chapter 5, 46 lbs, knit-knit-knit!

Chapter five has eluded me, but I think I'm starting to get back into it. I had a major break through on Thursday and need to sit with it and really think for a good span of time.

I feel the pressure of my dissertation, applying for jobs, and, yes, holiday knitting coming down on me.

With finishing my dissertation comes the imminent realization that I will be leaving my home. I've lived here for 25 years. I lived abroad once, but I knew I was coming home. This is different. This time is final. I won't be coming home. That is difficult.

Applying for jobs is no fun. I have a hard time putting my academic worth into a small packet to be read by a stranger. I know I'm good at what I do. I know I haven't gotten any grants, but I know the inner-workings of the grant process and I know I am capable of getting money. I also know that I am an amazing teacher.

I've been working long, long hours. I sub during the day for the kiddies in public school. At night, I have been working 3 hours to teach ESL to adults. I love it. But it's not my classroom because I am just a sub. Recently, the job has opened up and I've applied. I am excited, but nervous. I have so many changes I would like to make given the opportunity.

Holiday knitting is stressful! I started in October. I thought it was early enough. I think it would have been had Aunt Carol's present gone more smoothly. It's still in trouble. Grandma's went swimmingly well, Kim's had to be frogged once but is mostly better, Mom's is finished - but I'd love to cast on for something else, Dad's is cast-on...and I still have to cast-on one more thing for Kim...but I got the wrong yarn! I figure, if it's not x-mas when these things are received, it will be ok.

Well, I'm down to 160. That's 46 pounds gone. 46 pounds. How the hell did I ever gain 46 pounds? If you really put it in perspective, I have gone from 46% body fat to 23% body fat. That is 94 pounds of fat on my body to 37 pounds of fat on my body. My waist went from 46 inches (I know, 46 is every where - it's easy to remember!) to 35 inches. My hips and waist are now in a healthy ratio. I feel great. I am not where I want to be quite yet, but I am getting there.

Excitement for the holidays is building! I have wishlists set up everywhere. And I just got my first interchangeable needle set from Knit Picks. I'm slightly nervous about the holiday eating and lack of exercise during the winter. But, I have faith that I can keep all that in check.

Fire Jelly

So, I'm trying to can jalapeno jelly for the first time ever...so far, I've had to go to the store for more pectin...then, I got home to boil the vat of vinegar/sugar/jalapeno mixture and it boils over...I removed it from the burner, put it in a larger pot, and the thing caught on fire. Yes, flames.

I threw on a ton of baking soda to smother it...but am so annoyed. I spent a while picking and prepping the peppers. This will not defeat me.

The irony? I don't even eat jalapeno jelly.

Done with Yarn!?!?!

Ok.

I'm done buying yarn for a while. I have plenty. Dare I say too much?

There are a few that I will buy if the price is right/I get out of debt and am on ESK...

I still want to try MadTosh Pastoral and will buy Sundara FSM (esp. in reds), for example.

But, I have a huge box of yarn from Dizzy Sheep and like every color in the DiC Smooshy line...

But i have the drive to knit, knit, knit. I just cast on Ishbel and wanna start Red Skies at Night...

So.....I'm stash busting. I'm knitting as fast as I can. I'm learning lace. I'm finishing projects. I'm casting on new ones.....but I'm not buying any more yarn!

Lace?

I am becoming a lace knitter.

I like being challenged. I like the complicated look of lace and love the ease of it. Who knew that mixing in a few yo's, p's, ssk's, k2togs with the k's would get such gorgeous results?

I have a crush on Anne Hanson's designs. Every single one of them. I want Bee Fields. Wow.

And Ishbel? Just gifted to me (thanks, Jen!). I've been lusting after this pattern for a long time now.

I just ordered some J Knits Lace-a-licious for something...not sure what, but it comes in 1200 yd skeins, so I should be able to make any Anne Hanson design. Ishbel will be from Mal Sock! I can't wait to cast on!

Stash Death

In an effort to make money fast, I sold a large amount of my stash. Six skeins of Wollmeise, 4 skeins of Lorna's Laces sock, 5 skeins of Sundara Merino Sport, 1 skein of Shivaya Lace, 5 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, 2 skeins of Claudia Silky Merino, 2 skiens of Shibui Silk Cloud, 2 skeins of Claudia Hand Painted, and 2 skeins of Yarn Love Anne Shirley.

This experience has taught me to not buy yarn until I am ready for a project. I have, altogether, too much yarn. The allure of Wollmeise is over. The allure of a "good deal" has passed. I want to knit with what I love.

It almost brought me to tears when I came home after posting all the yarn from work...to touch it, bag it, address it, send it...was really hard. But I know that there are other loving homes out there...and I've learned my lesson about over stashing.

Smaller and Smarter

Spring Cleaning.

I cleaned out the cupboards. Got rid of processed gook. Mr. J and I are eating healthy from now on. No more junk. He's waxing and I'm waning.

I cleaned out the office. It had become a dumping ground for all things homeless. It's now a workspace. Time to get a move on chapter 4. It practically writes itself. Then on to chapter 5. That's the hard one, but, since I'm so much closer to chapter 4, it won't be as bad.

I've begun to analyze my stash, too. I find it hard to purge. There are yarns I don't love but am afraid that their time will come. There are colors I question, but wonder if, when I shrink, if those will make incredible sweaters...

Holy Yarn, Batman!

Today was fun.

I subbed for my friend Batman and I bought 8000 yards worth of yarn.

Yay for fun.

Around and around and around we go

I just cast on for Jared Flood's Girasole. I'm still on DPNs, but it's getting to the point where I need to leave them in the dust. I am absolutely addicted to knitting this pattern.

Don't you love it when you find something you just can't put down? This pattern is like reading a good book - you get to the end and you flip the page hoping there is more. The yarn (Malabrigo Worsted in Paris Night) and the pattern just fit.

There are charts galore in this pattern, so I'm learning to use charts, too. My first lesson was to double check the chart after printing and compare it with the pdf... My "no stitch" and "knit" boxes look identical b/c the gray was shaded so lightly.

It's going well - I think. The ssk, yo, k2tog, ssk, yo, k2tog is giving me some trouble in that it is slower than the others...but I did learn how to k1p1k1 into a single yo!

Soccer was cancelled for this morning, so I think I'll hit that row again after I have my eggs.

20 grams and 20 pages

Twenty grams from finishing mom's cowl...need to post pics. It's my first "design" and it's going all right...the yarn is not nice to me, but the stitch I chose (gull lace) is going well with only one mistake that will hopefully be obvious to only me.

Twenty pages away from finishing my discussion section. Of course, this is just an arbitrary number, but I've literally been thinking for two weeks with little progress. :( Later today I'm going in to the lab to work on stimuli selection for a different project since I can't seem to get on with my discussion section. Seriously, brain, why aren't you stoked? This is one chapter from Dr. Mel! I'm hoping that something will click - soon.

Things I love...

Sanguine Gryphon Yarns

Gorgias
Cochin
BFL

Three Irish Girls Yarns

Carys BFL
Wexford Merino Silk
Lindon Merino
Beckan Stretch Merino

Three Irish Girls Colorways

Emer
Cameron
Erin
Maura

Sundara

Cobalt over Mediterranean in FSM or Aran Silky Merino
Green Olive Tapenade (from the December colors)
Ruby Port (November colors)
Sangria over Garnet.
Winter Yarn Collection


Needles:

Kollage
Addi Turbos
Addi Lace

Colors I love:

Vibrant Blue
Gold-ish (like DiC Smooshy's Gold Experience)
Greens
Reds
Dark Grays and Blacks
Slight variegated yarns where the colors are versions of each other (not like Dusty Olive in Mal)

Non-Knitting

Origins Modern Friction
Bare Escentuals

New

Everything just feels new.

New.

There is this immenent optimism I feel right now.

I feel refreshed.

Finally.

If I were a goat...

Yesterday. It was yesterday. I was sitting on the couch with J and he says, "if I were a goat, I would sell my fur on ebay." It was funny.

Later, same day, same couch, he confronts me. He gets this wiggle in his eyebrow when he says things he knows I won't like...wiggle wiggle wiggle.

He says, "do you think your hobby is really buying yarn and not knitting?"

My first reaction? How dare he! But then I realized I did have this odd dopemine response to buying yarn...I may have about 3000 yards in my basket at

...

My second reaction was that I wished I was a vicuna...

Curly-Q

I just had to post this. It's sooooo cute.



This is what Holly does while I'm knitting. She's very good. :)(:

Eat. Sleep. Knit.

I am in love with this store. It's awesome!



They have a beautiful selection of yarn, a yarnathon, and great customer service. I love them!

If you have a chance, visit them. Just click on the Eat. Sleep. Knit button above and I'll get 5 yards towards my yarnathon!

If you buy yarn, you and I both get the yardage towards the yarnathon (if you register). Click, please! :) Thank you!!!