Thrills, spills, adrenalin triggers

The car is again the focus. From a couple of days ago, blaring message on screen KEY FOB BATTERY LOW, and finding that I did have backup batteries from the last time I had the fun of changing the battery, to the solid hour spent prying apart the clamshell housing, to finding the parts which flew out in all directions, to finally getting the battery changed and the housing shut, at which point it proved I installed it right by going off in alarm mode... anyway the car's been making her in presence felt.

We've had a couple of bitterly cold nights, and since I had a doctor's appointment this morning, I went out early to warm up the car. Which wouldn't start.  Not enough time to review the charging instructions with my  battery jumper, I urgently called Handsome Son for a ride.  He was able to get here and I did make it, just, to the office.

I'm in the middle of a trial of a new rx, important to get there. However it's about blood pressure, and I mentioned to her that it might be high on account of the early morning shenanigans. It was. She declined to tell me the numbers. I rested, we did it again, it was down to just high, not four alarm high. Fine. New rx happening.

Home again, we tackled the dead battery situation, never had a Honda that failed to start before this one, grumble, grumble, and got it running. 

I supplied Handsome Son with a hot lunch before he had to go get on with his day. We commented that Gary must be away, or he'd have been running out, putting on his jacket, to supervise, or take over. 

So that was an exciting start. I did have a very pleasing earlier thing, though, before rashly thinking I could warm up the car. I learned a way to do a provisional cast-on for the Second Ministry Sock.

This is a technical knitting thing you need to do with a piece of waste yarn, to make comfortable toe-up socks without a hard ridge across the toes where you cast on.  

I've had varied success, usually not being able to unzip the prov.  cast on and having to unpick bit by bit. But this one worked! It's done by crocheting the base, but differently from the way I've crocheted it in the past.  Very pleased about this.

So though officially this is doing good work to help people, it's also a terrific learning curve, from reviewing   the whole sock making process, to this shining success with the cast on, to another new learning, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff.

It's a special cast-off that makes it easy to get the sock on and off. A firm castoff can make it difficult to navigate your heel. This one looks nice and works a treat. I do want the recipient to be able to slip them on and off easily.

So here's today's peaceful happy valley activity.

The toe cap, see the crocheted tails at each end. Thats where I cast on, then you knit to the toe tip, then back again, on two needles. That's why the cast on thread seems to be in the middle of things. Up to this point, stockinette stitch is one row purl, one row plain. The shape is created by a series of short rows, clever stuff. 

Then you add in the third needle so as to work around all the stitches, and by magic, stockinette on three needles is done by plain knitting, no purling required.

So here, toe completed, we can get into random stripes, like the finished one. You see four needles, three needles holding stitches, one a working needle.

And here's the new sock with its partner, see the cast off, really happy find, good old Jeny.

If you think this is a lot of fuss over a sock, guilty as charged, but I'm easily pleased.

Happy Sock Day. Boo hiss to Honda day. It seems quite symmetrical  at this point.