Warty Bobbles

Finishing

I am still working in “just finish it!” mode.  And aside from Gwen’s stockings, I have finished the Christmas/Epiphany/Groundhog’s Day gift that I cannot disclose quite yet (it is late – it should at least be a surprise!). 

 

I continue on Owen’s “Yzma Blanket.”  And George’s sweater -- EZ’s Seamless Hybrid Sweater done with some of Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking cables on the sleeves.  It is going well, but I am getting a little nervous about what exactly I am going to do with the cables once I get to the saddle shoulder part.  Well, that keeps it exciting.  I have also resurrected a pair of socks (the Woodland Socks) which are quite close to done.  I threw another sock project (this one barely started) into my knitting bag too, but have not done anything with it yet.

 

In the spirit of “just finish it!” I have taken on the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf (Churchmouse Classics) that Sonja was knitting.  She wants the scarf, but does not find linen stitch at 450 sts/row! to her liking.  So, I said I would finish it for her birthday (end of February).  Can’t say I find linen stitch at 450! sts/row to be my cup of tea either, but maybe once I get more into the rhythm of it….And I did need a good portable not-too-much-thinking project.

 

The only project I have started is a pair of socks for Owen.  His store-bought socks were falling off – the ones that are too big and the ones that are too small (socks are mystical like that).  So, I commented that he was one-sock-off-ish because he was not wearing hand-knit socks.  “So I guess you better knit him some” was Sonja’s answer (to her credit, I do not think I was actually knitting on her abandoned scarf at that moment).  But I had put my own hand-knit-stockinged foot in my mouth, so to speak – and the next thing I knew I was casting on a tiny sock (he has long skinny feet – kind of like a kangaroo—like his cousin Gwen at his age, come to think of it).

 

So, that is the progress report.  Back to knitting.

Blogging About Not Blogging

My blog posts have been few & far between this month – the past few weeks being given up to:

Recovering & cleaning up from Christmas (there is still a small Christmas tree hanging naked in our family room, but this George’s problem not mine)

Celebrating 2 birthdays and 1 baptism

Experiencing a Big Snow

Getting Sarah and the children (and cats & household goods) packed up and off to North Carolina where they will be living at (in? on? I’m still trying to figure out Army lingo) Ft. Bragg with her husband, Jeff

Trying to maintain stiff upper lip about Sarah & her family moving to North Carolina

Doing a major (and much-needed) room-by-room housecleaning

Playing Words With Friends on my iPhone with most of my family

Taking care of the 3 grandchildren (I am typing this with one hand while holding little Owen who had his 2-month shots today)

And, of course, knitting whenever possible!

 

To make up (a little) for sheepishly blogging about not blogging (and to prove that I have not only been knitting, but actually finishing), here are photos of Gwen’s Lace Stockings.

 

Words With Friends

We have a whopping 8 inches of snow!  It is gorgeous outside and cozy inside.  Winter at its best.

I should be happily and productively knitting away -- on George's sweater, on Gwen's socks, on Owen's blanket....

But instead I am playing Words With Friends on my iPhone with nearly everyone in my family.  We are all just crazy over it!  Crazed is, perhaps, the better word.  It is like Scrabble and you can keep several games going at once with different people -- or, as we sometimes accidently start up a 2nd game with someone we are already playing, several games with one person.  At present, I am playing 7 games with 5 family members (most of whom are stuck home because of  the snow with nothing better to do than play this blasted game!).

You can set your phone to alert you with a chime or something when your opponent plays.  I have wisely opted not to do that.  SInce I am playing with Geoff (who is in London  and on London time) and Sonja & Jordan (who have a new baby and are on baby time), there could be plays chimed in at me in the middle of the night. (I know this because I sleep with aman who chooses to have the chime alert on!)  Anyhow, the way I have it set up, the only way I can tell it is my turn (on any of my 7 games) is to punch into the ap on my phone.  So, really, I could make a play and then let it sit for an hour, a couple of hours, a day -- and I think that is how most people play it.

But I am more like a chain-smoker, lighting up my phone every 5 minutes or so to see if someone has played -- and usually they have!  Usually about 3 of them.  So, then I have to (not really "have to" but yeah I have to) take my turns.  And by the time I have finished someone has usually played again! 

This is cutting into my knitting time most severely (not just today but over the past few days, I confess).

It is just so darn compelling!  I could try not to check it so often, of course -- maybe only after, say, 3 rounds on the sock.  But when 2 of my opponents are sitting in the same room as I am, hooting and bragging about their last 32-point word (and I instantly wonder if it was played against me!)...well, there I am punching into the Words With Friends ap again!