Who comes between me and my sister...
Thanks for listening to me rant, and being supportive. Today I'm here to talk about better things, like the birth of this girl 25 years ago today:
Reasons I love this kid:
10) She wore this bulky wool sweater that I made her in 100° Maryland weather so I could take a picture RIGHT THEN:
9) She is really good at board games. And likes to play them.
8) She doesn't hate me that her birthday sweater is not quite done:
7) She's hilarious. On seeing the animated movie Brother Bear, we asked her what she thought of it. Her totally deadpan response was, "You know, the moose just weren't that funny."
6) She's adventurous. She's moved all over by herself, did different jobs, lived in different cities. Very independent woman. Also can kayak/canoe. And count deer antlers. And fire a gun.
5) Her hair smells good. Like the outdoors. Even when she's indoors.
4) She's a movie quoter. We're not making cheese sandwiches here, Jerry.
3) Not only CAN she still wear her 8-year-old She-Ra costume, she recently did:
2) She asked me to knit her this 12" wide, 15 foot long, Doctor Who Scarf, in garter stitch dk weight yarn, and she's 5'3" and lives in Florida. And she was serious.
And I'm actually considering it.
1) She's always, ALWAYS, been there for me. I aspire to the same, but I know it's not even close.
What've I done to deserve this?
Warning: Negative bit ahead.
Now you all know that I keep my personal life mostly out of this blog. That is by choice, because I have a very public hospital job, and I know that people are weird. (No, not you, dears.) I just mostly don't want people all up in my business.
But I am going to rant, just a bit:
I was waiting while getting my Prius's (that's a funny word) oil changed. Across the waiting room was a young couple, the woman pregnant. While I knit on my Jaywalkers, the woman was going on and on about how she didn't like her ultrasonagrapher, how she didn't take enough time to figure out the sex of the baby, how there was NO REASON she couldn't have found out, that her friend said, "you can always tell", blah blah blah.
As both a medical person and half of an infertile couple, it was all I could do not to start crying, leap across the room and STRANGLE her and yell at her:
"Lady, be glad your baby is healthy. Be glad you can HAVE one. Be thankful you have a family at all (I know single people who would love to be in your shoes). Be thankful you have a car that you can afford to take to the Toyota dealership. Now shut the hell up!"
You think being pregnant makes you crazy? Try being infertile in a world full of children and parents.
NOW. HOLD ON.
BEFORE the pregnant knitbloggers (and everyone else really) start throwing rotten fruit or dpns or God forbid, scissors, at me, know this:
While sitting there quietly I completely screwed up several rows of the socks, such that they had to be frogged back and redone, which took forever.
And it gets worse.
Then later while gnoshing Taco Stand with me buddy Anne-Marie, we we're discussing why my socks don't match at all:
You know, that it must be one was on dpns, and the other magic loop, or that they are two different skeins, or the gauge just a bit different, or just a weird thing like happened to a pair of Carrie's a long time ago, when I went to count the stitches before I started the heel and realized:
The number of stitches between the increases and decreases, which should be 8 each time, went like this:
8, 8, 7!, 7, 8, 8, 7, and WTF? 9?!.
I'm a sockapaloooooz-er. Clearly non-standard.
Dear Knitting Gods: I promise not to be mean to innocent people in my head anymore. Frogging 6 inches of sock is just punishment. Sorry.
Keep us togetttttttttttthhhher...
Whatever.... I will... I will... I will... IIIIIIII wwwiiiiiiiiilllllll.... La da da da...
Hello, all. Tomorrow marks High Energy Jenny and High Energy John's 11th weddin' anniversary. We will have officially been married a third of our lives. That's WEIRD.
I could write a crazy long post about all the ways and whys of how I love him, but really, the fact he made me take this picture should suffice:
And also:
When he saw that I had spun this:
He said, "Look at you! You made YARN!"
I love you, High Energy John. Let's rock it for another 11.
There's a guy who's been awake since the second world war.
Things that are keeping me from sleeping:
1. Hunger.
2. Sadie.
3. Three lectures to give today.
4. The people digging up my street for sewer work. LOUD.
I finished work last night at about 1:30am, had to finish lecture notes, then give said lecture at 7 am. Will give it again at noon and 7 pm. Oh well, has to be done. I'm used to sleeping in weird patches, mostly, although it does get a bit tiresome. The husband is out of town for two days (sad) so that helps the sleeping situation. Although a certain dog will wake me up a lot. She's bad.
Knitting, please.
So many updates. My sister's sweater is now on size 3's (3.25 mm) needles and at about 10 inches in length!!! Three more inches to the armholes. Yay.
I finished one Jaywalker. Update THIS, Cara!!!! Hahahahaha!
This is Knitpicks Sock Memories. Didn't pool till the foot, so I'm leaving it. A little big for me, these are*, but I like them still.
How 'bout Mittens?
LOOKIE HERE!
Psych!** They aren't actually done.
Now, let me say something about that gusset. The instructions call for you to put the thumb stitches on waste yarn, and cast on by backward loop the stitches over the gusset in the contrast yarn. I got nothing on Beth Brown-Reinsel, that's fo 'sho, but I did something a little different. I carried the main color through the cast-on stitches, cause I didn't want a big loop hanging out every time I put my thumb in. And I didn't want to stop/start the yarn. So I cast on with a knit-on method and wove the burgundy yarn through:
When I pick up the stitches I swear you will not be able to tell. Well, at least I think so. I guess we'll find out. ;-)
Ok, kids. Must take a small nappynap.
*Apparently I'm channeling Yoda now. What is happening? Happening what is?
** Oops. My age is showing.
And the world shines for meeee today...*
Hello, and welcome to 2006 here at HEK. Looks pretty much like 2005, truth be told, but be assured, there will be all new knitting screw-ups. Just you wait!
I sold all that stash, thanks to everyone who helped out. I'd love to see pictures if you make something with it, so send me an email!
I am very happy with this de-stashing, because I feel now my projects are all mostly things I am excited about, and have diversity and wearability and all that. I am really trying to knit on only a few projects at a time, so I can finish things in a more timely fashion.
To that end.
Remember "Baltic"? Of course you don't. I hardly did either. But it has been given new life and I am knitting away. Here's an update:
This is Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed (with Lambs Pride Superwash in the fair isle). I put it on metal needles last night and it is really flying now. It's funny how the right TYPE of needle can make a difference. If you are struggling fighting with yarn, try a different type of needle. Some yarns respond better to plastic, or wood, or metal. It took a long time for me to learn that. Please believe it. I just want to make your knitting easier. ;-)
Tell us about this so-called "Stripes Go Round"...
Also, although there really has been no photographic evidence, my sister's Stripes Go Round is underway. Let me explain what happened:
1) I couldn't get gauge in the Allhemp3. At all. Even though it's the yarn called for in the pattern. So after many attempts I finally scrapped it and am just re-working the pattern to fit.
2) I then cast on and worked EIGHT INCHES and then decided I didn't like the faux side stitches. The crossed stitches called for looked like SHIT. Click here to see how much like shit.
3) So I decided to start over. Did I mention I had EIGHT inches done??? This time I am doing a simple two stitch seed-stitch for the sides and it's much better. See for yourself:
It needs to be done by the 29th of this month. Funny how, coincidentally, in a wacky twist of fate, that's my sister's birthday. Need we all be reminded it is on US 1 (2.25 mm) needles. At a gauge of like 48 stitches per inch.** LORD HAVE MERCY. Knitknitknitknitknitknit.
My sister must never doubt my love for her. ;-)
Quit Whining. You know you love it.
That's probably true.
I also love this hat:
And here's a picture of the versions I made for my new nephew-type and his sister:
This is the ever awesome Kate's pattern called "Shining Star." Go buy the pattern here. Go NOW. I made mine less deep than the pattern calls for, cause I wanted it to hug the head and just go over the ears.
I used Artyarns Ultramerino 8 and Oh. My. Lord. that is gorgeous gorgeous fabulous yarn. SO soft. So smooth. Beautiful colors. We shall not talk of its cost. Did I mention it's soft?!
SO many more to show. I know I should blog more frequently with shorter entries, but I should do a lot of things, huh? Another resolution for 2006!
Corn chips are no place for a mighty warrior.
Lastly for today, Allison (who changed her blog name and look - check her out) made me proud by knowing my trivia quote from last week was INDEED from a very funny Teen Girl Squad from Homestar Runner. She wins, well, my admiration.
Yah, she got gypped. ;-)
*Xanadu. What a classic. Who's with me?!
** Some statements in this blog are larger than they appear.