march madness

...but not the basketball kind. I survived the 3/15 deadline in style! Now it's the time for the 1040 clients. A coworker's wife is nearly due with their first child, and I knit a cute pair of booties and a matching headband with interchangeable crocheted flowers. Thankfully, I'm almost done with J's pillow cover - I picked up the invisible zipper and some perfect wooden buttons to finish it up.

The yarn for my brother's socks has arrived, so it's sitting on the kitchen counter being an inspiration every morning and evening. I'm tempted to knit up a pair of socks for myself between J's pillow cover and my brother's socks, but... yeah. He's been waiting a few months for these, so I will start on his as soon as I get J's cover finished.

I've learned I am definitely not a dog person. Captain Jack is a cute bundle of energy, but I just don't have the patience for this stage. I really miss being able to sit quietly with the cats, petting them in between rounds on a project... the constant watching and frequent calls to the dog are wearing on me. I am so comfortable with our decision not to have children - if I'm having this hard of a time with a dog that I can crate when he's out of control, I can't imagine how difficult of a time I would have with a kid!!! [since you can't crate them and leave without getting Child Services called on you (with good reason, of course)] Especially a kid that could TALK. UGH. Definitely not my cup of tea.

With the dog now crated for the evening (he was in that frenzy that children get into - too tired and strung out so completely hyper and out of his head), I can finally sit and enjoy a glass of wine and some knitting. Maybe even some cuddle time with Skye without a ball of fur coming and jumping on top of her... poor kitties.

Joys of routine

Busy season becomes a blinding routine after a few weeks. Wake up panicky that I've overslept - maybe I have, maybe I haven't, but either way, I'm awake and moving. Get to work, caffeinate, work work work, and then home. Hopefully at home, I can do a chore or two a night... tonight is vacuuming the floors and dealing with the cat boxes - and then some time to knit. Working on my friend's pillow cover is wonderful this season - the repetition of the basketweave is so relaxing at the end of the day. The yarn is smooth and soothing to my hands after dealing with papers and pencils and binder clips and the occasional paper cut. Then, bedtime, and up again to do it over again the next day. Soon, I'll wake up in the normal panicked state, and then realize, oh, wait, it's April 14th. One more day of madness, and then I can sleep all day. Until then, the basketweave pillow case and socks will take up my time and be my creative outlet.

Hello friends...

Things are definitely getting busy at work. My CIRAs are coming in for preparation or extension, and the busy-season interns started today. I was at work till about 7 tonight, which is not bad, but I was determined to go to the gym and then to the store afterward. Since watching Food, Inc., I have been making dramatic changes to how I eat. If I can't ensure that meat is organic, I'm not eating it; I'm making as many of my vegetables organic as possible. No eggs if they aren't organic (to the point that I didn't buy any at the store tonight); no unorganic dairy products. I was pleased to see that my favorite coffee, Dunkin Donuts, is fair trade certified. So... grocery shopping is a new adventure.

In knitting news, I've finished my Diagonal Cross-Rib socks! I cast on a swatch for my friend JS' basketweave pillow cover, but realized she said she wanted regular basketweave, and I was swatching pie-crust. Oops! So, frogged the swatch and restarted it yesterday.

Well - since it's late, I'm off to bed. The dog was just going nuts, I'm betting out of exhaustion, and I am going to get my second wind if I stay up much longer.

Knitters vs. Non-knitters

A friend commented to me on Monday that I shouldn't take my knitting into a work CPE because it would look really bad. I was rather confused about what she meant, but I realized she must think that knitting means I'm not paying attention to the speaker. Something that a lot of non-knitters must assume is that knitting takes a person's whole focus. Of course, something complicated - whether due to the pattern (like a lace pattern) or the yarn itself (I'm glaring at you, FunFur) - would need a knitter's focus... but for a simple, repeating pattern or stockinette in the round, knitting is as mindless as doodling. For me, having needles in my hands means I am happy to sit beside my husband while he enjoys his favorite tv shows. We will laugh and talk... he said the other day, "You don't actually watch tv, you listen to it!" I do watch, again depending on the pattern. If I'm turning a heel or shaping a gusset? Not so much with the watching. But the listening? Oh yes. I retain an incredibly greater amount if I have something to fidget with... I'm not fighting to stay awake! I can watch my hands and listen with my ears and everything is just fine. One day, I'll gather the courage to knit in the back row.

So, I've finished shaping the gussets in the second Diagonal Cross-Rib Sock and am on to the foot!! I'm very excited. Also, the yarn for my friend's pillow cover arrived. I'm a little concerned as the yarn is much finer than I was expecting. A gauge swatch will tell me what I need to do, though. It's the LB Collection Cotton Bamboo. I'm really looking forward to finally working with bamboo - although now that I type that, I think my friend J.I.'s hat that I finished was with bamboo yarn... Hm.

My friend B.S. in Pennsylvania sent me a huge box of acrylic yarn! I am not sure what I'll do with it; it all looks very old from the ball bands. I think it's from her fiance's mother's stash; the FMIL doesn't knit anymore and probably needs to clear out her old stash. Regardless, I love free yarn! I will find some uses for it, and I hope to get the story out of my friend about the source of the yarn.

OK - for now, I'm off to watch some more Castle and knit on my sock!

welcome to the new decade!

I finished Dad's last sock today. I turned the heel last night as 2009 turned into 2010. Nasty weather today made it easy to sit on the couch and finish the foot.

My friend J.S. and I are in the process of ironing out a commission. She'd like a pillow cover; she found one she liked at Pottery Barn but didn't particularly like their price. We've been able to improve on their design, and currently she's deciding on a yarn.

While I wait for her to decide, I dug out the yarn to work on the second sock of my Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks. Took me a little while to remember where the first sock was after I found the yarn, but I found it. Can't find the remaining yarn of the first skein, but I'm sure it will show up eventually.

So, off to wind the skein into a ball and cast on... fresh start for a new year!

ArtFire

Tonight marks my first sale on my ArtFire shop!! My friend J.I. commissioned a pair of baby booties in green and white for a friend/relative's baby (can't remember right now which she said). I tried to find matching green buttons but was not able to find the right shade of green. Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure.
I hope the recipients like them! I am sure they will...

The puppy is being a holy terror. Saturday, he nipped my upper arm, on the back where it's sensitive and delicate, and I have a nice bluey-purple bruise there. He got the outer edge of my right hand tonight; that will be fun tomorrow when I'm typing and writing all day at work.

This past Saturday, I ran in the OUC Half-Marathon and 5k. I have been training for the half-marathon for a couple of months, but the longest run I'd managed had been 8.7 miles. My knees ache and hurt a lot when I run, but I had hoped that lifting weights in addition to the running would help. Wellllll... it didn't. By mile 9, I was dying. Of course, mile 9 is where the hills started - bricked hills, at that. Did I mention that it was cold (relatively speaking) and raining? Yeah, it was. About 60 degrees (hey, I did say relatively speaking) and misting, at a minimum. EWWWWW. Not fun. Bradley brought Jack and they were waiting for me at the finish line - that was one of the best things I've ever seen :D For now, I'm done with running. I'm taking a break this week from exercising (other than chasing around the steeenkeeeng dog) and am allowing myself to have 'bad' foods if I want.

OK. I think that's all I have to say--- oh wait, regarding the socks for my dad: I'm working on shaping the gusset on the second sock. I am quietly and unobtrusively enforcing Papa-Puppy time so that they can bond and I can get some knitting time ;-)

Next week I should have the pictures of my dad's finished socks. I can't wait to show them off!

More travelling!

This time, we are travelling with friends up to a cabin in the North Carolina mountains. The weather is supposed to be a little cool but nothing really frigid - low 60s during the day and 40s at night. Perfect knitting weather! We will also be close to my alma mater, so I am excited to stop by and see the campus again. It's been seven years since I've been there, but it looks like the campus hasn't changed much.

When I visited my family last week, I was able to pick up a Knit Kit and was SO glad I had it. No hassle at the airport, and I had everything I needed for the plane and once I got there. When they first came out in pink and beige, I was very excited about the idea but not enthused about the colors at ALL. I was so happy to see the black kits come out and am very glad I was able to buy one of them.

I bought most of the yarn tonight for the next commission, but I'm having a hard time finding the colors the buyer wants for the last set of booties. I am going to check online and order tonight so the yarn is here when I get back from the trip. I'll have plenty to work on on the trip - the first two sets of booties plus my father's socks. The drive is gonna be a long one so I should have plenty of time in the car to knit. Bradley is gonna love driving my Mini in the mountains! Although thinking about it, considering how much alcohol is going with us, I might need to take some bulky weight yarn so I can KUI on a scarf or two!

Man, I've been bad with the posting. Life has been busy!

Bradley is bricking up the old windows in the living room. The living room was originally a porch but was enclosed at some point. The windows that originally looked out of the bathrooms and master bedroom were blocked on the bathroom and bedroom side, but were left open on the living room side. We want to cover the wall with corrugated steel, so he's bricking them up to provide sound insulation. It's a relief not to worry about noise anymore!

My Sonnet is finnnnnallllllly finished! We visited some of my family this last weekend, and getting it finished was my #1 goal for the trip. I need to run it through the dryer to get all the cat hair off of it - Pax found it and made a bed on it, so it's been accented with pretty white hair >.<

Next project is a commission that's still being detailed out, but I'm still chugging away on the socks for my father. Dad used to do IT work at a sock manufacturer, so when he tried on the completed first sock, he tried to suggest ways to tighten up the foot. I got some giggles out of the conversation because knitting socks on a machine at, oh, probably a billion stitches a second is completely different than hand-knitting socks. He can be grateful that someone is *hand-knitting* socks for him! :-D I know he is glad to be getting them and was just trying to be helpful so I'm not offended at all - just amused :D

Well - it's time to go do some more chores around the house, so I'm out. HOPEFULLY I will be able to post on Monday with fun updates from the weekend!

sock obsession

I love socks. LOVE. I love the speed, the portability, the tempest in a teacup-ness of socks. I can learn new knitting techniques on a small scale; try outrageous patterns or colors -- or BOTH! -- in one little item. One of my favorite designers is Hunter Hammersen, and you can find her sock designs at http://www.violentlydomestic.com/. I am drooling over several of her patterns while I work on the socks for my father... I really like the Bines pattern, although I'd probably make them a little taller than her pictures. I have some lovely green variegated sock yarn that would be perfect for those. The Popped socks totally catch my eye - the sinuous curves of the pattern make me want to use a green yarn, something close to a Slytherin color. The Propitiate socks actually remind me of the beach, and I have a lovely blue cotton yarn that would be good for those. My next dilemma is finding a pair of brown work shoes that I can wear socks with; my dress shoes are too snug to wear socks with - only hose.

As far as the socks for my father - I've turned the heel and am working on the foot. I think I've gotten the foot long enough to start the toe decreases, but I am hoping to get Bradley to try it on so I can be sure. His foot is wider than my father's but about the same length. Hopefully I can take some pictures while he has it on (as long as he doesn't run as soon as I pull out my camera).

A coworker has commissioned two baby headbands; they are going to be adorable. I have to learn how to crochet for the flowers that will be attached to them, but no worries; crochet can't steal me away from my true love of knitting.

Vacation & road trips

We spent this last weekend on the road. It was my annual family reunion, and seeing everyone in my mother's family was wonderful. The gathering was at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia. It's near Chattanooga and in the mountains - beautiful country up there.

I finished my Undulating Rib Socks on Saturday and cast on Sonnet! I was so pleased to finally start that. When I gave my sister and niece their socks, they were very pleased. Emily put hers on right away, but when Grace tried to put hers on - no luck. The yarn shrank in the wash :( Shame on me for not swatching them. I'm so disappointed. I suggested that she get them damp and slip them on carefully, and then let them dry on her feet.

My sister-in-law, brother, and father have all put in requests for socks. Mary and Kenneth are getting pairs of Padded Footlets; Kenneth is getting a pair of Eesti Trail Hiking Socks; and Dad is getting two pair of the same hiking socks. My poor Branching Out is going to be neglected, but thankfully, I have the counter app on my iPhone so I will be able to pick up where I left off. Kenneth picked out some beautiful yarn from KnitPicks - I can't wait to see how it looks and feels in real life.

The Sonnet is coming along nicely; I am using the piecrust basketweave instead of the box/moss stitch recommended in the pattern. I'm also cutting out an inch on each side since I have heard from every direction that the finished item will definitely stretch side-to-side. I finished about seven inches while we were on the road. I do love how Bradley doesn't mind driving...

Heat

We haz it. Our A/C has been out this week, and the temperatures have been in the 90s. UGH. Needless to say - that means no knitting! I could barely get off the couch without breaking a sweat, so the idea of touching even cotton made me swelter. The poor cats had me so worried, but they didn't seem to be near heatstroke. On the suggestion of a friend, I wrapped each of them in a cold wet towel for about ten minutes to help them stay cool. I was very surprised that they each tolerated it as well as they did. Must have been a sign that they were feeling the heat too :(

The A/C was recharged with freon today, and we're having a new unit installed on Tuesday. Bradley got a few estimates this week and we are satisfied with what we're buying. The current unit is about 20 years old, so I'm not surprised that it quit.

Now that the house is cooler, I worked some more on my niece's socks. I need to get the buttons sewn onto my officemate's commissioned booties, but I'll probably do that on Sunday since I won't see her again until Monday.

I've been wondering how I'll block things in the new house - we don't have any carpet! I found some blocking tiles on KnitPicks, but I am waiting a couple more months before buying them. Most of the projects I'm working on right now are socks or booties, which can just get tossed in the washer and dryer. After I pick up Branching Out or cast on my Sonnet, then I'll reconsider.

I can't wait to finish these socks for my niece - I am excited to pick up BO again!

Productivity

Quick post today, I hope...

First - from a non-knitting blog, a post which I had to bite my lip in order to avoid screeching at my desk at work: "Dear Economy", from Reactionary. If I don't LOVE it, I'm not buying it. So quit producing mediocre CRAP with the expectation that I will run right out to buy it. I do keep a list of quality brands - and of brands that produce shoddy, poor-quality goods. I will GLADLY pay for high quality, long-lasting products.

This past weekend was very productive. The husband got a lot of work done around the house - we went to the pool store and spent $140 on chemicals to get the water cleaned up. He will add chemicals every day for the next ten days, so we will have to wait at least 2 weeks before we can get in the water. I was amazed that the water turned from icky pond green to pretty blue overnight! But the water is milky and opaque - and now full of chlorine and acid and calcium, so it's definitely not safe to put in even a toe right now. He was a genius and fixed the wiring to the pool lights... I am so proud of him :)

I knit up my coworker's pair of girly booties and am almost done with the boy's pair. I meant to hit the craft store for buttons while we were out on our errands this weekend, but forgot. Will have to stop by tonight. I should be able to finish the boy's pair tonight and get them packaged for her tomorrow night.

I realized with our summer family reunion coming up, I need to get these socks finished for my niece and sister. My friends didn't come over Friday evening, so I couldn't get LB to pick out a pattern she likes... I'm tempted to make an executive decision and pick one for her, but the beauty of custom-made socks is just that - they are custom.

OK - gotta get some work done :)

To Do List

Tonight's to do list includes...

• dealing with cat litter duty
• confirming plans with the husband to visit family
• gym time with the girls
• dose the felines with Revolution
• put inboxes from home into car to take to work
• and knit.

Current commission list:

• Socks for niece (almost done! finished the heel turn last night and will work on the gussets tonight. These will be a gift.)
• Finish socks for sister (the whole too-tight cuff; also a gift.)
• Coworker LPF: 2 pr baby booties - 1 girl (pink & lavender) and 1 boy (light blue & navy) [priced at $7.50 each; discounts start at 3 pair]
• Coworker EMG: 2 pr baby booties - 2 girl (colors to be confirmed) [same price as above]

Commissions to confirm:

• Coworker DDV: baby booties; will discuss over drinks Friday after work [price depends on quantity and yarn desired]
• Socks for friend LB. She will be coming over with another friend Friday evening for Wii bowling so I will show her sock yarns I currently have and let her pick yarn and pattern. [price depends on yarn and pattern but will probably start at $10. Need to check on price charged to friend in winter to stay consistent.]

One more payment on my Citi credit card and then I can close that account!!! I'm so pleased.