Rain Rain Thanks for Your Help

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Another rainy day.  I’d complain, but they’re so productive for me.  When the sun shines I can think of a thousand things to do, riding, walking, shopping, gardening, knitting in the backyard with a cold beer…  I hate being out in the rain, so a rainy day is an inside day and once I’m here, I notice all that needs doing and it’s easy to stick with getting it all done.  

Today my office has been tidied, the kitchen is clean, I’ve got my eye on the living room – and pretty big plans to sort my teaching supplies into some clear storage bins I bought, so that I can stop building Stuff-I-Need-But-Not-Now Mountain in the stash room.  I worked for a few hours at my desk, answered a ton of email and put canning jars on the shopping list, because I think I’m going to make red pepper jelly and marmalade soon, and I am so close to completing today’s wordcount that I can see the whites of its eyes.  I believe in positive reinforcement, so I’ll be rewarding myself properly with knitting time.

That there is all the bits of Lizette, which I’m telling you now, is a pretty interesting knit.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have knit it like someone experiencing a fair degree of body dysmorphia (I mean really.. where do I think I’m going to put my breasts in this?) but it’s not that demoralizing, because at least it was a treat to knit – and if it doesn’t fit me, it might look great on Meg. (See that? I almost didn’t sound bitter.)

Yesterday I united the two parts of the front with an attached i-cord – it’s like a three needle bindoff with real class, and was an extremely neat way to work the ties in.  I-cord is one of those things where my appreciation of it and my willingness to do it aren’t always the same, which is a long way of saying that I didn’t mean to swear like that, but it was worth it – and now all that’s left is the side seams, and the shoulder seams, and the cable extension seams around the neck, and the sleeve seams, and to set the sleeves in – which sounds like rather a lot now that I list it all, but it’s going to be fine.
It’s raining- and there’s a lot you can get done on a rainy day.

PS. Someone might have possibly left Flow in the rain, totally because it stinking deserved it by accident.  You shouldn’t judge that person.

78 thoughts on “Rain Rain Thanks for Your Help”

  2. I’m considering taking my first run at canning this summer. Too many good things in the garden this year (even thought it’s not my garden).

  3. Give me the Flow. I want the flow even if it’s too short. I will fit it. or shrink it. its too pretty to deserve this end!

  4. Ha! So there, Flow. That’ll show it!
    Hey, with a name like that it should be able to stand up to a little rain.
    At least now you’ll find out whether it shrinks.

  5. Not that you’ve asked my advice about Flow II, but I would reserve (harsher) judgement until you’ve actually put her on. She could end up apologizing for all the trouble with a great look. (Yes, I’m an optimist.)
    And if she doesn’t … trade her for a donation to your favorite cause.
    (I like rainy days for making stew and reading, or doing a jigsaw puzzle, if I’m not knitting.)

  7. I think Dar’s onto something there… if Flow isn’t working out for you, then perhaps a donation in trade is the way to go!

  9. Oh, yes, I love rainy days. . .if I can stay in and not have to get out in it. but this summer has been so dry and drought conditions–our garden has really suffered and only 4 jars of canning has taken place. Flow may be enjoying the refreshing rain.

  10. Lisette has a very neat looking neckline, sure hope it fits you.
    As far as Flow, well, at least now you’ll know how it behaves out in the real world, where it rains, often.

  11. Man you made me laugh with your line “..where do I think I’m going to put my breasts in this?” I told my mom and she’s rolling with laughter too. When looking at patterns, and their accompanying skinny model photos, I always wonder how the heck it will look on a real woman with breasts. Oh well, maybe someday pattern knitters will revolt against making sweaters for mannequin.

  14. Someone left the Flow out in the rain, I don’t think that I can take it, cuz it took so long to make it and I’ll never have the recipe again, oh nooooo . . . . . .
    Someone had to say it.

  15. Ha! you made me laugh out loud AGAIN! I wish there was a like button for all the clever comments too 🙂

  16. I’m positive that the thoughtful, caring person who left Flow in the rain had simply heard about the fire danger that she was in….. and wanted to protect her from any flames by giving her a good soaking. No harm intended….. preventative protection only.

  17. I’ll just point out that your Flow is really just a giant swatch in the shape of a tank. As we all know, swatches are liars. So it probably deserved what it got 🙂

  18. It may have been an accident on your part, but Karma’s a bitch and that sweater totally had a day of being stranded outside in the rain coming to it. Maybe it will play nicer when it can come back in the house. Cotton makes for good dishrags. 🙂

  19. Rainy days are almost as good as blizzards for enforcing good work habits. As for I-cord, I love it and use it all the time in my own designs for buttonholes, armhole borders on vests, cuffs, you name it. I hope you’ll model Lizette, no matter how it fits; I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d like to see you in you own work.

  21. …and I noticed that Flow stopped curling on the ends. Perhaps you have “magic rain” and Flow will now behave. 🙂

  24. Burst out laughing. It made a great photoshoot, at least. Soemtimes you just have to go with the flow. Lizette, meantime, is gorgeous!

  26. I noticed your twitter feed. My 18 year old daughter recently (Saturday) cleaned something, so I think your prediction of the rapture is as good as anyone’s.

  27. I feel equally productive on rainy days, which makes living in Denver somewhat of a drawback – 350 days of sunshine a year here. Please don’t look under my couch.

  28. She is flowing in the rain, she’ll be happy again, and yes, the song someone left the cake came to mind too. I seem to remember EZ, the great knitter, called it by its full name an “idiotscord”. So like it, hate it, knit it, I knit around a domino sockwool blanket of 2.20 x 1.60 mtrs an I-cord with sockwool on 2,5 mm needles. It took some time but I got something worthy for my time, or, like we say over here “then you have SOMETHING worthwile”. So, catch the rainy days as they come along, somehow sunny days do not allow you to get much done like rainy days do.

  31. … So Flow is facing a different direction on the chair than it was yesterday.
    You waited for it to start raining and *then* you put it out in the rain, didn’t you?

  34. I never knit sweaters for myself, bra size is a 40-H. It would be wonderful if you could bring yourself to share your Red Pepper Jelly recipe. I’ve been looking for a good one for ages.

  37. Dear Steph;
    This is Flow asking…no begging your forgiveness for not being the size you knit me to be. I am sorry that I am made of cotton and that I have spots on me.
    Please let me come in. I am only a little tank top. It’s cold and wet and the water is making me stretch…..aaaahhh…hmmmm. On seoond thought…
    Your Second Flow Tank Top

  38. That is a seriously pretty sweater, and I do hope you’ll be able to wear it. It would be gorgeous on Meg though. 🙂 The construction of the Lizette is interesting! I’ve not been brave enough to try icord bind-off and the like…

  39. Ummm,.. even the squirrel didn’t steal it. Not implying anything, just pointing out a fact.

  40. I spent this rainy day in my office, knitting a sock and babysitting the dog, who is not allowed to go upstairs because we are having our carpets removed and hardwood put down. A rather conflicted dog, I might add, who really didn’t want to spend the day in my office, but who really didn’t want to go upstairs either, because of the hammering and air compressor noise. And after I took her outside for a walk, didn’t even want to come back in the house because of the noise. Well, I got some of the sock leg done, but otherwise it wasn’t a very productive day.

  41. I still can’t get over the mysterious bleach spots. Here’s hoping the rain somehow made them look intentional…..you have miracle rain there, no?

  42. Even before I had the baby and was way thinner, my ribcage was still larger than that lovely lady in the Lizette link. But it’s absolutely a gorgeous and cool project and I eagerly await a photo from you, because I think it’ll look fine on you and I want to knit it!
    Hope that Flow realizes it has competition and will get its act in gear!

  43. I’m starting to feel kinda bad for Flow II – maybe you should try her on (again?) and see if the rain’s healing powers did any good.

  44. Umm Stephanie last time I checked marmalade (seville) oranges are only available in February.
    Are you using a non-traditional orange? Or lemons or limes or possibly ginger?

  47. I would love some rain. It’s beastly hot and I should be out watering the veg garden. I keep threatening to make some lime marmalade but never have. I did, however, get a Perfect Pickler
    (http://www.perfectpickler.com/), which attaches to a canning jar and makes brine pickles right in the jar. All I need now is something to pickle. My cucumbers have to grow some before I can get fruits. Maybe carrots? Or make sauerkraut?

  48. The last time we had a couple of weeks of steady rain I tackled my stash of wool/yarn. I’d bought a few clear roller bins a while before so I set to. But I underestimated somewhat. By the time I’d gone through the house, dug out many, many ‘little’ stashes and packed them away I’d had to go out twice to buy more bins. I think I’ve almost finished now – the tally is 16 x 56litre plastic stacker roller bins, plus 2 more of 30litres. Which is a very scary amount of stash when its all in one place. And I’ve just located two more large plastic bags which won’t fit so it looks like another journey to get more bins … Aarrrrggghhhh!!!!

  49. Flow 2 really does look quite beautiful out in the rain. The colour is gorgeous. Maybe the ‘acid’ rain will even out the spots :} She might just make a wonderfull/cheerfull/colourfull top to brighten the dull days of winter. Just save her to wear when doing those dirty jobs like cleaning the oven etc.
    Or artistically sprinkle something acidic on her to make her spots look intentional. lol
    Congrats again on completing your ride. You are awesome.

  50. I’m sad for flow too. She is such a lovely color. She would look wonderful as a scarfie shawlie thingie. So soft not scratchy. Who would care if it stretched? All the better in my view! Imagine her wrapped around your neck. Imagine that color so close to your face. She is toooo lovely to clean toilets…

  51. It looks like you are having a great day for getting things done.
    I still need to put my house back together a bit after entertaining the inlaws. Just little things, but I keep putting them off.

  52. Ooooh, poor little rain rag! It looks so forlorn…I think you should at least go ahead and put her out of her misery, just wrap her up and bury her already! Enough of this torture!

  55. Remember, it’s not FLOWs fault it has spots on it. Please lighten up on poor FLOW, and welcome her back.

  56. and here I was admiring the fact that you didn’t leave the cushions for that chair out in the rain…

  57. I know that you said that FLOW was being knit in a cotton blend, but I SWEAR it looks like the dye is running in your picture. Do you have seriously acid rain there like we do in the ‘burgh?
    And I just spent a day doing I-cord as trim on a baby sweater: who knew that baby clothes were so huge in circumference.
    Glad to see you back thinking about riding.

  58. I want to make Lizette, too, but woory about the 36 DD. maybe some more short rows, if I were brave

  60. To Alice at 6:23 pm: To keep the musical references going here (Yes, “Someone left the Flow out in the rain” was my first thought on reading this), it does not matter from what ingredients our dear Y.H. is making marmalade. What does matter is that it is made by a lady. How else would one get “Lady Marmalade”? To use my completely-illegitimate French, “Voulez vous, knittez avec moi, c,est soi?”
    Any questions about whether our dear Y.H. is a lady can be referred to Mr. Y.H. (aka, Joe) and Tom Jones.

  61. That Flow had it coming, it did. You tell it.
    And I totally hear you on those bits of knitting whose ratio of knitter appreciation:knitter willingness is a little lopsided. But you know what? I just always tell myself it’s worth it. It’s worth ripping all those inches out to make sure your dyelots are disguised, yus. It’s worth redoing the collar because you didn’t pick up enough stitches the first time, yus. And so on.

  62. Oh, and also (my original point for commenting, forgottten because I Am A Ditz) – I’ll seam your set-in sleeves in joyful exchange for socks 😛 I quite like seaming.

  63. Letting it sag while filled with water will prove how much it will or will not stretch. Perfect.

  65. I don’t normally leave a comment but I thought you’d enjoy this! The start of your post made me giggle! Riding means something very different in Ireland!!! ;D

  66. I think I would have the same issue with Lisette. Unfortunately by the time I get the breasts figured out the shoulders and waist are too big.

  67. I thought about you and Flow this (very humid)morning when I continued the cotton/linen knitting I last worked on in the full sun at midday. It was so tight on the needles that I really struggled to move the stitches along to work them. The only difference was the humidity!
    I’ll bet Flow feels completely different wet. If I were you I would be buying new silk yarn and starting again, (and donating the yarn to someone who does like cotton). As I am me, I am going in search of Lizette. It’s my shape as well as being gorgeous.

  68. Not to worry…I have two goldens (and a few other dogs) but the goldens often carry my clothing out to their backyard through the office…without my husband noticing. Rescued two new linen tops last night about 11 p.m. Rain nor the dew seems to bother much…it is when they bury things in the flower bed or play tug of war. flow is just fine.

  70. Maybe leaving Flow in the rain is liking sending a kid for an Outward Bound experience; you might find it totally changed by the experience. Or smelly and damp. Not sure which.

  72. What ever happened to the squirrel/ animal who used to take fibre from the garden? Can you not do a deal with Flow- it so needs to leave the building! x

  73. Lizette is beautiful, but I agree…looks like there is very little room for breasts of any significant size. Sigh…all the beautiful sweaters are marred by sizable breasts.

  74. Can I ask you a question about red pepper jelly? How do you serve it? The only thing I know to do is to pour it on cream cheese and serve it as an appetizer with crackers. Delicious, but would love some new ideas.
    Congrats on your biking achievement!

  76. Lizette IS lovely, it’s true. Your blog heading made me laugh. I rec’d a wonderful card the other day of a 400 lb man teeing off wearing only a speedo (!!) and a visor, with the caption: “I hope this visor doesn’t make me look fat”.
    Dianne, red pepper jelly is wonderful with sharp cheeses, apple pie, as a condiment or glaze for BBQ pork or chicken (apologies, Harlot!)… The list goes on.

  77. somebody, somewhere would love Flo (I think we should change the name to something a little feminine!)… so bless her and send her on her way.. 🙂

  78. Hi, Stephanie,
    I think you look really great in it and not in a hussy sort of way. I think you need to wear it somewhere and get so many compliments that it will become a fav.
    Congrats!
    I was in Temecula (north and east of San Diego) this morning and it was 108. I would love a rainy day. Although really hot ones work too. It’s too hot to do anything but sit in the AC and knit. I cast on a Margaret Stove shawl. The pattern starts “cast on 329 sts. ” This better be good.
    Julie in San Diego

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