Life's a Stitch

It was in December, the 8^th or 12^th, and I was in 8^th Grade. I was anxious to get the Christmas lights up. We lived in a colonial style house and each year my parents would put an electric candle in each window in the front of the house. My father told me I was “rushing the season,” but if I insisted I could do it. And I wonder where my kids get it from. After school I dug out the candles and put them in place.  As I was finishing, my mother arrived home from working at Lord and Taylor with a coat for me to try on. She suggested I go outside to test the coat’s warmth as it was a windy, blustery winter evening. I went outside and had the opportunity to admire the lights in the windows.

Back inside, I could hear a sound coming from my parent’s bedroom. I asked my mother if she heard it and she said “It’s probably just the wind.” A few minutes later I heard it again and went upstairs to investigate. The entire wall of the room was engulfed in flames. By the time the fire department arrived the fire was in the walls of the house. The heat was so intense, the window glass melted. Turns out one of the candle cord was damaged and it set fire to the drapes.

That night, when my father arrived home from work, we all moved into the family room for the night. The firemen had suggested we stay in a hotel since the fire might still be in the walls. I think money was an issue so we stayed at home. I couldn’t sleep, and watched Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, on TV and scared myself royally.

Although my parents did a really good job of not laying on the guilt, the moral of the story from my childhood is, “Don’t rush the season.” My dad died when I was 16, but I can still hear him saying it. I don’t like the holiday hype anyway, so we don’t decorate until Christmas week. I do start the Christmas music on December 1st, though.

On a brighter note. I took this from our driveway. A rainy climate makes for good contrast.

Back to knitting tomorrow.

I like to shop from my seat and not on my feet. I stole that from my sister’s Pampered Chef website. Yarn, by mail order, is always full of surprises. Colour and texture are a gamble and you have to add in the cost of shipping, both in ordering and returning. You do save on some of the sales tax at times and there is a savings in the convenience. Ordering in Canada is not all that great if the parcel comes from another country. There is a $5 charge for handling most packages unless it is marked as an unsolicited gift with a value under a certain amount, I think it’s $60.

I recently ordered the Autumn Silk Cardigan from Ram Wools in Manitoba. Their costumer service is great and it arrived in seven days. The yarn, Estelle Tussah Silk, was not what I was expecting. It is a "raw" type silk and looked like twine dyed almost black, perfect for casual wear, but not what I wanted for a dressy lace sweater. It was a kit and was supposed to be returned as a kit. I loved the pattern and called to ask for an exception. I really appreciate good customer service, people who can think beyond the basic policies and help you come to a solution that works. Initially I was told, no, I couldn’t keep the pattern. After the woman was willing to listen, she agreed, keep the pattern and we’ll exchange the yarn portion of the kit for something more suitable. I’ll be back at Ram Wools again in the future.  It would have been nice if I had the option to order the yarn and pattern separately at the beginning, but I was willing to give it a try. This is a picture of the Estelle Mystik I ordered. You can see the sheen of the thread that winds around the cotton.

Yesterday we decided on the casino alternative, but added on mailing Christmas packages to the US relatives while we were down there. Trouble is that to cross the border gifts can’t be wrapped. I would have mailed them from Canada, but the US gov’t has declared anything edible as a potential source of terrorism, and they cannot be mailed from Canada unless a preauthorization number is obtained. So, my mini-van turned into a gift wrap station. I brought scissors, wrapping paper, tape, packing tape and mailing envelopes along and spent an hour wrapping and packing in a grocery store parking lot. Chuck went into the store and brought out some eggnog to make it feel more festive. What a sight we must have been in that steamed up car.

The casino was fun, not something we have ever done outside of occasional vacations. How many vices can a woman have? Knitting, gambling… Chuck was up enough to cover our anniversary dinner (at B’Ham’s Pacific Cafe, a favourite of ours for almost 20 years) and a pound and a half of supposedly wonderful coffee from a small place in Lynden, WA. It was a good day and we didn’t even hit any knit shops.

It’s not bad enough that I am a yarn addict, but I am an enabler. The LYS’s in our areas are few and far between, so when you have the time to go, you make sure you get orders from surrounding knitters. At my office we have a new knitter, and two knitters just getting back in to it. So, I was able to feed their addiction and get vicarious shopping thrills by buying yarn for them. Not only did I pick up these two Fleece Artist scarf kits for one, I bought an extra shawl kit knowing I could entice somebody into buying it. Besides, if they didn’t want it I would gladly incorporate it into my stash. Oh yeah, I bought one for me, too. I’m bad, I know.

Today is our 22nd anniversary and we both have the day off. Haven’t decided whether  we’ll go stateside and hit a casino or to the tree nursery (the beauty of living in a mild climate) followed by the Dickens Christmas buffet at a nice restaurant. We didn’t really start celebrating our anniversary until we were  married 20 years. It wasn’t that big a deal. We don’t buy gifts but make it a point to do something together. I don’t think a stop at the LYS will count as special.

Friday again. I went to my follow up cardiology appointment. It struck me as strange to be listening to his Muzak and hearing the "Stand Up" song you associate with ClubMed – "Give me your heart, give me give me your heart…" All is good. I can stay on my Rhythmol which will now treat the two different arrhythmias I seem to have. I do have to be better at taking it regularly. I have a healthy heart that wants to beat to a different drummer. So? That’s about sums up how I’ve lived my life so far.

The kerchief is finally blocking. I decided to sew the beads on after blocking as it seemed too tight when I followed the directions. It is a completely different shape than the first one, more like the picture on the pattern. It is also different in that I purled back every other row. I like the effect better than all garter stitch.

Have a good weekend.

I crack up sometimes when I read what people are searching for when they end up here. This week some readers arrived after googling: band saw massacre, little nipples, Pacific Northwest spiders, I am an acne pimple, the life cycle of a frog, and I love food. Here are my two favourites: someone arrived at Life’s A Stitch, a knitting blog, by searching for "what colour does breathalyser go if positive" and "who invented the potato powered clock." It makes me conscious of how I arrive at other’s sites. I’m sure my searches have left bloggers scratching their heads.

Here in the Northwest, when it’s sunny it rains. Now when someone googles about Northwest weather they might arrive at a knitting blog.

I’ve had several questions about the definition of worming and the felting process with Touch Me. Here are the answers:

1. Definition of worming: Chenille, due to its construction, has a tendency for stitches to pop out. If you look at a flat piece of work, the wormed stitches look like little caterpillars. It’s almost as if the stitches unknit themselves. Very annoying.

2. I had seen examples of felted Touch Me items at two knit shops. The third place had never heard of it, but when I saw the suggestion in Sally Melville’s book I went for it. My worms were HUGE loops, just not acceptable. I put the scarf in a large lingerie bag, washed it in hot water AND put it in the dryer without the bag. It is a hard little lump after washing and the dryer turns it into a nice fabric. At one knit shop the woman actually boiled it, but I thought her colours looked faded and colour is part of the beauty of Touch Me. Go for it and let me know how it turned out.

I don’t know about Touch Me. I am in the process of felting it a second time as many of the worms disappeared, but not all. Another important note: this scarf was knitted lengthwise and after felting, the width of the scarf decreased far more than the length. So, I have a long skinny snake-like scarf with worms. Finally, I wouldn’t bother going through the trouble of  knitting in seed stitch because once it’s felted, it doesn’t show up. I’m about to sum this up as an expensive disappointment.

Update: the worms don’t completely disappear. I have had to get out a needle and thread and tack them back. After the second felting some of the worms went bald, leaving a loop of thread. I’m not likely to go through this again. A possible solution: since the worming is mostly along the edges, maybe I’ll add a crab stitch border of something contrasting; black kid silk mohair?

Caught in the act: Gracee Mae snuggled up on my Fair Isle. She’s thinking "If I don’t make eye contact with her maybe she won’t notice."

So, I’m knitting with Touch Me. Enter male family members. After a good feel, Chuck and Bryant want underwear knitted from it. We are a weird family. But seriously, Touch Me is soft as a puppy’s tummy, a lamb’s ear or a tulip petal. The colour is deep as the midnight sky. See, Sister Marion? I memorized my parts of speech, similes use "like" or "as" and metaphors are an implied connection. It’s been a long time since 7th grade. I do have a memory!

Too bad Touch Me is what I consider a mortgage the house yarn. I was in a yarn shop and the owner and I were discussing possible uses for the stuff. Sally Melville’s book has a pattern that calls for 22 skeins of Touch Me. Let’s see, 22 times $14.50. She said she’d be glad to sell it to me. What are the current interest rates?

Later in the day:

Knitting away, I’m glad I have access to other knitters because I’d be  panicking right about now having spent a fortune on Touch Me and finding that it’s full of worms. Ripped it out and started again, but alas, the worms are still crawling. I have been reassured that they disappear with the felting process. I don’t get it, though, the label says dry clean only, but Sally Melville, for example, says to felt the heck out of it. I’ve seen finished products and they are beautiful.

Everyone should knit with Touch Me once in their lifetime. The manufacturer describes it as sensual and it is. It is buttery, velvety smooth and the colours are deep and delicious. My tendencies toward texture go to the slubby styles. The creamy smoothness of Touch Me is like eating Ben and Jerry’s as compared to the Safeway brand. I invented a Ben and Jerry’s flavour. A non-sequitor story – many years ago I wrote to B&J with a suggestion – the opposing flavour to Cherries Garcia. Something like Black Forest cake in ice cream; chocolate ice cream with cherries. This from a person who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, give me Miss Vicky’s Jalapeno Potato Chips over chocolate any time. Almost any time. I do have a weakness for Purdy’s dark chocolate cherry caramels. Back to B&J. I received a hand written post card from one of the men himself, thanking me for the suggestion and a promise to send it to the lab. Lo and behold – reverse Cherries Garcia! Eat it and think of me. Knit Touch Me and think of me. By the way, I chose a colour that is reminiscent of black cherries. I can be predictable.

MSN Canada conducted a poll. They found that 14% of British Columbian online shoppers make their purchases in the nude. Excuse me? Fourteen out of one hundred people are freezing their buns in this damp and rainy climate while nakedly surfing the net? I have a hard time believing that 14% of those buying yarn are sitting at the screen in their birthday suits. I’m sure they at least have a scarf around their neck, if not some bottom up socks. Maybe they’re browsing Fuzzy Mabel while wearing a willie warmer. But please, not naked. Some things are best left unsaid. As far as I’m concerned, this is a private matter and if you are reading this naked I don’t want to know, OK?

When Mari is home she likes to let Grace run around the house naked, that is, without her collar on. She’s convinced Gracee is more comfortable and acts differently when disrobed.

Enjoy your weekend.

We did more than shop this past weekend in Bellingham. There was a fair bit of knitting going on. First in the hour and forty minute border line up, then by the fireplace while watching LA Story and on lazy mornings after breakfast. Here is my Fleece Artist scarf. It was a slow knit, working alternate rows of fleecy stuff with matching loopy mohair, but a beautiful outcome.

I feel pretty crummy so it’s good we’re not having US Thanksgiving this year. I thought at first it was the Thai food I had at lunch yesterday, but now I have a fever and aches. I had a flu shot a while back. I have taken a sick day tomorrow anyway because I have an appointment to discuss the results of my knee MRI at the UBC Sports Medicine Clinic. It showed a total tear of the ACL. This has not been a good two months health wise. I’ve never used so much sick time before. A heck of a way to get time off of work. Will try to hit a knit shop while over town!

Wishing all who celebrate American Thanksgiving a happy one.