One Crazy Fiber Lady

I know its been a bit since I last posted.  It goes without saying that I’ve been busy.  I’ve been knitting and spinning, as well as reading and working.  Not to mention, hot and sweaty.  Been a very decent summer so far.  This July girl does not complain about heat.. well too often that is.  Summer is my season and I don’t wish it gone, at all.  Even though September brings the end of paid for schooling, I’m in no rush to see it come.

A couple of weeks ago, I started knitting Featherweight Cardigan in 100purewool sock weight in a gorgeous blue.  I’m really enjoying working with this yarn.

This has been the perfect commuter project.  A lightweight cardigan that is stockinette makes for excellent reading work.  It has also been good for playing the Sims (which I’m back at for a change), especially during the 10 day west coast Red Sox swing recently.  10PM starts are way too late for me these days.  I just can’t stay up that late anymore :*(  I’m a bit further along on this than the picture indicates.  I’m about a half inch of finishing the bottom ribbing.  I need to dig out the longer needle to do the sleeves.

What’s that under the Featherweight you ask?  I know it came as no surprise when I bought the iPad, so maybe this might.  I loved the iPad, but unfortunately, it did not meet my needs in for portable computing. I found myself having to also carry my netbook (acer aspire one 10”).  Put the iPad together with the netbook and I had a bag that was a big heavier than I really wanted to carry.  I pulled out the druggy scale and discovered that the pair were actually heavier than my MacBook.   Might as well carry that for an all-in-one tech toy. 

But I really didn’t want to carry that much.  So for a bit, I replaced the iPad in the bag with my Kindle 2.  The solution was lighter, however, I was still not happy with the reading of the PDFs.  The netbook screen is too small to read it well and the Kindle 2 does a half hearted job at the PDF with lots of embedded images (and charts) that make up the majority of my tech books.  Which is why I replaced the Kindle with the iPad to begin with as it does the tech pdf very well.  Solution?  The Kindle DX!  Its a great compromise between the weight of the ebook reader with the PDF ability of the iPad.  No games, but I have my phone for that…

Which brings me to the new phone you see.  That is the HTC Incredible from Verizon.  I did go with the Android phone instead of getting a new iPhone.  I’m loving it!  Been a bit of a learning curve as it is an entirely new OS for me, but it is intuitive enough that it hasn’t been overly problematic.  I’ve kept my iPhone to use as a Touch as for some odd reason I don’t like using my phone as an iPod.  Before I got the Incredible, I carried around a separate iPod to listen to.  Amazing how long the battery is now lasting on the iPhone.  I’m impressed with the specs on this new phone and I can’t complain about having an 8MP camera with FLASH on me at all times.  As for developing apps for it?  I’m working towards that.  I’ve got my netbook set up as a development station for it and picked up a book on the subject, which I’ve been reading on the DX   Now to figure out what to do with the old iPods and the Kindle 2.

Yesterday Kat and I visited a new to us yarn store:  Yarn Diva.  I wanted some Malabrigo to knit Adrift in and didn’t have enough of anything in stash.  I’d never been to this store, but had meant to.  I’m sorry I didn’t make the trip earlier.  I loved it!  I do believe I have a new LYS.  They are so friendly and very helpful.  There’s a great selection of what I would consider basic yarns (lace, sock), as well as some of the more designer yarns that appeal to others.  I’m definitely going back there again.

Time to finish the laundry, balance the checkbook and make the necessary lists before heading off to WOOL this week!

Craft on! 

As Deb pointed out yesterday in her comment, the yarn I’m using is actually blue.  My iPhone has had a terrible time trying to capture the true color of this Peace Fleece.  The photo I posted yesterday was taken last week on the train during a sunny day.  The shot I tried for this morning in the car (overcast) wasn’t much better.  I pulled out the Olympus purse camera instead.

This is much closer to the true blue.

Oh and this front piece is now 3 rows from complete.

Craft on!

Yup, still alive. Yup, still knit. Here’s another project: another from A Fine Fleece – October Frost iirc. My brain is somewhat defective these days. Oh well. I’ve got the back and one side done. The second side is halfway there. Yarn is Peace Fleece.

Knit on!

No real progress to report on the foot.  I’m able to put a bit of weight on it.  And as usual, I push it too far and hurt like hell by bed time.    I’ve been working at home which means a longer day.  I get to my computer some mornings almost an hour before I’d hit my desk at the office.  Lunch time has been a much shorter break as many days Mom brings me lunch and I eat at the computer.  And then it doesn’t end until well after I would have left the office to commute home.  Not really complaining here as I’m fortunate to have this option, but just stating a fact.

Here is a shot of my festive footwear…

It is a good solid supportive boot.  I remove it to go to sleep.  The rubber sole gives me a good foundation to step on.

And another fact?  The touchpad on my Acer laptop (no not the netbook – mom has that now – I bought a new full sized windows laptop last fall) is making me nuts.  It does this weird thing that makes me curse at it.  I think I’ll take a break from it and use the MacBook tomorrow  Options are always nice!

Anyway, enough griping.  Sitting around has brought more knitting and Sims time.  I’ve hit the 10″ mark on Redhook.

It makes for some awesome Sims knitting.  Or TV watching knitting.  I’m going to go back to it as soon as this post is done.  I’m enjoying the best part of American Idol.  These auditions are entertaining!

Finally, I haven’t posted a shot of everyone’s favorite monkeys in a while…

The Sunday of Christmas weekend, dad had the brilliant idea to bring the kids into the city to see the tree at Rock Center.  I think everyone else in the tri-state area had the same idea.  The city was PACKED.  There was no getting near the tree.  Heck we had trouble getting to the Lincoln Tunnel to get into the city.  We wound up driving to Hoboken, taking the PATH train to 33rd street and walking up town.  The above shot was taken right in front of the NY Public Library.  The monkeys kept asking if they could climb on the lions.  Sigh.

Time to go back to knitting.

Craft on!

After almost a week of no difference, my foot is finally feeling better.  It wasn’t so much the ankle that was damaged this go around but foot itself.  I essentially stood en pointe with no training or preparation for that matter, on a dead asleep foot.  I wouldn’t recommend it.  But finally on Thursday, it started feeling a little better.  I can move my toes much better and have regained a great deal of strength.  The outside edge of my foot still has a sore spot but my friendly podiatrist doesn’t think there’s a break, but more of a contusion.   Another week or so and I should be almost back to normal.  Good thing too, we leave in 4 weeks for a 10 day Caribbean cruise!

Knitting has been reduced this week as I’m back to work, even if it is remotely.  I did have my bi-weekly work planning meeting and knit while chatting over the speaker phone.  I’ve made decent progress on Redhook, getting past the 5″ of ribbing at the hem and into the plain knit body.

It is knit in one piece to the armholes.  I like this kind of knitting!

Dad is going to take the monkeys shopping this afternoon so I’ll be making more progress on this sweater.  I need to install the recent patch to the Sims 3 and I’ll have the perfect accompaniment to this project.  Maybe I can get the next generation of my legacy family off the ground.  Which reminds me, I never did set up the Sims blog on the new host.  Should I?

Craft on!

I’m still off my foot but I’m getting way better with the crutches

All photos courtesy of the iPhone as the other cameras are still across the room.

I consider it fortuitous that I switched that Jenny Lund armchair in my bedroom for the Poang chair and ottoman that it had once replaced.  I realized over Christmas weekend that I couldn’t spin in the Jenny Lund any better than I could in the Poang.  So I swapped them, putting the Poang back in my room and the armchair into the den.  So at least I’ve been comfy the last few days.    As a plus, I found I can attach my ballwinder to the arm of the Poang!  Came in handy…

Yesterday, after knitting incessantly on the Red Tweed sweater, I found the darn thing was far too big.  My gauge was off.  Instead of the 6st/in that I initially got, I measured 5.5st/in.  Turned my 38″ sweater into something that I could felt or frog…

Felting Rowan Felted Tweed didn’t seem right.  So I frogged.

I cast on for Redhook with the same yarn.  I did a huge gauge swatch for this one and am getting the requisite 5.5 st/in

Two finished objects to show off now.  Not too long ago, Alex requested hand knit socks.  That is a request that this knitting mama could seriously oblige.  I went stash diving and came up with a skein of Opal Rainforest in blues.  While I had the first one half done during a work planning meeting, and finished shortly thereafter, the project has languished while I finished up the gift knitting and a variety of other things.  I pulled it out yesterday after deciding the red tweed was DOA.  I knit the second sock yesterday.  Just in time too, it is FREEZING out there.  Boy wore them to school this morning.

Fraternal twins.  My favorite!  They are toe-up, 12 st turkish cast on, increased to 48 stitches on a US0.

Way back at the Garden State fiber festival, the twins each picked a braid of BFL from SeeKay.  I intended to make this year’s hats from the spun fiber.  I spun up the blue/yellow/green braid (Sunshine Day) that Alex picked way back in November.   Its been finished for ages now.  This morning I started a hat for him,  Hurricane Hat.

I finished it about an hour ago while watching season 1 disk 3 of Big Bang Theory (OMG that show is so frakkin’ funny! )  Today was a planned day off, using up my last day from 2009 so I tried to make the most of it.  The pattern is an easy one and I cranked it out in about 3 hours.  Maybe less.  Hope boy likes it.

Happy New Year everyone!

Thank you all for your warm wishes regarding my injured ankle.    I guess I need to explain how it happened.  I was working at my desk, moving my blog from one host to another well into the evening on Tuesday.  By 12:45 AM Wednesday, I decided it was time for bed.  Unfortunately, I’d been sitting on my foot and it was well asleep when I stood up.  I figured if I was careful, I’d be okay.  I slowly made my way across my bedroom when about 2 steps from my goal, I apparently caught my big toe on the area carpet.  I then stepped down on the dead foot, folding it.  I heard an audible crunch and even though the foot was asleep, felt it sharply.   Ouch.

So that’s the story.  I did a stoopid thing and now I know better.  The ER doctor directed me to follow up with a podiatrist within 3 days.  Fortunately, a friend of mine’s husband is just that.  The stars aligned on Wednesday as it was holiday SnB at Panera, Tami was going and since she sprained her ankle a few weeks ago, her podiatrist husband was bringing her again this week.  I had called her as a fellow left ankle sprain buddy as I left the ER.  She contacted her hubby and he said he’d see me that night if I could make it there.   Not one to miss a SnB for something minor like a sprained ankle, I made it there with much help from mom.

A thorough exam in the corner of Panera (the weirdest location I’ve even been in and I’m now sporting a serious boot and have a script for an NSAID.  We’re in the stay off it and let it rest phase now.  Might need an MRI in a week or so to see how bad the muscle damage is.  I have seriously reduced strength in my foot and can barely move my toes up or down.  There’s also some ligament damage and IIRC an entrapped nerve.  Hey, if you’re going to do it, you do it right

This has given me some bonus knitting time though!  Recently all my knitting time has been on the train.  Home time was spinning time.  Not so much right now, though it is a good thing I have all those single treadle spinning wheels!  So I’ve been knitting.  I’m working on a top down raglan using Rowan Felted Tweed.  I started it a week ago.  I put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn while sitting in the ER waiting for the Doctor to read my X-rays.  At last measure, during the first period of the Winter Classic, I was 2.5″ from starting the ribbing at the hem.

Sorry for the craptastic picture but the real camera is across the room.  The iPhone was far closer  I dearly love this yarn.  It is my favorite shade and I’m really enjoying working with it.

I have other projects, knitting and weaving to show, all finished, but the shots haven’t been downloaded out of the big camera yet, so they’ll have to wait as well.  Suffice it to say that while I haven’t been blogging, I have still been busy.  I split teacher gifts between knitted and woven this year.   I finally got my floor loom out of storage, replaced the metal heddles with texsolv ones and even warped it.  I’ve used my Schacht Flip Rigid Heddle a couple of times.  So yes, I keep myself occupied.

OK, the family is off at Kohl’s doing a little shopping.  I’m going to return to this sweater and the remainder of the Winter Classic.

Craft on!

Since my last post, we had halloween!

I started and finished a sweater for the little miss:

Project details are over here.

I started a sweater for me:

Project details are over here.

I started a sweater for the little mister:

Project details for this one are here.

Yesterday, I saw this pattern and just had to make it for my littlest niece.

All this knitting, with the exception of a purchase of a single skein of red yarn for the Monster Butt has been out of stash. ¬†The youngins went shopping in my stash to pick out the colors for the Drive-Thrus. ¬†That sweater remains my absolute favorite pattern for kids. ¬†The yarn I’m using for Eyelet Cardi was added to stash in February to knit another ChicKnits pattern but was redirected to this one.

This morning we got up rather early for a Sunday, got dressed quickly and had some breakfast before heading out to stand in line. ¬†The pediatrician’s office received their requested H1N1 vaccines and scheduled today from 9 to 1 to give the vaccines. ¬†We got there about 9:30 and after an hour wait, wrestled two reluctant kids into holding still and baring their arms, they were inoculated. ¬† This was followed by a trip to the dollar store for a reward for being good. ¬†Ha. ¬†Anyway, the rest of the afternoon has been spent outdoors, enjoying the surprise 66F day.

While the twins did this:

I played with this:

The fiber is BFL from SeeKay in Sunshine Day. ¬†I bought this fiber at the NJ festival in Sept. ¬†As you can see, I’m spinning it on the Kromski Sonata. ¬†She makes a lovely outdoor wheel

When I finished the second bobbin (the first 2oz were spun at Jessica’s house yesterday), I pulled out another project.

Oh yeah, that project was on another wheel  This would be the second half of the 4oz of BFL, also from SeeKay at NJ, but in Rubies.

When that was done, I pulled out yet another spinning project in progress:

Bet you thought it was going to be another wheel ¬†This is the Pumpernickel n Jam batt that I got from Into the Whirled at Rhinebeck on the midi Bosworth spindle also from Rhinebeck. ¬†I’m tired now

Outside the hobbies, I’ve been downright exhausted. ¬†We’ve changed development methodologies at work moving to an Agile system. ¬†Instead of only working on one particular area of the application, I’m now working on things across the entire system regardless of expertise. ¬†It has been like starting a brand new job. ¬†My brain is overloading with all this knowledge! ¬†I come home, have dinner, get the kids in bed and then by 9, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open. ¬†I’m hoping that as I get experience in the other areas of the app, I’ll be able to stay up like a big girl again. ¬†On top of this, there’s been drama that I just didn’t need. ¬†Oh well.

I’m off to ply the SeeKay singles into some yarn. ¬†The kids picked those rovings for their winter hats for this year. ¬†While it might be 66F today, that will not last much longer!

Craft on!

Any surprise that I totally blew that Sunday / Wednesday posting thing one week in? ¬†No? ¬†Good. ¬†You shouldn’t be. ¬†Any surprise that I totally missed my blogiversary, 5th at that!, yesterday? ¬†I’m not either. ¬†Oh well.

On Friday, the twins turned six. ¬†I can’t believe it has been six years since these:

became these:

I blinked and they became six year old kindergartners. I’m loving the little people that they’ve grown into (though I could skip the whole “I hate you” when I tell them to do something they’d rather not).

Happy birthday my babies.  I love you.

Today, with everyone off, we made the annual trip to an orchard to pick apples. ¬† Found a new place this year in Morris county that had young trees with fruit low enough for the monkeys to get by themselves. ¬†If my math is right, we came home with 15lbs of apples, mixed between baking and eating kinds ¬†I love apples. ¬†Couldn’t nibble my way through the orchard for a change as the digestive system is still somewhat on the fritz.

Yesterday morning I finished knitting Rhinebeck. ¬†After the awful game was over, I set it to soak in the washing machine and then set it out to dry once it had a good spin. ¬†On the way home from the orchard, we stopped by JoAnn’s and I picked up a couple of button candidates. ¬†I ordered a couple of others online. ¬†Hopefully they’ll all be here before the drop dead button sewing on day, Friday. ¬†Here’s the first two candidates:

and on the sweater…

I’m leaning towards the 4 hole button. ¬†If nothing else arrives before friday that is better, these are the buttons you’ll see on saturday, on this sweater!!!!!

This meant I needed another project.  I broke out the box of lace yarns I bought from Knit Picks in January and cast on for Bohus Inspired Pullover from Knit So Fine.

At 7 st/in on US4 needles, this isn’t going to be the quick project that Rhinebeck was!

Craft on

You and I both know, I’m not really good at regularly scheduled updates. ¬†I can post every day for a while and then go days/weeks/months without a word. ¬†I’m going to try for a more regular schedule, something like Wednesdays and Sundays. ¬†They seem pretty well spaced. ¬†But then again, there is my newly discovered distaste of structure for structure’s sake.

Anyway… Sunday I did spent with the Sox and Rhinebeck. ¬†I got much further than I expected to during the game. ¬†Before the end of the third inning, I’d finished the back. ¬†Before the end of the 7th, the left front was done and the 3 needle bind off of that shoulder was done. ¬†I took a break for dinner and the ritualistic washing of the children. ¬†Another hour or so before bed and I had the right front completed as well.

Progress slowed to a crawl from there though. ¬†Being home sick isn’t good for my knitting production. ¬†Well it is good for knitting, depending on the illness at hand, but this tummy bug didn’t preclude actually working. ¬†I pulled out the laptop and telecommuted. ¬†Yay!

Boo for knitting though. ¬†No commuting = reduced knitting time. ¬†I did pick up the stitches for the first sleeve on Sunday, but hadn’t progressed much further until last night when I returned to it in earnest. ¬†Between that and the commute in this morning, I’m a goodly way into the sleeve.

(Click for big) .  I should have the sleeve done this evening with the outside chance of getting the stitches picked up for the second sleeve as well.

I don’t think I’m going out on a particularly rickety limb by saying that I should have this done for the big festival. ¬†But I know better than to piss off the fickle knitting goddess

Craft on!