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Friday, January 28, 2011

A pretty WIP


I'm loving this combo of sock yarn & Paton's Lacette. I can see that buying two more skeins of the sock yarn was the right idea; this needs at least another 24" before ending & working the edging. How about another picture?

What can I say, I'm a nut for knitting lace. I've been on Ravelry today, and found the hat pattern I needed for a commissioned project: The Sgt. wants two more of the chunky hats, please! Now I'll have to look thru the stash to see if I have two hats' worth of the Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. If not, I guess I'll head to the store for more.
I think I mentioned that I'd won a giveaway--the item arrived in the mail last week! It's a tiny & darling neck gaiter, with the loveliest buttons:

Unfortunately, with my double chin this design doesn't exactly flatter me. So, I'm adding it to my sack of holiday gifts, to be given away. And I'll have these pictures to remind me:

Monday, January 24, 2011

GO TEAM!!



Way to go STEELERS!! Heading to the Super Bowl again, let's see if we can make it our own for the 7th time. Pup & I talked on the phone after the game, both of us just tickled to see Franco & Rocky come up to congratulate "the boys". The Jets couldn't keep from tripping on their own feet, except for about a 10-minute interlude of having "it" together. I should have taken some pictures; both DiscoDame & I were in team gear. Pup has another bit of memorabilia that he wants to send, which will likely wind up in Disco's room. Her door has "Steelers Nation" and a logo displayed.
Of course, I knitted during the game--it's got so I really can't watch TV without some knitting in my hands. I'm still working on the Diamond Chain Lace stole, but I'll have to put it aside for a while as I have a commission for the Sgt. He'd like two more hats just like the two I've already made for him, thank you. Wouldn't be a problem if I could just locate the dang pattern! It's basically a watchcap, with ribbing that is first increased then decreased so that the large ribs are leaf-shaped. I'll have to go on Ravelry & see if I can find a link to the pattern on my projects page.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Better today

I made it home in one piece, after leaving work very early. Go here:
http://knittingwithsandrasingh.blogspot.com/2011/01/desmondus-sock-kit-giveaway.html
and win yourself a lovely sock kit! Yum, cables & lace!
No photos of the stole yet, but I may be able to talk Ms. Amanda into modelling her hat & mitts.

Monday, January 10, 2011

I may not be the brightest bulb...

I came into work today. We're in the middle of a winter weather advisory, but you know me, I hate to miss work. It took me an hour and half to get from home to work, and I was pretty much terrified the whole way. The main drag in our neighborhood was in better shape than the interstate; I think that gave me a false confidence. Now I wish I'd packed jammies and a change of clothes -- I seriously rather check into a hotel out here, than try to get back home in the dark. I might still do just that, after a quick trip to the drug store to see if I can pick up clean socks & undies, & a toothbrush! That will put a dent in the budget.
The stole is coming along swimmingly, except for a few "tinks" to put in missed yarnovers. I've decided to add a different lace as an edging, to make the thing wider. The plan now is to get a section about 3.5' long, finish it with garter ridges, then pick up the cast on edge & knit in the other direction in the same way. The edging will be worked separately & sewn on. I'll try to get a WIP picture soon. I was on Ravelry over the weekend, and noticed that the Lacette isn't listed on Paton's website anymore, but there are a lot of Ravelers wanting to sell or trade theirs. Not too sure I actually want anymore, but it's good to know.

Monday, January 3, 2011

So long, 2010

Whew! I thought that year would never end. Here's hoping 2011 will be a kinder, gentler year for the Plaid Patrol, and for all & sundry out there in the 'webs. Just a few days before Christmas, I re-read the Yarn Harlot's "Fallen" post, and it still cracks me up. I believe that's in Dec 2008, if you'd like a laugh.
So, what will I resolve for the new year? Gah, I hate resolutions. But I just saved a copy of a "10 Goals Planner" from the Home Made Simple site, so I suppose I'll have to come up with some goals.
Just got done reading Dog Boy by Eva Hornung -- what a disturbing tale! Don't want to drop any spoilers here, but the end is a shock.
***
Ok, I started this post Monday and here it is Thursday, but it wasn'tready to be published. Had a very strange experience yesterday: I got an ocular migraine. Yes, it made the six o'clock news,"Woman who 'never has a headahe' gets migraine; details at 11". Seriously, this was so weird -- I'd had a minor headache for a few days (stress due to overwork, minor sinus issues, etc), then I got this visual disturbance. It started as though I'd looked into a bright light (no, not THAT one!),with that glare-y look to everything. Then it got brighter but more focal, with a blue-white, moving, jagged line through my visual field. I was a bit concerned, and awfully glad it waited until after I was at work instead of while I was driving. So I found a friend who had some aspirin, thinking it might be a cerebrovascular incident (aka stroke!), and told her what was happening--turns out she'd had it before, and that was reassuring--she's still kicking, so I figured I'd survive. Then I remembered a similar incident that occurred about 3-4 years after I'd started working for the pathologists (the same folks I've worked for, for 20 years now!), only I went completely blind that first time. Well, not completely, but near as: it was like looking thru dirty broken glass. So, what in the world makes a body pitch a migraine once every 17 years? Anyway, I got online & looked it up, more reassurrance that I would live thru it, and very quickly my vision returned to near-normal, with just a hint of the glare remaining for most of the rest of the day. But I felt absolutely beat last night, couldn't wait to put my weary head down on the pillow. I still had a bit of the headache this morning, but it's less now than it's been in days, thank you Jesus. Plaidman thinks I should call the doctor, but she's a ditz who'll probably tell me to put the lime in the coconut. Why bother?
^^^
In knitting news, I went to the JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts in Franklin and found two more skeins of the Serenity sock yarn--not for socks! I'm knitting a stole, with a strand each of the Serenity and Paton's Lacette (which appears to have been discontinued). The Lacette is 25% mohair, the rest being acrylic and nylon, and surprise! it's washable in the machine on cool & delicate. It's teaching me about mohair...like, don't use a center-pull on this stuff!
Well, gotta go back to work now. Happy New Year, all!