This photo was taken at night, so I apologize for the bad lighting. Here is Picot Camisole version 3.0 from IK Spring 06(click to enlarge). I've knit another few inches since then, having added rows to the midsection to make it longer, per the advice of Ravelers who have knitted this top before me. I need to try it on again and see if it's time to start increasing for the upper waist and chest portion.
The ivory angora scarf in the previous post is done, so I've started working on a loopy mohair scarf. This yarn (see photo with Tim) does not seem to be as good quality as the Color Me loopy mohair I used for a previous scarf, and I'm trying to decide if I want to continue with it, or do something else. My yarn for the Louet Caroline sweater is still backordered.
Because of work and home projects, I haven't posted as often as I'd like, and I realize that I'm probably forgetting things I want to share with you. Here are a few random thoughts:
I didn't ride in the Tri-State Seacoast Century (100 mile ride) several weekends ago, as I'd planned. I had hurt my knee on the ride the weekend before, and was hoping that it would heal in time. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well the night before the ride, and when I woke up, the knee was burning. I knew I couldn't ride 10 miles, much less the 100, so I stayed behind at the hotel to work on Oceane while Chris and his friend Larry did the ride. I am so disappointed, but there's always next year.
Charlie is losing weight again, after a promising start on his chemotherapy. He's pretty weak and wobbles a little when he walks. He goes back to the vet for a checkup on Wednesday. Tim will also go for his yearly checkup, which will be fun. He has "Caution" written in large letters at the top of his chart! The vet is an hour away from our new house, so please wish me luck on the ride in the car.
The Before Pictures
I've started removing wallpaper from an upstairs bathroom. I can't replace the brown tub and sink (see financial reasons #1 & #2, paragraph above) but we've removed the glass shower doors, and a new curtain and coat of paint will make a big difference.
One of the things that amazes me about moving is how your tastes change. Has this happened to you? I used to love Victorian style and haunt the antique stores for vintage accessories and pictures to hang on our walls. When I unpacked the pictures and started to try to place them, nothing seemed right. Instead of floral botanical drawings and women and men in fancy Edwardian dress, I'm wanting prints or paintings of seaside landscapes in France and Tuscany, still lifes of starfish and shells, and I've discovered some prints by Jack Vettriano that I love. Instead of heavy floral prints on the curtains I want lighter fabrics and paint colors and frames. Especially now that autumn has descended on us with a vengeance.
I'm sorry to hear that Charlie is losing weight again. And good luck with that drive with your cats!
My decorating tastes have definitely changed over the years. I tend to like simpler things now. Our bed is a big wooden Victorian-looking thing. If I was picking one out now, I'd get a simple sleigh bed or something like that.
Posted by: Beth | October 17, 2007 at 02:35 PM
Charlie, Charlie - you have to quit worrying your parents! :( Good luck on the drive... our vet is 4 blocks away, chosen purely for proximity because Chaos yowls at extraordinary levels while in the car.
How is your knee now??
Posted by: Chris | October 17, 2007 at 02:50 PM
I hope that Charlie does okay at his next vet visit. We drive an hour to the vet, too, but it's worth it since we had a bad experience with a competing hospital that is closer but that misdiagnosed cancer in one of our pets and (we discovered) in the pets of other people we know. So, I always see it as the car ride sucks and the cats aren't crazy about it, but they're getting good care, which is worth a little aggravation.
Posted by: Susan | October 17, 2007 at 03:11 PM
I hope Charlie gets with the program soon. Weight loss is not a good thing.
Good luck with the visit!
Posted by: Cookie | October 17, 2007 at 03:31 PM
Oh, I'm sorry Charlie is losing weight again. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing. Good luck with the trip to the vet. I used to have a "Caution" cat. She did not like the vet at all.
Posted by: Sydney | October 17, 2007 at 03:42 PM
Sometimes the house forces you to rethink the style. My DH and I both thought we'd want a more formal home, but the fact is, we live in a beach house and informal is much more suited to the spaces.
Posted by: Kim | October 17, 2007 at 04:29 PM
I'm sad to hear that charlie is losing weight! I hope that he feels better soon.
The picot cami looks so pretty!
Posted by: dana | October 17, 2007 at 04:53 PM
I'm sorry to hear Charlie isn't doing well!
Good luck at the vet's. My husband's cat also had a warning on his vet chart in Providence, and every time we took him in the technicians would don enormous leather mitts and hold him down while the vet examined him while the cat wailed like a siren. It was about the only time in which my cat came out looking better-behaved, if only because he was so terrified he stayed limp during the exam.
We've gone from vivid colours on the walls and wooden floors to mocha-coloured everything in our new place. Fortunately a lot of our furniture is modern enough to fit in, but something tells me our poster of Janet the chicken won't work as well in the new kitchen...
Posted by: Erika | October 17, 2007 at 06:35 PM
Removing wallpaper has to be the worst job ever. I cringe thinking of all the wallpaper I have to remove here. Good luck with that.
I hope everything is ok with Charlie!
Posted by: Karen | October 17, 2007 at 08:53 PM
Sorry to hear about Charlie, hope he gains some weight and feels better soon.
Posted by: Sarah | October 17, 2007 at 09:33 PM
The picot cami looks great. I used to like Vettriano quite a bit a few years ago. My favorite is the couple dancing on the beach. I have a few other paintings as cards somewhere too. Was thinking of framing them... but never got around to it.
Posted by: Valerie | October 17, 2007 at 11:02 PM
Oh, poor Charlie. I hope the ride goes well, and he starts feeling better. I have to say, I had the same experience when we moved. Almost none of the things I had on the walls in my old house work here at all. But at least there was no wallpaper to deal with (or at least none that I had to deal with!)
Posted by: Jane | October 17, 2007 at 11:31 PM
We have our paws crossed for Charlie at the knitswithcats household. Hope he does OK on the ride - sometimes I think that's the worst part of taking a cat to the vet - and that he starts eating and gaining weight soon.
Wallpaper is the pits! I hope never ever again to strip it.
Posted by: Diann | October 17, 2007 at 11:46 PM
I'm sending positive thoughts your way for Charlie.
I love forward to the bathroom transformation :)
Posted by: Felicia | October 18, 2007 at 05:42 AM
Hope the checkup went well with Charlie and Tim. If the trip was anything like my trips to the vets, you had the radio on loud to drown out the howls.
Have fun with the bathroom redo.
Love the color of your picot camisole
Posted by: wendy g | October 18, 2007 at 08:36 AM
Oh, I hope your knee is feeling better soon. Nothing worse than a dicky knee on a cyclist. Hope the trip to the Vet goes well for everyone!!! You can bribe Labradors with a treat, though Cleo the Kitten was quite well behaved when I took her. Nice picot camisole, I really like the pattern.
Posted by: 2paw | October 18, 2007 at 09:18 AM
Sorry about Charlie losing weight - I hope it is just temporary. Love the picot cami so far! Maybe I should knit this unmodified as everything is usually too long on me so I have to adjust it. I like the idea of your new home decor with the seaside scenes - sounds very pretty.
Posted by: robin | October 18, 2007 at 11:09 AM
I'm sorry to hear that Charlie isn't doing well. I hope he puts some weight back on. I really like your picot cami. My home decorating tastes have definitely changed in the last few years too.
Posted by: Sonya | October 18, 2007 at 01:50 PM
Poor Charlie...I'll certainly be thinking good thoughts for him.
I love the camisole! The color is wonderful. I have a good feeling about this one!
Posted by: Sheepish Annie | October 18, 2007 at 06:36 PM
You have to post a picture of the "after" bathroom!
Hope Charlie will be OK!
Posted by: tiennie | October 19, 2007 at 02:34 AM
Oh, that's not good about your knee! I hope it gets better (or is...).
Heh heh, Atticus had a big huge "Caution" written on his chart at the vet's for the longest time. I feel for you! Gandalf is going to the vet this morning for his first visit as an adult cat. Should be fun. I hope Charlie will be ok!!!
Posted by: Brigitte | October 19, 2007 at 04:45 AM
What a pain in the neck (or the knee) that your knee wouldn't cooperate--but better to wait than try to do it and hurt yourself more.
I can't wait to see the tub & tiles with new paint (and I'm still impressed by all your home improvements!).
Posted by: Rebecca | October 19, 2007 at 10:02 AM
Good luck with the cats and the vet. My Trigger has all sorts of warnings on her file. The vet essentially peers through her kennel at her.
Sorry you couldn't do your century - I was wondering about that since I'd seen no mention!
Posted by: Shannon | October 21, 2007 at 03:51 PM