Moving, moving, moving

First the move to Typepad, now a new domain. Cottage46 Knitter can now be found in both places: cottage46.typepad.com and/or www.cottage46.com. Come on over!

Who knew you could move a cottage?

Cottage46 Knitter has moved here. Please come on over. There's an FO to see...

The Roza's are done. Pattern: Roza's socks by Grumperina from the Spring 2007 IK Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Black Purl Needles: KnitPicks Size US0 Comments: I probably should have added a few stitches. They're very snug which I prefer, but I'm thinking they may not wear well. The pattern was very enjoyable to knit; interesting but not distracting if one is watching a 70s Show marathon. The red Norwegian hat is blocking. Now I have to find my little pompom-making thingy. The moose sweater has been totally neglected. Hard to work on a Dale sweater when it's 80 degrees. But I know we'll pay for it in April, so I'll have more moose knitting time before summer. I have cast on another pair of socks in this: It's Lorna's Laces Happy Valley. I have some Socks That Rock that I really want to get to, but this just is so springy! They're going to be toe-up, all stockinette with a picot cuff. I have a little toe nub started, but I'm too lazy to photograph it. Later this week I'll have a whole foot to show. More crocuses! ETA: I added the ticker because my weight seems to have drifted upward over the winter. Not to mention the stress-induced eating of the last couple of months. Must get back down to walking weight!

Hats! And Knitting Camp!

I finished and mailed off the pirate hat. Here it is pre-blocking. And here it is, still pre-blocking, but on the recipients head. She wanted it to wear for a ski trip, so it shipped out unblocked. She was less than pleased that her dad insisted on photographing her the minute it arrived. Imagine how happy she'll be to see it on the Internet! She did like the hat though, so I'm a happy knitter. The sock recipients called and LOVE the Bruins and Red Sox socks. (I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy with this knitting for others stuff.) They promised pictures this week. I'll be interested to see how the baby socks fit. I started a hat from the Charlene Schurch book. Also a gift! I know; I can't believe all the gift knitting either. Should be done this weekend and it will be blocked before mailing. While I was taking pictures of the hat, I noticed I had an audience. These are my girls: From l to r: Flicki, Graystar and Kiki. Flicki is Kiki's daughter, Kiki was a stray that we started feeding during the winter a few years ago and somehow she ended up sleeping on my chest every night. And Graystar was unceremoniously tossed out of a car on a county road and left for VK to find. She was tiny, bloody and had a broken leg, but you'd never know it now. I thought I'd better post a picture of the boy-cat and I had to go back to 2003 to find a picture of Madison. Bad kitty mommy. If you're keeping track, that's 4 cats and 3 (unpictured) dogs. It's almost like we're trying to compensate for not having any kids, isn't it? At last spring has arrived (sorta) in northern Indiana. The first crocuses: I registered for my LYS's IWannaKnit Camp in June! This will be my first knitapalooza-type event and I'm quite excited. I'll be taking classes from St. Joan Schrouder and Natalie Wilson. Now I have to stop procrastinating and get a book review done for a talk I'm giving Friday. Oh wait, this is Wednesday. I still have all day tomorrow!

I try so hard...

to post once a week. *sigh* But I so often fail. There has been knitting going on at Cottage46, but there has also been copious amounts of coughing, sniffling, and nose-blowing. It's been fun. My birthday was Saturday (hello 39!) and I slept and coughed my way through it. VK brought me a bouquet of spring flowers and a chocolate cake, so all was not misery. I have made a wee bit o' progress on the Moose sweater: I also cast on for a pair of Grumperina's Roza's Socks from the latest Interweave Knits. I'm using Lorna's Laces in the Black Purl colorway. I did a pair of socks in this yarn once before and it pooled wickedly and the socks turned out way too big. But I loved the yarn and the colorway, so I tried again. Much better this time. And I finished the 2nd pair of Boston Bruin socks and a pair of baby Red Sox socks. I don't know if these will fit the specific baby, or any baby for that matter, but I do think they are sorta cute.

Moose, swans, geese, and skulls

I'm finally posting a picture of the Dale of Norway moose sweater that I'm knitting for VK. VK is a hunter and has been hunting with a compound bow. He has been thinking about getting a more traditional longbow and he ordered one yesterday. He's excited about it and I'm happy to see him excited. This is my progress so far: Wow! Those needles must be flyin'! What is that? About 3 inches? Wow. Here's what I spent part of the weekend on instead of working on the sweater. Oh, yeah! We call 'em pirates, baby. I've been loving this pattern, but I don't really wear hats. Luckily we have a friend whose 13-year-old daughter thinks it's cool. I'm just thrilled to dig something that a 13-year-old digs. And just because everybody else has some, I had to get some too. Socks that Rock! Must finish 4th Boston Bruin sock, and then STR. Hmmm.... what pattern shall I knit with it? There's a creek a couple miles from our house that we go over on our way to town. "Town" has a grocery store, fire station, a post office, a bank, a gas station, a pizza place, a fish place/tavern, 3 barber shops, a feed mill, and, get this: the Horseshoe Palace. I. Shit. You. Not. VK was quite privileged one time to be asked to throw a few shoes even though he's not a member. Yes, one must be a member of the Horseshoe Palace. You don't want the hoi polloi getting into the Horseshoe Palace. VK went along with it because he didn't think the fellas were the type you say no to. There's also a large tree on the main drag with ropes and pulleys rigged up to hang deer and whatever other animal one might want to butcher. In the fall, we drive by to see if the meat tree is blooming. There used to be a video store that had no windows but enough cigarette smoke to kill a person on contact. It's closed now, but we don't care because we were blackballed from it after a late return incident. Anyway, the creek has had 3 swans on it lately. We're assuming they are the same from last year, but who knows. And about a bazilion geese.

Stage 3 - but not as bad as it sounds

Today was our oncology appointment to learn the results of VK's bone marrow biopsy and PET scan. The bone marrow is clean, his bloodwork is all normal, and besides the 4-5 cm abdominal mass that we already knew about, he only has TWO lymph nodes that are involved! The staging is based on the fact that he has involvement above and below his diaphragm. At this point, she is recommending watch and wait. We'll do another PET scan in 3 months to see if changes are happening really slowly or just sorta slowly. If there is change, chemo could start then. But if there isn't change, PET scans would be done every 6 months. Apparently with a slow-growing cancer, they prefer to wait until there are symptoms before putting someone through chemo. So far we think all the illness he's had has been an ulcer and he's taking meds for that. He is having some pain in his side and we'll see the oncologist in 3 weeks just to assess whether that is going away with a stricter diet (probably ulcer-related). We are extremely encouraged. We're aware that things could head south at any time and indolent lymphoma can become aggressive in the future, but VK's life expectancy looks pretty good at the moment. I can't thank everyone enough for the support and prayers, especially Rebekah and everyone contributing to the Blanket of Hope. Clearly it is an accurately named project! Onward to actual knitting content! I just finished a pair of Boston Bruins socks for a friend of VK's. I made him a pair of Boston Red Sox socks a couple months ago and totally forgot to get a picture of them before I sent them off. They were pretty cool too. Pattern: my own, toe-up with a short row heel, 2x2 ribbing on the cuff, and EZ's sewn bind off Yarn: Cascade 220 (love the speed of worsted wt socks) Needles: Knit Picks options, size 5 Comments: Perfect waiting room knitting. I'm going to make another pair for the friend's brother. (And I thought I was a selfish knitter.) I'll get back to VK's moose sweater this weekend. The wretched medical index is done! I had to stay up until 2 a.m. Monday morning to get it done by the deadline which has made the rest of the week a little foggy. I won a prize in SAM2 a few months ago and haven't had the camera to blog it. Isn't it cool? The colors in the picture are pretty much dead on. It's Chewy Spaghetti, 100% merino, in the Blaze colorway. Can't wait to knit it up. Thanks, Chrissy! I ordered my first Socks that Rock yarn last weekend. I must see what the fuss is about! I have one Endpaper Mitt almost done for my mom. I'm down to the bind off and the thumb. I'm using Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn in pink and black. It's a quick knit. I bet if I could focus on something for more than 5 minutes, the other one would be done too.

Just a little update; no appreciable knitting content

We got somewhat encouraging news at the oncologist Monday. VK's cancer is B cell follicular lymphoma. It's a slow growing cancer that usually responds well to chemo. He has a bone marrow biopsy Friday and a PET scan on Monday to determine the stage of the cancer. Then we'll meet with the doctor next Thursday to get the results and talk about how to proceed. So here's to praying for Stage 1! It was very sobering to sit in the waiting room (for an hour and 45 minutes!) and see all the people fighting cancer. There was a young couple with 2 little boys. We weren't sure which one of them has cancer, but we sure felt for them. All 4 of them are too young to have cancer. Well, who isn't? I can't thank everyone enough for the support you've given to us. I always tell VK how awesome the knit blog community is, the Dulaan project, the Harlot's Doctors w/o Borders collection, Wendy's Heifer Project collection, all the other charity efforts. I think he understood what I was saying before, but now he really gets it. I'm falling a bit behind on replying to emails and comments. I'm hoping to get caught up today or tomorrow. We've had an auditor at the library which leaves me little spare time there and at home I'm working on an index for a medical board test prep book. As an aside, medical test prep books are a b*tch to index for a history major. I spend a lot of time googling terms and acronyms. And it's incredibly dense material. Where I might normally have 5-8 entries per page for a textbook, this is more like 25-30 entries per page. My data entry muscles are getting a workout. There's been just a wee bit of knitting progress. Still on the ribbing for the moose sweater and I've almost finished the first Boston Bruin sock for a friend of VK's in Boston. Pictures will return to the blog soon. We're picking up the camera Friday after the bone marrow biopsy.

The blanket of hope

It's really easy when something bad happens, like a cancer diagnosis for instance, to feel very alone and like you are the only people who are facing this type of situation. But thanks to wonderful bloggy friends like Rebekah that feeling doesn't last long. Rebekah and her husband, Nick, have faced more than their share of health trials lately so I know she understands only too well how overwhelmed we're feeling at the moment. So what does she do? She springs into action and creates this: Not just the button! But a blanket project for my Kevie made of squares from knitters who know the comfort that a handknit can provide. What a good woman. If you're interested, click on the button for details. We're still in waiting mode. Our oncology appointment is Monday, but as of today the doctor had not received the results from Mayo Clinic yet. I sincerely hope the appointment on Monday doesn't get postponed. We've been in touch with the American Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Wonderful organizations that seem to be staffed with extraordinarily caring people. We've been a bit worried about VK's less-than-stellar health insurance. "What if they deny coverage?" "What if they cancel him?" "What if the hospital then denies treatment?" (All sorts of probably irrational thoughts go through one's head.) VK was relaying all these fears to a patient advocate from the Lance Armstrong Foundation today and then she said some very precious words, "We're not going to let that happen." Deep sigh of relief and one less thing to obsess about. On the knitting front, I started VK's moose sweater. (Pictures next week; we still haven't picked up the camera yet.) I'm still on the ribbing. Usually 1x1 ribbing drives me nuts, but it's oddly comforting now. And I have 1 Endpaper mitt done for my mom. I want her to try it on before I start the 2nd one. I don't know if she'll like the long cuffs. She and my dad are in Florida but she'll be back next week. Looking forward to burying my head in her neck. And thank you to everyone who is keeping us in their thoughts or praying for us. We feel it.

Test results

After almost 2 weeks of excruciating waiting, we received the results of VK's biopsy. I can't believe that I'm typing this, but my husband has cancer. Some kind of lymphoma. There were cells that the local pathologists couldn't identify, so a tissue sample has been sent to Mayo Clinic for analysis. That should be here next week and then we have our first appointment with the oncologist on Feb. 12. I'm scared and numb at the same time. I don't know what else to say. I'm going to put Ingeborg on hold for the time being. I tracked down a copy of Dale of Norway #100 at Velona Needlecrafts and I'm going to make VK the moose sweater. I've been knitting for 3 1/2 years and haven't completed a sweater for him. I started FLAK for him but haven't finished it. So the moose sweater it is, with prayers for healing and strength in every stitch. I'm a knitter. It's what we do.

A couple of FOs for 2007 & the Dale KAL

Well, the camera still isn't back for reasons that are, quite frankly, unclear. Anyway, I borrowed the library camera for the weekend to show you the following knitting progress. Pattern: Green Gable Yarn: Knit Picks Shine sport Modifications: I made the neckline a little narrower and the sleeves a little longer. I'm quite frightened by the white pallor of my mid-winter arms. Yuck. But the sweater fits and I love it and I may knit it again and again. These are VK's Mountain Colors Bearfoot socks. They are toe-up with Wendy's short row heel and a 2x2 ribbed cuff. VK is completely unperturbed by the fact that the cuffs are not the same length. This is why I love him. After much fanfare and hoopla I cast on for Ingeborg. I started with the sleeves, thinking I'd ease my way into it, until I realized that I haven't the foggiest idea how to increase in pattern. I decided to leave that for another day when I had more functioning brain cells. So what you see here is the body about half a dozen rows into the pattern. So far it's going quite well. VK and I are having a very tense weekend as we wait for results for a needle biopsy that he had Thursday of an abdominal mass. He's been sick since the first of the year with what we now think is an ulcer. In the process of diagnosing the ulcer, a CT scan picked up a golf ball size mass. Could be nothing, could be something bad. The waiting truly sucks. Today we have many, many geese on Pretty Lake. This is the first time this winter that we've had any geese hanging around. I love it.

Camera news and FOs that FIT!

Good news on the camera: it only needs a $12 new battery! Hallelujah. So the camera is on its way home. When it gets here I'll be able to take pictures of the 2 projects I finished over the weekend (Green Gable and the alpaca vest). And get this: they both fit. I know. It's a miracle. I ended up gifting the much-too-large Spring Forward to a friend that I work with. That way I'll get to see it on a regular basis. She's already worn it to work but I wasn't at the library that day. I was pretty sure I'd ruin it if I tried to shrink it. I might have been able to cut and sew it to size, but the construction was all in one piece and I thought that was probably beyond my feeble sewing skills. Before I gave it to her I took it to my LYS for a what-did-I-do-wrong session. My gauge is OK on the moss stitch filler. LeeAnn suggested that I shouldn't have done the size I did in the first place (duh), and that probably the cables didn't pull in as tightly as the designer's. She also pointed out that saddle shoulders may not be the best design for me since I don't have particularly broad shoulders. So lessons learned. Moving on. I'm ready to cast on Saturday for Ingeborg. (Jan. 20 is cast on day for the Dale KAL.) I finally got gauge after going up 3 needles sizes. Tense? Me? Why do you ask? Hopefully I won't have to spend most of the weekend indexing. I have a job that was supposed to be done today, but the publisher decided it was 16 pages too long and sent it back to the author to cut. So I'm on hold for that. The indexing jobs have been trickling in steadily. It's all about networking, baby. I sent out about a bazillion emails and info packets, but the jobs are coming from recommendations from other indexers. The extra money comes in really handy! I was eyeing a copy of the Scottish Collection on ebay (oh, how I want that book) but I absolutely draw the line somewhere below the $441 that it sold for regardless of extra income.

I'm in knitting hell

Spring Forward is done! Unfortunately only the sleeves fit me. *Hangs head in shame.* I'm wearing it to work today and I've spent most of the day trying to keep said sweater on my body. OK, people, what to do? I haven't blocked it yet because I fear it will only grow. "Well, Sonya, what did your swatch do when you washed it?" *Insert blank look here.* I did swatch for gauge and the moss stitch panels are at the called for gauge. I chose a size that would give about 5" of ease, but it turned out with more than double that. It's 80% cotton and cotton shrinks, right? Shall I block with really warm water and see what happens? I already have a potential recipient in mind should that not work. Did I mention that the sleeves are the EXACT right length?

Year-end pictureless post

Well, the camera that was acting weird has stopped acting at all. We've sent it off for diagnosis, but the guy at the camera shop was not optimistic. Unfortunately, it was a gift from a family member who believes the more expensive, the better, especially if she can remind you of how much she spent on you for years in the future. So it's not like it's a $150 point and click which I could justify replacing with very little rationalization. *sigh* So in spite of a fairly productive couple of weeks, I got nothin' to show. I've been working on the neglected Spring Forward sweater a lot lately. I had nothing but really small gauge projects going and I started to feel a little carpel tunnel-y. Spring Forward is on #8s so it's been a relief to my wrists. I'm starting to think I may be able to get it finished before the Jan. 20 cast on day for the Dale of Norway KAL. Meanwhile, various mitten and sock projects are gathering dust. I did a swatch for Ingeborg. I ended up going up 2 needle sizes and am still 1/2 a stitch per inch over gauge. I have enough yarn so I'm thinking I'll knit the next size up at my gauge. My swatch is still on the needles, so I may go up one more needle size and see what the fabric is like. VK and I had a quiet Christmas. My brother was in town for Thanksgiving so we did our family Christmas then. We did spend Christmas Eve eve at my parents' house. VK and I arrived early, brought all the fixings and prepared the feast for them. I got to help my dad feed the cows. This consists of opening and closing the pasture gates while he drives the tractor through and fills the feed bunks. My dad recently bought a tractor from my grandpa that they bought new in 1954. He's quite pleased to be driving the same tractor he first used when he was 14 years old. Thrift and frugality are quite valued amongst my people. New Year's Eve is usually pretty quiet here too. VK seldom makes it to midnight, so I will probably rock in the new year with my knitting and a diet Mountain Dew. Woooohooo!

I think I have startitis

And I definitely have an FO. And it's........ cashmere. I can't believe I own a cashmere anything. Now I understand why tv characters say "Hey! That's cashmere!" when a borrowed sweater is ruined by the zany neighbor. I knit it up in a week because I so loved touching it. And here's a creative modeled shot in the bathroom mirror to illustrate length, etc. Details: The pattern is from a Plymouth card with 3 lace-ish scarves on it. The yarn is a Chinese cashmere whose ball band I cannot lay my hands on at the moment, 2 hanks. Size 7 needles. I cast on a pair of socks for VK in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Indian Corn colorway. The colors are more muted than the picture. I forgot to photograph the Boston Red Sox socks that I made for VK's friend before I sent them off. Hopefully I'll get this pair done for my December Sock-A-Month 2 socks. This is one afternoon's progress, so it's possible. But then again, VK has size 13EEEE feet and I have numerous projects to spread my attention to. (BTW, please enjoy the creative nature of these pics. You know, laying on the back of my lazyboy with artificial lighting. yum.) This is the cuff of Beth Brown-Reinsel's Nordic mittens that were in Interweave Knits a couple years ago. It's my first corrugated ribbing. It's a little lumpy in places but I think it will work out. It did serve to remind me how much I hate purling in continental. I haven't figured a good way to tension the yarn. It keeps getting too loose and then I have to rewind around various fingers. The way I tension with the right hand that creates lovely, even little stitches just does not work when purling with the left hand. Tonight I'll start on the patterned section. I'm going to TRY to hold off casting on for Ingeborg until the Dale of No. America KAL official cast on date of January 20. I will most emphatically be swatching before then. Yes, swatching! Me! This morning Kiki tried to wreak havoc on my knitting as I was trying to get these creative shots. This is how she looks immediately having said knitting taken away from her. Not a pretty picture. Thanks to everyone who left such wonderful comments about the mittens of the previous post. Ya make a gal feel pretty good.

An FO that I actually wear!

I finished the Norwegian mittens. Love. them. Here they are with the coat that made me ditch the navy/while yarn for black/white yarn. Notice how the mitten goes into the sleeve to avoid the dreaded wind up the sleeve syndrome. And the close-ups: There's a mistake on the left mitten. Can you spot it? The details as I can remember them since I'm at work (on my lunch break, of course). Pattern: Nordasno mitten kit from Nordic Fiber Arts Yarn: Peer Gynt (substituted for Strikkegarn that came in the kit. VK's getting a pair with that yarn.) Needles: US 3 & 4, Addi Turbos Started: Oct. 23-ish, 2006 Finished: Nov. 30, 2006 Comments: I'm glad I did them in Peer Gynt. It's much softer to knit with than the Strikkegarn. After my 2 pair of Norwegian stockings (anyone seeing a theme here?), these are my 3rd stranded project and I think I'm getting the hang of it. My stitches are more even than on the stockings, although I still have some loose floats from where I go around the corner as I'm magic looping. I declare myself ready for Ingeborg. Look out steeks, here I come! I'll have to wait a few days to start the sweater. I just got an intense, 1-week turnaround indexing project that will occupy me until the end of next week. My only Christmas knitting this year is a pair of Boston Red Socks for a friend of VK's. I did them toe-up and used Wendy's short row heel for the first time. Me likey. I'll be able to finish them up at knitting group on Friday. (Indexing projects do not interfere with attending knitting group.)

I'm sooo hungry!

There is knitting progress at Cottage 46, but the camera isn't cooperating so it's unphotographed progress. The alpaca vest is almost done. I think it's too long though. It seems to be taking me awhile to understand that if one is knitting a garment, one can actually try it on as one knits for a perfect fit. I mean it's a stockinette vest, for Pete's sake. Not a hard pattern to modify, especially for something as simple as LENGTH. Duh. That does bring up a question I have. For the hem I did a provisional cast on, knit a few rows, did a purl ridge and am instructed to fold at the purl ridge and "tack down" the live stitches. How does one do this? I've googled and found many people mentioning this tacking down, but no one discussing how to tack down. I restarted the Fair Isle mitten in a smaller size. The first one is done, thumb and all. There was decided wonkiness when picking up the thumb stitches from the waste yarn. But the wonkiness is on the inside of the thumb joint, so I don't think anyone will ever know. The second one is at 75%. I may finish it today. My yarn should be arriving next week for Ingeborg and Beth Brown-Reinsel's Nordic mittens (scroll down about 5 pictures). Perfect timing for Stranded: The Colorwork Challenge. This is cool because it was yummyyarn's fantastic Norwegian knit-along that turned me on to stranded knitting. Look at that, 4 links in one paragraph! Anyway, those will be my KAL projects, but I have to crank out a pair of Boston Red Sox socks for a friend of VK's for Christmas. I'm using Knit Picks Telemark, so they should knit up pretty quickly. Ok, why, you may ask, is Sonya so hungry. Today is colonoscopy day. Ug. I have ulcerative colitis, so these are a fairly regular ordeal. So yesterday was clear liquid diet day which is a lot like not eating. Today is no food or drink until after the procedure which isn't until 1:30. So I'm distracting myself as best I can from the hunger. I just started reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm on a public library listserv that has a thread at the end of every year with everyone's favorite reads for the year. It's always really interesting to read what other librarians are reading. So that's my distraction for the morning, and I'll be listening to knitting podcasts during the procedure. It's all about distraction, baby.

Alpaca is like buttah

I'm enjoying knitting this stockinette alpaca vest more than I can say. It's astonishingly soft and I love the varigatedness of the color. My LYS got mill end cones of alpaca for a great price. I've tried to hold myself to one cone, but I'm heading in tomorrow for another one. I can do this because I have an indexing job! I helped another indexer meet a deadline last month and she gave my name to an editor. Hence, I can afford more alpaca. The giant mitten debacle is fading from my mind. There's been a bit of progress on the smaller size. It's been at this stage for a couple weeks because I can't tear myself away from the alpaca vest. And apropos of nothing, here I am in the library bathroom mirror, modeling no hand knits whatsoever. In library news, we've been suffering a series of robberies. First it was money from the staff snack jar; then they took money our of our locking file cabinet. (My asst. had the key in her middle desk drawer, labeled "safe". *sigh*) So I bought a real safe, combo lock, 200 lbs. And damned if they didn't steal the whole friggin' safe this week. We're a library. Not a lot of cash here. So they've stolen maybe a few hundred dollars, but I'm spending thousands rekeying and putting in a security system. And I bought a new safe and I hid it. Luckily alpaca sooths me or I think my head might explode. BTW, yay Democrats! I did not allow myself to dare be hopeful before the election. I was actually filled with trepidation on election day. "What if there's all this build up and Democrats don't end up doing well?" Can you imagine the arrogance from the White House then?!? I was so relieved when the returns started coming in. Of course all the Republicans* who represent my district were re-elected, but I've lived here long enough to know that's inevitable. * I have no problem with moderate Republicans/conservatives although I'm pretty liberal. Andrew Sullivan is one of my favorite commentators, even if I don't always agree with him. But the Republicans that tend to get elected here are not what I would describe as moderate. At all.

Nothing like a good meme!

1. FIRST NAME? Sonya 2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. My dad heard the name when he lived in Indonesia. 3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I'm not sure. 4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Occasionally, but usually not. 5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Turkey 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Oh definitely. I'm way fun. 7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? No, but I wish I did. 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Only in theory. 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios! 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes. 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I know I am. 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chip. 14. SHOE SIZE? 7 15. RED OR PINK? Definitely red. 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My burning desire to avoid confrontation. 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My grandma. 18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No. . 19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Gray sweats, slightly ratty blue t-shirt, white socks. 20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Oatmeal. 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? AC/DC 22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Periwinkle. 23. FAVORITE SMELL? Coffee

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? VK.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Kindness.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Hmmm... I don't remember from where I stole it.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? diet Mountain Dew.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? Baseball

29. EYE COLOR? Brown 30. HAT SIZE? No clue. 31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Not since my eyeballs dried out. 32. FAVORITE FOOD? Any potato dish 33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. 35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Spring and fall. 36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs 37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate cake with white frosting. 38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I copied. 39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? 40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Just finished Faith Club (great book), just started A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mousepad, just a touchpad. 42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Well, college football was on the TV, but I wasn't really watching. 43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Wind through the trees 44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Stones. 45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Phoenix 46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Hmmmm... I can sing the 50 states in alphabetical order. 47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? LaGrange, Indiana WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No one; I just brazenly stole it.

Mittens!

When last we met (3 weeks ago!), Sonya was concerned about her navy blue mittens clashing with her black coat. This is so important in light of the world going to hell in a handbasket all around us, but anyway... I went ahead and picked up some black and white Peer Gynt; I'll save the navy and white for a pair for VK. Perhaps someday soon, I'll knit something that isn't monochromatic. Here's the first, sans thumb. Unfortunately, when I line my thumb up with the eventual thumb hole, there is about 2 inches of mitten that extends beyond the tips of my fingers. Damn. I haven't had the heart to frog it yet, but I've cast on for the next size down. I may have enough yarn that I won't need the yarn from giganto mitten. I picked up a lovely spool of alpaca at the LYS Friday. The camera is still being weird, but I think you get an idea of the color. It's actually darker, but the picture shows the tweediness. It was 1400 yards for under $40! Did I mention that it's alpaca? So soft. I'm going to make the basic black vest from Folk Vests. Simple stockinette, but it will highlight the yarn. Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly. I just finished an indexing project, so I'll have time to knit until the next one comes along. I'm in that mode where many, many projects are swirling around in my head and I want to knit them all. It must be fall!

An FO and retail therapy

I have a new pair of socks! I finished Knittin' Mom Chrissy's Karen socks, as I call 'em. Our camera is acting a little strange, so some of the following pictures are a little weird. Unfortunately, I can't blame the camera for the profound whiteness of my legs. Should've cropped better. Pattern: Karen's Sugar-Free Diabetes Walk Socks Yarn: Louet Gems Opal Needle: US#3 addi turbos Cast on: Sept. 17 Finished: Oct. 1 Comments: Great sock pattern. Easily memorized, and I think cables make for a nice, snug sock. Opal knits up quickly and is soft and wonderful. Now for the new yarn, baby. Our first yarn today is from ... Walmart. Whenever VK has to use the restroom at Walmart, I check out the yarn. Usually I'm non-plused. But I've always thought Caron's Simply Soft is, well, soft. And these colors caught my eye. Perfect I think for Dulaan knitting. I've mentioned before that I get migraines. For several years they seemed to be under control, but this year they have made a wicked comeback. I seem to be getting them more often and they are more intense. What does this have to do with yarn purchases? Well, buying yarn makes me feel better. And when I go to Fort Wayne to see the doctor, I have an excuse to stop by Cass Street Depot. I don't shop there very often as I have my regular LYS less than 2 miles from home. But they carry some different (mostly expensive) yarns and always have cute projects knitted up. Cass St. is housed in an old train depot which is kinda cool. I picked up this lovely hank of Mountain Colors Bearfoot to make some socks for VK. It's not blurry in real life, but the colors are perfect for fall. I think the colorway is Indian Corn. How appropriate. And here is my first Koigu!! I stood in front the display like I used to stand in front of the candy rack when I was a kid. (I was the kid who would stand there for a long time calculating how to get the most candy for my money. I also had to spend every penny. Saving has always been a challenge.) In spite of the fabulous sock yarn, I think I'm going to cast on for my Nordic Fiber Arts mittens next. They're going to be navy blue and white. I just ordered a new winter coat that is black (clearance sale, don't ya know). How will a black coat and blue mittens work?