What. A. Day. Twice.

This last month has been insane. Work-wise, I’ve been buried. I think this last month and a half I’ve had at best three non-working days. bitch, bitch, bitch... Family stuff is wearing me down too. Three weeks ago my brother suffered a series of seizures that kept him in intensive care for four days. He is still hospitalized, and yesterday it became pretty clear that he isn’t going to return to anything near “normal” for a long time, if ever. As his nearest next-of-kin I’ve begun to look into getting power of attorney so I can try to help him as best I can. Our father is currently out of the country and I’m waiting for him to call me so I can fill him in on the sad details. The saddest part is that his condition is directly attributed to drugs and alcohol and something that he could have avoided if he could have found a way to ask for and accept help. Heartbreaking.

Today we took our son Matt to San Francisco for his dental work to be done. Because of Matt’s disability he needs to be under a full general anesthetic for any dental work to be done, so the doctors take care of anything and everything that needs attention. Unfortunately for poor Matty this also turned out to be having all four wisdom teeth extracted. It’s been a long day for us since the doctors wanted us in SF before 6:00 am which meant getting up at, oh, 4:15 this morning. Unfortunately for me I almost never ever fall asleep before midnight unless Ambien is involved, so I’m staggeringly tired right now and still trying to scrub from my brain the conversation about just how big that bladder tumor was... what's that... that's your pee... no really, that's your pee... yes, it'll be pink for a while because of your surgery... yes, blood... in your pee... no, it's okay, really... that was conducted on the other side of the recovery room. Gaahhhhh. But on the upside I did get some knitting done:

These are the Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks using the Malabrigo Sock Yarn test sample I got at Stitches West. There is teensy little problem with the yarn however – I’m enjoying it so much I’ll be really sad when I can’t immediately get my hands on more!

And I got almost all the way through the last row of clue 3 of the Mystic Light Mystery Shawl when the nurse told us that Matt was in the recovery room, so in this photo it is more of a lacy amoeba than a lacy shawl. The yarn is Plymouth Happy Feet, a very reasonably priced sock yarn.

And because I just don’t have enough projects on my needles I signed up for the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. This one is supposed to be a round (pi) shawl and the really intriguing part is that the designer is offering different lace motifs for the expanding circle, making it more of a mandala. It means that potentially everyone could have a unique design – a totally cool idea.

The designer has chosen Jojoland Harmony, a laceweight with really long runs of color. This rang a bell in my mind and I rummaged out of the stash a purchase from Stitches West -

This is “Graceful”, 1800 yards of deep rich laceweight. I think this is going to be something really beautiful.




And a P.S. for Bets:
I was getting spam postings so I changed my post comments settings and this somehow disabled comments altogether. Another charming Blogger eccentricity, I 'spose.

Sort of like Burning Man, but without the misery *

*overheard at the Maker Faire.

Today my husband and I actually attended a crafty kind of event together. That alone makes it an event. The Maker Faire is a total hoot, heavily populated with geeks, freaks and full on nerds. I was so at home - with my people. I had been sort of on the fence about going this year, but hearing that the Yarn Harlot would make an appearance sold me. What sold my husband were two phrases: The Eepy Bird guys and "power tool races". With a little planning and a bit of freakish good luck we actually arrived early - a very good thing as it turned out, because I heard horror stories of traffic jams and limited parking. This put me in the extraordinary position of being one of the very first people to arrive for the Yarn Harlot, and I got front and center seats - one for me and three for a few of my fellow SnB members. I was pretty stunned. Stephanie, as always, was hilarious and utterly charming.






I even got a picture of me and the traveling sock (woo hoo!) and Stephanie holding my in-progress Malabrigo socks. Why I'm squinting like that I haven't a clue. This is why I hate pictures of myself!





I scored some beautiful yarn from Ceallach Dyes . Silly me, I kept pronouncing it like “sell-ack” – when it is actually Gaelic and pronounced as “Kelly” – the name the dyer goes by. Her work is beautiful and I think this will be perfect for the Spring Mystery Shawl . Yes, I am a total sucker for those mystery lace things. Kelly is even local to the Bay Area and I predict she’ll see more business soon. Her stuff is beautiful – “solar” dyed too, which even impressed my husband.





There were so many amazing things to see that I found myself wishing I’d purchased the two-day ticket. Perhaps next year. Here are a few random samples:







The Eepy Bird Diet Coke + Mentos Show. Yes, we got wet.

Odd bicycles.

Really odd.

Man-made lightning. Very cool.

And very large… things.

And courtesy of the MCY thread on Ravelry I saw this tonight – and can’t quit giggling.

You’d think I’d be over it by now.

It's been one year today since we had to put Salt to sleep.

I'm still not over it. I still miss him fiercely. I read a news column in the paper a couple of years ago about "lifetime dogs" – those dogs that you remember forever. The ones that hold a special place in your heart, no matter what dog you've had before or after. Salt was a lifetime cat, and there is a Salty-shaped hole in my heart to this day.

I have a low threshold of amusement.

The camera has returned, so here are the latest pictures.

This is, of all things, the toilet at my client's new place of business. For some reason, this struck me as hilarious.






The toilet seat cover had a trout on it too.

And here is proof positive that knitting can be accomplished even in the limited flight time between Boise and San Jose. This is a soon-to-be shop sample of a shrug knit in Second Time Cotton:

Sometimes my life is a (badly written) sitcom.

Have you ever seen a sitcom episode where the hapless character is locked out of his(her) hotel room sans clothing? That was me this morning. Not quite so embarrassing, but incredibly stupid, and (after the fact) pretty laughable.

A week or so ago the doorknob on our kitchen/garage door finally gave up and broke (picture DH and DD opening door only to find the detached doorknob in hand and insert laugh track here). The old door lock would not allow you to open it unless was unlocked which apparently is no longer being made because of the safety factor. DH replaced it with a fancy brass number that doesn't require the door to be unlocked to exit. See where this is going? Rachel and I have both locked ourselves out repeatedly, but we have a key stashed nearby so it hasn't been too much of a problem. Rachel left at the crack of dawn for her first college campus visit(!!) and DH also left for work early this morning, but forgot something inside the house so he used the stashed key to let himself back in. Annnndddd left the key in his pocket.

When I got out of the shower this morning I remembered that it was St. Patrick's Day, so clad in nothing more than a towel I headed out to the garage/laundry to fetch my freshly washed green sweater. The door locked behind me.

Many curse words ensued.

Good news: I had enough clothes available to almost dress myself properly (we shall not discuss the missing bits). Bad news: our neighbor with the spare key was gone. Possible good news: with a broom handle and a good deal of stretching I can reach through the cat-door and just barely knock the keys hanging on a hook in the kitchen to the floor. Praying that one of the keys hanging up is a door key I flail away and knock several random sets of keys off the wall, then drag them to the cat flap. Almost dressed and with uncombed wet hair, I gleefully head to the front door... and none of them is a door key. Good news: someone forgot to lock the front door (DH or DD, doesn't matter – the front door is unlocked!).

DH got a very pointed email this morning…

Last week I had to go to Boise on somewhat short notice. I was going up upload a photo or two but evidently Rachel borrowed my camera this morning for her visit to the CalPoly campus today, so those will have to wait for a day or two, along with photos of the smidge of knitting I managed to do. Like so many knitters, I pack enough yarn for two weeks worth of knitting yet only manage a few hours of knitting. I was able to gift some really pretty Malabrigo and Manos to my cousin Lori who was kind enough to put me up in Boise, and feed me spectacularly to boot. Such a deal – a couple pounds of the heavenly Major Dickason's coffee from Peet's and a mini-round of to-die-for Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese and Lori provides lodging! If we were ever to move from the SF Bay Area, these two things would be on my top ten list of most-missed items.

A Four Letter Word

I saw evil. And then I smashed it with a paper towel, so I cannot be certain, but since it was the second appearance of said evil I'm afraid (horrified, actually) that it was a clothes moth. Gack. I'd seen one the day before, just above a bag that contained some newly purchased yarn, but didn't really register it. Then another the following day. I got that sick feeling in my stomach, so the entire bag went into the freezer. I had no immediate plans for the yarn so I figured it could chill out for a while and kill any beasties, real or imagined. Later that day or the next I was cruising on Ravelry and noticed a posting labeled "HELP – Moths Attack!" and as (bad) luck would have it, Barbara had most definitely had an encounter with the little winged demons. The advice from fellow Ravelers was to use heat, so this is what I baked tonight:

The whole batch is going back into a sealed plastic bag and then isolated in its own plastic bin. I'll check back in a week or so, and if my paranoia continues I may have another baking session.

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Ms. R is going to a Speakeasy Study night – not what it sounds like, but a get-together for her AP History class to study for an exam, and all the kids are supposed to dress in 20's style clothing. I'd seen a really cute cloche pattern and Ray picked out some pink Cascade 220 and some pretty brown yarn (Nashua Julia, I think) for the trim. This was a fast knit, perhaps because I used a worsted weight when the original pattern called for DK, but I upped the needle size and knit it an inch shorter, and the thing fairly flew off my needles in spite of several late evenings working. I cast on Monday and was done Wednesday, then felted it on Thursday. She loves it. Still has to find a costume however...

I'm continuing to plod slowly along on a lace stole destined to be a shop sample as well as my Central Park Hoodie. The stole is nearly done but I'll need to write up the pattern (and I dread that part). The CPH is boring me to tears though.

I also have some socks started on the sample skein of Malabrigo sock yarn, but have had a change of heart about the pattern I'm currently using. Fortunately the cast on for the pattern I have in mind is nearly identical so I'm not losing any ground there since I've really worked less than an inch on the pair (I'm doing 2 socks/2 circs). For the first time though I don't like the Knit Picks needles, at least on this yarn – I seem to snag the stitch on the very sharp point of the left needle as I drop a newly completed stitch. I've never had this problem before, and it is frustrating me to the point I don't want to work on the socks though I love the feel of the Malabrigo.

I finally found what I think will be the perfect yarn for the Printed Silk Cardigan - Berroco's NaturLin, which my shop co-worker Paula swatched yesterday. The swatch feels beyond wonderful, with an amazing drape and silky hand. The yarn is hidden away but I can still hear it screaming at me. I'm determined to finish the stole and the CPH however and have vowed to plug my ears until they're done.

I have to fly to Boise next week to visit a client and like any good obsessed knitter, I am already mentally packing about a half dozen project for the two and a half day trip. And none of them are the stole or the CPH! I'm totally hopeless.

Stitches Overload

I love Stitches. Been totally addicted since I first went five (six?) years ago. It is huge fun for me and I always learn soooo much.

Recently I started knitting socks and finally "got" why everyone is so crazed about Blue Moon Socks That Rock. I was determined to buy STR. Really determined.

How do you think I did?

Now, admittedly, it isn't all for me. Nancy S. didn't want to go to Stitches this year, so she gave me a wish list of colors to look for. Unfortunately I saw only one of them and it was in the wrong weight. I decided to just grab whatever I liked and let her choose from them. It was a total feeding frenzy at the Blue Moon booth with rabid sock knitters packed in so tightly that often I was locked in place, unable to move. The checkout line was ridiculously long, and I heard "you dropped a skein" dozens of times. Torture, but fun torture. WonderGirl Rachel has already picked out two skeins for herself, and there are three that I'll most likely keep, but really I'm happy with all the colors.

But my best and most favorite score was this:

Yep. Malabrigo Sock. For freakin free! The color in the picture isn't true – this is a beautiful near solid deep lavender color. Gorgeous. I'm going to hold onto it and cast on something for Malabrigo March as part of the Malabrigo Junkies group on Ravelry.

I had no idea this was at Stitches. I stopped at the Malabrigo booth just to grope the yarn peek at what was there (they weren't selling, just showing their yarns) and chatted briefly with Tobias, the owner. I mentioned that I'd been following the discussion about the sock yarn and asked when it'd be available. Tobias put his finger to his lips and said "shhhhhhh….", then dove under a under the covered table for a box. Out came the yarn, with the explanation that this was a special thing for the Malabrigo Junkies members. I about fainted. Then I hugged him and asked him to marry me. He just laughed and said his wife would probably object – and I told him my husband probably wouldn't be too happy either!

As soon as I got around the corner from the booth I called everyone else I had numbers for that were fellow 'junkies' and told them about the sample skeins. Terry and Carrie both scored beautiful skeins of variegated colors that I covet quite badly, but I think that the semi-solid will be really nice for a lacey sock. Maybe Cookie A's Monkey socks.

Other odds and ends:

That is "Graceful Lace" yarn from The Yarn Place (1800 yards!) that I think is destined to become a Print O' The Wave Stole.

I wanted one of these as soon as I'd read about it:

An Ear Light from Full Thread Ahead. On road trips my husband almost always does the bulk of the driving and I knit, but I hate to have to turn on a dome light to knit when it gets dark. I've tried a couple of different book lights, but none worked well. I hope that this little gadget is the answer!

And Ravelry swag:

A bag (as if I really need another bag!) and two pins – a Bob head and the little Ravelry yarn ball logo.

I took classes too – Fiendishly Difficult Stitches by Merike Saarnit. No, I still cannot pronounce her name, and yes, the stitches were challenging.

This is a sample of "Alsacian Scallop Border" below, and then "Estonian Embrace Cable" on the top. Yikes. Merike is delightful and I hope to take Estonian Patent Stitches from her next year.

I also took a twelve hour(!) Fair Isle class from Beth Brown-Reinsel. Honestly, twelve hours barely covered it. We made cute little teddy sweaters.

Or some of us did. Mine is more of a vest – you can see it on the bottom right, in tan/white/green. I tried, really I did, but Rachel played in a Chamber Music concert on Friday evening and not all of it was chamber music. It is impossible to follow a fair isle chart while a kid is playing Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5 on the xylophone. And totally impossible when another is playing two very long pieces on the bagpipes (a little bagpipe goes a long, long, long way). Don't get me wrong, they were both very good – that bagpiper is a nationally ranked player – but still. Fair Isle done by a rank beginner should never be attempted under these circumstances. Ever.

By Saturday afternoon I was still way behind much of the class, so much so that when it was time to actually cut the steek I just wacked away at it because I wanted so badly to catch up. Only afterwards did I have that "oh my god, I just sliced up my knitting" moments. The guy that sat next to me in class had to have Beth stand next to him and admitted to having very sweaty hands when his steeking moment arrived. That first time is pretty freaky. The picture is missing a lot of the little sweaters – some classmates were done and took off before the photo – and you can see the amazing variety of colors. Sharp eyes will also see that the sweater shoulders aren't symmetrical either; the pattern worked two different styles of sleeves, one shaped and the other with a gusset, so the shaped side is much narrower at the shoulder. I have to practice (lots) because my tension is pretty wonky. Knitting my oddball style of continental didn't help either and I found my tension got a lot better when I switched to standard continental. I want to work some sample swatches and try it again two-handed instead of both strands on my left. It may take forever to lay out colors though – it is way harder than it seems on the surface.