Pischi Days

Dream of a Cardi

Just when I thought that I couldn't produce a proper sweater, I find that its best to get back to basics. With one of my oldest friends coming to visit, I had to clean out the craft closet and the guest room. Among my 4 boxes of yarn were several skeins of Marks and Kattens Dream in a light shade of blue. With Arwen in tatters and my sweater mojo along with it, high time to shake off the bad karma and cast on a "no fail" project. I chose Bonni Marie Burns Sitcom Chic.

I shlepped this sweater everywhere and, yes, I had my set backs. After attaching the sleeves and merrily knitting along, I stopped to count front, sleeve, and back stitches.  I missed several decreases somewhere and was forced to rip out a days worth of knitting. Here I actually captured a stitch way down in the center some where.
Not to be deterred I used my new found math skills and paid closer attention to my count in round two. Success. I added an invisible hook and eye closure to the front. It’s a  little sweater in a nice basic color. It looks as though this sweater is available on the ChicKnits site as a top down version called Eyelet Cardi.

The skirt is a quickie from deep in the fabric stash. The pattern is from Favorite Things Cute Skirts and will also be a nice wardrobe staple.

I want to share my newly discovered summer drink. Framboise Lambic from Belguim. Easy to drink, just pop the top and uncork.  Pour into a frosted Pilsner glass and enjoy. It is like drinking a basket of the sweetest raspberries. Sip slowly, though. It's pricey and, oh, so easy to drink. Savor with a good bar of the darkest chocolate.… I have been buying mine at our newly opened ALDI. The Moser-Roth brand tastes wonderful and the $1.89 price tag offsets the lambic.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled sock knitfest!

The End of May

It's been a graduation turmoil at the Claybaugh household. Our one and only child experiment finally completed high school and will hopefully be out of the nest and into the wild blue yonder courtesy of the USAF. Good bye and good luck. Be well, do good work and keep in touch. 
There have also been parties upon parties, graduation and otherwise. This is the aftermath of one of my oldest friends half centennial. I can't believe I'm saying this, but WHERE has the time gone. I first started asking this when Erik turned 18 earlier this year. Among the assembled were friends that numbered 25+ years and their children. I suppose that we need to brace ourselves for what comes next? No, no...segue and onto knitting.
Here is the birthday girl wearing Cat Bordhi's Cashmere Moebius, albiet not cashmere by Fiesta La Boheme. This was caston on impulse in front of a YouTube video explaining the crazy on in rapid repetition. Had it been film, it would have worn out. Once on the 40" long circular needles, I completed it in a day.
As Memorial Day weekend and the last couple of weeks were filled with rain and thunderstorms, I finally sat down at the sewing machine and made fitted sheets out of flat sheets. While in the sewing mood I was able to whip out some small project bags from the stash. They are modeled after the Japanese Knot Bag from this site and are reversible. I added buttons so that I can tell them apart.

 

Since time has been on my side the Hedera sock that I started in January are also complete.The yarn is Fleece Artist's Sea Wool and the pattern is from Cookie A. via Knitty. I am in love with semisolid yarn. No more variegated yarn for me. I still have some in my stash and hope to find just the right patterns for them.

 

Today, sans child, we hit the beach. Me, with my current sock in cute new project bag, iPod, and book. Tom with coffee, newspaper and his Siruis radio. We spent a quite 3 hours until the march of the families with kiddies arrived en mass loaded to the hilt with all the kiddie beach accessories. Now that we are just two again, we travel lightly and early to avoid the humans and catch the bird parade. 

Mutti's Days

I am spending my Mother's Day in pajamas reflecting what my mother meant to me. I was adopted and as my mother loved to say, "Selected, not expected."  I suppose that this was said to elevate my self-esteem. My mother had high expectations and while she did her best, nature often defied nurture. She struggled with who I evolved into, just as I  struggle with my son's personality. I left the family nest at the unripe age of 16 and left the country at age 19. Our relationship improved across continents. We spoke on the phone almost every week and we visited one another about every other year. 
I lost my mother in 2001 and no day goes by without a flicker of a memory. Although we said many things to one another, many things were left unspoken.  Now that I am the mother of a teen, her frustrations are more salient. I wish I could tell her that I finally understand. Here she is in pre-Pischi days with our schnauzer, Purtzel.
Summer is quickly approaching and my spring term has finally ended. I earned high marks in all my classes and that included a well deserved "C" in algebra, a grade that I am most proud of. I was thankful for Susan and David always there to tutor my way through chapter after chapter of math problems. While spending last few weeks  with my nose in the books and a pencil in hand, I was also able to work the phlebotomy clinicals in the lab at our local hospital. Of course knitting has taken a back seat but I have managed to turn out a couple of projects and I look forward to casting on several items while enjoying my freedom until the fall semester begins.
I knit the Shetland Triangle using a skein of Brooks Farm Primero scored through Ravelry. This is the second project that I have made using one of Evelyn Clark's patterns. This shawl is already on its way to Germany and will grace my aunt's shoulders during the chilly evenings. Carloyn was bribed with wine in exchange for modeling duty. See, it fits!
Also complete are the No Purl Monkey socks using Impulse of Delights merino/silk sock yarn. The colorway is called Lost Lake and evoked memories of Lake Louis in Alberta. The socks are on my feet as I write and then on their way into the wash and my sock drawer. As you can see, Dorritt is quite at home now. He rules the roost and is the first cat I owned where yarn vigilance is mandatory.

 
A wonderful surprise that the three items that I entered into out county fair took all the blue ribbons including Best of Show and Best of Division. The prize included a check that will help pay for a new iPod and there should be some leftover to splurge on yarn. I miss listing to podcasts since my old faithful black Nano died.
I am now ready to trade my jammies in for something motherly to attend Erik's baccalaureate. Happy Mother's Day!

A Couple of Cookies, a Cat, and a Shawl

The little visitor that walked into our life a few weeks ago has taken up permanent residence. Little Dorrit, as I've named him, had  taking refuge in our courtyard under the porch glider. He smelled and was fairly thin, but his playful personality was not affected. After a 13th hour trip to the SPCA for shots, deworming, and neutering, he is now part of the family. Our other two cats still haven't warmed to the idea. His life here has been full of challenges. A further vet visit uncovered an upper respiratory infection and one of our girls took a nip out of his left flank. In spite of these deterrents, he is holding his own and will soon assert himself. He loves to lounge in the sun and play with errant shoelaces.

Since flinging Arwen into a corner I had to reaffirm my ability to knit a satisfactory project. Digging deep into the yarn basket out came an oatmeal skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool. A second plunge yielded a rich skein of silk and merino in shades of turquoise and celery from indie dyer Impulse of Delight. I was on my way to knitting a pair of Cookies. The Sea Wool is one sock away to a lacy pair of Hedera. The yarn is subtly shaded strands of grey and the lace pattern is easy to remember. I will wear these often. Kathleen from Threads of Time, Ormond Beach challenged the Knead to Knit group to a Monkey KAL. I am the absentee knitter of an undetermined amount of participants. I have only seen Kathleen's in the forum. My Monkey's are no purl and I now understand the popularity of this method. It makes the pattern easy to memorize. No shlepping papers around.

In the spirit of knitting affirmations, another project quickly sprang to life. I had seen a scarf at the local Cocoa LYS. It turns out to be a free pattern on Ravelry. Its a faux braid and the look really appealed too me. It called for a type of mohair, yarn that I did not have. After a brief search on Ravelry, I came across a great deal on Primero from Brooks Farm. Funny, I had visited SAFF twice and always passed up the Brooks Farm booth in favor of other vendors. The skein was a bargain and I had it on my doorstep the same week. I cast on and started cabling long runs of 20 stitches and quickly became impatient with the lack of shape. Out came the needles and the yarn was quickly a large ball of mohair again. Not to be deterred, I poured over possible patterns and settled on Evelyn Clark's Shetland Triangle. This is another easy project that flies off the needles. The body pattern is easy to memorize and the project is small enough to transport. I love the topography that appeared of the back side.

Will I get back to Arwen and sweater knitting? I don't know. It doesn't seem to be something that I have a proclivity for. For now, finishing a couple of Cookies are on my menu.

The Bizzy Post

Sooo, what have I been up to since the last post. Burning the candle at both ends! My days start when the alarm rings at 4:30 and most days I head to the bakery. As soon as the work is done I head home to stick my nose into my homework. Right now I have a pathophysiology and pharmacology class and an algebra class that I elected to take because I thought that I had some down time and, hey, who doesn't want to brush up their algebra skills. I have had my "what was I thinking" moments. I am wading through chapter after chapter polynomials, exponents and the like but not without the help of Super Susan and Dynamic David, my super tutors! Just to keep life interesting, my phlebotomy unit started and after I cram in homework, I jump into green scrubs and head to the hospital where class starts promptly at 5 pm, lab ends at 9 pm. After that, I drive home, peel off clothes, and fall between the sheets. Tom has been pinch-hitting in the house and garden. Needless to say my sheets are no longer ironed! We had to let go of something.
My spare time is still spent with needles (syringe or knitting)in my hand and I have managed to complete a small project, frog a few and start a couple just for good measure.

Last year I knit for the Gilcrest Foundation, a local educational charity. The Icarus Shawl went to auction and fetched a modest sum. I was pleased to hear that the scholarship went to a friends young son. There is no better feeling than to know that your efforts directly benefit someone you know.
This year, when asked, I panicked. What could I knit that would be a desirable auction item and fit into my busy schedule? The yarn had to be from my stash. We are still pinching pennies. While cleaning out the stash a few months ago, I came across 5 balls of Plymouth Sinsation in a lovely champagne color. There lay the answer. I would knit the knockoff version of Lisa Daniel's Vintage Velvet, a reverse cable scarf that I have knit twice before. I have decided not to felt the scarf. Instead it will be sold as is with instructions for felting included with the description.


Along the lines of simple knitting from my stash, I have knit my first pair of fingerless gloves. My Tante in Germany has complained bitterly about the cold weather and how the wind whistles up the coat sleeves on her dog walks. I dug out more stash yarn. This time two year old merino sock yarn from Knitting Notions, purchased at SAFF. The pattern is a German one and has my favorite detail cables. The first mitten flew off the needles and I have almost completed the right mitt. Happily, mitts are not difficult at all and are a great sock alternative. I see many mittens and fingerless gloves in my future.

Several of us from ou small knitting group have entered our work into this years county fair. I decided to pick a piece for all three categories. For the seamed event I chose DaCapo; flat knitting, Swallowtail Shawl and for non-seamed shaped knitting, Winter's Eve sock. Judging will be next week and I have free passes to the last days show.

Yarn purchases have been very sparse. I did see a scarf that I fell in love with. The Cable Scarf 1 was on display at our local LYS. They were offering a class to teach the technique, my favorite, cables. I decided to hunt down that pattern through Ravelry and found it was free. The trouble was that I had no yarn, I found a terrific buy through Ravelry of a 500 gram skein of Brooks Farm Primero for a fraction of the price that It now sell for. I cast on and hated the results. Back to Ravelry for more inspiration. I cast on Evelyn Clark's Shetland Triangle and am very pleased with the results. The pattern is easy to memorize and I am already through several pattern repeats.
Sooo, that's what I have been up to. I think I'll go pur myself a second cup and catch up on what you all are up to!

Seeing Green and Some Red

I thought I was powering through the Arwen's body. At least thats what it looked like two posts ago. Then I started to sew the sleeves seams and ground to a halt when the lower cast on edge overshot the cast off edge. Kate Gilbert, you're killing me! Bested by an elven sweater. I was ready to cast the cashmerino into the flames of hell. Then I came to my senses and ripped both fronts back to below the sleeves, took a deep breath, reread the instructions, consulted Ravelry, said a prayer, and cast on the right sleeve...again. Form what I read on Ravelry, I completely misunderstood short rows, misinterpreted the instructions and thereby botching the sleeves. I didn't realize that you pick up the horizontal bar that wrap the stitch and place it on the left needle and knit them together. I thought that you knit the wrapped stitch together as a K2T. Foolish me. See the blob in the middle of the right front? Bad, bad splicing. Give me socks and short rows, please. I live in Florida, so why am I knitting sweaters?

Here are socks that can be worn. Inside and out! I made these for Erik. My only disappointment was that the cables were a bust. Yes, I had to rip these back as well. The cables made the ankle too tight and difficult to pull over the heel. They look fine without the cables and my son is happy with his first pair of knit socks. The yarn is Blue Moon Fibre Arts Monsoon and the pattern is aptly called Inside Out, a Rockin' Sock Club pattern.

Here are some shots with the cables.

Not to vanquished by a sweater, I have cast on Cobblestone, the fabulous Jared Flood design from one of my favorite Interweave Knits magazines. You know, the one with the Tilted Duster on the cover. It is another brainless knit in the round and sure to succeed. I only hope  that my son stop eating and start swimming or else this sweater will be destined for the back of the drawer.

In the spirit of positive knitting tales, I am making a third plushy scarf in the style of the Vintage Velvet. This is made with Plymouth Sinsation, a heavier Touch Me wanna be. It may be a very expensive novelty lux fiber, but is the comfort food of yarn. Soft, silky, and quick to knit. It is going to be a charity auction item to benefit education. Sad, isn't it that we have to have silent auction benefits to augment learning? That's fodder for another post.

As if I don't have enough to knit, on impulse I bought the Briggs and Little yarn for Sylvi. One of the gals in our little knitting group is prodding me to cast on. I am resisting. She has her yarn and hopes to learn from my missteps. Did I mention that I'm in Florida? Why do I need a Sylvi sweater?

Here is a fresh new knitter's accessory from Finland, in todays mail at a great price, $12 includes shipping. A precision tooled needle gauge made from recycled plastic. You can buy your own helping hand here. Check out the lego stitch markers and the cool sock blockers.
A skunk footnote: The smell is gone. I have shampooed the last vestiges of scent from my dining chair upholstery. It was a good thing that we believe in hard surfaces. No rugs, drapes, or cloth upholstery. My yarn is also safe and we have not forgotten to lower the cat doors at night. Today I heard that the skunk couple have moved across the street into the neighbors garage.

The Scent of Fear

Just when I thought the week could not get any worse, it did. Remember that cute little skunk that we were so enamored with an entry ago? Well, it reached puberty and let us know it. The smell woke me up out of a sound sleep in the very early hour and the stench was enough to make me sit bolt upright in bed. I raced around the house, hysterically, with Tom at my heels. I was gagging and buckling at the knees, bested by a rodent.

The temperature outside was in the low 40's but that did not deter me from throwing open all windows and doors. By the time I stumbled out the door to work, leaving Tom to start triage on the house, Pepe was still at large. When I arrived at work I definitely had the odor clinging to my sweater, pants and hair. Tom called me an hour or so later to report that the offender had taken refuge under the guest bath cabinet.

After an endless vigil and when he/she thought the coast clear, it ambled through the house with swagger, pausing to roam throughout the living room and kitchen (wafting all the way) before exiting out the cat door. Once the area was clear, Tom raced to the grocery for gallons of vinegar and boxes of baking soda. The mop up had to start right away. I arrived home after my own trip to Target, freshly armed with deodorizers, enzyme sprays, and air filters, the smell was still strong. There was nothing left but to suck up fresh air from outdoors and start scrubbing areas I thought might be affected. Friends and neighbors were consulted, all advice was weighed and to work I went. One brave friend surprised me with bottles of bleach, pet urine neutralizer, and a bottle of wine.

Out came all my soup bowls to be filled with vinegar and spread about. I filled bucket after bucket with bleach and scrubbed walls, baseboards and ceilings. While on my hands and knees in a small hallway, the scent almost knocked me down. I hit the stinking mother load. The friend bearing the bottles of goodies turned pale and beat a quick retreat. The cable repair man, who showed up soon after,  started gagging and let me know that the smell assaulted while he was up on top of the pole making repairs. I wanted to lay down and cry. Various neighbors popped in all afternoon to sniff test. I scrubbed and scrubbed away in-between loads of wash. It seems that every fabric in the house has taken on the smell. By today I have laundered every conceivable item that was in the air space. My yarn is still airing out on the porch with a very slight but lingering scent that hasn't left yet. On its way out the door, the skunk crawled under my pantry cabinet, didn't spray but the scent but the odor is unmistakable when the pantry doors are opened. The lifesaver has been the loan of a heavy duty air ionizer. I was never a believer in what these pricey air cleaners could do but now I'm a convert and saving money for one of my own.
Lessons I  learned?  Bleach, white vinegar and baking soda are my new best friends. My cats are getting pink slips.

The smell has abated and we can stand to be in the house thanks open windows and milder temperatures in the 70's. For now we will be very careful and never forget to close off the cat doors at night.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Here we are in February already. The view out of my windows is a bleak vista of brown, dead vegetation due to temperatures that dip into the low 30's at night. All the shrubs are twigs covered with dripping brown leaves. The plants will take a long time to recover, years maybe.
The end of January saw in my offspring's coming of age. This was not met with fanfare, rather with a sobering reality that all childish things had come to an end. An uncertain future rests on these young shoulders.
There is a dark cloud that hangs over the horizon, not just over my small corner of the world but over the whole nation, certainly the world. I terminated my newspaper subscription because the little news left was so bleak and meagre, instead the paper is filled with ever increasing full page ads screamed to consume. I scan headlines in passing, as I straighten up the dining room at the bakery. I worry for what is to come. My husbands industry, vital until a few months ago is threatening to shutter. The repercussions to his vendors have been equally hard. I am starting to see small businesses in town close their doors as more layoffs loom. On a bright note, our local SPCA opened a bright new thrift shop and their sales have been breaking records, the parking lot is packed to overflowing, the shelves inside are almost bare, the lines at the cash register long.

These days I prefer my solitude and spend many days at the college library working through math problems. Math has never been my friend but has come to my rescue and I see the problems in a new light. Logic triumphs and the answers are always black or white. Spring is just around the corner.

The Serpent Arwen

Arwen has been in progress since July.  I have been knitting this sweater far too long and really should have made more headway. Garments like Arwen make me appreciate socks (here, on my feet on this chilly Florida morning).

Although one knits two, socks yield particular pleasure for me. The yarn can be luxurious without breaking the budget, colorful and loud without drawing too much attention when worn. This also speaks for the little knitting mishaps that may happen. They just don't show when worn so close to the ground. Socks are portable. I can sling a pair into my handbag and have a knit fix at will. They are quick, although I have had a pair in my WIP collection for a tad longer than need be, most of my knit socks are completed within thirty days of their conception.
Back to innocent Arwen. The yarn is a favorite of mine, DB Cashmerino Aran. I love the color as well. The appeal for me were the cable plackets and the sweater has no closures, the temptation is to slip it on and go. So why is this sweater kicking my behind? I find the construction awkward. Each sleeve is knit part of the front and one knits a large square for the back which then is patched in with a mattress stitch. I have since sewn up and picked apart the sleeves twice. I also forced myself to rip out half of the sleeve progress because I overshot the right front by about eight rows. As of this writing, I am back on track or else I am deluded or lulled into complacency thinking that I am moving forward. Crafty Arwen.
Here is the offending sleeve innocent in the dappled sunlight laying in wait for me to pick up the needles and then strike.

I have not told the sweater that I plan on changing the hood into a collar. I am biding my time and girding my defenses to prepare and strengthen for the dangerous maneuvers that  lay ahead.

Is Obama President?

For 1 hour and 49 minutes...
What a great day for the USA.

via SwissMiss