Baby Shower Selections

I've finally made my "official" baby shower selections. I had been going back and forth between a few options, but I was forced to buckle down and make a decision. After all, the shower is on January 10th. I chose the Lace Panelled Baby Blanket ("Panelled" looked kind of weird to me, so I looked it up. Apparently panelled is the British spelling of paneled.) and a simple raglan baby cardigan for which I cannot provide a link since it's only available on Ravelry. Kai is taking me to AC Moore today to buy the necessary yarn (and possibly a long circular needle). I haven't done anything "baby" for a while, so I'm kind of excited. I'm lucky enough to know the sex of the baby, so my color selection won't be limited (It's a boy.) The blanket pattern I chose is a bit lacy, but I intend to add a masculine border. I need something that will keep my interest.

In other news, I completed all of Bristow's pieces. I was going to block them on Sunday, but my apartment lost heat last week and plunged into the 40's. Needless to say, I wasn't keen on playing with water. The heat has since been fixed, so I'm thinking the blessed event will take place this coming weekend. I also started the Chevron Lace Cardigan. I'll spare you the gruesome details and just tell you that it is nearing completion. It's about waist length now with cap sleeves. I'd like it to be hip length with 3/4 sleeves, but that's just wishful thinking. I probably won't have enough yarn for the sleeves.

Ebay has become my friend over the past week or so. I've been scouring the auction giant for cheap buttons. I can't bring myself to spend $4-$8 on a card of buttons. Due to my amazing bidding prowess, I am now the proud owner of 3 lbs of "decorative" buttons and 200 Waterbury metal buttons. (Decorative - That's what the seller called them. I'll call them a smattering of different shaped, sized, and colored buttons.) I also won 3 lots of 50 buttons each. (They're baby buttons.) And I'm bidding on about 5 more 50 button lots of baby buttons. (Buttons, buttons, buttons.) When all is said and done, I'll be set for life! All I need now is a big jar. The buttons are currently residing in a mini cooler, 'cause that's how I roll.

In my queue I have a hat and a pair of gloves that need to be completed by Christmas day. I also have a dishcloth that I'd like to make, but we'll see. I'll probably start the baby stuff this week (maybe tonight!), because I can't stay focused. Oh, and I need to find pretty boxes and wrapping paper for all of this stuff. I think I might end up wrapping at my parents' house...if my mom lets me.

Destruction and Doom

Yesterday I came home to a dismal scene. Every morning when Kai and I leave for work, Kai puts Xerxes in his kennel so that he doesn't destroy the apartment while we're away. I walk outside while Kai does this because I can't bear to hear him cry. Yesterday evening, upon arriving home from work, I found Xerxes LOOSE. Somehow he had gotten out of his kennel and managed to shred everything within reach in the kitchen and living room. He had my knives, Kai's birthday cards, our pens and pencils, etc. Worst of all, however, was that he had gnawed on my beautiful digital camera. The "shield" covering the battery and memory card was gone (Xerxes probably ingested it.), and the LCD screen was covered with dried slobber. I tried turning it on to see if it still worked, and to my surprise, it seemed to be functioning properly. I'm not sure how long it'll last, but at least I won't have to run out this instant and spend $200 on a camera.

Among the things that Xerxes destroyed was a can of cheeze whiz. He ate the whole thing. All of the cheeze whiz, that is. Thankfully, he left the can. Last night we had a training class, so Xerxes spent the majority of class embarrassing me with his farts. When he wasn't farting, he was peeing all over the trainer's carpet. He even lifted his leg and peed on the trainer's "tunnel." (It's some kind of tunnel thing that the dogs army crawl through.) You know your night is shot to hell when you have to pick up your dog and clamp his wiener shut with your hand. About an hour into the class, Xerxes decided he was done. The trainer has been trying to teach us how to make our dogs lay down, and I must admit that I haven't been practicing that particular command with Xerxes. I have my reasons. One - I don't care if he lays down on command. And two - he is incredibly stubborn when it comes to laying down, and I just don't have the energy to keep pushing him down. Because Xerxes refused to lay down, both the trainer and I had to keep correcting him with the "choke collar." Xerxes got really upset about the constant correcting and stopped paying attention. He just stood by the door with sad eyes that said, "Please let me out. I want to go home." When I didn't let him leave, he ran and hid underneath Kai's chair. That broke my heart. I let Xerxes sit out for the rest of the class, but stayed to watch so I could practice the new stuff with him at home.

Next week we have our last class, and I'm kind of scared to go. I don't want him to be scared. :(

I have good news, though. I am officially halfway through my sentence at The Landings at Pine Lake. I've got my fingers crossed, and I hope we make it to May without being kicked out. I'm not sure when I should start looking for a house to rent. Maybe March? I don't want to wait too long. The last thing I need is an extra month at The Landings.

Finally

I am writing a new post. Finally. I've completed many projects since I last blogged. Along with various cloths and one towel, I finished a Shell Stitch Scarf


A Turtle Tracks Cowl

(This is my favorite. I'm thinking about making another for myself since I gave this one to my sister, Rae.)

And a Swirling Petals Cowl (No link - search for it on Ravelry if you're interested!)


I am very much in a cowl knitting mood, and I've started yet another, The Burnished Leaves Cowl. (Once again, this is only available on Ravelry.) I'm doing it in a bright blue merino and acrylic blend. I bought two skeins of this yarn (Caron Country to be exact), as I'm hoping to get a pair of fingerless gloves out of it as well. In addition to the cowl, I have a Houndstooth Scarf on the needles. I was hoping this scarf would be a quick knit, but unfortunately I discovered that Caron Simply Soft and bamboo needles do not mix well. I'm considering ripping out my progress and starting over with metal circulars, but I haven't quite committed yet. Woe is me.

Aside from the knitting storm, nothing worth reporting has taken place in my neck of the woods. I took a mini-vacay this weekend, so I have a little extra time to relax and catch up on my Christmas projects. Let's see how many FO's I can turn out this weekend!

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I promise to write an update this weekend, complete with pictures. I apologize for my laziness.

Love,
Meghan

Palindrome

Here's my new "at work" project: Palindrome. It's a reversible cabled scarf. I'm making it in dark green for Kai's grandfather. This scarf will probably take more than a month of "at work" knitting to complete. But, I won't have to worry about bringing a new project every week.

I finished two more dishcloths, the Christmas Snowflake Dishcloth and the Christmas Scene Dishcloth. I'll be posting photos of these in my Ravelry account this weekend. My computer is still on the fritz, so no pictures here!

Yesterday I went back to AC Moore (poor Kai) to get MORE cotton yarn and needles. I stupidly bought one ball of each color last time, without realizing that I might need a bit more than one ball to make a towel/cloth set. Anyway, I think the situation is under control now, and I should be able to make everything with the supplies I have.

Today is Kai's birthday! Woo hoo. I'm ready for the food fest. Tonight we'll be having pizza and stromboli, and tomorrow we'll be having a 3 footer (Italian, of course - because that's what Kai likes.) from Shoprite. I'm looking forward to taking the dogs to my parents' yard. I don't think my mom feels the same way, though. I hope she realizes that I'm bringing them. I even bought Xerxes a manly diaper for the occasion. (I found asking a Petsmart employee for a peeband very awkward for some reason.) I plan on lining it with maxi pads. He's going to look so freakin' adorable!

My Computer Has The Flu...

Something very unfortunate has happened in my neck of the woods. My home computer has the flu. She started showing symptoms last week and has steadily degraded ever since. At this point she is unresponsive and in desperate need of technical attention. Due to this sad circumstance, my posting on this blog will become much more erratic than it already is. I hope that someday soon, my poor computer will once again frolic happily through the internets.

As a quick update, I'd like to announce the completion of yet another dishcloth. The Lattice Hearts Dishcloth is now happily tucked away in the Christmas presents box. I can't show you a picture because ::sniff sniff:: well, you know. I did post it on my Flickr, so if you REALLY want to see it, click on my Flickr badge. I've started a couple more dishcloths (I'm on a roll!) including my new "at work" project, the Christmas Scene Dishcloth.

My poor, poor Darby has an ear infection. Well, it's a yeast infection to be exact, but it's in her ear, which makes it sound a bit more palatable. (Yes, I said palatable.) She's been exhibiting symptoms for a while now, but I thought I'd be able to clear it up with some over the counter products. (Don't worry, I've had PLENTY of experience with doggie yeast infections. My parents' dog gets them often.) Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and last night the two of us (Well, actually the four of us since Kai had to drive me, and Xerxes can't be left alone.) made a trip to the vet. After a quick look and swipe, the vet handed over some medicine and charged me $118.50. Yes, you read that right. $118.50. It made me cry a little. Darby now takes ear drops 2 times a day. She finds the process annoying, and Xerxes finds it downright terrifying. He pees a little when he sees her getting "medicated." What can I say? He's nuts.

I don't think I'll be getting too much knitting done this weekend due to it being Kai's birthday weekend. We have lots planned. We'll be going to his parents' house on Friday (Robert is coming to babysit-yay!) and my parents' house on Saturday. I feel a little unprepared since I haven't wrapped anything. His gifts are scattered across South Jersey due to my ::tear:: computer problem. (I had other people order them.) Oh, and I have a ton of house cleaning to do on Saturday. Ugh.

Dishcloth(s)!

I have a new obsession: dishcloths. There's something about instant gratification that I can't resist. Last night I finished the Little Garden Girl Dishcloth. I started it at work last Wednesday (Yes, I kept my word about getting some knitting done during my lunch break.), but I couldn't bring myself to leave it there over the weekend. Here it is:


I have another dishcloth in progress, the Baked With Love Dishcloth. I started it last Thursday night while I was forced to stay in the living room. Usually I knit upstairs, where I have more room, but Kai was very sick and needed the bedroom. I'm knitting this dishcloth with size 2 needles, and I already regret it. I really wanted the picture to pop, which it is, but the struggle isn't worth it. I bought some size 4 needles last night that I'm going to use for the rest of the dishcloths that I make. The size 4 needles should make the stitches tight enough without adding unnecessary (and time consuming) strain on my hands and wrists.

Last night I went on a mini cotton yarn shopping spree at AC Moore. I bought a ton of new colors. I'm really looking forward to getting a bunch of dishcloths done quick, because I'll feel like a good chunk of the Christmas knitting is finished. The cardigans are really wearing on me. I'll do a couple rows on Bristow, and then abandon it for something smaller. I haven't even started my grandmother's cardigan. I wonder if starting hers will renew my interest in Bristow...

In other news, I'm torn about the impending baby shower item I'm going to make. I kind of want to make baby washcloths now. I found a ton of cute patterns on Ravelry that would look great in a set. Maybe, if I pace myself, I can make a cardigan AND the washcloths.

Bristow: Revisited

Sunday, 10/25/09, marked the resurrection of the Bristow Cardigan. I finished Rae's scarf Sunday afternoon and found myself ready to return to the poor, neglected cardigan. There's not much left to do. I just have to finish up the right sleeve, sew the pieces together, and add the button bands.

Since I've been going days without touching a knitting needle, I've fallen behind. I still have two more cardigans, dishtowels, dishcloths, a scarf, and various other crap I haven't yet invented to finish. Ugh.

One very lazy day I attempted to start the Chevron Lace Cardigan. I crashed and burned. I did two rows and discovered my stitch count was off. After spending about 30 minutes adding, subtracting, and multiplying (and maybe a little double integrating, if you catch my drift), I decided to put the yarn away. I think this project will require a tad more concentration than can be afforded whilst watching TV. One day soon I'll sit down without the TV blaring and work out the kinks. (I like to do everything in front of the TV. I think that just means I need double entertainment.)

I should probably start taking some of the small projects to work. I could knock out a couple of inches during my lunch break. However, I'm terrified that I'll make a mistake and not have enough time to fix it before my break is over. Plus, what if I accidentally break my needles in transport? Sigh. I suppose I'm being a bit irrational. Alright. It's settled. I'll bring the needed supplies tomorrow. It'll give me an "excuse" to work on two things at once. I think I'll start with the really cute Garden Girl Dishcloth. I really wanted to make it in pink, but I'll have to settle for purple. The store didn't have any pink cotton yarn. That reminds me...I need to get more cotton yarn.

Checkin' In

There's not much to report around these parts. I've just been doing the whole "work" thing. I have yet to pick up the Bristow Cardigan. Instead, I decided to finish up one of my WIPs. I started working on a scarf for my sister way back when. I never finished it (obviously), and I thought it would be fun to finish it up and ship it to her dorm room without her knowledge. It's pretty sad that I've been working on it all week and haven't finished. It's a basic knit stitch scarf! I'll probably finish it today and ship it out on Monday.

In other news, my computer has some sort of virus spyware thingy. I keep getting random popups propositioning me to meet new singles in my area. They're even complete with pictures of potential partners! I told Kai the computer has a virus, but I'm waiting for him to confront me about these "websites" I've been visiting. In a frenzy to safeguard all of my pictures from impending virus doom, I opened a Snapfish account. In doing so, I got 50 free prints, which was nice.

Both of the dogs are still kicking. The had mani-pedis at Petsmart on Wednesday. I splurged and went for the $11 nail grinding over the $9 clipping. Usually I'm very disappointed with Petsmart's services, so I decided to try a different one before writing them off all together. At the previous Petsmart, they'd only clip off a tiny bit. I understand they don't want to hurt the dog, but come on! In a week the nails would be right back where they were before the clipping! The groomer at the new Petsmart did a very nice job. He took off a decent amount AND he threw in a free ear cleaning. I will be requesting his services next time I'm in need of nail grinding.

On Thursday, the same day that I had to walk home from the train station (and was consequently in a very bad mood), I found that Darby had emptied my bookcase during my absence. Among the things that were totally destroyed, I found my photo album and GPS. The photo album can be replaced. The GPS, not so much. Let's just say it was a very bad day.

Darby's housebreaking seems to have gone out the window. Yesterday, after pooping and peeing outside 15 minutes before, she dropped a load in the living room. Then, 30 minutes after dropping the load in the living room, she dropped another load AND peed 2 times! All three poops were rather large, and I cannot for the life of me understand how she can possibly store that much poop in her intestines. FRUSTRATING.

There are some good times, though. Here's Xerxes:

He fell asleep with his but in the air.

And then there's Darby:

who is adamant about walking on the furniture, regardless of orientation.

They've gotten very cuddly with each other, and I managed to snap these pictures of the two of them cuddling with each other at bedtime.

If only every day had less destruction and more cuteness...

A Finished Object!

I finished Kai's Balaclava today! Here it is:

I plan to take a better "action" shot when Kai comes home from watching the ever so mesmerizing football game. This project came close to death plenty of times during its creation. I dropped a couple stitches here and there, miscounted, got distracted, you know the deal. But, when all was said and done, we had both made it through alive.

I've decided that I don't like knitting with bamboo double pointed needles. There was absolutely no "slide" to the yarn while it was on the bamboo needles. Now, I suppose a little friction isn't a bad thing with working with double pointed needles, but when it feels like the yarn is cemented down, frustration ensues.

I am now at that pivotal point where I have to decided whether I want to move on to something new, or finish up the Bristow Cardigan. I'm leaning more towards something new. The Bristow Cardigan still bores me, and I have a couple months to finish it. Perhaps I should work on some dishcloths, or the Chevron Lace Cardigan, or ...?

Kai's Balaclava

So, as I've mentioned before, I've been working on a Balaclava for Kai's birthday. Progress has been slow due to an unfortunate bout of laziness. His birthday is November 6th, so I'm pretty sure I'll get it done. Here's how far I've gotten:


This exercise in Balaclava making has been good practice for knitting socks. I'm hoping to be a double pointed pro by the time the hat is complete.

I'm going to try to stay focused today and work only on the Balaclava and the Bristow Cardigan. The washcloths have been calling me.

First Day of Training!

Yesterday was Xerxes' first training class. I must preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about proper dog training. All of the dogs I've come into contact with (up until now) have been decently behaved. There's the occasional trash picker, or counter swiper, or couch surfing dog, but in my opinion, these behaviors are minor compared to the terror that is Xerxes.

The night started off rather frustratingly. The class was scheduled for 8:00 pm (ugh!) in Mantua, which is about 25 minutes away from my apartment according to MapQuest. Because it was dark out, and the roads we needed to take were a bit unfamiliar to us, I decided we should leave at 7:15. At said departure time, we loaded up the car and hit the road with printed directions in hand and the school's telephone number in case of emergency. All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS we brought along the number. After driving up and down Chews Landing, we came to the conclusion that the next road we needed to take, Barnsboro-Blackwood Road, did (and still does) not exist. At this point it was 7:50, so I called the trainer and told him we were having a hard time finding his place. He, using the fastest speech I've ever heard come out of a man's mouth, gave me back road directions that included about 500 twists and turns. It's a miracle I was able to follow what he was saying, let alone arrive at the school. By the time we arrived, it was 8:30.

We sat through about 2 hours of lecturing. I felt like I was back in college. He even gave us clipboards with paper to take notes! He told us everything there is to know about dogs. There's too much to list here, so I'll spare you the synopsis. The trainer, Steve, introduced German commands to us. He said that using English is a bad idea, because you don't want just anyone to tell your dog what to do. You should use distinct words for obedience. We learned "nein," which means "no," and "ya so braf hund," which means " you are a brave hound." As you can imagine, I felt pretty silly yelling NEIN, and then praising Xerxes with ya so braf hund. I sounded like an angry German woman. I'm pretty sure that listening to me yell these little tidbits will be very entertaining to my friends and family.

When we finally got to the training part, he taught everyone how to use "training collars" (commonly known as "choke collars," though we weren't allowed to call them that), which we practiced on his arm. Using those things properly is harder than it looks! During the course of the training collar demonstration, the trainer used me as an example. (Uncomfortable!) I had to practice on him while everyone watched! I found it incredibly hard to concentrate because Xerxes howled the whole time I was separated from him.

After learning how to properly use the "training collars," we moved on to our first task: training our dogs to not eat pizza that's put right in front of their face. Xerxes, in all his glory, decided to be a dunce. It took a while to get his attention since he was more interested in the cat that was slinking around. Kai had to wave the pizza at him multiple times. Long story short: those "training collars" are mighty effective. After about 2 minutes, Xerxes was running away from the pizza. We also taught our dogs to not run outside when a door is opened, and how to walk on a leash without pulling. When all was said and done, we left at 12:00 am! That was a 3 and 1/2 hour class!

We are supposed to practice all of these things and have them mastered by our next class, October 27th. Our biggest challenge will be Darby. She doesn't have the behavioral issues that Xerxes is so lucky to possess, but they do feed off of one another, and I'm concerned that she will "untrain" him. Due to her delicate mental state, I'm positive this kind of training will do nothing but make her poop herself, so training them both at once with the same technique is out of the question. This should be interesting...

The Fight

Since Tuesday, I've been doing very little besides worrying about my apartment situation. I hinted in my previous post that I received an abusive, anonymous note from a neighbor regarding Xerxes' barking. This wasn't the first time. About a month and a half before, I received a handwritten letter from an unknown source stating that my dog barks all day long. The first note upset me very much, but I brushed it off and continued seeking treatment for Xerxes' separation anxiety. I saw a vet, put him on Prozac, and tried all kinds of training techniques. Up until now, I was fairly content believing that he only barks for a few minutes in the morning when we leave, and that he's quiet the rest of the day.

The second note put me over the edge. It was much worse than the first, completely condescending, abusive, judgemental, and above all GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT. Nothing bothers me more when someone mixes up their "there's." I'm not quite sure what was going through the writer's mind when he or she decided to attack me over something of which I may not have been aware. I was certainly not aware that he barks all day long when I am not there, because I AM NOT THERE. In fact, I'm not aware of anything he does while I'm at work. I am not sold on this barking all day long claim because 1) He's silent when we return after 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, etc. and 2) Anyone who willfully bashes another person without allowing that person to explain or defend themselves (or gather more information) is not someone to be trusted. Whatever the case, I cannot let this immaturity continue. I did something about it.

I called the office and explained the problem to them. I said that I had been receiving harassing anonymous notes and felt uncomfortable. I told them what I have been doing to solve the problem, including enrolling Xerxes in a $375 militaryish behavioral smackdown class (We start Tuesday Oct 13th!). The guy on the phone told me that anonymous notes are unacceptable and to please bring the note I had over to him so he could photocopy it. (I had thrown the first one out.) I complied and sweetly told him that we don't want to start trouble with any of our neighbors, and that their (the neighbor's) accurate and honest reports of Xerxes' noise-making would be incredibly beneficial to his training. He agreed with me that anonymous notes are no way to handle the situation, since such notes do not allow me to explain to the neighbor that I am not ignoring the problem.

I have to say that after reporting the notes, I feel a bit better. At least the office knows that I'm not some lazy a**hole who makes annoying their neighbors a top priority. They'll see me as a somewhat responsible person and not the "disrespectful" and "inconsiderate" person the neighbor will most surely portray. Furthermore, when it comes to the epic battle that will most likely ensue if Xerxes' training doesn't take, the other side will look very immature by comparison.

Alright, so, knitting. I haven't done anything to Mom's Bristow Cardigan. I'm really bad, I know. I just couldn't concentrate! I started the Balaclava for Kai this weekend. It's been an adventure. I fought viciously with the double pointed needles. I think I've got a laddering issue going on, but it probably won't be noticeable since the yarn is navy blue and the stitches are already big. (Note to self: when knitting socks, knit with 5 double pointed needles, not 4.) I would like to make some serious progress on the cardigan this week AND finish the Balaclava. We'll see. My furchildren may take up all of my knitting time.

Dear Condescending Neighbor

Dear Condescending Neighbor,
The anonymous notes that you leave on my door are neither helpful nor constructive. Your anonymity does not allow me to address the problem with you personally. But, you probably do not want to discuss the issue, because if you did (as any reasonable person would), you would have signed your note.

It is quite cowardly of you to continue to insult me and my intelligence behind the veil of typewritten letters. Yes, I realize my dog barks, as do most dogs with vocal cords. Yes, I am aware that I signed a lease stating that I would "be cognizant and respectful of the other people around" me. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe you signed the same lease I did. Your notes border on harassment. How respectful is that?

I do not need a lesson in apartment living from you. You can continually call me "disrespectful," "inconsiderate," and "a downright nuisance." Unfortunately for you, your insults fall on deaf ears, because as I see it, people who attack others through anonymous notes are cowards. Perhaps if you bothered to show your face, you would learn that I am quite respectful of my neighbors and am doing everything humanely possible to deal with my dog's separation anxiety. You suggested I leave "the premises." I guess you are unfamiliar with how leases work. Believe me, I would gladly leave this dump if management would release me from my lease.

I suppose I could try to seek you out. I could walk around knocking on doors, waving the letter in the face of whomever answers, asking if they wrote it. But you and I both know that won't work. You won't admit to writing it, because then you'd have to admit to acting immaturely. I think I will save my breath.

Alas, I will have to wait for you, the anonymous bully, to report me to management as you have threatened to do. Then we can duke it out face to face. I can't wait!


Until then and with much love,
Meghan


P.S. I am almost positive that the 5-6 minutes of barking doesn't stop my neighbors from "enjoy[ing] there (sic) morning routines."

Prozac

Well, it's official. A couple of days ago I decided to take Darby off Prozac. She went on it shortly after I adopted her, because she was so painfully timid that she couldn't function. Within three days of taking Prozac, Darby began to "socialize" with us. Over time her personality began to show, and she started eating and playing regularly. I didn't want her to stay on Prozac forever, which is why I've come to the decision to stop medicating her now. I think that at this point, she's the best she's ever going to be. She is still wary of strangers (which I don't particularly mind) and runs like the sky is falling whenever she hears a noise, but most of the time she acts like a normal dog. I think that from here on out, Xerxes is all the medicine she's ever going to need.

Xerxes is another story. He's still on the Prozac, and he's staying on it for a while. He hasn't mastered the art of juggling his bladder and emotions just yet, so he squirts quite frequently. In fact, he squirted on the couch last night while I was petting him. He also continues to get incredibly upset when I go to work. We now have to crate him in the bathroom, instead of letting him have free range of the bathroom, because he tore up the wall and door frame.

Do not, however, think for a second that Darby is without flaws. She decided to catch up on some after school reading yesterday while Kai and Xerxes picked me up from the train station.

She was so pleased with herself that her head began to recede into her neck.

I'll give her this, though. She is not nearly as destructive as her brother.

I can't post a picture of just one of them, because that would be unfair. Here's Xerxes looking innocent:

What a cute little boy!

Anyway, I haven't posted any Bristow Cardigan pictures lately. I took a picture of the completed left sleeve last night. Here it is:

I started the right sleeve last night, and I'm hoping to get pretty far on it this weekend. Fingers crossed! I'm nervous about doing the button band. I've never picked up stitches before. Yikes!

Knitting Socks

Recently, I've been experiencing an intense craving to knit socks. I usually spend my lunch break surfing the web, and a couple of weeks ago I found myself at Silver's Sock Class. A while back I bought some cheap sock yarn and size 2 double pointed needles. I never got to trying out socks partly because I had other projects lined up, and partly because I wasn't as "learned" about knitting back then. Anyway, I now want to knit socks. Lots of them. I even picked out some sock yarn from KnitPicks and put it on my Christmas list. Whether or not I get the yarn is a different story. I've never actually knit in the round before, but it can't be too hard, right? I have a hat (more like ski mask) pattern picked out to make Kai for his birthday, so I'm going to use that to practice knitting on double pointed needles. That pattern calls for size 7 and 8 double pointed needles, which are probably easier to learn on than size 2.

I wish I could knit on the train. Socks would be nice for train knitting. Unfortunately, I get car sick (train sick?) on the train if I don't face forward and stare out the front. I have a 30 minute commute to work, which gets INCREDIBLY boring. An mp3 player would help. In fact, I bought one just for the train, but I had to return it due to defectiveness. It took 13 hours to charge, and it would only play for an hour before it needed to be charged again! This is so going off topic...

As it stands now, I probably won't be able to attempt socks until all of the Christmas projects are done, the baby sweater is complete, and I've made a decent amount of items to put in my Etsy shop. I guesstimate February or March-ish. Ugh. Too long. I'm so impatient!

Getting Ahead of Myself, Again

Well folks, it looks like there's going to be another baby shower in my future. I secretly love making baby items because they equal instant gratification. I was my intention to start making items for my future Etsy shop after Christmas ends, but it seems like every time I think the obligatory knitting (which I love to do!) will be finished, something else comes up.

I think searching for the perfect pattern is half the fun. Today, during my lunch break, I hit up Ravelry full force in search of a baby sweater pattern appropriate for a male baby. I think I found "The Sweater," but since the baby shower isn't until next January (hence the "getting ahead of myself"), the possibility of me changing my mind is quite great. I have no baby yarn (at least I think I don't) in "male" colors, so I'm going to have to go yarn shopping (yay!) with money I don't have (aww). I think I'll opt for the Simply Soft yarn by Caron. That line usually comes in nice dark colors (Why does baby yarn have to be pastel?) while fulfilling the utmost requirement of all baby yarns: softness. And, of course, it's decently priced! I can't imagine that I'd have to use more than 2 skeins.

On an unrelated note, I discovered I am allergic to alpaca yarn. This is my completely unscientific opinion, though. I'm using this new found allergy as incentive to finish the three alpaca cardigans in queue. I'm a bit miffed by this discovery, as I would have liked to make myself an alpaca sweater. ::tear::

Pictures?

I realize I haven't been posting pictures of my knitting progress. A while back I mentioned that I finished the left front of the Bristow Cardigan, and since then I've finished the right front. I've been religiously updating my Facebook with WIP pictures, but for some reason, I've been unfair to my blog. Unfortunately, last Friday I went through all of my pictures and deleted everything I knew I wouldn't put in a tangible photo album. All of my WIP pictures went into the recycle bin. I never took a picture of the completed right front, mainly because I didn't bother blocking it. I've decided that I'm going to wait and block all of the remaining pieces (and reblock the ones I've already blocked) at once. That way I'll be able to see how everything fits together and make sure that the pieces are blocked evenly. Rest assured, I will photographically document this major blocking event.

I've made decent progress on the left sleeve. I'm past all of the increases and about an inch from starting to shape the sleeve cap. I'm getting close!

I thought I'd leave you with some silly pictures of my doggies, since they do, after all, take up 90% of my time:

Here's Darby after she "crashed and burned." She often falls asleep soon after she partakes in hardcore play sessions with Xerxes.

Here's Xerxes after same said hardcore play session. He likes to retire on the loveseat. It's much higher class.

As I've mentioned in former blog entries, Xerxes suffers from separation anxiety. In this picture he can be seen cuddling with my work sweater. My scent makes him happy.

Christmas Gift Progress (Or Lack Thereof)

I'm tantalizingly close to finishing the right front of the Bristow Cardigan. Unfortunately, I've come down with a cold, which is impeding my progress. My mother came over on Saturday for dinner, and I compared the back piece to her back. Alas, it appears the cardigan will be too small. I'm not losing hope just yet, though. I'm going to try some aggressive blocking first. There's no reason for the cardigan to be too small. I swatched and my gauge came out fine!

I haven't been putting pictures in my posts lately. This is due to laziness. I've been blogging at work during my lunch break, instead of at home where all of my pictures are. It's probably more important to post the finished product, so I don't feel too bad.

I've sort of had a change of heart regarding my grandmother's cardigan-to-be. At first I wanted to do the Stella Cardigan, but now I've committed myself to doing a double moss stitch cardigan with cabled edging. (The pattern is called "Cari / Palmikkoreunainen jakku" on Ravelry.) My grandmother is an extremely tiny woman, and I was scared she'd end up swimming in the finished Stella Cardigan. The new cardigan I picked comes in a smaller size, which I think I'll try. I pretty much HAVE to knit the new cardigan I picked since I just put in an order for the yarn. I had to buy new yarn since the yarn I originally bought is worsted weight, and this new cardigan calls for DK. I love the old yarn, so I think I'll use it when I make something for myself.

I'm starting to feel the crunch, even though it's still September. Perhaps this weekend I'll start working on some dish cloths, or that Reversible Cable Scarf that I've been eyeing up. I need something to break up the monotony of the Bristow Cardigan. It's a great pattern, but a girl needs variety!

In dog related news, I'm starting to lose patience with Xerxes' bladder. This weekend, when my mom came to visit, he acted atrociously. (And of course, all of this happened soon after I finished telling my mom that he's been such a good boy lately.) First, upon her arrival, he started hyperventilating due to the excitement. Ok. We can deal with that. A little quiet petting remedied that situation quickly. Then, as she was offering Darby a treat (Xerxes had already had his), Xerxes walked right over to my mom, lifted his leg, and PEED ON HER! I was mortified. After that fiasco (and a quick wardrobe change), Xerxes proceeded to grab my mother's leg and hump it while she was sitting on the couch. Xerxes is not a "humpy" dog. He humped Darby once when he first met her. After that, no humping. I don't know what got into him! When it was time to say our goodbyes, Xerxes became visibly upset. He stood in the doorway, put his ears and head down, hunched his back, made the most pathetic face, and emptied his entire bladder on the floor. Any emotion trumps bladder control when it comes to him. I love his puppy-ness, but sometimes I can't wait for him to grow up!

The Plan

I have a plan. Yup, I do. I've been biting my nails, cracking my knuckles, twisting my hair, and generally freaking out for the past 8 or so months. The reason? STUDENT DEBT. I think college is overrated. All during high school I received enormous amounts of pressure from my parents, teachers, and other outside sources about applying to colleges, what my major should be, and which college I should attend. With a newly minted high school diploma, I signed up for tons of loans that I was assured I'd be able to pay back when I got my inevitable "high paying job."

NEWS FLASH: It doesn't work that way. No one told me that upon graduation from college I'd have to spend months sending out resumes. No one told me that a 50k+ education would most likely net me a ~30k/yr job. No one mentioned that I'd have to seriously consider flipping burgers. No one warned me that the cost of a college education would soar, while employment compensation for recent graduates would halt or decline. No one was honest about the corruption that exists within the collegiate system.

So, here I am with all of this debt. It's not all bad, though. I was lucky enough to secure a decent paying job during bad economic times. It pays quite a bit more than 30k. However, the job wasn't handed to me. I spent the better part of 6 months consistently sending out applications and resumes. Every bit of free time I had was spent job hunting. I called, e-mailed, and inquired. I wrote countless cover letters. To assure you that I am not exaggerating, I lost count at about 500.

My plan is to put more than half of my income on my student loans. I've already worked out all of the bugs, and if I stick to my budget, I'll be out from under private debt in about 2 years. If I get a raise (please!), I'll be able cut down the time frame. I'll still have the government loans because I intend on consolidating and only paying the minimum monthly payment. But, the government offers a few attractive options (such as income based payment) that I plan on using. For two years I will have no life, but I think it'll be worth it.

As a word of caution to others (and I plan on preaching this to all that will listen), DO NOT GO TO COLLEGE UNLESS YOU CAN PAY FOR ALL OF IT UP FRONT. It's not worth it. There are tons of things that I'd like to do with my life, but I can't because of my student loans. I envy my friends that didn't get caught up in the whole "college thing." Their freedom makes me jealous. You'll hear people say, "well those without degrees make X amount of dollars less than their counterparts with degrees." I say to them, "is that before or after you figure in the $1100 monthly student loan payment?" Hm? Even if I managed to succeed with my 2 year plan, I'll still have a mountain of government loan debt that will forever affect my credit rating and eligibility to buy a house or car. I'll be paying these loans until I retire. If I even get to... ::stupid loan payments eating up all of my retirement contributions::

Possessing a bachelor's degree does not make you special. To stand out, you need at least a master's, and almost always a PhD. Nobody told me that when I was signing my life away. To those that managed to get through college without any debt, my hat is off to you. To those who haven't, good luck.



**And in case you were wondering, I have a BS in Mathematics. I majored in one of the "useful" disciplines as the call it. I'm not one of those kids complaining that their remote degree in folding paper planes or licking envelopes is getting them nowhere.

Success

I completed the left front of the Bristow Cardigan today. I had wanted to make some decent progress on the right front this weekend, but unfortunately I've been feeling a bit under the weather. I had a headache for most of yesterday, and that headache carried through to today. The headache is pretty much gone at this point, but I still feel kind of off. It's kind of like a slight motion sickness feeling.

I'm going to relax for the rest of the night, and possibly start the right front tomorrow. It would be nice if I could finish this cardigan by the time October rolls around, but I doubt I'll be able to. I have two more cardigans planned, although they are much less involved (I think). One is the Stella Cardigan listed on the Berroco website. I would like to make it for my grandmother, who is quite petite. Thus, alterations are in order. Mainly, I think I'm going to make the sleeves skinnier and taper them a bit at the ends. I'd like to add some ribbing to the edges of the sleeves and probably to the bottom of the body as well. I bought some beautiful dark red yarn from KnitPicks especially for this piece. It's Shine Worsted in Hollyberry.

The other cardigan I plan to make is the Chevron Lace Cardigan. I am making this for my boyfriend's mother. He told me she likes blue, so I bought some Andean Silk yarn from KnitPicks in Merlin. I am hoping (and crossing my fingers) that this cardigan goes fast. It looks like it'll be a lot quicker to complete than the knit cardigans. I'm particularly excited about buying the button for this cardigan. I have a secret button fetish, and the thought of being able to pick out a large fancy button makes me very happy.

Aside from the cardigans I have various scarves, hats, and dishcloths planned out for gifts. I might even throw a shrug in there if I have time. I'm also going to try my hand at charting Star Wars paraphernalia since Kai's brother is quite a Stars Wars fanatic.

So much to do so little time!

It's Been a While...

It's been a while since I've blogged. I think I'll blame it on being busy with work, a new puppy, and mounds of Christmas knitting. Below is a picture of my new puppy Xerxes (left) sleeping with his "sister" Darby. He's a boxer/lab mix, which I believe they call a boxador. He's quite a handful. He came to us with numerous problems including severe separation anxiety and infantile bladder control. We've been working with him slowly, and he was prescribed prozac a few weeks ago to help the process along. Darby is also on prozac, but for entirely different reasons. We believe she was abused, and as a result she would hide and/or freeze in fear when approached. It got to the point that she wouldn't eat, walk, or move. She was terrified of feet and doors. Whatever the case, both have made great progress with the help of prozac.




I finished the Boogie Vest I was blogging about earlier. My gracious boyfriend agreed to model the vest. To be honest, it looks a lot better on him than it does on me. It's a tad big when I wear it. I'm pleased with my first attempt at cabling.



Since I was successful in completing the Boogie Vest, I decided to move on to some complicated Christmas projects I had planned. I have begun knitting the Bristow Cardigan for my mother.



Here is the back piece being wet blocked (the wetness caused blotchiness that cleared up when dry). After looking at pictures of other peoples' Bristows blocking, I can see that I didn't stretch mine into the "correct" shape. The waist should be curvier, and it is, but I didn't stretch and pin mine at those parts. Oh well.


This is the beginning of the left front panel. Since this picture was taken, I've made more progress on this piece. The extra couple inches didn't warrant another photo session, so you're stuck looking at this. I omitted the eyelets that the pattern calls for on the sides of the cables per my mother's request.

That's all for now folks!

So I've just about finished the simple sweater vest I was working on. I'm not happy with the result. The vest is way too small, but really I can only blame myself since I didn't swatch. To my credit though, I think the size of the needle the pattern called for was mistyped.

I haven't seamed the sides, but I have seamed the shoulders. I'll seam it up one of these days after the disappointment wears off. In the meantime, I've started another sweater vest, but this time it's a cabled sweater vest (Boogie Vest from Knitty). I swatched (learned my lesson!), and I think this one is going to fit! At this point in time, I'm a third of the way up the back. To be honest, I'm trying to hurry through this because I recently received a shipment of yarn I ordered from Knitpicks, and I want to start working on all of the Christmas presents I have planned.

Here's a picture of my progress on the Boogie Vest:


I would like to alter the neckline so that it comes to a V instead of just being split. I'm a complete beginner though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to accomplish that. Oh well!

Current WIPs

I'm ashamed to admit that I have quite a few works in progress laying around. I'll list a few of them here.





This is my crochet ripple stitch baby blanket. The pink strip is complete, the white strip is a little more than halfway done. If I remember correctly (I haven't looked at the pattern in a while), I need ten strips to complete the blanket. I probably won't come back to this project until I hear someone is going to have a baby girl.




This is a plain knit scarf for my sister. I work on it in between more complicated projects when I feel like a little mindless knitting.




This is the incomplete back of my mother's single crochet sweater. It's going to be a basic long sleeved sweater when complete. I'm hoping to finish it before Christmas this year.






This is the very beginning of a crochet hooded baby sweater. I started it while I was on a baby clothes spree. Like the blanket, I probably won't return to this project until I hear news of a baby girl on the way.



This is a simple single and double crochet baby blanket. I started it for my cousin's baby, but was unable to finish it when my crochet hook went missing. I have since found the hook and plan to finish the blanket this year.




This is the beginning of what I've dubbed "My Vision." Hopefully, this will turn into a wearable empire waist top. This particular part is the section that will go across the chest. I plan on crocheting a flowing "skirt" of shells below this piece and adding some thick straps with black buttons.


And last but not least:




My first knit garment. This is the back of my simple sweater vest. I'm using this piece as practice for more involved knit garments that I plan to make for Christmas.




Here's a close up of the ribbing on the bottom.


Well, there you have it! These are the things I'm currently trying to complete.

Here Goes!

I have created this blog to document my progress on various knit and crochet projects. I am hoping that this blog will provide me with an organized, easily viewed archive of my triumphs and tribulations. I am planning to add my current WIPs very soon!