Petunia rambles on and on….

Looks like about 7 or 8 inches so far. Just checked the website for the State of DE and EVERY school in the state is closed, all State offices are closed – the place is ground to a halt. Except for me. Gotta hit the shower and then I’m putting it in 4WD and off to work!  Pictures later.

Long overdue post.

The other night I went shopping, all over town, countless different stores in a large mall, looking for shoes. Not just any shoes to protect my feet from pavement or the elements – that would have been easy – I could have just “shopped like a man.” Picked the first pair in my size and left. That’s not my style; I just can’t do it that way. I hoped to find something I liked in one of the major department stores at the mall. We had just made a “Major Purchase” there (new TV) and they have some sort of cash-back rewards program – and that big purchase qualified me for a discount coupon worth $51.08. My thought was, “Here, little brown shoes, come to mama,” as I went into the place, a store where I’ve bought countless pairs of shoes over the last 20 years. Do you believe it? I couldn’t find any that were suited for the purpose I had in mind.

See, Pop and I have found a local place where on Sunday evenings, they’re playing Oldies (I prefer calling it “Classic”) music. Few know the place is open. Few are attending – I’m “talking it up” at every opportunity, to everyone over the age of about 29, in hopes that more will go and put their money on the bar. Anyway, when the music is easy, Pop and I are on the dance floor – as we both like to do. That’s where the “Shoe Issue” started. I hardly ever wear heels to work anymore where the indoor weather is capricious – from one day to the next, the heating or the air conditioning is either not working at all or working so furiously that it damn near drives you out of the building. This time of year, more often than not, we are freezing, so I wear jeans, layers on top, sneakers and thick socks. We’ve all worked all day wearing our coats, and the very next day, the heat in there will cause you to feel light-headed. Anyway, sneakers it is, most of the time. I know I’ve got a pair of black heels somewhere, but if I remember correctly, a pretty narrow heel. Not good for an old woman on a dance floor, especially for one with a few beers onboard. I dug around in the back of the closet, sure that there is, somewhere, another pair of black heels there with a wider heel – I can’t find them. Damn. There is the fancy-shmancy black satin heels with the black jet beads, bought for a formal wedding, worn once, but that’s not gonna work here. I’ve got sandals everywhere, but it’s still too cold out to wear them, and I’m not really comfortable with the idea of “slide-in” shoes on a dancefloor – uh, too easy to slide out. And I’ve got black boots, real clunky heel, heavy. Actually, I’ve worn them the last few times we’ve gone. Under slacks they’re fine, but a bit on the heavy side.

So anyway. I start this trek looking for dark shoes, brown, black or both, that would be suitable for the dancefloor (and for work, should the occasion arise). Not a real high heel, not a real spikey heel where I’ll break an ankle, and something that will stay on my feet while dancing. I didn’t think this was going to be my life’s work. I went into about 8 stores and didn’t see anything that caught my eye. Everything is uh, hooker-high, or a slip-on style. Or looks like it weighs 14 pounds and I should also have 13 feet of chains wrapped around me while wearing them. Uh, no.

I admitted defeat and came home. Without new shoes. I fear that there is a need to order DNA testing. Even though I felt her kicking for months, and watched her being born via a suspended mirror, there can’t be any genetic ties between daughter and me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky is white. The National Weather Service is calling for SNOW – damn that four-letter word! Late last night, as we were heading to bed, I heard something odd and opened the front door – it sounded like sand hitting the roof. ICE!! Dainty little raindrops that froze before they hit the ground. This morning, the lawn and the cars were covered but the roads are OK. This afternoon, starting at about 4pm, we are predicted to get “wintry-mix” then snow, heavy at times, starting around 8pm. They are calling for 5-9 inches overnight with another 3-5 inches possible Monday morning. SO – it’s possible we could get up to 14 inches, which will paralyze the state for days. It’s also possibly that this could veer slightly north and west of us and we may get much less.

I know that many areas get much more snow than this, and get it many, many times every winter season. But because we get it so infrequently here, we are less prepared for it when it does come. The snow plows are hard put to keep the main highways cleared, the roads surrounding the police and fire departments and the local hospital open. Some of the roads outside of town won’t see a snow plow for 3 days, if it ever comes by. By that time, folks with their 4WD vehicles have beaten a path over the snow. Packed all the snow into ice. Made the roads more dangerous.

Just talked to SIL – we both agree that tonight is not the night to be going out for a few drinks and dancing. Postponed until next Sunday.

At least I don’t have to deal with the shoe issue right now.

My hands really do appreciate going back and forth between large-needle projects and small-needle projects. When I stay too long with the small-needle ones, like socks, my wrists start to talk to me, particularly the right one. I suspect that keying numbers all day with my right hand may have a greater impact, but there’s no getting away from that. Switching projects, and doing some spinning for a break in between, seems to ease the problem.

I also think I intentionally work socks a bit tighter, using more force through my wrists. I’m trying for a denser fabric that will wear longer. When I go to Size 8’s, and I’m looking for a fabric with more drape, it’s an easier hand motion.

Maybe it’s an area where more knitters ought to place some attention and concern. We’ve all heard of the Repetitive Stress injuries, that start with pain and often end with surgery. I’m not medically qualified to diagnose actions or treatments, but common sense (and my wrist) is telling me that knitting is a repetitive motion. We know that’s the ticket to these problems, and I’ve been knitting since beach sand was still large boulders. Guess that my angry wrist condition should not be unexpected, and if they could talk, my wrists might be saying, “Get off your butt and take up Ballroom Dancing for a while, and give us a rest!”

There might be some truth there. At work, I am mostly sitting. At home, I’m frequently on the computer or knitting, also rather sedentary pursuits. Lately, I’ve come to need a larger rear-view mirror, if you get my drift – ever since I quit smoking. There may have to be a shake-up of the current routine, so that I can continue to knit and also fit into my comfy chair!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Anyway, while sitting on my broad butt, I grabbed a ball of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Forest Heather and started swatching. Swatching gets a bad rap; I’m trying to see it as educational, informative. A time-saver, rather than a time-waster. I would waste far more time and yarn and effort and money if I made a whole sweater that either fit Barbie or my upright freezer. I’m telling myself that it’s very relaxing. Much more relaxing than swearing at that little Barbie sweater, that’s for sure! And I’m talking myself into believing that I’m doing this to make sure my knit and purl stitches are very even – Mom taught me that you should not see any difference at all in the size of the stitches when you look at Stockinette worked flat, back and forth using rows of knit and purl. She was a stickler for that, and I sure did practice getting all the rows the same size.

 

 

Mom would be so proud!

This is just quick and dirty off the needle, an Addi circ, US Size 8, some Stockinette and Garter stitch. And I’d say those rows are pretty damn even. And blocking should make them better.

Notice the YO, K2tog eyelets? There are 8 of them. The swatch was done on Size 8 needles. (If I keep this swatch, and by tomorrow have forgotten which needle size I used, I’ll count the holes – another tip from Mom) Mom did not make individual swatches. She made a long scarf-like strand. If she started with a Size 7 swatch, then she did a few garter rows, switched to 8’s, made the 8 eyelets and worked for another 4 inches/10cm, and repeated it for 9’s if she thought it necessary.  She washed and blocked it out as the garment would be handled, and felt that this was a better way than making 3 individual swatches. Her reasoning was probably based on frugality.  Extra amounts of yarn were rarely purchased in her day, and I guess that more frequently, knitters faced the fear of running out. The swatch could be unraveled to finish a sleeve or stitch a garment together – there was less waste with one intact piece than 3 or 4 separate ones.

The eyelets make the swatch prettier, too, don’t you think? And if that little bit of fancy gets me to do it, my projects will fit better the first time.