The Pattern from Hell

 I started knitting a baby blanket for someone I know.  No, it’s not a family member.  I am using a kit that included the yarn to make a baby blanket and the pattern. The pattern sold well a few years back but I never did see any of the finished blankets.  Now I know why.  I also now know why so many people gave me their new kits   

First off the finished baby blanket size is 27 by 40 inches.  That is much to small for a baby blanket.  It’s more like the size of a shawl.  Second each stripe is supposed to be 10 inches wide and there are 4 of them.  I might not be the best a math, but by the patterns calculation the blanket would be 40 by 40 inches.   A nice size baby blanket.  For 40 grams of yarn I got 2.5 inches, so for a 100 gram ball that would give me 6.25 inches not 10 inches as stated by the pattern, 3.75 inches too short. Assuming it really was 100 grams when I started. By industry standards they are allowed + or - 5% for each skein of yarn for weight and yardage. 

Since that was only the beginning of the problems with this pattern.  I would have to rewrite the whole thing to send to the company for an errata.  One or two things ok, but the whole dammed pattern no way. So I came up with a work around.  

So I went stash diving to see if I had yarn that matched. Even if it was not the same dye lot I could make it work.  That’s for a lesson or another log post.  I had no luck there.  So I went to start looking at kits that were waiting to be knit.  I found the same kit in the same color.  In the very first basket.  Yeah, there are 5 baskets of kits waiting to be knit.  I  found it in the first basket. I now have a very workable solution.  I will have another pattern to write up shortly.  I usually don’t like writing and knitting 2 patterns at a time , but I will use separate notebooks and different yarn bowls, yarn weights and colors.  So that should help.  

Wish me luck.  

Sighs

 I am not sure what I absolutely hate more, a Sjogren’s flare up or COVID19.  Right now my vote is for the Sjorgren’s flare up only because my face is so swollen that I can’t see my ears.  John votes for COVID19 because we both want to go out and do things.  With the flare up I am tired I can’t concentrate on things for long.  My hands get wonky at time.  I may have to read the same book section 2 or 3 times to understand it.  With COVID19 I am just bored and stir crazy.  

I have been doing a little knitting.  I am trying to finish a 40 inch square baby blanket before the baby comes and I only have 38 inches to go on itsy bitsy knitting needles.  I think that they are a U.S. size 3. I can get between on half inch and 1 inch done per day.  I hope that I get a little faster.  The ever other Purl rows slow me down, but make the blanket so much nicer.  I have about 8 inches of the first color to go. There will be 4, 10 inch sections when I am finished. Gradienting from white to purple.  

While watching television I am working on a random scarf.  I like the pattern because I don’t have to watch what I am doing.  I just let the knitting needles fly.  Tomorrow I should be at my third color change. Only about 4 1/2 feet left to knit.  

It’s Fixed

 I got an emergency dental appointment today. The crown has been reseated. A different method and glue was used. So hopefully it will stay put.  I did manage to crash my blood sugar afterwards. We’ll long story short I have a bad habit of throwing up if I go to the dentist with a full tummy. So I skipped my lunch. After the dental work I could not eat until 3:30. Don’t worry I ate a little before I drove anywhere. I waited until the food kicked in before I even started the car.  Also if you are in need of a dentist in Tucson I have the name and numbers of 2 very good dentist.  

I did manage to get a short walk and 2 thirty minute Cubii2 workouts.  So I am starting to feel better.  I also finished one Grandma’s Bag of Necessity, I will post a picture to Raverly tomorrow, this was knit in wool.  The pattern is also on Raverly.  If for any reason you do not use Raverly just message me and we can figure out away for you to buy the pattern.  

The Sjogren’s flare up is still kicking me in to naps.  I woke up did a little work and slept for 2 hours even though I set a 20 minute timer and reset it once.  When my body needs sleep it does not matter what I have to do it wins every time.  That is the down side of giving up high sugar energy drinks.  Well there is always tomorrow.   

B.B.D.

 I took the opportunity to sleep through most of my bad body day.  There are times when I am sure that I am not over doing things, however my body says not so much.  I did manage to finish another chapter of The Witch Ash. It has taken some unexpected turns.  It is a real page turner.  

Another scarf was finished.  Tomorrows UFO has been found and put on the knitting table.  I am not sure what I will do with this project when finished. It’s just so close to the finish line that I need to get them done.  Yes there are 2 small projects in one bag. The leftover yarn will go into the hat bag.  

I did start a charity box for art supplies.  Once it is finished I will drop it off at Eric’s old day program. His friends like to see what treats I bring. They like deciding what to do with everything. 

And to cap off today, the cap that fell off 2 weeks ago fell off again tonight. I am not happy about that at all.  How can the adhesive agent fail so quickly?  Well back to the dentist I go.  

Just Monday

 I decided I was not quite in the mood to do much cooking this week so I got up early and headed to the store. Most people were wearing masks, but there are a few that still won’t. I just assume since we have a county wide mandate that they are also not vax’ed, so I try to stay as far as possible from them. . I picked up a double turkey breast.  That should be good for at least 3 turkey dinners and one pot of soup.  

An afternoon walk and some time checking up on my older sister.  Then there was some easy knitting while working on a scarf.  I did not finish it but came close to the tinking spot.  I have gotten to an interesting spot in the Witch Tree. So more knitting time and listening time tomorrow. I have also changed chairs for my Cubii2.  I am using on of the chairs from the dining room table and a chair pad from the kitchen table.  It sounds odd but it works as long as I am wearing low heels.  I know being short requires heels for everything.  I did manage to get a full 30 minute workout after dinner.  Now we will see if I can get one after breakfast tomorrow.  

We are currently bingeing on the HBO British version of Ghost.  We are in the middle of the second season.  I highly recommend both the British version which is the original and the American version.  They are both the same yet different to reflect the society differences.  

Just Knitting

 I finished my first project for 2022. It is the Summer Lee Stash Dive Scarf on Raverly. See the picture below.  I really like knitting them while watching television.  Once they are cast on I just have to be mindful of the color changes.  I have also cast on the next Stash Dive Scarf.   The only problem with this one is that I did not turn on the lights in the knitting room and thought that I had pulled out a skein of a light green, it was blue and did not go with my color way. So I went back again and thought I had the right shade yet again.  No, it was blue green.  The 3rd time was the charm.  A pale green.  That works, so knitting continued.  I did modify the pattern slightly by crocheting the ends closed  this gives it a more uniform look and is faster  

I thought I was going to finish a second knitting project today, but had to tink it out.  I lost a few stitches along the way.  So, after the yarn was rewound I cast on my 15 stitches and started again.  Once I finish this scarf I will start a present.  I am going to see how many projects I can get done this month without destroying my hands.  More importantly how many UFO’s  

The numbers are up for COVID19 so I will be spending a lot of time at home.  

Fitbit Sense

 So I broke my Fitbit sense. I cracked the glass. It has been limping along for about 2 weeks. Today I had to attach the charger to see the dial and knew it was the end of the road for a very expensive watch.  I made the mistake of following the watch directions by wearing the crystal on the outside of my wrist.  Since I had a bad track record as a kid, when I was 9, I started wearing the watch face on the inside of my wrist. Problem solved, this is the first crystal that has cracked since the 1960’s for me.  Since the Sense is not the Mickey Mouse watch of my youth with the crystal being replaced every few months.  I had to replace the watch.  It’s all the fancy electronic stuff. John can explain it since it’s new technology.  

Even though I cracked the crystal, I still love the watch.  Although deep down  I still want my Fitbit One back. I just loved it   However the Sense does so much more. So I got another one   

Thanks to Target and Shipit I got it with in a couple of hours.  I set it up after dinner.  I think I am getting to much practice doing this because I did not need John’s help.  I even put my leather watch band on the new watch.  

Just so everyone knows, I paid for the new watch myself.  I am not receiving any money from Target, Fitbit or Shipit. There is no endorsement money or any other form of renumeration involved. These are my personal comments.  

I did however luck out and got it on sale just like everyone else who buys one this week at Target.