Happy Saturday!

Greetings and Dear Cynthia,

It is a glorious morning here today. The sun is shining, the temperatures are rising, and I'm wearing a brand new sweater!It has perhaps just a little bit too much ease around the torso, though for the most part, it is quite comfy and warm and I like it. Also, I think a white dress blouse having a collar will go better with it...

The boys and I played soccer and kickball outside yesterday. It was lot of fun. We went to the park and met up with some other kids and it just felt so great to be outside and active! I'm proud to say that I can still kick the kickball farther than my kids. (I have to say that right now, because I don't think I'll be able to say that by the end of the summer.....)

I also finished the Alligator scarf, well before it's deadline of my nephew's birthday in July. It was a very fun knit, though the acrylic/wool (75%/25%) yarn is not my favorite...but it is easy care for my sister (it won't shrink), so that is important. Also, I added six repeats to the main section of the body, because I didn't think it was going to be long enough otherwise...

That's all the news for now! I hope this finds you well, and would love to hear from you!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

Finshed, done, fine', kaput...

Greetings, and dear Cynthia!

The "SuperNova turned boring vee-neck" experiment is OVER! Here it is blocking, and almost dry. I'll get a picture of me wearing it in the next couple of days...

Marie -- Thank you for your suggestion about stitching the separation in the first version of the vee on the inside to hold things together. If the center separates again (and it is separating just a little bit already, though not to the extent the first version did), I'm going to follow your advice on that.

Linda L -- Thank you for the recipe for rolls! They sound yummy, and I'm definitely going to try that, though can I have your mom's phone number so that she may help me figure out when they are done? :-)

This brings my tally of Mission Possible:2008 projects to six completed, six remaining.

Remember my Tangled Yoke Cardigan? I was going full steam on this one during the knitting part, though once I realized how flimsy the button bands were going to be, I ran out of steam and took some time to figure out what I want to do with it. I purchased some gross grain ribbon to experiment with putting machine buttonholes into the ribbon before I sewed it to the back of the buttonhole band of the sweater (thank you Elizabeth for that suggestion). I used some fusible interfacing on the back side of the ribbon, and I think this is going to work: I also considered reworking the front edges so that I could put in a "hidden" zipper, though in the end, I decided that I would prefer the look of buttons on this sweater.

What do you think I should go with: Plain pink, or pink with white dots on it?I looked at a lot of various ribbon samples, and would have really loved to find some with pinks and browns, though nothing really worked for me except for these two options.

We continue to look forward to next week's election. It's been a bit comical lately. Another campaign worker was at my house dropping off some signs, and so I had my front door open as I was talking to him, and we both observed the incumbent putting up a sign across the street from me. Five minutes later, another person working on our campaign went over to talk to the lady who lives in that house. The next evening, another campaign worker was picking something up from me and standing outside my door, and I was talking to her with the door open as we both observed the incumbent park his car, then pull his sign out of the yard across the street, put it into his trunk, and drive off. Of course he noticed us watching him do this... He looked so pathetic that I actually felt sorry for him. Then, I read some quotes of his in the newspaper yesterday which technically aren't lies to the "letter", though certain details were not included which changed the whole "spirit" of the message... So, though he wasn't lying in the true sense of the word, he was misleading, and the reason so many in this district are fed up. (Ahem...I've got a little baggage about this.....) In any case, I know of at least three houses which have incumbent signs in front of them because they just didn't want to have to "deal" with the incumbent when he asked if he could put them there, or because somebody in the house gave him permission when the real decision makers (voters) weren't home, etc. By sign count alone, "the good guy" is doing extremely well. Again, after Tuesday next week, we'll have our final answer.....

Today's the last day of Spring Break! That means that next week, I'll get more time to myself! It's been fun, though I'm a creature of routine and am always glad when things get back to "normal," whatever that is...

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

A tale of two vee necks...

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

I'm confident that I an working on the sweater from h#ll. My sweater front has an even number of stitches, which means that for the vee part, there is no "center stitch" to carry up into the ribbing in the neckband. Rather, there are "two center stitches". I consulted The Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns (which I LOVE, by the way), and decided to knit the neckband having the center point of the vee as just a vertical line separating the right side from the left side. This was done by working up to the middle four stitches, then working SSK, K2tog, then continuing on.... I did really like the look, until after I tried it on, and things stretched a little bit, etc., and now I'm left with a **wide** vertical line (also known as a "separation") which I did not like:And so, I removed the neckband and started again, this time still working up to the same middle four stitches, but working K2tog, SSK on those four stitches, instead. What a difference! This I can live with: It's quite a boring sweater, though as you know, I'm drawn to the "classics". Plus, during the past two days, I've seen at least three different TV personalities each sporting a classic (boring) vee neck sweater, so perhaps I'm just really, really trendy and I don't even know it. Perhaps. Yeah right. In any case, all that remains is sewing the sleeves to the body of this one, and it will **finally** be done. Care to place a bet on whether or not I can do that without having to rip it out again?

Thank you all for your kind wishes of wellness. Today my sore throat is just about gone, and I'm feeling a lot less tired than I have been. Thanks to Ibuprofen, the strep throat has been quite bearable. We had a nice (though smaller than planned) Easter get-together. Here is the "roll wheel" I got from a European bakery which is walking distance from our house:When I pulled it from the oven after crisping them up a little bit, I casually mentioned to my dad that I had made them. I must be a convincing liar, because ten minutes later in a different conversation, it became clear that he believed me. As a parent myself, I guess I can understand how parents might think their children are capable of grand things like this when actually, they aren't.....

I'm baby-sitting this week to help out another mom who must work while her son is on Spring Break, so that's three boys -- not the best number of kids, because there is definitely some ganging up, etc -- though he's a nice kid, and if we all get outside to explore/play, things go pretty well.

Hey - did you hear that the UW Badgers are in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament? I have a pair of red and white striped socks on the needles, **coincidentally**.....(So sorry about Purdue, Indiana, and Notre Dame... Really. I had all three of them picked to go much further. I think I'm going to lose a free drink at Starbucks because of it, too...)

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

Happy Easter!

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

He is risen, indeed!

DH came home with some daffodils yesterday, my favorite flower, the flower of hope! I love them! Perfect for Easter -- New life!There are roses in the background of this photo which my five year old and I received as we were exiting the church after Hazel's funeral this past Tuesday. It was a nice service, and I was glad to be there with my extended family. My five year old was the only child there, and he was really missing his older brother. Not the best Spring Break activity for him.

Two days later, I took him to the doctor because he had a sore behind his ear which wasn't resolving, and he was diagnosed with impetigo (bacterial skin infection) and is now on systemic and topical antibiotics. Also not the best Spring Break activity for him.

You may know that impetigo can be caused by strep or staph bacteria. You might be wondering if a child's mother might contract strep throat by being in the vicinity of her child who has impetigo. That is affirmative. I was highly suspicious yesterday, because I had pain when I swallowed and a fever approaching 102F which came on suddenly without having additional cold symptoms, so I went to urgent care and they put me on antibiotics. By 4:00 this afternoon, I should no longer be contagious. I am so very bummed out that I can't go to church this morning, on Easter, this most festive holiday which my family celebrates. At least my folks and my sister's family are still coming over from the Milwaukee area this afternoon for a nice meal.

In knitting news, I finished the body of my "Supernova turned vee-neck" sweater, and one sleeve. This is on my Mission Possible list, and I'm trying to finish it up this month.

The Alderman campaign has stepped into high gear, though is going quite well. The incumbent stopped by my house the other night to ask if he could put one of his signs in my yard. (He must not know that I am working for his opponent. He was primarily interested in our house because we live on a corner which has some decent traffic flow.) It was actually cathartic, because he asked me why I was supporting the other candidate, so I had an opportunity to calmly explain to him my reasons. There is one particular issue of great contention in our district right now, and he is possibly the only person in the district who supports it, yet he won't let it drop. It was pretty clear that he was more interested in winning the argument than in winning my vote, which really just makes things easier for our campaign. Election April 1st, and then you won't have to hear me go on about that any more....

Well, I should get a few things ready for our guests this afternoon. I hope this finds you having a joyous holiday!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

Spring Break I, Day 1

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

We are entering our first week of Spring Break (five year old has off this week; seven year old not until next week). Today on the schedule is cleaning the basement. It shouldn't be too bad, because most of it is Christmas decorations which just have to be neatly tucked back into their boxes. This should have been done months ago....but I digress. Tomorrow I am taking my five year old to my step grandma's funeral. The day after that, the grocery store. I certainly do not know how his friends who will be spending this week at Disney World will ever compete with my plans. (It's not all gloom - I decided to take him to see Horton Hears a Who today. I want to see it myself, so this is the perfect excuse for me to go. Plus, it sounds like there are some fun sound bites in it, such as "A person's a person no matter how small." This reminded me of our current alderman situation... (Oops, did I just write that?))

WOW -- your suggestions regarding my SuperNova were so great, and definitely worth trying! And, I certainly wish I would have seen your comments and love for the style before this:Yes, I stopped feeling the love for it. It had a rocky start (a couple of errors in the pattern), and sewing it together was tedious, and the sleeves were really on the very snug side. When I tried it on a couple of times, I had to tug around on it a little to get things to lie correctly, and I was also concerned about that. I checked Ravelry, and it's listed only three times there, with only one successful completion -- Another one is in hibernation, and the third is being scrapped. I decided to cut my losses and convert it to a simple vee neck. It's fine up to the arm decreases, so I ripped the body back to that point, and am re-knitting the sleeves to be a little bit looser. I feel a little bit sorry that I "gave up" on it. At the same time, I feel relieved that I can see the end of this project now.

Finally, if you haven't already seen this, I want to introduce you to Randy Pausch. He is a 47 year old married father of three, a very popular professor at Carnegie Mellon, and dying of pancreatic cancer. He gave a lecture at Carnegie Mellon back in September which has been at the top of the video lists on the internet. He reprised it on Oprah in a version that is only about ten minutes. I encourage you to watch it -- very inspiring. One of my favorite messages from it is to choose to be a Tigger and not an Eeyore. Another is about having a sense of fun and wonder all the time. Another about not complaining, just working harder... Really, really worth a look. In case you're interested, here is the long version he gave on his campus.

Okay, I'm off to start cleaning the basement...

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

AAUGH!!

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

Your finished blanket is so adorable, and always nice when it changes size in the wash and ends up being something **you wanted to happen**. Sorry to hear about your short row heel traumas. Instead of short rows (edit -- should say "Instead of wraps and turns) on my heels, I started using a yarn-over version which has an end result which is just about identical to a short row heel (with wraps and turns), but which I find much easier to execute. I follow the directions as given in the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. It took a little practice for me to get used to the "SSSP", but now I love the yarn-over technique. Also, per Deb's suggestions, I typically use 60% of the stitches for the heel (instead of 50%) and it works great for me. (Thank you again, Deb! You've changed the way I knit socks, FOR SURE!)

And now, don't be shocked... Look, it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's **SuperNova**, having seven out of eleven pieces sewn together:I've been debating about whether or not I should just scrap the thing and cut my losses. I haven't blocked anything yet, and that might fix some of the funkiness that I have going on with the shoulder area... Now, do you see what I mean about the neckline? The directions say to cast on the turtleneck from the top, then knit the turtle neck down to where it would meet the body of the sweater, then knit six little points which will fit in all of those little areas where the circles come together at the neckline. AAUGH! Any suggestions for an easier way? If possible, I'd like to pick up the stitches at the neckline, then knit somehow to cover those gaps (or if I just ignore them, will it all blend in nicely after blocking?). I don't see this being any longer than a crew neck...maybe up to an inch and a half of ribbing which has stockinette on the edge to curl over a little bit. I'll entertain any ideas any of you might have! Sewing this together has been less enjoyable than putting a Dale of Norway sleeve into a steek, and that is really saying something!!

In other knitting, and something which is *not* on my Mission Possible: 2008 list -- A present for my nephew's July birthday, which I'm trying to finish before things get crazy for me with summer school: It is the Morehouse Merino Alligator pattern, though recalling that my sister shrunk/accidentally felted one of the wool sweaters I made for my nephew a couple of years ago, I decided to use a wool/acrylic totally washable yarn instead of the Morehouse Merino. I thought the variation in the color of this yarn would be fun for the pattern.

Would you believe that I'm working on a political campaign? It has been taking some of my knitting time, too! Our alderperson is, er, perhaps not a good representative for our district. Many of my neighbors and I have been discussing for a year that we need a **different** alderperson, though the election was coming, and we had **no candidate**. I've been pestering two different people about running for months (because I can be annoyingly persistent that way). The first guy is enjoying his retirement, travelling, etc., and didn't think he'd have time for it. The second guy, after a gentle nudge with one final fateful e-mail which I sent to him only days before the signatures had to be in to get him on the ballot, talked with his family and decided he'd make a go of it. So, about ten of us have been working on his campaign. He won the primary with 70% of the vote, so the third candidate got knocked out, but the incumbent is still in it, with 17% of the vote. The general election is April 1st. The incumbent is not giving up without a fight, however, so I did something I've never done before, and wrote a letter "to the editor", which will run in next week's paper. I could go on about it forever, but I'll spare you the details. It has been fun, educational, and pushed me outside of my comfort zone, though most importantly, I've learned that when a few passionate people get together for a common cause, it is amazing what can be done!

Finally, I received word yesterday that my step-grandma died, at the age of 94 (well, she would have been 94 on St. Patrick's day). Her name is Hazel, and she married my grandpa years after his first wife (also named Hazel) passed away. She's been the only grandma I really knew on my mom's side of the family, and had no kids of her own. I think she single-handed prayed me into finding DH and getting married, because she felt really badly for me when my younger brother and sister both got married before me. In any case, though we weren't very close, she's been a fixture in my family for as long as I can remember, and it's important for me to go to the funeral next week to be with my grandpa.

I haven't lost anybody since 1988, and this year I've lost two relatives in the span of as many months... I had a weird sense that 2008 was going to be a different sort of a year.....

Anyway, raining here today! So glad that there are signs of spring along with it, too!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

One possible, anyway.....

Greetings and Dear Laura:

Well, we've had a stretch of almost a week without a significant "snow event" and we're predicted to spend the next week in the 40-50 degree range, so it feels like progress! (Although not seeing the sun in the morning before descending into my basement office certainly doesn't seem like progress!!) While I'm sure we've not come close to you in total snowfall, we have had snow on the ground for much of this winter season, and we usually saw between 4-7" every week or two. Our winter, however, has been characterized by a cycle of "snow, rain/melt/flood, snow." It's that middle muddy-rainy-floody thing that got old!

I've been working right along on my mission possible, and I've finished my first project - the yellow baby blanket. (Ravelry link here.) Blocking this had an amazing result - off the needles it was 22" x 28". I was hoping to block to 32" long, and was surprised to get 32" square! I really enjoyed this knit - I love the Heirloom Breeze, especially for baby blankets. It's soft, and washable, and a joy to knit with. I blocked it as soon as I cast off, so I can truly consider it a finished object!

And now I'm on to my second Mission Possible, my red socks. I am frankly to the point in knitting these where it's only sheer determination that makes me touch them! After knitting the first heel 4 or 5 times before I was satisfied, I thought the second one would go more smoothly (what with all that experience to draw on.) HA! I know that it was at least the 5th go on that second heel, and the only reason I'm not ripping it back out is that I no longer really care if it's a nice heel - just that it's a heel.

Lumpy and holey, but it's a heel. I will conquer short row heels on another pair of socks, a pair that I'm not so fed up with. Honest. (Do you suppose they'll have a class in short-row heels at Stitches this year? Isn't it about time for the class list to come out?)

So, that's what's going on in my little knitting world - hope you are having a good (and springlike?) week!

Keep knitting!

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter!)

Where were you when you heard the news?

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

Brett Favre announced his retirement yesterday. The state of Wisconsin is in mourning. People gathered at Lambeau Field just to "be with other fans". I heard one person ask another, "Where were you when you heard the news?" (The last time somebody asked me that question, it was in reference to the attack on the World Trade Towers on September 11th....)

I consider myself somewhat resilient, however, and I've picked up the shattered pieces of my life and moved on. KNITTING! It is with glee that I say I am in a state of having no "second sock syndrome" anymore! I knit the second sock on my pair of contrasting heels ankle socks, finishing off another item on my Mission Possible: 2008 list. These are made out of leftover Lorna's Laces (say that three times fast), and are so soft. I have been converted to a "toe-up" sock person, though I've found the short row heel is quite snug, so I knit these heels on 60% of the stitches (instead of the typical 50%), and they fit perfectly, no slipping down, not too tight... This brings my Mission Possible tally to five things done, seven to go.

On the topic of my two unfinished languishing sweaters, I've actually sewn 2/3 of the SuperNova together. I am going to need some suggestions for how I do the neckline on that one. The pattern instructs you to knit the turtleneck from the top down, then finish with a series of six little "points" which are then sewn into the recesses created when the circles were sewn together. I'll show you a picture in my next post. Before I even started knitting the sweater, I knew I wasn't going to be handling the neckline per the pattern instructions, and yet, I still haven't figured out what I **will** do. A hand knit turtleneck is out of the question for me, but not sure exactly how to execute something which might be more to my liking. And so, I'll try it on, take a decent picture, and then be back for your suggestions (hopefully) in the next day or two...

Carry on, if you can... ...if you can muster the courage to face today without Brett Favre playing for the Packers any more. Be brave!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

After the felting...

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

Welcome to Mission Possible! I hope your experience is similar to mine in that you find it is a way to really be motivated to finish stash items! Though I admit that most of the projects I've listed are definitely "low hanging fruit", the Mission Possible: 2008 program is exactly what I needed to get some of these things completely **finished**.

When we last "spoke", I had just finished knitting an oven mitt and a bag which were to be felted. It took four trips through the agitation cycle of my washing machine, though I'm happy to say that I love how things turned out.

Here is Amy Anderson's oven mitt pattern ("Into the Frying Pan") before and after:Here is Amy Anderson's Tiny Totes pattern (I made the "large clutch" style):
I'll be adding more details to the bag (grommets, button, lining), so that project is *not* finished yet. However, I'm declaring the oven mitt "done", so it brings my total to four out of twelve Mission Possible projects completed.

Here is a picture of the broken spring on our garage door: Note that the garage door is in the "down" position, and our vehicle is **inside** the garage. I wasn't able to get the garage door open, though I'm hopeful that the people who installed the whole system five years ago will be able to come over today and fix it. It's not too big of a deal -- we live right on a bus line, and DH takes the bus to work most days. Also, I'll be able to take my five year old to preschool via the bus tomorrow and Friday if it comes to that. However, I was hoping to get to the grocery store in the next day or two, so this might force me to clean out my freezer to put food on the supper table, which probably isn't a bad thing -- It would be good for me to see what is lurking in the freezer, anyway.

Okay, so I'm off to get some laundry done. Have a great day!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

Designated Knitter Mission Possible

Greetings and Dear Laura:

I loved the idea of Mission Possible, so I'm in. I have to hurry so that I can count the things I'm working on!

1. Yellow Baby Blanket
Current WIP. I'm about 1/2 done with this blanket. I was making it for one of my God-daughters, but her older sister decided to offer the blankie that I made for her to her baby sister. I'm going to finish it to have on hand as a baby gift. It will take 6 balls of the 10 in my stash. I'm pleased to be using some of this yarn - I bought 4 bags in different colors 5 years ago. I've now used up the red and blue, and I still have a bag of white. Bottom line, this project is true stash busting!

2. Ladybug Sweater
Oh, this is so close! I just have to cut the steeks for the sleeves, and then do the finishing sewing and neckband. AND this is not just a UFO, it is a kit that I bought 7 years ago!

3. Red Socks
I have one and a half socks done from this pair. I need socks! So, this is definitely on the list. I've had the yarn for years.

4. Aaron's Vest
My nephew-in-law and I made a deal. I'd make him a vest to keep him warm ice fishing, and he'll turn my stash of wild-cherry wood into an entertainment center. We are both WAY behind schedule. Maybe if I finish the vest.....

5. Green Socks
I fell in love with this yarn at Cass Street Depot and bought it during their going-out-of-business sale. It's the Embossed Leaves pattern from Favorite Socks. I moved right along down the ankle of the first sock, but then the baby knitting began.....

6. Blue Socks
I started these several years ago with Blackberry Ridge sport weight and making up the pattern as I go. I'm doing 2 at a time on 2 circulars, toe up.

7. I also started a pair of sport weight Lorna's Laces that I got from Fiddlehead Yarns in Kenosha. I cast them on right there in the store...but then moved back to the baby projects.....

8-12. I have the following sock yarns that I haven't cast on yet, but I really want socks, so these are the rest of the list....

So, there you go. My 12 Mission Possible projects. Fingers crossed....

Keep knitting!

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

...and one more thing

Dear Cynthia,

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !!!!!!

I am so glad you were hired on with your company. You SOOOO deserve it, and wonderful that you will have the benefits!

While I'm at it, I'll mention that the blankets you made look so very cozy (and even at my boys' current ages of seven and five, kids seem to be all about the "cozy").

And your fetching inspired hat is so nice. I just love the adaptation of that pattern as you've done it with your hats.

Once again, congrats! I'm so happy for you!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

Low Hanging Fruit

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

I've been thinking a little bit about my days working for my former company (which has a name that rhymes with "E" "G"). I think it is because one of my good friends from those days is getting married, and I just got the invitation to his wedding.

In any case, I was thinking about all of the "processes" we used while I was working there, and often if there was some catastrophe (really more of a nuisance in the grand scheme of what "catastrophe" can mean these days), we'd analyze the situation and try to figure out if the "process" had broken down someplace, or if somebody had sidestepped the "process",etc....

When I became a stay at home mom, there were many opportunities to put processes in place to facilitate the management of our home. One such process (common among those who do the family shopping, I'm sure) utilizes a little white board housed on the front of the refrigerator. Whenever anybody runs out of something (uses up the peanut butter), or takes the last stash of something (tube of toothpaste), he or she is supposed to write the item on the white board. Then, on the day I go to the grocery store, if I am thinking (which is not a "given"), I'll buy those items. I am going to the grocery store this afternoon. Here is the current state of the white board:I think the "process" broke down.....

Continuing with my nostalgic tour of my former work environment.... Have you heard the term "low hanging fruit"? For example, if you are working on a cost reduction, first you target the very high volume production models, because for one simple documentation change, you can save a lot of money due to the high volume. Low effort yields big bang = "low hanging fruit". With my knitting this week, I've been working on the "low hanging fruit" from my Mission Possible:2008 list...From left to right -- A normal fitting mitten for scale, a newly knit Amy Anderson pattern for an oven mitt (prior to felting), and another newly knit Amy Anderson pattern called "Tiny Totes" (also prior to felting). I actually was embarrassed working on the mitten in public, because it is so obviously a mitten, though also so obviously large that I'm sure those around me thought I was delusional to think it was going to fit a real person. To be honest, I do think that the mitten and tote are perhaps on the longish side even prior to felting. I'll let you know how things look **after** felting... Life on the edge!

Finally, progress on the bathroom cabinet. It all started years ago with a shower curtain:Then, a friend who thought there wasn't enough color in my home figured out the perfect accent color to paint a small portion of wall above the vanity in the bathroom. The color was selected with the shower curtain in mind. Last week, more than five years later, I painted the vanity cabinet to match. Now the shower curtain has to last forever.In any case, new door hardware:And, a "before and after" comparison:I happened to have everything required "on hand" except for the hardware, so the total cost of the project (not including my time) was about $14.00. I like it and my five year old likes it. DH was supportive, and my seven year old had no comment.

And, as long as we're touring the bathroom, a hanging knitted/felted fish:Well, I suppose I've delayed going to the grocery store long enough. I'm off the hook for dinner, though -- Ladies' night out with some friends, so DH and the boys are on their own.

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)