NUPPPPPP!

I was again fretting about what knitting project I was going to start up on next. I actually pulled out my last balls of Noro Kureyon #95, as seen in such projects as the Counterpane Bag and the Butterfly Sweater (which I still haven't taken a final picture of), but then decided to do a little stash diving. I stumbled upon this, which I actually had thought I had thrown away in a cleaning frenzy a while back... I guess it remains safe. Look how gigantic this cone is- Chapstick is present for comparison:

I have been knitting the center pattern furiously and have the tired hands to prove it. I have now reached the nupps, which involve k1, yo, k1, yo, k1 in the same stitch, and then p5tog on the way back. NUPP! this is all cotton yarn, so it is not unusually stretchy, and I am knitting on my Denise interchangeable needles, which are great in many ways, but definitely do not have unusually pointy tips. Errrgh. I am therefore nupping very loosely. Here is a shot of my progress:

And, here is a shot of the cone of yarn. I see no noticeable decrease in size. (Note: If anyone likes this difficult to wear color, feel free to borrow the cone... I'm pretty sure it's one of those neverending cones!)

A couple of winters ago, I knit a cardigan for my grandmother... which, now that I think about it, I do not believe I have ever seen her wear... it was out of this horrifyingly pink mohair, on a cone, and I swear there was enough to knit about 15 more of them... I was very tired of pink mohair by the end of that sweater! EWWWW! She was all excited about the sweater, and that thing was torturous to knit, and she never wears it. That'll teach ME!

So, I tried to get a good shot of the nupps, but to no avail. My photography skills are clearly not as good as I'd like. Sigh.

How many of you out there are like me- all excited to leave work on a Friday, and then you're so tired you fall asleep and don't end up doing anything? I hate that. However, I had a funny dream during a post-work nap tonight- I dreamed I went to Wal Mart (or a similar store) and was buying candy. It was all awesome candy that doesn't even exist in real life, and I was soooo excited to bring it home and eat it. But when I reached into my pocket to pull it out, there was a hole in my pocket and some of the best candy had fallen out! I woke up sad. It was genuinely awful. :(

I can't wait to block the shawl, although I have quite a ways to go. The shawl calls for a smallish finished size, and since I am tall, and for fashion reasons, I need/ like a bigger shawl. I did about 50% more repeats of the center pattern than were called for, and my hands are tired! The lacing bloom will make it worth it, though!

Olive, meet Baudelaire. Baudelaire, meet Olive.

First, giant olive:

Now, granted, I do have thin fingers. But still, you must admit that I have stumbled across an exquisite olivial specimen here! It tasted good, too. I guess I wasn't impressed enough to save it from a dismal death.

Next, meet my newly finished socks:

Here is a side view:

And, an awkward pic of the back:

Project details are as follows:

Pattern: Baudelaire by Cookie A from Knitty.com.
Yarn: Jawoll by Lang Yarns in color 83.0178. Love Germans and their orderly color names.
Needles: Well, I initially used four size one bamboo needles and one metal one, but then one of the bamboo ones broke in my checked luggage... I then made to with one less needle, but used the broken one as a makeshift cable needle. Now that I think about it, I suppose I could have dug through my stuff to find an actual cable needle, but why go through the aggravation???

Overall, I liked this pattern. It gave me a chance to try a couple of toe-up options, and i had never used a sewn bindoff before. I also really liked the cable running up the side, and I still continue to totally dig how yarnovers and sl 1, k2tog, psso's all mixed together can result in such vastly different lacy results! I mean, I used the same stitches in this pattern as I did in the Shetland Triangle, but they look so different! Yay!

So, now, I am back where I started: what to knit next? There are a TON of projects I've seen lately on the Internet that I'm dying to knit (thank you, o knit bloggers, for trying the patterns out and showing us all how they REALLY look on NORMAL people without perfect lighting and zillion dollar cameras! However, I don't think that my stash matches up appropriately with said patterns... tune in next time to see what I picked! Wheeee!

I Have Found My Way!

A couple of evenings ago, I managed to finish off the knitted portions of the Counterpane Carpet Bag I'm making... and even set it out to block. However, I'm not in a sewing mood, and am not completely happy with the handles that I picked out, so that project will be on hold for a little while. As an aside, I did find some nice hot pink canvas lining fabric for the bag, that I think will be nice and sturdy... plus it's hot pink- what's not to love???
Here is a preview... once I manage to drag out the sewing machine, I will be done in no time, I'm sure... and sorry about the sideways situation... I just didn't feel like fixing it, despite the short amount of time it would have taken- ha!
So, last night, I found myself feeling a little lost... no pressing projects that I really wanted to do (well, a couple of jewelry things that I want to do, but I don't have the supplies I need at the moment), so I started knitting a hat that I have since frogged. It genuinely sucked and did not deserve to be a hat. So, I decided to pick the Baudelaire socks back up... and started sock #2 but with a twist. The sock is worked from the toe up, and requested that I do a figure 8 cast on. I found this method to be unusually lame and fiddly and awkward and ugly and I hated it, so I took a move from the Shetland Triangle, and made two little crochet lengths out of scrap yarn (read: same yarn as project, but I'm so awesome I won't get confused- really!), and did a provisional cast on. At some point, I will zip out the crochet with a hearty tug....zzzzzip! and then will close up the toe with a kitchener stitch. I think that will look much better in the long run- the toe on the first sock is a tiny bit more holey than I would prefer. The less said about that, the better. It's really not all that bad, but I am dissatisfied. So, here is a shot of sock #2, with the toe completed:

You will, of course, notice a lot 'going on' around the toe. Trust me, I've got it all under control!

So, I realize that I'm not all THAT old in the grand scheme of things, but I feel like I have more trouble sleeping than I should. Particularly the night before I have to get up to go to spin class. Then, I'm super duper tired at work, and then come home and literally cannot manage to stay awake, so I fall asleep after work. Then, I feel all perky and awake until past a good bed time, and the cycle continues. YEEEARRRRRGH! What's a girl to do? I need to hire someone to keep me awake after work or something, or just wander the streets like a vagrant until bed time. Or maybe take tranquilizers at 8 pm until my body resets itself not to take naps. Or become independently wealthy so I can sleep whenever I feel like it and don't need to worry about feeling all tired and stuff at work. Hmm.
At any rate, I feel better now that I have a project on the needles. If I finish that one, I will then only have two UFO's flying around- the Carpet Bag, and the dreaded yet beloved Gibson Girl Pullover... all she needs is seams and buttons and a bit of neck blocking... what exactly is keeping me from finishing this one up? No clue. No clue at all...

A Day with Cece

Well, after yoga today, Cece came by for some lunch and some knitting. She finished knitting her Klaralund, and started on her Shetland Triangle, which is now done blocking. Here are several pictures. First up, a closeup of the pattern: Next, me in the courtyard near my home, smiling like a silly idiot:
Third, a nice shot of the whole thing- I still don't think the awesomeness of the yarn shows AT ALL:And finally, a nice lion statue struttin his stuff:
Here are the project details:
Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style
Blue Heron Yarns, Rayon with some sparkle, 550 yds
Denise interchangable needles, size 7
16 pattern repeats
66" wide, 29" long
Started 9/24, finished knitting 9/28, blocked 9/29
Comments: I hadn't knit with such an inflexible, nonstretchy yarn for a while, and at first, it was a little weird. However, once I got going, I rather liked it, and it is soooo pretty! I found the pattern fairly simple, and was able to memorize what was going on after giving it some thought over the first several pattern repeats. I would call it a good 'first lace project' kind of pattern.

Next, here is the Sweater with Lengthways and Crossways Ribs, in all of its glory:

I liked the way it turned out, but in looking at this pic, I have decided I need to invest some time in buying a belt that doesn't stick out so much- I swear I have more of a waist than that... really!

Project Specs:
Sweater with Lengthways and Crossways Ribs from Rebecca Magazine #25, size 34/36
Wildflower D.K. from Plymouth Yarn, 51% cotton, 49% acrylic, 4 1/2 balls
Needles: Denise Interchangeables size 6
I believe I lengthened the torso a bit, and found that the armhole portion started getting longer than I thought it should be... quite possibly, my row gauge was a bit longer than expected... This was a fairly quick and easy knit. I will mention here that I miscalculated how many balls of yarn I needed, and when I got a fifth ball, it was not of the same dye lot, and it shows a bit. Luckily, my hair is just long enough to hide the flaw! Hee hee!

And last but not least, a shot of my latest project, the Counterpane Carpet Bag from Handknit Holidays:
I don't yet have the lining fabric or the purse handles, but whatever.... that's just a detail! I am again using my very favorite Noro Kureyon colorway, #95, and am happy as a clam to see it again! Therefore, I shall tarry no longer and return to my knitting.

I have been quite bloggerly lately. I might or might not continue this trend, so don't think I've turned over a new leaf or anything...

New Blocking Method

(At least for me)

Here is the Shetland Triangle, all blocky and drying pleasantly. I fortuitously ran across a blocking technique that was previously unknown to me, and as soon as I checked it out, I knew it was the method for me! I bought some T pins, (finally) then I went to Kay Bee Toys and bought a large foam puzzle. As you might be able to tell from the picture, I do believe I will need to buy another puzzle to add to it for next time, but I squeaked by this time! It was so easy in comparison to the 'ghetto' sewing pins and towels technique I used in the past... nothing ever quite looked totally even, but whoa. I am doing awesome, baby! What symmetrical halves! What a perpendicular middle line! What nice, even and pointy points! I was previously unaware that I was capable of such precision, such PINNING! I love squishy foam puzzles! Unfortunately, the foam fishy inserts and multicolored nature of the puzzle pieces make it a wee bit difficult to actually see the shawl in any kind of appreciable kind of detail, but so it goes. I will try to get Cece to take some pictures of me tomorrow. Although I love living by myself, it means that I don't have a built in "picture taker of me in finished knitted items", so I must catch as catch can. So far on this blog, I believe that all pictures have been taken by me at arm's length. Good thing I have long arms. I really must whip out that camera manual and refresh my memory on how to do the automatic picture taking thingy. I'll bet that would be good. And as I mentioned once, if you set the camera on the counter in front of a metal bowl, you can totally see the viewfinder's reflection and see what you're going to get a picture of. Stellar. (I found that out by accident, not that the picture actually got taken... but if it had worked, I wouldn't have accidentally cut the top of my head off or anything, I swear!)

I am currently having a devil of a time with Blogger. This seems to happen every once in a while- I will upload pictures over and over and over again; Blogger will tell me that they uploaded successfully, but NOOOOOO. The really didn't. Same with posts- I will go to publish posts, I will be told that the published just fine, but NOOOOO. They are not showing up on the website. ARRRRRGHHHHH. I have AT LEAST one or two people who would quite possibly like to look at my posts- I feel it in my bones! Oh, well.

Regardless of these ridiculous snafus, I feel confident that, if Blogger can cooperate, there will be even more pics of finished objects this weekend, as Cece is coming on over to knit tomorrow afternoon. KNITTTTTT!

*****UPDATE*****

Little Amanda was sleepy this evening. So sleepy that she took an unusually large nap and then did not go to to a party she had been planning on. Instead, she... um... did some knitting- duhhhh! What could it be? Well, there is one nonsurprise item, and then, there is a new surprise that perhaps there will soon be an update on! How marvelous! But for now, I will sleep. Of course, I'll probably dream about knitting- sometimes that happens if I overknit, which it is possible that I did tonight. At least my arm isn't tingling. No, that has never happened. OKAY, IT HAS! STOP GRILLING ME ALREADY! But it did not happen tonight. Which is good. Okay, enough already. I'm outty.

Wuh-oh!

Hmm. It appears as though I have made a minor error. I have been knitting along happily on my shetland blob, and casually decided that I had enough yarn to do several extra repeats. However, I now have this much yarn left:

and still have 5 knitting rows (of almost 300 stitches on a size 7 needle) and one bindoff row left... pretty sure it's not QUITE enough. I am going to do some research and see if I can leave off the last two knitting rows, as they are repeats of the ones before and do not add any extra stitches. I wish I had weighed the yarn or something, but don't have an appropriate scale. I should get one- it would be helpful both with knitting and with beading. But alas, there is not one in my obviously impoverished home!

This is not a desperately terrible situation; just a lame one. The yarn will take nicely to frogging, as it is rayon and not all fuzzy and meldy. So, worst case scenario, I frog approximately two dozen rows and delete one of the pattern repeats and keep on going. It will be okay. Sigh. What do I blame for this snafu? A desire to utilize as much as possible of a very beautiful (and fairly expensive) skein of yarn- I felt like if there was even a scrap left, it would be a waste! Silly girl. I will naturally post, with all of the gory details and pictures, with the results...

And, regarding the nice ribby Sweater with Lengthwise and Crosswise Ribs (picture attached was my inspiration for wanting to knit this little number), I had run out of yarn, but the new ball just came in the mail! Once I finish this shetland blob, I shall be moving on, baby! Finished objects shall abound!

*******UPDATE ALERT*********

Whew. I guess I made the right decision- here is what I have left for yarn- with so many stitches, I'm certain I would not have enough yarn for two more rows!

And, here is the Shetland Triangle lying on the floor- it is way too late tonight to start the blocking... but the next pic of this baby will be in the blocky state of being, I'm sure!

My Very Own Shetland Triangle Blob!

As previously mentioned, I bought some beautiful yarn that was just begging to be knit into a lace shawl of some sort. So, I decided upon the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style. Of course, I didn't OWN Wrap Style yet, so had to order it, and then WAIT for it to arrive! It got here during day 1 of Open Studios, but I managed not to start knitting until Sunday evening. It has grown rapidly, into a nice, yarny, bubbly blob. It is initially gratifying to knit a shawl from small to big- rows of under, say, 50 stitches go by really fast- but I'm now almost at 200 stitches, and each row is taking somewhere between 7-10 minutes, depending on how distracted I'm getting. The lace pattern is simple- nothing more difficult than a slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over... but I really like the pattern, so it's all good:


Oh, yeah... it is clearly difficult to actually SEE the pattern in this picture, but I assure you that it's there. Really.

Having Difficulty!

You know, it is really hard to take pictures of your own feet, particularly while you are trying to get a picture of the detail on the back of a handknitted sock. "Open Studios" is today, but I was pretty much all set up by bedtime last night. I did a good job cleaning up my condo and hiding things that I didn't quite know what to do with. Note to self: PLEASE do not turn on the oven without checking inside! (It's actually okay- I hid extra plates in there- rather than, say, my vast collection of oily rags...)

So, the knitting project that was begun on my trip to Eastern Europe is now... half finished! I have been quickly trying to take a few shots of the finished sock, but I have run into a couple of snags: dead camera battery, poor lighting, and most importantly, non-rubber legs. I will most certainly continue my quest for a flattering shot of Little Miss Baudelaire. Speaking of socks on Knitty, have you seen the new issue? This pattern looks like a real noodle twister- five zillion 1x1 cables on size 1 needles. SUPER. No, really, sounds like FUNNNN.

Okay, I think I continue typing because I am trying to avoid the fact that I probably forgot something super important in setting up for the day. You know, like putting on pants. Hmm, let me see... Pants? Check. Other important clothing? Ditto.

Okay, real quick, I am going to try and take a couple of pictures of Miss Baudelaire... and as thought, the one of the back of my leg just didn't work out. Sigh. But, here we go so far- first, the top view:And next, the side view. I like the little cable that runs up the side:

As usual, the color is not accurate at all. I mean, it IS actually blue, but it is a brighter and nicer blue, in my opinion. Okay, over and out... gotta make SURE I actually put on pants...

Amanda's Food Groups

Okay, so I was just thinking about foods that are bad for you, and I have decided to create some new (and pleasing to me) food groups:

1. Fluffy. (think whipped cream, FROSTING, puddings, mousses, etc.)

2. Cold and creamy. (Ice cream. Trust me, in my world, it would have its own group!)

3. Salty and crunchy. (Cheetos come to mind pretty immediately)

4. Doughy. (I suppose pizza crust, doughnuts, soft pretzels, and other various bready items would go here)

5. "Turns the paper clear". Rub it on a piece of paper. Can you now see through the paper? Yes? Okay, it goes in this group. And yes, I did steal that idea from the Simpsons episode where Homer is trying to get super fat so he can go on disability and work from home. He also purchases (and wears) a muumuu in that episode. Muumuu is an awesome word, by the way.

6. Sticks in your teeth. (Butterfinger, Starburst, Toffee, Salt water taffy)

7. Makes people make inappropriate noises. (Godiva chocolate, perhaps?)

What prompted this list? Well, I went shopping for various brownie/ cupcake/ cookie mixes and bought some 'fluffy white frosting'. I decided to give it a taste test. It satisfied both food group #1 and #7, as it was both fluffy and also made me do some sort of Homer-like "ggggaaaagggghhhhhuoooooooooggghhhh" kind of noise. Yeah, it was good.

So, with the full knowledge that large numbers of people are coming over to my home in two days, I continue to avoid cleaning. Actually, I DID just put some DVD's that were lying around into the cabinet. And I put my scented oil burner near the sink- it does appear as though it could use a bath. Yes, I'd say I'm well on my way, wouldn't you? And before you snicker, I am definitely on my way over to the shelves- I am gonna bust out the duster and give them what for! Yeeeearrrrrgh!

Speaking of yeeearrrrrgh, we all missed "talk like a pirate day", which was on September 19th. WHY did nobody remind me??? Arrrrrr. I be disappointed, be I. I would have heartily enjoyed calling ye me maties and possibly swabbing the deck (yes, the poop deck) and even shivering me timbers. I would have called someone a maiden and probably would have referred to a 'bosom' here and there. And, while we're on the subject, can someone remind me what a foc'sle is? I seem to remember that word from my various pirate-y readings... and no, I am not quite sure that is where the apostrophe goes, but it was a good guess.

Well, I shall go drown my piratey sorrows in some rum. I mean, frosting.

LAZY AS HELL

That is how I've been feeling this week. I did manage to go to spin class on Tuesday morning and get SOME household chores done Monday night, but I have sooooo much to do to get ready for Open Studios and have barely done anything. I mean, the PUBLIC is going to be coming into my house, and it is a mess! It is not as bad as it can be at times, but it is certainly not 'ready for the public'! I am a giant, lazy loser.

What do I REALLY feel like doing? I feel like knitting! Whoa, where did THAT come from ??? Well, who am I to argue with spontaneous spurts of emotional outbursts!!! I am going to go work on the socks I was knitting in Eastern Europe. Sweeeeeeeet.

Website is LIVE!

Well, I avoided that pesky nice weather this weekend (sob) and finally got my website in working order. Feel free to visit it now. www.amandahosmer.com. I selected a small portion of my finished jewelry to put online, but I tell you, it took me all freakin' weekend! Now, my business card doesn't have to say 'website coming soon' any more. Whew. So glad that is done.

Believe it or not, I saved my new yarn (see yesterday's post) as a reward- I will now hand-wind its beautiful lengths. I will have to wait another week or two for the pattern to come in before I can start knitting it, but that's okay. I have a couple of UFO's floating around that it will be nice to knock off and take pictures of... the Noro sweater will now have a clasp, and the Gibson Girl will not be in three separate pieces any more... at least, in theory...

Okay, I have seen WAAAAAAY too much of my computer today... I'm outta here!

Emotionally Reparative Experience

Well, I passed the 'evil sweater' off to Cece last night. Good riddance to evil knitting. RRRRrrrrrr. However, I convinced Cece that she did not want the rest of the yarn, (by the way, darling, there are currently two balls left if you want them back- speak now before they are knit) and in order to flush out the evil spirits, I knit this:

The satisfyingly simple Spiral Rib Hat by Song Palmese, available from Ann Norling. This yarn was just right for the pattern, so I was happy to be knitting with it. It was a shame that I was growing to LOATHE the Debbie Bliss alpaca silk... and so I feel better now! I have actually made this pattern before out of Noro Kochoran , and it is one of my faves. Notice how the different size yarn looks so different in the pattern!
So, Monday is Cece's birthday... so go on over there and wish her a happy 31st! (God help us all if I've gotten her age wrong...) For her birthday, I bought her some SUPER YUMMY yarn from Blue Heron Yarns... it is a beautiful fingering weight rayon with a metallic strand running through it. Of course, since I bought it at the very last minute from the Hub Mills Factory Store (and on the last day of their sale), I didn't get a picture of it, but managed to buy a skein for myself, heh heh:

The pink is a little more 'pinky' in real life, and the brown is a little more 'coppery'. I am planning ot make some sort of a shawl with it- I have determined that if I wear shawls with a jacket, I look totally cool. No, really, I do! :)

So, upon looking at Blue Heron Yarn's website, I have decided that they have awesome yarns. I'm just saying. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for more.

Today is GORGEOUS out. However, being the total dumbass that I am, I have squandered several months avoiding taking pictures for my new website. As next weekend is Open Studios and I will be passing out tons of business cards, I feel that I absolutely MUST have a working website for people to go to after they SPRINT home with my business card to do even more online shopping. Or something like that. So, I am sequestered inside today, taking pictures. And doing laundry. Might as well kill two unpleasant birds with one sunny stone. (Trust me, it made sense before I typed it)

Last but not least, I am considering trying to host a "UFO-along" after the holidays. I think it would be totally fun to get a bunch of knitters together to dig out their unfinished projects, and spur them along to get them done! It's perfect for after the holidays, since we'll all be broke from buying gifts and such. Thoughts?

Okay, back to the evil picture taking. It's really the picture editing that completely sucks. Bleh.

Hmm.


Okay, so the color is NOT accurate at all. And Cece, you're in charge of blocking. (Heh heh) I am not completely confident about the way that the sweater hangs, although I assure my vast readership that I followed that cockamamie pattern to a T... other than the length modifications that Cece specified.

Cece, my friend, if you know who does not like this sweater, I would probably prefer that you not tell me, and that we never enter into this type of agreement again. I'm just saying.

And now, I believe I will go back to the Gibson Girl Pullover - a UFO if there ever was one! I am a 'finisher' of projects, but this one is somehow an exception to the rule. Stay tuned, faithful reader(s), for update(s)!

WHOA.

I have been shirking my bloggerly duties. For one thing, I have been shirking my beading and knitting duties, and therefore don't have much to blog about. I did do some work on a cotton tank from an old Rebecca magazine- I found a picture of another blogger's FO of the "Sweater with Lengthways and Crossways Ribs" (Germans are so utilitarian with their names, eh? And in German, it's called "Pulli mit Rippen", which I assume translates as "Sleeveless Pullover with Ribs"... "Pullover" = pullover; "Pulli" appears to be "sleeveless pullover"... but I digress).

ANNNNNYWAY, it also appears that I may have gotten too little yarn and am about 1/2 ball short. Sigh. That is good news for CECE, and it is also good news that I have a headache and won't be going to yoga tonight, because it means that I'll be staying home and doing some seaming on the evil cardigan. I believe I have referenced said cardigan in the past. If I finish it tonight, I shall plop a picture up for all to witness. If not, I suppose I will finish it tomorrow night, or possibly Friday night. One may never know.

So, it has been so long since I have posted that I forget if I mentioned the two dates I went on a couple of weekends ago. I had a repeat date with one of the 'gentlemen', who ended up being a BIT more.... um... aggressive than I was in the mood for, and he called me again since then. I called him back, but my heart was pounding out of my chest. Even though I come across as someone who would have no problem telling someone to go jump off a bridge, it is hard for me. I am dreading the conversation, but just imagine how happy I'll be when it's over and I won't have to worry if he'll call again! Yay!

Okay, off to seam the sweater from Hades.

Productive Weekend

Amazing but true, boys and girls, (well, probably no boys, if we want to exist in the realm of truth) I have been immersed in a weekend of productivity. With the advent of a new school year, I have thrown myself head-on into a project of self improvement: eating my fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly, and tidying that which is inordinately messy. I have a huge pile of clothing to be donated to whichever charity will take them (any tall size 12's out there are more than welcome to anything from the pile), have organized my beading and knitting books and magazines, and have kept my kitchen clean all weekend. Laundry is done, the fridge is stocked, and I am back at Bikram Yoga, sweating my brains out and falling over during most of the balancing poses. One of these days....

I am also (buckle your seatbelts) working on my website. I have been threatening to do so for quite some time... three months, to be somewhat more precise... and it is turning out to be a LOT less painful than I had initially feared! I do believe that the basic framework is all laid out, and I will now need to begin the arduous task of photographing the jewelry pieces and adding them in. The changes I have made are not yet on the web, so stay tuned. Yipeeee!

And last but not least, Miss Bead & Fiber Babe managed to have TWO dates yesterday. I set them up through match.com, and one of those two dates was really fun! Stay posted... there ought to be a 'let him down gently' update, as well as a 'juicy details from date #2' update in the future. If not, I guess it will be back to the drawing board. Same story, different day. I tell ya, there are some weird, weird, WEIRD dudes out there. I am just glad that I manage to find a normal one out there every once in a while.

The only knitting news is that I have unraveled the sweater front from Cece's mother in law's sweater... the piece that I knit several inches of without remembering to add button holes. I have every intention to get that finished... I truly do. I wish I could burn it afterwards, but sadly, that would defeat the purpose. I might instead just burn any leftover scrap yarn- that might make me feel better. Or maybe I'll tie it to a brick and throw it in the river. Yes, that would be FUN!!!

Bagely Experiment

I like bagels a lot. A super lot. If sesame seeds are involved, even better. However, white bagels aren't really unusually healthy, and whole wheat bagels are harder to come by than I think is necessary. So, I am currently trying to make bagels. I assume it will take a few tries. Sadly, I fear I have already failed making authentic, chewy, bagely bagels... the recipe said that the bagels should initially sink into the water, and mine did not sink. Here is a picture of my creepy bagels floating in the water- yes, I feel that they look creeeeepy at this point:

And here is a picture of them, fresh out of the oven:

Ugh, waiting for tasty bagels to cool down is evil! The verdict? They taste good, are kind of chewy, but are not quite bagely. Not sure what to do to improve the situation, but will keep trying. And, I think we can all safely admit that they are not unusually attractive, or even in size. But they certainly have character and taste good with a schmear of cream cheese!

Earlier today, Cece came on by for some knitting, but instead, crocheting ensued. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was little, and my mother taught me to knit. One of the first things I ever learned how to make well was cotton dishcloths. Today, Cece and I made crocheted dishcloths- here is mine:

I feel like there are just too many 'holes' in this pattern for it to be a truly useful dishcloth, but it was still fun to make, and I've been wrong before- maybe the 'holes' will not be a problem. Who knows- maybe Cece will post a pic of hers on her blog!

It also turns out that it's a good thing that I crocheted instead of knitted... I have been toiling away on a sweater for Cece's stepmother, which she pawned off on me because she hated the yarn. I think the yarn is okay, but the pattern is one of the worst written patterns. Ever. I did another sweater from the same book, but I don't remember having such ridiculous problems. Cece started working the back, so when I got the materials, I continued. But then? It said: 'work until same length as front'. Argh. So, I switched to knitting the front... when I got to a certain point, I had to knit a yoke piece, which I was told to knit until it was 'long enough to reach the center back'... which I can't finish until the front is finished! SO irritating. So the latest thing is that I began knitting the right front piece... and forgot about the buttonholes. I am beside myself with irritation and serious amounts of woe. To make matters worse, I had some flowers in my condo that started to die and now I appear to have a 'fruit fly problem', despite having thrown away the flowers and put all food/ fruit in the fridge, and I've been throwing away the garbage and everything. So, now, I have a good number of roommates. Luckily, they only eat my garbage and not my GOOD food. Sorry, that had nothing to do with knitting, but was still entertaining, at least to me!

Back to Work

Sigh. Another summer has slipped away from me, and I started back at work this past Monday. However, I am at a new school, and new means different, unknown, and full of potential. That can be fun! However, since I'm new AND the school has never had a full time social worker before, I don't really think they know what to do with me this week, and I have had serious moments of intense boredom. I mean, it really doesn't take much time to set up one's office, particularly when said office contains a desk, a file cabinet, and a desk with chairs. And a closet, 1/3 of which is permanently locked. I unpacked my meager belongings in about an hour. On Monday. Several days ago. And, I have no computer... yet. I have been assured that said item is forthcoming.

Now, one thing that IS fairly exciting for moi, miss Bead and Fiber Babe, is that there is an after school program, and I have been cordially invited to teach an after school class in whatever subject I might like, pending appropriateness as determined by the funding source. I think it needs to be somewhat educational, and there needs to be a finished project. Hm. A finished project, like, perhaps a baby blanket to be donated to a local charity? Why, Knitting and crocheting are certainly educational! There is math, planning, patience, cooperation between peers, and there is learning about charities and stuff. It is a groovy prospect. And of course, knitting and crocheting require enough patience that the annoying, impatient kids will drop out immediately. BUWAHAHAHAHA!

I will let you all know if I will indeed be teaching some sort of fiber arts class. Cool!

I Have Returned

Well, I'm back from my trip to Eastern Europe, and am ready to talk a bit about it, and possibly even post a photo or two. To get the knitting news out of the way, I decided upon Baudelaire from Knitty, in a nice blue, but will take a pic when sock #1 is done. That's right- I couldn't bear packing less than enough yarn for 3 pairs of socks, but didn't even manage to complete a single sock! Funny how that happens.

Anyway, I traveled with my sister, which was good. The weather was pretty lousy- we had exactly 3 sunny days in two weeks, which is unseasonably lame. We went to the Czech Republic and Hungary. Here are a few photos, starting with the old town square in Prague:


Next is a shot of the Prague and the famous Charles Bridge from Prague Castle- there was a castle in every town we went to, actually:
Here I am, being silly with some public art around the corner from Wenceslas Square. I tried to get Liz to pose, but she haughtily declined, and was very grouchy about having to take such a silly picture:
Can you believe they have these cows all over the world? I had seen them in Boston, but now have seen them in Prague and Budapest, too. Cool:
After Prague, we went to Cesky Krumlov, a picturesque little town encircled by a winding river. There was a castle there, too, and here is a picture shot from the castle- ain't it purty?
And again with the purdiness, a shot from the hostel we stayed at:

And in Budapest, a pic of the outside of one of the Turkish baths that we went to... now, THAT was a relaxing day!

And, finally, the Parliament building in Budapest, on the third of three sunny days.
It was a lovely trip, full of goulash, sauerkraut and dumplings. Oh, yes, and some beer. Some cheap beer.
I'm glad I went, but I definitely started to miss some of the creature comforts of home! I missed you all... all three of you...

Quick Update

This weekend was the Lowell Folk Festival. I sat outside both days under a tent, hawking my jewelry. I did better sales-wise today, but overall did a lot better last year. It's all about location, folks. However, I did do a lot of repeat business, which is great- people who have bought things from me before sought me out and bought things again! Excellent.

I am now in a cleaning and packing frenzy. I am leaving for a trip to the Czech Republic and Hungary. But don't try to come over and steal anything from me, because I already told my neighbors, who are much closer by, and will have used my spare key to slip on in and steall all the good stuff before you get here. HA!

So, I am attempting to figure out what sock knitting yarn and pattern I want to bring with me on the trip. It has to be socks, since I am backpacking and won't have space for a jumbo project. (I might try to squeeze in TWO sock projects, though.... muwahahaha! I am thinking of the Baudelaire pattern from Knitty, or possibly Pomatomus. I actually WANT to find a nice, complicated pattern to occupy my mind and keep me distracted from the fact that long amounts of time on the train, plane, or whatever are ticking by immeasurably slowly. I'm sure that there are other patterns that I'd like to do that I can't think of... possibly another pair of Jaywalkers... well, those would be the noncomplicated ones, but I have a great striped sock yarn that I think would look cute in that pattern... we'll see what I decide! (leaving this post to go look at patterns) Okay, I am unable to narrow it down right now. It might come down to what I think I can squeeze into my backpack! It probably will not be decided by how many socks I think I can knit on a two week trip. Silly me. So, I will probably not check in blogwise during the trip, so have a great two weeks! Later, suckers! I mean, I will miss you all! Big Kiss!

Busy Little Bee

Well, I actually had a super awesome post written all up this past Wednesday, but then Blogger ate it. Chomp, chomp, all gone! Now, I'm so busy, I just haven't had time to rewrite it. No, really. I am busy! For starters, today and tomorrow, I'll be selling jewelry outside at the Lowell Folk Festival for many hours. I hope all of the sweating is worth it and I sell a lot of stuff. I made a bunch of new earrings and necklaces, and love how everything turned out. There are pictures, which I uploaded... to the post that Blogger ate. (chomp chomp) I have only done one other outdoor event, but this time, I will be under a sideless tent. I mention the sideless aspect because of the possibility of rain tomorrow. Because rain sometimes has a tendency to come down in a 'not straight down' fashion, I knew I needed a plan of protection for my tables. Last night, I cut up a few garbage bags and duct taped them together to create two big ol' table covers. They are a good size, lightweight, and were made from materials I already own. Super! Another snag I usually have is the necessity of taking three trips with all of my stuff. The confounding factor? Well, I have very little stuff, but it is all awkward. So, I put a duct tape shoulder strap on my chair! Yay! Now, only two trips. Excellent.
The last thing I've been busy with is that I'm taking a trip to Eastern Europe, and I'm leaving in two days. I still feel like I have a bunch of loose ends... and not a lot of time to solve them in! I guess I have taken care of the most important things, which is buying an airline ticket and getting my passport updated. Check, and check. Sweet.
Hey- in case anyone is interested, go check out Grumperina's post regarding the possibility of Addi Turbo needles coming out with sharper tips for lace knitting and the like. I have written a letter to Karin Skacel Haack, karin@skacelknitting.com, Vice President, Skacel Collection, Inc., (425) 291-9600. I even found a lace knitting society online and emailed them the info. The newsletter guru said she'd post the info in the next newsletter! Excellent.
Well, gotta go make sure I'm all set for a long, hot day. I'm feeling sweaty and disheveled just thinking about it.

Snakes On A Plane

I know... this has nothing to do with beads or fiber. But this movie sounds hilarious, and this fake trailer is extra proof. It is sooooo funny and you will love it as much as I did, I'm sure...

Gloomy Sunday

So, I have been hard at work doing the necessary things to make it possible to drop AOL as my email service. I like a lot of the features, and so have been willing to pay a monthly fee for over 10 years now. But there have been a lot of improvements in some of the free services that it has become tempting to change. The final straw came recently when AOL started putting ads at the bottom of the screen when you open your mail messages. It's irritating enough when it happens when you're using a free email service, but I'll be damned if I'm going to PAY for a service that is bombarding me with advertising! ARRRRGH! So, I manually added all of my email contacts to a new gmail account,and then painstakingly went through all of my old emails (over 4000 of them) to find any that I wanted to save, and then forwarded them to my new gmail account. No, wait, AOL said they were no longer available for forwarding, so I had to copy and paste all of the text and send the emails. What a joke. I haven't yet done the 'business' email account. I just couldn't face it today. I will be spurred on by the thought of dumping stupid AOL. AOL begone!!!

Instead of completing the entire transition, I wandered over to Lush Beads , where Liz the owner generously allowed me to string some beads to prepare them to be sold. She is so nice that way! There is one 'character' who comes over on Sundays (Sunday is the day people wander by and help Liz string and weigh beads) is named Jean, and she is easy to tease and luckily doesn't seem to notice when you're doing it, which makes it fun for all involved! Well, at one point, she picked up a necklace and said, 'what stitch is this?' Simultaneously, here were Liz's and my answers:
Me: Poop stitch.
Liz: Butt stitch.

We high fived each other and laughed and laughed and laughed. Yes, we have similar senses of humor. Jean's daughter is always a source of entertainment, as she is very smart and quirky and has a very offbeat sense of humor. We refer to her as the 'snack monkey', because it is very easy to get her to go to the store to buy us snacks... as long as we let her 'keep the change'. It is an agreeable arrangement all around. She returns stating, 'snack monkey has gotten your snacks', or sadly, one time, 'everyone was cutting the snack monkey in line'. We felt upset by this- no one should push around the snack monkey but us, darnit!

So, I have finished the Noro sweater, but it is missing a hook and eye closure. I am shocked that I don't have one in my sewing box, because I tend to have all kinds of things in there. Bummer. Once I put on some sort of a closure, I'll arrange to have someone take a picture of me in it. It looks groovy. The only minor problem is my bust to butt circumference ratio. I made the sweater to fit my bust (small), not my butt (larger). Luckily, the sweater is not meant to close all the way to the bottom. Brainstorm: maybe I just won't put a closure on it at all?

This last part is a confession to Cece: I did take out your mother in law's sweater and take a peek at it tonight. It won't get done before I go on vacation, (too much to do) but it WILL get done. Probably.

Busy Day

I started my day by going to yoga, and then to the chiropractor's. AND THEN??? Well, I took a road trip to The Beadin' Path and Buttons & Beads in Freeport, Maine. The Beadin' Path has a generous wholesale discount, and I scooped up some great seed beads and some Swarovski crystal in a couple of colors that my usual supplier doesn't seem to carry. Yummers. The button shop is good for poking around in, and I got a few buttons good for use as bracelet clasps. Sweet! I then headed down to Portland, Maine, to Caravan Beads. They have ALL of the Miyuki beads. ALL of them. EVERY color. EVERY style. It was fabulous. In addition, they are closing down the fiber portion of the store, so I got a few yarny items. You know, just for fun.

During all of this, I also managed to get offered a job in Lexington, which I had the ability to turn down- nice to have options, nicer still that one of those options (staying in the Lowell school system) will allow me to keep my home and not have to move back in with my parents, for instance! It was a little bit of a bummer to have to make a decision based solely on the money, but it did make the decision easier, I suppose. So it goes.

As I left Freeport, the skies opened up. There was so much rain dumping down, that people on the highway were pulling over and stopping. Those of us still brash enough to drive were creeping along, windshield wipers whipping sheets of rain away, but not fast enough to give us enough of a view to go any faster than about 15 miles an hour. It was nuts! The storm must have been travelling southbound, like myself, because I encountered the rain numerous times on my way home. Gulp!

So, anyway, now it is picture time. First, an adorable picture of the apron that Cece sewed for my dishsoap:
I think we can all agree that I have the sexiest dish soap in the neighborhood. Look at that bust!!!

And next, a pic of the seaming for my Noro sweater. I have been creeping along in the progress, because I really want to do a nice job. I have been refreshing my memory about different types of 'invisible seams' by referring back to Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. First, we take a look at a shoulder seam. The green horizontal stripe is the 'invisible' join... I confess that because of the color it is not invisible, but it sure looks like it's supposed to be there!
Next, we move along to the sleeve cap seam. The pic shows the shoulder of the sweater on my knee. The top row of brown yarn on the sleeve cap is actually the seam. This time, I was more careful to match the yarn, so that it looked good.
And finally, the side seam. This would have been the most truly invisible seam of all, IF the stripes matched from back to front. However, that was not my plan! This shot is of the side seam. Notice, if you will, how the stitches still make their nice little V's, even though they are not the same color! I am pleased with the results thus far.
So, the seaming progress is SLOW. After it's done, I have to block the collar, and then go and buy a hook and eye, or else figure out my own way to hold this dandy little item closed. I'll have to give it some thought.

To work backward, I went out for a delicious meal with seven other women last night at the Gibbet Hill Grill. The food was delicious, and the conversation was easy, comfortable and hilarious. I really enjoyed myself. As I walked back to my car, I found myself feeling really happy that I have made some really good female friends. I had that when I lived in Connecticut, but when my family moved to New Hampshire when I was 13, I found that the NH girls were a lot more 'conservative' and 'proper'. I got along much better with boys and had a lot more male friends. I am glad that I am finding women whom I get along so well with, and felt super happy at the end of the night. It is great to have a group of people like that whom I get along with! I could continue gushing, but I am going to get back to gazing lovingly at today's purchases and watching the Tour de France. Oh, and seaming my sweater. Yes. Seaming. Ooh, one last thing: about 20 minutes after I left Caravan Beads, I reached furtively into the shopping bag to fondle the yarn and beads, while keeping my eyes on the road, of course. I suddenly realized... oh no... the two books I bought were not in there! Curses! I certainly wasn't going to drive back at that point. So, I waited a bit longer (so I could convince them that it would not be appropriate for me to drive back to get them) and then called the store. Yes, they had the books. Yes, they were so sorry that they had not put them in my bag. Yes, they would mail them to me free of charge. Whew. So, I don't get the pleasure of reading the patterns until I nod off to sleep (I like reading patterns before sleepytime), but at least I don't have to go back to get the books or PAY for someone else's mistakes!

Okay. I'm really going now. Bye!

Three Meows for Catfish!

Meow, meow, meow!

Okay, catfish do not meow, as far as I know. However, I cooked a little somethin' up that was good enough to write about, and it was soooo easy! I took a page out of Cece's playbook, and made me some fish, rice and zucchini. I don't have a grill, but the catfish was AWESOME. I took some 'seafood magic' (an easy little somethin' to sprinkle on seafood to make it yummy) and mixed it in with breadcrumbs. I breaded the fish, and stuck it in the frying pan until it was done. It was seriously awesome. Go and buy yourself some catfish right NOW! (Hey, I didn't steer you wrong with the mojitos, now did I? DID I!!!)
On an unrelated topic, I have been watching "So you think you can dance" while knitting. This evening, Dmitry ripped his shirt off, and I thanked him out loud. Possibly about eight times. I even stopped eating my catfish to share my appreciation. Yay shirtless Dmitry!
And now, with a tummy full of catfish worthy of three meows and my eyeballs full of shirtless Dmitry, I will return to knitting the Noro sweater. I sewed the shoulders together, and am working on the collar... and yes, the sleeves are currently blocking. Too bad it will be too hot to wear it for a few months now...

Secrets Revealed!

Okay, it is really just one secret. Here is the photographic revelation:

Yes, it is true. I began work on the Noro Butterfly pattern by Jane Ellison. I surfed around and found a couple of blogs that suggested a couple of modifications, including shortening the sleeves, and casting off at the back of the neck rather than keeping the stitches live to pick up when adding the collar. The first alteration, the shortening of the sleeves, seemed like a good idea. The sleeve pattern told you to knit the sleeves for 20 inches prior to the cap shaping- I measured even my sweaters with longggg sleeves, and none of them were that long. So, I shortened the sleeves by 2 inches, and I still think that they will be long. They have a slight bell to them, so I think long is good, but not, say, to my fingertips! Considering my height, it is surprising how long those dang sleeves are supposed to be. Give me a break. The second alteration, the binding off of the back neck stitches, are to prevent sagging once the large collar is added. That sounded smart to me, and will help to prevent sleeve lengthening, as well! As you can see from the picture above, I am not worrying about matching the stripes, although they accidentally matched up for part of the front. Oops. I am being a good girl and am blocking as I go along. (Insert pat on back here)
In other news, it has been hot, hot hot around here. I went for a walk this morning, because I did not have the heart to run- too hot. By the time I got home, my outfit was soaked in sweat. Whew! Last night, Cece lured me to her house with the promise of a yummy dinner and swimming (read: floating and throwing frisbees and sticks for the dogs), and it was very nice. It is so refreshing to go for a dip on a hot evening! The dogs were happily splashing around, although Henry hasn't really figured out the whole swimming thing... at one point, he followed me into the water, walking along the bottom, until he was underwater... and then he panicked! (I would, too!)
So, today, I am working on my jewelry photographing setup in the comfort of my air conditioned home. I've had the a/c on for several days, so the humidity has been eradicated, and it is quite pleasant in here. I got a few books on tape at the library, and I am hunkered down for the long haul. It will get at least into the mid 90's today, with severe humidity. Blecch.
So, I guess to wrap up, I will confirm that Cece was the winner of the contest to guess my secret- that I have started the Noro sweater! (I knew she'd guess right) Her prize? Nothing! HAHAHAHAHA!

Boobie Bugs!

So, I went up to my parents' house over the past couple of days, to hang out and to celebrate my grandmother's 92nd birthday. For her gift, I told her that I would knit her a hat to match the scarf I knit for her last Christmas. She appeared confused, and asked if it would have a brim. Now, I am not so sure about this... a hat with a knitted brim out of soft, fluffy eyelash yarn? I avoided the question and said it would be soft and nice. She seemed satisfied with this explanation. (But I'm still wondering... what the HECK knitted hat with a brim was she thinking of? Like, a Rasta hat? HAHAHAHAHA! That would be hilarious. At least it wouldn't smush her hair down!

I had gotten sick over Father's Day weekend, so I presented my father with a gag gift... a turqoise and white batik dyed bikini. He needs a new swimsuit for triathlon training purposes, but couldn't find one. He was so perplexed and bemused by the bikini, he didn't know what to do! Luckily, I quickly explained that a swimsuit would be forthcoming. Later that afternoon, we went shopping at a local sports store and found a suitable suit.

That evening, my mom and I sat down to watch the new season of Project Runway. They really picked some cool people with fantastic talent, as well as a few good characters with personality disorders... you know, to keep things interesting for us viewers. Well, as we were watching, these weird bugs kept falling down onto our chests from the recessed lighting up above... and they were going down our shirts! They weren't landing anywhere but our chests, and I therefore named them 'boobie bugs'. It is still baffling to me... why were they falling? And why were they falling onto our chests? Very strange.

So, I have decided that I am going to postpone revealing the results of my contest from yesterday until I have a good photograph. BUWAHAHAHAHA! Luckily for you, it will not be too long a wait, as I figure tomorrow will be a good time for pictures. Sweet.

The One Week Project

Yes, I have managed to finish a knitting project, as shown here:

It is completely finished, and is currently blocking. Here are the stats:

Victoria Tank by Veronik Avery, from Interweave Knits Summer 2004.
Size made: 34 1/2" (my gauge never quite got small enough)
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy (34% hemp, 41% cotton, 25% modal) Note: I have no idea what Modal is...
Needles: Size 1 US circs and dps
Date started: July 3
Date re-started: July 3
Date finished: July 11

The lace pattern was simple and quick to memorize. I did place stitch markers at every 3 repeats, so I would catch myself if I made a mistake. I tend not to notice sometimes until I'm at the end of a row, and with 252 stitches per round, that's a lot of fiddly tinking, to be sure. The tank is knit in the round up to the armpits, and then is divided front and back, and divided again for each section leading toward the straps. For the straps, you pick up stitches around the arm hole, and then pick up stitches along a chain stitched length. Certainly something I had never done before. After the armhole edging and neck edging is done, you fold over what you've knit to reveal the picot edging. I suppose all of this also strengthens and reinforces the straps. The pattern did call for 'smaller' needles once you reached the straps, but since I did not have a size 0 available, I just knit tighter in this area, and I think it seemed to work out.

Overall, I liked this pattern. I am a little nervous about what the final product will feel like- I'm not totally confident that the hemp will have a nice drape. I guess I will have to wait and see! I have a fan pointed toward the tank- hope that speeds things up.

I have a guilty confession... but it will have to wait another day or two until I have a good picture to show. I am willing to bet that Cece will be able to take a wild guess at what that confession is. Ooh, let's have a contest of my, like, two readers and see if anyone can guess what the confession is! Post a comment and the winner will get nothing! (Sorry. But I will sing you praises on my blog for making the good guess)

Yarn Related Road Trip!

On Monday, Cece, Susan and I met at Nancy's Airfield Cafe for lunch, and then headed West to the yarn mecca of the world (in my opinion), Webs. I'm pretty sure my readers have all been there, but if you have not, it is like this: a fairly good sized yarn store at the outset... but then, if you walk through the regular yarn store, you get to a HUMONGOUS WAREHOUSE. It is full of yarn higher than you can reach. Higher than I can reach, even! It is amazing. I can remember what my reaction was the first time I went, which I have heard is similar to the reaction of others: the jaw drops, and there is a huge gasp. GASP! So. Much. Yarn.

Anyway, I managed to make a few good purchases: a bunch of sock yarn, some nice hemp yarn for a tank top I've been meaning to make forever, some adorable angora yarn for baby booties, and then, the cherry on top: The Noro Kureyon yarn I have been wanting to buy forever. It was a close call: I was shopping, filling my basket, and then I was drooling over the Kureyon. I sort of noticed that 'my color' (the color I have been stalking for a couple of years now) was not there. Susan noted that it might be discontinued, which was a concerning thought. I asked a salesperson, and she confirmed that indeed the color had been discontinued (gasp), but that they had four bags of it in the back. (yay!) Just to be safe, I bought two full bags. While I was getting it, several other people saw the color (delicious!) and HAD to have some of it for themselves. So, here is the Noro yarn, along with the photo of the sweater I intend to make with it.

You would think that I would start with the Noro project right away, but since it's summer, I figured I'd start with the tank top first. I am so practical. Now, true, I still haven't finished the Gibson Girl, but I swear I will. Eventually.

So, here is a pic of the hemp yarn for the tank top, along with my 8 1/2 inches of progress so far. I had to go down to a size 1 needle, so progress has been SLOW- size 1's make my hands more tired than usual. Please note that I started this post on the 5th, but it is really the 7th, so progress is not as amazing as you would think! :)

Next, a super duper selection of sock yarn. I just now noticed that the two balls of Gedifra sock yarn are technically a different color. Silly me. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!
And last but not least, I got some more angora for the tiny, fuzzy baby booties that I made before- AWWWWWWW.

So, sorry it took so long to finish this post... I will make sure to add updates and photos as the tank progresses!

First Ever Ice Cream Headache!!

Yes, it's true- I had never had one before. Ever. In my 33 years of existence. I got the 'cold throat with cough' thing, but never the ice cream headache. Today, after yoga, I hit the Dunkin' Donuts drive through for an orange coolatta, which is basically orange juice, probably a bunch of sugar, and blended with ice. Lots of ice. Blammo! Ice cream headache. It was just as I had imagined, but now I need imagine no longer. I am part of the crowd and am so pleased.

Finished Object Alert!
Ugh, this photo turned out terribly. Um, much like most of my pictures of jewelry. Sigh. As usual, I will make the excuse that it looks prettier in real life!

It rained AGAIN today. I really hope that July decides to be nice and sunny and not too humid- this is getting extremely tiresome.

HOWEVER, despite the weather, today was a work-free Wednesday, which rules! I went down and had lunch with Heather, and wished her well for her trip to Switzerland for the Ironman.

Well, back to beading for me!

Another Chapter Ends

Well, today was my last day at my current job. I managed to avoid most of the stupid tasks that my boss 'assigned' to me by beating her at her own game- I distracted her by talking about former students and asking her about her siblings (she has eight of them!!!) She beat me to the punch and invited me out to lunch, so that gobbled up a good amount of time, too! So, the hours zipped by and neither of us got much done, which is FINE with me- it's better than covering desks with contact paper! Wheee!

I am spending my first evening of freedom vegging out big time. I'm not even beading. The more immobile I am, the better! Tomorrow, I'm heading down to see my friend Heather, to help her pack to head off for yet another Ironman triathlon. She rocks.

Hello, summer off!

Sparkly Warkly!

I found a pattern I liked in a beading magazine this weekend, and away I went! Seriously, these are even prettier in real life. My fave is the dark pink and green one, but that's just me.

I had my 'sit down' meeting with the principal and assistant principal at my new job today. It went pretty well, but I think they are still disappointed that they can't keep the social worker they had for part of this past year. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to make them happy by kicking some ASS!

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the school year. To my credit, I have managed to do ALL of the end of the year work I need to do, in addition to all of the end of the year work that the clerk would usually do (she was out the past 4 days). Now, I am going to be at the mercy of my boss for the last day. Here is the beginning of the list of stupid stuff she has come up for me to do... Put these keyboards in the storage room. Put these deflated playgroud balls in the downstairs closet. Collect all of the clothes the kids left here and throw them away. Perhaps in a garbage bag. Cover the desks outside the office with black tape so the kids can't write on them.
Oh, and it took her 45 minutes to come up with that list of things that will take me 30 minutes to do tomorrow.

It is going to be a long day. I'm hoping to distract her by taking her out to lunch, by saying it's a 'thank you' for all she's done for me. You know, like assigning me such meaningful work. I'm so glad I got that Masters degree. Otherwise, I might bring the keyboards down to the boiler room instead of the storage room- what a disaster THAT would be!

Wish me luck.

Shopping Spreeeeeee!

I had held off buying any new spring/ summer clothes because I was initially under the impression that I was soon to be incomeless. It's somewhat fortuitous, though, because I had to wait until the fabulous sales! So, when I left work today, I hit a few stores to try and find some sassy new gauchos, cropped pants, and bermuda length shorts... and naturally some espadrille-like shoes... I am determined not to feel like a schlub if I can avoid it. All of my shorts from last year are too big, and I can't find where I 'safely stored' my smaller shorts from the year before.

So, my best store of the day was New York & Company. All of the size 12's fit the same, and yes, they FIT. Plus, they weren't super expensive to begin with, AND they were running a special: buy one pair, get 2nd pair for $10. Miss Amanda left with six pairs- three 'just above the knee' length shorts, and three longer croppy ones. Wheeeee! Old Navy was good for another pair, which was missing a button and therefore was an extra 30% off... and of course, I had a button that worked out perfectly in my sewing box at home. I also found a cheap pair of espadrilles there. I wound my way around the mall and found some good stuff. Everything was on super sale, and I am tickled pink with my finds. I especially love finding pants that fit- it is a rare occurrence!

Now, I can show my face in public without feeling like a slob. Slob is generally not my idea of a good time. So, the next time you see me, you might be, like, "Whoa. Who is that snazzily dressed vision in espadrilles?" Okay, you might also be, like, "Hey, Amanda. What's up!" But whatever. As long as you don't punch me in the face and steal my new duds, I don't really care how you greet me. Really.

I just had this memory of what I used to do after my mom took me school clothes shopping- I'd do a 'fashion show' for her and my dad... my brother and sister might also have watched, but they probably got bored and left... unlike my dad, who probably got bored but stayed. I'd come out in my new outfits one after another, twirl around, and mom and dad would ooh and aah. It was enjoyable. I have always been a bit of an 'enjoyer of the spotlight'. I wish I had a roomie to take pics- I'd do an internet fashion show for my numerous readers! Whoooo!

Mojito Time!

See? Now that I'm not stupendously unemployed, I am posting with much vim and vigor. Lucky everyone.

So, today's tip is how to make a mojito, which is a delicious beverage hailing from the 'you are American and therefore must be more sneaky than average to go visit it' country of Cuba. It is a deliciously refreshing drink appropriate for Cuba-like hot weather, and can be made without the alcohol- it is still tasty, and you can still drive after several of them... although you might STILL need to stop to use the ladies room afterwards. (Side note: the word 'ladies' does not appear to follow general possessive or plural rules. Interesting that I never noticed that before.)

So, without further ado, here is the recipe that I use, which I have stolen from Salvatore Calabrese's book entitled "complete home bartender's guide". And don't get persnickety with ME about the noncapitalization in the title; Salvatore himself left it uncapitalized. So there.

1 2/3 oz white rum (don't use another kind. Seriously.)
1 teaspoon superfine (caster) sugar (this melts right away rather than remaining grainy)
2/3 oz fresh lime juice
bunch fresh mint on the stem
sparkling water
crushed ice (it really is better with crushed- sadly, I only have cubes today. Boo hoo)

Put sugar and lime juice in the bottom of a highball with a thick base. Add the mint leaves and muddle (read: beat the crap out of) with the end of a barspoon or a wooden muddler. (read: chopstick or spoon) This releases the essence of the mint. Add the rum (omit if you are afraid of becoming a rummy) and fill the glass with crushed ice. Top up with sparkling water. Stir. Serve with a stirrer. (Again, read chopstick or spoon)

Okay, in typing that out, I realize why my mojito tastes a little 'off' tonight. It's the first one I've made of the season, and it just wasn't quite right. I bought the ingredients from memory, and got seltzer instead of sparkling water. Seriously, this appears to make a difference! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Okay, now the lesson has ended. Now, go make yourself a yummy mojito! Yesssss!

Busy Days, Sleepless Nights

Okay, so as mentioned, I am feeling a little anxious about making that initial contact to my new job, particularly because one would think that THEY would want to call ME. But whatever. So last night, I literally tossed and turned until about 4:30 in the morning, thinking about that and about other things. It probably didn't help that I had taken cold medicine for the three nights prior, and didn't take any last night... I don't like to take medicine when I don't really NEED to. SO, 3 hours later, I had to get up for work. BLAUGH. I literally sat in front of my computer all day working on end of the year discharge summaries for kids... except when my boss interrupted me to sit in on a job interview for a teaching assistant position- thanks for the warning, there, Cathy! Oh, and the custodian interrupted me about every 15 minutes until I told him he HAD to leave me alone because I had 37 2 page reports to write. Then, he only bothered me every 30 minutes. Jerk. I got a lot done, at least. I didn't even eat lunch.
So after work, I went to the bead store to see Liz. We hung out and discussed how hungry we were. She hadn't really managed to eat lunch, either. Then, she remembered that she was invited to a free barbecue for members of some local businessperson's association, so I became her employee and we ate awesome barbecued foods. MMM. I was very happy about the whole thing.
So, we all know that I like to talk about things that annoy me: I published a post yesterday, and clearly people can see it because I got a comment, but when I go to view my blog, the post does not show up! What's that all about? It drives me bonkers, stupid stuff like that.
Tomorrow brings more paperwork, and possibly packing up my office and putting together materials for the woman who's taking over my job. And, my boss won't be around tomorrow, so that's one less person to distract me. Now, if only I could get the custodian to leave me alone... I would lock my door, but there's no air conditioning, and I need to leave the door open so that I don't suffocate.
Four more work days and then... SUMMER TIME STARTS FOR MEEEE!

YAYYYYYYY! With a But.....

Okay, so the good news was delivered by mail today: I will be reassigned to a new school next year. It is another middle school in Lowell, but it is a regular school with 675 kids, rather than an alternative school with like 50 kids. I know some of the people who work there, and I like them, so that is good. BUT..... there are two things that concern me:
1. I am 'bumping' a part time worker out of the position. The administrators at that school hired her. They liked her. They did not get to pick me. I am replacing someone they LIKE. That sets me up for an initially lousy intro to a new place.
2. The letter appointing me to the new position stated that I have been placed there for the 2006-2007 school year. This differs from the letter that appointed me to my current job, which simply stated that I would be working there starting August 23, 2004, and gave no ending date. I fear that this is a legal loophole which they have inserted in there so that they can bite me in the BUTT if they need to later on down the road. And YES, I will be nagging the personnel director about this post haste. Okay, I MIGHT let the dust settle a LITTLE first, but only a little. Promise!

So, at least, I am not unemployed for at least another year. Yay! I am now somewhat less depressed and am more excited about the other parts of my life. We shall gloss over the fact that I have ANOTHER cold, which was probably brought on by a month of not sleeping well due to 'not having a job in the fall' anxiety. Oh, another aside... I'm very curious as to whether I'll get called by any of the other school systems I applied to while in crisis mode.

OKAY. Now back to what this blog is supposed to be about: beads and fibers! WOOOOO!
Now, first for the disappointing news: I just spent 10 minutes trying to get my camera to take a timed picture of me in the argyle vest that fits more like a minidress, but to no avail. I even had it set up on the counter near the dish drain, where I discovered I could see the reflection of what the camera would take a picture of in the metal bowl drying in the dish drain. SO COOL! But the stupid camera would not do what I wanted to, and at the moment I am too lazy to pull out the instruction manual, even though I am so impressively organized that there are only one of two places that it could be. Whoa.
Now, for the better news. I have another picture of my feet! Now, aside from the fact that I think you can spot a toe hair, this is not a scary picture. I got a pedicure and got flowers on my toes, and I think it's just dandy and adorable:

AWWWWWW. Now let's just ignore how dirty those damn sandals are... Reef has changed the squishiness content of their soles, and as we all know, my feet are tres sensitive, so I haven't been able to replace these bad boys. It's a good thing I'm so tall, so that my nose is FAR FAR AWAY from them. They are my only malodorous pair of shoes, and they are the only sandals I can reliably wear for long periods of time without blistering. EWW. We all know what THAT looks like.

Okay, wait, I promised to return to beads and fiber. Well, throughout my anxiety, I have been finding bead crochet to be quite therapeutic. Cece and Tarsha, I have managed to complete your custom orders, but I'll let you two be the first to see the finished product. Tarsha, I might need to modify yours a tad, but am perfectly happy to do so as needed. That's just how I roll. for the rest of you, here are the beautiful creations- I think these have all been made in, like, the last week. Yes, I'm obsessed. There are two pics- one is bright, one is dark. Just to please all tastes.
I guess the detail doesn't necessarily show all that well, but you get the point. Crocheting has been taking place. In a serious way.

Okay, now that the crisis has been passed, I can hopefully find the time to update on here in a more regular and cheerful way. Ooh, did I mention that today was the last day of school for the kids? Now, I have 5 days left of work, during which massive amounts of paperwork must take place. Joy. Anyone want to place bets on whether or not I can complete 37 discharge summaries in one day? (said summaries are 2 pages long each) I am not so sure, but I'm thinking I can get a good chunk done. Better bring coffee to work...

Sour Mood

Well, I am officially in a hard-to-shake SOUR MOOD. This sour mood is directly related to losing my job, surprisingly enough. It has cast a shadow on my waking and sleeping hours. I have been provided respite from said mood by friends who distract me via tacos and margaritas, but I tell ya, that sour mood returns as soon as the tequila glow wears off.
I don't mean to spend my time complaining. I am in good health. I have good friends. I have good job skills and will be able to land another job somewhere. However, I do not WANT to lose my job, start all over with my seniority and professional status somewhere else. I don't want to have to break in a new set of coworkers, slowly letting them get to know me until they're 'cool' with my wacky sense of humor and offbeat ways. Even if I were to get another job within the school system, enough people know me that I'd be a bit ahead of the game!
Another big way that this sour mood has affected me is that, while I HAVE been doing SOME jewelry making, I am TOTALLY not in the mood to take ANY pictures, and certainly would not FEEL like posting the pictures if I actually managed to take them! My latest projects have been to re-make some of my 'stock' items, as well as to do some experimentation with bead crochet. I still totally dig the bead crochet, which was what I first started doing when I started the jewelry thing. Figures I'd start with the MOST complicated and work down, eh? That sounds just like me.
ANYWAY, I am sincerely hoping that good news will be along soon, and that this sour mood will dissipate. At that point, I'm sure I'll manage to be a bit more productive in the 'interesting blog that people actually want to read' arena...

Things that have been Bothering Me

Okay, admittedly, these things are not unusually important in the grand scheme of things. But still, they warrant a moment of my time every once in a while.

Item one: Horsepower. I find this to be a stupid concept. I don't care how many horses it would take to win a tug of war against my car... that is the closest comparison I can think of, and it is LAME! Can we please come up with something better? PLEASE?

Item two: I hate that time is divided so awkwardly. I mean, if you run 5 miles in 43 minutes, you can't simply divide 43 by five and come up with your pace... you must do a little fancy footwork to get things right. I hate that!

Item three: Not using the metric system. Yeah, it would take all of us a little time to get used to, but it would make more sense. Let's face it: most of us are NOT smart enough to remember how many pints there are in a quart or a gallon, or how many tablespoons there are in a cup, or whatever.

But really, the one that bothered me the most today was the horsepower thing. I mean, what a dumb concept. Really, now. (insert disapproving glower here) (does anyone ever use the word 'glower' any more? did they ever?)

I am also possibly annoyed that there is not a secret ice cream machine compartment in my house... you know, like behind a hidden panel that I never knew was there, until the day I went to go hang a painting and boink! it just popped open... That would be awesome.