Third Sunday of Advent 2024

Joy does not arrive with a fanfare

on a red carpet strewn

with the flowers of a perfect life.

joy sneaks in as you pour a cup of coffee

watching the sun

hit your favorite tree

just right

and you usher joy away 

because you are not ready for her

your house is not as it should be

for such a distinguished guest

but joy, you see

cares nothing for your messy home 

or your bank balance

or your waistline

joy is supposed to slither through

the cracks of your imperfect life

that's how joy works

you cannot truly invite her

you can only be ready

when she appears

and hug her with meaning

because in this very moment

joy chose you.

Joy Chose You

-- Donna Ashworth

How Are You Doing?

Hello, I hope this finds you being cozy and taking care of yourselves. The cold or whatever it was that I had seems to at last be starting to move along. The last two nights I've actually been able to sleep three hours in a row, which is a major accomplishment. That's the most sleep I've been able to get for about two weeks. So I've decided I'm on the departing end of being sick, and boy am I glad! For a couple of days, I have to admit that I was concerned it was more than just a cold.

Anyway, it put me behind on what I was hoping to do, and where I hoped to go, etc. and that is annoying. But I can't change anything about it, so I'm trying my best to just go along.

Today is supposed to be rainy around here, but I am hoping to go out during a calm period to pick up something that I ordered and stop at a local market for a few things that I can only find there that we like to have for the holiday season. Yes, I could wait until tomorrow, and will if I have to, but you know how it is when you get something in your brain and want to take care of it RIGHT THEN. 

I thought about doing some cleaning around the house, but I'm going to be digging into various boxes of decorations and ornaments, so that would just be a waste of my time and energy. I'll clean up after the boxes have returned to the basement. There have been years when I have thought Oh well, I'll do it now and then just pick up once the boxes are back downstairs, and let me tell you, that did not work well at all. I ended up doing a major clean twice, and well, nope! Live and learn, you know.

Not much to report, since I have been down for the count. But I'm hoping to get back into the swing of everything starting today. I am less tired than I have been and don't have to spend all of my time coughing violently and/or blowing my nose, so I feel like I can actually enjoy a day of doing holiday things. 

I hope your day goes well, and that you can avoid getting whatever I had, which seems to be traveling around and visiting everyone I know. No one welcomes that kind of holiday guest!

Second Sunday of Advent 2024

 Preparation and Waiting

Festive Friday FO: Broken Garter Scarf

Hello and happy first Friday of December! Our original plan was to go to Baltimore this weekend to be with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat. We were really looking forward to kicking things off with them. But I have had a killer cold and the sore throat from hell since Monday. My Covid test was negative, so I guess it's just an awful cold. I have been so miserable, and though the medicine the doctor gave to me is helping, I knew that it would be a bad idea to still go. I still feel awful, and overnights are the worst. So I if I have to be sick, I'm staying home.

Oh well, a couple of extra days to rest and take my time with Christmastime things.

Do you remember these photos from last November/early December?

 

It was the start of a scarf I was making for The Tim for Christmas. However, I got to a certain point and realized I had not paid close enough attention to the pattern, and one way or another, it was not going to be ready for Christmas. So it got put away until I decided what to do.

Project: Broken Garter Scarf for Tim

Pattern: Broken Garter Scarf - a store pattern from Loop. There are solid color patterns that are similar on Ravelry, you'd just need to decide how to change around the colors.

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in the following colorways: Rage (150), Alabaster (197), Seasalter (178), Lotus Leaf (205), Cinnamon (356)

Needles: US 6/4mm

Modifications/Notes: Well, OK I did modify the pattern, but not intentionally. The pattern tells you to do two rows (1-2) with one color, then two rows (3-4) with the next. Then it says to repeat rows 1-4 40 times. Well, when I "finished" with the last color combination, the scarf was not long enough to go around a neck even once. 

Yep, you guessed it - I was supposed to have *80* rows in each section, but I only had 40 rows. Sigh.

No way was I gonna rip it out, even once I decided I didn't need it for Christmas. Because that was already a lot of knitting. So I decided to do the "last" part for 80 rows, and then repeat the other colors and number of rows on the other side. So the middle would be one long section, and the "sides" so to speak, would match.

I finished knitting and weaving in the ends around the middle of November, and I like it. I think I would like it better if I'd done the pattern as written, but I'd also like a million dollars, you know?

I still think it looks nice, and I know that The Tim will like it. That's all that really counts.

I like the colors I chose, but I have to tell you, the red shade (aka 'Rage') is my favorite! Not just the shade of red, but the name - Rage! I enjoyed telling people I was knitting with rage ... Maybe a Rage Sweater is in my future???

It's a little bit wrinkled from being stored in the project bag, but 1) it's a scarf, it's not going to be perfect anyway, and 2) again, it's a scarf, so it's not going to be laid out perfectly when it's worn.

It was an enjoyable knit for the most part, except when I'd be going along and would realize that I had not changed colors - but that's my lack of attention, not a problem with the pattern. 

And now the knitted gift for The Tim is finished and will be ready to wrap. A year late, but then again, Christmas comes every year, you know?

Happy December!

Hello and welcome to December - which is really feeling like December here in Philadelphia. The weather is very cold, but mostly bright, which is just so nice! I'm at home today rather than at my volunteer gig, because right now there are no kitties at the location where I volunteer! Everyone was adopted over the weekend, which is good news. But it does mean that I have to stay home and annoy my own kitties this morning. 😉

Thanks for going along with me yesterday when I posted the photo of our old cardboard wreath, the symbol of the start of Christmastime in our house. I was especially happy that KSD noticed, since I know she gets as much of a charge out of it as I do. When we first bought that decoration, we were living in married  student housing at the University of Notre Dame, and had gotten married the October before that Christmas. Yesterday, I did an inflation tally, and thought you'd enjoy my findings.

When we bought that cardboard wreath in 1978, at the equivalent of what would probably be a dollar store today, it was priced at 39 cents (you can still see the price pencilled faintly on the back). If we wanted to buy that same decoration today, it would cost us - are you ready for this? - a WHOPPING $1.89! 

IS NOTHING SACRED????? 

Yesterday morning I ventured out and stopped at Sephora and Barnes and Noble, to find some gifts for some nieces and to get a couple of books for birthday gifts. My one set of nieces have birthdays on December 18, December 25 (aka Lizmas), and December 29. A lot of people just ignore their birthdays - you know, the "This is for your birthday and Christmas," but I grew up with a mother whose birthday was December 2, and she said that *her* mother insisted that if you were born in December, you still deserved an actual birthday. So that is the way it works. Anyway, I had complete success, and that made me happy for the rest of the day, I have to say.

Today's agenda includes paying a couple of bills, and digging out Christmas cards to get ready. I know we have some, and I want to make sure that we have stamps, etc. Yes, I still send Christmas cards. Maybe not as many as before, since I have had many people tell me in no uncertain terms that they do NOT want a paper card, and who do I think I am, sending cards when the earth is already so polluted. So I just don't send anything to them. But sending cards and receiving cards gives me a lot of joy, and I always recycle ours or use parts of them for gift tags for the next year, so I feel it's OK. 

I'll probably also get out some "easy" decorations - you know, pillows and such that you have for around the house that you don't need to set aside a day to unwrap and organize.

Of course, there will also be knitting and reading. And the taking of cough syrup, since I started with a chest cold on Sunday, and coughed my way through the night last night. 😡

As I mentioned above, yesterday was my mom's birthday. Last night, The Tim and I were drinking a birthday toast to her, and I was saying that if she were still here, she would be 106 years old. And The Tim said, "Oh God, she'd still be getting me to find her cane for her 50 times a day!" and we had a good laugh, because she would "lose" her cane all of the time. And then she'd say, "Tim, I've lost my cane/that person has my cane,* will you help me find it," and he would say, "Geraldine, it's right in front of you," and she would respond, "Oh for God's sake!" and the two of them would have the best laugh about it.

Whereas, if The Tim wasn't around, and it was only the two of us, she would say the same thing to me, and I would say - in a completely normal tone of voice - "Mom, it's right in front of you," and she would say in a truly annoyed fashion, "Well, no one likes a smart ass."

Sometimes you're just not the favorite, and you have to live with that. 😂

*whenever she would "lose" her cane, if we were out somewhere and someone else near us also had a cane, she was always convinced they it was hers and they had taken it ...

It's Time

IFKYK. 

(This year with our new door!)

First Sunday of Advent 2024

 

Sometimes I think about the world being terrible

and then I think of the young boy outside the supermarket, singing Coldplay, his sweet voice in the wind

his father proud

a baby being born; coming home 

an elderly couple holding hands

each time someone says,

"I saw this and thought of you"

A child's expression when they see their parent

in a crowd.

how people make art to understand the world

not for the world to understand their art

acts of kindness among strangers

a dog who waits at the door for you

how most people are good

and for all the terrible, I try to think of the happiness

people still allow into their lives

with open arms and hearts.

How people mend piece by piece,

despite all that is broken.

       -- Jessica Urlichs

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

I will likely be busy tomorrow doing nothing other than fixing food and eating said food, as well as reading, knitting, watching TV and movies. So that I don't have to interrupt my laziness plan, I wanted to send Happy Thanksgiving wishes to all of you and yours. I hope you celebrate however you most enjoy it, and that you are able to be happy for all that you have.

Enjoy your day, and thank you for being here. 💖

Cozy Season

If you are anything at all like me - and I'm guessing since a lot of us (all of us?) are knitters, makers, crafters, whatever - you love being cozy. And here in the U.S. this is peak cozy season if you ask me. And it is The. Best.

We had a lovely weekend - nothing too much of anything, but just nice. The Tim finished his flooring project (well, I think he did. At least for now ...), and I managed to switch my summer clothes for warmer, cozier cold-weather clothes. We pretty much stayed put, venturing out to go around the corner to the market, to pick up prescriptions, etc. We watched two football games where our teams won (Notre Dame! Eagles!), and just listened to music, read, knit - I'm sure you are getting the idea by now. 😊

Yesterday I spent a lot of time thinking about my dad. He died 55 years ago yesterday, and it's one of the great ironies of life that someone who was even more of a holiday person than I am died the Monday before Thanksgiving the year that he died. I still think of him all the time, but yesterday I really felt him there. He would have enjoyed the kind of weekend we had.

I think I've mentioned here at least one hundred times that I have an ongoing text chain with my friend Lisa and my niece Amanda, where we update our progress with walking and exercise, share recipes, jokes, etc., and also set the world straight. Well, in the last few years, we have all posted daily gratitudes during November. And today mine was gratitude for having my father with me for 13 years of my life. Not long in the grand scheme of things, but I'm so glad I got at least that much time. And in some ways, maybe it was for the best - we never had time to argue about things, fight over things teens and adults do, etc. I sort of feel like I got the best of our time together.

This will be a busy week, probably for most of us in the U.S. as we prepare for Thanksgiving - the coziest holiday EVER! Today I have some cleaning I want to do. Tomorrow I have my volunteer gig with the kitties in the morning, and then in the afternoon I'll finish up with putting some things away. Wednesday morning I have a haircut appt in the morning, and my last physical therapy session in the afternoon. Then in the evening, I'll put together our stuffing for Thursday. Which is of course the big day. I'm hoping that The Tim will not have to work this year. And then on Friday, I'm getting my Covid vaccine first thing in the morning. So I have plenty going on, but it's all good stuff.

What about you? I hope that all of you had a good weekend, and are ready for a good week leading to the holiday. I hope you and yours have safe travels, if you fall into that category. I know how stressful that can be - we used to travel every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and were fortunate because nothing really terrible ever happened. But I know until you arrive to your destination and then arrive back home, it can be exhausting. So take care, and do the best you can. 

And enjoy what I think is probably the coziest week of the year. 💖

Five Favorites for This Friday

I think it's time for another post of things that made me happy over the past week. I know it's getting into an extra busy time of year for a lot of you, so this is your reminder to hold on to the things that make you happy, make you laugh, let you feel like yourself no matter what else is happening.

1. I sent off the Advent calendar to my great-niece and great-nephew, once I found things to stuff into the teeny tiny stockings. It ended up being a combination of "penny" candy from a store here called Five Below, a variety of very tiny ornaments I came across at Target, some of the 50-cent and dollar coins that The Tim's mother had kept, and then for the 24th day, a ten dollar bill for each of them. I know it was safely received, since my niece texted me. She said she is hiding it until they return from their trip home for Thanksgiving, so that even if they "decimate" it, it will happen during December. 😊

2. Weather that is matching the season! It's been cool at last here, feeling legitimately like fall. Yesterday and today have been rainy, which is also fine because a) it's cozy, and b) we really need any rain we can get. 

3. The floors on our first floor. We have random-width pine floors throughout the house, dating from when it was built, which was sometime before 1850. We've had a large rug covering most of the first floor since we moved in, and recently sent that out to be cleaned. In the meantime, The Tim has cleaned and polished the floors all over that level of the house, and it is so pleasing to see them looking so nice. When we bought our house, it was largely because we were completely drawn in by the floors, and they look better than they have for a long time.

4. I have been able to eat and drink whatever I want since my colonoscopy is over! It's not that I am stuffing my face 24/7, but just that it's nice if I decided to have an apple that I can do just that. The prep last week was bad enough, but the day of my procedure, my appointment was for 2 p.m. and I wasn't allowed to even have water after 5 a.m. I would been willing to mow down a group of kindergartners for a glass of water by the time I was leaving!

5. My knitting has pleased me this week. It made me happy to see how thrilled The Tim was with his replacement sock, which really didn't take that long to knit once I actually got it going. 

And do you remember a few weeks back, I showed you the beginning of my first ever two-color yoked sweater?

Well, I've continued working on it, and as of today, I have 15 rounds left on the patterned part before I get to just knit and knit and knit until it's an FO. And though there are parts that are wonky, I'm really pleased with how it looks now:

 

It still takes me a LONG time to get through each round, because even though it's not as slow as when I started, I'm still slow with both colors AND the chart. But as they say, slow and steady wins the race. Well, not that it's a race, but ... you know what I mean!

So what has made you feel good this week? I hope you can come up with at least a few things. 

This weekend I'm hoping to get things more organized - between things being all over the place while The Tim was working on floors, and being in the throes of switching summer clothes for winter clothes, things are distressingly messy in our house at the moment. So I'm hoping to get it all under some kind of better control. We're also going to figure out our Thanksgiving menu, so we can make sure we have the ingredients on hand. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving (as usual), but also as usual, am surprised it's almost here!

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a weekend that agrees with you. Take care and I'll check in again next week.

Pleasing

We had a lovely evening celebrating The Tim's birthday. He enjoyed all of his gifts, and was truly thrilled to receive the second sock to complete his pair of house socks. I had wrapped them in a couple of layers, where the older sock was on top. So when he opened it, he said, "Are you giving this back because you can't find the yarn to make the other one?" and then was surprised and pleased when he dug down to the next layer. So it was a success.

There are a couple of other things that have been pleasing, and I thought I'd share. Do you remember that last spring, the city planted a honey locust tree (aka "Loco") where a previous tree in front of our house had been? Well, Loco has been thriving. And last Saturday, it was time for us to get another tree, at the other entrance to our house (which is technically the main entrance). This time it is an American Hornbeam ("Beamy), and we are so happy with it! 

(The Tim: Oh good, it's a dormant tree. I was wondering why they would plant a new tree when cold weather was coming.

Me (in my brain): Brilliant deduction, Holmes.)

I'm so glad to have a tree in that spot, because the street is so small, and having a tree there must makes it all seem cozier, you know?

On Monday, I headed to Anthropologie. I had seen something online that I thought would make a nice gift; it was out of stock online, but it said, "Check stores." Our store did have it in stock, but in person, I didn't like it as much. However, I found something else that I liked even better for less money. But even better was the gift box they provided:

I had noticed on my way into the store that they had some yarn trees decorating the windows along with shiny ornaments, etc., so I guess they have a whole yarn/knitting thing going on for the holiday season this year. It goes without saying that I think it's an excellent idea!😊

So there you have two small but good things that really pleased me over the past week or so. It's a good reminder to pay attention, because even when a lot of other things seem to be terrible, disheartening, etc., there are still some little, lovely, happy things happening around you if you just look.

FO Post: The Hofo Sock

Hello there! Well, I survived both the prep and the colonoscopy, and I do have some pathology results to expect in the next week or so, but that is taken care of for now, and boy am I glad. I just hope the pathology report shows nothing worrisome, because I want to just be finished with the whole thing for another three years (three years! Last time I had only two, so that in itself is an improvement). But please know that I did truly appreciate your supportive and kind comments about surviving the prep. It's nice to know that people understand when someone is just plain uncomfortable.

ANYWAY.

When I was a kid, one of the jokes that at first puzzled me, and later pleased me because of wordplay, was this one:

Q: When is a door not a door?

A: When it's ajar.

And so, for this FO post, I have a similar question for you:

Q: When is a HO (half-finished object) not a HO?

A: When it's an FO.

Project: The Hofo Sock

Pattern: Plain vanilla sock pattern that I keep in my brain.

Yarn: Plymouth Worsted Encore Solids. The light blue is the Denim colorway, and the green is - you guessed it - the Kelly Green colorway!

Needles: US size 5/3.75 mm

Notes: In 2020, I knit these for The Tim. And he wore them. A lot. Until the sole of one of them wore completely through. So he handed the other one to me, and said, "Could you just knit a mate for this one? These are cozy and I like them, and I only need one more." So I said I would, set the sock aside, and immediately forgot all about it.

A couple of months ago, I was cleaning out the mess that was my knitting and crafting stuff, and came across the lone sock, waiting for its mate. So this time I placed it where I could see it, and determined that I would knit another one for The Tim's birthday. A couple of weeks ago, when I finished another long-term project, I picked it up and decided to see if I still had either/both colors of the yarn. I did! I tend to grab Encore when I can, because I think it's a nice yarn, and for certain projects and for certain people, it's a much better choice than other, fancier yarns.

And at last, the lonely sock once again has a mate:

I made certain to wash the older sock, and I even used the de-piller on it, and though you can tell that one has been worn, and one hasn't, they really look like they belong together! Of course, I had failed to write down the specifics - aka how many rows led to color changes, etc. - so I studied the older sock and I think I got pretty close. 

In any case, they are currently wrapped up ready for The Tim to open when we have his birthday celebration later today.

Oh - and "The Hofo Sock?" Well, it's a HO that was also an FO. 😉

A Non-Knitting FO (From the Land of the Miserable)

Hello! I am on Day 2 of colonoscopy prep, and have decided that medicine really needs to get on the ball here. After Day 1, I am feeling incredibly awful on approximately 2 hours of sleep with a headache that would stop a buffalo from winging. Surely medical science can find some better method for this. I told The Tim that the military should use colonoscopy prep instead of waterboarding, because frankly right now I'd admit to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.

I just hope that tomorrow when I go for my 2 p.m. appointment, that they are on schedule. Last time, they were running behind, and I had to sit on a gurney in a hospital gown for 2 1/2 hours waiting. 

OK, enough of my whiny self. Let's move on to something more pleasant, shall we? (And thank you for listening while I complained.)

A few weeks ago, I started working on a kit that I had ordered probably three years ago from Katrinkles. It in included felt shapes and buttons that you put together to create an Advent calendar. 

First, I used embroidery thread to sew on the numbered buttons:

I did them in groupings, so that I'd stay motivated. Then, according to the directions in the kit, you were supposed to use embroidery thread again to sew the stockings together. I decided that I would use red and green yarn instead. 

Once that was finished, I had to figure out a way to hang them on something to make a garland-type thing. Enter this, which I found by mistake looking for the site where we had recently purchased wool dryer balls to forward to a friend. 

I had left long tails after I sewed to get her the stockings, so I tied those tails around the string in between the colored balls, and voila! Advent Calendar FO!

(hanging on a curtain rod to see how it all looked)

The garland had a long string and a few more little wool balls on each end to hang it up. I am really happy with it, and happy that it is not just cute, but that I was able to use some of my stash yarn on the stockings.

So now it's a matter of finding small things that will fit into the stockings. I'm hoping to get that done either this weekend or throughout next week, so I can send it to my great-niece Penn and great-nephew Oden in plenty of time for December 1. I've already decided that for the 8th, 16th, and 24th, I'll put in some money - The Tim suggested that we use some dollar coins that his mother used to save because then it would seem like "treasure." (Since there's also a good chance that kids their ages have never seen dollar coins.)

I don't know what took me so long to actually make this. It seriously took so little time, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Needless to say, you could just make it as a decoration, but I had bought the kit with the intention to make it for Penn and Oden, and wanted to do it before they were too old to really think it's fun.

I checked on the Katrinkles website, and now they sell the buttons you can sew on, and provide a pattern for mini-socks, but no longer have kits like this one. Just so you know - I guess you could still make little felt stockings yourself, though. (No, I wouldn't either it's true.)

So once my life is livable again, I'll be heading to the dollar store or the equivalent for other things to include. I think it will be fun. And I plan to send each of them a book for a Christmas gift, so there will still be something under the tree to open. 

*****

And so stringing those onto the garland kept me occupied and distracted yesterday, which was nice and also fun. After tomorrow, I will be busy getting things ready for The Tim's birthday on this coming Monday. I am keeping that in my brain so that I have happy thoughts today and tomorrow. 

I'm trying it all, because at this point, any distraction is a worthwhile one. 

Now I must go start drinking horrible things, etc. as part of Day 2. Please drink and eat things that are yummy and enjoyable today and tomorrow - enjoy it all! 😊

A Long Weekend That Wasn't A Long Weekend

Hello and I hope your week has started out well. This past weekend was a long weekend here in the U.S., in honor of Veteran's Day, which was yesterday. A lot of people had an extra day off work. Since I do not have a job, I was "off" anyway; The Tim had to work. So I headed out to a doctor's appointment, and then came home and did some projects around the house. 

Our weekend was quiet, but the best thing was that our new stove arrived. Finally, we can use the whole thing, not just the stovetop! It's funny when something is not available, how you realize you use it all the time. When I would go to start making dinner, I'd be rudely reminded that I couldn't use the oven because it was no longer working. And a couple of times, I thought, "Oh maybe I'll make muffins for breakfast on the weekend," and then ... NOPE.  So Saturday night I used the oven for dinner, and on Sunday, The Tim made some bread. That was our big excitement.

I also started another new knitting project. I'm trying a yoked sweater with two colors. Here are the beginnings of my efforts:

Let's just say that I'm not certain this will work at all. But I've been wanting to try this type of project, and if you don't ever start, you'll never know. I did make a two-color hat as you may recall, back in February, so I thought it would be worth the attempt at another level. So this could possibly be the last you ever see of this project, OR I will be hoping that blocking will solve a lot of problems ... 

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you've already seen the photo below. I posted this with a caption saying I was glad to get one of these before they sold out at Sephora:

I opened my package, and then put the box in front to the door to the basement so I could take it downstairs to add to things going to be recycled. But apparently Pip decided it was a nice cozy place to hang, and spent most of Sunday happily just curled up in the box. Cats and boxes you know. 😊

Today I'm headed to my volunteer gig for the morning, and then I'll work on some things around the house in the afternoon before I sit down to read and/or knit. I have to also be sure to eat and drink whatever I want for the rest of the day and evening, because after today, I am doing a prep for a colonoscopy on Friday afternoon. Ugh. I hate it in the first place, but having to do a two-day prep just makes something bad even worse. 

So I may be MIA until next week because of that, or I may be here every single day to give me something to think about other than how hungry I am, or how much my head is hurting, etc. We'll see. 

In any case, I hope *your* week goes well. I told The Tim that even with the prep and colonoscopy, this week will still be better that last week was ... 😢

OK, time to clean up my breakfast stuff, brush my teeth, and leave to go and take care of some kitties - have a good one!

Friday Funny - TGIF Edition

Yes it's finally Friday after what seems like a much longer week than possible. And if you are like me, you need a smile if not a good laugh. So enjoy Mr. Fireside Cat and his take on things, and have the best weekend you can have. 

I'll check in next week. Take care.

What I Knit in October, Part 2

Well, hello, and Happy Just-One-More-Day-Of-Political-Ads to those of us in the U.S! Not having to see another one, or receive flyers in the mail will be soooo nice.

Our weekend was pretty quiet. Our trip to IKEA to look at area rugs didn't happen, because The Tim didn't feel that great. Since we don't have to have rugs right away, it's no big deal that we put off going. Sunday was nice and chilly, really feeling like a fall day - so nice!

Anyway, I thought I'd show you what else I knit during the month of October. It started with these cakes of yarn:

These were going to be socks for me from the get-go.

Project: Apple Cider Socks

Pattern: My go-to vanilla sock pattern

Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes, Micro-Sock Kit in the colorway Old Cider Mill

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: I thought this would be a perfect pair of socks to knit during the fall - the colors, the name of the colorway, it all just screamed fall to me. I thought I'd use some of the contrast yarn for some stripes near the top, and I like the way it looks. The sock itself is a 1 x 1 ribbed cuff, with a 3 x 1 leg and plain foot. I did a Shadow Wrap Heel on this pair - I'm trying to practice it, because it's nice to have some variety when knitting socks, and I have failed spectacularly at trying Afterthought Heels. 

I knit the first sock pretty quickly, and once it was finished, decided to put these aside and work on the Halloween Socks for The Tim, since those were on a deadline. My goal for these initially were to have them ready by Thanksgiving; but once I finished the other pair, I really wanted to try and finish them by the end of October - and I finished on October 30, so I had an extra "free" day! 😊

The Micro-Sock Set contains a 50-gram main color and a contrast color. I had most of the contrast color left, but this was the amount of yarn I had left for the main color:

I was sweating out the last couple of rounds, let me tell you! Not that it really mattered that much, since the socks were for me, and I had plenty of contrast yarn to finish the foot before knitting the toe. But the closer I got, the more I was hoping it would work.

The best part of this is that it means I have no partial skein left to add to my stash. It's a nice feeling to think I used all of the yarn for once!

I personally cannot believe that I knit two pairs of socks in a month - but I was motivated, and not working on any other things, so that combination made it all work.

So what's next? Well, I'm sure there will be another pair of socks coming up, since I like to have a pair going all the time. And I'm waiting for some needles I ordered to arrive so that I can move along on another project I've started. 

But more on that later. 

Have a good week, and if you are in the U.S., please remember to vote! People have died for that right, and worked hard to obtain it. And this election is too important to skip showing up at the polls.

Happy November! And, What I Knit During October, Part 1

Hello everyone and Happy November! I hope all of you surivived Halloween. Ours was quiet - not a single trick-or-treater. I blame the current state of the world. People are afraid to let their kids go trick-or-treating, and only allow them to go to parties, or do the Trunk and Treat thing which frankly I think is gross. I miss seeing the costumes so much, that was one of my favorite things.

Oh well, just another thing that apparently isnt' going to happen again around here. A friend of mine who lives in one of the fancy 'burbs said that they only had 20 trick or treaters. Which sadly makes me feel a little better - it's not just a trend in the "big bad city." 

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But onward to November and the coziness of it. I will especially enjoy it when November 12-15 is over. I have a colonoscopy on the 15th, and have to do the usual (for me) three-day prep. So other than those dates, bring on November!

I have a finished object to show you - actually one of two pairs of socks I knit during October, which is insane, because I seldom can knit one pair of socks in a month, but guess what? If you concentrate on a project, it gets finished - who knew?? 😄

It all started with this ball of yarn:

Project: Tim's Halloween Socks

Pattern: Plain vanilla sock pattern, based on this pattern, which is my go-to for basic socks

Yarn: Nox Yarn Mars Sock base, colorway is Potions Master

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: I've had this yarn in my stash for a long time, and every year would notice it either right before Halloween, or right after. This year, I made an effort to find it well in advance. 

My original plan was to make a pair of Halloween socks for myself. I was even going to use a pattern. So I got it going, and decided that with the way the yarn was dyed, the pattern would be completely lost. Since the pattern I was trying out used the number of stitches I generally use to make socks for The Tim, I decided to just knit a plain sock and give it to him for our anniversary, which is a few days before Halloween.

It's a 1 x 1 ribbed cuff, and then a 3 x 1 ribbed leg, with a plain foot. Shortly after starting these, I finished another project I was working on; I'd also completed one sock of a pair I was knitting for myself. So I decided to concentrate on these, since I had a deadline at the end of the month.

I finished them a week ago today, and I'm really happy how they turned out. And it's a shame that Nox Yarn is no longer dyeing, because this was lovely yarn to knit with, and makes a great pair of socks. 

They were gifted for our anniversary on Monday, and even though The Tim has been sitting *right next to me* for a lot of the time I was knitting them, he was completely surprised. Which works for everyone, right?

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Do you have any special plans for the weekend? We're headed to IKEA at some point to look for a couple of area rugs for our living room. We had our living room rug picked up for deep cleaning and storage last week (long story, I'm sure I'll tell it sometime), and would like to find a couple of smaller rugs for the living room until the big one is in use again. Other than that, I'm sure there will be a LOT of napping (The Tim), a lot of hilarity (the kitties), and a lot of knitting and reading (me). It's supposed to be cooler (thank the Lord!) this weekend, so it will be nice to just cozy in and stay in the house.

I hope your weekend goes well.  Rest up, because next week should be a long one, at least here in the U.S., with Tuesday being election day. I sincerely hope that you will cast/have cast your vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Because any other choice is unacceptable if you want to continue living in a country that you're not completely and totally ashamed of, with a vile creature deciding our futures ... or lack thereof.

And I believe that sincerely.

Take care.

Yep, They Went There ...

After the events of last weekend in the 'burbs near here, the Philadelphia Inquirer published this cartoon.

(Meanwhile, my friend Lisa has a son who is friends at his college with a single mom who works at McDonalds full-time and goes to school part-time. Her shift was cancelled that day because of the "event." Apparently she told Vince that "Even a day of crappy pay is better than a day of no pay." Sigh.)

May your weekend be completely uneventful, unless it's something good. 😊

Decorations and a Visit to the Vet's Office

If someone could contact the fall weather and ask it to please return, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Well last week I finally got my act together and pulled out the Halloween decorations. I always try to have decorations up at *least* two weeks before whatever they celebrate, but sometimes I'm just not with it enough to get it together. 

Anyway, I pulled out these little ghost decorations, and they made me smile. You can't see it in the photo, but they have ribbons to use to hang them up. But what I like the best is that my nephew's wife had her kids help her make these and sent them to us years ago. At the time, the oldest kid was maybe about ten years old - she is now 24 years old.

But if you look closely, you can see that what they are are pieces of clay with footprints of each kid! Then Liesl (their mom) painted and glazed them, and voila - a family of ghosts! Isn't that cool? I just love the whole thing.

 

So they come out every year with the other random things we've collected for Halloween. 😊

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At the end of last week, I had an appointment to take Alfie to see the vet. He was overdue for a yearly check up anyway, but he has also been scratching his right ear a lot more than usual, so I was worried there might be a problem.

Now, you may remember that we refer to Alfie as our "affectionate weirdo." And he is - he's a cat who sincerely marches to his own drummer. For instance, he has no clue that the cat carrier is something to be dreaded. Which means when it's getting to be time to go, you pick him up and put him in it - no drama, no trying to escape. And then he sits there waiting to see what is next. (Meanwhile, the others who are not in the carrier are all hiding, and act scared the rest of the day, even once it's put away.)

When we got into the exam room, the vet said just to let him out of the cage to explore a bit. He was enjoying that, and then the vet teck lured him onto the scale to weigh him with one of those squeezy treats. Well, he LOVES those, so he was a willing participant - though it was funny, because he kept looking around while eating it. I'm pretty sure he couldn't believe he was getting one all to himself, since usually they have to be shared!

Then the vet and the vet tech wanted to go back into the lab to take a look at his ear culture. So they left the room for a few minutes. Which led to sitting by the door, crying because they had abandoned him ...

Spoiler alert: they did in fact return, and he has a slight bacterial infection in his ears. So we came home with ear drops to be given twice a day. But the good news was that once they returned, there was still time for some attention for Alfie, since as you have probably always suspected, he gets none at home.

To review:

Alfie had an adventure;

He got a whole squeezy treat to himself;

They left, but they came back.

As far as he was concerned, it was all good. And as to getting ear drops twice a day? Well, that ends well too, because after the ear drops, he gets a treat!

It's a good time around here to be Alfie, you know? 😉

Random Thursday

Hello there! I hope this finds you well, and taking the time to have a cup of tea or whatever your beverage of choice might be. I was in the mood to post, but had nothing specific to talk about, so today you are getting random things that have passed through my brain lately.

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It's so nice to have the fridge in the kitchen. But, out of habit, every once in a while when I go to grab something, I walk out into the living/dining area and then think to myself, right, it's not here anymore. 

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I am intrigued by people who go out in public wearing pajamas. Occasionally, when we had Dug and then Hamlet, I would see people walking their dogs early in the morning wearing pajamas, and a kinda/sorta understood that (though not really). But I'm talking about people who go to the grocery store, or the dentist - you know, places you'd expect to see people in actual clothing. Not that I am a fashion plate necessarily every time I leave the house. But I at least change out of my PJs.

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Yesterday I got my hair cut. The person who was cutting my hair was talking about people who come into the salon and pay many dollars to have their hair colored professionally. She was wondering aloud if they realized that these days, at-home hair color was really good. I found this fascinating, as I have never known a salon person before who said anything at all positive about do-it-yourself hair color.

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A woman who I used to work with and taught the basics of knitting posted a photo on Instagram showing her wearing a tank top she had completed. I commented that it looked great, and she sent me a private message thanking me for getting her into knitting. She said she took a break while her kids were little (she has three kids, only about a year apart), but got back to it and thanks to me, remembered learning the basics. I was happy to hear she was enjoying it. Because you never know when someone stops knitting if it was due to certain circumstances, or because they just didn't like the whole process.

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It will probably not surprise you to know that I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that Kamala Harris is elected in November. REALLY. If I never have to hear about her opponent, see him (unless in prison stripes) or hear his voice again, my life will be a good one. Should things go south, I truly don't know what I will do. I am being 100 percent serious when I say that the four years that he was in office messed with both my mental and physical health in serious ways.

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At my volunteer gig on Tuesday, a guy came to look at all of the kitties available for adoption. He told me that he is trying to get a friend of his to adopt a cat, but she is hesitant because she has never had a pet. They guy and his wife have a cat and a dog, and he said he was never an animal person before he met his wife, but now he is in love with them. And he said that to him, the difference between dogs and cats is that "One is automatic love, and the other makes you earn it, every day." He's not wrong. 😊

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I am slowly trying to come to terms with the fact that I may never find another part-time job. I'm still applying, but, well, crickets. We are managing financially, though it's not ideal. And it's not like I long to be at work someplace full-time. Rather, I would like to be contributing something to our finances, because believe it or not, even my part-time pay previously made a huge difference for us. And having a part-time job assured that I would get out of the house and participate in society on a regular basis. Left to my own devices, I go for my walks every morning, and yes I *see* other people, but we don't really interact. Of course, I have my many health-related appointments, but they are not exactly something to look forward to doing.  Otherwise, I am at home, other than running errands, or going out to clean up some things in the garden. I am not a social person, in that I don't seek other people out - but I am glad to have my volunteer gig, so that I am around others and interact with them. And I know that especially as people get older, that's a good thing. 

I have decided though, not to count on finding another part-time job, because it was just making me feel more and more frustrated. I would apply for something, and then keep wondering why I never heard back, and drive myself nuts about it. If something works out, fine, but I'm no longer going to assume that there's surely something else out there. 

The good thing is that I have always been happy in my own company, even as a kid. And I have the cats to keep me on my toes. 😉 I just need to make sure that I don't turn into one of those scary old ladies that everyone wonders about and is slightly afraid of ... you know the ones.

(Though I doubt I could stand to have my hair so long ... 😂)

It Has Finally Happened

Yesterday morning, two very nice and very capable young men arrived as scheduled, and they moved the now new-ish refrigerator from the dining area to its permanent home in the kitchen!

Seldom have I been so happy and relieved about something. 

Of course, then yesterday our stove died, after being only about 4 years old. So my new goal is to have a new stove before Thanksgiving. And my goal after that is for nothing else much to happen until after the holidays, if something has to happen at all!

To quote Roseanne Roseannadanna, "It's always something." 

Let's Have a Little Catch Up

Hello from sunny and cool Philadelphia, where everyone is disappointed in our Phillies, because they not only didn't win their division series in baseball, but they sucked the whole way! Sigh. And for most of the year, they had the best record in baseball. (Cue the popular saying, "We'll get them next year.")

Anyway, I thought I'd do a little catch up on how things are going with the yarns and projects discussed in this post a little while ago.

I started first with this yarn:

Dutifully knitted a swatch, and even after blocking, it was spot-on for gauge - YAY!

So I started working on the project and ... my gauge was way off. I suspected that it was partly because I had missed a few rows in the pattern, counting-wise, so I started over and ... nope.

So this will need for me to learn and apply some math to determine what I can do to make it fit. I am so terrible at that stuff - I can't keep straight when to use bigger or smaller needles, when to knit another size, etc. So I am going to have to devote a day to not just figuring it all out, but writing it down for myself so I can start again and hopefully get it right this time. 

So for now, that project is set aside.

Next, this sock yarn set:

This is a happier story, in that I started on a pair of socks for myself:

And at this point, one sock is finished and I think it looks great! But the second sock will have to wait a few weeks, because I wanted to start using the next yarn for a pair of Halloween socks:

I started using a pattern that I liked, which was written for more stitches than I usually cast on. But after finishing the cuff, I decided that instead of making them for me, that I would make them for The Tim for an anniversary gift. Because I liked the way the colors knit up just in plain ribbing.

And I was already knitting the number of stitches I generally do for a pair of socks for him. Now I just need to see if I can get a pair knit before October 28.  I think it's doable, if I spend most of my time working on them.

The other two projects that I had wound the yarn for were delayed when  realized I didn't have the proper size needles.  I have them now, and will knit a swatch later for the sweater I am planning for the cream and green yarns. 

The shawl I was hoping to knit with he other yarns now has the needle size it wants, so I can start on it whenever I like. But at the moment, the Halloween socks and the sweater I want to knit will take precedence. I'd like to feel like both of them were not just well underway, but able to meet the deadline before I start the shawl or return to my other projects. It's doable, I know - I just have to pay attention! (Easier said than done.)

In other news, a friend I have made through knitting is not just a knitter, she is one of those people who also weaves, spins, and does about ten other things.  Last week she posted a photo on Instagram showing some Halloween-themed pins she had made. I commented how much I loved them, particularly ones she had made featuring black cats. So imagine my happy surprise when I opened the mail yesterday.

Adorable, right?? It was such a nice thing for her to do, and a wonderful and unexpected gift.  I showed it to the kitties, who were - as is mostly always the case - unimpressed.

So now you up-to-date on things in my knitting life. What are you up to these days? Let me know in the comments!