Greetings from Denver

hello from Denver! Apparently, its the mile high city, but it looks awfully flat to me and the mountains everyone keeps talking about have been ensconced in a weird fog/haze since I got here yesterday.
It seems like an okay place, however, but I am looking forward to a routine and my own bed again. Its been a rather hectic month or so.
After working today, we took an adventure over to the Cherry Creek area of Denver.
My knitting radar was on (or I checked google map before we went) and I found "Coppelia's & The Shivering Sheep" At this point their website is not fully functional, but will be soon. The woman who owned the store was great, and I'm forgetting her name. Either way, she was fun to talk to, examined my WIP I had with me (Jaywalkers, Lime and Violet yarn) and then had me write out the website that she could get the pattern from (www.magknits.com) and then also where she could get the yarn I was knitting with (www.limenviolet.com). It was pretty awesome, though when I used the word "Podcast", I realized our moment of bonding was short lived.
I left with more then I planned, but alas it was "vacation" yarn, further justified by the fact I'm on per diem at the moment.
The first hank was this crazy stuff from the Ozarks. Its really "rough" in terms of how it is produced. You can't buy yarn at Michaels that looks like this and the nice yarn shop owner told me that it was a trunk show, had just gotten there the day before and wouldn't be there for long. I was sold. What will I knit? no clue, but its pretty to look at.

And then, the kicker... a basket of tiny toes... and then , these two cakes already wound...and then the nice knitting store owner telling me all about.. Judy and how its a local dyer (Colorado Springs) and then telling me she would take a few bucks off of each cake since she had wound it for a class. Fine. Twist my arm. More sock yarn. Oops. I don't even know what colorway this is. No clue.
That's it for the moment. I have lots more to share, but frankly, I'm tired and know that I've been a bad blogger, but if you're at all clued into my "real" life you would understand.
In the meantime two more things in relation to some comments.
a) Sorry K. Frank, I could live in DC until I'm 85, I'll never be a skins fan. I am, a Pats girl and always will be.
b) alas, I am still awaiting my Ravelry (see last post) invite. According to the podcast world, the girl who started it has quit her job to do it full time. I wait with baited breath.

Possibly a bigger nerd?

Everyone in the knitting community it appears is talking about Ravelry. Its (from what I can tell) the myspace/facebook/friendster etc of the knitting/crochet/fiber/spinning world. Currently being in the beta phase, they're only having a limited amount of people join at a time and I'm..sigh. On the wait list. Which, wouldn't be so bad if the entire world wasn't blogging and pod casting about it. If there's one thing I can't stand its feeling like the little kid who isn't invited to the birthday party. Sigh. I'll let you know when I'm on, and if it lives up to the hype. By the looks of the screen shots (Yes, I spent 20 min looking at preview screen shots last night), it just might be fun.
In the meantime, I've cast on the second Jaywalker and still don't have a picture for you of the first. I'll try to get that up before I leave on my next set of adventures. The yarn colourway ended up being a bit more "girly" then my usual taste, but it worked really well with the pattern.
Next up, which may be worked in tandem is a pair or two of itty bitty socks. For a friends itty bitty person coming into the world soon. It seems that this spring/summer babies and wedding planning (not mine on either, whewwwww) are the hot topics. I think the itty bitty socks will be done on either the panda cotton or using Cascade fixation I picked up this weekend in a nice flame sort of colourway (though the woman at the store called it Redskins colours, yuck!) Neither are traditional baby colours which is good, as none of my friends currently expecting are really the "pink for girls, blue for boys" types.
More updates either tonight or tomorrow, I promise:)

A few points of note

hello hello!
This week I've had a few funny things happen in HR world that made me want to write them down. I wish I had. As I search my brain for what I was going to say, take a moment (even you non knitters) and read the Yarn Harlot's entry today. I was just laughing so hard, I had to hold my side.
Oh yes!
First. I love a good perfume or cologne. Long after a person has exited my memory, a whiff of their perfume will bring me right back to them. Chanel 5 will always be my Mom, while oddly enough Chanel Allure brings me right back to mid-college when I wore it. Anyway, what never fails to confuse me are the people that wear SO much of a scent that I can smell them before they even round the corner into my office. Yesterday, the peak of this was reached when I walked onto an elevator only to know that while I didn't see him or hear him anywhere, I could tell you who had been on this lift within the last 5 minutes. How do you tell someone you don't actually know more then to take a piece of paper from or hand a piece of paper to that you can recognize where they've been by their insane overuse of their cologne of choice? I can only imagine that he must own the body wash, deodorant, cologne and perhaps room freshener.

One more comment as your friendly HR girl. I know job postings can be scary. I know its my job to help you. I love helping. But, for the love of pete, please read what it says in the vacancy before you call me! I end up feeling bad saying to a person "Sure, you apply by sending your information to the address in the "How to Apply" section (typically people have the vacancy up on their computer when they call me, that's how they get my number). Most people don't hear the sarcasm in my voice when they follow with "Can I email it"? and I say "Sure, see where it says Email applications to:"?

And, no picture today, but for tomorrow... A FINISHED Jaywalker!!!!
Yay!

back...for a few days at least

I'm tired.
I'm traveling a lot
and more to come. A lot more to come.
But, its summer, this is what happens, right?
Before I forget, I just went to look at a pattern on Knitty and discovered the summer issue is up!!! Yay!!! www.knitty.com.
This weekend I was in NH for my sister's graduation from HS. Isn't she cute? She's going to UNH in the fall to study Marine Biology and she's pretty awesome.Traveling and not being the one driving (its been like Planes, Trains, Buses, shuttles and only sometimes automobiles lately) means good knitting time.
The jaywalkers are making progress. All reviews are correct. This pattern knits up super tight and snug. It fits me, but for anyone else, I'll def. have to knit the whole sock on size 2 or 3 dpns. I switched needles as I turned the heel, from 1's to 2's, but i don't think you can really tell.
And... I finished the super secret present in record time. Mkick had whipped up a circular needle holder per my request (or plea) and I thought it prudent to plan ahead and create something for her in exchange. One can never have too many bags and when she was given it yesterday, she spent a great deal of time thinking about what she'll put in it.
Pre felted and
Post Felted:

Packed again

And ready to go.
I never fully unpacked my suitcase if you want to know the truth.
My lizard is starting to think I don't live here anymore and is starting to enjoy not having a house-mate. Nice try, Sid.
Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Boston and NH. I'll be up there visiting some of my best friends and then going to little step-sister's high school graduation. It should be a whirl wind of a weekend and I'm sort of bracing in anticipation at this point.
Tonight, I have no picture for you, as my camera is in a bag packed to go and I don't feel like getting it out. I'm sorry. The Jaywalkers are making progress, but I still haven't turned the heel.
I've also cast on a secret project for a reader, so it will only be revealed after the recipient gets it.
And, I'm making the pattern up as I go, so this should be interesting.
I'm apt not post while I'm away, though you never know. Until then, have a great week/weekend!

Sometimes I get distracted

I think the main downfall of knitting as a hobby is that I can't multi-task it with some of my other favorite hobbies. You can't knit and do yoga at the same time. You can't easily read and knit. (I know some knitters do, I just can't seem to manage it...) And you can't read and do yoga... you get the idea. This means that sometimes my knitting languishes for a few days while I get sucked into a book. In the past...hmm. I would say 36 hours I just read a book cover to cover that I was totally sucked into. Water for Elephants was great and I stayed up way past my bedtime reading it.
Good stuff.
Hopefully the jaywalkers will get some more attention paid to them.
Pray for sun tomorrow, my yoga studio is having its 3 year anniversary party complete with an outdoor yoga class (!) and a bbq which I'm baking macaroons for and prepping bbq tofu. Yay for summer!!!!