Qui tacet consentire

This Latin quote sums up a worthy principle for our society to take note of - to be aware of a problem and do nothing about it is to give consent to it.  It is often applied to political issues, but I think the application is broad. 

To apply this to knitting is my forte.  I love to knit.  I am so not into this stocking anymore.

I've added the afterthought heel thread and am a little less than two inches of pattern (graph) from the end of the pattern.

I know its a lovely pattern, and I know its gonna be worth the tedious hours of pattern reading, but I'm as impatient as it gets when it comes to finishing a project.  The only solution to this problem is to set goals and my goal is to complete at least one inch tonight and one inch tomorrow night of the pattern.  Then I'll switch to solid blue, and complete the toe, then do the heel.  I envision the whole thing being done by the weekend.

And I have a lot to look forward to this weekend!  I am going to see my parents, and I haven't seen them in over six months.  A lot has happened in the last six months and I feel like a teenager coming back from camp.  Sometimes you just need to see their faces and give them a big hug! 
I left my job last week (I'd been there a year) and have rearranged my life and schedule for the better.  We can't control people's actions and reactions, but we can control ours.  Just ask Viktor Frankl! 

As the gardening season comes to a close, there's a bee in my bonnet, so to speak that I have to let out.  I have two spinning wheels and I only use one.  My plan is to sell the old one

and buy this!
Ooooh I am really wanting this greenhouse.

Sometime before the snowy weather arrives would be good.  I think the temps today will be in the 90's so I've got time. 

Falling Behind

Locally grown organic apples (from my back yard)

I used to crank out two blogs a week, sometimes even more.  The point of the blog is not to bore you, but to update you on knitting progress and other relevant 'stuff'.  My current knitting project is this great blue and white stocking; looks kind of like Blue Willow dishes to me.  I realize that this kind of knitting is really not fair isle, but just two colors with no repeats of any kind.  Its slow as molasses in January;  like a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.  Better not get in too much of a hurry, cause it's gonna be a while.

The reading of each row is so much like cross stitch, its not funny. And I mean that.  Its not funny.  Its not even fun, at this point.  This is the last of these stockings I'll ever do, even though I've only got part of this one under my belt, so to speak.  Trying to knit while watching TV is pointless, even with the CC on.  I never look up, because I'm always counting stitches and looking at the pattern.  Enough!  Just about to put this aside and listen to my inner child; the one that says, "Are we there yet?"

Okay, so I've been wanting to paint my dining room for a while now.  The annual Thanksgiving photo is a booger to get the lighting right for, since the room is dark red and the light fixture is bright enough to light the inside of your car's glove compartment.  Pretty dim, if you ask me, and the ugly brass is so outdated and ugly, that I've had little black shades on the candelabra bulbs to distract attention away from the 80's style finish.That makes the room feel even more like a cave!

I have some time to get a few house projects done in the next couple of weeks, and this room is the absolute first thing on my list.  I am so excited to update this room, since we are having as many as seven at the dinner table nowadays when we all sit down together.  I have a leaf for each end of the table, and need to get a couple of sets of 8 place mats to accommodate everybody.  (These are the things women live for, by the way. Excuses to spruce up the house or buy more table linens.  Just ask the sales girl at Pier One.)

I've picked up the necessary supplies and tonight after supper I'm going to pull all the china out of the cabinet, so I don't break anything during my 'sprucing up'.  Tomorrow will be D-day, and there won't be any turning back after that.  Fingers crossed?
I'll keep you posted as I make the aforementioned changes to our dining room.  Oh, and by the way, the rug needs help; when you lift up the corner, the carpet underneath is truly five shades lighter than the carpet that surrounds the rug.  No lie.

Fair Isle Island

Flowers from friends!

For the unknowing, Fair Isle is a kind of knitting where two or more colors of yarn may be used to create pictures or designs in the pattern.  It is pretty intimidating for most non-knitters and somewhat scary for the novice.  I thought I'd take you through a couple of the steps so that you can see how easy it really is.

Above we have the pattern and the knitting already started. The pattern row is marked with the little red magnetic ruler on a metal board smaller than a piece of notebook paper.

The row of knitting on the needles above starts where you see the green ring in the far right of the first picture.  The pattern on the sheet is read from right to left. (Look below the ruler, starting at the right.)

I am going all the way across, then repeating for the other side of the stocking.  Can you see that the row starts with 5 blue stitches, and I have knitted 5 blue stitches?   Good job!
Then there are white, blue, white, blue, etc. all the way to the end of the row.

 Next row: moving the ruler up the page.

This next row starts with white stitches, then blue.  Back and forth, see how easy it is?  Well, easier than you thought, right? 

And then you knit those stitches as they appear in the pattern.

Life is not always fair, like my knitting pattern.  Life is complicated and tricky, and sometimes downright difficult.  It takes skill to navigate your way through things you may not initially understand, but eventually you will have them figured out.  Hopefully before the next round of challenges come your way.  It's nice to have pictures and directions, but sometimes you don't get any.  Sometimes you just have to figure it out as you go and trust your instincts.  Sometimes you have to hope you didn't make any mistakes, but might have to wait a while to know for sure.  Then later you might get a chance to look things over and get some assurance of what you just did. That's a good feeling!

Our weather has finally turned fair this week; today specifically its about 10 degrees cooler.  We picked up some items and got the car washed and stopped for ice cream cones at McDonald's on the way home.  Its been a while since I've had an ice cream cone like that.  I'm really learning to enjoy the little things, and my husband's dad suggests them all the time; like the ice cream cone for example.  Life may not always be fair, but it sure helps to recognize the things that are!

Ups and Downs

TOE UP SOCK (as opposed to cuff down)

I saw an internet post recently that asked the question we have all asked ourselves (as knitters).  Why knit socks toe up?  Answer: Because it eliminates the Kitchener stitch.  Need I say more?  I never do toe up socks; I don't know how and have only made the tiniest effort to learn.  Usually people just say the advantage is that the you get to try on the sock as you go.
That's not near enough incentive for me to learn a new technique.  Plus, doing a toe up sock would require that I do a short row heel.  I don't usually do the heels 'short row style' (that sounds weird) because I'm too lazy to count back and forth  so I just go with the afterthought heel as the name implies; so I can think about it later. :-)  But to eliminate the Kitchener stitch toe is beyond enticing.  Practically seductive.   Can't you just see a little sock puppet winking at you?
I tried the technique out tonight with some light pink bulky yarn on size 8 bamboo needles.  I used the figure 8 method, if you're curious!

So I'm learning something new.   I'm always game to learn something new if it's beneficial in some way.  If it helps my brain clear out cobwebs or if it has some purpose.  I hear that some of the smartest people in the world do crossword puzzles to exercise their brain.  And the really bold and smart guys do the puzzle in pen.  That's gutsy!  Trying my hand at toe up socks may not be gutsy, but at least I've made the effort!  (Patting myself on the back.)

Cuff Down Stocking

I have been offered a new job recently that has some real schedule benefits and a little better pay.   I'll be learning a couple of new things, but mostly getting to know new people and that is always good.  Strangers are only strangers until you get to know them better.  I've met quite a few new people lately, and it always surprises me how quickly you can come to like someone you've only recently met. Its so important to always be open to new things and welcome changes, even if they're a bit scary.  You'd be surprised at how wonderful it feels to shake a hand, get a smile, and/or become aware that someone is genuinely happy to meet you!  Hooray for looking toward the future!! Better days are always ahead.  Don't you agree?

These are the good ole days

Earlier today my father in law told us the story about his girlfriend in the 1940's named Boots and another friend, House.  Tom had been somewhere hanging out with the other two and as he went to kiss Boots goodnight, his mother and brother drove by and shined the car lights on the smooch.  Tom's brother convinced him later that he'd embarrassed their dear mother~!  (What a rat.)
My husband and I were looking at each other during the story and realized it'd never been told before.  Those were the good ole days, we thought.  But I had a little check in my brain that said wait a minute.  These are the good old days.  Life is what you make it.  We can't just wait around for good things to happen, we have to get busy enjoying the small things while working through the big things.   Enjoy life with the people you love, and take advantage of every single minute, every breath.  Then someday when you're 85 you'll have some funny stories to tell!

This morning, since I was off work today and its been weeks since I went to the garage to mess with my drum carder, I fiddled around with some of the wool I dyed at the last spinning get together.  I spun some purple/yellow Mohair and will try plying it with some gray Romney wool.  Pictures soon!

And I finally, finally got around to closing the toe on the stocking and picking up the heel stitches.

It's been about two months since I got the inspiration for this hot little project, and at least a full month spent knitting.  I pray that I'll finish it tonight so that tomorrow I can start something else.  I know you're eating popcorn every time you read this blog, wondering what the outcome will be.  Like a great mystery movie,  the suspense is building.  Well, now you can switch to the Skittles, because we've finally reached the montage scene in the movie where the characters dance and smile and laugh while cool music plays in the background.  It's a great way to move things along so you can get to the good part.  And here it is.  All but the heel; feast your eyes!

It feels good to see the light at the end of the tunnel (no train in sight).  Closure is always good, cause it means something new is just around the corner.

The pot calling the kettle Mac

So I'm sitting in the living room with my hubby watching a documentary about Mac people and their devotion to the brand.  I was privately cringing at the way they talked about their love for all things Apple (including Steve Jobs) and their borderline cult characteristics.  I asked my husband (who is a Mac user) if he thought they went a little too far, and he said no. Okay.
While watching the documentary I was also surfing the internet on my non-Mac laptop.  Checking out the comments and pictures from Sock Summit, I came across the video for the flash mob at the event.  It was clear that I had no room to talk, and I shut my mouth.  Hundreds of knitters holding skeins of yarn in a water-ballet type of dance in a public square with "Time of My Life" playing over the loud speaker.  Obsessed is obsessed, no matter what you're talking about.  Sorry dear!

Since the toe of the Christmas stocking is not yet sewn up, I can only say that I've been busy.  Poor excuse, but it's mine and I'm stickin' to it!   I was given a bunch of cucumbers and decided to try my hand at pickle relish.  I don't quite have the hang of the food processor yet, so all the little cubes are more like little Jenga pieces.  The blade slices the cucumber then makes strips, I'm supposing for french fries, but these would be awfully small french fries.  Anyway, the tomatoes were a lot easier to can.  You just dip them in boiling water, then ice water, slip off the peel and drop in the jars.  The pickle relish took me about three days, which says how not-Martha Stewart I am!  But its done, and I can take that one off my bucket list.  (Okay, it wasn't on the list originally, but I just wrote it on the list in my imagination, and crossed it off.)

 This has been so much fun, and I'm so glad to be able to take advantage of the veggies from friends who know what they're doing.