Obsessed

I've come to the conclusion that obsessive and knitter go hand in hand. If this isn't true, I don't really want to know!

I've been obsessively swatching for my first sweater and was AMAZED last night at my LYS when Zoe said "I don't want to bust your bubble but you should swatch again" and I didn't lose it..I didn't get upset, I said "ok, if that's what you think" and here I am swatching again with new needles that I actually intend to USE to knit this sweater.

Never mind the new obsession with Lantern Moon needles and my firm conviction that I must have one of EVERY size possible in Ebony or Blond wood like yesterday.

On a different note, I'm very excited to be travelling to Raleigh, NC next week and an opportunity to meet Cat, the owner of a group I help moderate, I Love KandCAlongs!

Just a short update...I'd do pics but my home computer no longer 'see's' my digital camera so it's a pain..We have new laptops on the way so soon it will be better!

Bizzaro Meds!

I can't tell you how wierd it is to me that meds prescribed can have such an affect on folks, well specifically me! I was a really healthy gal all my life, never a prescription other than an antibiotic round here and there and then the 40's set in.

Christ on a crutch.

I take high blood pressure meds, fluid problem meds and anti anxiety stuff (cuz I cannot for the life of me ride in a car anymore without freaking out) I also have really ugly sinus issues and a friend acquired an herbal cleanse round from HER dr. that supposedly was the bomb.

Last night I came home from work only I don't remember so well getting home. My partner tells me I couldn't really find the right key for the back gate so I stood out there for a bit and finally called for help to get inside. The wierdness is that I have almost zero memory of this even though it was only 6 pm or so! She dragged my ass to the Dr this morning obscenely early and he was a little shocked as well. They did a bunch of tests and it seems to NOT be neurological but we took tons of blood and we're now looking at thyroids.

To top it all off, I felt queasy from wake up today. I coughed a bunch in his office, went and threw up cuz my tummy was so aggrieved then we went to Target. Coughed there and felt my tummy revolt and horribly enough threw up in the laundry fabric softner aisle when I couldn't make it to the restroom. Icky as it sounds, I'd had NO food, no drink other than a little soda so it was relatively non-horrific.

I think I just want to sleep a bit.

Great Hat!

I know I’ve been MIA but it’s because I’ve been knitting, knitting, knitting, gotta love it! Below is my latest which is to me the cleverest hat ever:
With it’s buttons: (which are not sewn on ONLY because I left my needle home like a MORON)

AND!! the cleverest bit of all – an opening for my ever present and very bulky ponytail! I love this hat! It’s Hannah’s Hat by Blake Ehrilch and it was a very quick knit. I wanted to use Noro Silver Thaw so I held two strands throughout and it came out perfectly size wise.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

As I relax after dinner and contemplate my next 'bus' project I wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a happy, happy holiday season however you celebrate it!

Jack's cabled scarf was a huge surprise and a big success! The Mirasol Sulka in a Juniper blue was just a joy to work with! I have an off centered very simple cable with moss stitch and it's lovely!

Jack was lovely to me in return and I received another Ott Lite, this one with a magnifying panel! I also got wool, an alpaca blend and a cashmere blend..the Vogue Ultimate Knitting Guide (YES! LOVE THAT BOOK!) as well as new subscriptions to Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting for 2008! There were also 2 smaller volumes dedicated to spinning and a ton of new clothes!

The down side is we discovered today that our eldest cat Emily has a urinary tract infection...we worry so about her as our old, overweight girl! We started an antibiotic and will follow up with the vet later this week.

Happy holidays and peace to all of you*

Lis

No News

Sadly, all my knitting effort at this point is secret holiday gift that I can't photograph for fear of spoiling the surprise for Jack.

I cast on the 247 (groan) stitches for the knitted edging for the Adara shawl, knitted the first of 5 pattern rows and ended up with 4 extra stitches. (Insert cursing that bears remarkable similarity to pucker) Tried to tink THAT and found another mistake so I not so cheerfully ripped all of it out and cast on again.

At this point my darling Jack revealed my birthday present..an OTT Lite! YAY! I sat in it's otherworldly glow while watching the fight on HBO in utter glee!

RaAnn for whatever reason deleted alot of her groups with no notice. One of these, Shawls and Scarves Etc. has been recreated in Yahoo at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILoveKandCAlongs/. We will be starting the Icelandic Shawl in January along with other smaller KAL's and CAL's. Come join us!

Blocking Boards and cable

So along with knitting and knitting on the Adara shawl (on the last repeat section OH YEAH) I’ve been working on this blocking board so I will actually have somewhere to stretch it out and shape it.

Last year somewhere on a blog I saw the version that spawned my blocking board. It is by no means original and many thanks to whoever posted this originally, I’m sorry I don’t remember who you are!

I bought a 6-pack of Styrofoam panels at Home Depot (actually I had Jack pick them up while she was at work). They were a little thin but dirt cheap (like 6 bucks) so first I glued together 3 sections of 2 panels each.

Then, I put double sided tape onto one side and covered them with gingham fabric with 1 inch squares (about 4 bucks at Joann’s with a 50% coupon). Then on the back side where it wouldn’t be getting damp I used craft glue to secure the rest of the fabric.

Then I took Velcro strips and fixed it so I could attach all three boards together for a bigger item, end to end for a long scarf, etc. etc. Apart, they’ll take up a relatively small bit of our space when not in use. Together, it will block a fairly large piece, I have built in measurements in the fabric and my bed won’t be damp when I move it for the night! I’ll take more pics of it in action when I finish this shawl!

My lace is totally stalled. Enough said. My other new project can’t be posted because it’s getting too close to that holiday and the recipient reads this blog! My only other knitting news is finally trying a cable and guess what!

Mystic Waters Stalled!

I have stalled at row 65 on the KAL and I cannot get past it! ARGH! I have tinked now 5 times and redone it all with the same results. I’m going to try one more time with the written instructions and if that doesn’t work I’ll have to frog, I suppose. (muttermumble)

I had to lay it aside, it was making me too crazy. Instead, I’ve been knitting again on the Adara shawl. After doing Mystic Waters this pattern now feels like a mindless snore, exactly what I need to get it finished with no more mistakes! I have about 36 more rows to do and it will be (finally) finished.

I’m really anxious to see if it softens up a little with blocking, the linen content is a touch rough. Anyone else out there knitted anything with the Elann Adara? Please tell me how you liked it with time! It’s also looking a little grubby to me after so many months OTN. It will be nice to brighten it up with a washing.

Here’s a picture of the Adara as it stands..it is traveling with me everywhere because I am determined to finish it and then re-start Mystic Waters. It’s just a little huge!