Finally, IT is over

Yes Christmas is over for this year. Now on to a new year and new opportunties.

Yes, I am going back to work week after next. I have secured another contract position. Some where new this time. I think it will be fun to be doing something entirely differents. I will be working downtown new the new Power and Light District so I should be in the thick of things.

Now I truly will have to get my to-do list completed, now excuses. I am finally, yes dare I say it, going to paint the dining room. I am going to clean the house throughly, again, so I will be ready to go to work again.

As for knitting, I have been doing many things lately. I did finish the Christmas things and the last of them will be mailed tomorrow to my sister's family. They will have many Christmas mornings this year. My brother mailed his gifts, which they have already received in Portland, and Mom's is on they way so they should get them eary this week. Mine they should have later in the week. This should be fun for the kids not getting everything all at once.

Anyway, to get back to the knitting. I am working on a pair of gloves custom made to my little hands. I have very short fingers so when I buy retail gloves I either have to get children's gloves, the stretchy kind, or the gloves that are an inch too long in the fingers. Neither are very workable so I decided that a custom pair are in order.

My friend Chelle started the "Girl's Best Friend" socks from ther pattern she downloaded from KnitPicks. She was not sure that she liked they way they were working up so gave the pattern to me to try. She started hers using Cascades Fixation hoping that the stretch would provide a better fit. Not liking Fixation myself I started this pair in Lang JAwoll.

This is what I have so far. The pattern is fairly involved so it does not go very quickly but I am almost to the end of the lace part. From there on it is just stockinette. I think I am going to really like them, even thought they are a slow knit for me.

In my spare time I have been working on just a plan pair of navy socks to wear with slacks for work. I need some that are a little more conservative for professional times.

I know that this does not look like much just yet but it will. I found this wonderful vest pattern that I just feel in love with. It is modular, as you can see, in an unusual way. It is called the "Petal Vest" and is a Knit One Crochet Too pattern. They have it rated as Expert but I am not sure why. It is not really that complicated.

This is what I have so far. I really like working on it and seeing how it builds on itself. I can see alot possibilities for variations. Stay tuned for progress.

Well, I think that brings me up-to-date. Now on to the new year.

To all of my friends....HAPPY NEW YEAR! ! ! !

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.....

I think I am as ready as I am going to be for Christmas. I have not shopped alot this year since I am not working at this time. After all, it is the thought that counts.

As many may know my sister's family was making their maiden voyage, driving from Portland, OR to Lees Summit, MO for the holiday. They had quite an adventure starting with being stuck in traffic for 4 hours in SE Oregon. This was only the beginning. As they progressed on to Wyoming, they got into blizzard conditions which prompted them to turn around and go home. They started this journey Wednesday afternoon and finally made it back to Portland this afternoon.

While I am sad that they will not be here for Christmas, I am extremely thankful that they are safe. This is an adventure I do not think they will want to try again. The summer time will be a much better time to try again when there is good weather an they can sight see along they way.

So this year it will be my mom, brother, and me for the holiday. They are in Springfield and the weather is much better there. Not sure how long I will be able to stay as they weather looks like it is turning again by Wednesday. Will have to watch the weather report. If it looks like it is going to get bad I will most likely come home earlier than later.

I have all of the gift knitting done that I am going to do. Anything else will have to wait until next year.

Now...I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Organization Continues

In keeping with the recent weather in Kansas City, here is my crocheted snowman. He still needs eyes, nose and buttons that will be done tomorrow. He will be going to one of my red hat friends. Every year she has us to her how for our Christmas get together which is really a treat. She cooks wonderful things and always has some kind of fun activity for us to enjoy. We were supposed to be together last Tuesday but due to inclimate weather, the event was reschedule to tomorrow.


Today was my day to finally get my yarn closet organized the way I wanted it. This is attempt #2. I have had the wire cubbies for some time but had not gotten them put together. This gives me a lot more storage room for the yarn I already have. This does not give me license to by more to fill the space. I am going to concentrate this year on using what I have. If I do buy something new it will be for a specific project. I have a bad habit of buying something fom the sale bins thinking I can find something to make from it. How is this work for me, you ask. Answer, not very well. I have a couple skeins of various things but not enough to completely make something. This is not very productive or ecomonical.



I think I am almost ready for Christmas. I have just a couple more things to get the wrap. This is not going to take long since I have not bought a lot this year. I have been, for the most part, conservative with my spending this time. Mainly because I am not working right now and I have about $3000 to pay out in by the end of the year. Next year will be different.

Christmas Memories

This it the time of year that everyone is so busy running here and there shopping, doing holiday cards, attending parties and in general going crazy to be ready for Christmas morning. Whether you are staying home or traveling it is the same every year, it seems that things will never get done in time. Some how it always turns out ok.

When all is said and done, the most important thing is to be with people you care about. Family, friends and neighbors all contribute to making memories. We all have them. Some are good memories and others are not. I choose to embrace the goods ones.

In the days gone by when all of my family was still here, young and vibrant, there were many good memories made. My grandma raised 6 fine children, mainly on her own. My youngest uncle was 13 when grandpa died of stomach cancer leaving grandma to keep the family going. The family did not have a lot but they did have great love for each other.

These fine people produced my generation. There are 14 cousins of this generation who are now the old ones. The oldest is 77 down to the youngest who is 39. Now some of these cousins have children who are having children. Talk about feeling old.

The memories that come to me this time of hear are of the family Christmas dinners. Everyone would have their Christmas morning at home then in the afternoon gather at someones house, usually ours. There was always much food, drink, and merriment. Our house had a large rec room in the basement with room for everyone to spread out. There was a ping pong table with an extension that made it big enough for everyone to sit down to eat all at the same time. This was quite a sight. In my younger days we numbered 20 or more eating at once.

As the cousins grew older and got married the number grew to 30+. You can imagine the noise level. In our family ther is an interesting thing that would happen. There would be multiple conversations going on at the same time with various people bouncing between conversations. When things got going it would seem like the walls would viberate. This I learned many years later was very intimidating to new members of the family. Growing up with this it seemed perfectly normal to us.

When dinner was over and the table was cleared the evenings entertainment was a huge bingo game. We played for a nickle a card. Us kids would clean up. Oh, those were the days that made such good memories.

Now that my generation is grown each one has started their own family traditions so we do not get together for holidays any more. Life goes on and this is the way it is supposed to be. Families will always carryon to create their own memories. The are nice to look back on.

This year my family will be with my mother. This is the first year without my dad so it will be different but it will be a much better Christmas than last year. The kids will have fun waiting for the morning and the anticipated present opening. The amount of presents will be scaled back but I am confident that everyone will get pretty much what they want.

My wish for everyone is to have a wonderful Christmas. Go out and make all the memories you can and share the ones you have. That is what keeps them alive.

Oh the Midwest Weather

This weekend was a weather shocker in KC. Today was not so bad. I got out and had lunch and ran some errands before the predicted ice storm to come.

This is the up-to-date weather map for the Kansas City area. We are in the circle. There is not much hope that this ice storm is going to miss us.

As you can see from the forecast we have 100% chance of freezing rain tonight, tomorrow, and tomorro night. Hopefully, this front will move on out and nothing else will be behind it for Christmas.

I have been knitting some today also. I am to the gusset for the huge socks I am doing and am ready to do some felting. Gracie was really impressed with the body of this snow man. I was making in for an exchange at my Red Hats Christmas meeting but it has been rescheduled until next week due to the weather. This works better for me time wise so I can get him done.

This is the bag I am doing for my Mom. Got some bamboo handles today but am not extremely happy with them. I really wanted leather but JoAnn's did not have them and my time to look for them today was limited. Maybe I will find some later this week that I am satisfied with.

On the job front. I got a call today from a New Jersey headhunter presenting me with an opportunity. The person was obviously Indian which in itself is not a problem. I have may friends who are Indian and they are lovely people. The problem with this person is that he is not familar with the geography of the country. The position is with a large telecom company and would be a great fit, if it were not in Tulsa, OK.

It was very difficult to understand what he was talking about to begin with. He asked if I knew where Tulsa was and how far it was from me. Oh, also if I took the job would it be necessary for me to move there. He had very little detail about the position. His main concern was if he could submit my resume for the position. I had to ask if the positon was a direct hire or contract and what the salary range was. Let me just explain that this is not my first experience with this. The main purpose for these head hunters is to get submissions. My understanding is that they get paid by the submission and not the just the placement. I am not at all comfortable with this type of recruiting.

I had thought that this type of recruiting had fallen out of favor but I guess not. It is another case of sending jobs off shore. The telephone give is a New Jersey number but I think it is patched in from India. I just to not like the idea of being recruited for a job in the US from another country.

O M G

When I logged into Ravelry I found this link to the "Worlds Larges Stash" http://mochimochiland.com/weblog/?p=111. I think this one has got most yarn shops beat. I am so envious both of the stash and the space. This is a truly bless knitter. I think all of us can only dream of such things. This person is either very rich, an incredible bargin shopper, or a major hoarder. Either way all I have to say is WOW!

The winter weather has settled in to Kansas City this weekend. There was ice yesterday on the driveway and street. I did not go to SSK, although I was dress and ready to go. When I went to get in the car I was going to go get the mail and discovered that the driveway was a sheet of ice. I thought better of my trek across the street. The last thing I need to do is fall and hurt myself. The outlook for next week is not that good either. We are supposed to have more ice and cold, all week. I have a feeling that we are in for a bad winter.

I actually have been knitting away today and have completed two things and almost a sock. Since as with everyone these are Christmas presents the pictures will have to wait. Wince there are still a couple of weeks before Christmas I may have time to get a couple more things done, in between job hunting.

On that front, I am going to keep up the effort on through. You just never know what is going to come up. The best job every could come along.

Good Day-- Friday

I had a good day today. I went to Weight Watchers for my first week weigh-in. I did good, loosing 2.8. Not a bad start considering when I weighed in I was 16 lbs. less than the last time I weighed, in October. It is interesting that I am able to do so well with my eating when I am not working. I think there is a message there somewhere.

Good news...I have selected paint for the dining room. Now that I mostly have my house in order I will have not excuse not to paint. I finally had to take the drape with me into Lowe's and get the color selected and purchased. It is time for this to be done before Christmas so I will be ready to go back to work.

I think I am over my Christmas grinchiness ahead of schedule this year. The difficulty is that this is the time of year I miss everyone who is not with us now. Even though they are not here in the flesh, they are in my heart and that is the part of me that hurts. I work through it every year and am fine by the time Christmas is here, but it usually takes longer. I call this progress.

I did get some Christmas shopping done today and enjoyed it. Each year there is usually one of my family that I spend a little more on. Not necessarily on purpose but it just works out that way. It works our pretty even over time. I of course will not say who it is but he/she will be absolutely gobsmacked. I am pretty please with this one.

I have a couple more things to get knitted and others to get bought then I will be ready. I may even decorate the house for a change. I usually put up a tree of sorts. It is actually half of a tree that hangs on the wall that is the side of my guest closet. It works out great because it does not sit on the floor to be in the way. Next to my front door there is an etched window that looks in on this wall so from the outside it looks like a tall tree. The tree stays decorated and is stores on a shelf in the storage room in the basement. I really love it. I will supply a photo when it is up.

There is Always Tomorrow

I had a good day today. I finished the cleaning in my bedroom and have stuff ready for the Federation for the Blind to come next week and pick up a bunch of stuff. It will be good to get that out of the house.

I got a call today for an interesting job out-of-town (won't tell where so as not to jinx it). The thing is that it is a direct hire or in my mother's words, it is a real job. If all it works out it would mean eventually moving (but not right away). At first, the opportunity arose I just said it was not an option but the more I think about it, there is a possibility. Will have to see how that all goes.

Nonetheless, I have some things cooking. I should have heard about one today but did not. There is still hope for it since there was not a definitive rejection. I also have a meeting in the morning to talk with another recruiter. Eventually, probably after the holidays, something will present itself. Until the unemployment check will keep coming.

It amazing how we can manage with less money. Kansas unemployment is $407 per week. Today was an exciting day because I actually got 3 checks to catch me up to the first weeks I was off. This was a great treat. Now I will have money for Christmas.

The main thing that is a concern is the health insurance. Did you know that if you loose your job that you qualify for COBRA coverage. For those of you who have never experience COBRA essentially you pay the full premium. Basically, it is the portion that your employer pays in addition to what you pay on each paycheck. This means that if you pay say $70 per month when you are working, it goes up to let's say $287 per month out of your own pocket. This is what I will be paying for coverage that has a $1500 deductible before it pays anything unless you have a medical emergency. After the $1500 they pay 80%. This is what is known as a high deductible indemnity policy.

In the old days before the managed care fiasco started with the HMOs this is the kind of insurance we all had. You went to the doctor and pay usually $25 for an office visit and you could go to any doctor you wanted. The insurance company did not care. Everyone had an prescription card and paid $2 or so per prescription. There were not commercials advertising pharmaceuticals and we all took what the doctor thought was best for up. The only time you used your insurance was when you had diagnostic test or were hospitalized. Those were the good old days. Employers paid the full premium for the employee and usually the family. Medical costs were much lower and the doctors did not have to inflate their charges to $100+ for an office visit just so the insurance company would pay the $25. Things were much simpler then.

I was working for a pharmaceutical in the 80’s when the HMO was in its infancy, and I remember being in meetings when it was said what a boon it would be to the pharmaceutical and insurance companies. In the beginning, many paid no copay at all of if there was one it was nominal. I think the first on I paid was $2. Then it went to $5 eventually rising to ….you guess it $25. Amazingly, the amount we used to pay the doctor anyway.

They fought long and hard to be able to advertise their products. Well, we all now what the power of suggestion does. How many times have you seen an advertisement for a new drug then go to your doctor and say I want some of whatever it? We are all guilty of this. So now instead of pay a flat $2 or even $10, now we are tier on a formulary. For those who are not familiar with this it a list of drugs that the insurance company will pay for and the new the drug the higher the copay cost is. We are not paying $30, $40 and higher for a brand name prescription. This because we always want the newest thing when some of the older drugs that are less expensive will do just as well or better.

OOPS! I almost forgot this is a knitting blog. I have not been knitting a lot this week since I had so much to do on the house. I have worked a few rows in here and there so I am making progress. I have a couple of Christmas things ready to come off the needles and a couple more to go on. The new stuff may have a swatch with an IOU attached under the Christmas tree. Will have to see how I do the next few weeks. With the house nearly done I can devote more time to knitting and get it done.

Knittng Again Soon

I have not been knitting the last couple of days because I really need to finish up my delayed Spring cleaning. I am very close to be there. I have the front bedrooms mostly in order.

I got things in the kids room rearranged which was a big part of the effort. U had an entertainment center in there that took up a lot of room so now that is gone and a much smaller tv cabinet is in there. Also did the closet clean out so I could put my stash in there.

The cabinet came from the other bedroom where it was used for a nightstand. Will have to find something to replace it so I can finish that room. Now on to my room which is not quite as bad as the others were.

I have the clothes switch completed and the summer stuff taken to the basement. I am getting closer to reaching my goal. When this is complete I will have not excuse not to be painting the dining room.

I now have a theory that when I get my to do list completed I will get a job offer so of course I need to get on with it. I do have a meeting Thursday to talk with a recruiter who mainly does direct hires. This would be a good thing.

Still Water Runs Deep

Your Passion is Purple!

You've got a ton of passion, but you don't always wear it on your sleeve. If something truly excites you, you let your inner intensity shine through. But otherwise, your passion tends to morph into energy ... which you never lack. You're a balanced woman, knowing when to turn on the fire in your heart.

What Type of Passionate Woman Are You?

This is so true. I most usually to not openly express passion or emotion. I think I used to as a small child but it usually did not work out so well for me so I learned that there is a time and a place for expression.

It is possible for me to very angry or hurt or sad and no one would ever notice. I have become very adept at self control. I wish some times I could allow myself to let go of such control but it is not easy. It makes me feel very vulnerable and that can be extremely uncomfortable for me. This is something in my character is am working on all the time.

I think this is also why it is difficult for me to ask for help or allow others to do things for me. I know that I cannot always do everything for myself so I am working on that also. I have always been the one to do the helping. This too is a hard thing to let go of.

OK, enough of that. I am knitting on several things. I need to focus on Christmas things and get them done. I have two things nearly done. My goal is to focus on them tomorrow and get them out of the way. There are couple more things I want to do if I can fit them in them that is it for Christmas knitting. Time is going to run out on me.

On the job front, I have a couple of things I expect to hear about Monday. One is a tech writer contract that would be a lot of fun and the other is a possible contract for hire that would require a lot of travel. Not sure how Gracie would like that but I will worry about them when the time comes.

Life's Little Bumps

Well, just when you think things are going down one path there is a U-turn and you head a different direction. Case in point is my new contract that I was supposed to start on the 27th. Unfortunately, it got cancelled so now I am looking at other options. Not sure what the reason was. Could have been that the client was just not ready when they thought they would be or the project itself could have been cancelled. Nonetheless, for whatever reason I will not be there.

As you can imagine, I am disappointed but that is the way it goes in the contracting business this time of year. It usually means that something better is yet to come so I will keep looking. I have a couple of other leads working so we shall see.

Right now I am working on some socks, my hemlock ring (I am bored with it right now), and a couple of other things. Other than that I am just hanging loose trying to get as much done in the house as I can. I am still in organization mode so I am ready to move on to the next room. Wish me luck in getting through eveything on my list.

New Beginnings

I have been organizing this weekend. Yes I have gotten the bug. I have had my yarn stash in my bedroom but decided that it needed a new home since I was running out of room in the current location. The solution was to clear out a spare closet and relocated the stash. When I am finished I will supply pictures of the result.

I was not feeling well this morning so my progress has been hampered. I think I eat something last night that was on the verge of not being good any longer but it seemed ok so I eat it. It as some veg beef soup that I probably should have frozen but I wanted one last bowl. Well needless to say it is gone now. After some chicken soup and pudding followed by a nap, I am feeling much better. I think I will be able to finish my organization project this evening and more on to the next project.

I need to complete my to-do list this week. I will be starting a new contract on the 27th. This one, I think will be fun. I have not done quailty assurance software testing for a while so this will be something different for a change. It is only supposed to last a short time but may work into something else. You just never know.

Autumn in Lees Summit

This is the view from my kitchen window. What a lovely Autumn day. There is a crispness in the air along with the gusty wind. The only thing missing is the smell of burning leaves I remember from my childhood. Too bad we are not allowed to burn leaves anymore. It sure would eliminate the need for all of the leaves being picked up by the trash service to be hauled off for recycling. It would seem to me that the diesel fumes from the trucks would be worse for the environment than the smoke from the burning leaves not to mention the smell.


As kids it was fun to jump into the piles of leave that were so painstakingly raked only to be scattered once again. It is nice to think back to such times and those memories.

I have not been knitting a lot this week so I have nothing to show. I have been trying to get things done in the house and outside before I good back to work. I am still bored with the dining room re-do so I still need to paint. I tried the color samples on the wall and I think the base color needs to have a little more green in it to work better with the sage drape I bought. I think I like the living room color because it has a peach tone but very suttle. This is a to-do I need to get wrapped up so I can move on to another room. The kitchen will be next then on to the bathroom. Once I get rolling with the new contract, I may just have someone come in and to the painting. I do ok with the wallpaper removal so if I at least get that part done and wall prep done the painting is no big deal and could probably be done in one day.

I have so many things on my list for the house that it will possibly take most of next year to complete. With the painting inside and out complete I can start on updating the bathrooms and kitchen. Then I can sit back enjoy it all. I a few years with I am ready to sell, it will make it much easier to get it ready for market.

New Stuff

St Louis was fun this pat weekend. Interestingly enough, we found a new yarn shop that was having a grand opening. My friend Chelle found the same shop. To continue down the path she ended up going to Knitorious as did we. It is a wonder we did not run into each other. I got some lovely Toasty Toes hand dyed worsted and some white yarn that I will probably kool ade dye. Not sure on the colors as yet.

I have decided that there will be no further yarn purchases for some time. I really have gone over the edge lately and I need to come back. At least until I get back to work. I also need to get some WIPs completed. I am now working on a sweater, socks, hemlock ring blanket and a bag. I need to be diligent in completing them so I can still have time to get some Christmas things done.

I guess I am going to have to look for a job soon. I an officially unemployed after being on the bench for the last to weeks. I did file for unemployment today. Since I worked in Kansas that is who will pay this time which is better than Missouri at least but not as good as some other states. I do enjoy not working but unfortunately it does not pay much. The thing that is different this time is that I don't have a car payment or house payment at this time so the unemployment will cover my bills.

I do have an interview for a short contract for a technical writer that might be fun. It should last about 5 months which would get me to Spring. In the contracting game it is a better time to find something. I have been doing this kind of work for a long time so I don't worry about it any more. Something always comes through when it needs to.

Not WORKING Update

For those of you who might be interested in what my Gracie kitty looks like, here she is in all her lazy glory. She is a 5 year old calico who I adopted from the shelter after my lovely dog Holly died. She mainly was brought home to help my elderly Siamese cat to get over grieving for the dog. She died over Labor Day so now it is just me and Gracie. Although, there is a possibility of a new puppy in the Spring, depending on what I am doing at the time.



This is the middle of week 2 not working. I could really get use to this if it paid better. Next week I will start unemployment if something does not come up this week. I have been making good use of my time as you can see. The dining room wall is ready to prime and them paint. I just have a little spackle to to do tonight then I am ready. It has been 15 years since I have addressed this room. I definitely think it is time. I think the color is going to be a light sage with a lighter value of the color in the ceiling inset.

Next comes the kitchen followed by the living room. Eventually, the main bathroom and bedrooms will get some attention also. This all is going much slower than it used to as it is more difficult for me to repeatedly go up and down the ladder.

This is the first finished Coriolis sock. It will make a good slipper sock but I think I would like it better done on smaller needles and single thread. I really like the concept.

I could not wait to start on the Hemlock Ring blanket. I really like it and if goes fast but I need to look over my last round. I am off one stitch in one repeat and as I really want to go strictly by the pattern I must correct it. It is going to be really pretty when I get it done. I am on row 35 and the center of the ring goes to row 47 then starts the fan and feather to complete it. That part is pretty straight forward to it should not take long. So stay tuned for up dates.

Lovely Fall Sunday Afternoon

I am sitting here enjoying the wonder Fall day. I think this is my favorite time of year except for Spring. I especially love the cooler crisp air. As I have gotten older I find I just cannot take the heat. Someday I guess I will have to move where the temps are more moderate. Alas, I am not in a position to do that just yet. Maybe in a few years I can accomplish that.

It was a very cool evening so I did have to break down and set the thermostate to heat so the furnace would come on in case the temp dropped dramatically. Last night I did light the gas logs for a bit just to take the chill off in the living room so the furnace would not come on. My Gracie kitty took full advantage of that. She just have been really chilly in the middle of the night because she came in and got under the covers with me for a snuggle.

On the job front. I may have something starting this week if things work out. It would be long enough to get me through the rest of the year to a time when there are new contracts and new budget money to go with them.

Only as Old as You Feel

I have always felt like an old soul. This I guess proves me wrong

My New York age is 23

This New York age puts you-generally speaking-into the young category. That's what you were hoping for, right? Run and tell your friends. Then get drunk (as usual). Then sleep it off. Then pop an Adderall. Then come back and consider experimenting with a more mature type of New York life (just once in a while). Have you ever been to the Village Vanguard or the Living Theatre? Eaten at Elaine's? Taken a date to Michael Feinstein? Before you laugh, check 'em out and see what old-school NYC experiences you can add to the new.

What's your New York age? Take the Time Out New York quiz and find out!

Still not working but that may be ending soon. I think I am going to look for a real job. Meaning a permanent job. I have been working on a contract basis for a long time. So if any one know of a Business Analyst Job in the Kansas City area, let me know.

Day 2 Not working

Although day 1 was everything I had hoped it would be day 2 is in the running. I slept unti 8:00 today...that is real sleeping in at my house. Did some laundry in preparation to a quick run to my Mom's. Have a couple of things to do for her then return home for the rest of my week.

Many job submissions are in the works and more to come I am sure. I have a couple of perm things I want to submit for on my own. Not sure I would remember how to be a perm employee but I could probably work into. After consulting for 14 years, most of the time, it would be a novelty. I have felt pretty much like a job gypsy with makes it difficult to form close work relationships. This has been more apparent with my last contract, I think because I worked with several consultans from my company.

Normally, I am the only consultant from my company on my team. I think I was able to come much closer this time also because all of the consultants were officed together. Unlike on my other contracts, I miss the rest. I think we are going to do something soon after work. That will be nice to see them.

I have been able to get some good knitting time in. I finished the red ON Line socks last week so I started a new pair last night from JAWoll for the road. Sock one is almost done so probably the second one will be done this week. That will be another one off of the sock list.

I think I am ready for something totally new and different. Have not decided just yet what it will be but I think I am interested in maybe some mitered squares and rectangles then maybe some lace. I still have a shawl to do so maybe I will start that too.

My First Day Off

Today was my first day not to work. What a glorious day. I actually enjoyed cleaning. I know I know, but when I have the time that I feel I can really devote to cleaning and I don't feel rushed it is not that bad.

Tomorrow is my day to start removing wallpaper in the dining room and kitchen. Hopefully, it will not take long. The walls were sized and I use Downy in warm water to saturate the paper. It released the past and makes it much easier to remove.

I realized today that I had the plan to paint the rooms post-wallpaper but I had not selected colors. So, this afternoon I went to Lowes and took care of the selection. I selected a Laura Ashley paint which of course is more expensive but the good news is it will not take a whole gallon to do both. I went ahead and picked out the color for the living room as well.

I have been working at getting some things put on my Ravelry. I have loaded some of the books in my library. Next come the queue. I have to get my list finalized. Progress is being made.

I need to finished one item that is almost done so I can start something else fun. As usually, I do have another pair of socks started. I seem to finish one pair and move on to the next. Some are for presents and some are for me.

Another Pair Bites the Dust

The red socks are complete. I started them last Friday when I was at the Speaking of Women's Health conference. Really didn't have a lot of time to work on them or would have had them finishes sooner.

I like these a lot. One thing I did without noticing is the stripes are in the same order but the patterning is reversed. I evidently started the heels on opposite sides so where the stripe might be wider at one point in the sole it is on the instep on the other sock. It is a design feature and in the long run no one will know but me.

Well tomorrow is my last day to work on my present contract. Not sure where I will go next. My consulting company is looking for something. I am hoping to have a few days off to get some things done at home. I have gotten so disorganized this last year. I really need to remedy that quickly. It has made me feel at such loose ends.

I may not always be organized at home but I usually am at work, but not this last year. I will take the weekend to get a game plan together then hit the ground running on Monday.

This weekend I am dog sitting for some friends. They have a wonderful dog Gracie. Not to be confused with my cat Gracie. Gracie, the dog, is a mixed breed. I think she got the best of each. She is such a neat little friend. I am staying with her so she can be in her own home. Besides I am not sure she would enjoy getting to know my Gracie. Also, I have the dogs next door who play in my back yard a lot. I am not sure she would like getting aquainted with them either.

Of course, I am knitting while I am sitting. Althought I already have some socks started, I started another pair. The reason being that today was my day attend the Speaking of Women's Health conference. I wanted something that I could take with me to work on there. The coriolis socks were not a good candidate for this event. So I started a pair for another person on my Sock List.

Getting back to the Speaking of Women's Health conference. If you have not heard of it or have been to one you need to check it out. http://www.speakingofwomenshealth.com/Events/ This the 10th year and I have been to all of them. It is an all day conference for must women's stuff. It is a lot of fun and you come away with arms loaded with goodies. If you are interested in going some day you need to order your ticket early because it is so popular now that it sells out very quickly. I highly recommend it.

Other than the sock I have not knitted much this week. Not sure why but I guess I just was not in the mood. This mood does not usually last very long until I am off and knitting again.

My friend Chelle is into crochet now, have just learned to do a granny square. I am very proud of her for developing this new skill. It can be very helpful even in knitting. I have not crocheted in some time but I may be inclined to so some soon. Who knows.

Here is my card

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Not sure but I think it is suome what accurate. Will have to give it some thought.

I am slowly but surly working away on all of my WIPs. The Coriolis sock is coming along. I an not really happy about the heal on this one the I am not frogging it. I will fix it late and it will look just fine. Will do better on the second one. This is my first time doing a short row heel and I did not do a very good job on hiding the wrapped stitches. I know now where I went wrong so that will remedied.

The baby sweater just needs sleeves which I am working on. Maybe I will have time to do them tomorrow. I am not sure now that I have enough yarn to do socks. Will have to see later. I think the sweater will be really cute.

The computer bag has been felted and I need to sew on the strap. I think is going to be a good fit. I want to line it and construct some pocket in the lining. Should be very nice to just throw the computer in and go.

Little by little I am getting used to Ravelry. I am trying to get project loaded that are compete as well as some to go in the queue. It is just fun to look around.

What I have been up to lately

Well, here I am once again trying to get caught up I have not blogged since 9/21 but that does not mean that I have not been knitting. I have a few things in the works that are progressing fairly well. I started this bag for my laptop. I have a rolling bag for it but sometimes I just want to take the laptop and not all of the other stuff. It is ready to felt and I am anxious to see if I got the size correct. Stay tunes for the finished product.



This is a baby sweater that I am using one of my Socks that Rock yarn. I am working on the sleeves so it should be ready soon. The baby is not due until January so I have plenty of time. My cousin and his wife are having a girl so I thought this would be cute.

My most recent start is the coriolis sock, by Cat Bordhi. I have been extremely interested in this pattern. I goes really fast. I started this yesterday and I am ready for the heal already. This is my first toe up sock and I can hardly wait to see how it comes out. It is done with two strands which makes it very cushy. I was thinking of giving for a gift but may need to keep them for myself.

I have been spending some time playing in Ravelry. It is very cool but I have not gotten a lot of my stuff loaded at yet. I think it is going to take some time.

Celebrate! ! ! I am Ravelry'd

It finally has come. The long awaited invite to Ravelry. Here is what it looks like.

Hey there,frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry!"Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site.Let me know if you have any questions or problems!Jess"

I have logged in but not looked at it yet. I just had to share the good news.

I am in the process of doing the HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY dance.

WoW! That was fun.

Now drum roll please. The Russia sock are done. I am going to get them in the mail tomorrow. Hope they get there in time. It not, the thought was there and they will be enjoyed upon return.

I am so excited. I get to go to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend. I have not been all summer. The weather is going to be great and it will give the rest and relaxation I need.

Closer Ever Closer

I have moved up a lot on the list for Ravelry. Mabye I will get the long awaited invite soon.

I am finishing up the current pair of sock so I can get them in the mail tomorrow. Then onward to other WIPs and starting some new things. I feel like I truly have knitting ADD I want to start a bunch of things and do then all at the same time. O to be cursed with only two hands.

Finally, I found the camera. Here is what I have been doing lately. This is the Kaffee Fasset I bought in Columbia at Hill Creek. I love it but the repeat is very long. As you can see there is only one sock complete at this time. I have not had time nor patients to sit down to fine the part of the repeat I started in so my stripes will match. That is on my list for this weekend.

Here we have another sock. I have lost the label so I do not remember what it is but I like it anyway. comes with matching reinforcing thread. I have not used this before and not sure I like it. Maybe it will feel better after the socks are washed. I am trying a different pattern on the cuff that does not really show up well in the picture but it looks great in person.

I am trying to get these done this week so I can send them to my friend who is going to Russia. She tends to get cold feet and as I am not sure how cold it gets there. I hope she will have them to enjoy on the trip.

I have other thinkings I am working on but they are for Christmas to I will not picture them at this time. Just let me say that they are really looking good and the reciepents will be happy to have them.

Complaint Corner

It seems like I am knitting so slowly lately. Not sure weather it is the weather change or my allergies kicking my but. Just have not felt up to par this week. Several at the office have been not well either. We kind of think it is a bug going through the office. Hopefully, we will all feel better next week.

In general I have just been in a funk. I need something new and fun to do that will maybe inspire me. I think I am just bored with everything right now. I have plenty to do at home and work but just do not want to do it so I employ every avoidance behavior I have in my arsenal. I just need to suck it up and get things done.

I have much painting and clean up to do. Now that the weather has gotten cooler I can maybe get the painting done inside. I have not been able to have the windows open to let the smell out since it has been so hot.

OK complaint corner is closed. I am done.

Will to to SSK this afternoon and knit with the girls. That always makes me feel better.

Yes I am still here....

OK...Yes I am still alive and knitting. I have been so busy lately that I just have not made time to blog. I have been out-to-town, in town, working, going to Worlds of Fun, playing poker (won a little), knitting and I don't remember the rest.

I have miss located my camera so I cannot give you pictures right now of what I have been knitting but I assure you have have been.

Mostly socks and other stuff. I have a lot of socks to be made. My friends see them and say "when am I going to get my socks" so I add them to the list. There are probably 13 on the list now. I have three pair done so I have several more pair to do. Some are for kids so they won't take as long. I do them mostly in the car at lunch or when I am out somewhere since they are easy to stick in my purse and carry with me.

I need to decide on what else I think I can get done for Christmas. I have a couple of things started, one of which is almost finished and ready to block.

So as you can see I have been busy. As soon as I fine the camera I will supply some pictures so stay tuned.

What I have been up to lately

I am long for some Fall weather. I think Spring and Fall are my most favorite times. When the temperatures are mild and the trees and flowers are beginning or almost ending.

I left a Starbuck's cup in my car Saturday and this is how it ended up. Poor cup, it did not have a chance.



Here are my latest Trekking socks. I have had the yarn for some time and have just gotten around to making them up. This pair when pretty quickly. Not sure if I am getting faster or if the pattern was just so simple that the time needed to complete was short. Nonetheless, I like them a lot. I made them with just a simple 1x1 rib since the yarn is so colorful.

Ah...my lovely little niece, Alexis,who is 4 and soon to be a kindergardener. Isn't she beautiful. She took her test to determine if she could go to school this year even though she will not be 5 until November. There was never any doubt that she would pass with flying colors. Indeed, she did pass in the 95th percentile. She is ready and excited about going and even has her backpack.

She is pictured here with her wonderful big brother Erik. He is starting Middle School this year. I can hardly believe that he is a 6th grader. Boy how time flies. He is a gamer who loves to play all kinds of video games . He is also a musician, playing the big bass in school. He is a good looking young man, with a kind spirit. He is a good brother who loved his sister and watches out for her. I think they will always be good friends.

Well, it is about time to get started on Christmas things for the ones I care for. The list of items to be made includes some sock, sweaters and who knows what else. It all depends on how much time I have how many things get done. Will get started very soon now. Stay tuned for progress reports.

Hopefully I will get my invite to Ravelry soon so I can place items there as I get them done.

A couple of more things from my notes

I looked at my Russian Continental notes and had a couple more tips.

1. Always...Always slip first stitch purlwise when doing garter stitch. It makes one loop for each two stitches. This make counting rows much easier and gives a nice smooth edge. Perfect for picking up stitched. This works great.
2. When picking up stitches, loop the second needle through each loop along the edge then knit the loops. This makes a nice smooth seam.
3. For a smooth bindoff-bind off on the purl side. This makes a nice edge to pick up stitches.

• Begin by purling two together
• Place the stitch back on the left needle lengthening the loop
• Continue these two steps until the last stitch then pull the tail through and cut.

I hope you find these tips and helpful as I did.

On another note, I had heard of this the John C. Campbell Folk School http://www.folkschool.com/index.php some years ago but had lost the information. Just happened across it again and wanted to share it. It is on my list of places I want to go some day.

I never got to go to summer camp and I think this is the closest I will get. Just another thing to look forward to.

What I learned at Stitches Midwest

In addition to all of the Stitches fun in the Market, I did actually take a couple of classes. I am glad it was only two because I am not sure I could have sat through more than that and really absorbed the information.

I took Russian continental knitting and Russian grafting. I thoroughly enjoyed both. The instructor was Galina Khmeleva http://www.skaska.com/products.html . I loved her no nonsense teaching style. For those of you who do not knit continental or do knit German continental this knitting style is just another technique to add to your skills. I have tried to do German continental but have not been very successful but I did find the Russian style much more comfortable. I am a thrower from way back and can knit pretty fast so it will take me a bit of practice to get up to speed with Russian continental but I think I am going to like it. I think switching still will help my hand.

Additional tips and tricks Galina imparted:

Selecting the correct needle size for the yarn being used. Here it is in a nut shell.

1. Double the yarn then give it a twist loosely.
2. Lay the needle along side the yarn.
3. The needle should be the same size as the twisted yarn. Basically, the needle should be twice the size of the strand of yarn.

To determine the length of yarn to begin casting on, for instance for a sleeve, wrap the yarn around the wrist then fold the yarn over that length twice. This should eliminate running short of tail yarn with doing a long tail cast on. This works for hats, sweaters, etc.

The Russian Grafting was great also. In Russia the knitters do not join seems using Kitchner stitch or any other form of sewing. They graft sock toe and sweater seams. The beautiful shawls the knit that have the fancy edging are all grafted. It make a seamless presentation and looks though it was knitted as part of the shall. Due to the weight of some of the shawls they are knitted in pieces then grafted. If you are interested I would suggest taking a class if available in your area. I can see were I will use this technique a lot.

Another little tidbit someone else shared that is one of those "why did I not think of that." You know how when you do a knit in front and back increase you sometimes be a bump like a purl? Well, here is the great tip. Knit in the front of the stitch then rather than knitting in the back, slip the stitch onto the needle. It makes a nice smooth finish.

That is what is so fun about going to an event like stitches. Knitters are such sharing people.

What I did at Stitches Midwest

Well what can I say. You just have to be there to get the full affect. There is so much going on that it is hard to describe.

Here is our group before the Friday fashion show and banquet. Some of the group took the bus trip organized by The Studio in Kansas City and the others flew in on Thursday. I for one flew, since I did not have the extra day of vacation to do the bus.

I would love to post some of the pictures I took at the banquet but unfortunately blogger is being stubborn about uploading pictures tonight. Maybe everyone else with blogs who were at Stitches is trying to upload at the same time.

This is only a glimpse of what the Market looked like. There were 10 aisles of vendors with some across the back and front. Much fiber was felt by many hands during the time it was open. Those of us who were registered for class were able to get in Thursday evening for a preview purchase. It was nearly too much to take in. I only got through about half of it and had to go in several trips. I did not make any purchase the first night. I pretty much wanted to scope out the vendors and make a game plan. I had come equipped with patterns so I could make wise choices.

I ended up with yarn to go with some of the patterns I had selected. Here are a couple of my purchases. The Socks that Rock blow were not among the patterns but you know what? Socks are socks and a pattern is not always required.

The worsted my Gracie kitty is interested in is for a specific sweater. This yarn was on sale for 50% off so I felt good about purchasing it. As you can see Gracie feels good about it too.

A really neat thing that I did was some resting and knitting for Linus Project http://www.projectlinus.org/about.shtml. If you have not heard of Linus Project it if a group that knits blankets and sews quilts that are donated to children who may have had a traumatic event in their lives. It provides comfort at a time when it is most needed. The lady who was attending the booth explained that intitally she has approached Stitches to see if the group could pass out information. Stitches got on the bandwagon and provided a corner booth of the exhibit hall with tables and chairs. They contacted Plymouth Yarn who donated yarn for the cause. Knitters were welcome and eager to sit and rest then knit for a bit. What a great idea? There were enough squares knitted to make 15 + blankets.

At the same convention center was Wizard World. Basically a Scifi, comic book, video game convention. Here we ran into a few of the characters attending. There were many colorful people. I think this convention and was almost as big as ours. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

This Super Man can save me any day. I think Robin was just hanging trying to pick up some tips.

Best of all were the Star Wars Characters. They almost made wish I was going to that convention too.

Well there you have it. It was a great time and I did not want to go home, even thought I was exhausted. I definitely will do it again. Maybe not next year (not sure I could afford to do it every year) but soon. Hope if you have not attended that you too will think about going.

Stitches

HiHo HiHo it is off to Stitches Midwest I go. The day is almost here...I have been waiting for so long. I have vision of beautiful fibers and gadgets dancing in my head. Taking the class in Russian Continental and Grafting will be great fun but that is only a small part of the anticipated experience.

I am excited about getting into the Market to see what is new in the way of patterns, yarn, needles and well...everything else. My inital notion was to take an extra duffle to bring back all the yarn purchases but have changed that a little. I am only going to buy yarn I have not seen in KC. No sense hauling it back if I can get it at home.

I am off to finish packing now. Stay tuned for Stitches details.....

Bad Blogger Repents

So...once again I have been a bad blogger. It has been some time since I have posted anything. Why? I don't know other than I just have not been in the mood. Rest assured that even though I have not posted...I have been knitting in preparation for Stitches Midwest. I have several things ready to go and a couple that I may have to finish while I am there. If not, I will get them done eventually.

This is the mutil-directional scarf that I started on the way back from North Carolina. I really enjoyed doing this. The patttern is so versitile since the size you make the base triangle determines the size of the scarf. It would be very easy to make it a shawl. The concept is very similar to entrelac. I think that is going to be an addition to my to do list, maybe for next year.

This scarf is just a simple stockinette done in ribbon. Not sure I want to used that again. It is kind of a pain to use and gets twisted very easily. I do line the colors alot though. They do not show very well in the picture but they are jewel tones. I think It is something I will use a lot this fall.

And now...drum roll please. This is the yellow sweater made from Lion Brand Microspun. It is very soft and should be comfy to wear. The only thing I did not like about the fiber was that I split all the time. I had to fix stitches a lot. I must say it was very forgiving when I needed to to that. It still did not make up for the difficulty factor. The other thing I learned is that if I ever use it again, I need to go to smaller needles. It seems that the sweater is pretty heavy and therefore, it stretches when worn. I do like the color.

On another note. I did listen to the new Harry Potter. Although many may have either read the book or listened to it as I did, I will not be a spoiler and tell anything except that I did like the way the story ended.



Well I am off Thursday to Stitches Midwest, finally. I have been counting the days. It is unreal that the time is almost here. I am excited about being with my knitting friends and meeting new ones. The two classes I am taking should be interesting. Russian Continental and Grafting. I hope to learn these new techinques and be able to share what I have learned.

That being said...let me at the market. I am anxious to see what new fibers are there and hopefully make some great purchases.

Will let you know what I fine.

Definitely T.G.I.F! ! ! ! ! ! !

I AM SOOOO GLAD IT IS FRIDAY. I have had just a stange week and there was not even a full moon.

To recap my week.....

Monday it seemed like everything I did was wrong.

Tuesday I went to lunch and my car was running just fine but when I came out to go home when I turned the key....nothing. One of the guys in my office came and gave me a jump start. I met my friend Jen at Social Suppers to check it out (more on that later) and when I came out, nothing. The car had to be towed in to the shop.

Wednesday the resultof the car thing was that the battery cables were loose. So this little episode cost a total of $110, including car rental.

Thursday I woke up with what I think now was a migraine without the headache. I felt as I used to when I had a migraine making me somewhat dizzy and sensitive to the sunlight. I was fine is sitting still but moving my head would bring on the dizziness. I thought maybe my blood pressure was up but when I took it it was 120/72 so that was not it.

• Here is the part about Social Suppers www.socialsuppers.com . It is a place where they have all of the ingredients prepared for the dishes you select and you just go in and combine the ingredients and package them to freeze and use later. I went in to do the dishes I selected Chicken Maribella, Chicken Saltinboco, Meatball Calzone, and Raspberry stuffed french toast. The whole think took about 30 minutes. After Social Suppers I came home and went to bed and slept all night.

Today I woke up still a little dizzy. So, I tried the french toast this morning (it was great). I once again took my blood pressure and this time it was 152/82. I waited about 10 minutes then tried it again. This time it was 122/76. I proceeded to get ready for work and when I was walking out the door my ears popped and the dizziness went away.

Evidently, my ears were vapor locked. After this I have felt great all day.

Let the strangeness end here. Tomorrow is another day and I have faith that it being a Saturday will be great.

Needless to say, I have not done much knitting this week so I have much to catch up with.

Car Update

I am happy to say that the problem with my car was minor. As it turns out the battery cables were loose. I would have thought that the tow truck driver should have figured that our but did not so oh well.

The bill was $40 plus $70 for the POS Ford Escape Hybrid that the rental company that starts with an E. I hate dealing with them but since they are the only one who will pick you up. Anyway, glad that episode is over. No on to other things.

I am on the verge of completing about three project; sweater, shell and scarf. I need to get myself organized this week and get them done so I can start about three more things clapotis, Berroco knitting bag and seed bead bag. I think it is my knitting ADD at work. There are about ten things I really want to do but there is so much to do and so little time to do it. I think I need a project planning session. At least I need to get my patterns out and narrow the list. Will give that some thought this weekend.

Time for a New Car?

You may remember that this past November I paid my car off. Something I have not done in a long time. I was so happy to have accomplished this. The car has been such a good car that has 92,000 miles with very little trouble. Well, I spoke to soon.

On the way home from vacation I got a call from my uncle informing me that my car was dead. Being such a great guy he took my old battery and got it replaced so the car was running when I got home. I drove the car all week with no problem. I drove the car at lunch today.

I got in the car after work to meet my friend Jen and while on the phone letting her know that I was leaving when I turned the key it would not start. I got one of the guy at the office to jump start it for me. One would think that I should be good to go. I stopped to meet Jen and when I got in the car again it would not start.

This situation prompted a call to AAA after I was unable to jump the car with Jen's. The tow guy tried to jump it with not success. The battery was getting juice but would still not start. Alas, the car had to be towed to the shop.

I fear that this is only the beginning. Will have to see what tomorrow brings. I may have to make the decision to trade it in. I was hoping to be able to wait until next year so I could have everything else paid off. I would like to be able to buy the car I want instead of the one I can afford.

Being the prepared knitter that I am, of course I had some knitting in the car to I spent my waiting time wisely. Let that be a lesson to you all. It pays to have car knitting going on.

What I Did on My Vacation

This is my friend Nancy after meeting me at the St. Louis airport.

She and her husband Don were the vacation coordinators this year and it is thanks to them that this vacation was such a success.

We have been friends for the better part of 40 years so we know many things about each other and our memories a long. Most people think we are sisters. We are thinking of getting tee shirt "No We Are Not Sisters" to wear when we are together.

We drove through Kentucky then on to West Virginia which is very mountainous. They were very lush and green but of course there were a lot of ups and downs. The best part was that by this time I had a little nest in the back seat of the car. I had much time to read and knit. Something I have not done on a trip in many years. I am usually the driver and still as yet have not been able to figure out how to knit or read while driving. Of course, I have not spent time trying to accomplish this.

This is the view from the deck of the condo. The condo was great, having 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a large kitchen/living room. There was plenty of room for the 8 of us to be together as well as time to ourselves. As you can see the housed are elevated with space for parking underneath. This is to allow for the times when there is high water.

This was the view on the beach every morning. This is truly a privilege to be able to see this even one day in your life. What a wonderful creation. Morning walks were incredible. The one thing I discovered is that it is very difficult to walk on dry sand. The set sand was much better. I had thought there would be a lot more shells on the beach to gather. I did get some nice clam and oyster shells but there was not a lot of variety.

This is more beach. It was something you never get tired of seeing. The waves were pretty rough on the Atlantic side much of the time. We did go to the inlet side one day just to swim. It was much like being at the lake. Very calm and easy to swim. The sand bars went out about 30 feet.

Vacation is sadly over. Next year's vacation is yet to be planned. Many good memories were made for this year and next year's are waiting to be made.

This was my first time to the shore of the eastern coast. I can now say that I have been in the Atlantic, Pacific oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. Soon I will begin thinking of what next years vacation will bring. Could be Florida or Maine who knows.......?

Hi from the Beach

I have only 8 minutes left on this computer so here is a short post.

We are in Rodanthe, NC on the outer bank island of North Carolina. The beach is great (water is cooler that anticipated) beach very sandy. Condo is great along with the company.

A good time is being had by all. With 8 of us we are still getting along just fine and everyone is speaking to each other. What more would you want on a big group vacation.

Had wonderful seafood last night for dinner .. . . forward to more of the same real soon. I think we are going to go to the light houses one day and at some places you can by fish right from the boat.

Time is running out....more later. Pictures to follow after I return.

What Next?

Well, I made lunch time trip to Knit Wits to see what wonderful things they had. It had been a while since I had been there. Here is what I found. What am I going to do with it, you say. Since many others in SSK have been working on shawls, I thought I would give it a shot.

Mary and I have decided to to the Clapatis and I think this would look great for that. You really can't see it but it also has some green in it. I am anxious to wind it to see what it look like out of the hank.

Not sure when I will get started on the Clapatis but it is not like I don't have enough things going. On the lacy shell I am ready to start binding off for the arm holes then finish the top part. I have not had a lot of time to knit the last week or so due to trying to get yard stuff and house stuff done. Unfortunately, I am slowing down and cannot multi-task the way I used to.

After returning from Stitches I am going to have to tighten my belt and and stop spending so much money on knitting. I think with the potential purchases I may be making at Stitches I should truly not need to purchase any more yarn for this year. Will have to wait and see if this is the case.

I have discovered that I really must pay more attention to the maintenance of my car. I have neglected to have the brakes done and find that I do need them now, pretty badly. You know how it is when it seems to be working OK sometimes things get overlooked. I went to Sears and thought I would have them done there. Let me tell you it was a very slow evening at the mall. Automotive at Sears was not busy at all so I thought this would be a slam dunk.

Na Na! I was told that the cost could be $150-$1400. After an hour of analyzing they condition of the pad and rotors the figure I heard was $852. This was a no sale. I had them put the brakes back together to be done another day. This car has over 90,000 miles. I am not excited about spending that much when the dealer quoted $189 each for front and back. So...hiho...hiho off to the dealer I go.

It has been a month for such things. Since I am in the midst of high dollar dental work to the tune of $1,000. This was very unexpected.

Hopefully, once the car thing and dental thing are done the money going out can slow down.

Is it Friday yet?

You Knit What for Dogs

I am cannot believe anyone would actually make this much less put it on their poor dog. It is a Lion Brand kit to boot. For anyone interested it is 50% off. What a waste of time? No self-respecting dog would voluntarily put this thing on. The model looks pretty humiliated.

I have not been doing a lot of knitting this week. I am still trying to get caught up on my outside work. Hope to get that done this weekend so I can get back to some intense knitting.

I am lining up projects to do while I am on vacation. I think the main one will probably be the clapotis. I need to get the yarn picked out and bought probably this next week.

I am really excited...I finally got my wireless to work. After a process of elimination I found the setting that needed to be changed. Did some other hocus pocus which has helped to run faster so I am 2 for 2.

I am so ready for a weekend. I hope to get a lot done. I had been moving very slow recently and not feeling 100%. I had a little bit of a headache the other day but had nothing with me to take so one of my friends had some Aleve. I had forgotten how much I love Aleve. I felt so much better after taking it. Evidently, my arthritis was causing me pain that I did not key in on. I guess I was consumed by the pain cycle and did not realize it. Now I am taking the Aleve prior to retiring and I have been sleeping much better and not waking up in pain. I used to do that and for some reason stopped. I guess I was feeling so well that I stopped. I know now not to do that. Here is to better living through chemistry.