I don't make New Year's resolutions. Instead I'll come up with a few 'goals for the year.' What's the difference? Probably semantics, but if I say "New Year's resolution" I tend to forget about it by the end of January, even if it's something that it's not possible to complete in that time. New Year's resolutions have such a bad rap that they just seem short-lived by their very nature.
But I can't not make any plans for the upcoming year, it just seems too fatalistic. So I call them 'yearly goals,' which gives them some weight, and lets me take them more seriously. And procrastinate doing them longer.
I accomplished almost none of my goals for last year. In my defense, it was a pretty difficult year, and a huge chunk of it was taken up with other, more important things that left no time or energy for anything else.
There's a new year on the horizon, though, and it's time to revisit the as-yet-incomplete goals, see what I want to keep, and what I want to do new or differently next year.
2008 Goals
Celtic Icon Sweater. I really do want to finish this project. It's almost 2 years old, and I really like it. Besides, I'm tired of having knitting languish around not getting done. I can't look forward to new projects when I can't finish the old ones. So finishing this and the log cabin blanket are high on my list of priorities. I think we'll just call this finish old knitting and not get into specifics.
Tolkien Quilt. This is another one. This project was initially started in 1995 or 1996. It got abandoned for many years, I sporadically worked on it a couple times, then early last year I got it out and made a bunch of progress on it, only to again abandon it. I want this done, partly because I really like the idea of a Tolkien quilt, partly because I'm sick of looking at it but have invested too much time in it to just abandon it, and partly for the same reason I want Celtic Icon done - there are other quilting projects I'd like to do, that I can't justify starting till I finish this one. So this stays on the list as well.
My CD. Last year I got the idea to make a solo CD, just me, playing any instrument I knew how to play and doing all the vocals. Originally I was going to do this in our home recording studio, where I had previously been able to create CD-quality recordings. But when I went back to work on this in the fall, it wasn't going well, and I realized I no longer had the patience to futz and tweak with everything to get the quality recording I wanted. In addition, I'd decided to not keep it entirely solo, adding special appearances by talented friends, and that required even more technical knowledge, which I didn't have. My brother has a friend who has a recording studio, I got in touch with him, and found out that he charges by the hour, and doesn't care how long it takes me to finish it - which means it's a 'pay as you go' plan, and I can do as little or as much as I want or can afford. Initially I was going to start work on this in January, but an unexpected event has caused an unavoidable delay. However, I am determined to do this, as soon as time and finances allow. I don't know if I can finish it by the end of the year, but as long as I'm working steadily towards it, that's good enough for me.
One Great Vacation. I definitely did that. The trip to North Carolina and renting the beach house was one of the best vacations I ever had. I sincerely hope to do that again this year, if my financial situation straightens out.
Reorganize the house. I didn't get as much done on this last year as I would have liked, but circumstances were such that I really didn't get to start on it till late fall, and once I did, I did make great progress. There's still much to do, and that will be an ongoing project for a long time. But since I really want to do it, now that I have more time and energy for such things, it's definitely staying on the list.
Quit Smoking. This hovered around in my head all year but I never did anything about it. I still really do want to do this, so it's staying on the list.
Most of my goals from last year didn't get accomplished, and are staying on the list for this year. I don't know whether to be pleased with that - my goals are consistent, I must really know what I want - or to be disturbed by the fact that it appears I'm in the same rut I was in a year ago. But it is what it is, and those are things I still want to get done.
Those aren't all the things I want to accomplish in life, but I don't usually list every single thing on my 'yearly goals.' It's an ongoing goal to find a better job that I like, move away from this town, figure out what I want to be when I grow up, work on my personal neurotic tendencies, find inner peace, and generally enjoy life. Those things don't go on any lists, they are just always there, like eating and sleeping and paying bills and taking care of Tyler.
I guess I won't change the list much, since those really are still the things that are most important to me ... finish my languishing creative endeavors so I can start new ones, because there will always be new ones - and that's a good thing; and reorganize, clean and fix up my house and yard, because having a pleasant haven in which to escape from the world is vitally important to me.
I think that's a good plan for a year.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sock Success
I did it ... I got the last sock done about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the recipient family didn't arrive till 1:30, so it all worked out.
And, even better ... they all fit! I wasn't at all sure that was going to be the case by the time I was done, but they did. All in all, a big success.
Now I can get started on a project for myself! I have two options, equally tugging at me. One is a simple pair of socks like the ones I just made. I have only made myself three pairs of socks, but there's a problem with every pair of them. One of them is too big, because it was my first-ever pair so I was following the pattern exactly, and it was a generic "women's medium" - too big for me. The second pair I made out of a not-so-great sock yarn that has too much acrylic in it and is kind of scratchy, and also I made them a little too small (not as stretchy as merino) - they're short in the foot, and also the leg portion is too short and slides down into the tops of my boots. The third pair is merino, but not super-wash, so they must be hand washed. They are comfortable, but I know they will felt in places if I wear them inside my boots. I used to only wear them with my sandals, but the strap on my sandals broke last year, and I don't think I've even worn those socks for over a year.
Even though I am a sock-knitter, I have no good comfortable hand-knit socks for myself. And trying on these different socks while making them reminded me just how wonderful hand-knit socks feel. When I ordered the last batch of sock yarn, I ordered two balls for myself, in a self-striping pattern. I could just whip up another pair of these simple socks, and have something comfortable for myself.
Or, I could dive into this, which I've been dying to do.
I also ordered this with the last batch of sock yarn. I knew I wouldn't be able to start on it right away, needing to finish the Christmas socks first, but I also knew I had to have it. And I'm sure it's not going to disappoint - just looking through it, I'm amazed - the patterns are really awesome. And the uber bonus is that instead of the patterns being that generic women's medium, you can make any sock in the book to fit any foot, with any measurements. That is perfect, and I'm really psyched about getting started trying out these new techniques.
But first, I may actually take a couple days off. There was so much sock knitting in the last few days, I'm still not tired of it, but I think a brief break may be a good thing about now.
And, even better ... they all fit! I wasn't at all sure that was going to be the case by the time I was done, but they did. All in all, a big success.
Now I can get started on a project for myself! I have two options, equally tugging at me. One is a simple pair of socks like the ones I just made. I have only made myself three pairs of socks, but there's a problem with every pair of them. One of them is too big, because it was my first-ever pair so I was following the pattern exactly, and it was a generic "women's medium" - too big for me. The second pair I made out of a not-so-great sock yarn that has too much acrylic in it and is kind of scratchy, and also I made them a little too small (not as stretchy as merino) - they're short in the foot, and also the leg portion is too short and slides down into the tops of my boots. The third pair is merino, but not super-wash, so they must be hand washed. They are comfortable, but I know they will felt in places if I wear them inside my boots. I used to only wear them with my sandals, but the strap on my sandals broke last year, and I don't think I've even worn those socks for over a year.
Even though I am a sock-knitter, I have no good comfortable hand-knit socks for myself. And trying on these different socks while making them reminded me just how wonderful hand-knit socks feel. When I ordered the last batch of sock yarn, I ordered two balls for myself, in a self-striping pattern. I could just whip up another pair of these simple socks, and have something comfortable for myself.
Or, I could dive into this, which I've been dying to do.
I also ordered this with the last batch of sock yarn. I knew I wouldn't be able to start on it right away, needing to finish the Christmas socks first, but I also knew I had to have it. And I'm sure it's not going to disappoint - just looking through it, I'm amazed - the patterns are really awesome. And the uber bonus is that instead of the patterns being that generic women's medium, you can make any sock in the book to fit any foot, with any measurements. That is perfect, and I'm really psyched about getting started trying out these new techniques.
But first, I may actually take a couple days off. There was so much sock knitting in the last few days, I'm still not tired of it, but I think a brief break may be a good thing about now.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sock Insanity: A Picture Book
On Saturday I still had a chance. On Saturday I could have stuck to my schedule and gotten this last pair of socks done on time. But did I? Nooooooo. That would have been too easy. Instead I distracted myself with other projects that did not have to be done by tonight, thinking, in my knitterly delusion, that there would be plenty of time to finish the socks, and that I would of course accomplish all my goals.
Yes, that's sock one not even finished this morning. But it was very close, and I completed it in short order, and started on Sock Two at about 8:30 a.m.
Then there was the Christmas interlude ... had to make dinner, eat, do the dishes, and open presents.
Today was an exercise in reality.
Today started like this.
Yes, that's sock one not even finished this morning. But it was very close, and I completed it in short order, and started on Sock Two at about 8:30 a.m.
About 1:45 p.m. this afternoon.
Then there was the Christmas interlude ... had to make dinner, eat, do the dishes, and open presents.
Greg got Zombie Babes ...
Tyler got a bag o' goodies ...
And I got Pirates 3 !!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course I've seen it, but of course I had to watch it again. I discovered that if I got a good rhythm going in time to "Hoist The Colours," it sped things along. By about 11:30 I had the heel done ...
... but then I moved on to the special features, which are extraordinarily good, and which made it very difficult to knit.
Unfortunately, by 12:23 a.m. me and the sock were dead. I just couldn't take it anymore. That was 16 1/2 hours today - granted, not non-stop knitting the whole time, but large, huge chunks of it. My eyes were crossing, my brain hurt, and my hands were about to desert.
I had to call it a night. I'm off to bed, and hope I can get the last 27 rows done tomorrow before the recipient family shows up in the afternoon. It's only 27 rows ... I think I can do it. If my hands still work in the morning. And if the recipient family stays true to form and arrive much later than the current prediction.
Merry Christmas. zzzzzzzzzzzzz ....
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Happy Solstice; Sock Progress
Happy Winter Solstice. The shortest day of the year, and the longest night ... but now the days begin getting a little longer, with the promise of spring and returning light, warmth and life to the Earth.
It's a deceptive little promise, with the worst of the winter still to come. But I'll take it. It's funny how things seem to meld one into the other that way ... the first turning towards the lighter, warmer part of the year comes even before the coldest chill of winter.
I had a setback on the last pair of socks (go figure), but I am still confident. Although I'd only started the toe Thursday night, Friday after work I managed to finish the toe, the foot, and the whole heel. Then looked at it and said, "This looks way too small." I must have a Goldilocks thing going on with socks ... this one's too long ... this one's too short. Where is the 'just right' one?
The thing was, I tried it on, and the length was even too short for me - and I have small feet. I didn't think the intended target, my niece, had feet as small as mine, she's certainly much taller than I am. So I had to put the sock on hold while I sent out an email request to the family in question to find out her shoe size, and judge whether I was in fact way off base or not.
I didn't get a response till this morning, and it turns out she does, in fact, have me-sized feet. Wears the same size shoes. The sock was still a little small, though, so I still ripped back to the beginning of the heel and added a 1/2" to the sock foot. I figured the miscalculation came about because my heel should have been 2" based on my row gauge, but was only 1 3/4". And I initially intentionally planned the sock about 1/4" to 1/2" shorter than the repicient's foot length, to make sure it fit comfortably snug. But after realizing that the length shrinks by a good 1/2" when it's actually on a foot, I decided that was a bad idea.
So I ripped back before the heel, added a little length to the foot, re-knit the heel this afternoon, and it's back on track and measures the right length. I didn't, however, finish the sock today as I thought I should to stay on target. In fact, I didn't even get to the leg or ribbing yet.
I'm not concerned, though ... it goes really fast when I put my mind to it, and I still have all day tomorrow and Monday - whole days, not just the hours after work. So I'm pretty confident I can still get this last pair done before Christmas morning, when the recipient family will be coming to my house. It may be late, late Christmas Eve night, but ... they'll get done.
Okay ... I think I can fit in a little bit more knitting before bed. Fortunately, after 3 pairs of socks in as quick a time as I could muster, I'm still not tired of making socks. Good thing, since I still have a surprise sock knitting treat after the holidays.
It's a deceptive little promise, with the worst of the winter still to come. But I'll take it. It's funny how things seem to meld one into the other that way ... the first turning towards the lighter, warmer part of the year comes even before the coldest chill of winter.
I had a setback on the last pair of socks (go figure), but I am still confident. Although I'd only started the toe Thursday night, Friday after work I managed to finish the toe, the foot, and the whole heel. Then looked at it and said, "This looks way too small." I must have a Goldilocks thing going on with socks ... this one's too long ... this one's too short. Where is the 'just right' one?
The thing was, I tried it on, and the length was even too short for me - and I have small feet. I didn't think the intended target, my niece, had feet as small as mine, she's certainly much taller than I am. So I had to put the sock on hold while I sent out an email request to the family in question to find out her shoe size, and judge whether I was in fact way off base or not.
I didn't get a response till this morning, and it turns out she does, in fact, have me-sized feet. Wears the same size shoes. The sock was still a little small, though, so I still ripped back to the beginning of the heel and added a 1/2" to the sock foot. I figured the miscalculation came about because my heel should have been 2" based on my row gauge, but was only 1 3/4". And I initially intentionally planned the sock about 1/4" to 1/2" shorter than the repicient's foot length, to make sure it fit comfortably snug. But after realizing that the length shrinks by a good 1/2" when it's actually on a foot, I decided that was a bad idea.
So I ripped back before the heel, added a little length to the foot, re-knit the heel this afternoon, and it's back on track and measures the right length. I didn't, however, finish the sock today as I thought I should to stay on target. In fact, I didn't even get to the leg or ribbing yet.
I'm not concerned, though ... it goes really fast when I put my mind to it, and I still have all day tomorrow and Monday - whole days, not just the hours after work. So I'm pretty confident I can still get this last pair done before Christmas morning, when the recipient family will be coming to my house. It may be late, late Christmas Eve night, but ... they'll get done.
Okay ... I think I can fit in a little bit more knitting before bed. Fortunately, after 3 pairs of socks in as quick a time as I could muster, I'm still not tired of making socks. Good thing, since I still have a surprise sock knitting treat after the holidays.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Onions, Revisited
You know how I whined earlier that Lakeside Collection told me my package wouldn't even ship till today? And so I had to scramble around, spend hours online trying to find a replacement gift (because no one else seemed to have the stuff I'd found at Lakeside and really wanted to give the 4-year-old in question), and then spend an exorbitant amount on 2-day shipping to ensure I got it by Christmas?
Guess what showed up today. The package from Lakeside.
I have very mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I'm happy that I got my original choices for the kid in time for Christmas. On the other hand, I'm pissed that I had to go order something else to replace gifts I thought weren't arriving, and pissed at Lakeside for not having the sense to tell me what was actually going on with my damned package.
But I thought I ought to at least modify my last post to state that yes, they did, in fact, get the stuff here before Christmas. Even if they decided to keep me totally in the dark about it.
Not sure now what I'm going to do ... oh, I know. I'll postpone all decision making, have some rum, and knit.
Guess what showed up today. The package from Lakeside.
I have very mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I'm happy that I got my original choices for the kid in time for Christmas. On the other hand, I'm pissed that I had to go order something else to replace gifts I thought weren't arriving, and pissed at Lakeside for not having the sense to tell me what was actually going on with my damned package.
But I thought I ought to at least modify my last post to state that yes, they did, in fact, get the stuff here before Christmas. Even if they decided to keep me totally in the dark about it.
Not sure now what I'm going to do ... oh, I know. I'll postpone all decision making, have some rum, and knit.
Orchids and Onions; Sock Progress
It has been my unfortunate experience that ordering online can be both a blessing a curse. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes not so much. I hate, detest, and abhor shopping in stores. I haven't been shopping in a regular store in years, except for a couple unavoidable emergencies. I go to the grocery store, and when absolutely necessary the local Rite Aid, and that's it. I order everything else online. Including every bit of my Christmas shopping. When I can start ordering groceries online, I may never leave the house again.
I try, whenever possible, to order from well known, reliable companies like Amazon. Especially when I've procrastinated holiday shopping and need to get stuff in 2 days. Like this year. Actually, that isn't entirely true. I did all my Christmas shopping online two weeks ago, and have long since received everything I ordered ... except for one thing.
Onions to Lakeside Collection. I ordered two things for my boyfriend's 4-year-old on Tuesday, December 11. I didn't figure I'd have to pay expedited shipping on anything to get it by Christmas, ordering on that date (and I didn't, every place else I ordered). This place didn't even offer any expedited shipping, and indicated a 7 to 14 day order delivery time, which is a little excessive - but Christmas Eve was exactly 14 days away on that date, and since I usually get packages within a week from most places, I figured it would be safe.
When I hadn't received any shipping confirmation a week later, this past Tuesday, I checked my order status on their website. It indicated that it hadn't even shipped yet. I figured by then I wasn't going to get the stuff by Christmas, and called (long distance - no toll free number) to cancel the order, so I could get something else that I could have delivered by Christmas.
This company told me that my package wasn't even scheduled to ship until today, Friday, December 21 - and that I could not cancel it. I said, "You're telling me that the package is still there, in your warehouse, in your control, and isn't even scheduled to ship for 3 more days - yet you won't let me cancel the order?" Yep. That's what they were teling me. "Unfortunately," they said. Unfortunately for me, that's to be sure.
So on Wednesday, December 19 I found myself online trying to find replacement gifts from any place where I could get them with 2-day shipping, so I'd be sure and have them by Christmas Eve. (You try opening presents with everyone, and telling a 4-year-old "Sorry, your stuff didn't get here on time because the evil little dark elves at Lakeside couldn't be bothered to ship my order for ten days"; and I wasn't willing to postpone Christmas for all of us until the stuff arrived).
I often order from Amazon, especially when I'm in a time crunch, because I know I can get the stuff by whatever expedited shipping method I choose, reliably. So I found a replacement gift there, paid extra for 2-day shipping, it arrived in 1 day - yesterday - and I was happy. When the crap from Lakeside shows up, I'll return it, make them credit my Visa, and put them on my 'naughty' list for future Christmas ordering.
But, while I was browsing around on Amazon, I found something I simply had to, had to, had to get for someone for Christmas ... and Amazon didn't carry it themselves, it sold through a third party who offered no expedited shipping and couldn't get it to me by Christmas.
I went on a quest to find another website where I might be able to get this thing by Christmas. It wasn't easy. I was surprised at the number of places who weren't offering any guaranteed holiday delivery as late as December 19. What is wrong with these people? Don't they know that some of us are slackass procrastinators, and will pay any amount of money for something we decide we just have to have 4 shipping days before Christmas?
But I did finally find a web site called Fair Play Games. They had what I wanted. Their prices were the best I'd found. They didn't offer 2-day shipping, but they use UPS - very reliable, especially around the holidays - those guys work insane hours, but they get people their Christmas stuff. They're like little Santa's Elves. Their uniforms should be red, not brown. The web site shipping information indicated that if I ordered on December 19, I would probably get the package on December 24. They didn't guarantee it, but I know UPS, and decided to take a chance.
I appreciated that they were up front about that - no misleading information, no hidden delays ("2 Day Shipping Only $15 - but we're not going to process your order until spring. But once we do, slam bang, you'll have it in two days!").
I placed my order at about 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 19. According to UPS tracking it's scheduled to be delivered today. December 21st. Two days later. Oodles of time before Christmas. I found that not only amazing, but pretty darn good customer service. UPS is good, but what made this work is Fair Play Games actually shipped my order within a few hours of receiving it.
So - huge orchids to Fair Play Games. And if you're in the market for any gaming type paraphernalia, I highly recommend this place. Awesome service.
Now I just have to worry about the CD I ordered for my brother this past Monday - I didn't reqest expedited shipping, figuring Amazon would get it to me in a week ... and the tracking information is extremely vague, it didn't ship till yesterday and is somewhere in Pennsylvania. And isn't coming by UPS. I thought I was safe on that one, but ... maybe not.
I swear ... next year I'm going to have my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. Really. And the knitting too. Honest.
Speaking of which ... I finished the second pair of socks last night, and started the third and last. Here's the thing. It took me one full month to make the first pair. Of course, I didn't have the fire of imminent deadline heating things up. It took me three weeks to finish the second pair (when the fire of imminent deadline began to crackle ominously that last week or so). Now I have four days to make the third pair. That's interesting. Accordingly, I have to have one whole sock completed by Saturday night to be on track. (I'm not knitting this pair two at a time - we'll save that adventure for another time).
So ... we'll see how it goes.
I try, whenever possible, to order from well known, reliable companies like Amazon. Especially when I've procrastinated holiday shopping and need to get stuff in 2 days. Like this year. Actually, that isn't entirely true. I did all my Christmas shopping online two weeks ago, and have long since received everything I ordered ... except for one thing.
Onions to Lakeside Collection. I ordered two things for my boyfriend's 4-year-old on Tuesday, December 11. I didn't figure I'd have to pay expedited shipping on anything to get it by Christmas, ordering on that date (and I didn't, every place else I ordered). This place didn't even offer any expedited shipping, and indicated a 7 to 14 day order delivery time, which is a little excessive - but Christmas Eve was exactly 14 days away on that date, and since I usually get packages within a week from most places, I figured it would be safe.
When I hadn't received any shipping confirmation a week later, this past Tuesday, I checked my order status on their website. It indicated that it hadn't even shipped yet. I figured by then I wasn't going to get the stuff by Christmas, and called (long distance - no toll free number) to cancel the order, so I could get something else that I could have delivered by Christmas.
This company told me that my package wasn't even scheduled to ship until today, Friday, December 21 - and that I could not cancel it. I said, "You're telling me that the package is still there, in your warehouse, in your control, and isn't even scheduled to ship for 3 more days - yet you won't let me cancel the order?" Yep. That's what they were teling me. "Unfortunately," they said. Unfortunately for me, that's to be sure.
So on Wednesday, December 19 I found myself online trying to find replacement gifts from any place where I could get them with 2-day shipping, so I'd be sure and have them by Christmas Eve. (You try opening presents with everyone, and telling a 4-year-old "Sorry, your stuff didn't get here on time because the evil little dark elves at Lakeside couldn't be bothered to ship my order for ten days"; and I wasn't willing to postpone Christmas for all of us until the stuff arrived).
I often order from Amazon, especially when I'm in a time crunch, because I know I can get the stuff by whatever expedited shipping method I choose, reliably. So I found a replacement gift there, paid extra for 2-day shipping, it arrived in 1 day - yesterday - and I was happy. When the crap from Lakeside shows up, I'll return it, make them credit my Visa, and put them on my 'naughty' list for future Christmas ordering.
But, while I was browsing around on Amazon, I found something I simply had to, had to, had to get for someone for Christmas ... and Amazon didn't carry it themselves, it sold through a third party who offered no expedited shipping and couldn't get it to me by Christmas.
I went on a quest to find another website where I might be able to get this thing by Christmas. It wasn't easy. I was surprised at the number of places who weren't offering any guaranteed holiday delivery as late as December 19. What is wrong with these people? Don't they know that some of us are slackass procrastinators, and will pay any amount of money for something we decide we just have to have 4 shipping days before Christmas?
But I did finally find a web site called Fair Play Games. They had what I wanted. Their prices were the best I'd found. They didn't offer 2-day shipping, but they use UPS - very reliable, especially around the holidays - those guys work insane hours, but they get people their Christmas stuff. They're like little Santa's Elves. Their uniforms should be red, not brown. The web site shipping information indicated that if I ordered on December 19, I would probably get the package on December 24. They didn't guarantee it, but I know UPS, and decided to take a chance.
I appreciated that they were up front about that - no misleading information, no hidden delays ("2 Day Shipping Only $15 - but we're not going to process your order until spring. But once we do, slam bang, you'll have it in two days!").
I placed my order at about 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 19. According to UPS tracking it's scheduled to be delivered today. December 21st. Two days later. Oodles of time before Christmas. I found that not only amazing, but pretty darn good customer service. UPS is good, but what made this work is Fair Play Games actually shipped my order within a few hours of receiving it.
So - huge orchids to Fair Play Games. And if you're in the market for any gaming type paraphernalia, I highly recommend this place. Awesome service.
Now I just have to worry about the CD I ordered for my brother this past Monday - I didn't reqest expedited shipping, figuring Amazon would get it to me in a week ... and the tracking information is extremely vague, it didn't ship till yesterday and is somewhere in Pennsylvania. And isn't coming by UPS. I thought I was safe on that one, but ... maybe not.
I swear ... next year I'm going to have my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. Really. And the knitting too. Honest.
Speaking of which ... I finished the second pair of socks last night, and started the third and last. Here's the thing. It took me one full month to make the first pair. Of course, I didn't have the fire of imminent deadline heating things up. It took me three weeks to finish the second pair (when the fire of imminent deadline began to crackle ominously that last week or so). Now I have four days to make the third pair. That's interesting. Accordingly, I have to have one whole sock completed by Saturday night to be on track. (I'm not knitting this pair two at a time - we'll save that adventure for another time).
So ... we'll see how it goes.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Back on Track; Death by Socks
So I lied a bit in my last post. When I said I had three socks left to knit. Apparently I completely blocked out the fact that I had the second sock of this pair half done, when I ripped it off the needles and threw it on the bookshelf. I finished the first of the pair last night, and actually got so far as crocheting the chain for the provisional cast-on of the second sock. I didn't remember it until I went to look for the ball of yarn to start picking up stitches in the provisional cast-on.
The brief wave of relief was quickly flattened by the further remembrance that the other sock was cursed.
It remained cursed for some time after I went back to work on it. Since I'd had to take it off the needles, I needed to count rows on the first sock so I could make sure they were the same size. Did that. Then when I re-started the second sock, I miscounted, and had knitted several inches past where I should have started the heel before I realized it.
Back to the frog pond. But this time I was smart, and learned a new skill. I threaded a 'life line' through the row I needed to rip back to - some of the same sock yarn on a tapestry needle, threaded through a loop of each stitch in the row. Then I could rip back just to the point where I needed to be, and easily put my stitches back on the needle without the risk of dropping any - with the bonus that they were all facing the right way. I have a problem when picking up live stitches of always needing to pick them up backwards (because that just seems to be the way they're always facing), and then having to knit the entire picked-up row through the back loop to get them oriented properly again ... just a bit of a pain. With the pre-rip lifeline, none of that. It worked great, and it was the first time I've ever successfully used it.
So ... I ripped back this sock again ... but this time I got it right. I went on to get the heel in the right place, and I'm now more than halfway through the leg ribbing, and then I'll be done! Wowsa.
If I had a little more motivation, I could probably have finished it tonight ... but I'm probably not going to. They will be done tomorrow, though, and I'll start the third and last pair. With five days to knit two socks ... eh, it's do-able, but it's going to be tight.
The brief wave of relief was quickly flattened by the further remembrance that the other sock was cursed.
It remained cursed for some time after I went back to work on it. Since I'd had to take it off the needles, I needed to count rows on the first sock so I could make sure they were the same size. Did that. Then when I re-started the second sock, I miscounted, and had knitted several inches past where I should have started the heel before I realized it.
Back to the frog pond. But this time I was smart, and learned a new skill. I threaded a 'life line' through the row I needed to rip back to - some of the same sock yarn on a tapestry needle, threaded through a loop of each stitch in the row. Then I could rip back just to the point where I needed to be, and easily put my stitches back on the needle without the risk of dropping any - with the bonus that they were all facing the right way. I have a problem when picking up live stitches of always needing to pick them up backwards (because that just seems to be the way they're always facing), and then having to knit the entire picked-up row through the back loop to get them oriented properly again ... just a bit of a pain. With the pre-rip lifeline, none of that. It worked great, and it was the first time I've ever successfully used it.
So ... I ripped back this sock again ... but this time I got it right. I went on to get the heel in the right place, and I'm now more than halfway through the leg ribbing, and then I'll be done! Wowsa.
If I had a little more motivation, I could probably have finished it tonight ... but I'm probably not going to. They will be done tomorrow, though, and I'll start the third and last pair. With five days to knit two socks ... eh, it's do-able, but it's going to be tight.
In other news ... what could be more fun than Death by Socks? I'd be an early casualty, I'm just not that quick a knitter (usually). But it's a neat idea.
Monday, December 17, 2007
We had weather!
Yes, it's abnormal here. I call where I live the "valley of no weather." It is a valley, geographically speaking. I mean, you can't tell when you're in it - it's not like I live in a big ravine or anything - but there is a rather large river that runs through my town and this whole area (in fact, I only live half a mile from it), and apparently, in the greater scheme of things, it's a valley.
So something in the geography of the valley - specifically this small part of the valley (it's a long river) - seems to create a lack of noticeable weather. Rarely severe storms in the summer, even more rarely snow in the winter, other than a scant dusting that melts by 2:00 p.m. Just calm, hot, clear skies in summer, and calm cloudiness in winter.
So this took me by surprise.
I have a big 4-wheel drive SUV. With brand new, gawd-awful expensive Michelin tires on it. I can generally drive through any amount of snow we might get here. Unless it's deeper than the undercarriage. The best tires in the world, no matter how many wheel drive you have, can do you no good if the tires aren't touching anything.
I looked for the driveway this morning, and couldn't find it. I walked out in it, and the snow was mid-calf deep. So I (very grudgingly) got out the snow shovel.
I hate shoveling snow, but I figured if I just sort of swept off the top layer, so I only left it about 6" deep, I could just drive through it.
I was about half way done with half the driveway when some guys showed up and offered to shovel it out completely for $15. I said, "Hell, yeah!" Then I remembered that I didn't think I had any cash. I asked if they'd take a check. They began backing away. I went to look. I had $7.00. I told them if it'd take them 5 or 10 minutes, while they shoveled I'd walk up to the convenience store on the corner and hit the ATM. They said sure. So I took off walking up the middle of the slushy street - because the sidewalks hadn't been touched, but at least the road had been driven on.
When I went out to shovel the driveway, I put on a t-shirt, and a fleece pullover, but not my heavy winter coat, because I knew I'd get overheated shoveling snow in a heavy coat. In my rush after I figured out I didn't have the cash to pay the shoveling guys, I left without putting my coat on.
So about two or three houses up, it occurs to me: I'm walking up the middle of the slushy street in sub-freezing temperatures without a coat on, to get to the convenience store on the corner and take money out of the ATM to pay a couple guys to shovel my driveway. Wouldn't it just be easier to shovel the driveway myself? Or maybe give them the $7.00 I had and tell them to just do half?
Nah. I hate shoveling snow. Walking, I don't mind. And it wasn't, really, that bad.
So I got the cash, paid the guys, got my driveway shoveled, and ... I hope we're done with that for this year.
So something in the geography of the valley - specifically this small part of the valley (it's a long river) - seems to create a lack of noticeable weather. Rarely severe storms in the summer, even more rarely snow in the winter, other than a scant dusting that melts by 2:00 p.m. Just calm, hot, clear skies in summer, and calm cloudiness in winter.
So this took me by surprise.
I have a big 4-wheel drive SUV. With brand new, gawd-awful expensive Michelin tires on it. I can generally drive through any amount of snow we might get here. Unless it's deeper than the undercarriage. The best tires in the world, no matter how many wheel drive you have, can do you no good if the tires aren't touching anything.
I looked for the driveway this morning, and couldn't find it. I walked out in it, and the snow was mid-calf deep. So I (very grudgingly) got out the snow shovel.
I hate shoveling snow, but I figured if I just sort of swept off the top layer, so I only left it about 6" deep, I could just drive through it.
I was about half way done with half the driveway when some guys showed up and offered to shovel it out completely for $15. I said, "Hell, yeah!" Then I remembered that I didn't think I had any cash. I asked if they'd take a check. They began backing away. I went to look. I had $7.00. I told them if it'd take them 5 or 10 minutes, while they shoveled I'd walk up to the convenience store on the corner and hit the ATM. They said sure. So I took off walking up the middle of the slushy street - because the sidewalks hadn't been touched, but at least the road had been driven on.
When I went out to shovel the driveway, I put on a t-shirt, and a fleece pullover, but not my heavy winter coat, because I knew I'd get overheated shoveling snow in a heavy coat. In my rush after I figured out I didn't have the cash to pay the shoveling guys, I left without putting my coat on.
So about two or three houses up, it occurs to me: I'm walking up the middle of the slushy street in sub-freezing temperatures without a coat on, to get to the convenience store on the corner and take money out of the ATM to pay a couple guys to shovel my driveway. Wouldn't it just be easier to shovel the driveway myself? Or maybe give them the $7.00 I had and tell them to just do half?
Nah. I hate shoveling snow. Walking, I don't mind. And it wasn't, really, that bad.
So I got the cash, paid the guys, got my driveway shoveled, and ... I hope we're done with that for this year.
By the way - the sock (yes, sock, solo) that I've been working on is almost done ... tomorrow I can finish it and start the second one. Only three more socks to knit before next Tuesday. Oh, yay.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Bad News: Socks. Good News: Men In Kilts
These socks are becoming the bane of my existence. I don't get it. I've never had this much trouble with one pair of socks before. What is wrong with this picture?
That's right! No needles!!
After finally getting both socks on the set of circs, I merrily knit away at the sock foot until it was time to start the heel. Even when knitting two socks simultaneously, when you get to the heels you have to stop and do one at a time. So I began the first sock heel two nights ago.
I'm not going to bore you with the gory details, other than to say that I was having a bad night. The end result was that at one point I had this huge gap between a couple of stitches - huge enough that had I continued knitting, it would have looked like a big hole in the sock at that point. I couldn't figure out what caused it, and very unwisely in my not-so-great frame of mind, I was convinced I'd dropped a stitch somewhere, so I decided to fix that by dropping a couple of stitches off the needle, let them unknit themselves, and chain them back up, thinking somehow this would solve the problem.
Nope. Not even a little bit. Instead I ended up with about an inch-wide section on one side of my sock unraveled several inches back, and all my attempts to chain them back up just left me with large loops of yarn that didn't seem to go anywhere.
I knew I'd blown it, and that it was beyond my ability to fix at that point.
It's possible that had I had the wherewithal to simply put the sock down, go to bed, and worry about it the next day, I might have been able to fix it. But for some reason my OCD was running high that night, and I couldn't leave them alone. So my 'solution' was to take that sock completely off the needles and unravel it beyond the mistake - a couple of inches of knitting.
After I did that, I decided it was time for bed. Nice way to leave things 'fixed.'
So. Last night I decided I was simply going to finish the socks one at a time, like in the 'olden days,' so I wouldn't screw them up anymore. I took up the sock that was still on the needles, and knitted it's heel last night. I completed the heel, and then laid the sock down to admire my work.
And noticed that the sock looked really too long. I checked my measurements.
The sock was over an inch longer than the measurement of the intended foot. It was too long. I'm lucky I noticed this at all, because I'm not so astute that one inch would usually jump out at me screaming, "this is too much!" But these socks already looked consistently funny to me anyway, because they're for a recipient who has much larger feet than me - about a size 9 1/2 compared to my size 6. But somehow, and very fortunately, looking at the overall length after the heel was done triggered some thought in my head to double check, because they just didn't look right.
I went scrabbling back through my notes, and realized I'd made a math mistake when calculating when to start the heel. Yep. The sock was too long.
I know socks are forgiving and all that. But one of the joys of hand knit socks is how well they custom-fit a foot, and how comfortable that is - and this is one of the things I bragged to my family about, which inspired them to be willing to accept hand-knit socks for Christmas this year. Being a little off here or there isn't going to hurt, especially if I was off in the 'too small' direction, as this mostly merino yarn is so stretchy. But having the sock over an inch longer than the receipient's foot isn't going to work, no way, no how.
More ripping back. I figured out specifically where I should have started the heel, took the sock off the needle, ripped back to that point, and put it back on. By that point I was tired and frustrated, and put them away for the night. I'm just ready to re-start the heel today.
Two nights of utterly wasted knitting time. The only good (?) thing about all this is now that I've discovered the socks were too long anyway, ripping the first sock back probably wasn't such a disaster, as it was going to have to be done anyway. I don't know how close I stopped to where it actually needs to be, but I don't even want to touch that one until I get this one finally, completely, and correctly finished.
Oy. But, there is one other piece of encouraging news. Since the recipient family in question has decided to stop by Christmas Day, I no longer have to have these socks (and the next unstarted pair) done by, oh, Tuesday or so. I have clear till Christmas morning to finish them. And at this rate, it'll take all that.
I haven't given up on socks yet, I don't know what made this particular pair so trying. But I will say that I'm no longer terribly keen on the two socks on two circs method. That is in part, I believe, what caused my problem with the first heel (although I admit it's not what caused my bad math). When I got to working on the one heel, it was like back at the beginning again, where I found it very 'fiddly' and difficult to work with, that other sock constantly being in my way and weighing down my needles. It made working that heel very difficult, to me anyway. And that's what I think caused the problem that ultimately made me think the only way to fix it was take it off the needles and rip it back several inches. I'm sure that would have never happened had I been only working on one sock.
Comparing one sock at a time to two socks at a time, I think things will actually go faster for me doing one at a time. There isn't so much fiddling around every time I reach the end of a sock row (which is only 30-some stitches, so it goes pretty quick). Sliding needles around twice as often, untangling two balls of yarn ... after having tried it, I think that for me, this method was just a bit too messy to be truly enjoyable. When working one sock at a time, I can sail through it - in fact, I knit fully half a sock from the very beginning on Thanksgiving Day, so I know how fast it can go.
Sure, I have a second one to make afterwards, so I'm not saying I can knit an entire pair more quickly doing them individually. But the process itself seems to proceed more easily and smoothly.
I'm not knocking it entirely. I still think it would be way cool to finish both socks at once. But everyone has their quirks. I never even tried knitting with dpns because I could just tell by looking at pictures of the process that I'd have stitches falling off the needles everywhere. All the tricks I read to avoid that seemed, to me, just too fussy and time-consuming, especially when with a method as simple as two circs, you don't need to worry about it.
But I've read in the blogs of knitters who are far more accomplished than I am, that they much preferred dpns, and couldn't stand two circs because they found that method too fussy, with those needle ends dangling down in the way.
So it's very much a personal choice and one's comfort level with messing and fussing. To me, I think, one at a time is going to be the happy medium.
That's not to say I'll never try this method again, just to see if getting a little more used to it might make it less stressful. But I won't be trying it again until I am knitting socks for myself, and with no deadline. Not a good time to work out a new technique, I think.
In other news, the Dread Reverend's band, Tara's Fire, had their first gig last night, and although I couldn't make it, my very short 3:00 a.m. debriefing was that it went extremely well. Woo-hoo!!! I'm glad, and sorry I missed it. (I know no more than that, because the band member in question is still asleep). But I did get a couple of pre-show pictures, of two of them anyway. The third one wasn't here to have his picture taken. Hopefully next show I'll be able to go.
Tara's Fire drummer, John:
The Dread Reverend: guitar, vocals, occasional bodhran, and general banter: (and yes, I did knit that scarf!)
That's right! No needles!!
After finally getting both socks on the set of circs, I merrily knit away at the sock foot until it was time to start the heel. Even when knitting two socks simultaneously, when you get to the heels you have to stop and do one at a time. So I began the first sock heel two nights ago.
I'm not going to bore you with the gory details, other than to say that I was having a bad night. The end result was that at one point I had this huge gap between a couple of stitches - huge enough that had I continued knitting, it would have looked like a big hole in the sock at that point. I couldn't figure out what caused it, and very unwisely in my not-so-great frame of mind, I was convinced I'd dropped a stitch somewhere, so I decided to fix that by dropping a couple of stitches off the needle, let them unknit themselves, and chain them back up, thinking somehow this would solve the problem.
Nope. Not even a little bit. Instead I ended up with about an inch-wide section on one side of my sock unraveled several inches back, and all my attempts to chain them back up just left me with large loops of yarn that didn't seem to go anywhere.
I knew I'd blown it, and that it was beyond my ability to fix at that point.
It's possible that had I had the wherewithal to simply put the sock down, go to bed, and worry about it the next day, I might have been able to fix it. But for some reason my OCD was running high that night, and I couldn't leave them alone. So my 'solution' was to take that sock completely off the needles and unravel it beyond the mistake - a couple of inches of knitting.
After I did that, I decided it was time for bed. Nice way to leave things 'fixed.'
So. Last night I decided I was simply going to finish the socks one at a time, like in the 'olden days,' so I wouldn't screw them up anymore. I took up the sock that was still on the needles, and knitted it's heel last night. I completed the heel, and then laid the sock down to admire my work.
And noticed that the sock looked really too long. I checked my measurements.
The sock was over an inch longer than the measurement of the intended foot. It was too long. I'm lucky I noticed this at all, because I'm not so astute that one inch would usually jump out at me screaming, "this is too much!" But these socks already looked consistently funny to me anyway, because they're for a recipient who has much larger feet than me - about a size 9 1/2 compared to my size 6. But somehow, and very fortunately, looking at the overall length after the heel was done triggered some thought in my head to double check, because they just didn't look right.
I went scrabbling back through my notes, and realized I'd made a math mistake when calculating when to start the heel. Yep. The sock was too long.
I know socks are forgiving and all that. But one of the joys of hand knit socks is how well they custom-fit a foot, and how comfortable that is - and this is one of the things I bragged to my family about, which inspired them to be willing to accept hand-knit socks for Christmas this year. Being a little off here or there isn't going to hurt, especially if I was off in the 'too small' direction, as this mostly merino yarn is so stretchy. But having the sock over an inch longer than the receipient's foot isn't going to work, no way, no how.
More ripping back. I figured out specifically where I should have started the heel, took the sock off the needle, ripped back to that point, and put it back on. By that point I was tired and frustrated, and put them away for the night. I'm just ready to re-start the heel today.
Two nights of utterly wasted knitting time. The only good (?) thing about all this is now that I've discovered the socks were too long anyway, ripping the first sock back probably wasn't such a disaster, as it was going to have to be done anyway. I don't know how close I stopped to where it actually needs to be, but I don't even want to touch that one until I get this one finally, completely, and correctly finished.
Oy. But, there is one other piece of encouraging news. Since the recipient family in question has decided to stop by Christmas Day, I no longer have to have these socks (and the next unstarted pair) done by, oh, Tuesday or so. I have clear till Christmas morning to finish them. And at this rate, it'll take all that.
I haven't given up on socks yet, I don't know what made this particular pair so trying. But I will say that I'm no longer terribly keen on the two socks on two circs method. That is in part, I believe, what caused my problem with the first heel (although I admit it's not what caused my bad math). When I got to working on the one heel, it was like back at the beginning again, where I found it very 'fiddly' and difficult to work with, that other sock constantly being in my way and weighing down my needles. It made working that heel very difficult, to me anyway. And that's what I think caused the problem that ultimately made me think the only way to fix it was take it off the needles and rip it back several inches. I'm sure that would have never happened had I been only working on one sock.
Comparing one sock at a time to two socks at a time, I think things will actually go faster for me doing one at a time. There isn't so much fiddling around every time I reach the end of a sock row (which is only 30-some stitches, so it goes pretty quick). Sliding needles around twice as often, untangling two balls of yarn ... after having tried it, I think that for me, this method was just a bit too messy to be truly enjoyable. When working one sock at a time, I can sail through it - in fact, I knit fully half a sock from the very beginning on Thanksgiving Day, so I know how fast it can go.
Sure, I have a second one to make afterwards, so I'm not saying I can knit an entire pair more quickly doing them individually. But the process itself seems to proceed more easily and smoothly.
I'm not knocking it entirely. I still think it would be way cool to finish both socks at once. But everyone has their quirks. I never even tried knitting with dpns because I could just tell by looking at pictures of the process that I'd have stitches falling off the needles everywhere. All the tricks I read to avoid that seemed, to me, just too fussy and time-consuming, especially when with a method as simple as two circs, you don't need to worry about it.
But I've read in the blogs of knitters who are far more accomplished than I am, that they much preferred dpns, and couldn't stand two circs because they found that method too fussy, with those needle ends dangling down in the way.
So it's very much a personal choice and one's comfort level with messing and fussing. To me, I think, one at a time is going to be the happy medium.
That's not to say I'll never try this method again, just to see if getting a little more used to it might make it less stressful. But I won't be trying it again until I am knitting socks for myself, and with no deadline. Not a good time to work out a new technique, I think.
In other news, the Dread Reverend's band, Tara's Fire, had their first gig last night, and although I couldn't make it, my very short 3:00 a.m. debriefing was that it went extremely well. Woo-hoo!!! I'm glad, and sorry I missed it. (I know no more than that, because the band member in question is still asleep). But I did get a couple of pre-show pictures, of two of them anyway. The third one wasn't here to have his picture taken. Hopefully next show I'll be able to go.
Tara's Fire drummer, John:
The Dread Reverend: guitar, vocals, occasional bodhran, and general banter: (and yes, I did knit that scarf!)
Monday, December 10, 2007
*%#$@!&$%^!!!! It's the TENTH!!!
What the heck happened to December? Last I checked it was still around the 1st, and I had most of a whole month till Christmas. Now I have two weeks to (a) finish the current pair of socks (and I'm still about an inch and a half from starting the heel); (2) make an entire other pair of socks; and (iii) do all my Christmas online ordering, which by waiting so late, I'll probably have to pay extra for quicker shipping to get them in time.
I really thought I had this all under control ... back around the 1st.
Oh, and since I have to mail the socks, I really don't have till December 23 or so to get them done. I have, like maybe 8 days.
Okay, it's about to become a serious knitting frenzy here.
But in the good news column, someone's actually reading the blog! I had comments! Thanks for the encouragement, and for the tip about the turkish toe - I'll definitely try that! I do prefer toe-up socks, but I'm always up for trying new techniques. In fact, I have some uber special new techniques to try as soon as I get these Christmas socks done. But more on that in a later post ... must ... knit ... more.
I really thought I had this all under control ... back around the 1st.
Oh, and since I have to mail the socks, I really don't have till December 23 or so to get them done. I have, like maybe 8 days.
Okay, it's about to become a serious knitting frenzy here.
But in the good news column, someone's actually reading the blog! I had comments! Thanks for the encouragement, and for the tip about the turkish toe - I'll definitely try that! I do prefer toe-up socks, but I'm always up for trying new techniques. In fact, I have some uber special new techniques to try as soon as I get these Christmas socks done. But more on that in a later post ... must ... knit ... more.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Year End Knitting Inferiority Complex
While sprucing up the blog, I went to see what all I had on my "2007 Finished Projects" page. I should have known better. I should have known what I've done (or not done) this year. But to see nothing but one dish cloth was just sad. How can I even call myself a knitter?
Oh, well ... there is that never-ending log cabin blanket which I did work on all year, despite refusing to declare it done yet. It will get an honorary place on the page, when I get a chance to take another picture of it.
At least I posted a picture of the one finished pair of Christmas-present socks I have so far. And if all goes as planned, I'll have two more pairs to add to it soon. At least, I'm supposed to get these done by Christmas - actually, earlier than that, in time to mail to arrive by Christmas. But it doesn't look like there's going to be much of anything else on my finished projects page this year. Sad.
I did put up a Christmas tree this year. That's not a given. For many years I didn't put one up or decorate at all. The first year my boyfriend lived here we decorated for Christmas, then last year I lost interest again so he put up a tree himself. This year of all years I was surprised I wanted one, since I'm pretty well dreading Christmas entirely. But I did. Mostly I just like the lights, at night, with the other lights in the room off - although it makes it hard to knit. Only because it's socks with tiny stitches ... I could probably work on the log cabin blanket in the light from the tree alone, I put about a million lights on a tree. My theory is, if you can't read by the light of the tree alone, there aren't enough lights on it.
Oh, well ... there is that never-ending log cabin blanket which I did work on all year, despite refusing to declare it done yet. It will get an honorary place on the page, when I get a chance to take another picture of it.
At least I posted a picture of the one finished pair of Christmas-present socks I have so far. And if all goes as planned, I'll have two more pairs to add to it soon. At least, I'm supposed to get these done by Christmas - actually, earlier than that, in time to mail to arrive by Christmas. But it doesn't look like there's going to be much of anything else on my finished projects page this year. Sad.
I did put up a Christmas tree this year. That's not a given. For many years I didn't put one up or decorate at all. The first year my boyfriend lived here we decorated for Christmas, then last year I lost interest again so he put up a tree himself. This year of all years I was surprised I wanted one, since I'm pretty well dreading Christmas entirely. But I did. Mostly I just like the lights, at night, with the other lights in the room off - although it makes it hard to knit. Only because it's socks with tiny stitches ... I could probably work on the log cabin blanket in the light from the tree alone, I put about a million lights on a tree. My theory is, if you can't read by the light of the tree alone, there aren't enough lights on it.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Two Socks on Two Circs - Success
I'm having quite the sock-fest at the moment. Saturday night I finished my niece's socks, and Sunday I started on the pair for my sister-in-law.
When I first learned to knit socks, I learned on two circular needles. I never even tried dpns. I really like this method, and have no desire to change. But when I first heard about knitting two socks at once on two circs, and being done with the pair when you reached the end, I found that extremely intriguing. I'd never really had a problem with 'second sock syndrome' till that color-stranded pair I tried to make for myself, but till then I'd only knitted simple socks in self-striping yarn. I wanted to try some more complex patterns, and I got the idea that the more complex the sock, the more likely I was to not want to have to start a new one all over after finishing the first. Anyway, being able to start two socks, knit, and finish two socks, and be done seemed like a grand idea. And there's the bonus of knowing they're the same size ... I didn't enjoy having to count rows, or try to measure a half-done sock to get it the same size as the other.
So I really wanted to learn this method, and when I promised to knit my brother's family socks for Christmas - three pairs in little over a month - I decided that was a good time to do it.
When I ordered the first sock yarn for the Christmas socks, I also got the book Knitting Circles Around Socks by Antje Gillingham, and was considerably unimpressed, for a number of reasons. One of them was that I prefer knitting socks toe-up, with short row toes, and this book does not include any instructions for starting two toe-up socks at the same time - only cuff down.
I seriously considered going ahead and knitting the family Christmas socks cuff down, just so I could use those instructions to knit them two at a time, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized I really wanted to make them toe-up, and if I wanted to do them both at once, I was going to have to figure it out for myself.
So I did. And here's what happened.
I actually tried this first on my niece's pair of socks, by knitting one short-row toe on one circular needle, the other short row toe on the other needle, then transferring stitches until I had the two toes properly on the two circs to begin knitting. That worked, except that I'd made some kind of hideous mistake when I picked up the stitches from my provisional cast-on at the beginning of the second toe. I'm not sure what I did, but it looked like I had picked the stitches up wrong and they weren't twisted, but were just open loops - so I ended up with a row of open lace-looking stitches across the toe. Not necessarily a bad thing, except the other one didn't match it, and it wasn't what I wanted. I tried to fix it, but failed, and ended up taking that sock off the needles, ripping it out, and just finishing the first sock, then starting over and knitting the entire second sock.
This time, even though my method for getting two socks on the needle at once wasn't what caused the problem, I decided for some reason to try doing it differently. I did my first toe from beginning to end, picked up the stitches from the provisional cast on with my second needle, and pulled that chain out, having my completed toe on the two circs, ready to knit. I marked the 'provisional cast-on side' with a safety pin.
Then I just slid that sock onto the middle of the cables, took two ends of one of the needles, and knitted my second sock toe there. Since you're working back and forth for the short row toe, and only using the same two needle ends over and over, and never having to slide your work down your cable, this worked fine - the first toe just rested hanging on the cables in the middle out of my way while I made the second toe. So far so good.
Then I got done, and ended up with this.
The right-hand sock is properly on two needles, but the left-hand (second) sock has what should be it's 'front' stitches on the 'back' needle, and it's 'back' stitches sitting out there with no needle to put them on. It was, apparently, on the needles backwards. Initially I had no idea why that happened. I assumed if I started them both on the same needle, they'd end up finishing facing the same way, properly on the two needles. That didn't happen.
I tried several things to fix it. First I was convinced that if I simply took the two ends of that back needle, placed them tip to tip and slipped the stitches of that second sock from the left side of that needle to the right side, it would flip it around and have it facing the right direction. I did that, and it didn't work. It was still backwards, just on the other side of the needle. (apparently I suck at that spatial visualization thing - even having done it, I still don't understand why that didn't work). In the end I resorted to running a tapestry needle with a piece of yarn on it through all the live stitches of the second sock, taking it clear off the needles, and putting it back on the right way.
Then I picked up my stitches from my provisional cast on with the front needle, and viola! Everything set up ready to knit in the round.
Initially I had no idea why that happened, but glory and trumpets, just while writing this post and looking at that picture, I figured it out. I mistakenly thought I'd started the first sock toe on the back needle, since I'd picked up stitches from the provisional cast-on using the front needle. Nope. Short row toes are knitted from one starting point in both directions. So the front needle was the one I started knitting from AND the one I picked up the stitches from after the toe was done - it all starts from the provisional cast-on, going in both directions. So ... next time all I have to do is start the second toe on the same needle as the provisional cast-on, and this should work.
Spatial visualization failures notwithstanding.
Let me take a moment here to stress how very important it is that you make absolutely certain that when you start knitting, you are knitting with two ends of the same needle. If you don't, this is what could happen.
After my first round of knitting across both socks, turning, and knitting back, that's what I ended up with. Lovely! I thought for sure I'd been very careful to pick up the right needle end to start knitting - I even double checked! - but the needles suddenly get very maze-like when you've got two socks on them instead of one. And that's the only thing I could figure caused this mess. So I knew I had to unknit that and start back from scratch, but then appeared the next dilemma. In this tangled mess, I couldn't figure out which needle end to knit the stitches back on to, to get back to where I'd started.
I know, I sound so inept, you'd wonder how I ever knit anything ... how hard should this be? Well, whatever. Anyway, of course I chose the wrong needle end, so when I un-knitted the stitches, I still had a similar looking mess. I resorted to Rescue Operation A, used before - running a tapestry needle threaded with yarn through the stitches, taking it clear off the needle, then putting it back on the proper one.
After all THAT, and making very sure I had the right needle end each time I began to knit, I finally got it straightened out.
And by the end of the evening, I had two socks percolating along on my two circs.
So I DID figure it out ... umm, more or less. By trial and error. But it's working, and that's the most important part, for now. And I think I now have all the kinks worked out, and the next time can sail through this procedure without so many pauses for reconstruction.
I think I like making two socks at once, there's only one thing that caused me any grief about the process (once I got it all sorted out and was just knitting around). Working on the first sock of a side - the one on the right after you have turned your needles - is easy. The second one gets a little edgy, because there's no good place to put that first sock out of the way while you're working on the second. First I tried to keep it close to the first sock (I think I read that in the ill-fated Gillingham book - always keep the socks close together), but I found that just bound my needle cables up too tight, and I couldn't work comfortably. Eventually I started sliding the first sock as far down the cables out of my way as I could. That seems to work best, although it quirks up my cables in odd ways. This doesn't really affect my knitting, it's just that I end up with this strange knot of needles and knitting underneath my hands, distracting me while I'm trying to knit the second sock. I'm not used to seeing that, I'm used to my extra needle just hanging there nonchalantly, looking cool - when only knitting one sock at a time. This is far more "fiddly" to work with. I'm learning to just ignore what's not right at the tips of the two needles I'm working with, and that seems to be the ticket.
But, I figure it's like this. Almost any new knitting method is (to me, anyway) fiddly at first. It just takes some getting used to. I'm sure over time it will seem more and more 'normal' to knit this way. I admit at first it was so odd that I considered just biting the bullet and going back to knitting one sock at a time like we've done for many, many years. But after 5 or 6 rounds it began to get a little easier, I began to work out a bit of rhythm to it, and I think the benefits outweigh the fiddliness, so I'll probably keep trying this method for awhile.
I admit I was kind of astounded with it, once it started working. Every round or two I'd stop, lay the socks out in front of me, and say, "Wow - two socks at once!" But then again, I'm easily amused.
When I first learned to knit socks, I learned on two circular needles. I never even tried dpns. I really like this method, and have no desire to change. But when I first heard about knitting two socks at once on two circs, and being done with the pair when you reached the end, I found that extremely intriguing. I'd never really had a problem with 'second sock syndrome' till that color-stranded pair I tried to make for myself, but till then I'd only knitted simple socks in self-striping yarn. I wanted to try some more complex patterns, and I got the idea that the more complex the sock, the more likely I was to not want to have to start a new one all over after finishing the first. Anyway, being able to start two socks, knit, and finish two socks, and be done seemed like a grand idea. And there's the bonus of knowing they're the same size ... I didn't enjoy having to count rows, or try to measure a half-done sock to get it the same size as the other.
So I really wanted to learn this method, and when I promised to knit my brother's family socks for Christmas - three pairs in little over a month - I decided that was a good time to do it.
When I ordered the first sock yarn for the Christmas socks, I also got the book Knitting Circles Around Socks by Antje Gillingham, and was considerably unimpressed, for a number of reasons. One of them was that I prefer knitting socks toe-up, with short row toes, and this book does not include any instructions for starting two toe-up socks at the same time - only cuff down.
I seriously considered going ahead and knitting the family Christmas socks cuff down, just so I could use those instructions to knit them two at a time, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized I really wanted to make them toe-up, and if I wanted to do them both at once, I was going to have to figure it out for myself.
So I did. And here's what happened.
I actually tried this first on my niece's pair of socks, by knitting one short-row toe on one circular needle, the other short row toe on the other needle, then transferring stitches until I had the two toes properly on the two circs to begin knitting. That worked, except that I'd made some kind of hideous mistake when I picked up the stitches from my provisional cast-on at the beginning of the second toe. I'm not sure what I did, but it looked like I had picked the stitches up wrong and they weren't twisted, but were just open loops - so I ended up with a row of open lace-looking stitches across the toe. Not necessarily a bad thing, except the other one didn't match it, and it wasn't what I wanted. I tried to fix it, but failed, and ended up taking that sock off the needles, ripping it out, and just finishing the first sock, then starting over and knitting the entire second sock.
This time, even though my method for getting two socks on the needle at once wasn't what caused the problem, I decided for some reason to try doing it differently. I did my first toe from beginning to end, picked up the stitches from the provisional cast on with my second needle, and pulled that chain out, having my completed toe on the two circs, ready to knit. I marked the 'provisional cast-on side' with a safety pin.
Then I just slid that sock onto the middle of the cables, took two ends of one of the needles, and knitted my second sock toe there. Since you're working back and forth for the short row toe, and only using the same two needle ends over and over, and never having to slide your work down your cable, this worked fine - the first toe just rested hanging on the cables in the middle out of my way while I made the second toe. So far so good.
Then I got done, and ended up with this.
The right-hand sock is properly on two needles, but the left-hand (second) sock has what should be it's 'front' stitches on the 'back' needle, and it's 'back' stitches sitting out there with no needle to put them on. It was, apparently, on the needles backwards. Initially I had no idea why that happened. I assumed if I started them both on the same needle, they'd end up finishing facing the same way, properly on the two needles. That didn't happen.
I tried several things to fix it. First I was convinced that if I simply took the two ends of that back needle, placed them tip to tip and slipped the stitches of that second sock from the left side of that needle to the right side, it would flip it around and have it facing the right direction. I did that, and it didn't work. It was still backwards, just on the other side of the needle. (apparently I suck at that spatial visualization thing - even having done it, I still don't understand why that didn't work). In the end I resorted to running a tapestry needle with a piece of yarn on it through all the live stitches of the second sock, taking it clear off the needles, and putting it back on the right way.
Then I picked up my stitches from my provisional cast on with the front needle, and viola! Everything set up ready to knit in the round.
Initially I had no idea why that happened, but glory and trumpets, just while writing this post and looking at that picture, I figured it out. I mistakenly thought I'd started the first sock toe on the back needle, since I'd picked up stitches from the provisional cast-on using the front needle. Nope. Short row toes are knitted from one starting point in both directions. So the front needle was the one I started knitting from AND the one I picked up the stitches from after the toe was done - it all starts from the provisional cast-on, going in both directions. So ... next time all I have to do is start the second toe on the same needle as the provisional cast-on, and this should work.
Spatial visualization failures notwithstanding.
Let me take a moment here to stress how very important it is that you make absolutely certain that when you start knitting, you are knitting with two ends of the same needle. If you don't, this is what could happen.
After my first round of knitting across both socks, turning, and knitting back, that's what I ended up with. Lovely! I thought for sure I'd been very careful to pick up the right needle end to start knitting - I even double checked! - but the needles suddenly get very maze-like when you've got two socks on them instead of one. And that's the only thing I could figure caused this mess. So I knew I had to unknit that and start back from scratch, but then appeared the next dilemma. In this tangled mess, I couldn't figure out which needle end to knit the stitches back on to, to get back to where I'd started.
I know, I sound so inept, you'd wonder how I ever knit anything ... how hard should this be? Well, whatever. Anyway, of course I chose the wrong needle end, so when I un-knitted the stitches, I still had a similar looking mess. I resorted to Rescue Operation A, used before - running a tapestry needle threaded with yarn through the stitches, taking it clear off the needle, then putting it back on the proper one.
After all THAT, and making very sure I had the right needle end each time I began to knit, I finally got it straightened out.
And by the end of the evening, I had two socks percolating along on my two circs.
So I DID figure it out ... umm, more or less. By trial and error. But it's working, and that's the most important part, for now. And I think I now have all the kinks worked out, and the next time can sail through this procedure without so many pauses for reconstruction.
I think I like making two socks at once, there's only one thing that caused me any grief about the process (once I got it all sorted out and was just knitting around). Working on the first sock of a side - the one on the right after you have turned your needles - is easy. The second one gets a little edgy, because there's no good place to put that first sock out of the way while you're working on the second. First I tried to keep it close to the first sock (I think I read that in the ill-fated Gillingham book - always keep the socks close together), but I found that just bound my needle cables up too tight, and I couldn't work comfortably. Eventually I started sliding the first sock as far down the cables out of my way as I could. That seems to work best, although it quirks up my cables in odd ways. This doesn't really affect my knitting, it's just that I end up with this strange knot of needles and knitting underneath my hands, distracting me while I'm trying to knit the second sock. I'm not used to seeing that, I'm used to my extra needle just hanging there nonchalantly, looking cool - when only knitting one sock at a time. This is far more "fiddly" to work with. I'm learning to just ignore what's not right at the tips of the two needles I'm working with, and that seems to be the ticket.
But, I figure it's like this. Almost any new knitting method is (to me, anyway) fiddly at first. It just takes some getting used to. I'm sure over time it will seem more and more 'normal' to knit this way. I admit at first it was so odd that I considered just biting the bullet and going back to knitting one sock at a time like we've done for many, many years. But after 5 or 6 rounds it began to get a little easier, I began to work out a bit of rhythm to it, and I think the benefits outweigh the fiddliness, so I'll probably keep trying this method for awhile.
I admit I was kind of astounded with it, once it started working. Every round or two I'd stop, lay the socks out in front of me, and say, "Wow - two socks at once!" But then again, I'm easily amused.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sprucing Up; A Birthday
I was getting a little tired of the old blog. I decided it needed a little sprucing up, a Solstice cleaning, redecorating. I think this is much better. Now if I can just quit being lazy and start posting once in awhile.
I must be in sprucing up mode, I've been working on the house as well. Slowly cleaning up and clearing out. Thanksgiving weekend I finally got one mess cleaned up that had been plaguing me for a long time. My former TV area:
The new and improved version:
Makes a huge difference in here. Slowly, the place is starting to look liveable again.
I've also been making much progress on socks. I finished my niece's pair, and started the next, for my sister-in-law. I have more to say on that, and pictures, later.
The Dread Reverend's birthday was Saturday, and we had a little zombie-fest party. I got him "Day of the Dead," we had friends over, and they watched that movie plus others we had (Dawn of the Dead, Army of Darkness, I'm not sure what all else - not like we don't have quite a selection to choose from) and played the "Zombies" game.
I must be in sprucing up mode, I've been working on the house as well. Slowly cleaning up and clearing out. Thanksgiving weekend I finally got one mess cleaned up that had been plaguing me for a long time. My former TV area:
The new and improved version:
Makes a huge difference in here. Slowly, the place is starting to look liveable again.
I've also been making much progress on socks. I finished my niece's pair, and started the next, for my sister-in-law. I have more to say on that, and pictures, later.
The Dread Reverend's birthday was Saturday, and we had a little zombie-fest party. I got him "Day of the Dead," we had friends over, and they watched that movie plus others we had (Dawn of the Dead, Army of Darkness, I'm not sure what all else - not like we don't have quite a selection to choose from) and played the "Zombies" game.
Me? I just knitted socks the whole time.
Friday, November 23, 2007
I'm thankful for ... socks.
It was an ... interesting Thanksgiving. This was the first Thanksgiving in my life I didn't spend with my parents, or with my dad. My boyfriend's family lives out of state, and his kids went to visit other family members they rarely get to see, so it was just the two of us. We didn't even plan anything for dinner, and so I ended up sitting on the couch All. Day. Doing nothing but knitting on my niece's socks for Christmas.
Finally in the evening I started to get hungry, and I said, "What are we going to do about dinner?" The only thing I had on hand to make was Hamburger Helper. I've had strange Thanksgiving dinners before (last year I think it was beef stew) - but Hamburger Helper really didn't seem like a great Thanksgiving dinner.
My boyfriend came up with a good point ... what's the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, sans turkey? Stuffing. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. Well, we had all of that but the sweet potatoes.
So he made us dinner of stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn, with little pumpkin pie bites for dessert. We had the canned pumpkin and condensed milk and spices, just no pie crust. So he filled muffin tins with the pumpkin mix and just baked them like that, in paper liners. We topped them with Redi-Whip. Mmmmm.
It was pretty good, and we did the traditional thing of painful overeating, and overall had a good day.
Meanwhile, here's a picture of the progress of Socks The First. I have 3 pairs to make in time to mail for Christmas. It's going to be interesting. For the record, that second sock I only just started Thursday morning, and did all that in one day. It's amazing what an entire day on the couch watching movies can do for knitting progress. (I know, some of Those Knitters could have completed a whole pair of socks in that time, but ... for me, this is good, and I'll take it).
Finally in the evening I started to get hungry, and I said, "What are we going to do about dinner?" The only thing I had on hand to make was Hamburger Helper. I've had strange Thanksgiving dinners before (last year I think it was beef stew) - but Hamburger Helper really didn't seem like a great Thanksgiving dinner.
My boyfriend came up with a good point ... what's the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, sans turkey? Stuffing. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. Well, we had all of that but the sweet potatoes.
So he made us dinner of stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn, with little pumpkin pie bites for dessert. We had the canned pumpkin and condensed milk and spices, just no pie crust. So he filled muffin tins with the pumpkin mix and just baked them like that, in paper liners. We topped them with Redi-Whip. Mmmmm.
It was pretty good, and we did the traditional thing of painful overeating, and overall had a good day.
Meanwhile, here's a picture of the progress of Socks The First. I have 3 pairs to make in time to mail for Christmas. It's going to be interesting. For the record, that second sock I only just started Thursday morning, and did all that in one day. It's amazing what an entire day on the couch watching movies can do for knitting progress. (I know, some of Those Knitters could have completed a whole pair of socks in that time, but ... for me, this is good, and I'll take it).
While I was taking pictures, I snapped this as well ... a close-up of those luscious Harmony needles from Knit-Picks. These are really beautiful. I will say that knitting with wood needles - even good quality ones - with merino wool on socks, with tiny stitches, can be a little 'sticky' from time to time. I think, ease-of-use-wise, I prefer my Addis. But these needles are so gorgeous, I choose to cope with the slight stickiness and use them anyway. This picture doesn't really do them justice. And the small sizes (these are 1s) don't have the same pattern as the ones shown on Knitpicks' web page, these are more simply striped - but still way cool.
So now we're off to brave the madding crowds. I generally refuse to shop on Black Friday on principle, but I actually have to go out, to one store, for two things - neither Christmas-related. I have been desperately jonesing for a new entertainment center for our TV, in my ongoing (sometimes futile) attempt to spruce up the house. Right now it's sitting on a trunk, with all the accouterments on a flimsy table beside it.
I'm very picky about furniture, and despite months of looking both online and in local stores, could not find an entertainment center I liked ... until recently, when I found the perfect one for only $70. But we never went and picked it up, so we're going out today to HOPE they still have one left.
And I need to get a birthday present for my boyfriend's youngest, whose birthday is next week but I will only see him this weekend, and must have it before tomorrow.
One brief foray into the madness, then I'll be locking myself back into the house for the weekend.
I'm very picky about furniture, and despite months of looking both online and in local stores, could not find an entertainment center I liked ... until recently, when I found the perfect one for only $70. But we never went and picked it up, so we're going out today to HOPE they still have one left.
And I need to get a birthday present for my boyfriend's youngest, whose birthday is next week but I will only see him this weekend, and must have it before tomorrow.
One brief foray into the madness, then I'll be locking myself back into the house for the weekend.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Socks! And Other Things.
I've finally got to start the socks. I finally got the proper measurement information from the family, and was able to get going.
I immediately ran into several snags (no pun intended). When I first started knitting socks, I never even tried on dpns (I'm not coordinated enough for that) - I learned on two circulars. I had never had a problem with second sock syndrome until my last pair. But they had colorwork in them, and I discovered that (a) I don't think I like stranding colorwork very well, and (2) I definitely don't like it in little tubes of socks. So when it was time to start the second pair, I put it off endlessly.
But I decided that for these Christmas socks, I was going to learn to knit two at a time on two circs, because I thought that I really would enjoy knowing that when I was done, I was done - with both socks.
The first mistake I made was to buy a book, thinking that might have more detailed information than I could find on the web. Wrong. It didn't. The books was "Knitting Circles Around Socks" by Antje Gillingham. If you're absolutely determined you must have a book to learn this technique, I believe this is the only one currently available. But I wasn't impressed.
The instructions aren't any more detailed or any better than whole tutorials I could find online. (I was going to give you a link, but I can't get my favorite one to work - socknitters.com, Sheron's 2 socks on 2 circs tutorial - try there; or Dogpile or Google it, there are several out there).
Of course, that's not the author's fault - she does what she says she'll do - gives instructions for knitting 2 socks on 2 circs. My bad for expecting her to have some magic secret not available to others who freely post their hard work online instead of publishing it in a book.
But she has 6 patterns also in the book, and I thought that might redeem it. Not so much. Four of the six appear to be nothing but repeats of the 'basic pattern' given in the beginning of the book as the instructions, just using different yarn. I say "appear to be" because I haven't knit all of these socks, or any of them for that matter ... but looking at the socks themselves, all four appear to be identical to the instruction pattern, except that of the four, two merely use a striped yarn, one a multi-colored yarn of some other ilk, and one plain color but with that mohair ruffle. The only two different patterns in the book are one with cables and one that is lacy.
Moving on ... second snag. All Ms. Gillingham's patterns are for cuff down. It didn't occur to me till I got ready to knit my Christmas socks, that I much prefer toe up socks. No information on how to do two toe up socks on two circs.
I "Dogpiled" (R)(Tm)(whatever) and found some instructions, all of which I found incredibly complicated. Neither was for short row toes, which I prefer.
I decided to wing it. The down and dirty version of my short row toes is that you make a provisional cast on with a crochet chain of one-half your total stitches; then you short row down till you have 8 or 10 or whatever you want left in the middle, work your way back out to the original number of stitches you started with, then unzip your provisional caston, put those live stitches on a needle, and viola - ready to knit in the round. I thought, I can figure out how to get these on two needles.
But I didn't think I could start out on two needles (really, I was too lazy to work it out), so I did them separate at first. I did my first short row toe on one circular needle (at this stage you only need one needle, not two). Then I did my second short row toe on my second circular. Then I slid the live stitches of toe 2 onto the needle of toe 1, and for the provisional sides, unzipped and moved those stitches to my now-empty second needle. Result - two toes dangling from my 2 circs ready to knit in the round.
This worked just fine, except I made one major mistake. Somehow, when I picked up the stitches way back in my provisional cast on for the second toe, I got them all twisted. Or not twisted, is probably more accurate. So when I began to knit in the round, I had this row of loops that wasn't really stitches, and as I knitted past them (blindly convinced that somehow that wonky looking mess would all work itself out at some point, if I Just. Kept. Knitting.), and then looked back at it, it was going to look like a row of lace across the toe of my sock.
Very pretty, if it were on both toes. But it wasn't, because I hadn't equally screwed up the first toe.
I'm still not sure how I did that, but regardless, I did one right, and one hideously wrong. And this had nothing to do with transferring them to 2 circs, because this happened way back at the beginning.
Since it occurred on my very first row of knitting, I couldn't just rip down and fix it - I had to rip it all out completely. After having gone through all that trouble, I decided the hell with it, for this pair I'm just going to go ahead and knit one at a time, like old times.
So ... I'm into the foot section of the first sock, one lone sock on my 2 circs, my first foray into 2 socks on 2 circs having failed miserably, but not because of the technique, but because of operator error in the first seconds of toe number two.
Ah well. At least I'm knitting A sock. And thrilled to be doing so. I'd forgotten how much I missed knitting socks.
In other news, my boyfriend came up with a neat costume for Halloween - all for about $1.00.
He knew, though, that since it was hard to see and impossible to drink through this mask, he'd probably be wearing it backwards most of the night ... so how to make that look nice, too?
Just call me Mary Magdalen.
I immediately ran into several snags (no pun intended). When I first started knitting socks, I never even tried on dpns (I'm not coordinated enough for that) - I learned on two circulars. I had never had a problem with second sock syndrome until my last pair. But they had colorwork in them, and I discovered that (a) I don't think I like stranding colorwork very well, and (2) I definitely don't like it in little tubes of socks. So when it was time to start the second pair, I put it off endlessly.
But I decided that for these Christmas socks, I was going to learn to knit two at a time on two circs, because I thought that I really would enjoy knowing that when I was done, I was done - with both socks.
The first mistake I made was to buy a book, thinking that might have more detailed information than I could find on the web. Wrong. It didn't. The books was "Knitting Circles Around Socks" by Antje Gillingham. If you're absolutely determined you must have a book to learn this technique, I believe this is the only one currently available. But I wasn't impressed.
The instructions aren't any more detailed or any better than whole tutorials I could find online. (I was going to give you a link, but I can't get my favorite one to work - socknitters.com, Sheron's 2 socks on 2 circs tutorial - try there; or Dogpile or Google it, there are several out there).
Of course, that's not the author's fault - she does what she says she'll do - gives instructions for knitting 2 socks on 2 circs. My bad for expecting her to have some magic secret not available to others who freely post their hard work online instead of publishing it in a book.
But she has 6 patterns also in the book, and I thought that might redeem it. Not so much. Four of the six appear to be nothing but repeats of the 'basic pattern' given in the beginning of the book as the instructions, just using different yarn. I say "appear to be" because I haven't knit all of these socks, or any of them for that matter ... but looking at the socks themselves, all four appear to be identical to the instruction pattern, except that of the four, two merely use a striped yarn, one a multi-colored yarn of some other ilk, and one plain color but with that mohair ruffle. The only two different patterns in the book are one with cables and one that is lacy.
Moving on ... second snag. All Ms. Gillingham's patterns are for cuff down. It didn't occur to me till I got ready to knit my Christmas socks, that I much prefer toe up socks. No information on how to do two toe up socks on two circs.
I "Dogpiled" (R)(Tm)(whatever) and found some instructions, all of which I found incredibly complicated. Neither was for short row toes, which I prefer.
I decided to wing it. The down and dirty version of my short row toes is that you make a provisional cast on with a crochet chain of one-half your total stitches; then you short row down till you have 8 or 10 or whatever you want left in the middle, work your way back out to the original number of stitches you started with, then unzip your provisional caston, put those live stitches on a needle, and viola - ready to knit in the round. I thought, I can figure out how to get these on two needles.
But I didn't think I could start out on two needles (really, I was too lazy to work it out), so I did them separate at first. I did my first short row toe on one circular needle (at this stage you only need one needle, not two). Then I did my second short row toe on my second circular. Then I slid the live stitches of toe 2 onto the needle of toe 1, and for the provisional sides, unzipped and moved those stitches to my now-empty second needle. Result - two toes dangling from my 2 circs ready to knit in the round.
This worked just fine, except I made one major mistake. Somehow, when I picked up the stitches way back in my provisional cast on for the second toe, I got them all twisted. Or not twisted, is probably more accurate. So when I began to knit in the round, I had this row of loops that wasn't really stitches, and as I knitted past them (blindly convinced that somehow that wonky looking mess would all work itself out at some point, if I Just. Kept. Knitting.), and then looked back at it, it was going to look like a row of lace across the toe of my sock.
Very pretty, if it were on both toes. But it wasn't, because I hadn't equally screwed up the first toe.
I'm still not sure how I did that, but regardless, I did one right, and one hideously wrong. And this had nothing to do with transferring them to 2 circs, because this happened way back at the beginning.
Since it occurred on my very first row of knitting, I couldn't just rip down and fix it - I had to rip it all out completely. After having gone through all that trouble, I decided the hell with it, for this pair I'm just going to go ahead and knit one at a time, like old times.
So ... I'm into the foot section of the first sock, one lone sock on my 2 circs, my first foray into 2 socks on 2 circs having failed miserably, but not because of the technique, but because of operator error in the first seconds of toe number two.
Ah well. At least I'm knitting A sock. And thrilled to be doing so. I'd forgotten how much I missed knitting socks.
In other news, my boyfriend came up with a neat costume for Halloween - all for about $1.00.
He knew, though, that since it was hard to see and impossible to drink through this mask, he'd probably be wearing it backwards most of the night ... so how to make that look nice, too?
Just call me Mary Magdalen.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Knitting Resumes
That's resume, as in begin again ... not resume, as in my credentials. Those I have none of. I used to read about people who stopped knitting in the summer, blaming the heat (holding all that wool). I never got it. I discovered, however, that I seemed to lose all interest in knitting in the summer, and as soon as it gets chilly and the leaves start turning, my interest in knitting returns with a vengeance.
I still don't think it has anything to do with the heat. But then, what do I know. All I do know is that I have gotten way re-obsessed with knitting recently.
I've been making leaps and bounds progress on the (never-ending) log cabin blanket. We went on a weekend road trip last Saturday and Sunday, and I got a whole color section done. The larger the blanket gets, the bigger deal that becomes. It's getting close to being done. I decided, in my masochistic way, that I wanted it to be bedspread-sized. I spread it out on the bed not long ago, and it just about covers the top of the bed (double sized bed) without hanging over. Not quite there, but almost.
It's kind of ironic, that I started this project as something 'simple and quick' to give me a break from a long-term highly cabled sweater project. Which I'll probably never finish. Well, the log cabin blanket is 'simple and quick' when you're first starting out with those little patches ... but when it gets bed-sized, and each patch is huge, that's another story.
I've also become re-obsessed with socks. This started as a Christmas thing. Last year I told my family that I'd make them hand-knit socks for Christmas. A month or so ago I reminded them I needed foot measurements to do this. Two of the four of them sent them to me, and I ordered some luscious sock yarn from KnitPicks, and indulged in a new set of circular needles as well. (Totally awesome needles! An indulgence, I already had sock needles, but I had to try these - and well worth it they were!)
Then I discovered that the measurements I'd been sent had been taken slightly wrong, and I sent a re-request for corrections. To date I haven't heard back from said family, which is frustrating the hell out of me. I'm back in sock mode, and I'm dying to knit some socks, and have no accurate measurements to work with.
I've decided if they don't respond soon, I'm going to make myself a pair of socks out of this wonderful yarn, and write the family off.
I'm dreading Christmas anyway. It's pretty well going to suck this year unless I think of something drastically new to do. For my entire life I've celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve (a family tradition) with my parents, and after my mom passed away in 2004, with my dad.
This year there is no mom or dad to celebrate Christmas with. My brother's family has to navigate Christmas around several families, and usually times it for a weekend, since logistically it's just easier for them - so with Christmas officially falling on a Tueday this year, that means the weekend before or the weekend after. Add to that the fact that my house is too tiny to have them all here, besides which what with scheduling and all, I doubt it would ever work ... and since selling dad's house there's no place else for us to get together. Since they'll be here (in Ohio, as opposed to where they live, in Pennsylvania) seeing other family members, my going there isn't really an option either.
Meanwhile, my boyfriend spends Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with his kids and ex. So ... I'm pretty much abandoned on Christmas, and - fox and sour grapes alert - I could pretty much care less anymore. I'd just as leave forget the whole damned holiday and be done with it. But for some reason, people consider you just totally anathema if you do that.
Now that I'm musing on this less than happy topic, I wonder why I care what they think? I mean, I'm the one who gets left at the end of the priority list for Christmas plans ... why do I need to feel so accommodating? Maybe I'll take myself back to North Carolina to the beach house from paradise, and spend Christmas with just me and Tyler. That would make me happy.
Stashing my bitterness back in it's box, how did I get to this depressing topic, from knitting? Oh yeah - family socks. Well, we'll see what happens, and whether I end up providing happy feet to the family for Christmas, or take myself off to Emerald Isle and keep my own feet happy - in warm sand or warm socks, it's all good either way.
I still don't think it has anything to do with the heat. But then, what do I know. All I do know is that I have gotten way re-obsessed with knitting recently.
I've been making leaps and bounds progress on the (never-ending) log cabin blanket. We went on a weekend road trip last Saturday and Sunday, and I got a whole color section done. The larger the blanket gets, the bigger deal that becomes. It's getting close to being done. I decided, in my masochistic way, that I wanted it to be bedspread-sized. I spread it out on the bed not long ago, and it just about covers the top of the bed (double sized bed) without hanging over. Not quite there, but almost.
It's kind of ironic, that I started this project as something 'simple and quick' to give me a break from a long-term highly cabled sweater project. Which I'll probably never finish. Well, the log cabin blanket is 'simple and quick' when you're first starting out with those little patches ... but when it gets bed-sized, and each patch is huge, that's another story.
I've also become re-obsessed with socks. This started as a Christmas thing. Last year I told my family that I'd make them hand-knit socks for Christmas. A month or so ago I reminded them I needed foot measurements to do this. Two of the four of them sent them to me, and I ordered some luscious sock yarn from KnitPicks, and indulged in a new set of circular needles as well. (Totally awesome needles! An indulgence, I already had sock needles, but I had to try these - and well worth it they were!)
Then I discovered that the measurements I'd been sent had been taken slightly wrong, and I sent a re-request for corrections. To date I haven't heard back from said family, which is frustrating the hell out of me. I'm back in sock mode, and I'm dying to knit some socks, and have no accurate measurements to work with.
I've decided if they don't respond soon, I'm going to make myself a pair of socks out of this wonderful yarn, and write the family off.
I'm dreading Christmas anyway. It's pretty well going to suck this year unless I think of something drastically new to do. For my entire life I've celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve (a family tradition) with my parents, and after my mom passed away in 2004, with my dad.
This year there is no mom or dad to celebrate Christmas with. My brother's family has to navigate Christmas around several families, and usually times it for a weekend, since logistically it's just easier for them - so with Christmas officially falling on a Tueday this year, that means the weekend before or the weekend after. Add to that the fact that my house is too tiny to have them all here, besides which what with scheduling and all, I doubt it would ever work ... and since selling dad's house there's no place else for us to get together. Since they'll be here (in Ohio, as opposed to where they live, in Pennsylvania) seeing other family members, my going there isn't really an option either.
Meanwhile, my boyfriend spends Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with his kids and ex. So ... I'm pretty much abandoned on Christmas, and - fox and sour grapes alert - I could pretty much care less anymore. I'd just as leave forget the whole damned holiday and be done with it. But for some reason, people consider you just totally anathema if you do that.
Now that I'm musing on this less than happy topic, I wonder why I care what they think? I mean, I'm the one who gets left at the end of the priority list for Christmas plans ... why do I need to feel so accommodating? Maybe I'll take myself back to North Carolina to the beach house from paradise, and spend Christmas with just me and Tyler. That would make me happy.
Stashing my bitterness back in it's box, how did I get to this depressing topic, from knitting? Oh yeah - family socks. Well, we'll see what happens, and whether I end up providing happy feet to the family for Christmas, or take myself off to Emerald Isle and keep my own feet happy - in warm sand or warm socks, it's all good either way.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Vacation = Success (mostly)
Vacation was a success - mostly. Let's just focus on the positive for now. The beach house was to die for. It was absolutely fabulous. Yes, it cost $1400 for a week ... and worth every penny. It was huge. It had a phenomenal kitchen (with a dishwasher and a breakfast bar). It had a great dining area (perfect for long nights of Pirate's Dice). It had the most phenomenal couch on the planet in the living room. It had 3 bedrooms upstairs, with 2 bathrooms, and a huge upstairs private deck off one bedroom (mine) with an amazing, unobstructed view of the ocean.
Downstairs two doors opened onto a deck right on the dunes overlooking the beach. It just doesn't get much better than that. Well, hell, I have pictures.
Downstairs two doors opened onto a deck right on the dunes overlooking the beach. It just doesn't get much better than that. Well, hell, I have pictures.
The beach was awesome. Deserted, warm - ocean temperature in the 80s - beautiful all week. They kept calling for rain, but it only rained twice, both times about 6:00 a.m. Like I cared, I was asleep (I woke up briefly and heard it, and the deck was wet when I finally climbed out of bed - that's how I knew it rained).
However, this pretty well sums up the trip.
It was a good vacation.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Oh, hey, I have a blog
Yeah, I know - it seems I've forgotten about it lately. And I kind of have. After my mini-breakdown after my sucky vacation, I've just been mostly all about getting through one day at a time, and trying to put some kind of life back together. I've been at loose ends, never sure what I wanted to do from one minute to the next. Former hobbies deserted me, new hobbies cropped up. It's been weird.
Now that fall's here, and the night's are getting chillier and I'm gearing up to spend more time inside, I'm starting to get back to some kind of routine.
And, I finally started knitting again! Well, except for the occasional forays through a row or two on the never-ending log cabin blanket, I haven't really knit much of anything for a long time. I started a pair of socks, maybe last year. I did the first one, and never got the second one started. I'd made two previous pairs of socks and was never subject to 'second sock syndrome' - but this pair got me. But it was bothering me a lot - I really wanted to make more socks, but wouldn't let myself start a new pair without finishing this pair. So I feel better for having gotten to that. Here's a picture of the first of them.
One thing that put me off with these is the color stranding - I'm not very good at it. I wanted to make funky, colorful socks, but for a break I think my next pair will be something solid colored, and relatively plain, or at least with only some simple pattern.
In other news, big vacation coming up - hopefully (crossing fingers) way better than the last one. We're going to North Carolina, and I splurged and used some of the money from selling my dad's house to rent us a beach house right on the ocean on the Outer Banks. I am soooo looking forward to a week hanging out in this big, nice house (bigger than mine!) right on the ocean, and getting to take Tyler. I made up my mind ... no more vacations without him. I miss him too much, and he's 12 - he's not going to be here forever, and he's part of the family, he deserves to get to go have some fun too.
We leave next Friday, and the place doesn't have wireless internet, and I don't have an account with any dial-up provider, so I won't be online for just over a week. Eh - think I'll live.
Now that fall's here, and the night's are getting chillier and I'm gearing up to spend more time inside, I'm starting to get back to some kind of routine.
And, I finally started knitting again! Well, except for the occasional forays through a row or two on the never-ending log cabin blanket, I haven't really knit much of anything for a long time. I started a pair of socks, maybe last year. I did the first one, and never got the second one started. I'd made two previous pairs of socks and was never subject to 'second sock syndrome' - but this pair got me. But it was bothering me a lot - I really wanted to make more socks, but wouldn't let myself start a new pair without finishing this pair. So I feel better for having gotten to that. Here's a picture of the first of them.
One thing that put me off with these is the color stranding - I'm not very good at it. I wanted to make funky, colorful socks, but for a break I think my next pair will be something solid colored, and relatively plain, or at least with only some simple pattern.
In other news, big vacation coming up - hopefully (crossing fingers) way better than the last one. We're going to North Carolina, and I splurged and used some of the money from selling my dad's house to rent us a beach house right on the ocean on the Outer Banks. I am soooo looking forward to a week hanging out in this big, nice house (bigger than mine!) right on the ocean, and getting to take Tyler. I made up my mind ... no more vacations without him. I miss him too much, and he's 12 - he's not going to be here forever, and he's part of the family, he deserves to get to go have some fun too.
We leave next Friday, and the place doesn't have wireless internet, and I don't have an account with any dial-up provider, so I won't be online for just over a week. Eh - think I'll live.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
... so anyway ...
I haven't been writing because I've got nothing to say. (But watch me type 42 paragraphs of nothing now). Life's just been pretty blah. After I came home from my wrecked vacation and had my week-long mini-nervous breakdown, I've just been quietly and unassumingly settling back into some sort of routine, albeit it a very 'blah' one. Muddling through the day at work, then coming home and wasting copious amounts of time on this stupid Yahoo game, Alchemy. Evil little creation, that. Freaking addicting. We have a very 'love - hate' relationship.
I don't usually get into computer games of any sort, just as I was never interested in video games. It's a rather odd turn of events that that's about all I want to do. Not interested in knitting or tapestry weaving or embroidery or any other hobby. Reading comes and goes ... some days I do nothing but read, other days I couldn't stand the thought of a book full of words in front of my face.
I spoke briefly, by phone, to a counselor a few weeks ago. Don't know if I ever mentioned that or not. It wasn't anything in depth, just a friend of a friend who happens to also do counseling, who was willing to talk to me when I was in the depths of my crack-up after Pennsic. But brief though the conversation may have been, he said several wise things that have really stuck with me.
One of them was that after all that has happened this year, I really am not the same person I was before. I mean, yeah, every season, every year, most of us change to at least some degree. But this kind of thing is different. My whole world, as I've known it my entire life, has now shifted alarmingly. Nothing can ever be the same after this spring, no matter how hard I might try to maintain some semblance of a status quo. He (the counselor) said that I may very well find myself losing interest in things I used to be passionately interested in, and then at some point becoming interested in new things which never intrigued me before.
So this complete loss of interest in all my former hobbies doesn't concern me too much. I feel like I'm in a sort of limbo, or purgatory, just waiting till I see what's going to happen next. "What's going to happen next" doesn't necessarily mean what's going to happen to me, just what, in the greater scheme of things. Could be a new opportunity that I was never before in a position to look at, or new interests of some sort that I never considered before.
I don't know, but whatever it is, it hasn't happened yet, and I remain in the holding pattern, waiting to see which way the wind's going to blow, or for that matter how much it's going to blow. Yeah, lame pun intended.
I seem to only be able to move from one Important Thing to the next, needing some solid anchor point to make for. The next big thing on my horizon is the last vacation of the year. Every year the Dread Reverend and I take the first week of October off. This year we're going to North Carolina. I rented a beach house, right on the coast of Emerald Isle (ocean side, of course). That wasn't cheap, but this is my year for financial indulgence, while I can - with the sale of the house I have a little money to spare, and I'm treating myself to the best vacation I can put together - especially since the last one sucked so badly. We specifically chose a place that allows pets, so I can take Tyler with us (yay!). It's not his first trip to the coast, we took him to Virginia Beach a few years ago. He was unimpressed. Didn't give a rat's ass about the ocean, although he was fairly fascinated with the beach critters, especially a dead hermit crab he found. We were staying in a small, rather crappy hotel room that time. This time we've rented an entire beach house, so he ought to be considerably more comfortable. The roughest part of that trip - for all of us, but especially him - will be the 12 or 13 or more hour drive there (and back) - stuck in a truck that long. We'll have to make lots of stops, that's all I know.
I'm working hard on not creating any grand scenario in my mind of how wonderful and rejuvenating this vacation is going to be ... last time I tried that, I was hideously disappointed, and I think the disappointment was the deeper for the grand heights I'd held in hope. I'm not being purposely maudlin either, but this time I'm trying to just stay rather middle-of-the-road ... it'll be a nice relaxing vacation at the beach. In a very nice beach house. That's about it. Lots of time for relaxation, for sure ... even if it rains (a la Pennsic) so what? I have a whole house and a covered porch. And a hot shower and a washer and dryer, so even if I decide to go out in the rain, no big deal - I can get clean and dry again in a jiffy, not have to live in squishy squalor for days on end.
(We're not even going to mention the 'worst case scenario' of an East Coast beach vacation in October ... I'll just say, I bought the traveler's insurance).
Today is my dad's birthday. It was more difficult than I expected. The only fitting tribute I can think of right now is the chorus to a song he wrote, that I happen to be able to remember by heart:
All of my hard times are gone, no more will I need to roam
The holy winds of heaven blow through my soul,
And all of my hard times are gone.
I don't usually get into computer games of any sort, just as I was never interested in video games. It's a rather odd turn of events that that's about all I want to do. Not interested in knitting or tapestry weaving or embroidery or any other hobby. Reading comes and goes ... some days I do nothing but read, other days I couldn't stand the thought of a book full of words in front of my face.
I spoke briefly, by phone, to a counselor a few weeks ago. Don't know if I ever mentioned that or not. It wasn't anything in depth, just a friend of a friend who happens to also do counseling, who was willing to talk to me when I was in the depths of my crack-up after Pennsic. But brief though the conversation may have been, he said several wise things that have really stuck with me.
One of them was that after all that has happened this year, I really am not the same person I was before. I mean, yeah, every season, every year, most of us change to at least some degree. But this kind of thing is different. My whole world, as I've known it my entire life, has now shifted alarmingly. Nothing can ever be the same after this spring, no matter how hard I might try to maintain some semblance of a status quo. He (the counselor) said that I may very well find myself losing interest in things I used to be passionately interested in, and then at some point becoming interested in new things which never intrigued me before.
So this complete loss of interest in all my former hobbies doesn't concern me too much. I feel like I'm in a sort of limbo, or purgatory, just waiting till I see what's going to happen next. "What's going to happen next" doesn't necessarily mean what's going to happen to me, just what, in the greater scheme of things. Could be a new opportunity that I was never before in a position to look at, or new interests of some sort that I never considered before.
I don't know, but whatever it is, it hasn't happened yet, and I remain in the holding pattern, waiting to see which way the wind's going to blow, or for that matter how much it's going to blow. Yeah, lame pun intended.
I seem to only be able to move from one Important Thing to the next, needing some solid anchor point to make for. The next big thing on my horizon is the last vacation of the year. Every year the Dread Reverend and I take the first week of October off. This year we're going to North Carolina. I rented a beach house, right on the coast of Emerald Isle (ocean side, of course). That wasn't cheap, but this is my year for financial indulgence, while I can - with the sale of the house I have a little money to spare, and I'm treating myself to the best vacation I can put together - especially since the last one sucked so badly. We specifically chose a place that allows pets, so I can take Tyler with us (yay!). It's not his first trip to the coast, we took him to Virginia Beach a few years ago. He was unimpressed. Didn't give a rat's ass about the ocean, although he was fairly fascinated with the beach critters, especially a dead hermit crab he found. We were staying in a small, rather crappy hotel room that time. This time we've rented an entire beach house, so he ought to be considerably more comfortable. The roughest part of that trip - for all of us, but especially him - will be the 12 or 13 or more hour drive there (and back) - stuck in a truck that long. We'll have to make lots of stops, that's all I know.
I'm working hard on not creating any grand scenario in my mind of how wonderful and rejuvenating this vacation is going to be ... last time I tried that, I was hideously disappointed, and I think the disappointment was the deeper for the grand heights I'd held in hope. I'm not being purposely maudlin either, but this time I'm trying to just stay rather middle-of-the-road ... it'll be a nice relaxing vacation at the beach. In a very nice beach house. That's about it. Lots of time for relaxation, for sure ... even if it rains (a la Pennsic) so what? I have a whole house and a covered porch. And a hot shower and a washer and dryer, so even if I decide to go out in the rain, no big deal - I can get clean and dry again in a jiffy, not have to live in squishy squalor for days on end.
(We're not even going to mention the 'worst case scenario' of an East Coast beach vacation in October ... I'll just say, I bought the traveler's insurance).
Today is my dad's birthday. It was more difficult than I expected. The only fitting tribute I can think of right now is the chorus to a song he wrote, that I happen to be able to remember by heart:
All of my hard times are gone, no more will I need to roam
The holy winds of heaven blow through my soul,
And all of my hard times are gone.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Pirate Party Night
Well, it was time. The Sea Chameleon hadn't had a good piratey party in a long time. We got together Friday night, one thing led to another, and we ended up with a night of Drunken Midnight(R) Croquet. "Drunken Midnight ... " (R) has become rather a pasttime for us. Last year it was Drunken Midnight Archery. At least croquet is a little safer ... or it should be, but ...
... when the Captain chooses to play croquet with an ax, one can't help but wonder. As usual, there were scuffles amongst the officers.
But in the end everyone made up.
It was a pretty fun night. I don't think I'll be doing that again for awhile!! (this staying up till 4:00 a.m. crap isn't cutting it anymore). On too little sleep, today we took advantage of the mostly good weather to finally clean up our Pennsic stuff that had been living in the yard for several weeks - unpacked everything, dried it out, and repacked it all ready to go to the storage unit. It should have made it there today, too, but it didn't quite. Probably tomorrow.
And with that, I'm tired, and probably heading for an early bed tonight.
... when the Captain chooses to play croquet with an ax, one can't help but wonder. As usual, there were scuffles amongst the officers.
But in the end everyone made up.
It was a pretty fun night. I don't think I'll be doing that again for awhile!! (this staying up till 4:00 a.m. crap isn't cutting it anymore). On too little sleep, today we took advantage of the mostly good weather to finally clean up our Pennsic stuff that had been living in the yard for several weeks - unpacked everything, dried it out, and repacked it all ready to go to the storage unit. It should have made it there today, too, but it didn't quite. Probably tomorrow.
And with that, I'm tired, and probably heading for an early bed tonight.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Well, I'm back.
Reporting live from my new laptop. I was unfunctional for a week because some piece of poop inbred IQ deficient excuse for a human being stole my laptop computer last Saturday night. It pretty well sent me 'round the bend for a few days ... not only that on top of a bad vacation on top of everything else, but the incredible amount of irreplaceable stuff I lost on that little conversion. I had documents and pictures on that laptop that I can't ever replace - and of course I was too stupid to have had them backed up. Guess what lesson I learned this week. This sucker's getting backed up often, maybe every freaking day.
So what do I need to tell you to catch up? My vacation pretty well sucked. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. Saturday I spent 10 hours packing up - something I wasn't supposed to have to do at all, since I'd made that deal with my campmates about dinners and all. Well, one of said campmates decided to be a slackass Saturday, and barely did anything. I could have sat on my ass and not done anything either, but that wouldn't have gotten me home, which was the goal. So I ended up doing half the work myself (the Dread Reverend did more than his share, so my complaint is not with him!). Finally got home late Saturday night. Woke up Sunday morning to discover my laptop gone. We (the Dread Reverend and I) have left our laptops on the porch continually since early spring ... we spend all our time out here, from the time we get up in the morning till the time we go to bed at night, so there was no reason not to, and for months it was fine, no problems. Till this one asinine slug-brained moron had to ruin it all. And oh yes, I know who you are ... maybe not proof enough for the cops, but proof enough for me. You'll pay. Some day, later, when you're not expecting it.
So I sat around for a week in a state of semi-collapse, and only just this morning finally roused myself up to go out and get a new computer. I already knew what I'd wanted ... I'd been eyeing this little Toshiba for a couple months, since I'd first seen one in Circuit City when we were there for something else. I loved it because it was small, and well, yes, dammit, cute. Fortunately for me, I was in a financial position to be able to go buy a new laptop without too much hardship, what with the money from the sale of dad's house and all. This is the Toshiba U305-S5107, in case you're wondering. And so far, I love it. It took hours to get it set up, but you'll have that with any new computer - not just to get it to run, but the whole personalizing and all that crap.
After a few days I reconciled myself to the losses from the other laptop ... the book I spent a year writing, numerous irreplaceable pictures of Tyler, my dad, and our vacation, my private journal, songs I'd spent enormous amounts of time recording and editing, songs my dad recorded the year before he died that were recorded no where else ... yeah, I hope you develop leprosy, you stupid schmoo.
But ... life is often about loss, and you can't keep anything forever. I had to accept it and move on, and I have. But I'll be damned if anyone's ever getting their hands on this laptop. For starters, since it's small and petite, it's never leaving my side ... I plan to carry it around in my always-present tote from now on. Secondly, I plan to back up everything often and incessantly, so at least if something happens to the computer, I'll still have my stuff.
I can't post any pictures from Pennsic yet, because I also lost my photo editing software that let me scale down the file size to something appropriate for posting on the web. I don't know what I'm going to do about that yet - I don't know if the company will be able to find my records and let me replace that free of charge, or if I'm going to have to buy a new version ... and I don't even know if the software will work on this computer - it's got the new Windows Vista, and I've heard a lot about compatibility issues with this, since it's so new. I'll find out. Eventually I'll get picture-posting capabilities back.
Meanwhile, everyone send your best curses to the scum-bag who stole my laptop right off my porch ... it's okay if you don't know who he is, I'm sure the sentiment will still work. Me? Forgive and forget? I can forgive and forget stupidity, but not malicious cruelty. Not, at least, until I've had my revenge.
So what do I need to tell you to catch up? My vacation pretty well sucked. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. Saturday I spent 10 hours packing up - something I wasn't supposed to have to do at all, since I'd made that deal with my campmates about dinners and all. Well, one of said campmates decided to be a slackass Saturday, and barely did anything. I could have sat on my ass and not done anything either, but that wouldn't have gotten me home, which was the goal. So I ended up doing half the work myself (the Dread Reverend did more than his share, so my complaint is not with him!). Finally got home late Saturday night. Woke up Sunday morning to discover my laptop gone. We (the Dread Reverend and I) have left our laptops on the porch continually since early spring ... we spend all our time out here, from the time we get up in the morning till the time we go to bed at night, so there was no reason not to, and for months it was fine, no problems. Till this one asinine slug-brained moron had to ruin it all. And oh yes, I know who you are ... maybe not proof enough for the cops, but proof enough for me. You'll pay. Some day, later, when you're not expecting it.
So I sat around for a week in a state of semi-collapse, and only just this morning finally roused myself up to go out and get a new computer. I already knew what I'd wanted ... I'd been eyeing this little Toshiba for a couple months, since I'd first seen one in Circuit City when we were there for something else. I loved it because it was small, and well, yes, dammit, cute. Fortunately for me, I was in a financial position to be able to go buy a new laptop without too much hardship, what with the money from the sale of dad's house and all. This is the Toshiba U305-S5107, in case you're wondering. And so far, I love it. It took hours to get it set up, but you'll have that with any new computer - not just to get it to run, but the whole personalizing and all that crap.
After a few days I reconciled myself to the losses from the other laptop ... the book I spent a year writing, numerous irreplaceable pictures of Tyler, my dad, and our vacation, my private journal, songs I'd spent enormous amounts of time recording and editing, songs my dad recorded the year before he died that were recorded no where else ... yeah, I hope you develop leprosy, you stupid schmoo.
But ... life is often about loss, and you can't keep anything forever. I had to accept it and move on, and I have. But I'll be damned if anyone's ever getting their hands on this laptop. For starters, since it's small and petite, it's never leaving my side ... I plan to carry it around in my always-present tote from now on. Secondly, I plan to back up everything often and incessantly, so at least if something happens to the computer, I'll still have my stuff.
I can't post any pictures from Pennsic yet, because I also lost my photo editing software that let me scale down the file size to something appropriate for posting on the web. I don't know what I'm going to do about that yet - I don't know if the company will be able to find my records and let me replace that free of charge, or if I'm going to have to buy a new version ... and I don't even know if the software will work on this computer - it's got the new Windows Vista, and I've heard a lot about compatibility issues with this, since it's so new. I'll find out. Eventually I'll get picture-posting capabilities back.
Meanwhile, everyone send your best curses to the scum-bag who stole my laptop right off my porch ... it's okay if you don't know who he is, I'm sure the sentiment will still work. Me? Forgive and forget? I can forgive and forget stupidity, but not malicious cruelty. Not, at least, until I've had my revenge.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Pennsic: Some Good Things
Despite my wet and bedraggled grumbling, there were some very cool things at Pennsic this year. Here are a few.
Watching a glass-blower making a bottle.
The Casa Bardicci mead-tasting. (I don't like mead generally, only particular kinds, but my boyfriend was a judge, so I hung out ... and got to sample the ones he knew I'd like ... mmmm). 
The "How To Put On A Great Kilt" class hosted by my campmate, whose name I am embarrassingly unable to spell, so won't butcher trying. (He's the one in the middle). Really interesting! (and not just because they all three completed the entire process in nothing but their shirt, till the kilt was on ... and no, they don't wear anything under it if they're being authentic).
One morning there was just a kick-back, tie-one-on day. I woke up to this scene (this picture doesn't include the several other people lounging around in chairs or on the ground in this little corner of debauchery in our shade fly). Well ... some days, you'll just have that.
My favorite pirate Captain.
The Captain and Berg going up to shoot archery.
That's all the pictures I really have so far. Maybe I'll get some more in this last night of War. It's the end-of-War "Eat It / Drink It / Burn It" meat-on-a-stick, Tequila tasting party. Yeah - ought to be photo-worthy.
The weather forecast claims that it's suppose to clear up by about 2:00 p.m. today, and then no more rain tonight or tomorrow. That would be awesome. I discovered last night that the one storm that blew through yesterday afternoon spawned a tornado warning in a county just south of us, and although there was no official tornado touchdown, people reported seeing a funnel cloud, and there was a lot of wind damage in some areas. At least we avoided that ... rain in a camp is one bad thing, but high winds are a whole 'nother story.
But ... for now, I have to do something to start feeling better before I can contemplate heading out there again. I was so sore and stiff when I first woke up I could barely walk. Then I discovered we had nothing but decaf coffee in the house. And I still have to unload that truck. Hopefully I'll perk up and work the kinks out here pretty soon.
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