Forward Motion

It's good to be a Slacker.

How about a post that's not about the assignment and not about knitting? 

When we bought our van in 2006, it came with Sirius satellite radio and a year's subscription.  I was instantly hooked on commerical-free music and knew I'd never want to go back to listening to the screaming car dealership ads on FM.  I wonder if the car dealership knew that when they did the satellite radio deal.

Satellite radio is especially awesome if you are traveling because you don't have to search for new stations every hour or so as you drive out of FM radio station broadcast areas.  Of course, there's no censoring of language on satellite radio.  If I had the kids in the van, I'd be a little nervous listening to one of my favorite stations, Hair Nation (all those hard rock bands with lots of hair from the 80s), because I never knew what kind of colorful station break the DJ might spout off.

I had about 9 stations that I really liked and could drive for hours singing loudly along with the radio.  Then, a few months ago, Sirius merged with the other satellite radio service, XM.  Stations got a little jumbled around and renamed, but it didn't seem like there should be much change. 

Except that over the next few weeks, there was never any good music to listen to.  I'd go through all the stations and not find even an old Go-Gos tune or a stupid Taylor Swift song to sing with.  One of the stations I liked became an all AC/DC, all the time station.  I don't mind an AC/DC song here and there, but 24/7?  But I didn't want to go back to FM radio, and yes, I'm spoiled.

Now, you know about Woot, right?  One different deal each day, get it while you can, when it's gone it's gone.  Sometimes it's crap, sometimes it's something huge, like a TV, sometimes it's a $3 toy.  One day a few weeks ago, it was a Slacker G1 radio.  I had no idea what it was.  I saw the deal, thought "Huh?" and went to look at LOLcats or something.

I kept going back to try and figure out what this thing was.  There is a Woot forum and there were all kind of mostly positive comments about the Slacker.  (You can also use the Slacker radio service free online, a little bit like Pandora radio I understand, although I've never used that one.)  The G1 is the 1st generation model and it sold on Amazon for $250.  Woot had it for $69.99.  Even though I didn't really know what it was, I was sucked into the bargain and told DH I wanted to get one in the hopes it would replace the Sirius radio in the van.

So I ordered 2.  Well, I just figured it was such a great deal, what if we loved the radio?  Then we'd have to pay $250 for another one for DH because I would feel bad that I had the cool radio and he didn't.  And heck, if they didn't work out, I could probably put them on eBay.

 

It's a little bigger than the size of a deck of cards.

Now, don't ask me to really explain how Slacker works.  All I know is that it is a free service and there are tons of radio stations that you can choose to put on your player.  It updates via WiFi or USB.  If you don't like a song, you can ban it and you'll never have to hear it again. (I never have to hear that stupid Bubbly song!  I hate that one.)  You can ban entire artists from your stations, like say Jason Mraz, who I think should be banned from all radio everywhere.  If you like a song, you can favorite it and you'll hear it more often. ('cause I can listen to Beyonce's All the Single Ladies all day.)

If there's a song you don't want to ban, but you're maybe not in the mood for it (you have to be in the right mood for Air Supply, you know?), you can just skip it.  If you're using the free service, you can skip up to 6 songs per hour per station.  For $4 a month, you can upgrade and have unlimited skips.

It's so smart!  After a few weeks of banning and favoriting, you have customized your stations so you really hear music you like all the time.  (Less Sheryl Crow, more Def Leppard.) And new music, too.  I don't know how they fit all the songs on this little thing.  My van's stereo has a tape deck in it, which I don't think I've ever used, but it's perfect for using a cassette adapter to play the Slacker.

The first few days we had the G1s, the kids were soooo jealous.  They borrowed them as much as they could.  DH and I had to admit they were pretty neat.  My kids have birthdays in January and February, but I told them, sorry, I am not buying you new $250 Slackers.  Now, Mommy and Daddy, though....

So the kids got early birthday presents, the G1s, and DH & I bought new G2 Slackers.   We did get the smaller 24 station G2s, vs. the 40 station one.  There is so much great music, we didn't find any need for more than about 20 stations.  I figured out you can ban explicit lyrics from the stations, which made it better for the kids.

The G2 is even smaller, about the size of my cell phone, and it's just awesome.  I've been making my own custom stations full of Bon Jovi and Billy Joel.  I'm sorry to say, I can't recommend the G1s if you happen to come across another deal.  Both of the G1s have frozen and given us problems.  The customer support from Slacker has been great and the problems are all fixed, but clearly the first generation players have some issues.  The G2s have behaved perfectly.

The money I saved cancelling Sirius paid for one of the G2s.  Best of all, I am not contributing towards that nasty, unfunny Howard Stern's $500 million Sirius contract anymore. 

I could wear a scarf in Mongolia....

So!  Ready for the latest assignment rumors?? 

-We're getting our assignments tomorrow!

-We're getting our assignments Friday!

-Ft. Bragg is filled up, no one is going there!

-Alaska is filled up, no one is going there!

Sweet baby pumpernickel, just put everyone out of their misery!!  Yeah, it's probably all crap.  Who knows.  What does filled up mean anyway?  Ft. Bragg is a ginormous infantry post and I don't believe for one minute that it is "filled up".  I almost feel like posting a rumor that the Army needs 75 11Z students to do a 2 yr. unaccompanied tour in Mongolia!  Really, you can feel the whole neighborhood kind of pinging with the crazy anxiety.

The only rumor that might hold an ounce of truth is the one about getting the news on Friday.  That's almost likely and I'm so nervous about the very moment of getting the news.  Not knowing, I'm getting used to that.  Once I know, then I can accept and adjust.  But that one split second of hearing the outcome, that may very well put me over the edge.  We should place bets on this.  When we'll get the news, where we'll go, and whether I'll crack up.

I've been knitting lots, especially as Grace and I watch American Idol.  DH is allowed to watch with us as long as he agrees not to constantly remark that all the contestants should get jobs.  Not that I disagree, but I can't hear what Simon is saying when DH is going on about it.

The Zenzi Clapotis scarf is over 3 ft. long now.  It looks lovely and it's fun how quickly it grows.  Why don't I make more scarves?  Scarves are fun!  Oh yeah, because I have never lived any place that I really can wear a scarf without getting a sweaty neck.

My newest sock is...interesting.  I decided to knit a plain foot until I could figure out what the yarn wanted to do.  I was going to try to knit one of the patterns from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways sock books.  There are some really neat looking socks in there and I love all the fascinating architectures.  And the whole "not a pattern so much as a formula" concept is right up my alley.  But trying to actually follow those New Pathways gives me brain damage.  That is a book that needs an instruction book.

Nonetheless, I liked the idea of a single, central gusset on the top of the foot instead of the sides, so I'm giving that some kind of try. 

I'm going to get back to knitting and hopefully I'll soon have a post without all this boring uncertainty filling it.  And maybe photos!  That would be good.

Distraction

Guess what?  It was cloudy yesterday!!  Something different from sunny!  It wasn't exactly cold, but it was cool enough that I could wear my new socks and that made me happy.

I started a new pair of socks, something simple that I could keep in my purse for waiting-in-line knitting.  I picked this yarn:

Misty Mountain Farms Jubiliee in Navajo Sunset.  It's been waiting a long time in the stash, watching other yarns with less seniority get knitted up before it.  I was starting to feel bad for it and I still think it's really pretty.  But 3 inches into the toe, I'm thinking the yarn is pouting.  I did sort of a zigzaggy pattern with 2x1 cables and I'm not really into it.  The colors are more muddied than I thought they'd be and it's got some pooling going on that is potentially weird.  I think I'm going to rip out the bit of pattern I've done and just make a plain ribbed sock or something very uncomplicated.

I'm still trying not to think about it, but there's a high probability that we could have our assignment in as little as a week.  The Army can only put it off so long and we're nearly 4 months out from the end of this academy.  When I do think about it, I try to imagine getting an assignment that isn't what we want, mentally preparing myself.  I'm pretty sure you and me and everyone else is ready for me to quit freaking out over the whole thing.

The yarn that arrived this week did give me something else to concentrate on, at least.

 

Wollmeise, my drug of choice.

From left to right - Tierra di Siena light, Rotkappchen, BaristO light, Der Letzte Versuch medium (my favorite), Der Letze Versuch dark, Serpentin, Tant Gron Tant Brun x 2.

There must be something wrong with my calendar....

...because it cannot be January around here. 

Wednesday, Jan 21

High: 68 °F RealFeel®: 73 °F

Sunny to partly cloudy and pleasant

Just in time for our sunny, feels like mid-70s weather, I finished my stripey socks.

Fire & Ice Socks

Yarn:  Knitterly Things Vesper, colorway Fire and Ice

Pattern:  Plain old toe-up stockinette, with 1x1 rib cuff and a zesty afterthought heel

Needles: Size 0/2.00mm

Warm, sunny winter are great, what with the lack of snow shoveling and all.  Unless you have cute new socks to wear!  They are even getting snow in Georgia right now.  And here I am, surrounded by lovely wool, thinking that maybe I should put on some shorts.  My feet would melt if I tried to wear these today.

I'm very happy with these socks and the yarn makes an excellent fabric.  Very soft, not too loose or too stiff.  I like that the colors aren't perfectly solid.  I goofed when I was casting on and ended up with 78 stitches instead of the 76 I was planning, but they fit wonderfully, so I guess it was a good goof.  I'm going to make another pair with Vesper yarn again soon, as they are just right for keeping in my purse and knitting on when I'm waiting in line somewhere.

 

Check out my afterthought heels!  I've never done them before and they were kind of fun. While I don't think they are my favorite heel ever (grafting - it's like magic, only fussier), they are perfect for keeping the stripe sequence unbroken.  They are also the answer for that Japanese Diamond sock that's waiting.  I put it aside because I didn't know how I wanted to deal with the weird gauge difference and what to do about the heel.  Now I can just keep going and deal with the heel later.  It's the heel of choice for procrastinators!

I'm sorry for all of you in the snowy, cold, frigid weather.  But at least you get to wear your handknits.

 

I'd love to send you some sunshine.

13 years in a blink

My son, my firstborn, turned 13 years old today.  And I am trying very hard not to be all sappy and "Oh my baby boy, however did he get so big??" about it.  I am trying.  But really, seeing that big old teenager, I can't help but remember this:

and this:

Not that I wish he was still little, though.  He's a terrific kid, the best I can imagine.  But this kid:

 

has a mustache, for crying out loud.  A mother can only take so much sometimes.

Happy Birthday, Alex.  I think you're the greatest.

Sigh.

Thank you all for the consolation and good advice regarding my computer issues.  Unfortunately, things got much worse.  I couldn't get past the Windows User Log In screen thingy yesterday.  Many of your comments were quite helpful and in the end, I realized that I was not going to be able to fix it myself.  I gave in and called Dell and actually, it wasn't too bad.  Both people I talked to were helpful without sounding like they were reading from the Helpful Script version 4.0.  Some guy in the Phillippines took over my computer and worked for a few hours fixing it.  For a fee, of course.  I'm happy to tell you that I am now blogging from a virus-free computer.  AND I didn't have to totally reboot it from scratch again.

I knit many, many stripes on my Vesper sock while waiting on the phone, so that was good.  Here's the progress so far on the Zenzi Mini-Clap:

Not a great photo, but left unpinned, it curls up like a Claposausage.  Knitting it scarf size is so much more fun, because you get to drop stitches more more quickly.  It's about 18 in. long so far and hopefully I'll have a nice long scarf before I'm sick of the pattern.

Oh, and I'm not saying that I've bought too much sock yarn, but according to my "one skein for every week that we do not have our assignment" plan, we could now go for several months with no news before I'd earn another skein.  I gotta knit faster.

Ctrl Alt Aggravate

I would like to take all the computers in my house, but most especially the Dell desktop outside and stomp them into small pieces.  Then light those pieces on fire.  Then spit on the ashes.

I'm having a bit of computer trouble.

The stupid desktop is infected with something hideous and slimy.  I have tried several anti-virus programs and they all claim to have removed it, but then there it is, screwing stuff up again.  I am tempted to just factory reboot it, since it's only been a few months since I had to do that before so there's not much new information on there to lose.  But that would be pointless if the virus has some way of staying even though a system reboot.  I believe I'm going to have to pay someone to deal with this and I'm not happy about that.

While the desktop was running yet another inevitably fruitless scan, I decided that I really wanted to get a few photos off my camera.  I took the memory card out of the camera and put it in the card reader slot on my laptop.  Which was a teensy bit too bit for the card and it slipped inside and lay there, mocking me.  Then I cried a little.

DH got out all his flashlights and tweezers and poky things and coaxed it to the edge of the slot until we could turn the laptop on its side and gently thwack the card out.  I think he was going to laugh at me until he recognized the danger in that choice.

Anyhow, all I wanted to do was show you this photo:

 

It's Klaralund!  The super expensive Noro sweater that I finished knitting months ago?  I had shown my mom the pieces when she was here and she was appropriated aghast that I had not finished the sweater.  I realized that I was scared.  All that work, that expensive yarn, and I was afraid that it was not going to fit.  As long as I didn't seam it, I never had to find out.

We were invited to a party Saturday night and I wanted something to wear.  I impulsively grabbed a needle on Friday night and had a sleeve sewn on in about an hour.  Then I remembered that there would be a lot of people smoking at the party and no way did I want my silk blend sweater to smell like an ashtray.  I sewed the other sleeve on the next day and tried it on.

It's gorgeous.  So gorgeous that I'm going to fix what's wrong.  The bottom is too short.  It needs about another inch in length.  I think it's a proportion issue.  The sleeves are big and long and the bottom needs to match that better.  Also, at this length, it hits me at my most unfortunate width.  Another little bit will cover that just enough.  I haven't totally finished with the top, those Vs are going to be closed up a bit.  And that orange stitch marker is holding a rogue stitch that I discovered hanging loose when I was seaming.

I don't have very much yarn left, just scraps really.  But I'm going to attempt to pick out the cast on edge, pull back to the stockinette section, pick up the stitches, and see how much length I can eke out.  Unpicking the sticky Noro yarn is going to be a headache, but I think even a few more rows will make all the difference.

I also finished the first stripey Fire & Ice sock today.  The heel nearly made me rename it the Ire & Ice sock, but I prevailed.  My grafting skills have been neglected, but after 3 attempts to close the afterthought heel, they've gotten lots of work.  I think I've pushed my luck enough today, so perhaps I'll try to tame the compu-beasts and post a photo of it tomorrow.

I think my mothership is in Germany and filled with wool.

(I often tease DH that Lowe's Home Improvement is his mothership and they call him home every few days.)  Here's a glimpse of the other project I mentioned in the last post:

It's not much to look at yet, but maybe some of you will know from the shape and the number of stitch markers that this is a Clapotis.  Actually it's a mini-Clap or a Clapoteeny or whatever you want to call a minimized Clapotis.  I'm wanting a scarf rather than a shawl, but not a skinny scarf.  Already I like it much better than poor Otis, who hangs neglected in my closet.

I'm using Wollmeise sock yarn in the Zenzi colorway.  Although it doesn't have the intensely bright colors of other Wollmeise, I think it's one of my favorites.  The browns are so rich and deep.  I also like that it's named after German cows. 

The pink thread there is my lifeline that I put in after the increase sections.  I wasn't sure if I had made it big enough and I know from experience that trying to frog a Clapotis is horrid.  After working on it tonight and doing two more straight sections, I took out the lifeline.  Not only did I feel like it was probably the right size, I decided I'd knit too far to want to rip it out. 

Today I made good on my vow to buy a skein of sock yarn for every week that we don't get our assignment.  The other 8 skeins are just keeping it company on the long trip from Germany.  I happened upon a Wollmeise update and there were new colors!  I was stunned that I got so lucky and I can't wait to see what arrives.  It certainly cheered me up from my "where are we going and whyyyyyy won't they tell us" gloom.

The Stripey Knitting Groove Explained.

Something I've been asking myself the last few days: do I knit faster when I use fun, stripey yarn or do I simply get into such a knitting grove that it seems like I knit a whole bunch in short period of time?

Fire and Ice progress:

When I began, I kind of thought the stripes were a tad Christmasy with the red and dark green, but the more stripes that appear, the more I love it. 

The knitting groove is so easy to get into with this sock.  Here is my analysis of the Stripey Sock Knitting Groove:

1.  I'll just knit a few rows of this color stripe.

2.  Okay, I'll keep going until I can see the new color emerge from the project bag.

3.  Oooh, now I want to start a few stitches with the new color.

4.  Really, this new stripe color deserves another whole row.

5.  I should do another row so I can really see how the stripe will look, never mind that there are 5 other stripes just like it I can see.

This is the only point I can force myself to put down the needles for vital things like Diet Coke.  But usually I find myself back at #2.

I really like this yarn.  I can't say there's anything extraordinary about it, but it's smooth, soft, non-splitty, and makes a lovely fabric.  Of the 6-7 other skeins of Vesper yarn I have, only about 3 of them are this same base of yarn.  The others seem skinnier and more twisty.  I can't figure out from the labels why some are different than others, but I like this flatter, thicker kind.

I'm trying something new with this pair:

That's a bit of waste yarn where an afterthought heel will be placed.  That type of heel will produce a bulls-eye effect with the striping and I won't interrupt the colors on the foot and leg.  I hope it works out.

These are pretty decent photos, right?  (Although I realized while loading them, the file is kind of huge.)  I'm using the new camera!  Nothing fancy, just doing the point and shoot until I study the manual for more sophisticated tricks.  I think it's a little tacky that the camera only comes with a "Quick Start" booklet and the full 154 pg. manual is on the CD.  I printed it out and put it in a binder so I don't have to go sit in front of the computer anytime I want to see what a button does.

I'm also happy that I can now stop using that Kodak Easyshare editing program.  Hateful bit of software, let me tell you.  The editing program that comes with the Sony camera will do for all the basic things I usually do to photos.  For anything more complicated, I use Picnik.  (Since my work has gone paperless, I've been using Picnik to edit the receipts that are scanned and sent to me and discovered what a great site it is.  I even got a Premium membership, ostensibly for work.)  I never did get the hang of Photoshop.

I would show you a photo of the other project that I began this weekend, but I was already starting to shiver after taking these photos.  It's a Wollmeise project, it's a project I've made before with disappointing results, and so far, it's gorgeous.

Between these two projects, I've been getting a lot of knitting accomplished.  And that's WITH a slightly wounded left thumb.  Let's just say that my Dad knows me well enough to know that if he gives me a new set of kitchen knives for Christmas, he should include a first aid kit.

Oh, and is it any surprise we still have no assignment?  No.  DH began his morning with lots of briefings from high ranking so & sos.  When I delivered my daily nag about the assignment, he calmly told me, "It's not about the us, it's about our soldiers.  Wherever we go, we'll make it better."  Which, TRUE, but not what I want to hear.  I want to hear, "Report to Ft. Wonderful."  I stared at him and told him that for every week we don't have our assignment, I'm buying a skein of sock yarn.

Happy New Year! And don't roll a 7.

Today's the day that I started blogging in 2006.  That makes this my 3rd Blogiversary, right?  It seemed wrong to let the day pass without a post!  Year 4 - more knitting, more home schooling, more complaining that we don't have our assignment yet, more rambling, more CAPITAL LETTERS.  Who's in?

I said goodbye to my Mom tonight and tomorrow she leaves for Arizona.  It's been such a great visit and I'm so sad that she's gone.  I totally recommend that everyone have relatives with huge RVs.  Usually when I have houseguests I can barely conceal my relief when they finally leave.  I want to be a good hostess, but I am just not good at sharing space.  But when your guests can go sleep in their own "home" each night and show up the next day ready to go places and play games and eat way too much food, well, that's the way to do it.

 

And play games we did.  Mom, the kids, and I became hopelessly addicted to Settlers of Catan.  We played any chance we could get, I let the kids stay up late to finish games, I butted heads with my sweet mother over who would get to build on the harbor first!  I may have overdosed on Settlers in fact.  I dream of ore, sheep, settlements, robbers, and victory points.  I feel like even pouring a Diet Coke is a competition now.

In between rolls of the dice, we did find time to do other things.  Most notably, a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  It's only about 2.5 hours from El Paso, but Lisa warned me it was a long-a$$ drive.  And she was so correct.  Once you leave El Paso, there is nothing.  It's pretty nothing, lots of mountains and plateaus and broad open ranges, but well...see for yourself.  Look behind me there.  Gorgeous, yes, but also nothingness.

 

The caverns were really amazing, though.  Not being a fan of enclosed spaces, I thought I would be really creeped out by being underground, surrounded by rock.  And going down into the Natural Entrance required a bit of deep breathing and self-assurance that all would be fine and it would be very embarrassing to have a panic attack.

 

You go down, down, down, down, down, down and you can't help but say, "Wow, this really goes down!".  That path you see snaked downward far further than my camera could capture.  The "Twilight Zone" was the only spot that was a bit freaky for me.  That's when you leave the last of the natural daylight and without the park service's carefully placed lights, you'd be in utter blackness.

 

It's just astonishing how HUGE the caverns were, how the part we saw is but a fraction of the whole of the caves, how it just kept going on and on.  I'm so glad we saw it.

The drive home was more long nothingness, but it was good knitting time.  I finished up Grace's Grapes.

 

Yarn: Yarn Ahoy, colorway Sour Grapes

Pattern:  My usual toe-up, heel flap plain sock.

Needles:  Size 0

This picture is from the old Kodak and I am so glad I got a new camera for Christmas.  Let's hope after I get caught up on laundry and invoicing and putting away the friggin' Christmas stuff, I can figure out how to use it.  I would love for this to be the last crappy photo I post on the blog.

While still in the middle of only scrub and cacti and dust and a long straight road, I cast on for my next plain socks.  Fire and Ice socks, made from Vesper stripey yarn.  It turns out I can get about half a row done while waiting for one of the kids to decide if they want to play the knight or buy a development card.