tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78269220388357069742024-02-07T19:50:28.953-05:00Mugsy KnitsA blog on my life and knitting. Free patterns will be published as I design them.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-24136495348953896722019-07-18T13:45:00.000-04:002019-07-18T15:34:02.146-04:00Trump comes to townTonight, the president came to Eastern North Carolina,
to Greenville. He held one of his campaign rallies. I
thought that Greenville was the perfect place for that.
I had moved to Greenville in 1989, but Greenville was
locked in the 1950s. I saw a town that was segregated,
blacks on one section of town and whites in the rest.
Only the newer parts of town were integrated, the
parts where all the non-native lived. Greenville is a
college town, it has a medical school and some large
manufacturing facilities that employ highly educated
people. And it had migrant workers farming the
tobacco fields living in abandoned shacks. None of
the locals thought much about it. It was how it had
always been. The blacks had their place and stayed
there. The migrants were like the dogs they kept in
their backyards. It was the outsiders who tried to
change things.
But many of the outsiders were from the middle of
the country. Midwesterners who held the same con‐
servative position as the locals but did not have the
same history as the locals. But their brains were wired
the same, to fear the "other"
, the stranger, change.
True, they didn't have slavery in their history but they
thought just like those who did. They came from
communities without minorities. The black and brown
people were the other, speaking a foreign language,
worshipping differently, a different culture than theirs.
When I moved here, I think some thought I'd be
like them, having grown up in the white suburbs of
America. But I grew up 20 miles from Manhattan and
had been taken there often by my parents. My dad
worked in Newark until I was in college. My mom and
I would take a bus to shop there and then meet up
with dad , maybe have dinner there or come home.
We would also take the bus to Paterson to shop as
well. We would walk around downtown, have lunch
at Woolworth's or a corner luncheonette. I saw
and interacted with all sorts of people. Many of the
people my dad worked with were black. My doctor
was Middle Eastern, Lebanese to bMs. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-88186162119924374542013-03-24T11:51:00.000-04:002013-03-24T11:51:41.737-04:00Life and Its Twist and Turns<span lang="">It has been a long time between postings. Some things have happened that made me look at my life and what's important to me. It started a bit back when the pressure at work began to affect my health. I have periodically had issues with stress affecting my GI system only once where it became serious, to the point where the doctors thought they may need to remove my colon. I had gone from about 135 lbs ( a reasonable weight for my frame) to about 110 lbs in about 4 weeks. I could not keep food in my system. I had my first colonoscopy at the age of 20. I had hip bones sticking out and visible ribs, something unusual for me after puberty. This time stress has caused an ulcer although there was a time when stomach cancer couldn't be ruled out. The thought of the latter absolutely terrified me. I know what that can mean and it was not something I wanted to go through alone but I would have to. I didn't know if I would be strong enough to do that, I feared I wouldn't be. I wouldn't ask what's left of my family to be with me through that and I don't think any of them could do it. I saw how they reacted to our parents' illnesses and deaths. I was wired differently than most of my family. I did watch my mom go through all the days in the hospital after dad's femoral artery bypass and his strokes and saw the similarities with her. But even we were different. Her emotions were never as close to the surface as mine are. You could never tell what hurt her emotionally whereas that shows all over my face. She saw what I did and how I reacted and thought I'd be a good doctor. What she didn't understand was how much it hurt me to see people hurt and to have to inflict more pain on them to eventually fix the problem. I could take apart a frog or pig or even a human heart but I couldn't pith the frog or decapitate the rat or inject the rabbit. I once told her, once it was dead I could do anything, but I couldn't do it when they were alive. I couldn't take blood from my lab partner, I couldn't demonstrate how to inject insulin on a person. I couldn't do anything I perceived as possibly giving pain, no matter how little. <br />
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Then there was the allergic reaction that never got address until the IT group wanted the loaner back. I realized I am over corporate life. There is no humanity there. It's time to move onto the next part of my life. My plans for retirement wasn't sitting in a chair in front of the TV, I do that nightly to try to remove the corporate day from my mind. It was to move onto a business of my own, the business changed a few times but it was something of mine, Something I controlled and something where people left in better spirits than when they came in. So at times, it was a restaurant, or a boutique but now it's a B&B. It has been for a while actually. I had found a great house in Bath NC with a deep water dock that could fit 4 boats. But Welcome got sold and I needed to move on. I looked at places in Greensboro and High Point when I lived there and had some possibilities. But then mom's and dad's health started to slide and I knew I needed to go back to NJ. So I put that desire on hold and did what needed to be done. Don't think I regret what I did, I don't. I reconnected with people I hadn't seen for a long time, I made new friends, and took a relationship to a different level. But it's coming to the time for me to take care of me. Because I can't expect anyone else to do that. I had thought Robert and I would be taking this on together, but that was not the future for us. We had gotten each other through many rough times but God or Fate decided he had been challenged enough or that I needed another challenge and he was gone. Now someone has come back into my life and I find myself on dangerous ground. He asked me at one point in a conversation, could you go back home again. I answered no not back to where you were but that a new chapter could be written. Robert and I walked out of each others lives several times, once because of his mom, once because I wanted more than he was willing to give but we always came back together. Life was better with him in mine and I think it was the same for him. I mean who would hang with someone who turned down 2 proposals and on the third, put a condition that was almost impossible for him to attain? But he did when I did just that. I knew new chapters could be written by old lovers and friends. But in saying that, the new chapter does build on the old and those old hurts need to be dealt with if they haven't been already. The relationship and trust needs to be rebuilt because, hopefully, you aren't the same person now that you were at 25. Or maybe you are and the other person need to decide if they are able to deal with that. Anyway, I don't know if by saying new chapters could be written I led him to believe that I want it to happen. I don't even know if that's what I want and what the chapters are to be. Is it just friendship or more? Then there is the issue that he's married , maybe unhappily, but still married. I'm not even sure what he wants, I initiated contact but we broke it off for various reasons and now he initiated it. Does he just need to talk to someone who is on his side, an outside observer or something else? Too much is unknown and I need to reign in my emotions, fantasies and imagination and deal with reality once I figure that out. Perhaps I need a good Gibbs smack to bring me back to my senses. I need to get back to my Sock Madness sock, Round 2 is on and one of 33 spots is mine. Here my progress so far. I need the rest of the foot and a second to match.<br />
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</span>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-42458295330807502802012-07-22T14:39:00.000-04:002012-07-22T14:39:55.899-04:00A failure to CommunicateI am so bewildered by younger people and their obsession with smart phones. They prefer to communicate by texts and email or a phone call rather than talking face to face. I do appreciate the convenience but I do not feel I have to be available to the world 24/7. I see people in bathroom stalls still yakking away on their phones. That is way too intrusive for me. What is so important that you can't end a call, do what you have to do and then call back? From the conversations I overhear, none of them were vitally important unless spreading gossip is now vitally important. I see more people at baseball games with their faces turned down towards their phone than out to the field. The one that got me was the one watching the game while at the game. Said he needed the play by play to know what was going on. Huh? I had a case at work where the person in the next cubicle sent me an email rather than turn around and ask me the question. <br />
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So if they would do that, why am I surprised that he wouldn't tell me that he was going back home to India for three weeks? I guess I expect common courtesy from people. But I should know by his actions he isn't courteous. He is rude most of the time. I will probably have to pick up his work during his vacation because he hasn't done very much work at all. I also know that when I go on vacation, he will not be taking up the slack. After all when I was sick and there was a rush project, he waited until I came back to do anything. He said he had been working on it, but when I asked what he had started writing so I could take it out of the plan, he said he hadn't started writing. The rush project was to write about 35 documents. So he was working on it but hadn't written a word. All the source documents were provided so that wasn't an issue. Could someone explain how you could be working on a writing project without writing something? Perhaps he needed three days to figure that out, that there were 35 documents that needed to be written. Personally, I think he is very lazy and incompetent. He got a PhD from a school that needed the money, on someone else's dime and with others help, as he once admitted to me.<br />
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I did start the last sock for the Tour de Sock, the cabled brioche stitch one. I did some of one sock but I think I am going to take it out and perhaps do one for charity later. They will be a very warm sock and thick. I don't even know if they would fit under my hiking boots. I need some mindless knitting, so I started a plain stockinette sweater. I just want a little rest before I start the Ravellenic Games. I have plans to do three shawls during the games. Plus I do have a Kal going on with the Unique Sheep. I've done the first two clues so far. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The color of the shawl will go from the darkest color, a mix of a dark blue and black through a medium blue with some green notes to a green with some blue. The color is called Aurora Borealis and I am using a 70/30 merino silk blend. So far it's been an easy knit, maybe about 9 hours in it so far. The Kal is called the Spirit of Guernsey designed by Janine Le Cras. I expect the pattern will become available after the Kal, either from the Unique Sheep or Janine. It's on a 24 inch circular right now and I think there are 3 or maybe 4 more clues. It's a Pi shawl so, you basically double the number of stitches at each increase row. And there's an increase row as you knit double the rows, so there's one at row 2, row 5, row 10, row 22 etc. Elizabeth Zimmerman has several Pi shawls in her books and there are a few available on Ravelry in honor of her 100th birthday. Janine is doing this to honor her hoe the Isle of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am going to sign off now, get knitting and preparing for the Games. After all there is a mass cast on Friday night. Bye. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-78786947922118163792012-07-17T22:22:00.001-04:002012-07-17T22:22:11.728-04:00Sock Fatigue<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am suffering from Sock Fatigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have one more pair in the Tour de Sock and
then I am finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe the cause
of it is the two Ravelry contest that I have done back to back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there was perhaps two weeks between
each contest for some down time knitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That wasn’t enough time of down time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another mitigating factor was the year of socks I signed up for last
November that started in January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
just say, I will have knitted a minimum of 14 pairs of socks since the
beginning of this year after this last one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were not plain Jane vanilla socks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh no, these were socks with ribbles (that’s ribbed cables that are
reversible), stranded colorwork, mosaic knitting. lace, beads, regular cables,
cables made because of a throw of a dice, alternate construction with strips of
knitting joined together with k2tog or ssk, toe, cuff down, and/or short row
heels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank goodness there is only one
more to go that will start later today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And it's a cabled brioche stitch sock! Oh My! Are They Out Of Their Minds!?!?! </span>I
think I will either take a long break from socks or drive myself crazier and
start designing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen almost
every design element and construction that has ever been invented for socks in
these contests during the last two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did drop out of the Tour De Fleece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that contest, you needed to spin and photo
your spinning for each day the Tour de France competitors ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started but didn’t make a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One reason for that is the other contest I
was doing at the same time (see above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other reason is I’m a rank beginner spinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a half day class on spinning two years
ago and then nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got carried away
to try this because I found the box of hand spun I had a friend spin for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the fiber I sent was nice and soft
and fluffy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got back some hard and
scratchy art yarn that was worse than my first spinning attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I would try to make this stuff into
something usable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I undid the one ball
of this handspun so I would get to the single strand that was spun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then tried to re-spin it, stretching out
the large lumpy almost un-spun spots to a thinner strand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I only managed to over-spin the
single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s still hard and scratchy
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m thinking about taking the
other single from the ball I separated, skeining it and soaking it in Eucalan
or maybe crème rinse to see if it softens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I went into it with unusable yarn and I’m not sure I did anything to
improve it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More experiments are
needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I need to get all the original
spin out first and then re-spin it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh
that will be painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not even sure
I can do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if she set
the spin or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not even sure what
to do to set the spin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to do some
research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do know I like spinning on
the drop spindle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still a bit
uncoordinated and have dropped my drop spindle but the twirling of the fibers
into a strand of yarn is mesmerizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a rhythm and flow to the act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I still have to learn how to draft the fiber better but may this is something
to get my fiber fix and not knit so many socks.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am hoping I have not overcommitted myself for the
Ravellenic games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the new name
for the Ravelympics after the USOC threatened to sue Ravlery because of the
misuse of their trademarked name, Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the same USOC<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that has
deals with Ralph Lauren (for clothes made in China and other sweat shops in
third world countries), McDonalds (where I doubt you would see an Olympic athlete)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coke (I doubt an Olympic athlete drinks much
Coke, even Diet Coke) etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
there to raise money to support the athletes but also to line their pockets, I
think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure no one working at the
USOC is doing it for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure Mitt
Romney got a nice salary from the USOC for working on the Salt Lake games in
the 90’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to the subject,
Gail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will not be making socks for any
of my challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, siree-bob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silly me has internally committed to doing 3
shawls in the 17 (?) day the Olympics take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finish the Poinsettia shawl that I ripped back
due to a dropped stitch only found during blocking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make the new Stephen West Mystery Shawl in two
Wollmeise yarns colors to be determined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make the Morgana shawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It only starts with like 300 stitches or
something like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really need to have my head examined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-44485835799378921002012-05-08T22:15:00.000-04:002012-05-08T22:17:31.539-04:00Things that Get my GoatWarning: This post may contain some language the people may find offensive. It will contain the four letter word 'work' and it may contain other four letter ones that come when people don't want to do the first one. <br />
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I have certain pet peeves. I have things that get to me. The biggest one is people who expect the world to drop things in their laps. People who do not want to work, who expect others to do the stuff they don't want to do. I work with a bunch of them. People who expect others to clean up their messes. People who sit and read the paper or bulletin boards on the Internet all day or are on the phones with their friends or family all day. They wonder why they aren't getting anywhere. Honestly they are lucky they stay employed. I think it's because the manager doesn't want to loose any more head count because then the powers that be may think they don't need the manager. I am a consultant. I'm not paid anywhere near what I was making before I left the workforce to take care of my parents before they died. But I give the job my best effort. I do the work I have as efficiently as possible. I check my work for accuracy and correct all my spelling errors. I check and recheck the numbers and make sure the written description matches the table or graph. I take pride in my work. I feel my work is a reflection of myself. It bugs me that someone will sit doing nothing all day and take a company's money for it. It bugs me that someone will take 2 weeks to do something it takes me 2 days to do and then do it so poorly, with spelling and grammatical errors. I mean spell check in Office isn't the end all but if it's telling you that a word is misspelled, it probably is. Especially when it isn't a highly technical term, when it's a commonly used word like supplement. I know the person will be highly surprised when he gets let go and I get kept. But when you sit on your ass doing crappy, slipshod work, screwing around for the most part, reading the paper or checking your bank account or perhaps stealing secrets from the company, you deserve to be fired. There are plenty of people who want to work and those that don't shouldn't get the chance. They should get exactly what they put out, nothing. The world doesn't owe anybody anything. You need to go and earn it. You shouldn't expect others to clean up after you and you certainly shouldn't go around saying how busy and overworked you are.<br />
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This is the end of the rant. I feel much better now. I did manage to squeak though the fourth round of Sock Madness on Ravelry. I thought this one would do me in. I have only tried mosaic knitting once before, at the first Unique Sheep Retreat. I did a small swatch of mosaic knitting in a class with Susan Pandorf. It was ugly, my tension was horrible and the swatch puckered. I had no hope that the socks would come out any better. But Voila, I did it and the socks look wonderful. See....<br />
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The only question is will they be too warm. I used two different sock yarns, Santa Fe by Aslan Yarns and Socka by Stahl. But the socks are almost double knit. The working yarn is carried behind the slipped stitches making a second layer. So, even though they fit me and I love the tonal red with the solid navy blue, these socks may go into the pile of hats and such for Pine Ridge Reservation. I think the Lakota people in North Dakota could make better use of them than I could here in NJ. Tomorrow the next pattern is coming. It has some colorwork as well. The spoiler showed a few stripes of contrast on the ribbing but I know there's some sneaky surprise waiting in the fifth round. I mean it's near the end, there will be two more rounds then the final one for the overall winner. I hope there's a bit of contrast and the rest is lace. I can do lace fast, I do lace well. Last year this fifth round was an illusion knitting pattern. It may have been garter but the chart to get the picture required you to concentrate. Otherwise, no picture. The teaser only showed the rib with the stripes. I wonder what the rest is like. I should know by 4PM tomorrow. We shall see what challenges await us, the 70 still left competing (5 x 14 is 70). I'll let you know when I either finish it or get knocked out.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-11844106709142054242012-04-02T22:52:00.000-04:002012-04-02T22:52:01.978-04:00I’ve Fallen and I…..<span style="font-family: Calibri;">forgot to blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah that’s it. I forgot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t that work was crazy for a few weeks or that I was trying to speed knit and then said why, it’s early stages of Sock Madness, you don’t need to do that yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>perhaps I forgot because of the lovely weather out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m here again and trying to figure out what to write about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may be the main problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life has been so mundane that there isn’t much to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Work is go then stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write like the dickens , review/revise and then wait… and wait…. and wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also a pain that I wind up having to redo the other writer’s work because he pays no attention to what he’s doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank goodness, there’s a new project for us that could be separated and his work will have to stand on its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will not be held responsible for his mistakes and non-compliance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least, that’s what they are saying now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus they are intending giving me the responsibility of coordinating the documents going to a outside firm for authoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things like Sock Madness and Guild Wars are cutting to my design time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like participating in them though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speed thing in Sock Madness is fun, although I’m not feeling my sock mojo right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s early rounds and there really is no need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m back in the beginners’ group once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think you have to spend a couple of years here before you move up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or if you submit a sock design for the next competition, that may get you moved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m not busting my hump right now to finish first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be done either tonight or tomorrow and that will put me in the first half or maybe even first 10 to finish in my group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m being a slacker this year, as long as I move on to the next round, I’m okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year I was an eager beaver and had to finish first or second each round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m getting very distracted, like I have ADD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start something and see or hear a blurb on TV, check that out, play some solitaire on the computer and then cycle back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will buckle down for the latter rounds so I can perhaps go one round further than last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course that would mean I was in the finals against all the other teams’ winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the challenge sock would be something ridiculous, like last year’s colorwork<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one with a Latavian braid and fringe I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the pattern but have not knit it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could convert it to a mitten, which is what the designer did I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think she took a mitten and converted it to a sock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would just be taking it back to what it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just restless and fiddly lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are things I should be doing, like getting the last of my parents things put away and putting all my yarn up in the cabinets, but I am so not into that now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a little get-away would break the mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or a swift kick to my posterior.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>I finished and moved to round 3. The afterthought heel does not fit me well. I had to add extra rows to get some heel depth and they still don't fit. But it fun to learn these new techniques and see what works for me and what doesn't. I can always reknit it and redo the heel to a flap and gusset. Since yesterday was April 1, April Fools, there were lots of little jokes on Ravelry. I had a Cat in the Hat hat on my Ravatar. There were the Emperor's Fingerless Gloves made from Rumplestilkin's Yarn. Then there was a contest looking for the sexiest knitter, the one who knits the sexiest, not looks the sexiest and knits. The in Sock Madness, Round 3 was announced. The supply list had 1,000 yds of lace weight in 5 different colors, a true indigo dye vat made with urine of pre-pubscent boys, 4 cabana/ kilt boys, 16 cable needles and much more. It fooled me at first until I started reading. Then I started laughing. </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>I am trying to finish at least one glove to show my massage therapist to see if it works for her. If it does, I may actually publish it on Rav. There isn't anything like it there. There are some elements but not all of them put together like I have on this glove. If I do, it will be my first published pattern. I've never liked mittens, and gloves make it hard to get change out, especially while driving. If you can flip the tops of your thumb and the the next two fingers, it could be done easily. She wants to be able to play her flute and still keep her hands warm. We will see it I figured it out and not have the tips get lost or in the way. </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>It's getting late and I think I will sign off. Nighty-night all.</o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-8453593530796912212012-01-26T22:58:00.002-05:002012-01-26T22:58:38.106-05:00Strange Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Today is a funny day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I got 4 hours of sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So to amuse myself and hopefully, I am going to use all sorts of typeface styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pathetic, no?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess when I get in this state, I’m easily amused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Tahoma, font size 11 points)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">I’m feeling rather underappreciated at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m definitely underutilized. I get very little feedback about the job I’m doing, except when I do something perceived as “wrong” even though it is in full compliance with company policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s different than how they used to do it, but this is a new company, they got taken over, the winner wants it done their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I had to train myself on the different practices and was left to figure out what was meant by some of the instructions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And unfortunately the director has a bias to one group, but that seems to be common across the industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just tell myself, you’re a contractor, keep your mouth shut, this too will pass and you’ll be off to the next assignment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Palatino, 11 points)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">I have an idea floating around for a sweater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see the shape as pretty basic, round or scoop neck, set in sleeves, some waist shaping and ending at the high hip. I think it would be best done in pieces rather than in the round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main fabric will have texture from an overall stitch pattern, but there will be vertical bands of not so open lacework to break up the pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps knit from side to side to change the look of the patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really don’t want to go into Barbara Walker’s Treasuries and pick out a pattern for his.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to come up with something on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t hold my breath that I can actually do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I can maybe use an obscure one. (Helvetica, 11 points)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t like I have nothing on my needles right now with nothing waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I owe 2 sets of fingerless gloves after I finish the pair of socks I have going right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there are the three blocks for the block a week KAL for Jan and several WIPs that I have to decide if I’ll finish or frog them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I really am tired of my wardrobe but can’t find what I want in readymade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My cubical is so cold; right now I have three layers on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need some warm tops that aren’t too bulky so I can layer as needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve added about 3 cardigans to my collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did a Calvert, a Manu and a Tissue cardigan over the last 13 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will augment the couple of machine made ones from Talbots and Marshalls/ TJ Maxx as well as some older hand knits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did lose some sweaters to moths or another critter when I was taking care of Dad that last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never got the chance to give them a good cleaning at the end of season and put them away as I normally do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lost probably 10 sweaters to the moths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can fix a few but others are too far gone and way too small a gauge to fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have become dust cloths, cashmere dust cloths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>UGH!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did get my money’s worth out of them though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were close to 10 yrs old so I can’t complain too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really liked them and they worked so well in my wardrobe that I miss them and their cuddly warmth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Georgia, 11 points)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I was lucky that the little buggers did not get into my stash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did find two skeins that may have has some issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these were wool from at least 30 yrs ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could have happened in any of the 9 places my stash has been over that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found that out when I was caking them up to use in Chris Bylsma class, Stashology 201.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t find any signs of dead bodies but you never know. I am making an effort to use some of my stash up this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am cutting back on stash collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do get something if there isn’t anything in the stash that will work, but am trying not to buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be doing Sock Madness this year again so I did get a few solid sock yarns for that because I have so few and they are mainly dark colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dark colors are not good for speed knitting, too hard on the eyes and don’t show the patterning well for the photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I am determined to get the stash down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am working on some blocks that will go into charity blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a block a week KAL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m using my mother’s stash for that as well as my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to set up a place where I can photograph my stash and then get it listed on Ravelry so I know what I really have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will help me figure out what I can do with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I never found Webs, Elann and DBNY (Discontinued Brand New Yarn) on-line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably could have paid cash outright for the new car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but I could have bought A new car in cash if I didn’t have this stash just not the Audi I got, maybe a Hyundai, definitely a Kia. (Courier New, 11 points)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll let you know how the design comes along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should be able to write up directions in a couple of sizes after taking Ysolda’s class on grading patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have picked out a yarn and worked on swatches by the time I write the next installment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh boy, I’ll get to use the Intertwined charting program I bought and maybe even draw a schematic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, I may actually get the hang of designing for someone other than myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woo Hoo!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-15423807638509695222012-01-24T19:57:00.000-05:002012-01-24T19:57:38.944-05:00The Last Old Post<em>Here's the last of the unposted entries. This one was written in June 2011.</em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s a Wonder….<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That anything gets accomplished at my job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never worked in a place with a lesser sense of urgency as this one has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The project I’m working on has been ongoing since late 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now we are 18 months from running out of three key materials and the basic information on the replacement materials is not in-house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no specs from the manufacturer and no in-house specs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I brought this up at least two weeks ago, maybe a month and there has been no movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very hard to write something without the source documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But ultimately it’s not my problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just a contractor who’s come to the project at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no authority to make things happen and when I bring it up to those who do, it’s glossed over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I won’t go into the other contractor they brought in on the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He supposedly has experience in the field, well you couldn’t prove it by me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has no grasp on how big industry works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spends most of his day talking to relatives or friends on the company phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he be surprised if or when one of our bosses comes down with the phone bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t seem to be able to grasp a lot of the training or discussions of the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>know I’m smart, but I had to explain something to him four times and he still didn’t understand the concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve had to organize the work load for the two of us because he is either unwilling or unable to do those types of tasks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think he’s been working on a business venture of his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t say I’ve been an angel since we haven’t been very busy, but I do my side business things at home on my own time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And mine are not in the same area of business, so there’s no conflict of interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His are, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He keeps talking about all these people he knows who have started companies in India and how much money they’ve made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he’s trying to do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know he’s been trolling company information sites that have nothing to do with our project. (He had to call me over to figure out what he did on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the computer to cause it to lock up and I saw all sorts of places he’s gone to on the company intranet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m staying out of it, that’s all I can say.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been trying to catch up and finish the shawl I had started making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has turned out to be fairly large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just have to join the two ends of the edging, secure the ends and give it a wash then it’s off to Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Kirsten will like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do have to get a picture for Leo, since it is his design and I think I’m the first to finish it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others have started it, but most are in time-out since there were two errors in the pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured out what needed to be changed, did it and then let Leo know about the problem and my solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, we are his test knitters and that comes with the territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get patterns no one else has seen but there may be problems with the pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t measured it but I expect it’s about 5 to 6 ft in diameter without stretching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s acrylic so it won’t stretch out much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wanted acrylic so she can use it for breastfeeding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can go in the wash and not have to have special care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should have been in Scotland by now, but life got in the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The AC went on the fritz and I needed to go car shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also participating in Ravelry’s Sock Madness and that cut into my knitting time on the shawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sock Madness is a speed competition between groups of sock knitters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has seven rounds and I made it through five of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was foiled in making it though the sixth round by work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to go there and it was Memorial day in Canada, so a Canadian who was at home for a three day weekend finished before I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sixth round had only one person from each team going to the finals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I made it to the semifinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not bad for my first time entering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now it’s back to the Guild Wars on AMKG.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was knitting the shawl for a challenge there, but didn’t finish it in time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was too big to take to the Yankee games with me so I lost valuable time there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I wasn’t going to miss any of the games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even stayed through the whole game last Saturday in the cold wind and mist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched more of the game with my glasses off than on I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took them off because I got tired of wiping them clear of all the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least they won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-82987588587481764542012-01-24T19:52:00.000-05:002012-01-24T19:52:15.250-05:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Baseball is back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Yankees are doing reasonably well so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is the first week and it is a long season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except for the fans in Boston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say New York fans are quick to jump on a loosing team, denigrating the players and coaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Boston fans are even worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Red Sox are 0-6 and the fans are all over the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re wonder what’s wrong with the team, why aren’t all their high-priced new acquisitions not performing, and in general, what has happened?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is, it’s baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being successful 30% of the time is a GOOD thing in this game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Red Sox’s are a good team (that was painful to admit) who just aren’t outperforming their opponent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A loss by one run is the same as a blow out, they’re both losses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boston has been playing all their games on the road so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being on the road is different than being at home, or even being at spring training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in spring training, a road game is only a few hour’s drive away and you get to spend the night in your own bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boston’s been at Texas and Cleveland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if it was cold in Texas but it is in Cleveland this time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These early games are strange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The players have been playing in warm weather for the most part and then they go to places that may have SNOW in late March and early April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is a big shock to anyone’s system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They play in some domes, but not all the cold weather area teams have a dome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There isn’t one in Cleveland or Colorado, where a game was held in the snow recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps the ghost of the curse is in the heads of the Boston fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those years of not winning a championship, or even getting into the champion round, has ingrained in eventual failure to the Yankees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that I mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something to tease my friends who are Red Sox fans about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually thinking about betting which team will have the better record at the All-Star break with one of those friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the bet will be the loser has to wear something from the winner’s team, like a t-shirt or hat, out in public, around people they know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That way the humiliation is complete, they have to spend money and their friends know they lost a bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this friend is a bit tight when it comes to money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what’s he saving it for, unless he has some secret vice, like internet gambling or strip joints that I don’t know about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year we bet dinner on some games and I lost and paid my debt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not expecting to see him in person this year, but still want to make a friendly bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have some things in mind for my vacation time this year and a trip to Cape Cod is not on the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what exactly is, but it isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I may want to go to Ireland or Iceland or perhaps a week on a beach somewhere warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe to knitting camp!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could try for Meg Swansen’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>knitting camp in Wisconsin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure Sock Summit is already full, but I don’t think they opened up enrollment for Meg’s camp yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting in is like getting a skein of WolleMeise <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from their site, almost impossible, but worth a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after taking a class with Meg at Vogue Live, I understand the rush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I miss unlimited knitting time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This work thing just cuts into my fun time so much, but it helps pay the bills.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><em>Written May 2011, way too late for Meg's camp. That opens in Feb and fills up right away.</em></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-88666261284291646472012-01-24T19:30:00.000-05:002012-01-24T19:30:16.269-05:00Catching Up<em>Another post written last year and never posted at the time. This is from April 2011.</em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Boys of Spring<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today is opening day for baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve been reading my blog, you will know I’m a rabid Yankee fan and a fan of baseball in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So having to work today is killing me, especially after not working for 5 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that time I have watched every Yankee opening day with my father or Robert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the last 2 years, it hits me that both of them are gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching and going to baseball games was one of the daddy-daughter things my father and I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued to do that until his death, mainly watching and talking as Dad din't feel up to going to a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert watched and/or played almost every sport there is. Hockey and baseball were his favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was finally the person who got me watching hockey and understanding most of what went on in a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still think some of the rules of hockey are dumb, like icing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all it is played on ice,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>why call it icing and not off-sides like they do in other sports. Duh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will say that while I’m meeting some very nice people at work, it really cuts into the time I have for my other interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not knitting up a storm like I did before, and my reading time is cut way short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My internet trolling is down as is the time I spend on Ravelry and Yahoo groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel disconnected from the people who helped me get through some tough times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try my best to keep up, but there is only just so much time in the evenings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t been able to teat knit as much as I want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not talking about paid test knitting, but the things I do for MMario and some people on Ravelry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the job I have is pretty cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like it a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it helps people eventually get the medicines they need for a better life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did join Sock Madness on Ravelry this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you not on Ravelry (why aren’t you??) or just haven’t been swept up by it, it’s a competitive knitting contest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first round, everyone who joins <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is given a relatively easy sock pattern and 2 weeks to make a pair of socks with at least a 7 inch foot (before the toe).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who complete the socks in that time frame go through to the next round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it through with about 4 hours to spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, me who boasts of being a fast knitter, took the whole 2 weeks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that was because I signed up late and didn’t check to see if I got in right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I did check and saw that I was in the competition, a week had past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually 9 days had past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I was left with 5 days to get yarn and make a pair of striped, offsetting ribbed socks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not totally mindless because the ribbing was offset for each stripe, but not overly hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made these which I need to undo the toe and shorten the foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not get row gauge even though I got stitch gauge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they came out big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they are reverse twins, which is different for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only was able to snag 1 skein each color of Wildfoote for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the pair and knew I didn’t have enough of the light yellow to make a matching pair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised I liked them when I finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That not me, I like matchy-matchy socks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m keeping these the way they are and not hunting for more yellow Wildfoote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was better prepared for the second sock challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one was a combo brioche / slip stitch pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suggested yarn was either variegated or semi-solid, although almost anything has looked good in this sock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pattern stitch of one brioche knit surrounded by two slipped stitches and a purl between the slipped stitches breaks up the pooling that may occur with variegated or hand painted sock yarns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that pooling is bad, just sometimes it’s not wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pattern wasn’t hard but seemed awfully slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the fast<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scandinavian knitters were slow with this sock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took the fastest person<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>about 30% more time to do this pair, 17 hours versus 13 for the first pair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I had about 20-22 hours of knitting in this pair and was in the first 10 finishers in my group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, the group was broken into 4 teams of 48 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first 37 knitters for each group will go onto round 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m through to round three and waiting for the rest of the field to finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m in the slow and/or newbie group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The groups are broken down by experience and speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I would have made it through even on the fastest team, but definitely would not have been in the first 10 there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been using the time in-between rounds to finish up a few WIPs and rip out the sweaters that don’t fit anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m back working on the beaded border of my Samhain shawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that was Renee’s Mystery 14 shawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s up to 22(?) now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I started the shawl in the fall of 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept up with the knit along until the last clue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got the end of the shawl done in fine time, even with all the beading. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the edging has been my bane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are three beads to every four rows of the edge and that slows me down to the extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never seem to be able to get a rhythm going when I have to bead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m using a lace weight yarn from Zen Yarn Gardens and placing the beads on by the crochet hook method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yarn is a bit too fragile to string the beads on and then pull up one where it’s needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus it wouldn’t sit as the designer intended if I beaded it that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m just plugging along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 48 repeats of the edge pattern on this shawl and I have about 30 done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end is in sight but not that close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finishing or frogging this shawl was something I wanted to accomplish this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really want that set of Addi Lace needles available for something else, even though I treated myself to a set of Addi Lace Clicks (their interchangeable) while at Stitches last October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also got a set<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the KA interchangeable bamboo needles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They go down to a size 1 US (2.25 mm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they have the 1.5 and 2.5 US tips available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used the 1’s on the first sock of Sock Madness and have put a slight bend into the tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that always happens to my 2.0 and 2.25 bamboo double points so I really didn’t expect anything different from the KA’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What has surprised me is how well the tips stay on despite them being screw on tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have used the Boye interchangeable set and the tips are always loosening while I knit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it has to do with my actions knitting continental.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far, I did one pair of socks and started a second with them loosening only once on the second set .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I didn’t use any grip aids to tighten them, just did it by hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The loosening of the Boye needles discouraged me from the Knit Picks interchangeable set along with some other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure if they have what appears to be a lot of people calling about broken tips and joins, they must have a quality issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t care how inexpensive they are, if they are going to break a lot I don’t want to invest in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rather save up for the Addi’s or Dykraft’s wood interchangeable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have gotten good reviews and appear to have good quality for the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the Denise plastic needles don’t seem to have the issues that Knit Picks have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just occasionally spray mine with Armor All and wipe them off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helps with keeping the finish<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a bit slicker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also do the cords.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The silicone seems to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em>Amazing use of auto product. I actually found this out when I was crocheting a market bag out of a plastic yarn called Gummy. They suggested spraying the hook (a size P and plastic) with Armour All to keep the yarn from sticking, and it worked like a charm. I would make sure that you wipe the needle or cord well. You want only the lightest of film left so it won't stain the yarn.</em></span></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-82666527372004076872012-01-22T15:18:00.000-05:002012-01-22T15:18:25.067-05:00Blog Jam<em>This ia anoter posting I wrote and never posted. It was written Jan 29 2011.</em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">It’s been a long time since I last blogged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s been too much going to and fro to sit down and take stock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I should try to catch you up with all that’s going on, especially since I am going back to work on next Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be a contractor for Pfizer in their regulatory department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be writing submissions for re-registering the Wyeth products under the Pfizer name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can write like a lawyer and summarize things very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately or maybe unfortunately for you, I don’t use that skill here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure you want all the messy juicy language<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">I last left you with my Rhinebeck experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then went to Stitches East with two knitting friends, Cindy and Cheryl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are part of the group that gets together at my LYS (well the one I frequent the most) for open knitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t have classes together but it was nice to have someone to have meals with as we were staying in the same hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then went on from Hartford to Cape Cod to see my high school boyfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was nervous seeing him again after 42 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny thing, I recognized him right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what he thought since I’m twice the size I was in high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he was too much of a gentleman to say anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did try to start up where we had left things but I’m a bit too old for making out now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m still not ready for someone to replace Robert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to have a companion for my old age, but that isn't him. We did catch up and do talk every now and then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad I got back in touch with him and the old college boyfriend/fiancée.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found that one is still the nice guy I remembered and the other is still the adolescent, head turned by big boobs and accessibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m no slouch in the boob area, been a D or E cup since 30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I wasn’t always around so he went for the closest thing around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And unfortunately for him, he’s still in that mode so he’s had three wives and is probably married to #4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he’s married the same type every time, insecure, jealous and looking for a pay day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to send a wedding gift to his fiancée and she questioned the hell out of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained I had no interest other than friendship with him and that it was just a gift to wish them happiness in their life together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She turned all belle (a NC native) and turned the gift down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure who did it, but I was un-friended on Facebook which really pissed me off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He claimed it was a problem with his computer, but Facebook doesn’t just drop one person as a friend and not everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even if it did, he didn’t do anything to remedy the problem and re-friend me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I found out that he is still the stupid jerk he was 37 years ago when we broke up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">I have been having a hard time with transferring programs from my old computer to this new one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one I’m really having a problem with is the Intertwined charting program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So either I am going to spend the big bucks and get Knit or Stitch Illustrator and Photoshop or re-purchase the Intertwined program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or figure out how to make Excel work the way I want for charts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like charts but also want to give written directions for my stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that ain’t happening with some kind of program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope Photoshop is somewhat intuitive and that I’ll be able to use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard it can be hard, but that was a while back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p><em>I found out Photoshop is still hard but it may be worth the price. Illustrator seems to be the program most designers use. I will be looking into that one as well. Sometimes the old saying is true, you get what you pay for. I'm not putting the Intertwined program down, just that it has limits on what it can do. If all I wanted was to put out a chart, it would be great. However, I want to do more and it isn't designed to do full patterns. I would have to cobble the chart into another document and hope it comes out readable. I can do that but if another program can do it all, why wouldn't I so that. It's all boils down to how serious am I about designing and publishing patterns. There is interest out there so it just may be worth the money. </em></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-38479033109903662072012-01-22T15:02:00.000-05:002012-01-22T15:02:58.123-05:00Catching UpAgain a post I wrote off line and am posting to catch up.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Log Jam (Written April 5, 2011)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right now I have a log jam in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m seeing designs that I just can’t translate to make the fabric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m seeing some socks and lace but when I put them to my needles, it isn’t working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I either hate the yarn I thought would be perfect for the design or I can’t execute the design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started on a lace and cable sock, the yarn was obscuring all the lacework.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was using Tousles but a solid color; well really a marl and it just didn’t show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a shawl swirling in my head but I don’t seem to be able to get it down on paper, let alone knit it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all crammed in my brain without a proper outlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have my little idea book that I keep with me, but I’m a lousy artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to make geometric shapes when left to my own devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They should translate nicely to lace patterns but it’s not happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel perplexed by the whole thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve not has a problem with sweater design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That always seems to work itself out of my brain and into fabric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem there is I don’t know how to grade a sweater up or down to get a pattern that useable for others I have lots of patterns for a 45 in D to DD cup, which is a 50-51 in chest with bust shaping that I can put out for use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you aren’t that I could write it to your exact measurements but not to a typical 38 inch bust measurement because there is no “typical” person out there to measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s where knowledge of pattern grading comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we probably can all add an inch or three to a bust, how much do you add for an arm circumference, or a shoulder or armhole depth to get the next three sizes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine that’s why someone who can grade a pattern is so valuable on Seventh Ave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pattern graders and pattern cutters are the highest paid employees in the garment trade for the most part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can affect profits by how well they know their materials and the design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has to fit the majority of people in that size range but not have too much ease and waste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been buying books on the subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s quite an exercise in special geometry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe that women look better in clothes that have some structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drop shoulder designs are a friend to very few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are easily designed but look extremely sloppy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People like me who don’t have a strong shoulder line look awful in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sometimes can get away with a modified drop shoulder, but only on casual clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look best in a set in sleeve with a saddle shoulder as a second best look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can wear a raglan sometimes, but I have a bit of a sloped shoulder, so it isn’t my best look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if I go for my best look, it usually means seams and finishing work which many people hate to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s because they don’t get taught the different ways to finish an item early on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they develop the idea that finishing is hard to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t any harder to do than learning how to knit is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just a matter of learning the different ways to sew up the pieces and which are the most appropriate for the particular seam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mattress stitch is the most popular for sewing long side and sleeve seams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It leaves an almost invisible seam from the public side of the garment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a backstitch can be used for a side seam successfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Backstitch is commonly used for shoulders seams although short rows and a three needle bind off are becoming more popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some claim that this does not make a stable seam like sewing does while others claim just the opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this may be a directional thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you bind off towards the shoulder, the seam may stretch that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you bind off towards the neck, it may not stretch as much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I have proof? No, it’s just a conjecture based on the anatomy of a stitch in the bindoff. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><em>That was some ideas I was wresting with at that time. I have since gotten a few books on pattern design and taken a class on pattern grading from Ysolda Teague while at VK Live NY a week ago. I think I have a better idea on what to do and may be able to get some of these designs out of my brain.</em></o:p></span></div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-38853639142826380382011-05-18T22:52:00.000-04:002011-05-18T22:52:04.579-04:00Log JamRight now I have a log jam in my head. I’m seeing designs that I just can’t translate to make the fabric. I’m seeing some socks and lace but when I put them to my needles, it isn’t working. I either hate the yarn I thought would be perfect for the design or I can’t execute the design. I started on a lace and cable sock, the yarn was obscuring all the lacework. I was using Tofusies but a solid color, well really a marl and it just didn’t show. I have a shawl swirling in my head but I don’t seem to be able to get it down on paper, let alone knit it. It’s all crammed in my brain without a proper outlet. I have my little idea book that I keep with me, but I’m a lousy artist. I tend to make geometric shapes when left to my own devices. They should translate nicely to lace patterns but it’s not happening. I feel perplexed by the whole thing. I’ve not has a problem with sweater design. That always seems to work itself out of my brain and into fabric. The problem there is I don’t know how to grade a sweater up or down to get a pattern that usuable for others I have lots of patterns for a 45 in D to DD cup, that is a 50-51 in chest with bust shaping that I can put out for use. If you aren’t that I could write it to your exact measurements but not to a typical 38 inch bust measurement because there is no “typical” person out there to measure. That’s where a knowledge of pattern grading comes in. While we probably can all add an inch or three to a bust, how much do you add for an arm circumference, or a shoulder or armhole depth to get the next three sizes? I imagine that’s why someone who can grade a pattern is so valuable on Seventh Ave. Pattern graders and pattern cutters are the highest paid employees in the garment trade for the most part. They can affect profits by how well they know their materials and the design. It has to fit the majority of people in that size range but not have too much ease and waste. I have been buying books on the subject. It’s quite an exercise in special geometry. <br />
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I believe that women look better in clothes that have some structure. Drop shoulder designs are a friend to very few. They are easily designed but look extremely sloppy. People like me who don’t have a strong shoulder line look awful in them. I sometimes can get away with a modified drop shoulder, but only on casual clothes. I look best in a set in sleeve with a saddle shoulder as a second best look. I can wear a raglan sometimes, but I have a bit of a sloped shoulder, so it isn’t my best look. So if I go for my best look, it usually means seams and finishing work which many people hate to do. I think it’s because they don’t get taught the different ways to finish an item early on. So they develop the ideathat finishing is hard to do. It isn’t any harder to do than learning how to knit is. It’s just a matter of learning the different ways to sew up the ieces ans which are the most appropriate for the particular seam. Matress stitch is the most popular for sewing long side and sleeve seams. It leaves an almost invisible seam from the public side of the garment. However,a backstitch can be used for a side seam successfully. Backstitch is commonly used for shoulders seams although short rows and a three needle bind off are becoming more popular. Some clain that this does not make a stable seam like sewing does while others claim just the opposite. I think this may be a directional thing. If you bind off towards the shoulder , the seam may stretch that way. If you bind off towards the neck, it may not stretch as much. Do I have proof? No, it’s just a conjecture based on the anatomy of a stitch in the bindoff.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-37661035555929109292011-04-02T10:38:00.000-04:002011-04-02T10:38:08.465-04:00The Boys of Spring, Summer and FallToday is opening day for baseball. If you’ve been reading my blog, you will know I’m a rabid Yankee fan and a fan of baseball in general. So having to work today is killing me, especially after not working for 5 years. In that time I have watched every Yankee opening day with my father or Robert. And for the last 2 years, it hits me that both of them are gone. Watching and going to baseball games was one of the daddy-daughter things my father and I did. We continued to do that until his death. Robert watched and/or played almost every sport there is. Hockey and baseball were his favorites. He was finally the person who got me watching hockey and understanding most of what went on in a game. I still think some of the rules of hockey are dumb, like icing. After all it is played on ice, why call it icing and not off-sides like they do in other sports. <br />
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I will say that while I’m meeting some very nice people at work, it really cuts into the time I have for my other interests. I’m not knitting up a storm like I did before, and my reading time is cut way short. My internet trolling is down as is the time I spend on Ravelry and Yahoo groups. I feel disconnected from the people who helped me get through some tough times. I try my best to keep up, but there is only just so much time in the evenings. I haven’t been able to teat knit as much as I want. I’m not talking about paid test knitting, but the things I do for MMario and some people on Ravelry. But the job I have is pretty cool. I like it a lot. And it helps people eventually get the medicines they need for a better life. <br />
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I joined Sock Madness on Ravelry this year. For those of you not on Ravelry (why aren’t you??) or just haven’t been swept up by it, it’s a competitive knitting contest. The first round, everyone who joins is given a relatively easy sock pattern and 2 weeks to make a pair of socks with at least a 7 inch foot (before the toe). Those who complete the socks in that time frame go through to the next round. I made it through with about 4 hours to spare. I know, me who boasts of being a fast knitter, took the whole 2 weeks! Well, that was because I signed up late and didn’t check to see if I got in right away. When I did check and saw that I was in the competition, a week had past. Actually 9 days had past. So I was left with 5 days to get yarn and make a pair of striped, offsetting ribbed socks. Not totally mindless because the ribbing was offset for each stripe, but not overly hard. I made these which I need to undo the toe and shorten the foot. I did not get row gauge even though I got stitch gauge. So they came out big. And they are reverse twins, which is different for me. I only was able to snag 1 skein each color of Wild Foote for the pair and knew I didn’t have enough of the light yellow to make a matching pair. I was surprised I liked them when I finished. That not me, I like matchy-matchy socks. But I’m keeping these the way they are and not hunting for more yellow Wild Foote. I was better prepared for the second sock challenge. This one was a combo brioche / slip stitch pattern. The suggested yarn was either variegated or semi-solid, although almost anything has looked good in this sock. The pattern stitch of one brioche knot surrounded by two slipped stitches and a purl between the slipped stitches breaks up the pooling that may occur with variegated or hand painted sock yarns. Not that pooling is bad, just sometimes it’s not wanted. This pattern wasn’t hard but seemed awfully slow. Even the fast Scandinavian knitters were slow with this sock. It took the fastest person about 30% more time to do this pair, 17 hours versus 13 for the first pair. I think I had about 20-22 hours of knitting in this pair and was in the first 10 finishers in my group. This time, the group was broken into 4 teams of 48 people. The first 37 knitters for each group will go onto round 3. So I’m through to round three and waiting for the rest of the field to finish. I’m in the slow and/or newbie group. The groups are broken down by experience and speed. I think I would have made it through even on the fastest team, but definitely would not have been in the first 10 there. I’ve been using the time in-between rounds to finish up a few WIPs and rip out the sweaters that don’t fit anymore. I’m back working on the beaded border of my Samhain shawl. I think that was Renee’s Mystery 14 shawl. She’s up to 22(?) now. I think I started the shawl in the fall of 2008. I kept up with the knit along until the last clue. I got the end of the shawl done in fine time, even with all the beading. But the edging has been my bane. There are three beads to every four rows of the edge and that slows me down to the extreme. I never seem to be able to get a rhythm going when I have to bead. I’m using a lace weight yarn from Zen Yarn Gardens and placing the beads on by the crochet hook method. The yarn is a bit too fragile to string the beads on and then pull up one where it’s needed. Plus it wouldn’t sit as the designer intended if I beaded it that way. So I’m just plugging along. There are 48 repeats of the edge pattern on this shawl and I have about 30 done. The end is in sight but not that close. Finishing or frogging this shawl was something I wanted to accomplish this year. I really want that set of Addi Lace needles available for something else, even though I treated myself to a set of Addi Lace Clicks (their interchangeable) while at Stitches last October. I also got a set of the KA interchangeable bamboo needles. They go down to a size 1 US (2.25 mm). And they have the 1.5 and 2.5 US tips available. I used the 1’s on the first sock of Sock Madness and have put a slight bend into the tips. But that always happens to my 2.0 and 2.25 bamboo double points so I really didn’t expect anything different from the KA’s. What has surprised me is how well the tips stay on despite them being screw on tips. I have used the Boye interchangeable set and the tips are always loosening while I knit. I think it has to do with my actions knitting continental. So far, I did one pair of socks and started a second with them loosening only once on the second set. And I didn’t use any grip aids to tighten them, just did it by hand. The loosening of the Boye needles discouraged me from the Knit Picks interchangeable set along with some other things. I figure if they have what appears to be a lot of people calling about broken tips and joins, they must have a quality issue. I don’t care how inexpensive they are, if they are going to break a lot I don’t want to invest in them. I’d rather save up for the Addi’s or Dykraft’s wood interchangeable. They have gotten good reviews and appear to have good quality for the money. Even the Denise plastic needles don’t seem to have the issues that Knit Picks have. I just occasionally spray mine with Armor All and wipe them off. It helps with keeping the finish a bit slicker. I also do the cords. The silicone seems to help. I learned that trick when I was making a market bag with that Jelly yarn. Plastic on plastic is not a good thing. The silicon spray helped the crocheting go, not go faster, just go. <br />
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It's getting time for me to go to the game with my nephew. And I've been pretty chatty, so I'll say so long and see ya for now.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-47967526253118338272011-01-29T14:54:00.000-05:002011-01-29T14:54:35.445-05:00A New YearIt’s been a long time since I last blogged. There’s been too much going to and fro to sit down and take stock. But I should try to catch you up with all that’s going on, especially since I am going back to work on next Monday. I will be a contractor for Pfizer in their regulatory department. I will be writing submissions for re-registering the Wyeth products under the Pfizer name. I can write like a lawyer and summarize things very well. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately for you, I don’t use that skill here. Ii figure you want all the messy juicy language<br />
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I last left you with my Rhinebeck experience. I then went to Stitches East with two knitting friends, Cindy and Cheryl. They are part of the group that gets together at my LYS (well the one I frequent the most) for open knitting. We didn’t have classes together but it was nice to have someone to have meals with as we were staying in the same hotel. I then went on from Hartford to Cape Cod to see my high school boyfriend. I was nervous seeing him again after 42 years. Funny thing, I recognized him right away. I’m not sure what he thought since I’m twice the size I was in high school. But he was too much of a gentleman to say anything. He did try to start up where we had left things but I’m a bit too old for making out now. And I’m still not ready for someone to replace Robert. I’d like to have a companion for my old age, but … We did catch up and do talk every now and then. I’m glad I got back in touch with him and the old college boyfriend/fiancée. I found that one is still the nice guy I remembered and the other is still the adolescent, head turned by big boobs and accessibility. I’m no slouch in the boob area, been a D or E cup since 30. But I wasn’t always around so he went for the closest thing around. And unfortunately for him, he’s still in that mode so he’s had three wives and is probably married to #4. And he’s married the same type every time, insecure, jealous and looking for a pay day. I wanted to send a wedding gift to his fiancée and she questioned the hell out of me. I explained I had no interest other than friendship with him and that it was just a gift to wish them happiness in their life together. She turned all belle (a NC native) and turned the gift down. I’m not sure who did it, but I was un-friended on Facebook which really pissed me off. He claimed it was a problem with his computer, but Facebook doesn’t just drop one person as a friend and not everyone else. And even if it did, he didn’t do anything to remedy the problem and re-friend me. So I found out that he is still the stupid jerk he was 37 years ago when we broke up. <br />
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I have been having a hard time with transferring programs from my old computer to this new one. The one I’m really having a problem with is the Intertwined charting program. So either I am going to spend the big bucks and get Knit or Stitch Illustrator and Photoshop or re-purchase the Intertwined program. Or figure out how to make Excel work the way I want for charts. I do like charts but also want to give written directions for my stuff. And that ain’t happening with some kind of program. I hope Photoshop is somewhat intuitive and that I’ll be able to use it. I’ve heard it can be hard, but that was a while back. <br />
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I must confess I did not submit my design for the Vogue contest. I procrastinated a bit and then kept changing the design to the point that there was no time left. I am still working on it for myself and hope to have it done in February to show off.<br />
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Next time I’ll talk about Vogue Knitting Live! And all the classes I took there and the knitteratti I saw and talked to. There were some biggies. Bye and happy knitting!Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-83700838172126105102010-11-07T21:07:00.000-05:002010-11-07T21:07:08.368-05:00Where do I begin?I have been so busy doing things that I haven’t made the time to blog. I told you all about the retreat held by the women of The Unique Sheep in the last episode. Two weeks later was Duchess County (NY) Sheep and Wool, better known as Rhinebeck. I went to my first Rhinebeck festival last year and was somewhat overwhelmed. However, I did get to meet Leo Pola otherwise known as MMario. He was there with Auntie Nin, Rarely and a few others whose name escapes me now. I had on my Scylla that I had just finished. Leo recognized it and it did get photographed by several people. He did say the design wasn’t as “viney and tendrilly” as he imagined, but like the execution. This year I was in less awe of the place and saw more. That in turn led to me buying more. I finally got all the yarn I need to do the Civil War Shawl. I had picked up a yak and silk blend from Skaska Yarns last year, but it wasn’t enough to do the whole thing. I got more this year. Thank goodness it doesn’t have a dye lot. But I will be alternating between the three skeins I have for the project just to be safe. I found the Fiber Optic booth and bought a beautiful red fingering weight for Leo’s current mystery shawl KAL. I also picked up some pencil roving in a beautiful coppery/ green autumnal color way. I was turned onto this yarn by Bad Cat of Bad Cat Designs. I took part in her Summer Swatch Me KAL and saw their yarns there. Bad Cat had used some of their yarns to do bookmarks with the different pattern stitches. The color of the yarns were so lovely and saturated, I knew I wanted some. I picked up some Shetland 1 ply for an heirloom shawl pattern that I recently purchased. Then I hit the Sanguine Griffon booth. The line was ridiculous on Saturday, so I went back on Sunday and got some of their DK wool for a sweater. I was there early so the line to check out was a bit more manageable. I went to the Ravelry meet-ups on both days. Saturday was massive, but I did get to talk to some designers and bloggers I follow. I talked to Ysolda Teague and Amy Herzog. I looked for Anna Dalvi but couldn’t find her in her World Heritage shawl. And then I stopped at the Fold to score some Blue Moon Fibers’ Socks that Rock yarn. I found a booth that was run by the Duchess County Spinners Guild. I picked up a beautiful hand-spun, hand dyed yarn there. It was a variegated blush pink to dusty rose. Not normally my colors, but it was love at first sight. I normally like pinks in combination with creams and greens, you know, the Santa Fe color scheme. I may add a solid green to it because I may not have quite enough for a sweater. I’m on the low end of what I would normally buy on speculation, but they didn’t have any more. I do have the spinner’s contact info, but I’m not sure if she could duplicate it well enough to get another skein. I was thinking of a cardigan anyway, so all the edges can be in a contrasting or coordinating color. And if I do a lace design and continue losing weight as I have been, I may be okay with what I bought when I get around to knitting it.<br />
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I have committed to doing a design for the Mohair contest being run by Vogue Knitting in conjunction with their Vogue Knitting Live event. I have finally come up with a design that I like. It is a bohemian, romantic feel with lace and ruffles. I think the haze from mohair translate well to a more romantic design. Now to write the pattern and knit it. I have the gauge swatch done and drying as I write this. Wish me luck in finishing it before the Dec 1 deadline. At least the sample can be made in a small. Less knitting than if it were for me. More to come on the NYC yarn crawl and Stitches East in the next few episodes. ByeMs. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-17130413976670710512010-10-13T12:09:00.009-04:002019-07-18T13:40:22.388-04:00Fall Comings and GoingsThis is a posting I started a while back. I have written several that never got posted. I will be posting them now. Hopefully I will be better at blogging this year.<br />
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Late September and October have become very busy with all things fiber. I ended September by going to a retreat held by The Unique Sheep in Andrews, NC. It was two days of knitting, dyeing, spinning and all thing fiber. Laura and Kelly held the retreat at the Hawksdene House. It was situated in what appeared to be a regular neighborhood. The house had quite a bit of acreage around it so that once you were on the property, you felt quite isolated from the other houses. There were four cottages and the main house which we occupied. The cottages all had fireplaces and screened in porches. We had dinner on a covered patio which had an outdoor kitchen and a massive fireplace. There was a second area with a fire pit where we made s’mores. The two innkeepers provided us with wonderful meals, comfortable places to mingle and mix and a very relaxing atmosphere. There were several dogs and cats around along with llamas and a donkey. I wanted to take both dogs home with me and Laura wanted the donkey.<br />
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I took classes on spinning, dyeing and mosaic knitting. Laura taught the dyeing class. I had a lot of fun dyeing up several hanks of lace weight alpaca and wool. The things we did with red, blue, yellow fuchsia, brown and black was amazing. Here are some photos from my class.<br />
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Laura’s mother, Jan, taught needle felting and spinning. I had never attempted spinning before. And since I have lousy hand-eye coordination, I really didn’t think I would do well at this. But Jan got us started with a top whorl drop spindle and I got a feel for it using pencil roving. Then she taught us how to draft and park the spindle. I was able to do that and came away with some art yarn. I had never gotten the hang of drafting before. I had tried doing it to knit a mobius scarf using roving quite some time ago. I just couldn’t get the staple length right so I was always breaking the roving or having really thick areas. That made knitting quite impossible. This time, I got drafting and could actually do it without breaking the roving. Okay, I did break it once but I got it back together so I could keep on spinning. We then plied the single yarn we made. We discussed how to ply to keep long color runs in our yarn by Navajo plying. We had single color roving so we plied it by letting it spin back on itself. It was fun and I made some yarn. Yippee!<br />
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Susan Pandolf taught mosaic knitting. Some of us made eyeglass cases or small envelope purses while others worked on swatches to learn the technique. The more ambitious ones started on the Bag’s End Bag that Susan has designed as part of her Lord of the Rings series. The bag was just released for purchase on her website/blog, A Few Stitches Short, <a href="http://www.afewstitchesshort.blogspot.com/">http://www.afewstitchesshort.blogspot.com/</a>. Laura and Kelly have worked up some kits for the bag as well. You can find them on their website, <a href="http://www.theuniquesheep.com/">http://www.theuniquesheep.com/</a>. You'll see some eye candy for knitters at both sites. There has been a buzz on Ravelry on Susan's Even Star shawl. You can see the finished product and get the pattern on her site. And Laura and Kelly colorways are gorgeous. Their gradient colorways are so much fun to work with. They gave a class on working with gradient yarns which I did not take. I figured that since I've done a pair of socks and the Moon Fleet shawl with their gradient yarns and I had to choose only three classes, I could skip that one. Plus, I really wanted to try the three techniques I chose.<br />
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I'll give you a preview of the next few postings continuing the season of fiber. New York City held their second annual yarn crawl over Columbus Day weekend which I attended. The Duchess County Sheep and Wool, better known as Rhinebeck (after the town where it's held), is the weekend of Oct 16. Stitches East is at the end of the month in Hartford , CT. That all for now. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-28079290289185892982010-09-21T18:06:00.001-04:002010-09-21T18:07:37.469-04:00A New ChapterToday I did one of the things I never thought I would do. I decided a few days ago that I would sign up to sell Avon. I was contacted by one of the district leaders and met with her today. At the end of the meeting, I had signed on. I had known some women who worked for Avon when I was a member of Women in Flavors and Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) back in the early 80's. I was impressed with the company then although I was a cosmetics snob. I had interned for Eli Lilly Co in 1978 when I was going to pharmacy school. I was assigned to work with the men who developed color products for Elizabeth Arden which was owned by Eli Lilly at the time. I worked on replacing delisted color in lipsticks, gloss and blushers at first. The only other women in the group was a Czech woman who developed the lipsticks. The men developed and tested the powdered blushers, eye shadows, the cream blushers, lipsticks, bath products and perfumes. They wore eye shadow, liner and mascara in the office to test how it wore in real life situations. This sometimes brought about weird stares from the people who worked in the drug division when they forgot to take the make-up off when they went to lunch or meetings with corporate. But I had associated Avon with less than high quality goods. After all, how could it be that good if it was that inexpensive? I learned better during that summer at Lilly.. The researchers at Avon know more about skin than many working at the high priced cosmetic companies. In fact the high priced companies are following what Avon has been doing in the past years. I know we copied the colors that Avon, Lancome, Revlon and Maybelline had put out the season before. And since I am really into taking care of my skin and think all women should do that, but maybe can't afford a regimen that costs over $100 when it's all put together. I will sheepishly admit that I've paid that much just for a jar of moisturizer in my search for products that won't irritate my skin. Somehow, I became allergic to some of the ingredients used in products for sensitive skin. I've tied Elizabeth Arden, Lancome, Clinique, Revlon, Bobbie Brown, Victoria Jackson and Erbe Dermocosmetica. Within two months of use, they have all left my skin burning and red to the point I'm at the doctor getting topical steroids for my skin. I talk to the person who sold me the products or contact the company but basically get no where because of the time span it takes for the symptoms to develop. I can't (and won't) even tally up the money I've spent on all of them. Now I'm going to try Avon and see how they do. Honestly, they can't do any worse than the others. So I'm asking you if I can be your Avon Lady. Leave me a comment and I'll get you access to the site where you can see the products, process your order and provide little goodies for you.<br />
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Here are some pictures of my latest creation. It is the Yleonore's Sampler from MMario KKnits. I made it in a 70% silk/ 30% cashmere lace weight yarn from China I got on eBay. I am really impressed with the quality of the yarn. It blocked well and feels wonderful. The yellow is very rich as you can tell from this photo. This one will be going on my website where it will be available for sale. More on that later.<br />
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Team ColourMart during Ravelympics 2010. The first post will be for the lace wight original. That will be followed by a version in sock weight yarn. Bye.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-42306191429830912122010-09-18T15:31:00.000-04:002010-09-18T15:31:12.094-04:00I'm BackThis was a tough month for me. A week after the July 4th holidays, I came down with a miserable sinus infection. It was viral so there really wasn't any need to go to the doctor because they can't do much for viral infections. So I was miserable for about a week and a half. Just vegged out, coughing, sniffling and sleeping. Once I started to feel better, I got to trying to clean up around the house. I really have no motivation to keep the house spotless. Well, not the motivation I used to have. It's funny, I'm a better housekeeper when I'm working even though I have less time to do it. I procrastinate now. No, I've always procrastinated in my life. Not to the very last minute, but close. I blame it on having to take care of the house when I was a kid. Mom worked and I cleaned the house to help out and earn my allowance. I started helping out when I was in third grade by starting dinner when I came home from school. Yes, I was a latchkey kid back in the 60's. Funny, I didn't think much of lighting a gas oven back then, but now I think who would let their eight year old do that now. I was sort of like an only child since there is a 10 year difference in ages between me and my older brother. Looking back, I was a very responsible child, more like a miniature adult. I never had a set bedtime. I just decided when I would go. It was later than most of my friends' but not unreasonable and earlier than I see a lot of my friends have for their children now. When I was 15, Mom bought a little store/deli on Ocean Ave in Point Pleasant Beach about a block from where Jenkinson has its aquarium. I was down there yesterday looking for something unique to New Jersey to bring as a hostess gift to a knitting retreat at the end of the month. The store is now split into a bagel shop and laundromat. I spent 2 summers working there with Mom. It's where I learned how to run a slicer, cut up chickens and cut up meat. Spent the mornings getting the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia papers together for sale at 7 AM, ran the cash register most of the day and help Mom close the store around 9 PM. I got one afternoon off to go to the beach. I came back from the shore almost as white as when I went down. I worked for two summers and did not get paid. I did get a used '66 Mustang coupe when I was 16 1/2 and had my learner's permit. I had that car for a year and a half until I went to college. Then Mom and Dad sold it while I was away. They said they really didn't need three cars with me away in school. I could use one of theirs when I was home for vacations. That meant I used Mom's car, a 1968 Mercury station wagon. I took my driver's exam with that car or should I say boat. Needless to say, it was a great comedown from my '66 Mustang. I didn't have a car of my own again until my last year of college. I got Mom's '72 Maverick. It was a fast car, had the same V-8 engine that powered the '68 station wagon and maybe weighed 2/3 the weight of the station wagon. I had the car on campus and could go where ever I wanted. And since I had a very light schedule for my last year (more about that in another posting to come), I did enjoy the car. On a trip to see my boyfriend (more about him to come too), I had the car doing 110 mph on the I-77 going from Marietta to Canton. I blew past a state trooper and luckily he didn't stop me. I was about the only car on the road but I guess he didn't want to chase me down.<br />
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Boy, did I take a turn down memory lane there. So once I recovered, I took a trip to Delaware to see my brother and sister-in-law. He finally retired from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield this summer, about 6 years after he really wanted. But he's now starting up a consulting business for insurance brokers. I think my sister-in-law is relieved. I love my brother but he can be a pain and is somewhat spoiled. Since Linda (my sister-in-law) was a stay at home mom, she waited on my brother. So now that he's home, he still expects it. He's not real bad, but will ask her for a cup of tea and dessert at night rather than getting it himself. He just generally disrupts her day, expecting meals at certain times etc. She had her routines down and maybe not eat lunch or have a really small one. At least he hasn't started going with her to the store and such. That used to drive my mother crazy when Dad did that. He wanted out of the house and she wanted the time alone. Hopefully working 20 hours a week will get him out of her hair long enough. Linda isn't a knitter as such. She can knit but it isn't her thing. She is into needlework, mainly crewel and needlepoint. She's joined the Needlework Guild in Delaware. During my visit, she took me to a store in Bethany Beach, Sea Needles, which caters to both needlework and knitters. They even carried homespun from local spinners on the Delmarva peninsula. I was pretty good and only got some Kolliage sock needles (square 5" double points) and two ball of Mini Mochi. I haven't found any Mini Mochi in my local stores so I was really interested in trying it. It feels wonderfully soft and the color is remarkable. I got a colorway that goes from purple to blue to green, a favorite colorway of mine. I started a pair of fingerless mitts on the Kolliage needles and that was a mistake. The yarn is too soft an slippery for metal needles. I had needles sliding out at least expected times. Luckily, I had brought some bamboo double points so I transferred the mitts to those and it was much better. I had been using the bamboos to experiment with the one stitch below technique. I had some Dale Heilo from another project so decided to do the mitts in the book. I planned to use them as a nurses' gift for Caring for Cooper. I switched needles (both a 2.25 mm or US2) and was much happier on both projects. The Mini Mochi didn't slide off the needles and the Kolliage needles didn't split the Heilo like the bamboos did. The metals were a bit sharper so it made going into the row below a lot easier. A little thing, needle composition, can make knitting so much better or so frustrating. Slippery yarn and slippery needles can make any project a disaster. Changing to a more grabby needle can make all the difference. And the choice of needles is so random among knitters. A lot of times, it's based on what needles are available or your LYS carries. But try to take a few minutes and really look at your needles, yarn and project before starting. Are you going to be digging into stitches, as in the knit one below patterns or lace with it's double decreases? Is the yarn smooth or fuzzy? Is it grabby like some wools or slick like bamboo or silk? Is the pattern mainly stockinette or garter or is it all cables or bobbles? Are the points of the needles pointy or dull? The answers to these questions will effect the choice of needle material, manufacturer and even length. So take a moment and think before you grab a set of needles for your next project. If you do, it can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the project. Bye. Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-28590610882116194842010-08-18T13:00:00.000-04:002010-08-18T13:00:03.594-04:00Bad BloggerThat's what I am. I guess it's because I don't think that I'm very interesting. And lately I've been feeling very scattered. I have a bad case of startitis. That's not my usual. I usually finish what I start before going on to the next. Or at least, I have only one type of project going at a time. Like I have only one lace project, one mindless knitting, one heavily patterned, you get my drift. Right now I have at least 5 lace projects, a pair of socks, the gift for my nephew and at least one charity knitting project. And I got another charity project off the needles last night. Then there are at least 5 other projects that need to be blocked and finished. Only one of the lace projects has any business being on the needles, well maybe two. I'm doing Bad Cat Designs' Summer Swatch Me Knit Along. It's still in progress since summer isn't over. I'm up to date with the clues despite starting late. We have 4 or 5 swatches left to finish the sampler shawl, just the edgings. The second lace project that has some rights to be on my needles is the MMario design, Ylenore. I would have finished this, but ran out of yarn. I thought the 1000 m I had of a lace weight 70% silk/ 30% cashmere blend I had would be enough. I need at least 500 m more. So I went back to the seller on eBay and got 1000 m more (2 balls). Now I'm waiting for it to come from China. They said it could be here in as little as 7 days or as many as 21. I've been really surprised by this yarn. I haven't had a knot in either ball, it feels wonderful in my hand, and it was really inexpensive. I got it for $0.99 and $8.95 shipping for the 2 balls. A silk/cashmere blend for less than $5 bucks a ball is pretty good. I know telling you about this bargain might not be wise as I may not get this yarn for the minimum bid any longer, but they have quite a few listings, so I'm not overly worried. And I want to share with my friends. <br />
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So now onto the other UFOs that shouldn't be hanging around. I have the Moonfleet shawl Knit Along still hanging around. And two Goddess Knits Knit Along shawls languishing, one since the Fall of 2008 or 2009. And MMario's Mystery Knit Along from earlier in the year is sitting waiting to be finished. Then there are the socks for my friend Angela. Part of it is the pattern, it's a bit fiddly. The ribbon and hearts pattern is different than any other I've done. I have maybe 2 more repeats to finish the leg on the first sock. I think it's just a tight knit for some of the stitch manipulations needed for the pattern. But it's what I need to make sure the sock will fit. My nephew's throw is big now and hot to have on my lap, so I'm not inclined to work on it. I should get it out and measure it. I have 5 or 6 balls left so not too much left. I guess I should do one big push and get it done. The charity knitting deadline is in mid-October. So I have some time for that. But I would like to get a few more pieces done for the hospital. We'll see, but at least I have 6 things to donate already done. Maybe one more. Then there are the 3 sweaters for me that need to be blocked and finished. That's all they need, seaming and blocking. Not a lot, but I'm not in the mood. And I could use 2 of the sweaters now. They are summer weights, one I designed for myself using a ramie/silk blend from ColourMart. The other is a bamboo tape yarn made using a sideways pattern off Ravelry. It really can go 3 seasons so it would be useful too. I won't use the tape to seam it. I think it might add bulk to the seam. I'll use some embroidery floss that matches the main color of the yarn. Not that it matters that much since I use mattress stitch for these seams and it's invisible. The third sweater is a vest I made last Feb but haven't seamed up or blocked yet. It's out of Debbie Bliss Chunky Donegal Luxury Tweed, a winter vest. I'm in no hurry to do that. But should get it done and out of the way. Then I can take stock of what I have for me and plan my knitting accordingly. I do have yarn to do another Vine Yolk Sweater from the Fall 09 Twist Collection. I made it in Whisper, an alpaca blend (now discontinued) for winter use. I want one in a cotton blend for the rest of the year. I got some Rowan All Seasons Cotton in a dark olive green for it. Then I have some hot pink Gedifra Top Soft for Lorelei from that same issue of the Twist Collection. There are about 3 or 4 sweaters I want to make in the current issue and have the yarn in my stash. But I won't start anything else until I get this UFO list down. I promise. I have a big lace project planned. I'm going to tackle the Queen Susan Shawl. I have ordered some hand dyed yarn from Knitivity in Pearl for this. This pattern is available on Ravelry. It's an old Shetland shawl that a museum in the UK had published. A group on Ravelry was interested and made some inquiries. They wound up working out the pattern and published it with the museum's blessing. Last time I checked, no one had completed knitting it but quite a few had started. I haven't gotten the 10 skeins of Dura-Lace from Ray yet. The shawl is quite big. I figured out I would need 9 for the estimated amount given in the pattern, but chose to get 10 just in case and since it hasn't been completely knitted. Queen Susan will be a massive knit on fairly small needles so I need to clear the decks. So I'm off to knit. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-21897216537089258752010-08-08T01:48:00.000-04:002010-08-08T01:48:19.130-04:00Baseball, Butt Cracks and Slow ProgressToday I experienced the phenomenon that is Red Sox vs Yankee baseball. If you've been reading this blog, you know I am a Yankee fan. However, I do not hate the Red Sox. I actually feel bad for them this year. Given all the injuries they've had this year, it's pretty remarkable that they're in third place. But there are some fans, both Yankee and Red Sox, that become really obnoxious at the game. I'm not sure if it's just their personality or the amount of alcohol they've imbibed. The obnoxious Red Sox fans quieted down when the Yankees tied the game in the bottom half of the inning where the Red Sox went out to a 2-0 lead. And then some obnoxious Yankee fans gave it to the Red Sox fans when the Yankees took the lead and held it to the end of the game. Some people do need to learn how to be gracious winners. Oh, Mr. Buttcrack was back again. Luckily, this time he had a shirt on that was untucked. I did catch a glimpse of his red briefs when he reached up, pulling the shirt up a bit. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one with low riding pants. It really isn't a pretty fashion statement and it really looks funny when the pants' crotch is halfway to the knees. I guess this too shall pass, but not fast enough for my tastes.<br />
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I'm making slow progress on the Teal (Pink) Ribbon socks I'm making for Angela. The pattern is a little tricky especially making the ribbon part. It is also slow going because I started the sock on size 0 needles. That was the size I needed to make the gauge that was given in stockinette stitch. I got about 4 inches up from the toe and thought the sock looked too narrow. I checked my gauge on the bottom of the foot and found that my gauge was off. So I went up to a size 1 needle and it is at gauge and the circumference of the foot is correct. I don't know why my first gauge swatch was off. I did it in the round and stockinette, so it should have been okay. The only thing I can think that made the gauge off was that I tightened up while doing all the cableling and pattern stitchwork on the top of the foot. But it should go a bit better now that I'm off the 0's. At least there will be a few less rows to the inch now. I have another pair of socks from the Knitters Brewing Co for me waiting. They are fishnet socks with a flower applique. I'm not sure I'll put the applique on the socks or use them as a pin or hair clip. I should get back to working on the shawls for the store I want to start. I will be selling on Etsy and a stand alone website. Right now I have only 3 shawls completed and think that I need more inventory than that. Then I have a bunch of things I want to make for myself. The latest Twist Collection has come out and there are at least three sweaters I want to make there. Then there's the 40+ things in my Ravelry queue and the charity knitting I want to do and, well you get the picture. There are just not enough hours in the day to get all that I want to do done. I guess I'll either have to grow two more hands, clone myself or prioritize things. I guess since the first two alternatives aren't going to happen, it will have to be the third. So I'm off to do just that. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-64561330203235002402010-08-04T23:11:00.000-04:002010-08-04T23:11:44.113-04:00Spectator to HistoryToday I was a spectator to baseball history along with 47,500+ people. I was at the game where Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run. He became the youngest of the six other players who have achieved that mark. It was very unexpected, happened in an instant and was the only hit he got during the game. It was wondrous to watch the ball fly and hope that it would go over the wall. And when it did, it landed in the net over Monument Park. There was no fighting over the ball, no negotiations for it with a fan. Just a pure and simple flight into history. It seemed quite fitting. The roar of the crowd was deafening. The ovation lasted the whole trip around the bases and then some. It started up again when Alex came out to play defense. He tipped his cap to the crowd several times. It was something to see. The couple next to me had their 10 month old son with them. I am sure they will be telling him about this and showing him all the pictures they took for a long time. <br />
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I have now taken my knitting to the stadium twice with no problems. Of course, it is mindless knitting so I can watch the game. This time I took a snuggle sack to donate to Cooper University Hospital. It was at a point when all I was doing was going round and round. I did start decreasing for the bottom. The sack is made like a big ski hat, a long tube that tapers at the bottom. I'm doing a little variation by having the first 8 to 10 inches open. It can be closed with a button, or left open. There's a pattern for this on Ravelry. Here's the link: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/butterfly-baby-wrap">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/butterfly-baby-wrap</a> . I had made some plain sacks for them earlier and thought this variation would be good. There will be some knit fabric behind the baby's head and may keep the baby warmer. I'm using an acrylic worsted weight held double. If you have a chunky weight yarn, you won't need to double it. They are cute and would make good baby gifts. Many babies sleep better if they are swaddled. It also adds a extra cover that is safe for the child. So if you're caught in a rash of babies and need some quick gifts, give this one a look. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-66240269951953945202010-07-31T13:05:00.000-04:002010-07-31T13:05:26.776-04:00I Wimped OutI didn't go to the game last Saturday. It was just too hot. So I stayed home in the A/C and watched the game on TV. I could hear the A/C coming on very often during the game. A friend went and said it was quite unbearable. All in all, I think I made the right decision. I would have been very uncomfortable at the game. I don't like wearing shorts to the game. I don't like how I look in shorts. I have very heavy legs. I don't know where they came from. Both my parents had thin legs and so did my maternal grandparents and paternal grandfather. I didn't know my paternal grandmother. She died when I was about 2 years old. But from the few pictures I have, she didn't look like she had heavy legs. I blame it on starting dance lessons at the age of 4 and continuing until age 13. My legs are always the last place that slims down when I loose weight. My shape is a cross between a pear and hourglass. I have a rather large bust, a thinner waist and then larger hips and thighs. When I buy slacks, I always have to either take in the waist or tightly belt them. Lately, I have been eating better (with occasional splurges) and am slowly loosing weight. The jeans I bought in early May can now be pulled off without unbuttoning them. (Okay, the fat does push in when I do that, but they slide down really low if I have my keys in the pockets. They almost came down while I was out shopping.)<br />
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On the knitting front, I bought the charting program Intertwined Pattern Studio the other day. It doesn't have a demo, but for $44 it isn't that much to invest in a charting program. I do have the demo of Knitware Basics to try along with the Intertwined Pattern Studio. I have seen a lot of beginning designers using the Intertwined program. I haven't heard too much about Knitware Basics, but thought trying the demo couldn't hurt. I have several designs I would like to put on the blog but want to have charts as well as written directions. Personally, I like using charts. I guess it's from all the cross stitching I did, or maybe the Fair Isle and intarsia knitting. However, I know that some out there can't use charts for a variety of reasons. That's why I want to give you both. So I will spend some time playing with both of these programs and let you know what I think. I have finally finished knitting the seed stitch top. I have yet to do all the finishing. Bad of me, I know. I could use another summer top. But I got distracted by BadCat Designs Summer Swatch Me KAL. I spent the whole week catching up to the group on the sampler. I also decided to make it wider and longer than the original. I can knit stockinette and lace fast. Especially when there are no beads to add. I normally use the crochet hook method of adding beads to knitting. I've tried the dental floss leader method and am more comfortable with the hook. But I found a curved beading needle when I was shopping at Michael's for some inexpensive worsted weight wool for the Level 1 Master Knitting swatches. I haven't checked them for flexibility but if the curve flexes enough to go back on itself, I may have a new way to slip beads on stitches. I'll let you know how it works.<br />
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I have to confess, I am not a monogamous knitter. I cannot have just one project going. I think I have 8 or 9 projects on needles right now and the one top to finish. Five are not for me, an afghan for my nephew, a pair of socks for a friend and three baby things for charity. The others are KALs that I've joined and got bogged down in (usually by beads) or lost interest. I eventually do go back to them and get them done. I get sidetracked by the next KAL or it's time to get the charity knitting out or something lures me away. I get them together and go through them. I tend to finish the seamless projects right away. (Duh) But don't think I hate finishing, I don't. I need to be in the mood to finishing and I do it well. If I'm not in the mood, I do an okay, but not great, job of it. I think the finishing can take a garment from "home made" to "hand made" or "custom made". Sort of the same difference between ready to wear and couture. You really don't want your work to scream HOME MADE. You want them to have a custom made look. Your finishing skills can make all the difference. So practice your seaming and blocking to get that professional look. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-4366152205814533332010-07-23T20:28:00.000-04:002010-07-23T20:28:33.069-04:00Do I stay or do I go?No, not the song, but to the Yankee game? I'm watching the game now trying to decide if I go to the game tomorrow. I'm having a hard time deciding because we are having another hot spell. It is supposed to be in the mid 90's tomorrow with a heat index of 103-105. I'm not sure if I want to sit in the stadium tomorrow in that kind of heat. Last weekend when I was there it was hot but not that hot. It was in the low 90's and with the heat index, high 90's. I went through 4 bottles of liquids during the 6 hours I was at the game. Plus some ice cream. I did have a little breeze and was in the shade, so it wasn't that bad. But I'm not looking forward to 100+ temperatures at the stadium. The only reason I would go is to see if A-Rod hits his 600th home run. He got 599 on Thursday against Kansas City. He has gotten a lot of milestone home runs against KC, his first, 250th and 500th. So I'm waiting to see what happens tonight. Already, Jorge Posada has gotten his 1000th run batted in so there's one reason not to go. But 600 home runs is a big deal. Only 6 others have gotten that many. Yes, I know a lot of the players that have over 600 home runs used performance enhancing drugs, including A-Rod. But unlike Jason Giambi, A-Rod hasn't had the dramatic drop-off in hits and home runs after going off the drugs. It has been longer between 500 ans 600 than any other 100 run segment, but he is also getting older. So I will watch the game tonight (like I wouldn't otherwise, NO WAY) and then make my decision.<br />
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I have started a pair of socks for a friend. They are from the Knitters Brewing Co, their June KAL on Ravelry, and called the Pink Ribbon Socks. I am doing them in teal for my knitting friend, Angie. Angie has just completed chemo for fallopian tube cancer. If you don't know the colors of Awareness ribbons, teal is the color for reproductive cancer. Angie is doing well, all the treatments worked and she is getting back her hair. So if I go to the game, I may take the socks to work on. I did take knitting last week to the stadium and it wasn't a problem. The hearts and ribbons pattern on the sock may be something I can't do without watching, especially since it's on 2.0 mm needles, US size 0. It's a bit tough to see, so I may have to start something mindless to bring with me. Maybe I should start another baby sleep sack or blanket for charity. They are mindless and require no attention from me. And the needles are big enough for me to feel the stitches as they come up to the needle tip. Everything I have on needles now require charts and I really don't want to take a chart that I will have to keep looking at. I guess I will start a sack on large circulars, US 11's or 13's. The sack is done with heavy chunky wool or double worsted weight. I made a few for Cooper last year and should do some more. They help babies secure while sleeping and quieter. They swaddle the baby. I guess I now have a plan. So next break, I'm off to see what I have that I can combine to make the sleep sack and find my 16" circulars in size 11 and 13 and do a swatch to see how I like the combo. So I'm off. Bye.Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826922038835706974.post-90167382215526155022010-07-21T18:47:00.000-04:002010-07-21T18:47:43.415-04:00What happened to the time?OK. I promised I would be blogging from the TKGA/CGOA event in New Hampshire TWO weeks ago. So you may be wondering what happened. I did take my laptop to the show. I figured out how to access the free wifi at the hotel. I even went online to see how it would all work. And did I blog? NO! I was alternating dying from the heat. Manchester, NH was no cooler than New York City after July 4th. OK, maybe 5 degrees cooler, so what's 99 with high humidity compared to 103 and high humidity. No difference in my opinion. Then I was freezing in the class rooms and my hotel room. The classrooms, I had little control over the temperature; my room, I battled the maids. I would set the room at 74-75 when I came in. The temperature would be reset to 68 after the maid was done. It would take some time to warm up. Add on that I could not direct where the A/C blew, and, of corse, it blew directly on the head of the bed. I came down with a terrible cramp/ strain/whatever of the muscle going over my left scapula. You know, that wing shaped bone on the bottom of the shoulder. I went out for some pain killers. Got some generic Aleve at the local drug store because I wanted the longer relief but it didn't work as well as the ibuprofen I had in my bag. So I braved the heat again to get some ibuprofen. This happened on the second day of classes. I made it through my classes and some friendly knitting in the lounge. I then hoped that sleeping in my own bed and at the normal temperature I keep my house at would help heal the shoulder. No such luck. It still hurt and it was taking 600 mg of ibuprofen four times a day to keep it in check. I decided that typing was not a priority until the shoulder felt better. Even knitting was not a priority, so I did not finish the top for the ColourMart challenge. In fact I finished the sleeves today, a full day after the challenge ended. I still have to block the pieces, sew it together and run in the ends. I did finish one entry, a lace shawl, but I doubt I will win any prizes. I did not accumulate enough points for a first place in any category.<br />
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The classes at the conference were great. I would say all of them were the quality you get at Stitches. In fact they probably are the same as those given at Stitches since many of the teachers will be at Stitches. The cost for classes were less than Stitches especially if you are a TKGA or CGOA member. And if you're interested in crochet, there are may classes to learn or hone your skills. It isn't as crowded as Stitches so you can really see what's in the market or get the attention you need in class. The market isn't as big as that at Stitches, it still gets enough of a choice and had everything you needed for the classes, in case you forgot something. I saw Lion Brand and Dale of Norway there as well as some yarn shops from as far away as Virginia and Canada. I started the TKGA Masters program several years ago, but have been scared to send in my swatches for evaluation. I went to an additional program specifically on the program. It definitely helped me get over my nerves on submitting my book. They had the books of previous Master candidates with their evaluation letters. I could see what was acceptable and what was not. So while I did see that I has some work to do and needed to replace some of my swatches, I gained confidence that I could get through it now without redoing any of my swatches. I also learned that the program was being revamped with a greater emphasis on gauge, one of my pet peeves. I noted that there was very little mention of gauge and how to obtain it in the Level 1 program. I think it is a basic of knitting and the understanding of gauge, how it's measures and ways to obtain it should be in the Level 1 tests. The committee agreed with me and are changing the program to do just that. So now I have to wait until the end of the month to get the new program, redo some of the swatches, rewrite a report and submit my book. Wish me luck.<br />
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LASTLY,<br />
I want to let you know about an independent fiber artist who is supporting wildlife rescue efforts in the Gulf. As you know, the Gulf is rich in wildlife and they are in trouble with the oil leak there. Susan of Susan's Spinning Bunny has made a special colorway called No More Oil Spill whose profits will go to help with Gulf wildlife. Here's a link to her palette where you can see a picture of the yarn and a project made with the yarn, http://www.spinningbunny.com/yarns/yarnpalette.html . I picked up some for socks and mitts. I know knitters are compassionate people and animal lovers at heart. After all, we love the fibers and yarns that those animals provide. Bye now. Ms. Mugsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807281149990920537noreply@blogger.com0