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It’s OMG Hot!

No joke, this is the real temperature today.
This was the actual temperature, in the shade, on my front porch this afternoon. 102.9 degrees? Okay, I think I’m completely sick of summer. It was the kind of day when I think it was actually too hot to go to the pool and go swimming. In fact, even as I write this at midnight, it’s still 85 on the thermometer. You gotta love the swampy mid-Atlantic in July.

You know? I think I was the only person not complaining about the snow when it was falling back in February. Of course, I didn’t have to shovel it, and I was perfectly cozy in the house for two weeks with my knitting and hot chocolate. Now, it’s too hot to knit, too hot to cook, too hot to eat even if I did cook. It’s basically hot, pissy, sweaty, hot. This fat girl’s so over it… so wanting to declare that it’s Ice Cubes Under the Armpits Day, and not come out again til Fall.

Who’s with me?

I think our cat, Zöe, has the right idea.

It’s a great day for a cat nap.

So, I had an adventure this week. My faithful old computer, which admittedly had been on its last legs for some time.suddenly died. It went swiftly in the end, leaving me dumbfounded and without saying goodbye. Not even a too-highly-paid-for-not-much-real-help Geek could make anything happen. So, I had to get a new PC, in a hurry. I prefer to take my time, spec out what I want, and wait for the UPS truck. Usually consumer retail is giving up too much in performance for my taste, but this time I had to make do with something off the shelf. I chose an HP machine that wasn’t going to break the bank, and at the same time, had most of what I wanted.

Got it home, set it up, upgraded to Windows 7 Professional, and all was well as I went to bed Thursday night. Then Friday evening when I got home, my daughter turned on the PC and nothing happened. I called HP, who literally instructed me to take it all apart, take the chips out, and unplug all the components on the inside, one by one. After two hours and much cussing by my husband, HP could not identify the problem. They said I could send it in for service, but why would I want to do that, when I could just take it back to the aforementioned retail store?

New Gateway Computer
So, Saturday morning early, DH and I went to the store to return the HP. Not wanting to jinx ourselves, this time, I came home with a Gateway. It’s got an Intel Core i7 processor, and a GB of video RAM, so I think it’s a pretty good machine. I guess time will tell. Gateway markets it as their PC for gamers, and it has all of these annoying red lights, and a blinky white strobe, And it’s shiny. Weirdly shiny. But hey, if it keeps me in business, then I’m good.

Luckily I kept my data files on external hard drives. Except for my Outlook data files, which means I’ve lost all my contacts. That’ll take forever to fix. Wish me luck.

Anyway, so that’s what’s happening here in Hades. I hope you’re cooler than I am, wherever you are.

July 25, 2010
Under Wraps

I’ve started a new project. Again.

That’s not news around this blog, I know, but this is a special project. And I will finish it. I have a deadline in mind, and it’s a gift. So, when I talk about this project from time to time, you’ll probably only see stealthy little glimpses, like this:

Closeup of cables

And this:

Another closeup

This project is so secret I can’t even tell you its name. For now, I’ll refer to it as “E.B.” I’m enjoying it because every row keeps me busy. I’m just hoping to get it done soon, like maybe sometime this fall. Before Thanksgiving would be a personal victory.

It’s large, too. I always go big.

Stay tuned!

July 20, 2010
Not Yet!

Next week is my birthday. It’s not one which some would call a, “major birthday,” but for some reason I’ve been having a hard time with the very idea of it. I guess, technically, one could be no more squarely in the middle of middle age as I am, officially, right now. I think I fear getting old. I don’t think the prospects of aging gracefully are looking too good for me right now. But, this depressing little digression is not the point of today’s post.

For the longest time I’ve always had trouble saying what I want for my birthday. Sure, I usually come up with something, but it is a question I dread from my loved ones each year. This year was no different, but then last week it hit me. One of my favorite things that I own is my digital camera, which, literally, gets nearly daily use. My camera is a really nice one, but now it is a few years old. And, the technology has improved a lot in the last few years. So, even though it feels frivolous, when my husband asked me this year what I wanted for my birthday, I told him that I’d like to upgrade my camera.

He readily agreed, and three days later, voila! Amazon delivered.

Canon SX20-IS

It’s the Canon PowerShot SX20IS Digital Camerawhich is an upgrade of my older camera. It has twice as many megapixels, can use a larger SD card, is even more light sensitive, has a longer zoom, has a hot shoe, and can shoot HD movies. Those are just a few of the new or improved features. I’ve liked this camera because even though it is a digital camera that can be used as a point and shoot, it does so much more, and allows me to make all kinds of adjustments for different photo effects. I especially loved that my camera was really light sensitive, meaning that I can take indoor photographs without having to use the flash very often. This is important for photographing yarn, as regular readers of this blog will know that I do quite regularly. I really don’t like using the flash because I love the effects of natural light and the prettier colors and skin tones that I can achieve.

So the camera arrived yesterday, and even though it wasn’t my birthday for nearly a week, I had to open the box. My husband didn’t really expect that I would wait! He knows me too well. Much of the camera feels familiar, though it is slightly larger and considerably heavier. It has many of the same functions and works a lot the same way as my older camera, given that they are close relatives, and yet, I found myself getting frustrated with the minor changes and having to slow down on the learning curve. But, here it is only a day later, and I’m already getting the hang of it. I think I’m going to love this camera as much as I loved its predecessor. Here’s one of the first pictures I took with it:

cherries

I keep thinking of the great Erma Bombeck, who wrote one of my favorite books of all time, If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?. The cover of that book, when I had it as a kid, had cherries in the background.

So then, to add to the birthday joy, my mother-in-law called this afternoon and asked if she and the F-I-L could come by tonight to celebrate my birthday, since they’re getting ready to go out of town. We had just been planning to have pizza and an easy night anyway, so I invited them to join us. She brought cake! It was my favorite cake from the local Amish market. And then they presented me with this:

rainbow-y and pink yarn

Yarn! Can you believe it? They went on a European holiday this spring, and while visiting in the Netherlands, they came across a lady selling yarn in a market. My mother-in-law said she saw the woman making a scarf with this very yarn and she thought it was neat and that I’d like it. She took a picture of that scarf in progress to show me. it sort of knits up in solid pink and rainbow multi stripes. I think I will enjoy knitting this!

Of course, Tegan had to check out the yarn for herself:

Kitty wants the yarn

Finally, here is the first movie from my new camera. It’s nothing special, except that last week when I was at the Amish Farmer’s Market I fell in love with these really large wind chimes. They sound like bells, and are perfectly tuned to each other so that they actually make music when they move. They’re stunning.

That, or I’m easy to please.

July 9, 2010
Addicted

caramel popcorn and Twinkies
So here’s the ugly truth. I am addicted to sugar. And no, I am not saying this lightly; it is completely and utterly true. And ok, the facts are that I am overweight and middle aged, with a family history of diabetes. The proverbial icing on the cake, if I may borrow that sickeningly sweet pun, is that I was an insulin-dependent diabetic when I was pregnant with my second child. Now, I know that when I eat sugary snacks, my blood sugar responds in such a way that should indicate to any smart person that I shouldn’t be eating sugary snacks. One big improvement that I have managed to make is that I have all but given up on sugared sodas, so that is a plus. But I can’t seem to shake the senseless consumption of ridiculous, sugary things that should not even be sold with the label of “food.”

I’m a smart woman; I really am. I know what I should put in my body and what I should not. I actually like vegetables and fresh fruits, and relish the summer months when these things are so readily available. One of my favorite things is to go to a farmer’s market and load up on veggies. And I can do alright for a number of days or weeks without my sugar consumption being out of control. But when the stress hits? I turn into a sugar-craving monster and go out of control. It can be work stress, or home stress, or exhaustion or even extreme elation. And once I get on a bad streak, it’s really hard to come down.

Why?

Why, when I know what this dangerous drug, sugar, can do to me, do I continue to abuse it? On the logical side it just doesn’t make sense at all. So I know there must be some deep-rooted emotional reason why I routinely engage in self sabotage. It’s not just a Twinkie, or a Reese’s cup, or the dreaded Caramel Macchiato. Those are the things which are one by one, shortening my life by hours and days… and years. I know this to be true, but so far, I have not been motivated to change my eating habits. I need to find out what my “currency” is, as Dr. Phil would say, and use that. I know.

I have been lacking motivation to change. I know that the sugar itself can be affecting my motivation. So, it’s a vicious cycle. And help! I want to get out of it. Have any of you beat the sugar monster? If so, how did you do it? How do you keep your resolve?

I look forward to hearing your stories.

July 7, 2010
FO Report: Jen’s Hello Kitty Scarf

Project Name:Jen’s Hello Kitty Scarf
Yarn Used: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight
Needle Size: 7
Date Started: May 11, 2009
Date Completed: June 24, 2010

Jen’s Hello Kitty Scarf
Notes: Well, I am late in reporting on this, but you’ll be happy to know that I got this project done in time for my visit with my friend Jen last week. I think she liked it! It’s a simple scarf made with Barbara Walker’s “Twin Rib” stitch. I don’t know why, but this stitch has always called to me. I think I am done with it for a while now, though! All those K1, P1 rows were a killer! Remind me, please, that if I ever pick up a sweater pattern with large sections of seed stitch, that I should put the pattern down quickly, and just forget I ever saw it? Thank you.

Here’s a closeup of the Twin Rib stitch:

Closeup of Twin Rib stitch

So naturally, with the scarf project behind me, I felt a little twinge of geez, what do I knit now? Of course, there is my February Lady Sweater, but it’s been so hot in these parts lately that I can’t fathom knitting on it just now. I needed something small, in lighter weight yarn. I tried, oh I tried, to get excited about knitting a sock. It was a sport weight slipper sock, designed for people like me who get bored quickly. But alas, it only lasted a half a toe, and about half a day, before I yanked it out of my bag.

Still looking in my sock yarn box for inspiration, I pulled out some Sock! Merino by Lisa Souza, in the colorway, “Wild Things” (my favorite). I bought some worsted weight in the same colorway last year, saving it for a future sweater. But the sock weight yarn has been in my stash since 2007. I have two hanks, and it has always been destined to be a shawl. Hard to know what to do with it though, as I am not a lace knitter (yet) and the lace projects that attracted me most require more yardage than I have.

So what did I do?

Clapotis beginnings

I have cast on a Clapotis, a.k.a., the Great Common Denominator of knitting. There are currently 15,507 projects for this pattern listed on Ravelry, none of which are my previous three attempts at this pattern. I have tried this before, and –don’t shoot me!– I have gotten BORED with the pattern before I could finish it each time. So why is it different this time? The truth is that I don’t know, but I am hoping that the yarn itself is highly motivating this time. I really, really have always wanted to have a wrap to wear from this yarn. I should have a wrap in every color by now, for all sorts of options in the wardrobe, but I have not a one, except for the store-bought kind.

And so, as of two days ago, I am on a quest to change this. My hope is that the yarn is light enough that the knitting will not be too hot for this weather, that I will not drive myself insane with boredom, and that imagining myself wrapped in this amazing yarn come fall will allow me to be a success.

Next time, I have a more personal story to share. I hope you’ll cheer me on. Til then,

Happy knitting!

July 1, 2010
Home is Where the Heart is

Hands making heart shape
Ok, so I know that it’s rare to find me here, blogging. Why am I in a blogging slump, and why have I been staying away? I think I’ve been extra stressed lately, and I haven’t just wanted to use the blog as a dumping ground for all that’s bugging me. This is, after all, a knitting blog, and that means it’s supposed to be light-hearted and fun, right? Well forgive me if I haven’t been feeling so light-of-heart lately and I’d really just rather go hide under a rock and mope.

I’ve had some strife in my extended family lately that has been getting me down, which has forced me to examine just what and who is “family,” and whether or not just because someone has the label of family it means that they hold some special power over me that defines my place in the world. I’m slowly coming around to the realization that what makes a family is not always just the people to whom you’re connected by blood or marriage or some other circumstance that causes your life experiences to be intertwined. A family can happen anywhere, in any way, as long as there are people somewhere who love you. I have a family of my own, and in it are people who love me. And there are others who are not family, who I know love me just as much. I have been blessed in this life with good friends to whom I am bonded as a sister to brother, or sister to sister, and for those people I am most grateful.

So my cup runneth over. And yet, when just a few have made me sad, or made me feel less a member of their clan than I had hoped I was, somehow, it still managed to rock my world. I’ve been struggling over these past few weeks to not discount all that I do have, surrounding and supporting me, and not letting those who would discount me, intentionally or unintentionally, define who I am. It’s funny how those who should be the most insignificant wind up having the biggest impact, like the proverbial sore thumb. But I will get past it. I am getting better, even if it is just a little bit every day.

Trish and Karen sneak a few stitches at lunch
In the meantime, I am knitting. It’s just a scarf for now, but it is all that I can manage. I’m nearing the end of my knitting on my friend Jennifer’s scarf. In just a day or two I am going to add really long fringe on it and call it done. For the life of me I don’t know why I am attracted to so many scarves–as projects they are positively endless and I never can keep myself from tiring of them long before they are finished. But, I am stealing every possible moment to knit this before I see my friend Jennifer next week. Here I am, knitting on my lunch hour with my friend Karen from work. Karen, who I met in the bathroom on the fifth floor of my office, of all places, because we both commented on the lovely cables in another woman’s hat. They were the sort of comments that only a knitter would make, so we became instantly bonded as we washed our hands in the automatic sinks. We try to get together every couple of weeks or so, to marvel at each other’s projects and share knitting gossip. but mostly it’s so we can throw down a couple of rows during lunch before having to face a stressful afternoon in the cube farm. It helps, it really does. And I’m so lucky to have made a new friend.

Book Review: Knitting for Baby

I recently purchased the book, Knitting for Baby: 30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-to-Knit Instructions by Kristin Nicholas and Melanie Falick. I was a little nervous about buying a book with learn-to-knit instructions already in it, because, well, I already know how to knit. And, in general, I hate those knitting books that have overly-simplified instructions followed by a bunch of impossible projects, as if someone who’s just learning to knit is going to turn out designer sweaters at the get-go. But for once, this book makes absolute sense, and I applaud the authors’ decision to make it a learn-to-knit book. Lots of people learn to knit for the first time with the impending arrival of a baby, so isn’t it great to have a book for beginners that is also filled with adorable little things to knit?

Kristin Nicholas and Melanie Fallick are just about two of my most favorite designers, and this book did not disappoint me. I love just about every project in this book. I love how it starts out with the basics, and gives you a few projects to work on, then adds a skill, and a few more projects featuring that skill, and so on. Even the most basic designs at the beginning of the book are as cute as can be, though… so even if you’re a more seasoned knitter this book is still worth a look. You’ll find everything from practical booties and hats, to beautiful sweaters, and whimsical little toys. There’s always a new baby coming in my family, as many cousins and nieces as there are, so I am quite sure that this book will get lots of use around here!

June 18, 2010