Apologies for blog silence…

I was madly knitting to complete my Cable-Down Raglan in time to enter it in the State Fair yesterday.  I made it, although without much of a margin.

I blocked it Tuesday night with a fan blowing across it all night so it would dry in time.  Overall, I’m pleased with how it came out, but I did make some modifications.  I started the waist cables sooner than the pattern called for, although if I made it again, I might start them even higher.  I also shortened the overall length by about 5 inches.  Had I made it to the specified length, it would have come about halfway to my knees.  As it is, it’s a good length for me.   If I made it again, I might taper the sleeves a bit.  The wide sleeves are pretty, but being the klutz that I am, they might wind up wearing a bit of food.

I am pleased overall with how it came out.  By the time I get it back in a couple weeks it might (might) be cool enough to wear it.

So I took all my entries down to the fair grounds yesterday.  In addition to my Cable-Down Raglan, I also entered the infamous christening blanket, my messenger bag, and the following items that haven’t made appearances here by virtue of being finished before I started blogging again earlier this year:

My Shedir cap

My Edgar scarf and matching hat

The entrelac shrug I made last winter

and the Bayerische socks I made last fall/winter and haven’t been wearing because I knew I wanted to enter them.  They look better in person, trust me.
I am hoping to do well overall, but my highest hopes are for the blanket.  It is the “biggest” knitting I’ve ever done, not just in terms of actual size, but also in terms of design and work and sheer number of stitches.

So after finishing all that deadline knitting I wasn’t quite sure where to go next.  I got my mystery stole to the halfway point (I’m making mine symmetrical) and have to get started on the second half.

I have a few sweaters lined up that I have both pattern and yarn.  The hard part is deciding which one I want to do next.  It’s like I’ve got a bad case of Starteritis.  So bad, I can’t even decide what to cast on next.

I did make a wee swatch yesterday.

This might very well be my next sweater, but it’s a bit summery and I’m feeling the need to knit warm woollies now that it’s finally cooling off a bit..

I have the yarn for a Thermal, I just need to dig up the right size needle and swatch for it.   And there are a few more sweaters rattling around the old brain-pan.  I might just swatch up several then decide which one is calling me the most.

In the mean time, I got a bit more done on my hand painted socks.  I decided to add a lace insert up each side of the leg.

Oh, and I may also have cast on a Clapotis.

We now return you…

… to my Cable-Down Raglan already in progress.

Lace – Tragic No More

So I went to my LYS on Saturday and bought a replacement needle:

I decided to splurge (a whole extra dollar) and try out a set of Addi Turbo lace needles. I wasn’t having trouble with the regular Addi Turbos, but the pointier tips do make working lace easier. I like the tips on my Options set for lace also, so I doubt I’ll be picking these up in many sizes, but I do like these needles as well.

While I was there, I picked up a skein of TOFUtsies in a lovely semi-solid pink (Light Foot). This was the first time I’d run across it in person and I’ve been wanting to try it for a while. I resisted the siren call of the other yarns there including Trekking in a lovely autumnal colorway that is totally outside my usual color palate but called to me none the less; or adding another skein of Paca-Paints to my collection.

The next task was getting the live stitches transferred from the old needles to the new ones. I decided the needle end was too mangled, so I trimmed the jagged end off the cord end so as to not snag my yarn. Then came the long task of moving the stitches, one at a time. 605 stitches total. Yes, I counted them. 41 edging stitches, 24o on the partially completed side, 324 on the full side. Since I started my edging with over 1300 live stitches not counting the edge stitches, 564 stitches left seems not so bad.

The puppies were indicted, tried, and convicted for crimes against Addi Turbo, but the sentence was suspended because – puppies will be puppies.

I’m now halfway done with the third side (53 done, 31 to go) and I laid it out today as best I could. There are still too many live stitches left on the needles to show it off well, and the corners won’t look right until it’s blocked (as if lace ever looks right before it’s blocked) but I’m excited about how it’s all coming together.

While the blanket was on hiatus, the Cable-Down Raglan saw some action, getting a couple inches added to its length. I just barely working the waist cables, although you can’t tell from this picture. I enjoyed working on it again and it was a bit tough to put it away again once the blanket was ready to go again. I had hoped to have this ready to put in the fair as well, but the blanket is the first priority.

Between lace knitting and cabling, I managed to finish my Solstice Slip Socks. These came out great! This was the June offering for the Rockin’ Sock Club, and for anyone in the club, the pattern and yarn should be available to the general public sometime next year from Blue Moon.

I posted the comment a while back that I found the stitch pattern a bit fiddly. I realized the irony of that statement, given the nature of many of my other projects, about two seconds after I posted that blog entry. What I meant was it was a bit fiddly in a way didn’t thrill me. While it got more enjoyable as I became more familiar with it, I did find it hard to find my rhythm. The resulting sock is quite attractive however.

This sock used the same garter stitch short row heel and toe as the Inside Out sock from the February club kit.

This was all the yarn I had left after I had bound off and woven in my yarn ends.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to start another sock right away, considered another small projects like a hat or gloves, but it didn’t seem right to see Stephanie without a sock on the needles. I’ve decided to knit up one of the yarns I dyed last month, but I haven’t settled on a pattern yet.

Off to knit a repeat or two of lace, and perhaps cast on a sock or two….

Wrecked

As in – my shoulder.  My anything-that-can-go-wrong-will streak that started on Sunday decided to continue into Monday.  Let me tell you, only I could manage it like this, too.

Yesterday morning, I was in an exam room working on a patient.  As is often the case with the bigger ones (this one was a 110 lb Lab), I sat down on the floor to do my thing (routine annual exam and vaccinations)  The exam went fine; the shots were given without any fuss; and I drew blood for some additional testing I discussed with the owner (got up to get tubes and needle to draw blood, then back down on the floor, because no way was I lifting her onto a table)  Once we were all done, I placed my right hand flat against the floor and pushed up to get up, a maneuver I perform all the time, only to feel something go zing in my shoulder.  This was closely followed by pretty significant pain.

I immediately took some Alieve (my NSAID of choice), applied an ice pack, and put a call in to my physical therapist/sister to get her input.  After describing the initial injury and what arm movements seem to cause me the most pain (abduction – raising my arm to the side above about a 70° angle) we have come to the conclusion that I probably have a rotator cuff impingement/tendonitis/bursitis.  We don’t think I have a tear, as I don’t have any weakness, but the first problem can result in the second one, so this is not something to mess around with.

I am currently on a course of regular NSAID’s, ice packing, pendulum exercises and  the “if it hurts, don’t do it” approach.  If I’m not significantly better in a week, I seek a doctor’s care (my first question to my sister was, do I need to go see a doctor immediately).  If my symptoms have improved, we will start a program of stretching and strengthening exercises designed to help avoid re-injury.

I am somewhat encouraged by the fact that I did not have trouble sleeping because of the pain (a common occurrence with shoulder injuries), and when I got up this morning, I did not have significant pain until after I had been up a couple hours going about my usual routine.  I’m hoping this is a good sign.  Also, so far the pain doesn’t seem to be exacerbated by knitting like my elbow tendinitis of this spring.  (I tell you, I’m falling apart!)

I managed to get finished with the yoke of my Cable-Down Raglan and separate the sleeves from the body.  The white cotton is from where I put the stitches on waste yarn to try it on at the first size option I was considering.  I decided to go up a size, but kept the yarn in to serve as a lifeline in case I change my mind later.

Here’s a shot of the sleeve section.  Both sleeves are patiently waiting their turn on waste yarn while I work the body.

My silk socks are moving right along, and the color repeats decided to behave themselves and line up nicely after all.  I’m not sure how or why, but I was about an inch past the heels when I looked down realized that rather than being about a round off, the were within about 8 stitches.

This is the kitten I took to her new owners in Georgia on Sunday.

This kitten, the one from under the boat, also left us this weekend to go to his new home in Charleston.

Butch still needs a home if anyone is interested.   He’s very sweet and loving and would make a great pet.

Spoiled Rotten

A box arrived today from Jennie, my Sockapalooza pal, and boy did she spoil me.

The first thing that greeted me upon opening the box was fiber in the form of dyed locks. I read Jennie’s lovely card and carefully unpacked the contents of the box.

There was fiber – dyed locks on the left, coopworth roving in maroon, orange and gold in the middle, and an undyed silk hankie on the right.

There was pottery – made by Jennie! Unbeknownst to her, I found her site a few months ago and fell in love with her yarn bowls. Now I have one of my very own. The wee pieces at the top are magnets. So cute.

There were yummy treats. I haven’t tried the chocolate yet, as it was a bit melty (the heat wave continues – we hit 106°F today), but it’s in the fridge and solid again, and will still be yummy, I’m sure. The ginger chews are quite tasty – sweet and spicy all at the same time.

Last but certainly not least, there were the socks. Pretty socks with cable and ribbing, made out of Cascade Fixation perfect for my southern climate.

The fit is perfect and after taking pictures, I continued to wear them the rest of the day, and in fact they’re still on my feet. (This decision was influenced a bit by the fact that I had just finished a particularly bloody surgery and had blood on the socks I was wearing. But mostly it was the desire to wear these pretty, comfy socks.

I can’t thank Jennie enough for her generous gifts. They are loved and appreciated and will be put to good use.

From the other direction in the Sockapalooza stream, I heard from my pal Rachael. Her package arrived on Monday, but she’s been out of town so she just got it today. She loved her socks as well as all the other goodies I sent her.  I didn’t take pictures of everything else before I sent it off.

My silk socks now have heels.  The length of color run in one skein is a slight bit longer than in the other, so that althogh they match at the cuff, they are now about a round off on each color change.  By the time I reach the toe, they may not match very much at all.  On one hand, it doesn’t bother me (much) but on the other, this self striping yarn is not hand-painted.  Both skeins are from the same lot.  The color repeats should be the same length.  But it is slight, and by the time it becomes noticeable by anyone but me, they will be hidden in shoes.  I can deal.

The Cable-Down Raglan looks like this now.  I haven’t worked on it since I posted yesterday, but I braved the sweltering outside to get you a picture.