Ruminants R Us

A couple years ago I accompanied a friend to Vashon Island where he bought a sailboat. While we were there we attended the Strawberry Festival and there was a parade. A very small town, country parade. In this parade was a flatbed truck with goats on it and a sign on the side "Rent-A-Ruminant". What a cool idea! You rent the goats and they will eat up all your blackberry bushes gone wild. I haven't thought about them since but on the way home last evening I noticed a bunch of people standing on the trail on a bridge that overlooks a driveway that goes under Pacific Avenue. This driveway has tall sides which are covered with brush and blackberry bushes. I thought at first that people were there because of the man who set himself on fire (!!) but actually they were looking at a flock of goats [is that right? Are goats in a flock?]. I stopped on my way in this morning and took these pictures. Isn't that wild? They are doing some serious eating there. You can see on the left they are working their way up the hill.

I got my February Lady Sweater back on track yesterday and got myself back to where I was on Tuesday before I discovered the mistake. And my hands have finally quit hurting. They were very sore from all of the backwards knitting I had been doing.

I can't believe that October is all but over. Soon it will be winter. I am NOT looking forward to that. On the positive side, I am starting to work again with the rock band I was singing with before my little detour with the other band. I don't know if I mentioned it or not but as soon as I got married - before actually - the band leader replaced me!! Said he didn't think I would have enough time for music. By the way, he's married and he seems to have the time. He's just a jerk and good riddance. The real reason is that he FINALLY figured out that I wasn't going to have an affair with him. I guess he kept thinking I'd give in until I got engaged. Creepy, isn't it?

An evening of un-knitting

Also known as tinking .... that's how I spent my lunch hour yesterday and my evening last night. I got to the point marked where the mistake originated. It was a missing YO that caused all the problems. Here's the thing though ... I know that there must be a way to re place that missing YO without having to tink back one further row. The mistake, as luck would have it, is at the very first 7 stitch group. So unless I can find how to pick up a missing YO on the following purl row I'm going to have to take out one more row. And after that -- markers!!! How could I have been so stupid as to think that I wouldn't need markers? I had myself talked into not using them because it's only a 7 stitch, 4 row repeat pattern. So easy. Yeah and I'm easily distracted too! Stupid stupid stupid! I've learned my lesson, I tell you that. Especially after having to tink back not once but twice and both times 4 or more rows!! What a time waster. Anyway, hopefully Google will be able to help me find the answer to my quest. If not ...

I rode in today after having been off for nearly a week. Not too bad, although I had a hard time getting going this morning. It's so dark outside. I'm sleepy still. More tea!

Can you hear me screaming??

I am having THE most frustrating time with my February Lady Sweater! I can't believe it. It is a very simple lace pattern. I have it memorized it's so easy. And yet .... I keep messing it up! Saturday I was watching football [okay okay I probably shouldn't have been knitting] and that is where I made the first mistake. I realized it when I got to the end of a row and was short a stitch. Sunday I spent hours tinking back about 4 rows. I was so proud of myself though for actually doing it but I knew I couldn't stand to have a mistake since the entire body, save for the yolk, is lace. I have been home this week, not feeling well, so I haven't been knitting a lot -- a row here or there when I felt up to it. But here I was last night knitting along and I realized hey ... it shouldn't be k2tog here. *sigh* I looked closely and sure enough I had made ANOTHER mistake some ways back and now I'm going to have to tink back again!!! I put it down carefully and brought it in to work today for noon knitting. I didn't have the patience last night to mark the exact spot. What I have learned here is that no matter if it's a 7 stitch repeat, put some markers in there! I will, once it is tinked back to a mistake free spot, place markers every 3 or 4 repeats so next time I make a mistake I can find it right away. My yarn is getting grubby, it's been handled so much! And here I was thinking I might be ready to tackle a REAL lace knitting project. But if I can't handle this very elementary lace project how can I hope to be able to knit this? I bought the Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts magazine Friday evening and I can't get the Frost Flowers Stole off my mind. I've got to finish this Lady Sweater to perfection before I can even hope to make the lace stole.

Saturday, before I was feeling really bad, I met my friends at a vintage button sale. I was looking for some nice buttons for the February Lady Sweater and whatever else caught my fancy. Here's what I walked out with. The top left are plastic and pink-ish but they look wooden. The bottom right are also plastic but have a sparkle to them and the opposite corners are carved pearl. They are really really pretty. I could have bought lots more cool stuff but held back. No need to start yet another collection.

I found that the autumn weather is perfect for the Trellis Shawl. I wasn't sure I was ever going to wear that but it was perfect for running errands and you can't notice the sleeve mistake. I like it.

Well, wish me luck at noon knitting finding my mistake. grrrrrrr

My Hemlock Ring Blanket

Here is my lovely Hemlock Ring Blanket, pinned out on a comforter on the floor. I put it in the washer(! I know!!) and had it rinse and spin out, then pinned it out so that the cute little edging shows. Since my washer is a front loader I figured it would be fine and it was. Perfect way to block this since I was thinking how am I going to soak it and be able to wring enough water out of it to get it to the laundry room without dripping all over! It was almost dry by the time I went to bed last night but I thought I'd leave it all day to make sure it's nice and dry. I am very glad I decided to add the bits of angora and mohair along with the Silk Garden because it gives it a bit more interest and it's very soft. My only complaint is that I should have used a bigger yarn and needles. This is not huge. Maybe 4 feet across from point to point. It is definitely a lap blanket and not something you could snooze under. But .. yes, it's pretty and I most certainly will be doing some cuddling under it.

I started the February Lady Sweater last night and got up to the second buttonhole. Garter stitch for the first part of it and it goes quickly. I'm using that bargain Cashmerino Aran I got at the Village Yarn and Tea Shop a couple months ago. I started it during the football game last night. The Seahawks got beat up on national television. It's just so sad.

Being 8 1/2 miles from work is sometimes a whole different weather system. This morning it was cloudy at my house and there was water on the cars so it had been raining, but it wasn't even windy when I left the house. But less than 3 miles in and it was blowing quite hard and raining. I arrived at work soaked to the bone and to add insult to injury I found I had forgotten to bring shoes! I am sitting here in my nice clothes wearing my running shoes. They don't go with the outfit. I have my biking clothes draped all over my office in hopes they will dry sufficiently by 4:30 so I can ride home in them. If not I guess I'll have to ride in my running clothes. Let's hope they don't get soaked as well today.

The torture that is insomnia

Oh man .. it got me again good! Wednesday night I went to bed as usual, after a nice dinner out with friends to watch the debate and an hour or so watching TV and knitting. Nothing out of the ordinary. But I woke up at about 2:30 and I couldn't go back to sleep. I should have gotten up right then and taken a Benadryl, because they just knock me out and I was a bit congested. But I kept thinking I was going to fall asleep. One hour led to another and I know you're not supposed to look at the clock, but I couldn't help myself! Finally at 5 I knew I was cooked. I got up and took some Benadryl and sent a message to somebody I had an appointment with at work, letting her know what was happening and that I had to try to get some sleep. I was finally able to drift off after my DH got up at 6:45. That lasted all of 90 minutes when he came blasting back into the bedroom. One of his guys was stuck on the way to a job and the van wouldn't start.

I tossed and turned then for another hour when I just gave up at 9 and got up and turned on the computer. At this time of year I'm still quite busy, so I just worked. I was a zombie. I drank a couple cups of coffee and just plugged away. I checked this morning, doesn't look like I messed anything up. On the plus side, part of the reason I couldn't sleep is that Wednesday I started working on a new programming project and I am just SO EXCITED about it! It is so geeky that I hesitate to even speak about it. But it's a good thing to be excited about going to work and digging into a project. It's fun. It's like working puzzles all day and at the end of it something cool happens on the computer!

I worked all day yesterday in my office and it is so much more comfortable than my office in my old house. Same chair and same desk, but the colors are better, the windows give better light. I just love my house. S was going from one crisis to another, but his office is on the main floor and really I can't hear much. He tends to speak quietly on the phone. After giving Tinkie her walk it was nearly six. I hadn't even planned dinner and hadn't taken anything out of the freezer but I swear, I was so groggy and out of it I didn't even want to get behind the wheel to drive to the store, so we snacked on cheese and crackers while S worked some more and I knit on the Hemlock Ring Blanket, then I threw some huevos rancheros together. Not too exciting but it did the trick. I finished the main part of the blanket and started binding off last night. It is slow going, that bind off. But very very pretty. I will be able to finish it up, maybe tonight but surely tomorrow and then get it wet and block it. I can't wait!!!

There was the camera ...

and it's still there on top of my desk. So no pictures of the hat. No pictures of the blanket either. Today I drove in because we're going out right after work and it's impossible for me to get home and cleaned up and look anywhere near decent after sweating like a pig two times in one day. Because I drove in I am able to bring my blanket in progress to Noon Knitting today. I put three rows of beautiful angora in last night and it's so wonderful I'm thinking of doing another if I think there's enough yarn. Then I will have about ..errr 5 or 6 rows left before the fancy bind off. This is going to be such a wonderful cuddle blankie. Not huge, but just a nice lap warmer. Plus which, bonus, it's pretty!

I had a wonderful run on Monday. I can't run today but that's just as well. I want to take it nice and slow. Last time, a few weeks ago?, I started off too quickly and my legs were so sore I couldn't walk up and down the stairs at home! I'm sore, but it's not debilitating. I ran 5, walked 5, etc. I will do it again tomorrow. I need to get my wind back. Although I ride my bike it's just so entirely different.

The one day vacation

Or, as it's also known ... the long weekend. I took last Friday off as a vacation day. I was that close to just going crazy, I needed some time off so badly! I slept in, I went to the mall and had a manicure and pedicure, I bought some sorely needed work clothes and found a most awesome pair of boots. A super shopping trip. I didn't buy a lot -- a pair of pants, a cardigan, two camis, a tunic and a skirt. And the boots.

The weather was just gorgeous Friday. Tinkie got a long walk and then I had all afternoon to knit, which is what I did. Saturday, after some grocery shopping and a couple other errands I did the same thing. I made a pompom for the Where's Waldo Hat, which is now finished but I didn't bring my camera in - I'll do that tomorrow. It was the first pompom I had made and it was easy. And the hat is perfect. He loves it. My blanket is nearly completion - I have about 15 rows to go. It's getting rather large though. Saturday night I knit until I couldn't move the stitches around any longer and put it on a 52" Denise cord yesterday. I'm excited to finish it.

Now that anatomy is done I have three classes to manage until December. Three classes don't take up as much psychic energy as the one anatomy class so I'll be able to get a few more things done that have been sitting on the back burner. For instance, get my name changed. I know! I've been married over three months and still haven't gotten that paperwork done. And today I'm going to start running again - looking forward to that a bunch! Now that my body is really used to the much longer bike ride and my ankle has stopped hurting I think it's safe to ease myself into it. And next week I'm going to add a couple days at the gym back into the routine as well. I think it's been nearly a year since I've gone to the gym. Not that I go a lot on my regular routine - just Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime. A little cardio and lift a few weights. But I can tell my upper body is getting weaker because I haven't been doing it and I've got the time and no excuses so ... that's the plan.

And lastly I'm going to start working again on a project that I started last year but I had to put it down because I got so caught up in that December meeting. It's a geeky database thingie for keeping track of exam questions. I've got it all plotted out in my head, but now it's time to do the work.

It was football Sunday - tickets for the Seahawks/Green Bay game. Bad. Very very very very bad. It's hard to be a fan at times like this.

Could I just please knit a little bit????

Apparently not. I haven't been able to carve out a few minutes to myself to just sit and knit for days! I thought last night was going to be it. I was ready to pick up the blanket again and get a few more rows done. But not. I was just stepping into the shower when my DH tapped on the bathroom door to tell me that our tenant and his SO were coming over to pick up some piece of electronics. *sigh* I was not feeling social. Hard week, hard day, I just wanted to get into my sweats and veg out but I had to put on my happy face and be a hostess. Lucky me, they are just a wonderful couple and she and I had a drinkie while the guys went about their techno quest. But here's the deal - S always says about this guy Dave that he's a real talker and he can never get him to shut up. Well, I've got news for my DH, he's no slouch in that department either. Poor Heather needed to get home to start baking a birthday cake for her son, who was home waiting for his dinner and we couldn't get these two to shut the *$%&# up! I did learn about a couple of really cool iPhone applications .... Anyway, we just get them out the door and I'm starting to get dinner cooking and S tells me his parents are on their way! I like his parents but you can't shut them up either! And his mom needed help with her computer again. He had spent a couple hours with her a day or so ago but she messed something up .. I have no idea what, but they spent another hour in the office while our dinner got overcooked. We finally ate around 8:30 or 9 ... I can't even remember. And then by the time I got the kitchen cleaned up it was time for South Park. The new season started. So. That's the story of why I didn't get to knit. Faaaassscinating.

I have made arrangements to take tomorrow off as a vacation day and boy do I need it. I am so out of it and groggy and tired and overwhelmed and behind on all sorts of things. My stacks have stacks. Yesterday the housekeepers came and I always forget that when they dust my bedside table they always dust my clock radio and either turn it way up or way down or change the station. I didn't check it last night before I went to sleep and this morning I was so out of it that the radio played static for 18 minutes before I woke up! And then I couldn't figure out what the heck that noise was. Tomorrow S is going to take Tink downstairs with him in the morning and I am going to sleep sleep sleep sleep! And go to the mall and get my nails done and shop and come home and put my feet up and knit and knit and knit! And repeat it on Saturday. Sunday we're going to the game or I'd do it then as well!

I think it was frost

On my way in this morning there was a bite in the air and I could swear that I saw frost at the side of the trail in the shade. Friday it stormed something fierce and I had ridden in bike shorts since it wasn't that cold. It was POURING rain on the way home. In less than 2 miles my feet were soaked through to the socks. By the time I got home I was wet through and through. I had to drive in yesterday but yesterday evening I checked my shoes and they were still wet! I put them in the dryer. It's lovely this morning but cold. I believe more rain is coming this week but so far it looks like we'll have good weather for the football game Sunday. Hope the Seahawks show up.

I didn't get to knit last night because I went to a really fun market research group. I must say I just LOVE getting paid for my opinion -- something that I give away free on a daily basis. Last night was a techie kind of product and very interesting for me. Sometimes the subjects are so freaking boring that I have a hard time coming up with an opinion (flood insurance?) but last night I was full of them. But I want to knit some more on my blanket. Maybe tonight. We do have new episodes of South Park coming up tonight. yay!

Work is driving me crazy. I am going to do my very best to try to get Friday off as a vacation day. I need to wind down before the next big push.

Except for the football ....

it was a pretty nice weekend in that I had great gobs of time to myself and I just knit and knit until my hands were too sore to knit any more. Besides finally finishing up the peacock tail scarf, and getting some good work done on the Hemlock Ring blanket I also started a super simple lace scarf (rather like fishnet) with the two skeins of awesome Artyarns beaded silk I got. It is just the most decadent yarn!

On Saturday I dropped by the LYS to get something soft and fuzzy for the blanket. Holding a strand of the Fonty Kidopale was not working -- too fine a yarn. But I wanted mohair and I found some gorgeous English mohair on cones at the LYS in a color just perfect for the blanket. So I wound off just under 2 ounces of it and it's perfect. Exactly the right color and very soft. I felt pretty special in the LYS - all the ladies were making over my blanket. Made me feel like a real knitter!

After washing my little doggie I had the whole entire afternoon on Saturday to knit! Bliss!! I got tons done on the blanket. And it was lovely up until it started storming and the wind came up. I had asked my DH to take down the canopy he had put up on the deck to protect the barbecue and tables and chairs when we had that party two weeks ago. However, he just hadn't gotten around to it. The wind picked up and got under the canopy and lifted the whole thing!! I was so afraid a leg was going to go through the glass doors and/or the windows so I had to get out there and try to wrestle the canopy off of the frame. NOT a pretty picture. I was so mad!!! I got it handled and you can bet he had the frame down and put away on Sunday afternoon.

I was itching to start something with the beaded silk and after a little lay down yesterday afternoon (also one of my goals for the weekend - catch up on sleep!) I started a very simple lace scarf. Here's where we are as of this morning. The glass beads are not very evident here but they are so cool!

While I had taken off a bit early on Friday I didn't get any rest, since I was working at home all afternoon. Saturday I wanted to sleep in but Tink was having none of it, nor could I sleep in on Sunday. But I did have that little nap, not that I slept. Ah but Sunday night - I held on until 9 and then I had to turn in and by gosh, I slept 8 whole hours! I feel pretty good. It's going to be a gruesome week. I really want to find a Friday or a Monday I can take off and have a 3 day weekend. We shall see.

Insomnia and stress

Yep -- they go hand in hand for me. At least lately I've not been waking up screaming with nightmares probably because I can't sleep long enough to get into REM sleep. Last night I took a Benedryl before I went to bed and that helped. I was finally able to get a good night's sleep and when I did wake up I managed to keep my head quiet and NOT think about work and I went back to sleep. I'm still groggy but at least it's Friday and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Next Wednesday is the last final for this one particular class and after that I'll only be doing 3 classes, which don't take up as much time or energy as this one. I cannot wait. And in the meantime to help me along I'm going to take off early today, maybe even before 3. Considering I was working and taking calls at home up until nearly 9:30 on Wednesday I think it's okay.

I have been knitting away on the Hemlock Ring Blanket but I've no more pictures today. It is getting too big to stretch out on the needles I currently have it on. This weekend I'll slip in some of my really really long Denise cords and snap a picture. I have done a few rows with the Cash Iroha and mohair together. I didn't realize that the mohair I had purchased was lace weight. I held it together with the main color and you can't even see it! It does make the Cash Iroha a little softer and give more halo so I'll probably do more of that as well as perhaps putting 3 strands together. I have two colors of the Fonty Kidopale and one of another mohair that I long ago lost the band from, but it's probably Kidsilk Haze. The 3 strands together should be enough for worsted weight and I could do a few rows of that. The Silk Garden looks really nice.

I only have a few rows to go on the Peacock Feather scarf so perhaps tonight I'll put on some mindless movie or watch some DVR and finish that up, get it off the pile, so to speak. The DH is working tonight and tomorrow night so I have plenty of alone time to knit.

The thing about blankets

I started another blanket. I just was not feeling that log cabin thingie I started. In fact it was ugly. I want to make a blanket but there is usually something icky about them to me. I think it's because so many people made ugly crocheted monstrosities out of cheap acrylic yarns. That gave homemade afghans a bad name in my opinion. The Cash Iroha I purchased on eBay arrived yesterday and I had been looking at the Hemlock Ring Blanket off and on for a while. When we went to the Puyallup Fair I also noticed a nice kit with several different kinds of yarn that made a really cute and cuddly blanket. The Cash Iroha is a beautiful shade of purple called Wisteria. See? And it knits up with a lovely halo due, I suppose, to the cashmere content. I also have several left over balls of Silk Garden and some beautiful angora and mohair that I bought when I was in Paris last time. I think that they would go very well with this yarn and add just a little extra to the blanket. I will have to experiment and be willing to rip back if it doesn't work. Something I'm not all that keen on, but maybe if I can make myself use lifelines it wouldn't be so daunting. Here's my start that I made while watching re-runs of "Lost" last night. Pretty gutsy, doing lace, even though it's on size 8 needles, while watching TV. I'll have to take a close look at it before I go any further to make sure I didn't mess up too badly.

Oh what's better than a good yarn bargain??

Yes okay sure, there are a few things better but .... I just had some spectacular luck on Friday. First of all it was gorgeous outside (and continues to be so -- supposed to be up close to 80 today and tomorrow). We have all been working so hard and such long hours and I had a free afternoon. So with the chairman's blessing I took off early. I needed to get some shampoo for the doggie and thought I'd swing by Tuesday Morning since people had been talking about a yarn sale there. Usually it's just junk but it never hurts to look. I found two skeins of Elsabeth Lavold Angora in a nice teal color that my friend Kate likes. Perfect to knit something for her. Nice yarn, too. Also earlier that day I snagged two skeins of Artyarns Beaded Silk at Yarnzilla for half price! An incredible turquoise color that I need to find the perfect lacy pattern for. And finally I got 12 skeins of Noro Cash Iroha in a beautiful lavender on eBay for less than half price. I am thinking I might use that for the Cascade Cables Pullover instead of the Seta Lana that I have started with because I think the Seta Lana is just a little too bulky. Well .... I'll have to (gulp) swatch. And also I am going to have to take some time and update my stash pictures for Ravelry. I am behind.

Saturday I did get my felting done, as well as my nails and grocery shopping for the dinner on Sunday. I was using S's top loader at the old house and I had never used it before for felting so I ended up having to run the thing twice. If I had been there I could have checked it during the cycle and just let it run longer, but ... oh well. The hat turned out perfect although I am not all that keen on the colors. The bag will be fine and useful when the handles are on it. I wish it had felted up a little tighter but it's fine. Great colors.

Saturday night was torture - the quarterback of the Huskies broke his thumb and although the second stringer did okay, it was not good enough to win. The Seahawks had a bye week. The weather cooperated and I got some good time in the garden on Sunday. The vegetables are all done and I cleaned out the beds except for the tomatoes. They will still be ripening for a while yet. The dinner was fine and I am looking forward to a quiet couple of evenings now. I am done with company for a while.

Hooray for the end of the week!

I am just so ready for the weekend. I have been exhausted all week and yesterday was just SO busy. All I want to do when I get home is collapse. I am going to sleep in tomorrow! I have all of the errands I never got around to last weekend to take care of but at least I won't have to get out of bed at 6 in the morning and maybe I'll even get to take a nap. I am quite anxious to get the bag and hat felted and I'll do that Saturday while my car is getting it's jiffy lube and I'm getting a manicure and stuff. The Husky football game isn't on until 7 pm so I'll have all day to do my things and shop, etc. and then relax and watch football (until it gets too painful). We're having a dinner for S's son on Sunday. He's going away to school Monday morning. And besides cooking and baking on Sunday I have GOT to get into the garden. I've not had time to do it the past couple of weeks and it needs some TLC.

I worked only a little on my peacock scarf last night. It's nearly done and I have to start thinking about what I'm going to pick up next. Maybe I'll get back to working on the Cable Cascade Pullover. I put it away when it got warm and now may be the time to pick that up again. .... or not.

Happy autumn

Oooo boy did I feel the difference today! I was cold on the way in to work! My ride starts off down hill and the wind on my hands ... wow. My fingers were numb by the time I made it down to the water and I had to stop and put on some little glove liners over my riding gloves. It hurt.

Had a super SUPER busy weekend and while I did get some good knitting done, in fact I'm almost done with the hat, I just couldn't bring myself to go out of the house on Sunday and go do the felting. In fact I fell asleep at 4 and slept until 7, then went to bed at 10 and forgot to turn on my alarm and slept until 7 in the morning with S's alarm went off! Now that's tired. Worn out. Lots of company with 3 little girls sleeping over both Friday and Saturday nights and then we had a family housewarming on Saturday afternoon/evening. The big bathtub finally got broken in. I know, it's hard to believe that I've resisted getting into that lovely tub but it's been just so hot! I haven't felt like a bath. Those little girls really loved it though, especially when I turned on the jets and whipped the bubbles up into a froth. That bathtub reminds me a lot of a bathtub a friend of mine had in Paris, although his didn't have jets.

I have a balance on my Paypal account that's eating away at me. I want to splurge on some really fancy yarn -- maybe Artyarns Beaded Silk. But I can't make up my mind so I'm going to let it go for now.

Work is just so busy -- yesterday I didn't even come up for air all day. I wolfed down my lunch in a few minutes around 1 and kept on going. Hopefully today it'll calm down a bit.

Genius!!

I have fallen in love with my iPhone all over again! While I was home sick on Tuesday I took the opportunity to download the updated iTunes and the updated software for my iPhone [which, as an unfortunately side effect, lost all of the music and I had to RE-load it which took practically the entire day]. The new software has a "Genius Playlist" function. What this is, besides pure genius, is a way for you to make a 25 song playlist based upon a song you like. How many times have you put your iPhone or iPod on shuffle and it just wasn't playing what you were in the mood for? Now you can pick a particular song you'd like to hear, hit the Genius button and it comes up with 24 little friends to match your mood. I absolutely LOVE it!! I had that thing plugged into my ears most all of yesterday. I highly recommend it if you haven't taken the time to download the software yet. It is really really cool.

Things that annoy me - there are plenty of them, sure. I'm a crabby kind of person I guess. No ... no wait, I think I'm just sensitive. Yeah. And truth be told I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who get annoyed at these types of things, just like I do. Plenty! So here's what is bugging me today -- the crazy over-protective state we find ourselves in. I'm not talking just about government regulating who can smoke where. Even though I'm a non-smoker I think it's just insane that a bar can't be designated a smoking place and if you don't want the smoke, don't go there. But I don't want to get off on that rant ... here's the deal. We have detour signs on the bike trail because they're fixing the places where tree roots have pushed up the pavement. I took the detour yesterday morning and it was ridiculous and dangerous and, yes, annoying! On the way home, realizing that I could bike 1/2 a mile out of my way when I was maybe 25 yards from my exit from the trail, I got off my bike and walked up to the barrier and looked. Hmmm ... nothing. So I pushed my bike around the barrier and went up a little ways to the bend in the trail and sure enough there was a patch of maybe 12 feet. Right in front of my exit. Now I had just seen a jogger come through there so I knew there was no reason I couldn't go through. So I pushed my bike along the dirt next to the pristine tar and that was that. This morning the signs were still there but I just totally ignored them and rode on through. You could see that was what quite a few other people had done as well. I mean ... it was hard when I went home last night! Who are they protecting??

I am just SO glad this week is over. I was so tired yesterday when I got home. I finished up the i-cord bind off for the Trellis Tote. As a side note, if I hadn't known how to make i-cord I would have been totally lost in the directions. She doesn't tell you to put the three stitches back onto the left needle after you knit them. It makes a lovely bind off though. So I got that done and started the hat. No pictures of the hat, but here's the bag pre-felted, obviously.

The strange laws of yarn

Yesterday afternoon at noon knitting I was working on the Trellis Tote and didn't really feel like that last skein of Kureyon was going to make it through the whole 6th row of the windows. Since I was still a bit under the weather I had driven in so I stopped at the LYS on the way home to get another skein just in case. And while I was there I picked up two more skeins for the hat AND a flat topped hat form. You know what that means though, don't you? Because I managed to find and buy a skein in the same dye lot I made it through that sixth row of windows with about 12 inches of yarn to spare. Not that I mind having an extra [hah, is yarn ever extra? It's like extra money .. no such thing] skein of Kureyon hanging about. I gave some serious thought to extending the bag two more series like the pattern suggests, but after taking a look at it again this morning I have decided that no, I don't want it to be that tall. I'm going to start the hat at lunchtime today. I will be going to Bothell for some grooming on Sunday so I could easily stop at the DH's old house which still has a working washing machine, top loader, that will work just fine.

We're having another open house this weekend for family since they weren't able to attend the last one due to a wedding [which we weren't invited to]. The weather has been absolutely heavenly lately but clouded up this morning and we're predicted to have rain just like the last one! No matter. I'm going to make some chili and we'll do brats on the grill and S can put up the canopy again. It's kind of cosy. Don't like all the wet being tracked through the house but oh well ....

I've got the itis!!

Startitis, that is. Not finished with the scarf, nor the socks, nor the Sizzle but I had to start the Trellis Tote. I had finished up my first punch card at my LYS and had that burning a hole in my pocket so I trotted up there Friday afternoon and purchased a couple skeins of Noro Kureyon and some Lamb's Pride Worsted for the trellis part of the bag, and also more Lamb's Pride to make my nephew's "Where's Waldo" hat. I hadn't read the tote pattern before I went up but had pretty much decided that I remembered the yarn amounts. But I goofed up. Lucky for me I had some gorgeous green Lamb's Pride at home in the stash so rather than use the black I had purchased I am using the green, and instead of 8 rows of windows, this tote is going to have six, which I think will actually be better. I am not going to put the felted handles on this one, but I have some purse handles that one of my Secret Pals sent last year which I think would be great. I also want to make the flap version with the felted handles (and grommets!) so I will need to get more yarn for that eventually. First though I am going to use the black Lamb's Pride I got to make a Trellis Toque. I need to find one of those had blocking things because with this pattern it is essential to block it so it's flat on top to get the proper look. Won't it be cute?

I got hit with what I can only guess is some little virus so I have been down and out the past couple days with a terrible sore throat and aches. I came in Monday but left after lunch and was in bed all day yesterday. I did a little work and downloaded new software for my iPhone which, again, erased all my music so almost the entire day was spent with me on the couch snoozing while the iPhone got filled back up again. I also bought the last season (5) of the Ricky Gervais Show and an episode of Saturday Night Live. I love my iPhone.

The Strange Workout Guy

He was on the trail this morning. I haven't seen him for a while, but there he was today walking backwards and clapping his hands. Step, clap, step, clap, step, clap. So strange.

My zucchini plant is dying rapidly and now it looks as if the pumpkin has caught whatever it is and it's on it's way out as well! I looked on the internet this morning and as close as I can tell, it's Verticillium Wilt. I am going to take both plants out this weekend. Maybe I can put in some cool weather vegetables. I was rather looking forward to the pumpkins but it's not going to happen.

I finally took some pictures of the gorgeous yarn I bought at the fair and a close up of the scarf I am knitting from it. The colors aren't really as neon as this picture came out. This yarn is SO soft And I think I'll have some left over after I get the scarf to five feet. Maybe I'll make a hat to go with it.

Yay for Wednesday

Noon knitting - my favorite lunchtime. Today I brought my peacock tail scarf to knit on. I truly intended to take pictures but completely blew it and I didn't have time this morning to snap any. I need to post pictures of my finished Trellis Shawl and also a WIP of the scarf. I didn't knit last night because after reading the paper and making dinner it was time to watch that new show "Fringe" and we don't really have a knitting light per se in the theater yet so I just relaxed and enjoyed the show. It's not "Lost" but it could be good.

The weather has been astonishingly gorgeous this week. As I come down the hill to the trail I am blinded by the sun coming off the water on these sunny days. That won't last much longer, so I don't mind it at all. This morning, 7:30, there was someone water skiing as I was biking by. Very picturesque. Oh and the mountain ... so beautiful. I'm trying to save up these pleasant memories because I know I'm going to be cursing the ride and the weather in the future.

Hah .... I never learn. I thought I'd try one more time to find that magic, easy way up the hill. I thought if I went on the trail three more blocks to the 100th St. exit, then biked to 103rd and went west up the hill to 48th from there that it would be easier than going up 97th to 49th. On my way in Tuesday morning it looked to me that the hill from 49th down to the trail was shorter and less steep than 97th. Not so. Optical illusion. I couldn't make it.

The little tomato plant in my garden is just exploding with ripe tomatoes. They are SO tasty! I can't imagine what we would have done had the last owner not taken two of the plants. I guess everyone I know would be getting baskets of tomatoes. Next year though, bigger ones. No beans or zucchini. I've never tried to grown vegetables other than tomatoes but I think next year I'll try to grown some lettuce and carrots as well as tomatoes and corn and then grown the herbs in pots on the deck. I guess we'll see how I feel about it in the spring.