In the Garden and the Restaurant

We had a lovely day at Matthei Botanical Gardens.

Sean and Oscar had a fun time playing while Amanda posed for some photos wearing two of my new patterns.

You will see more of the photos later. Now it's time for a nap!

Photo Ops

More tansy, just cuz I like it.

Photo op on Saturday, Amanda and Sean (and maybe Tommy) will be meeting us at the Matthei Botanical Gardens, my favorite place to take photos, so Amanda can model a few of my new knitted and crocheted things for patterns. If I really kick butt, I can have one more shawl ready by then, I hope.

Photo op today in about 8 hours... My friend Alison and I are leading slightly parallel lives at the moment. I, too, am in the midst of taking massive doses of prednisone in preparation for a CT scan (she had hers last week, I think). I had a bad reaction to the dye back in 1976, my arm that received it swelled up to triple it's size. Amazing. So they don't like to take chances, even 34 years later. My sleep cycle, thanks in large part to LynnM's gift of Doctor Stuart's Valerian Plus Tea (amazing stuff!) was back to normal this week, but I am finding it hard to sleep with all these steroids in my body. I keep having the urge to run up steps in Philadelphia to the song 'Eye Of The Tiger' (Reference to the movie 'Rocky' to all you youngun's.)

Cabbage

Fashion Forward

Perhaps I will knit this outfit for Oscar...
Or perhaps not. (it is available here: there is an English translation button on the right after the page finishes loading.

Chris is good! and a bonus Sloth-like video

Chris came through surgery really well!!! Thanks everyone. Now on to some cute-itude

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

My friend Chris

My friend Chris has surgery scheduled today, All good thoughts for a successful operation and swift, sure recovery are welcomed! He is one of the strongest, sweetest people in my life, and I want him to be around a very long time.

Thanks all!

Diana

Family Time

Mine!

I'll post more later about our family meal at Zingerman's Deli yesterday, but for now, a birdie photo.

Oscar's Fame Spreads!

Yep, the day after Oscar's birthday, this book arrived in the mail.

There he was, in all his glory on page 152. My guy, modeling the Elijah Hat. :-}

Happy Birthday, Oscar. Thank you so much for sharing your life with me,

Love, Diana

Adaptive sleeping, knitting etc

Yep, another blog about sleep stuff.

I guess I need to just accept my new normal sleep cycle. Basically, I go to sleep pretty early (between 10 and midnight) sleep between 4 and 5 hours, get up, do some work, then take a nap later. Since fighting the cycle seems to make for nights with absolutely no sleep, I think I'll give in and just live with this.

The good news is that I am being productive again. The sleep deprivation sucked in and of itself, but what really bothered me the most was that I couldn't work.

The past few days, early in the morning, I have managed to create some graphs and write some patterns for upcoming stuff. I am going gangbusters on the Withig cowl, and plan to have two sizes; a standard loose summer cowl, and a wimple length good for fall or spring, especially if knit in warmer yarns.

I figured out the stranded sweater will not work in the Comfy Bulky (it's not quite springy enough for stranded work) but I will try it in some Swish worsted (machine washable wool).

The Comfy will be perfect for a version of the sweater above, though (modeled by Sean).

I also have the itch to graph out a shawl using two or three different lace patterns. I think that will happen in the next week or so.

My friend Lynx started a fan group on Ravelry for people who enjoy Otterwise Designs, called Otterphiles. Some of the members have said they would be delighted to test new patterns, so I am working on getting a few shawl patterns ready for testing; one in knit, one in crochet.

Oscar has this week off, as a celebration of his 50th birthday (tomorrow!). We are celebrating by spending time with family, mostly.

He also will update otterwise.com, but I need to get the photos and text ready for him first. Perhaps that would be another good early morning job.

And then there are the book reviews. I love doing them, but sleeplessness got me a bit behind. I want to get a few more of those done this week as well.

It is HOT this week, too. I am so very grateful for our air conditioner.

(photos: Sunflower and Sean in his big sweater)

Knitting and Levi and Sleep

First, a photo of Levi taken a week or so ago. He is turning over by himself but doesn't quite have the neck strength yet to keep his head up for a long time when he's on his tummy.

I am so glad he lives close-by, I am enjoying my great-aunt-hood :-}

In knitting, I have nailed down the final details of the Withig summer cowl, and will be knitting it for the next few days. The charts are all finished, and the yarn is yummy. It will be a quick knit, too.

For fun, I am knitting a kit called the Spring/Summer shawl (the photo above Levi, from the Knit Picks site). I think I may switch out the peach for the pink, then either use the peach as the final color, or choose a different color for the edging.

I am almost finished with the turquoise/spring green blended bit. It has been a great TV knit, and very relaxing.

I have all the yarn I need for a toddler/little boy sized sweater, and I think I have most of the details determined. I will make a sweater swatch ala Jacqueline Fee's Sweater Workshop book to finalize the pattern. This involves adding all the details to a tubular knit, so that you have gauge and your decisions all made re: collar, edging, buttonholes, any colorwork or textured stitches. It also looks pretty interesting when you are finished!

And sleep. Tuesday I didn;t sleep until about 10 a.m. and slept 4 hours total. Wednesday, slept from 3:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.. Thursday, no sleep at all until noon on Friday.

Had a pretty good night last night. Slept from 11:30 until 3:30, got up with my face itching and my joints hurting. I took more benadryl and another dose of pain meds (it was time for another dose), and slept deeply until 11 a.m.! That's why I was able to make such good progress on the Withig Cowl pattern today :-}

Hoping tonight goes as well!

Interview with Zach's Mom

Found this great interview with Zach's mom today, lovely reading. I think of my pal Danny and his mom, my friend Jacqui. Jaq ROCKS.

(photo taken on this morning's jaunt, my neighbor's hydrangea)

Bumbling about

I spotted this bee on a Blessed Thistle on my morning jaunt today. The weather is gorgeous, high of 74 (f) . I think I will recharge the chair and take another jaunt this afternoon!

Zach Sweeps the nation

Ok, If you haven't heard of Zach yet, well, neither had I until today, since I don't watch news shows or Oprah or much daytime TV at all.

But Zach is cool. The Coolest.

It seems Oprah is giving away a TV show. People who are interested send in videos and then we the public cast our votes.

I voted for Zach.

his blurb says:

"Wheelchair-bound lady magnet Zach, discusses his many talents and idea for a TV show designed to inspire people who never thought they could travel. Join Zach as he globe-trots to some of the most notoriously inaccessible locations and embraces the spontaneous nature of world travel! No matter what the obstacle, he'll face every bump in the road with a smile. You can come too if you you have an adventurous spirit... and a wig!"

Go watch his audition and see what you think.

I am voting for purely selfish reasons as I REALLY want to see his show.

Hobo Glyphs

I came across an interesting article from Web Urbanist, called Hobo Glyphs: Secret transient Symbols and Modern Nomad Codes

"Hobos have played a big part in the history of America – one that’s often ignored. They were the nomadic workers who roamed the country at the start of the 20th century and through the Great Depression, taking work wherever they could and never spending too long in any one place. In their extensive travels, hobos learned to leave notes for each other, giving information on the best places to camp or find a meal, or dangers that lay ahead. ..."

(BTW, Web Urbanist has a stellar newsletter, almost all of them have something of interest to me, or even better, spark journeys of exploration of my own.)

This kind of thing brings me so many cool design ideas, on both the quilting/collage and knitting fronts. So many ideas, only one life!

Sean-Boy

We had a lovely visit with Tommy and Amanda, and of course Sean :-} I think his legs have grown 6 inches since the last time we saw him, not that long ago!

I didn't take any photos, just enjoyed being there. he had a good time playing with my purple yarn (I was working on the Stellaria Shawl) and was as obedient as sleepiness allowed throughout the visit.

I am excited as he is now old enough that I am able to be a back-up babysitter!

I look forward to that more than I can express :-}

Well be seeing them again in a few weeks, to take some pattern photos at the botanical gardens :-}

And we're already planning trips to zoos next summer, there are 4 really decent zoos within easy driving distance!

(photo is one taken earlier this year)

Hello all night owls

So, I thought I was doing well against the insomnia of the summer when I got sleepy at 11:30. I fell deeply asleep by midnight, but I am wide awake now, only two hours later.

Anyway, going with the flow. Hope to get more sleep in a few hours, I have a date with my Godson at 1 p.m. :-} Perhaps I can use the time to catch up on blogging before trying some warm milk?

I have been struggling with some future designs, instead of working on some I already have (mostly) sketched out. Bad designer, no biscuit.

One of the newer, queue-jumping designs I have the yarn for, bought on our own dime, so that I will not have a deadline to completing it. Lovely stuff, too, Comfy in bulky, a cotton acrylic blend. Yep, I said acrylic. I can honestly say this is the very first acrylic blend that still feels 100% natural to my touch. It also comes in sport and fingering weights. I've heard it makes fabulous socks! It is 75% softest Pima Cotton, and 25% acrylic.

Anyway, the Comfy Bulky is slated for a sweater in toddler sizes, but I have been stuck on what stitch pattern to use. I know I want stranded work, but nothing seemed right, until yesterday. Yesterday I was looking through some of my favorite middle eastern/Turkish sock pattern books and found again a photo that arrested me the first time I saw it. It will be PERFECT for the sweater, I think.

I hope finding a piece of the toddler sweater puzzle will let me return to the designs that are ahead of it, that DO have deadlines of sorts :-} I need to choose a bordering design for the Withig Cowl, and I want to do it soon! I have a few ideas, but I have some sort of knitter's stage fright, or fear of commitment. I guess that's what swatches are for, eh?

I love finding stitch patterns in unexpected places, or just from cultures other than those most familiar to me. I saw a hat (see blurry photo above) a few weeks back and fell in love with some of it's designs. It wasn't in a book or on a website, but when watching TV. The hat was being worn by a Peruvian Shaman, and I had Oscar go backward and forward until I could get a few photographs of it. (he is SO patient with me!) I shared the photo with LynnH, as I know she also loves this stuff.

Who knows what design will spring from the happenstance of seeing that image on TV that day? All I know is I keep going back and looking at it, and it is taking a fairly high level of discipline to keep focused on the Stellaria shawl, the Withig cowl, and the Withig shawl (poor neglected children).

Unexpected Knitting

While reading Anne Hansen's blog a few weeks ago, I learned about Debbie New and her lovely perspective on knitting as art.

I found a reasonably priced copy of her book, Unexpected Knitting (Schoolhouse Press), and it arrived yesterday.

Wow. Better than 1960's drug culture, my mind was blown.

Long time readers may remember that I used to do a bit of art quilting, but switched to knitting when I could no longer sit up for long periods of time, and was unable to set up and put away my quilting area as I used to do. (I am working on a permanent sewing station for my reclining wheelchair, which will mean I can quilt again, for short periods. I have the table, just need to reorganize the studio a bit).

Knitting is great, and I love making up shawls on the needle, but there was an element of artistic serendipity (doo-dah) missing when compared to my art quilting. Until yesterday.

Just reading Meg Swanson's introduction and leafing through a few chapters showed me knitting has every bit the potential as my art quilting did for expressing myself. Perhaps more. I never did enjoy turning 2-dimensional woven fabrics into 3-dimensional items. I could DO it, but I didn't really enjoy the seaming and tucking and thick layers to sew through. But I love the increases and decreases involved in doing something similar with knitting.

Debbie New also has a very humorous slant on things, making the book a lovely reading experience as well. I hope the book is republished soon, so more people have a chance at it.

I am not sure where all this inspiration will take me, but I love being so excited and rejuvenated.

(Oscar is being patient, and has listened to me read aloud from the book most of the morning while taking his bath.)

I had thought I'd not encountered Debbie New's work before, but reading through more thoroughly today, I spied the lace coracle she made for Meg Swanson's 'A Gathering of Lace'.

Oh, THAT Debbie New! Cool.

(images above and below from my art quilting days)

WAY too cute!

From: Cute Overload

Dang I miss my dog.

Yarn play and maintaining

A short post today, insomnia still a problem, so my writing ability is limited (and requires much editing).

I have been going though every bit of yarn I own, sorting and rewinding from too-tight balls into nice loose cakes. It is an enjoyable way to spend time, and as long as I sort after I am rested, I can accomplish something.

About every other night, I don't sleep at all, and catch naps during the following day.

I am exploring herbal aides, and if they don't work, I will call the doc.

I keep hoping it is temporary, but it has been going on for quite some time now.

Another classic from the Asylum Street Spankers

NOT WORK SAFE and some folks won't want their kids to hear it either.

Cunning Hat Pattern

Leslie Gordon of MoreWithLes devised a way cool hat pattern, perfect for sports-minded kids.

Rather than the more usual pompom or button, she has designed a mini basketball as a topper, and given directions for adding letters. I think this would make a wonderful gift or a money raiser for a school. Can you imaging these in school colors with the name of the team?

Brilliant, I tell you!

She wrote:

Little dudes will love shooting hoops wearing this ode-to-basketball hat. It features a large bobble on top and SWISH duplicate-stitched on the front. A great stash-buster, the Jake hat delivers a big wow factor but is far less complicated than it looks! Consider making it in your favorite team colors.

Materials:

2 colors of worsted weight wool. In the example, I used Cascade 220 (navy) for the main color and Dream in Color Classy (saffron) for the contrasting color.

16” circular needles, sizes US 6 & 7 (4 & 4.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge (I am a loose knitter so in the example, I used sizes US 5 & 6) and additional needles in the larger size for small-diameter knitting (DPNs, a second circular or a long Magic Loop needle).

Small amount of black embroidery floss or lightweight black yarn.

Small amount of fiberfill or scrap yarn to stuff basketball bobble.

Gauge:

5.25 stitches/inch in stockinette stitch.

Pattern is available HERE. Go buy one!!! (if you need to sign in, just search patterns for 'Jake')

sigh

Massive fail, I fell asleep at 9 a.m, woke at 2 p.m. BUT I am starting to feel sleepy.

Hope exists that I can go to bed and sleep most of the night at 10 p.m. or so.

In the meantime, here is an oldie but goodie, one of my favorite songs when I was in college in the 1980s

Fighting Insomnia with Insomnia

I have been battling a pretty severe case of insomnia the past few weeks, most days getting no more than 2-3 hours sleep in one stretch. With enough naps, I eventually swing back to healthy, but my schedule is totally messed up.

This is becoming critical, as, unlike most weeks, I actually need to be conscious and aware at a specific time on Thursday afternoon (my mammogram is scheduled.)

So today, I am fed up enough to fight fire with fire, demolish lack of sleep with MORE lack of sleep.

It's 6:30 a.m., I tried to go to sleep 'round midnight, but have been up all night instead. I plan to stay awake all day long until a reasonable bedtime (say 10 p.m.).

I really hope when I finally hit the sack I can sleep the night through.

Sunday night, I gratefully fell asleep at 11 p.m., only to wake at 1 a.m. and not be able to sleep again until almost 10 a.m.

That sucks, and I'm not going to stand for it any more.

If I had productive hours, it wouldn't be so bad, but I am definitely diurnal, not nocturnal, and can not think clearly in the middle of the night.

So, I will ply myself with protein, iced tea and reruns all day, then eat some carbs toward evening, washed down with some herbal tea. Wish me luck!

Peanut Ginger Chicken

Sauce:

1/2 c peanut butter

1/2 c water

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp chili garlic

1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Mix well, dredge all over 3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes til chicken is done.

serve with brown rice and broccoli.

Take many bows, cuz this ROCKS!

Also fab on tempeh or seitan

Oscillate Scarf and Shawl Pattern

I finished the photo shoot for a new crochet pattern yesterday.

Oscar was immense help, as always. We got permission to use the sunny yard of a neighbor across the street from us as our front yard has 4 maple trees creating shade too deep for the look I wanted. (Thanks Sis and Jim!) The back yard is fairly inaccessible to me, but I can scoot around in my chair out in front and in the neighborhood, so future photo shoots will take place out the front door instead of out the back.

Oscar carried Zelda the dressmaker's dummy (thanks again Zina!) across the street and set her up in front of a shiny-leaved cherry tree. We did get a few looks, but mostly the neighbors are used to our idiosyncracies.

The brilliant noon sun gave the photos a tropical look, I think.

I realized after we were all set up that I had forgotten to grab a shawl pin, but one of Sis's cranesbill blossoms worked out fine :-}

I included info in the pattern for making a scarf OR shawl in any of 4 weights of yarn.

The structured look of the stitch pattern attracted me initially, and I've wanted to make a pattern of it for some time, but once I started, I realized this was a fun one! After the first few repetitions, it is easy peasy to work without checking the pattern. I may make a few lace-weight shawls as Yule gifts this year, as even working the six-foot long scarf I never got bored. The longest scarf only took 4 days, and would have probably taken only 2-3 if I hadn't been involved in other projects, the shorter scarf took less than 2 days, and just one skein of yarn.

Here are the details:

This simple and sophisticated scarf adds a touch of individuality to any ensemble.

Details and hints given for making either scarves or shawls in multiple yarn weights, in many size variations

Samples shown:

Knit Picks Simple Cotton Sport, Wave Heather 2 skeins (328 yards, used 300 yards) and H (5 mm) hook. Finished scarf measures 6” by 72” long.

Knit Picks Felici Fingering Marine Life, 1 skein (218 yards) and E (3.5 mm) hook, I used ‘sport weight’ initial chain number for a 1-skein scarf which measures 5” by 44”.

Suggested Hook Sizes:

If using: Worsted	Sport/DK	Fingering	Lace Weight
I or J	G or H	E or F	C or D (or even B)

or whichever hook gives you a pleasing fabric for your yarn and personal gauge/tension.

Gauge: Variable. Because this is a scarf, gauge is not essential

Yarn Requirements: Instructions given for 4 yarn weights: Worsted (Sport/DK, Fingering, Lace); approximately 275 (330, 440, 500) yards for a roughly 6 inches wide by 6 foot long scarf. I have slightly over estimated the yardage requirements to give a margin of safety.

-You can also use this pattern for a shawl. Simply triple the given starting chain and quadruple the yarn requirements for the weight of yarn you are using. If making the shawl, you will be working roughly 150% of the rows needed for the scarf.

I've been Spotlighted!

Jaala Spiro of Knitcircus Magazine posted a designer spotlight in yesterday's blog, about me!

(and yes, I am thrilled!)

Daisies

Stress and the Good Life

Some new-to-me info on Fibromyalgia (thank you Ysabeau!) highlighted the role stress plays in pain, brain fog, IBS, etc. symptoms related to fibro. Our conversation had me examining my current situation. I have the option of living a life where the only stresses above the norm are those added by my arthritis and other disabilities (enough to be going on with). I am aware of several methods for reducing stress, one of which is my crafting. Repetitive motion like that used when knitting and crochet is connected to stress and pain level reduction in many studies.

It was working well, until my ambition and drive got involved. Instead of utilizing my crafting as stress reduction, I was adding stress to my life by creating fairly artificial deadlines on my creative pattern endeavors. Adding deadlines to the mix seems to ramp up the stress levels way above norm.

I have been averaging a new pattern about every 2 weeks. This isn't many for a designer who farms out the actual sample making to another crafter, but I have been making my own samples. It takes me about 2-6 hours to write a basic pattern, more when grading (sizing) is involved. (This doesn't include the think time when I am playing with ideas, only the time spent after some of the major decisions have been made). Making the samples (and adjusting the pattern as I work and come up with new ideas for it) takes most of my work time.

Oscar estimates I work about 70 hours a week on designing and creating samples.

Sure, it is work I enjoy and feel lucky to be able to pursue, but the reality is I do not have 100% health, and if I want to enjoy my life here with Oscar, I need to set boundaries around the investment of time in my work. Yes, we need money. But we need me to be healthy even more.

Still, the actual work is not stressful at all to me, unless a deadline is involved. Deadlines are only added if I have promised a magazine or yarn company the pattern by a certain date. These are decisions I make myself when choosing to submit my ideas to companies prior to having a pattern and sample completed. (which is standard operating procedure in the knitting/crochet design world).

I ramped back on that type of submission earlier this year, but then fell into the trap of setting goals/dates for completion for some of the designs, particularly when I have been provided yarn support. Part of me feels they should have the design in their yarn asap. A laudable sentiment, except when it affects Oscar's and my life negatively.

It is entirely possible for me to avoid ALL deadlines simply by limiting the submissions to finished patterns, and reducing my requests for yarn support. But sometimes I find myself making deadlines for the upcoming projects on my list wihtout any external factors involved, just me setting time limits.Why do I do this? Perhaps because I like to feel I am working toward a goal.

I get a huge sense of accomplishment and self-worth through making that deadline, but the cost is becoming too high.

Perhaps I can make the goals achievement oriented, instead of time oriented. I may be able to hook my sense of accomplishment to holding the completed sample and having the pattern finished, without having a time factor involved. I love to create enough to have that as an impetus without needing a deadline, I think. All I know for certain is that something in my current work paradigm needs to change.

After all, when I stress myself into a fibro fog I actually accomplish a lot less that week than if I had taken a more moderate approach to begin with. Moderation. Something I had to work on before fibro became a fact of life. Isn't it amazing how many times you need to learn the same lesson as your life changes? I'll be 48 this year. I hope I can learn this lesson well enough to avoid the next class.

Serendipitous, Surreptitious Design

There is a crochet stitch pattern in an OLD harmony guide that has been tempting me for a few months now. Last week I started designing a crocheted summer scarf, featuring the pattern.

I just finished a 6" wide sample in Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport in Wave Heather. I purposely used a larger than usual hook for the yarn weight, as I love summer scarves to have drape and flow. It turned out pretty well, but will definitely look better after a bit of blocking magic.

Today I started a narrower version using Knit Picks Felici fingering in Marine Life and it's doing one of those serendipitous things where the pattern makes the yarn, which makes the pattern. I am LOVING IT. I can hardly wait to share it when it's done!! Not too much longer. The pattern is finished, I just need to finish up the samples for photography. And to add more info on using different gauges and how it effects the final look. (The sport weight looks cool, but less structured than this Felici version. I like both, but am utterly charmed by the Felici color changes)

I will have photos sometime this week or next. I am still hoping to finish it in time to use for a featured crochet ad on Ravelry, art work and link to pattern due on Tuesday. We'll see!

(images are of the yarn from knit picks site)

I've Been Etsy-fied

I listed a Dragontail sample shawl on Etsy a little while ago. Today I decided to go ahead and list some of my pattern PDFs and see how they will do. My Otterwise shop is HERE. All 17 of my current patterns are up, ready for people to see, and maybe buy.

I'm thinking about adding them to other venues as well, perhaps Artfire.com. Any other suggestions?

Good wishes welcomed!

Those credit cards are being perniscious.

What Will Become of the Monk, the Monk

I finished my Monkey! He is intended as a gift for someone, so I haven't named him yet.

(details about the pattern are in This Post) My absolute favorite part of making toys is the surprise that comes after I add their facial features. This guy turned out to be a tiny bit shy.. who knew? I never plan these things, just add eyes, nose, mouth, etc. and let serendipity (or my subconscious) surprise me :-}

I will be making at least one more of these, I think.

Two Shawls, One Stitch Pattern

Knit Circus published my Espalier Shawl in their Spring 2010 issue (the green shawl). I love how it turned out, but when I decided to offer it to Knit Picks this month, I wanted to add a seed stitch border, and of course I needed to use a different yarn. (the blue shawl) It is also slightly larger than the green shawl.

So I have two patterns for sale

Espalier, in green Plymouth Kudo

and

Espalier, Too, in Aquamarine Shine Worsted

Both are currently available on Ravelry, and will be available soon on Otterwise.com