A good time, not a long time

Just for fun, I’ll tell you: this blog post took three cities to accomplish. I started it in Toronto this morning, then worked on it on a layover in Calgary, and now I’m finishing it in Vancouver.

I’m sorry for the radio silence my pets – it’s been a wild week.  I arrived home last Sunday night and was so excited to embrace 4 whole days at home that I could scarcely type.  I took the next day off blogging to enjoy the daylights out of the Monday and my family and sleep. Tuesday I took the day off of blogging to catch up on paperwork (sort of) sit at my desk like a good little soldier, snuggle two nephews and a niece, and attend the third of what will be a million Bike Rally meetings. (Yup. The first one was right after we got back, and the party just doesn’t stop.) Wednesday, that was our anniversary, but it was totally also a day I was going to blog, and I got up and started moving through my day fast. Too fast, perhaps, because mid-afternoon, as I was headed down the stairs with my hand on the bannister and everything, my foot slipped on the edge of the step, I became completely and totally airborne, and came down hard on the stairs, hitting several parts of my body off of several steps. It was gloriously ridiculous and horrific and knocked the will to do much off of me for the rest of the afternoon. I bucked up in the evening, and we went out for a beautiful dinner to celebrate our anniversary, but I was in bed early. (I swear, I literally had a headache.)  Yesterday when I woke up, every bump and bruise had blossomed into fantastical fabulousness, and other than packing for today and getting my act together sort of slowly and gingerly, there went that day too.

Today, Well. Today I’m blogging – or trying to, as I make my way from Toronto to Vancouver for Knit City, and the big news is that after a huge period of indecision, I have decided on a Rhinebeck sweater. After a flurry of texts and tweets and conversations and hours of Ravelry gazing, it’s Reverb, knitted out of Clara’s Shetland 1.0. I’ve been hoarding that yarn for something special, and here it is.  Rhinebeck. Despite all the warnings of my friends (in particular the ones I stay with at Rhinebeck, who always bear unfortunate witness to the last minute rush to the end – although at least one of them is always finishing one too – so pot/kettle if you know what I mean) I think there is lots of time to finish.

I’ve already gotten the first rip out of the way – because despite making (and washing) a swatch, the sweater was coming out a little small, so back it went.

sweatercounter 2015-10-02

By Calgary things were looking up again, I’d made up the missing ground – and the thing is well underway. Hope springs eternal – enough so that this afternoon I actually wondered if I shouldn’t have brought all the sweater yarn with me, instead of just half. (Tip. I go home on Monday. I’m delusional again.)

sweaterplane  2015-10-02

Sigh.. tis the season.  See all you West Coasters tomorrow at Knit City!

 

89 thoughts on “A good time, not a long time

  1. Knit On. I love the colour, and I am now going to look up Reverb on Ravelry. BTW, despite the hand knit sweaters and warm socks and quilts about the house, I just turned the furnace on. Wonder if it’s warmer on the West Coast.

  2. Hmmmm…. be careful. If you start developing a severe headache, nausea, disturbed vision, see a doctor. You might have a delayed concussion.

  3. Thank heaven you’re back to blogging. Aside from the fact that I really enjoy your blog, I always get concerned that something has “happened” whenever there is too long a time between entries or at least tweets. Falling/flying down the stairs counts as a happening. But at least it’s a minor “happening” since there were no broken bones.

  4. Oh, how scary! First, I truly hope you are okay. Second, since I am old enough to be your mum, here’s a bit of a lecture that I’ve given all my friends (and, thankfully, they are still my friends): From this day forth you will USE the handrail, gripping it as if your life depended on it, and you will walk the stairs. Take one of your lovely handled knitting baskets and turn it into a stair basket to free one hand. Finally, do come back to Woodland Ridge next year. You and your classes were wonderful (and there are no stairs).

  5. That is going to be a lovely sweater.

    I’d tell you to get your backside in gear and do all the Rhinebeck sweater knitting but I know it won’t happen properly and you’ll be tempting the knitting Gods, again, even though you know that it happens year after year.

    Soooooo, I’m just going to go with: It’s going to be a lovely sweater.

  6. Ouch. Assume bruises are technicolor and hope the color sucks the pain away. Glanced at sweater pattern and was reminded you like to live on the edge. Knit on.

  7. Hope you heal well and soon. Expect some lovely color changes along the way. Great sweater! It reminds me a lot of my current project (which I am certain to be working on long after you complete yours)…It’s “Woodstove Season”, and I’m knitting it in Brooklyn Shelter Tweed (Hayloft). A challenge for me, but I know I will be proud when it’s finished. A challenge is good for the soul. Someday…someday…I will go to Rhinebeck. Better start my sweater now!

  8. Dear Stephanie,
    Glad to hear all the good things that are going on … and Happy Anniversary! As for the fall down stairs … having had a bad fall myself some years ago, I understand bruising! I’m glad you didn’t break anything. Do you use arnica cream on bruises? It is a natural, miracle cream in my humble opinion. Very best regards, Maureen

  9. That’s a shame, Steph! If there are any small blessings, at least it wasn’t right before the next bike rally, but you have all our sympathies as the bruises and aches heal and fade. Your sweater is exactly your color and should look great on you–good luck! Best, Terri

  10. Ahh! Lucky you! I love the yarn and the pattern. Will wait for more pictures. Have fun and please be careful. Take your time moving around.

  11. Doubletake at the end–wait what? Oooh, right, your West Coast. Had my hopes up there.

    And I’m glad you didn’t break anything, at least, but ow.

    Last time I did something like that it was the steps at a wedding reception for a cousin. I was halfway down and suddenly a lot further down and the couple I didn’t know at the top of the steps were standing there, frozen in shock and horror. I turned from where I was suddenly sitting, saw them, threw up my arms and grinned and went, Ta DAAH!

    Because y’know what else can you do.

  12. That is a fantastic pattern. It dearly makes me wish I was a finisher .
    I feel bad though – my first thought was ‘really? It’s not going to have enough room in the chestular area!’ Then I remembered it was you and you customise everything. It looks glorious.

  13. Ouch! I’ve bounced down the stairs a couple of times, once when I had to fly later in the day from Chicago to Seattle and we had a 4-hr weather delay (on the plane!). I was so sore-and got a lot of knitting done!. And the bruising was magnificent. I hope your soreness gets better soon. I love your sweater selection-I made it last year for NaKniSweMo.

  14. Stephanie,

    One word: ARNICA. IT PREVENTS BRUISING / overuse soreness. It is a homeopathic remedy made from the flower – Arnica Montana – and it comes in forms that you can take internally in the form of pellets that dissolve under your tongue and external applications – cream, gels, lotions. I am literally NEVER WITHOUT IT. YOU can buy it over the counter in health food stores. It’s vegetarian.
    Next time you fall down the stairs like that, (hopefully, that never happens, but hey, this is real life, it tends to bruise one) you pop a couple of tablets under your tongue, then apply the gel/lotion/cream to the external aches (so long as the skin is NOT BROKEN.)
    Especially given your devotion to the Bike Rally, this is something you should always have on hand.

  15. Haha I think you’re further along on your Reverb and I started mine in 2013! Granted, I haven’t touched it in nearly two years, so there is that… Maybe seeing your progress will encourage me to pick up mine again!

    Good luck on your sweater! I’m sure you’ll have it done in no time, and definitely for Rhinebeck. 🙂

  16. Ummmm. I’ve been knitting a Shetland 1.0 wrap with on US 5s…sweater-sized yardage….since it came out and it still isn’t done. Now, it is entirely cabled, which has slowed me down. But, this is one of those vortex yarns where the knitting keeps happening but nothing gets longer.

    Godspeed. And I do mean speed.

  17. Oh, my! Beautiful sweater choice, but please do consider giving up stair diving. I had to do that 12 years ago, and my dive was only a 4-stepper. Stair diving is a rough sport, dear one, and best left to the professionals (whoever they may be).

    May you heal swiftly and completely.

  18. Ouch. I have fallen down the stairs like that (with my newborn in my arms, no less) and even if you don’t do serious damage, sometimes I think the bruising is worse. I suppose wool makes good padding, though, so you have some extra pillows around if you need them!

  19. Hope yor bruises are fading and the pain, too. I agree with the comments about watching for signs of concussion, but since you are working well on the sweater, I think you are probably okay.

    I think Reverb is a wonderful choice…just enough pattern to keep you interested and enough stockinette to fly off your needles in worsted.

    Knit on!

  20. That is a lovely sweater choice and I know you will look great in it.
    Re the stairs…that is what handrails are for: use ’em.(voice of experience, here-that seems to be the only way I learn things) also a vote for arnica

  21. Two years ago, while going through Lyme’s disease, I got to the top of our stairs and my legs gave out under me and down I went – backwards – crashing into everything along the way and landing on my head! I was black and blue all over for days! Take care of yourself – and make sure you get checked out if you do start to experience dizzy spells, etc!

    Linda in VA

  22. I did a stair swoop once at 28. I had no idea Gravity was that powerful. Stupid laundry room wood stairs, I looked like someone had clubbed me with a board at four regularly spaced intervals up my back. My cousin stood at the kitchen door wringing her hands and asking if she should call my mom. From my prone position during self assessment, I absolutely could NOT Stop laughing.

  23. I tripped and fell on our balcony in mid July. Only a short fall, but I shattered my elbow and needed an operation to repair the damage, plus I fractured my wrist. I spent a month in a cast and now, ten weeks later, have just begun to knit again. Take care. You never know what the next trip may bring…

  24. Ooof! I sooo feel your pain. A couple of years ago I took a terrible tumble down a flight of wooden stairs that ended in a tile landing. Really should’ve gone to the hospital, but didn’t. Had to see the doctor the second day: broken tailbone, cracked ribs, spectacular bruises. Take care and heal! Also, don’t be surprised if you feel a little hesitant on the approach with stairs for a bit. Even a couple of years later, now and again I find myself feeling a little skittish at the top of that same cursed flight of stairs. (And Reverb is a lovely choice for your RS!)

  25. A very happy belated anniversary to you and Joe! Best wishes for many more great years together.

    Did you know you can get a concussion without even hitting your head? Take it easy, rest when you can, and see a doctor if your head starts to ache.

    Pretty yarn for your sweater! I hope your frogging is all done!

  26. The sweater looks fantastic! Don’t listen to that little voice in your head that tells you this is a bad idea. You have plenty of time! Plenty of yarn!

  27. I hope you have a great trip! The strange thing is, I read you post last night. This morning, I came down the stairs, slipped and bounced down the flight on my bottom. The only difference was that I was holding a cup of tea and ended up with a wet head.

  28. I just started a sweater on Thursday. For a brief, insane moment, I thought, “Maybe I can finish this by Rhinebeck.” I know my skills, I’ll be lucky to have it for Christmas. But hope springs eternal. (And yes, I was thinking in the back of my mind, ‘the Yarn Harlot hasn’t even started hers yet. And she’ll be done. I could do i, too’. Such are the monsters you’ve created.)

  29. …going silent now. Spinzilla awaits. The spinning hour is at midnight tonight. Keep your chin up and no more falling down stairs please.

    Have a good time at Knit City and hold down the sock fort….
    bjr

  30. Ouch! I’ve done the falling down the stairs thing too- seems we are not alone! I was carrying a tub of birdseed and slipped going down the outside stairs on a frigid November morn’. Hubs runs outside – naked- when he heard the Whump! I landed right on my back, was winded and couldn’t speak. The dog showed her true colours and ran past me to get after a squirrel. My bruises healed up eventually, good luck with yours! That Reverb sweater is in my queue as possibly the perfect cardigan. Looking forward to your reviews!

  31. I have a question that you might have answered somewhere along the line. While on a plane trip to New York City from St. Paul/Minnesota, I started a pair of socks. It got me thinking….do you have any idea how fast you knit? Kind of like a typing test…do you know how many stitches to the minute you knit? I’m thinking 4 needle socks without a pattern. I want to know how I stack up against a pro. Just curious.

    • Chris, If you take Steph’s “Knitting for Speed and Efficiency” class, you will find out not only how fast you knit (stitches/min.), but how quickly youcan improve that number, even if you have (insert large number here) years of knitting experience! We had a great time in Wisconsin!!

  32. Lovely choice on Reverb. Can’t wait to see it finished. Also very glad that the airborn trip down the stairs resulted in nothing more than bumps and bruises. Happy belated anniversary.

  33. Followed the link back to the great “I do” post — what ever happened to the shawl and the Gansey? And while I’m wondering, did you do something I missed with all the state wash cloths??

    And, of course, Happy Anniversary! May you have many more years of love ahead of you.

  34. I can hear Joe now – “cause of death”. Please try to keep you’re exploits less acrobatic and more yarn related! And thanks again for the class Sat am. I may be taking up lever knitting!

  35. I feel for you. I have a tendency to fall and injure myself; so much so that I am officially a “fall risk” in various local hospitals. So use the arnica and take care of yourself. The sweater will be beautiful.

  36. I LOVE sweaters, there’s something about the size of the project that fills me with all sorts of giddiness. Can’t wait to see the finished project.

  37. Sending warm wishes, albeit belated, for another happy anniversary to you and Joe. Hope it was lovely, despite the mishap.. with many, many more celebrations ahead.

    And for those of us who have unintentionally demonstrated our skills (or lack thereof) in stair diving (mine was shattered arm/shoulder), one suggestion from lessons learned – one hand on the handrail at all times! Feel better soon.

  38. Oh Stephanie Im so sorry to hear about your fall. I hope you heal quickly. And (like this matters to you) I love the Reverb! Its lovely and in my queue (sp?) Pattye

  39. Can’t wait to see you at Rhinebeck with your (finished) cardie on! My first EVER trip to Rhinebeck (just like my first EVER trip to Port Ludlow or any retreat in June) and this time you’re not “threatening” to skate by because I have no idea what to expect 😉 wink

  40. I just looked it up. Rhine beck is OCTOBER 17TH. You can do that sweater in two weeks (give or take)???!!! You totally rock.

    P.S. nice yarn

  41. Happy anniversary and Ouch! For the stair fall! Broke my collarbone at work falling down stairs at work…fortunately I did it in front of a Nurse Supervisor and near the ER! Very embarassing to have coworkers file through makin sure one is alright and heartwarming, too ! Hope you recover quickly and let me add ibuprofen to the arnica: it may not be “natural ” but it might be more effective !

  42. I was exclaiming “oh Oh OH!!” reading of your fall.

    One time when I was prepping for the day, I was headed downstairs (nekkid as a jaybird) and same thing happened. Except I slid on my bum, down the carpeted stairs–the momentum carrying me round the bend in the stairs–to the dining room. My husband was in the bathroom, heard the noise, looked down the stairs, and seeing nothing went back to his business. Carpet burns on your butt aren’t nice.
    Heal quickly!

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