Latvian Braid and other adventures

Sometimes I find Audiobooks a struggle. I love the Great Courses but there are so few on non-Western history. I like the courses because they are generally long and I can listen to them through a weekend as I knit, tidy, and generally space out. Subconsciously ruminating on what to listen to next, The Forsyte Saga suddenly popped into my mind on the way home Friday. I’d read the books when I was 17 or 18 and had a vague recollection of them being hard going. The reviews on Audible were glowing. It took me about an hour to get used to the narrator but he really does capture not just the characters but also the tone of the underlying themes of the books.

Last week I perused Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2013 featuring a hat with Latvian Braid. In my continual stash busting, I’d bought some KP Telemark yarn when it was being discontinued to make gloves. Needing another pair of fingerless convertibles, (they really are SO useful in the winter). I decided to conquer Latvian Braid. A five-minute You Tube video and I was off and knitting. It really is so easy and creates such a stunning effect. I used Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns for the gauge cast on numbers and the thumb gusset.

 

Gloves with Latvian Braid knit to match jacket

 

Toupie had a fit of litter rejection this week. How do I explain that his normal litter was not in stock and the litter I bought was the only one available in a size I could carry from the store. After scooping it out of the box a few times only to see it swept up and returned, he got the message.

Deaths and Taxes

A great many words will be written and spoken about the “march” today in Washington, Not much about last night’s powerful and poignant silent protest. A little background. Since the grand jury verdicts on police involved deaths, there have been daily peaceful protests in Washington. Some organized with large numbers of participants. Some with just a handful people. I happen to see these because they are occurring near where I work.

 

Friday night during rush hour, a silent vigil with candles and signs the length of 16^th street (which runs some 8 miles from Lafayette Square at the back of the White House to the Maryland DC line and beyond.) There were no speeches or chanting. Just people standing singly or in groups, some with signs, most with candles, torches, or oil lamps. Luminarias lined the pavements north of where I live. It belied the cheer of the holiday season lights twinkling from windows, balconies and house fronts and accompanied by drivers honking their support and the ringing of bells from supporting houses of worship.

On January 1^st, a new EU VAT regulation will go into effect from small digital service and content providers. This law will require them to collect, pay, and retain transaction records for all sales to EU countries regardless of local sales or VAT regulation. For example, if I sell to an EU country, I would be required to collect and pay the tax required in that country. This will affect all small traders selling digital products like patterns, e-books and e-courses as well as small web hosting businesses.

Here are some links for more information:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/25/eus-new-vatmoss-rules-could-create-a-vatmess-for-startups/
http://euvataction.org/2014/12/12/vat-a-mess-new-eu-tax-rules-set-to-close-small-businesses/

Please sign the petition:

https://www.change.org/p/pierre-moscovici-a-unilateral-suspension-of-the-introduction-of-the-new-eu-vat-laws-for-micro-businesses-and-sole-traders

 

Quiet Week

It’s been a quiet week as I worked on the second Gansey Leg Warmer. This and the She’s Electric skirt are the first projects where I really understand the rhythm or music of the knitting. 

My goal is to finish the legwarmers this week and to start knitting the second glove. Speaking of goals, I’m way behind on my yardage knit goal for the year. 

Toupie has recovered from the excitement of the new neighbors moving in. But the barking jags of various dogs in the building keep him intrigued when he’s not escaping into the hallway to see people.

Grazing and Knitting

Thanksgiving has thankfully come and didn’t get a chance to properly go before the start of the Black Friday and the holiday shopping madness.

This is really one of my favorite times of year. Yes, it gets dark earlier, and the weather can be from brisk to freezing. That makes it all the easier to cuddle up with a mug of something hot to read a good book, get lost in the complexity of symphony, or knit something. Gone is the allure of sunset at 9pm or a sunlight-bathed world to seduce us to forget ourselves and go outside.

I had to recognize that although I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving—as in getting together with family or friends to have meal—I do have a Thanksgiving tradition. About 25 years ago, I discovered a prepared food shop had several different kinds of stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy and traditional vegetables available. Since then I treat myself to a cornucopia of whatever stuffings are on offer cranberry sauce and gravy. Over the years, I started preparing the veg myself. This means I can graze all day without a mountain of leftovers and hours of preparation.

I used to drive my mother mad in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. I never liked turkey, but could/can eat stuffing forever. My mother would do a mix of commercially bought stuffing and bread ends that she froze, thawed, baked until they were toast and mixed with the commercial stuffing and spices. The problem was I would eat those cubes of commercial stuffing (she usually bought what she was going to cook before Halloween). Often the Saturday before she when she was checking ingredients before the final holiday shop, I would have gone through most if not all of the stuffing. Total exasperation and a lecture was the result.

Therefore, this Thanksgiving, I spent the day grazing and knitting the Gansey Leg Warmers in between a few naps and a few chores.

Return of the Fox

Three of my favorite knitting newsletters hit my inbox today. Knitter’s Review by Clara Parkes, Patternfish Newsletter and the Schoolhouse Press newsletter. These are must-reads as the content is always interesting and useful. I have somehow been unable to receive the Wendy’s Knits newsletters since October 19. They aren’t in my spam folder and the newsletter email address is not in my junk list. Sigh. I miss piccy’s of Loki.

The fox is back; truly a sign the Fall has arrived. He screamed for longer on Wednesday night than Thursday; but each Fall after the clocks change, I wait to hear that he/she is back. There was unusual howling Friday night. Couldn’t identify the critter from the sound. It’s so nice in a brick and concrete city, to know that just beyond the fence that separates my building from the park, there are foxes, coyotes, deer and very rarely a cougar or bear. 

On the needles, the September Fingerless, the She’s Electric skirt, and the Gansey Legwarmers.

Gansey Legwarmers; Knit Picks Palette; Cornmeal colorway

 

I WAS napping.

 

 

 

 

Glove Love

Knitting has made me a mitten maven. Mittens, even flip-top mittens, keep fingers and hands warmer. Flip-top mittens allow you to free your fingers when needed. Moreover, fingerless gloves can keep off the chill and be a fashion statement at the same time.

A couple of weeks ago, I reread Deborah Newton’s article the December 1987/January 1988 issue of Threads on knitting gloves. That inspired me to knit another pair of gloves. Applying the KISS principle, I went to Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns and her basic glove pattern. No, I didn’t swatch (shame, shame). Using a skein of Knit Picks overspun Wool of the Andes and size 2.5mm needles I cast on 56 stitches. I paid very close attention to the thumb increases, marking each one with a coiless pin. In knitting the fingers, I switched to 4” dpns leaving the waiting stitches on the six-inch dpns and only moved the stitches in waiting to thread now that I’m knitting the last two fingers.

 

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside

This is just funny, especially in a week where the local football franchise’s tickets are reselling for as low as $11.00. I had a convo with a co-worker who is going to tomorrow’s game (she’s not happy about the cold weather). The antipathy towards the local NFL franchise has two loci: the owner and the consistently poor performance of the team in recent decades. I can remember the days—before the Super Bowl rich 1980’s—when we may not have been winners, but we were contenders. In the last 20 years, we only seem slowly to descend the ladder of also-rans.

Knitting has been fun this week. I’ve finished the first glove of the September Fingerless Gloves using Knit Picks Telemark in the Cork colorway. What a fun, well-written pattern. My only despair is that it is too cold outside to go fingerless.

Yes, we have freezing temps. The outlook for the coming week doesn’t bode well for those who don’t like the cold. I wore the Little Things hat yesterday and it was toasty.

On the needles are the second September Fingerless, the She’s Electric Skirt and a pair of gloves from Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Book of Patterns in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes overspun yarn sport-weight yarn in the Forest Heather colorway.

Another mad Friday night with Toupie. I really should try to capture on video the look of wild determination on his face when he sprints from one end of the apartment to the other. There was lots of that last night and some wild playing with a ball by the front door. When I made up the bed and turned on the electric blanket, he curled up, head on pillow and didn’t budge till this morning.

Too cold for the tweet tweets

 

When the Ordinary Becomes the Extraordinary

Romo

Now that I no longer work in Adams Morgan, I only see Romo once or twice a week. I was surprised to see this BBC article a couple of months ago. Unaware of his fame, Romo was just the doggie in the window by the bus stop. What I’ve always liked about him is attitude. Traffic, passersby, people waiting at the bus stop, Romo ignores them all most times and focuses on whatever he chooses. He’s in the window because that’s where he wants to be.

Speaking of pets with attitude, Toupie had a spate of mischief of Friday night that has left enervated most of yesterday and this morning. Near midnight Friday, after playing with toys, repeatedly running the length of the apartment, furious play with a stack of post-it arrows, we got into over the trash bin near the computer table. Several times, he knocked it over and dived in with head and paws looking for something he could turn into a toy. I finally solved the problem by removing the trash bag. In between his hijinks, I made progress on the She’s Electric Skirt. The rounds are long, but it is an enjoyable knit.

 

Finished: OdessII in Blackstone Tweed's Ancient Mariner colorway

Mischief

Time to Workout

Action Shot: Clawing Mummy's housecoat when she's in it 

 

Errata

You know those corrections in printed knitting pattern instructions. I’ve learned. I’ve been checking for errata before knitting.

Was told in the automatic checkout line—with the concurrence (both verbal and non-verbal) of others behind me—that I was the fastest person they’d ever seen use the checkout. I thanked the speaker and told him that I hate the automatic check out. For starters, they are too loud and too impersonal. They seem to break or get cranky leaving you waiting for store personnel to help or move you to another machine. People are dreadfully slow using them—even the ones that aren’t on their mobiles. I won’t post how I feel about people on mobiles in grocery stores. They are actually worse than people walking, pacing or coming to a dead stop in the middle of the pavement to make a point to the person on the other end of the line. GRRR

Actually going grocery shopping at most stores is a cross between and three-ring circus and being a lab rat in a maze with a trolley or basket. You barely get in the door before you are confronted with a wall of whatever is on special. The Giant in Silver Spring is notorious for its 10 foot high displays near the Starbucks outlet. These hog the main aisle from the veg to the checkout lanes creating bottlenecks even when the store isn’t crowded.

I’m making good progress on my second Odessa. I a knitting it with Blackstone Tweed which is a denser yarn than the Rowan Felted Tweed. The yarn doesn’t have much give and feels slightly artificial. It will be interesting to see how it responds after a good soaking.

November Starting More Like March

November has come in like a lion. Yesterday was wet, windy and closer to cold than cool. This morning there is a wind advisory. At least there is sunshine, so later today I can take and add piccy's of my completed Little Things hat knit in Knit Picks Palette in the Fairy Tale colorway.

Little Things Hat

Also on the needles is a pair of convertible fingerless knit in Knit Picks Gloss and another Knit Picks yarn whose ball band I've misplaced. Another Odessa hat in Blackstone Tweed in the Ancient Mariner colorway and work continues on the She's Electric skirt.

The best Halloween costume at work this week was a sword wielding bear. No luck in persuading Toupie to go roam the corridors and do the black cat thing Halloween night.

Cheesed Off and some knitting

I’ve neglected blogging. In the past couple of weeks I’ve been a’ swatching. Mostly in the round to get gauge for garments, I want to knit. 

It is frustrating and relaxing at the same time. Frustrating because I’d rather be knitting the garment. Relaxing…well it is knitting after all.

I’ve been a bit cheesed off, lately. I’ve been keeping a tally of the number of emails I receive from Interweaves Knitting Daily, Knitting Traditions. It averages between three to five emails a day. More when there is a sale or special on. Almost all our shilling magazines, patterns, kits, classes or offerings from their “sister” whatever. When Sandi was producing the Knitting Daily emails I actually looked forward to them because at least once a week there was tip or trick that I found helpful and educational. What I really enjoyed was emails where members of the staff all modeled the same sweater sometimes with notes about modifications made. In the past year and half most of these emails just get their boxes ticked and deleted.

What put me over the edge was an email announcing the release of a book of 30 patterns by an author I’d never heard of and can’t find on the web. Worse, the book’s web page only shows four patterns. Four!! I’m used to going to Ravelry to look up all the patterns in an Interweave magazine or book because their previews are so stingy. Unlike Vogue, that not only shows you pictures but for the magazine, you get video of each garment on a live model. So on the strength of four measly photos, Interweave expects that I and thousands of others will plunk down $16.99…not!

I’ve also gotten in touch with the fact that I haven’t nearly knitted down as much stash as I set out to this year. Hence the swatching. I have started knitting the She’s Electric skirt. I used Ysolda’s provisional cast on. I frogged and restarted twice and then went to Mon Tricot knitting patterns book and discovered what I was doing wrong. Third time the charm on size 10 needles. I did a k1p1 instead of the k2p2 ribbing, but I now know how to do a k2p2 with this cast on. It makes a lovely edge for the skirt. Not fears of rolling or curling. I repeated the garter squares chart twice to lengthen the skirt from 16” to 20”. I am using Knit Picks Telemark in the Carnation colorway. I bought 10 skeins when KP discontinued this lovely to knit with yarn.

 

 

Dignity and Serenity....not

Don't be fooled

If there is one area in which I am a bad pet parent, it is in remembering Toupie's age. I remember is birthday, October 27. Just can't ever remember if the year is 2005 or 2006.

In honor of his upcoming date of birth, I purchased some organic catnip (or nip as it is known around here) last night.

What constantly amazes me is that Toupie recognizes shopping bags (totes, plastic or paper) as containing items which he can either try to retrieve or rearrange for a bed. Most amazing is that he immediately recognizes the pet store plastic bag. So last night when I put down the tote containing the bag from the pet store, the usual welcoming trills, purring and leg rubbing came to an immediate halt and his entire attention was given to getting the bag out of the tote. I intervened securing the bag and it's contents. The sample box of pet food (which I use for treats) I put on the floor near his food bowls. A period of total ecstasy followed. He trilled and pawed the box. Then rolled back an forth on the floor his eyes glazed with pleasure. I opened a can of wet food, but there was not response from him to the sound. Nip secured briefly in the fruit stand, I stepped over his prone form to put the bowl down. A few minutes later he went over to check the bowl and its contents. Then he marched into the dining room and began to meow. I was going that way to start my dinner. When I emerged from the kitchen he was sitting by the small three draw plastic cabinet. Then he was on his hind legs. Paws on the cabinet. Next he tried to jump up. That didn't work. Then he tried climbing, but fell before reaching the top. I quickly removed the nip from the fruit stand (which is on a table next to the cabinet). I quickly walked through the living and into the closet leading to the bathroom (closing the closet door behind me) and put the nip in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

After dinner I took the plastic jar (used for marinating toys in nip) to the bathroom and put a little nip in, shook the toys and emerged. At my feet, Toupie cavorted, jumped, circumnavigated, rubbed against my ankles alternating vocalizations. Finally I put a nip encrusted white fluffy toy on the crocheted rug. Twenty minutes of heaven ensued. A nap, some dinner and he was back pawing my ankles as I sat at the computer. Two nip marinated toys later, he was finally ready for bed.

Return of the Kitten

Toupie had an attack of the crazies yesterday that included a frantic tail chasing session. I haven’t seen him chase his tail in years. There was also a minor attack on the small packet of M&M’s in my tote bag. Managed to nip that in the bud. It all ended in a long nap curled up on one of the crocheted rugs.

Despite completing two projects in July, I feel terribly behind in my knitting progress. Finally started a Hitchhiker after admiring so many, especially those knit by Lindylou on Ravelry. The pattern is simple, I just couldn’t get it. After getting guidance and using post-it highlight tape, things have started to move.

 

 

Finished my first Citron; it just needs blocking. I think I’ll do this again in a lace weight yarn.

 

Weeding

Quiet start to the month as I wait for a temp assignment. It’s August in Washington. Congress is recessed; people are on holiday. Between interviews, testing, and emails, I’ve been doing some serious weeding. The eye that had the surgery has less inflammation and longer periods when I hardly notice it all. At my last visit, the IOP was 6, which is totally normal.

Weeding

I am seriously weeding my books and contributing them to the sharing space in the laundry room. Last week’s lot went in under 30 minutes. It’s been a revealing look at myself. I’d forgotten about my Somerset Maugham phase; but well remember the Thomas Hardy phase.

It’s also a revealing look at the past. I estimate about 80 percent of my books were purchased in bookstores. Looking at the inventory labels and sales receipts (interesting how many sales receipts I used as bookmarks), only Barnes and Noble and two local shops: Kramer’s and Politics and Prose remain. This is the loss of an experience, of a way of making a consumer choice. With many of these books, I can remember, even without a sales receipt or inventory label, where and when I purchased them. How the impetus to explore and read came not from Amazon reviews and the frustratingly limited look inside but more often than not from the physical act of browsing sparking curiosity leading to reading either the back cover or a chapter and the spontaneous decision to invest not only my money but also my time. There was no waiting for the two-day delivery, but the immediate visceral satisfaction of allowing the pages of my purchase to transport me as soon as I boarded the bus.

Make no mistake; it is not my intention to knock the Amazon experience. I find it gives me a greater option for purchasing used books and it is great purchasing option when you know what you want. There on the screen is not only the price but also the in stock status. In addition, I do remember the bad old days when a non-mass market book required phoning around or even placing an order through a brick and mortar store with the publisher and the subsequent 5 to 10 day or more wait.

None of this disruption has made Toupie happy. The stacks of books in the foyer cut into his play space and he has tired of sniffing them. If there is a successful way to undertake clearing out without making a major temporary mess, I haven’t found it.

I like being on top of the drying rack

Knitting

Meanwhile my knitting continues. I have an Ishbel, a Citron and the Skyp Socks (still) on the needles.

I’ve completed the Bodhisattva class. I take my vows next month. The class was a good in deepening my understanding of the material I’ve studied and confirmed that I am ready to commit to the aspiration.

June-July 2014

Sock Blockers

Yes! I finally took the plunge. I ordered a small size and thought them too large, but they are perfect. My socks dry faster and it is easier slipping them on the blocker than trying to lay them out perfectly to dry.

Eye Surgery

For years now, I have inter-ocular pressure that isn’t caused by glaucoma, cataracts or my diabetes and I’ve been on a daily regime of drops, which has managed but not significantly lessen the pressure. The pressure continue to damage the eye nerve and my vision continues to deteriorate. About two years ago, I had laser surgery on my right eye to create new drainage channels for the fluid. Again, the pressure dropped but remained steady after dropping. Last week I had a trab, a surgery that creates a permanent drainage channel where the eyeball and lid meet. (Shiver inducing isn’t it). I was beyond nervous about the surgery, but for several factors:

·         I have total faith in my ophthalmologist’s skill

·         There’s nothing wrong with being afraid

·         If the surgery works—it will be several weeks before we know—it will stop or severely retard vision loss.

I haven’t had pain as such. Just discomfort, like having a grain of something in your eye that doesn’t move. That is mostly from the stitches. The eye is a bit gloopy in the morning but once I do the series of drops and gently clean my lashes, I can see well out of the eye with occasional tearing episodes. The swelling has gone down considerably and I can almost open my eye normally. I feeling less fragile and was actually awake all day yesterday—I think the tiredness from the stress, the surgery, and the 10-12 hour days I’ve been working the last month finally wore off.

Toupie, of course, is very happy that I am “around”. He immediately was aware that something was different when I came home with the eye patch. Lots of considered staring. He alternated between sitting on top of the futon to watch me carefully when I curled up to nap and curling up next to me. He has gotten used to my neighbor, who has been keeping an eye on me, coming over and even jumped up on the dresser as an invitation to pet me during one of her visits. He was even friendly to another neighbor last evening during our kitchen sink clog drama.

How about a bit of give and go?

Knitting

I finished the Ann Budd socks using KP’s bare Donegal Tweed yarn. I started a knitting the Weaver’s Socks using KP Essential in soot and the remaining KP Tiger yarn but I have to put these on hold as knitting with black yarn and 1.5 eyes just wasn’t working. I think I shall move on to the Mobius Cowl pattern featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting Winter 2013/14 as a stash-busting project.

Sock picky time!

Bodhisattva Vow

I have been accepted to take the Bodhisattva Vow in September. It is a vow of aspiration that by cultivating Bodhichitta—the mind of compassion--following the Noble Eightfold Path, and the six paramitas, I dedicate my life to alleviating the suffering of all sentient beings. No this doesn’t mean I rush out to do good works. It simply means that through following the disciplines I develop the ability to be genuine, awake and compassionate as skills to help others become the same.

Deer

I saw deer from my window for the first time this spring. I always see them in pairs. These two casually grazed the grass mown earlier in the week. 

I washed and wore the Diagonal Rib Socks this week. The Jackalope yarn has that perfect balance of softness (without being limp), roundness in the fibres, and twist. The socks were soft as butter on my feet.

 

I’m on the foot, which I’m knitting in stockinette, of the first Simple Skyp Socks. Whilst trying on the sock, I dropped one of the dpns. Despite my best efforts in and under furniture, the dpn has disappeared. Therefore, I took the plunge and order a set of the Knit Pro Karbonz dpns. One of the reviews on Amazon best summed up my experience: the needles have enough grip to hold the stitches but are smooth enough to allow the easy movement of stitches on the needle. Skimming through Vogue Knitting Early Fall, there is a short article on the Knitter’s Pride company. 

Finally accustomed to the Zitron XXL yarn. It’s a bit hard without being hard on the hands. It really shows the ribbing in the pattern. 

I thought I’d lost my utilitarian pair of glasses. But lo and behold during my weekly tidy up I found the meaning I can postpone my visit to the opticians until the beginning of July. But this experience has taught me that I do need a backup pair. 

I’ve finally perfect my black bean recipe. I’ve been looking for another alternative to tofu and lentils as a non-meat protein. What I’ve been aiming for is sort of a Cuban citrus and vinegar-like flavor. I achieved that today with half an onion, a bit of rice vinegar, the juice of two limes and a variety of spices (Garam Masala, cilantro, turmeric, cumin, chili lime salt, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper) to a cup of dried black beans. Delish!

Another Post about Socks

I kept my vow of knitting from stash for six months this year. Yes, it would have lasted longer had I not gone to Looped Yarn Works to get needles and stitch markers. However, I need blue socks to go with my blue shoes. I found a skein of Zitron XXL sans label and it’s hard to match colorways on the monitor so I’m out of luck. I didn’t want to match either the shoes or trousers I’d be wearing so I purchased a skein that is navy with blue-grey and turquoise in it.

My other purchase was a set of Knitter’s Pride Karbonz needles. They aren’t cheap, but they are light in hand and a dream to knit with.

I finally finished the Diagonal Rib socks. YaY!

Diagonal Rib Socks in Light Brown Hare Jackalope Kitten #2 colorway

In an effort to move out from plain vanilla socks, I settled on the Simple Skyp Socks pattern by Adrienne Ku. I am taking Shirley Paden’s advice: always use stitch markers to separate your pattern. Really loving the Clover XS Triangle Stitch markers for sock knitting. They are just the right size not to wobble around and the triangle shape means they don’t appear to create move space between stitches.

The shawl-knitting urge has passed, but with the sock knitting remnants, I’m thinking about a colorwork cowl.

Toupie spent the entire day—with his usual resettling moves and a few ventures to the food bowl and box—in bed yesterday. Got up this morning and ate an entire can of cat food. I gave him a hard look this morning. Does sleeping burn that many calories?

Sun-dappled paws

 

Sleeping Puss

 

 

Anticipating the World Cup

I’m off to Baltimore every day for the next three days for a Buddhist class. I am hoping to sit with minimal twitching. Since I won’t be staying in a hotel, it means daily travel back and forth. I have my train tickets and I’m taking Monday off to recover.

The World Cup starts in a week. It’s an that event none of my current colleagues or local friends are interested in. Everyone that I’ve shared the experience with is now scattered: other parts of the US, Germany, Malaysia, China, except of course Toupie.

 

Talk about totally engrossed in England v. Germany in the 2010 World Cup.

What is encouraging is the exponential growth since 2002 in the number of bars, restaurants and other venues showing broadcasts of all or most of the matches.

 

My knitting is suffering from the amount of work I’ve had to do at home preparing for our summer conference. I’m finishing the toe on the second Diagonal Rib Sock. I have recommitted my self to knit at least one project during the WC.

The achievement I’m so pleased with is changing my clothes and keeping them in order by color in the closet for over two weeks. It’s such a simple idea, but it makes all the difference.

Twitching Termite

Truly, I can’t recall have such a difficult time just sitting on the meditation cushion as I had this weekend; hence the title of this post. I still find the Lotus position challenging but I usually can settle after the first hour of sitting in a position that allows me to keep my head and shoulders with minimum leg discomfort. Now I have been experiencing occasional pain in my thigh just above my left knee. I’m seeing the doctor in a week about it. However, this weekend, it was my left knee, both feet and ankles which seem to have painful flares up that kept me changing my position, or pulling my knees up or any variation that would achieve relief. Finally, in the last two hours of sitting, I found straddling a gomden with zafu on top comfortable. Yes, I have the option of sitting in a chair; but from experience, I am more likely to doze off in a chair than sitting on a cushion.

This weekend marked the end of the foundational series of Shambhala teachings. It’s an achievement, but what is more important to me is that I followed my heart and mind and stepped away two years ago to focus and practice what I’d learned in the previous year and half accompanied by study to really understand the view, philosophy and implementation of the teachings.

What those two years gave me is a real aspiration to take the Bodhisattva Vow.

I haven’t knit as much as I aspired to. I just finished the first of the Diagonal Rib Socks and will cast on the second sock today. But I am still knitting from stash, which is a good thing.

I listened to a marvelous audio book, The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It is the Mahabharata narrated from the point of view of Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. The Mahabharata is a marvelous Indian epic, comparable to the Iliad and the Odyssey in Western literature that his part myth part history with underlying moral and ethical lessons. I’ve actually seen two productions done for television. One a truncated Western retelling of the story as a play and the 89-episode Indian television production. Most Westerners have heard of the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita is a part of the Mahabharata.

Toupie was slightly traumatized by the installation of the new HVAC unit and system. I think it was the drilling and banging that got to him. He still stares at the unit when it comes on, but it was about two weeks before he would jump up on to go to the windowsill. I was amused by the Internet video sensation of the cat who defended the little boy being attacked by a dog. Cats are territorial not just of their space but of the people they live with. In the days when I would order a Chinese food delivery. Toupie would chase the deliveryman down the hall, return to the apartment and attack the bag of food. I’m sure the local Chinese eateries are happy that woman with the mad cat doesn’t call anymore.

Make the Bed, Mum

Proof that a long session of brushy tames the tiger in the kitty.

Started the Contemporary Brewster Socks to Knit sometime in 2011 in Knit Picks Essential Eggplant Hand Dyed Yarn. Perfect example of second sock syndrome. Finished the first sock shortly after casting on. It languished on the computer table for at least a year. Can't remember when I started the second sock. I found it during a stash organizing session and moved it to the to be finished bag. Finally finished it on Monday.

Currently on the needles is a pair of socks using Plymouth Yarn Sockin' Sock.

Spring?

I finally proved something I suspected this week. I have been puzzled why on some days when the temperature outside is cold (or very cold) the first floor of the office is comfortable and on other days when the outside temperature is more seasonable, there is a definite chill on the first floor. I’d noticed that the days when it feels chilly are days when it is raining or rain is expected. A print out of data from the National Weather Service for the most recent three days, supported that the higher the dew point the more we feel a chill in the office. I suspect that the cause is in the way the building was constructed.

Stash busting continues alongside finishing wips. I am finishing a pair of fingerless convertible mittens in Artful Yarns Old Western; I’ve completed the matching beret. I just need to knit the thumbs on the BonBons2 fingerless mitts. Lastly, I have a pair of Brewster socks in Knit Picks Essential sock yarn in the Eggplant Kettle Hand Dyed colorway. Then it is on to the grey socks. I am behind on my goal of knitting 1k yards per month.

 

 

Toupie went down for his afternoon nap about an hour ago.

Random Thoughts and Poor Customer Service

Late last week the weather turned miraculously and unseasonably warm. As the snow finally began to melt from pavements and curbs--where it was heaped in frozen hillocks making crossing the road a challenge—I discovered the joy of wearing shoes again. Since mid-January boots were the order of the day either to negotiate the frozen precipitation or for warmth.

Shopping for light bulbs isn’t simple any more. There’s halogen, LED, spotlights, CFL bulbs that last for 9 years providing x wattage but using x amount of electricity…good grief. TMI, I just needed x wattage in a plain old light bulb that doesn’t cost the bleeding earth. So off to Amazon I went.

On my to-do list since last year has been the task to set up a corporate account with Southwest Airlines. Southwest doesn’t list its flight inventory in the usual airline databases. Booking a flight means entering traveler information for each flight and fiddling either with paper or .pdf files if flights need to be cancelled or changed. Naturally, I had a few questions about how their corporate program operated.

A little history is in order. Southwest was the first budget/low-cost airline I’d flown. It was in 1986 or 87. I was used to full-service airlines, which in those days included meals, drinks and treats served by cabin staff. It was an early morning flight to Albuquerque. Breakfast consisted of a blueberry muffin and coffee, tea, and juice. I asked the cabin attendant for another blueberry muffin and was sharply informed that it was one muffin to a customer. I looked at the cart full of muffins and then at the cabin attendant and replied, “Well I won’t be flying this airline again.” And I didn’t until 2012.

After two days, one email, two dozen phone calls, and two voice mails, I finally got a returned call yesterday evening. Before the call, I had decided, that if I didn’t have a voice mail or return call this morning, I was going to complain on Twitter. The corporate accounts person was very nice, very apologetic—more than a little relieved that his call avoided my going to Twitter—and I finally got the information I need to proceed.

I subscribed to Vogue Knitting magazine in December or January and am supposed to receive a login to download an electronic copy of the mag to my tablet. Well it’s February and the spring issue is out and I don’t have a login and haven’t received a response to my email of Thursday last requesting one. So, now that Southwest is taken care of I’ll be chasing up Vogue and maybe this week they’ll be able to respond in the 48 hour time guarantee as stated on their website.

On the 14^th of February I ordered a mobile WiFi device. I was promised an email when the product shipped. Called last week. They were expecting a shipment of the devices by the end of the week and I should have an email with shipping details by Monday or Tuesday. Called yesterday, and the shipment is due next week and I’m on the priority list. Well a simple query to the database for all orders not filled, merged with an email apologizing for the inconvenience and a statement of when shipment is expected and I suspect I, along with countless others, would be happy campers.

I started the BonBons Mitts last Friday using Harrisville New England Shetland. I just need to knit the thumbs. 

Toupie sat out his food coma this morning on the dresser. He’s just never happy when he sees the camera:

 

But the prospect of a catnip marinated toy:

 

 

 

Last week a good friend died. She was a rare jewel in so many ways. Her smile was a beam of equanimity, warmth, and joy. She always spoke of her family and her husband with love and respect; not that there weren’t times of annoyance or disagreement but the love and respect always shone through. She was a very pious Christian but so human and humble with and about her faith. She would laugh with you about you but laughed best at herself. She wasn’t rich or powerful in position, but her absence over the months of her illness and now her death has left an empty space in the lives of her family and the hundreds all over the world who knew her that only memories can fill. And despite my sadness that she is no longer here, I am comforted by so many memories and touched by how often we laughed, even at the serious. What more can be said of a life well lived, than her husband’s words: If you want to remember Ernie, be like her.

Knitting from stash continues. I have a pair of legwarmers on the needles, though I fear it will be too warm to wear them when finished. The Gold Socks are done. I realized on the second sock that I neglected to put in the ribbing on the foot. I didn’t want to frog and reknit. I am seeing the need for a yarn scale to give me some idea of how much yarn I have remaining at the end of a project. I suspect I have about half the skein of this yarn.

 

Toupie wasn’t interested in this morning’s sock photo session.

He curled up on the crocheted rug awaiting a more exciting activity: like following me to the kitchen to watch as I made my second cup of coffee.

Snow, Knitting, and Toupie

Between the southerly dips of Arctic air and the march of Nor’easters, this winter is leaving us buffeted between waves of frigid temperatures and snow and freezing rain. Phil’s prediction was surplus to requirements: We didn’t need a extricated rodent to tell us that we were in for another six weeks of winter. 

Acclimatization comes surprisingly quickly. People were walking around in light jackets and sweaters the day after last week’s big snow. Temperatures were in the mid-thirties. Indeed, at the bus stop on Friday morning, I thought I could have worn my fingerless gloves and been quite comfortable.

It is perfect weather for knitted goods. My Nomads Hat keeps my head quite toasty. Scrolling through saved patterns, I found the Simpliworsted Gansey Mittens & Neck Warmer by Geoff Hunnicutt for Skacel. I used Cascade Eco+ in Lavendar Heather colorway on size 8 dpns to create a very tight fabric. This was a quick knit. Next time I knit this pattern, I will make the cuffs longer.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I managed to capture post breakfast photos of Toupie this morning. He demolished a can of food formulated for indoor cats overnight, so I expected he wouldn’t have been as hungry this morning. Wrong! He settled down to the bowl and finished half of the this morning’s can. After mounting the bookcase for a session of face washing, the food coma set in:

That is until he discovered he was being photographed:

I listened to Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thurbon. If I had unlimited resources and unlimited time, this is the journey I would take. It is rather dispiriting to think that war and political unrest makes such trip almost impossible these days, but on the other hand, hasn’t it always been so. What makes the Silk Road so intriguing is its endurance despite the constant transformations from migrations, ecological changes, war, the rise and fall of polities. Travelogues are not something I find enjoyable, but as always, it is the writing that draws one in. Here the Shadow of the Silk Road succeeds. 

I also finished listening to The Jewel in the Crown, the first book of the Raj Quartet by Paul Scott. I had read the quartet in the 80’s and 90’s. It struck me on listening how such disparate characters are clearly drawn and through the narration of these characters; the plot is moved forward despite the fractured narration. What particularly impressed me was how well he captured how much of the Indian’s time, thought, and effort was spent in dissecting, analyzing and developing strategies to deal with the British. Not just in the political arena, but in negotiating the minutiae of everyday life. I understood the criticism of a younger Indian relayed by one of the narrators that too much time and effort was spent by Congresswallahs under the Raj on politics when that time and effort should have been spent on learning how things worked or on building the practical competencies to run the economic and social engines of the nation that emerged after independence. In short, those in the independence movement let the British determine how power would be negotiated when real power is self-sufficiency and that means having the local/indigenous competency to manage the social and economic infrastructure.  

This resonated with me because I see as a lesson to be learned for all peoples who lack access to institutional or political power. That the primary focus is on gaining access to political power is on that power—elections, policies, etc., not on developing competency that puts people in the position to be the locomotives of implementation. Once the political access is gained, the engines underlying infrastructure--that is the real bulwark of power—never changes or changes much more slowly because the focus on competency comes after the focus on political power.

The Clown, The Devil and the House Detective and Don’t Forget the Nun with Red Nail Polish

This is a random post about random things with some knitting thrown in.

I’ve decided that 2014 is the year of my stash. Reacquainting myself with what I have—not just by looking at what I’ve logged on Ravelry—and knitting or crocheting it. As well as finishing or frogging any wips. My goals for the year is to knit or crochet 10K yards; that works out to a minimum of 833 yards worked a month.

I am one of the 70+ million affected by the Target credit breach. It’s been an interesting experience not pulling out the card for every purchase. One is constrained to spend only what is in pocket at the moment and I have found that I purchase more of what I need than what I want. In that sense, it has been a sobering look at how I spend. The frustration is that the card-issuing industry and merchants, especially the big-box stores, haven’t been more proactive in instituting the more secure chip cards and in making their own systems more secure. This being the second year—last year it was the Knit Picks breach—that I’ve been at risk from a data breach, I will definitely be more of a cash-only shopper going forward. Here is an interesting article on the situation.

In reading yarn reviews on Ravelry, one often encounters complaints about knots in skeins—the more expensive the yarn the more strident the complaints. I suppose I’ve been lucky, but I haven’t encountered the problem until lately. There were about 5 knots (places where the yarn is joined by knotting) in the 1.5 skeins of the Harrisville yarn used for my latest cowl. It was surprised by not annoyed. The Harrisville Shetland Tweed is a lovely rustic yarn. A little hard on the hands when knitting but I was able to offset that with generous applications of Lavishea and Aloe Vesta. Yes, there was veggie matter; but what do expect in a rustic yarn. What I must enjoy about yarns like the Harrisville Shetland Tweed is that once soaked, blocked and dried, the stitches relax, the yarn blooms nicely and softens and the result is a wonderful fabric. This yarn was perfect for the Cowls pattern, which is one of my favorites.

 

Speaking of finishing wips, I finally finished the Nomad Hat and Scarf started in 2011. Why so long? Well the yarn got scattered (disorganized stashing) and as I was finishing it, I realized I hated the yarn. I also realized that I prefer scarves to cowls, so I didn’t knit the scarf to the full length called for in the pattern. The hat is wonderfully warm and matches my purple coat. I’m thinking of knitting this again, probably in Cascade Eco.

Currently on the needles is Harvest Moon by Florencemary. I’m using the Sirritogv 2ply, which I think is the wrong yarn because it doesn’t show the pattern very well. But it will be wonderfully warm when finished.

Toupie has become quite spoiled as the office was closed between Christmas and New Year’s and then I was home last week for the Kagyu Monlam. It has been bitterly cold most of the last two weeks and remains so. He spends most of his time nestled on the ottoman or lounging on the top of the bookcase…when he isn’t pestering me for treats or for a frantic game of rolling one of his toys across the floor.

2013 Best and Worst

It was the best of times

• Finding physio therapist that is really effective with a fun staff
• Taking two classes with the amazing and talented Shirley Paden
• Spending a wonderful day with Nicky
• Providing the reception for those taking Refuge and Bodhisattva vows
• Denise’s birthday party
• Visiting San Antonio and my best mate
• Putting a care package together for a found kitty
• Toupie: mad, bad, and totally cute

As always, friendship: that in the midst of all that life throws at us; it is the people in your life that make it bearable

It was the worst of times

• My right shoulder
• The cat bite that ended in a day at the hospital

Best Knitting Books of 2013

• Knit to Flatter by Amy Herzog
• Shetland Lace Knitting by Liz Lovick

Best Audiobook Listens of 2013

• Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition
• The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the American Dust Bowl

 

The Goldilocks Dilemma or Size Matters

I have now changed the size 1 needles used to knit the Diagonal Rib Socks by Ann Budd. When knitting plain vanilla socks for myself, casting on 56 to 60 stitches usually works for me. 56 stitches in sock or fingering weight wool fit comfortably on the 4” Knit Picks wood dpns. Knitting with sport or dk weight wool where I am generally using 48 to 52 stitches works well on the ChiaoGoo or Knitter’s Pride Karbonz 6” dpns. I found myself struggling in the past 24 hours to find a length that works. Finally, last night I switched to the 5” no-name bamboo needles and the 65 stitches fit comfortably, enabling me finally to pick up some speed in working the pattern.

I ran into the same problem when knitting Little Things by Veera Välimäki. Started on size 2 KP nickel, ripped and switched to size four ChiaoGoo Bamboo; ripped and switched to size 5 ChiaoGoo Bamboo and finally got a looser but still firm fabric and my knitting speed returned to normal.

I am so far happy with both projects. For the Diagonal Rib Socks, I am using Light Brown Hare’s Jackalope in the Kitten 2 colorway. I chose the pattern, first because my 2014 goal is knitting socks with stitch patterns and colorwork; and second because I suspected, and it has proved true, that the stitch pattern would prevent noticeable pooling. The yarn is soft and not splitty without that cotton candy squishiness that sometimes happens with superwash Merino and the stitch definition is good. Light Brown Hare also sells nice stitch markers.

For Little Things, I am using Black Welsh Mountain yarn that I bought from Countrybyrd on Ravelry. A nice rustic yarn that is a little hard on the fingernails, but which blooms and softens nicely after soaking.