Thirty is Not Thirty-Four...

Thirty is not thirty-four. That makes a big difference. What you see here is the beginning of the cast-on for the first sleeve of The Baby Jacket. And initially, in my haste, I cast-on thirty stitches. Last night, about 9:45 p.m. I was so jazzed about getting to the sleeve that I just whizzed right through it.  Then I paused and wondered why it looked "off." I've done this sweater 6 times, at least. Soooooooo. I figured it was time for bed. I wrote myself a note, and frogged it at 6:35 this morning. I guess that's the advantage of having done the pattern so many times. 

I'm about to do the other sleeve, and yes, I know - the sleeve needs to be 34 stitches, no more and no less. I'm a tad worried about the gauge, but it's the same yarn. I'm hoping it turns out ok - it's likely not going to be a problem, but I think my stitches are a bit tighter this time around. 

Knitting is very much like life...it turns out that if you're stressed, it shows up. And it turns out that if you're stressed while knitting...it shows up. In the knitting. My tension is pretty consistent, but I feel like this one is a bit tighter than the last one. And I'm sure it has to do with what's going on in life these days.

Reading...

I'm reading a bunch of books lately about nuns who've left convents. I don't know why; perhaps I'm thinking about that lifestyle and how the church treated them. Some of them had left because their lives changed, or they had a shift in perspective. Some left with no apparent hard feelings. And some left because of unbelievable cruelty in the church. 

I've set aside "The Edible Woman" - Margaret Atwood is reaching for something there, and it's not resonating with me. But I'll pick it up - I'm actually almost done with it. 

And I've been reading the newspapers. I can't believe the Chicago Tribune endorsed Gary Johnson. I didn't expect them to endorse either Trump or Clinton, but they have done the "we can't endorse anyone" thing before. Gary Johnson is even more woefully unprepared than Trump. At least he's not as dumb, but he's unprepared. I'm having Ralph Nader moments... 

Food...

The garden is virtually done. We have Brussels Sprouts and carrots left, though I think there are also a few surviving kale leaves. Hubby planted the Brussels Sprouts too close together - we live and learn. But the carrots will be spectacular. 

I'm cooking dinner - a rarity with my schedule these days! I'm making "Leeky Chicken" and here's how you do it:

2 Perdue chicken breasts (bone-in and with skin)

2 - 3 ribs celery

1 Knorr vegetable cube + 2 c. boiling water

1 handful chopped leeks

Onion powder

2 large sprigs Rosemary

Olive oil (a drizzle)

Salt & fresh-ground pepper

1 T. grated orange rind

Preheat oven to 400* (F) and grab a 9 x 13 pan. Trim the celery and wash it. Cut it into 3" chunks and lay it on the bottom of the pan. This is your "roasting rack" for the chicken. 

Pat the chicken dry and lay it on top of the celery. Wash the Rosemary and slip your finger under the chicken skin - insert one sprig into each piece, tucking the leaves in so that you don't scorch them. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and onion powder. 

Scatter the leeks around the bottom of the pan. Dissolve the veggie cube in the boiling water and pour about 1/2" into the pan. Sprinkle the orange rind into the liquid.

Cover for the first half-hour and then remove the cover and let it go for about another 30 minutes or till the juice runs clear when you pierce the flesh. 

We're doing a carrot dish as well, involving candied ginger and a Granny Smith apple. I haven't quite figured out that one yet. But as soon as I get it done, I'll write it down. I had a taste for something "fall" today and carrots + apples came to mind. So did ginger, for that sweet/hot blend. I could make a puree, but I think I'll do a saute instead. Caramelize them a little bit and make it into a savory/sweet/tart dish that tempers the carrots and balances the Granny Smith apple. 

Of course, with "store bought" carrots, they're kind of bland. The garden carrots are so much richer. I like them better, but they're not quite ready yet. But I can get this recipe refined and worked up - maybe for elephant journal. 

I've been using Young Living Thieves fruit wash. The product is easy to use and really takes that "waxy" stuff off the fruit. Takes about 2 minutes. You can use it by the sink or in a bowl if you don't have a lot of produce. One capful in a sink full of water, let your stuff soak for about 2 minutes, and then rinse it all off. It's a great way to clean your fruit and veg, even if you already buy organic. I've been a Young Living Essential Oils distributor for a while now, and I find that the more chemicals I purge the better I feel. 

Random Picture...

Speaking of feeling better...Tippi continues to visit at Lewis University. Our last visit was quite a hoot. She seems to bond nicely with the athletes. And this was a set of our last visitors. You can't see the hand of the other gal giving her a last-minute belly rub. But the whole, "Let me rest my paw on you so she can get a better aim at my tummy" thing was pretty funny. 

We'll continue to visit because she likes it. And it's a great way to keep contact with the folks I used to work with. I don't like burning bridges; it helps to keep those ties - because the one thing you know in life is that you never know. 

Perseverance...

Plucky Petunia

I haven't decided whether this is "bloom where you are planted" or "go with the flow."

Either certainly describes my life at the moment. 

I got word that apparently the Dean "doesn't know what to do" with my position, so it looks like, after 8 years of happy employment, I'm facing the dreaded "reinvent yourself yet one more time" thing. 

The problem is that jobs like mine don't grow on trees. Or sprout up between patio stones, either. And other jobs I can do? I can do lots of things, but employers in this tight job market only look at the "recent" job experience. Eight years is a long tenure for some folks. 

I'm moving forward, though. Like this Plucky Petunia (wouldn't that make a great name for a hand-dyed yarn?), I'm going to just move on and see what there is to see. 

My boss has been entirely supportive and incredibly sympathetic - even passing job leads to me. I have an alternative, if I want it, but I'm not sure I want it.

Don't be picky, you say. Well. The option involves something that would require me to work with a difficult person, commute in one of the busiest business corridors in the state, and work odder hours than I already do. 

At what point do you say, "You know, this just isn't going to be a good thing"? I'm not exactly a newbie on the job scene, which works both ways. It makes me slightly more expensive, but frankly, I'm an extraordinarily hard-working person. But it also makes some employers look at my "tenure" and think, "She'll be retiring soon." Which isn't likely. 

However, as Plucky Petunia seems to say, "there's always hope." Will keep you posted. 

Knitting...

This blue stuff is Lorna's Laces, "Shorewood" colorway. I can't wait to knit it up. It'll be socks, but I'm not sure how, because I'm not sure how the colors will lay out. I think this might be the pair where I try for a cable. Just one. No need to be greedy. Just on the leg. I'll search around. I don't think I'd like to do socks that are definitely "right" or "left" leg - because the wear patterns would be pretty immediate. Maybe a mock cable would be cool, too. 

Sounds like I'm a chicken about cables...and that's probably right. I've never done them, and I know it's like reading a chart: sooner or later, I just have to dive in. 

It's only knitting... 

So here are my "voodoo socks" -- I had ordered this Lorna's Laces (colorway "St. Charles") in the deluded hope that perhaps this would bring me luck in a possible transfer. 


Oh well. At least I'll have socks. 

This is the Vanilla Latte pattern free on Ravelry. It's a cuff of my own creation, a bit of a mishmash of things, and I'm really (a) loving the autumnal look of these; (b) enjoying stitching this up because the yarn is gorgeous on your hands; and (c) anticipating what will happen with that purple spiral/stripe thingie. 

These were initially for a KAL (knit-a-long) in my FB group, but since I have to buckle down on the baby knitting, I definitely know I won't make the deadline on the socks. But that's ok. I'll have socks. 

So I needed a "mental health day" and I (obviously) headed to my LYS where the lovely Kelly had set aside two of these beauties. And of course, I grabbed the 3rd one. Never pass up a new Opal colorway. This is Sweet-and-Spicy2 -- a reiteration of their first Sweet & Spicy, which was nice. But this is kind of nicer... From left to right, we have: Watermelon, Honey, Peppercorn. 

So many people on my FB group love a watermelon yarn that's hand dyed. I love it too, but it's a bit pricey. This Opal will knit up just fine. And I'll have watermelon socks. I have to figure out what to do with them, because EVERY one of them are self-patterning. So you want something that will not be boring (as in Plain Vanilla) but not too busy so that you are fighting the self-patterning bits. 

Maybe a pinstripe or some variation of K3, p1 or the like. I have time. Gotta get to finishing the baby knits! Today will be dedicated to the sweater, and then I'll crack on with the blanket. I'm really only worried about the blanket now, because I think the sweater will be done in about a week, if I do nothing but knit on that. Which I'll do because babies have deadlines...

And since this is a newborn layette, I want to make sure that the kid has a passing chance at actually FITTING into the garments! 

These are the buttons I got for the sweater. Since we're doing the whole "snowflake" theme, I knew that while my "vintage" white buttons would certainly have sufficed, I really wanted something a little more into the idea. Of course, the child and parents reside in North Carolina, where snow is but an image on a Christmas card. But the mom grew up here in Illinois, so she knows what winters are supposed to be like. Anyway, it was a whole $2.60 for the pair of buttons, and if you count what I've already spent on yarn, it's a small price for cute. 

The War that Isn't a War...

Shades of Korea. The air strikes in Syria are all the news lately, pushing a lot of other important topics to the background. What I find interesting is the coalition, which now includes Saudi Arabia - heretofore, they were only going to "allow the US to use their airspace." 

I guess when you're looking a caliphate in the face, you change your mind. A caliphate, in case you're not familiar with this kind of ancient word, is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious leader. This is a clear and present threat to the monarchy in Saudi Arabia. 

Anyway, my reference to Korea is somewhat historical too. It's known as the Korean War, but actually there was never a formal declaration, so technically it's the Korean Conflict. Which conflict lasted longer, I believe, than BOTH World Wars. 

I'm afraid that's what this War That's Not A War will be. And I'm afraid of what it will cost us. In the many layers of that "cost," I'm considering the political cost, economic cost, body count, and history. Why do we have to be "all war all the time" lately? 

And how about a "War on Poverty" or a "War on Corporations" to keep them from taking advantage of paying -ZERO- in taxes while us average folk pay a bunch of money - to keep our government running while the corporations who've purchased our politicians continue to bemoan the "lack of talent" in the US workforce and the "lack of opportunity because of oppressive regulatory rules."

Ha. You want an "oppressive regulatory rule" then how about paying your fair share and stopping the shipment of manufacturing and jobs to cheaper overseas locations? 

That would help. 

Health Issues...

Well, aside from not sleeping because of the aforementioned job issues, I'm hopeful that the cardiologist will give me a good report. I have my annual physical too, wherein we'll have the "why didn't you do anything about this long-term anemia?" discussion. And another visit with the hematologist to reaffirm that my iron levels still stink, and probably get me going on the iron infusions. 

I'm sort of back on track with the food issues; less junk, more fluids. Working toward more exercise, too. 

Random Picture...

Of the elusive Siberian Husk-Cat. Raisa is about 50% cat. I'm convinced. She uses her paws just the way a cat would. Here, she's emphasizing to Hubby that she REALLY wants to have him continue to give her belly rubs. 

Or otherwise she will pummel him with her big fat Husky Paws. 

I still expect that if I was not sitting directly next to it, she would completely try to climb up on the canary cage table when Arlo isn't there. Just to get a better view. 

Yesterday, she apparently thought that my knitting chair was her personal province while someone came to the door. The other 2 dogs were yowling at them by the window, so she clambered up on my chair to add her voice. 

Hubby says, "OFF!" and she LEAPS from my chair to that couch in the picture. 

Yep. At least 50% cat. And 50% idiot.