How to Clean Your Kitchen
(when it wasn't even on your to do list!)
Yesterday was one of those days that make you feel like all three Stooges wrapped up in one. I am in the very last stage of a sweater for a deadline, trying to honor my promise to myself to have it done before Christmas (deadline is Jan 2), but yesterday morning a couple of problems and another deadline had me running around like the proverbial headless chicken. I had an egg-white-&-mushroom omelet ready for my growling stomache (trying to be good this week in preparation for holiday yummies), and an important, ponderous, image-laden email trying to send itself out of Outlook. I dashed back into the kitchen to add some salsa to the omelet, took the mega-jar out of the fridge, shook it vigorously, and SPLASH! Yep, about three cups of salsa go violently plopping to the middle of the floor. As you can probably imagine, the lovely red stuff spread itself literally from one end of my galley-style kitchen to the other, and all over the face of the oven and both sides full of cabinets. The whole kitchen now has a thorough cleaning and I have to say an humble "you were so right, darling" to my husband. You see, I am always complaining to him because he has a penchant for screwing all caps on extremely tight--so tight that sometimes I have to ask him to get them off for me. I will from now on be screwing things a little tighter myself, ahem. I'm sure I didn't get it all. I'm sure I'll be finding mysterious red spots on the wall, the stove, the ceiling....
Anyway, so today I finish the sleeve of the mystery man sweater and start assembling. Then I can edit the pattern over the course of the next few days and send all the day after Christmas. I wish I could show you, but I will tell you that with this project, I had my first negative experience with Cascade 220. When the package came, the yarn was stuffed, all 10 hanks of it, into an 11 x 14 envelope, crammed so tightly that I had to let it sit for a couple of days before I could wind it up into cakes. Why would anyone who cares for fiber treat their fiber this way? It's almost a month since it arrived and the hanks yet to be wound still look squished. On top of that, this batch is twisting like crazy. I have only used one hank that did not twist. The twisting slows down my progress. Ugh. It is still producing a lovely fabric, though, so that's what matters.
Referring to the aforementioned email-sending, I had to email a magazine publisher because the submission I sent last Wednesday (the 13th) by priority mail still has not shown up, or at least I am getting no confirmation of such. Another one I sent the same day arrived on Monday. Not the 2-3 days they promise, but 4. I also emailed the USPS about this, but as yet...no reply. I may have finally had my first--EGADS!--lost-in-the-mail precious knitting catastrophe. Oh, dear friends, I know it happens to everyone, but please hope that I am spared losing the whole cable sock knit with Mountain Colors and the whole lace sock knit with Dalegarn Stork, and, gee the whole submission packet I knocked myself out assembling last Tuesday/Wednesday when I needed to be resting in bed. (I went to the doctor Thursday and had blood work taken and I feel better now, thanks. I still don't know what had me feeling so badly those two weeks. Weird. Maybe the lab report will reveal something. Probably not.)
So here we are on the eve of Winter Solstice, rapidly approaching Christmas, and I am dreaming of all next week to do as I wish. These are my hopes for that week: Finally tell you about six new designs we revealed over the past month or so, work on submissions, start (yes, start) my TKGA Master Knitter Level 1, get back to work on a women's sweater design for Figheadh, clean the rest of the house (now that the kitchen is taken care of), send boxes of goodies to my children & grandchildren (I donate to charity in their names for Christmas and send them stuff later) & enjoy some sock knitting! Think I can do it all? I always think I can. We'll see.
Okay, for those two of you (maybe) who actually kept with me all the way here, I'll reward you with a purty picture...oh no I won't because blogger won't let me! Argh! I think it's punishing me for not upgrading to the new thingy. Another task for next week!
Okay, how 'bout a couple of neat links? Multidirectional goodies & wonderful Wooly Thoughts. Pics next time.
Back to the sleeve!
Yesterday was one of those days that make you feel like all three Stooges wrapped up in one. I am in the very last stage of a sweater for a deadline, trying to honor my promise to myself to have it done before Christmas (deadline is Jan 2), but yesterday morning a couple of problems and another deadline had me running around like the proverbial headless chicken. I had an egg-white-&-mushroom omelet ready for my growling stomache (trying to be good this week in preparation for holiday yummies), and an important, ponderous, image-laden email trying to send itself out of Outlook. I dashed back into the kitchen to add some salsa to the omelet, took the mega-jar out of the fridge, shook it vigorously, and SPLASH! Yep, about three cups of salsa go violently plopping to the middle of the floor. As you can probably imagine, the lovely red stuff spread itself literally from one end of my galley-style kitchen to the other, and all over the face of the oven and both sides full of cabinets. The whole kitchen now has a thorough cleaning and I have to say an humble "you were so right, darling" to my husband. You see, I am always complaining to him because he has a penchant for screwing all caps on extremely tight--so tight that sometimes I have to ask him to get them off for me. I will from now on be screwing things a little tighter myself, ahem. I'm sure I didn't get it all. I'm sure I'll be finding mysterious red spots on the wall, the stove, the ceiling....
Anyway, so today I finish the sleeve of the mystery man sweater and start assembling. Then I can edit the pattern over the course of the next few days and send all the day after Christmas. I wish I could show you, but I will tell you that with this project, I had my first negative experience with Cascade 220. When the package came, the yarn was stuffed, all 10 hanks of it, into an 11 x 14 envelope, crammed so tightly that I had to let it sit for a couple of days before I could wind it up into cakes. Why would anyone who cares for fiber treat their fiber this way? It's almost a month since it arrived and the hanks yet to be wound still look squished. On top of that, this batch is twisting like crazy. I have only used one hank that did not twist. The twisting slows down my progress. Ugh. It is still producing a lovely fabric, though, so that's what matters.
Referring to the aforementioned email-sending, I had to email a magazine publisher because the submission I sent last Wednesday (the 13th) by priority mail still has not shown up, or at least I am getting no confirmation of such. Another one I sent the same day arrived on Monday. Not the 2-3 days they promise, but 4. I also emailed the USPS about this, but as yet...no reply. I may have finally had my first--EGADS!--lost-in-the-mail precious knitting catastrophe. Oh, dear friends, I know it happens to everyone, but please hope that I am spared losing the whole cable sock knit with Mountain Colors and the whole lace sock knit with Dalegarn Stork, and, gee the whole submission packet I knocked myself out assembling last Tuesday/Wednesday when I needed to be resting in bed. (I went to the doctor Thursday and had blood work taken and I feel better now, thanks. I still don't know what had me feeling so badly those two weeks. Weird. Maybe the lab report will reveal something. Probably not.)
So here we are on the eve of Winter Solstice, rapidly approaching Christmas, and I am dreaming of all next week to do as I wish. These are my hopes for that week: Finally tell you about six new designs we revealed over the past month or so, work on submissions, start (yes, start) my TKGA Master Knitter Level 1, get back to work on a women's sweater design for Figheadh, clean the rest of the house (now that the kitchen is taken care of), send boxes of goodies to my children & grandchildren (I donate to charity in their names for Christmas and send them stuff later) & enjoy some sock knitting! Think I can do it all? I always think I can. We'll see.
Okay, for those two of you (maybe) who actually kept with me all the way here, I'll reward you with a purty picture...oh no I won't because blogger won't let me! Argh! I think it's punishing me for not upgrading to the new thingy. Another task for next week!
Okay, how 'bout a couple of neat links? Multidirectional goodies & wonderful Wooly Thoughts. Pics next time.
Back to the sleeve!
Comments
Hope your packages sho up soon and safely.
Enjoyed your blog and your links; please, would you visit Fiber Femmes when you get a few moments? It's at http://www.fiberfemmes.com and a new e-zine by a couple of Appalachia mountain broads.
Merry Merry and Ho Ho Ho...