Anniversary

Not for the blog…there were so many iterations of my blogging in the beginning that I can’t remember when I actually started one....and not on blogger. This weekend is the fourth anniversary of my move to Los Angeles. I flew into the airport in Santa Ana at night and drove “home” with the glow of fires and smell of smoke to greet me. I’d read White Oleander which opens with a young girl looking out onto the fires, but it didn’t occur to me that there was really a fire season here. Ah well, we live and learn.

I was having a conversation with someone recently about my feelings about my new “home.” I was explaining to this friend that I have not acclimated. I was told that at 18 months I would be used to it, and at 3 years it would feel like home. I’m five days from my fourth year and still no shift in my feelings. I began to wonder at what keeps me from settling in….this morning I figured it out. It’s the drive to work. On that six mile half-hour to forty-five minute drive I think almost every single day about how much I hate living here. My morning commute keeps fresh the hate in my heart for Los Angeles. It’s because people are selfish and inconsiderate in a way that I have never EVER experienced before.

Last week one of the SnB ladies said she couldn’t make it to our gathering because the turn signals on her car weren’t working. I quipped about how people here don’t use them, but seriously. The only, ONLY reason I’ve seen most people here use them is to let you know that they are IN THE PROCESS OF cutting you off. Not to indicate that they need to merge, not to warn you of their impending action…it’s like an after though to the action. **sigh** I’m getting angry just writing about it. The other thing that people do on the road on my way to work is zoom past a line of cars waiting to make a merge and cutting into said line because they don’t want to wait. The line moves quickly and if you take that route once you know what to expect. I don’t let people in past a certain point on that path. I feel like it’s just part of the process to have to wait my turn and why the fuck should I let some jackass who feels they’re too good to wait in? Let me just reiterate that these are the things that keep the hate in my heart for LA fresh.

These were my morning thoughts. I did knit over the weekend...I've got an FO-sorta to show you....I'll be back later if I can.

Honestly, I have...

Been knitting...and not a whole lot else. My house is still a mess. It feels like it's more of a mess now than before, but it's because of the clothes to get rid of piles. Does that make sense? I've got piles and bags of stuff laying around to be mailed or donated. If I could just get that taken care of then I would be okay....you know?

In the meantime I've been knitting...alot. My therapist asked me what I do with my anger and worry now that I can't eat and apparently I shop and I knit. The former not good for the end of job six months of free work budget, but it keeps the latter going....I guess only time will tell if it balances.

On to my knitting life....

Crazy Aunt Purl's Reading

I went to the reading with Christine, Clare, Dixie & Toni. We had a nice nice time. I gave her the socks I made for her and I won the basket. It was bizarre....she had a woman in the front row pull the name and she walked back to the lectern and turned and said, The winner is: Tevana B! I was stunned! It was great! Here are the pictures Christine took for me:

Felted Clogs:

I'm not sure why I thought these would be a good idea, but I did. I think it was the idea of making socks for a man--two men actually--with size 12 feet. Not pleasant. So, I did some research on Ravelry and discovered this pattern...kind of the same way Columbus discovered America. Did anyone see that History Channel special. Amazing! I digress, I went over to Sit-n-Stitch and got the pattern and some Lorna's Laces because I felt guilty spending only $5.

I got the pattern and the yarn (Patons Classic Wool from Joanns) last weekend (10/12/07) and finished one slipper that night. I finished the second slipper some time that weekend and between then and Saturday night I finished the second pair. I thank God for my Denise set. It would have been a pain in the ass to do it with regular needles. I'm considering the Options (metal) but haven't decided yet.

So, here are the slippers, pre-felting:

Don't ask why they're postioned like that....definite user error.

I don't have a post/mid felting picture now. I'm still working on the felting. :

Baby Gifts:

My brother and his wife had a little one at the end of April. She adorable and smiles big and bright when she sees me. I knit a hat & booties plus a baby blanket for her before she was born, but her parents haven't used any of those items. The blanket matches her "nursery" perfectly, but alas it goes unused.

So, I saw on Franklin's blog that he wants his niece to be the most knitted for baby in the world. I could possibly give him a run for his money in quantity, if not quality (who can top the Four Blessings Blanket? Certainly not me!); however, I'm concerned that if I put in all the work and time to knit for her and her mother doesn't use the items my animosity will grow to proportions unknown. So, I've held off....right up until I saw the Tulip Baby Cardigan from Dream In Color. I ordered the kit from Arcadia knitting. I started it this weekend. I'm a bit further than this picture shows and I'm learning skills that will be helpful when I'm finishing my father's sweater.

I have my issues with the kit as well as the pattern. The only issue with the pattern is that it doesn't give instructions on how the yarn should be used. Am I supposed to use the master color as one of the stripes or not? Do you make the "button bands" as wide as the bottom border? The kit issues were all about the yarn. Arcadia has made kits from full hanks--at least this is my assumption. There are directives on the balls of yarn that sort of make sense. The biggest issue I had were the random yarn joins mid ball. One ball said: Must use color 1 or 2. It wasn't until I had the first two colors knitted that I realized it wasn't a directive of the pattern, but of the yarn seller and I had to re-knit, PLUS there were three knots in the yarn, so the sweater I expected to need to weave in maybe 8 or 9 ends already had about 14 to weave in because of these knots. Just a bit frustrating.

I've made it thru to the sleeves...well, the first sleeve in process. Hopefully they'll put it on her and I won't have done all this work to make a $40 sweater for an infant!

That's all I've got for today. I'm tired & sleepy and want this work day to end already! More tomorrow.

Oh. My. Gawd*!

I can't believe I won it (scroll down for picture and list of contents)!

I think it's only because Christine put my name in the pumpkin because I don't have luck with such things, but I am thrilled that the stars aligned to get me such a wonderful gift. Christine & Tom were gracious enough to take the Cheetos off my hands -- you know, the surgery diet limitations and all, but the rest of it is marvelous.

It was a marvelous day/reading/signing!

I'm a dolt and forgot to to make sure my camera batteries still held a charge, and had to rely on Christine to take pictures for me...of me, with CAP! As soon as I get them from her I'll post a proper tale of the day.

Have a great weekend!

*That's how they say it on Lawn Giland...and I just can't keep the NY out of my speech. :)

It’s all in there. . .

Well, almost. Being done with my classes is a wonder. I can sleep late and do nothing all day long if I choose. It’s just great. Eventually, this will end because I really need to get back on the cleaning, but for now it’s good. I’ve been doing things I would have never thought of doing when school was in session.

For example, last weekend I hung out with a friend (old classmate) all day on Saturday. We stopped by the school and handled some business for her. Then we took a leisurely ride on surface streets from Beverly Hills to The Bridge…I think it’s technically Culver City, but with LA you never know. We had lunch at a pie restaurant and then saw Transformers at the IMAX theatre. It was great! Then on the way home I convinced her to stop by Beard Papa so I could get some cream puffs. I’m not sure why I wanted them, and I only took one bite of each and pitched the rest, but it was a nice ending to a good day.

On Sunday I got up late and lounged around. I knitted a bit and then decided to take pictures of my stash until I ran out of batteries or patience with the process. I got it all done….well almost all done. I’ve pretty much photographed (poorly) the portion of my stash that’s in my bedroom—which is my main storage area. There were two or three bits in there that I’m on the fence about whether to admit they live with me. The only thing left to do is the stuff that’s stuffed behind the couch in the living room. I think there are more UFOs there than actual stash, but I may just surprise myself.

There isn’t much else going on in my world. I need to find friends to go to school with me to practice my scanning, and the difficulty in that is I need them to be NPO…which means early morning visits on the weekend with the promise of breakfast/brunch/lunch on me post scan. Does anyone wanna help me out? :)

I’ve been finishing things up. I finished the birthday socks, the crazy socks and the Swallowtail Shawl. I’ve also finished the body of the sweater for my dad and am almost halfway down one of the sleeves. I’m worried that the sleeves will be a bit tight if I reduce them the way the pattern reads. I think I’ll follow it to the letter and if I have to rip back I’ll feel okay about it.

Well, I should look like I’m working. This morning has dragged on…it’s only 9:40ish. Which means I’ve got at least seven hours to go….. **sigh** Well, there’s always the SnB to look forward too, and the reading by Crazy Aunt Purl tomorrow!