If You Aren't Alarmed, Check Your Pulse...

Finally, Pictures...

OK, we got the Crappy Red Camera fixed. Well, it was working. Somehow, the Evil Software Elves ate the software that helps me download the pics. Still doesn't explain the fact that the computer wouldn't read the memory card, but I'll take the victory. I reloaded the software and we're back in business. 

So here are some pics...

Knitting...

Cheesy TKGA picture

So it's cheesy - but here's a picture of my Teal Sock (Nice Ribbed Sock @ Ravelry) at the TKGA show. No, I didn't take pictures of us. Yes, I did take pictures of what I was attempting to knit. See the post from a few days ago. 

Yes, I should've taken pictures of the 3 of us. I'll do it next time. We'll be going to the Wisconsin Sheep Festival next year. You'll just have to wait unless I can get some taken earlier. 

Heel Turned!

And yes, I'm still enthralled at the magic of the turning heel. Funny enough, yes, I did follow the designer's instructions. I wasn't going to. I was going to use my Red Sock-Shaped Book... But I bit the swatch and did it her way. And jeeze - it worked! It's even working with my splitting the heel and going back to 4 DPNs. She did her socks on 3, apparently, and frankly, I don't like that. First off, it's hard to avoid ladders where the rounds join, and second, it seems more squished for my fingers. 

Inside of heel - still magical!

I was a bit concerned with this sock perhaps being "inside out" but as you can see from the picture here, the K3P1 rib is working out quite nicely, and the heel, though you can't tell from the picture, is actually almost "doubled" - it's a sl1,k1 and then the WS is sl1,p1. It makes a very sturdy heel, kind of like the Doris Heel that I had learned for my hiking socks. I will still try the Doris Heel on the next pair of socks; it's a very pretty one, particularly with a solid yarn. Maybe I'll use it on the Blue-faced yarn. We shall see. 

I guess I have to type more so that you can see the pictures in the order I want them... 

Which is fine, because I can talk a lot. Particularly about yarn. I haven't gotten any of this up on Ravelry yet. I do also have to search for some patterns while I'm there. I love Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "Pretty Thing." It may go into my queue. Very much worth the money for a pattern for that one skein of perfectly luxe yarn. 

Blue-faced Leichester sock yarn

Also in this post are some of the yarns I purchased at TKGA. The Blue-faced Leichester sock yarn is a bit thicker, but not quite worsted. It will make up beautifully. Looks like I have a "teal blue" theme going on here, but I really wanted to do something different, since the stash is looking a little too purple lately. They had a wonderful collection of yarns, and it was also the first booth in the exhibit area, which is a double-edged sword. Either you get lots of traffic, or they sprint past you on the way to the other booths. This was from a company which also makes a rose yarn.

Yep, yarn made from rose fibers - the ones on the stems, that is. Talk about using alternative plant-based materials! It was interesting, but I didn't buy any. This stuff was on sale. The rose yarn wasn't. I'm trying to be fiscally responsible. Don't laugh. For what it's worth, she had some roving of the rose stuff she made. It was soft, not as "crimpy" as wool, and I couldn't tell how it would've been to spin with. But then I'm not a spinner. 

"Probably way too fine" merino for shawls

The "probably wayyyyyyyyyy too fine" merino will be a couple of shawls. Probably out of one of the "sock yarn shawl" patterns or maybe just a lace from the pattern books. 

Here's the "silkworm" thickness merino. It's Italian. That yarn was at the back of the shop area, in a huge, huge, HUGE pile of "stuff." Everything from glittery yarn to kid mohair (thanks, but I don't want to torture myself). And all of it was on sale. I saw a lot of very nice colors of this merino, but I thought basic was better. And the gal said I'd need 2 hanks. A few of the prettier colors had only 1 left. 

Shawl pattern & yarn

Love this one at the right: the yarn is actually in a "cupcake" kind of container. It's a local designer, and her mom made goodies for her booth. Which of course made it the most popular one! It's a very pretty shawl. The yarn has charms/stitch markers included. It's not as vivid as it looks, and it's hand-painted, so there are various gradients in the yarn. You can see it more clearly in the close-up picture. 

Again, lots of pretty colors, but I was on a mission to avoid anything in the purple range. They did have a lovely selection, so if you can find Toluca Knit Jewelry and Fine Yarns, then please visit them. I don't have their website handy, otherwise, I'd put a link up here. 

The yarn with charms

Of course, that "avoid purple" thing didn't count the Namaste mini-messenger cross-body bag. My excuse for that is that the eggplant color was the only one there! So there. And it was a more secure bag than the others in that booth, most of them having open tops. This one is going on my trip. I can put a smaller bag inside it with wallet, etc. for the actual travel, and it's got plenty of room for knitting. 

Which will be coming in this kind of bag. My very favorite project bag for travel. It's a KnowKnits bag. My LYS (yeah, the one I'm kind of mad at) actually ordered this for me. They used to carry them under the previous owner, but this gal likes the simple cloth ones. Heck, I sew, and while I don't want to deny anyone the option of making a living, I'm also not paying $15 for a bag that's got about $1.66 in materials and would take me 20 minutes to sew up. I want to spend that money on yarn, not the bags. 

Project bag

And I'm not a bag snob either (stop laughing). I have my share of WIPs in the reusable grocery bags. Just check my closet. Well, don't check my closet. 

As you can see, the bag is just perfect for socks. It's got 2 little amazing strokes of genius. The outside has a loopy thing you can use on a hanger (right now, it perches on the pattern holder of my OttLite). And inside, the other loopy thing holds the yarn and keeps the ball from popping out onto the floor of the plane, train or automobile. 

The perfect bag for a trip

I love the fact that you can zip this thing closed and it STAYS closed. I don't care if the inside is black. And it's pretty tough stuff. But to be cautious, yes, I'm using needle holders on my DPNs. It's silver, so I can find it in my bigger purse, and it's waterproof. My friend Doris can attest to this because I've borrowed her purple one - which I'm returning to her, since I now have this silver one. She spilled a Coke on hers, and it didn't ruin the knitting. Good to know. It comes in a pretty good range of sizes and colors. I think they're just grand, and I do have to laugh: one website shows one clipped to a belt so the knitter can walk and knit. No. I don't think so. 

I contemplated walking on the treadmill and knitting. Then I contemplated a whole-body tattoo, and to each of these propositions, upon long reflection, I reacted with equal enthusiasm. 

New Needle #1

As I'm moving along on the Teal Sock, I've discovered a dreaded "gusset hole." I'm not ripping back. I love how this ribbing folds gently into the gusset, and I almost knew I was creating the hole as I picked up those stitches. I'm absolutely fine with pulling it together once the sock is done with a little slip stitch in the back. Nobody will know. 

Ok, all of you will know, but the first one who sees me wearing these can come up and ask about it. 

I've read enough reference books to know that sooner or later that would happen. And now that it has, I've got some solutions. Picking up a small stitch in behind is one. I could've twisted the stitch making the hole, if I caught it early enough so as not to have to rip out a good inch-and-a-half of knitting. But since I didn't catch it, I'm not too worried about it. I know it's there, and I know how to fix it. Problem almost solved. 

Dreaded "gusset hole"

The pattern calls for a simple gathering at the toe, or Kitchener Stitch. Not sure which one I'll do. I'll see how the decreases go. One day, a Star toe! 

Yoga and the Full Moon...

So we had our (for me, final) Community Class at the studio where I'm taking my certification training. I can tell you it was a full moon. We had 12 people, and totally had "2 classes" -- the absolute newbies, who needed to be up in front, were in the back row. The experienced folks were in the front, when they probably could've been in the back.

And I screwed up a couple of cues. I had them go into a wide-legged forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana if you're interested in the Sanskrit) and I had two mats: one long-wise and one skinny, crossed over each other. I was on the right mat, but I forgot to cue them to "come to the long side of the mat." They took me literally and didn't move. Yikes!! 

I also apparently forgot to cue heel-to-arch alignment in Trikonasana (a/k/a Triangle Pose). I thought I did. The mentor supervising us said I didn't. I've been teaching on my own now for several months, but for some reason, this class just flipped me out. 

It happens. All 3 of us were nervous, and the mentor did say that what rattled her was the absolute inexperience of some of the students. And a couple who could've used the help refused it. You can't force help on them unless they're about to blow out a body part, like a knee or shoulder. All in all, it was a humbling and teaching evening, and I'm also glad it's over. 

I'm teaching my favorite class, the Yin class, tonight. My teacher is taking a much-needed sabbatical for August, and we're in the midst of rearranging schedules. We dropped the Tuesday a.m. class till September. That may come back as a Yoga 101, and we hope to have more than 3 students in there! 

Tippi...

...is healing fine from her surgery. Now if she'll only leave her foot alone, we can remove the Cone of Shame. It comes off while she's in our sight, but she often sneaks off to lick her foot. I know the re-growing of the hair must itch like crazy. Heck, I'm itching (still) from that heart monitor. But she will lick to extreme, so we have to watch her. 

Once I can get a nice picture of her in her "summer duds" we'll post it. 



Climate Deniers?

OK, so I did find this on Facebook. But pay attention, people. Crikey, just look at the summers and winters we've had lately. 

There's a lake at the North Pole. No, not a "lookee what we have under the ice" lake. An actual, visible from a camera, LAKE with a bouy floating on it. And it happened this year. July 22, 2013. 

I don't know about you, but this scares the jeepers out of me. The North Pole. It's supposed to be frozen. Well, climate deniers, what do you think of this? 

http://www.livescience.com/38347-north-pole-ice-melt-lake.html