Must find my mojo

Has anyone seen my blogging mojo? Somehow I've lost it and I can't seem to find it anywhere. I used to absolutely love sitting at the computer multiple times a day for hours reading everyone's knitting adventures, but for the last month (or so) ... I've barely sat at the computer at all. I'm sure I even owe many of you an email (or two, or three or maybe even four) with a "thank you" for all the compliments on my last pair of socks and the "get well" wishes, but all I can offer at this time is my deepest apology. It does mean a lot to get comments from you even if I've failed recently to respond. Please accept my humble apology and know that I'm going to sincerely try to do better at that.

The only thing that really explains my lack of activity in blog-land, is because I honestly just haven't felt well enough to sit at the computer for any length of time. I've been having my fair share of the run around with doctors and I'm fed up to my eyeballs with the whole thing. If you want to know what's going on, read the next paragraph, but if not, definitely skip it.

The last doctor told me that I probably do have hypothyroidism, but that he wanted to treat my fibromyalgia first. What? Excuse me? Fibro-what? Where did this diagnosis come from? He pretty much refused me the necessary thyroid medication and instead gave me some other drugs instead for the fibromyalgia. So where does that leave me? Well, I have a bunch of free meds I will never take for a condition I'm not sure I have, and still nothing to treat what I think the real problem is. I contacted my insurance company and although it's going to cost me some money, I've opted to refer myself to a endocrinologist. Thankfully I have an appointment Thursday morningand if I can't get the help I need there I'm throwing myself off the roof of my house. No need to worry though.. I have a single story home, so it's hardly even worth the climb to the top.

In knitting news, there's actually not been a lot of knitting in the last few weeks. Currently, I'm finishing up a pair of socks that I've been working on for weeks and weeks. I also finally figured out the crochet edge on my shawl that has been sitting unfinished for approximately a month. When I figured out how simple the edging was I was so mad at myself for not attempting it sooner. I think committing to not starting any new shawls until that one was finished was all the motivation I needed and now that shawl is finally blocking.

I've also just completed blocking the swatch for the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. I'm so glad MS3 came along and that I joined since this project actually has me excited to knit again. For the last 2 weeks, I haven't hardly even looked at my needles, let alone knit with them. Now that my swatch is complete, I'm anxiously awaiting the first clue for MS3, especially since I'm knitting with the Lane Borgosesia Cashwool yarn I picked up at the Loopy Ewe. It wasn't in the budget, but I honestly have been wanting a black shawl for myself and since there was no black laceweight in my stash, I HAD to shop!

By the way, the other photo is just a few more skeins of the Panda Cotton yarn in ivory. I didn't want the Cashwool to ship all by itself from The Loopy Ewe, so the Panda Cotton joined it in the journey to my home. I think it will be perfect for another pair of summer socks.

My PJ's

I've had these silly things finished for a few days, but finally got the photos taken, so here are my new PJ's (PandaCotton Jaywalkers)

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Pattern Source: MagKnits September 2005
Yarn: Crystal Palace Panda Cotton in Faded Jeans
Needles: (2) Knit Picks Circulars size 2.5mm (1 1/2 US)

Modifications: Knit toe-up using Judy's magic cast-on. In the pattern stitch, I knit 5 stitches in between the increase and decrease stitches instead of the 7 or 8 as the pattern states. If I were to knit these again with this yarn, I'd do 6 stitches in between the increase and decrease sections. It's not that they are tight, but I would prefer them a bit less "snug". I also chose to shorten the leg section to make these more of a summery ankle-length sock.

Notes: I'm definitely in love with this yarn. It is PERFECT for the California (or warm climate) sock-knitter. It's soft, a bit stretchy, comes in a great assortment of colors and not only does it feel light-weight and a bit "airy", but it's antimicrobial. It does split a bit, but not any more noticeable than my current yarn (Regia Silk 6-ply). I was originally going to knit Sockbug's Crooked Cable Socks, but because I couldn't get gauge, I had to abandon it and remembered that the Jaywalker pattern could probably be easily modified. By changing the amount of stitches in between the increases and decreases, I was able to easily "get gauge" and knit the perfect pair of ankle socks for the summer.

Yes, if you click on the photos for larger, you'll notice my horribly hairy legs. My husband was on a 3 day business trip and I haven't been feeling well enough to go anywhere, so I figured .. what's the point? Now I'm starting to regret that decision. Forever, my hairy legs will be captured in time on my blog on the Internet for all to see ..... (sigh).

Since all the "cool kids" are doing it, I just joined the Mystery Stole 3.

I find something intriguing about not knowing what the finished object looks like. I'm most definitely stepping out of my comfort zone for this. Who else is joining in? What yarn are you using? If you're not participating, why not?

My Perfect Monkey

Before I get to the good stuff, I must apologize for being absent for so long. I can't believe it's been two weeks of no blogging, emailing or anything. Too much has been going on here for the last 2 weeks, and unfortunately I chose my computer time as the thing that had to stop for a bit. So in case you're wondering what has had me MIA for the last 2 weeks, it's mainly been just too much going on coupled with severe exhaustion, since my health problems have not improved (see note at the bottom of this post). I do promise to catch up on all my emails and blog reading by this weekend, so please be patient with me. I've missed so much so this will be fun to catch up on what you've all been up to for the last 2 weeks.

I have been doing a tiny bit of knitting in between all the things that have been going on, so first up, here's My Perfect Monkey Socks!

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Pattern Source: Knitty.com Winter 2006
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, P43835
Needles: Knit Picks 2.5mm (2 - 24" circulars)

This is my 2nd pair of Monkeys but my first time knitting with the Koigu. Although I think my first pair of Monkeys flopped, I definitely LOVE this pair. Then again, how can you go wrong when you pair up the perfect pattern, yarn and needles?

Of course I knit these from the toe-up using Judy's Magic Cast-On and utilized instructions from past correspondence with Judy to do the toe and heel modifications to make the pattern work. Thank you! Without Judy's guidance in teaching me how to convert patterns, I'd still be stuck knitting everything from the cuff down. ...not that there's anything wrong with that.

If you've never knit with Koigu KPPPM, I most definitely recommend that you either get to your LYS or find some online and order it immediately. If I had any idea how utterly fabulous this yarn is, I would have bought more than 2 skeins. Sadly, I have no more Koigu in my stash, but it is at the top of my priority list when my wallet recovers from the purchase of DH's birthday gift.

Since I've received a few requests, I'm considering writing up my version of the Monkey pattern written toe-up. Of course I think I'll need to contact the designer first for her permission, so when that happens (or not), I'll post that information here.

A final note totally off topic. For those of you who have inquired, I finally have news regarding my health problems. There has been much drama surrounding everything and I blame it on switching to a HMO doctor, but suffice it to say, I do not have diabetes. YEAH! Big party at my house right now! What I DO have is a sub clinical hypothyroidism, which means my body is not producing enough of the thyroid hormone. My doctor has chose NOT to treat this condition with medication. Obviously ... he's an arsehole. If he had my symptoms (severe fatigue, muscle pain,weight gain, and messed up menstrual cycles), he'd be medicating himself in a heartbeat. What's especially frustrating is that the medication has NO side effects unless your dose is too high, and those side effects are actual very mild. Needless to say, I'm going to be picking up my medical records and finding a new doctor.

Retail Therapy

Last weekend, during a 48 hour period, I got so stressed about an upcoming pelvic ultrasound test, that I shopped. For yarn. Although it helped calm me down and keep my mind off the test, my dwindling bank account balance did cause some stress for me today, but oh well, the test is over now and everything looks good!

What started it all, was my first purchase. Crown Mountain Farms updated their Sock Hop Yarn and I purchased two skeins of the "Brown Eyed Girl" colorway. Ever since I met DH, he has sung the "Brown Eyed Girl" song to me whenever it's on the radio, so it's kind of our thing. He even uses the song as his ring tone whenever I call him. How then could I resist this yarn colorway? (obviously I didn't) I now understand why people love hand dyed and hand spun yarn. It's GORGEOUS! The downside though .. now I really want to learn to spin. I'm giving myself one more year though to learn as much as I can about yarn before I jump in. At least that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.


The next thing that happened was an email from WEBS telling me their anniversary sale was about to end. I ignored it at the time, but then I was listening to their podcast and they mentioned Cascade 220 superwash on sale. Curses!! There were so many color options I was overwhelmed, but after thinking about it, I decided to go with a masculine color palette to knit some items for my grandsons this year.



I also saw that the Regia Silk was on sale, and since I'd wanted to try it for some socks, I ordered a bit of that too.



Finally, during the last part of the 48 hour time frame, I had an urge to check out The Loopy Ewe and wouldn't you know it, Sheri had just done a shop update. I received my order today, but I'm going to hold off on showing you those acquisitions until next week. Besides, I can't stop snuggling or sniffing or fondling the yarn long enough to take photos.

Despite no photos of socks in progress for almost a month, I have been knitting socks. Since I'd finally finished Molly's Matinee Coat, I allowed myself to start a pair of socks and chose to knit Falling Leaves by Jessica Landers from the Fall 2005 issue of Knitty.com. Unfortunately, after working the pattern up until where the gusset begins, I decided that the pattern either wasn't working for the yarn, or that I didn't like how I was knitting the pattern. The center vein of the leaf design is created by working a k2tog and a ssk side by side which creates a sort of ridge. Personally I didn't care for it, so I frogged the entire thing and started over. This time, I chose the Monkey pattern by Cookie A. I've knit it once before in a beautiful yarn that didn't work with the pattern, so I thought I'd try again. So far I'm thrilled with how these are turning out and it's so fun reworking the pattern toe-up. I'm trying to take meticulous notes and each time I convert a pattern from cuff-down to toe-up, I feel a bit more confident in my skills.

I only have another pattern repeat or two before I'll be casting off, so I'm now dreaming of what socks I'll knit next.

Molly's Matinee Coat

On Wednesday, April 18th, I became an aunt .... for the eighth time. (gasp) It's so strange for me to realize that my 4 siblings have all had children and I'm the eldest with none. Obviously this gift is a bit delayed, but it won't fit Molly until she's 3 months old, so maybe I'm early?

Molly's Matinee Coat

Pattern: Matinee Coat

Pattern Source: Debbie Bliss Simply Baby
Yarn: Sidar Snuggly DK; white
Needles: Knit Picks Options and Circulars size 6, 5, 3 and 2 US
Modifications: I added a picot edge around the neckline.

Notes about the pattern: Although I really do like the finished object, you couldn't pay me to knit another item in this book. I never understood why people didn't like knitting patterns that don't have a schematic ... until now. None of the patterns in this book or the Debbie Bliss Special Knits book for that matter, have schematics. This made blocking the 5 pieces of this sweater a pain in the arse. I finished knitting all the pieces on April 11th and attempted to start blocking that same day. However, when I discovered there were no schematics, and I'd spent an hour of frustration trying to figure out what measurements to block everything, I gave up. A week later, when my sister called to announce that her daughter had been born, I resolved to tackle the sweater once and for all. I struggled through two hours of calculating, measuring and pinning and crossed my fingers that when I started assembly, it would all come together perfectly. It did all match up fairly well although I discovered that I really dislike seaming. I see top-down sweater patterns in the future.

Notes about the yarn: I originally purchased 5 skeins of this yarn, and today returned the 3 unused skeins to my LYS. Even *I* was surprised that I'd returned the yarn, but to be honest with you, knitting with white yarn was boring and I'm also not a big fan of the nylon/acrylic blend. Although, I'm sure my sister will appreciate that it is washable and I appreciated that it was economical.

Final thoughts: If you are the type of person that can block many pieces of a project successfully without schematics, then I'd highly recommend this book, but if you are like me and don't have enough experience under your belt to block with schematics, stay away. I've also discovered that instead of asking the mother (or picky sister) what they would like me to knit for their baby, I'll just pick a pattern and yarn I'll enjoy working with and hope they like it in the end. After all, if I like what I knit, I'll finish it quickly and be more inclined to not mutter profanities under my breath.

Week In Review (sort of)

I know I've only been posting about twice a week and I mean to post more frequently, but to be honest, my health has continued to decline. I'm only 37 for heaven's sake and it feels like my body is trying to do me in. I could bore you with my pathetic list of symptoms and the Dr's initial diagnosis, but nothings for sure yet, so I'm just attending the various clinics for tests and should have more info in 2 weeks. Don't worry, it doesn't appear to be anything serious (like cancer), but I just wanted to share a bit of this with you because until I'm feeling better, I may not be posting as much, and I may not be commenting on your blogs as much.

Since I'd forbid myself to cast-on for socks until Molly's sweater was complete, and since I've been spending some time at Dr's offices and labs, I've been working on these dish cloths from the Mason-Dixon ladies. I am trying to be a bit more conscious of the environment, so these will be replacing my kitchen sponges. I was really never worried about the sponge harboring bacteria since I only used it for a week and then tossed it, but then a light bulb went on. I've calculated that I've spent about $50 a year on sponges, and since I'm sure they aren't that great in the landfills, using these dishcloths should help in some small way. If you don't have the book but want the pattern, you can get it HERE!

Thanks to Dave, he posted something regarding those of you kind enough to leave comments on blog posts. Seems that quite a few of us have been frustrated that we aren't getting the email addresses of our commenter's. Everyone thought it was the fault of the new Blogger, but I had issues even with the old Blogger. He was notified by Lavendersheep that the new Blogger did NOT mess about with the ability to reply to comments but that the new Blogger DID mess about with your settings.

If your Blogger email address was public before, you've been reset to private. If you edit your profile and check the box that says show my email address, your email address will show up with the comment and restore reply-ability.

Did you see the latest edition of Yarnival? My friend Laura was the editor and she even included one of my blog posts. There are some pretty good articles in there, so make sure you check it out.

Speaking of Laura, yesterday I was able to spend a few hours with her sharing our new yarn acquisitions and completed knitting projects since we last met. You've got to take a look at her Conwy socks. I was tempted to steal them, but then my brain kicked back in and I remembered I could probably just knit my own pair. I also purchased this lace weight yarn from her. Neither of us are sure what it is, but it's almost silk-like and I can't wait to make a shawl from it. For lunch, we went to an amazing German deli (Mattern's) to pick up sandwiches and beer, and although there was quite a wait for it, it was well worth it. We took the food and drinks back to Laura's house and got to sit outside on her patio and enjoy the view, the food, and the company. It was perfect! And where are the photos? I forgot to take them .. BAD BLOGGER!

This weekend I hope to be casting on for my next pair of socks, since I finally finished the Matinee Coat for Molly. My next post will have all the details.

Before I forget ... a million thanks to Carole for sharing an invite with me to Ravelry. It's the perfect thing for me to organize my stash, projects, needles, and such. I also love that I've met some new "friends" through it. If you read my blog and you're in Ravelry, make sure you link me as a "friend" so I can see who you are. If you're not on Ravelry and you've signed up, don't panic, you will be part of it very soon!

Monday Mish Mash

For those of you who live under the rock next door to my rock, you've got to check out Ravelry . For those of you who have an invite left .. can you please invite me? I'm DYING to try this out since I'm an anal-retentive organizing nut and this looks like it's right up my alley! I don't know if I'm patient enough to wait for it's full release.

Although I have no socks on the needles and haven't had for a week (gasp), I've signed up for the Summer of Socks 2007 KAL. I've thankfully fulfilled my SAM 3 KAL requirements for May and have forbid myself to cast-on for another pair of socks until I finish the Debbie Bliss Matinee Coat for my new neice Molly. You would think this would be HUGE motivation for a sock fiend like me, but even though this was off the needles and blocking last month, so far I've only managed to seam it. To officially complete it, I still need to knit the edging around the neckline and then put it in the mail to my sister. Thank goodness it's knit for a 6 month old!

And if having one project on the needles for a neice wasn't enough, I'm also working on a purse for my eldest neices birthday. I've knit this bag once before for another neice and this neice saw it and said she *had* to have one too. This has been a really quick knit and all I have left are the i-cord handles and felting. She'll be visiting me the last week of this month, a few days after her birthday, so it will be fun to give her this in person instead of sending it off in the mail.

The VLT shawl (which looks like a blog) is still in progress and I think I'm on track to have it complete by my mother-in-laws birthday next month. I'm not sure I'm going to use the edging shown in the book, but I'm not sure what else would look nice. Any suggestions?

For those of you who love podcasts and/or love scrapbooking, you absolutely must check out my friend Lain's ScrapHappy Podcast. Currently, I'm not into making scrapbooks (which is the main focus of this podcast), but I just love that her podcast. Last episode she was stating that if a scrapbooking tool doesn't have mutliple uses, she doesn't keep it around, so she had taken her ribbon straightening iron into her bathroom to see if it would also straighten her hair! Her last 4 podcasts are all in the 15-20 minute range, so if you want a treat, go subscribe. Oh, and if you do.. please tell her I sent you.