St. Louis here I come

I survived the week and celebrated by attending the Women's Networking Happy Hour last night and had a drink...then got my car locked in a parking garage, but that's a whole other story... Mental note to self...DO NOT PARK IN DOWNTOWN GARAGES AFTER 8PM. There now, I feel better. I'm home free and will be leaving for St. Louis sometime after noon tomorrow. I don't have an exact time because I keep moving it earlier and earlier as the week has gone on...

After much careful consideration, I went ahead and packed the yarn that I've been working on forever. I'm determined to find a pattern for it.

So probably no blogging unless I blog from the parentals. Details next week.

I have my work computer up and I'm blogging on my personal computer while I'm waiting for my huge spreadsheet to calculate cells. Yes, I'm still working. I'm now trying to make the spreadsheet look pretty. Everyone has a different way of saying the same thing. Some use acronyms. Some use their own form of shorthand. Some use the words written out. Yep, there are 10, count them 10 ways of referring to 1 thing on this spreadsheet that I've combines from 19 others. Ugghhh! After tomorrow, my life should be a lot easier. Two huge projects are being turned in. Yeah me. Then I can knit again. I actually knit 2 rows this morning before going to work and 1 row after coming home on my clapotis.

I'm headed to St. Louis and the two biggest dilemmas are what to bring to wear and more importantly, what to bring to knit. I've got the clapotis, the feather and fan shawl, a flower basket shawl, and Faina's scarf (if I ever finish this, I'm going to frame it) on needles. I should bring a pair of socks to start. And then, I really, really, really wanted to start the Bombshell sweater from Big Girl Knits, which in all the trauma, I haven't yet started. So, what to bring???

In spite of all the drama in my life, broken bones, doctor's appointments, visitors (Hurrah!) and work (13hours today alone) there is actually knitting going on. Haven't shown a lot of progress pictures, because everyone knows what a Clapotis looks like by now, although I don't think I'll ever get over the glee at dropping those stitches. I also tried to start another sock and didn't get any farther than the toe before I ripped it out. Back to the drawing board there. Well, wish me luck. Last week and this week are probably going to be 2 of my busiest weeks all year. Fingers crossed!

Busy weekend

It's been a busy weekend. Friday was my company's community service project. We volunteered at a local food collection agency, sorting and boxing up donated food. Then, my brother and SIL were in town for the weekend. I dragged them to my company BBQ where my brother and I learned to play Craps...badly. Saturday, we went to breakfast and then shopping for wedding clothes for the 2 of them since they were in town for a wedding and their luggage got lost. They went to the wedding and I watched a movie and knitted. This morning, we got up and had breakfast (a yummy pecan carmel french toast I made up last night) and they left for the airport. Fortunately, their luggage was dropped off about 15 minutes before they had to leave for the airport. Then after they left, I went back to bed until about noon.

Fugly and a Find

So, while cleaning out my great aunt's apartment, I saved any magazine that looked like it might have something knitted related in it. Maryan must have been really into knitting in the 80s, because there are some fine specimens of knitting patterns from the 80s. Take for example this issue of Vogue knitting. Lots of drop shouldered beauties in red, orange and teal inside of this...

The one really cool find though was this.

It's an original of a brochure of Mats or what look like advertising posters sent to State Fair planners and newspapers advertising the 1937 National Crochet Championship. While there aren't any patterns, it's really cool to look at what they would consider prize winning entries as examples. Very cool.

Chris asked how long I was going to be out of work, and unfortunately, I'm one of those insane people and I went back to work on Monday. I limp and everyone is calling me "Gimp," but it's my busiest time of year, people want their raises!! So, I'm biting the bullet and going to work. I spend most of my day in my office with my foot propped up on a box under my deskl. I used to walk around and talk to staff whenever I needed to talk to someone, but now, if I need to talk to a person, I call them and ask them to come see me. It's working out well actually.

The house is officially clean now. Yeah!! In time for my brother's visit. I even stashed away most of the yarn...in the yarn room, otherwise known as the second bedroom where my brother and his wife will sleep. I managed to put most of it in some orderly fashion, but when the nightstand is stuffed with yarn, what can you say... Hopefully they won't feel too claustrophobic surrounded by all the yarn...

Well, I went to see the orthopeadic surgeon today. Spent 45 minutes in the waiting room for the doctor to go "looks like you broke 2 bones in your foot" and "well, it you're in the right appliance" and finally "come back in 4 weeks." All of 5 minutes. He did poke around on my foot and ask if this hurt and that hurt, etc. The foot is all gnarly and purple right now. The bruise has leaked down into my toes and looks really bad. I was going to post a photo, but just because I think it looks gross, doesn't mean I need to gross out the greater internet presence...

Well, in between my 10 minute spurts of cleaning, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch with my foot propped up. I finished the second ball of yarn on my pink shawl that I'm making. The doctor said I could walk as "my pain would allow." So, when it starts feeling better, I should be more mobile, but in the meantime, should get a lot of knitting done.

This has got to be a record. I don't have a single solitary sock on the needles. Usually I have 2 if not more, but I cast on nd rip out. Cast on another pattern rip out. Switch yarns, cast on, rip out. It's a vicious cycle. I guess at this point, I'm waiting for inspiration.

If I didn't have bad luck...

I wouldn't have any luck at all. My father and I got to spend some bonding time together late Saturday night in the emergency room. I broke my 3rd and 4th metatarsal (sp?) bones in my foot. For those of you who have known me a long time, last time I broke my foot, I broke the middle three Tarsal bones. For those who want the fun details, slippery rug on a hard wood floor and that should be enough for your imagination to run wild and pretty much guess the entire truth. It doesn't really hurt too bad when I'm sitting down, but man, walking on it is killer... I thought I'd come home and put my boot on from the last time I broke my foot, thinking since it felt so much better last time, it would be the miracle worker, but it hurts even worse than this, so I'll continue with this until I see the orthapedic surgeon. Got to love my life...

My brother and his wife are coming to visit next week. Yeah! I was planning on cleaning my house this weekend, but I'm going to St. Louis to help clean out my great aunt's apartment and to celebrate Father's day instead, which means I've got to step up the cleaning game. So, I drove home from St. Louis on Tuesday and cleaned the spare bedroom and put new sheets on the bed. Last night I came home from knitting with Teri and cleaned both bathrooms and did 1.5 loads of laundry. Tonight, I finished the other 1.5 loads of laundry. Which will leave me with cleaning the family room, kitchen, my room and vacuuming through the house sometime next week (or actually Monday & Tuesday since I'm going to a T-Bones game (not sure what kind of sport they play, but they are apparently semi-pro some-thing-or-other, on Wednesday. Got to love work). I also need to drag the shower curtain from the cedar chest upon which my extremely heavy TV is currently sitting on. It was supposed to be a "temporary" solution while I searched for a more permanent entertainment center, but as you can very well see, I haven't made much progress towards selecting an entertainment center yet... I also need to hang up some pictures. I don't live in a trendy loft or anything, so all the pictures look weird sitting on the floor propped up against the wall. :-) Are we laying odds as to whether or not all of the above will get accomplished???

The reason I mention all this cleaning, is that between the cleaning and traveling back and forth to St. Louis, my knitting is really suffering. I'm not getting much done. I keep starting and ripping out socks. It's weird.

In other crafty news, I've inherited my great aunt's sewing machine. Does Gwen sew you ask?? Well, she knows the basics and once upon a time in a Home Ec class, she made a surfboard and another time, she started making a pair of shorts, which are even now, probably languishing in a drawer somewhere at my mother's house half finished. I understand the mechanics of sewing with a machine, it's just the machine that freaks me out. I've never been very technically inclined, which is why I'm a hand knitting snob... But, as I've been knitting, there are many things that I want to do that require a sewing machine, or that a sewing machine would make easier. For example, making one of Beth's Leetle Bags or lining for a felted purse. All of these things , while possible by hand sewing, would be so, so much easier with a machine... Teri has graciously offered to help me learn to use my machine. We love her. So, I finally hauled the machine upstairs this evening after sitting in my car for 2 evenings and for Teri's information, the machine is a White, for whatever it's worth... In actuality, what it really is, is really freaking heavy... It's got a tag on it that says it was recently fixed, so I'll have to hook it up in the near future (read when I actually stay in town) to see if it works. So, this is a very exciting development in life.

I'm having sock issues. I've started and frogged 7 different patterns in two yarns for socks. I'm just not getting it. I start. Knit up a little. Decide I don't like it and the next thing I know, the needles are out and it's all over the place. UGHHH!!! Maybe I need to lay off the socks for awhile and work on something else. At least the shawl is going well.

I've also been swatching for Bombshell from Big Girl Knits in the Nashua Cilantro that I purchased last week. After trying out 3 needles sizes, I finally got the stitch gauge right. The row gauge is still off a little, but I can work with that. I think everyone should write this day down in history. Gwen actually swatched for a project. In fact, I'm getting ready to reswatch again so I can wash and dry the swatch to make sure that the gauge doesn't change with washing. You can all pick yourself up off the floor now. I know. This is moving into uncharted territory for me. This should just indicate how much I actually want this sweater to fit. :-)

RIP

My great aunt died last Friday and I've been in St. Louis attending her funeral. She died 3 months before her 90th birthday. I can still remember visiting her during the summer when I was a kid. My grandparents would drive my sister and I up to stay with her and then go on to visit my grandfather's brother and Maryan would entertain us for a week or two or whatever until my parents came up and we went fishing. She lived in a small town in Michigan and you could walk to get an ice cream cone at night or walk to hear the calliope at the showboat on the river a few blocks away. She made every day an adventure. We would go to the beach in Grand Haven or strawberry/raspberry/blueberry picking or to visit someplace she thought we should see. Some of my favorite memories of my childhood. Maryan was a painter, a quilter and even a knitter. She will be missed by us all.

New stuff!!!

My most recent purchases!!! Yes, that is a Boye Needlemaster there. Many thanks to Beverly who waited in line at Tuesday morning to purchase!! Yipee!! I've wanted one forever, but have been too lazy to take my 40% off coupon up to Michaels.

And that wonderful yarn surrounding it you ask?? Well, I had to have something new to play with my new needles. The yarn is Nashua Cilantro in Rose. I'm going to make the Bombshell sweater from Big Girl Knits. I've been surfing the internet for weeks looking for the right yarn at a price I can afford. ($180 for the Lion and Lamb is not in that range...although I'm certain it would be my favorite sweater did I ever buy it...) So, tonight when knitting at the Yarn Shoppe and More for our normal knit night, they allowed us to take part in their Birthday sale a day early and, of course, I couldn't resist. I did manage not to buy the Rowan Calmer for the Curvalicious Cardigan, but it was a close one. :-)

Now, is anyone taking bets on whether or not I can finish Bombshell in time for Stitches Midwest???

I went to dinner tonight to a banquet to honor scholarship receipients of the Business College of major Missouri Univerisity. You're probably thinking "awwww, how sweet, what a supportive alumni..." Ummm, unfortunately...I don't have a business degree and...I didn't go to school there. But I did get free dinner & drinks and someone I work for is happy that their table they purchased was full. That's got to count for something, because man, that's 4 hours of my life I'll never get back...

Look what came today!!!

I've taken my second step forward technology wise in as many days. Yesterday it was the wireless mouse, meet my new baby. Yes, it even matches my purse. It's my new pink Razor phone. I've been coveting it since it came out and finally broke down and bought one, after the casing started to break apart on my old phone. After a bit of trouble getting it activated, it is fully functioning . Yeah me! Now, I only need to figure out how to make and answer calls so I can stop carrying the instruction booklet around with me. :-)

I try not to go shopping too much these days. It's dangerous. Today, though, I must admit, I went buying. I went to see if I could find some capri pants for the summer and some black shoes and a new mouse for my computer. And in an hour and a half, 3 stores and $200 later...I had 2 pair of capri pants (although they have wide legs, so we might have to admit to having bought gauchos), 1 shirt, 1 pair of black shoes, 1 computer mouse and a host of whatever else you buy walking through Target to buy your one item that always amounts to either $30 or $50 (why I always spend those 2 amounts, I'll never know).

Those tech savvy people out there will be happy to know that I bought a wireless optical mouse to replace the roller ball mouse I've had since the 90s. Yes, I'm making my first forays into the new technical century. I like it. It works well. Yeah Me!

I spent the rest of the day parked on the couch watching reruns of The 4400 on cable. I caught one earlier this morning while I was reading the paper and came back and it was still on, so of course, I watched it for the next 7 hours. Don't worry, there was knitting, laundry and dinner prep in there as well.

Knit and a movie

I must be feeling better. I actually knitted today. I actually started feeling better yesterday after consuming approximately a bottle of champagn between 10-11:30 at work...

Although I'm feeling better, I did have a small set back. I put in the movie The Family Stone in and sat on my couch to have a good knit while I watched the movie. Then I came to the point when Sarah Jessica Parker handed out her x-mas presents and I just cried. Of course, I was laughing minutes later. I really liked that movie. Crazy, zany family that loves one another. Sniff..

You know, when you walk up to the register at the grocery store, with 2 boxes of Kleenex, a bottle of Cloraseptic Spray, Cold Tablets and cough drops, why does the person at the register even bother to ask "How are you feeling???" Obviously, you're feeling bad. I'm actually feeling better, although I sound terrible and I can't move 3 feet without kleenexes. Speaking of kleenex, do you know they now make Anti-viral kleenexes. How weird is that??? I used almost an entire one of those square boxes while at work today. I kind of look rather like Rudolf at the moment. My red nose could light the way.

I did not make it to knitting yesterday. I left work early and went home to go to bed. Got up later and then went to bed early (not that I slept much with having to blow my nose every 5 minutes). I didn't make it to knitting this evening either. I was tired and thought I'd be better served by going home and resting and not spreading my germs around. Hopefully we will see continued improvement tomorrow. I'd like to get some house projects done this wekend, such as finally hanging up pictures.