Yarn of the Month

Tomorrow is a new Yarn of the Month at the store. May will be Sock Yarns! All in-stock On Your Toes 4ply, bamboo, DK, Kroy, Fortissima, Kureyon Sock, and Austerman Step will be 10% off, and if you've got a Preferred Client Card you'll get 15% off!

I'm going to Knit Nite tonight. It will be the first time I've made it since they started going to Nova Knitter's house. I will have to take a sock or something basic cuz I gab too much. Can't have anything that I'll lose track and mess up.

Knitting has picked up a bit. The weather has been quite nice (minus the rain yesterday), so I spend a fair bit of time outside. I planted three kinds of peas, carrots, and radishes. First time for me planting vegetables. When the weather warms up I'll add string beans, lettuce, zucchini, cukes, and tomatoes. I hope something grows! I don't have much of a green thumb. I hope the peas grow at least. I love peas straight out of the garden!

I hope to have a FO soon. I still haven't woven the ends in on my pink sweater. (For shame!) I am going to work on Heddy's sweater this week and weekend. I really want to try and finish it this weekend. I started the second sock of a pair of Austerman's for the store. That's what I will take tonight cuz it's just vanilla. No concentration needed.

Happy knitting!

12!

Happy Birthday to my first babies, Simba and Nala. My two little stubby-tailed puffs of fluff were born twelve years ago today. You're still babies to me!



They're getting up there. I can't bear to think about, y'know. Pumba hits the double digits in the fall. He'll be ten.


My back is getting better. It still hurts a lot to bend, sit down, get up, etc. But once upright I can get around better.



Happy knitting!

Gimped

It's been a beautiful weekend weather-wise. Unfortunately not so for the little 'uns and me. First off the Littlest One stayed at Nanny's all night Friday. He woke up at 4:30am, sick to his stomach. He complained all day yesterday that his belly hurt (tho he didn't get sick any more). He wasn't himself and didn't eat much. He fell asleep earlier than usual. At least he was back to his old self today, except for the runs. So tonight the Oldest One started complaining that he didn't feel good, and he fall asleep like 8 o'clock. That's how I know he's sick, cuz he's a night owl.

As for me, I was being highly productive yesterday. I loosened up the soil where I want to plant a small vegetable garden this year (for the first time). It's kinda in a weird spot, but the camper used to be beside our garage, so the grass under it went wonky. Now we don't bring the camper home (the new one is too hard to get in and out of the yard, so we leave it at the campground), but last year the boys had their pool in that spot. So basically there was not grass there anyways, all I had to do was even it up a bit. I'd ideally like to get some landscaping ties and tie it off. Anyways, I decided to clean the garage up some. It's usually hubby's job, but there was so much stuff flung around it was hard to manouver. The only thing I didn't do was tidy up the back bench. That's definitely his job. So I picked everything up and decided to sweep where I could reach. The 4-wheeler was out a ways, so I pushed it back against the bench to clean under it, then I hauled it back out a bit. I should have known better, I have a bad back, and doing stuff like that is a no-no. But I'm stubborn, and I wanted it done NOW. So this morning I had so much stuff to do. I had stripped my bed down, had towels and facecloths washed, had to vacuum/mop, had intended more yard work... I was changing the basement litter box, bent over to dump it out, and snap! My back went out. I yelled, couldn't move, had to call for the kids to come move the litter box and get me a chair so I could lower myself to the floor. The Littlest One runs out and calls my parents, but he gave me the phone, and I said I'd be okay eventually. I laid on the floor awhile, then crawled out to the kitchen on my hands and knees where I gradually was able to get up off the floor. My back hasn't gone out like that in a long time. Of course, hubby's on the road so I can't steal his gout flare-up pills. (My doctor already said I can take them when my back goes out. I don't make a habit of taking other people's prescriptions, not like my grandfather did.) So all day long I've been sitting in weird positions with a hot water bottle on my back. I can get around a little better now, but my back still really hurts. When it gets like this I usually need a tune-up from my chiropractor.

Spring seems to have sprung here for good, so it was time to change purses. I have this one made with Patons SWS for spring/summer, and I have a Noro Kureyon one for fall/winter.

I also started a pair of socks. These ones are Austerman Step and will be vanillas for the store. I'd ideally like to have a pair made of each kind of sock yarn there, that way people can see what they knit up like. So far I only have Kroy self-striping and Fortissima, I think. I also want to make a pair with the bamboo, of course the Kureyon Sock, and the other two Kertzer yarns. Bonus if they sell. (Still waiting for the new Patons Stretch Sock.)

All I have left to do on my pink sweater is weave in the ends and attach the ties. I really shouldn't be so lazy. Maybe I'll do that tonight. I also have to finish the little sweater for Heddy. I looked at it some and tinked back a couple of rows.

I combed Jewel out after our walk with Marti and Hank the other day. (Should be saving it and get someone to spin it, it's so soft.) I sat outside in the sun to do it, especially since it's such a mess. I turned around to comb her and gasped when I saw this.


The Evil Baby has been chewing on the corner of the house. Not good. Plus I have several holes and oodles of pieces of rawhide everywhere, now that the snow is gone.

But she just thinks, "I'm cute, gotta love me!"

Happy knitting!

PS MUST make one of these after seeing this and this. Too cute!

The B*tch in Black is Back

After probably almost a month, the B*tch in Black is Back in the yard, at least til early tomorrow morning. Hubby left yesterday to get her, hitching a ride to the city with a friend, then with a fellow company driver to Sydney. The garage put his truck outside so he could sleep in it til the morning when they opened so he could pay the bill. So he hauled a container back to the city, then home so he could get his microwave, clothes, food, and other things he needed. When you're travelling in other people's trucks you can't take much. So I finally got to see the fancy moose bumper. She hasn't been home since it was put on.

In the back you can see the shiny new quarter fenders he had put on last month, too. The other fenders that were on there were bigger but got mangled in the winter. (An unfortunate incident when he was trying to hook to a trailer. Someone parked the trailer in a hole or something, or lowered the legs, can't remember, so when he went to hook on it caught the fenders and bent them up like pull-tab can tops. Someone came out with a grinder and cut them off. I can imagine how blue the air was around him when he did that.)

Gonna be a tight month since he missed an entire pay period. He was off for over two weeks, so today was the start of the pay that gets deposited on May 15. Oy! I can't even think about it.

I haven't been knitting a whole lot lately. The weather has been so nice, I've been trying to do some yard work. I did finish my sweater, but I still need to weave in the ends and attach the ties. Hope to have a picture to post Friday of the finished product. It's not really a color I wear, so I hope it doesn't just languish in a drawer forever. Next up is to finish the nephew's sweater. I also have this from Heddy to try and finish up for her. It's mostly done, just the top of the tractor really. The back and sleeves are done. I haven't done a lot of colorwork, but I can't see it being too hard. It gives the poor thing the heebie jeebies just to think about it. At least her nephew has a little brother that will grow into it so it will get lots of use!

Poor Pumba. The Littlest One brought home a Santa hat from Nanny's the other day. It's a good thing he's a good natured cat. (I can't switch to a flat monitor, this is his favorite place to lay. Besides my face at night.)

Please take it off.

Like NOW! (Boy, does he look unenthusiastic or what?)

I have no dignity left!

And lastly here's Jewel hoarding some of her toys. She got to play in the water at one of the local walking parks the other day. She also got to play with two other dogs and had a blast! I even let her off the leash. I knew she'd never wander off from playmates. And it was no problem getting her back on the leash, either. I always make sure I have a pocket full of treats (and the other pocket full of poop bags), just in case.

Happy knitting!

Still Here, Kinda

I am still here. Not much knitting going on lately. I did start working on the first sleeve to my sweater again. I brought that to work with me tonight. I'll also probably work on it tomorrow. I'm hoping to get the sleeves finished by tomorrow night, then it's just joining to the body and knitting the yoke. That won't be fun since there will be so many stitches. At least it will be on 6.5mm needles.

It's been a gloomy couple of weeks in our household. Not a good atmosphere at all. I think that's why my knitting has been suffering. I've been plunking a lot more on the computer, but I'm starting to feel guilty about not knitting. Basically the big truck broke down on Easter weekend with a broken spring and ended up needing king pins and a machined axle to boot, then the next weekend it broke down when it lost a rear differential. It was at the garage for over a week before they got the parts to fix it, and the cost was quite high. He told the company he works for that he didn't have the money to pay, so they said he could PO it, not to worry, get it fixed. Anyhoo, the garage called for the PO, and they wouldn't give it to them. So now we're scrambling to get the money to pay for it so he can go back to work. Not good, not good at all cuz it isn't working very well.

I forgot to mention, too. The Oldest One had his final day of curling last Saturday. They each got a treat bag with some dollar store toys in it and had pizza, cake, and ice cream. Then they had little competitions so everyone had a chance to win something. He won a t-shirt. Plus he was the only kid to make it to every single practice, so he got awarded Most Dedicated and received two bags of microwave popcorn with two gift certificates to the local movie rental joint. I took him over before work so he could get a couple of games for tonight and tomorrow. It's supposed to rain, and I'll be working. Helps keep them out of Daddy's hair.

Happy knitting!

April Socks

Vanilla Fortissima Socka socks for the store. Started March 31, finished April 6. Standard 60sts on 2.25mm needles, heel over 30sts, toe to 20sts. I like this colorway and may have to make myself a pair. Good for mens socks, too. Must be a discontinued colorway since I can't find it on their web site.

Now I will try to concentrate on some UFOs. I think I'll try to finish my sweater and nephew's sweater before I cast on anything new. (Of course, I will probably break down and cast on a pair of socks. Don't know how long I can go without starting some socks.)

Took these shots of Simba the other day. Jewel was in barking mode at him. He was NOT impressed. This is his "leave me alone" face.

This is his evil-in-the-middle-of-a-hiss face, saying, "get the hell outta here, I said!" We ended up rescuing him to the back of the house. But he's an instigator and won't stay in the back. If Jewel is laying down being good he comes out, walks right by her, meows, then it's on. Then he's hateful. He'll chase her across the floor, swatting all the way, she thinks he's playing.

Jewel graduated from obedience class last week. She got a nice certificate and special home-made doggie treats. Hank didn't make it. Marti was sick. (I have his certificate and treats.) She flunked the first game with flying colors. She's always done well on recall in class, but she decided it was more fun to play with the other dogs. Took me probably a minute or more to get her to finally come to me. The other dogs did it in 6 and 8 seconds. But she redeemed herself and won the next two games. One was stay, she made it 57 seconds before she moved, and that was because one of the other dogs had started moving around. The last game was a relay game. Sit, down, stay, stand, all in different orders, whatever the trainer told us to do, one at a time. She did all of them on the first command, stayed, and let me walk around her, all in 45 seconds. We took her to the little tennis court again today, and she did excellent on recall between hubby and I and even went to the Littlest One when he called her.

Well, I should get going. The Littlest One is impatiently waiting outside for me to put the swings back on the swing set. They were taken off for the winter. The forecast for all this week so far is fairly nice and sunny.

Happy knitting!

What Old People Do For Fun

I wanted to post something, so I'm using this funny video clip. A co-worker sent it to me probably a couple of years ago, so I'm sure you've all probably seen it. I like it. (No offense to anyone -- the title of the post is the title of this video clip, not something I just made up.)

Still knitting on a pair of vanilla socks for the store. I am nearing the heel of the second sock, so I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow, Sunday at the latest. I have to finish nephew's sweater (good thing it's too big since I'm late finishing it), and there's still my sweater, too.

A couple of contests to refer you to. There's one at The YoYo Knits. And there's another one over here at Modest Purls.

Lastly I want to direct you to this post and the incredible feat which I could never do in twenty years. Chrissy spun her own yarn and knit herself a gorgeous cardigan all in like ten days! Yes, ten days! Check out the second link here where she chronicles the steps she took. Amazing! I think she did such a super, super job, and she only just got her spinning wheel recently. Oh, to be a spinner.

Happy knitting!