Just like old times

I can roll through the kitchen & dining rooms from either doorway. I'm going to try restraining the damaged cabinet drawer fronts and doors, if we ever have a few days without storms. Pretty sure I can handle it. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ I've been a bit puny lately, having chills most afternoons. Maybe the anemia? Just to gather data, I thought I should take my temp the next time the chills set in. As usual, there was a small problem: the battery in the thermometer had died. Thank goodness I have a thoughtful caregiver; she got another thermometer from her closet. And yes indeed, I was feverish. So..call primary care physician? Or one of the specialists I see? Or just go to a clinic, maybe get a Covid test. The last thing I'd do would be a visit to the ER, welcome to Covidland. For those of us Stephen King fans. there's a scary echo of Captain Trips in our daily lives. ☆☆☆☆▪︎▪︎ Despite puniness, I did knit a few rows on the chair cover. Not that it is fantastic. being 100% garter stitch in scrap yarns. I feel better having made about 6 rows & changed color.

Huzzah!!

Back in January, the Plaidman accidently destroyed our built-in oven. It was a mess, and had to be replaced. Measurements were taken, but failed to account for overhanging lips of the countertop. We spent almost 1K on a very nifty oven. that can even connect with our WiFi. but which could not be pushed back against the wall. This elephant sat in the middle of the kitchen. cutting off my access from the living room to the kitchen, until today! We had a handyman come in, cut the countertop as needed, move one small stack of drawers. and Voila! push the oven into the enlarged space between the counters. I'm thrilled. A side bonus was that Disco & Plaidman worked to get everything off the counters & run through the dishwasher--no dirty dishes in sight. Plaidman & I first swept, then mopped the kitchen & dining room tile floors. Next mission: get the fridge cleaned. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆£☆☆ Last week I had an issue (AGAIN!) with getting my med refilled, but managed to get an actual person on the phone & got it sorted. That came today; so did a book from Thriftbooks; and a yarn order from Darn Good Yarn. It feels like Christmas in August.

GET GOING

The last time Disco had her eyes examined, she bought the ugliest frames in the shop.  They were the cheapest, made of horrible black plastic, and they never fit!  How in the world did the optician let her leave the store in kid-sized frames?  I don't donate my frames or throw the away, figuring I can have prescription sunglass lenses in them.  I went through some storage, and found a half metal frame from several years ago, in good shape and with a medium red-brown color applied.  Perfect for our favorite ginger!  And they fit her well!  So, she can apply her insurance $ to the lenses (Mom & Dad will pay the rest), and let the eye care store put 'em into the recycled frames.  And today is the day for her exam.

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I'm at the second of three row 11 of the second of three 12 row repeats for the body of the Clingman's Watch Cap. 14 rows more, then start the decreases of the crown.  What to knit next?  I have the lighter yarn for the Deeds shawl, not wound into a cake yet, but the pattern is ready.   I have the solid color ribbon yarn plus two variegated spun yarns for another shawl, which may or not be based on Fated (in Ravelry).  I've got some lovely HW City Tweed that needs to be a new hat for the Plaidman.   And some weeks back, I could not resist an untwisted acrylic/cotton mix that is a puzzlement. If the sun would ever come out again, I could get some pictures.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆▪

Ok, turns out using my old frames was actually going to be more expensive than getting new frames.  I know you're going, "Wha-a-at??".  I'll explain.  Disco's insurance has no vision coverage, as in nothing towards the frame or lenses.  Which would not be a problem, except that each part of what she wanted would be charged at a la care prices, unless she bought a bundle of services.  Bundled exam was a lot less than unbundled, they had bargain frames available for the bundled service, and bundled lenses were also discounted.  The difference would come to about $200.00.  BUT she chose lighter & prettier frames that actually fit her head (not kid sized), and are a lot more likely to stay on her face when she moves her head.  This is kinda important when driving, or even just walking. The exam she had was for prescription correction, but they did note some increased eye pressure, and some thinning of her cornea.  She'll need a follow up exam, tentatively scheduled for December.  I think a physical exam may be in order, too.  Eye issues could be thyroid related.

total(ly glacial) recall

One of Disco's birthday gifts was to be driving lessons, from a professional instructor.  When we contacted him in May, he was still booked up with classes in the local high schools.  We are to contact him this month for her private lessons.  She will need better glasses, as the ones she got fall off her face constantly.  I gave her a pair of my old half-framed glasses, so we only need to cover the exam & lenses.  We're getting a little bit back from the IRS, nowhere near what we'll need for lessons & lenses, but it will be applied.

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Disco has an appointment with the eye doctor.  Today I'll ask her to locate the glasses I gave her.  Next order of business: setting up her driving lessons.  I asked the Plaidman to reach the driving school; after 4 attempts today he decided to try again tomorrow.  

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I've knit through the 12th row of the hat body, now to do that twice more.  Hurrah.

I'm educated

I was a bit disappointed in the very loose stitches resulting from the P1B instruction in the Clingman's Watch Cap.  So I frogged it back to the brim, an operation that evoked dread, but worked well. Since then I've worked 10 rows of the stitch pattern, and guess what!?  That looseness is necessary to create the diagonals in the design.  The lesson here:   Follow the recipe!  Today's plan is to work the recipe without overthinking.

 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I called the patient assist for my medicine, but they're not accepting the prescription # on what I thought was the first shipment of this year.  But that # did not meet their specs.  I have tossed the areas where I keep records, thinking I had received at least one shipment.  No luck finding a label.  I got in touch with the Dr R, and he's going to issue a new prescription.  That should take care of this issue.

 

B

That worked.

Usually when I try to put a lifeline in place prior to frogging just part of a project, I can't put the line into the same row the whole length of the row.  I tried with the Clingman's Dome Watch cap, as the first four pattern rows had some very loose stitches.  But the stitches on the line were in different rows, as usual.  Nothing for it but to start pulling out the life line & continue frogging....then it occurred to me that the ribbing was unraveling in nice rows.  I grabbed a tapestry needle & contrast yarn, and very carefully began popping those stitches on the life line.  I got all of  'em!   Then I put 1/3 onto a size 3 DPN, and started working the ribbing pattern off that needlr onto ythe size 6 called for in the design.  Did that twice more, putting in stitch markers, and had all on the size 6 needle.  And I have only two more rows of the ribbed brim  before starting the pattern stitches.  Piece of cake!  And I am knitting, instead of just thinking of knitting.  MOJO return acheived.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

So, I've been looking at shawl patterns that use a couple different types of yarn, generally as stripes.  I'm kinda taken with Fated, which is in Ravelry.  I want to use some/most of the Berroco Glace 2591 with other man made fibers.  Once I get the hat done, I will move on with either the Deeds shawl or Fated.

a little sloppy

I got 4 rows into the texture stitches of the CLINGMAN'S DOME HAT, &  saw some really loose stitches.  I'm  done frogging those rows & will pick them up again, as soon as I feel up to the frustration of not getting all the stitches on the lifeline.