Knitting time out

Well the cardinal hat may be my only FO in October.
Last Thursday gravity won the day & I now have a broken radius.
For the next 5 to 6 weeks I will be sporting a bright pink arm cast.
Life goes on.

Off the needles.

Finally the Pink Princess shawl is off the needles.
Pattern was Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West.
I still have to block it out. 
The yarn is Baby Bee "Little Princess."
I used all of one ball and less than a quarter of a second ball. 
Very intense color and feels soft to the touch. 

I still need to decide whether I will keep it or gift it.

First week of July 2012

Still no luck on the job front. I keep revamping my resume and searching online listings.
The 4th was very nice.

Red, White, and Blue at the gray house.

Once again my DS did a great job in celebrating the holiday.
 

Volunteering at HPL went well.  
Downtown was nearly empty on July 5th.
I had lunch by the City Hall, overlooking Tranquility park 

Planting at City Hall

                                           

Water feature across form City Hall

I tried out a new bus route, it gives me the bonus of adding in some walking time too. This is very good since I am having to deal with high blood sugars again. Actually got a few more rows done on the Boneyard shawl.

Here And There

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Originally uploaded by libraryminion

Actually it is just plain catching up.

Main event over the last 2 months was heading off to Ft. Lauderdale to attend a week long training workshop. It was all about the new circulation/cataloging system the library is changing to by the end of November. It has taken over 2 years of delays to get this far. The training was held at our sister school. It was both an exciting & frighting experience. It will take all of re-grouping to make this switch work.

At least the location was great. On my last day I had breakfast by the beach. This was the view as I ate a wonderful shrimp omelet.

I topped off the morning by tip toeing through the surf & sand.
It was difficult to get back to the daily routine after that taste of vacation. I am not sure when I can take the trip, but I am thinking that sun should be in the mix.

As to knitting, I have at least 2 pairs of socks in progress. I did finish the multi colored vest and one garter stitch scarf. I really have to set up scarf production if I am to earn any money for the garden next month.

Working days start again

Well the long weekend kept me busy. Took Dad to the airport & relived Mr. Toad's wild ride.

Did laundry as well as cleaned up a few surfaces in the apartment. Yet it is still a mess.

Downloaded pictures from my camera, & wrote up some projects on Ravelry.

Here are the projects currently on the needles. Neither really impress the cat.

Two sided January

January is becoming very busy and rather annoying.

The new quarter started this Monday and all of our students are back in force.
I am trying to get the last 2 textbooks added to the reserve collection. One of which I discovered won't even be published till next month. My poor sweet reference librarians are being swamped with orientation tours. And big surprise some were asked for at the last minute. Currently my most pressing projects are yearly job evaluations. One is due this month and two more next month. This is not my favorite activity as it always results in sleepless nights and lots of anxiety.

I all fitting in some knitting. I only have to work on a thumb hole to finish a pair of hand warmers, and I am attacking scarf production once more. I hope to have enough scarves finished to have a pre-Valentine's Day sale to rise money for the school's herb garden.

My other distraction was going to see the Houston Charity Cat Show last Sunday. Sweet and cuddly bundles of fuzz were everywhere. The show is no longer the massive production that it was a few decades when I was active, but it's great fun. It is still one of the few cat shows that is dedicated solely to charity. Best of all I was able to snag a new feather toy for the Cat of cats. It is the one with a detachable clump of feather that you can whirl around by a string. The dear girl needs the activity. Compared to the others of her breed I saw at the show, my gal is a chunky monkey.

It all adds up

Time is slipping away.
I can't believe the year is going by so fast.
It seems every time I blink another deadline or event is sneaking up on me.

I decided to take the plunge and take part in NaKniSweMo 2007.
This is challenge to knit a sweater of at least 50,000 stitches in one month.


This will help to whittle down my stash, and if I'm lucky give me a confidence boost.
I have enough yarn, & I thought I had a pattern. Unfortunately my lack of organization is working against me. The pattern was not where it should have been. Looks like I will be ransacking all my boxes and drawers. Dust bunnies be warned!

That is about all for now.

A nip in the air

Houston has finally gotten a cold snap.
I may actually be motivated to really knit again.

I have been busy thought gathering up more goodies for my spoilee. She does charity blankets. I am planning to send her a large box of washable yarn and a wonderful baby blanket pattern I found. To keep smiling I have also gotten some chocolate treats.

No pictures today. My camera's batteries are dead, dead, dead.

Filled with spooky goodness

My dear SP spoiler is the champion of holiday themed boxes.

Here's the box. And look what's inside.

This gal put a party in a box.
First there is a great set of cookie cutters and Halloween sprinkles:

Then the right party flare to set the mood. A mug (must buy some cider), party napkins (who's been reading my blog) and very clever dish towel:

For party 'games', DIY pumpkin kit with yarn & pattern:

Finally a card with scary sounds and a special pumpkin ornament:

What else can I say but - THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Change will do you good

What a way to start a day.

I had to wrangle my cat into the bedroom. My landlord is inspecting all the apartments today so the Cat of Cats had to be confined for her own good.

She has been quite a handful lately. I got a new rug for the living room & she does not like change.

Nor is she happy about the fact that I am finally getting around to the last boxes from our move. They made up her cardboard tower.

She surprised me with a new trick. She plays peek-a-boo from behind the toaster. I guess it’s nice and cozy there after my breakfast.

On the knitting front, I am only bringing "potato chip" projects to work. Just light no thinking knitting. This week I'm working on a scarf of soft and fluffy novelty yarn. I am still using my baseball needles, even if I am heartbroken over the Astro's season. Ah well, there is always next year.

Swap-bot joy!

These are the wonderful stitch markers that came winging their way to me from Down Under!
The colors are just perfect for the current projects I'm working on.
I am just about ready to ship off goodies to my two spoiliees.
Isn't amazing how one small package can brighten a day?

SP11 Questions

I racing just under the wire with this entry.
I had to deal with blog layout issues. So I switched back to the classic set up.

So here are the Qs and As for SP11

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
My stash is open to any and all items in the yarn universe.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
About a 3 or four tin boxes and a large plastic container.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I describe myself as a six year knitter with an intermediate skill level.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No

5. What's your favorite scent?
Vanilla.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
A very well developed sweet tooth. Almost all chocolate goodies, I am also extremely fond of caramels.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Origami, and puppet making.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Jim Brickman, show tunes, classical. MP3 is no problem. Not only for the computer but I seem to be developing a small collection of players.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like greens and blues.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Just me & the cat of all cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Oh yes. But Houston weather limits the amount of time I can wear mittens.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Currently I am on a sock binge. My other favorite items are scarves and hats.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Gryffindor socks.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh yes, please.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
No preference, I usual decide based on the yarn & size of project.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
A shameful four years old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Milk glass chickens, Donald Duck, and wooden Easter eggs.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don’t subscribe to any publications.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Not that I can think of.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Socks are GREAT! I usually fit a women’s medium.

23. When is your birthday?
May 3

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
No, I am not one of the chosen.

Now I am going to zip this off to my spoiler, so that all bases are covered.

Life rolls on

I'm part of the gang! Just got my confirmation for Secret Pal 11!
No assigned pal yet, but I am browsing through the participant list. Looks like a lively group.

This weekend I will be keeping my eye out for nifty stuff to send off.

My main mission Saturday is to get material for making 10 stitch makers for a swap-bot group I'm in. I think I will track down some luck charms. Four leaf clovers, horseshoes, and the like. I figure every knitter needs a little extra luck now & again. Maybe a Las Vegas theme?

I was very sad to read about Tom Synder's death. He was always one of my favorites. Not only for his TV shows, but his call in radio show too. I especially enjoyed his stories about his Mom. I think I'll mix up a colortini this weekend.

On the needles right now are Horcrux socks in red & gold. I'm doing them toes up. The yarn is a wool/alpaca blend. They are definitely winter socks.

Look what the cat dragged in!

No, I am not gone for good. Unfortunately my dedication to this blog has not been very good.

Since October last year:
I have a new apartment
Went back to WDW
Said farewell to 2 co-workers
Hired 2 new librarians
Presented 2 puppet workshops
Acquired a new computer
Attended 2 seminars
Survived a nasty birthday

All in all rather busy.
On the other hand I have also been very lazy on the knitting front. Only one or two projects finished, several floating in limbo, and others remain only a twinkle in the eye.

So with the steady nudging of the cat herself, I am gearing up again.