Damned Rodent...

Knitting
Well, the groundhog has proclaimed 6 more weeks of winter. Good thing the little bastard lives in Pennsylvania--otherwise, I'd be tempted to take PFC Sibling's BB Gun out of the closet and hunt him down.

Last night, The Beloved took out the mirror on the passenger side of his car--sliding into my car as he tried to pull into our driveway. I haven't been out to see what he did to my car in the process. But getting in and out of our house should qualify us for some sort of hazardous pay. We can't see around the snowbanks left by the plow when backing out of the driveway. I'm a little nervous because The Tadpole and I need to make our first "solo" outing today so that I can authorize the doctor's office to release medical information to the short-term disability people so that I may collect a small amount of money during part of my maternity leave. Important, as I've realized that not only do I need to keep the baby clothed, but that I don't really own any practical nursing tops. The button-down shirts I owned would be great if I could button them over my (or Dolly Parton's) chest. I also could do with some more bras as both of us tend to wind up covered in milk after a feeding--even if I cover up with a burp cloth or a towel. The things I never thought of!

At least I know I'm producing enough food for her.

But back to the rodent. I should have seen it coming. We're supposed to get more snow tomorrow--if the storm tracks to the East (or--if the Gods are smiling on us), we should only get 1-3 inches. But, if the storm tracks to the West, we'll be up in the 4-7+ inches range. Super fun as The Beloved has returned to work, so The Tadpole and I will have to try and keep up with the snow as we need to get out of the driveway on Wednesday morning to go for her 2 week checkup. The snowbanks beside our driveway are already taller than my car, making me wonder where the snow is going to go...but it's all part of the adventure of living in New England, yeah? The fun here never ends!

Actually, things here are pretty fun--outside of the weather. The Tadpole continues to amaze me. She is so much fun. Right now, she's taking a nap in my lap while I type. She's fairly laid back, eating well, and sleeping well. She's also starting to be awake for longer periods of time, and she loves to play with her Daddy and me. Playing largely consists of making goofy faces at us, but she does it with aplomb. She also likes to sit in her bouncy chair or in her sling--which means I can occasionally do some knitting. I'm working on a pair of Heelless Sleeping Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush and using some Yarn Pirate BFL sock yarn in the June Bug colorway (Booty Club exclusive). However, the knitting is very slow going because the baby is distracting. In the best possible way. Speaking of distracting...I'm sure she needs a kiss just now...

Still no baby...

baby things
So, my due date has come and gone. While I know that it's pretty normal for babies to ignore their due dates and come when they damned well please...and they frequently please to come late...it's really the one thing I wasn't prepared for.

Mostly because between my age and the gestational diabetes, the smart money had her coming early. Particularly if you add genetics into the picture--she's seriously the first baby in three generations of my family to go past-due.

I can't even tell you if she's thinking about coming out. I spent three hours at the Birth Center on Friday hooked up to monitors because my blood pressure has decided to spike. It turns out, though, that it's worse in the doctor's office than it is over, say, three hours of testing it every 15 minutes. Also, since my bloodwork is fine and the baby is fine, they decided to let her stay put for a little while longer. The other interesting thing I found out? While I was there, I was having contractions every 6-8 minutes. But since they didn't hurt, they sent me home. The other interesting thing? They haven't stopped. So, I've been having contractions every 6-10 minutes or so since then (yes, that would be going on three days now), but they aren't exceptionally painful. They get uncomfortable--particularly in the evenings--but I don't have to stop what I'm doing to focus on them. The Beloved is beside himself, because this is not what the video they showed us in childbirth class was like, so he really doesn't know what to do or expect. Poor guy.

The other thing I found out is that I now get to be on modified bed rest indefinitely. Meaning, until the little bugger decides to come out or is evicted. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment where hopefully they will tell me how long she's got to make up her mind to come out before they choose for her. I hate to say that I hope they don't make me wait until 42 weeks, but bedrest sucks. I don't want to watch TV, read, or knit. I'd like to go for a walk or clean the disaster that is my house. But these have been declared off-limits for the time being. Plus, The Beloved is still working, so it's me and daytime TV. Yuck.

So, what have I done with all of my free time? I've finished stuff! The Cobblestone Sweater is finally finished. I have no excuses for taking so long with this--grafting the underarms and weaving in the ends seriously took about 30-45 minutes. I finished it while The Beloved watched The Mission on Netflix. Then he put it on. I don't know if he'll let me photograph him in the sweater--he's goofy like that. But it's a very nice sweater. It wasn't difficult at all and it's not girly or anything. Now he wants something with cables. But he's going to have to wait.

I also finished the round baby blanket I started in October.

Pinwheel blanket 3


I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I think it will be nice and warm and an appropriate size for covering The Tadpole when she's in her carseat or when we're out and about this winter (assuming she ever decides to, you know, be born). I knit until I had 650 stitches on the needles and then used a picot bindoff. The end result is pretty cute, but the edges tend to curl a bit and it seriously took me three days to bind off all the stitches. The blanket is done in Cascade 220 superwash paints. I can't remember the name of the colorway, but it's mostly pinks and yellows and oranges. It's definitely girly, but not pastel. The Tadpole has way more pastels than I intended--mostly because that's what there is for tiny babies, and particularly for baby girls. So I'm making a concerted effort to knit things in brighter and bolder colors.

She's got a purple bonnet made of Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Merino Wool--it's sooooo soft.

Baby Bonnet 2


And a little kimono-sweater made from Colinette Cadenza. Instead of making ties, I'm going to sew snaps on it and add buttons.

Baby kimono w/Buttons


I also finished off the Child's French Socks I started knitting for myself shortly before I found out I was pregnant.

child's french socks 5

child's french socks 8


Now I'm trying to decide what to do next. I've jumped on the Noro scarf bandwagon and have started one of those, but really intended for that to be hospital knitting. However, it may end up being done before the kid decides to come out. Right now, I'm trying to decide whether or not to start sock 2 of an unfinished pair, start another pair of socks, or knit something else for my stubborn child. I have enough Cascade 220 left from The Beloved's sweater to knit her a little tunic and probably a pair of longies. Not to mention the Malabrigo I bought intending to knit longies that's been out sitting in the car. But, as I said, I'm actually so out of sorts that I no longer feel like knitting. I had two false starts on a new pair of socks last night and ended up ripping both out because the yarn just wasn't speaking to me. I don't know whether to give it another go or throw in the towel...Perhaps I'll see if a nap improves my outlook at all.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

baby things
Or Winter, anyhow.

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I'd like to say, my husband is a saint. At 36 weeks pregnant, I'm not really able to help with snow removal. I tried the other day to shovel out around my car and it just made me have contractions, so we're all done with that right now...

We really are thinking about Christmas here, too...in spite of all the snow. I put up a tree:

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Please forgive the crappy picture--we haven't had much natural light 'round these parts lately.

I'm home from work today because the plow left us a wall of snow and there was no way I was getting out. Hopefully a) I will not go into labor today and b) the Beloved will be able to get at least one of the cars dug out. Have I mentioned what a good guy he is?

Speaking of him, I've finally, finally finished the Cobblestone Sweater. Well, mostly. I need to graft under the arms and wash it. If I do that today, it might be dry so that I can wrap it and put it under the tree for him. No pictures, yet, but hopefully he'll let me take pictures when the sweater is complete and wearable.

I've also knit a bunch of small baby things. I've got a baby sweater that I've been meaning to finish for a good month and have been working consistently on a round blanket. But, I gotta tell you, being able to knock out a hat, or mittens, or socks in a couple of days is very satisfying.

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I think my favorite is the coral-colored hat. The Tadpole will be required to wear hospital garb while we're at the hospital as part of their security protocol. But I can bring a hat for her, so I think I'm going to put that little one on her as soon as I can. She's also got a little hat made from leftover yarn from her coming home sweater, and so that will likely be a going home hat.

The Beloved is bemused with my knitting of teeny-tiny things. Today I plan to work on either the never-ending baby blanket or the unfinished kimono sweater. After I wrap gifts. And do laundry. The baby laundry is almost done--her clothes are clean and put away, sheets and towels are done, and I'm left with baby blankets and diapers to take care of. Of course, I should also make sure that the Beloved and I have clean clothes and linens as well. And perhaps do some more picking up before Christmas Eve when my in-laws are scheduled to come for a visit.

Fortunately, I appear to be nesting. I have to be careful about how much I do--I have moments when my energy level feels very high and I get a lot done, and then my back starts to hurt or I start having contractions. Oops. But there's so much left to do--our house looks like a bomb hit it and I'd like to be a little more squared away before the baby shows up....

We'll see what happens, I suppose.

So much sock yarn...

Knitting
So little time...

I've decided to mostly put the Dublin Bay sock aside. It's still in my purse for waiting room and lunch break knitting because it's mindless at this point. I'll continue until I run out of yarn and then decide what I want to do.

In the meantime, I've started Cobblestone sleeve number one. Have any of you knit this sweater? I've seen hundreds online, but don't actually know anyone who's completed one. The sleeve seems really long. The size I'm knitting calls for a 20-inch sleeve, which just seems long, particularly for my husband who has short, stubby little arms. But with the yoke, I'm not sure where I should be measuring from to find The Beloved's actual arm length. Any thoughts? Otherwise, I'll continue knitting according to the instructions and if it doesn't fit my special guy, I'll see if it fits my brother or my dad (who are also special guys in their own right).

Since my socks have failed me (or perhaps I've failed the socks), it's time to move on and start something new. So I started going through my stash of sock yarns and this is what I found:
Sock Yarn

Mind you, that isn't all of the sock yarn I have, but my camera battery was running low. And the light today isn't all that good. Anyway.

So, I've got all of this yarn and no idea where to start. That's not true--I have some ideas, but I'm not sure which to chose first. Here's what I'm thinking:

I bought some KnitPicks Gloss in Burgundy with the intention of knitting a pair of Cleissidra Socks. Cute, eh? I think they would be very nice. Although, I might need to buy a skirt to show them off.

I've also been perusing my books of sock patterns. There are several that look good and I've narrowed down some choices. I've got some more Gloss in Parsley for the Anniversary Socks in Favorite Socks. Then, there's the Child's French Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. I've earmarked some fuscia Lang Jawoll for those. Not photographed, but somewhere in my stash is some light blue sportweight mystery yarn (I think it may have bought it on e-bay from Dye Studio, but I can't remember) that is intended to become Whitby from Knitting on the Road.

That's not even mentioning the several skeins of Yarn Pirate sock yarn I could work with. And four balls of KnitPicks Essential in Cocoa purchased for my husband who then decided he wanted something else that is currently available for playtime.

It seems all that's left is to decide. However, I've not been much very good at deciding lately, and so they all sit...waiting...

Guess it's back to the sleeve for me!

Of socks, sweaters, and cats

Beloved
Hey, remember this?

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This pair of socks is the bane of my existence. The Roman Catholic church may have done away with Purgatory, but I tell you these socks make me wonder if we don't, in fact, have it here on earth.

So, when last I spoke of these blasted socks, I was unhappy with the striping pattern and wondering if I shouldn't rip them out and try again on larger needles. Instead, I started the second sock on larger needles to see how it looked. And, frankly, I liked the sock on 0s better. The stitches are so tidy and small. And the sock fits really nice. And maybe the pooling isn't that bad and the striping isn't horribly obnoxious:

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But, look where I am on the sock:

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As you can see, there's still a fair amount of foot and toe left before sock #1 is finished. And I don't know if I have enough freakin' yarn. Yeah.

Now. I may have plenty of yarn because apparently I was on crack when I wound the skein into balls and one ball is larger than the other. And I started with the smaller ball. So, I'm wondering if I shouldn't put this sock aside and knit the second one and then finish up when I know I have leftover yarn?

To tell you the truth, though, this sock is no longer making me happy. In fact, the sock has seemed to work against me every step of the way. I've a mind to stick the sock and the other ball of yarn in a bag and shove the bag to the back of my stash until my mental state has improved somewhat.

It's a shame, though, because the yarn has been wonderful to work with (striping aside)--it's really soft and I bet finished socks would be a divine wearing experience.

Sigh.

On a happier note (hopefully), I finished the body of the Beloved's Cobblestone Sweater yesterday and will start the sleeves today. No pictures, though. Honestly, it looks just like the other pictures--only longer.

This has been part of my problem in regularly maintaining what seems to be mostly a knitting blog...I'm slow and so there's not much to report. Still knitting the sock. Still knitting the sweater. Doesn't look much different. Meh.

Add that to my general to severe sense of malaise of late and...well...bad blogger.

On the malaise front--I thank everyone who commented and/or e-mailed regarding my last couple of posts. I truly appreciate the warm thoughts. Things here are...maybe not better, but not quite so grim. The Beloved and I had a...discussion...about how things are, how I feel, and how I can't have this be my problem. I mean, I treat it like my problem. I very much see it as my problem and feel like it's my problem--largely because I don't get a sense from him that he sees any sort of problem at all. Which mostly leaves me feeling....like I'm not enough. Or like there's something wrong with me that makes me as bothered and upset as I've been. Part of me thinks it may be time to dig my therapist's business card out of my wallet. And then another part thinks, well, what the hell is he going to do about it? He can't fix anything or make it better. I don't know. It all just seems to require more effort or energy than I can muster right now.

Polly knows how I feel. Well, on the energy front.

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It's hard work being that cute. Seriously.

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FO: The Alpaca Silk Shrug

finished objects
Hot damn--I finally finished!

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Alpaca Silk Shrug
Pattern: Silk Shrug designed by Bobbi Intveld for Blue Sky Alpacas
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in the Ginger Colorway
Purchased from: kpixie.com
Needles: Addi turbo US size 3 (3.25 mm) for body
Knitpicks Options US size 9 (5.5 mm) for ruffle

I'm quite happy with how this turned out. As always, I apologize for the less than ideal pictures and the less than ideal model, but, hey--I figured out how to use the timer on my camera! Cool, huh?

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It's not blocked yet. But I really wanted to wear it today--look how excited I am!

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This is my first grown-up sweater. I've knit a couple of baby ones, but never a full-sized, adult garment. The pattern was simple...occasionally boring...but finishes in a very elegant garment.

Thank you for your comments on the sock. I think I'm going to use Marianne's suggestion and start a sock on larger needles just to see what happens instead of ripping back blindly. If I like the modified version, I can always rip the first and start over, but if I hate the new sock, I haven't lost any ground. In all honesty, I was astounded by this suggestion. It's absolutely brilliant. Simple, elegant, practical...I wish I had thought of it. I knew there was a reason I always separate skeins of sock yarn into portions. And here it is.

Please advise....

socks
Right. So, I've been knitting on a new sock. It's done in a merino-tencel blend and was the Yarn-Pirate Booty shipment from, like, September. I like the colors, but I'm not sure how I feel about the way they're striping in my chosen pattern. So, I want to know what you all thing.

butternutsock(Note: We have sun today. It's frigid, but there's sun.)

I'm using the "Dublin Bay" pattern from Mossy Cottage Knits. I like the pattern. The little strips of lace on each side of the sock is just enough decoration for me. Well, that and the picot. I like me some picot trim. But the stripes are awfully wide, aren't they? I've thought about yanking it out and working it on slightly larger needles for fewer stitches to see what would happen (that there sock is 72 stitches on size 0s). Then I think, it's a freaking pair of socks and they really don't look that bad, do they?

So, what do you all think? Rip out and start over? Not that bad? Other thoughts as they may or may not apply?

Weekend roundup

Beloved
I meant to post a weekend roundup yesterday, but was a) too lazy; b) without photographs; and c) too lazy. I'm still without photographs, but felt as though I could post now and perhaps do a picture-heavy post later in the day. If I can train The Beloved to use the point-and-shoot camera, that is.

So, here's what I did this weekend:

1. Got a cholesterol test done. I know, I know, you're all jealous. It was a lot of fun. Particularly when the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein. After she stuck the needle into my arm. The bruising is highly attractive. I don't quite look like a junkie, but if I had waited another week or so, it would only have added to my Amy Winehouse Halloween Costume.

2. Visited my grandmother. Visited is a loose term. I sat with her for a while. My grandmother is not doing so well and when I saw her on Saturday, she was completely non-responsive. I believe they were going to stop the antibiotics and take her off of most--if not all--of the other equipment last night, but I haven't pulled it together enough to call my mother for the update. If you're a praying person and can stop to light a candle for her, I would be greatly appreciative.

3. Cut all of my hair off. Pictures would be helpful here, no? Alas, The Beloved was not able to manipulate my Canon Elph. Yeah, it's a point and shoot. He doesn't quite grasp that he needs to hold the button down until it clicks, and I just didn't have the patience to deal with him last night. I had taken a couple of pictures of myself with my camera phone, but, let's face it, they are of such craptastic quality that I can't in good conscience (and in complete sobriety) post them on the internet. Hopefully, tonight, we will find that the husbeast can, in fact, be trained.

Anyway. I'm happy with the haircut. It's a good change, it looks good, and it's easy for me to style and manage and stuff. The Beloved thinks I look like River Phoenix as the young Indiana Jones. What a charmer!

4. Looked at wedding rings. Yeah. Never thought I'd have to do this again, but about two weeks ago I developed a severe case of eczema on the ring finger of my left hand. It still hasn't cleared up all the way. I moved my wedding ring to my right hand and began to grow a nice little spot of itchy pain between my ring finger and my pinkie finger. My rings are now on a chain around my neck--I feel like I'm in high school.

Now, I know that it may not be an allergy to the ring itself--as my auntie says, it is probably an allergy to the soap that gets under the ring when I wash my hands. Or it's contact dermatitis aggravated by the band being too tight (it's not) or too wide (possible--it is on the wider side, particularly when I wear it with my engagement ring). But that doesn't explain why I don't have a problem when I wear silver rings--I have one with a wide band that I wear on my right hand that has never caused a problem. And I have never been able to wear gold in my piercings--ears or nose--without having a painful reaction. I don't know if it's the gold, or if I'm just really sensitive to the other metals they use in creating the alloy, but, let me tell you, the possibility of being allergic to my wedding ring really sucks. If the eczema on my left hand ever finishes clearing up, I'll give the ring another go before I call the doctor for some tests. Then, the search for a solution begins.

I went to the jewelry store to ask about having the inside of the ring plated or coated with something--rhodium, I think (I read about this online and wanted to see how much it would cost and how often I'd have to have it done in order to wear my wedding and engagement rings--both gold--without this fun little reaction) and no one seemed interested in talking about that. They were really interested in showing me all of their platinum rings. Platinum, after all, is nearly hypoallergenic. And, after all, "you're worth it." The Beloved is not so sure about that. Fortunately for him, I'm not scouting diamonds as well. We watched Blood Diamond on the HBO preview a couple of weeks ago, and, let me tell you, it really turns you off of wanting a nice big rock on your finger if you're thinking your money is going to arm ten year old boys and support genocide in African nations.

When I first bitched about this over Sunday coffee a couple of weeks ago (the owie finger, not the genocide thing), my father was the one who suggested putting the ring on a chain. "After all," he said, "You've got the husband. What else do you need?" And he's right. Except that after wearing a ring on that finger for seven years (five married, two engaged), I feel naked without it. I don't care if we get a plain silver band--I just hate looking down and seeing nothing there....well, except for the red band of dry, irritated skin, that is.

5. Went out for Teppanyaki with The Beloved. He had never been before. There's something really fun about watching someone play with knives and fire whilst preparing your meal. Plus, the food was quite tasty.

6. Indulged in retail therapy. No, I probably didn't need the Vera Bradley bag. But it was sooooo pretty. Besides, my auntie commented on the hugeness and overstuffed-ness of my everyday handbag, which made me feel bad. This is much better. Too small to overstuff.

7. Celebrated Baby Brother's 20th birthday. How the hell did he get to be 20? No one asked my permission on this one. I'm not sure how I feel about it. How can he be 20? Wasn't it just the other day that he was in love with Libby and chasing her around in full Power Rangers regalia? Or dressed as a purple dinosaur? Anyway. The official date is today--the Baby is now 20 years old. I think I need a lie down.

8. Worked on Conwy. Yeah. Remember that sock? I'm about halfway done with the foot on sock #2. The end is in sight.

9. Ordered yarn for the Romantic Hand Knits-along. I'll be knitting "A Room With a View" and I'll be knitting it in the colors used in the book. (Saisquoi receives a C- for creativity and thinking outside the box, I know.) I thought about doing the sweater in brown with white lace, but thought I'd look too much like a pilgrim. Plus, I like blue. I look good in blue. And I'm trying really hard to wear more colors. I've fallen into another gray/black/brown/ecru rut.

So, there you have it. Sort of busy. Busy enough that Sunday night found The Beloved and I watching Children of Men on the Cinemax free preview wondering where the weekend went. And why we keep picking such "feel good" films to watch.

Startitis

Knitting
So, not only am I suffering from short-timers' disease, I've got a wicked case of startitis. The two may well be related. I've tried so hard to be good. I worked on Conwy this morning. And the shrug sleeve is underway--I worked on it yesterday at lunchtime. (It's not quite picture-worthy yet--maybe tomorrow.) But, alas, they just weren't enough.

I've had not one, but two skeins of Yarn Pirate Booty marinating in the stash. And I just couldn't take it anymore. So, this afternoon I took this:

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Yarn Pirate BFL
Colorway: Calamity
(Booty Club Exclusive, August 2007)

and sat down in front of the HBO Free Preview and came up with this:

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Plain Vanilla Sock with Picot Cuff
Needles: Knitpicks US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns

Please ignore my lack of photography skills. It's time for both a light tent and sock blockers, but craft time cuts into knitting time. I need to find balance. Or someone who lives to carry out crazy craft projects for me.

Anyway.

My original plan for this yarn was to have my first "toe-up" knitting experience. But I'd also been itching to try out the picot cuff. I'm glad that I chose the route I did for this yarn because it's not exactly a dream to work with. Don't get me wrong, it's very soft and I think it will make a lovely sock, but I had read that it didn't rip back nicely and I've found it to be rather splitty. The colors, however, are gorgeous--of the three shipments I've gotten, this is probably my favorite in that regard.

The instructions for the picot cuff came from here. If you google "sock knitting picot cuff" you'll come up with a number of options--I chose this one primarily because it provided instructions for fastening the hem while knitting and without using a provisional cast-on. (I may have startitis, but I'm also exceptionally lazy and had zero desire to deal with a provisional cast-on in the round while trying to watch Superman Returns. Priorities, you know?)

Picking up the cast on row and knitting it together with a live row to make the hem was a little fiddly, but well worth the effort since I won't have to sew later. It also gives me a nice place to run some elastic thread if I find the socks refuse to stay up. (Thank you Crazy Aunt Purl.) And, now that the fiddly part is out of the way, it's smooth sailing till I get to the heel and the tricksiness around picking up gusset stitches and the like. Which makes this an excellent project for the HBO Free Preview.

Except that it's started to pour rain here and the satellite signal is out. Drat. Well, the Options came in the mail today.... I could always cast on The Beloved's sweater if TV doesn't return....

FO--Angel's Rest Socks

finished objects
Holy crap--a complete pair of socks! Yes, you are in the right place.

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Angel's Rest Socks
Yarn: Yarn Pirate Merino Sock Yarn in Rum Runner from the Yarn Pirate Booty Club
Needles: Susan Bates US size 1/2.25 mm (5 7-inch DPNs)

I finished these babies up on Friday and am wearing them today because I really needed a pick-me-up.

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Pretty, aren't they? If I was a little more diligent, knit faster, and had more money to spend on stash, I'd look at having only hand-knit socks in my drawer. Alas, that'll take a while...


Sorry for the craptastic quality of the pictures. Now that The Beloved and I are actually blogging about wine, I'm working on getting a better camera and a light tent. I may end up making my own light tent, but the camera just isn't doing what I need it to, hence the desire for an upgrade.

In other news, this week will be busy. On Friday I got two calls for job interviews--one for a Young Adult/Reference position at a public library a couple of towns over from mine (20 minute commute--yay!); the other with *gasp* EBSCO, home of the uber library database. The EBSCO job is in the editorial department as a Humanities Abstractor. Two very different opportunities, but both are full-time, which the current job(s) is(are) not. Imagine--health insurance and retirement plans again....it seems almost too good to be true.

And it might be, after all, these are only interviews. But it is nice to dream. And to make the first cut. So far, one appointment is scheduled for next Thursday and I'm still waiting to hear on the other. I'm hoping they can see me on Tuesday afternoon--otherwise, it looks like I'll probably have to wait 'till next week because this week is overflowing with crazy-insanity.

Which, naturally, means it's time for more fun with cats. (Warning: discussion of cat urinary health to follow.)

Polly had been doing so well. We've changed their food to a urinary tract health formula (one you can buy in the grocery store--not prescription), and the little demons seem to love it. The bowl has been empty within a half-hour of feeding time. So, when she started whining more, I assumed it was EBS (Empty Bowl Syndrome) and didn't pay it much mind. Until yesterday when I went into the bathroom and it looked like we were performing ritual sacrifices in our bathtub. Seriously--if CSI comes over and luminols the bathroom, we'll have some explaining to do.

Since it appears the infection has recurred, I called the vet this morning and will have to leave work early to get her to the one afternoon appointment they had. Le sigh. This means I will have to forgo new shoes for my interview. Oh well. I'm wondering if any of you have ever brought an animal to a different vet for a second opinion or if that officially makes me a crazy cat lady?

Here's my problem: Our vet is convinced that we need to put Polly on Prescription Weight Loss cat food. And I won't argue that she's overweight. However, I've been reading more postings from people who own large breed cats (I joined the Maine Coon Cat Lovers group on Ravelry--we were told Polly was a Norwegian Forest/Maine Coon cross at the shelter, though she really looks more the Forest Cat, she's got behavioral traits peculiar to both breeds), and it seems to me that while Polly could lose her "udder" (flabby lower abdomen), she's really not all that far outside of the norm for her breed(s). Her last weigh-in was 17.5 lbs, which reflects half a pound lost since February. I'm just not convinced she needs to be a 14 pound cat.

Anyway--I'll put her on Prescription Urinary Health cat food if that's what her body requires. It will be expensive, but it will beat hell out of taking her to the vet every two weeks and having to hogtie and drug her three times a day. I need a little more convincing about the Kitty Weight Watchers stuff, though. (The Beloved is a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and the fact that we can only buy this special diet food from the vet makes him very, very wary.) And if that's all I get from the vet today, I'm seriously considering taking her for a second opinion--preferably with a vet who specializes, or at least has decent experience with large breed cats, if such a thing exists. Am I nuts?

My Mojo's Back, Baby!

Knitting
My sock knitting mojo, anyway. Look what I finished last night!

Angel's Rest w/Yarn

Angel's Rest: Stand-up

Angel's Rest: Toes

Behold: Angel's Rest, one of the Peak Experience Socks from Fiber Trends. The colorway is called "Rum Runner" and is exclusive to members of the Yarn Pirate Booty Club.

Unlike the Jaywalkers which took about two weeks each, this baby took about a week from cast on to cast off. There's only one little "oops" in it, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. I'm guessing you won't be able to find it, either. I'm very proud of myself for leaving it in--normally I would have ripped back to fix it, but I'm trying to lighten up a little.

I really like the scalloped cuff instead of the traditional ribbing:

Angel's Rest: Cuff

Girly? Perhaps. But I still dig it.

I'm also really happy with how the toe and heel came out.

Angel's Rest: Toe

Angel's Rest: Heel Close-up

I'll cast on for the second sock after I finish posting. The Beloved has been in beastly pain for the past week or so with an abscessed tooth. Today he gets to go for a root canal and I'm going to wait patiently for him like the good and devoted wife I am. Hopefully, I'll get a fair amount cranked out on sock #2 during my wait.

While I'm really happy with how this sock came out, and I'm excited to knit the second one, I'm wondering if my next Booty Club Shipment shouldn't be a plain ol' vanilla sock. The colors are so beautiful and a plain sock may show them off better than any stitch pattern could.

I say this now...but who knows what will happen when the skein is actually in my hot little hands?

So, yes. My sock knitting mojo is back. But it seems to have returned at the expense of my spinning mojo. I am not having any luck finishing off the batt I've been working with. I keep doing stupid things, or the yarn breaks (probably because of something stupid I've done), and I get frustrated and swear. So, not much has gotten done. It's been beastly hot and humid over the past several days, so I'm going to use that as my excuse. I simply don't function well when it's hot, and apparently my wool doesn't function well, either.

In other news, the peaches are coming along nicely as are the blackberries. That means I'm going to have to decide what to do with all that fruit right quickly. Any ideas?

Sights of Summer

cooking
My Grandfather fancied himself a gardener. I, however, have not inherited these proclivities. Digging in the dirt is fun--don't get me wrong--but the resultant sunburn and thousands of insect bites really are not to my liking. I'm trying to (sort of) maintain what we inherited--meaning, mostly, that I'm trying to keep the fruit trees and bushes alive. We've lost the battle with some of the peach trees, and they will be coming down in the near future so as to keep us warm during the winter. But some of the others are actually faring quite well. Look at what I saw yesterday during my shower! (Yes--we have a window in the shower. The Beloved hates it. Fortunately, we have a big backyard and you really can't see in unless the window is wide open.)

That, my friends, is a fine looking peach. While I knew we had peach trees, I was under the impression that they weren't bearing fruit. Well, until the end of last summer when The Beloved was griping that they had all fallen off the trees and were mouldering on the ground making it near impossible for him to mow the lawn. This summer I'm hoping to be better prepared and to get some of them picked. I'm not sure of the quality--we don't spray with anything, so I don't know if they're wormy or infested with other vermin. But I'm hoping to pick some just the same and cut them up (so as to see the state of the fruit) and perhaps make some preserves or at least a homemade peach cobbler.

I have a cobbler recipe that I like, but have a feeling that The Beloved may appreciate some diversity. If anyone has any recipes featuring peaches or recipes with which I can use peaches (eg: cobblers, coffee cakes, pies, etc), send them down! You can e-mail them to me, or post them in the comments section. And, to make this fun, perhaps I'll include prizes :)

Yes. I think prizes will be good. I'll have The Beloved taste test the creations and his favorite will get either a jar of preserves or a skein of my handspun--winner may choose.

And if this goes well, you all may be pressed into duty again in a few more weeks when the blackberries ripen. While we'll have a fair amount of peaches (I think we have three or four still-living trees), we'll have an unholy amount of blackberries. The bushes span about half of our backyard. They are thirty paces, end to end. And the berries, they are a-growing.


When I was a little girl, my grandparents used to let me pick berries for my grandmother's amazing blackberry jam, cobbler, pie, etc. And as many berries ended up in my tummy as in the bucket. Which would, of course, lead to my being dreadfully sick--but never resulted in changes to my picking habits. They are really that good.

Late last summer I went out and picked berries most afternoons once they began to ripen. You'll be pleased to know that my picking habits still have not changed. But I began to run short of recipes, and while I can freeze the blackberries, they are oh-so-much better when fresh. So, put your thinking caps on for berry season... I know I'll be doing the same.


You should know that I ate this ripe one immediately after taking the picture. It's quality control. I had to make sure they were going to be as good as last summer. They're coming along nicely.

As is my new sock. Click here if you'd like to take a peek. Here's another shot. I'll start posting, maybe, next week. Or when I complete one. It's that surprise thing again. I'm generally horrible about giving things away, and so I'm trying really, really hard to be good.

FO--Jaywalkers and other weekend happenings

books
In all honesty, I'm amazed that anything got done at all this weekend. That's because this came into my life:

Yeah. Mine and everyone else's. So, that's how I spent my Saturday. The letter carrier dropped it off at about 11 AM and I retreated for 759 pages. I was pleased with how the story wrapped up. But I won't say any more for those of you that may still be reading.

On Sunday, though, I managed to be remarkably productive. OK--maybe not remarkably, but I did finish these:


Jaywalker Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Funky Stripe from The Yarn Basket
Needles: Brittany US Size 1/2.25 mm (5 5-inch DPNs)

It's about time. The Beloved wanted to know how much these socks would be worth if I charged an hourly labor rate. Hah. They are a belated birthday gift for my friend, ESB, and I've been knitting them for, oh, a while. This is not the fault of the pattern or the yarn or anything other than my relatively slow and inept knitting. Nevertheless, I'm happy with how they came out. As you can see, I haven't blocked them yet. I'll wash them and block them this afternoon--mind you, they will not be blocked on sock blockers or anything fancy--I'd just like them to look a little slicker when they are finally handed off later this week. Yay finished socks!

There was only one thing to do--cast on another sock. Am I finishing Conwy's mate? Not on your life. I mean--I will. Eventually. But I got new yarn in the mail last week and have been dying to use it. Yes, my Yarn Pirate booty arrived. Wanna see it? Click here. On the chance that someone reading hasn't gotten their shipment yet, I'd hate to ruin the surprise. Because it's sweet. And mine will become "Angel's Rest" from the "Peak Experience" patterns available from Fiber Trends. At least, that is the current plan.

I've also been spinning. No yarn to show right now because it's drying. I gave Navajo plying a go, and while it certainly needs work, I did produce something that one could identify as yarn. So I got ambitious and spun up one of the Spunky Eclectic batts I bought at the Maine Fiber Frolic. It's purple and yellow and blue, so I kind of took it apart into it's component parts and have attempted to spin a striped yarn. My single is striped. And, as long as I don't destroy the yarn in the plying attempt planned for later this week the final product should be striped. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

And yesterday I also did something I haven't done in years--I went fishing with my Dad. Naturally, both of us forgot cameras. (Battery was charging--the call was somewhat unexpected). Dad is teaching me to fly fish. I suck. But, by the end of the afternoon, I could sort-of cast out to nearly the middle of the pond, and I had even caught a trout--a decent sized one! But we were catching and releasing, so it got to stay at the pond. We had a celebratory cigar. I hope to be able to go out again, but will have to spend a little time practicing in the backyard. I'm terrified of hooking someone with the fly as I whip it around. Yikes!

Since I had such a wonderful day outside playing yesterday, it's only fitting that it's raining this morning and I use the opportunity to do all of the chores I neglected this weekend. So I'm off to do some laundry and play with my new sock. Not a bad way to spend a Monday if you ask me...

One Down!

socks


One to go. Don't worry. It is, in fact, started. Even though I bought more sock yarn yesterday. *Sigh*

I'm currently in the midst of a major dilemma, though. This weekend is the Knit & Crochet Show up the road in Manchester. I had planned on going simply because Grafton Fibers will be one of the vendors. And, to be honest, I covet that fiber. I dream about it at night. My spinning is probably not at a point to do it justice at all, but I could keep it in my fiber basket and pat it. (Stephanie spun some up recently. Look here and here to gaze upon hers.) Besides, driving 45 minutes to go and look at yarn and fiber-y things is a perfectly reasonable way to spend a Saturday.

Except. I just found out I have a job interview next week for a position in the town in which I reside. Yes, Virginia, that would mean zero commute for Saisquoi. It's only half-time, but zero commute. I could ride my bike to work, weather permitting. Or the moped :) This is very appealing. Unfortunately, all of my "professional" looking dresses were purchased prior to the rather drastic weight loss I've experienced in the last six months or so. They are all rather large. I've got some summery dresses that fit (after all, I had to wear something in Chicago), but they really don't work for this particular situation. Halter dress at an interview? I don't think so. It is a librarian job, after all.

So, what's a girl to do? Get by with what I've got and go buy beautiful fiber? Or spend Saturday looking for something "appropriate" and not ill-fitting? I can't believe I'm actually bitching about the prospect of buying clothes. I'd just mentally allocated those funds elsewhere and am a little put out about the change in plans...

And....we're back!

adventures
To tell the truth, we've been home since late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. But I've been recovering...er...reacclimating from my vacation. There's still more laundry to do before going back to work tomorrow, but I'm taking it slow. OK. I'm enjoying my last day of freedom before getting back to my (albeit greatly reduced) work schedule.

But, before I return to the fast-paced world of library-consulting, let me show you what The Beloved and I were up to! On Tuesday last, we flew out of NH and landed ourselves at O'Hare airport in Chicago. We stayed outside of the city in the Chicagoland area in Bloomingdale at the Indian Lakes Resort. To get there and back again, we rented a car. The Beloved was good enough to drive, mostly because he forgot to add my name to the paperwork and I refused to drive in case something happened and we weren't covered.

Here he is in our PT Cruiser. Isn't he cute? The car was kinda fun. We're going to have to buy another car at some point in the near future, and we'd like one with back doors. This has a huge gas tank and appears to get decent mileage.

So. The hotel. The hotel was nice, but it was absolutely empty when we got there! I suppose that's what happens when you start vacation on Tuesday. It was decorated in a sort of arts-and-crafts-Frank-Lloyd-Wright sort of ways. Except for the cave in the middle of the lobby. Seriously! A cave! And not just any sort of cave--a cave bar. We were intrigued, so we went for drinks. Very expensive drinks. With very little alcohol. And snacks. Which were also expensive. The cave bar was not, actually, our favorite place. In fact, I think it was the only time during the trip we felt ripped off. Fortunately, we got that out of the way early. Anyway--what it lacked in food or drink quality, it made up for in ambiance:

Our room was nice. But, again...weird. The arts-and-crafts theme continued, it was spacious (we had two beds, which seemed a little excessive, but The Beloved made the reservations), and the bathroom was very large. However, it didn't have a coffee maker. For normal people, this might not present a problem. For me, it was next to tragic. Even more confusing? There were coffee pods in the bathroom, along with cream and sugar packets. It was like they were toying with me.

But they did have pretty things on the ceiling. Look!

And that, my friends, was day one of our vacation.

On day two we met up with R & M at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved it. The Beloved was bored. But he humored me. We saw American Gothic and Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte. The Art Institute also has a fantastic Monet collection. We saw lots of haystacks. And some water lilies. They were lovely as well. The Beloved was pissy because we didn't see any Rembrandt or Vermeer. He likes Dutch Masters. Poor boy.

I thought he might like some modern art and sculpture. So we went and saw The Bean, or The Big Shiny Thing in Millennium Park.

Apparently, it's actually called Cloud Gate. It's seriously one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it still wasn't a Dutch Master and The Beloved was still grouchy. There was only one thing to do--let him pick dinner.

We went to the Exchequer Pub, which was a few blocks away, right in the Loop. It may have been a Speakeasy when the first restaurant was established at that location during the 1920s. It was also frequented by none other than Al Capone. Oh--and they are said to have the best deep dish pizza in the Loop. Guess what we ordered!


And beer. The Exchequer Ale is quite good. We drank plenty of it.

Day three found us back downtown--this time at Navy Pier. It's kind of like Hampton Beach. Only the guys don't seem quite so sleazy. We walked around and looked at things and took pictures of the city from the pier. Then we met up with R & M for drinks. The Beloved was hot and grumpy, so we bought him a baseball cap to protect his head from sunburn. I should have done something to protect myself, but, well, it isn't vacation until you've got a sunburn, right?

We all went on the Ferris Wheel.

Nothing impresses The Beloved.

Not even the view. Well. He may have enjoyed the view a little.

I sure did. Plus, we got to see R & M be nauseatingly cute.

After the Ferris Wheel, The Beloved decided he was ready to venture out of downtown. He had read about a pub he really wanted to visit. Who cares that it was 3:00 on Thursday afternoon--that's a perfectly acceptable time to visit a pub if you're vacationing! So off we went to the Lincoln Park area and tracked down The Red Lion Pub. The pub is very English in decor, beers on tap, and menu. It's also rumored to be the most haunted bar in Chicago. All we saw was a crazy patron who spent a fair amount of time mumbling at us from the bar, introduced himself to The Beloved and R, and told me and M that we looked strung out. Although, when we got to the next bar (yes, it was a productive afternoon), I found my camera was broken! Poltergeists at work? Who knows.... (we fixed the camera with a little packing tape).

It was still early for dinner, so we decided to hit another bar in the area. North Lincoln has plenty from which to choose. I have no idea where we ended up, but they had pool tables.

We spent the rest of the afternoon there. I am an abysmal pool player. Pathetically bad. Thus the much maligned look on The Beloved's face as he was saddled with me. He apparently forgot that part of our wedding vows.

After several beers (or scotches if you were R), we closed out and went back downtown to 17/West at The Berghoff for German food. It was excellent. Unfortunately, we had already consumed so much crap that no one was particularly hungry. It was right about here that I realized we no longer had the bag of souvenirs. I don't know if we left it at the bar with the pool tables or if we left it in a cab. Only that it was gone. And I was a little bit pissed. So, it was time to call it a night.

The Beloved and I went back to Bloomingdale and R & M went back to Joliet. They had to get ready for R's parent's gala boating party on Saturday, which we, regrettably, had to miss so as we could come back home. It was still relatively early when we got back to the hotel, so we went to a movie--Live Free or Die Hard. It was much better than I expected it to be. Highly enjoyable.

Our last day there, we stayed in Bloomingdale. We ate a sandwich and then went to see another movie--this time we saw 1408. Also good. Surprisingly scary. After the movie we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to Tapas Valencia. Dude--I don't know why this place isn't packed all the time. It was seriously some of the best food I have ever consumed. The Beloved and I are converts. Tapas is the best ever. I don't think we have any in the area (if I'm wrong, please let me know), so I'm going to have to track down some fabulous Spanish recipes and host my own Tapas parties.

After that fine food, there was only one way to cap off the evening...back to the movie theater to check out Ratatouille! Another fine film. And a fine way to end our vacation. The next day was utterly eaten up with travel back east--including a fun bout of airport hell in not one, but two airports! I got more knitting done during the return trip than was accomplished the rest of the week. Here's the sock at National Airport. It's hard to see, but the Washington Monument is in the background. Seriously!

The sock did, in fact, go everywhere I did on vacation. I just rarely took it out to work on it. I was too busy drinking beer. And taking pictures. And playing. But I finished it just the same. Yesterday. But, I feel like this post is awful full, so I'll tell you all about it and show it off tomorrow.

We had a fun vacation, but man...it's good to be home!

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