midgeling: life in a shoe.

Cough. COUGH. Thud.

2008-07-19T04:28:08Z

Last night at 10 I decided I needed to just suck it up and go to the Urgent Care. My breathing was getting worse and I hurt all over from coughing. It seems that I have bronchitis that severely aggrivated my asthma. I wasn't responding to my regular meds. After 10 minutes on a nebulizer, I felt slightly better. I filled my prescription for prednisone and antibiotic-mycin.

I got home. I ate a banana since the doc was worried about my potassium levels because of my frequent albuterol use. I ate German chocolate cake. I went to bed. I woke up. I still felt like poo.

So today I managed to get through one more work day - barely. I needed to remind myself that life doesn't totally suck, so I decided to go look at my flowers in the yard. The hydrangeas looked especially lovely.

And up close we see:

Even the simple little daisies were looking rather beautiful.

Mr Midgeling snapped a few photos on his phone of me glaring at him while sucking on the nebulizer. But we won't be looking at those today. Maybe tomorrow if I feel in the mood for a little sellf-mockery. Naptime? Sounds good.

Mr M's Birthday Socks 2008

2008-07-17T05:41:56Z

I finally started on Mr Midgeling's birthday socks for this year. Why finally? Because his birthday was on June 24th. Every Christmas and birthday I ask him what he wants. He always says "nothing". A couple of years ago he started saying "Hand knit socks." Finally - a real answer.

I am using Lisa Souza's fingering weight sock yarn in Mars Quake. The pattern is based on some sock pattern I saw on the internet some time ago. I am doing it over 88 stitches for his big, fat feet, toe up, using Wendy Johnson's method used in the Toe-up Slipstitch Heel socks. Mr Midge has such fat feet and ankles that there is no way short row heels would ever work for him.

So I am going to head to bed with my sock, iPod, inhalers, cough drops and Chloraseptic spray. Good night!

The Heel, It Is A-Turnin

2008-07-11T19:55:20Z

I have to post this. I am sick of the clickety-click of rescheduling exams for work.

Almost done with my Mom's socks. They were supposed to be mine, with my Zen String sock club yarn, but I made them too tight. I know, they look like chicken leg socks, but they fit her fine. Hopefully I will get them finished tonight so I can start on Mr Midgeling's birthday socks.

Plurk, Anyone?

2008-07-10T18:18:10Z

Is anyone else a Plurker yet? Don't know what it is? You can google "Plurk" and pull up all kinds of info to read. It's like Twitter, but a bit different. You can keep up with the odd bits of people's days, little bits at a time. It's even got a nifty timeline to it. It's oddly addicting. Wendyknits posted an entry about Plurk. She was even interviewed about being the first Plurker to enter "Plurk Nirvana".

So sign up on Plurk and we can have fun!

Home Again

2008-07-09T21:39:16Z

We made it home from CA and OR. After driving through all the wildfire smoke in CA, I feel seriously bad for the people who live there and are forced to deal with the smoke.

Things here are settling down a bit. I have lovely news! Not only will my sister be living here in the Seattle area soon, but my brother Graham has decided to move here as well. My brother Andy lives in Colorado right now, and I don't think he and his fiancee have any plans to move any time soon. I'll have to work on him later, lol.

Last night while admiring our back yard from the deck, we noticed someone who decided to stop by for a salad:

Isn't he gorgeous?

Twittering While On the Road

2008-07-05T08:00:00Z

Score!

2008-07-03T00:37:28Z

I finally made it to Web*sters here in Ashland. I bought some vacation fiber Heathery gray-blue and some heathery brighter blue), and two skeins of KPPPM in the perfect banana colorway so that I can make some Nanners Socks. I wanted to shop more, but Mr Midgeling made me hold back. So I didn't buy the hand cards I wanted. He promised he would make me some as soon as we finish moving completely out of the old house and into the new.

Later tonight we will be dining at Chateaulin with Grandma A. I am really looking forward to the French onion soup. Aunt Kelly says it is super delicious!

Tomorrow we leave for Vancouver, WA to spend the holiday weekend with my parents, sister and brothers. It will be fun! I really don't want to go back home and have my vacation be over. I am having way too much fun.

Must have a Pudge

2008-06-24T20:12:01Z

Greetings from Ashland, Oregon! We are at out aunt and uncle's for a few days of hanging out and having fun before we continue down to Santa Rosa, CA for Cousin Sherrie's wedding.

This adorable creature is Pudge. He is the most adorable hamster I have ever seen in my life. He is sweet, affectionate and loves to cuddle. I never really cared for hamsters until Pudge. He is awesome. He reminds me a lot of my old pet rat Ivy that we had years ago - they have the same markings and very similar personalities. Chace has been wanting a hamster for quite a while now, but I never wanted one. If he does get one, it has to be of the Pudge variety.

I am going to try to get downtown to Web-sters today to buy some vacation fiber. Wish me luck!!

Happy Birthday

2008-06-24T17:00:33Z

Happy Birthday to Mr Midgeling. 37 looks good on you.

Housewarming!

2008-06-20T02:48:43Z

My in-laws are here visiting and checking out our new house. A couple of days ago my MIL Carol gave us the most beautiful housewarming presents.

Here's the first one:

It's a wallhanging done in Japanese print fabrics. I love it. I already plan on hanging it over the fireplace mantle. It is so pretty! And here's the second:

Here's a closeup of the fabrics (also Asian themed):

I really love these quilts.

Yard Love

2008-06-13T22:01:43Z

I am loving our new house. We are so amazed at all the new things that pop up and catch our attention.

"You Can Haz Yarn Halp"

2008-06-13T21:41:30Z

Two sleeves down. 10 rows into left front. Wedding is on the 28th. Don't know if I will make it, lol. At least I will have a lot of car knitting time on the way to CA. Too bad Baby won't be there to assist with yarn wrangling.

And the Sapphire Wrap Begins.

2008-06-07T01:22:38Z

I meant to post this back on May 22. Obviously, I didin't get to it. Life has been insane with trying to finish up the move, get kids registered at the proper schools for next year and people getting sick.

I am going to be going to a cousin's wedding on June 28th, and I need something decent to wear. So I am knitting the Sapphire Wrap by Melissa Wehrle.

So I happened to do my shopping while the 2008 LYS Tour was going on. While at Renaissance Yarns I spent more than $25, so I got the lovely free tote bag you see in the photo. I am doing the pattern in the same color, but not the same yarn. The pattern yarn used is cashmere, which just isn't in my budget. I am using Louet MerLin (merino/linen), which isn't cheap either, but it isn't as much as cashmere.

I have one sleeve plus most of the second sleeve completed so far. I sure hope I will get it done in time. I am also hoping that the computer gets brought over to the new house soon. Until then, I still have to come over here to the old house to work and use the computer. Blech.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I hope to catch up with you all soon.

Eureka!

2008-05-17T00:11:25Z

I found an extra flash card reader. But as my luck goes, I have no camera here at the Old House. That's all at the New House where we won't have internet until Wednesday (I hope).

It is currently 81 degrees in my little bit of Washington. I am packing and moving boxes. And sweating. Spring is glorious and beautiful and colorful and bloomy. 81 degrees isn't supposed to happen for another couple of months. I want my spring back.

Did you know that if you take Zyrtec and Sudafed (the real stuff) and drink a large iced coffee that you start to physically buzz like a bumblebee and feel like you may just start to fly? Yeah. I didn't either. Consider this a lesson learned.

Hey - if anyone reads this, and you live in the Puget Sound area can you do me a favor? Nancy's Knits is being sold to Debby, one of their emloyees. Debby is going through some seriously rough times right now with family illness and taking on the store. She is a wonderful lady who really works hard to make sure her customers are happy. Summer seasons are usually a bit slow for business. If you could just stop in and maybe patronize her shop a bit that might help bolster her confidence. And if not, if you could say a prayer or two for her, that would be lovely as well. Thanks!

Nancy's Knits
17174 116th Ave SE
Renton, WA 98058
(425) 255-7392

Covered In Sock Yarn

2008-05-13T20:35:02Z

Note: Poor photo taken on my phone since I still haven't replaced my card reader and I can't for the life of me find the stuff to hook my camera directly into my PC.

So since Weebug mentioned my sock yarn scrap blanket thingy, I figured I'd better post a photo of it.

I started it a couple of years ago and have been slowly adding to it as I knit socks and have a bit leftover. There's a couple of socks not represented here - those were made for Mr Midgeling and his monstrous feet, so I had no yarn leftovers to use. One pair I made him had toes from the yarn in that orange square there since I ran out of his yarn. It is more or less chronological, but not completely, since I have been known to lose my scraps and find them again in odd places months later.

It's not really a true knit-along, since I am famous for not being a put-together person. But you can have the recipe I used here:

Mitered Square Scrap Sock Yarn Blankie (MSSSYB - pronounced "Misseeb"?)

Square size: roughly 4" when I am not on painkillers for my back, lol.
Needle size: 2.0 mm or size to get gauge. If you want. I mean, it's a scrap blanket. It only has to look the way you want it. Gauge really isn't critical here.

First square:
Cast on 60 sts.
First row: Slip first stitch PW, Knit 27 sts, SSK, K2tog, Knit 28 sts.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, knit across.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, Knit 26 sts, SSK, K2tog, Knit 27 sts.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, knit across.
Continue on like this until you have 2 sts, then K2tog.and bind off.

Second Square:
Cast on 30 sts, pick up and knit 30 sts along the Right (Public) Side of the first square.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, knit across.
First row: Slip first stitch PW, Knit 27 sts, SSK, K2tog, Knit 28 sts.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, knit across.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, Knit 26 sts, SSK, K2tog, Knit 27 sts.
Next Row: Slip first stitch PW, knit across.
Continue on like this until you have 2 sts, then K2tog and bind off.

Keep adding squares in this manner until your blankie is Big Enough. If you are like me and oddly particular, you may wish to pay attention to what direction your miters are facing as you join the squares. If not, just go for it and let them end up facing whatever random direction you like.