Various Things

Hello all. Not much of a knitting nature to report. DH's sweater was blocked and sewed up and he was happy with it. The sweater I was making for myself is coming along nicely and the socks for myself (formally known as the cursed socks) are nearly done.

Got a bit of a scare healthwise. I went to the doctor because I had been complaining of a post nasal drip to DH and he wanted me to see the doctor as I also felt a tightness in my throat and a heaviness on my chest and thought it might be my asthma rearing it's head again. Well I got to the doctor and told him my symptoms. He checked me over and then said he wanted to do an EKG. I was kind of surprised but had no problem with it so consented. When he had read it he told me that there were subtle changes in my EKG and he had arranged for the cardilogist to see me after I took a chest x-ray. (it's a multi-specialty medical group so they are all in one building). Well I was a little worried but went along with it and saw the cardiologist who also took an EKG and found subtle changes in it. I had had a cholestrol test a few weeks back and they pulled it out. My cholesterol was way elevated, (231 to be exact) and he immediatly wrote out a perscription for a cholesterol lowering drug as well as something to "help my heart" I also had to make appointments for an echocardiogram and a stress test. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was surprised to say the least because I'd never had trouble with my heart before. Was I scared? Not really, just pissed off in the extreme that I'd let this happen to me.

Well I've taken this to be wakeup call. The medication for my heart has gotten rid of the tightness in my throat as well as the feeling of heaviness in my chest which I now know are symptoms of angina. I've started walking again and have been closely watching my diet. Got a great book called the New 8-Week Cholesteral Cure. It's got all kinds of info on how to cut down cholesterol and strenghten your heart. I've never been really sick, always a healthy person but I've kind of taken it for granted in the last few years. I've put on way too much weight and haven't been at all careful over what I ate, hardly exercised. That has to change now I no longer have the luxury of sitting back and doing nothing. I've been distinctly told by the doctors that I have to take this into my hands and do something about it. Wish me luck.

Time to Finish

DH's sweater is done but for the sewing and blocking. I would have blocked it this weekend but DS was in and the best place in the house to block out the pieces is the floor of his room.(nobody is in it most of the time after all) Pictures will follow when it's all done.

I stared the sweater that I wrote about in my last post. It's fun if a little difficult to work because the yarn doesn't have any elasticity. But it's going to look gorgeous and I am happy with it. The sock yarn I bought that day is in the process of becoming my first socks on circular needles. I'm having a little trouble with the directions and will go back to Knitting on the Lamb for some help tomorrow.

I have a question for anyone that's reading this. I have a stash of old acrylic yarn bought when I was young and foolish and not a fiber snob. ( I use acrylic but not the old plastic type of yarn which a lot of this stuff is). Can anyone suggest a place that might take the yarn from me. A charity or a school or something? I'd hate to just throw it out. DH bless his hear was horrified when I suggested doing that, but knitting it all into preemie hats just isn't practical and a lot of other charities only take items made with wool yarns.

Another Sweater

Checked out a new (well new to me) LYS yesterday. Knitting on the Lamb is a nice store good stock of yarn and a very friendly owner. I chose to make an oversized Aran sweater made from raw silk yarn. Yes silk. Surprisingly it's not overly expensive at about $7.50 a skein. I don't do too many sweaters and this one will be for me. I'd like to have it done by the time we go on vacation this summer so I can take it along. The yarn is being ordered for me as they didn't have enough at the store. DD will come along when i pick it up so she can pick out some yarn for a pair of socks I plan to make for her. These socks will be done on two circular needles, a technique I've been wanting to learn.

But back to the sweater. I took one skein home, along with an Addi Turbo needle #7 to swatch it with. Unfortunately I didn't hit gauge with this combo and think I have to go down a size to make it. Gauge is 18 stitches to the inch and I'm at 16 to the inch. So I'll try a size six needle next time. The suggested gauge on the ball band was 16 to the inch on number 7 needles so at least I know my tension is reasonable.

The socks formally known as cursed are coming along. I have done the gusset on one and am on the heel flap of the other (had to do some ripping back to fix a counting error). The sweater for DH is up to the armholes on the back. So that's had some good progress too.

The Sweater Revisited

Well after thinking about it quite a bit I decided to totally bag DH's sweater and use the yarn to make him a simple pullover. Boring I know but the yarn is sort of marbled and the simplicity of stockinette stitch will show it off to good advantage. I'm doing a drop shoulder, with the possibility of a rolled collar, DH hasn't decided if that's what he wants yet. The gauge swatch is in process and I will use the pattern in The Knitters Handy Guide to Sweater Patterns.

The now formally cursed socks are coming along very nicely. I have one done down to the heel flap and the other almost to the heel flap. (I always work the two at the same time so I don't get second sock syndrome) I have Cat Bordhi's book Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles on order from the library and plan to make the next pair using that method, perhaps doing two socks on the two circulars. I don't mind using double points, I rather like them in fact, but I want to add the other technique to my skills.

I promise pictures as soon as I find the blasted camera. :)

Thought You Got Rid of Me Didn't You?

Well after entirely too long a lay off I am back in the saddle again with this blog. The cursed socks stayed cursed and were relegated to UFO status until I picked them up again this past week and have been working on them steadily. The sweater for DH got relegated to UFO status as well but I plan to do something with it this coming week. The sweater was/is an aran knit that did not come with a chart so it's a little hard to figure out how it's supposed to look. Row two of the instructions made no sense but I think I can figure it out. My LYS closed but the owner still sells from her house so I think I may contact her via email and ask if she'd be willing to go over the pattern with me and I'd pay her for her time. What do you all think of that?

In new projects I am going to try to teach myself how to do socks on two circular needles, Sensational Knitted Socks, which I have a copy of, has directions and I am going to try it with a pair of socks that I plan to make for DD.

To update you on the family and myself, I've changed jobs since last I was here. I work now at a local department store a few nights a week and then some weekend time. DD is in High School now and DS continues to do well at his boarding school. (you may remember that DS has autism and goes to a school for kids with special needs) DH is doing well at his job and keeps wondering about his sweater :) The kitchen project I mentioned in the blog is long done and came out great!

I've made some changes to the sidebar, eliminated the podcast list as many of them had given up the ghost I will produce a new list soon. If anyone knows of a good blog that I don't list let me know about it. I'm always on the lookout for a new blog. It can be knitting related or not.

Wonderful package from my Tea Swap Pal! Trekking yarn, a chocolate cat, 3 kinds of tea a tea infuser, sour gummy watermelon slices and some nuts. Can't wait to dig into it 

Filling in

Just want to fill you in on a few developments. As you can see from the picture I got a great package from my secret pal. Pistachios are a real favorite of mine, and I am looking forward to the book. So many little things that add up to a wonderful surprise.

We are going away on vacation from August 20th to the 27th. Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. While we're gone they're going to come and rip out the kitchen and re-sheetrock the walls, paint and get ready for my tile guy to come in. I'll take photos of the room naked without appliances and cabinets when I get home.

DS will be coming home tomorrow, we're going to go pick him up from school and leave early on Sunday morning. Lots to do before then the kitchen has to be boxed up, we're far along with that but have more to do. Dishes and food in my pantry closet. We'll set up a mini kitchen in the living room with the coffee maker and a cheap microwave to use for the duration. Lot's of eating out the next few weeks. Wish us luck.

A few days late here is the latest fabulous package from my utterly wonderful Secret Pal.