She Knits By The Seashore

The Best Laid Plans

I had a fun knitting post all set to share on Saturday, but it needs the photos that are stuck in our camera. So please pardon this photo-less post until we get that straightened out!

I'm making good progress on the hoodie armholes and hope to have a photo of that soon too. But for now, I'll give you the...

Charlie Update

Charlie had an X-ray on Friday at his regular vet office in preparation for the Radiocat treatment. The doctors at the clinic will be reviewing all his test results in the next few days, and letting us know if there is anything else we need to do. Barring surprises, we'll take him on November 14 to the clinic, where he'll have the iodine injection for his thyroid. He and his radioactive self will have to stay for 3 days until it passes out of his system, so all of us at the seashore will be miserable until he comes home. Except maybe Tim, who will love the chance to be alpha cat for a little while.

C and I decided to take our house off the market this week. We've had lots of people tour the house since August, but no offers. I've heard that people who are managing to sell their houses around here have had to reduce the prices drastically, and since we don't *have* to move, we thought it best to wait until spring. It's disappointing, but I'll try to believe that it means the perfect house for us just isn't ready yet.

In my now-regular Saturday tradition (but it is Monday!), here is Booking Through Thursday:

1. Do you make notes in books as you read them? Heavens no. (wincing at the very idea) (Pay attention C!)
2. Why or why not? I don't like defacing the book pages, particularly if they are books that are printed on good paper, or books that are classics. Also, if the book outlasts me, or is weeded from my collection, the next reader probably does not want to see my thoughts on the text. They should be free to form their own. This, C, is what journals and palm pilots, or even post-its, are for. (My dear C, it pains me to admit, ravages book pages with his written notes. And folded-down corners. Other than that, he is a nearly perfect husband, LOL).
3. If you do, do you make notes only in certain kinds of books or all of them? Crossword puzzle books. Lesson workbooks. That's about it.

Thank you so much for your votes on the red vs. pink bicycle dilemma in my last post. I will let you know soon which one I choose!

Edited to add: Seeing our neighbor's cat outside just now reminded me to beg you all to PLEASE keep your animals, particularly cats, particularly black cats, indoors tonight -- mischief night. There are too many sick people out there that want to do harm to them. I hate even having to post this, but, if it saves one life, it will be more than worth it. Here are some other safety tips from the ASPCA for pets for tomorrow...

Lace Drama and Bicycle Dilemma

I had been cruising along so well, just starting the last repeat of the Lacy Serpentine Stole before the border rows, when I discovered I was two stitches short at the end of the current row. Looking down the left side of the stole (photo to come; computer not cooperating!), I see that about 6 rows down, the vertical knitted stitches stop, and run into a vertical column of yarnovers. I have no idea how that happened! (OK, I think it was when I was talking on the phone...that's what I get for trying to do too many things at once!). Since I have a hard time just living with mistakes (I'll forever after go right to that spot and keep poking at it with my fingers, as if that would magically fix it), I can't do an M1 or M2 here...must rip back. Think I'll work on the hoodie for a little while instead...

The holiday issue of Knit Simple arrived today in my mailbox, and it was really disappointing. Do you agree? Although some of the projects are knit with very luxe yarns (Koigu, Artyarns, etc), they look dowdy to me. The only thing I might knit in future are some of the scarf patterns. In different yarns I think they might be pretty, especially #26, the Pink Lace Scarf (!), which was knitted with Lion Cashmere Blend. I appreciate the magazine's mission, when they took over from Family Circle Easy Knitting, to provide fast and easy projects for the new or time-challenged knitter, but after this trial year, I think I'm going to let the subscription run out, and subscribe to Interweave Knitting instead. Fast and easy isn't a good trade off if you won't be happy with the finished object!

My favorite fashion magazine, Shop Etc, has been cancelled. If you have a subscription, you can call and ask for a refund for any undelivered issues. I'm going to miss it -- I really enjoyed their sophisticated fashion, decorating, and beauty format. I'll have to do make do with Lucky, which is more bohemian in style. (I'm not a fan of 70s fashion). I do like Lucky's sister magazine, Domino, which has great home ideas.

For the cycling knitbloggers, here are some photos (from company websites) of two new bicycles I've been considering. Thoughts?

The Cannondale Synapse Feminine

  The Fuji Finest 2.0 (Fuji sponsors TEAm Lipton, a pro women's team).

I'll let you know soon which one I've decided on!

And still no call from our vet yet...

CPH Front Progress

I am a few rows away from the armhole decreases now. Yay! I'm knitting both front pieces at the same time -- the right front is marked by the blue stitch marker. The pieces look too slender, and I have been afraid they would be too small, especially after seeing many comments from other bloggers who were knitting one size up. But when I held them up to one of my store-bought cardigans, they did match up (minus the button bands), so I'm hoping that's a sign of good things!!

Charlie says mrow for all your kind good wishes for his health, and purrs to your four-legged companions too! So far, he's doing well on the new medication (no side effects that I can see), and today he seemed a little more active than he has been the past few days. We're waiting to hear back about the Radiocat clinic with the iodine treatment. I will keep you posted!

Here are my answers to this week's Booking Through Thursday:

1. Do you read in bed? For how long? Do you fall asleep reading? Will a good book keep you up all night?  I always read in bed before I go to sleep, five minutes to two hours depending on the book. If I'm super-tired, I'll fall asleep while reading, but a good mystery can keep me awake until the early morning hours. I also read on my bed on the weekend afternoons, because it's more comfortable than our couches.
2. Where do you keep your nighttime reading? Do you have a special table next to the bed? Are there many books there? Do you keep books there that you aren't reading (finished or unread)? Yes, I have a table next to my side of the bed, and C has one on his side. Both are usually buried in moutains of books. I tend to read more than one book at a time, depending on what mood I'm in (fiction or non, and colorful knitting or decorating books to flip through, and magazines too...). If I haven't read something in a while and it's on the bottom of the stack, then I'll put it away when I clean. Once something is finished, though, it goes right away into the bookcase to make room for other books.

And with that, I'm off to pick up my knitting mystery...things are really getting interesting! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

A Note From Charlie

  Thank you for your encouragement and good wishes. My doctor called this morning and confirmed that I have elevated thyroid levels, and so she is prescribing some pills for that. I hate pills but since I already have to take 4, what's one more? She is also looking into a radioactive iodine treatment that is better than the pills, if the specialist thinks I would be a good candidate for it. If any of your kitties have had this, please leave my Person a comment and let us know how that went. I will also need some Vitamin B12 shots because of my IBD. Thankfully my most favorite Person has done injections before -- the female Person is needle phobic but hopefully between the two of them, they'll figure it out. I really don't want to be catnapped in the cage for highway rides to the doctor any more than necessary.

This is all good news -- once I start the medication, I expect to put on some weight again. I'm feeling great otherwise, and in no way will this new development affect my duties as president of Catsa (you've heard of Mensa, haven't you? This is the feline association) or being supremely crabby at my brother Tim, just because.

In the meantime, I'm using this thyroid thing for all it's worth. You can get away with a lot if they think you're sick, including making off with your Person's dinner when his back is turned.

The female Person was laughing too hard to yell at me when I grabbed a mouthful and took off into the dining room. She even gave me my own plate of spaghetti after that, and I ate it all. I'm getting tired of the canned duck.

Leaves

Sunday scenes from the local rail trail. (courtesy of C).

Book Notes

Even though I took Monday and Tuesday off, it seems like it's been the longest week, don't you think?  Thankfully I'm on the other side of the allergy-cold from last weekend (but still a bit dizzy from congestion -- my equilibrium is off), and now poor C has it. He's a much better patient than I am. :)

The post before last I promised a Lacy Serpentine Stole Update:

I'm over half way through the repeats, nearly done with 4 out of 6. It's going faster now that I can read the knitting and not have to follow the directions, but I can't wait to finish, and start some wrist or armwarmers. There are a few different patterns I'm considering (here's one: Voodoo, from Knitty) but let me know if you have a favorite to recommend. This one looks good too!

Booking Through Thursday, right into Friday and Saturday:

1. Do you read short stories? I tend to only read short stories by authors whose novels I also like. I think I've read most every F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, after I finished his novels. I've read Agatha Christie's short mysteries, like The Thirteen Problems/Thirteen at Dinner, too. But I don't normally read collections of short stories by all different authors under one cover.
2. Why or why not? If I like an author, I'll want to read everything he or she has written. But short stories by authors I'm unfamiliar with aren't satisfying...there are too few pages to really get to know the characters, the landscape.
3. What do you like and dislike about short stories? If I like the author, I'll like the short story. The format doesn't sway me either way. Short stories are also good when you don't have a lot of time, or read in big bursts with spaces of time in between; you don't forget the details that you might need to remember in a novel. But I find mostly that they're not satisfying enough because they're too short for an author to give us all that depth and richness that comes with a novel.

On The Nightstand reading update:

I'm still reading A Deadly Yarn by Maggie Sefton, slowly but surely. It's good mind candy, more possibilities for the murderer in this novel than in the previous ones. Abba's Child, the book I was reading for the book group, was a real disappointment. It's rare that I don't make myself finish a book, but I didn't finish this one (I'm one of those "plod through til the end" sort of readers rather than a "life is too short to waste time on bad books" reader). Although the jacket copy seems to advertise it as a book for introverted people like me, who often feel uncomfortable in their own shoes in groups of people or around strangers, the book reads as if the author were writing to himself about his own personal journey towards overcoming who he refers to as "The Impostor (as if it were a person outside himself)." It's written in circles and very confusing, and after page 54 I gave up. Next month's book is called "When God Weeps," and addresses something on my mind of late: Why does God allow suffering and tragedy in the world, a la the Amish school shooting? It is going to be a hard book, but I am looking forward to seeing what the authors have to say.

Alice tagged me for my first meme: Five Things Feminism Has Done For Me. The term feminism means different things to different people depending on your experience, and trying to find a definition in Wikipedia for my kind of feminism was daunting -- there are millions of different subgroups. So the best I can explain it is a 19th century sort of feminism, as you will see from my list:

1. The right to vote, that my vote counts as much as my husband's, and the right to run for office.

2. The blessed gift of education. Education for girls & women used to be considered a waste, other than in the "home arts." If I couldn't go to school or read a million different things and be able to learn whatever I want to learn, and to debate ideas with other men and women (considered "unseemly" by generations past), I don't know what I'd do with myself, but go out of my mind.

3. Corollary to #2 -- to work in a job or profession so that I can support myself, and my husband if I had to (and also because I want to work). If Anne Perry's historical mysteries are any indication, women in Victorian times had it rough. You married for security & survival (I think romance was considered frivolous then), and hoped that your husband treated you well and provided for you.  If he (or your father) died and had been a poor money manager (or if you were single or a widow), you were generally out of luck, and at the mercy of another male relative to take you in. You weren't allowed to own or inherit property or manage money. There was no reliable means to support yourself, at least not decently. I'm glad that in my lifetime, those things are different, and I married for love. And I'm glad to see my single friends lead successful & rich lives in their respective career & leisure pursuits -- they are great examples of the talents & contributions of women everywhere. I am very proud of them. And another thing: women doctors. And dentists. And veterinarians. I don't even want to get started on that one. (If C were awake right now, he'd be saying, "yes, please don't get her started!"). (And he would be saying that in fun, because I know he agrees with me. He has the most awesome female GI in the world).

4. Legal protection -- if you didn't vote and you didn't work or manage your own money, you were considered property. Men could legally abuse their wives and the police knew nothing -- forget the modern concepts of rape and assault.  Our system isn't perfect by any means, but at least there's one in place now, and the term domestic violence means something.

5. Playing Sports -- I'm smiling as I type this, because before this year I couldn't stand sports and this would never have made my list. But as I have bored you all to death with my newfound love of cycling, you know that I've been going to races all summer with C, and nothing thrills me more than seeing women race around that route with strength and grace. At the race on Columbus Day, there was a woman racing in the 70plus category, and I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Thank goodness for women like Frances Willard, who at 53 risked society's disdain and got on that bicycle, long skirts and all. I have to read her book. As Alice said, I can "run about a lot and get out of breath. That may not sound important but the choice to do it is."

I am so glad for the choices we all have! And I hope you have a wonderful weekend, however you choose to spend it.

Not Going Gently

The line from a poem by Dylan Thomas keeps coming to mind: Do not go gentle into that good night. As the leaves are changing colors and C finished his last race of the season, I know that I have to accept the coming of winter/night. But I'm not going gently, and Mother Nature seems to agree.

This past weekend she put on a glorious show. On Sunday, C and I met with Sarah and J for the Tour de Mystic. We rode our bikes about 20 miles along the coast and through town, enjoying pretty houses, vibrant scenery, and great company. Here are S and J in front of one of the houses:

Here is a view of the river. The leaves are just starting to turn in the distance.

After our ride and lunch, we stopped at Mystic River Yarns, where I could not leave without this:

My favorite colors! I'm wondering if there's something I can knit that will sort of go with this (see below) for next spring. Armwarmers? I used to think cycling jerseys were geeky, but now I want one for when I ride my bike. Girl Power! (The pretty girl image should be taken ironically; the women who wear these jerseys, the Velo Bellas, are serious road and mountain bikers and incredibly strong athletes)!

On Monday, S and J met us to watch C in the Jamestown Classic Race. This is a 40 mile race around the island for men and women cyclists, from beginners to pros. It attracts a huge number of racers and spectators, and there was a lot of energy in the air. It was about 70-75F, almost hot in the sunshine. The race went along the edge of the island, with lots of white sailboats on shimmery blue water, gliding along under the majestic bridge. Newport off in the distance made a magnificent backdrop. The groups of cyclists came past every few minutes with a speed and grace I can't describe...see Sarah's great photo on her blog for one of the groups coming across the finish line (I can't believe I didn't take more photos!! Argh!). Here is one of C in the middle with his friends S and R after the race.

We had a victory lunch at an outdoor restaurant (almost unheard of on Columbus Day in New England!!! Mother Nature really went all out!!!) to celebrate a great first season. I am going to miss the weekend trips to the races and seeing new friends so much, but it is time to rest and recover before they start again next spring. And we'll keep taking leisurely rides for as long as we can.

Another one not going gently:

Charlie is about 13, and though he keeps losing weight, he's as feisty as ever, jumping to the top of our refrigerator to nap on the cabinets above, and refusing to use the stool I put by the counter to help him. He's not going to give in to the idea that he is a sick cat. He had an ultrasound on Tuesday, and thank heaven his digestive system looks OK. The doctors think that his thyroid might be the culprit of the weight loss, so he's going for more bloodwork on Friday (can't you see how thrilled he is?), and I'm hoping that all we'll need to do is add one more pill, Tapazole, to the daily arsenal, and he'll start gaining weight again.

For those of you that made it this far, here is some left and right front knitting progress on the CPH. Beth?  Are you still ahead?

And now, please excuse me. I'm going to "Rage, rage against the dying of the [day]light," and the fall allergies, which have caused an annoying cold and the delay (and probably rambling on) of this post!

Sock Liberation

Many knitters are celebrating Socktoberfest by knitting socks. C calls me a contrarian. I think he may be right:

My knitting wizardress came to visit. (If there is a knitting goddess, then L is her handmaiden, and I am forever in her debt). She told me that the Curvy Lace Socks-in-progress (if you click the link, scroll down a bunch) were too big. Even if I struggled through to finish them, they probably wouldn't fit, and would slide down in my shoes. This was all the permission I needed to visit the Frog Pond. My knitting bag feels so much lighter -- one less UFO hanging over my head. The good news is, she thinks the variegated lace stole will be fine, especially when it's blocked. So I will continue on with that, and post progress photos shortly.

Ten Knitterly Things You May Not Know About Me, courtesy of Chappy's Mom and Stream of Consciousness

1. I learned to knit when I was 19. It was New Year's Eve, my best friend in high school had learned to knit slipper socks, and came over to teach me (yes, we were in the honors group and had no life). That was a little over 15 years ago.

2. My favorite needles are aluminum straights. My mom has a whole collection of these, and plastic circs, from the 1960s-1970s when she used to knit. I use them for my projects and only occasionally have to buy needles if there's a size she doesn't have.

3. My first sweater was a cabled fisherman's sweater from a pattern in a late 80s issue of Seventeen magazine.

4. The project I'm most proud of is my aquamarine lace stole. The project I'm least proud of is a shrug from Knit.1 I made last winter. I'll save that story and accompanying hall of shame photo for a later post. :)

5. My holy grail project, the one that, when knit, will make me feel that I've arrived at a certain level of knitting accomplishment, is this:

I first saw this book when I was a new knitter, and used to work at the library. I absolutely love the rosebuds-on-black print, photocopied the pattern for safekeeping, and promised myself I'd work up to intarsia one day. Yes, this is a very boxy sweater (does anyone know who Edina Ronay is, and if she still designs?), but as the fashion press keeps telling us, the 80s are coming back...and my knitting pattern notebook is ready for them.

6. The one thing I most need to learn is how to adapt a pattern to fit my particular body shape. I'd also like to learn beading, felting, crocheted edgings, and intarsia (see above).

7. I've never knit a hat.

8. Besides the Chinese sweater pattern (scroll down), the most unusual one in my collection is a pattern for lacy knitted placemats. A former coworker copied this for me from her 1970s issue of Woman's Day. I've never seen another published pattern for placemats.

9. The hardest project I've ever knitted is on the needles right now, the pink picot camisole from Spring 06 IK.

It's my first project with such a difficult gauge; it couldn't be fixed by going up or down one needle size. I've also never knit in the round, other than for necklines, or made that I-cord edging. I'm learning a lot of new skills at once with this one.

10. My most coveted knitting item would be a photo image of Grace Kelly and or Jackie Kennedy knitting. So glam. I'm not positive, but I think I've seen them, and yet when I went back to look, nothing. If anyone knows where I can find them, please let me know in the comments. If you are talking about actual knitting supplies, then I'm hoping Santa C will leave a skein of Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace (once I decide on a color) in my (non-knitted, of course) Christmas stocking. After tonight's former project, that's about as close to a sock as I want to get.

A Box and A Book

Yesterday the postperson delivered a wonderful box of red and pink to the seashore, from my wonderful Project Spectrum Colorswap Pal, Deb of Deb On The Web:

I had not known Deb before our swap, but am enjoying getting to know her through her blog. She is a busy, talented lady! And she seems to know my taste well from the pretty things she chose. I love the silky pink Lantern Moon project bag. Inside are two patterns, one each for the yarns she chose for me. For the three red multi-color skeins, there is a pattern for a bag from Knitty, Unbiased. I have never seen this yarn before -- it is so unusual and looks like it will be fun to knit up. The other pattern, the Opera Glove Pattern, calls to the Grace Kelly wannabe in my soul, and beckons me to put on a pearl necklace, and knit.it.right.now. I've never knit gloves before, but what an incentive to learn!! I believe this pattern is for the pinky red Cambridge yarn, Deb, but if not, please let me know. Deb also included tea (my lifeline), treats from her recent trip to Disneyland, and this sweet pink box:

Inside are some beautiful vintage buttons and matching pink thread. I want to find a special use for these. They remind me of when I was a little girl and used to play in my grandmother's button box. (I think she still has it, and I would love to have it someday! I played for hours with her, and my mother's, sewing notions). (Strange that I grew up around two talented seamstresses, can't sew anything with a machine, and am a knitter instead). Deb, thank you very much for all the thought you put into this box.

I had hoped to post photos today of progress on my multicolored lace stole, but I am having scary second thoughts about frogging the entire thing, and have stopped working on it for the time being. I'm also working on the CPH, but it has been such a busy week that I don't have a lot of progress to show yet. So, for now, I will share with you my answers to:

Booking Through Thursday:

1.Tell us about a book that you had to read, but didn't want to, but that you ended up liking. Something for school, perhaps? A book from your Mom for Christmas that she insisted on you reading? Something from a bookclub? But ultimately, a book that--against all expectation--you ended up liking, respecting, loving....

A friend and former boss gave me a copy of Daddy Long Legs and Dear Enemy by Jean Webster for Christmas. She knows I like vintage books, but I had never heard of these, and expected them to be dry and dusty.  I think that I had started reading the book in desperation; if I remember correctly, it was during my sister's surgery two years ago, and I couldn't bear to do one more crossword puzzle. As I said from last week's questions, I'll read anything if I have to -- being caught with nothing to read scares me (When you take a vacation, do you pack the books and knitting first, and then the clothes? That's C and I! OK, he doesn't pack knitting, but he does pack a huge pile of books, one of the many reasons I adore him). Sorry, back to the subject at hand...

2. And, of course, why? What made this book resonate with you?

Once I started reading this, I discovered it was one of the sweetest and funniest books I've ever read. The sequel, Dear Enemy, was even better. Daddy Long Legs was first published in 1912, the story of an orphaned young woman named Judy, whose anonymous benefactor pays for her to go to college. She writes him a series of warm, sometimes sarcastic, letters, and addresses him as Daddy Long Legs, because all she's seen of him is his long shadow in the doorway of the orphanage where she grew up. Judy is such an intelligent, eager, funny character -- the kind I would love to know as a friend. Dear Enemy, the sequel, takes up the story of Judy's friend Sally, who is asked to run the orphanage. Sally doesn't know what she's doing, which in this case means she's doing a great job. Unless you ask the local doctor, with whom she's constantly butting heads. I believe this was made into a DVD with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard it's a little different from the book. The books are so cozy, laugh-out-loud stories, perfect for when you need encouragement about the state of humankind.  Books I will definitely read again.

Back Pedaling

The back of the CPH, finished last night. On to the front pieces, which I'll knit together at the same time.

C and his friend R pedaling along the course to warm up for the Cycle for Life race on Saturday. The race and additional activities (Locks for Love, blood and bone marrow donations, etc) support children with cancer and their families. C came in second!

After the race, we joined S&J to "pre-ride" a route in Jamestown for the Columbus Day race next weekend that C will do. The views were so pretty! Here are a few shots that C and S took:

  A gentle field

A windmill

A glorious bridge lit up by the afternoon sun

And speaking of pedals...

Only his doctor's on them for now, but Floyd, post-surgery, will be back again in no time. (AP photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Edited to add: If anyone is interested, Floyd Landis' blog has just posted information on how to assist the Amish families who lost children in the terrible Nickle Mines tragedy in PA.  My thoughts and prayers are with the families as well.