Woolybuns

Just Stuff

I've been without my kitchen for about 3 weeks now and it's going to be another couple weeks still.  Right now, Rob, one of the cute contractors, is here prepping the walls for priming.   Cabinets go in probably starting tomorrow.  I'm tired of take out.  And the hot plate does quite well making a cuppa tea, but seems to heat milk for hot chocolate allatonce so it boils over.  I need to clean the hot plate but I haven't figured out yet how to get the burner off.  And, without kitchen or big bathroom sink, I have very limited dish/appliance washing options. Today's cuppa courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts.  I didn't want two tea bags (too strong) and I asked for less cream (too light).  Getting water to the rabbits with my outside source of water frozen in this return to deep freeze outside is kind of laborious challenging.  The two smaller bathroom sink facets are not tall enough to accomodate a water pitcher, so I have to use a big plastic cup to fill the pitcher.   I'm getting a bit cranky.  DH needs a break from work and construction.  So, I'm making reservations for an overnight at a casino, hopefully for this weekend. 

In the meantime, I need some spin therapy.  I haven't done a lot of spinning this year, so going to Spa provided a brief opportunity to spin a bit.   I only got that much spinning done there but it sure did feel good!  That's some angora/shetland blend prepared for me by Still River Mill.   Lovely soft!  I'm thinking three ply.  I'm going to dye it after it's yarn, maybe red.  I have a couple pounds of it, not sure what I'll end up doing with it. It might end up in my booth at NHSW. 

Little baby BB is doing her best to keep me entertained.
Learning to use a water bottle.

Learning to eat on her own.

Doing what she does best - looking cute.

And because Laurie asked so nicely, I tried out self photography with Babushka.  Snapping the shot towards the mirror just gave me a big flash splotch, so I turned the camera around, used the mirror to see the view finder, and found out how aggravating it is to center myself headless.  Amusing to think about it after though. 

After knitting Babushka on the deadline, I found I still wanted to knit but it had to be something completely mind numbing.  So the projects I had waiting for closing ceremonies are still waiting.  They all involve lace.  I pulled some bulky handspun out of stash and cast on 150 stitches for another Harlot Quickie.  I had it about half done and decided the needle size made too stiff a fabric, so I ripped it back.  I'm now about half done using size 11 needles.   It's a good way to wind down.  When it's done, I'll pick up the other lace stuff again.  I have a deadline for one of those projects too, so it's the one I'll start on as soon as Quickie is done.  But that project is a secret from someone, so 'nuff said about that. 

E is for...

EPCOT, one of my all time favorite places on Earth!  We've been to Disney World three times now and Epcot is the highlight of each trip for me.  The name Epcot is an acronym for Experimental Community of Tomorrow.  That marvelous 180-foot geosphere that looms so moon-like over the entire park is home to the Spaceship Earth attraction.  I certainly enjoyed that and the geosphere stands out in my mind as the symbol of everything wonderful at Epcot.  But there is so much more to see and learn.  The Living Seas is worth the trip on its own and I've spent hours and hours there.  I could ride through the hydroponic garden area non-stop for a whole day, I think.  On our first trip, my kids loved the robot suit, the manatees, Ellen's Energy Adventure, and of course, Honey, I shrunk the Audience.   DH is in serious need of a vacation.  I'm thinking I should spirit him away for a weekend of just him and me at Epcot. 

E is also for Escape Artist.  I was sittin' knittin' in the living room and out of the corner of my eye, what should I spy?  Little baby BB bouncing toward my fiberland, where she'd be able to hide on me probably forever.  Obviously time for a new set of digs. 

And finally, E is for Elizabeth Park.  The highlight of this amazing park is an exquisite rose garden.  The last time I was there, one of my sisters got married in the rose garden (sorry about the quality but it's an older photo that I took a digital picture of - the original photo wasn't that great either, but it's the only one I can find at the moment). But the park is home to other wonderful gardens as well, including an annual garden, perennial garden, herb garden, and a rock garden.  If you are a garden enthusiast and traveling in the area, do stop there for a stroll.

Beating the Specter

I did it!!  Babushka is finished, ends woven in, just needs to block, which will happen bright and early Sunday morning.  It's a good feeling!  I struggled, fell a few times - my ability to confuse myself as well as my ability to lose track of where I am in the pattern is actually quite amazing.  But bulldog perseverance counts a lot.  I've learned a lot, tried a number of new techniques, including lace border knit on the edge, invisible cast on, mitered corner, triangle shaping starting from the hypotenuese edge instead of the point, knitting a scalloped border, even knitting I cord which I've never done before (yeah, now I understand why it's called Idiot cord!), and gained a lot of insight into reading a lace chart as well as the kind of mistakes I make. Most important of all, I have boosted my confidence in my own knitting at least ten fold. This challenge was well worth it!  Thanks, Stephanie! 

Little Baby BB continues to do well.  She's been spending good amounts of time with her mom, but today has just been too cold.  So she and DH indulged in some cuddly time. 

The lure of the washing machine called my son home.  And I got the biggest bear hug out of him!  Guess he's missed us just as much as we've missed him. 

Specter of Defeat

I can feel it, the ugly apparition known as Defeat, with it's hideous pointy teeth poised to bite me in the ass.  Babushka is a lovely girl but she's a tad cranky at times.  Like when I forget to bring my notebook to SnB so I have no idea which row I'm on.  Some good knitting time today coaxed her back into cooperation and brought me closer to the medal today.  Then I took a break.  And as I took care of other business away from home for 30 minutes, a couple of teenagers on break from school plopped down on the couch where Babushka lay, casually tossing her aside, oblivious to the flight path of the tiny stitch marker and point protectors that kept live stitches in place.  That did not improve Babushka's attitude. Sigh.

OMG, Bob!

What the hell is that???  See, that bit of yarn sticking up in that familiar and appropriate one-finger salute pose?   It's not supposed to be there.  That's my Olympic knitting and I had been enjoying some pretty smooth skating along, so proud that I had even knit, first time through, the mitered corner.  Without help.  Without too much finagling.  I've never knit a mitered corner before.  It was actually pretty easy and it looked great.  See:

I didn't want to push my luck, so I put the knitting down, stowed it as I have been ever since I started Babushka.  Then when I went back to it, the knitting didn't go well.  Kind of unraveled a bit.  So I ripped back to just before the mitered corner thinking ok, I did something wrong after all.  And then I spied that.  There is no join there.  So, if it's broken yarn, how did it get there and how come I can't find another end?  It must be Sandy's fault.  I dared to knit on a Tuesday.  Grumpalong Day.  That must have released the Knitting Imps.  After much colorful language combined with a dark mood, some sedatives  tea, and a few deep breaths, I tackled the repair.  So far, I've only had to re-do the corner twice.  I think this time it will stay. 

How better to cheer oneself up?  Unpack the Spa goodies from the car.

Two pounds of Indigo Moon merino/alpaca/silk roving in distinctly pink to decorate my new fiber room make a sweater for me.

Four pounds of that incredible Merino from Nick's Meadow Farm, one pound to blend with angora then dye Pacific Plush for someone else, three pounds for me to dream about play with.

Three two-ounce hunks of BFL from Spunky Eclectic (how can you not buy something from a business with that name???).  That's for experimenting.  I also got a cute Celtic knot pattern drawstring bag there, perfect for carrying a small knitting project to Stitch n Bitch.

At the swap and barter, I was able to turn the wonderful door prize I won, a table top portable yarn winder, into the makings of a Great American Aran Afghan.  The yarn winder was a great doorprize, very generously donated by Goose Pond, but I bought one last year and don't need two. 

The cashmere camisole pattern from Wild Fibers Magazine.  I have to try it in my Oooo La La yarn (silk/angora blend). 

And my biggest purchase comes in the smallest package.  I've been wanting this since I first saw them last fall.  Bamboo Sisters  circular knitting needle set from Plymouth Yarn.  They were even on sale at Unique One's booth!  Couldn't leave them behind.  Can't wait to try these out but I have to finish Babushka first (needle size I'm using on Babushka is too small). 

For now, all of that (except the needle set) will be packed up until both the house renovation is done and I get my fiber room.  My son did indeed move out while I was at Spa (ok, I'll quit whining - at least publically - about that), but my room won't be ready for a bit.  Seems my dear daughter would prefer her brother's room, so I get her room.  Great for me in that DD's current room is much bigger than DS's old room.  I can put a sleep sofa in there along with all my fiber stuff and have a room where a bunny can visit indoors when necessary.   But  now I have to wait for DH, DD, and her boyfriend to re-do the smaller room then move her into it before I can start decorating my fiber room.   I gain in the long run.

Baby bunny continues to gain weight.  She spent a few hours bonding with her mom yesterday, came back in the house before the temperature started dropping for the night.  She's back out with mom again.  This way, she can get used to the temperature and I can make sure she's adjusting well.  Sassy, the mom, is thrilled to have her baby with her and gets distinctly cranky when I reach in to pull the baby out for the night.  DH and Iagreed on a name last night.  DS the younger pointed out that guys do not refer to each other as bosom buddies, it's a girl thing.  So, baby bunny is now Woolybuns Bosom Buddy, aka BB.  I guess now that I have CC and BB, I'll have to get a Dee Dee and a GiGi, and maybe an Effie (that one sounds like an award for best cussin').  Not to mention a ZZ Hop.

The Annual Ahhhhhh

It's called Spa Knit and Spin.  In spite of the unlikely combination of time and place: Portland, Maine in mid-winter, a whole lot of folks gather for the warmth and fun of other fiber crazies addicts folks joining together for fun.  A giant pajama party fueled with laughter, friendship, sharing, chocolate and booze, and of course, fiber.  The Spa part comes from inviting a nice array of pleasure people: massage therapists, reiki and reflexology practitioners, and manicure/pedicure artist.  Just heaven!   
Vendors I shopped at or at least browsed through include  Indigo Moon Farm, Amy of both The Kings Pottery and Spunky Eclectic, Nick's Meadow Farm (can't find a website so far, but maybe once I get the car unloaded), Unique One, Goose Pond, Pogo and Marsha of Friend's Folly Farm (another nice place to get fiber processed), Wild Fibers Magazine (did you see their collection of note cards for sale?  That rich fawn, newly naked bunny is one of mine!) and The Fiber Studio.  I can't remember everything I bought and have no photos of any of it yet cause it's all still in the car.  I'll tackle that maybe today, maybe not.

The Fashion Show is truly a highlight of the weekend for me, and judging by the seriously overpacked room, a lot of other people enjoy it too.   I tried to get photos of all of them, but sheesh!  Some of you just don't stand still long enough!  But this collection of photos should give you a sense of the fabulous display we all enjoyed Saturday evening.
  How about a good round of applause??

These photos each need a specific comment.

Oh.  My!  Knit by Linda "Think Snow" Earls.  One can only gasp in the presence of such work.

Mary made Morning Mudflat Magic after winning my colorway contest of two years ago.  She found her colors in the early morning mist on the mudflats which yield clams.  The yarn: silk and angora.  Mary, I continue to be impressed!

And of course the inimitable Jackie Fee of The Sweater Workshop fame with a wonderfully unique sweater, hat and purse combo.  Every technique in her book is in this set.  Check out the sweater closely.  No, it's not your imagination.  The sleeves do not match.  Each sleeve section is different.  One is a full sleeve, one a fitted sleeve.  The decreases for each sleeve are different (a total of 4 decrease approaches).  Not visible of course is her famous Pit Pocket tucked neatly, sweetly invisible under the arm and away from the reach of any would be pick pockets.  You just gotta love a lady who comes up with that option!!

And does not this image warm your heart?

We had a special treat this year after the Fashion Show.  The Yarn Harlot spent the weekend at Spa and delivered a speech which really should be video taped and sold as a comedy routine.  Knitting, she explained, is not a craft nor an art, no matter what the reporters who interview her think.  Knitting, according to the wise and witty Harlot, is a sport.  I can't do justice to Stephanie's rendition of sportscasters announcing the Knitting Olympics ("Oh, my God, Bob!  She's dropped a stitch!") but trust me.  If you missed it, demand a DVD copy.  How about it, Stephanie?  Any Harlot Talk DVD's going to be released?

Baby Update

She's gained a full ounce since last I blogged!  Yes, it's time to give this baby a name.  Wooo Hoooooo!    As for a name, if she were a boy, the name would be obvious, given all the time she spent warming near my heart: Bosom Buddy.  But, she's a girl.  Carole giggles gleefully over Chesty Morgan as the right name.   She's certainly on target, though I am still undecided at the moment (kind of stuck on Bosom Buddy - what'cha think - ok for a girl?)  She has graduated from her tiny cigar box nest to ready to jump out of the bigger boot box now housing her.  She's nibbling hay a bit more, and exploring pellets and grain.  She's also having fun trying out her wobbly little legs!  I do love a good success story!  Of course, a good part of this success belongs to all of you who have been cheering her (and me) on.  Thank you for caring about her!

Big Steps Forward

Sometimes the big steps forward show up kind of tiny.  Like in this baby photo.  This is actually quit laughing an action shot.  She's doing two absolutely most terrific, amazing and deliriously delightful to me things that I know you can't see in this photo.   Sunday night/Monday dawn's serious setback involved the loss of 5 grams of weight (chilling drains the body of glucose hence energy pretty fast).  For any infant, growth is critical but maintaining weight is acceptable.  Losing it is not.  For this baby, that tiny amount of weight loss smacked her firmly into critical condition.  I warmed and thinned some molasses and force fed her immediately.  As she demonstrated increased strength, I fed her more formula.  By early afternoon, she was stable enough to bring her to Sassy, where she got a really good feeding.  I weighed her again Tuesday morning and she hadn't gained a gram.  All day Tuesday, the baby maintained her temperature, a very good thing!  She didn't get a great feeding from Sassy but she did get some good syringe feeds in.  So, the actions in this photo: she's nibbling a bit of hay and she's growing.  Yeah, she's gained 10 grams! Are those tears of joy flowing on your cheeks, too???

Similarly, I've made major progress in my Olympic knitting, too.  This morning, I completed the first two rows of the open work edging.  Two.  Since Sunday.  That's 16 stitches knit.  Go ahead, laugh.  I sure did.  But those 16 stitches for me are kind of equivalent to that 10 gram weight gain.  Those stitches involved seeing figuring out the chart, figuring out that it's easy for me to get one too many or one too few cast on stitches when using the invisible cast on, juggling circs holding 99 stitches while knitting just one of them with dpns holding 7 invisibly cast on stitches, ignoring all the loose ends from the cast ons and break yarns and knitting with the attached  yarn, and finally figuring out that the one chart symbol that kept messing me up was really two separate symbols, one for the row I was on and one for the next row.  Once I got that, those 16 stitches just kind of fell into place!  So naturally, I took a break.  And had a couple pieces of chocolate. 

It's quiet here this morning.  All other family members have departed for the day and there are no contractors wrecking anything or putting new things in place.  I'm just lounging in jammies.  My car is newly fixed and sitting in the driveway.  I should be searching for new wallpaper since the stuff we ordered turns out to be out of stock and not deliverable until at least the end of March.  I should be dragging in frozen water bottles to thaw gawd knows where in this mass of construction chaos.  I should be doing laundry.  But it's quiet here this morning.  I think instead of all the should be's, I'll go make another cuppa tea and lounge so more in the jammies while the water heater recovers from the mass exodus of the other family members, then relax in a piping hot shower.  And then, baby, it's time for me and my newly renewed car engine to go play on some on ramps! 

A Muse-ing Meme

From Birdsong via Margene comes a very fun little meme: Using the letters of your name, pick a word or phrase that starts with that letter and also describes a quality about yourself.   I gave it two shots, don't care if it's any good cause I had fun.  If the muse calls you, consider yourself tagged.

Creation is the zen
Hearts stretch across the divide
Reach for the soul’s riches
Inspiration feeds the need
Satisfaction dwells within

Wonders of the mind
Offer opportunities to create
Open my heart to
Love’s little ways
Youthful yearnings keep age at bay
Bounties of the soul
Unleash
Nature’s sweet
Song

D is for

Damn!!! I have a much better D is for ...  post in my head.  A second ago, that post was well on it's way to being complete.  Then I bumped the keyboard and BZZZZZT - gone.  There is another letter that much better expresses my feelings on that but we ain't there in the ABC Along yet.  Ok, on to the real D is for...

Dressage. Dictionary.com defines it as "The guiding of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers by slight movements of the rider's hands, legs, and weight."  But the   Discipline of  Dressage is much more complex than that.  Equiworld Magazine says  " Dressage is a discipline often compared to ballet or figure-skating, with the horses being the dancers and skaters.  Taking place "on the flat" ( that is, there is no jumping involved) in a ring of a specified dimension, a rider competes at varying levels depending on the experience and ability of the horse, with more advanced movements being expected of the more experienced horse.  The advanced-level performances.. will leave spectators in awe of the dressage horse's beautiful range of gaits.  One of the discipline's most-watched levels is the "freestyle", where horse and rider literally "dance" to music.  Dressage is noted for the elegance of both horse and rider." That horse Dance is indeed a thing of beauty to watch.  The site also has a more in depth description of what's involved and I like that explanation.  Check it out, if you're interested. 

Dressage is my goal with CC. The first time I ever watched a competition was in 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympics.  At that point, I was much more enamored with show jumping and had just completed a two-year college program focusing on jumping.  So I didn't pay as much attention to the dressage competition as I should have.  Now, with Guaranteed Gold as CC's sire, the blondie should have what it takes to pursue this new to me sport.  The bigger question is do I?  I've got no background in dressage myself, yet my plan is to teach CC.  We have a long way to go before we even start dressage.  First, I have to introduce her to good manners and basic skills, like accepting first the saddle and bridle, then me in the saddle holding the reins.  Last time I started a young horse, there was bucking involved.  I don't expect this time to be any different.  Except I'm cough gag whisper  older. As in not as quick to heal.  And - ahem - a bit out of shape.  So I have to factor that in, too.  CC's early training will also be time for me to whip me into shape.  Once we achieve that, the book in the photo will be my bible.  I took a lecture class with the author, Jane Savoie, over a year ago and fell in love with the whole idea of starting my own horse on that elegant path.  I hope to take many more hands on clinics with her.  She's just so dang inspirational!  At the right time in the future, I'd love to just move CC to Jane's farm in Vermont for a few months, but at $1200 per month for training board, that's an unrealistic hope.  But forging a true partnership in training with CC is very much a viable Dream.  And of course, a very long term WIP!

D is also for Destruction of the good kind.

We now have no kitchen and a refrigerator in the dining room, a hot plate in the living room and a microwave... someplace, I'm not sure where.  LOL 

D is also for Dumb.  As in dumb things I'm doing this morning.  I started at 5:50 am taking a swig of water from the wrong bottle.  Instead of getting a refreshing gulp of Poland Spring, I got tap water with a healthy squirt of dish soap in it.  Yeah, in my early morning fog and the general chaos of reconstruction, I grabbed one of my bottles of felting water.  Gross, gag and a big time GACCCKK!  Several swallows of unadulterated water, two cups of tea, and a few Valentine's Day candies later and I can still taste the soap.  I followed that up with slipping on ice on the deck, landing full force on my right knee, not once but twice (have I mentioned I'm a slow learner sometimes??).  And as if that's not enough, while waiting for DH to pick me up at the car repair shop, I settled in with some knitting balanced on my lap, juggling two sets of knitting needles - one circ with Babushka on it, one set of dpns to try again with the lace border.  I stuck the non-working dpn in my mouth while I got settled, put the yarn on the chair next to me and saw the yarn roll to the floor.  I bent to pick it up and  yeah, bumped the dpn in my mouth.  Fortunately only enough of a bump to wake me up a bit.  No damage. 

That stuff all comes from being Dead tired.  And here's the reason for that:

Well worth the late nights, early mornings, bumps and bruises (sorry about the photo quality - battery went dead when I tried to redo photos but the battery pack with charged battery is ... somewhere in the chaos that is my life right now).  In spite of a serious set back Sunday night/Monday morning (significant chilling), the kit is hale and hearty today and she opened her sweet little eyes yesterday right on schedule.  I think we now have all the kinks worked out of our approach to keeping her warm and hope to see lots of gains this week.   Yeah, definitely well worth the effort.

I Can Do This

I'm all nicely settled at my desk with a good cuppa tea, Lady Grey, a milder version of the fragrant Earl Grey, munching bacon freshly fried by DH, contemplating my knitlympics.  I survived my "compulsories", to follow Laurie's comparisons.  Babushka's all garter stitch body is done (99 stitches - one stitch per row = I don't know how many stitches I majored in English not math).  I'm pleased, though not on gauge.  It's a scarf - I don't care if it's a bit off in size.   I do care about the next step.  Now, let me say right up front, don't help me!  Part of my personal challenge is to do this all on my own (think two year old trying to tie his own shoe laces - remember those melt downs when you tried to do it for him??).  I am written instruction stupid challenged.  Seems odd to me that my linquistic mind can't navigate something written, but there it is.  So,  "break yarn.  Invisibly cast on 7 stitches, knit those stitches, then knit first stitch of babushka," was immediately followed by WTF???  Hence, the contemplation time.  I get the "Invisibly cast on 7 stitches, knit those stitches, then knit first stitch of babushka" stuff - that's starting the lace border.  But that "break yarn" instruction still has me all a twitter.  There's nothing said about securing that last stitch.  No bind off.  No start with another skein.  No offering to the knitting goddess to keep it from unraveling.  Just break yarn.  That's what's keeping all those 99 stitches - one stitch per row = I don't know how many stitches from  running off to  Tahiti.  Break it???   Are you NUTS?  Is this an errata??  Not according to XRX Books errata page.  Babushka doesn't even show up there.  Sigh.  I guess I'll have to read ahead in the pattern.  I don't do that as a rule cause it confuses me.  Wing it one step at a time, baby - that's my style.  Remember, do NOT offer any suggestions - I have to do this myself (I'll have done it by the time you read this  anyway, so there).

Of course, contemplating Babushka is ever so much more comforting than contemplating today's sky.  So far, with hours still to go in this storm, we have this much snow on the picnic table.  Nice for refrigerating any leftovers when the kitchen gutting takes place soon, but not so nice for feeding rabbits.  At 11 pm last night, as the first flakes fell so sweetly, I decided to believe the weather channel and fed the rabbits this morning's ration of hay plus some.  I'm a morning person.  I struggle to stay awake past 9 pm (if I don't stay up until 11, I'm up at the crack of O sh** am).  I don't do chores at 11 pm easily. Couple that with COLD and  this nicely expresses my thoughts on that.  But late night feeding seemed much less odious than venturing out in promised blizzard for an hour's worth of chores, so I summoned self discipline I didn't know I had and just did it.  Seeing the picnic table this morning, I'm so very grateful I did!  I try to comfort myself knowing all you skiers and snowboarders and snowmobilers are just deliriously finally stuffing winter wear on your bodies this season, but frankly, that's not a lot of comfort.  Ah, well - a day of hot chocolate, Monopoly and my children soon to fly this coop is worth getting dumped on.  And maybe I can get in some snowball time.

Baby update: status quo.  I did have to venture out early this am for Sassy to feed the baby.  I gave them 10 minutes then returned to rescue the baby from the cold.  There was Sassy dragging all her uneaten hay into the nest to give that baby more shelter.  What a good mom!!