I am moving a week from today and I've barely packed. I'm in big trouble. I don't want to be that girl who has nothing packed when the movers show up, so I spent most of the afternoon putting my stash into ziplock bags and listening to old Radiohead albums.

I have really mixed feelings about this move. My neighborhood has become increasingly unsafe, and some of you may know that I am having a problem with a peeping tom/creeper. After the neighbors informed me that he tried to break in one night that I stayed abroad, I decided that I couldn't stay here anymore. That stranger stole my sense of security; something so often taken for granted, but once lost, rarely regained. I became afraid to leave the house, in fear that "they" would break in and steal all my things while I was gone. I was afraid to stay in, in fear that "they" would break in and attack me. Not a good way to live. The only answer is to move.

I have lived in this house off and on since I was five years old, so leaving it is a bit of a wrench. It's been my permanent address for a long time. It was never my intent to stay here. I always imagined myself as a glamorous ex-pat. Well, not glamorous, as my self-esteem is limited, but at least far, far away from this place. And now I'm leaving, but it doesn't really feel like it was a choice. The low caliber element that has moved into my neighborhood has pushed me out of my home. Not just my house, but my HOME. That didn't really hit me until today. I felt like throwing myself on the bed and having a good cry, except all of my beds have knitwear blocking on them. Never underestimate the power of a good cry. I've had to make do with some Cadbury's drinking chocolate and an immoderate amount of peanut m&ms.

On the knitting front, I just finished knitting another Peace Fleece Everyday Cardigan. I used this pattern for the first "real" sweater I ever knit, years ago, and wore it to death. If you live in a cold climate, I highly recommend Peace Fleece for cozy garments. It's a rustic yarn made by old hippies in New Hampshire that really softens up when washed. I <3 it a lot. This incarnation of the sweater is a lovely seamoss color, soon to be punched up with antique pressed glass buttons. If only it would hurry up and dry! The weather is perfect for rustic sweaters now.

I am also trying to finish up some WIPs before the move. I've picked up the Wicked cardigan in Madelinetosh merino again. The yarn is luscious, but the rows are so, so long. I've knit the pullover version of this a few times before and it's always flown off the needles. Knitting it flat, though, is taking much longer. If steeks didn't make me skittish, I would have done that instead. Taking scissors to my knitting? No. 

I've decided not to knit presents for xmas unless I feel like it. I practically cripple myself every year and the effort and gifts aren't appreciated enough. Any hints dropped about new scarves, hats, or god forbid, sweaters, will be ignored. Want some knitwear? Learn to knit or buy it at the store. I want to knit for myself.

Treeline Cardigan, I hardly knew ye. A few years back, I fell in love with a free pattern on purl bee.

See? Lovely, great single row stripes with a nostalgic, Grandpa-style shawl collar. Here's the problem, it only comes in two sizes, neither of which I am. I stashed the yarn, planning to do the math to make it in my own size, but frankly, I don't like doing math. I can--I'm not an idiot--but it's not one of my favorite activities and I'm not always confident of my work. So, that Manos has been waiting until I get around to crunching the numbers or con my math genius mom into doing it for me.

Then I saw the new Webs catalog this week, with this gorgeous pattern in it:

which just happens to use the same yarns as the Treeline Cardigan, except for the Kidsilk Haze. I'll have to decide whether or not I want to carry it along in the brown stripes. It would give the color more depth... I ordered a copy of the pattern, Marais, from Webs, so I guess their catalog marketing is effective. Also, I love that it is a modern interpretation of un mariniere, which is very stylish at the moment, but classic enough that it won't look dated in a few years. I think that I will make the sleeves longer, maybe the waist as well. 3/4 length is a difficult proportion.

My Shoulder Hurts

My left shoulder, to be precise. I am right-handed, so I am a little confused as to how this happened. No, that is total denial. This is a knitting-related injury. On Christmases past, I have had achy forearms (bad!), but this shoulder thing is new. I don't think that I've been knitting any more than usual lately, or anything unusual. I am still working on the Central Park Hoodie in Ultra Alpaca for my grandmother. The yarn isn't hard to knit, but I am using some old-school, heavy, metal needles instead of my usual Addis/HiyaHiyas/Harmonys. Could they be to blame? Could this be from using my laptop too much or sleeping in weird positions? I need a day off from all of this.
Do you think I could work on a sock while this heals up?
Probably not. Sigh.
Tomorrow, I think I will go see a movie at the place in Indiana with cheap matinees of new releases. I can get some (relatively) cheap gas while I'm there. I'll be able to eat greasy movie theater popcorn without having to worry about getting the "butter" on my precioussssssss yarn. This plan gets better and better...
I am slowly working my way through World On Fire, a book about the British involvement and influence in the American Civil War. It was written by the historian who wrote that fabulous Duchess of Devonshire biography a few years ago. This is a bit slower moving, as there are so many characters (historical figures) to keep track of, what with the Federals and their British supporters and the Confederates and their British supporters. Still, very interesting. I had no idea what a dick Seward was before reading this book! The other reason this hasn't kept me riveted, I suspect, is my extremely limited interest in the American Civil War. It was long, it was awful, and afterward people said "the United States is.." instead of "the United States are..". It's the stuff of 5th grade reports, reenactors' weekends, and sad folk ballads. I'm midway through 1863 right now. Will write more once I've finished the book.

I Hate Everybody.

Someone tried to break into my house while I was out for the night. THANK GOD, my neighbor scared them off, but it still has me really freaked out. I am afraid to go out, because I am convinced that someone will break in and steal all the things while I am gone. When I am home, I am afraid that someone will break in and it will lead to violence or worse. Someone tried to break into my home. My former roommate had left the window in his room unlocked, which gave them an easy access point, and me a total rage fit when I realized it had been unsecured. What can I expect from someone who used to live in a house where the back doors were secured with a rubber band? Everything is locked up tight now and I have a couple of motion activated floodlights to swap out with my existing fixtures on the patio, when I can get someone to hold the ladder while I work. Call me crazy, but I think that doing electrical work on an aluminum ladder alone is a bad idea. That must be why I'm not a union stagehand. Ideally, I would like a security system, as I must leave the house occasionally and most of my gigs are at night. Or a flat on a leafy street in Hyde Park. 

My resolve to only work on long-term UFOs has faded. After the limited success of the Damariscotta and Rusted Root (which has found a home with my mother, who tells me she will redo the ribbing at the hem, which I accidentally knit as k2p2 instead of k3p1. More power to her, I say!), I decide to start on a new cooler weather appropriate project. In fact, I have been project monogamous for the past week. That's rare for me, so you can appreciate my determination.
I am currently working on a Central Park Hoodie in Ultra Alpaca for my grandmother, who is ill. Every time I see her, she looks cold, so I'm sure this cozy sweater will be well received. So far, I have knit the back and right front pieces and am about halfway through the left front piece. The left front went remarkably fast, probably because it is only half the width of the back piece. Also, it happened to be in my bag when I went to check on my grandmother in the ER. It took them five hours to admit her, which is a lot of knitting time. I expect the pace of this project will slow a little when I run out of flat pieces to knit. Anything that involves picking up over a hundred stitches just doesn't travel well, so when I get to the hood and ribbing, the CPH will have to stay home.

Current projects:
* The Bribe CPH
* Everlasting Mary Jane
* Rainbow Noro Shawl

What I will knit next, I do not know, but with this unseasonably mild weather, I am considering rescuing my Madelinetosh worsted Wicked cardigan from its couch exile. The yarn is a loosely spun wool single, so it's not the best for knitting while sweaty. Now that it is cool enough to have a whole sweater sit in my lap while I work on it, I might tackle more cold weather projects.

An update on the UFO roundup

After writing my last post, I attacked my unfinished objected with alacrity. Over the past few days, I have finished three sweaters. Better yet, they are weather appropriate sweaters! As I write this, the Damariscotta and Rusted Root are blocking on my bed. If I had a larger bed, there'd be a Twilight Tee on it as well. Since it is August, I am not itching to start working on the cold weather projects. I know that I should, but I can't stand having a big, heavy sweater lying in my lap in this weather. So, I will probably tear out the duds and work on small things.
When it is too hot to knit, I have a few good books to read. When it's too hot to read, that's sheer misery.