Oneirochronon

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

So Matt calls cross-stitching “knitting”.  That’s okay–as long as he doesn’t complain when I spend money on it, he can call it whatever he wants.  The knitter/crocheter animosity runs so deep that I’m more offended when people get those confused even though they are at least both yarn arts.  I’ve got my priorities confused–so what?

I love adding the backstitching to a project. I think it really helps picture come together. Before the backstitching, you have a big, jumbled mess of colors, but after, you can see where one elements stops and another starts and the pattern really makes sense.

Of course the best part of finishing a project is going to the craft store to pick out another one.

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When you call Gas and Electric Company X and say, “I’d like to turn the gas and electric on in our new house,” you would expect them tell you if they are not able to supply gas to your house; that’s Company Y’s job.  Nope.  The lady just said sure, no problem.  So when my husband calls out the heat and air guys because our house resembles a meat locker, they got a pretty big chuckle when they figured out we didn’t have the necessary fuel going to the furnace.  Of course those smiles turned to frowns all around when even after the furnace was receiving gas, it still didn’t heat.  Broken gas pump/valve thingie.  We had two very chilly days during which I wondered if we’d have to cover ourselves with my wool skeins to avoid freezing to death.  Northern knitters are no doubt laughing since I live in Texas and it didn’t even drop to freezing those days.  Yes, I am a cold amateur.

The pumpkin hat didn’t happen because I decided to go out on Halloween.  Matt had plans, and I decided that I just wasn’t up to wrestling the puppy while handing out candy all night.  Speaking of puppies, not much knitting has been happening and probably won’t happen until Freya takes the excitement down a few levels.  Ever since she got big enough to jump on the couch, my crafting time has been severely curtailed.  Even the most well-behaved pup can’t resist Lorna’s Laces.

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Halloween has been a dud holiday for several years now–people tend to frown on adults trick-or-treating with no kids and no trick-or-treaters ever came to our apartment.  Don’t even get me started on how pathetic it was, eating all that leftover candy that I bought even though no kids came to our door for the previous 3 years.  But this year we have a house.  In a nice neighborhood.  Where kids live.  Although my mom assures me that the thrill of jumping up every time the door bell rings does wear off, I’m excited.  Unfortunately, the school I teach at won’t let us wear costumes.  Poop.  I always like seeing my teachers all dressed up and lookin’ goofy.  So, I think I’ll knit myself a pumpkin hat.

Who cares that it’s a baby pattern?  Knitting yourself a baby hat isn’t sad at all.  Certainly not as sad as eating a two-pound bag of jawbreakers because no kids rang your doorbell.  Definitely not as sad as knitting Freya a matching hat.  Perspective.

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No knitting has been getting done because I have her to play with.

This lovely little face belongs to my golden retriever/mutt mix.  She’s 12 weeks old and is my and her daddy’s darling.

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Dear Knitting,

I know that I have neglected you recently, but do two wrongs make a right?  Sure, I only picked up my sock project because my video game wasn’t working.  I thought that you would be there for me, faithfull and true.  So imagine my dismay when I discovered your betrayal.  You decided to express your displeasure by bending one of my favorite DPNs into a C.  I’m going to take the high road and assume you chose a C because it was easiest instead of the C being the first letter of a nasty name that the other 3 DPNs would finish.  And after I bought you a nice new Namaste knitting bag to travel with me in!  You’re going to have to work hard to rebuild my trust in you.

With love despite it all,

springplum

P.S. Hiding my shawl pattern is not a good first step toward a healthier relationship.

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Tomorrow is the DFW Fiber Festival in Addison.  The Pirate Hooker and I will be there for glorious shopping.  Hope to see you there–here’s the link for info.

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So Matt and I have started preliminary house-buying stuff.  He’s looking into loans and tax credits while I fret anticipate.  Is it strange to be looking at furniture and paint chips for a house you haven’t even found yet?  Yeah, it’s strange–I’m counting those chickens before they’ve hatched.  But I’m ready to personalize.  There are many things about apartment living that I like; for example, if something breaks, someone else fixes it and we don’t pay for it.  Also, I haven’t had to mow a lawn for 10 years.  The white walls, though, are driving me crazy–might as well be yellow wallpaper for as nuts as they make me.  I want to paint!  Although painting a flat wall one color is about as artistic as I can get.

Where’s the knitting talk?!?  “Isn’t this a knitting blog?” you ask.  I really like the palette of this yarn for a living room.

Yarn as interior decorating inspiration.  I love it!  I wonder if the paint guys could make a paint that matches that blue?

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

I don’t regret frogging the Sheep Shawl.  I wasn’t very far into it and it wasn’t working out.  What I am having second thoughts about is casting on Juno Regina with that Baruffa Cashwool that I wound on Saturday.  The pattern is working out–I like it and it likes me.  Also, the yarn is both soft and sturdy–at least as sturdy as lace-weight can be.  The problem is that on Friday, I ordered the yarn for the Peacock Feathers Shawl.  As content as I am with Juno, I know that she will get tossed aside like a frumpy hausfrau for a sexy new vixen.  I wonder if it would be more fair to undo the very little (20 rows) that I have done and put her aside when I can focus more completely on her.  I am a bad bad knitter that knows nothing of knitting monogamy.

Also, Matt is still sick and has begun making a sound during the night like someone is attempting to have maritals with an undead goose; it is a very squishy honk.  I need sleep.

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

Let’s please have a moment of silence for the Sheep Shawl who suffered two critical and ultimately fatal injuries this Valentine’s Day.  Two yarn overs were missed.  Although the knitter diligently used a lifeline, the errors occurred in the lifeline row.

Here and here.

The knitter’s patience with the project ran out, and she made the difficult decision to terminate.  The shawl was reduced to its basic components.  Rest in Peace.

To make myself feel better, I made a cup of miso soup and wound 1500 yards of Baruffa Cashwool while appreciating the one year anniversary of my dear ball winder who I love more and more each time I use her. 

Sadly, this was the extent of my Valentine’s Day celebration because my husband is down with the flu.  Although I was give him props for going out despite his illness and getting me some chocolate-dipped strawberries.  I love you Matt (and not just because of the chocolate).

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

…one to go.

Please note that I have already started the second to avoid Second Sock Syndrome.  A three hour training session not only helps a knitter to avoid SSS but makes her darned happy to have a second sock to knit.

I also got yarn mail today.

Witch Bear approves.

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Startitis got tricksy yesterday.  After I organized my stash, Startitis pointed out that a snow day shouldn’t have to settle for just any ol’ knitting project–such a fine holiday deserves a brand new project.  Perhaps Sheldon or that new blue sock yarn.  Luckily my chilly feet pointed out that if I work on the sockotta socks, they’ll be warmer sooner than if I start new.  A few hours later, Startitis suggested getting a head start on Christmas knitting.  I had called Mom to ask her sock size before I cottoned on to Startitis’s plan.  Then Lost started and I lost (haha) interest in taking my eyes off the screen long enough to cast-on.

At school, another teacher and I are looking at European locations for a possible school trip.  Is it wrong that I want to take the kids on the Ireland trip because it says we’d be touring a sheep farm?

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Due to icy roads, I have one whole glorious day home alone.  I can watch whatever I want, play whatever I want, knit whatever I want.  So what to I do to start this most fabulous of days?  I cleaned out our clothes closet.  I’m still not sure what possessed me to spend several hours in our uninsulated (and therefore freezing) closet sifting through old clothes–I’m certainly not known as the most tidy of women.  In fact, I avoid housework as if it will give me cancer.  But I realized this was long overdue when I found a t-shirt from elementary school.  Part of the problem is I need to realize that just because somebody gave me a gift, that doesn’t mean that I must keep it for the rest of my natural life.   When the gift shirt has three holes and an unidentifiable orange stain on the shoulder, it is okay to throw it away.

That ended up as 3 big garbage bags full.

The stash also received this organization treatment.  My stash used to be stuffed in here:

But it got so full that the door would spontaneously pop open and spit out yarn.  This is bad–no one needs a yarn ejection system.  Now the stash is happily ensconced in its new home.

I can now rifle through the stash without errant balls rolling out of the shelf and around on the floor.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.

The Sockotta socks continue.

I love that the heel turn is entirely in purple.

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Don’t panic Linda, I’m not pregnant.  But I’m not sure I could love a child more than I love this:

Matt got me a swift for Christmas.  He, Matt M., and I struggled for 2 hours trying to untangle 2 skeins of Noro Daria, and to preserve our sanity, he got me Mr. Spinny up there to prevent that from ever happening again.  So now when the ladies at the yarn shops ask if I’d like that wound, I proudly say, “No thanks.  I’ll just do it at home.”  (The yarn on the swift is Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock in Ashburn purchased with a gift card from Mom–thanks Mom!)

All of my female family members got a Daria bracelet at Christmas time.  That is some slippery, slippery yarn.  The skeins got tangled, the wound balls collapsed.  I ended up winding the yarn around some size 19 needles and knitting them off the needles like spindles.

But the results are so shiny, no?

Today during finals week boredom, I started some socks out of stashed Sockotta.

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I promised myself that I wouldn’t do it, but my husband asked very sweetly this morning.  And this is the first time that he’s ever asked me to knit anything for anybody.  But it looks like I will be making another one of them.  That’s right–They’re baaaaaack! They are becoming a Christmas tradition.  Next year, I may have to start varying the colors or knitting them for the homeless just for variety.  Or I could just be the crazy knitting lady who knits the same thing for people year after year.  The good news is that this means I get to go to The Woolie Ewe after work.  The chance that I will only walk away with the one skein of Cascade 220 that I need is slim to none.

Those that have been paying attention, know that I play video games.  Because I pay attention, I know that not all of my dear readers care about the n00b ‘lock and blue guy that I pwned last night.  For those who understood what I just said, try my new blog Lavender Blue.

How do I manage two time-consuming hobbies?  Manage? Hah!  Not a whole lot of managing goes on.  More like streaking.  The entirety of August, September, and October were dedicated to WoW, but for the three months before that, I only played Lost Odyssey and that only a tiny bit when my right hand started cramping from the project du jour.  November has started out with more balance.  Some mornings I come into work early feeling peaceful and relaxed–very zen.  The night before, I knitted.  Other mornings I arrive a little late, a lot frazzled, and with one eye twitching.  The night before, I gamed.  Gaming is exciting in a way that knitting isn’t and shouldn’t be.  That’s not to say that accidently pulling your needle out of a half-finished shawl isn’t exciting–however, that heart attack isn’t the goal.

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My mojo took a vacation. Now, I have had missing mojo difficulties before in the past–usually when a particular project was kicking my butt. But switching projects for a bit would work miracles. This time was different–one day, I simply put the needles down and didn’t pick them up again for 3 months. World of Warcraft is partially to blame. It is indeed a huge time suck.

Still, there have been plenty of times when I could have knitted, but I just didn’t. I don’t know why. Perhaps one of the reasons is that I kept feeling more and more guilty as each day that I didn’t knit went by, and I started to feel like my projects resented me. Over the years, I have spent quite a bit of money on yarn, needles, and patterns (especially patterns) that I wasn’t knitting. And I hate wasting money. Of course, it’s not like the yarn would go bad if I didn’t use it right away, and patterns have no expiration date, so taking a couple of months off doesn’t waste any money. I also felt guilty about not going to SnB. Don’t know why. While I’d like to think that a few of the gals missed my sparkling wit, it’s not like they’ll track me down and key my car for missing a few (many) Sundays.

You know what? As soon as I decided to stop beating myself up over not knitting, I feel the mojo begin to flow again. Strange how that happens, no? This Sunday, instead of dragging my laptop over to Dave and Linnea’s to play WoW, I hauled out my knitting. I worked a few repeats of a very undemanding project–a cabled headband. Although I did have to find the pattern because I no longer memorized, I hadn’t forgotten how to knit. Today, in celebration of my miraculous mojo return, I bought the kit for Sheldon from KnitPicks.

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Uh-oh! I haven’t been getting much knitting done.  Having finished Neverwinter Nights 2, I downloaded the trial version of World of Warcraft.  This may have been a mistake.  Is it possible for a game to be too fun?

I do have a little bit of knitting news: I have finally made it back to SnB Sundays.  Because of a few trips to Oklahoma and a headcold (in July, how did that happen?!?), I missed four Sundays in a row!  In honor of the occasion, I started a new little project–the Cabled Headband from The Knitter’s Book of Yarn.  Sometimes it’s nice to do a quick, little project in between all of my long-term ones.

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

Summer continues.  I have no new projects, but my WIPs keep getting longer.  I’ve started sewing a robe for my husband.  No, I’m not knitting him one–I must turn in my Diehard Knitter card.  A little bit of self-awareness informed me that I haven’t the staying power needed to knit a robe for a 6′5" tall man.  As it turns out, I need all my endurance just to knit him big-ass socks.

For the 4th of July, Matt, Dave, Linnea, and I all went to Lake Ray Hubbard for barbeque and boating.  Except for a small meal break (mmm… fried catfish), we spent all day on the water.  I rode the SeaDoo as much as possible and was dragged around the lake on a giant inner-tube thing.  I flew off the tube with a dramatic splash and the boat had to come pick me up.  Then everyone else had to take a turn falling off the tube because it looked like so much fun (it really was fun).  There is a moment though, after you fall off, when you see the boat continuing to speed down the lake, that you wonder if your friends actually will come back for you.

No fresh pictures this post.  I considered taking my camera yesterday.  But when a bunch of people are hanging around in swimsuits, a photographer is their greatest enemy.  Sorry.  Here’s a picture from a couple of years ago of Matt and me in front of the Liberty Bell.

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This has been another week that has been much busier than I expected during my glorious summer vacation.  Putting everything off until summer apparently has consequences.  Between getting the hail damage on Matt’s car fixed, a dentist appointment, a day-long benefits meeting for my new job, housework (ugh!), and shopping for supplies for my new project, very little knitting has been accomplished.  But here is my new project that I started and finished.

For the love of yarn–that’s not knitting! 

So glad you noticed, Observant Reader.  I could not find a cover-up to match my new swimsuit (why does swimsuit shopping suck so much?).  Since I was determined to have a cute little skirt to wear on our Florida vacation, I made one.

For someone who is used to making things by hand, I get such a rush from sewing.  I’m not saying that I like sewing better than knitting–that’s crazy talk.  But there is definitely a high to be had from sewing.  It might be because of the danger factor.  Sure, you can injure yourself knitting by sitting on a DPN or jabbing yourself in the lip with a cable needle.  But sewing has machinery, electricity, and one really fast moving needle.  And getting a finger stuck under that needle hurts worse than anything I’ve done to myself while knitting.  Still, the high won’t last long, and this’ll be a knitting blog again soon.

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

This past Thursday I drove up to Oklahoma to visit my parents.  Despite a hailstorm and a cracked windshield, it was a pretty nice trip.

Last time I visited my parents, I dragged them to a couple of different yarn shops for a mini LYS crawl.  This time my mom beat me to it.  She found a new one for us to visit.  This is especially nice since she doesn’t knit–although she does have the makings of a champion enabler.  She took me to the L & B Yarn Co. in Norman, OK.  This yarn store easily competes with my affections for The Woolie Ewe.  L & B is a very swank shop and the women who work there are very nice.  My dad was dragged along  to the store, and they set him up their classroom with a soda so he could read his book in comfort.  I walked out with–

and 

Those would be Crystal Palace Yarn’s Panda Cotton in Roses and Prism Yarn’s Lacewool in a very pretty Mojave.  The Panda Cotton will of course become socks one day, but I am still not sure what the Lacewool will be.  Maybe the Spirit of the Southwest shawl or the Children of Lir.

We also went back to the Gourmet Yarn Co. and I acquired even more laceweight.

Mom disapproved of my getting a navy yarn when there were more colorful yarns to be had, but this is the perfect color for the Scotch Thistle Stole that I picked up at the Dallas Fiber Festival.

You know what this blog has been missing?  Cat pictures!  Because I have no cats, you’ll have to settle for pictures of my parents’ cats.  Sunny decided to help me bag books.  And Sampson ignored me.

*Update*

This was on the coffee table when I got home.

Matt spent from midnight to 2 am getting the gigantic knot out of the sock yarn.  A husband who will spend two hours unknotting yarn is super special.

Originally published at SpringPlum. Please leave any comments there.

This Sunday, the Dallas SnB had a yarn swap.  This is what I came home with–

I got rid of the cursed red Debbie Bliss and some overly bright Knit Picks Palette.   A bunch of old acrylic went to a women’s prison charity.  The trading was fast and furious, but I managed to score 3 different pairs of sock yarn.  Wait…there’s only 2 types of sock yarn in the picture?  Where’s the other?  It’s busy, you see.  Being a pain in my ass.

That’s a giant knot of Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock in the denim colorway.  And that’s after I worked on it for over an hour.  Argh.

On a much more positive note, school is out for the summer.  My days are student-free until August.  You’d think I would have tons of knitting time, but I’m finding that being a housewife, even a temporary one, involves actual work.