Cheers and Tears

Cheers:  Stonecrop Top

The Stonecrop Top is finished!  Earlier in the week I finished the front of the top and blocked them.  Friday evening I started the finishing; seaming the shoulders and starting knitting the ribbing at the sleeves.  Last night I finished the ribbing and seamed the sides.  It is now taking a final bath to soften the yarn and even out the ribbing stitches.

Tears:  Birds of the Feather

I've come to realize that I am a lose knitter.  I learned this last year when my enabler and I participated in the Jimmy Beans Wool shawl KAL.  Her finished shawl was quite a bit smaller than mine.  She also had a lot more yarn left over than I did.  Fortunately, I had enough to finish.

Well, this year we are both knitting the Birds of the Feather shawl.  We purchased the kits last year at The Wool Gathering from Destination Yarn.  As I approached the last section, I started to realize I was going to be playing yarn chicken.  The last section alternates several rows of the fingering followed by several rows of mohair.  This is repeated 5 times.  In the third mohair section, I ran out of yarn about 30 stitches from the end.  I considered my alternatives and decided that since I had left some fairly long tails in my other mohair sections I'd snip those and tie them in to get the row done.  Part of my justifying thought process was that mohair is a rather sticky yarn and does pull out easily, as I learned when I had to rip out Section 9 earlier in the shawl.  So off I went, snipping and slicing.  Once the row was finished, I decided I'll just knit the fingering in pattern until I run out.  

Well, that plan didn't go so well.  About 4 rows into the fingering section, I noticed some of my mohair splices became undone.  I tried to piece it together, but made more of a mess of things.  I then noticed that I when I snipped off the tails, I probably didn't leave enough.  My shawl was in danger of unraveling at every transition that I snipped. I ripped out everything back to where the third mohair section started, cursing myself for being such an idiot the entire time.

It is now in timeout while I figure out what to do.  I'll finish the fingering.  It won't get me to the end of the pattern, though.  My biggest concern is the compromised transitions.  One thought I have is to  take pieces of the mohair I ripped out and do duplicate stitch along those rows and then weave in those tails.

Cheers:  Test Crocheting

I volunteered to test a new pattern from Life Is Cozy.  She is releasing a crocheted V-shaped shawl called Almond Shawl.  Somehow I started following her on Instagram.  I really can't remember how.  Anyway, since I was finishing up Stonecrop and close to being done with Birds, I thought I'd take a break from knitting and give it a try.  Friday I went to my favorite LYS and picked up two skeins of Baah Yarn La Jolla.  The top is Pink Promise and the bottom is Lemon Drop.  They are beautiful, summery colors.

Tears:  Knitting Temptations

My favorite LYS is closing.  I am absolutely crushed!!  The owner said that due to the COVID-19 shutdowns, the shop was no longer financially viable.  She held special appointment-only shopping this weekend to sell of her inventory.  I am crushed in more than one way.  First, it was my favorite place to get yarn.  Her selection was more high-end, but I always knew I got quality.  And she had wonderful classes and the best staff in the world.  Second, my husband always knew he could go there and get me the perfect Christmas gift, even if it was just a gift card.  Third, I had a dream that after I'm done with my grown-up job in three years, I'd ask Karen if I could work for her.

I guess I need to regroup and start thinking about what else I might do once I retire from IT.

Cheers:  Wikston Top

Last weekend my enabler and I went to a small shop that carries a small selection of fabric and yarn.  I had an appointment to shop there and was able to bring a +1 so I asked Cindy to go with me.  I bought the Wikston Top pattern and some linen.  Yesterday, I traced the pattern.  Today, if I have time, I'll iron the linen and cut out the pieces.  Ed has commandeered the desk I used for my sewing table, so I need to figure out what I'm going to use when I finally get to the point to sew this together.  It should be a quick project.  It'll be a nice diversion from my knitting woes.

Strange Looking Bird and Other Happenings

There was a strange looking bird at the bird feeder yesterday morning.  Two, in fact.  A squirrel spent over 45 minutes heads down in the bird feeder, helping himself to the seed.  A bit later, a chipmunk jumped up to join him.  The feeder is not that far off the ground.  The chipmunk needed 4-5 tries before he was able to grab hold of the side.  Between the two of them they managed to eat about 3 inches of feed.  And the entire time they were there, the birds couldn't eat.  A few brave birds tried to startle them away, but the critters were too engrossed in gorging themselves.  I haven't seen either one today.  My guess is they are in a food coma somewhere.

My sourdough adventures continue.  After killing my first batch of starter, my friend gifted me some of her discard.  This batch happily thrived in my kitchen.

Part of it became a loaf of whole wheat sourdough bread.  I baked this to go with Ed's birthday dinner.  He didn't much care for it, but the rest of the family did.  It was great as toast with some apricot preserves!

Last weekend I made sourdough crackers.  These were a huge hit with the girls.  I added herbs and Parmesan cheese to the dough and then sprinkled the top with paprika and sea salt.  Kristin and I bought some goat cheese from Costco which went perfectly with these crackers.  As good as these were, I think I'm going to tweak the recipe a little next time.  First, I'm going to add more Parmesan to up the cheesy factor.  Second, I'm going to sprinkle additional herbs to the top along with the paprika and sea salt.  Third, I'm going to bake the center squares a bit longer.  The end pieces were nice and crispy.  The centers were firm and crisp, but just didn't quite have the crack for crackers.

The sourdough crackers used up every last bit of my starter, so I am now brewing a new batch.  I won't be able to make anything with it for at least a week.   Things are starting to open up here in Ohio and I think my card club is going to at least try to meet and share a drink or two.  I hope to be able to make a batch of these crackers to take along with some goat cheese.

Stonecrop Top taught me a lesson in being too cocky.  As I approached the last few rows, I realized two things.  First, I didn't have enough yarn to knit the sleeve caps and second, I dropped two edge stitches way back at the start of the decrease rows.  As much as I didn't want to rip back, I had no choice.  I ripped back about 55 rows, placed everything back on the needles and walked away for a couple days.  I didn't totally abandon the top during that time.  Instead of knitting, I was on a desperate search for one more ball of the yarn.  I had a difficult time since the colorway was discontinued and it had been about 3 years since I bought it.  I found a shop in Long Island that listed one ball in stock.  Unfortunately, the shop owner called to say that she thinks one of her staff must have used the ball for a sample and didn't update the inventory.  After more searching, and changing how I ask Google a question, I located another shop, this time in Arizona, who claimed to have the colorway.  After a few email exchanges, it was confirmed that they did have several of the color I needed.  A quick swipe of the credit card and the new ball was in my hands within a couple days.

The knitting gods must have forgiven me.  The new ball was the same dye lot!!  What are the chances? There was 3 years and 2000 miles between the purchases.  I have said many thank you's so as to keep them happy.

One positive of the state of the world right now is that I am not spending much on yarn and related items.  I am only doing necessity purchases, like the ball for Stonecrop Top.  And like this Namaste Crossbody bag from Jimmy Beans.  It was on sale, in my color and highly recommended by my enabler.  What can I say.  I needed a treat.

This is why I needed a treat.  I am once again in a walking boot.  I don't remember when I had one last, but it was at least 5 years ago.  What I thought was plantar fasciitis tuned out to be a torn plantar fascia.  I have a 6 mm lateral tear in the plantar fascia of my left foot.  I have to wear the boot for 6 weeks.  After 6 weeks we'll see if the tear healed itself.  If not, it is surgery.  I would have the choice of either stem cell injections or a more invasive procedure to repair the tear and shave down a significant bone spur that the doc thinks caused the tear.  I think I'm going to opt for the more aggressive option even though the recovery would be a few weeks longer.  My biggest question is if the bone spur isn't removed, what is to prevent me from having another tear in the future?  This time I was fortunate that the tear ran the length of the tendon.  Whose to say that next time it doesn't tear across the width of the tendon and in the worst scenario, completely through.

Having the boot on my foot has it's pros and cons.  One pro is that Ed is waiting on me a bit.  A con is that it makes my left knee and hip ache.  It feels like an extra 10 pounds on that leg.  Trying to go up and down steps is difficult and sitting in a chair is uncomfortable.  I'm too short to begin with to have my feet touch the ground.  Having this extra weight just puts added stress on my joints.

This was going to be the weekend that we were packing up Kristin's things and moving her to Austin, Texas.  As it turns out, she changed her mind and decided not to take the job at the dental practice down there. She had many reasons, none of which I will share here.  I think she made the right decision, but now she needs to find another job.  She and her cat are going to be living with us for a while until she becomes employed and gets herself established. Wish us luck and pray for peace.  Her last long stint at home was in the summer of 2015.  And she and we didn't have cats then.  And those cats DO NOT get along. Don't take that the wrong way.  I am very glad she is going to be closer to home.  She may end up in Cincinnati, but that is a lot closer than Texas.

Over Memorial Day weekend Ed and I went out to Seneca Lake (Ohio, not New York) to spend the day with Trisha, Craig and Craig's parents at their campsite.  It was a fun day with wonderful weather, good company and delicious food.  It was good to get away and forget about being ordered to stay in our homes.

My Birds of the Feather shawl is nearing completion.  I am in the last mohair section and only have the border section after that.  No photos yet.  Once it is done and blocked I'll do a photo shoot with it.

The City Limits sweater is slowly coming along.  I have started the third color, which means I have completed 4 of the 11 color sections of the body.  The increase rows are done and I have about another inch or so to go before I can move some of the stitches to holders for the sleeves.

The weekend is now here and I need to decide what I am going to do to celebrate.  Week 13 of COVID Work From Home is over.  Time for a glass of wine.  Cheers!!

Massive Milestone Missed

In 2012 Kristin graduated high school and enrolled at Miami University.  She had business as her declared major, but I could tell her heart was not in it.  When she came home for Thanksgiving that year, she told us that she wanted to transfer to University of Dayton and study pre-dentistry.  It was quite a shock.  She hadn't ever shown much of an interest in science and always seemed to roll her eyes when I watched science shows.  She later admitted she really did like those shows but didn't want me to know.  We suggested she finish out the year at Miami but she didn't want to wait. She wanted to transfer for the next semester.  We told her that she needed to make the phone calls herself to make it happen.  She did and we moved her out of one dorm before Christmas an into another after the New Year.

Her 3 1/2 years at Dayton seemed to be more partying than studying, at least from our perspective.  There were a few phone conversations about how hard some of her classes were, but most of the stories were about her friends.  As she approached her senior year, the dental school application process began.  I helped her edit her personal statement and drove her to several dental school visits and interviews.  She was accepted at University of Michigan, much to my chagrin (I am an Ohio State University alum) and moved to Ann Arbor in June 2016.

Dental school isn't easy and UofM seemed to do everything they could to make it even more so.  Kristin's class had to deal with severely reduced clinic availability because of renovations the university was doing.  The university makes the students manage their own caseload scheduling, unlike other dental schools like OSU that do that part for the students.  During her third year, Kristin was behind on her required number of clinical credits but somehow managed to get caught up.  We helped a little by having her give us exams and cleanings.  Then just as things looked like her last spring in dental school was going to be filled with celebratory events and a last few clinical requirements, COVID-19 struck and closed the clinic.  After several weeks of no information from the university, UofM provided some online work for the students to do to finish out their clinical credits.  An online commencement ceremony was announced.  On May 8, Kristin officially became Dr. Kristin, DDS.

This picture was taken by her roommate.  I am very grateful to G for taking it.  She didn't get to walk across a stage and receive her diploma.  She only had her picture and name scroll across the screen during the online ceremony.  It was very anticlimactic.  We couldn't be there with her.  It feels incomplete.  She was able to celebrate with her friends after 'graduation'.  Fortunately no one called the police on them.  We had planned to attend the ceremony and take her to dinner afterwards.  But our travel plans were canceled and restaurants were closed for dine-in service.  Instead, we ordered her a special dinner from her favorite place in Ann Arbor.  Wasn't the same, but it was the best we could do.

She and Nala came home this past week and will be in and out while she gets things together before she moves to Texas.  She will be joining a practice in Austin mid-June. She is in the process of getting all the paperwork done for her Texas license.  She'll head back to Ann Arbor at the beginning of June to pack up her apartment.  Then she'll be back her to pick up Nala and drive to Austin.

As I was getting her room cleaned up for her visit, Squeaks decided that she liked Kristin's room and claimed it as her own.  Since Nala is now here, Squeaks isn't allowed in the room.  We'll see if she's as fond of it after Nala's scent has permeated the room.

Work from home continues.  Week 9 just ended.  I have settled on a location in my house to work, my dinning room.  I have a window that faces the front of the house and I can see birds and other activity, helping to not feel claustrophobic.    The only issue is the chair I'm using.  It is a kitchen chair which isn't ergonomically correct for computer use.  A new chair has been ordered on Amazon and should arrive in a week or so.

I'm making progress on a number of knitting projects.  The Stonecrop Top is nearing completion

I have about an inch left of the front before I start the decreases for the right shoulder.  After that it gets blocked, sewn and then the sleeve caps knit.  It should be ready to wear sometime in June, just in time for the hot weather.

Birds of the Feather almost went into hibernation.  I had knit section 9 and was in the middle of section 10 when my friend texted me about the trouble she was having with section 8.  While trying to help her, I took a close look at my work and realized I misread the instructions for sections 9 and 10.  All my work on those sections was ripped out and I restarted.  In case you've never done it, ripping out mohair is not fun!  I was so mad at myself I was tempted to throw it aside.   After some days away to calm down, I decided I didn't need another UFO sitting around and plowed along.

Startitis is a chronic condition for me.  It flared up again last weekend and I cast on City Limits.  It looks like it will be a quick knit.  There are 11 color combinations.  I have already completed the first and am a few rows into the second.  It'll be too hot to wear this when I get it done this summer, but it'll be nice to have on hand for the fall.

Not sure if I shared this project or not.  This is a little outfit I made for my niece who was expecting a baby.  The little one, a girl, was born this past week and this ensemble was mailed yesterday to her.  The sweater is Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig and the shoes are Baby Jane Booties.  I knit the sweater out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.  I had enough leftover to make the little booties, which ended up so sweet.  I'm very happy with how it all ended up.

House arrest hasn't been kind to my body.  I've gained a little weight and my size has increased, mostly do to loss of muscle tone.  I'm not walking as much as I used to.  Today is cloudy.  Tomorrow and Monday are predicted to be rainy and stormy.  It's time now to sign off and get a walk in.  Later!

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And So It Continues

Week 7 of the Stay-At-Home order has come to a close.  A couple  days ago the governor announced it is being extended to May 29,  Oh, let me be correct, the Stay-At-Home order is done.  It is now a Stay Safe Stay Home order.  Whatever they want to call it, we are still all stuck at home.  Some businesses are allowed to open their doors a week from Monday, but many are still not.  Those that are not are primarily the small businesses that are suffering the most:  hair and nail salons, gyms, etc.  My husband and I continue to work from home.  His company is permitted to resume work from the office on Monday, but they have decided to wait until the end of the month before phasing back in.  I contract for the state and it is obvious the governor is in no hurry to get the state staff back in the office.  

I actually like working from home.  I think I am more productive.  I'm not interrupted by someone popping by my desk or distracted by random office chatter.  The team I work on has demonstrated that we are more productive working remotely.  I do miss seeing them, though.  If restaurants open before we are permitted to go back in the office, I'm going to suggest we all meet up somewhere for lunch or an afternoon team meeting.

Well, I do occasionally have someone popping by my desk.  But she tends to not stay long.  She'll jump on the table, walk across my keyboard, demand a few scratches and wander away to take a nap in a chair.  She leads a very difficult life.

Last weekend I was able to transplant some succulents I've had growing in the same pot.  They are now separated and being monitored to see that they survived the ordeal.

I'm not too worried about this one.  It grows like a weed.  When it drops one of its leaves onto the soil, it roots and sends up another shoot.

This little guy and his brother were started by seed when Trisha was in kindergarten.  They were among the many cacti in the pot and I think suffered the most from the overcrowding.  Now that they are in their own pots I expect them to grow faster.

This is the one I am most concerned about.  My parents gave me this cactus back in 1987.  It was only about 1 1/2 inches back then.  When I transplanted it I found out that all of its roots are on the one side.  I couldn't get it centered in the pot and I don't have another pot large enough to accommodate it.  I'm also worried that if I move it again it may be traumatized.  I'll leave it go for this year and try to find a wider pot next year.

My Birds of a Feather is coming along.  This picture was taken a few days ago.  I am done with the first part where stitch count increases.  There are 8 sections in the static part.  I'm in the middle of 2 out of the 8.

I've mentioned before how I get easily enticed by knitting I see others do.  A few weeks ago while watching a podcast I saw the City Limits sweater by Tanis Fiber Arts.  I realized that I had enough stash yarn to make one for myself.  After several stash dives, a few consultations with my knitting enabler and one small order to Miss Babs to round out the palette, I came up with this scheme.

Starting from the top, colors 1, 3, 4 and 5 are Miss Babs Tarte fingering.  Color 2 was purchased last year at the Pittsburgh festival and was a special colorway for the event from an idie dyer.  Color 6 is Fiber Optic Footnotes.  After a few rounds of debate with the enabler, it came down either this scheme or one where the blue and green are swapped.  I think I prefer the green next to black so I'm going with that.  This will get cast on once I finish Birds or one of my other WIPs.

While searching for needles for City Limits, I came across a WIP I began two years ago on our trip to Iceland:  Stonecrop Top.  This project got relegated to the UFO bin because the yarn was not making me happy.  It is a chain plied cotton-linen blend.  It has a tendency to unravel, forcing me to cut the yarn and tie where it is good again.  When I saw it in the basket I pulled it out and decided to give it another try.  It is a good knitting project while on teleconference calls.   I now have the back finished and am close to a quarter of the way through the front.  My only fear is that I may not have enough yarn to finish.  I see a serious game of yarn chicken coming my way.

Since being at home, I am getting more knitting time.  I've decided to designate my projects either work knitting or home knitting.  Work knitting are those projects that are primarily stockinette, like Stonecrop or the Discovery poncho.  Home knitting are those that require a bit more of my attention.

At some point later this year, I'll report how many UFOs I finished and how much of my stash was used.  2020 is the 'make do' year.  Sort of.  Only because the fiber festivals have all be cancelled.