Incessant Ramblings

2012-02-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

So, here's some of what I've been working on:

An awesome new pair of socks for me.

And this cute little monster (Ravelry link) as a test knit for the kits the designer is putting together. (My first test-knitting experience, woo!)

I'm going to teach a lace class again this spring and I'm toying around with the idea of teaching a two-handed colorwork class. I'm going to do a trial run this Friday at knit night with the usual crowd and see what they think.

This means I should probably start a colorwork project so I actually have something to demonstrate on.

It's really 2012?

2012-01-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm back at work today after having a week off. It was an almost impossible feat to get out of my warm bed this morning. Especially with it being so dark, so cold, and knowing there were still traces of snow on the ground. Thankfully my car is actually in the garage this winter so I don't have to clean snow off of it. It's a small luxury that I already love.

Our Christmas was good. Lilly got *almost* everything she asked for. The Barbie Dreamhouse was the only thing she asked for that she didn't get. She would have got it had I been a little quicker to respond to a Craigslist ad, but oh well. I'm going to keep my eyes open at flea markets and garage sales this year and see if I can find one to put up for her birthday.

It ended on a up-note, but truthfully 2011 wasn't the greatest of years. I learned a lot about love and loss, pain and joy. A lot of things I went through this year are lessons I don't ever want to learn again, but likely will. At least I know now that I can get through them.

I've decided that 2012 is going to be about more of my actions and words coming from a place of love. I want more reality in my life, less disingenuous feelings and less appeasement of others. So in that line of thinking I want to reflect on what last year meant to me.

At the beginning of 2011 my marriage almost self-destructed. I'm not saying this to gain sympathy, I'm saying it because I'm kind of fed up with the idea that people can't openly talk about hard, scary shit. My husband and I were not getting along, at all. We were screaming at each other a lot. We had completely forgotten how to talk to each other and were in a pretty ugly cycle of who could hurt who first, or worst. We seriously talked about divorce. We decided early in the year that something had to change. We started counseling and things got better, slowly, but they improved.

Then in June Jim's step-dad passed away. Watching my husband loose the man that had been his father figure for 16 years, the same number of years he had his biological father, was devastating. Chuck had been sick for so long, but his death still felt so sudden.

Learning to deal with grief, in all its forms, was the hardest thing I had to deal with last year.

I want more joy in 2012 and less pain. Though pain is something mostly beyond my control, and is usually a direct result of caring about someone or something, I'm going to work hard to create joy where I can and hopefully buffer some of that inevitable pain.

2011-12-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a fair amount of Christmas knitting these past couple of months, so there's not much I can show right now. (Just in case...you never know.)

I did manage to squeeze in time to make myself a new hat, which I love.

(Raveled here)

6 days ago was the 6 month anniversary of Chuck's death. We celebrated our first major holiday without him, Thanksgiving. My MIL and hubs lightheartedly joked about it being strange not having him commentating on the food and barking orders about how to prepare everything. But there was this unspoken sadness and uneasiness hanging over that day. I imagine Christmas is going to be the same way. It's been sad for me to not have the yearly quest of finding a suitable gift for Chuck, who was the most difficult person in the world to buy a gift for. Finding something that was the right balance of practical, useful, and cool, was admittedly something I looked forward to. I miss it.

The family has finalized plans to scatter some of his ashes this coming June in Edisto. It's weird because I'm looking forward to it but dreading it at the same time. It's going to be hard to say goodbye all over again but I think that it's also going to give Lillian the chance to say goodbye since she didn't really get to. I know that it will be better for her to say goodbye this way, when everyone has had a year to grieve already and when we are on vacation, making happy memories at the same time. But it's going to be weird to be in South Carolina without him *really* there. Maybe I'll finally be able to talk Jim into taking Lilly fishing.

Actual knitting content!

2011-10-19T07:54:00.001-07:00

Christmas gift numero uno is done!

I finished Amiya's blanket last week. Now I have a total of 3 gifts completed. I have one more that I *need* to finish, a pair of socks and the first sock is done and the other is almost 1/2 completed, but other than that I don't really have any other gifts planned. I'm so relieved. I'm taking the lazy way out and buying everything this year.

Growing up

2011-10-18T08:13:00.001-07:00

I've had two interviews in the last two weeks. Not really sure if I want either job. Not that either of them have been offered to me... I don't know if it's a fear of change that's causing me hesitation, or fear that it's still essentially the same dead-end track I'm on now and that 6 months from now I'll be as miserable there as I am here. Or maybe it's both those things. Do I really want to be stuck in administration for the rest of my life? It's not the office environment that bothers me, it's just that I'm tired of being at the bottom of the food chain and being the person that everyone higher up shits on.

But we could really use a boost to my income. Especially since the cost of our health insurance premium is doubling. If any of these jobs offer me 5k+ more than I'm making now I'm going to feel like a selfish ass if I don't take the job. It's a fucked up position to be in. Do I stay miserable here, or do I take a little more money and be miserable somewhere else? It's a no-win. My head and heart are at odds.

I'm 30. Shouldn't I have this whole what-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up thing figured out by now?

---------------------

Lilly turned 7 a few weeks ago. I'm still coming to terms with it.

She's earning an allowance now by doing a few weekly chores; feeding the dog and letting her out in the mornings and evenings, sorting her laundry on the weekends, and keeping her room clean. Every other week or so she earns a little extra by dusting. She hasn't complained so far (well, she does about cleaning her room, but that's nothing new) and I told her as she gets older we'll add on other jobs that she can earn more money for. Is it wrong that I can't wait until she can load and unload the dishwasher? Let alone run the vacuum cleaner.

Her parent/teacher conference was at the beginning of this month. She's one of the top readers in her class again but she is having some problems with math. She's also having some problems with bossing around the other kids, which is also nothing new. So I've been monitoring her, reminding her to say please, and to *ask*, rather than *tell*, other kids what to do. But the teacher said she's very sweet and overall a pleasure to have in class. She said Lilly's not afraid to speak up when she doesn't understand something, and she was also the only kid who filled out her self evaluation honestly. All the other kids checked 'excellent' on each question while my very humble and honest child had a couple 'excellent' but most 'satisfactory' and one 'needs work' evaluation. (It was for math. I love her.)

She really isn't a baby anymore. She's turned into this wonderful little person with an awesome personality. She's smart, funny, and incredibly generous. I feel so lucky. None of those qualities are something you can really cultivate, they are either there or not. You can definitely encourage them, but they can't be forced. And she's got them all in that wonderful little soul of hers. I was so proud of the review the teacher gave her, not so much because it reflects on me (it does a little, I admit that) but because I feel so blessed to be her mother. She's going to grow up to do wonderful things and she's going to put a lot of good out in the world and I'm humbled and excited that I'm going to get to be a small part of what she creates. Some days I want to freeze her at 7, to preserve her in all her freckled, wide-eyed wonder. It's such an amazing age. But there are other days where I can't wait to see what she does next. I know she'll never cease to amaze me.

Parenting is HARD

2011-09-19T10:16:00.001-07:00

I had to teach Lilly one of her first difficult life lessons this weekend. Found out she has sticky fingers and she stole a tube of Chapstick at the drug store last week near the register when we were checking out. I found it in the cup holder of her booster seat on Sunday and asked her where it came from. She started crying, saying "I'll be in trouble!" I asked her if someone gave it to her, she said no. Jim asked if she took it from someone, she said no. And then that little voice in my head said "Awww, fuck." So I asked her if she took it from a store and she told me yes.

So we went home, I made her get $2 of her allowance from her bank and we went back to the store so she could pay for it. I told her she was going to have to apologize to the cashier and explain that she stole it from the store and needed to pay for it. She was terrified. When we got into the store she lost it and started crying hysterically. So I told the cashier "We were in here the other day and she took something without paying for it, so she's here to pay for it now." I put the Chapstick on the counter and told Lilly to give the cashier the money for it. The cashier seemed stunned that I was making my child come in and pay for a $1.79 tube of stolen Chapstick. She took the money, gave Lilly the receipt and change and said thank you to me for coming back in. (Lilly had a vice grip on my hand the whole time.)

As we left Lilly was still crying and I asked her "Are you EVER going to steal again?" And she gave me a blubbery "No".

I could have spanked her. I could have grounded her from the computer, any number of things. I think however that embarrassing her and shaming her in public was the proper way to handle this situation. I told her that I wanted her to be embarrassed, and that I wanted to make sure she never, ever did something like this again. She had told me on the way to the store that she didn't want to use her allowance to buy it. I told her she wanted it bad enough to steal it, now she had to pay for it because it was the right thing to do, the only way to make up for what she did. I hope it was the right thing. It felt that way. I didn't scream at her and thought it was important that she realized that even though she did something bad, mommy went with her to make it right and held her hand, literally, while she made an attempt to right her wrong.

And I told her if I ever caught her stealing again I won't take her to stores with me anymore.

She has been super sneaky lately, and I keep catching her at it. First it was wearing jewelry to school, then it was buying extra suckers at school. Now this. I told her that if she does something wrong I will find out. I told her "You are a very smart girl Lilly, but I am smarter. If you do something you aren't supposed to do I WILL find out, because mommies find out about EVERYTHING." Hopefully she'll believe that now.

She asked me this morning if I was still angry with her. I told her I wasn't angry, but I was disappointed because I know that she knows better. And I told her the fact that she was so upset when I found the Chapstick was proof that she knew she was doing something wrong when she stole it. I told her I hope that we never have to have another talk about stealing ever again.

She turns 7 on Friday. I hope we both survive her childhood. She's going to give me gray hair.

2011-08-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Things are better here. I've been trying to stay busy, which helps. A few weeks back my sister in law and I worked on cleaning out my mother in law's garage so that she'll have room to pull her car in this winter. It still needs some work but we made really good progress. In the process of cleaning everything out I came across the hat I knit for Chuck. It stung. For now I've put it in my cedar chest. If the day comes when the sight of it doesn't make my chest ache then I'll unravel it and reknit it into a hat for myself, Jim, or Lilly. But the idea of unraveling it right now seems almost disrespectful. And too final.

Some of what I've been working on:

Beekeeper's Quilt

Hat and cowl

Trellis sweater

Crazy novelty scarves for Christmas (This stuff feels like fur, it's nuts. I kind of want to make a blanket out of it and wrap myself up like a burrito.)

Dishtowels

Burp cloths

Socks for the husbeast

Chevron Love Hat

The State Fair was a pretty major disappointment this year. My Trellis did take a first, and Lilly's Roo sweater placed 3rd. But the other 4 entries didn't place at all and this sweater dress:

Nova, was disqualified because the judge believed it was machine knit, not hand knit. And the judge noted it was "Perfectly made." I've contacted the fair to voice my frustration and disappointment. And despite being told my message was sent to the Director of Home and Family Arts I haven't heard back from anyone.

I am upset because I feel that I've essentially lost out on a ribbon, I mean something that's 'perfectly made' should get a ribbon, right? But what I'm really upset about is being accused of cheating. This was my 6th year entering the fair and it may be my last. I pay $30 to enter and if the person judging my knitting can't tell the difference between hand knitting and machine knitting then maybe my abilities are beyond what can be judged at the State Fair level.

It sucks though, because I look forward to it every year. I love telling people to look for my items in the display cases. But I'm not going to pay money to be upset like this again.

Summer's almost over...

2011-07-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

July is almost over. Summer is almost over. For the first time in my memory I'm actually looking forward to the summer being over.

Maybe it's because of Chuck's death. Maybe it's because of the unbearable humidity and heat. Maybe it's because of my fruitless job search. (Jim's not had any luck either.) Maybe it's all those things.

I turned 30 on the 25th. No gray hair yet. But Lilly's working on that for me. My parents threw me a little surprise party which was nice. I'd always wanted a surprise party, but asking someone to throw you one kind of defeats the whole purpose.

Lilly starts first grade in a few weeks. She's excited about school, excited to see who will be in her class this year. I hope she gets a great teacher, I really think her class was too big last year and she didn't get as much one-on-one time with the teacher as I want her to have.

State Fair entries are due this weekend. I finished 6 projects and the lace shawl that's still on the needles will probably be an entry next year. I just don't see myself finishing the border in 2 days and getting it blocked. Oh well.

Grieving

2011-06-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to keep my fingers and mind busy lately so that my heart doesn't hurt so much. Our family suffered a terrible loss two weeks ago and it's been rough. I'm not sure how other people deal with grief but personally knitting has been a tremendous comfort to me because it's given me something to focus on, other than my sadness.

Friday before last, June 10th, Chuck, my step-father-in-law, died. It was just a day before Lilly left to spend a week in Florida with my parents. So we didn't tell her until she got back this past Saturday. She cried, so hard.

Honestly, I did too. That whole week she was gone was awful. The day he died Lilly and I actually saw him. My MIL has been watching her this summer and I went to pick her up earlier than usual that day so we could run a few errands before I dropped her off at my parents house that night. She said good-bye to him, that she loved him and would see him in a week. He said to write him a letter in Florida. By 6pm he was dead. Apparently he laid back down after we left and fell asleep, and never woke up. Most people seem to think it was a stroke. My MIL went to ask him what vegetable he wanted for dinner and he was gone. She's a widow twice over. Loosing both husbands in that same house.

Any other day I would have picked Lilly up around 5pm. She would have gone in to wake him to say goodbye and would have found him. I cannot imagine how that would have affected her. And I almost left with her without having her go in to say goodbye. I wanted to hurry and get our errands done. But I thought "She'll be gone a week...he'll miss her." So I told her to hurry. If I had known I'd have let her sit with him for hours...

My little girl has lost her Poppa. And all four of my grandparents are still living. How the fuck is that fair?

We held a memorial service for Chuck the following Tuesday. He didn't want a showing, didn't want to have people standing over his body. He also wanted to be cremated. So there was no funeral. I thank him for that. Having never lost a loved one before and not having to go through those difficult rituals was personally a blessing. I tried so hard to keep it together, to be strong for everyone else. My MIL kept thanking me for helping, for taking time off work to just *be there*. I felt like if I didn't do something I was going to loose it.

Jim picked at me for days after. I tried to be understanding, tried to understand it was his way of dealing with his grief. However Wednesday we spent the afternoon with his family and he just pushed me too far. We all went out to dinner and afterward he wanted to apologize but I told him I didn't want to talk about it. We drove home in silence. I got out of the car and started to walk in the house and he tried to talk to me about it again. I told him "I can't do this right now." And he said "Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" And I told him "Yes Jim, right now, that's how it's going to be." I went inside, he was going to head to his sisters, and I plopped down into my chair and started to cry. He came into the house and wanted to talk again, I wanted to scream at him. Instead, before he could even start I told him, through tears "I can't do this right now Jim. I've spent the last 5 days taking care of everyone else. Putting my own grief on hold because I thought it was too selfish of me to be so sad when everyone else was hurting. Seeing you, your sister, your family, so many people I love in pain has been unbearable. Right now I need to be alone. I need for it to be okay for me to be sad about Chuck, about everyone else's heartache. I need to be alone to take care of me, I can't take care of your heart right now because mine is grieving. Please leave me alone so I can take care of my own heart."

He looked a little....lost about it. And then he asked me if I needed him to take care of me. And I told him I needed him to go, to leave me by myself. So he did.

I broke down and wept. I almost cry now just thinking about it. I cried so hard I collapsed to the floor and shook. I've never had to deal with grief or loss like this. It's indescribable. And watching my sweet, sensitive girl deal with this has been hard. Especially when I'm so ill-prepared for it myself.

We all knew Chuck was sick, we just thought we had more time with him. He had been in so much pain, for all his life. Polio as a child. As an adult, diabetes, a car accident that screwed up his back, pancreatitis every other year, heart problems, oxygen problems, one leg was amputated years ago due to a diabetic related infection that started in his foot, then two years ago he fell and broke the other leg which left him confined to bed. That's what really did it we think. He couldn't get out of bed, couldn't do any of the things he loved. He gained so much weight...he was around 400 pounds. The night he died it took 6 firemen to get him out of the house. And it was well after 10pm before they got there. I didn't realize he would still be there when we went over. I have never been that close to a dead body. It was Chuck, but it wasn't. I got to say goodbye. I had to pull the quilt over his hand though, because the fingers had turned a yellowish color that just upset me.

I'm having a hard time getting past the fact that he was alive at 12:30pm and was dead by 6pm.

The whole family is grateful that it was a painless death. He hated hospitals as well, so dying peacefully, in his own bed at home, it was the most merciful death I could imagine. If anything it was justice for a life spent in so much pain.

But we are all so sad.

Time got away from me

2011-05-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I haven't posted since February. I've been knitting, here's some of what I've been working on.

Montague Bulky Lace Vest

Mom's Mother Day socks

Mom's Birthday socks

Adele scarf

Bluebird Lace Stole (my own design!)

Greyhaven cowl

I've completed a few other small projects, mostly dishtowels. And I'm working on a dress for Lilly right now.

I've had some really difficult, personal things going on recently. Knitting has been helping me keep my sanity intact and deal with what sometimes feels like an overwhelming amount of emotions. I'm hoping I'm through the worst of it.

On the positive side of things I had an interview yesterday that went really well. I should hear back next week if they want a second interview. I really want the job and I'm hoping they offer it to me, and at least match the salary I'm currently making. It will be a little longer drive every morning but I'm really excited about the job.

Lilly is having her Kindergarten celebration this afternoon. Her last day of school is next Friday. I can't believe it's gone so fast. She reads so well now and has started doing math. She amazes the heck out of me. She still does things that drive me crazy (Like hiding candy in her room and eating it, which I only discovered because of ants. EVERYWHERE.) but she is becoming more independent every day and wants to know how to do everything herself. From unlocking doors with keys to 'helping' make dinner. It's exciting and sad at the same time. She's ready to grow up but I'm not sure I'm ready for her to.

So worn out

2011-02-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

I'm pooped. I've been so busy the last few weeks that it's crazy. I joined a gym (finally) and have been trying to work out 3 or 4 days a week. I started out focusing on my legs and now I'm working on my abs (or lack there of) and arms. They are both screaming at me right now.

It's cut into my knitting time, so there's not much to show on that front. I finished mom's birthday socks and I'm fixing another pair of socks for her now. I'm working on a vest which is almost done, and a lace stole for a class I've been asked to teach.

I've started feeling out the job market and it's dismal. I actually had an interview this morning, which went well, but I don't even think I want the job. It's a contracted position and would only be guaranteed through Fall of 2013. I'm starting to seriously consider a second degree. Nursing school looks pretty good right now, even though it's not the field I would have ever imagined myself considering.

I worry that the job market is never going to recover. The fact that the federal and local government seems to be so damn broken doesn't improve my outlook much. The Democrats are protesting the Right to Work bill by hanging out in Illinois. Great. How exactly does not showing up to their jobs fix anything? Oh wait, that's right, they have to put on a good show for the unions that fund their campaigns. And Republicans are enraging me by attempting to cut health care services for the working class. Rokita (I never did like the guy, I'm glad I quit working for the Secretary of State when he took over after Gilroy) voted to ban federal funding for Planned Parenthood. That makes me ragy. To cut funding for affordable health care and reproductive options when so many people don't even have jobs? How the hell does that make sense? If these 'Crisis Pregnancy Centers' can have federal funding, when they are really fronts for churches that give out free pee-sticks and then want to preach to me about how evil I am for having premarital sex while I wait to see how many lines show up (ask me about MY experiences with the one I went to) and how every pregnancy is a gift from god, why the hell can't Planned Parenthood have funding for ACTUAL MEDICAL SERVICES?

Broken, our governmental system is broken. Two parties does not a democracy make. I'm going to continue to vote for the Green Party and hope that this country comes to its damn senses.

2011-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the sweater I started for Lilly back in August.

She picked out the pattern and color herself. Then when it was almost done she informed me that she "really wanted it to be blue!" I told her "tough". I've never met a more indecisive child.

I'm pretty pleased with it too to be honest. I'm worried the yarn is going to pill like crazy, but I'll just have to wait and see.

Friday I attended a knit night at the yarn store that's opened about 5 minutes from my house. That's where I acquired this cute little project bag. It's the perfect size to hold a sock project. No more Ziploc bags!

My friend Jesi's mom makes them. And it turns out she knits at this shop too. It was nice bumping into her there, not only because I got this sweet little bag, but because trying to join a new group is always a little intimidating for me. So walking in and seeing someone I knew made my anxiety completely melt away.

I'm currently working on a pair of socks (which are in the above cute bag) and after that I'll hopefully get around to knitting myself a hat. I'd originally made myself a We Call Them Pirates hat:

But I didn't like the way it fit my head. Which stinks because it's super warm since I knit a lining too. I let the husbeast have it and he's really happy with it. He said it's his favorite hat I've made, even though it wasn't made for him. He said it's so warm that it keeps the rest of his body warm.

And I'm still hat-less. Boo.

Oh god it makes me clucky

2011-01-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Baby knits are dang near instant gratification. I finished the Baby Sophisticate sweater I was working on. (Ravelry info here.)

I used the kid's bear. Just don't tell her or then I'll be getting requests to knit clothing for her stuffed animals. And she has a LOT of them.

And then I decided I needed to make a hat to go with it.

So freaking adorable.

I intended to give these to the recipient at her baby shower this weekend but a nasty cold kept me away. I don't want to be the sort of woman who goes around intentionally infecting people with my germs. Especially pregnant people. So I'm planning on stopping at the post office after work today to mail it. I'm so pleased with it and I hope she likes it too. I'm sure it's going to look charming on her little guy once he arrives.

I've also decided that this year I'm going to try and sell at a craft show. I haven't decided which one, I assume it will be near the end of the year to give myself time to amass some inventory. But I'm excited about it and hopefully it will give me motivation to crank out some fast projects.

The almost traditional New Year's cold stirkes again

2011-01-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

So, it's 2011. Let's hope the fact that I have a nasty cold, sore throat, and a cough that makes me sound like a pack-a-day smoker, isn't a sign of things to come.

I managed to actually knit four Christmas gifts this year. The previously blogged long, cabled mittens and the green and gray tasseled fez were two. But I also finished a very cute stocking cap for my nephew.

Modeled by my lovely assistant Lillian

Yes, modeled in the master bathroom. It's got the best lighting of any room in the house.

And, drum roll please.....

I finally finished mom's shawl. That was supposed to be 2009's Christmas gift. Oops.

I also managed to finish a baby sweater on New Year's Eve, which is currently blocking on top of my washing machine. When it's dry Lilly has volunteered to let me use one of her dolls for a photo shoot.

My plan for this year is to try and finish the few projects I have on my needles right now. Which isn't really bad. I've got 4 WIP's right now: a sweater for Lilly, a stuffed Tardis (yes, you read that correctly), a Clapotis scarf in doubled laceweight, and The Green Nightmare. I'm ashamed to admit the latter project has been a WIP since 2007. The Clapotis? Since 2008. 3 out of 4 aren't even for me, which might be why they are stalled. I'm working on Lilly's sweater, then I plan to tackle the Tardis and Clapotis. The Green Nightmare only needs the edging so maybe, just maybe, I can finish it this year.

I've decided that I want to learn more kitchen skills this year. For Christmas I made cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time (with yeast and everything!) and toffee. Which my mom promptly requested "more of". I also learned how to make homemade vanilla extract. Which is nothing more than vodka and vanilla beans. This year I want to make liqueurs. I have the recopies for two that I think I'm going to start this weekend.

I also want to learn to sew this year. I want to make the husbeast a Star Wars quilt. And maybe matching curtains too.

Christmas is 17 days away and I'm not a stressed out mess!

2010-12-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

I've been knitting a bit lately. It's weird, usually I'm stressed for time this time of year, papers due and whatnot. But this year I have free time. It's bizarre.

First, I finished a scarf for a co-worker who's moving to Nevada.

Pink and purple and lurvly.

It's wonderfully long and warm since it's wool.

I'd actually started this for myself years and years ago and got distracted by other projects and stuck this in my WIP basket. The colors were perfect for her though and I wanted to make something really delicate but didn't have much time. So this worked out perfectly.

I also made a hat for my youngest sister for Christmas.

Green and gray and ridiculous. :D

I made one of these for Lilly years ago and Britt saw it and told mom she wanted one. Mom told me and presto! I've got a Christmas gift for her now.

I'm working on a We Call Them Pirates hat for myself now. It's freezing here. Single digit weather in the morning. That's typically something we don't suffer in Indiana until January. And I don't really have a proper winter hat. I know, the knitter makes everyone else hats and her head is cold.

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping too, which is nice. Lilly's mostly getting clothes this year. And I plan on going out to get a few things for her this weekend and some stocking stuffers. All my nieces and my nephew I'm done shopping for. I've got to pick up a gift for the BIL and I need to finish my mom's shawl, and then I'm done. It's nice to not be stressed about that stuff either.

I'm really, truly enjoying the holidays this year in a way I haven't in years. I even hung lights up outside. (The weekend before Thanksgiving no less!) Now I just have to decide what kind of cookies to make for Santa this year.

I'm starting to like this whole 'no school' routine

2010-11-08T12:16:00.001-08:00

So I finished some mittens. For the Twi-hards out there, yes, they are "Bella's mittens" from the first movie. You know, the truck scene...where Edward pushes her out of the way, stopping the van from crushing her with his bare hands, saving her life....*sigh* Oh, uh. Yeah.

I didn't have a red apple...so green had to do.

Close of up of the cabley goodness.

They aren't for me though, they are a Christmas gift for my 13 year old die-hard niece. Though I might end up making myself a pair. I like the long cuffs on them a lot.

My internship is going really well. Even though working 6 days a week takes a toll on me. But I'm learning a lot and making valuable connections so the lack of rest will be worth it in the long run.

Even though I feel busy I've still got more free time than I've had in years. The time off from school has mentally done me a world of good. It was only going to be a year but now it's going to be two. I simply cannot afford to take the GRE right now, especially this close to Christmas. ($160 for a test, it's stupid.) Plus, in all honesty, I really think I could prepare better for it. I'm hoping to take it in the spring and then this time next year start applying for graduate programs. And maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a couple more internships in that time.

As upset as I was at first about putting a master's degree on the back burner, I'm not so frustrated about it now. Yeah, it sucks to think about the fact that by the time I get around to applying for a program I could already have my MA. But at the same time I'm not really wasting this break. I'm still learning a lot, though it doesn't count towards academic credits, plus I'm reading a lot more, and still knitting too. No night classes means I'm home every night with my kid, another big plus, and I'm a less frazzled, stressed mom too.

I still want a master's degree, I'm just not in a rush to get it anymore. After all, the bachelor's took me 7 years to complete, if nothing else I've earned a break.

Picture heavy post

2010-09-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

So, at long last I'm making my State Fair post.

First, my awesome array of ribbons this year.

One first, one second, two thirds, and three fourths. Pretty good haul. :)

Next, the first place hat I made for Lilly.

The outside

And the inside. I'm pleased with how well the inside looks. My tension and carries look really good.

My third place mittens.

The tops

The backs and the linings

My fourth place sweater

My third place vest

My fourth place shawl

My fourth place cowl

My second place sweater (Lilly's)

Some of the judge's comments this year bugged me. The comments about the color of the lining of my mittens ("They could have matched better") bugged me in particular. Also on said mittens I was apparently docked points because they couldn't see my finishing. So if I hadn't put in a lining would I have placed higher? Even though putting in a lining is a really tricky, skillful thing to do?

I'm trying to not let it bug me. After all, everything I entered placed this year so that says a lot about my abilities as a knitter.

I recently finished a project for a friend of mine. He sent me a photo of a hat he wanted me to recreate. I used a pattern for the hat portion but I basically made up the beard as I went and then held several strands of yarn together and finger-chained the mustache.

I think it's pretty hilarious.

2010-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been knitting a lot lately. But I've been bad about taking pictures. I want to show my State Fair stuff and I'll try to get pictures this weekend. (If I can remember.)

However I do have pictures of other stuff! First a cute little sweater for a friend who's going to have a baby boy any day now.

It came out cuter than I thought it would. So that's a plus.

And next, a cute widdle version of the Loch Ness Monster. This dude was a pain in the butt. I ripped it out several times but once I figured out the best way to construct it it actually knit up rather quickly.

I'm Nessie. Sup?

I'm a large and fearsome beast!

Now, rub mah belly!

2010-08-24T07:16:00.001-07:00

I should remind myself to not read the comments from the State Fair judges. The stuff they said, like critiquing my color choice for the lining of my mittens ("It could match better" on a lining...that nobody will see... and I purposely chose blue because it's my favorite color), or that I should have steeked a vest with crazy-hard patterning, or that my fair-isle is stiffer than the ribbing of a piece (uh, it's supposed to be)... It's insane. And not helpful at all. I'm just going to remind myself that every single item I entered placed. And just be happy with that.

Classes started back this week. It's weird to not be in class. All the students crawling over campus... and I'm a degree holder. Not literally, the piece of paper won't be in my hands for weeks, if not months, but I've done the work. I've passed all the classes. I walked across the stage. It's nuts. It doesn't seem real. If I think about it too long I get teary-eyed. I've actually done something at times I thought would never happen. 7 of the longest, hardest years of my life are over.

It's rather anti-climactic. It's not the *whoosh* of relief I expected. Instead it's a slow, gradual settling. A nice, gentle decline on the insane amount of stress I had somehow learned to live with.

I've recently had a couple of nightmares about walking into a class and having a research paper due that I knew nothing about though. Hope those stop soon.

Life is weird right now. I feel like so many things are in limbo. I'm at a strange place where I have to just sit back and go with what life gives me. Because major things have to happen before I can make any more monumental life decisions. I have to prepare for the GRE. I have to apply for grad school. I have to attempt to land an internship (which I might be really close to doing).

I finished school and my kid started kindergarten. It's definitely a life shift but it surprisingly required little effort on either of our parts. She's adjusting well and other than having a lot of time on my hands at work now, I'm adjusting too.

Booties and booty (in the form of State Fair ribbons)

2010-08-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I knit something I'm crazy proud of. These little things were so easy to make, but they are so cute I *squee*'d when I was done with them. They make my ovaries hurt with the adorableness.

I did awesome at the State Fair this year. I entered 7 categories and each item placed 4th or higher. My heart almost came out of my chest and I might have possibly whooped and jumped around in the Home and Family Arts Building like a little kid. Jim thought my emotional response was a bit over the top but what does he know? I totally ROCKED it this year and I'm stoked. I've never had every item place so it was a pretty awesome feeling.

2010-07-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Turns out finite math isn't too awful. It's still math, which I hate, but so far it's been a lot of logic (which I already had a whole class on) which is mostly Venn diagrams and truth tables. And now we're covering combinatorics, which is boring and tedious, but not rocket-science hard. Did I mention I can't wait to be done? (August 9th, woo!)

I'm applying for internships/volunteer jobs now. The director of the Museum Studies MA program suggested I get some museum experience to strengthen my application. I'm not thrilled about the idea of having to give up all this new free-time I have but I know it will benefit me in the long run. And maybe even lead to a job in the museum field.

On the plus side of things, I'm not nearly as tired as I have been for...oh...the last 7 years? Taking one class at a time is much less stressful. And knowing I'm so close to being done has taken so much weight off my shoulders.

Somehow I still don't have much time to knit. I've got to finish up some projects soon if I hope to enter them in the fair this year.

Almost done!

2010-06-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

I started my last official undergraduate class this week. Roughly 6 weeks from now I'll be done!

I have 9 entries for the fair this year if I complete the projects I'm working on. Not as many as previous years but I have been pretty busy. I need to finish a pair of mittens and ideally I'd like to finish the Green Nightmare shawl. If I could start and finish a sweater too that would be great. So yeah, it will likely be 6 or 7 entries. But who knows... I cleaned my house from top to bottom last weekend (with the exception of the curtains, which I would like to take down and wash) so I might find myself with some free time now.

The weather has been a little cooler the last couple of days, with very low humidity. It's been wonderful. I'm taking Friday off from work to extend my weekend into a 4-day one and to enjoy this weather while it lasts. Should give me plenty of time to knit and relax.

2010-03-01T13:22:00.001-08:00

I suck at updating this thing.

Life has been crazy lately. Not only am I fumbling my way through my last full semester of school, but now I've got to start thinking about kindergarten enrollment for Lillian. Kindergarten!!!

Wasn't it just yesterday that I brought her home from the hospital? I can't believe how big the little baby with red peach-fuzz has gotten. She's learning to sound out words already, soon she'll be reading and tying her own shoes. She's already under the impression that she doesn't need me. Except when she wants me to buy her something. Or when she injures herself. (Which happens a lot.)

Despite the insanity my life has become I did participate in the Knitting Olympics. :) And I got gold. Heheh.

I started out planning to make a pair of mittens. I ended up knitting two shawls instead. I still count it because it was a major accomplishment and just because it wasn't what I planned on making doesn't mean it shouldn't count. Athletes have to change their game plan all the time...this is sort of the same. Only not.

Hopefully I'll get around to posting pictures.

But probably not. My camera batteries are dead and I can't find my cord. And I have a list of other excuses as to why I "can't" post pictures. (Mostly I'm just too lazy.)

Stalled out

2010-01-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so this blog has sort of fallen by the wayside for me. I'm taking another full load of classes this semester (14 credit hours this time around) and still holding down the 40 hour a week job to pay the bills. It's tiring. But it's also the very last semester I have to do this. I'm finished in August and I get to walk this coming May. I'm really REALLY excited about it. We took a family trip to Disney World the first week of January and it was a nice way to celebrate (a little early) the closing of this chapter of my life. It's hard to believe that in about 7 months I'm going to be a graduate student. (Undeclared, but a grad student nonetheless.)

However my work load makes knitting time almost non-existent. And honestly I just haven't really been motivated to knit anything. I have a vest for myself that's about 80% done and I hope to finish it soon. But there's nothing I'm really *dying* to knit and no knitting deadlines upon me. So I've been reading a bit more and going out with friends when I can.

I can't promise I'll return to posting here on a regular basis anytime soon. Forcing myself to post just wouldn't be fun and there's not much in the way of content anyhow. I'll be back to this eventually, just don't know when.

Some of what I've been up to

2009-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated since July...that's pretty awful. Here's some of the things I've done since then.

And I'm currently working on a vest for myself.

I doubt my pattern of updating is going to get any better. This semester has been crazy and next semester doesn't promise to be any better. But I walk in May! Even though I don't technically graduate until August.

And then I get to apply for grad school. *SIGH*

2009-07-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

I finished these two sweaters some time ago and finally got around to blocking them and sewing on the buttons.

This is my Red Riding Hood sweater.

It's huge and heavy and I'm incredibly proud of it. The pictures suck, because all I have is a point and shoot camera and the lighting inside my house is lousy. But it's so pretty in person and if I enter nothing else in the state fair this year I will enter this sweater.

And the second sweater.

This is actually a really pretty feathered purple, but it's impossible to tell from this picture. It's the same sweater that I made in blue before, but it's the right size this time. It fits wonderfully and I'm so pleased with it.

I'm working on the border for a sundress for Lilly right now and I just finished a small shawl, the first of my Christmas knitting. I'm still working on Jim's sweater but I doubt I'll have it done in time for this year's fair. I'm still reading the Gabaldon series (I'm on book 5 now) and I'm taking a history class that's pretty heavy on reading as well.

I'm ready for the three day weekend. I'd really like a week long vacation but I suppose I'll take what I can get.

2009-06-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

I pulled a solid B in Spanish. I'm done. Forever. I'm so incredibly relieved.

I'm still exhausted though. I haven't been sleeping well. I've been battling a mild case of insomnia for months now. Ever since I got my wisdom teeth out. I'll be fine for awhile, then I'll have a stretch of several nights where I don't sleep much at all. I'm in one of the stretches right now. It leaves me feeling foggy, left in a half zombie, half dream-like state during the day. It's like being on some strong-ass painkillers without the fun of being numb. My whole body just aches. My muscles are tired and my body wants rest.

2009-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today began the last week of Spanish for me, forever. We review tomorrow and take the final on Wednesday. I can't wait to be done. Learning a second language has been the most difficult thing I've had to do. Of course I haven't taken math yet, so my opinion may change.

I've been knitting a little bit. I've finished the first sock for a pair I'm making myself and I've started the sleeve of Jim's sweater. It's been too hot to really motivate me to finish things so I've been distracting myself with reading. I'm on the fifth book of Galbabon's Outlander series now. It's a little over 1,400 pages long so hopefully it will keep me distracted for a week or so. There's one more book in the series to go after this and then in September the seventh book comes out. One of my co-workers has recommended another 6-book series to me (this one is 16th century Scotland instead of 18th) so that should give me something to do between now and September.

My husbeast and I finally broke down and turned on the AC for the first time this year on Friday night. We almost made it until July. There was a good part of my childhood where we didn't have working air conditioning (but we had a lot of fans) so I'm more tolerant of the heat than a lot of people. Jim works outside in it all day which I think makes him much less tolerant of it. So for us to last so long without cranking it on is no small feat.

I hope the humidity won't be so bad in northern Indiana in a few weeks. Because I'm going to Pierogi Fest for my birthday. I've been excited about it for a year now. My husband thinks I'm joking, but I'm not. We're going. And it's going to be AWESOME. :D

2009-06-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Spanish, knitting, and books. That's been my life for the last several weeks.

I'm taking my third, and final, semester of Spanish right now and it is crazy hard. The professor shortened the class to a mere 5 weeks and it's intense. And I'm tired.

I've been knitting a lot to relax me when I'm at home. I finished two sweaters for myself and I'm about 1/4 of the way through a new sweater for Jim. It's a dark, tweedy, pine green and it's going to look so good on him. I like him in blue too but I really think dark greens look great on him.

I finished the Twilight series and dove into the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I'm through book one and I've started book two. It's so good. It's 1/2 historical novel (set in 18th century Scotland, be still my heart) and 1/2 smutty romance. I should probably be reading something more respectable after Twilight, like Vonnegut or maybe even a little LeGuin since I haven't finished the book of her short stories I started last summer. But I need a guilty indulgence. And for semi-romance novels the series is really well written. I have books three and four waiting for me so I don't have to stop reading once I get into it. The series is six novels long and that makes me so happy. It should keep me busy for awhile. The fact that the lead male character is a hunky, red-haired Scotsman doesn't hurt either.

Gardening

2009-05-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

My thigh and calf muscles are screaming at me today. I spent the majority of the weekend working in the yard/garden and in addition to the muscle pain, I'm sporting a lovely pink hue today to prove it.

Since I was in the desert this time last year I didn't plant a garden. Which basically means that my raised bed in the back yard has been neglected for a year. It was inexcusably bad. And being raised a silly city girl meant that when I saw a garden snake in the front yard (and screamed) that I refused to tackle the overgrown back garden until Jim was present. It didn't help when he said he saw a bunch of them when he was cutting the grass. Great, just great. So they are under the front porch AND the back shed. I'm thrilled.

But I finally planted stuff! I planted several roma seedlings together, then a Better Boy, and a Brandywine. (Good god I missed my tomatoes last year. Buying them in the store is just awful for me now.) I also planted peppers, but I'm not sure exactly what kind. My FIL gave me some seedlings and I hope they are at least all the same kind of pepper...because I planted them all together. I had to tear out some of the strawberry plants this year because they went crazy. Next year they're getting their own bed and Jim and I will build another raised bed next to them for the 'maters and peppers.

I also started an herb garden, something I've wanted for years. My mint came back strong and hearty this year and I'm wondering if I need to get lattice or something for it to climb. I can't remember if it's peppermint or spearmint and the internets don't help much image wise. I'm pretty sure it's spearmint because peppermint is supposed to be strong-smelling and have teeth on the leaves. Regardless, I'm looking forward to some really good mojitos this summer. I also planted cilantro (Homemade, organic salsa from my garden. My mouth it already watering.), rosemary, and lavender. The rosemary is also from my FIL and I hope it was all rosemary, because like the peppers it all looked the same and I just planted it all together.

I really wanted a bigger garden this year but since my strawberries mutated I just didn't have room. Next year I'm hoping to plant onions, taters, cucumbers, green beans, and maybe some lettuce or cabbage. I'm not sure if I need to prep the ground for any of these so I'll need to do some research this summer. I remember my grandma battling rabbits every year over her green beans so I may need to make a chicken wire fence. I'm hoping to get the raised bed built this year so I can at least start composting the soil. If I can talk him into building it next weekend I may still get onions and beans planted.

We've also been talking about planting a fruit tree or two in the back yard since it is totally tree-less. Jim wants an apple tree, I want a pear tree. I really want a pomegranate tree but I don't think it would fare well here. I've read they can produce fruit if grown in a greenhouse but my greenhouse dreams are years away. And probably about as likely as Jim's hope of building a half court in the back yard. I told him "Over my dead body."

2009-05-13T05:53:00.001-07:00

My boss retired and spent a few weeks cleaning out his office. These are the file folders he emptied.

Note my desk chair for a size reference.

I'm not going to have to order folders for a looooong time.

I jumped on the Twilight wagon

2009-05-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

I started reading the Twilight series. I know, it's awful teenage, angst-ridden fiction. But it's been awhile since I've had time for pleasure reading and MANOHMAN was it wonderful to indulge. I finished the first two books in about 24 hours last week and I'm going through withdraw because I have to wait until payday (this Thursday) to buy the last two. So I read Edward's story online this morning, which is basically like Twilight all over again, just in his voice. It's like I'm in high school again, locked in my bedroom with Anne Rice novels and my 'horribly depressing' music as my parents called it. I can't get enough. (And it would be nice if Rice would start writing about vampires again. I can't even bring myself to read Christ the Lord. Plus, turning Lestat into a good guy...ugh. He is so GOOD at being BAD and it's just not fair. Anyway.) I give Meyer credit, she's not the greatest writer but she creates a good story and reminds me how it felt to be 17 and crazy, irrationally in love. And how 'romantic' the idea of having a vampire for a boyfriend seemed to me. Like I said, irrational. ;)

I'm a little nervous about starting the last two books. I've read reviews and people don't seem to be fans. I cheated and read spoilers (because spoilers never really seem to spoil a book for me, I'm notorious for skimming the last chapter halfway through a book) and I'm not sure I'm going to like the way the series ends. Yet another vampire author who's going to let me down.

By the way, Edward in the movie has got nothing on Edward in the book.

2009-05-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Finals week is almost over. I have an astronomy final tomorrow and then I'm done! Well, except for my senior project. But I admitted to myself that there's no way I'm going to finish it by Friday. So I asked for an extension. My new goal is to have everything done by the end of the first summer session. I think it's feasible.

I'll have pictures soon of an amazing sweater I'm almost done with. It's so pretty and I'm beyond pleased with how it came out. I'm going to start a sweater for Jim soon. It will be the second one I've made him and maybe I won't be so wary of him wearing the first one once I'm done. I really wish he liked color though, because I really want to make this sweater. But 1; he's not a cardigan guy and 2; he likes solid-colored, incredibly boring sweaters. At least they make for good TV knitting. Maybe someday when he's a cranky, fuzzy old man who can't see very well (oh wait, he's all those things right now, hahaha) I'll be able to make him exciting sweaters. Not Cosby sweaters though, I'd never be that cruel.

Speaking of my husbeast; he found out he's got pretty bad sleep apnea. I've know it for years (I can hear him snore from the opposite end of the house) but he finally went to the doctor and did a sleep study and they confirmed it. (He only did it because I've been making him sleep on the couch until I'm sound asleep, otherwise his snoring keeps me awake.) He's going to have to get this machine that's supposed to help him take in more oxygen when he sleeps. He said it's noisy. I'm a very light sleeper, hence the couch-sleeping for him. We may end up with separate bedrooms if it's not any better than the snoring. At least he'll be more rested and hopefully he'll just feel better in general. Lack of sleep is linked to all sorts of health problems, which I told him, but of course he didn't fully believe it until someone with an M.D. told him. Men.

He was pretty sweet yesterday though. He said that he loves me for nagging him (for years) to go back to school until he finally did. He's the only one who ever doubted his ability to get a degree. But he's only a year away from finishing now (Me too! YAY!!!) and going back to school has given him a lot of confidence. I told him that now he can see my constant nagging is just how I show my love. Kind of like how he conveys his through grumbling. :)

Stuff

2009-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I suck at blogging lately. I'm just so tired all the time that it's hard to find the motivation to put thoughts into words.

I found out today that I've been awarded an Anthropology Department Book Award this year. I guess it's a new award and they say it's "to recognize students who have done exceptional scholarly work, departmental and campus service, or creative research." Which makes me feel 10 feet tall. The award is basically a book signed by all the faculty members, which is a pretty big deal to me because it's the people I look up to and respect more than just about anyone. The people I want to be like when I eventually grow up.

It's been hard working full time and going to school full time. And every time I feel a sense of utter defeat something like this happens. Some little reminder that while I may feel like "what's the point" a lot of the time, there are these amazing professors who see a lot of potential in me. It kind of makes me tear up like a stupid little girl, it means that much to me. Which is pretty amazing when I like to think that generally I don't seek out the approval of other people.

My research project is kind of a mess right now. But it looks like I'll be able to finish it this semester. I really don't want to take an incomplete on it so I'm doing all I can to wrap it up now so it doesn't follow me into the summer. I just fear that my 'original research' is going to end up being nothing more than a 15 page literature review. My adviser assures me that it's the nature of social anthropology, that when you work with people it doesn't always go the way you planned. It's still hard to not kick myself in the pants about it. Regardless, I have to present my findings at Community Hospital tomorrow and I'm so nervous I feel like throwing up.

I'm squeezing in time to knit whenever I can because it relaxes me so much. I finished one pair of socks and started another, this time in pumpkin orange.

I know, I'm knitting wool socks in 80 degree weather. I don't understand it either.

When I get home tonight I'm starting a hat for a buddy of mine (and fellow anthro major) who is graduating this year and moving to Wyoming for grad school. They get snow in June, so I figure a warm hat is a good gift. I asked for input on it and he wants a chullo style hat, which just so happens to be the kind I prefer making. He joked with me today that he's honored to be in the 'Kara knit something for me club'. I wasn't aware of any such organization. Another classmate, laughing, said he wants a beret. Yeah, not gonna happen. (I know, I know, boys tease because that's how they display friendship.) After I finish his hat, and this awful semester, I want to finish my sweater/coat before it gets too much hotter. It's huge and the idea of seaming that sucker if it gets any hotter than 80 degrees seems crazy.

Tidying up

2009-03-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's spring, which for me always means compulsive fits of cleaning. I hate having clutter and disorganization. I constantly have mental lists going on for things I want to organize. I love anything that makes the clutter in my life seem less chaotic. My MIL bought a shelving unit for toys some time ago that I thought was wonderful. It wasn't long before I bought one for Lilly's room and she and I sorted what toys went into each of the bins. I'll either make her anal like me or she'll need therapy. Maybe both.

But, I've decided this year we are going to clean out the the garage. We swore when we moved in that our garage would be used for cars only since we have a storage shed in the backyard. Well, 3 years later we have Jim's 'project' car, the '81 Camero, boxed in and it's been two winters since my car entered the garage. I told the husbeast that we're going to have a garage sale and whatever we don't sell is going to Goodwill. I am determined to get the garage back this year.

I also plan to take a ton of books to the local used book store to try to unload them. Lilly's going to move into the study eventually and the built in bookcase in there will have to be for her things. I also need to reorganize my books since I have so many that I haven't even read yet.

I'm also going to try really, really hard to pare down the yarn stash. I reorganized my Ravelry que so that all the projects I actually have the yarn for are at the top of my list. Except for an adorable sweater I want to make for Lil, and that only seems fair since I just bought yarn for sweaters for Jim and myself and those are at the top of my list. I've got enough projects lined up that I actually have the yarn for RIGHT NOW to keep me busy for the whole year. So I'm going to really try to limit the money I spend on yarn this year. No more buying yarn without a project in mind. And I typically don't count sock yarn and lace weight as stash enhancement since it's so easy to find projects for it, but I have a ton of both, so no more of that either.

Since I'm not going to be digging this summer (I know, it makes me sad but I would be much sadder if I didn't graduate next spring) I'm also going to tackle the 1.5 closets worth of clothes I have. I know, it's shameful. I use half the closet in the master bedroom and then an entire closet in the study which is the same size as the master bedroom closet. It's a ridiculous amount of clothes for one woman to have. I think we need a closet organization system but I have a feeling if I suggest it the hubby will suggest I use his power tools and put it up myself. I foresee that ending badly.

I hope the weather cooperates this weekend because I want to get started. That way by the time May rolls around I'll be done with the house and ready to go at my insane, over-grown garden. So much to do. The lists in my head never end.

Short attention span

2009-03-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

New socks for my mama.

And a pair started for me. Plus a pair planned for the husbeast as an anniversary gift.

I really need to work on my Sylvi sweater if I have any hope of entering it in the fair this year. But I'm all about instant gratification right now, so socks it is.

I win!

2009-03-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

My husband is not the tidiest man in the world. I have been working (rather unsuccessfully) to correct some of his messy habits. I have been doing his laundry for the last 6 years or so and I've been saying the same things to him over and over again.

1. That if he doesn't get dirty laundry into the clothes basket I will not wash it.
And 2. If he doesn't put away his clean laundry before the next time I do laundry (which gives him a whole week) that I will not wash his dirty clothes.

I admit that it was often empty threats. I'd end up fishing out dirty socks and blue jeans from under the bed and often I'd end up putting away his laundry because I got sick of looking at it piled on his dresser.

But you know what? I'm working full time and I'm taking a full course load and right now he's only going to school half-time and he's laid off for the winter. He has way more time than I do and he has plenty of opportunity to put away his own friggen laundry. So I told him that if he didn't get his laundry put away he would have to do it himself. He thought I was bluffing. After three weeks he realized I wasn't kidding, so he put his clean clothes away. (Which wasn't much considering he just started wearing the clean stuff which was piled on his dresser.) He thought that since he put everything away I would wash what was now three weeks worth of laundry. I told him there was no way I was going to punish myself for his failure to follow the laundry fairy's rules. I told him his wife was on strike.

So guess what happened? He ran out of clean socks and underwear this week. :) He had to do his own laundry this weekend and I realized how much time I save myself every weekend by only doing mine and Lilly's laundry. I was actually able to clean both bathrooms! He's a grown ass man who is home all day 3 days a week and half the day the other two days. I think that from now on he should do his own laundry. Wifey's had enough.

My workspace

2009-02-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

I have nothing interesting to talk about today. And this post is really just my weak justification to not do the massive amounts of reading that I need to finish.

This print is from one of my favorite Etsy shops, The Black Apple.

I have two of the same artist's prints in Lilly's room, they feature sweet little red heads.

I got a new plant for my desk.

And I re-potted a plant I've had for years that outgrew its pot a long time ago.

I found the bright green pot in the clearance section when I picked up the other plant and I really love it. There are zero windows where I work because we are down in the basement. So it's nice to have something pretty and green to look at.

Toys

2009-02-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

Hello sexy new slider phone. I sorta have a crush on you.

My new phone has email, web access, and GPS. It could probably bake cheesecake if I asked it to. Maybe do the laundry too.

Also, I have to set limits to my spending for awhile. Because Addi has interchangeable needles now. Be still my heart. They are $150 and I don't think I've ever desired knitting tools so badly in all my life.

Jim's overdue Christmas socks

2009-02-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

I started Jim's Christmas socks on December 21st. I guess I should have started them as Valentine's Day socks.

Modeled by my feet since I finished them at 9:30 last night and he was at his sister's house. They look a little big on me but they fit him like a glove. (He has normal feet for a guy, size 10, and I have largish feet for a girl, size 9.) The first pair I made him don't fit so well. Now that I know to make him socks that are just a little too big on me future attempts should be just as successful.

What I've been up to

2009-02-02T10:12:00.001-08:00

What I've been up to.

I had all four of my impacted wisdom teeth cut out.

This is why I should have done it a decade ago.

Almost a week later the swelling was down, but the bruising was pretty bad.

Purple, yellow, and green don't suit me well.

I knit a hat for my father-in-law.

And I finished a pair of socks for myself.

I had a snow day. I enjoyed the paid day off from work and school.

I watched the dog play in the snow.

And my hubby shovel the car out of the driveway.

I spent time trying to figure out how to answer the questions of my philosophical 4 year old. Such as "Mommy, why are we real people?" The best I could muster was a question of my own, "Well angel face, what else could we be?"

I'm sad that the groundhog has doomed us to several more weeks of winter. Not that it would matter much I suppose. Indiana's winter always seems to last through March and I doubt the absence of a shadow would change that.

I'm frozen solid

2009-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

It's so cold today. The high today is zero. That's plenty cold enough to get "the bite" as my little one calls it. Walking across campus today is unpleasant and I'm not looking forward to sitting in my car while it warms up tonight.

I've been slacking on updating this blog and I really don't see that behavior improving anytime soon. I haven't even been knitting much, I feel like I have so little time for that these days. I'm working on my research project now and it eats up my time. I'm exhausted. Pretty much all the time. I'm trying to make sure I get plenty of sleep, that I'm eating better, drinking lots of water, and that I'm taking vitamins. I don't know if it's helping but it sure can't hurt.

I'm hoping that I'll at least start posting more photos. I don't think there will be much text to accompany them but it's better than nothing.

Kids music

2008-12-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

My music loving four year old is really into the idea of having her own music on mommy's iPod. She likes a lot of the stuff I listen to but at the same time I think it's important to have 'age appropriate' music on there for her to listen to. (Flight of the Concords are funny but people look at me strange when she starts singing "The humans are dead.") She has a couple cds which we listen to (over and over and over) so I told my mom that I wanted to get her some really good children's music this year, something which isn't sung by Mickey Mouse and won't drive mommy up the wall. So my mom got her a cd by Raffi, which is more than acceptable.

But about a year ago I heard this really cool children's song called "Zero's" and it turned out that it was done by They Might Be Giants. When I was on iTunes today I discovered they have several children's albums and I went ahead and bought "Here Come the 123's". Finally, kids music that is actually music. I couldn't be happier.

New hat

2008-12-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

Ravelry is a great thing, but it makes it way too easy for me to neglect this blog. I have been knitting, but at a slow, steady pace. Having a break from work and school until January 5th is really nice and I cranked out a Gretel (Ravelry link) for myself in a little over a day.

I don't really wear hats but I made a purple version of this for my SIL for Christmas to match the scarf I made her and it came out really cute. So I decided that I needed a smokey blue version for myself. Neither of these pictures really get the color right, the true color is somewhere between these two photos.

Looks pretty cute, despite my fat head. :)

Christmas was really nice this year, even though it was a bit chaotic. We had our own small Christmas at home in the morning, then went to my parents house for the afternoon, and completed the day at my inlaw's house. I understand now why my parents always seemed to be exhausted during the holidays.

I'm looking forward to a nice, quiet New Years at home. I'll probably fall asleep before the ball drops, just like last year. I have a few goals for 2009, namely to loose all the weight I gained back. I need to get back on the plan the nutritionist had me on, not only to loose weight but because I have been having all sorts of stomach problems and I need to be worried about my insulin resistance turning into diabetes. Plus Jim and I are planning to start trying for another baby about this time next year, so it would be nice to be at a healthy weight and back into healthy eating habits before I plump up again.

Ugh

2008-12-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

With the economic state the country is in right now I know I should be focusing on what I have instead of what I don't. But our financial situation sucks right now because Jim has been laid off for the season and the unemployment office is telling him there's a 5 week back-log on paperwork. Which means he won't get a check until the first of the year. Which means we are living off of my income only right now and I have no idea what we are going to do about Christmas this year for Lilly. Right now I'm knitting a doll for her and she's also asked me to knit a pair of socks for her but the hopes I had of buying her a 'big-girl' bed and moving her into the larger bedroom for Christmas...well it doesn't look good.

Jim and I got into a stupid fight about it last night because I'm so tired of going through this every December. I want him to get a job that offers more stability and he tells me he likes his job. Even though he griped about it all summer. I feel like he's wasting his potential and he's mad that I'm mad....and it's all just so stupid. He's right, it's not like he can really go out and get a job right now when every place just seems to be laying people off. At least my job has stability, since I carry all the health and life insurance. But being the only source of income in a 3-person, 1-dog household is more pressure than I want.

It's just stress that's compounded lately. I still have to make it through the rest of this semester without cowering in a corner, eating my own hair, yelling at people to just go away and leave me alone. I've finished one research paper, but I still have one more paper, two final exams, a graded performance on a song I wrote, and a research project proposal that needs to be completely reworked. And all that has to be done by a week from tomorrow.

Don't even ask about the cleanliness of my house right now. It's awful.

I just have to make it through finals week, then the week after that is a meeting for my research project and there's holiday parties at work, yadda yadda yadda. I'm really looking forward to having almost two weeks off to do NOTHING. I plan to park my round rump on the couch in front of the television and knit, eat chocolate, and drink cocoa (or wine, depending on my mental state at that point) from December 23rd until January 5th.

Just a year and half of this craziness left and then I graduate. And go for my MA, which will probably kill me.

I should have known better

2008-11-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Today I did sort of a dumb thing. I actually sent my husband into the study to hunt through my sock yarn stash. I sold a skein to a fellow knitter on Ravelry and I wanted to send it out to her this afternoon.

See, the problem is that my husband really wasn't aware of the extent of my yarn stash. Compared to some knitters mine is really quite tame. But to non-knitters even a small stash can seem like a lot of yarn. My husbeast knows I have a decent amount of yarn because I have been quite faithfully knitting from my stash for about the past year. I've rarely purchased yarn in the last 12 months (tight budgets do that to a knitter) and when I do buy it I have a project in mind for it. All he knew is that I would disappear into the study and magically return with yarn for a new project. I think that he figured since I have not been buying a lot of yarn that I must have used most of what I have.

Well today he experienced the full extent of my sock yarn stash. I currently have a whole Rubbermaid tub full of it. He was on the phone with me, trying to locate the skein I was after and he said "Jesus woman you have a lot of yarn." I told him it's just my sock yarn.

I don't think he realized that the two Rubbermaid tubs under that one, plus the cart with 5 drawers next to those tubs, and the additional two tubs stuffed under the built-in bed were also all full of yarn. However, those two tubs under the bed are all cheapo acrylic that I really don't count as part of the stash because it's stuff that I would give away if asked to. My stash is the stuff....well someone might get a metal knitting needle through the hand if they tried to swipe it.

I'll just let him think that my sock yarn is the extent of my stash. And I'll start knitting lots of socks so when it runs low I can proudly show him how little stash I have.

And then I'll buy more and squirrel it away. And I'll never so foolishly ask him to go rummaging through my stash again.

What the heck happened to fall?

2008-11-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

I was just getting used to fall and *BAM* we get hit with winter. It seems like for the last few years Indiana has pretty much skipped fall. If the leaves didn't change color you wouldn't even know it was happening. It's been really cold the last few mornings (and yesterday my hairdryer decided to croak on me so I went out at 7:30am in 35 degree weather with wet hair, yay) and this morning there was a light dusting of snow stuck to roofs. I guess this means I should dispose of the jack-o-lanterns that are rotting on my front porch.

I was accepted into a second national honor society this semester. You have to be in the top 15% of students in your university in order to receive an invitation to join so it's a pretty big deal for me. I work really hard when it comes to school and recognition of that hard work is always a morale booster. I have roughly three semesters left before I graduate, possibly four. But if everything goes according to plan I'll be in my cap and gown walking across the stage in May of 2010. It feels so, so close.

Indiana went blue!

2008-11-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

This morning it was officially announced: Indiana went blue. For the first time since the 1960's.

Now I have to be honest, I voted for Cynthina McKinney this year (the Green Party candidate) because she aligns herself with so many feminist issues that are important to me. But this morning I felt a sense of optimism and hope like many in this country are feeling. To see Indiana go blue, a state that has voted red in every election in my lifetime, says to me that this nation is ready for change. It needs it.

So many people mocked Obama's campaign about Change and Hope (or as it was called so hysterically on MadTV, "Chope") but it seems that at it's heart, that's exactly what America was looking for.

I am so proud today. Americans are finally taking steps to fix the last 8 years of chaos. I think that the rest of the world is taking notice that we have stated loud and clear that we as a people are not happy with what has been going on in our government. America should be about peace and prosperity, not war and economic crisis.

I have joy in my heart today. And hope. Hope for my country and hope that I'm going to pass on a more peaceful and prosperous nation to my daughter than we've ever seen. Hope that a woman's right over her reproduction will be protected. Hope that everyone will have the right to love and marry whoever they choose. Can we achieve it? I say Yes We Can.

Halloween

2008-11-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Halloween was huge hit with shorty this year.

Checking out the shiny skirt

The cape sold her on the outfit. She's really into the idea of flying. She likes to tie blankets around her neck and announce that she's going to save the world. I can only hope. :)

The cape makes me fly!

She was a bit nervous with some of the costumes this year, much like previous years. The only one that really spooked her was a kid handing out candy who was dressed like a werewolf. The skull mask wasn't much of a hit when daddy put it on, but after she donned it and mommy gave her a very believable scream and jump ("Oh Lilly, you SCARED me!!") then she found it to be pretty hysterical.

RAWR!!! I am a scary monster!!

Halloween gets to be more fun each year.

I'm only updating to avoid homework

2008-10-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

So I should be writing papers right now but I'm really lacking proper motivation. Which is sad because two of those papers are due tomorrow.

So here's a finished photo of my Wing of the Moth shawl. I lurve it.

All the info on it is on my Ravelry page (see link over on the right side of the page) and I want more of this yarn. It's wonderful to knit with.

And here's a photo of my tender-hearted little angel. She was upset because I told her to stay back so her daddy could take a picture. Apparently not being in the photo was a very traumatic thing for her. So dramatic. :)

Children's Museum

2008-10-22T13:36:00.001-07:00

Indy is really lucky, they have one of the best, if not the best, children's museums in the country. We go there fairly often, more regularly in the winter when Jim's not working. My MIL bought us a family membership for Christmas last year and we've gotten more than her money's worth out of it.

Last Friday we went to the haunted house which the museum has every October.

It was pretty cool. We went during friendly hours, which is when they leave the lights on, and Lil was still a little scared, but later she said she wasn't. ;)

Since we were already there and Aunt Julie and cousin Anjalea were with us we decided to go through the rest of the museum too.

The girls had a blast in the new comic book exhibit.

They got to dress up like super heros, how could a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old not love that? Lil is going to be Super Girl for Halloween just because of the cape. I never realized the importance of a cape. It helps you fly through the air you know.

They had a great time. I think Aunt Julie did too. ;)

Amazon made a universal wish list!

2008-10-22T12:36:00.001-07:00

Amazon went and did the most awesome, amazing thing. They have created a universal wish list. You can add something from any website you choose. So now I can fill my wish list with YARN. I just added a ton of colorways from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and a pretty purse kit from Knit Picks.

I love it, I can put everything my little heart desires in one place. So the next time my hubby asks me what I want for some occasion I can direct him to that little button on my sidebar and tell him to surprise me with yarn and he won't have to worry about getting the wrong thing. Yay!

Happy Love Your Body Day

2008-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot! Happy Love Your Body Day!

And if you have a few minutes, this is really worth checking out.

Jack-o-lanterns

2008-10-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

I took a few pictures of our jack-o-lanterns this year and they are kinda crappy because I should have taken them the day I carved them, but whatever. Plus my camera isn't so great at taking photos at night. They glow really cool and are much more awesome in person.

The ghost quartet which I spent an hour carving.

It looks crappy here but it really looks awesome lit up and I'm pretty proud of it. Here's a shot of it with my super-bright flash.

And this little guy is Lil's pumpkin. She just wanted a face carved on hers.

It's a tiny little thing but the rule was she had to be able to carry whatever pumpkin she picked out. After about 20 or so suggestions by Jim this is the one she decided on.

I saved all the seeds and toasted them. Half I coated with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning stuff and the other half I coated with cinnamon, sugar, and allspice. They came out okay but I wish I had kept some aside and just done with regular ol' salt.

It's supposed to be fairly cool this weekend and I'm hoping to take Lil out to Adrian Orchard on Saturday afternoon, after my mid-term in my guitar class. I'm really nervous about it because I've spent my nights knitting instead of practing like I should have. Shame on me, I know.

Pumpkin patch

2008-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday the Peterson side of the clan went to Waterman's Farm to pick out pumpkins and go for a hayride. Despite it being over 80 degrees (in the middle of October...wtf?) we had a good time.

(Lil and Anjalea with their pumpkins)

It got miserably hot pretty quickly. I ended up with a bit of a sunburn and Lil doesn't tolerate the heat very well. One of the disadvantages of having such a fair complexion.

But daddy always knows how to make everything better. :)

(My husbeast is one handsome man I tell ya.)

Hopefully things will cool back down by this weekend. There's an orchard about 15 minutes from our house that I've taken Lil to the past several years and I want to take her back again. I want a caramel apple and hot cider but not in 80 degree weather.

Why does the pretty stuff always come out too big?

2008-10-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy this semester and it's been awful. I'm trying to stay a little ahead of all my school work but right now I'm lucky if I stay caught up.

I did finish my February Lady Sweater.

I think it's really beautiful. Unfortunately I made a size larger than I should have. I can't bear to rip out all that work and start over again so for now it's in my cedar chest and I will probably give it as a gift at some point in the future. I also need to take the buttons off and re-sew them on because they don't sit quite right. I'm going to knit it again in a smaller size once I get some extra cash to invest in nice yarn. Maybe green this time, so that I won't feel like I'm knitting the exact same thing all over again. My favorite pieces rarely fit me properly. It's like the Deep-V Argyle vest that I knit twice. The first time it came out big enough to be a dress. The second time the bust was too large. (I keep meaning to give it to Jesi to try on because she has huge boobies and it would probably fit her perfectly and then at least someone would get some use out of it.)

I've got to start thinking about Christmas knitting too. My SIL's scarf is done and I'm thinking about making scarves for both my sisters and nieces as well. The project I wanted to give my MIL last Christmas hasn't been knit on in over a year. Mom and Jim will probably get socks but I just don't know if I'm going to have the time, or the energy for that matter, to knit something for everyone. I really wanted to knit a nice lace tablecloth for my grandma. I need to finish Lilly's doll (and all the clothes that go with her) and I want to make her blanket. I also need to finish my nephew's sweater. And my BIL and FIL are still waiting for hats..... There just aren't enough hours in my day. I'd have to knit on things for other people from now until Christmas Eve and I really want to finish some things for me.

Busy bee

2008-09-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

My life is crazy. Lilly's 4th birthday was Tuesday and we had her party this past weekend. My baby is 4!! The time has gone so quickly.

Tomorrow I'm going to be in Sheridan, IN helping out with a dig. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. All I've wanted to do for months is to dig. Even if it's only for a day it still feels like a reward.

Next weekend is the Midwest Historical Archeology Conference which is being hosted on my campus. I'm looking forward to that as well.

My life revolves around school right now. I've seen my husband for 45 minutes a day for the last two days. I need a break.

I'm sensing a semester long migrane

2008-09-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

The start of the fall semester is never a smooth thing for me. This fall it's been even worse than usual.

For one, I really dislike being stuck behind a desk more than ever. I'm already planning for next year's field school. Montana baby. I'm so excited I tingle at the very thought. (What? I can start planning. It's only 8 months away.) Plus I'm taking Spanish this year. Learning a foreign language has always been difficult for me and taking 5 courses this semester on top of a 40 hour a week job isn't helping. But I really, really love my guitar class. It feels almost dirty to be getting credits for something I enjoy so much. Practicing doesn't feel like homework, it's more like playing with a really fun toy.

Plus there's my car. (His name is Ivan, Ivan the Impala. Shuddup, you know it's clever.) Ivan is a real bitch of a black hole when it comes to our savings account. I spent $2600 to get the transmission rebuilt in August, then another $150 on some valve that has something to do with emissions (it was causing the check engine light to come on) then another $200 on two new front tires. So I was a little fed up with the very idea of car ownership. (I swear if Indy had efficient public transportation I would use it, however I don't want to spend an hour and a half on the bus every morning and evening when I can drive the distance myself in 45 minutes.)

Then, two weeks ago I was headed home after work and class and some woman who was too busy yakking on her phone wasn't paying attention and she rear-ended me. (Oh irony, your sense of timing never fails.) I wanted to scream at her but I restrained myself to simply cussing at the ceiling of my car. Now Ivan is in the shop for 4 - 5 days while he gets a new bumper (which means I loose my bumper stickers, booooooo), a new rear panel on the passenger's side, and probably some other crap. I have a rental (a 2008 Impala which sucks donkey balls and I hate it) and a headache. Cars. Phooey.

I have been knitting in a effort to preserve some of my sanity. The therapeutic value of knitting is vastly under-appreciated.

A sweater for my little monster man nephew

A shawl for me

I'm attempting to plan a camping trip in October as a mini-vacation. Then it will be time to hunker down until the end of the semester. Research, paper-writing, and other general unpleasantness. Ugh.

Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting

2008-08-21T05:59:00.001-07:00

So yesterday my Feminism and Art class went to the Indiana State Museum to see the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting exhibit. Here are some of my favorite parts.

Kinda crappy photo but those are three teeny-tiny jackets and a pair of socks. They must have been knit with wire. That's insane to me.

A small model of The Knitting Machine.

Amazing lace. It was cut out of a single sheet of fabric with an exacto knife. What you can't see is the amount of this piece which is rolled up and hanging from the ceiling. Or the other two panels of it. This was my favorite piece.

Huge piece that ran half the length of the room the exhibit was in.

Totally awesome beyond words.

I loved the irony of this. It's a christening shawl with "It Sucks" knitted into the middle using yarn-overs.

Huge piece made from wire. Some of the wire is so fine I thought it was hair at first.

Full body suit (it buttons in the back) with "Craft Kills" knitted into the front. Those are knitting needles sticking out of it. The same artist who made the shawl made this as well.

All in all it was pretty cool. I had been bugging Jim to take me to see this exhibit for months. It leaves this weekend so it's awesome that I finally got to see it. Everyone else in my class said it was nothing like they expected. I however was happy because it was everything I hoped it would be.

Conversation I had with my almost 4 year old

2008-08-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Lilly: Mommy, you have BIG boobs.
Me: (Insert exasperated sigh here because I am so tired of talking about boobs with this child.) Yes sweetheart, someday you will too. When you are grown up and have your own babies.
Lilly: I will have my own babies?
Me: Yes, when you are grown up and get married.
Lilly: You are married.
Me: Yes I am. To your daddy.
Lilly: When I grow up I'm going to marry daddy!

I of course erupted into laughter and explained to her that she can't marry daddy because she is his daughter, but that being his daughter is even better. Why wouldn't she want to marry him though? Of all the men in the world she loves him most.

Hemlock Ring Blanket

2008-08-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

I found a wonderful, quick knit.

It's the Hemlock Ring Blanket from Brooklyn Tweed. I love this pattern. It knit up quickly and it is really beautiful. And much to the joy of my husband the yarn was from my stash. It only took two skeins of Cascade Eco Wool, one of my all-time favorite yarns, which I bought over a year ago for $9 or $10 each. So a pretty economical knit.

It's going to be for my niece, who I promised a blanket almost a year ago when her baby brother was born. I made a blanket for my sister and gave it to her at her baby shower and as soon as my niece saw it she asked if she was getting one too. I tried to make her a larger version of the one I made him, but I stalled out on it and just got sick of knitting the endless chevron.

So now I've finally finished a blanket for her and of course Lilly wants one too. Last weekend I took her down to Sheep Street and let her pick out the yarn she wanted. She chose a very pretty heathered purple and I'll be starting her blanket as soon as the weather cools down. I'm not sure what prompted me to work on a project that required so much heavy wool on my lap in the middle of August, but I have no desire to immediately repeat that behavior.

Randomness

2008-08-04T05:22:00.001-07:00

- Found out this weekend that what the doctor thought was an ulcer the last time I had stomach issues is actually IBS. Found this out after I had another horribly painful episode on Friday. NOT COOL. At least now I know what it is and the key to treating it is to figure out what, if anything, is triggering it. Fifty bucks says it's stress.

- Found out from my MIL last night that apparently 7 of the 9 knitted items I entered in the state fair got ribbons. That's pretty effin amazing. Plus my ceramics peice got an honorable mention. Pinch me. :) I'm working on a scarf for my SIL right now, out of this wonderful purple cashmere.

I'm going to make a hat and fingerless mitts to go with it as her Christmas gift. I have a strong urge to keep it for myself. But purple is her favorite color, so I'd have to hide it from her.

- My kid is cute.

She likes playing with yarn, just like her mama.

- I've decided where my next tattoo is going and who I want to do it. Appointments will be made soon with the artist I've chosen. I'm crazy excited about it. I've wanted this tattoo for a very long time.

9 is 1/3 of 27

2008-07-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Friday is my birthday. I'm turning 27, which seems sort of unreal. Half the time I feel like I'm younger than that, the other half of the time (usually after I've spent the day trying to corral the energy of my 3 year old) I feel older.

But even more amazing to me is that in just a few weeks will be the 9 year anniversary of mine and Jim's first date. Nine years. It's unbelievable.

I've spent 1/3 of my life loving this man. And I love with my scruffy, rugged hubby more than ever.

Let me distract you with pretty pictures

2008-07-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

I still haven't managed to take pictures of my knitting. But I have pictures from field school, so I'm posting a few of my favorites.

Grand Canyon - South Rim

Zion National Park

Sunset Crater

I'm too braindead to come up with a title

2008-07-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'll have knitting to show soon. The little dress I started is almost done, just two sleeves to go. I would have had pictures to show, but I forgot my camera today. I will however have enough yarn to complete it, so that's a relief.

I think the next item on my list is going to be a little sundress for my favorite redhead.

I bought a kit at Stitches last year to sew her up a simple sundress with a knitted border at the top so I may give that a go. I'm not on friendly terms with my sewing machine (I broke the needle on it last time I tried to use it) so I may need to head to my mother in law's for a lesson or two on how to properly use it.

The second summer session of classes is kicking my butt. I'm taking a philosophy class with my hubby and it's killing me. Only three more weeks to go though, then a two week break before fall classes start. Ugh.

I'm back, and I have knitting!

2008-06-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I'm finally able to post some knitting.

The blue pair on the left are toe-up Jaywalkers I started on the plane trip to Las Vegas. The pair on the right are Nutkin socks. I also started another pair of Jaywalkers.

I'm also working on a state fair project that I need to have completed in less than a month if I hope to enter it.

It's a baby dress. I've made one already, a little over a year ago I think, for my youngest niece. This one is the 12 month size, made to fit the daughter of a co-worker who should be just the right size come winter or spring. I'm worried about having enough yarn to complete it, since it's something from my stash which is unlabeled. I'm pretty sure it's some acrylic I bought at JoAnn's so I may be able to score some more of it. *Crosses fingers*

We're finally going to get the massive maple tree out of the backyard. This is the sight that greeted me when I came home after a month out west.

That wall in the last picture? That's our bedroom. That's how close the tree came to the house. We were very, very lucky. The landlord next door to us offered to haul the part in our yard away when he has his part removed this week for about half of what we were quoted by someone else. So now we'll have a yard again and we can fix the fence so Bella can run around.

I'm back!

2008-06-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

I'm back from my month-long adventure in the desert. And with the exception of about 1/2 a sock I knit on the flight out I haven't knit anything in a month.

Classes start back up on the 23rd of June for me and I'm sure once I'm back in that routine I'll be knitting again.

State Fair entries are due in less than a month so I need to pull that stuff together.

Hopefully I'll have a knitting update soon.

I'm moving to the desert for a month

2008-05-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've been terrible about posting lately but I have valid excuses.

First off, I pulled off a 4.0 this semester. I was sure I was going to get a B in one of my classes but I managed an A by one little point. Hot dog. :)

I'm also leaving for my month long hiatus to the desert on May 11th. Yes, 3 days from today. The time has flown by. I'll have a ton of pictures to post when I return (on June 8th) and hopefully some knitting progress too.

Lots of little updates

2008-04-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Lilly got her first haircut a few weeks ago.

Before

And after

Her hair is so thin and fine it's hard to control. It's a little easier to keep maintained now plus it's super cute.

I'm slowly but surely knitting away. I'm working on a scarf for a professor who is taking a position in St. Cloud, Minnesota in the fall. She's awesome and I'm going to miss her.

I took my inspiration from the plain stockinette scarf that Amy is making. It's pink and brown lace weight alpaca and I knit five rounds for each stripe. It's slow going but it's mindless, which is exactly what I need right now.

I've been working really hard this semester and the resulting exhaustion has been worth it. Tonight the school is having its honors ceremony and I will be receiving not one, but two scholarship awards. So today I'm wearing my grown up clothes to work and I'm going to be a nervous wreck until the ceremony is over at 6pm tonight. After that it's off to a friend's house to party and celebrate the (almost) end of the semester. 2 weeks until it's over and just 3 weeks until I leave for field school.

This morning was rather interesting. Indiana had its first earthquake in who knows how long. I felt it and sat straight up in bed, as did the hubby. I asked him "Was that an earthquake?!?" and he said "I think it's just the wind." So we both laid back down and went back to sleep. Turns out it was an earthquake after all. Crazy.

I've finally made a Clapotis

2008-02-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

I may very well be the last knitter on earth to make a Clapotis, but now that I've made one I'm in love.

I used 2 skeins of Socks that Rock heavyweight in the Titiana colorway. I couldn't get the colors to photograph very well, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I tell you that it's really, really beautiful.

I've forced myself to make time for knitting this semester in an effort to preserve my sanity. I honestly think it's helping.

Plus I have Arizona/Nevada to look forward to. I'll be gone pretty much all of May, living out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. The last 10 days of our field school will be at Shivwits Plateau and we will be roughing it, sleeping in tents and we will be about 4 hours from the nearest town. I'm really excited. :)

Lilly's Hat

2008-02-18T12:37:00.001-08:00

I cranked out a hat for shorty in about 3 days.

She really likes it. I love her sweet little face, I could eat those cheeks. *Nom nom nom* :)

Speaking of shorty's face; I can't believe how well her scar has healed. You can't even see it in these photos. She's a lucky little thing I tell ya.

Some FO's

2008-02-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

I finished the husbeast's gloves like a good little wifey.

And I also made a hat for a friend.

I'm working on a hat for Lilly now, the Tasseled Fez from Hats On and I'm pleased with it so far.

School is killing me right now. There's no way I'm going to pull straight A's this semester and I've decided ahead of time that I'm going to be okay with that. I'm trying to take it easy on myself. I've got plenty of other things to channel worry and anxiety at. For instance, at the end of the month I find out if I will be awarded any of the four scholarships I applied for. One of them is going to pay for most of field school and I really, really hope I get it. So yeah, grades can take a backseat. If I pull all B's I think I will be happy with that.

I have no good excuse

2008-01-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

I don't really have a good excuse for not updating. I've just been insanely busy. School has kept me under a lot of pressure and it doesn't look like I'm going to get a break until May. And then it's off to Arizona for four weeks of field school. The hubby was really supportive of me going to South Africa but the more I thought about it the more I convinced myself that it wasn't right for me right now. I'm not saying I'll never do it, just not this summer. Arizona offers me the opportunity of real archaeological experience and since that's what I really want to do it makes more sense. South Africa would be amazing, but it would be 3 1/2 weeks on another continent, far away from my husband and my little girl. Arizona is so much closer and it would be so much easier for my two favorite people to come out and spend a weekend there with me.

I have been knitting! I started and finished Mr. Greenjeans.

I've also started the Perpendicular Lines Pullover from Men in Knits for the Hubby.

I started off making the Amhra’n Gra’ (which I can't find a link for on Knitpicks anymore) but the cables were totally lost in the dark blue yarn. This new pattern suits him better anyway and I'm sure he'll wear it a lot more since it's such a basic sweater.

I've also started a pair of fingerless gloves for him as well.

I let him have a lot of input on these and I hope he'll actually wear them. I hate that he sits on his hands in the car to warm them up. Just the tops of his fingers stick out of these, from the last knuckle on, so I hope they will keep his hands warm.

I got a pair of needles and a pretty tissue holder from Villain Extraordinaire for commenting on her blog. I can't believe that nobody snatched up the needles before I did.

And also, I'm an Aunt again! My sister gave birth to her second child.

Carson Daniel made his appearance in early December. I've only seen him a couple times because I've been so insanely busy. He is such a pretty baby though and I hope I get over to see him (and his mama) soon. He's the first boy in the family in some time (I have two sisters, and my sister and I had girls) so he's been fussed over a lot.

A little bit of knitting

2007-11-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

We had just a small strech of winter-like weather here before it jumped back into the 60's.

I pulled out the wool socks but I'm not sure how much more use they will get this winter if this screwy weather keeps up.

I did myself a huge favor this year, I decided to not do any Christmas knitting. I've been so buzy with work and school that knitting has been my only escape. I don't want to ruin it by attempting to knit like a madwoman through November and December.

I did make a Jayne Cobb hat for a classmate.

But it went insanely fast and only took me a day to knit and that's including the time I spent ripping and re-knitting the top portion.

I also started a Juno Regina scarf for myself.

But there's not been much knitting going on other than that. I've got a lot of papers to write and just like clockwork I think I'm coming down with some nasty bug. I've spent the last two days feeling like I've been punched in the stomach. My stomach is really sore and I have zero appetite. I chalk it up to the stress I've been under and I figure that once these papers are out of the way I'll start feeling better.

Kauni is COMPLETED!!

2007-11-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since I've updated this thing. School has been keeping me on the edge of my sanity but it's finally starting to wind down a little. I have 3 papers I need to write and then I'm mostly done, minus a couple quizzes and a final in my poly sci class.

But my sweater is finally done, and I'm smitten with it.

I even found the perfect buttons for it.

I did my steeks differently than most people did because I'm not great with a sewing machine. (I took art in middle school instead of sewing.) I used Eunny Jang's method of crocheting a chain on either side of the stitches you want to cut up and since it worked in her vest pattern so well I used it here too. It takes a lot longer but I think the end result is much tidier. I know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this sweater, I am just so pleased with it.

Halloween was great this year. Lilly really caught on to the concept, unlike last year where she stood at people's doors and then cried when they opened them. She makes a cute little pirate.

Mama's scurvy little pirate.

"Pirates say AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

And my youngest niece, my SIL's baby girl, got quite a bit of attention over her cute little love bug costume. She was tuckered out pretty quickly though.

Unfortunately Miss Lilly hasn't been able to eat much of her candy because we are locked in the epic battles that most parents of 3 year old's go through; potty training and eating. She's being really resistant to using the toilet and I'm reluctant to give her any sort of reward because of that. Also I refuse to give the child candy when she doesn't touch her dinner. It's one of those rules my mom had that I hated as a kid but I've become a lot more paranoid about sugar after finding out about my own insulin resistance. I figure if she's not hungry enough to eat a fairly healthy meal then the last thing she needs is to be eating empty carbs and refined sugar.

I suppose this makes me one of those 'mean mom's' but I'm too educated about nutrition now to let her develop bad eating habits. She's had some of her candy, don't get me wrong I'm not that evil. But at the rate she's going most of it will be stale before she gets to eat it. There has also been a clear change in my eating habits. Before I would gorge myself on Halloween candy, chocolate especially. But the fact that candy can go stale in my house speaks a lot about how much my food habits have improved. Cutting a lot of the sugar and junk out of my diet has had a weird side effect; I don't crave it anymore.

Progress but no pics

2007-10-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

I have no progress shots to show you because, even though I have been knitting, I've been too busy to get a decent shot of the Kauni sweater during daylight hours. And now in addition to the 3 papers I need to be working on I have yet another cold, which leaves my head feeling clouded and foggy. Can I blame lack of coherency on cold medication? Damn, didn't think so.

The sweater is slowly coming along though. Since the last time I've posted I've finished the body and set the steeks, cutting out the sleeve and neckband steeks. (I'm waiting to do the front steek until I absolutely have to, that one is a wee bit scary.) I've completed one of the sleeves and last night I picked up the stitches to start the second one, but that's all the knitting I got done before I decided it was bedtime.

I promise that once my papers are further along (and I'm not stuffy and drinking a gallon of Echinacea tea a day) that I will post pics. It's really turning into a beautiful sweater. I've already ordered the yarn to start another one for my mom.

Knitting and a little anthropology

2007-09-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do this post reverse of the way I normally do things when I have very little knitting content to show you. I'm actually going to show you the knitting FIRST and then ramble through the rest of the post. (This whole post is just a lame excuse to avoid the homework that's due tomorrow by the way.)

I am almost to the point where you start the armholes. For such a simple, mindless pattern it has really kept my attention. I haven't knit on any other project since I started this, which is rare for me. I really love the colors and maybe that's why I've been faithful to it. I can't wait to have it finished so I can wear it.

This past weekend I went on an overnight field trip with some of my fellow anthropology majors. We went to Koteewi Park in Hamiliton County, then to Mounds State Park in Anderson where we camped for the night.

I'd never been to the mounds before and it was a really cool experience. They are astronomically aligned with the position of the sun during changes in seasons and one of the mounds is also aligned with a star, though I can't remember which one.

It's impressive to think that these were created with nothing but manpower, digging sticks, and baskets to move the earth.

After this semester I will officially be a junior. It has taken such a long time to get this far and I'm starting to be a little happier about taking the leap to be a full-time student. It means a lot more work though and I have to start thinking about impressing grad schools, which means I need to be involved in activities outside of classes. So with that in mind I've applied and been accepted into the school's charter chapter of Lambda Alpha which is an honor's society for anthro students. The main reason for joining (other than the fact that I'll get to wear a cool sash when I finally graduate) is that it makes me eligible for scholarship money. Which means, if I get it, when I'm considering field schools next summer it may make things easier financially. I've also volunteered to design our chapter's website as well, which I think will be kind of cool.

I'm so incredibly busy these days but it's really fulfilling. I'm being exposed to so much newness this semester and I'm learning and absorbing more than I ever thought I could.

Lace up cardi pics

2007-09-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Shorty's rather pleased with her far-too-big sweater.

We've spent a lot of time outdoors this summer and the result is that we've both got a lot more blonde in our hair. I'm hoping her red will darken up again this winter. She's also finally getting over the nasty cold/sinus infection and is starting to act like her old, demanding, persistance, far too intelligent self. I can't believe my sweet girl is going to be 3 this coming Sunday. I'm starting to understand why my mom still calls me her baby. No matter how much my sweet girl grows I still look at her and see the tiny infant that had just the slightest bit of red fuzz for hair.

I'm also pleased today, despite this nasty cold that leaves me feeling foggy, off balance, and has my ears ringing. The Kauni sweater seems to be behaving this time around and lest I jinx it I'm waiting to take pictures until it's a little further along. I also have cute (and comfy!) new shoes that make me happy every time I look down at their shiny patent leather toes.

I may have to knit a sweater to match them.

2 posts in one day, it's a new record!

2007-09-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is where the Kauni sweater is right now:

And I'm going to have to rip it out AGAIN because of this:

Can you tell the difference? I sure can't. The worst part is this:

Ball A

Ball B

That's a huge stretch of red in each ball. Which means instead of the nice contrasting boxes I would end up with a red stripe. This is making me grumpy.

I can't believe I'm going to have to rip this all out. Don't even get me started on the huge knot in Ball A where there was a break and the manufacter joined the purple up with ORANGE so now I'm missing the whole transition between those two colors. You know, blue, green, yellow. >:|

I'm finally updating!

2007-09-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that this pattern of sporadic updates will continue for most of this semester. My workload has evened out a bit so I'm not as stressed out as I was last week, which is really nice.

Not much has been going on. The Lace-up cardigan is finished and hopefully I'll have modeled shots soon. It's huge on Lilly but at least I finished something before she outgrew it for a change. She's pretty pleased that mommy finally knit something for her.

I am finally starting to realize that I have lost a lot of weight since last year. (Although my ass doesn't look any smaller to me, how is that possible? Anyway.) I put on a pair of jeans last week that fit me pretty well in spring and I was able to pull them all the way down without unbuttoning them. I went through my closet last weekend and got rid of all the tops that are too big on me.

That's a lot of free hangers, which of course means I need to do some shopping. :) I did buy myself a few new tops for fall so I'm itching for cooler weather. I'll enjoy these 75 degree days for as long as I can though. I'm really proud of myself because this won't be a temporary weight loss. I have really made an effort to change my overall eating habits which is why the weight loss has been slow, but I know that it will be for good. I will never, ever let myself gain weight like that again. I am really starting to be happy with my figure for the first time in a long time. I'm still pretty curvy but I'm okay with that. I've decided that curvy suits me.

In knitting news, I've finally cast on for the Kauni sweater. Well, let me correct myself. I've cast on for it about 6 times now.

This is where it was right before I had to rip it, again.

It looked great but then the purples matched up so I ripped it out and started again and I am much happier. I'll take a new photo once I'm a couple repeats into it. This is probably going to be my default project this fall/winter. How much do you want to bet I finish it just in time for warm weather in the spring? I'd really like to crank it out and be done with it so I can start Jim's sweater. With all the cables I know it will take me a year to finish his.

I may never get to knit again

2007-09-04T12:39:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated this. School is pretty overwhelming this semester and I've done very little knitting. I'm still working on the second sleeve of Lilly's sweater. I wanted to knit gifts for people for Christmas. Yeah, that's not going to happen. Thankfully I cranked out the baby blanket for my nephew that's coming in December awhile ago. Otherwise he'd be born long before it was finished.

I may not feel like I'm getting squat done, but my husband has been a busy bee. He and my BIL built a porch on the front of our house this weekend.

(Please ignore the dead, brown grass.)

And here's the hubby at work.

A porch was really the first thing we talked about doing to the house and I'm so happy we finally did it. In the spring he's talking about building the roof and then putting up the railing. I attempted to enjoy our new porch last night but the mosquitoes ate me alive. It wasn't pleasant.

Since I have no knitting news I figured I could share of photo of the vase that got me a 2nd place ribbon at the fair this year.

And my new purse.

Yes, it really does have the 'F word' bleeped out all over it. It's fitting actually, since the workload this semester makes me want to say this word a LOT.

Non-knitting update

2007-08-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those really, really long days. First there was work. Then I had to drive to the fairgrounds to pick up my entries and ribbons in the pouring rain. Roads were flooded all over the place and since I'm driving my hubby's car (or rather, one of his cars (he has 3), because my transmission is being rebuilt, ugh) I couldn't use the defrost. Or rather I could, but whenever you use the defrost in his car this horrible, putrid smell comes of out the vents. Yesterday I finally figured out what the smell is. It's cheese. Limburger to be exact. I wonder what the poor bastard who had the car before my husband did to deserve that.

Then I went to my sister's for dinner and by the time I got the rug-rat home and into bed (after 2 stories, 3 songs, and many goodnight hugs and kisses) it was 8:30pm and I wanted to knit but I was just too tired. So instead I ate a package of the Elvis Reese Cups I finally found after looking for them for weeks. I bought two packages and then when I got home I found out the hubby had bought me one too. Bless that man. They are pretty sweet but so good. I also started the book I purchased after hearing a really good review about it from a friend.

This will most likely be the last bit of pleasure reading I squeeze in before The Semester From Hell™ officially starts tomorrow. Is it normal to feel like you want to throw up after you realize what you've signed yourself up for? A 12 credit hour load on top of a full-time job. Plus I'm not exactly taking easy classes; Paleoantropology, Ethnographic Methods, Intro to Public Policy, and Human Growth and Development. I think my husband put it best when he said "You're about to be stressedthefuckout."

At least one of my Reese Cup had a double wrapper on it last night.

When I was little my mom used to tell me that it was good luck. I still totally believe it.

Beware, there's a long rant at the end of this

2007-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

I got very little done this weekend. Saturday the weather was nice and Lilly and I sat on the front porch watching dragonflies and butterflies while Jim washed the cars.

This is the coolest dragonfly I've ever seen. Most of his wings are clear which makes the brown parts stand out and it looks like he's holding little air traffic controller flags. (Hey, I have a 2 1/2 year old, developing an over-active imagination is an involuntary side effect of having children.)

I also made some progress on the Lace-up Cardi.

The back, two front pieces, and one sleeve are finished and the second sleeve I cast on this morning. So hopefully by Friday this will be blocking and I'll be casting on for my Kauni sweater.

I know this subject has been something a lot of people have been discussing on the knit blogs but I can't help but throw my own two cents in. I'm talking about yarn shops and the elitist, cliquish vibes they give off. I feel that if a yarn shop wants me as a patron, and therefor wants me to spend my money in their establishment, then they have a responsibility to create a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. The only 'local' shop I've ever felt welcome in is Sheep Street and it's in Martinsville, which is quite a drive for me.

If I go to a restaurant and I get bad service I don't go back. If the waiter or waitress is having a bad day and their attitude sucks I don't tip them. (And I used to wait on tables myself and completely understand how hard it is. But as a waitress it's your job to make the customers happy. If you don't, you don't make money. It's simple.) I figure if I go out to a nice dinner with my husband and daughter we spend between $40 - $50. I typically spend more money than that whenever I go to a yarn store so I expect they provide service with a smile. If I go in and the owner is snotty, rude, and condescending the whole time I'm there then I'm not likely to go back. If you want my money then you should make me feel welcome. If you don't then you clearly must not want my money.

And when I realize it's not just me getting the 'vibe' from these places I don't feel so bad. Like when I hear that shop owners want to discourage people from just coming in to knit and not spending any money. Saying things like they want to charge people a 'chair fee'. Excuse me? You want me to pay you so I can sit in your shop and knit? How exactly is that a friendly, welcoming environment? You would think shop owners would be a little more inviting, seeing as how there's so much yarn (and therefor so much competition) available on the Internet these days. If I want something all I have to do is hit the little 'pay now' button and I can have it shipped to my door. I come in to a yarn shop to be around other knitters. So we can faun and fuss over each other's knitting. And if someone happens to be knitting something I like and the shop owner carries the yarn (or a good substitution for it) then chances are I'm going to make an impulse purchase. I very rarely enter a yarn shop with the intention of buying yarn. It just always seems to happen that way. But if you only want me to come in when I want to buy yarn? Well then you're going to see a lot less of my money. I'll just keep spending it at Webs and Knitpicks.

Ow. Ow. OW.

2007-08-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm the type of person where if I'm going to do something, then I'm going to go all out and do it right.

So, if you're going to screw up your back you might as well really fuck it up, right?

Last night was misery. The only time I've been in more pain was when my epidural wore off and contractions were violently ripping through my body. I could barely move without being in pain last night so Jim took me to Medcheck and they gave me an injection of anti-inflammatory medicine. That helped a lot. Then they sent me home with scripts for an anti-inflammatory, some pain relief patches, and muscle relaxers (they helped a lot more). I went in to my family doctor this morning for a follow-up and he said he's pretty sure it's just muscular, which is good because muscles heal.

I'm sore and stiff today and it totally sucks. I haven't got a clue as to what I did to tweak my back and send myself into such agonizing pain, but if I do figure it out I'll be sure to avoid doing it ever again.

And on a brighter note; I finished the first pair of my nephews socks but never posted a picture of them. So here they are.

They are so cute and I've already started another pair.

Visiting the frog pond

2007-08-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Mystery Stole has been frogged. I wasn't caring much for the yarn for that particular pattern and when I saw the wing...well I knew it was time to rip. I think I'll try it again some other time but I'll knit it as a symmetrical stole instead.

It came. It's finally here. And I can't stand the anticipation and I wanted to cast on last night but instead spent several hours winding it up.

My Kauni yarn!! The yarn is more beautiful than I imagined it to be. I made a promise to myself that I would finish Lilly's sweater before I cast on for this. But it's going to be so hard to resist the temptation.

My weekend and Stitches Midwest

2007-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's take things in order. Friday I got my hair cut.

It's short but I like it. The husbeast said it was "Cute" and if he thought it was really awful he would say so. So I'm pretty happy with it.

Then Saturday was Stitches and it was AWESOME!! Walking through the door was total sensory overload. Color and texture everywhere. Yarn and fiber as far as you could see. It took almost all day to walk through it. We weren't allowed to take photos inside (boooo, hiss) but I can bore you with a few other photos. :)

Touristy photos of downtown taken from the bus.

It was the first time I've ever been to Chicago and my impression of it? Downtown Chicago is big and crowded. It would swallow downtown Indy several times over. We were at the convention center all day Saturday so what I saw of Chicago was pretty much out the window of the bus. I can't wait until Jim and I go together in December.

We finished walking through all the booths around 4:00 and the bus wasn't scheduled to leave until 6:00 so I bought a new pair of Addi's and I cast on for a sweater for Lilly.

It's the lace-up cardigan from Barefoot Knits. It's super simple and is flying along on the needles. I'm almost finished with the back. I'm making a size 4 and I think it will be too big for her to wear this fall but should fit her come spring. The Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece is really nice to work with.

Sunday the husbeast was offered a new job and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll take it. I have a really good feeling about it but I know that I can't pressure him into anything. So when he asked what I thought I just told him what I thought the benefits of accepting the job would be and left it at that. They are willing to start him out at what he's making at his current job so he's really got nothing to loose at this point. He's been wanting a change and I just feel like this is it. So I'm crossing my fingers and toes and I'm hoping this will be what he needs right now.

Tomato progress

2007-08-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day yesterday this is where the Swiss Miss Tomato is. (Named such because it is almost the exact shades of the Swiss Miss Cocoa packaging.)

I need to hustle and finish this up today if I plan to block it and wear it Saturday. And it's going to need a really good blocking.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Ravelry? I couldn't wait to get my invite to see what all the fuss was about and man oh man, it is wonderful. It's so cleverly organized and the whole concept is just amazing. I love being able to see so many examples of things I've considered knitting. It's so much easier than googling a pattern and hoping you can find other people's FO's. Plus you get to see all the modifications people have made to patterns as well. There are 63 Tomatos on there right now (including mine) and even though I'm knitting it as it's written (at least this time, I'm already thinking about one in forest green and khaki) it's nice to see the tweaks that everyone else has made to it. Ravelry is an amazing idea, I wish I had been the one who thought of it.

Swiss Miss Tomato

2007-08-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

I finally started my Tomato. Everything was going just fine until...

Notice anything? Look closer.

That is not houndstooth people. It is something far from it. I have no idea how I managed to screw up a simple pattern repeat, but I did. So a lifeline was run and some ripping took place.

This is so much better.

I want to finish it in time to wear it to Stitches on Saturday. Provided there's no more mistakes on my part that might just happen.

The yarn for my Kauni sweater is on it's way to me and I can't wait to start it. Which is another reason I need to finish this sweater. Because I'll want to cast on for Kauni the second it's in my hot little hands.

And now for sort of sucky news. I didn't do very well this year at the fair. I was really disappointed because the one project I thought might be worthy of a blue ribbon, my Tulip Socks, didn't get a ribbon at all. I ended up with two honorable mentions (my vest and my felted purse) and I know I should be happy about it but I'm just bummed. I also entered a vase that I made in my ceramics class last year and it placed 2nd, so that was a really pleasant surprise.

I suppose there's always next year, right?

State Fair Entries

2007-07-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday I dropped off my state fair entries. I entered 5 pieces this year. I've blogged about all of them, but here they are all together.

My Noni Garden Party Bag, felted purses category.

Ene's Scarf, knitted lace category.

Violets by the River Shawl, knitted shawl category.

Deep V Argyle Vest, knitted vest or sleeveless shell category.

Tulip Socks, knitted accessories category.

I think the socks are my favorite piece. Hubby loves the Ene's Scarf, he thinks it's the best work I've done so far. But he doesn't know how complicated color work is and that I'm sort of crazy for using 7 different colors of yarn to make a pair of socks. :)

I also submitted one of my ceramic pieces as well. It's a vase I made with Lilly's hand prints on it. I don't expect it to get a ribbon, since I only had the one semester of wheel-throwing, but it would be nice to see it displayed.

I'm really anxious this year. Last year I entered fully prepaired to not get any ribbons and wound up with two. I think my work has really improved since then so getting at least one ribbon this year would be nice.

I spoil myself better than anyone

2007-07-27T05:22:00.001-07:00

The Harlot is a real enabler. First the Mystery Stole (which wasn't so bad since I had yarn for it in my stash) and now the Kauni Sweater.

I just put a pre-order in for the yarn. (Because, like me, everyone wants to knit this thing now and the yarn is on back-order everywhere.) I'm awful. $70 including shipping. (Don't tell my husbeast!) I don't feel too terrible because it's been ages since I've really forked out that kind of money for anything. And I got my bonus on this paycheck. But I'm not going to have any money for Stitches if I keep this behavior up. So no more purchases until then.

It really is a beautiful sweater though and I know I'll wear the heck out of it. $70 is way more than I would normally spend on any piece of clothing but it's so pretty...and I want it. And sometimes you just have to spoil yourself. :)

The Mystery Stole is really slow going.

I just really haven't been in a lace mood. Plus the yarn is a camel/silk blend and smells like....well pretty close to what a camel's butt smells like I'm sure. I did finish the baby blanket though and last night I started on these.

I love baby socks. And since my little nephew (Yes, my sister is going to have a BOY and I'm so excited I can't stand it!) is going to be born in December he's going to need lots of warm little socks. And Aunt Kara is going to see to it that his little feet are nice and toasty.

6 days until state fair entries are due!

2007-07-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get some things finished for the State Fair. My entries are due by the 29th. So there was no knitting this weekend, just some sewing.

I attached all the flowers to my Noni bag and I also put in a lining and a zipper.

I think the zipper looks sloppy though, so tonight I will likely be ripping it out. I love the lining however and I'm really pleased with it. Which is a relief, since I did the whole thing by hand and really don't want to do it again.

I also (with the help of the hubby) got some better shots of the Ene's Scarf that I finished back in January.

I love this shawl so much. It's going to be my knitted lace entry for the fair.

And Ravelry? It's like knitter's crack. I am already addicted and I'm loving it.

Oh YAY!!

2007-07-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

I got my Ravelry invite at last! :D Add me, knpeterson81, when you get your invite too.

Yarn Bouquets

2007-07-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

This is one of the greatest ideas ever! It's way better than getting flowers. :)

They even have a SeaCell blend! *Drools*

My favorite 4 letter word....Free

2007-07-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

So I was working on the super secret knitting and it was less than my best work. I'm really picky when I'm knitting something to gift away to another person so I ripped all of this out.

I'm starting it all over. I'm a whole 5 rows into the second attempt. It's not really good tv knitting since I have to pay close attention to the chart. (I totally blabbed about it to the person it's going to be for, so I can post pics now.)

This has been my tv knitting.

It's grown a lot since the last time I posted it. I'm really pleased with the way it's turning out.

Under that blanket-in-progress is my new love seat.

The people that live across the street from my BIL were throwing away this love seat and a matching 7-foot couch. Yes, throwing them away. We took them both. The big couch is in the garage because my back will not cooperate with my husband long enough to move our current couch, a very heavy hide-a-bed, into the garage. Apparently these people got new furniture and didn't want this stuff anymore (along with a bunch of other furniture they were tossing out). It still looks almost brand new. There's a few spots on the arms of the love seat but I think they'll come out with some upholstery cleaner and a little elbow grease. I vacuumed them off really well and there's not a thing wrong with either of them; no funny smell, no rips, and not infested with fleas. They are quite comfy and are made of a white corduroy-ish material. I can't believe it. The stuff some people throw away, huh?

Haven't you always wanted a monkey?

2007-07-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

Remember this?

Well by Friday night this is what it looked like.

Saturday I started seaming it and by late Saturday evening this is what I had.

He's Lilly's new buddy. I asked her what his name was and she said "Big Monkey". (As opposed to Sock Monkey, which she has one of as well.) I thought she would come up with something a tad more creative, this is the child who named her stuffed dragon Biscuit, but I suppose being literal is a good thing as well.

I used this pattern after seeing it on Monkee Maker. He still needs a shirt but he's pretty cute. Next time I knit this I'll probably go down a needle size because the fabric stretches a lot when you stuff it. The eyes are also just slightly uneven but I can always fix those later. I don't feel like prying him from the clutches of a 2 1/2 year old right now to do it and she doesn't notice those details anyway.

(And if you notice the button on the sidebar, yes I got suckered into the Mystery Stole knit-along. Thanks to the Harlot.)

I have (project) commitment issues

2007-07-05T05:14:00.000-07:00

I got a some things accomplished over the last few days. I fought a tough battle with the mildew and soap scum in my bathtub, I went with my two favorite people to the canal yesterday and had a funnel cake, and I finally got around to hanging up the glass ball I bought at the Broad Ripple Art Fair some months ago.

It's hanging in the cut-out area by my kitchen sink that overlooks the dining/family room. (See my fireplace mantel and one of the skylights? It's my favorite room in the house, the room when I walked into it I just knew it was the house for us.) I love this little glass ball. It reminds me of the ocean.

However I did one other, sort of bad, thing. I caved on the promise of project monogamy. Which means there's no way the shawl is going to be finished before Christmas, let alone by the end of this month to enter it in the fair. I suppose there's always next year though.

This is my next project. Any guesses as to what you think it might be?

All's quiet on the Midwestern front

2007-07-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

There may not be too many updates in the next few weeks from me unless some sort of miracle occurs. (Like gnomes finishing some projects for me while I'm sleeping.) This is the current state of my knitting.

Exciting, no? I want to finish this in time to enter it in the state fair. I'm currently just over 1/2 way done on the center panel. So if I hope to finish the thing in time to enter it then I'm going to have to excercise some project monogamy. And since there's only so many times you can photograph the progress of a shawl...well it doesn't make for good blog fodder.

So I haven't fallen off the blog, I'm still diligently knitting away as well, I'm just going to hunker down and finish this damn thing. We'll see how that goes since there's class, homework, and my family duties (cooking and cleaning are so over-rated) that tend to get in the way.

Violets by the River #2, baby blanket, and no shampoo

2007-06-25T05:21:00.001-07:00

The green lace shawl still isn't done. That doesn't mean I've been unproductive though.

I finished Violets by the River #2. It took about a week to finish from the time I cast on until it was blocked. It went crazy fast. It took about 8 1/2 skeins of Berroco (Cotton Twist I think?) that I bought on clearance from Webs for like $2 a pop. It's huge, silky, and I love it.

And then instead of working on the lace shawl like I should I cast on for another project.

I picked this up at Sheep Street when Jesi and I went last week. It's going to be a cute little baby blanket for my sister's little one, who's due in December.

After what I read here, here, and then here I decided to give the no shampoo thing a try. I was sure that after a day or two I'd hate it and that my hair would be an oily, gross mess. Well it's day three for me and my hair is a little poofy today (which given the humidity is a normal reaction from my hair) but my hair actually feels better and it doesn't look greasy at all. I think I may add some lavender oil when I do the plain water rinse because, despite my husband saying he doesn't, I smell the vinegar just slightly and I feel like anyone close to my hair would too. (Not that strangers sniff my hair, but you know what I mean.) I also tried it out on Lilly, whose hair only gets washed twice a week when she takes baths, and the results on her were instant. I washed her hair Friday night and today it's still pretty, soft, and silky. Usually 24 hours after she's had her hair washed it's a frizzy mess. So I'm rather pleased with the results and I'm going to stick it out myself a little longer since I think my scalp (which I was shampooing every day) needs longer to adjust.

My Weekend in Photos

2007-06-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

Friday we went to the zoo.

There were Flamingos.

And pony rides.

And a train ride.

And Lilly wanted to sit by herself, not on Mama's lap.

By the end of the day we all felt like this.

Saturday we went garage sale hunting and I made a lot of progress on this.

It's my second Violets by the River Shawl. I needed a break from the laceweight and this has been a welcome distraction. It is flying along on size 9's. I have a deadline for the green shawl (I want to enter it in the state fair) and that makes me sort of hate it right now. I'm halfway through the body of it and it feels like it's never going to end.

Then Sunday we got up super early (out of the door at 7:30am...on a Sunday) and went to the Bargersville Flea Market.

Lilly got a rocking horse.

And I got a bike.

Then Lilly and her daddy celebrated Father's Day in style.

And I took the break to go for a ride and knit away on the shawl. I anticipate it will be done very soon.

Actual knitting progress

2007-06-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned in my last post that I found out the hard way that mohair and I do not mix. This is the little villain that made me itch.

Pretty cute huh? It took me less than a day to knit up and I itched for a solid 24 hours afterward. I was determined to finish it though and now all it needs is some stuffing and the belly sewn shut. I added a small loop at the top because I'm most likely going to use it as an ornament for the Christmas tree.

I'm still slowly knitting away on the shawl as well.

It's slow going but I love it. My knitting time has been scarce because school has been keeping me pretty busy. The next summer session doesn't offer much a break either because the class I'm taking meets three days a week instead of two days like this session. I'm not sure why I thought summer classes were a good idea. I could really stand to have a break right now.