I'm Back!

And as usual my vacation wasn't long enough! We had a great time, though. Younger Son was so happy to see me! (And me him!) My first photo is of me in the Airport. I sat down and proceeded to graft my Hot Shrug together while waiting for my flight to Florida. Everyone was commenting about how cold it was, so as soon as I finished I slipped it on!
It was the perfect weight, I felt great!


We spent the week relaxing, it was wonderful! I think YS was a bit bored, though. But he caught a couple of lizards. (And then released them.) We also spent some time at the beach, and he had lots of fun collecting shells. (Despite his expression -- that was because he didn't want his picture taken.) I enjoyed seeing my sisters. I was crying going through security because I didn't want to leave.

I started Physical Therapy today and it was torture! I have the same hottie my dad had. All I can say is -- good thing he has such amazing blue eyes, because I was tempted to punch him in one when he manipulated my shoulder. He says the process is going to be very painful. How painful, you ask? When I did my assigned home exercises, I was in so much pain I felt like I was going to throw up. Really. And I have several more months of this to look forward to. What joy.

So to make up for all of that -- I came home today to a package from my Other Secret Pal! Yippee!! There're socks for me!! And they fit perfectly! I love them! A big boo to Blogger for not letting me upload the picture. Tomorrow, I promise! I'll describe it now -- I got some great socks, and amazing sock yarn (in a navy colorway, my new color obsession), some "Happy Birthday" jellybeans, and some "L" post it notes. And here's what's amazing - someone at work had gotten me some that had a "G" on them because there were no "L" ones at the store, but I was generous and gave them to my friend who didn't have any (whose name started with "G"). Now I have some "L" ones! See, it pays to be generous!!

Still With the Not Packing

I leave tomorrow afternoon for Florida and I haven't packed yet. I'm not really sure what I'm waiting for here. It could be laundry, but I'm not doing that either. It's looking like I'm going to take laundry with me and wash it at my Sis'. But, I did pick up my new glasses and contacts. They're both bifocals, so I'm a bit out of focus while my eyes are "learning". Whatever.

I finished Grey Socks II and have cast-on and am past the ribbing on the first of Grey Socks 2.1. But I'm not going to even try with the picture.

Well, I'd better get to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow to fit in all my last minute packing.

Packing (Or Not)

Hmmm, Blogger is still experiencing some kind of technical difficulties with uploading pictures. How disappointing! ('Cause you're all here for the photos, right?) I've decided what I'm taking for my vacation knitting. Since it will be Florida, and the hottest days of the summer (how bright am I?) I'm opting for small projects. i.e. Socks. I'm at the toe decrease on Grey Socks II, so will finish them tomorrow during my commute. I will then cast on for Grey Socks Version 2.2, or the version with solid grey cuff, heel, and toe so as to differentiate them from Grey Socks I and II. (Those were for Older Son, these [and Grey Socks Version 2.1] are for Younger Son. Are we all straight?) So I have those for airport, etc. knitting.
And should I finish them during my vacation, I'm taking along yarn for some Summer Cotton Blend Socks. (The photo is recycled, which apparently Blogger will allow me to do.) Cotton Blend Socks seem appropriate to Florida.

And a note to my Other Secret Pal -- I'm leaving this Saturday, Aug. 5 and will return the following Saturday, Aug. 12. But, I'm the only one going. OS and Dave will be here, so if you send the package they'll just keep it for me and I'll get it when I get back Saturday night. Whatever works for you.

And as an aside here -- YS is in Florida and gets to have a vacation with me next week, and he also got to have a vacation with Dave earlier in the summer (Boy Scout camp). OS doesn't get to go anywhere with anyone for vacation. And he's happy with that! Teenagers, go figure.

Wired

I spent my entire evening creating my first wire jewelry project. The book says it's an ancient Egyptian design. I'd love to show a picture, but Blogger won't let me. Drat! Maybe I can update tomorrow. Flush with my success with the bracelet, I created a lovely necklace in navy and dark green beads for a friend who wears those colors alot. I think it will make a nice gift. (I hope!)

In knitting news, I have used up a skein of yarn! The totals to the left have been updated. I'm still a couple of inches away from finishing the second sock of this pair (Grey Socks II), though.

And my worrying has continued to keep the boys and Dave safe for another day, thank you very much. Really, I should say this is the power of prayer -- I can't take the credit for it! (But I still wish it burned up more calories!)

And since I'm leaving Saturday for my vacation in Florida, I'm beginning to think about vacation knitting projects. Socks, of course. But what else?? If anything? My sis keeps me hopping, and there's really not much time for knitting, so maybe socks will be it. And I don't think I'll get to any yarn shops on this trip (but there's always hope!).

Worry Works

Proof! I present the following testament to the power of worrying. Yesterday I got an e-mail from my sis telling me that Younger Son had lost his glasses. He said he had jumped into the water (the river) and that they were just gone. Of course he had not put on the floating glasses holder that I'd bought just for situations like this, and that his aunt had told him to put on his glasses when she dropped him off at camp that very morning. I thought that the insurance policy we paid for with the glasses would cover the loss. So I called. No such luck. So I was faced with putting out ~$150 that I didn't have to replace the glasses. Dave and I discussed it and decided that we would take him for an eye exam and order him new glasses when he got home, so he would have them for school. He would just have to muddle through (he still had his prescription sun glasses) until then. In the meantime, I was up worrying about him losing them, and the expense, and whether or not he could try to find them for a fair portion of the night last night. And guess what? I got an e-mail from my sis today telling me he had found them. It worked!! What a relief! Again, if I could only burn more calories this way.

I am past the gusset, and hoving in on the toe of the second sock of Grey Socks II. And I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use up another skein of yarn! Oh the excitement. I don't know how you can stand it.

I also ordered a catalog from Fire Mountain Gems. I'm bad.

Amazing

Friday was knitting night at B&N. As we were leaving, we noticed this. It was right next to The Idiot's Guide to Boating and Sailing. Hmmm, which one would you choose? There was a guide to Dating as well. We felt they should have been a matched set. (And note, it's not just plain regular, but Amazing.) It was the source of much hilarity.

I'm still knitting on Grey Socks II, I just turned the heel this morning and am on the gusset of sock #2 of the pair.

But I spent this evening making this:
Which will eventually become the bracelet on the right here. (I'll probably do the earrings, though too.) I caved, and bought a couple of books on jewelry making (both wire and wire and beads) this weekend with the gift certificate I got for my birthday. I'm enamored. (Look! It's shiny!) And I don't even wear jewelry. (Really, not at all.) I've been putting off the siren call of the beads for years, now; but it was finally just all too much for me. I'm weak.

The Power of Worrying

Well, as a testament to the power of obsessively worrying about things -- both of the Sons are OK. Older Son made it to his picture taking with all of his accoutrements and then back again (hmmm, I still have to check on the current state of the accoutrements) and Younger Son has [almost] survived his first week of boating camp, and successfully completed the kayaking portion of the camp. Just one day and one week left to go! Whew, this worrying is wearing me out. Wish it would burn more calories, though.

My shoulder is still painful. I realized today that what the doctor was pussyfooting around and not really saying was that the pain was going to get worse before it got better. (He did say improvement in two weeks, though.) I can't wait. I keep looking at my fiber and thinking of spinning, but I'm afraid that it's going to hurt so I'm not risking it yet.


This is two days' commutes. Speaking of commutes, and since we're kinda on an insect thing here....There was a woman on the bus today who had a spider crawling around on her head. Not a huge spider, but not teeny tiny, either. She was sitting directly across from me, but there was someone standing between us in the aisle, so there was no way for me to get her attention discreetly, or even reach over and flick it off her. All I could do was watch helplessly while it climbed through her hair. Once it climbed down her bangs and dropped almost to her lap (she was dosing, with her eyes closed) and I thought it would just drop down and scurry off, but no -- it climbed right back up into her hair. Finally the guy next to her noticed, and flicked it, but that didn't work. Eventually it disappeared, I think it climbed down the back of her seat. Ewwww, I'm still feeling kinda creepy just thinking about it.

Ant War!

There was an ant war in my yard today. We had to take Older Son out to pick up his suit so he was ready for his pictures tomorrow, and when we walked out to the yard we saw thousands of ants boiling out of the ground. It seemed (to us, at least) that they were fighting. The victors (presumably) trailed off in a column to the other side of the yard, carrying little ant larvae with them. They were still at it (but not as vigorously) when we got home three hours later. Dave took a picture, but didn't send it to me, so I can't show it. (I told you blogging required fast action, Dave! There goes your chance of a by-line.)

OS has his suit, and I'm laundering his other clothes, so he will be ready for his senior pictures tomorrow. Three outfits, one of which will include the Birthday Sweater. I went out today and got him the perfect shirt (IMHO) to wear underneath it. I'm hoping it will turn out ok! Keep your fingers crossed. He says he's not going to smile, but as far as I'm concerned, that's the photographer's problem.

After we picked up the suit, we went to Half Priced Books.
I got this book for $4. For that price, I figured I didn't have much to lose. It looks like it's fairly decent, and bobbin lace is something I've been interested in learning for awhile. Now I just have to gather up some bobbins, a pillow, and some pins....

And finally, this is how long my daily commute is:

The Diagnosis Is...

I saw the orthopedist today and he said I was "easy". (Dave says now I have a professional opinion on that.) And that was before I flashed him my belly while trying to lift my arm over my head! He says I have a "Frozen Shoulder". But here's the best part -- NO ONE KNOWS what causes it. It's one of those things that make orthopedists scratch their heads and wonder. I do have a risk factor in that I'm a woman (it's twice as likely to happen in women) and I'm over 40. But you know what I really mean - IT'S NOT CAUSED BY KNITTING! Woo HOO! I don't have to give up knitting! Happy, happy! The doctor said it would go away on its own in oh, about two years (yep, I said years). But we're going to do some things to hurry that along a bit. I got a magic shot (cortizone) in my shoulder today, and a stronger anti-inflammatory than the Alleve I've been taking, and I get to go to PT. Yeah, baby! I'm gonna pick me out a real hottie to work with me! And the doctor says we're talking about months here to rehabilitate me. Hmmm, a standing appointment to have a cute young thing give me some "hands on" therapy for the next couple of months? I think I can handle it.

What with the appointment and the longer commute (the doctor was right by my dad's so I just parked there and hopped on the trolley in to work) I finished up my first sock of this pair (Grey Socks II) and started the second. And yes, the doctor actually saw me knitting and he still didn't say that caused the Frozen Shoulder.

My Weekend

Whew! I had alot to get done this weekend, and managed to do it. We got Older Son a new suit, so he can look fabu for his senior picture this week. He gets three poses, one with the suit, one in his normal "dressy" black polo shirt, and one in his birthday sweater. I have to get him a shirt to go with the birthday sweater, I'll bring it along and we'll get one when we pick up the suit on Wed.

I got my new driver's license. And the picture looks just like my old one! I wasn't even thinking about it on Saturday, but I wore my hair the same way I did for my last picture, and it was the first time in years I'd worn it that way. Wierd.

Then I got my dad's prescriptions filled, and did his grocery shopping.

Next! Went to the Pittsburgh Blues festival with Dave. We got free tickets. Our favorite was The Jimmy Adler Blues Band. We know Jimmy -- he and Dave used to work together, and they've played together a couple of times. His daughter and Older Son were born within three weeks of each other; Dave and two of his co-workers all become fathers within a three week span. Anyways, he's a nice guy, and I like the band's sound. Get the cd -- support a local band! (You may have heard them on WYEP, they're getting some air time there.) We've got ours, and it's autographed!

Sunday I managed to pick up my x-rays to take to the orthopedist. (Tomorrow's the big day!) and then Dave, Older Son and I went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday at Outback. And you know I had the Chocolate Thunder. But they wouldn't sing "Happy Birthday" to me. They did to the girl at the next table, and made her cry. I guess they figured that was enough drama for one evening.

And did I get some knitting done? Well duh! I was sitting there at the Blues Festival for over seven hours. I started sleeve two of my Hot Shrug when we got there (I tried starting in the car, but the yarn was too slippery, and I had metal needles.) and got most of it done. I will hopefully finish this up this week. I can wear it to work next week, then. Yeah! (Well, that is, as long as I do some laundry.)

Margarita and Socks

Or how about a margarita that will knock your socks off? Here's the flower arrangement I got from my sister and Younger Son for my birthday. Isn't it gorgeous? Everyone at work was very admiring of it. Dave came and picked me up at work, so I was able to bring it home without making a mess of myself on the bus. Sis told me she sent Evil Twin a regular margarita (mine is the strawberry one).

Dave, Older Son and I all went shopping tonight and outfitted OS for his senior picture. We got him his first adult suit -- he'll be styling! We went for the whole enchilada, except for the socks.
When the salesman mentioned socks, I whipped my current sock in progress (which just happens to be for OS, and just happened to match the suit, which was grey) from my bag. "No socks," I said. I might have been a bit too emphatic, because there was a little of the "I'm going to back slowly away from the wild woman with the pointy sticks" look to him around the eyes.

Still celebrating. I ate ablsolutely nothing of nutritional value until dinner today, and that was mall food (Panda Palace, kung pao chicken with rice) so only nominally nutritive. But just to be sure, I followed up with a DQ Blizzard chaser. You know, the nutritional choices you would beat your kids for making. Meanwhile, I won't let the boys get white bread for sandwiches. And a tip here -- we justify these things to the boys with the "Over 30" rule. "Only people over 30 can eat ice cream before dinner." "Only people over 30 can eat in the living room/car/bed." "Only people over 30 can play with candles/knives/other implements of destruction." You can see the value here. A friend once asked if I would up the age after Dave and I both turned 40. No, I think 30 just about covers it. If they survive to 30, they're on their own from there.

You Say It's Your Birthday

It's my birthday too, yeah.... I had lots of doughnuts, and some bagels and muffins at work. Then my co-workers took me out for lunch, and then off for dinner at my Mother-in-Law's. I'm stuffed. And for birthday loot, I got some beautiful flowers from my sister delivered to work, and this:
From my Mother-in-Law a monogrammed knitting bag and some green(!) novelty yarns (They're in a kit to make a butt-ugly scarf, but I'll use them for something else.) and a very nice outfit. From my Sister-in-Law, some perfume, and from Dave, the chocolate pretzels. Yeah, my In-Laws are great. And my sister and Younger Son also sent me a birthday card and gift card. Dave's going to get me the Vacuum of My Dreams next weekend, too! And I got birthday greetings from family (My Evil Twin, Sister, and YS all called and sang "Happy Birthday" to me today!) and friends (I got a sheep e-card from my Other Secret Pal! And an e-mail from Heather who is currently homeless err, staying with her MiL while her floors are being finished). So a good day. And more to come, because chez moi we don't just have a birthday, we have a week long Birthday Extravaganza! Yeah, we love a good party. Or conversely, we haven't got alot going on.

I'm still knitting the grey socks. But moving right along. Lots of bus knitting. The other day it took me over an hour and a half to get home. I don't know what the hold up was (no, it wasn't the bus accident) but I was happy enough to just sit and knit. I'm approaching the toe on the first sock of the pair. And I've got the second skein of the rayon boucle balled up and ready to be knit. Dave and I are going to the Pittsburgh Blues Festival on Saturday, so that should afford lots of knitting time. I might get the shrug finished. Maybe even a pair of socks!

Danny's

This picture's for my sisters. It's my Danny's hoagie just before I ate it for dinner. Mmmmmm. BEST hoagies in the world. No Lemon Blennd, though.

So Dave and I are discussing my birthday gifts. I think I'm going to order some yarn for socks. So I had Dave pick out some colors for socks. He picked out black. Just black. He's a wild man, I tell you. I'm still knitting grey socks for the boys. But excitement is coming, because I have blue yarn coming up (both a blue equivalent to the grey I'm knitting now, and two different navy based colorways of Trekking XXL [#s 140 and 40, if you're keeping score] ready to become socks for the boys.) I also balled up the second skein for my Hot Shrug. Since I got pretty much exactly 1/2 the shrug done with the first skein I'm going to start at the cuff for the second and knit until I run out of yarn (so as to use it all up) and then graft the two together at the center back.


I leave you with a photo of me. I use this one for my Blogger profile. I just wanted to point out that I'm knitting socks here, out of size 10 crochet thread on size 000 needles (I didn't have any 0000 at the time, but I got some so if the mood strikes me to knit with the size 10 thread again, that's what I'd use.) Actually, I think some of the black yarn I'm ordering for Dave's socks may require the 0000s.

A Picture Is Worth

a thousand words, right? Blogger better get this right today. Just in case I'm pre-loading all the pictures. Here's my picture from inside the Love to Knit Yarn Shop. From left to right, there's the helpful sales woman, who really didn't have to put out much of an effort to get me to lay out the dough (err, I think Dave may read this so it really wasn't all that much) for a bunch of yarn. Then young and beautiful L (whose name isn't very different from mine) who is holding her knitting project. Isn't it beautiful? And it's just one piece of a three piece ensemble she completed for a 4H competition. I'll bet she wins. I'm truly amazed. I didn't knit anything half so nice until I was more than twice her age. And finally another knitter, a yarn shop "regular" I guess (the lucky thing) who was knitting a shrug, iirc. Everyone thought I was really wierd when I asked to take their picture. I have a teenager, I'm used to that.

And here's some of my purchases on the counter before I checked out. There's some merino lace weight, some Koigu, the book A Gathering of Lace and some Trekking XXL. Also some other assorted patterns I may have picked up.


And finally, here's what I got at the first yarn shop I went to. It was called Ewe Can Knit and was in Marblehead, Ohio. I forgot to take my camera, but this was a great little shop. It's set back from the road in a funky little building. There were chickens outside. Lots of interesting yarns, and a wonderful woman working there who talked to me about Pittsburgh (she used to live here) and knitting. More novelty yarns, and organized by color which although it certainly looks impressive is not my favorite Yarn shop layout.
But I was sucked in by the wall of blue yarns (I mentioned before I'm starting to be really into blues, especially dark blues). I got (ahem) several skeins of this dark indigo blue wool/cotton blend to make a sweater for me. I'm thinking all over cables with mid length sleeves. And then I got the multi sock yarn. Interestingly enough I saw the same yarn at the second yarn shop, but was able to restrain myself from purchasing another skein. I'm thinking a feather and fan sock.

Heatwave

It's hot! And I'm working on a hot new project, too. I'm done knitting the Secret Blue project, I just have to do the finishing. I'm waiting on finishing inspiration. I'm of two minds on finishing items on the bus. One is that I'm trapped, with nothing else to work on, so I have to get it done. The other is that this work is really too fiddley to do while jammed next to someone on a jerky bus ride. I'm going with number two right now, but if I don't get this finished by next Sunday afternoon (my preferred finishing time), it's going on the bus with me on Monday.

Here's my new project:

It's approximately half a shrug, knit with the Fiesta Rayon Boucle. After much consideration, I feel I've overlooked the wearability of the shrug. I was initially thinking of making a wrap/stole/shawl with this yarn. But then I got to thinking, I probably couldn't keep track of something like that. And when I thought about a shrug I realised it may be the perfect solution for me. Here's a garment that will hide my fat, flabby upper arms while not adding any width to my fat middle. AND it's pretty firmly attached to me so it would require some effort to walk away from. It's just about perfect, I tell you.

And what did I do while I was away last week? Well, I visted two yarn shops. I recommend both. I'm a bad blogger and forgot to take my camera to the first shop, but I will put up a picture of what I got tomorrow (blogger only allows four pictures now, apparently). The second shop was Love To Knit Yarn Shop in Vermilion, Ohio. A great shop, just the kind of yarn shop I love to visit. I wish it was my local shop. And notice the big honking sign out front. Older Son and I drove by three(!) times before we finally found it. DUH.

Grrr, apparently Blogger in its infinite wisdom has decided that two pictures are my limit for this post, so you will have to tune in tommorrow for more on my knitting adventures in Ohio.

I'm a Coward

Yes indeed. Here is a picture of my right shoulder. Which has been causing me considerable pain, and is one of the reasons for my multiple doctor visits. I could finally no longer ignore the excruciating pain and limited range of motion in my shoulder which had been steadily worsening for the past two months. I could no longer procrastinate about seeing the doctor. And why did I put it off? Afraid of the pain? No, if that were the case I'd have gone right away. Was it because I don't like doctors? Partly, I hate the way they talk down to me and don't listen to what I'm saying. But mainly, I was afraid I would have to stop knitting. So anyways, I have the x-rays and I'm off to the orthopedic specialist in two weeks. So keep good thoughts that it is not only not knitting related, but that knitting will be seen as good therapy. (And maybe that I get to go be manipulated by a real hottie of a physical therapist two or three times a week, too.)

In other news, Dave, Older Son and I are going on a three day trip starting tomorrow. Dave has to go to meetings for work, and they are footing the bill for all of us to stay at The Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, OH. (We'll get to go to Cedar Point too.) We're leaving tomorrow as soon as I'm done with work (they'll pick me up there) and we'll be gone until Saturday. So no knitting group this week for me. But the big question is...What knitting should I take?? I'm taking my secret project, obviously, but I think I'll finish that. What else? Some socks, natch. Not the scarf, though, there's too many balls of yarn to keep track of. Not a great travel project. Hmmm, how about this?
Fiesta Rayon Boucle in the Madrid colorway. I'm thinking a Clapotis with it. Apparently the big draw at this resort is an indoor waterpark. Waterparks not really being mine or OS's thing, I've already found two yarn shops within a half hour drive. Now I just have to find some book stores.

So Long Old Blue

Dave's car finally gave up the ghost on Friday. After 15 years and over 288,000 miles our 1992 Toyota Corolla wagon's heart (actually, I think it was an engine bearing) finally gave out. We bought it new (our first new car), and drove all those 288,000+ miles except for twelve. We were a bit disappointed (we were both hoping for 300,000) but it did have a good long life. Dave went out today and purchased a brand new Subaru Forester. We're hoping for another 288,000+ miles.

I'm still knitting my Secret Blue Project. I'm more than half way done with it. Tomorrow will bring several doctor's visits, with all the knitting opportunity that implies.

And Holly, I think I've gotten over the Sudoku thing. (I knew it would be just an impetuous fling. I'm fickle like that.)

Rip It, Rip It Good...

My Blue Secret Project? Not so good. I had to rip back today. Quite a bit. (About half of what I'd knitted so far.)
(Note: NOT my project, just an illustration. I can't show you the Secret Blue Project because it's, well Secret.)
Other knitting? Non-existant. I have to shamefully admit I have been seduced by the Evil Sudoku. Twice in the past week I have spent my commuting and lunch time Sudoku-ing instead of knitting. I know, I'm weak. BUT, I've worked my way up to the "Hardest" puzzles in the book. Which is, by the way, Older Son's "Loaner" book. He keeps his "real" book with all the truly diabolical puzzles to himself. This is the one he lends out to keep people out his book. Butter for the cat's paws, as it were. I don't think Dave has even solved a "Hardest" in this book, although I see one he was working on.

Also, I'm working on getting Younger Son packed and off to spend a month with his aunt in Florida. I'm nervous. I'm also doing laundry and packing. So pretty busy but not much knitting getting done.

A Pirate Tale

I have no knitting pictures to entertain you with today (still knitting my Secret Blue Project) so I will regale you with an amusing Pirate Tale. Heather made me think of it with her picture of Johnny Depp (the hottie). And since Pirates of the Carribean - Dead Man's Chest opens tomorrow, well, I thought it was timely. Now, hard as this may be to believe, I'm not really all that into alot of popular culture. I almost never go to the movies, and I only rarely watch TV. So, the only movie I had ever seen Orlando Bloom in was Lord of the Rings (because yeah, I'm a geek). So when the first Pirates movie came out on video, Celtic Queen was telling Dave and I about it. She mentioned something about Orlando Bloom and what a hottie he was with his dark curly hair. Now, I hadn't seen the movie (still haven't) but I looked at her blankly.
Me: Orlando Bloom is in the movie?
CQ: Yeah, didn't you see him in the preview? You know (goes on to describe scene).
Me: That was Orlando Bloom?? He has dark curly hair?
Not straight blond hair? Really? Are you sure?

At which point both CQ and Dave look at me like I'm a complete idiot, and CQ says: "Laurie, that was just for the movie." And Dave adds "Those weren't his real ears, either."

14 Days

I know this will come as a shock to some of you, but there are only 14 shopping days left until my birthday. So much for shopping early to avoid the crowds. But I'm sure there are still some great gifts out there for the resourceful shopper. :D
(If you're still doing the math, July 20 is the big day.)

It rained on our Fourth of July parade. And to add insult to injury, my umbrella leaked on me. So why did I sit in the rain?

Younger Son was marching. He was collecting money for the local food bank. Just after this picture was taken he asked me to donate. I told him I didn't have any money, he had to go ask his dad. Whereupon about six people standing around us felt so bad for him that they all started giving him money. (Note that we didn't identify each other as mother/son. In their view, I was just being mean to the kid.)

I got a bit of knitting on the scarf done Friday at knitting group. Not much over the weekend though. I finished the second pair of grey socks for YS. And now I'm working on a secret project. Here's a teaser.

It's blue. Plain Regular Blue.

Superman Etc.

Busy, busy and back to my "normal"* schedule. Forgive me my lack of post yesterday, I was not at my normal blogging spot and was having some connectivity issues. I have no knitting pictures to show today. I've just been doing bus knitting, I'm working on my second pair of grey socks, ho hum. These are for Younger Son.


Dave purchased the first season of "Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman" this weekend and he and the boys have been watching it with much enjoyment. I came upstairs to go to bed last night and they were all laying on the bed (only a full) watching it. So I squeezed in beside Younger Son and then constrictored my way in. By which I mean that every time YS shifted over at all I immediately moved into the space, so he was squeezed between his father and I. (The same method boa constrictors use to suffocate -- everytime you breath out they squeeze in more.) Fortunately the episode ended and they all trooped off downstairs and to the shower before we broke any ribs.

*My "normal" schedule is up at 6:00 AM, out of the house at 6:50 AM, work and then home and in the car at ~5:50 PM, then check on my dad and finally home for good at ~7:30 PM. Whew, I'm tired.

This Is Why You Swatch

Above is the state of my current Swatch Scarf. I have to say that I am disappointed in the lightest pink color. I tried it twice, and both times it failed. First in the brown/red section. Two problems there, too much contrast between my browns, but the light pink just disappears into the beige. So then I tried it again with the cream in the last section and it disappears again. It looked like enough contrast in the ball. Again, why you should swatch! I'll probably try it one more time with black. I am happy with the orange/yellow section. This sequence would look good flanked by a smaller blue band in a sweater, I think. I'm not 100% happy with the grey/blue section. I like the Greek key section at either end, but think the center part would look better if the background went from medium grey to light grey to white.

I like the Palette yarn, but I'm finding there's too much contrast between the mid and light tones in some of the colors. I could wish for four (or five!) steps instead of three. Also for some heathered color mixes. But it's nice you can get all the colors at once. I see the value especially when swatching like this. Wish I could do that for J&S and Jamieson's. I can see that amassing such a collection may be in my future.

I am feeling better, the antibiotic is working. I'm going to try sleeping in my bed tonight and see if I'm able to sleep laying down (I've been sleeping propped up on the couch because of the coughing.) Wish me luck.

I Don't Understand

I got this from Holly. Here are some things about this world I just don't understand:

*We can put men on the moon, but we still can't come up with diet food that has no calories, fat, or carbs but tastes just like chocolate cake.

*It costs more to make my own sweaters (or sew my own clothes) than to go and buy them at Wal-mart.

*People will believe whatever the spin-doctors tell them even in the face of evidence to the contrary and even though they know it's just political spin. Hello?

*Survivor.

*Celebs who whine and complain (and are down-right mean and nasty) about "the price of fame". This is a surprise to them? Puh-lease! It's part of the job, why you get paid the big bucks. You should have chosen a different career.

*I'm still doing laundry and vacuuming the same way my mother did 35 years ago. Scientific progress?

So what don't YOU understand?

I'm still sick. I called the doctor today. The conversation went like this:
Appt. Secretary: The next available appointment is July 11.
Me: Well, I would like to see the doctor about some non-pressing issues, but I have this really bad chest cold right now. Today I've been having a problem with some shortness of breath.
Appt.Secretary: You could call back and try to get an emergency appointment, but you have to call early in the day, there are only so many appointments reserved for emergencies. You can try calling in again and see if you can get one for today...
Me: ?? I'm at work right now, I couldn't possibly get there in less than an hour. What about tomorrow?
Appt. Secretary: Well, there are some appointments for tomorrow, but you'll have to call in really early because there are only a few because the doctor's only here until noon.
Me: ??? I can't get down for an emergency appointment right now??
Appt. Secretary: No, you have to call in tomorrow morning, early.

So I'll be Dialing for Doctors early tomorrow morning and if that fails, on Monday morning. If I'm still not successful I'm going to ask that the doctor just call me in a prescription for an antibiotic, and I can just follow up with him in July (which I don't think the woman on the phone set up anyways.)

So, I'm coughing too much to knit alot. Just a bit on the bus. Bleah.

Still Sick

Bleah. Thunderstorms woke me up at 3:00 AM and I couldn't get back to sleep. I went to work because I was so miserable here at home I just wanted to go somewhere else. Wonder how Dave and Younger Son are getting on camping (in a tent!) in all this wild weather.

So, not much knitting going on here, in the House of Sick. Here's the scarf:

The last motif looks ok, but I think I should have shaded some. So shading from here on in unless it's a peerie.

And here's the current sock. I'm at the toe shaping on this, the first of the pair. Should have the pair done by the end of next week. Then I think I'm going to take a break from socks and knit a baby sweater. I'm in the mood for a small sweater, I think.

And on the bright side, my prodigal size 1 dpn (the fifth of the set) has returned to me after an extended vacation lurking under the passenger seat in my car. Unfortunately, Celtic Queen's needle (which I was looking for when mine turned up) was nowhere to be found. Maybe it threw mine out of the really good hiding spot?

Summertime...

And the living is easy (not). But this: "Your daddy's rich, and your mama's good-looking." I told Older Son it was written about him. He says his daddy's not rich, though. Smart kid!

To quote Han Solo, "I feel terrible." I'm suffering with a nasty summer cold. My chest feels really tight and I'm all coughy and wheezy. But the poor Younger Celting is worse off than me. He's crying and complaining of an earache. I told his mom I can relate, I feel like crying too. I took some cough medicine (can't take any decongestants, I'm allergic to all the good ones, bummer) and had a hearty dinner (we're going on the feed a cold theory here), got into bed, and I do feel a little better. I'm hoping to be over the worst by the weekend.

And I did get a bit of knitting done last night, I worked on my scarf, finishing up a motif. Now I'm trying to decide on the next one. I think the colors are going to be chocolate brown and red. I saw a woman get on the bus last week wearing all dark brown and carrying a bright red purse. It's not a color combination I would have chosen, but I kinda liked it. So I want to explore some possibilities.

Happy Summer Solstice to all, and try to be safety conscious while frolicking about the bonfires.

Conversations

So I've been having these conversations with myself that go something like this:
Me: You should be cleaning.
Me: I know, I know. I'm just so tired.
Me: But Dave and Younger Son are gone for the week. Now's your chance to get rid of their stuff.
Me: Yeah, but Older Son will just narc on me when they get back.
Me: Get off your butt and start moving stuff upstairs.
Me: Well, but I'm knitting. You know, that's kind of like cleaning. If I knit up all this yarn, it won't be just laying around anymore.

You see where this is headed. So here's my current bus knitting.

If I knit up all this sock yarn I won't have to put it away ;)

And that's almost like cleaning, right?


And here's an extra bonus. When I was putting this sock up, one of my needles flew off and landed behind my nightstand. When I went in search of it I found this.


The pattern I borrowed from Celtic Queen to make my Olympic Bag. I'd had absolutely NO idea where it had gotten to. CQ asked me about it and I was kinda vague ("Oh yeah, I keep forgetting it. Heh, heh") and changed the subject quickly (So, how're those socks coming?"). Now I can return it and spare myself all the abasement and offers to buy a new pattern, etc.

Finally, another conversation I had with Older Son when we were at the movies as part of his month-long 17th birthday extravaganza.

Me:Sipping OS's gargantuan "won't' make it through a feature length film without having to go to the bathroom" Sprite.
OS:Ostentatiously wiping off the straw after I put the drink back.
Me:What? I'm your mother. You can't share with me? You came out of me!
OS: Yeah, well that was a long time ago. You've changed since then.

Other SP Package

I came home from work today to discover a package on the front porch. It was from my Other SP!

I got:
Some amazing sock yarn (hmmm, maybe Pomatomus?)
A Chibi (yeah!!!)
Some chocolate (mmmm, and tiramisu is my FAVORITE!)
And a totally cool sock bag. (The color is off in the picture, it's really violet.) But look at the applique -- it's a sock, but it also could be an "L" for Laurie! (Humor me here.) How cool is that?

For all you non-spinners out there, I'll pass this bit of info along. The current (Summer 2006) issue of Spin-Off magazine features an article on dyeing sock yarn to make self-striping patterned skeins. Combine that with the "blank" (i.e. dye-able) sock yarn you can get from Knit Picks and even a non-spinner's in business. Well worth the price of the magazine, and there are some cool knitting patterns and other articles in there as well.

Ok, that's about it for the knitting news here. I did a little bit on my Sampler Scarf at knitting night on Friday, but not really anything noteworthy. I'm on the heel of my second pair of grey socks (this pair is for Younger Son), knitting those on the bus. Ho hum.

And as to why there's been no knitting, I've been reading. I'm auditioning books for Younger Son to spend the summer reading. I read
Magyk by Angie Sage and recommend it for the middle school + crowd (a bit long maybe for YS, though). And right now I'm looking at the Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III books (How to Train Your Dragon, How To Be a Pirate, and How to Speak Dragonese)[Phooey. Blogger won't do the pictures.] GREAT books for boys ages 6+. Younger kids will enjoy having them read aloud to them, and a great introduction to chapter books for slightly older kids. These are going off with YS to Florida.

No Progress

Yep, nothing to report here. And I don't even feel like knitting tonight. I think I must be sick. Actually, I'm putzing (puttzing? putzzing?) around on-line looking for some inspiration and/or planning future projects. Hmmm, I have three cones of yarn in the garage that I'm thinking might maybe could be enough for a lace shawl. Hmmm. Convertible? Ella? Snowdrop? Something I come up with on my own? And I've been trying to write the pattern for The Celting and having difficulties getting started with that (read: procrastination). Also, I'm thinking I'd like to come up with a basic pattern for a shell to wear under my suits. I have four shells I wear all the time; two black, a white, and a cream. I'd kind of like to mix it up with some color, and it might be a good way to use up some stash. And I wish it were Friday already!!

Progress and a Rant

Progress first, then the rant. I finished my bus knitting socks for Older Son today on the way home. I gave them to him and he was as appreciative as ever (which is not much). I will start on some tomorrow for Younger Son from the same grey patterned yarn but with a solid grey for the cuff, heel, and toe (so as to differentiate the pairs).

Here's my progress on the Fairisle scarf. I'm working on what will end up being the largest motif. Turns out that most of the larger Fairisle designs really are 24 stitch repeats (John Allen's are all 24 sts, but I thought he tweaked them to match the 24 sts that fit on the old knitting machine punch cards -- his book is a bit biased to the knitting machine). Live and learn, I'll just use the peerie and border patterns from McGregor, which are all multiples of 6, 7, 8, or 12. So, if you want to knit the "Big" motifs, just cast on 96 sts. (Got that, Heather?) Of course, had I seriously looked at motifs before casting on and knitting I would have know this, but where's the fun in that??

Progress on a different front -- I went shopping for new clothes today, seeing as how I got dressed this morning and realized I was swimming in my clothes (always a good thing) and then my skirt started disintegrating (coming apart at the seam) right before my eyes at work (not so much a good thing). So I bought a new suit -- Get this -- TWO SIZES smaller. Woo Hoo!

RANT COMING.....LEAVE NOW! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.........

OK, the rant. I was forwarded an e-mail today that claimed to be a petition to be sent to Gov. Schwarzenegger and President Bush calling for a moratorium on "any social services" to "anyone not a citzen of the US". Jeez. Everytime I get one of these things I want to respond with "Gee, you seem like such a nice person, I never realized before what a bigot you were." ARRRGH, I just hate these knee-jerk "I'm an Ammurican" reactions to things. Can't anyone think these things through??? Do I think the immigration system/laws in the US need reformed? Absolutely. Do we have a problem with illegal aliens? You bet. But what is denying people social services going to do?

First off, social services usually means medicaid and welfare. Well, welfare is a drop in the US budget. Less than 1%, if I read the numbers right (I'm looking at the 2006 federal budget). Medicaid, now, is about 1/3 of the budget of the Health and Human Reasources Dept. which is about 1/3 of the Federal budget. So that's what? 1/3 of a 1/3 or 1/9? About 10%. And that's for EVERYBODY. Even if illegal aliens are half of that we're down in the single digits %-wise. (Perspective? We're spending more on the Medicare prescription drug program). Compare that with what we're spending on defense, which is about another 1/3 of the budget (slightly less). BUT, that doesn't include all those "extra" billions allocated to the war. OK now, imagine that we do deny these people health care....What does that do? Well it puts alot of people who are really sick and/or dying out in the public for you and I to deal with. Hello? Do YOU want to see people dropping over dead in the street? Do you want to deal with what they will infect you and yours with? There's a reason the gov't provides access to health care! Yes, it's humanitarian, but it's also for the public good!

Next, what about people who are not citizens but who are here legally? They should be denied social services? My family and I spent time living in a foreign country (legally) where we were not citizens. By this definition we wouldn't have had access to any social services. And what about those people working towards citizenship? It takes years, sometimes decades. So these people get no services for that time? While they're paying taxes?

Come on, people give it a rest! The system/process for becoming an US citizen has become so convoluted and prolonged it's a joke. Unless you are Native American your people were "illegal aliens" too (they certainly didn't have the permission of the current government to come here). Really, we should be grateful this group hasn't decided to act like the last group and decimate us then round the survivors up onto reservations.

Honestly, I don't know what the solution to the immigration problem is. I think illegal immigration, like any illegal activity is wrong. I think stiff fines to businesses who employ illegals should be part of the solution (they're the ones who reap the benefits, here.) As an aside, Dave thinks (half-seriously) we should just annex Mexico. (They all want to be in America? Let's just make where they are America.)

OK, I've said way more than I should about this. I guess in a nutshell what gets me is this response without knowing/caring about all sides of the issue. It's the whole mob mentality and people reacting to what they've been told, not what the facts really are. Gets me every time! Don't even get me started on the whole cup of coffee/frivolous lawsuit thing....

And the Winner Is...

Yes! The Fairisle Sampler Scarf. Details: 84 sts (a multiple of 7, 14, 6, & 12) on size US3 16" circular needle. Yarn is KnitPicks Palette. Patterns are being chosen at random from the book Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor (so far) and may include some from Fabulous Fairisle by John Allen. And maybe some from some other sources if I see any. My goal is to mix colors in both conventional and unconventional ways while knitting a great variety of Fairisle patterns. I have 5' to 6' of knitting to do it in, too! I also plan to make a "matching" (i.e. multi colored) tam and mittens.

In other news, I'm planning my summer vacation. I will be gone the week of August 5th through the 12th. I'm going to Florida to visit my sister. Younger Son will be going as well.

WWKIP Day

I went to WWKIP day and knitted away. Celtic Queen stood me up, but it was her loss. (She and the Celtings went to the zoo. It was the perfect day for it, so I can't fault her. I'm just glad she wasn't mad because I was teasing her.)

Keana did a great job organizing, I saw the red balloons and knew right where to go. There were lots of local knitters. Krista and Lea were there when I showed up, but left before I could get pics, and I met Anita and her mom and sister who got there just before I left so I didn't get pics of them either.
But, here's (l-r)Heather and Donna (who was my PGH Secret Pal. Great to finally meet you, Donna!), and Patty (along with Donna's son and daughter, who were pretty patient with the knitting stuff). Donna had some amazing socks -- her Pomatomus socks made me want to knit some myself!

Steven was there with his wife Carol who was crocheting and his black bag.

Also, (l-r) Stephie's mom (another crocheter), Stephie, our lovely, talented and very gracious hostess Keana and her daughter, another knitter.
And two other knitters, who I believe are blogless. I know the young lady on the left from the bus, I sit and knit with her and her mom every once in awhile. Her mom's the one who clued me in to the magazine with the article on knitting in Paris before I went there. (I had a picture, but apparently Blogger feels I've exceeded my picture limit for the day. Hmmph.)

So you would think from all the pictures that I fit right in and had a good time, right? Well I did have a good time, but I think I was kind of a...dork. Sorry! I'm kinda shy! "Slow to warm" is the PC way of saying it (I do really poorly at job interviews too). But anyways, if anyone's reading this, it was great meeting everyone, and I hope to meet you all again. Hopefully I'll "warm up" a bit! You're all welcome Knitting Nights at the Barnes & Noble at South Hills Village.

Friday!

It's Friday! Hooray! I got to leave work early, too. I was supposed to go to Physical Therapy with my Pap, but there was a scheduling snafu and they cancelled on me. So he's going to go on Tuesday with Celtic Queen (And is it a coincidence that I post about what a hottie the therapist is and now CQ is all, "I can take him, I'm working out at the gym anyways..."?? You decide.) Anyways, I got home earlier than expected, and so Dave and I ended up going for a walk (a FOUR MILE walk -- I know because I used to walk it EVERY morning). So now I'm all stiff and sore and my knee really hurts. I think I need some physical therapy....

I'm too tired to do anything, and I still haven't made a decision about my project. BUT, I'm going to WWKIP tomorrow (and CQ and the celtings too) then to wander the Arts Festival. So hopefully I'll see some of you there (I'll be limping and undecided.)

Quick!

What's up with Blogger? It's in and out -- can't connect (Our engineers are working on the problem") then you can...So I'm going to post in quick little installments while I can.

While the initial response seems to be for the Fair Isle sampler scarf, I thought of some other projects.

This:

All the yarn (you may recognize it, it's the same yarn I used for my Olympic Entrelac Bag) to make a Lopi-style yoke sweater.

And this:

Self-striping (at least it says so) sock yarn (but it's acrylic). I don't think anyone would wear socks from this (and the rose color? SO not the guys' thing). But I got it because it was drastically marked down at the yarn store going out of business (it was like $1.50 a skein!!) I thought I could use it for a baby sweater or something. Maybe some gloves.

This:

Enough ribbon tape yarn to make a little summery sweater for me. I knit most of it last summer, then got distracted...But it won't fit me this summer (because I'm SMALLER) so I'll have to rip and restart.

And (not pictured) enough of a beautiful dark red wool yarn I envision as a cabled/textured sweater for me.

You see? This is no easy decision. I'm still debating. (But yeah, the scarf is out there in front.)

Decisions, Decisions

I'm trying to decide on my next big "at home" project (it's usually socks for the commute). I'd put up a survey, but you know, I wouldn't listen to all of you anyways, and I'm kinda lazy to boot. But, I'll list out all the possible contenders (so far) and you can comment or send out mental vibes to try to influence my decision, if you're into that kind of thing.

1) Fair Isle scarf, made with the Palette sampler yarn pack I got from Knit Picks. I want to see how the colors will mix and match.


2) SideWays, the silk and ribbon tee I'm knitting with Tess' yarn. As I mentioned, I'm kind a scared of screwing this up, but I gotta do something with it, right?


3) Vest for Older Son from the kit I got featuring his doppleganger.


4) A big old poinsettia sweater kit I bought many years ago. It's acrylic. And intarsia. I don't know if I'll ever get it done. No picture because I can't find one online and I don't know where I stuffed the instructions for this one. But it's BIG and INTARSIA.