Monkey Update

• Ripping done. I *think* I managed to rip back to Row 1, so I'll start Row 2.
• Stitches reacquired - thank goodness for very small crochet hooks. It was done with more force than finesse, but it is done. Now I just need to reknit and see how it goes. Luckily, it's really clear where the heel stitches are, so I'm quite confident that I'm at the beginning of the round so the pattern *should* work.

Uffda.

Not a multi-tasker

As in, apparently I cannot knit and hold a conversation at the same time...at least, not knit something that requires me to think. I had knitting with the library ladies last night, and took Monkey to get some work done, and I have somehow managed to drop two stitches without actually changing my stitch count (really, what the heck??), so I need to actually frog about 1 lace repeat. We'll see how it goes. This is where I have much less confidence in my skills.

*deep breath* Off to rip. Will post an update.

Has anyone seen it?

My motivation, that is.

I just don't feel like knitting, how weird is that? Well, I do feel like starting a new sock, but I really shouldn't - too much on needles. The weather is finally getting nicer (it was GORGEOUS today, 70 degrees!), so we've been spending more time outside. I've got some weird virus that's making me feel like CRAP in the evenings (horrible sore throat, runny nose, earaches etc.), so my energy when I have time to knit is low. And I'm just not...excited by anything I'm doing right now. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have some new things DONE (oh darn, just realized that I forgot to give my mom the scarf I made for her when she was here!), but apparently I don't want it enough to, you know, FINISH things. This happens to me, I know it'll come back...

So, since I don't have any knitting content, I give you a cute baby picture:

We went to the beach today to play (I still can't quite believe that I now live WALKING distance to a beach! Pinch me, someone!) and DD had a lovely time in the swing!

Knitting 1: KWAP 0

Actually it sort of feels more like Knitting 1,000,000: KWAP 0.

I did manage to finish the gusset decreases of the Monkey I am doing (which I shouldn't even BE doing). I'm working on something else that requires gauge and I finally got it, only to screw up somewhere and now I'm three stitches short.

I give up. I'm having a cookie and going to bed.

Non-Knitting Life

I don't think I've knit a stitch all week. It's been one of those weeks, we've been crazy-busy with school, life, playing with friends, enjoying the beginning of spring weather. We had a picnic on the back deck yesterday! I'm also struggling with some bad news on the kitty front.

We have two elderly kitties, one (A) I've had since she was about 5 weeks old, and she'll be 16 this year, and the other (L) came to me through my horrible ex-BF, so I've known her for 14 years, and she's been mine for 12. we think she's at least a year older than A, maybe more. L is just wasting away. She's now down to 4.9 pounds (and this was a cat who got very plump after she was spayed, over 12 pounds). She's got bowel disease, we believe. There's not much we can do, but keep her comfortable. She's still HER, still marching around demanding petting and love, but I don't think we've got long with her. Even the vet, when looking at L, said "I think we're coming to the end." and "I think if she goes below 4 pounds, we should consider euthanizing her." A is now manifesting kidney disease and is also losing weight. We need to figure out how aggressively we want to treat it. It's going to be really hard for A when L goes too.

It's so hard to think of losing them, to know it's coming. They've been part of my life for a long time, much longer than my husband and kids. We've been through some really hard times together. I'm working on not pre-suffering too much, but it's a delicate balance, to live in the moment with them while keeping a strict eye on not letting things go too far.

I also struggle with the guilt of knowing how far down the list they've moved in terms of how much time and attention is alloted to them. Since having children, I haven't had anywhere near as much available for the "girls" (as we call them). Now I'm just feeling sad. DH would like to have more cats, and part of me would like that too. The other part of me is just feeling like I've been sucked a bit dry by all the need around me and perhaps it would be good to renew a bit before jumping back in.

The huge thing, of course, is how much the boys love L and A, and how we're going to explain it to them.

Just in case you were wondering...

Sitting on the computer reading all sorts of blogs about knitting, surfing yarn store sites, and especially spending time pattern-surfing on ravelry? None of these activities actually help you get real knitting done.

Gah.

I just frogged the Mini Mochi sock. It's always a bit heartbreaking, how quickly one can rip out hours of work. I'd only invested...maybe 3ish hours in it? Something like that. There were enough errors that I knew it was going to make me crazy, and if I'm going to put that much work into something, I want it to be right.

Issues:

1. Needle size. I really wanted to try the KP harmony fixed circs, but apparently I bought them in 2.25 mm...well, no apparently about it, I *did* buy them in 2.25, and I seem to prefer 2.5s for most sock yarns. The needles themselves are really pretty but I kept worrying that I was going to snap one. They are nice and pointy though. The fabric they were making was just a bit tighter than I was liking.

2. Yarn issues. Now, this yarn is so pretty. SO SO PRETTY. But, it's not tightly plied at all, and seemed almost unplied at points. I kept snagging so that somehow I had several loops sticking out, which aren't pretty. Now, I could probably have just pulled them through with a little crochet hook, but there were enough that I knew it would bug me, and there was one big error. I don't even know what happened, it looked almost like I dropped a stitch, or perhaps I dropped most of a stitch.

Like I've said before, I have an error threshold, and I passed it. I'm going to try again with nickel-plated 2.5s and see how it goes. But not right away. I need some time to get off my ass and finish some other projects nurse my wounded heart.

Knitting, it's not for the faint of heart.

FO: Another Noro Scarf

I finished another Noro scarf! Nothing really much to be said about it, actually. Details are the same as for the Trinnit scarf. Except for colors of course! I can't find the ball bands for this, but I *think* the colors are 274 and maybe 270? I don't know. I'm not sure who this is going to be for, actually. It's definitely not for me, it's not really my colors overall (which are, of course, green and purple). I think this is pretty, but I don't really love it. It was still a very fun knit, nice and easy with no thinking really involved. I'm glad it's done so I can move on to something else!

I did start a plain vanilla toe-up stock with the Mini Mochi in the Violets Rainbow (see what I mean, green and purple!). I cast on 24 and increased to 64 stitches which look like they it should fit. I'mgoing to do an afterthough heel to preserve the striping. I just needed a super-low-brain-intensity project. Since getting back from the hospital, poor DD is sleeping like CRAPOLA which means I am too, and I am just So. Tired.

And I have the new Monkies that are going well (heel is turned, finishing the gusset rounds). The KP Imagination Wicked Witch is quite possibly the prettiest yarn I've ever seen, really. I am wondering if I'd wear socks made out of it in a different pattern. Because of the alpaca (I think), it's a bit fuzzier than I normally like, but it's so gorgeous!

I am also just OBSESSED with learning to spin. OBSESSED. I think that hobby is 1-2 years off for me, just for time and space issues, but I really want to.