perspective

"When you realize that by changing your perspective, big things can be seen as little things, it becomes harder to worry about anything."

Today I had my fourth interview with a well-known retail coffee purveyor. That makes four interviews, one background check, and one criminal record check. Despite the very laid back attitude out here, I suppose some things are just not as malleable. This last interviewer graduated as a philosophy major in Toronto and she and I had a very stimulating conversation involving at least a few SAT words. I genuinely wanted to be friends with her. Come to think of it, I genuinely wanted to be friends with the shift supervisor there too. She was fantastic.

In other news, the government gig emailed to ask if it was alright if they contact the people who wrote my reference letters, so that's a good sign. Things are looking pretty pink and sparkly in this neck of the woods today.

I still miss this though:


How can you not, really? To me he just looks like a giant, fuzzy bundle of cuddley-ness. After everything he and I have been through (read: near-death illness on Christmas Eve '07 and several other very expensive medical melodramas) it's hard for me to be away from him, knowing that his hair is growing in more and more white every day and that the person who can read him best (me) is not there to check in on him.

I miss all the pets, really, but that was expected. This separation is only temporary and I'm sure they are being well cared for. I guess coming home to them was a very calming and happiness-inducing influence on my life that I hadn't fully recognized until now.

Lest you think I have been totally lazy on the knitting front, I have proof that what will be henceforth known as "The Tree Jacket Debacle" (TTJD) scarred me for life and robbed me of any and all desire to knit, I present as proof otherwise:

Tiffany's Utterly Fantastic, Super and Spectacular Exam Reward Socks!!
(note the two exclamation points - this is not a single exclamation point kind of sock by any means.)



I promise there are two of them, it's just that only one fit on the windowsill where there is enough light to capture the gorgeous true colours.

Specs:

Yarn: Handmaiden Casbah
Colourway: Good question. Let's call it stunningly beautiful and call it a day, mmkay?
Pattern: Cookie A's Monkeys (click here for those among you still uninitiated to the wonder of Ravelry. Get on with it already!)
Mods?: Not a one. I even did the twisted rib cuff despite my penchant for laziness with this particular type of ribbing. Can you believe it? It must be some sort of knitting miracle: I knit a pattern exactly as written.

And, and AND...

I've also started in on my test knitting for Cookie's forthcoming pattern, Ornette (and again (scroll down)). There's more of it now, but I haven't had a chance to take a new photo yet.



If you're reading this, and I'm assuming based on my hit stats that there are at least a few lurkers out there, how 'bout y'all get in on a bit of audience participation and lemme know what kind of things y'all do to keep it all in perspective and avoid the worrying? Bonus points if one of those things is knitting! (hee!)

I'm off to enjoy the sunshine! 'Til next time!

Dear Knitting gods...

...I would like to know how this begets this:


Seriously. I followed the instructions. I got gauge. I even knit one size smaller to accommodate the "growiness" of silk. I swear y'all: I am not as dumpy as this sweater makes me look.

I am most emphatically not impressed that I have to make a trip to the frog pond this week.

Two Days

...and counting. That's how long until the boy reappears for the first time since June. To say that I am giddily anticipating this would be an understatement. I'm also, frankly, a little terrified. We haven't been face-to-face since June. A lot has happened. Sure we talk every single day, but that's just the thing. So many landmark, big deal events have been dealt with, supported, celebrated, etc. via the written word. And while there are some things that we both absolutely refuse to say for the first time in print (eg. I love you), there's a lot of growth established on the words we typed across the miles.

While I know that we are two far too principled human beings to say anything on paper that we wouldn't say in person, you can't argue with the fact that sometimes the added illusion of detachment makes it easier to get it out.

So then the question becomes: What if we're better on paper than in real life? What if, without the established ease and rapport built up over these long months apart, we run out of things to say? What if I'm not nearly as witty and charming as I lead y'all to believe with my quirky little turns of phrase and expressions? (Don't answer that.)

Rationally, I know that I'm over-thinking this; that everything will be fine and the two of us will be able to pick up in person precisely where we left off, only perhaps even more unable to keep our hands off one another in public. (It's sad really. We see each other so infrequently that whenever we are together, it seems we need to be touching - holding hands, kissing, leaning against one another, something..) Yet still I've got jitters. Big time. FPS, people! I've lost my will to knit with all this worrying!

Repeat after me: Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, everything...will.....be fine?

In knitting news, his knitty surprise is finished and up on Ravelry, but I won't be disclosing here until after gifting. (Just in case he's found this. We will not discuss the irrationality of me being okay with him reading all about my pre-visit jitters and not about his surprise.) Suffice it to say that It. Is. AWESOME. Seriously. I'm tempted to keep it. And if you want to find me on Ravelry to check it out yourself, just search for my moniker OneRedSock and there I'll be.

Now. I need to get my butt in gear to go to class and do me some learnin! Happy Monday!

I come in peace...?

Okay people. Life as a law student at a legal clinic is eating me. (The whole working three jobs while doing it thing is probably not helping.) So, as you've probably realized, the blog is on a bit of a hiatus.

However, I will drop by now and then to post FOs (and perhaps periodically gush about the persisting twitterpation) if that's all right with y'all.

Good. Glad we got that settled.

So, without further ado, I present to you:

Tiffany's Trumpet Skirt of DOOM!...or something



As always, clicking = biggening. Oh, and pardon the dopey expression. My sister is not the most gifted substitute photographer (zero composition skills, people!) and it was, um well...freezing outside, so this is as good as it gets.





Now, on to the good stuff:

Pattern: Fit n' Flare Trumpet Skirt, Knitting Lingerie Style
Yarn: Briar Rose Fibers' Sea Pearl
Needles: Addi Turbos Lace Needles - US3
Mods: Well, first and most obviously, I knit this at a different gauge, so I had to do the usual math to get the ratios. I never knit anything the way the pattern says to.

Also, I didn't do the drawstring. With the silk in the yarn, which I love for the drape, I thought it would just be too heavy to look good. Instead, I sewed some grosgrain ribbon into the waistband to add stability and keep the damn thing up.

I knit about three extra inches into the bottom to get it a bit longer and then the blocking did the rest to get it to this length. Pre-blocking it was mid-calf length. I love it though. It's exactly what I wanted and I'm more than a little bit smug that I got it. I continued doing the increases for those extra length rows.

Finally, I modified how the increases were done. As written, all the increases happen at only one side of each section between yarnovers. I thought it looked funny lopsided like that and I've seen other FOs that had ruffles that leaned to one side. This was my way of avoiding that, but I'm sure a good blocking would probably have a similar effect.

Oh, and a word to the wise: If you decide to do this at a small gauge but keep the frequency of yarnovers the same, you're gonna need to line it. Unless you're going for that "loose woman" look. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) I just made a simple a-line skirt with a ruffle at the bottom out of some very inexpensive cotton. It snaps into the grosgrain waistband liner so I can take it out and throw it in the machine instead of having to hand-wash the whole she-bang and then try to block it like that.

Makes sense? Good.

Oh! And the boy is still totally rocking my world. Oh, but seriously...

survey says...

The recipient of Zombie Gir totally got it. And loved it. And took it to his birthday BBQ where a bunch of his science-nerd buddies would be to show it to them. How cute was he? Well, picture, a nearly-an-old-man old white guy, with white boy dreads, in a nerd-boy t-shirt (also courtesy of moi) carrying around a little, knitted, purple robot do...action figure, and thrusting it into guests faces as they arrived. Yeah. I wanted to eat him up with a spoon.

So twitterpated am I, I can hardly stand it.

I had a bit of a moment on Monday night when I realized that I didn't want to share him during the five days that he's in the province. I know he wants to see his friends and his friends want to see him. And I know that he has his parents and siblings here that he needs to spend time with too. But I just want to have him with me all. the. time.

And he was wonderful about it too. Seriously. Every time I think he can't possibly get more awesome and in sync with me and emotionally generous, he manages it. Seriously. Y'all wonder why I don't share him with you more? This is why!

*stares off into space with a big, stupid grin on her face*

Right. So. Moving along...

Have y'all seen this?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elemmaciltur/466335679/

How 'bout this?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elemmaciltur/467124750/

I KNOW.

And it just so happens that geek-boy himself will be spending some time in the area this summer. Would it be so horrible to ask him to bring back a skein or, oh, say....20? Hmm?

Hey! Here's a sock:


And.. (spoiler alert: if you're in the STR sock club, DO NOT READ FURTHER!!)
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June's STR sock club yarn! Purdy, no?


Okay. I'm off to do some more stuff and spend some more money on ridiculous things...like, y'know...postage on articling applications? *sigh*

Later!

just in case you had any doubts...

I now am in possession of definitive proof that I am indeed a bigfatnerd.

I am pleased and proud to present to you...

Zombie Gir



Here he is, just chillin' on my messy, messy desk. (Note to self: Clean up prior to recipient's arrival.)



Creepy, isn't he?



Now, zombies usually have some sort of blood and brain matter leaking out of them. However, since Gir doesn't have a proper brain, his favourite rubber piggy is leaking out of his head instead. Clever (note that I originally typed "Cleaver" - Freudian slip perhaps?), non?



And I do so love how possessively he clutches his radioactive cupcake!

I just hope the planned recipient "gets it"...

Comments from the peanut gallery? Does he look like a zombie-fied robot?

ta-dah!

See? I've been doing stuff! Purdy, innit? (As always, click for biggening...)





I'm working on some socks too, but no pics yet. I've been stupid busy with the full-time work and the freelance and the twitterpation and...yeah.

More soon!

lookie what i did!

(...while I was supposed to be working on my paper. No matter.)

Click for bigger.



and



and of course the gratuitous close-up:



If I were a silly woman, I would tell you a luuurve it. But I'm not. Ahem.

all growed up

Ladies and Gentlemen; Children of All Ages:



I would like to introduce you to a marvel of modern science...



A truly inspirational demonstration of will power and drive...



...of deep affection and complete preoccupation...


Doesn't it look like a river? Mmm, river of yarn...

I give you: The Grown-Up Scarf



Even Murray needs to vogue sometimes...



Specs:

Yarn:    Brooks Farm Yarn Harmony (show colourway - unknown?) approx. 500 yds
Yarn Source:    Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival 2006
Needles:    US 7 Denise Interchangeables (the pink ones!)
Pattern:    Sheep in the City's So-Called Scarf, shaken, not stirred and with my own kind of twist. (I knit it the long way to avoid pooling, using smaller needles, thinner yarn, and likely a LOT more cursing.)

Yes, that's my new standard flyer unit in the background. After three or four coats of Clapham's that wood is LUURVELY...



Funny how something that felt so big when I was lugging it around and being accosted on the bus over it actually comes out so compact...

almost there

So.

No excuses, really. Lots of stuff going on 'round here, but I'm not really sure how to put it into words even if I wanted to. We'll leave it at that. I have, however, been busy...



See? I got a spinning wheel (finally!) on ebay. I'm thinkin' a woollee winder will be my next acquisition, but that might hafta wait a while. I've got lots of fibre to process and yarn to knit and don't need the added distraction (or expense).

I've also been working away on my first Sahara in the Brooks Farm Harmony I told you about back here.



Hot, isn't it?



And yes, indeed those are the wonderful, fantastic, and charitable pink Denise interchangeables that the lovely miss Em and the blogless Miss G. gifted me for JMas. My sisters RAWK, don'tcha think?

I've got a pair of socks on the needles and about six zillion projects on the tip of my brain, so hopefully you'll be seeing more from me in the near future.

No promises just now, though.

I need all the brooding time I can get.

more christmas FOs

I'll try to make this the last time I talk about JMas FOs, I promise...

Here are Amanda's jaywalkers all done, and funkifying her feet:

Now, remember when I blogged about that secret project I had to disguise? (scroll down) Well, here it is in all its glory...

Can you tell what it is?

How 'bout now...?

Pictured here with the awesome armwarmers that Em knitted for Natalie. Cute, eh? I call the colourway of those socks "Electric Strawberry Shortcake." Apt, no?

And finally, for comic relief, the small-headed Emily being a very good sport and posing in one of my kids' hats before it goes up for sale on the site...

Doing the demure fashion pose...

...and losing her composure over aforementioned attempt at demure fashion pose:


I promise to be more wordy (and less picture-y) soon. When I start school again, I'll go back on the coffee and actually be able to get my brain to turn over on a regular basis.

last chance for self-indulgence before 2007

I promised you pictures, and the last thing I need is to go into the new year with a broken promise hanging over my head.


Sorry for the slightly dopey look. The best compositions always seem to turn out that way.

Wanna watch me work it?

. . .and. . .

And looking incredibly pleased with myself...

Signing off! Happy New Year!

the yarn is taking over

I'm usually pretty good about separating need from want.

Usually.

My urge to nest, however, does not seem appeased with these:



or this:



Despite the fact that I have approximately four billion skeins of sock yarn and enough yarn to knit at least four sweaters, (See: here and here and here) I just keep shopping. My new trick is to visit the various online shops, fill up a shopping cart, and then walk away from the computer before hitting "Check Out."

Yes, I hear you there, in the back, being all rational. I'm aware this is borderline losing one's grip on reality  erratic unhealthy behaviour. However, from now until exams are over, (December 11, 12, 15, and 20th -- all 3-hour, 100% finals thankyouverymuch) I'm adopting a "whatever works" approach, damn the consequences! Talk to me about counselling options after Christmas.

In Christmas knitting news, I officially have all but one make that two (small) projects complete. I won't say the words, because they are an invitation to calamity, but you know what I'm thinking.

Time for this law nerd to be getting back to nerding. More pics when hell freezes over the schedule eases up the studying gets to me again.

Muah!