Murray River Salt, Dr. Bronners Sal Suds and Other Great Finds

Elegant Lap Rug

Toupie on the dresser while I'm at the computer

It's already February and that seems to be going fast. Took my first ever trip to the DMV to get a non-drivers ID. What fun. Took 30 minutes. But unlike a lot of people, I'd filled out the forms from online, had all of my documentation and ID at hand. I'm even pleased with my photo.

Made two discoveries much to my delight: Exquisite Fabrics--which has been the main source of my wardrobe for almost 30 years--is switching from brick and mortar to an online store. In the meantime, the bargins are amazing on some of the best fabric you'll ever buy.

I also discovered Spice and Tea Exchange in Georgetown (www.spiceandtea.com) and they carry catnip. Toupie now demands his morning 'nip fix by knocking the catnip jar down. They have a good variety of spices, spice mixes, teas, sugars and salts. I bought a small bag of Murray River Basin salt. Yes, it's from the Murray River in Australia. I'd happily put another shrimp on the barbie or a slab (that's Australian for steak) for that matter with this rich, buttery salt.

I am knitting two lap blankets for kidney patients that will be given at the AKF walk in Washington in June. I choose Universal Yarns Classic Chunky Tweed. This is a nice yarn with a nice hand. Perfect for a blanket and would make a nice cabled hoodie. It's 79% Acrylic and 18% wool, machine washable and dryable. I have had the Sutherland Studios Elegant Lap Blanket in my Ravelry queue since January 2009 waiting for a yarn like this. I am madly searching for a nice non-wool bulk yarn to use for the second blanket.

The Lady Kina continues. I try to do several rows each night. I bought this on Amazon to keep the Lady Kina as it has outgrown it's baggie. I still want to get one of  the see-through project bags from Knit Picks but couldn't justify the shipping for one item when I can get free shipping from Amazon.

Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds. OMG...should have known it would be amazing. It is a Dr. Bronner's product. Light scent, amazing cleaning. I can't wait to the mop the kitchen floor with this stuff.

Cat under the covers and SOS

Berocco Remix Strawberry before washing



Berocco Remix Strawberry after washing

Lady Kina so far

Toupie under the covers



 My Lady Kina has entered the SOS (sea of stockingnette) stage. I was actually able to knit several rows before and after my eye surgery on Friday. Knitting is SOOOO comforting when you are stressed. And I was stressed. The one question I always meant to ask and never did was exactly what the set up would be and how the surgery was done. Well it didn't live up to my Dr. Frankenstein concept of laying on a table and with a giant laser beam (usually used for shooting down asteroids) being beamed into my eye. It was all quite simple, except for twinges, painless; and over in less than 10 minutes. I'm now on anti-inflammatory drops 3x/d. Going to bed was an adjustment the first night: I've had to readjust my life to make sure I get the three sets of drops in at reasonable intervals before bed.

I wound the second ball of the Rowan Creative Focus and I don't think I will do it with subsequent balls as I continue the sos on the Lady Kina. I've noticed that there are thick and thin places in the yarn now. I've readjusted my knitting to compensate for them.

The Berocco Remix is an amazing yarn. 100% recycled fibers It is 30% Nylon, 27% cotton 24% acrylic10% Silk and 9% Linen. It is soft on the hands to knit. I read the reviews and had the same experience of it growing after washing and drying. It did bleed a little. I knit the sample in size 8, 5 and 7 needles. The bit knit at size 8 produces the most drapey fabric. Size 5 produces a firm but not stiff fabric. I'm seriously thinking about the Gansey Skirt for this yarn. As well as perhaps, one of the lap blankets I'm knitting for AKF walk.

Toupie, as you can see from the piccy, was using my grandmother's bedspread for a blankie while sleeping (until I showed up with the camera) under the covers before I got in bed last night.

Lady Kina Progress

I often feel like photos of wip are like ultrasound photos...is that the head...well, my Lady Kina is finally at a point where the photo shows the developing garment.

Life and Knitting

Snow and sleet overnighit followed by freezing rain this morning. Not much accumulation but with that combination quantity is never the issue. I only listened to the local weather for about three minutes this morning. I turned off the radio the minute they started going to reporters based at various locations to report on "conditions."

Kitty, of course, had to see what all the fuss was about.

Piccy's of my Lady Kina. I've bound off and knit one sleeve. Getting ready to knit the back, bind off and knit the other sleeve. I have to confess, until about noon today, I’ve been knitting on faith and trust the the instructions were right. It seemed there were too many stitches and that this was going to be enormous. For the 100th time, I reread the instructions for where I was in the knitting and I where I needed to go and realized that I was at the point where it was time to place the stitch markers and start binding off for the sleeves. It was doing those steps for one sleeve and draping the knitting over my shoulders that showed me that so far this fits!!! I haven’t been this excited since I knit the heel and gusset on my first sock.

I'm really enjoying the Rowan Creative Focus yarn. It's a bit loosely spun, the alpaca content makes it hairy, but I'm glad I am knitting more of a vest with it than a sweater because it is going to be a garment that will keep me warm.

One of the bad things about shopping on the Internet is that since you don't bring the items home in hand, you often forget what you order. I bought several books with just lucious patterns and information. A Fine Fleece, Fresh Fashion Knits, Two Sticks and Strings were all purchased used but are in perfect condition. I also purchased Knit Fix from the KP sale, which has already helped me solve a consistent problem I've had with my knitting.

Because of a major meeting at work this year, I won't be able to participate in the AKF Steps That Count Walk. After looking at washcloths, discloths, cotton swifter covers, I've settled on knitting a couple of lap blankets for kidney patients that can be auctioned off at the walk.

I opened Netflix today and one of the recommended Watch Instantly categories based on my selected criteria was Critically Aclaimed Movies about Mid-Life Crisis. I was gobsmacked. Who wants to watch films like that on a dreary Saturday morning?

Manic Monday

Toupie on top of the bookshelf looking quite annoyed that he's being photographed...again.

The Hurricane Hat in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool Birch Tweed. Easy peasy knit that would have taken me one day had I not gotten so engrossed in A Dance to the Music In Time (more about that later).

Okay, so I knit the hat this weekend. Wore it this morning. Walked into Crumbs and Coffee. Two people ahead of me what do I see: a woman wearing the Hurricane H, at. A friend had knit it for her.

Wore the Mitered Mitts today. Toasty.

Lady Kina Progress Update: Knit on to a 40” size 7 circular. Lost a little time this weekend having to undo half a row (thank goodness for lifelines) after misunderstanding an increase. Back on track now. Knitting the 4” before the sleeve bind off. Will do more piccys when I start the sleeves.

Now back to A Dance to the Music In Time. Watched this on Saturday. The reviews on Netflix were deadful and off putting. It's a particularly English drama. As I watched it, while engrossed, I can understand why most American viewers were put off. It's full of little, very British references--some of them quite witty--which if you don't get it, you don't get it. I got them; I got the cliquey old school tie relationships that guide you through life bit and how the experiences and relationships formed in a private school setting end up making you very comfortable with people from that environment whether you like them or not. It was sort of Glittering Prizes set in the 1930's.

I bought a yarntainer. Been wanting one forever. It was on sale with free shipping. What can I say. It's really nice, much better than ziploc bags for holding your yarn. Makes moving projects from chair to chair to bed very easy.

Have seen some delicious Madelinetosh yarn in Nutmeg, Copper, and Walnut. Can I afford three skeins of Madelinetosh. Must do budget.

Bought my sister a microwave steamer today. It's on it's way to her.

Had lovely snow which won't last and will probably reemerge as black ice just in time for rush hour tomorrow morning.

1710mg of sodium

I've been eating one raw meal a day for over a month. Took a bit of getting used to but now it's so much easier. But yesterday, I was feeling a bit peckish (I ate lunch at 11:30) in the afternoon and wanted something hot and cooked. I decided on a hamburger. I rejected Burger King. Wandered into 7-11 and one look at their frozen, microwaveable hamburgers sent my blood pressure sky high. The hambuger (not the cheesburger) contained 1710mg of sodium. That's a little less than .75 of the total recommended amount of sodium per day. Sheesh. I fled the store trembling, went to the coffee shop and got a whole wheat bagel toasted with regular cream cheese.

Why are Target lemons .52 each and Safeway's .99 each? Long live Trader Joe's who sells 6 lemons for about $1.50.

I've not been feeling well which I put down to diet. I've cut out most everything that isn't healthy (with the exception of the bagel and a slice of Fresh and Natural Pumpkin Spice cake--justified on account that all the ingredients are organic and it contains no eggs or hydronated oil). I've even had a few coffee free days. I'm starting to feel the difference.

I'm making progess on my Lady Kina. This weekend I will start the sleeves.

Doesn't look like much at the moment. Will post more piccys on the weekend.

Mitered Mitts Done; Top-Down Gauge Swatch Drying

Well I did the thumb trick and I don't like it. It's too nerve racking plain and simple. I think the fact that the stitches were at an angle made it more nerve racking. On the right hand glove the thumb begins too close to the center and the left thumb is at an odd angle. But both gloves are wearable. The salmon is a lovely color (I don't think any of the photos really capture that.

I do love the pattern and will make again. There is a thumb that others have done on Ravelry, which I will take a look at. I am also considering just knitting with a provisional yarn at the 5.5" point in the glove and then unravelling the provisional yarn, picking up the stitches and knitting the thumb that way. I don't have a yarn scale, but I reckon I used .75-.80 of a 220 yd skein. That works out to wool and alpaca mittens for under $5.00.

Something finally registered this morning as I was reading the pattern for the Mobius Cowl with the
I-cord edging knit at the same time as the cowl in Knitting Around. I'm amazed how dense I can be sometimes.

Legwarmers have been on my wish list and I'd sort of set aside the Gansey Legwarmers as a potential, which they still are. However, this morning I spied these but the pattern wasn't for sale this morning, but it was this afternoon, so I bought it. I am considering Cascade Eco+ in Cinnamon.

I'm participating in the top-down sweater KAL. After being horridly undecided, I finally settled on Lady Kina. Since there is such a difference in my shoulder and bust width, I'm knitting size 44 but using a cable cast on and will knit the garter stitch rows using a size 5 needle to compensate for the propensity of garter stitch to grow. I've also decided to do bust darts using the instructions from the Knotions website as a guide.

Haven't felt well all weekend and today I have sore throat. Been drinking hot water with lemon all afternoon and finally broke down and took a motrin. Should have known something was up when I went to bed at 7:30 on New Year's Eve and then took a three hour nap yesterday morning :(.