Scattered and Confused

In a past life, I was known for being organized and on top of things.  Birthday cards/gifts were mailed so they arrived on or before the special day.  I was always at least 10 minutes early EVERYWHERE I went, and I sure as heck never completely forgot an appointment.

When the Knight became Asst. Chief Knight, we got matching PalmPilots.  (Well, nearly matching; mine got mega memory so I could store a knitting pattern or two within – seriously.  He thought of that.)  He loaded his up with his regular run of meetings and obligations, and I don’t even know where mine is.  I remember playing a game on it when it arrived…  We were going to sync them nightly, so that there was a master calendar on the home desktop, and so that we each knew what the other was doing, even when someone forgot to mention a meeting.

Well, last month I argued with my doctor’s office manager about the time of my appointment.  She said I was 15 minutes late, and I assured her I was not.  I felt smaller than ant dung when I returned to the office and realized that my appointment was 10-15, 10AM, not 10:15, period.  Then yesterday, I argued with my vet’s receptionist about Gretchen’s appointment.  Wednesday, 5PM.  I was sure of it.  I’ve ridden it around in my car for a month now.  Wrong.  Today is the 25th, so away we go.

Now, I also must mention that these sweet gals know me, moreso than the average office staff might.  The doc’s office manager went to school with the Knight, and we’ve made fun of him  shared funny stories about him regularly.  The vet’s receptionist’s mom was my babysitter, and her uncle lives on our road.  The Knight even lived with said uncle briefly during their overlapping post-divorce, pre-finding the loves of their lives phase.  So, it’s not like I’m a shrew…  They laugh at me, know they’re right, and I’m stuck sitting here blabbing about it you, wondering when I lost it.

So, how ’bout those FO reports?

First, the quickie, the Presto Baby Hat. 

Pattern:  Presto Baby Hat, from the 20 Hats Project.  (follow the link above)  This was a super-easy, super-quick hat.  They said its unique design (like a collapsible top hat) would provide lots of growing room, and Katiebell told me yesterday that 3 yr. old Boybell was able to wear it, although his ears weren’t covered.  (And I made the newborn size, shown here on a pop-up dispenser of doggy ear wipes.) 

Yarn:  Bernat Softee Chunky, in the fun circus colorway.  I think I have enough for one more small baby hat.  It’s soft acrylic, and it’s a happy colorway.

Needles:  My bamboo #8 circs.  A little short to Magic Loop, but I made ’em work.

Now, the Uh-ohs require a bit of a story, so stick with me.

Pattern:  Uh-ohs   Great pattern.  Fun knit.  It’s not the pattern’s fault I didn’t realize ALL of my sock yarn is/was superwash.  There are plenty of cute, felted version on Ravelry, and one of these days, I’ll make another set that can be felted, and I’ll really feel the love for this pattern.

Yarn:  Two of my favorite sock yarns, both gifted away (so hence, the reason I didn’t know they were superwash?).  The pale Uh-oh is Claudia Handpaints Blue Ridge Blue, done just for SoXperience.  The green is another Virginia dyer, Blue Ridge Farms Jubilee, in a colorway I can’t recall.  (And if I had the @#$% ball band, wouldn’t I have known it was superwash?)

Needles:  Sadly, I used the #4 circs, thinking I was gonna’ felt these babies.  And believe me, I tried, despite the rather gently given advice from MANY wise fiber friends, telling me that superwash doesn’t shrink.  It’s true, it’s really true. 

See this photo?  If you have a small monitor, click on the photo and/or go look on my Flickr page, at the original.  For once, I’m not trying to divert your attention from the dog hair in the photo.  I want you to see that nearly every flippin’ stitch has a dog hair poking out.

Here.  You need an even closer look at what was supposed to be the ears/feet on the toy.  Please note the ODD number of pieces.  There should have been another light blue “foot” but that didn’t surface until the NEXT morning.  (Use your imagination.  It wasn’t brown, but I did use a paper towel to pick it up.  I think the culprit’s tummy finally rejected the wool wad, thankfully!)

So, my first set of Uh-ohs were too large because they didn’t felt, AND they only had ears because Gretchen just couldn’t resist ’em.  (I don’t think Gretchen could have swallowed the piece whole, so Sissy isn’t blameless, it would seem.) 

Because I do love y’all, I did indeed snap photos of Gretchen in her new sweater.  (She isn’t scratching or breaking out as much, so is it possible there was something in Abby’s sweaters [laundered since Abby had worn them] that irritated her?)  I’m pretty sure they’re getting their stories straight here…

And just because she was cooperative, another shot of the Uh-oh attacker.  (Why did the furball “red eye” fixer work so well on the right, but the left, not so much?)  She seems to like her “sleeves”, Robin!  First chance I get to knit her a sweater, it’s going to have legs. 

 

Poor MJ.  She didn’t realize DMV had changed the renewal policy on licenses, so hers expired on the 11th.  Now, she has to go home and find either her birth certificate or her passport, and then brave the lines again.  She’s livid, and is going back in the morning instead.  However, she was good enough to fetch each of us a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Twist.