Chili Socks in Progress

The Roasted Chilies socks for Antonella are on the needles.  Yay!  I had plenty of time to cast on and work the toes last night while I waited for Spencer to text me and let me know he'd made it back to school and was safely in his dorm. 

Note to all parents with younger children: No, you never stop worrying about your kids - no matter how old they get.

I also had plenty of time to work half way up the foot of one as I waited for a train this morning.  You know you'll have extra knitting time when the platform is crowded and people are arguing about who is cutting in front of whom.  I headed straight for a bench and knit on a Chili Sock while I waited for the platform to clear.

There will be no photos to see here.  I'll post all the details to Ravelry in a few days along with some progress photos so my knitter friends on Ravelry can check them out if they are curious.

Just because she knows that she is getting socks and has seen the yarn (I always get color approval from her before starting her projects), it doesn't mean that I'm going to show her what they actually look like while I'm making them.

She'll see them at Christmas.

And now to complete my lunch hour today by spending some time in the bathroom trying to get bacon and cheese grease off my newly washed fleece jacket and my t-shirt.

I got quite the deal when I paid $6.50 for that grilled cheese sandwich - with bacon! - and a cup of soup.  I got the very yummy comfort food soup and sandwich, a nice big double grease stain, an upset stomach and bloating.  Ooh and a hot flash, because here that comes now too.  BONUS!!

Sigh.  I need to start wearing a bib - and I need to stop eating stuff that I shouldn't be eating.

Some days though you just need the crispy grilled cheese sandwich comfort (with bacon!) that a salad just CAN NOT provide.

Finished Sock, On Deck redo, On the Needles Now, a Happy, Productive Visit

Knitter's Husband Marine Life Socks finished the other day.  They are approximately a size 13.  That's a whole lotta sock.  Told Spencer while he was here for Thanksgiving that his feet are NOT allowed to grow any more.  It's bad enough he's at a size 12.

A WHOLE LOTTA sock...

Spencer's SF Giant's socks not happening anymore.  The yarn is splitty, the colors are NOT working out in the jumble and I do NOT like knitting them as the yarn has too much nylon and it does NOT flow over the needles.  Spencer has agreed about the colors and has picked a different yarn out of the stash.  Cherry Tree Hill's "Middle Earth".  Photos later.  Still keeping an eye out for the right yarn as I do want to make him some Giants socks.  Definitely needs to be self-striping 100% Merino - which is way out of my price range at the moment.  This is how far I went before I had to say "NO MORE" - not black/orange/white but brown/coral/white.

Going on the needles today as I watch Da Bears trounce the Vikings - socks for my partner in crime Antonella.  After slacking off for three days, they are FINALLY going on the needles - Claudia Hand Painted Yarns "Roasted Chilies".  I have five more pairs to make after these.  FIVE.  Yeah, I should really get going.

 

Once Spence FINALLY got to my house, we had a simple Thanksgiving dinner of lasagna and a salad.  But first we had dessert.  We LOVE pumpkin pie in The Chaos so that had to be eaten first!

After we rested a bit after our mini-feast, we went through all the boxes he left in his room.  I made a special pile of them and we made quick work of going through it all.  We came across wonderful things that triggered many happy memories of his grandparents, both gone now.  Here we are in two of the many awesome hats from his hat collection.  Mom and Dad always sent him various hats for birthdays and holidays and hats were his souvenirs whenever anyone traveled.  Here, he wears the Davey Crockett 'Coon hat his Papa Bernie gave him, and I'm in a fancy Greek hat that Grandma Mary brought back from her Mediterranean Cruise.  He took the furry hat back to UCLA.

It was a Happy Holiday Visit, and we got some sorting and organizing done too!  What more could a Mom ask for...

Except maybe her Honey coming on December 14th for a Happy Holiday Visit and Honey helping sort and organize too!  I'll have them both in for Christmas/New Year's so look forward to whipping The Chaos into a bit better shape while they are here.  Looking forward to having access to strong, tall men.  I'll have to cook and feed them, but small price to pay for all the much needed help they will provide.

SQUEEE.

On Deck

These yarny cakes are destined to be black/orange/white jumble socks for Spencer.  He's a big fan of the World Series Champs, the SF Giants.  So I figured it would be cool to make him some SF Giants socks.

Do you know how difficult it is to find black/orange/white yarn?!?  Luckily for me, the World Series takes place around Halloween.  Enter plenty of black/orange/white of just about anything.  Except sock yarn.

It took me a while, but I found some.  I was hoping for self-striping yarn, but this is the best I could do so close to Halloween - a lot was sold out already.  Actually it was the ONLY sock yarn I could get in a wool I could use, that I could afford, and that - most importantly - did NOT include any other colors besides black/orange/white.

Hey now wait just a minute - jumble what?!?  (Insert sound clip of screeching brakes here.)

The color changes on this yarn happen about every 15 or so inches.  Can't really call this self-striping yarn, so I have to call it something.  So I call it "jumble".

Best part of jumble yarn?  Don't have to worry about starting it at the exact same place.  Not that it would be really all that difficult to NOT match black or orange or white stripes.  Unless you were completely in the dark.

Although lately, I'm sure I could find a way.

CKP ver 1.15

AKA the Cunning Knitting Plan in between 1.1 and 1.2.

Marine Life sock #1 has just been completed.  Sock #2 is ready for me to take it off the dpns and pop it onto my size 1 baby circs.

Defiinitely has helped having the second set of dpns to keep the socks in check while working one heel then the other.

I have decided to exchange the size 2 baby circs for a size 1 like I originally wanted to get.

The most ironic thing about this whole CKP business?

I knitted the heels one immediately after the other and they were done COMPLETELY different.  Something clicked in my brain between heel #1 and heel #2 and the pattern made sense.

Did I redo heel #1?  Of course not.  As usual, they look the same, even though my wrap and turns on the short row/increases for turning the heel were done quite a bit different for each sock.  The end result was the same - the heels got turned.

Knitter's husband won't know, and Knitter has never made socks***, so I'M the ONLY ONE who knows EXACTLY where and what is different and I'm not tellin'.

And there will be NO PHOTOS detailing the differences.  You guys only get a photo of the completed pair.

Stay tuned for that, it's coming up soon.

*** Update: Apparently Knitter has made socks waaaaaaaay back in the day, but hasn't made any since - and knowing me, I read "never made any" instead of "I have and don't like it".  My guess is that the fun went out of it since she HAD to make them and not because she WANTED to make them...that would  take the fun out of anything in a hurry.

Cunning Plans Can Change, Right?

I was just on the interwebs impatiently trying to find out where the hell my new tiny circ and mini dpns had gone off to when I took a really good look at my order.

(insert long, all-capitalized string of the nastiest four letter words you can think of here...and then do it again)

I SWEAR I was paying attention and ordered both the baby circ and the mini dpns in a size ONE.

There must have been a blip in the space-time continuum because I clicked on size ONE and somehow ordered size TWO.

Whatever.  At least the mini dpns are a size ONE like they should be...

Alrighty then...

So after a few seconds of waving both middle fingers at the screen, I figured oh well.  My chaotic little back and forth and this and that - which will soon be a bit better once the extra mini dpns arrive - has been working.  So much for that particular cunning knitting plan though.

Time for Cunning Knitting Plan (CKP), Revision 1.2: I'll be keeping the mini dpns and sending back the size 2 mini circs - IF they ever get here.

If they don't, I don't think the Chaos has the R&D resources for CKP Rev 1.3.

Stripe Sock Save

Important non-sock-knitting note:
Today is the Veteran's Day Holiday so the Chaos would like to thank all of our Nation's Veterans for their service.  Saw some things out on the interwebs about free meals for Veterans so hope as many as possible took advantage of that and I hope that your favorite restaurant participated.


And now back to our irregularly scheduled knitting...
First order of knitting business today is to get all knitter term geek on you guys.  Where I said I had tinked the second sock?  The term should have been frogged.  I tore that sucker back.  Tink is for a few stitches, I had to go back 6 inches.

Rip it - rip it - rip it...

Ok, now that I have that out of my system, time to move on...which has been a bit difficult since my extra sock needles still have NOT showed up on my doorstep.  Tomorrow is the observed day of Veteran's Day, so they won't be showing up then either since there is no mail service.

I've had to get creative since I now have a sock on dpns and one on a wee tiny circular.  I found another pair of size 1 dpns in my stash, but they are plastic and they are a teeny bit different size than my wooden dpn ones, so I can't really use those.  I have been using them as holders though.

I won't even go into explaining how I've been moving stitches here and there and yonder and back because quite honestly I don't think I can.  Plus, I can probably say for certain, reading such nonsensical jibber jabber is not why you are reading this right now.  You are hoping for some photos.

And here you go:

Some progress in the room...the shelves have been reconfigured and the table has been moved in and set up.  Now all I have to do put all my stuff on them.  Oh is that all.

And here are the now matching socks.  I love it when the stripes match up.  I have the gussets done on one sock and am working the gussets on the second.  It has been interesting, but what I have been doing is working.

Well now...

I just stripe pattern enhanced myself into tinking the second Marine Life sock.  I do love the colors on these socks - six different shades of blue.  Six different variations of Caribbean blue.  In a certain light, there are about three of the shades that look alike.

You can probably see where this is going.

When I use self-striping yarn - which is a lot because I just LOVE me some stripey socks - I try to start at the same color so that the socks more or less match up.

After I caked up the yarn, I pulled out the centers until I got to a point in the yarn changes where I had the same shade of blue.  Off I went on the sock #1 toe.

A few days later, I put sock #1 aside, out of sight in the main project bag, picked up cake #2 and started on the toe of sock #2.

Last night I decided to compare sock #1 and sock #2 to see how well I had matched up the stripes again, because I'm very good at starting up the socks at the same color and I was ready to admire my latest stripe success.

EPIC SOCK STRIPE FAIL.

A few minutes of tinking later and I'm back here tonight starting sock #2, this time at the correct shade of Caribbean blue.

I STILL do not have my second set of sock needles so I consider this a blessing in disguise.  Now I have something to do on the train again.

Time to re-knit sock #2.  This should last me for a few days while I wait impatiently for my new needles.

Mummy Talk

Look here for the Doctor Who reference...

Still haven't received my extra needles.  Still don't feel like uploading photos.

All you get tonight is a youtube link.

Back to the movie.

No Photo Monday

The extra needles did not show up today, so there are no photos of socks ready for heel pattern enhancements. hahaha

There are, however, photos of the latest work done on Spencer's room.  Just not tonight.

I was just too lazy to download/ upload/ add to post.

There was, however, a small bit of exercising and then some watching of the Viggo 2.  I was in the mood for some Viggo and I finally re-did the cables from TV to cable to the digital whatsit thingy I had to get from the cable company so that my old TV (bought in 1990) could get a digital signal.  It's just a big cable-y mess behind my TV, but now I can watch DVDs again.

I think tomorrow night there will be some "Mummy" watching while I work on some Marine Life heels.

Design Features

Back when I worked in software (shudder) for hours and hours a week, there was a thing that happened all the time called problems, errors, f-ups, mistakes or whatever you want to call it.  In other words, you put in some code, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Sometimes it did something with the product that was FAR from what it was supposed to be doing.  If it didn't work, you crawled back into your cubicle and spent day and night trying to fix it.  If the program still worked, it was called a "Design Feature".  Especially if you were before the customer and had no time to change anything.

I was never a coder or programmer, but I did work closely with them.

Things rubbed off.

When it comes to knitting I now occasionally experience "Pattern Enhancements".

Let me just say that it is extremely easy for me to live with Pattern Enhancements, so it is rare that I actually tink something just for a mistake on one or two stitches.  I'll tink it because I don't like it or I have become bored with it, or because I MAJORLY f'd up, but not because there is a small mistake.

That being said, I've used this same pattern for every pair of socks I've knit.  I've read and re-read the heel part of the pattern several times over immediately before execution and have knitted this same heel about 16 times now.  I think every heel I've done is different.  Seriously.  It's not really anything that messes up the heel and they pretty much all look the same, it's just for some reason I interpret the pattern differently every time I make a heel.  A stitch more here, one less there, a purl instead of a knit, a knit instead of a purl, a turn instead of a wrap and turn, and so on, just one stitch here or there that is wrong.  When it's all said and done I always end up with the correct amount of stitches in each section and no holes, so I don't really worry about it too much.

Why am I babbling on about this now?  Well, the foot portions on both Marine Life socks are complete and it's time to execute my cunning plan of working both heels at the same time.  Time to see if this pair ends up with any "Pattern Enhancements".  They should at least be the same - in theory.

My second set of dpn's should arrive tomorrow.  Once I get both socks on the needles, I'll take a photo.

The Day Off

I hit the snooze just as planned.

I got up before the 'official' alarm - way too early (6am, which is my normal weekday wake up - too bad my body clock didn't take the day off too.)

Was text whining to a friend about what I was going to do with myself (no, I don't take days off very often, and no, I couldn't think of anything that didn't involve, sorting, cleaning, laundry or other sort of housework) when she suggested I hang out at a local cafe to chill and knit while I was out and about.

Perfect.  I needed to get some things so headed to the local downtown.  It was much easier than going on a weekend - more buses running.

Didn't get all I wanted, had an early lunch, skipped the cafe knitting and came home.  I was tired and bored.

What did I learn?  I really need to take more days off and learn how to relax during the week.

Today I checked out the newest local grocery store called Sprouts - love the fresh fruits and veggies.  It's not that far off the bus and that means I can still get there without causing too much inconvenience on the feet and knees.

Had a very long chat in the afternoon with Honey.

And now I'm vegging out on the couch.

I have no issues with relaxing on the weekends, it's just during the week that gives me problems.  Feel like I should be somewhere else doing other things - maybe at work?

Anyhoo, I have LOTS to do tomorrow since I have not managed to do any chores or things that needed to be done today.

First I have to NOT wake up at 7am and go OMG I'M GOING TO BE LATE.  My whole inner schedule is off because of my day off on Friday.  And yes, I have done that on Holidays.

I think I need to put a note with big letters across my alarm clock: GO BACK TO BED - IT'S SUNDAY.

Maybe I should also put one on the bathroom mirror...don't laugh, I've done it before.

A Day to Myself

Tomorrow I have a day off.  There are no appointments scheduled.  This is purely a day off just for the sake of having a day off.

I like those sort of days.

There are a zillion and one things I could do tomorrow.  It all needs to be done.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

I think I'll start with hitting the snooze button a few times and then just go from there.

Sock #2 begins

Yesterday morning about halfway down my train commute, I finished the foot of the first Marine Life sock.  All 8" of it.

Last night I started the toe of the second so I could have it off the dpn's and onto the mini-circular for the commute this morning. **

Good thing too.  I definitely needed something to distract me.

Today is the San Francisco Giants ticker tape parade down Market Street.  They expect 1 million people to show up.

They told them to take the train.

The people listened.

The bus to the train was full - and so was the train.

Too bad my mp3 player ran out of juice, I could have benefitted from some music on the way in today.

** I'm trying something new this time with the socks.  Going to do the heels at the same time so that they both match.  I still have issues with heels, so if I screw up again, at least I'll do the same on both socks and no one will know but me (I have no issues with leaving mistakes).  BTW, I usually don't realize I screwed up until I've cast off the first sock.  Then I can't remember what I did to mess up when I do the second sock.

Really?

Since when are jeans size 16 Short too long on me?

Apparently I am also shrinking.

Lovely.

Making Changes, Hoping for a Win

Different things have been happening here in the Chaos lately considering health.

They mainly revolve around the fact that I am a 49 yr old woman (or as my doctor is fond of saying "you're not getting any younger"), I'm overweight and I am a 49 yr old woman.

I other words, I'm aging, I'm fat and I'm in peri-menopause.

All three are working against each other to cause each of the other issues to get worse.  For the most part.

After many conversations with various health professionals, I have decided against Hormone Replacement Therapy.  I have too many risk factors to feel comfortable adding that to everything else.  Various health professionals agree.  And we all agree that it's much too soon for that anyway.

So, now the search is on to find something that works and doesn't have any adverse effects on any of my other issues or cause new ones.  My main fear is that it will set off my allergies since all this stuff is natural and made from stuff that grows and I'm pretty much allergic to most things that are green and grow.

It's proving to be quite difficult to make any improvements as the age, the weight and the pre-meno all add up to life being pretty damn rough right now.  I find one thing that works for one issue and it'll cause weight gain, which will then trigger more joint aches and pains, sleepless nights, bloating, and then the other issues come back stronger and so on and so forth.

I've tried several things so far. They work for about a month or so and then abruptly stop.  Today I started my third try.  I've also found some exercises I may be able to handle.  There is no bike riding (hot flashes cause dizziness and I've almost passed out a few times-scary!), there is no walking (the extra weight gain on top of my already overweightness has caused foot issues so there is no walking for more than 2 or 3 blocks now), and at this point, just thinking about movement usually makes my knees scream for mercy.

Wish me luck as I take another stab at the whole thing.  Someday soon I will find something that works and helps alleviate all issues.  I'm definitely still in it and fighting.  Right now I'm not aging very gracefully, but that will change once I find something that works and I can finally see and feel some changes.

Off I go to try out those exercises I found while trolling the internet this weekend.  Luckily, there are some "try it out" videos with a few exercises to do to see if your body can handle it.

I've also decided to buy a trainer so I can ride my bike inside, that should be a lot safer for me.  I won't tip over and crash on the side of the road.  With the trainer, my bike will be nice and stable and if I feel bad I can just get off and chill on the couch til the flash passes.  Or even go lay down if that's what needs to be done.

Sigh.

The Commuting Beast within...

...is calmed.  I am knitting on the train again.  I started the Marine Life socks last night.  Yay!

My commute has been hell lately and I have missed the calming effects of the needles.

By the time I get home, I'm stressed out, sore from being bounced and pushed and from trying to stand while trying not to dislocate my shoulders.

I know at least in the morning I can get in some knitting.  I can knit standing up, and I have on many occasions, but the train is so crowded on the way home, I'm lucky to find enough space for me and my tote bag.

At least now I can knit when I miss the bus home while I wait for the next one to pull into the station.  That's been a daily occurrence lately.  Which is annoying as hell, let me tell you.  I'm tired of seeing the back end of buses pulling away as I come down the steps from the train.

I should have these size 12 socks done in no time.

Another Pair of Socks

If you asked me 10 years ago if I knitted socks, I would have looked at you sideways and asked if you were out of your mind.

Then I started to get curious.  After a few searches online, reading tutorials, looking at books in book shops, etc, a tutorial caught my eye.  I ordered it, downloaded it and off I went.

Now, all I knit with is small needles and fingering weight yarn.  If I'm not making shawls, I'm making socks.  My fiber of choice is Merino wool.  It's the only wool I can work with and for some reason, my hands work the best with small needles.  Small circular needles in particular.  The small needles and the thin yarn feel good going through my fingers.  The needles just fly.

I love making socks.

In my newly culled stash, you will find mostly fingering weight yarn.

Tonight I took a shallow dive into the "new" stash and came out with this:

Knit Picks Felici, color "Marine Life"" which quickly became two "Marine Life" yarny cakes.

Won't be starting the knitting of the socks for the knitter's husband tonight.  I've got a headache.  Time for some ibuprofen and really need to call it a night.  Everything is all set for me to start another day.

Can't wait to get those little needles going.  I've missed knitting socks.

Soaking Inside and Out

Simple Things is now pinned out and blocking.

First it went for a soak in unscented SOAK:

And then the rain started outside.  So I was serenaded with rain dripping on the metal covering of the trash chute as I pinned it down:

Another good use for Spencer's room and old bed?  Undisturbed blocking space.  One of these days that poor bed is going to dressed up.  Soon, really soon, I promise.

This is all that is left.  It will be wound up in a neat little ball and sent along with the shawl to the recipient.  She's a knitter so I figured she would know what to do with it if she needed to make a repair.

Besides, there is no more room in the hanging stash, so it has to go somewhere!

Off to Ravelry to fill in the final specifics for this project, add the last few photos, and then I start a pair of socks for knitter's husband.  For those who don't have access to Ravelry, here's the highlights, size 4 vintage plastic circular needle, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Wisteria, one 420yd skein, with a bit left over.  I started it in January, just now finished it after not being able to knit on it for a very long time.

Wish I would have had the socks already with me on the way home today.  Nothing like sitting at the station for an hour after you 'just' missed the bus with NOTHING TO DO but sit and dwell on the fact that you 'just' missed the bus and now you are sitting on a cold metal bench waiting for the next bus to finally drag its ass into the station and oh here comes some rain.

Yeah, I definitely needed some knitting.

One Shawl Finished

Simple Things is now complete - as far as knitting goes.

Now to give it a good soak and block.

Crispy Leaves

Leaves on the sidewalk swirl as I walk through them

More float to the ground around me

Crunch, crunch, crunch

Fall is here.