adventures in steeking

while I do have pictures of all my new yarn, I think I'll show you my first steeking project. Steeking, for those unfamiliar with the technequic, is knitting a sweater or vest as one piece and cutting (yes, cutting) out the arms and neck opening.


while I was knitting, I used some waste yarn (see the red?) to mark the places of cutting. Therefore, when I was finished, I just picked up stitches 2 vertical rows away from the red yarn.




then, I finished knitting the ribbing sleeve and cast off.



secure in the knowledge that the sleeve was not going to unravel or anything drastic, I cut and removed the red yarn.



see the little gap of stitches? That was the next thing to get cut. And ta-da! I repeated these steps on the other sleeve and neckband.



well, the cast-off rows are way too tight. But I did it! My first steeking project is done. I will defiantly be doing more.

Puppy

I miss my cat. Glad to know she has the people there well trained. See how she's managed to convince them to fill a little shot glass of water? She expects it on the bathroom sink everyday. With fresh water.





At least someone is being spoiled. Well, I want another walk. My person has only taken me on four today. I want six.

home

what is it about traveling 400 miles that so completely drains a person? Puppy is feeling it too. Even though she slept most of the day on her new travel blanket and pillow, she is already in bed for the night. I think the trip would have been better if I could have knit instead of drive. Santa should have brought me a driver. Or a yarn boy who could double as a driver. But no, nothing of the sort.

wow. I just noticed how much yarn I need to document. Tomorrow.

and if you are very lucky, I might throw in a project or two that I started for me.

last day

of my holiday with the family.

Puppy cannot wait to get back to her sofa. (She has her own blanket now. This does not mean I will get mine back.)

safe place

I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place.
I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place. I am in my safe place...on the bloody Titanic.

Children's Christmas Mass rocked. Great service. Family dinner that followed? Not so much. I'll let you fill in the details of Christmas Eve Dinner with the family.

so ready

for the holidays to be over already. But you hear that from everyone, with Christmas Eve so close at hand.

actually, I want to open presents under the tree. Are there many shinning presents under the tree at your house? All the big ones over here are not marked for me but for The Twins. I swear, if Christmas (as a commercialized entity) wasn't for the kids, I would be very jealous. Somehow I doubt wither Christ cares what day we celebrate his birth, just so long as the culture does actually remember the event and not use it as a way to pad the economy. All the comic strips over the past week or so have harped that "Merry Christmas" has been substituted by a more politically correct "Happy Winter Soloists." So, I vote next year we celebrate an even more pagan holiday than this one and everyone go to Church where we hear God loves us.

again, I am probably behind on that rant as well. Getting wrapped up in the holidays does that to a person.

and for the first time in 3(ish) years, I broke a self-imposed rule. No knitting Christmas after December 19. I've spent the past week furiously knitting (off and on) a unicorn for the Younger Twin half-sister. I never thought the blasted thing would get finished. Now, I can go back to knitting for me. And believe me, I am. I plan to finish a steeking vest for me next week as a way to destress everything.

I have to say, the unicorn is cute. At a distance.

Puppy

I miss being in college. I have a good thing going there. Get the person up at for a walk, breakfast of eggs and toast, and back to bed. Another walk before the person leaves for the day followed by a belly rub. Back to bed. A walk when my person gets home, a nice meal, another walk, more belly rubs, back to bed.

This does not happen when we are in Arkansas. Nope. No eggs and toast for breakfast. Fewer walks, though I do get more belly rubs if I look sad enough. Then there are these two little girls who think running around screaming is the best thing ever. Appearently my person does not walk them enough.

And because there is a tree in the living room, my person is knitting frantically. Normally, this is a very good thing. She knits and I sleep beside her. Every now and then, I can trick her into making food or going for walks. All I have to do is start helping her knit, then she is putty in my paws. Dogs of the world, take note! When your person is knitting too much, start eye-ing their yarn and smelling it. That should work. If not, gently place a paw on their needles. That always gets their attention. Trust me.

Well, it's been lovely chatting and all but it is time to back to bed.

not a habit

this lack of posts, I promise. Life just got crazed for a moment or two, trying to get things done so I could come to Memphis. But now, I am here and very happy to be on the internet again.

I made it in time for Sunday evening services. The preacher wasn't there, and much to my disappointment, the youth minister had the sermon. Not to talk out of church or anything, but if his interpretation of scripture is valid...I'd like to reserve an aisle seat to Hell, coach will be more than fine.

yesterday presents got wrapped in something other than newspaper. Why is it that I never remembered to pick up holiday gift wrap? I sent the East Coast family gifts in newspaper or it would never have been sent.

my doctors are very happy about the progress I've made. In fact, I might be seeing them once a year very soon. Yea! Meds are fine. I am getting better.

oh! grades came out today. I have a B, B+, A.

I'll take photos of knitting and have a knitting post tomorrow. You have been warned.

it's over. done.

my first semester of grad school. Oh wait. That's not right. My fifth semester as a grad student. Good stars, I've been in how long?

lets just say another semester is over. I thought about writing over the past two-ish weeks, honestly, I did. Then I would realize how much I still had to do and felt the urge to get more of it done. Unlike the English Department, there is not building up to a semester project in the School of Information Sciences (SIS). Which means all the final stuff is comprehensive essays rather than a presentation on a paper that a student has "worked on" all semester and a final draft of that paper (think 15-20 pages) due the day of exams. In some ways, the SIS is easier. Just sometimes it feels like a bunch of busy work. At least all the pre-recs are over, now to get into the interesting part of it.

shock of all shocks, I have not been into a proper yarn shop since Thanksgiving. Translation: I've been shopping in my own stash. I have no clue how many scarves I have made in the last fortnight, just to get rid of some of the yarn.

good news, all Christmas has been bought. Not all of the knitting is done, but the shopping part is. I even sent off a box of gifts to my family living on the east coast. I am a very happy person that it is done. Normally, I have it all done by Thanksgiving.

I went out with a friend last night, nothing special. Just dinner and drinks. Yes, it was a guy. No, it was not a date. But it was fun. There is a chocolate part tomorrow, not sure if I want to go. I'm worn out and have bad luck baking deserts. Who knows.

this time of year

is not one of my favorite times of the year. Besides the over commercialized of the holiday itself, this is the first year of the copyright expiration of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. For those among us who have forgotten, JMB is my favorite author. I highly recommend any of his novels or non-Peter Pan plays.

standing in line at Toys R Us yesterday, I saw that once again, Disney has found a way to make a dollar. Aside from the horrible mis-telling of classic stories meant to scare children into obedience, the company now has a whole movie (plus merchandise) for Tinkerbell. Yes, I know they have had dolls, notepads, and stickers about her and her fairy friends. But when no movie came out and their craft line of the characters was in the sale's bin at Micheal's Craft Store, I'd rather thought they had scraped the idea. No. They have not.

and for some very odd reason, I am throughly angry about this. I do not see myself buying Disney in the near future.

long drive

any way you look at it. 400 miles (or 8 hours) one way. That means 800 miles in 16 hours in 4 days. I am tired.

Puppy curled up on a blanket and my favorite pillow and slept until she needed something. Wish I could have done that. Traffic was not bad either way, somehow I managed to pick the right times for driving.

Puppy's shoulder is hurt but healing. Our Regular Vet thinks she might have scrapped bone when she fell wrong. It is not dense enough to show up on an x-ray (though he took 2 shots to make sure), but Puppy will be just fine. We even have new medicine and will get a phone call on Monday as a follow-up.

I miss my family and all, but I am so glad I don't have to drive back right away. Yes, I did some knitting. No, you cannot see it until January. Not even the dishcloths. It just takes the fun out of the surprise. Sorry!

as written by Puppy

guess what? All month I've been limping off and on, then back off, a few days later back on. My pet is not amused. In fact, she is skipping class tomorrow so we can go to my regular Vet early Wednesday. I'm hoping to hunt down my chiropractor that afternoon for an adjustment.

my kitten Cable has been terrorizing my pets in Arkansas, so I need to set her straight on the realities of life. See if I can convince her to be more subtle. I hear there is a new cat in the family, one who runs an effective reign of terror to my cousin, Sugar. I swear, I leave town for a few months and already the cats have taken over. Do you think they issue belly-rubs? Maybe they can open the door and let me run around outside. Any cats that can lead a revolution in such a short time must be have working thumbs.

everyone here in Tennessee thinks I am the cutest, sweets little puppy ever. And how true they are. I am just so glad my pet took me to the beauty shop last week. Now I look even better for my holiday debut in Arkansas. So don't get too worried if my pet doesn't show up on the internet for a few days, I have to keep my staff busy to get everything done and back in Tennessee before Saturday. Oh the pressure of being popular!

well

the boss lady (read: my owner, Puppy) is at the groomers leaving me free to type.

I have done more than knit, despite what I said yesterday. I have also been working, reading, going to class, and cleaning the apartment. And today, I am doing laundry (again, because Puppy is not here).

it is 26 degrees F but no North wind. Back home, it is 40 degrees F with said wind. I wasn't cold until I saw the temperature. Now, my heavy coat is out and the thermostat is set at 60 degrees F.

can't type. knitting

selfish knitting

which is about 90% of all my knitting. Selfish Knitting can be defined as (but not limited to) knitting what I want, when I want, why I want to. (All these "wants" feels very toddler-ish, maybe small children are on to something here.) And the Selfish Knitters group on Ravelry further notes that knitting for those engaged in the creation or preservation of life are hereby exempt from Selfish Knitting scorn.

so why bring this up now? Because on of the many online knitting magazines has an article defending Selfish Knitting as the holiday season approaches. I firmly believe that all knitters everywhere might need a quick reminder about Selfish Knitting as we frantically throw ourselves into holiday knitting.

for those engaged in Crunch Time at your respected university, remember to take time for yourself. Even if you do not knit...yes, Miss Pirate Librarian I mean you...take time to be excellent to yourself. It may be the end of the year (soon) but that is no reason to go completely insane. Let someone else use the straight jacket this year. It is very rude to use it for more than one year in a row.

and now that I have finished my lecture (what, you weren't taking notes?), I must be off. I still have an hour of knitting before lunch and homework.

lights out

last night, but now they are on again. A storm (not even a very big or violent one) knocked out the power last night. But only this building. Everyone around us had lights. Yet another example of how odd this place is. Definitely not my Memphis-Arkansas area. I'm sticking around here for awhile, if only to attend classes and see what happens next.

Puppy is doing much much better. Her shoulder still hurts but she wants her long walks back. The mattress is back on the box springs. Notice: this is due in large part to her love of getting on the box springs and looking down on the mattress as if to say, "why are you down there? You should be up here with me."

no more group projects for the semester. Yea! Now it is time to start all these "big" papers (8 page max) and organize notes for the take-home-essay-finals.

today is my Saturday, so I cannot work on the above homework. I have lots of important errands to run and jobs around the house to do. Oh well.

Puppy says,

my (left) shoulder hurts. My Person didn't like seeing me limp around the block during our pre-lunch/class walk. I wasn't whining about my shoulder, but she insisted we go see a vet. In fact, she was so worried, that she drove me the three blocks to an Animal Hospital.

there were lots of neat smells in there. I even got to meet some nice dogs who also had foot/leg problems. The mean vet made me yelp when she got to my shoulder but didn't think an x-ray was needed.

now, My Person and I can only go on short walks twice a day. Short walks? Only twice a day? These phrases are very strange and I do not like them at all. I want to go now but My Person is not being nice. She will have to carry me down the stairs, and I don't like that one bit. But it is cool to have the mattress on the floor, 'cause now I don't have to jump up and down so much.

the mean vet even wanted me to be kenneled. Kenneled? I'm from Arkansas Ms. Dr. Vet Lady! Kennels are outside with long dog-runs and a house. Kennels do not belong inside. It's like asking me to wear my fancy shoes to go mudd'n. Yeah, it's that silly. I don't even think kennels exists anymore. Nope. They don't.

this will not be fun...

gunpowder

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I think of no reason why gunpowder, treason
And plot should be forgot...

ok, so its Guy Fawkes Day. (Don't know about Guy? Click.)

but guess what? It is also crunch time. This conversation took place yesterday after class between myself and I.

This week and next are full of group projects.
What group projects?
The ones assigned right before midterms were handed out like candy on All Hallow's Eve.
Oh, right. Those group projects. Which group am I in? What are we doing?
Look at the assignments on BlackBoard.
Oh. I remember looking at those websites the day after the groups were assigned.
Then why didn't I finish them then?
I had plenty of time.
Well, now I don't.
good point. Better get to them.
Don't forget the Labs and big assignment for "Info Retrival."
Is it Christmas yet?
Close. And yes, I still have shopping to do.
I hate crunch time. Nothing but pressure on gunpowder barrels.

a knitting confession

since I was so political when I try not to be (on here. Real life? Don't ask unless you want to debate.). So this is pretty much all about knitting.

you see, I've developed what we knitters like to call startitis. I have cast on more projects in October than I have finished. Normally, I have this amazing Works In Progress to Finished Object ratio. No more than 3 projects On The Needles at a time. Granted, this number does not include all the quick knits like scarves and dishcloths. (Think of it like sock yarn. Yes I have it. No, it is not counted as stash yarn. One of the great knitting mysteries that philosophers, scientist, and mathematicians still don't quite understand.)

so imagine my surprise when I discovered all my canvous WIP bags were full and there was no bag to put a new project in. I had to take inventory. Here is what we found:

Something Witty should be done by now. But I'm doing steeks and did not Bind Off for sleeves. Do I frog or what? The question makes me go work on something else for a spell.

one Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket
I am not one to follow trends or Cast On something just because it stays in Ravelry's Top 10 most popular patterns. So how is it that I started this?

Funny you should ask. On of my schoolmates (who could become mute and I would rejoice) had a newborne right before the semester started. She asked me to make said baby girl something warm since it will be cold soon. There I was, cursing a garter-stitch dishcloth and dreaming of what next to CO. Next thing I know, I'm counting stitches for the blasted thing.

Since then, I've come to my senses. This schoolmate does not pay attention in class, which explains why she is always asking the rest of us questions the prof just answered. Plus, she likes other people to do the work and correct hers.

Now I'm in no hurry to finish this. In fact, I think it will wait until spring when the Matriarchs back home have lots of baby showers to buy. They could remberse the yarn and add my name to the gift. Hey, I'm not charging them labor. That is my contribution.

I have finially finished the first glove and had a group on Ravlery tell me to CO the second glove. But the progress is slow since I complicated the pattern by making the cables a different color. It can only be worked on at home with as little distractions as possible. I just want enough of the light brown to make the bobbles at the end.

Normally, this wouldn't even count as a project. However, I am making an exception for two reasons.

1) stash buster project

2) it is taking longer to knit than it should

I already have a hat in the blue yarn. So I thought, hey! wristwarmers would be cool to pair with the hat. And since I like to knit in LYS using yarn I bought from them, this seemed like a good project. The blue is from Stash back in Memphis. The brown is from Knitting Nest about 30 minutes from the university. I don't feel bad about knitting this at the Knitting Nest because some of the yarn is from them.

And for the most recent WIP. Yesterday the Knitting Fates let me walk out of the apartment without a project or yarn. I discovered that when I pulled into the Knitting Nest parking lot for a quick, 1 hour vacation from life. Then I discovered I had no plastic card on me, only a $20 bill and some lose change. This is just not right people. Just not right.

The yarn and needles were less than $15. But I had no pattern on me. Luckily I remembered a mitten pattern of roughly the same yarn weight and needle size.

i know

I don't do politics. But I have to show you this. Enjoy. I did.

SAFF

rocked! In fact, a non-fiber art person called it a "Star Trek convention for knitting people."

I was overwhelmed by all the color and fiber and animals and people and spinners and...well, you get the drift. The animal that seemed to be highlighted was the alpacas, but they did have other animals of fibery goodness. There was half a huge barn full. My group of 6 spent almost 3 hours wondering around. The crowd seem to be coming in as we were going out. But I am (understandably) sleepy. So enjoy the photos of the day. I'll show you what I bought later. Night!

This was the larger area for us to buy things.



A fluffy rabbit that was for sale



"Hello. I'm an alpaca."



"So are we."



"If you want to pet me, you have to feed me first."

over

the elections are. At least for me, I mailed my absentee ballot yesterday. Therefore, all the politicians camped out trying to influence my vote can pack up and leave. This includes "McCain" and "Obama"bumper stickers, shirts, posters...all of it. Just put it away. This election has lasted over a year. Someone just count the votes already.

Good Lord willing, the local folks back home who I voted for will win and the idiots won't. I know, small and petty. Here the world is, watching the presidential race and I just don't want some folks on the city council. What will happen on the national level will happen. My one little vote is just one drop in the bucket. But back home, my vote is one of only a few thousand. I feel somehow that it counts for more on the little race. Votes count on the big race too (Florida 2000 anyone?), so everyone go vote (early or mail-in). Let the blasted thing be over already.

4 days

since I last blogged and not much has happened until today. Like, I bought some material at Jo Ann's this afternoon and hung it up using Velcro. It's been getting really chilly, and rather than turn the heat on, I invested in some curtain/insulation. The material was 50% off, so I went ahead with something thicker than planed. I took the leftover Velcro and hung up some photos I had enlarged.

turns out this Jo Ann's place is pretty cool. Like Handcocks Fabric but with more space for other crafts. I liked the machine that was embroidering all by itself. Yarn wasn't anything better than a Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but they had alot of 1 lb. skeins. I take that back, the selection here is better than the last few Hobby Lobbies I've been to. I'll probably go back when I need more cotton for dishcloths.

speaking of knitting, I have violently cast someone off my 'knit for' list. A woman in 2 of my classes wanted me to make something for her newborne. No big, I have been wanting to try out Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket anyway and have some Plymoth Encore I scored on sale. When she asked me to knit something, it was in a half-hour long conversation where she said she wanted to see my group's lab worksheet. What she really just wanted was to copy. And this isn't the first time she's done this to me. Turns out, she does most of a class's discussion board rehashing what others have said to make up the minium posts. All this didn't tick me off, it was when she wanted me to restate the prof (who was still talking) had just said. This person then spent the last half of class looking at non-school realated materials on the computer. And she wants me to help her with school work and knit her child something? I. Think. Not. When she brings the subject up again, I'll tell her no.

there is more, but Puppy is telling me it is time for a walk. So, I'm off!

important updates

in bullet points so I can go knit, I mean, cook dinner.

• old glasses broke, eye doctor from home couldn't find my Rx, eye examine, new glasses
• Puppy keeps stealing my really soft fleece blankets
• she now eats thin rawhide bones (my attempt to get her to quit eating chicken bones off the street)
• lab no. 2 for "Info Retrieval" is almost done
• "Info Input" prof is getting mean. Everyone thinks so, therefore I am not alone in this.
• I have 6 projects OTN, more than I've had in some time now
  
• no more clean socks, must wash tomorrow

so, that should be it. Byeeeeee

and now for something different.

guess what I've been watching? Monty Python's Flying Circus. Sometimes I forget how funny it is. With the whole, no-tv-in-the-house thing, I've been watching previous seasons of various shows on my little DVD player. So much better than TV.

I love my "Information Retrieval" class. It all makes sense to me. It would be nice though, if I could just sit down and do more 'find the info/data' activities. Hopefully, they'll let me start working on literature searches at work soon. That would be fun.

oh, the Elder Twin finally lost a tooth! I don't know which one, but I know how hard she's been working on losing one. The old wives' tales say she can start reading now.

but I digress, I wanted to blog this morning to show off Something Witty.

problems with the system

the new hours are going to work out perfectly. Sadly, I was not able to get much homework done today because the Library of Congress Subject Heading Authority Records website did not like the computers I was on. So, I caught up on my newspaper reading. And wow. I am so glad my stash is large enough to keep me knitting for awhile. Asia finally admitted that the financial crises has hit them too, which means the problem is very big and budgets everywhere are going to feel it.

but that is a tomorrow problem. Today's problem (other than my inability to spell) is that Beerfest is going on. For the first time in my not-so-long life span, I am living slightly off-campus in a wet county. (A dry county means no selling alcohol so something like Beerfest does not exist.)With this 'enlightend' experiance, I can safely say that I hope it ends soon. Not only did I have to suffer bad singing of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, as I walked Puppy, it means lots of sirens going past my apartment building. Lovely. Just lovely.

no politics, no politics, no politics

is this election still going on? When can I just vote and get the blasted thing over with?

on a much happier note, I start Friday hours today. Fun. Actually, it is. But it means I have a few extra hours this pay cycle. Money I did not budget for, so I can take it to SAFF and not worry about buying groceries. Yea!

I've CO another project for me. More on that once I get photos.

and I got an early birthday present from my Paternal Grandmother. Selected Poems and Four Plays by W. B. Yeats. I love Yeats. And now, I have a whole hard-copy book of his. Nothing against getting a Kindle copy, but I'm going to be taking extensive notes/drawings. Besides, you should see how nicely it looks next to James Joyce. Oh! I better print off that poem by Auden about Yeats.

time for lunch and a walk before work.

lazy Sunday afternoon?

I think not. Lookie what I finished just a few minutes past noon.

ok, so the picture is really bad. But I am so excited to be finished!

I also went to the department picnic for nearly two hours. We had a great time, which leads to another reason "Grad School Rocks."

Grad School Rocks because you get to see your profs in casual cloths and acting like real people. Some of these said profs even look like regular people outside of the ivory tower.


p.s. I'm a bit late on this video, but it is so funny I have to post a link. Just click here.

eek!

I'm going to SAFF! yea!

gasp. I have to learn to spin. Later...

sigh

I have my tea.

I have my lemon cookies.

There is just a hint of rain in the air.

Knitting is right beside me.

life is good.

the Pig Bear

it was suppose to be a hot pink polar bear. If my family wanted a white polar bear, it would buy one. I was knitting it and let the Elder Twin pick out the color. True for any 6 year-old girl in a yarn shop full of colors and textures, she found hot pink acrylic and fell in love with it.

what does one get when making a polar bear in hot pink? A pig-like animal.



I am glad the Yarn Haven carries the same line and color or I would have had to import more yarn from Stash in Memphis. Normally, I would have anyways. But with the Younger Twins' impending surgery, I wanted to ship the doll off ASAP. And anyone with siblings knows one does not send one gift without something for the other as well. Hence, a quick stop to a LYS here in town.

all I want at this point is for her to like it.

Toys for Twins...with Pictures

I like to think this is a knitting blog, so I will post this before I read the newspapers today. Thus, I advoid politics stuff. I left the English Department thinking I would be leaving behind a world of paper-induced stress. Should have known librarians are very politically active.

I finished the faery for the Younger Twin and in a moment of guilt, threw a bear on the needles for the Elder Twin.

1st, the faery (with hair). This is too cute, in a handmade sort of way. This is an Alan Dart pattern featured in a Simply Knitting magazine this year. He rocks as a designer but he is so British. As in every little piece was to be knit flat, making dozens of little pieces to sew.
The finishing took an eternity and a half. Yes, the finishing would not have been half as bad if I just sat down and took care of it.




now, for the bright, 7 year old girl pink polar bear. The color doesn't show up very well in photos, just take my word for it. It is the shade of pink all girls love when they are six-ten years old. Seven year-olds just take it a step forward. Hey, I did not pick out the color. Not surprised that she picked it, but now I'm knitting a pink polar bear. The pattern comes from The World of Knitted Toys, a book that is wonderful. Where else can you find a wallaby, seal, and a moose pattern in the same book for less than $20? I don't imagine many places.



p.s.-I cannot tell which end of the bear I am knitting on right now. It might be the shoulders....but I wouldn't argue if you said hips.

Friday is my Saturday

seeing as how I now work all day Saturday and need a day to clean house and such. I spent most of today working on a doll for the Younger Twin. She is having her tonsils out next month and I want to do something for her. I cannot go home for the day, so the obvious choice was to knit something. And here she is. The only thing lacking is hair.



meanwhile, the Elder Twin bought a kitten. A friend of the family recently had a population increase of them, and Elder Twin had seen them. Mom said "No more animals." So naturally the kid called Her Dad and negotiated. She talked him into agreeing about having the kitten if she bought the cat. Then the little miss went to the family friend and offered 2 quarters for a kitten. 50 cents now buys a kitten. And to think, Puppy picked up Cable for free (before the vet bills). Turns out, Elder Twin is picking up after the kitten and everything. Didn't see that one coming, given how hard it is to make her pick up anything.

Puppy got a hair cut this week. Now all the neighbors think she is a cocker spaniel whereas before, they thought she was a lab. I think she looks more lab now and cocker spaniel when she is more fluffy.

the before picture



she was a little camera shy after her hair cut



but I finally got a shot in



speaking of Puppy, she is trying to tell me it is time for a walk. The whole looking longingly at the door is suppose to be a clue.

very appropriate

in more ways than one...

Neutral Tones
by Thomas Hardy

We stood by a pond that winter day,
And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,
And a few leaves lay on the starving sod,
--They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.

Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove
Over tedious riddles solved years ago;
And some words played between us to and fro--
On which lost the more by our love.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
Alive enough to have strength to die;
And a grin of bitterness swept thereby
Like an ominous bird a-wing....

Since then, keen lessons that love deceives,
And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me
Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,
And a pond edged with grayish leaves.

10 days of nothing new

except just about everything.

the Med Library I work at is now open nights and weekends. Tons of practical, hands-on experience and homework time. No knitting, since I am at the front desk and it might look like there is nothing to do.

homework is still the same 3 projects due by the end of the month. 1 of which is almost done, and another of which will be done tomorrow when I am at a computer that can read the work I've done. No clue what the last one is.

lookie! Pictures of the glove I am working on. I would have finished it by now, if it was the only project I had OTN. Ha! Like that is ever going to happen again. BTW, this thumb rocks. Best thumb I've ever knitted.





I have thrown a quick little vest/waistcoat for my in-class knitting. Ignore the yellow there, it will not be part of the project.



well, Puppy is hiding in a closet (some jackal downstairs is shooting off firecrackers) and I better go get her out. Till next time!

quick update

because I have lots of stuff to do.

I love my work study. Finding articles and pulling journals is so much more fun that what it sounds like. You just have to trust me on that one. Next week I start nights and weekends. On the plus side, classes should be better (one has to suffer the intro weeks before getting to the good stuff).

it is bloody September already. If you haven't thought about Christmas knitting, now would be a good time to start. My gift stock overflows with scarves, it needs more dishcloths but I can knit almost a complete one of those up during one class session. I so need to finish some WIPs. But when did I have so many?

this past weekend was spent in Memphis. I had all these wonderful plans, but family stuff came up. Like we had an impromptu birthday celebration for me (silly me thought it was next month). My Maternal Grandmother dropped me off at Stash and let the ladies there baby-sit me for an hour. I was pick-ed up before I had even started seriously looking at yarn. (Expect pictures on Friday.)

break timer just went off. Guess I better get back to homework.

shock

I was going to tell you all about spending the day in the Graduate Lounge and what we did in class today. After all, it is not everyday that I turn a sock heel.



but, I just got off the phone with KMB who had the best piece of gossip and I'm still not quite over it. There are many details but the sum of it is: a chit neither of us cared very much for finally got caught up on the bad karma coming her way. Or as the Germans say, I am enjoying Schadenfreude.

enjoy your evening. I am.

better understanding

of the courses I'm taking this Fall. Each of the following points has its own class.

1. What is information?
2. Where does it go?
3. How can I get it?

oh yea, this is going to be fun. The entire faulty here works really hard to make sure each class, no matter the prof, gets the same information. Pretty smart, actually.

my work study at the Med Library will be tons of fun, once I know what I'm actually doing. 1st day today and there is alot to learn. Who gets what and what to charge them. How the databases and computer programs work. Where to park. I feel like the world's biggest scatter brain. Luckily, I'm not the only one in the office with this problem. It will make sense...someday.

meanwhile, I passed both my TB tests. This is good to know, for a moment there I was so worried...not.

tons of homework, another day of learning tomorrow, and several people I need to email. However, I have been up since 4 this morning (no clue why, I just was wide awake). I'll deal with the world in the morning. Better take a sleeping pill before bed, just in case my brain wants to pull that trick again.

still here

...just feeling really low today. As in, wanting to scream at Puppy over nothing. Everything seems to be wrong even when it's not. Caffeine migraine. Want to cry. Yeah, that low.

Thursday's class was cool. Friday went well, all set to start the work study tomorrow.

lots of stuff OTN. No pictures, haven't felt like it. Hope to feel better in the morning. Think I'll go shower so I can watch movies and knit.

bus 'n knits

I rode the bus today for the first time that was not for a school trip. What can I say, public transport just hasn't been a realistic mode of transport up until now. Not sure how everything works. But, I do have a semester-long pass. It stands to reason, then, that eventually I will figure it out.

in other news, I found a Josh Groban video on YouTube. Yes, he has quite a few on there; however, this one differs from the ones on my iShuffle in that I do not have it yet. This is just one of those songs that even without knowing the words or seeing a video, you just know what the singer is saying/feeling/all that other stuff. I may have told you this before, but StepSister no. 2 does not understand how I (or anyone for that matter) can like a song in a different language. But there are times when understanding the lyrics is simply not needed.

in any case, here are some knitting pictures:

to make-up

...for yesterday's long, rambling post here are some photos of Puppy, a flower, and my visible stash (the rest of which is saving itself for Flash Your Stash Day).

yea!

I survived orientation without being bored to tears. Eye-rolling was involved many, many times. But no tears.

my new Master's Program (School of Information Sciences) has its own orientation for incoming students that is mandatory attendance despite campus or distance education status. We were shown where to get our passwords changed, how to work BlackBoard, and what services are at our disposal. Most of it I had already figured out, either through a previous class (BlackBoard) or just surfing the website (password change and Inter-Library Loan).

today was much better than yesterday, except when it came to lunch. Two panels were presenting, one of our peers and the other librarians in a certain field. The latter was a lot of information to digest all at once. I now know for certain that Public Library and School Library are not for me (yeah and standing ovation to those in these areas). I liked what the Archive Librarian talked about, it would be very cool to be a part of that. And while the Special Librarian was focused in an area that does not thrill me, I like the general concept of it. Looks like I might be blending the two. My work study in a Medical Library will help me make that choice.

I am currently sewing the sleeves of a pullover (pictures of the FO tomorrow when it is done). I also threw a scarf OTN for orientation, no use messing up a WIP just because I had to listen. My Profs now know me by my knitting and all are cool with me knitting in their classes. Good, I might not have to use the letter my Shrink wrote up.

also happening this past week: I bought a bus pass that is good for a semester and have started reading my text books already. Thus far, it is way better than the previous prep I've put into my classes. Backing up for a moment, all the buses are back to normal schedule starting Monday. After I make a few calls that morning, I plan on riding the buses around town to see exactly where they take me. (Hoping against everything that one will take me to Yarn Haven.)

speaking of LYSes (you should have seen this coming). I have now been to all the major ones in the area. IMO (and high standers) they are as followed.

Loopville: amazing yarn (Shetland anyone?) but not a strong Sit 'n Knit following due to its location (surrounded by restaurants and limited parking). They have toys to occupy small children and husbands while one shops. And apparently their new location is larger with elbow room to spare.

The Knitting Nest: hard to find, but really cool atmosphere. New yarn coming in (they recently moved and wanted to be settled in before new shipments came. Lots of "exotic" fibers, even a wool/yak blend 50/50. Also, they have a balcony you can knit on with a non-city view.

The Yarn Haven: again, I love the atmosphere. They have sofas and chairs in front of a huge TV, all on a rug, giving it a living room feeling. Interestingly, they sort their fiber by weight and have a large 25% off bin that could get me in trouble fast.

except for Loopville, I do not recall seeing any Rowan fiber (and even that was scarce). Seems like Cascade and Plymouth are their staples. What a strange place I have come upon.

I bought books today. Grand total: less than $300. I was excited since this is a Science program and science books are usually $100-150 by the time one adds the workbook. The girl at the cashier's desk thought I was being sarcastic. Obviously, she's an undergraduate whose books are usually $200 total.

deadlines

and they all start Wednesday.

in no particular order: send StepSister1 birthday gift, finish pullover, write postcards, fill out paperwork so I can work, orientation (for my program), buy bus pass, get books.

it may not look like much, but in my head it is. I'm excited about the Student Work, it will be lots of fun. And orientation will be nice, if only to see who else is in the program. The biggest worry I have is the pullover. I'm on sleeve two, but I was hoping to be done long before now. Wanna see a picture?



I did a quick bind-off to free up the needles. Obviously, I have to go back and do it properly.

also on my camera was one last picture of Cable, whom I hear is adjusting well. She is doing a wonderful job monitoring and managing the family's lives. Good, someone has to keep everyone else on task. Puppy has her hands full with me.