Exhausting Exhilarating...Gauntlet? Help Me

What an exhausting and exhilarating day. The alarm went off bright and early and we rushed out the door to the show hall. Nessa’s eyes were not the greatest and were a bit challenging all day as they were running and needed to be wiped several times, which makes her scrunch up her eyes, which means you can’t get all the wetness, which means you have to keep wiping, it’s just a vicious circle which makes for a sullen Nessa Rose.

We did have some nice chats with people in the area who had previously purchased kittens from Mum as well as people who are interested in Devons. Usually I dislike this part of showing, I’m there to see the judges and earn points, not chit-chat, but today was nice and relaxed all morning. It’s funny to see how the different judges handle the cats.

Some are nonchalant and want to see the cats personalities while others manipulate the cat spending their time evaluating against the standards.

I guess they are all evaluating but I’d love to know what they’re thinking when they look at each cat, to just hear the inner dialog as they measure the shape of the head or the texture of a coat.

In the afternoon we were up in four rings and ended up getting called back for four finals. This is what we’re there for so it’s thrilling but can I tell you how loud it is in a show hall, with all the microphones and meowing? Maybe I’m more sensitive now because of the quiet lifestyle.

In the end Nessa took home Third Best Short Hair Champion for four of the six judges. It was a brilliant showing and we were all very proud. I say all because my Dad made a surprise appearance. Poor guy, Mum and I were both so happy to see him and tell him all about showing that I think he felt overwhelmed. Typically he sees us at the end of the day when we’ve run out of steam and are both just looking for food and a place to put up our feet. In the midst of showing we’re both pretty high strung.

I did manage to squeeze in a little work on my Space needle socks. Again, I can’t “be in opposition to” (dis-recommend isn’t a word) this yarn enough. Knit Picks Essential. I can’t even feel the 25% nylon, it’s like 100% wool. ITCHY!

I’m also realizing that it’s the end of the month. Woaw, where did that come from? I did accomplish the Complete the Ivy League Vest Challenge so if anyone’s keeping track that’s 7-1, it’s a winning record so I’m happy. But what’s on tap for next month?

The Boyfriend suggests I Knit for Obama. While I’d gladly wear a Knitters for Obama t-shirt, I don’t think I want to knit for the man. Although…?

EZ would have me knit tights for children and adults. Yah that’s not going to happen. Tights! Honestly who wears those? Can you tell it’s late and I’m a bit punchy? Maybe not the best time to make a decision.

I have been eager to tackle a pair of socks from New Pathways for Socks Knitters, but then again I’d knit that anyway and it’s not really so much of a challenge. I prefer the challenges that cause me to use up the stashed yarn, the really old stuff. Oh wait, isn’t it time to do a Mile in a Month?

I think it is, since I wanted to knit 4 miles spaced evenly throughout the year. But maybe I should throw down the gauntlet and say knit 2 Miles this month! Oh and make it be some of the old stuff? Alright pick a number between 1 and 319. This’ll be the 2 mile month of random yarn. Pist, I have a list of all of my different types and colors of yarn and there are 319 of them, but that’ll be between just you and me. Help me out and throw out some numbers and the corresponding yarns will be what I’m challenged to knit 2 miles with. Even you quiet people, who don’t like to comment, even you, throw out a number. It’ll make it more a challenge for me which inturn is more fun for you as you watch me knit circle around myself.

By far this is my greatest achievement

While I really wanted to win the Trifecta and get three five-mile days in a row, today just wasn’t meant to be. My feet were a bit too soar (and blistered) to attempt it. Instead I worked on designing something new, more on that at a future date.

I also packed and headed north for a Cat Show. Here’s hoping our Nessa Rose can strut her stuff tomorrow and win over some judges.

Before I left Mr. Chipmunks son came for a visit. Of course the peanuts were a too tempting to pass up on. I know it wasn’t Mr. Chipmunk since this one was very small with a relatively short tail. Oh and by the way a little something happened today, something of minimal

importance…I finished the IVY LEAGUE VEST!!!

As you can see I have many many ends to sew in. Logan (my parent's big guy) thought the ends smelt funny. The yarn definately has a smell to it, which I notice if I leave the vest in a bag. It's a nice fresh smell so it's fine with me. Logan wasn't so sure.

I’ll have to model it after blocking. Right now the armhole ribbing is curling up and needs some convincing to lay flat. I’m also not sure what to do with the steeks. Should I just ignore them or am I supposed to tack them down or cut them off? By far this is my greatest achievement.

Finishing kick

Five Mile Thursday….I know what you’re thinking, is this an alternate universe where The KnittingSamurai is active? No it’s just Seattle recovery. Ten miles in two days, I’m pretty proud of myself.

Last night I finished the Bulldogust socks. Words can not express how much I love these socks. 100% merino with a some sort of wonderful wash that makes them silky soft.

The pattern is just subtle enough.

I finished the thumbs and sewed up the Devon Rex Norwegian Mittens today. 100% alpaca and super soft. Knit on size 2s so it’s a very dense fabric which means they’re very warm. I can’t wait to go to a football game and drink hot chocolate with my mittens on.

Oh and I cut the final armhole steek and started the ribbing. No pictures yet…is the suspense building?

Is there such a thing as too successful?

Started the day as a Five-Mile-Wednesday…I know it’s not Friday. Although I did plenty of walking in Seattle I also did plenty of drinking and eating and have gained a few pounds. So having a couple five mile days this week definitely wont hurt anything. I listened to music the whole time, imagine, me, not listening to podcasts. The music did keep me pumped for the first four miles but the last few hills were a struggle.

I know that there is such a thing as too much a good thing. And last year at this exact time I was fretting over how to get people to come to knitting group. One night early on, after only 2 people came, I left and plastered ever condo complex, restaurant, coffee shop, library, university I could think of with flyers. Now here we are a healthy vibrant knitting group, growing every day and it’s amazing. I enjoy our time together and look forward to hanging out with my knit sibs every week. Tonight we were a group of fifteen, the largest we’ve ever been, so large in fact that we had several conversations going on at once. It was a bit overwhelming and boisterous. And if someone wanted to talk to the whole group it felt more like a presentation to the group rather than the usual chill conversation (and we all know how much I loath public speaking). Attempting to keep track of what was going-on and learn at least a little about the new faces was a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, it’s just not what I had planned for my evening. The dynamic was completely different than it usually is and I fear that some of the regulars may not come back or may break off if knitting group is this exhausting every week. It’s always interesting to have a new person in our mist. Perhaps it was the mass number of new knitters that changed the group and made it feel a bit like a get to know you meeting instead of getting together with friends. I guess we’ll have to suck it up and get to the new people well enough to make them friends as well.

And finally, don't you think the boys have a tough life? You know sometimes sleeping for 7 hours a day is just too much and they need a break…

I live in a nice place

After all my adventures in Seattle, I realized that I too live in a nice place. If I’m able to sit in parks and knit there, I can certainly do it here. So I ventured downtown and knit by the river. Actually I worked on the steek reinforcements for the armholes of the vest. I moved onto to casting off the V-Neck stitches and then onto knitting the armhole ribbing on the left side. At about the time to cast off the armhole stitches my butt began to object to sitting on the hard bench. I’m definitely on track to finish the knitting of the vest by the end of the month. I have about 3 hours of ribbing work to go and then….dun…dun…dun!!!! It’ll be time to weave in those millions of ends.

If that isn’t done by the end of August that’s fine, if that’s done by January that’ll be great.

I just can’t imagine the situation in which I’ll be driven to sit and weave them in. Maybe I’ll try for ten a day so it’s manageable. At least I started weaving them in as I went from the armholes on up so it’s really only the bottom half of the garment.

In other news, the Space Needle socks are coming along nicely. I’m never going to use this yarn again…too itchy…harsh…lofty…perhaps a wash will help it but it’ll have to include some fabric softener. That’s what I get for ordering online and not touching the yarn first.

In contrast, the Bulldogust Socks seem to be stuck on pause. I have about two inches to go with the best sock yarn I’ve ever used. I think I’m subconsciously drawing out the knitting so I can use the yarn longer.

A 24 Hour Day

Yesterday was good but very long. We checked out of the hotel around 9am and arrived in Boston at 9:30am the next morning. First we headed off on the Bainbridge Ferry. It was a quick ride to a pretty little island. I’d be happy to live there, it was rural enough to satisfy The Boyfriend yet, busy enough to have a yarn shop to satisfy me. Of course I spent some time there and actually got some Socks that Rock, lightweight sock yarn. And Malabrigo, and Araucania Sock yarn, and some more Jamison Fair Isle yarn so that I can use up the extra yarn from the Ivy League Vest. But I go off on a yarn tangent.





We took the Ferry back and headed over to Pike’s Market. Most of the day was in fact spent walking. I had my pedometer on and we were well over seven miles, after already having walked five miles the previous two days.



The Boyfriend wanted to try some Seattle beer so we visited Pike’s Pub where he had the sampler and I had a disgusting, I mean tasty 10% ABV beer. It was a challenge to get it down but I managed it. I also dragged him to a merchant who had been selling Turkish Delight. I succeed in purchasing some without too many snickers from him.




Next it was the Sci-Fi and Music museums. The Boyfriend worried that I’d melt if they had a Dr. Who exhibit. Lucky for him they did not. But the robot from The Day The World Stood Still was there. Silly robot snuck up on me! Our impressions of these museums can be summed up by the adage, “If you can’t say something nice…don’t say anything at all.” We were required to check our bags and our snacks, without any liquids available we both just wilted.



So we decided to head down to the waterfront and check out the Olympic Sculpture Park. It was a good break with interesting outdoor sculptures. I enjoyed watching the grass waving in the breeze as the ferries and trains passed. The Boyfriend and I had a thoughtful discussion about his future and his priorities. I do not envy him managing work, school, research, and life all at once. In the end I think we came to a good plan to help balance his life.



With a second wind we headed to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Lemon drops are delicious and so is Carrot Cake Cheese Cake. And there we were, finished with dinner with 3 hours until the shuttle to the airport. We’d really seen all we wanted to see and neither of us wanted to walk anymore. So we decided to catch a movie. Tropical Thunder…I love Robert Downey Jr. Tom Cruise rocked. We laughed and stretched. I slept a little (no reflection on the movie). Then it was back to the hotel to meet up with co-workers and head to the airport. Two flights later with two hours of sleep under my belt I stumbled off the plane in Boston and realized I’d been wearing the same clothes for 24 hours…ewwww!

The Sun, Priestess, Hangman. Chariot, Judgment, and Empress.

Last night during happy hour at the hotel there was a man doing Tarot card readings. The Boyfriend and I both had it done.

For me; The Sun, The Priestess, and The Hangman.
According to the reader this meant that I am naturally a happy person and attract happy people to me. That I am a hostess who enjoys learning and is constantly changing. My future is uncertain but I will follow my heart and my intelligence and do something I enjoy.

For The Boyfriend; The Chariot, The Judgment, and The Empress.
According to the reader this meant that he had achieved great things in his past. That he had a new awareness that would cause his to achieve ultimate success and bring success to those around him. That he would help people.

I did a little more checking online and got a bit more explaination on each. They both seem pretty right on for us, but what do you think?

The Sun: A positive card, it promises a day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. The Sun so large and golden overhead, this is the first time that he has been simply and purely happy. His mind feels illuminated, his soul light and bright as a sunbeam

The Priestess:
The card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. Her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know in order to make a decision.

The Hangman: indicates sacrifice. Often, he hangs like on ominous signpost in the road - strange and new happenstances around the next corner. However, the Hanged Man usually shows up to inform you that you will be seeing and understanding things in an entirely new way.

The Chariot: On its most basic level, it implies war, a struggle, and an eventual, hard-won victory; either over enemies, obstacles, nature, the beasts inside you, or to just get what you want On the one hand, the Chariot indicates loyalty and faith and motivation; a conviction that will lead to victory no matter the odds. But the chariot can also signal a ruthless, diehard desire to win at any cost.

The Judgment: This is also a card of healing, quite literally from an accident or illness, as well as a card signaling great transformation, renewal, change. Judgment signals just a big change, one that involves leaving something old completely behind and stepping into something completely new. Like closing the door on an old job, and opening the door to a new and very different career. But it's also about making a final decision.

The Empress: She's Mother. Generally, Mother in a good sense, patient, loving, giving, generous This card tells that if they want a new creation to grow into all it can be they have to pay attention to it, baby it and be willing to let it take those first steps when it is ready. Most of all, like any pregnant mother or good gardener, they have to be patient. All things need time to gestate and sprout.

Octopus Rain

Without the rain

On the Harbor Tour I learned that Seattle actually only gets 37” of rain a year as compared to Boston which gets 46”. The difference is that Seattle rainy season lasts for 9 months. So it was only fitting that as I strolled through Pike Place Market enjoying the sights and smell of all of the fresh flowers that it began to pour.

The devil in me is reveling as I watch the cars attempt to get up the wet steep hills from a complete stop. Lots of spinning tires and a sliding backwards. It’s evil and I know I shouldn’t but I laugh.

The Octopus intimidated me

After touring the harbor and knitting as I gazed at Puget Sound and the cargo cranes that inspired the Imperial Walkers in the Star Wars movies, I headed over to the Seattle Aquarium. Although I had been warned that it is a research facility first and foremost, I was not prepared for the stark displays with sparse signage and lack of seating. It made me really want to visit the “washing machine” at the Boston Aquarium.

I was amused by the sea and river otters. The fur seals with their big black eyes melted my heart.

And then I sat down with the kiddies in front of the octopus tank. Reading that the Octopi can see as well as I can, and already knowing how intelligent they are, the stage was set. Then the giant creature perched not ten inches from my face and looked me in the eye as it’s tentacles roved about.

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I got the clear impression that this peculiar creature was completely aware of the situation and plotting our demise. For now, he had made a conscious decision to entertain the lowly humans. (I got goose bumps and also reminded me of “so long and thanks for all the fish”).

And did I mention that my legs are killing me. I’ve walked well over 5 miles both days. The rain is stopping so I’ll venture from one of the 100 Starbucks located in the 5 miles of Downtown. It really is the Starbucks capital and they all resemble my local hangout which is comforting in this big city.

I ate lunch at Seattle Grace Hospital

OK, not really. But I was eating spanakopita at the building they show on Gray’s anatomy as the exterior of the hospital. It’s actually a shopping center across from the Space Needle, and all of the filming for the show is done in Los Angeles so no chance to see McSteamy or McDreamy.


I learned all of this on the Duck Tour, which is something I’ve always wanted to do and Seattle just happened to be the lucky city. I have can now say I’ve ridden a duck, and I truly enjoyed it. I had thought it would help me learn the lay of the land but it crossed back and forth so much I had no idea where I was, but it was a good time.


I saw the location of The Real World 7, the sports stadiums, Olympic Sculpture Park, the monorail, and Belltown. I had to walk through Belltown this morning which was sketchy to say the least. I’ll gladly take the monorail back to our swanky hotel.



Currently I’m sitting in the Space Needle writing this on the back of a map. Traveling alone is so different, so introspective. The view from here actually reminds me of the view from the top of a cruise ship. This is where I would typically ask The Boyfriend how tall these things are in comparison. Alas, he’s in a stuffy meeting.


Now I’m going to pull out the socks and knit a couple of rows, making this the most unusual place I’ve ever knit (previously it had been at a cat show).

Back From The Edge

Leaving after work on Thursday we raced the sunlight and headed into the heart of darkness. Well not really, it just felt that way to me. I was a bit nervous as we drove an hour outside of cell phone range, an hour away from restaurants, and an hour from any sort of hospitals. I pushed those thoughts from my mind and played with one of the two pieces of technology that would accompany me into the woods, my camera. The other of course is the trusty Ipod. So there we were rushing into the woods and I was clicking away taking this and other fun photos.

We did not beat the dark or the rain, which meant the bonfire was a no-go. Instead, we acquainted ourselves with a little game called Settlers of Catan. For all you Futurama fans out there, I kept singing “We’re Settlers of Catan” to the tune of “We’re whalers on the moon”. As you can see the Girly Beer was also engrossed in learning the rules of this addictive game.

The next afternoon we had a bit of a slapstick comedy routine. At least I felt like it as I sat on a rock knitting while the others played on the shore, skipping stones and enjoying the scenery.
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Here you see, one of my companions decides to throw the biggest stone into the water.
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Together they admire the ripple.
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Then as his attention is elsewhere The Boyfriend puts the rock back in its proper-responsible position, out of the water where future visitors are sure to see it and not ram their boats into it. I watched and chuckled.
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The second evening we had sun and another round of Catan. Anxious not to miss our opportunity for a fire, we started it well before dark and dinned outside.

There was a conflict between The Boyfriend and I over the appropriate use of sticks and fire poke-age. I felt there could not be enough poking and demonstrated this at every opportunity, saying “pokey-pokey” with a smile and hearing my father's voice when I was a child walking slowly saying “come on pokey-pokey.”




The Boyfriend confiscated my stick on several occasions and all agreed there should be no sitting without knitting for me, far too fidgety.




As we drove home today I continued to work on my Undulating-Rib socks (I’m in love with the Claudia Hand paint yarn). The Boyfriend snapped this picture of it look you can see him reflected in the rearview.

Amongst mice, sleeve burning marshmallows, waterfalls, cribbage, flatulence, brick-wood-wheat-sheep-oar, cooking, poking the fire, and “that’s what she said” I discovered that we really do have a wonderful pair of friends. So often the daily grind and different interests cause us to loose track of what caused the paths of our lives to intersect to begin with, nothing more than the pleasure of just being ourselves together, to relax together, and being able to just laugh together.

And yes, I did survive and even enjoy the wilderness.

I might even do it again sometime, (as long as there's indoor plumbing).

Farewell

Last night we said farewell to a friend. I didn’t realize how hard it would be. Of course I know how close we are and how important this group has become to each of us but I didn’t realize just how sad it would be as a piece of the pie is removed. While we wish our Katie K the best of luck in her future she will be missed.

Radio silence has been maintained in large part due to a killer cold. I did nothing but sleep for 36 hours (which means no work on the Vest). A piece of the cold still lingers but I’m hoping to annihilate the last of it today as I rest up for a weekend in the woods. The Boyfriend and I are heading to the great woods of Maine to stay in a cabin with friends. While it sounds fun, the prospect of no electricity for 3 days is somewhat disconcerting. I’ve packed plenty of stockinet for knitting by the campfire. The boyfriend informed me that I must not forget to pick up the makings for S’mores today, or the entire weekend will be a bust. I’m glad he has his priorities straight.

Snip it good

This morning the scissors did their work. And then it was a vest instead of a bunched-up mass of Fair Isle.
Tomorrow I’ll work on the ribbing around the neck. It was interesting how crocheting along the steeks and then cutting it gave new life to the project. Rather than cursing it for being so much work, I was invigorated at the new techniques I was using and excited to keep at it.

Update! Update! Update!!!!

As of twenty minutes ago the Ivy League Vest has been cast off!!! I’m so happy to have the bulk of the knitting behind me. It also worked out perfectly that the cast off row would be a solid row so that the front and backs of the shoulders will match perfectly. Tomorrow in class I’ll learn to secure a steek and then it’ll be snip snip!!!


I recently watched the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I found it surprisingly good considering its age and lack of special effects. A good story will stand the test of time, regardless of how flashy the presentation.

I’ll be very curious to see how the remake does as compared to the stark original. The trailer features the line,
“If the earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives.” This does not fit with the original telling of the story which is that other worlds find humans to be hostile. Humans must refrain from using atomic weapons on each other or the universal police will step in and destroy Earth.

It would seem that today’s audiences need to learn to be environmentally conscious which doesn’t have the same bite. The quote makes it appear that the Earth is now of some value to the aliens which is not the case in the original telling. We’ll have to see in December when the film is released.

I cast on another pair of socks from the Favorite Socks book. The Undulating Rib Socks in Claudia Handpainted Yarns are not far along but I can already tell you that the yarn is like buttah!!! It’s silky smooth and so nice! I can see these flying along since the pattern is super easy to memorize.