This was one of yesterday's longer notes:

Thanks to your "design" book [Aran Sweater Design], my husband picked out favorite cable patterns and designed an Aran vest for me to knit him. He's quite proud of it and it's very nice in a grey-green DK Shetland Jamieson wool.

I appreciate all of these notes so much. They've taken some of the sting out of folding up the newsletter.

Cathy, you asked about the pasta-and-bean soup. It's ridiculously easy: saute some chopped onions, celery, and garlic until translucent, add some chicken stock, three cans of great northern or cannelini beans (rinsed), a couple of handfuls of small pasta like shells or macaroni, and some chopped spinach (I used frozen). I'll also toss in some zucchini if I have it on hand. Let cook until the pasta is al dente. DD#2 likes hers with fresh parmesan grated on top. The last couple of times I've made it I've added in some Italiano Reggiano sausage, which is made and sold locally by some friends of ours.

It's even better the next day but ours doesn't usually last that long.

I seem to have picked up a cold—not a bad one, just a slightly scratchy throat and some post-nasal drip. I think the only reason this hasn't become a full-blown knock-me-on-my-butt cold is because I drink Emergen-C every morning. Literally—I have not had a cold of any kind in over a year, and that's a minor miracle considering how much time I spend at the germ factory. But this is enough to be irritating and I hope it goes away soon. I spent most of yesterday in my recliner by the fireplace, knitting and drinking tea.

I received word from the State of Michigan yesterday that a date has been set for me in small claims court in Lansing. I've given Threadbear every opportunity to honor their obligation to me, but if it takes a court judgment to get them to do so, well—it was their decision to let it get to this point, not mine. I will probably fly to Cleveland and spend a few days with my mother and drive up to Michigan for the court appearance. And I'll ask that my travel expenses be added to the amount I am owed, along with all the legal fees I have incurred thus far.

Have a good week of knitting. I'll try to be a bit more conscientious about posting.

And I am glad to have January over and done with. No, it's still not spring or anything even close to spring yet, but it's no longer January, either. And February is a short month (listen to me, I sound like Pollyanna).

I got quite a bit of knitting done this weekend, although it wasn't without some problems (more on that in a moment). Thursday night I cast on for one of the fronts of this vest I am working on for the Spring issue. I finished it last night during a marathon session of "Ax Men" interspersed with a bit of the Pro Bowl here and there. We have friends who are loggers and we know that "Ax Men" isn't a very realistic portrayal of what goes on in the woods (I always wonder how those companies do what they do without OSHA slapping fines on them every couple of weeks). Oh well, it makes for very entertaining television. We got a real charge out of the father and son who tried to drive their 22 year-old dually from Washington state to Florida (they can't log in Washington State anymore, having run afoul of some regulations there) and broke down in Montana. Seems they hadn't bothered to check the truck's road-worthiness before they left.

I took a break from the vest Saturday afternoon and was trying to do a few rows on the twist brioche shawl. It's a 3-row pattern, so it's a bit harder than normal to keep track of one's place in the pattern until there are a few inches of finished knitting. I was knitting along and then the husband came in and asked me a question and the next thing I knew I had worked row 2 on the second half of row 3. Of course, I didn't figure that out until I had tried to work row 3 on what was supposed to be row 1. I knew the pattern didn't look right, but I couldn't figure out where it had gone wonky. I ripped it back to where I had screwed it up and now all is well again.

Normally I don't have a problem if the husband talks to me while I am knitting. I excel at multi-tasking, unless—apparently—one of the tasks is twist brioche.

I had to install new commenting software, as the old commenting software no longer exists. Hopefully it will be a seamless transition, but please let me know if there are any issues. Thanks.

That shed to the right is where we keep the split wood to dry out until we burn it in the fireplace. This is the first year that we've actually made a dent in the contents; the husband starts a fire every morning and keeps it going all day. He's been doing that so that we will have some room to store what he's just finished splitting.

We will be warm, of that I have no doubt.

DD#1 is in Bozeman this weekend for the state speech and debate tournament. I went to their "preview night" on Tuesday and got to see her in action giving a 5-minute extemporaneous speech. She did very well.

It has been—thankfully—a quiet week here, and I've been able to accomplish quite a bit. The Spring issue of the newsletter has come together nicely, I've got Cables 2 open on my computer, and the tax stuff is ready for my meeting with the accountant on Monday. We were supposed to close on the new property today but it looks like that will happen next week, instead.

And I am off to knit for a bit.

I have Google Alerts set up to search the web and send me a notice every time it runs across an instance of "Janet Szabo." Sometimes I get very interesting alerts, like the one about the blonde belly dancer in the UK named Janet Szabo. Other times I get some exciting alerts, like today's. Lily Chin's new book Power Cables is available for pre-order, although the release date isn't until May. And yours truly is quoted on the back cover, which is why Google Alerts picked it up.

I am so excited about this book! Lily and I have taught and roomed together at a number of events, so I knew she was working on this—I just wasn't sure what the release date would be.

And a new Vogue Stitchionary on lace stitches is forthcoming. That one will be on my list, too.

The Spring issue of the newsletter is just about done; I have to finish a vest so it can be photographed and then the whole thing gets shipped off to the printer. Look for it around the third week of February. As soon as I get the vest done I'll put sneak peek pictures up here on the blog.

I've pulled out all my Cables 2 stuff and tomorrow I get back to working on it in earnest. Interestingly, the chapter where I stopped is the one on tuck-stitch and Brioche cables. The reason I got hung up there has to do with the fact that there are two different ways to make those kinds of cables. I prefer the knit-into-the-row-below method, because it's SO much easier to work cables that way. However, two-color Brioche cable patterns are generally worked using the yo-dec method.

I'll play with it a bit and see what I can come up with that makes sense.

The classes were all full—about 25 women in each—of both old friends and knitters I hadn't yet met. We tackled classes on fitting, cables, brioche, and reversible stitch patterns. The brioche class went especially well.

I did not do any skiing while I was there. For one thing, the snowpack was dismal, even in Essex where they usually have a good base for skiing. And I really just wanted to sit and knit, so I did. Even so, the weekend seemed to speed by.

I'm hoping we'll have a 3rd Annual Camas Creek Yarn Winter Retreat, so let Melanie know if you're interested and what classes you'd like to have me teach.

On Monday I got right back into the swing of things by subbing for the 4th grade teacher at another local elementary school. Her class does a lot of reading and writing—an hour of writing in the afternoon, followed by 40 minutes of dedicated reading time. I didn't have to do much "teaching," during that time (although we talked about writing and I told them about my knitting books), so I sat and knitted and watched them. I sometimes worry that knitting while I am subbing looks unprofessional; on the other hand, if I had had to sit for nearly two hours with nothing to do, I would have started chewing on my arm—which also looks unprofessional.

The kids do not seem bothered by it; to the contrary, they always ask lots of questions.

I was so pleased to see how much those kids wanted to read. We are all voracious readers here at Chez Big Sky Knitting, and I think that—along with knitting—it's one of the greater pleasures of my life. I know that the husband would like to be out working, but being off for a couple of months has allowed him to catch up on his backlog of books. One of my secret talents is being able to pick out books for him to read. I've done this for years (since before we were married), and according to him I am pretty good at it.

I am about halfway through this book:

It is the sixth (and final—sob!) book in the Wilderness series by Sara Donati. As I recall, I bought the first book in the series—Into the Wilderness—on a teaching trip ten or so years ago. I was completely captivated. I love love love historical fiction, and these are books that have a special place on my bookshelf. They are probably the only novels I have ever purchased in hardcover. I read them over and over.

The husband laughed at me when he saw me reading the end of the book as soon as I got it. He said, "If you read the end of the book first, what's the point in reading the rest of it?" I responded that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey, and knowing where I am going to end up does not detract from the enjoyment of getting there. (I have since found out—by lurking in the readers' forum for this book—that lots of other people did exactly the same thing.)

Rosina Lippi—whose pen name is Sara Donati—had a blog that I used to read regularly. She hasn't written in it much recently, and it sounds like she had to get a "regular job" (I believe she has a PhD and was a university professor for a while) because she couldn't make a living at writing fiction. I can sympathize, but what a loss for those of us who are her fans.

Read something today.

which is a lovely 100% bamboo yarn from Fiber Trends (thanks, Bev!). I'm not a big fan of orange, though, so the color I am using is a pale lavender.

And the yarn is perfect for the stitch pattern I've chosen, which is Twist Brioche from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. There are lots of stitch patterns out there which make my heart go pitter-patter, but Twist Brioche falls near the top of my all-time favorites list. Brioche and cables and lace—what could be more fun?

So last night I cast on about half of the 600 or so stitches I will need for this shawl, which is being knit side-to-side (I am using a knitted cast-on, because even I am intimidated by the thought of running out of yarn at stitch number 574 of the cast-on row were I to use a long-tail cast-on).

And technically, I still only have two projects going if I take the afghan square out of the knitting bag. That's a bit lower-priority project and can be put on hold for a few weeks.

On another note: are the feeds showing up better now in the feed aggregators, or have I done something that eliminates them altogether? It's just been kind of quiet here lately so I thought I would check.

See you again next week.

What else? I finished and submitted the FAFSA (college financial aid application), and put the finishing touches on the tax stuff, which is now ready for the accountant. We have a scheduled closing next week on the property we are purchasing. It's directly behind and adjacent to our property, with a house and garage on 2 acres. The idea is that my FIL (who is helping fund the purchase) can come and live there at some point so he can be closer to us.

In the meantime, we plan to list it as a vacation rental. It needs a bit of work—the husband has to replace a rotted-out sill plate on the foundation and we want to paint the interior and replace the crummy carpeting with laminate flooring—but the plan is to have it listed and available to rent this summer. I'd also like to schedule some knitting retreats there.

And I am having fun scouring the thrift stores in town for furnishings. This won't be a glamorous luxury rental, but there are plenty of those around here. We want this to be an affordable, comfortable place for families to stay when they are visiting the Flathead Valley.

I'm packing the camera, so I'll try to have a photo recap of the retreat this weekend. It should be lots of fun!

Making a stitch in a brioche pattern can be accomplished one of two ways: by knitting into the stitch below, or by making a yarn over next to a stitch and knitting that yarn over together with that stitch on the following row. Structurally, these two techniques result in very similar (but not always "identical") fabrics.

I teach both methods in my class. I tell students that there are times they will want to use one method and times they will want to use the other. We start out by kntting a brioche rib swatch using each method, and I ask them to label them carefully and then compare the two fabrics. Some students think the fabric is nicer (and "fluffier") using the row below method. Some students prefer the fabric made using the yarn over method.

I think there are too many variables (knitting style, yarn choice, needle choice) to say that one method makes a "better" fabric than the other, although I can say with confidence that most students find the row below method easier to execute. Sometimes students who are continental knitters using the eastern combined uncrossed method have a lot of trouble with the yarn over method due to the way they wrap their purl stitches. I always ask at the beginning of the class if there are any students who knit that way. It's a good opportunity to discuss knitting styles with the whole class, and I can head off frustrations before they start by working individually with those students.

I promised you a review of the Nancy Marchant book Knitting Brioche. In terms of sheer eye candy, it is unsurpassed. It's simply a beautiful book. There are clear, full-color photos of each technique and stitch pattern. Every time I open the book I am blown away by the number of stitch patterns and variations that are included. The project chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I am going to have to put this book away somewhere for a while or it will certainly distract me from cables and what I am supposed to be working on. This book is destined to be the reference for brioche patterns knitted using the yarn over method (Elise Duvekot's book Knit One Below addresses brioche made using the row below method).

My only quibble—and I freely admit that this is a problem with me, not Nancy—is the use of the terms "brk" and "brp" (or "bark" and "burp"). They are terms that Nancy uses to code what is happening with the stitches on the needles. I realize that it does make the patterns shorter and easier to read—much like 1/1 LC is used as cable shorthand—and I suspect that if I were to spend any time at all knitting from Nancy's patterns, I would quickly get the hang of the terminology. I think part of my problem must come from the fact that I feel like I am constantly having to go up new learning curves and I've reached the age where that is no longer as much fun as it used to be. But that's my problem, not Nancy's. The books is so crammed full of explanations and photos that it's not like Nancy has left knitters to figure it out for themselves.

Back to my class: it's only a three-hour class and I simply don't have time to teach much more than the basics. Even a six-hour class wouldn't afford the amount of time needed to really explore this stitch technique. My goal with my class is to get students familiar with both techniques (and with the structure of the resulting fabrics) so that if they do want to explore further, they can do so with some confidence. I remember having to do the brioche swatches for Level III of the Master Knitting program and how daunting that was because they just seemed so incredibly complicated. (Hint: because of the way they are written in the Barbara Walker Treasuries, they are indeed way more complicated than they need to be.)

So I've included instructions in the handout for simple brioche ribbing, half-brioche (or half-fisherman's rib, as it's sometimes called), double brioche (also known as brioche honeycomb), and two-color brioche ribbing. The first three stitch patterns are worked using both the yarn over and knit in the row below methods. The two-color brioche rib is worked using the yarn over method. Yes, it's ambitious, and we probably won't get through everything. But I'd rather have too much material than not enough.

And I think that's all that needs to be said today.

I am delighted with the way the bag turned out. It only required two trips through the washer. I might have been able to felt it in one pass, but the first time I put it into a pillowcase. It hardly felted at all. I took it out of the pillowcase and ran it through with a load of towels, then tossed the whole lot into the dryer for a bit, then let it air dry completely.

Here is a sneak peek for you. You'll have to wait for the Spring issue to see the rest:

Renewal notices for Twists and Turns went out Saturday. I know I am a bit late—usually I try to get them sent right after the newsletter gets mailed. I still have to come up with some kind of pro-rated subscription system for those people whose subscriptions end some time in 2010 but who want to get the newsletter through the last issue.

I started a man's vest project in Classic Elite's Verde Collection Chesapeake. It's an interesting yarn—50% cotton, 50% wool. The appearance is slightly marled because of the way the two fibers take the dye. And I can't crunch it down in gauge the way I normally do with wool. Still, I like the way it is knitting up—so much so that I knit an entire skein of yarn yesterday.

These two projects have gone a long way toward helping me feel like I've got my designing legs under me again. I've also spent some time finishing a couple of projects which were languishing. I've always thought of myself as a process knitter, but productivity is a very satisfying feeling!

(I, on the other hand, AM a morning person and the husband fondly (I think it's fondly) refers to me as the "shining supernova." I really have to be careful that I don't overwhelm him when he wakes up.)

We had a very nice funeral yesterday. As the family was setting up the sanctuary for the service, someone brought in a rag rug, made by the lady whose life we were celebrating. It looked something like this:

Now I learned how to spin (and a bit of weaving) 20 years ago, but I had never seen a rug like this. Turns out it is a "buggy-rim rug," and it's a style of rug that dats way back to the pioneers crossing the plains. Every wagon had a spare wheel rim, and the women used them to create rag rugs to decorate their new homes in the west. I've decided that when I am old and retired, I will try making some of these rugs. It looks like fun.

It just goes to show that you never know when or where you might learn something new.

I've got a stack of knitting books sitting by my chair, waiting to be read. One of the ones I am most looking forward to devouring is Nancy Marchant's Knitting Brioche. I love Brioche stitch and teach a class on it. As soon as I have a chance to look it over, I'll post a review here.

In other news . . . the husband and I are frustrated. I am probably more frustrated than he is, although his frustration level is pretty high. This past year, our two businesses spent close to $5000 on legal fees in order to 1) protect ourselves from frivolous litigation 2) attempt to collect on unpaid debts (and in fairness to the three other yarn stores where I taught in June who do not deserve to be tainted by innuendo, the store which still owes me $1620.12 is Threadbear Fiber Arts in Lansing, MI) or 3) and fight (unsuccessfully, as we found out Wednesday) a decision on the part of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry to award unemployment benefits to a former employee of ours who was fired because he stabbed another one of our employees at an after-hours social function.

It's a sad commentary on the state of our society when people who make bad choices not only escape the consequences of those bad choices, but get rewarded for making them, at the expense of the people who make good choices. When I was growing up, my father was fond of telling us that "Life is not fair," and I know exactly what he meant.

So it's been a struggle this week, having had to take a hard look at the realities of being in business and wondering how much longer I want to be a masochist. I apologize to those of you who came here looking for an upbeat report on how fabulous the knitting industry is right now. This isn't the place to get it.

I am a musician, not a knitting designer, today—a quartet I sing with is singing at a funeral. We're doing one piece at the gravesite and one at the church. Yesterday morning the air temperature was -16 degrees at 9 a.m. It's hard to sing when it's that cold! Today it is supposed to warm up to 13 degrees. I think we may look odd, singing while we're all bundled up.

A friend of mine asked me yesterday if we were going to sing "Amazing Grace" or some other well-known song. I responded that no, Mennonites have this interesting habit of picking very old songs for funerals—most of them come out of hymnals from the early part of the 20th century, although the song we're singing at the gravesite is actually from the late 1800s. My musical repertoire is eclectic and wide-ranging. The other piece we are doing is entitled "How Can I Keep From Singing," and it's one of my very favorites.

Stay warm.

Looking at the numbers for my business in black and white was kind of sobering. I keep an eye on things as the year progresses, and I knew that revenue was down in 2009, but I wasn't quite prepared to see that it was down almost 35% (of course, it wouldn't be down QUITE that much if the yarn store that stiffed me for $1600 for a weekend workshop had paid me, but that's another story . . . ). And almost a third of what I made last year came from teaching gigs. I don't have many teaching gigs on the calendar this year, so I am preparing myself for another year of creative money management. I am a bit relieved that this will be the last year for Twists and Turns—the layout, design, tech editing, and printing for each issue runs a minimum of $2000. Purchasing designs from other designers can add up to another $1000. As much as I love that publication, it's becoming a drag on the bottom line.

The upside is that selling individual patterns has been a real boon, and has gotten my name out to a lot of knitters who've never heard of me. So I just need to reposition myself and be creative about how I run things. And hope that business picks up a bit in 2010.

I wanted to celebrate the fact that in 2009 I managed to get my health back—I am finally down at a normal weight, I'm hormonally stable, and I have lots of energy. So I went to my stylist and asked her to take off the bottom 4" of my hair:

Forgive the goofy look--it's hard to take a decent self-picture.

I like it a lot. It's certainly easier to take care of; I've been lazy and just letting it air dry curly instead of blow-drying and flat-ironing it—that saves me at least 45 minutes in the morning.

Let's go knit.

I picked out some very flowery variegated Cascade 220 at Camas Creek, found a matching solid to go with it, and did some swatching. I love the color combination, but the first swatch was kind of "eh."

This is the Two-Color Twisted Ladder from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and while it's easy and I like the windowpane effect from the felting, the cables get completely obscured. What's the point in knitting all those cables when I could get the same effect with simple columns of two knits? I think I might also have to use the top-loading washer at Camas Creek. Felting in my front-loader is tricky, at best.

I settled on a different pattern for the bag. It's kind of slow going—the background of the pattern is garter stitch, with a moving slipped cable on top, so the row gauge is quite compressed. But I should have the bag done this weekend and can cross that off the editorial list. I am waiting for some Classic Elite Verde Collection Chespeake to arrive and then I can knit the vest, assuming I can find the stitch pattern again—I found one in one of my stitch dictionaries and then forgot to stick a post-it note on it, so I have to hunt for it again.

The girls and I are taking my in-laws back to Missoula this morning so they can fly home to Maryland. Plane tickets to Kalispell were almost twice as much as they were to Missoula (thanks. Delta) , so that's why they flew in to Missoula instead. It works out nicely; we'll drop them off at the airport and then the girls and I will do some after-Christmas shopping. My poor sister-in-law isn't flying out of Kalispell until this afternoon, so she's stuck here for the day with her brother. We all had a nice visit this week. We ate well and I finally got to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Up!—oh, and we went to see Avatar, which was phenomenal.

I am working on DD#2's knitted dress. We searched the stash and she picked out some lovely light grey, slightly marled/tweedy Jo Sharp DK Wool. I've knit a couple other sweaters from Jo Sharp DK Wool, and it's one of my favorite yarns. I pulled out my needles and began swatching.

Ick, ick, ick. I am not sure what's wrong with this particular color of yarn, but it doesn't feel anything like the Jo Sharp DK Wool I have knit with before. The other colors were smooth and silky and felt really good to my hands. This is sticky and rough and feels almost cottony to me—the breed that comes to mind is Suffolk, or some other meat breed. I thought perhaps it felt this way because it had been in storage for a while, but even washing and blocking the swatch hasn't changed the hand of it. Despite that fact, DD#2 still loves the yarn and wants her dress knit from it. I'll just have to deal with it.

And that, dear knitters, is one of the reasons I am a big fan of breed-specific yarns. One knows exactly what one is knitting with—it's not a crapshoot depending on what kind of raw wool came into the mill that day.

I put a couple of stitch dictionaries near my knitting chair and I've been flipping through them at odd moments. That has helped immeasurably to jump-start the designing process. I've knocked out a couple of swatches and come up with some ideas I'd like to explore further.

My in-laws are here and my MIL and I were talking yesterday about the new book she's co-written, called Big Skye Ranch. She commented about how hard it is to get the creative part of the business—the writing—accomplished because so much time has to be spent on the marketing part of the business. I know exactly how she feels. It's frustrating. And there is so much MORE to do these days than there used to be—Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, ect., that it's hard to keep up. I wonder if people in other creative businesses feel this way, too?

My SIL flies in today and we're all excited to see her and meet her new chihuahua named Monkey. We have church tonight—lots of singing with the choir—and afterward we'll head over to our friends' house and enjoy some food and visiting. Happy holidays to all of you, too!

It seems that all I've been doing for the past couple of months has been keeping the wheels from falling off the bus while it drives down the road. I know that's not completely true, but a lot of what I've been doing has been behind the scenes and in areas that have a lot to do with running a business, but nothing to do with knitting design.

It occurred to me yesterday that part of what is making me so restless is that I haven't flexed my design muscles in quite a while. Yes, I am still knitting, but there is a difference between knitting and knitting design. I've got to figure out some way to make time for some designing—even if "designing" consists of nothing more than knocking out a couple of swatches a week (we all know that I love to swatch, so that's not a hardship).

And I have got to get Cables 2 done—it's languished far too long. It's been moved to the top of the pile for immediate attention at the beginning of January. I know that momentum will build once I start working on it again; the problem is that I have to work on it for that momentum to build (there's a circular argument for you).

So, here's what January's to-do list looks like:

Cables 2

Prepare classes for Izaak Walton retreat (one is a new class and needs some swatches and a handout)

Finish two designs for the Spring newsletter

Write up the patterns for a couple of small items I knocked out a few months ago

Swatch for new designs

As I get further into January I'll start thinking about what needs to be done in February.

We did get a bit of really great news this week: DD#1 was accepted to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She did early admission (although their early decision program isn't binding), and now we begin the process of getting the financial aid paperwork completed. I always get my tax stuff together in January, so that won't be as onerous as it sounds. She still plans to apply to a couple of other schools, but as the husband commented, "At least we know one school will take her."

The granola bars were pronounced "really good" by the husband, but we have to figure out some way to make individual bars. I made one big pan of bars, and he said that they had a tendency to crumble on the edges when he cut them apart. I might tinker with the recipe a bit—it seemed to me to need more honey and peanut butter than were called for.

We still haven't managed to get the Christmas tree up. Part of the problem is that the tree is in the attic, and the husband doesn't want to open the attic when we're experiencing artic air temps—all the heat from the house flies right up and out. Part of the problem is also that we haven't been here as a group for more than a few minutes at a time, and the girls and I like to decorate the tree together. Hopefully this week we will be able to get our act together and get the tree done. Presents are arriving and I have no place to put them.

I really wanted to play in Tubachristmas today—I was going to borrow a friend's euphonium, because trombones aren't allowed—but I have so much to do that I can't justify taking eight hours out of my schedule to go to the practice and the concert. DD#1 told me on the way home from the Speech and Debate tournament Saturday night that she was hoping not to have to do anything over Christmas break because she's so tired and stressed out, but her teachers assigned homework anyway. Why do we do this to ourselves and to our kids? I told her that college is going to seem like a picnic compared to the IB program.

postCount('Just Another Manic Monday'); Well. I think a big pot of ham and bean soup is in order for today, along with a toasty fire and some homemade bread. It's good to know that so many of the rest of you are enjoying making bread, too.

My mother-in-law has been making artisan bread for a while. She bought me the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book about six months ago, but I haven't been able to find the required five minutes in a day. Yesterday I finally mixed up a batch of dough (took all of about 3 minutes to throw everything into my stand mixer), put it in this container, and let it sit in the refrigertor overnight. And what you see in the picture is what was waiting for me this morning. Amazing!

This amount of dough made four loaves, which are resting for about 40 minutes before they get baked. I am curious to see how it turns out. And just for the record, I used Wheat Montana flour; we eat nothing but Wheat Montana bread, so it was the only choice for homemade bread. When I taught at Leslye Solomon's store Woolstock last June, I discovered that she also makes her own bread and orders her flour from Wheat Montana.

The authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day have a new book called Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which features whole grain, fruit, veggie, and gluten-free breads. I really prefer whole wheat bread (and of course I love veggies), so that book really intrigues me.

The bread should be done baking about the time people get out of bed. Tis group is notorious for sucking down homemade bread like candy, so it will be interesting to see how long four loaves last. I suspect I will be mixing up another batch of bread shortly.

I enjoy these events so much. It is wonderful to see and hear the energy and effort that these kids put in to preparing for competition. I judged Public Forum Debate last night. At one time or another I've judged all the debate events: Legislative Debate, Public Forum, Public Policy, and Lincoln-Douglas. DD#1 competes in Impromtu and Extemporaneous speech, so we don't usually cross paths—and even if we did, I am supposed to pretend we don't know each other (that's easier for her than me).

Last night's judging was not without a few problems, though, because the power went out at the high school where the debate events took place. We had some light from the backup power system, but not much. My two groups debated in an art studio with minimal overhead lighting, and some groups debated out in the hallways. We managed.

The tournament continues today. We have our fire department Christmas dinner tonight—a fellow firefighter on Facebook just alerted me to the fact that a winter storm warning has been issued for the Flathead Valley from 5 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Monday morning. We may not get do to much visiting tonight at the party if the storm actually materializes (these predictions are wrong far more than they are right, unfortunately). I thought it was kind of funny that 12 degrees above zero yesterday felt like a heat wave to me. It's supposed to hit 32 by the middle of next week. We'll have to break out the beach towels and suntan lotion.

The newsletter was mailed and e-mailed this week. I've contacted the couple of people whose e-mailed newsletter was rejected by their servers, but if anyone else had trouble getting or opening theirs, please let me know. I don't know what happens to them after I hit "send" unless I get a note from the recipient's ISP.

In the midst of all this holiday frenzy I have managed to get some knitting done, although I ran out of yarn in the middle of a meeting the other night and stupidly—I had forgotten to wind more. I came home and wound two skeins so I wouldn't run out again. I need to throw a second project into my bag, too—that will help if I ever find myself in that situation again.

I can fix cable mistakes, but in this case, there was nothing to do but rip. I fixed it, but I didn't get square #6 started as planned. Bummer.

We're still staring at another week (at least) of cold temps. It is currently -8 degrees (that's the air temp) outside, although the husband says we're warmer than the valley, which was -15 degrees at 2:00 this morning when he went out on a medical call. Cold air sinks. I am grateful for the extra 7 degrees of warmth up here on the mountain. We're all hoping that we don't get a structure fire, because keeping engines from freezing up in this cold is a monumental task. And of course, the likelihood that we'll have a structure fire goes up when it's this cold, because people will do all sorts of strange (and dangerous) things to keep their houses warm. Bad combo.

Even Lila and Rusty are cuddled up to keep warm:

I've got to find my designing mojo—it's been so long since I designed anything substantial that the design part of my brain appears to have rusted shut. I've always had trouble switching between the parts of my brain that do things like work on the website and the part that creates new things to knit, and when I don't use one or the other for a while, it atrophies. It's kind of like writer's block. The solution for writer's block is to write; the solution for designer's block is to design, not just reknit things that were designed ten years ago.

And I don't always have the house to myself these days. The husband is home most of the time (and probably will be for a few months yet), and while he spends a lot of that time out in his garage, we do tend to linger over breakfast and lunch talking about all sorts of things.

I am spending this afternoon getting the hard copies of the newsletter ready to mail, and the digital version will get e-mailed tomorrow (in the afternoon, most likely).

And because I'm cold, I'm reading this book (no, not really):

It's called The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America, and it's about the wildfires that raged in the northwest during the summer of 1910. A lot of it is set in the town of Wallace, ID—a town I drive through every time I go to Spokane, Seattle, or Portland. While the book is ostensibly about the big fires, it also has a lot of fascinating backstory about the birth and development of the US Forest Service and the western national parks. It's not really possible to tell one story without telling the other.

Fire is a very complicated thing. The biologist in me knows that fire is a necessary element of many ecosystems, and serves to cleanse and make ready the landscape for the next generation of vegetation. The homeowner in me wants to make sure that our property isn't subject to the ravages of a big fire. As the husband says, he knows the woods around us are going to burn some time, but he wants it to burn on his terms, not the fire's—hence the big push to clean out all the underbrush which, ironically, we burned. And the me that is married to the firefighter knows how deadly fire can be, but I try not to dwell on that.

I've read a young adult book—also called The Big Burn—which is told from the point of view of some of the townspeople in Wallace, ID. I'd like to know more about how the 1910 fires affected the Flathead Valley, where I live now, but I don't think it was very populated back then.

I've been working on knitting, but I haven't really been knitting much. My back catalog of designs and patterns needed a lot of attention this week. I had a big order from Fiber Trends to fill, and I was also trying to get patterns loaded onto Patternfish and my website. I've got close to 100 designs in the catalog, and now I need to have two sets of patterns: one with specific yarn information and one with generic yarn information. I need a PDF for each pattern in each set, and I also have to have a full-size picture and two different thumbnail pictures of each design. A lot of the older designs have been reknitted and rephotographed (with more yet to do). I've had to make up a pretty detailed spreadsheet so I can keep track of what is happening with which design (as well as where the files are located on my computer). It's a big job. I get through two or three patterns and I have to take a break.

Yesterday I taught my Colorizing Cables class at Camas Creek Yarns. That was a lot of fun. The store was busy. One guy popped his head into the classroom and said it sounded like we were having way too much fun.

And I think that's enough for today.

I am a very literal person. I like concrete examples to follow. The minister at our church loves to find the hidden meanings in things, and sometimes when I am in his classes I feel like a fish out of water. I don't see hidden meanings. It's hard for me to "infer" things. Because of that, I try to write my knitting patterns so there is no question about what I want you, the knitter, to do.

The new store launch this week was not without problems. I suspected there might be a few. One of the most frustrating things about this redesign was the documentation—or lack thereof—for the software. It's really hard to find good documentation for software. I can imagine programmers sitting around saying to themselves and their colleagues, "We write code. We don't write documentation. That's a waste of our valuable time." Oh yeah, better you should use your "valuable time" to write more code that the rest of us can't understand.

Can you tell this irritates me?

And so users like me, with just enough programming knowledge to be dangerous, are left floundering. This store software I am using has a fairly extensive piece of online documentation. That doesn't mean it's possible to find anything in it about how to use the software. Case in point: When it was time to "flip the switch" so that the website would show the upgraded store instead of the original store, I had to search for an hour within the documentation to figure out where in my admin panel the "switch" I needed to "flip" was located. I finally stumbled upon it by sheer accident. It's in the section of the documentation entitled "SEO Optimization." Oh yeah, that's the first place I should have looked (insert eye roll here).

One of the modules I added to my store controls the use of coupons. I really wanted to offer a coupon with a discount for the month of December. I downloaded the module, installed it, and printed out the documentation. "Great!" I thought to myself, "the documentation has all sorts of examples showing where in the pages I need to place the code to control the use of the coupons." I followed the examples exactly, putting the code in the same place on my pages as they had in the examples. Lo and behold—it was the wrong place and it broke the checkout process, something I did not discover until someone tried to order something.

Thankfully, my hosting company has a fabulous tech support guy named Gary. This company also happens to be located in Cleveland (I picked them for a reason). Gary is the only reason I haven't torn all my hair out over this redesign. I think I am going to send Gary a small present for Christmas as a thank-you. I'd like to knit him a scarf, but I don't really have time, so he might get some chocolates instead.

I did want to give you all a quick diet update: I finished the injections on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, I had to stick to the low-calorie diet until Sunday. Now I am on the three-week part of the diet where I am supposed to "eat when I am hungry but no sugars or starches," and I have to stay within two pounds of what I weighed on the last day of injections (which happened to be 145 pounds). I am concerned about eating too much or too little, so I've been logging my calories eaten on FitDay.com. It has worked out to be 2100-2300 calories a day, and I am bouncing back-and-forth between 143 and 144 pounds. This is a typical day:

Breakfast: two eggs fried in butter, a bowl of strawberries (although one morning I had a leftover bowl of roasted brussels sprouts, which I love)

Mid-morning snack: one string cheese and a large handful of walnuts, or a couple of slices of celery with real peanut butter (I use Adams 100% Natural—nothing but peanuts) or both if I am really hungry

Lunch: 1.5 cups of curried chicken salad made with onions, celery, and real mayo, a sliced cucumber with salt, and a big bowl of strawberries (that was lunch yesterday and I was stuffed)

Mid-afternoon snack: walnuts and cheese or celery and peanut butter

Dinner: a large tilapia filet fried in butter, steamed broccoli with butter and salt, and an orange

The key seems to be eating enough protein and fat and not eating any refined carbs. Low-calorie and low-fat items are specifically forbidden. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to what we're always being told (that fat is bad for you), but it seems to be working for me. Staying within two pounds of 145 pounds for the next three weeks will "lock in" this new weight.

Was it worth it? You bet.

From top left: Cable Embellished Hat by Katya Frankel, the Over the Top Mittens by JC Briar (that cable pattern goes up and over the top of the mitten!), the Triplets—a lace-and-cable combo set featuring a hat, fingerless gloves, and socks by Barb Brown—and the Fairy Tale Aran, and adorable girl's Aran cardigan by Kara Basko.

The Winter issue is at the printer and I expect to have copies by the beginning of next week.

And to celebrate the new store and thank you all for being my customers, I am offering 15% off any orders placed between now and December 24. Enter coupon code "XMAS15" at checkout and the discount should be applied to your order (I say "should" because even though I have tested the website as thoroughly as I could, I still get bitten occasionally by a missing line of code). If you have any problems or questions while shopping, please don't hesitate to let me know.

I also want to add that while the blog archives are still available, the links on those pages may not work. It's going to take me a while to get through reformatting the blog archives.

My mother's plane in leaving Cleveland about now, and she'll get here a bit after lunchtime. I did my Thanksgiving shopping yesterday. All that is left is to pick up the turkey and we'll do that this afternoon.

And now it's time for a cup of chocolate velvet coffee. Yum.

The husband always asks me how I enjoyed reliving my adolescence when I return from band events. In many ways, it's a lot more fun now.

Yesterday I was tired enough that I just sat in my knitting chair and worked on Taste of Aran Afghan squares. I've got two done and a third one about half-complete. I watched the University of Montana Grizzlies beat the Montana Satte Bobcats in the annual Cat-Griz game, and for dinner I grilled some marinated petite sirloin and made a salad and baked potatoes (my dinner was grilled chicken breast, a salad, and the last of the strawberries).

I did get some pics of the last project from the newsletter, and I will get those posted tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pics I took yesterday:

Dead hops fruit. Dead, but still pretty.

A hole left by a very large burned-out stump from our burning operations. I thought it was so cool that there were holes left where the roots burned out.

The diet continues: I'll do my last injection on Thursday, and next Sunday I'll be able to triple the number of calories I've been taking in. I have to say I am looking forward to it. I'm still hitting mini-plateaus, so the weight loss is a bit slower than it was initially. When I started this, my doctor suspected I might get down to about 145 or so. This morning I weighed in at 147. I am pretty sure I will hit 145 soon, and after that, anything else I lose will be a bonus. I can always do another round of injections in a couple of months if I think I need to lose a bit more. On the other hand, if my metabolism resets properly, adding more exercise might now do what it's supposed to, which is to tone me up and help me shed a few more pounds.

I would like to have the website switched over tomorrow morning. I spent more time than I should have on a problem Friday: the invoice page which appears after a customer places an order includes their billing and shipping data, as well as a detail of the items purchased. If one of the items purchased is a downloadable file, the download link appears in the invoice as well as in the confirmation e-mail that gets sent to the customer. The download link is about 100 characters long. In Firefox and IE, the download like wraps nicely and fits within the confines of the table. In Safari, the download link DOES NOT wrap, and blows the table open. I have no idea how to fix that. I am figuring it's not a huge problem, as most people apparently aren't using Safari. It irritates me, though.

You'll notice that the blog format has changed slightly, and will continue to change until the move to the new site is complete. Some links on the blog page may not work for a while. I beg your indulgence and patience until I get everything sorted out.

After factoring out the nine months of pregnancy, women who want to be scientists and have families are faced with the same problem as men who want to do the same: time. Science and parenthood are two more-than-full-time jobs and there are not enough hours in the day to do both. Men seem to have gotten around this problem easily enough by having their wives stay at home and take care of the whole parenting thing while they run their labs, publish their papers, and rise through the ranks of their respective disciplines.

If it had been up to the powers-that-be in grad school, not only would I not have been able to take time off to have a baby, I wouldn't have had time off even to date the husband. I remember my advisor saying to me that my weekend trips from DC to Pennsylvania were going to have to come to an end, because they expected me to be in the lab 24/7 when I wasn't in class. And just that easily, my decision was made. Nothing at that point was worth giving up the husband or the possibility of children. Some may argue that that is my biological destiny. Maybe, maybe not. Other countries make it possible for women to do both. All I know is that it was the right decision for me.

It bothers me sometimes from the standpoint that I was a pretty brilliant scientist (albeit a young and inexperienced one), and part of me feels that I could have made some significant contributions to society had I stayed in science. But then I have to remind myself that I have made some pretty significant contributions to society in the form of my two girls. And if American society refuses to structure itself so that it enables everyone to fulfill their potential (all of their potential, not just some of it), then that's society's loss, not mine.

Thank you all for the comments and words of support yesterday. We still have more questions than answers, but hopefully the answers will come.

I am hoping to launch the new website on Monday. I am working my way down the punchlist of things to do. Hopefully you all won't see a lot of changes, but the checkout and payment process should work a lot more smoothly.

It's not like we—as a family and individually—make bad choices. My cousin was a hard-working, well-respected guy who started a landscaping business right out of high school and had a very successful tree service. He lived in a quiet neighborhood. For some reason, though, there seems to be some kind of big dark cloud over us. I can't even pretend to understand it any more. I don't.

Sigh.

I had a productive day in my office yesterday. I got enough little stuff taken care of that I can now turn my attention to finishing the newsletter and the new website.

My sister sent me a link the other day to a program that Lands' End is sponsoring called Feel Good. From the Lands' End website:

Beginning September 1st, for every Lands’ End FeelGood sweater purchased, the company will donate FeelGood yarn to One Heart Foundation’s Warming Families, a nationwide knitting charity. The yarn will be distributed so that we as a community can knit hats for the homeless or displaced. Lands’ End expects to donate thousands of pounds of yarn for Warming Families volunteers to knit up to 25,000 hats for the men, women and children across the country who need them most.

There is also a link on the site where knitters can download a hat pattern and gift tag.

And now it's time for another cup of tea before I tackle my to-do list for today.

It's been such an emotionally draining week that when I sat down last night, I had a heck of a time concentrating on my knitting. I cast on for the first square of the Taste of Aran Afghan reknit, and I had to fix mistakes at least a half a dozen times. It was like I had suddenly lost the ability to read my own patterns. I got it straightened out, though, and got a fair chunk of the square done.

The second draft of the newsletter is off to my tech editor. I know I still need to get pics up here; I simply haven't had time to do it. The sweater that still needs a photo taken requires a young lady to model it (younger than either of my two). I have a young lady willing to do that for me, but it's a matter of coordinating our schedules when we are both at home and it's light outside.

The house and property behind us is up for sale. The husband said to me a few months ago that if it ever went on the market, he was going to suggest to his father that he buy it. His father lives in Colorado by himself. We've known for a while that we might eventually want him to be a bit closer to us. All of our parents are in great shape, but we're trying to be proactive. So we'll see if that pans out.

I am at school again today and tomorrow morning. While I love being there, it will be nice to be home at least one day this week to get some work done in my office. I do want to get back to Cables 2. Even if I get one page written a day, at least it will be forward progress.

It's not that I don't understand the science behind the show—I get it that the wormhole ran through a solar flare which disrupted it and caused it to connect back to itself so that every time something went through the Stargate it just went back to the same place, but at an earlier time. Yeah, I get that. What I didn't like is that there was no resolution to this episode. It ended with the entire crew dying even after going through the same timeline more than once, but the previews for next week show the crew back in one piece, sailing through some new galaxy. How many times did they have to go through that timeline before they figured out how to save themselves? It was a great plotline—why did the writers abort it prematurely? Then again, maybe pieces of it will show up in future episodes.

Still, I do like that show—it's like a grown-up, slightly more sophisticated version of Lost in Space, which I watched every day as a kid.

I did finish the Atlante scarf. It's a two-skein scarf, so I did each half with one skein and then joined the halves together with a three-needle bind-off. I like the pattern a lot and I think I do want to do it as a shawl. But now I need to get started on DD#2's dress. I've never done a dress before. This will be kind of exciting. This is the spec sheet she drew for me:

I can work with this. It's more information than I usually give myself for my own designs.

I even appreciate the people who tell me I need 12 steps and a prayer because I finally understand that it isn't about me, it's about them and their fears and that's fine. But it's theirs to carry, not mine. People tell you things all the time that have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. You don't have to take it on personally. That is a relief and it frees you up to just live your life instead of constantly being on the defensive.

I got into a bit of a tiff yesterday with someone on a thyroid forum I belong to. A few days ago I posted an informative post to this forum about the hcg diet—what it is, how I got to the place where I felt I had to try it, what I hope to accomplish, etc. I figure if it helps me, it might help other people, too. I got a couple of replies offering support and interest in this journey—and one post from someone who felt it was her duty to warn people away from what I was doing. She stated that she had studied nutrition and that if people just ate good calories and didn't overeat, there would be no need for this diet.

Well, sorry. I've been 20 pounds overweight long enough that I know that "eating less" and "eating healthy" and all those other cliches that people throw around so casually have absolutely no bearing on the reality of my world. I ate less. I ate healthy. My metabolism is still damaged.

I asked this person to remember that it isn't that simple for everyone. She got angry and her subsequent post contained so much misinformation about this diet that I finally asked her not to criticize the diet or those of us doing it until she had done a bit more reading and could speak from a position of knowledge. I love a healthy debate as long as it's done on a basis of facts, not suppostitions and accusations.

But it finally occurred to me that she was probably speaking from a position of fear, and it wasn't about me—her issues were about her. I have no idea what's going on in her life and why she felt it was necessary to vent like that. We let the discussion drop. I know that there will always be people who feel it's their job to tell you what THEY think about what you're doing, and that's fine. From now on I will just channel Crazy Aunt Purl and smile and say thank you. Or at least I'll try to.

I have a lot to do today. The top of my desk keeps getting buried despite my best efforts to keep it clean. I'd like to make enough progress this morning that I can sit and watch Sanctuary and Stargate Universe this afternoon and knit. Wish me luck.

And I'm still reeling from some terrible news I received about a friend yesterday morning. That was hard. I'm sure that contributes to the way I look.

DD#1 has to be at the school at 5 a.m. tomorrow to leave for a speech meet, so she and I will get up at 4:30 a.m. and I will drive her in. DD#2 is spending the night at a friend's house tonight. The husband leaves at 7:00 tomorrow morning for an all-day fire training, so I will have the house to myself when I get back from dropping DD#1 off. That's good—the place is a mess and none of us has any clean clothes to wear because no one has been here to do laundry. The newsletter is back from my tech editor, too, so I'll spend some time getting that finished. And I have a few more mods to make to the new website—hopefully I can get that in place early next week.

I was absolutely starving on Wednesday, so my doctor suggested that I up the hcg dosage a bit with yesterday's injection. That helped tremendously. I didn't even eat everything I was allotted for dinner last night because I just wasn't hungry. And today I am down another pound and a quarter. I almost feel like I am melting away.

I'm almost finished with the bamboo Atlante scarf. It's really pretty. I wouldn't mind doing a shawl in this pattern. We'll see, though. There are a few things ahead of a shawl in the queue. Maybe I'll save the shawl for my Winter Olympics knitting.

The issue passed by a wider margin than I thought it would, although I am sure there are going to be some people who will demand a recount because they don't want to support the school. I find that utterly amazing—each of us owes it to the rest of society to support our social institutions whether we want to or not. And we happen to have a particularly great school.

I've now been on the injections for one week and I have lost a smidge less than seven pounds. Some days I lose a lot—like a pound and a half—and other days I only lose three-quarters of a pound, but overall the trend continues downward. I think I may have to do some shopping at the end of this week. I noticed yesterday that my pants are getting pretty loose.

I did make one adjustment to the diet: I added some protein in the morning. The original plan calls for nothing but tea or coffee for breakfast. I disagree with that on a couple of levels, the main one being that I don't think it's healthy to deprive the body of food for 17 hours under any circumstances. Even though it's not sanctioned by the diet, I added a two-egg white omelette in the morning and that has helped immeasurably. It hasn't slowed the weightloss and it's gone a long way toward helping me avoid cheating.

While I was in Tucson, the kids gave the dogs their poufs to sleep on in the living room. If I take them away now I will be the bad mommy.

She spends most of the day running around the yard, dismantling the woodpile, hunting for vermin, etc.—so I am not surprised when she comes in and falls down insensate on her pouf. Rusty isn't quite so busy during the day, so his evening activities consist of cleaning the kitchen floor and looking for someone to pet him.

The husband and I are burning more brush today. The yard looks nice, but we have a mountain of firewood that should keep us warm for the next ten years or so. Last night we were standing outside and the husband pointed to a dead tree and said, "There's lots of firewood in that tree." I told him he was forbidden to cut it down because it's the tallest dead tree in the yarn and a particular favorite of the pileated woodpeckers. When I walk outside and hear them, I almost always look up to see the male at the top of that tree. The husband thinks I am nuts because there are plenty of dead trees in the woods for the woodpecker, but I feel it's my job to protect the wildlife. Spotted owls would be welcome here.

The Winter issue is with my tech editor, the scarf is about half-done, and the other night DD#2 handed me a piece of paper with a sketch and some specs on it. She wants a knitted dress. So I've got to figure out some way to work that one into the queue. I showed the sketch to the husband last night and he commented that it must be nice to be able to draw clothes and have your mother produce them for you. Indeed.

It's now day 4 of injections and the second day of the VLCD (very low calorie diet). I had some hunger pangs yesterday, but nothing overwhelming. Lunch was a grilled chicken breast and some very yummy spinach. Dinner was grilled shrimp and a bowl of lettuce with some amazingly tasty cider vinegar/stevia dressing on it, as well as an apple and a breadstick (I put cinnamon on the apple for a little variety). The best part is that the scale is moving downward, and at a pleasing pace.

For generations of New Yorkers, the Garment District was the lifeblood of the city. But with the increased globalization of clothing manufacturing, this once-thriving area continues to shrink. This documentary looks at the vibrant, unexpected history of the Garment District and features interviews with workers, labor organizers, designers and fashion executives who look back at their careers in an area that was a doorway to the American Dream for thousands of immigrants. These stories provide an intimate portrait of an industry in decline—and give a timely look at how American manufacturing has changed, perhaps forever.

It was fascinating. I've looked up the HBO schedule and plan to watch it again. I saw a lot of parallels to things that have happened within the knitting industry in the past couple of years (such as wanting everything for free). It's definitely worth a look if you have HBO.

Now, if only we could get the fashion industry to stop designing and selling junk, we'd be in a much better place. I haven't bought a single new piece of clothing this fall, because I haven't yet seen anything that looks good, fits well, and doesn't look like it came out of my mother's rag drawer. And depending on how much weight I lose, I am going to have to buy some new clothes at some point. I may just go shopping at the thrift store.

Today is the first day of the 500 calorie-a-day diet. I've already made one adjustment to the plan—this is a legal adjustment suggested in the book I am following. The original diet calls for nothing but tea or coffee for breakfast. I knew that wasn't going to work, because normally breakfast is the biggest meal of the day for me. The adjustment I made was moving the piece of fruit from lunch to breakfast, so today I had an apple. The grocery store has had some absolutely fabulous Fuji apples in stock recently. It was delicious.

I'm home today, finishing the first draft of the Winter issue so my tech editor can look it over. And then a friend of mine is coming over for some knitting this afternoon.

I'm putting the finishing touches on the Winter issue of the newsletter. I think it's a pretty cool issue—it's also the first time an issue has nothing in it designed by me. And that's okay. I had material to include, but there are some space-intensive patterns in this issue and I didn't want to cut any of the other designers out. It's given me a nice bit of breathing room, too, not to have to rush through a project to get it done.

The bamboo scarf is coming along nicely, too. I'm going to start a square from the re-knit of the Taste of Aran afghan and get that into my knitting bag so I have something else to work on in odd moments.

I'm on day 2 of injections. Yesterday was my first "gorge day" when I was supposed to eat great quantities of fatty food. I had a three-egg omelette with cheese and bacon for breakfast, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and some salad for lunch (I needed something green). By dinnertime I was still so stuffed that I didn't want to eat anything, but I had some potstickers and a bowl of ice cream. It's day 2 and I still feel so full that the idea of breakfast just doesn't appeal to me. But I will forge ahead; everyone I've talked to says that doing the gorge days properly makes everything else easier.

I went to DD#2's teacher conference last night. Her academic work is great; the teacher commented that she's "very level" in class, and he'd like to see her get more involved and show more emotion, especially in class discussions. (I think he said the same thing about her sister.) Those two are very much like their father in that respect. Not much fazes them, and it takes a fair bit to get them riled up about anything (totally unlike their mother). I am confident that this teacher will challenge DD#2 when she needs to be challenged, and that's great.

So that's the news from this part of the country.

I am glad all days are not like that. Today will be close, but I should get home no later than 7:00 p.m. And the husband cleaned up the kitchen for me last night and also the laundry room, which was a mess from the dogs. That was a welcome surprise. We've had a pretty traditional division of labor in our marriage—I've been able to work from home while he's had to pour concrete in some pretty lousy weather conditions, so cooking and cleaning has always fallen to me. Now that I am working out of the house more, he's been better about looking around and seeing what needs to be done and doing it instead of waiting for me to get home and handle it.

I thought class was fun. There are 10 students. Last night we talked about yarn choices, looked at a bunch of my Arans, took measurements, and went over top-down construction techniques. Their homework this week is to make the 100-stitch swatch, wash it and block it. Leading a knitalong is a bit different in person than doing it online, but I think we're all on the same page.

My doctor was unexpectedly out-of-town yesterday, so I didn't pick up the hcg (not that I would have had time, given the schedule). I will get it this afternoon and the injections will begin tomorrow. I am a bit behind schedule with the program, but I don't think that will be an issue.

When Bev was here last month she gave me two skeins of a bamboo yarn that she's now carrying:

I do like bamboo; in fact, I made a one-skein scarf out of another bamboo yarn Fiber Trends distributes:

While both yarns are bamboo, there are distinct differences. The Atlante, top, is listed as a DK-weight yarn. It's spun and plied.

The Stella, bottom, is actually a very fine knitted tube. Knitted up, these two yarns look and behave quite differently. I knit the one-skein scarf out of Stella in a brioche pattern, a brioche pattern that—when I looked at it in the stitch dictionary—screamed at me that it wanted to be knit in a ribbon-type yarn. (And for those of you who are keeping track: yes, stitch patterns scream talk to me just like yarns do.) The Stella and the stitch pattern got along swimmingly, although I may play around with that stitch pattern again using a slightly larger needle.

When I showed Bev the scarf, she gave me the Atlante and asked if that would work in the same stitch pattern (it's slightly heavier and she was thinking "shawl"). Interestingly, it didn't. The stitch pattern was flat and lifeless, and didn't look as good as it had knit in the ribbon yarn (which, people, is why I listen to stitch patterns when they scream talk to me).

So I let the Atlante sit partially-swatched on the couch for two weeks to watch TV (I kid you not—and the amazing thing is that no on disturbed it), and I asked it to please figure out what it wanted to be. A few days ago I was flipping through one of my stitch dictionaries when a stitch pattern leaped out at me. Now, I am pretty familiar with all my stitch dictionaries, and if I am thinking of a particular pattern, I can usually pull it off the shelf without much searching. I know which stitches have cables and which don't. But I opened this stitch dictionary and right there in the front was a stitch pattern I had looked at probably twenty times, and it never registered that there was a cable pattern in there.

The stitch is an eyelet pattern, meaning it's not overly lacy, and it has a little two-stitch cable as part of the design. It's a match made in heaven paired with the Atlante. I'm about 3" up into the scarf, and have the pattern memorized, making it really easy to just pick it up and work on it here and there. What I really love is that the sides of the scarf undulate in and out.

So there you have it—a bit of design serendipity. If only it were always this easy.

Facebook has been great fun this week: I reconnected with the guy in my senior class who—along with me—was voted "most intelligent" by the rest of our class. I also caught up with a guy whose family lived down the street until they moved to Colorado when I was in fifth grade. I remember Shawn as the kid who played KISS records at very high volumes on the stereo in their family room. Now he's a jazz musician in Los Angeles. You can hear some of his stuff at CDbaby.com—go and listen to it, especially if you love jazz. It's some of the smoothest jazz I've ever heard. Just goes to show that you never know where people will end up.

The diet calls for protein to come from red meat, chicken, and seafood, but only certain kinds of each. Most American beef is too fatty, so veal is suggested as a substitute. I don't eat much red meat anyway (and certainly not veal) so I didn't bag any of that. Chicken is limited to chicken breasts, so I bagged up lots of those. And seafood is limited to shellfish and white fish—no salmon, tuna, or other oily fish. I bagged up a lot of shrimp, but I know that I have to watch that I don't overdo it and give myself a shellfish allergy. I may also add some tilapia or whitefish if I see some at the store.

It's surprising how big a 100g portion is. I don't think I'm going to feel deprived of anything. In addition to the protein, there are lots of vegetable choices, and I love veggies.

The diet actually begins with two "load days" in which you eat a LOT of food. Believe it or not, these two days are what concern me most. I just don't eat large quantities of food, so I've got to figure out how to pack the largest number of calories into what I DO eat. The diet book I have suggests fast-food meals, cheesecake, and other fat-loaded items for those two days. Hmmm. That should be interesting.

I am beginning this diet in a different place from a lot of other people. Some people who have a lot to lose often have to retool their diets as part of this program—they are used to eating artificial sweeteners, LOTS of carbs, and few veggies. I only need to shed about 15 pounds, and my diet is pretty healthy to start with, so the food choices don't scare me.

I'll try not to overload the blog with diet posts, but I may comment about how it's going from time to time.

I judged Legislative Debate at the Speech and Debate Tournament yesterday. It was great fun—the kids are wonderful and talented and I enjoyed myself tremendously. DD#1 went to a party afterward and didn't get home until after I had gone to bed, so I haven't seen her and don't know how she did in her events.

Tomorrow night is the first of the Monday night "Knit Your Own Aran" classes at Camas Creek. We'll have one every Monday night in November. It should be great fun.

Our school secretary called yesterday in a bit of a (justified) panic—her month-old grandson had been rushed to the hospital—he has a confirmed case of swine flu and he and his mother are in isolation and being treated. It looks like he'll be okay, but I can't imagine how scary that must have been. I'll be subbing tomorrow and Tuesday so our secretary can help out with the family's other kids.

I am a judge at the Speech & Debate competition at our high school today. DD#1 and I both have to be there at 7:30 a.m. I hope she does well, but I am not allowed to acknowledge her (or any of the other students I know) while I am there. It's a reasonable rule, but sometimes hard for the parents to remember!

Would those of you who said you'd be willing to test the site please shoot me an e-mail at Janet at Big Sky Knitting.com? I'll send you the link for playing around in the new site. It looks a lot like the existing site, just with a few enhancements. All I am waiting on at the moment if for PayPal to approve my application for a new system they have available for the store software I am using.

I have nothing new and exciting to report on the knitting front: I finished a hat (pattern to come soon, I hope), I am trying to finish up a sweater, I have a scarf started, and I need to start reknitting the Taste of Aran Afghan. I have the luxury of having enough items for Twists and Turns® for a couple of issues that I can work on some back catalog stuff. At least I am knitting.

One thing that just frustrates me to no end is the difference between website rendering on Macs and on PCs (and yes, I am using style sheets to control the appearance of the content). The website looks really good on my Mac in Safari, Firefox, and IE. I happened to be at the school yesterday afternoon, so I took a look at my website-in-progress on one of the PCs there. It looks completely different than it does on my Mac (I know that the reverse is also true, because there are websites that look really good on PCs that look awful on my Mac).

I'll have to boot up Parallels every so often and check my website in IE under Windows (although I'm running Windows XP, and who knows what the website might look like in Vista or Windows 7). If anyone on a PC would like to test the website when I get to that point, let me know and I'll send you the URL.

So the "huge winter storm" that we were supposed to get yesterday was another big bust. That makes three in a row now. I'm not complaining about the lack of weather, except that people (like me) are going to stop believing the weather reports and then one of these days the meteorologists might actually be right and we're going to get hammered.

I see that Knotions is going to cease publication—too bad, but I am not surprised. I heard a lot of my own thoughts echoed in her comments about why and how she came to that decision. I think we'll see more of this in the future.

I may get some knitting done tonight if I am lucky.

I'm closer than I thought I would be, although not done yet. I have two big pieces left to install:

1) I want to put in a pattern index so that anyone looking for a particular design can see where it's available (newsletter back issue, individual pattern, etc.). Right now the Search feature is available for that, but a comprehensive index would be nice, too. I do have the patterns listed in an Excel spreadsheet; it shouldn't be too hard to make up an index page on the site.

2) Because this is a new version of the software I've been using, I need to purchase a new version of the module that controls the delivery of digital files. The one I've been looking at has the capability of storing purchased design links in a customer's account—if a customer loses the original file, he or she can log in to their Big Sky Knitting Designs account and download another copy (it does have some features built in to help avoid piracy). I have no idea if anyone would use that feature, but it's available in the module so I plan to activate it.

This blog is also going to require some managing. Right now the consensus seems to have a WordPress or TypePad blog and link to it from within the store software. it means losing the blogs I've done here for the past two years, but that's the way it goes, I guess.

I worked on the Winter issue of the newslette yesterday, too. I was hoping to have one of my new designs ready for this issue, but I've had precious little knitting time lately, so I'm going to pull in one of the older, unpublished Aran designs instead.

And because the blog has had so few pictures lately, here are some scenes from Montana (inside and out).

This is how the dog lottery winners spend their evenings:

The alpinglow on the mountains was just beautiful last night, but of course the picture doesn't do it justice.

We're supposed to get a strong Pacific storm this evening, but we were supposed to get one Friday night, too, and all we got was a little rain. I wonder if the lousy forecasting up here has to do with the fact that all the equipment is in Missoula? That's where our weather forecasts are generated. The weather there can be completely different there than it is here.

And let us all pause for a moment and acknowledge that today is the first day of hunting season in Montana.

Moving on . . . I managed to arrange my week so that I had two days in town to get all my errands done (Tuesday and Thursday), and wouldn't you know it?—those were the only two days I got called to sub. Two schools called me yesterday, but I had three appointments scheduled and I couldn't rearrange things on such short notice. Today I could go in and sub and no one has called yet. Oh well. I have plenty to do here.

I went to the speech & debate reception last night at the high school. DD#1 has joined the speech & debate team this year and she's doing quite well. Her events are Extemporaneous Speech (30 minutes to prepare on a topic for a 10-minute speech) and Impromptu Speech (3-5 minutes to prepare for a 5-minute speech). Their first competition is next weekend. I am curious to see how she does—she seems to enjoy it and she's very comfortable speaking in front of people. That is a skill that will serve her well.

My days this week have been spent getting the new store software in place. It's actually a lot easier to use than the old software—the old software was so basic and limited that I spent a lot of time trying to find workarounds. The new software has lots of powerful features, so I am spending a lot less time tweaking. I also did a fair bit of work on my pattern line: Bev needed some information for the Fiber Trends website, and I am still trying to get patterns loaded up to Patternfish.

I got some of this yesterday:

with which to redo the Taste of Aran Afghan. Esther, your observations about this yarn were well-taken, but I think it will do nicely for an afghan. The original afghan is pretty ratty-looking, and the whole pattern book needs to be re-done. At the moment it is charts-only. I'd like to add color pics, written instructions, and I'd like to make it available as a digital download.

Hunting season starts Sunday. The lead story in the paper today was about the shortage of hunting-caliber ammunition, but the husband says he has enough on hand. I'm a bit worried about the dogs being out—the state has opened wolf hunting just about everywhere, and from a distance Lila almost looks like a black wolf. We're in a populated-enough area that we shouldn't have to worry, but it's been my experience that putting hunting rifles into some peoples' hands is enough to turn them into inconsiderate jerks, like the one who left a gut pile in the woods right outside my office a few years ago. So Lila may be sporting a blaze-orange bandanna for the next couple of weeks.

And now it's time to work on the website a bit.

I went to see my naturopath yesterday morning, and it was a good visit. We spent a fair bit of time talking about why it is that I am on a higher-than-normal dose of thyroid medicine (if I take any less than I am taking, my pulse slows way down and other weird things happen). He checked my temperature and my core body temp is still a few degrees lower than normal. The bottom line is that my metabolism is still screwed up, even on a replacement dose of thyroid medication.

We talked about the hcg diet and I asked him if he thought it was reasonable for me to try it. Part of me feels like I've failed because I can't get this last 20 pounds off the traditional way, but then he said something that made a lot of sense to me. He's seen the hcg program reset peoples' metabolisms when nothing else will, and that it's possible that after I do one round, my metabolism may reset to the point where I will need less thyroid hormone than I need now. That would be a huge bonus.

So I made the decision to go ahead and start the program to fix all the damage done to me by a totally screwed-up medical system. I begin November 1. I had to practice giving myself an injection in his office (I was going to have the husband do it for me, but it's really not that difficult). I've got about ten days to prepare—I need to get meals prepared and frozen and get some other items on hand before I start the injections. If all goes well, I should be back to a reasonable weight by my birthday, which is November 24.

Last evening I took a three-hour substitute teacher training class offered by the Northwest Montana Educational Co-Op. I did not realize this, but it's Montana law that substitute teachers need to have a minimum of three hours of training before working in a school. There has been such a lack of subs, though, that most rural schools waive that requirement. I've been subbing for 7 years, so I didn't really NEED the class, but it was a good class and I am glad I took it. I figure there is always something new to learn.

While I was at my class, the husband was attempting to get a swine flu shot. We were told that EMS personnel would be given priority, but apparently the Flathead City-County health department chose to implement their own plan for getting vaccine out into the general population, and their plan did not include vaccinating any EMS personnel. The husband went to the clinic (which was 40 miles away, not even in a central location) where he saw that the line was so long that he probably wouldn't have been able to get in. No priority was being given to any county EMS providers. He didn't get a shot, nor did several other EMS personnel from other departments. Our chief is looking into this and I am curious to find out what answers he gets from the powers-that-be.

Our pediatrician doesn't have any vaccine—I called and was told to take my kids to the above-mentioned clinic, which only had 600 doses to distribute. What a mess. We can't seem to do anything right in this country.

I am so sorry to be so neglectful. I think about you nearly every day, but the longer I go between postings, the more I feel like I have to come up with something profound to make it worthwhile to the masses who have been waiting with bated breath for my return.

Yes, exactly. And profound is hard to come by.

Bev Galeskas was in town for a Fiber Trends trunk show at Camas Creek Yarn this weekend. I always enjoy talking to Bev. She's such a savvy businesswoman and she knows the industry so well. I invited her to stay here Saturday night so we could chat. She has some great ideas for my pattern line. It's a lot to wrap my head around, but I'm working on it. I meant to take some pictures at the store and completely forgot.

I've known for a while that my store software is inadequate for what I want to do with it, so I upgraded it recently to a more powerful package. It's going to take me a while to get all the code in place and move the site over, but I am excited about some of the new features. And coding is fun in a weird sort of way, even though I have no desire to do it full-time or for anyone else. I'll have to put the site work on the back burner this week, though, because I need to concentrate on getting the Winter issue of the newsletter done.

The husband has been clearing underbrush from parts of the property, and now all of it needs to be burned. I went out and helped him with the burning yesterday because 1) I like to be outside; 2) it's time with the husband and we're both so busy that I take it where I can get it, and 3) it's good exercise. I found it a bit distressing that previous owners of the property used that area as a dumping ground for all sorts of stuff—bottles, used cans of paint thinner, etc. Hopefully that's a "rural tradition" that is going away. It sure left us a mess to clean up.

I came in at dinner time and sat myself down to knit and catch up on episodes of Sanctuary and Stargate Universe. I like both shows a lot, although I had to watch the first episode of SG-U twice to figure out exactly what was happening. I hate it when a show's storyline is unnecessarily complicated, and that one was as convoluted as they come.

I have a visit with my doctor tomorrow about the hcg program. I have been reading up on and preparing for it. People have asked me for progress updates, so they will probably make it into a blog post or two in the coming weeks.

I stayed with the lovely Lynda and her husband Graham, and they made me feel right at home. In fact, everyone I met was really welcoming and friendly.

I bought myself a special treat while I was in Tucson:

It's a walnut drop spindle with a dichroic glass inset, and it comes with a bit of backstory. A few weeks ago I was reading Susinok's blog about her visit to the Taos wool festival. She posted a picture of a walnut drop spindle with an abalone inset that she purchased there. I thought it was just lovely.

During my first class in Tucson, Jill Holbrook (the workshop organizer) casually mentioned that if I liked, she could take me to see her friend Ken Ledbetter and the amazing spindles he makes. She went on to say that he had just been at Taos, and the light bulb went on in my head. "Does he make drop spindles with abalone insets?" I asked. "Oh yes," said Jill. So after class we went to visit Ken and his wife.

I don't get opportunities to spin much any more, but I do have a collection of drop spindles. I tried a few and the one in the picture is the one that wanted to come home with me. I've decided that I will keep it close at hand on my desk and I'll just take a few minutes every so often to spin on it.

Ken reminded me very much of my father, who used to build clocks and furniture in his spare time. It's obvious that Ken takes great pride in his work. He talks about wood like we knitters talk about yarn. Take a look at the KCL Woods website and see if there is somethere there that speaks to you.

My classes were over Monday afternoon, but I wasn't flying out until Tuesday morning, so I spent Monday night with a college friend and her husband, who just recently (two months ago!) moved to Tucson. I haven't seen Elizabeth since the husband and I visited her in Jackson Hole, WY in 1991. We had great fun catching up and we went out to eat at an amazing Mexican restaurant where I had tamales for dinner. Yum. Her husband, Ben Johnson, is an incredibly talented painter, and you can see some of his work at his website.

Unfortunately, a month of taking generic thyroid hormone—which I've since found out is demonstrably weaker than the brand name version—sabotaged all my weight-loss efforts. I gained back all I had lost and then some, and the clothes I bought back in the spring no longer fit.

When I saw him in August, my doctor suggested I try the hcG diet. Two of my friends have done it recently; one lost about 62 pounds and the other lost almost 30 pounds. It is not, despite what you might read in the media, a fad diet that doesn't work. I literally saw my friends shrinking in size before my eyes, and there is a body of scientific evidence to support this diet's effectiveness—more on that in a moment.

At the time my doctor suggested the idea, I wasn't quite ready to leap in. I told him that I really wanted to see if being back on the brand-name thyroid hormone would jump-start the weight-loss again. And this program is hard to do if one is traveling, so I knew September and October would be lousy months in which to start it.

I've been back on the brand-name thyroid hormone for almost three full months now. I still weigh what I weighed when we got back from the east coast in July. It's not like I eat excessively—ask JC, who spent a week on a cruise ship with me. She'll tell you what a veggie-lover I am. I eat hardly any red meat. Something is messed up with my body, and I think it's a result of four years of untreated hypothyroidism. I am out of patience. I want my old body back, and I think that this program will give it to me.

My doctor is very cautious and very conservative, so I know that he's only on board with this program because he's done a lot of research into it and knows that it's got solid scientific underpinnings. He sent me the original documentation from the doctor who developed this diet (back in the 1930's) so that I could read it and research it myself. It'll take three weeks of taking hcG and a 500-calorie diet (veggies and lean protein, which is what I eat anyway), but if all goes as planned, by Thanksgiving I should be back to the weight I was after DD#2 was born. Back then I weighed 138 pounds, which was right smack in the middle of the weight range for my height.

I'll keep you posted on how things go. Let me just say how ridiculous it is that things got to this point, and what a sad commentary that is on the state of medicine in the US that my previous doctor allowed me to gain 30 pounds, all while telling me I was eating too much and not exercising enough. Yeah, right.

As of right now, it's all been turned over to my very excellent lawyer, who has handled stuff like this for us before (unfortunately, the building industry is full of low-lifes who don't pay their bills and hope no one will notice). And I'll do whatever I can to get the word out among my fellow designers so that nobody else gets snowed by this particular yarn store again.

A technician is coming to work on the copier today. I hope that this problem is fixable for a reasonable amount of money. Having a copier here on which to make handouts for my classes has been so convenient and I'd like to keep this one going for a while.

I shipped a box of class materials down to Tucson yesterday. That's so much easier for me than trying to schlep stuff with me on the plane. And it's less likely I'll forget anything. Now I just have to figure out what the weather is going to be like and pack my clothing accordingly.

There still isn't much knitting going on . . . I've been working on the sleeve to a sweater and I'll probably take the other sleeve with me to finish while I am traveling. Some mindless knitting allows other ideas to percolate in my head.

On to other things . . .

Camas Creek recently got in a shipment of books, and I picked up quite a few (five) interesting ones while I was there last week. It's been a while since I bought that many knitting books. I particularly liked this one:

It's Knit Edgings and Trims—an Interweave Press reprint of some of the Harmony Guide patterns as well as some new ones. It joins the other books in this series. Looking through it last night gave me a ton of ideas. I only have one peeve: no charts. Geeze, Interweave, would it have killed you to include some charts with this book?

Lila has been a great addition to our pack. She and Rusty get along very well and she's just a good dog. We like her a lot. She goes in for a wellness check Thursday morning. It will be fun to introduce her to our vet.

I put in a call Friday afternoon to the copier company that services my big copier; it stopped working while I was trying to get my handouts done for Tucson and they were supposed to call me back with an estimate of how much it would cost to get it fixed. I hope they call back this morning. I was hoping to have all my handouts done and packed by now. Our little copier isn't working, either—I suspect it needs a new fuser but I've got to figure out the best way to get that replaced.

In the meantime, it's back to packing for Tucson.

Fortunately for me, I am a really good sight-reader, which has saved my butt on more than one Sunday of a week when I didn't have much time to practice. Our song leaders and worship leaders are supposed to let the pianists know as far in advance as possible what we are supposed to play on Sunday morning. However, "as far in advance as possible" tends to be Friday night or Saturday morning, and no amount of pleading for more time over the past ten years has been able to change that.

Oh well. The best I can do is practice regularly and keep my skills up. I'm also trying to stretch myself a bit and play things that are a tad out of my skill range. I don't want to be stuck at the same skill level for the rest of my life. I play three or four prelude pieces every Sunday morning. It's easy just to grab the pieces I already know how to play and rotate them in and out. But I am sure the congregation gets as tired of hearing them as I do of playing them, so I need to spend time working up some new pieces to put into the rotation.

I am also rather particular about playing music appropriate to the current church season. Perhaps I am the only one who cares, but it's not really appropriate to begin playing Christmas carols the moment Advent begins. I don't play Christmas carols until the week of Christmas. Until then, it's Advent music only.

I finished a lace scarf I was working on and now I'm feeling "eh" about my other projects (which happen to be sweaters, both of them). I've got another simple cabled scarf on the needles so that's what I worked on last night. The husband and I watched a movie called "The Express," about Ernie Davis. Ernie was the first African-American to receive the Heisman trophy (in 1961). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, but was diagnosed with leukemia and died before he ever got to play for them.

I am ashamed to admit that—even though I have been a Browns fan all my life—I had never heard of Ernie Davis. The husband says I get a pass because all of this happened before I was born, but still . . . it was a sad story.

So I'll finish this cabled scarf and then decide what else I want to work on. I'll likely finish one of the sweaters—the body and half of one sleeve are already complete, so it wouldn't take much more work to get it done. I just wish I felt a bit more excited about knitting.

The only bad habit she has is coming in the living room and leaping up onto one of the couches—some people might think that's okay but I don't allow animals on my furniture. We're working on that. Apparently she was allowed to do it at her old home.

I was working in my office Saturday night when the pager went off for a forest fire above the town of Lakeside, down on the west side of Flathead Lake. In a very short time it got out of control and by yesterday morning had grown to 220 acres. I took a picture on my way to church yesterday morning:

It's hard to see much because I am taking a picture from 15 miles away, but if you look closely you can see a plume of smoke. It's much more impressive at night when the flames are visible. Voluntary evacuations are in place for some homeowners. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow (we consider "cold and rain" an improvement during fire season) so that should help the firefighters get this under control.

I did see a forest fire (a very very small one) start the first week of November a couple of years ago. Normally, though, fire season should be winding down now and we shouldn't be seeing new starts like this. It's rather scary—if it could start there, it quite easily could start above my house.

I also have an errata to mention: the chart for the Kettle-Dyed Neck Scarf in the Fall 2006 issue of the newsletter is wrong. I will post a PDF with the correct chart on the errata page today. It's unusual that it's takes three years for me to hear about an error in one of my patterns. And it was a bonehead error on my part, that's for sure. Somehow the "simplest" patterns are the ones that are easiest to screw up.

Her name is Lila and she's about a year old. She was an owner turn-in, had been adopted out by someone and returned after a week because the second owner just didn't have enough room for her. The information we got with her said she needs "room to run." We have that, and then some.

Lila settled right in. She figured out the electric fence, got to know Rusty (who doesn't seem the least bit bothered by her), and has spent most of the afternoon exploring the backyard while the husband and Rusty hang out on the porch. I think she will be a great addition to the pack.

The husband liked one of the other dogs at the shelter, a mastiff mix with an extremely laid-back disposition (probably why the husband liked him). The husband said he was already big, even as a puppy, and he thought we probably wouldn't do well with a 250-pound dog. The neighbors behind us breed mastiffs and have about ten of them. We hear them barking a lot.

We're awaiting a dry cold front. The whole county is under a red flag warning because it's so hot and dry, and the front is supposed to bring 80+ mph at the tops of the mountains.

And we have a new dog.

[It might help if knitters complained, too, that they can't buy patterns through Ravelry because their favorite designers won't agree to the loosely-worded Terms of Service.]

I've been subbing this week for the music teacher at our school. I did find out what it would take for me to have a job like that: two years full-time to get an elementary education degree. The great irony about all of this is that our school could pull one of the other K-8 teachers in as a music teacher—even if that person had no musical ability whatsoever—simply by virtue of the fact that he or she had an elementary ed degree. But the school cannot hire a highly qualified musician to teach only music without an elementary ed degree. That equation just doesn't make sense.

My sister-in-law lives in California. They have no music program in their schools because of budget cuts, so she takes a 2-hour class twice a week to learn how to teach music to kids, and then she gets to go to the school and teach the kids.

I got to give a kid his first trumpet lesson yesterday but I had no idea that a trumpet lesson was on the schedule. He's coming in again today so I am taking in my trumpet and we'll play together. I also have beginning/intermediate band again, and I think that's my favorite time of the day.

My FIL leaves today. I hope he has a safe drive back to Colorado.

Here's the thing, though: It's rather interesting to me that the downturn in newsletter subscriptions began around the same time I began offering the newsletter in digital format. I have no way of knowing if the two are connected, and I don't want to accuse anyone of stealing. However, the reality is that it's pretty easy to pass along a PDF. Someone who wouldn't have stood at a copier and made copies of a 24-page newsletter for a friend might think nothing of e-mailing them a copy of the file. Same thing with patterns.

While I would like to think that we've moved beyond this kind of thing, I know we haven't. At the welcome cocktail party onboard the Alaskan cruise, one of the students in the group said she had asked the cruise organizer if the ship had a copy machine we could use. "Wouldn't it be great if we could make copies of the patterns we have and share them with everyone else?" she said. While I was trying to recover from shock, another student piped up and said, "Copying patterns is illegal." Whew.

Another issue we designers have to consider is "who controls our intellectual property?" This has been a topic of discussion on a designer list I moderate. Ravelry recently changed its terms of service for designers offering digital downloads. Specifically, the content portion of the Terms of Service now states (the italics are mine), "You represent that you have the right to post or transmit such Content, and, by posting or transmitting such Content, you give the Company a license to publish and distribute such Content though the Services and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed. "

ETA: Katya did some digging and discovered that I was reading the wrong part of the Ravelry Terms of Service. The TOS for designers can be found here and doesn't include the wording I originally stated that it did (that is for general Ravelry users). Thank goodness! That's what I get for coming in late to a discussion on a designer list because I was sailing the Pacific Ocean!

Danger, Will Robinson! Designers have gotten burned by that kind of clause before. The last thing I want to do is post my patterns for sale on Ravelry and find out in the future that they have been included in a publication (and note the part about "any format now known or later developed") without any further compensation to me!

Knitters don't see these kind of behind-the-scenes issues that designers grapple with, and why should they? It's not their concern. But it does concern me and my business, so while it seems like I might be proceeding slowly or dragging my feet, it's really more that I am being cautious and trying to protect my intellectual property.

Currently my patterns are available through Fiber Trends (hard copy) and Patternfish (digital downloads). I will continue to explore other avenues of distribution, but right now Ravelry isn't among them.

Here's the thing, though: It's rather interesting to me that the downturn in newsletter subscriptions began around the same time I began offering the newsletter in digital format. I have no way of knowing if the two are connected, and I don't want to accuse anyone of stealing. However, the reality is that it's pretty easy to pass along a PDF. Someone who wouldn't have stood at a copier and made copies of a 24-page newsletter for a friend might think nothing of e-mailing them a copy of the file. Same thing with patterns.

While I would like to think that we've moved beyond this kind of thing, I know we haven't. At the welcome cocktail party onboard the Alaskan cruise, one of the students in the group said she had asked the cruise organizer if the ship had a copy machine we could use. "Wouldn't it be great if we could make copies of the patterns we have and share them with everyone else?" she said. While I was trying to recover from shock, another student piped up and said, "Copying patterns is illegal." Whew.

Another issue we designers have to consider is "who controls our intellectual property?" This has been a topic of discussion on a designer list I moderate. Ravelry recently changed its terms of service for designers offering digital downloads. Specifically, the content portion of the Terms of Service now states (the italics are mine), "You represent that you have the right to post or transmit such Content, and, by posting or transmitting such Content, you give the Company a license to publish and distribute such Content though the Services and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed. "

Danger, Will Robinson! Designers have gotten burned by that kind of clause before. The last thing I want to do is post my patterns for sale on Ravelry and find out in the future that they have been included in a publication (and note the part about "any format now known or later developed") without any further compensation to me!

Knitters don't see these kind of behind-the-scenes issues that designers grapple with, and why should they? It's not their concern. But it does concern me and my business, so while it seems like I might be proceeding slowly or dragging my feet, it's really more that I am being cautious and trying to protect my intellectual property.

Currently my patterns are available through Fiber Trends (hard copy) and Patternfish (digital downloads). I will continue to explore other avenues of distribution, but right now Ravelry isn't among them.

I'm still sorting through how I feel about all of this. Mostly I am curious to see where knitting goes in the next ten or fifteen years and who actually succeeds at making a living as a knitting designer. I think the whole industry will suffer as a result of this unreasonable demand that everything be free, and that makes me sad. Sometimes I think we women are our own worst enemies.

I'm hoping to visit with some people today about the requirements for getting a teaching degree. It looks like there are a couple of ways I could go about it: 1) keep my bachelor's degree and take enough classes to get certified or 2) get a master's degree in education. I'm not sure which is the best course, or how long each would take.

Today I have no subbing duties. I need to catch up on errands and office work. And I have a couple of "Torchwood" DVDs that will be a nice accompaniment to some knitting time.

It's time. The subscriber base has steadily dwindled over the past year or so and the newsletter isn't really supporting itself financially anymore. As I've noted in previous blog posts, I'm finding it harder and harder to compete with all the free knitting information that can be found all over the Internet. I've been in this business for 13 years, and it's gotten a lot harder in the past couple of years to make a living at it. Perhaps if the economy hadn't tanked I might be willing to ride this out. At this point, I'm not.

I still plan to design. However, the idea of not having a production deadline every three months is very appealing and I suspect it might even free up the creative juices. I would like to finish the two other cabling books and perhaps revamp the finishing book. But knitting likely won't be a full-time pursuit for me any longer. I want to continue subbing this year and decide if I'd like to enroll in a program to become a certified teacher here in Montana.

Iit may be that simply taking a break from the nuttiness will help me get some much-needed prespective. Being a knitting designer has been great fun and it gave me a lot of flexibility in my life when I needed it. But all good things must come to an end, even postCount('Education'); Twists and Turns®. Thanks to every single one of my subscribers for your support over the years. I appreciate it.

That school is less than half the size of our elementary school, but like our school, it seems to be a wonderful place for students and teachers. One boy told me at recess that he's sorry his school only goes through 6th grade because he doesn't want to go to the middle school in town next year.

I bring this up because our school recently announced that it plans to hold a vote on a $1.2 million bond issue to build a desperately-needed new gym. This would be the first debt our school has taken on in more than 25 years, and we would be eligible for a 0.7% interest rate (yep, that's not a typo) on the loan. The day the article appeared in the paper, some very nasty comments were made online at the newspaper's website by someone who thinks we should bus all of our kids into town and have them attend school there instead of putting money into our rural schools.

The comments made me very angry—although I have to remind myself that those comments are usually made by know-it-alls who haven't set foot in a public school since they graduated (and likely aren't voters in our district). I wanted to tell this person what a wonderful school my child attends. The teachers love what they do and the curriculum is strong—six of the top ten graduating seniors at my daughter's high school two years ago came from our little rural school and our students made up almost half of the students in the IB program. The teachers who work at our school also live in our neighborhood and attend our church. I want my kids raised by this village, not a bigger one in town.

My older daughter had to take a 40-minute bus ride into town when she began attending high school. Can you imagine putting a kindergartener on a bus with a bunch of older kids for almost an hour, expecting that child to find his or her way around a huge, unfamiliar school? What about children with developmental difficulties? My older daughter went from kindergarten through eighth grade with a severely autistic child in her class. It was a real kleenex moment at 8th-grade graduation when she and her classmates brought this boy into the gym with them for the ceremony. They were all better people for having had him in their class for 9 years, and that might not have been possible at another school.

I just wish that the people who think they know how to fix our educational system would come and spend time at a school for a week, and see what the real challenges are.

I am almost finished with my county sub application. I had to be fingerprinted on Wednesday and today I have to go back to the health department and have my TB test officially read (I am pretty sure it's negative). The county requested a copy of my diploma, but the husband and I have huge diplomas which are framed and hanging in the hallway upstairs. I asked my college to send me an official-looking letter that I could submit, instead.

The electronic file of the newsletter went out by e-mail yesterday. If you didn't receive it, or you are having trouble with it, please let me know: Janet at BigSkyKnitting dot com.

The glaciers were quite amazing, especially when they calved (a very noisy process!):

The chunks of ice that came off the glaciers were much bluer than ice we're used to seeing. The naturalist told us it was because this ice has been compressed and all the air bubbles forced out of it—it's much denser than ice from the fridge.

I'll keep the pics coming in the next couple of days.

This week has just been nuts. I subbed Monday, had a meeting Monday night; subbed Tuesday, had a meeting Tuesday night; subbed yesterday, had a meeting last night that went way longer than normal because it involved some budget issues; I'm subbing today but fortunately don't have a meeting tonight; and I am subbing tomorrow and have a meeting tomorrow night. The only good part about all those meetings is that it's lots of knitting time. I did say to the husband last night, though, that I probably can't keep up this pace for long. I left yesterday morning at 7:30 a.m. and didn't get home until 9:30 p.m. I will have to figure out the right balance between working at home and subbing. I could do it full-time if I had to, but I think I'm going to have to have at least one day a week at home or I won't be able to keep up with the other stuff I have to do.

And the universe seems bent on keeping the newsletter from going out. I stopped yesterday to pick up the barcoded mailing labels for the newsletter yesterday—labels I ordered the day before I left on the cruise—and they couldn't find them. Nor could they find the disk containing the information. I had to send them the file again and they promised to run the labels and deliver them to me today. Aarrrrgggghhhhh.

I'm subbing today at a new school. A friend of mine gave them my name and they called while I was working at the elementary school yesterday. Lack of subbing opportunities is not going to be a problem.

The sheer size of the ship amazes me. What amazes me even more is that it didn't seem that large inside, or even on the Promenade deck (three trips around the Promenade deck equalled a mile, which I made an effort to walk at least once a day). Before I left, I tried to describe the size of the ship to my friend's 6 year-old daughter. I think she's just going to have to look at the picture.

Fun things about the ship included the towel animals left on our beds each night:

The monkey was my personal favorite. He was hanging up the night we were sailing in very rough waters, and it was a wild ride for all of us.

I did find a nice spot up on deck to knit, much to the amusement of my fellow passengers:

We knitters garnered a fair bit of attention as we sat around and knitted. One of our favorite spots was the Explorer's Lounge on Deck 2, where we gathered after dinner every night to listen to a wonderful string quartet. JC taught one of the wait staff to knit—her name was Rose—and she took to it like a duck to water.

I'll get more pics of scenery up in the next few days.

I was a bit annoyed to find out when I got home that the newsletter hadn't been printed while I was gone; I dropped the files off at the pre-press company the day before I left, thinking they would make the negatives last Monday and send them to the printer and the newsletter would be done by the time I returned. Apparently the pre-press people forgot about the file and they didn't produce the negatives until the day after I got back. Arrrgggghhh. The printer put a rush on it and it WILL get mailed by Friday.

I've been subbing this week; our school secretary's daughter had a baby and I've been filling in at the office. So far it's been relatively quiet, although one of the kinders (whose teacher is also pregnant) asked me if I had a baby in my tummy. I guess she asks all the women at the school that question. Gotta love those five year-olds.

After school today I'm going to run into town and fill out the application to become a sub for the county. When I began subbing at our school seven years ago, background checks and fingerprinting weren't yet mandatory. Now they are, and I have to have both done. I think it won't be a problem, as I don't have so much as a parking ticket on my record. I also have to have the TB test re-done. The person I spoke with at the county superintendent's office said that they've had a rush of people applying to be subs due to the economy, but being a sub requires at least a bachelor's degree, as it should.

My FIL arrives today for a visit. I think we'll wait until after he leaves next week to get another dog, although Rusty howls every night when we go to bed. He doesn't like being left alone downstairs while the rest of the pack is sleeping. The other night he was wandering around the living room and found a ball of some possum yarn in the basket next to my chair. The next thing I knew, he had picked it up in his mouth and trotted off with it. We had a little talk about how yarn isn't a chew toy, even though it might smell like a rodent.

And now I need to get ready for another day at the germ factory. No flu thus far, although we have one confirmed case of strep throat. Oh joy.

Alas, all was not well here at home. My beloved Chester had another Addison's attack but wasn't able to recover. He died Thursday morning. I found out when I called home from Ketchikan on Friday. The husband picked a beautiful spot in the woods just behind the garden and he and the girls buried him there. I am sure that wherever he is there is lots of snow and thousands of tennis balls to dig up. I wish he could have been with us a bit longer, but as the husband reminded me, I had already brought him back from the dead twice, and we gave him two years more than he would have had with anyone else. I can tell Rusty misses him. In another week or two I will send the husband and the kids to the shelter to pick out another dog. There are plenty of them out there who need a good home, and we do love our dogs.

We also lost a gentleman from our church in a four-wheeler accident this past week. I wish I could have been here for his funeral. He always made of point of telling me how much he appreciated it when our quartet sang in church.

And now I need some rest.

"International award-winning filmmaker Kevin P. Miller of Well TV announced the release of a new documentary about the threat to medical freedom of choice. 'We Become Silent: The Last Days of Health Freedom' details the ongoing attempts by multinational pharmaceutical interests and giant food companies — in concert with the WTO, the WHO and others — to limit the public’s access to herbs, vitamins and other therapies. 'We Become Silent’ is narrated by Dame Judi Dench, the noted UK actress who has won multiple Golden Globe awards, an Oscar, and a Tony for her on-stage work, in addition to dozens of other honors throughout her prestigious career."

I always tell people who want to visit Montana that late August/early September is the nicest month in which to do so. The weather is decent and all the kids are back in school. However, we don't usually have temps in the upper 80's and low 90's like we've been having this week. I'm ready for cooler weather—makes for better knitting.

I've had a few days of power knitting finishing the last project for the Fall issue of Twists and Turns. I love how it turned out. It fits me perfectly and I'll take it with me to wear on the cruise next week. But now I am experiencing post-project letdown and I have no idea what I want to work on next or take with me on the cruise. I think a visit to the stash is in order. Is there anything you Twists and Turns subscribers would like to see in the newsletter?

Camas Creek is having a big sale this weekend. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and I am curious to see what the traffic is like.

Other than that, I don't have anything interesting to share. The girls went back to school; DD#1 has to leave at a ridiculously early time every morning in order to drive herself to school for a 7:15 class (don't get me started on why I think that's an awful thing to do to teenagers enrolled in the IB program), and DD#2 likes both the upper-level teachers at our school. I'm so grateful that our school goes through 8th grade. A lot of the rural schools only go through 5th or 6th grade, at which point the kids need to go to the junior high in Kalispell. I'm glad she's been spared that transition.

I've got some fire department business to take care of today, so I'll be knee-deep in Quickbooks, not yarn. But send those ideas over.

I love planners, because I like to see my schedule all neatly lined out and organized. I haven't reached the point where I color-code events based on type (fire department, school, etc.), although I've thought about it. I like this planner because it's laid out as two big pages for each month, with lots of room to write.

[While looking up some information about the company that makes these products—Carolina Pad, based in Charlotte—I discovered that one of their designers created the Kendall Collection in honor of her niece, who is in remission from leukemia. A portion of every Kendall Collection sale is donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Pretty cool.]

A few things still need to be added. I don't have the band schedule (I am treasurer of band board this year) and I don't know for sure if DD#2 will be having dance classes. Her teacher hurt her knee and as of few weeks ago she wasn't able to teach. I probably won't know for a week or two yet.

I stopped at DD#2's school yesterday and talked to the secretary. There were four of us on the sub list last year who did the bulk of any subbing that needed to be done (although I didn't do as much because I was traveling). The school has hired the other three as full-time staff, which leaves me at the top of the sub list. I have no doubt that I could be employed as a full-time substitute teacher—if not at our school, certainly if I put my name on the county sub list because substitute teachers who can teach music are in short supply. I mentioned to our secretary that I was thinking about putting myself on the county sub list, and she threatened to call the county and tell them I wasn't available. She says they can keep me as busy as I want to be at our elementary school. They have a vested interest in having subs who know the kids, know the other teachers, and know the routine. It's much easier to have me sub than to bring in someone from outside the system.

It's not that I necessarily want to be a substitute teacher, but it's a good way for me to bring in some steady income over the winter months. I can tell that the economy—especially the building industry—has really tanked here in Kalispell over the past year. We've been lucky in that the husband has had enough work to keep us afloat thus far, but I always worry going into the cold season. Last winter he was off for almost two months—that hasn't happened since we first moved here sixteen years ago. I want to be prepared for the possibility that he might be off for four or even five months this year. The good news is that the weather forecast is for a dry, open winter with above-average temperatures. But even good weather won't matter if no one is building any houses.

So I may go ahead and do as much subbing as they want to give me at the elementary school. It's not exactly what I would call a high-stress job and the commute is short. Yeah, it means that I'll have less knitting time, but at this point, I'm kind of disillusioned with the whole knitting business anyway. We'll just have to see what happens.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that poster is also a young-un who thinks that there was no commerce before e-commerce. I was an indie designer before PayPal and the Internet—I got paid via those old-fashioned pieces of paper known as checks.

Someone else had the good sense to point out to that poster that Elizabeth Zimmermann was also an indie designer—way before PayPal and the Internet.

I know, 18 year-olds have a much shorter frame of time reference than do those of us who are older. I just think it's funny that some of them think business wasn't invented until the creation of the Internet.

I've been writing and grading patterns for the past three days. Once I get into the grading part of it, I really do enjoy it. I do it within a spreadsheet and it's almost like a puzzle, trying to get everything to line up and make sense for all the sizes. I'm grading one of the sweaters for the Fall issue in ten sizes, all the way from 28" around up to 56" inches around. I ama tad concerned that the design is going to be a bit out-of-proportion in the sizes at either end of the range, but it's been an interesting intellectual exercise. Not all designs lend themselves to that wide a range of sizes.

School starts in two days for DD#2 and in three days for DD#1. I'm trying to be nonchalant about it, but I will be very excited to have the house to myself again during the day.

I managed to get myself entangled in a Ravelry discussion this week; I really should just stay out of the Designers Forum and keep my blood pressure level down. Every so often, the topic of free patterns raises its head, and someone will come in and champion some fringe economic theory that would pretty much put me out of business. After all, designing is easy and therefore designers are ripping off customers by charging $8 for a knitting pattern. Yeah. Okay.

I will admit that I got a bit snide in the discussion once I found out that the poster stirring up the debate was an 18 year-old college student. I remember being 18—I thought I had all the answers to the world's problems and along the way there were more than a few people helpful enough to slap me back to reality. I made a comment to the effect that I would be more interested in hearing that person's opinions when s/he had graduated from college and was having to make a living. In response, the poster pointed out thet s/he was working several jobs to support him/herself, although I noticed that when I threw back the fundamentals of that poster's economic theory and asked if s/he would be willing to abide by them when it came to his or her job, the poster did not respond. It's all well and good to champion an economic theory in theory; it's something completely different when the rubber meets the road and the economic theory you are championing puts you out of a job.

I like the concept of a free market (I've been living with a Libertarian for 22 years, can you tell?), but I also agree with Marnie (she was part of the debate, too) when she says, "It’s easy to say that capitalism should go unchecked . . . but left unchecked, capitalism tends to spawn monopolies which are entirely anti-competition. No system is perfect and no theory works out exactly as expected in the real world." Someone else in the discussion pointed out that no theory works out exactly as expected in the real world because theories tend to discount human nature as a part of the equation.

I love being self-employed, and knitting has given me the flexibility to do a lot of things I couldn't have done if I had a different kind of job. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that—more and more frequently—I've been thinking about bagging it altogether and doing something else, because the playing field isn't level anymore. Thanks mostly to the Internet and Ravelry, there is a lot more knitting information available for free out there. Once people find out they can get something for free, they aren't usually willing to fork over money for a similar product.

It's not that I don't want competition; I think competition is good for the customer. The best example I can think if is how InDesign supplanted Quark as the most commonly-used layout program. The company that made Quark got lazy and complacent and assumed that anyone who had to do any kind of layout work would have to use their product. They were outcompeted by Adobe. But their playing field was level—InDesign didn't take business away from Quark because it was free or even less expensive (it's not)—it took away business because it was a better product.

I can compete with someone offering a similar product for less money by improving my product, charging less for it, etc. I can't compete with someone giving away knitting designs or information for free, because my business model isn't based on giving away my hard-earned knowledge for free. As an analogy, I posted the following scenario in the forum discussion. Substitute "knitting" for "waitressing" and you'll get a taste of what I mean:

The scene: College student shows up for work one day.

Owner: Hey, thanks for coming to work, but I won’t need you as a waitress any more.

College student: But you’re really busy!

Owner: I know, but someone came to me today and said she would be willing to work as a waitress for free, because she just LOVES waitressing and she wants to share her love of waitressing with the world!

College student: But doesn’t she need the money?

Owner: No! Her husband is independently wealthy and she’s just sitting at home not doing anything, so she thought she’d come and waitress for the fun of it! And it cuts my expenses, so I can cut my prices and put Restaurant X out of business down the block!

College student: But I am worth the money you pay me!

Owner: I’m sure you are, but even if the new waitress doesn’t do as good a job as you do, it won’t matter. People don’t want to pay exhorbitant prices for food. I’m just giving them what they want.

College student: How will I pay my tuition bill next semester?

Owner: Not my problem.

This, sadly, is what I am facing more and more often. I'm having to come up with news ways to market my product so that I am not in competition with people giving the same information away for free. Case in point: knitting videos. I happen to think my Cabling 101 DVD is pretty darn good—it has almost a half an hour's worth of footage showing how to fix cabling mistakes three different ways depending on where they are in the knitting. But I am competing with videos all over the Internet showing how to fix a cable for free. I happen to know that those videos don't do it as well or as comprehensively as I do in my DVD, but no one is going to shell out $23.95 to find that out if they can zip over to a website and see it for free. I've got the better product—but it's not free.

So the answer to that dilemma is that if I do another knitting video, I've got to do one that contains information that can't be found for free on the Internet. That's business; adapt or die. I know that there will be a review of my Cabling 101 DVD in the Fall issue of Knitty, so we'll see if that gives the DVD a much-needed bump.

I've noticed a lot of changes in my business over the past 18 months or so, and not all of them have been good. And not all of them have been due to the downturn in the economy, either. I do want to finish the next two cabling books and perhaps do another DVD, and then I'll re-evaluate. I just wish I could say to everyone who wants it all for free: Be careful what you wish for—you just might get it. And it might not be what you thought it was.

Remember the issues I was having with my printer a few days ago? The saga continues. . . The new printer was delivered Monday afternoon. I hooked it up, turned it on—and it threw an error code and refused to go any further. I called Xerox tech support. We did some hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo (which didn't work) and then the tech abruptly said, "I'm scheduling you for a service call. We will overnight a part to you and someone will be there this week to fix it."

Huh. So on Tuesday I got a call from Patrick, the service tech for the western half of the state of Montana. He tried to make it up here from Missoula yesterday but couldn't, so he promised to be here this afternoon to fix the printer. In the meantime, FOUR BOXES of parts arrived at my house via UPS yesterday. It seems that not only is Patrick going to fix the printer, he is going to completely rebuild it.

If this printer turns out to be a lemon, I may have to take someone's head off. This is really getting ridiculous. I can't print patterns without a reliable printer. And I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a $1000 printer to work properly out-of-the-box.

The Denise sweater is all done and ready to send off today; the pattern is written and went to the tech editor last evening. I've moved on to finishing a sweater design for the Fall issue and hopefully in a week or so I'll get to take some time off and start a new, fun project.

I was knitting in a meeting at church last night and one of the other ladies (who also knits) leaned over and whispered, "Do you ever make a mistake?" Her eyes got really wide when I nodded. Designers don't have a corner on the market when it comes to perfection, trust me.

The husband and I have been together for 22 years, so I was the lucky recipient of a lot of G'ma Milly wit and wisdom. She came to visit the husband at college one spring, just after we had started dating. I got a hint of the high regard he had for her even before she arrived: he put on a long-sleeve shirt and began removing all the pictures of him from the walls of the apartment he shared with our friend Michael. When I asked him what he was doing (it was 90 degrees outside and a bit warm for a long-sleeve shirt), he answered, "My grandmother doesn't know I have a tattoo, and I don't want her to find out."

A little later that day, she and I were standing alone down at the boat dock and she leaned over to me and said, rather conspiratorially, "I know he has a tattoo." Not much got past G'ma Milly, and she loved the husband a lot, tattoo and all.

Before we moved to Montana, we spent many a wonderful weekend at her house in Pennsylvania. She was a fabulous gardener, known far and wide for her collection of azaleas, and the yard was a stunning sight when all of them were in bloom.

G'ma Milly welcomed everyone as family, even those of us who weren't blood relations. I was married to the husband, so as far as she was concerned, I was simply an additional grandchild to feed and love. Thanksgiving dinner always included lots of extended family and anyone else who happened to be passing through. She generously shared recipes and gardening tips, and although I will never be the cook that she was, I try to keep the husband supplied with baked goods in her honor.

She drove with me from Maryland to Ohio when I was four months pregnant because my father had just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and no one wanted me to drive by myself. She had first-hand experience with the disease; her husband had died from MM in the early 70s. It was something she would have done for any of her grandchildren, so she did it for me, and I appreciated her presence that weekend.

G'ma Milly handed down a collection of stories about coming to Kalispell in the early 40's, when her husband was a park ranger at Glacier Park. Back then, she told us, Main Street was a dirt road, and she had to chase away a grizzly bear that came to call in their yard while she was hanging diapers up to dry. She enjoyed coming here to visit when my girls were little.

As an artist, she created beautiful images in her paintings and quilts. We have one of her quilts hanging on the wall of our bedroom, and it will be a constant reminder from now on of her loving influence in our lives. She will be missed.

I try very hard not to be a conspiracy theorist, but I've had enough bad experiences with the American medical system to know who's actually pulling the strings, and it isn't the doctors or patients. It's the drug companies. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find out that a drug company is behind the shortage of desiccated thyroid (with the complicit help of the FDA) in order to drive millions of thyroid patients to their synthetic thyroid medications. I've seen what lengths they've gone to to try to get bio-identical hormones banned from the marketplace so that patients would have to take their products instead—products that have been demonstrated to be harmful.

Don't get me wrong—I have nothing against synthetic medications. Lots of good things have been synthesized in the lab. I am on liothyronine, which is a synthetic thyroid hormone that happens to work well for me. However, there is a well-documented body of evidence that synthetic levothyroxine thyroid hormone doesn't work well for most people. [Without going into gory detail, the difference is that liothyronine is T3, the active thyroid hormone, and levothyroxine is T4, a storage hormone that is converted to T3 as needed. The problem is that many. many people cannot convert levothyroxine into T3 adequately and are left feeling symptomatic.] Not everything synthetic works well in the human body. The generic liothyronine I took in June was considerably weaker than the brand name that I take now.

I don't want to start a political discussion on this blog. Suffice it to say that I don't think we are going to get ANY kind of good health care program in this country no matter which political party is in charge, because Congress is going to allow the drug companies and insurance companies to write legislation that favors them over consumers. It happened with the prescription drug program and it will happen with a health insurance program. As long as their dollars are flowing to our elected representatives, they will have the most influence. (I've written to Max Baucus, the Democratic senator from Montana, who happens to be the head of the Senate Finance Committee and is helping lead the charge for health care reform. I sent my letter over a week ago and have received no response thus far—but you can bet that if the head of a drug company contacted Mr. Baucus, he or she would have immediate and unrestricted access.)

At this point, I would rather maintain the status quo than change it to a system where the drug companies get to call the shots. I find it terribly scary that people I know are going to get sick again because they cannot get the medicine they so desperately need to stay well. I just hope the groundswell of patient complaints is enough to overcome any strong-arm tactics by drug companies to dictate what medicine should be available to thyroid patients. People should be able to take what works for them, no matter if it comes in synthetic or natural form.

One good thing is that now—thanks to the internet—patients can communicate and compare notes with each other. I think that scares the living daylights out of large corporations, because informed consumers cannot be duped as easily. Why else would the corn lobby in this country spend millions of dollars in advertising to try to convince consumers that high fructose corn syrup isn't bad for you? If it truly weren't bad for you, they wouldn't need to do anything.

DD#1's senior project is on the dangers of artificial sweeteners. Both of my girls have been a big help when doing the grocery shopping, as they have become excellent label-readers and are good at sleuthing out alternatives to products containing HFCS.

It's time to get to work; I have three sweater patterns that need to be graded and written today. Fun fun.

When I got to Camas Creek yesterday afternoon, Melanie thrust a skein of this into my hands as she was walking out the door to her mother's birthday party (Happy Birthday, Mary Lou!). "It's a new yarn I am thinking of carrying for afghans," she said. I asked if I could swatch it and she said yes, so I sat down with yarn and needles and knit up a cable-and-seed stitch swatch.

This stuff is really nice. It's a blend of 50% wool and 50% acrylic, smooth and tightly spun. As much as I like the Berroco Comfort yarn for easy-care garments, it has a tendency to split while knitting, and that can be frustrating. This yarn feels and behaves much like a well-spun wool, but has the easy care of an acrylic—the best of both worlds! Melanie will be getting it in in September and I think it will be very popular.

The other item I wanted to mention is the new Zephyr needle from KnitPicks.

I actually tried these out when I visited the KnitPicks office last September, but I was sworn to secrecy. They are quite nice and the flexibility of the acrylic tips makes them really good for cabling. It would be worth buying a pair and trying them out to see if you find them as nice to work with as I did.

I was so busy swatching that I forgot to get pictures of Chrissy's class yesterday, but everyone looked like they were having a wonderful time. I hope Chrissy comes back again to teach more sock classes!

Most of the world knows that I am just not a big sock knitter . . . I've done socks but I really have to be in the right mood to enjoy them. But Chrissy's book might just make me change my mind. I'm going to sit in on her class today and I am sure I will learn a thing or two.

Chrissy and her husband and their two kids came over for dinner last night. I just love her kids. We had a lot of fun playing on the fire engine when they were here last summer.

Chrissy gave me the Sock Summit recap and it sounds like it was great fun. How could it not be?

We had a very busy day at Camas Creek yesterday. I was scheduled to work from 10-2 but actually stayed until 3 because we had so many customers. I taught one woman how to knit (again—she knew from childhood but needed a refresher) and helped untangle a baby blanket project for a delightful 95 year-old lady who was born in Germany and taught by her father to knit after they moved to Mexico when she was a child. Her mother died when she was only 3, and her father wanted her to learn how to knit, so he taught her using instructions his sister mailed from Germany. Quite a story.

I do like working at the yarn store. I don't think I would want to be there every day (surrounded by all that yarn but not being able to knit would be too frustrating!), but the occasional Saturday is a lot of fun.

I will take my camera with me to class today.

Melanie and I have scheduled the 2nd Annual Camas Creek Winter Retreat at the Izaak Walton Inn for the weekend of January 23-24, 2010. Room space is limited, and when I talked to her yesterday, she told me that spots are already filling up. I will take up to 25 students in each class, but a spot in a class doesn't guarantee you a place to sleep. If you're interested (and so far we've got students coming from as far away as Michigan and Canada), you might want to call Melanie at 406-755-9276 and talk to her about registering for the weekend.

Classes on the schedule for the weekend are:

Fitting Your Knitting, Friday, Jan. 23, 1-4 p.m.
Are you tired of making sweaters that don't fit? This class will help you knit sweaters that fit the recipient (you or someone else) perfectly. Learn about measurements and ease, adding bust darts, waist shaping, and other figure-flattering tips and tricks to make your next sweater project a success.

Cables and Beyond, Friday, Jan. 23, 6-9 p.m.
Take a trip around the world of cables. Experiment with slip-stitch cables, cables and lace, infinite cables, modular cables, cables and color, and many other techniques.

Let Them Knit Cake! Saturday, Jan. 24, 9-12 p.m.
Brioche stitches are a wonderfully fun family of stitches. Using just a few easy techniques, create soft, lofty stitch patterns suitable for use in scarves, blankets, and other projects. This class also features a section on combining cables and brioche stitches, for those students who want a cabling emphasis.

Reversible Stitch Patterns, Saturday, Jan. 24, 3-6 p.m.
There's no "wrong side" with these stitch patterns! Versatile reversible patterns have attractive stitches on both front or back—great for any project where both sides should look pretty.

We had a fabulous time there in January and it should be just as much fun in 2010! Bring your skis!

I just looked at the calendar and I leave for the cruise three weeks from today! The cruise has been in the planning stages for over a year, so it's kind of a shock to realize that it's almost here. I spent some time yesterday revamping one of my class handouts. I have a tendency to cram way too much stuff into my handouts—a practice I started after the very first class I taught at Stitches Midwest in 1999, when I got through all the class material in an hour and a half and had to pull stuff out of my armpit to fill up the remainder of the time. That's the stuff of knitting teachers' nightmares.

I'd rather have too much than too little, but in this case some trimming needed to be done. One of the techniques at the end of the handout always gets short shrift because we spend so much time on the techniques at the beginning. I pared it down and now it should be much better.

The Denise sweater is done and the shawl collar looks really nice. I need to set aside a day this week to do nothing but write patterns. I have to be in the right frame of mind to write patterns, and I have to do it on a day when I know I can work with few interruptions. Those days are few and far between.

I got out the manual and looked—nothing about ghost images; I located the service manual online and found that it did have something to say about ghost images. It suggested that cleaning the printer using the troubleshooting software—which was included on the installation disk—might help.

I found the installation disk (I keep everything—I found the installation disk from TouchAmerica, when we still had dial up-back in 1996 . . . it's probably time to do a bit of cleaning). I popped it into the computer. The troubleshooting software only works under Windows. Blah. Stupid HP.

But wait!—I have Parallels! I can pretend I have a Windows machine! I booted Parallels up, only to find out that I had to register it (again . . . I am pretty sure I registered it the first time I used it). I found the license key, went online and registered it, booted up Windows, installed the software, ran the troubleshooting program, and cleaned the printer.

It worked . . . for a while. I suspect that to really fix this problem, the fuser will have to be replaced. The part alone costs $250 and I have no idea who around here would want to service this printer. I'm tired of throwing money at this thing. I print $800 worth of patterns and have to spend $400 on toner. It's ridiculous. I bought this printer (an HP Color LaserJet 2500) because I have a LaserJet 1200 that's been a workhorse for over 10 years. I've printed several hundred thousand pages on it. The 2500 doesn't even come close to being the same kind of quality machine as the 1200. I am done with HP.

So I ordered a Xerox Phaser 8560 from Staples. Several of my knitting colleagues have the Phaser and have given me glowing reviews. And I am really looking forward to the two-sided printing capability. It will be here in a week.

Oh, and my cell phone? The one I washed last week with the laundry? I put it in a bowl of rice (thanks, Mary, for the idea) and it dried out nicely. It even started up. It dials. It rings. But no one can hear me when I speak into it. That's a problem. And none of the phones on our plan is up for renewal, so a new phone would cost me full-price.

I went to Alltel Tuesday to see if they could transfer my number to DD#1's old phone. The woman there was having issues with their computer. She took the information and gave me a card and told me to dial up a special number to activate the other phone; only the special number didn't work. And DD#1's old phone doesn't have Bluetooth, so it can't talk to my truck. Hands-free capability is kind of important when driving a stick shift.

DD#2 solved the problem for me. We have a fourth phone—the one DD#2 has been using—that does have Bluetooth. DD#2 had some birthday money, so she bought herself a different phone. I will take the Bluetooth phone in to Alltel and have my number transferred to it and hopefully we'll all be able to talk to each other (and to the truck) once more. The chief called me yesterday because dispatch e-mailed him and said text messages to my phone were bouncing back to them. I explained the whole situation and said I would have it fixed today. I hope.

To top off a lovely day, the husband informed me that someone in a white car opened their door into my right front fender and left a fairly serious dent. Thanks.

But today is another day. The girls are off to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned and then DD#1 heads to work and DD#2 and I head off to run errands. She's taken over the zucchini bread production. Yesterday she churned out half a dozen more loaves. Yay.

I did not have a bone marrow transplant as part of my treatment, but I knew a lot of people who did. My sister registered as a donor. It's at the front of my mind now because we have a gentleman in our community who desperately needs a transplant but cannot find a matching donor. So I am asking that all of you who read the blog considered becoming a bone marrow donor. It's not a commitment to take lightly, but it is a very important one. It would be a great way to help me celebrate 15 years of survival.

If you're interested, please visit the Be The Match website and join the registry. If you don't feel you can make the commitment (and that's okay), would you consider making a monetary donation so that someone else can become a donor? (Sometimes there are costs associated with the DNA testing.) Or consider going to your local blood bank and making a donation there. I used to donate blood regularly until I got sick, and now they won't take my blood anymore.

Thanks. I appreciate it. And so will lots of other people.

Today's zucchini haul:

I just can't keep up (I let these get a bit bigger than I should have). I think I will start freezing the shredded zucchini to make bread with later. My friend Susan is getting a couple of these because she's involved in a local group that provides meals in Kalispell and she's responsible for part of the meal tomrorow night.

The collar is almost done on the sweater. Yay! I got a bit of a reprieve because the author doesn't need the sweater until next week. So I will finish the collar and then I want to add a belt and some pockets. And then it will be done.

The Vogue book contained designs from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Set-in sleeves were a common design element, so I knit them. No one told me they were hard. I did have to have my mother help me set in the sleeves on the first sweater I made, but her technique was so easy that after that, I had no trouble. One of my very favorite sweaters was a simple crew-neck, set-in sleeve pullover made from blue and gray ragg Brunswick Germantown. Alas, the sweater is no longer with me (not that it would fit now anyway), but I do have a supply of blue and gray ragg Brunswick Germantown and one day I will re-create that sweater.

If you go back and look at knitting magazines from that period, you will see that a shift takes place, driven (naturally) by fashion. Set-in sleeves become "dfficult"—difficult for designers, difficult for knitters—and the style shifts to boxy, oversized garments made mostly of unshaped rectangles. Now we're shifting back to more fitted garments. Thank goodness.

The sweater I designed and have been working on for someone else's book has set-in sleeves. My comfort level with set-in sleeves is such that I didn't really even do any fancy math while knitting the sleeve caps. I just did them—I looked at the armscye, looked at the sleeve, did a few simple calculations in my head, and knitted away. I figured if they weren't correct, I could re-knit them.

I didn't have to. I put the sweater together last night. First, I joined the shoulders with a three-needle bind-off. (If this weren't a proprietary project, I would have taken pictures.) Then I pinned the sleeve cap into the armhole opening, centering the top of the sleeve cap with the shoulder seam. The sleeve cap fit into the armscye perfectly. I slip-stitch crocheted it into place. Then I sat and (I kid you not) stared at the sleeves for a couple of minutes—that's how awesome they looked.

My method of shaping sleeve caps comes mostly from Deborah Newton's book Designing Knitwear (a most excellent reference book). I follow her guidelines, although I follow some more closely than others. For instance:

1. The cross-shoulder measurement of the sweater should closely approximate the cross-shoulder measurement of the body. In women, the cross-shoulder measurement is roughly 15-17", depending.

2. The sleeve width before cap shaping should be approximately twice the depth of the armhole, plus or minus one inch. On my sweater, the armhole depth was 7 1/2", so I increased until the top of the sleeve was about 15 1/2".

3. The cap height should be about two-thirds of the armhole depth. For a 7 1/2" deep armhole opening, then, the cap height needs to be about 5 2/3".

4. The width at the top of the sleeve cap should be 4-6", depending on the sleeve width (I actually make mine closer to 3", because I think they fit better).

So what does this mean in terms of the knitting? When I got to the place where I wanted to begin the cap shaping, I bound off a group of stitches at either side to match the number of bound-off stitches at the beginning of the armhole shaping of the body. Then I bound off one stitch at the beginning of each RS row and one stitch at the beginning of each WS row 22 times (11 times on each side).

At that point my sleeve cap was approximately 3 3/4" tall. Remember that my sleeve cap can only be about 5 2/3" tall, so I've only got a bit less than 2" left in which to complete the shaping. I switched to a slightly faster bind-off rate: two stitches at the beginning of each RS row, and two stitches at the beginning of each WS row. I did that a total of 12 times (six on each side). That left me about 3/4" to knit. I increased the bind-off rate to three stitches at a time—a total of six times (three on each side). I bound off the remaining 3" worth of stitches and ta da!—my sleeve cap was complete.

The combination of different bind-off rates gave a nice curve to the top of the cap. The goal is to have the measurement along the top of the cap equal the measurement around the armhole opening (flexible rulers are useful for taking these measurements).

Once the sleeves were sewn in, all that remained was to sew the sleeve and side seams. Today I will pick up and knit the shawl collar and the sweater will be done! Yay!

The husband put my bookcase together for me yesterday morning. I rearranged and reorganized the books that were already out, then retrieved the rest from storage and added them to the collection. It's lovely to have my gardening books and spinning books within reach again.

"Major mail-order pharmacy Medco Health has recently been disseminating a misleading and highly suspicious notice to doctors, suggesting that no natural desiccated thyroid drugs are available, that the FDA intends to take these drugs off the market, and suggesting that doctors switch patients to levothyroxine. I have obtained a copy of the notice, and have written a letter to the heads of Medco, asking them to explain why they would be telling doctors that natural desiccated thyroid is not available -- when it is -- and why a pharmacy has taken it upon themselves to suggest to physicians what drugs the doctors should be prescribing to their patients."

You can read Medco's notice and Mary's response to Medco at her website. In a nutshell, natural desiccated thyroid has been used to treat thyroid patients since the 40s and 50s. It's made from pig thyroid. The drug companies make a synthetic version (levothyroxine) of one of the thyroid hormones we need. They have worked very hard to defame natural desiccated thyroid, convincing a whole generation of doctors to prescribe the synthetic version instead.

One of the companies that makes natural desiccated thyroid—Forrest Labs—recently changed the formulation of their product known as Armour, and that did result in shortages for a while. However, natural desiccated thyroid is still available from other companies. There are people who cannot get well on the synthetic thyroid drug. They need natural desiccated thyroid. And since when does a pharmacy tell your doctor what drugs he or she should prescribe for you?

I may have to start a separate blog for some of this stuff. My apologies to those of you who came here looking for knitting.

The deadline sweater pieces are blocked and drying upstairs. I want to get the collar knitted this weekend and then it's just a matter of writing the pattern and getting it all shipped off. The first draft of the Fall issue is going to the tech editor on Monday.

My bookcase arrived yesterday (hooray!) and the husband offered to put it together for me this morning so I can finally get my mess of an office cleaned up. It will be nice to have my books out instead of packed in boxes. If the husband and I ever build another house, we will just have to accept that fact that we need one room to be nothing but a library full of shelves. It'll take me a while to catch up to Joan Schrouder and her collection of knitting books, though.

All of which makes me really appreciate my doctor. He and I have the kind of working relationship that I wish everyone could have with their doctor (and I have lots of experience with doctors, most of it bad). Case in point: he was worried that the thyroid meds I was taking might have adverse effects on my bones. In January he said, "Some time in the next six months, I would like you to have a bone scan so that we have a baseline to compare to in the future." I scheduled the scan for the beginning of April. He didn't dictate, he didn't order; he simply presented his reasoning in a straightforward manner and I was happy to comply.

I saw him today and he was thrilled with the results of my scan. He said my numbers were the best he'd ever seen—my bones are strong and healthy. And I don't drink milk or take calcium supplements. (I haven't drunk milk since I was really little—my mother says that one day I tossed my bottle out of the crib and that was it.) My personal feeling is that milk is bad for humans and drinking it actually leaches calcium from your bones because milk turns acidic once it gets into your digestive system. However, this is America, where we do what's good for the corporations, not what's good for the public. We have a huge dairy lobby that spends a lot of money telling us how good milk is for us, and a lot of drug companies making a lot of money on osteoporosis medications.

But I digress. I told my doctor how annoyed I was with the generic thyroid medication and that I had gained back all of the weight I had lost over the spring while taking it. One of my friends also sees this particular doctor and—under his supervision—is doing HCG injections. HCG is a hormone that jump-starts a person's metabolism by telling the hypothalamus it needs to burn excess fat. My friend has already lost close to 30 pounds in just a few months. I have another friend doing the program under a different doctor's supervision, and she's lost 62 pounds in about four months. Both of these women have tried for years to lose weight, to no avail. If I hadn't seen them get skinnier and skinnier before my very eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. My friend who lost 62 pounds says that now she's "addicted to hiking," something she couldn't do before.

My doctor offered to start me on the same program. While the thought of losing these extra 15 pounds so quickly is appealing, the program is pretty rigorous and it just won't fit it with my schedule right now. I told my doctor that I'd rather try to lose it the way I did in the spring, by taking an adequate amount of thyroid hormone, exercising, and sticking to my mostly-vegetarian diet. As long as my thyroid meds don't get screwed up again, I should be fine.

As a bonus, my doctor's wife is a knitter, and I run into her from time to time at Camas Creek.

We had some thunderstorms come through overnight. The first couple were dry thunderstorms—lightning and thunder but no rain. Then we got one with about 20 minutes of a steady, soaking rain. It's supposed to be like this most of the day—I just hope that we get enough rain to put out any fire starts from lightning strikes.

It'll be a good day to knit.

I desperately want a massage, but I can't get one for another three weeks. (My kids are old enough to leave at home by themselves, but I don't like to do that during fire season.) I want to lose this weight I put on when my thyroid meds got screwed up. I want to enjoy my knitting again and not dread having to sit down and work on something. I want to take a day off and not feel guilty about it. I'd really like it not to be so hot.

Blah. Let's look at some gratuitous garden pictures. Columbines are still blooming:

The bee balms are also blooming. The red ones are always first:

Only one of my echinaceas has bloomed so far, but it's a prolific one:

And the lavender is out, much to the bees' delight:

I went out one early evening a few days ago and just sat in the garden and took pictures with different settings on my camera. I was hoping to get the hummingbird at the bee balms, but he wouldn't come back while I was there.

DD#1 still seems to be doing okay. I know she's got some discomfort, but either it's not that bad or she's really good at holding it in, because she hasn't complained much. We'll see how she's doing this morning. I think if she can get through today, she should be fine.

And according to the oral surgeon, DD#1 did "very well" having her wisdom teeth out this morning. The extraction took about 45 minutes. She's hanging out on the couch now, watching Sponge Bob. The novacaine has worn off and she says her jaw is sore, but she declined the offer of some Advil to help (as suggested in the post-op instructions). She says she just wants to tough it out.

So it's going to be a quiet week here. I'm off to put some fringe on an afghan, and then I have to iron. Ugh. I let it pile up until it threatens to take over.

In the process, I had to clean out the yarn room, which has become a dumping ground for all sorts of stuff. Some of it is going to Goodwill. Some of it is going in the trash. Some of it will have to stay until I find a better place for it (there are two boxes of books that eventually will end up on the new bookshelf in my office, if it ever arrives). There arealso two old and non-functioning computers and a non-functioning monitor. I found a place that will recycle them; I just need to get them packed up and shipped off.

I have a dentist appointment this morning to get a small cavity filled. The dentist has been watching it for about two years, and at my last cleaning she decided it was time to fill it and be done with it. I am taking DD#2 along with me—she's got a baby tooth that is being held hostage by a permanent tooth. The baby tooth is just hanging there, but even I (who pulled most of my kids' teeth) can't get it to come out. It looks like some of the baby tooth root is stuck under the permanent tooth (which has already started to come in). I would rather have the dentist deal with it.

DD#1 has an appointment tomorrow morning to have her wisdom teeth out. This is going to be such a fun week around here. I've got a sweater to assemble, another one to finish knitting, and an afghan to fringe. Oh, and about 10 loaves of zucchini bread to make.

All of which led to me washing a pair of jeans with my cell phone in the back pocket. I won't be wearing my phone on my body again, that's for sure. One of my designer friends suggested putting it in a bowl of dry rice to dry it out, so that's where it is. We'll see if that does the trick. If not, maybe I'll just get a Crackberry and be done with it.

I spent most of the day at my computer yesterday, working on the layout for the Fall issue of the newsletter. JC Briar, my tech editor and knitting partner in crime, is teaching at Sock Summit. I promised to have the first draft on her desk the day after Sock Summit is over. I made quite a bit of progress; there are only a few spots left to fill. One will have a review of Chrissy Gardiner's new book Toe-Up! Patterns and Worksheets to Whip Your Sock Knitting Into Shape. I am trying to channel Chrissy—once she got it into her head to finish her self-published book, she got it done in about six months. I still want to get Cables 2 done this fall. If I could have a string of days like yesterday, it wouldn't take me long.

Debbie, you asked for the zucchini bread recipe, so here it is. This was given to me by a lady at church about six or seven years ago. I like it because it's not overly sweet.

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredient in a separate bowl and add to dry, mixing gently. Pour into muffin tins or loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.

Variations: Add 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1/3 cup raisins, and/or 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

The baking time is an approximation because a) I have high-altitude issues (although probably not like you do, Debbie) and b) my loaf pans are pretty big. I am going to get some smaller loaf pans today and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes I have to bake mine until the tops are pretty brown in order to make sure the center is cooked.

These are also excellent as muffins, and they freeze really well. I used two fairly sizeable zucchini (about a foot long each) and they made five big loaves of zucchini bread. There are still another dozen or so zucchini in the garden, so as long as I remember to get eggs (I had to borrow some from the neighbor yesterday), I will be churning out zucchini bread for the next couple of weeks.

We lost another tree in our yard. A front came through and it was pretty windy Thursday night. The husband got called out for a downed power line, and when he got back, I said, "I heard a crash while you were gone—I think a tree came down somewhere." He said he hadn't seen anything when he pulled into the driveway.

Last night Rusty cornered something under the gardening shed and was trying to excavate it. The husband and I were watching him, and I happened to glance over at the far end of the yard, where there was a big tree lying on its side. Ha!—I hadn't been dreaming. We'll cut it up and add it to the mountain of firewood we already have. There is another dead one right next to it, but it looks like the woodpeckers are using it, so I told the husband we can't cut it down just yet.

[Why yes, the animals run the show around here, why do you ask?]

Thanks for all your comments yesterday. It's nice to know I am not alone, but you'd think this Neanderthal behavior would have died out by now, no?

I'm off to work at Camas Creek for a few hours today. The weather forecast is calling for hot (90s) and dry for the next five days, with occasional thunderstorms. Fun and games.

I had to wait about two-and-a-half hours for the work to be completed, so the husband suggested that I take a look at the 4500 or 5500 Dodge trucks they had for sale. We're looking for a heavier-duty truck for our employees to use (and let me just point out here that my husband obviously thinks I am capable of researching pickup trucks by myself). I found a salesman (who earlier in the morning had made some comments about my "crocheting"), and the conversation went like this:

Me: Do you have any 4500's or 5500's on the lot I could take a look at?

Salesman, looking at me queerly: Those are mighty big trucks. Are you sure you need something that big? They're not for hauling groceries.

(Oh. For. Pete's. Sake.)

Me: It's not for me, it's for my husband.

Salesman: Well, those are really heavy-duty trucks. How about something smaller? (I'm sure he was thinking "light-duty pickup.")

Me: My husband owns a construction company. We need a heavy-duty truck. He already has a 4500 that we bought last year.

Those must have been the magic words, because he agreed to take me out to look at one on the lot. We had a quick side conversation about the 2001 Dodge that the husband and I would like to sell before we buy another truck. I can spout off a list of specs for all our trucks, which I've found gives me at least a bit of credibility when dealing with men.

We looked at the 5500 and I made some notes. As we were walking away, he handed me his card and I suddenly realized that he was the same salesman who blew me off when I went down there two years ago to look for a MegaCab (the truck I drive now), which was why we finally bought it from the dealer in Spokane.

He asked me which truck I had brought down to have serviced, and I told him I had brought mine in. Actually, I think my exact words were, "I brought my one-ton MegaCab—the one I use for hauling groceries."

You would think that someone who owns five Dodge trucks would be taken seriously when asking about purchasing a sixth one. The kicker is that he's my age!—I got better treatment from the 75 year-old man who sold us the first three pickup trucks we bought there.

I got the sleeve finished. One more to go.

Thanks to a thyroid forum I belong to, I ran across this article today. Apparently it was not all in my head that the generic thyroid meds I took in June were weaker than the brand-name I'd been on for eight months. The company which makes the generic is being investigated for lack of quality control. It irritates me to no end that one month on that lousy generic pretty much undid all the progress I'd made since last November. One step forward, six steps back.

Sam'sClub.com finally located my bookshelf, which apparently was residing in a Bekins Brothers warehouse somewhere. They will deliver it next Thursday.

We have a bumper crop of zucchini, so making a batch of zucchini bread is on the schedule for today. Thank goodness the strawberries finally slowed down their production. The peas haven't.

While I was gone, the kids cleaned the house and the husband got the porch ready to stain (it has to be done every couple of years). He added these to our porch at the kitchen and laundry room doors:

I think they are just fabulous. Hopefully they will help cut down on the amount of dirt and snow that gets tracked in to the house.

I've got a pile of stuff on my desk that needs to be attended to. Some of it is construction company and some of it is fire department. I'm finding it more and more difficult to work in my office because the new bookshelf still hasn't arrived. Stuff is piled up all over the place. It's been this way since I placed the order for the bookshelf on June 8. I called Sam'sClub.com yesterday afternoon to see if I could locate the shelf. I had such trouble with their phone system (it wouldn't recognize my membership number, pressing "2" did not take me to the correct submenu, etc) that when the customer service rep finally answered the line, I blurted, "Your phone system sucks!"

Sam'sClub.com had sent me a shipping notification with a tracking number, but there was no shipping or freight company given, which makes the tracking number pretty well useless. Even the customer service rep was having trouble tracking it. She said she would make some calls and get back to me. As of this morning, I still don't know where my bookshelf is—and I suspect she doesn't, either.

Blah.

I am off now to take my truck to the dealer to have it looked at. It should be at least an hour or two of knitting time, which is good because I have a sleeve to finish.

It's actually not a class on photography so much as it is a class on using one's fancy-schmancy digital camera with all the bells and whistles. I've read the manual and I do okay, considering, but I'd like to be able to operate my camera with some confidence.

Tomorrow morning DD#1 has senior pictures, and Thursday morning I have to take my truck down to the dealer for some recall and warranty work. My truck was in the shop (our garage) over the weekend because the front left wheel was making a horrible squealing noise. Turns out the U-joint had seized up. The husband said he had never seen one that frozen, and certainly not in a truck that's only two years old. It really is a warranty fix (the truck is still under warranty for another 3000 miles), but it was undriveable in that condition so he replaced the U-joint and the ball joint for me. When I take it to the dealer on Thursday I will have them replace both parts on the other side. Thank goodness I have a handy husband and thank goodness we have an excess of trucks so I had something else to drive while he was working on mine.

We have had such a good time with our houseguests over the past two weeks. Yesterday I took my cousin and her daughter and my girls up to Glacier Park to do the same hike we did with JC last week. It was another glorious day up there. I tried to get some new and different pics, but my camera battery died (I know, this is an ongoing theme) as we got about halfway to Logan Pass. This was the best of the bunch:

I do need to get back to work, though. I stil have a sweater to finish and my house looks like a tornado hit it. Next week will be just as busy as this week, because I am having a tooth filled, DD#1 is getting her wisdom teeth taken out, and I have a doctor's appointment with my naturopath. I had been doing really well on my thyroid meds until June, when my mail-order pharmacy decided to change my prescription to the generic—without asking me if that was okay. It wasn't, because the generic doesn't work as well and I began gaining weight and losing my hair again. I am back on the brand name again and feeling much better. I'd love to get to a point where it isn't two steps forward and one step back, though.

We had quite an evening of excitement here last night. The girls and my cousin and her daughter and I went to an arts and crafts show in town yesterday afternoon. We planned to meet the husband for dinner at Pizza Hut at 6 p.m. Around 4 p.m. the five of us drove up to Whitefish to see the ski resort and do some shopping. As we were heading back to Kalispell, I could see a very large, dark cloud covering the east side of the valley. Then we began to see lightning strikes. Lots of them.

When we got to Pizza Hut, I called the husband, who had just left home to come into town. I could hear the hail hitting his truck as we talked—I told him not to bother coming in to town in case we got paged out for some emergency. Two of our firemen were working at the craft show, so we were short-handed to begin with. Sure enough, just as he turned around to head home, our department got paged out for an overturned boat out on one of the lakes. I took my radio with me into Pizza Hut, and could hear the husband in one of the engines as he responded to the call. He got about halfway up our road and was stopped by a downed tree and power line.

As he was dealing with the downed power line and the rest of the department was trying to determine if the boaters were still on the lake, we got paged out again—this time for a structure fire. Other departments around the valley were getting paged out for their own emergencies. I paid for the pizza, had them box it up, and called the grocery store to have them get food ready. Our radio system is so old that in a situation like this, we're all having trouble hearing each other and finding out what's going on. All I knew was that we had a structure fire and that meant I should probably get food for the crews.

We dropped off some fruit and sandwiches for the guys—who had gotten what little bit of a fire there was under control—then headed for home. The power line had been cleared off the road by then, but there were lots of downed branches and small trees. The damage seems to have been confined to a small area north of us. Our power was still on and we had no hail on the ground. A friend of mine called to ask how we were doing, and I found out that a tree had fallen on their house during the storm.

My cousin is married to a firefighter and her daughter is dating a firefighter, so this was a routine evening for them. The husband came home eventually, only to get paged out again to investigate a report of smoke in the trees—it turned out to be just mist from the rain.

We have internet access this morning, but it's terribly slow. I suspect that there are still lines down somewhere in the valley. Now we begin the waiting game to see if any of those lightning strikes we saw yesterday will turn into fires. We may not know for weeks yet if they stay down and smolder.

Thank goodness we don't get wild evenings like that very often. And thank goodness we are getting a new 911 center soon—if the people who voted against the 911 center last year could see how dangerous it is for emergency responders not to be able to hear each other or dispatch, they might think twice about their unwillingness to pony up for some new equipment. I can't imagine what would happen if we had a wildland fire or an earthquake. Our cell phones would probably be useless in that situation, too.

From the National Weather Service website:

Lightning Activity Level (LAL) Grids
The lightning activity level is a common parameter that is part of fire weather forecasts nationwide. LAL is a measure of the amount of lightning activity using values 1 to 6 where:

LAL Cloud & Storm Development Lightning Strikes/15 min

1 No thunderstorms.

2 Cumulus clouds are common but only a few reach the towering cumulus stage. A single thunderstorm must be confirmed in the observation area. The clouds produce mainly virga, but light rain will occasionally reach the ground. Lightning is very infrequent. 1-8

3 Towering cumulus covers less than two-tenths of the sky. Thunderstorms are few, but two to three must occur within the observation area. Light to moderate rain will reach the ground, and lighting is infrequent. 9-15

4 Towering cumulus covers two to three-tenths of the sky. Thunderstorms are scattered and more than three must occur within the observation area. Moderate rain is common and lightning is frequent. 16-25

5 Towering cumulus and thunderstorms are numerous. They cover more than three-tenths and occasionally obscure the sky. Rain is moderate to heavy and lightning is frequent and intense. >25

6 Similar to LAL 3 except thunderstorms are dry.

Today and tomorrow our LAL is predicted to be at level 6. Right now there are several very dark clouds overhead and the radar shows a big yellow blob over us. I hear thunder (have not looked for lightning), but hardly any rain is falling. That means the atmosphere is so dry that most of the moisture has evaporated before it hits the ground. It's eerily silent and still. I sat and drank my coffee on the porch, where I usually hear lots of birds singing. Not today.

This is bad from a wildfire perspective. I remember that in 2003—the year of the fires up in Glacier Park—we watched dry thunderstorms come through and saw strike after strike after strike hit the mountains across the road from us. Sometimes those strikes will erupt into immediate blazes, but sometimes they will smolder for weeks.

My cousin and her daughter arrived safely Wednesday night. We toured the Flathead Valley yesterday and went out to Rebecca Farm where there is a big horse event this weekend. My cousin's daughter is an avid horsewoman. We plan to spend tomorrow out at the Farm. Today we were hoping to go to the waterpark in Kalispell, but we may have to go to Plan B if we get more storms.

Yeah, we're a couple of party girls, that's for sure. We decided that we must be twins separated at birth. Last night we were reading one of my learning styles books (The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias). I think we work so well together because JC is an "abstract sequential" while I am a "concrete sequential." We both like systems and organization, but while she's looking at the forest, I am counting the trees.

Yesterday morning we left here at 10 a.m.—I drove JC to town so she could get a massage with my massage therapist. DD#2 and I drove back out this way to pick up a friend of hers so I could take both of them to dance class. I dropped them off, went back to town and ran some errands, came back and picked them up, dropped off the friend, picked up DD#1 at the school where she had driven and left her truck, then went back in to town to pick up JC and meet Melanie and Andy for lunch. Everything was scheduled down to the minute and I was a few minutes late dropping them off at dance class only because there was a vehicle accident on the way. That's just how we concrete sequentials roll.

We had some swimming and knitting time again last night at Melanie's cabin and the water was definitely warmer than it had been on Sunday. It's been good for the girls, too—DD#1 is a good swimmer, but DD#2 needs to spend time in the water building up her confidence. We got her a really nice personal floatation device, so she was able to come out with me and practice treading water without worrying about going under.

Off to dance class again.

Behind the Logan Pass visitor center is a boardwalk and a trail that leads back to Hidden Lake. We hiked to the Hidden Lake overlook, which is about 3 miles round trip—not a long hike, but the elevation gain is fairly significant. This was the view as we started our journey:

Along the way we saw lots of wildlife. Here is a marmot hoping to score some trail mix:

The rock formations in Glacier Park are really cool, and I am not even a geologist:

Approaching the Hidden Lake overlook:

A mountain goat was waiting for us there:

The scenery blew me away, and I live here (actually, I live down in one of those valleys way in the background). Pictures do not do it justice:

JC and me:

On the way back we saw more wildlife. Here are some bighorn sheep:

And Mr. Mountain Goat was hot so he decided to take a nap:

We were tempted to bring some mountain goat wool home to spin. It would have taken us a long time to collect enough, though:

We stopped for ice cream on the way home and introduced JC to the flavor of huckleberries. All in all it was fabulous way to spend the afternoon.

I've now got the back and both fronts completed, and what's even better—they all match. Nothing like completing the pieces of a sweater and realizing that the left front has one (or more) fewer repeats on it than the right front. I've got eleven days in which to complete the sleeves, sew the sweater together, and knit the collar. Considering that I knocked the left front out in just under two days (I think that's a personal best), eleven days seems like a luxury of time.

I've also reached the point in the project where I would like to move on to something else. I've got a wealth of submissions for upcoming issues of the newsletter, which gives me some breathing space. I want to do a couple of sweaters just for me. Having a firm deadline means I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

JC's classes went well this weekend. I am pretty sure she'll be back to teach more. Melanie is really the first LYS owner in the western half of the state to bring in non-local teachers. The Big Sky Fiber Fest and the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners often bring in nationally-known teachers for their events, but I don't think any stores ever have. I love it that Melanie is willing to host these kinds of workshop weekends. Next month we will have Chrissy Gardiner here teaching a class on toe-up socks, a topic on which she just self-published a book. Knitters in the Flathead get to take wonderful classes and I get to spend time with my designer friends.

I cooked solo last night and made more Thai curry, this time with chicken and zucchini (some of which came from my garden). Tonight I think we will do Indian again. But today we're going up to Glacier Park to hike the boardwalk behind the Logan Pass visitor's center. What's really nice is that the park is now running a shuttle bus service, so I can park the truck in Apgar, hop on the shuttle bus and take it to Logan Pass, and not have to deal with the ridiculous traffic on the Going to the Sun Road.

That's JC on zooming around the little oxbow lake with Captain Andy (Melanie's husband) at the helm of the boat. I also went tubing (before JC) but fortunately no one thought to get the camera out when I was on the water.

It was a tad chilly when we first got in; however, it's been hot here so the water felt very refreshing. I am hoping to take another dip after class is over tomorrow.

Last night JC made the most amazing Thai curry with eggplant and fresh halibut. After dinner the husband and I took JC on a short hike across the road from our house. There was a muddy spot on the trail that had a lot of tracks in it, so we stopped to see what we could identify. We saw a couple of deer tracks, some dog prints—and some mountain lion prints. The husband said it was a "small" cat—as if that was supposed to be comforting.

We'll see what fun pics I get tomorrow.

If you're going to call for the ambulance and wake up an entire department of volunteer firefighters and medical responders (and their spouses) at 4 am, please do not refuse transport when they arrive at your house. Why did you call them if you had no intention of allowing them to help you?

I could say more, but I won't, because I might not be able to stop.

I did get some knitting done during my meetings last night, but I did a fair bit of ripping, too, while trying to shape a neckline and keep the cable pattern from going wonky while I did it. One of my fellow meeting-goers is also a knitter, and I think she was a bit horrified when I yanked out the needle and began frogging.

I'm off to the train station in a few minutes to pick up JC. The schedule is a bit fluid, because DD#2 is going camping with her Girl Scout troop and I am not quite sure when they plan to leave. JC may want to take a nap, too—sleeping on the train is a tricky proposition. And we may just hang out and knit, too, before going to Camas Creek this afternoon. JC is a pretty low-maintenance person. I don't expect she'll be demanding chocolate-covered strawberries and drinks by the pool. (Thank goodness, because we don't have a pool.)

I got an e-mail from Craft Cruises yesterday about the extra tours associated with our Alaskan cruise in September. One of the offerings is a trip to Shipwreck Beads. Oh—be still, my heart! I can hardly wait. I love bead stores almost as much as I love yarn stores. In fact, I was thinking yesterday that I'd like to reward myself when I finish this deadline project by spending a week doing nothing but playing with beads. I can't do it now because I would feel too guilty.

I tell people that I took up beading to cope with the stress of my knitting job. Oh, the irony.

If you're going to be in Kalispell tonight, make sure you stop by Camas Creek and say hello.

The husband is the same way (except for the "rolling out of bed at 5 am" part). I think it's why we get along so well. We're so very task-oriented here at Chez Schuster and Szabo. Mess with our to-do lists at your peril.

I'm working on a design for someone's book. Due to some problems beyond the author's control, the yarn was a bit late in getting to me, so I don't have quite as much time to work on it as I'd like. It's due August 1. The back is done, and last night I finished one front up to the armhole opening. I have a couple of church meetings tonight and am hoping to get this front done and the second front started. Every so often I look at my calendar and mentally calculate how much knitting I need to do every day to get this project done in time. I certainly don't want to be pulling all-nighters the last week of July in an attempt to finish it.

JC arrives tomorrow morning on the train. Tomorrow night she and I will be sitting on the sidewalk in front of Camas Creek Yarns knitting for Thursday!Fest. This is a new weekly event designed to get people to come to downtown Kalispell. I'm looking at it as two more hours in which to work on this sweater.

And now it's time to attack today's to-do list.

Thanks to the wonderful Manjula and her Manjula's Kitchen website, I made a delicious batch of palak paneer (spinach and cheese) yesterday. I consider it a success because it tastes very much like what I had in Columbus. And it was super easy.

The only substitution I had to make was the cheese—Indian paneer is not available locally (big surprise), so I used cotija cheese instead. The consistency is similar; however, the cotija is quite salty. Thank goodness I don't usually add salt to a dish until I've tasted it. Manjula has a recipe and video on making homemade paneer, so I might try that for the next batch.

I like the spicyness level of Manjula's recipe, too. I like a bit of heat, but not an overwhelming amount and this was perfect. It was even better this morning after the flavors had a chance to blend.

I've decided it's time to cut out the red meat again. For a long time I only ate red meat occasionally—and I mean really occasionally. My preferred protein sources have always been chicken, fish, and tofu. Because of my thyroid, I am supposed to have tofu only once or twice a week (given the opportunity, I would eat it every day). And I got lazy. The husband will eat chicken or fish but he really really really likes red meat. Some days I didn't feel like making myself a non-red meat dinner in addition to what I cooked for everyone else, so I just ate what everyone else did. However, I noticed that my hormones started to get out of whack again. I'm sure there are "experts" who will tell me that I am nuts, but I think commercially-grown red meat has so much estrogen in it that I was messing with my hormone levels by eating so much.

[I priced organic beef at the store and it's 10 times the price of regular beef, so it's a bit out of range for the budget at the moment, given the amount of it this family eats. We did buy a half a steer one year from a local farmer. I wasn't impressed with it, though, and I'm not sure we want to go that route again. What I'd really like is for the husband to get an elk this fall.]

So I am going to try an experiment and not eat any red meat for a couple of months and see what happens. I have yet to meet a vegetable I don't like, and I love beans and rice. I think I could do quite well on a sort-of-vegetarian diet. The husband can't—his daily calorie requirements are huge. But he doesn't mind vegetables along with the red meat.

It's been raining steadily—and sometimes hard—for almost 24 hours now. The weatherman said this is an unusual pattern; these kinds of storms come in the spring, not in July. But the garden will be glad of the extra watering. And we'll be back up into the 90's with no rain for the rest of July.

DD#2 and I went to town yesterday afternoon and stopped at the nursery to see what interesting things they had. I needed lettuce seed for the second go-round of lettuce planting. I also picked up some borage, two basil plants (I've never had real good luck with basil, but I'll try again), a woolly thyme, and—score!—a rock soapwort plant. I used to have rock soapwort in my garden but it died out one year and I never could find it locally to replace it. So I'll replant it now and see if I can keep it going. Yay. I actually did use it once to wash some delicate textiles.

In other news:

Pop over to NeverNotKnitting and check out Alana's podcasts. The June 2 episode has a recap of her adventures at TKGA in May. She was in my Design Your Own Cables class and talks about her experiences there. I see great things in Alana's future. She's got the energy and drive to take her knitting to new places.

The office reorganization is proceeding apace. I added a large table to my office so that I have an area to collate, staple, and stuff patterns into page protectors. I've been doing it at the kitchen table, which is nice because it's a "gathering table" at a height of 36", but which is problematic for other reasons (ketchup being one of them). And I needed a place to put the swift and ball winder.

So it's getting there. I'm working on filling a pretty sizeable pattern order right now, and gradually getting a better handle on how much paper and how many page protectors I need to have on hand so I don't run out. We stopped at Costco after going to the nursery and laid in a supply of page protectors.

I print my patterns on my color laser printer on glossy laser paper, which I've been buying at Staples. It's rather pricey there, and they don't give a quantity discount like they do on some other papers. Fortunately, I found another supplier of the same paper. The price from this other supplier is 40% less than what Staples charges, and shipping is included. It pays to shop around.

I am eagerly awaiting JC Briar's visit this week. JC is my tech editor and is teaching a series of classes at Camas Creek next weekend. I very selfishly asked JC to stay at my house instead of the hotel in town so that we could cook together. She has put together a list of Thai and Indian dishes for us to try. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong country. I would happily eat Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, and/or Lebanese food all the time. When we were in Columbus a few weeks ago for Mennonite General Assembly, I bought lunch at the Indian food stand at the North Market every day rather than eating in the dining hall with everyone else. Lunch included a wonderful palak paneer (spinach with cheese) that I want to try and replicate. The problem is that it's hard to find ethnic food ingredients here in all-caucasian Kalispell.

It will be interesting to see how these ethnic dishes will be received by my family. The husband was born in the United States and that's where he likes to eat. (He insists he's not a picky eater, but that's only true as long as I make the foods he prefers—he doesn't eat lentils or tofu, two of my favorite foods.). He will probably try the stuff JC and I cook up, but I expect I'll have to grill a steak or two for him. The girls?—I have no idea. They have fairly adventuresome palates, but this might be pushing the envelope.

I'm going to go walk around my garden now—without the dogs.

When we made our grocery run the other day, we stopped at a big furniture store in town that's going out of business (the rate of Kalispell businesses going under is accelerating at an alarming rate—a post for another day). I found a great end table and a CD cabinet on sale. The end table replaces a 30 year-old hand-me-down from my parents' house. The CD cabinet holds our collection much better than the wire racks I was using. The girls cleaned out all the old videos and CDs to give to our neighborhood library.

My office is a mess and I can no longer work efficiently in this space, especially now that I am printing and shipping patterns. DD#2 and I have been kicking around some ideas for a while—before we left on the trip, she asked if we could move my drafting table down to the basement and make a place there for her to keep all her drawing supplies. That frees up space in my office for another bookshelf to match the one I've got. I ordered it Wednesday and it shipped yesterday, so hopefully it will arrive soon. Then I can get books out of cartons and off the floor, and make some other changes to streamline the workflow.

I told DD#2 that she needed to clean up the spot in the basement where she wanted to put the drafting table. She was fairly motivated and got that done yesterday afternoon. The husband moved the drafting table down there last night, along with a shelving unit that also had been in my office. Now all of her drawing and painting supplies will be in once place. Currently, they reside in a cabinet in the kitchen and in various other locations throughout the house. I'll get my kitchen cabinet back and can finally get my soup pots off the stove and into storage.

We need some industrial shelving units for the mechanical room in the basement so we can store household stuff like paint and furnace filters there. And I ordered two of these:

They will go in the room in the basement where the—ahem—24 bins of yarn reside. Right now the bins are all stacked up and it's a major pain when I have to get yarn out of one on the bottom. That room is also something of a dumping ground for stuff we don't know what else to do with. It needs a good cleaning out. Eventually I'd like to move the boxes of back issues of the newsletter out of the spare bedroom and down there. The spare bedroom is tiny enough as it is.

What's left? We're researching new carpeting for the upstairs. The existing carpeting has not survived two children and a husband and a succession of dogs very well. And if we're going to replace the carpeting, we might as well paint the spare bedroom and possibly the hallway, too, because everything in a house is connected to everything else in a house.

In between all of this redecorating, I've been catching up on paperwork. I think I'm close to being done—I can see the top of my desk again. Yay. But right now I am going to go out and see if there are any ripe strawberries to be had.

I am so pleased with whatever variety of strawberries these are that I put in last year. They are hardy plants and heavy producers—nice, big berries that are really sweet. We'll have shortcake for dessert tonight.

I've sorted the mail in preparation for paying construction company bills tomorrow. I need to sync up the laptop with the desktop and get some website stuff caught up. But I do plan to go out early tomorrow morning and weed a bit more.

Like all fiber festivals, this one has been through some growing pains. It was held annually when it first started, but went to a bi-annual schedule a few years ago (they alternate with the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners conference). I think that makes it a lot easier on the organizers. There was a good slate of workshops on sheep breeding, dyeing, weaving, spinning, and knitting. All of my classes were held at The Yarn Center, a wonderful yarn store in downtown Hamilton.

The conference organizers put me up in a hotel in Hamilton, which I greatly appreciated. I don't mind staying with a host to help groups save some money, but I find teaching very draining and it's nice to be able to go back to a hotel room by myself and recharge my batteries. I got quite a bit done on the lace scarf I am reknitting. And Saturday morning I shared my breakfast table with an retired couple from Helena who were in Hamilton for the big Mule Days festival. I love talking to Montana natives. They always have such interesting stories to tell. We talked about how the scientists think there is less wind now in the midwest states and concluded that it must all have moved to Montana, because it's so much windier here than it used to be.

On Saturday after my classes I went to dinner with two of my friends from the spinning and weaving guild here in Kalispell who were also at the festival. We ended up at a restaurant south of town where I had the most amazing elk/buffalo burger and sweet potato fries.

So now it's time to unpack from one trip and pack for another. I said to the husband that for the first time in my life, I am wishing for a Blackberry or an iPhone or some other handheld device, because this is such an incredibly complicated trip: three week, three states, three college visits, eight classes at four different yarn stores, one church conference, one visit to Cedar Point, twenty-five new numbers plugged into my cell phone—and it occurred to me the other day that I will not spend more than three consecutive nights at any one location on this whole trip. Yikes. I will have my laptop with me, but having all of this information at my fingertips would be much handier.

I am looking forward to July, when I finally get to stop moving for a while.

Susanna L. Springer, 69, of Missoula, passed away Friday, June 5, 2009, at her home of natural causes.

A celebration of her life will be held at noon Sunday, June 14, at Scotty’s Table in the Wilma building.

I was sorry to have missed the gathering this afternoon. Susanna was a wonderful person, full of life and enthusiasm. I got to know her not long after we moved here. Kalispell didn't have any yarn stores sixteen years ago, so DD#1 and I would make fairly regular trips to shop in Missoula, have lunch, ride the carousel, and visit Susanna. I remember going to see her with a very little DD#2—she couldn't have been more than a few months old—who was hungry and needed to nurse. Susanna pointed to a comfortable couch and said, "Sit," and brought me a stepstool for my feet and a pitcher of ice water, then proceeded to entertain DD#1 while I attended to DD#2. As the girls got older, she would always make sure they went home from their visits with a large bag of candy. We last saw her about six weeks ago. We stopped in for a visit, and she took a couple dollars from the till, handed the money to my girls, and told them to walk down the block to the bakery and buy themselves some cookies. That was just how she was, and I will miss seeing her when I go to Missoula.

My classes at the Fiber Festival were wonderful. I had lots of great students who asked lots of great questions. The whole weekend reminded me why it is I love to teach knitting.

Here is one of our guys heading in:

And another one coming out:

Some people will argue that this isn't very realistic training, but since houses on fire aren't readily available for regular practice, I think this helps a lot.

I've begun the process of re-knitting some of the samples from patterns I published in the early issues of the newsletter, starting with a lace-and-cable scarf from the Spring 2002 issue. My test-knitter kept the sample as part of her compensation, so I don't have it anymore. I've stopped the practice of allowing my test-knitters to keep samples. In fact, I've also stopped giving away or selling any of my samples, because invariably I need them back at some point.

Fiber Trends is now carrying the Naturally Yarns from New Zealand, so Bev provided me with some Dawn to re-knit this scarf. It's absolutely gorgeous. The pattern is a leaf lace stitch. I am doing it in the dark green color.

I have mixed feelings about reknitting some of my older designs. I'm not the same designer I was ten years ago, so I find myself wanting to make changes. Sometimes the changes are necessary: this Dawn yarns knits up at a slightly different gauge, for instance, so I have to change some of the numbers. But I've decided that I will strive to keep the bones of the design intact, even if I have to tweak a few of the details.

It's kind of funny that I am working with the Naturally yarns again. Before we had any yarn stores here in the valley, the only place to buy yarn was the local Ben Franklin. Naturally was one of the lines they carried, which is why I have eight or nine designs in those yarns. I've always been partial to their Perendale yarn, and the new Harmony yarn is also really nice. Both are great for showing off stitch patterning.

I still plan to go. There are plenty of weirdos with guns here in Montana and that doesn't keep me from my daily rounds.

I came home from the neighbors' with an armful of rhubarb the other day, so I made a rhubarb crisp yesterday afternoon and froze four big bags of chopped rhubarb for later use. Let me just say that this is an unusual activity for me because the thrill of cooking went out of my life a long time ago. It's something I have to do to keep the people here happy and healthy, but we all have such vastly different food preferences that most days I feel like a short-order cook. I'd really rather be knitting anyway. But I had the rhubarb and the husband likes goodies like that, so I made one.

One of my go-to cookbooks is one my sister got me for Christmas one year not long after the husband and I got married. It's called The American Country Inn Bed and Breakfast Cookbook. I use it a lot.

I decided yesterday that the reason I like this cookbook so much is because most of the recipes in it suit my cooking style perfectly: quick and easy to prepare in large quantities and not requiring any exotic ingredients. And really, when you think about it, what I'm doing most days is running a bed and breakfast, just with the same people who never leave.

I used a rhubarb crisp recipe out of this book and I think it turned out pretty well.

I did have a big patch of rhubarb when we moved here, but it was the victim of an industrial accident with an excavator (the same kind of industrial "accident" that results in the garden being set on fire with a propane torch, in case you were wondering). I've thought about replanting some, but the neighbors have so much that it's really not necessary.

I'm still thinking through the pricing issue, with lots of helpful input from Bev at Fiber Trends and some of my designer friends, as well as all of your comments. I do kind of wish I could be at TNNA this weekend to get a sense of what's happening in the industry, but I have been promised a full recap next week.

Tomorrow afternoon I am off to the Big Sky Fiber Fest in Hamilton, MT. This is such a great little fiber fest—I've been going since DD#1 was only a couple of years old. Now I attend as a teacher. I've got four classes over the weekend at the Yarn Center in Hamilton and it should be great fun.

It's DD#2's last day of school in name only; the kids will clean out their desks and lockers and then there is a hot dog picnic lunch for everyone. No finals for her—she's only in 6th grade.

I'm still working my way through patterns and class handouts, and keeping track of how many copies I get out of the ink cartridges in my color laser printer. I just replaced them two weeks ago to the tune of $400. They don't seem very cost-effective to me. I talked to someone at Staples about it, and he told me that the "industry standard" for the number of pages printed by a particular ink catridge is based on 5% coverage of the page. So the manufacturer may say that you'll get 4000 pages from one ink cartridge, but that's at 5% coverage (what is that, one line of text on an 8.5" x 11" page?) I know I am not getting 4000 pages from these cartridges. You'd think the driver software would tell me, but for this particular machine it doesn't. Maybe that's deliberate.

Depending on exactly how many pages I do get, I will have to decide if I want to replace the machine with something more cost-effective, or have my patterns printed elsewhere in larger runs. Something else to think about.

Today's paper has a story about the first grizzly bear attack up in Glacier Park. I haven't seen or heard any more about bears in our neighborhood, so perhaps all the bears decided to go up to the park where the tourist pickings are a lot better than they are down here. Honestly. The guy who was attacked was running on a trail alone (a practice discouraged by park rangers for precisely this reason) and didn't have bear spray with him. He's lucky that the bears (there were two) just knocked him around a little bit and didn't have him for breakfast.

DD#2's current reading selection is a book about bear attacks in Montana.

The weatherman said last night that we are "on the fence" with regard to fire season, and June will determine if it's going to be bad or not. We had so little rain in May that we're 2" under our normal precipitation level for this time of year, AND it's been windy, which dries out the fuels even faster. I'm sure we'll get an update from the chief at our fire department meeting Thursday night.

A few more gratuitous garden pics for you:

We should have quite a bumper crop of strawberries this year. Chester will be thrilled. He loves strawberries. He will go in there and put his snout in the bed and eat his way through it if we don't keep an eye on him.

And the peas are doing much better than last year, because I remembered to put inoculant on them before I planted them. The lettuce is up and the zucchini is zooming right along.

I'll have to replace the two Roma tomato plants and one of the Sweet 100's, but the new variety called Glacier that's supposed to very cold-hardy is doing really well. All in all I think it will be a good harvest come August and September.

However, adding individual patterns to my Ravelry store has unleashed a cascade of new considerations. First, it affects my pricing structure. I need to give you a little bit of backstory here. Pricing is one of the minefields indie knitting designers have had to traverse in the past 12 years. When I started designing and publishing my work, it was an unspoken (okay, sometimes it was shouted) rule that if you sold your product through a distributor or a yarn store, you would NOT also sell retail yourself—it was unfair competition to the distributor and yarn store. You either did retail or wholesale, not both. However, that was in the days before e-commerce and the Internet.

As soon as I put up a website for Big Sky Knitting Designs, I ran right smack into the retail vs. wholesale problem. For a while I only sold newsletter subscriptions through my website, and directed people to their local yarn stores to purchase my books. I was trying NOT to compete with my distributors by not selling books retail from my website. Alas, that didn't work so well. I had lots of annoyed customers who said, "We're coming to your website to purchase the newsletter—why can't we get the books at the same time?"

Eventually, the "no retail if you do wholesale" rule morphed into "you can sell retail as long as you don't undercut your distributors or yarn stores," meaning I can't set the retail price of one of my books at $24.95 but sell it from my website at $22.95. That is probably a blog post for another day, but let's just say that Amazon.com has pretty much killed all direct sales of my books from my website (from which I would make the most profit), because why would a knitter pay $24.95 for my Aran book when he or she can buy it from Amazon for $16.47 (I still make a profit on those sales, but it's much less than what I make selling directly). But such is the nature of the business.

Anyway, back to the patterns. Because of recent developments, I'm setting up a scenario in which I've got individual downloadable patterns available for sale through Ravelry at $6.50 or $7.00 (which would be the same as or slightly higher than the retail price for patterns sold through my distributor), but which can be had—if the knitter is willing to pop over to my website and purchase there instead—for a lower price by buying the back issue of the newsletter.

I have no way of knowing how many knitters would click to purchase one of my designs as a downloadable pattern from Ravelry and read far enough down the page to realize that they could get that back issue for less money than they are shelling out for the individual download. Perhaps the convenience of buying from Ravelry and having that pattern in their personal Ravelry database would override all other considerations. But perhaps it wouldn't. The bottom line is that I just don't feel right about the possibilty of undercutting my distributor—albeit in a fairly convoluted fashion—like that. It also means I have a more complicated pricing structure for my products than I would like.

Another consideration is the fact that right now, a knitter who wants to purchase one of my designs HAS to purchase the back issue of the newsletter in which it appears, which may generate an additional sale in the form of a newsletter subscription. If they buy the individual pattern from my Ravelry store, though, they may never get to my website and that pattern may be the only purchase they make from me. Newsletter subscriptions have been dropping off in the past year. The rate of new subscriptions actually has increased a bit—I keep track of who buys the new issue each time one comes out and if they come back later to purchase a subscription. I always get a bump in new subscriptions as soon as I post the projects from the current issue of the newsletter on Ravelry. Will that bump in susbcriptions go away when I start selling individual patterns in my Ravelry store because customers will no longer have to come to my website?

All of this is to say that I find myself at a place where my business model needs to be re-evaluated and possibly changed. I'm trying to be deliberate about this and not make any rash changes, while at the same time trying to see all the possible paths down which my business might go if I do make a change. I've been bitten by the law of unintended consequences before and I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. It's just so hard to stay ahead of all the upheaval that is taking place. Five years ago probably none of us would have predicted Ravelry, and yet look at what changes it's brought to the knitting world in just two short years. And while the newsletter has a been a great thing for almost 10 years, perhaps it has outlived its usefulness.

So here is my brainstorming list—and it's just that, a list. It's a list of all the possible things I could do and the pros and cons of each. I throw it out there because it's entirely possible I am too close and can't see everything, and one of my blog readers might have a better idea. Also—as you can see—I'm really good at thinking up the cons.

1. Cease publishing the newsletter and simply publish individual patterns for sale through my distributor.

Pros: It would free up four months of my time in which I am not managing newsletter layout and publishing. I could go to a wholesale-only business model.

Cons: I'm not ready to let go of that particular child yet; I have lots of devoted subscribers who would be disappointed; I'd still have to give about two years lead time to finish out current subscriptions; I'd lose my self-imposed deadlines for finishing sweaters (as a process knitter, I definitely need those deadlines!)

2. Change my newsletter model to something more like Twist Collective, in which I do a free online magazine from which people can order individual patterns.

Pros: It seems to be a fairly popular publishing model.

Cons: I've heard loud and clear from many of my subscribers who don't want me to go online-only; our names are awfully similar; it would probably require me to hire someone to do the web work; I'd have the problems associated with ceasing publication altogether that I listed above, because in essence, that's what I'd be doing.

3. Stop selling individual back issues of the newsletter. Issues would still be available as "collections" of all four issues from a single publication year.

Pros: It eliminates the pricing problem I described above; it streamlines my order processing.

Cons: Some customers might not want to pay for a collection if they only want a single issue; a collection wouldn't be available until the end of a publication year so I would still have to sell individual back issues for the current publication year.

4. Continue to sell individual back issues of the newsletter, but increase the price to make it the same as the individual patterns downloadable from my Ravelry store.

Pros: It eliminates the pricing problem; it brings in a bit more revenue (always a good thing).

Cons: It's a price increase, which is always a tricky thing and even more so in this economy.

If I had to make a choice right now, I'd say I am leaning toward option #3. However, I'd like to hold off making a decision until mid-summer. I might come up with another idea in the meantime.

Visit the Big Sky Knitting Designs page at the Fiber Trends website to see what's currently available. More designs (many more) will be added in the coming weeks.

This is going to be a great collaboration. Bev is incredibly knowledgeable about the world of knitting—especially retail knitting—and a terrific person to boot. I've long understood that the newsletter just doesn't sell as well as individual patterns in stores, but I lacked the time and energy to find a way to market individual patterns. Having a distributor will help with that.

Bev will have a portfolio of my current pattern offerings available at TNNA this weekend, so if you're going to be there and have a chance, please stop by her booths (447 and 546) and take a look. She may also have some of the models on display (she has the original Mystery Afghan—now called the Fireside Aran Afghan—as well as the Plain Vanilla Aran and the Cozy Shawl Collar Aran).

I didn't realize (until I began working on this project) just how many designs are in the back catalog. I've got 85 patterns on my master pattern list (all designed by me), and roughly two-thirds of them are re-formatted and ready for sale. The light was perfect yesterday, so I shot new pics for several of the patterns. DD#1 was a willing model who also happens to be the perfect size for many of the designs.

I still have to have about 8 or 10 designs re-knitted, either because the original yarn is no longer available or because the test knitter kept the piece. And the older patterns are taking me a while to reformat due to some software and style changes along the way. But Bev and I are planning to have most of the catalog of patterns available in time for fall knitting.

Can't make the Sock Summit in Portland? Missed out on Stitches? We'll bring one of the instructors to you! Join us July 17th- 19th at Melanie's cabin on the Flathead River for the first annual Camas Creek Summer Retreat and Workshop with nationally-recognized teacher, JC Briar. JC is offering four half-day classes: Cast-on Cornucopia, Chart Reading and Writing, Disaster Recovery, and Multi-directional Scarves, and one full-day class: Design Your Own Socks.

A self-confessed "technique freak" and "skill junkie," JC dabbles in all kinds of knitting, but has a special fondness for textured knitting and novel construction techniques. If it involves lace, cables, or seamless construction, it's sure to catch her eye. She shares her enthusiasm by teaching at shops and fiber festivals like Stitches and the Sock Summit. She's also worked with cable queen Janet Szabo many times as a technical editor and teaching partner (they're doing a Craft Cruise to Alaska in September; see Janet's web site for more details. www.bigskyknitting.com). Regardless of the topic, JC aims to build confidence by expressing concepts clearly and concisely, and by presenting skills and ideas in a digestible progression.

During the weekend, JC will teach four 3-hour classes and one 6-hour class on the deck of the cabin, which overhangs a lazy bend of the Flathead River just 7 miles south of Camas Creek. You'll be surrounded by the murmur of the river, the rising of fish, and the unbeatable view of the mountains. And you'll be knitting with one of the best teachers in the country. Lunch break is from 11:30 - 1:00 (bring your own lunch). Stay after your morning class or come early for the afternoon class so you can swim, fish or bring your kayak and enjoy the wonderful surroundings. During the class a shade canopy will be erected to offer a comfortable work area.

I can assure you that JC is a fabulous teacher and got many rave reviews at the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland last month. She's also my favorite person to go and explore ethnic restaurants with (not that we have many in Kalispell . . . ). Take advantage of this opportunity to take a class with her here in town and enjoy the scenery of western Montana at the same time.

Fifteen years ago, on June 3, I went to my family doctor here in Kalispell to find out why I was so tired, couldn't get rid of a persistent sinus infection, and had an enlarged lymph node the size of a golf ball on my neck. The diagnosis? Acute myelgenous leukemia. His exact words to me: "We can't do anything for you here. You need to be on the next plane out of here to Seattle or Houston or another cancer center."

And so I got on a plane the following morning and somehow managed to make two connecting flights and end up in Cleveland, where they took me off the plane in a wheelchair to meet my mother. She took me straight to the Cleveland Clinic where they did a battery of tests and wasted no time in getting me started on a course of chemo. I was really sick.

And that's about all I want to say about it right now. Maybe one of these days I'll write a book, but honestly?—it's six months of my life that I prefer not to dwell on too much if I can help it (obviously, if I forget that it's been fifteen years since I was diagnosed).

It feels good to be crossing things off the to-do list. I got the handout done for the Inside-Out Cables class yesterday, and it made me realize that the subject of inside-out cables needs to be its own chapter in Cables 2. I'm so afraid I am going to forget to include something in these Cables books—there is just so much to talk about!

I ordered Firefly from Netflix, so the husband and I sat after dinner and watched the disc that came yesterday. He's not what I would call a sci-fi buff but he really likes that show. I think what appeals to him are the interesting plotlines and excellent dialogue (which, of course, are the reasons the show got cancelled—TV isn't supposed to appeal to intelligent people). I watch it for all the cool textile items the characters wear.

I got half a sleeve knocked out while we were sitting there. It's for a design out of the Rowan Purelife Bluefaced Leicester, although I've only worked on it halfheartedly for a couple of reasons. If it were a design for the Fall or Winter issues, I probably would have cranked it out by now. However, I have plenty of material for each of those issues, so I am not feeling my normal deadline pressure. I'm also kind of disappointed in the yarn. This is the second or third time I've tried a Rowan yarn and had it just disintegrate while knitting it. Bluefaced Leicester sheep produce wool that—if it's spun correctly—should be strong and durable. This sweater already looks like it is a year old and it's not even finished yet. Bleh. I'll finish it the sweater, but I am not in love with it. Give me some Alice Starmore Bainin any day.

What I'd love to be working on is a design I am contributing to a forthcoming book. A few months ago the author and I settled on a yarn, and waited, and waited, and waited for the yarn to come from the supplier, a small sheep farm here in Montana. I got a call last week that the yarn was on its way, and it arrived mid-week. However, it was the last of a dyeing batch from this supplier, and there just isn't enough of it to do the kind of design that the author wants. We can't wait another two months for yarn from this supplier (the design is due the first of August), so the author chose a different supplier. They are supposed to ship yarn this week. It's a good thing I don't have anything else in the queue, because this is going to be my trip knitting.

The husband and I will be children-less this afternoon. DD#1 has to play in the band at graduation, and DD#2 is going on an overnight Girl Scout camping trip with her other mother. I told him I would like to go for a hike, but we'll have to see if the weather cooperates. It rained hard and steadily last night and we needed it. If June turns out to be as dry as May was, we might be looking at another bad fire season. Our chief says they seem to come every six years, and the last bad year was 2003, the year of the Robert Fire up in Glacier Park. I'm inclined to believe the chief. He's a wise man when it comes to fires.

On Friday, June 19th at Crazy for Ewe in La Plata, MD, I will be teaching one or two classes—we're still working on details. The class will probable be the Let Them Knit Cake class, on Brioche ribbing patterns.

On Saturday, June 20th, at Woolstock Yarn Shop in Glyndon, MD, I will be teaching my Colorizing Cables class and my Inside-Out Cables class.

Please contact either of these stores directly to sign up for a class.

And just as a reminder, I'll be teaching at Threadbear Fiber Arts in Lansing, MI the weekend of June 26-28 (Fit Your Knits, Aran Sweater Design, and Cables and Beyond), and at A Tangled Tale in Powell, OH (outside of Columbus) on June 30 and July 1 (Inside-Out Cables and Faggoting and Cables). It's a busy trip east, but I feel like I should teach in these places when I am there, which isn't often.

I've got another full day in my office today. I've knocked about a third of the items off my to-do list, but some biggies remain. My stitch dictionaries have little sticky flags on the stitch patterns I want to include in the handouts for my two new classes. I'll make up the handouts, knit my swatches from the instructions to double-check them, then scan the swatches into the layout.

My faith in humanity was restored a bit yesterday. I went to town to get a haircut, get my eyebrows waxed, and run a few errands. Everywhere I went, people were friendly and helpful, even in situations where they could easily have been otherwise. I really enjoyed everyone I interacted with yesterday. The salon I go to hired a new aesthetician and she kept me quite entertained while she waxed my eyebrows.

My hair desperately needed to be cut. I've been getting minimal trims in an attempt to grow out layers and my bangs, and my hair was the longest it's been since I was a little girl. I like it long, but during the summer I don't have the patience for my normal hair routine. I said something to the husband a few days ago about getting a couple of inches taken off, and he got this look on his face like he had swallowed a bug. Seems he was nervous that I would get it cut shorter than he likes it. I pointed out to him that he shaves his head every couple of weeks and I've never complained, even though he's got a gorgeous full head of hair and I like it when his hair is more than an eighth of an inch long.

Men. I think they've retained more cavemen characteristics over the millenia than they like to admit.

We need some gratuitous garden pictures. As usual, the columbines are the first to bloom:

I like the darker-colored ones better, for some reason:

They've been quite promiscuous and have seeded themselves all over the garden. I don't know exactly what colors I've got anymore until they start to open.

Everything else looks really good despite the lack of rain.

If you haven't read Stephanie's post on the aftermath of Sock Summit registration, please go there now and take a look (it's the May 29th entry). I hope you're as horrified as I am that people (knitters!) who didn't get into Sock Summit would actually send threatening hate mail to Stephanie and Tina. I read that post the day it came out and thought to myself, "That sums up the entire month perfectly." I have no idea whether it's the economy, the weather, the alignment of the stars, or what, but May was chock full of examples of people being mean, hateful, spiteful, selfish, and just downright not excellent to each other. The kids at my daughter's elementary school behave better than I saw some adults behaving last month. What's going on?

I'm not suggesting that we all be Stepford wives and be superficially nice to each other. Conflict happens and needs to be resolved. The point is that conflict can be resolved without taking each others' heads off and being unnecessarily nasty. Or sending hate mail to the organizers of an incredibly popular conference because you were one of 30,000 people who were unsuccessful in registering for one of 4000 spots.

Okay, I feel better now, and ready to attack my to-do list. Thanks for listening.

I should have some final Maryland class information in another day or so. Stay tuned.

I really wish the wind would stop blowing. Every so often a pressure gradient parks itself on the Continental Divide and causes the wind to come howling back down the mountains from east to west. And we're not talking gentle breeze. I know for a fact that some of those wind gusts have to be pushing 40 mph. Trees fall over. Power lines come down. We went to bed Sunday night with our bedroom window (which faces east) wide open. I wondered why I was dreaming about camping in Glacier Park until I woke up and realized I wasn't sleeping in a rated-to-minus-20 mummy bag.

Normally these windstorms are over within 12 hours or so. This one has been blowing for almost 48 hours straight. To say that my teeth are on edge is an understatement. I hope it blows itself out and moves on, and soon.

I've got three full days of office work ahead of me (which was part of the reason I wanted the computer repairs done). I'm teaching twelve classes this month. Only three of them are being taught more than once, which means getting handouts for nine different classes copied and ready either to take with me (for the classes here in Montana) or ship east. And two of those classes are brand spanking new and need to have the handouts made up. This is a list of stuff I need to do before we leave for the east coast:

Print and mail Twists and Turns renewal notices

Get signed contracts for patterns to be published in upcoming issues of the newsletter

Write a pattern and ship it and yarn off to one of my test knitters

Finish formatting the back catalog of patterns

Figure out what garments from old patterns need to be re-knit; pick out yarn

Make PDFs of all those patterns

Load patterns into my Ravelry store and possibly Patternfish

Update the website with the Summer issue ordering info

Put individual patterns up for sale on the website

Put the newly-scanned digital versions of Volumes 1 and 2 up for sale on the website

Make up two new class handouts and knit swatches

Make copies and ship east all the handouts for the east coast classes

Take new samples and patterns to Camas Creek for display and sale

And that list doesn't even include the non-knitting stuff I have to do, too, like making sure the pantry and freezer are well-stocked for the husband, and make sure that all of DD#1's college visits in Ohio and Maryland are arranged. This trip is scheduled down to the last second, but we have a lot of ground to cover.

Newsletter delivery—both kinds—went mostly without a hitch yesterday. A few servers still think I am sending spam and won't let even the pre-delivery plain text message through, so I'll have to send those newsletters manually. And I successfully got through bulk mailing at the post office yesterday. About a year ago the regular guy—the one I had worked with for seven years—retired to Florida. He was great. I never had to worry when I took anything in there. If something was amiss, he would help me fix it.

The new guy is a stickler for detail. The first time I dropped off a mailing, it got held up because he was convinced that the font on the label was too small. I have the mailing labels made up for me by a local bulk mailing service center because in order to get the lower automation rate, I have to have my mailing list run through a $2000 software program that validates and barcodes addresses. He sent some of the labels to Billings to have them checked and Billings said they were okay.

The next time I went in he chided me for bringing the newsletters in in the USPS boxes (with handles) instead of bags. I went home with bags. The bags are bulky and as soon as I put a couple of packets of newsletters in one, I can no longer lift it. I still take the newsletter into the bulk mail center in boxes (because I have to schlep them in from the parking lot), and then I transfer them to the bags.

And apparently I've been putting the mailing labels in the wrong place on the envelopes, although the USPS website is so vague about label location that it's possible I still didn't get them in the correct spot with this batch.

I don't mind following the rules, but I think this guy could be a bit friendlier when he's dressing someone down about the lameness of their bulk mail preparation skills. I only do this four times a year.

Anyway . . . the vet was quite pleased with how Chester is doing. He couldn't believe that he hadn't had an adrenal crisis in over six months. Let's hope it stays that way. Chester did his best to socialize with everyone in the vet's office. He was especially taken with some little kids, but they came in with a dog of their own (a boxer puppy). It's really interesting that going to the vet does not stress him out at all. He walks in and makes himself right at home. Rusty, on the other, whines the whole way there and the whole way back.

So we've had some bear trouble in the neighborhood already. This is not normally the time of year that bears prowl our road—that would be the fall—and yet FWP has already trapped and moved a grizzly sow and two cubs after they killed off some chickens at a house down the road. And our minister, who also lives near here, saw a black bear on his property yesterday morning.

The weather here has been amazing—warm and dry—for the past week. The husband has been staining the cedar siding in his spare time. Last night I had to lift him up on the forklift so he could reach the upper story of the house:

The problem is that he is a night owl and would have happily stayed up working until it got dark, which in Montana this time of year is about 10:30 p.m. My eyelids were closing at 8:00 p.m., so he said we could wait and he would finish this morning when I am a shining supernova forklift operator (he won't be awake, but that's okay—he's just wielding a paintbrush). That way it will be less likely that I will smash the forklift platform into the side of the house.

DD#2 finished a scarf and a hat over the weekend and is itching to start another project. I told her we could go stash diving and see what's available for her to use. I think she's ready for a simple stockinette sweater.

This will be the last post for May—my computer is going in tomorrow to have the hard drive replaced (I can't ignore the sounds of death coming from inside the case much longer) and some additional memory installed. I'll be working from my laptop so I'll still have e-mail access.

I felt pretty comfortable with this ortho, which is probably why I was able to keep myself from falling off my chair when he began laying out the options. The first one was surgery to move my lower jaw—and teeth—into better alignment. The cost? A mere $20,000, which doesn't include having all my wisdom teeth removed (a requirement) six months ahead of the jaw surgery. Oh sure, why not?

The second option is braces for 18 months, at a cost of $5500, and which would require the removal of one of my upper teeth on the right side to make room to move the rest of the teeth around. It seems like a bargain in comparison. I could also do nothing, in which case he said my teeth probably won't move any more than they already have.

I think I am going to wait and re-assess the situation in the fall. Could I work the expense into the budget? Probably, but I know how much stress it would cause me and I am just not ready to go there. While the husband and I love being self-employed and wouldn't give it up willingly, most of the time it's like walking a tightrope with no net. In this economy it's like walking a tightrope with no net over the Grand Canyon. I worked really hard to position us so we could ride out this downturn and my teeth don't need to be fixed badly enough to jeopardize that.

I called the printer yesterday to see if the newsletter was done and discovered that it's been done for a few days now, but the message came while I was traveling and no on here at my house bothered to pass it on to me. So the newsletter is going out today, a week past my self-imposed deadline date.

I learned a valuable lesson this spring, which is that I simply cannot travel as much as I have been and still juggle all the chainsaws successfully. I could—if I had a wife to take care of all the stuff I still have to take care of from the road. I'll be traveling again in a mere three weeks, and I have a list a mile long of things I need to get done before I go. Today I have to take Chester to the vet for his annual checkup and to get heartworm medication for the summer. Tomorrow I have to take Rusty for the same reason. The vet thinks it's funny that I bring them in separately, but there is only one of me and I can't manage two big dogs at the same time. I hope the vet is as pleased with how Chester is doing as we are. He's been quite stable and has gained some weight and is generally behaving himself.

Here is your first mystery cloth pattern, knit while I was riding a bus around Europe. This is a quick-and-dirty pattern, so yarn estimates are just that—estimates. I made one dishcloth from this yarn and I still have enough yarn for at least one, and possibly two, more. This is a great Barbara Walker stitch pattern. It's very textured and will do a wonderful job of scrubbing pots and pans or your skin, whichever you prefer. The hemp is a DK-weight yarn, so if you use a dishcloth cotton, you'll have to go up a couple of needle sizes and you'll get a slightly larger cloth. Use a thinner yarn for a smaller square and you can make a baby blanket, instead.

Level of Experience: Beginner

Finished Measurements: 8" x 8"

Materials:
A couple of ounces of Lanaknits allhemp6 yarn (100% hemp), 165 yds/100g skein
US Size #6 (4.5 mm) ndls or size required to obtain gauge

Gauge: 22 sts and 28 rows = 4" (10 cm) over pattern stitch on US size #6 (4.5 mm) ndls

Cast on 44 sts. Knit four rows. On next (WS) row, est patt as foll:

Row 1 (WS): K3, p38, k3
Row 2: K3, *LT, p1; rep from * to last 5 sts, end LT, k3
Row 3: K3, *PRT, k1; rep from * to last 5 sts, end PRT, k3
Row 4: Knit

Cont in patt as est until cloth measures approx 7.5". Discontinue patt st and knit four rows. Bind off. Darn in ends.

Abbreviations:

K: Knit

P: Purl

LT (Left Twist): Skip the first st on the LH ndl and knit the second st on the LH ndl through the back loop, then knit the first st on LH ndl and drop both from LH ndl.

PRT (Purl Right Twist): Skip the first st on the LH ndl and purl the second st on the LH ndl, then purl the first st on the LH ndl and drop both from LH ndl.

©2009 Janet Szabo and Big Sky Knitting Designs, LLC.

Questions? You know where to find me.

I've been wondering about a way to jazz things up here on the blog. What about a "mystery stitch" knitalong?—maybe a baby blanket made up of new and different cable stitches? Or a series of dischloths? It can't be anything too time-consuming on my end, but I've got a lot of material for Cables 2 and it would be fun to share some of it. I probably won't start it until a bit later in the summer. If you have some ideas, let me know. Do be aware, though, that I am not prepared to commit to a FLAK-style sweater knitalong. This has to be something manageable for me.

The husband and I went out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate our anniversary (which is today—happy 19th, dearest) and then shopping at Tool World at Lowe's because he had a birthday gift card from my mother. (I have a whole arsenal of jokes about Tool World but I have to use them judiciously around the husband because he doesn't think they are as funny as I do.) I spent the rest of the weekend getting the last of the garden together; he wanted to stain the cedar siding on the house but instead spent all of yesterday fixing a broken switch on the forklift—he needed the forklift to reach the parts of the siding that he can't get with a ladder. I was a bit relieved that I didn't have to play forklift operator yesterday. Nothing tests a relationship quite like one person hoisting the other person 30 feet into the air with a big piece of machinery.

I'm off to the orthodontist in a few minutes. We'll see what he has to say about my teeth. My sister-in-law is getting braces. Again. And her sister had braces a few years ago. Again. Teeth seem like something of a moving target.

Here is what Rob has put together for the weekend workshops at Threadbear, in Lansing, MI. You can sign up at their website.

Janet Szabo, cable queen extraordinaire, is coming to ThreadBear in June! Published author of several books, accomplished teacher from Stitches and other venues, and designer of many popular patterns (individual and through her “Twists and Turns” newsletter), Janet is an amazing person (she’s whupped leukemia!), patient teacher, and a storehouse of knowledge when it comes to cables, sweater design, garment fit, and more. And we couldn’t be happier to share her with you in this fantastic series of workshops, starting Friday, June 26th. Keep on reading!

Fitting Your Knitting–Friday, June 26th, 6 to 9 p.m.

Are you tired of making sweaters that don’t fit? This class will help you knit sweaters that fit the recipient (you or someone else) perfectly. Learn about measurements and ease, adding bust darts, waist shaping, and other figure-flattering tips and tricks to make your next sweater project a success. $35 plus materials

Special Supplies Needed: 4 oz of worsted-weight yarn, size US 7, 8, or 9 circular needles.

Aran Sweater Design–Saturday, June 27th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (hour break for lunch)

Aran sweaters have a tremendous appeal for knitters who like working textural stitches. However, their complexity scares many knitters away from designing and drafting their own Arans; problems such as picking compatible stitch patterns, working with multiple stitch gauges, and accommodating shaping can seem insurmountable. Once the basic concepts have been mastered, though, Aran sweater design can be fun and challenging. Students will leave the class being able to design and draft a basic Aran sweater. $65 plus materials

Special Supplies Needed: 4 oz of worsted-weight yarn, size US 7, 8, or 9 circular needles.

Cables and Beyond–Sunday, June 28th, from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. (hour break for lunch)

Take a trip around the world of cables. Experiment with slip-stitch cables, cables and lace, infinite cables, modular cables, cables and color, and many other techniques in this amazing class that’s sure to change the way you look at and knit cabled projects. $65 plus materials

Special Supplies Needed: 4 oz of worsted-weight yarn in two different colors, size US 7, 8, or 9 circular needles

Sign-ups are open now……..and seating is limited, so don’t miss out–REGISTER TODAY!

The last time I was in Lansing was in my previous life. I worked for a company that had created searchable online databases under contract to the EPA and operated them on a subscription basis (back when the information superhighway was a gravel road and my laptop weighed 25 pounds). I travelled to all the EPA offices in the US to give training classes on using the databases. It was good experience for becoming a knitting teacher.

We have an absolutely gorgeous week of weather coming up—high 70s and sunny the whole time. DD#2 and I need to get out and get the strawberry bed weeded and the lettuce and peas planted. I have extracted a promise from the husband that we will evaluate and re-do the beds in the veggie garden—the ones which are falling apart—at the end of this season. The herb garden looks fairly decent and shouldn't need any more structural work for a while.

Oh well. I have discovered—as with most things in life—the unpleasant stuff is more bearable if one is properly prepared. With a rated-to-minus-20-degrees mummy bag.

Our 5th- and 6th-grade teachers have done a great job with the outdoor ed portion of the curriculum. Our trip last year was lots of fun, and they put together an equally amazing trip for this year. Not every school is willing to allow its teachers to take kids on an overnight camping trip to Glacier Park—the potential for problems is huge. The principal joked before we left that we had to make sure we didn't lose any kids, telling us, "the paperwork on lost kids is endless." But these two teachers are experienced outdoor guides and everything we did was done with safety in mind.

We began our visit Thursday morning at the park's native plant nursery, where the kids learned about plant restoration projects at the park. They then spent about an hour and a half planting native grasses and other plants at the new Apgar Transit Center (where visitors can pick up a bus to take them to Logan Pass and other parts of the park). DD#2, who is my assistant gardener at home, really liked this part of the day:

After a sack lunch, we all headed for the south shore of Lake MacDonald for some biologist presentations on climate change and mountain goats. It started out rather rainy and unsettled:

But by the end of the afternoon the sun had come out:

I was totally blown away by the kids who showed up completely unprepared and improperly dressed for this trip. A lot of kids forget mittens and hats, but several of the girls came in capris, thin T-shirts, and sandals for a camping trip! I'd like to blame the parents for letting these kids go like this, but the sad fact is that a lot of these kids are parenting themselves and don't think ahead to what they are going to do when their only pair of socks and shoes gets soaking wet. I've got such responsible kids. DD#2 packed my sack lunch for me and I had a PB&J sandwich, some chips, an orange, and trail mix. Good job.

We headed back to our campsites to get the tents set up and dinner (burritos) prepared. DD#2 and I were sleeping in a tent with one of her friends. Her friend had provided the tent, but it came without stakes, so we had to borrow a few and improvise with some sticks. We managed.

After dinner we walked over to the amphitheatre on the shore of the lake for a presentation on moose by one of the park rangers. Alas, I have been cursed by my digital cameras. The battery on this one (a different one than the one I was using last week) decided to go dead, so no more pictures from here on out.

On Thursday morning we broke camp and headed out to the Montana Raft Company for a rafting trip. Our two teachers work here during the summer and the owner gave us a screaming deal on two-hour rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. I was so sorry my camera battery was dead, because it was a gorgeous sunny day and the scenery was just amazing. I kept pinching myself. We live here. I get to see this whenever I want.

We wrapped up our visit with a BBQ lunch back at the rafting company, topped off by a re-creation of the geologic history of Glacier National Park using brownies, vanilla ice cream, cherry jam, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. Amazing! And it tasted great, too. Doreen, you would have loved it.

I dropped gear off at the elementary school for kids to pick up on their way home, and DD#2 and I went to the high school for an awards presentation. DD#1 was part of a group of juniors who took a writing assessment exam given by the University of Montana. Those kids—including DD#1—who scored a 6 out of 6 on the exam (the state average was 3.8) received a letter of commendation. Yay!

I am looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend. The husband and I have plans to go out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary (which is Tuesday). The rest of the time I am going to putter in my garden and knit—two things I haven't been able to do since I got home from Portland.

So we're heading up to the park today for a whole day of outdoor ed, a night of camping, a rafting trip tomorrow morning and a BBQ picnic lunch. I am sure it will be great fun once we get there. I hope I don't forget anything (besides forgetting to make sure that the little piece of machinery that inflates the air matress is charged up and ready to go—too late now). I really hope I don't forget the stuff that will keep me warm.

Rob at Threadbear and I have just about hammered out the details for my weekend of teaching there next month. I'll post those when I get back.

The concert last night was truly awesome. The next best thing to playing is watching a bunch of your favorite kids playing and enjoying music as much as you do. It was kind of sad because it was the last concert those juniors and seniors will play together, but there will be a new group next year and they will be just as good.

Look for me again on Friday unless I end up as a frozen popsicle.

Now, back to the show: My camera battery died halfway through the pizza dinner Friday night, so I didn't get as many pics as I wanted to, but here are a couple:

This is Noreen McClenaghan and me after the Cables and Beyond class. Noreen has been a newsletter subscriber for a long time. It's always fun to meet my subscribers in person in my classes:

And these two lovely ladies are Myrle (L) and Denise (R), who drove up from California to attend the show. We had such a good time with them over the weekend.

Myrle is a judge when she's not knitting, and she entertained us with songs she makes up to maintain her sanity. I really think that if she developed a stand-up comedy and song routine, she'd be booked at every single knitting event for the next two years at least. But she says she loves being a judge and doesn't want to give it up. This was Denise's first knitting conference and she obviously was enjoying herself a lot.

It felt good to work on getting the house back in shape yesterday. I am waging an ongoing war against dust: I have never seen as vast an amount of dust in one house as we have in ours. I even had the ductwork vacuumed out a few years ago and that didn't help. When we built our house in 1996, the road out front had not yet been paved. I think that's where a lot of it came from. There is also the dirt that the dogs bring in (they adore dirt), as well as the stuff the husband hauls in on his boots. If I don't stay on top of it, it gets tracked everywhere. And I can't just "dust" with a dust rag or mop or even a Swiffer. I have to wipe down every surface with soapy water. I emptied the Dyson vacuum cleaner three times yesterday just while vacuuming the carpeting in our bedroom. I'd like to get the upstairs carpeting replaced this summer, but I dread seeing what's underneath.

Today I am back in my (now clean) office. I'll work this morning, and then it's to town after lunch. We're all meeting in town for dinner (the husband, FIL, kids and me) before DD#1's big band concert finale tonight. The director will present all the awards, the kids have put together a PowerPoint slide show of pictures from the year (I am hoping no one took one of me sleeping on band tour), and the first piece on the program is the medley from "Wicked," which we saw in Portland on band tour in March. I think I am just as excited as the kids about this concert. They've played so well together and this is their last performance.

I enjoyed the show, but not as much as I did the one in September. This show was much more subdued. I can't quite figure out if that has to do with the economy, with the fact that we were at the Doubletree instead of the Convention Center, or what. I just remember coming home from the September show jazzed and ready to attack the knitting world, and I don't have quite that same feeling from this one.

There were fewer teachers, which was nice from the standpoint of class size—fewer teachers means more students in each class. I taught Cables and Beyond on Thursday morning, Designer Day Thursday afternoon, Let Them Knit Cake (Brioche) on Friday afternoon, Finishing Before You Start on Saturday morning, and Design Your Own Cables Saturday afternoon. It felt like it took forever for my Thursday morning class to get traction—like the whole group of us needed a pot of coffee. I've taught these classes enough times to have a sense of the pacing, and that class went slower than it usually does.

Designer Day was a lot of fun (for me, at least)—I had a whole class of knitters wanting to learn about becoming a designer. We designers have a joke about how designers make the most money ("at our day jobs") which is probably more true than we wish to admit. But I tried to convey as much practical advice as I could (like "hiring a tech editor is not optional"), and I felt it went well.

I had Friday morning off, so I took the light rail downtown to Powell's and wandered around for a bit. I scored big time in the knitting reference book department:

It doesn't look like much, but this is a Japanese stitch pattern book from the 60s, with hundreds of charted knitting patterns. Many of them are new to me. I was excited enough to find it but even more excited to discover it was priced $14.95. Someone at Powells did not do their homework (used books are priced according to their rarity), because I checked Amazon when I came home and this book is selling there for $125. I had to promise to leave it to JC Briar (my friend, fellow teacher, and tech editor) in my will. I've already put sticky notes on half a dozen stitch patterns for future designs.

Friday afternoon was the brioche knitting class, and it was the most challenging one of the weekend for me as a teacher. I've taught it about a half a dozen times over the past few years—plenty enough for me to get the kinks worked out of it. I taught it in Austin last month and the students sailed through it. However, there is some sort of "group think" that happens in knitting classes that can completely throw an otherwise stable class off course.

I teach both methods of making Brioche rib: the yarn over/slip stitch/decrease method and the knit in the row below method. We start with the first one, and the handout is very explicit. Everything is spelled out in great detail, with accompanying photos. As we were working through the first swatch, a student asked me, "When you say 'bring the yarn to the front and over the top of the needle,' you just want us to make a yarn over there, right?" I said yes, that was what was supposed to happen, and she responded, "Well, why didn't you just say 'Make a yarn over?'"

That's a legitimate question. I'll often adjust my handouts based on feedback I get from students, because what I think is clear may not be. My reponse was that I really wanted students to understand the mechanics of what was happening, and it's easier to do that in a step-by-step explanation.

A little later in the handout there is another swatch using the same technique, but these instructions are NOT spelled out—they simply say "Make a yarn over." A different student was really struggling there, so I asked if she remembered what we did in the first swatch, when the instructions said to bring the yarn to the front and over the top of the needle. She said yes, she remembered—but why hadn't I spelled that all out instead of just saying "Make a yarn over"?

And that, dear readers, is the biggest challenge of teaching knitting: coping with a room full of different learning styles. Some students learn best by reading (so written instructions are always part of the handout), some learn best visually (so I include photos and charts), and some learn only when they have a chance actually to make the knitting motions with their hands (so swatching is a must). But sometimes I still miss the mark and fail to anticipate what's going to confuse people. I don't want students to leave frustrated, but I think that teaching knitting is a lot like writing patterns. A lot of knitters never stop to think about everything that goes into creating a knitting pattern (why would they?), just as many students don't stop to think what it's like to communicate something to a room full of 20 people who don't learn the same way.

It will be interesting to see the class evaluations. Sometimes the classes I think haven't gone well get the best reviews. I do get some really strange comments sometimes. I'll often talk about my MIL in my classes, because she knits differently than I do, and I want students to realize that there are many different—and legitimate—knitting styles. Apparently someone didn't like that I had used my MIL as an example, because the class evaluation included the comment that they didn't think talking about my MIL in my class was appropriate.

Okay, whatever. I can't be all things to all people. I figure the number of repeat students I get (knitters who took one class from me and come back to take others) is a good indication of my abilities as a teacher.

I've already decided that I am not going to do anything business- or knitting-related today; the house is a mess and I just need to spend the day giving a few of the rooms a good, thorough spring cleaning. It'll help me organize my thoughts and create a plan of attack for the rest of the month. And the best part?—I don't have to go anywhere again until June 12. Yay.

Over the past year, I've been slowly formatting the projects from the back issues of the newsletter into individual patterns, and selling them at Camas Creek. I've had some additional interest from other stores who want to carry them and I would like to get them all entered into my Ravelry store for purchase there. Yesterday I got an e-mail from a vendor at the show who asked if I could bring some patterns with me today. Unfortunately, as I began printing the ones she requested, my color laser printer decided that it was out of black ink, and when that happens, the printer just stops. Period. Neither Office Max nor Staples had the catridge I needed in stock—I heard those dreaded words I've been hearing for 16 years here in Kalispell, where nothing is ever in stock: "We'd be happy to order one for you." Arrgggh. Some days it's two steps forward and one step back. I've got patterns, but not all the ones I wanted to take.

I'm all packed and ready to go. I've printed out a map so I know how to get to the hotel and a map so I know how to get to Powell's City of Books (I am not teaching Friday morning, so I'd like to take a field trip). A friend of the husband's from high school is picking me up Thursday and taking me out to lunch. They reconnected when she planned their recent high school reunion party. She lives in Portland and wants to meet the woman who actually married that guy she went to school with. I'm meeting up with my tech editor tonight (she's also teaching at the show) and I am hoping we'll find a really good ethnic restaurant (Lebanese? Ethiopian? Thai?) for dinner. Portland has such excellent food.

I'll have pics when I get back.

The Little Piggy Bag, a market bag from hemp—one of my favorite fibers:

Paulette, a top-down pullover featuring a twist on saddle shoulders:

The Pyramaize Scarf, out of some really neat 100% corn yarn from Kollage Fibers:

And the Growan Shawl, featuring another yarn with hemp (and cotton and a bit of cashmere):

I'm fairly pleased with this issue; the Summer issue is always my most challenging because I just don't wear a lot of warm-weather garments, nor are cotton yarns my favorites. But it's good to stretch the boundaries every so often.

Mother's Day was fun. I played in the garden, and I won an eBay auction for some Brunswick Germantown wool. But now it's Monday again and I have lots to do before the Knit & Crochet Show this week. My FIL arrives shortly after I leave. At least I don't have to worry about what this group will eat—he will just take everyone out to dinner every night. Good times.

She taught me to knit.

And while I'm thanking people, I should point out that there is definitely one thing that my mother-in-law did right: she raised an independent, rebellious kid to be a wonderful husband and father.

So thank you to both of these women, without whom I wouldn't have the life I've got.

Of course, I got to the potluck not having read the directions clearly (this has happened before) and came with my hot dish while everyone else brought salads. During periods of time when I am just moving too fast, I often miss critical little details like that. Oh well.

The husband and I had Date Night on Friday (finally—we've been trying for a couple of weeks) and went out to dinner and to see the new Star Trek movie. I loved it. The husband said he enjoyed it, too, but I am sure he missed a lot of the references to backstory from the series and other movies (I don't think he knows who Christopher Pike is, for instance). While watching the previews we discovered that G.I Joe is coming out in August. I told the husband that we need to have Date Night again and see it, but he said it doesn't look anything like the G.I Joe he remembers from his childhood.

I got quite a lot accomplished Friday—the Summer issue is just about done and will head to the printer tomorrow; look for it the week of the 18th, after I get back from the Knit & Crochet Show. I got all my class handouts done and copied and ready to go. It's such a relief to be able to drive to this conference and not have to worry about leaving something behind because I don't have room in my suitcase.

The hummingbirds are back. I filled the feeders Friday, and yesterday I was out in the garden when I heard that telltale bombardier noise. They are now happily slurping up sugar water. The garden is looking quite good. I would say that I am winning the war on quackgrass and yesterday I fired the final salvo: I filled the sprayer with Roundup and hit the last bit of grass remaining on the perimeter of the garden and in two of the fallow beds.

Tomorrow I will post sneak peek pics of what's going to be in the Summer issue. And I've started a pullover out of the new Rowan Bluefaced Leicester yarn that I am just loving. I love the yarn, I love the design, and it's just flowing off the needles.

I also picked up some dill, rosemary, cilantro, and frech tarragon—all of which have to replanted every year—another lavender (Hidcote Superior), and a sorrel variety called Raspberry Wine. I already have regular garden sorrel and we like it in our salads. This variety is a darker green with red-veined leaves. Our nursery is really good about bringing in new variaties of old favorites every year, and it's always an adventure to go there and see what they've chosen for this season.

The plants are hardening off on the porch for a few days. I spent a couple of hours yesterday digging up the echinacea bed. I hadn't planned to, but I started digging there in an attempt to get rid of the quackgrass and one thing led to another. The echinacea bed backs up to the asparagus bed; the asparagus bed is in a raised box but the echinacea bed is not. The box containing the asparagus bed isn't a complete box, however, and dirt keeps falling out of the bottom of it into the echinacea bed. There were echinacea plants growing into the asparagus box, and big hunks of quackgrass in both beds.

I dug up everything—discovering in the process that the voles had eaten the asparagus roots (arrgggghhhh, where is my .22?). I did a little surgery on the wire fencing separating the two gardens, then asked the husband for a piece of plywood so I could repair the box where the asparagus had been.

The husband and I have been together for 22 years. I am well-acquainted with his personality. Everything the man has ever done or built has been done with 110% effort—except building the beds for the veggie garden. He did as much as he had to do to create boxes (sort of) that would hold dirt (for a while), and that was it. Have I mentioned that he doesn't like to garden, unless it involves using a propane torch? Over the past 12 years, I've repeatedly had to request that he fix some of the boxes, because there were big gaps that allowed dirt to spill out (and voles to create underground highways).

[Yes, I could do it myself—but he has the professional tools and more know-how and what takes me three hours would take him 20 minutes. I don't like to waste time. Besides, part of me thinks that if he keeps having to fix the beds, the next time I ask him to build me some raised beds, he'll do it with his usual 110% effort.]

Anyway, I dug out the asparagus bed, patched it up with the piece of plywood, re-filled it, dug up the echinacea bed and replanted all the echinacea plants, and called it an afternoon. The patch on the asparagus bed is a stop-gap measure, to be sure—at some point we (because the husband is going to have to help me whether he wants to or not) will need to replace the boxes in the veggie garden altogether. What I'd really like are some boxes made out of recycled plastic, like these. We'll see.

As promised, a couple of pictures from the Austin trip. Here I am sitting in front of the pile of swatches I always take to my classes (and that's only about half my swatch collection):

This is at the Oasis, a really cool restaurant west of Austin, where I had the incredible crawfish enchilada. Isn't Texas beautiful?

And now I've got to get the Summer issue finished and start putting my stuff together for my TKGA classes next week.

Scandalous, I tell you. Worms copulating in my garden, in plain view of anyone who happens to wander by. No wonder there are so many of them—they are worse than rabbits.

[That's actually a great picture and I think it belongs in a biology textbook. And for those of you who need a quick tutorial on the subject—heaven help you—there is a great one here.]

Good news and bad news on the teeth: my teeth and gums are "very healthy" according to Sarah, who cleans them each time. Also, the dentist says it's unlikely my wisdom teeth are the problem, as they are tiny, firmly encased in the bone of my jaw, and would not have moved. (Yay! No surgery!). Alas, front teeth have a tendency to move around as we get older, so I need to visit the orthodontist in three weeks for a consult. I'm not looking forward to this. I know (based on past visits to orthodontists) that the orthodontist will see dollar signs when he or she looks at my mouth because making my teeth perfect with braces would likely be a $5K job. Sorry, I have a kid going to college next fall and I can't afford to spend that kind of money on something that I consider a minor cosmetic procedure. But I would like to get my front teeth back where they belong, so we'll have to see what I can negotiate.

postCount('Adult Blog Readers'); I found some pictures from Austin that got trapped in my spam folder (sent to me by my lovely hostess Eileen), so I will post those tomorrow.

I played my trombone for 6 hours yesterday at the rural band festival (5 hours of rehearsal and one hour of performance). I've done this since DD#1 was in 5th grade—all the rural elementary schools, whose individual bands may only have 8 or 10 students, get together in the spring and put on a concert. There are never enough low brass players, so a couple of adults come and fill in as needed. It's a lot of fun and it gives me a chance to play.

By the end of the evening, though, my mouth really hurt. Some of that is from not having played in a while, but some of it is from a more worrisome reason. I noticed a few months ago that my two eyeteeth are starting to push in front of my two front teeth. If you look at my face straight on, it's hard to tell. I was hoping that perhaps it was my imagination, but after playing yesterday, I am convinced that my teeth are moving out of place.

Fortunately, I have an appointment tomorrow for my six-month teeth cleaning. This has happened since the last checkup, so I'll ask my dentist if she can tell what's going on. I still have all my wisdom teeth. If they are causing my teeth to shift, that's going to be a huge issue; she's told me on a number of occasions that getting my wisdom teeth out now would require major surgery. But why would my teeth start moving around now, after being in the same spot for decades? Curious.

I'm trying to find pictures to liven up this blog, so I'll give you a quick crash course in trombones. This is a regular tenor trombone:

We all had King instruments in school because the King Musical Instrument Company was based in Cleveland. I have a tenor trombone with an F attachment, which looks something like this:

All that fancy tubing allows me to play some notes without having to shoot my arm and the slide all the way out.

A good friend of mine from high school played the bass trombone, which is even bigger and has more tubing (I can't find a good picture). I played it a couple of times, but he was much better than I was.

I love my trombone—I saved up my wages from my high school job to pay for it (it cost about $1200 in 1982 and costs about twice that now). I played it in high school, all the way through college, and whenever and whereever I can now. The kids playing trombone in middle school are always fascinated by it, because they only get to play regular trombones. Last night I let one of the kids from another school try it with his mouthpiece because he kept asking me questions about it. I figure it's good for kids to see that they can still play their instruments even when they are old and have gray hair. One of these days I would like to start playing in the community band. They meet on a night when I have another activity, so it's been hard for me to get to the practices.

So there you go: more than you wanted to know about my trombone playing. I knit, drive a truck, own a gun, and play the trombone. What a study in contrasts.

Knitting is on the schedule for today; I've got a lot of work to get done. I need to grade one last pattern for the Summer issue and get that issue back to my tech editor for review, make up the rest of my class handouts, and finish crocheting the edging on the sweater for the Summer issue.

Despite the discomfort, I got quite a bit accomplished yesterday—one new class handout is done, another is partially completed, and I put together the sweater my test knitter sent back while I was gone. It looks really nice. I just need to put the crocheted shell edgings on the sleeves and darn in the ends and poof!—it will be ready for its photo shoot.

The class handout that still needs to be completed is for my "Designer Day" class next Thursday. I did an outline of all the topics I want to cover, then started filling in with details like lists of resources, copies of forms and contracts I use, and as much other info as I could think of. There is a lot to cover in three hours. It's kind of amazing to see on paper exactly what is involved in being an independent knitting designer. I hope I don't scare anyone off.

I've decided to drive to Portland instead of taking the train. If I take the train, I have to leave Tuesday night and I don't get back until Monday morning. If I drive, I don't have to leave until Wednesday morning and I can be back by Sunday evening. My FIL is coming for a visit next week and I hate to leave him here alone (although I know he doesn't mind). And packing won't be a consideration—I can throw everything I need into the back seat. I just need to call the hotel today and verify that I can get my truck into their parking garage.

One of the items on my to-do list this week is shopping for a tent. DD#2 and her class are going on a camping trip to Glacier Park in two weeks and I am going along as a chaperone. We need a tent. We need a tent anyway—I'd like to sleep out in the yard a couple of times this summer and I feel marginally safer with a canvas wall between me and the wildlife (my mother is breaking out in hives as she reads this—don't worry, I should have my new gun by then). The husband and I plan to have a Date Night Friday night to see the new Star Trek movie and the sporting goods store is conveniently located next to the movie theatre.

And with that, I am going to hop in the shower before the large yellow blob of severe thunderstorms on the radar arrives here in the valley. We don't often get big thunderstorms and not usually this early in the season. This looks like quite a storm coming in off the coast.

We spent the last five days in North Carolina for my sister's wedding. Here is one of the few pictures I was able to get of the bride and groom:

It was a lovely ceremony (in spite of the last-minute move inside) and I got to see a lot of relatives I haven't seen in a long time. The husband of one of my second cousins is a minister and he did the ceremony—I haven't seen them since Debbie and I were both pregnant with our first children.

My mother and sister and my kids and I did a fair bit of shopping on Thursday and Friday. The husband wondered why we didn't just shop in Kalispell and I pointed out to him that Montana is a fashion wasteland compared to the east coast. It's truly amazing. The Liz Claiborne section at Belk is as big as the entire women's section at our department store. The problem is that a) I have no place to wear some of that stuff; I am already overdressed here most of the time and b) I would ruin a lot of the clothing (especially shoes) because it's just a lot a lot more rustic here than it is on the east coast.

I got a fabulous manicure for the wedding; I showed it to the husband last night and said that I would love it if my nails looked this good all the time. He asked me when I planned to hire a gardener. Oh well. I'm going to make it last as long as I can.

The head of the production company called while I was in North Carolina. He got the issue with the DVD straightened out and we're getting a replacement shipment this week. I will NOT be using that duplicating company again. Everyone who pre-ordered the DVD will get a new disc as soon as I get them here.

I've got a week here at home before I head off to Portland next week for the Knit and Crochet Show. It's going to be a busy week: I have two class handouts to finish and the Summer issue of the newsletter to put to bed. DD#2 and I also have band festival tomorrow. And I have a few things to do in the garden if it doesn't rain.

The shipment of DVDs arrived Friday from the duplicator. I packed up orders and sent them out (many by Priority Mail) on Saturday. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from one of my customers, who had received her DVD and was trying to get it to work. It wouldn't. It wouldn't play in her computer or on her TV. I put one in my computer. It wouldn't play. I called the head of the production company. He couldn't get it to play, either.

I could have saved some money by simply getting the master from the production company and duplicating the DVD on a small duplicating machine in my office. However, I thought it would be more professional to have the DVD duplicated by a company that does that sort of thing in large quantities. I researched a bunch of different companies, found one whose prices were competitive—not cheap, but competitive—and went with them. The production company followed the duplicating company's guidelines for producing the master, which I mailed in. The graphic artist I hired to do the cover and label uploaded the files. I thought all was well until the DVDs came and THEY DON'T WORK.

The head of the production company called the duplicating company yesterday, but the people he needed to speak with had left for the day. He's going to call them first thing this morning and let me know what he finds out. Fortunately (expecting a scenario exactly like this—how sad is that?), I ordered a fairly small initial duplicating run. This is fixable. But I am irritated and annoyed. I didn't need for this to happen right now.

I was actually feeling a bit lame that I haven't done more to market this DVD, but in light of the current situation, that's probably a good thing.

The girls and I are heading to Missoula tonight because we're flying out tomorrow for my sister's wedding in Charlotte this weekend. It wasn't my first choice to fly out of Missoula, but we could not get a flight from Kalispell that didn't go through Timbuktu and took less than 15 hours. Fortunately, I was able to get all my errands done yesterday and everyone is mostly packed. I need to write a pattern for one of my test-knitters today, darn in the ends on the Pure Pima sweater, and figure out what knitting project to start next and take on this trip with me.

Debbie, you asked about the earrings: DD#2 and I are still wearing ours. She tolerates the titanium alloy earrings just fine; I still have trouble with the alloys and can't keep them in for more than 8 hours or so. I can wear the pure titanium ones 24/7, so that's what I have in right now.

I'll post again next month.

I really appreciate that a customer let me know there was a problem, because I had absolutely no idea what had occurred. It bothers me to no end when people go to a public list and complain loudly about errors in a pattern and then acknowledge that no—they haven't actually contacted the designer to discuss the problem. I don't try to hide from my customers; my contact info is all over my patterns, and it's there so that knitters will come and talk to me, not a list of 1000 knitters. It only took about 20 minutes for me to correct the problem and send a copy of the corrected file to the customer who let me know about it.

Speaking of the Happy Husband Aran, you can see a wonderful finished version at knittingmama's blog. I have no idea how she gets any knitting done with five kids under the age of 12, but she did a great job!

I had a lovely knitting-filled day yesterday. I knocked out a couple of swatches for upcoming designs, and finished the bottom, the neckband, and the sleeve on the Pure Pima sweater slated for the Summer issue. I tried it on and it fits me perfectly—too bad it's in a color (olive green) that I don't wear very often. I just have to finish the second sleeve and darn in the ends and then it will be ready to photograph.

I read an interesting article online yesterday (it's at msnbc.com if you want to go and look for it) about women who have stopped using shampoo to wash their hair. It sounds gross, but it does make a certain kind of sense to me. Instead of washing their hair with shampoo, these women either wash it with a rinse of baking soda followed by vinegar; rinse it with hot water and use only conditioner; or just rinse it with hot water. The idea is to get the hair clean without damaging the hair follicles.

I've always had really frizzy hair (and I am really vain abut my hair). One of the things I love about living in Montana is the complete lack of humidity. My hair is straight and smooth here. In Ohio, though, it doesn't matter what I do to my hair—even if I use a flatiron on it, it still looks like I have brushy wires sticking out of my head.

I read somewhere that the sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate used in most shampoos have a tendency to roughen the hair follicle (leading to frizziness), so about six months ago I switched to Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo. It doesn't have any of those ingredients. I have noticed an improvement in the surface texture of my hair—when I was in Austin this weekend I let my hair air dry and even in the rain it didn't frizz up.

So I might try the no-shampoo routine for a while and see what happens. I don't think I'll use the baking soda, though. Our water is really hard and alkaline. I'll probably try the hot water rinse followed by conditioner. I'll keep you all posted.

We're now on the back side of a cold front, which always means strong winds from the east down the face of the mountains. And the temperature has dropped by about 20 degrees since this morning. I have a crock pot of beef stew cooking. It's time for me to build a fire in the fireplace, too. Oh, and it just began snowing.

I just hope we don't lose any more trees (even rotten ones). The dogs wanted to come in, so they are napping on the laundry room floor. It's a good day to knit.

I have a tracking number for the shipment of DVDs, and they should be at my house this Friday afternoon. If you ordered one, it will go out on Saturday morning. Thanks for everyone's patience. I learned a lot from this process. And silly me, I thought it would only take a few months from start to finish. But the next one shouldn't take as long.

I have plans in the works for another DVD—I've had lots of requests for one on the FLAK sweater, so that's what is up next. We probably won't film until early July. I've just got too much other stuff going on between now and then to fit it in.

It's Earth Day, and I am sad to report that biodiesel is no longer available in Kalispell. I went to fill DD#1's truck yesterday (now that it's warm, I can use bio again without worrying about it gelling), and found out that the station where I had been getting it is no longer selling it. I suspected this might happen when the price of diesel tanked (no pun intended). Where is the incentive to use alternative fuels when diesel is so cheap?

The husband bought a 1500-gallon diesel storage tank last year and it's sitting in our yard. We haven't filled it yet; he was going to put regular diesel in it, but he said if I could find a source for B5, we could fill it with that, instead. We could use B20 or B99 or B100 in the older trucks, but not in his or mine because of the warranties. So far I haven't had any luck finding a source for B-5. The fuel company in town basically told us they don't want to sell us bio because they have to blend the B5 from straight B100 and it's too much work. Great.

I used to feel guilty about not doing more to help the planet, but I can only do so much. I can't use biodiesel if a) the vehicle manufacturers won't warranty its use and b) it's not available for sale where I live.

We have started recycling more at our house—#1 and #2 plastic, cardboard, and aluminum and steel cans—but even the husband noted yesterday that the cardboard collection container at the "green boxes" (we have county garbage collection sites) hasn't been emptied in weeks and is overflowing. He thinks it's because there is no demand for fiberboard for the building industry. We can't get rid of glass, and I would imagine that pretty soon, no one will want plastic, either.

Oh well. I am going to celebrate Earth Day by going out to my garden. It's supposed to get cold again and snow. I'd like to get as much cleaned up as I can before that happens.

I wasn't sure what to expect about Austin—my sister-in-law and her husband lived there for a few years while he was getting his PhD at the University of Texas, and I don't remember them having anything good to say about it. I thought it was a wonderful city. Being in Texas is a lot like being in Montana, only warmer. And the food is excellent. I had a crawfish enchilada that was delicious.

The Austin guild is filled with lots of accomplished knitters. I was particularly delighted to see how fearless they were: they weren't afraid to use the techniques I taught them in new and novel ways. One student in the class came all the way from Baltimore—her husband was in Austin for a conference so she came with him and took the knitting workshop. We discovered that she and my husband graduated from the same high school in Baltimore (although she was there a few years before he was). I'm always reminded of what a small world this is when I travel.

My hosts for the weekend were Eileen Thompson and her husband Guy (and their dog Shadow). They provided a very comfortable guest room and Eileen made sure I got to see as much of Austin as possible while I was there. All in all it was a very enjoyable weekend.

Before I left for Texas, I asked the husband to do me a favor. In my ongoing campaign to eradicate the quackgrass from my garden, I've discovered that it helps to have him take the big propane torch and burn the grass on the outside of the garden. He said he would do it while I was gone. I called home Saturday night and we had a short conversation:

The husband: I burned all the grass in your garden today.

Me: In my garden, or on the outside of it?

The husband: Well, after I did the outside, I went in and burned all the dead stuff off the beds.

Me (suddenly gripped by visions of him torching the strawberries I put in last year): I hope you didn't burn off the strawberries.

The husband, indignant: Of course not. I know what strawberries look like.

Me: How about the asparagus?

The husband: We have asparagus?

Me: Probably not anymore.

So the first thing I did when I got home yesterday (even before I unlocked the house) was to go out and survey the damage in the garden. I should know better than to ask him to burn the grass in my garden without supervision. I forgot that last year he set a couple of my lavender plants on fire. I hope the asparagus is still underground—it's hard to tell if the carbonized stalks are grass or vegetables. What really astounded me was this:

We went out to the garden after dinner and I asked him how it was possible to torch a plant that had an identification tag stuck in the dirt next to it. He just shrugged and said, "Collateral damage. I was aiming for the grass."

I guess I just need to live with the fact that he has unresolved gardening issues from his childhood and they pop up to the surface (in my garden, not his mother's) every now and then. And these plants are pretty hardy (they have to be, we're in Montana), so it's possible that they'll be just fine.

I hope.

The problem is that now I want a lighter-weight sweater to wear this spring. Camas Creek is carrying the Lanaknits line of hemp yarns, and as hemp is one of my favorite fibers, I've done a lot of knitting with Lanaknits yarns. Two designs will be in the Summer issue. I picked up some of the Lanaknits Hempwol yarn last week—in black—and last night I swatched for a project to take with me to Texas.

This is a point where "what do I need in my wardrobe" slams straight into "what is a good color for a sweater that's going to be photographed for the newsletter." Stitch detail is almost invisible in black sweaters. However, I don't want a visually heavy cable pattern that's going to make a heavy sweater. I swatched up a stitch pattern that is basically a knit-purl ribbing pattern with a very cool slip-stitch garter column between the ribs, and added some small 1 x 1 crosses in some of the knit-purl sections. I envision it being more of an overall effect rather than one in which the cable sections stand out. We'll see. It looks good in the swatch. It may be a challenge to photograph if it ends up in the newsletter.

Hemp yarns have come such a long way in the past 10 years. Way back when I was still spinning, I found a source for some lovely, smooth, combed hemp top and made my own yarns because the only hemp yarns available were the hairy, scratchy ones. These days, though, it's possible to get some really nice hemp yarns. And now that Ron Paul and Barney Frank have introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 to Congress, perhaps US farmers will be able to start cultivating hemp right here at home (all the hemp top I used to spin came from China).

From the Congressional Record:

Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act requires the Federal Government to respect State laws allowing the growing of industrial hemp.

Eight States--Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia--allow industrial hemp production or research in accord with State laws. However, Federal law is standing in the way of farmers in these States growing what may be a very profitable crop. Because of current Federal law, all hemp included in products sold in the United States must be imported instead of being grown by American farmers.

Since 1970, the Federal Controlled Substances Act's inclusion of industrial hemp in the schedule one definition of marijuana has prohibited American farmers from growing industrial hemp despite the fact that industrial hemp has such a low content of THC (the psychoactive chemical in the related marijuana plant) that nobody can be psychologically affected by consuming hemp. Federal law concedes the safety of industrial hemp by allowing it to be legally imported for use as food.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that prohibits industrial hemp cultivation. The Congressional Research Service has noted that hemp is grown as an established agricultural commodity in over 30 nations in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act will relieve this unique restriction on American farmers and allow them to grow industrial hemp in accord with State law.

Industrial hemp is a crop that was grown legally throughout the United States for most of our Nation's history. In fact, during World War II, the Federal Government actively encouraged American farmers to grow industrial hemp to help the war effort. The Department of Agriculture even produced a film ``Hemp for Victory'' encouraging the plant's cultivation.

In recent years, the hemp plant has been put to many popular uses in foods and in industry. Grocery stores sell hemp seeds and oil as well as food products containing oil and seeds from the hemp plant. Industrial hemp is also included in consumer products such as paper, cloths, cosmetics, and carpet. One of the more innovative recent uses of industrial hemp is in the door frames of about 1.5 million cars. Hemp has even been used in alternative automobile fuel.

It is unfortunate that the Federal Government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, competing in the global industrial hemp market. Indeed, the founders of our Nation, some of whom grew hemp, would surely find that Federal restrictions on farmers growing a safe and profitable crop on their own land are inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of a limited, restrained Federal Government. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to stand up for American farmers and cosponsor the Industrial Hemp Farming Act.

How cool would it be if we could grow hemp here in Montana? And thank goodness some people have the common sense to realize that no one is going to get high smoking hemp—unlike Barry McCraffrey, former drug czar, who in 2000 waged a campaign to get products containing hemp oil off store shelves because he thought people might get high by using those products on their bodies or eating a hempseed granola bar.

I just want to knit it.

The husband and I were watching the news last night and there was a piece on banks that have jacked up interest rates in an attempt to raise cash to pay back the government funds they received in the bailout. Unbelievable. This is what I say to those banks: I'm sorry—you're already getting money from me in the form of my taxes, you're not going to get more by jacking up interest rates and fees. Any bank that pulls those kind of shenanigans is going to lose my business. The first thing on my to-do list today is calling US Bank and cancelling that card. I wouldn't be in business for long if I mismanaged my funds, got a government bailout, then went to my newsletter subscribers and said, "Hey, I need you to pay more in subscription fees so I can stay in business."

What a great country we live in. Check your credit card statements carefully.

The dogs and I got some work done in the vegetable garden yesterday. Three of the beds are clear of snow. I turned and raked two of them while Rusty hunted voles and Chester rescued avalanche victims tennis balls in the piles of snow on top of the rest of the beds. On my way back from town yesterday, I stopped in at the nursery and took a look at what they had ready to go. They have some sizeable tomato plants for sale, so I am kicking around the idea of putting some in next week and getting a jump start on the tomato crop. I always put my tomato plants in water walls and that has worked well. If I wait until I know it won't snow anymore, I'll be waiting until June.

It's supposed to be in the 60's and 70's this weekend. I am hoping that when I come back from Texas, the herb garden will be clear of snow and I can start working in there, too. It feels good to play in the dirt again.

I also started working on a handout for a new class I am teaching at the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland in June on designing original cable patterns. I think design classes are great fun, but they are also the hardest ones to create handouts for. I'm not teaching techniques, per se, so I have to find creative ways to get the students engaged and get my points across. Learning to design isn't like learning a new technique—it doesn't happen within the confines of a three-hour class. And yet it's important to set the class up so that the students have one or two successful experiences with stitch pattern design, in order to give them the confidence to keep trying.

Anyway . . . at various times during the past week, we were working on a lot of different projects. DD#2 did a puzzle:

She has always been my puzzle child. She's very methodical about it, too. It was interesting to see her concentrating on it.

She also discovered the glass marble thingies that we used to make thumbtacks a while back—she must have been little when we did this, because she says she only vaguely remembers (my kids used to make all their Christmas presents). She finished off a bunch of them and now I have a big supply of thumbtacks. I like these thumbtacks because they are so decorative.

Her sister spent most of the week working on scrapbooks. We started one for Europe.

She and I are taking turns making up pages. It's funny to see how our approaches to scrapbook design differ. I was making her nuts by putting my pictures it at odd angles; she wanted everything to be organized in a grid formation. (I used to be like that, too, but I've loosened up in my old age.) I like that this scrapbook will be a combination of both our efforts, because we had such different experiences on the same trip. For example, I plan to have an entire page highlighting the different foods we ate—she thinks that is just weird. It's going to be a big scrapbook. We have about a dozen pages already and we haven't even left Berlin yet.

DD#2 and I also spent some time this afternoon making earrings. I love making jewelry—it's such an instant gratification project. I can whip out a pair of earrings in no time, as opposed to sweaters, which take weeks. Here are some of our first efforts:

These are DD#2's designs. I love both of them. She's got a great eye for what colors go together. We just need to wait until the gold anodized niobium wires I ordered come in and then we'll be able to wear these. All I have at the moment are silver and gray wires.

Here are my first two pair (sorry the picture is burry—earrings are even harder to photograph than knitting):

Obviously I am something of a magpie, because I love a bit of bling. Those Crystallized™ Swarovski pieces are great fun to play with (the ones at the bottom of the black earrings). I wear a lot of black, too. I can never have too many black or silver earrings.

Tomorrow it's back to school and work. But we might let the living room look like a craft store exploded in there for a while longer.

I got about this far:

The snow is heavy and icy and I can't get it over the fence. I shoveled it into the gravel paths (which are themselves covered with snow), but there is way more snow than space in the paths. After about ten minutes of this madness, I decided to call it an afternoon and go knit. Rusty wanted to stay out there and hunt voles, but I told him vole hunting would have to wait a few more days. Chester will only hunt voles if I can figure out a way to spray paint them Wilson green.

The girls and I are heading to Missoula today for their day of shopping. It's a reward for me, too, because it's lots of fun to spend time with them. You'd never know they were five years apart in age. They bounce ideas and comments off each other and play games and just generally do stuff that makes me laugh. We're going to have a fun time.

I also gave them a list of extra assignments, like cleaning out their clothes drawers—DD#2 has enough clothing to open her own used clothing store because she cannot bear the thought of not having 85 shirts to choose from when she gets dressed in the morning. As the resident fashionista, she seems to need a certain critical mass of clothing in order to put together her outfits every morning. However (as I pointed out to her while trying to convince her that some culling was in order), that critical mass doesn't really need to include clothing that hasn't fit her since 4th grade.

We're making progress. There are a couple of bags of clothing to take to Goodwill, the laundry is done, the house is clean(er), and I got a huge chunk of the newsletter put together. The girls are working on a scrapbook of their adventures last summer, and when that one is done, DD#1 will start on one for Europe. I just love it that I can upload pictures to Walgreens and pick up the prints in 24 hours.

I took some time yesterday to clean out my jewelry box. I sorted out those earrings I know I can't wear anymore, and changed over some dangly ones to titanium hooks. When I was done, I was left with about a dozen pairs of earrings I should be able to wear. I discovered that—now that my piercings are healed over from three weeks of wearing the pure titanium earrings—I can wear the titanium alloy earrings for a day with no discomfort. That gives me a few more options. I was able to locate a couple of suppliers of titanium earring findings, but those findings are mostly titanium alloy, not pure titanium.

It's been so nice here for the past few days, and I could tell that people were getting out and working in their yards because there must have been half a dozen fire calls around the valley for out-of-control grass fires yesterday. There is a reason we on the fire department refer to open burning as "sport burning season." I think we're back to some cooler and wetter weather, so we'll see what happens today.

Now it's back to work on the newsletter.

This sale is billed as "The Social Event of the Spring," and for many years, it was the first place you got out and saw your neighbors after a long winter.

The auction has undergone a lot of changes in 43 years (haven't we all), but it seems to me that the past couple of years have brought a bit more upheaval. We sell general merchandise on Saturday, and on Sunday we sell vehicles, boats, and farm equipment. When I checked the Sunday sale field yesterday, we had one piece of farm equipment. It used to be that the Sunday sale was mostly farm equipment with an odd vehicle thrown in here or there. But no one farms around here anymore, so no one needs either to buy or sell farm equipment.

When we first began helping with the auction 10 or 12 years ago, the Saturday sale would finish in time for us to go home, take a shower, and meet our fellow firefighters for dinner at a local restaurant. The Saturday sales began getting longer and longer and longer because so many people would bring stuff to sell (items are consigned to us, we hire the auctioneers, then we send the proceeds minus a commission fee to the consignor). We had one sale a few years ago that lasted until 11 p.m. (in a blinding snowstorm, to boot).

Yesterday's sale finished at 5:30 p.m. (We could have gone out for dinner but we were all too tired.) People simply didn't consign as much merchandise to the sale this year, which was interesting to me. I would have thought that—in this economy, especially—people would have collected as much stuff as they could and brought it to the sale in an attempt to raise some cash. We have a couple of repeat consignors who make a lot of money every year doing just that. The weather was hideous on Friday, though, which is our consignment day. That may have kept people away.

While we were at our fire hall on Thursday and Friday setting up for the auction, I spent the time cleaning and organizing some of the old fire department records I found stuffed into a box in a storage room. I am the secretary/treasurer of the fire department association, so this falls under my jurisdiction. I was surprised to find a lot of valuable old records (thank goodness they didn't get thrown away) like this:

It's a consignment sheet that lists the items brought for sale to the First Annual Creston Auction, held on October 8, 1966. We still use a version of this same sheet to record consigned items.

I also found the books in which were written the details of each response made by the fire department in every year from 1959 to 1976 (now those records are computerized). The husband found those really interesting to read. There were a lot of chimney and grass fires, and a lot of fires started by "kids with matches." Each response has a place for comments by the person making the record. One that I thought was particularly funny was a description of a grass fire. The record lists the type of equipment used to fight the fire (a pumper truck) with the comment, "nozzles got plugged—don't pump off creek bottom." Another notes (after responding for the third or fourth time to the same residence for the same problem)—"same damn thermostatically-controlled heater" as the cause of the fire.

I brought home these records and I am going to spend some time putting them in some protected scrapbooks so everyone can look back on where our department has been.

The whole goal of this auction is to raise money for the fire department. Our chief estimates that we've raised over a million dollars in 42 years of auctions. Those proceeds have allowed us to buy equipment that most departments our size don't have. Our most recent acquisition is this rescue rig:

We just took possession of it about a week ago. It rounds out our equipment nicely, and can serve as an engine (it carries water and foam), as well as a command vehicle and even transport vehicle when necessary.

In a few minutes we're all heading back over for the Sunday sale. The auction is very much a family event. When my kids were little, my mother-in-law would fly out to keep and eye on them while the husband and I were at the auction, and as they got older, she and the kids would come and help. Now the girls are old enough that they don't need Grandma's watchful eyes, so we go as a family. The girls have auction jobs, too: the older one cooks in the "brat booth" and the younger one works as a runner, taking sales receipts from the auction wagon to the finance office.

And it's supposed to be sunny again today. Yesterday was just gorgeous.

Here's the cover. I hired someone to do the cover and DVD label and I'm just tickled with how it turned out. We planned it so that additional DVDs (yes, I'd like to do more) will fit in with the same design, but different colors. It's just a shade under two hours long and the price is $23.95 US.

Whew. I'm glad that's done. I think it's a terrific DVD and I know it will be helpful for knitters who like to have an expert sitting next to them—or on their TV screen.

I also have a contract sitting on my desk for another print run of the Aran book. It always makes me a tad nervous to be outlaying this kind of cash, but I am down to two cases. And orders are still coming in. I cannot allow this book to be out of stock for too long. I asked the printer for a quote for a smaller run, but it wouldn't have saved me more than a couple thousand dollars.

And I am running out of finishing books, which means ordering another print run of that one . . . but I'd really like to redo it in InDesign, make it a digitally downloadable e-book, and add some more material and pictures. I cannot figure out how to make that work unless I stop sleeping or hire someone to drive my children all the places they need to be. DD#1 wanted to drive to school today, but she (very wisely) got to the elementary school, parked her truck, and got on the high school bus for the rest of the trip. She called and said the roads were just too dicey. She has a meeting after school so now I will need to run in and pick her up.

I'm going to go knit for a while and contemplate my schedule.

I think we succeeded. I asked DD#1 if she was glad she went on band tour and she said she was. This is a particularly great group of kids. I thought they did a stellar job of representing themselves and the school. The only "discipline" problem we had was a group of four boys who cooked themselves pancakes in their hotel room one night. Amazingly, they had enough foresight to bring along one of those Bisquick Shake 'n Pour bottles and some chocolate chips, so when good fortune stuck them in kitchenette room, they were all prepared!

In four days we did Spokane (a performance and laser tag), Seattle (a band clinic and shopping—I found a dress for my sister's wedding); Seaside, OR (the ocean and a lot of rain); and finished up in Portland with dinner at a fancy restaurant and the musical "Wicked" on Saturday night. Oh my, was that ever a great performance. Some of those kids have never been to anything like that. It was fun to see them enjoying it. Part of the reason we went to "Wicked" is because they are doing a medley of pieces from the musical at their next concert. And now it will be much more meaningful for them.

I got quite a lot of knitting done, what with all that bus time. I'm excited about the Pure Pima design. It's a top-down saddle-shoulder sweater, but I did something new and novel with the saddles. I was a bit nervous because I was designing on the fly—on a trip, no less—but I'm quite pleased with it. And DD#1's friend finished his hat just as we pulled into Portland.

While in Portland, I went to Powell's (of course) and snagged a hard cover copy of my favorite knitting book All Sweaters in Every Gauge by Barbara Goldstein. I have the paperback version, too. It was such a critical postCount('A Wicked Band Tour'); book in my development as a knitting designer that I don't mind having two copies, just in case.

Do any of the rest of you read Franklin's blog? I really enjoy his wit and his cartoons. His blog post today, though, made me really sad—for him, especially, but also for the poor narrow-minded woman with whom he had the conversation. Maybe one of these days the world can get past this kind of stuff. I could do a whole post on annoying gender stereotypes, but this will be a short blog post because . . .

. . . in two short hours the bus pulls out and I will be officially on band tour with DD#1. I am looking forward to approximately 28 hours of knitting time. I told the husband last night that what I find really funny about this trip is that not only am I packing enough knitting for me, I also threw in an extra project for a friend of DD#1's (a boy, incidentally) who's been knitting since Christmas. He's been working on a hat and I am pretty sure he'll finish it on the first leg of the trip. I brought something else that I think he'll enjoy making.

I'll probably have pictures when I get back.

[Ballet is about 12 miles away, the church is about 5 miles, and the school is approximately 7 miles. The fire hall is a mere 3 miles as the crow flies, but to drive there is about 8 miles. Doesn't sound like much until you have to make the circuit two or three times.]

Monday night is also the night for auction meetings. During that 45-minute span when I was home, the head of the auction planning committee called and wanted to know if I was coming to the meeting. I've been to a grand total of one auction meeting so far this year—because of all the traveling I've been doing, I turned my usual auction duties over to someone else (they've done a great job), so I wasn't planning on going to last night's meeting. The husband has gone to all of them and filled me in on what I need to know as Assistant to the Logistics Section Chief (the husband is Logistics Section Chief).

The auction is in a state of flux right now because the fire department is in the process of turning the whole operation over to a group of community members. The head of the committee is (to his credit) trying to manage that transition process, and wanted to meet with me, the current head of finance, and another woman from our fire department who is taking over finance next year (finance is one area that will always be handled by those of us on the department). She and I have already talked and I said I would be happy to work with her on it. She's a smart cookie with a lot of good ideas.

I kind of let loose on this poor guy when he called. I was so tired, I'm leaving on another trip this week, and all I wanted to do after a day at the germ factory was have a glass of wine and sit down and knit, not go to a meeting to talk about something that isn't going to happen for another 379 days. One thing I've learned is that volunteer organizations will suck the life out of you if you let them, and as committed as I am to my volunteer efforts, I've had to draw some boundary lines or my life will consist of nothing but meetings (even though I get a lot of knitting done during meetings, it's not my preferred method of working). I feel like I am being pecked apart a piece at a time—everyone wants something from me.

So I told this guy what I thought (apparently a little too stridently, given the looks I was getting from the husband during the conversation) and said I would be happy to meet with him about finance after this year's auction. I really needed to knit last night, just for my own sanity. I picked DD#2 up, came home, poured myself a glass of wine, watched some Bones episodes on the DVR, and worked on the Pure Pima sweater.

And today I am in my office. Hooray.

It was a sad day when I went to the department store the other day and looked at the new line of Liz clothing. The jeans have spandex in them. Isaac, how could you do this to me? I was excited to find out you were now the design director at Liz Claiborne. I love your stuff (I bought a lot of it when you designed for Target). However, as much as I love you, that's How Much I Hate Spandex. A lot. And now where am I going to get 100% cotton jeans in a size 10 long? I may just have to go back to wearing Wranglers. The husband hopes I won't, because he wears Wranglers and it just causes too much confusion in the laundry. I can't tell you how many times he reached for a pair of Wranglers only to discover they were mine. (Want to see something funny?—watch the husband trying to get a pair of my Wranglers onto his body.)

Sometimes I really hate the clothing industry.

Prom went off without a hitch. I was allowed to come with DD#1 and take pictures when she met her date (at a friend's house). They made a very cute couple. The group of 10 kids went out to dinner and then to the high school. I am pretty sure everyone got home safely; the husband went and picked her up at midnight and he said that it was really foggy out, but I didn't hear any dispatches for car accidents.

[We're not opposed to this young man picking up DD#1 and driving her somewhere; it's just that we live so far out that we hate to ask kids to do any unnecessary driving. And he lives only a few blocks from the high school, so it would have been a lot of driving for him.]

DD#1 was all smiles when she got home. I'm sure I'll get a detailed recap this afternoon. She has band practice at 2 p.m. for a concert they are giving on Tuesday. I wonder if it's going to be a fairly subdued practice with a lot of tired kids?

The snow is going away at a fairly rapid pace now that it has warmed up. I noticed a robin flying around the house yesterday, and suddenly it dawned on me that he (she?) was scoping out the porch rafters for a good nesting place. We're going to need to be vigilant in keeping them from building up there. I love to see the babies but so do Rusty and Chester—and not for the same reason. The pileated woodpeckers are also here. And in a couple of weeks or so it will be time to fill the hummingbird feeders. I do love birds.

One of the things on my list today is deciding what to do about that project using the Pure Pima yarn. We leave on band tour later this week and there will be significant bus knitting time. I want to take advantage of it. I haven't been doing as much knitting as I'd like to and my hands miss it.

I really really really want to wear earrings. I just don't feel dressed up without them. And I'd like a nice pair to wear for my sister's wedding in May (along with a dress, but that's another story). Last week I was surfing the web and found Wear Earrings Again With Maggie's Creations. Maggie is a jeweler in Florida who has severe allergies to most jewelry. She's done a tremendous amount of research and experimentation, and her theory is that there are many of us who aren't allergic to pure metals, but are actually allergic to alloys of those metals. As she notes on her website, "An alloy is the mixture or solid solution of two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements. In jewelry, combining different metals is commonly done to augment the color, hardness and/or luster of the resulting alloy."

She cites research which shows that patients who had trouble with titanium implants (which are alloyed) had no reaction whatsoever to pure titanium metal. She concludes, "For me, it was simple . . . if you can wear a pure element, but not an alloy that contains no nickel, you have an alloy allergy, not a nickel allergy; in other words, you are allergic to the electrochemical reaction that happens between dissimilar metals—not the metals themselves."

Well, that explains it, at least for me. I can't wear jewelry that claims to be "nickel-free," and apparently the titanium earrings I bought last fall were alloyed, not pure titanium. I have an alloy allergy, not a metal allergy.

I ordered a pair of "healing" earrings—simple non-alloyed titanium balls—and they arrived yesterday. I cleaned my ears and put them in immediately. It's now been 24 hours and I don't know they are there! There is no itching, no bleeding, nothing. I am cautiously optimistic that these earrings are going to work—and I've ordered a pair for DD#2, who has the same problem I do. Maggie is a very talented jeweler and has many styles of earrings for sale on her website, so if these work, I will order some to go with my dress for the wedding.

I've read all your comments from yesterday and it's good to know that others of you are also having knitting slump issues. Raye, I love the gold socks that Wendy is blogging about right now—gorgeous! I spent most of yesterday working on knitting-related computer and paperwork stuff (no actual knitting), and by the end of the day I was feeling a bit more ready to jump in and figure out what project I want to work on. I've decided it's rather like writer's block—just doing it is the best way to break through it. I've been so distracted by other stuff over the past two months that it's no wonder I can't keep my mind on task.

I did finish the corn scarf last night. It was close to being done and finishing it makes me feel like I am making some progress. However, I need to get another sweater done and I am just not loving the one I started before I went to Wisconsin. I love the yarn and stitch pattern, but the sweater is coming out smaller than I anticipated. That annoys me because this is Iteration #2—I ripped out Iteration #1 after wondering if it would be too big. Once again I am reminded of what I already know: go with my first instincts. So now I need to decide if I should continue with Iteration #2, go back to Iteration #1, or start something else altogether.

[Probably as a result of yesterday being St. Patrick's Day, I am itching to start an Aran. Go figure.]

Other things that are happening here:

DD#1 is going to prom this weekend. Her date's mother is a knitter. That's about all we know about him.

DD#2 took first place in the science fair and goes on to the county competition next week. Her project was "Interference and the Stroop Effect" which has to do with how people perceive information.

The husband seems to be the only builder still working in the Flathead Valley. Here is a link to an interesting article if you want to read more.

The mountain lion whose tracks the husband saw a couple of weeks ago has been sighted in a few other areas, too, but it seems to be staying several miles north of us and that's just fine.

There was 2" of new snow on my truck this morning. And Friday is the first day of spring.

I don't have to go anywhere today (you have no idea how happy that makes me), so I plan to spend the whole day working on nothing but knitting. I am hoping to find some inspiration at the bottom of the pile of stuff on my desk. Wish me luck.

The night before I left for Wisconsin, we got paged out to a chimney fire which turned into a structure fire. Normally that wouldn't be all that noteworthy, except that last weekend was the semi-annual Montana Mutual Aid meeting in Helena. We have a running joke in our department about mutual aid, because the last four times that our chief and assistant chief have been out-of-town at a mutual aid meeting or event, we've had a structure fire. With them gone, the job of incident command falls to our very capable deputy fire chief.

No matter what the incident, fire-fighting is a dangerous business. If we were part of any other department, I might worry considerably more about the husband when he's inside a burning building. I still worry, but I also know that our incident commanders have our firefighters' backs. I thought our deputy chief did a great job. He had to size up the fire, decide how to fight it, call for additional resources from three surrounding departments, and deal with a frantic homeowner, all in the dark and in a small snowstorm. The husband—after creating a new driveway for the homeowner with one of our engines because access to the property was limited—headed up an interior attack crew.

We spent a good hour at our business meeting the other night doing a post-mortem on the fire. It's such a good training exercise (for all of us, not just the rookie FF's), to go over what we did and what—if anything—we could have done differently. The fact that we saved this house from total destruction is huge and reflects the amount of training our department does.

So. I caught up on paperwork yesterday and got some knitting projects a bit closer to completion. And I have a date with the husband this morning. The first target shooting match of the year is today and I am going to go watch for a bit. Then it's off to do some errand-running in town. I was going to print newsletter renewal notices yesterday and the laser printer cartridge gave out (the color laser printing obligingly tells me when it's about to run out of ink, but the B&W laser printer simply stops printing with no warning). I didn't have a spare cartridge on hand, so I need to pick one up today.

I have to say that I was rather blown away by the food in Wisconsin. I ate very well. In fact, I put back on three of the five pounds I lost in Europe—but it was worth it. I love cheese, and what better place for a cheese-lover than Wisconsin? There was cheese at every meal, in lots of variations. Also, Ruth's daughter and son-in-law own a restaurant—The Dining Room—and I got to sample a few of the restaurant's wonderful dishes. The chocolate tart with raspberry sauce (the recipe is at the website) was particularly wonderful. Ruth is a great hostess.

So after I get my suitcase unpacked (again) and the laundry done (again) and the house cleaned (again), I'll try to get back to regular blogging, at least until the next trip, which is band tour in a couple of weeks. Yay!—more uninterrupted hours of knitting time. And for that trip, I should have some pictures.

You can see what a gorgeous (although cold) day it was. The chairlift is always fun.I got a couple of nice landscape shots from the top of Big Mountain. This is looking northeast into Glacier National Park:

This shot is looking south into the Flathead Valley. See that line of mountains to the left side of the picture? Our house is down at the base of those mountains (close to the very south end of them).

And here is a second shot looking out over the Flathead Valley. It really was a stunning day, and judging by the number of skiers, it looked like a good day for the fundraising effort, too.

We had lunch courtesy of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (which, I found out, is the 5th largest employer in the state of Montana). All in all a very enjoyable day.

Those are mountain lion tracks along the side of the garage. Amazingly, in 15 years of living here, a mountain lion is the one animal I've never seen on our property (and that's perfectly fine with me). I know they are out there. I just try not to think about it too much and my kids have never been allowed to be out in the yard by themselves, especially around dusk.

The husband always takes his gun with him when he goes to check on the property, so I don't worry about him (as much).

I woke up with a wicked headache this morning; my neck and upper back are all tied in knots. I had to cancel a massage Monday in order to go on the band trip and I wasn't able to reschedule it this week. It will have to wait until I get back from Wisconsin. I'll just have to be more vigilant about my stretching exercises in the meantime.

On Monday morning we were back at the high school, where we joined the bands from the three Missoula schools and the Helena high school for AA band festival. The kids were divided into two large bands, each with a guest conductor. They practiced all day Monday, gave a concert Monday night (each individual band), practiced all day yesterday, and gave another concert last night (each massed band). The kids worked hard and did a wonderful job.

My job was to keep an eye out for anything amiss. Monday was relatively uneventful. I got a lot of knitting done while I sat and listened to the kids rehearse. Yesterday was a bit busier because we had a couple of kids come down with some kind of stomach bug. But we got through the programs and loaded the kids onto the bus for the two-hour ride home.

We succeeded in getting everyone loaded before 9 p.m.—meaning that if all went well, we'd be back at our high school by 11:30 p.m. and home by midnight. Unfortunately, the bus got a flat tire halfway between Missoula and Kalispell. We had to wait for a replacement bus to come down from Kalispell, then transfer all the luggage and instruments to that bus. It was 1:30 a.m. when we finally pulled in to the high school parking lot, and 2:00 a.m. when DD#1 and I got home.

To add inult to injury, the poor kid had to be back at the school by 7:30 a.m. to take a make-up biology test.

So I'm off to take a shower and attempt to transform myself back into a human being. I apologize for the lame drive-by blogging. It's mostly to let everyone know I am still here.

And we had Yet Another Snowstorm here yesterday, so I didn't even try to get to town. The farthest afield I ventured was the convenience store to pick up some eggs, milk, bread, and peanut butter. The husband has some irrational dislike of grocery stores (although he loves food) and will eat everything in the house down to the last can of beans just to avoid going shopping. Our pantry always looks like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard when I get back from a trip.

I will tell you a bit about the knitting I did and the knitting I found in Europe. The parent chaperones (all mothers) had to choose roommates before we left, so the mother of one of DD#1's friends and I paired up. Tera is a knitter, and although I knew who she was (her daughter and DD#1 went to elementary school together), they moved to Montana just four years ago. I didn't know her well—only that she was a knitter.

Really, what else did I need to know?

I think Tera and I are twins separated at birth. We had such a good time together. The two of us took our knitting and knitted in the airports, on the bus, in our hotel rooms—any time we weren't walking around with the kids. She finished one scarf and started another; I knit a hemp washcloth and knocked out a scarf.

Our tour guide, Wesley, took note of what we were doing and unbeknownst to us, he spent the whole week trying to find a yarn store for us in each of the cities we visited. He didn't have much success until the very last day of the trip, in Budapest. At 5 p.m., when everyone was loading up the bus to go back to the hotel, he grabbed Tera and me and said, "Ladies, I found you a yarn store!" We quickly walked back over to the shopping district and he led us to a tiny little store in the basement of one of the buildings. We never would have found it on our own.

Most of the yarn was buried behind displays of finished garments, but once the store owner figured out we were there to spend money, she began pulling out skeins of yarn for us to look at. Most were—naturally enough—of German and Italian manufacture. Tera and I each bought half a dozen skeins or so, and then Wesley took us back to the hotel via the subway.

I also found a few finished pieces of knitting to add to my textile collection. At Prague Castle, I ducked into a little shop along Golden Lane:

and discovered a whole collection of knitted and crocheted items for sale. I literally shrieked with delight and scared the shop owner. I picked out this pillow cover, because it's handknitted and it has cables on it:

I need to pick up a pillow form for it. It's probably a good thing we were pressed for time, because I could have spent all day and a lot more money in that store.

I looked at a lot of other textiles in Prague, Krakow, and Budapest, but I'm picky about quality and a lot of what is sold in the souvenir shops is poorly made (fake acrylic sheepskin being passed off as the real thing, for instance). We spent quite a bit of time in the Great Market Hall in Budapest looking at all of the textiles for sale. I saw a lot of embroidery and a lot of crocheted doilies. I already have an embroidered shawl from Budapest (a friend bought it for me about 25 years ago) so I was looking for something a bit different.

I spotted this knitted lace runner hanging on a rack with a whole collection of crocheted pieces. There was a second, much larger piece as well, but I bought this one because I liked the design. It's starched to within an inch of its life—I had to roll it up to bring it home in my suitcase and I was afraid it was going to shatter.

I also picked up some dolls (at doll #3 I decided I must be turning into my maternal grandmother, who has a large doll collection of her own). I got the most enchanting marionette in Prague—we walked into a store and I saw her and fell in love:

Her name is Petra (according to the shop owner). She was boxed up and became my third arm for the remainder of the trip, because I didn't want anything to happen to her. I also bought these two dolls in Slovakia:

and this porcelain doll in Budapest:

Lest you think that I was the only one shopping, DD#1 got quite a few nice things of her own, mostly jewelry and T-shirts and chocolate.

In keeping with my new career as a professional chaperone, I am going with the band to Missoula next week for band competition, and with DD#2's class to Winter Carnival. I was trying to avoid chaperoning the band trip, but the director called and said he had no other chaperones and asked if I could go. The upside is that I will have something like 16 hours of uninterrupted knitting time over two days while watching the kids rehearse. But I feel like I'm meeting myself coming and going. After the Wisconsin trip I'll be home for about 10 days and then it's off on another band trip.

I did want to be a band mother when I grew up. Be careful what you wish for.

The trip was fabulous. I'll be putting pics on the blog in the coming days, as soon as I get out from under the mountain of stuff on my desk.

I took the newsletter to the bulk mail center at the post office this afternoon, and e-mailed the digital copies. It feels good to have that done before the 15th of the month. That's always my goal, and I met it this month. Cross that one off the list.

I'm going to go sit in my chair and watch some "Bones" episodes that I recorded. And knit. I need it.

What is with people? It's not like my vehicle is hard to see, and yet people drive like they are the only ones on the road. The husband asked me if I had some kind of magnet for bad drivers installed in my truck.

I've gone through one skein of the Cornucopia yarn and while I like the feel of it, knitting with it is not easy because it wants to twist. Badly. The yarn is a knitted tube, not strands of plied singles, so it doesn't have any obvious twist to it. However, the action of making each stitch—I throw—adds twist to the knitted tube. It adds so much twist that I have to stop every so often and either redistribute the twist down the strand or switch to knitting Continental for a few rows. (I don't normally knit Continental because it bothers my wrists.) It makes for much slower going than I am used to.

I need to watch how I wind this next skein of yarn and see if I can counteract the twisting tendency. If I can't, I may just have to suck it up and knit Continental on this project.

The Spring issue of the newsletter is ready to pick up at the printer. I will do that this afternoon and get it into the mail tomorrow. Digital subscribers should watch for a an e-mail alert followed by the actual newsletter sometime on Friday.

My first thought was "How will I keep this to three hours? I could talk for days on this subject!" Then I made a list of things I want to cover. One thing is for sure—the students are probably going to get a very unique perspective on how to become a designer, considering that I never set out to do this for a living and I certainly didn't go about it the conventional way.

I like it that I get to host this session at a TKGA (The Knitting Guild Association) show, because TKGA (and specifically, Jean Lampe) is in many ways responsible for the launch of my designing and teaching career. We parted paths there for a while when the former TKGA management went off the tracks (so to speak), but TKGA seems to be finding its way back now under Offinger. I just wish they hadn't changed the name. It doesn't roll off my tongue quite the same way.

I just got a wonderful gift from one of our employees:

His wife was cleaning out their basement and found this Studio fine-gauge knitting machine that she purchased at a yard sale years ago and never used. She thought I would appreciate it. I have this exact same knitting machine in both the mid-gauge and bulky versions, so I'm tickled to have the fine gauge version, too. (Not that mine get used much anymore, but one of these days I hope to have room to put them up and leave them.)

I have an incredibly long to-do list today, and it mostly consists of running around and picking stuff up or dropping stuff off. DD#2 is home because she's got a cold and is feeling punky. I told her she would have to ride around with me today. She doesn't seem too busted up about that. And DD#1 has a band concert tonight. It's going to be a long day.

Tom and Marcie Briney live around the corner from us and we've known them since we moved here. Tom is on the fire department with the husband. They are both captains and they, along with two other neighbors, constitute one of the primary interior attack crews on structure fires. Sometimes I refer to Tom Briney and the husband as the "Bobbsey Twins," at which point the husband reminds me of the importance of maintaining crew integrity.

Tom and Marcie are 13 years older than the husband and me, and we're about that much older than their kids. Their kids have worked for us; our girls babysit their grandchildren. Marcie taught me to cross-country ski and laughed at me when I fell on my butt. She's the best cook I know. They are the closest thing we have to relatives here. And they make beautiful pottery, some of which adorns my house.

"Mountain Brook" is the name of the area where we live. I have a history of Mountain Brook (published in 1979) that describes it like this:

In Flathead County, in School District 62, along Foothill Road, is a unique community called Mountain Brook. There is just about everything here except expanses of level land, deep soil, or much money. The people work together, sharing their time and talent to make it a good place to live.

The people are doers. If you need a wedding cake or a loaf of bread, a sidewalk or a road, a door stop or a house, and engine overhaul or an oil change, a haircut or a nurse, overalls patched or a wedding dress, a painting or a barn door painted, ceramics, almost any hard labor work, teacher (got a dozen of those)—someone in Mountain Brook can do the job and do it well.

That description is still pretty accurate. The first families moved to Mountain Brook around 1901. It might have taken them half a day by wagon to drive to Kalispell in good weather; in the winter they would spend three or four months isolated up here. I think about that when I get in my truck and make a trip to town in 30 minutes. And I often drive a cross a gravel road that was hand-dug (more than a mile!) by a group of bachelors to make it easier for the residents of Mountain Brook to get to Kalispell. Doers, indeed. We love living here.

I went back to working on the corn scarf after I finished the bag. The longer it gets the more three-dimensional it is. I think I will steam it rather than block it when it's done, because I really want it to retain that sculptural appearance. I'm hoping to get it done this week. I have a list of items for the Summer issue and the list looks really nice when things begin to get checked off of it.

[If you haven't already figured it out, I am a fan of lists. So are my kids. So is the husband. We're just a bunch of list-making fools around here.]

It's a lovely sunny day here. The husband played with the camera and took some pictures:

Looking south down the road in front of our house:

Chester and Rusty (note the rescued avalanche victim tennis ball in Chester's mouth):

The Swan Mountain Range as seen from our front yard (some days I can't believe I live here):

I am going out to get some vitamin D.

I'm quite tempted to have my ISP shut the filter off altogether and just let Apple Mail screen everything. Who knows what else I have missed?

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, although—given the state of the economy—I'm trying not to look at it as a bad thing. I have plenty of revenue-generating work. The DVD is being mastered this week and should be going to the duplicators soon. I stopped talking about it because I kept running into those annoying technical glitches. Everything has been straightened out, but it was really beginning to weigh on me that the release date got pushed back.

I got a quote from the printer this week for doing yet another print run of the Aran book, and I have to decide when to squeeze the trigger on that one. If I wait too long, I run the risk of making vendors wait for their orders to be filled, but I'd kind of like to wait and see if the current pace of orders keeps up. On the other hand, the printer is giving me a 10% discount if I order now because this is traditionally a slow time of year for them.

I can't make designs come out of my head if they don't want to, and one of the sweater designs I was going to farm out to my test-knitter for the Summer issue simply refuses to cooperate. Because of all the traveling I have scheduled, I've got a very tight timetable for publication of that issue, with no wiggle room. If I don't farm it out, I'll have to knit two full-size garments some time in the next two months. Do I have time to do that? Or will I have to give up sleeping?

I'd like to get the back catalog of my designs up for sale on the website—many (although not all) of the designs from Twists and Turns back issues have been formatted as single patterns. The rest could be formatted as single patterns if I had the models re-knitted. I just haven't had time or energy to throw in that direction.

The Taste of Aran Afghan pattern is almost out of stock, and before I have it re-printed, I'd like to redo the layout, and have it reknitted in a different yarn. Alas, no time or energy for that project, either.

I've got more teaching gigs scheduled this year than I planned to. I love teaching, but I've already decided that I am not going to go anywhere in 2010 (except for possibly the TKGA Knit & Crochet Shows, especially if they keep the one in Portland). But I have to get through 2009, first, and all this teaching means careful orchestration in order to get class materials and samples where they need to be at the appropriate times.

I'm trying to keep up with the swelling tide of digital publishing—I continue to hear the drumbeat that print publishing is going the way of the dinosaur and how I need to work harder at making all of my products available in digital media. I'm comfortable in print publishing. I can do digital publishing, but I don't enjoy it and some days I just resent being pushed in that direction.

Cables 2 has gotten lost amid all this other stuff, and that bothers me most of all. I can't find any significant chunk of time to work on it, nor can I seem to get my brain switched into book-writing mode.

Don't get me wrong—I am grateful that I am not sitting here wondering if my job will go away tomorrow. It's just that when I sit down to work on one project, I start to wonder if I should be working on something else, and if I work on something else, I wonder if I should be working on a different something else, and so on . . . I think maybe it's time for me to make a list. That's always a very comforting activity for me, one which is exceeded in its ability to comfort only by the act of actually crossing things off of it.

Or maybe I should go check the spam folder again.

I was supposed to take DD#1 to school early this morning so she could meet with one of her teachers and get homework to take on the Europe trip. I have to say I'm not at all happy with this need for the teachers to load these kids down with stuff to do while they are traveling. First of all, this is a National Honor Society trip. These are kids who are doing well in school. Second, a lot of them are in the IB (international baccalaureate) program, so they always have more homework than anyone else. Why not give these kids a pass for a week and let them enjoy this trip without stressing about getting a week's worth of homework done in between sightseeing tours of major European cities?

[DD#1 is stressed about it, therefore I am stressed about it. And that makes me unhappy.]

I did a dry run with my suitcase yesterday. Amazingly, I got everything into a 21" suitcase with room to spare for souvenirs. I finally decided on some travel knitting (hats) and got the appropriate yarn and needles. My roomie on this trip is a knitter, too, which is an added bonus (besides that she's just a nice person). She's also a much more seasoned international traveler than I am. I think I'll do fine, but it's nice to have someone nearby who's been through some of this.

DD#1 asked if I would make "that soup with the pasta and beans and spinach," so I made a pot of pasta e fagioli soup for lunch. It looked so pretty in the bowl (my dinnerware is all handmade by our potter friends around the corner) that I had to take a picture. (Sorry, it's kind of a wonky shot but it was the only in-focus one.)

We have a fire going and I am knitting. I would like to get that hemp bag done today and crossed off the list.

I did finally hear some talk about the corporate tax rate being cut to 25%. I hope it happens. I've stopped watching CNBC because I was getting a little tired of all the whining about how the peasants were turning on the investor class and how the average American "just doesn't get it" about the world of finance. Please. I used to like Erin Burnett (she's got fabulous hair), but she was beginning to sound like Marie Antoinette, so I switched to the Weather Channel.

Speaking of weather—we're under an inversion again. That's when cold air sinks under a high pressure system and gets stuck in the valleys. It's cold and gray and overcast down here, but if you go up to about 6000 feet, it's warmer and the sun in shining brilliantly. We've had winters with inversions that lasted for weeks, and they really do grind you down. As an added bonus, inversions come with freezing fog that makes the roadways very slick. I remember one day in February a few years ago when I was heading to town and a truck coming in the opposite direction hit a patch of black ice and flipped over onto its top into a culvert on the side of the road. The two guys in the truck climbed out safely; they were shaken up but not injured.

I can always tell when the freezing fog is particularly bad, because calls for the rural fire departments to respond to one-vehicle rollovers and other accidents will start coming over the scanner at about the same time that everyone is heading to work. The husband has been out on a lot of medical and fire calls in the past week. I've noticed something kind of odd happening. It used to be that people only called for an ambulance in fairly serious situations. Now it seems like people are calling for an ambulance for more minor things that could be handled simply by getting a friend or relative to drive them to the hospital. Responding departments have to treat every call as serious, but I do worry that those minor calls are taking away resources that might be needed at a more serious call. If I were having a heart attack and the ambulance couldn't respond to me because they were transporting someone with a dislocated kneecap to the hospital, I might be a bit more than annoyed.

Our department doesn't do any transport. The husband is very clear that—as a volunteer responder—he cannot give up three hours of his day to respond to a call, drive the patient to the hospital, unload the patient, drive the ambulance back, and do all the necessary paperwork. Our fire chief has had to get creative and work with surrounding departments (some of whom do transport) so that we have ambulance coverage in our district. I don't think that most people have a good appreciation of how emergency care in rural settings works. They just expect that when they pick up the phone, someone will show up.

I woke up at 2 a.m. this morning with a list of things I need to do running through my head. It's a lot of little details that need to be taken care of this week and next.

It's actually fairly easy to find cables in a stitch pattern when the pattern is charted out, as in the Japanese books. It's a bit harder to locate cables in a mass of verbiage (think Harmony stitch guides). But that's what makes it so much fun.

I started a scarf in the Kollage Cornucopia yarn (see the January 28 post), but I wasn't happy with the way it was coming along. For one thing, the needle size suggested on the ball band (5 mm, or US size 8) was way too big, as suggested needle sizes often are. And I just wasn't thrilled with the stitch pattern. Some yarns are very picky. They don't want to be knit up in just any old stitch pattern. They want a stitch pattern that graces them and shows off their best qualities. This yarn was very clear that it needed a particular kind of stitch pattern or it would continue to give me fits.

I ripped out what I had done, re-wound the yarn, and pulled out one of my Harmony stitch dictionaries. And in the section on "patterns for texture and colour" I stumbled across something very cool: a knit-purl "pleat" pattern with a narrow two-stitch cable as part of the pleat. I've probably looked at that page hundreds of times and never noticed that the pattern included a cable, because the picture quality isn't so good.

I asked the yarn what it thought and it said, "Cast on immediately!"—so I did. I did a bit of fiddling with needles; I like to use my Signature needles for small items like scarves, but this yarn is incredibly slippery and wasn't happy on those needles. I tried a pair of bamboo needles, but the tips were too blunt (I have the "stilletto" points on my Signature needles, which should tell you something). I finally settled on a pair of Inox coated aluminum 4 mm (US size 6) needles and everyone was happy.

I love this stitch pattern/yarn combination. The yarn is smooth, so the texture of the stitch pattern shows up really well. The stitch pattern is three-dimensional, so the scarf has some structural interest—it doesn't just lie flat. The little two-stitch cable is an added bonus. It's a good marriage of yarn and stitch pattern.

I've had to limit the amount of time I spend working on the hemp market bag. I had a massage yesterday and my massage therapist said my right shoulder was all knotted up. I'm pretty sure it's because of the hemp, because I worked on the market bag while we watched the Super Bowl. I think I'll do another inch or two of the openwork mesh part and do the remainder of the bag in stockinette stitch.

A guy's pullover in Sublime Soya Cotton, a soy and cotton blend yarn that feels wonderful when knit up. Everyone who has seen this sweater has tried to buy it from me. Right now it's a model at Camas Creek Yarn, if you'd like to see it in person.

This doesn't usually happen, but the Spring issue has two hoodie patterns in it. The first was designed by Master Knitter Mary Halpert, who is also the designer behind Rick's Aran in the Fall 2003 issue of Twists and Turns. It's a darling little zip-up cardi for your favorite toddler.

The second hoodie was actually designed by DD#2. She gave me a very detailed list of what she wanted in her sweater. She picked out the cable pattern, yarn, and buttons, and I basically just acted as her test-knitter.

Kayla Clark is a designer new to the pages of Twists and Turns. She designed this wonderful Aran pullover-inspired pillow. It's a generous 20" x 20" size, perfect for lounging upon while watching TV.

And finally, a lace-and-cable shawl knit from a silk/bamboo yarn. Accompanying this design is a technical article on knitting lace-and-cable patterns.

I had a bit of a crisis as a knitting designer a few years ago. I've always been skinny. I'm 5'7" tall. When I got married, I weighed 125 pounds. After my first daughter was born I weighed 137. When I had chemo, I went back down to 125 and my husband said I needed to gain a bit of weight. After my second daughter was born I went up to 140. Then I developed estrogen dominance and my weight went up to 150. Then my thyroid shut down and I went up to 160. Then 167 (which, coincidentally, was how much I weighed when I was pregnant with DD#1). And the whole time my doctor kept telling me I was "easting too much and not exercising enough." At my heaviest, in March 2006, this is what I looked like:

People, I don't have a medical degree and I can tell that's not normal, especially in someone who never had a weight problem in her life. As you might be able to tell from this picture, a lot of the weight I was carrying was around my middle (which is a classic sign of too much estrogen--that and the big boobs).

Alas, I had this lovely apple shape at exactly the same time that waist shaping was all the rage in clothing. Do you know what happens when you put a shirt with waist shaping on an apple? The very narrowest circumference of the garment is forced to go around the very widest circumference of the object. As a result, all of my shirts rode up as they attempted to find a skinnier part of my body to circumnavigate.

So there I was, looking at all that cute clothing made for shapely young women, and I resented it. I was angry at my doctor for refusing to help me, exhausted because my thyroid had gone south, and trying to stay current with knitwear design that no longer appealed to me. I didn't really want to design anything. Theoretically a designer should be able to design for any shape. But I had always been my own model and able to wear anything I designed. When I couldn't, my design mojo took a hike.

It took me a while to make peace with shapely garments. It started by finding a different doctor who was willing to give me the help I needed. I lost a fair bit of weight and discovered my waistline again. When I shop for clothing now, I want garments with waist shaping, because I like the way they look on my body. And just for the record, this is what I look like now (this was taken about a month ago at Christmas). Big difference, huh?

But this whole experience has made me a lot more conscious of how things fit on various bodies, and the damage that "fashion" can do to womens' self-esteem. I've begun including optional waist shaping in my patterns when it's appropriate. However, I still think that some designs need to be age-appropriate, and simply adding or removing some shaping at the waist isn't always enough to change something from a design that a 25 year-old professional woman would wear to a design a 65 year-old grandmother would wear.

Then again, maybe I am overthinking all of this. I still haven't decided what to do about that cardigan design I mentioned in the last post. I don't like to force designs and this design feels like it's being forced. So I'll just let it marinate for a few more days and see what happens.

In other news . . . the fire department is holding ice rescue training today. Our department owns a couple of rescue sleds that can be used on ice or in water, and we've invited a few neighboring departments to join us at a local slough this morning for practice in using them. I'm going to take my camera and get some pics. You might get a bonus post this afternoon if I can get some good shots.

That hemp yarn is so much nicer to knit with now that it has been washed. I wonder how many people have passed by the opportunity to knit with hemp because they thought it was just too stiff and scratchy. It is by far my favorite vegetable spinning fiber. Not that I get to spin much anymore, but if and when I do, I love the hemp.

When I talk about hemp yarns in my classes, some of the time invariably is spent on dicussing the difference between hemp and marijuana. They are not the same thing. They are the same plant, technically, but one is full of haze-inducing chemicals and one isn't. If you smoked hemp, all you'd likely get is a bad headache. And hemp grown for fiber is sown thickly and encouraged to grow without leaf formation, which is the exact opposite of how marijuana is cultivated. Botanists could have done hemp a big favor a long time ago by giving it a subtype name and differentiating the two plants.

One thing that just irritates the living daylights out of me is how proponents of maijuana legalization have tried to sneak it in under the legalization of hemp cultivation. As we all know, it's illegal to grow marijuana in the US, but it's also illegal to grow hemp. If I put a plot of hemp in my garden that had absolutely no THC content whatsoever, the DEA could circle my house in a helicopter and haul me off to jail. But the people who want to grow marijuana are hoping that if hemp cultivation ever became legal, no one would notice they were actually growing marijuana. As if.

This whole thing about needing marijuana for medical reasons also annoys me. If you really need the THC to help control your symptoms, it's available in pill form. And just for the record, I've never smoked so much as a cigarette, let alone an illegal substance. I've just seen way too many vehicle accidents caused by people who weren't in command of their faculties.

By far the best information about the history of hemp cultivation in the US can be found here. You have to wade through a bit of (I think legitimate) conspiracy theory, but it's all fascinating. And if you want hemp for spinning, the absolute best source is Aurora Silk. Cheryl Kolander is a well-known fiber artist. She imports hemp top from China and also sells hemp yarns and fabrics. She's got a comprehensive self-published book entitled Hemp for Textile Artists. It's a fabulous resource.

And those of you who subscribe to Spin-Off Magazine can check the Fall 2004 issue or an article on hemp by yours truly. I had great fun writing that article, and it's really the last time I did any serious amount of spinning.

One of my test-knitters is waiting for me to send her a project, but this particular project is giving me fits. I swatched up a cable pattern in a cotton-blend yarn, but I decided that the blend (it's got some angora in it) really wasn't suitable for the design I had in mind. Then the cable pattern said, "You know, I'd look a lot better if I were running horizontally around the base of the sweater instead of vertically." Okay, I like that idea, but I still need a different yarn.

I found some yarn yesterday at Camas Creek that matches the gauge of the yarn I used for the swatch. I'm getting hung up, though, on the style of the garment. The yarn has a bit of glitz in it, and I can see this being a dressy cardigan, but what kind of cardigan? Should it be a slinky, shaped cardigan for a young woman, or a less-structured cardigan for an older woman? I'd like it to be one or the other, because I think it's really hard to make one design that will answer to both age groups, even if I make the shaping optional. And I can't do two knitted versions. I'm leaning toward the less-structured, more mature option. I really think older knitters have been left in the dust by knitting magazines in recent years. Any thoughts?

Oh, the joys of knitwear design.

Hemp fibers, like flax fibers, are held together with a resinous substance. And just like flax (or the linen fabric it becomes), the more hemp is washed and dried, the less resinous stuff remains and the softer the fibers get. The trick is to beat it up as much as possible. I loved knitting with my handspun hemp because it wasn't nearly as stiff as the Lanaknits Allhemp 6 that I'm using for this bag. But I don't have time right now to spin my own hemp yarn. And this yarn seems to be softening up nicely. It's in the last dryer cycle right now. I should be able to finish the bag with less stress on my hands. The mesh pattern for the body of the bag has alternating rows of left and right twists, defintely worked best without a cable needle.

While the hemp was washing, I visited the stash and found this yarn (I had sort of forgotten I had it until Melanie brought me another yarn made by this company from TNNA last week):

It's Cornupcopia, by Kollage Yarns, and it's made from 100% corn fiber. I cast on for a scarf—an easy project for the Summer issue and one that will be a good traveling project for this weekend, when I'll be in Portland for a workshop (my friend and fellow knitting designer Chrissy Gardiner is having me over for dinner Saturday night—what fun!). This yarn is incredibly soft. And rather than being a plied yarn, it's actually a fine knitted tube of yarn. Such a difference from the hemp, and both are vegetable fibers. Fascinating.

DD#1 and I are off to the health department early this morning to get our typhoid shots. Now that the Spring newsletter is done, I'm allowing myself the luxury of getting excited about the Europe trip. I really do like to travel, although flying is my least favorite part. But this trip is going to be fabulous. I have lists of all the things I need to do yet (like order myself more contact lenses). We were told to pack lightly, because we have to schlep our own suitcases everywhere we're going. I think it's fun trying to figure out how to fit everything I will need into one expandable 21" suitcase and a carry-on bag (the definition of "need" changes quickly when space is at a premium).

For instance (we ARE talking about vegetable fibers, after all), I found the Women's Soytopia Seamless Bikini Brief from ExOfficio—underwear made of 77% soy fiber (I know—TMI, but I think it's cool that natural fibers are so versatile). The company claims that you can travel for six weeks with just one pair of underwear because they're so easy to wash and dry. I have no intention of putting this claim to the test in Europe, but our local sports supply store had these on sale last week, so I bought a pair. They'll go in my carry-on bag, along with one pair of SmartWool socks. Add a toothbrush, some knitting and a book and I should be all set.

DD#1 was home from school yesterday (teacher work day), so she got to be my model for the shawl. We actually had some sun for the first time in two weeks. Normally I don't like sunny days because they wash out the photos; on the other hand, when it's not sunny here in January it might as well be dark outside.

I set my camera on "sports" (so it takes multiple shots without me having to lift my finger off the shutter button) and told DD#1 to twirl around. I got some very interesting results. I thought this one was particularly intriguing:

because of the way the light was coming through the lace. I would have liked to experiment a bit more, but it was -10 degrees yesterday (even with the sunshine) and my model was getting cold. We got a decent shot for the newsletter and that was it.

Yesterday was supposedly the last day of sub-zero temps. Thank goodness—this winter is really trying my patience (and everyone else's, too). A friend of ours came over to get the jumper cables out of my truck yesterday morning because his truck wouldn't start. He returned them, and a bit later the neighbor came over and got them because his car wouldn't start. We have engine block heaters on all our vehicles, but they only work if you remember to plug the truck in about two hours before you need to go anywhere.

It's supposed to warm up into the 30s for the rest of the week, but it's also supposed to snow some more. So far we've been having a textbook Farmer's Almanac winter—we got hammered with snow and cold temps in December, and most of January has been fairly mild and dry (the past few days notwithstanding). If the prediction holds, February is supposed to bring more snow. Oh yay.

I wanted to mention that there is something really wonky happening with the comments. I think it's a Haloscan problem—I posted a comment in response to some made on yesterday's post. It showed up for a few minutes, then disappeared. Sometimes comments don't appear here, but when I go to the Haloscan website and check my account, they're all there. I'm going to play around with it a bit—just know that I am not deleting comments, so if you made one and it doesn't show up, it's because something else is happening.

but the largest one is not big enough to block a 58" long shawl, so I just used a very large beach towel. I do like these blocking boards a lot. The little one is 18" x 24" and is perfect for blocking a batch of swatches. The bigger one can handle a whole sweater. They fold up and store out of the way.

In an attempt to avoid post-project letdown (does anyone else experience that?), I cast on for a market bag last night. I've had an idea for one kicking around in my head, so I picked up some hemp yarn at Camas Creek a few weeks ago. I was working on the base of the bag last night (done in garter stitch) when DD#2 came over and sat down to watch. The conversation went like this:

DD#2: Now what are you making?

Me: A market bag.

DD#2: What's a market bag?

Me: You know, a bag that you take to the market to put your fruits and vegetables in after you buy them.

DD#2: Oh. What pattern are you using?

Me: One that's coming out of my brain.

DD#2: Do you have a picture?

Me: In my head.

Then the husband felt it was necessary to put his $0.02 worth into the conversation.

The husband: That doesn't look like a bag to me; it looks like a square.

Me: This is the base. It's a square, and then I am going to pick up around the four sides and knit up, so it'll look something like that (pointing to my Namaste Vintage bag).

I felt bad about teasing DD#2 a bit, so we went downstairs to the yarn storage room and I pulled out another hemp market bag I made about 15 years ago (from my handspun hemp) so she could see what I was talking about. That one is constructed differently from what I am planning, but she got the idea.

Very rarely does my knitting produce this kind of commentary from my family. It's like breathing—I do it all the time, so no one usually takes any notice of it. I think I prefer it that way.

[The husband didn't last long—he noted that it was a lot of computer-generated effects tied together very loosely by a story, then got up and went out to his garage.]

I stuck it out, both because I was knitting and because Speed Racer was one of my favorite TV shows from my childhood, right up there with Ultraman. When I was little, I really didn't care for Speed Racer all that much (besides, he had a girlfriend), but I was madly in love with Racer X. And I knew that he was Speed Racer's older brother.

Anyway, by the time the movie was over I had about 10 yards of yarn left, but I had to stop what I was doing and cook dinner (my own Racer X was hungry), and then it was time to head to the knitting party, where I was teaching and couldn't work on anything. I'll finish the knitting sometime this afternoon and I'll wash and block the shawl tonight.

Speaking of Speed Racer . . . yesterday morning when I was coming home after dropping DD#1 off, I crossed the bridge coming out of town and looked up in my rearview mirror to see a semi tailgating me. He was right on my back bumper, and kept moving out into the center lane as if he wanted to go around me (which he couldn't because there was a double-yellow line and cars coming in the opposite direction).

The roads were lousy—it had snowed overnight—and the wind was whipping snow around, so I was going about 50 mph, not the speed limit of 70 mph. After about six miles or so of him trying to get me to speed up and me refusing, I came to the point where I had to make a left-hand turn off the road and onto the road to get home. This left-hand turn happens on a curve. As I slowed down, flicked on my turn signal, and prepared to move over into the left turning lane (thus getting out of his way), he suddenly sped up and shot around me to the left on that curve. If I hadn't been paying attention to what he was doing, I would have pulled over right in front of him.

Unfortunately, the wind was still blowing the snow around so I couldn't see the name on the cab of the truck, but I pulled off and called the sheriff's office and reported the guy. Anyone driving that recklessly shouldn't be on the road. No one called me about filing a report, though, so he probably got away with it. And he'll probably continue to get away with it until he causes an accident.

By the way, the husband asked me exactly how many blog readers I have and I told him I don't know. And it's fine with me if I remain in the dark, although I do appreciate everyone's comments.

DD#1 takes the SATs today. This was the only day of all the testing dates this spring that she didn't have something else scheduled. I thought I'd drive her in and go hang out at the yarn store for the rest of the morning, but then I realized that she has to be there at 7:45 a.m. and the yarn store doesn't open until 10:00 a.m. Bummer. I'm not quite sure what I will do. I have about two hours worth of knitting left on the shawl and I need to get it done by tomorrow so I can block it overnight. But it's 11 degrees outside (courtesy of an Arctic front that stalled over Montana) and it's no fun to sit in the truck and knit when it's that cold. Perhaps I'll find a coffee shop that's open.

I tried to get the shawl done last night, but gone are the days when I could pull an all-nighter to finish a project (I did that regularly in college). I'm doing really well on the thyroid meds I've been on for two months, but even though I have plenty of energy during the day, I sleep like a rock at night. My eyelids pop open at 4:30 every morning (sometimes I sleep in until 5:00), but by 8:00 p.m. they slam shut and not even an afternoon cup of tea or coffee can change that. Insomnia is not a problem for me. The husband is fond of watching The MacNeil News Hour every night after the local news. I told him last night that it was contributing to my inability to stay awake. I prefer lively discourse in my news broadcasts.

Speaking of thyroid meds, my sister put up a picture album in her Facebook account with a picture of me from March of 2006, about six months before I went on thyroid meds. I look horrible. And I remember just how awful I felt physically, too. I'd like to send that picture to my old doctor with a note (and a picture of how I look now) so she can see what patients look like when their doctors refuse to believe that they have a thyroid problem.

I'm still not sure what project I will start once this shawl is done. I ordered some yarn for a sweater for the Summer issue, and it's supposed to arrive Tuesday. Should I start that sweater, or should I knock out a few small pieces instead? I need to ponder that one some more.

We've got another teen knitting party scheduled for this evening. One of the boys has been knitting the same 6" square for about a month now, and he wants to move on to a hat. His aunt (the lady who hosted the first knitting party) is almost done with a scarf—she's already working on her 2009 Christmas presents. Another girl couldn't make it to the first party, so I'll teach her to knit tonight. And my kids will probably want to start projects, too. We'll be busy.

The husband and I both had pretty ambivalent feelings about the results of the election in November—he, because he's a registered Libertarian and feels rather disenfranchised in our two-party system, and me (who has been a registered Independent since the day I registered to vote) because I was fairly well convinced that the Bush administration had done so much damage to this country that no one—Republican or Democrat—could fix it.

So he and I have been watching the events of the past few days, and yesterday we took a few minutes to compare notes. I mentioned how impressed I was at the actions that President Obama had taken in the first few days of office. I like having a president who doesn't insult my intelligence by telling me he's doing one thing while his actions indicate he's doing something completely different. I like that this president appears to have a firm grip on reality, and doesn't pretend that things are going well when in fact they aren't, as if saying, "Things are great!" will magically make them that way. I like that his IQ is much bigger than his shoe size and that he speaks in coherent sentences.

The husband said that the more he listens to Obama and reads about him, the more he likes him. That is high praise from the husband, indeed. He likes the fact that Obama looks like he's going to govern from the middle (have I mentioned that the husband is a lifetime member of the NRA?). He thinks he's a fairly honest politician, in a time when "honest politician" is an oxymoron.

So while I know this country has a tough road ahead of it, I am now convinced that President Obama can get us out of the mess we're in, or at least get us headed in the right direction.

Of course, all is not perfect. This Tim Geithner thing really fries me. I met with our accountant yesterday and as he was looking through the reports and the tax organizer, he said, "You are a model taxpayer—everything is in order and filled out," and I thought to myself, "Maybe I should get Tim Geithner's new job." How nice that people in positions of wealth and power get away with not paying what they owe when the husband and I are so careful to make sure that we meet our tax obligations every year.

I hope that at some point this administration will examine the economy from a tax standpoint, and realize that cutting taxes would go a long way toward revving up the economy. The husband and I fall squarely into the 39% corporate tax bracket. Basically that means that if we want to live on $80,000 a year, we have to generate $120,000 in profits between our three businesses, because we have to pay $40,000 of what we make to the government. If we put $10,000 in our savings account, we'd better make sure that we have another $4000 set aside to send to Uncle Sam. Oh, and did I mention that we pay for our own health insurance?

And before all my Republican friends get all up-in-arms and insist that Republicans lower taxes and Democrats raise them, I'd like to point out that the Republicans had eight years in which to do something about the tax rate on small businesses and they didn't cut it (all while trumpeting how they were "friends of small business"). I'm sure that Exxon-Mobil's effective tax rate is less than what the husband and I pay, given all the tax breaks large corporations have gotten. If our tax rate was cut to 25%, the husband and I could afford to hire another employee. That's the kind of policy that puts people back to work and creates jobs.

What I'd really like to see is a whole government filled with people like Barack Obama, people who aren't concerned with lining their own pockets and those of their friends, people who—regardless of whether they are Republicans or Demoncrats or Libertarians—are committed to working together to make the world a better place for everyone.

I'm trying to pick out examples of patterns I've graded where things aren't straightforward, and one that I mentioned yesterday is an allover pattern. What I'm thinking of is something like a pattern in which a cable alternates with some kind of knit/purl pattern, like this:

It's hard to see in the picture, admittedly, but let's pretend that the stitch multiple is something like 13 stitches (8 cable stitches and 5 knit/purl stitches).

How I distribute that multiple around the body of the sweater sometimes makes a difference. I've already decided that I want to knit the body in one piece in order to avoid side seams breaking up the flow of the pattern. Now I need to decide where to place the buttonband. I have two options:

Place the cable pattern on either side of the buttonband (in other words, the stitches of the buttonband will replace the 5 stitches of the knit/purl section in the stitch pattern).

Arrange the multiple so that the buttonband is flanked by the knit/purl sections of the stitch pattern.

Let's flank the buttonband with the cables (I think that's usually the more asthetically-pleasing of the two choices). Because I am subtracting the 5 sts out, the multiple around the sweater actually now changes to a multiple of 13 + 8. This is where I start to lose track of things in my head, and I've found that it helps for me to draw myself a picture:

The circle represents the body of the sweater, and the "8 + 5"s around it represent the distribution of the stitch pattern. (I like to expand my multiple of 13 into the stitches of the cable and the stitches of the knit/purl section in order to help me see what's going on.) Note that I have a total of twelve "8 + 5"s and one additional "8," because that may become important later on. Now I need to divide my circle into quadrants (one for each front and two for the back) and see how that affects the distribution of the cable pattern:

So I've split my circle into four quadrants and added up the stitches in each quadrant. Right off the bat I need to do some adjusting, at least in my picture. Each Front has 39 stitches and the back has 86 stitches. If I take the total number of stitches (164) and divide it by four, I should have 41 stitches in each Front and 82 stitches in the Back. "Easy to fix!" you say—"just take 2 stitches at either side of the Back and add them to the stitches of the Fronts!"

No, not so easy. If I take 2 stitches from the "8"s at either side of the Back, I'm disturbing the cable pattern—the imaginary side "seams" are now within the stitches of the cable pattern, and not even in the middle of the cable pattern. This has implications when it comes time to divide the Body for Fronts and Back and shape the armhole openings. I don't want to divide my body pieces at an odd place within a cable pattern. It doesn't make for good design.

What's the solution? Well, the math isn't so elegant, but what I'll likely do is shift the pattern such that the imaginary side seams fall in the middle of the 8-stitch cable pattern, like this:

I've actually divided the 8-stitch cable at each side into two 4-stitch sections to make it easier for me to see what is happening.

This is one of those areas that is a judgment call for designers. If I add 43 and 43, I get 86, which is 8 more stitches than are in the Back. Add in the stitches of the buttonband, and the total width of the Fronts is going to be greater than the width of the Back. Is this okay? For a Ladies' sweater—yes, usually it's okay. We women need more real estate in the fronts of our sweaters than we do in the back. But it's probably worth it for me to go back and do this exercise again with Option 2 just to see if the math works out a bit more elegantly with those numbers.

Let's say that I stick with Option 1. I've got the numbers plugged in for one size, but now I need to start going up and down in the size range. Let's pretend that the width of my multiple of 13 is 3", and remember that in the first size I had twelve of those multiples arranged around the body of the sweater, making the circumference of that size is somewhere in the neighborhood of 38" (I have to add in the extra 8 stitches and the stitches of the buttonband). You might think that for the next size up I could add another multiple for a total of 13 multiples, increasing the body circumference by 3, or 41" around.

If only it were that easy. Going from an even number of stitch multiples around the sweater to an odd number of stitch multiples around the sweater is going to throw the distribution of the cable pattern off again. For that size, the imaginary side seams might fall within the knit/purl section of the multiple. Maybe that doesn't matter to me, but maybe it does (for one thing, the cable pattern is an even number of stitches and the knit/purl section is an odd number). I'd likely have to diagram that one out, too, and see how it affects the armhole shaping.

The easy answer is for the next size up to have 14 multiples around the sweater so that I stay with the even numbers of multiples. However, that means the sizing is going to jump from 38" around for one size to 44" around for the next size. That's a pretty big jump, and it's really not acceptable.

[And remember—I've diagrammed this out, which is helpful, but now I have to translate what is happening in the design in the picture(s) into formulas in the spreadsheet that represent what is happening with the numbers that knitters will have to follow.]

I won't bore you with the details of how I got all this worked out in this particular design, except to say that I actually had two different grading sets for this design—one that had an even number of multiples around the sweater and one that had an odd number of multiples. When they dovetailed, the sizes only differed by a few inches from size to size. It makes for a much longer pattern, but fortunately there is space for this kind of thing in the pages of Twists and Turns.

I think this is probably enough about grading for a while. I'm done with the Spring issue of the newsletter, except for finishing the shawl and getting it photographed. So we'll see what inspires tomorrow's blog post.

It took me a while to become comfortable with using a spreadsheet (even though I got a very respectable B+ in my college calculus classes). Not being a visual person, I have a lot of trouble picturing in my head what is happening in the sweater and translating that to a series of formulas in a spreadsheet. Although I usually have the sweater in front of me, I still have to visualize how certain parts of the sweater will change with each different size. And then there is GIGO—programmer-speak for "garbage in, garbage out." Even the most powerful spreadsheet will be useless if even one formula governing a calculation is wrong (ask me how I know this).

With some nudging from my tech editor, however, I have learned to grade my patterns in spreadsheets and I think I get better at it every time I do it. I'm still prone to some boneheaded GIGO mistakes, but they're much easier to spot and correct.

I'm going to try to give you an example of what might be involved in grading a fictitious pattern (and why a software program might not be able to handle it). Let's pretend that I've designed a Ladies' Aran set-in sleeve cardigan and I want to grade it into half a dozen sizes ranging from 34" around to 60" around. For sake of clarity, we'll pretend it's being knit in pieces from the bottom up and seamed.

Setting up the spreadsheet takes a fair bit of time, unless you have a template such as the one Marnie makes available in the tutorial or that you've developed for your own use.

I'll need a section in my spreadsheet for gauge over stitches and rows, but which gauge do I use? Assuming there are at least three or four different cable patterns in this Aran, I could have three or four different gauges. My solution to that dilemma is to give gauge over Stockinette st or over the filler st (Moss, Seed, etc.) used at the sides of the sweater when I write the pattern. If a knitter can hit gauge over one of those basic stitches, it's a good bet that they will hit gauge over the cables. And cables can be blocked out if necessary.

For purposes of calculations within the spreadsheet, however, I have found that it works well for me to use the widths of the various cable patterns in my design rather than an actual gauge. I usually have a section in my spreadsheet where I enter each cable pattern individually, reflected in both number of stitches and width in inches. I'll also include cells with the stitch multiple of any filler stitches I use. Those values can get called in at various points in the spreadsheet to help me calculate total numbers of stitches to cast on and to check the widths to make sure that a set of numbers doesn't result in a sweater that is 18" around instead of 36" around (for an adult, that wouldn't be a good thing).

Once I have those basic values entered, I can begin adding actual sweater measurements and making calculations. Keeping in mind that "all designers are a size Medium," I'm probably not going to be starting with the smallest size and going up from there. Rather, I'll plug in the numbers I used to knit the prototype, which is somewhere in the middle of the size range. Once I've got those numbers in, I can size up and down from there.

What happens next is hard to describe, as (for me, ast least) it's a combination of entering numbers and refining formulas and seeing how certain values change. Let's focus on grading the Back of this fictitious sweater. It's a set-in sleeve style, so presumably in my target measurements section I've got a value for the cross-shoulder measurement as well as the width at chest measurement. It's also an Aran, so I've got (I hope) a couple of options for making the Back larger or smaller as needed:

I can make the center panel wider or narrower

I can add or subtract filler stitches at the sides

I can add or subtract cable panels at either side of the center panel—for example, size XS might have two cable panels at either side of the center panel, while size XL might have three cable panels at either side of the center panel

The nice thing about grading Arans is that there are so many options for sizing. Other designs are not so forgiving.

Given these options, I might actually have several different formulas for calculating the number of stitches to cast on, with correspondingly different instructions for each size's set-up row depending upon what cable patterns appear in what order and how wide the center panel and filler stitch sections are. I might have a center panel that can easily be sized wider or narrower—if so, I might choose to determine how many stitches should be in that center panel by making its target width a percentage of the total width of the sweater—say, 40%. Or I might be limited by a certain stitch multiple, so that the center panel always has to be a multiple of 8 stitches plus 2. And because it's a set-in sleeve style, I want to make sure that any shaping that happens later for the armhole opening only happens within filler stitches and doesn't eat into the cable patterns.

See how complicated things already are, and we haven't even gotten past the set-up row on the Back yet!

Actually, it's pretty smooth sailing from here—at least in generating the rest of the numbers for the Back, and assuming that my numbers for the set-up row are correct.

Let's look at the numbers for the Fronts. Remember that this is an Aran cardigan. The first issue I have to deal with is how to split the Back into two Fronts. Will the center panel lend itself to being split in half vertically, or is it so complicated that a better choice would be to avoid it altogether and replace it with filler stitches on the Fronts? Either way, I'll have to treat the Fronts as a completely different pattern with their own formulas and set-up rows.

The really fun patterns to grade (I'm being facetious when I say that) are the ones that have an allover design with a stitch pattern that revolves around an axis of some sort

Once I've gotten the Back and Fronts done, I'll have to turn my attention to the Sleeves. I'll need to figure out what the "sleeve length to underarm" measurements are for each size, then determine how many stitches have to be added as the knitter works from cuff to top of sleeve. Those increased stitches have to be spread out over the appropriate number of rows based on the row gauge. There are lots of great functions, such as ROUNDUP, ROUNDDOWN, MROUND, EVEN, ODD, FLOOR, and CEILING that allow me to refine these and other calculations, but again—it's a matter of knowing when and how to use them.

What if the shape of the armscye changes from size to size? The smaller sizes might have a higher, tighter armhole, while the larger sizes have a lower, shallower armhole. The shape of the sleeve cap—and the calculations governing the shaping of that sleeve cap—have to change accordingly. This is another place where I might have six completely different formulas for six different sizes. And just for giggles, let's pretend that there is a filler stitch with a multiple on the sleeve that governs the number of stitches that have to be cast on and the target number that need to be at the top of the sleeve before the cap shaping begins, as well as a cable pattern running down the center of the sleeve.

I'm giving myself a headche as I write this blog post, which is probably an indication that I should stop here and save something for tomorrow. I hope, though, that it gives some indication of the complexity of pattern grading and why it's not so easy just to say, "If you want to make this designer bigger, add X sts here and here."

A few weeks ago I found myself participating in a discussion of KnitML in the Designers forum on Ravelry. KnitML is a "knitting markup language"—those of use who code our own web pages immediately recognize the concept as being similar to HTML, or "hypertext markup language," which is the code behind what you see when you look at a web page. KnitML has a lot of potential as a way to control the expression of a knitting pattern—whether the pattern is expressed in imperial or metric measurements; what language it's written in; which parts of the pattern are written or charted out, etc. And just like HTML, the end user—the knitter—would not have to see the code itself, just what the code expresses—the knitting pattern.

One of the claims made by the KnitML technology was the potential to re-size a knitting pattern beyond the sizes which are given. Let's say Jill Designer came up with a darling cardigan pattern but the sizes only ranged from 40" around to 48" around. Jane Knitter wants to make a cardigan that measures 36" around. Theoretically, a knitting pattern built on the KnitML architecture could allow Jane Knitter to plug in the target measurements and voila!—the program would spit out a totally new pattern for that cardigan based on the measurements Jane Knitter wants.

In theory, that's an admirable goal. In practice, it would be a nightmare for designers. What happens if Jane Knitter begins working on her new, re-sized pattern and runs into a problem? Let's say that the stitch multiple no longer fits neatly around the body of the sweater and throws the whole design off. Jane Knitter is understandably frustrated and upset. Who does she call? She calls the designer, expecting to receive support for her revised pattern. The designer then spends a lot of time doing pattern support for a design she never intended to be knitted in that size.

If you're on Ravelry, feel free to read the whole thread. The bottom line is that re-sizing a garment cannot be reduced to a few keystrokes or a section of code in a program (if it could, designers' jobs would be much easier!). And you might ask, "Why not?" The most obvious reason (to designers, at least) is because garments do not simply become proportionally bigger all the way around as they go up in size. Let me draw you a (very rough) picture:

If grading were simply a matter of making a sweater proportionally bigger all the way around as the size increased from smallest to largest (as in the picture above, where the smallest size is shown in blue and the largest in green), grading and pattern-writing would be a snap. Proportions are an easy mathematical function.

What really happens, though, is that some portions of the garment—for example the "wingspan," or the distance from cuff to cuff—stay relatively constant or within a narrow set of values, while other parts of the garment vary within a much wider set of values. Thus, the picture above should look more like this:

You can see that as the body becomes wider, the sleeves do not automatically become longer—in fact, the sleeve measurement from cuff to underarm actually decreases as the body width increases. That's one of the most frequent questions I get about my patterns—why do the sleeve lengths get shorter as the sweater gets bigger? Now you know.

You might also see that in the second picture, the neck opening doesn't become bigger just because the body gets bigger. While slight variations in the neck opening measurement are to be expected from size to size, it is another one of those areas that should remain within a narrow range of values. That is something I learned from the husband, who has been my sweater guinea pig for nearly 22 years. He still has a sweater I made him when we were in college, which he says he loves and would wear constantly if the neck opening were not so big. Big neck openings on sweaters are his personal pet peeve.

Handling the different moving parts of a sweater when grading from size to size is a complex juggling act. I used to do it by hand with a paper and pencil and a calculator. Thanks to some nudging from my tech editor, I now do it with a spreadsheet, and that will be the topic of tomorrow's blog post.

Of all the things I do as a knitwear designer, writing the pattern for a design in multiple sizes (= "grading") is by far the hardest. I could churn out design after design after design if all I had to do was come up with the idea, then hand it off to someone else who would knit it up and write the pattern. Alas, I do not have staff. A design only makes it to the production queue after careful consideration of what's going to be involved in presenting it in multiple sizes.

I completed the Master Knitting program from TKGA in 1997. One of the requirements—the "final exam," if you will—is to design an original Aran or Fair Isle sweater. I chose to design this Aran:

This sweater remains one of my personal favorites. It was published in the Winter 1997 issue of Cast-On magazine. In one size. Because grading it for multiple sizes would have been a nightmare even for an experienced pattern writer, let alone for a noob designer. However, publishing a pattern in only one size is a rare happening these days. Knitters now expect to see the same design presented in a range of sizes from 32" around to 60" around.

To see how things have changed in the last 60 or so years, I pulled out one of my vintage knitting magazines. From the Summer 1947 issue of Smart Knitting. I chose a pattern at random—the Double Breasted Two Piece Suit. It says, "Directions are for size 14. Sizes 16 and 18 are in parentheses." The finished measurements for the jacket say, "At bustline when buttoned 33 (35, 37)."

Oh, wow. A couple of things jump out at me:

The design is presented in only three sizes.

The size range differs by only 4" in circumference from smallest size to largest size.

A sweater measuring only 33" around qualified as a size 14 in 1947(!!!!)

It's no secret that Americans, at least, are much larger on average than we were as a population in 1947. I blame some of that on the use of high fructose corn syrup in everything and the soup of estrogen-mimicking compounds that we all float around in every day (and the fact that most of us don't exercise as much as we ought). But that's a rant for another day.

When I knit up a design, I usually aim for something in the middle of the size range. By coincidence (or not), I fall roughly in the middle of the size range, so I am usually able to make something that will fit me. (We have a joke that "All designers are a size Medium.") I like to see how a finished design looks on a real body.

Here's the kicker: What's a "real body"? While there are published lists of standard clothing measurements, very few people match those measurements perfectly. When I teach my fitting class, I ask students to pair up, measure each other, then write down the numbers. It's amazing to see the variation just within a group of 20 or so women. I once taught a class where the shortest woman in the class had the longest arms. Go figure.

One of the points I strive to get across is that a knitter should not expect that a pattern knit up exactly as published is automatically going to fit that particular knitter's body perfectly. It can't—there is simply too much variation in the size and shape of bodies across the spectrum, and it's impossible to factor that variation into a knitting pattern.

It's been my experience that people who sew rarely expect to make up a sewing pattern exactly as drafted—most sewers are prepared to make alterations in the garment as it comes together. Knitters, on the other hand, are not. I'm not sure why that is. I suspect some of it has to do with lack of knowledge—knitters simply may not know how to make alterations to a pattern. Or they may feel that because they paid $6 for a pattern, they shouldn't be required to make any changes to it (has anyone looked at the price of a Vogue sewing pattern lately?). Whatever the reason, I am aware of the expectations knitters have of knitting patterns.

I want to post more about this subject in future blog posts. I've spent the better part of a week now grading and writing sweater patterns, so this happens to be at the forefront of my brain. And it's just not as easy as it looks to grade a design in multiple sizes, so perhaps a word of explanation from the designer will help illustrate exactly what goes into the creation of a knitting pattern from concept to hard copy.

The Spring newsletter layout is just about complete and will go to my tech editor tomorrow for edit #2. I'd love to say I'm ahead of schedule, but I am still furiously knitting on a shawl pattern that is included in this issue. The pattern is written, but the shawl isn't ready to photograph yet.

One design is swatched and ready to go to one of my test-knitters; I just need to get the pattern written today. And then I expect I will be working on the shawl.

Camas Creek Yarn is still busy. Retreats and knitting events are still happening. Yesterday morning I got three big wholesale book orders filled and was congratulating myself on getting my desk cleared off when two more big orders came in on the fax machine. The supply of books I picked up from the warehouse on Monday is gone and now I need to pick up another batch to keep here. I knew I was going to have to order another print run of the Aran book sometime in 2009, but it looks like it's going to be sooner rather than later.

Mind you, I'm not complaining. It's just that I see very few people out shopping these days (I went to Lowe's to get a replacement light fixture the other day and the place was a graveyard). And historically, book sales have always dropped to near-zero levels in the first quarter of the year. I'm just trying to make sense of it all.

The husband and I were eating lunch together yesterday while I was working on my editorial schedule for the year and making notes about projects for my test-knitters. He, of course, saw that as an excellent opportunity to campaign for some knitwear for him. This is a frequent and ongoing discussion. He would happily wear anything I made him. I, on the other hand, cannot bear to see my hard work come home covered in concrete. We have not yet figured out a solution to this impasse, other than he only gets to wear my handknits when he goes to an event at which there is no risk of there being any wet concrete.

The conversation went something like this:

Me (having located a really cool cable pattern in one of my stitch dictionaries): Wow, I love this stitch pattern. This would be great in a cotton yarn as a guy's pullover.

The husband: Cotton? Why would I wear a cotton sweater? It gets wet and makes you cold. I like wool.

Me: Hmmm, this design isn't for you.

The husband: It's not?

Me: No, this is for the Summer issue of the newsletter and wool isn't really an appropriate choice.

The husband: What guy wears a cotton sweater in the summer?

Me: Think "metrosexual."

The husband: I'd rather not.

Obviously we did not make any headway in the "knitting for men" department.

After lunch I went down to the stash to get some cotton yarn for swatching. The yarn storage room is a bit of a mess and needs a new light fixture (hence the trip to Lowe's). Every so often I collect the yarn lying around the house and cart it down to the storage room. It might be leftovers from a project, skeins I've taken out for swatching, or new acquisitions from Camas Creek. In any case, it needs to get filed in the storage system.

I located the cotton yarn and took it out, then spent a bit of time reacquainting myself with my stash. I just like to look at yarn and think about what it could be. It always helps to get the creative juices flowing. And now I have lots of projects to put in the queue. I think I even know what I am going to take to Europe with me.

I keep my yarn in these storage bins—about 20 of them (there are a few on the other wall, too). This is a storage room in our basement.

When we moved here to Montana fifteen years ago, I had a much smaller stash (maybe four small boxes of yarn). When I became a knitting designer, I had the opportunity to buy yarn at wholesale prices from yarn manufacturers. The catch was that I also had to buy in wholesale quantities, although the minimums are smaller for designers than for yarn stores. As a result, the size of my stash grew exponentially.

Most yarn manufacturers require sell only full bags of yarn. A full bag of 100g skeins of worsted-weight yarn (something like Cascade 220) is 2200 yards of yarn. A Ladies' medium Aran requires approximately 2000 yards—how convenient. When I am wondering if I have enough yarn for a project, I'm usually thinking in terms of that 2000 yard mark or a full bag of yarn, at least for wool. It drives me nuts to shop at stores that don't carry enough of one color of yarn for a sweater. Michael's—which carries Lion Brand Lion Wool—is notorous for this. I must have visited at least six Michael's stores in three states last summer and not a single one of them had enough skeins of Lion Wool to knit a sweater. And why Lion Brand thinks that is okay is beyond me.

Over the past year—coincidentally, since Camas Creek Yarn opened—I've stopped buying yarn from manufacturers and begun buying yarn at Camas Creek. I have to pay a bit more than wholesale (I get a store discount), but the rate and volume of yarn acquisition has slowed. Now I only buy yarn if I have a project for it. That allows me to design with more currently-available yarns rather than pulling a two (or ten) year-old yarn out of the stash just so I can use it up. And I can see the yarn before I buy it. No more wholesale ordering only to discover that a yarn doesn't look or feel exactly like the 2" sample on the shade card.

The nice thing about having a large stash is that it's comforting to know that if modern civilization collapses, I'll still be able to knit for a long, long time. My friend Susan has fleeces from 25 years ago when she and her husband worked on a sheep ranch in Wyoming. We figure that between the two of us, we'll be able to keep the whole neighborhood clothed.

I had another productive day today tying up all sorts of loose ends from 2008 and getting the rest of the newsletter layout in place. Adn now I'm off to town. We have a Europe trip meeting tonight and I am looking forward to getting all the travel details so I know exactly where we are going and what we are going to see.

A sweater scheduled for this issue arrived back here from one of my test-knitters a few days ago. I am so fortunate to have two really good test-knitters. One does a fabulous job with my wool cable and Aran designs, and the other one is a terrific cotton knitter (it's hard to find test-knitters who can do cotton well, at least in my experience). The design that just came back is a man's pullover out of Sublime Soya Cotton, a 50% cotton/50% soy blend yarn. The hand of this yarn when it's knitted up is just exquisite. Who knew soybeans made such nice yarn?

Here is a peek at the stitch pattern.

This stitch pattern and I did quite a bit of arguing back at the end of the summer. I swatched it originally in wool, which looked good, but the stitch pattern kept yelling at me that it really would prefer to be knit in some nice cotton (and here I need to say again that I am not crazy—stitch patterns and yarn really do yell talk if you're willing to listen to them). When I swatched it in the Soya Cotton, I had to agree. This stitch pattern needed a sharp cotton to show it off. Who am I to argue?

I have my tax stuff ready to go to the accountant; I always try to get everything together and out of my hair as earlier as possible. Last year I got it to our accountant by the end of January, and he told me that this year I should see if I could get it done even earlier than that. I cannot resist a challenge, so that's what I spent the better part of last week doing. Besides, if I don't get it done now, I won't have time to do it before April 15th.

I am really enjoying the break in the near-constant snow we've been having. It got a bit slick and icy there for a while, but we seem to have reached a period of relatively smooth sailing, at least where the weather is concerned. The poor husband has been out nearly every single night for either a fire or medical call. They do tend to come in groups like this, but that's little comfort for a group of sleep-deprived volunteer firefighters.

My schedule has readjusted a bit and I actually like it better. The roads have been so crummy that we're not letting DD#1 drive herself to school. She has after-school activities two days a week, though, so I've been going in to get her and running my errands then. It seems to be working so far, and it gives me a much bigger (read: more productive) block of time early in the day when I am fresh.

And now I think it's time for some knitting. It doesn't make my eyes glaze over.

I had two hours to kill in town yesterday so I went to the store and hung out and helped with inventory. That's an interesting job. I saw some yarns I didn't know the store had (but I didn't buy anything).

I keep meaning to mention (and keep forgetting) that Camas Creek sells some absolutely gorgeous pashmina shawls imported from Turkey. Melanie's oldest daughter lives and teaches there. Melanie's youngest daughter also lived there for a while with her sister. These two young women made some contacts and now the youngest daughter—who currently lives here—periodically imports a shipment of shawls to sell in the store. The first couple of shipments were small and always sold out before I had a chance to see them. This most recent shipment was huge—two bales—and I was at the store when they arrived. I have quite a few pashmina shawls I've collected over the years and these are by far the nicest in terms of quality and design.

You can see the shawls at the Touch of Turkey website. It's wholesale ordering only on that website, but there is a list of the retail locations that sell the shawls. They make fabulous gifts. And the best part is that ten percent of the net profits will be donated to the Street Children Volunteers Association, an Istanbul volunteer group which provides homeless children with shelter, clothing, vocational training and schooling.

I know I said I wouldn't talk about the weather, but I can't help myself. . . I decided yesterday—as I slogged through 8 inches of water on top of a layer of ice to get to my dentist appointment and prayed I wouldn't slip and fracture my arm and be unable to knit—that I would much rather have had another foot of snow than this horrible melting raining and freezing mess that we've had the past couple of days. The roads in town are all clear now, but our road is still hideous. I was happy to see that the plow operator finally plowed out a section of the state road so the bus could turn around there.

More website work today. I have other stuff I need to be working on, too, but the site stuff is pretty critical.

I know that it must have looked even worse in 1997, the year of the "big snow," but back then I was pregnant with DD#2. She was born at the beginning of July. I wasn't exactly itching to get out and dig in the dirt that year. The only thing that comforts me is that this snow is excellent insulation for my plants. One year I had a rosemary plant last out the entire winter—it was only when all the snow was gone and we had a hard freeze one night that it gave up and died.

What a miserable day it's turning out to be. This is starting to sound like the "I hate winter weather" blog and it isn't really meant to be. I'm just thinking about having to go out in this and how complicated that's going to be. We got notified this morning that dispatch is on emergency backup for dispatching because some of the repeaters around the valley have ice on them. Not good. Right now it's about 40 degrees, but when this freezes—which it will—what a mess we will have.

Let's talk about knitting. Yesterday was a good, productive day. I worked some on Cables 2, got the details for upcoming classes taken care of, and worked on the shawl. It's about halfway to being done, so I am allowing myself the luxury of thinking what I would like to do next. I need to get some ideas fleshed out and patterns written for my test-knitters. I'd like to figure out what my Europe trip knitting is going to be—I may have to break down and knit socks on that trip, because I can't imagine being able to work on anything much bigger than socks. I think it's kind of funny that all my anxiety about that trip is centered around having enough yarn to keep me occupied for ten days.

So far today I've spent all my time working on my website. I'm not as good as I should be about website and store maintenance. Part of it is that those activities are not knitting, and I'd rather be knitting. The other part of it is that maintenance is so time-consuming because of the clunky interface in my store software. Going in there to work is like going into a very dark and messy closet.

I'm trying to make it easier for customers to find and order stuff in my store. All the products are kept in a database. In order to rearrange the way those products are displayed in the product list (so I can keep all the 2001 issues of the newsletter together, for instance), I have to rearrange them manually in the database (there is a sort function, but it's pretty limited). I have 84 products in my store. If I want the product at the very bottom of the list to be at the very top of the list. I have to sit there and click the "up arrow" button 83 times to get it moved to the top of the list. I've checked the documentation. There is no workaround.

But I am making progress. It needs to be done, so I'll keep at it until it's right.

I have to talk about the weather a bit. Hopefully we are close to the end of what has been a near-constant conveyor belt of storms off the Pacific. Poor Mary Lou (Melanie's mother) has stayed in Kalispell much longer than she planned to, because she can't find a safe window of time to drive back to her home near Spokane (I shouldn't complain—those poor people in Spokane really have been hit hard this year).

We were supposed to get a storm yesterday, but it appears to have gone south of us. However, another storm is on the schedule for tomorrow, and it promises to be esepcially messy—snow, then freezing rain, then rain, and then cold again. Wow, I can't wait. After that, though, it is supposed to be warmer and dryer for a while.

I probably wouldn't be this cranky, except that the county has done such a lousy job plowing this year that getting around the valley is the equivalent of an arctic expedition. Apparently, the head of the road department retired over the summer, along with half the road crew personnel. The county didn't hire anyone to replace those who retired, citing budget shortfalls. The husband says he doesn't understand that, as our property taxes certainly haven't decreased. Yes, we have more roads in the county, but even the main roads haven't been plowed properly. DD#1's bus driver is now turning around in our driveway every morning and afternoon (we're at the end of the bus route). He used to be able to turn around across from the north corner of our property, where a road leads into state land. However, it seems that the plow driver can't be bothered to plow a short section of that road out for the bus driver to turn around in (something they've always done in the past), so he comes down to our driveway and turns around.

The husband and the employees went back to work yesterday, which was a good thing. He gets twitchy when he can't work because of the weather. He's out today doing some community work; someone ran into the local grange hall, so he's working on repairing that, shoveling snow off roofs, and helping a neighbor lady whose porch roof collapsed. She can't get out of her house so he's going to go over and shovel her out.

I am going to sit in my chair by the fire and knit, after I get a pot of chicken and dumplings going for dinner.

Six of us in two trucks headed up to the Izaak Walton Inn and arrived just after sunset. The Inn is an enchanting place: no TV, no cell phone service, some Wi-Fi (when it is working, which is wasn't when we arrived), and three pay phones (also not working when we arrived). Somehow Andy managed to find a five-minute window of time when the Wi-FI was up and running, and got a message to one of the Camas Creek employees, who called my house and let the husband know we were there.

I took pictures for the blog.

The Inn:

Melanie and Mary Lou (her mother, who is one of the sweetest people on the planet) sitting next to the big fireplace in the lobby:

The lobby is the social center of the Inn, made all the more so when all the knitters are sitting there, knitting and visiting. Mary Lou and I had the lobby all to ourselves in the mornings, because we were the only ones up at 5:30 a.m. Everyone else made fun of us.

The hallway to my room (last door on the left). The inn is an old railroad depot built in the 20's:

The lamp in my room, which had the neatest switch. You push down on this to turn the light on and off:

Sorry, I didn't take any other pics of my room (too busy being enchanted with the light switch), but it was cozy and quaint.

The building across from the Inn where we had all the classes:

On Saturday afternoon we had a few hours of downtime and the weather was gorgeous, so Andy and I went skiing (we wanted Melanie to come, but she and her mother took a walk, instead). I have not been on my skis in a couple of years. It's like riding a bike and I wish I could ski more often.

We had to walk over a bridge to get across the railroad tracks to the ski trails:

The scenery was beyond stunning (that's looking into Glacier Park):

And this picture doesn't do justice to the sparkliness of the snow on the trees:

The ski instructor was teaching a group of people how to ski:

On the second time around the loop we met a bunch of my students, who also decided to try skiing:

Coming back, the Amtrak train was just leaving the Inn, where it drops people off and picks them up:

Back at the Inn, the lovely Lou modeled her coyote hat for us.

Lou also dropped a pair of knitting needles in the parking lot in the darkness Friday night. We found them Saturday:

All in all we had a wonderful time, picked up a few knitters in class who were staying at the Inn and thought it was fabulous that we were having a retreat there, ate well (I had a half-pound buffalo burger Friday night, topped with Gouda cheese and sauteed onions—oh my), slept soundly, and enjoyed the beauty of Montana. What else could you ask for? Oh yes—some knitting. We had that, too.

Our newspaper ran a story yesterday comparing our current winter to the one we had in 1996-97. That year we had something like 216" (that's 18 feet) of snow at our house, and it remains the snowiest winter on record. That year, the drifts were so high that our dogs were able to walk on the roof of the garage. By contrast, we only received a third of the snowfall in December 2008 that we had in December 1996, and this still seems like an incredibly snowy winter to me. We're under yet another winter storm watch today and tomorrow.

Our pastor sent out his weekly newsletter yesterday and it included this little tidbit:

Each year brings its own uniqueness, and I noticed this past year that one of the growing interests in our church family is knitting. Knitting has been happening in Sunday School classes, at committee meetings, and in the worship services. One recent Sunday after church I noticed a gathering of knitters getting their projects evaluated and checked by the other knitters. I have been asked if it bothers me to have people knitting during these times, so let’s get one thing clear: it doesn’t bother me at all. Indeed, it seems to me to be a good thing. Sometimes the mind works best when the hands are busy. If I knew how to knit (and at one time I did) I might knit while I preach too. And it is a wonderfully creative and productive thing to do.

So there you have it. We will be knitting in church in 2009.

The house is mostly clean, the Christmas stuff has been put away, and the furniture put back in its pre-houseguest arrangement. Today I look forward to spending time getting my class materials ready for the retreat and getting the first half of Cables 2 printed and off to my tech editor for the second round of editing. I've been having trouble with InDesign (the layout program I use) crashing at random moments, so a few days ago I uninstalled the entire Adobe Creative Suite and reinstalled it. That seems to have done the trick—the program is running efficiently again. I rely so heavily on InDesign for nearly everything I do that if it's giving me fits, I can't get anything done.

I've been craving minestrone soup lately. That's on the menu for today, along with some crusty bread. I just checked the radar and there is an enormous blue blob headed our way. It looks like a good day to stay home.

The designs in the book are indeed gorgeous. The customer had chosen a lace afghan design from the book but was having trouble getting the pattern set up correctly. I took a look at it and right away I could tell there was a problem: the stitch pattern was shown (in both charted and written form) as a multiple of 15 stitches plus 12. The instructions said, "Cast on 243 sts." I subtracted 12 from 243, which gave me 231—and 231 is not evenly divisible by 15.

I puzzled over that for a moment. Had I missed some selvedge stitches? No. Were there odd increases and decreases in the lace pattern? No—it was relatively simple and straightforward. On a hunch, I added 15 + 12 together and got 27, which divides evenly into 243 nine times. A-ha. There it is.

The knitter really needs to cast on either 237 stitches (which would be [15*15]+12) or 252 (which would be [15*16]+12) in order to get the stitch pattern to set up correctly. Somewhere in the editing process that error either was overlooked or—and this happens more often than you might think—an editor rewrote the designer's instructions to reflect his or her belief that the stitch pattern should be a multiple of 27, not a multiple of 15 to which 12 stitches are added at the end to balance the pattern.

The concept of casting on a multiple of X + Y sts is confusing to some knitters, especially beginning ones. It shouldn't be confusing to a tech editor who knows anything about knitting. I don't have this particular book in my personal library, so I don't know who the tech editor is. I know many of the knitting tech editors out there, but lots of publishers use tech editors who have less than a passing familiarity with knitting—and these kinds of rookie mistakes result. Unfortunately, designers get most of the blame if an error appears in a pattern. It reflects badly on them even if they had nothing to do with the mistake because their patterns were edited by someone who didn't know anything about knitting.

I came home and checked the Lark Books website for errata. There are errata listed, but none for Gorgeous Knitted Afghans. I didn't have time to go through the book and check other patterns, but I did send an e-mail to Lark to let them know about that particular error. I want knitters to e-mail me if they have a question about a pattern—sometimes it's a mis-interpretation of the instructions, but if it's an error, I want to get corrections posted to the website.

Believe me, I know how hard it is to publish error-free patterns. My tech editor is worth every penny of her editing fee because she's so good at what she does. But I also sympathize with knitters who are foiled right out of the starting gate when trying to knit a pattern because the number of stitches they are instructed to cast on won't work with the stitch pattern that's given. Knitting should be fun, not the equivalent of a math test.

And here we are at the end of 2008. I want to say how much I appreciate every single one of you—students, blog readers, customers—and I wish everyone a safe and heppy 2009. See you next year!

Not all departments take care of their crews as well as ours does. I worry a lot less because our chief is always looking out for our firefighters, and his insistence on good food is an example of that. In fact, our firefighters are so used to having food available on-scene that they complain when they have to help fight fires in neighboring districts that don't have on-call support staff (and thus no food).

This fire was in our district. Melanie and Andy were so gracious about letting me leave—DD#1 called the yarn store about 2:00 p.m. and said, "Daddy said to call and tell you there is a structure fire." I left Camas Creek, called the grocery store and asked them to put together fruit and sandwiches for me (this happens on a regular-enough basis that they know the drill), stopped and picked them up and paid for them, and headed for the scene.

Part of the charm of Montana lies in all the out-of-the-way hidden places where people like to build houses. Unfortunately, getting an engine into some of those places can be a definite challenge. When building their dream home, most people don't consider what might happen if they have a fire in the middle of the winter when the ground is covered with three feet of (not plowed) snow. I got close to the scene and stopped to let the officer there know that I was delivering supplies. He gave me directions, which were about a mile back on a single-lane road. I had a hard time getting my truck back there, and I could just imagine what the guys driving the engines were thinking. To complicate matters, a number of our department officers were away at a memorial service for a firefighter killed in the line of duty elsewhere in the state. We had to call for help. By the time all was said and done, we had responders from our district and two others. And snow was just pouring from the sky.

My other job (once I've delivered the food) is to get the digital camera off one of the engines and take pictures. We use pictures of the scene in training sessions—they help the rookie firefighters see what's going on, what to look for, how to determine where the fire may have started, etc. I like this part of my job, because I get to see what the firefighters see. I try to get pictures of structural details that might be important later when going over how to attack a fire. It sure helps to be married to a builder.

As much as I needed to get to the fire, I was a bit upset that I had to leave the yarn store. We were pretty busy yesterday and I was having a great time talking to the customers. I helped one lady with her cabled scarf project; she had lost her place so I picked up the scarf, figured out where she was in the pattern, and got her back on track. Another couple of women bought yarn to make themselves afghans. We've got quite a few people signed up for the retreat this weekend, and Melanie and I talked about our plans for next year's retreat. We're going to make this an annual mid-February event, so if you couldn't make it to this year's retreat, watch this space for information on the 2010 retreat.

My feeling about the new year is that I should "begin as I mean to go on," so I always try to start the new year with a positive, excited attitude. I am trying to find that positive, excited attitude for 2009. Believe it or not, the state of the economy is not weighing on me that much. We'll have some belt-tightening to do, but we'll get through this recession relatively unscathed. What's bothering me most is that I've managed to schedule myself into six months of near-constant motion, and knowing my personality, I'm going to have a hard time with it.

There will be no easing into 2009 for me. It's going to start with a knitting retreat this coming weekend, followed by a manic month of getting the spring newsletter to bed—because after that I won't have time. At the end of January, I start traveling. I will be home for two weeks, gone for a week, home for two weeks, etc., from then until the middle of June. I tried to make out the pianist schedule for church yesterday. Thank goodness we have two regulars and one substitute pianist, because one of the regulars (me) is going to be gone more than I am here.

I've talked at length about the trouble I have switching gears, whether it's between designing and writing, or between all the different hats I wear. I think what is nagging at me the most is knowing that I will have to force myself to be even better than I already am at managing all the things that are competing for my time and attention. I've tried to be proactive about that: I have already handed off the big fire department auction job (Public Information Officer aka publicity) that I've held for the past six or seven years. I didn't schedule any classes at Camas Creek this spring; as much as I would have liked to squeeze in a few here and there, I knew better than to do that. I've also taken myself off the substitute teaching schedule at school.

There are a few constants, though—like the husband and kids and the newsletter—that I can't farm out or reschedule. I'm going to attempt to keep to the publication schedule of Cables 2 intact, because it has already slipped more than I wanted it to. The other challenge will be to stay "in the moment" as much as possible and enjoy each event as it happens without obssessing about the next item on the schedule.

I was talking to the husband about all of this the other day, and he teased me about not being able to keep my alter-ego—the one that can't say no when I am asked to teach knitting—under control. I've already decided not to accept any non-local teaching gigs in 2010. By the time I am done with 2009, I will need a year of no travel to recover. Besides, DD#1 graduates in 2010 and I want to be around as much as possible before she leaves for college.

So, there it is: a short glimpse inside my head and what I am thinking about the new year. I'll be thinking about it for a while.

I'm working at Camas Creek today. I've also got to call the dentist; a few months ago I discovered a small chip at the bottom of one of my two front teeth. The dentist did a fabulous job of patching it, but yesterday I discovered another chip right next to the spot she repaired. It's more annoying than anything else, but I'd like to get in this week and have her fix the second chip. Yet one more thing to take care of, when I should be home working.

Oh well. At least I have teeth and a good dentist.

I tried watching DD#1 play Tomb Raider Underworld on the Wii yesterday and I found I had to stop knitting to do so. That's unusual—I've knitted my way through lots of TV over the years. Maybe it's just that they are two activities competing for the same part of my brain. Or maybe I'm just tired of the repetition and want to move on to the next challenge. Who knows. Whatever it is, I still have to finish this shawl before I can start anything else.

And that cardigan for Europe? It's not looking like a possible FO, but we'll see.

Chester made it through the holidays in really great shape—so great that when I let him out at 5:30 this morning, he immediately located the avalanche victim tennis ball that was waiting on the porch and dove into the snow with it. I couldn't get him to come back in.

DD#1 and I went to the funeral of her friend yesterday morning. It was a beautiful service. She went and sat with her friends and I sat with the other teachers from our elementary school. The minister gave a very thoughtful homily, and DD#1's seventh- grade teacher (our elementary school is K-8) talked eloquently about this young man's zest for life. It was hard to see all those teenagers struggling with something so awful and unexpected at what is supposed to be such a wonderful time of the year. But they are a close-knit class (pun intended) and that will get them through this.

I've got busy week coming up. My mother leaves early tomorrow morning and I am on the schedule to work at Camas Creek. Our first annual retreat at the Izaak Walton Inn (scroll down to the December 11 post) begins Friday evening and I need to get my class handouts in order. I've also got to get the Spring issue of the newsletter underway. I have to hit the ground running the minute the new year starts. I have really mixed feelings about that, but that's tomorrow blog post.

I was so impressed with that little flashlight that he said he would get me one for Christmas. So yesterday morning I got to unwrap this:

Lest you think that I would prefer jewelry to a flashlight—well, since I can't wear most jewelry, this is infinitely more fun. It's small and light enough to fit in my purse, and very powerful. Now I can see where I am going. Cool.

I also got a nice teapot from my sister, which is something I've wanted but never got around to buying.

My kids spent most of the day playing Guitar Hero and I sat and knitted and watched them. I took a break mid-day and went outside. The husband was running the snowblower and Chester was searching the yard (unsuccessfully) for some avalanche victims to dig up. I knew there were some left in the garden, so I got the shovel, dug the gate out, and let him in. He found one right away and spent the rest of the afternoon happily playing search and rescue.

We were a bit worried about how he would do with all this company here because that's when he usually gets stressed and crashes. When I talked to the vet last week, he suggested I increase Chester's dose of prednisone slightly. That seems to have done the trick. We'll just need to wean him back to his usual dose when everyone leaves.

The funeral for DD#1's friend is tomorrow morning, with visitation all day today. She and I will stop at the funeral home today and attend the funeral tomorrow. This young man was so friendly with everyone and I am sure that the whole town will turn out in support of his family.

I told the husband I was going to pack all the yarn I own (which is a considerable amount) into my Dodge MegaCab and take a picture of it and send it to Ford. His response? "Janet, that has backfire written all over it. You'll end up all over the Internet as the poster child for women with big trucks who don't haul anything."

That, from the man who played me like a violin to get me to buy my first truck, in a conversation that went something like this:

Me: I think it's time to get a new car. I'd like another Saturn station wagon.

The husband: Dodge just came out with a four-door Dakota. Why don't you test-drive one of those?

Me: A truck?

The husband: I'd feel better if you and the kids were in a truck instead of that Saturn station wagon. (This is what happens when you marry an EMT/fireman who responds to car crashes every week.)

So we're sitting there for a few minutes and I am digesting the idea of driving a small truck when the husband pipes up again.

The husband: Why don't you test-drive a half-ton Ram? If you're going to drive a truck, you might as well get a full-size one.

Me: You know how much fun I have driving your truck.

The husband: My truck is a one-ton dually. You would be driving a half-ton.

I ponder this for a few more minutes, trying to imagine myself driving a full-size truck around the county. Then the husband pipes up again.

The husband: Actually, if you're going to buy a full-size truck, you should get a three-quarter ton, because then you can get a diesel and they get better mileage. The half-tons don't come in a diesel.

And that is how I found myself deftly maneuvered into a three-quarter ton Dodge diesel pickup ten years ago. When it was time to get a new truck and give the old one to DD#1, I told the husband just to build me one and order it, because he knows a bit more about what I need in terms of equipment (although we didn't spring for the heated seats and my butt is sincerely wishing we had). I fully expected him to order me another three-quarter ton truck. Imagine my surprise when he shows me the specs and I realize that I now will be driving a one-ton truck. At least it's not a dually.

So it is not entirely my fault that I have way more truck than I really need. The husband loves his trucks. I don't use the bed of the truck much, but oh—do I ever use the MegaCab part. I've hauled 100 cases of bottled water in there; four tween girls and all their camping gear and musical instruments (we went from an outdoor ed trip right to a band festival); many many many groceries from Costco; twenty-five cases of books; and four adults and two kids in relative comfort. The back seat splits 60/40 and both fold down. I usually fold down the bigger section and leave it that way all the time.

Last week when we were driving the old truck, the girls kept saying things like, "Wow, I can't believe that we used this truck for 8 years—it's so small! How did we ever haul everything?"

Like all that yarn.

The father is in intensive care and we hope he makes it. What a horrible tragedy to happen anytime, but especially so close to the holidays.

Speaking of church . . . it's a good thing we have a very indulgent pastor. Those kids who came to the knitting party Friday night all belong to our church, and they all brought their knitting with them yesterday morning. The boys sat on the very back pew and knitted all the way through the service. Another woman sits in the balcony with her husband, who runs the sound system, and she knits prayer shawls. DD#1 brought her knitting with her (she's making a scarf), and although she didn't knit in church, a friend of hers worked on the scarf afterward while we had choir practice. Two other women and I knitted through our Sunday School classes. One of our elders also knits. So far, she has confined her knitting to meetings, but I don't get the sense that she disapproves of all the knitting that's going on.

I vacillate between being delighted that so many people are knitting—especially the kids—and mildly horrified that it's happening in church. We do have a fairly informal congregation, but the part of me that was raised (in a different denomination) with formal liturgies doesn't quite know what to make of this, or the fact that it's mostly my fault. I think it would be great if all the knitters used that time to work on charity knitting, like prayer shawls or baby blankets. Think of how much we could get done.

My sister and her fiance arrive tonight, barring any travel delays. My mother comes tomorrow. We've got some last-minute cleaning to do and errands to run today. Safe travels to all who are heading out.

You are traditional, old-fashioned, and even a little conservative.
More than anything else, you are a creature of habit. You haven't changed much over the years.

You shy away from flashy ideas, people, fashion, and foods.
You have simple tastes. You go for established quality and longevity every time.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

Yeah, I'd say this is pretty accurate.

The little artistic child (DD#2) and I were out shopping the other day. Finding a Christmas outfit is always a trial for me. We went to the department store where I usuallly have the best luck finding clothes. She was flipping through the rack and finally said, in a very exasperated vooice," WHO designs this stuff and why on earth do they think it's going to look good? If I grow up to be a designer, I am going to design things that look good on people and fit well."

I have half my outfit. I have a black wool skirt and I just need something to wear with it. Maybe a cardigan.

I see by the UPS tracking info that my FIL's gift was delivered yesterday. I can cross that off the list. I'm thinking of removing FedEx as a shipping option from my online store. Their service has been abysmal lately. The Lion Brand yarn I ordered from Joann.com a few weeks ago was shipped via FedEx, and it sat here in town for two days before it was delivered. Yesterday, a customer e-mailed me to tell me that the books she ordered two weeks ago never arrived. I went back through my records—I packed up her order on December 11th to drop off at the FedEx office in town, but the FedEx truck happened to be at the school at the same time I was there, so I handed the package to the driver. As of yesterday afternoon, FedEx had no record of having received the package. This morning she e-mailed me again to tell me that it was now in the FedEx tracking system (miraculous!), still here in Kalispell, and scheduled for delivery on December 30—a mere 19 days after I handed it to the FedEx driver. I called FedEx and arranged for them to send that package back to me (I shipped her a replacement order yesterday via 3-day UPS). I also expressed my displeasure with their service. I know it's the holidays, but it's not like this was a last-minute delivery.

And oh, it's cold here. Bonnie, I feel your pain. My old red truck's windshield has a number of cracks in it. Every time I drive it when it's cold like this, the whole windshield creaks and makes horrible noises like it wants to shatter. Carla, I didn't see that story about the guy lighting a fire under his car's engine but I am not surprised.

The husband spent several hours yesterday morning running the snowblower, so I let the dogs out to play. Chester was highly annoyed that I made him come in at lunchtime. He looked like a polar bear. He's having loads of fun; I am worried about him getting frostbite.

The knitting party last night was terrific. There were four kids—DD#1, two boys, and the sister of one of the boys—and I think they had a good time. One of the boys was so fascinated and excited that he said all he was going to do today was knit. We're going to get together for another knitting party in a couple of weeks. I love that these kids are so un-selfconscious. The husband says that at that age, he wouldn't have been caught dead at a knitting party. Well, he wouldn't be caught dead at a knitting party at his current age, either.

I spent a fair bit of time knitting yesterday. I'm down to two projects: the Soie Bambou shawl (which stays here at home because the yarn is white), and a reversible cotton baby blanket that travels with me. I have no desire to start anything new. Multiple UFOs cause me great stress. I've figured out how much of the shawl I need to get done each week for it to be ready to go for the Spring issue of Twists and Turns. I might toss a few smallish things in the schedule just to relieve boredom, but it looks like it's mostly lace-and-cable shawl knitting for the next couple of weeks.

I'm glad it's done. This has been a much longer process than I thought it would be, and I wish it hadn't gone so close to the holidays.

We were under a winter storm warning all day yesterday, but the storm that was supposed to materialize in the morning stalled over eastern Washington state. Spokane got 23" of snow and Couer d'Alene got 30". By the time the storm began moving again, the track had shifted south of us. I'm glad, because even the 12" that we got brought everything to a grinding halt. The county has cut back on the plowing budget to save money. The streets in town are the worst I've seen them in a long time. And people don't understand that they need to slow down; Kalispell police responded to 21 accidents in a 24-hour period yesterday. Getting anywhere is the logistical equivalent of the Normandy invasion. I said to DD#2 that if it weren't for the fact that we need groceries, I would simply refuse to go to town again until March.

I don't remember it being this bad in winters past. I'm just glad I have a truck; people in little cars are getting stuck all over the place.

At least one of us is happy to see the snow:

The husband is taking some time off, so he's been home all day while I've been out driving around. He said Chester spent all morning burying the avalanche victims tennis balls and digging them up again. I was a bit worried that Chester would wear himself out, but the husband says that it's more stressful to Chester NOT to be able to play rescue dog in a foot of fresh powder than it is to let him be out there in the snow. The husband is the alpha dog; he seems to know. The dogs napped most of the afternoon, and Chester is ready to go back out and do it all over again today.

Melanie and Andy gave me a wonderful Christmas present:

I'd like to wear it all the time but the chain is bothering my skin. I'll have to see if I have a different one. I think it's appropriate, don't you?

I don't have to go anywhere today, hooray! I've got a whole day of knitting stuff planned. I'm supposed to do a knitting class for the teenagers tonight. There are some other social activities happening, though, so it remains to postCount('DVD Close'); be seen who will show up. It's knitting; it will be fun no matter what.

Yesterday, though, I could put it off no longer. I've got three gifts left to get, one of which is for the husband's father. I said to the husband the other day that in my next life, I want to come back as him so I can skate through Christmas with no responsibilities. He got very indignant and said, "I have responsibilities!" to which I replied, "For Christmas?" He had no response. We've been together 21 years and in all that time I don't think he's ever had to buy presents for his family, because he assumes I will take care of it.

His father is one of those men who has everything and needs nothing. I've had to get very creative when it comes to gifts for him. One year I found a map from the 1800's of the city he lives in and had it framed. Last year I bought him a pen made out of an old stadium seat, and found out afterward that I had (completely by accident) picked a seat from the stadium where he saw his first professional baseball game. He thought that was phenomenal. All month long I've been wondering how to top that with this year's present.

Yesterday I panicked and started surfing some websites for gifts. I saw one gift that gave me an idea, that led to another idea, that led to me finding him another really phenomenal gift. Even the husband had to admit that it was inspired. Whew. I am good until next December.

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree:

We worry about it falling over, it has so many ornaments on it. When we were growing up, my mother had a very artfully decorated tree to match the colors of her living room. My sister and I complained, so our parents got another tree for the family room on which we hung lots of colored lights and all of our ornaments. I much prefer these colorful, messily-decorated Christmas trees. All of our ornaments come with memories attached to them. There are a dozen glass balls my sister gave me one year when she was a poor college student. She decorated them with glitter and sequins and they are some of my favorites, just because she made them. They hang up toward the top where they won't get broken. I have lots of knitting and sheep-themed ornaments, and we have many that the girls have made over the years.

We're picking my truck up from the body shop today. I will be so happy to have it back. I've been driving my old truck (now DD#1's truck), and while it's a fine vehicle that still runs well, I've gotten used to the little luxuries in my MegaCab, like enough room to put five other people and a load of groceries from Costco, the hands-free cell phone, and—of course—6th gear. I really miss 6th gear.

Knitting on the shawl continues apace. One of the things I love most about cable knitting is watching the pattern emerge as the knitting grows. It's especially fun when the stitch pattern and the yarn complement each other so well.

Study Firmly Ties Hormone Use to Breast Cancer

Don't get me wrong—I'm not happy that women get breast cancer. I'm happy because a large, federally funded (not drug company-funded) study finally concluded that dispensing estrogen like candy to women just so the drug companies can make a buck truly IS dangerous.

Estrogen is an important hormone, I understand that. And for women who truly need it, it can be a lifesaver—I understand that, too. But the drug companies saw an opportunity to make a lot of money by convincing ALL women that their lives would be better off if they popped some estrogen every day after menopause, and conveniently neglected to tell them there were significant risks.

Here's what is wrong with the whole estrogen-after-menopause argument:

1) If women's bodies had been designed to have estrogen our whole lives, they would. There is a reason that estrogen levels decline at a certain point. I may not like that fact any more than I like my hair getting gray, but it happens. If we weren't such a youth-obsessed culture, perhaps we'd all be able to deal better with the aging process.

2) Hormones are not intended to work by themselves; they are part of a whole orchestra of compounds regulating how the body works. When you give someone a dose of one hormone that is out of proportion to the others, you risk messing up a carefully-regulated balance.

3) Natural is almost always better than synthetic. There are bio-identical formulations of estrogen and progesterone available (I take bio-identical progesterone). Did you know?—Wyeth, the maker of Premarin, has made several attempts to get the FDA to shut down the compounding pharmacies that make bio-identical hormones, because they don't want the competition. Drug companies cannot patent bio-identical formulations of estrogen and progesterone. They can only patent synthetic versions of those hormones. If you take away a woman's right to get bio-identical estrogen or progesterone, then that woman has to buy the synthetic versions from the drug companies. What a nice lock on the market that is for the drug companies!

[Progestin is a synthetic form of progesterone. Unlike progesterone, which is safe at normal replacement levels, progestin comes with its own set of problems. When I thought my estrogen/progesterone levels were out-of-whack, I asked my gynecologist about putting me on supplemental progeterone. She refused, saying that progestin was too dangerous to be used that way. I said, "I am not asking for progestin, I am asking for progesterone," and she had no idea that there was even a bio-identical form of progesterone available. All she knew was what the drug companies had told her.]

4) Women (esepcially women in industrialized countries) are exposed to a tremendous number of estrogen-mimicking compounds every day, from pollutants to the food we eat. Doctors write prescriptions for estrogen replacement every day without ever checking to see if a woman actually NEEDS supplemental estrogen. Mine never tested my hormone levels. I had to go to a naturopath to get them tested. And when I did, it turned out I had plenty of estrogen and not enough progesterone.

5) After menopause, fat cells in a woman's body take over the production of estrogen from the now-inactive ovaries. It's possible for a post-menopausal woman with a lot of body fat to have higher levels of estrogen in her body than a pre-menopausal woman with normal body fat.

Now that I know what some of the signs of hormone imbalances are, I find myself looking at women every time I got out in public. I could probably tell you which women have too much estrogen in their bodies just by looking at the shape of their bodies and asking them about symptoms. When my estrogen levels were too high relative to my progesterone levels, I had a big spare tire of fat around my middle. My breasts were huge and lumpy. I had psoriasis and migraine headaches, not to mention horrible PMS. A soon as I got my progesterone levels back in line with my estrogen levels, those problems disappeared.

I also know a few women who have had estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer and guess what—they had been on HRT before being diagnosed. Would they have gotten breast cancer without taking HRT? Maybe. Maybe not. I just think it's sad that a whole generation of women had to act as one big clinical trial in order to prove that HRT contributes to higher breast cancer rates.

I've had LOTS of experience with doctors, most of it bad. It's a sad comment on our society that the drug companies, not the doctors, are the ones practicing medicine in the US. I urge all women out there to get educated and become your own best health advocate.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
354 AM MST FRI DEC 12 2008

A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE NORTHERN ROCKIES OVER THE
WEEKEND. INITIALLY...SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF
NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA
PROVIDING INCREASED PRECIPITATION...FOLLOWED BY COOLER POST-
FRONTAL AIR FRIDAY NIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME...ARCTIC AIR POISED
OVER THE CANADIAN ROCKIES WILL BEGIN ITS PUSH SOUTHWARD INTO
NORTHWEST MONTANA. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK AND PORTIONS OF THE FLATHEAD VALLEY BY LATE
FRIDAY NIGHT.

BY SATURDAY...A MAJOR SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR WILL PUNCH INTO WESTERN
MONTANA. THIS FRIGID AIR MASS WILL BE USHERED IN BY STRONG
NORTHEAST WINDS CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW RESULTING IN
LOCAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS...PLUS BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS. THE
BULK OF THE ACCUMULATING SNOW MAY BE CONFINED TO THE IDAHO
PANHANDLE WHERE MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE FORCED OVER A COLDER
DOME OF AIR TO THE EAST.

A STRONG EASTERLY SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL MAINTAIN THE
INFLUX OF ARCTIC AIR OVER WESTERN MONTANA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO THROUGH TUESDAY WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND
DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS HIGHLIGHTING THE FORECAST.

Wow, sounds like fun. I expect the husband will be called out either on fire calls or car accidents. The forecast says "blizzard warning" with 6-10 inches of snow for us tonight. It's a good thing I am going out to the grocery store today.

I am supposed to teach a finishing class at Camas Creek tomorrow afternoon. I hope it doesn't get cancelled. And we have our fire department Christmas party tomorrow night. I hope that doesn't get cancelled, although we've had lots of Christmas parties that have been interrupted by fire calls. It happens.

I began a shawl in that Elann Soie Bambou and oh, is it every lovely to knit with! It feels wonderful and it's got the tiniest bit of slubby silk texture to it. Perhaps it will be a good thing if we get snowed in this weekend, as it means more knitting time.

"We've been tossing around the idea of having a Winter Knitting Retreat for a while at the store, and some persuasive customers convinced us that we should do it this year. So we've got a place, date and teacher lined up. The best part? The rest is up to you!

Join nationally recognized knitting teacher, author, and designer Janet Szabo at the historic Izaak Walton Inn at Essex, Montana, Jan. 2 and 3, 2009, for a fabulous weekend of knitting, learning, and playing. Outdoor experiences are optional, but highly recommended! The Izaak Walton Inn is famous for its many miles of groomed cross country ski trails, and rents skis, snowshoes, and ice skates.

This is a rare chance to tailor your own retreat to your interests. We've decided to offer one class Friday evening and two classes on Saturday, leaving you plenty of time to work on your own projects by the fire or explore the backcountry trails. Janet is willing to teach whatever classes the retreat participants are most interested in. Finishing? Sweater designing? Brioche, lace, cables (of course!), even a class for beginners. Let us know what you want, and Janet will teach it. Take one, two or all three classes.

A double-occupancy room at the Inn with a queen-sized bed goes for $137 night. A 3rd person on a fold-out futon bed can be added for just $15 more. This price includes a ski pass for the trail system and continental breakfast. If we get 10 rooms reserved, everyone will get 10% off, so tell all your knitting friends about this incredible opportunity to get your 2009 knitting off to a great start.

You've requested it, we're happy to do it, but we need your commitment to get this retreat off the ground! If you are interested please call Melanie at the store (755-9276) as soon as possible, so we can get our rooms reserved at the Izaak Walton. Right now there are only 16 rooms available for the weekend.

I know this is short notice, but after much planning it’s the only weekend this winter that works for us, Janet and the Izaak Walton. Don’t forget to give us your ideas for classes so we can see what Janet will come up with. And we will let you know ASAP what they will be.

Oh and how fun to ride the train from Whitefish to the Inn!

If you've got all the yarn, needles, and bags you could hope for, this retreat may be the perfect Christmas knitting gift for you."

I can tell you that the Izaak Walton Inn does have snow. I plan to take my cross-country skis and get out and enjoy the beautiful Montana scenery!

Snow on June 10:

Snow on December 10:

Oh, the irony.

Yesterday was fairly productive after all, thanks to my "home away from home." I went to my morning meeting, ran a few errands, and landed at Camas Creek around lunchtime. I asked Melanie if she minded if I went down to the basement to eat my lunch and watch my DVD (I needed to check and make sure the production company had fixed the glitches I found last week). They have a couch and a TV down there and it's quiet and out-of-the-way. She didn't mind in the least.

I popped across the street to Wheat Montana for a sandwich. It used to be one of my favorite places to get lunch. I have to say that I am getting more and more disappointed with their food, because they charge $8 for a sandwich and the fillings get skimpier every time I eat there—I could go to the grocery store deli and get a sandwich with twice as much meat and cheese for half the price, but I am trying to support a local company. Their bread is fabulous and it's all we eat here at home, but I'd like something besides bread in my lunch.

I took my lunch back to the shop and went downstairs, where Andy had set everything up for me. I watched the DVD, ate my lunch, and knit. When the DVD was finished, I took my knitting to the couch upstairs, and sat and visited with some other knitters until it was time to leave to go pick up DD#2. After I retrieved her from school, we ran back into town and got her sister, came home and made dinner, and then DD#1 and I went back into town for the Europe trip meeting.

So only two trips to town, and I got done most of what I would have been doing here if I had been home yesterday.

It's time to start a project and I can't decide: shawl or market bag? Neither? Both? I'm going to wander over to my chair with a cup of tea and look through some of my stitch dictionaries. I'm sure something will occur to me.

I'm trying to figure out how to avoid making three trips to town today. I have an appointment at 10 a.m., one that I can't change easily. DD#1 informed me last night that she has a National Honor Society group picture after school today. Could I pick her up at 4 p.m.? And then she and I have a Europe trip meeting at the high school at 6:30 p.m. This is how my day could go: Drive to town for my meeting, come home for a few hours, pick DD#2 up at school, drive back to town and pick DD#1 up at school, come home, drop DD#2 off and eat dinner, drive back to town for the meeting, come home. Do I really want to put 100+ miles on the truck today?

Alternate plan: Drive to town for my 10 a.m. meeting, stay in town and go hang out at Camas Creek for a while (do they want me there for four hours?) and knit on the current project (which is what I was going to do here at home), run out and pick DD#2 up, come back to town and get DD#1, get dinner for all three of us, and haul DD#2 to the meeting with DD#1 and me. That scenario involves less driving, but I am not saving any money because I am buying both lunch and dinner in town and besides, I won't be home to make the husband any dinner.

Aaarrrrggggh. I'll probably just suck it up and make the three trips. If we weren't down to one truck between DD#1 and me, this wouldn't be an issue—she could just driver herself to school today and I'd only have to make two trips. Two trips to town in a day I can handle. It's the three trips to town in a day that sends me over the edge, and I enjoy driving.

The Soie Bambou arrived from Elann yesterday. The Lion Wool seems to be stuck in limbo in Kalispell somewhere. According to the tracking info, it's been in town since Friday and was supposed to be delivered yesterday. Hmmm—nope.

Courtesy of Google Alerts and a Ravelry note from Jen, I got a link to Jen's blog Rainy Day Knits, where she posted a picture of her finished Blue Hornet Cardigan (originally the Green Hornet Pullover pattern in the Fall 2007 issue of Twists and Turns©). Great job, Jen!

I am so looking forward to the next round of shots. At least I'll know to load up on Advil ahead of time.

I've been exploring the wonders of Facebook lately. I joined a while ago and never went any further with it, but about a month ago, all of the husband's and my friends from college joined (our college had an enrollment of 800 students when we were there, so we knew just about everyone). We've been having a mini-online reunion. My sister is on it, as are my two sisters-in-law, some of my knitting friends—and my 16 year-old daughter. Her band director loves to take pictures, and it's been fun to see her and her friends in all the band pictures he posts. It's also rather cool to introduce her to all of our college friends—the ones who remember the husband as someone quite different than the dad of a high school junior.

The husband is both horrified and fascinated by Facebook. He can't believe that people would want that level of communication with each other, and yet I think secretly, he likes to know what's going on with people we know.

I didn't quite finish DD#2's sweater last week as planned. It was done except for the sleeves. I am knitting them from the top down, which is a lovely and slick technique. I got one sleeve about half-completed yesterday; that was much less than I had planned but another project I was involved in elsewhere took longer than expected. I told her that she—as the designer of the sweater—needs to come up with a name for it for the newsletter. It should be interesting to see what she calls it.

My black Lion Brand Lion Wool for the Europe Sweater hasn't come yet, although according to the tracking number, it was in Kalispell as of Friday.

I've done a bit of rearranging of projects for the Spring issue. Last week I was swatching for the last sweater project for that issue when I realized there are already three sweaters scheduled. That issue really needs some kind of accessory pattern(s). I've had an idea for a beaded cable-and-lace shawl kicking around in my head. I couldn't find the kind of yarn I wanted in my stash or at Camas Creek, so I ordered some of this from Elann.

It hasn't come yet, either. I can't wait to see it, because I think it will be perfect for what I have in mind. I've always been pleased with the yarns I have ordered from Elann. And orders don't take long to get here, which is nice.

Speaking of orders, I am working very hard to get at least a couple dozen copies of the DVD available for Christmas ordering. Stay tuned—I'll make a general announcement as soon as I have concrete details, hopefully this week.

A thousand apologies to my knitting friend who was sitting in front of me; if you get the flu, I will buy you that yarn we talked about as penance.

I've decided not to spend the $100 on flu shots for all of us next year, if I am going to get it anyway. Yeah, I know all about the fact that the flu shots don't cover every version of the virus, blah blah blah. It still irritates me.

I think I have to miss Artwalk in downtown Kalispell tonight. Bummer. I had such fun there last year at Camas Creek grand opening. I wanted to be there to celebrate with Melanie and Andy tonight. But I don't want to spread flu virus to more people than I did last night.

This is early for flu season here in Montana. Usually February is our big flu month. Part of the reason I got a flu shot was because I didn't want to get the flu in February, just as I was heading to Europe.

I'm just a ray of sunshine this week, aren't I?

Friends of ours on the fire department have a son the same age as DD#1. Both of them are in band and they have most of their classes together. We always end up sitting together at band events, along with the pastor from our church and this boy's aunt. His aunt was telling me last night that he wants to learn to knit. I talked to him briefly after the concert and he said that if I were willing to teach a class, he could bring me 8 or 9 other kids who also want to learn to knit. His aunt volunteered to host the class at her house, so I am going to try to make this happen before Christmas. It should be fun!

I just built a fire in the fireplace and now I am going to sit in my recliner and knit.

I stopped at the auto parts store to pick something up for the husband. That store has an incredible truck-UNfriendly parking lot, which is just hugely ironic considering that most of the patrons who frequent that store ARE driving trucks. Go figure.

Here is the view from the driver's seat of my truck:

I had to turn around and do some maneuvering to get out of the lot. Imagine, if you will, that I am sitting in the parking lot of the auto parts store. Just behind that pillar at the left of the truck cab is a very skinny light pole—so skinny that it is completely hidden behind the pillar. Now imagine that I look around, make sure my way is clear, turn the wheel so I am heading to the left, put the truck in gear, step on the gas, and run right smack into the damn light pole hiding behind the pillar. It made a very sickening crunch, and caused a young man working in the gas station next door to run over and see what happened.

This is the damage:

It doesn't look like much from this angle, but the headlight is duct-taped back into its socket, and the fender and bumper are both dislocated and misshapen.

The young man and his boss at the gas station were wonderful—they duct-taped the light back into the socket and made sympathetic clucking noises over me. (Actually, the boss agreed with me when I said it was a really dumbass move on my part, which is quite comforting in its own way—if you're going to drive a truck like mine, you have to cowboy up and not be a sissy about it.) The husband met me at the school and made sure there wasn't any hidden damage that would prevent me from driving it (I had to go back to town). I called the insurance company and they were quite helpful. We've been customers of this particular company for 20 years with only one minor claim in that time, so the woman I spoke with said she doubted this would affect my premiums. They are sending out an adjuster and from there it's just a matter of getting it into a body shop and getting it fixed. And that's the purpose of vehicle insurance.

The husband was his usual sanguine self. His mantra is, "It is what it is, so deal with it and move on." He's much better at that than I am.

That pillar is a huge design flaw in this truck. I learned long ago that it creates a wicked blind spot and normally I am aware of that and compensate for it. Our road has a number of left-turning corners to navigate, and I'll often head around a corner and not realize a vehicle is coming in the other direction until it passes my driver's side window. I just wasn't expecting a light pole.

I picked DD#1 up after school and we went over to the health department to begin our series of immunizations for our Europe trip. She got the Tdap; I got the Tdap and TwinRix, which is the HepA/HepB combo. Both my arms hurt and I woke up this morning feeling like I am coming down with something. I hope it's just a slight reaction to the shots and not another round of the flu (for which I got a flu shot in October and have already had once since then). We both have to go back in January to get our typhoid shots, and I'll need the next TwinRix. It was a lovely end to a lovely day. Ugh.

This is the part about "producing stuff" that I dislike intensely. It's the places where things get bogged down and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I suppose it doesn't help that I am working on Cables 2, which is another project of epic proportions. Even my usual practice of breaking big projects down into manageable segments doesn't seem to be all that helpful, although I got quite a bit of work done on the book and on my knitting projects yesterday.

The husband is trying to keep our employees working while they wait for a job to be ready to pour concrete, so they are coming over today to go logging in our woods. They are going to skid out the downed trees and cut them up for firewood. I am supposed to spend the day working but I do so love to play lumberjack. The smell of freshly-cut pine logs is intoxicating. I will take an hour or so out of my morning to go out and help.

We're having the weirdest winter. Here it is December, and we have no snow. Right now it's raining. This could be one of those very open winters followed by six months of non-stop rain. That has happened before. Or we could be inundated with white stuff in January and February. I don't much care either way, as long as we get sufficient moisture to keep the fires at bay next summer.

Chester is doing fine (he is also wondering where the snow is). He's bulking up now that he is on that new dog food and his coat is nice and glossy and soft. I can tell he's annoyed that no one will play fetch with him; he trots hopefully around the yard with two tennis balls in his mouth. If and when it ever snows, I am sure he will spend most of his day entertaining himself by playing search and rescue with them.

I am two weeks into new thyroid meds. These were supposed to be temporary as I transitioned to yet another kind of meds, but I am feeling so good on this medication that I am going to ask my doctor if I can stay on it. He said this might happen. I stepped on the scale the other day and realized that I had lost five pounds without trying, after a year of not losing anything. It's not that I want to use thyroid meds as a weightloss tool, but having been skinny all my life, getting back to the weight I am supposed to be is my benchmark for adequate thyroid function. If my body has enough thyroid hormone, I won't be 30 pounds overweight.

A couple of things really caught my interest in this video. First, Jones says that he loves photography so much because it allows him to fall in love (with the world) over and over again. I long ago gave up trying to explain to people why I love knitting—and especially cables—so much. For me, it's like falling in love over and over again every time I cast on for a new project. So, I concluded that I am not as weird as I thought I was.

Second, he says that there is no one right answer to a creative problem. He gave as his examples some assignments for Nat Geo in which he had to provide a photographic "answer" to go with an article. I thought to myself, "It's just like that in knitting." I can say that I want to design a black cardigan; that's the creative "problem." I can answer that creative problem in many different ways: with my choice of yarn, choice of silhouette, choice of stitch pattern. Some of the "answers" may not be as visually appealing as others, but there is no single "right answer" to that creative problem.

I'm working on the last design for the Spring issue right now. I have some wonderful yarn and I know what kind of silhouette I want, but I was getting hung up with the stitch pattern. Much of yesterday was spent trying out different "answers"to the creative problem of what stitches will work well with the yarn and silhouette. I love what I finally decided to use, and I am falling in love with my knitting all over again.

Something else has happened during this video quarter at church, and I think it's really cool. I looked around during the video last week and there were three of us knitting and one of us working on a cross-stitch pattern. It's like a dam has burst. I used to be the only knitter, and I confined my knitting to business meetings. Now half a dozen of us regularly bring knitting projects to all our meetings and Sunday School—mostly charity projects. I keep a baby blanket in the truck to work on, and several of the other women are making prayer shawls. I can't quite bring myself to knit in church (although our pastor says he doesn't mind—he'd rather see people knitting than falling asleep), but I like it that we're all getting a lot of work done when we'd mostly be twiddling our thumbs.

My kids are bored (I am not bored, I have too much to do). We may make a grocery store run today to break up the tedium. They cleaned yesterday so I don't even have that to fall back on.

I saw it on someone else's blog, so the other day the girls and I stopped at the Starbucks in Kalispell and there they were! I bought one for myself as a birthday present.

Alert: I am actually going to talk about yarn and knitting.

DD#2 and I inventoried the stash of Brunswick Germantown the other night. I don't have enough black to knit a sweater, so I've been shopping for something else. It's at times like this that I seriously consider starting my own line of yarns. I know what I want and it doesn't exist.

I want to make myself a black, cabled cardigan that I can use when we go to Europe. My first choice of yarn would be a Bluefaced Leicester, but in a DK weight, not the Aran or worsted weights that are widely available. I want a worsted-spun, 3-ply or 4-ply yarn, NOT superwash. Ashland Bay Trading Company has this:

The Klickitat (on the left) is just about the perfect weight, but it only comes in natural. I am just not at the place right now where I want to dye my own yarn. Lot of places are selling BFL yarn, but it's all space-dyed and not good for cablework.

Cascade 200 would give me the gauge I want (as it's really closer to a light worsted than a true worsted yarn), but I am just not as enamored of that yarn as are lots of other knitters. Back when I started designing I made half a dozen sweaters with Cascade 220 and Plymouth Galway (basically the same yarn). My reaction when I pick up that yarn is "eh." It's like being offered a hamburger after you've tasted an elk steak.

And so I ordered a batch of black Lion Brand Lion Wool. If I can't have Brunswick Germantown, this is the next-best thing. I've already designed and knit two sweaters out of Lion Wool. It is a smooth worsted-style yarn and it wears like iron.

Before I can start that black cardigan, though, I have to get one more design cast on and knit for the Spring issue. That's on the schedule for today (we're not going shopping), as is the final run-through of the DVD, working on Cables 2, and putting the finishing touches on DD#2's sweater. I should have plenty to keep me busy, and the best part is that it's all knitting!

My friend Michelle, who splits subbing duties with me, brought me a balloon (she said the selection at the grocery store was pretty limited):

and some candy:

And at the end of the day, the first-graders brought me birthday cards and hugs:

It was a lovely way to spend my birthday.

I came home, did some knitting, and sat and talked to the husband while we watched football. My mother sent me a beautiful card with some birthday money (thanks, Mom!) which presents me with a dilemma: I don't know what to buy myself. I need to think on that a bit.

I got the (hopefully) final version of the DVD yesterday. I'll watch it this weekend and it should be available for sale in a couple of weeks.

And because we desperately need a picture (even a four decades-old one), here I am at my first birthday party. Love that doll cake!

A friend of mine was going to take me out to lunch today, but our school secretary had a death in her family and I am subbing for her today. I was already on the schedule to sub for her tomorrow, so I just told her to stay home with her family and I'd cover both days. The kids only have two days of school this week.

I've already told the husband and the girls that all I want to do from Wednesday to Sunday is cook Thanksgiving dinner and knit. I might take them to a movie on Thursday afternoon, but the rest of the time I just want to stay home. That will be my birthday present to myself.

It's a good thing I left home early yesterday morning. Kalispell now has two high schools. For the last four years I have judged at the old high school. I wandered in there yesterday morning and wondered why it was so quiet. Then I looked at my judging card. I was supposed to be at the other high school! I drove over there (it's about 15 minutes away) and arrived one minute before my scheduled judging time. Whew!

After judging, I headed to Camas Creek to work. It was a busy day! I had four new adult knitting students in the morning (the store gives free knitting lessons on Saturdays). I like teaching new knitters. Everything about knitting is a joy and wonder to them.

Last time I worked on a Saturday, traffic slowed down about 3 p.m. Not yesterday. In fact, I got a call at about 4 p.m. from a mother who wondered if she and her seven year-old daughter could come in and learn to knit. I said sure, I'll be here until 6 p.m. They got there around 5 p.m. The little girl was just adorable—very smart, and very motivated to learn to knit. She picked out some yarn and needles, I cast on, showed her how to make the knit stitch a couple of times, and away she went! She was already planning her next three projects (socks!—she wants to make socks!). Mom also learned to knit, although I think she'll be asking her daughter to help her, not the other way around. It was a nice end to the day.

My naturopath and his wife and kid wandered in, too. His wife knits. He looked surprised to see me and said, "What are you doing here?" I said, "Oh, this is another one of my many jobs."

Perhaps if it's light long enough and I am home long enough this afternoon, I'll be able to find something interesting to photograph.

I wanted to show you the Ford F-150 commercial we saw the other night while watching Cleveland play Buffalo, but it's not posted on YouTube (the other F-150 commercials are, just not this particular one). The commercial touts the wonders of the 2009 Ford F-150 and at one point makes the comment, "this truck isn't for you if all you haul is yarn." I heard that and almost fell off my chair. The husband was laughing so hard I thought he was going to fall out of his recliner. I told him I was going to load all my yarn—and I have a fair bit, mind you—into the bed of MY truck (which is coughDodgecough just a tad bigger than the F-150), take a picture, and send it to Ford. I do haul yarn with my truck. I've also hauled a two-ton pallet of clay, a load of floor tiles, lumber, and lots of other Very Heavy Stuff.

So there.

The husband said he was surprised that there was an advertising company out there which was once again risking the ire of knitters (and one knitter in particular) by making fun of us.

I am heading to the high school shortly to be a judge for the speech and debate invitational. I've done this for the past three years and it's great fun. The first year I judged legislative debate, which was fascinating, but takes about two hours. The past two years I've judged Lincoln-Douglas debate. That's a much shorter debate format. I'm hoping to do L-D again, as I have to be at Camas Creek to work at 10 a.m. (I judge at 8 a.m.). It's supposed to be a cold, rainy day. I hope we get lots of knitters in the store.

And Chester is still doing just fine. He wants to eat everything in sight, and he gets very annoyed when we won't play fetch. I'm gradually switching him over to a higher-calorie dog food recommended by the vet. What a lucky dog he is.

So I've dealt with that crisis. I was hoping to have a few days to decompress, but it looks like that is not to be. More unexpected stuff has come up. I am so looking forward to having a quiet Thanksgiving next week.

I was doing the daily debriefing to the husband the other night while cooking dinner, and halfway through I stopped and said, "You know, you used to be married to a famous knitting designer. Any idea where she went?" I do try to be flexible—stuff like this happens from time to time and I recognize that I need to put my work on the back burner and deal with it. But it really increases my stress level when I see work piling up on my desk.

I am hoping to have something really interesting to post tomorrow. I saw it during the Cleveland—Buffalo game on Monday Night Football.

He looks much better. The vet says he's not out of the woods yet, though. He wants to keep him on IV fluids for one more day, at which point he'll check his kidneys again. If we're lucky, this was an isolated crisis and he'll recover. If not, he will probably continue to decline.

I have to get Chester to the vet this morning. If you remember, Chester has Addison's disease, in which the body doesn't make enough cortisol. Without cortisol, you die (kinda like thyroid hormone). Fortunately we have a great vet who got Chester onto prednisone and fludrocortisone and for the most part he is stable and acts like a normal dog. Every so often, though, he gets more stressed-out than usual, uses up his cortisol supply, and "crashes." It almost always happens when we have houseguests, but occasionally happens for no reason.

And it's fast. I got home yesterday afternoon and noticed that he was drooling excessively (one of the signs of an imminent crash). I got half a prednisone (hidden in a piece of bread) into him right away, planning to give him another half a bit later.

A bit later he refused to eat, so I couldn't get any more prednisone into him. I hate when this happens, because the husband and I have to pry his mouth open and make him take it. Chesapeakes are very stubborn. I called the vet around 6 p.m., and he said to get two full prednisone tablets into him and see how he did (the usual daily dose is one-fourth of a prednisone tablet). When we've done that in the past, he's perked up within a couple of hours and been fine the next day. By bedtime last night he was better, but not great.

I am a bit distressed this morning to see he has not recovered like he normally does. He is still drooling, but he got up and went outside for a few minutes. I am going to call the vet in a bit and ask if I can drop the dog off on my way to my doctor's appointment. The vet said last night that he wants to do another blood test anyway this week to see if Chester's meds need adjustment, and he can also give him a cortisone shot that will work more effectively than the pills. And I would feel better having him somewhere where they can treat him immediately if he starts to go downhill.

The vet warned me two years ago when we discovered the Addison's that Chester might not have a normal lifespan (he turned 8 in July). I've made it my mission to keep this dog alive as long as possible (it's not only the dog who is stubborn). The vet has been wonderful—he doesn't mind my emergency calls on weekends, which is always when this seems to happen. Whenever he sees Chester he tells him what a lucky dog he is.

And I hope when I see my doctor this morning that we can get the new thyroid meds underway. I hate feeling like I am only operating with 50% of my brainpower and energy, especially when these unforeseen crises pop up.

The stromboli-making turned out to be a rousing success. The kids had a great time making it, and everyone had a great time eating it. Choir practice was terrific. Our choir is the biggest it has been in a long time (the children of those of us who usually sing are now also singing with us). Even though I am not playing the accompaniment for the performance, I love to play it for practice and listen to all the voices. We are a church full of accomplished singers.

Off to town. Wish me luck.

So I will go up to the church at 8 a.m. and help supervise the stromboli making. There really isn't any point in coming home; we also have choir practice after lunch. I can't sing with this cold (unless it's with the basses), but I have to play parts on the piano. We're using an accompaniment CD for the actual performance, but in order for everyone to learn their parts, we practice with the piano, first. Me not there = no way to practice.

The husband says I have an overblown sense of duty (thanks, Mom) and that other people can pick up the slack. He's right—to a point. Not everyone can play parts so the choir can learn a piece of music.

Enough whining.

I went back to Camas Creek for an hour or so yesterday morning and marveled at the lovely gloves the students were making in Terri's Selbuvotter class. I hope that Terri enjoyed her visit and comes back again. I would liked to have spent more time visiting with her, but I really wanted to come home and rest knit. So I did.

I worked on DD#2's design for a while, but I ran into a snag and ripped out most of what I had gotten done. The issue is with the placement of the armhole openings. I knit the body in one piece because the yarn is chunky and I didn't want seams. However, the front is cabled and the back is plain stockinette (thus, differing gauges) and I really need to block the body to determine where to place the armhole openings. The swatch bloomed and grew quite a bit; I know the sweater will do the same thing. So I put the body on a piece of waste yarn and I'll wash it today.

I did get a nice surprise when I came home yesterday. Apprently the three other people who live here realized that I wasn't joking when I said that we DON'T have a maid and that the house doesn't magically clean itself, especially when I am out running construction company and school errands. The husband organized the girls and they swept, mopped, dusted and cleaned the living room and all of the bathrooms. (I was tempted to come through and mess things up like they do when I clean, but I am not that crue—and besides, I wanted to enjoy the cleanliness.)

The earrings came out. My ears were starting to bother me so I took one of the earrings out and was suprised to see how red and angry the hole looked (you couldn't see that with the earring in). Rather than tempt fate, I just took them out. I think I will just have to refrain from wearing those earrings except on special occasions when I only leave them in for a few hours. Bummer.

It has one flaw—it doesn't work if you don't take it. I have been really good about drinking a glass of Emergen-C every morning and this year have avoided all but one very minor cold (which I got right after school started). However, I've been so busy this week running hither and yon that I completely forgot to take the stuff. And guess what I have now? A cold.

I will double-up on the Emergen-C for the next couple of days. It might not make the cold go away, but it should help make it less annoying.

I went to Terri Shea's presentation at Camas Creek last night. Wow! It was fascinating, and Terri is an energetic and engaging teacher. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to retrieve children from evening activities. I don't do a lot of stranded knitting, but I love knitting history. Terri told us about Marit, an enterprising 16 year-old girl who designed the first pair of Selbuvotter and launched an entire knitting tradition. And at some point (I don't remember the exact date), a law was passed in Norway that allowed women knitters to keep all of the income they earned instead of having to turn it over to their husbands. Yay Norway!

I was going to spend the day at Camas Creek, but I think I am only going to go in for an hour or so. What I really want is to stay home, build a fire, make a pot of soup, and sit in my chair and knit. There has been precious little actual knitting happening here lately.

The earrings are still in, but unfortunately my ears are still mildly itchy. I haven't had earrings in for a number of years, so I am wondering if the holes just need to heal up and become tough again the way they do after an intial piercing. I'll give it a few more days.

What are all of you knitting?

That is my ear. With an earring in it. It has been there for twelve hours (which is eleven hours and 59.9 minutes longer than I've been able to wear any other earrings). I bought a pair of titanium earrings to see if I could wear them. The experiment has not been an unqualified success—my ears are still slightly red and itchy, but the discomfort is bearable. I am going to see how long I can wear these earrings without my ears getting infected. If it turns out I cannot wear titanium, palladium is my last hope (and I hear it's pretty expensive). All I want is one nice pair of earrings that I can wear comfortably.

The husband assures me that he doesn't care if I wear earrings or not, but I told him it's not about him. It's about me. And I am at a loss how someone could be so allergic to metal.

Doreen, if you're still reading this blog, do you remember a Darkover story about poisoned metal catenas bracelets that caused the wearer to do strange things? She only got relief when she wrapped the bracelet in a cloth so that it was no longer touching her skin? That's what I feel like.

Other news and updates: The visit with our accountant went well. He had some comforting information about the local economy.

We had a fire department meeting last night and got the news that the 911 center bond finally did pass—by something like 206 votes. God bless those 206 people. Work on the center will begin in the spring and hopefully dispatch will be in the new center a year from now. We're also getting new repeaters on top of some of the mountains which will help get the signals out to us. One of the county commissioners is a member of our fire department and I am so impressed at the amount of work he has done to make this a reality. I just think it's a shame that there are 20,000+ people in Flathead County who believe that quality emergency service is a luxury and one they don't want to pay for.

And this is a big weekend at Camas Creek Yarn—Terri Shea, author of Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition, will be presenting a talk on the subject, and teaching a workshop at the store tomorrow. I didn't sign up for the class (there were only 10 spots and I wanted knitters in Kalispell to have a chance to experience it), but I'll be at the store tonight and tomorrow to help out. Terri is a fellow self-publisher and I am excited about getting to meet her in person.

The husband and I had a long talk about the current state of affairs last night. I could obssess endlessly about things so it's nice to have him around for periodic reality checks. Both of us think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Fortunately, I am relatively conservative with our finances. Four of us live on a lot less than most people, and that includes paying for our own health insurance. We've been self-employed for 20 years—and there were some pretty lean times in there. So while we think we're positioned to ride out this economic downturn, the big unknown is how much we'll be affected by other peoples' inability to do so.

It just fries me, for example, that there will be homeowners getting their mortgages rewritten to much more favorable terms than we have, just because they overextended themselves and were irresponsible with their finances. I half-jokingly said to the husband the other night that perhaps I won't pay the mortgage for three months just to see if the bank calls and offers to do the same for us. Of course they won't—they need responsible people like us to help pay for the losses they are going to take rewriting all those loans.

Sophfronia Scott (who is married to an old friend of mine), was one of the authors of the Time Magazine article in 1990 that introduced the term "Generation X." From her bio page:

Just one month after graduating in 1988 Sophfronia went to work for Time Magazine. She started off as a researcher but, in early 1990, she and colleague David Gross conceived a cover story that came to be known as “Twentysomething”. They became the magazine’s youngest cover story writers and in the process sparked a worldwide social examination of the phenomenon then known as Generation X.

One of the things I remember about that article was a sentence to the effect that we Gen X'ers are the ones who are going to come behind and pick up the pieces after the world goes to hell in a handbasket. It looks like the world is well on its way to hell, so I guess we should get our brooms and shovels ready.

Moving on to less depressing topics . . .

DD#2 designed a sweater and I think I am going to include it in the Spring issue of the newsletter. She told me what she wanted, and now I am knitting it up (it's weird to be the test-knitter instead of a designer). The sweater is so darling that I'd like to knit one for myself. It should be done in another week or so—the yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Chunky on size 9 needles. It's a fast knit.

I'd like to knit myself a cardigan to wear on the Europe trip. It should be either gray or black so I can wear it with all my outfits. I know I have some black Brunswick Germantown in my stash; the question is, "Do I have enough?" I think a visit to my stash is in order. I thought about making it in the new Rowan Bluefaced Leicester yarn (I picked up a batch of that a few months ago), but I am not sure how practical a cream-colored spostCount('Ready for 2009'); weater would be. Oh well. Something along those lines will be next up in the queue, along with another design for the Spring issue.

became this:

and then this:

and finally, this:

What is "this"? It's an eastern European pastry called kolache (that's just one of many permutations of the spelling, depending upon what area of eastern Europe one's family hails from). It's a sweet dough filled with ground walnuts, or poppyseed, or lekvar—prune butter. I grew up eating kolache and many of my favorite memories from my childhood have to do with this stuff, like the year someone in my family came up with the idea of making lots of kolache to sell for Christmas. For several weekends, my mother, her three sisters, and their mother gathered in my grandmother's kitchen and churned out kolache after kolache to fill orders. And yes, five women together in a kitchen is exactly as bad as you're imagining right now.

When the husband and I got married, my two grandmothers engaged in "kolache wars." They would both show up at church and one would say, "I made 12 kolache for Janet's wedding!" and the other one would say, "I made 15 kolache for Janet's wedding!" We did not lack for kolache at the wedding.

I've made kolache enough times that people around her anticipate my Christmas baking and I've already gotten questions about the availability of this year's batch. I like to do it in early November, before things get crazy.

Alas, making kolache at sea level is much easier than making it up here in the mountains. One year I could not get the dough to rise to save my life. Yeast behaves differently 4000 feet up, apparently. Yesterday I took no chances. I bought fresh yeast and used it generously—perhaps too generously, because if you look at the second picture, you can see how big the dough got! The kolache came out okay, but the dough rose a bit too much and the kolache are more like bread and less like pastry. We're still eating them. I'll pass this batch around to people who don't know any better and make a second batch to put in the freezer. I think my grandmother uses the refrigerator version of that sweet yeast dough, so I think I'll try that with the second batch.

Did you notice my nice bread board? My mother had a similar one that always got used for baking anything, and when I got married, my sister had one made for me. It weighs about 25 pounds but it's impossible to make kolache without it.

I am still knitting, just nothing picture-worthy.

I love the fact that Camas Creek is a place that's comfortable for everyone. We have lots of guys come through there, whether they are husbands of knitters or knitters themselves. Some get a cup of coffee and park themselves in a comfy chair to read a magazine, some help their wives choose projects, and the occasional guy chooses yarn for a project for himself.

I've made enough trips to the auto parts store and the lumber yard that I now speak fairly fluent guy-talk, but it took a while to reach that point. When guys come in to Camas Creek (for whatever reason) I don't want them to feel like they wandered in to the wrong place. I'm sure it helps that Melanie's husband—who is usually dressed as though he's about to go hang out in the wilderness for few days—is often at the store.

It was steadily busy Saturday. I got there about 10 a.m., looked at my watch and it was time for lunch, then looked at my watch again and it was 3 p.m. I taught four beginning knitters. Now that I am trying to teach myself to play the guitar, it was very easy to sympathize with their frustration at not being able to make their brain communicate with their hands.

Squeamish alert: stop reading now. The husband got a deer last night. I was cooking dinner and he called me to come down the road and pick him up (there is a bunch of state land across the road so he doesn't have to travel far to hunt). As I was driving down the road, a HUGE buck walked out right in front of my truck. It was enormous, with a huge rack. I was shocked, as most of the bucks know the minute hunting season starts and disappear. Of course, I didn't have a rifle and it walked right onto private property.

The husband got a doe; he got two B tags and one A tag this year so he could afford to take something a bit smaller than trophy—or as he put it, "to at least get on the scoreboard." DD#2 was hassling him this week about not having gotten a deer yet. The three of the plowed through last year's supply of deer jerky like there was no tomorrow, and she was concerned that we weren't going to have any this year. (Nothing like pressure from one's kids to make hunting really enjoyable.)

I'll take the deer to the processor today and we should have more jerky in a week or so. A local recycling place takes hides and gives a nice pair of leather gloves in exchange. And the husband still has two weeks left to impress his kids with his hunting ability.

TKGA's Spring Knit and Crochet Show will be held in Portland the weekend of May 14-17, 2009!

I plan to submit teaching proposals; if they are accepted, you can bet I will be there again.

Check out the Gallery from the Fall Knit and Crochet Show. You have to search a bit, but there are a few pics of me in there. In one I am teaching, in another I am in the group of Master Knitters at the banquet, and in the last one I am with ChrissyG, Lily Chin, and Chrissy's friend whose name escapes me at the moment (sorry!). We're all standing in Chrissy's booth (Gardiner Yarnworks) at the Market and I am wearing a very comfortable top that makes me look 7 months pregnant. And my cowboy boots.

One of the activities on my to-do list yesterday was winding yarn. I've got a bunch of projects for which the yarn is still in skeins, and work on those projects had stalled. I wound the yarn and put it all in the basket by my knitting chair. And I got the latest round of swatches scanned in to Cables 2, so work is continuing on that.

I'm in kind of holding pattern on this thyroid thing. My doctor wants to try a different treatment protocol, but the thyroid meds we're going to use have to be ordered from an out-of-state pharmacy. I feel better than I did a few weeks ago, although I wouldn't say I am at 100%—more like 75%. I'll be on this new protocol for 3-6 months.

I am working at Camas Creek today. I told Melanie that I would be available as a sub or a floater if someone else couldn't come in to work. I'll probably end up doing just a couple of days a month. On Saturdays the store offers free knitting lessons, so that's what I'll be doing if any newbie knitters come in. It should be fun!

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Intelligence

Intelligence (also called intellect) is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, plan, and solve problems. And you? Your brain shines. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your intelligence runs deepest.

It is likely you're a smarty-pants. And it's likely (but not necessary) that your discipline score is high also. It takes a certain resolve to maintain all those neural thingies.

Intelligent famous people: Einstein, Shakespeare, Da Vinci.

Your raw relative scores follow. 0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible. Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.

YOUR VIRTUES

20% Compassion

78% Intelligence

38% Humility

56% Honesty

63% Discipline

43% Courage

33% Passion

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Of course, there are always exceptions: I taught kindergarten for two days; you'd think I would have figured this out: there were two little girls sitting at two different tables. Both had cute, round faces and dark, wavy hair. I kept getting their names mixed up because they were so hard to tell apart. I mentioned this to DD#2 after school and she said, "Oh, you mean the twins?"

Yes, apparently there are twin sisters in that class and that fact totally escaped me. But I'm still pretty smart.

I plan to stay home today. Kindergarten notwithstanding, I didn't see much of the best of humanity around here this week. Instead, I saw a lot of attitudes and behavior that made me angry and sad. I'd rather be home with my family and my knitting. I've got about two dozen sw

This is one of the Blobble Mittens. The stitch pattern creates a bump that's not really a bobble, but more of a blob—hence the name. It's hard to find cable patterns that look good in the small real estate of a mitten, but this pattern worked nicely. The little blobs are in the form of ribbing, so the mitten snugs up on the hand. I'm not usually a mitten person, but I like these a lot.

[Yes, that's snow on the grass behind my hand.]

And this is the True Love Knot Pillow. It features a knot that I translated into knitted form after a discussion on one of the Ravelry forums. I've made the chart available as a free download. It's used here on a pillow, the pattern for which will be in the Winter issue.

This project is an example of me running out of steam on a design. It was getting close to deadline time and it took me a fair bit of experimenting to chart the knot and then knit it up. I crocheted the two pieces of the pillow together but I wasn't happy with the way it looked. I tried I-cord. Nope. I tried some other techniques. Finally I went back to crocheting the pieces together. It's okay, but I still think it needs something.

Because I have to churn out four newsletters year full of designs, I've just had to let go of my personal expectation that every single design is going to be a masterwork. Some of them are, but some fall short. The creation of that love knot cable was no small feat, so I am still pleased with what I came up with.

The 911 center bond is passing by a margin of only 200 votes, and we won't know the official outcome until all the absentee votes are counted. I just can't believe that anyone would vote "no" on something like that, but I've seen it happen here before. I just want to shake those people and ask them how they'd like to pay for a full staff of firefighters at their fire stations instead of this much smaller cost which will make it possible for volunteers to continue to respond to emergencies. My husband gives up a lot to serve as a volunteer firefighter and EMT and it disappoints me that his neighbors don't value that enough to pony up an extra $6 a year. So much for "community."

DD#1 and I went to a dinner/meeting last night about our trip to Europe in February. We all had to pick rommates. Fortunately the mother of one of DD#1's friends is going on the trip, too, and she is a knitter, so we're rooming together. I've already started thinking about what I can take with me that won't require a lot of space in the suitcase. I think it will probably a lace shawl of some sort.

I am waiting to hear the results of our county bond issue for a new 911 center. Our emergency dispatch system is fragmented, understaffed, and uses equipment we purchased used from a large east-coast city way back in 1981. In the 15 years that the husband has been on the fire department, the number of fire department dispatches that we miss has risen dramatically (we miss them because the aging equipment is no longer able to get the signal out to our house). We've had to install a scanner in our house; the fire department bought us a special pager; and in the past couple of months we've had to set up a telephone system with our neighbor—who is also on the department—to make sure neither he nor the husband is missing a big call. Sometimes those extra fixes work, sometimes they don't.

This is a $6.9 million dollar bond issue, and will levy an additional $6 per $200,000 taxable property value per year. The fact that it's only "narrowly passing" in early vote tallies just frosts me. I just hope that the people who refused to give up a couple of lattes and voted "no" on the bond issue never have a house fire, or a loved one having a heart attack, because if the VOLUNTEER fire department members don't get the message that someone needs help, no one will show up.

I love Montana, but sometimes not the people who live here. Getting any kind of bond passed to provide additional services is like pulling teeth. People vote down anything that might raise their taxes (six dollars, people!), and yet they expect all kinds of services to appear like manna from heaven. Missoula has a similar bond issue on their ballot and I see that it's NOT passing.

There is one thing that I wish would change about this country, and it's the attitude of selfish entitlement that seems to have developed in my lifetime. Imagine where we could be as a country if everyone just gave up a little—gave up some money, some time, or even gave up some of their selfish attitude. It's about all of us, not just some of us.

I wish I had some knitting news to share with you. Things have been so topsy-turvy here in the past week that I haven't been working on anything besides swatches for Cables 2. But I've gotten all sorts of neat new yarns from Camas Creek and I am waiting for a chance to knit some of them up. Stay tuned.

I had great fun in kindergarten yesterday. My friend Michelle was the sub for the other kindergarten teacher. Our classrooms were right next to each other, and we had a good time. The nice thing about kinders is that they get 1) a lot of recesses to burn off all that excess energy and 2) quiet time right after lunch.

We had a bit of confusion in the morning about what to call me. Some of the kids know me from church or the neighborhood. I introduced myself to the other kids as "Mrs. S-------" (I go by the husband's name at school because it's much less confusing and easier to pronounce than "Szabo") and one of the little boys who knows me blurted out, "But your name is 'Janet'!" So then I had 15 kinders calling me Janet. We compromised on Mrs. Janet and that seemed to satisfy them.

It's all good.

My teeth are clean and I have no cavities, although I am heading back early this morning to have some cosmetic work done. A couple of months ago I bit into a piece of hard candy and chipped the bottom of one of my front teeth. It's a tiny tiny chip and I wasn't even going to have it fixed, but the dentist said she could do it easily and it wouldn't require any anesthesia. I dread getting fillings because I often require ridiculous amounts of Novacaine. Two years ago I had a filling replaced on one of my teeth and they had to shoot me up with so much Novacaine that I got a large bruise on my face. For a week I looked as though the husband had backhanded me.

The school just called and I need to be Mrs. Janet again today after my dentist appointment. Michelle is an election judge today, so she'll be at school, but not subbing.

Oh, and I got my blood test back and—as I suspected—the levels were high. I have an appointment with my doctor in two weeks. In the meantime, I am going to increase my thyroid meds back to what I was taking last January when I felt so much better. Maybe I can get something accomplished.

Oh, yeah. I have to build up some callouses on my fingers. I also need a good chord chart. And at least I'm not trying to learn music theory at the same time.

I read a very interesting book over the summer—This Is Your Brain on Music.

In it, the author (David Levitin), talks about the various ways the human brain process music and what it does with it. I found one of his ideas very intriguing: although some people seem predisposed with a greater amount of musical talent, he believes that anyone can become an expert at anything after a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice.

So if someone can find me another 24 hours in the day in which to practice, it will only take me 416 days to become an expert guitar player. I'll settle for becoming a simply okay guitar player. It's not like I'm going to join a band or anything. I just wish I had done this 35 years ago when my brain was way more plastic.

I was gone most of the weekend, so the knitting time was pretty minimal—hence the off-topic blog posts. I've got a dentist appointment (cleaning) this morning and then I am off to the school. I just got a call that about half the staff is out with some virus, so I will be subbing in kindergarten. They get to take naps in the afternoon. I may just join them.

Our chief likes to refer to our fire department as "the Creston Fire family," and he's right. Our lives are intertwined in ways that have nothing to do with fire or medical emergencies. The whole department watches the Super Bowl together every year. We celebrate our birthdays and our kids' birthdays. We go to the same church. Our kids go to the same schools. And it doesn't matter if you just joined the department or you've been there 20 years. If you wear the Creston turnouts, you belong to us.

The gentleman whose wife died this week hasn't been in Montana long. They moved here about two years ago and he joined the department a year ago. Her family lives in Canada and they will have a service there later this month. Our department pulled together and gave her a memorial service here because he is a member of the Creston Fire family. He was completely blown away that we would do such a thing. A dozen people put together a meal of baked chicken, cole slaw, potato salad, and carrot cake. Someone else made a PowerPoint presentation of pictures of his wife. When her family leaves, he will be by himself. We wanted him to know that he won't be alone.

He shared a story at the service about moving here. Friends of theirs from the east coast came to visit and after a day or so his friend said to him, "Why do you wave at everyone you see? Do you know all these people?" He told his friend, "No, I don't know them. I wave at everyone because that's what they do here."

That's what we do here.

I've got my computer back—temporarily. It sat in the repair shop all week because my computer guy was extremely busy. I popped into the shop yesterday and even though he was on his way out the door for yet another site visit, he stopped and took my machine back to the workbench and opened it up. After 20 minutes of looking and listening, we determined that the backup drive is the one that is flaking out (it very obligingly made a nice clunking noise), so he popped it out and I brought the computer home. We'll replace the backup drive first, and then the main drive just to be on the safe side.

Working without a backup drive makes me nervous, but I really couldn't stand to be without my desktop computer. My laptop is not a slug. However, it only has one processor and my desktop has eight. It's the difference between driving a Yugo and a Maserati. I can work on the laptop for a few days, but any longer and I start to twitch.

It's been rather a trying week (remember what I said about "quiet weeks" and "unexepcted emergencies"?—see last month's blog). We had a family emergency (not my immediate family, but a cousin), and the wife of one of our firefighters died. My cousin is okay. The death of the firefighter's wife was not unexpected—she had Lou Gehrig's Disease—but it still required some last-minute preparations for the memorial service this afternoon.

And I am waiting on the results of that second thyroid test I had ten days ago. It's an unusual test and the local hospital can't do it. They have to send it to Spokane and the results take a minimum of a week to arrive. My doctor isn't in the office on Fridays, so if the results arrived late Thursday (which would have been a week), he won't see them until the beginning of next week.

I spent this past Monday afternoon cleaning the living room—moving furniture, dusting, mopping the hardwood floor, etc.—and on Tuesday I was so wiped out I could hardly get out of my knitting chair. An afternoon of cleaning should not do that to me. Before I was diagnosed hypothyroid, though, that was a regular occurrance. I got really good at portioning out my energy reserves, so if I knew I had to go somewhere in the evening, I made sure I didn't overdo it during the day. I hate that it's happening again. I would like to be able to stop complaining about not having enough energy to get everything done that I need to.

Of course, being stuck in my knitting chair with no computer means that I did get a fair bit of knitting done—swatches for Cables 2. I've designed some really cool cable stitch patterns. A couple of them are just screaming to be used in a project. I need to knock out another half a dozen swatches, though, and get everything scanned in and placed in the book layout. Lots to do.

I didn't come in with a plan; I just decided to start punching some wool into the swatch and see what happened. I would have done more, but I had to leave early to pick a kid up from a party. Darn.

I wouldn't give up knitting for this, but this technique is great fun and a wonderful stress-reliever (like for after going to Costco). I think my kids would get into this—I'll have to see if they want to make some Christmas presents. The class was full, Melanie had cheese and crackers and other goodies, and Bev is a wonderful teacher. It was a great way to spend a Friday evening.

I am heading back to the store this morning to help out. They are hosting a trunk show and Bev has lots of cool stuff with her. I hope we get a good turnout!

Of course, I do have to finish the Winter issue and get it to the printer, and I am sure that we will need some groceries at some point, but the rest of the time is mine—all mine—to utilize or squander as I see fit.

What shall I do?

I have a book to finish and I need to knock out about three dozen swatches. That will certainly be on the schedule. I'm supposed to have draft #2 to my tech editor by November 1.

I need to figure out the logistics of getting this DVD reproduced and packaged so I can make it available. I've done a little bit of this research in that direction, but not all of it.

The house could use a more thorough cleaning than it's been getting lately. I spent an hour or so this morning rearranging my office and putting some books in boxes to store until the new bookshelf I ordered arrives. I have no restraint when it comes to books and they are threatening to take over.

I've put off getting the hard drive(s) in my computer replaced because I was trying to get the newsletter done. I am walking on thin ice, however, and the computer needs to spend a day or two at the repair shop before everything collapses. I have been making lots of backups. I can't tell if it's the main drive or the backup drive.

I have no doubt some emergency (besides the impending hard drive collapse) will present itself. Nature abhors a vacuum, you know.

I had another blood test yesterday. It was one I should have insisted on including in last week's batch and didn't. My naturopath put me on a treatment protocol that I didn't agree with, so I called and asked for this blood test to determine if I am right about what is going on or not. My thyroid meds are not working. I am freezing cold all the time and now my skin and scalp are so dry that I itch horribly. Unfortunately it'll probably be Monday or Tuesday before I hear anything about the results.

It's a good thing I am a knitter and can make things that keep me warm.

And now, a sneak peek of a couple of the projects from the upcoming Winter issue. First, the husband modeling an Aran knit out of Lion Brand Lion Wool. He looked quite handsome in it. Donna, my test knitter, did an excellent job with the knitting of this design. (He didn't want his face in the photo, so I promised to crop it out.)

And the gray mohair sweater, which is one of those designs that is hard to do justice to in a photo. It's a simple stitch pattern and silhouette, but in person it's really gorgeous.

This issue includes a few smaller items: some childrens' hat patterns by a new designer, and a pillow with my knitted interpretation of a Celtic love knot symbol. It should be available mid-November. Watch this space.

I am feeling a slight bit of post-project letdown. I've got some gorgeous charcoal gray Harmony yarn from Fiber Trends, and as Bev Galeskas is going to be at Camas Creek this weekend, I'd like to get something on the needles. I have a design swatched; it's just a matter of getting the math done and some stitches cast on.

I read the article. I couldn't decide what to think—are these people nuts? am I missing something?—so I went to talk to the husband. He is the most rational person on the face of the planet. My father used to say that my middle name was "hyperbole," so it's tremendously useful to be married to someone who can look objectively at all situations.

The husband's take is that you never know what will happen, thus it's always good to be prepared, but it's doubtful that Armageddon is on the schedule tomorrow. And even if it did, we're better off than most people would be in that situation. He's got a fair bit of survivalist training. I have a good stockpile of food—I always have, because we could be without power for days in a snowstorm. The husband is well-armed. (He says the rate at which people are buying ammo has gone way up, but I think that's a consequence of the probablity that a Democrat will become president rather than the recognition that the world is about to descend into anarchy). I know how to grow and preserve food, and we all know that I have enough yarn to keep my family well-clothed far into the next century. We could go back to living in the 19th century without much trouble, although I would miss my computer and re-runs of Eureka.

[I might actually get to have real live sheep. There's a thought.]

And there is nothing like substitute teaching to take one's mind off the subject of whether one should have some kerosene lamps on hand just in case. I had a full day yesterday. I groaned when I got to school and saw that my first class was a mix of 7th- and 8th-graders and that we were supposed to practice singing some songs for an upcoming program. Ugh. But I rose to the challenge and by the end of the class I had those kids singing so loudly they could be heard down the hall. I rock.

At the end of the day I had the 5th-graders for beginning band and it was way too much fun. This group of kids is really good and there are a lot of them. Normally our beginning band has five or six kids. This is a group of fifteen. I told them that they played so well, it was hard for me to believe that they just picked up their instruments six weeks ago. I hope they all stick with it.

The first draft of the newsletter is done and with my tech editor. It's a lovely day—a bit bright for pictures, but later this afternoon there should be nice light outside. I haven't told the husband he needs to be a model for me. I know he's going to want to keep wearing the sweater once he gets it on.

Last night I taught a Ravelry class at Camas Creek Yarn. That was a lot of fun and I even stumbled across a couple new features I hadn't seen before.

I should be able to decompress tonight. Today I am scheduled to sub for the music teacher at DD#2's school. Last period is beginning band. That should be lots of fun. I love it when I get to be the band director and wave that skinny stick around.

I think the issue with the store software has been resolved. The developer of the software package which I installed most recently finally agreed to go in and take a look at my store, and he figured out what was happening. Things got activated during installation that shouldn't have, and when I tried to deactivate them, the whole system got mucked up. He un-mucked it (for lack of a better technical term). Normally I choose the "developer installation" option (an extra $10-25 charge) when I buy a software module for my store. The developer installation charge for this module was $100 (do you get the impression the developer doesn't want to install it for you?). The software module only cost $40. I decided to install it myself.

I would just like a week of smooth sailing. I think Mercury is out of retrograde now, so that should help.

Bev Galeskas of Fiber Trends is coming to Camas Creek again this weekend for another trunk show. I signed up for the needle felting class on Friday night. I've never done needle felting before and it looks like fun.

And finally, a picture from up at the retreat center where I spent the weekend. I had some free time so I took a walk. The area is filled with larches—an evergreen that loses its needles over the winter after they turn a brilliant yellow. It's one of my favorite trees. Last spring on the outdoor camping trip I found out that young larch needles are edible and taste like lettuce and a bit of lemon. It's always good to know these things in case one is ever lost in the wilderness (although I draw the line at eating bugs).

I've been feeling a bit like I've neglected the larger sizes in my patterns recently. I am trying to address that. The gray mohair sweater has been sized from a 17" chest width all the way up to a 27" chest width (five sizes total). Should I go larger? Things get a bit more problematic in terms of pattern grading as you approach the smaller and larger ends of the range. But if there is demand, I am not opposed to doing the work.

While I was at Camas Creek I picked up Franklin Habit's new book It Itches. I found that some of the cartoons hit fairly close to home. I've enjoyed reading his blog for some time now. I hope this book does well for him.

Dear Sister, I have not forgotten about your flowers. I need to get deadline knitting done first.

I got my flu shot last night at the fire hall. The husband's immunizations are paid for by the department, but spouses are allowed to get them at cost. This is much more convenient than trying to get them at the health department or a flu clinic. We didn't get flu shots last year and I paid for it—I got the flu twice within the space of a month. This year I am not taking any chances, especially as the Europe trip is in February, normally the height of our flu season.

Fran, you are right. There is never a dull moment around here.

I'll be at a retreat this weekend so don't look for another blog post until Sunday night at the earliest. We'll be up by Glacier Park; I'm taking the camera in case I get lucky and get some good wilderness shots.

I looked out my kitchen door and saw this:

Just to the left of the white horse, through a small clearing, is our neighbor's property. The horses must have decided that our grass tastes better than theirs and wandered over.

I got Chester and Rusty into the house (we lost a dog once because she liked to chase horses and got kicked in the side, and these two don't have the sense God gave a chicken) and went over to see if the neighbors were home. They weren't. I went back home and called Animal Control. They sent a very nice man out who spent about a half an hour going through the neighborhood trying to find the horses, who had since moved on. He found them and corralled them at another neighbor's house.

This happens at least a couple of times a year. Once it was a pack of llamas from down the road. When there were more free range cattle out here, they used to wander in and out. I know Animal Control doesn't like it when people don't keep their animals penned up, but a few horses don't bother me.

The gray mohair sweater is done except for the buttons. I'll pick those out tomorrow when I go to town. I really feel like I ran a marathon with this sweater. It took forever and it wasn't for lack of knitting on it. The other sweater design for the Winter issue arrived back from my test knitter yesterday and it's just stunning. I knew it was a cool design when I swatched it, but it's even cooler knitted up. It's a man's Aran and it really does look like a man's sweater. Carson, if you're reading this, you will love it—it's knit out of Cadet Blue Lion Brand Lion's Wool.

I spent yesterday working on the newsletter. I got the mohair sweater and a mitten pattern graded and written; the Aran pattern is written but still needs to be graded. The Aran itself will be washed and blocked today so I can get a picture of it. Lots to do.

Now we just have to keep playing like that for the rest of the season.

I am being plagued by computer issues. I installed some new software in my store a few weeks ago, and subsequently, orders stopped getting e-mailed to me. The terrific help desk guy at my hosting company helped me fix that problem. However, customers who order digital downloads are no longer receiving the links to download the files they purchase. That process is controlled by a different piece of software which worked perfectly until (what a coincindence) I installed this new software.

Gary (the help desk guru) suggested I contact the maker of the software that seems to be causing all the problems. I did. This programmer (it's a small company and he does tech support, too) really needs to work on his customer service techniques. His reply to my inquiry was rather nasty, implying that I—as the stupid customer—must have done something incorrectly during the installation and that was why I was having problems. He said I needed to contact the makers of the software that controls the digital file delivery because it was their problem, not his.

Okay . . . I don't think it is, but I was left with no recourse. I went to this other company's website to log a trouble ticket and their site was down. (By this time it was about 10:30 a.m. and I'd gotten nothing accomplished.)

I waited for their site to come back up and logged a trouble ticket. In the meantime, I went back and re-read the documentation for both pieces of software to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. I also got an e-mail from the programmer of the other piece of software, who apparently felt bad about his initial response to me because this time he offered up some possible fixes. I tried them. They didn't work.

While all of this is going on, one of my hard drives started making weird noises. I am pretty sure it's going to need to be replaced, but I don't have time to take my machine in and have it worked on. I need to get a newsletter done this week and I just can't do it on my laptop. I decided it was a good time to sign up for an online backup service (something I've been meaning to do for a while). I got the online account set up, but there were issues with my firewall settings and the files were getting copied over at something slightly less than glacial speed. I changed my firewall settings. Still no luck. I logged a trouble ticket with that company, too.

Finally, at around 2:30 p.m., I got a note from the help desk at the other software company saying they had received my trouble ticket and were looking in to the problem. I haven't heard anything further from them beyond the comment that "the two pieces of software might be incompatible with each other." Lovely.

So I got absolutely nothing done yesterday. I've really got to buckle down today and get the bones of this newsletter in place. Thank goodness most of the knitting is done. I've still got to get the band knitted on the gray mohair sweater, which I will do tonight after dinner. Wish me luck.

I like everything about the DVD except watching myself on film. I do need to loosen up a bit. It's so hard talking to a camera. Fortunately I am only on film for a couple of minutes at the beginning and the end. The rest of the time it's just my hands and my voice.

The production company owner has a cute little pug named Annie, and she's in the DVD in a couple of places. Next time I am going to make sure we introduce her on camera. The husband says I shouldn't let Rusty and Chester find out or they will be upset that they didn't get to be in the DVD.

I finished the body of the gray mohair sweater yesterday. All I have to do is the buttonband and then it's done. Denise, here is your picture:

It's a very subtle stitch pattern. The sweater is very warm. I'm going to try to get the band done tonight while I watch the Browns play the Giants on Monday Night Football. Of course, I may be too busy yelling at my football team to knit.

As part of a possible new treatment, I have to log my body temps for a week or two. I took my temperature every three hours yesterday and discovered that it never went above 97.7 F. Hmmm. My doctor thinks that may be a clue. I'm just glad he wants to help me get this figured out. As I said to him, I have a lot going on and I can't afford to lose days of work because I am feeling unmotivated. I know what is normal (read: healthy) for me and "unmotivated" is just about as far from normal as I could possibly get. The past few days have been horrible (hence the lack of blog posts). I get up and I look around and I see what has to be done and I just can't get myself in gear. I know that sounds like depression but I don't feel depressed. I just feel like I am swimming in molasses, which is how I know my thyroid hormones are seriously out-of-whack.

We'll get it figured out. My doctor knows what I have going on (his wife knits) and he's not going to leave me undertreated. We joke about me being my own clinical trial.

Denise, you asked about a pic of the gray mohair sweater. When the light is a little better this afternoon, I'll take a picture of the stitch pattern for you.

I am hoping to get this sweater done this weekend. It's really close. I'm tired of working on it, and it would have become a UFO ("unfinished object" for you non-knitters reading this blog) a long time ago were it not for the fact that I have a newsletter deadline. I did start a scarf the other day. I had an idea and I wanted to try it out. The yarn is thick and bulky so the scarf isn't taking long at all. But I'll be thrilled when I can finish this gray mohair sweater and move on to something else.

And finally, I have a DVD screening tonight at 6 p.m. This is my last opportunity to make any changes. Hopefully we can just watch it from start to finish, and I can knit at the same time.

One thing at a time. That doesn't promise smooth sailing, of course, but it puts the odds in my favor.

And now, I am going to apologize (again) for some technical difficulties that are beyond my control. I installed a new piece of software in my store a couple of weeks ago. Ever since then, some orders have been e-mailed to me to be filled and some haven't. Some customers have gotten download links for files and some haven't. There is no rhyme or reason to it. The new software was supposed to streamline the process, not muck it up.

I opened a trouble ticket yesterday and the support guy got back to me right away. He wanted to know why I had installed seven modules when all I needed was one (my store runs on software that can be customized with these modules). Here's the kicker: I only purchased the one module, but apparently the company that makes these modules thinks it's a good thing to install ALL of the modules they make in hopes that you will decide you need them and will purchase the additional license keys to make them active.

Arrrgggghhhh. I am really beginning to dislike programmers. I changed some settings and removed the extra modules. We'll see if that fixes the problem.

Our corner of the state missed a huge snowstorm that is affecting the rest of Montana, but we've had a lot of wind for the past 24 hours. We finally did get a frost. I found four butternut squash but they didn't ripen all the way—no surprise considering the plants got snowed on in June.

I'm home all day so I am going to make a pot of soup and spend the day working on Cables 2 and the newsletter.

This gray mohair sweater seems endless at the moment . . . I haven't allowed myself to work on anything else because I don't want to lose the momentum, but I have a gazillion ideas rolling around in my head that I'd like to get to.

I took a little detour Monday afternoon: I ran across a post in the Cables Lovers forum on Ravelry from a guy wanting a Celtic love knot pattern that he could include in an afghan he's making. He posted a picture of what he was looking for, and I thought, "Heck, I could chart that up in an hour or so," so I did. It's actually a pretty cool pattern. I would like to make it into a pillow for the Winter issue, if I ever get finished with this gray mohair sweater . . .

[If you're on Ravelry, check out that thread. When I posted that I would help him by charting out the knot, someone clicked "disagree" on my post. Which one of you is messing with me?]

This showed up in my mailbox yesterday:

I don't recall ordering a subscription to it. Maybe it's just a sample issue. It's interesting, although the sweaters are all summer designs.

I have a meeting this morning at the production company to finalize the DVD—yay! It will be nice to get this done. That was another project on which I had trouble keeping the momentum. I really do work better when I only do one thing at a time, but my life is all about multi-tasking.

I think we finally got a frost last night. I will have to spend some time this weekend cleaning up the garden.

. . . because one thing is really beginning to bug me. I do love a well-reasoned debate that doesn't deteriorate into a name-calling shouting match. I love it when people present multiple sides of a topic in a calm, thoughtful manner. I even love when people disagree with me, as long it they do it in a well-reasoned, calm and thoughtful manner that doesn't involve name-calling.

But that darn "disagree" button allows people to disagree anonymously and that drives me nuts. Case in point: someone posted a comment on a thread about inexpensive yarn at Wal-Mart, saying that 99% of Wal-Mart's yarn is inexpensive because it's of such cheap quality. Here is my response:

Really? I buy Lion Brand Lion Wool there and I think it’s one of the nicest yarns I’ve ever used. I designed the Granite Cardigan using that yarn. I’d buy it at my LYS if they sold it there, but since they don’t, I buy it at WalMart.

educational (1) interesting (2) funny agree (12) disagree (11) love (10)

Note the tags at the bottom. One person found my comment educational, two found it interesting, no one thought it was funny, twelve people agreed with me, eleven people disagreed with me, and ten people loved it.

I don't care that those eleven people disagreed with me, but WHY did they disagree with me? Because I buy yarn at Wal-Mart? Because I like Lion Brand Lion Wool? Because I designed a cardigan with it? Speak up, people! What exactly are you objecting to in my post?

What's really bizarre is that occasionally I'll make some completely innocuous comment as part of a discussion (for example, "the sky is blue"), and I'll come back later to find that someone has clicked "disagree" on it. Well, okay—do you have some scientific proof to back up your claim that the sky isn't blue? I'd love to hear it.

It's Monday morning, can you tell?

Moving on to other topics: I just wanted to say that my post about dumbing down patterns wasn't meant to imply that I was going to leave more advanced knitters in the dust in favor of knitters who want quick-and-easy. I'd go nuts if I all I designed were quick-and-easy pieces. I'm simply trying to find a balance between designing challenging garments for which grading and writing a pattern is the equivalent of a PhD dissertation and designing items that my 11 year-old could knit.

"Balance." I ought to have that tattooed on my forehead so that it's the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

We planned to go see a movie after dinner—the husband and I wanted to see Appaloosa—but there was nothing playing that the girls wanted to see (and they certainly didn't want to be caught at the same movie as their parents). We went to the bookstore instead. Both girls found things to read; I picked up the new Mason-Dixon knitting book and this one:

It's Retro Knits by Kari Cornell and Jean Lampe. I bought it because I love looking at vintage patterns and because Jean Lampe was the head of the Master Knitting program when I went through it, and is in large part responsible for launching my career as a knitting designer. It's nice to see her name on a book.

I like the book a lot. It's interesting to see the updated patterns. I recognized a number of the old pattern books; they are in my personal library. And it's fascinating to see how fashion gets recycled over and over again (although I hope the gigantic multi-colored 70s poncho doesn't come back anytime soon).

I tried looking for some fiction, but I couldn't find anything I wanted to read. The husband and I both are more than willing to spend money on books as long as they contain good stories and good writing. You'd think that wouldn't be hard to find in a bookstore, but it is. I don't know how some of this stuff gets published.

I want science fiction, but all this store seems to carry is fantasy fiction. Occasionally I like elves and dragons, but mostly I prefer hyperdrives and aliens. I like historical romances that don't involve women throwing themselves in front of some overly masculine hero. I have a couple of favorite authors, but one is dead and obviously not writing anymore, another one gave up writing after half a dozen novels, and my very favorite is having trouble convincing her publisher to give her another book deal.

(And no, in 15 years of living here we've never gotten into the habit of using the public library. That's odd for me, as I worked at the local library for two years in high school. It's just that the library in Kalispell is not convenient and has very little parking. There was talk of moving it to an empty grocery store, in a convenient location with lots of parking. Alas, that move has been blocked because apparently there is some environmental contaminaton there. Ironic, because it didn't seem to make a difference when there was a grocery store at that location, but we can't run the risk of contaminating the books. Go figure.)

I also know that it's a skill to be able to design something that looks complicated but really isn't. And sometimes the designer—just like the knitter—wants something simple. Not every single design can be a crowning work of art.

I subbed for the school secretary yesterday. I always have some downtime in the afternoon, so I took a printout of Cables 2 with me and went through it with a red pen and highlighter. One of the cables from the first chapter on textured cables somehow got stuck in my brain, and I kept thinking about it all the way to the football game (it wants to be a scarf). It felt like such an itch that needed scratching that I almost stopped at Camas Creek Yarn to buy some yarn and needles. Unfortunately, we needed to get to the game.

The marching band performed last night:

Marching band at our high school has been something of an adjustment for me. When I was in high school, marching band was my life from late August through mid-November. We performed at every home and away game, as well as several Band-O-Ramas. We practiced every day during band period, as well as after school. We went to band camp for a week. Some of my fellow musicians loved marching band so much that they still work with drum corps around the country. It was just like the cartoons in Tom Batiuk's Funky Winkerbean series ("Football fields are for band practice!" says Harry Dinkle). I wanted to be just like the band moms who went with us on the bus to all our performances (I've already signed up to chaperone the band trip next March to Portland).

Our school's marching band performs at ONE home game, and last night was it. I understand all the reasons they don't go to away games, and why they only perform at one home game, but it still makes me kind of sad.

DD#1 is one of the upperclassmen in charge of uniforms, so unless she drives, I need to wait for her after each performance. I sent the husband and DD#2 home after the game last night, and I went to sit in the band room and knit while I waited for the kids to get the uniforms put away. Her band director came over and we had a little chat. This guy is a fabulous teacher. He was such an encouragement last year. DD#1 was in the last class which spent 9th grade at the junior high (now both high schools are 9-12), and she almost quit band after that year. I try to be supportive of teachers in all situations, but teachers who inspire kids to drop out of an activity rather than getting them fired up about it probably should do everyone a favor and find a different career path.

I managed to get DD#1 to agree to be in band for one year at the high school, with the agreement that she could do something else after that if she still didn't like it. When she got to the high school last year, I shared my concerns with this band director. He bent over backward to make band the positive experience I knew it could be, and it shows in DD#1's attitude toward band this year. She stayed in band. She volunteered for uniform duty. She's also talking about continuing to play in college instead of leaving the trumpet at home. It's a shame that the kids who are in the IB program won't be able to be in symphonic band next year because of the way the program is structured, but she'll have this same teacher for IB Music. She might not have the marching band experience that I did, but it's wonderful that she's getting a grounding in music that will follow her no matter where she goes. Maybe someday she'll be a band mom.

The football team won, by the way, in overtime. How exciting!

I'm in the middle of a similar conundrum myself with this gray mohair sweater. This thing has taken way longer than I anticipated it would. I am now knitting the body—in one piece, so there are quite a few stitches on the needle—and I am delighted if I get 2" done per day. It's a four row pattern. Only one of those rows is cabled, but the cable is a three-stitch cross where two knits cross over a central purl. In a plain wool, I could probably do that cross without a cable needle. In this thin, sticky mohair, though, I absolutely have to use a cable needle. I zoom through three rows of knits and purls, and then I have to stop and cable my way through the fourth row, a process which—I timed myself yesterday—takes upwards of 15 minutes.

I am probably the only knitter I know who is willing to devote her entire life to cabling. The sweater looks so wonderful that I am just sucking it up and knitting it the way I designed it. But I don't think other knitters will want to suck it up, so I've been playing around with substitute cables that can be done without a cable needle. I think that when I write up the pattern, I will write it as knitted, but offer these substitute cables for those who want to get the sweater done before 2012.

I am a bit more than halfway down the body; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The sleeves are already done, so once the body is complete, all I have to add is the buttonband. The feel of the fabric is indescribable. We took one of DD#2's friends home from ballet class on Monday, and the sweater was in the backseat. DD#2 handed the sweater to her friend and said, "You have to feel this sweater my mom is knitting."

So what do you all think? Should designs be "dumbed down" for easier pattern writing and knitting?

It's hard to believe that she's 16 years old already (really!—I just graduated from college yesterday!). But I think the husband and I did a pretty darned good job when we produced this one.

Happy birthday, you little pumpkin. Your parents think you are fabulous.

[Our fire chief refers to open burning as "sport burning." I am sure we'll get called out again today as half the people in the valley torch their slash piles and make their neighbors nervous. It happens every year on October 1.]

DD#2 and the 5th and 6th grade classes went to Glacier Park yesterday for a fire ecology unit. She said it was really cool. They hiked along along a trail in one of the areas burned out by the fires in 2003, played fire ecology Jeopardy (the 6th graders won), and enjoyed being in the outdoors. They couldn't have asked for a nicer day—there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temps were in the low 70s. If I hadn't been scheduled to sub, I definitely would have gone along. I just think it's so fabulous that my kids get to do things like spend a day in Glacier Park studying fire ecology.

After school, DD#2 and I drove in to town, did some errands, and went to the football field to watch the marching band preview. The band did a great job. DD#2 took some pictures with my phone, but she was monkeying with the settings and they all came out with goofy filters on them (she took one of me with the head of a clownfish surrounding it—before you ask, yes, I deleted it).

Some of you might remember that back in May I bought out the lease on our church's copier, but was unable to get the copier place in town to service it (their exact words being "we usually throw these machines into the landfill"). It's taken a few months, but a different copier company down in Missoula—which has techs up here in Kalispell—was quite willing to work with me on servicing the machine and ordered parts for it. The tech came this morning and installed them. The machine is working splendidly. He says it doesn't have a lot of use on it—fewer than 200,000 copies—and it's in great shape. I should be able to get many more years of use out of it. I am thrilled that I got such a nice machine at a bargain price, and that I kept it out of the landfill.

In other technology issues . . . I am more than a little annoyed with Apple. Last week I installed the recommended HP Printer Driver update through Software Update and ever since, my LaserJet 1200 has not printed correctly from InDesign. The pages are printing at 400% normal size. When I print the same page with the exact same settings to my LaserJet 2500 (the color one), it prints perfectly. No other apps had this problem when printing to the LaserJet 1200, just InDesign.

Of course, I could just print from InDesign to the color LaserJet, but the toner for that machine is much more expensive and I prefer not to use it for straight B&W printing. That LaserJet 1200 is a workhorse. It seems like I have had it forever and it just keeps going.

This 400% scaling issue is a documented bug in both the Apple and Adobe forums, but I had to try THREE of the suggested workarounds before I found one that fixed the problem. It seems to be holding. I do hope, though, that Apple releases a proper fix soon.

Raye, how long is Mercury supposed to be in retrograde?

I'm off to the chair to knit. I've had enough technology for today.

The icing on the cake was the traffic circle I had to navigate when I left the store. I pulled in and began going around, and at the next entrance to the circle, a woman pulled in right in front of me! I honked my horn and I think I scared the living daylights out of her. Perhaps that will teach her to look before she almost hits someone.

I am liking more and more my self-imposed schedule of only two trips to town per week. The hermit lifestyle has much to recommend it.

I should have slept in today. Ever since I woke up, all I've accomplished is putting out a series of little spot fires—things that require some input from me. Not all of them (hardly any of them, actually) are of my making. And I have not yet reached the bottom of the pile of stuff on my desk. It's 11:00 a.m. and I don't think I am going to get to work on Cables 2 as I had planned.

I'm supposed to sub for the music teacher tomorrow but it's going to be a light schedule. The 5th and 6th grades are going to Glacier Park, so I won't have 6th grade for music class nor will I have beginning band (the 5th graders) at the end of the day. I'll take some piano music with me to practice while I have down time. And DD#1 has a marching band preview and chili feed tomorrow night.

And now the cranky designer is going to go knit and watch the House marathon I taped on Saturday.

It's on days like this that I have to pinch myself because I can't believe I live here.

The wedding was very nice. The bride had to walk down rather a steep gravel hill to get to the altar, and I had to giggle when I saw she was wearing a pair of Justin Ropers under her dress. They didn't exactly match the dress, but definitely better to be practical than fashionable and risk a broken neck from pitching oneself down a hill at one's wedding.

The pork turned out very well and there was plenty of food for everyone. At each place setting was a pint of homemade peach jam made by the bride's mother. The dinner discussion at our table centered around the recent sighting of a bobcat in the neighborhood and whether it's the bobcat or a coyote that is responsible for picking off our pastor's chickens this past week. We did lots of laughing and visiting and then we came home.

Today is Sunday, so that must mean that it's another opportunity for the Browns to lose a football game. We play Cincinnati—it'll be a battle for the bottom of the division. At least I can knit.

One of the things you learn quickly when you become part of a community like the one we live in is how to cook efficiently for huge groups of people. A couple of years ago I began making a version of BBQ pork sandwiches whenever I had to cook for church. It's a ridiculously easy recipe: buy pork loins at Costco, cook them overnight in a slow oven, put them in a roaster (they fall apart in the process), and dump BBQ sauce on them. Onions are optional. Voila! BBQ pork. Everyone thinks I spend hours slaving over it.

The bride asked me a few months ago if I would make the BBQ pork for her wedding. Her mother had already bought 60 pounds of pork—all I had to do was cook it for them. So for the past two nights I've put pork loins to cook in the oven. The house smells wonderful (although I am sure it's driving the dogs nuts). The menu for the reception is BBQ pork sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, and salad, and the weather is supposed to be perfect for the ceremony this afternoon.

The husband is going to the shooting range this morning, so last night he took the girls to town with him to buy ammo and visit the bookstore. I stayed home because I wanted to finish the second sleeve of the gray mohair sweater (yes, it's going very slowly) and pick up for the body (it's a top-down design). I sat and knitted and watched Stargate Atlantis on the Sci-Fi channel. Good times.

And a few more last-of-the-season gardening pics for you. Here are some of the echinacea:

And the calendulas (one of my favorite flowers):

And one of the butternut squash. I have a bunch that are this size; I am hoping they will ripen before it gets really cold. I do love butternut squash soup with a little ginger in it.

We're supposed to have a few more days of really nice weather this week. Maybe I'll get lucky. It would only be fair—to balance out the snowstorm we got on June 10.

So here is a "typical" day at home. Note that I only have about three of these days a week; the other two are spent in town doing other stuff, and I try to take the weekends off, or at least only work for a few hours on Saturday morning.

4:30 to 5:00 a.m. I wake up. Whether it's the former or latter depends a lot on how Chester is feeling that day. I don't have much trouble waking up—it's usually just a matter of opening my eyes and getting out of bed (the husband hates that—he requires copious amounts of coffee just to get his eyelids open).

5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Drink coffee, read my e-mail, Ravelry, the news, check Bloglines, respond to e-mails from the day before, print out orders, and just generally wander around the web.

6:00 to 7:00 a.m. Make myself presentable. Between showering and taming my head of frizz with a hairdryer and flatiron, this does usually take an hour.

7:00 to 7:30 a.m. Eat breakfast, talk to DD#2, then take her out to the bus.

7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. If the house is a disaster, I will spend this time cleaning, vacuuming, and straightening up. I try to tidy up anyway before I start working, so I can enjoy a full day of a clean house before everyone else comes home and destroys all my hard work. Yes, I enjoy pushing the same rock up the same hill every single day.

If the house is relatively clean, I'll fill orders or start working on book stuff or construction company stuff. In any case, I always try to start "working" at 9:00 a.m. Work can include a lot of things—on Wednesday it was working on the ribbed cables section of Cables 2. I also re-ordered some stationery with updated graphics, handled some construction company business, and wrote two scarf patterns.

Noon. Break for some lunch and a quick check of CNBC.

12:30 to 4:00 p.m. On Wednesday, I spent this time knitting. I don't always knit for this amount of time in the afternoon (sometimes I am working on the book or newsletter or patterns), but I could tell that my brain didn't want to do any more work on the book, so I decided to spend the time knitting and watching the Congressional hearings. It was punctuated by a couple of loads of laundry, a visit from UPS, a trip out to the woodshed to fill the woodbox, and some meal prep (walking down to the freezer to get some ground beef out to thaw).

4:00 p.m. The girls get home, and I am usually working on getting dinner ready.

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It's back to my chair for some knitting, especially if I didn't get any done during the day. I am not a fast knitter, so I love these blocks of time when I can get a lot of work done.

8:30 p.m. Off to bed where I read for half an hour or so and watch "House Hunters" with DD#2 before falling asleep.

That's it. Pretty boring, huh? What really throws a wrench in the works is meetings in the evening, which I attempt to avoid like the plague. I'm not worth much after about 7:00 p.m. anyway, and I don't like giving up my evening knitting time. I always keep a project with me for knitting at odd moments. Our minister's Sunday School class this quarter is watching videos that he's collected on various topics, so I get an hour's worth of knitting done there every week.

I can't even begin to express how I feel about the whole financial system meltdown, so I am not ever going to go there today except to say that we—as a country—ought to be embarrassed by the behavior of many of our leaders, on both sides.

One of the decisions I made while working on Cables 2 was to NOT include a chapter on reversible cables. Instead, those cables stitch patterns which are reversible are included in the chapters where they belong according to the structure of the stitch pattern. For instance, reversible Brioche rib cables will be in the chapter on tuck-stitch cables. Reversible garter-stitch cable patterns will be in the chapter on textured cable stitches. They will be identified as reversible within the contexts of those chapters.

Part of the reason for that decision was that I wanted to deal solely with ribbed cables and cabled ribbing in their own chapter. Many—but not all—of these cables are reversible, and I see a distinction between ribbed cables and cabled ribbing. Lily Chin has done much of the writing and designing with ribbed cables—or what she calls "ribbles"—in recent years. I have the greatest admiration for Lily and am proud to call her my friend, but I am going to part ways with her on the topic of ribbed cables and cabled ribbing. Maybe I am splitting hairs, but it's my book and I get to do it the way I want to.

This is one of the last "big" chapters I have to tackle (cables and lace being the other one). Knowing what you want to say and being able to say it coherently aren't always the same thing.

I worked on the chapter Monday and got most of the ribbed cables section of it done. Today I will work on the cabled ribbing portion of the chapter. The cables and lace chapter still needs a fair bit of work and there are one or two small chapters that need to be done, but I am starting to feel like I've made the summit and I am on the descent on the other side.

I talked to the people at the production company yesterday and the DVD is close to being done. It's my schedule that is holding things up at the moment—we need another hour of studio time to add a few things and re-tape one technique, and I just haven't had a good block of time to devote to that. I'll be over there Friday finishing it up.

DD#2 came home yesterday and reported that she talked to the teacher about her homework paper and they were able to come to a mutually-satisfactory resolution. The husband had a long day yesterday but he came home happy that a new concrete technique he tried turned out very well. I made a pot of pasta e fagioli for dinner in an attempt to use up some tomatoes (nope, not even close) and the last of the zucchini.

I had to see the chiropractor yesterday. Ever since I got back from Portland I've been having problems with my neck and shoulders (most likely from trying to sleep in a coach seat for 8 hours). There is one muscle that has a tendency to freeze up, and when it does, my whole neck and head area suffer. I tried all sorts of remedies—hot rice bags, muscle balm, massage by the husband—but nothing helped. I finally took some Advil which relaxed the muscle, but I don't want to have to keep taking Advil all the time. The chiropractor adjusted my neck yesterday which made a huge difference. I have to remember to do my neck stretching exercises, though, to keep that muscle from seizing up.

I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamed that we were visiting my sister and I had my current project with me—the gray mohair cabled sweater. For some reason there was a big flood and the bag with my knitting got washed downriver. I remember insisting that we had to get a boat to go look for it. I don't think we ever did find it.

That tells me I need to finish that sweater before something happens to it.

I leave you with the last of the flower pics—the hollyhocks. They are quite promiscuous and have seeded themselves all over the garden.

I'm watching the Congressional hearings on the $700 billion bailout plan (or "rescue plan," as the spin doctors have christened it). If this thing passes and allows the CEOs of those irresponsible corporations to make out like bandits, this country is in much worse shape than I thought.

DD#2 came home from school quite upset yesterday, after an incident involving a homework paper and what she felt was an unfair mark. We talked about possible approaches to the problem, but she was so upset that I finally said, "Would it help if I talked to the teacher about it?"

She looked at me and blurted out, "You can't always be solving my problems for me!"

You have to remember that this is an 11 year-old kid. But by making that statement, she did something that a huge number of adults are incapable of doing. She took responsibilty for the situation and said she would figure it out.

If only Wall Street could do the same thing.

We have created an entire country of people who believe that someone else should solve their problems. Get in over your head because you're living beyond your means? Declare bankruptcy and leave someone else holding the bag. Own a Wall Street firm and make a lot of bad business investments? The federal government will come to your rescue. Father a couple of kids? Disappear and let their mother go on welfare to support them.

My husband owns a construction company. If he makes a bad business decision, no one is going to step in and make it all better. And yet if a huge Wall Street firm screws up, guess who is going to be asked to pony up some of the money to bail them out?—that's right, my husband.

About twelve years ago we rented our old mobile home to a young couple who had just moved here from California. The guy lost his job a few months later when he tried to get a Montana driver's license and the state of California found him—he had a kid in Pennsylvania, two kids in California, and he wasn't paying child support on any of them. To top it off, his girlfriend was pregnant.

I was pregnant with DD#2. The husband and I have always paid our own health insurance premiums. This woman came over one day and was extolling the virtues of Medicaid, which had paid all her medical bills, as well as for a dental exam and a vision exam. The husband and I had to pay for all of that out-of-pocket, while our tax dollars paid for this woman to get all of that for free. And because the guy had lost his job, they skipped out paying us rent for two months before we finally kicked them out. Yeah, America is a great place—here you can be rewarded for being a deadbeat.

We need to bring back the concept of personal responsibility, where every single one of us accepts responsibility for his or her actions. That would do far more than a $700 bailout to improve the situation in this country. I'm sick and tired of being asked to be responsible for the people who refuse to behave like responsible adults.

Get a clue. Listen to my 11 year-old kid.

I've been watching the Browns since the early 80s, when their shots at the Super Bowl were continually thwarted by the Denver Broncos. Here is a really bad picture of my cousin Lynnette and me (I'm the dark-haired yelling one), all decked out and watching a playoff game in my parents' family room (the date on the back is December 1986). If you look closely to my right, you can see my father in his recliner, holding his head in his hands.

I loved those years, when we had a chance to go all the way and we'd come home from church (after praying for a win, of course) and EVERYONE in my family—aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents—would gather at our house and we'd scream and yell and eat ourselves silly. Michael Stanley sang songs about our town and our football team and Lynnette had a poster of #17—Brian Sipe—on the wall of her bedroom. Those were the days.

I'd love to feel that way about my football team again. The other day I went to pick the husband's computer up from the place where I have my computers repaired (it needed a new hard drive). When I walked in, the owner and one of his employees were talking about their respective football teams. He walked by me and casually commented, "At least we're not Browns fans." I said (rather indignantly), "I am a Browns fan!" and he laughed and said, "I know." (It's a small town, what can I say?—everyone knows what team I cheer for.)

It doesn't help that I am married to a Steelers fan. Oh, the irony.

I've gotten really good at saying, "There is always next year," but I don't usually have to trot that phrase out until about mid-November. How sad is it that my team is 0-3 after going 0-4 in the preseason? Can they even win a game? I was all set to see them go to the playoffs this year and maybe even the Super Bowl. I was going to paint my face for the games and order a big inflatable Browns player to put in the front yard. But if they don't get it together and soon, I may have to find a new team to cheer for.

JC said she's struggling with the problem of what topics to include and what to leave out. I went through that with Cables 1. It's less of a problem with Cables 2, because the list of topics I want to cover is pretty well-defined, and what's not covered in Cables 2 will get put in Cables 3. The problem is how much of each topic to cover—I want to put in enough examples, but not so many that the book becomes redundant.

Another problem we self-publishing knitting designers have has to do with motivation. There was many a discussion about schedules around the dinner tables in Portland, with various author/publishers offering to provide reality checks to other author-publishers ( if we're busy telling other people to get their book done, it'll take the focus off of ours—good plan!).

Before I went to Portland, I revised the handouts for a couple of my cabling classes. I wanted to incorporate some of the material from Cables 2, but in order to do that, I had to make the editorial changes JC sent back in the first edit. The first edit was back in the spring. The book sat on my desk all summer because I hadn't had a chance to make any of JC's suggested changes.

So I began going through the book—and making the changes wasn't all that onerous. In fact, I began to feel a bit jazzed about getting back to work on it. Alas, I had to divert some of that energy into teaching, so the book got put aside again.

I spent most of yesterday working on it. I am glad I decided to use some of the material in my classes, because it clarified the location of a couple of techniques within the book—each now has its own chapter instead of being combined wth the other technique in one chapter, and it makes much more sense.

I've still got three big chapters that need a lot of work, but I am pleased with the progress I am making. If I can knuckle-down next month, I think I can get most of the writing and the knitting done, and all that will be left will be a big marathon week of photo shoots at my kitchen table.

At least that's the plan.

Bluefaced Leicester is one of my favorite fibers for both spinning and knitting. I was so unhappy when Berroco discontinued its Bluefaced Leicester and Wensleydale breed-specific yarns in favor of a whole bunch of novelty yarns. Somehow an Aran knit in eyelash yarn just doesn't look as nice as one knit in BFL, you know?

Rowan's version of this yarn looks to me like the quintessential Aran sweater yarn, and as an added bonus, it smells like sheep (if you're like me and that kind of thing excites you). The other yarns in that line—Black Welsh, Jacob, and even Suffolk (traditionally a meat sheep, not a wool sheep) are equally stunning. I can even cope with the fact that the BFL only comes in a natural cream color; that's how much I love this yarn.

I woke up this morning and realized that I need to have the Winter issue of the newsletter laid out and ready to go to my tech editor in a few short weeks (like two). Production of the Summer issue dragged on for such a long time that I didn't have the break between issues that I usually get. I have a sweater out for test-knitting that is scheduled for this issue, and the gray mohair one on my needles is half-finished. As soon as I get the second sleeve done I can get back to the body and it should go quickly (it's a top-down design). I've also got a pair of mittens ready to go. If anyone has a topic they'd like me to tackle in a technical article, let me know.

I spent some time organizing the yarn collection yesterday. I had to create a new storage bin for WIPs (works in progress). I don't usually have more than two projects going at a time, but for some reason I have five WIPs at the moment. I think that's because a couple of them are at points in their construction where they don't lend themselves well to being mindless "knitting-in-meetings" projects. For instance, I know that I will be sitting for a while before the football game starts tonight, so I am wondering what project I could take that doesn't require a cable needle, counting, measuring, or careful protection of delicate yarn. Hmmm. I think I may have to cast on for a baby blanket or a scarf to take with me.

[Yes, I know how to cable without a cable needle, but my current projects all feature cables that DO require needles—it's hard to cross three stitches in a specific sequence in a thin, sticky mohair yarn without relying on a cable needle to help manage some of them.]

In other news . . . DD#1 made her first solo drive to town yesterday. She called to let us know she got there and she said it went pretty well except for having to follow a very slow truck. She's also helping out at the daycare run by our church after school and she likes it a lot. She's got a busy social and academic life this year.

My FIL was here this week (he left yesterday), and he and I sat and watched the financial debacle on CNBC every day this week (I also knit). On one level, it's been a thorough education on how our financial markets work; on another, it's an incredibly sad comment on human behavior—this is a situation of our own making and much of it stems from rampant greed. I am reminded of James Madison who said, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." We don't need to worry about terrorists hurting us—we're quite capable of destroying ourselves, thank you very much.

I'm glad I have my knitting.

I got to carry this very cool bag around, courtesy of Claudia at the Yarn Sisters:

I happened to be at Camas Creek when Claudia brought some Namaste bags for Melanie to consider carrying. This particular bag has been discontinued, but Melanie has several in stock at Camas Creek, so you can still snag one from her (call 406-755-YARN—the bag isn't listed on the website yet). It made a fabulous combination purse/knitting bag. I got lots of comments on it.

And now, some answers to your comments:

Susan, about the small classes. . . the way these conferences are structured, teachers get paid based upon how many students register for their classes. I have mixed feelings about that. If a teacher wants to make the maximum amount of money from an event like this, they will cram as many students as they possibly can into their classes. Some teachers can teach their material to a room full of 30+ students. I can't. So I take a self-imposed pay cut because I don't want more than a certain number of students in my classes (I prefer 20, but I'll take 25 if I have to.)

Teachers also get a room allowance and travel allowance, but the travel allowance has not kept up with the rising cost of airline tickets. There were a number of teachers at this conference who actually lost money—their classes were small, so they got paid the least amount for teaching, and they had to cover the difference between the airline tickets and the travel allowance they received. It's kind of sad when teachers come to a conference like this and hope they'll break even.

I did okay—my classes were of reasonable size and my train ticket didn't cost that much, so I did better than just break even. But it makes me wonder if/how things will change in the future: will teachers get a bigger travel allowance? Will the teaching compensation model change? Will there even be knitting conferences? Time will tell.

Debbie, Carson is wearing the Happy Husband Aran from the Fall 2004 issue of the newsletter.

Heather, the Winter 2003 issue has a pattern for a Celtic knot pillow and an article on working those patterns. The techniques will be covered when I get to Cables 3.

I got to Portland last Wednesday morning. I ate a quick sandwich and then the lovely Angela from KnitPicks picked me up in her car (we connected despite the fact that I was in the north parking lot instead of the south parking lot where I was supposed to be). She took me to the KnitPicks offices in Vancouver, WA, where I was treated to a tour and then did some videotaping with Kelly Petkun. (I forgot to take pictures despite the fact that I had my camera with me.)

When I got back, I was able to check into the hotel. Lily Chin (my roomie) and I did a quick tour of the neighborhood; the Convention Center is actually four blocks from the Doubletree, so we needed to do some planning on how to get class materials to and fro. Thankfully Portland has a great light rail system, and the Doubletree Hotel dispenses chocolate chip cookies whenever a guest asks for one, for that extra burst of energy.

JC Briar picked me up Thursday morning and we hit half a dozen of the yarn stores and one fabric store before getting lunch at a terrific Japanese restaurant. Portland has the most amazing restaurants. I let JC pick where to eat because I was overwhelmed by the choices. I had some tasty dish with tofu in it. Yum. You can't go wrong with tofu. After lunch we went to Powells, where I scored big time. They have a huge sci-fi section and I was able to locate some books by F.M. Busby. (Doreen, I know you remember introducing me to that series.) I am so excited to read those books again. I also got a couple of stitch dictionaries from the 70's and a trashy romance novel for some bedtime reading.

I have to say that being with JC was wonderful and I hated for the day to end. I was describing my visit with her to one of my students, who commented, "It was like meeting an old friend for the first time, hmmm?" Exactly. We ate dinner at a Lebanese restaurant and I had a plateful of hummus, tabouleh, falafel, and some lentils and rice that I would love to be able to make at home.

I taught an all-day class Friday on making Celtic knot cables. The class numbers were low for most of the teachers, and a few even had classes cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. I had mixed feelings about that. One the one hand, I know that poor attendance will make it less likely that TKGA will have another show in Portland, but on the other, I much prefer classes with fewer than 20 students. I had 16, 13, and 11 in each of my three classes. And all of the students were interested and engaged in the material. As I walked through the market Sunday afternoon, a number of vendors told me that students were commenting on how good my classes were. I think the students had a lot to do with that.

On Friday night a group of us (Chrissy Gardiner, Cat Bordhi, Judy Becker, myself, and a woman named Leslie whose last name escapes me) eating dinner at a tiny hole-in-the wall Italian restaurant. I had the most delicious meal of salad (new potatoes, fresh green beans, cauliflower, and a pesto dressing) and ravioli (three kinds, including a butternut squash ravioli). Cat sketched the plan for a sock on one of the napkins and it's such a fascinating design that I told her I think she's cured my dislike of socks.

Some students really stand out at these events and the winner this trip was Carson Demers, of California. Bless his heart, he convinced his partner that they needed to come to Portland on vacation and he signed up for every single one of my classes. It was such a pleasure to have him there. He had some trouble putting down one of my sweaters after the Aran design class on Saturday, so I asked him if he wanted to wear it to the banquet. It really looked stunning on him. I got a picture:

Carson is going to do some designing with cables so you'll probably get to see some of his work in some upcoming issues of Twists and Turns.

The banquet was lovely; three women received their Master Knitting certification and they called Margaret Fisher and me up to the podium to join them during the pinning ceremony (Margaret and I are both Master Knitters). Here is Margaret showing us all her new SELF-PUBLISHED book, Seven Things That Can Make or Break a Sweater (it's fabulous—I got a signed copy).

At the banquet we all received complimentary KnitLite knitting needles. Some of us (Judy Becker) found very creative uses for them.

I found out that Bev Galeskas is coming back to Kalispell at the end of October, and Chrissy Gardiner wants to come over for a visit before the end of the year. Joan Schrouder also said she'd love to come over and teach.

All in all it was a fabulous weekend. I can't wait until the next time. Now I need to get back to my knitting.

Fiber Trends is the US distributor for Naturally Yarns of New Zealand. I've been using these yarns off and on for the past 7 or 8 years (amazingly enough, during the years when Kalispell didn't have a yarn store, the local Ben Franklin store carried them). There are some yarns in this line which I like a lot, including the Perendale and a new one called Harmony. Bev gave me a skein of the Harmony to play with, so I sat and visited with some of the customers and knitted up a swatch of a cable pattern I designed for Cables 2. I love the way it looks in that yarn.

[As usual, I forgot my camera. I really need to figure out a way to keep it with me for these occasions.]

After the trunk show, Melanie, Kara (another designer who works at Camas Creek), Bev and I went out to dinner. It was really nice to be able to "talk shop" with Bev. She's been in this business long enough that she's got a good perspective on where knitting has been and where it is going. The food was good, the company was wonderful, and it was a great day.

Today I finish up packing. I feel like I am taking everything but the kitchen sink with me on this trip. Normally when I teach I ship a couple of boxes of supplies ahead of time. This time I am just taking everything with me (Amtrak doesn't charge for luggage).

My trip knitting is a sweater for DD#2. She designed it—I am simply knitting it for her. She picked out the yarn, told me what features she wanted ("garder stitch [sic], a braid cable, bobbles, and my pick of buttons" was what the instructions said). I got it started yesterday. The yarn is fairly chunky so I may be able to get the whole thing done on this trip.

An interesting thing happened: I wore the Artyarns scarf on Sunday and while it didn't bother me to have it on, the husband noticed yesterday that I had a rash around my neck where the scarf had been sitting. It's got a strand of metallic thread in it, and I wonder if that's what irritated my skin. As far as I know, I am not allergic to silk or mohair.

I'll report back next week. I am not taking my computer with me. I like to be unplugged so I can concentrate on teaching.

I saw the popsicle commercial for the first time yesterday, the one in which the girl offers the guy a popsicle, and he says, "No thanks, it has high fructose corn syrup in it," and she responds, "High fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation."

Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!?! How can we consume it "in moderation" if it's in EVERYTHING on the shelves at the grocery store? I used to consider the dairy lobby the gold standard for misleading the American public (I don't happen to think milk is as good for you as they claim it is), but after seeing that commercial, I have to say that the corn lobby has now outdone them by reaching a new low.

HFCS must be the next "bad food" target—much as trans fats have been recently—and the corn lobby is trying to do some proactive damage control. And they're counting on the fact that the American public is collectively stupid enough to buy what they are selling.

Unbelievable.

I made the last of the zucchini bread this weekend; the zucchini plant has a few baby zukes on it but they look like they got hit with a mild frost. Now I am trying to sneak tomatoes into everything, and shortly we shall be bombarded with butternut squash (why did I think I needed three of those plants?). You can bet there is no HFCS in what I cook.

Tomorrow I need to pick out my outfits for Portland. I'm really conflicted about this—I don't like to wear my handknits when I teach because I just get too darn hot (I move around a lot). However, these events are supposed to be a showcase for designer talent. I did manage to put together an outfit for Saturday night's fashion show and banquet. I bought some Artyarns Beaded Rhapsody at Camas Creek Yarn the other day, and knocked out a scarf. The colorway is gold and silver—I have a pair of slinky black pants and a silver top, and I think the scarf will be the perfect accent.

And I can tell I am getting old—now I have to lay out each of my outfits and make a list of what I am wearing each day so I don't accidentally wear Friday's top with Wednesday's pants.

Here is something that makes me very happy:

It's a clothesline in my laundry room. The husband and I have been married for 18 years, and in all that time I have never managed to have a clothesline. I would put one up—a few days later it would disappear (the husband denies this, but my mother will back me up on it). The husband has this thing about mowing the grass with no impediments, which apparently includes things like clotheslines slung between trees.

However, the older my girls get, the more high-maintenance their clothing becomes. They have several items that really need to be line-dried. I searched and searched and finally found this very nice retractable clothesline. I presented it to the husband and said I would like it hung up in the laundry room. And so he installed it. I have used it just about every day this week. I love it. I also love the fact that he built me a house with 8' ceilings, so the clothes aren't really in the way when they are drying.

Margaret, I'll see you in a few days in Portland.

Tomorrow is the Fiber Trends trunk show and meet-and-greet with Bev Galeskas at Camas Creek. I am so excited! It will be fun to see Bev again. There is a new Camas Creek forum on Ravelry, if you'd like to check it out.

I did get some rather distressing news yesterday: my friend and fellow designer Dawn Brocco has been diagnosed with a pretty serious illness. You can read about it on her blog. Dawn has been a pillar of the designing community for many years and this was really the last thing she (or anyone else, for that matter) needed. If you have a moment, stop by and post a comment on her blog. I know she'll appreciate it.

Our high school has the only IB program in the whole state of Montana. The teachers and the school have worked incredibly hard to implement it and their efforts have paid off in spades. My friend Susan's older daughter graduated from the program last year and entered college with enough credits for sophomore standing.

The IB coordinator also happens to be DD#1's pre-calculus teacher—Mrs. S. The kid adores her. Math isn't her favorite subject, but this teacher is inspiring her to put in the extra effort. Mrs. S. reminds me of a certain teacher I had for physics (hi Doreen!). I think it will be a fun retreat.

I have two suitcases open on the floor—the big one (it's huge; I never take it when I fly) has all my sweaters, swatches, and other teaching supplies. The other one will hold my clothing. I hope it will all fit. I'm pretty low-maintenance (you should travel with my sister), but I still have more stuff than I thought I would.

The one thing I am wishing for is a pair of earrings I can wear without my ears getting red and irritated. Ever since I had chemo I am so allergic to metal that I can barely stand to wear my watch and wedding ring. They come off the minute I get home. My older daugher doesn't have this problem, but my younger daughter—the one I had after I had chemo—does. It doesn't matter what kind of metal, either. I've tried them all, with no success. It only takes about five minutes of wearing a pair for my earlobes to itch and start bleeding.

I found these titanium earrings which look like they might work. I plan to order some, but I wish I had thought about it in time to have them before I go to Portland. If I have time to look on Monday, I might check at the jewelry store at the mall and see if they have any.

And as if I didn't have enough to be excited about, JC Briar is picking me up next Thursday to do a yarn store crawl of Portland, with a stop at Powells and lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant. Hooray! JC and I have worked together for four or five years now and we've never met. We decided we probably should have some face time before we teach on this cruise together next September. It's going to be so much fun!

We need some pictures. Here is one of a rainbow from last week:

It was pretty stunning.

And as if that weren't enough of a problem, I dropped the hard copies off at the bulk mail office yesterday, and when I got home there was a message on the machine for me from the man in charge there.

I've been doing bulk mailings in some capacity or another for almost 20 years. I know my way around the system, and one of the things I've learned is that it pays to become friends with the people who run the bulk mail office. The bulk mail office in Kalispell used to be run by a very nice guy named Dave. Dave knew bulk mail backwards and forwards. Any time I had a question, I asked Dave and he would explain things to me. It was upon his recommendation that I began having a professional mailing service in town prepare the mailing labels for my newsletter. This company has the $2000 piece of software that checks addresses and spits out barcoded mailing labels—labels which speed delivery of the newsletter and save money because the newsletters qualify for machine sorting.

Every three months for the past two years, I've taken a disk to the mailing service company. A few days later they would call me to come pick up my mailing labels, all nicely verified and barcoded. I then took the newsletters to the post office, wrote a check, chatted with Dave about how cold it is in Montana, and that was that.

Yesterday I took the newsletters to the post office, introduced myself to John, who has taken over for Dave (who retired to sunnier climes), and wrote a check. However —as John informed me when I got home and called him back—the auditor happened to be visiting yesterday, and he determined that the barcodes on the mailing labels were too small to run through the machines. "But," I pointed out, "that mailing company has been making up those labels for two years and I've never had a problem." Well, apparently now that John is in charge, I have a problem. My choice was to wait and have them send a few of the newsletters to the mother ship (in Billings) to have THEM decide if the barcodes are too small, or go ahead and pay the extra money to have them sent via the non-automated method. You all have waited too long as it is, so I just ponied up the extra cash and had them send the newsletters. I called the nice people at the mailing company (who tell me that they are becoming very well acquainted with John), and we'll get it straightened out next time.

On top of all of that, our microwave died the other night. It's the second time in three years—same brand (Sharp), same microwave. Apparently Sharp microwave ovens come with a built-in self-destruct timer. I bought a new one yesterday (different brand). Here's hoping the planets realign themselves soon. I could use the break.

There is some knitting going on, but mostly I'm just eating chocolate.

Belly Dancers Coin It In from the Bolton News

Who knew? There is a blonde belly dancer somewhere in the UK named Janet Szabo. I'd be willing to bet that when she Googles "Janet Szabo," she wonders who that woman in Montana is with her name.

I put seven loaves of zucchini bread into the freezer yesterday (we kept the eighth one out to eat). I would have made more but I ran out of flour, so I made zucchini pasta for myself for dinner with what was left. As I was mixing up the batter for loaf #5, I realized that I am so happy women no longer have to have gigantic gardens so they can freeze and can the harvest in order to feed their families during the winter. Knowing there was all that produce to process at the end might suck all the fun out of gardening for me. But I suppose, too, that we should all be glad that we can knit because we want to, not because we have to keep our family from freezing to death.

DD#2 and I picked beans (finally!—I was worried), tomatoes, and zucchini yesterday (the source of the bread batter) and there will be another two zucchini ready today, and two more tomorrow, and two more after that . . . this is a very prolific plant. But I know that the husband will be happy to be eating homemade zucchini bread in January.

And yes, knitting continues. Tomorrow's post will have details.

This is Montana. My shopping choices are extremely limited. I shop at TJ Maxx, Ross, and Herbegers (the local department store). That's it. I used to find lots of nice stuff at Target (I have a long black 100% merino wool dress I got there 10 years ago that I love), but about five years ago they began selling stuff that looked like it came out of my mother's dusting rag drawer. I refuse to buy clothing with unfinished or serged edges.

The one brand I can rely on to fit me perfectly and look nice is Liz Claiborne. Herberger's had quite a large Liz section and I'd say that 85% of the clothes in my closet are either Liz Claiborne or Jones New York. I'm not a clotheshorse, by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to wear something other than jeans and T-shirts when I get the chance.

I went to the department store last week and it had been completely rearranged to make room for a new line—Victor Alfaro, all black and cream and gold (I am so tired of black) and obviously aimed at 20-somethings. There was a small display of Liz stuff. I asked the saleslady if they were getting rid of the Liz line and she said, "Have you seen our new Victor Alfaro line?" (Yep, saw it and moved on.) I said something again about the Liz Claiborne line and she said, "Well, we just haven't gotten any of the fall stuff in," which I thought was odd considering they usually have fall stuff on display by the fourth of July.

My mother sent me the link to this article yesterday. It explains a lot. I hope the Liz Claiborne brand does not disappear. I am heartened by the fact that they hired Izaak Mizrahi as their creative director, because I love his stuff.

I just want to be able to go to the store and find things that fit me and look nice. That's all. Herbergers has a house brand that has also gone trendy. I found a pair of navy blue dress pants that I just fell in love with—until I tried them on. The 12s fit in the waist but the hips were so big I looked like I was wearing saddle bags. The 10s fit in the waist but the hips were still too big. The 8s fit in the hips but the waist was too small.

Sigh.

One of the classes I am teaching in Portland is a class I've taught probably 25 times—as a three-hour class. It's going to be a six-hour class in Portland. I am thrilled about that, because it will allow me to cover some things I've had to gloss over quickly in the three-hour version. However, it means a total revamp of the class handout. The girls were busy getting their stuff together for school and enjoying their last day of all-Disney Channel, all-day, so I went to my office and got started on the new handout.

You know what it's like when you start a project and you hit a groove and everything just falls into place? That's what happened yesterday. I added all the new material and then went to my chair to knit swatches of the new stitch patterns both to check my instructions and so I'll have swatches to pass around in class. I finished the swatches and then went back to work on the gray mohair sweater. I got the upper body done; I'll start the sleeves today.

One thing I had forgotten about being hypothryoid—I become a very S-L-O-W knitter. I am not a speedy knitter on the best of days, but allow me to become hypo and my knitting slows down to the speed of a glacier. It's almost comical how drawn out and slow the motions become. And I notice it only when I am NOT hypo and I start knocking out my knitting at a much faster pace.

It's been raining here since yesterday. I am making beef stew for dinner because I am sure the husband will be cold and tired when he gets home. He's not having a very good month and he could certainly use all the cheering-up we can give him.

We set up an assembly line. DD#2 peeled the apples with the little peeling machine, I cut them up and mixed in the sugar and spices, and DD#1 put the pies together. I can only fit four pies at a time in my oven, though, so the baking part took most of the rest of the day.

The tricky part is cooking them about 90% of the way, then taking them out— because they're going to be frozen and reheated. We did cook one all the way so we could do some quality control testing on it. It was yummy.

The pies were done in time for us to make a quick run to town so I could pick up some Armour thyroid. I called the pharmacy and they had JUST—and I mean JUST—gotten a shipment of Armour thyroid in, so they said to come get some. I'm feeling better already. I just hope they don't run out again in a month when I need to get it refilled.

Today is the last day of DD#2's summer vacation—she heads back to school tomorrow. DD#1 gets an extra day as an upperclassman, because the first day of school is for freshmen only. She'll go back Thursday.

Ahhh, freedom.

I got a lot done. I went to the bank, got a new Wacoal bra for $25 because it was on the clearance rack AND I had a 20% off coupon, found two very nice Liz Claiborne T-shirts, also on sale (I am woefully lacking in longer-sleeved shirts for fall so these were a nice find), and made a much-needed Costco run. While I was driving around, the local produce market called my cell phone to let me know that they had gotten a shipment of Gingergold apples. I ran over and picked up two cases, then stopped at the grocery store to get pie crusts and sugar. The girls and I will make about two dozen apple pies today and stick them in the freezer for the husband to eat this winter.

I also went to the pharmacy to get my thyroid meds refilled. I have had an awful time with my meds over the past month. When we came back from Cleveland, I tried to get my Armour thyroid prescription refilled and discovered the pharmacy was out of it. The manufacturer has had some kind of "process change in manufacturing" that caused a shortage of 2- and 3-grain pills. Well, everyone who was taking 2- and 3-grain pills began getting their prescriptions filled with 1-grain pills (that's what I take), so the shortage spread to the 1-grain pills, too.

My doctor switched me to Naturethroid, which is supposed to be equivalent to Armour, but it most certainly is not. First of all, it's coated, so it doesn't dissolve sublingually like Armour unless you bite it in half, and the taste is awful. Secondly, it's much less potent. I don't know whether that's because this is from a bad batch, or it's close to the expiration date, or what. I've been on Naturethroid for a month. About two weeks after I began taking it, my hair started falling out again and I had such bad brain fog that even my kids commented on what a space cadet I was. Believe me, once you've been hypothyroid and been treated successfully, you don't want to go back to feeling that lousy. I can't function on Naturethroid.

So I stopped at the pharmacy and begged them to find me some Armour. They said they thought they could fill my prescription with the 1/2-grain pills, at least until those run out. I have to call them today and see if they were able to do that. I certainly hope the manufacturer gets their processing issues straightened out, and soon. This isn't medication I take for fun. It's medication I need to survive. And function.

I've been working on a cardigan out of Sublime Kid Mohair. Don't let the picture on KFI's website fool you—it looks like dead muppet yarn but it's really not. I'd like to get it done in time to wear it in Portland. It's an easy cable pattern, although working with this mohair is kind of fiddly. But oh—it is so soft and beautiful when it's knitted up.

I showed it to the husband and he said, "Does it raise your anxiety level to have it all laid out there in living color?" (He should talk—he has a Daytimer, too.) I said, "No, it's actually helping my anxiety level." It occurred to me the other day that now we have a kid with wheels, so she's going to have a bit more freedom to participate in some after-school activities.

The first two weeks of September are going to be a meat grinder. I found out yesterday that Bev Galeskas is coming to Camas Creek to do a Fiber Trends trunk show the weekend of September 6-7. That's the same weekend DD#1 has an IB (International Baccalaureate) retreat. And my FIL is going to be at his time-share in Seeley Lake (about an hour and a half southeast of us) and wants us to come down to see him there. I may just have to send DD#2 and the husband while I stay here.

My FIL is coming up to stay with us the same day I leave for Portland for the TKGA conference. In some ways that's great, because he'll be here all day and I won't have to make after-school arrangements for the girls, but now I have to worry about making sure they all have something to eat other than frozen pizzas.

I don't teach at the conference until Friday, but I am getting to Portland on Wendesday so I can pop over to the KnitPicks headquarters and work on a quick project with them. Then on Thursday I am going to help out in the Craft Cruises booth in the market. I don't get home until Monday. It's a bit longer than I wanted to be gone, but that's the way things worked out.

I can tell I am stressing about this more than I usually do because last night I dreamed I got to Portland and had left all my teaching supplies and handouts at home. I've already started packing the sweaters I want to take with me. I am going on the train, and they don't charge for extra suitcases, hooray! And the train station is right across the river from the convention center. I love the train.

And there is all that knitting time while I watch the scenery go by! I need to figure out what to take as my trip knitting. The projects I am working on right now are pretty fiddly. I've got some luscious black alpaca down in the stash that would make a wonderful shawl. That should work.

The girls start school the middle of next week and I have stopped feeling any guilt about wanting them to go back. Right now it's noon on Friday and everyone is home—the husband included—and as soon as I get this blog post done I am going up to lock myself in the bedroom where I can knit and watch my last Eureka Season 1 DVD. I am so looking forward to having the house to myself during the day so I can get some work done.

Here is another bee balm pic. This is one of the burgundy double flowers. I think these are so cool. I wonder if anyone has developed a triple-flowered variety?

I always feel so conflicted at this time of year. Part of me is tired of the heat and can't wait to get back to sweater-wearing weather, and of course school starts soon. Getting back to some solitude and a work routine makes me very happy. I miss the early sunrises, though. Now it's dark when I get up, and there aren't as many birds singing. It makes me wonder—if we have another cold spring like we did this year, will it be nine months until I see sunshine again? I like winter, but not when it stretches on endlessly like it did last year.

And I always go into squirrel-mode about now, a leftover reaction from the years right after we moved here when the husband didn't work for a couple of months during the winter because of the weather. I absolutely have to have enough money socked away (which I've been able to do this month) to get us through the possibility of some lean months if things slow down. This year we have to worry about the economy impacting construction as much as the weather might.

So I am not facing this year's transition with as much equanimity as I might otherwise. I will be sad to see the garden go into hibernation. I will miss snakes lying in wait for me at the bottom of the porch steps (I almost crushed one the other day but saw it and leaped over it at the last second). I will have to remember to start the truck ten minutes before I leave for town so it will be warmed up enough that my butt won't freeze. I won't be able to walk out and get the newspaper in my robe and slippers in the morning.

But we'll have lots of cozy fires in the fireplace and I can indulge in my love of making soup. I won't want to go anywhere and that will mean lots of knitting time. The tourists will leave and my blood pressure will no longer spike when I get to town. I won't have to shave my legs every other day or paint my toenails unless I want to. And Chester will be thrilled to be an avalanche dog again. There are advantages to winter, as long as it doesn't last until June 10.

Las Gaviotas sounds like a great place. On the Greenwala website, it states:

Built on highly acidic soil where almost nothing grew 25 years ago, Gaviotas is home now to 200 families with 3,000 people living in the surrounding areas. Gaviotans planted 24,000 acres of fully canopied poly-culture rainforest which currently boasts 254 species and provides a harvest of Caribbean pine tree resin, cashew nuts, and biodiesel from jatropha and palm trees.

It has to be a wonderful place if they are making biodiesel there! I played the game this morning while drinking my coffee and got three trees. It was kind of like taking a biology test. Please spread the word around to other people you think might enjoy it.

A front came through (finally) yesterday and cooled things off quite a bit. We're supposed to get another front today with some much-needed rain. Hooray! It'll be a good day to sit and knit and watch the rest of my Eureka DVDs from Netflix. I'm really enjoying this series. After I get through these I need to go back and catch up on the Firefly episodes I missed.

Fill washing machine tub with hot water and a few squirts of Dawn dishwashing detergent.

Place sweater in machine. Do not allow to agitate.

Let sweater soak for 30 minutes or so.

Spin out water. Remove sweater.

Fill with water of same temperature, allow sweater to soak for another 30 minutes, spin out water, remove sweater and lay out to dry.

Sometimes I would put a cup of white vinegar in the rinse, as we have very hard water here and it cuts the soap curds.

Now I have a front-loader. It's a great machine. However, I will not wash my sweaters in it. There is no way to fill it with water and then spin the water out. Even on the "drain and spin" cycle (as opposed to the "rinse and spin" cycle), the machine squirts water onto the garments. It does have a wool cycle, but I washed some of the husband's sweaters in that machine on the wool cycle and they came out slightly felted. That's okay for him, not for me.

I am back to washing my sweaters in the bathtub. I wish now that I had gotten another top-loader, but my old machine went out one weekend and I had 6 hours in which to decide what kind of machine I wanted to replace it. For some reason I was not thinking about all the sweaters I needed to wash when I chose this one.

Monica, you wanted to see pics of the bee balm. I have a few; the deep purple ones aren't blooming yet, and I cut all of the plants back so much this spring that I don't have as many blossoms as I usually do. But here's what is blooming right now (it was hard to get pics so some of them are a bit blurry):

This is one of the red ones. The hummers and butterflies likes these the best. They are showy and dramatic. Some are bright red and some are more of a burgundy red.

This is one called "Rose Geranium" and my friend Susan gave it to me when we moved here 15 years ago. It is my favorite and gets lots of TLC.

This is another one I like, because I think the lipstick pink color is so nice. Not many blossoms this year.

I lost my white bee balm this year and need to replace it. It's been struggling for the past couple of years. Some of them like wetter soil then others, and I think the white one wasn't getting enough moisture.

The deep purple ones are always the last to bloom. When they come out next week I'll try to get pics of them. Some of them have double flowers and they are quite cool.

And here is my zucchini plant. I think this plant is just enormous, but maybe this is how big it's supposed to get? I can't remember—I haven't grown zucchini for a while. You could easily lose a small child in there.

In preparation for my week sans children, I re-ordered the Netflix queue and put the first season of Eureka at the top. It's a series on the SciFi channel (I heart the SciFi channel, too) and I wanted to start at the beginning with the ones I've missed. Three DVDs came—but Season 1: Disc 1 of Eureka was out of stock. I got Season 1: Disc 2 and Season 1: Disc 3 of Eureka and Season1: Disc 1 of Bones instead.

Hmmmm. I wanted to start at the beginning of Eureka, not halfway through Season 1. So last Sunday I watched all of the disc of Bones (more on that in a minute). I popped it back into the mail Monday morning and waited for Disc 1 of Eureka.

And waited. And waited. Bummer. This would have to be the week that they had problems at the Netflix distribution centers. And now my kids are home and they have re-ordered the Netflix queue again. But I see that Disc 1 of Eureka is on its way to me, so I should be able to have a marathon and watch all three of the discs I have.

I know, in the grand scheme of things this is a minor issue. A very minor issue. But the Netflix distribution center meltdown is just another of the really weird things that have been happening this month. I can't get my Armour thyroid, either, because of some change in the manufacturing process that caused a global shortage (now I am on Naturethroid and I don't like it). What's going on?

About Bones: It's an interesting show and I'll work my way through all of the episodes, but I have enough scientific training that its entertainment value (for me) lies in finding the greatest number of scientific inaccuracies/inconsistencies in each episode. I also think the lead character needs to gain a little weight so she doesn't look like one of the corpses she's investigating.

We went to the water park yesterday; I figured I could sit and knit there just as well as I could here at home. We got a spot under one of the big umbrellas and my friend Susan and I visited (and I knitted) while the kids went down the waterslides. After about an hour I put my suit on and took a dozen trips around the lazy river. They got the heater working again so the water was pleasant. And despite the heat, the park wasn't very crowded. Everyone must have been at the fair.

Eleanor, you asked about how the Lion Brand Lion Wool wears. I have another sweater (the gray one) I've made with that yarn and it looks new every time I put it on. One of the things I like about the Lion Wool is that it is very much a "worsted-spun" yarn—the fibers are long and smooth and tightly-spun. Those kinds of yarns do not tend to pill very much.

This week's gratuitous garden pictures:

That vine on the fence is my hops plant. It's being especially prolific this year (this is after I trimmed it back in the spring). Heck, if I had known hops would do so well in Montana, I would have dug up an acre or two of our yard and become a hops farmer. I'm sure I could find a brewery interested in my crop.

The hops fruit is very pretty. They look like little lanterns:

I'm picking stuff out of the garden every morning. We're having a potluck at church next week and it came up for discussion at a council meeting last night. I suggested that we make it a themed potluck: "Interesting Things to Do With Zucchini" and require that every dish have zucchini in it.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?

The husband: I don't think about it like that. It's just something you do.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?

The Husband: Sitting on those little needles you sometimes leave in my recliner, the endless sheep paraphernalia . . .

[Hmmmm, so that's where all my cable needles are.]

Me: What is something I have knitted that you recall as good?

The Husband: Good in what way? I think of it all as good—unless you're swearing at it and ripping it apart.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

The Husband: Compared to mine, no.

[This is really not a fair question for us, as both of us have managed to turn our "hobbies" into businesses, but it's true that his stuff is way more expensive than mine.]

Me: Do you have a stash of any kind?

The Husband: Something that I store or hide? No.

[Oh no, all his tools are out in plain sight in the garage.]

Me: Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?

The Husband: I don't find anything embarrassing about it.

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?

The Husband: No.

[Brunswick Germantown]

Me: Can you name another blog?

The Husband: Knitting related blog? No.

Me: Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?

The Husband: Not really.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

The Husband: In a general sort of way.

Me: Do you read my blog?

The Husband: No.

[It's not because he's not interested. He was the editor of our college newspaper. I submitted something one time and it came back from his desk with some (I thought) snarky comments, so I instituted a rule that we were not allowed to read anything the other person had written. As far as I know he has never violated that agreement.]

Me: Have you ever left a comment?

The Husband: Obviously not.

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

The Husband: I don't see a relationship there.

[Well, hallelujah. That means I can leave off dusting the china cabinet for a while longer in favor of extra knitting time.]

Me: Anything you'd like to add?

The Husband: I love you.

I love you, too, bud.

After a fair bit of ripping out and swearing yesterday (see note from the husband, above), I think I have wrestled this latest design into submission. Part of the reason I love knitting from the top down so much is because I hate to have to begin a design with the ribbing. To my mind, the ribbing is the "frame" you add to after the artwork is done. Having to start with ribbing (or whatever edging I've decided on) causes a huge mental block for me.

Unfortunately, this particular design has a stitch pattern (not a cable, but a texture stitch) that wouldn't look right if it were oriented upside down. So I am stuck knitting from the bottom up. And yes—I could have begun with a provisional cast-on and come back later and picked up for the ribbing, but I am not a fan of that particular technique, especially when knitting a cable pattern.

I gutted it out and finally got the design underway. The yarn is Lion Brand Wool, my new favorite—the closest substitute that I could find for my beloved Brunswick Germantown. There is something about the way that this yarn feels when it runs through my fingers that really jazzes me. I don't get that feeling with every yarn.

We may be making a trip to the waterpark today. It's supposed to be in the 90's from now until the middle of next week. Ugh.

So Debbie did, and then she picked up the phone and called me. We had a nice chat and did some catching up. Debbie teaches 5th-grade math in the town where we grew up. Last year she had a knitting club of kids. How cool is that?

I love the Internet.

I'm not feeling so much love for my knitting, however. I am not quite sure what is going on. Getting my ideas from my brain to my needles is like pulling teeth. Last night I tried to start a new sweater design and it just wouldn't cooperate. I finally set it aside and went to the airport. I'll deal with it when I have more patience.

The girls had a great time in LA. They went to the beach, Disneyland, horseback riding by the Hollywood sign, and—because my sister-in-law works in the film industry—they attended the world premiere of the Cheetah Girls' new movie on Tuesday night (if you watch the Disney Channel you will know who the Cheetah Girls are). As much as I enjoyed the week alone with the husband, I was very happy to see them and have all of us together again under one roof.

The husband had to fire two of his employees this week, one of whom has worked for us for 6 or 7 years (that's a long time in the construction business). These two employees got along fine at work, but they had a history of drinking together and getting into fights with each other. This time the fight ended up with one of them being arrested and the other one needing surgery. We really don't care what our employees do off the clock, but when they pull stunts like this that impact the husband's ability to get jobs done on time, then it becomes our business.

I really don't understand what motivates people sometimes. The construction business is slowing down here, as it is everywhere, and if I had a job that paid me well, with a great boss who was willing to cut me some slack every now and then so I could meet with my parole officer, I'd make darn sure I didn't do anything stupid that might get me fired. But I know that some people don't think, and that's what gets them into trouble over and over and over again.

I made a pot of pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) yesterday. The zucchini are appearing in my garden and I am trying to find things to do with them. I love pasta e fagioli. No one else here gets excited about my vegetarian creations so I get to eat them all by myself. And I did. In fact, I am going to have some for breakfast right now.

The husband was reading the paper this morning when Rusty began barking and bouncing around the laundry room again. He was trying to get something under the laundry tub, so the husband moved some stuff around and lo and behold—there was a garter snake hiding out there! An immature one, but a snake nonetheless. I think that's a first for us. We had black snakes in our house in Pennsylvania (and therefore no mice), but we've never had snakes in this house.

The husband collected the snake and took it out to my garden (he was dressed, I wasn't). I hope this was an isolated incident. I like snakes—in my garden, not my house. Really. If I wanted to be side-by-side with wildlife, I'd live in a tent in the yard.

The mitten is an unqualified success! I am so tickled with the way it turned out that I just want to wear it all the time. I settled for putting it on my hand mannequin and placing it on my desk. I'll take it to Camas Creek tomorrow and get the yarn to make the real pair.

I have to stay tied to the computer today; I have a bunch of layout work (ads and stuff) that needs to get finished and sent to the appropriate parties. I'm also getting wary of being away from the house for too long. We had a lightning storm over the weekend and some spot fires up have popped up in the mountains. It's been more windy than usual and the temps are supposed to heat up—not a good combination. Our fire chief always says that Fair Week is the unofficial start of fire season around here. He should know—he's lived here all his life and he's seen plenty of wildfires.

You cat lovers out there might want to check out the sister's fiance's blog with pics of their four cats playing with the catnip rat I made for them (no synchronized sleeping at their house!).

I love the color. It makes me happy every time I go into this room. The quilt was an unplanned flash of inspiration: I have lots of framed "sheep" art and after I got it all put back up on the walls the way I wanted, I still had a large expanse of blank wall. As much as I like the color, that wall needed something. The quilt has been hanging on a wall rack in my hallway for the past couple of years. The husband's (now 95 year-old) grandmother made it. As I passed it the other day, I realized that it was the right size and the colors would coordinate nicely with the rest of the bedroom. So yesterday I stopped at the quilt store in town and picked up some nifty quilt clamps—they are blocks of wood with a groove and a marble. You slide the quilt in front of the marble and the weight of the quilt pulling down on the marble holds the quilt in place. Genius! No damage to the quilt.

While I was at Bed Bath & Beyond picking out the valance, I also got a new pillow. It's one of those latex foam ones inside a cover filled with goose down and it's specifically designed for side sleepers. I've had so much trouble with my neck over the past year and the chiropractor said the right pillow should fix the problem.

I think I found the right pillow. I woke up this morning and for the first time in many months my head feels like it's properly balanced on my neck. And I did not have to keep waking up during the night to beat my pillow into submission in order to sleep on it.

We need a couple more items to finish off the room. One of them is something the husband requested. He wants a bench under the window, preferably with some storage for his jeans (I kicked him out of the closet a long time ago because I needed the space). I did some looking on the Internet but couldn't find anything I liked (if it was the right color—oak—it was the wrong style and if it was the right style, it was the wrong color). I stopped at one of the furniture stores in town yesterday and found an oak bench with storage in the seat. I had to order it, so we won't have it for a couple of weeks yet.

The other thing I'd like to get is a headboard for our bed. It needs something to "anchor" it to the room. I'm sure there are some other things we could change (like the lights by the bed), but it's a process.

We've also had some weird stuff going on around here—things happening on the fire department and some issues with the husband's business. None of it is anything we can't deal with; it's just interesting that this stuff is happening now and it makes me wonder if the stars are misaligned again or something.

And my knitting has been frustrating me to no end. I am teaching a mitten class this fall at Camas Creek. Melanie asked for a shop model to display which I thought was a great idea because I want to include a mitten pattern in the Winter newsletter anyway. I picked out yarn. The yarn wasn't right for the pattern I chose. I picked out more yarn. Nope, still no luck. Finally I went and dug some yarn out of my stash, tossed out the pattern I originally wanted to use, and came up with something completely different.

Cross your fingers—this seems to be working. The husband came over by my knitting chair last night (after about my 50th long-winded sigh, I think) and asked me what I was trying to make. "A mitten! A simple mitten!" I said. "I can design and knit the most complicated Arans and I cannot make a simple mitten!"

Actually, I think mittens (and by extension, gloves) are some of the most diffcult items to cable. The shaping doesn't bother me—it's trying to put a cable pattern into that tiny amount of real estate in a way that looks nice and with numbers that work out properly (for instance, you cannot allocate half the stitches to the back of the mitten and half to the palm, because the cables will make the back narrower than the palm—not good design).

But I like what I've come up with. I will knit this prototype in my stash yarn and then I will go back to my second home Camas Creek and pick out something for the model mittens.

I leave you with a picture of the gold medal winners in the Olympic event of Synchronized Sleeping: Chester and Rusty. It's not a great picture because I was trying to get it without waking them up.

They're good, aren't they? It's all that training they do.

Don't worry, we have plenty to keep us occupied.

It was a gorgeous night last night, so I went to fire training with the guys. They took the engines up to the north end of a local lake and set up a dump tank:

They filled it with water (and got a shower in the process—that water was
under a lot of pressure):

They transferred the water from the dump tank to the engine:

And then they shot water from the deck gun on top of the engine:

That's the husband manning the deck gun. I can't help myself—he's so darn handsome in his fire gear that I had to take another picture:

A family was swimming up where we set up the dump tank. They got out of the water, but stayed around to watch the festivities. I talked to them a bit about what was happening. I think our department is very good about public relations and we try to make ourselves accessible to our customers as much as possible. They seemed to be impressed that we were out practicing for wildfire season (let's hope we don't need to use the skills we practiced).

I got our bedroom cleaned out yesterday in preparation for painting. I just need to have the husband help me move a few pieces of furniture so I can give the carpet a good thorough vacuuming. Today I will patch some holes in the walls (from where I hung pictures) and tape off all the woodwork. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. That will squash all temptation to be outside and we'll be able to get this room finished.

I've been doing a bit of knitting here and there, but nothing really exciting enough to show you or talk about. This always happens after I finish a newsletter. It's like I need a few days to decompress and do something other than knit.

Here is what I am supposed to do:

1. Put the logo on your blog:

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

I will admit that I am a blog-reading fanatic. I've got 145 blog feeds listed on Bloglines, and reading new entries is one of the things I do every morning while reading my coffee at 4:30 a.m. (or earlier, depending upon Chester's mood). Here are my favorites (not all knitting, sorry):

1. I love Fran Malone's blog Where Fiber Meets Mud. Fran has such an interesting perspective on things and I've told her before that if she compiled all her blog posts, she'd have a great little book.

2. Chrissy Gardiner's blog Knittin' Mom is always good for a laugh and not just because she posted about her visit to Montana. Chrissy is very honest and funny about what it's like to be a knitting designer with kids and I can relate to everything she says.

3. I am not officially a vegetarian but I like vegetarian recipes and Kathleen's Vegetarian Kitchen is full of them. I have gotten more good recipes from this blog than just about anywhere else.

4. Booksquare is my favorite blog about life in the publishing industry. The author pulls no punches when talking about the way things are and the way they are going. Plus, she is a knitter.

5. When I check in to Deb Robson's The Independent Stitch, I never know if I am going to be treated to a post about knitting, spinning, or indie publishing, but it doesn't matter—they are all good!

6. I also read a couple of firefighting blogs so I can keep up with discussions that happen at fire department business meetings. Firefighter Hourly is an excellent blog. (Firefighter Close Calls is another one, but I try not to check that one too often as it makes me nuts.)

7. I would nominate my sister's blog but she's not very good about posting regularly (hint, hint), so I will list her fiance's blog, Skulls in the Stars, instead. It's subtitled "Physics, pulp fantasy and horror, and a bit of politics" and that's a pretty accurate description. I will admit that sometimes the posts on physics leave me in the dust (college physics was 20 years ago), but it's still an interesting read.

So there you have it—a bit of my morning reading.

When last I saw the baby robins, the mama and daddy had them over by the edge of the woods, out of Rusty-range. I think we got them safely launched without incident. Chester gave me a bit of a scare yesterday—he was fine Tuesday, but when I came down to let him out yesterday morning he was staggering around. I know that's a signal that he's having an adrenal crash from too much stress, so I loaded him up with some extra prednisone and kept him inside. We're supposed to "stress dose" him with a bit of extra meds when we think he's going to be under extra pressure, but I never know when that will be, although I am seeing a pattern emerge—when we have houseguests. My mother-in-law is here and that must have thrown him. He's much better this morning.

Now we're just waiting for this little fellow (I know, I'm calling them all males) to head out:

It's been three hours since baby #2 left, and I can hear Mama calling for this one, but he won't go. He climbs out of the nest, looks down, then climbs back in again. If Rusty needs to go out, I'm taking him out on the leash and bringing him right back in.

We're painting our bedroom this weekend. I picked out two shades of the same color (a rich gold) and it's a good thing I checked them on the walls because one of them is a brassy gold with green undertones that really fights with the red duvet cover I chose. So tomorrow I am off to Sherwin-Williams to buy paint and the husband and I will get that done on Saturday. I think Sunday will be the day for our hike to the Numa Ridge Fire Lookout (if it's not raining). It should be fun. I definitely will take pictures.

Let me tell you, after yesterday, I was wishing for an editor who could ruthlessly pare down the contents of Cables 2.

I am still mired in Chapter 1. The problem is that every time I choose or design a cable pattern that illustrates what I want to talk about in that chapter, I get hit with another idea—what if I changed this, or tried that?—and the next thing you know, the book has another two pages.

I know, there are worse problems I could have, but I do need to get this book finished and there are 11 more chapters ahead of me. It's time to channel Mary Poppins and declare "Enough is as good as it gets," and move on to Chapter 2, where I'm sure I'll encounter the exact same problem. Oh well, at least I am making some forward progress.

My sister requested a large catnip mouse for her cats, so last night I dug out some bulky brown yarn from my stash and whipped up something that more closely resembles a rat. I hope the kitties like it. I only have dogs, so I have no idea what turns cats on.

Is what I do art, or engineering? I'm going to plant myself firmly in the middle of the fence and say it's both. While I never wanted to be an engineer like my father, I have always had a great appreciation for all things geeky and if you could have seen me locked in my room with my Commodore 64 computer when I was 16, you would have despaired of the possibility that I would ever get married and have children.

However, I also remember that somewhere back then, I had a very strong desire to create and that desire somehow found its outlet in knitting.

I knit in college. I was the only person I knew who knit in college. I had a subscription to Vogue Knitting, and I had two books: Great Knitting in Vogue (a collection of their patterns from the 50s, 60s, and 70s); and All Sweaters in Every Gauge, by Barbara Goldstein. I knit quite a few sweaters from the Vogue book, but I was intrigued by the Goldstein book and the possibility that I could create—not just follow a pattern, but actually conceive and plan for—a sweater from the ground up.

All of the sweaters I created using the Goldstein book were plain stockinette-stitch sweaters, some with crew necks, some with V-necks—one even had a shawl collar. I didn't think of myself as a "designer" when I was making those sweaters. It was more like I was immersing myself in the fundamentals of pattern drafting. If I had to put a label on that activity, I would say it was more along the lines of "textile engineering." It was a process of taking measurements, plugging in numbers, and following a pattern.

Although it was clear by the time I graduated from college that I could draft a basic knitting pattern, I never thought of myself as having the potential to be a "designer." Design was something artists did. I was not an artist. I was going to be a scientist (and how sad for science that much of the "art" associated with that profession has been drummed out of it, for science can be a very artistic endeavor indeed). People even told me I could never be a designer because I approached knitting from a technical angle, not a creative one. As far as I was knew, designers were those people with some mystical ability to see a design in their heads and sit down with yarn and needles and make it happen, and that was so not me.

When did that change? In 1997 I was working on the last level of the Master Knitting program from TKGA and one of the requirements was to design and knit an Aran sweater. That was one of the few times in my life when I had a vision in my mind and I sat down without a plan and just cast on. That sweater came to life on the needles and I finished it in three weeks. I looked at it when it was done and thought, "Wow, I am a designer."

Unfortunately, those lightning strikes of inspiration come few and far between and just aren't a reliable means of creation for me. I've had to come to terms with the way I design, which is to approach things from a technical angle. And that's okay, although I do run the risk of getting stuck within a framework of rules. Sometimes I have to force myself to throw a monkey wrench into the design because it's begging for something a little unusual. And sometimes, even when I have a vision for a design, things don't work out the way I thought they would.

One thing I emphasize in my classes is that everyone—everyone—has the potential to be a designer. I have a friend who is an ex-art teacher and he says that he can teach anyone to draw (and I believe him). I think everyone has the potential to create. It just comes more easily/instinctively for some people than others, and we've all got different approaches.

At a band concert a few months ago I talked a gentleman well-known here in Kalispell as a big band leader and trombone player. He told me an interesting story about a famous trombonist. This gentleman had been at a conference where the famous trombonist led a master class (that's where musicians come and learn from a great artist in that field). One of the students asked the trombonist how he did it—what were the things that made someone a great musician? I'm sure the student was hoping to get some tips he could apply to his own playing. The great musician's response?—"I just do it."

Now there was someone whose innate talent was such that he couldn't communicate what he did beyond "I just do it." I know there are lots of people out there like that. I've always wanted to play music by ear. I am a good pianist, but I can't play by ear to save my life. Part of that (I think) is because at the time I could have learned to play by ear pretty easily, I was taking piano lessons at a music school where playing by ear was NOT encouraged. Playing the notes on the page exactly as written was expected; improvisation was frowned upon. So was playing anything written later than about 1900.

However, as a church pianist, improvisation is exactly what I need to do sometimes. But I can't hear how a song is supposed to modulate from one key to another, so I have had to sit down and teach myself different modulations from a book so I can incorporate them into my playing. In that sense I am "engineering" my playing rather than hearing it and allowing it to happen naturally. But hey—I get the same result and you'd be hard pressed to know if I were doing it by ear or playing a modulation I had memorized.

The brain is an amazing thing. I worry when we limit ourselves and divide people into categories based on what they can and cannot do naturally. We should all challenge ourselves to stretch mentally, every day. We can do both art and engineering.

We went to the most wonderful wedding last night. Our minister's daughter got married, and the service was outside in her parents' back yard (they live up the road from us a few miles). She and her fiance planned the whole event. After the service we walked over to the neighbor's yard, which was set up for the reception. The food was wonderful—the bride and groom love to cook, so they made bread for all the tables and a chocolate wedding cake with raspberry sauce. I was sitting there with the husband watching the sunset and I said to him that at that moment there wasn't anywhere else on the planet that could possibly be as perfect as that spot.

I've been feeling a bit bothered lately, wondering why I am spending so much time on my knitting business because a lot of joy has just gone out of it. It's been that way, off and on, for several months now. I don't like the feeling that has developed in the industry over the past couple of years, and I can't find a good word to describe it. Maybe I am the only one feeling it, but it seems like everyone is chasing after that one pattern that is going to define knitting as we know it. The problem is, knitting can't be distilled down to one thing, one style, one fashion.

I felt a little better after working on Cables 2 yesterday. I am so proud of the work I've done on this series of books. I just feel as though they are underappreciated—Cables 1 even more so than Aran Sweater Design. It's hard to put into words, but all my life I've been so far ahead of the curve that I never seem to be in the right place at the right time. It's like when Apple released the Newton in 1993. The world wasn't ready for a PDA in 1993, but now it seems like we can't live without them. They had a great idea; it was just too early.

I was a self-publishing maverick—I've been self-publishing since 1996. Now self-publishing is being lauded as the new driving force in the knitting industry. Back in 1996 I said the knitting world needed a book on finishing techniques and people laughed at my idea. Huh. Now there are several books on finishing. Maybe it wasn't such a stupid idea after all.

I often indulge in this fantasy that after I am gone, the knitting world will suddenly "discover" me and my work, and knitters will be asking each other, "Why didn't I know about her when she was alive?" (and I'll be up there scratching my head and saying, "But I spent $4000 a year on advertising in Interweave Knits!"). I envision my books and newsletters selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay because people don't want to pass up the opportunity to have the huge amount of knowledge that's packed into my publications.

Perhaps I am delusional. I believe in the power of the free market, and I've always believed that if something is excellent, it will be successful. I also know, though, that there are plenty of great creative works out there that languish in oblivion—through no fault of the creator—just as lots of stuff that probably shouldn't ends up on best-seller lists. It's the way things work.

This sounds like a self-indulgent pity party and it's not meant to be. It's more me trying to work through the existential knitting crisis that's been plaguing me for the past six months. I felt better after working on Cables 2 yesterday, because I know that when this series of books is done, there isn't going to be anything else like it on the planet. And even if the books never make the knitting best-seller list, I will find great satisfaction in having written them. So that's what I am going to do.

The sweater in the upper left is the one I was hoping would be a man's design, but which decided at the last minute it was meant for a woman. Oh well. I like it anyway. The yarn (Rowan Cashsoft Aran) is very yummy.

The Aran is one of my very first designs, re-issued here in a new yarn (Perendale, from Naturally Yarns of New Zealand).

The scarf is made from 100% yak yarn from A Tangled Tale in Columbus, OH (hi Doreen!). It's a very simple 6-row cable pattern over garter stitch and I am totally in love with it. I call it the Crepe Paper Scarf because that's what it looks like to me.

The Mystery Afghan is the one I posted a few days ago.

The sweater at the bottom is by new designer Kimberly Bradford and features lots of fun twist-stitch cables.

Subscribers should expect to see this issue around the middle to end of August.

What else is happening?

My mother says I should find a better picture of her to post on my blog (her excuse is that she was pregnant with my sister and thus the bad hair day) so I am working on that.

I took the four projects pictured above which I designed to Camas Creek for Melanie to use as shop models. She was very excited about the Perendale yarn used in the Aran and plans to order some. Yay!

The husband and I were sitting on the porch yesterday afternoon watching the mama robin feed grasshoppers to the babies (there are three). I told Rusty to forget about having cornish game hen for dinner and that he should just leave the babies alone. He got distracted by a couple of squirrels and stopped listening to me.

Debbie, I don't know if I should show you pictures of my stash. It is embarrassing. Perhaps I will show you pictures of my stash of Brunswick Germantown. It increased by a couple of skeins last week when the lovely Whit Robbins of Atlanta sent me some in a pretty heathered navy blue. I think it's so cool that so many of my friends have sent me Germantown in coordinating colors, and I think I should make myself an afghan using it. That way I can look at it and remember what great friends I have.

My kids are going to Los Angeles next week with my in-laws, and I have a whole list of projects planned. Yesterday I bought a new duvet cover for our bed and picked up a selection of paint chips so DD#2 and I could pick out the color for the walls (our bedroom is the only room is the house that hasn't ever been painted, and we've lived here 12 years—I am tired of white walls). Today I need to get quarts of a couple of the colors we liked, and paint them on the walls. It's too hard to tell from a 3" x 3" paint chip if a color is going to work, and it's a big room.

I started a man's sweater design and I doubt very much this one is going to tell me it wants to be something different. The yarn is from The Irish Ewe in a deep brown color. It's kind of scratchy to knit with, but I made a large swatch (6" x 6") and when I washed it, the yarn softened up nicely.

We made another chocolate cake.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves 9

1/2 cup cocoa

1/3 cup oil

15 ounces canned garbanzo beans, drained

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. 
Spray 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes, 
or until brownies are just set. Cool, cut and serve.

For a flourless chocolate cake and a fancier presentation pour batter into a round cake pan.

Cut into wedges and serve with raspberry or strawberry sauce.

I didn't tell my kids what was in the cake until they had sucked down a couple of pieces. They didn't seem to care. It's such an easy recipe (it took all of 3 minutes to throw all the ingredients into the Cuisinart and flip the switch) that I wonder why I don't make it more often. I definitely prefer it to regular chocolate cake.

The only change I'm going to make next time is to use coconut oil instead of canola oil. I use coconut oil a lot—it's not as bad for you as some would have you think. I've been using it for a couple of years now and my cholesterol levels are fine.

I cleaned up my knitting area yesterday; yarn was beginning to take over. Now I feel a bit more organized.

Tomorrow's post includes a sneak peek at the projects from the Fall issue of the newsletter! Stay tuned!

The Fall issue of the newsletter is done—yay!—except for that little swatch, which I will knit today. I am mostly happy with the photos. I might tweak them a bit before printing, we'll see.

While we were in Ohio, my sister and I got to go through some boxes of photos at my grandmother's house. I found this one:

I am sure my mother will shoot me for posting this, as she was having a really bad hair day here (trust me, that is so unlike her), but I love this picture. When I was little, I used to twirl my hair and suck my thumb. I've given up the thumb-sucking, but I still twirl my hair on occasion. The other person in the picture is my father's younger sister Ellen. We were all sitting on the couch at my grandmother's house.

Don't you love that top my mother is wearing? It's got such a cool pattern on it.

We had a Girl Scout troop outing at the water park yesterday. It was hot, but there was a pretty stiff cool breeze which made it feel cooler. I just hung out on a chaise lounge and read a book. I never got hot enough to justify jumping into 50-degree water. The water in the pool is not heated, something that is probably okay in North Carolina but not in Montana. Brrr.

Today my friend Susan's mother is coming over for a visit. Susan is in California this week visiting her dad, and she left her mom (who also lives in California but spends summers with Susan) up here with Susan's husband and older daughter. I like Nancy a lot, and we always try to get together for lunch at least once while she's here. I told Susan that her mother was welcome to come down and spend the day with me. She doesn't get around so well so she'll likely just hang out on the couch and I'll get to knit and visit with her.

A cold front came through last night. It's supposed to be windy today as a result. I'm hoping people have enough sense not to light any slash piles—other fire departments have been called out several times this week to extinguish fires lit by people who clearly don't understand that it's illegal to burn right now, for a reason.

And check out Chrissy Gardiner's blog today—she's got a great recap of her trip to Montana!

I've included a technical article in this issue, something that has been sadly lacking in recent issues. It's made me realize how much I want to get back to working on Cables 2. I was (and still am) hoping to have that book out in 2008.

The issue is finished except for a small swatch I need to knit up to accompany the article, and three more project photos (which I can't take until the battery is done charging). It's been so darn bright here lately that I can't get a shot without everything looking washed out. A friend of mine suggested I look into some polarizing filters, so a trip to the camera store is on the list for this week.

Despite a few hiccups along the way, this issue has come together pretty well and I am pleased with it.

I just looked out in the front yard and there are two fawns bedded down. The dogs are in the house, otherwise I am sure the fawns would have stayed in the woods. And there is at least one baby robin in the nest in the porch above the laundry room door (the husband's comment about that was, "Nothing like building a nest right over the mouth of the lion's den."). I hope the mama robin is smart enough to take the baby out to the safety of the garden when it is time to teach it to fly.

[The reason the birds built a nest there is because the husband thought he was being helpful—he went and knocked down all of the old and partial nests in the porch rafters. The birds seized on the opportunity to resume work, and by the time we got back from Ohio they had built a nest and laid some eggs. He promised me he won't do that next year.]

I picked a bunch of lettuce this morning to make a salad for the funeral. I am kind of disappointed with my lettuce crop—rather, I should say I am disappointed in my mixed greens crop. DD#2 and I seeded the bed right before we left for Ohio. The bed is in the shadiest part of the garden (under a tree), so the greens won't bolt.

Guess what? In the space of a mere three weeks, all the spinach, kale, mustard, and other greens bolted. Blah. I had to pull all of them out because they were too bitter to eat. We're down to green and red lettuce (and some sorrel, which is in another part of the garden), but I am missing the other greens. I like a little bitterness, but not so bitter that it makes your face screw up.

I am trying to use up the lettuce so I can plant another crop of mixed greens before it gets too cold. Maybe this time the plants won't bolt.

Someone in the neighborhood has taken to leaving their dogs out at night. I don't think those dogs sleep at all—I can hear them barking all night long. Of course, this means that when Chester wakes up at 3:52 a.m. (I have no idea why), he feels it's important to join in. I refuse to get out of bed before 4:30 a.m. Consequently, I usually lay there for half an hour thinking unkind things about people in my neighborhood.

Time to head to the funeral.

I got a picture of the Mystery Afghan; the light has been way too bright and harsh but I am hoping to get a better picture this weekend:

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the way this turned out. The yarn was the perfect choice.

I've got another sweater blocking upstairs. I am glad it's hot and arid right now because sweaters don't take long at all to dry in this weather. Unfortunately, dry thunderstorms are on the menu for next week. We've been lucky and have not had much lightning this summer.

Another elderly lady from our church died this week. The funeral is Monday; I haven't heard anything yet so I don't think I need to play or sing at this one. I will make some food for the luncheon, though. This particular lady and her husband often sat behind me in church. I have notoriously messy hair. One Sunday morning I turned around to say hi to them after the service and she was sitting there with a comb on her lap. She looked at me and said, "I was going to fix your hair for you."

What a sweetheart.

My kids are at the lake with some friends of ours. I am enjoying the peace and quiet and the opportunity to get some work done on the newsletter.

I belong to way too many forums already, but the Planet Janet forum is one I've put at the top of my list to read. And of course I had to go to YouTube and listen to the Schoolhouse Rock song.

It took me two hours to put the fringe on the Mystery Afghan last night, and it required all but 15" of a full skein of yarn (which is 246 yards). It looks SO wonderful. I want to get a picture of it as soon as possible to send to Bev Galeskas at Fiber Trends, because it was she who suggested the Natural Wool yarn. (Fiber Trends is now the US distributor for Naturally Yarns from New Zealand.) I think she'll be thrilled to see the result. And Melanie and I are going to offer the afghan as an ongoing project class this fall.

I'm not working on any major projects right now. I have to finish the Yak scarf but that won't take long. The husband joined the local gun club and is going to spend part of Saturday there for some event. He said I could take my .22 with me and practice by myself while he's at the event, but I think I would rather take my knitting (probably the scarf to finish) and watch him shoot.

I have a couple of ideas percolating; we'll see what floats to the top and wants to be knitted up first.

I leave you with another Ohio picture. This was taken from the top of Perry's Monument on the island of Put-In-Bay, overlooking the town. We were lucky to get to go to the top of the monument, as they are closing it soon to repair some of the structure.

It was a cool and rainy day and the members of my party didn't like my golf cart driving. Golf carts aren't MegaCabs, that's for sure.

I love hiking with Susan. She has a Master's degree in Botany (the one biology class I never managed to take for my major—go figure), so she is a wealth of information on local flora. The group which created this hiking trail did a wonderful job of posting markers at various places to point out plants we should know. I think the girls got a bit tired of Susan and me stopping to converse about the many interesting plants, but I hope it was educational.

We were the only ones on the trail. That made DD#1 a bit nervous. She was walking right behind me (I had the can of bear spray in my hand with the safety off and my fire department radio in my backpack) and at one point she said, "I would feel more comfortable if we were out here with Daddy," to which I responded, "Do you think your mother can't protect you?" and she said, "Ummm, no." How nice to know that.

We saw a lot of elk droppings. It's possible there were bears around, but we also made a point of making lot of noise to scare them whenever we went around a bend in the trail.

We did see this:

which I thought was just beautiful. The colors are actually more vibrant than they look in this picture, and I kept thinking what a lovely combination that would make for a Fair Isle sweater, if I were inclined to make one.

I finished the sweater out of the Rowan Cashsoft Aran. I love the way it turned out, but it seems that my designer's vision of the sweater has run smack into reality and my vision is losing the battle. I've shown this to a couple of people now, and every single one of them says it looks too feminine to be a man's sweater. I just find this very interesting (and rather distressing). I chose the cable pattern specifically because I thought it looked very masculine. And I chose a chunky yarn to emphasize the intended masculinity of the design.

It ordinarily would not be a problem, except that the newsletter has been sadly lacking on mens' designs and I wanted to include some in the next couple of issues. If I had intended for it to be a womens' design, I would have incorporated waist shaping and used a thinner yarn. We'll see how it looks after blocking. It's going to go on display at Camas Creek after I get pictures taken and the pattern written for the newsletter. It will be interesting to see what knitters think about the design.

Bleh. Maybe I should find a different career.

But this morning I woke up promptly at 4:45 am and headed down to my office. No sense putting off the inevitable. I've made some progress—not as much as I would have liked, but progress nonetheless. I started on the newsletter layout, got two patterns written, followed up on some missing payments from one of my book distributors (it seems like I am always chasing down money from them), and tied up a few other miscellaneous loose ends. This past weekend I washed and blocked the Mystery Afghan (the directions have appeared in the last three issues of the Twists and Turns Newsletter® with the last installment in the coming Fall issue), so tying the fringe on and taking pictures is next on the list.

Our boxes of stuff arrived from Ohio today—we always seem to acquire more stuff than we had when we went and I usually ship it back here—so I unpacked and put away the class materials I had sent ahead for my classes at A Tangled Tale. Speaking of the store, here's a picture:

It's such a bright and airy store, one of the nicest places I've taught. It's in the community of Powell, OH. If you're close, make a point of stopping in and tell Doreen that Janet sent you.

I'm about out of energy; I just made myself a cup of the coffee I bought at the Blue Crab Coffee Company in St. Michaels, MD, but I think I should have made regular, not decaf (I got some of each). I think it's time to leave the computer and go work on some knitting. While I was at A Tangled Tale, Doreen gave me two skeins of Shokay Shambala yak yarn. It's just a fabulous yarn and I love it. I am making a garter stitch scarf—yes, a garter stitch scarf, but with a twist (literally). It's so cool. I spent more than a few minutes this afternoon trying to locate the second skein of yarn so I could finish it. I knew that it had come home with us, but where it went after it got in the door was beyond me. I finally found it at the bottom of my carry-on bag.

Tomorrow's schedule includes a hike—DD#2's Girls Scout troop is meeting at 8 a.m. to go on a hike at the Sprunger-Whitney Nature Trail. I'd like to stay home and work, but I can't pass up a chance to hike. I figure that we'll hike in the morning and head to town to do errands in the afternoon, and that way I'll be able to stay home on Wednesday, instead.

Whew.

I renewed my driver's license at the same time she got hers. Her picture is much better than mine, but DD#2 tells me that mine is a huge improvement over my "late 90's" picture (in Montana we get licensed for eight years, not four).

I got to see Chrissy and Sydney and Owen one more time last night. I had promised them a peek at the fire engine, but wouldn't you know it—right around dinner time our department got paged out for a grass fire. So the kids played and Chrissy and I sat and talked about knitting until our department was released from the fire. The husband had to fix a piece of equipment on the engine, so he just brought the engine back to our house and parked it in the driveway. We had a lot of fun playing on it. I ran the lights and siren for Owen. Sydney was just fascinated with the backup camera screen in the cab. We all had to take turns standing behind the truck and dancing so she could watch us.

Here is Chrissy in the engine:

Owen is driving, and doing a darn fine job in spite of the fact that he can barely see over the steering wheel.

The Gardiners are heading back to Portland today, but we promised the kids they could come back next sumnmer and play again (we thought for a moment that Sydney might move in with us but she did leave with her mother). Chrissy is such fun—she's always upbeat and positive and a joy to be around. You'll have to check out her blog in the next couple of days; she took pictures, too, and I can't wait to see what she writes about her experiences here in Montana.

Tomorrow it is back to work. I've been making a list of all the knitting- and business-related stuff I need to do so I can prioritze things. First on the list is the fall newsletter. I also have half a dozen patterns to write: some for the newsletter, some for a round of test-knitting (my knitters have been so patient and I would like to give them some work!), and some to sell at Camas Creek. I meet with the DVD producer this week, and yes—there is that book I am supposed to be finishing. I am not lacking for things to do.

And I've been trying to spend a half-hour weeding every morning. The husband commented the other day that the garden looks better than it has in five years. I said that's because this is the first time in five years that I've had enough energy to go out there and work, thanks to finally getting diagnosed and put on thyroid meds. Next year I am going to plant even more stuff.

I have one more big project to tackle this summer: painting our bedroom. It's the last big room in the house that still has the original coat of eggshell white paint from 12 years ago (I know, how sad is that?). I fell in love with a duvet cover I saw at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day. It's a deep red with gold threads shot through it. I want something kind of elegant, but you have to remember that the husband does concrete for a living. "Concrete" and "elegant" aren't two words I would normally put in the same sentence. So we'll see. Some addtional research is in order.

We've got a fire department BBQ this afternoon. I am off to go make some coleslaw.

I finally got to meet Sydney and Owen after reading about their adventures on Chrissy's blog. It took them a few moments to warm up to my girls, but shortly they were out on the swings, playing in the playhouse, and checking out the bear scratches on the side of our house. Chrissy and I did a little downhill skiing on the Wii after dinner (she's such a good sport!) and they headed off to their hotel with a promise to meet me at Camas Creek Yarn this morning.

But I am such an idiot!—I went to town without my camera. And we didn't take any pictures last night, either. What a lame blogger I am.

We spent an hour or so at Camas Creek talking to Melanie and Andy. Chrissy's husband Bill had a meeting at the golf course at 12:30, so we dropped him off there and she and her kids and I went to iHop for lunch. Sydney and Owen are very entertaining. I remember when my kids were that age and I am just amazed that Chrissy gets as much done as she does.

We've got plans for one more get-together tomorrow night, because I promised the kids a visit to the fire station so they could sit in the engines. And I will take my camera.

When I got home I went out to the gardening shed and dragged out some soaker hose to put on my veggies. It's supposed to be hot this week with no rain, and we're getting a lot of wind. The wind is drying everything out, so our fire chief says we need to make sure we don't let down our guard. We had a lot of snow this winter and it's tempting to think we won't have a bad fire season. Not necessarily true.

In the meantime, a quick update from here at the ranch(-ette), and of course it includes garden pics:

Who knew weeds could grow so fast in three weeks? The first thing I did Tuesday morning was get up, have a cup of coffee, and head out to clean up the jungle that popped up while I was gone. I am going to leave the weeds to dry out a bit, then toss them on the compost pile.

I have asparagus! I am so happy.

I also have zucchini, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, calendula, tons of herbs, and lots of pretty flowers. The beans and peas are straggling, but I think they'll catch up. And remember that little guy from a few weeks ago?

Not only did he move in, but so did a bunch of his siblings. I was trimming back the hops vines yesterday and two of them slithered out onto the path. I saw a couple over on the vegetable side of the garden, too. They are doing a fabulous job of eating all the bugs. I just have to be careful I don't step on them. I'm sure they were happier when no one was tromping around the garden pulling up plants.

We also have a black bear or two roaming the neighborhood. The husband saw one about two weeks ago, and yesterday in the paper there was a report that a couple of bears got into a neighbor's beehives. It should be an interesting rest of the summer.

We're having very special guests for dinner tonight! Chrissy Gardiner of Gardiner Yarn Works and her family are in Kalispell for the weekend, so tonight it's steaks on the grill, salad from the garden, and hot fudge brownie sundaes for our guests. Pics tomorrow!

It stands for the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners and I was at the biennial MAWS conference in Helena, MT this past weekend. I taught four knitting classes and it was great fun.

When we were getting ready to move to Montana, the husband knew I was rather ambivalent about the idea, so he came home from a scouting trip to Kalispell armed with information. "Look," he said, handing me the local guide to Flathead County put out by the Chamber of Commerce, "Kalispell has a weaving and spinning guild. You'll make new friends right away." And so I did. One of the first people I met when we moved here was my friend Susan (my childrens' other mother), who is also a spinner and weaver. She just happens to live a few miles down the road.

I also met spinners and weavers (and knitters!) from around the state at the biennial MAWS conferences. The conferences move from city to city (hosted each time by the local guild) and they are the reason I have traveled so much within Montana and seen so much of the state. The Kalispell guild has a member who will be 90 years old next week and she has been to every single MAWS conference ever held. We should all be so fortunate.

This year's conference was very well-organized. We stayed at Carroll College and when I arrived, I found a wonderful Starbucks gift basket in my room. As an instructor, I always consider that kind of stuff a real plus. The only negative about the weekend was that my classroom was a bit small, but it had been reserved early on in the registration process when it looked like my classes would have 10-12 people. As it turned out, I had more like 21-22. The students were lively, engaged, and asked lots of good questions.

One thing that I really appreciate about MAWS as a state organization is that it made a committment some time ago to bring ALL the fiber arts under its umbrella. When I first got to Kalispell, there was an undercurrent of tension between the weavers and the spinners and I caused more than a bit of a ripple when I came to guild meetings with my knittting (no one had ever done that before). The dynamics have shifted since then, and I think our guild now has more active spinner/knitters than weavers. But MAWS has always included spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, and basketry classes in its conference offerings and I think that's great.

I was the MAWS newsletter editor for a couple of years but it has been some time since I was a board member and actively involved. It was great to see people I haven't seen for a long time, and to make some new friends, too.

I had to leave the conference a bit earlier than I would have liked, but our friends around the corner were hosting their annual Summer Solstice party and I didn't want to miss it. And today I need to empty one suitcase, do a couple of loads of laundry, and load another suitcase so we can leave for the east coast. If you're going to be anywhere near Billings, MT, in the summer of 2010, make sure you put the MAWS conference on your calendar. It'll be great fun.

This evening we're heading up to a place across the road from our house to do some outside shots for the intro and ending. The light should be just perfect and it'll give me a chance to model some sweaters.

I'm just glad that the bulk of this DVD is done, and now that I know exactly what's involved and what's it like to work with this particular producer, the next one should be much easier.

I'm well up into the body of the man's sweater and it's just beautiful. The yarn is Rowan's Cashsoft Aran, which at first I thought was a bit mushy for my taste. The skeins like to disintegrate in your hands (I have to rewind each one on my ballwinder before using it) and that characteristic always sets off alarm bells in my head. Knitted up, though, the yarn makes a nice solid fabric with a luxurious hand.

If only I had a better system for getting all these designs from my head to a swatch and written pattern so I could farm more stuff out to my test-knitters. Lack of ideas is not the problem. I tried to write out a pattern the other day and I haven't written a pattern for that particular style (top-down saddle shoulder) in so long that I had to sit for a moment and really think about what I was doing. It's that thing about switching gears from right-brain activities to left-brain activities that always makes me slightly nuts.

Speaking of switching gears, today is a big day for DD#1—both the girls have checkups with the eye doctor this morning and then haircuts this afternoon. DD#1 asked if she could drive to town and I said okay. She's done plenty of driving out here—to the elementary school and to the church—but she hasn't driven in town since driver's ed. And that was in a car with an automatic transmission, not a truck with a 5-speed.

I think she's ready. I noticed on Sunday that shifting has become a subconscious thing, allowing her to pay more attention to the road and less to the truck. I told her that she could start out driving today and that if she felt overwhelmed at any time, she could pull over and I would drive for a while. But I am pretty sure she will be fine. With parents like us she should be a fabulous driver.

If only my work could go as smoothly as my driving.

Melanie is going to see if she can order me another bag in the same dyelot. Even another bag in a different dyelot should be okay. We talked a bit about what she might do when we put the sweater up for display (I offered it to her as a shop model when it's done); will she keep three full bags of each color in stock for knitters who want to make a man-sized sweater, or will she just tell them she'll order it? I feel bad for stores who get put into this position, and it happens a lot. As a designer, I just hate going into stores which only have enough of any single yarn to knit a vest—forget trying to do a full-size sweater (Michaels, where I like to buy Lion Brand Lion Wool, is notorious for this). But the store also doesn't want to stock yarn that isn't going to sell. What if this sweater ends up requiring *twenty-one* skeins of yarn—would you want to be the yarn store left with nine orphan balls of yarn?

Of course, if Melanie does order me a third bag of yarn, that will just about guarantee that I will be able to fnish the sweater with the 20 skeins I bought originally. Just another of the joys of designing. But I do love how the pattern is coming out. It's one of those designs that I stop and admire frequently while I am working on it.

I need to pay a visit to the chiropractor this week. I had an appointment last Tuesday which I cancelled because of the snowstorm. I wish I could have kept it. I have issues with my neck and we've decided that it all boils down to the kind of pillow I sleep on. I've slept on feather pillows for years—beginning with ones made from my great-grandmother's geese. However, they have to be really really firm feather pillows, otherwise my head goes wonky in the middle of the night and my neck gets all screwed up.

I've bought more pillows in the past year than I care to admit—everything from $15 pillows from Target to a $150 pillow from The Company Store (billed as the "ultimate" pillow for side-sleepers and which was the worst offender—go figure). I've tried sleeping on synthetic pillows, which I dislike intensely. I even tried the memory foam contoured pillow and threw it out after one night. The only time I haven't had a problem was at the Holiday Inn in Neenah, WI, which had the most comfortable bed and pillows I've ever slept on. Unfortunately, I don't know which of the six pillows that were on my bed I actually used when I was there or I'd call them and find out who makes them. Maybe I'll call them anyway and ask.

So I'll get the chiro to straighten out my neck again this week and see if I can keep it that way. If I don't address it immediately the problem just gets worse and spreads to my shoulders, which is what it's doing now. It's uncomfortable, but as long as it doesn't interfere with my ability to knit, I think I'll make it until I see the chiropractor Tuesday.

In knitting news . . . I am in love with my knitting again. I've been in such a slump this spring that I was beginning to wonder what was going on. A couple of nights ago I started the vest that is slated to be my east coast travel knitting. I had so much fun watching the pattern emerge that I had to force myself to stop working on it lest I get it done before I leave.

Last night I started a man's pullover as a substitute project. I love the cable pattern on this one, too, and I can't seem to stop working on it. This particular design has a cable pattern at the bottom followed by acres of stockinette. That fact actually might make it a better choice for travel knitting. I'll work on it a bit this weekend and decide which will go with me when I head east. Maybe I'll take both. It's nice to have a choice.

I took DD#1's truck to town yesterday because one of the tires had a slow leak. I got to Les Schwab and settled down with a cup of coffee and my knitting, thinking I would get some work done—but they fixed the tire in a mere ten minutes! (Broken valve stem.) Darn. The husband thought it was funny that I was disappointed. I told him that knitters never mind waiting if they have some knitting with them.

Here is the weather forecast for the coming week. It's a huge improvement over last week's. I think we deserve it. And if it keeps the midwest from being washed away by any more floods, all the better. I can't imagine a city—like Des Moines or Cedar Rapids—under such huge amounts of water.

Even though it's supposed to be nice out, I am staying inside and working in my office today. The garden seems to be recovering and there isn't much I need to do out there. I have a lot of stuff to get ready for my classes at the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners conference next weekend. So I'll throw open the windows and enjoy the fresh air while I sit at my computer.

While I don't disagree that making more of these works available for the public to use is a laudable goal, Congress now has its fingers in the pie and is doing its usual excellent job of working to pass legislation with unintended and widely-damaging consequences. The Orphan Works bill before Congress would loosen existing copyright protection to the point where it's possible that artists would have to spend considerable time and effort defending the illegal use of their work from people who want to profit from it.

I wrote letters about this issue to each of my congressional representatives: Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester and Representative Denny Rehberg. From Mr. Rehberg I received what looked like a form letter thanking me for my input and indicating that he would consider all viewpoints when deciding how to vote on any legislation before him. From Mr. Tester I received a letter which read, in part:

As you may know, the Copyright Act of 1976 made it substantially easier for an author to obtain and maintain copyright for his or her creative works. Today, copyright becomes a reality at the moment an original work is created and need not be registered with the Copyright Office to obtain protection.

While this was a welcome change for many, it has resulted in a situation in which tracking down the original author to petition for use of his or her works can be a significant challenge. Some folks are concerned that these "orphan works" are being slowly lost to the public domain due to this obstacle to access.

In 2005, the Copyright Office was requested by the Senate to conduct a study of problems related to orphan works. The bill resulting from this examination is now being considered in the Senate, and will make it easier and less expensive to use orphan works. This is especially the case if those works are being used primarily for charitable, religious, scholarly, or educational purposes.

While I agree that we need to protect copyrighted works, it would be a shame if unnecessarily strict copyright laws kept these works from being rediscovered by future generations.

It sounds to me as though he has already decided to vote for the legislation. By sheer coincidence, the day after I received this letter from Mr. Tester, I happened upon this interesting article, In it, this gentleman details the story of how he found out that one of his late father's books (which was still under copyright) had been re-published without permission by a company here in Whitefish, Montana. He descibes how he did the research to make sure that the company had indeed infringed upon his father's copyright, how he contacted them and the POD (print-on-demand) company who printed the illegal copies of the book to notify them of the infringement, and—here's the kicker—how his lawyer informed him that getting any actual damages from the infringing company would be difficult and costly, despite the "protection" afforded by existing copyright law.

Those of us who are familiar with copyright know that it does afford "protection"—if you are willing to spend a significant amount of time and money to seek that protection. The proponents of the Orphan Works bill don't seem to understand that in their quest to free the use of some existing creative works whose owners cannot be found, there are plenty of people and companies out there who will see this as an opportunity to use whatever creative works—protected or not—in whatever way they want. They will be able to hide behind the provision of the Orphan Works bill that requires them to do a "reasonably diligent, good-faith search" for the copyright owner. What constitutes a "reasonably diligent, good-faith search"? In the case I cited above, the son of the author whose work was infringed upon notes that a 15-second Internet search was all that was required to determine that his father's book was still under copyright, and yet the infringing publisher failed to do even that. It's what I call the "It's better to ask forgiveness than to seek permission" model of behavior. Infringe first, and hope that no one notices. If they do, ask forgiveness. Never mind that the damage has already been done.

I forwarded the above link to Senator Tester in a second letter regarding the Orphan Works bill, asking him the following question: if this kind of infringement can happen under existing copyright law, can he imagine the kind of free-for-all that will result when the laws are relaxed even further? I am hoping that the fact that this happened in the state he represents may bring home the point that I—and others who depend upon their intellectual property for their livelihood—are trying to make.

I have first-hand experience as someone who is trying to get an out-of-print work back into circulation. I would like to republish a knitting book whose author died several years ago. Because my parents raised me to be a law-abiding citizen, I did not simply re-publish the book and hope that the author's family wouldn't notice. Instead, I went to my lawyer and asked him how to proceed. He located the current copyright owners (the author's children), and I began a correspondence with them regarding the book. This process already has taken two years and we're just now at the negotiating stage. Yes, it's a lot more difficult than I envisioned. Yes, it would have been a heck of a lot easier to cut corners and claim that I couldn't find the copyright holders and hope that they wouldn't spend the money to prosecute me should they find out that I had republished the book. But I respect the work of the person whose book I want to republish and I will do this properly or not at all.

Some additional research by my lawyer indicated that the illustrations in the book in question are under a different copyright which is held by the illustrator, not the author. I have made several attempts to contact this illustrator, all to no avail. It's frustrating, to be sure, but I have already decided that I will hire another illustrator to do a new set of illustrations if I do republish the book. Under the Orphan Works legislation I suppose those illustrations could be considered orphan works. I could claim I have done a "reasonably diligent, good-faith search" to find the copyright owner. It would make my life easier. But it's not an insurmountable obstacle.

Part of what seems to be driving this Orphan Works legislation is the growing sense of entitlement that seems to be taking hold in our society. There were plenty of times when my children were young that they wanted something they could not have. We simply said, "I am sorry, that choice is not available to you. Please pick something from the choices that are available to you." They dealt with it. We now have a whole group of people who think that they are entitled to whatever they want no matter who it harms. Instead of saying, "I am sorry, that choice isn't available to you," we—as a society—are going to change the laws in order to make all choices available to them. And we'll see what unintended and widely-damaging consequences result. I may be something other than a knitwear designer and author ten years from now if this legislation passes in its current form.

Snowfall amount: 5.5 inches

My front yard:

My poor (sob!) garden:

And lastly, a very cranky hummingbird who claimed the wind chime next to the feeder as his lookout yesterday. He was there every time I looked out the window:

The poor hummingbirds do not fly very well in snowstorms, which is probably why they stayed so close to the feeders.

I think the garden may be okay. The tomatoes are protected by water walls; I feel bad for our friend around the corner who put 40 tomatoes plants (grown from seed) in his garden last week. He's sure they are pretty much toast, and getting replacement plants will be next to impossible. I am worried about the squash, even though they are also in water walls. They may just die from shock (I would). And we'll have to dig up a few peas and beans to see if the seeds are sprouting or rotting.

We've got birds all over the porch, under the porch, in the rafters of the porch . . . I am wavering about putting some food on the platform feeder for them. It'll help the birds, but Rusty will think I imported a shipment of toys for him to play with.

I really thought we were going to have a sleepless night last night; our power went out around dinner time because of a tree down on a line, and our fire department got called to a couple more downed trees. The power came back on just before midnight, though, and we didn't have to go out again. I don't think it got below freezing last night. That would have been a disaster.

I have to go to town today. We're almost out of food and the kids are worried they are going to starve (like that's ever happened before). Plus, I need yarn. Can't forget the essentials, you know.

Here is my material for the DVD. All swatches have been organized into separate, labelled baggies so I can find them easily:

I may be a lot of things, but scatterbrained and disorganized aren't among them.

I've been struggling with the fact that I haven't had any time to design (or work on Cables 2, but that's another issue altogether). I need to keep stuff in the pipeline so I am not panicking at the last moment because I don't have enough material for an issue of the newsletter. Fortunately I have a sizeable swatch collection:

One of the advantages of a swatch collection is that when I feel like swatching, I can swatch like a madwoman and throw the completed swatches into this bin for safekeeping. Then, when I need some design ideas, I revisit the swatch collection and pull a few things out. Some ideas actually look better after marinating for a while.

I'm a little low on mens' designs for upcoming issues of the newsletter. I pulled a swatch out of the collection which will become a man's Aran, and sketched out two more ideas: a man's pullover and a man's vest. I'll farm out the Aran and the pullover to my test-knitters, and take the vest design to Ohio with me as my trip knitting. I have yarn for the vest and the Aran; I need to get yarn for the pullover today when I am at Camas Creek. Now I just need to write up the patterns before I go. I had to write my to-do list for next week and tack it to my computer monitor because I am afraid I am going to forget something important.

I'm deep in the midst of getting things ready for the DVD taping next week. Not only am I knitting swatches, I am making up some "slides" that will be part of each demonstration. For instance, I plan to talk about reading cable charts, so I have a large sample chart to use as a visual aid. It's fun seeing this all come together.

I still have to decide what to wear. I hope it's not raining that day, so I can get my hair to behave and not look like I have a haystack on my head. The producer and I are negotiating about makeup. I don't wear it because it makes my face (esepcially my eyes) itch—and I've tried every hypoallergenic makeup out there, believe me. He wants at least a little blush and lipstick on me. We'll see.

The younger one and I did some cleaning yesterday. One of the cabinets in the kitchen has always been devoted to storage of coloring books, crayons, and other art supplies. I wanted to avoid the end-of-school-year phenomenon that usually happens—that of kids coming home and just throwing all their supplies from this school year into the cabinet—so we took everything out. Most of the coloring books went into the trash, the crayons are going to our church for vacation bible school next week, and all the pens, pencils, and colored pencils got sorted into containers and labelled. I cleaned out my office and my yarn room. We still have a lot of organizing and cleaning to do, but it was a good start.

The older child has to play with the band at graduation this afternoon. The husband said that while she's doing that, we would go and pick out a lawnmower for me so I could cut the grass. It looks like it's supposed to rain for the next five days so I may not get to try it out right away (and by then the grass will probably be two feet tall). But at least I'll have one I can start by myself.

Everyone's been complaining about how cool and rainy this spring has been. Last night on the news (it was a slow news night, apparently), the lead story was an interview with "experts" who claimed that this is a normal Montana spring and we've just all forgotten what normal is like. Then the weatherman said, "This week our temps will be 15-20 degrees below average for this time of year." I said to the husband, "How can this be a "normal" Montana spring when our temps are that much below average? If it were a "normal" Montana spring our temps should be right at average."

Yesterday it never broke 55 degrees and I even built a fire in the fireplace. Think of me, all you who are sweltering in the 100+ degree temps.

Yesterday I discovered that they've been filtering messages from the company that created my store software, so I completely missed the upgrade offer for $99 that expired June 1. I sent an e-mail to the company and told them I had missed the offer and asked if they would honor it anyway. They just sent me an e-mail saying that they would! Cool.

I also printed out patterns to fill some store orders, and worked on the swatches for the DVD. We worked on a storyboard at the meeting Monday, so I have a basic outline of what I want to cover. The problem is that I keep thinking of other things I want to talk about and demonstrate. I finally made a list of all the DVDs I want to do (there are about half a dozen), which is helping me to limit the material in this one to basic cable maneuvers and helpful information. I want it to be approximately an hour long. We'll see how well my plan goes.

The light was just wonderful yesterday afternoon so I went out and took some garment photos—a few are new and a few are updated ones for existing patterns. While I was searching the edge of the woods for a good spot to hang something, I happened upon this little fellow:

This isn't the actual snake I saw—I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture. I briefly considered picking him up and moving him to the garden but he zoomed off under a log before I could put down the camera and catch him. And I was only about five feet from the veggie garden so it's possible he may find his way there anyway.

A few years ago we had a lot of grasshoppers and therefore a lot of garter snakes. It got to the point where I had to look carefully before stepping off the porch or pulling a weed out of the garden because there was a good chance I would disturb a snake. I haven't seen any the past couple of years, so I was delighted that this guy was hanging around.

If you ever run into my mother, ask her about the time I brought her a garter snake from the woods. She doesn't think they are as enchanting as I do.

Summer vacation begins for DD#2 today. The older child has to take a history final Monday morning and then she's off for the summer, too. Hooray.

However, standing between me and a relaxing afternoon of grass-mowing was this:

The husband, being of German over-engineering descent, did not go to Home Depot and buy a normal lawnmower. No, he bought a Billy Goat, which blows through the lawn at an amazing rate—if you can get it started. The husband and I have ongoing conversations (okay, less like conversations and more like me ranting) about things that are designed by men, for men. I've told him often that it is my fondest wish that he have to be me for one week out of the month (and I get to pick the week) because then he would know exactly what I mean.

I'm not a wimp. I drive a one-ton (designed by a man, no doubt) truck. I camp in crummy weather. I'd like to think that if I got stuck in the wilderness for a few days, I could survive without becoming fodder for some docu-drama on the Discovery Channel (a channel which features many shows for men, about men). I cannot, however, start this lawnmower. I tried. Eventually I gave up and left a long message on his cell phone in which I sighed loudly several times.

So after dinner last night he said, "Let me show you the trick to starting this thing," and proceeded to go out to the garage to get a can of starting fluid, because apparently the choke doesn't work so well anymore. Then he told me to pull the starter cord. I did—three times—and just about dislocated my shoulder. I know better than to endanger my means of making a living, so I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "I give up." He pulled the starter cord ONCE and the thing roared to life.

He looked at me and asked, "Are you going to cut the grass?" and I said, "Nope—that urge passed about five hours ago. I'm going inside to knit." I pointed out that if he wants to take advantage of my desire to cut the grass so he doesn't have to, he really needs to make it easier for me. I'm tempted to go to Home Depot and buy my own lawnmower, one that doesn't require the strength of Hercules (and a can of starter fluid) to get it going.

So instead of cutting the grass yesterday afternoon, I came inside and communed with my yarn for a while. I was searching for the yarn I want to use to demonstrate cabling techniques on the DVD I'm taping next week. In the process I cleaned out some skeins of yarn left over from recent projects.

I don't have to go anywhere today (hallelujah!). I've cleared off my desk in anticipation of a day of working on Cables 2 and the DVD. I think it's supposed to rain (that should make the grass grow more), so I won't feel the urge to work outside.

Wednesday: I filled the truck up with a tankful of biodiesel. I was in town because DD#2 had a ballet recital at a school which was right outside the city limits, so while she was at the dress rehearsal, DD#1 and I ran some errands. We picked DD#2 up and went home to scrounge up some dinner before heading back to that same school for the performance. (Home to town is 17 miles. Home to this particular school is about 15 miles. We could have eaten dinner in town but it would have cost more than the fuel to drive home and back.)

Thursday: I drove to Whitefish (35 miles) for an appointment with my naturopath. The printer who does the newsletter is also in Whitefish, so I stopped to see if they had the newsletter done. They said it would be done Friday. I ran errands, went to the school where I played the piano for the second-grade musical, went back to town and ran more errands, came back to school to pick up DD#2, then went back to town to pick up DD#1 from her National Honor Society meeting.

Friday: I stayed home and worked for most of the day, then went to band practice at DD#2's school, after which we ran into town and picked DD#1 up from another National Honor Society event and ran back up to Whitefish to pick up the newsletters so I could get them ready to mail over the weekend.

Saturday: I drove back to town to teach at Camas Creek Yarn.

Sunday: I didn't have to drive. DD#1 drove us to church (four miles) in her truck. We're trying to rack up as much driving as possible before she takes her driver's test.

Yesterday: DD#1 asked if I could drive her to school early so she could finish a project with her lab partner (the lab partner was going to come to our house Sunday night to work on it but couldn't make it). We drove her in to town, and then I took DD#2 back to her school. I went to a meeting with the company that's making my DVD, then drove back to town to take the newsletters to the post office. While I was in town, I stopped at the salon and see if I could change my hair appointment (scheduled for this morning) to later in the week so I didn't have to drive into town again today. Lo and behold my stylist had a cancellation, so she fit me in. I was so proud of myself, thinking I had gotten all my errands done and wouldn't have to go back to town until Thursday or Friday.

Then last night at the band concert, the music teacher asked everyone to put their chairs away after the concert in preparation for today's primary voting. Aaarrrrgggghhhh. I had completely forgotten about the primary.

Do I vote at our elementary school? No, of course not—that would be too easy. We are on the eastern-most side of the district and we have to drive 15 miles over to that same school where DD#2 had her ballet recital in order to vote. This torques me every time voting rolls around. I don't understand why the district is divided up this way. So I am making the equivalent of another trip to town today in order to go and vote. It'll be time to fill up the tank again, too, although the only station selling biodiesel is clear on the west side of town. So I have to decide if I will put regular diesel in or travel the extra five miles for bio.

It'll definitely be easier to curtail driving after school is out, and DD#1 will have her license by the fall and be able to drive herself to and from school when necessary (although she knows it won't be every day). She's been really good about finding rides and organizing carpools, but sometimes—as with those National Honor Society events last week—it just doesn't work out.

In the olden days here in Montana, mothers sometimes moved all their kids into town for the school year and left the father out at the homestead. I understand the wisdom of that arrangement. While I love the spot we found for our house (and the husband could never live where there are lots of neighbors close by), I do get tired of driving. When I am driving, I am not home and when I am not home, I am not getting any work done.

JC and I have put together a complementary slate of classes that will take your knitting to new heights while we cruise up to Alaska and back. What could be more fun? (Okay, maybe the cruise to China with Lily Chin, but I think ours will be great, too.)

The cruise is scheduled for September 2009, but I've been told that these cruises fill up fast. If you're at all interested, get over to the website and get your name on the mailing list. And if you book the cruise, please mention that you read about it here.

Alas, the husband will not be accompanying me on this cruise as he suffers from pretty severe seasickness. My father and I took him fishing in Lake Erie shortly after we were married. We were in a little boat and had gotten about a mile out when I turned around and looked at the husband and saw that he was a lovely shade of green. It was a short fishing trip.

Those of you with Comcast e-mail addresses seem to be having difficulties: I got notes from several of you this morning saying that the message I sent was blank. Unfortunately, I don't know how to fix that from my end. If you e-mail me at Janet@BigSkyKnitting.com, I'll resend you the download link. Or you may want to consider switching back to hard copy.

I've been working on my lace class handout all morning. It's been lots of fun as I outlined the process of making holes in one's knitting. So many people have said to me, "I could never do lace—it's too hard!" that I want to make sure that my students tomorrow come out of class loving lace (or at least no longer afraid of it).

I really enjoy the process of creating my handouts. I like thinking about what concepts I want my students to master, picking stitch patterns which illustrate those concepts, and arranging the material in a logical, easy-to-follow format. So much of good teaching is setting your students up to succeed, in whatever way they learn best.

I have no idea what these goofy robins are up to. They have started nests—some of them further along in construction than others—in every single one of the rafter bays on the porch. There are 25 rafter bays on the front porch alone. Perhaps they are all messed up because of the cold spring. We really should have had a batch of robin babies by now.

I'm off to pick up the Summer issue of the newsletter from the printer. They will be on their way soon!

The sneak peek is up here, if you want to take a look at what's included in this issue.

I've noticed a definite uptick in newsletter subscriptions lately, which is nice. And I've noticed a definite uptick in overseas orders for books and newsletters, probably thanks to the weak US dollar. There is always a silver lining.

DD#2 informs me that there are only four days left of school. I think I am happy about this; it means a lot less running around and more days at home when I can work. It also means my kids need to find things to keep them occupied. I've been mentally tallying a list of projects I want them to do, like cleaning out the kitchen cabinet where I kept the coloring books, markers, and crayons when they were younger.

I am supposed to teach a lace class at Camas Creek this weekend, but only a couple of people have signed up. It's hard to have classes this time of year—the weather is finally nice enough that people (including the teacher) don't want to be inside. I will check with Melanie today and we'll decide if we should have the class or reschedule it for the fall.

One of the very few things about Montana that I don't like (besides wind) is how short the warm weather season can be. Some years are worse than others. In 1996, when we moved into our house, it rained and rained and rained and rained from March to September. I remember waking up one morning that August and wanting to cry because all I could hear was rain drumming on the metal roof—again. DD#2 was born the following July, and I took her to the doctor for a three-day checkup on a day that never broke 70 degrees. It seems like we had a string of cool summers back then.

I thought about this yesterday as I went around town running errands and everyone I met commented on how nice the weather finally was. Here it is, almost June, and it's just now getting warm. We'll have—if we're lucky—three months of this kind of weather and then it's back to winter. I try not to think about that too much. I do like cooler weather, but I like it most when it's punctuated with an adequate amount of Not Cooler Weather. It almost feels to me as though we've been robbed, and we're going to have to make do with a lesser amount of summer than normal.

Of course, next week it could heat up into the 90's and stay there for the next three months, in which case I'll be pleading for winter to arrive early. As the husband always says, "Janet's favorite season is the one she isn't in."

The wind has died down, thankfully. And I stopped at Lowe's yesterday and found these Season Starters to replace the Wall O'Waters, after I got a refund from the nursery for them. Fran, I like the milk jug idea, but we don't really drink enough milk here for me to have enough jugs to make that work.

The veggie garden is done, so the gardening posts will likely wind down now. Things just need to start growing.

I popped in to Camas Creek Yarn yesterday while I was out running errands before the funeral. I sat down and had a cup of tea with Melanie, her husband Andy, and Kara, one of their employees. Their online store is now up and running, although a few products still have to be added. Be sure to check out the commercial—it's really well-done. I love this store; it's like an oasis of sanity in my life.

A discussion of yarns has come up on the Knitting Beyond the Hebrides list. I have never hesitated to express my preference for certain kinds of yarns for texture knitting—specifically worsted-spun, highly-twisted yarns. It's hard to find those kinds of yarns in a good color range. I'm not sure if now is the time to be making capital expenditures on new products, but it has made me think (yet again) about having my own line of yarns. What do you all think?

The robins are attempting to build a multi-unit apartment complex in the porch rafters outside my office:

I haven't decided yet if I should take down the nests. I may not have to; Rusty has parked himself under the construction zone so perhaps he'll just terrorize the birds to the point where they will go someplace else.

And I am off again! Enjoy your day.

Yesterday morning started out pleasantly. I headed out to the garden at 6 a.m. to get the last of the digging done. By 10 a.m. I could tell something was up: the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and a cold wind started blowing out of the northeast. It just felt weird. I gave up and headed inside for the rest of the day and worked on swatches for my DVD taping next week. The wind is still blowing this morning, thanks to a low-pressure system which is parked over the state. I hope it moves along soon.

I went to the nursery Saturday to buy strawberry, tomato, and squash plants. I also picked up two more packages of Wall-O-Waters. I have half a dozen of these things which I bought about 12 years ago. I can't grow tomatoes without them. The original ones are getting a bit ragged so I thought I'd replace them with new ones.

When I got to the counter, the cashier said, "Are these replacements?" I looked at her kind of funny (how could she know?) and said, "Well yes, they are replacing ones I've had for 12 years." "No," she said, "I meant that we've had customers bringing them back because the seams are popping and we've given them replacements. Are these replacements for ones you bought from us?" I said no, these were the first ones I'd bought in a long time.

So I set them up around the tomatoes yesterday, and as I began filling them—sure enough—the seams started popping. I came in and did a Google search and discovered this post about the demise of the company and the associated decline in product quality. Lovely. One of the items on my to-do list today is to return the Wall O'Waters I bought Saturday to the nursery and suggest that they stop selling them.

The eldest member of our church died this past weekend. I don't have to play for the funeral, but I did get asked to sing in a quartet at the cemetery this afternoon. This is the fourth or fifth funeral I've sung for—it's usually the same group of us and we've joked about giving ourselves a name and getting business cards made.

And thanks for the anniversary wishes; we didn't go hiking because it was windy, but the girls thoughtfully disappeared to the neighbors' house for dinner after making us a cake.

I sent everyone off to their respective jobs and went to my office. I've got a half a dozen fairly important things on my to-do list, so I picked one and began working on it. When I was at the yarn store the other day, Melanie asked me again about some of my patterns; I've been slowly working my way through the back catalog and re-formatting some Twists and Turns Newsletter patterns as individual ones. The newsletter does not sell well in yarn stores (I know this), but Melanie says the patterns fly out of there, especially the ones for which I've given her models. I'd like to begin selling the individual patterns from my website, too.

Re-formatting the patterns is actually pretty straightforward—I set up an InDesign template and simply copy the pattern over from the newsletter. What was really amazing (and gratifying) to me was seeing exactly how much stuff I've designed over the past eight years! Nothing like having a deadline to force one to produce. Some designs are better than others, but I produce consistently and I am proud of that. I got a lot of patterns reformatted yesterday and organized into a binder for Melanie to keep. Now I need to do some work on the website.

A kind soul has added a number of back issues of Twists and Turns to the Ravelry magazine database. Pictures were missing from some of the project pages, so I added those this morning. Some of those pictures aren't of the greatest quality (a 1.5 megapixel camera was bleeding edge eight years ago but not any more). If it stays overcast but doesn't rain today, I may get the models out of storage and shoot some new pictures.

One thing I'd like to do is re-knit some of my earlier designs. I have several designs for which I don't even have models, because the models either were given as gifts or kept by the test-knitters. I don't have time to do it, but I could have some of my test-knitters do them. I'm still thinking on that.

In other news, I managed to get this picture yesterday:

I was hoping to get a picture of multiple birds at the feeder, but the dogs were bouncing around on the porch and—except for this one—the hummingbirds didn't want to come down to the feeders. The six birds managed to drain the feeders after just a couple of days. When my bee balms start blooming, I will stop putting food out for them. It's been so cold, though, that they need the food for a while yet.

We have a quiet weekend planned. Monday is our wedding anniversary. The husband has been working like a maniac the past couple of days. When I asked him what was going on, he said that he had forgotten that Monday was a holiday and the concrete suppliers would be closed. (The husband does not look at the calendar. Holidays annoy him. He would work 365 days a year if he could get concrete delivered.) He wanted to pour Monday but moved it back to yesterday, instead. So he'll be here and I think we're going to go on a hike to celebrate.

I thought I might put a couple of design ideas down on paper yesterday, but it's really hard for me to be creative when there is someone else in the house. As much as we enjoy having my father-in-law here, company—of any kind—tends to throw a monkey wrench into my thought processes. So rather than force the creativity, I decided I should just tackle the UFOs sitting in my knitting basket and turn them into FOs. My FIL and I sat and watched CNBC all day and I got one project done and a few others a bit closer to completion.

Here are some things I know about my knitting personality:

1. It's hard for me to sit and knit if the house is a mess. My mother will tell you that I am not the most conscientious housekeeper (which is true), but I do at least like to tidy up after everyone leaves in the morning. That way I can enjoy a mostly clean house for a few hours until the other residents come home and mess it up again.

2. I do not like to have multiple projects going. I had three in my basket yesterday; now I am down to two. I will likely pick one and work on it until it's done. (Three projects is a lot and unusual for me.)

3. If I should find myself in a situation where I want to/have to work on multiple projects, I alternate them by knitting a skein's worth of yarn on one project, a skein's worth of yarn on the other, etc.

4. My preferred time of day for knitting is after dinner. I am at my most mentally sharp in the morning, so that time gets devoted to administrative stuff, designing, and pattern-writing. After dinner is tea-drinking, knitting, and TV-watching time. I tend to get really cranky when I have a week where I have a lot of meetings or events to attend in the evening.

We're pretty much done with the school events and I am looking forward to getting back to my knitting. I feel like I have a fresher perspective for having taken that little break.

DebbieT, I had six hummingbirds at the feeders today! Someone must have sent a memo to all the hummers in the neighborhood, because I have never had that many at once. They seem to be getting along a bit better, too—at one point I saw four sitting at the same feeder. I guess they decided that they should be nice so that everyone gets to eat. Let's hope. It was getting dangerous out there.

This is today's quackgrass haul:

There are two beds left to de-quackgrass but I think I will hit them one more time with Roundup. I don't need to plant anything in those beds this year. A good dose of weed-killer and a covering of black plastic should keep them clean for next year.

I was ably assisted by my two canine helpers today (Chester's legs are in the picture above). The most wonderful and maddening thing about our dogs is that they have to Be Where You Are at all times. If you are the husband and you are under the truck changing the oil, Chester will be right there, dropping a slimy tennis ball on your chest and barking in your ear. If you are in the garden digging up quackgrass, Rusty will be right there, trying to lick your face after eating a rodent. I have many conversations with my dogs when they are in the garden with me. Because the dogs don't talk, the conversations are mostly one-sided and sound like this:

Me: Rusty, don't dig in the plants.

Me: Chester, don't drop your tennis balls in the lavender bed.

Me: The birdbath is not a drinking fountain.

Me: Rusty, don't lie down on my plants.

Me: The birdbath is not a drinking fountain.

Me: You two are not cows. Please do not eat the plants.

Me: The birds will not come to the birdbath if there are two 80-pound dogs standing next to it with their mouths open.

Me: The birdbath is not a drinking fountain.

(I said that fourteen times today.)

I know that all the dogs hear is, "Blah blah blah Chester blah blah blah. Blah blah blah Rusty blah blah," unless I happen to utter the magic words "puppy treat." Why they understand "puppy treat" and not "The birdbath is not a drinking fountain" is beyond me, but that's the way it is.

I figure the garden needs another day's worth of work. I stopped at the nursery on my way out of town this morning and bought twelve bags of garden soil and five bags of steer manure to plump up some of the beds. This weekend I want to get the strawberries, peas, lettuce, and (maybe) tomatoes in. Then I should be able to forget about those Twinkies the garden for a while and concentrate on some knitting.

I do have some ideas about knitting projects and I'll talk about them in tomorrow's post.

Along the way we saw a pair of harlequin ducks floating the river. They seem to enjoy whitewater rafting—even the rapids.

The mountains are spectacular I really need a wide-angle lens for my camera.

The next part is the coolest thing, but unfortunately I don't have pictures of the actual wildlife we saw because I forgot the telephoto lens at home (it might not have worked anyway). I do have this:

This is the husband with his eyeballs plastered to the binoculars (check out the tattoos). Honestly, I think he walked the whole road just like this. But thank goodness, because ol' eagle eyes spotted an elk grazing on the hillside above the road. We watched the elk for a while and moved on down the road. When we came back, the husband checked to see if the elk was still there, and then he said, "Hey Janet, I think there is a bear up there. Take a look."

I looked through the bioculars and darn it if there wasn't a grizzly bear stalking the elk. We watched for a while longer and decided that it was a grizzly sow with cubs—two or three; it was hard to tell how many little furballs were actually up there. She had parked the cubs under a tree while she trailed the elk. Eventually, other people came along and asked us what we were looking at:

That group included a park ranger who had been riding his bike along the road. He said he thought they were cubs of the year and not yearlings, but none of us had spotting scopes so we couldn't tell for sure.

We were hot (yes, hot—it was 70+ degrees up there, which is really unusual for this time of year), so we headed back to the truck. Along the way back we ran into DD#2's godparents, who were riding their bikes up the road. You never know who you'll run into at Glacier Park.

We never did find out what happened to the elk, but it was pretty darn cool to have seen the bear. After we left the park, we went out to dinner where I had some really good red beans and rice and barbecued pork. I came home and wandered out to my garden. While I was yanking up quackgrass, I heard the pileated woodpeckers up in the trees. The next thing I knew, they flew down into the woods next to the garden and proceeded to dismantle some rotting logs in search of bugs, so I sat and watched them for a while. Four deer walked through the front yard, and a pair of squirrels ran through the woods where the woodpeckers were eating and caused quite a ruckus. I could also hear the grosbeaks, although I haven't seen any yet. I feel guilty about not putting food out for them.

Days like this—weeks like this—are rare and special. I treasure them in the middle of winter when the birds are silent and the bears are sleeping. I love Montana.

We got to camp, unloaded our gear, and hit the ground running. Brett and Laura, the camp founders and directors, are just masterful at keeping a group of 30 kids moving and engaged. We played games, hiked, journaled, ate, and commiserated about the lousy weather (it was 45 degrees and rainy for the first two days of camp). The kids were introduced to all sorts of new things. Our study on reptiles and amphibians was interrupted briefly to watch a great blue heron catching fish in the lake, because the kids were just fascinated by it. Some of them haven't spent much time outdoors even though they live in Montana.

Here is DD#2's teacher. Both the 5th- and 6th-grade teachers are in their 30's and love to be outdoors, so the kids got the benefit of their enthusiasm and experience. DD#2 and her friends just adore their teacher. (Note that those of us in our 40's can no longer position ourselves on the ground like this without injury.)

One of the activities we did was "secret spot." We made a big circle, then each of us turned around and walked off in the direction we were facing to find a spot in the woods. We were supposed to sit in that spot until we were called back, and observe the things happening around us. I loved this part the most because it reminded me of when I was a kid. I had several secret spots in the woods behind our house.

We didn't see much wildlife besides birds, but I didn't want to take any chances. I positioned myself so that I could see DD#2 and the other kids in my "clan" (I was responsible for six kids) in case a bear wandered by. Unbeknownst to me, DD#2 took the camera with her and snapped this picture of me on the hill up above her. It's hard to see, but I am the green speck in the middle of the picture:

My secret spot was at the base of a tree; it formed a great spot for me to sit and relax.

We lucked out on the sleeping arrangements. There weren't enough tipis to go around (darn), so the 5th-grade girls and I slept on the floor of the dining hall. It was so crummy and rainy the first night that I offered the back of the MegaCab for a couple of the 5th-grade boys who got flooded out of their tipi. The restroom facilities also left a bit to be desired. We had ONE toilet for all the girls and a very cold shower. If we had been there longer than three days it would have been a real problem. I think that "restroom renovation" is next on the list of things the camp owners have planned. But as we reminded the kids, we were camping, not staying at the Hilton. They actually handled the discomfort and inconveniences with good humor. We had only minor discipline problems—nothing that couldn't be resolved with 50 push-ups or some litter patrol.

The second night we had a campfire with friends and family, and as the sun set the sky cleared. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. Because of a scheduling conflict, six of the kids in DD#'s class had to leave at 11:00 a.m. to go to the rural band festival. I brought four girls (DD#2 and three of her friends) back to our house, where we all had hot showers (thank goodness) and changed into clean clothes before heading off to festival. After four hours of practice, we played a concert for our families (yes, I played my trombone) and then everyone headed home for a good night's sleep.

I am starting to feel like a professional chaperone (a few days ago I went to a plannng meeting for the trip DD#1 and I are taking with the National Honor Society to Europe next spring), but I love the fun I am having with these kids. We have lots of experiences and memories to talk about. Three days of camping in the woods is about all I can handle, though. I like my hot showers.

My father-in-law arrived yesterday for his spring visit. It's supposed to be in the 80's for the next week. We went right from winter to summer with no spring at all.

At one point (while I was pontificating about gardening) she asked, "How did you learn so much about plants?" I said it was from reading, and having a garden, and talking to people. I told her about my mother's father and the huge garden he used to plant every year. One of my favorite memories is spending the night at my grandparents' house and going out to the garden early in the morning with my grandfather, where I sat in the rows and ate peas for breakfast. I think my love of dirt was established early on. I'm trying to pass it along.

I dug up the other half of the lavender bed (I just couldn't stand it anymore) and threw out the oldest and woodiest plants. I rearranged the remaining plants and filled in the holes with some of the gazillion baby lavender seedlings that have established themselves in various places. I won't have the huge hedge of flowers this year that I've had for the past ten years, but these plants will eventually grow and produce like the other ones did.

I still have a billion baby lavender plants I don't know what to do with. Getting things to grow is not a problem in my garden.

After I finished the lavender bed, I dug up the echincaceas. I almost left that bed alone, but there was quite a bit of quackgrass beginning to encroach on it. I dug up the bed, pulling out echinaceas (and quackgrass) as I went, then replanted the echinaceas and added the new ones I bought last week. I had a dozen echinacea plants left over that I couldn't bear to toss out. I put them in pots. I'll take them to church and offer them to whoever wants them. Hopefully this week I'll find the energy to pot up those lavender seedlings and the millions of little columbines. Maybe I should start my own nursery.

I woke up in the middle of the night to hear a nice soaking rain. Perfect timing.

A male hummingbird finally showed up at the beginning of last week—almost three weeks late. The husband thought it was funny that I was worried about them coming back, and even funnier that I was fretting about there only being one male. Usually there are two and they fight all the time. He says I am way too involved in the social lives of the animals in my yard. I shouldn't have worried about the second male, though. He showed up yesterday. I walked out onto the porch after dinner to get something and the two of them zoomed past my head, chirping as they went. I have two feeders up but I may have to get another one and put it on the other side of the house to keep them from fighting.

I've never seen firsthand the process of making plywood and it's pretty cool. I really have to be careful on these field trips because I have a tendency to ask five million questions. Chaperones are supposed to blend into the background (and dispense food). But our tour guide was very informative and now the fifth grade and I know a lot more about where plywood comes from.

After the mill tour we headed out to some land owned by one of the logging companies, where (thankfully) it had stopped snowing. We ate lunch. We were paired up with another school and the 20 or so kids and half a dozen adults spent the next three hours moving from station to station. The first one was one on riparian (stream) habitats. We got to see different species of fish and happily, no one fell into the stream (always a concern with a bunch of 11 year-olds).

The next station featured an archaeologist who talked about the kinds of artifacts one might find in northwest Montana. He gave a really cool presentation. After that we went to a station where two Glacier Park rangers gave a talk on forest animals, including the ones that can kill and eat you. It's always good to remind kids that there are occasions when something else is above them in the food chain.

We finished up with stations on forest fires and tree identification. Everyone agreed that we had learned a lot. Days like that remind me why I love Montana so much. I just like being outside in the woods.

And that's where I am going to be today. I have some plants to put in the garden, and each of us was given a baby larch tree when we left the Forestry Expo yesterday. The three baby larches that the husband planted in our fron yard were too close to the house and got crushed by the snow coming off the roof, so I'll plant this one a bit farther out.

I'm glad this week is almost over. While it was good to have gotten all those appointments out of the way, it was kind of grueling. I was so glad to get Rusty's visit to the vet behind us. Chester has been to the vet so many times that he's really laid-back and low-key about it. Rusty, on the other hand, gets easily excited and barks a lot. The vet was impressed to hear that he's been hunting voles (he asked me if he could rent him to clean out his garden), but sent us home with a dose of tapeworm meds just in case.

The Summer issue needs just a bit more polishing and then it's off to the printer on Monday. I am just a half a skein from finishing the shawl. Once it's done, I need to turn my attention to some cool-weather stuff.

Speaking of cool weather, at our fire department meeting last night someone pointed out that this year's weather pattern correlates closely with the one in 1964—the year of the big flood. There is still a huge amount of snowpack up in the mountains waiting to come down. We have a seasonal creek just around the corner which usually begins running by the middle of April; it's still dry. A flood shouldn't impact us directly here on the side of the mountain, but the low-lying area known as Evergreen is between us and Kalispell proper, and if it floods (like it did in 1964) we'll be cut off from town. The husband was teasing me last night because I was thinking out loud about possible contingency plans if something happens. It's one of my constant, underlying concerns that in an emergency, I'll be at home, the husband will be on the other side of the valley, and I'll have a kids at two different schools. (My mother is probably reading this and having a cow—sorry. It's under control, don't worry. Contingency plans are in place.)

I'm off to the Forestry Expo today with the fifth grade. I wasn't scheduled to chaperone, but it's such a small class that getting chaperones for their trips is always a problem. The teacher called the other day and asked if I could come along. It should be interesting. We'll do some field work this morning and have a tour of the lumber mill this afternoon. I'll try to remember to take the camera (and some knitting for the bus ride) with me.

What's annoying me most is the 800-pound gorilla again (I think you can figure out to which company I am referring). When Aran Sweater Design came out I signed up to sell through them as a publisher. They would order a few books at a time, insist that they be mailed Priority Mail, and then sell each of them for way less than retail. They made money on each book—I pretty much made nothing. And knitters would buy the book from them, not me, because it was so much cheaper. I didn't go into this business to make other people and companies rich, so I stopped selling to them as a publisher. I've been selling my books through them as a merchant, and paying $40 a month for the privilege. For the past 18 months or so it's been (very much) worth it to pay the merchant fee and get orders that way.

I noticed about two months ago that sales through my merchant account on that website have dropped (like a rock), but sales through one of my distributors have picked up correspondingly. Then I discovered that when I pull Aran Sweater Design up, I am listed as a merchant of the book, but so is the 800-pound gorilla, and they have it listed for way less than I am selling it. They must be getting it from my distributor. I don't know how they can sell it at the price they have listed, but perhaps they have some deal with said distributor.

It's a fact that people will almost always buy from the entity selling at the lowest price. I'm still thinking about what I want to do, because I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but one option is to stop selling through that distributor and cut the 800-pound gorilla out of the equation. Or at least make it more difficult and expensive for them to get my books so they stop undercutting me.

I am at the point where I don't care how widely my books are available if it means that I have to give them away to get them out there. I'd rather follow the Apple model of charging a premium—people will come to me if they want the information, and I believe that what I am selling is worth the price I am charging. The current distribution model works great for larger publishers, but not for niche authors like me, so I don't feel compelled to play by the existing rules.

Then I went to Ravelry this morning and discovered that a twenty-something newbie knitter felt compelled to lecture me about my marketing techniques when I mentioned an upcoming class in Columbus, OH on one of the Cincinnati knitting forums (with moderator permission). She told me that Columbus is 100 miles from Cincinnati—I know, I grew up in Ohio—and that Cincinnati has its own stores which offer classes. (There were people from Ohio in my classes in Wisconsin two weeks ago so I am well aware of the willingness of knitters to travel to take classes.) She said she was just trying to offer me some advice about how she has been able get success from using Ravelry. Because—as you all know—I am a 42 year-old dinosaur and can't possibly know anything about using something as hip as Ravelry to promote my business.

I've been in this business for almost 12 years and I think I've done a pretty good job of predicting trends in both the wider industry and for me, personally. I see a big storm coming with the downturn in our economy, and I am just not sure I want to be around when it gets to the point where everyone wants knitting patterns and books but doesn't want to pay for them. I see the potential for people to justify all sorts of sharing of electronic media—as in "It's not my fault that gasoline is $5.00 a gallon, and I can't afford this knitting pattern so I am going to ask my friend to share her copy." Maybe it won't get to that point, but maybe it will.

So as of right now I plan to finish up the Cables series and will continue publishing Twists and Turns for the foreseeable future. It's just hard to find the fun in it right now.

I'm still slogging away on that lace shawl. I'd like to get it finished so they can display it at Camas Creek and I can move on to something else. If I hustle, I can knit a skein a day (I am not a fast knitter), and I calculated that I have four more skeins to knit before it's the length I want. I pulled those four skeins out and put them in the knitting basket by my chair. Hopefully it'll be done by the weekend.

The other reason I'd like to get it done is because lace looks ever so much better after it has been blocked. Right now it looks like something the dogs dragged in and slept on, and it's hard to pick it up and work on it.

This is the week of appointments. I am subbing for the music teacher this morning at the elementary school. I get off at 11 a.m. and need to squeeze in a quick trip to town, and then it's home because the piano tuner is coming this afternoon to tune the baby grand. I should have had it done two months ago but couldn't find the time. And I keep running into him in town. It's one of the benefits of living in a small town—when you see your piano tuner at the grocery store, he reminds you that you wanted to stick to a schedule of tuning every six months.

Tomorrow is Chester's visit to the vet, Wednesday I have an appointment at the eye doctor (I am almost out of contact lenses and they won't refill my prescription unless I come in), and Thursday is Rusty's vet appointment. It's better just to cram all of this stuff into one week than spread it out. I almost got drafted to chaperone a field trip on Friday, but DD#2 informed me that space was limited and I couldn't come. Darn. In between all of this stuff I need to finish the Summer issue and then it's time to get back to Cables 2! Yay!

I had to accompany DD#2 to a dance performace yesterday morning. While she was rehearsing for it, I scooted over to the nursery and bought some plants. They need to be hardened off before I put them in the garden, and that's going to take a few days. Here is what I got:

There are three new varieties of Echinacea, two new bee balms, some pennyroyal (I used to have lots of it but it died out when it got really dry here), chives (also died out), a couple of kinds of sage, and—for fun—some primroses. Years and years ago we had a grocery chain here (now defunct) that sold primrose plants in the spring for $0.99. I used to have a dozen or so primroses in the garden and could always count on them to be the first things that bloomed, even under the snow! Sadly, they fell victim to the voles. Hopefully these will survive now that Rusty the Rodent Killer is on patrol.

In the afternoon the husband brought his flame-thrower over and helped clean up the veggie garden. He was having so much fun that he asked if he could do a few spots in the herb garden. I said that was fine as long as he didn't kill anything. When next I looked over, a few of the lavender plants were on fire. I should have wet them down, first—we had a hose handy so I just went over and sprayed out the flames. They are very dry and full of oils and I should have known they would catch. Oh well. I decided to clean out the bed so it's no great loss. Sure was entertaining, though.

DD#2 and I spent another hour digging up a few of the veggie beds (again—I did them a few weeks ago) in an attempt to clean out the quackgrass. We pulled pounds and pounds of quackgrass roots out, and although I know it won't elminate it completely, the quackgrass is going to have to work awfully hard to re-establish itself. Sometime in the next week or so I'll get the peas, beans, and lettuce seeds planted and put the tomatoes in (with the Walls O'Water around them). I also want to re-plant the strawberry bed with an everbearing variety. DD#2 asked for cucumbers and squash. I've never been successful at getting cukes to grow, although one year I did raise a massive 25-pound Hubbard squash.

Late in the afternoon the girls and I went up to the school so they could get their pictures taken. Some of the parents arranged for a company to come and take old-time photos as a fund-raiser for the school. It was a rousing success and we'll probably do it again. The husband asked if I was going to dress up as a lady of ill-repute and have my picture taken but I told him only the kids were going to get their pictures done (in nice dresses). He seemed disappointed.

DD#1 drove us up to the school—she recently realized that her temporary license expires in a few months and she needs to get her butt in gear and get more driving hours in so she can take her driver's license exam. She seems much more confident and relaxed now, which is good.

It feels so good to be out there working again. My body is sore, but it's a good kind of sore.

I sent the Summer newsletter off to my tech editor on Thursday, and yesterday morning I decided that I needed to spend some time in the garden as a reward. (Fran, I read your blog this morning but Blogger wouldn't let me leave a comment.) After cleaning the living room while I waited for it to warm up a bit, I headed out with my two trusty assistants, Chester and Rusty.

I attacked the herb garden first. All the dead vegetation from last year had to be raked up and hauled to the compost pile. I discovered about 200 (okay, maybe not that many, but close) baby columbine plants all over, as well as a good dozen lavender seedlings that will need to be transplanted. If I were more ambitious, I would dig up the entire lavender bed; it's all woody and overgrown (and when all the snow is gone, it serves as a good place for Chester to hide the avalanche victims tennis balls). I pulled down the dead hops vines and trimmed back the new growth. I said to the husband a few weeks ago that if we had more acreage I would plant it all in hops and sell them to the local breweries. My hops vines produce a lot of fruit and they would take over the garden if I didn't keep them in check.

I got the herb garden cleaned out and noticed that Rusty was sniffing around the veggie garden. There were a few pieces of black plastic lying in one of the paths, and when I moved them (with the rake, thankfully!) a couple of voles ran out. Rusty picked up the scent and took off after them. It was really funny to watch—he would dig in a bed and a vole would run out between his legs and hide on the other side of the garden. He finally got the hang of what he was doing and when I checked on him a few minutes later I am pretty sure he was having a couple of rodents for lunch. Some things I just prefer not to have too many details about.

Voles are not green and round and do not have "Wilson" stamped on the side so Chester does not care about them.

The Roundup did absolutely NOTHING to the quackgrass, by the way. It's all green and thriving. The husband offered to bring his propane flame-thrower over to the garden this afternoon and burn all the grass off the beds. He says that as an added bonus it will likely drive any remaining voles out so that Godzilla can dispatch them. That's fine with me—I just want to get the beds cleaned out so I can start planting things in them.

Camas Creek Yarn had an open house last night. When Melanie and her husband bought the building last year, the plan included converting the upstairs into three apartments. The apartments are now done (one is rented), so they held the open house to celebrate. I took my knitting and hung out and visited with customers. The apartments are fabulous and I heard many comments from women who said they wished they were single again and could rent them. Can you imagine a better place to live than in a posh apartment above a yarn store?

I called and explained the situation. The woman I spoke to said I could bring it in. When I mentioned this to the copier people at the church, they said that there was no one at the office who could unload the machine and asked if I would be willing to wait until they got back to town when the could unload it for me. I said sure, as I had errands to run in town. I left them my cell phone number and they said they would call me as soon as they got back to town, which they thought would be in about an hour.

Our pastor and one of the copier company people loaded the old copier in the truck for me. I drove to town. I did errands. I drove around town. I shopped. No one called. I stopped in at the copier office. The people who had been at the church weren't back yet. The woman in the office said she'd look up the cost of a new imaging drum for me. I went and shopped some more. No one called. Finally, after I had been in town for three hours, I went back to the copier office. The woman who had been at the church was there; her partner (a guy) wasn't. She said she had just sent him to lunch and could I wait another half an hour until he got back? I said no, I had already waited longer than I wanted to. She came out to my truck and looked to see if she and I could unload the copier. She opened the door and said, "Why did you put it on its side?—all the toner has probably dumped out!" I said, "Your partner did that." She responded, "Well, it's his first day—he doesn't know these things!" She continued to make such negative comments that I asked again if they were willing to service the copier. She said, "We don't usually service these Konicas, we throw them away." At that point I said, "I don't think you really want my business—I am going to the other copier place in town." I didn't get angry, I didn't yell, I simply said I was going to take my business elsewhere.

As I was driving away, the owner of this company called my cell phone and demanded to know what was going on. I said that I didn't think they really wanted my business, and told her what had happened. She defended the employee and said I was the first person ever to complain about her. She asked why I had even brought the machine to town intead of having someone come out to my house. I said that no one ever suggested that to me as an option (I've always taken my other copier in to town to be serviced). I said that I had followed the instructions I had been given, but her employees hadn't held up their end, and that I was especially annoyed that her employee made it sound like the copier I had brought in was a piece of junk and should have been tossed in the landfill. She claimed that that was because they couldn't get parts for it. I suggested that someone should have mentioned that fact before I hauled it in to town and waited for three hours. She responded with, "Well, it appears that nothing I say or do is going to make you happy," and I said, "I think you're right" and said goodbye.

I know, they are interested in selling new copiers, not servicing old ones, but I'm not likely ever to buy a NEW one from them, either, after this treatment. And I came home and did a quick Google search and found half a dozen places selling toner cartridges and imaging drums for that machine, so I don't buy the argument that they can't get parts for it anymore.

I think I am a pretty reasonable person. I am willing to meet people halfway. But I can also take a hint when it's clear that a business doesn't want my money. I am happy to give it to businesses who do. In this case, though, I shouldn't have waited three hours to do that.

But I have a nice digital copier and it makes automatic two-sided copies. It costs me about $100 to get my class handouts for teaching trips copied at Staples, so this copier will pay for itself in no time.

While I was at Yarns by Design, I picked up a couple of skeins of Mini Maiden, from Handmaiden Yarns. It's absolutely yummy stuff and will become a shawl one of these days. I bought the silver colorway.

Now I am back and trying to get my life organized. While I was gone I somehow managed to get volunteered for a bunch of stuff, which is just chopping my week up into tiny little bits. There is nothing that drives me round the bend faster than having to drop what I am doing to go to the school/church/fire department and handle some small crisis. I thought the month of May would be relatively uneventful, but I am looking at my wall calendar—which is covered in five different shades of Dry-Erase marker—and it is anything but. Honestly, the teachers save up all the field trips for this month and then try to cram them into the remaining few days of school. DD#2 has three field trips, a band festival, and two ballet performances. DD#1 has several evening meetings and a band concert (no field trips, thankfully). My father-in-law arrives mid-month for a week-long visit. The dogs have vet appointments next week (and I can't take both of the together, so it means two separate trips). I need a personal assistant.

I suppose that the one ray of sunshine in this whole mess is that spring has yet to arrive here in western Montana, so while I would love to go out and plant things, actually to do so is to invite disaster. I content myself with occasional visits to the plant store and make lists of what I want to plant when it finally warms up. If it ever does.

I've been working on the Summer issue of the newsletter; the interesting thing about this issue is that warm-weather items do not take up much space in the layout. Consequently, I have almost twice as many projects in this issue as I do for the other issues. I need to spend another hour or two on it today and then it heads off to my tech editor. Depending on how this first round of editing goes, I may try to cram my current project into the layout—my trip knitting for Wisconsin turned out to be a cabled lace shawl out of this:

It's from Lanaknits (yes, I seem to be patronizing Canadian companies of late) and it's a blend of 60% cotton, 30% cashmere, and 10% hemp. I am using this color, which is called "Pistachio." The pattern is from Susanna Lewis' book Knitting Lace. My tech editor, JC Briar, steered me toward the pattern during a discussion we had about the lace and cables chapter of Cables 2. It's a great pattern (one of only a couple in that book that features a cable), but—as written—it's a bit problematic. It's given in the book as a 6-row repeat, and the edges of the multiple are funky. I played around with it and rewrote it as a four-row pattern (two of which are wrong-side purl rows) with neat edges. It was nice, mindless trip knitting. And it attracted a lot of attention. Several people came up to me at the various airports and asked what I was making. The funny thing is that—while I love to knit them—I don't wear shawls very often. But this one will be the basis of a lace class I am teaching at the end of the month at Camas Creek.

I am off to the school this morning for an hour to help with DD#2's Girl Scout troop's community service project. They organized a book swap at the school. I saw lots of books I remember reading as a child (anyone else read A Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes?) but I will try to restrain myself and let the kids have first pick.

When it first came to Kalispell two years ago, bio was running about $0.25 a gallon more than regular diese ($3.25 to regular diesel at $3.00). I attributed that to the fact that it was new technology. Lately it's been about $0.10 a gallon less than regular diesel. Imagine my shock, then, when I got to the bio pump and it was $4.28 a gallon—back up to $0.10 more a gallon than the regular stuff.

I decided to put regular diesel in the truck. Yesterday morning, as I was working my way through blogland, I came upon an entry in the Biodiesel Blog, which explained that the skyrocketing cost of soybean oil is what is helping to drive up the price of biodiesel (it might help if we stopped putting soybean oil in all our food). Add to that the fact that some bio refineries are shutting down in the face of the increased cost of raw materials and you have two pressures converging to drive up the price of an alternative fuel.

Today I am kicking myself. When bio first came out and it was more expensive, I told the husband that I was going to use it anyway, because if no one uses new technology, opponents will point to that fact as a reason why it will never work. So bio at $4.28 gallon would cost me $2.80 more to fill my truck than regular diesel at $4.18 a gallon—that's less than the cost of a latte (not that I drink lattes, but that puts it into perspective). I should have filled the truck up with bio. And I will next time, even if bio is $0.25 a gallon more, like it used to be.

I had a visit with my naturopath this morning. I just think the world of this guy. I had some bloodwork done before Christmas when I was on straight Armour, and my free T3 levels were too high. He wanted them lower, but everytime I tried to cut back on the Armour I felt awful. After Christmas we tried a combination of Armour and compounded T4. I felt fabulous—I had lots of energy, lost a bunch of weight, and basically felt really good. At the end of March I had another blood test. Both my free T3 and free T4 levels were elevated this time.

I cut back on both the Armour and the T4 again, and although I felt okay, I didn't feel great. I want great. About the middle of last week I tweaked them again, this time eliminating the Armour and taking only straight T4. Again, I've been doing okay, but I'm suffering from brain fog and lack of motivation. I have stuff to do and I can't function like this.

I explained all of this to him today. He listened and took lots of notes. I hadn't taken any T4 this morning, so I offered to go get another blood test to see what my levels were. I like data, and I want to know what's going on in my body as much as he does. He says I need the Armour to keep the brain fog at bay. He suggested that I add the Armour back in, but at a slightly lower dose than I was taking before Christmas, and when I get back from Wisconsin, he's going to have the compounding pharmacy make something up for me that has the right combination of both T4 and T3 to make me feel good but not overdo it.

His wife knits, and apparently he went with her to Camas Creek yesterday. After we finished formulating a plan of attack, he said to me, "I was in the yarn store looking at your books and your patterns and your newsletter and your class schedule and I thought to myself, 'Holy cow, this woman has a lot of stuff going on. No wonder she wants to get her thyroid levels straightened out.'" I have always been a high-productivity person, and yes, I want my energy levels back up. But I also respect the fact that he doesn't want to risk any collateral damage to other parts of my body in the process. We'll get there. I've already made a lot of progress.

And now, it's off to get something done!

We went through the material in the handout and spent the last hour of the class making swatches of bust dart shaping. The three hours just flew by. Two of the women just finished making the same sweater (a pattern from the Summer issue of Interweave Knits), so after I get back from Wisconsin next week, we're going to get together and I'll walk them through the assembly and finishing.

On the way home I stopped at my friend's house to pick up my children. I guess the party was a success. Everyone looked pretty wiped out. I had a bowl of chili (yum) and some chocolate and then we all headed home.

It was horribly windy yesterday (and cold), and the husband got called out on two out-of-control grass fires. I'm just stupified by the idea that anyone would start a grass fire in 40 mph winds and then be surprised that they couldn't contain it. I'll be so happy when May 1 rolls around and grass fire season is over.

I am really looking forward to this coming weekend at Midwest Masters. It'll be intense—I am teaching five different classes over the course of three days—but I could use the break and I do enjoy teaching. I'll be gone over the husband's birthday, which is unfortunate. We can celebrate when I get home. Some time this week I need to decide what knitting project to take with me.

It's supposed to remain cold and windy today (and for the rest of this week). I plan to make a pot of soup and knit.

One of the frustrating (to me, anyway) things about publishing a knitting mag is that I am always working a season ahead. The Summer issue is almost finished and I need to start thinking about what is going to be in the Fall and Winter issues. But when I go into Camas Creek, I am confronted with all sorts of wonderful cotton and linen and hemp yarns and I want to design with them! I can't seem to get my brain to move in the direction of wool.

So there I was at 3 a.m., lying in bed hoping Chester wouldn't hear me thinking (because then he'd want to go out), captive to a runaway brain that thought it would be fun to whip up a baby dress. Oh sure, why not? I have some pretty yellow cotton DK-weight yarn in my stash that would be perfect. It would help me be less depressed about snow on April 19. It would be small enough to be an instant-gratification project. Who cares that I need to start working on some cool-weather designs?

Apparently not my brain.

Which is how I found myself with yarn and needles yesterday, making a baby dress. I am halfway up the skirt and I think it's just adorable. If I can find room for it in the Summer issue, I'll put it in; otherwise I'll just format it as an individual pattern to sell. I adore the sunny yellow color—it's a color I can't wear without looking like death warmed over, but I love it anyway.

But would someone please send a memo to my brain and remind it that I need to pull out some wool and get to work? And while you're at it, send one to Mother Nature and remind her that April 19 is not the time for a freak snowstorm.

I am teaching a fitting class today at Camas Creek. My kids are going to our friends' house around the corner—their oldest daughter just turned 7 and her birthday party is today. The whole first-grade class was invited—all 23 of them. My kids know all the little kids and they'll be able to help with crowd control. I'm kind of sorry I am going to miss it. I think first-graders are just hysterically funny.

One step forward, two back.

I came home from town and decided I couldn't wait any longer—half the beds in the veggie garden are clear, so I mixed up some Roundup and sprayed them. I want to get strawberries and asparagus planted when I get back from Wisconsin, and the bed where the asparagus will go needs to have some additional dirt and steer manure added to it. I don't want to do that until it appears that the quackgrass is gone.

I locked Chester and Rusty in the herb garden to keep them out of my way. Chester happily played search and rescue where the snow was still about 18" deep; Rusty, however, squeezed himself under the gate and went looking for something to chase.

Here is Chester helping to move snow:

I've been hearing a pileated woodpecker in the front yard, so I went and looked at one of the big larches—and I saw a mama pileated woodpecker sitting in the crotch of the tree. They must have a nest up there. I am excited! We can always use more pileated woodpeckers.

I bought some new hummingbird feeders and put them up (my other ones bit the dust this year). So far I haven't seen any hummingbirds, which is kind of weird—usually by now they are back and strafing us on the porch until we put the feeders up. They may be late getting back because it's been so cold.

I decided that we're not going to let any robins build nests in the porch rafters this year. As much as I like to see them do that, we had such a hard time with Rusty killing baby birds last summer that I cannot let it happen again. And I won't put any food out for the grosbeaks, either. Darn. This is what happens when you live with two bird dogs. They chase birds. Imagine that.

Our yard looks like one of the courts at Wimbeldon—Chester has located all of his missing avalanche victims tennis balls and is making piles of them in various places. The husband moved some concrete forms and found five balls underneath. We're trying to decide if we could get the Wilson company to pay us to use Chester as a mascot. I certainly buy enough of their products.

My mother was interviewed by one of the TV stations in Cleveland on Monday. They are investigating a possible link between cancer deaths and the Engineering Building at NASA Glenn Research Center (which will forever be The NASA Lewis Research Center to me, as it was called when my father worked there). I was hoping that WEWS would put up the clip of the whole interview, but it's only a short synopsis.

My father—Director of Engineering at Lewis—died of multiple myeloma in 1993, about six months after DD#1 was born. We've long wondered why he would come down with something like that. This may be an explanation. It doesn't explain, though, why I got leukemia barely a year after my father's death, nor does it explain why there is such a high incidence of multiple myeloma and other cancers in the area where I grew up—even on the very street where we lived. I have my own theory as to why I developed leukemia—high doses of radiation from X-rays as a child being my pet theory—but I am always willing to consider other explanations. The EPA closed down a styrene plant in the 80's about two miles from my parents' house for egregious air quality violations. There simply may not be one single smoking gun.

But I wonder about this report from the CDC, the publication of which they attempted to block. I am pretty sure that sometime in the past decade or so, the state of Ohio has also done its own epidemiological study of the area where I grew up. You might ask why this information has not been more widely disseminated. Can you imagine the ramifications? And as tightly shoved down into the pockets of big corporations as our government is, I can't imagine that—if indeed they are responsible in some way—these corporations could be made to change their ways. The Libby vermiculite mine here in Montana is a perfect example.

Nothing is going to change what happened to my father or to me. But it would be nice to know that our government actually has its citizens' best interests in mind, rather than those of the companies which contribute to campaign coffers. It will be interesting to see how this investigation at the Lewis Research Center plays out.

I had a fairly productive day yesterday. The class handouts got updated, I collected the swatches and sweaters I want to take with me, and I cleared my desk of bills, orders, and other pieces of paper. The wonderful ladies at Mountain Colors shipped me a box of donated mill ends to use for my Colorizing Cables classes next week. They do that for me every time I teach that class.

I also worked on the layout for the Summer issue of the newsletter, but I got bogged down in a couple of big charts. I am also waiting for a book to arrive so I can do a review of it. I'd like to get a technical article written; that may have to wait until I get back from Wisconsin, or I can try to get it done on the plane. Because both my tech editor and I have had teaching obligations this month, the Summer issue might be delayed by a week. But it won't be any longer than that.

I choose to believe that today will be better than yesterday, even if it snows.

Debbie, you asked about the Ravelry discussions; I was (mostly) referring to the one about Interweave's decision to take some free pattern offerings off its site. It's under "The Disappearance of the Pea Pod Baby Set" in the "Needlework on the Net" forum. I have no stake in the discussion, but I've been watching it closely. In a nutshell, Interweave removed some free patterns from its website. Knitters got upset because they believed that when they purchased the issue of the magazine in which those patterns had been advertised as being available from the website, they were also purchasing (unlimited, forever) access to those patterns. It's unclear to me whether Interweave removed those patterns because of contractual problems with their designers (the designer of the Pea Pod baby set says she had nothing to do with the decision), or if there is some other reason.

I guess what bothers me most about that discussion is the vehemence of some of the knitters and their unwillingness to consider that the knitting-internet relationship is new and rules of engagement are still evolving. Did Interweave make some mistakes? Sure they did. However, I still don't know anyone who has a crystal ball and is able to foresee all the potential problems surrounding digital technology. Heck, I sure didn't, and we all know how that went. I think Interweave was between a rock and a hard place: they had to honor the contracts they had with designers, but in doing so, they breached an implied (or otherwise) contract with their readers. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I did the finishing on the last project for the Summer issue last night. It turned out beautifully and DD#1 will model it for the picture because it fits her perfectly. It's a cotton ribbed sweater with a central cable panel, set-in sleeves, waist shaping and a scoop neckline. One of my test-knitters did the knitting for me; I always like to do the finishing myself. The yarn is Classic Elite's Four Seasons Cotton and it felt lovely to work with. I have a few skeins left over and I am thinking that I'd like to design a baby blanket or hat with them.

Today's to-do list includes packing up class samples and swatches for Midwest Masters. I like to ship my supplies ahead of time rather than taking them with me. I am always afraid the airlines will lose my luggage. I've got the master copies for three of my four class handouts printed, but I want to spend some time updating my Cables and Beyond class with some of the material from Cables 2.

And now that the projects for the Summer issue are done, it's time to get back to some swatching. I have designs floating around that need to get out of my head.

The husband asked if I was off to slay some dragons today, so I guess I'll get started on that.

We're still waiting on a contractor to pay us, and it's really disrupting my cash flow management. I've had to be creative about moving money around this month and it's making me very unhappy. The husband says that he will call said contractor tomorrow and remind him that I will be happy to file lien paperwork against him if the money doesn't appear soon.

I opened the mail to find a letter from the State of Montana informing me that they paid unemployment benefits on a guy who worked for us for about three months in 2006. This guy applied for unemployment benefits last April—despite the fact that he quit voluntarily—and I spent several hours on the phone with the state. The state untilmately denied his 2007 claim. In February of this year, we received a notice that he was applying for benefits AGAIN. I got out his file, copied all the correspondence from last year, and sent it to the state with a note saying, "We've been through this once already with this guy; please deny this second claim." They didn't (I have no idea why). So I spent an hour on the phone with three different people trying to get this straightened out.

This makes me so angry. I am not opposed to paying unemployment benefits to people who really need them. We pay in to the system so that if one of our two employees—who have worked for us for several years—have to be laid off, they won't be without some support.

What just torques me is these deadbeats who don't deserve the benefits but who apply for them anyway. We had one guy tell my husband in October of 2005 that he was going back to Michigan to work for his uncle because his uncle could pay him more than he was making with us. Not two months after he left (voluntarily), he filed for unemployment benefits. We found out later that he told one of our employees that he does this every year: he works over the summer, then takes the winter off to hunt and collects unemployment benefits to support himself. When I heard that, I decided there was no way that my husband was going to work all winter so that some idiot could sit on his butt and watch TV. I spent several months fighting with both the State of Montana and the State of Michigan and untimately, the guy was forced to give back the money that the State of Michigan had advanced him. I hope he had to get a job and wasn't able to go hunting that year.

To cap off an already stellar day, I looked out the window after dinner and saw Rusty dancing around a deer in the front yard. I called the husband, and we soon discovered that it was a deer which had gotten hit by a car and dragged itself into our yard where it was slowly bleeding to death. The husband corralled Rusty and I got Chester and we put them both in the house. Then the husband went and got his rifle and shot the deer. Neither of wanted to see that happen, but the deer was badly hurt. It would have been cruel to leave it out there in the yard to die a slow agonzing death.

Life in the woods.

It's 7:08 p.m. I am hoping this is it for today, although there is always a good possibility that the pager will go off for some hideous car wreck or structure fire.

In other news . . .

I had a visit with the new doctor Friday. She's very nice and made me feel very comfortable. I suffer from "white coat hypertension" because for me, going to the doctor is akin to going into battle. And my blood pressure was up a little bit, but nothing like it has been when I've gone to see the doctor. She said everything looked great and that I was clearly healthy and taking care of myself. What a relief to come out of a doctor's office with the validation that I was healthy instead of feeling like I was a medical disaster waiting to happen. (My previous doctor was a bit of a hypochondriac—she was SURE there was something wrong with me, except that she totally ignored what was REALLY wrong with me while she went off on wild goose chases looking for other things.).

I consider myself very fortunate that I don't have a lot of medical issues beyond my thyroid problems. I belonged to a long-term cancer survivors mailing list for a while but I ultimately unsubbed because it was just too depressing reading about what other cancer survivors were dealing with.

I did what I could with the garden yesterday—only two of the beds are clear of snow, so I turned the soil in them in prepapration for the Great Quackgrass Battle. Those same beds needed some TLC from the husband because the lumber making up the raised beds was falling apart in places. The husband doesn't like to garden, and my garden is the one place where he didn't do his usual job of overbuilding with great attention to detail. It was more like slap-dash-I-want-to-get-out-of-the-dirt-and-back-to-my-projects building. Stuff is starting to fall apart. I think he feels a bit guilty about this, as he came right over and fixed the beds in question when I pointed them out.

It feels so good to be out there working.

Most of this week will be devoted to getting ready for Midwest Masters next week in Wisconsin. I am looking forward to seeing Myrna Stahman, Lucy Neatby, and Margaret Fisher, who are also teaching there. I haven't seen Myrna or Lucy since about 2000; Margaret and I taught at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year.

I've also got to get a newsletter laid out. It's probably good that it's supposed to rain a fair bit so I won't be tempted to play in dirt instead of working.

The only other plague of my garden happens to be these little devils:

It's a vole. One year they got in and burrowed under my plants and ate all the roots. When I went out to clean up that year, I pulled up several dead plants (or what was left of them, anyway), before I figured out what was going on. I declared war. The husband said he was glad I didn't have access to nuclear weapons.

This year I am hoping that Rusty the Rodent Killer will aid me in my quest to eradicate these things from the yard. I figure if I let him loose in the garden for a few days (pre-Roundup, don't worry), he'll search and destroy them for me.

Yesterday I stopped in at the local garden center for a few minutes. I said to the woman working in the greenhouse that it just made me feel better to be in there and she said, "We know what you mean." I was thrilled to discover that they have a number of the new echinacea varieties—I prefer to buy local plants whever possible instead of having them shipped in. They've also got two or three of the new bee balm varieties. If it stays warm through the end of April, I'll get all of those in as well as a few herbs.

I got the afghan finished yesterday. It looks really cool. I need to wash it this weekend and lay it out to dry.

This morning I am off to an appointment with a new OB-GYN. This is one recommended by my naturopath. Wish me luck.

I have two gardens, one for veggies and one for herbs and flowers. The herb one does really well, mostly because it's full of plants adapted to a short growing season. I have to really nurse the veggies along and it's always a toss-up if it's going to be warm enough in August for the tomatoes actually to turn red. The short growing season is the one thing I don't like about Montana.

My garden has gotten rather overgrown in the past couple of years, mostly because my thyroid problems got to the point where I didn't have the energy to go out and look at the plants, let alone cultivate them. Last fall I went through and completely gutted the veggie garden. It has a serious quackgrass problem and will get hit with some Roundup in the next couple of weeks. I try to have as organic a garden as possible, but the quackgrass is winning the war and I need to bring in the big guns.

The herb garden needs to have the paths redone and some plants cuts way back. Here's what it looked like about five years ago:

There are three kinds of flowers I am especially partial to: lavenders, bee balms, and echinacea. At one point I had over 40 different varieties of lavender, all labelled. Alas, the labels got ruined one winter and I no longer know what's what. The lavenders have also reproduced rather promiscuously and there are baby lavender plants all over the place.

I have about 15 varieties of bee balms. The hummingbirds love them. If I go out to the garden and wait patiently, I will be rewarded with the sight of a one coming to feed at the red bee balms.

The echinaceas need some TLC this year. I have some of your garden-variety (no pun intended) coneflowers, but I also have some rather exotic ones as well, such as the yellow Echinacea paradoxa. After I get the beds cleaned out, I want to add a few more. These are two that I have picked out:

The first is called "Tiki Torch" and it's nice and bright. Apparently, during my garden hiatus, a whole line of new Echinaceas has been developed, called—appropriately enough—Big Sky.

This is the one I am most excited about:

It's called "Green Jewel." Have you ever seen a green flower like this before? I haven't. I think this is so darn cool and if it grows well in Zone 5 I'll be a happy camper.

I now feel perked up enough to get back to work. I cancelled some appointments today so I could stay home and finish getting through my to-do pile. I have a sweater to put together today and I need to sew the middle strip of the Mystery Afghan to its two side strips. It'll be a good day to to knit and watch the snow melt.

Bleh. It's the last thing I want to be doing right now.

At least it didn't snow today. And by Saturday it's supposed to be 63 degrees and sunny. Great. Only a week late.

When I first became involved, our chief and assistant chief were in charge of running the auction. Our chief grew up here and has been to every single auction for the past 42 years. He runs his own business—as do many of us—and could not continue to be in charge of organizing this event. It's a full-time job in itself. A few years ago he tried to get me to take it over. It was around the same time that Aran Sweater Design came out, and I told him flat out that I couldn't, because I had my own business to run. Of course, being a man, he dismissed my "business" as "Janet's little hobby." I had to do quite a bit of educating for him to realize that it's gone way beyond hobby.

As it is, I still have a pretty big job—promotions and PR. Beginning in January, I have to get all of the print, radio, and TV advertising in place, arrange for the mailing of 10,000 postcards to the surrounding areas, and answer the auction phone. It's a good job for me to do, because I can fit it in around all my other activities. But I find that a lot of stuff (like Cables 2) gets shoved to the back burner as we get closer and closer to the auction. And during the auction itself, I am home only to sleep.

I am now looking at a pile of mail which has gone unopened since last Wednesday, I have a bunch of e-mails to respond to, no one has any clean clothes, and the house is a mess. I am supposed to teach a class at Camas Creek this weekend and next, and Midwest Masters at the end of the month. The Summer newsletter needs to be laid out, and I should get back to work on Cables 2. I think I'll tackle the house, the laundry, and my desk—in that order.

I am not sure in which direction this auction will go now. A few of us were comparing notes and we agreed that the auction has changed a lot in the past few years. This is no longer a farm-based community, and what's basically a farm auction doesn't appeal to the more gentrified crowd that has moved in. The equipment part of the auction used to be filled with farm equipment and only a few vehicles, and was a big draw throughout the northwest. This year we had only half a dozen pieces of farm equipment, and a LOT of vehicles.

In any case, Auction #42 is history, and I have to get back to the business of knitting.

We finished consignment day Friday just as the wind picked up and a front started blowing through. By the time the husband and I got home around 9 p.m., it was snowing like mad (Hello? It's APRIL, for pity's sake!). The snow continued all night, and when I left at 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning, it was snowing so hard that visibility was down to about half a mile. There was 2" of snow on the auction grounds.

This isn't my first rodeo, as we say around here, and I know how to dress for weather. I have a pair of wool hunting pants that I usually wear at the auction, so I had those on, along with wool socks, a turtleneck, a wool sweater, and my personalized Creston Fire Carhartt jacket (so people know my name is Janet when they ask me questions). Shortly after I got to the auction grounds, I gave up trying to be fashionable (not that I was succeeding anyway) and snagged a Nomex hood out of the fire station. Someone should have taken a picture of me. I looked so weird, but I WAS WARM.

Our advertising says that only an act of God will cancel the auction (snowstorms apparently don't fall into that category), and I got several calls asking if we were still having the auction. Amazingly, the crowds were pretty good—on days like yesterday, people think no one else will be there and that they will be able to get some bargains. I saw lots fewer families than usual, though, and the people we hired to bring a bounce house just didn't show up.

DD#1 and my MIL worked in the brat booth cooking brats and polish sausage and DD#2 was a "runner"—the kids who run the bid tickets back and forth to the cashier's office. I made sure both of them were dressed for the weather. DD#2 always has a good time being a runner because she is something of a social butterfly. She also takes her job very seriously. A couple of times I asked her how she was doing and she said, "Fine, and I am working, so I can't stand here and chat."

The Creston Auction. A family affair.

Set-up went fairly smoothly yesterday. I helped as much as I could, although I am responsible for answering the auction phone (my cell phone). It rang every three minutes or so, and that cut down on my ability to do much heavy lifting. This year I got smart and bought a Bluetooth headset for my Bluetooth-enabled phone. I didn't have to keep taking my cell phone in and out of my pocket. That worked quite nicely, once I got used to having the receiver sticking out of my ear.

The auction phone is my cell phone, so my cell number is plastered all over Flathead County. For about two weeks before and after the auction, I have to remember to answer "Creston Auction, this is Janet," when my phone rings. Unfortunately, my cell phone number being associated with the Creston Fire Department has unintended consequences—a couple of times I have received phone calls from people telling me their fields were on fire (grass fires) and could I send an engine? I am not sure why they call me when it's so much easier to dial 911, but it happens.

I'm taking my camera today and will try to get some decent pictures. This is the day when we take in all the "saleable merchandise" and arrange the lot for tomorrow's auction. I think we're going to have a LOT of merchandise, if the calls I am getting are any indication.

The worst part of all of this is the dust, because we're out in a field. I prefer to wear my contact lenses, but by the end of the day yesterday my eyes felt like they had sandpaper glued to them. I always have to sacrifice a pair of contacts for the auction—after three days of dust and wind I just have to throw them out. And we all come home covered with a fine layer of topsoil. This is not an event where fashion reigns supreme, believe me. But I LOVE donning my Carhartts and my boots and my leather gloves and being outside with the guys. It makes my inner tomboy very happy.

See you after the sale.

(I saw a T-shirt once that said, "I'm not bossy, I just know what you should be doing." Well, there you go—that's it in a nutshell.)

I am driving DD#2 to school early today. She and two of her friends are decorating one of the boys' desks as an April Fool's joke today. I hope they don't get into trouble.

Tonight we're going to DD#1's "Marches and Medleys" concert at the high school. DD#2 has ballet beforehand, so the husband and I need to do some creative logistics to get us all to town at the appointed time. It should be a great concert, though, and I am looking forward to hearing the kids play.

Some days I feel like a general, moving people where they need to be.

My MIL arrives tomorrow to help with the auction. We started this one year when the kids had spring break the same week as the auction and I had no one to keep an eye on them. She came out to take care of them and it became a tradition. Now the kids are old enough that they come and help at the auction, so she does, too. She'll be here for about a week. It's nice that we have an extra truck—I leave her the keys and she and the girls can come and go as they need to.

The weather has been so lousy lately and it just won't stop snowing. The weatherman says that it is supposed to warm up and be sunny and in the 50's for this auction. I hope so. We do this auction no matter what the weather, but we're all a lot less grumpy when we're not being snowed upon. One year it was actually very warm, and people drank so much water that we ran out of toilet paper in the portable toilets. The husband is Logistics Section Chief for the auction and portable toilets fall under his jurisdiction. I am the assistant to the Logistics Section Chief during the auction. My kids thought it was so funny that they could hear us on the radio (I have a scanner in my office) talking about how we were going to replace the toilet paper supply. Heck, the whole county heard that conversation.

We're easily amused here. We have to laugh during this auction or we'd all be crying.

This is a totally off-topic post, BTW. No knitting at all.

Our church sponsored a singing workshop this weekend. A well-known Mennonite hymnologist, Dr. Mary K Oyer, was passing through here and agreed to give a workshop at our church. We opened it up to other churches in the valley and had a nice turnout. Mary is a sharp, intelligent woman, and I learned things about hymns I never knew. It was fascinating. Plus we got to sing, too—mostly a capella, which means I got to sing instead of having to play the piano.

Our minister and I have a vision of our church being a center for this kind of music here in the valley. So many of the churches have gone to contemporary music with praise bands. I like a lot of that music and try to incorporate some of those songs into my prelude-playing on Sundays, but there is nothing to compare to a church full of well-trained voices singing four-part hymns. It sends goose bumps up my arms to think about it. And we want to continue to promote that kind of music for those people who want it. This weekend was a great start.

The type of singing we did this weekend is a hallmark of Mennonite worship. I grew up in a Lutheran church singing German chorales, which are similar. The Lutherans like to think they can sing, but I'll tell you that the Mennonites can sing circles around any Lutherans I know (including ex-Lutherans like me).

As soon as I can get the pages coded and updated, those issues back to Spring 2003 will be available for purchase and download.

I also formatted many of my designs from the newsletter as individual patterns. There are a few that Melanie would like to sell in the store (individual patterns sell better than back issues of the newsletter), and eventually I'll add them to the store as digital downloads.

I got an e-mail this week from a blog reader who wondered if I had any plans to put my blog archives back up. She said she likes to read about my exciting life—thanks! I am glad you find it so interesting. The short answer to that question is no, I probably won't. Those blog posts were done in another HTML program (GoLive), and they don't convert very cleanly to Dreamweaver, which is what I am using now. I would have to go in and clean them all up before posting them again, and I really can't devote the time to that right now. But I'll keep it on the list. It's kind of interesting to go back a couple of years and see what I was doing.

I am looking outside my window this morning and it is snowing. Again. Still. I can't believe it is March 29. This is almost as bad as the year we had snow until May 31. The weatherman was predicting doom and gloom for our corner of the state on his forecast last night—up to 16" in the mountains, which usually means us—but we've only gotten an inch or two so far. Looking at the radar, I think it went south to Missoula instead.

News flash to stores: I'd spend lots more money on clothes if retailers would offer what I'm looking for. Where are all the navy blue dress pants?

Knitting has been put aside for the moment. Our big fire department auction is next weekend, and now all 50 or so of us have to spend virtually every waking moment getting ready for it. I was at the fire hall last night until 8 p.m. when I had to pick a kid up from Girl Scouts. The husband was there until 10 p.m. All of next week will be devoted to getting ready for the actual event.

We're all trying to figure out how to shift the burden of this fundraising event from the firefighters to the community. For better or for ill, a decision was made many years ago to disasscociate the auction from the fire department—the problem is that many people now see this as a for-profit event put on by a business, and we who are sponsoring the auction sometimes get treated as money-grubbing profiteers. Some of the things people have said to me on the phone (my cell phone serves as the information line for the auction) are not repeatable here.

So here is a volunteer fire department putting on its own fundraising event every year. That model has problems on a number of levels. First, the people putting on this huge two-day event are the same ones responding to an average of four fire/medical calls per week. They're doing plenty for the community by responding to those calls without having to do their own fundraising, too. Second, a number of us think it has really dampened our recruiting efforts. People don't want to join our department because they know that for at least two weeks in March and April, their lives will belong to the auction.

I'd love to see a group from the community take over this event. It's been happening for so long (this is year #42) that all the logistical elements are in place. It's just a matter of the community doing it, not the firefighters.

I am so grateful for the community members who call me because they know the auction is coming up, and offer to help where they can. We just need about ten times as many of them as we've got and we'll be all set.

Today's schedule (after some work here in the office) includes a complete rip-down and cleaning of my closet. On Sunday I tried to find something in my warmer-weather wardrobe to wear to church, but every single pair of pants I tried on was too big. Apparently I've lost more weight than I realized. On the one hand, that's really nice; on the other, it means I need to buy several new pairs of dress pants to replace the ones that no longer fit me. I gave away most of my size 10 pants a few years ago when I started gaining weight I couldn't lose. I am bummed about that, because I had a few pieces that I really liked (my leather pants, for example).

So several of my favorite Liz Claiborne pants, size 12, are going to the thrift store, along with a couple of my Rafaella pants, also size 12, and anything else that no longer fits. I can always count on those two brands to fit me really well—in fact, yesterday I snagged a pair of size 10 Rafaella pants off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx ($15!) and didn't even bother to try them on until I got home. They fit beautifully. (Note to Mom: If you find any size 10 Liz Claiborne or Rafaella pants on sale, feel free to send them my way. Thanks!)

Now, if only I could lose as much on the top as I have on the bottom. My shape HAS changed—I've gone from a 38C down to a 34DDD (thank you, Wacoal, for making bras in my size) but I look alarmingly like Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. How does she remain upright? How do I? I really need to lose about 8 pounds from my chest.

My happiness about the weight loss is tinged with more than a bit of anger at the fact that I ever gained weight in the first place. It's mostly directed at my doctor, who refused to believe me when I told her something was going on. When a formerly skinny person suddenly gains 25 pounds and presents with a whole host of other issues, you don't tell them that they are eating too much and not exercising enough and send them on their way. I'm am trying to work through that anger, and I have found a different doctor, one recommended by my naturopath.

While I was trying on my new pants last night, DD#1 said, "You should go back and look at pictures of you from a couple of years ago. You were so fat." Yeah, I know. It's pretty sad. I know that we have am obesity problem in this country. but I wonder how much of it is due to hormone issues and underdiagnosed/undertreated thyroid issues, as mine was.

Debbie, I will mention your suggestion to Melanie. It may be more than we want to take on right now but I love the idea! And I hope I can work out a visit to Colorado.

I finished the ArtYarns Beaded Rhapsody scarf last night while watching "John Adams" on HBO. I am watching it mostly to see how they did Abigail, as I find her way more fascinating than the men. Too bad she couldn't have been president. It's an excellent production all around, and great TV knitting.

I just finished blocking the scarf. It looks phenomenal. Now I need to get back to the last project for the Summer issue.

I've been watching the "What Do You Hate About Your LYS" thread on Ravelry, and a few of us were discussing the topic at Camas Creek on Saturday. One thing I've heard over and over again is how knitters hate walking into a yarn store and feeling like they have just interrupted the owner's day, or stumbled upon some exclusive knitting clique. I've been in a lot of yarn stores. I know exactly what they are saying.

I have to say that Melanie has got customer service down to an art form. Camas Creek is incredibly welcoming. The store itself is just gorgeous, and she's got a coffee bar (with decaf tea for me!), a comfortable area to sit and knit, and a computer in case someone wants to look something up on the Internet. The other day I overheard them talking about installing a changing table in the bathroom. It's the kind of place where you WANT to go in and buy yarn (really, I am not the only person who shops there). Everyone who works there is knowledgeable and friendly.

About a week ago I was in there—on a Saturday, when the store offers free knitting lessons to anyone—and a young man in his 20's came in. He said, "My girlfriend was here last week and learned to knit, and it looks like a lot of fun so I'd like to learn, too." The lady who teaches beginning knitting brought yarn and needles over and they sat down and got to work. That little episode just spoke volumes to me. How many men would feel comfortable walking into a store catering to a predominantly female clientele and ask to learn how to knit? And how many of those men would be treated just like any other valued customer instead of like a freak? I expect to see that guy and his girlfriend in the store again.

I just got a call from the Flathead Beacon, a new-ish publication in Kalispell. They want to do an interview with me tomorrow morning. Melanie gave them my name (they did a piece on Camas Creek a few months ago). The very interesting thing is that the Flathead Beacon is funded by Maury Povich—he and Connie Chung have a house about 5 miles south of us.

This picture doesn't do it any justice. It's Beaded Rhapsody yarn from Artyarns, a blend of 85% silk with glass beads and metallic and 15% mohair. A "roll around naked in it" kind of yarn (don't worry, the beads are tiny).

I had given Melanie this shawl to display in her store, but it's made out of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair that I got at Wal-Mart (way before her store opened). We both agreed that she needed something similar in a yarn she carries. The minute I saw the Beaded Rhapsody I knew it would be perfect for that family of stitch patterns (the shawl is in a drop-stitch cable). Melanie pressed a skein into my hands (they are $54 each!) and sent me home with it. I am making a drop-stitch cable scarf for her to display in the store. The stitch pattern is slightly different from the one used in the shawl, so the scarf will likely end up in a future issue of the newsletter. It's heavenly to knit with.

I must not go in there every other day. I simply must not.

I just want to say a word about Lion Brand. When I went to Atlanta, I took with me the Granite Sweater. The Atlanta Guild president, Donna Daniels, modeled it for me and walked around the room so people could see it. Everyone wanted to know what that gorgeus yarn was, and they were some gasps of surprise when I said, "Lion Brand Lion Wool."

Hey people, I am not a snob. There are plenty of high-priced yarns out there that I wouldn't use to knit a sweater, and if the best yarn for a design is to be found at Wal-Mart or Michael's, that's where I am going to buy it. Granted, that doesn't happen very often, but I think that the Lion Brand label has gotten a bad rap for their marketing strategy. I am sure there are fifteen sides to the issue, but the bottom line for me is that I like the yarn. It reminds me of Brunswick Germantown. Enough said.

Lion Brand from Wal-Mart. Beaded Rhapsody from Camas Creek Yarn. Oh knitter, thou art so fickle.

I am off to teach. I hope they didn't get any more yarn shipments.

And now, on to knitting. These projects will both be in the Summer issue. I'll let you guess what they are.

I've had such fun with the designs for this issue. And I have noticed an interesting phenomenon since Camas Creek Yarn opened: design ideas are spilling out of my head. For so long I have lived in a place where my access to yarn was fairly limited. I had to plan my designs way ahead, order yarn, and hope I was still enthused about the project when the yarn came. Now if I'm struck with an idea, it's a simple matter to go to the store and pick something out and get to work. And of course Melanie, the owner, has a million ideas of her own and is always bouncing stuff off of me. For example, last week she got a shipment of really cool belt buckles. She mentioned that she would love to have a belt to display in the store, and all of a sudden I was reminded of a stitch pattern I had swatched in hemp that would make a great belt. She handed me a buckle and some hemp yarn and off I went. A few hours later I had another project for the newsletter and she had a store sample. (She told me Tuesday that she sold three belt buckles just from having the belt on display.)

I have to be careful that I don't get carried away, though. Every time a new shipment of yarn comes in, I want to buy some and design a new project. But so far it's been great and I hope we can continue the collaboration.

The Calendar page has been updated with a list of where and what I am teaching. There are two new events in Ohio and Michigan—one is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of June 28 at Threadbear in Lansing, MI (we're working on the class selection) and the other is July 12 at a new store called A Tangled Tale in Columbus, OH. There I'll be teaching the Let Them Knit Cake class on Brioche knitting in the morning and Cables and Beyond in the afternoon. A Tangled Tale isn't open just yet, but if you want to call and reserve a spot in either of those classes, e-mail me (Janet at BigSkyKnitting dot com) and I'll help get you signed up.

And some time in there I am supposed to be finishing a book. I got an e-mail last night from my tech editor that the first draft is coming back to me. No more slacking off! I still have plenty to do to get Cables 2 in shape. It's looking more and more like a fall release, though. I doubt very much that I will have it done before I leave for the east coast in June. It's hard to crank out a book a year. If all I had to do was the writing, that would be one thing, but I also have to do the swatches, the layout and the photography. And I am just not going to make myself nuts about it. One of the reasons I self-publish is so that no one else can control my schedule.

Off to work now.

The assistant chief called this morning right after breakfast and asked if I would run into town and get food for the police and firefighters staged at one of our fire stations near the standoff. It's my job to do that when we have a fire or major car accident; I have never been called upon to do this for a law enforcement incident. I called the grocery store where we get food and asked them to have sandwiches and fruit ready, then headed into town and navigated the detour. I did it in reverse to get back to the scene, and visited with our fire chief for a while.

It happened that I needed to be in town again in the afternoon, so I told the chief that if we needed food for dinner, I would pick it up. In the meantime, the husband and another one of our friends on the department went to do a shift at the staging area. They have an engine ready to go just in case something happens with the house. When I left (approximately 5:30 p.m.) after delivering dinner, all the equipment was positioned in the highway. I'm hoping this can be resolved peacefully and soon.

I spent most of the day in the truck in town. Not much got done here. And tomorrow I am taking the girls, who are on spring break, down to Missoula. They still have gift cards that need to be spent. It'll be fun, but I'm looking forward to Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, when I'll get to stay home and work.

I promise knitting pics, but probably not until Wednesday, if I survive all the excitement.

I just had a lovely conversation with Kelly at KnitPicks for a future podcast. As soon as I find out the date, I'll let everyone know. She asked a lot of great questions and I am pretty sure I sounded coherent.

I have been meaning to mention these:

When I was in Atlanta, the lovely Nancy Smythe Thompson was wearing them. They are made out of recycled knitting needles. Alas, I am horribly allergic to metal and can't wear earrings anymore or I'd have one of everything she makes, but Nancy gave me a pen made out of a recycled knitting needle and it's perfect. Check out her Etsy store Sassafras Creations for more items.

I do miss being able to wear earrings. I've tried it all and nothing seems to help. I can barely stand to wear a watch or my wedding ring. They both come off as soon as I walk in the door from being out and about.

I am starting to get inquiries about teaching gigs for next year. I really have mixed feelings about teaching. I love to teach. I love to meet knitters. I even like traveling although I am not a big fan of flying.

I hate being away from my family. The husband always laughs at me because a day or two before I leave on a teaching trip I start agonizing about being gone. I just can't stand the thought of not being at home. And I always have a great time when I am gone—some of my fondest memories are of teaching trips I've taken (hi Raye!). Go figure. I guess I'll just keep to my three-gigs-a-year schedule until the girls are off to college and then it won't matter so much.

I first met Jan when she still lived in Cleveland. I taught for the North Coast Knitting Guild on a couple of occasions and got to spend some time with her. She moved to Atlanta a few years ago and now I get to see her there. She has a step-daughter who could be my twin sister, we look so much alike. Being around Jan is a lot of fun. And of course, we share the same name!

But what I love most about Jan has to do with my childhood in Cleveland. When I was a little girl, there was a character named Mr. Jingeling who had been developed by one of the local department stores in Cleveland (Halle's, if you happen to be familiar with the city). Mr. Jingeling was one of Santa's elves, appointed by Santa as the "Keeper of the Keys."

Every year around Christmas, one of the TV stations had a short segment in the afternoon featuring Mr. Jingeling. If I remember correctly, it came on right after "Ultraman" and "Johnny Sakko." I loved to watch Mr. Jingeling. And when I was a lot older (around 19 or 20 or so), my then-boyfriend's mother and I went downtown to have lunch one day before Christmas. Who should be at the Higbee's department store (Halle's had closed by then) but Mr. Jingeling himself! My boyfriend's mother pulled me over to see him (there were a lot of little kids there) and I got to shake his hand. Oh, the excitement!

Jan also remembers Mr. Jingeling and tells a wonderful story about getting a key from him which she gave to her husband in front of a bunch of his co-workers. She gave me a wonderful Mr. Jingeling Christmas ornament a few years ago. Every year I carefully take it out and hang it on my tree. My kids know that that is the one ornament I MUST hang myself, and when I do, I always think of Jan and her generous spirit. I love knitters.

Saturday morning I awoke to see a few random flakes of snow coming down outside, but nothing like what they were getting in my hometown.

Those Atlanta knitters do know how to do southern hospitality! My lovely hostess Debra Davis picked me up at the airport Thursday afternoon, got me checked into my suite—yes, I had a suite at the Staybridge Suites which was quite posh—and took me to dinner at Brio, one of my very favorite restaurants. I usually only eat at Brio when I go to Ohio because we don't have any here in Montana.

We headed to the guild meeting where I gave a 20-minute talk and answered some questions. It was good to see some Atlanta guild members I haven't seen in seven years (I last taught there in 2001), including my friend Janet Johnson-Stevens. (She's a former Clevelander and really deserves her own post, which I will do tomorrow.) Then it was back to the hotel so I could get some sleep.

Classes on Friday went well. Elizabeth brought me enough food for lunch to feed an army, all of it wonderful. The totally cute Megan hosted a potluck dinner at her house that evening. The Atlanta guild created a knitted scarecrow last fall to display at the Botanical Garden and Megan showed me the crow she designed and knit. It was phenomenal (and also a good use of some black novelty eyelash yarn!). The food was excellent and the company of knitters was a lot of fun.

Saturday's classes went well, too—I was really impressed with the depth and breadth of the Atlanta's group's knowledge. They asked a lot of terrific questions. I had another great lunch provided by Nancy (I think—sorry!), which I truly appreciated. I must burn up a lot of energy when I teach, because by lunchtime I am always starving.

Debra—who is an abolsute dear—took me to the Whole Foods Store Saturday after my classes were over so I could stock up on tea. I bought $54 worth of tea. Yes, I am a tea addict. It's hard to find really good decaf teas. My sister sent me some Tulsi Tea last week; it's a brand I've never seen around here and the Whole Foods Store had it so I bought two boxes of Lemon Ginger decaf. Yum.

I had mentioned to Debra that we don't get a lot of good seafood here in Montana, so she took me to the Atlanta Fish Market for dinner. I had Georgia Mountain Trout with whipped sweet potatoes and sauteed baby spinach—wow, it was delicious. And of course I had to have some Georgia Pecan Tart (with chocolate!) for dessert. When in Rome . . . !

Debra rolled me back to the hotel and I dutifully set my clock ahead one hour. She dropped me off at the airport this morning and after eight hours of traveling I arrived back home in Kalispell. It's always great to be home but I would go back to Atlanta in a heartbeat. It's a great group to teach for and they sure feed you well!

This is the gate between the laundry room and the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon I heard DD#1 in there playing with the dogs, and then I heard a loud crash and saw two dogs tearing through the house. Hmmmm.

Turns out that Chester got a little rambunctious and crashed through the gate, breaking a couple of the slats. The husband took it out to the garage and—in his very husband-like way (that means "with metal and a lot of bolts")—fixed the gate and put it back up. I do not put it past the dog to try and crash it again. (That is Chester, sitting behind the gate, waiting for the next opportunity.)

While Chester loves both the girls and would defend them if necessary, he seems to have a particular fondness for DD#1. One time we came home and both dogs came running up to greet us. Rusty tried to cozy up to DD#1 and Chester lit into him like he had taken his favorite toy. The two of them (DD#1 and the dog) always get into trouble when they play together.

I got most of my errands run today. Tomorrow is a work day at home, and then I'll do some last-minute grocery shopping on Wednesday. I have to stock up on foods these people can cook by themselves.

When the husband joined the fire department 14 years ago, the spouses (mostly wives) were encouraged to join the Ladies' Auxiliary. I began attending auxiliary meetings, and it soon became apparent that I was going to be the youngest member by at least 25 years. None of the wives of the firefighters who were the same age as the husband and me ever went to an auxiliary meeting.

But I went and I stuck around, because I like old people and most of these women were very nice to me. Eventually the members got too old to continue their activities and the auxiliary disbanded and morphed into a group of associate members of the fire department—people like me who want to be involved with the department but who don't respond to calls. We attend the business meetings, are kept in the loop with the firefighters, and provide support where we can. We don't quilt or make lefse anymore, which sometimes makes me sad, but the world has changed and the department has different needs now.

Anyway (I am going somewhere with this), a few weeks ago one of the auxiliary members died. She was 88. Her memorial service was yesterday. Blanche was a knitter, and every year at the Auction she would come and set up a table in the craft building and sell her knitted and crocheted items. She made the most exquisite lace doilies. Blanche never had a harsh word for anyone, and of everyone in the auxiliary, I think she was my favorite.

The chief and assistant chief are out of town this weekend, so I went to the service as the unofficial fire department representative. Half a dozen of the other auxiliary members were there, ladies I haven't seen in a couple of years. The memorial service was a lovely celebration of Blanche's life.

After the service, I headed out to our church where one of our members was having his 80th birthday party. His birthday is on Leap Day, so he jokes about being only 20 years old. Joe was a teacher in the community for many years, and I think all of his former students must have come to the open house. I could not believe how many people were there. The open house was scheduled from 2-5 p.m., but the husband went out to a chimney fire call at 6:30 and he said when he drove by the church, the parking lot was still full of cars.

I visited with the fire chief's parents (it's a small town and everyone knows everyone else), wished Joe a happy birthday, and had some cake and a sandwich. I talked to a woman named Natalie, who is one of Joe's nieces and who lives around the corner from me. We have kids the same age, but we joke that the only time we ever see each other is at a funeral, so it was nice to visit with her at a birthday party instead.

I left thinking how lucky I am to live in this community. As much as I like to be by myself, it's still nice to belong somewhere.

Before the funeral, I popped in to Camas Creek Yarn again to pick up a few skeins of yarn for a project. Melanie and I talked about some of the yarns that aren't moving as well as others, and as I mentally inventoried my collection of knitted samples, I realized that I had a few more things she could use as display models. I'm going to get them out and take them in tomorrow.

I got another chunk of work done on the book Friday and I worked on it again yesterday morning. Just when I think I've got it all laid out and organized, though, one of the pieces jumps up and says, "I think you should reorganize this book and put me there instead of here." It's happened with every single one of my books and it's more than slightly frustrating. I liken it to trying to compartmentalize a plate of spaghetti. I have another hour or two of work I'd like to do on the layout, and then I need to get it printed off and sent to my tech editor. When I can no longer see the forest for the trees, she always has a fresh perspective and good ideas.

I took in the sock and scarf I made and asked the owner if she wanted to display them with the yarns I used to make them. I know that yarn sells better if there is a swatch or sample that knitters can look at and feel. And it's another opportunity to sell my patterns, if knitters decide they like the sample and would like to make one for themselves. (It's also an excuse to get that sock out of my house so I don't feel guilty about not making a second one.)

Camas Creek Yarn has a lot of potential, and the owner is a smart businesswoman. I am looking forward to seeing how things evolve. I love it that she's invited me to be a part of everything, and I want to support the store as much as I can. When I first moved to Kalispell, there were NO yarn stores at all. I don't ever want to go back to that!

Yesterday morning I did a spinning and knitting demo for the third grade at DD#2's school. I did this when both my girls were in third grade, and the kids just eat it up. It's also the only time I get to spin anymore. I have such a nice stash of fiber waiting to be turned into yarn. Perhaps when I retire from my knitting career, I'll have time to spin. Oh the irony.

I started two new projects for the Summer issue last night. I am having such fun with this issue—it will have quite a few small, quick projects (instant gratification designing and knitting for me), and several of the projects are unusual ones where I have given myself permission to do something a bit quirky. For example, I have a cable swatch knit from a skein of Classic Elite Sand (discontinued before I got to do a design, imagine that) which I've always thought would make a great cabled bathrobe. I found a nice substitute for the Sand at Camas Creek—stay tuned to see what I do with it. So far I am loving it.

Today is "work on the book day" which means it must be Friday. The Yarn Harlot's blog post today was so appropriate—like the Harlot, I cannot work on my books in small snatches of time here and there. I have to have a big block of time where I can sink in and not do anything else. She's been lucky enough to be sent to a cabin in the woods for a week. I have to be satisfied with my Friday book-writing time. I cleared my desk of all remaining paperwork yesterday so that I would not be tempted by other tasks.

The kids played well, and except for one or two minor incidents, they behaved respectfully (unlike some of the other bands whose members talked and laughed during performances). By the time we boarded the buses to come home, the sun had come out and melted all the snow and the roads were clear.

This trip only had two chaperones, and the other mother and I discovered during the cours of the day that we grew up about 20 miles from each other in Ohio (she grew up in Parma). We had fun comparing notes about Cleveland on the drive home. It's a small world.

Maureen, I know it's hard to believe, but yes—there are knitters out there who think that what they are paying for when they buy a pattern is the paper and ink and nothing more. I've had a number of people tell me they think the digital version of the newsletter should cost less because they have to use their paper and their ink to print it. It all goes back to that cost-benefit thing I talked about in the last post. Subscribers think I am saving money now by not having to print as many hard copies. Actually, I'm not—the cost per individual hard copy actually has gone UP because I am not having the same volume printed. The cost to get the Winter issue printed was $1200. The cost for the Spring issue was $950, for half as many hard copies. That's just a fact of life of the printing industry—the more copies of something you have printed, the less per unit it costs. There also are costs to me in the form of software to manage the downloads and time spent doing tech support for those people who have problems downloading the digital file. I've run the numbers (many times!) and it's really a wash in terms of dollars and cents.

My mother owns a metal-stamping plant in Cleveland and she tells the story of a company coming to her and her business partner and saying, "We know how much steel costs and we've figured out how much it should cost you to make this part based on the price per pound of steel, so X dollars is all we're willing to pay you for this job." Well, X dollars covered the cost of the material but not much else, so my mother's company wouldn't have made much of a profit. They didn't take the job.

I sometimes feel like that's what some knitters are doing to designers. They say, "I went to to Staples and figured out how much it costs to print this pattern and put it in a plastic sleeve protector, so if you charge me more than $2.50 for it, you're ripping me off." There doesn't seem to be any consideration for all that went into creating that design—the yarn, the knitting, the pattern writing, the tech editing, etc.

I appreciate it that so many of you said you'd be happy to get the newsletter in whatever format it's published. I know I may have made it sound like the digital delivery system is a hassle—it's really not. The hassle was that I spent a lot of time and effort attempting to make this transition as seamless as possible and some people still weren't happy. But the digital delivery system worked well enough that I am happy to continue to provide it to those who want it.

And now—I need to work on some other things besides the newsletter. My tech editor is expecting some book chapters next week, and I'll be heading off to Atlanta for four days. And there is a mountain of paper on my desk. Time to dig in.

postCount('Musical Knitting');

Their is an ongoing discussion over at Ravelry about the cost of digital downloads. One person suggested that they should only cost about $2, because that's what she figures it costs to produce them. I doubt, though, that she's figuring into that pricing equation the cost of yarn, business overhead (there are lots of hidden costs), and oh!—maybe the designer should get paid for her creativity in coming up with the design? (There is a novel idea.) So the customer—who doesn't have access to all the data—is attempting to set the price of something she wants. The only place I know of where you can do that is eBay.

I don't want to create an adversarial relationship with my subscribers. I happen to value every single one of you, and many of you have been with me from the beginning. But even the most devoted customer can't know everything there is to know about running Big Sky Knitting Designs. I will continue to encourage feedback (and I'll try to do it with grace and good humor) but I can't promise that I'll implement every suggestion.

My class at Camas Creek was delightful, even though only four of the eight students who had signed up and paid for the class showed up. The owner and I couldn't quite figure out what was going on with that. I'll teach whoever shows up, even if it's only one person, but it does create problems for the shop owner. One of the four students who came to the class was the lady who delivers our mail. She's such a sweetheart—she calmly puts up with my goofy dogs getting in to her mail truck to look for puppy treats. It was nice to have her there. And with only four students, I was able to give a lot of individual instruction.

Sometime today I need to figure out what I am taking with me to knit on this band trip tomorrow. I'd like it to be small enough that I can stuff it into my purse (I hear Fran yelling "Sock! Sock!" but I don't want four dpns sticking out). I have some bamboo yarn and I've been wanting to make a summer scarf. I think I'll cast on for that and take that with me tomorrow.

I'm a consumer, and I am guilty of this behavior, too (see the post below)—I don't always stop to think what goes on behind-the-scenes at the companies I patronize, and what might be involved in getting products to me. All I know is that I want the products when I want them and how I want them and at the price I think I should pay for them.

And perhaps it's that I've done such a good job over the years that my customers think I am a big company with lots of employees.

But I am one person. I am one person with a husband, two kids, and two dogs who require occasional maintenance that doesn't come in the form of frozen pizzas or take-out from Famous Dave's (that was dinner last night). I am one person who—when she decided to offer digital downloads—suddenly created twice as much work for herself in the form of TWO subscriber databases, TWO delivery methods, and—if some of the comments from yesterday are any indication—an eventual need to offer TWO separate and distinct publications.

I got comments ranging from the fact that the newsletter wasn't any different in digital form than print form to comments about the length of availability of the download to comments about the size of the file and the amount of ink needed to print it on a home printer. In some cases, the comment had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the recipient's ISP, but I heard about it anyway.

May I make a few suggestions?

If you don't have DSL, the download may take several hours. You might want to stick with the print version.

If you don't want to use up your inkjet cartridges printing out 24 pages, you might want to stick with the print version.

If you travel a lot and won't always have access to a computer, you might want to stick with the print version—the post office will let me know if a piece of mail cannot be delivered and I can send it to you at a later date. I don't keep track of my subscribers' travel plans and have NO IDEA if you're not going to be at your computer for the next couple of weeks and won't be able to download this issue. But—just as with the print version—if you're a subscriber and for some reason didn't receive an issue, I am always happy to send it to you again, either by snail mail or (now) electronically. All you have to do is ask.

As for the comments I received about the print and digital versions of the newsletter being the same, well—yes, for this issue they were. I am aware that digital publishing technology has a lot of features not available in print publishing. At some point in the future I may be able to take advantage of those features. My goal with this issue, though, was simply to get the digital delivery system in place and the bugs worked out of it. I knew it probably wasn't going to work perfectly the first time, but I didn't want it to be a total disaster, either.

I spend the bulk of my time on each newsletter doing the layout—it's like a jigsaw puzzle and I have to make all of the pieces fit. The Spring issue was particularly challenging because three designs came from other designers, two of whom were new to pattern writing. Their patterns needed a lot of review by my tech editor and me. And one of those patterns was extremely complex and required me to be creative about the layout. Even at 24 pages, I had to leave out some things I had planned to include because they just didn't fit.

Now imagine that I have to do ANOTHER layout for digital subscribers, who would like features such as more pictures, detailed close-up pictures, hotlinks, and patterns arranged in such a way that they could be printed out individually if desired. Another layout takes time, and my time costs money, and it also requires editing by my tech editor, who does not work for free. I have to weigh the pros and cons of producing two different publications. Perhaps I will be able to make it work, perhaps not.

Look, I don't want to sound snarky and I've been told that nobody really cares what hoops I have to jump through to produce this newsletter, but when customers ask for something, I think it's important for me to be able to explain why I can or cannot deliver what they are asking for. It's particularly crucial when what they are asking for involves new technology—all they see are the benefits to them of this new technology. They are not thinking about what has to happen at my end for them to receive those benefits. They may not understand why producing the digital version of something isn't just a matter of poof!—waving a magic wand. Or why the digital version of something costs just as much as the print version. I don't think communication is a bad thing.

And not all the comments I received yesterday were negative. I am very grateful to the subscribers who took a minute to write and say, "The digital download worked perfectly—thanks so much!" And I am grateful those people who took the time to write with suggestions about changes they'd like to see. But it was Friday afternoon of a week when I put 428 miles on my truck in the space of three days (and didn't get any closer to Florida in the process) and what kept running through my mind was something about a road and good intentions and a place called hell.

Moving on . . . . I've got another class at Camas Creek Yarn today and I am really looking forward to it. This one will be for knitters who have learned to knit and purl and who now want to move on to a project. I love newbie knitters—they've got such enthusiasm and are so willing to learn new things.

I spent most of yesterday (when I wasn't answering e-mail about the newsletter) re-tooling my class handouts for my classes in Atlanta in a few weeks. I dropped them off at Staples yesterday afternoon on my way into town to be copied and will pick them up today on my way to Camas Creek. I much prefer to ship my class materials to the venue ahead of time, and the box for Atlanta needs to go out by Wednesday of next week.

And no, I still haven't decided what to do about the second sock . . .

Speaking of trucks, this tickles me to no end:

I got it in the mail yesterday. Keep in mind that I have had the truck for 7 months now, and if this week is any indication, it's get a fair number of miles on it. The accompanying letter said, "We recommend that you watch the DVD as soon as possible to help familiarize yourself with your new Ram with the Cummins diesel. The audio CD covers the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) codes related to your diesel engine." Hey thanks—this would have been really helpful about 6.5 months ago when my truck was throwing goofy codes for no reason and I had to argue with the diesel tech at the local dealer about getting the problem fixed. But I guess better late than never.

One of the husband's friends just bought a Dodge Ram 5500 chassis cab truck and even though the husband said he doesn't NEED another truck, I know he is having truck envy. I'm steeling myself for the possibility that he's going to come up from his office one night and tell me that he ordered a new truck. I've lived with the man for 20 years now—I know how these things work.

I took the girls in for their dental checkup yesterday. A few weeks ago DD#2 told me that one of her teeth felt funny and she thought maybe a filling had popped loose (she has two baby teeth with the composite that's the same color as the tooth). I looked and couldn't see anything. We said something to the dental assistant who cleaned her teeth yesterday. She poked around a bit and discovered that what was bothering DD#2 was a baby tooth which had cracked and was stuck in the gum. She pried it out (in two pieces) and we could see the adult tooth beneath it. I was fascinated; DD#1 had to leave the room. My kids do not have my tolerance for icky stuff.

I finished my sock and it turned out quite nicely. I may even make a second one to match it. Or I may knit another, completely different sock. I am chaperoning a band field trip to Missoula on Monday; it'll be four hours of knitting time and I need to decide what project to take with me.

And now it's off to the truck. Again.

We love the area of the valley where we live, but DD#1 was only 18 months old when we bought this property, and somehow I didn't have enough foresight to know that town being 17 miles away was going to become an issue when she was in high school. I have a friend who—when each of her kids became legally able to drive at 14 1/2—put them into a car and sent them off because she was tired of driving them around. I don't happen to agree that 14 1/2 year olds should be driving, but that's how things are out here.

DD#1 is in no hurry to drive; I actually have to remind her that she needs to take her truck out and practice so she gets enough hours in to qualify for her license. The husband went with her the other night and said she's a good driver, just very timid (she did not get my need for speed, obviously). I would be a nervous wreck if she were driving to school every day at this time of year with the roads as bad as they are sometimes, but on days like this, I wish she could drive herself hither and yon so I don't have to.

Tomorrow is not much better—the girls have a dentist appointment at 7:00 a.m. I'll come home and work for a while, but then I'll have to go into town again and get DD#1 after tutoring. And Thursday—well, Thursday is just as full as today. I think I'd better stock up on frozen pizzas while I am out today.

I taught a finishing class at Camas Creek Saturday afternoon. I enjoy teaching there so much. I've had a couple of people say to me that I could give up traveling to teach and just teach at the store, and I have to say that the thought is really appealing. As much as I love traveling and teaching, it's really disruptive to both my work and family schedules. It's lovely to finish a class, drive home, and eat dinner.

I've hit the skids with Cables 2, probably because I worked on it so much last week. I know what needs to be done to finish it, but it feels like I am slogging though mud. Part of it is the fact that I am committed to having charts for each of the stitch patterns, but some of the techniques require me to make up new symbols or use existing symbols in interesting ways. I don't want things to become overly complex. When a four-row pattern takes half-an-hour to chart and write, though, I start to wonder if I'll ever get this book done.

In many ways, this book reminds me of Level II of the Master Knitting Program. I zoomed through Level I and got hung up on Level II for more than a year (it was that argyle sock, I tell you). Once I got Level II done, Level III didn't take long at all. I look at the chapters I have blocked out for Cables 3 and I think they will be MUCH easier to write and chart than what I am doing for Cables 2. I know that sounds counterintuitive, because Cables 3 will cover "advanced" techniques, but the techniques won't require so many unique symbols.

In other news, we've all recovered nicely here. And I've noticed something interesting in the past three weeks—I am finally losing some significant weight. I thought perhaps it was because I had been sick. I expected that the weight would bounce back once I started feeling better and eating again. Nope—every morning I get on the scale and I'm down a couple more ounces. I am down to a weight I haven't seen in almost five years. I've got about 10 more pounds to go and I'll be back to the weight I was at after I had DD#2, which is where I would love to be again. I think this has a lot to do with the change the naturopath made to my thyroid meds at the beginning of January. Hey, I'll take it.

Another possibility would have been to post the newsletter in a password-protected area of the website, then send a mass e-mail to subscribers letting them know they could log in and download. I was hoping, however, to do this without a password, so I set that option aside for a while.

I use Constant Contact for my Big Sky Knitting Designs Newsletter (which, alas, doesn't get sent as often as I'd like). Constant Contact is okay, except that I have to use Firefox as my browser instead of Safari, and it won't allow me to include attachments. I also find Constant Contact's HTML editor to be too limiting. All of those reasons are probably why I don't use it as much as I should, even though I am paying a monthly fee for it.

I did some searching and found two integrated programs—iForm and Mailings—which look like they'll do nicely. iForms will replace Constant Contact for collecting and maintaining the e-mail addresses of people who want to get the Big Sky Knitting Designs newsletter, and Mailings will replace Constant Contact by coordinating the mailing of any HTML e-mails I create in in Dreamweaver. Not having to use Constant Contact any more makes me very happy.

But back to Twists and Turns®—I tried out Mailings this morning and sent a test e-mail to everyone who asked to receive their issues digitally instead of in hard copy. Amazingly, of all the e-mails I sent out, fewer than a dozen came back as undeliverable for one reason or another. I'll go through those and figure out what's happening. Overall, I like Mailings a lot and I think it'll make sending out the newsletter quick and painless.

And I've spent quite enough time on the computer today, so now I am off to knit.

Bleh.

The interesting thing is that the adults seem to be taking this harder than the kids. My girls hung out on the couch and loveseat yesterday, but I dosed them up with ibuprofen and they weren't complaining too much. The adults, however . . . we have a mother who works as an aide at the elementary school and she said it took her almost two weeks to get over having it.

I told this group that I thought it was kind of funny that one of me had to take care of three of them, because when I was sick, there were three of them to take care of one of me. Oh well. I've got to run into town and do a couple of errands this morning, but then I'll come home and be nurse for the day.

I worked on Cables 2 for several hours yesterday, but I started to get really frustrated with this new keyboard. I think I mentioned how picky I am about my keyboards and how much I hate the ones that are available through most retail outlets. I found the Matias Tactile Pro a few years ago, and it quickly became my all-time favorite keyboard. It's based on the same kind of keyboards that came with the Mac in the 80's (if I had one of those, I'd still be using it, believe me).

I got a lot of use out of my first Tactile Pro, except that the "9" key had a tendency to stick. I got used to using the keypad for 9 and it really cut down on my use of parentheses, which I am sure made my tech editor very happy. I had to replace it, though, when the space bar stopped working.

This one is equally nice, except that the "f" key does not work. It doesn't stick, but when I press down on it, nothing happens. So I'll be typing along and I'll go back and look at what I've just done, and I'll see a sentence like this: "The Creston ire Department ollowed lathead County's lead in placing units in the stations to serve on area task orces." (I was working on some ire department stu yesterday—see what I mean?) Then I have to stop and go back and add all the f's back in. It's highly annoying.

I e-mailed the company yesterday but have not yet heard anything. These keyboards are not cheap—close to $175 with shipping. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that for that kind of money, every key on this keyboard should work perfectly. Hopefully I will hear from them today.

I seem to have picked up another virus—a combination, no doubt, of being run ragged this past week and spending two of those days at the germ factory elementary school. It's just made me punky and I spent most of yesterday ensconced in my recliner, knitting. I made a pot of chicken and dumplings and it tasted really good.

So I am off to the knitting chair again. I bought some yarn this week to start a pair of cabled socks. I haven't done any socks for a while. They aren't really my favorite thing to knit (I know—heresy!) but I am itching to do some. I just go with the flow; it's easier that way.

It's not that I mind being busy—I acually prefer to be busy—but I don't like being rushed from one activity to another from dawn to dusk, and that's all this week has been.

So yesterday I tackled my to-do list and put a fairly sizeable dent in it. I got a bunch of small items taken care of, and then I took a look at Cables 2. I haven't worked on it for almost 3 weeks, mostly because I hit a chapter in which I needed to make up some charts for an odd technique, and the solution I came up with last month was clunky at best. It created a big mental block; I just couldn't get past that chapter. Last week I was hit with a flash of inspiration while driving down the highway, so today I tried out my idea and it's a huge improvement. Whew. I cleaned up that chapter this afternoon and now I can see exactly what is left to be done. Onward. My tech editor is expecting the book March 1 for the first review, and I don't want to miss that deadline.

I've had an uptick in book orders—both retail and wholesale—in the past couple of weeks. I just filled a big wholesale order last week, and I got another order from the same company yesterday. It's fairly easy to trace what is causing the boost in retail orders by looking at my website statistics. What's causing the boost in wholesale orders is harder to pin down. I'm happy the books are moving at the pace they are, but it does mean I have to readjust the schedule I had set up for gettting reprints run.

So I am going to enjoy some quiet time this weekend, make a pot of soup (I am tired of pizza!), and knit. I'm going to try to stay out of my office, too. It's too tempting to work through the weekend.

We set out about 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning on our big ski adventure. I drove my truck because I had to leave before the end of the day.

My mother is probably having a cow because I am driving down the highway and taking pictures from my truck, but I wanted you all to see where we were going.

Here is another picture from my truck. This doesn't do justice to how breathtakingly gorgeous the drive up was:

After a 15-mile drive up the mountain, we arrived here:

The Flathead Valley has a bigger, more famous ski resort—Big Mountain—but Blacktail bills itself as being "for the locals." The lift ticket prices are much more reasonable, although it's considerably faster to get to Big Mountain than it is to get to Blacktail. I'd never been to Blacktail before.

We got fitted with skis and boots, then headed out for a lesson. I was in a group of nine—seven girls (including DD#2), one boy, and me. None of had ever skied before. The instructors showed us the basics and helped us practice, then took us up to Mighty Mount (the bunny slope). We had to prove that we could ski down the bunny slope and stop without crashing into a snowbank before they would let us go down the big slope.

I stayed with the kids on the bunny slope even though I got the hang of it pretty fast and the instructors said I could go down the big run. No sense tempting fate. I only fell once, and it was because I got going way too fast. I think having done some cross-country skiing helped. It's not the same as downhill but in some ways it is. DD#2 picked it up quickly, too, and was zooming down the bunny hill (except that I didn't have my camera with me while we were skiing, do I didn't get a picture).

[The 5th-grade teacher has a picture of me going down the bunny slope. I'll see if I can get it from him.]

By then it was 12:30 p.m. and time to eat lunch, and I left shortly after lunch. DD#2 stayed with her class to the end of the day. As I left, I took this picture:

It had started to cloud up and snow, but I managed to get a shot from the top of the mountain looking east over the Flathead Valley. We live clear on the other side of the valley, where the arrow is (and from where I took the first picture).

It was a very enjoyable day. The instructors at Blacktail are fantastic and our kids were great. I said to the husband when I got home that if skiing weren't so expensive and getting to a mountain didn't take an hour, I would probably have a new favorite pasttime. I can see why people are so fanatic about it.

The Spring issue is done and at the printer. That one felt like giving birth all over again—the newsletter is now 24 pages (that's a long story for another blog post) and this issue had three designs by other designers. One of them was fairly complex: it included a chart which I had to break over two pages. My tech editor went over this issue three times instead of the usual two, just to be on the safe side.

Today I am going skiing with the 5th-graders (more on that in a moment). Tomorrow I am working at the school again (I was there one day last week and again on Monday), and my plan for Friday is to stay home and work. There are so many things on my to-do list that require an uninterrupted block of time. I'm good at taking advantage of bits of time here and there, but some tasks can't be crammed into ten minutes between walking in the door and walking out again.

So DD#2 and I are going skiing today. I've never been downhill skiing. The husband is a very good skier, but he doesn't go very often because he doesn't like to take the time off. I love to ski cross-country, although I don't go very often, either, because I don't like to take the time off (we are two workaholics married to each other). And as yet another example of how fractured my life is this week, DD#1 gets out of school two hours early today so the teachers can have their monthly staff meeting. The ski trip is supposed to last until 4:30. Consequently, I am driving up to the ski resort so that DD#2 and I can leave early to be back here when DD#1 gets home.

The good news is that next week, the schedule is completely clear. The only day I have a firm committment to be anywhere is Thursday. The rest of the time I will be in my office working on MY business.

I'm taking the camera today. I'll have the kids take some pictures of me flinging myself down the bunny hill. Hopefully I won't break anything. Stay tuned.

I've been neck deep in the Spring newsletter this week. I think I've finally wrestled it into submission and it should be ready to go to the printer soon. This issue is crammed full of stuff: a cardigan, a pullover, a vest, a baby sweater, and the next installment of the Mystery Afghan. I sure wish I weren't confined to 24 pages (yes, it'll be 24 pages for everyone this time) because I think I could easily fill 32 pages. I had to leave a book review out of this issue, and I haven't written any technical articles for a while.

This was a paper-full week. Besides the newsletter, I had quarterly payroll reports to send off, a bunch of book orders to fill and invoice, various papers for school to look over and sign, all the promotional stuff for the fire department auction to start getting into place, and—hooray!—I got all the tax stuff in to the accountant. I'm pretty organized (I hate to think what this process would be like if I weren't), but getting the tax stuff done is a task I don't look forward to each year. The accountant tells me he should have the returns done early next week. I think that's a new record—we've never had the returns done this early.

I got the graphics card replaced in the new computer and so far everything seems to be functioning perfectly. My new keyboard should be here next week. I've got a new design swatched up and ready to send to my test-knitter in Canada and half a dozen ideas written down for other designs I'd like to do. I've got two classes at Camas Creek Yarn this month to prepare for, a DVD to make, and I need to get the rest of Cables 2 done. It should be a busy month! And this year we get an extra day!

The sleeve lengths as given in the Park Avenue Aran pattern are not quite correct. Under Sleeves, the pattern should read: Cont in patt as est until sleeve measures 17 (16, 15, 14)" from cast-on edge, then work an additional 2 (2, 4, 5 ½)". Bind off. The additional lengths to account for the sleeve inset were not included in the pattern. The schematic should show a measurement where the underarm stitches are bound off and that measurement should be 2 (2, 4, 5 ½)" to match that of the sleeve.

This errrata is entirely my fault, introduced into the pattern by yours truly. Lily is the ultimate pattern writer and doesn't make mistakes like this. My apologies to anyone who is working on this pattern and wondered why the sleeve only came halfway down the arm.

I made a to-do list for this week and now I don't even want to look at it. And I just found out that school is cancelled so it's got to be revised again. I was supposed to take the new computer in today so my computer guy can replace the graphics card. Ever since I got it, I've been encountering these random events—usually when working on something involving graphics—where the cursor would freeze and the display would look like it was having an epileptic seizure. The only way to get out of it was to reboot the computer. Some days I only had to reboot the computer once; some days it was more like 15 times. My computer guy thinks that replacing the graphics card will solve the problem. I hope so. To make matters worse, my keyboard died yesterday. All of a sudden the space bar stopped working. I vaccumed it out, unscrewed the case and made sure there was nothing under the keys, and no luck. I am really picky about my keyboards, too—that was one I special-ordered a few years ago.

It's emergency travel only in the county today, so no trip to town. I was surprised when my friend Debbie, the bus driver, called to tell me there was no school. We only got a couple of inches of snow. Elsewhere in the county, however, it's pretty bad. And when the sherriff says "emergency travel only" they automatically shut down all the county schools. It looks like a good day for a fire in the fireplace and a pot of soup on the stove.

I taught my beginning cables class this afternoon—the one I had to cancel last week. What a fun class! I should have taken the camera. It's nice to teach in such a low-key atmosphere. Everyone had a few inches done on the cabled scarf project by the time class was over, and I taught a few intrepid souls how to cable without a cable needle. That's always good for a few minutes of fun. And we did the "yarn store tour" to look at various yarns and talk about what yarns are good for cable projects.

It was snowing again as I left the shop (Snow? In Montana? In January? Really?). Yeah, we've gotten a lot of snow this winter. I am trying not complain because we desperately need the moisture, but it ceased being fun about 20" ago.

I found out last night that I'll be teaching at the Fall Knit & Crochet Show in Portland, OR in September. I haven't done a TKGA show for a number of years. I don't know yet what classes were picked, so I don't know what I am teaching, but if you're around that area, now's your chance to catch a class. I like Portland. It's such a great city and it has Powell's.

Knitter's Magazine had one of their first Stitches events in Portland in 1995. I went. It was my first big trip by myself since moving out to Montana. I left DD#1 with the husband, packed up the Saturn station wagon, and headed out on a ten-hour drive west. The husband's college roommate—the friend named Michael I mentioned a few posts ago—and his wife lived in Portland so I stayed with them. I took three classes, one of which was a (six-hour!) class on knitting from charts taught by Sidna Farley. What a lovely lady. I may not have left that class an expert on charts. but at least she helped me overcome my fear and loathing of them.

Other memorable things about that trip? I accosted Nancy Thomas in the foyer of the Convention Center (she probably doesn't remember); I bought a 3.5" floppy disk for $15 from David Xenakis with the Knitter's Symbol Fonts on it (and we know where that led), and I bought a T-shirt that said, "If I Don't Knit I Get Cranky" on it. I still wear that T-shirt to sleep in.

Yes, it will be fun to visit Portland again, this time as a knitting professional.

I am off to finish the Mystery Afghan! And none too soon—it's supposed to get cold again next week.

Several of my fellow knitting designers have already gone to PDF download of their patterns. We've had many, many discussions amongst ourselves about how to price those downloads. Intuitively, one would expect that PDFs would be cheaper to produce; after all, the publisher is not spending money on paper, ink, page protectors, etc. I suspect most consumers look at it only from the perspective of adding up those hard costs, and they expect PDFs to be priced correspondingly lower than their hard copy counterparts.

But pricing consists of a lot more than just hard costs. We have to factor in overhead, materials, and some of us also need to get paid for our time. I had to purchase extra software for my online store which allows me to provide digital downloads. I can produce PDFs from the software which I use to create the newsletter, but doing so takes time, and time costs money. Every so often, someone will have trouble with a digital download and need me to provide technical support. Those less tangible costs need to be factored in.

A few months ago I got into a discussion on Ravelry in which someone (I later found out she was a law student) made the comment that it was morally wrong to withhold something from others which could be reproduced costlessly, and PDFs were used as an example. I (rather strenuously) disagreed that PDFs were not "costless" for the very reasons cited above.

[I now avoid prolonged conversations with people on Ravelry whom I suspect of being lawyers. It's not that I dislike lawyers (I don't)—it's just that when someone posts a dissenting opinion, the lawyer usually comes back with a five-paragraph post citing all sorts of obscure legal cases to support his or her position, effectively bludgeoning everyone else over the head with a closing argument to end all closing arguments. I've seen it happen repeatedly so I just avoid those discusssions now.]

A couple of subscribers have asked about the possibility of being able to download the digital versions of newsletter back issues they own in hard copy at no charge. The easy answer to that is "no," because in order for me to make that happen, I'd have to search the records to find out exactly which back issues they already own, then manually go into the online store and create a download link for each issue they wanted. I simply don't have time to do that.

But I raised this issue on one of the designer lists I belong to, and several of my fellow designers reminded me that there is another reason to say "no." Buying something in one form of media does not automatically entitle you to get it in another form. When we bought my truck this summer, the husband had the choice of getting the owner's manual in hard copy or on CD. Each version cost $400. If he bought the hard copy, he couldn't go back a couple of months later and say, "Hey, I bought the hard copy—now can I get the CD for free?" To cite another example, if you use pay-per-view to watch a movie on cable, that doesn't entitle you to receive a copy of the DVD at no charge.

I am walking a very fine line here. I value each and every one of my subscribers and I like to accommodate as many requests as possible. But I'm also running a business, and I can't give away my work or spend time on non-revenue-generating activities, or pretty soon there won't BE any products for knitters to download!

It may be (once I get all of the back issues into PDF form) that I will offer for sale a collection of back issues on CD. I don't want to make any promises about when that will happen, though, because there are some other items on the to-do list with slightly higher priority.

I realize that this is an educational process, because many knitters simply don't know what goes into creating a pattern. In many ways, it was a lot easier to be a knitting designer in the days before we had all this technology. I don't like situations where the rules and standards aren't already in place. But I suspect that most knitters will be pretty understanding once we explain the realities of the situation.

Thunk.

(silence)

Thunk.

(silence)

Thunk.

(silence)

Thunk.

He will pick up the avalanche victim tennis ball and drop it on the floor—and he'll do this over and over until he gets someone's attention. If I am not already awake, this is usually enough to get me there.

He just about drove me nuts on Sunday. It was a whopping 3 degrees outside and he wanted to be out there playing search and rescue. I let him out for a bit, but then he went underneath the fallen woodpecker tree and buried the avalanche victim tennis ball under the branches, which he proceeded to remove by chewing through them (the husband reminded me that no one has ever accused Chester of being the brightest bulb in the box). He resisted all my attempts to get him to come in. I finally had to go out with the leash and get him. Then he sat in the laundry room and whined and dropped the avalanche victim tennis ball on the floor repeatedly.

When I was at school last week, the fourth graders were doing a scavenger hunt through the 50 states. The item for Maryland was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I told one of the fourth-grade boys that I knew where he could get one, cheap.

The storm did hit as predicted. It started snowing around noon. By 6:00 p.m. or so the wind started picking up. We rarely get wind where we live—down in the valley there are places where the wind blows all the time but we're protected up in the trees here on the side of the mountains. However, when big fronts come through, they create a pressure gradient and the wind comes howling back down the mountains from east to west. I came downstairs about midnight and opened the front door (dumb) and I would guess the wind was blowing between 50 and 60 mph.

We didn't see this until the sun came up, but here is one casualty of the storm:

I called it the "woodpecker tree" because the pileated woodpeckers always came and drilled into it and I could watch them from my kitchen window. It's no suprise it went over—the inside is all rotted out (and full of bugs for the woodpeckers to eat!). At least it went in the direction of the woods and not into the woodshed.

The yard is littered with branches and needles and all sorts of debris.

The girls and I watched Avalanche Dogs on Animal Planet last night. I came up with an idea for an experiment. I'm going to go lie down in the yard somwehere and have the husband shovel snow on me and then we'll see if Chester can find me and dig me up.

In knitting news . . . I've added digital downloads of the 2007 issues of the Twists and Turns® Newsletter to each issue page. I'll be working my way backward through all the back issues and will add a year's worth every so often until they are all up. The earliest issues—which were done in Pagemaker and which don't convert cleanly in InDesign—will likely have to be scanned into PDFs. I wanted you all to know that I am getting to it—it's just not going to happen overnight (I wish!).

I got a great e-mail from Joel who says that he's noticed that it's really easy to lose your place in cable knitting. He's right. It's easy to get distracted and lose your place—or worse: cross a cable the wrong way. Why is that?

I think the answer has several parts.

Practice and muscle memory: Last week I started working on a particularly challenging piece of music (I am the pianist at church and accompany the choir). I see a lot of similarities between playing the piano and knitting, which is why I am using this analogy. In order for me to play well, I have to "get inside" the music. It's not enough to read the notes on the page as they present themselves; I need to become familiar enough with the piece that my brain doesn't have to stop and analyze what's coming up next—it just deals with it. When I get to that point, other parts of my brain are available to watch the director and listen to the choir so that I can adapt as necessary.

I think the same thing happens with knitting—even cable knitting. I've done it enough that my hands know what to do and I can allow that part of my brain to deal with it while another part of my brain listens to the TV or the husband. There may be a short period at the start of a project where I have to concentrate, but once I've "gotten inside" the pattern I'm usually okay. I don't have to think about how to cross a cable—it just happens.

Learning to "read" your knitting is another component of this. When you can anticipate what the cable pattern should do next without having to bounce back and forth between the instructions and the knitting, it's a lot easier to remain focused.

The difference in our hard wiring: Joel, I hope you won't take this the wrong way because no offense is intended. It's been my experience that men's brains frunction differently than women's. That's a good thing! If it were 1765 and we were depending upon the husband to provide meat for our table, I would want him to be very focused on the job at hand. Maybe he doesn't need to be quite so single-minded now in 2008, but biology sometimes takes a while to catch up with culture. If the husband is working on my truck, I want him to be able to stay on task and not be distracted by other stuff.

It did take a number of years for me to convince the husband that he could have a conversation with me while I was knitting. He would say, "I don't want to talk to you and mess up your concentration." The husband has a very "male" brain and he gets totally focused when he works on something (in other words, he doesn't want me to have a conversation with him while he's doing something). We've tried to make it a point to play to each other's strengths instead of getting upset about the differences. He handles the stuff that requires lots of concentration, and I handle the situations where several things need to be done at once. (It's kind of funny that our division of labor falls right along gender roles, but I know why that happens so I don't get too torqued when I find myself cooking dinner, doing laundry, and helping the kids with their homework all at the same time.)

This is not to say that occasionally I don't tell everyone around me to shut up so I can concentrate on some particularly sticky piece of knitting. My kids were trained from a very little age that if mommy said, "Hang on a second," she meant it.

Anybody else want to weigh in? Maybe we should say, "Follow the yarn" instead of, "Follow the cord."

I'm going to have to call the yarn store this morning and reschedule the class. I gamble every year that I won't get sick and don't bother to get a flu shot (the husband gets one because he is an EMT). I've only had the flu maybe three times in the past ten years, so the odds are usually in my favor. Not this year.

[When DD#2 was about 6 months old, a horrible flu virus hit the valley. DD#1, DD#2 and the husband all got sick. I was the only one who didn't get it—which was a good thing because I had to take care of the other three. I don't think this family has ever been quite that sick.]

I got a mild cold from the husband last week, and Thursday evening it morphed into something pretty hideous. I've had aches and a fever, and now I've got a nasty cough that I can't control. Last night I only slept four about four hours. I was hoping I'd feel better this morning (I don't) but even if I could teach a three-hour class without coughing up a lung, I don't think it's fair to spread this around. I didn't go anywhere yesterday and I would just as soon spend today on the couch. And northwest Montana is supposed to get hit with a massive storm sometime today. The husband is at an EMT class today and tomorrow. I hope we don't get any calls during this storm tonight or he'll be struggling to stay awake tomorrow.

If this goes well, you can bet that I'll do more DVDs on advanced technqiues.

A couple of you asked why I would give ANY of my work away for free. It's a good question—I'll try to answer it. The chemo cap pattern was intended to be a freebie from the beginning; as a cancer survivor myself, it didn't seem right to charge for something I hoped would help to ease the discomfort of fellow cancer survivors. That one will always be available on my website.

The knitalong patterns—well, some of you may ask "Why host a knitalong?" The Son of Aran knitalong on 2001 was one of those spur-of-the-moment ideas born out of reading posts to Aranknit in which people lamented that designing an Aran sweater was a skill beyond their ability. I wanted to prove to people that designing an Aran sweater was something everyone could do; hence the knitalong. I had no idea it would be so much fun. There is something really cool about going somewhere to teach and having someone come up to you wearing a gorgeous sweater and finding out that they were part of the knitalong and now have greater confidence in their designing skills. Knitalongs are a lot of work, though, which is why six years elapsed between the SOA and the FLAK.

As I was thinking about my marketing plan for Aran Sweater Design, it occured to me that hosting another knitalong would be a great way to generate interest in the book. The Aranknitters had been asking for another knitalong for a while, and I thought that a "teaser" of what was in the book would be good marketing. I think my hunch was right. I sold out of the first printing of that book much sooner than expected, and I'm still selling copies of it. The FLAK took on a life of its own and I've just loved seeing what everyone has done with their versions of that design.

It's interesting to note that other designers are now using the same knitalong or design-along concept to promote their books and patterns. I think that the SOA and FLAK knitalongs did more to get my name out there as an Aran expert than any of the other marketing techniques I've used.

So although the free pattern/design idea seems to work as a marketing tool for books and such, it doesn't seem to work well as a way to entice people to come to your site and look around and buy stuff.

[There is a whole 'nother aspect to this free pattern business, and that is the issue of free patterns from yarn companies. They can afford to give away patterns because they really want people to buy their yarn. I think we indie designers get a lot of competition from them, but I don't see that changing any time soon. Maybe that's a topic for another post.]

I should also add that I have so much knitting-related stuff in my brain that I'm not afraid of running out of things to sell. And I do like to thank my many loyal customers every so often by giving them a little something they didn't expect. I think, though, that I am not going to post those little somethings on my website; instead, I'll distribute them through the Twists and Turns® Newsletter or through the Big Sky Knitting Designs newsletter (sign up on the sidebar at left if you haven't yet).

Will I do another knitalong? Yes, probably—but the parameters will change. I would likely charge a nominal fee of $5 for the pattern instead of posting it on the website. If I did post anything on the website, it would be there for a limited period of time. I don't think I should have left the FLAK pattern up for two years, although two years after it started, there are still people working on their FLAKs and joining the FLAK Yahoo group (heck—there are still people looking for the SOA pattern and it's been eight years since that one!).

So there is the answer—maybe it makes sense, maybe not. I do agree with the idea that some people will never pay for a pattern no matter what. But I suspect they don't mind shelling out $3 for a latte every day. Go figure.

One of the things I've noticed is that the free patterns I have posted here seem to draw people to the site—but those visitors come for the free patterns and nothing else. They don't linger to look around—rather, it's a quick in-and-out visit to pick up the freebie and that's it.

I'm not the only person to have noticed this; it's well-documented phenomenon among my fellow self-publishing designer friends. Free patterns are not the equivalent of cheap milk meant to get you into the store to buy something else. They are just that: free patterns.

So I have decided to remove the Follow-The-Leader Aran Knitalong as a free pattern. It's been there for two years, which I think is long enough. I plan to make it available for purchase as a digital download; those people who didn't get it sometime during the past two years can still get it, but they'll have to pay for it now. And I'm not asking for a million bucks—it's a nominal $8.00, which is the fee I have set for this and all future downloadable sweater patterns (other patterns will be slightly less). I know how much work went into that knitalong and I think $8.00 is a bargain for a mini-class with an Aran design expert. Where else can you get that?

I have no idea if this will cause some kind of international incident or if the change will pass without comment. I'm the wrong person to ask what knitters are thinking— as evidenced by the response I got to the plan to offer the newsletter as a digital download.

I'm a bit unsettled by the pervasive atmosphere on Ravelry of only wanting things that are free. I've heard the arguments on both sides, and all I can say is that I filter everything through my own experience, which is that of someone whose living rather depends on not giving her work away for nothing. If no one buys the knitalong pattern, that's fine—nothing has changed from last week. And there are still two free patterns there.

I tried to look at something at the Apple Store Tuesday morning and the store was offline. I figured they were updating products and sure enough, when I checked again yesterday morning, they had listed the new line of Mac Pro desktop computers. I ordered the 2.8 GHz duo quad-core model—that's EIGHT processors! I have two processors now and I think that's fast; I can't wait to see what having eight processors is like. Oh, be still my heart.

I got a shipping notice last night and this new computer should be here on Monday. It'll take a day or two for my computer guy to transfer over what's on this computer to the new one, and then I'll be up and running. Hooray.

I had a good day yesterday, starting with a visit to my naturopath. When I saw him last month, he told me to cut down the amount of Armour I was taking because he was worried that I was getting too much and risking becoming hyper instead of hypo. The problem is that I felt much better on the dose I was taking. It seemed like I was getting enough T4 at the old dose, but my T3 levels went off the charts (pig thyroid hormone has a different ratio of T4 to T3 than human thyroid hormone). I asked him if there was a way for me to get the T4 I need without getting so much T3. He called the compounding pharmacy and had them make up some T4 without T3, so now I am to go back to the old dose, but I'll be taking more T4 and not as much T3. We'll see if my levels balance out better. I am so happy that he's willing to work with me on this and doesn't tell me that if I just eat less and exercise more, all my problems will disappear (like my old doctor did).

After the naturopath I headed to the accountant's office. We did a preliminary review of last year's records. They are mostly in good shape, but I need to clean up a few things in QuickBooks. I'll work on that this weekend. It will be great to have that off my desk and over at the accountant's instead.

Now if I can just sneak some knitting in there somewhere, I'll be all set.

[We have three businesses: mine, his concrete, and our truck salvage operation. I call it "ours" because when we set up the concrete business, we made it a single-member LLC—dumb dumb dumb. My name is not on the company so I run into occasional hassles when I try to transact business. We didn't make that mistake with the salvage operation; we're both owners and either of us can transact business. It works better when the husband remembers that I am part of the business and maybe he should warn me when there is an auction that he wants to watch online so I can get it set up ahead of time because I have not yet graduated from mind-reading school—more on that in a moment.]

So I went down to his office and looked at his computer and attempted to install the auction-watching software. Surprise! The auction-watching software only works with Windows! Hello! Not all of us like or use Microsoft products and that's not fair!

Fortunately for the husband, I have Virtual PC installed on my computer, so we went back to MY office where I pretended I was on a Windows machine (ugh) and got the auction-watching software up—all the while hoping my computer wouldn't have a stroke.

The software is actually pretty cool. You can see pictures of the vehicles being auctioned, hear the auctioneer, see the bids, and—if you are so inclined—bid on the vehicles from the comfort of your office. The husband was interested in a junked Dodge pickup for the salvage operation. It wasn't on the schedule for a while, so he left me there to bid on it while he went and did some other stuff.

So I sat there in front of my computer, knitting and doing paperwork, waiting for the pickup to come up for auction. Some of the vehicles took a while to dispose of, but I noticed that all Hondas, any 2006 or 2007 vehicles, and of course, this Dodge pickup, went within seconds. The husband had told me I could bid up to $2000—well, they had already reached that figure while I was still typing in my bid. It sold for $2900.

I think the software will work better when I have new computer and can run Windows natively. It was an interesting experience, though.

After the auction was over I sat down to pay the concrete company bills, but I ran into a couple of problems and had to go talk to the husband (who was out in the garage welding something). We have the same conversation every couple of months and it goes like this:

Me: "You need to put the job names on the invoices for me so I know which job account they track to in QuickBooks. You put C & B on this invoice but I don't know which C & B job it goes with." (C & B is one of the general contractors he subs for, and sometimes he runs multiple jobs for the same contractor.)

The husband (looking mildly perturbed that I am telling him this—after all, he's heard it before): "I only did one job for C & B last month—Hansen."

Me: "What about the Barnhard job? That's the job name that was on all the C & B paperwork, not Hansen. Who the heck is Hansen? You haven't mentioned a Hansen job. When did you start that one?"

The husband: "Oh. Hansen is the other name on the Barnhard job."

At that point I was just standing there staring at him, and I could see the light bulb go on when he realized (once again) that I can't read his mind. This is the man who would be hard-pressed to tell you what I am doing any given minute of the day because he knows virtually nothing about my business, but who believes that I somehow know telepathically that Hansen and Barnhard are the same C & B job.

Sigh.

After dinner I had a glass of wine and finished the fourth strip for the Mystery Afghan. I can't wait to finish this project because it's turning out so nicely! I love the Naturally yarn.

I could order myself a new computer and have it here by the end of the week, but fellow Mac enthusiasts know that next week is Macworld and it's quite likely that Apple will announce improvements to its Mac Pro desktop line on Tuesday. Why get a 2.66 GHz machine this week when I could get a 3.0 GHz machine next week for the same price?

So if you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I am babying this thing and trying not to kill it. This couldn't come at a worse time—I have a newsletter deadline coming up—but that's the way it is.

I am sure I picked both of these up at the Needlework Attic before I left. The first one, All Sweaters in Every Gauge, turned out to be my primer in basic sweater drafting. It required you to knit a gauge swatch, measure the stitches and rows per inch, then plug those numbers into a variety of worksheets to create instructions for knitting a sweater. The worksheets differed depending upon whether you wanted a crew- or V-neck (with lots of variations within those two styles), and whether you wanted dropped-shoulder, set-in, or raglan sleeves. It's OOP, but Ann Budd's book The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns is built upon the same principles.

I know I must have made half a dozen sweaters using this book, one of which was a set-in sleeve crew-neck pullover from the blue-and-gray ragg Brunswick Germantown I hauled back to college with me. I wore that sweater FOREVER and I wish I had kept it. I've since accumulated enough of the same Brunswick Germantown yarn to recreate it—I just need to do it.

When I wasn't drafting my own patterns, I used the ones from Great Knitting in Vogue to make sweaters for my friends. (Sweaters they have all kept, by the way.)

Those two books gave me a really good foundation in basic sweater design and finishing. I like the fact that no one ever said to me, "Oh, set-in sleeves are too hard! You shouldn't try to make those kinds of sweaters!" so my first three or four-sweaters were set-in sleeve designs. (I should note that 1986 was roughly the start of the age of the boxy dropped-shoulder sweater style, so I was already hopelessly old-fashioned even then.)

The funny thing is that—even after "designing" a half-dozen of my own sweaters—I never thought of myself as a "designer." I viewed knitting designers as some mysterious breed of people endowed with a special talent beyond the reach of us mere mortals. I suppose that's a good thing, because I spent the next 10 years honing my knitting skills before jumping into designing.

Some of the other things I knit between then and graduation were unqualified disasters. There was the pullover for a friend's 2 year-old niece made out of Patons Canadiana from a Workbasket pattern—the neck opening was so tight she couldn't get it over her head. My mother picked out yarn and a pattern for a cardigan—it was all garter stitch and it fit perfectly the first time she wore it, after which it stretched vertically to the point that it could have doubled as a robe (note to self: you knit more loosely than most people). I made the husband (then boyfriend) a pullover out of some terrific yarn I got at the Needlework Attic (I must have made another pilgrimage there that I don't remember) which he dutifully wore even though the neck opening was a little big. He even let me measure him for handmade socks following an article in Threads Magazine (I figured that was a good sign that I should marry him).

And in March of my senior year, I met my parents in Washington, D.C. They flew down every year for a big NASA dinner at headquarters, so I would get myself over there to spend the weekend with them. That year, my very indulgent father paid for a taxi to take us to (I think) Falls Church, VA, where TKGA was holding a knitting conference. We walked around the market and I remember being blown away seeing Maggie Righetti there signing books. A knitting celebrity! Wow! Lily Chin and I compared notes the last time we were together and she says she was there too—it was one of her first teaching gigs. Little did I dream that one day *I* would be teaching at a TKGA conference.

I began knitting seriously when I was a sophomore in college. Why?—I don't know; I do remember that there was a small yarn shop in Chestertown and I purchased yarn there for some project or another. The next year the shop had closed, but there was a fabric store in town which sold Candide and Red Heart Cotton.

1986 was a formative year in my future knitting career, although I think originally it was intended to be a formative year in my future medical career. It just didn't work out that way, and as I look back on it, that whole summer was packed with all sorts of bizarre coincindences which have rippled through my life for the past 22 years.

I spent that summer in Bethesda, MD, working at the National Institutes of Health in the lab of Carleton Gajdusek, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Oh, I learned a lot about how labs of that size and caliber function. But what was really cool was that just about EVERYONE in that lab knit, from the lowly intern (me) all the way up to one of the senior researchers. I got my first introduction to Brunswick Germantown that summer (and we all know how THAT turned out). Every time I go to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, I run into Carleton's former assistant, Steve, who was one of the knitters in the lab.

I roomed with a lovely little Polish lady who lived across the street from NIH. Her sister-in-law was visiting from Poland, and she knit! All the time! Every night after dinner we would all sit on the porch and drink iced tea: my landlady would translate while her sister-in-law and I knitted. Her sister-in-law said that she loved America "because you could buy wool ANYWHERE and knit all the time." A woman after my own heart. She never used a pattern; she simply looked at a picture and knitted what she saw.

[The sister-in-law had a lovely daughter in her 30's who also lived with my landlady. Sadly, the daughter got leukemia a few years later and died—one of those coincindences I mentioned, because *I* got leukemia, too.]

I still have the Summer 1986 issue of Vogue Knitting, which was my near-constant companion that summer. I made several of the designs in that issue: one was a Calvin Klein textured cotton pullover which my mother has squirreled away somewhere because she won't let me throw it out (the finishing is AWFUL). I bought the yarn at the Needlework Attic in Bethesda. It was a good walk from the house where I was staying, but I didn't care. I would walk down to the store (right past the Lutheran church where my as-yet-unknown future mother-law had gotten married, because in the 60's her family had lived on the same street where I was staying with my Polish landlady) and then treat myself to an ice cream from the place next door.

Another project (which did get thrown out, thankfully) was a cabled tank. I bought the yarn for that one at a yarn store at Montgomery Mall. The mall was too far a walk, but the bus went right by the house where I was staying. I remember going to that store and asking the lady there for a yarn recommendation. She suggested a cotton/WOOL blend and I—in my naivete—knit the tank top out of it. I couldn't wear it! It was too warm and itchy! (Steve still teases me about that project.)

Tomorrow I'll write a little bit more about going back to school that fall and the knitting I did my junior and senior years, because that's when I started to "design."

Now, back to the low-tech art of knitting. Oh darn, not really, because the low-tech art of knitting involves a fair bit of technology.

I think I am going to have to get a new computer. I've been on a two-year purchase cycle for new computers and I managed to eke out three years on the current machine. It's had the memory maxxed out, the original hard drive replaced TWICE with bigger and faster ones, and several other upgrades made to it. But it's becoming clear that I cannot have all my Adobe Creative Suite 3 apps open and running and expect also to be able to surf the web and read e-mail, too. This morning I was working on the newsletter. One of the patterns has an extremely large chart and I crashed the computer when I tried to make a change to it. When formerly-routine tasks take forever or cause the computer to crash, then I know it's probably time to think about a new purchase. Add to that the fact that I am working on Cables 2 and soon Cables 3 and I probably shouldn't hold off too long.

[Yes, I CAN talk myself into buying a new computer, why do you ask?]

Besides, we're reaching the stage where we all need to use computers and we're having some traffic jams. No one is supposed to be on my computer besides me. It's a business computer, for one thing, and the wrong move by someone Googling the answer to a homework question could wipe out a whole bunch of work. This computer will go to the husband and his computer will go to the girls.

Well, I'll think about this some more before I decide. "Impulse purchase" is not my middle name. I tend to analyze and over-analyze and the husband eventually has to just push me off the fence.

[I'll leave out my rant about Microsoft and how their products give me no end of headaches because the refuse to play nicely with the rest of the world.]

Also, I tweaked the code because Bloglines was telling me it could not find the RSS feed for this site. Is anyone else having that problem? Is it working now? If not, I'll try to fix that one, too.

Moving on to knitting . . . Dawn asked which needles I like best. Here is a short retrospective:

When I was in college, I had a bunch of Susan Bates Quicksilver needles. They were inexpensive and if I recall correctly, could be bought at the Ames store in Chestertown, MD. I still have a few.

In the early 90's I bought some Addi Turbos, because they were all the rage, but I REALLY don't like these needles. I have a terrible nickel allergy so the nickle plating bothered my fingers, and they were so slick that I found myself clutching the needles which made my hands cramp up. Plus the tips were like the ends of baseball bats. All of my Addi Turbos have since gone to someone who loves them.

On a trip to Canada in 2000, I discovered Aero needles!

I have a lot of these. They have nicely-pointed tips and I use them a lot. They were my faves until just recently. Red Heart used to make some that were very similar and could be bought at the Wal-Mart in Cranbrook, BC, but the tips were really inconsistent—some sharp, some not. I have a few of them but don't use them very often.

The coated aluminum Inox needles come in a close second to the Aeros, although the tips are not always as sharp.

About six months ago I picked up a pair of the new Addi Lace Needles and I just love them! They are now my favorite needles of all time. I have at least one of each in every size and length, although I could sure use some 16" ones and some straights. If anyone knows if they will be coming out with either of them, please let me know. I love the brass plating (thank you, Skacel, for not making them nickel) and the tips are perfect.

I love straight needles for swatching and small projects. I recently got a pair of these:

These are the Signature Knitting Needles and they are quite nice. I ordered a pair of 4 mm needles with the "stiletto" tips. I think a complete set is in my not-too-distant future (right now my Inox straights are my "go-to" needles for swatching).

So there you have it—Janet's favorite knitting needles. The sharpness and quality of the tips will always be the deciding factor for me. Questions or comments?

I knit this set on Christmas Day and my sister-in-law said that it looked like a great big snake, hence the name. It's a quick-and-easy pattern and I love how warm it is. The hat is a bit big for my head mannequin, whose head circumference is a good 2" less than mine. Go figure.

I've tested the purchase and download method of this pattern and it worked for me, but if anyone runs into issues, please don't hesistate to let me know.

I taught for the Big Apple Knitting Guild. What a terrific group of people! I got a close-up look at New York City, too. Thanks, Raye!

I was one of the headline teachers at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival—quite possibly my most favorite fiber event in the whole country.

I taught for another great guild—the Knitting Artists of Northern Virginia.

I launched—very successfully—the first book in my series on cable knitting. I have wanted to do this series for so long; I can't tell you how exciting it was to get this first book in the series into print. I am almost more proud of Cables 1 than I am of Aran Sweater Design because it was such a huge project and I did it all: the layout, the kntiting, the photography, the writing, etc. The only thing I didn't do was the tech editing and the index.

I started Cables 2, which WILL be done in 2008 but has now reached the "slogging-along" point (am hoping to get past that very soon).

I put out four solid issues of Twists and Turns®: The Newsletter for Lovers of Cable Kntiting.

I did my first podcast interview.

I (finally, after thinking about it for a long time) made the decision to take the newsletter digital.

The year wasn't without a couple of low points, though:

I spent a ridiculous amount of money on legal fees this year. Some of it was administrative: I changed the form of my business from a sole proprietorship to an LLC. Some of it was related to intellectual property. In November, I received an e-mail from one of my subscribers asking if I had seen the Holiday issue of KnitSimple yet, because the cover used the phrase "twists & turns" and an article inside the magazine also used that phrase in its title.

Some of you may remember a few years ago when Knitter's magazine used "twists and turns" on the cover of an issue devoted to cable knitting. There was quite a hue and cry afterward and I was urged to trademark that phrase because it was the title of my newsletter. So I did. Trademarking something is supposed to provide a measure of protection and keep other people from using it. It doesn't. All it does is force you to spend money.

Thanks to the husband's business and a partnership that went bad, I have had quite enough of lawyers, thank you (even as nice as mine is). After I got my hands on a copy of KnitSimple, I sent the editor of the magazine, Carla Scott, an e-mail in which I politely noted that "Twists and Turns" is my trademark and that I was sure they did not intend to cause any confusion by using it. I also said that I really didn't want to get lawyers involved, and perhaps this could be remedied by a brief explanation in the next issue.

I got no response.

My lawyer was insistent that I send a letter to Soho Publishing about the trademark infringement. If you don't defend your trademark against infringement, someone else can claim abandonment and start using it. He drafted the standard letter one uses in these kinds of situations and a couple of days later we recieved a response from a law firm in New York. They maintain that KnitSimple did nothing wrong by using "twists and turns" in the article and on the cover.

I don't have an unlimited amount of money to spend on legal fees, and thus far I'd already spent several hundred dollars on this situation—money that I certainly could have used in some other area of my business. I had no choice but to let the matter drop. I'd done what I could from my end, but it left a really sour taste in my mouth. I'm not an indepedently wealthy knitting designer (is there even such a thing?) who can take another company to court and sue for trademark infringement. I'm a kntting designer running a small business and all I'd really like is a some respect from other people in the industry. (Respect in the form of a response to a personal e-mail would be really welcome.)

And did the trademark protect me? No. Apparently anyone can use it with impunity, counting on the fact that it's unlikely that I would spend thousands of dollars going after them in court.

This all happened about the same time that I decided to offer the newsletter as a digital download. The other low point this year was that I didn't handle that transition as well as I could have. So many of my subscribers have asked for the newsletter to be offered as a digital download that I really felt like I was back in the dark ages by offering it only in hard copy. I thought that perhaps only a small percentage of people would still want to get hard copy. I assumed that I would eventually (like in a year or so) stop producing the hard copy and go only to digital download. I WAS WRONG.

Subscribers were very vehement in stating their preferences: the ones who want the newsletter in digital download format were effusive with joy and gratitude. The ones who want hard copy sent me some very strongly-worded notes indicating why a digital download format wouldn't work for them. Okay, that's fine. I asked for everyone to indicate a preference because I had no idea what percentage of subscribers would want digital download and what percentage would want hard copy.

Sigh. It's that "road to hell is paved with good intentions" thing, I guess. I'm just trying to make everyone happy. The good news is that I now have a much better understanding of how my subscribers feel about the newsletter. Thankfully it's 99.99% positive, because this transition to digital download is a lot of work.

So, looking ahead . . . the big item on the 2008 to-do list is getting Cables 2 done and launched. A smaller—but more immediate— item is getting the first issue of the newsletter out as both hard copy and digital download. Throw in a couple of teaching gigs and I'll have plenty to keep me busy for a while.

And I think this will be the last blog post for 2007. Have a safe and wonderful New Year and I'll see you again in 2008!

The rice cooker is fabulous. I made mulligatawny stew yesterday using a new recipe which calls for it to be served over rice. The stew was good, although I think I will double the amount of curry next time. I love curry and this recipe was a little light on it. It also called for shredded unsweetened coconut on top of each portion. The coconut added an interesting taste that I liked, but the rest of the family didn't (imagine that). The recipe is from this book:

I have a couple of cookbooks that I use a lot. This is one of them. Soups and stews are so easy and I think they make great winter comfort food. By the way, when the UPS man delivered my rice cooker, I was outside attempting to blow 8" of snow off the driveway—Accuweather.com said we'd get "a coating up to 1". Of course Chester is beside himself with delight, because all of the avalanche victims tennis balls were buried in new powder. I had to go out in the front yard last night and tear him away from search and rescue practice to get him to come and eat his dinner. It's a good thing we don't live in Arizona.

I started a Big Sky Knitting Designs group on Ravelry if anyone is interested in participating. We're having a discussion about which yarns I've killed have been discontinued.

Yesterday was a pretty productive day, the snowblowing part notwithstanding. I got the scarf/hat pattern formatted and a great picture taken. Today I'll drop the models off at the shop for them to display to encourage class sign-ups. I also scanned in half a dozen swatches for Cables 2, worked on the Mystery Afghan (which is coming along nicely), pulled out some yarn to swatch a design to be sent out for test-knitting, and started organizing my and the husband's 2007 files to be put in storage.

Today we're having some friends over for Chipotle Beef Chili with Lime Crema and to watch the football game. We don't do a lot of entertaining but I like to have the friends over every once in a while.

We're supposed to get snow all weekend—how much, I have no idea, but the conveyor belt of Pacific storms is rolling and we could get a few inches or a few feet. I am eagerly awaiting this, which is supposed to be delivered today barring a snowstorm:

My sister-in-law got me a Williams-Sonoma gift card for Christmas, and I spent it on this rice cooker. I couldn't decide between the rice cooker and the immersion blender, but the blender was on backorder for six weeks so the rice cooker it was. We eat a LOT of rice. I am never satisfied with the way it turns out and everyone who has one of these things just raves about it. I have a couple of rice recipes picked out to try this weekend.

I've been neglecting the business too long, too (this always happens around Christmas), so today's to-do list includes (in addition to 6 loads of laundry):

Photograph the hat/scarf set for the cables class and get the pattern ready to sell as a digital download

Figure out where I am in the process of writing Cables 2 and prioritize what needs to be worked on next

Prepare a beginning-of-the-year e-mail to everyone on the e-mail list

Get the 2008 advertising in place

Continue updating the Twists and Turns® Newsletter database

If I don't get another blog post in before the New Year, I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy 2008! Thanks for being such great blog readers!

Although the husband does concrete for a living, he loves to weld and does a fair bit of it on the side. A few weeks ago I was driving past the welding supply place in town and noticed that their reader board said they had new "auto-darkening welding helmets" in stock. I thought, "Wow, that would make a great Christmas present for the husband and I know he doesn't have one." (I pay the bills and keep his tool lists up-to-date, so I know what he has and what he doesn't.) When I got home, I flipped through his welding tool catalogs and educated myself about welding helmets so I would be sure to get the right thing (that's not too hard—he always buys himself top-of-the-line equipment).

I went back to the welding supply store and told them what I wanted. The guys there were all impressed and one of them told me I was "a great wife." (I know.) I wrapped the box and stuck it under the tree, and for the past three weeks I've been on pins and needles hoping the husband wouldn't figure it out—or worse, buy himself one. About a week ago I answered the phone and it was one of the guys from the welding supply store. I had a small moment of cardiac arrest thinking the husband had found out about his present, but they were just calling to tell me that a new welder he had ordered had come in and was ready to be picked up. Whew.

So when he opened the box yesterday—well, the look on his face was priceless. He said it was a "wonderful" present and he couldn't wait to use it. I also (sort of) got him to admit that maybe it is a dumb rule—because I do know EXACTLY what he wants. Men. Just because they're so clueless that most of them can't figure out what we want doesn't mean we're equally clueless about what they want.

He bought me a very nice leather coat, by the way.

In knitting news—over the past couple of days I designed and knit a scarf for a beginning cables class I am teaching at Camas Creek Yarn next month. I need the class sample, but I also wanted to give the store something to display to generate interest in the class. I had a skein left over so I started a matching hat. I have to stop and pick up another skein and a 16" size 11 circular needle today so I can finish it. My mother-in-law knocked out a couple of baby strawberry hats while she was here and I grafted the toes of her socks closed (she has trouble with Kitchener stitch so she just brings them with her and lets me do them).

I really like the scarf and hat set. I don't need it for the newsletter—instead, I think I am going to make it available as the first downloadable pattern in my store. I'd like to add others and this one will be a good start. It'll let me work out the bugs before the newsletter goes digital.

Ode to Cables (with apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the length and width
My needles can knit thee, when feeling
The need for texture beneath my fingers.
I love thee no matter where I knit thee,
By sun and Ott-lite®.
I love thee freely, thy ropes and diamonds;
I love thee purely, thy horseshoes and honeycombs.
I love thee with a passion lacking for
Fair Isle, lace, and intarsia.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
Along with my cable needle,—I love thee with the curving,
Twists, turns, of all my life!—and, if fate allows,
I shall love thee even better after blocking.

©2007 Janet Szabo

Here is Rusty decorated for the holidays (Chester doesn't do antlers):

We were worried that Chester would expend a lot of energy trying to get at Peanut. Nope. Chester is mostly oblivious. Rusty (who, the husband reminded me, is the rodent-eating varmint-killer around these parts) keeps looking at Peanut as though he is an appetizer. Needless to say, we don't let the big dogs anywhere near the little dog.

And here are some of my kids' cookies (yum):

Some knitting is happening, but not much. But that's just fine. We're all having fun.

[She clearly gets this talent from the husband because—spatially-challenged as I am—I was never very good at knowing where in the world Carmen San Diego was. It should tell you something that the husband has decorated the walls of the bathroom off his office with all sorts of maps, whereas my bathroom is decorated with sheep.]

I stopped in at Camas Creek Yarn yesterday to pick up some Addi Lace needles that they ordered for me and to schedule some classes in January and February. I'll be teaching a beginning cables class and a finishing class, so getting those class descriptions together today is on my list of things to do. Melanie, the owner, says that business has exceeded her expectations. I am thrilled!

I now have at least one of each size of the Addi Lace needles in every length they make. I think I need to write and ask if/when they plan to make them in 16" lengths. I use my 16" needles a lot for swatching and smaller projects. I was never a big fan of the regular Addi's (disliked them intensely, in fact), but these Addi lace needles are my new favorites.

I'll be so happy when the holiday season is over and the US Postal Service stops losing my packages. This happens EVERY year—beginning in November, at least a couple of packages go missing and I have to re-send them. I know they do a huge volume of mail this time of year, but some of us depend on the mail system for our businesses and I don't think it's fair that I have to take a loss at the end of every year—not only am I out the cost of the postage, but when I have to fill book orders again because the books never arrived, I lose the profit on the books, too. Arrrggghhh.

My in-laws and my sister-in-law arrive tonight for a week-long visit. Also on my list of things to do today is a last-minute sweep of the house to make sure everything is in order. And we're upping Chester's prednisone dose just a smidge starting today so that he can cope with the stress of having visitors in the house. What a doofus. I am glad you all find him so entertaining, 'cause we do, too!

And those poor Buffalo players: their plane couldn't leave last night because of the weather, and when they tried to leave this morning the plane went off the runway and got stuck in the mud. Last I heard, they were on a bus back to New York.

But I am glad we won—the husband can no longer gloat that his team (the Pittsburgh I can't believe I married someone who roots for them Steelers) is on top of the division. We are now tied, although they have an advantage because they beat us twice. But that was early in the season. Wait until next year when we kick their butts.

[I've had 25 years to perfect saying "Wait until next year" so I am really good at it. Now I have to work on "We're gonna kick your butts." Shouldn't be too hard.]

It's been a productive day so far! I have a sweater blocking upstairs (knitted by a test-knitter, not me—it looks so nice!), I finished up a couple of swatches, wrote up and submitted half a dozen class proposals for a conference next fall, filled a bunch of orders, and got the rest of the Christmas presents on their way. Now it's time for some lunch and then more knitting.

When I took DD#2 out to the bus this morning I noticed that all of the other snow hills in the yard had been decimated by Chester. He seems determined to leave no avalanche victims tennis balls unburied! We should farm him out to the Search & Rescue Team. He'd be a big help.

The husband is very meticulous about snow removal. Our driveway often resembles a perfectly-groomed ski trail when he's done. I only get to run the snowblower when it's absolutely necessary because my goal is to remove as much snow in as short a time as possible, not make the driveway into a work of art. A few days ago, the husband blew the snow from the circle in our driveway into a nice, neat pile around this tree. Chester decided it would be the perfect place to practice search and rescue with the avalanche victims tennis balls. It's no longer a nice, neat pile. I'm waiting to see if it drives the husband nuts to the point that he goes out and fixes it.

DD#1 babysat yesterday, and the family she babysat for lives right outside Kalispell. I figured there was no point in dropping her off, driving all the way home (Kalispell is 17 miles from our house), then going back to get her, so DD#2 and I went shopping while she babysat. The husband couldn't believe that it could take us five hours to get a "few things." (The husband studiously avoids having to shop EVER, unless it's for new tools, so how would he know? This is the man who will not go to the grocery store during the entire three weeks I am on the east coast visiting family. If he ran out of food, he wuld eat grass.) I knew Kalispell would be mobbed and sure enough, it took us ONE HOUR to get through one store. I never even got to Costco, which was one of the stores on my list.

We did get some good deals, though (I had lots of coupons): the girls' Christmas outfits, the perfect pair of shoes to wear with my outfit, a grill light so I can see what I am cooking out on the porch, a new table pad and tablecloth for the dining room table, and the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook. We ran into DD#2's godparents at the bookstore and made plans to drop by and see them next week (they belong to our previous—Lutheran—church so we don't see them much). We finished just in time to grab some fried chicken at the grocery store and pick up DD#1.

I've got tomorrow and Wednesday to get some work done before my in-laws arrive. I want to get a bit more done on Cables 2; yesterday morning I scanned in some swatches but there are quite a few charts that still need to have patterns written to go with them. So that's on the schedule for tomorrow.

And thanks, everybody, for weighing in on your preferences for the cover cable for Cables 2. I'll let you know what the graphic artist and I decide!

These are the pics (out of 25 or so) that are my favorite candidates for use on the cover of Cables 2. I'm sending the disk off to the graphic artist today. We'll see what she does. I'm thrilled with what she came up with for ASD and Cables 1, and I am sure that Cables 2 will be equally cool. She has great stuff to work with because my photographer does such a spectacular job.

The holiday program went off without a hitch last night, although we had the biggest crowd we've ever had and it was a bit tricky fitting them all into our gym. I am glad the programs are over, though. I fell into bed after a glass of wine and slept like a rock. I don't do well with non-stop activity, and that's what December always feels like to me.

January is always such a relief.

I'm staying home today; perhaps I can get some actual knitting done. One of the girls (I think DD#1) ordered Raising Helen from Netflix, so I took it downstairs with me on Wednesday and popped it into the DVD player to watch while I exercised on the elliptical. I enjoyed it so much that I exercised for 40 minutes without realizing! I'd like to watch the rest of it today (while exercising, of course).

I have a very large basket sitting next to my knitting chair, and the other day I noticed that it was, um, overflowing. So I pulled everything out of it and this is what I found:

A pullover out of Jo Sharp Wool that I stopped working on when I got to the sleeves because I kept making mistakes in the very intricate cable pattern (it's a top-down style and I always knit the sleeves before the body so it's actually not as far along as you might think)

A short little summer cardigan which is all done except for one sleeve—I really need to finish the last sleeve so I can publish this pattern

A pullover out of Lily Chin Signature Collection Park Avenue yarn—I LOVE everything about this sweater and it's totally done except for the neckband and lower sleeves, which are a different pattern than the upper sleeves and require that I pick up stitches and work a transition section before I finish the lower sleeve pattern

Hmmmm . . . I am beginning to see that all my issues with these WIPs have to do with sleeves. Isn't that interesting.

Yesterday I blocked a bunch of swatches and I also washed and blocked the Park Avenue pullover. I am hoping that seeing it in an almost-finished state will compel me to finish those darned sleeves. I respond to all forms of motivation from my knitting.

This is Holiday Program Week at our elementary school. This year the music teacher split the upper and lower grade programs; we used to try to get it done in one night and it was too much. The upper grade program was Tuesday night, so we had a dress rehearsal Tuesday afternoon. I usually don't rehearse ahead of time with the kids—the music is easy enough for me to sight-read and because this is my fifth year with the bands, I've played most of it before.

However, I was unaware that the band director had cut measures 37-53 out of Stray Cat Strut. I was playing merrily along when suddenly I realized that I was the only one playing. "Hmm," I thought to myself, "this must be another trombone solo section." (That piece has a lot of measures where I am the only one playing.) Then I saw the band director waving her arms at me and realized that all the kids had stopped playing and were looking at me. They had all ended the song! I was still back at measure 42!

We all laughed. I marked my music accordingly and during the evening program, I ended when everyone else did.

Tonight is the lower grade program. I don't have to play my trombone tonight, but DD#2 is doing a saxophone duet and I will accompany the singalong on the piano. The first-graders will perform their play and that should be really entertaining.

A number of people have written to me to tell me that the form for specifying PDF vs hard-copy can't be found. I'm not sure how to respond to that—I get an average of two dozen form submissions every day, so obviously that URL is working for those people. If you're one of the subscribers who was frustrated by not being able to get to the page, I apologize. Please feel free to send me an e-mail at Janet at BigSkyKnitting dot com and let me know your preferences.

I'd love to be able to offer all of my patterns and back issues as PDF downloads right now, but again—I am a one-woman show. It's going to take some time to get the whole backlist converted over to digital downloads, and frankly, I want to go slowly so that I can tackle any bugs that might arise. I have thousands of subscribers and right now I am in the midst of dividing the database into those who want PDF and those who want hard copy. That's taking a tremendous amount of time, and I haven't even provided the first digitally downloadable newsletter yet! In the meantime, I still have to plan for future issues of the newsletter, get the next book done, fill orders, and take care of the husband and the kids.

I know I probably sound cranky about this and I don't mean to. I'm just asking for a bit of patience from everyone as we go through this transition. I'm thrilled that so many people want to be able to access my patterns and newsletters electronically. However, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things that have to happen in order to make all of that a reality, and they (obviously) are not without glitches.

And someone just asked me recently when I planned to start the next Aran knitalong. Well, it probably won't be this year.

Now it's back to the office to get some work done.

As I was making lunch yesterday I said to the husband, "Oh look, it's snowing—were we supposed to get a storm?" (Hey you, pay attention—the sky is falling.) A quick check at Accuweather.com indicated "flurries with little to no accumulation." Hmmm. Within half an hour the ground was covered, and it kept coming down. I don't know about you, but 6" of snow does not fit my definition of "little to no accumulation." It was really nice, snow, too, and it made me wonder where the husband stuck my cross-country skis last March. I really should get out and ski a bit.

We had a busy weekend here, with lots of holiday-related activities. By last night I was wiped out. I got a little knitting done and that was it. Part of the reason I was so tired is that I've been experimenting with lowering my dose of thyroid meds; I had labs done last week and one of the values was a bit high. What I discovered, though, is that the dose I've been on is great—and as soon as I lower it even a bit, I lose all stamina again. So I'll talk to the doctor and see what he thinks. Obviously he's not overly concerned or he would have called me. I don't put a whole lot of stock in thyroid lab results, anyway—my primary care doctor neglected to treat me for three years base on the fact that my thyroid levels were "in range." I could barely function, but they were in range so I must have been normal, right? I think that I'm going to stick with the dosage I am on, because that's where I feel the best.

I've always been the kind of person who gets a lot done. That was one of the most frustrating things about my thyroid going downhill—having days when I only had enough energy to get from 6 am to 10 am. If I ran out of energy before finishing something during those four hours, it didn't get done. Now I can get through my to-do list on most days. I am exercising again and I enjoy it instead of dreading it. I get a restful 8 hours of sleep every night. I feel good and healthy again and I don't want someone to take that away from me based on some numbers on a piece of paper, especially when it's obvious that lowering my dose of medication has an adverse effect on how I feel.

Anyway . . . this week's plans include a day at home today working, errands in town tomorrow, the upper grades program tomorrow night (I'll be playing my trombone with the bands), another day at home on Wednesday, nursing home and knitting with the 5th-graders on Thursday, the lower grades program Thursday night (no band, but I'll be accompanying on piano), and another day at home working on Friday. I should be able to get a lot accomplished this week! The in-laws arrive next Wednesday night and I want to have most of my work stuff done so I can focus on their visit.

Got the recall work done on the Mega-Cab

Did the interview for Stash & Burn

Did my beginning-of-the-month Costco and grocery run

Finished the Christmas shopping

Attempted to bring organization to the T&T database so that I know who gets PDF and who gets hard copies—it's an ongoing process

Packed up said Christmas presents to send to faraway relatives

Went to DD#1's band concert (it was wonderful!)

Wrote four patterns in preparation for sending to test-knitters

Knocked out half a dozen more swatches for Cables 2

Went shopping at the new yarn store (and bought yarn, of course)

Got the Christmas tree up

Worked at the school, during which time I was informed by the first-graders exactly which characters each of them gets to be in the play next week (this is a Huge Deal for them) . . .

. . . plus all the other miscellaneous stuff I have to do to keep things running smoothly around here. I did receive some knitting goodies in the mail:

I got The Best of Vogue Knitting 25th Anniversary Book, some tea from Dawn (thanks, Dawn, and everyone else who offered to help me out in my tea search!), and Kristin Nicholas's lovely new book, Kristin Knits. Buy Kristin's book—you won't be disappointed! I ordered it from her and she wrote a lovely inscription in the front.

My sister sent me a book on hypothyroidism and also a gift card to Borders for my birthday with which I bought myself a "behind-the-scenes" book about Doctor Who and The Assassin King, the latest in a series of books by sci-fi writer Elizabeth Haydon. I'm such a geek.

So I have this stack of books by my bed and I haven't had much time to look at anything. I've only gotten about 10 pages into the Haydon book, both because of time constraints and because her stories are so convoluted that I can't just read them—I have to think about and digest what is happening and try to remember what was in the previous five books in the series. Kristin's book is the most amazing eye candy. It cheers me up just looking through it.

Tonight DD#1 is spending the night at a friend's house. Had I planned better, I would have figured out where to farm out DD#2 so that the husband and I could have a date night. But because I said yes in a moment of weakness, DD#2 is having two friends sleep over instead. Oh well. We'll build a fire and I'll make some tea and maybe I can get some of these books read.

I have no idea why the design floodgates opened all of a sudden, but I am not complaining. I'll ride this wave as long as it lasts. I've been concentrating so hard on Cables 2 that it's nice to know the other side of my brain is still working.

Now I need to get patterns written and decide which projects are going off to test-knitters and which I will do myself. One design I'll likely do myself because the stitch pattern is tricky (I also love the yarn). And I need to start thinking of some cooler-weather designs—all but one of the swatches I've done recently have been in warm-season yarns.

I was interviewed yesterday afternoon for the Stash and Burn podcast (it'll be aired December 11). One of the questions Jenny and Nicole asked was along the lines of "How do you design?" I am sure I sounded like a complete idiot, but I tried to make the point that there are many ways to "design" something, and those of us who come at it from a technical angle are just as "creative" as those who come at it from another angle.

I try not to analyze it too much. It reminds me of the time the husband went to a weeklong timber framing conference in Vermont. A Very Famous Timber Framer was there, and according to the husband he liked to spend the evenings discussing the "philosophy of timber framing." The husband is about as pragmatic as they come, and this kind of analysis drives him 'round the bend—he said all he wanted to do was build, not talk. So I try to accept it for what it is, and right now it's a gift.

Tomorrow I sub for the office lady at the school (I've been there so much this month that the husband asked me if she and I were "job sharing"). I plan to take all my swatches with me and get those patterns written for the test-knitters if it's a slow day.

And on Wednesday I am going shopping at Camas Creek Yarn!

When I started working on this project. I swatched with the Naturally Yarn 10-ply (worsted weight). I decided it was too light for the afghan I was planning (I wanted something substantial), so I switched to the 14-ply version. However, I forgot to change the needle size and gauge in the pattern. If you manage to get gauge on the needles specified with the 14-ply yarn, I salute you!

If you want to make the afghan using the 10-ply yarn, use the needle size specified in the pattern (US #8, 5 mm) and match the gauge given (20 sts and 24 rows per 4"/10 cm). Your afghan will come out a bit lighter and narrower than the heavier version.

If you want to use the 14-ply yarn (that's what I am using), the needle size should be US #9 (5.5 mm) and the gauge should be 16 sts and 20 rows per 4" (10 cm).

My apologies for the confusion. I do like the yarn, in both weights, but I want a thick, cushy afghan; hence, the 14-ply.

A whole day here at home is so rare, and lately, days like that have been devoted to Cables 2. I felt like I needed to spend some time with yarn, though, so I set aside the book and spent all of yesterday swatching for some new designs. I've had this nagging worry that if I didn't flex the designing side of my brain a bit, it might atrophy. I am happy to report that I was able to knock out swatches for a couple of new designs, and I sketched out ideas for a few more. I am really excited about one of the designs—it's going to be in the Summer issue of the newsletter.

I also cleaned up my knitting area, putting away leftover skeins from recent projects. And late in the afternoon I had a lovely phone conversation with a designer friend of mine. All in all, it was a very productive day.

Now, to some comments:

Fran and Joanne, I am a big fan of peace and quiet. Big fan.

Dawn, I also wondered why having a drain sticking out of his head wasn't stressful, but having my mother here was. Who knows? I think he actually likes going to the vet, so maybe that isn't stressful at all.

DebbieT, I hope all turned out well with your medical tests. Believe me, I know how stressful THEY can be!

Raye, I love that wimple. I am not a hat person, but I need something to keep my head warm when I am running the snowblower. Sometimes I wrap a scarf around my head but I like the wimple better.

Today I am off to town for a much-needed haircut (now that I stopped dyeing my hair, I don't remember to go as often) and a quick visit to my naturopath. I need to ask him why I've developed a mild form of cystic acne all of a sudden. I've had three cyst-like pimples on my face over the past three weeks. They go away after a week or so, but they are deep in the skin and they hurt. Something must be happening with my hormones again. Oh joy.

Oh, and a quick question for those of you using Internet Explorer: can someone tell me if the navigation box at the left appears where it's supposed to, or if it's pushed down the page? When I set up my new site in DW, I tested it in Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, and Safari and it appeared correct in all of them. I validated the code, too, and it didn't have any errors. However, I was on a PC at school on Monday using Explorer, and the box wasn't appearing where it should (yes, I am on a Mac, always). Thanks!

Chester is a doofus, but we love him anyway. About six months ago he was diagnosed with Addison's disease, which is normally a disease of standard poodles. It means his adrenal glands don't kick out a sufficient amount of cortisol. There is no cure, just management in the form of daily doses of prednisone and a mineral corticoid that we have to have specially formulated for him.

Every so often Chester gets a little stressed out (I know, how could a dog with this cushy a life have any stress?—it's beyond me) . . . anyway, every couple of months he "crashes" and it's usually without warning and on a day when the vet is enjoying some well-deserved time off. We went to town yesterday morning and when we got home a few hours later, he was lying on his dog bed looking totally out of it. That's my cue to get his meds into him, after which he always perks right up. I called the vet and he said to give him a whole 20 mgs of prednisone instead of the 5 mg he usually gets, and more if he looked like he needed it.

We usually hide his pills in some food, but he would not eat anything—no peanut butter sandwich, no cheese, not even pumpkin pie (this dog is the reason we have to keep our jack o' lanterns in the house—otherwise he eats them whole). The husband pried his mouth open and we got one of the pills into him, but then he turned around and snapped at the husband and spit out the prednisone. The husband and I put on some gloves and tried again, and got the prednisone down. Chester is usually pretty mild-mannered for a Chessie, except when he's not feeling good. I sat with him for a few minutes but he kept doing this low growling thing so I finally left him alone.

The five of us went off to enjoy my birthday dinner (thank you all for the good wishes!) which was fabulous—I had french onion soup followed by Alaskan king crab legs (superb), topped off with a wonderful chocolate souffle.

Chester still hadn't perked up when we got home. The husband and I got another prednisone into him. I tried to go up and go to bed but unfortunately, the after-dinner decaf coffee I had asked for at the restaurant was NOT decaf and I was all revved up until way past my bedtime. I couldn't sleep, so I checked on Chester. The second prednisone did the trick and by 10 p.m. he was up and walking around. This morning he looks almost back to normal, but we'll give him another prednisone just to make sure.

So this has been a learning experience, trying to figure out where Chester's stress threshold is. Apparently having someone else in the house (my mother is here) throws him for a loop. We need to remember this at Christmas when my in-laws and my sister-in-law are here (and she's bringing her little chihauha with her). The vet said we can "stress dose" him with a little extra prednisone every day to keep him from crashing.

My mother goes home today. It's been a fun week. She bought us an early Christmas present—a new dishwasher—so the husband installed that yesterday. Tomorrow it's back to the regular schedule. I did get some knitting done this week: a hat for our neighbor down the road who has leukemia and half a scarf for a friend of mine for Chiristmas (that's a funny story—I'll tell you that one tomorrow). And yesterday I watched some Doctor Who. It's all good.

The week of Thanksgiving in 1994, I had just gotten back to Montana after being in Cleveland for six months undergoing chemo. While I was thankful still to be alive, it was a tentative, fear-tinged thankfulness.

So while I am celebrating all the things I have to be thankful for (and they are too numerous to count), I can't help but remember those Thanksgivings when the gratitude was a bit harder to come by.

I long ago decided to embrace getting older, because there was a time I wasn't sure I'd live to see my 30th birthday, let alone my 42nd. This year I decided to stop dyeing my hair. I actually like seeing the silver strands in among the black ones, and I wish there were more! Yesterday we did a little shopping and my birthday present to myself was Season Two of the new Doctor Who series (I asked for Season One for a Christmas present). Tonight we will all go out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant and I will stuff myself with chocolate souffle. There may be some knitting in there, too, if I can manage it.

Happy birthday to me. :-)

May you have many blessings—large and small—to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for all of you, my blog readers and friends.

I also stopped at a local yarn store and picked up some Berroco Comfort to make a hat for our neighbor down the road. Last year he donated a kidney for his middle child (their kids go to school with my kids), and a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with the same kind of leukemia that I had. (It really makes you wonder why the universe decides to pick on some people and not others.) He's here for a few weeks before he has to go to Salt Lake City for more chemo and a bone marrow transplant. I talked to his wife yesterday. She said he's lost all his hair and he's cold all the time. I can relate.

We headed home mid-afternoon with a truck full of groceries, unloaded, then turned around and headed back into town with the girls to meet the husband for dinner before the National Honor Society induction ceremony. It was a nice event.

Today I will stuff envelopes with newsletters and get them ready to mail. If I have any time, I plan to get back to working on Cables 2. I have another half a dozen swatches scanned in that need to be placed into the layout.

I've checked all the links and they all work, as far as I know. I did move a few things around; you can get anywhere in the website from the navigation bar at left. I'd like to do some tweaking, but my mother is coming to visit on Sunday for a week and I really need to get some more work done on Cables 2. But if there is something I missed that you'd really like to see, let me know.

I am not putting up the blog archives—no time to do that right now. I may eventually get the archive up for 2007. I am hoping to provide a full RSS feed, not just a citation. Stay tuned.