Suds, Sticks and Some String

Happy Spring

2008-03-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Another day in the yard. I'm moving rocks to cover a weedy area. A sweet little pond went in last week. I know, I know it's rough but I'm gettign there. There will loads of pretties around it and you won't even notice how rudimetary it is.

Today I must put in radishes, beets, turnips and bright lights chard. And, MY LETTUCES ARE UP ALREADY!!

My only problem is that all the gardening makes my hands too too gnarly for any knitting. I'm working on the Lizard Ridge aghan from knitty and my poor little fingers keep catching on the wool. Oh well. Lace will definitely have to weight for a time when I've not got my hands in the dirt.

Tuk and I are worn out from a lovely time in the desert over the holiday weekend. Here's the doggely being a couch potato.

The sun has now come up over the house and it's not too chilly to be outside. Time to dig dig dig. Oh and lookie! There be daffodils!

Hallelujah, and happy spring!

The Ah-Hah Moment

2008-03-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have a new computer. The old one crashed and I had to to take everything, EVERYTHING, off of it and transfer it to the new. I hate this sort of thing. I'm terribly inept at learning computer stuff. I like to have things working when I sit down. If something is going wrong I like to think that I know how to fix it. If I don't.... well things can get ugy.

I didn't have access to my file of pictures, and I hadn't set up the camera-to-computer thing for the pictures sitting in my camera. It was new, and challenging. I wasn't ready for the change. So I am a computer chicken #$%^*. Then the light went on, and now I can continue my blogging with lovely pictures.

Here is my Wool Peddler's shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. The yarn is from Otterness Alpacas. I finished this weeks ago, and thought that I might sell it. But then I spent a week with the dread ghombu, and this shawl became my friend. The warm, soft alpaca was just the ticket for flu-based aches and chills. I even slept with it on.

I'm feeling bettah now.

I will have to put lace knitting on the back burner for spring and summer. My hands are ravished by gardening and digging. My couch knitting, (when I can manage after a day in the garden) is the lovely Lizard Ridge Aghan from knitty. Pictures to come, indeed.

A headache, and the Loveseat

2008-03-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

I have a gnarly headache this morning. Let me be more to the point; I'm horribly hung over.

I'm not young any more. I should have just stuck to the Irish, but I have some younger friends. They like to drink these new-fangled drinks; liquor and something that kept me up all night. And now I have a headache. Oi.

So I'm here on the couch. It seems safe enough. I'm so glad that I cleaned the house yesterday, because I couldn't justify hanging out on the couch if'n the house were messy-at least from this vantage point, anyway. The kitchen will have to wait. I don't see it now.

As I was saying..... I'm here on the couch. It wasn't like an epiphany or anything, but I was feeling a little guilty because my mother was looking like she wanted to sit down. I'm not tall, and the couch is long enough for me to stretch out and the Tukster has room at my feet. Tuk is wandering around, looking for a cat to harass. There was room to sit down. Maybe mom didn't want to sit at my feet.

Mom is looking at the loveseat as an option. There is no room on the loveseat. It is covered with knitting projects; lovely squares of "The Lizard Ridge" afghan, my nephew's sweater-green and cable-y , the bright new sock and a bag of lace (which I lovingly took from it's hiding place yesterday). It all looks so pretty with the sunrise (oh golly, it's getting bright and it hurts my eyes-gollum gollum), all colorful and basketed. It's neatly placed, all those pretty knitting things, but there it is, taking up the entire loveseat.

Mom picks up one of the projects, as if to inspect it, but really to see if she can make a spot in which to sit.

"You have a lot going here, are you going to be okay? Do you want some coffee?" She replaces the knitting and gives up her notion for a seat.

"Ugh", I reply, and pull the couch quilt over my head.

I need to sleep now. I'll turn off the phone, and burrow down under the crocheted blankie, and turn my back on the not-so-great-outside-I'd-rather-be-knitting-than-this-#$%^%^&- day.

Oh, my aching head. I will clear off the loveseat tomorrow.

Ah....... Spring..... and Compost!

2008-02-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

It has been beautiful this week. The dirt in the yard is thawed and nice and fluffy for digging.

I'm totally redoing my back yard for herb gardening. I found an old metal bed frame. It will be the squash bed. To old fence gates will hold peas and beans. And I have dug a hole for a pond.... a pond; sweet babbling little wet spot with flags around, and maybe some fish, a little water fall......ahh. It will be a great spot to rest my gardening weary bones.

I will have to put sock knitting aside. When I'm in the yard my hands become so rough that
knitting with anything fuzzy is a chore. The soft fiber catches on my calloused fingers, and Ouch! Furthermore, any knitting I do will have to be in a dirt color, because the dirt never comes all the way out of my skin. Anything that I'm knitting will get grubby. That is from experience, I tell ya.

The bulbs I put in late last fall are just beginning to poke little green leaves out. I'm excited to see them bloom.

It's time to change into my shorts (yes, shorts!) and get to digging.

Happy Spring all!

Stash Woes, or rather "Whoas!"

2008-02-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

It started out just cleaning the room; sweeping, a little laundry and making up fresh the spare bed.

I share my bedroom with the spare bed, (Mom has the spare room right now- and that's another blog entirely), and the dog bed, and my stash. I have a loft bed that I climb into every night. From my perch, I can look down at my special Tuk, and all of my yarn. I can see most all of it-well....except for the two bins in the closet. It is neatly arranged by yarn or project type; lace, baby yarn, sock yarn, impulsive crazy yarn that I have no idea what I will make but it was too, too pretty to not buy. This way I know what all I have. I am not compelled to purchase more-except in a pinch project mode, like for a birthday or some really cool socks or a really good buy on a large amount of discontinued.....sorry I got off track there.

Anyway. I had to relocate a shelf that I was using for stash for a soap drying shelf on this modular shelving unit I have. I had no place to put the bins of stash. No place. I have bins of yarn under the dresser, under the spare bed, in the closet. Maybe you get the picture. The only place left was under the dog bed.

So now Tukster has a loft bed of her own. I arranged the bins, and then put her bed on top, with an extra blanket and her favorite wubby pillow and called her in.

Awwwww! that is soooo cute. She hopped up, oblivious to the containers below and completely without any judgment of the compulsiveness that led to her new bed digs. (I do so love dogs.) My stash conundrum was solved. However, I can only put this stack one bin high, or Tuk won't be able to hop in.

I have no more room for any more stash.....(now with feeling)....... I HAVE NO MORE ROOM FOR ANYMORE STASH!.......

There, I think I got it.... even though I'm awaiting a minor little tiny package of some Blue Moon Fiber sock yarn. It will be easily stored, though. I think.

Just a moment before I stir

2008-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

My lye is cooling, and the oils are resting, I have just a moment to spare before I stir them together for a batch of Mango Loofah soap. The house is quiet; just perfect for a little blogation.

I was up late last night finishing the toe on my new "lucky bowling socks". I will endeavor to post a picture because they are a very cool, if only a bit wild-looking pair of socks. Knit in Lorna's Laces, with silky heels and toes, they will be fun and comfortable to bowl in, even on the worst days.

Except........Drat, drat, drat......

I thought that I had one toe done, and could just whip out the second, when.....drat, drat, double drat......I spied not one, but two dropped stitches just before the toe decreases. It was definitely too late to address this issue. So rip, rip, rip, out came the first toe and now I have both the toes to finish. I will sit with a little red wine, knit-watching the old Star Trek series and get these done for bowling next Wednesday. But that's not all. (I think I may be a glutton for punishment)

Recently, I purchased the two-socks-on-one-big-honkin'-needle-technique book. Being a diehard to DPN-sock knitting, and a frequent victim of "second sock syndrome", I wanted to examine this technique, you know, for posterity. AND- in response to the bitter bite of the sock ripping bug, I needed a little new project therapy. I was excited, motivated, ready for fresher things......stupid. I vaguely remember saying that to myself when I glanced at the clock chiming eleven.

By 1 am, (I might have fallen asleep or something-It was like knowing that you are tired when driving- you will stop soon and take a break-and then you wake up, behind the wheel, and everything is going really fast, and now your heart is beating in your throat, that is- if you aren't in a heap on the side of the road.) I had only succeeded in creating a little ball o' knotted up gobbledy gook, that might make a cat toy.... Or the dog will eat it, and then retch it back up again.

Lesson learned? Yep-Like driving- Never-never-never knit tired, late at night, even on-rather, especially on seemingly wonderful, new exciting, distracting, mind boggling, silly flippin' projects. Oi! Just go to bed!

It's time to stir soap.

Serendipity

2008-02-19T09:26:00.001-08:00

Right, rather Left......

Here is the Socks that Rock Serendipity in the exclusive colorway for this club.

I used KnitPicks merino and silk "Bare" for the heel and toe- for extra strength.

While this was a relatively easy, straightforward pattern, I had a hard time with the gauge. Yes, I did do a swatch and yes, I did get gauge. I'm not sure what went wrong but when I had turned the heel on the first sock and was happily knitting down the foot, I noticed I had this bloppy, lurpy sock that was entirely too big for anyone I know.

Frog, frog, sing a little frogging song.........So I started again on a smaller needle with a less bloppy, lurpy sock but still too big.

Third, no fourth times a charm. I'm finally done with numero uno socko, and Tuk is giving my her high paw o' approval. Now to cast on the second, but only addressing the winter worn yard on this not so cloudless but definitely sunny day...... ah...... compost........BooYah!

Great Toys & Knitting Disasters

2007-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

I got my dog a great new toy. Actually it was a replacement for two things; the toy she lost playing with another dog, and the sock that may never get knit. FirstLet me make some introductions.

This is Tuk, little Tuk, short for Tukanikivatz that means "place where sun sets last" in Navajo ( I think).She is a full blooded, ear-scratching, cat chasing, garbage tipping, counter licking, omnivorous bundle of mixed breed scrofulousity. Isn't she cute? I think she is border collie-cattle dog mix. I believe she's got some coyote-trickster in her. (I may sensitive to this as I'm presently reading C. Moore's "Coyote Blue"; a great read, by the way.)

Anyway, yesterday morning I found my jaywalker sock, (see Magknits.com for very cool pattern) next to it's newly started mate; only 12 rows knit. I was ready to start the zig-zag stitch pattern. I was so excited to start the second sock with some lovely, but unfortunately now discontinued, Opal sock yarn. I will never find this again! Not only will it take hours to untangle this nest of irreconcilable wool, but the bamboo #1 needles were chewed to bits. ARRRRRGH!!!!!!!
As frustrated as I was, I realized that this was probably my fault for leaving the knitting on the love seat, as I knapped on the couch, ignoring my poor Tuk's request to go outside. It was too much for her to resist, I know. She was testing me, I'm sure. I even went to the local yarn store, Desert Thread (desertthread.com, great gals, lovely yarn, and Wednesday night knit) and almost bought new yarn to restart the Jaywalking pair. I didn't get needles, 'cause I had some. But no! I put down the yarn at the counter and vowed to address yarn "glob", eventually. And I will sit down with the glob of yarn, and a glass of red wine, (or 3) and untangle the mess, because I really want to finish this lovely pair of socks.

I'm such a softy.......
Later, at the grocery, I found this perfect toy, The Dirty Rotten Cat toy, complete with squeaky innards. I know, I know, I should punish. But I just can't, and look how happy she is!

My knitting is now safe! This will just give me the excuse to work on my lace. I don't have a picture of it, but it's impressive; and well hidden from scrofulous puppies.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading.

Happy Pioneer Day, a day to relax.

2007-07-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Ah, a Tuesday that feels like a Saturday. Banks are closed, and folks are getting ready for fried chicken, ice tea and sherbet. In this neck of the woods most only go to the cooler for a rootbeer, but I think that PBR would be a great acoutrement, or maybe some Pernod over ice would be dandy. If I go for the Pernod I don't think I will work on the lace. One or two PBR's will go with the straightforward cables, but not at the expected 95 degree weather that is expected this afternoon. What to do, what to do. It will be lovely and cool, however, at the yarn shop, and the company will be good, but the PBR and the Pernod will have to stay home. Stuck I am. Last night our little redrock town was visited by the most violent, yet exquisite, electrical storm I have ever seen. FLASH, KER-BOOOOOOM, and the downpour for which our dry dirt has been aching. The biting scent of ozone was amazing. My Ruby, black and beautiful kneader of laps, was miffed that the unloading sky had disturbed her nap in the bushes. Any newish plants in the ground will get a kickstart from all the electricity, unfortunately this includes the ever-gnarly goatheads, and other plaguing weeds. A hike might be in order today, to view new and and pools fortified by last nights deluge. If I'm lucky there might be a waterfall or two. But first, a few rows on the lace, or the cables, or maybe a few moments to ponder a vest pattern for all of this Kureyon that really doensn't want to become a Lizard Ridge Afghan. And then there are the shoulds; I should make soap, I should weed the garden, I should do laundry, I should....etc. etc. etc. Those out of the way, I can get into the fun stuff. The day is a young oyster.Blessed be, love will prevail.