If I just ignore it, it WILL go away!

At a little pool party last evening. I slipped on the steps going down into the water.

I jammed my wrist. I pretended I was fine.

Before bed I took some Advil and donned one of the wrist splints I have from my days of struggling with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

It felt better upon waking but after a couple of hours without the splint its starting to pain again.

Mr. Splint and I will now be spending the day together and probably overnight tonight as well. Today will be too filled with weekend prep to fit any knitting in so the fact I won't be knitting will have nothing to do with whatever troubled state my wrist might be in. I have some big finishes planned for the weekend and I don't want a stupid strain or sprain messing with my intended knitting schedule!

I'm stubborn in the extreme - does it show?

Happy Weekend everyone!

Its no use at home with the pattern books...

A couple of weeks ago I was wondering about the yardage of yarn needed to make a women's medium sized vest. The requirements listed in the pattern seemed as high as the stack of yarn itself.

Later I remembered I had this handy little resource (kept safely at home - how useful!) put out by Interweave and produced by Anne Budd.

Sure enough, the amount is in the right ballpark.

For a little laminated tri-fold pamphlet it contains a ton of information...

8 tables giving approximate yardage for Hats, Mitts, Socks, Gloves, Scarves, Tams and of course Sweaters and Vests in a full range of gauges for sizes from 2 years to men's/adults large.

A table that gives Standard Yarn Weights, Needles Sizes and Gauges.

The lamination to make it sturdy enough to handle frequent trips in the bottom of a purse. (Just have to remember to put it there!)

If you don't already have one, I think its a great addition to the knitting tool kit. As I think I've mentioned before the math side of knitting is the one I need to dedicate time and attention to the most. As mind numbing as numbers are for me I'm going to better familiarize myself with the information in it prior to going to the LYS (maybe this afternoon?) so I have some clue of what I'm looking at/for when I pull it out with the shop owner standing there. I swear those women have calculators where their brains are supposed to be! It can be so intimidating. First things first though - I'm going to go put the thing in my purse!

A Wall of Heat

Behind that curtain is the most glorious summer morning sun shine you can imagine but its loaded with heat so I block it out in an effort to keep the house as cool with as little AC as possible.

On the west side of the house I have blinds lined with black out fabric that do a fantastic job of keeping things equally comfortable during the long late afternoon and early evening.

With school out, the house in summer has a mellow, open minded, spontaneous energy. I try to say "yes" to the majority of the kid's requests as well as the odd inclination to just sit down in the middle of the day and knit. I love having cool drinks and seasonal fruit washed and grab able from the fridge. Give me shady coolness over frigid AC-induced cold any day.

Imprint has got to be the perfect summer knitting project and its moving along nicely. I'm about to begin the straight section of the front which will go as quickly and easily as the back did if I can fight my usual habit of having my mind wander around once I think I have the hang of something. This is the moment when disaster typically strikes my knitting projects. The shady back porch under our huge maple tree with a view of the garden is my knitting locale of choice and its all the more so as we await new railings to be installed - I'm enjoying the unobstructed view while I can. I'm not sure this really helps with the wandering mind though...I've moved my knitting to a big antique wash basin. Resting the needle holding the work across the top of the bowl keeps the bobbins all hanging straight and minimizes the time I need to take to untangle them every time I pick up the work to knit. The old crackled white ironstone and bright new cotton yarn is uber summery!

Speaking of "summery" - I'm loving the way this blog evokes the mountains in summer and summer knitting all rolled into one. Quite inspiring while sitting on my little porch in the big city.