A View from Sierra County

Eyes Fabulous, Nose Not So Much

My LASIK surgery last Thursday went very well and DS Cody was the best caretaker.  They even let him watch, from behind a glass partition of course.  The group that took care of me was kind and conscientious; my surgeon even would tell me what percentage left to go as they corrected each eye.  I spent more time on all the pre-op parts than the actual procedure and discovered that my poor nearsighted eyes were -6 and -8 diopter, a factoid I am throwing in for those in similar coke-bottle glasses states who have always thought their eyes were too bad for this type of correction.  I want you to reconsider, as I was just amazed to stand up and look around to put my shoes back on and realize that I was seeing every bit as well as when wearing the glasses I had just shed.  My eyes are still adjusting, but the next day I was cleared with vision good enough to drive without glasses!  Whoo, hoo!! I needed corrective lenses from before I ever learned to drive, so this alone is a small miracle.  I can also see well enough to knit the two projects I have underway.

I went home and slept 15 hours, and have been very faithful to the instructions given me for recovery, which is why there have been no posts until now.  My computer, TV, reading and knitting time all had to be suspended the first couple of days so that I would not inhibit my blinking reflexes with activities that cause me to stare...if you have a scientific bent, you could try comparing counting your blinks during five minutes of computer time vs. five minutes standing in the grocery line or out on a walk and you will see what I mean.

The weather turned cool and cloudy the day before my surgery, with a cloudburst last Wednesday night and showers over the weekend.  This was good for laying down the dust, mold, etc., in our summer-weary California air, but not so good for remembering to stay warm... while I was taking very good care of my eyes, I caught a nasty head cold.... probably because I still attended the BBQ baby shower for some family friends, along with DD.  BBQs just aren't as fun when people are huddled together under shade structures that are dripping leftover rain, and trying to stay warm.  I actually had to turn on the heat at home!

This is me at my worst... red nose, chapped lips and goggles to protect my eyes while sleeping so the healing corneas don't get rubbed.

I am off to take a hot ginger bath and return to bed for a nap.... there will be real content soon, I promise.

Finishitis

Yep, I've definitely got it.  A strong case of finishitis.  Maybe it is because fall is in the air around here, but I am pushing to finish the projects on my needles, and ignoring clamorings to start any new ones.  I pulled out Diamond Square today, as I had set it aside a few weeks ago because I was at the armholes and would need to read the rest of the instructions (and was at a meeting where I was supposed to be paying attention to the speakers and not my pattern).  Turns out I am really close and the only thing I needed to read over was how to make a left- or right-pointing triangle.

That flag-looking extention up at the left top of the photo is a right-pointing triangle, in case you were wondering, and I have three more of those and two left-facing triangles and four more regular diamonds , two for the front and two for the back, and I will have knitted the whole top.  Although, as you can tell, I have been lagging and will have a lot of ends to weave in.  The last of the triangles are done on one side only and fold over the tops of the shoulders with a short seam on each side connecting the top portions. 

As you can see, this is a knit that uses very little seaming.  I must admit that seaming is one of my least favorite parts of knitting... used to be weaving in ends, but I conquered that fear several years back.  The owner of the LYS where I work is particularly fond of the way a seam looks when sewn together with mattress stitch, and I will grant that it gives an invisible finish (remember when invisible zippers first appeared on the scene, you old-time seamstresses like me?).  I have been trying to get the hang of it these past few months (though not choosing to knit anything that will give me more practice) and also have thumbed through all the books we have at the shop as well as the ones on my bookshelf, and then, while going through some piles of stuff I was planning to dump, re-discovered a book I bought a decade ago, while trying to uplift my feelings about finish work.  The "I Hate To Finish Sweaters" Guide to Finishing Sweaters appears to be available used through Amazon, but out of print as a new book.  It has great, concise drawings and text for lots of kinds of seams, and I guess I better hang onto it, at least until I master mattress stitching.

Another integral part of finish work took place today as well.  Here is Seraphim, blocked and drying in my upstairs workroom, where it is still plenty warm....

I began to like blocking a whole lot better when I discovered blocking wires.  Miriam, Seraphim's wise and clever inventor, just posted about locating welding rods to use for blocking wires, and that is truly the cheapest way to go.  However, if you don't have access to a place to buy welding rods, you can order blocking kits from various online suppliers.  I got one about a decade ago, then buried it in the closet of my high country house (where lots of knitting had been taking place at the time I last used them)... luckily, I stumbled on them this summer, just it time for the extra help they provide in blocking something this large... I have used one rod on each side of the midline up top, requiring only a few pins to stabilize the rods, and then threaded a rod straight down the middle, helping get that nice, clean line.  That left the 31 points to be pinned out, with only a bit of the shawl spilling over my blocking board (another piece of equipment borrowed from the sewing world).  I counted the points so that I could begin the process of making the 31 tiny tassels to attach.  Hmmm, looks like it will still be awhile before this beauty gets her fashion shoot....

I did manage to get a lot more time to spend on my new favorite, the Lacy Kerchief... she is now somewhat near the midline in her stole shaping and then decreasing starts, working back to a lovely leaf lace point....

As you can tell, I am still very enamored of this pattern and find it easy to follow in most situations, making it a great carry-along project.

Better still, very little finishing will be required... what part of finish work gives you the heebie-geebies?

This may be my only post for the week...  tomorrow begins the hectic work week, which is three action-packed days for me, with little computer time, then I am going to be having laser surgery on Thursday and was told to plan to recuperate the next day as well.  Good thoughts and prayers for my successful entry into the world without glasses are welcome... I can't remember when I had even 20/40 vision (I know I had to wear corrective lenses back when I first got a driver's license at age 16), so being within the range of 99.8% of the surgeries done will be a success for me.

And Now... For My Next Trick....

I am off soon for my day of work at the LYS, but I had to give you a quick peek at what I have been knitting. Exclusively.  All week.  I am so enamored of this Lacy Kerchief Scarf (or stole, or hip wrap, depending on how you look at it or plan to use it) that I can't tear myself away from it to work on anything else.

The pattern was in Interweave Knits a few years back, and then reprised in their 2006 holiday gifts special issue.  I fell in love with the leaf pattern, just perfect for this time of year, when there is now a chill in the air at night and dew in the morning... as well as leaves beginning to change color in the high country.

I also think it is pretty creative the way the garter panel expands as a part of the lace pattern.

I have been sorely neglecting my Diamond Squares top in my infatuation with this piece of lace, and need to make DD's lacy slip pieces from Knitting Lingerie Style soon too... I also want to make me a nice new felted bag out of the leftover yarn from my clogs (how cool is that, crafting my own matching accessories?!), and a hedgie, but for now the Berocco Denim Silk ribbon slipping through my fingers and turning into this lovely pattern is enthralling me.

Blooming Big Shawl

Wow, Seraphim turned out to be one big shawl... here she is spread over a lawn lounger for scale and you can get an idea just how big.  I used Anna's Sierra Valley Farm's yarn spun from their award-winning Coopworth spinning flock at a mill in Oregon, and designated DK weight, so adjusted to make less of the stockinette section repeats before starting the feathers.  If using a laceweight and making the full size, I would still get a shawl adequate for my height, and in this case I will have one that truly enfolds me this winter, keeping cold drafts at bay.

The shawl will get the high quality photography she deserves once the blocking is done and tiny tassels made and added to the points, but I just had to show you all that she is off the needles.  And with not much yarn to spare....

I don't like to knit this close to the edge... the little ball of charcoal is what was left earlier this summer, when I realized that I didn't have enough yarn and bought some of Anna's creamy-silver yarn to dye with Kool-Aid.  That 8 ounce skein seemed like plenty when I first attached it for the third chart, but I started worrying and pondering options last week as the ball had shrunken so much, each row was over 350 stitches and I still had eight rows and binding off to go.  What should I do if I was not be able to make it to the end?  It was going to be close.  Thanks to those who gave me a few good ideas, though I am relieved to be able to finish up as planned, though with only maybe 20 yards to spare.

I had planned to block her on Monday, but had an optomistrist's appointment midday and came home with severely dialated eyes, as she finished up the measurements to determine if I am a good candidate for LASIK... the surgery center that my Dr. collaborates with will have the final say... any tips would be greatly appreciated.  I have worn glasses with lenses as thick as coke bottles (at least until polycarbonate became available) and wore contacts for several years and would love to have reasonable vision when I get up in the morning or want to go swimming.... blocking will have to wait until my eyes come back to a normal focus (up to 24 hours!) so I can see straight.

A Visit to the Rail Museum

Last week, during our mini-vacation, we got to spend some time at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California.  

This non-profit locally run museum is amazing in that it has one of the largest collections of locomotives and train cars of any museum in the country AND it has a program that allows members of the public to rent and drive a locomotive themselves (under the supervision of one of their engineers).

Now, that might not be as exciting as driving a race car, but it certainly is unique, and think how fun it would be to sit in the driver's seat of one of these, cruising around in their large rail yard for an hour!

We plan to go back soon and take advantage of a gift certificate that DH got a few years back.  Just the thing for a big boy present:)

My father worked for the Western Pacific RR all the time I was growing up (and until he retired), so railroads were much more real to me than other children who only knew of them from playing Monopoly.  I even got a few special trips on excursion trains while little because of that.  He also collected a lot of train memorabilia, so a visit to this museum is always nostalgic for me.  Lots to look at and in a wonderful, high mountain setting.

I love the area surrounding us so much that I seldom make it elsewhere... while the native people here might have seen only a circle encompassing around 15 square miles, driving has allowed me to expand that radius to around 100 miles, with the area covered being so rich with natural beauty and history that I am unlikely to exhaust the possibilities. The views are always incredible and the stops along the way enlightening, refreshing and sustaining.

In knitting news, Seraphim came off the needles late Friday night and I love her... she is ample for me even after cutting back on pattern repeats and I will be blocking her over my Sunday-Monday weekend and starting on making tassels to add to the border... there will be some blocking shots taken but a full photo-shoot will have to follow when the embellishing is done.  I was also able to start something from my Ravelry queue!

So Close I Can Taste It!

Finally, finally, I have only 6 (very long) rows to go before I will be finished knitting Seraphim... she has truly been the marathon of knitting for me.  I made one equally huge shawl a very long time ago, using the EZ Pi Shawl formula and sportweight alpaca.

This photo really doesn't do anything justice... the colors or the pattern, or even the size, all scrunched up on 24 inch long needles, but you get the idea... this is one big shawl.

Or else a really messy blob of yarns.

I am hoping to get done tonight, but know better than to knit lace after about 10 PM, so will have to wait and see... the bind-off will be epic, as there are now something like 360 stitches on the needle and it is a two-step bind-off to assure the shawl edge maintains its elasticity.

Below is a detail photo showing accurate color.. however I am beginning to wonder if I have floor space big enough to block this baby out to its full glory...

Tomorrow brings a full day of meetings and trainings, and working further on my Diamond Squares tee, which has grown up to have a V neckline at this point.  This sweater has been a really fun knit, adding on new squares to shape it into something, and soon I will be able to start the short row cap sleeves and even get close to the finish!

Hopefully, all of this knitting will keep me from missing DH too much as he was off again this morning, headed to a wildland fire down in SoCal.  The 'real' fire season starts with September around here, so it could be a very busy time for him.

For those wondering about that mystery photo I posted last Friday, it was taken at the Feather River Rail Society Museum in Portola, northeast of here... the mountain views are wider up there and the train collection is life-sized and best-ever in quality.  Watch for more photos soon.

Sunday Sky

Here we are at the halfway point of the holiday weekend that signals the end of summer... I look at the sky, darkening early last night while I was at the school playground across the road from me with two young visiting friends, and get confirmation.  I look at the ground, dry here in California as always by the beginning of September, and beginning to be littered with summer's organic debris, and have to agree.  We are tired of the heat around here, with Sacramento Valley temperatures over 100 most of the past week, and can begin to feel a sense of relief that fall is coming.

Yesterday's workday at the LYS confirmed fall is on its way as well.... Gail and I unpacked a big box of Plymouth Boku and a smaller box of Naturwolle.  The owner, Allison, has just gotten shipments of more needles and notions from all of our sources as well, including the pink sets of Denise Interchangeable needles (Denise has donated over $48,465 to breast cancer research through the sales of these kits; consider buying one for yourself or a knitter you love).... and customers are talking about holiday gift knitting.  I spent some time helping a woman make sure she was purling properly as she embarked on a Feather and Fan scarf in Frog Tree alpaca and eyed another fall color to consider a second scarf.  Gail went home with large-sized Lantern Moon needles to whip up hats for gifts for her family members.  She and I discovered that we both will be starting the Bee Fields Shawl (her) and Honeybee Stole (me), so we will be doing our own personal KAL alongside the online one.

It was not all work and no play, however.  On my way home, I met up with DD Nikki and her boyfriend Tony at a restaurant where our dear friend Robin works so that I could get her two children and babysit them while she was waitressing on a busy Saturday night.  We had good food and even better laughs.

The movie starlet look reminds me of the old Foster Grants commercials....

I have been pondering how very lucky I really am this turning-into-fall weekend... when Nikki was an infant, I went through a bit of postpartum depression about how I wasn't contributing anything big to the world, spending my days worrying about diapers and if the money would stretch until the end of the month.  Looking at Nikki now, I can see that I didn't need to worry.  I was able to bring bright, committed, eager people into the world, and have spent much of my life helping others in all kinds of ways, along with living in the countryside I love so much... and I have a wealth of peaches and berries in my freezer and tomatoes on my vines right now, so life is truly good.  Here is my Saturday Sky offering for this week, taken at the Sierra Valley overlook Thursday afternoon, while thunderheads built up in the Sierras... Thursday's dissipated uneventfully, but Friday's produced a short but drenching rain in the high country.  Hope you are having fun with friends and family this holiday weekend!