Friday again?

I seem to have become a once a week poster but that's typical for this time of year. Work is going better than usual but it is taking a lot of time to make everything run as smoothly as I like. I figured I could squeeze a post in while my workbuy is running.

I put the lace aside until work is quieter. I may rip back a row or two or I may not. I haven't decided. I may go back to Jeannie before I go back to the stole. Again I am completely undecided. Currently I'm working on some booties for a friend's new grandson:

I'm just seaming them at this point. I want to do another set of Saartjes booties for another baby who was born recently. Booties are great rush projects. Sadly, I seem to have misplaced my Nutkins. I'm not sure where the pattern, yarn and needles went although I have the one finished sock. I wanted to start the other one soon but I'll have to find all the stuff first.

Just to show there are rewards for a job well done, I'll share this story. I had an instructor e-mail me from India last week. She didn't know her course number, section number or anything else about her upcoming class. She wanted to apologize because she was going to be extremely late with her book request and asked if I could order the first book without the information. I found all her information for her and processed her request. When she returned from India she came to visit me and brought these:

It's nice to feel appreciated every once in awhile!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wow is it Friday already?

Much like my new girl crush Nastia Liukin I am only going to get one gold in the Ravelympics. While I think I did beautifully in the Handdyed Hurdles, I ended up falling on my ass on the Laceweight Longjump.

Here's where I am currently:
There is no way in hell I will finish by Sunday. So that's it and that's that. I have a number of errors in it but at this point I've decided not to frog since I hate frogging kidsilk haze. I had intended it for a gift but if it's too screwed up I'll keep it. It will be pretty regardless. My excuse for not finishing in time is simple. Lace knitting and rush don't mix. The students come back on Sunday and I'm already brain fried. The idea of working with yarn the thickness of thread and reading a chart is far beyond my meager brain power at this point. Sitting in a stupor on the train watching General Hospital and Primeval on my iPod is way more my level of participation for the moment.

I did pick up some books in anticipation of being productive and crafty again. Crafter's Choice has been trying to whoo me back with sales so I finally took them up on it. To my surprise I had enough points to get a book on the cheap as well so I took two.

Something to help me break in my new sewing machine:
...and a recommendation from Gina:
This one is dangerous. There's a number of things I want to make and it's simple enough that I actually think I could.

Weekend plans for me are work on Saturday and collapsing Sunday. What are you planning?

A good day to dye

The weather was so much cooler this weekend I decided on Saturday morning to tackle the first of my Ravelympic events. To dye my sock blank.

I gathered all the necessary tools:
For any project I tackle music is the most important component.

Here's the other stuff:
As an extremely messy person by nature I decided to do the dyeing on the deck. Just to be safe. When I was picking up vinegar at the market I saw this bottle and knew it was a sign from the fiber gods that all would go well:
Yes, I realize it's leftover from Easter but leave me to my fantasy.

I had been soaking the yarn for a number of hours:
I rang it out and dried it in a towel. I laid it out on the table and started working. No one was home so I didn't get any action shots.

I made a huge mess, got dye all over my fingers but in the end I was done. I wrapped it up in saran wrap as instructed:
Then I steamed it for 30 minutes. I left it to cool. Once it was cool enough to handle I rinsed it out and hung it up to dry:

It's far from perfect but it's pretty damn good for a first attempt. It looks pretty much exactly as I pictured it. I can't wait to see it knitted up. Rinaldo loved it and since it's destined to be socks for him that's good enough for me. In fact he's always wanted Smallville yarn but I've never seen it at White Oak Studio. The minute he saw this he designated it his Smallville yarn.

They tell you that you can knit directly from the blanks but that didn't really appeal to me so I balled it up:

A bit sloppy yes but it got a bit tangled coming out of the blank and I was exhausted by the time I balled it up.

I guess I better get my ass in gear and work on the lace portion of my events.
What did you do this weekend?

Birthdays, fos and Ravelympics, oh my....

I got home last night from an afternoon out with the boys and found a gift from Susan in the mail:
...is it not the coolest thing ever? A knitting gauge necklace! I'm wearing it to work today just on principle.

I worked really hard this week to fulfill at least some of my Summer of Socks responsibilites before the Ravelympics began. Lo and behold a finished pair of RPMs:
I also complete the first Nutkin:
As much as I liked the pattern that cuff doesn't not work well for me at all. It's far too tight and difficult to get over my foot. I do like the sock though. We'll see when I get to the second one.

This morning I am ready for my first event. I am participating for Team Tardis in the Lace Weight Long Jump. I'm making the Seascape Stole. As you can see I'm ready:



I'm hoping to work on my other event this weekend. For Team Splurk I am doing the Hand Dyed Hurtles, using my Sock Blanks.

I'm off to work. I'll cast on during my commute. I wish I could be home watching the opening ceremonies and the Doctor Who marathon on Sci-fi but I am attached to getting paid so off to work I go.

Happy Friday and good luck to all my Team Tardis companions and Team Splurk teamates.

Boston

Sadly I am still inundated at work. To the point where my wrist has started to give out. Too much knitting and too much keyboarding are not good at all. I iced it last night and it seems to be better today. Of course you're not here to talk about my pain are you?

We had a great time in Boston. Unfortunately the two things I was most looking forward to I didn't get to do. We didn't get to Salem and I didn't get to catch up with Susan. I suppose that just means I'll have to go back soon. As much as I loved the city that shouldn't be a problem.

Of course I hit the most important spot:
Lovely people, lovely yarn. I'll share my acquisitions on Friday.

Not to be outdone the husband's very first stop was here:
They were having a moving sale but amazingly he didn't pick anything up. He actually got more at their Cambridge branch when we went there.

We did the typical touristy type stuff, like the Duck Boat. They even let my guys drive:


This was the day before Avery's 13th birthday, it's nice that he's still such a kid.

Avery and I being history buffs did the Freedom Trail. For those who don't know it's a trail of historical sites. You literally follow a red line in the street. It changes form but it's always there:

We really enjoyed the cemetery oddly enough, or not oddly if you know us;) Here is the grave of the men killed in the Boston Massacre, including Crispus Attucks:
Here's Sam Adams standing outside Faneuil Hall. I wasn't a fan of his until the John Adams miniseries on HBO. He was such a troublemaker, how could I not love him. Well that and the beer...

Ian got into the colonial spirit as well:
We enjoyed walking around Cambridge for shopping and soaking up college town atmosphere:
We were there on Avery's birthday and amazingly he found the new book in a series he loves that was not due out until the following week:
We all enjoyed the easy train system. Nothing pleases a New Yorker like good mass transit. Of course I decided that this particular train, was the product of an affair between a NYC bus and a 42nd Street shuttle. They obviously ran away together and raised a family in Boston.


I know, I'm weird, you can't be surprised at this point.

I also had no idea that Wonderland was in Boston:
Who needs a rabbit hole?

Of course the most important spot for me was Ye Olde Starbucks:
Good mass transit, tons of history, easily walkable and Starbucks? I LOVE Boston!!!

Happy Blogversary to me!

I had no idea that today was my blogversary until Teena in Toronto left me a comment this morning. Thanks Teena! My little blog is five years old. I did plan on blogging today but who knows if I actually would have gotten around to it. Since my return from vacation, work has been bloody in-freakin-sane. Which hinders my ability to take care of things of real importance like blogging!

Plurk also eats up a fair amount of time although I have managed to not spend every waking hour on it, which is good...I suppose.

Boston was fantastic. I was going to do a post about it today but I think I will devote a complete post to it on Wednesday. There was much absorbing of history by Avery and myself and all around fun for all of us.

I have been knitting although not quickly by any means:

I'm actually further along than this photo. I am at the toe decreases now which means there is a good chance it will be done tonight. My plan is to then go dig out the RPM sock from it's time out corner and try to finish it by Thursday night. Why Thursday night you may ask? Well because I'm just insane enough to participate in the Ravelympics (ravelry link). Friday morning is the start by NYC time. I'll tell you my projects and the teams I've joined on Friday.

Happy Monday all!