OK, so I’m a little crazy

as Stephanie so gently pointed out. Who in their right mind would offer to trade a perfectly good, new digital camera for a book? Especially if tradees were high-profile bloggers who have been plagued by wacko serial commenters. (Spell check is underlining a lot of words in that last sentence, but I’m just going to go with it.)

Fortunately the blog came to my rescue and I have sold the camera for an amount that will cover half of my deductible on the deer incident. Ah yes, another little event that happened last week right before the computer motherboard went postal.

I hit a deer with the car. The deer ran off; the car still runs. And hopefully, both will regain their former ability and agility after a little R & R. Or, in the case of the car, a little restorative magic performed by the local body shop.

Meanwhile, perhaps you are wondering about the lack of knitting. Some people say these things come in threes, and perhaps they do. Let’s say they do. Let’s count this as number three.

I decided to self-diagnose an elbow injury and started my own physical therapy program which promptly exacerbated a slight hand issue. I now have a major hand issue. I have ceased the PT program, and the hand is coming around nicely. Once again, I can pull on a pair of socks and pick up a tea mug without wincing. The elbow still hurts like a son-of-a-gun; but, that doesn’t interfere with knitting. The thumb thing makes knitting hard. Even though it’s getting better, knitting is still a back-burner activity.

It’s too bad because I’ve entered my fair isle phase and I have a great start on an Alice Starmore vest: Rosarie. I did some color swapping because the lovely rose colors in the picture on the Virtual Yarns site are actually very bright red. Red is not me. But, Kim, of Yarn Gallery fame (Alamosa’s best yarn shop * ) came to my rescue and swapped out the brilliant red with some amazing blue colors and off I go.

This shot shows how far I had gotten on the pattern about two weeks ago. There’s no point in updating with a new progress picture, because there is no progress. I look at it. I touch it. I don’t knit on it. It’s too heavy. It hurts my hand to hang onto it while I knit. Not that there is much weight, much holding or much hanging. The hand is just very sore (probably a penance from God for hitting the deer).

* Kim’s shop would be the best yarn shop in Alamosa even if it weren’t the only one. She has amazing hand-dyed yarn, a very nice selection of commercial yarn, a great book selection, spinning wheels, fiber and more. It’s a really nice place to hang out too. If you are ever in Alamosa, Colorado, keep an eye out on main street for the “Yarn Shop Open” sign. The shop is above Carlucci’s and across from the micro-brewery. It’s on San Juan and Main. She’s also online at The Yarn Gallery.

Third week of every month

is my newsletter production week. Actually, it starts the week before and carries over. That’s why, I rarely post on the bog in the middle part of the month.

But here is a brand new shiny month, so I’m back with a tiny bit of extra time on my hands. I would have had even more time if the motherboard on the big desktop hadn’t decided to eat the memory card and then go postal and shoot herself. But that’s another story — and one that isn’t very exciting I fear.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering about the second shunning I’ve gotten. The first was from Yarn Harlot. This second, from Crazy Aunt Purl. I love both of their blogs. I consider both “must reading.” This is one thing the two have in common.

The second: both Yarn Harlot and Crazy Aunt Purl have had camera issues. The third: I offered both a Canon Power Shoot camera to solve their camera woes. For free. No strings. OK, well, maybe send me a book. Want it? email me, I’ll send it.

For example, this was the message I posted in the comments for Crazy Aunt Purl:
I have a Canon something or other point and shoot. Do you want it? It’s brand new (nearly) and in the box. It has a story. Initially I won a Canon point and shoot in a contest. I used it for work for three years. Then something happened and it didn’t work so I sent it in to Canon for repair and they decided they liked me (or something like that). They kept it and sent me the current brand spanking new model. Meanwhile, I bought a much nicer Nikon. The Canon has been sitting in the box for a couple of years. I offered it to YarnHarlot when her camera died, but she never emailed me back. Perhaps she thought I was insane. I am not. I just have an extra camera I don’t need. Want it? I’ll trade you for one of your books. or not. Whatever. Email me.

Shunned. Not even a “hi” back. Now maybe it’s just me, but I like to think I would send at least a “thanks for your kind offer” message. Or maybe not. Perhaps these gals are just too famous to read all the comments on their blogs. Especially the Harlot. She gets a lot.

I mean really. Don’t you think it’s weird? I know this isn’t a current model camera. But hey, the price was good. Do you think I was crazy (I’m breaking into song here — Joni Mitchell “Twisted” * ) to expect at least a nod in my direction, even if neither wanted to take a nice little camera off the crazy girl’s hands?

I guess I’ll have to resort to selling the doggone thing. Weird.

Photos taken with a Nikon D40.

*Do you think I was crazy? I may have only been three, but I was swinging.
They all laugh at angry young men
They all laugh at Edison
And also at Einstein
So why should I feel sorry
If they just couldn’t understand
The idiomatic logic
That went on in my head
I had a brain
It was insane . . .
Thanks Joni!

Sometimes everything goes bad

I started to make a list in my head last night as I was trying to fall asleep.

Dog ran off after deer yesterday morning. Ran after her in Crocs in the snow. Feet wet and cold. Bad dog.

Feature article for newsletter not going well. Boring.

Rosarie (Ravelry link) swatch not looking the way I wanted it too. Waiting for different colors to arrive. May take forever. Bad mail.

Yarn arrived for third start on Mendocino (another Ravelry link). I would wind some yarn and get started if it weren’t for that pesky pillow project for the window seat. The zipper has me paralyzed. On the positive side, the ONLY foot I can find for the sewing machine happens to be the zipper foot. I don’t know why. I have not sewn a zipper into anything since completing my hideous seventh grade home-ec sewing project. Which I wore. We got a better grade if we were brave enough to wear it. Bad memory.

I’m restarting the merino/possum socks for the third (or is it the fourth) time. On the last attempt, I got through the heel. Too tight. Too short. Bad sock.

I’m way behind on work. Lots to do. No motivation because I couldn’t get to sleep last night. Actually no, that wasn’t the problem. I would fall right to sleep, then wake up. For no reason. Lie there. Fall asleep again. Wake up. Bad sleep.

Stash busting hasn’t gone well at all. In the last couple of weeks I’ve bought five skeins of sock yarn, enough blue Bainin for a vest, enough ruby Bainin for Mendocino, one book, two Starmore kits and the extra 2-ply for Rosarie. I cashed in the gift certificate the RNK gave me for The Yarn Gallery and came home with 20 skeins of baby llama — enough for another sweater. Bad girl.

I would add more to the list — believe me, I came up with more last night — but it wouldn’t be interesting. Bad post.

At least I took a pretty good picture of an “Oregon” black-eyed Junco.

Good bird.

(Updated to add Ravelry links)

I like wine too

Have you ever watched the movie “Sideways?” I love that movie. It’s such a great statement about friends and the enduring quality of friendship. My favorite scene in the movie – it’s not really a scene, actually it’s just a brief shot – shows Miles’ eye as he looks down the hallway and spots Jack’s wallet. If you’ve watched the movie, you know what I’m talking about.

Miles has such a wild, determined and slightly crazed look in his eye. I love that.

Perhaps I love it so much because, I’ve got my own version of the wild crazy eye right here, in my office, with me every day:

However, I think that the reason I often think of that movie probably has more to do with the fact that in one way or another, I relate to just about every character in the movie.

I love the way Maya thinks. When Miles asks her why she likes wine so much and she explains about all the things and people and ideas and places that are captured in each bottle of this magnificent living creation and how it changes day by day . . . wow. That’s all I can say. I love that aspect of Maya.

And Stephanie. What a free spirit! I love her ability to embrace life and abandon herself totally to the emotion of the moment. I also relate to her ability to flip that internal switch and snap. I mean really snap. Really.

I can’t say I want to go out on a conquest search like Jack, but I certainly can relate to his ability to get through life by acting; acting so convincingly he even convinces himself. Besides, Jack is so incredibly childlike. There’s an innocence, a sweet kernel buried within the horrible things he does. He just can’t grow up. I think we all carry a tiny aspect of that inability to face the consequences of being a mature responsible adult within us. And even if we don’t, even if we are totally mature and responsible and “good,” there are times when most of us wish we weren’t — the inner child saying, “Let’s play hooky” on days we know we shouldn’t.

And, of course, Miles. Today, I see a little bit of Miles in me. No, I haven’t had any wine yet. I did last night, a really nice California zin right before I began working on a new sock pattern. Though I kept saying to myself, starting at round 3, “Gosh, this seems like it might be a little bit big around,” I kept at it. By round 12 it was clear. This sock would fit Barbar.

Like Miles, I kept plodding along, resisting the change that would get me to a better place. Sometimes you just have to start over; accept that the first novel isn’t a winner and try again. Even Miles eventually came to that conclusion – with his novel and with his first marriage.

I plodded along, knitting merrily away on that sock and by round 16, I almost had myself convinced that I was inventing an amazing new pattern. At round 24 I was going to flip the sock inside out, do a purl row on what was going to be the new outside and decrease stitches in that purl row to get down to the right number of stitches. Then I would carry on with the pattern and I would have a spiffy little cuff that was large enough to easily fit over the sock leg with a nice crisp fold line. I almost had myself convinced I was really on to something.

Then I realized I had misread the pattern. I accidentally left out two knit stitches in each pattern repeat. No wonder it seemed so wonky and off kilter. The cuff might be a great idea, but this wasn’t the right time to try it.

Inevitably, I frogged. Life is like that. Sometimes there are little setbacks and you just have to try again. By golly, if Miles can do it, so can I. Besides, I like wine.

Laugh, Live, Love

My New Year’s resolutions have never fallen into the typical, loose weight, get more fit, be more organized, categories. I prefer more obtainable choices. For several years running, I did really well with my “drink more beer” resolution. Enough said on that one.

“Enjoy life more” has been a consistent theme for the past few years too and in many ways, I have made great gains in achieving this goal. In 2009, I had several achievements that fell into this category:

I have for once and for all, completely given up the idea of ever working for anyone but myself.

I traveled more.

I drank some really great wine.

I got rid of tons of “hobby” things that I will never do again and were just cluttering up my life.

This year, I’m going to stick with the theme, but as I resolved to do with the blog, I’m going to take it up a notch.

My 2010+ resolution:
Laugh more, live more, love more.

Won’t you join me?

Goodbye 2009

What a year! For me, 2009 was a great way to cap off a decade. I hope you can say the same.

It spite of the wondrousness of it all, I’m not much in the mood for a year-end tribute/encapsulation/reflection post today. Instead, I’ll just close things out with a couple of my favorite photos. I took the first one near Creede, Colorado and the second near Dodges Ferry, Tasmania.

I hope 2010 brings much happiness and joy to you!

End of the year ramblings

My first post was on September 26, 2007. The question I have been mulling over for the past several days now: Have I gone anywhere worth going since then? I mean, in terms of the blog.

Clearly my physical self has been to some fantastic places. Elk and Friendly Beach are two standouts that immediately come to mind. There were plenty of others too, between then and now. Back to the question at hand though. Is the blog worth blogging?

I like to write. It’s what I do. That alone may be grounds for continuation. Is there something more though? Why not just keep a journal if all I want to do is write?

Granted, I know I don’t have a huge audience. OK. I have an audience of two. Maybe three. But, just the same, writing here gives me the illusion that my words could be read by other people. Perhaps, that alone, makes the blog blogworthy.

Sure, I write for work. Plenty of what I write gets read — by the proofreaders at least. Perhaps even a few brave souls read the stuff about powerline safety, utility industry legislation and current events at the local electric cooperative. I have never deluded myself into thinking that what I write for work is actually read by the people who receive the cooperative’s publications. On the other hand, I know more read that writing than read this. So again, why blog?

The thing is, that writing doesn’t scratch the itch — the itch to write that I just can’t seem to get over. Apparently, writing is not something I have a choice about. It’s part of the wiring, the genetic coding, the programing that came with this body. Got to. Blogging gives me the chance to write publicly in a way that differs from the public work writing. Namely, I get to pick the topics.

And so, I have come to the conclusion to continue; but, to take the turn in the road. Or rather, climb the hill to the next rise. It’s time to ratchet this baby up a notch.

I may not post more; but, I am going to make it my intent to post better. That may mean fewer posts about knitting and more posts about other. That may mean fewer of my bad photographs.

Or not. I just hate pictureless posts.

I showed the

RNK the post I wrote the other day. I thought it was so hilarious I could hardly stop laughing.

He looked at me. “What are you laughing at?”

“That post. It cracks me up.”

“Why? I can’t even read it. It just goes on and on.”

“You don’t think it’s even a little bit funny? Comparing myself to Opal? The little freak?”

“No, it’s sad. Is this how you spend your days? This must have taken hours.”

“But I write all day. I write fast. This didn’t take any time at all. Sometimes I don’t even think when I write. “

“Well, I can see that.” He got up and left in disgust.

Oh well. Some people have NO sense of humor. None. Not a trace. At least I enjoy myself. If I ever had any doubts about posting whatever I wanted about the RNK with complete impunity, they vanished like a wisp of smoke in an Oregon winter gale. Obviously however, I never had any illusions he would be interested in a knitting blog. Why do you think he has the moniker, resident non-knitter?

Meanwhile, here are a couple of shots from my office windows this morning:

A good day to be inside writing, working on newsletters and knitting. Red scarf knitting. I have one scarf two-thirds completed and the other is resting. I added some black bands on the resting one at the half-way point to alleviate any yarn shortage concerns. Don’t like it.

I may have to tink back a few inches if I have time and add black stripes at the very ends if it comes out short. It will. Hard to say how short after blocking, but pre-blocking it will only be 56 to 57 inches — less than expected based upon my initial calculations. I reweighed it and remeasured with many more inches knitted. Instead of getting 1.66 grams to the inch (which would have used every last bit of yarn to reach 60 inches), I’m at 1.76 g/inch or about 6 grams short. Too bad.

I found some black Shibui Knits fingering sock yarn that is a dead ringer for the Plymouth Happy Feet in terms of weight, twist and feel. The colors look really nice together too. I hope I can get both scarfs finished in time! Apparently though, that shouldn’t be a problem as long as the second one is mailed this month. I hope the recipients like what I made for them. Freaky personality notwithstanding. (Here I go, laughing again.)

My inner critic has

demanded an equal posting opportunity:

It’s a scarf for pete’s sake. GET OVER IT!

I had my own Red Scarf emergency

yesterday, which probably speaks volumes about my personality.

I started the scarf in the closest to red, most manly shade I had: Plymouth Happy Feet in a lovely autumn colorway. I got the first 12 inches knitted in a really nice rib pattern (something corrugated that has to do with Arnold — you can find out all kinds of references to the pattern and see all sorts of samples on the Red Scarf Emergency thread in the #1 Knitspot Fan forum on Ravelry).

To me, this was perfect. Attractive colors, nice lightweight feel because of the fingering weight yarn. Squooshy pattern. Then I got a notion to go to the Red Flag Scarf page and read the requirements. Double fingering it said. DK. Worsted. Panic. Nothing about fingering.

I raced to the ravelry site, posted panic messages, totally misinterpreted other messages, pulled the scarf off the needles, tossed the stash, started another one, panicked that the new one would be an inappropriate yarn choice because it was not superwash, frantically knit so much last night on the second scarf my little finger hurts (I have no idea why — it’s not like I actually use it to knit), worried that the pattern on the second scarf was ugly because I added some seed stitch borders because the ribbing pattern alone felt too fat to me in the Cascade yarn, and on and on and on and on. I had this feeling that I should just frog the damn Cascade scarf and frog the Happy Feet scarf and pretend this never happened. It was completely and totally nerve racking.

This is why I primarily knit for me. I have this deep-seated fear that nothing I knit is ever good enough or right enough or pretty enough or whatever enough for someone else. Even if it is. Even if it’s really just fine. (You may recall that the RNK did his best to reinforce my fears with the Hamefarin sweater.)

OK, I may be exaggerating a wee bit here. I really like the way that one pair of socks I knit when we were on vacation in northern California turned out. And the pair of socks I made for my mom last year for her Christmas present were pretty nice too. So I have liked a couple of things I’ve knit, one of them even a pressie.

Setting those two projects aside, here’s where the deep psychological analysis could start. But let’s not go there. Face it. I’m just a nervous little freak inside and that makes me a lot like Opal in that regard and it’s just good that I cope as well as I do. That’s why I knit. Knitting calms me down in the evenings and sets me up for a good night’s sleep so I can work the next day. I knit the way I need to knit so that I can stay nice and calm. One project at a time. No pressure. It’s just for me. No worries about what anyone else will think. No deadlines.

And suddenly, I have not one, not two, but three projects going at once. Two of which must be finished by December 15. I am very nervous about this.

This morning. I got a calming message from Anne Hanson that the first scarf should be back on the needles. Now it is. Fingering is OK, especially in this Arnold Schwarzenegger-inspired ribbing. Add a bit of another color as a stripe if it’s too short. No big deal. Sally forth. Non-superwash yarn is OK too. Who washes scarfs anyway? Unless you puke on them. That’s what Norma advised.

Then Norma posted a message that the deadline isn’t all THAT hard and fast. Just do your best and mail it off as close to that date as you can. And it occurred to me that even though I “should” make finishing the second scarf, the Cascade 220 one, a priority because it is more in keeping with the project requirements, I don’t have to do that. I can keep my own orderly knitter progression in my head and knit the sequence that makes me feel best.

And I wonder why Opal and I get along so well. Peas in a pod.

Except for how we look. She’s just so much cuter than me!