A Little Yarn On The Side

....for which I am feeling tremendously proud.  While we knew he was really sick, we only now realize that my father was really in danger when he was admitted to the hospital, and we're lucky to still have him.  This morning the did the surgery that we thought they would do 2 weeks ago, but which the surgeon told us last night that they couldn't do earlier because Dad just wouldn't have survived.  That thought will send you home to get a good night's rest.  So this morning Mom and I were at the hospital bright and early, and admittedly pretty sleep-deprived and on-edge, and instead of the doctor coming out to talk to us as many were doing, we were moved to a small consulting room just inside the surgery area.  There were exactly 3 things to read in that room:  a flier entitled "What to do when the worst happens" (or something equally uplifting), a pamphlet on the chaplain services available in the hospital, and a Bible.  I don't know exactly what healt...

And just to make sure such a crazy thought was COMPLETELY driven from my mind, I did another thread on the unending cross stitch project to reinforce how mind-numbingly slow it is, and I think that has done the trick.  The problem is, of course, that I can see how it's relaxing.  One sort of tunes out, concentrates on itsy-bitsy tiny squares of fabric, and must spend time accomplishing very, very little.  I think this is probably good for such a type-A person as myself.  I also think it would be completely daft to think I'll ever complete TWO of the blasted things.  I spent a bit of time on Ravelry queuing up lace weight projects just to remind myself that there is knitting that can be tedious and slow as well, and plan to bribe myself with some new seed bead colors next time the need-to-buy urge strikes me.  In addition to the 365 ornament madness for next year, I thought it would be a good challenge to tackle some of the lace weight.  I purposely d...

My father has been in the hospital with a staph infection, and our house has been turned into a family hotel for the past week now, so things have been hectic.  He's going to be fine now, but it will take some recovery time.  The stress of having permanent house guests, a parent in the hospital, the driving (he started out in a different hospital and was moved down here), and too much sitting has demolished my back, so I'm back to where I was in February I think.  So, it's been stressful around here.  Luckily, he's out of danger now and really mending quickly, so at least that part of the stress is gone.  The socks have been great hospital knitting: and I'm nearing the heel on the second sock. Yesterday I had a little bit of quiet time (known around here lately as time with drugs on the heating pad), so I tried out some of the new Christmas yarn:   It's so soft!  All the other Christmas glitter acrylic yarns are pretty scratchy, or at least ...

Actually, since there were size 11 needles involved AND double-stranding, it's rather sad that it took so long to finish, but in my defense, there WAS come major canning happening today.  At any rate, this:  has now become this:  which will look a whole lot more like a hat for a human once it has been felted, but it used up lots of odd ends of yarn.  From past experience, I know the hat takes about 350 yards of yarn, which is the good part.  The bad part is that the dark red--which is now completely gone--seems to have never been on Ravelry in the first place, so I didn't a stash decrease on Ravelry, but I did in person, so I guess that works.  And there were 5 partial skeins of black wool that are now gone, so my stash feels tidier.  I just wish it worked like that for the rest of the house...........

I have started leading odd little short knitting challenges on Ravelry that we refer to as "dashes," and now that everyone has recovered from the Ravellenics, it is time for another one, so, it's time for: Mad Scare Yourself Halloween Dash! Halloween is just over 2 months away, and what better way to frighten a knitter than to do one or more of the following: Knit 4,000 yards before Halloween Knit up the most challenging pattern in your queue. Use the most difficult yarn in your stash--mohair, splitty, so black you can’t see even the biggest garter stitch--whatever is most difficult. The personally-scares-you challenge of your choice. Complete one, two, or all as the mood takes you! There are people who just knit..........really?

It's hot, it's smoky, it's dry--so I'm of course thinking about Christmas.  More specifically, Christmas ornaments.  I'm VERY excited about 2013 and trying for 365 ornaments.  I really want to push myself to try new things, so they won't all be knitted mittens or felt mittens--I need to branch out to at least SOMETHING besides mittens.  Growing up, my mother made lots of felt ornaments, and I've always wanted to try them, but just haven't ever gotten to anything besides mittens.  So when a sale came along online: There's only 6 of them (thank heavens), but they're cute and certainly things I couldn't come up with without help.  The cutting lines are printed on them: which is probably going to be the most challenging part, but I do have one year.  And valium. I also bought:  a beaded cross stitch ornament, which I debated about--believe me--but I think I could do this in one year. There are beads involved--which is always crazy...

Never underestimate the determination of a type-A knitter: 2 washcloths and two tribbles later, I have now used up a whole CONE of dishcloth cotton yarn, and have one more entry on my "all used up" tab on Ravelry. Now, on a new yardage-burning high, I've become a bit of a knitting schizophrenic.  What can I work on that will increase my yardage fastest?  The epaulet sweater is in worsted on size 8 needles, so it got some attention yesterday.  I decided to disregard the pattern and knit the sleeves in the round, which leaves a visible line on the sleeves as I'm working in garter stitch and there's a clear line where I now switch from knit to purl, but I'm not sure I could do a seam that would be any less noticeable, so I can live with it.  I think I've gotten past the "interesting shaping" part that I was curious about and am now in the "boring all-garter-stitch" part, so I worked on it as long as I could stand it, then cast o...