Magic loop de loop

I am now going to rip out my sock for the third time. I have tried a few patterns that just do not work with this yarn. The patterns just get lost. So this morning I changed from two size 1 circulars to size 0 40" Addi's. I needed to go to the lab for 3 hr glucose test and made sure I would have something to keep me sane. No coffee!!! So I was up at 5, without the alarm clock, as three of them knew just when to wake me up. Fed everyone then I cast on, got through the tough part of the first few rows and went back to sleep til 7am. I knew if I stayed awake I would go nuts without my caffeine. Roll out at 7:30 and started giving up my blood at 8:10. Finished at 11:50. So I would break up the waiting with knitting in the waiting room, going out to the car to listen to Harry Potter. Thank God the medical complex was next door to a Dunkin Donuts. I got an iced coffee and came home. As I am not usually home during the day I channel surfed and have been watching A Bridge too Far. What a cast. But it was driving me crazy trying to find out who the solider James Caan saved. With a search I found out it was Nick Campbell. I've seen him on some channel late at night in "Da Vinci's Inquest". Never heard of the show and what small pieces I have stayed to watch are disjointed. I never get there at the start of the show and it isn't that good that I've record it.

Back to knitting. I now have enough of this sock knit up to get a gauge and will re-calculate the amount of stitches (more) and start once again.

Here is a picture I took this morning of the boys eating on the patio, they even do cute things without trying. Pia refuses to eat with them so I feed them separately morning and evening so fat girl will get her nourishment.

Lots of Choices Top update

So I take the top into work and L who is a very, very experienced knitter, weaver & spinner looks at it and says "just add a row of crochet all around the margins". Easy! I keep forgetting that a pattern is a guide. We are knitting and we can change, adjust, do what works for us. So my mantra...I can change it. I can make it bigger, smaller. I can do whatever the hell I want. It is a guide. It helps me learn. I learn by my mistakes. I love knitting. I look forward to it. I will not stress over it. If I really hate it I will rip it out and make something else. Now I feel better.

Ravely-1455 ahead of me!

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Two days one ##@)#&$ neckline!!

I've been knitting on my top most of the week but left the neckline decreases for the weekend. I have lost count on how many times I have ripped this out but I know I'm not doing something right. I've got the 12 stitches bind off down pat. I just can't get the other stitches bound off and looking right. Only two on each WS row for 4 rows then 1 on every WS row. You can see where I'm twisting the DG things!

I kid you not, I've been at this since Friday on & off. I'm going to stop in at my LYS tomorrow after work to see if I can get help. I'm brain dead, fried. Here is the progress on the top. I would have had this whole side done if I could just do the damn neckline. I was, finally, able to watch "Little Miss Sunshine" this afternoon. Very good movie.

So, I am going back to my 4th pair of socks. I'm at the stage where I'm going to see what stitch pattern will look good. This yarn has so much going on that the stitches may get lost.

How do cats do this? Zorro dead to the world. If only my doctor gave me something that would let me sleep like this.

Sissy Spinning

I'm learning all kinds of new things having this blog. Kind of flying by the seat of my pants. Here for your viewing pleasure is a fairly bad video. Forgot my camera could do this. My camera does not have sound. Next time I'll try with my phone.

Yes, more kitties

The Knitting Virtual Vacation Swap is my first one. We are now playing bingo but one of the rules of playing is that once you have all the places named you also need to know who lives there. There are 151 people in this swap and I have stopped by all of them. Not everyone keeps their blog up to date (I being one of them) but I have left comments where I have found something to say. Robin is one who not only is so very talented (in many fields) but writes an fun & interesting blog. I am finding out we have a lot in common. Especially when it comes to cats finding us. Check out the two kitties that found her. When she posted pictures of Gracie playing with the spinner I just had to share these pictures. This spinner is the best investment I ever made. I do not want to think of all the little toys I have purchased in over 35 yrs of being owned by cats. Sissy likes it best and plays everyday morning, noon & night!! I'll stir in the middle of the night & hear it going around. The girls are so lazy. One on each side, bat it, the other stops it. Let it go, gravity takes over, rolls, bat it stop it. Not a very physical group activity but they like it. Add catnip to the middle and they all go crazy.

News you like to see

one morning as I was getting ready for work, WJLA Channel 7 news had this report. Now this news is what I like to see reported. 'Nuff said

Stash addition

Ok, let me get this out now. I HAVE NO WILL POWER!! There. I will not deny it. This goes for pretty much everything. Food, books, yarn. When I was standing in line and God was handing out attributes, I must have been distracted or something. Probably talking. Anyhow, I do not excerise, tried it, do not like it. Never had. In school, nope. Sports, what kind of sports do you think they had in Manahatten NYC? My school had over 6 floors. We had an elevator. Oh, we could only use it if we needed to travel more than one floor up or down. Hey, we NY kids played stick ball and hand ball with a penskey (spelling) pinkey. So in the last two weeks I have ordered and received the following. Two skeins of 5/2 Perle Cotton #6, color way Begonias & Jamboree from Katsara Luxury Yarns. This was a learning experience. I'm going to see if I can make socks with one of them and I may exchange the other for a DK weight. I did not realize how fine this stuff is.

Who wouldv'e thunk it but I'm knitting

the previous posts were a catch up to what I've been wanting to say for weeks since I started this blog. Before I started the third pair of socks, I had to stopped into Uniquities, Vienna VA to buy size 1 circulars. I work in Tysons Corner so they are convenient (sometimes too much so) One of the gals there was wearing this top/vest that was to die for. She had made it from the The Knitting Experience: Book 1: The Knit Stitch (The Knitting Experience) Buy it here as this is a great price. It was the Lots-of-Choices Top. Look at the drawing, you knit it in two pieces that have two different necklines and button together, I can't find a picture of it any place on line! So here are pictures from the book. What I really liked was C that chose to make it in a cotton yarn (Classic Elite Flash) and used two colorways. I wanted to make something that I could wear year round. So I ordered the yarn, one was special order. So I continued on with the socks & received the call that one of the colors I wanted was discontinued! So after work, I tried to pick another color. Nada, then one of the other ladies suggested Tweedy Cotton Classic. I'm using Colors 476 & 465. I have to tell you that the gals & guy at this shop are just the best!! They don't have a web site but be sure to put them on your list of shops to visit in Northern Virginia. The selection of yarn, book and needles are to die for. Here are the colors. I started last Sunday and was starting to see why so many people stay with socks! This is what I got done in one week. I needed to make two swatches. The suggested size was a 7 and had very specific gauge requirements. Size 7 was off so I went down to size 6. Perfect. Plus, this is a crochet cast on which is really pretty. Yesterday, I wound up all but 1 of each color (hope I don't need them) Best investment I made at Stitches East was the ball winder & swift. Cats love to watch it so it becomes a family affair. It is really an easy, easy pattern repeat but I did have to ribbit once yesterday morning. I have added a second skein and have about half more than what you seen done since last night. I home when I get to the armholes it will be just as easy.

The boys

Last summer these two were born across the street. Their mother is white and quite wild. Their father was a big boy, white & orange, and must have been abandoned as he would come up to me, talk and let me brush him. Big boy introduced his offspring to me. I was, of course, feeding him whenever he stopped by. He would come for days and weeks than be gone for stretches of time. Last fall I started feeding the boys so they could be trapped, neutered and returned. And so they were. Our community was working with Alley Cat Allies. I woke up one morning and there they were back and wanting to be fed. I'm sure they were confused for two days but they have settled into a routine. Zorro, black & white, is the love baby. Of all the cats he loves to be picked up. Turns to jello. And has the biggest purr. You can hear him across the room. I swear he has a motor.
Stanley is still learning. He loves to be brushed. His fur is thick like his fathers. Actually, if Pia didn't stay on his ass he would be better. I know he would really do better in a home by himself but he is here and the chances of someone I know just dying to adopt him is slim to none. As you can see his life is good despite Pia. Some days the boys stay in for 24 hours. Mostly they are in and out. Stanley prefers to stay out at all night but comes in to nap when I come home from work, goes out for the night when I go to bed. Zorro is always close. If I step out he is there so on weekends he is like a kid, in and out. I just wish he would learn to bark but he gets his message across when he wants out.

Sissy, an introduction

Sissy is the sister. She was more mature in nature. More reserved. They were both 3-4 months old when I got them. Sissy, does not like to be picked up. She gives me 10 seconds at best. But she is always on the back of the couch just behind my neck. And she is the only one that will sleep on me! Yep, not beside me, not at my head, thank goodness, but on me. She weighs half of Pia but she feels like a ton of bricks when she get on. She will also wash me. If i put my head back on the couch I get a cleaning. I'll let her do it for a second or so because I know this is love BUT it feels so weird! When Manda was with us I had to feed them a level up. Sissy will also sleep where I sit. When I get up she drops down. She will get into my knitting. Missed a pic op when I was making a bag and came back to find her in it! She was so pleased. Caught this one where she was making the best of it. That is a scarf I had ripped out. Sometimes I feel she is put out that I'm in her seat. Yet, I know the truth...she only wants it because this is where I sit and I know she will sometimes sleep there when I'm at work.

Pia, an introduction

As I will be posting pictures of my furry purries I thought I would get the into's out of the way. Pia was the torti. It took a bit to name her. I lived with both of the girls for awhile knowing that they would help me name them. Now I'm in a 1000 sq ft condo with two cats and a dog. Here is a picture of my home from the spring. I'm posting this picture because this is not what you think of when you say your home is a condo. I am only attached on one side. So I rather say I live in a brick rambler with a garden and garage. The garage is on the back. My LR & DR wall is the garage wall.

OK, I digress, Pia was named. It means pain in the ass. Because that is what she was, at the time, well to be truthful, she can still be! So the name fits. Its pretty and only you & I know what it means. She does not. She is not a lap cat ( thank goodness look at the size of her!), if fact, none are. But she is the couch cat. If I am reading the paper, knitting she is right there demanding attention. If I sit and do nothing, no cat. It just amazes me how they don't miss a move. I just wish they could tell time!

Kitty Girls

I know you do not have to knit to have cats. You can have dogs and any other pet. I just happen to have cats now. When I brought my home in 1990 I have Muppet, Manda & Missy. I do not have an electronic picture of Muppet as you left us in 1992. Missy was adopted from the FFX Cty Animal Shelter. She & Manda were close. Missy went first. Then Manda was losing her sight, hearing and would sometimes pass out when she became excited. Knowing it was just a matter of time, and now that I too was now older, I knew I did not want to get another dog. I figured I would get old with my cats. Well, one of the gals at work told me about finding dates online at Craig's list. So I went looking for a man and after awhile of reading decided to see what else they offered. Been there with the men and I had to be honest, I was now too set in my ways to start sharing my life or giving up my comfortable life.

Well, they had pets! Once of the first posts was for a Torti! My favorite. This post was from Metro Ferals. Better yet! This is karma. So after making application and being approved I drove to Maryland to meet this little girl. The foster mother pointed to a grey tabby and said they were close. Knowing I wanted two my decision was made. Best part the adoption fee was $150 each which included all shots & spaying. Here are the three girls.

Third Pair of Socks

Finished! I did these a couple of weeks ago. I must have CRS because I know I took pictures of these when I finished the RW& B pair below. Oh well, that is not the first time I know I did something, or thought I did.

Since I had used two other types of sock yarn I decided to try something with elastic. This is from Knit Picks called Dancing in Rumba.
Since these were on sale I bet there are hundreds of us in the same colorway! I went down to size 1 for these. Same pattern as others K2P2 rib but this time took it to the toes. Knit up like a dream.

Speaking of toes. No ears!! Pratice, Pratice.

4th of July update

Oh, I've been so remiss in keeping up with this blog. I'm think I need a secretary to write to about the tons of knitting thoughts I have. Do I blog or knit. Well, knitting is winning. Then I remembered that you can save posts as drafts! Duh, why didn't I think of this two weeks ago!

Here are the 4th of July socks finished.

And here they are on my BFF

We had a thunderstorm come through that took us from the pool side bar-b-que to inside. After eating hot dogs, hamburger and steak with sides of various yummy salads ending with cheesecake, we retired to the living room where BFF's GD put the socks on. BFF was having back problems. Funny to watch H struggle to get them on. Definitely not the same as putting socks on one of her dolls! So as we are sitting there in the AC my feet were getting cold! As I sat across the room and looked at my gift on BFF feet, I couldn't help think how ironic it was that she now had toasty toes and I was freezing. So despite it being the 4th of July those socks came in real handy. She did offer me socks (not hers) but I declined. I also couldn't help think of the Wizard of OZ while looking at the socks now that she was wearing them.

Hate that little stitch hanging out.