The Scottish Lamb

Just wanna say thanks for all the kind words about the tea cozy.  I'm happy to report that once it was finished I was knitting on the "damn raglan" again.... and enjoying it.  All I needed was that little boost that only a quickie project can give.

We've had the craziest weather here in Germany.  I told you just a few days ago that it's been cool here.  Then it was in the 90s for a few days (trust me when I say that's hot when there's no AC) and last night a mini hurricane blew through.  Amazing storm.  One of my patio chairs ended up over the fence in my neighbor's yard.  Back to jeans and long sleeves today.

I forgot to share one of my purchases in Italy. Guess what these are destined to be:

One can never have to many stitch markers.

I also forgot this one.  Joe's first roller coaster ride when we went to Legoland:

He was looking at the photo the other day and exclaimed, "Hey!  That's not the face I was making!  I wasn't that scared!"  Yea.  Okay, Joe.  It's a conspiracy. I was hoping that Daniel would succumb to little-brother-pressure and give it a shot but he didn't.  I know Daniel's fear meter and there are some things I'll make him try... this ride wasn't one of them.   I did make him do the log ride.  He was a nervous wreck at first but he loved it anyway. 

I was tagged by Ali to do the idiosyncrasies list.  This will be difficult as I am *extremely* normal.  Quit laughing, Dan.  I am normal.  Just ask me.  But I'll try...

1.  I do an inner cringe when people say, "Walmarts" instead of Walmart.  I'll be the first to admit that this is anal, but all the same... it drives me bonkers.  Technically it's a pet peeve more than an idiosyncrasy but still... it tells you something when this is my #1.

2.  I can only spin when I know I can complete a full bobbin in one sitting.  That means plying also. I'm so fearful that I won't be able to match the twist if I let it set (yes, I know the trick of dropping it in water....)

3.  When I start a new goal it has to be started on a Monday.  You can't start a diet on a Friday.  That just doesn't make sense.  You're just setting yourself up for failure!

4.  I have to buy a book as soon as I hear about it for fear I'll forget about it.  Because of this I have about 20 unread books on my nightstand.

5.  I can not stand to drink milk out of a plastic cup.

So now you know.  I have boring idiosyncrasies.  Told you I was normal.

Ahhh.... Sweet Freedom for the Renegade!

Thanks to some of the comments left on my last post, I've tasted freedom!  I gave up on my self-imposed anal rules (I know you didn't say they were anal, but let's face it... they were) and cast on a little project.  I'm such a renegade!!  I'm THRILLED with how it turned out.  A little disgusted with how much knitting time I've lost because of my own rules.  It all goes back to Margene's "it's the process" philosophy.

So.  I cast on 110 stitches of my favorite color of Elann's Highland Wool (Forest Heather - which is funny because it's the same color the damn raglan is knit in that started all this in the first place).  I knit loosely with 8mm needles for about nine inches (the first inch in garter) and then I started decreasing four stitches per round until I had about 48 stitches left.  I flipped it inside out and did a three-needles bind off.

What did I get?  A hat?

A fruit bowl?

Nope and nope.  Here's what it looked like before being cast into the washing machine with a load of jeans:

And here's what it looked like after about ten minutes in the washer and the addition of some simple embroidery stitches:

In a word.... I LOVE IT!!!  Here's a close up of the sheep where you can see my Colonial knots and the beautiful colors in the wool:

So.... I've learned my lesson.  When feeling overwhelmed... cast on something!  Anything! Get those creative juices going!  I've had this tea cozy in my head for a couple of months now. It only took me an evening and a morning to do it and now I'm ready to knit again.  Ahhhh..... FREEDOM!!!

Is it just me?

You know that joke, “She who dies with the most wool wins”? I’m thinking not so much. I’ve been on a knitting block for close to two months now. I was blaming it on the hot weather for a while but who am I kidding? We’re in Germany. We’ve been wearing jackets for the last several weeks. I know what it is. I’m overwhelmed. This happens when I build up too much clutter. I know that seems like a dirty word in respect to stash, but basically that’s what it is. I admit it. I have way too much and it’s stressing me out. When this happens I completely shut down and end up doing nothing.

I have at least 20 sweaters’ worth of kitted up bags of yarn. I have an IKEA buffet full of yarn, baskets and baskets full of yarn and wool, three 18-gallon Rubbermaid bins and a foot locker full of yarn and wool, two fleeces that need to be sent off to processing and a sack of sock yarn that I bought in a panic the last time we left Germany (it was ½ the price that it was in the States! That was back in the good ‘ol days before the Euro).

Add to that my sewing, beads, basket making, paper crafts, on and on and on.....  I could almost open a Hobby Lobby. It's out of control. It's all organized but I know it's all there..... lurking.... waiting for me to use it.

I’m at the point on Dan’s raglan (the underarms) where I have to do some thinking. It would take me less than 15 minutes to figure out the math but I’ve used this as an excuse to let it sit for way too long now. At some point over the last few years I started a rule with myself. I can only have one large knitting project and a pair of socks on the needles at one time. I’m allowed to cast on a baby gift if the need arises but I pretty much stick to my own rule. Don’t ask me why I’ve made this rule but I’m in a rut now because of it

So I’m curious. How many of you only keep a few projects worth of yarn at a time (I admire your willpower) and how many are on overload like me?

The obvious solution would be to have a stash sale. That’d be like selling off some of my kids! What the heck do I choose to go and what stays? I swore I was going to do this over the summer.  We're half way through and I haven't even begun.

All that said I enjoyed this addition to my stash, courtesy of Mia:

There's Jacob wool with a flier and an ADORABLE booklet for kids about spinning.  I don't know what the pink dreamy goodness is but it is SO soft.  The little butterfly with the wiggly head is hilarious.  You can't help but smile when you see him.  Thank you so much, Mia!

Remember the wool I bought to dye for the Clapotis?  I loved Kary's in Brooks Farm Harmony.  Kary was kind enough to send me a swatch.  Totally different than I expected but gorgeous just the same.  Here's the swatch she sent to me:

I thought it'd be all denim blues and yellows.  It's much more purple.  I can not believe how gorgeous and soft it is.  I might have to go ahead and order the Brooks Farm yarn.  lol.  You see how I got into this stash mess?!

Whew!

What a whirlwind the last two weeks has been.  We had a great time with Monica, Peter, PD and Sean.  We rented a Mercedes and headed south to the Alps.  Let it never be said that we don't ride in style.  I took this quick photo so that Monica and Peter would have proof that they rode in a Mercedes on the Autobahn during their trip:

Did I forget to mention that it was a bright blue Mercedes rental van? lol.  We put some miles on that van and we never had the problem of losing it in the parking lot!  Here it is looking down from Hohenschwangau Castle.

Our first stop was Berchtesgaden to see the Eagle's Nest.  You can click on the thumbnail to see a bigger picture but it won't get much clearer.   That is actually how it looked that day.  We were literally in the clouds.  We hiked up to the top of the mountain to get a shot by the cross and as soon as we got back into the Eagle's Nest building the sky let loose and absolutely dumped rain.  It was a wet, wet ride to Garmisch....

We stayed four days in apartments in Garmisch.  We had the whole top floor.  Our balcony was this one all the way across the front (little picture is view from our balcony) and Monica and Peter's was the same thing but across the back of the house.  Their's had a beautiful view of the Zugspitze:

More pictures from Garmisch:

We hopped down to Vipiteno, Italy for lunch:

This sidewalk cafe was at the base of the clock tower in the center of town.   Right outside of town are two castles.  We stopped to take photos in front of Reifenstein Castle:

No trip to Garmisch would be complete without going to Neuschweinstein and Hohenschwangau Castles:

The Grand Finale for the boys was the trip to Legoland:

And yes, there was knitting....  The guys went golfing one day while Monica and I caught up on laundry.  My dear SIL.... whom I've been trying to talk into learning to knit for years.... finally picked up the needles.  She's a natural.  Here's what she accomplished in just a few hours.

It was sad to see them go.  I wish we'd had more time to just sit and visit but there was so much to show them.  It was fun for Monica to be back in Germany (she and Dan were here as kids when my FIL was stationed in Hanau).  Dan took them up to see all their old haunts in Hanau on the way to catch their flight out of Frankfurt. 

Dan left this morning to go to the States for a class in Virginia.  The house seems way too quiet.....

Mail Call

Update on Monica and Peter in London at bottom of post

Weeeee!  Look what came in the mail from Knit Picks last night:

That's the Andean Silk and it's destined to become this as soon as I dye it to look like this.  It'll be a couple of weeks at least before I can get to it, but I'll keep you posted on whether I fail or succeed.  I loved that colorway the second I saw it on Kary's blog.  Now the pressure's on. Here's hoping the color wheel and book help me with my color problems.  I'm color deficient.  My dad is completely color blind.  I have the hardest times with colors that are similar.  You know the little numbers in the dots color test?  I flunk it every time except for the green and red.

Speaking of the Clapotis... I just found out how to say it this weekend from Erica.  It's much more elegant than the Clap-OTIS that was spewing out of my mouth.  Probably why I haven't been inclined to knit it yet.  Who wants to knit something with such an ugly name?.... "oooh... that's so pretty! What are you knitting?"  "Why it's the Clap-OTIS"  "Oh.... okay."  You see what I mean?  lol.  French is the one language that I've never been able to even fake while reading it.  Not that I knew it was a French word.  What?  You mean I should have gotten that from the very obvious description in the pattern?! Ya.  I know.  Welcome to my world. I don't do obvious. I swear I gave up a little piece of my brain with the birth of each of my four boys.  Either that or I'm going senile already.  Can that happen at 42?  I sometimes wonder.  It's scary.

I'd say that I need to "brush up" on my French before our trip to visit Nilda in Brittany next month but there's nothing to "brush up" on.  I'll leave the par-le-vou to Nilda and her hubster.  They could kick us out of the country the way I butcher their language.

So, I got to meet up with Kathleen and Erica this weekend.  We had a BBQ at Kathleen's just north of Nürnberg on Sunday.  It was a lot of fun.  Very international.  Kathleen had friends from every country on the globe there it seemed.  We brought a taco dip (YUM!), hot dogs with American condiments and the ingredients for S'mores.  About five minutes after Erica left, Kathleen and I realized that we didn't take any pictures!  Bad.... BAD bloggers.  It seems that Erica caught a most flattering shot (snort) of Kathleen and I chatting.  It's posted on her blog for all the world to see.  Sneaky, sneaky, Erica!  ;-)  A good time was had by all.  Can't wait to do it again girls! 

Luckily we had great weather that day which is more than I can say about the weather we've had since then or are supposed to have for the next week.  Cold and wet.  I checked the weather in Garmisch (where we'll be next week) the other day.... SNOW!!! And Monica was worried about the place we're staying having a pool. Sure.  That's great if you're a penguin!

I can't believe my SIL and crew will be here in a little more than 48 hours!  I'm out-of-my-mind excited!  They are in London right now, but will be heading for Paris and Normandy today.  They landed in London on Tuesday morning.  Dan calls the hotel that night (they were taking a nap before dinner), takes on his best British accent and this is how it went (Hotel name and room #'s have been changed to protect the innocent) :

Dan: Yes... um... 'alo mum.  Is this room 654?

Monica: No... it's room 635 (great! My SIL is giving her room number out over the phone! That makes me feel secure about their safety.  She "claims" she was just half asleep. lol).

Dan:  Yes... well...I'm sorry 'bout that mum. This is the front desk.  We're 'avin a wee get together down here for our new guests and we'd like you and your family to join us.

Monica:..........silence......... Now????

Dan and I were about to pee our pants we were laughing so hard.  It's the only reason she figured out it was her brother.  Monica, Monica, Monica.  Who loves ya baby?

So then he calls his mother to let her know that Monica, Peter and the boys arrived in London and are fine.  Same British accent:

Dan:  'alo mum.  This is the Grand Hotel in London.  We do the service of letting family members know when  their loved ones have arrived safely at the hotel 'ere in London.  Monica, Peter and the boys are up taking a wee nap right now tuckered out by their travels.  We'll make sure to take right good care of them for you.

MIL:  What a wonderful service!!  Thank you so much for letting me know.

OH MI GAWD!!  LOL!  Please, God... don't let my children be so gullible.  What makes this funnier is that Dan does this every single time he calls home except it's usually in Spanish... posing as an old woman looking for charity.  My MIL falls for it every time. Scary. 

Have you all seen this baby set? It's adorable and the pattern is free from Opal.  You can find it here on the PT yarns site.

I'm 3/4 finished spinning the Kool Aid wool.  I want to finish it today or I never will.  I'm one of those spinners that has to be able to finish the entire process of one skein of yarn in one sitting.  I spin the singles, wind it off on the ball winder and then ply from a center pull ball.  I hate having little bits of singles left over and I hate having to try to get my ply twist right when the singles have been sitting on the bobbin and have set.  As I ply I check the twish of each legnth by letting it hang before I let it wind onto the bobbin.  Probably takes me twice as long.  I really wish I could be more carefree about it but I guess I'll always be a little anal about my spinning.

UPDATE:

Just a few moments after I posted the above post I got a Fox News bulletin about the bombings in London.  I immediately called the hotel but Monica and Peter had checked out at 9am... just a few moments after the first blast.  Because I've been to London a few times I could map out where the tube stops were, the hotel and Waterloo (where they'd be headed for the train to Paris).  I was pretty sure they'd take a taxi and they'd just miss everything.  It was a scary few hours but we just got a call from Peter and they are in Lille, France and fine.  He'd gotten my cell phone message and called wondering what the problem was. They were just minutes ahead of everything but had no idea what had happened.  I was telling them on the phone and they were relaying it to other passengers.  Luckily, I found out they were okay just about the time that our families in Texas were waking up so I could tell them before they saw the news.  I want to thank those of you that emailed your prayers.  My heart and prayers go out to all of those effected by the tragedy in London.  I think I need a shot of tequila now.

Sunrise... Sunset

It was funny spinning the Kool Aid wool.  The oranges to corals to yellows reminded me of the sun rising and sunsetting.  I went into my own little mantra, "Sun....rise" when I was spinning the yellows and then, "Sun.....set...." as the corals came up.

This is one time that I liked the wool better unspun than spun.  I think it just needs a little toning down in a little brown dye like I did a few months ago with the bright red Lopi yarn.  I think it'll make it very Autumnal.  I'll spin it all up first.  I only did about a quarter of it so far.

So I'm getting pretty excited.  Dan's sister, Monica, her husband, Peter and our nephews, P.D. and Sean, are coming a week from tomorrow!  We can't wait.  We're really close and it's been two years since we've seen them.  We're going to head south and stay in apartments in Garmisch for the first week.   On the way down we'll hit Munich and from Garmisch we'll make day trips to Italy, Austria and all of the castles down in that area.  On the way home we'll go to see The Eagle's Nest.  We've been to all the places but it will be so much more fun with loved ones.  After touring Bavaria we'll come back here and do daytrips from the house.  We've been promising the boys a trip to Legoland "as soon as your cousins come" since we got back over here.  It'll be a nice break for the four boys to just have kid time.  We're also going up to Hanau so Monica can see where they lived as kids when Dan's dad was stationed over here.  Did I mention I can't wait?  You probably won't be seeing much blog activity from me over the next few weeks.

While I'm thinking of it... a little note to the grammar police.  I know my grammar sucks.  As the daughter of a journalist, trust me when I say that grammar was most important in our home as I was growing up and mine was perfect...then.  Then I went into the Army and took Czech for a year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.  As if that wasn't enough for all English grammar rules to be forgotten forever, they sent me through Spanish for four months several years later.  Ya.  My grammar sucks and I hear about it all the time from my grammar perfect husband and father.  When I write on my blog, I'm just thinking out loud and I don't really think about it so cut me a little slack okay?  Okay.  Nuf said. :-)