Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Sunday special...streaming

I don't usually post on Sundays, but today was not my normal Sunday. We went to Mass early, and visited Josh's girlfriend's family this afternoon and ate dinner with them by 4 p.m. That was very different for us, as Sundays are usually spent at noon Mass and dinner at about 7 p.m. I'm about ready for bed now.

I thought I would post a few pictures and beg for some knitting advice.



I have been working on my sock. Earlier in the week I was knitting and listening to Little Bee. Oh, very sad story. I'm not sure I can recommend it. It was so sad.

Anyway, I was knitting away when I realized I was knitting the lace wrong. Guess what? It's staying wrong. I like it.

On Friday, I started the Hunger Games. Yes, I am the last person on earth to read the Hunger Games. Even though I wasn't reading, I was listening. I don't really know why I held out for so long. It was great. I can't wait until my name comes up for #2, though I imagine I'll be rather disappointed, because #1 was so good. This is a book almost anyone could read. I'd say from age 14 or so on up. Entertaining and, except for the necessary violence (which I don't think was overly graphic considering what most kids are exposed to even if you're careful), clean. There is kissing, but that's it. And I don't remember any language, but I was listening and not reading so I could have missed it. I finished it yesterday afternoon.





The Opening ceremony snack. We splurged on peanut M&Ms. Honey butter popcorn has become a regular (almost every evening) event. Yum.





Gratuitous flower pic. Dontcha love coleus?




Gratuitous kid and dog pic. Aren't they a friendly pair?





Kelly has kept me busy lately. They will go in the mail tomorrow, Kelly. (She's a regular slave driver, I tell you.)




Gratuitous Carrot Cupcakes. I was told they were delicious. They are not wheat free.





My knitting -- HELP! The heel turning...I have done it and ripped it three times. I hate this heel now. According to the author of Socks From the Toe Up, this is a gusset heel. Sounds easy enough, yeh? It didn't seem that hard either. I learned to w & t (wrap and turn) and it all felt very good until about halfway through when I realized it was very, um lopsided.

See all those pretty little s1, k1 stitches up there? All the way to the left side of the sock?




Now you don't. I have knitted this heel three times and every single time it looks like this. I could cry.



Lopsided. I could post the entire instructions here, but it doesn't really matter. They have to be wrong. The first time it came out wrong, I blamed myself (and the Hunger Games). The second time it came out wrong, I was watching the Opening Games, and I blamed myself and the television. The third time I can not take responsibility. I counted out loud, I read very carefully. The pattern just has to be wrong. I just can't figure out what to do now. I suppose I'll go through the book and compare patterns, but I am open to suggestions. I was really liking this sock.


Happy Sunday night.

10 comments:

  1. No knitting advice, but I did devour the Hunger Games trilogy as fast as I could, in order to screen it for my own teens. She is another heroine who is a poor role model for girls. Manipulative, selfish, and in spite of the horrors she endures, she never grows or changes. It's an enjoyable read, but not very edifying. :-)

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  2. Yes. And she has mother issues. But she loved her father and he wasn't a bum! She has trust issues, which you could blame on her environment. She has potential, which I guess from your comment, isn't realized.

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  3. DO NOT read #2 unless you have #3 right with you or you'll go nuts. Trust me. :) So hold off on #2 until you can get Mockingjay, too!
    Little Bee is really sad. Beautiful writing. That author's newest book is called Gold, about two friends who are on the British Olympic Cycling team. It's fantastic.

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  4. Can't help with the knitting dilemma, but all the other pics are very pretty! Love the rosaries, Miss Faith and pup, cupcakes, and coleus...all pretty!

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  5. Hey friend. I'm so happy I popped in here again. My brain has been so disorganized I haven't made time for blog reading, but I missed you, so I thought I'd stop in. =) I can't be much knitting help, but the sock looks so pretty! Let me know how you feel about Hunger Games after you finish the trilogy.

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  6. Love the photo of Faith and your doggy. A very friendly pair, indeed! :)

    Slave driver! Hahahaha! :) They look beautiful, Barbara. Seriously, though, I hope it wasn't too much of a stress for you. That thought has honestly been a worry of mine.

    As for the socks, you have my mind working backwards, because of the toe up direction your work is moving in. The slip 1, k 1 heal is what I use for all of my cuff down socks. I need to look at the photos a bit more.

    So, just to clarify, your problem is not with turning the heal or with the s1, k1 heal, but with the decreasing for the gusset?

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  7. Okay, I think I see what's happening. Did you divide up your stitches correctly? I haven't actually counted up the st on the needles in the last photo, but I can see that you have more actual heel sts on left needle than you do on the right needle. I'm sorry if I'm not much help…the backward direction of the toe up and then the circular needles are throwing me off. :( I feel like I should be able to help because this is the kind of heel that I use with all of my socks.

    BTW, please forgive all of my misspellings of "heal" in my first post. Good grief! *face palm*

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  8. Ah, okay, I can now see that the circular needle in the back is just holding the front lacework.

    I just pulled out my book. You've already worked the gusset, turned the heel and are now just working back and forth on the heel flap itself. You're past the dividing of stitches…hmmm, okay. Sorry, I'm working my way through this… these wraps are new to me.

    Wait, it looks like you are decreasing during the heel flap section…

    Obviously I'm not much help to you, Barbara. I'm sorry. I wish I could have been knitting this along with you. I still don't have my needles for this project. :(

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  9. no knitting advice because I have no idea even how to do a basic anything.
    sad but true.

    the hunger games.
    I liked the first book. The part where she stepped in for her sister touched me. She is bitter because of the situation she is in. I would be too. I did not like book 2 or 3. Especially who dies in no. three. Read it and let me know if you have a thumbs up or down for the next two.

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  10. My daughter's high school is reading Hunger Games for the summer-reading program (one school, one book). I think it will provide a lot of food for classroom discussion when school reopens. (And Barbara, I could lend you the full trilogy on my Kindle if you want to read rather than listen and we can figure out how to make the lending feature work!)
    No heroine is perfect, but the novel does provide a lot of moral dilemmas, relationship and teamwork issues that are good for teenagers to think and talk about.

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!