no time for socks

Posted on Posted in food and garden, lace/shawls, projects, Uncategorized

poor socks have been almost completely ignored this week. between the garden and the big knitting projects, the poor little guys have suffered. maybe this week they will see more action.

mystery project gave me a run for my money this week. it’s a good-sized piece, you know, and on thursday, when i was about 10 inches into it, i had a crisis of quantity—i looked at my piece and i looked at the remaining one-of-a-kind yarn and knew that i wouldn’t make it to a length that would even approximate my expectations. i also knew that it was knitting up wider than my estimation.

after skirting the issue for a few more rows (i’m on a deadline after all; going backwards didn’t seem productive), i realized i needed to stop shilly-shallying around, rip back, and start over with one less pattern repeat. it was my only hope of making it all work.

you know how sometimes, when you suck it up and do the right thing, even though you will lose time or money or dignity, it still doesn’t work out, and you are the only one who knows you really tried? (ok—let’s face it, that just doesn’t happen sometimes . . .)

well, this time, THAT didn’t happen. it all worked. everything felt more right-er as soon as i cast on again. the rows zipped along at a thrilling speed, and each completed repeat was a delight. the object fairly FLEW off the needles (well, sure i stayed up knitting til 4am thursday and friday, but who cares when it’s going well??). after a big push all day yesterday (i did not even look at the computer til evening), i had the thing done, soaked, and blocking by 9pm.

and i LOVE it. i love it i love it i love it.
i don’t even care if this thing gets accepted, i l-o-o-ove it. and i think you will too . . . someday. i am so NOT trying to be a tease—but you have to wait.

well. now that that’s all done, i can focus on some other commitments, and hopefully some variety. as soon as the last pin went into the blocking piece, i grabbed the orchid scarf and added a few repeats.

it felt weird not being on size 11 needles anymore, but also comforting to have this soft, light wisp of a thing in my hands. my shoulder was aching from the big piece—knitting on thick needles wrecks my neck (or maybe i’m just really out of shape, ya think?). anyway, this scarf is moving very fast too—it seems like i can add a few repeats in no time.

(is anyone else getting the sense that a sort of knitting mania has taken hold of me and my household? well, it’s time you all knew—i’m not normal. you’ll have to adjust.)

of course, as with all mania, there comes a moment when the affected body falls like a tree. that happened around 11:30 last night. after a jolting twitch struck and then subsided, i looked at the scarf in my hands and realized that i had just knit at least a few stitches while dozing.
“but it’s early!” i wailed to myself.
“go to bed, ” i wailed back.
and so i obeyed.

naturally, i was wide awake by 5:30. but you know, that’s a very good time of day to start something new, and i know you’ve been waiting for this

not much to look at yet, but there is a whole afternoon (and evening) ahead of me. had a couple of false starts where i miscounted and then changed my mind, but now it’s on it’s way.
i’m pretty excited . . . this one has been on my mind a long time. wish me luck!

we are still getting the yard in shape for summer, too, so i need to get outside for a little while at least. the vegetables are all in the ground now, but david tore up a terrible-looking patch in the back yard, so that we could plant it with some nice things. it used to look like this

the hosta bed was nice, but the background part all along the fence was scruffy and weed-ridden, with our lilies struggling to hold their ground. now it looks like this

this is a small area outside the back door. it has an old slate patio which david re-laid a couple of years ago. i go out there for fresh air breaks a few times a day, to just sit and watch the plants grow for a minute or two.

(wow, look how big the hostas got in 2 weeks). david dug a new bed all along the fence, and we spread out the asiatic lilies more. they needed more space because they propogated so well this year. we’ll fill in the rest with more hostas, coleus, and other shade-loving plants.
we are on a mission to eventually replace all of the horrible, scrappy, weed-infested lawn surrounding the house with ground covers and plantings instead. you can’t grow a nice lawn in deep shade anyway—i don’t know why anyone ever tried that so close to the building.

it’s much nicer and more private than the front garden area, and we’ve worked harder and more creatively on it. some day we will do the same with the part that shows, but for now, this part is more appealing . . .

30 thoughts on “no time for socks

  1. Your hostas look beautiful! Can you and David come redo our yard? ha ha. We’re in much the same boat with fixing up an old house and neglected yard. In our case we have nothing but a few scraggly old rose bushes and rocks for a yard. No pretty hostas buried under weeds unfortunately. Keep up the gorgeous work!

  2. Beautiful gardens! May I also suggest you get thee to a chiropractor for that shoulder. I love mine. If it weren’t for her I’d be one kinked up mess.

  3. You’re not just trying to avoid the second tree scum sock with this “mystery project”, hmmm?

    Best wishes that it gets accepted so we can all see what you’ve created. And the garden is looking very nice. We’ve been doing a lot of clearing and un-crowding and simplifying too.

  4. Ground covers are so much nicer than lawns! There’s one with tiny pink flowers that I see growing on top of stone walls around here… no idea what it is, but I want some. 🙂

    I’m so glad you’re working on the bee shawl! 🙂 The good news about the ‘mystery project’ is exciting too, of course (especially your eleventh-hour save! Nice one!) but the bee shawl is what we are all BUZZING about. 😉

  5. I totally agree about ground covers vs. lawns. I look forward to the day when I don’t have young kids and can rip out the (admittedly) tiny grass lawns I have and add more raised beds and ground covers. Those hostas are amazing. I have never been able to get them to grow in San Diego (nor can anyone else I’ve talked to), so I’m enjoying watching yours.

  6. I’ve often wondered how you get so much done. I’ve theorized that you probably just don’t sleep. I guess I was right! I’m looking forward to seeing the mystery project – whenever and wherever it appears.

  7. You are just trying to tease us all unmercifully with your mystery project. I’m sure it’s just as wonderful as everything else that rolls off your needles, and that’s why it teases so. But we’ll just all have to bide our time and wait….glad that ripping and restarting worked out so well for you too. I ripped and restarted on my Morning Glory Shawl, using an entirely different yarn. I’m oh so infinitely glad I followed my gut and did it! I’m adoring knitting it soooo much!

    I’m not normal either LOL! Knitting mania hit me a long time ago, I love it! I think it keeps me happier because it channels my energy into something positive, right? Ms. Bee shawl is lookin’ good so far btw! I’ll probably want to knit this one too!!

  8. You are such a total tease about that mystery project! hah! Can’t wait to see it.
    Your hostas look so lovely all snuggled in together.

  9. I am not bold about replying to blogs but I await the bee shawl. I am a bee/honey lover. Maybe this will be my first shawl. I knit and am brave. Will see. Did you see the Classic Peanuts cartoon in today’s paper about eating “sugar lumps with honey”!!
    Kathleen in Dover OH…I too am excavating in the garden…

  10. Mmm, the hostas are beautiful. Well done.

    I just had a similar successful ripping on one of my last projects. It is a great feeling to be not enjoying a project, and then just a few rips later it is back in good favor. I an’t wait to see all of your exciting revelations!

    (And, for the totally random file, I used to live near Dover, OH, like Kathleen in the previous comment!)

  11. Ahh, well, this big secret call for a quote, doesn’t it?

    “Without mysteries, life would be very dull indeed. What would be left to strive for if everything were known?”
    Charles de Lint

    I love the socks, the mystery, the yarn, your work, your calendar, your hostas! You’re amazing.

  12. Shall we justc all you the energizer knitter? I can manage on fairly limted sleep but I don’t think I could recover from two 4 a.m. stints with just 6 hours. Damn.

    Thanks for keeping us updated — mysteries and all.

  13. Shall we just call you the energizer knitter? I can manage on fairly limted sleep but I don’t think I could recover from two 4 a.m. stints with just 6 hours. Damn.

    Thanks for keeping us updated — mysteries and all.

  14. I love the verse…..
    To everything there is a season

    This is the season for tilling the soil….it’s ok to let the socks wait their turn, no?

  15. How nice to see you got some work done outside! I worked my rear off indoors and got lots of upstairs things put away. Then we splurged today and went to C-town for an art exhibit and Lebanese food. (YUM)

  16. I do wish you luck with the bee shawls… though I have to admit, that at the rate you’re going, you don’t seem to be needing luck (you just work your way through it).
    I’m dying to see the secret ting…. can’t wait.

    Sleep well 😉

  17. you are better than me – I never listen when I tell myself to get to bed! 🙂

    the bee shawl! the buzz begins!!

    My hostas are growing like CRAZY! we went away for the weekend, came back and they are about 5″ tall!

  18. Good! I’m so glad you had a productive end to your week. I can sort of hear the relief and excitement in your voice from all the way over here. 🙂

    I had several people at the show this weekend jump up and down when they heard you were doing a shawl for me for the summer, and one very nice lady who was extremely confused by the Anne/Anne thing, since I had your patterns out and she had just ordered one of the sock patterns, and thought we were one and the same!

  19. yeah for bees! and beautiful socks – they seem to be content just basking in their unfinished-ness. 🙂

  20. Very glad to hear that you were able to get your mystery project done! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it gets accepted. 🙂

    Love the hostas!

    Great start on the new shawl, gf.

  21. Double “high-five” to the decommissioning of lawns. I too have no lawn in the front or back. I have a walled terrace in the front with trees, citrus, and flowering plants; the back is a covered patio, raised bed (4′ by 44′), trees, and free-flowing ground cover with flowering plants. Both are outside living areas and a haven for wildlife to visit. Your hostas are lovely. I can see that your soon-to-be-outside-living-area can be a great spot for inspiration in your knitting designs.

  22. I’m so glad you started the bee shawl to give me yet another new and exciting design to watch unfold. Otherwise, the anticipation of the mystery project might kill me!

  23. Can’t wait to see all your new goodies. BTW, I’ve done that OMG what have I knit while asleep, unconscious? It’s never good. I come to minutes/hours later and my hands are still mid-air with knitting in them. Woooooohooo. Twilight Zone. Alien abduction?

  24. I so understand the “don’t want to be a tease, can’t talk about the thing, but need to talk about it anyways” thing! I hope you won’t have to hold off for too long… being able to say whatever you want to will be easier for you, and I’m sure it will come with great eye candy for us!

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