Knitting with the Monsters...

My life with two toddlers and two cats, all of whom are out to drive me nuts and destroy my knitting!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Pirates and the promise of piccies

If anyone wants to see a movie this summer that they can sit thru and just smile at, go watch Johnny Depp, Orlando and Keira. It was pretty good, even if it was mainly a set up for the next movie. Well, I say pretty good... I mean it wasn't an academy award winner or anything BUT it made me smile and I forgot how long I was sitting there, which in my book with my baby addled brain is what I need at the moment.

I even managed to knit whilst watching. Okay, so I'm knitting a stockinette portion of the cable shell from chicKnits so it wasn't rocket science but I was still impressed with me for being able to knit by only the light of the movie. and because the posh yarn is sort of strand-y (I've also heard it referred to as split-y) (but don't get me wrong, it's lovely stuff). I am also proud that i only have one stitch about 7 rows down that needs to be re-worked.

And later today, promise, I"ll show piccies. I frogged the t-twist (did I say this already?) because I realised for some bizarre reason I knit slower in the round. Must be my general lack of speed combined with the way the stitches are held when they're on the round? Found similar issues with knitting socks on two circulars only it's just 50-50 odd stitches and not 234 every round with difficult yarn.

So next week is the move. Things are a mess here, but we're half packed. Moving date is still 'set' for this Friday only we're just about positive we won't be moving, it'll be Monday instead. To combat the depression and general stress of this situation, we're thinking of a short break for the weekend - here. Nice, huh?


Pictures soon, promise:)

Friday, July 21, 2006

Ahh the horrors of the British Summer...

So we're moving. Apparently in 2 weeks exactly despite not having exchanged contracts. Oh-kay. It's hot. It's sticky. My air conditioner (hey, I'm American and we don't suffer needlessly without a fight) is 'cooling' down our one darkened room (think cave-like) down to a chilly 26-28deg. It's still better than what it's like outside. It also is helping the Jamie monster sleep.

I've just recovered from a nasty throat infection. What kind it is we'll never know. Now here is my basic problem with any private or public healthcare on this weird little island... they're CHEAP. Even when you pay, the system is cheap, so they don't do little things like take a bloody throat culture. Tamsin (who's worked for the NHS plus loves being a devil's advocate) says well it's an expensive test to do for everyone with a sore throat. When I said well what if they've got pus on it? She said fair enough but they still do NOT DO throat cultures in this country.

I went to the doc's Monday morning after discovering pus on the back of my tonsils. I've had strep throat on and off my whole life - which is why my tonsils ain't the prettiest pair ever - so I KNOW what it feels like. I KNOW when I have it. Yet I go in, tell the man I think I might have it, he looks at my throat, feels the lymph nodes, takes my temp (I'd already been on nurofen so I'm sure that was far from accurate!!) and says, "well studies have shown that with antibiotics the infection even if it isn't bacterial will clear up 16hrs faster. But we can't be sure that it's bacterial. So what do you want to do?" EXCUSE ME?? Are you asking the patient to treat themselves? WTF!!!???

In the states, you'd have gone in, they'd have done the same assessment, they'd have taken a throat culture which is a little cotton swab that is enclosed and sent off to the lab, they send you home with drugs then they will CALL YOU with the results.

**ring ring** "Yes?" "Oh hello Mrs. X, this is the hospital. Your culture has come back positive for strep throat. So keep taking the precribed medication" " oh thank you, goodbye".


or maybe even,

*ring ring* "Hello?" "Hello is that Mrs. X?" "Yes it is" "This is the hospital, we've gotten your throat culture back and the test is negative. You can stop taking your prescription and please make another appointment with your dr. if the throat infection does not clear in the next 24hrs" "Oh thank you, goodbye".

There. Was THAT so hard? But noooo... this country's too cheap for that. So not knowing this country was really THAT bad, I went back on Wednesday because it had actually gotten slightly worse. And instead of 'well let's actually see if something's wrong', I was told that it 'must' be viral and there was nothing that could be done. Good f*&king grief. And then after a conversation, no treatment! with the doctor, I got to pay £60 for the priviledge of getting told nothing. What a freaking rip off.

And if you're still with me, dear reader ,that's only one small iota (no, I don't know what an iota is, either) of my frustration at the moment. Has the world gone mad with heat stroke? Is everyone in existence (okay that I've dealt with) in the world gone completely mad?

Quite possibly.

And why is it that women in the City (that's London's financial district for those who wouldn't know what the City I'm referring to is) in the summer can all wear nice airy skirts and tops and flip flops yet the men - one of course whom I'm married to - have to wear suits? Yes they could indulge and buy linen or cotton for the 2 weeks out of the year on certain years that they would wear them, but we all know they look like a wrinkled mess after about 1 minute sitting in the office after the walk/cabride/tuberide to work and being sweaty.

Day after day in this heatwave my poor dh has walked to work, 30 mins each way in the sweltering heat. Oh, to top it off, for those of you not around the city, there is contruction - EVERYWHERE. Every bridge from westminster to London Bridge is either tied up with construction jamming it up, if not on the bridge, just before or after it. After several 45 minute-when-it-should-have-been-5 minutes cab rides, dh has given up and is walking. So WHY is it that the men MUST wear suits? I'm not suggesting that we force the women to as well, just that maybe there should be a teeny bit less of a double standard on this issue. and that's from a relative feminist!

I bet everyone would be alot more comfy if the men could walk around in shorts. Maybe there should be a fashion revolution for the first time in about 100 years and change the way a suit looks? How about a short sleeve/shorts version? Anyone? no? Okay, it probably wouldn't work... But it IS a damned good idea.

Hmm. Am I done ranting and raving? Yeah pretty much.

Onto knitting news.

Have been back to Stash - took tamsin after my horrid second dr's appt on Wednesday. I got Mason-Dixon Knitting - oh why have I waited so long? and spring's vogue knitting and more desert flower sock wool for moi and some blue sky cotton in bright pink for maddie and .. .. .. .. about a gazillion pairs of addi turbo circulars for socks.

Am almost finished with the first sock - it's been hard going trying to knit in this heat. I fear SSS so for my next attempt which are going to be Jaywalkers for my sister, I'm going to try BOTH on circulars at the SAME time! Wish me luck...

And I'm off. To knit in the cool heat of my room with the Jamie monster beside me sleeping peacefully. Which should last as long as my first stitch...

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Socks, socks, socks


So, in the interest of helping out anyone else who a) would like to try socks also, b) has a toddler somewhere to knit for and c) is a little frightened by sheer number of patterns, let alone 'turning a heel'...

Here's the pattern my friend Ling sent me, slightly modified for my own yarn and monster foot Maddie...

My socks were made with Lornas Laces in Desert Flower - one skein this far has gotten me two socks and hopefully the third since my first original didn't quite work out... Socks were knit on 2 addi turbo 2.5cm x 40cm circulars, this pattern is for dpns or 2 circulars, knit from top down to toes.

1.Cast on 50 stitches in picot cast on:
Using Knitted Cast-on, *CO 5 sts, BO 2 sts, slip st rem on right needle back to left needle, repeat from *

2. Work 2x2 ribbing for 10 rows.

3. Switching to stockinette, knit 30 rows for the leg (or until it seems long enough)

4. Heel Flap:

Knit 13 sts, turn
Row 1: sl first st, p24 turn (move the rest of st to spare needles)
Row 2: sl first st, knit 24, turn

Work row 1& 2 for 12 rows


5. Shape heel

Row 1: sl first st, p13 st, p2 tog, p1 turn

Row 2: sl first st, knit 5, ssk, k1 turn

Row 3: sl first st, p6 p2tog p1 turn

Row 4 sl first st k7 ss2 k1 turn

Continue until all the st in the heel flap are included (14 st on the needle)


6.Gusset

-pick up 7 st knitwise down side of heel flap, place marker.

-Knit 24 st from cuff, place marker, pick up 7 st from other side of heel flap.


7.Gusset shaping

Row 1: k to within 3 st of marker, k2tog, k1 and knit to next marker, k1 ssk, k to end of round

Row 2: knit row

Repeat until 50 st remai
n

8. Foot

Knit 30 rows

**or to the measurement of the foot before the toes (so basically from just after the heel to just before the toes.

9. Toe shaping

Row 1: k to 3 st before first marker, k2tog k1, k1 ssk, knit to 3 st before next marker k2tog, k1, k1 ssk knit to end

Row 2: knit

Repeat until 18 st remain.


10. Graft toes using kitchener st. Then you are done!!!


*** I should say here I still haven't quite got the kitchener stitch down pat. I do some other version of it, so if you don't know what kitchener stitch is then I can't help you. Sorry...


I hope Ling doesn't mind that I've put her pattern up. It's really a very basic sock but if you're anything like me then you might NEED basic. Ling said she frogged her first attempt about 7 times before finishing it but I'm way too lazy for that. Hence the ill fitting first sock. hmm. I should have tried it on Maddie when she was awake - using two circs allows for that but again, I was too lazy. Story of my life I'm afraid...

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Well here it is...
My sock. The one I made for Maddie. If it looks out of proportion it's because she's stretched the heck out of it. Her foot is so big that the heel of the sock is about an inch from the her heel. Hence the rest of it being stretched out...



And below here is the newest cast on for the Maddie socks. The other one may not fit but she loves it and wears the single lone ill fitting sock around all the time. I've not gotten far with it since the initial cast on. But it's got a picot edge that I love. Initially I was going to make the whole leg portion 1x1 rib so that you could fold over the leg and have the picot stick out, but being realisitic, I hate rib, so we'll have the picot, some 2x2, then normal stockinette for the leg etc. Hey I'm lazy.


Here are some o
f the other recent cast ons...
My t-twist - at last! It's a long slug so far and I've only gotten 5 rows up. It's 234 stitches around and that's aran weight. Ugh. But it feels and looks lovely...










A vest type thing for Jamie in the Bl
ue Sky cotton I bought. It's got cables at the top - I designed them meself, but am now at a standstill and might frog it and make it plain. Like I said. Lazy.












I can't seem to make up my mind on what to do. Ive been going thru my stash and frogging old projects that I never intend to finish. Has felt good. The one thing that I should frog but can't bring myself to do is the snuggle I was making for Jamie before he was born. It's the one from Zoe Mellor's nursery knits (one of those two). I made the two front pieces and 1/3 of the back whilst waiting for ultrasound results, when Maddie was in the hossie for pnuemonia... knitting that snuggle got me through alot of bad times. It was my catharsis during my last pregnancy. But it'll never be worn by the intended recipient, so I am thinking if I frog it then I can make something he WILL wear and it'll be that more meaningful.

Good news so far... provisional closing date of 4 August. That's only like 3 weeks. eegad. I'm excited and dreading it. More excited. the dread is mainly that it'll fall thru. Don't get me wrong I hate this apartment.

The last few weeks have been trying. Finally made it out with dh for an anniversary dinner - two months late, and 2 years since we last went out but we did it! Ate at Chutney Mary in Kings road in London and it was amazing. great meal and a little too much drink. Perfect night out. Maddie started her potty training today. It's, um, not going that well. She'll sit on the potty for 25 minutes drinking water, get up, and wee. alot. Hopefully tomorrow will bring success.

And the terms of our contract with the people who own the house says specfically that they are supposed to leave all curtains, light fixtures (unless one or two light fixtures are sentimental, like a chandelier) and the washer /dryer. And the inventory turns up today... they have either been lied to by their estate agent as to our offer (unlikely) or they're being complete and utter A**holes. Which I suspect is the case. They're trying to charge us £1050 for 8 yr old curtains and refusing to leave the tatty old stuff in the bedroom. They are nasty rude awful people and I hate them. Why do people behave like this?

Okay well that's the news. We'll survive... i hope.
nighty night...

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Sock it to me...

Well after all this time - Finally I get it. I fear addiction might set in. Yikes. Thanks to Ling, I'm about 75% done my first toddler sock. She emailed the pattern to me this morning or rather her last night, and I'm onto the foot rows. Only 3 days (of broken knitting, kids, ya know) and I'm nearing completion! E-gads I might have to break out the ugly yarn. Hmm how uninspiring. I"ll break out my sister's sock yarn and make her a pair... while I start the sweater for me. Must make it. I'm feeling dread because it's alot of straight stockinette but I want the sweater... (she said, whining). Almost (almost but not quite) makes me want a knitting machine...

But I just HAD to post to tell everyone I have done it. I have made a sock:)

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Pictures!

Well, I will try to post some pictures, as promised. Here are the goodies from Stash...

Everything which includes two balls of the blue sky cotton, the other is behind the tags, one ball of sock wool, Interweave Knits Spring edition, vogue knitting's stitchonary, and knitting on the edge by Nicky Epstien (and some nice simple white rubber stitch markers)

And a close up of the Lorna's Laces Shepard sock wool in desert flower along with the Blue Sky Cotton in a very pretty aqua:) yummy...

And onto today's acheivement...

tada!!!!!!!

Maddie's Ballet wrap in RYC cash cotton color framboise. Pattern from classic bambino from RYC!!!

I am sooo proud - two sweaters FINISHED for my Maddie in one year. I really am getting faster;)

So, onto the content part of this post. I've made a real breakthrough the last few months, having gotten to know the knitting world through blogging. Before, I used to just limp along, figure things out in my own sort of bumbling way, and I saw knitting as my private creative outlet. Then I started reading my friend Anne's blog (hello if you're reading!). And a whole new world opened up to me. All of a sudden I realised there were loads of people like me, with compulsions to buy wool and dream of all the things to make whilst not finishing most of them. I love reading everyone's thoughts as much as I like writing my own, and I get spurred on by seeing all the stuff other people make. It makes me want to knit more!

Now a few months later I almost feel like an 'official' knitter. I have proper tools, markers that work, needles I really love, and know people I can talk to that don't dismiss what I'm doing as wasting time. It's made me so happy especially with two small children to find a real outlet that is constructive as well as creative. For a former art student, it's important. Now I can dream of a studio where I've got a knitting/sewing/quilting area, darkroom, and pottery area. And even bigger is my dream to run some sort of business either selling my pots or selling yarns that I love. Someday.

So back to Earth, today's other achievement aside from Maddie's wonderful sweater is socks. Ling showed me her sock yesterday at Stash, and to my amazement, it was small. Toddler sized (which is why in the photo the person wearing the sock has cute chubby ankles - he's 3). And I thought (after I smacked my forehead and said duh!) how smart! Since I finished the sweater today, I sat there looking round thinking, do I start my twist-T with the posh yarn or socks in desert flower? I spent the morning in the cool darkness of my bedroom with Jamie sleeping beside me and getting over a minor migraine and wound up the half of a skein I'd tangled up. So that is waiting for me. But so is desert flower. Socks on two circulars. Calls me. (because I HATE dpns)

Spurred on by Roo and Ling's socks in the flesh, I boldy cast on my 48 stitches on three metal 2.75 dpns. I couldn't find the two 2.5 circulars I'd bought. But I had to cast on. Then as I was struggling with the f$*@))g metal needles I spotted one of the 2.5 circulars. I put the socks on the one and agressively searched the area and came up with the other. After some fiddling, whe...heeeeey! I have done it. Figured out how to knit with two circulars instead of fiddly dpns. Now all I have to do is make a sock. Hmm. all I've done up til now is ribbing on my other sad effort (which is still lying round forlornly unmade).

Stay tuned for piccies - I vow I will will will figure it out!
Night:)

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Stash

Ahhh well how time flies. Things here are still plugging along only in recent weeks I've come more to terms with my lot for the moment and am happier. Have lost a friend who's moved up north, and found a new one who's within train/easy driving distance. What a difference this makes!

Also come more to terms with dh and our current lot in life. It's amazing what happens when you start to have more time to yourself and can calm down some - you start to figure things out. And I've (she said proudly) been able to step away and calm down from fights more. No, we still can't go every few days without a tiff and growling, but they're just less and less big, and I don't get quite so red-mist angry.

On the knitting front, things are plodding there too. Have knitted swatches with my beautiful posh yarn, and am thiiiiiiiiis close to finishing the ballet wrap for Madam Maddie, and have figured out the claptois and am making steady progress when I'm bored of everything else I'm working on. Promise, Promise piccies will be following. I'm making a serious effort to put the computer down and pick up the knitting. It's hard work!

So today met up with my new-found friend Ling, and left kiddies at home with papa for the very first time all on his own. We went to Stash and had a good time talking with the owner who I'm failing to remember the name of. But she's very friendly and a fellow expat from the states - the East Coast even! Had a nice lunch at Strada (I do so love Strada and even managed a carb-free meal. whey-hey!) and trundled back home in the heat. Jeez it's hot today.

And what a small world, met a fellow blogger there in the store... we were looking at her lovely socks in Lornas Laces colorway black purl and Ling asked if she had a blog. She said she did and I'll be looking for it later on to say hello!

I am ever so glad I decided to do the blogging thing, it's gotten me out of my baby baby baby world and into an adult one!

How long can the happiness last?