Pine Trees and Ouzo

Well, I have to say that pine trees are a lot softer than you might first imagine them to be. I was snowmobiling along quite nicely when suddenly, a giant pine tree jumped out and attacked me. It sucked me down a five foot snowy embankment right into its trunk. Nice. I was so stuck that I wasn't sure I'd ever get out. I'd already turned over a couple of times and managed to get myself out - not this time.

I finally climbed out of the deep hole. I had to go over the top of the snowmobile because every other direction was full of pine branches. I managed to hike down and flag some help.

I am very sore.

I came home and knit for a couple of hours in hopes of winning a silver medal. I woke up yesterday morning and felt like I'd been drinking ouzo. Not that I've ever had ouzo. Have you ever seen Barefoot in the Park? I can't make a fist. No knitting all day yesterday and probably all day today. Even typing hurts. So, no silver. I have a bronze, though. I made it myself.

Posted by Whit at 09:16   | (pre-trackback) 0  

No Time

Funny, considering the name of my blog.

There's a new podcast out today. Enjoy!

Posted by Whit at 12:52   | (pre-trackback) 0  

A BIG Thank you!!

Dear Great Aunt Eleanor (both definitions apply),

I remember the first time I saw your knitting and really knew what it meant to knit. I had recently learned how to do the basic stock. stitch from a friend and was visiting you in your home in Maryland. You were (and always are) such a gracious hostess and when you showed me all of the beautiful things you'd made I was so impressed and overwhelmed. You showed me things like "circular needles" - EEE GADS!! I was scared to death.

Over the years I have learned to love my "circs" and dpn's and all of those fun things that scared me in the beginning. And you have always been in my mind as an inspiration.

I love this picture of you in your going-away suit - that you knit!! I still am afraid of some of the things you do - knit a whole dress???? Wow!

When the box came yesterday I was so excited to open it. A GIANT bag of wool!!!! And old pattern books!!! It's like Christmas all over again. Thank you so much for thinking of me and being so very generous.

As I knit with this wool I will think of you and hopefully rise above my mediocre talent to yet another level... a little closer to you! Thanks, Aunt Eelanor. You rock!

Love, Whit

Posted by Whit at 12:55   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Chocolate Interlude

I don't know if I'm posting this picture because I finished reading Chocolat or because I'm craving chocolate or if I'm just trying to distract you from the fact that I have nothing knit/crochet to post a picture of. My socks look almost exactly like they did last time I posted. I AM still working on them when I have time (which has been very limited for the past couple of weeks) and I've frogged and re-crocheted/knit the boot about five times (maybe six)... I am getting ready to frog it again.

For lack of anything else, here is a meme from Donna's site (don't get me wrong - I love her questions):

Appetizer: If you were a color, which color would you be, and why? The only thing I know for sure is that I could never be the same color for very long. So maybe opal.

Soup: When was the last time you went to the doctor, and what was your reason for going? I never cared much for soup. Except potato soup.

Salad: What do you collect? Other than yarn? And vintage patterns? And books? I have a hard time collecting things because I find that I could fill my house with them. When I was a girl I collected matchbooks (non-smoker, but those matchbooks are really beautiful!) and little jewelry boxes.

Main Course: What were you like in high school? Name one thing you miss and one thing you don't miss about those days. I was one of those people who sort of fit in with every group - because I did EVERYTHING. Nothing very well, but lots of things. I was into drama, band (flute), track (I threw the shotput and discus), was a representative in student council (I ran all four years to be Student Body Secretary against the same girl. She beat me every year. Every year it was by less than 10 votes.), was on the cheerleading squad for about ten minutes (just wanted to prove to myself I could make it as a cheerleader - I quit about the time we were ordering the uniforms), show choir, editor of the school newspaper... I think you get the idea. I don't miss much - except maybe the energy! I think HS is the hardest time of life. Except maybe Middle School.

Dessert: Pretend you're standing in front of your home, with your back towards your home. Describe the view - what can you see? Trees? Cars? A zoo? Wal-Mart? My house is on a street that turns into a cul-de-sac. We face a beautiful little brook that has ducks in the spring/summer and has trees, etc. Even though there are houses along our street, ours doesn't face one. You can see the side of a house further back in the cul-de-sac on the other side of the brook. I love my house. Today, as I look out, I see a lot of snow. Still.

Posted by Whit at 11:20   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Happy Valentine's Day

First, a big THANK YOU Teabird (aka Melanie), my Valentine Book Swap Pal. I am SO excited about my fun package!! I didn't realize that Chocolat was a novel first. I can't wait to read it!! I LOVE the movie.

Even though my husband insists that the myth that Valentine's Day was created by Greeting Card companies is true, I still love it.

In grade school my Mom would help me decorate a Valentine Mail Box to put in home room. I would do Valentine's for EVERYBODY in my classes and lots who weren't in my classes. Don't you just love love? ("It's nice to be nice to the nice")

As I got older, clubs would do Valentine fund raisers. There would be "carnation grams" or something like that. I can remember sending and receiving carnations with little notes. It was always fun to choose students who looked like they needed a pick-me-up and sending them a little anonymous carnation.

A few years ago I learned that if you send your valentines (all in one big envelope) to any of the cities in the US with the name Valentine (AZ, MT, NE, TX, AR, IN, LA, NJ, SC) a few weeks before Valentine's Day and request the "decorative postmark" they will put a very cute Valentine postmark on your Valentines and send them out from there! I didn't do that this year, but have done it a few times. Love it!!

And, of course... as a Mommy what's better than getting one of those sloppy, crooked hearts with I LOVE YOU printed across the top. Nothing!

I know we should be loving all year - sort of like having the Christmas Spirit all year. But the truth is, it doesn't hurt to have a day to just stop and think about love.

Happy Valentine's Day!! May your day be filled with love!

Posted by Whit at 08:14   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Bouncing Baby TWINS!!

As you can see in this (very fuzzy) photo - there are indeed TWO socks in my dpn's instead of the usual one.

I examined the ultrasound socks trying to figure out if they were identical or fraternal. I had high hopes that they were indeed identical, when suddenly (GASP) I realized they were, in fact, siamese...

After the initial shock wore off I surgically separated them (frogged them back THREE ROWS - aka 384 tiny stitches). Now if I can just get those little loops all back in the order they're supposed to be in. I seriously don't want to start over. But as Day 3 of the Olympics looms large (whatever that means), it looks like it's back to basics for this knitlete.

Posted by Whit at 10:03   | (pre-trackback) 0  

I made a SOCK for my SHOE...

Well, I have to say I am really enjoying the "Knitty Gritty Boots" ... Thanks, Tina, for the FABULOUS idea (if you haven't heard my interview with Tina - check out my podcast!). I think this was much easier to crochet than knit (and I have to say I like the edge around the bottom - nothing "raw" there)...

Miss H. (the one who gets them) picked this nice blue color. I thought we were going pink so I was surprised!! It took me three tries to get the look I wanted since I decided to crochet, rather than knit them. I will be making them knee high, but I need Miss H. here to measure. She is has very skinny legs.

Anyhow, this is my progress so far.

What I did (different from original pattern):

1. Used a piece of wood (the height I wanted) marked off in 1/2 in. increments to measure and mark.
2. Marked using Alison's method of poking with a thumb tack rather than a marker.
3. (Drilled as per instructions)
4. Used a small crochet hook to pull yarn through and then crocheted a chain with a size J hook as I went around - giving me a nice base of chain stitch.
5. Used single crochet to go around and around. When I needed to decrease, I used a single crochet decrease on either side of the middle stitch (sometimes two decreases on each side depending on how much I needed to "narrow" the boot).
6. I also did one row of single crochet on the other side of the first chain - giving a border at the bottom that is quite a nice finish I think.
7. At the top I did the back and forth thing (like instructions) with single crochet and then crocheted around to complete circle - this brings the sides up even (front and back).
8. I went into the back loops and brought up the yarn keeping the loops on the hook until I had 1/3 of the stitches of the circumference. I slid these onto a DPN and did the same for the rest of the stitches until I had three dpn's with stitches.
9. I did garter stitch for a few rows.
10. I went into a ribbing (2x2 with 3 purl in the front middle)

That's where I am now. I plan to do the ribbing almost to the knee and then do more garter stitch for a band around the top. That may change when I get there. :O)

YES, I should be working on my Olympic project. I'll cast on this evening.

I have bronchitis.

Posted by Whit at 15:34   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Wow!

Over 70 people in 8 countries (I don't count Wales cause we ALL qualify for that one) have joined Team DPN. How fun is that?!

Today is house cleaning (so I don't have to clean until the Olympics are over, of course - hahahahaha) and possibly drilling those boots!

Hopefully I'll have pictures of power tools and yarn later.

Posted by Whit at 09:52   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Olympic Podcast

Everybody (who wants to - I'm trying to be less bossy) go check out my Olympic Podcast!

It's my interview with Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee (aka Yarn Harlot).

Posted by Whit at 14:48   | (pre-trackback) 0  

DPN DPN DPN

Okay, so I still have Olympic fever. Today I have a Podcast Special Edition: Knitting Olympics coming out. Steve is editing feverishly and it should be up this afternoon.

Here is my luscious yarn for my INSANE project. It is Trekking XXL in color 283. It is a pretty tweed and I love it. The toothpicks dpn's are bamboo size 2s (7").

I have been practicing different pattern sections. The ribbing isn't nearly as hard as you might think. You just have to remember that your front yarn (which I hold in my left hand) is doing pp, kk, pp, kk (yes, a basic ribbing) while the back yarn (right hand) is doing kk, pp, kk and always remembering to not let that yarn get crossed. This is especially important when purling with the right hand - have to remember to take that yarn to the back before knitting/purling with the left hand.

The hardest part was figuring out how to join for knitting in the round. You have to take the end stitch from the right needle, place it to the back/front (depending on which sock this stitch belongs to) on a holder and then crossing the two (now) end stitches. Then you replace the stitch from the holder back onto the end of the right needle. Then you do the same thing with the end stitch on the left needle. This way you are doing the join for BOTH socks. Very important.

If you are trying to follow along and do this at home, I highly recommend two colors of yarn to work with. I contemplated (briefly) making two colors of socks for the Olympics. However, I don't think I'll give in to that temptation.

I'm scared to death of the heel instructions.

This other picture looks a lot like Olympic rings - but NO, in fact they are two rings knit simultaneously on dpn's (size 8s)....

Posted by Whit at 09:45   | (pre-trackback) 0  

KAL Time

Okay, as you can see on the side of my blog - I have moved the Mrs. Beeton KAL to its own site. This works so much nicer, easier, cleaner than the old way. Those of you participating in that, please contact me via email (whit_larson AT yahoo DOT com) so that I can add you as members of that blog and you can post pics and comments there!! Someday I might make those beautiful things. Maybe this year I will make something for me. Hmmm....

But it might be one of my other KALs - the Mary Poppins Bag (aka Weekend Getaway Satchel). We have several members and no two of us will be making them exactly alike. That should be a blast!!

Also, Vanessa wanted an Odessa-y (think odyssey) KAL for the new pattern from MagKnits. So, we got that all set up. Please come join us. It is a BEAUTIFUL pattern by Grumperina. I'm looking forward to knitting one (after the Olympics and possibly while doing the Mary Poppins kal).

Finally, TEAM DPN - Go TEAM!!!!! Wow!! We have fifteen members at the moment and we're growing every hour. Amazing! We are already international and that is WAY super cool!! If you are participating in the Olympics - come join the team. You only have to poke one or two people with a dpn to qualify!! I swear, I have Olympic fever. I haven't had it this bad since I was a kid and Nadia Comaneci was in the Summer Olympics.

On a non-hosted KAL note:

I am going to do my knitty gritty boots this weekend and I can't wait. They will be hot pink knee high part crocheted/part knitted. Whoohoo!!

*** DANG, I forgot to say HAPPY GROUNDHOG'S DAY!!!! It's like my seventh favorite holiday. Sheesh. I'm off to watch the movie. I love that movie. Every year. Over and over...

Posted by Whit at 13:48   | (pre-trackback) 0  

Button, button...

Well, if I'm going to compete in the dang olympics I'm gonna need a button.

Anybody who wants to join my DPN team, please let me know (and feel free to take the button). Email me (whit AT about-time DOT us) or post a comment on the DPN blog and I'll invite you to become a member of the "Team DPN blog." I was going to call it the DPT - but I'm pretty sure that's taken. You can qualify for this team by:

1. Doing a project for the Olympics that uses DPNs (AND / OR)
2. Poking people during the Olympics with your DPNs
   
   
   

I am also a Knitting Chick - so, as promised girls (guys?) - here's that button.

Warning: The Team Knitting Chicks does not size well. If you want it to be a different size on your machine, please email me and I'll resize it for you. Otherwise it gets all pixelated.

Posted by Whit at 09:21   | (pre-trackback) 0