problem solved

Well, after much thought I finally figured out how to solve the wonky chart problem. I am surprised I didn't get it earlier but I'll chalk that up to major tooth pain. I am going to restart the whole thing and do a provisional cast on. Then I will do the dreaded chart, pick up the ankle stiches on dpns and do the foot. Problem solved, and tomorrow I get my root canal and the tooth problem will be solved. Whoo hoo!

random thoughts

• How did I spend Thanksgiving with my family and assorted knitting projects without getting an effing thing done?
• The pattern for my Christmas stocking is making me nuts. The chart reads in a way that is inducing nausea in me. The chart reads from the upper rows to the ankle, then the foot is done on dpns. It makes it hard to look at the picture and tell if its right, or maybe its my brain that has a problem. I am just used to charts that work up, and I may have to reverse the pattern so it doesn't make my brain hurt.
• Joe Lieberman has hired some dude as his chief of staff or some such title who hails from Christian "family" oriented causes. Are we supposed to see Lieberman as a democrat? I think he might be trying to run for one of the 4 horsemen of the apocolypse. I still wished I could have voted against him more than once. On the plus side, my impulse control seems to be intact - I didn't leave a foul mouthed message at Lieberman's office.
• Did any one see the "Rhymes with Orange" cartoon in the paper sunday? It was a snake looking at a book titled Anyone Can Knit. The caption was to the effect that the snake remained optimistic.

helloooo.....

Well, let's see. Despite maintaining my silence I have in fact been knitting. I even finished a pair of socks for me, wore them and washed them twice. I swear I will post a pic. What has stopped me from doing so? A toothache to end the genre, which left half of my face numb from my eye to my chin (but only after causing horrible pain). I am on antibiotics and waiting for root canal on the 30th. Whoo who!

Then I stupidly invited my parents and sister to celebrate my son's brithday and my 10 year old daughter for having chanted the havdalah (end of Shabbat) service all by herself on Saturday. Then I thought, why not have a brunch and invited about 40 people over. So I thought I could clean the house and buy the food and all that stuff during the week. I did not plan for the number of hours I would spend at the dentist or sleeping off percocet on the couch. By Friday I was in a state of panic, but I pulled it off (mostly). Instead of the expense of ordering trays, I went to costco and bought lox and fixings. Cleaning was boiled down to the bare minimum and there were things that didn't actually get cleaned (some knitting stuff got hidden under the sofa and in closets). I did get 14 bags of clothes to Good Will, and wrote down the contents so they could be used to offset taxes. I also gave away three bags of really nice hardly worn clothes to friends. No sooner than I get some shit out of the house, people start showing up with gifts for the kids. Arghh! Some days I think I will never get out from under it. Did I mention that my temporary filling fell out? I hear the couch and the percocet calling me again. Hopefully my friend the dentist will have time to fix that before I drive myself and the kids to Phildelphia for thanksgiving (tomorrow afternoon).

mitten kit swap questionaire

Are you allergic to any fibers? No!
What are your favorite colors? Leafy green, burnt orange, mustard yellow, rich browns
Are you a new mitt knitter? Nope
How long have you been knitting mittens? I have been knitting since I was seven and am now 43. I don't remember my first mittens but would guess they were in the last 10 years.
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? I like solids if there is some variation in the depth of color other wise multi.
What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Wool
Where do you usually knit mittens? Every where I like socks and mitten because they are portable and I can always have something to do with me.
How do you usually carry/store small projects? in ziplock bags in my big bag
What are your favorite mitten patterns? A fairilse mitten from interweave knits that I did a few years ago. The colors were great.
What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? I use eith dpns or 2 circs, I got tired of all the fiddling around with magic loop
What new techniques would you like to try? I don't know
What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? Addi circs, but I am thinking of tring knit picks circs
What are some of your favorite yarns? I love sock yarn and have made mittens from both commercial and hand dyed sock yarns
What yarn do you totally covet? I have a strange obsession with rowan kidsilk haze but I am a miser about using it, though I have stranded it with sock yarn to make a warmer fuzzy mitten.
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Probably some insanely comlicated color work or testural pattern
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? Metal, addi, circs. I rarely use straight needles.
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Hand dyed cashmere, maybe lobster pot from Purl Soho.
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?Sour gummy peaches, good and plenty. I love chocolate but it doesn't always mail well!
What’s your favorite animal? cats, but I am petless right now
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? Living in new england, I guess I have to say warm
If you were a color what color would you be? leafy green
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? a new baby sleeping, it doesn't even need to be one of my kids
Do you have a wishlist? Not a formal one!
Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? Nope, but always open to questions

finished father & son socks

So I finished this matching set for my guys with this tiny bit of yarn left. That never ceases to amaze me, that no matter how stressed I get about whether I will have enough yarn, I always make it with the tiniest bit left. This is opal chameleon from the first rainforest collection ordered from Astrid (and she is always a pleasure to buy from).
Now the only question is why dh and ds keep asking me to make them socks that they never wear. My nearly three year old informed me he doesn't like the "knitting" socks except for skating on the wood floors. No attempt to explain by DH, but he was informed that this is the last pair he gets unless he starts wearing the others.

Okay here it is. The rhinebeck loot. I am possibly the last person in blogland to post my aquisitions. The sock yarn is all from ellenshalfpintfarm.com and the scarf kit is from morehouse merino. Hard to believe how much money was involved!