True Courage

I had some sad news today about the friend I'm making the Flower Basket Shawl for. Her husband has taken a turn for the worse and he is not expected to last more than a few more days. I truly admire her courage and strength. She and her husband have been battling cancer for several months and she has been so strong throughout all the ups and downs and now, as his fight has come to the end, she is by his side. My thoughts and prayers will be with her in the next few days.

I stepped outside this morning and thought Wow! It's so warm! Maybe I'll put the top down on the car and drive in to work. I scratched that idea when I figured out that I didn't have anything to put my hair up with. I have longish hair and 20 miles on the highway to work leaves me looking rather like Renee Zellwegger in Bridget Jones after her convertible ride. Frightening is not the image I'm going for at work, although I don't know why it matters people think I'm the bearer of bad news anyway. Well, it's a good thing I didn't do the drive to work with the top down, it was only 45 degrees at the time. I was obviously still half asleep and deluded if I thought that I wouldn't have frozen half to death even with the heater on during that ride.

I did get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather today. It was sunny and about 70 degrees at lunch so I walked several blocks to get a sandwich. It was a little windy, but it was the nice almost warm spring breeze. Spring is finally here!!!!

What's this? Did Gwen finally figure out the camera??? Why yes, yes she did and this is 78 rows of the Flower Basket Shawl. You can even see the pattern. How cool. From the back though, it looks like an egg carton.

I moved it over on to a circular needle because I don't like stuffing the needle full of too many stitches. I'm either getting the pattern (finally) or working with the circular is making it easier because I'm finding I'm making fewer mistakes. I was going back to fix at least one mistake per pattern line. I'm up to every 3rd or 4th pattern line now, which makes the going much faster. I used a fingering weight yarn rather than two strands of lace weight. Much easier going. Since this one is being made for someone else, I'm thinking of using the wonderful lace-weight alpaca I bought a Stitches last year to make another for me. I think that since I've finished one already, I should be able to figure out the two together thing on the second (fingers crossed). I think it will look awesome. Maybe then I'll feel up to attempting the Madli Shawl again.

I haven't made any progress on my Happy sock at the moment. I'm in the pre-frogging thinking stage at the moment where I'm trying to decide how much of it I want to frog back. Just the heel (which I'm unhappy with)? More? All?

FBS

Done! Done! Done!

No, I didn't finish a knitting project. I'm still stuck in limbo on those, but I did finish the horrible frustrating project at work!!!!! Yeah! Now I can come home on time, not work from home in the evenings = More time to knit!!!

It was a boring TV night. I had netflixed Vanity Fair, so I stuck that in the DVD player. It was a little on the slow side, but it was okay for what it was. The good thing about it being slow is that I got 14 more rows of my Flower Basket Shawl finished. Theoretically, I only have 34 more rows to go, but I think I want it a bit bigger and it said you could add in repeats if you wanted it larger. I still have lots of yarn left, so I think I'll go for it. If it weren't 11:30 when the movie ended, I would have taken pictures. Tomorrow night, when I have more time to mess around with the new camera.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a good day surrounded by family and friends. I went to my parent's house and had dinner with my family. Lindsay was very cute in her Easter Pantsuit and green Marilyn Monroe sun glasses. I love little ones in sunglasses. She was a little freaked out by the sunglasses. I think she gets cuter every time I see her. Enough about my beloved niece.

I had a relaxing weekend except for the accident this morning... My knee went out while walking down some stairs. Caught myself on the banister, but somehow managed to wrench my neck. I can's turn my neck or nod my head without pain. Ugghhh!!!! My family, of course, had a good laugh.

In knitting news, I've been working on my Happy Socks. I'm having issues with these socks. The first pattern I tried I didn't like. Now I don't like the heel I put in and am thinking of ripping back again. I don't know what it is. I may have to put them down for awhile and try something else...

Boy did I need a laugh...

It's been a hard, crazy, frustrating week so far and I have one more day to go, but it's looking up a little after this evening. My friend Julie and tried out a new restaurant and then went to see a movie. The only one starting any time soon after we go there was "Robots." I'd seen ads for it and it looked okay. I knew Robin Williams and Ewan McGregor were doing some of the voices, but boy was I surprised. The two hour movie passed by in a flash. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. I love this kiddie cartoons that contain all of those referenced that you have to be an adult or of a certain age to understand. This was another of those. I highly recommend it.

Last evening was knitting night. We were a little thin. Only 5 last night. I'm wondering where some of our knitters have gone. I miss Kim L. and Nancy and Ellen. We miss you, come back!!! I started a new sock last night, wonder of all wonders, for me! I'm doing the Happy Sock patter in some variegated purple/blue/green Tess' Super Sock yarn. It's looking great. So far I have the ruffled edge done. I'll post a picture after I finish one of the twisted rib/garter stitch repeats. So far, I absolutely love it. It's working out much better than the first pattern I tried. Other than that, I've finished 2.5 of the main repeats for the flower basket shawl and have come to the conclusion I need to go buy a set of size 8 circular needles for it. It's getting quite big.

No big plans for the weekend. Got Disc 2 of Season 1 of 21 Jump Street on it's way from Netflix. I see an afternoon of vintage Johnny Depp and knitting in my future this weekend.

UGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

It has been the crappiest day! I'm so frustrated. I'm working on this project and the people in charge can't get their stuff straight so they keep sending out new data and new versions of a tool. So I in turn, have to keep sending my collegues "Stop!!! Don't do that," abondon your work, use this info instead. I keep thinking "don't shoot the messenger, don't shoot the messenger." I'm afraid to look at my e-mail or answer my voicemail. UGHHHHHH!!!!

In knitting news, I've finished 60 rows on the Flower Basket Shawl from the Fall IK. It seems to be turning out okay so far. It kind of looks like an upside down egg carton, but I've read that on other blogs, so I figure it's turning out right. I tried to take a picture, but I'm still figuring out my new camera. New camera you ask? Why yes, it finally came back. Hurrah!!! I'm having issues taking pictures that aren't all dark. Natural light would probably work better, but unfortunately, it's not around when I get home from work... I'll have to work on the picture thing.

A brief note to my secret pal - I accidently deleted your e-mail in a spring cleaning fit and then deleted the trash before I replied. I'm so sorry!!!

Sunday Nights Suck

Books read this weekend: 3
Movies watched: 3
Stores visited 10
Baby Shower attended:1
Knitting done: Nada
Housework done: Nada

Yep, I was really motivated this weekend.

I hate Sunday night because I always know that I have to go to work on Monday morning. Yuck! I need a vacation. A week off. Unfortunately, there isn't any time for me to take a vacation until September now. :-(

I went to the grocery store for the first time in a month to do more than pick up a few items. I spent a ton of money. Now, tomorrow night when I come home from work, I won't want to eat a single thing I bought. That's life I guess.

St. Patrick's day is one of those weird non-holidays. Everyone wears green, or gets ridiculed. We don't get off work. You don't get any gifts. Everyone eats Corned Beef and Cabbage, for the only time all year and drinks green beer. Except for the green part, not really a holiday in my book.

So, it's been a couple of days ripping stuff out. I had to rip back to the life-line on the flower basket shawl (thank god I put that in). I ripped out a baby sweater I had started because it wasn't doing anything for me. I also ripped out the socks I started in the Tess' Supersock yarns (purchased @ Stitches last summer). I was trying out a pattern and it just wasn't doing anything for me. The funny part was that I was at the oil change place in the waiting room when I did it. After working on the sock for about 20 minutes, I decided that I really didn't like the pattern I was using with that yarn. The sock was closed up as I was regarding it and I just ripped out the 4 double points. This woman, who had been there the entire time I had, GASPED loudly and looked at me in total shock like what on earth was I doing. The _expression on her face was well worth ripping out the sock and abolishing all my work. :-) The yarn I was using is variegated yarn, but not necessarily striping yarn. I think I'm going to try out the Broadripple pattern from Knitty.com next.

For some good news, I'm going to babysit my niece tomorrow night while my sister and her husband go out looking for a new stove. I will bask in her cuteness for the evening and get in my lovin' in because on Saturday we're going to a family party where she will be much loved by others. Other than that, no plans for the weekend. I might try to go shopping on Sunday. It got up to 60 something today so I feel the need for some new clothes. :-)

I hate March Madness. Everything is reruns and then there's all the basketball games and all the pools and it seems neverending. Well, since there was nothing on, I indulged in a bit of a guilty pleasure. I had netflixed Disc 1 of Season 1 of 21 Jump Street. Yes, the old tv show that had a very young Johnny Depp. He was cute even then. Oh My!! Acting could leave a bit too be desired. Now I'm hooked. I can wait for the rest of the season to come.

What's this???

Is Gwen knitting again?? Did she start something new??? Scroll down to see... I'm having blogger issues and can't get the picture in the post, so you have to scroll down. I'm using the merino finger-weight yarn from Knitpicks that we hand dyed a month ago. It's an easy pattern and it's going pretty fast. That's 34 rows of the pattern.

Nothing else interesting is happening. I've been fairly stationary on account of my stupid knee. Ughhh. I've been reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, but I'm missing number 4, so I'm waiting until I can get that one before reading the rest. Let me tell you, after reading the first 3 last week, my dreams have a body count. They're great.

Flower Basket Shawl

I need a maid

I've decided that house work is dangerous. I broke my foot last year doing laundry. I hurt my knee this morning mopping the floor. Laminate floor, water and bare feet are a bad mix. Oh well, at least at that point I was putting away the vacuum cleaner, so at least I had everything cleaned. The bad thing about a cleaned house is that you don't want to do anything to get it dirty again. I was going to make my favorite chicken pasta dish for dinner, but I'm contemplating ordering pizza, using my hurt knee as justification...

No knitting going on this weekend. Taking care of all of the household chores that I have been too sick to do or too busy these last few weeks.

Going, going, gone...

Yes, that moment of panic as you realize you have accidentally clicked yes and the spreadsheet you've going working on for an hour without saving is now disappearing from the computer screen in front of your very eyes... UGGHHH!!!!!! Of course, had I voiced my frustration at myself at that moment, my co-workers would have been quite scared. Which is not good for an HR person, so I contented myself iwth a very pitiful "Darn" as a cupped my head in my hands... Yes, it was a fun day at work today. I had to work late as well. Yuck.

Even though I worked late (got free dinner on the plus side), I did make it to knit nite. I'm still working on secret project number 1 and secret project number 2. Secret project number one is almost done. I've taken to carrying around some of my Tess's Super Sock yarn that I bought at Stitches last year in my purse in hopes that I will find a spare second or two to cast on for some socks for myself. It hasn't happened yet. I feel as if I've been neglecting my knitting lately. First I was sick and going to bed at 7pm, sleeping away an entire day and then I bought two books which I've read and then, I bought the addicting computer game (which I played on Tuesday night for 3 hours, before losing the scenario and turning it off in defeat, after which time, I finished up book #2). I haven't even been watching any movies. Netflix must wonder what's up with me. I haven't returned 3 for 3 more in several weeks. I think I've got the end of the winter duldrums. I was just thinking how much happier I am when I can drive to work with the top down. Absolutely nothng else interesting is going on. It's so sad.

Tuesdays that feel like Mondays...

I forgot to set my alarm this morning. Well, it was set, but for 9am instead of 6:30am, which is the time I must get up in order to get to work mostly on time. 9am would be the time I needed to get up in order to have breakfast with the family & take my brother to the airport yesterday. Thankfully, I woke myself up and only 25 minutes later than I should have gotten up. So I did the 2 minute shower thing this morning. Followed by the grab breakfast and run maneuver. Thankfully, I managed to avoid all the accidents and got to work on time. Understand, I'm not a morning person and have built extra time into my morning schedule so I can sit and stare into the closet deciding what to wear or as I try to remember how the hair dryer works. I also tend to run a lot of errands on my way to work - ATM, stamps, gas, etc.

Basically, the hurried dash out the door this morning characterized my entire day. I got to work and had a ton of e-mail since I was on vacation yesterday. Everyone wanted their stuff yesterday. Then I went to a meeting, which was really great and we came up with some great ideas, but we went over our time limit, so I was late for a conference call. I was 27 minutes late to the call and got there just as the main person wrapping up his comments. It was a call for the planners of the Women's Networking Circles at all of our different locations. The bad thing was, the wrap up comments were interesting and I really wish I'd heard the entire call. So, I will live on in curiosity until I can find someone who sat in on the whole call. By the time that was over, I had to hurry up and put together some reports for my 1:30pm meeting. Then at like 2:30, my day came to an abrupt slow down. The morning was so packed with frantic activity that the afternoon was such a let down and time just seemed to creep by. I hate that.

No new knitting content. I spent the weekend hanging out with the parentals, my bro & SIL. The brewery was fun. Lunch was good. We were so tired by the time we were done with that, we all had to come home and nap. We had the grand Euchre rematch on Saturday evening and my SIL and myself reigned supreme again. Sunday was the baptism. I swear, it's the longest ceremony I've been through and I've been to a lot recently. It was good to see the whole family. One very scary note in the whole day, it seems Lindsay was allergic to something, whether it was the material of her dress, the anointed oil they put on her chest & head or some perfume/lotion of someone holding here. Poor little mite turned red, was inconsolable and had hives all over her. Kelly had to take her to the hospital. Very scary. She is okay now though. Sunday evening, we played the game that Jeff & Alicia bought for my b-day, Apples to Apples. It was a lot of fun, even with 5 of us. It's definitely a game to be played with a larger crowd of people. Jeff & Alicia winged home on Monday morning and I had the rest of the day off. Sadly, I did not knit a stitch. I stopped by Target to get some essentials (conditioner, mascara, etc.) and found that computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon on clearance for $5, I imagine because the package was all mangled. My aunt has been talking about how much fun the game is forever, so I figured for $5, I could try it. I brought it home, I had the afternoon. I was going to knit and watch movies, but popped in the game for "a few minutes". 5 1/2 hours later, yes, 5 1/2 hours later, I managed to drag myself away from it to go to dinner with my friend Julie. I don't know what it was that sucked me in...

How I know spring is here????

Yes, I did it. I left work early, put the top down on the convertible and drove 60 mph down the highway with the heater on. No sunglasses. I had to pick up all the junk out of the back seat and throw it into the rear, but it was worth it. Now I know why I love this car. Yes, spring is truely here.

I came home at 10pm and was tired. Still fighting this lingering cold... So, I got ready for bed and decided to read a chapter in a book before going to sleep. Well, I read the whole darn thing and worse than that, I'm now wide awake and blogging. What did I read??? I read "Can you keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella. She's the one who writes the Shopaholic books. I, of course, jumped all over the first one of those several years ago, being as shopping was my hobby of note at the time. I think this is the best one since her first shopaholic novel.

No knitting done tonight. My brother and his wife got in safely. We went to dinner as a family and then back to my parent's house where we all took turns holding Lindsay. She fell asleep in Alicia's arms. She's such an angel.

Tomorrow my brother, SIL and I are going to the Aneheuser Busch brewery to take the tour since Alicia's never been. We tired to go over x-mas, but who knew they were closed on Monday??? We're also going to lunch at the Crown Candy Company. Mmmm. Old fashion soda shop. They have the best milk shakes in the world.

Coolest Secret Pal in the World!!!!

Hoorah!!! Came home from a very busy day at work, was tired, still sick :-(, and overloaded with groceries and look what came!!!!!

Yep, my totally cool secret pal has been up to her good deeds again. What you see is some red wool and white boucle kind of yarn. Very cool. I'm thinking a cool hat for next x-mas. A pattern for lace wrist warmers (horrah! more lace!), a Debbie Bliss book with some cool patterns, a calendar and, of course, a card from her!!!!

Here is a close up of yarn. Very cool!!!

Thanks secret pal!! You rock my world.

PS. In other world news, my niece turned herself over!!!! How cool!