Pics not to be shared

So, the colonoscopy was Friday. Piece of cake. The prep is worse than the procedure. I eat lots of vegetables (shouldn't be fat for the amount of veggies I eat) and couldn't eat any for three days, nor grains or fiber. Bah humbug and all that sort of stuff. Then had to drink that liquid torture. It didn't taste bad but after the first 24 ounces, it gets really kind of icky.
I got to watch the whole thing on the screen since they didn't knock me out. The doc gave me pics of my colon. Very weird. I have filed them away and will not share!
Seriously though, I'm laying there watching my colon scroll by and thinking "gee, I wonder, when he was 7 and his teacher asked him 'Ben, what do you want to be when you grow up?'," how he responded. I should have asked him.
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Saturday I spent organizing my non-yarn crafty stuff. Paper and stamps and such.
I also set up my sewing machine and hemmed a pair of Dave's trousers for school. Every summer I can convince him to do one day at an outlet store where he buys six pairs of Haggar dress pants in a variety of colors. He really liked the one pair but they only had it with a cuff on it. I hemmed them for him. The cost (besides the time involved) is that I bought a new sewing machine! LOL.

Huskystar E20 by Husqvarna Vikeing. It is a simple machine and was $100 off at Joann's. I only need a straight and a hemming stitch. Of course, since it is a new thing, I also "finished" the inside hem with a overcast stitch . . . you know, because I could!

I used to do tons of sewing. I don't (at least right now). I mostly hem (happens a lot when your 21 year old is only 4'10") . . . and you know I'm a friggin giant at 5'1"!! I just don't like making clothes for me . . . I don't like buying clothes for me either but it is basically the same problem in that my butt is bigger than I think it is and I find it horribly depressing to discover that most patterns have to come from Omar the Tentmaker.

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My diploma arrived from CSU. I am officially a graduate of the MBA program.

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On Sunday, after Mass and lunch, I tackled the shelves on my desk at home. Took everything off and then spent the next four hours putting everything back. I threw out all my papers from college. I guess I was waiting for the last diploma before I started tossing. It felt good and the desk and work area looks good.

Now if I can only keep everyone from dumping their stuff on the desk.

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I did do a tad bit of knitting on the MS3 stole. I was getting rather sleepy and think I'll have to go back and look it over before I continue. I've gotten enough done on it that I've had to upgrade it to a larger tote.

Reading, knitting and other stuff

I finished, FINISHED, Clue 2 of the Mystery Stole 3 last evening . . . okay, so many of the rest of the people doing MS3 have finished the entire thing (7 clues). I am quite happy with the fact that I finished Clue 2. I don't have a camera available and haven't taken a pic to date. When I have time to sort of pin the thing out, I will post one.

I have found that I CAN knit on the bus. I live far enough from work that the bus I take is a rather luxiourous thing (high seats, lights overhead). The most important thing on the bus though is it has those little snack table things (even though we are not allowed to eat or drink on the bus). The table nicely holds my MS3 pattern in place and I can slide it down to the row that I am on. Very cool. I can generally knit one row of pattern and the WS row (a purl row) on each trip. I've also discovered that I CAN listen to books on tape and knit on this project.

This project is my first lace project and the first time I have ever knit with beads. I have learned so much from the pattern and those other wonderful knitters who are participating in this adventure. There are some incredibly talented knitters out there!

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While on vacation, we spent a lot of time reading. Harry Potter 6 and 7 (had to re-read HP6 because I started HP7 and couldn't remember what had happened totally in HP7), several magazines (none knitting since the goal was to read and abandon and I don't abandon my knitting mags). I had also brought along Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. At one point, my 13 year old picked up the Almanac and said "you're reading a Knitter's Almanac?? Why?" If you haven't read it, it is great. Like of the EZ's books, it is an easy read, filled with hints and wisdom and, of course, patterns.

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Today a friend is hosting a lunch for me. It is a celebration of my receiving my MBA. My hubby and kids, my boss, his wife and daughter and a couple of co-workers and friends are having a lunch at a very nice, private club. My boss is a member. This place is fabulous, right on the edge of Lake Erie. The only drawback is that I am having a colonoscopy on Friday and am only allowed to enjoy limited foods (no salads, seeds, cheese, etc.). After the lunch, I am leaving for the day and won't be back until Monday.

By the way, the friend that is hosting the lunch for me is going to be the recipient of the MS3 . . . if I ever get it done!

WIP

Okay, I have decided that I am just not good at this stuff. Well, maybe I am good but I don't FINISH much.

This is a pic of three of my unfinished projects.



The lighter blue is Zachariah's sweater. It is a Wallaby. It is a real basic knit (well except for the pouch thing and hood). It is also BORING to knit and obviously good to do when you don't need to concentrate.

The multi-colored project is a sock -- note I did not say a pair -- at the rate this is going it will be just A SOCK. It is in KnitPick's Memories in Geranium. Very nice yarn. YAWN . . .

And the small darker blue ball is the Mystery Stole 3. There I was tooling along, after beating the yarn and needles into submission (see previous post), then WHACK . . . the knitting god said "go ahead gloat and if you look really close, you will see a mistake . . . WAY BACK DOWN ABOUT ROW 9 . . . you missed a YO."

Bah humbug and all that other stuff.

Beating the yarn into submission

This little zippered tote is a beautiful thing. I got it from Avon. I don't recall even what was in it. See it zips up closed and everything should stay nice and neat!


And even when you peak into the cute little zippered tote (better than a zip-lock bag) thing, everything appears to be just as you left it four hours before!



Yarn, knitted thing, stitch markers, beads, needle . . . but NO, while you were diligently working and ignoring the pleas of the MS3, some little elves, messed with it. I think it was the yarn. There should have been 21 stitches on the needles . . . its simple . . . ten on each side and the one smack dab up the middle. But, no, there are ten on the left side and NINE on the right.

So, I'm going to beat it into submission. And just to show it who is boss, I'm going down to our office cocktail party (seriously, how silly is that) and not take it home! HAH! Stupid yarn.

Mystery Stole 3 progress . . . LOL!

One skein KnitPicks Shadow, 100% Merino Wool, Jewels (50 grams/440 yards), wound:


The apple is just to show the proportion of what 440 yards of laceweight winds up being. I really should invest in a winder. Seriously. Winding this stuff took FOREVER and the kids just looked at me like I had totally lost my mind ("please honey, it won't take nearly that long if you will just SIT STILL"). A swift and a winder. Definitely going on the wishlist for Christmas.

Gee, I'm just chugging right along here:


But, to be fair, I have ripped this a couple of times (i.e., read the chart, READ the chart, READ THE STUPID CHART!). And then I decided that I didn't like the beads I was using (white, too stark with the dark). Then I had an eureka moment and remembered that I had ordered some yarn and a gift for Lindsey from Earthfaire and they had generously sent a sample of beads. Lovely things. I have ordered more. Unfortunately, what is seen to the right of this is all the beads I have until my order comes . . . I think enough for two more rows.