F is for...

...fuzzy, as in mohair, llama, merino, and silk--all in one sweater. I'm 99.85% finished with it. I'll post when I can wear it without exposing myself in a completely obscene manner. (I must have accidently knit a nursing mother version of the sweater that I didn't know about.)

...and fatigues--my husband's uniform. I never saw David in uniform until we had been engaged for a while. I've always known him as a casual "redneck" kind of man. I've never been one to drool over men in uniform, but I have to say that the man looks good in a blouse. (Fatigue over shirts are called blouses, even when a man is wearing them.)

The Outside Looking In--Exploration of Perceptions

I've been thinking a lot lately about my perceptions of my body.

I still plan on doing a lot of knitting, but I'm going to be working a lot of stuff out in my head with embroidery for a while.

I'm thinking beyond "body image" to the mental pictures I carry with me of my own inner workings--bones, organs, chemicals.

After the deaths of my brother and two of his children in the last year (and also the recent death of my brother-in-law) I have really wanted to know what it means to have a body, especially my own. I also want to think about how my perceptions of my body affect its function and how its function affect my perceptions.

I used to work in a medical laboratory. When drawing a woman's blood once, she was greatly concerned about the color of blood in the vial. "Is it that dark because I drink too much?" she asked. I told her that it was venous blood and the dark color was normal. "What color would it be if I were drinking too much?" she asked. I told her it would probably be the same. I couldn't, however, convince her, even after showing her specimens from other people, that her blood looked normal. To her, it looked dark because she drank too much beer.

How do I see my own body systems? I mostly picture them as two-dimensional drawings. I picture brightly colored digestive organs--a bright green gallbladder with a dashed outline indicating that it has been removed. My brain is always a sideways pen and ink drawing. (As seen in my last post.) Chemicals and hormones are always candy colored.

Today's exploration is dedicated to my lungs. Due to panic attacks/allergies/asthma, I always think of my lungs as tiny and funereal blue. The perfect little baby balloons that fill with air are missing. The diaphragm is always a thinly sliced sliver instead of the strong sheet of muscle.

Thinky Thoughts

I've been bitten by the Embroidery Bug. Actually, I think it's more of a needlestick injury, something I'm familiar with...something impossible to forget. (Now I want a complete social history on Embroidery. Where has she been and who has she been doing it with?)

I'm not sure what to do with the brain. I just know I had to stitch it. My poor little head is exploding with ideas. It's, well, convoluted.

Maybe I'll sew it into a drool bib to wear when I'm thinking my deep thoughts. Hmm...I shall see.

Better heel pictures

I was impressed with the toe up heels on my last pair of socks. I used the "Catch me if you can" sock pattern from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I eliminated the dorky ruffle and used a few plain rib stitches for the body so I could get familiar with Knit Picks sock yarns.

I love being able to do a toe up sock with the stability and reinforcement of a cuff down heel. I highly recommend the pattern.

My entrelac socks didn't work out with the Felici sock yarn I was using. I'm going to start over with something thicker and less delicate. The pattern called for Cascade Fixation, but David hates cotton socks, so I'm going to try Risata. I'll use Eunny Jang's toe up Entrelac Sock pattern from Interweave Spring 2007 to keep the gauge right.

Instead, I'm using a modified version of the Lizard Ridge stripes for this sock. It's really fun and funky. The stripe length for Felici is just about perfect for what I'm doing. I'm working over 72 stitches (David size) and each "bubble" is over 18 stitches.

I hate doctors

I hate doctors. I hate doctors! I hate doctors. I really, really, really hate doctors. I hate doctors...

I finished some socks. They are awesome. Toe up with flap and gusset heels.



I'd much rather be naked in front of a doctor than cry. Being naked feels less naked than crying.


Yet again, I've cried in front of a doctor. I always end up crying in front of the doctor.



So anyway, I love socks and hate doctors. (Well, doctors are okay, I just hate crying. I've been doing too much of it lately.)



--Someday I must post pictures of finished socks being worn. I swear I wear them. I just can't photograph my own feet.

Won't You Wear A Sweater Day

Today was Won't You Wear A Sweater Day. I meant to post earlier to remind everyone, but things got hairy-scary at home this week.

I'd hoped to get better pictures of the maiden voyage of this sweater. (None of the kids can hold the camera steady and hubby is gone.)

Anyway, this crocheted un-cropped cardigan reminds me of the sixties--the swingy shape, the 3/4 length sleeves, the groovy buttons.

I added underarm gussets to prevent some of the bagging I saw on Ravlery and added a few inches to the length. I still need to add one more giant snap to the lower bust, but I was able to wear it. (Buttons and snaps never line up with my actual anatomy. The buttons in this pattern are just for show, a series of hidden snaps keeps the double-breasted sweater shut. I guess a need extra to keep myself locked and loaded.)

I think Mr. Rogers would approve. After all, I made it myself!

Appointments and Disappointments

David is out of town attending his brother's funeral. My brother-in-law had cancer several times and it is a relief to the whole family that he is at peace. I just wish there was something I could do to make my sweet husband feel better. I lost a brother this year, too, but every loss is unique in its pain. I can't imagine what David is going through right now, all I can do is listen and knit.

I'm working on David's blanket, as much as I hate to think about actually finishing it and sending it to Korea with him. This one is 100% cotton and knit at a loose gauge. The ball band recommended a 6, so I went with a 10, creating a meshy, net-like fabric. My husband's core body temperature when he sleeps is 999.6. I think that's in Kelvin.

This morning he admitted that he can't sleep without me. (Once you've slept with a giant, flopping trout who snores, steals your blankets, and elbows you in the face--you really can't sleep alone again.)

I've also cast on for some entrelac socks David wanted. I'm much more excited about knitting these than a garter stitch blanket. I'm also embroidering some secret stuff for him that I won't post yet because he actually reads this blog a few times a year.

David has been nagging me for over a year to get my wisdom teeth pulled, so I'm doing it. I fear/hate this more than anything. Seriously, I'd rather get another cervical biopsy. I'm also getting my first dental cavity filled. (I have to brag that I'm 33 years old and this is my first cavity.)

When I told my husband I was doing this, it actually cheered him up a little. (We are very mean to each other when we're physically sick--that's just how we are. I'd think he didn't love me if my oral surgery didn't make him chipper.)

I'm also getting my eyes checked, my asthma monitored, and I'm hiring a new therapist. I've been on the phone with insurance companies and medical receptionists so much lately that I put my phone away hot and sweaty every day. I'm trying trying to get all of my medical care turned over to civilians--it's so much easier. Wish me luck.

E is for...

...a lot of things.




First...entrelac. I taught myself entrelac because David has requested some entrelac socks and I've noticed that he actually enjoys wearing the socks I have knit for him.

I love this technique. It's really engaging. I don't have to wait for the "fun part" of the knitting, it's all complicated.

I've started working hard on the household items I'll be sending with my husband to Korea. I don't want him to be able to take a shower, lie down for a nap, or get through a work day without being touched by something I've made.

I'm on a washcloth kick right now.



Second...espresso, which I buy in both whole bean and powdered form for many applications in the kitchen. I love the picture of the retro diva on the Bustelo jars and cans.

Lastly...eyes--my best feature. Even though I hate, hate, hate makeup, I never have a "bad eye day" when I feel like my eyes look like crap. Having hazel eyes is fun. You never know which color they'll be. (I even love my glasses.)

Homemaking--Bonus Lightening Round

I've seen a few blog posts about making soaps and household cleaners lately. I actually have some time in my day to make my own laundry and dishwasher detergents and I like to save money and prevent pollution whenever I can.

It's actually very satisfying and pioneer-ish.

My laundry link is here. My dishwasher detergent link is here.

Go on, be a little crunchy.

Love in every stitch...

I love these mittens and matching hat. They're both knit sideways in garter stitch. The hat is Tychus, from an old Knitty. The mittens are based on a charity crochet pattern my mother makes for the Head Start kids in my home town every year. The closest knit pattern I found was here, but I decided to wing it because my gauge was off.

The yarn was some of my very first handspun. It's 100% alpaca. It's super warm and toasty. I knit the mittens at a tighter gauge than the hat to keep them windproof.

These mittens are not elegant, but there is something cozy in the rough-hewn, homespun, practical-yet-ugly square shape and uneven stitches. The mindless meditation of garter stitch and the pride of knitting with some of my first handmade yarn made this winter set an act of knitted love.

Green, Side-to-Side Slob Sweater

I recently finished this Side-to Side Cabled Cardigan, from the Knit Simple Holiday 2007 magazine. I wanted to knit something with unusual construction and it was a fun knit.

I decided to skip buttons because I only wear it for slouching. It's comfortable, but sideways cables in chunky weight yarn are not the least bit flattering on a chubby girl such as myself. This is the kind of sweater you'd expect to find tissues tucked into the sleeve. I'd only wear it in public to get checked for strep throat.

These pictures are awful, but it's snowy and dark today. There isn't a scrap of sunlight in Montana today. I'm going to start knitting something golf-related. Warmer sports are coming!

March Ski Goals

1. Cry less.



2. Make quieter huffing/wheezing sound when using inhaler, especially when crying.



3. Don't let 6 year olds whizzing past me smell my fear.



4. Learn to sob more quietly.

If you look into the ice, you can see my handspun Nordic-inspired ski sweater that I knit last October.