Stream of Consciousness Saturday — ect

Per Linda:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ect.” Find a word with the letters “ect” in it, and base your post on that word. (Not to be confused with “et cetera,” which is “etc.”) Enjoy!

Perfect! The object of this blog prompt is words that have ‘ect’ in them. And me with a bit of dyslexia have to sort the words that seem to imply “and so on”. Meanwhile the subject on my mind is how Chrome keeps slowing the whole job down. I might type one word but then it all hangs up with “Chrome is not responding.”

No sense in worrying about it. I pick up my knitting and wait. Then I get distracted by Doc Martin. Appendectory here, expectorant there. How about an injection? I’ll never get this blog done. But the affects of computer problems is my own irritation. The effectiveness of getting the writing done, null.

Well, then, if nothing is going to happen here, I guess I’ll go get my yarn connection. The affection I have for soft yarn is purrfect! Oh, that was Teddy putting in his interjection.

Filmology Friday

Whatcha watchin’?

Here are the latest distractions I’ve had to help with knitting:

My inner mermaid needs water. A pool, or ocean. I miss swimming! Hence the second Mermaid show: Mako Mermaids, Just Add H2O

Okay, it is a bit silly. But I’m not only watching. It is background knitting music!

Another one for the background is Kipo. I wish my kids were young and I could watch this with them. So many teachable moments!

My husband and I caught up on Outlander. I’m still reading. I am a book behind the show. I’m reading (listening) as fast as I can.

 

My brother, son and I are binging on Better Call Saul. I have to admit that it is hard to watch the past after you’ve watched Breaking Bad and El Camino. No, this show doesn’t win any kind of Bechdel test. Hardly any female influences. I’m not a fan, but it is fun to watch with my guys.

 

A show to watch for teachable moments with younger people or men who could use this kind of knowledge, if you are able to handle that kind of thing. Otherwise best watched alone to save the embarrassment levels. There is much for all of us to learn–or discard, but interesting Gooplab:

 

A show that surprised me was I’m Not Okay With This. I really liked it, so did my brother.

 

Most of these are on Netflix. Outlander is only up to season 3 on Netflix. The rest is on Hulu.

Speaking of Hulu:

It is really good.

 

Well, I know there are many more. I even have listened to Pandora this past week so that I could read more of Outlander while knitting. I have a channel I call Pirates of the Caribbean, mostly of the shows but Game of Thrones and other movie music sneaks in there.

What’s your noise at the moment?

Toothache Thursday

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Okay. It isn’t horrid. I have had a couple visions of an ice skate (Castaway). But I’m not to that point yet. In fact, I have an appointment to see:

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Not as worried about the tooth. It is more the ride and the chair pain. Any suggestions?

One-Liner Wednesday

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Another day, another walk.

Nope, that’s not us. Hubby and I have on hats. The dog is Kali, white with spots. No walking sticks. No trees. Just desert.

 

One-Liner Wednesday is a prompt by Linda G. Hill.

Sunny Day

Some days all you want to do is walk around the yard with the dog and sit and absorb all the sun you can.

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Kali and I had a lazy day enjoying the sun!

Making Monday

This sad first sock should be on Finished Friday, but unfortunately, there wasn’t any more of the white wool. The thin red wool is still a large cake so, I guess I will have to frog this soft sock and find another way to use the white. Maybe smaller socks? I tend to think a child might have problems with the wool. So even making a hat might be a bad thing. Maybe just a toy? Either way, this one has had its chance in the sun and will go back to being a yarn cake. By the way, this one was made on the 24-peg, blue, Knifty Knitter.  It was an experiment of the toe up on a wider gauge loom. It was a fast project so I’m sorry I couldn’t go further.

You have seen sock number one of this pair and the second sock is just ankle and cuff away from making the pair.

This is the metal-pegged loom. I think it is KB. It is not as comfortable to hold or keep my tension even. But I think the pair will be comfortable as house slippers. It is just acrylic yarn so not inherently warm. I love the toe-up, Kitchener cast-on. The rest is flat-knit if tension allows or u-wrap or even e-wrap at times as the tension was hard to maintain. Kitchener cast-on is harder on this rectangle loom. It may be one I use less and less often.

***

This is my favorite project. Look! My daughter’s first sock is nearly finished. Just the cuff to finish. What is slowing me down on it is that I am doing a four-by-four purl/knit ribbing stitch using ‘true’ knit stitch. It is very like the purl stitch and more time-consuming. Those purple looms hold the toe-starts to my daughter’s boyfriend’s socks. By knitting two at a time I can keep the lengths the same. I need to order yet another set of the His/Hers KB sock looms as the first one I start her sock on broke. So I transferred the project to the new loom and will order the next set at payday. So I will only be doing one at a time for her socks. It’ll work just not as timely. Looking at the purple looms, isn’t it cool how each skein of yarn starts exactly the same. Each toe starts with red. Because the orange loom is smaller and was my first, I will have to skip the red parts of the next skein to keep her socks even. It is truly an amazing thing to watch as I work! I wish I had been a part of the people who invented this kind of yarn. It is magical! By the way, I love the texture of this yarn, too. It is so soft and being wool will be warm in the colder winters up here or on camping trips.

***

Yes, another sock. This is the cuff of a sock. I am trying to learn to needle knit on circular needles. This pair of needles are bamboo. It makes it harder to lose a stitch. The yarn is kind of like T-shirt material as it has no fibers that can be frayed or separated. I figured it would help me see my mistakes more clearly.

***

Yep, another sock. This one will be for a child.

***

One more:

One of my favorite looms, CinDWood, 56, 1/4 inch gauge. This is donated wool. I know it works up into a nice sock and I have plenty.

***

I’m still working on two hats. I find the bigger looms are not as much fun or as easy on my hands as the smaller looms for socks and toys.

Both hats are on KB smaller gauge looms. The one on the left is soft pastels with black. The one on the right is red and white, I think that is HomeSpun. The one on the right is gifted to me yarn so should go to a loved one. The one on the right is donated and so should be for charity. Both should make cozy head warmers.

I think that’s it. I usually keep each project in its own zip-lock baggie. But I do keep them all where I can see and grab the one my hands feel drawn to.

As spring is working its way into our area I probably will have to slow it all down for more outdoor activities. Or find ways to take a project with me to sit and enjoy the sun while knitting, drawing, writing, or reading. Those are all good rewards for a nice walk, don’t you think? How do you do the balance?

No W-A-L-K

Imagine this conversation.

Kali: Do we get to walk today?

Me: No, it’s too windy.

Kali: (insert cuss words here)

So I tried to show her how the shrubs were blown flat in places and stuff was flying and you couldn’t see but maybe ten miles for the dust.

Suddenly I hear ‘A wee mo whap, a wee mo whap, In the Jungle…’

In the sun but protected by the sagebrush, the owner of the property (here before we moved here). We think she is a female, just in case we ever get the chance to see for sure, she is either Jasmine or he is Jasper.

 

That’s the best picture of her so far. She looks like our indoor cat, Teddy.

Who has run away from home and found outside was a horrid place. Now he spends his days on my bed, purely serene in the warmth and comfort. He loves that I put on the old pink blanket to protect my bed as he thinks it is just his special place.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday — Animal Sounds

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A beauty like this guy struts in my yard every day. He is not ours. Neither is his matching hen or a white hen. They wander our yard like they own the place. That’s okay with me as I think that cock-a-doodle-doo protects our three quieter hens.

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Our three look like this one. We had four but a hawk got one of them. My brother had them all named. But I don’t know them that intimately. I do take care of one of their meals of the day. I have two peanut butter toasted sandwiches for breakfast. Kali gets one little corner and the chickens get the crusts. I am a vegetarian by nature. I am allergic to egg whites to the extent that I can’t get the flu shots or others that are based in albumin. But I love the sounds of the clucking and crowing all over my yard. They do their part to scratch out bugs and fertilize the soil. And my husband and brother enjoy the eggs. Me? I’m hoping for wee peep-peeps! But our girls attack the rooster if he comes near. Yay! Hens-lib! ??

Oh, that grass seen in the above pictures? That is truly greener on the other side of the fence. Our neighbor has managed to make and keep a beautiful lawn. We barely manage to keep the sagebrush away from our house.

Other animal sounds we hear around here lately are coyotes and their pups.  One poor girl here was followed to the bus stop by a coyote. She was smart and stood tall and yelled and it ran away. But they can be quite dangerous for people and pets. We have to keep our gate closed and watch carefully for those who might jump over into our yard. Kali and the chickens are in danger. As are the two stray cats that have been here even before we moved here. Rosey and Teddy are indoor felines. Meow!

Our other neighbor has turkeys. When we gave ours away he got some of his own so the gobbles are still a welcome sound.

What doesn’t make sound, that we can hear here are the alpacas that are across the way. They are cute. I wish I had one. Can you imagine the yarn I could get if I got good at alpaca husbandry?

We have seen bear droppings at the campground twelve miles away. That is a sound I don’t want to hear! GRRRowl!

Oh, I just thought of the deer and antelope that play around this here range. Kind of like the baaing of lambs or goats that some neighbors have. There are a few horses. Neigh, not a lot. Ducks and geese quack their honks and especially at sunset as they settle down.

The most annoying, yet cute sound? Oh, my goodness. This mildish winter has brought in the mice. We have cute mice with shiny coats. The other day I was reaching in a cabinet for a can of beans and I heard a high pitch bunch of squeaks. It is no fun to live in the country when you find things like that.  My brother found them and the chickens ate them up. Yes, I have tears in my eyes as I think of it. Soon after he caught a few bigger mice in traps.

I thought you might enjoy what our outdoor friends do that I have seen happen.

I just remembered the wonderful sound of last summer. We had some frogs somewhere between our yard and the nearest neighbor. The co-roaking was so cool! I hope we get it again this year, By the way, the weather is getting warmer and my son and I have made plans to start walking a bit. We spell out the word W-A-L-K so Kali doesn’t get too crazy. Her whining can quickly turn into barking lectures of great magnitude!

Per Linda:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “animal sounds.” Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them. Have fun!

 

Rorschach Test

When I was young and spent the night with my grandparents I felt so lucky. First of all, because my mother’s parents and my father’s parents lived two doors down from each other. Even my other cousins weren’t this lucky. And on this road, I had a great aunt or two. The second fun part of this convenience was that if my folks were visiting the one set of grandparents I could run and be at the other grandparents’ home.

Both of my grandfathers were carpenters. Mom’s dad was more of a cabinet maker. But when mom was young he actually built a wooden roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. There were pictures in the local paper with mom and my aunt as girls in these rides.

My dad’s dad was more of a home builder. When these two close families moved from ‘back east’ they bought land near each other and mom’s dad copied nearly every nail strike from my dad’s dad. Thereby their homes were very similar. I can still see and smell those two homes. Mom’s parents’ home smelled of cedar. Dad’s parents’ just smelled clean like wind-dried laundry. Mmmmm!

That doesn’t include all the food smells. Mom’s mother specialized in pies and cakes. Dad’s mom was best at meats and dumplings. Not to say they both weren’t great cooks! My mouth is watering at this vision.

But back to spending the night. The walls of both grandparents’ homes were textured with stucco, a kind of relief feeling and then painted. I remember laying on their beds and finding pictures in the textures.

As a mom of four, we had a house that had a bathroom with fake marble lined the wall. As you would sit on the ‘throne’ you could see ‘angry dad’. Beard, mustache and all. Yes, he was an angry cuss at times back then. (Not my current husband.)

Here in this house, I have found another set of Rorschach tests in this bathroom. One in the fake wood panel of the door. The others are from spackle patches that we still need to paint over.

Anyway, here are cell photos of the muses.

The only picture with true color is the wooden door one. These other two are white on sky-blue. I don’t know why they turned gray.

Anyway, do you see pictures? I have been meaning to capture these by drawing and seeing what characters I feel as I draw. Here are my first renditions.

Those were only quickie sketches. But for some reason, I felt nearly obligated to draw them out. It is like they want to be in a story or something.

Does this happen to you? Do you see pictures in tree-bark or leaf patterns against the sky? Do you feel they call to you to be represented? What do you suppose it means?

 

The Story of a Sock or Four

So this sock is on its third remake because the loom had a broken peg. I had Gorilla Glued it but yesterday, as I was finishing the ankle part and heading for the cuff it broke again.

 

Ugh! See the broken peg attached by a rubber band to the loom?

Yeah, I can’t toss something if I think I might be able to use it again sometime. But I did order a new KB His and Hers set. Trouble is, even though I ordered off the last order this set of looms is smaller. The same amount of pegs, but I think the pegs are slightly closer.

 

And then I had to move all the stitches on the broken loom onto the new equivalent loom. I used the circular knitting needles to capture the loops and then move them to the new loom.

 

These are ChiaoGoo Red Lace 47 inch Stainless Steel Size 1.5. They did an excellent job for me. I can’t wait to try and make sock on them.

So my daughter’s first sock is nearly finished. I suppose I could give it to her and she can take turns on which foot she’ll keep warm that day? Kidding!  But those purple looms are for her boyfriend. Can you see the difference between the purple on the lower left and the bigger purple above? They are supposed to be the same size. If they turn out to be too different in size I will make the decision of which loom I’ll make the second one on.

Oh, and that sock with the mermaids on it? That is on my foot. Those were a gift from my friend. They are so fun I thought the girls wanted to be a part of the sock party. Okay, back to knitting.