A picture diary

The last few months have been absolutely crazy. So I'm going to attempt a picture diary rendition of it.

Blue and I got engaged in early October.

(props to him on his ring picking out ability)

Shortly after, we got news that Blue was accepted into a PhD position in New Zealand, starting in February 2007.

(we will be in Christchurch, on the south island)

As if this wasn't enough excitement, not long after this big news, I tore my ACL in a rec soccer game. 3.5 weeks later (just before thanksgiving) I had surgery to repair it.

(they made me identify the correct leg to operate on before putting me under)

This successfully pushed back my defense date and graduation from school (MS program). However, I was able to come up with a rough draft of my thesis and defend it before Blue and I packed up all our earthly belongings (with lots of help from friends) and drove back to the north just in time for xmas.

(me teetering around trying to help)

Now we are back home in Wisco trying to getting all our belongings squirreled away and trying to visit with all the friends and family that are around for the holidays. After the new year I will again get cracking on my thesis in order to finish it before we leave for down under. I also have lots of physical therapy to work on in order to get up to full strength. My mobility has vastly improved over the last month, but it is still pretty painful and annoying!

Through all of this I have gotten some knitting done and gifted much of it for xmas including 3 scarfs, 10 washclothes, a mouse, a bag, and spherey. I have also been working on a few pairs of socks and other things that I can't think of right now. Hopefully the next post will include more knitting images and chit chat!

Children I will never meet

I have had a few requests lately to knit baby gifts for friends that have friends having babies. For the first item, I opted to put the finishing touches on a bunny (previously named sally) that I made several months ago. She now has a tail and a scarf and is going to Chicago soon. I believe I will be receiving a print in the mail in exchange for this one???

The other item I whipped up this weekend and it was fun to figure out. Somehow I have avoided making anything with a basket-weave pattern until now (which is kinda weird because I have always liked it). Decreasing in the pattern gave me the most to think about, but after a little internet searching and minimal frogging I got it down and am happy with the outcome. This item has already been traded for one frontline treatment for Mabes and a series of not so magnetic magnets.

Grass-roots knitting

The latest issue of Interweave Knits has a lot of content that is to be expected- a horrible man sweater, yet another annie modesitt sweater pattern (a yolk pullover to boot-referenced on the right), and lots of overly complex sweaters calling for way to many balls of unaffordable yarn. There are some redeeming points, a few manageable patterns, one gorgeous sweater (below on the left) that I will never make because of the aforementioned reasons, a pair of buffalo yarn socks and some interesting short articles relating to some grass-roots knitting issues.
The mother bear project is a Minnesota based organization that collects homemade (knit or crochet) bears and sends them to needy children in Africa. I'm thinking about purchasing this world war II pattern and contributing to the cause.
The next article I read was about was microRevolt which is an organization started by a woman in New York in protest of companies employing sweatshop labor. Her main project is a large nike blanket made up of donated 4x4 inch squares from knitters around the world. The blanket has made some tours, stopping at knitting circles and galleries. This site also has a program that will convert any GIF JPEG or PNG image into a knitting pattern (I think simple images would work best, but wouldn't it be cool to knit a friends face on something???).
There were a couple other notable links in this issue including an article on Japanese knitting
http://blogs.interweave.com/knits/
and London's Victoria & Albert Museum recently posted a knitting page on their site V&A Knitting
(FYI, this issue will be available in stores Nov 14)

Skittle

This was the first project I completed while being laid up. It is a pattern named Spherey by Jess Hutch, she has lots of neat toy patterns and used to put out a booklet of them for purchase, but has since decided to tunnel her energy elsewhere. Spherey is out of that booklet and I am ever so grateful to stitchkommander for allowing me to borrow her copy.

I also found my favorite book as a child while looking through my box of stickers- Hello Kitty's Special Present. She gets this yellow umbrella in the mail from her grandmother and has to wait and wait to use it. The day that it finally rains, is the only day she doesn't bring it to school. Luckily for her she has a smart and thoughtful mother who brings it to her at the end of the day so that they can walk home together in the rain with their umbrella's. I was always fascinated by umbrellas as a child and read this one over and over which is evidenced by the crease in the middle of the cover (which you can't really see in this pic).

it's been a while

I usually like to post on a weekly basis, but have been lagging behind a bit due to an injury I sustained just over a week ago. I tore my ACL and have been laid up ever since. My knitting is doing better than my blogging (and my thesis).
I have made countless washclothes. They are one of the best things to make because they are completely mindless. Don't get me wrong, I love the challenge of a new pattern and learning new knitting techniques and tricks, but when you are on drugs and in pain and just need something to distract you - not necessarily something to think about - washclothes are the way to go.
I have also been working on the poop brown socks oh and I made a mini-sock for Blue's big toe (who's toenail is in peril). He wears it at night in best effort to keep it attached. I think it is super cute and I used all of my sock knowledge to make the cuff and toe decrease thankfully no heel flap or gusset were needed.

Adopt a squirrel?

Last weekend was spent camping in the mountains of North Carolina. A group of grad students and co. gathered at a (free) group camp site just on the other side of this creek. Thankfully I was warned before departing on this trip and grabbed a pair of rubber boots (which I looked fabulous in). Unfortunately I was one of the only people with complete protection from this cold water and ended up doing a lot of running back and forth to the vehicles. It was a nice relaxing trip, whiskey was drunk around the campfire, smores were consumed, and many a strip of bacon was fried over the fire.

Today has been a little traumatic, mostly for miss Mabel. She went to the vet this morning to get checked out. I have found a good home for her, but there are other cats so we had to make sure she wasn't going to give them feline leukemia or F.I.V. (aka kitty HIV). Apart from the stress and anger towards blue and I she is a healthy cat, around 3 years of age, oh and with an upper respiratory infection. And she has been spayed already. This leads me to believe that she probably had a home and makes me wonder even more where she came from. How far did she travel? Why? Did they love her at her other home? Do they miss her? Are they trying to find her? We posted signs up last week at the major stop signs in our area, but haven't heard back from anyone. Hopefully mabes will be able to get over her bad day and continue to be the loving, quirky, cuddly cat that found us.

I almost forgot. We were camping just outside of Brevard, NC where they have white squirrels around town. On our way out of town on Sunday we took a little side trip to try and get a peek. They are so cute! And apparently you can adopt one too???

Mac and Mabel

This is the new mac I have been talking about. It is lots of fun and the photobooth and video making programs have been a hit with almost everyone... everyone who isn't camera shy.

The midwest treated me well and blue and I attended a sizable catholic wedding in the twin cities. It was lots of fun and I enjoyed getting glammed up for a change.

Since getting back on Sunday a kitty has adopted us and our porch chair. She seemed pretty hungry (she ate a pretzel that I dropped) so I picked up some cat food. Turns out I should have gotten a little higher quality food because her gas is a little out of hand. If she continues to stick around (and I don't see her going anywhere any time soon) I will have to pick up a little healthier cuisine for her. I decided that this little mug of her's looks like a Mabel, so Mabel it is.

This morning Blue got a rude awakening to a cat fight outside. Turns out mean gray cat (she terrorizes all the neighborhood kitties) had completely poled her up one of the support beams of our apartment complex- to the roof... She was hanging by her claws 2 stories off the ground with mean gray cat below. She was pretty shook up, but has managed to survive the day in order to terrorize us with her gas.

Instead of knitting...

I have been playing with my new computer. It arrived on monday. A shiny white macbook with all the fun stuff standard on a mac. So instead of knitting this week I have been playing games, uploading photos and music, playing with the built in camera (this image comes courtesy of it), relearning how to use a mac, and trying to find a driver so that I might print (I think I might be SOL there).

Next week I am headed to Sconnie and according to the today show, there should be peak fall colors while I am there. I am very much looking forward to that, I think fall colors usually come in early november around here.

I also learned that Tracey Ullman has a new knitting book out while watching the today show this morning. I didn't really pay attention to the interview because I was too busy playing connect four on my computer, but I did hear Ann Curry say, "I hear knitting is the new yoga" and Merideth was also talking about how she was a knitter because she started knitting 2 years ago, but never finished anything. Can she really consider herself a knitter then? Now I don't watch that show regularly, but the snippets I have caught have led me to believe that the show has really taken a dive since they hired Merideth to replace Katie.

socks for supper

I have been working on a few projects during the evening hours. This is a poop brown sock that I am making for my brother. I decided it would be nice to get started on some xmas presents now and who wouldn't like a hand-knit pair of poop brown socks I ask you? The yarn is from knit picks, I don'’t remember the details, but it is washable (this is essential if it is for my brother, otherwise they would become felted). And the pattern is from interweave knitting mag, I believe it is one of those special patterns you get off their website if you subscribe to the mag.

I am working on limiting/reducing the size of my stash. It isn'’t that huge or anything, but it wouldn'’t all fit in one suitcase, unless it was a very large one. And at sometime in my not so distant future, there is a move in store. The destination has not yet been determined, but my lease does end in December and I do not plan on extending it. The conclusion is: I must start knitting and with the yarn that is already in my house!

(Does anyone remember the socks for supper book?)

Harvest color motif

Since sizzle took the wind right out of my sails, my knitting productivity has fallen. I haven't even worked on any socks and with all of the beautiful sock yarn I have...what am I thinking? On the other hand, I have managed to finish a few small felted items. The latest being a felted daffodil (I have another, but it is unfelted at the moment). I think it is so cute, but I still need to sew the petals together and put wire in the stem.

I am just curious, was this a bad week for anyone else? I can't figure out if there is something in the air or if it is just me (or my karma), but my week has not been very fun.I guess it could be the whole school being back in session and needing to readjust from the relaxed summer campus. Any way you slice it, I have decided that today is not going to fall in line with the rest of the week and that I am going to enjoy my Friday, and be productive. That's a pretty tall order, but with a scheduled coffee break and a lunch excursion, I think I can manage to get some work done and have a little fun.

Life in a small college town

All the undergrads have returned from their summer breaks and flooded this little town with their Bush stickers and large trucks, yeah it is a different crowd of undergrads from where I did my B.S. Apart from taking all the parking spots, crowding the gym, using all the ropes at the climbing wall, walking in front of traffic, and making loud ruckuses into the morning hours in my neighborhood on weeknights (yeah I'm old and no fun)... apart from all that, at least there is life back in this little college town. Without the students things sort of shut down, or at least adapt super lame hours. I am happy to say that I will be able to get coffee on campus after 2 o'clock in the afternoon (this is really the most import thing) and the gym will be open more regular hours, with lots of yoga classes offered. So I guess the point is that although annoying, the undergraduates here can be useful, I just wish they would stop giggling through yoga.
(This picture was taken one afternoon in Memphis, while taking a little break from the conference. )

mmmm Cheesecake

I finally used my springform pan, a gift from sweatergirl, to make my very first cheesecake. It turned out deliciously! And there is another one in the works for the weekend. This week I am having my final summer visitor, my little sister (only because school has started here which marks the end of summer :( Post summer visitors are always welcome!

We have been hanging out, last night we went to spintoono
and drank some PBR. This weekend my neighbor is hosting a party in my sister's honor, where keg stands of PBR will be had. Today we are going to head to the hills and maybe go for a dip in one of the local swimming holes.

people's court

Right now I am "in the field" on the coastal plain (middle of nowhere). This week I have been spending my days in the woods and my evenings channel surfing. The most exciting events so far have occurred in the woods (not so surprising considering when I am not in the woods I am locked in my hotel room). Yesterday I saw a cool new snake, an eastern hognose. Turns out that if we had taunted a little bit it would have done this cool cobra thing with its neck and they apparently rarely bite (and aren't venomous) so it would have been worth it. Another armadillo appeared on a plot the other day too, but she quickly ran away.

Last night I got some knitting in and managed to get hooked on Project Runway (there was a marathon on). Tonight it is looking up plants on the internet and Grey's Anatomy (yes).

The only interesting thing that has happened outside the woods is that the TV in my room has spontaneously turned on 2 mornings in a row at 4:30, which is down right annoying when you have to be up by 5:30, if it was later there would be a possibility of falling back asleep. So I fumbled through some menus and I think I managed to shut it off. Apparently someone was using the tv as an alarm clock, or playing a cruel joke on me. Hopefully I will be able to sleep in until 5:30 tomorrow.

(this is what I woke up to)

Oh, Fizzle Sticks!

Last night, while watching the Constant Gardner (again), I sewed up the seams for my Sizzle. Unfortunately it turned out as I suspected - TOO BIG!!! My last shirt (the green gable) gave me loads of trouble because size 34 was way too small, this size 34 is way too big- and both gauges are spot on. Other than the size, it looks great. I think I will finish this shirt up, it is almost done after all, and if I can't figure out some way to shrink it, I will have to give it away.

I spent most of the weekend recovering from the conference/memphis experience and ended up sleeping waaaay more than I ever thought I could. I also got in a game of tennis over the weekend (it had been too long).

Memphis was great, the conference went really well, as did my poster presentation. However, there was not a single Elvis sighting. And we never made it to Graceland, but every evening was spent on or near Beale St. We found a bar with a good draft beer selection - The Flying Saucer Drought Emporium. But if you get a hankering for a delicious gin and tonic, go elsewhere (Seagrams was all they had). The last conference I attended was also in Memphis so we revisited some sites, like the Juke Joint Blues House- featuring some Memphis style blues. Late nights and early mornings were the norm, but at least ecologists have a high standard for morning coffee, making the early mornings easier.

black shroud

I just went to you knit what, only to discover that they won't be continuing their blog anymore. Oh sadness, I will miss the hideous pictures and witty comments.

On a lighter note, I am off to memphis for a week, can't wait to see Elvis!!!
(check out this great pic I found of Elvis, nice knit sweater!)

The poster is finished!

After long grueling hours of statistics, creating numerous text boxes, reinserting graphics, over and over, and one false send to the printer (there was an extra G in the title...), the poster is finished. While creating my debut poster, I actually had time for knitting, and climbing (my latest addiction). They both are very effective means of relaxation during times of stress. I would have been attending yoga classes too, but the instructor was out of town for a conference (so they say).

Next week it is my turn to go out of town for a conference. Everyone in my lab is going to Memphis for this years ESA meeting. It should be a fun 9 hour drive in a minivan... And my advisor cheaped out so instead of staying conveniently downtown near the conference center, we are staying in west memphis (aka Arkansas). You would think that he would be staying there too, but no, he and his family will be staying downtown, near the conference center. The conference itself should be fantastic and I am looking forward to it and presenting my poster. My next dilemma is figuring out what knitting project to bring (I should have sizzle near completion when we depart) - I am thinking a new pair of socks...


Here is a snapshot of my poster (blogger wasn't too happy about importing a jpeg of the whole thing)

poster avoidance tactics

I actually have been knitting lately and have also acquired more yarn for my stash. However, I have been busy with work or busy avoiding work and have been feeling too guilty (about not being productive enough at work) to post. But it is towards the end of the work day, there is nobody around to make me feel bad for not working and I have used up all the steam I had today for the poster I am making.

Since my last post I have seen Jolie Holland and it was a great concert. I snapped a few pics, but not many of them turned out very well. Here is the best one. I have also received a shipment of yarn from knit picks and knit up half of my sizzle top (I haven't taken any photos of it). My stash was also enhanced by a beautiful yarn present from skatergirl and stitchkommander (and chris) - it is artful yarns sock yarn, in nice blue colors. I will have to pick out a cool sock pattern for myself.

Other than that I have been house sitting up in the mountains, which reminds me - I saw a bear! It gallumphed right across the road in front of me when I was driving down from the mountains on Saturday. It was so cool, but it scurried into the woods before I was able to snap a picture.

steps towards a new project

Last week I purchased sizzle (which I am excited to get started on). The yarn Wendy called for was way out of my price range so I conceded to get my yarn from knitpicks (I ordered shine worsted in grass- hopefully it will work). Some of you may remember that I was curious about why their yarn is oh soo cheap and hoped that it wasn't because of animal cruelty or for want of better working conditions. Well, while checking my order status today I came across this and it seems that there isn't much more evil than globalization going into this yarn (that is what they are saying anyway), and I am quite sure globalization is unavoidable when it comes to yarn anyway. Just thought I would share.

This week stichkommander and skatergirl are in town. Hopefully we will get some berry picking in. Tomorrow night stitchkommander and I will be attending the Jolie Holland concert at the Orange Peel in Ashville NC. I am really excited, she always puts on great shows.

(Oh and I finally did the afterthought heel on my first beaded rib sock. It was way easier than I ever thought it could be.)

Arnie Armadillo

While working on the coast this week I saw an armadillo playing in the mud. It was sooo cute. I just uploaded my first video to youtube.com. Here it is!


And I uploaded a second one which is also fabulous! Check it out.

Penguins

Oh and I finished the Penguin mother and child.

continued vacation

After returning from vacation for over a week, the 4th of July arrived, as did my friend Katie. She stayed until this morning and successfully extended my vacation for about a week - thanks katie. Since she is a woman of the north and had never been to the south I did my best to show her the colorful palette of the south. On the fourth we went to Hill Billy Day in Mountain Rest where we had boiled peanuts, homemade ice cream and enjoyed some local bluegrass. Thankfully we missed the greased pig contest and greased pole contest (where they pin $100 to the top). I also showed her some local sites and we tasted some not so local ale. We teamed up to play cornhole last night and were better than we thought we would be - came in second place for the neighborhood cornhole tournie. Over the last week we discovered our sneaker talent to team up whilst drinking at pool, cornhole, and dominoes. Ah pabst where would we be without you.

While spending time in my yarn laden apartment Katie caught the bug - the knitting bug. She learned some new stitches while making a swatch washcloth and also made the kitty wonton for her kitty Royal. Blue told her that the bug will fade once she is out of my presence, I'm not sure exactly what is meant by that.... hmm.

Over the last week I received my waylaid knitting bag (pictured below). It is one of those marvelous bags created by Jordana Paige. Now it is happily full of yarn, notions, and needles. I hope to have a chance to use it soon.

Back in the south

I have only just returned from my trip back home. I had the most wonderful time hanging out with family and old friends (well they aren't that old, but the friendships seem to be aging - in a good way). For the first time in my life I played tourist in Madison and actually took photos and walked through the capital building. There were also cows all over town. I still haven't figured out exactly why they are there, but they enhanced the aesthetics anymoo.

In Madison I was able to quickly stop by my most favorite yarn store in all the world Lakeside Fibers, it always has what I am looking for, with the addition of coffee and a view of the lake - can't beat it. While I was there I finally picked up some Gems opal, a pattern to make some felted daffodils, size 2 turbos, and of course - more cascade 220 (for the daffodils). I didn't get much of a chance to knit and only worked on small easy things like felted coasters and washclothes.

This week I have a friend in town so I don't know how much knitting I will get done. I plan to show her the upstate's finest. Tomorrow there is supposed to be a Hill Billy Festival in Mountain Rest with a greased pig and all. Should be a wonderful cultural experience and hopefully delicious boiled peanuts will be on hand.

donovan mp3s disappear

The yarn I ordered back in May arrived while I was working. Thankfully blue delivered it to me when he came to visit. Not that I have used any of it yet, but it is so nice to play with recently acquired yarn. Last night I pulled out the swift and baller and got it all ready to go. I am thinking of taking some of it with me back to Sconnie to work with. The little cream colored ball is Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton and on the left is a cute scarf my mom sent me for my birthday.

I have been busy this week, but not with knitting. I have a baby penguin just waiting to be sewn up, but there are so many little pieces that I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. I completed the adult penguin over a week ago and discovered that a (prefelted) felted coaster works wonderfully as a sombrero for all of my little critters. I have been placing all of these friends on blue's lap while he watches tv - I know he appreciates it.

Last weekend I went to a local folk festival in the nearby
'lost village' of Newry. The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show played bluegrass as we ate boiled peanuts, enjoyed our fresh squeezed lemonade, and wandered around the old mill (aka lawsuit waiting to happen). Megan took some pics with her new camera.

If yahoo ever gets up and running today I can attempt to finish scheduling my precious time back home. Otherwise I have a trillion things to do here before I take off - isn't that always how it goes with traveling? And the stress of leaving something behind that you will 'need' especially when it comes to knitting stuff. Sighhhhh.

Back at it

After 3 weeks away from the computer/internet, it looks like I haven't missed too much in the world of knit blogging. However, I have discovered a new pattern that I would love to make when it comes out. Perhaps another mini knitalong is in the future? I do hope I can find a cheaper yarn substitute - $15 a pop is a bit rich for my wallet (although it might only take two...).

I haven't been knitting in the last few days, and lately I have mostly been working on mindless washcloths. I have been using the vogue stitchionary to come up with new designs and basically make usable swatches. I am happy to be back home for several reasons, but having my knitting library and stash on hand is wonderful.

I did manage to take a few days off while down on the coast and hit the beach. Unfortunately the wind eventually drove us off every time.

Heading to the coast

It is time for my field season to begin, I am happy to get away from this computer for a bit and spend some time in the woods. This means that I won't have very many opportunities to post for a while. I will be back sporadically on weekends, but the timeline is quite uncertain. Hopefully evenings will not all be consumed with endless plant id, as they were last year, and I will have time to knit up some of those cute aminals.

I finally finished up my red gable and am happy with the final product. Unfortunately it is too hot today to wear it (before I go to the woods and have no opportunity to), but it needs to be blocked so I guess that's ok. I had to crop my head out of the picture, because that is just how it goes sometimes.

Until next time...

no sleep 'til...BROOKLYN!

It is so nice to be able to take a project off the 'on the needles' list the same day you put it up! Not that I am that great at updating my list, but it is exciting nonetheless. Last night I started the brooklyn cap from the latest interweave. It was a quick knit and all I had to do today was pick up stitches and knit the brim. Half an episode of that 70's show later, the hat was in the washer felting away, heck it was done before friends ended! The brooklyn cap is a cute little number with an odd brim, but I don't foresee getting a whole lot of use out of it down here in the south, especially in the summer. I was sweating just having it on for a few minutes while I stretched it out. Someday I will move back to the north where it will make a perfect fall cap.

I used a ball of brown sheep I bought a while back and I didn't do the needle felting line detail the pattern called for, just didn't seem worth the effort (or the cost of buying the kit they suggest).

Ok, now I really must concentrate and knit the rest of my green gable, must finish, must finish the endless stockinette - maybe I just need a good movie, or perhaps a movie with subtitles, THAT will make me appreciate mindless knitting!
This is the prefelted cap ->

mom, pet sitting, knitted animals

Now that my mom has received her mother's day gift I can finally post a picture of it. I knit it a while back, then it took me a while to get the nerve up to sew it together. After the purse was felted, the finishing touches weren't added until the night before I mailed it out. All-in-all I like how it turned out and the pattern was simple and easy to follow (it was from pick up sticks). I would still rather knit in the round in order to avoid all the seeming. But mom got it in the mail on Monday and likes it very much - hurray!

This week I have been housing sitting for a friend/woman who helps me out a lot at work. It has been great. She (and her husband) have a nice place in the foothills. It is in the woods and on a the banks of a stream. They have 2 dogs and 3 cats and lots of feathered friends, all need to be fed twice daily. So blue and I have been hanging out up there for the last three nights and although it is a bit of a drive into work, I am really going to miss it and all the aminals. My favorite of the bunch is the elderly female cat, yoda. She is so cute and dainty. She follows you around until you give her milk and cheese and after you do she follows you some more.

Keeping in the same animal vein, today I received a knitting book I ordered last week - world of knitted toys. There are so many great animal toys - penguins (I think there are 3 different ones), sea lion, walrus, duck billed platypus, pigs, sharks... I am looking forward to knitting up some of this over the summer.

favorites?

Last night the local knitters gathered for the ever needed communal knitting. The woman who hosted mentioned thoughts of opening a local yarn shop. I am soooo excited about the idea of not having to order EVERYTHING online (or drive an hour for a poor selection). I hope it comes to fruition. She asked me what kind of yarn I would like to see in a local shop which I have been thinking about ever since.

Yarn I like:
Beracco, foliage
Brown sheep, lamb's pride has a lovely luster and sheen
Cascade, 220 is wonderful, felted or not
Cherry tree hill, merino sock yarn
Karabella, aurora 4 &8, smooth and stretchy
Patons, classic wool, cheap colorful and feltable yarn (smelly though)
Plymouth, sockotta
Regia, striped sock yarn
Rowan, everything I have used was great

Yarn I haven't tried, but think I would like:
Artyarns
Blue Sky Alpacas
Gems
Jaeger
Lorna's laces
Manos del Uruguay
Noro
anything handspun/dyed

Needles:
addi turbos, they are the best
inox circulars make an alright cheap substitute
crystal palace, straight and circular are both nice
clovers are a good cheap subsitute
brittany, I like their double points
lattern moon, they are pretty, but I can't afford them

That is the list for now, I may think of more throughout the day.

side one, finally done.

This weekend I set aside the green gable, mostly out of frustration. Instead, I put some time into the wobbly circles tote and was able to finish the first side. The pattern says to make two of the same side, but I am thinking about making my own circular designs on the other side. We will see if I have the motivation if/when I get to it. I also worked on the beaded rib socks, but when I got to the short row heel, I wasn't understanding the directions and decided that after I read up on some tips/other directions I would finish it up. I am thinking about doing an afterthought heel.

Other than the small amount of knitting, I did a little shopping at a local used book store and was able to score the vogue knitting stitchionary for half price (yeah!). I also got some summer reading books including Breakfast at Tiffany's, which I read this weekend, and Islands in the Stream (Hemingway).

Saturday night, resulted in me consuming more than my fair share of bombay sapphire which made my Sunday more of a relaxation day than I originally intended. A leisurely trip to target resulted in some new placemats, a new shower curtain and some necessities. I resisted the weak urge to stop at Michael's. I have become a yarn snob, and more expensive yarn is all I crave. So I will scrimp and save and only make small things out of nice yarn because that is all I can afford.

locker room etiquette

Yesterday afternoon I headed to the gym for some elliptical training. I now feel fully trained on all things elliptical. Before heading out of the locker room I noticed a woman blow drying her hair infront of the mirror with only a nude colored bra on. Now why wear the bra if you aren't going to put on any lower body covering? If anything I think I would choose the opposite, especially in a gym locker room. Ladies please keep your muffs covered in public. Thank you. (Note: I do not regret having no photo to post)

my 'garden'

This weekend blue and I made a trip to Home Depot to sort through the picked over selection of herbs. We ended up with oregano, cilantro, rosemary, and habanero plant. They were out of basil so blue is sprouting the leftover seeds from last year, and it is actually working. Hurray. This assemblage of pots on a balcony will have to suffice for 'my garden' for now. Blue will end up tending them anyway as I am not at home for much of the summer due to fieldwork.