Sunday, October 29, 2006

Time For Me...

As I sit here on a Sunny and extremely windy Sunday, I've been thinking about "me time". The house is quiet, and I'm in my comfy pink flannel pj's (complete with teddy bears on them). I am exhausted.

My first week at work went really well. I really like this job, and the people I'm working with are awesome! Trying to learn everything quickly has left me feeling a bit drained though.

My plan is to drink some yummy blackberry tea, listen to the newest episode of Cast On (linked in the sidebar), and knit. Just thinking of this makes me feel more relaxed.

I've fallen in love with the garter rib pattern. It's easy enough that it's mindless, but not so easy that it's totally dull. Pictures will be forthcoming shortly.

I was at my parents' house this morning, and I weighed myself (I don't have a scale at my house), which is the ritual every second weekend or so, and there's super good news. I'm down to 128.5! I've now lost 36 pounds since the end of January. It's been my goal for as long as I could remember to get my weight into the 120's again.

The lightest I remember being in the past was 136 when I was 11 or 12. And I'm now almost 24. You could see how I'd be excited.

I think it's time to start heading to the gym once in a while, since my new job isn't as active as the old one.

I'm off to knit, so I can finally post some worthwhile pictures. Happy Sunday!!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Aren't First Days The Worst?

But not really.

Today was my first day at my new job. Let me just say that if first days are the worst, then I can totally handle the worst!

I still don't really have a clue about what I'm doing, and I can only remember about 3 of 15 names (one of which is my name!), but everyone is sooooo nice!

And when I talk to people they all say how great the owners/management are! How refreshing!

The coolest part of my day? I only spent 11 minutes on the bus to get home after work! 11 minutes! And I only spent 13-14 minutes on the bus this morning. To put this in perspective, if you add both times together, it would have taken me longer one-way to get to my old job in the morning (when traffic is lightest, and travelling times are the best). I love my new commute!

Oh, the other cool thing----I can wear jeans to work. Any day. Even on a Monday, or Wednesday, or whatever. Not just Friday. When the woman training me said this I thought she was joking. I'm having a really hard time wrapping my mind around this concept. I think I'll wear jeans tomorrow, but I'll put dress pants in my bag (just in case). Okay, maybe I'm a little crazy.

In (sort of) knitting news---

My tea swap pal got her package! Her name is Lorena. Here's here blog. I am SO GLAD she likes what I sent her. I'm actually going to be sending her another small package, because I forgot to put something in the package I already sent.

I was going to send in last week, but things haven't been getting done because of the whole job transition thing. Oh, I almost forgot--I have a package to send to Abigail too.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

This Week In Dishcloths...

...Well, from Thursday onwards, anyway....

Thursday:


This one is a reversal of Wednesday's dishcloth. I used the black Sugar 'n Cream for the squares, and the white for the background. Again, this is from the Mason Dixon book.

Friday:
Another classic, and my favorite dishcloth pattern. It's the Garterlac dishcloth (there's a link in the sidebar). It's made with Lily's Sugar 'n Cream in Country Side Ombre. I love the colors in this yarn (it's really hard to photograph it though). It reminds me of a spring garden.

Thursday & Friday:

I've been slowly working on this one---



It's also from the Mason Dixon book. It's the Moss Grid Hand Towel. I'm using the Euroflax Linen sport weight that the pattern calls for. The color is called "Natural".

I'm actually really excited about this one! It's working up really nicely, and I have visions of making myself a whole collection of these cloths.

This one's a gift, but I'm quickly realizing that I need to make some for myself. I have another hank of this yarn in an off-white color, and I'm thinking about doing a hand towel in a basket weave pattern, with a moss stitch border.

Why all the dishcloths?

I've been finding it really hard to cast on for a pair of socks lately. I have lots and lots of awesome sock yarn, but for some reason I just can't do it. The last time this happened, I made a bunch of dishcloths, and then I was able to knit up a sock storm! 3 pairs in about a month to be exact.

I love dishcloths, because I get a lot of use out of them, and I enjoy knitting them, but I also use them as a knitting palate cleanser.

Long live the dishcloth!



Here are some random, funny, out of the blue, unprovoked things I've blurted out in the last week---

1) I think we should find a way to have turkeys produce their own cranberry sauce.

2) My ideal man would be made entirely out of various kinds of cheeses.

3) Sometimes I wish burritos had feelings.

These all earned me some weird looks, because the conversation was either silent, or on a totally different topic when I said them. I just thought I should share. The funny thing is that I didn't think these things were all that weird until I saw the reactions of the people I said them to.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Today Was One Of Those Days...

...Actually, I've been having a lot of those days lately.

(You don't have to read about the work issues, but I'd love to hear your thoughts)

Don't you love how much easier it is to leave a job when you are hit hard in the face with the reasons you're leaving everyday. That's what's been happening to me lately.

I've been really trying hard to not let stuff bother me and to just not care, but I'm not like that. It's just not me. Stuff does bother me. I don't think that it makes me a bad person to get upset when people are being treated badly. Especially when that person is me.

In a nutshell, here's what's bothering me most....

My supervisor is unprofessional. 1) She is the queen of the eye-roll, which drives me nuts.

2) I (along with a few other co-workers) got to listen to a 20 minute rant yesterday about how bad 2 other people in the office are. I couldn't believe it. Actually, I could believe it, but I really didn't want to think she was that unprofessional.

3) She is in charge of training, but does not know how to do most of the stuff, so she makes it up as she goes along, and then tells the rest of the team that we are wrong. I hate that!!!

4) No one can tell her anything. When she thinks she's right, there's no changing her mind. Even if it's her supervisor who is telling her that what she's doing is not procedure!

You may be wondering why she's still there! I'll tell you---

There has been a mass exodus from my office since I started (and I hear it's been going on for longer than that), and they will not fire anybody. You don't have to be competent at what you do, or a good employee in any way, and they will not get rid of you. Ever!

Even when the crappy employees get new jobs, they try to convince them to stay.

We've been doing a little poll over the last couple of weeks, and in our office of 250, we've managed to find one person who likes her job. This is not an exaggeration.

I'm sick of being treated like crap, and I'm thinking that I might be coming down with something ;) (Cough, cough). What do you think? Justified?

Oh, I should add that I am absolutely unable to avoid this person. She is sitting right beside me "training" all week.

Sorry, I know this is not knitting related at all, and it's funny, because I purposely did not blog last night, because I knew it was going to be a work rant. Tonight, I figured I might as well blog, because work at this job is not going to stop sucking!

I finished a dishcloth this morning. It's a gift, but I can't say for who, since it's for Christmas. See, I learned my lesson from last year, and I'm starting my gift knitting early.


It's the pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting and is knit with Sugar 'n Cream yarn in Black and White (shocking! I know!).

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Day Trip To Seattle!

On a whim, Stu and I decided to take a day trip down to Seattle. Do you believe that he's never been to Washington State?!? I couldn't believe it! I spent a ton of time down there when I was a bit younger, but I hadn't been in about 7 years, and I'd never been without my parents.

I had planned to document the whole trip with pictures, but I lost interest just outside of Bellingham. It didn't help that it was really foggy from the time we left home, until we returned.

We left Vancouver at 10:15am, and we didn't get home until after 10:00pm.

Our first stop was the Peace Arch Border Crossing where we were greeted with a 45 minute wait.

After getting through the border, our next stop was Bellingham to visit Marilyn's Yarn.

This was an awesome yarn store, and I know it'll be a bit temptation, because it's not too far from the border.

They had an absolute ton of stuff! Including lots that you wouldn't find in Vancouver. Amazingly, I only bought one thing from them. The reason is that it was really early in our trip, and I didn't want to spend my all of my budgeted money in one spot. The one thing I did get was amazing though.

It's Socks That Rock in Sedona! Believe it or not, I'd never actually seen this yarn in person before. I'd heard lots of good stuff about it, and it is just as amazing as I'd heard.

Upon the acquisition of this, there was lots of squealing, and happiness. Stu thought I was nuts.

They had a couple of other skeins that I am wishing I bought, but that's the price you pay for being budget conscious! Damn budget!

Our next stop was in Arlington for gas, and we went to Target too. I think I was in a Target about 12 or so years ago, so I wanted to go in again. Also, I figured I'd already been in the States for too long without consuming Milk Duds, so I needed to get some of those too. I'm sure people thought I was insane for taking a picture of Target!


Look---We have a holder in the car that's the perfect size for an XL box of Milk Duds!

Once we were back on the road, we decided to go to a "Real American Walmart", we have Walmart here, but I wanted to see if it was any different. We went to the one in Marysville. It seemed pretty much the same to me, except the "greeters" actually greet you. Also, they don't sell that Bernat dishcloth yarn, they sell Peaches & Cream. This was just the beginning of my dishcloth yarn acquisition.

After this, we made a break for Seattle to go to The Weaving Works. We were thinking about doing some other touristy things in Seattle, but we were both kind of tired, so we opted to turn around after this stop.

I hate to say it, but I wasn't all that impressed. Yes, they had lots of things, but not much more than Marilyn's Yarn had. Also, I was pretty much ignored. I was in there for half-an-hour, got no acknowledgement of my presence, and when I walked up the the cash, the only thing they said was, "You ready?" "That'll be X dollars". That was it!


The only bright side to this was that I finally found some Trekking XXL that I wanted. The had some at Marilyn's, but it wasn't the color I wanted.

At this point, I was thinking, "I can't believe I came all the way from Vancouver for THAT!" I mean, the reason I went in the first place, is because they have a good reputation.

Anyway, that's enough about that!

The thing on the agenda, other than yarn, was a new winter coat for me. I've had my old one for 7 or 8 years now, and it really needs to be replaced. I'd been looking here and there during our travels, but hadn't found anything.

On the way back, we decided to stop at any mall that we thought might have a good coat, that wasn't going to cost me a fortune. After 4 or so stops, we ended up in Marysville again, but on the other side of the freeway this time. They had a JC Penny, a Bath & Body Works, & some place called Craft Mart.

We went into Bath & Body Works first, and I didn't find anything to buy. I think it was because I had the coat thing on my mind more than anything.

Next stop was Craft Mart. This is where I hit the mother load of Sugar 'n Cream!

Woo Hoo!!

Anyway, we walked into JC Penny next, and honestly, I didn't have very high hopes. It was a little hole in the wall. Once I found the coat section, I saw the perfect coat! It was even more perfect, because it was half off! I tried it on, and I knew that this was the perfect coat for me.

It was a really fun trip, and I really like going into the smaller towns.

If you enlarge this pic, you can see where we went. It's quite a distance for one day, and I think that next time we'll stay over night.

As for today, I can't wait to start knitting with my new yarns!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Road Trip!!!

I'll tell you all about it tonight!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Baby Hat. Cat Hat. Same Thing....

I cast on for a baby hat for my co-worker who's expecting. I only started last night, but I'm already done.I have no idea how many stitches I cast on. I really just winged it on this one. I can't even remember what kind of yarn I used for it. Sorry, I know I'm useless right now.


I decided to try it on Redd, and he really didn't seem to mind. I think it looks really cute on him.

Don't ya just love a cat in a hat? I'm really glad to know that I have a willing baby hat model.


I had a great conversation this afternoon with a woman on the bus, who knits, but wants to get more into it. She was really nice. I pointed her to knittinghelp.com, because I've found their videos useful in the past. She said that if she sees me again, she'll pick my brain. That's cool. I like to help.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Something Special For Someone Special...

There's a very special blogger out there (actually there are many, but there's one in particular right now), who is very supportive and thoughtful.

Here are the goodies--

I've made her some little stitch markers that'll be perfect for socks. I'll let you know who it is when she gets them. She'll probably know who she is, but just in case, I'm not going to say right now.

Yes, they are almost identical to the ones I made for my tea swap pal.

On a totally different note---

I gave my notice at work today. It was scary, but it had to be done. I can't believe how stressed out I was, and still am, about it.

It is kinda funny though, because in the next couple of weeks, about 5 people are leaving. I just found out about all of these today.

When a company jerks you around, it's amazing how much joy can be taken from watching your department crumble. I thought our department head was going to lose it today! All has been well deserved though, so save your pity.

I'm just about to dive into my stash to make something more for my co-worker who's expecting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Weekend Goodies...

We headed down to Granville Island this afternoon for a little shopping. I good friend of mine is selling olives at the market, and we had to stop by to check them out. They are phenomenal! They're stuffed with cheese, and they're super yummy.


We also headed to the Net Loft building on the island (I call it the "crafty area"). I've been wanting to check out Maiwa. It's a store with many many fibre dyes. They also have an online store. I found the staff to be really helpful. I've been wanting to try out some acid dyes, and they have a huge supply. They also have a lot of natural dyes, which I'd like to try next.

Here's my bag full of goodies---

Here are the goodies---


This is pretty much all I need to dye my own yarn. I'm really excited! I've got lots of colors, and I can't wait to start experimenting.

As far as knitting goes, here's what I've been working on---

I'm making this sock for myself for Socktober. I'm using a 2.5mm Addi Turbo, and doing the magic loop. It's a simple 2x2 rib. The yarn is from Sunshine Yarns, and is called Grasshopper. I've hardly had a chance to work on it, but it's still progressing a bit.

This is the sleeve for the Central Park Hoodie from the Fall 2006 KnitScene Magazine.

I decided to start with the sleeve, because it would be some nice quick progress, and it is! It's moving along very quickly. This has got to be the simplest pattern ever. Again, it's Cascade 220, with a 4mm needle for the ribbing, and a 5.5mm needle for the rest. I like it with the bigger needle size, because it makes it really soft.

Friday, October 06, 2006

P.S.

I had a second interview tonight at 5pm, and got an offer before 6pm.

This is going to be awesome!! I'm super excited!

It's a great company with actual managers (which will be a nice change), and they're paying me more than I was making before.

Thanks to everyone who crossed their fingers for me! I think it worked!

I'll be giving my 2 weeks notice on Tuesday morning (Monday's Canadian Thanksgiving).

I'm too excited to type right now!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Ode To A Milk Dud...

Oh Milk Dud, chewy and sweet.
You arrived with sock yarn, but
will never adorn my feet.

Hours and hours I've thought of you,
All the while, my addiction grew.
But four Milk Duds, I've ever had.
And for those few, I sure am glad.

Your shiny chocolate makes me dream.
Your chewy centre makes me gleam.

How I envy those in the U.S. borders,
who can buy your satisfaction with but
a few quarters.

Your Canadian lover must make do,
and suffer silently while dreaming of you.

Ack! Busy!

I'm just checking in to let everyone know things have been busy! I've hardly been able to catch my breath!!

Here's the news---

I had an interview yesterday, which went well, and I have a second interview for it tomorrow. Yay!

The prospect of a new job scares the crap out of me!!

The person I've been interviewing with has been really understanding that I work all day, and across town at that, which is really nice. Really really nice.

I think people are going to be wondering about me being all dressed up for an interview tomorrow (casual Friday!). Oh well, most of them know I'm looking for a new job.

I haven't been doing much knitting lately, but I plan to knit like nothing else this weekend!

That's all for me right now. I'll let you know how it goes!

Emmie---If you're reading this---I'm going to call you this weekend! We must hang out!!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Chocolate Swap Goodies!!

I received a very nice package from my Chocolate Swap pal, Lori!


Did I mention I *love* chocolate?


I got tons of chocolate goodies! She even hand-dyed some beautiful chocolate colored sock yarn for me. She's got talent! I really hope she decides to sell her creations in the future.


All I can say is that white chocolate body butter is heavenly. I smell like white chocolate! Actually, it's more like white chocolate icing. Yummy!!

She also included some pretty, soft, and silky Knitpicks yarn. I can't wait to make socks out of that one too.


Lori's kids helped make the labels for the yarn, and I just had to post them. Don't you just love the bird in the corner! Thanks guys! It makes the yarn extra special, and I'll be putting these pictures on my fridge.

THANK YOU SO MUCH LORI!!!! YOU ARE AN AWESOME PAL!!!

Now, Just when you thought today wouldn't get any better for me, it does!

I got a call back from one of the resumes I sent out yesterday night. I did a telephone interview at lunch today, and I have an in person interview after work tomorrow. I'm really excited! Hopefully, by Thursday I'll have given my notice.

I'm off to stuff my face with chocolate and slather myself in white chocolate body butter! Sounds good, huh? Yum yum yum!!!

PS. I've been knitting, but that'll have to wait til tomorrow.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Socktoberfest Begins!

Happy October 1st! I hope everyone's ready for a fun and productive Socktoberfest 2006!

I participated in October 2005, and I don't remember being all that productive. This year, I'm making a list of goals to help the productivity along.

I was going to show some pictures and tell you about my list, but I've had a busy day, and it's almost 8pm now.

I'll be back tomorrow with some updates though.

I will say this---

I am actively looking for a new job. I've had it up to my eyeballs with this one, and I've realized it's time to move on. I'll explain after I find a new job. I don't want to get into it while I'm still with this employer.

Job hunting is time consuming, and that's what I was doing with my day today. I'll let you know about any updates.

I'm off to wind up a ball of sock yarn. Talk to you tomorrow!