Modifications

The lay off is now complete, we went out with a bbq, volleyball tournament and party.  It’s strange to be home today, I’ve worked Saturdays all year with a few exceptions.  I have never worked with such a fantastic group of people and I shall miss them.  Fortunately, several will be coming over to the new job that I (hopefully) will  be starting on the 14th.

In other news….  Will has another renter moving in right now.  Living with the first ex husband has some rather unique challenges and adding an unknown to the mix could prove interesting.  Fortunately, Will and I get along reasonably well so long as we don’t have the emotionality of a relationship.  It works out best for the kids, Marci started UVU last week and David is a junior in H.S. now.  There’s all the typical parental taxi stuff, what’s for dinner and ‘I did the dishes last time’ things and few of the old issues.

Mom and two of my sisters have been moving things out of Heidi’s storage unit – it’s still hard to believe she’s gone.  I’d like to have the Heidi’s stole but not entirely sure if it’s appropriate to tell Mom right now.  She’s holding up reasonably well but with her own health issues (mastectomy a few months ago and double knee replacement surgery in two weeks) I don’t want to push her to deal with anything she’s not ready for.

Knitting has been a bit slow the last week or so but I’m plugging along on the socks for soldiers, frogged a pair of purple multi/metalic gloves that I’d started and deciding what to do with some of the hanks in the yarnstash.

I’ve been going through my knitting mags, the free patterns on ravelry and sorting through what I want to knit with what is within my skill set with not too much stretch at the moment.  My new job (hopefully – yes, that word again – I was made the tentative offer yesterday and waiting until they come back with the firm one) is business casual and after several years of wearing jeans I need to think about what articles I need to include in the new wardrobe.

There has also been some perusing of knitting articles including this outstanding on on modifications for up-sizing sweaters from Vogue Knitting.  Since I have a reasonably extensive sewing background I understand garment modification concepts but the translation from cutting fabric to creating the fabric isn’t always as clear as it should be.

Also, I’ve been going over the Kitchener directions by Margaret Radcliffe in the latest edition of Knit ‘N Style.  Not sure what it is, sometimes Kitchener has made perfect sense to me and others my fingers just don’t quite connect with the brain.  I’d strongly recommend picking up a copy from your LYS or online.

Continental and Magic Loop revisited

…And Bad Mommy

I’ve tried using the continental knitting style several times with varied amounts of success, it’s not really difficult, just doesn’t always ‘feel’ right… but… I did do half of yesterday’s knitting continental style.  Go me!  AND…. I was youtubing for a better way to pearl using continental and came across CraftSanity’s video.  It made soooo much more sense to me.  Perhaps it’s because I learned to crochet before I knit and she shows the similarities, I’m not sure… but either way – it’s easier for my brain to do it this way.

The ‘pick up’ isn’t as high as I’d been taught before which was undoubtedly part of my problem getting decent tension.

And now…  Leila47 (ravelry link) encouraged me to do a new youtube search for Magic Loop and showed me her method (sans needle and yarn – we were doing resume review you know!).   For some reason, the importance of yarn direction had escaped me so her demonstration combined with the various videos I found LiatMGat’s easy to follow, fun and detailed enough to … tada… I cast on and did a few rounds!   I’m not starting a new project with it just now, I simply wanted to actually figure it out in a way that sinks far enough into my brain/hand relationship that I can use it at will.

You might want to check out Liat’s Blog, I’m loving her Leaf Bug Root Gloves.  She also has Stix Inspiring Yarns for Creative Hands – which is now on my ‘must do’ when I visit my brother in Montana.

In other news – only 27 more days of employment.  More legal stuff.  Need to go see Mom and Dad this weekend, they seem pretty lonely without Heidi.  Still forcing myself to find something to look forward to so I can keep going.  It’s not all bleak, just a bit on the dark/cloudy side still.

And, I took David to get two more guages in his ears this afternoon.  A different dude did the piercing this time and David started bleeding.  I know, I’m the ‘rocker mom,’ the one who signs the piercing forms, does Slipknot concerts, and doesn’t freak when the little darling blogs about his reasons for being an athiest (which includes quasi-sexual content), but I had to stop myself from getting violent, or at least verbal.  It wasn’t the piercers fault, he must have just nicked a small blood vessel or something but the automatic momma bear instinct kicks in when I see blood coming out of one of my kids.  Bad Mommy.

Kirchener Options – 3 Needle Bind Off

Although Kitchener is by far the best sock bind off I’ve found, there are options that work pretty darn well. My fave is the three needle bind off – it makes a great seam and is typically used for shoulders, seams, etc. Why not toes?!

Basically, you’re doing a pretty normal bind off, just with three needles instead of two. Think of it as sewing the seam shut with the third needle and it’s pretty easy.

I have no idea why I didn’t think of this the other day when I was grafting toes at work. It would have been a whole lot simpler!