Wednesday, January 31

I'm going to have to rip Dad's sweater back and add about 40 more stitches to compensate for the Fair Isle. (I'm hoping 40 is enough, hmm maybe 60.) That means more math. But hey, want it to turn out correctly.

I've finished the gusset on my Opal sock. Now it's the home stretch for the toe. I'll be able to wear new socks by the end of the week.

And now for something completely different:

I am Elrond

A stern yet benevolent organizer who often knows best, your wits are keenly fixed on aiding efforts you deem worthy.

Now at this last we must take a hard road, a road unforseen. There lies our hope, if hope it be. To walk into peril to Mordor.

Monday, January 29

Dad's sweater is quickly becoming the knit project from hell. DP's didn't work well for knitting the sleeve with the pattern in it. So I tried the ML method, it was okay, but the cabling is much too stiff. Go buy another set, not the set I wanted, but another set*. Still no luck, but keep struggling along. Notice a mistake in the knitting, set the sleeve aside. Play a game of Civ4, pick back up the knitting and rip it back. Cast on the correct number of stitches and start working on the body. Sometimes its just easier to know when to give up the fight. The body is coming along smashingly**.

While I was at the store, I picked up two skeins of Noro, wool/silk blend. (Shhh, don't tell Grilltech, he wasn't paying attention. Maybe he was and just chose to ignore the purchase.) I'm thinking of making a pair of fingerless mitts. I picked up two, because I don't know how much I'll need.

I did work on Icuras. I'm now up to row 32. No where near the end or even the middle at this point, but each row does help. I'm almost completed with the gusset on the Opal sock. I want to hurry up and finish them so I can get started on something else. Worked with the eldest on the baby sweater. She's started the increases for the sleeves. I was going along with the pattern, but with my difference in numbers, it wasn't working correctly. I'll need to get the correct numbers and do my math.

Quick breakdown: 123 is 100%

Front: 20 or 16%
Sleeve: 23 or 19%
Back: 37 or 30%

The database here at the datamine is dangerously slow. I'm thinking it's going to crash on me again***.

* The other set is on order. I'll be getting a phone call when they come in.
** Smashingly? Is that a legal word?
*** Notice the AGAIN part. It booted me out completely at one point.

Friday, January 26

Dinner was okay last night, it was just us and the parental units. The place was packed. We got there about 17:30, started eating about ten minutes later. I was ready to gnaw on the lead based paint at that point. We finished and chatted. Checked the time and it was close to 19:00. It was time for us to leave. They stayed because others were on their way in.

Cleared it with Dad, about the snow flakes going up the sleeves. (Are they going to be on the bottom or the top? Hmm top, but if you want them on the bottom.... Top is fine.) Now I'm seriously thinking about adding them on the bottom also just to be a brat. Course that means having to add them to the body of the sweater, so they are lined up... I'll need to think on that. Don't want to add too much work here. Now I've just need to figure out the body pattern. I'm thinking diamonds. I'm thinking squares. I'm thinking I'll just stop while I'm ahead.

Today Granny would have been 90. It has been a year since she's passed. I still miss going and knitting with her. We would talk and she would ohh and ahh the lastest project.

Thursday, January 25

I'm really starting to to feel human again. Might even get this posted out. Today is Dad's B-day. He's OLD. :) I've got the gauge for his sweater. I've got the pattern I'm going to put into his the sleeves. (Still trying to wrap my head around how I'm going to do it. Knit it flat, then join? Knit in the round, with white stitches every fourth stitch?) Anyway, tonight we're going out to dinner to celebrate.

It's almost the end of the month and I still haven't done the thank you notes. I refuse to talk about the Christmas cards (addressed, just waiting for stamps) still waiting on the mantle to be sent out. Maybe if I get the thank you notes completed, I can mail them both. I just hope next year is better.

Anyway, I'm 10 rows away from completing the heel flap on my Opal sock. Should have the heel turned and gusset completed today. Icuras is still sitting on my desk, every once in a while flashing it's pattern at me. It's vain efforts trying to draw me back into knitting it. I've completed a whole 20 rows, how can it be so hard to work on? Maybe it has something to do with I'm knitting with something smaller then dental floss. On the plus side, the needles are size three.

Monday, January 22

Saturday's sock knitting class was confusing. I have two students who have made socks in the past, but wanted to take the class to see if they could learn anything new. Okay. Third student has been knitting maybe a month. I would like to stress the maybe. She's going to struggle through out this three week class. I just hope she makes it.

The eldest did come over and work on her baby sweater. We're up to row 20 (or is that 21?) of the yoke. She said, I get the pattern. I can do this, but you have to stay with me. I think most people feel that way. She also borrowed my Knitting on the Edge book. I'd forgotten I had it.

Grilltech did some pork chops on Saturday night. They were awful. (The pork chops about was 2 inches thick, just didn't grill well at all.) Which is okay, because my roasted potatoes were way to hot. Only added about three passes, but they were WARM! Sunday's dinner more then made up for Saturday's. Grilltech made grilled chicken, slathered in BBQ sauce. I made a tomato, onion, cucumber salad with green olives and feta cheese. Even the picky one (the youngest) thought it was great and wanted to hog the whole bowl.

My February spinning class has been paid for. Looking forward to the class. I have some roving I need to spin. Don't have a clue as what I'll be making with it, but something will happen with it.


Dad is coming to town today. (The big city, Bois Angeles, as he calls it.) I need to get a cuff measurement so I can get the started on his birthday present. I'm thinking I want to do a fair isle snow flake type of thing. Not sure I want to do the collar or around the bottom. The bottom would be more unique; collars are all over the place. Not to mention, I'll be using acrylic, because wool is too hard to deal with, IE you mean special washing?! I think I'm going to need to pick up a set of size eight circulars. Ooh a reason to spend money.

I picked up the materials to start on N's gloves. I picked up two skeins, I'm sure she's going to freak out at the cost of materials. On the plus side, I don't have to make fingerless gloves for her, just mittens. I have a person who wants a pair of the fingerless gloves with the cap on them. I really should make his pair and be done with it. I think I will once I finish the Opal sock.

Friday, January 18

Yesterday the first Opal sock was finished. I was at work, so of course the second one was started. While I was knitting, three people come bother me. How do you keep track of all the color changes? It's the way the yarn is dyed. Last night, the eldest's husband asked the same thing. I told him, I have LOTS of ends to weave in. He got this incredulous look on his face. I had to laugh and tell him the truth.

The eldest has figured out she can knit. She's been working on a scarf, which looks pretty good. She was wearing a pink sweater that she wants another one just like it, only with a hood. I looked at her and said, we'll start you out with a baby sweater then move you up to the adult sizes. So I dug out a baby pattern and sat and knitted row for row with her. Hers is a white sweater, while mine is a variegated one that will deviate quite dramatically from hers when the yoke is completed.

She wants to hurry up and complete this project so she can start another, so she's coming over on Saturday to work on it. I have sock class that day, when I get done working with socks, I'm going to be working on a sweater. Good deal. I should write down my steps so when I do the sweater class, I'll have them written down. (Sounds like a very good plan, think I'll follow it?)

Data mine can be very frustrating at times. Bust my butt to complete a project, only to be told the next day. Remove 1/5th of what you've done. (ACKK!!) The only thing that makes me feel remotely better is the fact, I was warned something it might happen.

I think both girls would like one of these corsets. Since neither of the girls wear anything I knit for them, I don't won't bother making them one...

Thursday, January 18

Looked through the book for different kinds of toes, didn't have time to write down the pattern before we had to leave for Grilltech's appointment. Decided to go with a wedge toe instead, exciting I know. Grilltech feels slightly better today, a good thing. Anyway, I moved the Opal sock to DP's. They're going just fine.

I worked out last night. Even had enough energy to work on Icuras - one row - I'll get there, Rome wasn't built in a day. On the down side of working out, I want to eat more. Which defeats the purpose. (sigh)

I'm going to have a sock class this weekend. I'll get a pair of socks knitted up for Grilltech because he's wearing them out. I've got some blue wool/acrylic blend, which will be a bit longer lasting.

Lost power at the data mine today. The computer's still worked. So work continued.

Wednesday, January 17

Went home yesterday after a trip to Hyde Park. I had a Mexican Hot Chocolate and Grilltech had a Keith Richards at Java. (I would put a link to them, but no web site.) Then we wandered over to 10,000 Villages. Nice little shop. They have stuff from all over the country and they're all paid a working wage. could spend quite a few $$ there. While at the shop, I picked up a hat. Grilltech asked where it was from. I looked, Peru. He said, bet it's made from Alpaca, then wouldn't go near that side of the store.

No real knitting news. I did some weight lifting last night. I was so tired by the time I sat down to knit, I wanted to work on something I didn't have to think about knitting. Icuras sat and looked pathetic while the new sock grew by about half an inch.

My Opal sock is coming up to the toe. I still haven't researched a new toe to try. I'll need to get it done tonight; otherwise I'll be doing a wedge toe. I have come to the conclusion; I prefer double points to magic loop. I've done two pairs on ML and I started the sample sock on DP, I like the sample one better. Go figure.

Grilltech and the youngest took the car to the mechanic. Hopefully it won't cost a lot of $$ get the leaking radiator fixed. And have the fuel filter looked at as well. I think the next car we get will be new. What will the neighbors think?

Tuesday, January 16

It was a good weekend. On Monday I went down and spent a couple hours at Fuzz. Since I didn't bring my knitting, I just sat and chatted. After a while, I was going to leave and come back with knitting. They sat me down with some Tofutsies and had me get started knitting a display sock for the store. Love this yarn, will buy some for me. It's soft! I keep looking at the pattern trying to figure it out until I realized, I like it. (Of course I do, its in shades of purples.)

The day was interesting here at the data mine. I went forward in time to ensure vacations are lined up. Then I started attendance. Only to figure out I was in the wrong week. Thankfully I caught it, because it would have caused a problem if I hadn't. PK (Phonekiller) is trying to get her paycheck straightened out. We all know, don't mess with money.

Who says we don't have fun at the mines? I'm working away, and I hear a bee. Instinctively I flinch away, closing my eyes, I'm deathly afraid of bees. My mind going a mile a minute, kicks in and I thinking, it's winter and freaking cold, where did this bee come from? Why is closing my eyes going to help? Is it the youngling thought of "I can't see it, it's not there" thing? Turns out Griller was unzipping his bag and scared the hell out of me. I had to tell him and laugh at the whole thing.

Sunday, January 14

Finished Grilltech’s sweater, this morning. Yesterday while I was working my 29 inch Inox needle broke! WTF?! A bunch of the stitches went into the void. Luckily I was sitting at my desk with a bag of needles right next to me, so I could reach up and get another size six. I was able to get all the stitches onto the new needle and the sweater was finished. After I tacked the collar down, Grilltech took pictures of the blob. Figured the sweater would look good in the freshly fallen snow.



Overall view of the blob.



Close up of the cabling on the decreases. Not really impressed how they look laying flat, but when worn, it makes the sweater pop.

Friday, January 12

Had Grilltech try the green blob on last night. It fit pretty good although, he didn't care for all the cleavage showing. (I'm only 1/4th of the way through the decreases.) When I offered to try it on, he hugged the sweater tightly and said "MINE!" I tried to logically point out, the sweater wasn't done yet, and I would need to have it back to finish knitting it. He just glared at me and kept petting the blob. I had to distract him with a shiny thumb drive tossed into the corner in order to get him to drop the sweater. When I got it back, it was all slimily with "...is it done yets?" and "Hurry up, I wanna wear it!" Do you know how hard it is to get is-it-done-yet slime off? (It never really comes out.)

I have to put the sweater on the black hole of a desk, to keep him away from the blob. Thankfully, Grilltech doesn’t touch the desk for fear of having to deal with finances. (Sadly it doesn't work the same way with cats, they LOVE finances. I have to hide the credit card from Uggy, other wise the house would be full of Despair calendars and catnip.) Grilltech doesn't bother me, while I'm working on the blob, because I have sharp pointy needles.

My sock is coming along. The gusset is completed, now starting the trek to the toes. Guess that means I'd better research my different toe today or tomorrow. will get some knitting done tonight, we're going out to dinner. Went and talked to M - one of the co-owners of Fuzz - no sock class tomorrow. Bummer, no $$ coming in. Bonus, more time to work other projects.

Thursday, January 11

I think Ms. Knitingale's Evil-Minded Son of a Bitch storm hit us. There have been several reports of snow this morning. When we drove into work I could see the moon through the clouds and the roads were clear. Several people mentioned snow then they called in. When Grilltech came in from first break he said, there was half an inch. When Griller – not to be confused with GrillTECH - came into work, he said, two inches. I haven't seen this mythical "snow", so I deny all reports and think its darn cold out there.

I was outbid on the Sage Cashmere, which really doesn't break my heart. I have already purchased yarn I'm not sure what I'll be making with. I just wanted it. So once Grill's sweater is done, I'll start knitting for me. I must say, the cabling on his sweater isn't turning out as great as I pictured it in my head. I think I have the decreases too close to the cables. Live and learn.

I'm trying to decide if I want to work on the shawl or the top. I haven't knitted a swatch yet, so shawl it is, but I'll need to do the swatch as a fall back for when I get tired of lace knitting. Or I guess I could knit more socks.

The callous on my ring finger is getting smaller. I've started holding my yarn differently so it's impacting the way I'm holding my needles. On the down side, my left arm is a bit sore. I can't tell if it's sore because I'm leaning on my left elbow while at work or if it's from knitting.

Tuesday, January 9

I am dead tired today. Just could not get to sleep last night. It was well past 22:00 before I finally fell asleep. My second computer is acting up. Not letting me log on. Stupid machine. I would kick it, but it wouldn't do any good. Instead I had to reboot the thing. I guess I did kick it... HA

Did some research for the shawl I want to knit. Decided to go with Icarus from Interweave Summer 2006. I'll type up the pattern and get started on it once I finish with Grilltech's sweater. I showed him the decreases, he rolled his eyes and grunted in my direction. (I'm sure he'll deny the charge, but who's telling this story?)

I won the copper cashmere yarn from e-Bay. Then I went and bid on some sage. (The youngest likes green and so does the eldest.) Will I knit them a shawl or something? I'm still thinking on that.

I've also decided I should up date the list of blogs I read. I have quite a few. Funny thing, Grilltech has more knitting blogs then BBQing blogs. Isn't that a bit strange?

Monday, January 8

It was a good weekend. On Saturday night, I was thinking it was Sunday. Grilltech set me straight, no alarm setting. Sunday night sleep was heavy and not very refreshing. Strange Battle Star Galactica dreams, after spending the day watching season 2.5, is it any wonder?

Grilltech's sweater is coming right along. I'm now doing the Raglan decreases. Instead of having boring Stockinette, I've gone with cabling. (First cable to front, second cable to the back.) Only have two cables so far, but it seems pretty neat looking. It also helps with the counting decreases.

I didn't so any research on the different heel or toe for the current sock. Guess the heel is going to be a Dutch heel. (It's not quite the same as a Dutch Cowboy.) I still have time to do a different toe, so I'll need to drag out the books and research.

The Samurai Knitter wanted to see where I knit. I have three set places. I can only show pictures of two, because there is a "no camera" policy at work. I could take a picture of the building, but if you've seen one square brick building, you've seen them all.


First spot is my desk. I'll play turn based games and knit. Notice the green blob on the keyboard? That's Grilltech's sweater. It's getting close.


Notice the Granny Square blanket on my chair? That is the youngest's project. She's making us a throw to sit and be warm. See Uggy? She's my cat. She'll tolerate Grilltech and the kids, but I'm her favorite human.


Second spot is where I knit and watch TV. Mostly knit, I'd rather listen to music, then watch TV.


See these skeins of yarn? They belong to the youngest's project. And I keep picking up about one inch trimmings of yarn from around the house.

Friday, January 5

I've started the heel on my sock. Should be up to the gusset here soon. Then I'll have a sock done in no time. I'm thinking about trying a different type of toe. Wedge toes are easy, but they are a bit of a bore after a while.

While here at work, I've had a picture of me knocking over my cup of soda all morning. I haven't done it, but the thought just won't go away. So I've moved it to a place where it's a bit safer, just in case. Managed to make it through the day without spilling anything. Yah me!

Grilltech has a nasty cold he's thoughtfully trying to give to me. So far, I've just been a bit sneezy and eye watery. Today my chest feels as if someone has me in a bear hug. I'm not having a lot of fun. I think I'll make Grilltech work overtime on Saturday to get even with him.*

I've got a top pattern kicking around my head. I have some silk/linen yarn I purchased off e-Bay ages ago. I need to knit a swatch, so I can get my gauge. Then I'll be good to go. Just have to finish up Grilltech's sweater. The one problem with this yarn is, it's very slick. Can't really do YO's with it, but I wonder how cabling will look in it.

* He has to work overtime anyway, I just get to schedule it.

Thursday, January 4

The youngest and I went to the dentist yesterday. It was a quick visit for me. The youngest on the other hand... She gets to go back in two weeks because she's not taking care of her teeth. We had lunch then went to Linen and Things. She picked up a coca maker. A way better model then the one I have, because hers comes apart. SMART! From there we went to Michael's Bridal. The dress she wants is BEAUTI-ful, just a bit costly. We went to JoAnn's and had her look through the patterns. She found one she really likes (Scroll down to the vogue Designer 2810). I think we'll be back to make it for 1/3 the cost of the dress she wanted. Don't get me wrong, having what you like is AWESOME, but paying that much for a dress only to be worn once is just wrong.

Not much to take pictures of knitting wise. Still working on the leg on my sock. Grilltech's sweater is no where near long enough. I keep holding it up and saying, it's a sweater right? He's not going for it.

I'm having an urge to clean off the stuffed (dusty) animals from the shelf above my desk. I'm thinking my knitting stuff would fit up there, well just the books. I would need to get some holders for the magazines. I think it's a good project for the up coming three day holiday.

On the drive into work this morning I did see a meteor. It was a quick flash, but it was there. I'm amazed I could see anything with all the light pollution here in the thriving metropolis.

Tuesday, January 2

Happy day back to work for non-federal employees. It looks like a busy day here at the data mine. I would say salt, but that would imply physical labor. Those who know me, know I avoid physical labor like smart people avoid... Well I can't think of anything snappy to put here, so I'll just stop now.

Been working on Grilltech's sweater. I've completed one skein of yarn for the body. Only two more to go or 24 inches, which ever comes first.

New Eve Night was a lot of fun. We had the adult E's over for New Year's. We played Marriage Material. When you lost a "honey-do", it was required to take a drink. It was a lot of fun. After five games, we switched to House on Haunted Hill. (or is that Haunted House on the Hill or is that Betrayal at Haunted House...) The heroes won a game and the traitor won one. It was a lot of fun.

We played computer games yesterday. I think I was involved for an hour. Then I went to the store and lost my spot. The E's left about 15:30 and B left about 17:00. Grilltech made some hotdogs for dinner and we was in bed by 19:30. We are such party animals.