I'm definitely going to move over to blogspot - I resisted because of the adbar at the top of the free blogspot blogs... but I can't figure out how to do a comment thing at the end of each entry and it's just driving me crazy.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm doing a-ok. Wonderful people around me, healthier than I've been since probably Sophomore year in High School (when I started having friends who could drive and we went to Booger Fling or McDonalds every day), have a big upcoming fancy party wedding-like thing, etc. I really shouldn't let all the work baloney get to me - but I do. I really should just stop my boss and say, "you know, boss? Maybe you should just lay me off and have me sign the Severance agreement that says I won't sue you so I can go off on my merry way and not be pissed off for eight hours of my day and actually go back to enjoying who I am for a while."
Someday, I just might. But in the meantime, I still like having paychecks. I guess I haven't put a price on my happiness, but I'm sure I can afford it right now, I just haven't given myself permission to do so.
CRAFT NIGHT at Emily's and demonstrated by Emy was superfun last night. I had no idea I was going to be out until 11:30pm! On a shool night! So totally worth it. I love meeting new people, and playing with new crafty toys.
Another excuse as to why I don't have any photos to make this blog more fun is that I'm a crummy photographer. I rarely am home during daylight hours during the week, and at night, I just can't take a decent photo with the flash. There are all kinds of fiddly doodads on the camera to help you take good indoor night photos, but I have no patience for that. So... some day.
The guy across the hall just won't stop dropping the F-bomb and all other assorted bits of colorful vocabulary. I don't mind the swearin' - I do so as well on assorted occasions - but at work, and with such volume... seriously inappropriate. He apologized but then explained how effed up his job and this company is... and I just tuned out. Doo doo doo... hooky day on Friday is starting to take shape! Watch your e-mail!
I had all the intents and purposes to go to knitting group. After waffling back and forth - we were going to a BBQ and I thought it may be rude to leave early, but then Kevin's mom said it was just fine to leave early since it was just a neighborhood thing, so I figured AWESOME - and then I got sickie sick. (How ironic, considering that I played up a little cough I had on Friday so I could play hooky and see the FANTASTIC HARRY POTTER MOVIE with the equally fantastic Emy. Almost instant karma.)
For some reason, I just can't knit when I'm sick. I sometimes get dizzy, I make mistakes, I can't concentrate, and all I want to do is lie down. Not to mention the breaks every three seconds to blow my nose or cough or drink more juice.
So I called in sick today (well, e-mailed in sick today), and I'm home wondering if I have what it takes to go down to Hollywood Video and rent a few movies. That would mean getting dressed... getting in the car... Ooof, I need a nap.
BTW, I FINISHED THE WEDDING WRAP! Now that I'm looking at it, I want to do some sort of finish on the ends of the wrap and don't know what. I'm going to buy some beads, and then maybe the SNBers can help me figure out what to do. I don't think I want long fringe, but SOMETHING should go on the ends... Pictures later, when I'm a little more pulled together...
Miraculous event #1: Ventured over to Weight Watchers for the first time in about a month. I DIDN'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT! OK, I gained .1 but that could have been from the altoids I ate before the meeting.
Miraculous event #2: Encouraged by Weight Watchers Miraculous Event, I ventured over to The Dealer's (aka Knitting Arts in Saratoga) to see if maybe... just maaayyyybe... they'd have maybe one ball of DB Baby Cash in my dyelot... AND THEY DID. AND IT WAS AWESOME! So I'm merrily chugging along with the WWrap. Woo and hoo!
I keep forgetting to mail off my favorite (and probably the last) Sophie bag, so I brought it back home to take a picture of it before I bring it back to the office to package up and mail off. And here it is: I used the Cascade 220 Quattro in a green hue - it had three shades of green and one shade of gray plied in there. It felted up with so much interesting texture I just giggled when I pulled it out of the warsh. And just for giggles, here's another shot: I think I put maybe one too many swirls in the swirly handle, but I think it looks fab. I even knitted up the little button tab, and used another celtic knot button I found at Uncommon Threads. ME GUSTA MUCHO!
So I was merrily knitting along in my car yesterday because I got to the gym early for my kickboxing class. Then I glanced down and realized that the last ball of DB Baby Cashmerino that I had grafted on was a good two shades yellower than the white-cream that I had been using all this time. I hadn't even thought that there'd be different shades of cream, but apparently there are. So I looked at the Wrap, with the YOs and the K2togs and debated if it would be possible to rip back to the previous ball and actually get it back onto the needles. I stared for a good five minutes, debating... until I finally just closed my eyes and eased the wrap off the needles. I looked at the loops and tried to figure out how they should lay... and RIP RIP RIPped the too-creamy yarn out. Then, I stared for a good minute or two trying to figure out how to start the re-needling process. I think I did it right, but I haven't started knitting it again... so who knows? But I feel braver of sorts now. Also, now I have a whole ball of DB Baby Cash in cream that will probably turn into a lovely baby hat.
Next challenge is to determine if I can find another dyelot closer to what I have, or if I can just BO the wrap as-is and be comfortable with the length. Hm...
On a personal note, Maria asked me this morning to be her Matron of Honor for her wedding next year. I was so touched and so excited I just feel like telling everyone I know, even if they have no idea who Maria is. Like you guys.
I was so floored by how lovely my bridal shower was yesterday. My mom and future mother in law organized a moment where all the guests would share a memory of me or of Kevin and I together, and then these memories were compiled into a memory book for me. All the women (no boys wanted to come, even though they were invited - bummer!) were just generous and sweet and kind and touching with their memories. When I went home to tell Kevin how just fantastic the people in our life were, I just finally broke into tears. I am grateful for the people in my life. I really am.
Unfortunately, we weren't done until 6pm so I wasn't able to stop by my SnB to show off the sweet teatowel that my friend Sara embroidered for me - she made a design of a ball of yarn and two knitting needles through it. I just thought it was fantastical. When I can get a photo of it, I'll put it up.
Needless to say, this was a day that I won't forget.
To change the subject completely, Emily posted this great site where you can have your name made into an ambigram. Unfortunately my last name has too many letters, but here's my ambigram: How neat!!
Socks! I can't believe it, but I'm considering making socks, even though I have never done so before! And I don't know why, other than when I see other people's socks that are handknit, they just look so comfycosy and adorable. I love the self-striping and self-patterning sock yarns out there, and I know they have sock yarn with elastic in it to help them fit and keep their shape better (which is probably good for me, since I don't have feet, I have flippers). I'm just more than a little nervous about working with such tiny yarn and tiny needles and it's all so tiny.
Is it just me, or do other people think about four projects ahead of themselves? I still have a ton of linen drape I have no idea what to do with, not to mention 20 balls of all season's cotton I think I'll make a hooded cardigan out of (Thank goodness I bought them for over 50% off from eBay, the evil eBay that I have sworn off forever..)... and then there's the cotton angora (also a major deep discount from evil eBay) that Janice has warned me is rumored to shed like a maniac.
First things first, FO the WW, then start thinking about other stuff. Focus! Focus!
On a side note, I was very proud of myself for assembling the new pieces of Swedish Furniture I purchased yesterday at IKEA. The last time I assembled something from IKEA I sort of read the schematic wrong and made a real mess of things. Kevin had to come to my rescue, with the help of some drills and other assorted power tools. Eeep. So this time around, I read first, and then everything was gravy.
I archived my old entries because there were so many pictures - wanted to make things easier to upload. Old entries are under "archives" now.
No pictures to update today, but I finished the red heather Sophie last night. It's blocking and drying today. This time around, I left four stitches on a holder while I was binding off the "mouth" of the purse and turned it into a button clasp. I knit two rows of the four stitches and then tied on a second string and knit the first two stitches with one string and the last two stitches with a second string, creating a button hole. It felted to the right size, too, just enough to fit the button. When I sew on the button tonight, I'll take a picture. I'm so proud of myself!
Work woes keep me down and in a bit of a funk. My impending layoff had been hanging over my head like Eeyore's cloud, and my boss confirmed yesterday that although he told me a couple weeks ago that I was staying put and he was leaving, he was wrong. I'm probably going to be gone by June 30, if not July 30 (hey! The day before my wedding! Awesome!).
Again, it's not a huge surprise, but it's a major disappointment. Retail therapy will occur today - this time in the form of a quick trip up the freeway to IKEA to buy two of these dudes to go in the guest bedroom, just in time for my little sis and her roommate to visit this weekend. I'll probably pop over to Uncommon Threads to pick up one last ball of DB Baby Cashmerino so I can FO my WeddingWrap.
I was thinking the other day about how I most likely won't be able to make it to Knitting Group on Sunday, and I was bummed... even though the reason why is because my bridal shower is that day! Is that funny, or is that just sad?
I may still try to stop by to see if anyone stuck around, if the party is cleared out in time...
