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I’m 8″ into the February Lady’s Sweater - for a class I’m taking at Sit N Knit Too with Audrey.  I have ripped out three times trying to get the increases to look good.  I’m done with that and ready to increase for the lace

I’m using Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a deep purple.  The following is a picture of the project with the cast on of 94 stitches at the neckline.

That’s also my sofa and remote in the background:)

In between I’ve cast on for a pair of Berroco self stripping socks made in a k2 p2 rib.

   The picture doesn’t show the colors well but it’s a green/grey/blue combo.  I tried to cast on doing the toe up but didn’t feel comfortable with it.  Last night at SNB, Allison was doing the same thing and not having a problem, so maybe I’ll try again.  I guess I’ll use a dk or worsted weight as that worked well when I was learning on 4 needles.

This is the last week of daily babysitting for my grandchildren.  My husband says I should do it two days a week from here on, so I countered with I’ll do one and you do one.  My only complaint is that they don’t eat what I think is healthy.  I know I should get over it, but I can’t.

 I touched on the subject of a second cat and John didn’t freek out, just said that’s a slippery sloap.  I think he thinks a dog comes next.  Ha!  I’d love to have a dog except when I think I would rather sleep in rather than walk a dog in the morning.

I’m on the last sleeve of that New Zealand Wool sweater.  So close but so far. I don’t think I’ll have enough yarn to do a shawl collar.  It’s hand dyed so there’s no getting more and the colors would be hard to match.   I’d have to do a contrasting color.  We’ll see when it’s all together.  Remember this:

We had our book club meeting last Tuesday for “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Morrison and seemed to agree that it was written dis-jointedly (is that actually a word?) but the message was powerful.  Imagine meeting Bin Laden!

 Next book is by Stewart O’Nan.  I read the Good Wife by him, the next book is entitled Last Night at the Lobster.  As a great treat he is coming to talk at our book club.  Instead of borrowing the book I’ll buy it and hope to get it autographed!

 I just finished reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith.  It was enjoyable.  Some of the names (Mr. J.B.L. Matkoni)  in the book remind me of the spam mail telling me that I can receive 1/2 of an inheritance if I help this poor South African person etc etc

On a home note, they fertilized the grass at our condo and now our lawn is striped.  This place is a f’in disaster since the builder went belly up.

I just wanted to post and show the MMM on I made before finishing my hand dyed Austrailian wool and starting my February Lady’s Sweater.The picture is a little dark so show you that it’s made with candy pink Reynolds Wash Day wool double stranded with a scrap of fluffy white edging around the openings.  She wore them to her brother’s foot ball practice last night and neglected to wear socks with her crocks so she put them on her feet!!! 

 I was always told a gift is a gift for what ever the receipient wants to do with it.

 Last thursday was my first lesson at Sit N Knit Too for the Lady’s sweater that I posted about earlier.   I may make a separate page about this experience.  

- my gage was too big and had to drop down a needle size

- I dropped a stitch with in the first 3 rows ALWAY to the cast on.  (THANK YOU JUDY for fixing it)

- I did the M1L correctly and realized after 12 rows I was making the M1R incorrectly so I ripped.

- On a GOOD note I did learn how to make button holes with the twisted purl cast on.  They are nice and sturdy.

- I also notice that my deep purple might as well be black as it is just as easy to see the stitches.

My physical therapy for my finger is almost finished and the fist is as probably as good as it gets. 

Tournament Time at Foxwoods is arriving and hubby is looking forward to the World Series of Poker next week.  He is playing in tournaments on Monday and Wednesday, then on to Vermont for a weekend of golf.  Life is Good.   I will have the house to myself and soak in silence.   Sometimes it’s just good to be alone, especially since I’ve been I’ve been babysitting for 5 hours a day, heck I may as well be working again, or at least gainfully.

 I found the greatest retired electrician and I’m having him put florscence lights in the storage area in the basement.  If anyone needs an electrician, let me know.  He’s reasonable and licensed as an electrician and HVAC (that’s heating and AC)

I also found a handy  man that I am hiring to put up some blinds in the dining room and 2nd floor.  Living in this communit has been a wealth of sharing ideas and good recommendations for contractors.

I’m off to check my sock yarn bids on ebay and loose myself in Ravelry

Today I was checking my email and my ebay site when I looked up and saw a Turkey Parade walking across our yard.  I ran up stairs to get my camera, but naturally the chip wasn’t in and neither were the batteries.  Finally when I got back down stairs there were only 8 left of the 12 and here’s what I saw:

After that I decided my feet were cold and I needed some wool sock yarn and bid on a couple of skeins on ebay.  The stuff I have (and you know it doesn’t count as stash) is cotton. That’s my excuse.

Tomorrow my hubby has his colonospocy and I should get in a lot of knitting waiting for him, possibly finish the sweater sleeve and start the next.  I also have to swatch the yarn for the sweater class at Sit N Knit Too.

I went to the mall today to take advantage of the sales and only found a work out shirt that was marked down to 9.99 and I paid 4.49.  I also bought a sheet of paper in Papyrus which cost the same price. LOL  I am using it to Modge Podge it on top of my wicker table.

 No knitting so far today.  I am having a problem finishing my sweater.  I have 1.5 sleeves to go and I keep starting new projects.  Last night I started Maine Morning Gloves and modified the pattern to fit my granddaughter.  Picture to follow.  I finished one and  half the other.

 I had a moment of panic today.  I thought I lost my car in the mall parking lot.  I was busy looking at this cute guy’s butt and got turned around.  The car was there and he left.  Oh, well, a girl can dream

Here we are 3 days after I last posted and got lost in Ravelry and I haven’t made my goal.  But wait … as they say on infommertials, I did finish my socks and plan not to leave the house and knit all day on the sleeves.

It’s my own pattern and probably on the right sock you can see it best; it’s a spirling lace that looks somewhat like eyelet.

 Also on my last post I got so lost in ranting politically  I forgot to show you my new shoes and the “Comstock Ferre Fairy” that is outside the Sit N Knit Too in Wethersfield.  Here are my new “Slogs” purchased at SNK2 and the Fairy:

I decided to write here before I entered my new stash in Ravelry.  If I go to Ravelry first I’ll never get here.  I seem to get lost for hours on that site.

 Yesterday, I had the most enjoyable day.  I had a haircutand then went directly to Sit N Knit in Wethersfield until 3:00.  A relaxing day of knitting - hence the stash increase.   I worked on one sleeve of my sweater and am halfway through.  I chose not to  do 2 sleeves at once since the last time Idid that I spent more time untangling the yarn than knitting, at least it felt like that.  My goal is to finish the sleeve tonight and cast on the next.

 Also I recently bought some “doesn’t count as stash” sock yarn.  Blue Socketta, green Pattons stretch because I had to buy the other skein I forgot to buy to make the knee-socks.  You need to skeins of stretch to make a pair, so in order to save on shipping I bought 4 others.

I signed up for Sit N Knit’s Lady Sweater and bought the yarn.  Here’s a picture of what the finished product will look like.The yarn I bought is a soft Berraco purple, it feels so nice.  I snuck in a single skein of a soft soft baby wash pink to make my Granddaughter a pair of wristlets.  Why?  Because she went to Justice with her Aunt and bought a blouse with short sleeves, that  came with a pair of cotton gauntlets.  Flimsy material.

 Today I wait for the cable guy, not HIM, but comcast to put in the second box so we can see hi def on the downstairs TV, then off to Farmington to wait for the school bus.  I’m getting better at this.  I have a goose step schedule and it seems to work without tears.  I wish I could wait and watch Ty practice but I have to sit and wait for the 7 year olds practice - I guess that what you call 15 little girls that can’t stand in a line for more than a minute and the high school girls that are the “coaches” .  The coaches need a  little bit of management skills and to learn the meaning of “preparation”, instead of standing there trying to think of a new routine.

So I can’t get through a post without ranting about politics.  What’s with “THAT ONE”? What was John McCain thinking???  They say as people age they seem to become more ethnic, or maybe it’s the people older than me that get that way.  I think it’s from when they were young all people were “foreigners” - 1st or 2nd generation (and that’s a generalization).  People tended to stay within their groups of ethnicity.  But hey, he’s a politician and should have better handlers.   Slip of the tongue that shows what he is thinking.

 I am voting for Obama.  I made my mind up a year ago.  My first reason is that I think we are going too far right and the church/state thing is to integrated.  Church and state should be separate, no ifs ands or buts.  Second:  Health care!   Does John Mcain really thing a $5000 tax credit will purchase health care?  I have a pre-existing condition, “Pre-Diabetes” (which means that I control it with diet and exercise - not drugs) and when my COBRA ended I was canned because of that condition.  Now I am in a HIGH RISK company and pay - are you ready for this????? $375.50 /per month.  YES THAT PER MONTH - MORE THAN $13,000.OO PER YEAR  - YES MORE THAN THE $5000 TAX CREDIT.   How does that help people like me?

Ok, I am calmer now.  I’m off to Ravelry.

I’m making progress on the sweater that I am designing. I am using a basic sweater pattern from Ann Budd’s book “The Knitters Book of Handy Patterns”.  I was inspired by the new Debbie Bliss Magazines and I didn’t want a plain st stitch  sweater.  I made a cable down the center back and on the right and left fronts 11 stitches I made the same cable that disappears under the collar.   I am at the armhole of the left front, just the sleeves and collar to go.

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Last Saturday I took my granddaughter to Sit N Knit in Bloomfield for a knitting lesson.  The lesson is free, but, you have to buy the materials there.   I bought her some tangerine superwash and me some Shibui Knit sock yarn.  I love the colors but it pools. This the monkey pattern, but I’m disappointed that it doesn’t show the lace very well. 

I worked on these Sunday at the football game in Farmington.  Here is my cheer-leading granddaughter - the redhead in the middle, and my grandson Number 60.

While I’m at it here are two more pair of socks that I made.  One of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn.  Sorry the picture is so fuzzy.  And the next pair is knit from Lane Cervinia Merino Superfine yarn.