Fiber Event Wishes, Lost and Found

I was browsing knitting/fiber events and came across one that I would LOVE to attend!!!!  (As if I don’t want to go to ALL of them… now where IS that winning lottery ticket?!!!)  Which one did I single out as the true dream event, you ask?  The one Nov 17-19 in Haifa, of course!  WHERE?!  Haifa, Israel.  One of the most beautiful places on this planet.  It’s been many years now since I lived on a kibbutz outside Jerusalem (yes, yours truly,  I was a student – that’s how long ago it was).

Combine a knitting convention and retreat with a visit to one of my favourite places and you would have one very happy Redfear!  Check it out and go through their great gallery, here’s the link.  Very fashion forward and fun to browse through even if, like me, you can’t really read Hebrew.  I highly recommend reading the Yarn Market October 2007 article, as well.

The better part of today is being spent browsing knitting/yarn/design blogs, patterns, general merriment and fun!!!  Ok, I all ready ran errands, give me a break!!!!  BTW, please do check out the great blogs listed in links and I’m always thrilled to learn about more so leave your comments with links, suggestions, etc. Pretty, pretty please… with whipped cream on top!

While you’re at it, please check out Yarn Addicts Unite blog ring – too much fun!  And, of course, Bad Ass Knitters … name says it all.

Ooops, can’t seem to stop writing today… oh well.

Just had to share one of those fiber nirvana moments…  I sort of accidentally kicked an empty water bottle under my bed and heard it thunk against something.  What on earth is under my bed?!  It’s far too early in the day for monsters and all the boxes that I remember packing are in plain site.  OMG, there’s three more skeins of still packed yarn fresh from a Knit Picks order last spring!!!!!!  (My Mother’s Day gift to myself, long story briefly touched on in earlier postings.)   That’s a whole pair of socks and several more inches to my sister’s stole just sitting right there happily tucked away waiting to be re-discovered.

Back, Socks for Soldiers, Christmas socks, more socks, and pillows too

Last Wednesday the silliest thing happened… I was walking in the parking lot outside our apartment and just fell.  As in ‘fall down forcefully for no apparent reason.’  Bruised my knee, elbow, wrenched my back rather badly and had no idea why!!!  After I’d managed to catch my breath and stand up, there it was – a rock about as big around as a silver dollar and as thick as a tube of lipstick.  Geeeeeez!

I had to call in sick as I couldn’t get my back in an upright position so spent the evening with my son going over school work, and alternating ice, heat, positions, anything I could think of to get the back and knee to quit their throbbing.  By the next morning the knee pain wasn’t so bad, the elbow and wrist still felt like someone whacked them pretty good… but the back….  still felt like screaming made up profanities instead of the ones we use for regular old every day things.

Long story short, as they say, went to the local urgent care, was told I’d messed it up (ya think?!) and to give it a few days to heal.  Since I had a rather nasty back injury (from playing with aforementioned son when he was a toddler),  I took the PA’s advice and kept reasonably still, did the heat pad thing, took muscle relaxers and anti inflamatories (arthritis in the back too dontcha know), etc etc etc.  Come Monday, wasn’t feeling too bad so went in to work with my required Dr’s note…. had to run home quickly to change (ok, ok, so I didn’t actually run), started putting my panty hose on… did that little hip wiggle thing anyone who has pulled pantyhose up to their waist is familiar with, and OMG… did someone shove iron rods through my spinal column?!  How rude!!!!!!

So… now I am again among the masses of unemployed as of this morning.  At least for a little while.

Last night I tore out all but 4″ of the socks for soldiers that I’d done – it just didn’t look right at all.  Then started over, have about 4″ done.  Go me!  Perhaps I’m a bit overly picky on those socks but I truly want them to be just right for the hard working soldier that will wear them in the line of duty. 

Socks for Soldiers

I’ve also got about 3/4 of one of my own socks for Christmas finished.  It’s a personal pattern that resides exclusively in my head.   I’m using Knit Picks Palette – red and green (not exact names).  If it turns out all right, I’ll post it here   It’s loosely based on ‘Blackhearted’ but with some heavy duty somewhat free style mods. 

The child socks are finished and gifted – only a week after the 3rd birthday of the recipient.  Now she wants a knit purple crown.  I’m going to have to figure that one out!

And… just for something to do (hehehe) broke down and bought some more sz 9 needles so I can start on Christmas throw pillows.  Not difficult at all, just going to do a bit of color work on one – thinking brown arrowheads on a blue background for one out of Knit Pics Gloss from the yarn stash, Celtic like cable work on the other from yarn I picked up quite a while ago.  Again, patterns in my own head – if they work out tolerably well, I’ll post those here too.

Work and progress

I’ve been working on the S4S and sister’s stole at work.  It’s slow going at times – silly pharmacies keep calling wanting over rides… Geez!   Have to admit, I’m a bit frustrated, I have NO clue where I put the rest of my needles.  This having the place half packed is not working out real well.  They might be at a friends’ house but haven’t had a chance to check.

Sister’s stole is moving right along but can’t get cam to get the color right.  It’s actually a deep, rich burgundy and the pattern is an adaptation of fan and feather (all knit, no purling on ‘right’ side) done on size 6 circulars.

How do I start on Christmas presents without size 7s and 8s?!  uhmmm… guess that involves figuring out where my absent minded self put things – oops! 

It’s time to start thinking about a new computer system and upgrade my son’s rather old one.  Anyone have extra lottery tickets? hehe