Moving Right Along

How was your weekend? Mine was good, though I did work both days. But weekend days are short days, so it was fine. And since the weather was miserable, I was just as happy to be doing that.

The Tim was apparently inspired to get some things done, so he returned a toilet he'd ordered from Home Depot that ended up being the wrong one to work with the plumbing in our old house, and then he ordered another one, since the one we need wasn't in stock. I'm glad I missed all of that, because frankly, helping to carry a HEAVY toilet down from the third floor to the first is not something that would have ended well, if I had been the designated helper. He got the next door neighbor to help, and said that with him helping, it was really no big deal. So both of us felt like we had a worthwhile weekend. 😊

I mentioned in my last post that some people were coming to fix our chimney. I was amazed at all they accomplished in what seemed like such a short amount of time! The best part is that they were really nice, and I wasn't nervous at all having them around. Granted, most of the time they were outside on the roof, but I had to leave the doors unlocked for them to get in and out of the house, and it didn't freak me out like I feared it would. It's funny, I'm not really fearful out and about anywhere, but I really hesitate when people have to come to the house. I guess it's because letting a stranger come in is just unnerving under the best circumstances. But all's well that ends well. Next up - a new roof!

My knitting is moving along pretty well too. By the end of last week, I'd finished the first half of a Musselburgh hat I'm knitting for a Christmas gift. I started adding the second yarn, as you can see below:

I enjoy making these in two different yarns, and the variations it means you can have when you wear it. Honestly, the most frustrating thing in the pattern as far as I'm concerned is the very beginning. Every time I start one, I think it may not even be worth it, but then I get to the part where you just knit around for a long time, and suddenly all is well ... 

*****

I was surprised to realize that the September 11 attacks were 22 years ago. That seems so odd to me; admittedly, I don't feel like it was yesterday, but it just doesn't seem that it could be long ago enough for those born that year to be adults today. Time is just so weird. I know for anyone directly affected, it likely does feel like it was yesterday. I hope for all of them, they have been able to find a new normal that at least means that every single day isn't full of searing grief and sorrow.

I wish peace and comfort to all of you. Have a good week, and remember to let those important to you know that you care. 

I'm Back - With an FO!

Hello and Happy September! I'm finally back and hopefully will be able to check in regularly going forward. The last couple of months were challenging, and I'm glad I took time off from the blog, though I did miss all of you. Let's just say that as of today, mental health stuff, dental stuff, life stuff, and house stuff are all doing better, so it was a worthwhile endeavor to concentrate on those.

I have been knitting, and have started a couple of new things that are holiday gifts, but I'm happily here to tell you about an FO! You may remember that I was going right along on my Stripey Summer Tee, which started like this:

(this is the actual color best represented, btw)

And then I made progress:

More progress:

And now, it's an FO <cue applause>

Project: Stripey  Summer Grapefruit Tee

Pattern: Rock It Tee, by Tanis Lavallee (Ravelry link)

Yarn: MadelineTosh Tosh Light in the Pink Grapefruit colorway; and, Fiberstory Fave Sock in the Barely colorway

Needles: US size 5

Modifications: In the pattern, it says to make the centered double decreases on the sides in every other row. I didn't do that, deciding that with having to keep track of the stripes, that would be an extra thing to worry about. So I did the decreases every 4th and 6th row, and I really think it looks pretty.

Notes: This is a really well-written pattern, making it very clear what needs to happen and when. The designer said that of course you can use whatever striping sequence you like, but when she made the sample, she did eight row stripes. I figured if that was good enough for her, it was good enough for me. 😊 I made the fourth size in the pattern, because if I'm wearing wool at all in the summer and springtime, I want there to be good air flow, so I wanted positive ease.

I've worn this a couple of times already (it still being summer - OMG I finished something during the season I want to wear it!), and it's comfy and I feel like it fits well. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it, which of course makes my knitter's heart happy. And another knitter even said, "Wow, you did the stripes so you can't even see the joining of the other yarn!" which I took as one the highest praise possible. 

I made sure to have enough yarn according to what the pattern required, and my gauge swatches worked fine, but at the end of things, here's what I had left:

That's 84 grams of the Pink Grapefruit color, and 97 grams of the Barely color, so ... I don't know, someone's calculations were off. But these will get incorporated into something else, never fear!

So that's that. I'm hoping to post more regularly now, and have some things to show and tell, as well as my regular golden nuggets of prose and wisdom. I hope all of you have been keeping well, and that if you are near any extremes of weather (I'm not even getting into a discussion of the weather here this week, ugh), that you are managing to keep safe.

And now I'm off to welcome the Chimney Guy, who is here to take a look at what needs to be done with/to the chimney before we can replace the roof. On the one hand, there goes any money available. On the other hand, I have been trying to get The Tim to get on this for the past three years, so please rejoice with me that soon leaky ceilings will be a thing of the past!

Take care, and have the best day possible.

I'm Fine, But ...

Dental things, house things, other things going on that are just too much at the moment. But I promise to return in another week or two, and I also still promise to let any prize winners know when their packages are [finally] on their way.

In the meantime, I'll be checking in on your blogs when I can. Have a good weekend and beyond! 😊

I'm Glad It's Friday, But Blergh ...

OK, I've had better weeks, I have to say. And for anyone who is waiting for a prize from me, I have to apologize. I have been sick all week with a killer cold, and have hardly had the energy to do much of anything. I'm not sure where I picked up the cold, but it sure did a number on me. 

I was finally starting to feel like a human again yesterday, but then I went to the dentist. Years ago, I had the last tooth on the bottom of my right side filled at the dentist, and it was traumatic. Mostly because the dentist was one of those, "Don't be ridiculous, it can't hurt that much" types, and though he kept hitting the nerve, he thought I was being melodramatic. So when my current dentist said that I would need to have a crown put on that tooth, I was not looking forward to it. 

Yesterday was the day, and I have to give her credit, she numbed my mouth well enough that all I felt was pressure when she was working in there. So it was not nearly as traumatic, but it did take a long time. And once the novacaine wore off, it was really sore - the tooth area and my whole jaw, from all of the drilling, being propped open, etc. So I took a whole lot of Tylenol for the rest of the day!

But ugh, I did not sleep well and then when I woke up this morning, I had a really swollen jaw, with a HUGE, dark bruise. I look like I've been in a prizefight, and came out on the bad end of it. Sigh.

And because I do have a certain degree of vanity, I decided that I am unwilling to leave the house today and go out in public (besides that I'm tired from not sleeping). It's disappointing, besides everything else, because I had made plans to meet my friend Louise for lunch today, and that is always so much fun. But I know she'll be willing to reschedule, and I can take a nap and avoid people saying "hilarious" things like, "Wow, I'd like to see the other guy" and having to be polite about it.

But, you know - BLERGH.

Anyway, I'm surely on the mend, and it will all be OK and hopefully nothing else will need to be done with this tooth for another 50 years. But what a week - especially since this time last week, I felt just fine, and though I was not looking forward to going to the dentist, it was no big deal.

So much for that!

Anyway, I know I'm on the mend, and will try to catch up with everything and everyone this coming week. In the meantime, let's all have the best weekend we can, and if you have anything fun planned, I hope it is even better than you hoped. See you next week!

The Final Winner for Christmas in July 2023

Oh my. Your reponses about the best surprise ever were so very amazing, some funny, some made me tear up, and some just made me happy. Thank you for sharing them with me. It's just further proof to me that small things are just as important as huge events, and that regardless of the "size" of a good surprise, the recipient at least never ever forgets how it felt.

So I am happy to report that the final winner for Christmas in July for 2023 is:

🎈🎉VALERIE!!!

The question was: 

What is/was one of the best surprises in your life?

And her response was just one of the loveliest:

One of the best surprises of my life was a sterling silver necklace/bracelet set of cameos that belonged to my Great Grandmother.
I don't remember when I first saw them (GrGma died when I was 16 or 17), but I always coveted them. Great Grandfather was in the navy, and he was one of those who "had a girlfriend in every port" so whenever he came back, he brought a present from GrGma - probably out of guilt. The cameos came from England - where in England, I don't know.
And I don't remember how it came up, but after her death I was talking to my Grandma (GrGma's daughter, my Mom's mom), and she said she had given the cameos to my aunt. (One of Mom's two sisters).
But then a few months later, Grandma surprised me with them. I don't know if aunt had given them back, or Grandma had lied about giving them to her (with my grandma, it could be either... but that's another story).
I was so surprised and happy, I actually cried. There's only a couple times I've been so happy, I've cried, but that was definitely one of them.
I have a lot of jewelry (none of it is very expensive, though a lot of it is decent quality silver and semi-precious gems), but the cameos remain one of my most treasured sets.
I also have GrGma's double strand pearls (another gift from the philandering GrGpa) - I used to wear them quite frequently. The last time I wore them was my wedding to Dave. The clasp broke when I took it off that night and I haven't repaired it.

So, congratulations, Valerie, and thank you for such a lovely story. Please send an e-mail to baclancyATverizonDOTnet with your full name and mailing address, and I'll get the package ready to send.

And so all of you know, I'm sending out all of the prizes at the same time, no later than next week. I'll send each of you an e-mail once they are on the way, so you'll know to be on the lookout for your packages. 😊

And that, my friends, is a wrap for this year.

Thank you all so very much for playing along again, and sharing your stories with all of us. We even gained a couple of new people this year, which was so exciting - welcome, and please hang around for my blathering past this time, if you can stand it!

I look forward to this all year, and love collecting prizes and saving extra change, etc., for mailing the packages. It is a highlight for me, and usually at a time when I really need it, since as you know, I am not by nature a summertime person. 😒

See you again (I hope) in 2024!!

*****

So, I didn't actually finish my Stripey Summer Top in July after all. I got the bottom and each sleeve i-cord borders knit, and all of the ends woven in on Saturday, then ran out of steam before doing the i-cord border along the neckline. I had hoped to do it on Sunday evening after work, but was wiped out and didn't even try; Monday I had things to do before I left for work, and then was again too tired to concentrate once I came home. So the end of July moved along, and I didn't finish. But I did finish this morning, so later I can soak it and block it and it will officially be an FO! <cue impressive, symphonic music and loud applause> The best part is, that I have approximately six weeks of summer left to wear it as a Stripey *SUMMER* Top, so for once, I actually finished something in the season appropriate for wearing it. <cue pigs flying, and snow falling in hell>

Hopefully I'll have some photos and an FO post for you soon. 

In the meantime, remember my Light Purple Thea from a while back? Well, I finally got some photos of how it looks on my person because the planets aligned a couple of weeks ago. I was wearing it to work on a Sunday, which meant that I was cleaned up, and wearing appropriate clothing, AND The Tim was home to take a photo, besides the one I took myself (which shows the actual color of the thing). So here is what it looks like in the world, so to speak. It was a great piece for too-hot and humid weather, because the fabric was light and breathable, and it was nice to receive a few lovely compliments on it. 

I do recommend this pattern, if you are at all interested in making one. One of the people at the yarn store pointed out that you could wear it as a vest as well. Which of course, just never, ever occurred to me. So I may make another one sometime with a bit more ease, and in a wool or wool blend. 

It could happen.