Regia Twisted Rib Socks (for SAM 5)

Finally finished these puppies! Started in mid-December - several false starts - wrong size needle, tried to do jaywalkers and it just did not work right. Finally tore them out and did Magic Loop, using knitpicks size 2.25 mm needles. I did a basic twisted rib pattern, cast on 64.
Row 1 k2 p2
Row 2 k2 p2
Row 3 k2 p2
Row 4 K2 tog, leave on needle, K 1st st, slip both off, p2
Probably not terribly original but it made a nice fabric and if I messed up on my row count, it wasn't the end of the world.

My pretty new princess (NKR)

Is it not splendiferous? Maybe I am just trying to make myself feel better for spending $699+tax on a washing machine - but my old one died quite unexpectedly, so it is what it is. I wonder if I can felt in it????

After my old

Socktober!!!!

Details:
Cascade fixation, #9843
Pattern - Emily's from http://yarnmiracle.gweezlebur.com/patterns.html
Knitting details: Size 3 needles, cast on 48and did a 3x1 ribbing throughout the sock, along with my normal heel (eye of partridge) and toe (grafted).

If I were to do it again, I would cast on 54 and use a size 2 needle to get a denser fabric. I did one with hiya-hiya needles and one with kntpicks needles. Love both needles. Perhaps that explains the different pooling effect. Started using Inox on one and ended up switching - they were sticky with the fixation. Perhaps that explains the different pooling effect. I have decided I don't like Inox needles and will probably end up selling mine. ICK.

I am hoping to get more socks done this month! I started these in late July but they got sidelined for some other projects. These socks are a bit stretched - I wore them yesterday, so they are showing some dirt too but I was so excited I had to get them posted!

How do you like those blockers? Aren't they adorable???? Chappy did them - well worth EVERY penny! Every labradork owner needs lab sock blockers!

Hump day

And boy is it one.

My part time job - well lets just say it SUCKS right now. As this is a public forum, I won't go into details, but I am working far more hours than I had wanted to. Far more than a full time schedule. With no end in sight. Saying no just isn't seeming to work for me. Very discouraging.

That is the biggest reason its a hump day. #2's son went to a new trusty mechanic - and the first trusty mechanic who recommended car euthanasia has been kicked to the curb for ridiculous pricing. This guy fixed the car - for 1/3 of what the first guy said it would cost. That is 500 vs. 1500, folks, a huge difference. HUGE. Sure, ideally I would be getting #2 son the spiffy Crossover of his dreams, but if that were to happen, I would not be able to pay for college for him. I think he gets it. College or car? College or car? Yep, college wins. So this is good news, that the Grand Am is fixed for a reasonable price and appears to have several good years of cruising at warp speeds with the stereo blasting at ear-deafening levels left.

The bad news about #2 son is that mommy dearest (myself) is stressing out. Over the whole college thing. As noted in my first paragraph, I seem to be having a hard time getting time off. Lots of lip service - take the time when you need it - but when push comes to shove, its " better not be today, maybe some other time is better". And #2 and I need to take some serious time and go look at schools. When #1 did the college search, he was fairly focused. Big school, most likely ivy league, business major, with law school aspirations. And thats what he got. #2 son, while just as bright as #1, has some additional factors he is considering. The first of these is whether he wants to swim at college. I am ambivalent over this - I don't want to shell out $160,000 for him to swim, and with many of the big programs, you are an athlete first, and a student second. The second factor is what he wants to be. Could be science, math, OR business. Who knows. Not him. The third factor is that to date we have had a bit of test taking anxiety. The scores to date are not bad. Just not reflective of who he really is. We have one more shot at them next fall - and I think we will be doing a class to prep for them. Self-study isn't doing it. So...I am stressing over when we are going to be able to go look at schools.

Knitting - my pathetic socks that rock - I have completed the gusset shaping on sock #2 and am coming in on the home stretch. I found my felted clogs that I started mid winter. I got one complete. Of course because these are for me, there is no hurry. I am sure I will complete OTHER felted clogs before mine are done. I also have my block a month afghan going on.

I met up with a great knitting group last night in Cuyahoga Falls - hope to be able to join them more!

And finally - weight watchers. I haven't addressed this little issue - but since I have been in this current job, since August 2003, I have put on 25 lbs. That is almost 2 lbs a month. I have gone from a size 6 to a size 10, the "girls" are gee-normous and not the good kind, my stamina is down to zero, and I don't feel good about myself. My cholesterol is through the roof and I am on meds for it. My blood pressure is most likely going to require meds too. 5 years ago I would have said my kids were proud of how I looked - not so much now. I joined WW about a month ago. Because of the aforementioned job issues, have not been able to incorporate exercise back into my life on a consistent basis. My all time high is 149. On a small frame. On a girl who 10 years ago weighed 110. (ok so maybe that was a LITTLE thin but still). My goal is 120. Weigh in tomorrow. So far its been maybe a pound a week, but I am hopeful that I can get the exercise back in there. Getting home at 8 pm though hasn't been helpful in this regard!

Thanks for listening to me vent. Better in a blog than at my co-workers!

Will there ever be pictures in this blog?

Hopefully - but honestly I don't have much to show right now. I spent the weekend NOT AT WORK, say it again NOT AT WORK! How exciting is that! I am really trying to get back into being a part time person. Annual review time is coming up and I am not expecting it to be pretty - I worked well over a full time persons schedule this year and I really do not want to be slotted as full time. While there are benefits to being full time (you get to maybe take an extra two weeks off with your overtime), the thought of HAVING to have 40 hours a week makes me gag. Even though I had 54 hours/week in May, I hate the thought of HAVING to be here 40 hours. It sounds stupid, I know.

I spent a good piece of yesterday cleaning up my stash area. I found things I had forgotten I had, and many things that I doubt I will ever use. Expect a "destash" in the future. Things had just gotten overwhelming in my bedroom. I had yarn, clothing and books that I had forgotten that I bought earlier in the year. I still need to sort out patterns and things, and I found a half completed pair of clogs to finish. The next step is to actually list out what yarn I have. What projects I have in mind. You know, get myself really organized. That task may have to wait until an actual vacation day.

Very little actual knitting was accomplished this weekend. I did my last few rows of my class afghan, but that was it.

Oh, and I did tear out a picovoli I had started last summer. This was when I was trying to work from the actual typed pattern. Uh uh. Doesn't work for me. I need to type it out row by row. Remember, I am an accountant. Therefore, there were booboos and even though you couldn't really SEE them, I knew they were there. I only had about 3 inches done, so no great loss. The other issue I had with this particular project was that I had chosen Knitpicks Shine in Apple. Love the color. Absolutely love it. Unfortunately I have 3 other tanks in that same color. Time to do something a little different, eh?

I am in need of a new camera. Once I have that, perhaps I will have more to show! I need something small, easy, sexy and did I say, EASY? I am going to try to sell the old camera on ebay. Right now the reason it is non-functional is because the rechargeable batteries have died. It is just big and butt-ugly and BIG. I need smaller.

SLACKER!!

4 days without kids, 3 days without work, and all I get accomplished, knitty wise, is 10 or so rows on my "block a month" class project. Granted, I have a deadline (need to have 68 rows done by next Tuesday), but still! All that glorious time and I spent so little knitting!

Instead, I took Cooper to the new dog park 3 times. This dog park has a lake. Sheer nirvana to a big black labby! The dog park has a few kinks to work out - people not picking up their poop, idiots deciding to picnic, on the ground, with their babies (seriously, people where are your brains), and kumquat-brains letting their small children frolic on the shore line unsupervised. There were a couple of cases of such stupidity that I am actually going to write my first letter to the editor ever. This is such a wonderful thing for our community, and I am thrilled about it, and I do realize that there will always be stupid people, but geez!

I also went to a Monet exhibit. Amazing. That is all I can say.

Oh, and I signed up for e-harmony. Got a hit right away and practically had a panic attack. Clearly my last foray into the world of dating (the 5 year disaster - "he who dumped me with an email") has left me a bit gunshy. I totally disagreed with the psychological profile - totally. It said I am very reserved. Anyone who knows me would say exactly the opposite - if anything I am too open too much too soon and I blah blah blah on entirely too much. I will keep you posted on how this goes.

In the meantime, my knitting has taken over my bedroom - I have yet to finish my spring cleaning _ have a basket full of circulars and stuff to be put away, yarn is stashed away everywhere, it has really gotten out of control. I still haven't even finished my bills and paperwork from post-tax season.

Perhaps one is affecting the other

#2's son went into the shop yesterday. The one with the malfunctioning brakes. Trusty mechanic called and informed me the leak (more of a slow seep) was in the ABS box, so that would need to be replaced, as well as the rusty brake lines leading up to it. Total estimate $1500. In his humble opinion, it isn't worth doing.

This is a 2000 Grand AM - less than 90k miles on it. I am getting a second opinion. (and perhaps a cheaper price). In the meantime, #1 son has already started searching for a more suitable vehicle for #2 son, who does not want to give up his car. Its a pickle. In the interim, while we are deciding what to do, trusty mechanic says just to keep adding brake fluid. The poor man's fix.

I started sock #2 last night of my STR pair. I was able to do this because I had feared I was going to run out of STR yarn so I incorporated a different yarn into my heel and toe. I am to the toe but I am bored. Hence the start of #2 sock. I did three rows. While watching "House". On row three, I realized somewhere I had lost a stitch. or done too many purls or knits. I only had 55 stitches. RATS! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

I am thinking that perhaps my bad Kar-karma is due to the fact that I am not knitting! I am not experiencing the wonderful stress relief that it brings. I need to regroup and get some projects going so that I can mindlessly knit away. And I am sure that all car-woes will suddenly disappear!