What are we going to do?

Today, I got some bad news...or at least bad news to me.  I had gotten a seasonal part-time position at a retail store.  I was happy to be working there.  I liked the staff and the atmosphere.  I was hoping that I would become permanent part time employee.  Unfortunately, this week is the beginning of the "Thank-you" letters and I got one of those letters.  I understand that it's about what the business needs but I really wanted to stay there, at that location, with those co-workers.

My mom did inform me that another location is opening close to my house.  My issue?  I want to stay in the city I currently am in.  Also, the customers in that area are not as friendly.  Work is really what you make it but I don't think I'd like working with a bunch of grumpy people.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to apply but I'm also going to continue looking for work where I am right now and hope things work out better on that front.

I know have to update my resume to reflect the time worked and hopefully, this could be the start of another new beginning.  I hope I get to stay in contact with some of the friends that I've made, especially the one that promised she would teach me how to play the Pokemon Card game and the one who promised that he and his boyfriend would take me around this city in the summer to see the waterfalls they keep boasting about.

I now have to come up with a decent plan about my immediate future.  Time is ticking as to how long I can stay at the house I'm currently at but I do have a potential new place of residence to live.  Only problem is that I have to have the money to do something called paying rent.  I got no objection to that but I do want to have a steady enough income to afford it.  I'm actually surprised to see some retail stores are still hiring even though the Holiday season is over.  I'm going to apply for those and hopefully more recent retail experience will help move things in my favour.

PS:  I'm still hoping that if it's feasible, I get another seasonal position at the store again for the next holiday season.

Year of Projects: Week 26

It's the halfway point of the Year of Projects! I'm happy that I've made it this far and I still have a long way to go.

First of all, I have a correction for last week: the socks I'm knitting from the Manos yarn is not the Arrow, it's the Mint Twist. Oops!

This week I didn't have the knitting time that I would have liked to have had but it's due to a good reason. I was working. Legitimate enough for me.

I am still working on the Mint Twist. Every time I pick up this project, I am liking the yarn and the pattern more and more.

I'm about halfway through the second repeat, before moving onto the heel flap.

As much as I am enjoying the project, soon, I'm going to be wanting another pair of finished socks and then I'll work like crazy on the Circe socks until I'm finished.

On a sad note, I've realized the problem with having your mother sleeping in your bedroom when you're not there. Last week I was supposed to get my last shipment for the 2013 sock club plus an additional skein of the MissBabs Cosmic Yarn in Inkwell brought up for me. Unfortunately, there was a snowstorm and it didn't reach. Then the yarn was supposed to have been brought for me yesterday. I made arrangements with my aunt and everything. Somehow, my mother decided to bring it to me. My aunt said she's bring it and somehow, it is now lost in either the house or the car and neither know where to find it. I just want my yarn to cuddle and know that it's safe.

I made a little purchase today

I'm gonna admit it out loud. I am a HUGE fan of the Pokémon games for the handheld systems, going all the way back to the Gameboy Pocket days.

I have been through games Pokémon Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Leaf Green, Heart Gold, Soul Silver, Black, White and Black 2. I have gone through the systems too: Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Colour Special Edition Pikachu Yellow (which got stolen), Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advanced, Gameboy Advanced SP, DSi Lite and DSi XL.

I can now add more to my collection. Today I purchased the Nintendo 3DS XL in a light pink and Pokémon Y.

And I am a happy (but broke) camper. Lucky for me, it went on sale at Target, which is also where I am employed so I also got an employee discount.

I started up the game on the bus ride home. I've avoided most of the sites in regards to information about X & Y. Let's just say I am very much impressed with the graphics. For the first time, I can pick a character who at the very least is somewhat close to my skintone. The graphics are very close to the anime.

I started with a Froakie and he's doing better than I thought he would. First Pokémon I encountered wild was a pidgey. An awesome wave of nostalgia came over me. Unfortunately, I had no pokéballs and couldn't catch it :( I've gotten the first badge so far.

It's a good mix of generations of Pokémon so far. My team currently consists of Froakie, Zigzagoon, Fletchly, Weedle and Budew.

I am liking playing the game so far, and I look forward to play more.

In the mode

I am back to my sock knitting mode. I'm enjoying the process very much and now that I'm working, I'm wishing that I had more time to knit. 

It always seems to work like that; when you have the time, you don't feel like working and when you don't have the time, all you can think of is knitting again.

I think what I'd like to do is to knit a few self stripping yarn with solid toes heels and cuffs. Unfortunately, the LYS near me doesn't seem to carry any self stripping yarn. I can see if I can locate Lens Mills in Hamilton. They carry the more basic lines of yarn. I'm not too big of a fan of the shop in Toronto. I don't know if I'm looking forward to the visit.

I keep wanting to build my stash, especially now that I have money but I have to keep in mind that space is definitely limited. I'm thinking to get a small container, fill it with yarn and not going beyond it.

Going back to the Mint Twist socks (mistakingly calling it the Arrow socks) that I'm enjoying immensely...although... Now that I think about it, I should get a dark green yarn for the Arrow socks, in honour of Arrow. Yes, I like that plan.

Year of Projects: Week 24 & 25

Still no finished objects but that's okay. I do have an outstanding project that was supposed to be done for last week (which I thought was this week) for a birthday gift for one of my cousins.  The last time I picked it up? Before I started the Earth & Night Sky Shawl which I believe was back in September-ish. So the next furiously worked project is the Hitchhiker by Martina Behm. Wasn't done in time but I hope it's done by Christmas.

Just look at how much it's grown. It's past the half way mark but I don't think I have enough yarn to do the full 44 prongs(?) as recommended in the pattern. Every time I look at it, I want to hoard Knitpicks Chroma yarn just to watch the colours change. I'm still on the look out for yarn that does the subtle and long colour shifting. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I got an email about the next skein of yarn from Cookie's Sock Club. It's by Tanis Fiber Arts and I very much look forward to working with it. Only 1 problem it's at my house and I am not. So I cannot cake the skein either and I don't trust the people at my house to do it properly at all. I have sent the message home to send it when they come.

I made a trip to Handknit Yarn Studios in Hamilton (which as far as I am concerned is my LYS) to get a another skein and get it wound. Unfortunately, they don't sell Tanis so I had to get something else. I was thinking Sweet Georgia but as soon as I mentioned "I'm looking for an icy colour", I was handed a skein of Manos del Uraguay Alegria.

No cashmere in this one but I can't afford cashmere content every time. The pattern should be arriving soon and as soon as I finish the Hitchhiker and the Circe socks, I'll contemplate if I'll cast on one of the new ones. I still have the Vamps to try out as well. And as an added bonus, they said that I can wind my skeins there if it's not busy.  I'm thinking it's an incentive to but more yarn.

Despite the fact I haven't finished any projects, I got a look at the Decemer/January patterns for the sock club. I casted on for the Arrow socks and I am loving them, including my replacement skein. I'm still debating if I'm going to do the other pair. It seems like it can be good for some mindless knitting.  But seriously check it out: 

Gorgeous so far and it's only the cuff! I'm about to start the leg.

Now back to the October/November socks; Circe. I've finally made it to the heel flap of the second sock. Shouldn't take much longer once that's done but I am looking forward to wearing them.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, I lost a dpn. I know I can finish the oaks with 4 needles but it's not my preference. I think sometime this week or next week, I'm making another trip to my LYS an buying another set of 1US DPNS, the most common size I seem to use for socks.

Year of Projects: Week 23

Imagine working your butt off to finish a gift for someone's birthday. That was me this week. I even ran out to the car as my baby brother Thaniel was going home with dad, to make sure he got it.

As I walked back into church, I nearly kicked myself because I forgot to take a picture of the scarf, much it being on him. So instead, I iffer up a picture if the birthday boy, all of 11 years old.

Handsome, isn't he?

Anywho, I picked up my Circe socks again but I still have quite a bit to do. Also, at this late date, I remembered that I have a Hitchhiker scarf to finish for a birthday gift in a few weeks PLUS a Daybreak shawl for January.  Neither of them have had a stitch added in over a month.

I have finally finished my first working week at my new job. I hope it becomes permenament, and that I'll have enough funds for the Cookie A. Sock Club 2014.