Lately

Long time no post...Life has been chaos...Dragons have been really restless.

We have recently had some very major changes to our household...big changes...changes that affect pretty much everything. Some of the changes make me sad...some scare me...alot...others...well I just don't know about yet.

My daughter R is graduating in about a month and a half...I can't begin to tell you how this affects me. I am so proud of her. She is an incredible young woman. She and I have been through a lot together...there was a time I was honestly scared of how she was going to turn out. I am so proud of how she has. She will be Valedictorian of her graduating class, accepted to the U of A on a 6-semester transcript to the Honors College with no restrictions. So proud.

On the flip side...she is moving out.

I will miss her more than I care to admit even to myself.

My other daughter S has been having some problems for the last couple of years. We aren't really sure of what has caused these problems...but...it is a problem. We had been able to deal with the problem because it had remained pretty private and isolated...then in one minute it was no longer private.

S had a seizure at school.

A horrible thing for anyone, but for her it was almost paralyzing...not in a physical sense thank God, but in a daily life way. S doesn't deal well with peer pressure or with teasing. She is a tender child. There were issues from very early in her childhood, these are private. The "seizures" are not true seizures, for this we are more than thankful. These are pschyogenetic non-epileptic seizures. Basically, trauma is working its way from her.  D went through a similar thing as a teen and grew out of them. We really hope she will soon. Helpless is not being able to fix a problem one of your children has.

Because of this becoming public, and other circumstances...we have chosen to homeschool her. We also had to get her insurance. Neither or our works has an insurance plan we can afford, and from what we have been told, they wouldn't cover this problem as it would be "pre-existing". The only thing that we can do is to get her on ARkids. With the economy, states have made cuts. To meet the income D has had to take a $500 cut in pay every month.

We didn't loose the payments that the $500 went to. We are acquiring a new payment to the tune of about $300 a month.  D can't make more money and keep ARkids.

That puts it on me...I'm concerned...outright worried...honestly...I'm scared.

I am sure that he realizes this, but no one seems to realize we can't spend. I wake up at night short of breath and panicing. I don't know what to do.

Everything feels so out of control right now...and it makes me crazy. Literally.

I really need some control...

My dragons are large and many...and they are roaring and breathing fire....

My New Sweater

When we last left...ages ago... there had been knitting...not alot, but some.

Well there has been more. I started an EZ Baby Surpise Jacket for one of the teachers at S's old school.

So far...I'm confused. I am very intriged by how this thing is going to come together...I just don't see it yet, but from what I am told...EZ is the "Knitting Godess"...so on I go.

Of course the yarn...Blue Sky Alpacas Multi Cotton, http://www.blueskyalpacas.com/yarn_detail.php?yarns_ID=19  in "Slushie", how appropriate, is a beautiful yarn. Unfortunately, it's cotton and it hurts my hands...I can't work on this for extended periods or I end up not being able to feel my hands.

I have also been working on my new sweater, the "Nora Sweater" from Interweave Knits, Winter 2009.  I...love...this...sweater!!!!! http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/37384.aspx 

I got this yarn at Loops, http://www.loopsknitting.com/ in Tulsa, OK a year ago. Wonderful, wonderful Cascade 220 in Forest Green. I have 12 or 13 skeins of this stuff. I tried two or three different sweaters with it and wasn't satisfied...until now.

It has been knitting up into some of the most beautiful fabric! Soft, good drape and even better my guage is right!!!!

I have the back, minus the pleets and the back inset done.

I have to say that the inset was a welcome relief after 21 inches of stocking net. I am happy to report that it currently measures out exactly as the pattern calls for it. 

The back inset was quick, probably 2 days maximum, and when you consider that the cable patterns are not too complicated, it made it really enjoyable.

I have both of the fronts done. I thought that I was being smart and knitted them both at the same time...You know, if you don't have 3 kids and  a partner involved...I'm sure that this would be a really good idea.

I figured that it would be easier and that all of the decreases would be in the same places and when I bound off that they would be the perfect mirror image of each other...Yeah. Then as with most things...reality slapped me and laughed!!

Looking a the finished pieces, I realized that something didn't quite look "right". You know that odd feeling you get when you look at something and go "Hmmmmm...something is off.?" Well they were beautiful and identical. Off to a wade in the frog pond. I first frogged the left front back to the beginning of the short rows and re-knit. No big deal, I was ok...Then I laid out the newly finished left next to the right and then, "Hmmmmmm...something is off.?!"
The right side was about 2 inches longer than the left...I cried...I cussed and about the time I decided that I would have to frog both pieces that little voice in my head said "Hey!? If frogging to the short rows worked once...could it work...again?!" I am happy to report that yes, only about 13 rows had to be frogged and now both the right and left are behaving nicely. Nice, properly measureing, mirror images. Life is good.

Yes, I know the light is awful, but it's a picture from my iPhone. I do believe that I have mentioned just how much I love my iPhone before. I just had really crappy lighting at the time.

This is the left yoke. I have finished shaping the armholes and I am about to start the decreases. I had considered knitting both the left and right at the same time, but decided not to stress myself that much. 

So far, so good. I still really don't know what I want to name this sweater yet. For right now, I am working on it as much as possible...I REALLY need a new sweater!!

I hope to have you a finished object before long.  Life lately has been too stressful to talk about right now...but soon.

Lets just say we made some monumental changes in our childrens schooling...

TTFN

New Knitting has been happening

Well...radio silence...not necessarily a good thing...not necessarily a bad thing.

Life has been hectic and lets say that the hormone fairie has been in town. I have had crying jags most of the last week. Stupid stuff. I hear a person on tv cry...crying jag. Valentines day and I think about my father...crying jag. I'm at work and someone on the phone is cross...crying jag.  That really sucks. I have a doctors appointment next week so "Hello hormones!"

With the Ravolymics and Yarnharlots Knitting Olympics I started the Clapotis. I have made it before but it took me several months. I would start, frog, start. So far I have managed to get the increase rows.

I was really afraid that I was not going to have enough yarn to do the whole thing, but after weighing the first skein, I actually can add an increase and have plenty to finish.

That makes me happy.

I have also started the "Swirl Shawl". D, the kids and I were in Joplin, Mo at the Needle Niche a couple of weeks ago and we were looking around and D asked me why I didn't do something "simple" like this? He was looking at the store sample of the Swirl Shawl, he's so cute.

I did the first one with no real problem...once I learned to count to 8 and know that K2tog meant 2 and not 3. Yeah...I had a lot of trouble picking up for the second swirl. I kept doing it backward...I don't know how, but backward. The swirl was wrong side out.

They go really quickly and aren't hard. The cast on for me is the worst part. I have six done now, but I have not been working on it a lot. I have been working on the Clapotis and on my Nora Sweater.


I will post about my Nora sweater next time. I have several picture and have the back, the back inset and the fronts almost done...Pretty happy with how it is turning out.

TTFN

Knit Olympics and Ravolympics

Hmmmm...as if finding time to knit isn't challenging enough lets sign up to see if we can finish a project in 17 days...HELL YEAH!!!!!

I love a good challenge and a deadline...especially if it doesn't effect my paycheck :)

I had signed up for the RavOlympics then Stephanie put up her Knitting Olympics...I say why not both?

Is this illegal?  Is it unethical?  Will the knitting police come and carry away my Clapotis?

Stay tuned for updates...and if the knitting police do come, well...I'll sic a dragon on them...they are working on a Shetland Wedding Ring shawl and are none to in the mood for interuption...

BTW...how do you put a button on your blog?

Zombies, Ravens, Dragons and Rain

I know, odd title...I've had a bit of stress lately. Well not just a bit, but a crapload. I don't deal well with stress. At least it seems that the older I get the harder it gets for me to deal with stress. I would really, really like to have a couple of days without stress. I don't see this happening, but I would really like for it to happen.

I have been dreaming of zombies and ravens and dragons and rain...according to the dream interpretation websites...my inner person is just really a very not so nice place right now. Stress...it's a bad thing.

I went clothes shopping yesterday and I don't know what it is about dressing room mirrors that make a person look so awful, but they do...could it be that these mirrors are the only "true" mirror. They show us as we truly are and not how we "think" we are?

I have gotten so fat, and I am miserable...it adds so much stress to my life...

I just want to cry...

Changes and tears

There are many changes going on in my world right now...this makes my dragons very, very nervous. Some of the changes I have control over...most I don't. I don't like change...infact, I hate change...Just about the time that I get really comfortable with something...it changes.

I realize that life is about change...I don't have to like it. 

I don't think that I ever posted about my New Year's resolutions...so here goes. My resolution this year is to pull my head out of my ass and stop with the "Ostrich syndrome"...you know...head in the sand...avoid and deny...yeah.  As I have heard it said "De-nile is not just a river in Egypt".

Hopefully, I can get through this without too much anxiety...but the dragons are milling about and roaring...

Insanity

This is truly insanity.  To recap...Bought the yarn in Kalispel, MT at a beautiful yarn, antique and chocolate shop, "Woolen Collectibles" http://www.woolencollectibles.com/ . This is the "perfect" shop.

Anyway, approximately 1000 yards of lace weight Misti Alpaca, size 2 Addi lace tipped needles...a car with my partner D and 3 children...3000 miles from home...and I cast on 2 minutes after I got into the Pilot.  Like I said, insanity.


Another reason I call this insanity is because instead of doing this lovely pattern in one piece like the pattern was written, I decided that I would like for both ends to have the lace face the proper direction...insanity...I. Can't. Kitchner.

There, I've said it...I can't do the kitchner stitch...it looks like cold barf when I try.  These two pieces have been completed for about 3 months...I still can't kitchner...I keep thinking that I will sit down infront of the laptop and watch a few videos and get it done...yeah.  I think that I will block both sides and that will make it easier...yeah. 

What I'm really thinking is that I am going to do a three needle bind off and then block it and say to hell with it! I mean really, the seam would be at the back of my neck! Who would know?...I would. I have decided that this weekend it the time. I'm going to just break down and do it.  God help me.

I took a personal day today...It has been really nice. I don't remember the last time I was in the house by myself...I also remember why I am not good "stay at home" material. I have been totally stir crazy. I've really worked all day via my iphone, and I LOVE my iphone! My office has called me 3 times, nice to know I'm missed.  I've done laundry, I cooked a piece of beef to make enchiladas, yum! I've watched bad day time tv.

I'm ready for Monday...