FO--Conwy

FO_Conwy

Conwy Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill "Supersock" yarn, River Run colorway
Purchased from: The Yarn and Fiber Company, Windham, NH
Needles: Knitpicks US Size 1.5/2.5 mm (5 6-inch DPNs)

It's about freakin' time, dontcha think? Yay! I finished them! And they're not bad. You may remember that Conwy #1 was the first full-sized sock I knit, but the pair got put on hold so I could participate in Summer of Socks 2007. Well, the pair is finally complete, and I'm happy to report that even with the length of time that sock #2 sat on deck, they're the same size. Thank God for OCD behavior and for counting pattern repeats, etc! Yippee!

FO_Conwy_2


The socks fit very well--I'm anxious to see how they wash and wear. The design uses a round toe (I think), and I'm not crazy about how it feels--I can feel the decreases in my toes and it's--weird. Not exactly uncomfortable, but not really thrilling me, either.

I'll likely do this pattern again, but may substitute a wide or flat toe when I get to that part, particularly if the socks are for me. The Beloved seems to dig these socks as well, but his feet are really wide and so I'd need to do some math and add some pattern repeats in there to get his size. And buy more sock yarn, just to be sure I had enough.

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The Cherry Tree Hill yarn was fabulous and I will definitely be adding some more to the stash. Well, when I next have money for yarn, that is. With the Booty Club membership, I'm not exactly starving for sock yarn, and I just got the yarn for my November Knit-along. Plus there was the yarn I ordered from EBay last week. (What--it was sportweight sock yarn in a colorway I'm hoping will work for the Whitby Pattern from Knitting on the Road. Perfectly reasonable expenditure. Sort of.)

According to my baby book, you were the recipient of my very first smile. "Not just gas, but a real smile." Over the years, you received many, many more.

During the years you worked as a school nurse, we saw a steady stream of textbooks, notebooks and attendance books (excellent for playing school), as well as the occasional jump rope--you knew the ones with the plastic covers made the best sounds when they hit pavement, even though they hurt like hell if they got caught in your hair.

You let my sister and I play in your jewelry box, though I suspect you hid most of your rosaries from us when Madonna became famous.

We all teased you about the number of candles lit for any occasion--yet we always called if we were worried or hoping for something, as the Good Lord seemed to take special notice of the light and prayers you passed along.

And now, I'm off to light a candle for you. It seems the most appropriate thing I can do right now. You were a woman of faith, and would tell me that the end of our earthly journey is just the beginning of our eternal walk with God and reunion with those who went before.

Grandma, you were the first person I smiled at. And I just want you to know that I'll always be smiling at you.

As promised

hair
No, I didn't train the spouse--I made use of the big mirror in our hallway instead. Thus the fantastic lighting! Anyhow...here it is:

Weekend roundup

Beloved
I meant to post a weekend roundup yesterday, but was a) too lazy; b) without photographs; and c) too lazy. I'm still without photographs, but felt as though I could post now and perhaps do a picture-heavy post later in the day. If I can train The Beloved to use the point-and-shoot camera, that is.

So, here's what I did this weekend:

1. Got a cholesterol test done. I know, I know, you're all jealous. It was a lot of fun. Particularly when the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein. After she stuck the needle into my arm. The bruising is highly attractive. I don't quite look like a junkie, but if I had waited another week or so, it would only have added to my Amy Winehouse Halloween Costume.

2. Visited my grandmother. Visited is a loose term. I sat with her for a while. My grandmother is not doing so well and when I saw her on Saturday, she was completely non-responsive. I believe they were going to stop the antibiotics and take her off of most--if not all--of the other equipment last night, but I haven't pulled it together enough to call my mother for the update. If you're a praying person and can stop to light a candle for her, I would be greatly appreciative.

3. Cut all of my hair off. Pictures would be helpful here, no? Alas, The Beloved was not able to manipulate my Canon Elph. Yeah, it's a point and shoot. He doesn't quite grasp that he needs to hold the button down until it clicks, and I just didn't have the patience to deal with him last night. I had taken a couple of pictures of myself with my camera phone, but, let's face it, they are of such craptastic quality that I can't in good conscience (and in complete sobriety) post them on the internet. Hopefully, tonight, we will find that the husbeast can, in fact, be trained.

Anyway. I'm happy with the haircut. It's a good change, it looks good, and it's easy for me to style and manage and stuff. The Beloved thinks I look like River Phoenix as the young Indiana Jones. What a charmer!

4. Looked at wedding rings. Yeah. Never thought I'd have to do this again, but about two weeks ago I developed a severe case of eczema on the ring finger of my left hand. It still hasn't cleared up all the way. I moved my wedding ring to my right hand and began to grow a nice little spot of itchy pain between my ring finger and my pinkie finger. My rings are now on a chain around my neck--I feel like I'm in high school.

Now, I know that it may not be an allergy to the ring itself--as my auntie says, it is probably an allergy to the soap that gets under the ring when I wash my hands. Or it's contact dermatitis aggravated by the band being too tight (it's not) or too wide (possible--it is on the wider side, particularly when I wear it with my engagement ring). But that doesn't explain why I don't have a problem when I wear silver rings--I have one with a wide band that I wear on my right hand that has never caused a problem. And I have never been able to wear gold in my piercings--ears or nose--without having a painful reaction. I don't know if it's the gold, or if I'm just really sensitive to the other metals they use in creating the alloy, but, let me tell you, the possibility of being allergic to my wedding ring really sucks. If the eczema on my left hand ever finishes clearing up, I'll give the ring another go before I call the doctor for some tests. Then, the search for a solution begins.

I went to the jewelry store to ask about having the inside of the ring plated or coated with something--rhodium, I think (I read about this online and wanted to see how much it would cost and how often I'd have to have it done in order to wear my wedding and engagement rings--both gold--without this fun little reaction) and no one seemed interested in talking about that. They were really interested in showing me all of their platinum rings. Platinum, after all, is nearly hypoallergenic. And, after all, "you're worth it." The Beloved is not so sure about that. Fortunately for him, I'm not scouting diamonds as well. We watched Blood Diamond on the HBO preview a couple of weeks ago, and, let me tell you, it really turns you off of wanting a nice big rock on your finger if you're thinking your money is going to arm ten year old boys and support genocide in African nations.

When I first bitched about this over Sunday coffee a couple of weeks ago (the owie finger, not the genocide thing), my father was the one who suggested putting the ring on a chain. "After all," he said, "You've got the husband. What else do you need?" And he's right. Except that after wearing a ring on that finger for seven years (five married, two engaged), I feel naked without it. I don't care if we get a plain silver band--I just hate looking down and seeing nothing there....well, except for the red band of dry, irritated skin, that is.

5. Went out for Teppanyaki with The Beloved. He had never been before. There's something really fun about watching someone play with knives and fire whilst preparing your meal. Plus, the food was quite tasty.

6. Indulged in retail therapy. No, I probably didn't need the Vera Bradley bag. But it was sooooo pretty. Besides, my auntie commented on the hugeness and overstuffed-ness of my everyday handbag, which made me feel bad. This is much better. Too small to overstuff.

7. Celebrated Baby Brother's 20th birthday. How the hell did he get to be 20? No one asked my permission on this one. I'm not sure how I feel about it. How can he be 20? Wasn't it just the other day that he was in love with Libby and chasing her around in full Power Rangers regalia? Or dressed as a purple dinosaur? Anyway. The official date is today--the Baby is now 20 years old. I think I need a lie down.

8. Worked on Conwy. Yeah. Remember that sock? I'm about halfway done with the foot on sock #2. The end is in sight.

9. Ordered yarn for the Romantic Hand Knits-along. I'll be knitting "A Room With a View" and I'll be knitting it in the colors used in the book. (Saisquoi receives a C- for creativity and thinking outside the box, I know.) I thought about doing the sweater in brown with white lace, but thought I'd look too much like a pilgrim. Plus, I like blue. I look good in blue. And I'm trying really hard to wear more colors. I've fallen into another gray/black/brown/ecru rut.

So, there you have it. Sort of busy. Busy enough that Sunday night found The Beloved and I watching Children of Men on the Cinemax free preview wondering where the weekend went. And why we keep picking such "feel good" films to watch.

To cut or not to cut...

fashion
My hair is pretty long. I mean, it's not crazy-long or anything, but it hits between my shoulder blades. I think it may go past my bra band at this point. I shot a picture of it a couple of weeks ago when I talked about going shampoo-free. (Scroll down past Polly to see the crappy picture of my hair.)

It's taken me several years to get it this long. Five years ago, when I got married, I wore my hair in a cute little pixie cut. I can no longer remember what possessed me to let it grow and grow and grow, and that's probably contributing to my current predicament. Well, that, and the job change. Ever notice how one change leads to another and another? No? Just me? OK. That's cool, too.

Anyway.

Last night I was watching Law & Order on TNT. Perfect background for sock knitting. And they're running episodes from last season. Since I can't stay up late enough to watch the first run of Law & Order anymore (my party-time lifestyle strikes again), I only get to see it in syndication. So, this was the first I saw of ADA Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza). And, while I'm not sure if I like her character or not, (only saw two episodes, and I was sort-of concentrating on working the calf decreases for Conwy) I *heart* her hair. It's classy and chic and professional-looking. I just love it. And I'm not so enamored with my own right now. In fact, it's been confined to a clip or a bun for the past week or so.

Which leads me to the dilemma of the moment--should I just cut it all off and go for the chic and professional look or should I chill out and keep my long hair? I have no delusions that cutting my hair will make me look anything like de la Garza. For one, she has cheekbones whereas mine appear to have gone AWOL. And I could hate the haircut should I go through with it. While hair does grow back, it certainly takes its sweet time. Then there's always the increasing number of grays coming in.

So, what do you all think? The Beloved has been no help at all (I'm sure you're all shocked by this), and I need some sort of advice... What to do?

Startitis

Knitting
So, not only am I suffering from short-timers' disease, I've got a wicked case of startitis. The two may well be related. I've tried so hard to be good. I worked on Conwy this morning. And the shrug sleeve is underway--I worked on it yesterday at lunchtime. (It's not quite picture-worthy yet--maybe tomorrow.) But, alas, they just weren't enough.

I've had not one, but two skeins of Yarn Pirate Booty marinating in the stash. And I just couldn't take it anymore. So, this afternoon I took this:

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Yarn Pirate BFL
Colorway: Calamity
(Booty Club Exclusive, August 2007)

and sat down in front of the HBO Free Preview and came up with this:

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Plain Vanilla Sock with Picot Cuff
Needles: Knitpicks US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns

Please ignore my lack of photography skills. It's time for both a light tent and sock blockers, but craft time cuts into knitting time. I need to find balance. Or someone who lives to carry out crazy craft projects for me.

Anyway.

My original plan for this yarn was to have my first "toe-up" knitting experience. But I'd also been itching to try out the picot cuff. I'm glad that I chose the route I did for this yarn because it's not exactly a dream to work with. Don't get me wrong, it's very soft and I think it will make a lovely sock, but I had read that it didn't rip back nicely and I've found it to be rather splitty. The colors, however, are gorgeous--of the three shipments I've gotten, this is probably my favorite in that regard.

The instructions for the picot cuff came from here. If you google "sock knitting picot cuff" you'll come up with a number of options--I chose this one primarily because it provided instructions for fastening the hem while knitting and without using a provisional cast-on. (I may have startitis, but I'm also exceptionally lazy and had zero desire to deal with a provisional cast-on in the round while trying to watch Superman Returns. Priorities, you know?)

Picking up the cast on row and knitting it together with a live row to make the hem was a little fiddly, but well worth the effort since I won't have to sew later. It also gives me a nice place to run some elastic thread if I find the socks refuse to stay up. (Thank you Crazy Aunt Purl.) And, now that the fiddly part is out of the way, it's smooth sailing till I get to the heel and the tricksiness around picking up gusset stitches and the like. Which makes this an excellent project for the HBO Free Preview.

Except that it's started to pour rain here and the satellite signal is out. Drat. Well, the Options came in the mail today.... I could always cast on The Beloved's sweater if TV doesn't return....

Third Time's a Charm

family
No pictures yet of the shrug, mostly because I started it for the third freaking time last night. Gauge, you are a cruel mistress. (Note: I did knit a gauge swatch and got gauge with a US 4 Addi Turbo when I decided to knit this thing--but that was a couple of weeks ago.)

So, when I started it the first time, I thought I chose the wrong sized needles. Pattern called for a US 4 and the stitches looked too loose. I was knitting on an Addi Turbo, and it was dark so I couldn't read the numbers on the cord. When I looked in my needle drawer, I found an empty package for a US 6 circular, so I assumed (stupid me) that's what I was using. Fortunately, I hadn't gone too far, so the ripping wasn't all that traumatic.

I pulled out a US 4 circular needle and cast on again. Knit some more. Last night I looked at my partial sleeve and thought two things: 1) I don't like how I've done my increases; and 2) This still looks kind of loose. So, out came the tape measure and, dammit, my gauge was off. Now, it's a shrug, and a loose-fitting one at that, so while gauge is important, I wasn't so far off that the sweater would have fit Tom Brady at the end. But it just didn't look quite right. So, out it came and I moved down to an Addi Turbo US 3. Where I finally got gauge. Again.

I'm wondering when my tension loosened up so much? How did this happen? It's certainly not because I'm relaxed. Especially after ripping out the damned sleeve two times. And why does knitting the same sweater on a US 3 circular needle seem so much more daunting than if I was using the recommended US 4? And why do I bother knitting swatches at all if they're just going to lie to me anyway!

In other news... Once you turn in your resignation, your desire and ability to be productive at work take a marked turn for the worse. Does this happen to other people, or is it just me? I now feel bad about giving so much notice, because I have another three weeks of just not caring ahead of me. I mean, I'll gladly help people if they have questions--it's more a question of motivation. Library work is not steady. Sometimes you have patrons with questions, often you don't. Today is a no-questions sort of day, which means I need to take care of other administrative sorts of things. Or catalog. Or do something. So I photocopied some more ILL and Equipment Usage handouts earlier in the day as an attempt to be a good worker bee, but now...I'm literally counting down till I can leave. Or at least take a 15 minute break and work on my sock. So pathetic.

On a happier note, I think I've decided what I'm going to knit for the Romantic Hand Knits-Along. I'm planning on making A Room with a View, which is a "lace peplum surplice design...excellent for all body types, especially a short-waisted figure." Sign me up. If the short-waisted part wasn't enough to make me want to knit this, the fact that surplice-styled tops flatter my ever-expanding upper-body doesn't hurt. I have no idea why they've decided to grow. I'm over 30. I'm not pregnant. This is driving me nuts and making clothes-shopping (and the concept of knitting a sweater) an absolute nightmare. Hence the shrug. If I can ever get past the lower half of the first sleeve. < /rant >

OH, and I can't believe I've forgotten to write about this last piece of big news that's now a week old! Resident Sibling is out of the house! She's joined the Army and is happily settled at Boot Camp. OK--so I can't be sure she's happy, but this is what she's wanted, and more importantly, she's no longer in the next room over! Unfortunately, she left so quickly that she failed to get her things out of the room she occupied. So, she may be gone, but I'm still stuck with her crap. The Beloved and I are hoping to start in on a massive basement project so that her items may be moved out of what will be my fiber studio. (HA--Is that not the craziest thing you ever heard?) With the possible exception of her stash. Now, there's actually quite a bit in her stash that doesn't interest me at all. But she's got about a metric ton of Lopi that is just begging to be knit into felted bags. And maybe felted slippers. Laura reminds me that I really should be a good person and ask her what she would like done with her stash.... but being good is just so darned hard when my little brain starts making plans!

New Beginnings

Knitting
In honor of my new job, I did some casting on last night. Did I cast on for The Beloved's sweater, the one I promised I'd knit for him, the one for which I picked up yarn this weekend? Not on your life. My excuse? I don't have the right needles. This is, in fact, true. I need a US 7 circular, and I don't have one with a nice flexy-bendy cord. So, I took the opportunity to f i n a l l y order myself a set of KnitPicks Options. I'm getting the standard nickel and not the new snazzy Harmony ones because I've found that in spite of myself I really do like a nice, slick, metal needle. That sounds really bad, doesn't it--they're just for knitting! I only use the needles for knitting! And occasional needlepoint or cross-stitch. I don't like the needles in a Chet Baker way, I promise!

Anyway. The Options are on their way. When they show up, I'll start his freaking sweater. And I hope to have it done by Christmas.

Did I start something for the Romantic Hand Knits-along? Nope--start date for that isn't for another month. I wouldn't want to be ahead of the game, would I? Besides....I'm still deciding what I want to knit. It will involve buying yarn, which will involve a nice day of yarn shopping. Why rush?

Did I cast on for the afghan square I'm knitting for the NETA Ships Project? Nope. The yarn did come yesterday, and I do need to get that done sooner rather than later, but I thought I'd look at some different patterns and maybe even check my gauge since the square needs to be 12" x 12". I'm hoping to knit most of it on Saturday and use my "good knitting deed" as an excuse to avoid housework.

So, what did I cast on? I ended up starting the Alpaca Silk Shrug. I've had yarn for it marinating in my stash for months. Actually, I bought the yarn to do another sweater, but then saw several gorgeous versions of this shrug during a blog-crawl and decided that I really needed one too. Which is crazy because I don't generally like shrugs. Oh well. It appears to be mind-numbingly easy. Miles of stockinette. Miles. Which means it's good TV knitting. I cast on last night during Heroes and knit through part of Journeyman--which I'll finish watching this evening, maybe. (10:00 is just too late for me anymore. My party-time lifestyle is taking a huge hit.) If I'm lucky, I'll maybe have this done by the end of the month and be able to wear it for my first day of work in November.

I've also been bit by the tattoo bug again. I want another one. Now, I decided a while ago that should I ever have children I would have a Celtic Motherhood Knot done. But who knows when that will happen? I kinda want ink....now. But I'm not entirely sure of what I want or where I want it. My lone tattoo is kind of Book-of-Kells inspired, and I'm wondering if I should just go with that. Or if I should just chill out and wait for it to pass...because it generally does. I seem to connect my own body modifications with times of transition--which is probably where the desire generates. But, you know, body art or more yarn? It's such a dilemma....

Interviews

work
Thank you all for your positive thoughts and supportive e-mails. Interviewing is never fun. In fact, it's nerve-wracking. Last week, everything was helped along by the fact that summer decided to return and so it was over 90 degrees both days I had to look and act presentable. When there's no air conditioning at work. Oh--and the air conditioning in my car is broken. Since I have long subscribed to the philosophy of "If you look good, you sing good," (thanks Mr. P), I really felt like I was going into my interviews at a disadvantage.

EBSCO was Tuesday. I actually felt that the interview went well. The woman who conducted it was engaging and likable which really put me at ease. I had also filled out an application before I went into the interview, meaning I got to sit for a few minutes in the air conditioned reception area. This allowed some time for the sweat stains under my arms to fade. (Have I mentioned how put out I was by the summer weather in late September? Sheesh!) After the interview was T H E T E S T, which actually wasn't too bad. I needed to abstract some articles (duh), but they were short. And then I needed to proofread some abstracts, which was hard because I tend to over-think. I could handle the spelling errors and simple grammar, like misplaced apostrophes and commas. However, the abstracts made use of lots of passive tense. Which I hate. My father trained me to write actively--which was a great trait to have as a Political Science major (passive tense takes up space and politicians need brief documents)--but it's something I always check for in my own writing. Sometimes you can't get around it, but often you can and it makes for a stronger document. Well. I was told not to rewrite, just to proof. Which was torture because I really just wanted to put everything into active voice. I have seriously worried about this since my interview on Tuesday.

On Thursday I had the interview for the Young Adult/Reference position at a local public library. I felt OK about the interview, the director was very nice, and the people I met were very nice. It seems, though, that it's currently a situation of the lunatics running the asylum. They've seriously had to call the police in the past week to deal with unruly YAs in the parking lot. It made me nervous, particularly since programming is NOT my strong suit, and because the job description included no mention of combat pay. This presented a bit of a dilemma, because I really, really, really want full-time work. But I really, really, really didn't want to deal with 50 kids doing wheelies in the parking lot on a daily basis. Plus have to work every other Saturday.

However, this has all been made moot. Because this morning EBSCO called with a job offer. Hooray! In November I will begin using my mad library skillz in a corporate setting writing abstracts for a ginormous publisher and purveyor of databases. Have I sold out? Perhaps. But, you know, I'm OK with that. Because I think going back to a stable work environment after about 18 months of anything-but-stable will be a good thing. It will also, eventually, enable me to buy more yarn and fiber and perhaps even afford to take the occasional class. (Laura's post about her class at WEBS has made me insanely jealous and I'm terrified of color work.) Oh, and a new wheel. Mine is fine, except it doesn't travel well. I either need a smaller wheel or a bigger car because I want to be able to spin in the company of like-minded folk. The cats are great and all, but they aren't much for conversation.

Speaking of which, Polly seems to be on the mend. We're all touching wood that whatever has been wrong with her stays gone this time around....

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