Sunday, November 30, 2008

Bye Bye Cable Needle!



Ahhh.. I finished the last of the cabling on my Jo Sharp Wrap Sweater. Bye bye cable needle - I am not going to miss you at all. You just slow me down. Maybe one day I will learn to do cables without a cable needle.

Here are the finished sleeves (I'm so glad I did both at the same time):



Now I have to block it, seam it up, then do a bunch of ribbing which sounds wonderful to me right now. But I think its time for a break. I probably won't get to any of that until Xmas break. Here's a photo of the 5 pieces. This is such a big sweater it wouldn't all fit into one photo!



I have had a really good Thanksgiving week off. But I'm also recovering from an allergic reaction to Zyrtec (actually happened twice before I figured out the source). Woke up with my face and eyes swollen and on fire. No breathing problems so I decided to treat it on my own. I can't take hydrocortisone so the first 5 days I used antibiotic ointment, Benadryl cream, and aloe vera gel. That helped but it wasn't going away 100%. I still looked like I had a bad sunburn. Yesterday I did some googling and found Aquaphor Healing Ointment (by Eucerin). Geezz.. this is a miracle cream. I guess it is mostly used for diaper rashes - but its fabulous for adult rashes too. And a big jar is only $9 at Walgreens. I am using it over Oil of Olay Sensitive moisturizer. The red is almost gone. I'm still a little itchy but I think the worse is over. I look human again.

Have a good week!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Break time

I really need a break from all this blue.. so I took this photo:



I've done about 32.5 cm and the pattern calls for 44 cm total (I may shorten it by an inch) - so I don't have too much more to do. It will be nice to do something other than these unending cables.

And that is all for today.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

I'm grateful

Not a lot of knitting going on around here (or at least not any that looks any different from what I have been posting since last August - hah!) - but its all about Thanksgiving today:



I am very grateful:

1) For living in this wonderful country where we have so many blessings and freedoms.
2) For almost 31 years of employment with a career that gives me challenges and the ability to learn from others.
3) For 35 days a year of vacation which gives me time to get away from #2 when I need it (hah!)
4) For my family (especially my 93 yr old mother) who puts up with my quirks but nourishes me with love, encouragement and other things I need.
5) For my beautiful home and backyard which takes up a lot of time but gives me a haven from the world and peace.
6) For peanuts and Victor mouse traps which helped me rid of 5 mices (so far)! I thought the photo was relevant since I have been naming them (Minnie, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Uncle Scrooge thus far).
7) For my amazing Charlie, Belle, and Jesse - my life revolves around you - and without you I would be empty. You make me laugh, make me crazy, make me happy.

I have so much and on this day - when so many in the world are suffering and in pain - I am so grateful and thankful for all these blessings.

Having said that - I wish this face rash which I got from an allergic reaction to Zyrtec would go away@!!!!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

27 inches of blue!

FINALLY - I finished the back of my Jo Sharp Wrap Cardigan - all 27 inches of her:



Wowsa.. I don't think I've ever knit something this long. Not sure if I would ever do it again.. hah! Here is a closeup of the cabling:



And now - do I go directly to the sleeves or put it aside until I feel like it. Haven't decided yet.

But I did start the second sock:



Decided to try using the Options DPN's so I could see the yarn better. They are better but the reflection sometimes makes it hard to see the yarn too. Must be my middle aged eyes.

One week of work and then I am off work for a whole week. Can't wait.

By the way - Minnie (and her friend Mickey) are no longer in residence. After many failed efforts - I found a website where there were a whole lot of ideas. I ended up glueing a half peanut to the bait tab.. and sure enough - each was lured to it to their demise. It was hard to see Minnie especially - she was a cutie, but now I was able to clean out the mess they had made under my sink. And HOPEFULLY - that is all for the season. If not - I have more traps, peanuts and glue. Hah!

Later: So at least I did start the sleeves. Its going to be a long holiday season but I will be home more so might just make it by Xmas??

Sunday, November 9, 2008

I actually finished something.

With my new found enthusiasm for life (yes I have been half braindead for the last few months) - I actually finished something. Well - maybe half of it anyway. Here is the finished sock made of the Knitterly cashmere/merino blend in autumn:



I love the yarn but as I thought - it's not very elastic. In fact I struggled to get it on my foot:



I'm hoping - with my sock blocker - it will stretch some. It really is so autumny!

And - I only have 21 rows to go to finish the back of my wrap cardigan:



This is the longest sweater I've ever knit. But it will be nice when its done.

My weekend has been productive. Not just knitting - I raked 8 bags of leaves from my backyard.. I have this huge backyard since I'm at the end of a cul-de-sac (pie shaped yard). So at least now I can find the dog poop. I will need to do more raking before the season is over, but I put in a good dent.

Plus I bought myself a treat. The pattern and yarn for this:



Love it, love it, love it. I think some of my boredom with my wrap cardigan is the monotonous single color. I have been using variegated yarns or doing fairisle a lot lately and the wrap is so blue.. only blue. At any rate - a fairisle appeals to me a lot right now. But I promise, I will finish the wrap. Maybe...

I also have a new pet. Her name is Minnie and she is the smartest mouse in the world. She has managed to evade 3 regular traps (with peanut butter put out three times), 2 no-kill traps, and a homemade trap. I am very impressed.

If you notice, I haven't mentionned anything about the election. I didn't vote for Obama but I do hope he is a good president. Our country needs help and we cannot afford a bad one. So we shall see what happens. His chief of staff sure is cute.

Friday, November 7, 2008

It is really really over!!!

Communications Workers Ratify Agreement
Friday November 7, 2:24 pm ET


DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q - News) workers represented by the Communications Workers of America ratified a tentative agreement reached between the company and the union last month.

Now I can have my life back.....

Sunday, November 2, 2008

One more week??

Well - due to the election mail - the organization that is counting the union's votes to ratify their tentative agreement with Qwest has negotiated a one week delay in counting the ballots. So - here I still am not knowing if I have to be on my way to Salt Lake City to work 12 hr days/7 days a week. Hopefully by next week I will know but I have been telling myself that so many times I am not confident anymore. I fear they will come up with something to delay it again..

But thankfully - I have my Knitting bug back. I am into the 4th repeat of the back:



You can see how much more I need to knit (15 rows into the 5th repeat) when I put it against the sides. This is a LONG sweater:



I think I will knit both sleeves together or I may never finish them. I'm still thinking about taking a break for some fair isle. I am craving something less monotonous.

And I also turned the heel for my socks. This fabric feels stiffer than some of my other socks. Hope it fits:



And finally - here is one third of the real joy of my life. Isn't she a riot! Keeps me laughing!