Thursday, 28 December, 2006
Holiday blues
Is it odd, do you think, to feel a major sense of accomplishment at clearing out the google reader queue? There were probably 200+ entries in there that I hadn’t had a chance to catch up on, but I’m “working” from home today (I actually am working and take a break now and again to scroll through stuff).
I had a fairly good holiday, when I look back on it. I spent three of the four days off with other people, and made some new friends. Monday was spent with my sister. “Children of Men” is an interesting film, but very violent. I keep reliving parts in my dreams since the day, and that’s really no good at all.
I feel slightly ashamed of myself, on the material plane. I forgave a fairly huge debt, am knitting a sweater for a family member, and I got…a pound of coffee and leftover pastry for the holiday. Don’t get me wrong – me and the Beans are like a OTP, but it was a fairly pointed reminder of just how far the family doesn’t go to try to get to know me or what I enjoy. Another perfect example – brother mine who is working on one of the Big Nature Magazine Adventure Tour Boats actually visited the Falklands, but I could hear the snort when I asked via email if he would pick me up some wool from there. I never did hear back about my request. In fact, I just realized I didn’t get a personalized holiday message from him at all; I think our relationship is likely eroding beyond repair after The Big To-Do this fall.
Anyway, that’s all over and done with. I need to finish this first (and probably last) sweater for my sister, and move on. It’s a lovely sky blue yarn, and I’m using the lovely Chicknits Cardi pattern. It might be a bit big on her, but I’m OK with that.
My intent when I started this post was actually to say how much the sky blue was helping combat the holiday blues, but stopping to think about family seems to have dragged me down into tears and …not regret, but resignation. I think I’ll take my lunch break now and actually knit on the second sleeve. Knitting = good for what ails ya.
A more upbeat post soon, I hope. This time of the year is, frankly, the absolute worst for me. I’m pleasantly surprised I made it nearly through to the end of the year w/out a small breakdown. Every year away from the memories means more healing and fewer crying jags. And I can definitely raise my (eyewateringly alcoholic…oops!) glass of eggnog to that.
Thursday, 21 December, 2006
Blessings
I love the Solstice, because it means the light is growing in strength from this day until, you know, a long time from now. But hey, more light! I want to write a nice long thoughtful entry about this, but frankly, I’m too damn tired. Everything fiber has fallen by the wayside as work projects slated to be done on 12/13 stretch and ooze into the holidays. I’m making time tonight to light a candle in thanks for surviving the darkest season, and sneaking a few rows in on the sleeve of the sweater I had hoped to finish by the 25th.
Alas, it is not to be on time, this sweater, and that’s OK. I have a back up gift ready and available, and she might actually like that better anyway.
This night I celebrate the gifts of the darkness, and joyously welcome the return of the light!
Blessings to you and yours this season!
Friday, 15 December, 2006
Well will you look at that
I’m exhausted when I get home these days. The release schedule for the stuff I am working on has slipped, so instead of being completely done by Wednesday this week, we’re stretching it out into next year. So my relaxing couple of weeks in December? Not going to happen.
So I come home, and if I’m lucky I make something to eat (usually a sammitch), and maybe watch an ep of SG1 before crawling into bed. My brain shuts down the moment I turn the key to the “off” position on the ignition in my car, and I trundle up the stairs to my apartment.
The interesting thing with this is that a couple of nights ago, as I was working on the sleeve for my sister’s holiday gift, I looked down and realized that my hands were doing their very own thing, and knitting along without any conscious input from my brain. I was far too occupied with watching RDA’s bum to realize that somewhere along the way, I seem to have mastered the skill of knitting without looking.
Spanktastic!
Today is a day I am working from home, as we got 2.17″ of rain yesterday with wind gusts up to 70mph, and a million people in the area are without power. Including my job. Oh, and the floating bridge I drive across every day to go to work is stuck in the open position until they get the pins welded back into place. All in all, it looks to be a fairly good Friday here. I have power, I have coffee, I have a few munchies, I remembered to buy firewood just in case, and now I can have a fire and maybe, just maybe, sneak in a few rows on a sleeve during my conference call at 1pm.
I feel deliciously naughty and very thankful today.
Sunday, 10 December, 2006
[/dork]
I ended up getting a few handwash only sweaters from Lane Bryant recently. They have some wool in them, though it’s really more of an acrylic thing, but. Anyway. I actually stood in the middle of my living room, where all the fiber things live, and said out loud with great frustration, “What I wouldn’t give for some sweater drying racks!!!”
And then I looked right there in front of my face, where there are four of them stacked up, dry fleece awaiting stuffing into zippered pillowcases for storage.
And then I went and actually knocked my head against the wall for a bit, because lo, I am a dork. Here me roar! (rar.)
Started a Chicknits Eyelet Cardi for the teeny family member last night. It’s in a sky blue yarn, and I’m doing it in Cascade 220 even though it might be a little too heavy for this. I couldn’t find an actual labeled DK weight yarn that I liked in ze stash, and all the stuff at the stores was too expensive, so I went with Cascade 220, the workhorse of the knitting world. So far, so good. I figure the sleeve will be my gauge swatch, and I’m looking forward to working on the project today.
And NOT working. Until after 6pm tonight when I will check my work email and undoubtedly be buried under an avalanche of questions from Europe and a panic-stricken team. The wheels are sort of falling off the bus here at the last minute, and it might be a fairly ugly three days during the first part of the work week. I think I’ll make up an Emergency Knitting bag and take it along with me. I’m still not done with the Natalya mitts, so that would be a fairly good project to take along with.
Hope everyone out there is having a fabulous weekend!
Friday, 1 December, 2006
What would you do?
With a Klondike bar?
OK, how ’bout four skeins of Noro’s Cash Iroha in a lovely dusty purple? I think I got this on clearance, or maybe in a trade. I recall it being $5/skein, which is probably why I went “ooo!” and snapped it up. Ah, the memories.
But it’s been in my stash for like three years, and I want to knit something with it. I just don’t know what. I thought I had more, but I think it’s just these four skeins. Probably for my sister, and while she is The Teeny, she’s not small enough for this to make a full sweater.
So, any suggestions on what to make with these four skeins? I’d dearly love them. :)