Well, two tiny things. The first one is about knitting and the second is about the surgery.

I forgot one tiny check when I had everything ready to start the Mystery Stole this morning. I forgot to check if my tiny crochet hook would fit through my tiny beads. It does not. I had a 1.1mm for another project, but I think I was using size 11 beads for that, not size 8. So, in the early morning light when I fired up the computer, and got everything out to begin the project, I found out very quickly that I will not, in fact, be knitting the stole this weekend. I found a source for the size of crochet hook I need and ordered it. Hopefully I'll have it Monday. Pout.

I'm looking at this tiny hook, knowing that it is 1.1mm in size, and thinking that this is the size of the teeny tiny piece of my laryngial (sp?) nerve that was snipped off and then repaired under a microscope. Teeny. Tiny. But it makes a big difference. My voice sounds like Kathleen Turner after a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of cheap whiskey and a night of screaming at a lawn concert. It's difficult to swallow and almost impossible to clear my throat. And I have no range. I sound a bit like a Kathleen Turner robot, actually. It's all temporary and should clear up in a week or two - the nerves regenerate - and I'm not stressed over it. As long as I lie still and don't try to converse with the cats I'm fine. Going back to work on Monday should be interesting.

Thank you for all your well wishing comments and e-mails. I can read your messages from my cell phone, which I did from my hospital bed when I couldn't sleep. I did sleep better, if not more, than last time. You just have to laugh when the 3rd person to wake you up in an hour is the food service manager asking if the food is OK. But it was only 4:30 in the afternoon - business hours - so I didn't hold it against him. I had my own room this time, so it was actually kinda pleasant. I could have gone home without spending the night, but I wanted to stay. Those pressure cuffs they put on your calves and ankles to keep you from getting DVT make me feel better.

So, I'm home and not working on the mystery stole and not talking. What to do, what to do, what to do...l

Knit more stripes, I guess.

I got a call at work today to tell me that my surgeon isn't available on the day I'm scheduled, so how about tomorrow? Ooohkaaaaaay. So tonight is a flurry of laundry, dishes, scrubbing the tub, cleaning out the old car and getting the title and keys ready for someone else to drop off, grocery shopping and everything else that I thought I had a week and a half to do. Dammit. Which means I'll get very little sleep tonight and we all know that I'm not getting any sleep there. Good thing I started that scarf.

Here are my bead choices for the Mystery Stole. The photo isn't completely accurate - the beads really are the same color as the yarn. The beads on the left are clear while the ones one the right are gilt-lined and so shinier. I like shiny. Shiny makes me happy. But do I want a stole that glitters? I don't know. I'm already laughing in the face of the theme by choosing this color anyway. Whatever the theme is. I'm so intrigued by a stole where the color choice is important because there's a theme. Hmmmmm.

So, what do you think? Beads that are subtle or beads that are light-catching?

I got this Kureyon Scarf started to have something simple to do in the hospital next time, since the tiny needles for socks are too hard to manipulate when your left hand is connected to an implement of torture modern medicine. (Just kidding. The IV didn't bother my hand at all - the machine just beeps really loudly when it's unhappy and you have to unplug it from the wall near the floor behind your bed when you want to go anywhere, like the bathroom, and the cords and tubes are really long and get caught up in themselves and youre always cognicient of the NEEDLE in your HAND, even though you really can't feel it.)

Anyway, I started this scarf and now I can't stop. It's perfect subtitle knitting.

I've been knitting for almost 4 years now, and I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but this is my very first real swatch. I did one once for a felting project (that I never completed) to see how much the yarn was going to shrink. I guess that could have been the first real one, but I'm not counting it. This one tested the yarn and the needles with a test pattern, so it feels much more "swatchy" than just garter stitching a rectangle and throwing it in the washer.

Are you ready for Mystery Stole 3? I'm almost there. Swatch is done, still gotta pick up some beads. And now I have a fancy swatch to take to the bead store with me.

One was a little bigger than the other.

It was meant to be. My transmission started to go out yesterday. I searched online and the exact car I wanted was at the closest dealer. I went in and all my grown-up-paying-things-on-time turned into several financing approvals. My accountant was with me to explain all the big words and big numbers. I drove it off the lot and the first song on the radio was "Kung Fu Fighting." The second was "Crystal Blue Persuasion" which is a song that the monk says reminds him of me. I drove it to the parents house to show them that their daughter was no longer driving a car held together with packing tape. On the way back to the city a rainbow appeared in the sky. I drove it to Ted Drewes. Gotta celebrate somehow, and what better way than eating frozen custard while leaning on the hood of your very own new car? And the song when I started it again? "Hard to Handle" - the Black Crowes version. Every time, without fail, that something great happens to me, a Black Crowes song comes on. It's my little signal that for just a little while, the stars are aligned and everything will be OK.

Stephanie is up for a few, and you can check her blog for the links. I'm sure she'll do well. You've probably read her blog already today. She's read ours. :)

What I want to bring to your attention is the best podcast category. Now, I enjoy a Keith and the Girl podcast once in a while, and they certainly earn their kudos by releasing a podcast almost every day. But, as a knitter, there are options. *cough* LimenViolet *cough* You won't find my pick on the leader board (first page) because my vote brought them up to a wopping 14. You have to search for their name, or click this link. Vote for your faves, vote for my fave if you don't have one. Just vote. We knitters, again, should represent.

Here's an easy one, from LotusKnitter

All you have to do to enter the contest is:

1.) post a picture on your blog of your first finished knitted item OR what's next in your queue that you *haven't* cast on for yet and 2.) make sure to mention this contest! Scarf, dishcloth, sweater, whatever! I wanna see!

Then, 3.) email me at [email protected] (or leave a comment) to let me know you've posted so I can come check out your blog! Let me know what blog you saw the contest on, because for every person that mentions your blog as a referral, you get another entry into the contest.

Sounds easy, neh?

What's next in my queue? The Snowdrop Shawl is calling my name... (pic in queue album)
I'm afraid that my very first knitted item was never photographed. I knit 6 scarves in 2 months (for family xmas gifts), and the first was for my brother-in-law. It was garter stitch and acrylic and he is SO getting a new one this year. I've got yarn to swatch, so I'll show you soon. I didn't have a blog then, so none of the scarves are evidence testament of my beginning knitting skills.

As far as the contest here, looks like you've got about 3 hours from this posting to guess how many skeins of yarn I purchased between May 30th and June 15th. Shame me! Come on! You can do it! Winner gets a Ravelry invite that has been in my inbox waiting for a lucky someone to leap-frog the list.

Any other fun contests going on that I should know about? Or are you afraid to lessen your odds? :)

There's just something gleeful about starting a project and finding that the yarn and the pattern are a perfect match. And who has enough glee, really?

P.S. The little bags are available at Target in their dollar section. They have blue ones too. New knitting bag for $1! Sold!

As you can see, Mitsy still really loves the monkey socks. I don't know why. She shows no interest in any other knitting activity or products. (Well, she did try to nibble on the tip of a Lantern Moon needle once, but that's an incident we've both agreed to never speak of again.) I'm considering knitting her a cat toy with some of the left-over yarn. Maybe her own little monkey sock.

I'm planning on knitting another version of these - with the picot trim and slip stitch heel - that you may have seen around. Here's an example at Dogged. Look at Ashley's June 13th entry.

But next I'm going to knit my first pair of Jaywalkers with this scrumptious Dyeabolical Yarn in the Neapolitan colorway, created by St. Louis' own Rachel. You can buy her yarns at Knitorious or her Etsy shop.

Doesn't it look yummy? I've been wanting to start these for a while, so it shouldn't be long before you get some progress pics.

Ravelry Invite Still Up For Grabs

Valerie got her invite before she could use mine, so it's still up for grabs. How about a little contest? Guess how many skeins of yarn I purchased between May 30th and June 15th. I seem to cope with stress by buying yarn, but hey- it's better than opening the fridge every 15 minutes. So, whoever's guess is the closest by 6pm central time Wednesday, June 20th, gets the invite. In case there's a tie, whoever guesses how many of those skeins were sock yarn will win.