Yet I have a bat. Or, more accurately, had a bat. It’s gone now, I know not where. I just know that this morning we were awoken at 5:20-ish by an awful racket. Sounded like the cats were chasing around an enormous cricket. The cats in question were the two Siamese, which are neither of them very cat like in their hunting skills. Dante, the male, can hunt alright, but then has no idea what to do with what he gets, but Cleo, the female is so cross eyed that she rarely connects with anything thrown her way. So there they were this morning galloping up and down the landing and into our bedroom, into the bathroom at the other end and back again. And the chirping! Or more like clicking? Whatever. This was one HUGE cricket. My huband’s reaction?
They’ll get it, whatever it is.
No no, that won’t do. Go see what all the ruckus is about. I won’t sleep if they’re still going after it. J gets up, looks down the hall and says-
I know what they’re after… come have a look.
There it was, trying to hide from the cats on the top of the moulding around the bathroom window. A bat. The cats jumped, the bat took off.
This is not the first dealing I have had with bats. We used to see them at dusk in the summer, flying around the neighbourhood where I grew up. I had very long hair then and one evening could have sworn one flew through the ends of my hair as I was running up the garden. I felt it. They’ve never really been an issue for me. They don’t gross me out. They live their lives, I live mine. But this one was in my house. Inside. Where I live.
J went downstairs and got a margarine tub, we found the little guy hiding behind a chest of drawers, rounded him up and released him outside, then went back to bed. The thought of rabies didn’t even cross my mind until later this morning when I had my wits about me again.
Crap.
The official word from Ottawa Public Health says that if you wake up with a bat in your room you should have the vaccine. We don’t know how long it was in the house before we woke up, and wether or not it got into Evan’s room (the door was only pulled to, not fully closed). The vaccine is a long series of needles, which I don’t want to have to put Evan through if I don’t have to! You know. Since he’s only 3.
A happier subject! Knitting. Yes. Let’s talk knitting.
There has been lots of knitting going on around here. Eris has been getting some well deserved attention! Last time I mentioned Eris was back in October, as I was heading out to Rhinebeck. I was a little concerned with the raglan increases, and was lamenting the lack of speed in my stockinette knitting. It was put aside in November in order to get on with some Christmas knitting, and languished in the WIP black hole until late last month. And this is where it stands as of the weekend:
(Yes yes, I know, I have to finish up that mannequin…) All but the cuffs are done! There was some bus knitting to and from Toronto a few weeks back for competition, and some movies thrown in for good measure. Gotta love movies you’ve already seen and enjoyed to provide good knitting time! Once it has been blocked the collar and hem cabling will look much crisper, and the hem (and cuffs, once they’re done) will curl less.
Can I just mention for the record that I am in awe of Jenna Wilson. That girl has some VISION! The way the cables flow along with short rows to turn a corner? I so couldn’t have come up with that. So cool. I showed people on the bus. People who now think I’m a complete nut. That’s just how cool it is.
Now I am trying to decide if I want to take a few rows off the sleeve length before doing the cuffs, which is odd for me considering my long arms. I just think that since the sweater is rather fitted over all I would like a more of a slightly below the wrist length rather than my standard almost to the base of my thumb length. Decisions decisions. Gotta tell you though, I’d much rather be making that decision rather than the one about the rabies vaccine!
Wait- did I mention rabies? We’re not talking about rabies. Back to the knitting.
A hat!
Or at least, it will be. This is the rather popular Top Down Bonnet with Anime Character from Hello Yarn. I’m doing it out of some *ahem* Red Heart Lustre acrylic *ahem* for two reasons. One, I like the colour. Two I really like the colour. Reminds me, though, how much I hate knitting with plastic yarn. Oh well. It’ll be washable, and the person it’s for is all about the washable and doesn’t really “get” why wool is better. Oh, and did I mention? I like the colour. And it goes with the electric blue needles! Ok, so I’ll stop apologizing. I have to say though, that I am thinking of sucking up the hatred of acrylic to make a matching sweater out of the stuff. There is so much yardage in the ball that I think I could get a sweater out of less than 2 balls. Not bad, eh?
I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first Rockin’ Sock Club shipment from Blue Moon, some time in the next week I hope. I have a pair of socks already on the needles, so I will be trying to get them done before I get the new yarn. Combine that with another sale coming up soon, and you can see I’ll be busy. I have to get more regular about posting again though, so wish me luck! You shouldn’t have to wait 6 months for news of what I’m working on…
So. Vaccine?
Don’t you wish sometimes that this was your life too?
It’s been quite the couple of weeks here chez Sarahfish. In my last post I mentioned in passing that Evan had come down with the dreaded Pink Eye. What I didn’t mention is that the day he started the pink eye was the day he was supposed to go in for minor surgery. The fact that the surgery was postponed had nothing to do with the pink eye, as it happens. CHEO simply didn’t have the beds available to do elective surgeries last week (don’t get me started on how I had a 3 year-old fasting since dinner the evening before until aqbout noon when they called to cancel). Anyway, the eye thing was a pretty big deal since it meant keeping The Boy home from school. He went in on Friday, though I was on a bus to Toronto for a competition, so I didn’t know the freedom of a morning free from Child. I returned home Sunday evening, then early Monday morning reported to CHEO with The Boy, ready for surgery. He went in at 8:30, surgery done at 9:00, awake at 9:30 and on our way home at 11:00. By 12:30, only 4 hours after the surgery began, he was JUMPING UP AND DOWN. I was expecting to have returned to me a sleepy, groggy and sore little guy who would likely just mope for the day. I think that’s how I was after I had my tonsils out… but I guess this being a hernia repair, the process is different? When I saw him at 9:30 he saw me come in, perked up and chirped “Hi Mum!” His Dad and I have been laughing that maybe all the doc did was draw a line on his tummy, put some steri strips over it and call it done. At least now it’s all done, and on Monday I can send him back to school. Hooray for alone time!! I have about a hundred things on my list of what to get up to with those 2 1/2 hours on Monday morning…
But this is a knitting blog, right? Right. Let’s talk knitting.
I mentioned a while back that there are some projects from years past which just didn’t live up to my expectations. I had lots of hope, but the reality just didn’t cut it. So, in my current state of frugality, and wanting to knit from the stash as much as possible, I am going to cut my losses and recycle the yarn. Let’s start with my Rowan Summer Tweed tank.
Lovely, isn’t it? So what’s the problem? It simply was not designed with me in mind. Truth be told, it was not designed for a woman with breasts. In my defense, I made this tank the summer before last, when I was still in the blindly-follow-the-pattern phase, before I realized that if I wanted something to look good on me I had to take a look at my body and see if it would pair well with the pattern. Generally, a boat neck sweater looks good on me, so I thought this would too. Maybe it would, actually, if the chest section was wider! It’s bordering on scandalous. There is not a bra in the world that would be concealed under this thing. So the plan for now is to rip it out and do something along the lines of Otis, from Knitty. I say something along the lines of… because I’m not sure I want that kind of sleeve. We’ll see.
Next up, and going a little further back, is the Ribby Cardi from the lovely and talented Bonne Marie Burns of Chicknits. The fault on this one lies squarely on my shoulders. Which clearly are not as wide as I think.
It’s just BIG. I was thinking ease. But really. The cardigan is ribbed, adn it’s supposed to be body hugging. Ease?? Dude. I was so annoyed with myself that I didn’t bother to properly finish the zipper sewing. The other problem? My guage. I used the yarn called for in the pattern, and got guage in the swatch, but as I got trucking along, I loosened up. Yup, it got even bigger. And…
It pills like a MoFo. Ick. (Apologies for the colour balance on that one. Yikes!)
Lastly (partly because this post is getting long and partly because this is getting embarassing) I give you The Everyday Cardi. Again, this is all about me, and my knitter’s error.
It is the second sweater I ever knit. The knitting is actually pretty decent! The yarn is GORGEOUS. It’s Peace Fleece, and I love it. Truly. I want more. I may have to fight Norma, but that’s ok. We had a little Peace Fleece gushing session at Rhinebeck, so I hope she’ll understand! Anyway… it fits terribly. I am just not meant to wear a cropped, square, drop shoulder cardigan. Again, it was pre adjust-pattern-to-fit-actual-wearer, so it is too short. It’s probably designed to fit someone about 5′5″ or so. Since I am 5′9″ it sits just a few hairs below my waist. As soon as I move I have a bare tummy. Also, notice where the shoulder to sleeve seam sits on my right arm (It’s actually my left since it’s a mirror, but you see where I mean). It starts and the underside of my bust and goes diagonally up from there. I get a big bunch of extra fabric over my breast making me look very oddly proportioned. Not cool.
But did I mention how much I love the yarn?
Just yesterday I picked up my copy of Maggie Righetti’s Sweater Design in Plain English (please support your local bookseller or knitting shop when you purchase your books!), which was a Christmas present to me from my Mum. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and really have a read through it, but the quick few flips through have been very promising. I think I will use the resource to help me put together a cardigan using the Peace Fleece. And with any luck my brain will function well enough to let me do it right!
So, lots going on. Again, I need to post about the things I’ve finished this year, but I need someone else to man the camera for that to happen. Hoping that will come together soon!
