When it rains.....

It is so true that when it rains it pours. But then why does it seem that things are happening in more than threes? I had a convo with Connie today about what is too personal to share on a blog. I don't think this is... and I just need to let it out. No knitting content today.

It wasn't long ago that we had my grandmother's dog put down because she was so aggressive. Then there have been other personal family things going on in my life followed today by the news that it looks like my dog Carlie will have to be put down.

Friday night she ran outside and came in limping. She likes to chase small animals in the back yard and has pulled muscles the odd time before. This time seemed different. She didn't get any better over the weekend.
Yesterday when the vet was opened again we took her to get checked out. The Vet said she thought she had torn a ligament in her knee. We took her back today for x-rays. Turns out that the one ligament is torn, the other is damaged as well and she has hip displaysia (sp). The one leg that she is favoring can only be fixed by surgery. A surgery that costs about $2000(that is just an estimate). They think we should do both legs.
Aside from the cost, the problem is that Carlie is 12 years old. Who are we really doing the surgery for? We are going to see how she is of a few days of bed rest (what a joke to call it that for a dog) When she goes outside she needs to be held up at the back with a towel, used like a sling.

Really it sounds like it is only a matter of time. She is such a good dog with a personality like no other dog I have had or seen. She really loves you back! Comes to lay with you when you are sick, bumps your arm when you are crying and just seems to have a sense of what you need when you need it. Even this weekend she wants to play but can't. It hurts me so much to see her trying to get around on 3 legs. I know that some people would say that it is just an animal but that isn't the way in our house. Carlie is family! We love her! This is so hard.

Over/Underwhelmed

I am just in one of those moods. There was some news that.....just dropped me into my shoes today yet I am also so excited about some wonderful things in my life. It leaves me in this place where I don't know what I'm feeling anymore. I don't know what to do with myself and even knitting seems like too much effort tonight.

Anyway lets move on. A good thing in my life is that these came in the mail last week. Of course that means I want more solid coloured yarn.

I have also been working on the Inside Outside Sock finally this weekend. (I started the toe a while ago and stopped) I figure there is no longer a fear of spoilers so I will post this pic.

I'm not yet sure what I think of this pattern. I think I might like the inside more than the outside at the moment. I have knit the whole foot in 2.25mm and then after the ankle have moved up to 2.75mm. I know a few people who have decided not to knit the pattern given with the yarn but I have this thing about keeping the sock club yarn with the sock club pattern so as much as I am not "in love"with the pattern I will finish these.

I have also heard that a few people seem to not like the yarn colour at all. However this is exactly colours I would choose. So far my yarn is striping more than pooling which is interesting. I thought that might change when I changed needles but so far I still have stripes. I will have to see if sock number 2 is going to match.

Saved by Yarn

Thank you Lettuce Knit! I called the store this morning and they are sending me more Malabrigo! There will be a pocket on the front of my Wicked. Good idea or added tummy I don't care.
Plus I think I'm going to knit it a little longer than the pattern. I always think my sweaters end up a little short.

How long until July?

I love my family. Family is very important to me. However the longer I stay at home thinking about moving into the house with Aaron, the harder it is to stay at home.

I know my mom has been going through a lot and that this week has been no exception but I am tired of her turning those things around at her family. Tonight I have been out all night (most of the week actually) and then come home to one word answers or short sentences, followed by seemingly normal conversation. I just never know how to take it. I don't know if she is angry, over being angry, average or tired. I'm tired of treading on eggshells in my house where I'm supposed to be relaxing.

Anyway... Here is the beginnings of Wicked. (a little blurry this photo)

I love this sweater but when it says it takes 600 yards I don't know if I can believe it. I bought 650 yards thinking that is just enough extra to get it done. I am on the last of the 3 balls at 216yds each and I have a long way to go. If I make it I don't think I will be able to knit the pocket on the front. The pocket was one of the things I thought was so cute.

Maybe it is the sweater's way of telling me a pocket on the tummy is not a good idea for someone who is not a rake.

I will continue. I want to make to the end ... or maybe I'm a sucker for punishment.

Are we there yet?/The story of Rapunzel

You start to get excited when you are getting close to having the pieces of a project finished. The excitement builds. "I can finish this tonight" you tell yourself, "all I have left to do is seam it and those little details".

You start to seam the shoulders and realize, "Oh yeah this pattern has an i-cord". No biggy. You begin the i-cord and read a little further into the pattern and it hits you ..."I have to do this for how long?" But we are knitters hear us roar and you persevere and the i-cord is complete. You sit back to admire the work and aside from a few little bumps (we are human knitters after all) you think that i-cord really does add a little something. I've gotta be done now.

Oh yeah...the border....the crochet border. Didn't the person who wrote this pattern know that I am a knitter with very limited knowledge of crochet? *sigh* With a little help from online crochet sites and a hunt around the house for a 3mm crochet hook (successful) you sit down to begin. "grr why did I ever mumble... who wrote th.. grumble....I'm not done yet?.. humph"

All in all...taking a few days longer than anticipated.

Rapunzel is done.

Date Started: Last year Sometime

Date finished: March 18th 2007

Pattern: Rapunzel from Rowan #34

Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic (colour 822 - Glacier)

Needles : 4.5mm addi turbos

I just have to find some buttons that I like. It was a long time coming and I am going to have to block it to make it longer because as you may see in the picture the "girls" are a little too big for this sweater. The rest of it fits comfortably though.

Can you see it?

I am still working on finishing Rapunzel. I am finished the knitting but there are still cord detail and crochet edges to do. I am only posting because I had a thought when I used a different computer to look at my blog.

When I look at my blog on the laptop I like the way it looks but when I used to computer last night I looked at my blog and had to scroll over to read it. This is something I don't like to do when I look at other blogs. The laptop has a wider screen so please leave me a comment if you have to scroll over to read this blog.

The Yarn Crawl

Hi! My name is Wooly.

I wanted to help Sarah tell the story of today's "Yarn Crawl".

For Connie's Birthday the girls had planned dinner and a Yarn crawl in Toronto. The trip unfortunately had to be postponed when Sarah had to attend a funeral. Today was the day!

They started out at the Naked Sheep where Sarah found this lovely Bio Bamboo for the Tunic in the Spring Interweave. There was a tank knit up in the store and it was sooooo soft that Sarah fell in love.

Next the ladies went to Knit Cafe were there were so many bright colours. Followed closely by a visit to Romney where I joined the crew as well a few bags of roving. Sarah started to spin some silk and merino tonight wanna see?

Last but definately not least was the lovely Lettuce Knit with the lovely Megan. Sarah bought some Blue Sky Alpaca to make Rogue and some Malabrigo in a bright blue for Wicked.

Now Sarah says she has to finish Rapunzel tonight (I wonder if she can stay up that late) so that she can cast on something new.

She is having trouble deciding which of these three should be next. Leave a comment with your vote.

1)Tunic from Interweave

2)Rogue

3)Wicked

The Joy of Living Together

Because my parents are out of town for the week my bf and I get a little trial run of what life might be like when we get the house. So far this is what our weekend has been like.

Friday:
I stayed awake to pick him up from work at midnight. I couldn't sleep because he was taking up all the room.
Saturday:
We had to meet friends to go to a car show at 9:30am (his friends, one of which is so....annoying and to be really honest, quite rude and inappropriate). The alarm went of at 8am and I spent a half and hour trying to get him to get out of bed.
Once home from the car show he slept for 3 hours while I did laundry (did I mention he slept through the night while I tossed and turned)
-I slept like the dead through him trying to wake me up during the night
Sunday:
I spent from 10 am to 12 trying to wake him up again, as a three hour nap doesn't stop this man from sleeping through the night again. I cooked him breakfast and we went to look at furniture for the house and went to visit our pile of mud where the house will be. We peaked in windows of the houses already framed and saw for the first time what our main floor will look like in 3D.
We came home where his majesty had another nap for an hour. I cooked dinner, we ate. He came down with sudden headache which progressed into him feeling sick to his stomach. He went to bed and wanted me to sit with him. I was sure he would fall asleep but apparently he had too much sleep so he laid there while I read a book. I finally said I'm going to the living room got out my Sex in the City DVDs and have been here since. I'm sure he has gone to sleep now with no one to whine to.

I complain but... (I have to consider that I do think he is feeling sick and he is trying to quit smoking today which he is convinced is part of the problem) looking at furniture and going to see our mud makes me even more excited about the house. I like that as much as he can bug me I just like to have him around. I knew I was ready to live with him when we can be together and don't feel the need to be in the same room at every second.

During our travels I worked on my Duet Sock because Connie told me I better hurry up. And I'm trying to hold off from starting the Rockin Sock Club sock.

If you look close you can see where the afterthought heel is going to go. There is a line that is more green than the rest of the sock (on the right furthest from the toe).
For now I am going to work on Rapunzel because I can't wait to wear it.

Rockin Socks in Canada

No pictures today because I am trying not to spoil things right away! but ......

IT'S HERE!! my first Rockin' sock club package came today and I love it! The colour is just what I like and the pattern looks interesting. Waiting to see if other's around here have theirs yet before I start ..... but I can only be so strong. It may be on the needles before the end of the night.

Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your yarn

Yes I would like to announce the return of Rapunzel. I have only been working on this sweater for a year I think and I do love it so why do I not finish? That is the age old question isn't it.

This is the first sleeve. The two fronts and the back are finished. Psst... the back looks a little wider than my fronts so this again tells me not to leave a project for a year to knit because your guage will change (I'm going to start to tell myself that every morning and every night so I might one day remember)

I needed to work on the sweater because I have been knocking off those unfinished socks lately and needed a break. In addition to the Whiskers and Paws socks and the Pomatomus socks I finished a plain pair of socks in Vesper sock yarn (colour Neapolitan).

This is the Crooked Cable sock in Socks that Rock ( colour Lemongrass). I started these socks last summer for myself but I think I might give them to my mom. She really seems to like them.

This was the first time I tried Socks that Rock and I have been hooked ever since.

Speaking of Socks that Rock. I'm waiting very impatiently for my Rockin' Sock Club shipment. This is my first time with the club and first time as a part of a sock club so I'm SOOOOO excited. I tried to discourage myself from spending the money but as I have said before ... I am weak.

Anyone in Canada have their Rockin Sock Club yet? I know international orders were later from what they say on the blog and I can't imagine having a sock club with over 2000 people as members but....I am being impatient. It is the first think I think of when I get home. I don't want to turn off the car in case I get a slip telling me to pick up a package.

Socks, Socks and Socks

If you saw Connie's blog on Thursday you would have seen our collection of unfinished pairs. In my determination to finish some of these socks I have finally finished the Pomatomus Socks

I think I started these socks back in May last year and set them aside for a very long time. This sock reminds me that our knitting is not always the same from one month, year or day to the next. These socks were knit on the same needles and I think they are very different but if I had just knit them when I started they may have been more similar and I would have been happier with them.

I am almost finished the second Whiskers and Paws sock. I love how rich the colours are. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in Old Rose ( I think that was the colour) I just have the toe decreases left YIPPEE!!!

I'm of to the bf's house now but he is going to be working lots this weekend so I will be knitting lots.