A Week.

What's left of Adam's ride. 

 Things are still rather delightfully skewed - nothing is going right, every phone call is a hammer driving the next nail. Yet - not so bad. Adam's car troubles are just beginning but he'll get past it and move on. It happens to everyone. I got a speeding ticket this week - much to my horror!! But thank goodness I was able to slow down to 85 before he saw me. He gave me a break too so even though it's a lot of money it will be no point on my license and I'll have to be a Good Citizen for awhile. The shawl is coming along beautifully - I LOVE this pattern and its way easier than it looks. Shawl knitting is  wonderful if you've got some stress rolling by, just enough to be interesting, not enough to be hard. I also have the new ereader up and running without an issue - way easier than I thought it would be. Everything downloaded smoothly and I even bought a couple new books just to give it a test run. I'm currently reading Debbie Macomber - the comfort food of books. Pearl is finally out of heat, Vincent is now being the trouble. David took him to the vet today for a bladder infection - he won't ride in a carrier so David did the usual - flipped his little cat butt in the truck and then off they went. He got an a fluid infusion while there were there and started on antibiotics, etc. Claw is still freaking alive OF COURSE - too mean to die. We have been crazy busy at work, every nutty thing that could happen has - twice at least. I am very much looking towards the weekend this week, covers will be firmly pulled over my head.

Forward......March!

Me and my Vincent

The ice was pretty cool

My poor ereader!

 It's only 8 more weeks til spring, we're on the countdown around here. It has not been too bad - we had a big freeze the other day which turned our yard into a super sparkly place, it was so pretty you couldn't mind it at all. I've started a new knitting project, I wound all the yarn this weekend an already on chart two. Pearl continues to be in heat and is still a major trollop - I'll be glad when she's done. Things are settling at work, when all of this happened David was a bit despairing, he did the usual Why Can't Things Ever Run Smoothly Around Here? I had to ask him - what had NOT run smoothly lately? We were able to sell our house in one of the worst foreclosure areas in the country, we were able to buy this house free and clear. And to add to it this was the first house we've bought that I wasn't afraid to turn out  the lights at night - no mice, no bugs no cat pee. We are getting a puppy. I think we tend to take it for granted when everything is running well and we have no strife in our lives - then when something does happen we hit the Why Me mode right away. Why NOT you? This week has been a bit suck ass I'll admit - my ereader was smashed beyond repair, the computer died and Adam was in a car accident this morning. But I was able to get a new ereader right away and everything from the computer downloaded so well - right down to where I was in the book I was reading. The computer? It's ten years old! Who gets ten years out of a computer? And we only had to replace the tower, not the whole thing. Adam's car is going to need some major repair - he hydroplaned this morning on the way to work, but no one was hurt and he has insurance. I've had accidents too, they're very upsetting but usually not as bad as you think they will be. David has been shooting on Sunday with friends every weekend. We do the shopping and going out on Saturday , Sunday morning we both clean the house for the week in the morning and then he's out the door to the gun club. I either go walking, shopping or lately just enjoy watching tv and relaxing.  David has been doing very well lately, he got his WV license and has been busy for weeks with more work coming up - and my job? My job is like a listing ship in a storm - it'll ride the wave and eventually straighten up. If not, I'll find another port. We have a puppy coming in the spring and I have more yarn than someone without an official psycho diagnosis should have. We've heard from Jackson a couple of times, he's sleeping and playing video games, he said that more than enough vacation for him right now. So yes, we have some things going on, the only way you ever not have things going on is for about 10 minutes in the morning before you get out of bed - and even then you're not safe all the time. But that's the way things go, the sun will come up no matter what you do.

The lastest project Madalinetosh Gilded and I'm knitting Jared Flood's Girasole

A Blast Of Fresh Air

These are the kitten hats I made the other day

Today was a better day after the past week, first of all it REALLY was Friday so that was a step in the right direction. I spent the entire day out of the office seeing my group up near Wheeling - not that the office is a bad place but I needed a change of scenery. The visits all went well even though I had to start out at 6:30 am - in snow. But the it was light and I made great time. While I was going to one my phone rang and it was the Horrible Child Jackson who has been in California since Monday and was too busy to call his mother - he actually was faster than the Navy Family Specialist who was still waiting for the form to see if he was still on the planet. Feel free to sigh. I feel better though knowing he's OK and safe - I couldn't talk too long as I was getting late for my appointment but he will call again. And I called the Navy  so they could stop submitting forms and get back to......I guess submitting different forms.  I got done a little early and stopped off at Target in Tridelphia on the way home and scored the LAST Kobo ereader - apparently they are not a popular choice. But I do know at least two have been sold.... I had thought about getting a more advanced one but really - what I use it for it's fine and one of the reason I like the Kobo is because it's super small.  The only thing I'm dreading is if I have a problem downloading the books to the new one as when I called last night to make sure I'd be able to do that I found they'd been outsourced to India. And we all know how much I love that! I stopped at Little Cesar's on the way home and picked up Not Good For You Food - I don't care even a teeny tiny bit. I got home, took the Trollop out (on a new retractable leash!), threw on my pj's and here I sit. I've started winding the yarn for the next project, I have one skein done and two to go. This weekend will be very low key I think.

Aren't they cute?

After Hump Day It's All Downhill.

 This week has been off kilter since I accidently got a day ahead of myself. It's been snowballing all week starting with my thinking it was hump day and it was actually Tuesday. Bastards,That also means I've been a day ahead all week which is annoying especially since it's not Friday as I have thought multiple times today. My boss resigned this week - another story another time - some happy some not, but the whole office slanting left.  I had a good week weight and yarn wise, I managed to maintain my weight so I was not dethroned my first week out of the box as a lifetime member - wouldn't that be embarrassing to be sent back to the bleachers the first week!.  I also knit up two kitten hats, one for Angelea's daughter and one for Maryann's soon to be granddaughter.  I know some people love to be surprised but I love being able to make stuff ahead of time that is not yellow,green and generic. We got news our puppy was born so in a couple of months we will have two vizlas - watch out. Speaking of vizlas Pearl is still in heat. David told me he thought she was done and  that black dog had been hanging around was gone. David was incorrect on both counts. Our walk in the yard turned into a wild thing - Pearl darting the black dog dodging  and me screaming at the top of my lungs for David. I have discovered if there is  a psychotic black hearted killer in the yard I will be on my own, unless I'm fatally attacked in the garage or on the porch. David didn't hear me until we  were AT  the back door, me kicking wildly at the black door, Miss Pants being base and my poor ereader smashed beyond repair. I somehow managed to destroy the screen so there goes my morning reads in the yard. I did call Kobo and I can download the books on my account to a new one so not a complete disaster. I have to do my Wheeling clients tomorrow so I'll stop at Best Buy or Target on the way home and see what I can do. In other news I cannot find Jackson - he was going on leave and called me last week on Friday from Kuwait or Beirut - and that is the last I've heard from him. I'm assuming if something dire had happened I would be informed but I'm not really thrilled with the Navy specialist that's been assigned for me. Not only can she not locate him but has informed me it may take up to a week or so before she can even access his itinerary. I would also be on my own apparently if a black hearted killer attacked me there, they would have to submit a form and wait for a week to see if they could help me. I'm not freaking out quite yet, but I'm getting there.

The Winter Of Our Sort Of Discontent.

 This is not really the winter of our discontent - it's more like the season of "eh". It has not been winter like as of yet I might add, the news has been threatening all day that the temps will drop, the snow will fly and it will finally be winter. I'm not overly worried, after all we're mid stride into January and spring is now 9 weeks away. That translates into 2 months one week. More or less. The backyard is a quagmire at this point, it may not have snowed but it certainly has been raining. Off and on, lately more on than off. I amuse myself by working, knitting and watching reality TV that David does not like. I like to watch morbidly obese people lose weight that only someone without a job and with a personal trainer can, I like people that hoard, tattooists, people that dress badly until their friends surprise them with a professional stylist and everyone is sort of mean but in a beneficial way. I like to watch cake making, Martha Stewart when every I can! and people that eat weird things - depending on what they eat of course. The girl that ate sofa cushions was far more interesting than the one that drank like 30 cans of coke a day - her I wanted to slap.  I will watch a house transformation, a cupcake maker and how to put in a retaining wall. In other news  I ended up making a surprise trip to the yarn shop - always fun. I've been picking up accessories and so forth, I'm hopefully visiting another yarn shop next week - one I have not shopped. I've earned a 10% off at Blooming Yarns but I'm saving it for after my birthday when I can spend some real hardcore money.  When I take the dog out I plot and plan where everything will go in the spring, I want to plant flowers and maybe - finally! - have a real garden, I think I would  be good at it, don't you? I heard from Jackson today, he is starting his vacation and is in transit - hopefully. He's not coming here but heading out to San Diego to get stuff done. His tour is up in a few months and then he'll come here to visit us. I cannot wait for spring.

Finished. Ta. Da.

 I actually knit this faster than I thought I would - it's not overly big of course and the pattern wasn't too complicated so I guess that's why it went so fast. I have to do a little bit of minor repair here and there, I've found with lace weight and lace knitting it's easy to slip a stitch and until you really look and block it out you can tell where the missed stitches are. I've also learned not to pull any loose or suspicious bits because you can rather cheerfully and quickly end up with a hole the size of your head that you apparently don't use much or you would not have pulled that bit in the first place. I have no idea why I love to knit shawls so much - circular lace shawls in particular. They are not useful, they're work - but they are pretty, aren't they? I've only kept two that I've made as opposed to sweaters. I keep most of the sweaters I make because quite frankly, I'm not very good at it and when one comes out right I usually give it away out of sheer surprise. The rest I've given away I suspect they're sneaky donated (or burned) when I'm not looking - a few are kept. I know I made one for my cousin that I think she recently rediscovered - it was a funky pattern I found with skull and cross bone intarsia on the sleeves. Given the fact she lives in the suburbs and has a degree in accounting a bit of strange choice. I think I gave it to her to rake leaves and scare her neighbors. But she did tell me once it's a very warm comfortable sweater to wear, skulls and all. I'm making a hat right now as a break, then socks then back to the shawls - one of the things I'm asked most frequently is if I'll sell my shawls. I've been asked to custom make one and that person will buy the yarn. Yes, it's still no. First of all, anyone offering to buy ME yarn will have to get that one past the Yarn Hater, you won't get far. Second of all if I'm having someone else pick out the yarn, pick out the pattern and then expect me to produce an exact replica - then it becomes Work. Most people that know me will tell you I don't spend an inordinate time looking for more work, as a matter of fact I have more than enough of it. If YOU want some work I'll be happy to share some with you. You can start with the bathtub.  I prefer to knit what I find appealing, the owner will make themselves known eventually - it will look like them. Or I'll suddenly be inspired just to fling it out to see what the reaction will be. So I will happily knit away for no one - it's sort of like taking the less traveled path - I have no idea where I'm headed but it's fun finding out.

Fulfilling My Resolutions

The Shawl is finished

Pearl and the new Namaste Bag

As you can see I'm working on my resolutions, I visit a yarn shop at least once every two weeks, I am knitting as much as possible - life is good right now.  I finally posted the new knitting bag I bought last week at Blooming Yarns in McMurray PA - there is so much in that little shop, you don't know which way to look! I have one  other Namaste and a Jordon Paige so I think that's enough of that. For now. In other news I finished the shawl I've been making - I know it's hard to see the pattern on the blanket I'm blocking it on but I'll retake it in a couple of days when it's done. I'm going to do a few small projects for now, but I have a shawl pattern I bought by Jared Flood that I cannot wait to get started on! But I hate to knit one shawl after the other as I'll end up bored in the middle. David and I went shopping again this weekend, we did the Tanger Outlets in Washington PA which was fun - this time of year is the best time to get all the deals, it's hard to stop buying.  We had lunch at Loafers - they do an amazing vegetarian sandwich and the bread is all made there.  I went to the natural food store after which is right next door and then off we went again. Like I said, we're pretty much done with the end of year shopping but it's crazy how expensive everything is right before Christmas and then you can get it 80% off two weeks later. But I have enough clothes, shoes and of course after 3 trips to Victoria's Secret in the past week I'm not lacking for underwear! The weather has been super wonderful all week - in the upper 40's to 50's not quite sweater weather but I'll take it. The only bad thing is I have to keep reminding myself that winter is still here for another 10 weeks, but that's not really that long, is it? I have Weight Watchers this week - it's my last week before I become a Lifetime Member which will be very nice as I won't have to pay for my membership. Unless of course I regain all that weight which would Be Bad. Yes, that would suck. This time of year is hard but I'm making sure to keep exercising and not go off my diet. Too much. In other news rat fink Pearl is in heat for some strange reason, we've decided to have her fixed. We've discussed off and on breeding her but we either never have enough time or we're unable to  - and we're getting a puppy in the spring so I think it's time.

Yarn On Yarn.