a frogging we will go…

Well I ended up frogging the Faina’s Scarf last night while watching Hardball.  Sometimes it takes a few false starts to get the rhythm of the pattern.  I did manage to re-knit all the increase rows and a couple of straight rows.  I’m up to row 66 (only 357 more to go).

The good thing about this pattern is that a) all the WS rows are the same so they are not charted, which means I don’t have to deal with the back and forth which is what always messes me up on charts; and b) now that I found the rhythm of this scarf I can actually READ the chart so it’s going a bit faster.  Maybe you can teach old knitters new tricks?

This may just open up a whole new world of lace knitting for me.

 I also noticed in the Sunday Michael’s circular that Wool-Ease was on sale for $1.97 per skein.  This is what is recommended for the SHIPS projects and what I’m planning on knitting for the Harlot’s Knitting Olympics.  So I ran out and grabbed a few skeins.

Fiberlicious Weekend

Ok, so I no credit card for the Annual Yarn sale.  One would think this would be a bummer. But I it forced me to sit down and actually PLAN some projects ahead of time.  Imagine that! So I did just that, I sat down and made a list of what I wanted for specific projects, with a few choices and yardage requirements.  Then I looked up suggested retail, and took enough cash just in case I needed to buy everything.  Surprise I didn’t spend all the cash I bought – even when we went to Swan Chocolates afterwards.  Everyone KNOWS knitting and chocolate go together.

 

So here is what I came home with:

1 huge skein Cherry Tree Hill Merino Lace in Old Rose (2400 yards)

4 skeins of self-striping sock yarn in pinks, reds, white and black – nice for Valentine’s Day

10 skeins of Misson Falls (discontinued) yarns in miscellaneous colors for hats and mittens

2 skeins of Manos Del Uruguay for a scarf

6 skeins of Frog Tree Alpaca in a lovely plum for this

 

 

 

 

Faina’s Scarf from Fibertrends.  What WAS I thinking.  Sure it’s a pretty enough scarf but ti has 427 individual rows with repeats! in it.  Obviously this is not something to take to my AA Knitting meetings.  Nor is can I drink alcohol while knitting this.  What WAS I thinking!

That’s all I can remember right now (there may be more) but I think I did fairly well at the sale.

Sunday Morning I was up earlier than usual and went out to meet a lovely group of women who knit at Kimball’s on Rtw 110 in Westford on Sunday mornings.  It’s a very cozy spot to knit.  I also met some more spinners (unfortunately they meet on Fridays – in Concord) totally not convenient for me.

I ran back to the house to pick up the kitchen and load the dishwasher (other than cleaning the bathrooms and a couple of loads of laundry) this was all the housework that was done this weekend.  Grace did not pick up the livingroom, nor did she so anything regarding that pigsty she calls a room, nor did she do any of her laundry.  Oh and she self pierced her eyebrow at some point so I made her remove the ring so now she has 2 very sore and very red holes on either side of her eyebrow. Ew!

(I really, really, really, really, really hate teenage girls)

Then Sunday after noon, I went out again to meet the Nashua SnB-NH girls at Border’s – what a delight it is to just knit and laugh.  I left DD at home which is probably why it was so pleasant. I actually was able to do most of the increase rows on the scarf but when I got home I did something horrible – I had a couple of glasses of wine so I think I’ll have to frog most/all of the scarf done so far.  But that’s ok – it’s the process, right?

Taxes and Death…

I really really really hate doing my taxes.  It’s not that they are hard to do – same old deductions, it’s just getting all the crap together to do them.  Thanks Dave for making me do the ‘right thing’.  Gypsies are hard to find when you need them anyway.  So I got all my tax stuff and just did it! DONE! Yay! I think this is the earliest I’ve every had them totally completed and submitted (electronically) of course.

Speaking of financial stuff – I finally did check the Boston Globe site to look up my account and sure enough my credit card was compromised.  So I called AMEX immediately and had the account  closed and they will issue a new card expeditiously.  What a pain – I really wanted to use that card this weekend too!  But it’s probably just as well and it forces me to take cash to the Yarn Sale.  I better get it before SPA though!

Then of course I called the Globe to cancel my subscription – they tried to bribe me to stay with a 50% discount but to be honest I read it online most of the time so I didn’t bite.  According to the AMEX guy – everyone he’s spoken to regarding this debacle is canceling their subscriptions too.  Well it is pretty unforgivable to compromise 200,000 peoples credit by publishing their information and distributing it to all of Worchester. 

Oh well that’s just more money I can put towards wool, and besides I can’t knit and read at the same time.  Hell, I can’t chew gum and knit at the same time either.

So TGIF – the taxes are done, the credit is saved, it’s Friday AND payday, there are knitting meetups to look forward to, and of course the yarn sale who could ask for a better weekend?  Well I suppose it could snow (starting Sunday night) and give us a snow day on Monday so I could play stay-at-home-independently-wealthy knitter and spinner.

I guess I’ll just have to ‘work’ on that.

Oh! Darling Sister, is having a fun fundraiser at her gallery to celebrate woman. Kewl, and they are going to do a special night just for women, by women and she’s asked me to read Tarot cards.  I don’t usually do this for strangers, so this should be interesting.  I was thinking of charging $10 for 15 minutes to donate to the cause, whatever the cause is (I think Breast Cancer Awareness).  I better do some practice runs as I’m a bit rusty.  We shall see.

See you at the yarn sale, I’ll be the one diving into the Manos del Uruguay, Cashmerino, Cherry Tree Hill Suri Alpaca, and sock yarns.  I must remember to pace myself!

 

 

How many is too many knitting meetings?

Since I’ve just entered the world of SnB and other knitting meetups, I’m beginning to think there are at least as many of these in any area as there are AA meetings. Hmmmmmm now that is an interesting thought. 

Last night I went over to the meeting at the Java Room in Chelmsford and met a lovely group of women, who are very funny and very talented.  From them I also found out about some additional knitting and spinning groups in the area.  I figure with some good planning and keeping a selection of my stash in the car, I may only have to go home occasionally and possibly never cook or do housework again.  I could just knit and spin out of my car and only go home to toss some food to the cats, fight with the teenager and sleep.  I know there must be a drawback, but right now I can’t think of one.

Besides right now I’m in project completion avoidance mode.  The socks I should have finished ages ago are stuffed in a bag because one of the yarn balls is horribly tangled and I haven’t the patience right now to deal with it.  The sweater I am knitting for myself from some beautiful Blue Face Leicester I bought at a WEBS sale, is also on hold because I finally faced the fact that I don’t have enough Blue Face Leicester to finish the sweater and I haven’t decided whether to just frog what I’ve done so far, buy more Blue Face Leicester and hope that because it’s natural and undyed that it will match, or just let is sit for a bit and stew about it. 

But here’s the rub, there are several events in the very near future.  The first is coming up this weekend – the BIG Annual Superbowl sale at Ewe’ll Love It.  This is a major budget buster for me ususally, how can a girl resist 35-40% off of everything!

Then there is the upcoming NETA SPA weekend with friendly VENDORS of all kinds of cool stuff, what’s a girl to do?  I think they frown upon you if you buy yarn instead of paying your bills. 

Then there is the upcoming Knitting Olympics…. what was I thinking – knitting hats for SHIPS? Sure it’s a worthwhile cause, but I keep seeing all these really cool projects other people are signing up to do, and well to be honest I have project envy.  I’ll admit it.  I’d rather be knitting some yummy cashmerino, or alpaca than 100% wool of unknown origin.

I suppose I could sell my teenager to the gypsies, but I fear it would the “Randsom of Red Chief” – but then again, I could make some money taking her back to cover my fiber habit.

I could cash in my retirement fund, puny as it is, it would still buy me lots of yarn right now.

Or I could get off my butt and actually get the stuff together and do my tax return so I can get my refund going, but that might take time away from my knitting meetups and I don’t know if I’m that strong yet.

 I guess it’s time to burn some candles and trinka five a lot. 

 

Added later in the day…

 Ok it’s not just an obsession, I think ‘it’s’ following me!

From today’s local paper

 

Sitting and knitting
By Julie Moberly/ Correspondent
Thursday, February 2, 2006

It’s called one of Harvard’s best-kept secrets, but word is getting around: the Nashoba Valley Knitter’s Guild is the town’s hot ticket. Gathered in the basement of the Harvard Public Library on the first Wednesday evening of the month, the lively group can be found listening to knitting experts, organizing charity drives, or sharing their current projects with other members – all with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for winning lottery tickets.