We're Having a Heat Wave...

...and it's going to be obnoxious by Thursday. August has decided to just be itself all in one week, seeing as last week, it was 67 degrees at night.  What's a girl to do, except hunker down in front of the fan and knit. Small stuff, of course. By Thursday, the temps will be 105-ish. Not the "feels like," but the actual temperature of the area. 

The Knitting...

I needed a break from the sock. I was knitting along on it and just finding myself dreading it. I mean, it's not like I haven't been knocking out socks like crazy - at least for me. I figured I needed a break, so I figured I'd whack out a wash cloth. 

It just seems like that 5 1/2" leg is taking FOR. EVER. I knit a bunch of rows, and measure. And it's still not there. So I do it again. And it's still not there! 

That's when I knew that I had to do something, because otherwise, that sock would go into Time-Out, and I'd be left with a finished singleton that I whacked out and a partial of its mate, ruining my streak. 

I have at least 2 singletons left, at my count. I just have to figure out where I stashed them. 

My friend K is trying to quit smoking, so I toddled off to Michael's and got some cotton yarn, knitting needles, and a little bag for her. If you're going to set someone up to knit, do it up right, I think. I have a project bag, her needles, a little workbag, and I'll find one of my 16 tape measures and give it to her, along with folding scissors and a tapestry needle, and crochet hook. 

I find that what discourages me from knitting or any other craft is not having tools to hand when I need them. So starting something then finding that I need X -- and having to go hunt for it, or realizing that I actually need to go buy it? That's a pain in the rear, and it's frustrating. 

I would imagine that quitting smoking is equally as frustrating. I saw my dad try at least 8 times, and I'm not exaggerating. He tried everything. He tried the tools available to him, because it was so long ago, there were no nicotine patches or pills. He tried a rubber band which he snapped at his wrist. He tried a staple in his ear (acupuncture-ish). He tried crocheting - seriously, he was pretty good at it. He tried cold turkey - which was the thing that eventually worked. 

But once he got cancer, 8 years after he quit, he found that smoking was somethign that actually helped the nausea from the chemo. Drove my mom nuts, but as the doctor said, "That's not what's going to kill him."

So for K, I want to set her up for success. If nothing else, maybe she'll knit up a few wash cloths. 

As you know, I use them on my face. The knitted ones are really nice for exfoliation. The crocheted ones, in my opinion, are better for dishes, but Hubby likes those for after he shaves. 

What I did was a diagonal pattern, sometimes called "Grandma's Dish Cloth," though in my mind, it's "Sister Albert Marie's Dish Cloth" because that was one that this nun could whip out in a day. Technically, I probably could too, but I'd have to have been knitting with larger needles. 

It's hard for me to transition from size 1 to size 8. Technically, the Sugar & Cream yarn calls for size 7 needles, but I had a set of 8s handy, and I knew I was going to knit tighter, having just been knitting socks. So that's what I used. The yarn was what I had in stash, sothat's what we have. And I have at least 4 cloths that are beyond repair now, so this is just a replenishing mission here. 

My top and bottom finishing isn't great, but it's a wash cloth. I did go to Betsy's to pick up some Butterfly Pea Flower tea, and I bought out their stash of light blue. My mission is going to be to do cloths for my yoga teachers, and I've got some lovely charcoal soap, and that's what they're getting for Christmas. It took me a weekend to do this cloth, and even if I do a different pattern for each one, they do go quickly. 

I prefer to do a wash cloth for new knitters. Even though cotton yarn is pretty unforgiving in terms of its stretch (it doesn't), I think it can take a beating if you need to frog it a couple times. I know a scarf is the thing most of us learned to knit, but to me, that can be mind-numbing. This diagonal pattern teaches useful techniques, and it's far enough apart for you to get the hang of just straight knitting for a bit. 

End of An Era...

Well, I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to finally ditch my old Birkenstocks. The footbeds were just done. The one pair was so old that they're not made anymore. And the other pair was quickly following. And the soles were getting too slippery for me. New hip, can't afford any mis-steps or slips. So out they went. 

I ended up buying a pair of the Arizona style (which is what I usually wear, and that's how I show off my socks), and then I got a pair of clogs, which would look like a loafter with long pants. Works for me. 

The Arizona (yes, I have weird feet) are unoiled leather, so they'll end up with a nice patina on them. It's different to feel these "new" ones, as opposed to ones that just literally molded themselves to my feet. The break-in is annoying but you do have to take it slowly. Blisters are no fun. 

The clogs are really comfortable, and I can wear them around the house since it's too stinking hot to wear regular house slippers, and I don't want to go barefoot (!) because it's Shed-mageddon here in the house. Doggo floof the size of bunnies coming from both dogs. It's everywhere. 

The clogs are a light lilac, you almost don't notice the color. I went by shoe size. Back in the day, I was European 39 which is 8-8.5... My feet have grown a bit, as they are wont to do as you get older. I'm a size 9 now, so they sent me European size 40. A little room at the back of the heel, but when I wear them with socks, it'll be fine. 

I'll wear these sandals clear through till the snow flies. They're really comfortable and supportive, and as you can tell - they do last. My brown ones were at least 30 years old, and the black ones nearly 25. Not too bad - I really got my money out of them. 

I wore my Boston clogs for the hip replacement and the nurse refused to let me wear them home - she was afraid I'd trip. I get it, but those things are molded to my feet. I wore them at home just fine. 

Pedicure Time...

So the other problem with the hip is that for now, I can't externally rotate my hip, which means I can't take care of my left foot. I use a long scrubby brush to wash the foot, but otherwise, I am just getting to where SOMETIMES I can put a sock on. 

Once I got more mobile and felt comfortable, I got out to Diva's, my usual spot for a pedicure. I had the tech use my color; I feel better just bringing my own, though the summer colors (aside from a crap-ton of Barbie pink...) were cute. I had a "Metallic Blend," which is a nice neutral. And sparkly. 

I wore my "remedial flip flops," a pair of Sanuk sandals. As you can see, there's a strap around the back, which actually helps me walk in the things! So after a pedicure, your feet are usually really, really smooth with lotion, and I had regular Sanuk flip flops, and they just didn't work. Especially with that left foot, with the wonky toe that wants to cross over the big toe? I was a mess walking to the parking lot. No way I was doing it with a healing hip. 

The part of the sandal that goes thru the toes is the part that goes round the back of the foot. At Diva's, once they get you to the polish point, you get your sandals back on, so you're already set and your toes don't smudge. The fabric that wraps around the instep is lovely, too. These are just a tiny wedge, and they're very easy to wear. I feel stable in them, which is a huge deal. At that point, I was still using a cane. 

The hardest thing, once I got in there, was putting my left leg up and into the tub, and then lifting it on to the shelf where the tech can work on my foot. Of course I told her the issue, and she was more than careful, which made me feel comfortable. And it felt soooooooo good. Not only the pampering, but just knowing that I was able to do this bit of care for my feet. 

I asked her about those "foot masks" that you see at the drug store and she emphatically told me NOPE. She said that my feet were really soft (I thought I had calluses, but apparently, not as bad as some folks), and that the masks had the potential to burn softer tissue. Thanks, but I really don't need that, right? My feet were dry, however, and so are my legs. I still have to work on folding over to get to my ankles. 

I'm looking forward to the next trip to Diva's and picking out which color I want next. Maybe a lovely blue? I'll have to go shopping in my bathroom cabinet. See what hasn't been used in a while. 

Otherwise, the hip is doing quite nicely, almost as if things are slotting into place in the correct order. I can do a few yoga poses (VERY few), and I am forgetting my cane every so often in the house. I'm set to come back to the office full time in September, and today at PT, I was told that while I still had some ways to go, my stride is more fluid than it was and my strength is building in the way it should. Yay!

Random Picture...

Monday was my first trip to the grocery store. In almost 18 months. Seriously, I had stopped going because it was so hard to get around. I went to the Fresh Thyme, and I stuck to my list. Crap, though - they moved a lot of stuff around! I couldn't find things! And you can tell there are shortages in some things. But it was nice to get out and do my own shopping. 

I haven't gone to a bigger store yet. And seriously, the first few times that I went even to a CVS, I needed a nap!

But it was good to see the progress; the fact that I could go shopping (sorry, dear!). The fact that I could walk a ways longer than I could the week before. I'm trying to not compare with anyone else. My journey to being whole again is my own. Nobody else's.

I anticipate further progress. I anticipate that someone, somewhere, may say that I'm "babying" my leg. And I anticipate that, if that's said to my face, the person saying it will probably regret that they said it. I'm a big girl and not afraid to tell someone to buzz off.  

Moving Right Along...

Well, the groin/hip flexors still hurt. And I'm getting more challenges with the PT (which is good, and to be expected). I'm betting that this week is The Big Dangle... Where I skooch my butt to the very edge of the long side of the PT table and my therapist guides my left leg down....as far as it will go before I think I'm back in labor, I guess, and we stretch the hip flexors as well as increase my range of motion. He'll be holding on to the leg. It's just creepy, because I actually hang on to the side of the table - it feels that close to falling off.  

Am I looking forward to that? About as much as I look forward to a nice case of constipation. At least with labor, I got a baby in the end... but it is necessary, so I'll suck it up and deal with it. He's lucky I don't cuss. 

The Knitting...

One more pair down! I've finished the Petty Harbour socks. I didn't put a link here because you can get this pattern on several different sites. It's free, as far as I know. 

So to recap: The yarn is Cascade Heritage Sock, and it's like knitting with spun butter. I moved to my next project, in Opal, and what a difference! Heritage Sock is a bit finer, too. 

These were done cuff-down on 5 DPNs, size 2.5 mm. The second sock actually took about a month of pretty consistent knitting. I'm not fast, but I am a good plugger-alonger. 

This may be my best Kitchener Toe yet. From me to you? SKIP THE SET-UP ROW. Just go right to it. No ears. Seriously, look at that toe!

And again, my hint on SSK: Slip the 1st stitch KW and the 2nd stitch PW...to me, that matches the K2tog the best. 

This pattern was easy to memorize. It's a nice 4-row repeat and two of the rows are knit around. I'm not sure how I'm going to like the pattern on the instep - that's not normally my thing. But I figured I'd do this one as written, except for my patented* 6 rows of knitting at the top to slightly roll the cuff so it goes over my high instep and sits comfortably on my biker's calves.  *It's really not patented. Go ahead and try it if you want. Enjoy!

I'd do this again, make the leg longer (it's written as 5 1/2" and I like 7" better), and not do the pattern on the instep. 

Qualms: It is sooooooooo soft. I'm hoping it wears well. On a FB group, I contemplated frogging both socks, and making this into a shawl. But I read more reviews and people said that the wear was good. Mind you, I'm used to Opal, which wears like iron. We shall see on these. 

These socks have been sitting in time-out since 2015 at least. I had one cuff partially done. And they just sat there. They may have been set aside for baby knitting; that was about the time that the family was in baby-making mode and it felt like all I was doing was baby garments.

I will probably buy more of this yarn, to do a shawl. It's just fluffy, soft and looks like it's going to be nicely warm, and not too heavy to wear. 

As for the next project, The Mystery Sock... I think I may have figured out that this is the NSEW project I created in my head -- which would be my second "design" if you will. This is done on 68 stitches. I needed a midpoint between 64 and 72, which is where most patterns jump. This gives you 17 stitches per inch. The NSEW stands for North South East West - which is how those big swaths of knitting sit on the sock, with the purls bisecting it. So north and south on your calf, and east and west is where you'll see the knitting, if that makes sense. 

I want to say that my 8x8 Rib Sock design was also 68, but I'd have to go look that up and I'm not inclined to do that right now. I mean, honestly, I don't like my 8x8 pattern. But I'd do the NSEW pattern again. I bet it would look great in a gradient yarn. 

Anyhow, on each of 4 needles, you K7, P3, K 7. I think that's what this second sock is - or was intended to be. And even if it's not, it's close enough. It has a Strong Heel, and a regular toe, and for some odd reason, I carried this pattern down the instep as well. What was I thinking? Well, since this has been sitting here since 2021, I can't remember. But at least this WIP isn't as "vintage" as the Petty Harbour!

It's an easy TV knit, and I guess my only qualm with this is that for the first few inches of the leg, you can't really see the pattern - it's not looking like the one on the blocker. But then again, that's the problem. I may have created a new way of doing "fraternal" socks where you use the same yarn but two complimentary patterns! Always fashion-forward, kids - that's me! (ha!)

I volunteered for a group called "Loose Ends Project" where you can offer to finish projects for families. Like, if Granny passes and an afghan is half-done, someone might volunteer to finish it for the family. 

We'll see how that goes. It encompasses a lot of different techniques, so we'll have to see what shows up. It could be very rewarding to finish off projects like this, but I don't want it to become "another job."

The Floof...

"Do they shed?" 

Um. Yeah. 

Raisa is one of those huskies who doesn't like to be brushed. She's a weirdo, let's face it. Cute, but weird. And we have been pushing her to be combed at least. Her guard hairs are very long; longer than other Huskies I've had. So it'll mat up nicely with the undercoat if it's not taken care of. 

And if she dislikes brushing, she HATES mats in her fur. But she doesn't quite get the logic of "if we brush you, your fur won't mat." Dogs... 

This picture is one-half of her tail. One. Half. Of. Her. Tail. And we're still working on finishing the tail and her "pants." 

I can sit there at night and literally pull out blobs of hair. She gets aggravated after a while, but I tell her to hush. Or she moves away. 

Double-coated dogs...you gotta love 'em and you gotta be willing to roll with the tumbleweeds you're gonna get 2 times a year, 6 months at a time. 

We call it "doggie glitter." 

Random Picture...

Quinn loves to sniff. Well, she is, after all, a hunting dog. So we have this game we play called "Snurffling." 

When the mail comes, she gets to 'snurfle' it. When a package comes, same thing. When I get home from visiting my mom or someone else who has a dog or cat -- or when I come home from the stables, she gets to sniff me from stem to stern.

So when I finished the last sock, I set them down to photograph, and her nose went to work. 

She sniffed so hard that my socks and my blockers were wet! She even stepped on my socks!

In my memory, these socks haven't ever been anywhere except for my knitting bag, here in the house. I wonder what the heck she was smelling. 

She had a good time. She approved of the socks. So says the Queen...