A little of this, a bit of that

Today needed up being a big winding day. Lace is a lot of work to wind - there's mileage on a skein and then the re-winding so it's not tight on the ball. 

I have my Lorna's Laces wound and ready for the Beyond the Wall MKAL. 

 I also wound some sock yarn to do a pair of inside-outside socks for Elise  Working on the Sweet Spot strip has got my Knit One Below mojo tingling again! 

 

I sense a pattern here, but the speckled nature of this lolodidit yarn is making it less clear. I've ordered a couple skeins of her kettle-dyed yarn to make it easier to lock down. 

I went into the Spare Oom this afternoon and bravely started peeling away layers. I found the box that I was looking for, cleared out a bag of rubbish, and got the shelf back in. That was a struggle, and much more challenging than it should've been. I had lines and angles shifting in my vision and reality wasn't matching up. But she persisted!!

I cast on for a hat this afternoon ... I think I've caught a bad case of startitis!! 

 The only cure for that is finishing, so Imma be a busy knitter. 
 
I got my Hedgehog Fibres sock club pkg in the mail, but I haven't opened it. I feel like I should save it as a reward or incentive. I know, but it's a fickle willpower ... I can't resist DQ treats or more yarn lately. 

So, back to the needles I go - a happy knitter I am surrounded by all these inspiring swatches and yarns!! 

Challenge

The power was out for a good part of Angus yesterday and Dairy Queen was closed. It made for an oddly disconnected feeling day. 

I grilled some burgers for dinner and whipped up a Greek salad. I knit until it was dark, accompanied by a movie on the laptop, then music fueled with my back up batteries which I charged in the car as needed. Then it was early to bed and reading on the new kobo. I slept poorly, always checking to see if the power had come back on (ceiling fans), then getting woke up when it did by the shrill beeping of the CO₂ detector. I did get some quality reading time in, which was nice. 

There were all sorts of glitches at work today due to the sudden outage, but we persisted and largely triumphed. 

I swatched last night with lolodidit everyday sock, something blue.  Her dyeing technique is proving something of a challenge to me in sussing out the Sweet Spot, but I do love a challenge. And I am quite fond of saying that if I can find a Sweet Spot in Koigu, I can find it anywhere! I think I see a hint of a pattern, but I'm uncertain. 

 

I'm going to try my hand at the Lucille colourway tonight. 

Timehop had this picture today. 

 

Mixed memories, but it makes me smile, so a win. And any picture with Amanda is a good one ❤️☺️

WWKIP Day 2016

What a wonderful and perfect day for knitting in public!! 

We started off early and seeing Mr Peanut ready to set sail was an auspicious start to the day!! 

 We breakfasted (though in hindsight the sausages may have been a bit dodgy), stopped by Serano's for their famous honey balls, then on to Leslieville Park. We arrived early and set to knitting in public, like we do! 

I got Helen started on her Bottoms Up bag. To be fair, starting on 8 sts in the round, on 15mm needles, with two colours AND in a knit one below pattern is a fair challenge. 

 

Elise joined up a bit later and we were a fierce threesome, knitting and chatting just having fun!!

Craig also came along. He doesn't knit but he came along to meet some of my friends who knit, he chatted up and amused us, helped carry things and even went on a coffee run!! He was a perfect companion and made the day that much more memorable. 

 

Then we went to meet up with Ramona. I have known Ramona online for time beyond memory. She has been a steadfast and true friend through my challenges and triumphs. Meeting her in person was so good though, and man, can that woman hug!!! I love how the Internet has allowed me so many friends that, though I haven't and may never meet them in person, we know each other. 

 

The weather is doing me head in though ... 4^th day in a row with a migraine. This may be a long summer!

I took a ball that bounced off of home plate to the ankle on Friday night. Yup, it left a shiner. Garlic and ice are doing their best. 

 It's tender, but not affecting me otherwise. 

OITNB marathon underway!! I am working on the Bernat Sweet Spot afghan, and am very pleased with how it's progressing.  

 

Plus ça change

I'm still knitting. I kind of lost my knitting mojo there for a bit, and I've been trying to sort out why. I have come to some conclusions and hopefully the realizations will help me keep my voice. 

Today, I am playing with the Sweet Spot again! I am stepping out of my go to fingering weight and indie dyers and am using <a target="_blank" href="http://www.yarnspirations.com/yarn/super-value.html">Bernat Super Value</a>. <i>I know, but I'm going for dog-friendly. I haven't broken out in hives, and the colours are making up for the yarn composition. </i> 

I started with a strip just wide enough to hit the sweet spot. 

It didn't quite resonate with me, so I went double, and went up a needle size.  I am pleased.

I can't wait to get into the other colours. 

The temperature afghan is coming along nicely. The two yellow stripes represent those hot days at the end of May! 

I don't remember if I mentioned it, but I am going with the daily lows for the colder months (Oct - March) and the daily highs for the warmer months (April - Sept). This provides the best use of the extreme temperature colours; otherwise it would be rather mid-range and less interesting. 

The puppies are wonderful, though Chica 

 is quite the handful - always wanting to have someone throw her ball (she's relentless about it) and is still quite guardy with her favorite things. I'm exploring a few options on training her out of it, but it's as bad as advice on parenting!! 

Petey is still my steadfast champion, making sure I'm never short on love and attention. 

My leg has healed well; I play ball and have no noticeable weakness. I usually wear the brace for ball, but not day-to-day. The ankle still swells to icky proportions, but apparently that's normal, so I try to not judge it. <i>between you & me, it's not my fave appendage and likely won't be the model foot for sock pics</i>

Inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion  

/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/

Noun The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: "flashes of inspiration". The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something: "a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display".

When Elise gave me the pattern for her her On The Easy Side pattern it was the beginning of a journey that started with that single questing query, "I wonder if ...".

I wondered if Koigu's PPPM would repeat and pattern as did their Kersti at a particular stitch count. Thus began my journey and exploration of the Sweetspot of a yarn and my resulting scarves/afghans.

I always believed and discussed with Elise the mathematical theory of a predictable repeat based on the skein size, dye sequence and stitch count/gauge but it was well beyond my skill set. I relied on intuition and trial and error.

My day was totally made when Elise & I spoke yesterday and she mentioned an article written by Karla Stuebing in Twist Collective on The Art and Science of Planned Pooling where she said that my design inspired her to explore and extrapolate the maths in the yarns!! Carol Sulcoski wrote an article in the Early Fall 2013 VK on Planned Pooling referencing my design and Karla's work.

I am still exploring indie yarns and have another afghan in the works.

 

 

 

Shawl of Secrecy

And lest you think that I am perhaps knitting on The Emperor's New Shawl, here is a glimpse of the Shawl of Secrecy.

Fast and Busy

ETA pics

 So Linda won the Fastest Knitter Face-Off by 3 sts. I'm still fast but not the fastest on the day. Next year we shall go needle to needle again!!
Amanda & Lincoln, Helen, Jean-Francois & Jordan and so many others cheered me on and we all had fun with the knitting and cheering on the Marlies to a win.

I have finished my Pink Camo socks!!

It's been entirely too long since I finished a pair of socks; I have so many thinning pairs!!


I am making excellent progress on Beth's Seanair. The first sleeve is approaching the cuff.
I am quite certain that I have not erred on the cables this time!!

For a change from 50 Shades of Grey, I picked up my Family Pendragon Sweet Spot strip. I am loving the colours.
I think that I will never get tired of this stitch and deconstructing a dyers colour way!!

I will return to Elise's skirt anon - the linen beckons me even now. The autumnal colour way against the dark grey ... who could fight that?

Kyle plans to go East this week with his girlfriend to work with her father. Amanda makes me proud with her efforts at school.

My health is good; tests confirm this. I do the mundane things required of us all but I maintain a focus on joy, love and the well-being of my spirit and that keeps me in good stead.

Judith put me on to Toastabags!! Miraculous Teflon-type bags that toast the bread and melt the inside of the sandwich!! It's awesome!!! I didn't get them for at home but they'll come on right handy at work.

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NaKniSweMo

Mission Accomplished!!!

I finished my overdyed Koigu Kersti On The Easy Side sweater that was my #1 goal for the NaKniSweMo. There were way more stitches than it would appear with all of the on-the-needle swatching & re-knitting that I did!! You can definitely see the lighter yarn on the sleeves - again, it just deepens my appreciation for the yarn dyers out there who can predictably replicate their awesome yarns. This has sated my dyeing desires for a bit but I'm sure that I'll feel the urge ... someone better warn Buffy!!!

I also finished China Clouds, knit 3 scarves for my Dr.'s secretary & nurse who have been awesome squeezing me in to see the Dr. & helping me out through some of the chemo drama and for one of my best friends who has been an super supportive, and banged out a pair of mittens for Amanda this past weekend.

Phew!! December is not likely to slow me down ... I'll share what I can but some things are still Top Secret! Yeah, you know the drill ;-).

I got a Rx for Arthrotec - it has totally taken care of the crippling bone/joint pain that I was suffering in my legs and the excruciating stomach pains. The drugs in the chemo therapy affect the faster replicating cells in our body - hair follicles and stomach linings are at the top of the list. My fingers are crossed that the subsequent treatments are controlled by the Arthrotec and don't get worse ...
I've got a bit of an eye infection that I have drops for. Irritatingly, the eyelashes on my right eye have mostly come out as a result so I have unbalanced eyelashes. SIGH, it's the little things.
I've also noticed that I don't get "sleep sand" in my eyes in the morning anymore. I guess that the chemo is totally cleansing my body ... how bizarre. My eyes also water constantly, which is annoying.

No Bad News Today

China Clouds progress = excellent!!! I'm almost at the armhole shaping of the back - I might really get this done this month!!!
I am at the halfway point on my On The Easy Side sweater. It weighs 302g which contradicts the 2 part of balls #5 & 6 (which weigh 26g) that I'm on. So I should be good to take out a dark skein & a light skein (I still have 2 light-ish skeins and I only need one for the end of the 2^nd sleeve) and still be able to finish the sweater. The extra 28g won't be problematic - as soon as I hit the spot on the 2^nd sleeve where the light skein needs to be introduced I'll switch to the light skein.

I totally forgot to show you the Signature Needle Arts sock blockers that I received as a gift!! My love for Signature needles is quite well known so this was totally the perfect gift - I can't wait to finish a pair of socks!

AND I won a contest!! It turns out that 800 is my lucky number! Amanda helped me to pick out Vacation as our colourway. You all also know about my love for handdyed yarn so this was a completely excellent win!! Amanda has requested mittens ... she also wants a slouchy winter hat.

Finally - Forward Progress

It has been a busy week!! I have been to Barrie every single day for one appointment or another, I've been picking Kyle up from work in Alliston (long story made short - he gets a ride with his girl friends mom. Yeah, I saw that writing on the wall. Mercifully he's got a ride again!!) and my obsession with finding the perfect Sweet Spot has had me ripping reknitting swatching on the fly to the point where I was seriously considering tossing it in a corner for Mischief to sort out. But you know me, there is not a yarn that I won't master with enough time - I'm nothing if not persistent!! We're back on point and with a Launch My Line marathon on Global Reality today I'm totally going to make massive headway. Crap ... unjinx!!!!

So, that being said China Clouds ... I'll go hard-core on her on Sunday. Elise's socks - getting there. I've been working on some simple scarves as my "waiting room" projects.

I got in to see my family Dr. and she sent me for an ECG which the tech said was good and she is going to get me hooked up with the Holter monitor. It'll probably take a couple of weeks (really?!?) but that's okay, my heart is apparently taking the arrhythmia in stride so I can wait.

I've also waiting for a referral to a dermatologist to take a look at this. I know, it doesn't look like much which is why so many people end up losing their thumbs, big toes or their lives because it seems like such a silly little thing to go to a Dr with. It could be caused by a lot of things - chemo being one of them - but the fact that it is only on a single digit is a red flag. I really hope that it isn't a melanoma but my research1 and research2 would indicate that it verily could be; I'm just praying that if it is it's been caught soon enough to spare the thumb. An opposable thumb is what separates me from lower forms of life!! Okay, confession ... and because I need it to knit. I seriously didn't need something else to think about but at least I have the time to deal with it expediently. I don't know if I would have really paid attention to it had I been working and getting my nails done. Okay, this might be the single benefit to naked nails. It really knocked me on my ass when I first looked it up - I really thought that it would be some sort of deficiency or deposit that I could take a supplement for - but I'm okay-ish with it now. I'm not obsessing about it, it's not occupying my every waking moment but it's hard to ignore.

Plus Ca Change

So I knit both of the On the Easy Side sweaters in the previous post - the Sweet Spot hit reliably at the 40 st point on the sleeves and at that repeat # in the body of the colourful version. On my current sweater it hit at 36 sts on the sleeve - why? I think that it's because I'm using Susan Bates needles instead of the Signature Needles that I used on the other two - my Sigs are being used for China Clouds & I'm loathe to change needles mid-project. Also because of the stiletto tip on the Sigs and my tendency to knit off of the tips I tend to knit tighter on them. I love this sweater so much because of the way the Sweet Spot hits in the body of and shows off the Koigu Kersti so well and that is entirely reliant on the #of sts in the body and I'm doing the M so it's the perfect repeat for a 40st Sweet Spot!!!

So ... I'm already on a 4.5mm (SB) needle and the gauge/fabric is lovely but I tried going up to a 5mm to see if that would work out - too loose and the patterning was too thin (I'm picky ... it's one of my many lovable quirks). Now it's a matter of adjusting the # of sts on the body to hit a 36st repeat. OMG - this is all of the scratching that I did trying to work that out, in addition to having a calculator almost overheating!! I'm going to blame it on the chemo (I will blame as much on treatment as I can) - my brain is totally addled lately!! I need to keep reminding the kids that it's not just because I'm getting old. I will have 20 extra sts on the body; boy am I glad that I dyed up the extra 2 skeins!!!

You'll see if you look closely (up near the top) where I've joined ball #2 - it's definitely a bit more intense in colour. All the more reason for my sorting out the gradation for a more balanced effect across the sweater. This definitely renews my admiration & appreciation for the indie dyers out there who create & re-create predictably such lovely colourways!! It's also cool that the increases above the Sweet Spot creates a bit of a stripey section then the next increase creates a sort of blocked effect.

I'm well under way for NaKniSweMo (OMG - you have no idea how many times I have to type that to get it right!!) even/especially with knitting probably half again as much sorting out the needle sizing - I knit a whack with the 4.5mm Sig, then the 5mm SB then ripped it all out and continued with the 4.5mm SB.

I started on the back of China Clouds - it feels so good to be on the last piece - I'm starting with the border again.




Amanda made the basketball team again - when will she get that she's really is good?!?

Bring it On!!!

Can you even believe that it's November already? No matter, I'm totally ready for whatever it has to throw at me.

I finished the RF of China Clouds!!! Just in time to decide about NaKniSweMo. I was torn - I'm not one to take a challenge lightly and I want to choose a sweater that would be challenging for me but I also am committed to finishing China Clouds, sooner rather than later. And the back of China Clouds is no small task so I've decided that I am going to do On The Easy Side from Knit One Below for which I over dyed some Koigu Kersti specially and have it laid out in knitting order. I sorted it so that the lighter skeins are going to be on the sleeves with the darker/richer colours in the body. I'm going to cast on as soon as I'm done posting this.




I also finished my Sweet Spot strip out of the yarn that I dyed at Shelridge Farm. Mine is on the left, the Creatively Dyed strip is on the right. It was a fun day that is memorialized in yarn!! I don't know what yarn I'll swatch up next - maybe I'll leave it to The People. Y'all did an excellent job picking a hair colour!

The new sleeping pills are the bomb but I have to make sure to take them early enough/go to bed early enough the night before if I've got AM plans because it takes me a bit to crawl out from under that hammer! Not complaining, just saying.

Oh - a winter picture for Elise. I'm not sure that she'll actually get to feel Canadian snow before she heads for her European home so this picture will have to play a good 2^nd fiddle.

Keepin' on Keepin' On

So we had a fabulous night at the Purple Purl - Elise, Lise & I actually shut the place down. They might rethink saying "stay as long as you like" henceforth. ;-) Here's Jen with Mermaid Baby - OMG her name is escaping me (something with a "J" maybe) but she was such a sweet baby providing all non-yarn testers with hours of amusement.

I've been swatching up some of the yarns that we came home with - you guessed it, finding their Sweet Spot!
The SWTC Infatuation was very nice, moving slowly but I liked it then I changed to a new tiny sample ball and it started going way fast and I don't think that I like it; I think that perhaps it's a combination of the bright colours (which I love but may be distracting for the swatch) and not having enough yarn to really swatch up. I loved the slight fluidity of the yarn and the hint of sparkle; perhaps I'll be bold enough to contact them and see if they can spare a couple of balls for my experiment. It will work, I just need to see how.

The Florafil was working excellent at first (even with the bright colours!!) but the fabric felt too loose so I went down to 5.5mm needles from 6mm and the fabric is nice but I'd like the patterning to be a bit different.
I think that I'm going to set it aside for a bit and think on it.

I got another lovely hat in the mail today - thank you Deirdre, it fits perfectly!! The pattern is Odessa (this is a Ravelry link as the original MagKnits link is all brokey) & the yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I don't care how much cashmere may or may not actually be in there ... it's loverly!!!

The 1^st digital issue of Knitters is free & available now. OMG - guess who knit Railroad Tracks (pg 194)?!?! Here's a picture of Amanda wearing it before I sent it off.




Did 3^rd round of chemo today - think that I'm off for a nap. I'm not sure if I'm slightly nauseous or just over-full of water but I'm definitely tired.

Adventures in Dyeing - Results

I dyed 6 skeins of Shelridge Farm's Ultra fingering weight yarn. My plan was to put a pink in each one as a part of my personal story for my next Sweet Spot strip. I had no doubt that Buffy's yarn would have a Sweet Spot and my sister beat me to the punch! She was fascinated with the technique and loved Buffy's yarn so off she went. I'll start on mine probably later in the week - by the time I do my next treatment tomorrow, finish Shedir le Lime & Shedir le Avocado, finish my current SIP, put in more time on China Clouds ... LOL!!









The Koigu Kersti that I over dyed came out beautifully - I can't wait to see how it knits up!! I am going to knit up an On The Easy Side from Knit One Below for me!!

Oh - Buffy also gifted me with some of her lace yarn that had breaks in it so are short skeins. I'm going to weigh them (Thank you my Friend!!!) and work out the yardage and see how much I can do with it. When I'm done I might dye the finished project or just leave it au naturel!

I am really hoping - fingers & toes crossed - that this round of chemo will not affect me any worse than the last one ... I have so much yarn that I want to make into stuff!!! I got a Rx for some sleeping pills (Ah my Lories, how I have missed you!!!) and a kick ass acid antacid which should make the next week(s) easier.