Starting to feel human again

Had the tooth pulled last week.  The same one that’s been giving me trouble since September.  It got complicated, and the oral surgeon had to start cutting.  Ick.   He then stitched up the gum, and warned me that the stitches would bother me, probably stab my tongue a lot and it would be very sore.  Unfortunately, he was right.   Damn, the one time I wish that he didn’t know what he was talking about…

Painkillers, antibiotics, steroids for the swelling, and stuff to wash my mouth out with that burned like crazy.  Nothing hot allowed, only cold soft food (chewed on the other side, of course).  That got boring very fast.

I was supposed to rest, but it’s crazy busy at work right now, so I didn’t take any time off.    Not much sleep.  No time for knitting, blogging, web surfing.  And no hot tea.    Or soup, which I love in winter.  Made me a very nasty person.  Still visited kidlet, of course, where I tried to contain the crankiness to a minimum.

We had guests from London for the weekend, and I enjoyed their company, although part of the time I simply excused myself and slept.  I’m afraid I didn’t supply any sparkling conversation or wit, but at least I was civil.

Finally got the stitches out, not without a glitch or two, and the pain has mostly gone away.  I’m feeling optimistic that I can join the human race once again.    Maybe even get to Stitch-n-Bitch.   Friends, food, knitting.   Oh, yes.  And I will try to refrain from biting anyone’s head off.

It’s Benjamin Franklin’s birthday today, which should inspire me to invent something…  Like something to cover stitches with that won’t interfere with the healing but will protect one from the jabbing.  Kinda like chewing gum that will soften the sharp edges but won’t get all stuck.  Hm.

He doesn’t look too impressed with my idea, does he?

“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”       — Benjamin Franklin

Wise move, Ben.

Alas! Neglected Damsel

Neglected in that I haven’t written a word about it!  It being my wonderful December package from the Smart Ass Knitters World Domination Club.

First off, let me say that I have long coveted Indigodragonfly’s DK Polwarth Silk yarn (75% polwarth wool/25% silk).  Especially since Glenna C. designed her Stage Door Cardigan for the yarn’s debut.

photo by crazyknittinglady

(A double whammy, since I also covet this pattern…)

But the yarn was, unfortunately, over my yarn budget.  Then the club package arrived…

Imagine my delight when my eyes beheld a magnificent 250 grams of Polwarth Silk!

The colour is called Young Helpless Damsels in Damp Climates – here’s an excerpt from the colour story:

… Cut to: A grim English morning.  Revenge upon sisters, an amateur philatelist, and on the porch, the discovery of a dead Jack Snipe.  What can all this mean?  Political intrigue, theft, Chemistry 101, and a particularly nasty ending in a nondescript cucumber patch. …

And along with this treat, a shawl pattern by Glenna C. called Flavia!

Flavia de Luce, the young amateur detective in Alan Bradley’s series of novels, definitely keeps busy.  If, like her, your day takes you anywhere from your own home chemistry lab, to cycling into town in investigate clues, to negotiating conversations with overly-curious librarians, well…you’d better at least have a comfortable shawl to throw around you while you’re doing it.

So.  Coveted yarn, a pattern by a fantastic designer, and all wrapped up in a mystery theme!!!  What more could I ask for?

Wait, there was more.  A wonderful little splityarn notions bag by Canadian artisan Caro Sheridan.

Partner liked the card inside the bag, which describes splityarn as

handmade goods for knitters and normal people

Ha.  I like the distinction as well.

I’m itching to cast on for Flavia with this yarn, but I am determined to finish some of the WIPs first.  Which include two other Indigodragonfly projects already on the needles.

Now if only I can find some decent knitting time….

Screwdrivers? Check. Hammer? Check.

I really needed some different storage in my room.  Had lots of shelves, but I decided drawers would be a better solution.  So earlier this week, after visiting kidlet, partner and I headed off to IKEA.

The store that burned down last year is almost but not quite yet ready to open, so we had to travel a bit more to a branch we hadn’t yet visited.  Plans are in the making to build another branch in the north, very close to us…uh oh.

I took my crutches, as I was worried that the long long walk through the store would cause too much pain in the hip.  But lo and behold, when we came through the entrance there were little scooters for customers to use!  A fantastic idea, I quickly signed for one.  Small enough to fit through all the aisles in the departments, they go forward and backward and turn sharply.

It didn’t take long for me to get the hang of the controls, although partner almost got run over a couple of times in the beginning.  And I do have to admit, the attempt at a Y-turn in the elevator was not terribly successful, except as a source of entertainment for partner, who was laughing so hard at my bouncing around she almost didn’t get out of the way in time.  But soon I was zipping along, eager to see everything, while partner tried to keep up.  (Serves her right for laughing….)

We stopped for a meal midway through, as usual.  Tried the Swedish meatballs this time, nice gravy but no lingonberries, which was a shame.

We ended up buying drawers for both of us, and I grabbed a table as well.  And we both got a few odds and ends.  That always happens….

At home, I built the table first.

You know how in the instructions they always list how many of each item you should have?  Like 48 screws this size and 20 this size, etc.  OK, so I’m weird, but I always open everything and count them all first.  I’ve never been short anything, but still.

Had a bit of a scare when in the midst of counting out fortysomething little plastic bits the cat leaped onto the table and scattered them all.  I shrieked, she fled, and then we managed to arrive at a mutually agreeable arrangement.  I worked on the furniture, and she played with the box.

She really got into it, too…

I had all the pieces lined up, all the tools at hand, old rug on the floor to cushion it…

Did the drawers first, even though the instructions start with the chest.  I just wanted to get them out of the way, that seemed so much more reasonable.  I figured that the big effort would be the main piece, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else after that.

Finally finished, and I’ve started to move things around and organise the room the way I want it.

Of course, now partner has decided that I should do hers as well.

Not tonight.  I love DIY stuff like this, but enough already for one day.

And I really want one of those scooters.

Sylvester outran me this year

Sylvester sped on by and out of sight, leaving me to eat his dust, and here it is January 2nd.  Yikes.  I’m lagging.  I’m dragging.  I’m sagging.  Oops.  (tmi, sorry)  Anyway, it’s 2012!!     And as for those of you who believe that the world is going to end on December 21st this year (12/21/12), well, you can let me take care of your assets for you…

I do love artist Mansha Friedrich’s message  in Hanover, Germany.

Kidlet is still in hospital, they’re changing her meds gradually in order to monitor her treatment, but she was allowed to come home for the weekend.  We picked her up Friday at noon, once she got home she was quickly joined by friends, and one friend from boarding school came and slept over.  Saturday morning I treated the girls to breakfast in bed – french toast was a big hit.

photo by kidlet

So  Saturday evening we took her back to the hospital, and then had a very quiet Sylvester.

No new resolutions, just hoping to make a dent in the long list of have-to-dos.

May 2012 be a wonderful year for all!!

Keep Calm and Blog On

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939, during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. The poster was third in a series of three. The three posters were issued and used across the country, as the British Ministry of Information assumed that the events of the first weeks of the war would demoralise the population.

The “Your Courage” poster was much more famous during the war, as it was the first to go up.

In 2000, a copy of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was rediscovered in a second-hand bookshop. Since copyright expires on artistic works created by the UK government after 50 years, the image is now in the public domain, and the many take-offs have gone viral. You can now find “Keep Calm” slogans on everything from posters to clothing to mugs to doormats to just about anything.

Some have variations on the word “carry”, listing a number of real and fictional characters of that name.

You can find a Keep Calm product with just about anything you may be passionate about.

How about one for Chanuka? (I know, I know, it’s over…)

Of course, major (and minor) cultural and literary themes are not ignored…

Perhaps fiber-related animals?

Some are a little confusing…

(Wait….what??)

And some just head over to the flip side…

Nostalgia notwithstanding, I guess we all feel a need for the main message here, a need for calm in the midst of chaos, in whatever we need or want to do. It has become a logo for all of us as we go through current hard times.

Are you keeping calm???

Crawl on!

The other day was a treat – a Yarn-n-Falafel yarn crawl in Haifa.  And since I had appointments that day (morning and late afternoon) I wasn’t working, so I managed to sandwich in some time for the crawl.  (Got there late and had to leave early, but never mind.)

Folks came from all over, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Carmiel and everywhere else in between.  Marina was here visiting from Toronto and Sherah from Germany, so there was lots of sharing and catching up to do, all while enjoying oodles of yummy yarn.  And some brought their own wares to share as well!

First stop wasn’t really a yarn shop at all, since Avital runs an online shop – but since we were getting together in town she invited us all to her home, where she spread out the yarn and knitting supplies for us.

(That rainbow yarn is what I knitted my Revontuli with!)

We sat and chatted, had tea and cake, her computer was logged on to Ravelry so we could check patterns, etc.  We managed to deplete her stock quite nicely.

Then we were off to lunch (and knit) at a local café.

Of course part of the day was showing off various finished objects and WIPs

After lunch we continued the crawl, visiting yarn stores and enabling each other to… um…. enrich our stashes.

Until finally we again scattered in all directions to plan and plot what to do with all the new fiber goodness…

I was pretty good, actually!  I had planned to buy some more BBB Martine, since I loved working with it so much for kidlet’s slouchy hat.  Bought two more colours of that for two projects in the queue.  The only impulse buy was a new Mondial yarn, Setoso – a merino, silk and acrylic blend – in a denim-like shade that methinks is destined to become a cardi.

Good food, yarn stores, knitting, and friends.  Just what the doctor ordered.  In between doctors.

(Ahem…  Marina!  Don’t go back to Canada, I need more massages!)

First candle ups and downs

Happy Chanuka to all!

I missed posting for the first candle – by the time I could sit down to blog I only wanted to fall into bed and grab some very-much needed sleep.  Which I did.

Not getting much sleep at all lately.  My health has taken some very weird turns, what with the hip and the jaw and the tooth and something as yet unidentified that popped up during the last CT.  Plus, kidlet is back in hospital for more tests and observation and treatment, and could be there at least a month, so she’ll be missing all of Chanuka at home at the very least.   Plus it means that I’m driving the hours to and from work so I can get to her on time for visiting hours.

Yesterday, after a long day at work and then going to a funeral – which involved lots of standing and walking and I didn’t bring the crutches – our first candle was lit with all the other kids and parents and staff on the hospital ward.  Not the cheeriest of settings, although they did their best with songs and jokes.   I didn’t get home until really late, exhausted and kind of depressed, and totally in need of a pick-me-up.  And there was my Chanuka swap package from Jackie just waiting for me.  Eight gifts, one for each candle, but instead of waiting and opening up just one, I tore into all of them – which was just what I needed!

Oh my, WOW!!!!!!!

The yarn – absolutely gorgeous 100% handspun cashmere!!!

It is soooooo incredibly soft!  I’m thinking…maybe mitts…..

Then, a whole lotta knitting notecards and pencils

Yummy Mighty Leaf teas and Dove chocolate!

A beautiful little tin with the most amazing Chanuka stitchmarkers!

A little book about knitting, with quotes and history. (To show how little, I photographed it with an ordinary house key…)  Check out the charm on the bookmark!

Since we’re both fans of House MD, Jackie made me a House puzzle, which I can’t wait to start!  (I may need to collaborate with a friend or two, some of the questions look difficult.  Either that, or spend some time with google….)

Actually, since I’m such a puzzle freak and she did her homework well, she sent me the House crossword, pages of cryptograms, and a wonderful tiny jigsaw.

The jigsaw is so tiny it comes with tweezers and a magnifying glass in order to do it.   I’ll have to set up a space where the catbeast can’t reach….

And finally, since we so rarely get snow in Israel, some glasses to turn any light into snowflakes!  Perfect for looking at the Chanuka candles…..

Such a wonderful and thoughtful package of goodies, it cheered me up tremendously!

(Sylvia in Belgium is showing much more restraint, she has only opened one of the eight gifts I sent her – can’t wait to see which she opens tonight!!)

My name is Chana and I am a swap addict…..still…….

 

Knitting Knotions – Tools of the Craft

What are your favourite knitting tools you carry with your projects?  Or in your knitting drawer/shelf at home?   What is essential?  What’s not but just nice to have?  I’ve talked about various notions as I use them – but what is the best way to have what you need at hand?

I  carry a little hippie sheep pouch with most of the notions I need in my knitting bag, along with a knitting notebook and pen to jot down what I will want to remember about each project – what cast on I used, to mark off rows, increases, decreases, other details – especially if I’m changing or personalizing a pattern in some way.

Inside the pouch I keep what I need the most:

Scissors, a couple of tape measures (not sure why I have two in there, but never mind…), a needle sizer (which is used a lot), different sizes of  crochet hooks – I don’t crochet much but I use them for repairing dropped stitches or weaving in, needle point protectors (I usually have a couple of different sizes, but some are in use at the moment), a stitch holder, cable needles, highlighter tape (which I love for charts), extra crochet thread for lifelines.  (Lots more thread at home, but this is for emergencies…)

The tiny little tins hold stitchmarkers in different sizes or colours

And the blue plastic tube is for tapestry needles

(The tube used to hold bubble gum, and the tins had chocolates or mints in them…)

There are usually row counters in there, either the rotating kind or a chain

or a kacha kacha

but when I snapped the picture, they were all being used on projects.

The other things I usually carry with me are this little wallet with post it notes for marking patterns, etc.

    

and a couple of clothes pins for clipping a chart onto something to make it easier to read.

I used to carry a couple of extra knitting needles, circulars in sizes I use a lot, or an interchangible set….but now I keep them in a needle drawer at home. (There’s a pattern drawer, and a swaps drawer, and a blocking tools drawer…I’ve gotten very organised about it since I moved…)  There’s also a box just for stitch markers at home – the  fancy ones, the beaded ones – and materials for making more.

Each WIP has its own project bag, and whatever notions I’m using just for that particular project.  There are usually a couple of projects in my knitting bag at any one time, to be worked on depending on circumstances.

Although I’ve made up my own, I’ve seen lots of different knitting tool kits for sale, either by LYS retailers or etsy folks.

On etsy:

Sarah – thesexyknitter - uses altoid sized tins to make “tool tins”.  I love these, because they’re very compact (much smaller than mine), they’re decorated with knitting (or whatever else you want), and they have a magnet in the lid so you don’t lose your needles.

Blu Onyx Expressions sells a keychain with knitting notions all hooked together so you don’t lose them.

The Electric Carnation also sells a little notion kit in a heart shaped box.

Amy of Knitwit Knits also uses a little tin to make a knitwits knit kit.

In many LYSs, you can find the Knit Kit:

Kind of a knitter’s army knife.

The one thing that does get me in trouble is the pair of scissors.  Many times I have to check that at the entrance when I go into government offices, etc.  (Or I leave the scissors in the car.)   I need to buy one of the approved versions, like the itty bitty hiya hiya puppy snips

(And they come in purple….)

What else?  Tools kept at home are things like blocking boards and blocking wires.  T-pins are notions, of course, and I really need some of those.  I use ball-tipped straight pins for blocking.  I have never used sock blockers – there are quite a few good tutorials for making your own.  When I get around to it.

One little doodad I’ve just discovered is the fix-a-stitch – kind of like a double-ended crochet hook but not exactly.

This is how it works:

 

Hm…gotta get me one of those….wonder if they come in any other colours besides pink…..

So….what knitting tools do you shlep around with you?

 

 

 

 

 

Hipster Hat, Swedish Style

The Swedes have a rather bizarre sense of humour sometimes.  I have learned about this to some extent, as partner is from Sweden.   But let’s not go there….

Now a pair of Swedish knitters have designed the “Hipstörmössan” – or Hipster Hat.

Not Amy Duncan’s Ironic Hipster that I knitted with Indigodragonfly’s luscious yarn.

copyright Amy Duncan

Nope, designers Tove Greitz and Minna Magnusson have designed the Hipster Hat for the frozen ear:

And here it is modeled for us:

?

While I agree that it’s pretty funny, I confess I’m at a bit of a loss.  I mean…if your ears are frozen, why not just knit a hat that’s long enough to cover the ears?  Granted, the little  ear hat is pretty cute, and would be a very quick knit.  But still, isn’t this much better (and superbly hip)?

Maybe I’m totally missing the point, which isn’t that all unusual.  If so, I do hope that someone will enlighten me?

Chana-ka??

I’m still being good, haven’t opened my Chanuka swap gifts.  Although Jackie tells me that if I do decide to open the packages before Chanuka, I can always declare it “Chana-ka” whenever I want!

I have mailed my package to my spoilee already.   I do find it highly peculiar that most Chanuka gifts that I get from abroad have Chanuka wrapping paper…but in Israel there is none to be found.  And I’ve asked at the largest stationery and gift shops, as well as little hole-in-the-wall shops that usually have everything.   All the salespeople look at me as if I’ve lost my mind.   Chanuka decorations are everywhere, but no wrapping paper.  So… I made my own.   Hope my spoilee is amused!

I’ve passed the halfway mark with Slouchy Kid, kidlet’s slouchy hat.  There have been no more goofs – let’s hope that continues.  It really is a wonderful project, I love the pattern, and the yarn is fantastic to work with.  I’m knitting with BBB filati Martine, 100% superwash merino, in the colour kidlet chose:

It’s very soft, and very tightly twisted, so that knitting with it is a joy and the stitch definition is so sharp.

(Even if my photography isn’t…)

I do have more of this yarn in another colour, and I think on my next LYS crawl I may pick up more.  (Ahem.  Yarn diet?  What?)

I won’t have any days off during Chanuka, which is a bummer, since kidlet will be home.  We’ll have to work something out for the weekend.  In the meantime, right now it’s off to the Galilee to visit her!