Gauge

So far, so good.

I have made more gauge swatches for this sweater than I have for any other project.  I have discovered the joys of making sweaters that FIT, so now I understand that swatching, no matter how boring, how mundane, is something I should do.  

So I did.  And I even wet-blocked the swatches.

I am getting gauge with size 4 (instead of 6) wooden needles for the cuff of the sweater, and with size 6 (instead of 8) metal needles for the sleeve itself.  Whew.

I have been warned, though, that gauge can change during the course of knitting. Maybe because of the phases of the moon; maybe not enough chocolate; maybe bad hair days vs good hair days?  Who knows?  So I will keep checking gauge and hope that I can continue getting it correct.

But if all else fails, I will tell myself what I told my daughter when I mailed her sweater off to her:  

1.  If it's too small, lose weight.
2.  If it's too large, gain weight.
3.  If it's too short, wear higher shoes.
4.  If it's too long, wear flats.
5.  (Or 3 and 4 the other way around.  I'm not sure.)

Now I do know that numbers 3 and 4 won't actually work, but it's all I've got.

Oh, and for the record, it turns out that UPS does not let you insure packages for a million zillion dollars.

I insured the sweater for something less than that, and I am hoping for the best.  

(Please, get the sweater to LA safely, UPS.  It will not fit Tom Hanks.)

False Alarm

I was sitting at my computer this morning when I heard the doorbell ring and then a loud knock on the door. I thought: My Claudia Hand-painted yarn for my skirt is here!!! Yay!!! I was in my jammies (Oh, hush. Let she who has not been in her jammies at 11:00 cast the first chocolate croissant----please.) so I didn't go to the door right away.

Someone left this:

It was addressed to my neighbor at 5545. I live here:


(Note the pollen)

So whoever left the package put a question mark on the label, and then left it right below the five-inch high numbers which should have told him he was at the WRONG ADDRESS.

It's not nice to get old knitters all excited about a yarn delivery.....

Obsessed Much?

I have written before about my thing with the Post Office, and now I am at it again. It will not surprise anyone in my family that this is how I spent today, the day after my two daughters and four grandchildren returned to their homes.

I have been packing up everything that needs to be shipped to each of them, but before you think that my children have early-onset forgetfulness, I will explain:

Because older daughter was flying by herself with her four children, ages 8, 6, 2, and nine months, she shipped a lot of clothes, stuffed animals, books and other necessities ahead of time. She had enough to handle in the airport with four children, backpacks and car seats without hauling all the luggage she needed. Because UPS destroyed the boxes, I have had to repack in new boxes and I hope they arrive in Texas in better shape than the originals arrived in here.

Younger daughter moved to Los Angeles almost three years ago, and left LOTS of things here even though she filled her car to the top with her belongings and also shipped many, many boxes to herself. While she was here this past week, she went through what she left behind and sorted out what to ship, donate, or toss. SHE would say that my ideal basement would have lots of sturdy shelving and nothing on them. (Actually, she's sort of mostly right.)

And so my predilection to get everything that's not mine out of the house and TO the post office post haste explains my activities today. If only the post office had been open, these would have been there already, but alas, they must wait till tomorrow.