I do not Cook!!

I am know for this. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you. KSee does not cook. I used to. I know how. But I just do not do it anymore. A bowl of cereal is my favorite dinner. Bring on the Kashi. OK, that takes care of my fiber but I have been very lacking in the protein. I have not owned a toaster for many years. I have a toaster oven that is my main stay (I have not turned on my regular oven in 17 years) and the thought was I could make toast in it when I wanted. Not. So when I saw this toaster and it could take care of both my want/need for toast and the protein issue I had to have it.this is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Pop in the English muffin and put a egg in select egg/toast and they are ready at the same time. Add a piece of cheese. Bacon would mean cooking. Never tried bacon in the microwave. I have an my own egg mcmuffin in minutes. Check this out here.

I'm sitting here at the computer on Christmas Eve when I heard my gate open, a quick knock on the door. I jumped up & went to the door just in time to see a guy in brown leaving on his appointed rounds. A package via UPS from my sister in New York. A quick explanation of my family. We are a very functioning dis-functional family. We send gifts when and if we want to. They are not expected and when received are a joy. My sister & I have more in common than we realized and that has become more apparent as we passed 50. I left home and got married when she was 13 so we really did not "grow" up in the "conventional" manner.

Last year her son Rob and DIL got her the Keurig coffee maker. Down here I was surfing the web trying to make a choice as to which one of these single cup coffee makers were the one to buy. Well, she brought me the one below. This year she sent me the K-Cup Carousel plus a new wallet with a gift certificate to buy coffee from Keurig. Lvoe you Sis. Now if her son's would get her a computer set up so she can read my blog! (that said for the benefit of Paul who can read this)

I turned the heel on my 9 to 5 socks last night. I'll post pictures tonight. More later...

A day off

This is the view I had at 7:30 this morning while making coffee (My date stamp was wrong! I thought I slept through a day) . I did a double take. Picked up my camera and went outside for another shot. This is the moon setting.

then I heard someone meowing and low and behold Big Boy was back. It was a short visit but breakfast was served.

Today I was scheduled to be at work but was lucky to ask for and get the day off. This extra time is really helping my knee get better. It also keeps me at home so I don't need to drive the jeep or spend money. I am more than lucky that my best friend's husband has this jeep that I could borrow. My car will probably not be ready till the end of the week. A month without my PT Cruiser. I so miss the ease of driving it as well as the CD player to listen to my books. Trying to get in & out of the jeep is like fitting in a sardine can. Even if my knee was OK I'd still have trouble. I'm not a small woman and it is comical to see how I need to get out.

The fingerless gloves were a hit with my boss.I think I can make another glove (I have 5 total completed) from this yarn but I have moved on to another sock. I decided to do the 9 to 5 pattern from Nicole. Yarn is Cherry Tree Hill-Sockittome- Colorway: African Grey. I started last Monday night on size 0 Addi 40" doing magic loop for the first time on socks. On Tuesday I went to the doctors for my knee follow-up, a 1:00 p.m. appointment. He did not see me until 2:30! I sure wish we could bill them for time lost. Anyhoo, I'm sitting there working on the cuff, purl 2 k4 with about 1" knitted & pulled the wrong needle! So now I'm trying to put the stitches back on the needle. I could hardly see the stitches and after about 4 tries I just ripped it all out. By the time I got in to see the doc I was back where I started when I arrived. I continued working the rest of the week and by Friday night was ready to start the leg pattern. When I started back up on Saturday I decided that the size 0 was making the pattern too small. So I once again ripped it out (I've got this part of knitting down pat!) This is where I am today

and once I finish this post I am tinking back because the heel flap is facing out the wrong way! Look closely near the needle. This is a learning curve I need to master.
Here is a picture of Pia in one of her favorite spots. I think she is like me, feeling like the young slim girl I used to be until you look in the mirror! So I present to you her picture when I adopted her in January of 2006.

I've spent some time on Raverly. Have you ever gone to Forums? Click on the radar tab. You can eavesdrop! How cool is that.

Enjoy you Christmas

Taking the cats for a Walk

Tossing Kitty and FO

as I sit here Sissy just tossed her dinner, she does this quite a bit. I read that Nicole has given her kitty Pepcid AC. I am going to try this. Just have to figure out the best way to get it into her.

I stayed home today to keep the knee up. While getting lunch I literally stuck to the floor at the cafe in our building and had a nano second of the most excruciating pain. It got worse as the afternoon went on. So today I propped the leg up on two pillows, plus a third to keep my butt from sliding down, with the heating pad to the back of my knee and the ice pack strapped to the front. Tried knitting for awhile but the best thing to do in this position is to sleep. So I did. Knee feels much better.

Here is what I have been able to get accomplished in the last 6 days. One and a half completed. Try as I might I could not get the pictures to show the true colors, which are very muted.

Yarn: Mountain Colors-Mountain Goat, 55% Mohair, 45% wool, 230 yards per skein, 100 grams, Hand-dyed Color way: Ewelea (I think) I could not find it in my web search. This yarn is mushy and glides off the needles. I love it. Finally broke my yarn diet and went to Uniqities

Needles: Susan Bates 31" circular size 7, using the Magic Loop method

Just a bit stir crazy

It must mean I'm getting better when I can say I can't wait to get back to work! I spent time keeping up with Robin, Megan, Sailing Knitter, Picperfic, Penny, Lynn, Rachel just to name a few. Whew, I've been everywhere. Warm and cold and enjoying every minute.

I was lucky to be up early to get yarn from Kaylee. You will find her here and here. See that last skein? This is now mine!

Check out Fleegle's cool booties pattern and check this 2 in 1 sock over at Yarn Rambles.

Once again I'll Pay it Forward

The Knitorious Mrs B has joined in with Pay it Forward. She is one of the knitters I have followed from my days of joining in the KVVS. Little did I know that one swap would add to my life. I have learned much more about knitting that I have in many a book. I have traveled far and wide. I found about Raverly!

Here is how it works! I'll send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange! I don't know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week...LOL... but you will receive it within 365 days, that's a promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog...So for those of you who want to join this good yarn karma exchange, leave me a comment.
I tried this back in August and did not have anyone sign on. You can read about it here. I originally found about this from Megan.

Car update

Don't ask me how I did this but here is the damage to my PT Cruiser. They said 10 days to get all the parts in. I need all 4 tires & wheels, engine cradle and front bumper worked on. My knee is coming along. I can not wait to take a shower on Sunday. Have not touched my gloves all day. It is still early but I'm kinda down today. I think it is the effects of the surgery finally wearing off. Good news is that I can borrow my friends Jeep to get to work on Monday.

So little time

Yikes, it is already Hanukkah! I have many gifts finished but for the blocking and weaving in the ends. I just can't seemed to get in the groove. My gifts will get to family within the month as I am now recuperating for the rest of the week. I did receive my 1st Hanukkah gift from Laura BFF oldest daughter. I received this and this.

A lot going on this week. Last Saturday night I attended our company's holiday party on the Odyssey. Had a great time. Plus, there was a Christmas Floatila going on with the most fantistic displays. When we docked and I was heading home going to 395 South I ran over something that blew out all 4 tires and the oil pan (I think) will know more when the adjuster calls. I called Geico and they towed me & the car (on a flat bed) home I got home at 3:30 am. My car is in the shop waiting on the insurance adjuster to give them the go ahead. I called him yesterday to see what was up. I thought with the snow we had that he was probably busy with more claims. Not! He was is a class and his laptop was not working.

Sunday night I borrowed my BFF husbands Jeep. Went to work Monday to finish up all I could and got a laptop to work from home. Then I had surgery on my right knee Tuesday. I am so blessed to have great friends, neighbors and co-workers. I do not know how I would ever get though a day without them.

The doctor did not show up for the appointed time of 2:30, is a Doctor ever on time? Then there was major screw up on getting home but my dear neighbor was able to pick me up. Because everything was so delayed my original ride could not make it. Got home at 7:30. I think. The anesthesia did not really wear off until late last night. Right now my upper arm hurts from the automatic blood pressure cup. That sucker just does it thing. My throat is sore from the breathing tube as well as my tongue. Then my hip and stomach muscles hurt. I wonder what position I was in for this knee. You would think from the pain that I was splayed!

All in all I am doing well. All these side affects will fade away. I can walk and the knee itself does not hurt as it did before surgery. I do not take the dressing off until Sunday at which time I can shower. Well, I have to get my leg back up and on ice.



On the knitting front I have taken the pattern from the fingerless gloves I made here and am working a new pair on a size 8 31" needle and doing my first magic loop project. I have searched and downloaded so many fingerless glove patterns but my mind is just not up to cables, which most seem to be. I've taken pictures of my progress so when I'm done I'll share. With the help of these patterns I once again realized that patterns are a guide.

Long weekend, time to catch up

On my list of things to do

• Thursday- do nothing, watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade & knit; go to dinner at my BFF at 5:00 p.m. !! We have been trying for years to get dinner earlier, no luck


• take a nap


• Friday, Saturday- learn how to use my new Brother sewing machine before I make the linings then

line and finish up my felted bags

set up the dreaded ironing board I HATE IRONING

go through my clothes for Lupus Foundation pick up next week

they need knick knacks--so I am going to give up some (I have too much)

nap

finish up the colorimetry and see if I can get another one or two completed

nap

Sunday- is my day of usual cleaning

I love it when I can take a nap so when I have days where I can I do. I am up at 5 am regardless of the day. The kitties still have not gotten used to the time change! Sissy gets up on me just around 4:30.

We get off at 2 today and I have some 50% off coupons for AC Moore, Joannes & Michael's so I will be figuring out a plan to get some knitting books.

Here are a few pictures of Pia, Sissy & Zorro. I fell & hurt my right knee so I was on the couch with a heating pad. I kid you not--each and every time I got up I would come back and 1, two or all would be on the pad. Look how Sissy got herself under it! You know how it is living with cats, you live with them and sometime they are like spirits, you know they are around but no sure where. Well, these three are like that.

Knitting on one leg in red vinyl

Well, I'm running on empty. I have a bad hard drive but I have been getting in once a day. Had to restore again. 2nd time in two weeks. I'm still working on colorimetry. So I'll leave you with this while I can. Notice one needle is a cigarette holder (I think)

Time Fly's--Part 2

Computer----it keep crashing. I did the restore without loosing my doc & pics. Reinstalled most programs. Explorer keeps going down. Yesterday I came home to find,while was at work, the computer was fixing one of the drives. It took hours but I'm back in. Then spent the rest of the evening uploading family pictures to flickr. I don't have one blank CD in the house. So tonight I will buy some & back up everything. Even my keyboard is acting up. My speakers in my monitor are not working. So in the meantime, I leave you with some kitty pictures. On 10/18 I was outside and Stanley came and was yelling at me. Very unlike him. He only meows when I come home late. Well, it was not Stanley, it was his father! I had not seen him since January. Zorro and Stanley were adopted by me when their father Big Boy brought them to me in the fall of 2006. Ally Cat Allies trapped them, neutered and returned them to my yard. Big Boy has been in my community for years. By his behavior he was once a pet who was either abandoned or left behind in a move. He stayed around for two days and must have gone back to whomever is his main place of food.

Dad is on the left.

On the knitting front I have started and ripped out many projects. Just scarfs or anything small for gifts. I have now started Calorimetry. Trying to use up these one and two skeins. Will post pictures if I finish it.

How time fly's-- Part 1

when you work, your computer crashes, try to sleep, go to doctors to help you sleep and join Raverly. So I'll catch you up in reverse order.
Raverly...got my finished projects entered. Looks like the only thing I knit all year are socks! But not so, I have 15 bags felted and waiting for linings and final details. That is the part I hate. Then onto the stash. Got some up and took pictures of others. That is when I realized that so many were only 1 or two skeins. Most of these I purchased with the intent to add into my felted bags. You see, because I love the process of knitting I decided that all I would ever make were bags. That was before I knit a pair of socks. That was before...you get the idea.
So now I'm looking at all these toofers and realize that the holidays are approaching way too fast. Hanukkah starts early this year 12/5!!

So I searched through all my knitting books to find quick projects that would only need one skein. The first one started out as the the convertible mittens using the "Knit this" kit I picked up for $15.00 at Tuesday Morning. Finished one "under mitten". OK so far. Only one way I can say this but the yarn they supply while pretty in color is real crap. I tossed all the yarn. I have never done this before but it was the only place for it. But the pattern was easy. So I started another pair using a skein of Uruguay DK in color 09, Maroon. Thanks to finding a this correction I was able to make the pair in one night.I purchased both skeins in a grab bag from In Stitches, my LYS. I paid $12.50 for 5 skeins of yarn. I could never pay $24.00 for 110 yds. That just couldn't be correct. All I need to do now is add some decorations to both pair. I am setting aside the 4 day Thanksgiving weekend to finish up projects.
Next I did some scarfs using a skein of LB Thick & Quick in moss stitch and two skeins of Araucania Nature Wool one in basketweave and the other using crisscross stitch. All are great for idiot proof knitting. All took 1 or two evenings to knit. See a pattern here. I have 5 gifts almost completed.
OK, part 1 done. Now to clean the house for a few hours.

Another sock done...moving on and catching up

It has been awhile since I posted. On 9/18 driving on the Beltway going 45 mph,just before approaching Rt 66 overpass, a guy in a Prius is flagging me down. I roll the window down and at 45mph he tells me I have a flat tire. Well, I get to the office about 3 miles into Tyson's Corner and yup, two tires on the drivers side are low. I have Nitro Fill for my 'air' now. (Note: I am getting over 50 miles more per gallon since I got nitro fill. I trip meter each tank and would know at 220 I needed gas, now I get 275 +) In the office I get online to look for someone near me to have these checked out. Right across the street there is a Lexus/Landrover dealer. I call them and am told that they only work on Lexus! I told the gal I only need the tires checked, thinking they may just need air what with the kids in my court at home. She puts me on hold again and come back with the same answer. Me "you are a dealer for Nitro Fill and I can get air from ANY dealer in the USA and you are required to service me." On hold again...I say to my co-worker "they are going to put a man on the line" and they did. I go through the whole thing again and he said to bring it on over and he gave me his name to use. Why did this have to take 10 minutes of aggravation! So I take my 2001 PT Cruiser in. Do I have to tell you that I'm feeling out of place! I told the gal that I had an appointment, so asked how long this would take? (to meet my sister in town from NY for her work). They take the car and come back and tell me that I have two nails in the front tire and one in the back. It will cost $110. I tell them that is out of the question and to please put air in the tires and I will go to my dealer. This took 1hr. So I call Sis to tell her she can come and spend the evening with me while I go to Costo (they have Nitrofill) and get the tires fixed. She asked if I would be upset if she went to Roslyn to a restaurant with others in town. LOL, hell, if I was in another town and was being treated to a night out at a nice place, what would I do! Of course, I would not be upset! So I drove to Springfield Costco and it cost me $16 to have the two tires plugged. I got out of there at 8:45pm. They not only fixed the tires they filled all 4 and balanced them. While I waited I worked on my sock. I was at the heel turn. From 6:30 to 8:30 I tried three times. Knit and rip. While I'm sitting on a very narrow bench outside the sun sets and it is getting chilly. Luckily I had the socks I knit to give to Sis. I have washed and dried them in the machine and they came out perfect! So she will still get them as she is a size 6 shoe to my 9.

Here are the new socks

and this is all I have left overMust include a kitty picture. Zorro hiding out. This is the 8ft fence with a two inch ledge. This plant I call Audrey. I purchased three 2" little plants at a Peeples drug store in 1975. Each year I would repot. She has given me two others that I needed to split out. One has lived with my neighbor since 1994 and the other is in the lobby of a sheltered workshop in Crystal City (previous job). This is my only plant! My place is too dark to substain plant life. I will bring Audrey in when they call for the first frost. She will sit on a table and live and die. There have been years when she lost every leaf. Put her back on the patio and she takes off. Now you know why she is an Audrey.

Lots of @($&% Top Redux

As soon as I finished my Mock Cable socks I went right back to my Lots of Choices Top, no OTN projects for me! I figured whatever I did wrong on the pink side would/could be found out on the purple side. First, the crochet cast on. I could not remember if I counted the cast on as the first row. So I did count it as row 1 for the purple side, looks right but the chain stitch is facing the wrong side. But I had decided that I would finish off the front edges with crochet so I would just have to do the bottom as well. I keep knitting, this side I am using row counts to measure, not the inches as in the pink side. As the purple is a reverse image of the pink side I am doing the V neck 1st. It came out beautifully.

So why did it not come out as well on the pink side? Well, the designer wrote the pattern to decrease for what she called Front as (RS) k1, k2tog, knit to end. This is how she starts out the pattern "For Clarity, I had to designate one side as the Front and one as the Back, even though you may wear it otherwise. So, for no particular reason, I called the round neck the Front." For me that is the pink side. The V neck on the purple is knit to last three stitches SKP (slip 1 knit 1, pass slip stitch over), k1. As you can see from the picture I decreased the pink side at the beginning of the row while the purple is decreased at the end of the row. As you still with me? Have I started to babble yet?

Here are both sides together. Starting to see a top here. One that I could really wear. The body of the pink side shows off the stitch detail to perfection. The darker purple is perfect too but because it is darker you do not see the detail as well. Then I notice that the purple is off gauge. Now I paid attention to keeping my stitches tight and even, or so I thought. Remember I love the process of knitting and would like to have finished projects to show for it. So this is where my top is now. I still have the shoulder of the pink top on a holder, so I could rib that out and try to make the V Neck look like the purple, then I would not have to crochet around the necks and front edges. Or I rip out the whole of the purple side and start over. Or I can do this

and start these

These are on size two needles. After knitting socks on size 1 I feel like I'm knitting with huge needles. The pattern called for size 3. Thought I would keep it simple after my Mock Cables. But I'm going to rip these out to the ribbing and add ribbing down to toe. The rib fits a bit loose but the SS stitch just billows. I cast on 56 stitches. I added 4 extra stitches from the 1st basic pattern I was taught in class. When I created my 1st pair the 1st needle ended with a knit stitch then to start the 1st stitch on needle 2 as a purl. Well that created a very bad ladder because no matter how tight I made this stitch it still gaped. When I made my next pair I measured for a larger ankle and without knowing it I ended with a pearl and started with a knit. no ladders, well, not the loose ones as before. Every time I knit something new I have learned something more.
It's has been awhile since I posted a picture of my kitties so I leave you with these. Zorro and Stanley posing. Then Pia and Sissy gazing out.

So you think you can knit!

Megan was given a copy of this cartoon and I just had to have it. The folks in my office will love it!! Right up there with my birthday card.

That Darn Sock

Well, my mock cable socks are now a FO. Thank God. I love the pattern. I love the yarn. The color way rocks. These socks have confirmed that I am a process knitter. I love the feel of the yarn. It is great to see the progress. I zone out. ADD kicks in when I’m knitting. This pattern was a simple one where I was stretching myself away from the k2p2. The pattern repeats every 4 rows. If it had not been for the beaded row counter I could never have finished. As an example when I got to the toe, Wahoo, I’m almost done. Instead of starting the toe decreases I knit along. I was 4 rows gone when I realized that I should have been decreasing! So ribbit I go. 4th pair down! I could never do Summer of Socks, have you seen what Wendy knits and designs! This gal is remarkable.
OK, another FO, so I go back to my Lots of Choices top. I picked up to complete the V neck side (right in the picture).I think I'm ready to bind off. But before I do I fold it in half. See the problem. Look closely. The V neck side is longer than the round neck side. What is a girl to do? I have no idea if I screwed up this side or the other, I don't think I did. The V neck looks right. I'll check my measurement per the pattern. Then I am going to start the other half and see what happens. Now that I have socks out of my system I can finish this part this week. Then I will know what to do to fix the pink side. I'll keep you posted.