Quick Update

Before I have to go get the van, as our bus is unavailable tonight. Sigh.

Yes, I spent the rest of the evening playing with the spindle. I totally...well, not ruined, but shall we say, had some difficulties with the trial batch of the pretty blue/green fibers. I realize now that I was not drafting nearly enough - I ended up with something very close to a polar weight yarn, although it was still useable (of course, I had to knit a swatch with it, which was where I figured out that this isn't maybe the way things were supposed to have gone). I don't know if I can rescue it or not. I hope so. Once I realized where I had gone wrong, I pulled out the Corriedale and started playing with that. It is going much, much better. I'm trying to work on keeping a constant tension/drafting. Sometimes I've gotten too thin and the yarn has broken. I'm not really good with joining, yet, either, but that is getting better, I think. This is So Cool! I do miss my knitting, though. Will have to get some lovin' time in on that.

Anyway, gotta go. Show time!

Package!

I did finally convince Blogger to upload the Ferocious Guard Kitty:


He was uncharacteristically vocal with me last night, but I'd like to think that he knew I was upset (we had a CRAZY rehearsal last night and I was pretty stressed by the end of it) and was trying to talk to me. I notice that the more stressed I am when I come home, the more vocal and attention demanding he is. He knows. A warm cup of mint tea, a purring kitty in my lap, a good night's sleep, and life is much better. Now he's contentedly curled up in my lap (not for very long, as you'll see in a minute), so apparently all is forgiven. I love my Teddie Cat.

But anyway, enough melodrama. Let's get to the Good Stuff:

This is the package my very sweet super left inside my door this afternoon (new postman, long story, needless to say she had permission)! My first ever spindle and fiber purchase!! I'm so excited. I, of course, had to rip it open the minute after I took the picture. It contains 4oz. Corriedale in Rosy-Fingered Dawn, 4oz. BFL in Purple Haze, a small amount of an unknown fiber (I think maybe Corriedale as well, but I'm just going by feel) in a pretty blue/green color, which was wrapped around my new Greensleeves Barebones spindle! Oh, and a rootbeer DumDum, which cracked me up. Amy, are you trying to tell me something? ;-) The instructions are pretty clear, although it did take some looking around to figure out what was meant by "drafting" on the spindle. A quick look at her Hints and Tips page on the store site, and I think I have a better idea of what is supposed to happen now. I LOVE the feel of the BFL! It's so incredibly soft! I just have to squish it every once in a while. The Corriedale is a little rougher, but seems like it will be easier to learn on. I've decided that I definitely need another pair of hands and arms - I can't knit and spin at the same time! I wasn't expecting the kit to come so quickly! Rogue sleeves? Snowdrop Shawl (now corrected, I think)? Spinning? Oy!

Alright already!

Pics!
The lovely Bearfoot


joins my slowly growing wool sock yarn stash.


(The Regia just jumped in for the photo op, it normally lives with my KnitPicks sock yarns, which haven't been touched since I met superwash wool. It's warm, but it's so soft! I will, however, need to start making some summer wear socks again soon.) I know, it's not nearly as impressive as lots of other sock yarn stashes. In fact, it's kind of lame. I just don't like having lots of unused yarn around. I do have one full skein of the Lorna's Laces left, approximately 200yds. Anyone have any ideas what to do with it? I realized after I started the afghan that I could have used the LL leftovers to probably make another pair of socks. I still might. Maybe.

A lonely Rogue awaits its sleeves:


The not even close to finished, unblocked, messed up goodness that currently is the Snowdrop Shawl:


I think the mistake is on the left side somewhere. I know I flipped a yo and an ssk on the border several rows back, but am pretty sure that is not the problem. I am pondering tinking back to fix that, as well, though. EDIT: I think the problem may be a missed YO in that same row. Maybe. Unfortunately, it's like ten rows back. Sigh. The first time I didn't use a lifeline on it and look what happens!

The Majestic and Ferocious Guard Kitty has apparently made a deal with Blogger to not have his very good picture published, as I can't get it to upload for anything. No kitty pics today, sowwy!

Stupid Shawl, Stupid Moths, and Ooo...Was That Bearfoot?

The Snowdrop Shawl has bitten me. I still haven't figured out a.)HOW I made this mistake and b.)HOW I went on for several more rows before realizing that I didn't have the correct number of stitches at the end of the row. I swear it kept working out until That One Row. So I tink back to where I thought the mistake was, fix it, work back up to where I was, and am STILL two stitches short and the pattern isn't working correctly. What on earth?? So I am now in the process of tinking back even more rows of very fine laceweight yarn. Sigh.

Two more skeins of Mountain Colors Bearfoot arrived in the mail today, a result of a KR poster's destashing. You know I can't resist Bearfoot. In Elderberry and Firestorm. Sigh. I'm practically drooling over this yarn. It's so pretty! No idea what I'll use it for yet, of course. Teddie actually WAS drooling over the yarn, or rather, the envelope it came in. I think the sender must have a pet of some kind, because that envelope got the most thorough going-over I have ever seen him give a piece of mail. It's also almost time for another Sock Yarn of the Month shipment from Spunky Eclectic. And I broke down and got one of her learn to spin kits, too. In an attempt to vary my color schemes a bit, I got a combo warm/cool color thing. I have a feeling that I'm not going to be very good at spinning, but hey, I might as well try it. And there is a yarn shop down in Solvang that is also supposed to cater to spinners, so maybe I can go down early sometime and get some help or something. At any rate, the point is that I really don't need anymore sock yarn. Someone remind me of that next time I mention wanting some. I just can't knit it up fast enough. I saw a moth in the apartment today and promptly put all of my wooly sock yarns (which had been readily accessible for fondling display) in Ziploc bags and in the freezer, because I know I won't get to it to use it fast enough. (The poor moth was probably just lost and had no desire for my yarns whatsoever, but you can't be too careful.)

I did another couple rounds of the April Fools today, and started a new project that I totally stole (with her permission) from a fellow KR poster. I'm using leftover superwash wool sock yarn to do a Log Cabin. It will most likely take ages, given that it is sock yarn, on US 5 needles, and I knit socks slowly anyway, so I only have about three balls of leftovers in the correct weight, but it is a good mindless project. My idea is that I will work each block until I run out of yarn, and then spiral to the next. I have every belief that it will be the ugliest afghan anyone has ever seen, but honestly, I don't really give a damn. It's not like I'm gonna sell the thing. I'm just doing it to get some use out of yarn that I really don't want to throw away, and eventually my grandchildren might be able to use if I get it done in time!

More Socks!

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Black Purl
Pattern: plain old stockinette, done cuff-down and with a heel flap and gusset
Notes:
-I really prefer doing socks toe up. I like trying them on that way as I go. However, Twisted German Cast On is a lot of fun, for some reason, and it is nice to get the damn ribbing out of the way early.
-The heel flap and gusset was fine, no major problems. I had no stunning moment of turning the heel, and it takes more concentration (and more light, can't do that one in the booth during a show). I also like the look of the short row heel better, but I have to admit that this one is more comfortable and fits better and doesn't slouch. I will try a toe-up heel flap and gusset on the next pair of socks I start. (April Fools are cuff-down as well.)

That's three completed pairs of wool socks for Solvang. I've also finished the cabling on the sleeves for Rogue. I am hoping that I can get the sweater done by this weekend. I'm a bit nervous about having to sew in sleeves, though. I've done a few more repeats on the Snowdrop Shawl, and have progressed on the April Fools a little (over half done with the first repeat). I'm in the process of hunting down the perfect yarn for my Hogwarts vest (and possibly sweater, too, we'll see) and a Chunky Diagonal Throw for myself. I'm leaning towards Patons Shetland Chunky for the throw (found an online store that has it at $3.50 a skein), and possibly for the vest as well, although I would prefer a worsted weight for that. I really want a superwash or machine washable yarn for a sweater, but I can't find the right colors. I may have to go with Patons Classic Merino, which I found in Michaels at a decent price. Oh, and I also picked up a couple balls of Sugar 'n Cream cotton, which is what my grandmother always used to make washrags with. I've finished one and am about half done on another, just a k2, yo, k to end to increase and k1, k2tog, yo, ssk, k to end decrease. They're definitely better to have around than sponges!

Moving to Solvang this week. Woo!

Additions to The List

Woo! The Fall '06 Knitty is up! New additions to the "To-Do" list include Ivy, Avast, and the Back To School washrags. Potential maybes include Lucie and Intolerable Cruelty.

This is, of course, after I realized this morning that I really needed a Hogwarts school sweater. Yes, I'm a geek. You don't have to point that out again. I don't get into the dressing up as characters or anything, though. I haven't even made a House scarf, although I would if I had anywhere to really use a scarf other than Solvang. However, a nice sweater is always appropriate. Looking at the sweaters used as part of the school uniforms in the movies, they seem to be fairly simple. I didn't know how to do a v-neck or neckband, though. I was looking around the 'Net, and lo and behold: Hobbie's Wizard Wear has free patterns of exactly the sweater I was looking for. Then I thought, but a vest would be really cute and more versatile given my climate. And such a pattern exists for that, too! So they were promptly printed out. Really, how many people would know they were Harry Potter themed but me? Only other geeks who would appreciate it! Now the real question is which House colors to use. I'm thinking Ravenclaw. I don't really like Gryffindor or Hufflepuff's colors much, and Slytherin's don't show up well against the dark grey MC of the sweaters, not to mention it's, well, Slytherin.

Oh, and Amy is evil. Honestly. I'm totally going to have to get one of these. Just to try, you know. Because I have nothing else to do (*cough*RogueSnowdropSocksShows*cough*). Because she HAD to offer the choice of warm or cool or combo colorways. I'm gonna have to wait until next paycheck, though. I wonder what kind of spindle I should get? Suggestions?

Where Were You?

I know these will start going around like wildfire tomorrow, so I figured I'd get a head start.

Where was I on 9/11/01?

I was on campus when I initially heard about it. I was running late to my advanced theater technology class (of course) around 9:00a (I think, Central Time), and saw unusually large numbers of students in the Union, all watching the various televisions. I was vaguely curious, but since the prof already didn't like me and it's hard to sneak into a class of only nine people w/o attracting attention, I didn't stop to find out what was going on. One of the girls in class told me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center, but we all were under the impression it was a small, private plane and it was a freak accident at that point, and didn't really give it much more thought. When the prof came in, though, he said he had been running late because he had been on the phone with his wife about "the news." He started to try to teach the class, but after a few minutes just said "Forget it, I'm going to go find a television," or something like that. At any rate, class was dismissed, but we all went into a nearby office to find out what on earth was going on that was more important than classes. We got there just in time to see the Towers fall. It took us a while to figure out what had actually happened, given our initial, very wrong, impression. Classes were cancelled (I presume, I didn't go to anymore after that, I don't think. I may not have had anymore that day anyway, I can't remember), and I went back to my apartment and spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch with my laptop in front of me and the television on. I think I called my parents at some point, but I'm not sure. I do remember that there was a lot of rumours about going to war, and that since Purdue has a nuclear research facility (non-military, of course), it was a potential target. Purdue also boasts a very large international student community, including a large number of Arab students, and there were instant reminders everywhere that those students had nothing to do with the attack and any attempts at "retribution" would result in drastic punishments. I don't remember hearing of anyone trying to hassle any of the Arab students, so I guess it worked. There was a candlelight vigil a couple of nights later, and a prayer led by local religious leaders - Christian, Jewish, and Muslim - but that was about it. It didn't really directly affect my day to day life, but it totally changed my outlook on the rest of the world. I think I am not alone in realizing for the first time that day not just that we could indeed be attacked on our own soil, but that someone would WANT to attack us. That someone hated us so much that they would kill 3000 innocent people. I've flown many times since then, domestically and internationally (France and Australia), and while I'm not scared of flying or my fellow passengers as a rule, every time now, there is a little voice in the back of my head wondering, "What if it's this flight this time? What would I do? What could I do?" It's a scarier world now.

UhOh

Alright, I'll admit it. I've been fascinated by spinners for a while now, and have no idea where to start or even what questions to ask. I've seen several "begin to spin" kits online and wondered if they are at all helpful. I know lots of people who sell fiber and spindles and whatnot (Amy comes to mind immediately), but no idea at all what I should use to "try out" so to speak. Really, the last thing I need is another hobby to eat up what little time I have left, but I wouldn't mind trying it just to see.

Oh, and I did, indeed, finish the hood on Rogue Monday (woo, I have a hooded tank top!) and CO both sleeves. I haven't had a chance to work on it since, so I'm only almost done with the hem facing rows. I am thinking about finishing those tonight so I can start the cuff cables tomorrow. Sock knitting has been slow, as I can't knit DURING Dames, it's too busy, but I do get in a few rows here and there. I'm still hoping that I can get this pair of socks and Rogue done by the time we go to Solvang! A week and a half, think I can do it?

Whew!

Dames is OPEN! Woo! It's the biggest little show I think any of us have done here in a long time, and a lot of work for the cast and crew, but it really is so much fun! It's very sweet and cute and funny and the audience is eating it up! That's such a nice reward to see after the exhausting week of tech we just went through for it.

Two personally awkward moments today, though. 1.)Steve's parents and sisters came down for the weekend. They saw Dames last night, and the Song of the Oak (the fall Outreach show that Steve set designed) preview this morning. I didn't see them last night, and didn't even know they were there until I literally almost ran into Steve's mother in the lobby this morning at the preview. They were pleasant to me, as always, it was just slightly surprising to run into them and then try to figure out what to say to them. As they were leaving, though, his dad turned to me and told me he was very sorry about the way things had turned out. It was very sweet, but slightly heart-wrenching at the same time. 2.)A guy I had kind of started crushing on, and who I thought had been showing some signs of interest, came to the preview this morning with a second-year student actress on his arm, who he has apparently been seeing for some time. Sigh. Oh well. I really wish him no ill will, but I know that he is applying for a staff job (and he well deserves it), and I'm wondering how well it will go for him if he is dating a student. I guess we'll see.

Between the tech week from Heck (I've had worse, but it definitely wasn't fun) and two awkwards in one day, I'm totally hibernating tomorrow. My big plans are to make my apartment liveable again and then curl up on the couch with Rogue and Harry Potter. I'd really love to go to the beach as well, but that would require leaving the house, and I'm not sure I'll have the energy for that. My brother is going to drive out next Monday to visit for a while. I hope I can find something for him to do!

Woo!

All done - the washing and drying didn't tear it apart, and it looks much better on the wrong side now than it did earlier today. I'll finish the card and pop it in the mail tomorrow with a nice bottle of wine, I think.

Project Specs:
Pattern: Chunky Diagonal Throw from Lion Brand Yarns
Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun in Florida Keys (green), Cobalt (blue), Covered Bridge (red), Sunshine State (yellow), and Deco (white)
Needles: US 10.5 for body, US 11 for border
Date started: July 17, 2006
Date completed: August 27, 2006
Notes:
-I messed up the color assignments early on, so the order is not the same as the pattern's. If I was making this for myself - and I probably will at some point - I personally would do a more repetitive pattern instead of the random. I love the colors of this one, though.
-The Homespun is a good enough yarn for this. Again, and I said this with the Winter Night afghans, too, the fraying of the woven-in ends drives me batty. I'm not sure what else is possible to do to prevent it, though. I would love to try another chunky, machine wash yarn for this at some point in the future. Perhaps Wool-Ease Chunky or Thick-n-Quick if I can find enough colors I like.

The first of the cuff-down socks was finished yesterday, the second cast on, and I finished casting on for the April Fool's socks this afternoon as well. I'm doing those two at a time. I really like the fit of the heel and gusset (yeah yeah), but I really really hate the toe. It's very square. I have added an extra two stitches to the second sock, as well, because the first is justohsoslightlyever too tight. I can still wear it just fine, but it stretches just a bit more than I'd like.

Looking at these, and the ohmygod beautiful sock yarn from Spunky Eclectic that arrived in the mail yesterday, I have changed my mind about the Sock Wars, I think. It still sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm kind of over deadlines for the time being and I want absolutely no pressure to knit. Besides, I want to get some of these WIPs over on the sidebar crossed off, particularly Rogue and the Snowdrop Shawl. And I'd love to get cracking on the Pinwheel Sweater over at Elann.

Lock 'n Load

Okay, I found out about this from the Knitters' Review Forums. It is hysterical, sounds like a blast, and I once I saw it, I had to do it. It just ties in too perfectly with my other hobbies.



I'm riding on the idea that I did, indeed finish the Column Socks in a week. Okay, so I worked on nothing else that whole week, but I'm not planning any Christmas knitting this year. (I take that back, I did promise a scarf to someone. Shouldn't take long, though.) If I get Rogue done soon, which I should, all I'll have on the needles are socks and the Snowdrop Shawl at that point in time. The shawl can take a bit more downtime if it wants. Becki's afghan is going to be finished today (once I stop typing and start laundry and go grocery shopping), so I won't have to worry about that. No other deadlines or anything I have to get done, so it could be possible that I won't be the first man down. Anyone else interested? Sign ups will close on Sept. 8! More info can be found at the Sock Wars Forum.

Oops..well...

What's a girl to do when she has three of four borders of an afghan (that was supposed to be done a week ago) knitted, half the foot of one sock left to work, another pair of socks on the needles, an incredibly...technical...tech week coming up, and evenings this week semi-free? Why, work on Rogue, of course. For some reason, it started hollering at me the other night, and I figured that since the hood had been dragging like crazy before and I had no problems putting it down, I should probably work on this while I actually felt like it. I think I'm about a third of the way through the hood now. I figured out how to pf/b to increase instead of the m1 bar, because I kept getting holes where I picked up the bar and the stitch underneath it stretched. I haven't started the sleeves yet like I was going to when I put the thing down, but they are going to be Twisted German CO (that stretchiness has won me over and I'm a big sleeve pusher-upper), and knit flat, both at once, on a circular needle. I'm okay with seaming the sleeves themselves, but am a bit anxious about setting the sleeves into the body. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I guess.

I recently acquired several of the Harry Potter AudioBooks, and they have been great to listen to while knitting. (insert warning of nerdiness here)It's been really interesting for me, because I know the books so well (no, I can't say as I've memorized them - yet - but I have read them enough to know exactly what the next phrase will be most of the time), but the only audio experience I have had with them has been the movies, so hearing the same words in different voices and different readings has been fun. It's not quite as cool as holding the book in my hands and curling up to read it and see the words myself, but it is a very fun way to satisfy my HP and knitting cravings at the same time. I would highly recommend them. My only complaints so far have been that my laptop's speakers suck, and the reader reads Hermione's lines in a voice that makes me think of a whining, flaming fairy-boy during allergy season, not as a teenage girl (I'm listening to PoA (Prisoner of Azkaban, for the uninitiated) atm and will probably start GoF (Goblet of Fire) tonight.

Oh, and anyone want to tech my show for me next week? It's only an hour and a half long with six actors. And 30+ costumes (all of them quick changes, most of them in the last twenty minutes of the show). And a set that has to be destroyed at the end of Act I and be completely changed for Act II. Only 196 LQs so far, though, but we still have about half of Act II to paper tech. I'm anticipating about 300 light cues total. (To give you a range, Oliver! had 350+ LQs -skipping some numbers, my last cue # was 486, or thereabouts - and Anna had 87 w/o skipping any. 300 is pretty average for a musical and not bad at all.) Plus I think 80+ music cues, 20 or so sound cues, and an unknown number of deck/curtain cues. Calling the show isn't going to be the problem. It's going to be getting all of the technical elements to work together properly in the first place. That and the speed of the show. 400+ cues in 90m averages to about 4.5 cues a minute, so I may not be able to get much knitting done during this show. I'm looking forward to actually performing the show, I just don't want to go through the first day of tech for it =P

Pics!

As promised, some highlights of the weekend. Five pics for the connection-speed impaired.

First up, we have this gorgeous creation:

This is the back of her dress. Photos do not do it justice. Those are all embroidered flowers, along with strings of sparkly clear beads. The groom's tux vest and the flower girl's dress matched the lavender of the flowers, while the matron of honor and bridesmaid's dresses and the best man and groomsman's tux vests matched the green of the stems. The train was several feet long, and as Becki is barely over five feet tall, we had a lot of fun getting her dressed. It took five people to hold the dress and train up so she could dive under it. But, it was worth it:
She was so beautiful and happy. It's wonderful to see her and John together. The ceremony was actually very short (despite my crying when I saw her being walked down the aisle by her daddy and then the minister skipping the prayer right before my verses so I didn't have time to compose myself again, oh well), and the reception was a lot of fun. She and John had decided that they wanted real food that people would actually eat, so the meal was hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken, with corn and a fresh fruit mix. It was great. Their gift:
is still being worked on. I didn't have time today to work on it, as I had to babysit a new intern's first rehearsal this evening, but I should be able to work on it the rest of the week. Unless I can talk Cute Actor into going to see another show with me, of course...oh right, back to reality:
The Cloverleafs (Cloverleaves?) were finished on the flight home, as I said. They don't photograph particularly well at midnight. Or I just don't take very good pictures. Whichever. And, as the Yarn Harlot says, this is how long it takes to fly halfway from Chicago to Dallas, wait on a plane, fly from Dallas to Los Angeles, sprint through the airport (the distance to the gate you need is inversely porportional to the amount of time you have to get there in airports. Don't believe me? Try it next time your flight is delayed and you have less than five minutes to get to your connecting flight - the gate will be on the opposite end of the terminal, trust me!), fly from Los Angeles to Santa Maria, and sit through a four hour rehearsal for a show that isn't yours:
I'm still wondering about this whole heel flap and gusset thing. This is my first time with them. It seems strange to me, but I will grit my teeth and do it. Supposedly this traditional method doesn't have the slouchy problems that my beloved short row heels have, which will be nice. Again, though, there's this whole picking up stitches thing, and I keep reading things about knitters who misjudged how many stitches to pick up and ending up with holes in the heels. I don't want to be them. Oh, and the LL hasn't really been anything to write home about so far. It's nice, and the fabric being produced on the US 2's is probably my favorite sock fabric so far, but I can't say as I've been overly impressed with the yarn. I do love the color, though!

When Katie Comes Marching Home Again...

Finally home again! The wedding was absolutely beautiful (I'm totally jealous of the dress, oh my god, her dress! And I did cry, of course, but if that's all anyone remembers about the wedding, they have other issues), family and friends were great (gotta love it when an aunt runs a candy store and heaps chocolate on you before you leave), travelling was far less hassle than I had expected given recent events, and my Cloverleaf socks were completed. Pics of all will be available after the camera battery is recharged. I did not get the afghan finished to my level of gift-giving comfort before I left, so it is still here. Now that I have some extra time on it, I am going to re-seam it properly (the seams are pretty tight right now and I'm afraid the yarn will break) and put the actual pattern border on. I started another pair of socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport Black Purl on the flight from Chicago to Dallas yesterday (which was a bit of a surprise, as when I bought the ticket I don't recall any mention of there being a stop in Texas, but oh well, I still got home eventually). These are just plain stockinette socks, cuff-down, so I could figure out the cast on and heel and stuff. I used the Twisted German Cast On, and wow, I can't believe how stretchy it is! I'm also going to cast on another pair in Spunky Eclectic's Berry Pickin and make the April Fool's Socks (mostly I want to use that cast on again!). I meant those to be the very next pair of socks, but apparently I grabbed the wrong purple sock yarn in my packing haste and ended up with LL in my bag instead.

Congrats to Colleen for more fair ribbons for her very cute toys! And please check out Amie's blog for an opportunity to purchase a very cute pattern and help out a very sick little girl in the process. Having lost one of my own small cousins to neuroblastoma last year, this means a lot to me.

Alright, gotta get back to the whole working routine - luckily I should have students starting this week that I can dragoon into ASM'ing!

Yay-Ugh

The yay:
1. The Chunky Diagonal Throw strips are completed and seamed together. I ended up using some Simply Soft to seam them - the Homespun was just too much of a pain to work with for seaming, and almost impossible to hide unless I wanted to change colors every ten stitches or so. I'm not that good of a friend.

2. I have one more day of work and then I am GETTING OUT OF HERE for a weekend! I love travelling anywhere anytime anyway, but this is special. You have no idea how happy this makes me, just the thought of not having to worry about if I will run into him, or wondering what (if anything) I should say or do if I do run into him, is very liberating. And, of course, I can't wait to celebrate Becki's marriage. I can't believe my two best friends from high school are married now. One almost for a year already! I'm not really the girly type, but I'm actually really looking forward to going over to Beck's Saturday morning and helping her get ready and getting to the church early and all that fun pre-wedding stuff. I'm just reading some Bible verses, so hopefully I will do that well. My main fear is that I will cry, as I'm far more like my mother than I'd like to be sometimes. (She's a sentimental sap who cries at cotton and coffee commercials during the holidays.) I think it will be okay, though.

The ughs:
1. The blanket is knitted and seamed, and I now have one evening left to knit the border. I'm pretty sure I have mentioned before how much I hate picking up stitches. This is the reason why. I can't pick up stitches evenly for the life of me, which throws off the stitch count and thus my borders get wonky. Plus, the border in the pattern, which I like, is twelve rows wide, which isn't bad, but it's 100 increasing to 110 stitches on the top and bottom and 136 increasing to 146 stitches on either side. I may not get any sleep before the flight tomorrow night. I thought about maybe chickening out and doing something like an applied I-cord border, but I can't find any good directions on how to do it. Any suggestions? Maybe the crocheted border Amie suggested? I've never crocheted before, though, so not sure how well that would work.

2. I have four loads of laundry sitting on the floor in my bedroom that desperately need to be folded and put away. I hate folding laundry, and am half-tempted to leave it there, but Chrissy is coming over this weekend to check on Teddie for me, and she is a neat freak. I can't just close the bedroom door, because then Teddie can't get to his litter box, so I'm going to have to put it away tonight, as tomorrow will be spent working on the damn border. I'll have to wash the blanket when I get to my parents' Friday night, I guess. I hope everything turns out okay =P

3. I have meetings starting at 9:30a tomorrow. It is currently 2:00a. If I'm awake (this is hardly staying up late for me, but 9:30a is awfully early in the morning), I should at least be doing something productive, yes? Working on the border, or folding the laundry, or packing or cleaning or something. But no. I'm typing a post and chatting online instead. Ugh.

I might duck out of babysitting Much Ado dress tomorrow night so I can come here and get stuff done and attempt to get some sleep before travelling for fourteen hours.

Unreasonably hyper

I came home from rehearsal uncharacteristically hyper tonight. Not sure why. Maybe it is that we are finally finished with three rehearsals' worth of tap dancing (thank god this is not a huge cast show - the noise would probably drive me battier than I already am!). Maybe it's the cute actor and the fun chemistry the cast has. Maybe it's the fact that I actually have people to hang out with tomorrow and go down to Solvang with (okay, so I kinda rigged it that way in the hopes that cute actor would go, but I'm glad it's more people than that). Maybe it's the fact that I actually talked to Steve today and had no kind of emotional craziness after the fact. No anger or hurt or anything. No happiness, either, but whatever. Maybe it's the fact that I've had two exes randomly hit on me in the past 24 hours. Maybe it's just the fact that I finally (FINALLY) went in and got my hair cut and styled. Who knows? It's probably just the fact that I have a purring cat on my lap, yarn and needles in my hands, a bottle of brew, and these:

Three of the afghan strips are done, as well as the first two stripes of the final one. I'm really kicking arse on this pattern. It's so simple, but it looks so damn cool! I love it! I'm totally going to have to make one of these for me. Not going to use the Homespun again, though. I love the colors available in it, and I love the softness, but the fraying is getting to me. I've had to get a thing of Fray Check for the ends. I might use some fabric glue on it as well, after I wash it. But anyway, I'm all about machine washable for afghans, and I would need a chunky yarn. LB Homespun, Wool-Ease Chunky or Thick-n-Quick are the right gauge range, but lack a variety of available colors. Any suggestions? I'm realizing, looking at this, that I will actually have to seam these together soon, and am wondering if I should use one color of Homespun or if I should dig out some of the worsted weight acrylic I have stashed and use it to seam instead? Any thoughts?
Oh, and:

Teddie doesn't seem too impressed with the afghan strips. (Yes, that would be the Rogue project bag making an appearance in the background.) He thinks the ends are great for playing with, though, particularly when I am trying to fold the strips up and put them away. He really loves circular needles, too, but only bothers needles and yarn when I am actually using them. I guess non-moving stuff is beneath him.

Btw, I figured out my little knitting quirk/superstition. I will weave in all the ends as I go, including the bind off tail, but not the cast on tail. Those, for some reason, must stay unwoven until all the pieces are complete and ready for seaming. Hell if I know why, it just must be so.

Ice Cream!

Okay, so there's only a couple bites of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food left, but woo, more new sock yarn! Amy's Spunky Eclectic July Club Yarn arrived today. Mine has a bit more brown in it (at least it looks like on the skein), and reminds me of neopolitan (spelling?) ice cream. I swear, I have got to start knitting socks faster so I can get to all this yummy yarn! I did get to do a couple more repeats on the Cloverleafs today during rehearsal. Nothing is more boring to sit through than a music rehearsal - there is ABSOLUTELY nothing for an SM to do but sit there and listen and look interested. Normally I do not knit during rehearsals, but I made an exception today after they spent over an hour and a half on one song. I don't mean to sound disparaging, it is a song with very difficult five-part harmonies, and each person has their own line, so if one person is off even the slightest, you can tell, and they were working really hard at it, but I really couldn't take it anymore. (I decided today, although I have not had any musical direction experience, that it would be easier to teach a large cast harmonies than a small cast. More people can mess up in a large ensemble than in a small one.) Only eight more repeats for that sock, and then the ribbing, and done! I also finished the second strip of the Chunky Diagonal Throw this evening. I am telling myself to start the third strip. I leave for the wedding two weeks from tomorrow, and still have two strips and the border to knit. I think I'll be okay, though. I do want to start this strip, but maybe after I eat an apple and wash my hands. And I really should fold the three loads of laundry I did the other day...

Meme!

Stolen from Amie, because I liked it:

What was the scariest thing (or one of them if you’ve had many adventures) you ever experienced?Watching my dad board the plane here in Santa Maria to go home after he helped me move out here three years ago. It really hit me at that point that I was very much alone here, and I was terrified. Other than that, I tend to scare myself more often than anything else scares me.

Do you plan to retire where you are right now or move somewhere else?Wow, retirement. It seems sooo far away right now that I can't even really think about it seriously. Right now, I can't see myself ever actually really retiring, just being more specific about what shows I work on and where. There's no place in particular that I want to live, just somewhere warm.

Three little gifts you’re always glad to get:
Flowers. I love flowers. Any kind of flowers.
Yarn
Anything along the lines of "I saw this and thought of you..."

4 careers you might have enjoyed:
Working in Mission Control for a space mission (the reason I actually went to Purdue)
Teaching
Working as a full time YMCA Aquatic staff member
Singer (I can't act for anything, but I used to have a decent set of pipes. They're out of tune due to lack of use now, though.)

A book you loved as a child but found disappointing as an adult:Hmm...I can't really say as I've gone back and read a lot of the books recently that I read when I was younger. I can't believe I read "The Babysitters Club" series so much, but I liked them when I was eleven, if that counts.

Somebody ought to do (invent, make, write) that!A way of making all the diseased blood drain out of a person while good blood is getting pumped in. That way we could help all the people who have blood diseases like AIDS and leukemia. (I had some invention in mind earlier, but now I can't think of it and so have to go the humanitarian route.)

Where or on what could you easily drop $100? - up to 5
Yarn
Books/Audio books
Clothes (I don't buy that many clothes, but I will pay for quality and style when I do)
Blackjack tables
Tickets to see shows. I'd willingly drop $100 to see a show if I had to.

Name an adult, not a parent, who really had an impact on you before you were 18 and what made such an impression.There have been SO many people who impacted my life, it's hard to pick just one. Ms. Jones, my drama teacher in high school, was the one who honed my interest in the performing arts and encouraged it and was okay with the fact that I would rather be backstage running things than onstage and introduced me to that world (even though it was still just a hobby to me at the time). Mrs. Monts (now Ms. Marshall) was my English teacher throughout high school and drilled an appreciation for literature and grammar and research that has been of incalculable value so far. I had a love/hate relationship with her in school, but man, I have never forgotten what we learned and read and wrote in her classes. You would do your work, and you would do it correctly in her class, or you wouldn't pass. It was just that simple.

That all said, Anna is now open and running well in Solvang. My ASM is doing just as well as I expected. Dames started rehearsals this afternoon (I have to get going in a few, as my dinner is almost up). The contrast between these two shows is insane. Both casts are great, and fun, and both directors are wonderful to work with, but the shows themselves! Anna is a very simple show technically, and a very intense and emotional and difficult show plotwise (we have betrayals and rape and murder and suicide and all sorts of fun things, and it's still a beautiful show somehow). Dames is a very shallow plot (more along the lines of "I just met you! I love you! We're going to get married and live happily ever after right after this big tap number!" That's pretty much the whole plot.) but is going to be a difficult show technically (I get to collapse a set onstage with a wrecking ball at the end of Act I and build a battleship for Act II, it'll be great!). I love theater, it's so varied. I need the fluff right now.

Strip #2 of the Chunky Diagonal Throw is almost done. I might be able to get away with working on it this evening, but not sure yet.

Project Whore!

Yes, we've discussed this in the past, and yes, again I was unable to control the urge to start a new project in lieu of a current one. I did indeed start the Chunky Diagonal Throw (the Lion Brand pattern I linked to the other day) on Monday. And I'm not sorry in the slightest. I already have one full strip done and am starting the fourth stripe on the second one. That's almost the same amount of work in about half the time. So, I'm validated, see? Of course, I haven't gotten any work done on anything else, but who cares? Same three colors as the Log Cabin, along with a sunny yellow and white to balance it out. It's actually quite pretty and colourful, and I can't wait to get it done so I can admire it before I give it to Becki. I may have to make another one for myself afterwards. Pics will be up soon. I have another idea for a future Log Cabin that I already like better, but will have to get this one done first, and soon, as the wedding is August 12!

Thanks for the feedback on the sweater. Again, there would definitely be some modifications to it - I would probably not do the center strips quite so high in the boob diamonds (if I did them at all), I would change the sleeves slightly, and I might try to do it in the round, as well. Gotta finish Rogue first, and I don't have nearly enough cotton for that sweater, so will have to save up and get some. I think my next sweatery project will be that Pinwheel Sweater/Jacket over at Elann.

Anna's done in Santa Maria and the Solvang tech is going extremely well. I will have to go back down with them tomorrow and Saturday, and then pop down once or twice a week, if I can. I currently have no ASM for Dames, which starts rehearsals on Tuesday, so I'm kind of busy right now. I'm hoping the work will distract me sufficiently to not worry about other such petty things as relationships. I'm pretty sure the only males a girl can depend on are her daddy and her cat. Maybe a brother, but little brothers are strange things. Yarn helps, too =)

Doncha Just Hate It When That Happens?

When you're already emotionally invested in one project, as a gift no less, and you're nearing the deadline for it, and THEN you find that PERFECT pattern that you wish you had had two months ago when you were first trying to figure out what you wanted to make?

I've been working on the Log Cabin for my friend Becki, who is getting married Aug. 12, driving myself nuts trying to get squares done when it's a pain in the butt to pick up stitches in Homespun, and then, I open my email this morning to find this pattern. (I know Lion Brand can be picky. You may have to register or sign in to see the pattern.) It's gorgeous. I love it. It would be a simple, quick knit. I love the design of it. It would be a PERFECT wedding gift for Becki. But now I've already started the Log Cabin, which I don't like at all. Well, okay, that's not true. I do like it, but it's going much slower than I had anticipated and to me it still feels and looks a little wonky. Such torment! What to do?? This is what I have done so far of the Log Cabin:

Yup. Two full squares and one that is about 3/4 done on the needles. That's it. I had another square almost done, but I was playing around with a way of keeping the stitches live. I had this inane idea that if I could keep the edge stitches live, then I could graft the whole thing together (no, kitchener stitch does not bother or scare me). But it's much more trouble than it's worth, and then I didn't have the yarn to bind it off properly, so the whole square got frogged. I might have to make a trip to Michaels today and see if they have any Wool-Ease Chunky....

Oh, and I really really wanted to have these

done for Solvang this week. But now this stupid afghan is getting to me. I'm so close on the socks! I turned the heel of the second one yesterday after desperately needing a break from picking up stitches. The STR is very nice, btw, but I think the Bearfoot is still my favourite. I'm pondering doing either Pomatomus or April Fool's Day socks next. Both are cuff-down, which will not really be a first, but definitely not a comfortable technique for me. The April Fool's would be easy enough to convert to toe-up, but I should really bite the bullet and learn. I also want to try a real heel flap and gusset.

And, because I can:

He looks like the grumpiest cat, ever, eh? =)

A Traumatic Day

Teddie and I went through the rite of First Visit To The Vet this afternoon. He hates hates hates the cat carrier and car rides and cried and yowled and complained the WHOLE way. Luckily, it is only about twelve blocks away. Honestly, you have never heard such pathetic meowing in your life. Luckily, the waiting room was empty when we got there, so he calmed down a little, but only if I was sitting right next to him. He didn't like it when he didn't know where I was. He hated going into the carrier, but was too scared to come out to get examined. It's amazing how a ten pound cat can turn into thirty pounds of dead weight when they don't want to move. To give him credit, though, he never cried or tried to run or hiss or anything. He really didn't like getting his temp taken, but then, I can't really fault him for that. Everything seems to be okay, except he does have allergies, which is why he has been scratching so much at his eyes and making his poor eyelids bleed. Poor guy had to endure yet another shot, this one for steroids to control the allergic reactions, and now has to get ointment rubbed on his eyes three times a day and will have to start taking oral steroids once the shot wears off, in about ten days or so. At least it wasn't mites. Oh, and the vet told me that even if you get the flea and tick stuff labelled "for cats and kittens" at the pet store, unless it is Advantage or FrontLine, it can still be fatally toxic to kitties, so be careful. I really liked the vet, he was very grandfatherly and gave me some good advice. Anyway, Teddie is now back to hiding under the bed (after cussing me out like crazy during the car ride home), and I have enough cat hair on my shirt to spin an entire skein of sock yarn and won't be able to afford to eat for the rest of the month. We're both recovering.

Oh, and check out this pattern at Elann and tell me what you think. I think that with a few modifications (mostly so's I could wear it in public without getting arrested), it would be a really cool sweater. Guy friends tend to agree, although a couple thought it was "slutty". Girl friends tend to be split 50/50.

Gotta go do a show. Four more left in Santa Maria, and then I get to baby sit Solvang for a week. Joy of all joys =P

I had a very strange dream last night. I seemed to be back in high school, first day of senior year, only it wasn't anywhere close to the same building layout. The people were still the same. My HS assigned the lockers in alphabetical order, and we had a tiny class, so I had the same group of people around my locker since junior high. Those people showed back up in the dream. However, for some reason, I didn't get a class schedule like everyone else, and when I went to the office to get one, they said that they had a package for me. It was one skein of a rough, rainbow coloured yarn (you know, primary, Crayola rainbow colors) and another skein of the same colorway, but batting. (Sorry, I don't know what the proper word for a hunk of batting is, so I used skein.) My first thought was "This is great, but I don't know how to spin! What am I going to do?!" When I looked back down at it, it had turned itself into a spun skein of yarn, but now I wonder if my subconscious is telling me something...I've also been wondering more about crocheting, but I already have enough projects, knitting and non-knitting, to last me until Kingdom come. We'll see.

I do have the first of the Cloverleaf socks done, and a respectable portion of the second. Done a couple more rows on Rogue (that seems to be the story of my life lately), and almost finished another Log Cabin square last night while watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire again.

Terrified poor Teddie yesterday after running the vaccuum, the garbage disposal, and the dishwasher all in one day. He finally crawled out of hiding around 10p.m. He's definitely much more sociable now, and he will come out and jump up in my lap and such in the evenings, but during the day, he pretty much stays in his cabinet. No sprawling out and sleeping in the sunshine for this kitty, I guess. Maybe he's a vampire kitty, sort of like a feline Bunnicula. I haven't noticed any white food leftover, though.

Steve finally gave me an answer. We're not going to try again right now. We might at some point in the future if we want to, but not now. Definitely not the answer I wanted to hear, but somehow, I feel better at least knowing. He's still my best friend, though, and I think part of the comfort is knowing that. Doesn't always make it easier, but it does help. I will still be hurt and jealous if and when he goes out with any other girl, though, but oh well. I've been hurt and jealous before. And, hell, both he and I know that there is no one like me!

Mmm...so totally got stood up by Steve on the Fourth, who then seemed baffled and ticked when I chewed him out for it. Again, what is it with males?? I ended up going up to Pismo Beach with a bunch of other techs (Steve included, was a weird day) and hanging out on the beach for a while, drinking and watching the fireworks off the pier and the amatuers along the beach. The fireworks were nice. I told Steve that the next move was his - I was not going to contact him or do anything, as I'm obviously so much of a distraction to him that it's confusing him more (his words). Haven't seen or talked to him since. His loss.

Teddie and I have worked out a decent compromise. He sleeps during the day in his little kitty bed that I have put in the cabinet under the sink. It gives him a safe and comfy hidey hole, and I know where he is. When I am home in the evenings or late afternoons, we chat and he'll eventually come out to the sound of my voice and cuddle with me. He's agreed to wear his collar and looks very handsome. He'd probably come out more during the day, but it's hard to talk to an empty room after a while. He gets fed dry food in the morning and a small can of wet food when I go to bed. It seems to work for us.

I have done several more rows of the Rogue hood, and am about half done with the leg of the first Cloverleaf sock. I did the first square of the Log Cabin afghan, as well. My sock yarns keep talking to me, though, particularly the Berry Pickin' from Spunky Eclectic. It somehow magically wound itself into a ball the other night, and is now teasing me. I may have to go back to doing a pair of those at the same time, as I think my size 1's would be best for that yarn. I might get really really bold and try a pair of cuff-down socks and even a real heel and flap. I love my short row heels, but one should always branch out and learn new techniques. Besides, as much as I hate picking up stitches, I ALWAYS seem to be ending up with a project that requires it anyway. I think I will finish the first Cloverleaf and CO for the second, and then CO the Berry Pickin for some April Fool's socks.

Oh, I do have today off and have been really good about cleaning up the place and doing laundry and all that nonsense. I do have to stop by the office, though, and pick up my book for Dames so I can get some prep work done early for it. I don't really trust my ASM to do it correctly, and...I will be in VEGAS for the weekend before we start rehearsals! So, two weeks from today, I will be on the road with John (the magician I SM for when he has gigs) heading to Vegas, where he is taking care of my room and some compensation from Thursday until Sunday! We have a very very small show on Friday at the Stardust, but it should be very easy and I'll have the rest of the weekend in Vegas with a group of people I consider friends! I cannot wait!

Think I'm gonna head down to Solvang and see Beauty and the Beast tonight, as it will be one of the last times I'll be able to catch it. If you know anyone who is coming to the Central Coast, tell them about Anna in the Tropics here at PCPA. The audiences have LOVED it - every single house we've had so far has been on its feet during curtain call - but since it isn't a big name musical, we're having poor ticket sales here at the Marian. Solvang is supposedly selling better, but then, down there, most of our audience are the tourists, whereas up here, they are mostly locals. Anyway, gotta go finish laundry and get some warm clothes out for tonight!

Just a random plug and moral question...

I found Wildhorse Farm Designs quite by accident yesterday. Lisa has some great (non-lacy! Okay, there was one lacy pattern I liked and bought) sock patterns (a little pricey, but what the hell), and really truly great customer service. One of the patterns I bought didn't download properly, so I emailed her. Within half an hour, I had a very apologetic response with the correct file attached! Blew me away! She seems very nice, and I'm glad I spent the money there.

Now for the moral/ethical question of the day. Looking at her patterns was very inspiring to me, both because they are fun patterns, but also because as soon as I saw the pics, I could start "deconstructing" them and figuring out the pattern on my own. I'm kind of proud of that, as it tells me that I am starting to be able to "read" not only my own knitting, but that I have learned enough about techniques and whatnot to start to read other people's as well. Now, my question is, is it okay to do this? I mean, if I figure out the Isoceles sock pattern and make the socks, but didn't buy the pattern, have I done something unethical? If anyone asked, I would, of course, tell where I had found the picture that inspired me to make them. Would I then give the designer credit for the inspiration? Or the pattern itself? Or should I just spend money on a pattern I don't need to make the socks? Discuss.

Opening!

So Anna opened last night to very positive reviews. We weren't really sure how the show would go over in this particular community, but all of the feedback we've heard so far has been very positive. I must confess, I didn't really like the show myself when I first read it and we started working on it, but it has really grown on me. There are some really beautiful and powerful moments, and I think that if the audience is willing to come, they will really identify with the story. That, and I had a really great dress for the party afterwards and made Steve and a few other guys drool. So that was fun, too =) (No, I'm really not above petty vanity sometimes!)

Teddie has been far more social lately. I generally know where he is now, and he even came out and laid up on the bed with me last night and stayed even when I wasn't petting him. We've tried to block under the stove, though, so he can't get to that hidey hole anymore. He's definitely a night owl, which works out well for me. The only conflicts we've had recently has been the fact that he wants me to wake up at six or seven in the morning to give him attention. I don't think he realizes that I don't get to sleep all day like he does. Oh well. This coming week will be better, since I will be in performance schedule and be home more.

Still working on the Cloverleaf sock. Did a few more rows of the Rogue hood. For some reason, this hood is just DRAGGING and I can barely bring myself to work on it. It's not difficult knitting, in fact, most of it is stockinette. Maybe I'll sit down with it tomorrow and just bang it out. I really want to get to the sleeves, for some reason. I was trying to wait for Cara to start her Log Cabin KAL, but since I have a deadline on this, I started mine a bit early. Maybe she'll still let me play. I haven't quite finished my first square yet, but I probably could today if I work on it during the show. Binding off loosely is a very important skill for this particular pattern, I've learned. Otherwise, I can't pick up the stitches again in the dark booth! I'm using three colours of Homespun that I had in my stash - Cobalt (blue/purple), Florida Keys (green), and Covered Bridge (red). Not a combination that I would naturally pick out, but I kind of like it. Far more colourful that pretty much everything else I'm knitting right now. I keep switching back and forth between the Cloverleaf and the afghan square for show knitting.

One matinee today, then understudy rehearsal tonight (which should go fairly quickly) and then TWO days off! We are getting Tuesday off because of the Fourth (the Equity folk decided that they would rather have the Fourth as their day off, so many of them are actually in rehearsal or performance tomorrow, which is strange), but because I'm in a performance schedule right now, and Anna doesn't have a show or rehearsal tomorrow, I get Monday off as well! Yay!

The evil people out there...

...who hide behind the name "enablers". They're really just evil. I mean, a summer sale at Spunky Eclectic? After my earlier whine about already having too much sock yarn I want to play with all at once?? That's just cruel. And Cara is starting a new Log Cabin Afghan KAL soon. I really really love the look of that particular afghan in the STR, but buying that much would really break my bank. And it seems like it would be a faster knit in, say, a worsted weight. I've considered trying to combine the two enablings and stocking up on Amy's Spunky Sport for the Log Cabin, but would kind of prefer some more solid colours for the afghan. I'll have to think more, unfortunately.

I'm turning the heel of the first Cloverleaf sock already. Yes, tech has been going so smoothly that I can already knit during the runs...for once my professional life is smooth and my personal life is messed up - no wonder I'm so crazed right now! (He did come over last night, though, and will probably set his computer up here again soon and start gradually moving back in - we don't want to totally confuse the cat again!) I've done a few more rows on the hood of Rogue, but not made too much progress on it yet. Teddie disappeared again yesterday and turned up underneath the stove, which freaked me out. Is it safe for him to be under there? What if I use the stove and don't know he's there? Will he be okay? I really don't know. I don't really have a way of blocking him from getting under there right now. We put a roll of wrapping paper in front of it last night, but this morning he figured out that he can bat the roll out of the way. He is apparently madly in love with Steve, but is still upset with him for putting the latches on the cabinets so he can't open them. This morning, though, he started crying when he heard us start getting up and moving around and led us straight to his hidey hole on the other side of the fridge. He came out for some lovin' and then hid in his kitty tree and yelled at me after Steve left for work, but wouldn't come back out. What is it with males??

Panic!

I have not been able to find Teddie since I woke up this morning. He was laying on the bed with me when I fell asleep (we made it all the way out to the living room yesterday evening), but I haven't been able to find him since! I know he couldn't get outside, unless he's a very gentlemanly cat who closes and locks screens and doors behind him when he leaves, but I am DAMNED if I can figure out where he has gotten to! I've checked all the ground level cabinets (as there was evidence they had been explored last night), as well as behind the fridge, desks, toilet, and bed, and on top of the higher kitchen cabinets. I have to go to tech now, so I hope he's not stuck somewhere! I'll be back at dinner to try to look for him again!

ETA: When I got home over dinner, after frantically tearing the apartment apart and a tearful phone call to Steve about me being a terrible kitty mommy, I discovered him curled up in a kitchen drawer. Apparently, he had climbed up into the drawer after getting into the cabinets last night, but then couldn't get out and decided it was a nice place to spend the day. He wasn't too happy about being pried out by Steve and I (Steve brought dinner over for me!), and hid in his little cat tree for the rest of the dinner break. Steve came back during the evening and cat-proofed the cabinets so Teddie can't get back into them, and said that Teddie spent the whole time under the bed. He has eaten and used the litter box, though, and I'm going to go play with him a bit more now to try to coax him out.

New Roommate!

Ladies (and gents if any read this), I'd like to introduce you to Teddie. He adopted me today. Teddie is six years old, and lived at the shelter for about a month after being left by a family who was moving and couldn't take him with them. Although he doesn't look like it in the picture, he is very much a cuddlebug. He's just shy as well, and I'm sure it's scary to be in a new home. (Although, I have to say, only I would get a cat that would hide behind the toilet!) They said he's also a loner and doesn't usually want to be around the other cats. When I explained my work schedule, they figured that it was a good fit, as he would probably sleep when I was gone, but when I was around he would want to cuddle. That's fine with me! I'm sure we'll get along just fine - I couldn't just leave him there today after I met him. He even likes Steve, who also met him at the shelter (although Steve doesn't know there's a new male in my house) but suggested that I wait until next week after tech. But how could I leave that face??

Let the healing begin

Thank you to everyone who has commented, emailed, PM'd, and used various other forms of communication to offer support. It is really very much appreciated. He and I have been able to talk in the past two days, and have discovered a lot that we would like to work on. However, we do feel that living apart for a while will help us (we moved in together after only about six months of dating, for purely practical reasons - we were both moving to LA, me to work and him to school, didn't know anyone else down there, and figured at least we would know each other). So it's in a weird state of limbo, although we did have a date last night that was a lot of fun. It will either work itself out and we'll be all the stronger for it, or it won't. *shrugs*

So, on to more cheerful things like knitting stuffs. (Btw, one of his comments to me the other night was that he really loves that I knit, it's one of the amazing things about me, but his friends just don't get why that is amazing to him - guys are so strange.) I've started on the hood for Rogue:

I also gave in to my yarn sluttiness and started a pair of Zigzag Cloverleaf socks with the STR Scottish Highlands, the pattern being graciously shared by desi_knitter over on the KR Forums.
It seems like I have sock yarn pouring out my ears right now and I want to work with all of it at the same time! I have the Green Gables (will be a hat, I think, for Solvang), Sailing Away (Pomatomus socks), and Berry Pickin' (check the pic on Amy's blog, I'm so in love, these might become Mata Hari socks) all from Spunky Eclectic. I have STR in the Scottish Highlands and Seal Rock (no idea what to use that one for yet), and I have three skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport in Black Purl coming! This is on top of all of my KnitPicks yarn that I still have to work through! What's a girl to do? Quit working and just knit socks all the time? Be somewhat less stressful, until it came time to pay bills...

I'm going back to the animal shelter today to turn in my application and get pics of my hopefully soon to be new roommates. Steve said he would go with me on his lunch break. After that, some of the girls and I are going to hit up the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale up in SLO, can't wait!

May be quiet for a while

as I deal with some changes...mostly going from a two person home to living by myself again...I don't know where he stayed last night and I'm not sure it wouldn't break my heart further if I did know. I do know I will get a kitty soon. In the very near future, because now I don't have to wait for him to come up with his half of the money or find a time we can both go to the shelter together.

I haven't touched Rogue since I finished seaming the shoulders. All that is left to do is the hood and sleeves. I've started a new pair of socks with the Scottish Highlands STR. I don't know what pattern I will use yet. Something simple for tech next week. Right now, I don't even have a director for tech, as he was called away Wednesday on a family emergency. The Artistic Director, who I really enjoy working with on shows, has stepped in to at least make sure that the show opens properly and on time. The actors are rolling with the change pretty well. The director was hoping to be back today, but so far I haven't gotten any confirmation of that. I'm going to take a shower now, try to feel at least like I can go out in public without scaring anyone but myself, and go talk to the landlady about a pet deposit and maybe drive out to the shelter to check out the cats. I'm so numb right now, and I don't really want to face or talk to anyone, but I can't hide away, either.

Gloating

The original title of this post was Yarn Porn!, but I don't have any pics of it yet. My STR came in YESTERDAY, less than a week after I ordered it. Great service! And I canNOT wait to work with it! Told you I'm a yarn slut. How many pairs of socks can/should one have going at a time?? I only have one pair going right now, that I have worked maybe a half a row a day on in the past week, but that's with cheap KnitPicks yarn. I'm thinking I should really switch to something far more colorful and nice - that would make socks go faster, no? Besides, I'm in tech next week, so I will need something fun to look at. Not that I'm anticipating tech to be anything remotely resembling stressful - especially after Oliver! - but a good SM is always prepared. Ooo...maybe I'll start...okay...I hate having too many projects, but I'm thinking I should start my Pomatomus socks with my Spunky Eclectic Sailing Away this week - definitely Monday at the latest, so I could work on them. I think I am going to use the Green Gables for a hat or scarf for Solvang. I just really love the colors in it and feel they would be hidden if I made them into socks. Definitely something bright and eyecatching! Katie is going to be WARM in Solvang for once this year! This is, of course, assuming I have infinite time to knit, as I do have other projects going. Rogue is taking up most of my knitting time right now. I am thisclose to finishing the body. I have finished the back and am almost done with the front left shoulder. I think I could actually have this one done before Anna closes in the Marian, but I do also have to work on the afghan, I suppose. Sigh. I'm still thinking I need some easy stockinette or ribbed socks in cool colors for tech and performances, but I also feel like I should use up the sock yarn I got from Amy first, before it all starts to pile up on me, and I really want to use that for the scarf and for Pomatomuses, which I think will be too complicated to work on during performances. Hmm...duh...I could work on a scarf easily during performances. I still wouldn't be getting any socks done, though. Will have to consider this further.

ETA: As of about 2:30a this morning, I have a Rogue tank top! Steve was working on finishing up a set model for a design meeting today, so I was able to finish both front shoulders and three-needle them together with the back. It fits a bit closer than I was thinking, but it's not too small by any means. I just didn't do a size that had as much ease in it. Next up is the hood, which I'm trying to talk myself into not working on until tonight, so I can get these Seussical notes typed up.

Is it Monday yet?

1. Emotional/legal drama with friends has resulted in having one of them stay with Steve and I temporarily. I am of mixed feelings on this. I totally support my friends and am very very very glad that we can do SOMETHING to help them out. (In my opinion, feeling helpless is worse than almost anything, and this has been a very helpless feeling ordeal so far.) On the other hand...there was a reason that I was so excited to not have to share my living space with roommates. I'm seriously territorial and just don't really play that well with others. Oh well, I'm sure it will be fine. Steve will keep me in check.

2. Anna is going along surprisingly smoothly. The cast asked if they could change from having two four hour blocks with a two hour dinner to either one six hour block or two four hour blocks with one hour for dinner, so we have a shorter day span. We started rehearsals Tuesday and will be running the entire show for the first time tomorrow afternoon. The best part is, it doesn't feel like we've rushed or been pushed to get to that point. It feels like it is the next logical thing to do. We have one more week of regular rehearsals, then a week of tech, and then we open two weeks from yesterday. And it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The only hurdle we've hit so far has been having too many directors in the rehearsal room, and I kinda put my foot down on that yesterday.

3. My knitting is off. I have the back armhole shaping and about a quarter of the shoulders on Rogue done. I have another square of the entrelac afghan done. I have maybe three more rows done on my socks. I want to work on things. I really do. I sit down in my chair either in the morning before rehearsal or in the evening after rehearsal, and...it seems like so much effort to pick anything up and work on it. Except the socks, maybe. I dunno. Maybe that means I should work on more socks. Not anything with a pattern, though. Which still doesn't make any sense, as the other two projects are also just stockinette stitch. My STR shipped yesterday, so it will get here by Wednesday, with any luck. Maybe that will inspire me again. I really want to work on Rogue now, though, so I'll quit typing and do that.

Oh, and tomorrow will be Steve's 24th birthday. I suppose I should get him a present or something, huh?

Uncharted Territory

Okay, so there is a chart. In fact, there are very clean and clear written, step-by-step instructions. But I am now here:



Know what this is? This is one of the completed side panels of Rogue. That's right. I've mangled my way through most of the body already. Now I have to do scary things I've never done before, like shape armholes and backs, do a v-neck with cabling, and pray that my swatching was correct and the needles I am going to switch to for flat knitting will really keep me in the proper gauge. Everything is very well written, I've been very impressed with the way the pattern is presented - it makes sense to even a novice like me. The body so far hasn't been that difficult (okay, so the tension on cables is a pain to keep even, but I'm told a good wash and block should straighten all that out). Just gotta take a deep breath. I mean, hey, if I can do lace and sock heels and entrelac and all that, I should be fine. It's not scary, right? RIGHT?

Retail Therapy Update

So...no trip to the LYS. I really am not a big fan of that shop and kinda have to talk myself into going there. So no yarn fondling there. I did browse around the internet a bit for some Bearfoot, but somehow it wasn't jumping at me. I was rather surprised at myself, actually. I just couldn't decide on colours. I love my blues and greens, but that describes the vast majority of my stash, and I thought maybe I should start branching out my colour scheme a bit. I have some potential colourways (of course, I would not turn down any of them), but I would like to see them irl before buying. All is not lost, however. I was reply to someone on the KR Forums and, for some strange reason, Socks That Rock popped into my head and suddenly I had to have some. So I went over to Blue Moon Fibers and somehow magically ended up with a skein of Seal Rock and a skein of Scottish Highlands in my shopping cart. No idea how that happened...hope that it comes soon, though...cuz I really really need sock yarn! (*rolls eyes but giggles anyway*)

Shoulda stayed in bed...

Warning, some non-knitting content!

First off, the root of this whole post pretty much, is that I have not been sleeping well for the past week for various inane reasons. My legs feel like I ran a marathon yesterday, uphill, and I have no idea why. (Never mind. I do know why, it just occured to me. We taped out the floor in the rehearsal hall and all that sitting/squatting/standing/up&downness is what did it. Huh. Great, now I feel out of shape, too!) My character on the MUD I play on died not once, but twice yesterday, very stupidly and about thirty seconds apart, so now I'm back down two levels there not to mention getting mocked (admittedly, I deserve to be mocked for the second of those deaths. The first was sheer bad timing and bad luck). A couple of my friends are going through some rough and highly unfair stuff right now, so I'm kind of emotionally drained, as well. I have some errands to run today (including going to the grocery store to get supplies for cookies for above-mentioned friends), and it might just have to include a stop at the LYS to fondle some yarn. Or I might have to shop online and find more Bearfoot or something. Retail therapy sounds awfully good right now.

ETA: I just got a phone call and had to turn down an offer to call all four operas of The Ring of the Nibelung cycle in Pittsburgh in July. While I'm flattered that the director wants to work with me again, I somehow don't think that PCPA will let me out of at least four weeks of rehearsals/performances. Opera isn't really my thing, anyway.

No real work accomplished on any of the current WIPs this week, mostly because I finally realized that I have exactly two months to make an afghan for Becki for her wedding in August. I've settled on a large, solid-colour entrelac pattern in some Homespun I had in the stash. I kept thinking I needed something simple that I could do quickly. Another Winter Night was a possibility (I could make at least one square per day for that and have it finished by mid-July), but I didn't want to give Becki the same pattern I made Amanda. I'd like to think I have slightly more variety than that. I know that her favorite blanket growing up was a quilt, and to me, entrelac looks very quiltish. I'm using the Homespun because it is a.) soft, warm, and machine washable, b.) a pretty color, c.) chunky and knits up quickly and d.) in the stash already. I'm on the first tier, and it looks pretty cool so far. I have five 24st base triangles on size 11 needles, and I'm thinking I'll do only six or seven tiers (or less, depending on size, I'm kind of winging it) and then the top triangles. Gauge is roughly (it's hard to tell with Homespun) 3st and 3.5 rows per inch. Instead of tassles or fringe like Danica or Lady Eleanor, I'm just going to put a simple knitted border around it. I think I can do a square a day for this one, as well, and I still have a bit of breathing room.

Of course, I'm still a pattern whore, and the spiral jacket over on Elann.com is...well, lets just say I've finally found the pattern for all of my WotA and can't wait to work on it. I just have to decide on the color order. Never mind that I already have five four projects otn (I'm going to frog Elfine, I think, it's just not doing it for me) and my self-imposed limit is three. Never mind that I have enough squares of the second Winter Night afghan done already to create a fabulously cozy lap blanket if I would just block the squares and sew them together, or that the Knitted Stripes afghan I gave up on a long time ago is actually the perfect size and design for a rug if I would only bind it off. I must get SOMETHING else done before I can start the jacket! Really! Someone convince me!

Indecision kills

So I lucked out with the curse and Steve's socks. He doesn't like that colorway, and it's the most "manly" colorway of sock yarn I have, so no socks for him. Well, okay, it's not, there are a couple other yarns that could be considered masculine, but they're hand wash. He is not getting handwash socks unless he begs! (And that just won't happen.) More socks for me!

I'm also not sure about the Elfine socks. I like the yarn, and I like the pattern, but I'm not so sure about the yarn and the pattern together. The super sport is a slightly heavier than normal sock weight yarn, and the sock looks way too big, even though it does fit. Just not sure.

Muha!

This makes me happy. I'm not quite sure why. It's a beautiful colorway, but I have to admit that if I had seen it onscreen before hand, I would probably not be as eager to pick it up. But somehow, this works. I love it!

I've started Elfine with the Green Gables yarn, and it has promptly started giving me fits already. I'm not sure yet whether it is the yarn saying it wants to be something else or if it is just my own stupidity. Somehow, I can count the God-knows-how-many stitches on the Snowdrop Shawl, or even on the former KYOA Pi Shawl, but 33 stitches on a sock? Out of my league, apparently. I'm tinking back to where I think the mistake is (I think I missed a YO a couple rows back, but can't tell exactly where) and hopefully fix it and all will be well. I do have to admit that the colors go well with the pattern.

I've also dug out a couple skeins of KnitPicks Simple Stripes in Storm for some mindless stockinette socks. I think these will be Steve's socks. It's kind of a guy colorway. His feet are only slightly bigger than mine (due to the fact that he is only slightly taller than me, I suppose), and he only wears ankle socks, so these shouldn't be too bad. I'd ask him when he gets home, but it will be about four in the morning, and he has to be back in the prop shop at nine. I'm a bit nervous about the curse (you know, the whole knit your lover a pair of socks and he'll walk away in them thing) because I'm overly superstitious about random and silly things, but I figure that these will be made with his full knowledge, from decent but relatively cheap yarn that won't break my heart if he does take them, and after two and a half years of living together and with my knitting, if he does leave, it will be for reasons far more important than a pair of socks!

Will be spending the weekend at home for once, working on various knitting projects and the prop lists for Seussical and Song of the Oak, our fall Outreach show. Steve is the set designer for Song, so that's cool. (I'm not SM'ing it, though. It will be handed over to an intern when he/she gets here for the fall/winter season. I'm just babysitting the meetings until then.) I could be really really nice to my ASM for Anna in the Tropics, my next show that starts rehearsals not next week but the week after, and get the paperwork and most of the prep done for it this weekend, but I wouldn't want her to have to come in for no reason, would I? I'm looking forward to Anna - we have two weeks of rehearsals (8 hour rehearsal calls), three days of tech and dress rehearsals and then we're up and running. That's so much more my kind of pace than the whole six-weeks of rehearsal thing that we do during the school year. It's brutal, but I far prefer the busier summer season to the fall/winter season. (Btw, I listened to Seussical for the first time the other night. It made me think of a combination of Wicked and Little Shop of Horrors and I still have "The Thinks You Can Think" stuck in my head.)

Back to tinking Elfine...

What is wrong with me??

I have three projects currently on the needles: the Snowdrop Shawl, Rogue, and the start of what I am hoping will turn out to be Elfine socks in Spunky Eclectic's Super Sport in Green Gables. (The yarn is still unsure of what it wants to be - right now we're still on the toe, so the potential to be anything is still there. I'm actually stalling on the hippo socks because rumour mill has the next Project Spectrum - and thereby Sock Club yarn - colour is blue. I love blue, and feel it would be the best choice yet for that particular pattern.)Yet, something is missing. I was looking up a link for a friend and it hit me. Socks. I know, I have Elfine. I mean something else. A plain pair of stockinette socks. Something that I can work on during rehearsal breaks, waiting in line, during shows. Something I don't have to think about at all. Something I don't need to remember patterns for. Now, this is slightly unfair to Rogue, as Rogue is pretty easy (it's really mostly stockinette, the cables are actually pretty small) at this point as well, but Rogue, well, Rogue is big. Rogue does not fit in my purse. Elfine will, of course, but I need to have a pattern handy to read for Elfine. And Rogue. And Snowdrop. I need a zombie project. I do believe I will have to go on a stash raid and find something suitable for boring old socks. I will, however, settle in with Rogue and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire afterwards. I do have a design meeting in the morning (is EVERYONE doing Suessical right now? I know of at least three companies getting ready to put it up!) and I haven't finished reading the script yet - the rhymes really get to me after a while - but oh well. I'm just there to take notes, anyway =)

Pics!

I know, pics are far more interesting than just text. Finally I've had time to take and upload recent pics:

First up, Column Socks!
This is the best pic I can find of the foot pattern. Ribbing doesn't photograph particularly well, it seems.


Finished pics:


These are easily the best socks I've made so far. They are so comfortable and fit perfectly. The only problem is the 100% wool thing - they were too warm to wear down in SoCal! Today up in the Central Coast they are doing a fine job, though!

The start of the Snowdrop Shawl.



The yarn is actually more purple than it shows in the pic. I'm actually liking this now that I'm getting back in the habit of lace and fine yarns. I think it will be lovely if I ever get it finished.

And, of course, I have to make some introductions. Colleen, Rogue, Rogue, Colleen.



Colleen wants to make Rogue someday. She should start soon - if she can do those awesome socks and Flower Basket Shawls, cabling will be a piece of cake! It really does look a lot more complex than it is. It's just like lace - you have to take it slow and pay attention. With this, you also get the benefit (for now) of lots of stockinette to help ease it up, too. Not that I would ever encourage someone to knit a project. Not me. Never. (The brown piece is where the kangaroo pocket will start, btw. There is a matching piece on the other side.)

Lace

I'm going with the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl for the KnitPicks Shadow in Jewels. Colleen was kind enough to send me the pattern for the Flower Basket Shawl, and I can't wait to work on that one, but I have the same yarn in a misty green shade called Lost Lake that I think would be a lovely colour choice. All these pics will be up later - hopefully before the end of the weekend. I'm not sure that lace is really my thing - I've gotten used to being able to watch television and read while knitting and I can't do that now. (Firefly is a great series, btw. I got them on DVD for Steve for his graduation and we've been watching the whole series nonstop for three days now.)

Btw, Amy Boogie has sent out the May sock yarns already! Can't wait - it might even be there waiting for me when I get home!

Socks

Column Socks are finished! Okay, they've been finished since Tuesday, but we have a very spotty connection here and I haven't been able to get on long enough to post. I'd post a pic, but still no way to get pics off the camera onto the comp. I love them - they are so soft and comfortable and warm! Unfortunately, I have no need for warm socks atm, since I am in SoCal and it has been around 80 degrees all week.

I'm frogging the KYOA Pi. It's just not working for me anymore. I have no desire to continue working on it, and I don't like what I have done on it so far. I'm rewinding the yarn and planning another shawl/stole for it. The front runners right now are Candle Flame Shawl, Kiri, Snowdrop Shawl and Cat's Paw Lace Shawl. I also like the Flower Basket, but have no access to the pattern right now. I'm probably going to start one of those today, as I am now officially out of any other knitting projects. No more yarn here for Rogue, and the socks are done. Much more knitting occurred than I expected.

So I decided to go on with the Rogue, despite not having the proper needles for the kangaroo pocket in front. Instead, I marked where the stitches will need to be picked up for later and continued on. (The knitting police have not hunted me down yet! Don't tell them where I am, k?) I have gotten all of the way through the lower half of chart A (the side cabling) and am starting the repeats that add the body length. I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised so far. I was a little nervous about the intricacy of the cabling - this would be only my second cable project, my first was a very pretty afghan I started but then frogged for other reasons - and have had no problems with it so far. Knock on wood. I have to recheck the chart legend every time, but better safe than sorry, no? I'm very happy with the yarn choice so far - the cables are really starting to pop. My one concern (which I have been assured will fix itself with wear and washing) is the looseness of the stitches when I have to switch back and forth between the stockinette and reverse stockinette. I've been knitting them as tightly as I can, and twisting the stitches, which does seem to help, but makes me a bit nervous. Anyway, I've gotten that far and am now out of yarn. I didn't bring another ball down with me - what WAS I thinking, I have no idea. So now back to the second sock. I can't wait to have this pair done and wearable! I've been surruptitiously checking out other potential Bearfoot suppliers. There are supposedly four shops (FOUR!) in Santa Barbara that are listed as carriers. I will probably head back home a day before Steve (I have to get all that cotton yarn from Cleo cleaned up from its sprawl across the living room floor before he sees it) and I might just have to make a stop in Santa Barbara along the way. Of course, I also still have the Spunky Eclectic yarn waiting for me at home, not to mention another shipment of it on the way. Ahh...sock yarn....

Oh...and should I be worried that my mother knows me so well that when she mentions "alpaca" she ends the sentence with "no, I don't know if they sell the fleece or make yarn out of it"? We found out right before they left that one of the wineries in the area also has some alpacas...

Doh!

Colleen, I promise, I was working on Rogue! I'm down in LA, hanging with Steve, have a whole week to knit, and got to where the kangaroo pocket starts...and realized I had forgotten to bring my straight US8 and the spare ball of yarn for the pocket. I'm wondering if I can just keep going with the body and add the pocket later, or I could run over to a nearby Michaels and get another set of 8s and yarn, neither of which I really need.

For now, I'm just working on the second Column sock. The Pi shawl has been completely neglected, which is a shame. If I want to have it near done by June, like I told Grandma, I should take some time to work on it.

There's been some debate lately over whether I should make a pair of socks for Steve. I explained the curse to him a long time ago, but any time I come down here and am working on socks in front of other people, he has to bring it up and tease me about it. I finally got him to confess that he would like a pair, the curse is rubbish (we've been together two and a half years now and I have knit him one thing already) but he is afraid that he would wear them out or tear them up if he wore them! So I might find some guy-colored non-wool sock yarn (pretty sure I have some stashed) and make some for him for Christmas or something.