list update

Started reading Atlas Shrugged today. I like it so far. Totally had to wickipedia John Galt to make sure that I wasn't supposed to know who he was already.

etsy?

So, I want to start an etsy shop. I even have a good idea that I don't see anyone else doing on etsy. The problem? I HATE sewing and it involves sewing. I'm hoping to be able to bang out a couple prototypes and set this thing up, but I spent most of my day today doing a whole bunch of nothing. Can I pull myself out of this "do nothing" stage? I sure hope so!

oh, the list

You know what? I have made progress on my list. I F'ed it up. Spent more than 100 dollars at the grocery today, but I claim this isn't my fault. My husband was there and when we shop together we get all crazy in the aisles thinking that we need sushi, ice cream, cookies, and other things I don't buy alone. I'm going to deny this foul up later when I celebrate finishing all 1001 things. Just so you know.

running equals relief? weird

So, it has been a long time since I've gone out and run. When I was in high school and college when I was stressed out and freaked out I would go running and feel better. It had been about a year since I'd run anywhere and the last few days I've gone out just for a mile or so and I feel great.

Oh, and I registered to run a half marathon in Indianapolis is May; so, this running will continue.


I have an idea for an etsy shop and I REALLY want to get things started, but I made a list of things that I should complete first. Sadly, this has all made it so that I'm sitting at home on a Saturday to get caught up on things. (Actually, I'm completely stoked to be homebound on a Saturday-- I think I might do this more often.)

Haven't actually completed anything on my list... In fact, there are some things that I need to make sure don't slide...

plurk, crankiness, and not knitting

It is Friday. Usually on Friday I'm happily sitting on one of my friend's couches hanging out. Tonight? Got home, laid in bed, put on pajamas, and have been sitting at the computer since. What's wrong with me? Who knows. What I do know is that everything here is messy, I have much grading to be done, much knitting that I'd like to complete, and much sleeping I'd like to do. For some reason though, I can't bring myself to do anything. So, here I sit. Actually, I did start a plurk account, but I don't know anyone else who uses it so it isn't really fun yet.

On the upside, I finished constructing my list of 101 in 1001. I'm very excited about it. I'm starting on Monday. Today I wrote a pretty hand written version to put on the back of our bedroom door. On that version I made little check mark spots for things you have to do more than once on --types of things. My lovely husband is also going to do this which I think is very fun. Just talking about all of that just kind of perked me up.

So, maybe know with a little lime and violet action in the background I can pull myself to the couch and finish the pink ribbon socks I'm knitting. (The socks that I told myself I'd have done by 10/9 to give to a friend. Oops.)

a new beginning

After not blogging for a long time and never REALLY getting into blogging the first time I've decided to give it a second try. Part of the reason is I found the 101 in 1001 idea on someone else's blog and have decided to try it out. (Basically, you make a list of 101 things you like to do and you put it on a time line of 1001 days. Pretty sweet.)

While I've not been blogging I found the podcast limenviolet and it is my new favorite thing. I went to the first episode and I'm listening to each one of them. I'm on 50 out of 81 now and I simply love it.

I've knitted tons since I last posted, but I can't even start to make some sort of list. I'm erincolleen on ravelry if you want to check it out.

Ready for Florida!

I'm heading to Florida for a week with my new BEACH BAG! I realized on Monday that I would have nothing to put my books and lotion in to take the the beach so I put together this quick and easy bag. I made a million mods because I hate following directions, but in the end it looks exactly like the picture. My only regret? I wish this was just one color. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought variegated yarn. I usually don't like it, but oh well. Have a great week!

at least I could post a pic...

My slacker post was boring, so I decided to post a picture of my new favorite knitting endeavor(s).
Oh, and I found this that-- rav link-- I want to finish in time for my spring break (I'm leaving Sunday.) I don't have high hopes about having time to do it, but I think it looks AWESOME!

slacker!

Yes, I've been a giant slacker. I guess sometimes life just gets in the way! I have also been slacking on the knitting that I want to complete, but here's a quick list of things I actually have done~

1. Broke a pair of interchangable needles that were passed down for my grandmother. They were really old, but very cool. I also dropped about 50 stitches from the slowly growing afghan in the process. I was not happy. I cursed as I picked up every stitch. My husband tried not to giggle.

2. Ordered replacement needles. Not as sentimental, but they knit.

3. Found a really cook dpn holder at www.knitzi.com and bought it. I can't wait for it to get here.

4. Oh, knitting? I did some. I've added to the afghan, not tons.

5. Finished one sock mentioned in the other blog. It was nice and easy, plus it fits. Haven't casted on for sock two.

6. Made really cool swiffer covers (2 apiece) for my sister and MIL. They were both thrilled.

7. Made some ball band dish cloths for my mom. She hasn't seen them yet, but I assume she'll also be thrilled.

8. Bought a pattern and really great yarn to make a teddy bear for my best friend's son's first birthday. Can't wait to knit it... Maybe I should work on the afghan and other sock first though???

ickiness brings socks

I have the flu. Or something. I came home sick from work Wednesday, stayed home Thursday, went back Friday and Saturday morning was back to how I felt Wednesday. So, I've started my first pair of socks and I'm alternating between those and the afghan. I've finally caught on and really got going on the afghan, but its a slow process...

A new sweater and a blocking board!

I finished my blue sweater and its blocking right now. On my lovely new blocking board :) It was a whopping ten bucks at JoAnn Fabrics and it folds up to be a quarter of this size. Its lovely.

And, I went back to In A Yarn Basket today to get more fun yarn. I love it in there. They even remembered me from last week; which was cool. I'm embarking on my first pair of socks soon. I bought cool purple yarn cascade yarn for this endeavor.

I also bought some Alpaca Suri Merino for a scarf. Expensive? Yes, but it feels so luxirious I needed it. Really.

Yay! I love this

I finished my new swiffer cover. I think its the coolest thing ever; here's why.
1. I love how quick it is. Just an hour and you have something cool!
2. The finishing is minimal, and who cares if it looks a little shitty, you're mopping the floor with it.
3. Blocking? I think not.
4. No disposable swiffer covers.
5. A fun gift to send to a random friend.
6. Inexpensive yarn- fun colors- stash buster.

Am I too excited over this itty bitty project? Maybe. Is the picture too big. Maybe.

Now, on to finishing some other projects so that I can start knitting with the NEW YARN!!! Its so soft. I love it so much. Blue Sky Alpaca you rock. If only you weren't the most expensive thing I've ever purchased at a knitting shop.

better

Surgery went well. Well enough that as we walked (yes, walked! no crutches!) all I could think of is going to the new LYS. So, we did! I loved it! Everyone in there was very nice, helpful, and seemed glad to be there. I only bought one skein of Blue Sky Alpaca and I'm completely in love with it. I just keep touching it.

I'm working to finish my blue sweater (pics below) I didn't like how one of the sleeved knitted up so I ripped it out and joined it at the shoulder and I'm knitting it that way. I hate finishing. Knitting directly to the sweater suits me better. I'm excited to finish this because it means I can start something new and go back to the yarn store!

I'm still working on my afghan but it is less exciting because its being knitted with boring acrylic yarn...

A quick update

I really want this to be a knitting post for the most part, but sometimes life interrupts and I feel like I have to explain this whole ongoing surgery debacle so that at least one day I can look back and remember all of this...

Once upon a time there was a girl whose feet and legs always hurt. She thought that everyone had this problem. Even though she sometimes had stress fractures and often couldn't fall asleep from pain in her feet and legs she thought she was normal.

Then one day, she got out of bed, her ankles cracked and she fell to the ground. Then this happened again. And, as this continued she realized that walking around in the morning was painful and took getting to used too.

So, she decided to go see a doctor. He gave her some pills that made her violently ill. So, she went to a new doctor. The new doctor decided that insoles in her shoes were the key. She decided to call them nerdy shoes. Her friends called them special shoes. After three months of the nerdy shoes the pain was no better.

The doctor told her that the next step was to have a screw put in each ankle to realign the bones. Although the girl was not super excited about the plan she was super excited about less pain.

Just after Christmas the girl went to have surgery. She had never been in the hospital and was nervous about the unknown. As they wheeled her back to surgery she started to cry, and then she was asleep. She woke up with metal in her foot and very little pain. She decided that this wasn't so bad after all. Once she got used to walking with this new screw she loved it! It was the best piece of metal ever!

Four weeks later

The girl is back in the hospital to get the next screw put in. She is no longer scared and is happily chats with the very nice nursing staff. Jokes are made on the way to the operating room and everything is lovely. She wakes up from this surgery and heads home. Yay screws.

One week later

The girl is at a conference happily walking without crutches when all of a sudden she feels an awful burning sensation inside of her foot. It hurts but she decides that it must be normal. She goes to the doctor the next day and he tells her that her screw has been pushed out of place. Sometimes this happens (which is why you sign documentation that says you understand that this could happen and that it doesn't mean that it is anyone's fault.) She has to have surgery the following week to correct things.

One week later


Back to the hospital. Everyone is nice, things are jovial and surgery is done. More precautions are taken and the girl is on crutches a full week instead of a few days. At the post op appointment things look perfect on the X ray. Sadly, when the girl returns home from the appointment she carefully steps through the house and feels the screw go back out of place. She calls the doctor. He has her in a few days later and they discover that the screw won't stay in place. She has a loose ligament (who knew screws were promiscuous...) and it won't hold the screw in place. She has to have the screw taken out and let scar tissue form. Hopefully, in four months there will be enough scar tissue to hold a screw in place.

Tomorrow

The screw comes out. We start over. Boo. The girl surely needs new yarn to feel better.

Yay for Presidents!

There are lots of reasons that I like teaching. I think its fulfilling, you get to help people, watch them grow... yada, yada, yada. But, one of my very favorite (and very shallow) things about teaching is the random days we get off. Okay, President's Day itself isn't random, but having it off is something random. This will give me time to finish my lovely sweater, reusable swiffer cover, and work on the afghan.

Finally, I did get past row 30 on my afghan and things have been much better.

ahh...

I finished the second pair of Bird In Hand Mittens! I'm very glad to be done with them because I want to work on my sweater and afghan, but since these are for someone else I thought I should finish them out.

I have decided not to take any pain killers today so that I can figure out what I'm doing wrong with this afghan I'm making. I don't want to keep ripping it back, and I love what the finished product looks like so I'm going to work out the kinks until it works.

Tomorrow I'm allowed to drive so I can go pick up new size 7 dpns and cast on for my sweater sleeves! Hooray!

I'd love to have something fun and witty to say about something, but without the pain medicine I'm not very fun today.

back and forth

I've been knitting steadily since I returned from my surgery yesterday. I have one mitten done, the body of my sweater (I need new size7 dpns for the sleeves and I can't drive until Monday) , and I'm three rows back on my afghan. I have steadily knitted an inch and have torn that inch back for the last few hours. Maybe I need to wait until I'm not on pain killers. There's a lot of counting involved in this afghan. I think I might have to go back to the mittens for awhile.

I watched "Jane Austen Book Club" today. Pretty good.

I finished reading Twilight last night. It was tremendous. I sent my husband out to buy the second one, but they didn't have it. Had I waited 30 more minutes to send him I could have sent him for needles too, but I'm trying not to make him too crazy...

last time

So, my third surgery is complete. I am assuming that this one will take. Hopefully, I'll have some good FOs in the coming days!!

As a side note, I just finished watching the series Twin Peaks for the first time. My head is messed up for sure.

Using all of my maturity

So, I could sit here and be cranky that I have to have surgery on Thursday and be upset about until then, and then be upset about it for the weeks after when I'm healing. Or, I could go on through the pain and crankiness and be a productive member to society. (Well, at least the knitting society.) I've decided on the second. Here is a list of things I'm working on to fill my time as I'm stuck on the couch.

1. This is going to be a Celtic Knot Afghan for friends that are getting married in October. It is full of cables and what not and I don't think I'll want to sit and knit only this. So, I'm working on it while I work on other projects. Oh, plus I think I need more regular gratification than watching it grow at the snail pace it seems I'm knitting it.


2. On the left you see the second coming of the Bird In Hand Mittens. I ended up giving the pair that didn't fit mom to my sister. She lives near my mom and was going to go pick them up. I still want a pair, but I want lime green and brown. I think that these mittens look HUGE, but the other ones were so small on her hands that I'm hoping we're close. I only went up one needle size (from 0-1) so, I can't imagine that they're THAT big.

3. Aahhh and for me... Is the Gathered Pullover from Interweave Knits Winter 2007-2008. The picture doesn't do it justice at all; it is a simple sweater but really cool. I'm not a fan of the rolled edge because its so rolled right now, but I like how it looks in the finished picture so I'm dealing with it.

I'm holding strong to my goal of having the mittens and sweater finished by the 22nd. That is the Oh So Special day where Bloomington gets a new LYS, and I want to go in to that store looking for yarn to start a brand new project... this... Oh, and the new store has like a million colors of Blue Sky Alpaca.

if you thought I was cranky yesterday...

I just found out the the screw from my second surgery did not stay in place as one might have hoped. I've been scheduled for surgery three. Since I have no nice words to say I think I won't say anything.

icky

I have nothing positive to say. Here are the negative things that I've come up with.
* My foot hurts a lot. I don't remember the other one hurting like this.

* Took the Bird In Hand mittens to mom. They're too small. So, they're mine and I have to start over on hers. Left them in another city with her because I'm stupid.

* I really don't want to start a new set of mittens.

I'm going to the couch to be pout like a small child.

A sigh of relief...

I walked all day without crutches. It was slow and the high school kids are calling me tiny Tim, but no crutches. I'd do a dance, but I'm not QUITE that stable on two feet yet.

In even better news I am DONE with the Bird In Hand Mittens. They are gorgeous. Yes, I skipped some of the braids. Yes, My mom (who they are for) doesn't dig the piquot edging and made me leave the rolled edge. Yes, only one is blocked. I'm calling them done anyway. And, I'm going to block the second one tonight and give the to my mom tomorrow because I have a conference that will put us in the same city.

I'm so happy. Now, on to the sweater I'm knitting that I want to finish before our new LYS opens!

Ahh Tuesday

First, I can walk like 10 steps without crutches. This makes me very happy. I love being able to get a glass of water all by myself.

Reading-- Twilight so good, but I have a million other things on my mind and I can't just sit and read it.

Watching-- My husband recently bought the Twin Peaks the series. He loved it when it was on and I've never seen it. We watched the first season when I was stuck on the couch. Not so bad.

The couch sitting will continue for awhile, because even when I can walk again I know that my ankle will swell up and I'll have to sit and ice each night. Not good for productivity or the Spring Break shape I'd like to be getting in. (Oh, yeah. Going on Spring Break for the first time in 8 years. Who am I going with? My parents. Yeah. They have the same break I do; Clay can't get off work. It is sit in Btown alone or go to sunny FLA. I'm going. Too bad they work out with personal trainers and I'm stuck on my ass on the couch post surgery. Its going to be great when my mom's skinnier than I am.)


In the world of knitting I've had lots of time on my hands. I, finally, casted on for the afghan I'm making because I know that it will be slow progress. It is pretty complex. When it is long enough to show the intricate details I'll photograph it. I'm also working on a sweater that I've put on a deadline. I want to finish this sweater before Bloomington's LYS opens. February 22. But, first on my list is to finish the other Bird in Hand mitten so I can't stop feeling like a fucking idiot. I knit the first one and it turned out to be the left, not the right mitten I had intended to knit. No big deal, I knit the thumb backward and it worked. So, this time as I finished the cuff and started the thumb gusset. I looked at it really hard to make sure I didn't mess up. I needed a RIGHT mitten. So, which pattern am I using? The left hand pattern. Why? Because it makes a right hand. I'm evidently not that smart... But, I've decided that rather than really try to figure out the problem behind this I'm going to just keep knitting. At the end I'll have a right and a left mitten and they'll look like the picture... Oh, except for the Estonian Braid. I only put one of three on each mitten. Those little buggers are the worst knitting invention ever! Okay, okay, they look beautiful, but they take me nine years. Maybe if I was knitting on bigger needles I could deal with it, but no more braids on size ones. Ever.

Ahhh... one down

I love these mittens (well this mitten so far) but they are not the most fun to knit. Plus, I screwed something up somewhere and had to knit the thumb backward and all sorts of other things. But, I'm so glad that this one is finished and that it looks very nice. I just have to block and embroider the little bird on it. So, for the moment I'm casting of an afghan to get away from the size 1 dpns, and later tonight I'll go back for mitten two.

Three weeks later, same story

It has been three weeks since my last post and I can happily report that my left foot is healed! I can't even feel the screw in it, and I walk like a normal person! The bad news? Yesterday, they (Yes, they, that's what I call people who shove metal into your foot. Yes, I know I need it, but I don't think that should keep me from being cranky) put a screw in my right foot. I have from today until Sunday to sit on the couch; then
it is back to teaching.

I had big plans for my blog and they petered out so I'm starting again. My goal (which needs to be made public so that I feel the need to stick to it even though I'm sure no one reads this) is to post twice a week. Let's say Tuesday and Friday. Maybe I'll get hyped and I'll post more. That would be awesome, but not I'm not promising shit.

I think on my twice weekly post I'll post about knitting, books, and movies. My husband and I subscribe to netflix which makes me a happy camper and allows us to inexpensively watch a million movies a month. And, since I teach high school English I try to read constantly. Oh, and an important note about what I read. It is a LOT of young adult literature. So, don't get all judgemental.

So, here are my "stuck on the couch" knitting projects. The scarf above is something that I have been asked to knit by a student's parent. She picked the color; I picked the design. It looks like a cable, but it isn't. It is a stick I found in a afghan sampler book from the 50s. If I put the pattern on the web but I give credit for the stick to the book do you think that's stealing?

This is the very beginning an awesome sweater from Interweave. Am I going to crutch over and find out what it is called? Hell no. Right now it is just knitting in the round for eight inches so I'm working on it in between other projects so I don't go crazy. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn though. I think it is called Top of the Lamb.

To the left you see the pattern that is currently kicking my ass. It isn't hard per se, but the stitches are itty bitty and I have to constantly look at the chart. Oh, and the picture it is upside down. These are going to be mittens, the Bird in Hand mittens to be exact. I downloaded the pattern from ravelry. Oh, and I'm knitting the right hand chart, but the thumb is in position to be the left hand mitten... So, I'm trying to decide if I try to knit the right hand again and figure out where I messed up, or if I knit the left hand chart in hopes that I mess up in the same way and make it the right hand mitten. Thoughts?
It is supposed to have a really cute picot edging, but they're for my mom and as I went to hem the stitches to make the picot she asked me not to. She thinks that the rolled yard will keep her wrists warmer. I'm totally making myself a pair with the edging. It would look WAY better. But, she's the mom, and she can't knit to make her own mittens, so... what can I do?

reading: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It is young adult lit, and it is about vampires, but it isn't hokey in the least. I can only put it down to knit. Two of the nurses in the hospital had read all of the series (Twilight is the first one) and loved them.

watching: Atonement. Go see it. Right now. And, then tell me that you don't kind of want to have sex with James McAvoy in a library.
Saw 4- I had to see it. Not as good as the first three, but bloody as fuck. Good stuff, because I enjoy that sort of thing.

can i walk yet?

I can't sit on the couch anymore. I'll die of boredom. I just finished blocking this shirt... and I've sort of lost that want to knit. Well, I want to knit lots of things, but I don't have the yarn that I want to do it with, and I can't find it at any of the stores near me. I did order some online, but I wasn't paying attention and the lady who runs the online shop is gone until January 10. Woops.

Today I have been walking on my own a bit better. The screw in my ankle seems to be cooperating, and it is a darn good thing because I about killed myself yesterday. I caught the edge of my crutch on the Christmas tree skirt yesterday morning and took a tumble, and then we went to Red Lobster and after assuring my husband that I could crutch to the door I wiped out on some ice. Because of my pride I sat through dinner with a wet bum and painful knees and elbows. Luckily, both times I fell I did not hit my leg.

For now I should write thank you notes for Christmas and try my hand at driving. After I find some food.