Happy New Year

Pretty tatted star from a friend
I met on the Panama Canal cruise

Well, I got my "winter fix." Living where we do, winter is frequently pretty wimpy, with feeble attemps at snow, which completely paralyze the greater DC metropolitan area.  I spent most of this week in the City of Big Shoulders- Chicago--where people know how to drive, the public works people know how to clear snow, and everyone shovels, scrapes, and acts like this is normal. It was great.
We had a wonderful time with the family, and it is always amazing to see how the 26 cousins pick up where they left off.
The snow caused some travel problems, as The Daughter and I had a flight canceled last night, but it meant another night at my Dad's, and a chance to see the Oklahoma-Alabama game. Since we had to leave for the airport at 3 a.m., we hit the sack at halftime, and saw the score this morning.
The flight was fine,  but had to wait over an hour for the gate-checked luggage. If (Small plane, full flight.) What the what? Then the scraping and snow removal from the car. 2 hours after arriving at National,  we finally got on the road.

In other news, the DNA Helix scarf turned out quite well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

What a wonderful Christmas we had. For the first time in a number of years I was off work on the actual day. As a nurse, working holidays and weekends is part of the deal. Since the extended family gathers in the Midwest for New Year's, and since my wonderful Husband and Offspring are flexible about what day we designate as Christmas, I usually end up with the tiny ones on Dec 25. This year, however, it just worked out for me to be off. And I was more organized than usual, so the shopping was all done (mostly online--and almost everything arrived), the tree was up, packages wrapped, and I was amazed. In years past, I "lost" the stocking gifts, and struggled with the last bits of clutter, adding to more unnecessary stress. This year I wrapped the stocking stuffers in a package under the tree (and remembered to mark it so I could find it) and wrapped the last bit of can't figure out what to do with it" in a box marked "Do not open-ever". Of course, I'll deal with it-- probably after the tree  comes down.

Among the presents were a beer-making kit for The Son, a picnic/tailgate wine and cheese thing for The Husband, and finally, the DNA helix scarf for The Daughter. It was done, but not "finished"-- in a package without ends weavednin, and un-blocked. That was today's project.
Ends weaved in

Into its bath (note to self: Madelinetosh Vintage bleeds. A lot!

Then blocking. I love my "blocking board" which I picked up at an after-Christmas sale for $4 a few years ago.

Right side-a Sponge Bob tic-tac-toe game. Flip side-a blocking board for a fraction of what the knitting pro shops and websites charge.

So- done for now. Can't wait to see it when it's all dry.

Now to work on completing the bunting.

Various stuff

Had a great weekend in Blacksburg-- the weather was misty-- sort of like Ireland, but the Hokies had a win against Pitt, the bratwurst was yummy, and we had a great time with our friends.
To top off  the day was an evening of great football, with a heart-attack special, 4-overtime Penn State vs Michigan game (no overwhelming loyalties to either team-- just great football) and a cliffhanger for Ole Miss vs Texas A&M.

Almost done with The Daughter's DNA scarf.  I have a few more projects that I really need to get charging forward on... not the least of which is the bunting.  Gotta do it! Soon!

Thought I'd share these Helpful Technology Tips I saw online this morning.  Who knew?

Our hospital has the Magnet Survey visit this week.  Such excitement!  Then a couple of more shifts, before Sunday, when our family will see Da Bears vs the Redskins. I don't think I've ever been to a pro game, and I grew up in Chicago.  It'll be great to be with The Offspring at such a fun event.

Well, That's That for now.

Getting Ready to Cast On Again

Before we get started-- I've noted some strange links that popped up in orange after I posted this.  I did not insert these, and I suspect that Blogger has arranged with some entities to get some bucks for picking up on words.  They appear to be innocent-- but annoying.  My links are blue.

Nope-- not finished with the Aranami shawl. It goes on, and on, and on-- my own fault, really, because I wanted it to be larger, and the geometric increase is impressive in terms of time and yarn.  Did I mention that I just ordered MORE yarn so that I can finish it?  Luckily, it's KnitPicks Pallette, which is affordable, and has about a thousand colors which remain consistent through several orders.  The disadvantage is that it has about a thousand colors, so if you can't remember which of the dark browns you need, you end up like me, with enough extra balls in the wrong colors to make several more projects. (In fairness, KnitPicks WILL take them back, but hey--- I can always use more yarn, right?)  I am halfway through the top row, which comprises short-row scallops that flatten out the pointy parts you see on the left half of the picture.  Then to cast off about 300 stitches, followed by a marathon of weaving in hundreds of ends before blocking.  I might have it done before the end of the year.



Nope-- not finished with the DNA scarf either.  I'm making great progress, but it's a surprise Christmas gift for The Daughter (who wouldn't be caught dead looking at my blog), and I need to be working on something else when she's around.  I figure I'm about halfway done-- a few inches past the start of the second skein of yarn. I was able to spend a few hours at Mosaic in Blacksburg last Friday with Gina and her crew.  I purchased the first of the MadelineTosh Vintage for this project at Mosaic and I love to spend time there. Delightful

So, since I have 2 active projects, I clearly need to cast on for a third.  Typical me. The baby's bunting is going to be part of a joint present for The Daughter's Friends' baby from The Daughter and me, so I need to appear to be working on it.

This one is going to require some prep work.  I really need to check gauge, although there is some wiggle room in baby projects-- and this one is expected to be rather large (Mom and Dad are both rather tall).  I also want to make sure I can steek before I start this, because I want to put a full-length zipper in, and steeking seems to be the best way to have clean lines and a minimum of bulk.  So I will swatch, and then steek the swatch, and hope I survive the drama.

Don't want to lose this link to Jogless stripes in circular knitting. It is going to be very important when I start the Bunting.

So a couple of days of trying to get myself together before a work trip to Orlando next week.  Should be fun-- and a guaranteed several hours of knitting time on the plane-- what to take... what to take....

Great Progress

The Nerd Project
The DNA scarf for The Daughter is chugging right along, and is about 2 feet long.  It's not nearly as stressful this time for several reasons-- not the least of which are paying attention to what I'm doing. The color is a rich, bright maroon (MadelineTosh Vintage Tart) that is a bit washed-out in the pic below.

--> I decided to use larger needles this time. I think I was using 5's before, but everything was so scrunched, that it was just a hassle. So this time around I'm using 8's which makes perfect sense, since it's worsted. The original pattern is done in fingering, but dear heavens-- I'm doing another big project in fingering right now, and as I've mentioned before, life is short.  And I have a few more projects to finish before the end of the decade. (Gauge???  I didn't even think about it-- nor will I.  It's a scarf, for heaven's sake, although a swatch of the cable might have lead me to larger needles for comfort sake.)


-->  I modified the pattern, using  a 5-stitch seed border, and a 2-stitch reverse stockinette separating a single twisted stitch on either side of the cable pattern.

--> Stitch markers!!!!  What on earth made me think I could keep track of what was where without using them?  I've never been opposed to them, but holy cow! What was I thinking?

-> Cable needle.  Many knitters I admire don't use them, and apparently I thought I was that good.  I have cable needles, but can't find them right now, so have been using the needle part of a very expensive ebony circular that separated from its join. It makes me feel good to put it to use-- and I like the feel of the ebony.  I haven't dropped stitches, and it's easier for me to keep track of what I'm doing.


--> I photocopied and cut out the chart and chart legend, mounted and laminated them. I was using a Post-It note to keep track, which worked well until yesterday, when the sticky failed, but I found a really good solution.  In the stationery section at Five Below, I found a very lightweight magnetic board for $4.  Now I have another magnetic board that I purchased at a needlework store many moons ago (originally I used it for counted cross-stitch).  The pattern was too large for the board, so it didn't work.  This is great, and there's room for extra notes (and I can write directly on the board, as well.) I keep track of my rows with a magnet from my refrigerator, which reminds me of happy vacations in Missouri with my family. (RIP, Ryan's Resort-- we had a great time there for several FolkFests.)

--> LOOK AT THE CHART!!! I can't go on my merry way, because I'm not that smart. This is not a simple 4-row cable (but it's not difficult or complicated, either).  It's not rocket science (or even Biochemistry), but the pattern traverses many rows.  When I look at the chart, and keep track of what row I'm on, the pattern looks like it's supposed to-- duh!!!! People with ADD need structure.

So, I'm mostly done with the first skein of Madelintosh Vintage (Tart), and will wind another ball tonight (and I have a spare).  Meanwhile, I have two more skeins in the Sequoia colorway-- a tad duller and less blue.  Hmmm.... wonder what I'll do with that????

Back in the saddle--- Again

It's been nearly a year. And the bottom line was that I lost my knitting mojo.

I did one project-- a takeoff on "Age of Brass and Steam" scarf that included beads and a picot bindoff.  After finishing it, I wasn't happy with the size-- just too small to be useful for me.  So I plan to pick up stitches under the picots and keep adding on to it.

Then, The Husband and I took a much-needed vacation, and wonderful it was indeed. We had 17 glorious days aboard Norwegian Jewel, leaving New York, transiting the Panama Canal, and arriving in Los Angeles, with a night in Los Angeles followed by a 3-day cross-country train trip back to the DC area. Knitting opportunities galore!

The cruise was such fun, and what contributed in no small part was the knitting group that met on at-sea days in Malting's Bar. We were a diverse group. Knitters and crocheters from across the country and Canada. As happens with fiber addicts, we followed each other's progress, got ideas, and shared our stories. On the zip-line excursion in Costa Rica, we discovered that three of us were in the group.

My onboard project was the Aranami shawl designed by my friend Olga. I started it many moons ago, and then when packing for the trip, there it was!!! I made the dubious decision to make it a few sections larger. Warning! It geometrically increases the time and yarn commitment. I ran out of one color during the cruise, but since it is done in sections, I could carry on with the darker color.

It's done in KnitPicks Pallette- a fingering weight that comes in a bazillion colors.  This is a problem only because I needed to get the same colors I was using.  There are about 15 shades of medium brown, and as many in dark brown.  In order to finish the shawl, I ended up purchasing enough skeins in different colors to do a couple more small projects (mittens?) in many shades of brown.

I'm in the final phase, doing the top tier, short-row scallops. Then to handle the loose ends and block. I hope to have it finished next week.

Will I make another? Probably. But rather than knitting with fingering on 3's, I'll probably use a worsted on 7's. Life's too short...

Also on the needles...

Yes, I'm a Nerd, and I raise them.

The Daughter is a biochemist, and I'm knitting a scarf for her that has the DNA helices made in cables.  I started IT quite awhile ago, and then misplaced it.  When I relocated it, I remembered that I'd made an error or two, and ripped down those rows, so I could fix them.  I tried.  But darn it, it looked awful.  Despite having about a foot done already, I decided to frog the whole thing and start over.  Good decision.  While on the road to Hokie football games, I hope to get it done within a few weeks, and give it to her for Christmas.  I'm knitting it with Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, and already made a hat with helices.  Realizing that I don't have enough to make the scarf a respectable length, I ordered what I thought was the right color from Loopy Ewe, and then discovered it was a different colorway-- close but no cigar.  So I found the right stuff online at Imaginknit in San Francisco-- and it should arrive tomorrow!!!

Hopefully, there will be pictues soon.

Life is good

Yep-- I'm Still Here

So, I knew it's been a long time since I've posted, but I didn't realize it's been since MAY!!!

A lot has happened--- The trip to Europe, the Derecho, family reunion, a niece's wedding, new windows throughout the house, a new hobby in jewelry making, more knitting, a huge tree removed from the back yard (breaks my heart, but it had to go!), and I've embraced Pinterest.

And a lot is happening-- Football season at Tech, (the REAL Tech-- the Virginia Tech one), more knitting projects, trying to get the house painted and together after the aforementioned window replacements.

This is all not to mention work-- busy, interesting, and always the best job in the world.

So here's some of what's gone on:

Sagrida Familia, Barcelona

Vesuvio

With my ol' buddy, Mary Tyler Moore in Minneapolis en route the family reunion at Birch Bay

 

 

 

Beyond description-- and you cannot imagine what the inside of the house looks like, after having to move everything away from the windows.  It's still a disaster, but there is hope in sight, And we're supposedly going to save a bundle on heating and air conditioning.

Gives you an idea of how big this sucker was--the pic was taken from the second floor of the house

 

Back From Europe

The Daughter and I returned from nearly 2 weeks in Europe. What an incredible experience.

Day 1 into Day 2. We flew from BWI to Rome via Heathrow in time for breakfast in London.
On to Rome, arriving late afternoon. We had planned to take the Leonardo Express to Termini and then connect by Metro which would have cost about €16 each, but found a van that took us directly to our hotel for €20 apiece. So worth it! We based ourselves in Rome for 5 nights, staying at Hotel Prati, about 3 blocks from the Vatican. We discovered how close when we went for a gelato walk after dinner, turned around, and saw this:


Our location was superb-- close to the Vatican, lots of great little restaurants, and a reasonable walk to the Ottaviano Metro-- giving us access to most of Rome.


We were pretty tuckered out, so hit the sack and got ourselves turned around.

My Bags are Packed...

...I'm ready to go.

Heading to Rome tonight with The Daughter.

Update when I return.

Discovery

The end of an era. I was at the 5th Space Shuttle launch, and then at a couple of others several years later.

It was exciting-- and sad-- to see her make her final journey.

We're told this is not the end. I hope that is true.

We Remember

... the 32 students and faculty of Virginia Tech who were killed 5 years ago today.

We thank the Security, Police and Campus authorities, faculty and administration who cared for our children and the medical professionals who helped them to heal.

We ask God's blessing on all who were touched- from near and from afar.

On this beautiful day, we look toward the future.

Happy Easter

Priorities get skewed surrounding Easter-- It's about rebirth, resurrection, renewal- not candy and parents promoting "take no enemies" egg rolls.

It's the end of Lent- a time of reflection and self-improvement.

The connotations and customs surrounding Easter are unique in different cultures, and can lend themselves to unusual interpretations. When we lived in Italy, I was taken with the breads that were baked for the holiday, as well as the dove-shaped "Colomba" cakes, symbolizing peace and rebirth.

Taking nothing away from the religious significance of the holiday, there are amusing aspects, as well.  I shared the story of the Easter Bunny with our Italian babysitter.  She invited our family to join theirs for the big Easter celebration held on Easter Monday in much of Europe.  And she proudly presented the main course in our honor--- rabbit.

I do love me some chocolate bunnies, though...

(Image shamelessly borrowed from The Lighter Side without stealing bandwidth)

 

And what shall become Aranami

Counting Down... and Casting On

...for my upcoming vacation. I'm SO excited!

The Daughter and I are going to Europe, starting with 5 days based in Rome.

We lived in Italy for 3 years while The Husband and I were in the Navy. I enjoyed being there, but didn't get nearly enough traveling and sightseeing in, what with having to work and all. The Daughter was born in Naples, and she hasn't been back since we left when she was about 10 months old.

While in Rome, we have day trips to Florence (Uffizi and Accademia), Naples & Pompeii, and Rome tours scheduled for the Coliseum, St.Peter's Scavi, and a couple of others to be determined. Then we go to the port of Civitavecchia and board Norwegian Epic for a week.

Our ports of call include Livorno, where we will take an excursion to CinqueTerre:


Then to Cannes,France including a day trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo. From there we proceed to Marseilles, then Barcelona, an at-sea-day, and on to Naples. Having already seen Pompeii, we will probably "hang out" in Naples, and take the hydrofoil to Capri, or boat to Ischia, depending on the weather.


Onboard we are scheduled to see Blue Man Group (LOVE those guys).

So--- what to knit on my trip??

Well-- the ever-creative Olga has done it again. She went and designed this:

(Isn't she cute?  She always looks so terrific....)  The shawl is called Aranami, and as soon as I saw it, I KNEW I had to knit it. So I ordered yarn online-- but not sure I can wait, so I just might have to get myself to one of my LYSs. Lord knows, I have a house full of yarn, but this really needs the gradations to get the full effect, and be subtle enough.  None of my sock or sportweight yarns will fit the bill.

Olga promises that it's an easy knit-- and the pattern is available through her blog- linked above-- and on her site at Ravelry.  I think it's the perfect project for vacation-- sportweight yarn, little needles, and not too much thinking. (Of course, that's Olga speaking.  I hope that's true for the rest of us.... I can mess up almost anything!)

So on top of refining packing lists, shopping for little things I know we'll need-- (Ibuprofen, bandaids, sunscreen, batteries,etc,etc....) I will need to keep myself from spending every waking moment wanting to work on Aranami before the trip. 

I'd better pull out one of the half-dozen unfinished socks.

Preemie Hats

A HUGE "Thank You" to the knitters at Fibre Space who worked with Project Knitwell to produce these wonderful caps that will be donated to the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital NICU where I work:


Aren't they amazing???

Carol Caparosa and her wonderful volunteers run Project Knitwell-- a program that uses knitting as therapy-- for patients and their families, for parents of hospitalized infants and children, and for the nurses who care for them. I've participated in several of the nursing "sit and knits", and really wish that my schedule allowed me to spend more time with them. I have been fortunate enough to be able to help some of "our moms" with projects they've been working on. Carol meets with "our moms" to teach them to knit simple caps and other projects for their babies during the long hours they spend in hospital. As they progress to more complicated projects, Carol has been kind enough to use me as a resource. I love helping them to learn to read patterns and show new stitches and techniques.

Carol's focus on knitting as therapy has helped me, as I went through a difficult time recently with the death of one of my patients. I found myself unable to focus on anything, so picked up the needles and started knitting. I was good on theory, but had forgotten the reality of knitting as therapy.

Fibre Space is a wonderful knit and crochet shop in Alexandria. Fantastic yarn and really great people. Fibre Space has partnered with Project Knitwell to provide resources and an opportunity for Alexandria area knitters to do some outreach. What a wonderful partnership!

Stash Diving and Getting Back on the Needles

I went through a really dry spell for a pretty long time. After my Mom died, I just found it really hard to focus on knitting, and especially focusing on identifying a pattern, a technique and a yarn to "get going" on.

Following that loss was the closing of my home away from home-- Knit Happens in Alexandria, where I found inspiration and friendship with kindred spirits and souls. These women, and the occasional man, supported each other through our life experiences-- weddings, deaths, kids growing up... and I really miss them. Yes, I know there are other LYS around-- and we have some terrific ones in the area. Taking nothing away from them, it's not the same.

Through Facebook and blog-dom, we keep in touch-- albeit somewhat sporadically. We've moved to different areas of the country and world.

Elspeth inspires me. She knits all the time-- or must knit all the time, based on the amount of amazing stuff she keeps producing. She knit this really cool cowl, and I headed for the basement-- one of the several areas that house way too much yarn accumulated over several years.

I finished it this morning--- just need to weave in ends and block.

So I'm stash diving, and planning more projects. I'm getting back into the groove of having something besides a half-done sock in progress at any given time.

We'll see how it goes.

Beauty

Another reason I love Trader Joe's

9 bucks worth of flowers. Priceless.

We Carry On

It's been an interesting month. I dealt with some very draining situations at work. There are great joys in my job, but also overwhelming sadness at times.

I am usually able to compartmentalize-- keeping work at work, and not bringing my day home with me. Usually.

Sometimes I get very close to a family and it's not so easy to get over the overwhelming sadness. I had one of those a couple of weeks ago. I'd been present at the baby's birth, and was with the family through his too short life, and was with them when he died five weeks later. I found myself at home-- too sad to do much, but needing to do something to center on and work through it all.

I made this prayer shawl for the baby's mother. It calmed me and gave me a purpose and focus.

Prayer shawls have two purposes --or in Portia's words, (as with the quality of mercy) "are twice blest-- they bless those who give and those who receive."

I sewed small charms into it-- symbols of the baby's short life, and of hope and peace.

I hope she finds small comfort in it.

A Busy End to the Old Year- and a Busy Start to the New

What happens when I don't blog for a long time, and then I have a lot to write about? Monster Blog!!!

Thanksgiving
It's been a very busy holiday season at our place. We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Both Offspring were home, and I was off work. We did the whole Turkey thing-- and it was fantastic.
We took advantage of a lot of online shopping deals, and a little in-store shopping which included a family gift for The Husband-- a new TV.
It was quite the production. The Son came up with a plan to return home on Saturday to assist with the purchase and set-up. The Daughter and I went out on Black Friday night in search of a stand which we hid in her car under the doggie hammock. On Saturday, The Husband and The Daughter went to the VT/UVa game. The Son and I met at the "BuyMore" to select the set. We got a pretty good deal, schlepped the set home, and settled in to watch the game. (We won-- Go Hokies!!) As soon as it was over, we began to rather overwhelming task of taking the existing setup down-- and identifying the steps we'd need to take. The first was moving a very heavy dresser from the dining room where it held table linens and candles. The Son decided he could use it at his place, and I bid adieu to one of the first pieces of furniture that I purchased at a flea market nearly 4 decades ago. We removed the very heavy, very large TV set from the corner unit in the family room-- this involved clearing out all the VHS tapes that hadn't been viewed in Lord knows how long. The corner unit went into the dining room, and we began to put together the stand.
(The corner unit is great in the dining room. We have more room, and a great place to put the linens, trays and pewter serving pieces. It makes me happy!)
At this point, The Daughter texted to tell us they're on their way home. I replied "STALL!!!" She convinced her Dad that they needed to stop for dinner, which bought us a bit more time. We got everything constructed, connected and working before they arrived home, and gave him his early Christmas present. He likes it plenty.

Cookie Bake
My Gramma was an amazing cook and baker. She baked cookies all the time, and sent them to us at camp, at school, and she'd bring them to us whenever she came to our house. Many years ago, Sister #1 started to bake with her before Christmas, and eventually it became a family event. Since Gramma passed, we have made this an annual event, usually the weekend before Christmas. The Offspring and I travel to the Chicago to join as many of our family as can attend.
We start in the morning on Saturday at Sister #2's house (she has an amazing kitchen-- designed for cookie baking, if you ask me...), and bake from Gramma's recipes all day, making enough cookies for our 9 families and our Dad. We haven't quite figured out how many we actually make, but Sister #2's very long dining room table is pretty much covered with aluminum pans full of cookies.
This year, the cookie-baking festivities were kicked off on Friday night with a party for a niece and her fiance. Lots of fun to be together, and much pizza was eaten.

Christmas
The week leading up to Christmas was a lot of fun, because I finally got some decorating done, the monster TV was picked up by a charity, the tree went up, and it really felt like Christmas. I knew that both Offspring (and The Daughter's dog) would be coming home. I finished knitting a Christmas stocking for one of The Daughter's friend's new spouse-- and got the over-stitching patterns done as well. The grocery shopping was finished, and I wrapped all the gifts. I was ready for whatever course the weekend would take.
I was scheduled to work the entire Christmas holiday. I'm not upset about working over holidays-- it's part of being a nurse, since of course, patients don't stop being sick just because it's Christmas. But we're sometimes able to be off on one of the days if we want to, because we "staff up" to make sure we have enough to take care of any big changes in census.
The Daughter and I came up with contingencies-- how we'd handle Christmas depending on if I'd be off on any of the days, or if we'd have dinner and celebrate after I got home.
I was very fortunate to have Christmas Eve off, and it was terrific. We were all together, and enjoyed a very nice Christmas. Spending time together was the best. We had our yummy beef dinner and exchanged gifts. I received a Kindle Touch, which has already proved itself to be a terrific device.
I worked on Christmas- spending time with my co-workers and our patients' families.

New Year's
My family gets together on New Year's eve. It started a long time ago, when my parents realized that my brothers and sisters were spending all day on Christmas, traveling throughout the greater Midwest in order to see both sides of their families. My very wise mother told everyone to spend Christmas wherever they needed to be- with their own new families, or in-laws, and to try to be with them on New Year's Eve. As a result, it turns into another family get-together that we look forward to and cherish.
This year, December 30 also served as a destination, as my niece (one of the 26 collective nieces and nephews) was married. It was a lovely ceremony, a terrific reception, and story fodder for years to come.
Since we were all up quite late on the 30th, we decided to celebrate "East Coast" New Year, allowing us to wrap things up a bit earlier. It was another wonderful get-together, and a great beginning to 2012.

Resolutions?
Maybe-- probably the same as before-- only more general. Be healthy, do my best, and knit more. We'll review progress in about 12 months.

Commitments and Over-Commitments

This seems to happen to me every Fall. It's my favorite season, since the weather becomes tolerable and the colors are breathtaking. And it's time for football-- our beloved Hokies, our friends in Blacksburg, and time away from the DC craziness spent at our little apartment.

But it's also a time when a lot of deadlines hit me. Compounded with the time away, I end up with an almost overwhelming amount of "work stuff" that all seems to come due at the same time. I'm just past the worst of it, just in time for the beginning of the holiday season.

I attended a conference today focusing on Ethics and caring. It's what I do-- caring for people, and sometimes I don't realize the toll it takes. It's wearying.

So, a few more days, and then a bit of time off with family for recharging my batteries.

And getting back to some serious knitting-- for my saKnity.

Dear Madelinetosh--

I love your yarn. I love the springiness and stitch definition of Vintage. I love your colors.

I love the way that cables and twisted stitches pop and come to life.

But I swear to God that if I ever get a skein that is as messed up as the one I tried to wind last weekend, I will never buy another. There is just no excuse.