I'll need a new morning routine

I just found out that the coffee shop in my building is closing next week. This is the most-conveniently located (duh) non-Starbucks place where I can get tea, chai, flavored coffee or a latte - depending on my mood and craving.

There is a deli where I can get flavored coffee, and they might have tea. There is a bagel place where I can get chai. And there is an out-of-my-way-more-than-Starbucks place where I can get chai and latte, and maybe tea.

At least I had the most convenient place during the coldest part of winter.

In other news...

1 - I just found out that I'm getting a new computer at work in the next couple of weeks! Woohoo! That should mean that I will *finally* have a copy of Photoshop at my desk and I'll be able to run the new 3D drawing program without crashes!

2 - I'm 4 repeats into the straight section of Clapotis. It's a nice pattern. I wish I would have purled the drop stitches instead of using markers. But I am afraid to change to that technique now since I know I purl looser than I knit. Dropping columns of stitches is fun. :-)

3 - I've started a pair of socks with the Cherry Tree Hill superwash merino I bought in OH last week. Lovely stuff so far. I'm trying to make a pair of socks like the ones that Grumperina posted a picture of on her blog (the berry colored ones). She hasn't posted the pattern yet, so I'm making it up based on how I think she made them. So far I like them, so even if the pattern is a little different, it's getting the right idea across.

4 - I might give up on the bamboo yarn I have for socks. It's *very* splitty and doesn't have a lot of give (like cotton). So starting from the toe up was aggravating and I get annoyed when I look three rows back and see a tiny ply sticking out. I think this yarn is likely to become a spring scarf. Maybe a lighter neck warmer for the office to battle the AC.

5 - I have a vague notion of wanting to wear the orange cabled vest for the Yarn Harlot's visit. Must work on it this weekend if that is going to happen. Maybe I'll start by doing the neckline, since that won't change from the alterations to be done to the sides.

6 - I'm still tired, but I'm getting through okay. I ordered curtains the other day, which gave me as much pep as half a cup of coffee. :-) They are for the foyer, kitchen and dining room. So the first and second floor will be fully curtained, except for the bathroom, which I am still debating.

7 - I'm hosting the next knitting GTG. There are a few things I'd like to get done between now and then, so I need to find some motivation this weekend if any of it is going to happen. I'm not going to list those things, because I don't need the pressure. At the very least, we need to rehang the door to our bedroom, but I'm not committing to anything more than that!

There is probably more, but it's not coming to me. 6 1/2 hours until the weekend, when I can go out and enjoy this really nice weather for a little bit! (Although it might be stormy by the time I'm done with work...)

Trying to figure out why

I'm warning you now, this is a long, potentially ranty post. I just need to get it all out, I think. And then we shall never speak of this again. :-)

I read an article in the paper today that aggravated me. I am aware that part of the reason is emotional and perhaps unfair, and I'm trying to figure out if there is really any reason for me to be annoyed at all. Or am I just being totally ridiculous. I will try to be circumspect in my description to avoid just being crass and mean about the whole situation, because that isn't my intention really. I mostly want to know why this is bothering me as much as it is and how to let it all go.

A friend of mine became the drama club director for a local high school last year. (Now, when I say local, I mean that it is in this county and near where he lives...but in reality it's at least 45 minutes from my house.) He asked me to be the set designer for the spring musical and said that I could do the design and just show up a couple of times to oversee the process but not have to be in charge of seeing the thing constructed and painted. Before agreeing, I explained that I would only be able to come out to the school once or twice to see how things were going, but that I would be happy to answer questions via phone and email as needed.

I spent my free time over the course of about 2 months designing the sets - which included ground plans for every scene and paint elevations of every built piece. It had been several years since I worked on a set where I wasn't around for construction and been the primary painter, so it was a bigger set of drawings than I had done in a long time. I underestimated the time it would take, so I had to use colored pencil on the elevations instead of paint, but I thought the drawings were very legible and I added notes where I thought they weren't.

I went to the school to see progress once. While I was there I commented on several things that weren't painted like my elevations, and was told that fixing them wouldn't be a problem. I answered some questions, but didn't see any big problems with what had been done so far. The line work in the painting was a bit sloppy and there wasn't a lot of detail on the facades, but the line work issues wasn't a big deal when you took a few steps back and I was given the impression that more detail would be added.

I got one question from the director/TD during the process. It was a question about the number and length of benches. I said that whatever worked for the choreography was fine with me, as long as they fit in the general area of the room created by the walls being built. I told him at that time and several times via email when I was available and that he should let me know what evening it would make the most sense for me to come visit and help paint. He never told me to come.

I got a few calls from the parent who was painting the drops, mostly about technique for painting drops that big. I answered his questions and again told him when I was available to come and that he should let me know when would be best. He never told me when to come.

I was a little worried about not hearing much in the last few weeks before the show opened, but I was happy to not have to make the trek out there. In hindsight, I probably should have been more insistent about going one or two more times.

When we went to see the show, there was not one piece of the set that was exactly as I had designed it. Okay, the drops were painted as I had designed them, but since I had been given the wrong dimension for the proscenium they were 10' to tall and 1/3 of the design was rolled up on the floor... Some piece of every set had been changed and there were things I had designed that weren't on stage at all.

Now, I understand that things change during the process of putting a show up. I'm totally willing to accept that. What I *don't* understand is why I got a phone call about changing the benches, one of the most insignificant aspects of the set design (purely functional) and not a single call about the items that were cut or changed or altered. And why did no one call me when the drops were too tall? To top it all off, the show was pretty painful to sit through and I felt especially bad for the four people who came to see it with me.

So fast forward to this year. I wasn't totally disappointed when I wasn't asked to design the set again, but at the same time it did annoy me. I have the feeling that the parents who were involved didn't think much of me since I wasn't there for the process (I don't know this for a fact, it's just a vibe I was getting) and that's why I wasn't asked again. Or maybe they all thought they could do a better job without having to pay me. Or...I don't even know what.

The article that caused all of this ranting is a full-length review in the local paper. Which specifically mentions the sets, including the full stage painted drops (my drops could only be 15' wide because of cost, although if I had the right height dimension I might have been able to afford wider ones.)

All I can come up with is that when I was involved, it was a crappy experience that resulted in much bitterness and negative feelings, and it was a show that no one bothered to review. Quite honestly, I never said much to the director, figuring that I could bring it up if he asked me again and knowing that being upset with him wouldn't really fix the problems of the past. I realize that I could have been more proactive, but I was trying to enjoy the gig I was promised - that didn't involve me needing to be around that much, and letting my drawings speak for themselves. But this year, it sounds like it was a great experience. And really I get jealous every time a set is mentioned in a review because it happens so rarely. Some of my best work (IMO and the opinion of the director I work with most often) hasn't gotten any comments.

On one hand, I'm totally accepting of the fact that theater critics have very little space to review a production with many facets and that a successful set shouldn't be so overwhelming that it overpowers the show. But at the same time there are definitely designers in this town (and in some cases directors who dictate the set design) who get mentions a lot more often than the norm. (I get similarly annoyed at articles about new buildings that don't credit the architect who designed them.)

I also find it sad because I *love* musicals. And I would love to find a regular gig where I could design musicals on a regular basis. But the size of theater companies that I work with just don't do them on a regular basis, and they are really much more prominent around here in the high schools anyway.

I don't know. I think maybe venting in this forum might help me feel better. And if anyone has any wisdom for me, I'm listening. It's really moot since I don't think I'll ever be offered a set design job at this school again (and I don't really know that I would want one without a TD), but the whole thing still feels unresolved and irritating. Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if I had a nearby outlet for designing sets for musicals or a faraway place to design them for that could be trusted to build my design as drawn (or at least communicate to me about changes).

Rant over.

How my day is going

During lunch I catapulted a ravioli covered in sauce onto myself. It hit my sweater in two places and landed on my right thigh.

15 minutes in the restroom got all of the sauce and oregano off, but there are still big wet spots and little bits of paper towel stuck to my clothes.

I'm glad that I only plan to leave my desk for some tea later...

Long Day

The alarm clock went off at 4:20 this morning and I got home at 8:50
this evening.

I'll post something more interesting when I've had more sleep.

But, I do want to add that I've started a Clapotis out of Cascade Quarto
and that I'm super psyched that the Yarn Harlot is coming to Pittsburgh
next week! Woohoo!

Ummmm...

I really did expect to make a nice long blog post this weekend (or several) with pictures of my finished striped trekking socks, a progress photo of the fair isle bag and a nice picture of all of the yarn I bought in the past two weeks. (I've been to three yarn shops in the past week and a half.) :-)

But I unexpectedly spent most of yesterday on the computer working on something totally different and with a knitting gtg this afternoon and the usual Sunday stuff to do afterward, it doesn't look like my expectations will be met.

You can see some of what I did yesterday here: snsalumni.blogspot.com

Must do dishes and go to bed soon.

Holding on for the weekend

There will be some posting this weekend - I promise.

At the moment, I'm tired and I'm trying to get some work done since I was out of the office yesterday (in Wooster, Ohio). There will be talk of yarn shopping, drywall and striped socks to look forward to, and maybe even a few photos.

Also, thankfully, my joann.com order arrived. Ordered on March 8th and arrived on March 24th. It doesn't speak well for free shipping, huh?

The orange cabled vest

So I realized that there is one knitting aspect of this past weekend that I didn't mention. While R and I watched HP3, I finally wove in the ends and sewed the sides together of the vest. In the past, I've finished an item of clothing right before bed and tried it on...only to find a major problem, which keeps my brain awake for a while. I've learned my lesson. :-)

So I tried it on Sunday afternoon. It's too big now.

sigh.

I think I know what I did. In addition to adding cables repeats (4, because it is symmetrical around the center) I also changed 6 cables columns to a cable that lies flatter than the twisted cable. I think if I would have done one or the other of these things, it would fit...but both was too much.

Really, it isn't horrible. I could wear it as it is. But it is just not as fitted as I would like. And someday, when I lose weight, I would be swimming in it.

So I'm going to try a steeking operation. I'm going to sew up the sides to "delete" two cable columns and once I've "reinforced" that seam, I'll be able to cut out the extra fabric. Not the best use of the yarn, but there is no way that I'm knitting the whole thing again. I can't do it.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Exercising, waiting, socks and Dulaan

The past three weeks R and I have made it to the gym three times. I think the last time I had a record that good was January 2005. This week is a little tricky and busy for us both, so though I will aim for three trips, I will be happy with two. Work comes first and Friday night is a sad night to go to the gym. It's nice because it isn't busy, but it just feels sad somehow. And with possible social plans on Friday night, it would make it sadder to be at the gym if we could be hanging out with friends instead.

On March 10th, I placed a small order with Joann.com. It shipped that evening. And according to the tracking page, it arrived in a local zip code on the 15th. I still don't have the package... I realize that standard shipping is 7-12 business days and that this is business day 7, but it is still rather annoying to know it is so close but not in my hands yet. I guess I now understand the downside of free shipping from joann.com.

I started the second trekking sock last night. I'm really happy with the striping and the fit. These will not be my last pair of trekking socks!

I was inspired by knitting blogger Norma and decided to spend Friday night doing charity knitting. I made a red and white hat using Ken's Dulaan Hat pattern and started a blue hat using Norma's pattern . I finished the blue hat before the weekend was out - knitting a few rows here and there, and finishing it during Sunday evening's watching of some of the HP3 DVD extras. Lion Brand Homespun seemed well-suited for these patterns, especially the double thick hat. With partial skeins of various colors in my stash, I think the Homespun will be my primary charity knitting yarn for a while - more hats and more afghan squares. I have already decided that the next hat will be another Ken pattern, but stranded to make it thicker and warmer.

For those not familiar, the hats will be donated to the Dulaan Project once I get a few more done. I'm trying to come up with a good way to inspire some local knitters to make a few things, too...

TV

Lately I've been pretty resistant to getting into new shows. I think this is for two reasons. Number 1 - a few years ago I found myself watching (what I considered to be) WAY too much TV. I had at least one show every night and a few nights with several, and with all of the taping and everything, it was just out of hand. Number 2 - most of the networks tend to give shows a couple of months, and if they don't do well they are gone. Yes, there are a few exceptions to this when shows get some critical acclaim (e.g. Arrested Development, The Office), but I'm just not interested in spending the time getting interested in a show to have the network pull it away from me. I've been burned in the past (e.g. Brooklyn Bridge, Homefront, Firefly).

I purposefully resisted the three hot shows on ABC right now. Admittedly, R and I have started watching LOST here and there, and it seems possible that we'll rent the first season this summer to see what we missed. But I'm still resisting Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. I'm not really sure why, especially for DH because I love Teri Hatcher. I think part of it is that Grey's conflicts with Crossing Jordan and if I watched DH I'd have 3 solid hours of TV watching on Sunday night. Maybe once The West Wing is gone next season I'll give DH a chance.

And West Wing's impending series finale is what is making me think about TV for next season. Last season I lost Judging Amy, this season CSI: Miami has been super annoying, and I also stopped taping CSI: New York and Without a Trace. Leaving my only "tape-worthy" show for next season as CSI, although I've been enjoying "How I Met your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" enough that I will probably start taping them.

Still, even if I start taping CSI: New York again, that's only 3 hours a week. Nothing to be ashamed of. But add in the 5 hours that R tapes, and things are getting dicey. I realize that I'm totally over thinking this...but that's what I do. :-) Besides, TV time is knitting time, so I'm not going to be a "fool" and give up TV totally. I just want to prevent myself from getting sucked in too far, to the point where I have to spend all of my free weekend time catching up on my TV from the week.

Sunshine

I will now distract you all with cute photos of kitties enjoying the sunshine. I took the photos of Nora and Stewart and R took the one of Effie. These were taken on Saturday, but similar sights were seen on Sunday, too. :-)

Discussion of Past Works - Day 1

I realize that there are a number of knitted items in my gallery that I have never written about, because they were made before I started blogging. And, there are a number of items that I've made while blogging but never posted pictures because they were gifts (Christmas, baby shower, etc.) So on days when I don't have anything else exciting to post, I'll dig back into the knitting archives.

The trekking sock continues and I'm four rows in on a fair isle bag. Nothing really worthwhile to blog about and nothing photo worthy at the moment.

The Diamond Shawl was my first attempt at lace, just a couple of months after I learned to knit. I had knit, purl, k2tog, p2tog and yo down without a problem, but there were a few stitches in the pattern that I didn't know and I hadn't really learned to recognize all of the stitches yet. I started this thing over at least 6 times. Each attempt I got a little further into the pattern and I learned a lot from the process.

The pattern is a free one from the Lion Brand website and it was worked with 2 strands of Wool-Ease, each a different shade of pink. I now prefer Encore over Wool-Ease, but I was generally happy with how it turned out and I have been told that the recipient, my cousin Sara, wears it a lot. (She gets cold easily.) Given that she was 7 for Christmas 2004, an acrylic blend was the best option for washability (and that was early enough in my knitting career that I might not have heard of superwash yet).

These two bags were made for two of my aunts for Christmas 2004. Having made Zeebie's bag from the first SnB book, I decided to try my own design changes. I ribbed the left and right edges so that when the bag is empty it will have a smaller profile, but it can expand to hold more than it seems. I also used a ribbon yarn to accent the top edge and single handle. The main yarn was a wool from Arucania. I love the variation in the color and it was a nice wool to work with. I've been disappointed that the LYS near my office doesn't seem to offer as many colors in this yarn anymore.

I finished the pieces of these bags well in advance of Christmas, but made the mistake of leaving the sewing until late December. The unexpectedly large snowfall in western Ohio delayed our trip and helped me get all of the presents done that year (I finished the last one 5 minutes before arriving at my grandparents on the 26th...). I stayed up late sewing them together the night of the 23rd, watching bad Christmas movies, like the one where Michael Keaton turns into a snowman. I knew it was time to give up for the night when I sewed one side on backwards...

K.I.P.

Yesterday, R was forced to listen to me talk knitting quite a bit. He seemed to have survived, which is a plus for both of us I think. :-)

At the end of our gym visit, I was working on a sock in the waiting area. (The striped trekking sock) And I was peppered with questions from a woman who was also on her way out. I tried to help as best I could, and in the end I suggested she go for lessons at the shop I went to earlier in the week. Sounds like she made a hat and purse in a class, but that too much was done by the teacher. She asked easy questions, but seemed impressed by my knowledge.

Then we met up with some friends at our local coffee shop. We haven't seen them in a while and they are trying to find an apartment to rent in our neighborhood. Turns out that the female of the pair has taken up knitting. :-) We managed to talk about yarn and patterns for a while before R changed the subject to languages. It sounds like she's not afraid of a challenge, which was refreshing, so I will try to include her in future GTGers if possible.

Lastly, while we were at the shop, a woman came up to ask me what I was knitting (I was still working on the sock, turning the heel) and she was amazed at my tiny size 1 needles and the whole working in the round concept. She wants to make a hat and has had trouble getting the circular thing working. So she gave me her email, and at some point I'll meet up with her to help out. She also mentioned that she has a group of 7-8 ladies who have met once or twice to knit and were talking about moving the GTG to the coffee shop. At which point I mentioned that through the neighborhood list a friend had found a similar sized group interested in the same thing. So we'll see if we can get all of these people connected and set up a neighborhood knitting group.

(I have no problem having two knitting groups. Sometimes once a month is just not enough. Besides, the neighborhood one would be more convenient than my existing one that can potentially be all over the city...)

It's amazing was a little public knitting can do.

Oh the Irony

I took yesterday off sick. I just woke up feeling blah and very tired, and I knew that with this busy week I wouldn't be able to "catch up" until the weekend. With nothing pressing to do at work, I decided that it made a lot of sense to take the day so I could go back to sleep. And I had a great morning nap until almost 11, and then I spent the afternoon doing a chunk of the housecleaning that needed to be done before Sunday.

But last night, I couldn't get to sleep. Really, I laid there for hours. Maybe some poor combination of sleeping in, evening exercise and chai and tea after 8pm was the problem? I have no clue. I didn't feel horrible when I woke up this morning, but I'm guessing that it will be more difficult tomorrow. With my trim carpentry class this evening, I won't be able to go to bed super early because I don't know that I will get home before 10. Oh well. It was a nice try anyway.

Good gym news - we're now up to seven trips in a row. Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday. It can be hard to find the motivation to go on a Friday night, but I think we can do it to keep our streak alive!

More about knitting later...

Lovin' the Fair Isle

I made this tonight! The teacher was great. Unfortunately, I was the only one in the class. But I learned what I went there to learn, and I took some Cascade 220 home with me. :-)

Found out that the shop has a charity knitting GTG on Sundays. From 1 to 4, they provide the yarn for knitting items for charity. Knitters just need to bring themselves and their needles.




Here is the famous made in one day baby hat (modeled by heidifred).




And here is the matching cardigan, a modified version of the garter stitch cardigan in "Weekend Knitting" by Melanie Malick.



Here is my current bus knitting. The sock yarn is from trekking - I'm liking the way that it is striping.

A hat in a day

I cast on a hat yesterday with the leftovers from the baby cardigan. At lunchtime I decided to check to see if it would be big enough, and the answer was no. (gotta love google) So I frogged and cast on with 40 more stitches and knit one row before lunch was over. I worked on it on the bus and when I got home Nora insisted on keeping my lap warm so I kept going. By the time Nora left I was close enough to finishing (and any motivation I had previously had for doing anything else was gone) that I just kept going. Even with a little frogging as I worked out how I wanted the top of the hat to look and how best to use my limited yarn resources...I finished the hat by 10:50.

Will have to force myself to do something productive when I get home from the knitting class tonight, or the busy week might see us run out of dishes or run out of time to clean the house for our company on Sunday.

Speaking of the knitting class, is it time to go yet?! I can't wait! :-)

No excuses

I have no good reason for not posting since Wednesday. I think I was so caught up in the euphoria of finally posting some relevant pictures that I gave myself Thursday and Friday off. And I didn't spend much time on my computer this weekend.

I'm trying to cultivate a strong case of "finish-itis" in myself. This would be the antidote to "start-itis", which I've had in full force for years. :-)

1 - Except for buttons, I finished the baby cardigan. I love it. Even R thinks it is cute. I have some leftover Baby Ull (lovely to work with, BTW), so I started a hat on the bus this morning. (I realize that this is another "start" of something...but it is so I can "finish" the present to send it and so I can "finish" off the yarn, so I'm not looking on it as a problem.)

2 - I got caught up on my "special needs" clothing - everything that is hand wash or dry clean only or which has some other special need that prevents it from going in the main laundry baskets. I then, of course, wore a hand wash sweater on Sunday. :-P

3 - Several weeks ago when I rearranged the living room furniture, I also brought out a number of pictures I wanted to hang on the walls. And I set the out around the first floor. This weekend, I got most of them hung. I put in the masonry screws for the largest one and got picture wire yesterday. So it should go up tonight. I also chose some to hang upstairs, and they might go up tonight as well.

4 - I made a template for installing the new hardware for the kitchen cabinets and drawers.

Oh, and on Friday night I went stash diving, to find yarn for my knitting homework. I knew I had a lot of yarn...but I have a LOT of yarn. :-) I reorganized it by fiber content. I'm really going to have to try to come up with a way to use up some of the acrylic. I'm pondering the idea of hosting a charity knitting GTG this spring/summer and letting the attendees use up some of my acrylic stash. There are a number of charities like "Newborns in Need" and "The Dulaan Project" that accept warm clothing donations year round. And I would assume they would prefer machine washable stuff. I tend to lean toward Dulaan because I don't know that enough of my acrylics are soft enough for newborns.

Just a thought that's drifting around.

A real knitting update

For once I am going to post about knitting with photos. Don't faint, this probably won't happen all the time. Mostly because it is hard to talk good knitting photos without sun...which I only get to see at home on weekends. So the photography is a little annoying. Although the photos turned out better than I thought from looking at the viewfinder.

First, a finished object. The grey alpaca socks in the River Rapid pattern from sockbug. The close-up is blurry, sorry. I'll try to get a sunny picture this weekend.





Next, the progress on the famous orange cabled vest. Initially based on the Veste Everest from IK, but gauge and cables changed to protect the innocent...and to keep my interested. :-)















Third, the progress on the baby cardigan. The dark purple is the sleeves, the big lavender piece is the back and the smaller lavender piece is the left front. You can see on the back piece how I messed up - the arm decreases are on the opposite side from the neck decreases. I realized this when I was nearly finished with the back. So those are decreases are going to become side slits. :-)
















And lastly, the pink pullover from Vogue Knitting (Fall 05 I think). The stitch holders and circular needle make it hard to see the overall shape, but the important part of this is the band of ribbing that goes below the chest. From holding it up to myself, I think it will hit the right spot.



Not exactly the yarn harlot...but it's a start!

Knitting Homework

I just registered for my first knitting class! Woohoo!

I'm taking a class in Fair Isle next Tuesday at Knit One (www.knitone.biz). When I registered I got my "homework" assignment for the class and the materials I need to bring with me. I'm sure I have enough worsted weight yarn in the old stash, it will just be a matter of finding 2-3 "strongly contrasting colors" that I like together. I have a number of Plymouth Encore leftovers from Christmas that I think will come in handy. I also have to make sure that the size 7 and 9 needles and the short circular connector from my interchangeable needles are available for use.

In sock news, I went a little too far on the grey socks, so my bus ride home will involve some tinking. But after that I will just have the toes to finish! I've been wanting to finish *something*, so it looks like I will get my wish very soon.

A successful experiment

Spice both sides of pork tenderloin with dill, thyme, salt, pepper and
dijon mustard. Put in casserole with a layer of water and a little
lemon juice. Cook covered at 375 for 30 minutes and uncovered for 10
more. (If time, cook longer at a lower temperature to keep moist.

Hmmmm

I've been drawing in 3D all day, so I think it's a good day for a list. Don't feel like putting paragraphs together with coherent transitions (assuming that this is something I usually accomplish).

1) I'm proud of R and I. We went to the gym three times last week, and I was able to build up enough weight and sets on the weight machines that my arms are sore today. My legs are even a little sore from the cardio. I unfortunately have a lot of Thursday things in March. Hopefully that won't impede our good progress.

2) I haven't touched the orange vest since last Sunday. I was going to start weaving in ends during the Oscars, but putting away the laundry and washing "hand wash" things took too long. But we're caught up on dishes and laundry (one last load to put away), so a few more delicate things to wash in the sink and the piles can start accumulating again.

3) I watched the Oscars, as I always do. I thought that Jon Stewart did a good job, but the audience seemed totally dead. There were several times that I laughed and the audience didn't. Don't know if they had something against a TV personality or if too few of them had a cocktail in the limo.

4) I liked more Oscar dresses than usual and I thought the set was very nice. I was glad that Reese and Ang won, and I'm pleased that three "Memoirs of a Geisha" designers won - 'cause Rob Marshall is from Pittsburgh and I can only hope he'll make more musicals if he gets the chance. Although really all that the studios care about is income, so inspiring Oscar winning work in his designers is probably not sufficient for the studios to give him more trust.

5) I finished the back of the baby cardigan and started the left front. I made a mistake I don't want to rip out back at the first armhole of the back and I'm still deciding where I'm going to add the dark purple accents...so this thing is being reworked as I go. Should be interesting. :-)

6) Stewart is back on his kick of sleeping as close to my head as he can. I don't actually wake when he gets there, but I wake up when my body is in need of a different position and I can't move a shoulder and arm. I can't stress enough how adorable he is...but my sleep is important to me, and each time Effie has been nearby, so there hasn't be a place to move him to really. My first attempt is to try to change my position without making him move too far, but this usually means that I get my shoulder out, but my arm remains pinned. Saturday and/or Sunday I managed to dose in position #2, but it wasn't a long-term solution.
The funniest was this morning. I moved into a new position, and Stewart took this to mean that he could find a new position for himself, too. He then draped himself across my neck, like a big furry necklace. I appreciate that he wants to be close, but there was no way that was going to work! I was less patient this morning, since it was a workday and once Effie hissed at him he just decided to leave. We've been playing with him more lately, so I'm wondering if that is why he seems to be sleeping with us longer at night...

7) One minor coworker vent. I'm happy to help with a project, but when I tell you that I need x, y and z before I can begin and a week passes without you giving me any of those things, you really shouldn't be surprised that I haven't made any progress on the project a week later. Duh.

Don't you hate it...

...when you have too much Beeswax and not enough Dill Pickle?

Yeah, in another life, I want to name paint colors for a living. I bet I could knit while I did it, too.

so close

After years of asking for a copy of Photoshop at my desk, I was given a copy of Elements today.

Only to have the installation fail because I don't have Windows XP. :-(

Maybe someday...

Missed Anniversary

I just realized today that I neglected to celebrate a milestone last month. February 12th was the second anniversary of my licensure as an architect. Time certainly flies...

I still question whether I would be qualified to work out on my own, but that has as much to do with my limited business knowledge as not being a great detailer.

On the knitting front - the orange cabled vest was trying to kick my butt...but I won in the end. I think it is the most mistakes I've ever made on a project - the most I've ever had to unknit and reknit in one item. Although I find I'm making lots of little mistakes while working on my gray, alpaca socks, so maybe I am just not paying enough attention in general. Maybe my brain is looking for some plain garter or stockinette for a bit.

The back and front of the vest are done, and the shoulders are knitted together. I still need to weave in ends, sew up the side seams and then knit around the neck and armholes. Still some work to go, but I feel like I've passed a major obstacle on this one.

I should be starting the heel of a grey sock tomorrow and I need to work on the baby cardigan since it is now March and the baby is due in April!