I was almost there

After the Big White (details forthcoming, when Meg gets her pictures from the photographer) I felt a sort of knitting ennui. It’s not that I didn’t want to knit, it was more that I had a kind of knitting hangover. Simple things called to me. Things with no charts, no beads, things with yarn thicker than dental floss…  I plowed through a pair of socks that have been kicking around my knitting basket forever –

donesocks 2016-06-28

I know the yarn is Regia, but once again, the colourway escapes me. I always take a picture of the ball band to try and avoid just this moment, but these ones have been around for so long that it’s hopeless.

donesocksheel 2016-06-28

That felt pretty good, so I started another pair…

newsocks 2016-06-28

I’ve got the ball band for these ones, Lang Super Soxx, Cashmere Color 4-ply, colour fetchingly named 904.0010. (There. Now I can lose it.)  I knit along on those for a while, but it didn’t scratch the itch. It didn’t feel like knitting really, just something to do, and this morning the feeling is still there. I picked up my knitting and realized that I’m starting to get over the Big White. The urge to have something a little more fussy is upon me, and I found myself browsing patterns, looking through ideas, re-reading notes that I left myself about things I wanted to knit, back when the Big White was all I was allowed to knit. I thought about starting a bit more lace, perhaps a few cables. Maybe something else beaded, now, while I know where my tiny crochet hook is?

alpacas 2016-06-28

(Upstream Alpacas hand painted combed top, 100% baby alpaca, in “Cappuccino”.) 

Then I went upstairs and got myself something to spin.  Clearly, I’m not totally over it. Maybe tomorrow.

*PS. The hill repeats were a bust yesterday. My cough is better, apparently better enough to let me ride, but not to let me ride hills.  I did three loops through the park to warm up, then made one ascent, tried to hack up the lower lobe of my left lung at the top, and limped home. I suppose one is better than none, but it was pretty demoralizing. Today’s a new day. I’ll try again.

70 thoughts on “I was almost there

    • Hi Stephanie:

      I believe the colour of your socks is Regia’s crazy colour 61049. I received a pair of handmade socks from a friend, and they are the same colourway! Cheers!

  1. A cup of coltsfoot and mullein tea will help with the congestion in your lungs. I teaspoon each in 2 cups of boiling water let steep for ten minutes with honey to taste and maybe a slice of lemon, if you are interested.

    Have you convinced Joe to wear ‘loud’ socks?

  2. That cappuccino looks yummy. I’m starting a big old Colorwork hat myself. After all, we had to look at the big white thing for ages too.

  3. I’m about to enter the crazy zone.
    Plain vanilla socks, mittens in a patterns I’ve done at least twice before, and that’s it until August!!

    The Big White was stunning. Take time to rest!

  4. it shouldn’t be demoralizing since you are truly sick still…try try again (as in the song from Zootopia – which I had to watch twice over the weekend with my young nephew…arg…at least it wasn’t Frozen this time)

    • I’ve been spinning an alpaca batt made from raw fiber that I got at my spinning guild meeting. I washed it, and carded it (drumcarder) a couple times to make a fluffy batt. I’ve been spinning it medium backward draw woolen. It spins beautifully. My personal challenge has been getting rid of little bits of VM which make little bumps if left in. Alpacas love to roll and so even after two washes and three soak/rinses, hand picking, and going through the drum carder twice, there are STILL little bits in there!
      I’ve plied it with merino singles and it is beautiful. And heavenly soft.

  5. It is actually possible to cough up a piece of your own lung. Try to avoid this, as you will need all the lung you’ve got for the long haul to Montreal.
    May I be mildly jealous of your knitting hangover? I’m suffering intermittent knitting withdrawal at the moment, after damaging something in my wrist.
    Only intermittent, because I keep picking up the needles and trying again, only to find that yes, it still hurts.
    I should go to the doctor, probably, but I’m afraid they’ll put me on full rest for the wrist, and I don’t know how to knit one-handed.

    • Your right to be wary. A couple of years ago my wrist started giving me trouble intermittently. My “two weeks rest” routine morphed into 6 months in a custom brace, a tremendously horrible cortisol shot (avoid this at all costs!!!) and surgery.

      But in all seriousness, give it a solid 2 weeks of rest, then if it’s not better see a doctor. You don’t want to have to give up knitting forever, after all.

      • Horror! I’ve given it one week’s rest, and it seems to be improving (I think), so I’ll give it another week and hope that does the trick. Shots and surgery I definitely do not want – but anything rather than give up knitting, right? 🙂

    • May I suggest ice/heat/ice? It will move the blood around in there and help reduce the swelling of inflamed tissue and promote healing. My massage person says ice to numbness, heat for 10-15 minutes, then ice to numbness again. The numbness bit takes 18 min on my knee, but only about 10 minutes on my elbow. I do once a day, but two or three times would be optimal. Perhaps also some gentle stretching to encourage mobility. Hope you feel better soon. It’s a real bummer when you can’t the fun stuff.

      • Have you access to a chiropractor with a laser? My carpel tunnel gets lasered and it heals nearly immediately….not even exaggerating. It works great on tendonitis and bruises as well. I love my chiropractor 🙂

        • Good heavens, I had no idea lasers were used so widely! I’ve had my eyeballs lasered, but never thought of trying it on a wrist. If it’s still a problem next week I’ll take it to the Dr and see where they refer me to.

          • It isn’t a cutting type laser…that would be a scary thought…it is some sort of laser that emits “healing” light. I’m sure she told me what it was once, but I didn’t retain that info. I just know it has been a wonderful remedy multiple times.

  6. Make a pair of “Guinevere” gloves by Julia Mueller. Just enough fussy. Trust me. Mine are coming along in some sort of alpaca fingering weight from Drops. Also, I made a 20km detour on my ride home today, and ran into some goats doing weed control in Calgary. It’s a good life.

  7. I know exactly what you mean. My son is being married on July 23. In addition to being a knitter, I’ve been quilting for about 20 years (mostly art quilts the last half)…and I am making him and his beloved a large, custom-designed quilt (not counting the shawl I knit her for her university grad)…and I’m thinking that after that 108″ square bed-sized quilt is done…well…I’m thinking Plain Vanilla socks will look very good — very good indeed!

  8. As always, your commitment to the Rally and to this Blog astound and amaze us all. One absolutely is better than none, and never forget that.

    I’ve got that same point with my knitting this summer, as well. I’ve knit lots of socks, but they aren’t really holding my attention. I started Ysolda’s “Farinelli” gloves the other day so I’m hoping that satisfies me. I totally understand the feeling, though.

    Just keep truckin on!

  9. Gorgeous! Such a rich color–it should be stunning when you’re done. And spnning and knitting will give you time to rest and get better, too–triple win! I’m still working on those hats and the patterns for them. Atherley’s book is having a huge impact on the quality, organization, format, charts–nearly every aspect of what makes a pattern really professional-looking and user friendly. Hope to be done with the next three soon! Happy spinning–take care, Terri M.

  10. I’m crossing Kate Davies’s Hapisk (from the new book) with Kaffe Fassett’s Multi-Stripe Stole – pattern from the first, colours from the second. Essentially a large wearable blanket in narrow stripes of leftover sockyarn alternated with a pale silver-grey as background and to divide the colours. Coming up nicely so far – the colour changes and choices are interesting enough but the pattern is soothing…

  11. Stephanie — Please go back and reread all the comments last Friday. They said that when it moves to your lungs it is not to be messed with. Participating in the Rally as crew for one year would not be the end of the world not would your supporters ask for their donations back. You need your healthy lungs, long-term!
    And we need your charming presence in our lives, where we are delighted to worry over knitting issues, but would rather not have to worry over health ones.
    And no, that doesn’t mean stop telling us about them!

  12. I feel your hangover, like we are old drinking buddies.

    I’ve just finished “Hacking Waiting for Rain”, in Debbie Bliss 4 ply Donegal Tweed and Rowan Kidsilk Haze, the first in dark denim blue and the second in sky blue.

    I utterly love it and so will the auntie it’s going to this weekend. For once I won’t have to darn in ends on the way to the airport…

    I should go back and finish teenage daughter’s sweater (jumper) in Minky Plush. I breezed through the two sleeves and front (no stranger to Sleeve Island, me) but am now marooned on the Back Strait.

    And the siren song of a bag of Supreme Merino 8ply in dark red I picked up from the mill for #notmuchmoneyreally is caaalllinggg.

  13. I’m recovering from a terrible cough, too, so I really sympathize with how you’re feeling. When your lungs are full of gunk, there’s not much room left for oxygen. Be good to yourself and let your lungs recover.

    What about knitting a lightweight summer top from a beautiful linen or silk yarn? More fun than socks.

  14. When riding hurts like that, good to rest for another day. Meanwhile, another type of “spinning” is always good. I am looking forward to seeing the big white in all its finery!

  15. I love upstream alpacas!
    it was the first braid of “fluff” (as my husband likes to call all fiber) that I bought for myself and the first full 100g I spun up on my drop spindle.
    It was a delight the whole way through and while I haven’t knit it up yet I frequently pull it out just to give it a little pet and see if it will tell me what it wants to be yet.

  16. You have some built-in excuses here:

    1. You’re sick.
    2. You’re exhausted because you just married off a daughter.
    3. You’re suffering withdrawal from knitting the Big White Thing.
    4. You just started spinning some fiber in a lovely colorway.
    5. You have to prepare for the annual fall migration of the Dust Buffaloes.

    So: Go on Ravelry and other online pattern sources. Find a pattern for the fiber you’re spinning or some Little Dark (or Bright) Thing; it must not be white or some boring variation on beige. Bonus points if it has beads. More bonus points if Joe’s opinion is other than “It’s fine, whatever, honey”. Still more bonus points if it is for Millie (this sentence paid for by Millie).

    Now go knit like the wind.

  17. If it were me looking for an “involved” project at the end of June, I’d tell myself to start on a Rhinebeck sweater (I’m a slow knitter). Obviously you’re much faster than me, and you keep demonstrating to The Blog that you knit well under intense pressure, so I think you should wait until September to pick a pattern and start the sweater. Make sure it has lots of complicated cables, too. 🙂 Until then, enjoy another lace shawl!

  18. Photographing the yarn bands! What a good (and obvious to everyone except me) idea.. Then I could throw away the thousands of bits of paper lying around here to which I can no longer make any connection. And that alpaca is beautiful. Reminds me of my grandmother’s braided bun at the nape of her neck…..That’s a good thing…I loved that bun and that lady–she could knit or crochet a baby sweater, booties, clothing, a car, a house, a tree. Nothing was beyond her. Just ask for it and she’d figure out a way to make it happen.
    Glad you are recovering.

  19. Love the socks. Hang in there with the cough. Many problem is allergies and Florida is the allergy capital of the world. If I had stock in Kleenex I’d be independently wealthy.

  20. Love the socks. Hang in there with the cough. My problem is allergies and Florida is the allergy capital of the world. If I had stock in Kleenex I’d be independently wealthy.

  21. The Regia socks are nice. I made and then remade two pairs of them. I just love that self striping action. Have fun spinning. And rest a bit. You can do cardio with a head cold (poorly), but if it is in your chest, the best you can do is halfspeed. Someone posted coltsfoot tea. Hot tea and spinning is a good tonic..

  22. I think spinning might be a nice break after the Big White. Plus, it has multiple benefits…knock down some stash (pre-Rhinebeck), creates yarn with which to knit, and time to mull over ideas for the next project.

    And, if nothing is striking your fancy pre-Rally ride, there are always Christmas boxes to fill, aren’t there? Hats, mittens and slippers and such…

  23. Hey Stephanie – Ignore until after the rally…. When the rally & recovery are over, there will approximately 146 days until Christmas. How is the spreadsheet and how are you doing on the one pair of socks per month plan? I’m not trying to freak you out so much as be that little reminder post-it. Plus I like the updates.

  24. That eye of partridge heel looks great in the sorta stripey Regia. I love it. Makes the rest of the plain sock totally worth it, but that’s just me. (me in the middle of a summer of socks, in fact).

  25. That kind of knitting withdrawal leads me to do drastic things like start embroidery. You should try it! It’s fun! You make french knots on purpose and it’s Way more fun than nupps. =)

  26. Try taking some echinea tablets or tincture for your cough. It works wonders for me and my mom, who gets bronchitis regularly but since she’s been taking echinea tablets recovers much quicker! Good luck

  27. All I want to do is…spin. Not knit, spin. Comb some wool and spin it. Dye some wool and spin it. Spin some wool and ply it with lace weight silk. Dye some wool, spin it and ply it with lace weight silk. That is all I want to do. No house work. No cooking. No gardening or running chipmunks out of the garden who have eaten holes in my garden bags. No…nothing like that. I just want to sit in front of my wheel…and spin the world away.

    bjr

  28. Those needles the lovely sox are on look just like the ones I JUST got in the mail. And I can hardly wait to use them. Big White is perfect.

  29. I am throwing my 2cents in here. Please see a doctor. It’s time for a chest Xray. If you have pneumonia it could be the walking kind. It will not go away, it will make you sicker. AND it will compromise your ability to ride in the rally.

    Have an awesome and wonderful day.

    Pat

  30. I’ve had some internet free time and then come back to see a daughter married in a breathless shawl and then a pair of socks …. quite amusing actually. First, congratulations to all – you had a beautiful posting of the events, and you are allowed to cry. Weddings release the past and embrace hope for the future. And socks …. we need them against the wild times to ground us back, so knit on!

  31. *looks back at previous posts* Oh ye gods, I missed everything. And Mrs. Meg looked splendid. Very happy for you guys.

    Also, happy Canada Day! *lifts his cup of lemonade to you*

  32. I found your site again! And just when I’m looking at a ball of yarn and wanting to make some very simple socks while on vacation! As always, you’re inspirational.

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