The Strong Heel

Well, I sorta cheated. I got to 5 1/2" for the leg, and I measured my own leg. I know - almost every pattern says 7" for the leg length. On my stubby legs, that would almost be a knee-high! So 5 1/2" is where I started the heel. I stuck to the pattern on the leg, but I'm not doing it on the heel; that row of purls on either side of the heel would be annoying. 

I may do a star toe - in for a penny... or just a regular one. Haven't decided yet, but notes will be in order so that I do the exact sock on the other foot. I suppose I could have grabbed a second pair of needles, pulled the yarn from the middle and knitted both at the same time. But that's a bit too fiddly for me. I see folks doing multiples on long circulars, but that's not a challenge I wish to take. 

As you can see from the picture above, the 5 1/2" leg is a good length. The Strong heel, created by Gerdine Crawford-Strong, is outlined in The Sock Knitter's Handbook, as I indicated in my last entry. I had to change up one little thing: See the holes along the side? Those are the result of the M1 (make 1), lifting the lower bar of yarn. I didn't like them, and I realized that the last time I did this, I did Kfb (knit front and back) - which I switched to, so now there's a "little lace" right there on both sides, which is fine. I'm not going to bother to close them up; they're now a design element. 

I had to watch a YouTube video on the process, because I couldn't remember whether the heel turn was done flat - which it is... But I want to know why nobody shows anything on DPNs. It's all circulars and it can be a little mind-boggling. But I got the gist of it. 

It's moving along. I have to admit, once you get the hang of this heel, you might just be converted. No picking up stitches, which is where a lot of us express some frustration. Personally, my "sides" never look the same. The K2tog side is always neater than the SSK side. First World problem, right? Well, if you think that in the history of sock making, it was often delegated to 5-year-olds... Oh well. I know that, logically, if someone is THAT close to notice, they're wayyyyyyyy too close. 

The COVID Update...

I am "half-vaxxed." My next shot is April 9. And I think (fingers and toes crossed) that my sense of smell is coming back. Last night, we had "baked/fried" cod -- our version of fried cod, but baked, with a panko crust. And when Hubby opened the package of cod.... I SMELLED COD!! My "phew!" was automatic, so I wasn't really trying to smell. It just happened. Finally. I'm not sure if it's sticking yet. I smell stuff, but usually "off." 

I'm told that's common once it starts to come back. 

By the way, the cod was done perfectly. Would've been nice to have been able to taste it. But this gives me hope that it will eventually happen. 

It sounds silly, doesn't it? I mean it's taste and smell. A lot worse things have happened: I had a seizure while recovering, my A-fib is back with a vengeance thanks to the virus. And the word loss - the brain fog. Yikes... It takes me forever to blog, to write, to edit. To speak, some days. I laughingly say that I wish I was eating like I couldn't taste anything! 

Random Picture...

Not much else to write about at this point. I'm sure next time I'll be a little more vocal. 

Seems I picked another needlework pic... This is a batch of the ear savers I made. 

I've given away a bunch of them; and since it looks like masks will be with us for a while, I may be making more. This is a great way to use up your cotton yarn stash. I bought white buttons, but for myself, I just go into my button tin and pick out a couple. They should be about 1/2 inch or more. 

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Cheaters Never Prosper

 As in yoga, as in knitting... Let me explain.

I've just finished B.K.S. Iyengar's "Light on Life," and I'm re-reading it to a student (we read during Yin class). And we were on the chapter about consistent practice, where he said, in essence, "Cheaters never prosper." 

In other words, just do it right the first time. 

The Knitting...

Which brings me to my latest project. Socks, finally. Opal yarn, of course, Kfz-Mechatroniker, in color 7125, a lovely grey & blue self-striping yarn with a hint of cream. No idea what it means, but there's a crescent wrench on the label. I'm doing my own pattern - I call it "North, South, East, West." It's on 68 stitches, which should fit me to a tee. The normal 64 is slightly too tight. And 72 is too loose. So I figured 68 would do it. I was going to do plain vanilla, because I honestly have a problem with ribbed socks. The problem is ribbing bores me to distraction. And this yarn has enough of a stripe where if you do something too busy, it's going to look wrong. 

As you can see, this looks like "blue jeans with grey in the middle." Which is perfect for me. It'll be my second Opal colorway with blues and greys, which is great - I wear a lot of grey. 

So the pattern. As you might be able to see in the circles, I took the 4 DPNs and made the center parts purls. So there will be 4 columns of purl: North, South, East, West - going down the leg of the sock. At least that's what I'm planning - we shall see if it all works out the way it looks in my head. It's no huge shakes, but I figured it was something I haven't seen, so I can just try it. It's just yarn. It's just socks.  And I'm going to do the Strong Heel. Which has nothing to do with the actual strength of the heel. It has to do with the woman who invented it - Gerdine Crawford-Strong. Here is a YouTube on its construction, which is one of the more sensible ones I've seen on it. It's also outlined very nicely in "The Sock Knitter's Handbook," by Charlene Schurch & Beth Parrott. 

I did this heel in a pair of socks in a Roman Rib pattern, and it took me a minute or two to figure out how to finagle it. But it turns out they fit pretty nicely and there's no actual gusset to pick up.

So the "cheater" part? Well. I'm sort of anxious to start the heel. I've got almost 5" on the leg, and my usual instructions say to go to 7" -- and I always get "itchy" around 5... Which is technically a bit too short, even for my stubby shanks... So I really, really need to go to 7" on this. I could cheat. 

Of course I could. It's MY sock. 

But I need to just do these right and have some patience. Socks will happen...

Next up will probably be a WIP. Maybe this will be the year that I'll alternate a new thing with a WIP. And maybe I'll get side-tracked like I do each and every time...

I've Been Shot...

Well, vaccinated. Got my first shot a week ago. The side effects weren't bad. I was worried because I'd been told that folks who've had COVID tend to have issues - their bodies see the "first" shot as the "second." Which is where (the second shot, I mean) most folks feel the worst. 

Well. I'm doing ok. A bit of "urgh" on the first day, but otherwise, fine. Had to schedule the second one for a few days after its actual due date. Because that due date is our local election day, and I'm an election judge again. 

The Clerk's Office says we'll have all the appropriate precautions. But this time I think I'll actually use my own face shield. I'll have the maximum immunity from the first shot, but unfortunately, there are mask-holes. I'm not sure what the turnout will be for this election, but I want to be prepared. 

I've lost a friend to COVID and it hurts. She was someone I know - or had known - online. For over 15 years, so it's not just "some new BFF" -- but a person with whom I've had a long acquaintance. She went "radio silent" two months ago, and I'm sure her family thought that our group was a bunch of stalker-weirdos...we kept stalking her timeline, leaving voicemails and emails...checking on her. 

I guess the upshot of that is that we - our group, I mean - have gathered all our "contacts" -- we're putting together a list of emergency contacts just in case. You never know; and while our group has been together a long time, things change - we've had widowhood, divorce, etc. And it's nice to have a way of contacting someone in case you need to. 

How Does My Garden Grow...

We have a baby!!! Actually, it's my 30+ year old Bleeding Heart coming back again. She's a traditional pink one and she's a monster. Anyone who's followed this blog knows that occasionally, her picture turns up, and her name is The Monster Bleeding Heart. She's tucked into the northwest corner garden. Next to her is a miniature white bleeding heart, and on the absolute north side of the house are a variety of hostas and lily of the valley. All of which need to be thinned out this year. 

Technically, we should have done it last year, but 2020 was a mess in the whole, so why would you assume I'd have my garden under control? 

I bought seeds, too. Two kinds of leaf lettuce, carrots, and kale. As well as a packet of "butterfly and bee flowers" - which is a 4-pack. So 2 of the packets will be used at the studio in the flower pots in the front of the building, and two packets will be scattered in the wildflower garden. Hubby has promised to tame the milkweed. I mean, I want it there, just that last year (go figure) it was a total mess. They just took over everything, and I had more red beetles on them than caterpillars. So I'm hoping this year will be better. 

I'd like to have at least a monarch or two. I get a lot of swallowtails due to the parsley and dill in that bed. We shall see, though. 

Random Picture...

Where I got my shot was a clinic held in our local junior college (elsewhere, they're called community colleges) -- Joliet Junior College, which happens to be the nation's oldest junior college... I went to college there, back in the days when tuition wasn't even $25/credit hour. Yeah, it was in the good old days when you didn't need tons of money to get a 2-year degree. 

Anyway, that started my college career. And I hadn't been in there in years. It was weird going back. This is the staircase down to the cafeteria (which is where I got my shot). It's been a long, long time, and it brought back some great memories. 

Have you ever been back to your college? How long was it? And how did it feel?

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Three Things Finished, Two Time Outs

I feel like the title here is kind of Dr. Seuss. And of course, according to some morons, he's "cancelled" --- he's NOT. The Seuss Foundation, the folks in charge of his legacy, pulled a half-dozen obscure titles because of racist depictions. Dr. Seuss wasn't always woke. Actually, a few of his other cartoons are downright nasty, and not in a "let's poke fun at the Nazis" nasty (though there is that). But just incredibly not good. The images in these kids' books were hurtful. 

And of course, some conservative politicians, having nothing to pick on and apparently nothing legislatively going on... decided to make a stink. Even had one of 'em reading "Green Eggs and Ham" (which is still in print, so you're all good). Yeesh. 

Discernment. It's important. 

The Blog...

So I really wanted to be here every day. For pity's sake, a blogger I read who's nearing NINETY is blogging just about every day. 

What's my problem? I just didn't think I had much to write about. Here's what's been going on:

Homework for 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training. I'm in my last module: Philosophy. TONS of reading. Lots of homework. Plus being in a monthly therapeutic apprenticeship, which also requires tons of work. Definitely worth it, and so close to my goal, but a lot of work. 

Still recovering from COVID-19. Three months on, still no taste/smell. Rather frustrating, to say the least. Notwithstanding the lack of these senses, I'm managing to eat. Sadly. I can taste sweet/salty and sharp. But that's about it. I can't taste if I'm eating pork or veggies -- so everything basically tastes like nothing. You would think I wouldn't have an appetite... (sigh).

My nose feels perpetually plugged - like I have to blow my nose but nothing happens. Not even a Neti pot helps. Sorry if that's TMI, but that's the reality of long-haul COVID, and that's with mild cases. 

And words. Words still fail me sometimes. I just...can't think of the word. And for me? That's driving me nuts. 

So - MASK UP, get the vaccine as soon as you can, wash your hands, socially distance. This is TOTALLY not "just like the flu." 

The Politics...

What in the name of heaven is going on? It's like 1999 all over again with the GQP (yeah, GQP) claiming that "on such-and-such a day, #TheFormerGuy (as I shall henceforth say) will miraculously be President." Then, "Oops, not THAT day... THIS day... after all, it was stolen from him." Yeah, because 74 million is ALWAYS bigger than 81 million. In any universe. Even with Common Core Math, this doesn't work. 

And President Biden has big plans, with very little time to get them through. So of course, Dems like Manchin and Sinema have to obstruct every time you turn around. 

Locally, I did postcards for a friend who's running for school board. I've researched our local candidates, marked up our sample ballots and am ready for voting in the local election in April. We're again going to vote early. Mostly because I'm planning on being an election judge again, and we're actually very lucky: our state isn't governed by a bunch of GQP goons who don't want anyone in the Democratic Party to ever vote again, so we can vote in several ways: early, absentee, and at the day. Oh, I heard #TheFormerGuy just asked for his mail-in ballot. What's that? "Mail in ballots are a fraud" is the essence of what he repeatedly said... But apparently -- he will be using one for the upcoming election in his state. Imagine. 

Hypocrisy, thy name is #TheFormerGuy and the GQP. 

They continue to undermine the voting rights of Americans. They want us to go back to the days when a large segment of the population was declared 3/5ths of a person.  

I mean, for God's sake, one of their lawyers even told Amy COVID Barrett "if we don't gut the Voting Rights Act, Repubs will never win another election." So basically, you can't win unless you cheat. And you felt that saying that in front of a Supreme Court judge (still can't believe THAT) was a good idea. I'm hoping (hoping that it's not hoping against hope) that that remark alone would disqualify the whole argument. But you never know. John Lewis is probably spinning in his grave. 

Anyway, if you have a local election coming up, do your research. Don't just vote for a name because you recognize it. You may recognize it but know nothing else. So look them up. Vote for the person who shares your principles, not just because you've seen their name around...

The Winter...

Well, we survived Snowmageddon 2021. That's me standing before the "snow mountain" in the parking lot at work. Sorry about the angle; I'm short and the mountain was tall. 

I got to wear my Gigantic Hiking Boots. And at work, I promptly took a tumble. Down the stairs. Well, not a whole tumble. What happened was that I was going down into the basement in the office because some idiot had left the lights on and I check the building because I'm usually the last one out the door. The toe of my right Gigantic Hiking Boot caught on the step, and my left leg kept going. My left hand grabbed the railing, torquing the thumb that has been screwed back together, bending it at an angle where it shouldn't really go. I ended up in a half-split on the stairs. 

The words I wanted to holler stayed inside. Thankfully. And thankfully, yoga enabled me to not hurt myself too badly. So the thumb was achy for a couple of days. And now, I'm dealing with a knee thing on the right side. That leg got stretched backward and a bit sideways. 

Knees don't like sideways. I have the feeling something got jogged out of place. I have to figure out how to make it better...without going to a doctor, who's likely to tell me I tore something and tell me that I need to wear a brace. I have one. It sucks. 

The Knitting...

So I finished a thing. Remember that squishy yarn that I was working on with the simple lace pattern? I finished it. It's nearly 7 feet long. SEVEN feet. A Dr. Who scarf without all the colors, and in lace, which was not what I'd intended. But it's what I ended up with. I lost at Yarn Chicken with it and didn't quite finish it off as nicely as I'd planned, but it's for me, and it's SEVEN FEET LONG (did I mention that?) so if someone gets close enough to examine both ends of it, they're likely WAY too close for COVID-times anyway. (Pardon the mess -- I was in the midst of clearing out a bunch of stuff and I wanted to block this so I basically shoved my stacks over to one side.)

I did wear it, and it's surprisingly warm. Of course, we're having a False Spring, or as we call it here in Illinois, "Give it a minute." So I will have other opportunities to wear it, as we'll be getting more "seasonable" temps in the next week or so. 

Which is why I enjoy living here. I can wear my wool socks virtually all year round, and at almost any given moment, except for maybe August, we can potentially wear a shawl somewhere. And then there's A/C when we're able to actually go somewhere else besides our house... In restaurants, they inevitably seat me either next to someone who's loud or directly under an A/C vent, so I'm unable to hear my dining partner and I'm freezing. 

Next up on the Finished Items list: The Step It Up Shawl using a Caron Cake that was a gift; these were or are the rage, and I couldn't figure it out. The ball band said "make a scarf." Another scarf I do not need, so I went to Yarnspirations (the Caron pattern library online) and found this cute thing.The yarn color is Bumbleberry. It's a shawl in the shape of an obtuse triangle (look it up). The whole thing took me just a month of monagamous knitting time - which I've found that I like. Just focusing on one project at a time. Maybe that's slower, but it works for me because otherwise, it seems like nothing I do ever gets completed; and my stash of WIPs is kind of ... large...

Anyway, how did I come by this yarn? Well. My friend gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago (pre-COVID) with a whole bunch of knitting accessories - I was rather impressed because she doesn't knit. I have a little purse thing, big enough for a shawl pattern & supplies, a needle roll, and a project bag that looks almost exactly like a lovely little make-up suitcase. In black & white polka-dots, looking just like something out of a 1920s movie. It's adorable. And it's holding the next shawl. I've put my NEW project into one of the bags: Back to a pair of socks with a pattern I'm fiddling with. I'm not at all a knitting designer, but I was tinkering with math (yeah, another shocker) and I thought I'd try something. 

I only make socks for myself, so if they suck, I don't care - just wear 'em under jeans. And people are usually so gobsmacked that I knit socks that they compliment ANYTHING that comes off my DPNs. So there's no pressure there. Just getting my hands & fingers used to size 1s rather than size 9s. It takes a few rows. 

I also finished another thing...(yes, that's THREE THINGS FINISHED -- go ahead, fan yourself, I'll wait...) a long, skinny sash thingie out of some random novelty yarn. Could be worn as a belt or a scarf. Red and white. Ancient. Like over 10 years ago WIP ancient. 

As I recall, this came to me by way of a "raffle basket." A way long, long, long, LONG time ago, my friend Sonda, who owned my very favorite LYS (she has passed, unfortunately, young, from melanoma), was in the same women's group as I was and still am. It used to be our custom to have those of us who owned a business do an occasional meeting raffle prize. Well, the woman who won it was absolutely not a knitter, and she knew I was - so she handed me the basket. It had some needles, a couple novelty yarns and a few other notions in it. I was tickled. In the days when we could do that, occasionally I would win something -- usually a bottle of wine, which for me is useless. So I would pass it on or ask them to draw another name. Karma is a good thing. 

As I dove back into the bag that contained this item (a purse my SIL gave me from Peru -- the country, not the town in Illinois), I found two other ancient WIPs: a bias scarf using Safari Mohair (Lion Brand). Holy crap, why in the name of Ariadne the Knitting Goddess did I buy that??? It got frogged tonight, and I played with the idea of re-knitting it. 

The second just-as-ancient WIP was out of some ungodly Homespun. Don't judge me. At one point, EVERYONE was addicted to it. And that was while it was still half-way decent in quality. It's gone downhill from there, in my opinion. 

That was a knitted scarf, with a pattern that I can't even remember. Frogged it. Thought about knitting THAT as the bias scarf. Then thought about crocheting it. 

Then, had a knitting revelation... Why do that? What joy would that bring? And do I really want another Homespun scarf? 

Rewound it and chucked it in the bag with the mohair. I'll be donating those to the prayer shawl ministry at church. Someone will enjoy them. Not me. 

I have too many things that I really want to knit. I've decided 2021 is going to be the year of knitting stuff that I want to knit. Not worrying about WIPs that I "need" to finish. Who said that? Who made that rule? Not I.

In truth, there are really some WIPs I have that I actually DO want to finish. But I'm going to be culling them; my friend "D" just handed me a crap-ton of yarn that she's off-loading; she's turned to quilting, which is cool because she's outstanding at it. She's a truly epic knitter, too, and I don't use that word as a slang term. The woman is a needlework magician. The yarn is all Good Stuff, because she didn't buy cheap. And there are a bunch of things I really want to knit with that, as well as my own stash. One thing about this pandemic: I have actually been stash-busting to a large extent. 

So then I also thought, "I'd best get skippy on a baby knit just in case," because my mom had mentioned that my nephew and his wife were "thinking about family." I don't want to get caught short, so I picked a couple colors: teal and a darker ivory (taupe-beige but not "dusty") and thought I'd do a color block afghan, or maybe just double them up and do a tweedy thing. Better to have something in reserve. I also have a couple skeins of neutral Cascade 220 Superwash so I can do a sweater. Now I just have to find the buttons I bought. 

I do have a baby sweater done already, but it's blue variegated. And it'll work if the next family member is a boy. I mean, it's REALLY blue. I have an orchid version of that yarn somewhere in a bin...somewhere. It's nice acrylic, so maybe if I find it...

Next time, I hope to have pictures of a sock that's down the calf a ways so you can see my "unvention" of a pattern (an Elizabeth Zimmerman reference). Right now, it's just past the cuff and looks like nothing more than a napkin ring. 

The Reading...

We're doing a book club. So all of us are reading "I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" by Austin Channing Brown. Disclosure here: I'm a white female who's past 60. I have so far enjoyed reading this book, but I'm probably not at the point where it will make me uncomfortable.

And I'm ok with that. I've sailed through my life, for the most part, with the usual bumps that women have had. But I've never given particular thought to what black women go through - not that I've ignored it. I just haven't had to think about it. How "white privilege" is that? So I'm hoping that this book will help me get better insight. As a friend of mine said, "You white women are exhausting." 

I don't want to be exhausting. I just want to be better. 

The Epiphany #1...

No, not the liturgical one. The epiphany (small "E") I had in my head. I'm kind of zoned out about the whole 1-year-anniversary-of-the-pandemic thing. I mean, I'm in a rut. I'm numb. That's weird. 

Though why I would think that is kind of silly. I'm a human like everyone else. I just don't feel much of anything. Looking back at my first paragraph, all I can say is "apathy." I really just. Don't. Feel. That's very strange. And scary. 

The Epiphany #2...

Since this no taste/smell thing, I've eaten stuff that I normally wouldn't eat, like roasted red peppers, onions, etc. I mean, they're supposed to be good for you, right? And I just thought I didn't like the taste or texture, so I avoided them. As long as I'm in this state, I figured that I might as well get some benefit from eating them while I couldn't taste them. They're supposed to be full of vitamins, so what the heck... 

Wrong... My tastebuds may be temporarily out to lunch (yeah, I know...let me have my one pun, please), but my stomach is on alert. 

My stomach does NOT like the things I previously didn't like due to taste or texture. Green or red peppers and onions, mostly. I still won't eat eggplant, no matter how far gone my tastebuds are. That's just as nasty as okra, and I'm perfectly happy to argue the point... 

I ate a Whole-30 approved meat stick that I bought by mistake (Jalapeno flavored), thinking that it would be fine. It went down fine. And my stomach STRONGLY told me in no uncertain terms, "DON'T DO THAT!!!" 

Okey-dokey. Now I know. Believe me when I tell you (without too much extra info) that I am now paying attention. 

Random Picture...

Hubby's orchid bloomed. If you recall, I started by bringing a few orchids home, and researching all different ways to make them grow. Then Hubby kind of "muscled in" --- and I'm PERFECTLY fine with that, because I can literally see his blood pressure go down when he's pottering around with "his" orchids. We have two regular-sized phalaenopsis (Moth) orchids (like you buy at the Target or grocery store), 3 minis of the same kind that we bought at an orchid house, and 2 Cattleyas, otherwise known as those "Mother's Day" orchids - like you'd give your mom a corsage. Or at least that's what they used to do - I've seen them in the stores. The one Cattleya is blooming and she's gorgeous. 

I'm not sure if he's going to split her up or just re-pot after she's done. He keeps saying we have "no more room," but somehow or another, there's always room for just one more. 

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