Orb mapping

Ever since the third grade I've worn glasses. I've also worn hard contacts, gas perms, and soft contacts. Now I'm back to glasses. Like most glasses wearers, it's always been a dream for some magic cure to come about and fix me. Then came lasik, PRK, RK, and all the other Ks. I went in five years ago to be tested, sure that I was going to be free of nearsightedness/astigmatism.

Crushing news that I wasn't a candidate came my way. Apparently, my corneas were too thin for surgery. Fast forward to now, and I decide to see what new techniques are out there. The doctor looks at my eyes, says he thinks I have a problem that would keep me from having any kind of corrective surgery: Keratoconus.

Keratoconus (from Greek: kerato- horn, cornea; and konos cone), is a degenerative non-inflammatory disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve.

I'm going in this Wednesday to have my eyes mapped, kinda like a topographical terrain map; the final answer as to whether anything at all can be done for me called Orb Mapping. I'm not holding out a great deal of hope, and neither is the doctor, but he said to have it done, to know for sure.

Yes, I can correct my vision with glasses (big thick honking things), or contacts (which after so many many years of wearing them cause pain now), but I'd always dreamed of being able to do without them. Who hasn't, who needs help seeing? Those who have good uncorrected vision just don't understand the longing we have to not be dependant on glasses/contacts. A dream indeed, maybe one that will never come true.

Gotta give it a chance

I'm really not liking this superfine laceweight. Having only completed 9 rows of the Wings of a Dream, and having many many more rows to go, the enjoyment is not there nor is the visual satisfaction of seeing the pattern develope.

I've decided to give myself to the end of the first chart, 50 rows worth, before putting it on waste yarn, pinning it out and seeing what I think. If I still am not happy with it, or don't have that "I can't wait to pick it up and knit on it" feeling, then I will seriously rethink this yarn.

What it boils down to is, I miss knitting with Fearless Fiber's laceweight merino.

A little knit, a little frog

So, ended up that I had to frog the work done on Wings of a Dream. As I was only seven rows into it, the wailing and gnashing of teeth was kept to a minimum. I'm finding this misti alpaca to be ever so soft, but ever so difficult to see what stitch is what. Tried knitting with thread? This feels like it.

Progress has begun on the second sock that I'm knitting with short row heels. While I don't need a pattern anymore for a basic sock incarnation, I did (and do) have to refer to the short row instructions because I haven't worked those enough to be confident. I also decided to throw a trio of cables onto the top of the sock down to the toe for grins and giggles, no pattern involved.

On the Twinings Stole front, about five rows have been completed. This yarn is 100% silk, and it's like knitting with thread, too. Hopefully it will become more second nature as I get into it, but right now, I'm sure wishing for the laceweight merino the Swan Lake was knitted in.

We hunted, we gathered

The Girl and I went shopping today for the perfect pair of shoes to wear with her dress (already purchased) for the school dance. We were successful, and they were even on sale.

Vince Camuto "Mabel"

Then we went hunting in search of the perfect bra. Found it! Now all that is left to do is to take the ensemble to the seamstress and have her relocate the straps on the back of the dress inward, toward the spine a tad, and to have the back taken in very slightly.

She'll look so beautiful on the arm of her young man (who is quite the handsome lad himself), and I can't wait to get pictures.

The Jaws of Destruction strike again

About two years ago we adopted a loveable softhearted soppy creature in the shape of a female black lab. Her name is Jet, and she's a sweetie. A sweetie with one character flaw (well, there's another one that's out of her control: she's highly "aromatic" at the back end). Her flaw? She seems to have an aversion to the printed word.

Hubby gets home from work today, calls me and asks if there were any patterns that I really wanted to use in the knitting magazine I had been looking at. Yes, I answer, there were quite a few, why? ~knowing in my heart of hearts what it was but employing knitterly denial and hope~ Because, he says, Jet ate it.

Yep, this is what's left of the Interweave Knits Fall 2007 issue:



"I'm really sorry, Mom."

"Really, I am."

It's not like we don't have toys galore for her littering the house. Oh no. Those aren't nearly as attractive, because they're what she's supposed to be munching on, oh no, she'd rather shred the jukebox manual Hubby left on the couch a month ago, or the family package of toilet rolls left on the stairs, or my KNITTING MAGAZINE!!! Grrr.

*sigh*

Spooky is not amused by the fuss, nor the mess. I'm sure she'll swat Jet at some time or other as Jet walks by, just to put her in her place.




Now for a knitty inspired pic. It's the first short row heel I've ever done, and I'm not pleased with this side of the sock, although the other side is a thing of beauty.

Why do the stitches look like that? The other side is smooth, and the stitches blend in nicely. I've decided not to frog it back and redo, since I'll have another chance to get it right on Sock Numero Dos.

Tonight I will cast on for the Wings of a Dream, the Swan Lake - Mystery Stole 3 double winged version. I finally got black beads to go with the black baby alpaca laceweight.

Sparkly, no? :)

Skin of the Sea - finished

It's finished, and I think, Bee-e-a-utiful! I'll wear it to work tomorrow. *happy sigh*





After numerous pinnings, I decided that the best looking one, for me, was at the actual neckline. The picture in the pattern shows it pinned at slightly below the bust line, but the model is smaller than I am. ;) I'd also like to find a mini chopstick type of fastening -- so it's off to Etsy for shopping!

(Sorry I take such crapilisious pictures, but despite how I look, I'm terrifically happy with it. Please don't judge the beautifulness of Skin of the Sea on my modelling. If I had smiled like I wanted to, you'd all have run screaming from my bared teeth and maniacal looking eyes. I try to tone it down for sanity's sake.)

Order away!

Yippee, my queue groweth longer. Just finished nailing down an order from Kris at Sonny and Shear; she's ordering me my Dream in Color Classy yarn I'm lusting after. It's one of their new 400 series yarns in Midnight Derby (scroll all the way down to the color button, click it, and then drown yourself in the dark blues..... ah....) This yarn will be born as Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover for my college-aged son.

On other fronts, I knit my very first short row heel the other day. It's a bit rough, but I think I know what needs to be done to make sock #2's heel better.

The Skin of the Sea is seamed, and I'm almost done with the border around the front and neck. Might even get to wear it to work tomorrow. How cool is that!