Progress Is Slow

This is the flower basket shawl all done and open. The second picture shows the second one. I've gotten much further along now but I haven't had a chance to take more pictures. I just joined the 3rd skein of yarn this morning so I should, hopefully, have all the knitting done by Saturday morning. It's funny how the colour on the second one looks so much different than the first and it's the same yarn and same dyelot. I guess it's the lighting in the room.

See what happens when you have to work? The second shawl is not moving along as quickly as the first. By the time I actually get to sit down and knit at night I am so tired that not much knitting happens. I try and get some knitting time in before work but my fingers tend to go numb if I knit in the morning. I don't have that problem in the evening. I think it's because my fingers are all warmed up from all the typing I do at work.

Ravelympics 2008

My project for Ravelympics 2008 is the Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket Shawl. I finished it this afternoon. I am shocked that it knit up so quickly. I knit it with the Malabrigo Merino Silk in colour Indiecita and I started with 6mm needles and then went down to 5.5mm needles. It's blockin on my son's bed and that's why you see the hot wheels. I blocked it folded in half because that means less pinning and not as big a strain on my back as I bend over the bed.

Since I have enough yarn left over to knit a second shawl, I want to cast on and finish it as part of my Ravelympics 2008 goal. This one won't knit as fast because I have to work and I won't be able to put in the daily knitting time I did Friday, Saturday and today. The good thing is that now I know the patter in my head so I won't have to worry about following the charts. That should speed things up a bit.

Relief

Remember those kidney stones I had that I ended up not having at all? Turns out, the doctor believes, it was a urinary tract infection that might have gone into my kidney. I've been fighting this infection for the longest time. I've been on antibiotics for almost a year now. It started with Sulfatrim and then switched to Macrobid in November. I've been worried sick because the last time I went to see the oncologist the blood showed the creatinine was elevated. I thought that was strange because my family doctor did blood work about 3 weeks earlier and everything came back normal. I called the urologist last week and he sent me a requisition to have another set of tests done. I received the results today. The creatinine level was normal and for the first time there were no white cells in the urine. I feel like I am FINALLY getting there. I still have to take the antibiotics twice a day for another month and then go down to once a day for the rest of the summer. I have to go back to see the urologist in the fall. I am still a little confused about the high levels in April but the doctor believes it might have been a lab error.

On the knitting front, the last chart for the doily is going to take a while. I am only on rnd 11 and each rnd takes about 30 minutes or more. I am still hoping to get it done in a few weeks. I can't show any progress because at this point I don't want to play games and try and put the sts on a bunch of different needles so I can take pictures. A dropped stitch would be disaster. That means no more pictures until the doily is completed.

Short Visit

It's a nasty rainy day out there today and Joseph is developing a cold. So much for going to see Iron Man today. If he's feeling better we might attempt it tomorrow. Since we didn't do what we had planned I decided to make a quick trip to The Purple Purl. I don't think I have ever gone there and stayed so short a time. I was only there a little over an hour. For me that is unheard of. I'll make up for it when I go back on Friday. I picked up the Malabrig Silk that I asked Miko to hold for me. I am going to do the Flower Basket shawl. I have some things I have to finish first but this is going to be a WIP sometime soon.

I am also going to start knitting the Forest Path Stole once again. This time using the Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace yarn you see here. It is going to be a store sample for The Purple Purl. I can't wait to get started. The yarn is so so soft.

There's lots of new stuff at the Purl. The two that stand out are the Alpaca With A Twist yarn in various weights. I have my eyes on the Fino in Evergreen for the Heere Be Dragones Shawl.

I can't forget the alpaca sock yarn. Unfortunately, I can't remember the company but it's 60% alpaca, 20% merino and 20% nylon. Yum is a good word to describe it.

Now I have to finish the doily I am working on. Here is a not so good picture of the Krokus doily so far. I want to finish the second chart B by tomorrow night so I can pick up the stitches and get chart C started. I'm using DMC Cebelia 20 and 2.25mm needles.

Email Meme

A friend of mine sent me this questionnaire in an email. You're supposed to send it off to your friends with your answers to the questions and they answer it and send it back to you. I don't like doing things like that because it's chain mail and clogs your inbox. However, I actually liked some of the questions so I decided to do it here. I took out the questions like who do you look forward reading their answers the most and who do you think won't bother to reply etc.

1. Were you named after anyone? My great great grandmother, I believe.

2. When was the last time you cried? I can’t remember off the top of my head.

3. Do you like your handwriting? No. My mother always tried to get me to have a neater handwriting. It never worked.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Don’t have one.

5. Do you have kids? Yes, 2 girls, 5 boys

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Yes.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope. Had them out when I was 30…not a great experience.

9. Would you bungee jump? Nope. I am afraid of heights.

10. What is your favorite cereal? Wheaties or Raisin Bran

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Sometimes but not very often.

12. Do you think you are strong? Yes, I’ve been through a lot in my life and I wouldn’t have come out the other side if I wasn’t strong.

13. What is your favorite ice cream? peanut butter chocolate

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? face

15. Red or pink? Pink

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? My weight

17. Who do you miss the most? My mom who passed away almost 26 years ago.

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Blue jeans and black sneakers.

19. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken Salad on whole wheat bread.

20. What are you listening to right now? CHFI on the radio.

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple. It’s my favourite colour.

22. Favorite smells? Cinnamon

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My husband

24. Favorite sports to watch? F1 Racing

25. Hair color? It’s been so long since it was natural it’s probably all grey by now. Dyed it’s a light redish/brown.

26. Eye color? Hazel

27. Do you wear contacts? No

28. Favorite food? BBQ Chicken

29. Scary movies or happy endings? I hate scary movies. I never watch them so I would have to say happy endings.

30. Last movie you watched? Ella Enchanted

31. What color shirt are you wearing? Black t-shirt

32. Summer or winter? I prefer Spring and Fall, but if I had to choose between summer and winter - it would have to be winter. I don’t have AC and I find it easier to warm up in the winter than cool down in the summer.

33. Favorite dessert? Tiramisu

34. What book are you reading now? The Golden Compass

35. What is on your mouse pad? Clouds

36. What did you watch on TV last night? Smallville

37. Favorite sound? Birds chirping in the morning.

38. Rolling stones or Beatles? Beatles

39. What is the farthest you have been from home? Israel

40. Do you have a special talent? I can carry a tune and I love to knit (big surprise).

41. Where were you born? Bronx, NY

42. What time is it now? 5:05 PM

Favorite quote: Anything is possible, if only you believe.


On the knitting front, I'm working on the May Sockamania Club sock and the Krokus doily - no. 13 in the blue Japanese Knitted Lace book. The socks are bamboo yarn that I bought from Maggie in a gorgeous minty green colour and the doily is being knit in red DMC Cebelia #20.

Today I received my latest order from Knit Picks. The top skein is Gloss Lace in Mango. The middle skein is Gloss fingering weight in Cosmos. The bottom skein is Gloss fingering in Parsley. I'm trying to branch out from my usual purples and blues. I realize I bought one purple colour but two out of 3 isn't bad. The mango looks much more peachy then this picture shows.

Malabrigo

I forgot to mention in my earlier post, yesterday I went with Maggie to The Purple Purl. I am pretty proud of myself because I only bought one thing. I bought the More Big Girl Knits book.

It wasn't very easy with this new Malabrigo silk calling to me. I had no idea what I would make with it so I didn't get any. Maggie said it's about time I knit something for myself. You know what? Maggie is so right. I have to figure out what I want to knit with this stuff and then buy enough of it. I am thinking maybe a scarf or something. I don't usually knit sweaters for myself anymore. I am usually too warm to wear them, even in the dead of winter. So I thought maybe the Basket Lace shawl. By making it in DK weight it will be bigger and since I am a big girl it should be much better for me. Now to figure out how much I would need.

Happy Mother's Day

As readers of my blog might remember from last year, Mother's Day is not the easiest day for me. I lost my mom too long ago. I miss her more than words can say and I really seriously dislike this day and can't wait for it to be over. Mom I love you and I miss you.

On the knitting front, I've almost finished the second of the Noro socks. This is the first one all done. As I mentioned before, I hope that these socks are going to soften up after a few washings. Right now it isn't soft at all. The socks are a little stiff but that's probably because I usually use 2mm needles for my sock knitting and I probably should have used a 2.25mm or 2.5mm with this yarn because of the thick/thin parts that are in the yarn. I do love the colours but I will wait until they come out with the Noro Silk in a sock weight yarn before I use this yarn again.

Then I had some decisions to make. The next lace project I wanted to do is this oval doily. The one on top is the Japanese version and the one below is the Spanish version. According to Nurhanne this pattern is called Krokus. I have wanted to do this doily for some time. QueerJoe, on Ravelry, started it and posted some pictures. That was enough of a push to get me to really start this project. The problem was, which version to do. I've finally decided that I will do the Spanish version for one reason and one reason only. I have problems with my hands at times. Many years ago I broke a bone in my left hand and when I try to graft it is seriously aggravated. If I do the Japanese version I would have to graft the two A charts together. my hands can't handle that. Grafting toes causes incredible pain. Chart A would be 72 sts worth of grafting. I don't think I want to tackle that. I'm only on round 21 now so I will post progress pictures after I make more progress.

What Does Your Name Mean?

I saw this on Chronicles of a Lazy Knitter's blog and couldn't resist. I don't agree with everything but I found it interesting and do think some of it does describe me.

What Rochelle Means

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I had good and bad news today. First the good news. My brother called and my dad was released from the hospital today. He went to a rehab centre because after a few weeks in a hospital bed he needs to get his muscle tone back. The muscles quickly atrophy when you don't use them. I am not quite sure what will happen after the rehab place but I am so glad he is not in the hospital.

The bad news was my best friend lost her MIL yesterday. Her family is going through a rough time but at least her husband came home from the hospital last week so he will be able to go to the funeral. She was in her 90's and it was expected but these things are never easy. My friend's husband is battling cancer right now and had some nasty reactions to the chemo. He was told this could happen but when his mother got really bad he was saying he would have to be let out of the hospital to go to the funeral if she passed before he was ready to go home. The good thing is it didn't come to that. I think he will only go to the funeral but he will at least be able to do that much.

On the knitting front I am almost done with the Fuchsienblüten doily. I only have about 20 rounds to go so I should have it done this week. I love the way it is working up. When I finish this one I might just start another Niebling since I seem to be on a roll.

Leberblümchen

Tuesday night I decided to start another lace project. It's a small oval doily that is from the Kunst Stricken kleine und große Decken called Leberblümchen. I finished the knitting last night and blocked it this afternoon. This particular version calls for the sts to be cast off instead of crocheted off. After I finished this I found the same oval doily in Muestras Ymotivos Tricot Hogar #1. In this version the doily is crocheted off. I think I might knit it again after I finish the new doily I just started. This new one is from Burda Special E418. It's number 34 and the name of it is Fuchsienblüten. It is another Herbert Niebling design. I'll post pics once I have some progress to show.

My dad is still in the hospital but my brother says he is making very nice progress. To put it in his words "If you didn't have anything to worry about before you have even less to worry about now." I am encouraged by this. Menachem said dad will have to go into a rehab facility after the hospital because with the Parkinson's Disease and all that time in bed in the hospital he will need the rehabilitation before he can go home. I just can't wait for Menachem to call me and tell me dad has left the hospital.

Now to get back to some knitting. It's the best way I can think of to spend a snowy day. The next best thing would be spinning but that will happen tomorrow, I hope. Now if only old man winter would leave!!!!!!!!