It is Done and Re-Begun

I have frogged the Birthday Swirl Pullover, and even now have managed to restart is and am about 1/2 way through the swirl. I feel better doing it this time. The pattern is not so foreign to me, and I know where I had issues before. I am as convinced as ever that this was the right thing to do. Now, I have some good car knitting time coming up over the next several days, and plan to make some very good progress.

So Li, I say.... Go For It, make that cardigan into something you will either wear, or keep warm with. :)

Hopefully soon there will be pics. Sorry I am so bad about that kind of thing. Just so you don't think I am a total goob... here is a pic of Rick's 1st of 2 Beach Rib Socks. He likes them, and thinks I have found the perfect sock recipe for him. It is just that it is miles and miles of k3p1 rib - aaaaarrrrgggghhhh. But alas, the yarn is not a solid color and that was the deal.

A Bit of Peace

Have you ever noticed, the peace you feel, when you finally come to a decision about something that has been nagging at you for a while?? Well, I have come to that peace.

Both, the shawl - Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, AND The Swirl Pullover are being frogged.

There I said it in public. On Saturday at Yarn for Breakfast I was still hemming and hawwwing about it. Then, just before we all started packing up Jessica helped me with starting the frogging process on the shawl. See, she handed over her absolutely adorable little 2 month old to G-ma Vickie (who proceeded to put him to sleep) and held the shawl and unraveled while I wound the yarn onto the swift. That way I didn't have to watch all the stitches being undone. That also meant that when I got it home, It was already being frogged, and I had no idea where it was on the pattern, so finishing the job was not painful at all.

Next there is the Swirl Pullover.... that one is going to be tougher. Again, talking to Jessica and a number of the other knitters, and seeing what you all said here, I decided that no amount of blocking was going to make that sweater fit the way I would feel comfortable in it. So ..... I shall frog it also, and drop from a 4.5mm needle to a 4.0 needle and make the next size up. I really am quite set on this yarn for this project. It was proven to me over and over when I would look at the nearly finished sweater, and then try to convince myself that it would stretch.

I have not yet started that frogging project, as it was disheartening enough doing the first one. I figure I will give myself a couple days and then start that one. In the mean time I am trying to finish Rick's sock, to help keep my mind off things. :)

I am quite OK with it all now, since I know that I will eventually have the sweater I have been dreaming of, and a fabulous shawl as well. Plus, I will be that much better at following the directions for both of them, having already been there once now.

Made It Home

We are back in the Tidewater. Luckily off tomorrow, so hoping to take it easy on my back. All the many, many, many, hours of sitting, took its toll, and it (my back) went into spasm for 3days. Oh Joy. I did get a fair amount of knitting in... finished the left sleeve of my Swirl Pullover -

QUESTION TO MY KNITTING FRIENDS... is it ok to attach the sleeves and then block... or should the oddly shaped body be blocked - sew the shoulder seams and then attach the sleeves (since I would really like to attach them via 3needle bind off). I am not always good about following directions, but with this one I am not sure. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Worked on Rick's sock to the point where he needs to try it on, so I can see how soon to start the toe.

Worked on Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend lace shawl by Renee Leverington. Slight issue there - you see it was the first lace project I tried, and it has lanquished being worked on sporadically for at least 2, if not 3yrs - there are many glaring errors, and the most recent of which - (since now I really know what I am doing) is a bunch of missing stitches. I fear there is a very large Frog Pond in my future - much deeper than "nee deep" (as my DH would say). I am having difficulty bringing myself to frog it (I am on pattern 4 of 6), but at the same time the mistakes are so glaring.... Maybe this week. Then I will restart it, and it will go much more smoothly, and quickly.

Pictures to follow and tales of vacation adventures (in our world there are always 'adventures')

Off for Vacation

Today is pack out day, and tomorrow morning we leave for parts northward.

First to Indianna PA, to take a look at IUP for Matt - from there we go east to the other side of the state to Mom and Dad's on Monday. Tues brings a new floor installation in their kitchen, followed by Westminster Choir College on Wed (another 3hr to and from drive). Thurs = a 3hr drive north to lovely Ithaca College in NY. Friday - we "rest" while getting ready for Saturday's Clam Bake with the big family gang coming in.

Believe it or not I am old enough to have my 25yr HS class reunion, and that too is on Sat. So Rick and I will split time with the clam bake, and then off to a picnic-y type class reunion.

That brings us to Sunday and a lovely ride back into the humid zone.

Hope you all have a great Holiday Weekend next weekend, and we will catch you soon.

I Have Been Reminded....

recently, in fact that I have not been blogging. I guess it is time remedy that situation.

So, to bring you up to date on what has been happening in the DoG household.... After Misty's surgery, and a brief few days away for Rick and I, we have been spending time working (as usual), and trying to get things done around the house. We helped Matt acquire his first car (Taurus station wagon). Pretty good deal for what he paid, and it will certainly help tote around all his stuff. Being a musician, he will probably also have friends with lots of stuff (music, instruments, amps, instruments...and so on).

Rick has been working like a fiend, but the upshot is, following his recent IG inspection, there 24 superior acheivers chosen out of 'a couple hundred' (not sure exactly)... and YEP he was one of them. As well he should have been, since the final week before the inspection he was making his way into the office even with a concusion.

A concusion he recieve while riding in the passenger seat of the Passat (while I was driving) and his Mom was in the back seat, and being rear-ended at a stop light by a hit and run driver. Yep!! We really know how to keep the summer interesting.

This of course has meant that I have been out of work due to neck, back, and blood pressure issues as a result of the accident. Luckily Rick's Mom faired the best of us, but she is currently having physical therapy for shoulder issues.

My beloved Passage had its rear end made concave, and some frame issues. So far the word is, she is not totaled. YAY!!! don't want that for my girl. She went into the shop yesterday and will probably come out by the time we come home from vacation.

Yep, we have a vac coming. We leave Sunday to take Matt on a college exploration expidition. Frist Indiana University of PA, then Westminster Choir College, and finally Ithaca Universtiy. I'm hoping for Ithaca as one of the top finishers. Anyway, then we will help Mom and Dad replace the floor in the kitchen, have a family clam bake, and Rick and I will attend my 25th high school reunion. Haven't seen most of these folks since the day we graduated. Should be interesting.

Yes, as now, I am still employed at CWC, but not sure how that will do with my current physical situation. Will find out after vacation. Rick has been told he must now keep his work week to 40hrs, and some days he comes home at 2:30pm and other days he doesn't go in until 9am. Woo Hoo. We have been looking at property in AZ, in hopes of taking advantage of some really low prices on land, so we can build our forever home. We shall see.

Don't worry there are still dreams of 3yrs in Germany in our future. Just not sure which part of our future yet. :)

Will do my best to keep up with blogging, and even post some cool knitting pics soon.

Been Surprisingly Busy

While hours at the store have decreased significantly, and I am still only working 1 night shift/wk, I have managed to be quite busy over the last 2wks.

Helping Rachael whenever I am able (especially when not so great movers were testing her patience and sanity), and dealing with Misty, who we originally thought had contact dermatitis and a UTI. After a week of intensive medication treatment, it was noted that she was not getting any better. So my wonderful holistic/chiropractic vet set "get her into the other office and lets get an xray". My nursing background kicks into instant radar gear... puts some major pieces of the puzzle together and figures we have two options. Kidney/Bladder stones (those of you who have had either one know they are not even remotely fun to deal with) OR TCC (transitional cell carcinoma). As it turns out they mimic each other almost identically with the exception of the age of the dog. Since my dog is only5.5/6yr old and the TCC 'usually' occurs around 10-14....I was definitely hoping for the stones.

So yesterday morning, off we go to get our x-ray... Dr R comes back in chuckling... puts the film up on the box and my eyes are immediately drawn to this rather large white circle in her bladder area. "Yep, that is the stone". This thing, according to xray, is probably about the size of a golf ball!!! Hence why we have been having all the troubles we have been having. Because it is so large, it cannot be dissolved with meds and diet... it must be surgically removed.

Off to surgery she goes... and home last evening, a bit loopy, a bit drugged, but home none the less. Fairly good night, and then this morning has been interesting. Now that her pain medicine has kicked in, though, she is much more content. Which should mean I can now get some things accomplished.

The challenge is to keep a normally ver active dog, 'quiet' for 7 days... wish me luck.

Rick and I are off for a couple days starting later tomorrow, and then when we return his Mother will arrive for 3wks. Who knows when I will get to post again, but hopefully soon. Maybe there will be some serious Swirl Pullover progress, as well as a sock finish. I am, if nothing else, ever hopeful of good knitting time. :)

Where Have Been and What Have I Been Doing

Holy Cow!!! (or should I say Sheep). 2 months since my last blog... bad blogger bad. I must admit though, I have been quite busy, not just sitting around eating bon bons you know. I have been knitting:











...and I have been working. THANK GOODNESS THE OPEN REMODEL IS COMPLETE. So now that it is all done, hours are being cut back significantly both due to economy stuff, and having over spent the payroll to deal with all the insanity associated with the remodel.

Oh, and let us not forget I have been busy both keeping up with the girls' vet issues and cleaning up after them in numerous ways. The only ones that are pic appropriate would be these:



Needless to say, I was most unhappy about this, although they did not eat or destroy any yarn or knitted items during this masacre. Of course I came home last night only to find that they again went through the same bag, took out most of the same stuff, except this time they got into my lip stick and lip plumper (I could not tell who had the more plump lips by the time I got home) and a tube of Delica Beads that - oh by the way- were seed beads!!!

Anyway, I am recovered at this point - I think.

I have also spent some of my time away from the blog being hostess to my good friend Rachael and her husband Michael as they work their way through the process of moving from Germany here to Virginia Beach. It has been fun, and I now have contact with beach time. Been a long time since Rick and I have spent any time out at the beach, but we are enjoying it.

Oh, and on the knitting front, I am working on my Swirl Pullover with the yarn I got from MDSW (of my last post). I think the sweater is going to be quite stunning color wise. I definitely like Tess' Designer Yarns. Well worth a look see at her stuff.

I am off to finish laundry, and prepping some cabinets for painting... yes the kitchen remodel is still a work in progress. I must say though, with the drop in hours at the store, I am trying to catch up on stuff here at home that has been neglected.