to think over the "ick" factor while cleaning up. Plenty of time because I get stepping in sticky patches and tracking the stuff around. Now, the rug guys came to pick up the area rug for cleaning (expensive cleaning) and I'm off to run at the gym. Working off the stress, I guess.

Another day, another week

Well, I still have poptarts on hand as well as my absolutely favorite candy - orange slices - but I think I am over my snacking obsession. It turns out that it was that time of the month. Yep. Time to rant and rage at my family and then stay up too late watching movies.

I did work out several times to try and work out the nagging pain I developed in my hip (Dare I call it "Driving Ass?") - so I don't feel too bad overall. Swimming, cross country skiing, indoor biking and weightlifting - all feel just fine. Running - kills me.

On the Yarn Front, I've left knitting and moved into frantic wool combing and spinning mode. I've been planning an afghan using different kinds of wool that I got at Shepherd's Harvest, a great wool and yarn festival in Minnesota every May. This would be brought back for a competition at this year's festival. Suddenly, I remembered - I had to spin all that wool. NOW! This is something that is usually quite soothing but having combed so much wool that I have fuzzy bits in my eyes and nose - I am not soothed. I am: itchy, tired, alone (DH is traveling) and sore. Hmm, where are those poptarts?

Just how I'm feeling today

I happen to have a knitting bag with a current project by the living room sofa, the sun room chair and my bed. But am I knitting? Naw! Maybe after I eat a pop tart. Us triathaletes get hungry! I had a really great swimming workout - good times - but it has removed all my interest in moving. Tomorrow is another day!

Perhaps a photo to convince you?

I've been working on unloading a photo of our beautiful Minnesota winter. Now, it was 50 degrees F. last week, but what the hey! Mother Nature strikes again!

Snow Day! Ban the Car!

I've been at a knitting and exercising impasse lately because of the HORRIBLE DRIVING that has taken over my life. Like many other parents, I drive in a car pool for my older children's school. Oldest Child is working on her driver's license but I just feel that safety is more important. So two mornings and three-four afternoons a week, I drive.

I have no problem with this schedule. Usually. However, one carpool driver had a baby and the other driver had a car accident (no one hurt) so her car is out of commission. Now, I really don't want to complain about this situation - life happens - but I feel like I'm spending hours (2-3 daily) in the car. I bring my knitting for odd waiting moments but I am really driving so that makes knitting a not so safe option.

I've always had a small problem with my hip flexor muscles and I always spend extra time stretching and working on flexibility. All the sitting, however, is killing my hips. Running has become very painful, cycling impossible and the only thing that feels good is swimming. I've just completed a triathalon training program and now I am blowing all my muscle gains because it is so painful.

Late last night, a winter storm blew into town and today, at 6:45 a.m. - the news said "Snow Day!" Everyone was up anyway but I made a vow, "No driving today!" I've knit, baked, made soup, and read and later on, will walk to my YWCA to swim and lift weights. Yeah - this is just what I needed. I may even break out my skis. On days like this, I can ski out my front door and down to the Cathedral of Saint Paul down Summit Avenue. A Minnesota Moment right up there with cross country skiing on a frozen lake.

The Bode Miller of knitting?

Actually, that would assume that I had high expectations of finishing early or even on time in the Knitting Olympics. Obviously, I didn't finish and I really didn't have that high of expectations. Perhaps I should have used the US Women's Curling Team as my post title. They were cute and at least on the Olympic level but not really expected to accomplish much.

The only thing getting on my nerves is that I was ahead of the program! I figured out how much I would need to knit and I was running ahead from the start of the Olympics until we got to London. All that sightseeing and walking was wonderful but I was exhausted. Knitting speed went from several inches per day to about four lines on the pattern. Add to this the fact that my husband asked at the check-in counter and was told I needed to check my knitting. About 500 yards away, on the other side of baggage security, while waiting for my flight - what did I see but four women knitting?

There is proof that I was working hard on the shawl, however. Not very attractive but I was concentrating!



I did had a fabulous time at the Victoria and Albert Museum - they have a great textile collection and I saw some inspiring fashions. The Rowan sale at Liberty of London was over but I bought a pattern book just to remember the lovely store.

So, after the trip was over, all we had were memories - and germs. For the past week and a half, we have all suffered some nasty hoopagoop that made jet lag seem preferable. So, no gold, only a cold. But I really think the Toronto Olympics will be my year, anyway.

A last minute change in the Olympic line up

Just like the U.S. figure skating team, Michelle out and Emily in, I've had a quick change in my Olympic plans. Last week, I was planning on using a scarlet mohair for my shawl. However, everyone I've read on the subject of mohair wrote that frogging it was a real pain.

So, I practiced my pattern with Rowen Felted Tweed (color "herb" - green flecked with blue) and I fell in love with it. I had purchased the yarn for a shawl class at Stitches Midwest and it worked well but I never progressed beyond the mini shawl we made in the class. I'm liking it so far. Luckily I have enough for a shawl but not a sweater.

So in with the green, out with the red. My only problem once the Olympics began is that my parents are visiting and the cleaning and cooking and entertaining is cutting into my knitting time. Hmm, say goodbye to sleep.

I got this today in an email - enjoy and may the best teams win!

All the world competes
to bring home Olympic gold.
Let the Games begin!

So, do the British really choose not to win gold medals?

According to Eddie Izzard, yes. I can only hope this applies to the Knitting Olympics as well. Tonight, I am not well. My husband and son have filled the house with germs and they found me. However, what's really making my head hurt is combining being ill, feverish and cold, with watching Eddie Izzard. I feel just bad enough to go to bed but he is so funny that I'm choosing to stay up. Now I'm not sure if I'm really dizzy or was it the excessive laughing until my throat hurts.

I just got around to watching "Dressed to Kill" and in searching for information, I ran across this bit of trivia. I didn't even realize I had a line to live up to.


"I'm covered in beeeeees!"


Which Eddie Izzard line are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Try it yourself! I'll be knitting more of My Blue Sweater and then off to bed.

Sign me up for Team Minnesota

It's 18 degrees F. right now and I think that confirms my choice of Team Minnesota. Now that I've officially joined, it's time to find a button. Minnesota Nice demands that I work this out on my own but I will probably ask my daughter to help me.

Since my household succumbed to some weird variation of the flu this weekend (but most recovered in time to watch the Super Bowl - Yea, Steelers! Go Black and Gold!), I had a little quiet time. Instead of picking up the Blue Sweater, I found up a great bag that I started knitting this fall - a beautiful beaded chunky bag from 25 Bags to Knit - and got about halfway when I realized I can't find all the yarn. I kept one ball out and put the other yarn away I know not where. Yikes. This must be where pride goeth.

Blue sweater blues

Here's the lovely photo of Oldest Daughter's blue sweater. Oh the excitement.

Just for fun, I branched out into baby sweaters again. Why do I always say, "never again" when they are so pleasant to make? I think it's because the little needles drive me crazy more thoroughly.
I am still pondering what to knit for Knitting Olympics - I am probably going to do a shawl but I haven't narrowed it down. Hmm - perhaps something from "Folk Shawls?"
I am pleased to report that I have worked my way through washing and carding four more varieties of wool for my Shepherd's Harvest project. So far, a grand total of seven varieties. Alas, I still have to spin, dye and knit something with it all.

Stinkin Lincoln

The last couple of days, I have been spending my evening hours heating water on the stove, filling my buckets in the kitchen sink and washing wool. I don't have a laundry sink any more and my washing machine is front loading. Although this is a labor intensive system, it generally gets the job done. Until I hit the stinking Lincoln.

One of the bags of wool from my Shepherd's Harvest Fiber Contest (Recap here: spinners purchase a trash bag full of 10 different kinds of fiber - wash, spin and create an item to bring the 2006 Harvest made out of at least 8 out of 10 kinds of fiber for a chance at a $100 prize) was Lincoln and it stinks. Vegetable matter in the fleece was really what comes after eating vegetables. My husband raised sheep as a teenager and he and his brother had the motto, "We like fleeces without feces."

Well, so do I.

I washed and washed and washed and finally just figured that carding or combing would have to get the rest out. I get the feeling that I'll be dyeing this yarn some dark color. I picked the fleece over before washing but it's just been a wreck.

This is my comeuppance for not washing it earlier. Mea Culpa.

In the backgound, knitting the blue sweater. More knitting the blue sweater. Outside of that project, I may be crazy but I am also contemplating joining the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics. I have some shawls that I have both the patterns and yarn for so my project will probably be something portable. I will be traveling to England during the Olympics so I have been wondering about what I can bring on the plane.

Oh, and the stinking Lincoln brings me back to my childhood. In the little town where I grew up, there were two elementary schools. One was Lincoln Elementary. So, those of us at the other school sang this oh-so-creative song about our competition - "Stinkin Lincoln, what are you drinkin'? Looks like water, tastes like wine - yuck, it's year old turpentine."

Like what 9-year-old knows what turpentine is, anyway?

What's a knitter to do - except wash wool and then spin

Although my recent venture into the insanity of triathelete training (It's all okay - but how do they find the time?), I have still been knitting . . . and knitting . . . and knitting on the blue sweater. I contemplated taking a picture of it but it really looks just the same as before. Only longer. I think the body from the underarm down is about eight inches right now but I'm working on 22 inches. Maybe when I get halfway, I'll show the sweater.

In the meantime, during a major housecleaning last Saturday (not because I wanted a cleaner house but because some furniture from my late mother-in-law's estate arrived), I ran across a challenge package of wool that I bought at last year's Shepherds' Harvest. It was composed of about 12 ziplock bags of wool from different breeds of wool. The challenge is to clean, spin and make something from 8 of the bags of wool. I wish I had washed sooner as some of the fleeces could really had used some cleaning! Since my kitchen is still under construction, I am washing wool in old spackling buckets in my kitchen sink. Production line it's not! Take a gander!

I'm thinking of making a patchwork quilt kind of afghan in honor of my late mother-in-law because she really loved quilting. I've never made an afghan before but I'm investigating patterns now. I'd appreciate suggestions but that would imply people are reading this!

Too cold to kint?

Earlier today, when attempting to write this blog, I realized that my household might have reached the tipping point on saving energy.

It was the middle of the day and I was just too cold to knit. I was fully dressed, wearing a turtleneck, jeans and a sweater so heavy I couldn't wear it under my winter coat. I was sitting on my bed, with a blanket trying to knit and it was still too cold!

Our worst heating bill was several years ago, in the pre-stormwindows and insulation phase of our old house, and last month was twice that bill.

When I am not too cold, I am still working on the blue sweater. I am almost to working on the sleeves. Something about this pattern is really clicking with me. Parts are boring but the yarn is pleasant to work with and that makes it better.

I have to say that Edward Gorey is one of my favorite authors and illustrators. When I saw this quiz I just had to check it out.


You will be smothered under a rug. You're a little
anti-social, and may want to start gaining new
social skills by making prank phone calls.


What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

Who knew?

Determined New Year's Resolutions

After a very relaxed Christmas (no knitting books but everything else was lovely, thanks for asking!) and a great New Year's visit to St. Louis to visit family, it's back to the grindstone. At last, the blue sweater is progressing wonderfully. What a difference a pattern makes, eh? I'll post a picture of the progress.

I got a great holiday surprise from Puggy at Puggyknits - the chance to test one of her patterns for a bulky shrug. I bought some lovely chunky Misty Alpaca for a steal at my local yarn store and look forward to working the Puggyshruggy pattern.

Also, after my Oldest Daughter spent most of our holidays spinning industriously on her new hand spindle, I brought out my Lendrum spinning wheel again. It is very soothing to work through a bag of fiber on a snowy afternoon. I've been going over my Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook for dye ideas. Unfortunately, more spinning, less knitting.

My New Year's resolutions? Finish knitting what I've started or purchased for. I think that's probably on every good knitter's list but this year, darn it, I mean it.

Happy New Year!

Out, out *&%^$# blue sweater!

Okay, I just give up. The past two weeks have been so wild that I've quit trying to save the blue sweater and I ripped out the whole sweater. Now, I am using the yarn to knit Knitting Pure & Simple's bulky v-neck pullover. So far, it's going fine.

I'm not sure why the simple knit-purl pattern stymied me. Maybe it's because I changed this pattern from flat to circular knitting. At this point, I don't care and I don't have the spare time to reflect on it.

First, there was the wedding and a desperate search for a dress. The Littlest Child would sit in his stroller and ask, "No Dwess, Mom?" as I rushed from store to store in the Giant Mall. I bought one at 4 p.m. for a 6:30 wedding. It was a lovely, snowy Christmas wedding. Congrats Stephanie and Darren!

From then on, I ran from school drives to tutoring to Christmas concerts and drives to outlet malls. I think I crammed a month of activities in one week.

This week the Monday Night Book Group met at my house (we read poetry) and I made my husband and children move all the household boxes from the living room to the kitchen. So, the kitchen is wretched (cupboard but no countertops or appliances or sink) but the living room is neat at least.

Now, after one last shopping trip to the Bull's Eye store and one more to the Apple store. I think it's time to pull out the knitting and just sit. Listen to Christmas carols. Put out the Christmas puzzle (we do at least one per season) and have a cup of tea.

Aah.

Running and knitting - complementary?

I have to apologize for the delay in posting but reality was intruding on my lazy knitting plans. Last Saturday, my Oldest Daughter and I ran with our running club in the Minneapolis Lifetime Fitness Reindeer Run. It was about 13 degrees F. and snowy. Because of a little stopwatch operator error (mine!) I don't have an personal time (the race was a "Fun Run" - no official times) but it felt really good. It was also a hoot to people watch! Holiday costumes were encouraged and we ran as penguins but the best ones were dressed as "Mary and Joseph" - complete with pregnant belly and cardboard donkey. If we can just keep on running until February - our next race is at Valentine's Day. Generally, I find running to be a nice complement to knitting. After all that work, it is a pleasure to just sit down, put my feet up and knit along.


I'm the attractive semi-penguin on the far right of the second row. Wowza! Go Team Salubrious!

As for my knitting - I'm falling behind. The blue sweater is already boring me - just circular double moss stitch. And if I don't watch it, the purling throws off my gauge. I did finish the cute little striped cap. I put an I-Cord tassel on it but I still need to weave in the ends.

I think I might take up Oldest Daughter's socks again. They are a cable patterned sock I found on the Internet. The official title is the "Knitlist Get-together Cable Sock Pattern" by Anita Sixta. I've been finding my inner Cabler lately - I just bought some cool wooden cable needles from The Woolery - and I think I need a challenge break.

Now if I could only find a dress for Saturday - my friend Stephanie is getting married and I need a dress. Generally, I am a turtleneck and jeans kind of girl but it is a special occasion!

Just a little reality break . . .

Well, since we last met, Dear Reader, I've been on a little reality break. That's when your kitchen floor is removed and replaced, your kitchen radiators are installed at last (we've been without for a year), and you've aged one whole year. Yep, Saturday was my birthday. I had a lovely takeout Chinese birthday feast as well as great presents. Unfortunately, the "Sudoku for Dummies" book is cutting into my knitting time!

Since then, I've been beating the gauge of my blue sweater into submission and have been knitting away. I went down a needle size, removed four stitches (they were seam stitches and I'm knitting in the round) and went up to a 32 inch length needle from a 24 inch length needle. Elizabeth Zimmerman said you only need a 24 and 16 inch length needle for any sweater but I was just too cramped.

I've also finally picked up a free ball of Baby Ull from Dale that I picked up this summer at the Otter Creek Store in Mercer, PA. It was their Grand Re-opening after moving across the square. I was supposed to have knit something with my free yarn and up to 50% of some other yarn for a contest. However, the deadline is tomorrow and I don't think I'll be finished by then. I simply turned to Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns for a rolled brim hat pattern and striped the green Baby Ull with a fun orange/green fuzzy yarn from Needlework Unlimited in Minneapolis, MN. Unfortunately I've lost the tag but this is a fabulously soft yarn(like cat fur - is that a gross analogy?) and I love the colors too. This picture is way too red but I think it gives a little of the effect with green. Electric!

Lazy and not-so-lazy Thanksgiving Day

So this morning the Oldest daughter and I ran in the Minnesota Boat Club's 5K Turkey Trot. I am happy to report that neither of us were last. I was pretty happy with that. I haven't run in a race since high school and OD, never, so we were happy to just finish. It was very cold this morning and that made it hard to breathe. Notice our high fashion Minnesota outfits!

Now for the sad side of Thanksgiving. I took the blue sweater off its needle and, Yes, it was Too Darn Big. Well, up a needle size again. I think I'm having this problem with gauge because I get tense and force myself to get the right number of stitches. Come One, come all! Take a look at the Giant Sweater!

(And, notice all my worldly kitchen goods in boxes!)

What a way to spend Thanksgiving . . . or I'm thankful for paper products and takeout

Well, now that my kitchen is a total rip out MESS and any Thanksgiving yummy snacks will be coming from Target - it's time to check out the blue sweater's gauge. Not really all that fun but necessary. I'll report back later.

It's an early bedtime for me tonight, however. Tomorrow is my first race since I've begun running again. It's only a 5K but I am looking forward to seeing what kind of time I get. The beginners' group part of the racing club I've been training with, Team Salubrious, trains using a 5 min run/1 min. walk format but I am not sure what I'll do tomorrow. Wish me luck! Oldest daughter is running too!

Gauge problems stink!

Okay, I might be lazy but I'm not stupid. I did a gauge swatch for my OD's denim blue sweater. I made the prescribed gauge of 4 1/4 stitches per inch with US size 6 needles. I am a loose knitter so this is roughly 3 sizes smaller than the pattern writer used. I should have known but my swatch was fine. While knitting the actual sweater, however, I've been getting the sick feeling that the sweater is Too Darn Big.

Yuck. Tomorrow, I'll take the needle out and measure the gauge again. Luckily, I only have about four inches of pattern completed. So, an afternoon of ripping out while watching TIVOed Craig Ferguson.

Not to really complain, but tonight we spent the evening boxing up the contents of my kitchen. Tomorrow, my husband rips out all the cabinets. Stove. Sink. The refrigerator is already in the dining room along with the coffee maker. Now, in case you didn't notice, Thursday is a major cooking/eating holiday here in the United States. I won't be able to make microwave popcorn, let alone a Thanksgiving turkey.

I am not sure how I am going to feed everyone, but I see it as a chance to loose weight. Raw fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereal and coffee. Yum.

Next week, however, the flooring guys come on Monday and Tuesday, the plumbers arrive on Wednesday to reinstall the radiators (heat, yea!) and finally, when the cabinets are installed, the counter guy comes to measure for the counter top. I can only hope to finish the sweater before the kitchen. Perhaps a challenge?