i am a lame ass knitter

Or maybe just a lazy knitter. Or a tired one. Seems like I'm always tired, even when I don't exert myself all day.

I cast on for my Jaywalkers two weeks ago (at least it seems that long ago, not sure of exact timing here) and this is as far as I've gotten:





I've just turned the heel and started the gusset decreases. I'm so slow! I have narrow feet so I always have to decrease more times than a pattern calls for, so it will be a while before I'm done. Good thing I have four hours of class on Tuesdays for just this little sock.

I'm no closer to finishing my Saturday Market Bag either. It looks at me quite forlornly. It really wants to go shopping, I can tell. My fear is that it would fill itself up with gorgeous yarn I can't afford and I'd be forced to pay for it, cause I'm hard pressed to put back a bag full of yarn. Unless it's Red Heart. No problems there.




In other news, I haven't heard yet from any potential employers. The job I want the most is supposed to let me know by the end of the week. I know that gives them one more day, but still, I'm trying hard not to feel bummed that I haven't heard about it yet.

But, I do have a new toy to keep me content. I'm extraordinarily spoiled, and I'm not even going to ask how Nate found the money to buy it for me. I just know I'm really lucky.

So of course, I must give you the obligatory animal pics:




"I'm ready for my closeup Mr. DeMille..."




"Oooh, I get it! Hehehehe"




"zzzzzzzzzz..."


And here is an orchid I was given last week by a coworker. Let's see how long I can keep it alive.



And of course, some yarn, since that's where we all do our drooling:

Lullaby:



Ruby Redux:



I decided to try dyeing Ruby the same way I did Under the Pink (you can see both in the flickr album at the top right). I did something similar for Lullaby, and I love them both!

I still have a lot to learn about my camera, but I seriously want to take it with me everywhere so we can play together. I'm such a geek!

lightening strikes

Twice, it would seem.

I've been trying to get a job with the University of Georgia for a very, very long time. I've been sending in applications for over 5 years now, and never have received so much as a phone call. Only rejection letters. They get a ton of submissions, so it's not all that surprising.

What is surprising is that on Monday I sent in my application for a job I'm perfect for, and I got a call to interview within 6 hours. I interviewed yesterday, and I rocked it (as usual), because I really want the job and also cause I rock at interviews. I should know today or tomorrow if I have the job, as they want someone to start training on Monday. IEEEEEEEEE! God it's such a whirlwind! I can hardly believe it!

Even more surprising is that I got ANOTHER call today for a different department, and I'm interviewing at noon!

Cross everything you got!!!

Sharing the yum.

Thank you all for the nice comments in my email about Disintegration:



It just happens to fit quite nicely with Project Spectrum's June/July colors! Don't you love how I just sneaked it in there? Good on you for those who noticed! If you'd like to order some, I'm dyeing up a few skeins on Tuesday and I can have it out this week.

I went the first of two meetings (the second meeting is for the final exam) for one of my online literature classes on Saturday, and I was quite impressed. The material is interesting, the professor lighthearted, and the banter will be enlightened. I'm glad I added this Multicultural Lit class, and I can only hope that my Victorian Lit will be as intriguing. I'll find out next Saturday. I have to admit that it's sort of not fair to have to go to class on Saturday, but at least I don't have to take a day off work.

Oh, about the sharing. (You can skip this if you have no interest in good food, or you're anti-vegetarian or anti-eating. No, wait...pay attention anyway.) I ran across this book on amazon, ordered it and fell in love. The breakfasts and desserts are so good! I'm a breakfast and dessert kinda girl, so you can consider me an authority on the matter. Or not, either way. Today I made the pancake recipe. I'm terrible at pancakes. They either stick to the pan (even with cooking spray), they won't flip, or I burn them. I can't tell you how many times I've tossed the pancakes and eaten cereal instead. This time though, I followed her suggestions, used the recipe and...wow. Not only did I not burn them, they were even good! I love banana walnut pancakes so the next time I make these I'll add the extra goodies.

What are your favorite pancakes? Or do you prefer waffles?

Next I'm going to try the Fronch toast (egg free somehow) and then some cupcakes. Cause everyone loves a good cupcake.




But true vegan love belongs to this book and the little gem of a recipe called, tantalizingly enough, Chocolate Vegan Death Cake. Scroll to the bottom for the recipe. It's so good that it's not even fair that I posted the link to the yumminess. Your taste buds will thank me. Even if you're not vegan, this cake is impossible to resist. I'd go into diabetic shock for a slice. And then order another. Nate's half birthday is in June, and I'm going to whip one up for his party.* (p.s. half birthday party invites coming soon!)

Go forth and make the yumminess.


*half birthday is celebrated because the hubby's actual birthday is at Christmas, and so he grew up almost entirely without birthday parties. now he gets one every year in june when lots of friends can come! whee!

tagged

Pixie tagged me for 7 Random Facts and here is what I could think of in the moment:

1. I'm am almost one year clean from my gaming addiction. I only watch these days. Nate still plays WoW, and anything on the Wii and XBox 360. I knit instead. It's a much better scenario for me. Spectator = Good.

2. I'm a rabid Harry Potter fan. I've read each book at least four times, and this past weekend I finished up 5 and 6 again simultaneously. It's a sickness. I have lots of theories about what will happen in 7, including that Snape and Peter Pettigrew will ultimately save Harry or get killed trying. I think we'll see a lot of Kreacher too, and that he will have several critical answers to hanging questions. I kind of wish the series could continue, but alas.

3. I'm suffering from serious knitting ADD. I've finally found a few things that are inspiring me, but aside from a Jaywalker and a Saturday Market Bag, I haven't cast on for anything new. It might be boredom, laziness, or the realization that I will have next to no knitting time available to me this summer, and I could therefore actually be suffering from a fear of commitment. I'm going with that explanation.

4. I haven't expressed it yet, since I've been covered up with other things, but I really dislike the most recent IK mag. Aside from the sweater on the front and the toe up socks (which you can find online for free), there's nothing else I would actually make or wear. I can't wait to see what Eunny does as editor!

5. The new Google bar at the top of the screen when you go search is driving me crazy. I don't need it and don't want it. It is in my way, and just about anything that I perceive as 'in my way' is bound to piss me off.

6. I'm over Gray's Anatomy. Over. It. I watched the season finale last night and damn, those girls are just stupid. Typical drama plot line: chase guy for two years, suddenly decide you're not really all that interested after all, tell him in not-so-many-words in the last episode, thus ruining all that the fans have hoped for the last two seasons. Whatever. I'm done with Meredith, Christina's a moron, and Izzy went off the deep end with the whole George thing. Guess I'll stick with Heros and the Office.

7. I need a nap.

(I'm a bit too wiped out to tag anyone, so consider yourself tagged if you'd like to play along.)



I leave you with a pic of the afore mentioned Jaywalker, knit up in Strawberry Switchblade:



It's fitting well and is such an easy pattern. I had originally just wanted to see how this colorway knits, but I think I'm going to keep going and have myself a new pair of socks. Yay for socks.

And I dyed this colorway for Pete, who has named it Disintegration:



Yum.

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend!

save me from myself

I have made a grave error. A critical, life threatening error.

In an effort to continue to qualify for financial aid, I registered for another class at drop/add today. The only one still open that would meet my needs? ANOTHER online literature class. So this makes two online lit classes, which means a ton of reading online posts on top of the assigned readings, and one 4 hour in-the-flesh class once a week. All this in 8 weeks. This does not bode well for my sanity this summer, so do forgive when I go off the deep end and can no longer contain myself.

A peak at my course work for the next two months:



Hard times indeed.

So much for fun reading the rest of this week.

Sigh.

one of those days...

Definitely had a 'case of the Mondays' today. Got to work and saw that my check engine light was on. I knew I needed an oil change anyway (desperately), so I called up the Honda dealership and scurried over there after work. They charged me $42 to tell me that my gas cap wasn't screwed on all the way. Oh really? Thanks. So. Much.

I was already in a funk. I'm sort of in a holding pattern in a lot of ways, like I can't even find something good to knit after finishing my socks, and I'm waiting for other people to act on some issues cause I've already done my part on the various things, and I'm also a little anxious about taking 3 classes this semester which starts next week. For someone as impatient as me, it's very, very, very hard to just...wait. Unbearable even. I tend to try to force some sort of resolution because I can't stand the anxiety. And I therefore do a lot of fidgeting. But that's not going to work this time and would be incredibly inefficient and probably kind of pushy. So, I'm just going to have to suffer through and hope that the myriad of results I'm waiting for have a favorable conclusion. I'd list them all out, but you'd be bored.

Instead, I'll show you what arrived on my doorstep and gently coaxed me from my funk...



A whole book of Harry Potter projects for my inner Hogwarts lover. Written by Alison over at the blue blog, this book has so many cute things, and some really practical knits too. I can already see myself in an Invisibility Shawl and a House Sweater.

And I did finally find something to knit today. Nate and I been working on becoming a greener household as part of our resolution for this year, and I lately noticed that we have an exorbitant amount of plastic bags from the grocery stores. They're great for scooping after the animals, but otherwise they just sit there in a pile waiting to be used.

In my greening effort, I'm starting a collection of Saturday Market bags to use at the store instead of plastic. I'm using the modifications from Liesl's blog. The yarn you see here is hemp for knitting in chocolate, that was a gift from Robyn. How appropriate, right? I believe we should use hemp for more products, as it has many uses. You can read more here and especially here if you're interested.



I have a ton of cotton demin yarn, and I'll be using that for the next one, though it may be a tad bigger. This hemp will stretch some, but not as much as cotton and it would be nice to have a bigger bag sometimes.

Do ya'll find yourself making a conscious effort to be more green lately? Maybe it's in the air, or maybe it's just Athens. Either way, I'm curious to see if anyone else is feeling this vibe.

Success!

First, a big happy Mom's day to all you moms! I hope your Sunday is wonderful and full of love.

I had the big day with my mom today, as our annual family reunion is always Mother's day weekend, and it was so nice to see most of my immediate family and get to chat while having a nice big lunch with them. I wish that we got together more often, but there are about a hundred of us and it would be hard to organize all those folks more than once a year. My grandmother organizes our yearly shindig, since she has this I'm-in-charge,-let's-get-this-thing-done-and-also-somebody-say-the-blessing-and-let's-eat-already!! sort of way about her. So much so that everyone calls her the Little General (she's about 4'10). I might have maybe inherited some of those get-it-done-or-get-out-of-my-way genes. Ahem.

Anyway, back to the point of my story. I've noticed that in the last few years I've been knitting, any time I give my mom something that I've knit, even if it's completely awful, she always looks at it with love (like a good mother should, right?) and I can sort of tell that she's working out in her head how it's done. When I visit her I always take my knitting and she'll come sit next to me while we talk, and I can occasionally catch her sneaking a peak at my technique.

Well I decided not to let another year go by without teaching my mom to knit. So this year, I came to the family reunion armed with wool, size 11 needles, and Stitch N Bitch. I kicked myself when I got out of the car and realized that I had forgotten my camera. Gah. And also that I had bought WOOL. It's 85 degrees in south Georgia in May. Clearly I got swept up in the awesome idea to teach my mom to knit and forgot how freaking hot it is. Wool, people. Jeez.

But mom was thrilled and managed the hot handed-ness of the wool like a brave little knitter. She learned to cast on and by the third row of knitting she was on a roll! Granted, we had to walk away from wool when the the steam started rising off her fingers, but she kept going back to it! I couldn't be more proud.

Other than that, I've finished my RPM socks:



Mostly all you can see is the way the STR yarn is striping, but I still love these and they might be my new favorite socks.

This is the first skein I've ordered from STR and I'm discovering that I prefer it over my usual Lorna's Laces. Lorna's is thin and kind of splitty in comparison to even the lightweight STR, and these socks just feel thicker, firmer and more substantial than any others I've knit with LL. Not that I won't keep using LL for the time being, but I find myself ripping it more often than knitting it these days. I'm trying some toe-up socks in a simple rib pattern with my LL in Chino, and so far so good. Though I've ripped this particular yarn four or five times for various other reasons, I'm determined to use it. It's just too practical a color to be thrown into the stash abyss.

I also started a sock with my own yarn today, which was totally fun. I love watching how the colors knit up! As soon as my camera stops being a jerk I'll post a picture for you. It decided to hate me just as I was taking the picture. Grr. I really want a Canon Rebel, and have been eyeing it since my sister-in-law got one a few years ago. But alas, I must pay off my car and get somewhat out of debt first. Maybe after I graduate.

Sigh.

Ah Monday...

Thanks so much for all the potential options, ya'll. The email conversations have been wonderful, and you guys truly are the best. I'm meeting with my adviser tomorrow and hopefully I'll have a tad more perspective on the whole thing.

I'm also very thankful for a little break from classes. Last night I actually knit! And for more than just 30 minutes. I (re)finished the toe on one RPM sock and turned the heel on the second. I might actually have a pair of socks to show by the end of the week! (you should all faint dead away now.)


And I worked on a few things to clear my mind this weekend.


Wish You Were Here (which may evolve and adapt, as I'm not so sure I love it):




Hey There Delilah:




Under the Pink:



(I had a slightly Tori weekend, what can I say?)


On a related knitting note (lol, I typed knote first...my poor widdle brain), my coworker, who is a good deal older than me yet MORE scary liberal and way greener than me (not that those things are bad, I'm inspired really) wants to learn to knit (sorry for all the parentheses). I showed her the yarn I sent out last week and she gasped...I had her from hello. Anyway, tomorrow I'm taking her Stitch N Bitch and some needles and yarn. Muahahahaha! Soon we shall rule the world! One green hippy feminist at a time! (p.s. have I mentioned how much I love this town lately? seriously)

A Quandary

Thanks for all the well wishes! Nate and I had a great time on our anniversary! It's so nice to be with someone who really gets me, even (and especially) when I screw up (big).

I just finished dyeing up something yummy, but it's still wet and I don't have a picture yet!! New colorways will be up this weekend though! Stay tuned!


So, about that quandary. I'm in grad school, as you all know, and the semester has finally wrapped (p.s. 16 weeks is a really long time in one class, just fyi). I should have managed a 4.0 this semester, so yay. I like my education classes, however, I'm not so thrilled with my content (English) classes. Not that they aren't teaching me anything, I'm just bored. But that's not really the source of the quandary. Since I'm in school and it's kinda intense and junk, I'm only working part time. And this is not paying my bills very effectively. The only options I can come up with right now are:

1.) suck it up and accept that my credit will be in the toilet by the time this program is over, and deal with the stress and possible collections issues or...

2.) get a full time job and quit school.

My credit means a lot to me and frankly, it's the only reason we have a house and two vehicles. I would really hate to see it completely trashed. And I kind of like being secure enough to pay my own bills. Um, I like it a lot really. I know my two options up there seem kind of black and white, but I'm having a hard time seeing a way around this whole thing. If I continue in my program, next fall (2009) I won't be able to work AT ALL because I'll be student teaching, which of course is unpaid.

I could take this summer semester off and try to figure out what to do, but if I stay in my program taking off puts me a whole semester behind. Or I could deal with learning a new job and handling three very intense, very quick summer classes to stay on track, possibly going completely insane in the process. Regardless, I have to find something else because the school I'm working at doesn't need me for the summer.

Why can't a girl just knit and dye and everything else be taken care of? Jeez.

Got any advice? Share with me, I beg of you.

Also, being stressed out makes some part of my brain go a little haywire, and I start speaking broken versions of four different languages. In the same sentence. It's driving Nate to madness.

The only thing keeping me somewhat sane at the moment is this eety beety lil' bun-bun:



This image is from CuteOverload, naturally, and he looks just like one I found today at work!! Minus the cotton bits of course. So. Freaking. Cute.

Beware le bun-bun. His cuteness is tres fierce.

Anniversary

Three whole years. Six total years of togetherness. Still crazy in love.


This is my absolute favorite picture of us!



And this is one of many ceremony shots. My stepdad was the photographer, and my sister-in-law got a ton of shots too. We did a super casual wedding (except for my dress, ahem) for about $1000.00. See Nate's linen shirt and pants? Yay for the Gap.



He's my best friend, and the absolute love of my life.
I couldn't be happier.

We celebrated with Indian food and Ben & Jerry's via a walk downtown. It was perfect!

p.s. yay me for making the second one last longer than the first! woo!

Danger: Pictures Ahead

One of the items I purchased in Lexington at Magpie Yarns was Rowan's #35. I knew it was an older Rowan mag, but when I turned to the Roman Holiday section, I drooled and couldn't put it down. The garments I find myself gravitating toward are very classic, so that I can wear them for much longer than something trendy. I do that with my clothing purchases too (love me some Ann Taylor), and my favorite jeans and tshirts go a long way as well.

The tops I think I might have to knit once my yarn diet is over (ha, I'll probably just have to settle for drooling):

Audrey:



High Society:



Agnes:



I wish I was this good a dresser. Oh well, jeans and tshirts will have to do. I also wish I was that tiny, but I digress.

Audrey and Agnes are by Kim Hargreaves, so it's not surprising at all that I like them. I love her classy designs; the lines and fit both rock. One of my favorites this year from her is Blithe. Y.U.M.

I think it's a shame that she doesn't just sell the pattern, and only sells the kit. I have some denim in my stash that would totally rock for Blithe, so I have an issue with buying the whole darned kit. I'd rather pay $5 or even $10 for a pattern I would use than $50 or $60 for the kit with the yarn included. I'd rather make my own yarn choice, thanks. And p.s. those of us on a budget (ok, probably just me) can't afford an entire sweater's worth of Rowan.

On the dyeing front, yarn is coming up all kinds of fun colors! I interspersed writing my final papers and dyeing. Needless to say, I dyed more than I wrote. I also added some yarn info on the sidebar! Yay!

This is Tulips that I dyed for Liz over at KnittingHawkeye. I bet she makes some Project Spectrum socks...



Liz also asked for some Ohio State colors for her mom, so here is OSU! They gray is a bit darker, but I was glad for some sunlight today.



Madge ordered some fun colors, and she named this one Belinda/Vacation for Belinda Carlisle. Sweet, eh?



And Eri over at Pixie Punk Knits ordered up some truly funky yarn for a pair of elbow length armwarmers. They are so gonna rock. She named this one Headfirst for Halos, for her fav MCR song. Woo!



(Ladies, your yarn will go out to you Monday via Priority Mail!)


And this is what my dear sweetie did for me this weekend, even though he was sick, even though just walking around Lowe's wore him out.

My very own ghetto warping board.



Look out ya'll, I feel some mad stripes coming on...

I can't believe it's Thursday...

Well ok, NOW it's Friday, but still...what a week!

Monday's post by the Harlot prompted a firestorm in my email inbox. You should have been a fly on the proverbial wall; it was kinda scary. So instead of waiting to launch my line of sock yarns, I realized that I had better just do it!

I had Pete create a label for me, and here is his lovely handiwork. This will go out with all the yarn I dye. Isn't it pretty? He swears I could do this myself, since I know Photoshop, but I really just don't have time. I'm lucky that he's so awesome to me! Thanks Pete!!



Tuesday's concert was amazazing (yes I typed ama-za-zing, don't tell me you didn't see Benchwarmers). I was impressed with MCR, mostly because they really care about their fans, and also they don't suck live (yes, I had my fears). They stopped the whole damn show for this one girl who passed out, waited for her to get medical attention, made sure she was ok, and then resumed. They performed almost all of the Black Parade album (in the BP uniform), then changed clothes and did about 6 songs from Three Cheers. Gerard also did a little PSA about violence, in regards to the Virginia Tech thing, and I gotta say, I was a little moved. Also, there were pyrotechnics. Whee! Fire! We could actually feel the heat when the flames came on. Their poor drummer must get really really hot...

Muse absolutely stole the show though. Their guitarist/singer totally blew us away. His ability is unbelievable.

Wednesday I got the DVD of Scout's KG show (thanks Robyn!), and inside was this sweet little gift! Robyn, they're perfect!!



Then today I went to class and realized just how much work I still have left to do, and I have less than a week left! Eeek! This grad school thing is, uh...intense.

This weekend I'll be writing the last of the papers for these two classes, dyeing like a madwoman (thanks for all your orders, I can't wait to work on them!), and...if you know me well, you know that I have a long list. A monstrosity of a list. Lists within lists. It's a sickness really.

Have a great Friday, ya'll! I'll have some yummy pics posted this weekend!

avert your eyes, stephanie...

I was about to post this, and then the emails started hitting my inbox, so I'll answer the biggest question first:

YES! My colorways are for sale, and you can buy them via paypal by sending me an email to let me know what you'd like to order (email addy is on the sidebar). I'm currently working on a gallery and I have a few new colorways floating in my head to round out a nice batch of about 10 to begin with, and I will also gladly do custom dyeing for you (I'm dyeing 2 custom colors this week, so pictures soon!). I am still working on pricing, but the colorways will likely be between $23-27 depending on the yarn you choose, and a custom project will be just a tad more. Please email me with further questions, and forgive me...I didn't realize I'd have so much traffic (p.s. thanks for the link Stephanie!)! And a big welcome to all the new visitors! Thanks for stopping by!

And now on with our regularly scheduled posting:

I don't know about ya'll but it was a loooooong weekend. The drive to Lexington took 7 hours, but it was so very worth it. Denise and I got to meet Stephanie...

shown here with her traveling sock, and Denise's 'fetus sock' in Punk Rock Girl...



and Stefanie, who is seen here with her lovely editor, Jessica, signing my copy of Fitted Knits. Whee! I didn't know le Glampyre herself would be at the signing (embarrassingly enough, I didn't read about all the authors, just le Harlot...ahem), so I felt the air sucked out of my lungs when I saw her. I know I babbled, and I'm sure I made an ass of myself. Meeting her and sitting in on her panel was so awesome. Highly recommended! And I'm soooo in love with the jacket she has on...



Deedee and I met a lot of authors and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We also ate lots of yummies and drank a tad too much coffee. Mochas rule, man.

The Harlot's talk was hilarious, as expected, and we got to meet several super cool knitters. Afterwards, Stephanie joined us for a little knit-in, hosted by the nice ladies of Magpie Yarns (sadly no website). She showed us her unique knitting technique and how she can knit behind her head. Denise watches in awe.



And a shot of the Bohus in action. It is truly a sight to behold. This woman has no fear of tiny yarn and needles on a big project.



Afterwards, we went to Magpie Yarns, cause Denise won a gift certificate. Their shop was very cute! All the yarn is organized by color, and the ladies are so very nice. We also went to ReBelle, another yarn shop with a different vibe. That store sooo belongs in downtown Athens. Lots of cool gear, yarn, pins, stickers (mine says 'geek girl', Denise's says 'knit one, fuck you' hahahaha!), and an awesome section in the back with feminine/baby products. I could have spent way too much money there. Glad I'm on a budget.


Ok, my big ass paper is finished and emailed off to the professor (I am thisclose to being finished with my first semester, thank the gods!), and now, I must go shower and get myself ready for the MCR concert.

So. Excited.

wearing nothing is divine

and it feels alright...


In the midst of being sick all weekend and furiously writing that paper, I got inspired. By an Ipod accessory box, of all things.

Naked Eye is the result:



This might be my new favorite. A light blue/aqua, gray and white. So divine.

With my naked eye I saw the falling rain, coming down on me...

(I loved Luscious Jackson!)

I also did a teensy test skein to see if these color mixtures looked like fun:



Doesn't that just look like spring? I kinda wanna roll around it, except that it's very tiny and I would look more than a tad absurd. Not that rolling around in a bigger skein of yarn looks more sane...I'm just sayin'.

And last night Nate helped me with some of my lighting woes. All of our lights make colors look too yellow, so he pulled out my Ott light, which I had for quilting way back when, and voila! Let there be well-lit yarn and a true reflection of color!

So I reshot Ruby Soho, and this is a lot more accurate. The other pic was way too dark.



This was so much fun, I can't wait to do some more semi-solids!!

Tomorrow, Denise and I are driving forever and a few hours to Lexington to see le Harlot. I'm so excited. I have books to be signed, socks to be knit, and um...clothes to be packed. What? It can be done quickly. I think.

When I return, I shall have Harloty pictures for you, and possibly some from the MCR concert (omg, so freaking excited...two awesome events in 3 days! woo!).

trials and tribulations

I think I've stumbled upon a problem with my school work habits.

Thing is, I can sit at my computer for several nights, staring at the same paper and get nowhere. (Sure I was sick too, but this is a running theme since college.) BUT! If I get up, grab my thumb drive and my laptop and hit a coffee joint...I can bang that 10 pager out in about 4 hours. And unless you can get caffeine by osmosis, it's not the coffee, cause I drink tea. Chamomile and lavender tea, which I highly recommend.

Isn't that weird though? My thoughts coalesce over the hum of an espresso machine, but not in my own home. I have to put the finishing touches on it today, so you can bet your ass I'm going to be at the Jittery Joe's this afternoon (east side if you please).

The frustrating part is that I can't just sit in my jammies and nasty hair, oh no, I have to put on proper clothes (read: bra) and dig out some cash cause I know I'm going to need a drink and a snack, which is not something I can't really afford all willy-nilly right now. Guess that's the price of deciding that your self esteem is more important than money.

When I finished and my brain was completely fried and wrung clean of all useful knowledge, I decided to do something fun.

So I whipped out the dyes and made a big mess. Seriously. My first attempt was so bad I didn't even take a picture. I had dyed a tiny test skein and didn't like it, so I attempted to overdye it a nice periwinkle. Well, turns out my stove gets VERY hot, very fast and now that tiny skein is an incredibly dark purple/navy color. Overdyed, indeed. Oops.

I gathered my wits and stopped cursing, and chose red instead.

World, meet Ruby. Ruby Soho. Destination, unknown.



She's slightly variegated, but really more semi-solid. This yarn just makes me giggle, and I can't believe how well it turned out. It's exactly what I wanted...not a solid red, just a little dark here and a little lighter there. Perfect.




Then I realized it was time to get down to business, and I whipped up some Punk Rock Girl for Robyn over at Knit & Purl Mama! The skein on the left is hanked up as it was dyed, and the one on the right is skeined up with a niddy noddy. R - these will go out to you tomorrow via USPS.



And now, I must polish up my paper and the mega-assignment for my assessment class, both of which total a whopping 90% of my grade for this semester.

But no pressure.



(On a very, very unrelated note: As a TV/radio/film major in my undergrad, i have to wonder....wtf is NBC doing?!?! First they put Studio 60 on 'hiatus' (BS, they'll finish airing the episodes they paid for and cancel it, which sucks because it's a really great show), then they give us the phenomenally produced Black Donnellys' and now they're yanking that with no notice? For MORE "reality" shows? What the hell? What am I supposed to watch on Thursday, aside from freaking GA reruns and recaps? I'm so over all these 'hiatuses' and extended breaks. In the 3 months I've had cable again, I've been able to watch about 4 or 5 new episodes of my shows. Where the hell is Heros? When is GA coming back? TV did not used to be like this. I'm on the verge of canceling everything but Discovery, DIY, and HBO.)

superstition

I'm not much on superstition, but I'm pretty sure this particular Friday the 13th conspired against me.

1. I was feeling pretty icky yesterday, but today I woke up with a 100 degree fever. And I couldn't get a sub for my class. No one even called me back. So I had to go to work.

2. I lost my voice about half way through the day. This is not good in a place where you have to shout over screaming one year olds to be heard.

3. Today was payday. The accountant made the check out to Michelle. Even though she knows my name and has met me several times. The bank wouldn't take the check obviously.

4. When I got home, I tried to take some pictures. My camera died for no known reason.

5. And in the mail was a bill for my summer tuition. Which I won't be paying because I've applied for financial aide. But not according to my school. Gah.

Regardless of all this seeming bad luck, as the day progressed little windows of opportunity opened to negate all the ickiness.

1a. I got to leave early. And sneaked into my doc's office just before they closed. He diagnosed me and wrote me a prescription. I was in and out in 10 minutes. And he wasn't even supposed to be there that late. They locked the door behind me.

2a. I coughed up some nasty phlegm and got my voice back. How gross is that though? Bleh. But now I have a gravelly voice and I can properly do justice to Smelly Cat.

3a. I called the accountant and I can pick up my new check tomorrow.

4a. My camera is revived, and there are pics below. Woo!

5a. I called Piedmont and got all my silly tuition crap situated. I have to resubmit all my financial aid junk, but I can fax it in tomorrow while seeing the accountant.

What luck, eh?

This is some yummy strawberry field-esque yarn I worked on earlier this week. I can't think of a fun punk name for it though. Any thoughts?



And just to add to the testament that knitters rule, Madge sent me a super sweet package of cool stitch markers and a card with lotuses (loti? lotes?) on it!! What a nice surprise!

Thanks girl!!



Clearly I need to make some adjustments to my camera now. These are not fuzzy in real life, promise.

Finger crossing

Ya'll are so great. My interview went pretty well, and I managed to not drop anything. It seems like it would be a fun job with a lot of independence and flexibility. I should know something Monday!

It's not that I don't enjoy working with the kids I'm with now. But I am a little tired of going to class covered in boogers, slobber, and various other baby mess. I'm sure I smell just great. Bleh.


Warning: The rest of this post is kinda picture heavy. Feel free to drool if necessary.

I've been working on several things during class and in my "free" time.

First up is Knitty.com's RPM sock in STR's Lucy colorway:



Next is Retro Rib from Interweave's Favorite Socks book, using my Letter to Elise colorway:



I liked it so much that I couldn't just let it languish in my stash!


This is a swatch in the round for Blue Orchid. The camera is still not getting the color nuances of this skein, but it's better than the last time I tried. Wish it was sunny today!



I just got some new yarn! This is the Blue Faced Leicester I ordered a week or so ago so that I could try something really, really scrumptious. And oh my is it. Just look at that spin! And it's superwash and sooooo soft. I can't wait to get started with it.



This is the 100% merino that I also have, just to compare. The spin is a little looser, but it's just as soft and also superwash. I really just want to pet them both all day.



If there is a colorway any of you like so far, I can dye some up for you in either yarn. And I'm continuing to work on more color combinations as I have the time. Pesky old grad school keeps getting in the way.

These were a gift from my mother-in-law! She got them from our local yarn store, but the girl who makes them has an Etsy shop here. Aren't they cute?! She has some really cute markers on the site. I'm going to order some to look like each of my cats.



Have a nice Hump Day everyone! I'm gonna go dye!

Question!

How is it that most people carry off that put-together look? I just don't get it.

No matter how prepared I am, something always happens. I drop my keys. Lean over to get them and my sunglasses fall off my head. Then my purse flings itself to the ground in a desperate attempt to get as far away from me as possible. Which means the cell phone now has the opportunity to escape as well.

All this chaos frustrates me, and then my clothes are all wrinkled and suddenly nothing on my body fits right and I'm extremely uncomfortable, and quite put out about it. Why?!?!

I just don't get it. I have plenty of confidence. It's the little things that kill.

(And seriously for a moment...how the hell do moms do it? Holy burp stains, Batman. This town has a lot of put-together-looking moms. I have a pretty freaking good idea what I am going to look like...)

I have a real, professional interview tomorrow...can you tell?