Looky Here… Knitting

Well some knitting… some navel gazing… but I'll keep it to a minimum.

Socks! I am on the cuffs. I have started socks before but this is the first pair I can picture actually finishing. I'm so happy. Amy's Universal Toe Up Socks in Lorna's Laces Lakeview.

Now what to do next. I am, as usual, eyeing all sorts of things other than what I already have started or have bought yarn and patterns for. Karen both this Karen and that Karen had me thinking a small Clapotis. Make One just got a new shipment of Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb and of course… me being me… I had to at least buy the yarn. On the other hand, there are projects to be finished first. Lots of them. I should have a WIP hall of shame. And then there are the projects on my list, the yarn and patterns are already in my grubby little mitts and all that needs to be done now is make them. One's hobby shouldn't be so out of control as to be causing this sort of mental dithering. I should just shut my eyes, reach into my basket and grab something. Everything in there is project specific.

Right Now, I could potentially Start:

• Clapotis in Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb Bittersweet

• Socks in Collinette Jitterbug Jay or Sweet Sheep Spring Tulips

• A Lacey Hug me Tight in Mocha Silk/Alpacca

• A top down Men's Henley in Olive Green Melange Misti Alpacca

• Another Wrap Sweater in either Deep Red Misti Alpacca or Bright Blue Malabrigo

• A Lace and Cable Scarf in Art Yarns Silk Rhapsody 139

• Cabled Gauntlets in Collinette Cadenza Moss

• Felted Slippers

• A Dog Sweater

or I could potentially finish:

• A Cotton Hat

• A Wrap

• Two Pairs of Socks

• Sizzle

• The Tube Wrap from Alterknits

• More Squares for blanket drives

Thoughts anyone?

I would be calling myself ADD but it's already been taken.

I did get tasty packages in the mail. Sweet Sheep sock yarn in "Spring Tulips" and my copy of "Victorian Lace Today"--never mind that I've never knit lace in my life--a girl can dream can't she (and it is worth having just for the inspiration and amazing photography)? And I was very bad… I saw these socks and the yarn looked so lovely I couldn't resist. Apple Pie yarn by Applelaine in Army Surplus and Winter's Dawn. Yes, I realize that in one year I have gone from no stash to substantial stash but it's the dreamer in me… I can't help myself.

Part of the attention problems I've been having getting significant knitting done is that I am up to my neck in referrals, for specialists, counselling and following up recommendations for my son's anxiety issue. Doing the recommended reading… especially about what to do when ADD co-exists with other issues like Anxiety and possibly Depression. Everything seems to move at an impossibly slow pace. We've been working with crisis response counseling but that is strictly a short term thing. I had to book my son's mental health intake interview (it's today) a week ahead of time. That's just to get him into the system. His pediatric referral is going to take at least 6-8 weeks. It'll be Summer Holidays by then. There is also a 6 week waiting period for me to get into counseling so that I can work through some of my own issues (one of the recommendations) and be a better help to him. It's so SLOW. However, at the end if we can figure out what is going on and make it better…well. At least we are moving along.

I will have more time for knitting when the boy's rugby season starts in April. Practice twice a week, games on Sunday, lots of lovely knitting time. I love the rugby too of course but it's the knitting time that really appeals…what else can you do when you are out on the practice field?

Oh soooo tired. But soon, I shall have a lovely new bed. This bed and a fantastic new mattress too. My present to me. Nobody to share it with of course… unless you count Ginger… but a lovely present don't you think? I shall feel like a princess.

Progress…

So I knit the gauge swatch for my Jitterbug socks. It swatched great and at 6 stitches per inch on #3 dpns… I think I'm in love. Compared to the Lorna's Laces ones I am working on now 8.5 stitches per inch on #1-1/2 dpns. That's 48 stitches per round as opposed to 64. Wow. Wow. Once again I will do both concurrently toe up using Amy's Universal Toe Up pattern from Knitty. I might play with some ribbing this time or not. Doing two toe ups at once keeps me motivated in several ways.

• You can try them on
• You get the hardest part over at the beginning
• They progress apace
• If you swap back and forth then they should be finished at the same time, no second sock!
• Did I mention you can try them on?
  

No bad fit surprises. The only tricky part is the short row toes and heels but I like the way they both look and fit as opposed to a heel flap, aesthetically, to me anyway, short row toes and heels look better. Other than that, my knitting is Booooring! I am focused on finishing stuff so there isn't much to see. I want to take a spinning class at Make1 but they only offer it Saturdays… when I'm at work.


In other news, this is something that doesn't make it into the blog… the real source of my stress… the stuff that is nearly too painful to talk about. The boy struggles with school. He's ADHD, he has learning disabilities. School overwhelms him. He sometimes has massive anxiety attacks and refuses to go. Sometimes he does go but once we're there he just can't get out of the car. Every week is a crap shoot, some weeks are fine some are anything but, he has missed more school than he should have and the whole sorry mess breaks my heart.


Nothing I tried seemed to work, nothing until this week. The boy LOVES to cook. He wanted to make a REAL Black Forrest Cake. So I promised him that provided he had a full good week at school, I'd teach him my Mom's secret (it's not really a secret, a chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling with a little kirsch mixed in and whipping cream with chocolate shavings on top). Last week, every time he started to go off track I just kept repeating… you can do it… Keep your eye on the prize… x more days to Black Forrest Cake Sunday! One more day and I pick up the secret ingredients… No fights, no threats, no taking stuff away, no tears, no begging. And it worked!! We're already talking about next weekend--Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Sunday. I am not a baker and neither of us needs the calories but if it works…he can bake or cook anything he wants to every Sunday provided only that he has a good week and goes to school every day.

Oh, and the Hanger has called, a few times. He misses me… he misses my body… and who wouldn't…Angelina Joile is my boob twin ;-D…he wants to see me, I miss him too but I'm holding the line. I told him he can call me, we might even go to a hockey game this week but we can't go back to the way things were. He has to figure out what he wants. I got off the fence… now it's his turn. We'll see. I'm doing OK though, it feels good to have taken that deep breath and told him the truth. Even if nothing comes of it, even if he goes away. I told him we get what we settle for and that's true. There is a great line in the Movie, "Failure to Launch" when she says to the guy, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life having Fun? Or do you want to spend it with me?".

Hey Hey…

Your Celebrity Boob Twin:

Angelina Jolie

Who's Your Celebrity Boob Twin?

the book meme

I saw this meme on Quilty Knitwit's blog and as I LOVE reading, thought it was a good one for me.

Look at the list of books below.
The ones I’ve read are starred and in bold*.
The ones I want to read are in italics.
I've left alone the ones that I'm not interested in.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) *
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) *
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) *
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien) *
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien) *
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien) *
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) *
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) *
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling) *
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) *
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling) *
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) *
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling) *
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) *
18. The Stand (Stephen King) *
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling) *
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) *
21. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) *
22. Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) *
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) *
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) *
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) *
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) *
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) *
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) *
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) *
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) *
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (George Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) *
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) *
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) *
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible*
46. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) *
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) *
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) *
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Scott Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence) *
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling) *
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) *
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) *
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davies) *
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding) *
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) *
73. Shogun (James Clavell) *
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) *
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) *
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) *
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence) *
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) *
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley) LOVE TF this is one of the few I haven't read.
82. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) *
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) *
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams) *
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields) *
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In the Skin of a Lion (Michael Ondaatje) *
92. Lord of the Flies (William Golding) *
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) *
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) *
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch) *
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

You can leave a comment on my blog if you participate in this meme - I'd be interested to know what you liked and didn't!