Friday, December 25, 2009

New Cowl




Cowl Notes from Ravelry page:
I didn’t want to do an all over stitch pattern this time around. Thought about a cable and decided on a center panel of British Moss Stitch:
Row 1: K1, p1
Row 2: P1, k1
over 20 stitches I also made the ribbing deeper.
I also thought I was using Worsted Weight Bare and after winding the second skein realized I am using DK weight. I am getting 6 stitches=1 and 7 rows=1 on Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeables.

I like the stitch definition of the British Moss section. Might use that on cowl 3.
I think I've gone a little cowl mad and on Christmas, too.
DVD's:
Fourth disk of Live on Mars, season 2
Three Midsomer Murders
1 disk of Taggart (great Scottish crime series, if you haven't seen it.)
Watched the entire first (and I think only) season of the Australian cop series, The Strip. Best advertisement for a Queensland holiday I've ever seen. The plots were good; it's just that the writing didn't make you care about the cops. I actually ended up like the "crime boss" character best. If you've seen McLeod's Daughters, several of the actors appear in The Strip and Aaron Jeffrey is a main character.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Days After and a new cowl

Treated myself to a third of a pound of Yurgicheffe coffee. Oh my. Kenya AA is still my all time favourite coffee variety, but this is a close second.

Below are more pictures of The Day After. The snowdrift that had piled up against the living room window is gone. I wandered out today to get a few supplies (like coffee). The streets (except for the piles of snow) are for the most part clear but tonight is supposed to be colder than the last two (the effect of the snow on the ground and the atmosphere), so I expect in the morning all those damp and wet places on the pavement will be ice.

The large snow covered item that looks like it's next to the buidling is actually the fir tree across the street shown close up in Saturday's post.


We had a few hours Monday morning without heat or hot water, but since 11am yesterday have been toasty and warm. I expect it was the result of everyone being at home instead of at work and the usual pre-holiday laundry washing bonanza. The snow on the hills across the street is sled scarred

I have spent the last three days rearranging my sleep schedule to watch the live broadcast of the start of the Kagyu Monlam led by His Holiness the Karmapa. I was truly expecting it to be a solo experience of watching a web broadcast of the teaching on A Letter to a Friend. Instead there was a chat room intended to report any broadcast difficulties that became a social arena where the online community chatted amongst themselves and with staff attending the Monlam in Bodh Gaya. What a difference it made being able to chat online to others. I now have new Facebook friends and a community of people with whom I have had a shared experience. It was amazing to see HHK live. Particularly to see him intervene in both English and Chinese making sure the translators chose the right words to convey the meaning of his teaching.

I had read the Letter to a Friend before and during the teaching and HHK illuminated and made the concepts real and applicable to everyday life and practice.

Because our online community (there were at times over 500 of us) was so lively and engaged, more of the Monlam teachings will be broadcast live between now and January 1. We had a special gift not shared by those English speakers in attendance at the monastery. In the interest of time, the HHK said there would be no translation of his talk on the environment. One of the online participants translated the main ideas from the Tibetan for us. The work that the Kagyu monasteries are doing to implement HHK’s guidelines is astounding. I failed to get the link to the environmental website for the monasteries but will post it when I do.

Between sleeping and web broadcasts, I have been knitting. I am working on another cowl in Knit Picks Worsted Bare. I continue to beaver away at my first legging (going to do the open heel tonight.) Piccys tomorrow.

Toupie has for the most part been very good with the topsy-turvy schedule of the past three days. It did help that the second teaching of the day started at our normal getting out of bed time, but we’re usually in bed for good by 9:00. He didn’t make too much of a fuss about getting up at 10:30 for three hours.

One news item struck me: Prince William spent the night out in an alley in London to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. Good on you! Although the news item didn’t mention security, I’m sure it was there. But as the charity campaigner who accompanied the prince pointed out, there was no shielding the prince from the cold of the night or the hardness of the ground.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Blizzard of December 2009



You've heard about it folks; maybe some of you have been out in it. Here's a pictoral record covering from about 7:30am until about 13:50pm 19 December 2009


This is the view from above, standing in the street, looking at my snow covered feet with the hem of my coat resting on top of the snow.



This is a fir tree.



This is a fir tree.





The walkway from the back door. People were actually out cleaning off their cars. Others were off with various devices heading for some sleding and sliding down the hill that leads down to the park.

This morning between 7 and 8 when the snowfall really started to become heavy.










The brown line of bricks under the window that you can see in this picture from this morning are now completely obscured by snow. It occurred to me about noon, that living on the first floor, I could have snow up to my window sills.




Saturday Night between 19:30 and 20:00









































Friday, December 18, 2009

The Cowl and some random photos

Toupie on top of the bookcase in front of the computer The books I look at while I compute.
Someone in this apartment keeps playing with the picture on the wall. I wonder who?

This is the view of the atrium at work that I have when I leave my desk. This is me in the cowl in front of my pod.

Another me in the cowl in front of my pod.
Lots of compliments on the the cowl today, which exceeded all expectations. It was a cold day and less windy than yesterday, but I was perfectly snug. I wore a scarf but really didn't need it. I was able to easily pull the cowl down when I boarded an overheated bus (no hat to keep track of) So, I'm thinking of frogging the scarf I started last night and going straight to legwarmers.

It is predicted we will get a metre of snow tomorrow. If I can lasso a neighbor, look for snow angel piccys.





Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Cowl is Finished

Except for blocking and weaving in the ends. Click here to see the pictures and my comments on Ravelry. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

DPNS and Sari Silk from the Source

I'm testing picture placement.
The first photo is recycled sari silk given to me as a present by a colleague who went home to Nepal in October. This photo shows legwarmers on double-pointed needles.

Two more rounds on the cowl!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Magic Loop Mastered




I feel like Mike from A Chorus Line: I Can Do That. And what am I knitting? Toeless leg warmers. I’m taking a bit from two different patterns and improvising. Magic Loop eliminates the fiddly start that sometimes happens to me with dpns (I have yet to see the Elizabeth Zimmerman video where the dpns keep falling on the floor.)

The cowl should be finished tonight and I’ll have pictures tomorrow.

My next goal: starting socks on two circular needles.




Friday, December 11, 2009

Magic Loop

I've been fussing with a problem and have finally arrived at a solution. Since I do a lot of my knitting during my commute and the next items I want to knit are legwarmers and fingerless gloves, AND the thought of wielding five double pointed needles on the bus would

a) probably damage my knitting
b) result in the unintenional stabbing of a fellow passenger
c) send me scrambling on the floor of the bus for a dropped needle

I started looking for an alternative. For non-knititng readers, double-pointed needles are used for knitting small circumferences, although you can knit any item in the round on double-pointed needles. Traditional ganseys were knitted on long, thin steel pins (precursor of the double pointed needle). I actually enjoy knitting on five needles. It's a challenge sometimes getting started but to me, if you are knitting a lot of stitches on dpns moving from needle to needle seems to make the work go faster than using a circular needled.

I first considered knitting in the round on two circular needles. One of the problems of knitting on the bus is keeping arm and hand movements to a minimum so you aren't constantly elbowing the person next to you (something people texting or sending emails on their pdas need to master). I've learned to always sit on an inside seat where my throwing arm is next to the side of the bus to minimize this issue. I finally settled on using the magic loop technique, using one long circular needled to knit in the round. I'm currently getting the hang of it with a skein of sock yarn.

Will post results soon.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Another Cake-filled Weekend

Put the yarn winder through its paces over the weekend:






Using the green skein to make a scarf for my green coat. Nothing fancy, just straight stockinette.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Cakes, Cakes and More Cakes



I won Nanwrimo. Reached 50K about 9:08 last night but the novel isn’t finished. There are major gaps like I need to tell Giselle’s story. But first I need to recover from the effort. This is the first novel-length writing I’ve done in two years and to bang it out in 30 days while I was slammed at work, completed a two-day meditation training retreat and was just over the bout of bronchitis was exhausting. I must admit, it was so good to write again and to have characters living in my head.

The Haggis Hunt is on. If you’ve never heard of it or never done it, here’s a link: http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/camera.cfm?camera=10
I stumbled on this about years ago. There are prizes; I’ve none won but it is a nice diversion. Last December when Graham was briefly working nights, we were having one of our long conversations and I was hunting haggis. It’s the night he taught me to correctly pronounce Leicester Square.

I have found that by leaving the last paper towel on, you know the one that’s glued on to the roll, and turning over the roll to Toupie, it makes a wonderful and cheap toy that he genuinely enjoys.

As a break from the writing this weekend, I wound cakes. This is a Brunswick yarn (the company is now defunct) that I have had for at least 15 years, maybe longer. Some of the reviews on Ravelry suggest it is a little scratchy. I have four skeins. I see a cowl, maybe a hat and maybe leg warmers. The skeins are 190 yards each.



Sunday, November 22, 2009

880 Yards


I wound this on my ball winder. It's 880 yards of Merino lace weight. Fortunately, it fits in a gallon size baggie!

I Know I Have Mail


Couldn't resist getting a shot of Toupie on top on the monitor.

Friday, November 20, 2009

November, Nanowrimo and Knitting

What a busy month. I've either been novel writing or knitting. Both are coming along although I'm worried that I'll need another skein or two for my cowl and the colorway is out of stock at the moment.







Here's how it looked last week:




Meanwhile, Toupie has been having adventures with the laundry:



I picked up two cans of Fancy Feast that were out for give away in the pantry at work. I wasn't hopeful. Toupie has either ignored or nibbled at wet food in the past. After a slow start on the first can, he finished it overnight. The next night, I knew his enthusiasm just wasn't because I was home from work; he finished can two. Oh, the dissapointment on his face tonight as I explained there wouldn't be any wet food until tomorrow.




Thursday, November 5, 2009

Knitting, Nano and All that Jazz

Sorry I’ve been away. Two things have happened. The circular needles I was using for my cowl broke putting that project on hold. Quick needle order placed first thing Monday will hopefully arrive tomorrow. But why oh why do my needles always break when I’m knitting on the bus?

Second, I am participating in the Nanowrimo contest again this year. I haven’t written since I did the contest in November 2007. The first couple of days were awful. My sentences clunked along. I’m so rusty, but today I can feel it all starting to come back to me. Here's a link: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Here is the synopsis I quickly composed for my profile on the Nano site:

Who killed Indira Patel and why? The successful South Asian business woman had made enemies. A husband betrayed by a long ago affair; her hostile relations with local Muslim businessmen; the hardship she'd imposed on her employees by shutting down the pantry, or were the rumours true that her public championing of the Hindu community was just a front.

While Trevor LIttlejohn and his CID staff try to solve the murder, Indira's spoiled daughter is left at a personal crossroad. Does she have what it takes to assume the reigns of the business. The lives of sixty people hang in the balance while she comes to a decision. She finds support and guidance on the road to her decision for the most unlikely of sources, a motherless 17 year old girl.

Third,
I cut the tip of my index finger on a knife the other night while looking for my corkscrew for a neighbour. It doesn’t bother me when I knit, but has made typing a bear but I am soldiering on!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Steps That Count









Steps That Count
American Kidney Fund Walk
October 25, 2009
Silver Spring

This year I volunteered for the Steps that Count walk to raise money in support of the American Kidney Fund’s efforts to assist kidney patients and raise awareness about kidney disease. It’s been a fun and challenging experience. When I was young, I did a lot of volunteer and fundraising and I’d forgotten how much fun it is. I used to enjoy going door-to-door (in those days one could) to sell Girl Scout cookies, and manning tables for the American Cancer Society. I recalled that enjoyment as I visited shops, churches, and made phone calls over the summer. I had an interesting evening going out to a Health Happy Hour at Busboys and Poets to present for the walk.

After a day of constant rain on Saturday, we woke to a brisk morning that has given way to a glorious afternoon, but when you’re standing around in the shade, it gets downright chilly. Despite my Patagonia felted socks, my tootsies were starting to get cold near the end.
Here are some photos taken at this morning’s walk:






I placed at Wayne and Fenton to guide walkers to their next point.




And now for something completely different:
After returning to knitting seriously in the summer of 2008, one of the first patterns I looked for was a hood-like hat. I’ve scoured the Internet and Ravelry looking a smoke rings, cowls, and downloaded several and bought one or two patterns. FINALLY, I found a pattern that was easily convertible to different types of yarn, wasn’t lacy (lacy is nice but when you commute by public transport, warmth is the first criteria). I used love bulky yarns, but lately, I’ve really grown fond of fingering and laceweight yarn. I bought and downloaded one of Elizabeth Lovick’s cowl patterns. I eventually do want to knit the cowl with the cables but for now, I’m doing the basketweave cowl in Knit Picks Palette Cornmeal colourway. I’m not good at memorizing patterns, but this one is so simple, it’s quite easy to memorize.




























Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Miscellany

UK Knitting Magazines

Some of them give stuff away. I have received wooden handles for a purse, a needle case (very handy), and a yarn divider all by purchasing copies of Simply Knitting. Yarn Forward and The Knitter admittedly haven’t come with freebies. But none of the US knitting magazines come with freebies. Creative Stitching, a UK publication covering embroidery, also has freebies packed with some of its issues. Now, I will confess, that I have often NOT bought an issue because I didn’t want the freebie. The needle case did languish for months and I have yet to knit the purse for the wooden handles. But the plastic yarn divider, which allows you to spool up to three balls of yarn for a project (sort of a collapsible YarnTainer) I’ve used a lot.

If you like to embroider, Creative Stitching is a dose of monthly inspiration.

WIP or mon tricots en cours

I think I should fess up to what’s on my needles. I am hoping public confession will spur me into finishing projects faster.

I have started arm warmers to go with my Berkeley Cardigan.

The green beret in Knit Picks Gloss sock yarn.

2012 Olympics

I’ve just heard on the World Service that Shauna Richardson has won an $800,000 contract to crochet nine metre high lions for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Football Woes

One of my constants has been completing an afghan or other project during football season. Three hours a week, listening to the game on the radio, watching on television while knitting, crocheting, embroidering or doing the handwork on a sewn garmet has given a structure to one of my weekend days since my early 20s when I lived in the Salvation Army Residence for Women. In those days it was Monday Night Football. All the knitters and crocheters would congregate in one of the television rooms with our snacks and sodas and hooks, needles and fingers would work away while we chatted, commented on the game commentary only to finally stagger away sometime after eleven to our respective rooms. It was during this time that my nascent knitting skills really took off. But ever after starting with the preseason, I start or pick up a wip.

The Washington Redskins are my local team. It’s been evident for the last ten years but this season the something is wrong with this organization has gone from a suspicion to a conviction. For fifteen or so years, we watched the team never quite make it, never be quite the serious contender they were in the 70’s and 80’s. We’ve watched players who’ve struggled to succeed go to other teams to not only survive but to thrive.

After today’s game the post mortem by commentator’s and fans has been brutal and rightly so. The team isn’t scoring touchdowns, the play calling is mystifying and relations between the team and the press are at a nadir. The only good thing that can be said is there doesn’t seem to be any fractures in the team itself. But there are clearly issues in the coaching and management staff.

I’m not one of those fans that require a win to be happy. What makes me happiest is the effort. And what in the last couple of years has made me a less than enthusiastic supporter of the team is there doesn’t appear to be “effort”. So today instead of curling up with a wip, I stayed at the computer and did some work for work and listened to the game on the radio. I’ll save my knitting time for tonight’s instalment of Inspector Lewis on PBS.

Tricycle Magazine Book Club is reading Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind starting tomorrow. This was one of the first books on Buddhism I read. Can’t remember if I finished it, but I’m taking the book club read and discussion as an opportunity to get reacquainted.

On Friday night instead of cozying up to watch the two-hour line up of PBS public affairs shows, I watched a baseball game. Took me a bit of time (and a check on the Internet) to figure out that the World Series hadn’t started; but while I’ve never been really interested in the “game” itself, the play calling has always had a liturgical rhythm to me.

Saturday, October 17, 2009


I have had bronchitis and a sinus infection for the last two weeks and today I am finally starting feel more like myself. Gone is the cotton wool sensation in my head. For such a simple condition, it’s been quite a journey. It started two weekends ago with a series of sneezing jags on Saturday afternoon. I did notice that the grocery store chicken wings I purchased for my lunch that day tasted like flour. I thought it was the wings, until I ate dinner that night and it also tasted like flour. By Sunday, I was coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose regularly. I thought it was just a nasty upper respiratory infection since I didn’t have a temperature. Rest, liquids, and a dose of Aleve (for my sinus pain) and I didn’t feel better by Tuesday afternoon, so I called the clinic and made an appointment for the next day. I had to go out Tuesday evening, and realized from my shortness of breath that matters were a bit more serious than I thought. I took a cab to the clinic that evening. Diagnosis: bronchitis. Took my scripts to be filled and went home with doctors orders to stay at home until the Columbus Day.


Wednesday and Thursday, I was wheezing badly. I felt like some had walloped me in the back. Toupie, my pet companion, was giving me concerned looks as I alternately growled or squeaked with every breath. I had also been experiencing episodes where I noticed a slight increase in my heart rate. I decided to not use the inhaler I’d been prescribed. That did nothing to calm the heart rate episodes. Looking up the drug on line, I noticed one of the side effects was an increase in heart rate.

Called the clinic on Friday and asked for a changed of antibiotic. On Saturday the doctor who’d seen me on Tuesday called to say that what I needed to do was go to ER. I argued that until I started the prescribed meds my heart rate had been normal. She became quite agitated and insistent that I go to the ER and that if I came into the clinic; the ER is where she would send me. I decided to not take the meds, wait until Monday in the hopes that I could see my regular GP, who is a pulmonologist. Fortunately, he was open on Monday. One listen to my chest, and hearing about the meds I’d been prescribed, and he immediately identified the combo of the inhaler and antibiotic as the problem. He changed my inhaler, gave me a nose spray for my sinuses and sent me off.

By Tuesday morning, I was feeling better. Still woolly headed and any exertion (like washing dishes) leaving me ready for a nap. By Wednesday evening, the wheezing had stopped. Thursday, I slept again on the futon instead of in a chair. And this morning, I feel clearheaded and can hear.

Despite being home for over ten days, I haven’t made much progress on my Berkeley cardigan. Many is the time during the last two weeks when I’ve awaken to find the knitting in my lap. One time the yarn was still entwined in my fingers ready for me to purl the next stitch




The weather has turned so unseasonably chilly that the building heat came on this week. I am taking advantage of my renewed energy to put away summer clothes and pull out my fall and winter items. It’s also put me in a slight knitting emergency. I want legwarmers and fingerless gloves in addition to the coat and hat that are on the needles.

Most of the DVD’s from Netflix, I’ve had to watch two or three times.

Berkeley Square – follows the stories of three nannies in Edwardian London. The period costume and set designs were amazing. Too bad such meticulousness wasn’t applied to the plot. It was soapy to the extreme. Even that could have been tolerated. But they finally lost me when one of the upper class characters says to a servant, “You get my drift.” Just can’t imagine Mrs. Bellamy saying that to Rose.

The Glittering Prizes – hadn’t seen this BBC series since the 70’s. It really holds up and I think I more appreciate some of the ambiguities the characters face as their life choices played out.
Midsomer Murders – I am a scary place with this series. I think I’ve seen all the ones save two or three in the Netflix catalogue.

Cambridge Spies – I’ve only seen disk one. I don’t know whether it was not being able to stay awake long enough to see the first couple of episodes from start to finish or that there was something so indistinguishable about the actors that I couldn’t keep McLean, Burgess and Philby straight. I only managed with Blunt because he was blonde and portrayed by Samuel West.

The new season of Inspector Lewis just keeps getting better. It is a fitting follow on to the Morse series. It wasn’t too long into Inspector Morse when the focus of the series for me became Lewis. Morse had become rather predictable, whereas Lewis continually became shaped by his experiences and his exposure to Morse. That character growth continues into the new series and it’s nice to see that his partnership with Hathaway is being developed with deft complexity.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

The summer has come and gone.

There have been major changes in my life and in many ways nothing has changed.

I didn't really have anything clearly in mind when I started the blog, which is part of the explanation why I let it lapse over the summer. What I'd the focus to be what I'm creating (knitting, sewing, embroidery), what I'm reading, watching and other cultural forays.


Knitting:

I'm knitting Lion Brand's Berkely Cardigan pattern using Knit Picks Palette Currant. I really wanted Palette Tumeric but the yarn isn't available until mid-November. This is more of a lightweight cardigan coat with spider lace panels in the front. I'm using Knit Picks Harmony interchangables and managed--following the advice from the KP forum on Raverly--to attached the needles using the screw and woo hoo the needles and cables haven't separated. I am working on the back and today I ran a lifeline; super simple.

I also have a green beret on the needles. I'm using Knit Picks Gloss sock yarn.

Lastly, the memory pillow for Graham. Graham died on August 15. He'd contracted an upper respiratory infection that his body didn't have the resources nor his heart the strength to fight. I'm doing a memory pillow in the the Humber Keel pattern for Graham's family. This will be a project that I can only work on at home as I will need to follow the knits and purls of the Gansey pattern closely. There was a wonderful article in the most recent issue (#18) of Yarn Forward on Ganseys. Actually if you are in the market for a yarn magazine, I highly recommend Yarn Forward. All the patterns in the magazine come in sizes 30-50in. It was reading Yarn Forward article on knitting lace that gave me the confidence to try a lace scarf. Best of all the magazine is available for single issue purchase or subscription electronically at Yudu.

I spent a small part of my overtime during September on a Knit Picks ball winder. Here are my first cakes:

Photobucket
The photograph does not do the Jewels colorway justice.




Watching:


Life on Mars Series I, the UK Version.

Never thought Netflix was going to get this.

Overlook that I drool over anything with Philip Glennister. This is a well-written, well-acted series with an interesting premise that leads the first series to end unpredictably predictable. I rented the first disk of The Sweeney, a series which was actually filmed in the same time period as the setting for Life on Mars. I didn't finish watching The Sweeney. Life on Mars is much better. Series 2 will be available from Netflix in early November. Guess what's at the top of my queue.