Progress in State Politics? Oh, and Socks...

Politics...

So Gov. Quinn (in some circles, known as "Gov. Jell-O") has finally done something that is, of course, being labeled a Political Stunt.

And I'm ok with that. Because at least it SOUNDS like progress, even though, yes, by and large it is most likely a Political Stunt.

He's zeroed-out the budget for legislative pay (including his own, I must add), till the state politicos get their severe rectal-cranial inversion fixed and do something positive about pension reform. Now, that's likely to mean whatever they come up with will suck. But at least there may be some forward momentum, because right now, on several levels, this is a horrible situation. 

We are the laughingstock of the nation. Aside from the 2 governors in prison, I mean. Our state rates a really crappy credit score; we have a "purple" state in that the Reds and the Blues are equally corrupt and practice the Religion of Nepotism with a verve and fervor not normally seen outside of the Bible Belt. And there are so many seniors I know who are in dire straits. They're in danger of being penalized by the politicos and losing what's left of their pensions. 

The issue is truly complex to unpack. I can't. Well, maybe I could, but I'm not privy to anything other than what I read in the papers. And I can tell you that even the conservative Chicago Tribune said today in their editorial that the legislators haven't done their jobs, so why should they get paid?

Now, can we ask that question in Washington???

I know. Stop laughing. 

Knitting...

Teal Trekking XXL

Here's the progress on the Trekking XXL socks. Not much, but every sock starts with a cuff. At least the top-down ones, right? You can see the roll where I did the knit rows. And I have to say, a 1x1 rib is a very fiddly business. 

The pattern is A Nice Ribbed Sock and you can click on the name to get the link. It's free. I think it'll be a nice addition to my sock knitting repertoire. You know how many varieties of sock yarn there are out there? Well, a couple of plain patterns in your notebook will be enough, really, to get you started on a "good sock drawer" full of handmade socks. I know, I sound like an evangelist, right? But as soon as I got past the "ayyyyyyyyyyyy" factor - in which I said, "Ayyyyyyyyyy, I'll NEVER be able to do this!!!!" -- well, it's not rocket science. Though one must suspend some belief around the time you turn the heel, because that's still magical to me. It just turns. 

Seriously, you follow the directions and then, presto! A heel. Sheer genius! 

Cuff & Roll

I think that, just for grins, I'll actually follow the pattern this time. Though I still use the joining method in the sock book I have at home. Basically, on the DPNs, you exchange the first cast-on stitch with the last one and it makes a nice, crisp and basically invisible join with no jog in the first row. I'm not at the point where I'm able to knit socks off the top of my head, but I am more comfortable now.

I just noticed the picture. I really need some hand lotion... 

I wish I could take my socks on the plane. Hubby and I are off on a trip in August. Kid #2 will be holding down the fort along with the intrepid Tippi and loudmouth Quinn. But I just checked the regulations...I can take plastic needles.

Seriously, you can take a butane lighter on a plane, but you have to have plastic knitting needles. Not even my bamboo circulars!! So I have to find a plastic set in my stash to put the Before and After scarf on. That's turned out to be my mindless-travel-knitting project. Well, it's 96" or so - there's a lot of "mindless" there. I'm just having a minor knitting spasm thinking of that lovely lace-weight merino on plastic needles. 

I'm also going to the TKGA show in Indianapolis with two fiber fan friends. I am taking 2 classes and each of them is taking one class each. One of the classes is a big-honkin' Aran Sweater class! Yikes! I'm just doing Continental Knitting and one other. I have homework to do which amounts to casting on 40 stitches. I think I can get that done in time!! I'm driving, because I'm an anal retentive control freak who doesn't do well in traffic. It's been ever since the head-on accident in 2000 - I just get antsy when other people drive. That's ok. My truck is comfy, it's high up so I can see, and they can knit in the car. I actually can't knit in the car because of the no-line bifocals. They also prohibit my reading in the car, as well. Too much movement.

Reading...

It occurs to me that I haven't talked about books here for forever. Right now, I'm reading Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace in "real book" form and I'm working my way through the Jane Austen collection on the Kindle. The actual version of Sense and Sensibility is quite different from the movie, although I must confess that, aside from the obvious age gap between the actors and characters, I like the Emma Thompson version the best. The story is handled well, though Kate Winslet as a 17-year-old is stretching my literary muscle to its extreme. 

Apparently, I can take the Kindle on the plane, so I may load up on some Margaret Atwood and have those to read. I had read Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale - I have both of them in regular book form. I don't mind re-reading a book if it's a good one. 

I also re-read all of the Yarn Harlot books I have. I do have to pick up a few I missed. But those will be in regular book format. I've linked to her blog here, but her books are in the sidebar. What I like, aside from the humor, is that often, the patterns are so accessible! Her sock pattern is next on my list of experiments. With the Opal yarn, most likely, since it seems to be a pretty straightforward sock and the Opal is self-patterning. 


Yoga...

So I taught my first Community Class. It was different, teaching with 2 other people, particularly when THEY practiced the sequence and I didn't! Happily, I did the intro, so there wasn't much for me to actually practice. We got lucky in that we all are fairly mellow folks; our practice was a quiet one, and we handled the transitions pretty well, in my opinion. The  next one is July 23 and I'm still working on my section. In that one, I'm doing the middle section, so I have to wait - all we have is the middle and end sections...Dang, I hate being dependent on someone else to get things done. But I need to let go of that. She'll get it to us, and we have our part in to her, so she can see what we're planning. I just have to make sure my section is about 1/2 hour. With at least 3 poses "just in case." Always better to have too much, in this instance.

It also looks like my Tuesday a.m. class may be going on hiatus for August. We're not getting the people. But I have to say I'm very happy with the Wednesday night class. I had 8 people last night. You may think that's not a huge class; it's not huge but it's workable for someone with limited teaching experience. And I don't like big classes. Frankly, I think our training class is too big, but that's just me. I'm used to smaller classes at our campus in my day job, and I think that there has to be a limit in order to be effective teaching. The Tuesday class has only generated two or three people at a crack, and honestly, we need at least 8 consistently (which would probably mean an average of 10 who come "regularly" because the average might then be 8 week-to-week). We've got some options, so we'll see. 

Dental Freak-out...

My permanent crown comes in next week. Yes, I'm freaked out. And I think I have 2 more cavities. What the heck........??? The crown gets "installed" the day before I leave for Indianapolis, so hopefully it goes without incident. 

Anyway, tomorrow, I go with my knitting group to just sit and knit. Will finally (I hope!) get the cuff done on the sock and be able to start on the leg.

Saturday at work, I'll work on yoga homework. Hey - it's the a.m. shift and after we get them settled in, nothing else is going on! 

Till next time....

Socks and More...

So, I'm going to try to be more consistent on the blogging thing... 

We managed to escape any t-storms last night; today, it's clouding up a bit (and will most likely break loose about the time we take the dogs out the door to the vet) and there may be t-storms. I got brave, though, and put all the feeders back out and put the gazing balls back into their holders. 

And I hit the LYS for one skein of sock yarn. Go ahead. Laugh. So the LYS is having a KAL. (Translation: The local yarn store is having  a knit-a-long) And the yarn they're using is Trekking XXL - a sock yarn. The KAL benefits Ovarian Cancer research, so the color is Teal and it's called Susanne. It's really pretty - a bright pop of color. 

The KAL is for a toe-up sock. Ain't happening; I'm going to do my own pattern - well, someone's pattern that I like. I think it's crying for a great leg; perhaps a little simple lace, or a chevron. The nice thing about the yarn is that there's a TEN DOLLAR donation PER BALL of yarn to research. That's phenomenal. 

I have 2 very simple patterns; and I might just do the swirly rib that I'm using for Robin's Nest. Sure, it's the same pattern, but what do you want to bet that it looks totally different in a solid? 

The Collar of Shame

Tippi got The Collar of Shame last night. She was messing with the site of the pain patch. They removed the patch, but she's sensitive to the adhesive, apparently, and it irritated her skin. I tried to just be stern, but it didn't work, and I wasn't going to stay up all night making sure she didn't mess with the irritated leg. So this happened around midnight. She tried the "stink-eye." Then she tried the "sweetheart" -- and then she gave up. This picture was taken in her favorite hideout: my bathroom. She got it off to eat, but it's now back on. What happens is that she gets grumpy and then she figures out it's a good pillow. We go to the vet for the next bandage change; she's not bothering her incision at all. Thank goodness!! 

Cascade Heritage Silk

So, what else did I get at the LYS? Lots of Opal. I love the colors and it wears like iron! Here's what I have: Opal Sweet & Spicy, in colorways as shown on the pictures. Also, I've wound up the Cascade Heritage Silk. I was going to change to another yarn for G's scarf, but looking at the Heritage, I really want her to have silk. I added this to Ravelry, so you need to go there to find the pattern. The pattern is called Lettuce Leaf Scarf, by Janice Lynn for Madelinetosh. You can also go to the actual Madelinetosh site to find this; it's a free pattern. 

I'm noticing a lot of blue so far! Yikes! 

Opal 6752

Now for the Opals. They're all, as I said, in the Sweet & Spicy variety. I loved what 6752 looked like in the picture. There's a nice tweediness in the heel if I follow their pattern. Either way, it's a very pretty sock that would be good in a clog or even just a Birkenstock. I know - socks with Birks is cheesy. But I'm spending $20 per ball here, people... I want to show off my socks!

Opal 6755

The next one is 6755 - a very nice spring-ish green pattern with hints of taupe. What I like about this one is the variety of colors in this one, and how it's got that pop of orange in it. I think I can still use my size 2 needles. It can go down to a size 1, but I knit fairly tightly on the DPNs, so I don't have trouble doing a few rows and see how it looks. 

I did for grins just buy another set of DPNs - bamboo ChiaoGoo. Not my favorite, but just in case I delay putting the scarf on needles, I wanted a spare set of DPNs in the smaller size to get cracking on socks. At some point, I'll have to go order another set of Kollage. I do have some Kollage size 1 circulars...Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe I should just do one of these in Magic Loop? There's a thought.  

Magic Loop would certainly work better on this kind of yarn rather than the hiking socks that I tried it on! I have the basic idea, so it shouldn't be that hard to just wing it. It's only yarn. All I can do is try. If it doesn't work, I'll frog it. 

Opal 6757

This Opal 6757 was the first one I actually purchased; this was acquired about 3 weeks ago. It's a great fall colorway and I love the star anise on the label. Maybe that's what the German means? Who knows? I can barely ask where the bathroom is in Spanish. And even if I asked, I don't know enough Spanish to understand your directions anyway. 

So as I go forward with these socks, I will be sure to keep you posted. 

I actually went ahead and listed some of my favorite knitting blogs on my site. I really like several of these and I admire the dedication of these folks to blog -- Every. Single. Day. I wish. I was doing that for a while, but I fell off the rails on it. Now I really do need to get back to it.

Oh, the Robin's Nest? I think I'll start the decreases this weekend. I'm at about 6.75" now, and I have to go to 7.5" before I start decreases. The straight knitting is a breeze. 

On the news hole...I've kind of skimmed. I just didn't want to go there. It looks like Gov. Quinn might veto the initial handgun bill in IL. Actually, I'd really like to smack the NRA nutjobs; the only thing Illinois did right was to have the ban. But now, noooooooooo - it's more important for people to carry guns, as opposed to listening to those of us who don't want to be collateral damage. 

On SCOTUS. I'm sorry, you can gut the Voting Rights Act, and call that "effective use of time" but the DOMA thing you're having a problem with??? Justice Scalia is a nitwit. I would have loved to see Justice Ginsberg catch Alito in the eyeroll. 

On Texas. Well. What can you say to a Governor who's willing to spend millions in taxpayer dollars to legislate vaginas, but who won't pass a jobs bill, then claims to be "passionately pro-life" as his state executes its 500th person. And who says of those executions, "I can sleep at night" and not worry whether they're all truly justified. Lovely. Not. 

So, what's on your needles? What are your summer knitting projects? What else can I add to my own WIP stack??