Happy New Year!

Has been a while since I've posted much.. and I haven't gotten to knit much either.
Holidays and related festivities been keeping me pretty busy. And it feels like I've been too tired to do much of anything.

As I mentioned in my last post, I think, I broke my thumbnail down to a point of bleeding sometime during the strike and my hands just haven't been up to the task.
I cast on for two or three diffreent things that needed frogging , and haven't resumed them yet.

I finally picked up the needles again a few days ago and was truly stunned by how instantaneously relaxed I felt. Knitting is too good for my mental health to let it go that long.

I need to finish some belated Christmas gifts and then I want to start shopping around for a pattern and yarn for my first sweater. I'm intimidated by the scope of such a project, but i really really want to sink my teeth into somenthing big.

Not much else to report. Had some nice times with the boyfriend's family for the holidays, went to Rocky Sullivan's last night for pub quiz (we came in second due to tanking on the last round), and I'm off to spend a quiet New Years at home with the boyfriend.!

A few resolutions upcoming for 2006.

1. I'm going to get out of debt. Period.
2. I'm going to be better at returning calls to a few of my friends, particularly RW who I've neglected far more than is acceptable in the last year.
3. I wil deal with my digital camera issues and post some long promised pictures of my last SP gift, and my wips.

Happy New Year all!!

Whew.

So um. been a fun couple of days around here.
My strike saga is a little less eventful than most - Ok a lot less.

I left the house tuesday morning at the crack of dawn (ok .. I had to get up at 7.. not a big deal for many people but earlier than I usually get up and I had been up wathicng the news until 2:30), to catch my ride, and haven't been home since.
Until now.

I really don't have that much to complain about..
I had a ride in on Tuesday.
I had a place to stay in Manhattan until today (could have stayed longer if i needed to)
and I had a ride home today (it took over 3 hours but it was a comfy warm space).

Still I'm very glad the strike is over. Its good to be home, my kitty missed me and
I'm tired of thinking about transportation.

I was well stocked with knitting for my tenure in manhattan but ended up ripping a thumbnail down to the point where it bled and I'm just not that comfortable using my hands, so i'm taking a few-day hiatus. Nice timing - I have gifts to finish - but they'll wait.

On My to-do list.

1. still have to finish that scarf.
2. A few pair of fuzzy feet still on the to-do list.
3. my bath mitts from my wonderful sp5
4. A few projects out of Knit wit. Notably, I want to make an ice-cream cozy for a coworker, and the Girlie Boxers for me!
5. photograph my last SP gift. I finally got a camera borrowed but I hadn't been home to do it. So tomorro wnight, I have some quality me time scheduled and plan to get right on that.
I did post a thank you and description on the knittyboard -
which I will reprint here for those who don't read there. And I will finally post the pics tomorrow.

_______________________________________
First we had a lovely six ball assortment of Knitpicks Wool of hte Andes - in red and blue.

Then a whole introduction to kool aid dying = including - directions to instructions, samples of dyed yarn, two packets of kool aid and Knitpicks dyable yarn!

Some .. er.. creative jellybeans

A big whopping pile of yarn catalogs! So much fun!

A couple of cool patterns, including the Fiber Trends Clogs!(Which I've been itching to try)

Some yummy fluffy unspun wool to help make a bed liner for my kitty.. along with a hand made red fleecy felt pillowcase to put around it if i choose!

The most amusing part of this came at the bottom of the box.
I noticed a little ball of something wrapped in aluminum foil.
when i start opening it, I see that its leafy and greenish brown. Crumbled.
At this point I'm becoming increasaingly nervous that my SP sent me drugs through the mail.
Turned out to be catnip

Thank you muchly ma'am for spoiling me so well! You have made the whole experience wonderful for me! And I look forward to being able to properly thank you! Both with pictures, and return gifts!
:)

UPDATE

Found first gray hair today.
ARGH.

Um.. who am I supposed to be shopping for.?

It has generally been the case that I don't exchange too much in the way of holiday gifts with my friends and family. This year is slightly different as I'm knitting fuzzy feet for a few people and a scarf or two for a few others, but mostly we don't do much exchanging.

I'm not made of stone, however, and it's hard to avoid getting caught up in the shopping frenzy, what with all the advertising and such. But who to shop for.... hmmm.. who .. who...

That's right... ME!

And you know, it is hard not to feel completely decadent when you are laying around in a big squishy chair at Barnes & Noble, relaxing and reading, the weekend before Christmas, while everyone else rushes around trying to get their shopping done. And the kicker is getting up and buying 30 dollars worth of knitting books for myself when I leave :)



But wait.. there's more!

Today some friends had a jewelry open house
and my bf bought me this.... (plus I picked up a matching necklace!)

They make lots of very cool jewelry, some of which can be found on their website
at www.mossmade.com
They only have some of their stuff displayed at any given time but its all really nice, and so are they! check em out!

Oh.. and if THAT wasn't enough - a trip to Marhsalls yeilded a pair of Born loafers, a sweater and three bras!

On the knitting front, I have 2 coordinated pair of Fuzzy feet for a couple (both will be same colors in different patterns) in the works. My brickwork, lengthwise scarf is about half done, and I've just gotten moving on mitten #2!

Tonight is dinner with the bf's parents for his birthday.
Hopefully I can get through THAT without doing any more shopping ;)

I'm how old?

Well as old as this guy...

Thats right... 39.
Very weird. I don't feel 39.

Thanks to everyone for their birthday greetings yesterday! I really appreciate it.
And special thanks to Dani for directing birthday traffic my way.

The birthday festivities thusfar have been great!
Lots of nice gifts, lots of attention, and I still have 3 or 4 more plans for the " birthday week +"
remaining.
I have good friends :)

The temps here in NYC today are brutal... High of 27, low of 16.
I'm really growing to appreciate the fact that I"ve become a knitter in a new way ;)
My stuff is SO MUCH WARMER than everyone I work with :)

Well back to work.. but before I go, I'll leave you with this question...
When did we, as a people, develop a need for 6 different magazines about shopping?

So that explains it..

Thank you to you well-wishers from yesterdays complainy post :)
I appreciate the pep talk and moral support!

The inexplicable crabitude yesterday? Explained! Woke up with a migraine today.
I should have realized. It seems that whenever i'm in THAT bad a mood, and it's not pms, a migraine is on the way.

As for my complete lack of patience, well, I got a little life lesson in that last night.

I'm knitting a beyootiful Malabrigo scarf that is being knit lengthwise. I cast on my 189 stitches and made it all the way thru the first row of k2p2 (which is what the ends are done in, when I realized that i'd misnumbered someplace.
Where? at stitch 90. So after meticilously tinking my way back, i caused some other foulup that required i start over.
I hate casting on.
and i got to cast on 189 stitches TWICE yesterday.
:) A lesson in complaining that I feel impatient, I suspect.

The Malabrigo is unbelievable to work with. So delicious.
It tends to cling to itself (which leads to knotting if I'm not paying attention) but other than that I'm crazy about it.

I need to schedule a photo session with myself, the secret pal gift and my finished objects. Maybe tonight if i don't fall asleep early.

You don't wanna know me today.

Hi, I am the crankiest woman alive today.
I've been snapping at everyone
I have no patience whatsoever.
Every one, every thing, every sight, sound, color, smell is annoying the holy living shit out of me.

I've been walking around the office all day hissing.
Literally.

Just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Got caught in a long-ass train delay and my mood just has not improved since then.

I need to do something about this. I'm unbearable.
I'm amazed any of my coworkers are still speaking to me.

Snarl.

Who knew I was this fickle?

I'm detecting a new trend.
Whatever I knit with at the moment is the best yarn in the world.

First it was Koigu. I was sure I'd never want to knit anything else again.

Then I picked up some Cashmerino Chunky for my hat - SO SOFT I thought "I should make everything in this"

Then it was the 127 print - so rich and squishy. And the colors - OMG.. the colors.


Today's love affair? Malabrigo
Oh.. My... So Soft but yet so sturdy
Feels like alpaca but holds shape like lambs wool
I could eat this stuff, I really could.

I picked up two balls of Malabrigo -
one in cypress (a delicious teal color- see it here)
and
one in black forest (a smokey taupe, see it here)

I tried to photograph them but they just wouldn't photograph so the links above give some idea of the beautiful colors.
I'm using it to make a brick lengthwise scarf that looks sort of woven (a house pattern from Knit NY that I've been ogling for months)

I leave you with the first of two mittens I'm making from the delicious and yummy 127 Print
I can't wait to finish the second.

You load 16 tons...

Well first and foremost I owe my upstream Secret pal an apology.
I wanted to bring my last SP package home and photograph it today. (full nof wonderful stuff like Blue and Red Wool of the Andes, koolaid and dyeing yarn, catnip and the stuffing for a kitty cushion, lots and lots of yarn catalogs etc..
Really great stuff!!

But alas.. I had to bring home 12 pounds of rock salt because its supposed to snow tomorrow.
Yes, I brought 12 pounds of rock salt on my 45 minute subway ride. (Actually its calcium chloride, but who's counting). I don't know whats scarier, my bringing 12 pounds of rock salt on the subway, or the fact that it doesn't actually feel that much heavier (even with my other stuff) than what I normally carry.
I'm amazed I walk upright, I really am.

Saturday I went to a lovely knitting afternoon at the home of a Knittyboard friend. I met a bunch of great people and had a really nice time. Thank you very much to our host for a great time.!!

In knitting news - i finished my black cashmerino (with red lana d'oro accents) hat to go with the IHS.

I also picked up some 127 Print from Filatura De Crosa in an unbelievable series of colors.
This blue - well nothing does it justice.. but this is a pic -
It is becoming mittens.
Yummy squishy mittens.
I have one finished already!

Which is good -because as i mentioned, its going to snow.
Every year I have tremendous anxiety over the snow, and over the fact that I have to find people to shovel it when I'm not home (homeowner crap).
Thankfully my friend Richard shovels for me most times in the winter. Helps me keep my sanity.

Here's hoping for a dry winter.

It is time to rename customer service

"All customer service representatives are still assisting other callers.. we thank you for your patience"

WHAT PATIENCE?!?!

Do you mean the patience you exhausted 25 minutes ago the first time I heard this message?
The patience that ran out after hearing your 2 pieces of hold music for merely the 10th time, roughtly 20 minutes ago?
Or the patience that expired when for the 3rd time of trying your Sales support number, I was misdirected to technical support.
Or the patience that was tested when I tried the number for rebates, and you told me to call sales support, who gave me tech support who told me to call rebates.

I never want to hear either of these songs again, and this woman's voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me now.

I have many things, chief among them a headache, a crick in my neck, a frustration level that my doctor would be concerned about, and a sincere desire to break my phone.

What I do not have is patience.
And I need a headset.

You're welcome.