Finished!

Nope, not the socks or the Tied Up Tee, but my Clun Forest research for the Breedswap. It's not the best scholarly work I've done, but it covers the basics and should be enough to introduce folks to the breed and the fleece and what you can do with it. It really wasn't arduous I just couldn't quite work myself up to sit down and type it up. But I took advantage of an early afternoon escape to get started right after dinner and finished it up and sent it off. I'm not sure if we're allowed to share our research or not (I would hope we can, but I'm not sure of the expectations of the organizers), but if I can, I'll post it here for any who might be interested. Next up for this project: sort the washed bits to pull out 32 decent locks and follow up with Blackberry Ridge on where my roving is.

I also puttered a bit downstairs and moved a bookshelf into the living room by one of the chairs that tends to accumulate my fiber stuff so I'd have a surface on which to store things. It worked wonderfully and looks so much nicer now (but reminded me that I haven't done any spinning lately at all).

Now.. do I kick back and get some knitting done, or go run a bath (sadly without any Lush as I used the last of my stash last week) and luxuriate while I read (for pr'bly about twenty minutes before I start to fall asleep because I was, in a fit of paranoid worry, up almost two hours earlier than normal this morning and unable to fall back asleep)..?

Still on the fence.

I remeasured the front of the Tied Up Tee again yesterday and compared it to actual measurements of the intended recipient and I think it's close. Still trying to decide how close I want to cut things, especially since I'm not sure if the yarn will stretch or shrink with washing (yes, yes, I need to do swatches and wash them, but swatches are boring).

In the meantime I'm still working on socks. I finished the heel flap on the first Father sock this morning in the car and will likely turn the heel in the car on the way home (assuming it's not too dark .. I hate that I have to wonder about whether it will be too dark to knit in the car at 4:30 p.m.! Maybe that's when I should do swatches..), but as we have no new Netflix movies coming in today, I might not get much more done at home. I still need to get the Clun Forest research written up and sent in (and I also need to call Blackberry Ridge and find out if they got the fleeces.. it worries me that I've heard nothing from them at all; I expected they might not call just to tell me they got the package, but it's been long enough that I'd have hoped they'd have finished the processing and would be contacting me with a price..) and I might force myself to make a decision on the Tied Up Tee so I can get moving on it again.

I also blocked (for limited meanings of the term) the Panobo wrap yesterday. It's an odd piece to block, but it had the desired effect, so it will get packaged and wrapped sometime this week. Mom's coming for Thanksgiving, so I want to have it wrapped before then so she isn't tempted to peek. *smile*

I need to get buttons still for Breezy Cables, and then that one can get packaged and wrapped as well. Still on the fence about what kind of buttons to get, but I still have time to figure that out.

I'd write about other bits, but life is frustrating at the moment, both at work and in areas I volunteer. I keep believing that things will slow down and ease up some soon, but each month that goes by without that happening adds a little more tarnish to that idea. *And* I'm out of cream at work and forgot to get some on the way in this morning. *sigh*

Still alive..

.. at least for the moment.

I have to admit that my conference wasn't nearly as fun as Cate and Sara's. *pout*

But at least I'm making progress on socks (just not as much as they are.. and not with as good of company). The 2K pair is finished, the Father pair is started.. and after the 2K pair, they seem awfully big and seem to take a lot longer to make progress on. I'm still stuck on the Tied-Up Tee.. no progress, no decision about whether to start over. This is.. sort of okay. For now. I'm almost tempted to make two - I'm pretty sure I'll have enough of the yarn - just in case. But.. yeah.. we'll see.

Is it Sunday already?

I needed this weekend. I also, perhaps oddly, needed the conference I was at last week. While it was no where near as educational as my first AIR Forum, there were a couple of good sessions that helped me get over hurdles in my own projects. But that's not the reason it was needed. I needed to not be on our campus, to be around other people who knew the larger, broader context of our campus, but who weren't engrossed in it. I needed, in short, a Reality Check(tm). To have that followed immediately by a quiet weekend at home was absolutely ideal.

Yesterday I really couldn't tell you much of what I did other than that I made the Winter Warmer kit that I had. I also made half a spaghetti squash to go with some broiled steaks for dinner. And we watched Snow Falling on Cedars which, aside from some cinematic decisions (e.g., the overlapping voice thing), we well done and timely given recent political events.

Today, we made a sort of miniature Thanksgiving dinner. This isn't really a practice run, though we will be making a full Thanksgiving dinner for our families in a couple weeks. It's more that we had a smallish turkey in the freezer and Jack really, really loves turkey and we had the time to make a more or less real meal so we did. We roasted the turkey, made mashed potatoes, rolls, and gravy. No veggies - there's not really room. *smile* We have left-overs, as expected, and a carcass for stock to add to the small chicken carcass already in the freezer. We have 16 large frozen rolls left to make for Thanksgiving and half a bag of potatoes and a box of stuffing, so we'll just need to pick up the big turkey, some corn & buttercup squash, and the makings for cinnamon rolls (refrigerator biscuits dredged in butter & rolled in cinnamon-sugar and baked in a pie plate until done), and we'll have everything we need for dinner.

I am working away on holiday projects, but having two projects on needles, both with deadlines, is managing to mess me up. I'm a real, honest-to-goodness project knitter. I have a hard time leaving something unfinished if I'm not stuck on it. And while I need to have two projects on needles right now because the Rowan River Tape has *no* give and hurts my hands if I work with it too much, it still messes with me.

All the same, as previously mentioned, I finished the first of the Son Socks last week; I'm now almost to the heel flap on the second.



The ruler is for scale. I've never done little kid socks before, so these seem to be going extraordinarily fast, even on US 1 needles.

The Tied Up Tee is also coming along, but I'm a little concerned that even though I'm getting gauge spot on, it's too small. The first picture below is the front so far more or less "as is", without stretching it too much (it's also more color correct on my monitor). It's coming in at about 16 inches across the bottom, where it should be closer to 19. The second pictures is it stretched a bit, but even there it's only coming in around 17.5 inches. I could stretch it more, but I don't want it to have to be skin tight to fit the intended recipient.



So I'm trying to decide on whether to trust the pattern despite pretty solid reasons to believe it's going to be too small, or to rip out what I have and start over with either a looser gauge or the next larger size (or two). It's worse that I'm not making this for me, but for someone who is several sizes smaller than me - I'm knitting what is supposed to be the size 38, which is what I'm assuming would be roughly equivalent to a women's small/medium shirt, whereas I'd pr'bly make this for me as at least a 48 - so it looks too small to begin with.

I also did most of the research for the Breedswap this weekend. It was due last Monday, so I'm already late, but I think it's going to have to wait another day to get written up and finalized. I don't think it will hurt anything. At the moment, I'm more concerned about not having heard anything from the folks at Blackberry Ridge regarding the fleeces I sent them. I'll have to try to remember to call them tomorrow to follow up.

Q is for quaich

Here's a health to the company and one to my lass
Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass
Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain
For we may and might never all meet here again
- "Health to the Company", traditional

There is a Scottish tradition of greeting and parting wherein the assembled pass a small, lug-handled bowl traditionally filled with a dram of Scotch whisky and each take a sip. It's a tradition that resonated with us when we first learned it, and one we wanted, in some way, to incorporate into our wedding. We discovered that the small bowl was called a quaich, but never managed to find one that was quite right for what we envisioned.

The night before our rehearsal dinner, my personal attendant and close friend Tori arrived to help us pack up and prepare to leave the following day for Ripon. She brought with her two gifts that I treasure to this day. In addition to her likely more traditional tasks for the day, Tori had been charged to be my flask bearer. Her first gift, therefore was a small circular flask filled with 18 year old Glenfiddich. The flask is beautiful and just the right size for carrying with me at events.



Her second gift was for both of us. We opened the small box to discover that she had found and acquired for us a small silver quaich. The knotwork on the quaich is reminiscent of the knotwork on my flask and also of the knotwork on our wedding bands. It was probably one of the most meaningful gifts we received.

Our quaich was passed the evening of our wedding among our wedding party and close friends & family. It has appeared on other occassions in the last four years when our more far flung friends are reunited. It is a symbol not only of the love we bear each other but also of the love we are surrounded by from our friends and family.

S is for..

.. seaming..


.. lots and lots of seaming. And weaving in of ends. But I think it looks wonderful and if it stretches a bit in blocking/washing, that's just fine because it's just a smidge too small. Just a wee. little. smidge.

Still needs buttons, but I haven't decided what buttons to use. In all honesty.. I haven't even looked for buttons yet. Sort of forgot about that part. I'm thinking they need to be something.. not metal. I just don't think metal will go well with this style & color. Wooden toggles come to mind, but that seems.. cliche'. But there's a more or less decent selection of them at Patternworks, so maybe.

.. and for socks! (Yeah.. it's Socktoberfest.. but I wasn't playing that fun little game, so they don't have to be finished. Yet.)



The pictures's a bit out of date.. that one's finished now and the second is started. I also started the next holiday garment but it's not very exciting yet (well, that and I need to charge the batteries for my camera), so I'll wait to post pictures. I will say, though, that a skein of Rowan River Tape goes a long way! I'm about five inches into the front of a sweater and still on my first skein.

R is for ..

Repaired!

The Back Story:
Some time ago, I discovered a hole smack in the middle of my Birch. I examined it thoroughly and couldn't seem to find a broken thread, which leaves me to believe the fuzz on the Kid Silk Haze caught a stitch well enough to hold it through blocking and the first several times I wore it, but eventually unstuck. I dilemma'd about it for awhile, trying to figure out how to fix it without it being *really* noticeable.

This morning I wanted to wear my grey skirt and Brioche Bodice and none of my little sweaters that I wear over the top of such things in the winter were clean (actually, one was clean, but not dry). So I dug around in the Box of Leftover Bits(tm) and found the little stash of KSH I stuck in there and determined to fix my Birch in the car so I could wear it today.

And I did. And it worked. (I can still tell where the repair is because the patterns jogs just a little where I couldn't figure out which strand was the right one to weave up through, but I can admittedly only tell when I look for it.) *smile* And I've forgotten just how well something so gauzey and delicate can keep you snuggly warm (of course, it also helps that I have my elbow length arm warmers on, too).

Of course, until this morning, this post was almost R is for RIP, as in rip out your knitting, as in Rest In Peace little sock:



I made it this weekend and only when I finished the foot did I realize that it would be *way* to small for its intended recipient. It's be reborn (Aha! R is also for Rebirth!) as a larger sock now:



Hrm.. I dont' think there's a way I can work this next one into the R theme, but thought I'd post a progress pic of Breezy Cables. This is the first sleeve, finished, but unblocked:



The second sleeve is also just a little more than half finished, so I'm not *too* far behind schedule!

I'm shocked, shocked to find that knitting is going on in here!

Surprising, isn't it!

Nonetheless, I am still making steady progress on the Breezy Cables cardigan. I'm still worried it will stretch, but I think if I'm careful when blocking it (or maybe I should just wash & dry it? It's superwash wool.) it'll be okay.

Updated pictures:



The completed, unblocked back. The light in this one is funny; sorry about that! It doesn't really have any color shading issues, I promise!

I'm a little annoyed at the decreasing for the arms in the back and how they messed up the 9-stitch cable pattern on the sides, because I couldn't figure out a way maintain even a smaller cable up the side with the stitches that were left because of the ribbing in the cable. I doubt it'll be that noticeable in the finished sweater, but it annoyed me all the same.



These are the two front pieces. This sweater has a shawl collar that I think turned out kind of neat so far. The right side (as you're looking at it) has the collar bit folded back so you can see what it will look like when finished, and the left side has it open so you can see the actual dimension of the piece. When I attach the front to the back, I'll pick up the collar stitches and continue it around the back of the neck.



This pattern called for a new-to-me buttonhole technique *and* a new-to-me pocket technique. I liked them both, but will pr'bly use the buttonhole technique more often. It's the 3-stitch buttonhole that's in the back of the Spring 2006 Interweave Knits (it may be in all of them; I haven't checked) and I like it because the buttonhole is done all in one row - no binding off and casting on on the next row, which always looks a little sloppy to me. I still need to sew the pockets to the back and add the little bit of ribbing that will finish them on the front, but you get the general idea here.

Sara will also be happy to know that I've rectified the "no sock yarn" problem in my stash:



The Essentials Solids are all for gift socks. I'm trying to decide on a pattern for the pink pair and might try to do toe-up socks with it. The others are as yet unplanned; I really love pansies, and the Memories Redwood Forest colorway is one I really like, so they're likely to be for me. I'll be really odd to go back to smaller needles after working on Breezy Cables, though! I still have two other holiday projects that will be non-socks, though, so I'll pr'bly switch between those and the socks for awhile.

I'm also going to be participating in a sock knitting project for largesse in the SCA. Liz has organized a bunch of us to knit pairs of socks from Folk Socks (the ones with the clocks - I haven't seen the pattern yet, though) and I'm looking forward to working them. I've periodically contemplated working on one of the period stocking patterns with clocks in them, I've never quite actually made it that far. I'm hoping this project will nudge me enough to actually get them started.

I still need to start the research I need to do for the Breed Swap project, but I have to be on campus late every day next week, so I'll pr'bly be able to run out to the library during the day a couple days to get most of it taken care of. Although I think I have to track down a copy of In Sheep's Clothing through interlibrary loan or universal browsing since our library doesn't appear to have it.

And I have the first package ready to go for my Secret Pal, so I'm excited to get that out. I do hope she likes it!

Neuroses.

For a little dog, she has some bit neuroses.

She has abandonment issues. Which is understandable; she was abandoned, pregnant as far as we could tell, in the wilds of Mississippi when she was about 3. By the time she was caught, by the ranger at the summer camp I was working at, she'd whelped the litter and we can only assume none survived. She was malnourished (because scavenging garbage doesn't really make for nutritious eating) and rather pathetic, but still savvy enough to wag her little tail at the sucker who walked around the corner. *smile*

But yes, neurotic. At it's worst - when we move - it's quite obvious that she's panicked. But even when it's not so bad, it's .. bad. Like if either one of us starts to pack, for a day or a week. She *hates* when a bag or a suitcase comes out. She *knows* at least one of us is leaving. Leaving her. Alone.

There are times when it's unavoidable - I'll have to pack a suitcase for a week away. I'll put it off as long as possible so that she's not traumatized quite so long, but it's always miserable. She doesn't do anything bad. She just.. looks at you with those big brown eyes that look like she's going to cry at any minute (except that she's a dog and can't cry) and sits there. Miserable.

And it's no better when she gets to come with us because we can't explain to her that yes, we're packing, but it's okay, because we aren't going to leave without her. Until we start to pack *her* things, she doesn't understand. (And once we start to pack her things, she gets so terribly excited that we have to wait until just before we're leaving to do it or she'll drive us nuts or kill herself from anticipation.)

We've learned some tricks - like letting her out the back door and then hustling out the front door with bags that we've surreptitiously managed to get packed and loading them into the car. Or distracting her when it's just one of us leaving with a Kong full of peanut butter.

But sometimes, no distraction is readily available, so we.. wait. And wait. And wait some more. And finally the morning we're supposed to leave, we run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to pack at the last minute. And remember that we need socks and toothbrushes and shoes and where's my belt?

All because the little dog with the big neuroses has also claimed our hearts.

Tangents.

More on the Foley thing, specifically on what the deal really is (or maybe isn't) instead of what his political cronies are trying to make it.

1. It's not about pedophilia. Foley's alledged crime is a violation of the Adam Walsh Child Protection& Safety Act of 2006 - ironically, legislation he sponsored - specifically the increased protections against using the internet prey on children. Cut from The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (PDF):
   

   "(7) EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF ‘‘SPECIFIED OFFENSE AGAINST A MINOR’’ TO INCLUDE ALL OFFENSES BY CHILD PREDATORS.—The term ‘‘specified offense against a minor’’ means an offense against a minor that involves any of the following:
   {snip}
   (H) Criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, or the use of the Internet to facilitate or attempt such conduct."

   His alleged misconduct has nothing to do with pedophilia; it's because he used the Internet to attempt to facilitate potentially criminal sexual conduct with a minor. There's not been, to my knowledge, any accusation that he actually *succeeded* in facilitating such contact, just that he attempted to arrange it. A secual predator he may be; a confirmed pedophile.. at least not yet.
   
   
2. It has nothing to do with his homosexuality. You'll note that the text above does not mention anything about the gender of either predator or prey. And no, there's NO empirical research out there that "proves" homosexual or bisexual men are more likely to engage in child sexual molestation or abuse.
   
   
3. It's also got nothing to do with age of consent in DC - which is 16. The above-mentioned act also defines "minor" as follows:
   

   "(14) MINOR.—The term ‘‘minor’’ means an individual who has not attained the age of 18 years."

4. I don't think I can even come up with a suitably scathing comment related to the "gay cabal" theory.. McCarthyism, anyone? All I can say is that I can't wait for this one to back fire because .. well.. doesn't it seem odd that the party that's so opposed to homosexuals has so many of them in their employ? Do you think all those voters out there who stand tall in their superiority are going to think this is a good strategy to detract attention from the sexual predator part of this story..? Which do you think they think is worse..?
   

Cate is better at finding words to express her outrage on this one than I am. She's also more active in the fight to effect who our political leaders will be in the future, and she even gives you a link so you can be, too. (And there's a picture of cute kids, to boot!)

That all said, on a different tangent, it's reassuring to know that in the midst of all this, parents still love their children, even if they're bisexual. This was the story I needed this morning to reaffirm that this country isn't really full of bigots and hate-mongerers (if that's even a word..). A daddy's love is a strong thing, even if it's not your daddy.