Thursday, May 31, 2012

In the Basket (aka: On the Sticks)

In The Basket
Pink & Gray Cousin Socks ~ Helix Scarf from hand spun ~ Every Way Wrap 

Have been meaning to share what I have on the sticks.  As most of my projects are smaller (socks, hats, scarves) I have tended to keep them in individual project bags that live in my knitting bag, that I pull out when I go knitting.  A friend gave me the picnic basket and it is working as a great resting place for my projects.

This is the longest lasting project.  Started over a year ago, the cable pattern scared me off. This spring I frogged it and started over.  It is the most complicated pattern I have attempted and I am loving it.  This may go in my carry on while flying.



These socks are for my cousin Tracie that have been in progress for a LONG time!  I started them cuff down, and after turning the heel, they became impossible to put on.  They were frogged and restarted toe up.  The left sock is the bottom of the sock, where the other you can see the slight pattern. These will be packed in my suitcase.


Helix scarf -- this poor yarn has been knit into two other patterns.  I am loving how it is turning out and am hoping to get it finished before I leave for three weeks.

It is Thursday - I hope to finish the Helix scarf at my weekly knitting group, Jitters Knitters.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Week in Review

Wednesday was the last day of being a 6th grade Resource Teacher at Wasilla Middle School - next year I will be the "Intermediate Resource Teacher" at Iditerod Elementary across the street.

Thursday I began organizing all the boxes of paper (still in search of my birth certificate).   My kitchen/dining room is a huge mess.  I knit in between chores, AND I made it to my knitting group!

Friday I had to hang around the house for the delivery of a green house kit that we were told by the salesman would NOT fit in the bed of our truck.  It arrived in two very small boxes that would have easily fit in the back of my RAV4!!!  I kept asking the delivery guys if they had forgotten a box, or three!  Nope, that was it.  Two tiny boxes, about 4 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 6 inches deep! 

Saturday my boyfriend and I put the greenhouse up -- I developed a killer sinus headache (thank you mold spores!) and ended up taking a 3 hour "nap" while he completed the green house.  It is a tiny little thing, but it will work for my mother.  Hoping it will survive summer and winter in Alaska!  Time will tell!

Sunday we moved my horse to her new boarding facility.  I have no trailer and she has recently gotten over a lice infestation at her old barn.  The new place is only 4.2 miles away from the old place, so I figured I'd ride her.  After all, I used to endurance ride, and our training rides were 10 miles (10 FAST miles, I might add), and all but one of our races was 25 (one race was 50 miles).  4.2 miles?  Easy-Peasy!

uh, yeah, right.....

Raven was in heat -- a RAGING heat, with two things on her mind, mating, and staying alive.

She spooked at every little thing, fresh gravel in the driveway, mailboxes we had ridden by many times, etc.  She was a crabby, snotty little mare, wanting nothing more than to do what she needed to to have a baby!  We hadn't gone 2 tenths of a mile when she had a major temper tanrum and dumped me!  Geeze!  I texted boyfriend I'd been dumped, and was walking her.  He took over after my only going one teeny weeny mile and, IN THE RAIN, he walked her to the new barn.

I have the BEST boyfriend in the world!?

Monday was Memorial Services at Fort Richardson's National Cemetery, and then this morning, my boyfriend got up and went to work.

Not a lot of knitting, but a busy week, none the less.

This week will be spent getting that green house all set up for mom as well as any other things I need to do before running away to Minnesota for three weeks.

Gosh, I'm am so lucky to have the best boyfriend in the world!

Did I mention, I have the BEST boyfriend in the world!?!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Weekend


Sea Lions - Seward, Alaska
While having our morning coffee Saturday, it dawned on me: This was the first weekend since August I didn't have student work to grade; special education paperwork to do; school work from my college classes; or to study for a test for my Alaska teaching certificate!

We packed overnight bags, and jumped in the car and drove to Seward.  I got some knitting done on the Helix Scarf in the car, but knitting in the car is not something I do well (thanks to motion sickness).

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Helix Scarf

I purchased a three month installment of "Batt of the Month Club" from Little Monkey Stitch and Spin and loved the first batt that arrived.


It spun up very pretty, with lots of sparkle and I could see it becoming a shawl, or wrap.  After spinning/plying I got just over 200 yards, so it left me in search of a pattern that I could end when I ran out of yarn.



First I started this shawlette pattern, but it just didn't do it for me.




Then I knit it into the Birch Leaf Shawl, which I thought was perfect as it was bottom up and I could knit until I ran out of yarn.  Loved the pattern, but it just didn't get big enough nor was it a good match for the yarn.  I wasn't happy with it, but left it, until I came up with something else.

And then......


When I dug out my pattern for my Every Way Wrap from my pattern binder,  there was a pattern for the Helix Scarf I had gotten out of one of my spinning magazines when I first started spinning.


I am enjoying the pattern, pretty easy, and it looks like a great match for this hand spun yarn!  It is a great break from the complex pattern of the Every Way Wrap - nice mindless knitting!

I am knitting it straight from the Birch Leaf Shawl - it is driving my mom nuts to see that shawl being unraveled as I knit the scarf!

May 31 -- The Helix Scarf is completed!!!!!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

Nearing the end of that first skein of yarn. 
The Every Way Wrap is coming along nicely!

Why is it, when you are nearing the end of a project, and you get to the end of that last skein, that yarn goes by so fast as you worry, "Do I have enough?"

This small little ball lasted 4 more rows before passing
the project on to the next skein
BUT, when you are nearing the end of that first skein of yarn of a large project, and you happily think "one more row and I get to start my second skein!" you finish a row, look at what is left of that ball and it doesn't seem any smaller?!!?!?!

I have been milking the last of the first skein of yarn along, keep thinking "this is the last row" for several rows now!

I am beginning to wonder if the yard-gods are adding to the ball when I am not looking.  I am pretty confident that this next row will be my last before I get to start that next skein of yarn -- but I've been that way the last 4 or 5 rows!

I have not been able to get much knitting in this weekend as it has been a busy weekend!

Over the years, my mother's house has been a resting place for anything the family doesn't want, but doesn't seem to be willing to drag it to the dump.  It seems to be more "acceptable" up here in Alaska to have a yard full of junk than the lower 48, it drove me nuts that her house looks like a junk yard.  Last month, Dennis and I purchased her a greenhouse for her birthday, and we needed to clear a spot for her greenhouse that will be delievered in a couple weeks. So Dennis and I decided that we were going to haul all we could to the dump Saturday.

Little did we know it was "free" weekend at the dump.  So, we made 6 trips to the dump.  Dead fridgerators, old tires, lumber from construction many years past.  We saved her $96!

Today we are going to The Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska.  Mother's Day is their opening day, and we get to see the baby Musk Ox.  I'm hoping they have a gift shop and maybe I can splurge on some qiviut!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

A Weekend of RICE

Foot elevated with gel spint on
Friday morning, on the way to work, I twisted my ankle. It hurt, but didn't bother me much and I spent most of the day teaching, walking around my classroom and around the school with no issues.

During lunch, I must have twisted or bumped the ankle "just right" as I went from no pain to being unable to walk without severe pain in the ankle in less than 2 hours.  With each passing minute the pain got worse and I decided to drive myself to the Emergency Room.  X-rays were taken, nothing broken, just a "severe sprained ankle".  I was given a gel splint, crutches, presription for pain medication and was told to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate) for the weekend.

Upon arrival at home, I was informed by my boyfriend I was to do NOTHING except RICE with a strong emphasis on the R -- REST.  I am too ADHD to sit and do nothing so I had visions of a weekend of guilt-free knitting.  What else could I do?

So far, so good.
18 row repeat pattern
7th row of the 2nd repeat  
Saturday morning I hobbled around, got my coffee and bag of ice for my ankle, and started the day with my foot elevated with a bag of ice on it, while I knit on my Every Way Wrap. 

My wonderful boyfriend went to the barn and did my barn chores (even though I offered to go and groom my horse -- NOPE!  My job this weekend was to RICE!).

I have an order for one of my Budget Conscious custom made row counters I needed to make and began working on it after icing my ankle, I sat a my desk, got my supplies together, turned in my chair and BAM!  I hit my ankle!  DANG!  Back to the couch, with ice.  I decided I would send one of my more expensive row counters in place of a budget one as there was no way I could sit at my desk now.  The ankle was throbbing too much, far more than the night before when I was in the ER. 

A close up of the cable pattern
I attempted to get back to knitting, trying to ignore the pain, I wanted to take one of the pain pills, but I hadn't eatten anything and I was afraid to attempt the stairs with crutches as I was not very graceful with them last night.

Eventually my mom woke up and she made me an omlete for breakfast (hmmm, RICE-ing isn't all that bad!).

The boyfriend arrived back from the barn and assisted me in getting a shower, and with a food in my stomach I could finally take my pain pills.

The pain meds wiped me out, and after an hour, I found myself in the middle of one of the worst migraines I've had in a long time.  Nausea, vomiting, hyper senstive to noise and light!  My mom was upstairs but I couldn't call for her, even my own yelling hurt my head too much!  I ended up texting my boyfriend and had him come home from shopping in Anchorage to pick me up off the floor.  I spent the rest of the day in bed, and no knitting!  :-(

New day, back to RICE.  The good news is that, because I spent most of the last 24 hours in bed, I didn't use my foot and it is feeling pretty good!

Now, not to overdo it! Going to spend the day RICE-ing and knitting!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Every Way Wrap


Working on getting WIP's off the sticks.  About a year ago I found the Every Way Wrap in friend's magazine.  I ended up ordering the Fall 2009 Interweave Knits magazine in digital format because I just HAD to have this wrap.  I got the boarder done, and then was attending a monthly Knit2gether with a local knitting group and the cable pattern was not something to do while chatting!

Last night I attempted to begin where I had left off so long ago.  I was off by one stitch and despite the easy 2x2 rib, I couldn't figure out where that missing stitch was.

I ripped out the 30 rows (5 inches) and started anew.

Here is last night progress.  Three more rows and I'll get to tackle the cable and moss stitch patterns!

A very quick knit so far.  Then again, I'm not knitting with my standard thread and toothpicks (socks).

May 2 -- Last night started the body (cable, etc.) part of the wrap.  So glad I added a life line as I did something wrong on the cables and ripped out to the rib section this morning and am at it again.  So sad I have grown accustom to sleeping with a roof over my head as I can't sit home and knit all day and must put it aside and get ready for work.