Knitting

The one where I break

October 12, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

down and pony up $64.00 for an extended support package for my iPod. This is after I totally spent nearly the whole weekend trying to reinstall my music and audiobook libraries to my iTunes. Long story short, we had computer issues several weeks ago which necessitated backing everything up onto an external drive and then wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling. My problem is that I can sync either my books or my music, but not both. This has nearly driven me stark. raving.mad. Someone from Apple is to call me tonight and hopefully, I’ll get it all resolved. Crossing my fingers.

24 hours later…..

The back up files are on the external drive but I can’t find them, that is, I can’t find the folder that contains them. So, I’ll keep looking and in the meantime download my music from my CDs. Luckily, all my audiobooks are in my Audible library and I can redownload them without too much fuss. Aggravating, yes, but totally survivable.

Saturday, I made a pilgrimage to my LYS here in Little Rock, Yarn Mart, and splurged on a beautiful skein of Madelinetosh Pashmina, in Cove. This is definitely a luxury yarn and feels like I’m knitting a cloud. As usual, I’ve become nervous about having enough yarn to finish my project (Candle Flame Shawl from Ravelry) and so will call today and secure another skein. I was in such a rush to start this newest project that I didn’t think to take a pic until I’d already wound it so the colors aren’t showing as well, but am posting one

anyway. I’ll try to remember to photograph the new skein before winding.

Here’s some stitch detail. I love the robin egg blue with the mossy green.

Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Susan Ertz

Knitting

The one where I’m trying really hard

August 23, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

to be patient, waiting for the yarn I ordered (the Manos del Uruguay) to finish the Drop Stitch Shawl to arrive. I’m trying to ‘will’ it onto on my front porch so it will be waiting for me after work. It just might work. I’ve also learned something about the mail, tracking your package a million times during the day does not make it arrive any faster. In my head, each time I check, it gets a little nudge closer. If I was in charge…….

OK, I’m home and it’s not. Tomorrow is another day.

Here’s Josie resting from her hard day of holding down the couch.

Tough life, huh?

Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrumentas one goes on. Samuel Butler (1612-1680)

Knitting

The one where I at last

August 22, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

sit down and do some donkey work, uploading the pics onto Flickr and then, in turn, deleting them from my camera. Since one good turn deserves another, I then can’t rest until I’ve gone though the uploads, now deleting duplicates on Flickr. Not a hard job, just time consuming, requiring a bit more patience than I usually have. I feel good anyway, this is something that has languished on my to do list for a couple of months (at least) and I’m glad to have even a little bit of the job done.

Mom has been at Presbyterian Villiage now for a full week and things are going well, I think. We had a few difficult days, but we expected to have at least a few of those and I think she’s settling into her new routine as well as she can.

My newest sock project is on the needles, Mirrorsocks, in Kollage Yarns Sock-A-Licious, color 7808, a lovely foggy gray, like what I imagine a London fog must be.

Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) American magazine publisher

Knitting

The one where I remember that

August 16, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

life is a series of adjustments. I got my mom moved up here to Little Rock from the wilds of southwest Arkansas yesterday. It went well, better, in fact, than I expected. It was hard last night leaving her, knowing that she literally had no clue about where she was and why. That’s the heartache of all caretakers of someone with dementia. My mom is a grown woman, but has the mental capacity of a small child, maybe 5-6 years old. There are still brief flashes of the person who is my mom, but most of the time, she’s a child in an adult body. It felt like the first day of first grade when my kids were little; having to entrust her care to someone besides me or Mr. Iknead. I cried then too. I cried for Mom, I cried for myself and I cried for my dad. He passed away a month ago yesterday and I keep running into the fact of his death like something I’d stumble against navigating a dark room. When does it get better?

Knitting. I’ve done a ton in the past couple of weeks, partly because of the car time I’ve had (Mr. Iknead prefers to drive, I prefer to ride. One more example of our fitting together, I suppose). Now I’m getting anxious about running out of Manos for the Drop Stitch Shawl. This happens every time I get close to the end of a project, you’d think I’d catch on that, but still I think I’ll give Yarnmart a call in the morning, just in case.

Here’s a picture I love – Mr. Iknead and the apple of his eye, the Papoose

He’s not crazy about her or anything!

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. Saint Augustine (354 A.D. to 430 A.D.) Early Christian theologian and bishop

Knitting

The one where I actually

August 10, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

have a WIP Wednesday ready before WIPW actually arrives. There’s something to be said for looking ahead and having just a hint of organization in life, I think.

Introducing the Drop Stitch Shawl Version 2, a Rav pattern. It’s little more than half done and is knitting up beautifully.

The yarn is Manos del Uruguay, kettle dyed 60% baby alpaca, 40% pima cotton. It drapes wonderfully. The color number is 2318.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Knitting

The one where once again

July 24, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

I comfort myself with a trip to Yarn Mart, which is having their once a year sale. Work has slowed on the Constanze cowl, but continues. I started a drop stitch shawl while in DeQueen last week and for right now, it’s getting the majority of my knitting attention. Here’s are a couple of my newest aquisitions.

First up is Trendsetter Yarns Flamenco, colorway 200. Here’s how the directions read: Spread open mesh. Turn mest sideways. Turn end back to hem. Knit through open woven box at edge one hole to one stitch. The sample in the shop was a really loopy and soft scarf. This has potential, I think.

Up close and personal

Next is Sock-a-Licious Kollage, color 7808. I love the soft grays in this

I have great plans for these babies; quite possibly Christmas stuff, but only if I don’t fall in love with the projects before then. Odds are about 50/50 right now. Mr. Iknead and I, along with the little Ikneads are headed for a week at the beach starting on Friday. This means I have to make some decisions on which yarns and projects will be vacationing with us. It’s so hard to choose!

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one. C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British writer

Knitting

The one where I treat myself

July 8, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

to a trip to my LYS, Yarn Mart, coming home with this

lovely Mini Mochi 80% merino and 20% nylon, color 113 and this

Manos del Uruguay, 60% baby alpaca and 40% pima cotton, color 2318, four skeins. I’ve got big plans for the Manos, a shop sample was a Rav pattern, I think called Drop Stitch Shawl #2.

I’ve had a unspeakably huge challenge with importing the last few pictures. I have to go through some Windows Viewer that I’ve never had to deal with before. I’m sure someone even a tiny bit more computer savvy would have figured it out in the first few minutes 0f trying, but I’m not that person. I am looking on the bright side though, it shouldn’t take more more than four hours next time, instead of today’s six. One thing I am going to do, as soon as I get this posted, I’m downloading these pics into Flickr. That I can do, I think.

On the dad front, I just got my fourth call in 24 hours from the nursing home, he keeps trying to get out of his bed and ends up falling. No injuries yet other than scrapes and and bruises, but his skin is so fragile now that it doesn’t take anything to tear it and since he’s on a bloodthinner, he bleeds and bleeds and bleeds.

I must go console myself with soft yarn and pointy sticks. Tomorrow will be better, I promise.

Never think that you’re not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. People will take you very much at your own reckoning. Anthony Trollope, English novelist (1815-1882)

Knitting

The one where her self control

May 18, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

was tested, but she was able to hang on until it was officially WIP Wednesday. Here’s my WIP Wednesday project, Knitty’s Slippery Socks. I’m seriously in love with this yarn, surprisingly. I lean toward blues and violets, so loving this particular orange/red/yellow colorway is a departure for me. Could the knitting fairies be trying to tell me something? Maybe something along the line of “Girl, everything you knit is the same (almost) color, you seriously need to branch out!”

I shall tell you a great secret my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day. Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Knitting

The one where we decide

May 16, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

what kind of treatment my father is going to undergo for his lung cancer. We met with a radiation oncologist this morning, she recommended a course of radiation, then reexamination and further treatment if needed. One thing at a time, one day at a time. It’s to be started May 23, a week from today. As someone who thrives on taking action, I think it will feel good just to start carrying out a treatment plan.

I’m definitely going to start the Slippery Socks from Knitty. It’s written for dpns but I think I’ll try it on magic loop. ML has really got me spoiled, it’s just easier for me to handle a long circ than to wrangle 5 dpns. Here’s the link:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTslippery.html

Here’s the intended yarn –

Jitterbug Ruby Saffron 100% superwash merino

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

Knitting

The one where she thinks she’s

May 8, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

wound about ten miles (at least) of yarn over the past two days. Actually, I had a couple of skeins that were missing in action and in searching for them I became reacquainted with a lot of my stash. So, I got out my handy dandy ball winder and swift and wound and wound and wound. You get the picture. I had several oh my goodness look at this moments, a lot of them really but on the other hand, I had more than a couple of oh my gosh, what was I thinking moments. Especially regarding about eight skeins of Cashmerino in about eight different shades of green. Who knew there were so many shades of avocado? Yuck.

The Brittany Jumper is blocking. YAY! I love the feel of the cotton yarn, which gets softer and softer the more it’s touched but, on the downside, it takes ages to dry, even after running it through the spin cycle a couple of times. I’ve got it under a fan and that speeds things up a bit, but it’s still slow. Take a look, please.

Besides being a yarn windfest, it was also a bakefest. I made a Cream Cheese Blueberry Coffee Cake, a tried and true favorite and also tried something new, a Whole Wheat Fresh Apple Ring. I learned something new with the apple cake. It’s nearly impossible for me to shred fresh apple. It has too much juice or something. I’m sure some baking whiz can do it with one hand tied behind them, but in my world, it ain’t happening. I finally just chopped the apple really fine and called it good, and it was.

A Daddy Update: I’m driving to DeQueen tomorrow after work, he has an appointment at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with a surgeon, I’m guessing to discuss whether or not surgery is an option. I’m anxious to hear what he has to say. I’ll be glad to get this trip and appointment behind us. This will be the third trip down there since last Sunday.

Still haven’t decided about a new blog, on one hand I enjoy putting my thoughts down on paper (yes, I’m aware that there isn’t paper involved in this blog, but old habits die hard). On the other hand, lately it’s been very difficult to make time just for this one. Do I really want to add another? Could the three kind people who actually read this blog please weigh in? What do you think?

We are shaped by our thoughts. We become what we think. Buddha (563 B.C.-483 B.C.)

Knitting

The one where the Coupling

April 29, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

socks are the FO Friday offering.

I think they turned out really well and so am again in search of the perfect yarn and perfect sock pattern.

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. Dutch proverb

Knitting

The one where she’s been

April 7, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

looking longingly at her newest sock project, but having to work instead. Why do I make myself miserable like this? Because hope springs enternal that I’ll get a few minutes free, even if just long enough for a few stitches. Knitting refreshes me like nothing else. There’s probably a scientific study about knitting and endorphins but all I know is that it’s a mini-vacation right here in my office.

Here’s a little eye candy –

This beauty is Arequipa, 65% superwash wool, 20% alpaca and 15% nylon. Strange, no color number or lot. Never noticed that before.

This picture really doesn’t do this justice, but you get the idea. It’s a Yarns on Stage Limited Edition Silk Sock, 70% merino superwash, 2o% silk and 10% nylon. Colorway is Parakeet.

Tomorrow, we wind.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)