Christmas knitting is frantically getting knitted. Or something like that. The thing is, however, that I really only have until next Friday because of travel plans. Yikes!

My Kitty Toy Swap partner sent me a lovely package the other day - great toys for the babies and a supremely lovely sock/lace-weight yarn for me. Love it. My package for my recipient(s) went into the mail today. I hope they like it! :D

My Traveling Scarf Swap person, ever so lovely, sent me tea! And not just any tea, a Harney and Sons sampler pack. The English Breakfast and Apricot were lovely. The peppermint is 'okay'. Not something I'd purchase separately, but I wouldn't turn it down if it came in a sampler pack.

The Garden Variety shawl patterns are on sale right now. So far I have them and the pumpkin patch scarf in my cart for just $24. I'm trying to decide if I want to add Leaves of Grass and/or Sherwood. 

Forgot my regular glasses at home today, so I've been wearing the spare set (2 prescriptions old). My vision is okay enough I can get out of the house with them, but my astigmatism is bad enough I can't spend the day on the computer without them and remain headache free. Even with the old glasses I had a headache by 10:30. Ugh.

*whew*

My dimply car has returned from the dead and it wasn't even half the cost of the lowest estimate I was originally given. Thank goodness. Of course, I found out after test driving this wonderful little Corolla that I would have happily walked off the lot with (it was even within my budget!). But that saved me money! And this was the motivation I needed to get off my duff and start up that emergency fund everyone should have.

In other good news,  we won a plane ticket lotto (or at least it seemed like it) and ended up with free tickets to visit the grandparents over Christmas. Part of it sucks because I didn't get to see the local family last Christmas and won't again this Christmas. At the same time, said grandparents were up for a cousin's wedding and the traveling was so rough on them they don't plan to return any time soon. If ever. (I was offered money to elope when it comes time for me to get married.) The most I'll have to pay for this trip is to board the cats for over a week - and that'll be half the price per night that was quoted to me by the old vet before the move. 

I'm already starting my trip packing list:

• nightgown (always forget that)
• knitting
• laptop
• traveling sock for plane knitting
• iPod
• knitting yarn wishlist
• jeans (2 pair + wearing on plane)
• tops (5 days worth, we'll do laundry)
• layers (5 days worth)
• more knitting

Knitting news: I was super lucky and won a 'you finished the shop hop' prize and a door prize for the yarn tour.  The 'you finished the shop hop' prize was a Berroco sock pattern book and two skeins of their sock yarn (awesome colors, one navy and the other jewel toned self striping). The door prize was the Louisa Harding Gathering Roses: The Design Collection book. Lovely book. And it even has a pattern very similar to a cabled sweater I'd planned to try to design for myself (boatneck, cable up the sleeve, split to go in front of and in back of neck, down other sleeve). Her version is knit sideways and the cable is at the neck and cuffs, so it isn't it exactly. But I've never done a knit sideways pattern, and I always try to learn something knew with each pattern I do. I'm not certain if the yarn I have is the right weight for this sweater (it calls for a worsted weight ribbon yarn), but at least one person has done it in malabrigo and that looks lovely. I think any worsted weight wool would be great.

The shop were I won the Louisa Harding pattern finally got the new Linie/On Linie cabled sweater pattern for Outland yarn. I picked it out during the yarn tour, but didn't buy since the pattern wasn't in. And who decided (after telling me she wasn't going to buy yarn when we stopped to pick stuff up) to buy the yarn for it Saturday? Mom. Of course, she got the color I wanted too. So, unless we want to look like twinkies I probably won't be making that any time soon. 

We finally found (online) green fun fur for the bag I'm to make for Mom for Christmas. I'll start the back tonight (have a blue ton of TV to watch that I missed last week) and will hopefully have it done fairly quickly. Not certain when the yarn will arrive, but I'll start on the front when it does. I'd really like to have it finished/felted well before Christmas. (Seriously, if the yarn arrives this week my goal is to finish it this weekend. We'll see how that works, that wrap I was going to finish by the 22nd? Still only just past the half way point.)

Also got the afghan I made for Grandma back. It is not, however, a feather and fan stitch. Very similar, but the YOs are stretched out over three RS rows. I'm tempted to rip and start over. And for good reason. Callie!girl got a little too interested in my knitting last week while I was at work. And I arrived home to find that the start of the afghan was no longer attached to the skeins. *facepalm* The afghan for Grandma also has six stripes, which kinda makes me want to go back and get three other colors. I have ecru, so actually it'd only be two other colors. I just don't know which to go for. It is meant to go with my bedspread which is dark brown and a light blue/aqua. Not a lot of colors there to match. Need to think about it. And come up with a good reason NOT to go to Hobby Lobby.

I take back everything I said about the cats not caring for catnip. I came across a bag last night and gave them a new try at it. OMG, I thought Grady was going to try to burrow himself into the carpet. And even though I put it out in two different spots, he wouldn't let Callie near it. At all (there was growling involved). I had to put him in time out (their cat carrier) so the poor girl could have a shot. Very funny considering that not too long ago they couldn't care less if it was right under their noses.

The car will go in to the shop tomorrow. I had several talks with my parents this weekend. Dad is worried that there might be damage to the engine since it was out of oil when it went in last time. Mom was looking for used cars for me online. Which is sincerely depressing, as even if I find a car in my price range, with insurance it may be total payments of $300 a month. Technically, I have that money - I'm just using it to pay more on other bills than the minimum payments required. Basically, I won't get everything paid off as quickly as I'd like. Here's to hoping that whatever is wrong is fixable. :S

On to less depressing news: knitting! Worked some of the striped afghan for myself. I did all of two rows. Yeah, I know. My excuse is that the kittehs were super clingy and snuggly this weekend. It's hard enough to knit with just Grady (the Velcro kitteh) on my lap, but add Callie to the mix and it's near impossible. (The only knitting I got done was when just Callie was up there, but then she was having fun playing with my yarn and since this is the kitteh who ATE through a strand of acrylic (yeah, I don't know), I figured it'd be safest to set things aside.) I was super surprised about the super clingyness. Callie is not a snuggly kitteh, she's not a lap kitteh either. She's a 'I'll be close to you but not touching, unless I'm using your dominany wrist as a pillow and then you'd better not even think of moving' kitteh. Last weekend she experimented with laying on my legs( (up on the ottoman) while Grady snuggled on my lap. Saturday she ventured into 'let me climb up to the back of your chair' territory. Color me surprised when, Saturday afternoon, she decided to puppy pile on top of Grady on my lap. And stuck around when he jumped down. Wow.

I really need to stop cruising Ravelry over my lunch (there's a reason my favorites is as huge as it is). Otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that the Poinsettia Scarf is almost ready to go on sale. I love what I've seen of it so far, but it is a free gift for everyone who purchased all the Garden Variety patterns so far. I adore Iris, and think it might be good with my Knit Picks Grape Hyacinth Shimmer (a bit different than the sample Iris, but something stashed that I can't figure out what to do with and it's purple, white and green all the colors of Irises, plus Iris is rectangular and the reason I'm having a hard time finding something to make out of the shimmer is because I don't like the way it pools in circular or triangle shawls), Zinnia is gorgeous, as is Hydrangea (though I actually prefer the stole to the shawl). The only one I don't really are for is Crocus Pocus, but that may because I'm not fond of the colors the sample is knit in, but since I adore Poinsettia I could tell myself that I was buying it and getting Crocus Pocus free. Not that I need to be buying any patterns (see above re: car and money).

Still, I adore Susan's designs. Arabian Nights is my big goal project: I'll make it some day when my skill level has reached that point (hence the working on easier lace and beaded knitting now). I've thought about getting/making Magic Carpet Ride (the smaller scarf version) as a prep project. I'd love to try either Leaves of Grass or Sherwood. And Pumpkin Patch has been calling my name since Halloween (that said, I don't think I'll ever afford the Camelspin for the fingering version - I do not love orange but I love the russets in that scarf). It's fun to look at her designs and make wishes. But I really need to finish a few things before I even think of buying.

(I also really love the looks of The Blues Jazzed Up, but as she hasn't released that one yet I don't feel so guilty drooling over it.)

Tonight my goal is to do at least two more rows of the afghan or a few rows on Versatility.

Monday Monday

Walked to work today, if nothing else being carless will be good exercise. However, it also means that Versatility (which I brought with me) is probably going to become a work only project - my knitting bag and regular bag and lunch were just more than I wanted to carry. This means I'm less likely to make my Nov 22 anticipated deadline, but I'll still try.

I started on a new afghan this weekend. It is feather and fan, but not in the round. It's based on an afghan I made years ago for my grandmother - this would be the yarn I just exchanged. I swatched, figured out how many repeats to make and got started. Even on size 17 needles it'll be slow going - these rows are 270+ stitches. But that's okay, because it is mindless knitting without being boring - having a pattern stitch row every 4th row helps with that. 

Oh! My first gift Traveling Scarf Swap swapee went out. Not necessarily today, or Saturday or Friday. Definitely not yesterday (Sunday). But I'll never tell. :> It's a little starter gift, I have more plans for greater spoiling later on. Mwahahahaha.

Ultimately, in true Monday fashion, I'm rather boring today. But since my week is crazy, here's to hoping tomorrow isn't more exciting. ;)

Two posts at once!

Well, we'll see if it works. Wireless has been up and down my entire lunch hour. Makes me wonder just how great it is to have the most wired (or technically wireless) campus if you can't get a signal on the only side of the library where the electrical outlets are actually wired themselves.

Not a lot of knitting related accomplishments to regale. Though my buying yarn on Saturday was apparently the motivation I needed to get other knitting projects finished (probably has something to do with the potential 'can only buy yarn for one project once finish two projects' rule and the fact that I'm already 'in the hole' since I had the unexpected acquiring of yarn). In other words, I finally seamed that one shoulder seam and did the neckband of my vest. Still have another shoulder seam and then it's side seams (ick!) but I have made progress on a project that has sat at 90% complete for nearly two years. And I also have made enough progress on the travel sock that I'm nearly to the heel. Yay! As soon as I get those finished I'll have two projects finished and won't feel so guilty about yarn purchases on Saturday.

I also finally got that survey/meme thinger posted for SP5 (with a little helpful poking by my secret pal).

I had a great Memorial Day weekend. A friend travelled down to visit, and it was her birthday on Saturday. So we went to the winery and did a wine tasting. And then were thankful we had a DD, as we were just tipsy enough that we knew we shouldn't drive. There was supper at a cow palace, great big hunks of meat were consumed and margaritas were drunk. Sunday was a cookout, the THE - toss, hit and eat. Though actually the order was toss (lawn darts and horse shoes), eat (brats and salads and incredibly wonderful banana puddings) and hit (fizzball). Fizzball is an idea they pulled from a comic book years ago. Buy the cheapest, nastiest beer you can, someone pitches and someone else hits it with a baseball bat and sees who can get the best explosion. Very good times, though I now know from experience that Schlitz isn't fun to get in your eyes. Monday was hang out time before our friend headed back home, and then resting and working on the vest. So, in all a great time, though I was tired tired tired yesterday.

Well, lunch break is nearly over and I've got to head back to work. Hopefully I'll have some picture when I post next. Either of knitting stuff or maybe my new drop spindle I just won from eBay or of the weekend. :D

Meh. Meh meh meh meh meh.

I'm happy to announce that contortionism does help with the hiccups. Of course, you have to drink an entire glass of water with it practically going up your nose as you swallow, but the hiccups are gone.

Obviously, today has been rather meh. Paper is going nowhere (well, it's nearly half done, but it's the easy half that's done), haven't gotten any knitting on the jacket done (and attempts to use knitting as my carrot to motivate my paper writing haven't helped), realized my website disappeared as I didn't get it renewed and the email to renew went to the old school email that's no longer usable and the website won't let me renew, I missed Charmed, had the hiccups and not even dark chocolate M&Ms (which are usually my cure for all ills) aren't helping. So yes, rather meh here today. My goal, though, is to finish the last of this half of the paper before going to bed. Hopefully my brain will come online enough to do that.

Of course, the minute I lay down I'll be wide awake and won't get to sleep until close to 1:00 or 2:00. But if I get this paper finished I'll reward myself with signing up for SP5. And working on the jacket back. And swatching the clover lace pattern for SnBN.

*ded* from the hiking

Today started with a hike in the morning. Darn near missed it, though, because at about ten til realized that I needed to leave. Oops! Of course, once we got there things got interesting. Note, never plan to take a 'lake' trail two days after torrential rains. Not to mention that the map was awful. Impossible to read, so we think we may have added an extra mile or so to the trek. Then, we ended up having to leave the trail altogether since there was a spot where there was a stream crossing that was actually a raging river crossing thanks to the rain. If two horses cann't get across, then a bunch of people on foot aren't going to get across either. So we followed the road back after that, for the last 3/4 mile or so.

Any plans to do stuff after the hike was shot to hell though, as we were all exhausted. My legs *hurt* when I got home, so it was a long hot bath for me, followed by a nap. After which I ended up knitting and watching the first half of Empire because my brain was too fried to start working on the paper. I'm nearly caught up to where I started frogging on Wednesday (just beginning my raglan sleeve shaping), so hopefully I'll be able to finish the back this week and start on one of the fronts. Of course, I also have some sleeves to the other cardigan to finish as well.

Proof this is the most boring blog ever.

Class went. Fried brain again. English major in group pretty much completely rewrote my section of the paper. Oi. Hadn't realized how bad my grammar had gotten since my last English class. But we pretty much finished up project #2 there, so it was worth the fried braincells.

Walked to work in torrential rains, noting the two firetrucks and an ambulance across the street. Was then, when 20 ft from the door to the building I work in, sprayed by the ambulance driving by. Granted, not spraying pedestrians with gutter water isn't the most important thing on their minds when they're driving away with lights flashing, but still. I ended up drenched. Shoes filled with water, skirt soaked up above my knees. So I'm sitting there wearing an oversized smock/shirt we keep for working in the dusty stuff to keep clean, barefoot and skirt hanging in the office to try to dry. And a patron comes in. And needs help. As in I'm helping him for a good 30-45 minutes. And running around in here in a smock and barefoot. *facepalm* But I got to talk soil with him and set him up with information about the person to talk to at my undergrad school about getting a hold of retired Pedology profs. Very cool. But couldn't help him find info about a journal citation for a journal that as far as I can tell doesn't exist. Not to mention the journal citation is from the 50's and none of the online databases that I could search through index that far back. Ended up telling him to come back when the librarian boss was around.

Today...

Class, work, the usual. Worked on project stuff in our groups, fried brain trying to wrap it around some concepts that just weren't working on the project report. Was picked up by J from work for the movie. Had to stop by my place first (where I told him to pretend he didn't see a drying rack filled with articles of clothing in the middle of my living room) to take the potato soup out of the crockpot. Then went to the nearby Chinese buffet, Borders (yay!music!) and left to get into line for the movie at about 9:40ish. Arrived at the theater, where he asked about the queueing instructions for the evening. After getting a 'bzuh?' from the monkey in charge, we were told we could go right on in. Go us! Got good seats and everything, spreading out the pink behemoth and his jacket to save enough for everyone we were meeting. Move of brilliancy by person two rows in front of us involved using tape to mark off seats as saved. May be borrowing that particular idea in the future.

However, sitting in the theater for 2 or so hours gave me plenty of time to think, which I know is dangerous, and in this case I measured the width of the back of the cardi I'm making. And realized that not only was I making a large (and I soooo don't need 43 in around the bust, even with added ease) but that it was wider across than an XL because I loosened up my knitting. O_o So, guess who ended up frogging 8 in of knitting. Go me.

Saw movie. Liked movie a rather awful lot. Will probably have to see in theater again. Really don't have much to say that others haven't already said and I'll save potential spoilers for another post where I can put a spoiler warning.

Despite my complaining about my class, I do like it. I just think it's a lot to be crammed into two weeks. Still, it is very well geared for my learning style - we're actually doing evaluation projects as opposed to having Dr. N. lecture to us about them. It's just that two collection evaluation projects (even if we're given the checklists to use) and a paper evaluating different evaluation methods are a bit much for 9 days of class.

Still, have been taking study breaks - did the shoulder seams of cropped cardigan last night when I needed to give my eyes a rest from the computer for about 20 minutes (yay for s00per fast three needle bind off). And put potato soup in the crockpot this morning. Will be going to Star Wars tonight and am contemplating the idea of not going to bed after (because, face it, I'll be to jazzed up to sleep), but just working straight through until class tomorrow. (I was pulling 48 hour days (40 working, 8 sleeping) while doing the thesis, I can do it now). That would enable me to go on a hike Sat morning (yay! exercise!). Depending on how much work I get done if I do pull an all nighter.

Knitting is keeping me sane with little snatches of time like on the bus, but not enough time to go into it too much. Quickly, though, despite doing gauge swatch and switching to smaller needles, my gauge on the bolero jacket back is at 20 st/4 in instead of the 23 st/4 in it should be (damn me for knitting loosely) or that I realized I'm doing the jacket in a large and am not sure I need 43 in at the bust even with the needed space for ease. Or that I've figured out a short row way of doing shoulder shaping for the cropped cardigan in Vogue Summer 2005 if anyone wants it so you can do three needle bind off. Or that I'm going to do long sleeves afterall, which may end up with me sending a check to the evil muse and making a puppy dog face so she can go and get me a fifth skein of yarn. Yarg.

Class was class. Went long on the lecture this time, add to that confusing instructions on the assignment and group members that were all not quite on the same page and no, it wasn't a good time. Talked with a certain person on the bus in, who noted that I 'wasn't home' yesterday when he was picking up and dropping off a friend of ours who lives in the same complex for church. Not sure if I should be worried he was looking for my car or impressed he was looking for my car (granted, where I park it is easily seen from the general entrance, especially with kids gone for the summer).

Completely had ADD-like fun in class. Could not for the life of me concentrate on anything longer than five minutes. At one point, when I set down my pencil and said outloud that I'd left my supper at home (which I had just realized) one of my group members actually said something to that affect. Kept going fifteen different directions while we were trying to discuss the surveys we were looking at, which I hate because I know that it impedes the groups and I hate it when other people do it but I just could not for the life of me stay on topic.

Work was boring, no one in here, no one been in here since full time person left. Worked on group project stuff a bit and should be working on my final paper but I'm really just all blah and can't bring myself to do so. I even got my knitting out and have just sat and looked at it.

I think the depression that literally everyone else I know is going through has finally caught up to me. Hopefully taking a night off away from things will keep me from doing something stupid like buying that bistro patio set that's only $50 and is cute and I really do need something to sit on on my patio. Or that Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed that I keep eyeing for the Isis Wrap in IK Summer. Or the Ella and Louis duets CDs I keep wanting. Not to mention that plant stands I like, but really don't need. I need to stop that bad habit of comfort shopping when I'm depressed or have the blahs.

Oh that was SMRT

I started doing laundry last night. A good thing, no? No. I officially have no dirty laundry left in my apartment. My last load went in just now and I have two laundry baskets to fold, one load in the dryer and another in the washer. Good, right? Wrong.

Every single bra I own is hanging to dry. And I work today.

*facepalm* *repeat*

epic, project, class, knitting, this means war, hiking, oh my!

Class and project is kicking my ass. My one consolation is that a week from today it will all be over (except for the final project due a week from Monday, but we'll ignore that for now). Have not managed to do readings for class for last two days, so there will be catch up readings to do tomorrow. Yarg.

The epic has unfortunately stalled, though not for lack of ideas. Well, okay, so not as many ideas pounding on me at once as before, but mainly class/work/RP responsibilities have hindered me from my previous 2,000+ words a day of before. *sigh* Hopefully after the class is over.

Made gauge on 'cropped cardigan' pattern after all. That teaches me for checking it in bad light. Of course, there is the question of if I'll have enough yarn, but I'm planning on short sleeves instead of long (an possibly doing those top down by picking up around the sleeve opening and doing them circular, though not sure if I'm that saavy). Also discovered that Elann.com credit is $50! More than enough for bolero jacket yarn. Just need to decide on rest of the $$. Was looking at yarn for boobholder, only am having hard justifying 5 skeins at $5/skein on good stuff with I've seen perfectly lovely boobholders made with Lion Brand and Caron yarn. But it's such a pretty shade of purple!!! *saves order for tomorrow*

There is a chipmunk living under my air conditioner. I really wouldn't mind, only I saw the little bugger sniffing at my plants and hell no. Yes, war was declared. Found a little sand bagger type thing in the yard next to my patio and kicked it over to cover his hole. He moved it out and I moved it back. He moved it again and I moved it back again and it's still there. We'll see in the morning as to who's winning. *rolls up sleeves*

Colored my hair this week. Am undecided on if I like the color, as I didn't use my usual color (Clairol Natural Instincts 13A Gingerbread Light Bronze Brown). Said usual color is very nearly my natural color (13B Spiced Cider Light Warm Brown), however I wanted to keep the red highlights and go lighter, so I went for a lighter reddish color. Well, my hair has more red, but it isn't much lighter (not that I was surprised since it is a washout dye and doesn't use peroxide). But I do kinda like it, I just need to be careful about the shades of red I wear with it. :))

Went hiking today with other grad students in the department. As I informed my partner on the class project when she asked yesterday where we were going 'Mc-something Creek State Park'. Complete with a cave that we went crawling through (and yes I banged my head once) and a waterfall that we ate our lunch by (complete with a water snake sighting that had several of us jumping up). Was a little pressed for time, however, as I got home at 12:10 and the bus left at 12:30. And I was covered in sunscreen, bug spray and dirt. Quickest shower in history of me and I ran to the bus with my hair still wet. Not that it mattered as while it was gorgeous out (though a tad humid) when I got on the bus, we were in the middle of a torrential downpour when I got off. The one day this week (as my class partner pointed out) that I didn't have my umbrella. Or a jacket. And was in a little sundress. *facepalm*

Also, I have a papercut on my cuticle. And the evil muse say she isn't going to be my roommate when we end up in the loony bin. *pouts*