Wonderful Day

Still no job, but I am learning to look on the bright side. Look at me, on the bright side. Shiny, sunny day.

Anyway, I ordered 8 books online today and paid $8 total. Yeah! (Only 6 of those are knitting books.) Still, I can't wait. It will be awhile until I can get anymore yarn for future projects, but I'm excited to look through each and every page of these books.

So, how could I afford this? I won a $50 gift certificate as part of the reading program at the local library. I promptly got on-line and got spending. Also, Dave and I have been saving our change (mostly mine from when I was 12-18 y.o.). This was able to get a gift certificate at the local put-your-change-in-me machines. (no surcharge)

I'm off to wait for the mail man. He'll only take a week or so.

The Great Job Search

So, here I am in my new apartment without darling husband, trying to find a job. Sigh. Dave's gone back to STL to finish up work there on a paper he wants to get published. I've stayed here in order to get a job.

This week has not been as productive as I'd like. I have not gotten any other boxes unpacked; I've not completed painting the cabinets like I'd planned; and I've not gotten a job. So far. The first few days, I felt pretty good, but the last few I've been having dizzy/nauseous spells again. Annoying to say the least.

Well, if all else fails, I can always take up knitting design. In spite of being dizzy--or perhaps because of it, I've managed to finish 2 different baby bibs. (No, I'm not pregnant, I just wish I was.) I also started and halfway completed a headband before I frogged the whole thing.

Here's number one:




The biggest accomplishment of the week was getting out my swap package. I'm participating in the Budget Swap on Ravelry, and I've been loving it! I finished something for my swapee last week, and I put it in the post on Tuesday. It would have been out earlier, but the post office I went to on Monday didn't actually do postage. They would take my package if it had postage, but since it didn't, I was out of luck. Isn't the whole reason behind post offices to sell postage and send packages, letters, etc.?! I didn't leave with a great feeling.

Pics of Projects

Maybe.
If this worked, you'll see some of the projects I've been working on.
Okay, so I lied. Press the random rectangles and then you'll see.

SWAP

I have found the world of knitting swaps and am SO excited! Basically, when I joined, I filled out a preferences questionnaire and got a person's name who filled out same questionnaire. I now get to stalk said person around the internet for the next few months while buying things they may enjoy. What fun!

If you are stalking me, I feel the need to explain my queue on Ravelry. I know that I may never get to those 144 projects or so, but I LOVE looking at and lusting after these patterns--even if half of them may be beyond me at this point. :0) My favorite ones so far are from Mochimochi Land. I HIGHLY recommend them for hours of enjoyment while knitting and after.

Just Keep Knitting, Just Keep Knitting

So, in my knitting adventure so far, I've been making mostly dishcloths. The past couple of weeks, I've been working on various items: toy grass, a dust bunny (as if I don't have enough without making more), and some cute hearts. Photos will be forthcoming as soon as I can find my camera and the thing that plugs into the computer.

I'm currently working on my first "big" project: a purse. It's about 15x12 or so. I'm not even finished with the front. Ugh. At the same time, I'm kinda excited.

KIP Day

The adventures in knitting continue. Yesterday was Knit in Public day, so off I went to the Arch grounds with MissA and knitted my little heart out. MissA has been knitting for about 2 days at this point, and she needed help with knitting, purling, etc., but the people were so friendly and were able to help us out.

I'm currently working on a few projects. I've just finished knitting grass and hearts and am going to felt them soon. (My first felting project--Hurray!) I found the best yarn at Knitorious. It works perfectly for the hearts.

I can't believe how much I've improved since I've started. It's amazing me what I'm attempting. I haven't successfully tried to knit with DPNs yet (double point needles, in the round), but I'm working on it.

Loopy Ewe = Heaven

I went to a yarn shop for the first time today. I wanted to buy the entire store--at least the part I wasn't allergic to. Walking into the store was like being drenched in a rainbow: intense blues, perfect periwinkles, etc. Fortunately, I have a rule. After scrapbooking for years during high school and college, I've determined that I'm not allowed to buy anything that I don't have specific plans for. I bought too much paper, stickers, and accessories during the past few years that were cute, gorgeous, or that I just "had to have", and yet I NEVER USED THEM. NO MORE!

I was very productive (read I spent a lot of money) while at Loopy Ewe's. I found a pattern for beginner lightweight socks, DPNs (read double point needles), and, my favorite, sock yarn for Dave's first socks. This store carries so many options in yarn, and I was almost overwhelmed. It was great being able to feel things that I could otherwise only see online. It gave me a better idea of what I was and wasn't allergic to.

I started playing with my new yarn and DPNs already. I'm too scared to actually start knitting the socks, so I'm practicing using insanely tiny needles and the thinnest yarn I've ever used.

Knitting

I decided around Valentine's Day that I was going to learn to knit. I can now officially cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. Anything else is quite daunting and beyond me. I have made 2 1/2 dish cloths and 1/56th of a blanket.

I am about to begin knitting D a pair of socks. This was actually the whole reason behind the learning-to-knit idea. D's previous girlfriend knitted him 3 or 4 pairs of socks. He loves them--a little too much--and would wear them for days at a time if I would let him. The only problem is that they are beginning to wear out a bit. Now, rather than buy him socks that are handmade, it would be easier/cheaper for me to do this. Wish me luck, this should be interesting.