Busy Weekend

Busy.  But good.

I got a great deal of yarning done.  And I feel very accomplished in that area.

Had some quality BFF time that was long overdue.  It was fantastic.

Took the two year old out with me on Saturday when I ran my errands.  He was incredibly well behaved and said Thank You and Bye to everyone we met.  It was fun and it gave my sister a bit of a break, as the baby was teething and feverish and had a cough and generally felt yucky.  It was tough for their mom to leave them in the morning for that reason, but she knew they were in good hands with my sister.  Sis needed a little time though, to give the baby attention without worrying about entertaining her brother.  We ate lunch out at McDonald's as a treat for his good behavior and he ate all his nuggets and all his apples but didn't care for the fries.  I thought that was pretty awesome.

Watched a lot of movies while yarning.  It reminded me that I want very much to plan and execute a heist...but only if it works out like awesome like it does in the movies.

Read Rhys Ford's latest offering Dirty Deeds the 4th book in the Cole McGinnis series.  It was fantastic.  I have so much love for this author and this series, it's kind of ridiculous.  But it was really, really good.  

Off to work, because I must, but not because I want to.  :)

Lazarus Fish

Turns out, I still have five fish.

Weird thing to say, right?  Well, no.  Not entirely. You see, I have three bleeding heart tetras and two gouramis.  Only, for weeks, I'm talking at least three or four of them, every time I looked in the tank, I only saw four fish.  I would stare and move around to see in different angles, and there were only four fish.  And I was certain of that because there was one gourami and three tetras.  Period.  I looked and looked, and quadruple checked, but there were only four.  So I had sadly figured that one of the gouramis had died and got ate up by the other fishes.  Because I couldn't see a fish carcass either.  

And then, out of no where, this past weekend, when I looked in the tank, there are five!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  This time I was double and triple checking to make sure it wasn't the same gourami swimming very fast to another location in the tank.  And then they both swam up, side by side, to eat.  So I knew, for certain, I still had five fish.  

He came back from the dead!!

Okay, in all honesty, he was probably just hiding in the log every single time I look in the tank.  Which is a miracle in and of itself.  But still, five fish.  Swimming along.  All happy.  I keep checking.  And counting.  Still five.

Hey, I gotta take the miracles where I can get them.  

Recovery

What a hell of a weekend.

I'm not even kidding when I say that it's basically taken me the last two days to get my head back into normal space.  I love my relatives and it's wonderful to see them, but it's almost as good to see them go.  Loud, crazy, all up in the business, making my life chaotic.  I like my routine.  I need things to go a certain way for me to be able to function at optimum levels.  The disruption is always a hard thing to take.

But peace and quiet has been restored and I'm back to being me again.

Currently, I'm working on an updated and better version of Spock.  And now that I've discovered a different way to do the hair parts, I think I'll finally be able to finish Captain Kirk.  Well, I'm making him over again too, in the new and improved way.  And then there will be a matched set.  Spock must have his T'hy'la.

The BFF's mitts are only half finished.  But she's not pressing me to have them done.  In fact, she sort of doesn't want them until the summer, as it's sort of a tradition.  And now that it's finally starting to warm up a bit, it's a moot point anyway. She'll have them when they are done.  

I got two new pattern books for my birthday.  And I'm dying to dive into that and make some of those things.  So after Spock/Kirk, I'm going to crack those babies open and start playing there.  That is going to be a great deal of fun.  

There's a baby blanket on the horizon as well but I still have a couple of months for that.  I know what I'm going to do and with what kind of yarn, so I'm doing well there.  (Famous last words right?)

At any rate, it was a good weekend, and fun...and crazy and chaotic and I'm glad it's over.  But I enjoy it for the most part.  Except the parts I didn't.  And now I'm looking forward to getting through the week and having another much quieter weekend.  :)

Skullz

All laid out

Closer up

Closer still!

I actually managed to succeed!  And it turns out that it doesn't really need blocking so much as a "lay flat to dry" instructions.  I knew as soon as I hand washed it and held it up, it would work out okay.  And then when I laid it out, it all spread out just fine.  I pinned it down a bit anyway, just in case, but it really doesn't need it.  That's the beauty of the yarn I used.  And it also makes me happy because if she needs to wash it, she doesn't have to reblock it, she just needs to lay it flat.  

So, now it has about 24 hours to dry and hopefully, it'll be ready to go when Izzy is ready to leave.  In fact, I've decided it will be just fine by the time tonight rolls around.  And hey, it's only three months late!  That's way better than I do on Sis's birthday presents! :)

Incoming...Again

Family is descending in my home again AND I'm getting together with friends to celebrate my birthday.

It's going to be a loud, crazy, fun, stressful, interesting, nerve wracking, insane, loving, weekend. Wish me luck all right?  I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

In other new, I'm nearly done with Izzy's shawl. But I have to pick up the pace and work faster because it has to be blocked. I hate blocking, but there's no help for it. It's lacy and you have got to stretch it out because, otherwise, it's all scrunched up and you can't see the skulls or the beauty that it is.

So when I get home tonight, I have  to convert my room to receive a guest and yarn like crazy. Because I have to get it blocked out tonight so that it has time to dry. Gonna be fun (cue the sarcasm). At any rate, she can take it home with her after my get together and it'll be all good.

Now if only I can remember where I put my pins...

Birthday Hangover

Yeah, I had a stellar day yesterday.  I felt special and lucky and cared for all day.  Got some excellent presents.  And teases about presents yet to come.  

It's sort of hard to come down from that kind of high, to be honest.

But, sadly, I'm a grown up.  And my special day is over.  So it's off to work I go to do responsible adult things.  But hope is alive!  Because my birthday is stretched out this year and I'll get more party going on this weekend.  Just getting together with some friends, but that's enough for me.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not much of a party animal.

In the meantime, I'm working hard on Izzy's shawl and I hope to finally finish it up in the next couple of days.  It was a serious bitch to get all worked out.  Not in the least of the problems was the fact that the pattern was originally in Swedish.  With the help of some English translations, frogging it and starting over five times, and a bit of my very own crochet know-how, I've finally, finally, got everything sorted and know what I'm doing.  Look for picture in the near future!

Happy Birthday!

To me!

I figure I celebrate everyone else's birthdays here, might as well celebrate mine!  lol.

Birthday's in my family are always special.  The birthday person always gets to pick the dinner meal and cake, and then there are presents.  My mother is making me spaghetti tonight, my absolute favorite, and I simply can not wait!  It's going to be absolutely delicious!

I already opened one gift that was so kickass awesome I actually squealed out loud for a second.

But the important part is feeling special, and celebrating with my family and friends.  I am very much looking forward to that part.  It's gonna be a good day.

As a fun side note: My birthday gets stretched out this year.  We're celebrating at work on Friday instead of today because we already had another birthday on Monday so this way, it's spread out a little.  And then on Saturday, I'm getting together with some friends.  Excellent times ahead!

The Shawl

The shawl was a big success!  My coworker loves it a lot a lot.  It actually keeps her warm, which is something she is not very often at work.  Only...she gets a bit itchy when she wears it. :(

Now, it's acrylic yarn so there shouldn't be any of the issues that comes with wool and animal fiber yarns.  But she thinks it goes beyond just rubbing against her skin itchy.  We are both hoping that it's just from the manufacturing process and that a good washing will take care of the problem.  She was nearly in tears when she told me this morning.  And I felt super badly about something I made making her itch.  I know itching.  Itching is a part of my daily life (I have dermatographism) and I'm also allergic to a lot of things.  So I feel horrible that it's giving her the itchies.

I really hope a wash in detergent made for sensitive skin will take care of the problem.  I tried to keep an up beat face on it, and insist that a washing would take care of it, but inside, I'm devastated.  It breaks my heart to think that she might not be able to wear it.

I'm trying to keep a positive frame of mind.  But I still feel bad.

I'm trying to think if there's a yarn I can use if I have to remake it.  

Goin' Shoppin'

No, not for yarn.  I have plenty of that silly!  I don't need anymore.  Want?  Yes. Need...not so much.

No, today is a day for clothes shopping.  Which, despite the fact that I'm a woman, is not my favorite thing.  In fact, it's very low on the list of things I like.  But it needs to be done and, hopefully, the shopping gods are with me and I can find what I need, make my purchases and get out.

See, I'm not a big fan of the mall.  Shocker right?  It's always overly crowded and there are so many people that sometimes I get anxious.  But I'm also not one that can buy clothes online.  I need to see it in person, touch it, and sometimes try things on.  I'm kind of short, so pants are usually a must to try on.  Average length is usually too long, but petite length is often too short.  So I have to see how they fit in the store.  Were I to purchase these online and they didn't fit right and couldn't be altered, then I'd have to send them back and that's just a hassle.  So to the store I go, because I really need to, and I've been putting it off long enough.  

Fortunately, Sis is my wingman today and we always have a good time.  She also knows my quirks and can tell when I'm getting overly anxious.  Sometimes all it takes is for her to hook pinkies with me or take my hand, and I can calm down. (I sometimes wonder if people we pass when holding hands think we're together, but it's obvious by looking at us side by side that we are, in fact, sisters.  Absolutely cut from the same cloth)  Sometimes, she has to drag me off into a quieter store until I can get my bearings again.  Either way, she's very good at keeping me grounded when the panic threatens to overwhelm.  And we'll have lunch out, which is always fun.  Sis and I, usually, get along like pancakes and syrup--even more so in the last few years--and we always have a good time.

We also have this game "Talk you in or talk you out."  This is how the game works: when one of us is dithering about a purchase, the other asks "Do you want me to talk you into it or out of it?"  If the answer is the first, we point out all the good things about the purchase, all the reasons it's necessary or a good buy.  If the answer is the latter, we of course, point out all the reasons that it should be left on the shelf or rack, and sometimes physically drag the other away.  It's good to have checks and balances because it's easy to overspend sometimes.  We keep each other grounded when it comes to overspending.  Most of the time, anyway :p

So shopping for me today and I'm actually sort of excited about it...even if I'd rather avoid the crowds at the mall!

Awesome Day!

Had a truly spectacular day yesterday.  The kind of day where a lot of good things happen and you sort of can't believe that everything is going your way.

And I capped the day off by going yarn shopping!!

I almost thought I was going to get yarn-blocked.  When I went to the first store, the one I was sure would have the yarn I needed, they did not have it.  I was a bit dumbfounded.  I sort of stared at the section for a long moment, my gaze roving over the selection, certain I must have missed the right color.  But nope.  Eight other colors, but not the one I needed.  And I'm not going to lie--for a moment there I was ready to grab four skeins of a different color and just start over.  But I was smart, and went to another nearby craft store first.  Thank goodness I did because they had the yarn in the color I needed.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day!

I'm not quite finished yet, because I got tired and needed sleep.  But I'll finish it later today!  

WTF Mother Nature?

Tuesday was absolutely gorgeous: sunny, 50 degrees, balmy, beautiful.

Wednesday was a horrid snowstorm with 15 inches of accumulation.

Thursday was a bit snowy in the morning but sunny by the afternoon even if it barely broke into the teens.

Today?  Today is supposed to be mid forties by the afternoon and gorgeous sunshine all day.

So I repeat, WTF Mother Nature??

At least I don't have to worry about driving my little car.  And I can stop at the yarn store after work.  Go straight to the right yarn, pick it up, and leave.  No dawdling, no looking at other things.  Only buy what I need and get out.

I'm desperate enough to get the project finished that it may just work out like that!  Well, I can hope so anyway.  I'm currently playing the game of which store do I want to go to that has the best chance of having what I need.  I don't want to travel all over hither and yon.  I figure I'll try the one out by work, because that's the first place I ever found it not online.  Part of me thinks I should have just ordered it, but I was afraid of the whole yarn debacle that happened with Sis's yarn happening again.  So I'll just stop at the store and pray they have it.

Really should have picked up some when I saw it at the store a few weeks ago.  Ah well.  Hind sight is 20/20 right?

So, yeah, pretty day, yarn shopping, Friday is shaping up to be pretty good.  

The Horror

Okay, yeah, so it snowed again.  Still is, actually.  And my poor little car doesn't like it when the weather is like this.  It took me a long time to get home from work last night, but mostly that was because I had to take the long way 'round to avoid some pretty steep hills.  

Can I just say, I'm ready for this winter to be over?

They are now calling for a light snowfall throughout the day today.  But by this evening it's supposed to be clear.  I sure as hell hope so.  The beautiful days earlier this week, Tuesday in particular, were such a freaking tease!  To be slammed with a storm seems entirely unfair.

Plus, I have to get to the yarn store and buy more yarn.

It probably won't happen tonight.  I'm going to be ready to get home when this day is done.  But tomorrow, for sure.  Tomorrow, I'm going to the yarn store on the way home from work, picking up the skein (maybe 2) that I need and going home to finish that shawl.  I will be greatly pleased when it is finished.

But until then, there is the horror of the snow.  And I just desperately want that to be over.

Ran Out of Yarn

I freaking hate when that happens!!

Like, really a lot.  See, I wanted to yarn but I didn't want anything that involved thought, so I pulled out some chunky yarn and started making a shawl.  My coworker wants one.  I thought I had enough.  I did not.  It's like a shawlette.  Which fits me just fine, but she's a good five or six inches taller than I am.  So I don't think it'll fit.  And I would pop to the yarn store really quick after work and pick up another skein...except that it's supposed to be very yucky all day.  And I'm sure that when it's time for me to leave work, I'll just want to get home safe and sound in one piece.

But I hate that the project is so close to being done and I just need one more skein.  If it wasn't so treacherous, I would do exactly that.  But it's shaping up to be really nasty, snow and freezing rain and sleet...the whole nine yards.  I'm not looking forward to the drive in to work in a little bit.  

And speaking of the weather...we had such a glorious day yesterday.  I mean, really, absolutely beautiful.  And it really lifted my mood.  But now...yeah, yuck all over again.  I'm just hoping it's not as bad as everyone says it's going to be.

At any rate, I ran out of yarn and the weather is crappy and I just want to stay in bed.  But alas, I am that responsible adult type person, and off to work I go.  To stew and wait for the day to be over, so I can white-knuckle drive home.

Don't Wanna

You ever just want to throw yourself down on the floor and flail away, screaming "I don't wanna!" like a three-year-old?  

Good, I'm glad it not just me.  

I get in these moods sometimes.  When I don't want to go to work, and I don't want to yarn, and I don't want to write, and I don't want to watch TV and I don't want to read.  I just don't want to do anything at all.  And I resent the fact that I must do at least some of those things.  I miss the days, sometimes, when I had no obligations and my time was taken up by naps and juice and cookies.  I just want to throw myself down and have me a big ole tantrum, refuse to do anything necessary and just be.

Alas, when I wasn't looking, I grew up into a mostly responsible and semi-respectable adult.  So I must go to work.  And I must clean.  And I must do all those grown-up, responsible things.

But I long for the days when I didn't have to.

I long for the days when I felt no guilt, when I had no responsibilities.  And I mourn the loss, for I shall never have that again.

Fortunately, this only hits me sometimes.  But today is a day that I want to scream, "I DON'T WANNA!" and then not have to.

Yep, I Did It

I bought a new laptop.

It needed to be done, really.  Mine was getting a bit scary.  Near the end of it's life.  There were programs on there that I don't even know how they got there, and I'm not computer savvy enough to know if uninstalling it will create a critical break down.

Now, I knew I needed to get a new one and I was saving towards it.  And when I went out Saturday night, it was not with the intent to get a new one.  Actually, it was with the intent to help Sis pick out one for her.  I was going to be good, save some more, and do more research.

But the fact was, I knew what I wanted.  I really did.  So when we were at the store and there was a sale for a particular bundle of the exactly what I wanted and needed, well...yep, I did it.  I bought a new laptop.

Sis, incidentally, got the same one.  

The fun part?  It's touch screen.  Which I didn't think was necessary, really, but it was the one on sale.  So it's all exciting and shiny and new, and even though it's taking a bit of getting used to, I'll get there before long.  Hardest part is learning the quirks of the new OS.  Ah well, that's why God made the internet.  When I don't know how to do something, I'll just look it up and someone somewhere will tell me how.

Getting used to the new keyboard is also a bit of a challenge.  But it's not so different.  Just the spacing is slightly off.  And there isn't any clicking as I hit the keys.  Very quiet.  

But I'm very pleased with my purchase and I'm certain I'll be downright in love with it before too long!

2nd Anniversary!

For The Yarn Of It is two years old today!  Huzzah!!

I sort of can't believe that I've been at this for two whole years!  But it's been a positive and rewarding experience and I figure I'll keep at it.  I've truly enjoyed the interactions here.  And it's been a great place for me to vent my thoughts and frustrations, get some perspective, and share my love of yarn.  

It's been a great two years and, as long as people keep stopping by to read, I'll keep writing.

Thanks for being here everyone.  I can never put into words just how much it means to me!

Loose Ends

I sort of don't know what to do with myself today.  If only this was always my problem, right?  There's a lot that should get done.  But mostly, I don't feel like doing anything at all.  

The scratchy throat is no more...because I've got the full blown cold.  Yep.  It's really a wonder than I haven't been sick at all this winter.  But now that winter is beginning to loosen it's hold--though they are calling for maybe a badass storm next week--that's when i get the sniffles and the coughing and excess phlegm.  Too much info?  Too bad.  It's true.  And though it's just a bit in my head and chest, it's given me a general sense of malaise and fatigue.  Which I'm sure is contributing to my want to do nothing.  Though, fortunately, I can still breath okay, even if I'm blowing my nose at regular intervals.

The BFF has the cold oogies too.  We're supposed to get together this evening and we probably will anyway, despite the oogies.  Unless the oogies grow and we, both of us, want nothing more than to sleep.  Cause that wouldn't be exciting company.  My usual Saturday nap, which almost always lasts two hours, may start earlier and go later.  I always want to sleep when I don't feel 100%.

But there's yarning and words and books and I feel like I should be doing something, even though I don't feel like doing anything at all.  Does that make any kind of sense?  

Perhaps I'll just have a cup of tea--I have a new favorite thanks to a suggestion from a friend--and reassess then.

Unbelievably Lazy

Really.

I've done nothing of consequence all week except for daydream and read.  And really, on the whole, that's not really anything important.

Okay, so daydreaming is one of my favorite past times and I'm very, very good at it.  And my mind goes off into fascinating places.  And I really enjoy the daydreaming.  And honestly, part of that is plotting, but still...nothing of importance in the grand scheme of things.

But you know what?  I think that's okay.  Every once in a while to do nothing at all, just spend the evenings with tea and my daydreams.  

Oh, and somehow my clock radio got switched over to 24 hour format.  I have no clue how.  I don't know how to put it back.  I didn't even know it was an option.  Now, I have no problem reading military time and I don't even have to do the math, but every time I look at the clock in the evenings, for just a split second, it throws me.  Oh well.  If I can't figure out how to put it back, I suppose I'll get used to it.

And I'm staunchly ignoring the cold that is trying to attack me.  It's nigh on miraculous that I haven't yet gotten sick all winter.  So I'm gong for a perfect track record and pretending that there isn't a tickle in my throat and that I don't have the edge of a cough.  

It seems to be working thus far.

Lazy Weekend

Happy March everybody!

I had me a fairly lazy weekend.  I did get conscripted to some impromptu babysitting while kind of wrecked my plans (of course).  And I was a bit upset by that for a while.  And two-year-old would not take his nap, which is strange because he's usually really, really good about that.  Of course, when Sis took over again, he fell asleep in five minutes.  Don't know why he was fighting it so hard for me!

But, pretty much, it was a lazy weekend.  I took a nap on both days (seriously one of my guiltiest pleasures) and read some books.  I watched a couple of movies.  I wrote a little.  Drank tea.  I didn't yarn.

It snowed some more and I just grumbled at the sky.  Usually, winter doesn't affect me so much, but this year, right now, I'm over it.  I don't even need it to warm up so much as for it to stop dumping snow on us.  Guess it's my own fault for living in one of the snowiest cities in the US.  Last I heard, we came in at number 20.  I suppose that means there are 19 places in the country that have it worse than I do.  

But I'm ready for longer days and no snow. I'm ready for it to consistently be in the the 30s and 40s.  I'm ready to not have to wear socks to bed...only to lose them in my sleep. :)

But it's March, and that means hope is on the horizon.  We'll probably get snow on and off for at least the next month, but the end is in sight.  And then it'll just be rain to deal with.  I like rain.  I like the way it sounds and smells.  And you sure as hell don't have to shovel it!

It's still winter, but spring is coming.  I'm not the most patient of people, but there's nothing I can do but wait.  Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long!