Thursday, May 28, 2009

Some Productivity

Well, I'm mostly bored as all hell right now. The class is FINALLY completely done. Homework, term paper, presentation, final - they're all totally done. (Of course, the questions on the final didn't have anything to do with what was on the homework or what was discussed in class or even what was in the text, so despite the fact that it was take-home, I only got a 50 on it. I don't care.) I'm all registered for the next class, but it doesn't start until I think the second weekend in June (another one weekend each month in June and July schedule). I actually completely cleaned my apartment the other day, including organizing my closet, so I'm basking in the cleanness. I cheered for the Blackhawks and watched a couple really good hockey games on tv. (And one really bad hockey game on tv - if you're a 'Hawks fan, you know what I'm talking about. Gonna have to cheer for the Penguins now, sadly.) Oddly, watched a couple of cage fights on tv, too, when one came up after a hockey game and I saw a particular move and had a "oh THAT'S what Sir was talking about!" moment. I got caught up on Burn Notice, since the new season starts next week. I did laundry today, although I battled a pretty nasty headache most of the day that kept me in bed until almost 2:30p and made me decide to forgo my final classes over at the old dojahng. (Not a migraine, I very very very rarely get those, just one of those nagging ones that just won't go away and saps all your energy.) I've also finally gotten this done:

The center square isn't really that wonky, I just had the one side stretched a little too far and didn't realize it until after I'd taken the pic. I decided to just go with a regular bind-off for a border instead of the twist. It would have taken too many rows to get the width I wanted for the twist and I frankly just didn't feel like knitting on it anymore. I think it looks pretty nice anyway. It turned out a little bigger than I'd anticipated. I know the yarn grew a bit during the washing. This pic is before the final blue stripe/border, (note the non-wonky center square) and I think this table is 36x36.

When I measured the final clean blanket on the floor, it was 44x44. Oh well. Bigger is fine. It's a blanket, it's not like it has to fit anything. I do really love the colors. They're just so cheerful. I'm going to pair this up with another (much smaller) dishcloth blanket I made a while ago trying to use up some baby yarn, find a cute card and maybe something to go in the nursery (they're decorating in classic Pooh, which should be easy to find) and pack the whole thing up and send it off soon. She's due in early July, so it should have plenty of time to get there before Baby. We hope!

Pattern: Finnias Blanket by Katie Benedict (very easy) (Ravelry link here)
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Baby (surprisingly good for an acrylic. Liked it a lot.)
Needles: 4 US 9 circs (or, rather, five cables and one pair of needles by the time I got to the end)

Now my problem has been what to do next. No new patterns are particularly grabbing me right now. I still haven't found that skein I need to finish the Card Trick Illusion scarf, so that's off the list. I went through and reorganized my stash today and pulled out Tumbling Blocks Scarf, which is about half done, my MS3, which is probably nowhere near done and I might frog and start over, and my HP vest, which just needs armbands. I guess I'll work on those and maybe some of the cross-stitches until I find something new that grabs me. I have so much lovely sock yarn, but I rarely wear the socks I've already made that I'm loathe to start another pair. I mean, the socks are great - I just don't wear socks that much. In fact, I just did two week's worth of laundry and had no socks in there whatsoever. I don't do any exercising that requires shoes (the bottoms of my feet, however, are pretty calloused), I go barefoot at home, and if I run out, 95% of my shoes are slip-ons. Maybe I should start on Christmas gifts now, except I haven't thought of any ideas yet....

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to head over to the dojahng during the day and help them move over to the new school this weekend. Classes start there on Monday!!!! I know the adult class, at least is going to be doing board breaks and sparring. Gotta break the place in right! I still don't have my new dobok, though =( Ma'am and Aaron, a newish kid that does tkd and haganah and sometimes kickboxing but is leaving soon to go back to school, both agreed that I should NOT walk home from classes at night. Between the area, having to carry my bag (btw, I still love that bag my brother got me for Christmas. It's really The Perfect Size!), being physically tired after classes, and being sweaty and out in the cold, they both voted that it was healthier and safer to just drive.

Going to try to actually fall asleep at a semi-normal time tonight. I was up until 6:00a last night/this morning, although that partly my own fault for having a Mountain Dew after class and then getting so focused on finishing the blanket. (Which probably is what gave me the headache, actually.)

2 comments:

otter said...

The blanket is beautiful. I'm sure B will enjoy wrapping her baby in so much love.

Kathleen C. said...

You know what might make great Christmas gifts?... SOCKS!
Now if only you had the yarn for them...

The blanket is gorgeous. So fun and bright. I predict it will be much loved!