Purlewe Knits

I’ve been doing some fiber related stuff lately, but that’s not what I’m going to post about.  No fiber here today!

This post is going to be from me on my soap box to you on yours. 

Tuesday night Hubby and I went to the Dixie Chicks performance here in the big O.  It was awesome!  I can’t think of another way to describe it. It was just plain awesome.  If you are a fan, go to a concert, splurge on the expensive seats (we wish we had).  They are excellent live performers. 

I purchased their latest CD the day it came out, that’s right we made a special trip.  I hadn’t heard any of the music and didn’t care it if was terrible (which it isn’t) I was set on owning it because I support them and their right to free speech (even if they are over seas).*

And so I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you how I feel.  The war is crap.  We should have never have gotten into it.  I don’t approve of Bush.  That’s right, I said it.  I don’t like him, true that I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen enough on TV and heard enough on the radio to form my opinion.  I don’t think I need to explain myself here, but for those of you that need it, if for no other reason, I don’t like him because he is a poor leader.  I have tried several times to listen to his speeches, his address’ to the nation and I can’t take it.  I cringe and have turn him off.  It hurts my hears to listen to him stumble over his words (not to even mention what he trying to say).

It is important that people know that we (as Americans) do not all stand behind him.  There is a reason for this radical extremism (as it is so commonly called in American media), this hatred of our country and what it stands for.  Others hate us because the American government can’t mind their own business.  By invading another country and waging war on another ethnicity they are only making it worse.  Unfortunately, it is too late to stop.  Bush’s Vietnam will go on, and on and on.  

*If you have no idea what I’m talking about see this Wikipedia entry.  Or listen to the Chicks on NPR

The baby sweater should be finished tomorrow and I plan to do some plying with the alpaca.  An entire day off, nothing to do but knit and spin.  I AM excited. 

The pumpkin cheesecake I made for dessert. Yum!

The really good cranberry relish we made lots of.  (warning – the recipe makes a LOT)  I used a generic whiskey/bourbon and it worked just fine.

And some VERY yummy potatoes!

(I figure if I post links to the recipes here I’ll be able to find them again.  I’m not the best at keeping track of things like recipes!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week I got an email from Susan, in Melbourne Australia.  She (I hope she doesn’t mind me posting about her) was having troubles with the Pea Pod baby set too.  She did a Google and came across my blog and my Pea Pod set.  How ironic?  Just a couple of days before I was doing the same …

Susan was having sleeve troubles (second row to be specific) and I, being completely amused by the ironic nature of the situation, just had to try and help.  And I did.  Here’s my sleeve …  or at least the start of it.

The instructions aren’t exactly clear on how to do the second row.  Here’s what I sent Susan (yes, I am to lazy to type it again) “The first k2 they have you do (on the first row) sets up the edge for the selvage (this is my guess anyway and it makes sense to me). So on the first and last two stitches of the row you just have to continue in the stockinette stitch. When you roll the sleeve to sew it up you’ll have 4 rows of st st together. When you sew it up ½ a row from each side disappears and so then you’ll have 3 rows, which fit in the pattern (minus the hole).” She emailed back and what do you know, she understood my mumble transformed into typing.  Success!  It is so cool to be able to talk, communicate with, help, whatever, people all over the world about something like knitting. 

I also charted out the sleeve ribbing, after the fact.  So this is for the next person doing a Google to search for help with the Pea Pod Baby set, by Kate Gilbert.  Click HERE to open a pdf of the sleeve ribbing chart.  I haven’t tried it out, cause I haven’t made the other sleeve yet, but it should work, it graphs out right. 

My mom got her socks.  She said they fit great.  That makes me happy.  And I guess that means it is time to start some more socks, any suggestions?  I’ve got a page of patterns I’d like to make, but I think I’m leaning towards finally starting the HJS Studio knees socks that I’ve been thinking about for a while.  Maybe some striped knee socks??  I’m doing good on my 4 project focus, time to start something new?  Maybe?

Here it is!  Done already!  Of course it is a small baby hat, but it is done!  I’m doing the done dance!  It isn’t blocked (I hate blocking), but I’m still doing the done dance!

Today I got anniversary flowers and gifts (3wks later – it was the appendix) … because we spent our 2nd anniversary in the hospital.  Him doped on morphine, me wishing for some so I could get some sleep on the tiny, hard hospital couch.  Roses, a bear, and my favorite movie “For the Love of the Game.” 

Notice the two brown packages on the right … see below. 

Yesterday I started on Pea Pod Baby Set (Kate Gilbert, Interweave Press, Summer 06).  This is my first lace/cable chart.  I’ve done cables, but not by reading a chart.  I think this will be good experience for my dream sweater (coming in 07), but I was really frustrated yesterday and could have cared less about the experience part.  You’ll probably have to open the bigger picture to see what I’m talking about.  The dark color square in the chart and legend.  The legend says the dark square means no stitch.  I didn’t get this for the longest time (and it is in the first row of the hat pattern – go figure).  Finally with a little help from Paula and a couple of Internet searches I grasped the concept of no stitch.  It mean that is just a filler square, it isn’t representing a stitch.  Why is it there?  So the chart comes out all neat and the rows all line up correctly – I guess.  I really think this should be something more commonly covered though, or at least more commonly explained.  The blog posts I read were all assumptions, no one was sure.  There wasn’t anything about it in my knitting reference books and nothing (the bloggers said) on the Interweave knits site.  So for all you folks out there new to this.  No stitch means there is NO STITCH.  Easy, but oh so complicated!  And I want to say thank you to Connie at PhysicsKnits, she answered my frantic email regarding the “no stitch” square with calm reassurance.  Thanks Connie!  She also said if I have more questions I should let her know – I hope that I don’t make her regret that later!!! 

So here’s what I have so far.  Not much unfortunately.  I took it out several times trying to get the no stitch thing figured out, so in reality it should be 3 times or so times as done as it is, that’s my story anyway.  Think the baby will understand? 

One brown package contains sock yarn for Shelly who is making a blanket out of sock yarn – she’s a very brave woman!

The other brown package … my mom’s socks!  Done!  Three days later than I had planned and therefore late for her birthday (today – HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!).  But they are done and will be on their way out tomorrow.  Maybe she’ll let us know how they fit???  (Hint, hint Mom) I can’t say that I’ve ever been happier to see a project done.  The yarn was incredibly hard on my eyes (Mom didn’t pick the yarn color – I ordered it from a website picture – the horror! – so I can complain about it).  If you are ordering Wildfoote Sock Yarn I recommend that you stay away for the “Elderberry,” unless of course you have an affinity to being cross-eyed and seeing purple, black, and a couple of blues swim in front of your eyes every time you look up from knitting.  They really should have called this yarn “The Big Bruise” or “Colors to Make you Puke.”  I think it would have been a more accurate description.  BUT on a positive note – how I like to leave it – I did really like working with the brand.  Again that’s Wildfoote, by Brown Sheep Co.  (good thing too since I have about a gazillion balls of it left!! – in a rainbow of other colors – thankfully!)  It is a little finer than the other sock yarn brands in the stash, FYI, but overall a good yarn, with good yardage (I had lots left over maybe enough for a third sock – but mom just has two feet) even though I did 7 inches of ribbing and they are 8 inches long from back of heel to start of short row toe.  I sure hope they fit her!!  Happy Birthday Mom!!!