woohooo!!!!

Okay, my apartment is half packed, I am almost out of boxes, and the movers are scheduled to be here in 12 hours.  This should be fun.
Meanwhile, I have completed the first 3 1/2 inches of my niece's Central Park Hoodie. 
It's coming along swimmingly, but I guess it should be since at this point it's just rib :-) 
I must say I love the options needles.  They feel great, look great, and the sharp pointiness is divine.
I have also taken the plunge.  It pays to stay off the computer at 2am, I have to say that first.
This morning at about that time (actually it was probably closer to 1am), I joined 3 (count 'em, 3!!!!!) sock clubs.   The Eleganza Yarns Sock Club, the Yarn Collective Sock Club, and the Twisted Yarn Club.  Totally cool!  Very excited.  Well, I think I need to stop procrastinating and start packing :-).  If I get a solid hour of packing done, I will allow myself a 30 minute stretch of knitting :-)

ain't life grand :-)

Here I sit, I have The Matrix on the tube, my new phone on mute, my new options needles on the sofa sitting with my 10 skeins of lamb's pride wool/mohair in red hot passion (lot 020) and my central park hoodie pattern in hand.  I must say, after the minor (HAH!!!) glitch with the post office, knitpicks and ups came through with flying colors!!!!!  I may have mentioned that the wonderful people at the post office lost my package (expletive deleted because someone may actually know a good postal worker), the folks at knitpicks in response to my email requesting aid, sent a new package ups.  After a couple of misses with the delivery guy, and a bit of misdirection (my request to come in and pick it up somehow was changed to a request for a new delivery), I have my new toys and it's time to play.  I must say I gotta recommend knitpicks for their great customer service.  I also recieved the yarn samples I requested and now I think my own cph will be knitted in the superwash merino.  It feels yummy, and I think I found the color I like.

postal blues........

*sigh*  
It's been 10 days since my knitpicks options harmony needle set left ohio, and according to the usps 
tracking thing,  my needles are 8 blocks away at the Brentwood 
Road sorting station. 
They have been there for 7 days.  
I have emailed the postal service (for all the good that will do),
and I am tempted to email knitpicks (which will do absolutely no good what-so-ever).  
I want my new needles.  I want them now.  
Unlike Veruca, I don't want the world, I just want my needles.  *sigh*
I also want my other new item.  
I am due for a new phone (razr is doing that "I'm about to fall apart because
you know I wasn't meant to last for more than a year or two anyway"thing)
so I ordered this.  According to the amazon site, an item that I purchased
Friday evening, and paid for 2nd day service for, hasn't even been picked up yet!!!!!!!!!.  
How can they meet a guaranteed delivery day of the 16th if it hasn't even
left the warehouse yet!!!!!!  
It's active (I just left a message for myself *giggle*),
but I can't use it (whaaaaaaaaa).  
I bought it through Amazon because I saved $100 for the same 2 year
contract I would have had to sign up for if I had gone through t-mobile.
Well, patience is a virtue.  It's just I'm not all that virtuous ;-)

Happiness is.......

.......................stitch markers!!!!!!!!
Okay, raved about this hat pattern, then I got to the lace part.......several attempts later I thought "you finished an entire lace shawl, two of 'em, what did you do different from this little hat??!!!!!????"  And then it came to me, STITCH MARKERS!!!!!.  What a difference.  Now I know when I have added a yo or fogotten one.  whew!  Almost done.  But because of my hair, I am making the hat using bulky yarn, but following the instructions for the worsted.  Hopefully this will add the extra 2 or three inches of hat I need to cover my hair, otherwise I will have a really big hat :-)
Oh, and the yarn is Araucania Copihue.  

Resistance is Futile!

I did it!  I went shopping, in a fun and fab way.  One of my co-workers is a knitter (yea!) and yesterday I grabbed her and we went shopping.  We stopped at Inez's Stitchery and she bought a skein of something for a hat.  I left empty handed.  Then it was on to a tangled skein.  There I ordered 9 skeins of lambs pride worsted in a lovely shade of deep, dark red for my niece's central park hoodie!  So glad they came out with the plus sizes.  
Also, I purchased (because I couldn't leave a 2nd store empty handed!) this fabulous yarn 
that I am using to make a hat for me.  

I'm making this one, Kay's suggestion, and it is fun and easy! 
I also purchased needles to use to convert the lovely sockyarn from Suzanne into actual socks.  I bought circular Addie Turbos (insert light saber sound effect) in size 1.  They feel fantastic, much better than the size one bates circs I was using before.  
The bates had this nasty little bump just behind where 
the needles joined the cable, as well as this nasty tiny hitch 
just at the join.  
The yarn would alway get caught there and it made knitting socks such a chore, the other pair I started just stayed on the needles.  
I also drooled over the Lantern Moon sock needles, in their cute little bags, such lovely wood.
And the best part of all is the impending arrival of my Options Needle kit!!!!  It's on the road and should be here within the next few days!!!!  Ain't life grand *sigh*

turmoil

Well, my life seems a little chaotic right now.  There is the holiday, settling into a new job, packing and moving, it's Christmas and I have neither the time nor the energy
(nor the money) to go shopping, or to get people the things I want to give them.
I have lost my creative flow with the completion of baby brothers socks and cozy.  
I guess I just need to cast-on, but I can't seem to get into the flow.  
I went to StitchDC thursday night and bought some Cascade Baby Alpaca.  I was looking for inspiration and was listlessly poking around the shelves when some novice knitter and one of the sales divas came up beside me.  They were talking about scarves and baby alpaca.  The knitter was asking if it would be too scratchy for someone who didn't like scratchy wools.  I told her about my last b.a. scarf experience and she quite promptly bought the yarn.  Then some other chick bought the same color, then I found inspiration.  Unfortunately, they bought the last 4 skeins of the color I wanted.  bummer.  So now I have 4 skeins of baby alpaca in a very deep navy, or maybe it's black, it's so dark I can't tell which I suppose means it's black.  I guess my sister would like a little black scarf *sigh*.
I think part of the problem is also because of the upheaval I haven't been sleeping well, and I have a sore neck (this is day 4 of the sore/stiff neck saga), as a result I think I am really tired.  To make things even worse, I have just 2 See's truffles left *sigh*

I'm in lust *sigh*

I have been lurking on the knitpicks website for the last few days.  I'm talking stalker calliber lurking.  I want these!!!!!!!  I saw them at stitches and I really liked them.  Now granted they do only come in sizes 4 through 17, and I do have most of those in either dpns or circs, but I like 'em.  *sigh*  I guess its a good thing that they are out of stock until January.  

Thank you so much Suzanne!!!!!

The boxes were so pretty, I was almost hesitant to open them.  I mean, they did have Christmas wrap on them.  And so nicely done!

Now, the observant will notice a few things.  I said  "almost" and "did".  
Hah!  Like I was going to wait.  Puhleeeze!!!  Let's get real here.
Of course I opened them, like immediately.  One of the items didn't make it home unscathed (it's hidden behind the nicely wrapped ones).
What did I get, you ask?  Weeeeeeelll........TADAAAAAAA!!!!!

There was chocolate.  The blue one, the chocolate hazelnut thing, was gone like 15 minutes later.  I opened it, broke off a square, neatly folded it closed and savored my first portion.  Then I said screw it, and sat down with the remainder.  I briefly 
considered fixing a nice cup of 
tea, but hey, life is short and chocolate must be eaten :-)  Haven't tried the other bar yet, but it's time will come *eyes raised and hands folded piously*
The Earl Grey with Lavander is divine.  The Twinings Christmas tea went to work, it too is wonderful!
And the patterns!!!!  The snowmen made me laugh, the tea cozys......well, I have never wanted to knit a tea cozy, but now that I have a pattern I have to (just to see if the darn things actually keep the pot warm :-)  They just look so cute!!!  I love the green striped one and that's the pattern I am making.  Mine will be blue and white.
As for the backpack, I have been thinking about trying entrelac, and now I have just the pattern to start with.
Last, but not least, there is sock yarn and Favorite Socks.  She said to jump start my sock knitting.  I am off to get new needles.  The yarn is divinely soft and I love the colors.  The book is great and I am trying to decide which pattern to start with.  

Suzanne, thanks so much.  You have been a great pal.  I hope we stay in touch.  And you have a standing invitation to visit next time you are in the Baltimore/Washington area :-)

nummmm-scarf-snarfle-nummm.......

..........mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I guess you can tell I got my last package from my pal.  Thanks Suzanne!  Pics to come, I need a breather right now, just a moment to recover.  I am savoring the last lingering traces of a Sees Truffle (Sees is her favorite local candy shop, and a big favorite of mine too, I always go there when I am in Cali).  I think it was something lemony coconutty, all I know for sure is it was chocolate and the flavor lingers on, mmmmmmmmm....... I think I need a sip of my lavender earl grey tea, too *sluuuurp*  ahhhhhhhh.........

well, nothing new

Nothing new to report. My internet at home is out so, I have to blog at work. A pesky situation since I am not supposed to be doing it :-)
I am debating about sending my sp a final package. She hasn't blogged much, which has been a disappointment. She never posted pics of my first box, and just wrote a "hey I got my box, will post more later" kind of thing, and never got back to it, yet she finds time for ravelry almost everyday. I am a little bummed about that. Can't decide if I am going to do this again next round or not. I did get some great pals the first two rounds, and my upstream pal is pretty great. *sigh*
Well, the socks for baby bro, as I mentioned were a hit. He wants elastic in them because he is concerned about stretching them. I think I'll just make him another pair. He says he wears them to bed every night and he plans to take them when he goes to shoot at Sundance. My socks hit the slopes!!!! um, make that the lodge, he doesn't ski.
I am making gloves for middle sis. They will match her hat and purse.
Big sis.......don't know what she gets.
Big nephew will probably get a hat. I think I know just what to use.
Stash reduction is the name of the game this year.
I think Big Bro will get socks too!

*sigh*

I wasn't going to do it, but when one of the chicks on the team guessed my age at 52, I had no choice.  Dark Chesnut, here I come.  
Also, I am frantically searching for a christmas project.  I think I have found a couple for me, but I need stuff for the family.  What to do?  Suggestions helpful.  
Last year it was hats and scarves and purses.  I think this year a purse for the older sister, a bigger hat for mom (yeah, I know I said she was off the goodies list, but she does wear the socks, and she is my mom after all).  The little girls are getting money.  Basic, and I don't have to worry if they like it or not.  Hmmmmm, that leaves about 9 other gifts.........

6 weeks of madness, and so it begins

For anyone who has worked in retail, they totally understand.  It's actually 7 weeks because it all began today, or maybe 8 weeks because it started a bit last week.  
What am I talking about? What we generally call "THE HOLIDAYS".  
It's that rush of 4 holidays in a 6 week period, starting with Thanksgiving and ending with New Year's Day.  I had a customer get a little miffed because I told her we didn't carry cocktail loaves except during the holidays.  She informed me that Rosh Hoshana (forgive my spelling if it's incorrect) IS a holiday.  I tactfully left it at that.  Unfortunately for her, when it comes down to it, it's not a major holiday as far as the retail market is concerned.  
The biggest holiday of the year in a grocery store is Thanksgiving.  The next biggest is Christmas.  New Years is usually pretty big too, with Hannukah thrown in tasty, sweet icing for the cake (a roving bonus holiday since the dates change every year - it's based on the Jewish calendar).  
I can't tell how much my dept in my new store is going to make (company policy), but we are talking more than I have ever participated in making in a dept.  It's stunning.
New store?  I left my old store like 3 weeks ago, and now I am working in a lesser position in a store closer to home.  I am enjoying not having to work as hard, and not having to work as long, and the shorter commute.  I like my new crew.  I like my new team leader.  I don't like the decreased pay, but life happens.  I don't have to do all the work, and it's a revelation.
It's also giving me the chance to actually be an assistant, something I never did.  It is actually kinda fun.
But this weekend it's all about pies.
Hundreds and hundreds of pies.  
I will be so sick of pie, it won't be funny.  
I may not have time for knitting!!!!!  
I'll be working 12 hour days!!!! 
Oh well.  I can knit now.

Finished baby brother's socks.  
Well, they started out as baby bros, I thought they were 
too girly a color for him, and then decided to keep them, 
then I thought I would let him decide if he wanted them.  
I mean, I really wanted to give him some socks, ya know?
I showed them to him, asked him if he liked them, 
and told him I had made them for him, but if
he didn't like them, I would keep them.  
He smiled and put them on.  He liked the stripes, the fit 
and the thickness. 
He slept in them the two nights he was at my house.  
I felt good to have made something he liked.  
Nothing like knitted love :-)


And here, finally, is cozy in all it's knitted glory.  Pictures don't do it justice.  
It is indeed, very cozy :-)

  
Oh, and here is my Fantine, from French Girl Knits.  
The color won't come out right. 
It's actually teal, not the blue it appears to be in this picture.  Very bulky, very warm.  
Needs a button :-)

how lost am I, Hah!

I was sitting here, for like an hour, trying to figure out why it was still 1am.  then I looked at the tv schedule and I was still confused, why was Cowboy BeBop on????  Then I looked up the usno clock, it's two am.  um, shouldn't it be later.  Well, I finally looked up daylight savings.  Cheesy-peesy, today is fall back day.  I could have enjoyed an extra hour of sleep and I spent my time watching anime!!!!!

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sock one, almost done

Wooohoooo, whatever my problem with youtube was, it's now fixed and 
I am once again back in the Naruto saddle!!!!!  
I've been watching my favorite anime on youtube (yes, it is a cartoon, but this ain't buggs bunny - not that I have anything against him, he's my fav!), I love anime!

I am also working on my first toe up sock for me?  This one is in a thinner yarn, not quite fingering and its on  us 3 needles.  I had planned to give it to several different people, then I decided I needed a pair of socks.  Pics later.  I have discovered I really like the provisional crochet cast-on.  It's so easy!

Happiness is......

.....a new package from you secret pal!
Yes, I am happy.  Wanna see why?
Now, to sorta give you a little bit about this, I have little sheep push pins (small row of 4 sheep traveling sideways).  They are adorable.  Love the sheep.  I have this delightful, yummy, soft, sensual, sensational Malabrigo in Tuareg (can we say oooooooooooh?!).  There is a little sheep note book (very cute, and quite handy).  And now we get to the spooky part.  Why spooky?  Well, this weekend I was in NY (no, didn't get to go to Rhinebeck, even though I was only 100 miles away!!!!!!) and I was in this Japanese bookstore.  My neice and nephew and I were poring over the gummies.  We debated, strawberry, kiwi or peach????  Well, peach lost (I wanted peach, out voted by teenagers).  Well now I have a bag of peach all to myself!!!!!
Also, last week at Stitches East I fondled the Interweave Holiday issue.  Decided no, I am not getting it yet.  This weekend went to Purl (great yarn shop, friendly staff) and again fondled the mag, decided to pick up yummy red silk/angora/wool instead (gloves for moi).  Glad I didn't get it, 'cause now I have it!!!!  Thanks so much pal!  Feeling quite spoiled, but concerned about the mind reading thing.  

cozy

Project Cozy complete, but for the blocking.  Now we will see if my idea works.  Taking a page from Mistress Brenda D I trotted off to the HomeDepot and bought some small rods, 3 feet in length (3 bucks a rod, 6 rods).  I need to wipe em down and then its on the bed they go.  my makeshift blocking tools.  I am determined this baby is going to New York with me this weekend.

12 more inches!!!!

Yes!  12 more inches to go on Cozy.  That's only six more pattern repeats, followed by the final 3 rows of garter stitch.  I could be finished tonight!  Then it just needs blocking.  I am thinking of taking it over to A Tangled Skein to have them block it.  I have neither wires nor space enough to block it myself.  It's going to end up about 6 feet long, my bed isn't quite long enough.
 
I am thinking of making a sweater for my nephew.  He is such an adorable boy.  He was so happy yesterday.  His football team won 30 - 0, and he sacked the quarterback!!!  Yippee for him!  

Heard from my pal again, she is plotting another package :-)  

well....

Off to the post office tomorrow morning to mail my pals first package.  Not going to post pics, in case she sees this, but I 
think she will like it.  
She likes socks, and there will be a sock pattern and yarn included.  I tried to find stitch markers,
but no luck yet.  I may have to try my hand at making some.  I have included a book from her wishlist.  I hope the list is up to date.
on the knitting front, I am 3/4 done with cozy.  I will be so glad to be done.  Can't wait to block it.
on the personal front, job issues I won't discuss.
on the physical front, it is so freakin' hot I can't stand it!  Where is fall!!!!?????