Knitiot Savant

Just a random thought or three

I'm leaving my job this year. I've mentioned before that I wanted to leave and may have even written that I have a new job to go to, but I'm leaving this one. I've worked here for 8 years, practically right out of grad school, and I feel like a fish out of water.

In this current job, I work 20 hours/week and have summers off. In my new job, I'll be working during the summer and make twice my current salary with absolutely no change in the numbers of hours I'll be working. Let me say that again: twice the salary with no increase in hours. Not too bad.

So why am I sad about this? Well, the hard truth is that I'm sad that I've left no mark on this current job. I've had some of the worst parents imaginable, really tough kids, and my co-worker, (the one I taught to knit) seems to believe that I work for her. She doesn't communicate ANYTHING to me and, in fact, makes snotty remarks about working part-time. Okay. One snotty remark...........and we eventually talked it out. She feels better, it still chaps my ass.

What does this have to do with knitting? Not a whole hell of a lot except that knitting has recently become my constant while the world seems to fall apart around me; while I feel like I'm falling apart with it.

After a lot of soul searching, I decided that having my summers off just wasn't worth this amount of bull. (There's more, but why waste more blog space on it than it truly deserves.) So I'm going to knit, not second guess myself, and be the best possible mommy I can. That's all anyone can do, really.

It's me! I finally

It's me! I finally have a picture on my blog and I'm very excited! It's old, but it's me. I think it's my birthday party, but I have no idea how old I am in that picture. I'm just happy to have one up!!

Enough already!

Big B comes back tomorrow, the car is fixed, and Baby went to the doctor. I'm spent! This is brief because I'm going to sit down, quietly knit on Big B's crazy hat, and just chill. My plan was to post a couple of pictures just to brighten the blog up a bit, but I just don't have the patience to puzzle this out. Probably won't have the time, either.

Poor Me

Today is simply a pity party. Big B is out of town for the whole of next week and I miss him terribly. (He flew out only this morning.) This is the first time we've been apart since Baby was born. He's worried about us; I'm worried about us and him. I think we'll be fine, but I'm a little nervous. My car started running hot on the way back from the airport. We just had the damn thing repaired, too. I'm sticking to short trips all week and just hope for the best. I just hate car trouble.

Knitting, well, making good progress on the Dress project. I have a hat going for Big B and I'm thinking about starting some socks for him.

Taught my co-worker to knit Friday. You know, saying you "taught" someone to do something implies that is stuck with your student. I'm not sure I can say that here. I'm confident that every single knitter out there was pretty awkward the first time they picked up some needles. The pattern directions are confusing, figuring out a comfortable grip on the needles can be dicey at best, and starting with crappy materials can really add to that frustration.

Well, this chick's first mistake was the "crappy materials" one. She didn't want help looking for anything and I had the distinct impression that she knew what to look for from the pattern she'd chosen. Boy, was I wrong. This poor girl is VERY concrete. The directions said look for a "ball" of yarn. That's exactly what she looked for and, when she found that yarn is not sold in nice, round balls, it threw her. Let's take this same concrete individual and try to teach her to knit. I'm pretty sure you can see the struggle brewing here.

It wasn't that bad, I guess. I left her with some better yarn, (not the "ball" of cotton she'd brought) and suggested she try larger needles to more easily see the stitches. We only worked on casting on and the knit stitch. Purl stitch? Are you high? That's a lesson for another day.

Anyway, I'm feeling sad, lonely, and not entirely in the mood to knit. Just whine. And eat chocolate. And wait for Big B to call.

Goodbye to Pink

I finally ditched the pink template and settled on this pretty plain one. Yes, it's dull. I think once I'm able to post pictures it will look tons better! I've also fooled around and added a couple of links. I think I might actually be getting the hang of this!

On the knitting front: Big B has always wanted a hat with earflaps. I've finally found a pattern that I like and I've started work on it. This will be my quick, mindless project while Baby's dress comes together. This hat will be amazingly ugly and that's exactly what Big B wanted. I'm not sure why, but that's what he wants. Posting a picture of that crazy hat will be well worth the cost of a digital camera!

At lunch tomorrow, I'm supposed to teach a co-worker to knit. We'll see how this goes. I'm self-taught so I'm not sure how much I can pass on to her....except maybe what not to do! She's already chosen a scarf pattern from the current issue of "Vogue Knitting". You can see it at: http://www.vogueknitting.com/ It's the one on the cover. That seems simple enough. I copied all the yarn and needle info for her. We'll see how it goes.

Wish me monsters! (Gotta be a BTVS fan to get that one!)

Croup de-tat

Baby is finally past the croup and into the lovely, "I'm just a bit congested" stage. (Actually, I've joined her in congestion. The pollen here is horrifying and everyone's nose is just nasty!) She's sleeping better which means we're sleeping better. Well, Big B is sleeping better. I've become a raging insomniac. Did I use my awake time to knit? Not this time. I looked at other blogs, played some blackjack and lamented the fact that my blog is just so damn dull.

I need pictures, a better template...something! I'm super new to blogging and, although I've actually made a couple of webpages, that was a while back and I remember nothing of it!!! I'm considering backing this blog up and trying something fresh. Hm.

Our home has completely gone to hell while Baby's been sick. Poor Big B is trying to catch up on yard work and, in between checking on Baby, checking email and cleaning up, I'm trying to get our laundry done.

So back to the boring blog issue. I'm going to do a little research and see what I come up with. This pink template is just killing me!

What's the croup?

My, my what a long 3 days it's been. Baby has not been sleeping well. At first, I chalked it up to teething and allergies. (We are absolutely covered in pollen. My car is a brilliant yellow as opposed to it's normal dull gray. In any other circumstance, that might be a nice change. But not when it makes your eyes all gritty and your nose run like the mighty Mississippi!) Poor baby was waking up at roughly 3 or 4am with an amazing fever and a cough that would make a lifelong smoker proud. I bailed out of work today and took her to the doctor. My little punkin has croup and an ear infection in her left ear. I got antibiotics for the ear infection but croup is a "wait it out" sort of illness. For the first time in the past three days, poor Baby has actually settled into a deep afternoon nap, vaporizer humming along beside her. Big B and I are seriously sleep deprived but at least now we know what we're up against.

In the few moments of down time I've had, I actually made some gains on the dress. It's looking pretty good. I have other projects lying around so, if I get bored with the dress, I can move on to something else. Got to get that digital camera! Hey, I have a birthday coming up. Cool gift idea for me, huh?

Friday is my first day at my new job. I'm pretty nervous but in an excited way. Should be interesting. I've been agonizing over what to wear. Do I go semi casual which equals comfortable or wear hose, nice dress, and shoes that no human should have on their feet? Hm. Guess it actually depends upon what's clean!

Reading is fundamental

especially when it comes to knitting patterns. I'm knitting along, very pleased with myself that Baby's dress is progressing so nicely, when I realize that I had completely misread the pattern. Hours of knitting, which are very hard to come by when one has a small child, have just been flushed down the knitting toilet. I wanted to die. As I saw it, I had three options: 1) rip back to the error and plug away, 2) cast on again and just start over, 3) throw a big hissy fit, cry, and vow never to make anything even remotely difficult again.

As I've mentioned before, dear reader, I'm not the most adventurous of knitters. Sewing, hell yeah. Knitting, not so into risk taking. I was determined not to be hampered by my inability to accurately read a pattern. So, after a little bit of option 3, I just cast on again and started over. (I have more than enough yarn for that option.) This dress will not defeat me, although it does make me cast a longing glance toward my very spiffy sewing machine, or, at the very least, consider that Baby really only needs a baby-size scarf from her mommy. Or maybe a simple, baby size hat. Even a poncho!

I cast on, knit a couple of rows, and read ahead in the pattern VERY carefully so I don't make a similar error. We'll see how it goes from here.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

The weather is nice and cool so I took the opportunity to wear my spiffy little scarf. It's super cute! (This is one of those moments when I wish I had a digital camera. I should get off my cheap/lazy ass and get one.) Everyone should share in the glory that is my simple little scarf.

Work on Baby's dress is progressing nicely. I'm only about 10 rows into it, but it's so cool knowing that I'm making something that she can wear and maybe pass on to her daughter one day. Maybe I'll invest in that digital camera when Baby's dress in completed.

I really consider myself such a new knitter. I think I've mentioned before that I just haven't been as adventurous as I probably could be. Turning 40 has sort of changed that! Time to break out! (A mid-life crisis maybe?)

Speaking of breaking out, I submitted my letter of resignation today. Love the fact that's its April 1 and, irony of ironies, no one is here to take the damn letter. Only a chick at human resources knows for sure. I feel so much happier and lighter! It's just amazing how wonderful change can make you feel!

The rest of my work day should be very uneventful. I'm the only one here, making me wish I'd stuck some knitting in my backpack. I'm caught up on my paperwork and I have the T.V. following the Pope's passing. I'm not a Catholic, but you just can't deny the impact this man had on the world. Amazing.