A Fitting End to a Crappy Year

So in a very fitting end to what has been a very crappy year I have caught the cold from hell. I have spent the last three days sleeping like it is going out of style. I am so glad that I have a four day weekend or else I would feel very cheated. To top that off my laptop died yesterday. Well that is not exactly true, something happened to the port where the power supply plugs into so it only runs on the battery and will not charge at all. So now I am using my hubby's laptop which is nice but it is not MY laptop. I do not have my files or bookmarks and it is really bugging me. Hubby says it can take up to a week to get mine fixed so I guess I better get used to this.

So not having my laptop means that I have no pictures for you. I could use my camera phone but I am to lazy to figure it out since I have never used it. As far as knitting is concerned there has not been much progress, especially since I have been sleeping for 3 days. I did not finish my Icarus in time for Christmas Even church services which is ok since we were running late (as usual) and did not make it to my dad's in time for church. I decided that I wanted it to be correct instead of finished so I ripped back to the start of chart 2. I was about halfway through chart 3 but I just knew it was wrong. Of course I kept knitting away in denial telling myself that it was fine. Soon though I could no longer kid myself so I ripped away. At least I was smart and put a lifeline in or I would have been really screwed.

At knit night last Wednesday I started two projects that did not work out. I started a Calorimetry and my Fake-A-Gamo bag but I needed smaller needles to work out with my yarns. I need a US5 for my bag and I only have a pair of crappy metal ones so I need to buy some wooden needles that I will actually want to use. The Calorimetry has been restarted on US6 which should work but I will need to check my gauge to be sure that it is big enough for my large noggin.

I guess that is it for now. Next up, my annual list of To-Do's and To-Do-Not's for 2008. Goodbye 2007, don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out! Until next time ....

Random Musings

1) We are getting new tile at the office tomorrow night. We all had to move to the back of the office which is pretty much unoccupied. Moving 4 years of accumilated crap is not fun - it took me over 2 hours.

2) Other than the fact that it is freezing back there I am loving where I am sitting until Monday afternoon. I am alone in an office where no one bothers me. I can actually get my work done and have the added benefit of not having to listen to the office biddies bitching.

3) I am feeling very ho-hum about the holidays this year. I think part of the problem is that I was hoping to be pregnant by Christmas and I am not. I took the easy way out and bought everyone except my youngest niece gift cards. I felt guilty about it but I read Amanda's entry and realized that gift cards are still a gift and my way of showing I love my family.

4) I only have 10 days to finish the knitting on my Icarus and it is going to be tight. I just started chart 2 so I am hoping things will be ok. However, I am having a hard time remembering the pattern repeat so I have to keep refering to the chart which is slowing me down.

I guess that is all for now. Until later ....

Where did 4 days go to?

Where did the last 4 days go? I feel like my holiday weekend just started and it is already time to go back to work. I hate that I feel like I did not accomplish anything except for being really lazy. I have knit and ripped back on my shawl twice now and it is not any further along than it was last Tuesday night. I am really starting to get worried that I am not going to make my self imposed Christmas Eve deadline. Of course it I got off the computer and knit for awhile that may help! Until next time ....

When bad things happen to good lace

So I had wonderful intentions of showing you the progress on my Icarus. I had made it through the first repeat of Chart 1 and was so proud of myself. Well as the saying goes pride goeth before the fall. Yesterday afternoon I was knitting away when I realized that I was two stitches short. No problem, I entered a lifeline and had only knitted about 4 rows since it was entered. However, I must have missed some stitches when I put the lifeline in. So I go back to my knitting and suddenly I am 5 stitches short. WTF?? So I tried to fix the problem and thought I did - no dice because my motifs were shifted to the left. So I ripped the ENTIRE thing out. I tried to start again last night but I could not make the stitch count work correctly. So I have learned a major lesson through all this - do NOT knit lace (especially your first lace project) when you are sick.

So next entry I hope to have some progress to show you on the Icarus. I will also reveal to you what I plan to do to make sure this blog is updated more often. Until next time ....

Hello fall - are you out there?

I love fall. It is quickly becoming my favorite season. Now that it is October I want to be bundled up at football games, eating cider and donuts at a cider mill and pulling out my sweaters. However, none of these things can happen because of this.


Seriously, 85 degrees in Michigan - in October! WTF is up with that? Now I like warm weather as much as the next girl but this is to much. I just hope that at the end of the month it is not 25 degrees and snowing out.

Even with this crazy weather I have been knitting. I made some pretty good progress on my sock Sunday. My bud Christine and I hung out at the 'Bou by our houses and knit for a few hours. This was a perfect kick off for Socktoberfest. If I can keep this pace up I may come close to completing the pair before the end of the month.


I have also been progressing on my Icarus. I am about a quarter of the way through the first chart. I am still hoping to be able to wear this to church on Christmas Eve. We will see how that goes. Until next time ....

My new love and I quit

So yesterday I went to the Sheep & Wool Festival at Mount Bruce Station with my buddy Amanda. While there I met the new love of my life.


Isn't it beautiful? It is 55% angora/45% merino and is called Orchid Mist. I keep petting it because it is the softest thing I have ever felt. Now I need to practice my spinning so I do not mess this beautiful roving up!



So I feel like a horrible person but I have given up on the scarf for the Red Scarf Project. I HATE the Vanna's Choice yarn! So much so I will be returning the unused ball to Michael's. It knits up very stiff and is splits like hell! I know myself well enough to know that I will not finish the scarf by the deadline so I quit. Maybe next year I will be able to get my butt in gear sooner so I can donate something to this very wonderful project.

Starting tomorrow Lolly brings us her annual ode to socks - Socktoberfest. I am still plugging away on my first sock using the Yarn Harlot's basic recipe. I have finished the ribbing for the cuff and started the stockinette foot portion. I hope to have the first sock finished before the end of the month.

I have also decided that I need to get working on my Icarus shawl. I really want to wear this to church on Christmas Eve so I need to get going on it. I do not know if it will be done by that deadline but I am going to try. Until next time ....