Pacific Northwest Shawl

There was a brief moment of sun yesterday, and it was at the right angle to reach my yard, so I ran out and snapped some pictures of the Pacific Northwest Shawl.

Sorry it took so long to get these, but light in Portland in the winter is an uncommon phenomenon. And my house is on the north side of a mountain. The top of the mountain is at just the right height to block the sun for most of the cold months. Very early morning and late afternoon are about the only times I might get light. If it’s not raining. The front yard gets a little sun, where it’s not in the shadow of the house. My yard in the winter is a cold, gloomy, damp and gray place.

I’m from a part of the country where gloom is not normal. In southeastern Idaho, rain in the summer was unusual. It snowed in the winter. But it was usually bright and sunny after the snow passed. Sometimes there would be cloudy days. But in the winter, even when cloudy it’s bright because the sky is white and the snow is white and there’s a lot of light (although not much in the way of shadows, effectively killing depth perception). The first winter I lived in Portland, it was so dark and drab. I got used to seeing the world in black and white and gray. When the sun came out in the spring, I couldn’t believe what a bright thing color was! I’d never had anything to contrast it with before. I’ve never taken it for granted again.

up close and personal

But I digress.

Here’s a closeup of the Pacific Northwest Shawl.

Taking these fence shots was actually fairly interesting, as the day was breezy. The PNWS weighs almost nothing. It contains less than 2 oz. of yarn (maybe 50 grams). It’s held against the fence mostly by the wind — I’m not kidding here. There’s nothing holding it up. The top edge is resting against the ends of the lattice uprights. But that’s it.

The breezes had a fun time rippling it and playing with the edges. I had to wait for brief breeze intermissions to take pictures that might (hopefully) be in focus.

If you are reading in a feed reader, do go over to the blog so you can pop up the pictures and see the bigger version. I really don’t think the smaller size shows off the lace to best advantage.

No, I’m not going to indicate the area that had to be mended because of the stitches that dropped during blocking. If you can’t see it… well, that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?

I was tagged for this meme by Cindy over at Knit For Joy, who knows I’m a sucker for a good meme.

The Band Meme

You are about to have your own band’s CD cover. Follow these directions to the letter. It’s fun and requires no thought at all. Go to……

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
   The first article title on the page is the name of your band.
2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
   The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.
3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
   The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result as a comment in this post. Also, pass it along on your own blog, because it’s more amusing that way.

And there you have mine: that amazing album You Have For Sure by Locally Finite Measure.

I don’t know. I think it sounds definitely alternative. My punk son would be proud.

I’m not going to tag anyone specifically. If you see this and think it’s fun, go for it. Be sure to post your results!

Molly Bag

This is Molly. Alice at Tangle order her for me from Lantern Moon and I picked her up at Thursday Night Knitting.

Isn’t she lovely? The fabric is a raw silk blend. It comes in blue, red or orange. All have the lime green lining.

Really, this is one of the coolest knitting bags I’ve ever had. It’s circular in its basic construction, with a inside large enough to hold a medium-sized project. But the way that the lining is sewn in creates 4 pockets around the outside that are each large enough for a small project, or some notions, or the odd ball of yarn, or… a snack, I guess, or whatever. The main compartment includes a zippered pocket and a larger pocket that could be used for a cell phone or maybe a few needles. It has two adjustable straps that are just the right length. And it’s not leaning on anything. It stands up on its own.

I immediately started stuffing in all of my current carry-around projects. In the pocket on the left, the Salish Sea Socks. In the main compartment, Wings Of A Dream. Hiding in the shadows, you can just see Lenore peeking out of the pocket on the right. The remaining two pockets so far are empty.

I’m in love.

you want me to eat what?

In kitty news, Phoebe is feeling a lot better. She has been on medication since last week, and I can tell it’s having the intended results.

Phoebe has never been sick a day in her 15 years, so giving her pills is interesting. I am an experienced kitty-pill-giver, thanks to Kidd. But, regardless, poking a tiny pill past the sharp teeth of a creature who doesn’t want to swallow said pill and is objecting strenuously with said teeth and a myriad of sharp, spiky claws can be… an adventure.

My vet suggested a wondrous invention called Pill Pockets. These are little goodies that are about the consistency of Play Doh but presumably better flavored. The center is hollow. One simply drops the pill inside, squooshes the end closed and hands it to the designated pet, who, in theory, chomps it down with great relish, never noticing that they’ve been medicated. No mess, no fuss, no angry pets.

The package I bought said chicken on the front. They smelled vaguely meat-like, if not particularly chicken-ish. I dropped a pill in the center and squooshed it closed. I handed it to Phoebe who chomped it down with great relish. This, I thought to myself, is the best thing since sliced bread.

Well… that worked OK for awhile. Then the medication began to work, and Phoebe’s appetite began to diminish. She began to get better at eating the treat from around the pill, and leaving the offending bit on the floor. This is a tiny, tiny little atom of medication about the size of a pin head. How she knows it’s there amongst the vaguely chicken-flavored Play Doh is anybody’s guess. But she does.

Thus began the second stage of the medication cold war.

I will never pretend to understand what goes on in the minds of any of the cats that live with me. Phoebe is willing to let me come near to pet her. As soon as I pick her up, she starts to meow and protest, but she doesn’t fight me. She just wants me to know that she’s not happy. I plop her on the counter in the kitchen, scoop a tiny little pill from the bottle and toss it down her throat (with some protest but, fortunately not drawing blood). I am, as I mentioned before, well versed in the art of getting a cat to swallow something he or she does not want to swallow.

Now, here’s the part I don’t understand.

If I let go of Phoebe at that point, allowing her to “escape,” she will go into hiding, cower in corners and refuse to either speak to me or accept goodies from me the rest of the day. I’m her worst enemy. If, however, I lift her from the counter and place her gently on the floor at my feet, she will wait right there in besotted anticipation while I get a treat out and give it to her. I’m her best friend.

Detente has been reached.

stylin’ babe

Here’s a stylin’ babe! Doesn’t she look like she’s saying ooooo, I have a cooooool hoooody! I can flap my sleeves! 😀

This lovely lass is the recipient of the second Babies ‘n’ Bears Sweater that I made last year. She’s a sweetie pie, eh? Doesn’t she have long hands? I’m seeing a piano in her future. (You go, girl!)

I said that I made that sweater last year, and then I realized last year was only a little over a week ago. What happened to 2007? I can’t believe it went so fast. Time flies like an arrow.

(Fruit flies like a banana.)

Sorry about that. Just couldn’t resist.

I have heard from #1 Son. Phone calls have not been attempted, but email, it turns out, is possible between Brazil and Portland. He is having a wonderful time. The food is great. The weather is wonderful. The people are beautiful and friendly. He’s having the time of his life. Yesterday he forgot to put sunscreen on his feet and ankles before lounging around on the beach all day. Ouch.

I so wish I were with him. Think of it. Sunshine. Warm weather. There is none of that, here. Here it is winter. Cold and drizzly and gloomy. In Brazil it’s summer.

Having your mom tag along on your punk band’s tour would probably be limiting, though.

raven wing progress

This is proof that I have been knitting, although I don’t seem to have been blogging about it lately. I’m about 1/2 finished with the first wing of the Wings Of A Dream shawl.

Like all lace, it looks a bit wonky and weird until it’s blocked — sort of The Great Black Glob-ish. But when I stretch it out, I’m happy. It’s going to be really pretty, I think, when it’s finished.

It’s really hard to capture the true color of this yarn. Sometimes it’s black. And sometimes it’s blue. And sometimes there are hints of turquoise. If you pop up the biggy size picture, you’ll see glints of bluish color. Silk has such a pretty sheen, too, doesn’t it? I loves me some silk, gentle reader.

Now I’m starting to worry that I won’t have enough yarn. I should have enough. I planned to have enough. But it’s a little hard for me to judge how much I have left vs. how much I’m going to need to finish this wing and knit the other wing. If it turns out that I don’t have enough, all I can do is order another skein and keep my fingers crossed that the color is reasonably similar to what I already have. But I’m double-stranding, so that should help. Maybe. One more thing to worry about.

This post feels disjointed to me. I went back to work today (yesterday, now) after two whole weeks off. I’m still in shock. No doubt I’ll acclimate all too soon.

a car in its place

In the scheme of things, this is a very minor annoyance. But one of my neighbors always parks The Truck in front of my house.

On my block, street parking space is at a premium. There isn’t room in front of most houses for more than one car. In front of my house to the left of the driveway, there’s room for 1-1/2 cars. That’s it. To the right, there isn’t enough room between my driveway and my neighbors driveway to comfortably fit a car. You can put a car there, but only if it hangs over into one of the driveways. So that’s where we put garbage and recycling on collection day.

Most people have more than one car and park them in their driveways. Although all of the garages are advertised as double car, in reality the house on the corner is the only garage that’s really big enough for two cars considering that most people, like this intrepid reporter, also use the garage for storage space. I like to park my car in the garage. It slots in nicely right in the middle, with stuff to either side. So parking another car in the driveway makes it impossible to get my car out.

When #1 Son lived at home, he parked in the garage when I wasn’t home and didn’t catch him at it, and parked in front of the house otherwise. When he moved out, The Truck took over.

I have no idea which neighbor owns The Truck, because I have never seen anyone actually drive it. Sometimes it is gone. Mostly it is there. It’s usually only a minor annoyance because visitors – and I don’t have that many – can park in my driveway.

It has, over the months, attained the status of capitalization. It’s not just some old truck. It’s The Truck. I sort of wish The Truck were a slightly more upscale vehicle (we’re talking old and well used, here). But it does give my house the appearance of being lived in when I’m away. So when I see it in front of my house, I sigh and go on.

Now #1 Son is out of town for 5 weeks and his car is living at my house. I insisted it live at my house because there have been issues with his car when he leaves it elsewhere — minor things like it being towed necessitating Mom bailing it out. Since my name is still on the title, it lives with me, now, when he is not using it.

The question, of course, has been… where to put it.

Not the driveway, because then I can’t get my car out without moving his.

Not in front of my house, because The Truck is there.

Not elsewhere on the street, because all the places on the block are taken.

Aarrrgggghhhhh

In the end, he parked it in the tiny space between the driveways, with its rear poking out into my driveway. I’m sure it annoyed my neighbors, because it meant they had to move their garbage/recycling. (Sorry about that, neighbors!) But there just wasn’t anywhere else to put it. So there it was.

#1 Son left Monday. And the game began. I watched for The Truck to disappear. Even it it was only briefly. Just long enough to move #1 Son’s car back a bit to the other side of the driveway. Just a few minutes.

Every time I went to the front of the house, I looked out the window. Was it there? Yes. Every time I left, I looked. Every time I returned, I looked. It was there. I began to think it was a permanent fixture. I started looking out only half-heartedly, knowing that The.Truck.Would.Be.There.

Late last night I looked outside. The scene looked different. The.Truck.Was.Gone!

The picture is the scene now. #1 Son’s car is parked in front of my house. Ahhhhhh… sigh of relief. And there it can sit because I’m not driving it. It looks about like his room inside — toxic waste dump.

I have not heard from #1 Son yet. But I’m sure he’s OK and got to Brazil safely. If not, I’d surely hear from the State Department or someone, right?

finished steering wheel cozy

And here we have the first finished object of 2008.

And what is it? I hear you ask, gentle reader.

This, my friends, is a steering wheel cozy.

As soon as I saw this pattern in the Son Of Stitch ‘n Bitch book while I was doing a little knitting at Tangle, I knew that I needed to knit one because this was simply an accessory that my car needed badly. A cabled steering wheel cozy. Think how nice that will feel to my cold hands on a dreary winter’s day.

Berroco Suede? I queried Alice.

Let’s see what I have back in the back Alice replied. Come with me.

And there in the bin, right on top, were the perfect colors. So what was I to do? I had to knit one. It was fate.

cozy steering wheel

This did take a bit longer to knit than I thought it would. For one thing, steering wheels have a deceptively long perimeter. And the Suede was just not the most pleasant stuff to knit with at the rather small gauge the pattern called for. I had to take frequent breaks to rest my hands.

I can see why the pattern called for this yarn, though. Once stitched onto the wheel, it’s not going anywhere. There’s no movement at all when turning the wheel. I think that a wool yarn would not have been as sticky and would have stretched more as time went on, leading to rather unpleasant consequences should the cozy slip while the driver was, say, trying to turn a corner.

Imagine trying to explain that to a judge. I’m sorry, your honor, I guess I should have cabled tighter.

Be sure to check out the new Finished Objects Gallery 2008. I’m using a new Dreamweaver extension to build it, and I think it’s pretty cool.

The Particulars:

• Yarn: Berroco Suede (100% nylon / 50g, 111m per skein); one skein of 3725, Tonto, two skeins I think are 3735, Clint (no ball band on these, so I am guessing). I had tons — tons — left over.
• Needles: Knit Picks Options, US#6, on a 24″ cable
• Steering Wheel Cozy from Son Of Stitch ‘n Bitch by Debbie Stoller. Pattern was knit as written without modification.
• Techniques used: Intarsia, with the cable in Tonto and the borders to each side in Clint.