Knitting and Thinking – Much Accomplished!

Well, I FINALLY found the usb cord for the camera, so I can catch up on the knitting adventures of the last six or seven weeks. I’ve been taking a class four afternoons a week from 3- 7p.m., so I’ve had large blocks of time in which to knit to keep myself busy and focused.



To begin, I’ll review a few things. The blue baby surprise jacket for my two year old niece turned out very well. I love the flecked buttons that match the Sindar yarn.

Both the class in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and the knitting have been very profitable. It feels like a very long time since January. [grin]



The second baby surprise is for a new baby – born in January – to friends and is made of KP’s Shine in apricot and cream.
The little guy should look great in this – and I couldn’t resist the bumble bee buttons!

The stars will look pretty fine on the flip side, too. I love the colors, the yarn has become a favorite, and the whole experience of making this was just great. I really love making a second "something" since the second time around, I already understand the pattern! This jacket needs some finishing work, but should be completed shortly.

This red sock is done in Paton’s Merino Classic Wool. I’m really enjoying the patterns in “Sensational Knitted Socks.”

This is an eyelot pattern called "Elongated Corded Rib." Not only is this my first sock with a stitch pattern, but it’s my first attempt at the heel recommended in the book with the rows of garter stitch before the turn. I love the feel of this heel and will be giving it more use in the future!

I also completed a set of socks in “Victorian Violet” Highland Wool from Elann.com and “Daffodil” Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks.com.

They are wearing well – but in the wash, so no pictures yet! The yellow stripe on the foot makes me think of the crocuses my mother loves at Easter! I used the charts from “A Knitters Handy Book of Patterns” to make this pair in plain stockinet stitch with the more traditional heal turn described in that book. The two different yarns have worn and washed well together – no awkward looking differences between them.

Next is my favorite. I’ll try to get a picture of the sweater “on” this afternoon, but here it is!

Green Raglan Sweater

Knit in the round, this is a short-sleeved V-neck sweater in 2-1 rib with a moss-stitch collar. The yarn is a dark pine green llama-wool 50-50% blend from Classic Elite. I got this yarn several years ago on sale for less than half price at a local shop. I’ve enough in black and in cream for similar sweaters – I just need to plan the variations I want and get started.


The whole sweater is knit in the round with raglan sleeves. My chief “innovations” occurred at the neckline. I did several rows reducing one stitch on each side of the V, then several decreasing two stitches slip one, ssk, slip stitch over or slip one, k2tog, slip stitch over. This gave me a nicely curved “sweetheart” neckline.

As I approached the top of the sweater, I stopped decreasing before getting all the way down to the sleeves. This gave me two small “corners” sticking out from the rounded head opening before the V started. I accented and extended these corners into a soft collar that can be pinned into a “key-hole” neckline or left open to stand slightly or drape flat in a wide open neckline particularly useful in warmer weather.

The weather here in MidMO cooperated and dropped from the high seventies yesterday to the fifties today, so I’ll get to wear my sweater to my last class tonight. Since I started the sweater in the class, my mates have watched the whole progression and are interested in the results!

Now that the camera is transferring pictures again, I’ll get caught up on pups and cats soon too. All are well, though the Dalmatian is grumpy about all my time spent away from home. He’s getting used to the change however, and is much more interested in playing fetch now that the warmer weather has arrived!

Which Austen Heroine -- a new quiz

Well, a trip to Birdsong's page guided me to this quiz. An interesting result, and perhaps quite accurate in its way. But I wonder how much of the result is related to the fact that I just finished reading this novel last week!

Take the Quiz here!

Though I must admit to prefering this photo!

Of Cats and Contests

Siamese with a Banana on her Head
I must admit to a highly suspect interest in discovering what others will do to their cats. As a child, I delighted in sneaking up on the dignified male cat the neighborhood had named "Taffy" while he was trying to get a drink out of the commode. I was not a wicked child. I didn't give him a swirly or anything. I just waited until he was pawing at the water to discover exactly where it was -- and then I'd nudge him in!

I figured this was a fair return for having my toes attacked while I was asleep! Taffy always managed to recover his dignity in short order. And he continued to attack feet whenever he was given the chance.

I only tried stuffing ONE cat into baby doll clothes. My grandmother's tabby, Mischief, was a grumpy thing. She managed to withhold the worst of her retribution who it came to the clothes, but when I tried to make her ride around in my red wagon while dressed as a doll -- well, that was her limit. Scratches and tears ensued. Since she returned to my Grandmother's house soon thereafter, we never really recovered from the quarrel.

I admire cats; I really do. I've a fuzzy black and white Oscar sitting behind my computer screen at the moment. He's only been subject to a couple of indignities. Tape on his feet was one. But he usually gets into enough trouble on his own. The time he tried to jump out at Lancelot the Dalmatian while Lance was charging after a basketball was a good example. Oscar jumped out standing on his hind feet, front paws spread and claws extended in a ferocious display -- and the Dalmatian ran right over him, completely unable to stop in time to respect the display.

The fact that Lance managed to stop while standing on top of the cat did not improve Oscar's response, but it had me gasping and rolling on the floor with laughter.

This latest contest from the folks at "Stuff on My Cat" is an excellent example of the human-cat interaction. http://www.stuffonmycat.com/index.php?itemid=3014#more
Cats with helmets. Everything from the banana-bearing beauty above to the winner, a lovely kitten sporting a cabbage! The cat's expression says it all! The creativity of the other contestants is varied and entertaining. And the patience of the felines is amazing! I see no wounded hands, missing fingers, or other evidence of mayhem resulting from these photo sessions. The cats seem to understand this as part of what must be suffered in the company of their particular humans.

They may be planning some spectacular midnight raids in retribution -- but the long-suffering looks seem to indicate a real understanding of the juvenile nature of humans. Indeed, Oscar's ability to be so charmingly juvenile himself tickles my fancy again and again. He will do amazing things in pursuit of a feather on a string, and has no pride at all when it comes to belly-rubs. He is stunningly patient with Sally the Shepherd as she persists in trying to herd him around the house. They have developed "safe zones" and some type of communication that let's each know when the other means business. They seem to possess a clear comprehension of their own form of "knock it off!" and rarely do more than irritate each other in their fun.

He's not done anything yet worthy of an entry into "Stuff on My Cat," but I'll keep the camera ready -- one never knows when he'll shed his dignity and ham it up for a photo shoot!

Oscar and Lancelot

The Gift of a Snowman

The Gift of a Snow Man wearing a Christmas Scarf





Snow Man Detail

Comedic Interludes

With “Christmas in Kansas” coming out in installments, regular postings must take the form of interludes or – heaven help us, a word from the sponsors. With Missouri buried in ice, perhaps the Morton salt jingle and a small girl in a yellow raincoat should come to mind. What I have instead is an extremely indignant Dalmatian and a very cautious shepherd!

Sir Lancelot is, as I’ve noted elsewhere, a very *male* dog. This is an utterly charming aspect of his personality, since I happen to enjoy character traits I associate with men. It can also make for some rather hilarious moments and metaphors, and this week of ice is no exception!

In general, Lance enjoys charging out into the back yard, bellowing his announcement of his presence and superiority at full gallop until he reaches a favorite spot of fence and lifts his leg. Those of you with male dogs probably know that this leg lifting is not a physical necessity, since a male dog who just *really* needs to go will arch his back and empty his bladder like a puppy. The leg-lifting his an adult marking behavior, and as they age, male dogs engage in it as it suits their mood and circumstances. As a side note, I’ve known two female dogs who lifted their legs – my grandmother’s extremely spoiled and much loved retriever-beagle mix and my husky , who is currently trying out a new home in Kansas herself, would both squat and then lift one foot mid-process. An interesting behavior, but not something I’ve ever heard thoroughly explained.

Anyway, back to the present and Sir Lancelot’s current battles.

My corner of Missouri received about a quarter of an inch of sleet and snow Friday, and subsequent rains and a bit of snowfall have done nothing to thin the coating of frozen, glassy whiteness. It looks like snow from a distance. But the stuff is so solid, I’ve been tempted to get my skates out and try using them in the back yard!

Saturday, Lancelot went charging out onto this sheet of ice, heartily engaged in his early-morning bellow. He immediately lost control, landed on his rump, and careened into the chain-link fence. Not to be deterred, he scrambled to his feet and located his favorite spot along the boundary of the yard.

Another physics lesson took control. He made repeated and determined attempts to maintain his leg-lift despite the fact that every time he started to go, his opposite front foot would start to slide out away from him.

He began to growl at the ice. He became more determined, more manly, and less interested in physics. He tried lifting his leg away from the fence, growling the whole while, and slowly sinking as each foot slid in a separate direction. The growls became indignant, and then morphed into a gurgle as he completely lost control and ended up belly down in a puddle of pee on the ice. He wasn’t happy about the bath that followed either!

Bubbles just seemed to be adding insult to indignity in his estimation.

In the hope of preventing further incidents – and avoiding additional dog-baths -- I tried taking the dogs out the front door rather than out the walk-out basement to the back yard. To my surprise, Sally the shepherd trotted to the top of the hill in the side yard, and as her paws started to slip, she tucked her back legs under her, and slid down the hill. She seemed someone chagrined, but maintained a certain aplomb, and glided to a spot part way down, long before she ran out of retractable leash-line. She investigated the lower side yard, took care of business, and used her heavy shoulders and badger-claws to hop her way back up the hill, grinning and thoroughly pleased with herself at this new game.

After this incident, she has avoided the top of the hill, and has been moving briskly about on the ice in careful, measured steps, staying well-centered and just going with the flow if a leg slides out from under her.

[sigh] Lance, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. His first couple of trips out the front, he stayed away from the hill, continued to growl at the ice and earned himself approximately one bath or thorough wipe-down for every three trips outside.
For those of you unfamiliar with non-Disney Dalmatians, the males have large, well muscled chests, lungs designed to let them keep up with trotting horses, and dainty feet that aren’t much wider than their legs. Pretty, but totally useless for scrambling in the ice and snow. No snowshoe effect here. They are trotters, not mountain goats and they certainly can’t qualify as all-terrain canines.

I had glanced back inside the house to check on the whereabouts of Oscar the cat when Lancelot discovered the top of the hill. In an instant, he disappeared around the corner of the house; I heard an aggravated grunt, felt a tug on the leash as he ducked his head and let the collar slide over his ears, and he was gone, his spotted form starting to spin as he melted into the gloom of the side-yard.

Hurrying while on ice is not something I’d recommend to anyone. I kicked off my slippers, so my socks would give me some purchase on the ice. By the time I managed to get far enough out into the yard to see the dog, he’d already encountered the gate to the back yard, had taken care of business in the comfortable angle created where the bottom of the hill met the fence, and was trying to pick his way back up the hill. Five minutes later, he was still trying, an earnest and determined look on his face every time he looked up at me. He’d tried coming up the middle, picking his way along next to the wall of our unit, and clambering along the rocks at the side of the next unit. With each attempt, he gained ground, finding a way past the points where he’d started his slide back down into the gloom. His determination was – well—dogged. And his earnest looks were heart-warming. He was not upset or frightened, just absolutely set on returning to my side. He would find a way. Each glance seemed to be telling me to wait. He would get to me.

I didn’t wait. After five or six minutes, I went scrambling back into the house, and Sally and I charged to the rescue, slipping and sliding our way out the back door and over to the gate. After another couple of minutes banging at the latch to get it open, I was able to welcome Lance back into the relatively flat confines of the backyard. He made a bee-line for the basement door. Once inside, he shook himself thoroughly, flapping his ears and lashing his tail like a whip. He climbed the steps to the living room at a steady pace, never glancing back. At twelve years old, this pace is much slower than it once was, and I was a bit worried that he’d strained something in his battle with the hill. He sniffed a ball and a bad cuz on his way to the water dish, then made for his usual spot on the couch. After clambering up to his spot and trompling around on the cushions in that mysterious dog-ritual left over from the ancient past, he plopped his rump onto the afghan and raised his head. On his face was the most delighted grin I’d seen there in some time.



He had battled the elements and had returned with his hide and his pride intact. Despite the slide down the hill, he had taken care of business, acquitted himself in a manly fashion, and had returned to my side and the comforts of the couch without requiring a bath. He was a happy man, um, dog, and he settled himself against me for a long winter’s nap!

What Classic Movie Am I?

Well, Jane and Knitnana had me wondering about this quiz, so I had to try. The results certainly made me grin. I've used this movie to assist students in feeling SOME sympathy for Cathy and Heathcliff when teaching Wuthering Heights.

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

A new post and pictures are on the way. Here's the title, and the reason I've been out of touch for much of the last week.

Christmas in Kansas!

A meme I’m going to actually complete!

“THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.” Thank you Birdsong!

Okay, I don’t know why this one struck me as fun, but maybe the fact that it did should be added to the list of weird things about me.

Alright. Let’s see.

1. I like to pour chocolate chips into the jar of Jiff peanut butter (ONLY Jiff!) and then dig them out with a spoon. Quick candy fix!

2. . Every man I’ve dated for any length of time has asked me to marry him. Usually AFTER he’d broken up with me. Go figure? Since most were seriously flawed examples of the human game of genetic roulette and Social contributions to development, since most were, to my surprise, much to involved in creative chemistry experiments on themselves, and since most were lacking in basic principles like, um, honesty, honor, etc. this is not a good thing. However, the one good man I have dated for a significant length of time (current) has NOT asked me to marry him. He’s too smart to crowd me when we both have things that must be done before we can consider such a commitment. Go figure. Happiness and security come in packages we never expect!

3. I only adore Sean Connery in his older manifestations. The original Bond movies do nothing for me, but the one in which he makes a “comeback” and has to go to a health spa is one of my favorites! I’ve been hung up on him since I was about – oh—10, another weird thing. What 10 yo falls for a man who could be her grandfather – even in fan worship?

4. I tend to like and trust dogs as a race more easily than I do humans, despite the communication difficulties involved in having dogs as friends. This seems to manifest itself in strange ways. When meeting a new neighbor or aquatance, I will invariably remember the dogs/puppy’s name and forget the human’s name within 10 seconds. Stunning, and frequently embarrassing!

5. I frequently wander around my house with a blindfold on to protect myself from the light, and then leave the lights themselves turned on and blazing into the night! I’m sure this can be readily explained by some serious examination of fears and foibles, but why bother? It works for me!

6. I own more than 30 pairs of shoes or boots and usually go barefoot despite living in the Midwest with four distinct seasons. I’m usually outside barefoot in all four of those seasons. As a child my mother despaired of getting me to cooperate totally, but set the firm rule that I was not to do more than scoot the ten yards or so up to my grandmother’s in bare feet if there was snow or frost on the ground. My father required me to put on boots if I was going into the woods, and common sense required that I wear shoes for escapades that required climbing more than two fences. I could do one or two with no shoes, but more was just masochism. Learning to climb a wire (not sturdy chain link, but a more fledxible squared wire) fence in bare feet while avoiding sticker-burrs and the “hot” string of wire strung parallel to the fence was a rather arduous process which resulted in many whopping headaches!

Other oddities that didn’t make the list include the fact that I once spent three or four hours crawling around under my grandmother’s trailer trying to capture three wild kittens for my grandmother to pet. Additional quirks include I’m a fairly good artist, but rarely show anyone my drawings or paintings.



This is a drawing of my brother made from the picture which I also took. Got lucky with that one!

Also, I love practical jokes, both giving and receiving. Dan cannot understand WHY I think it’s funny if he pours a pitcher of cold water over me in the shower, but experimented with it several times after I’d done the same to him (only to discover that he is NOT at all amiable to such antics!) {snicker}. I’ll find something that will make him laugh at his own indignity yet! These are blog entries in themselves, so I’ll save the details!

This is a painted version (much abused) of the character I created for my nephew on the day he was born: Devlin's Dragon.

This is a drawing I made while riding in the car with my family. My nephew is about 10 mo. old, but it doesn't really look like him. The features are correct, but the combination and proportions wrong.

Now, whom should I tag? Ah – Pandamonium’s House Wench is first on the list, I’ll have to do some surfing to find other victims -- ah, friends — who haven’t been tagged already.

Back to the knitting!

What Kind of Coffee?

What kind of COFFEE am I? Well, this too is appropriate. All coffee all the time? Yep.

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

What Kind of Reader am I?

Okay, I found this quiz on the Knit the Classics blog. Gotta love it! Another one written just for me this morning!

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.
Dedicated Reader
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You?

The light is good for taking pictures today, so I'll get caught up on that and get back with you!

Peppermint Coffee and Chat

It is a fact universally acknowledged, that I have a tendency to consume caffeinated beverages in large quantities. This is not good for my body, but Peppermint Coffee is certainly good for my soul! And the holiday season must have its indulgences!





I’m trying to get back into regularly scheduled programming, so this post may be a bit all over the place. However, since life tends to be all over the place . . . I’ll fit in. Fifteen inches of snow in Missouri must have a prominent place in any post I make. FUN!



Sally and Kala have been having great fun in the snow, and Lance has had his moments. [grin] In this one, he's looking for a snowball!



The washing machine is filling, the dryer is rumbling, and the bathroom sink is filling the air with the stink of wet alpaca, ah, such bliss. [grin] I love things made of alpaca, but it is almost as bad as wet dog when it’s being washed and blocked! Not that I’ve actually blocked the dogs, mind you. Nothing new, I’m afraid. Just the leaf lace shawl from previous posts. And the Ostrich Plumes Stole will be next. I’ve GOT to invest in blocking wires sometime soon.



Contentment and crisp snow-scented air swirl through my house, and I’m wrapped in the chenille shawl my mom gave me for Christmas several years ago. I wish I could say my toes were toasty, but store-bought cotton can’t compare to hand-made wool, and my tootsies are chilled! I’m about to start the heel on my lavender socks – having frogged them as started on larger needles. Mid-calf, simple rib. I’m trying to get these done FAST! I refuse to buy socks when I have this much scrumptious sock yarn to hand! [sigh] (note: failed that one and bought two new pair of socks as multiple pairs gave all in one week!)


My dog contingent has had its troubles recently, but getting Kala the Husky spayed should help with some of the problems. She and Sally the Shepherd have been arguing over Kala’s coming of age. Typical sibling sniping over toys escalated into a bar room brawl twice in six weeks. I was astonished at the amount of spit involved! NOT dainty dogs by a long shot. Silly jocks. How did a wimp like me end up with so many jocks for dogs? Not a single computer geek in the bunch! But the surgery went well, and the snow last week as completed the re-bonding process between the Husky and the Shepherd. Who can resist playing tag in the snow?



What else is new? Well, I’ve been working on a baby surprise jacket in shades of blue for my niece, and Friday I found the perfect buttons for it! Dark blue with light blue flecks. I think I’ll get pictures taken this afternoon, so I’m assuming that there is a picture here for you to ogle. This is the jacket in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “Opinionated Knitter” and I’m having a blast knitting it up. I’ve doubled the yarn and gone up a few needle sizes to get something big enough for my two y o niece. Her deep blue eyes should be set off well by this yarn, and it’s acrylic, so she’ll actually be able to wear it with ease! Or should I say, her mother and father will be able to wash it with ease!

Now, a wicked head cold and then a sinus infection delayed this post by several weeks. So I’m still wrapped in chenille, but have a box of tissues surgically grafted to my elbow, and am getting increasingly grumpy about said graft. I think they took skin from my nose to complete the surgery. Cats purr, and I grumble. Dogs prance, and I grumble. If I had something dire, I would not be so grumpy. I’m only this grumpy when inconvenience is the chief factor of the malady!

I’m working on a shawl from Folk Shawls in charcoal grey Galway Highland Heather 100% wool. This will match my dark grey winter fedora, and give me a second winter-thick shawl to wear. Unfortunately for the shawl, I am stacked up with knitting projects to finish for Christmas – some of which are VERY satisfying and I cannot be tempted back to the grey wool when I’ve having so much fun making “Candy Cane Hats” in various flavors and fibers! These hats are from Melanie Falick’s Handknit Holidays and constitute my first attempt at real colorwork – the kind that involves switching back and forth in the same row! Fare Isle here I come!

Christmas music and some meditation have soothed my spirit a bit. And watching the dogs play with their “early” Christmas presents has had me cracking up! I couldn’t resist the “Bad Cuz” toys. You can see them here. They’ve a great reputation for lasting a long time, even with determined eviscerators like my three!

Well, time to take some pictures to supplement this post. I’ll put in the shots of the dogs in the snow to keep you occupied until the shots of the knitting are done!

A Smile

We'll I must say, after a difficult week in many flavors, visiting friends' blogs and finding pleasant quizzes with positive endings can be a great relief!

While Reading Plain Jane Knits, I saw this quiz, which she got from Knitnana. What a happy surprise:

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Something written just for me, I'm sure, by some entity that really knows and understands my life! No? Okay. I am content with fortuitous good luck and a happy smile. I really needed to be reminded that I'm plugging along in the right direction!

More soon, with an actual focus on knitting. Gasp!

Which Jane Austen Character Am I?

Meezer and Nanasadierose need to stop finding these great quizzes! I've got FOUR saved up to post about! But I just had to put this one up, even without much of a real post. I've spend too many years reading, analyzing, reading, daydreaming, and reading Austen's books to delay this one!



You scored as Elizabeth Bennet. As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to.

Elizabeth Bennet 69% Marianne Dashwood 59% Elinor Dashwood 53% Emma Woodhouse 50% Jane Bennet 47% Lady Catherine 28% Charlotte Lucas 22% Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Now I must admit that my similarity to the Dashwoods distresses me a bit. But I can't call the results inaccurate. [grin] I'd prefer to have Emma a bit higher instead, but the similarity to Elizabeth is flattering, and I suppose I'm not quite honest enough to admit just how bossy I am -- even in a quiz!

Reflections and Lace

It’s odd for me to sit down with a wish to write for this blog and find I have little to say. Revision – little EXCITING to say. While I have a wish to be entertaining, I can think of nothing suitable to offer up for snickers, giggles, or guffaws. Nothing is wrong. I am not melancholy or morose. While I still struggle to keep my days and nights straight, I am enjoying my recent endeavors to meet new people and have been getting out regularly. My work progresses, and I’ve even conquered typical household problems like a clogged toilet and an argument between my computer and my scanner.




Confidence has reduced the roller coaster to a slightly hilly path, and sleep increases my ability to handle such bumps as bumps, not catastrophic occurrences. I have re-arranged furniture, purchased some lovely hanging plants, and made wonderful progress on my reading and my summer lace shawl. When traveling, I’m knitting the I-cord strips for the baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting, the lost linen hand towel has been returned, and summer progresses at a reasonable rate.




All in all, it seems that functioning smoothly has become such an anomaly that I’m not sure what to do with it!

Wonder of wonders, I actually helped a friend with her resume, and in the process, managed to make inroads on updating my own without having to resort to hypnotic therapy or large doses of alcohol. It should be ready for fall without the pressure that circumstance usually adds to the task. While I continue to struggle with my own reluctance to ask for rides and assistance, I’m getting better at it. I have wondered if part of my reluctance is a fear that I will not contribute enough to be valuable to the person of whom I’m asking a favor – but I’ve evidence to disprove the concern. People seem quite willing to assist, especially since I tend to rotate my requests, rather than concentrating them on one person.

I have noticed the tentative beginnings of a feeling of interconnectedness – tentative, but not filled with concern or guilt. Odd, that. Blindness and depression can BOTH lead to such isolation, and while I have often spent large chunks of time in contemplative mode, walking the hills near my family’s home in southern Indiana, prowling the state forestry, or drifting on our own acreage in the dark, I am in inherently social creature when functioning normally. Despite the concerns that inhibit my encounters with the world, people fascinate me. They are so very interesting, even if I don’t like them!

Despite my conviction that the human race is far less civilized than we would like to think ourselves, I admire and wonder at what we can be each day. Watching a mind work, tracing interactions and responses, examining ideas of self and society and the webs of connection between those perceptions, hearing stories, watching faces as I tell my own, sharing reactions and events, contributing enthusiasm and quiet observation, all the variations both entertain and mystify me.

How to predict the equivalent of a k2together or a yarn over? How to repair a dropped stitch? If the lace metaphor holds, where do I position myself in the pattern? Am I part of a circular shawl, a triangle? A square? If I refuse the position at the center, instinctively knowing that this is not my place at this time, then how to orient my contributions? What part of the design suits my strengths, my predecessors and my antecedents? A quiet anchor stitch, one of many that make up the strength and beauty of the whole? Part of the edging, that intricate extra that must have the means to survive the risks of its tenuous position? How does my position, role, structure, composition change when those around me are altered by chance or choice, circumstance or fate?



The lace has been forming, the pattern starting to develop; I can finally begin to see the order of it. And I think it’s alpaca rather than acrylic!

Missing the Bus

Friends and family will tell you, if they are being polite, that I often have a bit of a problem getting places on time. If in their cups, telling family stories, or recently frustrated by my long term habits, they’ll tell you I haven’t been early for anything since being born prematurely forty years ago! [sigh] I have made improvements. Since giving up driving, I’m usually on time, or only five minutes this way or that due to the vagaries of the bus system in a small town. I’ve also required myself to give up the fantasy of “just one more thing before I go,” a wicked and dangerous thought process for procrastinators and other unorganized types. Now, if I can just learn not to keep tossing “one more thing” into my knitting bag, I might be able to travel with some degree of calm serenity. As it is, my genetically inherited tendency to over-pack has me resembling a frazzled pack mule or over-burdened burro on most trips out into the world!

I’ve learned to keep my keys in my purse, my purse in one or two places in the house, and my hat and blind cane within reach of the front door – though in truth, I also keep extras of those two items.

And yet, there are still days when I miss the bus. [sigh] Some would consider this a euphemism for many things in my life, but having an intense focus on my own world is not always being oblivious, nor is it the same as having blinkers on. It’s not!

Oversleeping is often the culprit when I miss the bus. Don’t try talking to me on the phone unless I’ve had a significant amount of time and large quantities of coffee or hot tea to clear the fog! I have friends who call ten to fifteen minutes BEFORE they really want to talk to me if they know I’m likely to be napping. They wake me up, listen to me ramble until I find a source of hot liquid or caffeine, and then call back after a bit to actually hold a coherent (semi – coherent) conversation. Yet within this cloud of fuzziness and interiority, I find I can read Sartre, Derrida, Jonathan Culler, and other theorists without a problem. They make even better sense then than they do once I’ve had time to wake up and be distracted by the day. Makes me wonder just exactly what synapses are doing what in there!


But today, I find I must blame a watch whose pop-open lid and accessible hands are fascinating to the three-year-old imagination for part of the problem this morning. But honestly, the joy on a child’s face when she pops open my pendant watch so closely mirrors my own pleasure at owning the Braille watch that I wouldn’t refuse her access to it if I thought it would help. There’s something magical and mysterious about a watch on a chain that pops open on a touch. Like a jack-in-the-box or other items of happy expectation from childhood, this watch has changed some of my relationships with time. I’ve just got to remember to reset the hands to match the kitchen clock, one that’s a tad faster than the buses!

As for other matters of timeliness? Ahemm. I still have Christmas Presents in my house waiting to be sent. I’m just finishing the gifts for my mom’s birthday and mothers day – I love the colors and really enjoyed picking the patterns for these linen hand towels.



I have a drawer for collecting cards that didn’t get sent, and another of cards for “all occasions” which allow me to appear at gatherings with the appearance of timely preparedness –but it’s a scam. Well, today, my problems with time will not defeat me. After missing the bus this morning, I came home to some work and a nap, and now I venture out to restart the day in fine style as the busses go back to their fast-running schedules. Returned to my regular programming, I expect to get quite a bit done this afternoon, and I’ll have time to enjoy myself as well.

Oh yes, the mystery. A friend posted the following picture on her blog as a brave reminder of a lost friend. It is a lovely sentiment. But recognizing the event portrayed in the poster, I also had to smile.

KnitNana and I both have some trouble with our eyes, so her use of a poster depicting one of the final tests for Seeing Eye dogs did make me chuckle. That kitten may THINK she’s dashing through the valley of death, but those highly trained, fearsome looking Shepherds won’t budge. If they move to follow her, they fail their test. So she is safe. Amazingly safe, actually. So safe that with appropriate training myself, I would let these same creatures lead me into an urban jungle, a parking lot maze, or Wal-mart on a Saturday afternoon!

Part Two

I did get my errands done, and I must say, I’m having a lovely time making my way through the projects in Mason-Dixon Knitting. I’m well on my way through a version of the baby kimono, and it is such a lark! Quick to knit, very satisfying, and with just enough shaping and design elements to keep a mind satisfied.



While out and about, I picked up enough dishcloth cotton for another one for my niece – I’ll have to make some guesses as to sizing, but I think I can manage it. And I picked up more colors for more washcloths for the house. All this for under $20. Who could have thought?

After watching K. wearing one of her lovely shawls in the mall the other week, I am determined to have a summer-weight lace shawl for myself. Now. Let’s be honest. I have the makings for at least FIVE such shawls in the house, but continue to glance at the patterns, fondle the yarn, and then set the projects aside. Not sure what’s going on with that, but my lace cravings are resurfacing. And in my LYS last week, I spotted these lovely skeins of alpaca.

And with a bit of digging, I managed to find this lovely pattern from a back issue of --- well, I’m not sure which mag it was. But if anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll go digging for it again. Alpaca is one of my favorite fibers to work with, so I don’t this project will be collecting much dog-fur before being completed!

I’ve slept; I’ve had coffee (lovely substance!). I’ve chatted with friends online. It’s time to take pictures for this entry and get it posted. I read on a friend’s blog that blogger is working again, so hopefully, I won’t miss the bus on this posting!

A Good Day

Defining what constitutes a good day isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Sometimes, just getting up in time to keep the dogs from peeing in the basement constitutes a good day. Other times, no matter how much gets done, no matter how many nice smiles or surprises the day holds, it just doesn’t qualify. The tenor is wrong, the melody keeps going flat, or the deep notes just overwhelm the balance. Not so today.

Today was a good day. Solid. Reasonable without being brilliant. Satisfying without being worrisome and without “raising the bar” for other days in the near future.

The Contents. I woke up at the first sound of the alarm, let the dogs out, and then went back to bed for a lovely doze in the cool fresh-morning air. Twittering birds and deep breathes of pollen filled air brought peace rather than hacking coughs. Gotta love the wonders of modern chemistry. [snicker].

I chatted with friends. I ran errands and managed to make all my bus connections. I knit and inch or so on the back of the camisole and sorted my yarn bag, and picked up the mail. I got to the post office and compared prices on phones and on microphone-headsets for the computer. I’ll now be able to talk to friends on skype – a free way to chat via the internet.

I ran into several people I know from having worked at a local department store last year, and I bought a new hat. While I longed for the pistachio colored number that evoked Audrey Hepburn and photo shoots in Paris and Rome, I couldn’t see dropping forty-three bucks on a hat that might get swept away in the breeze as a bus pulls up to let me on; I don’t look anything like Hepburn anyway. So I was content with my straw planter’s hat with the darker cream band, and had a friend spray it with lisle while we chatted so I could wear it the rest of the day!

I ate well, enjoyed a green-tea frappuccino while reading about the English Civil Wars, and helped some ladies find the quilting books in the craft section of the bookstore. I chatted with a former nurse on the bus, and with a gentleman from New York at the last bus stop of the day – and as I tapped my way down the sidewalk after getting off at my stop, I saw him waving to me through the window. He’d enjoyed passing the time with someone who’d visited NY and found the people friendly.

On the way home, I picked up my packages and found a taped copy of “O” magazine to read and my new copies of Inspired Cable Knits and Mason-Dixon Knitting waiting for me. My phone is set up, my dogs are fed, and I’ve enough energy to enjoy my cup of decaf-coffee and wind down for the night.

As I come to the close of this entry, and look forward to the imminent enjoyment of coffee, knitting, and an audio book, a faintly remembered feeling rolls through me. Soft. Quiet. Like the glow from an oil lamp.

It is peace. All I am required to do is smile.

Dig Dig Dig -- yummy!

 

Hey look! I made dirt!

 

A Tale of Perception: Dumb Dogs and Happy People

It’s a conversation I’ve had with a local friend several times. I always laugh. Always. Dumb dogs are actually a joy to have around. They just are. My husky is charming – but dumb. I’m not being snarky; she’s just not the brightest bulb in the box. But charm? Oh yes. Very charming!

Another friend found her on the street two summers ago. After a couple of weeks of ads which didn’t produce a viable lead as to her owner, well, He decided to keep her. They were living in my basement with his other dog – a Malamute. When his job change required him to move and give up the second dog, I decided to keep her.

THIS is what you wanted, isn't it?!?



She’s lovely – brown and white with pale blue eyes. She’s capable of learning: I’ve taught her to shake, and we’re working on sitting before being let out.



She’s great with kids and likes to catch one of my cats and escort him across the living room by walking alongside him while holding his head in her mouth. He tolerates this with benign resignation, and even goes looking for her some days. I think the slobber in his fur gets on his nerves, but he bears it well.

My eleven-year-old Dalmatian is finally starting to play with her when she bats him in the head repeatedly with her front paws and then turns belly up under his chin. My VERY smart shepherd/border collie mix has always loved her and tries to mother her – and now the husky has taken up some herding behaviors -- targeting the shepherd! A VERY funny reversal to watch, and the shepherd grins and obeys!


Teaching Kala takes time. What the shepherd gets in six or seven repetitions, and the Dalmatian gets in 10 - 15 repetitions, the husky gets in 35 – 45repetitions. But her utter DELIGHT in figuring out what it is you are asking for makes it all worth it! And today she walked under my afghan-covered legs and netted herself. Tossing her head like a horse, a frequent affectation, she tugged, and turned, and tugged , and tossed, and stompled her feet, and got excited, and finally got her nose out, and then appeared and hopped up to join me on the couch, grinning at her fun and pleased that she’d finally gotten out. [ chuckle].

Attitude!

Sooooo pleased with herself! One afternoon, while spending time with a three-year-old friend, Kala and said friend kept each other busy for more than an hour. G. blew bubbles and Kala ate them – over, and over, and over. As long as the child was willing to blow bubbles, the dog was willing to eat them. The Dalmatian ignored the bubbles, and the Shepherd ate one or two and quit – they tasted bad! But Kala liked the giggles she got from me and the girl, so she ate every bubble that came her way,grinning and content. Her ego is not involved; She is enjoyment wrapped up in fur.

I aspire to be a “dumb-dog” knitter. I really do. I’m working on it. My recently finished purple alpaca – ahemmm. BLOOMED. I don’t know what else to call it. Now I’d forgotten to shorten the sleeves, and I knew it was a bit large – I hadn’t calculated the proper amount of negative ease. But it was soft, and cuddly, and . . . then I washed it.

[Sigh] I swear I made and washed swatches. They didn’t “bloom” at all to this extent. The sweater – um – grew – from a women’s large to a men’s XXL.
I set it aside. The fabric was lovely. The pattern was perfect for it. Easy to memorize. I’m frogging. I will swatch again and start over with the already washed yarn. Maybe it was spring growth pheremones in the air or water? That old “spring is in the air”? Surely it cannot bloom to that extent again! We’ll see. But here is the “blooming sweater” now, as I frog, and frog, and find to my surprise that it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’d much rather frog the whole thing and start over than try to adjust it and live with the inappropriate proportions. I love working with this yarn and was actually sad about being finished. I hope to get it right as I slowly re-work the sweater this summer, but I’m more surprised at how little ego is gnawing at me. Shouldn’t I be more upset? Shouldn’t I be stomping around and pissy because this happened? Cursing myself and the yarn, fate or my lack of experience?

Nope. No inclination at all. The pleasure of having the yarn run through my hands is just as real while frogging it as while working it. The color is still lovely, and I’ll get to do this again without the anxiety of wondering how to interpret instructions. I’ve already figured it all out. Now I can make the sweater without the stress of all the instructions being “new.” It will be both familiar, and much more enjoyable. I like the challenge of new patterns and new skills – but I‘m happy with knowing what I’m doing as well!



With that idea in mind, I’m using the pattern for the top I made last summer to make another of the leaf-edged camisoles -- this time in KnitPicks cotton Shine – in River. It's a Knitty.com pattern called "Soleil" and is comfy to wear and pleasant to knit.
You can find the original and the pattern at:
Spring 05 Knitty "Soleil"

While I've chosen a color far from the original, I think the Dark Blue will show to advantage with summer shorts and cropped pants. I love working this lace pattern, and the shine is wonderfully soft to work with! I’m planning several more tops in this yarn for later this summer -- colors and patterns to be determined!

I also must admit that on a recent visit to my LYS, I gave in to temptation, and I purchased some CottonFleece to make the cover sweater from IK – without the bobbles. I’m just not in need of bobbles on my torso. I have plenty of curves and bumps of my own, thank you very much!. But I love the cables and the neckline in this sweater, and hope to have it done within the month.

As you can see, the first swatch is done and washed. I need to check the guage and then take the next steps – swatch the rib again to get the correct guage, or try a cable pattern swatch. Isn’t the wisteria color gorgeous?!

Other happenings? My purple socks are going well, and I really like the Woldefoote yarn. I’ve picked up a couple of skeins of this wonderful read for my next pair.

The re-worked blue Opal socks are getting much wear, and I’m quite happy with the turnout. I still haven’t achieved the perfect size –But I continue to adjust and dabble. I’ll find my perfect fit in socks eventually.

My meditation / Yoga class is over, and I’m a confirmed meditator now. It’s helping with so many aspects of my life – concentration, stress, personal interactions, etc. I spend so much of my life in my head, thinking about my life rather than living it. Meditation and “dumb-dog” knitting seem to be adding new dimensions to my life and my knitting-life.

‘Tis a gorgeous day, and it’s time to put in some time listening to Moll Flanders while knitting. Oooh. And Knit the Classics will be reading two of my favorites in May and June – Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I can’t wait!