Needless to say when I announced my focus word this year,  I didn’t expect it to be tested so soon.  Over a week and a half ago, I was in the shower doing my normal routine of waiting for the dishwasher to finish its cycle, starting the washer, hopping into the shower between the fill and the rinse cycle (it makes me be faster) and something horrible happened.  At first I just thought it was the toilet starting to act up again so I poked my head out of the shower and glared at it.  Like that was going to be of any use, but once I stuck my head back into the shower, I noticed that something wasn’t so right with the bottom of the shower.  Let me remind you, I’m blind like a bat and might be able to distinguish color blobs when without my sight enhancers.  So I quickly wrapped up my shower and stepped out to a slightly soggy bathmat and a toilet that was refusing to behave.  Off I ran to the main bathroom, which is still in shambles (ok maybe not that bad, but I would rather be showering in there than the utility room) with the unfinished tub surround and noticed the throw rugs in there were wet.  I suddenly realized that THAT THING we had been warned about by the neighbors was happening.  Our SEWER was dead.  We are one of the few remaining homes on our street and in our area with the old pipes.  Now you wonder how can a SEWER go bad in a 50 year old house when it should be built with metal, clay pipes or concrete.  Well lovely folks, this is a paper town.  You know what that means.  Of course not, but basically it means they try to use paper for everything.  Our pipe from the house to the street was made of thick cardboard coated in tar.  Not really a material built to last, but it was a depression era invention.  Use what you have right?

Normally I would be freaking out about the cost, the time, the lack of usage.  Oddly I was at PEACE.  Yes I was.  A weird errie peace.  I normally can’t stand things to be torn up, out of place and not clean.  Plus I tend freak out that we will be broke and completely in debt at any moment.  Thankfully I don’t do the bills any more so I actually haven’t had those …. um …. manic paranoid freak-outs about money lately.  I love math but actually working with money that’s mine is a bit rough on me.  We actually are in a great place financially, which is a huge blessing.  On top of that 2 checks arrived in the mail.  One came right after the plumber came out to confirm our diagnosis of sewer failure for exactly the amount we paid and the second was a bonus from churchable’s company for meeting safety goals and turning a profit in the last year, which is amazing with all the downsizing of his mill and the economic climate at the moment.  I was shocked.  Everything was paid for by blessings in the forms of little tiny checks.  Ya’ll might call this providence or happy chance, but I say GOD is good for sending this to us.

Churchable with the help of a few scouts dug out the sewer (thankfully it wasn’t oozing), put in new better pipes and fill it back in over the last week.  We did it for less than half the lowest quote and that was with paying the scouts dig and fill in the ditch.  I’m so amazed that Churchable got it done so quickly.  I think he was too and he’s excited to start back on the stalled bathroom project.  So I might just be able to have a shower in the main bathroom by my birthday.  Maybe.  That might be wishful thinking.

Now lets share happier thoughts (ie the knitting):

I barely had any time to knit this weekend with teaching my first class. Sorry for the passworded post above but I needed a way for them to be able to access the handouts in case they lost them or they wanted to print out another copy for personal use. So in between teaching and holding a flash light for Churchable as he dug into the night, I knit the toe of the yellow sock. I also got a bit further on…..

I think I might have gotten a row or two done. Not to sure since its slow going. I love it and will be so happy when its done but its not the fastest knit for me, since I have to knit continental style and I normally throw because I’m more consistent in gauge and faster with stitching as a whole.

As I predicted, the wheat-ear remix has fallen by the way side. I’ve found more interesting things to occupy my interest, like my friends new pattern that she wanted me to test knit for her.

I even got to use some yummy Malabrigo DOS. A new sport weight test yarn that I’ve heard rumor will become new yarn line for Malabrigo. Its lovely and squishy and great for so many different types of projects. I plan on designing a lightweight sweater vest in it.

So the pattern is by my friend ZZwhitejd, she is in love with cables and has designed several patterns that are very creative and cute.  One even won the Malarabrigo Design Contest that was held in October, which has a prominent position on the front page of the Malabrigo website.  These mitts are so lovely that upon finishing the first mitt, I didn’t even want to take it off.  I did because I didn’t want to get it dirty while I cooked dinner.  Tomorrow, I might just go around one mitted so as to enjoy the feel.  Great job Jenny!!!

I’ve made steady progress on the wheat-ear pullover. I might have made more progress if I hadn’t left it at a friends house on Saturdays. I have cast on the underarm stitches since this raglan has a snug arm fit. I’ve also finished the cables, so its time to figure out the bust dart shaping.

I’m wondering if my neckline will be snugger than the pattern pictures, but we will see after the top is blocked. The cables shine, but I’m ready for the simple land of stockinette.

My tapestry cowl didn’t get much action this week, because it takes a bit more concentration than I can muster some nights and my usual methods of keeping track of my place on the chart keep popping off so I’ve basically been losing my place and tired of re-doing sections. I need something else, like maybe a set of pattern tamers.

When Minty released the Tapestry Cowl, I knew I needed to knit it but I needed to find just the perfect yarn for it.    Little did I know that the perfect yarn would land on my doorstep at the end of September.

This beautiful yarn is my Magnolia Society yarn club September offering.  Its a beautiful multi-dimensional brown called Black Madeira FIg.  Its Madelinetosh Glazed Sock.  This color is so beautiful;  Just 4 weeks early I was lamenting on the Malabrigo Junkie group on Ravelry that I really craved a nice deep fig color.  So when I opened the package, I was over the moon with happiness at the color.  I knew immediately that this would become a tapestry cowl.  I even had the perfect skein of yarn to pair with it from the same dyer sitting in my stash patiently waiting for its fate.

The citrus sock was my first ever purchase of Madelinetosh yarn over a year ago from woolgirl.  I just hadn’t had time to cast on a lucious orange sock for myself.  I feel this is the perfect marriage of pattern, yarn and color.  I can’t wait till I’m finished.

My only hesitation is that the older yarn  (citrus) looks like it is a bit thinner than the September yarn.  Does anyone know if Madelinetosh switched sock bases in the last 12-14 months.

My other project, which is getting much more attention, is my Wheat-ear Remix.  I’m doing a mini-KAL with RobinM the other moderator of the Sexy Knitters Club for our cable technique KAL, which we are running right now.

Its the Wheat-ear Cable Yoke pattern from the cover of Interweave Knits Summer 2007.  We are changing it from being knit in pieces from the bottom up to top-down in one piece.  So far I think its looking amazing and that it seems to be fitting my dress form properly so I hope that when I get to the armhole “Bind-Off” that it fits perfectly all over.

So the design juices have been flowing and last Wednesday I could not sleep so I cast on a new thing. Let me introduce the Cattrack Cowl. Perfect mix of yarn and pattern.

Many of you might be watching the cowl craze sweep the internet. Back in November, I knit a giant swatch that have been wearing all the time. I love it so much that I put away all the scarfs. I thought it was high time I bring another cowl into my collection. I will be sharing it with ya’ll as soon as the test knitters finish with it.

This cowl is knit using the twined knitting technique. My husband saw it as I neared completion and felt that it looked like Cat tracks up on the mountains. We love winter sports but don’t always have time to go up to the mountains and enjoy the snow. Now I have a reminder of the trails that we enjoy.

Now you probably wonder what happens to those pictures that don’t make the cut, I mess with them to have fun. See don’t you like the cool funkiness of it all.