New beginnings

Well, I took the plunge. It was either kill or be killed at work, so I killed. It left me with 3 weeks pay, plus insurance through the end of the month. Not bad, considering the alternative. Granted, it wasn't 100% certain that I'd be fired, but all the signs were there. Who schedules a meeting on Friday (payday as well) the last 30 minutes of someone's day to tell them GOOD news? I don't know of too many people. In any case, what's done is done. Now I get a 2 week vacation (not having to work my notice) and I can job hunt more effectively.

In knitting, man, there's been a great deal going on. I've started the Cigar gloves for my brother, and a second pair of socks. I finished Sheldon #2, and it still needs to be given to the recipient. I learned a new cast-on (which is really cool and should work well for the baby hat and sweater I'm working on), and I still have a long list of items to do. My stash is semi-stagnant. It seems being in TWNY is a bad influence...spinning is now on my list to learn. Evil Jenna! :) Fun though. Perhaps a drop spindle is in my future...

Bad Moods

I am just in a bad mood. It seems like everything and everyone is on a mission to screw with me today. Ever have those days? Everything is just getting on my nerves. It's either because I'm really tired (my little man is going through a growth spurt and isn't sleeping well plus allergies make it hard for him to breathe) or my allergies are acting up (always a possibility) or it's just time for me to be in a bad mood, since I really don't have them that often. I am SO ready to start really getting up someone else's nose today.

I have, on the bright side, been finishing things right and left. I finished the Baby I.Q. Afghan (all but weaving in ends), and the body of Sheldon. I also organized my recipes. I find a stack here and there that need organizing, but it's all a process. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I think I'm going to spend Saturday doing a few things in the house, rather than in the yard. I hope to start a couple of more projects this month, and get a few things finished as well. Here are the goals for April:

1. Finish Sheldon completely and give to recipient.
2. Complete toe-up double knitted socks and write down instructions.
3. Start on gloves for my brother
4. Start on socks for either my brother or sister-in-love. :)
5. Get desk/front room organized.

It doesn't look like a very long list, but trust me, it will keep me VERY busy this month. We're heading up to Toccoa next weekend to visit the in-laws. Hopefully I'll have some knitting time in the car to and from, so I can make some serious progress on some of the above items. I need to get the front room organized, so I can block my Clapotis. It's great as a scarf right now, but it could really use some blocking so I can wear it as a wrap.

Finishpalooza

I'm trying to have a finishpalooza, and if I would stop starting new projects, I could probably get more done. I did finish Clapotis this weekend (although it could use blocking and I have blocking pins downstairs somewhere in the abyss that is the craft room, the spare bedroom floor isn't in the condition necessary to block anything, so I'm stuck just wearing it unblocked and I LURVE it), and I have to say, I LOVE this pattern. I can definitely see why it was such a hit about 3 years ago. Again, sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake. I hope to knit this one again in a red/black/grey colorway to the pattern specs, rather than making it longer and narrower than the original.

Tonight I'm hoping to finish the edging on JHAC's Baby I.Q. Afghan tonight, and then there will just be the sewing in ends part. That takes what feels like forever, but it has to be done. After that, I need to finish Sheldon (the newest Knit Night project).

I'm trying to be good and purchase more yarn or start a new project...but I did purchase a new book this weekend! I found a copy of Knitting Without Tears on the shelf (this NEVER happens...it's always an ordered book! - at least for me it is. I never luck into these things). So I definitely picked it up. I am coming into the EZ love ring. :) Once I can find Knitting Workshop (I'm thinking I'm going to hit my LYS up for this one...I think Debi carries it regularly, and doesn't have to order it). I know I've seen the DVD there, so I'm pretty sure she has the book too. I also picked up the latest Interweave Knits. I haven't looked at it in detail (I just skimmed it when I got home on Saturday) but I'm kind of "eh" on the changes. I do miss the lack of men's patterns. Of course, since I have so many men to knit for, I like to have options.

Evil Baking Genius

I was evil...and I did bake. The genius part, well, that's up for debate. I took Chocolate Toffee Bars to Knit Night last night, and I only brought home 3. My hubby finished those off. I don't think it was too bad. :)

In knitting, I'm chugging along on my Clapotis, and I'm over halfway done. I was hoping to have it finished by Easter (and my birthday), but that just didn't happen. Nonetheless, it's still in progress. I STILL haven't finished the Baby I.Q. Afghan (I'm close, but no cigar) and I still have to sew on snaps to the Classic Cardigan. Sheldon isn't moving very far either. And here I am, starting a new project. I'm toying with double knit socks...knitting both socks at the same time, one inside the other, from the toe up. I figured out how they HAVE to start, and now it's just a matter of getting the toddler socks completed, directions written up and test-knitted. I think I can find some test knitters for that. That's all for now...I'm going to grab a pattern and get started on those socks.

More Progress

I finished all the squares for the Baby I.Q. Afghan. Now for the seaming. I'm going to try seaming 4 squares at once instead of just 2 at a time. I'm also going to pass back through the corners to double the seam and hopefully it won't have holes.

I picked up my second Sheldon again this week, after finishing all the squares for the afghan. I'm over halfway done with his body, which is nice. I'll have to pull up some fiberfill for it later this week, or at least by Saturday. I'm somewhere in the 60s for rounds, and you stuff it in round 80. Since they are short rounds, it won't take long.

I have also made progress on the Classic Cardigan for my son by Debbie Bliss. Knit Night at TWNY helps TREMENDOUSLY. I love hanging out with the folks over there...it's fun to listen and see what others are doing. I must say, sometimes it's rather disheartening to see people only making a scarf or a hat out of plain yarn with no pattern to it. I kow the important thing is that they're knitting, but to always see scarves is just...boring to me. I hear and see such great projects online that others are doing, and I go, hoping that someone will astonish me with their mad knitting skilz. It just hasn't happened yet. Maybe before the end of the year, it will. Or, maybe I'll be that Crazy Mad Knitter and become a knitting goddess before too long. It all depends on how soon I finish some other projects.

I'm having committment issues with my projects. I'm trying to finish all of them, and want to pick all of them up and finish them all right now. I'm trying to prioritize, but let's face it...there are only self-imposed deadlines on many of these projects. I'll keep plugging away at them, little by little. Slowly and steadily, they'll all get done.

Blech...

That's the best way to describe the weather around here. It's cold, wet and rainy. I've been knitting on the Baudelaire sock. It's coming along fairly well. I'm up to the gusset on the sock. I might be able to finish it this week, and hopefully I can finish another project this week as well, or at least half of it. My friend is being induced today, so I should probably get cracking on her second son's blanket. I also saw some friends at church who had a baby girl back in September. I havea to finish the Sheldon for her as well. Now that I've changed sock patterns, the needles I was using for Sheldon are available again. Maybe before Christmas I'll have some FOs to show.