Works in Progress

Where have I been?

Funnily enough after a while, I do start to miss updating my little blog!

I have been knitting a bit. Added a few more squares to my Blankie (I have got to figure out how to get links to work in the blog, while using the Blogger app on my phone). I got my last shipment of nomnoms grin Gritty Knits. She'll still be selling them but not on a month to month basis. I just have to say, I adore the feeling of the yarn she uses for the nomnoms; 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere and 10% Nylon. When I get money again I will buy a full skein of this yarn. It feels so nice to the touch while knitting and so does the finished square. [1]

I finished the ribbing for my Addi Cardi for the front right piece. I have barely touched it since I started my Blankie. Considering I'm making it out of Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks, as long as I finish it before November, I should be good.

On going projects that I still have to finish:
1) Wanida Socks by Cookie A. for my aunt. Currently at the heels for both feet.
2) Multnomah Shawl for my mom. I'm about 3/4 of the way before the feather and fan section
3) Black Rose Socks for my BFF. I have restarted these socks way too many times and each time, I find myself liking the yarn less and less. I may just pull out one of my nicer Springtree Road yarns and make with that instead.

I have also been asked to do 2 pairs if socks for my self-appointed adopted grandparents. One has to be made out of cotton (and I hate knitting with cotton) and the other can be made out of wool. I have to actually purchase cotton sock yarn. First KnitPicks purchase I can make, I'll put in the order for that.

One more thing! I hear that ChiaoGoo is making an Interchangeable set if needles, in both bamboo and stainless steel. I think I'd actually make an LYS purchase for that, instead of ordering it online.

On the job front, I'm still unemployed. Signed up with a job agency, and I'm dropping off a bunch if résumés at some retail places. Hopefully, I can at the very least get a part-time job for the back to school season.

Happy knitting to all and to all a good night!

Starting something new

Back in April, while still sitting at a computer at my work office that wouldn't let us do work, I signed up at Gritty Knits (http://www.grittyknits.com/) for Nom-Noms. Nom-Noms are mini skeins of their Nom yarn (which I still have to try). I just thought they were the cutest things (and now I get 6 nom-noms every month) but I really had no idea what I was going to do with them. Before I even made up my mind, I joined a Sampler on Ravelry for Handpainted and Tonal sock yarn from KnitPicks.

So while perusing the Ravelry forum,, I found a group called Blankie Mania and they introduced to the pattern called the Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelly Kang (http://www.shellykang.com/). Once I figured out how to do the metered edges, I went sailing!

It's only been 2 days and I have 5 squares. And for the fun of it, I'll also show my jar of mini skeins.

I had a dream

And I barely know how to explain it. It's a good, or maybe just decent, plot line for a contemporary romance.

What I found bothersome about it was that it involved me with people I know.

I of course was the female lead bit the male lead was definitely not who I was expecting. It was supposed to be the guy I had a crush on from way back in the day. And the dream-movie even started out like that way. Somehow over the course of this dream, it ended up being one of his older brothers who had apparently reached the stage of "let's be stand-offish because she's not looking at me that way anyways". It was really weird because he's a lot more friendly in reality...and taller too but that's one of those realizations you get after the dream. The original crush was being a bit stand-offish as well but playfully threatened me with a serrated knife (how someone can playfully threaten with any kind of knife I beyond me). Somehow that garnered him a hug.

Unexpected male lead was very unexpected. I had sent a text to his sister about a major leak in her car. I was expecting her to come out and check on her car and instead, UML comes out to fix instead. I actually ask him why and he tells me "that's what I do, I fix cars".

I just really want someone to tell me what the dream even means.

For my own future references:
-Stoney Creek church gravel parking lot (3rd dream in that location)
-old church kitchen where I saw 3 of the 4 bros together. 2 was no where to be found
-drove around with sister 1
-leak was like a fountain around the gear stick of the car and it was about to overflow the holder where the water was collecting
-car was white
-hug from 1

Good Time

Ever have one of those days where just about everything feels good? I went through that today (well yesterday since it is after midnight).

I looked in the mirror, and I felt good with what I saw, despite the fact I was still in my pajamas at 12 in the afternoon. I worked quite a bit on my sweater I'm knitting (more like a cardigan) and I am so pleased with my progress.

Lookie here! (If everything lines up the way I hope it will when I typed this on my phone...if not, then is the purpilish thing on the black and white carpet)

On Monday, I went out with my mon and one of my aunts, shopping in the Bronx. Even though I had no money and I was really wanting a whopper jr from the Burger King down the street, I had a good time, at least by the time we left Dr. Jays (I'm not much for sports apparel). We ended up at this store around the corner that sells those housewares stuff like kitchen curtains that have ducks and flowers all over them. So not my taste at all but my mom and my aunt seem to love them. I did find this beautiful comforter set that would match with my room perfectly. Unfortunately it didn't match with the money in my wallet which was just enough to get me home. I'm just going to hope it's still there when I come back in November.

I actually came down to New York for one of my cousin's wedding. Because of this wedding, I had a veal and cheese dumpling that was delicious and I wish I could have taken some home. I also realized New Rochelle, he city (or county, or borough, or whatever the heck it's called) is one of my ideal places in the US to live if they had the health care coverage like they do in Canada and I had a job that could support the housing....and my drivers license since none of my New York family is within busing distance.

I had a great time while I was out here (yeah, I haven't actually left yet but that's happening tomorrow). I'm sad that I'm missing the family 4th of July BBQ next week but what can I do? I still need to find work back in my home country in time to accumulate vacation time and get to use it for New York in November

G'nite to my non-existent readers :) off to sleep so I can enjoy my last day here.

PS: maybe tomorrow I'll put up a couple of shots of the scenery from my trip

I'm not really sure how I feel today

I'm currently unemployed (company decided to obliterate my department) and I still haven't found a new job. Kinda hard to when you don't even want to think about the concept of rejection.

So I've been spending my time knitting my mother's long awaited Multnomah Shawl which is looking decidedly short, knitting a pair of Wanida Socks for my aunt, watching DVDs with my DVD player that I've had for ages but have only recently started using (more 'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'). Been doing a lot of reading and wanting to write, only to have my NetBook spontaneously decide to leave me a blank document instead.
I'm contemplating things like my living arrangements. While I do love my mother and I like living with my family, I want to be more independent and get my own place, which for me would mean moving an hour away to my 'ideal' city. I can't really do that until my brother is more stable with his income (and I get another job of course, hopefully in the city I want to live in).
As if that's not enough, I do want to go back to school and finish something, whether it be diploma or degree, don't know, don't care. But I want to do this on my own which will require a lot of planning. I'm good at planning, not so good with the follow through so we'll see how well this goes once the planning phase is done.
I'm one of those people who generally prefers to be alone and I come from a family who are majority social butterflies, constantly wanting to talk and go out places and talk to lots of people. Im quite fine to stay in my room and hang out with myself.

Ever since I found out you can dye yarn with kool-aid, I have been wanting to try it.  And I will...one day...maybe over the summer or by next year.  But knowing how I am, of course I have to go looking to see tutorials.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/FEATdyeyourown.html - with acid based dyes
http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-dye-yarn-with-sun-dye.html - with food colouring

First Post of 2012 (and probably the last 3 months...)

So, NaNoWriMo 2011 didn't go so well.  I did plot out my story though...which I seem to do every year instead of actually writing...but now onto other things.

Last year, I picked up knitting again.  Let me tell you how much I am loving it.  I finished up a swiss cheese looking scarf in bright green, a cowl neck scarf, two hats and three pairs of socks.  I have determined that I much prefer making socks to anything else.  I decided I was going to make 12 pairs of socks for the year of 2012.  I'm almost half way done with the first pair.  Beautiful bright yellow yarn I purchased from Knitpicks.com.  I'll add pictures of them later once I figure out how to.

Blog I found that looks interesting about someone and the self imposed yarn diet:  http://www.unravelingthestash.com/
I'm not there yet.  I still need to build up a stash before I consider cutting down on it.