How Not to Write a Pattern

I am still working out the best ways for me to put my knitting patterns to paper. I am currently working on a pattern that I started writing a few days ago. So I went through a dictionary of knitting stitch patterns. This is good because I know what direction I want to go. I know I am working on a wash cloth so I know that I need to cast on 40 stitches. This is very good so far. This gives me a boarder of 5 stitches on each side and enough for 2 pattern repeats in the center of the washcloth with the stitch I picked out.

Things are still going great I have knit the first 8 rows for the bottom of the wash cloth. I like to knit the pattern as I am designing it. I need feed back from the yarn and the pattern. So I get the next 16 rows done and it looks wonderful. Now this is where things start getting wonky.

Eric had an asthma attack so I gave him his first dose of medicine and went to grab the note book that I was writing in plus the knitting pattern under way. Yes I moved everything into Eric's room. I figure once he had the meds he would settle down. I started knitting like I had done hundreds of time in his room. Of course I was not writing a knitting pattern but rather doing mindless knitting on ponchos, scarfs or caps. Some where along the way in the next 2 hours of popping up and down from the rocking chair aka the knitting chair and Eric's bed to get him in a better position to breath I screwed up on my row count.

My first reaction was that the knitting dictionary was wrong. I could not possibly make a mistake like that. My row count and the books row count for the second half of the pattern did not match. Just to prove that I was right and the book was wrong. I sent out a call on Facebook and Twitter for a couple of test knitters. This is where I have to give a really huge thank you to Jen. In less than 24 hours she managed to not only knit up the pattern but find all the mistakes. So I started a second one following the corrections so far so good.

So to sum this up don't expect to write of coherent or cohesive pattern while taking care of a sick child. Calm and quite are necessary. As to the question can you see the wonky pattern the answer is no. I am still some what of a perfectionist at heart on somethings. If you want to take the pattern and make it wonky go right ahead. It will be out sometime around the 20th of this month.

Life As We Know It

I had one of those humours moments yesterday. We are planning a surprise for Eric. No I can not divulge much to you except to say it involves a lot of planning. I was talking to the reservation clerk telling her what we needed to make the surprise happen for Eric.

To me it is normal to travel with an IV Pole, feeding pump, percussion vest/machine, nebulizer and assorted medical supplies. After all aren't we know for packing the entire house for any excursion. Clothes are usually an after thought and packed in over night bags no matter how long we are gone. Well I think I heard her jaw drop as she tried to regain her composer after we started discussing beds and bed rails. I tend to forget not everyone has a real hospital bed in their child's room. No, the surprise place has no hospital beds available for guests. Really!

But that lead to a very funny dinner conversation with John about what we consider normal living with Eric and what the rest of the world must think of us. After all doesn't every one take a car full of medical equipment and extension cords on vacation?

It has also occurred to me this morning that Teri and I had a very similar conversation this summer. Doesn't everyone plan their trips around where there are children's hospitals? And that I might actually inadvertently be scaring people with young and healthy children.

I find it amazing how we can get caught up in our own lives and forget that the rest of the world does not live just like us. Well it is time to get my day started. Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Chores

I really think I got it all wrong when I tried to teach Eric about doing chores around the house. Yesterday after school, which was an early release for him. I asked if he wanted to help fold laundry of any of the other chores around the house, he signed no each time I named a chore.

Then I tried a different tactic with him, I asked if he did any chores around the house and he signed yes. So having asked what chores I needed to be done I asked if he thought that making dirty laundry and messes were his chores and he signed a very vigorous yes. I was so glad that we were outside at the time because that would have been a knock my head against the wall moment.

I then tried to explain that making clothes dirty and making messes were not chores and he looked at me like I was crazy, this is what he is good at therefore they must be chores. Such is the humours side of life with Eric.

Have a great day and enjoy your families.

Hi My Name is Sheri and I...

Hi my name is Sheri and I am addicted to yarn. You are probably saying to yourselves that all knitters have yarn so what's the big deal. How can someone be addicted to yarn, after all you can't eat it or drink it. Yarn has no calories. Yarn is pretty and soft and comes in so many different colors. This addiction comes from not the yarn it self but the quantities that I have amassed over the past 5 years.

I have yarn stored in my closet, ok so 4 roll aways, a couple of bags and 1- 96 quart container of yarn and all my knitting needles aren't that bad. I have also over taken the entire shelve in the hall closet. There are a couple of baskets with works in progress and 8 - 96 quart boxes and a bag in the garage. This is all the yarn that I am willing to admitting to. There is some more in nooks and crannies that I have forgotten about.

I am sure that if I did not buy another skein of yarn for the next year or 3 I might be able to get it down to a reasonable level of yarn. It's not that I don't knit enough, I carry my knitting every where I go. Doctors appointment's with Eric, lunch with friends, to the mall, in the movies,at night in front of the tv, I think you are beginning to get the picture. I knit every where, all the time. I even keep an emergency stash of yarn in one of my glove compartments of my car.

I can't bare to part with all my yarn until after I have played with it. I find yarn relaxing. I have been known to fall asleep while knitting. John prefers that I knit while he drives, he says I am less of a back seat driver that way.

I do some charity knitting, but a lot of charities want everything made from acrylic yarn, which is not an option for me. Something in the acrylic causes my skin to peel off and I don't like that at all.

So My solution has been to open an on-line store at Art Fire to try to sell what I knit. So far my shop which I opened May 28, 2009 has not had a sale. I have taken the advice of other knitters and on-line shop owners and have re-photographed everything. I have added value sets and have a range of prices. So now it is up to you my dear readers to help me over come this addiction by shopping and letting your friends know about the site. http://www.artfire.com/users/Handmade~by~Sheri .