I’m one of those people who hates to go bed with dishes in the sink, who likes to make sure the house is clean before going away for a few days, and who has to make sure work is done before kicking back and relaxing. I’m not saying I LIKE doing this stuff, but for whatever reason, it’s really hard for me to relax when there’s a pile of stuff I need to get done.

That’s kind of why I’ve been scarce lately. I’ve been busy cleaning house, doing laundry, and some other stuff. Not to say I haven’t be out doing other stuff too, like having fun. Mary was here last weekend and we went for dinner with Corey and her hubby Friday night. We then went across state lines to visit Fuzzy Mabel, ate a yummy mexican lunch, and then on to home base (aka Charlotte Yarn) where we got to hang with Cat and Jane for a bit. We did our part to stimulate the economy (of Selwyn Pub) and had a beer while enjoying the company, and as the sky threatened to open up, we decided to call it a day - a very great day!! (BTW? total yarn purchases for the day? 2 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill sport weight, pictures to be taken sometime eventually someday, and 3 balls of Berocco Comfort that I do not want to talk about right now. Or maybe ever.

I also went to the monthly Charlotte Knitting Guild meeting last night, where we had a full evening of goodness. Aimee gave a talk on repelling moths naturally, and then let us play and make our own sachets full of yummy scented fiber protection. I am now sort of obsessed with a clove, cinnamon and peppermint mix - don’t knock the combo till you try it!

We also found out who won what in the 1st annual awards show (Go congratulate Corey for winning the GRAND PRIZE for her GORGEOUS 3 button shawl (ravelry link). I’m awful because I know Davey won a prize for his socks (ravelry link), but I can’t remember the category (new knitter I think? Amazingly he;s only been at it about 10 months) and while I remember some other winners (Looking at you Lynda, Rachel) I don’t remember what categories - sorry ladies! Congrats anyway!!

All that and work too - which is ramping up quickly - and yes I am still loving it. Which is why having suregery in the midst of all this is kinda, well, annoying! Regardless, tomorrow morning (at 6:15 AM!!) I am set to have my shoulder repaired (again) so I can once again not hurt when I move my arm.

My house is (mostly) in order, and all my loose ends are tied up. I don’t know how long it will be before I can manage a post, but as soon as I can I will. I’m deeming knitting physical therapy and my impetus to heal quickly - and to help urge me along, I may have accidentally on purpose ordered a custom color dye job from the very patient and kind and talented Beth over at Doodlebird Creations. The Berocco Comfort that upset me so (splitty splitty splitty! and no, I still don’t want to talk about it) was to be a baby sweater. The Doodlebird goodness will replace the Comfort and since the intended wearer is due end of June/ beginning of July, I really need to heal so I can get to knitting!

I’m going to get a few last minute things done, and then try and get some sleep (HA) - see ya’ll soon (and I take no responsibility for anything I say or do under the influence of post op meds!)

Done # 1 - I was planning on being at Md S & W this weekend, but for a series of reasons, I’m not going. Instead, I will hang out at home, with Mary .

Tonight, we’ll be having dinner with Corey and her hubby. The boys have no idea where we’re going, and it will be fun to see how they like our pick.

The rest of the weekend is up in the air. Mary and I made no set plans for things to do (since we’d planned to be frolicking in Maryland) but I know whatever trouble we get into stuff we end up doing, we’ll have a great time.

I do plan on spending time with this cast of characters too

The Cat Bordhi book will hopefully help me decide what I want to do with the gorgeous Fleece Artist Nova Socks that (the aforementioned) Corey gifted me, and Pi and Hypotenuse both deserve some attention too.

Done, # 2 - the reason I am allowed to play with the Nova Sock now, because I finished the socks I’m referring to as Lost and Found (I cast on, and they vanished! They had maybe 6 rows of toe done when they went MIA. Then suddenly, they reappeared in March. I don’t know, I’m not asking.)

They are super comfy, and even though I don’t like the short row heels on them (yea, yea, practice, I know) I am overall pleased with them.

Happy weekend!

It’s been another one of those weekends - over before I had time to blink. I did however manage to update my Flickr and Ravelry stash and projects pages. I had planned to do the same here but it’s just not going to happen - 5am comes way too quickly and honestly, given the choice between a full blown post here and a few more rounds on the 2nd sock nearing completion, I’m choosing the sock.

What? Like you wouldn’t do the same?

Well yea, I’m consistently slacking of late, but I do have some good reasons. Work and a shoulder injury (and an upcoming corrective surgery) are the main culprits really, but there’s also a small measure of lack of drive to post - it happens from time to time. I think I’m finding my way out of that rut though.

I am pretty sure I already mentioned the new job, which I started about a month ago. I love love LOVE it. The people are great, the work is interesting and challenging and will continue to keep me going - in a good way. There already were some great folks working there, but imagine my delight when someone I already knew (and adore!) joined the crew, and I now get to see 3 days a week! I also was able to hire two great guys who have worked for me before to come join me here (and hopefully will be adding a few more to that mix as our hours of operation expand from “normal” to a 24 x 7 environment) and I can say for the 1st time in a very very long time I feel like I’m in the right place. I just wish I could add a few more to the mix (although I am VERY happy they are happy where they are, I wish we were all together again!)

The shoulder thing is an old injury returning to haunt me. 100 years ago, I was in a car accident and banged the shoulder up enough to require surgery. I guess the warranty ran out since I messed it up a month or so ago, and some cortisone treatments, XRays and MRIs later, the decision to fix it surgically has been made. I’m in a complete state of denial about my post-op knitting down time, and refuse to even think about it right now. I could have had the surgery a few days after my MRI results but needed to push it out for various reasons, and while I have been doing pretty well managing my pain, I’m almost sorry I delayed it. Ah well, May 8th isn’t THAT far off…

That’s not to say I haven’t been knitting - I have been. I have a bunch more repeats done on Hypotenuse, and the long lost socks are sorta close to being a complete pair. Pi has finally progressed further than round 5 (which was knit and ripped and knit and ripped and oh yea, knit and ripped more times than I care to discuss thankyouverymuch). I think I’m on round 12 or 13 now. Pictures of all the WIPs will be posted tomorrow, along with a few shots of the small fiber festival I went to last weekend (with Mary & Rebecca) and some yarn pr0n too…

The socks have kind of been a needle in my side - I LOVE toe up for the custom fit (Thanks Cristi!!), but they kind of forced me into a short row heel. The 1st sock isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen but it certainly isn’t the prettiest either. I got the point of being ready for the 2nd heel, and put the sock down and picked up some waste yarn. I played with a few versions of a SRH, and think I have found one that will work for me. We’ll see how it goes on Trekking and size 2s vs. worsted scrap yarn on 8s…

I really need to finish those socks up too, because I can’t let myself start my next pair with these still on the needles. I have SO much sock yarn in queue, waiting patiently, but I got a gift a few weeks ago (which is on my list of pr0n to share) that has been calling to me since it landed in my hands. In fact, I think I will go see about getting that heel done before I go to sleep.

More tomorrow (no really!)

Off to work, then a Purls gathering, then home - and if it isn’t too late, a real post tonight!

I know I’m cheesing out with another MeMe thingy, but this one is sorta accurate I think…

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow. You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can’t stand stagnation. At work, you stay motivated and happy… as long as you are working toward a dream you support. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher. How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful When other people don’t get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What’s Your Personality Type?

A huge thank you to JP - not only for being a general all around super nice guy, but for giving me an easy entry back into blogging after an unplanned almost month long absence. Lots of things happening around here - started the new job, kind of broke myself a little bit (I’m ok, more on that during the week), and in general been really busy. I’ve been meaning to post, but it seemed to keep slipping back on the to-do list, and then tonight I read JP’s post and thought it would be a nice segue from no posts to post…

So, here it is! I will be back tomorrow night with some updates, a few pictures form a small fiber fest I went to over the weekend (there may have been a small purchase involved), and misc other stuff.

The gist is you bold everything you’ve already done… I’m not a tagger - if you wanna play along, feel free! Drop me a comment and let me know you did so I can come read your list!

Life’s To Do List

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (and dated for a while)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends (had? still have!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (does sitting in the flight deck count?)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

I’d like to preface this post by saying that this may very well come across as a spoiled brat type of posting. I can accept that, I suppose, but I will challenge it by asking this - since I have only been exposed to mail delivery in one way for many many years, does it really qualify as spoiled to be disappointed in the new (less efficient!) way? I will also say now there will be a picture of my March Rockin’ Socks Club March colorway, so if you don’t want to see it, run away now.

I guess I should explain myself. I grew up on Long Island, in NY. My mail was always delivered to the mailbox that was at the front door - attached to our house. If something didn’t fit in the mailbox, it was left between the screen door and the front door, or a note was left that the package was left with a neighbor, or could be picked up at the post office. (I’m not even discussing the speed at which said mail is delivered - that’s a completely different rant.) When we moved here about 18 months ago, I had my eyes opened to another version of mail delivery - the kind where no matter what size the mail is, it will be shoved by any means necessary into a finite sized box at my curbside. This means if the item is too large and the mailbox doesn’t stay closed, and it’s raining, oh well, looks like everything is getting wet! It also means if you have items that are sent in a hard cardboard protective folder to prevent bending, but the item is jammed into a box with eleventy hundred other things, your “please don’t bend” items are getting bent. I understand the mail carriers here don’t get out of the trucks to deliver the mail, and that is why the mail is curbside. I can’t understand why they think it is ok to cram things in! I can’t tell you how many magazines are destroyed because pages are shred apart. How many of my RSC patterns/pictures have been creased and mutilated - not because the BMFA folks packaged it poorly, but because my mail person(s) have no qualms about bending something that is obviously resisting said bending.

Anyway, in spite of my mail persons best efforts, I received some goodies in the mail yesterday! Once again, my RSC pattern was bent and creased, but my March yarn survived.

I’m not sold so much on the colors (although i think they are prettier in person then shown here, click to see bigger) for me, but I do know someone who would probably love them… The pattern this month is gorgeous though and even if it isn’t in this colorway, I will be knitting up a pair (at least). You’ll have to forgive the lack of image for the pattern, I’m sure you can find it on Ravelry since mine is all crinkly.

I also got some other stuff in the mail that faired better than the pattern did. Thanks to Sheepishone (ravelry link here) I scored some sKnitches Syncopation Self-Striping in the “Serioulsy?” colorway (say that 3 times fast!). I love the description of this yarn - click to see bigger and you’ll see how accurate it is!

blue scrubs, lab coat, Meredith’s grey, anatomy red

It was my 1st purchase from sKNITches, and it was fast, friendly, and won’t be my last! I have NO Idea what pattern I will work this up in, but they will become my Thursday night Grey’s socks no doubt.

Speaking of socks, it seems like forever ago I took a class with Cristi on toe up socks. I learned a lot, but never actually made a grown up pair. (I made a practice pair of baby sized toe ups right after the class to embed what I had learned). I had started a toe in some pretty Trekking, and somehow lost track of it until a few days ago.

I picked them up, knit away on the foot for a bit, and I am almost ready to think about what I might want to do on the leg.

Those increases look pretty severe, but the sock fits so nicely on my foot - weird since my foot shape is nothing like that, but I’m not worrying about it. I just hope I can remember what I did on sock one when the time comes to work on sock two - a problem I wouldn’t have had I used a 2 at a time method. Maybe the next pair…

I’m also still slowly but surely plugging away on Hypotenuse. 2 full repeats down, 14 to go (as of this posting, not as of that picture - it was still shy a few rows of a repeat there)! It’s great TV knitting, and I love the way the alpaca silk feels.

Pi is still in progress, but I have a boo boo to fix (yes, another one. I was cocky and was knitting on it at the Charlotte Purls meeting on Saturday, sitting outside int he gorgeous sunny day chatting with Aimee and Monica (blogless), and I was humbled. I will fix it, just not yet.

There was one other thing besides the bills and a ruined magazine in my mail box yesterday - a set of Pattern Tamers! I’ve been wanting a set of these for awhile, and when Scout got them back in stock, I knew I found the perfect way to spend the balance on my gift certificate - I ordered a set in the rulers ribbon, and I love them! (as an aside, if you click the pic for the full size, you can see the taco salad recipe we use. We substitute ground turkey for the beef, and I use a lot of salsa as a condiment with it, but otherwise, it really is THAT easy.)

My mini vacation days are whooshing by, mainly because I’ve been trying to get some much done (I have to run out in a few to do some more too). Tomorrow we go to the accountant for taxes (joy. We usually do our own thankyouturbotax, but with closing on the house in October and all, we want to make sure we are covering our butts.) and I have one of two plans for dinner (still trying to confirm one so I can either postpone the other or confirm that, if that makes any sense at all) and then Friday - I AM DOING NOTHING. NOTHING!! No really, I am going no where, I am seeing no one. I am sleeping late (for me, 7 is late, but I will take it) No laundry, no errands, no responsibilities AT ALL (except letting the tile guys in to fix the grout that cracked some as the house is settling). I plan to shower only to put new PJs on, and really just be a lump, knitting and catching up on the shows I planned to catch up on already by now.

Because I was reminded I hadn’t posted an update lately on my girl, I thought I would share this pic snapped yesterday morning - complete with evidence of her Carolina clay stained feet. She was following the sun around the house, napping in it most of the day.

She is still having her issues walking, sitting and standing for any real length of time, but she is still as happy and loving as always. We give her Omega supplements, and I bought an entire closeout of her favorite treats (click on agile for details) for hip and joint health (ask Aimee - she was with me when I bought all 18 bags! REALLY. Trinity loves them, they are good for her, and they were being discontinued at the store I bought them from - what would you have done?)

I have to get out and drop off my paperwork to the new job, and a few other errands, and if this headache goes away, I will head down to BAM for knitting tonight (could be my last Wednesday night for a bit so I am going to do my best to be there). Happy Wednesday!