adventures, aquisitions and exhaustion

I never thought it would come to the day when I looked forward to, and enjoyed a Sunday morning that involved being up and awake before 10am and laundry. The Tall Guy and Annie are off on a bike adventure, so the house is full of nice sunlight and is so quiet! Anyway...
Yesterday was a superfun day from start to finish. Crafty Bastards had its first Silver Spring fair here so, Jessie came up with an old friend of hers and we walked over to check it out.
Amongst the highlights and purchases of the day included this t-shirt (which I just realized I paid 5$ less for at the fair then it is on the website...sweet!), some awesome coasters (Christmas presents, I think so I'm not sharing!), this yarn from woolarina
: Its a new base for her, I think, and is merino, bamboo and nylon. Sweet!And, at the last table we hit in the circuit had these funny bags sitting on them. I didn't get it at first... but, its a yarn ball holder that you can still take the yarn out of if you want to!!! How cool! The creator doesn't seem to have a website, but she's oldballandskein on Ravelry.


Here's a shot of the inside. Ingenious!
After CB, Jessie hung out and we got to just sit around and knit for a few hours before her sweetie and few others made their way over. We cooked out, drank plenty of beer, played MarioKart and had an all round good time.

Scout's Sock Club's shipment came in this week as well! This month is called "Stocker Pond", which sounds funny, but the back story is that the color was inspired by a Pond in NH. Pretty sweet, huh?! :) I'm still mulling a pattern, and I like this offering a lot more then the last one.

Last but not least... I've started working on the big jaywalkers again. When I was in California, I had Erica try the first one on, to ensure it would fit before I did the second one. It fit just right, which is pretty awesome and I'll be turning the heel today. I want to have it done before I see her in August and that shouldn't be an issue at all!

Okay, back to folding laundry. Its hot and muggy out and I need to start packing for NH (we leave Wednesday morning)... Happy Sunday!

Flying summertime

Seriously, I'm not that naughty, just a bit swamped right now!
Its been a bad summer for blogging. 9-5 work, yoga work, visitors, visiting, you get the idea.
I have some news to report, however.
First, I cast on the chevron scarf. And then I frogged it. And then I cast on and knit and then I frogged it....repeat this for about 10 times. No joke. The Tall Guy couldn't seem to figure out what the heck I was doing. I wasn't sure either.

Chevron
Originally uploaded by sparklypia

But, finally, I seem to have it down. It looks like a spring garden to me. I'm not sure if I will keep this one or stock pile for holiday gifts. We'll see. The yarn I ended up using was one skein of koigu and about a half a skein of Fleece Artist. (which you didn't seen pictured, its the blue green colourway and so nice to knit with!) This wasn't my original intention, but the colours were just too good to not use together..

I'm heading to New England on Thursday for a week and can hardly wait. While I think there will be a lot of busy-ness and chaos, I'm demanding at least one beach day, two if I have my way.
One of my best friends will be in from California and we'll be hard at work finalizing her upcoming wedding plans for November. Currently, I'm on the lookout for a solid-colour dress in a blue hue. Not strapless. If anyone has an idea, just let me know.
Tonight, if you're not already aware (ha), the last Harry Potter book is being released. I may have a bracelet that holds my place in line for midnight. Please don't judge too much, I just want to read it before someone spoils it for me!
Also, in case you're wondering why you haven't heard anything about the Jaywalker recently... I got to the heel flap, forgot to change needles to the larger size and only remembered as I went to turn the heel. Well, normally you wouldn't notice the difference between size one and size two needles, but when you compare two heel flaps? You do. Sigh. I needed to just put that down for a minute before I threw it out my living room window.

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!!!!

Jaywalkers, I must be slow or something

I posted to my list-serve about the jaywalkers. I have no idea why I'm so slow about it, as the stitch pattern should be working out perfectly, but every few rounds, I'm off. so, my list serve, while wonderful just asks the questions I asked myself.
*Was I doing the increase right?
*Was I doing the decrease right?
*Can I count?
I don't know, people. but, I'm fudging it from here on out.
Here are the pics so far.

traveling part one...

I am back from Detroit. It was fun, fantastic and relaxing. The Tall Guy's family is sweet and wonderful and I nearly kidnapped their dog.
During the flight out, I was staring at the Knitters Companion (older edition, a freebie from my Aunt who quickly gave up knitting) determined to learn a long tail cast on. It's supposed to be easy and universal. Well. I tried and tried. During the time at the gate. During the safety instructions and during take off. I kept tangling myself up in yarn. Finally, I did the one thing I didn't want to. I interrupted the Tall Guy's reading to ask for help. No, he can't knit. But, he can read directions and look at pictures and seems to be much more adept at translating what's on the paper to what's on my needles then I am. And. In a matter of moments I had it.
Thank you, Tall Guy.
Now. I cast on a Jaywalker. It's my first one and I'm using Lime and Violet sock yarn. My first go round resulted in my tearing back about 3 inches of progress. I'm trying again as I'm still not sure exactly where I messed up. After train riding/yoga/train riding tomorrow I'll have more to show you and promise pictorial evidence of my weekend knitting while traveling.
In the meantime, here's me sailing this weekend. So much fun!