little bit of crazy leaking out

This arrived yesterday (mouseover to see what’s inside):

I know, you’re shocked! Me, buy yarn? Never happens! Umm, yeah. Of course the whole box of yarn wasn’t for me, half was for Emma. In fact I just got back from dropping off her yarn. This yarn is for me, for Dad’s blanket:

I started Dad’s blanket last night (using layout C) and so far so good.  I am quite happy with the yarn, it is soft, has a nice twist, the colors are even but not at all flat and knits up into a nice squishy fabric.  It reminds me of Cascade 220 Superwash, but a bit softer.  I have split a couple of stitches using my ultra pointy Addi Lace needles, I think if I were using a blunter needle this wouldn’t be a problem. 

I did a bit of number crunching and I am beginning to doubt my ability to finish this blanket in a timely manner.  The stitch count came out over 136,000, not including the i-cord binding.  eeep!

I found out yesterday that my dad will be going in for brain surgery, again, in the next month or so. The last time was almost nine years ago and he swore he wouldn’t do it again even if the growth came back. Apparently he changed his mind when faced with the reality of it.

I have decided to knit him a blanket for after surgery at the hospital and while he’s recovering at home. At first I was thinking a Pi blanket, but that’s just not my dad’s style. I settled on the Moderne Log Cabin (pdf) from Mason-Dixon Knitting, nice size for snuggling under on the couch. I ordered the yarn from Elann, superwash wool, and sat down to work out the color placement. While doing that Emma pointed out how nice the layout for the Moderne Baby Blanket (pdf) was.  More math.  I readjusted the numbers for the yarn I had purchased and so it would end up about the same dimensions as the Modern Log Cabin, so different multipliers for length of the blanket and width . . . oh well, it’s for a good cause.

After playing with the color placement this is what I came up with:

I’m taking opinions until the yarn arrives and I cast on, and I may or may not actully take the poll results into account when I do cast on. I can be fickle that way. Having said that, what do you think?

Did you feel the world stop rotating today about 10:30am (pacific time)?  You did?  I’m not surprised.  Want to know what happened?

Here it is.

My dad said he might vote for Obama!

I know, I’m shocked too.  You’re not, oh, I guess I should explain.  My dad is very conservative, but not religious.  He’s a hunter, gun rights advocate, and NRA member.  He is a pull yourself up by the bootstraps kind of guy, he comes from a very poor background but I enjoyed a middle-class upbringing because he did pull himself up.  For the most part he feels if he did it there is no reason anyone else can’t do it, and his political views mirror that.  The last time he voted for a democrat was JFK, so it’s been a while. 

Today Dad came over for a visit and while we were talking about the caucus yesterday he piped up with, “I’m seriously thinking of looking into voting for Obama if McCain gets the nomination.”  Now, coming from my dad, he might as well have said he was going to dance naked under the next full moon (and really, we don’t want that).  After I picked my chin up off the ground we started talking about what was holding him back from voting for Obama, and it turns out Dad wanted to know about his stand on gun control.  I hopped onto the internet and printed out a page on Supporting the Rights and Traditions of Sportsmen (pdf), Dad was pleased with statement “He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns for the purposes of hunting and target shooting.” 

By the time he left I think he was pretty much convinced.  He did make it clear that there was no way he would vote for Hillary Clinton, he may dislike McCain enough to look at voting for Obama, but I think hell would have to freeze over for him to vote for Hillary. 

Sorry I haven’t been posting lately, but there has been has been lots of family drama and I just haven’t felt comfortable posting about it.  There has been quite a bit of knitting going on, especially of the sock variety, and I will be posting about that soon. 

But, first, in the “no good deed goes unpunished” theme, let me tell you about my evening.  About an hour before the boy’s bus was due to drop him off yesterday, my SIL called, “(the pharmacy) just called and they need me to pick up some medication for Mom, now, could you do it for me?”  Cuz, see, she’s so busy and important.  Yes, ok, I’ll do it.  Bug and I load into the car and drive down there, we have just enough time to get the meds, drop them off with MIL and get back in time to meet the bus.  The prescriptions weren’t ready, wouldn’t be ready for 30 min, and they aren’t sure who called SIL, because, “gee, that’s strange.”  No, I don’t have time to wait, thank you very much, so back home we go to meet the bus. 

The boy gets home, back we go to the pharmacy, this time we go to the drive-through.  (hint: it’s been more than 30 min)  The prescriptions were ready, sort of, there was a problem with one of them so they had to refill it.  Okay, we wait, and wait, with two kids in the car.  Finally get the meds and take them over to MIL, drop them off, talk for a couple of minutes, but need to get the kids home and fed.  Out to the car, unlock the car . . . and the key gets stuck in the door lock.  The key that makes the car go.  The only key I have.  The only other key is up on the pass with hubby, at work.  *sigh*

Kids back out of the car, back inside, call a locksmith.  It would be ~30 minutes until he got there.  So, I get to entertain two hungry children while we wait, in the lobby of an assisted living community.  Good times.  About an hour later, and $85 poorer, the key was removed from the lock and we headed home.

When telling the story to Hubby this morning Bug told him we had a ’scaventure’ last night. 

“Don’t you mean an adventure?”

“No, it’s a scaventure because it wan’t fun.”

Amen, honey.

. . . about my knitting/fiber goals for next year. With only 10 days left in 2007 it is apparent that some of my goals for 2007 will not be realized (no, I’m not going to make it easy for you and link to my list of 2007 failuresgoals) and that perhaps I should go for more general goals in 2008.

• Knit sweaters:  I already have several ready to cast on. (Peace Fleece KAL, at VYT, cardigan for mom; yellow Peace Fleece cardigan for Bug, Kauni, handspun sweater, Laughing Carrots, EZ colorwork sweater)
• Steek:Eeek, a steek! This one is a bit scarey for me, but if I do knit up Kauni or the EZ cardigan this year, well, there’s a steek.
• Spin a fleece:  This is a big one, but I have four fleeces waiting to be spun up and I keep buying hand dyed roving from my friend the roving pusher. Must spin more.
• Knit socks: Once again, sock yarn stash, must knit socks.  If I keep a pair on the needles all the time socks will be knit.
• Shawl or wrap: And again I have the yarn and patterns for several projects waiting, and waiting, to be cast on. Swallowtail (or Mermaid Wrap) in Handmaiden Sea Silk, Touring Wrap in Fleece Artist Suri Blue, Juno Regina (or Estonian Garden Wrap) in Elann Pure Alpaca Fina, Victorian Shoulderette in Wolf Creek Wools Alpaca (or Silky Wool).

I’m sure I’ll think of something else, but I think this is a good start.

The slippers are going well, Hubby’s and Bug’s are finished, I’ve finished one of Bubba’s and I have the yarn for mine and for a pair for my mom.  From dishcloth crazy to slipper crazy . . . oh well . . . could be worse.  Right?