My hip is in full rebellion these days and I am spending a lot of time off my feet trying heal up. For reasons beyond my understanding MacKenzie views this as an invitation to make constant demands: Pet me! Feed me!! More cookies! Let me go outside!! I must be on your lap!! You exist to serve me!!!!!
He stands next to me as I knit crying sadly, trying to move onto my lap and into the yarn and knitting. It is sad. So sad. Right up to the point when the yarn chomping starts and the claws start flashing. Sigh.
Caught between a ill behaved hip and a demanding cat I have abandoned the sweater that I’ve been working on and switched to small projects that are easy to move away from chomping teeth and flashing claws. Projects that can be worked on in bed, outside in the garden swing, and downstairs by the television. Projects that can be easily moved to safety or stuffed into a project bag.
Do you remember the light blue ribbed socks that I made a couple of weeks ago? They were just simply ribbed socks based on my rote 64 stitch vanilla sock that is basically the Dave sock by Rachel Coopey with a different rib that I liked when I knitted the No. 5 Union Street socks and then saw again in the Emily’s Favorite Socks pattern in the book “Knits About Winter.” Hey, when you are immobilized by a cranky hip and hounded by a demanding cat, you start to just invent new combinations of socks, right? In this circumstance it is just frankly impossible to have any charts or patterns involved in the knitting, so it is “have some fun” time. Anyway, there was some yarn left over from the socks, so I kept knitting…
To make the wristers I just kept expanding on my theme of stealing design ideas from other projects and smashing them together to make something that works for me. I had made some Geology Socks recently, and the top edging was a nice use of the feather and fan pattern, so I re-used it for the top of these warmers. Then I knitted the body of the wrister using the K3P1 ribbing and finished off with an I-cord BO.
These wristers will work well this winter under sweaters and over long sleeved shirts in my usual struggle to keep my fingers warm, but I’m wearing them alone right now whenever I get exposed to air conditioning. Pleased with my sock pattern inventiveness I cast on another sock last night…
This is another mash-up of ideas and patterns that grew from my earlier projects. This yarn, Fancy Monkey sock, is another cashmere blend for my cold feet. The edging is the same one used for the wristers, but I’m making K3P1 ribbed socks again once I’m past the edging. I’m debating putting on garter stitch heels and toes like the Om Shanti socks. It will be fun! It’s a knitting adventure, I tell MacKenzie.
Isn’t it cute that MacKenzie still likes his mouse? The tail has been chomped off at this point, but he still likes to bat it around.
Hopefully my hip will start behaving better in a few days, MacKenzie will become less needy, and I will be able to get back to the Kouvia sweater. I’m getting adventurous with that project, too. I can’t wait to blog about the sweater, and I’m working myself up to a couple of hip/scleroderma posts as I’ve been racking up adventures in that part of my life also.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Yummy socks 😎
They are! MacKenzie is sleeping on then right now. He is such a brat!
He knows a good thing when he sees it. Such a cool cat 🐱
The socks and wristers are lovely! I love mash-up projects:)
I hope your hip feels better quickly. I’ll bet MacKenzie knows you’re uncomfortable and is just trying to make you feel better:)
Thanks. I think the problem is that he is old and really prefers to sleep on something warm… if I’m down that is me. 🙂 Then every time I get up he thinks it is cookie or outside time so he starts demanding. It’s exhausting.
He’s also very worried about you. He knows when you’re not doing well.
MacKenzie is obviously acting as your private nurse, keeping you company and distracting you from your hip pain. Heather socks all look great. I prefer the wrist warmers with the pretty edge near the wrist. When your too hot running your wrists under cool water helps cool you down, so surely the opposite is true for warming you up. Stay cosy.
He is nursing me with a vengeance right now… I have observed that in order to keep my hands warm it is really important to keep my wrists covered; it’s what you said. 🙂
My Stella is the same with her neediness and yarn chomping! I have to put my knitting away and just sit on the sofa with her, to give her all the cuddles and pets that she needs.
I think I need to add wrist warmers to my knitting queue, yours look just great!
They are truly fur babies sometimes! The wrist warmers are really helpful and as a bonus I usually can make them from leftovers. My other mainstay in winter is fingerless mitts, which also is a easy way to use up leftovers.
Damn the hip. As if you didn’t have enough to contend with.
Today I am better, but still walking very slowly. It is bursitis. 😦
Ah.
I love it! You are absolutely one of the best I’ve ever seen at taking lemons and making lemonade. Great socks, and your wristers always inspire me. I think you were actually the one who convinced me to try fingerless mitts. Without really realizing it, I always sort of thought “what good would a mitt with no fingers do?” Now, I am SUCH a convert. I guess it’s warming those pulse points, right? Anyway, definitely need to cast on some of these for myself.
Is your Goodreads sidebar new? It’s a great addition. It’s always so interesting to see what friends are reading!
It is kind of counter intuitive since you’re keeping your fingers warm by covering up a different body part. It’s like discovering that putting on a hat helps keep your feet warm (which is also a thing). I think it is a matter of keeping the pulse points covered. I’m starting to become a fan of cowls now because they help keep me warm too. It’s so good to be a knitter!
I’ve had that goodreads sidebar for awhile now. I do like to see what others are reading too. My last book was The Night Tiger, which I just loved!
Your socks and wristers look great! Beautiful, and also cozy 🙂 Hope your hip feels better soon, and also that MacKenzie gives your just a tiny little bit more peace. Though of course, you are dealing with the demands for attention pretty well 🙂 Feel better!
It has gotten cooler the last few days and I’m putting the socks to good use. That cashmere is totally worth the money!! I’m pretty sure MacKenzie agrees. I’m keeping the back door closed and he has calmed down again. What a cat!
I’m sorry to hear about your painful hip. How tedious these things can be. You seem to be keeping a good spirit about it. I’m sorry McKenzie is so needy. I wonder if he senses the “change in the force” i.e., recognizing your need to hold still and worries in his cat-like way? Mouse is quite demanding of my time and energy and feels annoyed when I won’t sit down. I often carry him around like a baby…and he loves it. He’s almost 19 pounds though, so it’s not practical.
Your socks are stunning and look cozy-warm. Cashmere is divine.